The Miscellany News, Volume CXLVII, Issue 14 (Feb. 13, 2014)

The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVII | Issue 14

February 13, 2014

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Petition SART advocates provide student support Vassar’s Sexual Assault seeks Asian Response Team relies on community involvement inclusion N Juliet Simon

Guest rePorter

early 20 percent of undergraduate women report having experience attempted or completed sexual assault since beginning college, according to a study in the Journal of American College Health. Sexual assault occurs on all campuses, even Vassar.

The Sexual Assault and Violence Response Team (SART) are a collection college faculty, staff and administrators with the mission of helping the student victims of interpersonal violence.

According to the SART website, team members will to offer guidance, knowledge and assistance to victims, but never force a decisionon

Noble Ingram neWs editor

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Zhu to play in world bridge championship Chris Gonzalez editor-in-CHieF

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group of four sit around a square table, one of many in a large convention center. Silence washes over them as they concentrate only on the array of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs before them. They play not poker or rummy but bridge, a game that will have taken William Zhu ’15 from San Francisco, California to Istanbul, Turkey by the end of this summer.

Zhu didn’t plan on one day competing in the World Youth Teams Championships for bridge when he first started playing the card game his sophomore year at Lowell High School in San Francisco. His AP European history teacher, who held a bridge club once a week and offered extra credit to students who attend-

ed, introduced him to the game.

“A bunch of my friends and I were in the class and wanted extra credit so we decided to go. It was a little confusing for the first two weeks, but we kept going as a group. We kept going even after we finished the class,” Zhu explained, adding, “Actually, I wasn’t in their section, so I didn’t get extra credit. I was just going because they were going, but I ended up staying the longest and taking it the most seriously.”

After graduating high school, the Center for Bridge Education—a nonprofit organization devoted to introducing duplicate bridge, the competitive format played in competitions and tournaments, to middle and high schoolers—contacted Zhu and a fellow classmate about See BRIDGE on page 6

courtesy of the United States Bridge Foundation

n Wednesday, Feb. 5, a petition circulated throughout the student body calling for greater inclusion of Asian and Asian-American voices in the Women’s Studies program. The petition was part of a student-led initiative to fight against what some students see as a pattern of Asian erasure at Vassar and in the Unites States more generally. The petition calls for 1000 signatures. As of Tuesday, 345 people from across the country have signed.

Though the petition was a collaboration between many students on campus, two students in particular spearheaded the initiative: Michelle Zhang ’15 and Grace Sparapani ’16. As Sparapani explained, “This was something she and I talked about quite a bit... and it was Michelle that took the initiative to connect everyone that she had talked with about this in an email thread so we could come up with a solution. She and I wrote the original petition mainly because it was so hard to get everyone together all at once to do so.”

The petition begins by establishing what students feel is the main problem with the Women’s Studies program as it relates to Asian and Asian American voices. As the petition reads, “We believe in the power of academics to shape social conversations and would thus like to challenge the Women’s See PETITION on page 4

them.Elizabeth Shrock is the SART Coordinator of the Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Program.

Shrock wrote in an emailed statement, “As the Coordinator, I supervise the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and often meet one-onone with students that have questions or want support for sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating/domestic violence and stalking. It’s my job to know all the possible avenues of support

for them, and to be able to advocate for their needs on and off campus.”

Her interest in sexual assault and violence-related advocacy and activism began when she was an undergraduate and became involved with Take Back the Night, an activist organization dedicated to fighting sexual violence. Her advocacy in her community grew from there. “I also became a volunteer sexual assault advocate, working with survivors at a crisis center in Michigan to advocate for them at hospitals, police stations and court,” wrote Shrock. Although she admits that her work is challenging and has the capacity to evoke a variety of negative emotions, such as sadness, anger and frustration, she doesn’t See SART on page 14

William Zhu ’15, far left, poses alongside his bridge World Youth Teams Championship teammates, Edmund Wu, Erli Zhou and Jimmy Wang.

Fashion blog features campus style VC Squash achieves second place finish I Jake Solomon Guest rePorter

n a world where fashion blogs are more immediate and influential than prestigious magazines such as Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, a Vassar-centric fashion blog is gaining influence both on and off campus.

The College Catalogue, a fashion blog dedicated to archiving student

fashions, was designed to showcase various fashion trends while maintaining an accessible appearance by keeping the clothing prices low and using models who are fellow students at Vassar College.

The College Catalogue was created on Feb. 19, 2013 by Vassar students Maggie Zhang ’15, Nicole Alter ’13, and Daniele Selby ’13. Now

that Nicole Alter and Daniele Selby have graduated, the team currently running the blog is Maggie Zhang, Katherine Cuan ’15, Laura Song ’16 and Ellis Kim ’16. “[We] started The College Catalogue because [we] felt that many blogs showcased only one person’s style and usually expensive clothing. The College Catalogue is a See CATALOGUE on page 16

courtesy of collegecatalogue

Pictured above are Ellie Marble ’16 and Noah Mintz ’16 posing for The College Catalogue’s Valentine’s Day edition. The fashion blog features everyday student style, ranging from looks for class to outfits for campus nightlife and special occasions.

Inside this issue

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Höhn’s book on Black soldiers spurs FEATURES new documentary

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Study-abroad office must streamline OPINIONS resources

Tina Caso

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fter losing six seniors upon their graduation last year, women’s squash has merged with the men’s team to fulfill the College Squash Association (CSA) nine-person roster requirement. The now co-ed team has steadily rebuilt, recruited players and, despite a series of injuries, hopes to reach Nationals by the end of the season.

Before the Sept. 28 season kickoff, Head Coach Jane Parker was recruiting Vassar students who might be interested in playing collegiate squash. “The pre-winter break objective was to build a squad of women in P.E. classes by offering more introductory clinics, an intramural squash ladder and a Brewer House Cup Squash Team Tournament,” she wrote in an emailed statement. “Five Introductory clinics were staged through August and September and squash was introduced to seventy novices. A number of the newcomers enrolled on fall squash classes, attended intramurals and expressed interest in joining the team.”

By the time the season began, the team consisted of 13 men and five women. Seniors Ricardo Espinosa and Kiet Phun, along with junior

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Alexandra Bowditch, were named captains. “This is a relatively new team that has grown a lot over the course of the year,” wrote co-captain Espinosa in an emailed statement.

“We were a bit unlucky in that two of our top players tore their ACL’s at the beginning of the season, so the results have not been as positive.

However, it is amazing to see how high spirits are, and how motivated everyone is.”

The squash team is also involved off campus. “On October 25th the team offered a Community Service squash clinic for thirty-five students from Poughkeepsie Middle School,” she wrote. “The program was made possible through collaboration with Rachel Gorman and VAST, the Vassar After School Tutoring program.

The event was a success as it gave the squash team the task of breaking down the basic skills of the game and teaching them in a fun way to the young students.”

The injured players include sophomores Timothy Veit and Daniel Doctor, along with junior Devina Vaid and freshman Vincent Mencotti. “The season has been really up and down so far,” wrote Veit, who had lower-back surgery in October.

See SQUASH on page 18

Doyle makes weary trek from THs to TAs HUMOR Oregon Trail style

& SATIRE

The Miscellany News

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February 13, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Chris Gonzalez

Senior Editors

Meaghan Hughes Marie Solis

Photo of the Week

Contributing Editors

Vassar remains locked in winter’s bitter embrace, at least for a few more weeks. Here, a snow-engorged icicle plunges from a TA roof. Though beautiful, it has perhaps overstayed its welcome.

Ruth Bolster Jessica Tarantine

News Features Opinions Humor & Satire Sports Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

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Jack Mullan Anna Iovine Natasha Bertrand Samantha Kohl Luka Laden Jacob Heydorn Gorski Jiajing Sun Assistant Social Media Victoria Bachurska Reporters Emma Daniels Isabella DeLeo Emily Hoffman Maggie Jeffers Jonathan Safir Delaney Fischer Columnists Zach Rippe Max Rook Lily Sloss Eli J. Vargas I Photography Samantha Pianello Design Elizabeth Dean Bethany Terry Online Rachel Dorn Copy Hadley Atwood Daniel Foley Sophie Kosmacher Christian Lewis Macall McQueen Marya Pasciuto Camilla Pfeiffer Emma Roellke Rebecca Weir LETTERS POLICY The Miscellany News is Vassar College’s weekly open forum for discussion of campus, local and national issues, and welcomes letters and opinions submissions from all readers.

Letters to the Editor should not exceed 450 words, and they usually respond to a particular item or debate from the previous week’s issue. Opinions articles are longer pieces, up to 800 words, and take the form of a longer column. No letter or opinions article may be printed anonymously. If you are interested in contributing, e-mail misc@vassar.edu.

The Miscellany News does not expressly endorse any of the opinions of the columnists featured within the pages of the paper, except for the staff editorial.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

February 13, 2014

NEWS

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Film Screening of Eve Ensler’s ‘V-Day’ sparks debate Elizabeth Dean staFF desiGner

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Schrock elaborated on the specific issues highlighted by V-Day, saying, “We chose to include a critique because similar to many highly visible feminists of second and third-wave feminist movements, Eve Ensler, a straight, white, cisgender western woman, was the initiator of V-Day. This erasure of incredibly powerful queer activists and activists of color within the anti-violence movement is not socially just, and we should critically examine our tendency to ignore this fact.”

Abrams added, “I think a discussion like this can be beneficial to the student body as it allows for students to voice the concerns they may have with the movement and it gets students thinking about how they would like to see things change...”

The film had strong effects on many, in-

courtesy of Until the Violece Stops

n Tuesday, Feb. 11, Vassar’s Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention (SAVP) hosted a screening of the film “V-Day” followed by a critique moderated by Senior Lecturer of English and Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies Karen Robertson. This film documents the efforts of a grassroots activist movement sparked by Eve Ensler’s play, “The Vagina Monologues.” Members of the movement raise money for domestic violence prevention and survivors, as well as other activities including rallies, leadership classes and educational media campaigns. The film highlighted these issues with their presentation and discussion.

Coordinator of the SAVP Elizabeth Schrock said the impetus for the film screening came from a collective interest between the students in her office and herself. “The students that work in my office and I were really interested in learning more about the V-DAY movement including the impact that it’s had, how it fits within the larger movement to end sexual violence and intimate partner violence, and the valid critiques of it,” she said.

Office Assistant at the SAVP Fiona Abrams ‘16 participated in the planning and execution of the event and discussed her participation in an emailed statement. She wrote, “This screening [of V-Day] will be followed by another event later in February...last year we participated with a flash mob dance in the quad to support survivors of interpersonal violence. With V-day coming up this Friday, the film is a good way to raise awareness about the event and the issues it combats.”

Fellow Office Assistant at the SAVP Jordan Ross ‘16 was also involved in planning and elaborated on the SAVP’s goals. “We really wanted to be a part of the national V-Day movement and we thought that this would be a really great way to introduce it...this is one way we thought we could spark discussion and make people aware,” she said.

She continued, “This [film screening] is like part one, we’re going to have another screening later in February...it all has to do with V-Day awareness, and that’ll be part two.”

Abrams also acknowledged the importance of the guided critique after the screening. She stated, “We are very aware of the controversies about Ensler’s work including exclusion of queer identities as well as her colonialist approach. I think it is important for us to recognize the strides that Ensler’s work made against interpersonal violence while also discussing its problematic aspects...”

Ross added, “We want to acknowledge the changes that [Eve Ensler] has brought to the movement, but we also want to highlight how there’s a lot more work to be done and we want people to discuss those ideas.”

Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention at Vassar hosted a screening of the film “V-Day” by author Eve Ensler. Ensler also wrote the “Vagina Monologues,” which will soon be performed at VC.

cluding Schrock, who said, “I find the stories of survival, healing and empowerment [in the film] to be incredibly powerful and the stories of rape, violence and control to be devastating.”

About 20 students attended the screening.

In the critique afterwards, students discussed the film as well as Vassar’s upcoming student performance of the Vagina Monologues and focused on several of the issues raised by Schrock, including both play and film being alienating to the trans* community, presenting a colonialist perspective on international women’s issues, and focusing more on remedial measures than true violence prevention. All attendees declined to comment.

Abrams expressed hope that students will be inspired by the event to become more involved with the social issues discussed. She said, “I think Vassar has a lot of great resources for this kind of information and some people aren’t aware of all of them. SAVP holds events all throughout the year that aim to educate the student body about global issues as well concerns on Vassar’s campus.”

She added, “I would also highly recommend taking a Women’s Studies course at some point over the four years. There are also various organizations on campus, like the Vassar Feminist Alliance, that could provide great information and discussion about related topics.”

Schrock also encouraged interested students to contact her at elschrock@vassar.edu if they are interested in becoming involved with the SAVP, adding, “The Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention program is here to support students who have questions about sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment, as well as provide information and prevention programming. Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) advocates are available to provide support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Ross added that “the actual V-Day is on February 14, and we’ll be doing something for that as well, but it’s a little bit of a surprise.”

College tackles issue of divestment from fossil fuels Shelia Hu

Guest rePorter

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For these and other reasons, I cannot anticipate fossil fuel divestment becoming either feasible or advisable.”

Moving into more general commentary on the event, Moran reflected on the debate. “The overarching and singular goal of having this public debate was to disseminate information regarding the issues and circumstances regarding the school’s divestment from Fossil Fuels.

We consider it our prerogative as student leaders to raise the level of discourse over issues prevalent at Vassar and in society—it simply is not enough to be in favor or opposed to something, in order to be able to participate in democratic society and be an informed citizen you have to be able to justify your points of view, you have to be able to articulate your opinions,” he said.

Moran continued, “The point of this debate was not to broadcast our personal political convictions, but rather give the student body

the information necessary to form their own.

After the debate only one student stated that they didn’t know enough to have an opinion—I consider that to be a great success.”

Although both sides made strong arguments, it seems like divestment is not within the realm of possibilities for Vassar at the moment. However, there are many opportunities for environmental activism here on campus if this is an issue one is concerned about.

Moran commented, “As an institution Vassar has a carbon footprint, which we have taken strides in recent years to reduce. I think more can be done on this front. Vassar has an entire website dedicated to sustainability and campus wide initiatives facilitated by ‘Eco-Leaders’ to further environmental awareness. I think the issue of our own carbon footprint needs to be brought front and center, and that we actively attempt to orient our community towards being sustainable.”

Emily Lavieri-Scukk/The Miscellany News

ast Thursday, the Vassar Debate Society held a public debate on whether Vassar should divest from fossil fuel companies. The debate touched on what effects divesting or not divesting would have on VC’s financial livelihood and the environment. The government and the opposition teams debated the following motion: “Vassar College ought to divest from all direct investments in the fossil fuel industry.”

The Government team was debating for the motion while the opposition was debating against the motion. The government team consisted of Zack Struver ’15 and Meg Mielke ’14 while the opposition team consisted of Colin Crilly ’15 and Hannah Matsunaga ’16, with Max Moran ‘16 acting as moderator.

The government team of Struger and Mielke talked about the moral and political obligation of Vassar College to promote environmental protection by divesting from the fossil fuel companies. Struger started his argument with an explanation of how 7.5 billion tons of carbon are released into the atmosphere annually and Vassar shouldn’t be putting money into companies that are destroying the atmosphere. Damage to the environment directly affects human health concerns as well; streams and rivers that are used for human consumption are being polluted and air smog is exposing individuals to large amounts of chemicals. They mentioned that Vassar needs to take a public stand and contribute to large movements that will spark change in other liberal arts schools by having socially responsible funds.

Crilly and Matsunaga of the opposition spoke against the motion and explained the way in which divesting from fossil fuel companies would hurt the Vassar endowment. Due to the current fiscal situation, they claimed that the school needs to use the money responsibly and not put the need-blind student loan system and financial aid system at risk. The danger of putting Vassar in financial harm is something the school needs to think about before “politicizing” the endowment just to make a state-

ment. In addition, they argued that having Vassar divest would not lead to a change in the fossil fuel industry, as the school’s shares are only a minute percent of company shares. Vassar would have some say through proxy voting as a shareholder, but none if not a shareholder.

The five schools that have divested from fossil fuel companies have small endowments and no need-blind policy; they also claimed that there is also no indication that other schools would follow suit in divesting. While there are green companies that the school could be investing in as an alternative, they think it is a risky new sector with no financial stability; there is a reason why everyone isn’t changing over to green energy from fossil fuel companies.

During the debate, audience members were invited up to the stand to present their own views on the issues. One member of the audience spoke about the livelihoods that the fossil fuel companies are providing and said that eliminating the fossil fuel companies is not going to stop our need for fuel. Closing down one company would just prompt another to be started. Instead of divesting all at once, she suggested that the school do it slowly over time. This way our school would be green and not take people’s livelihoods away.

The Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at Vassar, Stephen Dahnert, discussed his views of divestment. “I oppose fossil fuel divestment and support the College’s decision not to divest. In my view there are a number of reasons not to divest, including the potential for financial loss—not only from the loss of specific investments in fossil fuel companies but also from the loss of very talented and successful commingled fund managers who include fossil fuel holdings in their portfolios,” he explained.

He continued, “Under the divestment proposals that have been submitted to date, the College has been asked to divest all fossil fuel holdings...At present, more than 80 percent of the Vassar endowment portfolio is in commingled funds, many of which have some fossil fuel exposure. We would have to exit these funds if we were to truly divest fossil fuel holdings.

Hannah Matsunaga ‘16 argues against Vassar’s divestment from companies that consume or promote the consumption of fossil fuels. Matsunaga participated in the event held by Vassar Debate Society.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

NEWS

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Outside the Bubble Washington Governor Suspends Death Penalty

Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington said Tuesday that he was suspending the use of the death penalty in the state, announcing a move that he hoped would allow officials to “join a growing national conversation about capital punishment” (New York Times, “Washington governor suspends death penalty,” 2.11.14).

The Democrat said he came to the decision after months of review. “There have been too many doubts raised about capital punishment, there are too many flaws in this system today,” Inslee said at a news conference. “There is too much at stake to accept an imperfect system” (Huffington Post, “Washington death penalty suspended by Governor Jay Inslee,” 2.11.14).

Inslee’s move is not unprecedented. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper issued a reprieve to one prisoner on his state’s death row last year. In 2011, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber put a moratorium on all executions and in 2003, Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted all death penalty sentences to life sentences (Washington Post, “Washington governor suspends death penalty,” 2.11.14).

Furthermore, 18 states have already abolished capital punishment, including Maryland, which ended its use of the death penalty last year.

This act by the governor comes after a recent decision by the state Department of Corrections, which is in the process of changing its protocol to allow witnesses to executions to see the entire process, including the insertion of intravenous catheters during a lethal injection (Huffington Post, “Washington death penalty suspended by Governor Jay Inslee,” 2.11.14).

The vast majority of executions in the U.S. happen in the South, according to statistics maintained by the DPIC. More than half of the 39 executions that took place in 2013 happened in Texas and Florida.

But executions have been carried out less frequently in recent years, after peaking in 1999.

That year, 98 prisoners were executed. In the last four years, fewer than 50 criminals were put to death per year (Washington Post, “Washington governor suspends death penalty,” 2.11.14).

French President Visits the U.S.

—Noble Ingram, News Editor

New Ecoleaders to promote sustainability Anna Iovine

assistant neWs editor

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ustainability at Vassar has started a new program to encourage environmental measures—defined as focusing on ecological, economic and social concerns—in dorms and senior housing. The program instates ten to twelve EcoLeaders to act as sustainability representatives to their respective houses.

“Creating a program like this has been on our minds for a while, but for one reason or another [we] had never gotten around to committing to create it,” said Assistant to Sustainability Activities Alistair Hall.

Hall continued on the program’s origin, “This past fall we were inspired to revisit the idea and together with the Vassar Greens we were able to generate program goals and a position description.”

“EcoLeaders are Vassar students that were selected to be a part of the program that is run by the College Committee on Sustainability,” explained EcoLeader for Josselyn House Yasani Spencer ’17. “Each EcoLeader went through a small application process which entailed a short application as well as a short interview with the advisor for the EcoLeaders, Alistair Hall.”

Virtually every living space at Vassar is included in this program. Spencer explained, “There are many EcoLeaders, one for every dorm, as well as three or four EcoLeaders for senior housing and one EcoLeader for off campus living.”

EcoLeaders went through a two-hour orientation and training session at the beginning of the semester, where they were instructed on what their position entails. They learned about where Vassar stands in terms of sustainability and how they could become involved in these operations. In addition, they were given a programming budget. The students also received leadership training and learned how they could help Vassar students in their houses.

Spencer clarified, “Each EcoLeader has the opportunity to conduct a sustainability project in their dorm based on where their sustainability interests may lie. My project in Josselyn will be a group project on reducing the amount of waste in the dorms as well as spreading awareness about one’s actions toward the environment and how they affect the environment as a whole.”

Spencer continued to explain her project, “I will be working alongside EcoLeaders Taylor Mosley [‘15] from Cushing House, Andrew Eslich [‘17] from Jewett House and Leo Chen [’15] from Lathrop House. Together, our overall goal is to increase eco-consciousness within the student body by raising awareness about pressing environmental topics, which include water waste, ghost energy and waste reduction.”

In addition to projects, EcoLeaders perform a variety of tasks to increase Vassar’s sustainability. These include acting as a resource to other Vassar students who might have questions about exactly how ecologically conscious Vassar’s campus is, study break planning, developing relationships with custodial staff and other members of the faculty, and creating more sustainable spaces on Vassar’s campus.

“We are also focusing our efforts to reduce the amount of waste within VC athletics this semester by reducing the amount of wasted Gatorade cups that are collected in the trashcans during athletics events in popular venues such as Kenyon Hall and the Athletic Fitness Center,” said Spencer.

Hall spoke to the motives behind this program, saying, “That inspiration came from a collective feeling that we wanted to offer more tangible ways to get involved with Vassar Sustainability. Much of the work we do is campus-wide, like the Farmer’s Market, the Resource Conservation Fund and Composting in the Retreat, so we thought this would be an opportunity to expand our network

into the dorms, and who knows better about what could be improved in the Houses than students who live there?”

“I’m just finding out about this program, but I think it’s a really good idea,” said Caitlan Moore ’16. Moore is a resident of Josselyn House, the dorm Spencer represents.

“I don’t know a lot about sustainability or keeping Vassar ecologically friendly, so hopefully this program could help with that,” Moore reflected.

“Ultimately, I think education is environmental and economic issues like this will definitely benefit people here and make the dorms a better living space,” she continued.

On subsequent semesters with the program, Hall said, “We plan to make this program a regular part of campus life, selecting ten to thirteen students a semester, offering sustainability leadership trainings and providing resources for the EcoLeaders to accomplish projects of their choice. Our hope is that whether an EcoLeader stays in the program for just one semester or for longer, they will have learned valuable change-making skills that will continue to benefit them, the campus and beyond.”

“I also think other people who live in Josselyn aren’t that aware of ecological issues, so this will help them too. I like that the EcoLeader actually lives in my house—so she knows what it’s like to be here. Every dorm is unique so someone who lives in Main, maybe, won’t know the issues Josselyn faces when it comes to sustainability,” said Moore.

According to Sustainability at Vassar’s website, the Spring 2014 program will conclude at the end of the semester with a dinner to thank the current EcoLeaders for helping their respective houses and greater Vassar community.

Hall said on the future of the program, “At the end of this semester we will collectively evaluate how we felt the program went and re-adjust as needed for Fall 2014.”

Students confront Asian erasure in WMST PETITION continued from page 1

Studies program to accept the responsibility of initiating this change. As Asian and Asian American women, we do not see our voices in the literature we read.”

One of the main concerns expressed in the petition is that Asian and Asian American women often read about the perspectives of other women of color without having the opportunity to hear from voices that represent their own identity. As Sparapani explained, “I’ve found that quite often Asian women are expected to be content with just a general discussion of race. In the Intro to Women’s Studies course, there are multiple Latina and Black women on the syllabus who talk about race, though draw primarily and almost exclusively from their specific experiences.”

This sentiment was echoed by co-president of the Asian Students Alliance, Katherine Zhou. She said, “Twitter movements like #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen have made it

clear that women of color feel marginalized in the modern feminist movement. The recent reformation of the Women of Color Alliance on our campus also speaks to that.”

She continued, “Unfortunately, erasure of Asian and Asian-American experiences is a very real thing... we feel it’s important to add our own voices to the narrative and make an environment where other Asian-Americans feel comfortable speaking up as well.”

Zhang also spoke of the Intro Women’s Studies course at Vassar. She called the class the impetus for the petition. As she wrote in an emailed statement, “Last semester, I took the Intro Women’s Studies class and outright noticed a lack of Asian and Asian American feminist literature (with the exception of Uma Narayan’s “Contesting Cultures”). Basically, we wanted to express our discontent with being overlooked in the syllabus and the greater curriculum.”

After explaining the gap students have no-

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande have reaffirmed their nations’ alliance after revelations of U.S. snooping.

The French leader said at the White House that mutual trust between the two nations had been restored (BBC, “Obama and Hollande say trust restored after NSA spying,” 2.11.14).

It was mostly all friendship and smiles as Obama and French President François Hollande emphasized their common values and united foreign policy in what is France’s first state visit to the U.S. since 1996.

Obama praised Hollande as a courageous ally in the battle against global extremism. He spoke to Hollande’s focus on exiting foreign wars and hailed France as a model ally. Hollande responded, saying, “We stand together to combat terrorism, to respond to the threat of proliferating nuclear and chemical weapons, together to resolve the crises of the Middle East” (France24, “Obama hails ‘enduring alliance’ between US and France,” 2.11.14).

At Monticello, they toured the home designed

by Jefferson. “Thomas Jefferson represents what’s best in America, but as we see as we travel through his home, what he also represents is the incredible bond and the incredible gifts that France gave to the United States...” Obama told reporters (Reuters, “Obama, France’s Hollande make pilgrimage to Jefferson’s Monticello,” 2.10.14).

Leading up to this meeting, there has been some tension between the US and France following revelations that its leaders had been subject to spying from the National Security Agency.

Obama said there is no country with which the United States has “a no-spy agreement.” But he said the United States will try to protect privacy rights as it collects foreign intelligence.

“The mutual trust must be based on respect for each other’s country but also based on protection, protection of private life, of personal data, the fact that any individual, in spite of technological progress, can be sure that he’s not being spied on. These are principles that unite us,” Hollande said (France24, “Obama hails ‘enduring alliance’ between US and France,” 2.11.14).

February 13, 2014

Michelle Zhang ’15 was one of the students behind the petition for the inclusion of Asian and Asian American voices in Women Studies programs that was released Wednesday, Feb. 6.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ticed in the Women’s Studies program, the petition goes on to highlight the complex role Asians play in the hierarchical system of race-based oppression that exists today.

Often, Asian perspectives are left out of discussions because of the perception that they experience oppression differently from other oppressed racial groups.

Sparapani agreed, saying, “...I think Asians are often seen as an ‘in-between’ race. We’re referred to as model minorities. There is also a huge problem of Asian discrimination against other [people of color] communities because we try to align ourselves with white communities in hopes of finding more favor and privilege.”

She continued, “I hope that Asian struggles being presented alongside the struggles of other POC will help other [people of color] see Asians as a part of the [people of color] community, something I don’t believe always happens, and help Asians identify proudly as [people of color] themselves.”

Ultimately, the petition called for more discussions of race and the instatement of an Asian woman on the steering committee of the Women’s Studies program. The petition also states that if the administration can’t find a person for this committee, then the committee should collaborate with Asian and Asian-American students.

As Zhang said, “Our demands included the inclusion of an Asian or Asian-American woman in the Steering Committee and inclusion of Asian and Asian-American literature.

Previously, Peipei Qiu of the Chinese, Japanese and Asian Studies departments served on the committee and she plans on returning to her previous place.”

Zhang also said that the Vassar faculty was receptive to this idea. “I hope this illuminates and encourages social conversations for what I believe to be the largely ignored topic of Asian oppression on campus,” she said.

She continued, “The goal is to give voice and agency to all women on this campus, just as we hope to inspire any all people who feel invisible or ignored to speak up, because their voices will be heard and supported.”

February 13, 2014

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VC community rings in Lunar New Year on and off campus Shannon Liao Guest rePorter

ast Friday, most students were either sleeping in or attending class, but for a select group of students studying Chinese, it was showtime.

Belting out Beijing opera, singing group songs, reciting poetry: all were acts of welcoming in the new year of the horse. Jan. 31 marked this year’s Lunar New Year, sometimes also referred to as Chinese New Year, although other nationalities celebrate it too Some Vassar Asian-American and Asian students celebrated arrival of the new year by heading home for the weekend.

And for those who stayed on campus and for Asian culture lovers, Vassar’s Chinese and Japanese Department held a morning and afternoon festival in the Aula on Friday Feb. 7. The Asian Students Alliance, meanwhile, rang in the new year in the Villard Room for a Saturday night dinner.

“It was fun to see my friend galloping around like a horse,” said Henry Rizzi ‘16, one of the masters of ceremonies at Friday’s celebration, describing his favorite performance as a skit about an old man and a horse.

“Friday’s event was just okay. They tried to incorporate activities like face painting, paper cutting and calligraphy, but a lot of people were there by obligation,” said Christine Lin ’17. “I enjoyed the performances.”

“Of the performances that I saw, not to be all full of myself, but I thought that our class song was pretty good,” Min Chen ‘16 laughed. “Like we decided that song on Monday of that week. It came together fairly well. We were loud enough, we were in sync. So I was just overall impressed with what we managed to pull off. That song also is a very classic Chinese New Years song.”

Her Chinese 108 class sang “Gongxi, Gongxi,” or “congrats” in Mandarin.

At one moment, Tianqi Zhu ‘17, the event’s martial artist, slipped on a misplaced mat, injuring his knee.

“I was actually kind of terrified for a second,” Rizzi recalled. Zhu later made it to his astronomy class on crutches.

courtesy of the Vassar College Chinese and Japanese Department

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Though Jan. 31 is Lunar New Year, the celebration has continued throughout the week both on and off campus. There were potlucks in dorms and events in the Aula while some students ventured into the City.

During the weekend after the 31, groups of Asian-American and Asian students celebrated in their own way.

Chinese international students, for instance, took a trip into Flushing, the Chinatown of Queens, for dinner and karaoke. Students lounged in Davison House for a potluck-style hot pot dinner the Friday after Chinese New Years, with ingredients scavenged from a nearby Chinese grocery store, Tokyo Express, My Market and other stores. A rice cooker became a makeshift pot to boil vegetables and meat in.

Still others dropped into Chinatown to see the parades and Dragon Boat festival.

Over the New Year weekend, Chen returned to her home in New Jersey to feast with family.

On the Monday morning drive back home to an organic chemistry class, she was running on less than four hours of sleep. The night before, Chen and her restaurant-owning family enjoyed banquet-style dinner.

“I know that our family, we don’t celebrate any of the other holidays. But then Chinese New Years rolls around and it’s like,” said an exasperated Chenn. “It’s like now this is the holiday. I get how, you know, it’s a bigger deal.”

“To be perfectly honest, my family doesn’t celebrate Lunar New Year,” ASA committee chair Cindy Wang ’16 admitted in an emailed statement. “However, our Lunar New Year Dinner would be similar to how I would imagine a home Lunar New Year celebration to be—lots of good food and lots of good company.”

Lin normally celebrates the new year with a family dinner but did not return to Brooklyn because she felt going back for a weekend would be too short a duration to warrant the trip. Instead she called her family members and wished them a happy New Year.

Acknowledging that not everyone can make the trip back home, Chen appreciates the events hosted by the language departments and ASA.

“I think they’re good because you let them get some of the experience. It’s just the idea that you recognize the holiday and you do something for it,” she said.

“It’s good to share the culture, but at the same time, you’re not going to have the same celebration here that you would in China, just because it’s mainly within the Chinese communities where it has more importance,” said Rizzi, who is originally from Colorado. He added, “I think it’s good that the school puts in an effort to try and include everyone.”

The food at Saturday’s dinner ranged from dumplings, Korean japchae glass noodles, sesame chicken and orange chicken, fried buns and fried rice. ASA organizers bought food from A1, Thai Spice, and cooked in Main’s kitchen.

“There were some things that were really good, like the noodles. That was pretty nice.

They could definitely have used less Americanized food, I think,” said Chen.

“When I took my plate back for more food, the grease had run through the plate,” Rizzi noted.

Michelle Zhao ’16, the media chair of ASA, replied to the critiques of the cuisine in an emailed statement, “American Chinese food was created to cater to the taste of Americans. The dishes aren’t authentic, but they have a little bit of influence from some Chinese dishes. To offset this fact, we made authentic Asian dishes ourselves.”

Chen shared her thoughts about one of the singers for one of the performances: “I don’t understand Cantonese, but I know that song. I think he did a pretty good job singing it. Because he sang it with,” She said, raising her eyebrows.

“He screeched a little in the end, but disregarding that, when you look at the whole of his performance, it was pretty good. I was really impressed.”

“I think that it was a fantastic opportunity for people to come out and share songs that they grew up with or love from their own culture,” said Wang. “I loved how many of the songs that were performed this year were in different languages and I’m glad that the performers were able to share a piece of their own culture with us.”

Nickelsburg trains lens on America’s longest conflict Erik Halberg and Hannah Ryan Guest rePorters

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Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News

war has not been fought on U.S. soil in over one hundred years, but thousands of miles away, soldiers and civilians die and suffer in the longest enduring conflict in national history.

Robert Nickelsberg, who spoke at Vassar on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in Taylor Hall, is a photojournalist whose assignment is to document these conflicts. “[Nations and their politics and boundaries] are changed very often through conflict,” said Nickelsberg during his presentation. “I want to document these conflicts and how they are begun and resolved. I want to see what drives a man to hold a gun and to use it.”

Nickelsberg discussed his new book, “Afghanistan: A Distant War,” published last fall.

He has been a contracted photographer for TIME magazine for nearly 30 years. For much of that time, he was based out of New Delhi, India, where he covered many of the conflicts that erupted throughout the Middle East. He has photographed wars in, among many other nations, Iraq, India and Afghanistan.

His book is the product of the several years he spent in Afghanistan and Iraq documenting the American invasions of these countries in the early 2000s. The book contains many images he captured while in the Middle East, along with captions telling the story behind the pictures.

At the talk, Nickelsberg presented a slideshow of some the most striking images from the book. “Civilians bear the brunt of any longterm conflict. And we have very little evidence of their struggles,” he remarked while displaying an image of an infant who died of pneumonia in a refugee camp because his family could not find shelter and medical aid.

His work documents the violence, racism and outright terrorism that has plagued the region for decades. He has been on the front lines reporting on the religious and political

revolutions of the 1990s, particularly the end of the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the late 1980s, as well as the rise of the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

He told a story of how, during the troubled weeks directly following the attacks on 9/11, he and a handful of other journalists were asked directly by members of the Taliban to come to one of their cities and document the effects of NATO bombings on the city and its inhabitants.

While in the city, not only were he and his fellow journalists surrounded by armed guards, but they were followed by even more armed Taliban on the rooftops. The Taliban feared what would happen to the journalists if the local people were let near them. He showed a photo of the surrounding mob, whose faces displayed emotions ranging from fear and discomfort, to blatant anger towards the Americans who they considered responsible for the attacks on their homes and lives.

As Professor of English Amitava Kumar said at the beginning of the talk, “These photographs can bring the immediacy of these distant and unfamiliar conflicts close to us.”

Nickelsberg shared what led towards photojournalism and to rely on pictures rather than words to tell the stories he comes upon. “I’m not a writer,” he said. “Sure, I can express myself through words. But I can capture emotions and images through pictures that enhance and go beyond the words.”

His family traveled a lot when he was young, allowing him to grow proficient at documenting the sites he saw with his camera: “It was a good record of where I’ve been.”

Stories told to him by older members of his family about their friends and his relatives who fought in the two World Wars and other conflicts were what he claims first got him interested in conflicts. He was also heavily influenced by the documentarians of the 1930s and ’40s, and the work of wartime photographers during World War II and the Vietnam conflict.

After several decades spent working in the Middle East, Nickelsberg has gained invaluable

Robert Nickelsberg spoke on Feb. 4 about the lessons he has learned in his years as a photojournalist. Nickelsberg has spent much of his time covering U.S. invasions in the Middle East. experience and it has changed the way he considers his relationship to the space.

He said, “I’m an informed visitor,” he said, emphasizing that he has become extremely familiar with the region and how conflicts unfold within it—knowledge that he gained through many long and dangerous hours on the frontlines.

One of the most crucial elements to his survival and success as a journalist was the importance of a good driver who would not abandon and leave him stranded when events turned dangerous.

He also remarked, “If I have one regret it’s not learning the languages of the areas in which I have worked.” By learning the local languages, he would free himself to understand the people he meets without the hassle of a

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

translator, who are very hard to find.

He continued explaining the necessity of a translator. He said, “A good translator is a very special person. They know how to convey the nuances of one language into the other. And that is extremely hard to be taught how to do.”

Nickelsberg is returning to Afghanistan within the year, where he will present a copy of his book to a local girls’ school.

Back home, he hopes that American readers of his book will return their attention to Afghanistan and the war. According to the UN, the conflict claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Afghani civilians in the last year alone.

He concluded, “If there’s one thing I hope the reader will take away from the book, it’s that America should remain engaged in Afghanistan.”

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February 13, 2014

Ikemoto’s hula instruction builds on family traditions Julia Cunningham Guest rePorter

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Katie de Heras/The Miscellany News

eciding to teach hula at Vassar for the first time last semester, Professor of Art History, Wendy Ikemoto was nervous.

“I thought, ‘I don’t know how this is going to be received. I’m so far away from home, I don’t even know if people know what hula is,” she said Ikemoto grew up in Honolulu where hula was an integral part of the culture. “My aunt danced for many, many years and so my sister and I took lessons when we were very little,” she said. “I wouldn’t say I ever really developed an interest in it, hula was always this presence.”

Initially, she received mixed reactions to teaching a hula class. “I got comments, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve heard of it, but I don’t really know what it is,’ or people were sort of afraid to pronounce the word because they thought they might mispronounce it,” she described.

Hula, to Ikemoto, is simply another expression of her expertise in American art history.

“We’re talking about a performing art, and so [hula] is just another art form. I definitely don’t see them as distinct.” She added, “Ostensibly they do sound very different, but to me, they’re intimately connected.”

Ikemoto chose teaching as a medium for both of her passions because of her family’s background with teaching. “My grandparents were teachers; and just for me, I love doing my research, but what’s the point of doing research and knowing anything about a field, unless you can teach it?”

Her goals of teaching extend beyond hoping that all her students will one day major in art history.

“It teaches about observation, it teaches about how to look, and how to take time, and how to slow down and engage with an object, and engage with your visual environment,” she said. “It teaches you how to articulate your ideas, how to ask questions about some things

that seem impenetrable at first glance. And so, more largely, that’s what I try to teach.”

Having a knowledge of art history extends past just the teaching for Ikemoto. “Art history for me is something that’s not just about the job,” she said. “It’s something that’s always a part of your life. You take those interests wherever you go, you know, when you travel, you visit art museums.”

Her passion for art history runs back to her first years in college at Stanford. One day, Ikemoto’s sister told her that she had to write a ten-page art history paper. Ikemoto was incredulous.

As she told her sister, “‘Write ten pages?

That’s impossible.’ And she said, ‘Well actually, it isn’t. I think you would really like it, and you should take an introductory class.’” Ikemoto took her sister up on that. “So I did and I was hooked in the first class. I really honestly felt like my eyes had been opened, and that I was seeing the world in a different way after walking out of that class,” she said.

Beyond the classroom, Ikemoto says she can connect her deeper passion in art back to her parents, who were both radiologists.

“My sister and I spent a lot of time after school in their offices, especially in my mom’s office, seeing her look at X-rays on a light table and dictate into a microphone,” she said. “I think that that affected me in ways that I didn’t realize at the time, because that’s basically what art history is: it’s looking at an image and translating the visual into the verbal.”

It may surprise some, but the story of hula is rife with controversy. “The whole history of hula has a lot to do with Americanization,” Ikemoto explained. “Hula is an ancient art form that then was suppressed with missionary presence in Hawai’i because it was thought by a lot—not all of the missionaries, but some—of the missionaries to be pagan, and to be offensive by their standard of proper behavior and culture.” Hawai’i culture did not make a renais-

Professor Wendy Ikemoto draws on her family’s experiences with teaching to offer hula classes to Vassar students. The class is one way she has continued to connect with her Hawaiian culture while in the U.S. sance until the 1970s.

“Even when my mom was growing up, she went to a school meant for native Hawai’ians, and they weren’t even allowed to say any Hawaiian words,” said Ikemoto. “They weren’t allowed to practice any indigenous cultural practices.”

Being able to teach hula at Vassar, on the “mainland” as some Hawai’ians refer to the continental United States, proved to be a gratifying experience both for Ikemoto and her students. “But it was so meaningful to me to be able to share—to connect with—my culture out here and to share it out here with people to whom it was unfamiliar and foreign. And to see such a sincere interest on the part of several of the students who got really excited about it. It

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High school pastime to take student across globe

BRIDGE continued from page 1 attending the summer national bridge tournaments in Toronto. “They paid for our trip and our expenses and our hotel, and all we had to do was just practice and train. So that’s what I did during the summer before coming to Vassar. I played competitive bridge for the first time,” he said.

According to Zhu, one does not need to qualify or win a preliminary tournament to enter nationals. He explained, “There are a few big events that the pros are in, and then a lot of little events. And you don’t have to be good to go nationals; you just have to walk in.

So, it says nothing about your skill level to go to nationals—it’s just the biggest convention of tournaments happening at once.”

Zhu noted that he and his classmate did not do horribly in the tournament. He said, “We didn’t do great, but we were required to play in the youth NABC—that’s the youth event.

So we got to meet like other juniors from across the nation. We qualified for the second round and [performed] average. We were solidly average.”

Last semester, in October, Zhu competed in a qualifying round to compete in Atlanta. He and his teammates played bridge online, earning a spot in the Atlanta trials held over winter break. The trials would determine which teams would represent the United States in the World Youth Teams Championships. A total of eight teams participated in the open event for competitors under 26 years old, Zhu’s category (New York Times, “U.S. teams for the world youth teams chosen at Atlanta trials,” 1.12.14). After three days of the tournament, Zhu and his team earned their spot on the Under 26 Division USA2 team.

Zhu and his teammates play a team match online every week in preparation for the Istanbul tournament, held Aug. 13 to 23, A professional bridge player acts a coach and mentor for the U.S. junior teams. “We’ll play hands and talk about the hands—what we could have done, what we should have done,

what are the implications of this card here, or what you could have done here to guard against this situation or this situation, what inferences can you make from this situation— all these little things, very small details,” he explained. Additionally, Zhu tries to play a total of six hours of online bridge a week and brush up on technical skills and plays during the summers.

While Zhu expressed excitement for attending the championship in Turkey, he does not feel too much pressure to win. He said, “I don’t have any expectations on us, because a lot of people play more than I do and are a lot better than me. So they’re probably the ones we expect to win. I’m just happy to go there.”

There is no monetary prize involved with winning the championship, according to Zhu. “When people find out I play bridge, it’s like, ‘Oh, do you play for money’? No. So, this is what you do in bridge: you pay an entry fee to play. It’s like going to the movies, you do it for fun. If you do well you don’t win money, you win master points,” he said.

Although one wins master points, Zhu noted that acquiring master points does not necessarily equate to possessing a higher skill level. “Generally how long you’ve been playing is correlated to how good you are. But, recently, especially with junior bridge, it’s such a terrible estimator of skill level, because juniors tend to play at a much higher level than at what master points they have. Older people can be really, really terrible, but they play for so long that they’re able to get to a much higher ranking,” he explained.

Currently, Zhu revealed he lacks any interest in pursuing bridge playing as a profession.

He explained, “For some reason I happen to be good enough to make this team, and I’ll keep playing, but it’s just a hobby. I’m obligated to get better, because this is a commitment I’ve made and I have to compete as best as I can. So I’ll practice and put in the work, but I just know that it’s so difficult to make a living doing this.”

was so meaningful to me. It was so gratifying.

It just meant a lot to me to see an interest in something that is very important to me, and a very important part of my life.”

Ikemoto was unable to teach a hula dancing class this semester because of scheduling constraints.

A former hula dancing student, Belle Shea ’16, however, said she won’t soon be forgetting her time in the class.

“Professor Ikemoto was great at moving at a pace that suited everyone in the class, and included some unique touches like counting out our warm-ups in Hawaiian, and showing everyone different ways to tie a sarong,” she wrote in an emailed statement. “My one complaint would be that it didn’t last longer.”

Summer is a great time to catch up, get ahead or try something new.

• Choose from more than 300 courses.

• Immerse yourself in an intensive language or science sequence.

• Get ahead on credits toward your degree.

• Experience all Northwestern and Chicago have to offer in the summer.

Registration opens April 7. Classes begin June 23.

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northwestern.edu/summer

February 13, 2014

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Höhn’s scholarship launches film on Black WWII soldiers Eloy Bleifuss Prados Features editor

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courtesy of the Smithsonian

rofessor of History Maria Höhn was working on a book about American G.I.s in Germany after World War II when she kept encountering the same surprising anecdote.

Her research led her to the experiences of Black soldiers during their service. What she found was not what she expected. Again and again, African American veterans described that the freedoms and privileges they enjoyed in Germany after Nazism would have been unimaginable back in the United States.

Höhn’s research eventually became a book named “A Breath of Freedom” which has been adapted into a documentary of the same name premiering Monday, Feb. 17 on the Smithsonian Channel.

The book and movie features living veterans stationed in Germany during the post-war years and how the experience impacted thousands of young Black men’s lives, igniting a spark that would blaze into the Civil Rights Movements in the years that followed.

In anticipation of the documentary’s American premiere next week, Vassar College held a screening last Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Blodgett Auditorium.

Höhn described how what drove her to examine the legacy of African American G.I.s was the story’s central paradox. Nazi ideology revolved around the belief of the inferiority of the non-Aryan races, yet the American armed forces perpetuated its own racial hierarchy .

“They were sent to Germany to de-Nazify Germany and rid the country of racism they came after World War II and after the Holocaust,” she said. “So the army was in Germany to teach the Germans not to be racist yet they came with a segregated Jim Crow Army.”

Enduring this discrimination, African Americans discovered in Europe a new status that had been denied to them both the South and the North.

Maria Höhn’s research on the experiences of African-American G.I.’s stationed in Germany has been adapted into a documentary that was shown February 11 at Vassar before its public debut.

“There was no legal color line. There was no Jim Crow. So having the uniform of American soldiers gave them enormous power,” stated Höhn.

The military command, wary of arming black soldiers, relegated black soldiers to the labor and supply line. A consequence of this, Höhn discovered, was that Black G.I.s held control of food, blankets and fuel, hugely important rations in a post-war economy.

Höhn herself learned the story of African American G.I.s in Germany little by little.

There were a few signs she remembered that clued her in on what she had been missing.

The title of her book and its adaptation “A Breath of Freedom” comes from Colin Powell’s autobiography in 2003, in which he talked

about how it was easier for black soldiers to live in Germany than in America.

Whenever she met with Black veterans during the course of her research, they would talk about Germany. Höhn remarked that even taxi drivers would want to talk to her about it.

“As soon as they would hear my accent they would ask, ‘where are you from?’” said Höhn, relating the types of conversations she had.

“And I would say, ‘oh, I’m from Germany.’ ‘Oh my god, my dad was stationed in Germany, my uncle was stationed in Germany.’ And they still talk about that. Again and again.’”

If Germany made a mark on African Americans during the post-war period, then the relationship worked both ways; Germans alive during the occupation still remember the en-

counters with Black soldiers. Höhn found that both groups identified with each other.

The Germans saw in Black G.I.s their own humiliation “There are people who always said, ‘we always felt that the black soldiers could understand better how defeated we were or awful it was because they were treated as badly by their white comrades as we were by the Americans,’” she said. “The Americans treated the Germans really well but no one wants to be occupied.”

The austerity of the post-war years in Germany, meanwhile, reminded some stationed African Americans of the poverty their own communities faced.

“The black soldiers really talk about how they felt that they were able to empathize more with the German population because they felt that they themselves had had such a hard time at home,” described Höhn. “If they saw a child without shoes or a child begging for food, their heart went out.”

The documentary, which is narrated by actor Cuba Gooding, Jr., features interviews with policy makers like Powell and Congressman John Lewis. But the filmmakers also spoke with common veterans, ordinary men who witnessed and participated in extraordinary times.

The director Dag Freyer and his team traveled to every corner the country, meeting with veterans in their own homes.

“These are images and moments in the film that you can only get when people give you the privilege of letting you into their private lives,” said Freyer. “You can’t get those moments when you take them to a studio or anywhere else I could do an interview.”

Both Höhn and Freyer agreed that it should be the veterans telling the veterans’ stories.

“We didn’t want talking heads. I thought it was really great to tell the story not through historians but through the veterans themselves,” said Höhn. “All these are stories that are not to be found in history books.”

Student researchers reveal simple secrets to lab success Bethany Terry staFF desiGner

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tudents research assistants in the science departments aid their professors on their semester-spanning projects. The campus job acquaints students with real-life challenges that face scientists. Student researchers are sharing what they have learned to their peers.

Partnering with a faculty mentor, students at Vassar can conduct research in one of two ways. Research can be conducted as a on-campus job, in which freshmen can work eight hours, sophomores can work nine hours, and juniors and seniors can work 10 hours.

Otherwise, student lab work can be completed for academic credit, where students receive a half credit or full credit for the work that they do. From spending time in the library to spending time in the lab, Vassar’s student researchers are learning the ins and outs of experimentation.

One project being conducted this semester is being done by Sharon Lee ’14, a student researcher in the chemistry department who is completing her senior thesis.

For the past two years, she has worked with Professor of Chemistry Miriam Rossi during both the school year and the summer, at both Vassar College and Università Roma 3 in Rome, studying antioxidant activity.

She is currently testing the effects of two antioxidants from the chalcone group on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). These organisms are being used as model organisms, due to their similarities to the human genome and their ease of study.

As Lee described in an emailed statement, “Basically, when your body cells are stressed with things like UV light or cigarette smoke, it releases things called free-radicals which are extremely reactive and can cause DNA damage and cell destruction. Antioxidants basically calm down the free-radicals.”

She later continued, “I’m going to see if these two antioxidants (which I’ve studied using chemical methods and cells, but not in a whole organism) have an effect on C. elegans that have been stressed, and what kind of effect it has.”

Lee controls interference in her experiments by keeping organized during and before the time she spends in the lab. She keeps a thorough notebook and suggests that when in doubt, one should always add an observation or detail to their notes. That way, if a desired result is not obtained, or one method was chosen over another, one can go back and make changes.

“Also, aside from the mistakes like spilling chemicals or dropping beakers, I think ‘mistakes’ in the lab can help you learn more about your topic at hand and train you to think critically,” she added.

Another project that is being conducted is being done by Lena Josephs ’16 under the guidance of Associate Professor of Biology Jodi Schwarz. Josephs is studying LGR gene family expression in sea anemones. She is currently looking at the relationship of the gene family in the anemones’ reproduction.

Getting involved in research required some initiative on Josephs’ part. But putting the pieces in motion can be as simple as sending out an email. The opportunities are there, said Josephs.

She wrote in an emailed statement, “At the undergraduate level, I find it remarkable that professors allow students to have independence in their research.”

Josephs described how she found her a professor and a research subject that appealed to her.

“I got in touch with Professor Schwarz about her URSI project in 2013, and we conversed about my interest in coral reproduction,” Josephs wrote, “Then I worked on her URSI project, which was to determine the genetic basis of coral reproduction, over the summer.”

Today, Josephs’ research has deepened.

“I am quantifying the expression of LGR genes in sea anemone samples, which were harvested at different times throughout their spawning cycle. I will then compare the genes’ expression in spawning and non-spawning dates,” she explained.

Josephs believes that the simplest way for students to avoid mistakes in the lab is by staying engaged and focused. This is especially im-

portant for students, who, like Josephs, spend large periods in the lab.

She has found that scheduling has been one of the biggest challenges in integrating research into her school life. Allowing enough time during the day so that professors are around to consult and others are around in case of emergency, can be hard to fit into a class schedule.

Said Josephs, “Allotting a whole free day in my schedule for research is most effective.”

Other research projects are more flexible.

Tewa Kpulun ’15 works with Assistant Professor of Physics Jenny Magnes to study the locomotion of C. elegans. Using shadow imaging and laser diffraction, Kpulun is studying the movements of the nematodes under red, orange, yellow, green and blue light.

Her research allows for movement analysis in a 3D environment, as opposed to the traditional 2D analysis done by microscopes.

“A typical week is spent in the lab when we have data to collect and the rest of the analyzation can be done anywhere as long as I have a computer,” described Kpulun. “So sometimes I work in my room in my PJs.” As for suggestions on how to work efficiently and effectively, Kpulun stresses the need for consistency and great control over outside variables.

“Always make sure that everything is constant except for the specimen you’re experimenting on,” she remarked.

Other simple things that can be done to be a good scientist in the lab are following basic protocol and basic safety rules. These instructions change depending on the setting.

For example, in Kpulun’s lab, jewelry is prohibited, as the lasers they work with can reflect light into someone’s eyes, which is very dangerous. Lasers can cause debilitating, longterm eye damage.

All the researchers agreed, familiarizing oneself with the protocol before lab will better prepare scientists for the work ahead, and will prevent mistakes that may interfere with data or cause harm.

Said Josephs, “Speak up if you are confused about [the protocol] so that you can learn a lot from the lab work.”

It is better that one admits that they do not

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

know something, instead of missing the opportunity to learn more about the technique or procedure on which they are working.

Besides the obvious benefits of being able to learn practical research skills from an experienced scientist, there are other perks of conducting research. For example, by working with professors, many students have been able to receive co-authorship on published scientific papers.

Both Kpulun and Lee have been published in scientific journals through their contribution to their professors’ work. This is typically unusual for an undergraduate. At larger universities, undergraduates typically are not able to conduct research so extensively.

Many students conduct research as a way to continue on to graduate school or to enter the science industry after graduation. By working at Vassar, these students have been able to explore their interests in their fields before entering the industry or studying at a higher level.

Today’s Vassar’s researchers are taking what they learn in the lab and applying them to their lives in other ways. Working at Vassar has improved their technical skills and has provided them with valuable experiences.

One student researcher shared how the demands of her research butted against her other academic interests.

“As a biology major, English minor, and researcher in the chemistry department, I found it challenging to cultivate simultaneously all three disciplines at any one time,” wrote Lee. “It was more like I had a spurt of progress and learning in biology one semester, then English during another semester, and research during the summers.”

“Research allows me to collaborate effectively with others—but makes sure I am highly motivated and functional as an individual in the lab. It allows me to continue discovering awesome things in our natural world, and communicate them to others,” described Lee. She continued. “I’ve learned so many skills through conducting research with Professor Rossi, and really got a sense of what it is like to work in science and collaborate/communicate with scientists.”

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February 13, 2014

Response team draws from diverse backgrounds, vocations

Jacob Gorski/The Miscellany News

SART continued from page 1 downplay the inspirational aspects of working with survivors and seeing their endurance.

She wrote, “Being given the privilege to be able to also see such strength and resilience in the students I’m working with that take that first step in coming to talk with me, and then sometimes walking with them through some steps of the recovery process such as starting therapy or even reporting that they were sexually assaulted to Vassar College or the police, is something I never take for granted.”

Professor of Psychology Janet Gray has been involved with SART since its beginnings.

“Working with a small group of fellow faculty members in the 1990s, I became involved in what eventually grew into [the Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention program] and SART. We were concerned that the few resources on campus that provided support for students who were victims of sexual assault were being eliminated and that the entire conversation around these issues was being silenced,” she wrote in an emailed statement. This process involved working with members of the administration, Health Services, Metcalf and Security, among others campus offices.

Said Gray, “[The coalition sought] to try to find the right balance of providing volunteer support services using a victim-centered approach, while also navigating our way through important issues of confidentiality, liability and practicalities,” she said.

Support for these services was largely provided by grants from the Department of Justice Violence Against Women Program. Gray explained, writing, “SART and SAVP have grown in to mature programs that offer advocacy and support (SART) and education and policy (SAVP) initiatives on campus.”

Vassar’s Sustainability Assistant Alistair Hall ’11 joined the team out of concern for the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses. He wrote in an emailed statement, “This is an issue I care a lot about and thought it would be beneficial to be a male identified member on the team as well more broadly speaking, working on issues of interpersonal violence.”

Hall joined over the team this past summer

Pictured above is Elizabeth Shrock, the SART Coordinator of the Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Program. It is her responsibility to advocate for students and their needs on and off campus. after being asked by Shrock. Since he is a recent addition to the team, he was able to provide insight into the current training, which involved two half-day training sessions.

Hall wrote about his orientation experience.

He said, “Elizabeth had reps from lots of great local agencies come speak to us about the work they do on a daily basis and walk us through everything: reporting options, the student conduct process, our victim-centered approach and more.”

Hall also explained that the training involved a couple of roleplay phone calls from a member of SART, based upon real situations. Of this experience, he described, “It’s a pretty long ten to twenty minutes but...it really gives you a sense of your role and what it means to be ‘on call.’”

Although Hall attended his first official meeting in January, he was inspired by the experience and passion of the other SART members. “I definitely have a lot to learn still but am excited to be involved with the team,” he said.

SART meets at least once a month for workshops. The next one will involve education in Questions, Persuade, Refer, a suicide prevention guide.

Administrative Assistant for the Education Department Dayle Rebelein was inspired to join SART after her positive experiences with students when she served as a House Fellow.

Wrote Rebelein in an emailed statement, “From 2003 until 2006 my husband and I were House Fellows in Strong. Through that experience I learned that I really enjoy and appreciate college-aged people. I very much loved spending time with my house team, sharing their fun, hearing their concerns, supporting them and their goal of supporting all the Strong women.”

She was also influenced by her observations of the sexual revolution and the changing cultural climate. “Personally, my young adult life was spent in the latter half of the sexual revolution. All the rules about sex and love were supposedly ancient history and there was a good

deal of pressure to be a free spirit sexually— this was a difficult time to navigate dating and learning about relationships,” she wrote.

As to her duties on the team, she added, “I am on call for a week typically four times a semester, and serve as backup for a week a few more times.”

Lydia Murdoch, Associate Professor of History and Director of Victorian Studies, joined SART in the summer of 2009 after Gray sent out a call for new advocates. Several factors influenced her decision to become a SART advocate, including a recent first-hand experience which laid bare the necessity of such advocacy, as well as her involvement in the Women’s Studies Program. “The previous semester, I found myself very ill-prepared to help a student who had experienced sexual assault and stalking on campus.

As a faculty member who was about to become the Director of the Women’s Studies Program, I felt I needed to learn more about Vassar’s policies on interpersonal violence and examine what I could do to prevent such acts of violence from happening in the first place,” stated Murdoch in an emailed statement. Murdoch has continued to remain involved with SART because she knows that this work is necessary.

“I’ve remained on the team because, unfortunately, sexual assault, interpersonal violence and stalking continue to be major problems on Vassar’s campus,” she said. Like Shrock, she too has felt rewarded by her experiences with survivors, stating, “The relationships that I’ve formed with these students have been some of the most important to me.”

The SART team emphasizes victim-centered approaches whenever possible. According to Rebelein, “We feel like it is really important to continue to emphasize that when anyone seeks the help of a SART advocate, that person can get all the support, information, help and care that they need, and they can be in control of how far the process goes.”

Other members of SART include Renee Pabst, Lisa Kooperman, Barb Olsen, Carlos Alamo-Pastrana Judy Jarvis, Ming Wen-An, Bill Hoynes, Gretchen Lieb and Pamela Hall.

It’s not delivery, it’s vegan: homemade pizza puts flavor first Jennifer Barone Guest Columnist

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courtesy of Katie Lee

hen I began living in the South Commons last semester, I quickly became accustomed to a familiar sight: the Domino’s delivery car. Although I know the car is a daily occurrence, my heart still breaks each time I see the car’s headlights shine in my windows.

Domino’s pizza is the antithesis of the pizza I grew up eating. With its thick, heavily buttered crust, bland sauce and rubber-like cheese topping, Domino’s is a stark contrast to the thin crusted, freshly seasoned, homemade pizza of my youth.

I may seem over judgmental towards Domino’s pizza, so I feel the need to make a confession. I have actually only eaten Domino’s twice in my life, well over five years ago. Maybe over time I have forgotten exactly how it tastes or the convenience of having it delivered to your door.

Instead of eliminating Domino’s completely, I offer my favorite pizza, sun-dried tomato pesto with caramelized onions and mushrooms topped with arugula, as a way to break up the monotony of ordering take out every week.

First comes the dough. This recipe yields two pizzas, so make it with a friend or save the other half for later.

Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. This dough recipe isn’t seasoned, so feel free to incorporate your favorite seasonings. I like to add Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion granules.

With the mixer running add the wet ingredients. The scent of yeast will start to perfume the air, which, for me, makes it worth the time consuming process of making dough from scratch.

When the dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl, transfer it to a floured surface, knead it into a ball, and place it in a covered bowl.

The dough needs to rest for the next hour,

during which time it will approximately double in size. It’s the perfect amount of time to put a load of laundry in the dryer, catch up on an episode of your favorite TV show, or clean the mess you might of made in the kitchen making the dough.

For the sauce layer of the pizza, I use a sundried tomato pesto. I use an adapted recipe from the blog Oh-She-Glows, mainly switching out the walnuts in favor of pine nuts. You can also buy premade pesto from the grocery store, or substitute tomato sauce or hummus if desired.

Next, the toppings: caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms. Add sliced onions to a pan lined with a thin layer of water over medium high heat to partially cook the onions. Once the water has evaporated add olive oil and salt, and let the onions cook down for the next 20 minutes. Right before removing the onions, add balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. In the same pan as the onions, quickly sauté the mushrooms in a touch of olive oil.

To assemble the pizza, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circular shape and pinch the edges to make a crust. Then add the pesto, onions and mushrooms in the quantities that you want. Place the pizza on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 500°F for 10-11 minutes. Once out of the oven, top off the pizza with arugula and sprinkling of balsamic vinegar.

You may be wondering where the cheese is in this recipe. Trust me, this pizza does not need any cheese. For the past couple years I have been making vegan dishes inspired by the Italian meals my father cooked for dinner, and this pizza has been had hit with everyone that has tasted it.

While time-consuming, this recipe is certainly worth it after you take the first bite. If you make the dough ahead of time, personal pizza making is great idea for your next small dinner party instead of ordering out.

For the dough:

The Recipe

3 ½ - 4 cups bread flour 1 packet of active dry yeast 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. sugar 1 ½ cups warm water 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil Seasonings as desired For everything else:

Sun-dried tomato pesto 2-3 yellow onions 5 baby bella mushrooms Arugula Olive oil Salt Balsamic vinegar Combine dry dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook.

With mixer running, add water and EVOO. When dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, remove and knead into a ball on

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

a lightly floured surface. Place dough in a tightly covered large bowl. Wait an hour.

Roll half the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circular shape, pinching the edges for a crust.

Add sliced onions to sauté pan lined with a thin layer of water. Cook over medium heat. Once water has cooked off, add 1 TBSP of olive oil and pinch of salt. Just before the onions are done (20-25 min.), add a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Remove onions, and add sliced mushrooms with a tsp. of olive oil and sauté for 8 minutes. Add the pesto, caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms to rolled out pizza dough. Bake for 10-11 minutes at 500°F. Finish with a handful of arugula and balsamic vinegar.

OPINIONS

February 13, 2014

Page 9

Subway’s use JYA office needs to revamp programming of chemicals S yields caution THE MISCELLANY NEWS STAFF EDITORIAL

tudy abroad programs are often considered to be one of the hallmarks of a Liberal Arts education. It is a privilege, an educational experience that immerses students in other cultures and takes them outside their comfort zones. According to the Vassar Admissions website, “About 45 [percent] of Vassar Students spend a semester or a year abroad at another institution in the U.S. or abroad.” We at The Miscellany News believe that while the Vassar Office of International Programs has a good foundation for the Junior Year Abroad (JYA) process, the procedures the Office uses could and should be improved. With 357 sophomores having applied to study abroad and 321 haveing been approved this year, it has proven more difficult for the Office to distribute important information regarding the program. Earlier in the academic year, many students were unaware of the process’ timeline, including the dates of mandatory meetings. This year in particular, dates for these mandatory meetings were announced via email with at most one or two days’ notice. This did not give students adequate time to add these meetings to their schedules, and thus prevented many students from attending. Although the Office of International Programs’ website houses a timeline with important dates, deadlines and other essential information, not all students are aware of this resource. In addition to this, many of these meetings were scheduled in the afternoon and overlapped with class times, which also prevented students from getting the necessary study abroad information.

While many students are aware that studying abroad is an option, information on what programs are available to them, and how they can financially afford these programs, is not effectively disseminated. We recommend that the Office send out this information via email, in addition to holding the informational meetings. Furthermore, we also call for the Office to schedule informational meetings at various times throughout the day in order to give students with afternoon classes a variety of options for attending. We also ask the Office to announce these meetings at least one week

in advance in order to give students adequate time to plan for these events. We understand that the Office of International Programs is a small office with limited resources and only two administrators on staff. Furthermore, we also acknowledge that the Office is dependent on the actions and decisions of the Committee on Leaves and Privileges, so that any delays that occur on the Committee’s end will affect the productivity of the Office of International Programs. However, there are things that the Office can do to increase its own effectiveness.

We recommend that the Office makes more use of the most plentiful resource available to them: the student body. With such a large portion of seniors that have gone JYA, there are many students who would be willing to answer smaller questions that the Office does not have time to deal with. A database listing the contact information of students who have gone through the specific programs would provide sophomores with a way to investigate their desired paths and gain anecdotal information that the Office might not have at its disposal.

In an interview, we were informed that individual appointments with the Office are highly recommended. However, if 45 percent of rising juniors study abroad, approximately 300 students a year could clamor for an appointment.

The Office of International Programs simply cannot have the time to effectively answer the questions of those 300 students in individual meetings. In this instance, we believe that the Vassar Student Association’s Peer Advisors system could be effectively utilized in order to answer questions about specific JYA programs. This being said, were the office to have a panel of students at JYA informational meetings, those meetings could be conducted much more effectively. The personal accounts of students who have previously studied abroad would lend more specific, experiential information regarding the various program options. There is often considerably more information available to students about the Vassar-sponsored programs, as they are the most heavily advertised and have already had their budget determined by the Vassar Financial

Aid Office. Often, these programs can end up costing the student less money than had they stayed at Vassar for the semester. However, it is a different story should a student choose to do a Vassar approved, but not sponsored, program.

For example, in the Oxford program, there is a six week spring break during which students are not provided with housing. Vassar does not cover personal travel expenses, so students who rely more heavily on financial aid could find themselves without a place to stay for that time. We again emphasize the importance of the Peer Advisor program; because the College has limited information on non-Vassar programs, seniors who have gone this route could provide important information.

Since the budgets of the Vassar-sponsored programs are determined by the Financial Aid Office, most necessities are covered (with the aforementioned exception of personal travel).

However, students who wish to partake in non-Vassar programs must calculate their own expenses and submit their budget through the forms distributed by the Office of International Programs. Revised financial aid statements are not distributed until after students are accepted into their desired programs; therefore, for those who do apply for programs outside of Vassar’s involvement, it may become difficult to plan accordingly. We recommend more clarity about the financial logistics of study abroad early on in the process in order to make this academic experience available to as many students as possible. Ultimately, the Office of International Programs has a good foundation for providing the necessary information to students. However, we at The Miscellany News advocate for an expanded network of information regarding the programs, which would be aided by seniors who have finished the process. With a more streamlined system to distribute information as well as open communication regarding the factor of financial aid, we feel that the Office could facilitate a more informed and accessible study abroad experience.

—Staff Editorial represents the opinions of at least 2/3 of the Editorial Board.

Ham-Nye debate shows creationist fallacy Lily Elbaum Columnist

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ast week, a video which appeared on YouTube got a considerable amount of press.

It was posted by a user named “Answers in Genesis,” and it was a debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham. It was the age-old (since 1859) debate between evolution and creationism. In this case, the debate was centered around the question, “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era?” Ken Ham is a creationist and best-selling author, while Bill Nye is a scientist and award-winning educator. Bill Nye, of course, is mostly known for his television series “Bill Nye the Science Guy” (and if most of you aren’t internally chanting Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, now then I would be very surprised).

Ken Ham opened the debate and from the first moment he was on the defense. He seemed more concerned with dispelling myths than offering a convincing argument that creationism was a viable origins model.

He showed testimonies from various scientists that identify as creationist who said that they had found no evidence that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Bible was wrong. It seemed, however, that all these scientists (all men, by the way) had always been creationists. In other words, there were no converts—no one who had started as an evolutionist but changed to a creationist based on the evidence. As Ham said, it’s probably because students are being “indoctrinated” with the “religion of evolutionism” in schools.

If only kids were taught the proper truth of creationism, there wouldn’t be so many darn evolutionists running around!

Which brings me to another point, one that was noticed by many viewers: Ken Ham showed a complete unwillingness in change.

He basically stated that even if he could go back in time and witness the Big Bang, he

would still believe that God created the universe in six days. Bill Nye, on the other hand, stated that if one person could go out and find proof that contradicted the theory of evolution, science would be revolutionized and he would be more than willing to alter his opinion. It was almost funny at times when audience members (through previously submitted questions) asked what proof Ham had for creationism. The resulting conversation went a little something like this: “What proof do you have for creationism?”

“This book right here, it has all the answers.”

“No, no. I mean, what proof do you have that the book is correct?”

“The book, it gives all the facts.”

“But how do you know that the book is right?!”

“Because it says so.”

“What says so?”

“The book!”

It would be funny, except for the fact that he truly believes that a book can validate itself based on the assumption that it was written by an all-knowing, all-powerful deity. I don’t necessarily want to give an opinion one way or the other, but this is an opinion piece, so I will. It seems ridiculous that people can refute enormous amounts of data by claiming that a deity simply created everything as-is without providing reasoning because God knew what he was doing and doesn’t need to explain it to us mere mortals. That a book written a mere two thousand years ago can somehow hold the answers to life, the universe and everything seems, quite frankly, incredible.

And, come to that, the book we know today as the Bible wasn’t even around when Jesus was alive. “Well of course not,” you say, “Jesus’ followers wrote down what he said and that became the Bible.” True, but also completely wrong. The first known complete Bible in its

modern form is from around the 4th century, nearly four hundred years after the death of Jesus. Sure, the gospels and the letters of Paul and the Old Testament and various other things were floating around Christiandom before that, but they weren’t all put together in a nice, neat book until four hundred years after Jesus died. The first gospel isn’t even thought to have been written for nearly one hundred years afterwards. My point is, just because it’s old, doesn’t make it right (which could go for people as well, I suppose).

That aside, the debate highlighted an ongoing feud between religion and science that is far older than Darwin’s “Origin of Species.” In recent times, it seems to have fallen somewhat to the wayside politically, but this debate made it clear that there is still a sharp divide, even among scientists. However, even though Christians make up nearly a third of the world’s population, all Christians aren’t creationists. The Bible is old and at the time its ideas were conceptualized, humans had a very limited knowledge of the world around them. Ideas have evolved (no pun intended) as has our conception of our world.

It is wrong to generalize all scientists as evolutionists, strangely, but it is also wrong to generalize all Christians as creationists.

Ken Ham represents a rather vocal segment, perhaps even a minority, among Christians, but he is by no means representative of the whole. Bill Nye seems to represent a larger population, but is also not representative of the whole.

At the very least, the debate gives us something to think about and spurs us to question our perceptions and our beliefs about our world and universe and where it is we really come from.

—Lily Elbaum ’16 is an international studies major.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Delaney Fischer Columnist

“E

at fresh!” The slogan for Subway suggests that it provides food that is in its prime.

Through commercials featuring weight-losing spokesperson Jared Fogle alongside a vaguely named, health-focused parent company called “Doctor’s Associates,” it’s safe to say Subway wants us to associate healthy eating with its chain of sandwich stores. I myself enjoy going to Subway and feel like I am eating something healthy for I have built my own sub, piled it with veggies, and am able to control exactly what is on my sandwich. However, it was recently revealed that Subway sandwich lovers have unfortunately not had all the facts about what they were really eating when they took a bite.

On Feb. 5, 2014, word got out that Subway’s bread contained a questionable ingredient, azodicarbonamide, but that Subway vowed to stop using it in the near future. A spokesperson said in a statement that they were “already in the process of removing azodicarbonamide as part of our bread improvement efforts despite the fact that it is [a] USDA and FDA approved ingredient. The complete conversion to have this product out of the bread will be done soon” (CNN, “Subway to remove chemical from bread,” 2.6.2014).

I had never heard of azodicarbonamide, and upon looking it up, I discovered that it is a chemical that’s found in the rubber of shoes and yoga mats, among other things. The chemical was also used as a bleaching agent in the bread and has also been identified at other fast-food chains such as McDonalds and Burger King (Los Angeles Times, “Subway will stop using chemical found in yoga mats in its bread,” 2.6.14).

One compelling reason that Subway stopped using the chemical is because of Foodbabe.com owner Vani Hari, who started a petition about the issue that has since received more than 89,000 signatures. Hari says she is more than pleased with Subway’s response but also wants us to know that at this time, the chemical is at this time still in use, saying, “I’d like to note that current Subway sandwiches still have this ingredient, and I urge everyone not to eat their sandwich bread until they have finally removed the chemical.”

So with azodicarbonamide banned in other countries, how exactly had this chemical been approved by the FDA and allowed to be put in our food? It is claimed to only have a small risk for humans but does contain urethane. A short search online about this chemical will reveal popular uses in industrial rubbers and welding kits alike, which makes it scary to think that we’ve been eating it.

Azodicarbonamide has also been linked to cancer since urethane is a known carcinogen, and the FDA is being pushed by the public to re-evaluate the amount that is allowed to be in food products—and if it should be allowed at all (Jezebel, “Subway sandwich no longer contains chemical found in yoga mats,” 2.7.14)” While many feel as though they have been deceived into eating a potentially harmful chemical, others who have seen no negative effects from consuming the bread might not even care. Every day, we eat food blindly, not considering exactly what is in it. We assumed that Subway was healthy because of its advertisements, slogans and good reviews from friends. We didn’t question the ingredients in the bread because the ingredients are not in our face and everything else sounded just fine.

There has been a major push toward healthy eating, especially with the rate of obesity in the United States rising, particularly in children. Yet, when it comes to healthy eating, many of us, including myself, refuse to ask some important questions about food we don’t prepare, such as food in restaurants, at the dining center here on campus or even in some store-bought items that are not considered natural foods. We may look at calories, fat and protein amount in our foods, but it may be worthwhile to look deeper into ingredients and questioning what exactly we are putting into our bodies.

—Delaney Fischer ’15 is a neuroscience major.

OPINIONS

Page 10

February 13, 2014

West perception of Sochi games disappointing, obtuse Bethan Johnson

T

Contributor

he first governing principle of the Olympic Charter reads as follows: “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” With the first week of the Sochi Winter Olympic competition completed and dozens of medals already awarded, the world, sadly, has shown itself to be falling well short of the Olympic dream. For those more interested in legal inequality and privileged rhetoric than ice hockey and snowboard halfpipe, or even for those who love expanding their knowledge of both, critiques of the Sochi Olympic Games have proven narrow-minded and imbalanced to say the very least.

Among the most troubling concerns is the popular trend regarding the criticisms of the provisions within the Olympic Village. While seeing a reporter’s tweet about a bee stuck in a honey package or an athlete’s Instagram of a random framed photograph of Putin amidst a room still under construction may produce a smirk or a chuckle, these pithy samples of life in Sochi in many cases reveal a problematic response to poverty and an obliviously privileged attitude from foreign visitors. While it is true that when Russia announced its bid to host the Olympics in 2007 it inherently made a commitment to provide ample and decent housing for all athletes, coaches, judges and reporters, the fact remains that these living situations took place despite the largest Olympic-motivated spending in history. According to Business Week, the Sochi Winter Olympics cost Russia $51 billion (“The waste and corruption of Vl-

Letter to the Editor It´s been brought to my attention that Professor Joshua Schreier, in the Jan. 22 article “Office of the President Opposes Israel Boycott,” refers to Jews as a race. Comparing Israel to the apartheid era South Africa, he states that “it is hard to deny that both counties [sic] maintain hierarchies based on race or, in Israel, what is often called ‘nationality.’”

The suggestion that Judaism is a race is extremely disturbing. Such a “theory” has justified persecution of Jews as far back as the Spanish Inquisition, when it was claimed that Jews did not have the pure blood of Christians (i.e. the limpieza de sangre theory.) During the 19th century, Wilhelm Marr promoted the “theory” that Jews were a domineering “race.”

Widespread belief in this noxious ideology grew throughout the world, but most especially in Europe during the 20th Century with well known, disastrous consequences. Yet, that same prejudice survived World War II. Charles de Gaulle similarly claimed that Jews are an “elite people, domineering and sure of themselves” who show “burning and conquering ambition.”

It may appear, on reading The Miscellany News, that the prejudice still exists, even at an elite, American college. I personally never thought I´d hear such utterances at Vassar!

Jews are—to my knowledge—among the most ancient groups to understand and define themselves as a people—what we today would refer to as a nation. Judaism was and remains an important part of belonging to the Jewish people.

But since it has always been possible to convert to Judaism and thus to join the Jewish people, referring to Jews as a “race” is simply wrong.

Given its history of promoting persecution, it is both surprising and hurtful that such misinformation now is given space in The Miscellany News, People who hate Jews have tried to turn Jews into a race. Sadly, the rhetoric of such bigoted organizations as the BDS seems to have permeated the campus dialogue, making many Vassar alumnae/i strongly concerned.

—Åse Margrethe Hansen ’77

admir Putin’s 2014 Olympics,” 01.02.2014). The planning committee devoted $6 billion to costs directly associated with the competition, and the rest was used to improve Sochi’s infrastructure. With roughly $45 billion spent to prepare Sochi for foreigners who they predicted would be both athletes and judges, problems with plumbing, dining and safety still existed and yet no one in the media has voiced any questions as to why.

That lack of questioning and the media’s willingness to simply chuckle at Russia illuminates a problematic response in the Western media. No one is considering that if water in the Olympic Village is brown, that this may be a problem that has plagued the city of Sochi for years, which would mean that its inhabitants have been struggling with the reality of contaminated water. In spite of years of preparation, billions of dollars devoted entirely to improvements in infrastructure, and the knowledge that the world would be watching and judging Russia based on its provisions, this is the quality of life Sochi is able to provide.

Moreover, multiple photographs have surfaced of women sweeping the streets of Sochi and the paths to hotels with twigs, broken brooms, and cardboard dustpans; the subsequent text exhibits bemusement at the apparent shortage of proper brooms or dustpans in Sochi.

Athletes and reporters alike have also used social media to mock food quality in Sochi, posting photos of a bee suspended in honey or complaining that the lunch line features “tinned peas and marmalade.” Instead of seeing this as a funny anecdote for Westerners to talk about how Russia could not even provide athletes with drinkable water or “edible” food, people should be considering the real and daily struggles of residents to be healthy under these conditions.

Poverty and health hazards are not something Western athletes or reporters should feel proud of surviving for a few weeks and then mock online. We as readers, supporters of Olympic teams, and even as citizens of nations

that these athletes profess to represent should be critical of the narrow-mindedness of these reports and require that our sources consider and question larger issues of poverty and health risks above cheap jokes.

Another factor to consider when considering critiques of reading reporters’ and athletes’ conditions should be the almost entirely unreported issue of displacement that comes with each Olympic games. As has been customary in all modern Olympic Games, in preparation for the construction of the Olympic Village, hundreds of Sochi residents were forced to relocate, sometimes without adequate compensation. According to The Los Angeles Times, “Legislation known as Law 301 allowed the seizure and demolition of privately owned plots of land and buildings in preparation for the Games” (“Sochi Winter Olympic Games at root of residents’ housing woes,” 02.06.2014). While the Russian government maintains that it adequately compensated all those forced to relocate due to the Olympic Games, many Sochi residents claim that the payment they received left them unable to afford quality housing. Other residents accuse the government of sending masked and armed policemen to escort them off of their property without any promise of compensation. Society should not ignore the experiences of terror some Sochi residents felt when being forcibly removed from their homes or diminish the life-altering reality that, in order for us to enjoy these sports on television, hundreds of people have potentially lost their family homes permanently without the hope of affording another. We as viewers must demand better from organizers and not let the promise of a beautiful aerial blind us from reading about the detrimental byproducts of the business of the Olympics.

Much has also been made of the host country’s legal and rhetorical stance on the treatment of members of the LGBTQ community, but, sadly, many of the most outspoken critics of Russia’s policy on issues of discrimination based on sexual or gender identity fail to ac-

knowledge this as a more endemic problem.

While violence and legal penalties have dramatically increased in the recent years in Russia, and while serving as the host nation inherently endows a nation with an added level of media scrutiny, Russia is by no means the only (or even the most recent) one to promote anti-homosexual laws. With three competitors in this Olympics, Uzbekistan still has laws that criminalize homosexual male relationships with three years imprisonment, as well as what the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard University characterizes as consistent abuse by law enforcement officials and suppression of LGBTQ-focused non-profit organizations (“The Violations of the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons in UZBEKISTAN: A Shadow Report,” March 2010). According to the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission case study on China, Chinese laws also fail to recognize same-sex couples as families and deny couples the right to marry, attain civil or domestic partnerships, or adopt children. Moreover, the organization believes members of the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender individuals, face violent harassment by police and civilians alike. Instead of limiting criticisms of homophobic discrimination to Russia alone, people should recognize and, if they feel so inclined, attempt to advocate for reform in all of those nations that criminalize same-sex relationships or leave members of the LGBTQ community at physical risk.

As an event intended to unite the global community and foster a mutual understanding and a cultural exchange, the Olympics promotes an ideal that most people desire. However, it is the West’s response to Sochi, so filled with narrow-minded criticisms and so lacking in compassionate attempts at improvement, that shows that no matter how many gold medals we win, we are all losing in Sochi.

—Bethan Johnson ’15 is a history and English double major.

Vassar ignores values behind ASA boycott Naomi Dann & Nicole Massad Guest Columnists

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n behalf of Vassar College, President Catharine Hill and Dean of Faculty Jonathan Chenette recently denounced the boycott of Israeli academic institutions endorsed by groups such as the American Studies Association (ASA) and Association for Asian-American Studies. They claim that supporting such a boycott contradicts the principles of “academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas” (Vassar College President’s Office 01.02.14).

Their condemnation reflects a surface-level understanding of the boycott that contradicts one of its main purposes: to call attention to the denial of academic freedom to Palestinian students and scholars.

But reading the ASA’s own words on what the academic boycott entails may help correct some of the misinformation presented in the College’s statement. While the statement suggests that the boycott infringes on the academic freedom of Israelis, the ASA explicitly states that it is “not endorsing a boycott of Israeli scholars,” but a boycott of “formal collaborations with Israeli academic institutions, or with scholars who are expressly serving as representatives or ambassadors of those institutions…or on behalf of the Israeli government, until Israel ceases to violate human rights and international law” (“Academic Boycott Resolution Frequently Asked Questions”).

In the name of that academic freedom, the College’s statement obscures the injustices and atrocities that Israeli institutions commit, robbing Palestinians of their freedoms, academic and otherwise. Israeli universities help perpetuate an oppressive system in which Palestinians are discriminated against, silenced and subjected to internationally recognized abuses of human rights. These universities have forcibly annexed Palestinian land, operate out of illegal West Bank settlements, and conduct research for military authorities. Palestinian schools and universities have been bombed by United States-backed Israeli mil-

itary forces, and Palestinian academics and students are frequently blocked from access to educational opportunities by Israeli occupation forces and the illegal apartheid wall.

For these reasons, among others, the ASA felt an “ethical responsibility to act.”

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, a member of the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) National Committee, was launched in 2004 by a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals to challenge Israel’s apartheid system and colonial oppression of the Palestinian people. Their goal is to boycott Israeli institutions until Israel complies with UN resolutions and international law regarding the right of return for Palestinian refugees, the removal of illegal settlements and the end of its occupation. The international call for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions is an act of nonviolent resistance, not a disengagement from dialogue on the conflict. This form of political activism has a long history, the most often-cited precedent in recent times being the divestment from apartheid-linked businesses and industries in South Africa.

Judith Butler, in her article in The Nation, addressed a common misconception: “Some people argue that the boycott cuts ties, but that what is needed is to build ties.

But this formulation fails to realize that the ties the boycott movement builds are ones of solidarity in a struggle against damaged rights, occupation and dispossession, and it is these sorts of ties, not the ones that maintain the status quo, that are most important at this time” (“A response to Michelle Goldberg,” 12.08.13).

Israeli academics who support the academic boycott, such as Ilan Pappé, assert that academic freedom should not only apply to privileged groups, but rather be extended to all, including to Palestinian students and professors who have their mobility and academics severely restricted by the Israeli occupation.

Support for the academic boycott challenges the privileging of certain voices by giving

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

agency to voices that have been disenfranchised and obscured by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian academic freedom. Rather than vilify the boycott as anti-Semitic, it is important to recognize that there is support for the boycott among Israeli academics and citizens, as well as American Jews.

President Hill and Dean Chenette’s statement, though it claimed to represent the political beliefs of Vassar College, was made without consultation with faculty, administrators and students. As reported by The Miscellany News, one Vassar professor noted that most of the arguments against the boycott appear to misunderstand it (“Office of the President opposes Israel boycott,“ 01.22.14). Some faculty and students at Vassar feel that their own academic freedom to express support for the movement is jeopardized by the official position of the College. The condemnation of the ASA boycott is not shared by all at Vassar, and those of us who do not share the College’s official position feel silenced by its sweeping statements.

Vassar’s rejection of the academic boycott of Israeli universities on the grounds of “academic freedom” diverts attention from the continued obstruction of academic freedom for Palestinians. We call upon Vassar to recognize the diversity of values, experiences and opinions that constitute its learning community. We urge Vassar to recognize its role in supporting ongoing injustices and the fact that its position as an institution of privilege precludes it from the possibility of neutrality.

President Hill and Dean Chenette’s unilateral condemnation of the ASA boycott impairs Vassar’s ability to provide an educational space for the independent thinking, respectful debate and engaged citizenship lauded in the mission statement of the college.

—Naomi Dann ’14 is a peace and justice studies major and President of the Vassar Jewish Union. Nicole Massad ’14 is a biology major and the Co-President of Students for Justice in Palestine.

February 13, 2014

OPINIONS

Sochi’s $51 billion price an Olympic failure Natasha Bertrand

L

assistant oPinions editor

ast Friday, Sochi launched the Winter Olympics with a bang, staging an opening ceremony that was impressively put together given the bleak state of the city itself. If this over-the-top production was meant to prove anything about the audacity of the Russians, or have the world forget about the terrorist threats, the homophobia, the shack-like accommodation for tourists and journalists, and the “cleaning up” of the city’s streets by massacring dogs, it did not succeed.

Back in 2007, when Russia was bidding to host the Winter Olympics, Putin reportedly vowed that, were Russia to win, he would be willing to spend $12 billion on the games–a figure that “dwarfed the bids of the other finalists from South Korea and Austria” (Business Week, “The waste and corruption of Vladimir Putin’s 2014 Olympics,” 01.02.14). To date, Russia has invested $51 billion into the games, making these Olympics the most expensive in history—a clearly unnecessary expense, given the Winter Olympics typically require much less spending than the Summer Olympics, which involves more athletes, events and venues.

Watching the build-up to the games, however, and knowing the amount of money that was being poured into these Olympics, I was, like many, wondering something: Why Sochi?

Assuming that Putin aims to use these games as a chance to show the world that Russia is still a powerful, impressive actor on the world stage, the choice of Sochi as the site is an odd one. Sochi is an extremely underdeveloped city. It is also a known terror target that is on the “edge of a war zone,” according to the New York Times (“An Olympics in the Shadow of a War Zone,” 02.05.14).

Currently, Russian security forces are desperately searching for Ruzanna Ibragimova, a “black widow” who has allegedly infiltrated the security perimeter of the city and is

planning a suicide attack on the games. As if this were not enough of a bad omen, violence against the LGBTQ community soared in the weeks leading up to the games (with reports of Russian authorities condoning and even encouraging homophobic violence), the hotels built in preparation for the influx of foreigners are falling apart, and the snow in Sochi is stained with the blood of its stray dogs.

Unfortunately, these issues are only the most superficial symptoms of the corruption that has plagued the preparation for these games since Russia won its bid. According to The Washington Post, “Somewhere along the line, according to Vladimir Putin’s critics, as much as $30 billion disappeared, and it didn’t go into the hotels, where the carpets look like scraps from an old office.” Many have speculated that this money was instead invested in surveillance or graft, but it mainly seems to have gone into making the structures built for the Olympic games needlessly towering and immense. According to Human Rights Watch, the village of Akhshtyr that lies along the highway to the Caucasus “has been plundered for its limestone by Olympic builders, leaving it with no drinkable water and some of its homes in collapse” in order to provide much-needed materials for constructing the Olympic Village ("In Sochi, hotel complaints fall into chasm between global spectacle and under-served population,” 02.07.14).

Upon arriving in Sochi, journalists, tourists and athletes alike have claimed the contrast between the poverty of the city and the opulence of the Olympic structures that now occupy it to be nauseating. Contractors and builders around Sochi have scrambled to propose new structures to be built in the city, many of which were named “Olympic” in order to be guaranteed funding. According to Business Week, however, “no one has gotten more money from Sochi than brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, childhood friends of Putin’s

from St. Petersburg who...received 21 contracts worth around $7 billion—more than the total cost of the Vancouver Olympics and around 14 percent of all spending for the Sochi Games” (Business Week, “The waste and corruption of Vladimir Putin’s 2014 Olympics,” 01.02.14).

When you delve deeper into the underlying reasons behind Putin’s decision to host the games in Sochi, it is clear they are far more insidious than the desire to strengthen the morale of the Caucasus and develop tourism in an area that served as a battlefield not long ago. With virtually no existing infrastructure in place to host the games, the Russians knew they would have to build everything from scratch. They also knew that the impoverished Caucasus region and its locals would demand neither money nor a significant role in preparing for the games, giving Putin-linked private developers and contractors virtually free reign as they consistently skirted zoning and building regulations and relentlessly asked for more and more money—much of which has gone unaccounted for.

The corruption would perhaps be easier to swallow were it not so blatantly set against a backdrop of poverty, violence and human rights violations. But when you combine the fact that this is arguably the most corrupt Olympic games in history with the imminent threat of terrorism, the flagrant homophobia, the spying, the unlivable hotels and the murder of innocent animals in the street, it is a wonder that more people did not call for a boycott of the games.

Indeed, the most powerful message the United States could have sent to the Russian government would have been to boycott its own greatest source of national pride since the end of the Cold War. Sadly, however, the U.S. and the world has missed its chance.

Guest Columnist

A

s a Vassar alumna, I was proud to see Vassar’s President and Dean of Faculty—along with over 230 other universities and colleges—denounce the boycott of Israeli academic institutions adopted by the American Studies Association (ASA). But because so much misinformation is spread about the goals of this boycott and about Israel itself, I am compelled to write.

Academic boycotts are, to put it simply, a bad idea. They are antithetical to the fundamental values underlying our academic institutions: most spectacularly, the free and open exchange of ideas. Some proponents argue that the ASA academic boycott is acceptable because it is restricted only to “formal institutional” interactions, suggesting that Israeli scholars will be free as ever to collaborate with their counterparts in the United States.

This is impractical. How, for example, does an Israeli professor become a visiting professor at an American college without some institutional interaction?

Even more telling, though, is the manner in which the ASA presented and passed its resolution. It would allow only pro-boycott views to be posted on the ASA website and refused several members’ requests to air their opposing views. Similarly, another academic association that considered adopting an anti-Israel boycott, the Modern Language Association (MLA), refused to include pro-Israel speakers in its panel or sponsor a panel that would present opposing views.

Why are these boycott proponents (led by the BDS movement) so afraid of being challenged? Because their rhetoric does not bear factual scrutiny. Using all the popular buzzwords, they assert that Israel is an apartheid, colonialist state that mistreats its Arab population. But Israeli Arabs not only have the same rights as other Israeli citizens (and can and do attend the same universities, hospitals and recreational places), they also have active

roles in the government. Israeli Arabs hold 12 seats out of 120 in the parliament, and an Israeli Arab serves on its Supreme Court. As for the colonialism canard, Jews lived continuously in Israel centuries before its UN-sanctioned creation in 1948. And, those who came in waves of immigration (both before and after the Holocaust) were not claiming land for foreign powers but rather escaping those powers and the anti-Semitic restrictions placed on them.

“Academic boycotts are, to put it simply, a bad idea.”

Boycott proponents would rather focus on the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, two areas that Israel captured in a defensive war in 1967, neither of which constituted a Palestinian state previously (Gaza was controlled

by Egypt and the West Bank by Jordan). Israel unilaterally dismantled its settlements and withdrew from Gaza in 2005; its reward has been periodic pounding by thousands of rockets under the leadership of Hamas, a terrorist organization that also persecutes gays, deprives women of basic rights and executes perceived traitors without trials. Yet Judith Butler, a prominent BDS proponent who spoke at Vassar last spring, has characterized Hamas as “progressive” (The Jerusalem Post, “Frankfurt to award US advocate of Israel boycott,” 10.26.12). As for the so-called “apartheid wall,” it is a security fence that exists solely to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel as they did in 1990 through 2008 killing hundreds of civilians. It has achieved that goal; suicide bombing has been reduced by over 90 percent. Notably, when Palestinians complained that part of the security wall

Word

on the street

If you could go on a Valentine’s Day date with Vladimir Putin, what would you do?

“At home: I want him to meet my parents.”

—Joe Caportorto ’15

“I’d take him to the Retreat and I’d make him buy me a F’real.”

—Stoddard Meigs ’16

—Natasha Bertrand ’14 is a political science and philosophy double major.

ASA boycott not helpful for academia, does not address greater political issues Laurie Josephs

Page 11

was built on their land, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in their favor and declared that portions of the wall had to be torn down and rebuilt, which was done.

The Palestinian-Israel issues are complex.

Israel is surrounded by nations whose leadership largely wish to eliminate it and who have cynically used the Palestinians as tools in their fight against a Jewish state (including by refusing to assimilate Palestinian refugees into their populations, a state of affairs that troubles the boycotters not at all). Polling shows that most Israelis favor a two-state solution in which the Israelis and Palestinians peacefully co-exist in their sovereign nations.

Right now though, Israel is in intensive negotiations with the West Bank’s Palestinian leadership, The Palestinian Liberation Organization, to arrive at a two-state solution. Significant stumbling blocks still exist on both sides; among other things, Israel does not want to freeze settlement building before a comprehensive agreement is reached, and the Palestinians do not want to acknowledge that Israel is a Jewish homeland and that it should remain as such...still, the two continue to actively talk about the possibility of a solution.

There are no easy answers for Israel or the Palestinians in their efforts to move forward from their often tragic and entangled history.

As they analyze current events, Vassar students, like students everywhere, should be wary of those hurling epithets of racism, colonialism and apartheid as a way to preclude frank discourse and acknowledgment of facts that might not fit the accusers’ agendas. The efforts of the academic boycotters to stifle debate and demonize Israel aid neither helps the peace process (Israel cannot give up its demands for security) nor our understanding of what is at stake for both sides.

—Laurie Josephs ’78 was a political science major. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and was an attorney for a number of years in New York City.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“Get him a clean glass of water.”

—Jason Ballone ’16

“Play in the ball pen at McDonalds.”

—Alfred Mazzuca ’17

“I’d take him to the mall, we’d buy hats.”

—Nic Meehan ’15

“Ice skating in the St. Petersburg ice rink.”

—Aditi Shrikande ’17

Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor Spencer Davis, Photo Editor

OPINIONS

Page 12

Letter to the Editor When Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian-American activist and poet who spoke at Vassar on Jan. 28, says one “cannot simultaneously talk about peace and support the Israeli state,” he is saying Israel has no right to exist as a Jewish nation. That is the problem with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Its leaders aren’t simply seeking an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

They seek a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a “Judenrein” Middle East.

It is not a coincidence that the BDS movement is particularly strong in Europe, which has seen a frightening increase in anti-Semitic violence in recent years. French Jews are fleeing and immigrating to Israel, not because they want to leave France or because they love Israel, but because they are terrified of violence directed against them at home. A Palestine with borders extending to the Mediterranean Sea would be another Arab country Jews would flee for their lives. When the leaders of the BDS movement demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees, they ignore the fact that Sephardic Jews, half the Jewish population of Israel, fled or were expelled from Arab lands between 1948 and 1967, their property confiscated. Lucette Lagnado ’77, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, describes in “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit” how she and her family were forced out of Egypt in 1963 with the equivalent of $200 and some belongings. Unlike Lagnado, who settled in Brooklyn with the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, most Jews expelled from Arab lands went to Israel, where they lived in tent cities until housing was constructed. Kanazi said during his performance at Vassar that he has no use for pro-Israel organizations like J Street. The reason is because he and the leaders of the BDS movement do not seek peace with Israel but want to eliminate it instead. The Vassar student groups and the department that supported bringing Kanazi to campus are indirectly advocating the destruction of Israel. Why is there such an obsession with eliminating the only Jewish state in the world?

Your article is woefully misnamed. A poet who does not believe in dialogue does not advocate peace.

—Karen Rappaport ’78

February 13, 2014

NFL must reflect after Sam’s decision Meaghan Hughes Senior Editor

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or the first time in my life, I am actually entertaining the idea of watching the NFL Draft. By that I mean following Twitter updates, or scouring the internet for articles about it. I have always viewed the event as a boring transition of highly trained and well-treated college men who move on to become high-paid and even better treated professionals. But Michael Sam has changed my mind.

As a refresher, this past Sunday, the 24 year-old defensive end from Missouri officially came out via interviews with ESPN and the New York Times. In the time between the end of his last college season and the potential start of his professional career, he decided to announce to the media that he is gay. All major news outlets exploded, and for good reason.

If Sam is drafted, he will be the first openly gay football player in the NFL. Dozens of American professional athletes before him have talked openly about their sexual orientation, most recently and notable Jason Collins of the NBA. But these decisions have almost all taken place during the players’ retirement.

Further inquiry into Sam’s history makes for an even more inspiring story. The Texas native has had a tumultuous life, including a brother in prison and a sister who drowned as a small child. His football years in high school did not appear promising—he received two stars as a recruit out of a possible five (“Michael Sam’s dad ‘proud of him’ aunt says he’s ‘making history’” 2.10.14). Nevertheless he played at the DI level for Missouri and was named All-American in the 2013 season as well as the best defensive player in the Southeastern Conference.

I think it is also important to acknowledge Sam’s race. Not only is he positioned to be the first openly gay NFL player, but he is also African-American. It’s no secret that cis-gendered white gay men tend dominate the gay community, or at least its representation in the media’s portrayal of it. Having a visible and currently very famous gay black man playing football may be crucial to promoting cultural, rather than political, acceptance of queer people and especially queer people of color.

Yet despite all of the more promising aspects of Sam’s coming out, several questions and problems remain. The first of which is why it was necessary for Sam to announce his sexuality in the first place. Any article you read about him will not fail to mention the fact that he informed all his Missouri teammates that he was gay last August and that they all were fine with it.

This last fact is supposed to be remarkable, which supports the stereotype that football as a sport and as an institution is homophobic and promotes a very narrow and violent portrayal of masculinity.

I would argue that this is, despite gradual changes, very true. There are incidents like 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver’s hateful remarks about gay players or former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe’s claim that he was cut from the team due to his support for gay rights (“Missouri Michael Sam announces he is gay” 2.10.14). These only provide a small glimpse at the secretive world of professional sports. There is no way to know how many gay or questioning players are still keeping their secret out of fear of being tormented by their teammates. In a profession that values traditional, violent forms of male representation, it can be hard for queer men to assert

themselves in the face of this dominant view.

One of the worst aspects of these articles is the question thrown in, usually at the end: will Sam’s decision to come out hurt his chances of being drafted? My immediate response is why should it? Is the personal and private life of an athlete so important that Sam’s sexuality affects his ability to do his job? Only in professional sports do we ask ourselves these questions. Imagine the absurdity of a corporate executive strolling into the office one day to have a meeting in which she announces that she is a lesbian and suddenly everyone her superiors are discussing the possibility of preventing her from getting a promotion. Of course, in actuality her decreased likelihood of moving up the corporate ladder comes from sexism that is rampant in the business world, but that’s a discussion for another time.

It’s clear that the NFL draft will be more carefully observed than usual. Many will be watching to see what Sam does next: will a professional team pick him up in one of the early rounds? Will he sit on the sidelines as he earns tens of thousands if not millions? Will he align himself with gay activist groups? Or will he fail to be picked in the draft and fade into obscurity?

Though I am reluctant to admit it, the actions of American professional sports players matters. They are often used as a sort of cultural barometer, yet often get away with much more than the average citizen ever could. If an African-American gay football player can make it in the NFL, one would hope that members of the queer community in less glamorous jobs could make it, and can thrive.

—Meaghan Hughes is a psychology major.

The Miscellany Crossword “Valentine’s Puzzle” ACROSS 1 On ___ of (representing) 7 Series ender, often 10 *Say hello, nonverbally 13 Friend of Peppermint Patty 14 2nd amendment lobbyists 15 Shave 16 *”It doesn’t matter anyway” 17 Hair product 18 More than one way to skin ___ 19 Beliefs 21 Horseplay?

22 *It keeps people grounded 25 Versailles resident 26 Versailles birth 28 4, on a sundial 29 Played a prominent role, in film 33 Deny, in Sochi 34 Mexico’s national flower

36 *Eclectic 38 Alu ___, var. of UAE capital 39 *Valentine’s Day sensation (2 words) 40 ___-Ball (arcade game) 41 Anti-hate org.

42 Discomfort 43 Tolkein’s trilogy, for short 44 *Baseball stadium fixture 46 Decorates, as a cake 47 iPhone software 48 Some records, for short 51 Program in Human Research Ethics: Abbr.

52 *Spanish eggs 55 Pitch tents 57 The “A” in A.D. 58 Shipment notation: Abbr.

59 One method of eating 52*across

Answers to last week’s puzzle

by Jack Mullan, Crossword Editor

63 ___ of March 64 Metal or gold mine 65 Onetime Ebert partner 66 Children’s author/illustrator Asquith 67 Raptors’ home: Abbr.

68 Cupid’s darts, and what the circled letters in this puzzle indicate for the starred answers

30 Ancient Lycian hilltop 31 1970’s-80’s New York City mayor 32 WeightWatchers client 34 Raptors and others 35 Uncommon blood type,

informally 37 Poetry 40 More prone to falls 42 Japanese vegetable 45 Records, in a way 49 Toshiba or HP product 50 Popular hummus brand 52 Locks

DOWN 1 Mini Cooper maker 2 Housing non-profit in California and Hawaii 3 Social-services org.

4 Movement 5 Was mendacious 6 Flu symptom 7 Aromatic plant native to the Pyrenees 8 Uno y dos 9 Baseball’s Ripken 10 Dr Pepper Museum locale 11 Asia’s ___ Sea 12 Nix 15 It beats rock but loses to scissors 20 The Times’ film critic Scott 22 Japanese commercial district 23 Saudi capital 24 Danny of “Do the Right Thing” 26 Inexperienced 27 Period of time

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

53 Control-Z, in Word 54 Hydrocarbon suffixes 55 Beck track from “Guero” 56 El Cid foe 58 It’s legal in Washington and Colorado 60 London Symphony

Orchestra: Abbr.

61 “Yuck!”

62 “ER” personnel

HUMOR & SATIRE

February 13, 2014

Page 13

Breaking News

From the desk of Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor

Internet sales of creepily realistic Ryan Gosling body pillows anticipated to skyrocket on “Anna Howard Shaw” Day (2/14)

Mr. Bouchard’s Guide to: Livin’ dat fulfilling Humor Editor Emeritus life Jean-Luc Bouchard

Humor & Satire Editor Emeritus

Note: Due to considerable editorial concern, the following column has been extensively factchecked by The Miscellany News Copy Staff to correct any inaccuracies, hyperbole and straight-out lies written by the author. Corrections have been parenthetically inserted into the text below.

Yes, that’s right. I’m back.

You can all stop cheering now. I appreciate the sentiment, really, but it isn’t necessary.

I’m fully aware how much of an honor it is to be reading another one of my columns.

For those of you who have had amnesia these past several months or are just very dumb, I’m Jean-Luc, the Misc’s former Humor & Satire Editor. For personal reasons, I decided to (was forced to by Vassar’s lawyers) step down from my position at the end of last spring and give my friend (sexual rival) Lily Doyle the opportunity to run the Humor Section. But due to my philanthropic generosity (debilitating loneliness and nothing better to do), I’ve decided to bless the Misc with one more of my guides, for old time’s sake.

So, without further ado, here’s Mr. Bouchard’s Guide to Living a Post-Humor Editor Life.

1. The Fame

The life of someone as famous as me, recognizable as I am for my weekly college newspaper humor columns about Deece food and Cappy, is stressful (riddled with self-loathing and phone sex bills). Now, far be it from me to suggest that I know what it’s like to be Leonardo DiCaprio or Meryl Streep or Barack Obama. It would be preposterous to suggest that I am like Leonardo DiCaprio or Meryl Streep or Barack Obama.

I scoff at anyone who adamantly believes I share a similar lifestyle to Leonardo DiCaprio or Meryl Streep or Barack Obama. But let

me tell you one thing: try walking into Babycakes with my face and watch what happens.

Chaos (literally nothing) ensues, that’s what.

I’m rushed by a crowd of admirers (given a look of pity by the hostess for eating dinner alone for the third time this week). My order of veal scallopine is declared “On the House” by the owner (his special order of a hamburger with cheesecake slices for buns is deemed “too unethical” for the chefs to consider). The champagne (Diet Sierra Mist with grain alcohol from a flask) never stops flowing. It’s an exhausting life. To help manage the neverending (never-beginning) fame and recognition of being an ex-Humor & Satire Editor, I suggest adopting a disguise. If I know I have to go somewhere public (if he finally ran out of Combos, Yoo-hoo, and puppy calendars), I like to put on a false mustache (dead chipmunk found on the side of the road), a hat (mismatched pillow cases stapled together) and a bulky coat (a bulky coat stolen from homeless man who was promised a hot meal).

That way, I just look like any Average Joe (a madman).

2. The Creative Juices

Without a Humor Section to manage each week, you’ll notice an intense spike in your creative inspiration and work ethic as soon as you become an ex-Editor. The first few weeks after my retirement (court-mandated escort away from the Misc office, kicking and screaming) were the most productive of my life. I banged out the first few chapters of my literary novel (sci-fi erotica comic book starring Condoleezza Rice), I took up watercolor painting again (spilling jungle juice on tables and leaving it for his housemates to clean up) and I wrote a new protest song (using the melody of the Kit-Kat jingle) about political corruption (about Nyan Cat starting a fight club with Godzilla). My artistic output has increased ten-fold (he’s stopped showering) since I retired from my post at the Misc. My advice to anyone thinking about

leaving their job (volunteer student activity leadership position) in the hopes of focusing their attention on their art (“Wonder Woman”/”Gilmore Girls” crossover fan fiction) is: Go for it! You have nothing to lose (money, the respect of your friends and family, teeth) by devoting yourself to what truly interests you (Lego replicas of human sex organs).

3. The Flossing

You should probably floss more regularly.

Don’t be deterred by a little blood. Or a lot of blood, even.

4. The Lack of Structure

When you stop being a Humor & Satire Editor, you come to realize just how much of your life was structured around the work (“work”) for your section (single page of womp-womp jokes and Mug references).

You might find the sudden lack of a tightly-scheduled structure disorienting, unsettling or overwhelming. Rather than immediately joining some student org desperate for members (Vassar Foot Fetish Alliance; Vassar Weasel Training Club; The Barefoot Monkeys) just to fill the void in your heart, I suggest embracing your newfound freedom (contractual agreement to stop sending the Editor-in-Chief threatening 3 a.m. texts).

Faced with the free time of a post-Humor Editor life, I began to explore the joys of charity (Photoshopping Clifford the Big Red Dog’s head onto dirty pictures from the internet) and volunteering at the local Soup Kitchen (eating half-finished burritos found in the trash outside Chipotle). I self-righteously suggest you do the same.

by Eliot Marcus, Has Never Been Humor & Satire Editor esterday, I had my first real interview for a post-grad job and I pretty much bombed it. For a few minutes, I was founda-naked-mole-rat-in-your-Deece-meal levels upset, but then I realized jobs are for suckers anyways. I was interviewing for a tech startup despite being an English major and can only assume I was given an interview through some form of sorcery. The fact is I was just not prepared for the level of intensity. I’ve decided to compile some tips for all you seniors out there about to take an interview.

PREGAME MEAL: You know how they say breakfast is the most important part of the day? They’re right. You should always pregame an interview with a festive meal. I would suggest dragon-meat cooked medium rare, rabbit feet and both vodka and adrenaline shots. This should get you in the proper mindset for an interview, or at least lead to cardiac arrest. It’s up to you to decide the lesser of two evils.

WHAT I ATE: I heaped a bunch of cheddar cheese on twelve chicken nuggets, heated them up in the microwave, and ate them under my bed to avoid judgment.

ATTIRE: For interviews you have to dress sharp. I would recommend an ironic cat t-shirt, novelty beer drinking hat filled with H2O to keep you hydrated and a skinny tie.

My interview was on Skype. If you’re faced with a similar situation, go ass-naked from the waist down. This is called a power move.

To keep your feet warm, I’d recommend fashioning some kicks out of something primal, like tiger skin or bear fur. Make sure you are not interviewing with PETA. WHAT I WORE: I wore your standard shirt and tie with dress pants. This was a big mistake. I’m twenty-one years old and still struggle to tie a tie so I had to have one of my housemates help me. He is a foot taller than me, so to say this was emasculating is an understatement. It completely messed up my mental game. I also put a little product in my hair, and yes, you guessed it: this led to self-loathing.

HOW TO PREPARE: The fact of the matter is that you are going to be blindsided by some questions. Here is how you avoid stuttering your way through these potential disasters.

Spend the days leading up to the interview watching “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men,” “Scan-

Lily Doyle

CURRENT Humor & Satire Editor 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: I seriously consider getting out of bed. OK, I actually just vaguely ponder the philosophical concept of why getting out of bed is sometimes useful. OK, all I really do is look out my window so that I get a glimpse of the outside world, and decide that was probably enough for the day because it looks cold out there and, in the words of Homer Simpson, I’m just a big toasty cinnamon bun. Plus, the outside world doesn’t have Netflix. Strike one for the outside world.

10:00 a.m.: As a side note, I am beginning to

worry that when my children ask me what I did in college, I will only be able to say “I laid in bed and watched a lot of Netflix, children.”

1:00 p.m.: I think about taking a shower, and decide I don’t have enough time because I have to be in the TAs before the seasons change. I Google-mapped it and to get from the THs to the TAs is 1,456 miles, or, coincidentally, approximately the distance from Missouri to Oregon (please note: I made this number up).

It takes several months to walk this far, so I prepare my covered wagon accordingly.

1:35 p.m.: I have consumed several gallons of chocolate milk to put fat on my body for the long voyage and invested in a lot of salted bacon and oxen. If it’s good enough for the pioneers on the Oregon Trail, it’s good enough for me.

1:42 p.m.: A member of my party, MCGIBLET-

SON, almost immediately falls ill with scurvy.

Well, that’s all the advice I have for any up-and-coming ex-Editors out there. If you need me, I’ll be relaxing at the nearest cocktail lounge (bowling alley snack bar) rereading Great Expectations (making “nacho cheese” puns).

Reporter has mastered essentials of trying to have a life after the bubble

Y

The Oregon Trail: TH to TA Edition

dal,” “24:” any show with bad-ass characters.

Memorize a couple key lines and drop that at random using the character’s voice. Oh, you want to know how you can improve your product’s sales in the 20-29 demographic.

Here’s my answer: “I am the danger. I am the one who knocks.” You want me to describe a situation where I’ve shown leadership. “My name is Jack Bauer I’m a federal agent.” You get the gist.

WHAT I DID: Prepare mundane answers for a bunch of cute questions like “tell me about yourself” and “tell me more about yourself.”

I hope that these tips will guide you through the night. If you need any tips on how to procure anything mentioned in this article, just hit me on my pager or text me the phrase “I need to buy a refrigerator.” I’ll send you a messenger pigeon with a meeting place.

If you don’t feel comfortable Skype-interviewing naked from the waist down, at least wear something bossy like gold leggings or Hammer pants. If worst comes to worst and you bomb your interview despite this expert advice, just call up your parents or a friend so you can laugh about it with them. That’s what I did.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

2:30 p.m.: I just shot a bison because they

are slow and have a lot of meat. It feeds my entire wagon party. Unfortunately, my wife, BOOGER, died of exhaustion. This teaches me that I must take care of my own and stop forcing them to walk at a pace many would continue “strenuous.”

3:48 p.m.: I have to decide whether to ford the

river or…ford the river. I realize that I never did anything but ford the river in my Oregon Trail video game because I’m not an idiot.

I think the other option was something like “wait for the river to go down which will take 12 years and your wagon will light on fire and everyone in it will die because you were too much of a wimp to just cross the goddamn river which at the most will cause you to lose like one ox and BILLY.” 4:30 p.m.: I arrive at the TAs with the majority of my covered wagon intact. My reward is to watch the new Disney movie, Frozen, with my friend and her cat. The cat is more into the movie than we are.

6:30 p.m.: I begin the long trek back. This one goes by slightly more quickly, with only a few significant events: I age considerably. I lose my left third toe to frostbite. I miss more than two of my classes and lose participation points.

People stop listening to “Timber.” The energy crisis is solved. Belarus comes from behind to win the Olympics.

20 years later: I fall into bed in my TH, asleep

before my head hits the pillow. I am quickly awoken by the screams of the person who lives there now and is confused about why a 41-year-old woman is trying to sleep on them.

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February 13, 2014

Wordsmiths, Helicon platforms for poetic expression Isabella DeLeo rePorter

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Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

or many writers on campus, poetry is a vital form of self-expression and an entryway to the soul. “People write poetry to survive,” said Leonel Torres ‘15, co-president of Wordsmiths, a campus group that promotes both written and spoken word poetry through hosting open mics, writer’s workshops, and guest speakers and poets.

“A poem—whether it is written on the page or performed on stage—is an utterance of one’s humanity. Enclosed in verse is the individual and collective yearning to understand the self in all of its complexities. Poetry is experiential, but, above all, poetry is communication, and Vassar students seem to be yearning to participate in the art form due to the many qualities poetry has to offer. “[To desire to write poetry] is to desire to get to know people on a level that is very different than any conversation that the general body would have,” said Torres.

It comes as no surprise that Vassar, a college that supports and values the arts, provides students with a robust poetic outlet. Students can submit their work to Helicon, a campus group that publishes a literary magazine and hosts events for writers. Wordsmiths holds events for Vassar poets to showcase their work.

There are also ample opportunities for campus writers to listen to professional poets read and discuss their work, whether these poets are brought in by student-run groups or the English department.

Many student organizations often work to bring poets to campus–this year Vassar hosted, among others, the likes of spoken word troupe Strivers Row and poets Anthony Madrid and Remi Kanazi. Wordsmiths will host slam poets Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay on Saturday, Feb. 15 for a poetry and creative writing workshop. “The poetry scene [on campus] just exploded. It’s growing a lot more than I anticipated. There are so many people interested in poetry, specifically poetry and activism because it has a large impact on how we see ourselves in society and at Vassar in particular,” said Torres.

Vassar students have many opportunities on campus to experiment with and showcase their poetry.

Among these are Wordsmiths and Helicon, which allow for writers to receive feedback from their peers.

In a world where social media outlets constantly remind today’s society of current events, activism in particular has played an important role in many of the visiting poets’ works and inspires student’s own poetic verses. The poetry of Strivers Row, a troupe of spoken word artists who tour the country, focuses upon the experiences of minority students.

Palestinian-American poet Remi Kanazi works to address human rights issues and the occupation of Palestine in particular.

Even though poetry at Vassar is currently flourishing, some students worry about poetic over-saturation. Perhaps organizations bring in too many poets to speak on campus and as a result some begin to feel dulled at the repetition.

“Although, there is never be enough poetry,” said Torres.

One of Torres’ responsibilities as Wordsmiths co-president is to provide students with

a platform to explore their craft as writers.

He wants to help student-poets to find honesty and identity in their works. “Each poet has their own story. Each person on this campus has a story to tell and that’s the most important thing that we [Wordsmiths] have to get out,” said Torres.

Editor-in-Chief of Helicon Veronica Peterson ‘14 believes that reading and showcasing student talent is an incredibly rewarding experience. Reading student poetry connects her to the community on a more personal level; beneath the stanzas of student hope, fear and unrequited love is perhaps a significant part of the heart of Vassar. “You may sit next to someone in class and then discover that they have a hidden talent for writing,” said Peterson.

And while Helicon is distinguished for its high-quality pieces, its reviewing process sets it a part from many other college literary

magazines: all of its submissions are reviewed anonymously. Students whose works are accepted into the literary magazine know that their pieces have merit in their own right and are chosen with little to no bias on the part of the reviewers.

Peterson cited one of her current goals as Editor-in-Chief: improving publicity. Helicon often has trouble getting enough submissions partly because some students send in work that is later rejected by the magazine. As a result, some students’ first interaction with the magazine is facing rejection. Every writer knows how crushing that can be. “I wish I could write a disclaimer saying this is what the literary world is like. There’s a lot of rejection,” said Peterson.

But facing rejection is integral to the craft of poetry. Peterson believes that rejection should be treated as a kind of creative springboard. It should encourage writers to persevere.

Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of Vassar’s poetry scene is the supportive and dedicated faculty, according student poet Elizabeth Rowland ’14. “I came to Vassar thinking that writing would be a hobby. The professors here are intellectually flexible and eager to work with young people. My professors have given me the confidence to give a career in writing a real chance and I will be forever grateful,” said Rowland.

Although for Rowland there is one clear setback for Vassar’s poetry climate: the rise of social networking and its deleterious effects on student poetry. Social media often rears vanity and perpetuates the hackneyed word. “I’m not one for poorly written, dismissive trend-pieces about the failings of our generation, but I do think the emergence of the Internet has created an environment where everybody thinks they can write,” said Rowland.

Rowland offers some advice to hopeful poets out there. “Avoid cliché. I guarantee everything you or I or anyone else is saying has been said before. It’s the writer’s job to make it feel fresh. I’ve noticed a sort of maudlin sensibility around campus. Ditch the slogans; your readers will get it, I promise.”

Music professor hits high notes on stage and in classroom Samantha Kohl

assistant arts editor

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Jacob Gorski/The Miscellany News

ollege students are no strangers to the anxieties associated with choosing a career path.

Certainly, one of the most daunting questions is, “What are you doing after graduation?” However, concert pianist and Vassar Adjunct Artist in Music Thomas Sauer, knew the answers to all of these questions from an early age.

In recent years, Sauer has performed at highly esteemed venues that include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and on Broadway, but his latest performance was at Vassar’s very own Skinner Hall on Sunday, Feb. 9. Because Sauer boasts an impressive résumé and, based on his performance, plays with such passion, one would believe that playing the piano and holding an appreciation for music was in Sauer’s blood, but that was not necessarily the case. “Nobody in my family had ever been in music, although my brother is a professional cellist now,” said Sauer.

“So we were both young and really loved music and decided fairly early on that we wanted to be professionals without really knowing what being professional musicians meant.”

For Sauer, his interest in piano sparked at the age of six after watching and listening to a classmate of his play piano in music class. Sauer did not start playing immediately, however, but began at the age of nine when his parents bought a piano. By the age of eleven, Sauer was sure that he wanted to become a professional pianist. He was able to finish high school by the age of sixteen and attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he received his Bachelor’s degree in music. He then went on to receive a Master’s and, finally, a Doctorate in performance.

For Sauer, performing took place side-by-side with his schooling. Sauer said. “When I started my doctorate, I was working the whole time, and I kind of thought of the degree as something I was doing on the side, which is not the way most people go to graduate school although with musicians it is sometimes like that. I was a full time student but I was very much focused on my playing and working.”

Sauer performed at Vassar for a packed auditorium, a crowd that even included President Hill. The program began with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in D Major. Sauer said in an interview, “It starts wonderfully slow and very sad, but the other movements are jolly. In fact, the last movement is quite humorous.”

Sauer then went on to play a sonata by Grammy award-winning composer Stephen Hartke, who teaches music at USC. The piece itself is split up into three movements. Sauer said, “The outer movements, the first and the third movements, are very cordial and serious, kind of solemn and even somber music but also rather enigmatic and a little bit mysterious. Then the middle movement, which is the longest movement, is very jazz-like. He thought of tap dancing while writing it... It’s fast and hard but fun.”

Sauer finished his concert with Chopin’s Twenty-Four Préludes, Op. 28, which Sauer particularly enjoyed playing. “[Chopin] has one prelude in each major and minor key. He goes by a circle of fifths, so you start off with no sharps or flats. You add sharps [after each prelude] and then, at a certain point, you switch from sharps to flats, and then you start subtracting flats. The last two of the set are one flat, F major and then d minor,” Sauer said.

Sauer particularly appreciates the thought or, as in certain cases, the lack of thought Chopin put into each prelude. “Some of [the preludes] feel like trifles as if he thought about it for five minutes and then wrote it. Yet, some of them, even some of the short pieces feel like really big and intense pieces,” said Sauer.

Sauer has been a faculty member of Vassar’s music department since 1998 and is also a piano faculty member at Mannes College, The New School of Music. Teaching at both a conservatory and a liberal arts college offers very different and yet rewarding things to Sauer. “Each student here comes with a different background, a different level of exposure to music, and a different level of exposure to musical culture. That is true for a music conservatory as well, but the range of variance is narrower at a conservatory. Sauer

Adjunct Artist in Music Thomas Sauer is a piano virtuoso who graced the Skinner stage this past Sunday. Teaching music at a liberal arts college allows him to connect with students on a deeper level. said,. “You don’t go to a conservatory unless you have done a lot of practicing for many years once you get there. Here, every student has his or her own standard—they’re each trying to get something different out of it whereas in a conservatory basically everyone is trying to meet the standards of the profession. Teaching at every level is challenging.”

Sauer’s students are particularly impressed

by Sauer’s dedication to them. Reeve Johnson ’14, who has taken lessons with Sauer since his first year at Vassar, stated, “Tom is one of the smartest people I have ever met. He is very dedicated to his craft. Throughout a lesson, he remains keenly attuned to every successful note and every innocent mistake made while I play a piece. He then relays that information to me and makes sure to clearly explain himself with every suggestion on how I can improve upon the piece.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Not only does he instruct in the studio, but he takes the time to get to know me, ask about my life, talk about news relevant to my background, and learn about my diehard obsession with Beyoncé. He also happens to play the piano effortlessly.”

Sauer enjoys teaching piano at Vassar just as much as his students enjoy their lessons with him. Sauer said, “In a conservatory there is a lot of pressure on everyone because everyone is trying to rise to that very high level. Here I feel more at ease and more comfortable because the student really wants to work on and develop themselves [as musicians], and I can do that. If a student wants to pursue piano on the side and wants to play just for fun, I can do that too. It’s interesting—there’s a really broad range here, and, in of that, there’s a really broad range of students here, so it fits.”

February 13, 2014

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Page 15

Women’s chorus trip builds bonds, tests musical prowess Essie Asan

Guest rePorter

W

courtesy of alumnihub

hile most of Vassar’s clubs, organizations and groups have kept within the confines of campus grounds since their formations, Vassar Women’s Chorus makes its mark on the greater music world by touring both nationally and worldwide. Vassar’s Women’s Chorus—known to many as WoCo—recently returned from this past weekend’s performance in Baltimore at the American Choral Directors Association’s Regional Conference. WoCo was specifically requested to perform by the American Choral Directors Association, an invitation that the group was honored to receive.

Besides being one of the largest campus groups, the Women’s Chorus is one of the oldest. WoCo was founded in 1876 by Charlotte Finch, Class of 1872. Since its founding, the group has achieved much success and has been recognized outside of the Vassar sphere.

Women’s Chorus performs at various on and off-campus events. On campus, WoCo holds annual performances, which includes singing at convocation. Outside of Vassar’s gates, the choir toured many countries, including Italy, Germany, Turkey, Spain, England and France.

The Women’s Chorus has achieved recognition from important organizations such as the American Choral Directors Association and the National Collegiate Choral Organization. In recognition of Vassar’s Sesquicentennial Celebrations, the choir recently toured 17 U.S. cities and gave concerts in esteemed venues such as Lincoln Center, meeting alumnae from across the nation while on their tour.

WoCo’s recent performance in Baltimore on Feb. 5-8 was particularly exciting for its members. Christine Howlett, the director of the Women’s Chorus and Assistant Professor of Music at Vassar, wrote in an emailed statement, “The Women’s Chorus has had great success in being chosen to perform at the American Choral Directors Association’s regional conferences...[The] invitation is a huge honor for the Chorus and for Vassar, and shows the high quality of our ensembles in the Music Department.”

Emily Omrod ’16 described the trip and wrote, “We were invited to the ACDA this past summer and asked to the prestigious Brock commission, a piece based on Emily Dickinson poems by Alice Parker.”

Many members appreciated the Baltimore trip as a means by which to improve their musical talent and performance skill. “Going to Baltimore was a good experience for the choir,” stated WoCo member Aja Saalfeld ’15 in an emailed statement. “We had the opportunity to premiere a set of Dickinson poems set to music, so that was one part that was something to be proud of. In addition to premiering that piece, we had the entire program set to memory as per the unspoken rule of the festival.”

Saalfeld continued, “Normally we have programs that are quite long, and memorization is not a key part of our process, but we stepped it up and had our program memorized. Since it’s been years since I last had to memorize large amounts of choral music, it was definitely a learning experience, and one for which I am grateful.”

Saalfeld also appreciated how performing in Baltimore required the group to amp up their practicing and concentration. He explained, “It also gave us an opportunity to hone some of the pieces that were good at our concert last semester, but with more time became great, notably the David Lang piece, ‘I Live In Pain.’ It’s a difficult, technical piece to do with music, let alone memorized, but I, for one, am glad that we got to have more time with it.”

Aside from the technical attributes the trip afforded the group, going to Baltimore further united members of the already tight-knit WoCo. Stephanie Goldberg ’14, a choir member since her first year at Vassar, wrote in an emailed statement, “I have been a singer with the chorus, specifically a soprano II, since my first semester at Vassar. The members of the chorus get along very well, within “sections” (Sopranos, Altos) and as a group. Some of my closest friends, including one of my best friends, I met through the Women’s Chorus.

The chorus meets three times a week to rehearse for about an hour and a half.”

The Women’s Chorus attended the American Choral Directors Association’s Regional Conference this past weekend. During the three-day event, which took place in Baltimore, the group honed their performance skills.

Though the choir continues to gain new members, WoCo members pride themselves on being incredibly close. “Women’s Chorus has grown a bit in size over the last few years, as more wonderful singers have come out to audition,” stated Goldberg. “Over the last four years, I’ve seen the group, as a whole, grow closer, something I appreciate. Growing closer, in my opinion, has strengthened our blending with one another during performances.”

The success of the choir can be attributed to both the talent of the students and director and also the group’s commitment to choir. Director Howlett spends time and effort choosing the repertoire, running rehearsals, and organizing concerts and logistics. She is grateful for the help of student chorus members. Omrod, for instance, is the WoCo librarian, which means she organizes events and makes travel arrangements. “I have student leaders who help me as accompanists, librarians, and tour managers,”

said Director Howlett. “Having student liaisons is critically important for communication between myself and the students. Without having that student leadership, it would be impossible for me to organize the travel on my own.”

The group’s unity is widespread and spans across student-staff lines. Director Howlett stated, “I think I get along really well with the students. We have a lot of fun in rehearsals, but we also work very hard. The students are incredibly smart and supportive, and they all love to sing great repertoire. It doesn’t get that much better for me!”

This spring, the chorus will continue its successful journey by traveling to Tokyo for a special collaboration sponsored by Ashinaga, a Japanese organization that helps orphans worldwide. They will be joined by a troupe from Uganda for their performance. Japan will add to the selection of countries in which Women’s Chorus had been invited to perform.

Arts Mid-Hudson breathes new life into urban spaces Matthew McCardwell Guest rePorter

A

courtesy of Queen City Arts

rt can fill the empty spaces of a city and make people pay attention to things they might have once passed by without a glance.

Arts Mid-Hudson is a local organization whose mission is to create community through the arts and aesthetically reflect the character of quaint towns and vibrant urban settings like Poughkeepsie.

Their website reads, “Established in 1964 as a private, nonprofit arts service organization [it is our mission] to promote and coordinate cultural activity and development in Dutchess County.”

This spring, Arts Mid-Hudson will celebrate 50 years of artistic activism and recreation in the Dutchess, Ulster and Orange Counties.

Since its inception, they have evolved from their original Arts Council to Queen City Arts to their present-day Arts Mid-Hudson while always staying true to this objective.

When she joined the Arts Mid-Hudson team two years ago, President Linda Marston-Reid decided that this central mission needed to be flexible: That is, it should be fluid and evolve as communities evolve. She said, “I decided that we needed to reinvigorate the organization and make it more contemporary to tie into the local citizens and what the area needed.”

Part of working towards this goal is the hosting the Queen City Arts Festival, an event in its second year that is to take place this spring.

It will include pop-up galleries, booths featuring local businesses, music, and spoken-word poets all on Main Street in downtown Poughkeepsie, or The Queen City of the Hudson.

The name “Queen City” comes from Poughkeepsie’s placement of government centers on one street and its placement on the Hudson river. Arts Mid-Hudson is utilizing this concentration of government, commercial, and even residential communities to play host to their festival.

This collaboration among local artists, resi-

Queen City Arts initiative is part of the Arts Mid-Hudson organization that encourages coordination between residents and local businesses. The photo above is from last year’s Quuen City Arts Festival. dents and business owners are essential to its success. Through these arts-driven partnerships, Arts Mid-Hudson continues its work to revitalize Poughkeepsie and fortify its sense of unity. Marston-Reid said she would like to include more students from the city’s colleges as well.

While the festival does have much already in place in terms of organization, it is still looking for artists to participate. “One of the things that is missing from this is the younger adults that are considering what they can do,” said Marston-Reid. There are many opportunities from art gallery exhibition to musical performance to stage performance.

“The nice thing about performances is that you can just you sign up to play,” said Marston-Reid. “If you are an emerging artist want-

ing to perform on a stage this would be a great way to get some experience. We would love for people from Vassar to come down here.”

She continued, “There are many amazing cultural assets in this community, but they are not close together. They are very spread out.

That has been the issue with connecting with schools like Marist, Bard and Vassar.”

By bringing together different communities, the arts can work to large-scale issues through artistic immersion and activism. “Poughkeepsie...[has] urban blight problems and issues with crimes. This is the starting point. We developed this as an initiative because there are a lot of towns similar to Poughkeepsie that have similar problems like empty buildings. Newburgh has had some issues similar to what Poughkeepsie is dealing with like crime,

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

empty buildings and gangs. They have tried to change some things but they have had more of a challenge because they are a little bigger and they have had bad publicity about their problems,” said Marston-Reid.

In addition to the annual festival, Arts Mid-Hudson has programming for every third Saturday of the month called Queen City Saturday. During the winter months this consists of a self-guided art tour with a focus on the Main Street of Poughkeepsie.

“We will encourager restaurants to have tastings out in front of them. We will ask landlords to borrow empty buildings to create...galleries, we will have a line up of music, spoken world poetry and vendors,” said Marston-Reid.

“We want to connect more with local community to help them understand, participate, and look forward to trying things in the art world even if you aren’t an artist.”

Thus far, many landlords have been happy to help with the events, she said. Last year, the organization borrowed an empty four-story fire house, filling it with paintings, drawings and traveling performances across all levels of the building.

Later, Marston-Reid spoke with someone involved in the fire house exhibitions about how the space seemed like a perfect area to live in. Later he bought it and moved in.

“Last May, I remember looking up and down Main Street, and there were a lot of people walking, people laughing, people with their families, and there was music playing on both ends,” said Marston-Reid. “This seemed like the perfect way to get people to be excited about being a part of a city and using the arts to effect positive change. We are trying to build pride in an area.”

If you would like to become involved with Arts Mid-Hudson, the festival, or would like any further information contact Linda Marston-Reid at lmr�artsmidhudson.org.

The Queen City Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, May 17.

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February 13, 2014

‘Coven’ breaks rules of imaginary world to dismay of viewers Samantha Kohl

Assistant Arts Editor

American Horror Story: Coven Ryan Murphy 20th Century Fox

O

ne would expect for a group of witches to break all of the rules. That being said, one would not expect a group of writers to break all of the rules of a world that they themselves constructed. But in “American Horror Story: Coven,” the third season of the anthological show, the writers did exactly that.

Initially, I was pumped—to say the least—for “Coven” to begin. Judging by its promos that constantly played on FX, I thought the show was going to be about a group of witches doing cool things with magic and also feminism. Unfortunately for me, as the season went its sexy promos lost their luster.

At first, the season seemed to be about a coven of badass witches—the rare survivors of the Salem Witch Trials—and their rivalry with a group of voodoo practitioners, all set in the New Orleans of both present and past day. Timelines jumbled and spanned from the Salem Witch Trials, antebellum period, Civil Rights-era, and present times. The subsequent flashbacks posed to build characters, deepen storylines, emphasize themes and give the plot historical context.

The coven is basically a school for witches— an increasingly endangered species—to unite and learn to strengthen their powers. The show enticed viewers with deeper themes beyond witchcraft, including race, gender, family relations and oppression.

The show stars Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) who is the Supreme or witch who possesses the most powers and acts as leader to the coven.

For Goode, however, the role of Supreme means

that she has the ability to manipulate her girls and use her incredible powers in a self-serving manner. Although Goode is vain beyond measure and offers no apologies for her intense selfishness, she suffers from cancer, which ultimately makes her a bit vulnerable.

Fiona’s daughter Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) teaches at the coven and keeps the young witches in line— and that is just about all she did throughout the majority of the season. Cordelia’s sassy and seductive mother overshadows Cordelia in every way and never fails to steal a scene.

Young members of the coven include Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts), Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), Zoe (Taissa Farminga), and some other witches who are later killed and completely irrelevant by the season’s end.

Aside from the main cast members, there is also a bunch of semi-random, kooky and completely compelling recurring characters played by highly acclaimed and renowned actors. You get the gist.

At the beginning of the season, the coven is in an age-old feud with those who utilize VooDoo magic, a group led by VooDoo Queen Marie Laveau (Andrea Basset). One would believe that the rivalry between Goode and Laveau’s sects of magic would guide the season. One would be wrong.

There is a swamp-witch named Misty Day (Lily Rabe) whose obsession with Stevie Nicks defines her character. Day’s obsession with Nicks is most prevalent in her image, as the witch looks like she just walked off stage from singing “Rhiannon” with Lindsey Buckingham in 1975. The most tear-rendering thing to happen to Day was the destruction of her Fleetwood Mac vinyls, which really says something considering this character dies later on.

Providing both comic relief and absolute disgust in the viewer, there is also a racist serial killer and former slave owner (Kathy Bates), who was cursed with eternal suffering

by LaVeau back in the antebellum day. Madame LaLaurie is her name, and she was once the lady of the mansion that now houses the Coven. In present times, LaLaurie spends her days as Queenie’s personal slave, which is really amusing and the ultimate payback for racist LaLaurie considering Queenie is black.

The season starts off as something fun and far less sinister than past seasons of “American Horror Story”—think “Sailor Moon” meets “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” but written by Ryan Murphy with thematic undertones of race and oppression. I could dig it. But by the season’s end, the show did not know what it wanted to be and viewers were left completely disoriented.

The show’s plot became jumbled and moved away entirely from what it initially set out to be. For instance, the seemingly insolvable feud between the VooDoo-ers and the witches was solved in an instance, and certain storylines and characters disappeared from the show’s universe without afterthought. By the season’s end, the show’s plot moved away entirely from the rivalry between Laveau and Lange’s coteries, as if the ancient rivalry had never existed, to being about solving the mystery of who would become the next Supreme upon Fiona’s death.

Beyond an inconsistent plot, certain rules the writers set up initially for their created universe were broken by the season’s end, which really confused viewers and made it impossible for anyone to be completely invested in the show. Initially, the writers present each witch in the coven as possessing a sole power but by the finale all of the witches left in the coven exhibit many powers, proven in the Seven Wonders trial. Also, the show fails to address race relations, although at the onset it promise to do so. Furthermore, seemingly all-powerful Fiona is unable to heal her daughter’s eyesight after being blinded, yet Fiona is able to awaken the dead and do many other incredible things.

Catalogue captures students’ everyday looks CATALOGUE continued from page 1 blog that attempts to show a variety of styles,” Zhang said.

The College Catalogue is a blog with a fast turnaround and has already featured over 60 different students and their personal styles since its conception. The website’s timely posts make it an appealing resource for students looking for updates and inspiration with regards to campus fashion trends. Even more appealing for any college student: the reasonable price tag on many of the items featured. The labels that comprise these students’ wardrobes are generally affordable on a college budget with clothes from stores like Forever 21 and H&M, as well as many pieces that are thrifted.

In addition to representing a breadth of brands, the website also represents the spectrum of eclectic styles seen around campus.

The models use their own clothes in the photo shoots, and the blog selects students based on what they can add to the style diversity of the site.

Alistair Liu ’17, who modeled for The College Catalogue, said, “I was told that they asked me [to model for them] because I was wearing a specific style of clothing that they hadn’t represented in the blog yet.” This method helps avoid having any one fashion style or trend posited as being representational of Vassar as a whole. As Alistair put it, “It’s interesting to see the range of styles being represented on the blog, especially perhaps styles which would otherwise be underrepresented at the school.”

The blog is divided into different categories such as “Girls Night Out,” “Menswear,” and the four seasons. These headings allow the Catalogue to cater to a wide audience as well as provide style options for a variety of occasions. Brittani Skyers-White ’16, one of the models for the “Girls Night Out” theme, attested to the fact that the blog encourages their models to wear clothes that would

actually be seen on a night out at Vassar. In Skyers-White’s spread she lounges in Cushing’s Great Hall, wearing a turtleneck crop top, a black velevet skirt, thigh-high socks and black wedges. She said, “‘The Girls Night Out’ theme is meant to showcase outfits that we would typically wear to TH parties on the weekends. When the stylists for the blog asked me to pick an outfit, they asked for something that I would really wear on the weekend.”

Having models pose in familiar scenes on Vassar’s campus puts students in their milieu, making the blog a kind of play on many of the popular street style blogs, like Lookbook, that have been gaining increasing popularity.

Showcasing these familiar Vassar locations turns quotidian routines—like walking to class or studying in the library—into fashion moments for College Catalogue.

Though the target audience for the Catalogue is certainly Vassar students, the blog reaches fashionistas across the globe. The contributors of The College Catalogue said, “Looking over the statistics and seeing how many people we have reached around the world is always rewarding. In this way, we are able to spread different types of fashion inspiration globally and be connected with each other through fashion.”

Looking through the statistics on the website, there is a wide range of people who are sharing the blog posts on Facebook and Twitter, and “liking it” on the website itself. Some articles have almost 200 interactions total, which include likes, shares and comments on Facebook, coming from viewers around the world. A Vassar-centric blog that reaches a larger audience than the student body it reflects is a novel concept. Its widespread audience shows that a simple and yet creative idea that starts on a small scale can eventually affect a wide variety of people. Zhang said, “We hope people enjoy our blog and continue to support us.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

The Supreme is supposed to exhibit immaculate health and it is revealed to us that Madison Montgomery suffers from less-than-perfect vitality. And yet, at the season’s end, the writers make it very possible for Madison to become Supreme. Also, certain witches possess the ability to bring people back to life (unless a witch is burned to death at the stake, of course). Yet, certain witches are unable to be brought back. Also, a witch who was burned at the stake is brought back to life.

Inconsistencies are also present in character development. Initially, Madame LaLaurie (Bates) is for sure evil. We get glimpses of past-LaLaurie torturing slaves and treating her daughters with cruelty. Later, LaLaurie is confronted with her racism and is forced to watch hours and hours of footage from the Civil Rights movement with “Oh, Freedom!” playing in the background. LaLaurie cries, seemingly in repentance for her racist behavior and sentiments. Later on, however, the scene’s ramifications are utterly forgotten by LaLaurie and the writers as well, as she goes back to her vile, racist ways. Fiona Goode is impossible to characterize throughout the scene. Is she to be loved or loathed? General opinion of Fiona takes a turn episode by episode, and even by the finale Fiona’s character is a confusing one. But what is most irking to me was that Cordelia is presented as entirely unimportant throughout the season until the finale, that is, when (spoiler alert!) she is chosen/proves herself to be the new Supreme.

“American Horror Story: Coven” is perfect for those seeking mindless entertainment or those who are obsessed with Fleetwood Mac— Stevie Nicks makes multiple appearances in the show and even sings a few hits. My dad, however, is obsessed with Fleetwood Mac but would never be able to sit down and watch “Coven.”

Entertainment is definitely chosen over quality or consistency, but I am ultimately okay with that; the season was quite entertaining.

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February 13, 2014

ARTS

Punk band explores transgender realities Max Rook Columnist

Transgender Dysphoria Blues Against Me! Total Treble Music

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he latest album from punk band Against Me! Immediately announces itself as something unlike most American popular music with its title: “Transgender Dysphoria Blues.” It’s a title that grabs your attention when scrolling through new releases on iTunes; those words simply don’t appear in today’s popular culture, which generally prefers to pretend transgender people don’t exist. When the media does make an effort to acknowledge the existence of transgender people, as with the recent appearances by actress Laverne Cox and writer Janet Mock on the talk shows of Katie Couric and Piers Morgan respectively, it seems unable to treat them with the respect they deserve. This album promises something different, especially for anyone familiar with the band’s history. Lead singer Laura Jane Grace came out as transgender in 2012, and this is the band’s first release since then, making it Grace’s first opportunity to discuss her experiences through her art, and to do so publicly.

I recognize that the political context of this album may not be as important to every listener, so let me add this: “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” is an outstanding album, one which blends all of the band’s previous strengths with a newer, more personal touch to create one of the best pop-punk albums in recent memory, one that is both emotionally affecting and incredibly catchy.

Against Me!’s career prior to this release can be divided into two distinct segments: the early years, from 1997 to 2005, characterized by a sketchy, borderline-DIY aesthetic, and the major label period from 2007 to 2010, which saw them transition to a more polished

sound. That old axiom of critics and fans that a band’s early work is always better doesn’t really apply here, though. Both periods produced two genuinely great albums in 2003’s “As the Eternal Cowboy” and 2007’s “New Wave,” and even the band’s weaker releases have always contained moments of brilliance.

With all that said, “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” can be seen as a synthesis of those two eras, and as a result is Against Me!’s best album yet.

The album kicks off with the title track, which works as a kind of thesis statement for the entire work. It is a driving, powerful song with a deeply emotional core, as Grace describes how her narrator—who can easily be read as Grace herself, although I’m wary of conflating the two—is constantly aware of the way the people around her perceive and judge her body. That emotional core runs through the entire album, and I want to be perfectly clear about what I mean by “emotional.”

While these songs are certainly sad, at times devastatingly so, they are just as frequently angry, even furious. This is music that doesn’t just beg you to sing along, it makes you want to shout its words out loud, to exclaim your righteous anger at the world alongside Grace.

In its best moments, this album is profoundly cathartic, not just for those who are going through the same issues Grace sings about, but for anyone who has feels like the world doesn’t accept them.

Most of the album continues in the same vein as the title track, although they spread out some in lyrical scope from that first song.

There’s a remarkable consistency here, with no one track standing out as the strongest, but my favorite stretch is the one-two punch of “Dead Friend” and the acoustic “Two Coffins.”

I’ve mostly focused on Grace’s contributions here, but I don’t want to undervalue the rest of the band. Atom Willard’s drumming and the solid guitar and bass work of James Bowman and Inge Johansson are also essential.

Grace actually released an EP last year titled “True Trans,” which featured acoustic

versions of these songs, and while the songs are still recognizably good, they simply don’t work as well without the full band. Grace has always had a tendency to squeeze a few too many syllables in to certain lines, as in the chorus of “True Trans Soul Rebel,” when she tries to fit the phrase “Does God bless your transexual heart?” in where it does not quite work. That same idiosyncratic writing style pops up in some of the track titles, such as the bizarrely named “Osama bin Laden as the Crucified Christ,” a title which doesn’t seem to have anything to do with its lyrics.

At just under thirty minutes, the album doesn’t overstay its welcome. That might seem a little on the short side for a full-length release, but it’s par for the course for Against Me! With no tracks over four minutes, it’s simply a case of each song being just as long as it needs to be.

There’s also the barest hint of a storyline running through the album. Grace’s first mentions of the album in interviews described it as a rock opera about a transgender prostitute, but she seems to have dropped that conceit for the most part. The one exception is “Paralytic States,” near the album’s end, which deals with the story directly.

You could certainly enjoy “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” simply as solid punk music, ignorant of Grace’s story or what that title means—although you’d probably have to deliberately avoid listening to the lyrics to avoid picking up on those themes. But doing so would miss out on what makes this not merely a good album, but a great one.

Her music is full of anger at how people treat her, but it is also her opportunity to educate people who are ignorant about the experiences of transgender people. As she sings on the album’s triumphant final track “Black Me Out,” “I don’t want to see the world that way anymore, / I don’t want to feel that weak and insecure.” That is an optimistic end-point for the album, a final element that emphasizes just how much can be gained if people take Grace’s words to heart.

Dunham’s absurdity best read as satire Lily Sloss Columnist

Girls Lena Dunham HBO

Quiz: Which “Girls” character said each line in Sunday’s episode, “Free Snacks?”

1. “So? It’s chic.”

2. “He’s so stupid I’m worried our children like wouldn’t get into preschool.”

3. “No offense, I’m like a writer-writer.”

4. “Muffins from the place you run, what an extravagant gesture.”*

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y relationship with “Girls” is, like, pretty complicated because I started watching it sophomore year with my super cute friend Hadley. So of course I totally loved it. But since then, in college, I have learned that there are some things that are not okay.

I mean, come on, feminism? We are capable, attractive, educated ladies, and if this show is not representing us right, we have the duty to speak our minds. Know what I am saying?

Even breaking from my “Girls” character, “Free Snacks” was a pleasant surprise. Having skipped a few episodes made it far more entertaining. Marnie and Ray’s new coupling seemed inevitable. As a pair, they watch shitty reality TV, eat vegan muffins and get into a fight about Africa. Marnie exclaims, entirely seriously, “One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t spend a semester abroad doing community service in Africa.” When Ray argues that Western aid is a primary reason Africa cannot progress, Marnie derides him, saying “That’s pretty racist, Ray.” It was during this conversation the show suddenly made sense.

This is satire. The characters have their heads so far up their asses, they are essentially cartoons.

Another absurd character this episode is

Shoshanna. Wandering around Brooklyn, searching for Ray, face half-covered by Audrey Hepburn glasses and sporting a fancy blue coat, she embodies the ultimate wounded ex. After receiving only a head-nod from Ray, she rushes to Jessa for help, a joke if there ever was one, because Jessa exclusively gives cruel or irrelevant advice.

Jessa appears only this one instance in the episode. She bullies a woman into buying a black christening dress that is too small for her child. A cartoon, right?

Shoshanna decides, “Like, step 1, I need to be in a solid, mature committed relationship with someone who understands my goals and values.” Although Jessa could care less, Shosh articulates this need in the proud, privileged tone we have grown to expect. Just as in middle school, however, simply saying something, e.g. “I’m going to get my braces off and then Tom will ask me out,” does not mean it will happen.

Despite a lackluster selection, Shoshanna decides to enter a committed relationship with Parker even though he is “so stupid.” She lays out the ground rules of their relationship as he bends her over a couch and enters her from behind. “We need to have at least four couple hangouts a week.” It is so ridiculous as to be mildly funny. But only mildly.

Hannah’s story, finally, dominates. As a senior currently trolling for jobs, her conflicted feelings towards her new job at GQ in the “advertorial department” strings. While clowning about her new job, “overdoing” it on the free snacks and alienating her co-workers, she whines that she wants to “get in and get out” because she’s a real writer. At one point, she is so distressed that she sticks her head under the sink and dowses her hair. She quits the job, and seconds later, asks to be rehired.

“I’m ordering copper pipes right now, I really don’t have time for this. Want to just send me an email saying whether you still work here or not?” responds her hilariously low key, hyper-chic boss.

The episode, as others, produces disparate agendas. One moment, Hannah’s arms are so filled with bagels, candy and chips that the snacks tumble all over the boardroom table—a clearly slapstick, satirical moment.

No one is that ludicrously childish that they would set such a poor first impression on their coworkers.

The next moment, however, Hannah is weeping in her cubicle because she is afraid of giving up on her dreams of being a writer.

This moment is, for better or worse, dramatic.

The audience is meant to care about Hannah, or identify with her, or at least feel pity for her situation. It feels counterintuitive because she was just enacting a cartoon character.

When and where do we draw the line?

Should we follow the sentimental aspects of “Girls” or accept the rampant female stereotypes as entertainment? The characters endlessly perform and articulate who they are, what kind of life they want to live and are living, and their emotional state. Often, however, these repetitions seem different from the actual places in which each girl is.

With the exception of Hannah, all of the “Girls” seem abundantly lonely. When the women are together, however, they perform these strange versions of a “best self” dependent on the situation, exhibitions that tend towards the farcical. It seems, then, that when in groups, the “Girls” are characters, and when they are alone, they are worthy of our identification. Everyone can relate to missing an ex (Shoshanna), being in a rut (Marnie), and struggling at a job (Hannah). No one can relate to Jessa, but maybe that is the point.

“Girls” requires some digging through the bullshit. These people are so unrecognizable that it is satire. Following this realization, accept the show for what it is: a long and illustrious joke at our expense. Not that funny, maybe, but uncomfortable enough that we laugh. *Answers?: Jessa, Shoshanna, Hannah, and

Marnie

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 17

Excuse me, Who should Hermione have really ended up with?

“I never found a character good enough for Hermione.”

—Soraya Perry ‘17

“‘Me.” —Nick Vargish ’16

“Ollivander.”

—Tim Brown ’16

“I’m going to say Ron because I saw it on tumblr.”

—Emma Mathes ’17

“And I agree.”

—Molly Barth ’16

“Us.” —Matt Mendoza ’15 and Jack Rowland ’15

Spencer Davis, Photo Editor Samantha Kohl, Assistant Arts Editor

SPORTS

Page 18

February 13, 2014

Women’s bball seeks strong finish to successful season Sam Hammer Guest rePorter

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courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

his season, the Vassar College women’s basketball team has had great success under the guidance of Head Coach Candice Brown, Assistant Coach Kaliegh Lussier and seniors Hannah Senftleber, Jarae Farrell and Cydni Matsuoka. Currently, the team’s record is 15-3 and they are a very impressive 6-0 on the road. The Brewers are currently on a sixgame winning streak, including their two most recent wins over Liberty League opponents Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (81-60) and Bard College (85-40) where they impressively scored over 80 points in both games.

While the season has certainly been extremely strong so far, the coaches and players are determined to finish with a deep playoff push. In an emailed statement, Coach Brown wrote, “I hope that we can continue to play good basketball and peak at the right moment.

If we could win the next 11 games, which will put us in the round of the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament that would be something else.”

She continued, “I expect that our seniors Hannah Senftleber, Cydni Matsuoka and Jarae Farrell will do whatever it takes to help our team be it’s best down the stretch has they have helped begin to create winning traditions here for our program.”

Co-captain forward Hannah Senftleber was recently named to the Liberty League Honor Roll. In the team’s games vs. Bard and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), she averaged 17 points per game and 11.7 rebounds, while also making 54.8 per cent of her shots on basket. In the game vs. Bard, she had 14 shots and 14 rebounds. She also made 24 points and 14 boards against RIT. Against William Smith, she had 16 points and seven boards.

The players and coaches clearly think alike and are very optimistic about how the season will eventually come to an end. As for what her expectations for the end of the season are, junior guard Michaela Janowski stated confidently: “Semifinals, Championship, NCAA game win.”

Senior co-captain Cydni Matsuoka clearly shares her enthusiasm. “We hope to finish out the second half of the season unbeaten,

which would secure our spot at number one,” she expressed. “I, personally, would like to beat William Smith on their home floor because it is something that we have never done in our program’s history.”

In the team’s game vs. William Smith, women’s basketball went overtime and ultimately fell to the Herons at a final heartbreaking score of 75-72. The game took place in Geneva, NY, and the close game was tied 13 times throughout its course. By the end of the game, Matsuoka had reached her third double-double of the season, with 19 points and 10 assists.

Sophomore guard Caitlin Drakely had one double-double, 18 points and 10 boards. Sophomore Rose Serafini had 12 rebounds.

The road ahead will be difficult, but the players and coaches feel that with all the progress that has been made so far, they still have a lot of potential going forward into the later season. Senior co-captain Hannah Senftleber said, “Personally, I feel like we are still reaching our potential. We have yet to tap into the full potential of everyone individually, and then everyone working together as a unit. I feel like this will come with time, and I can’t wait to see where it brings us. I am extremely excited.”

Coach Brown agreed about the team’s potential, and wrote that “the season is going very well so far. We have played a strong schedule and competed in every game we have played.”

She continued, “I believe we are playing good basketball now but we have not reached our full potential.”

One aspect that has benefited the team so far has been their incredible dynamic. When asked to describe this team dynamic, Senftleber replied, “Something about the women’s basketball team that we pride ourselves on is how well we get along not only on the court but also off the court.”

Senftleber continued, “Ever since I have come into this program as a freshman, I have had a group of friends who have always been there for me, and it hasn’t changed over the four years. Good team chemistry is something that should never be taken for granted, and I have been lucky enough to part of a group who truly enjoys being around each other.”

Coach Brown added, “We are a very tight knit team. It is nice to coach a group of people

The women’s basketball team hopes for a strong season finish, and looks forward to three upcoming home games. The team urges fans to come to these home games, which are the last of the season. who genuinely love each other. We are truly a family.”

Like any team, Vassar women’s basketball has its leaders, most notably Matsuoka who currently leads the team in scoring averaging 16.8 ppg, while shooting .489 from the field and .500 on three point shots.

She also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.8 per game, and leads the entire league in assists, averaging 5.7 per game. Despite her incredible performance, every member of the team still plays an important role and can be called upon at any time, according to Matsuoka: “We have a small team so every player must be ready to make an impact on the game when their name is called.”

In order to achieve their goals for this season, the Vassar women’s basketball team will be looking to the fans for a consistent support structure. Coach Brown emphasizes that the next three home games will be key, “I would like readers to know that we need their support. We have three more home games 2/14, 2/15, and 2/18 and we would love for them to

come out and be the 6th man!”

Senftleber also praises fan support so far and asks for even more participation: “The fan support this year has been wonderful. Being at home and hearing the fellow Brewers cheer you on is a great feeling. Keep it up! It does not go unnoticed.”

Janowski added, “Come out and support, a lot of close games, come from behind wins, and all the excitement you could ever hope to experience in one jam packed hour. It’s EPIC.” Matsuoka wants readers to know that Senior Night is Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. against Liberty League rival Union College. This year’s seniors (Matsuoka, Farrell, and Senftleber) make up Coach Brown’s first recruiting class at Vassar.

The team feeds off the energy of the fans so make sure to attend the last three home games.

On Friday, Feb. 14, the Brewers will face Liberty League opponents Skidmore College at 6 p.m.

The next day, the team will play Union College at 2 p.m. followed by a game against the RPI Engineers at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18. Both games will take place in the Athletic and Fitness Center.

Co-ed squash prepares to compete in Championships SQAUSH continued from page 1 “It was hard to lose three male seniors and six female seniors coming into this season but everyone on the team has handled it well.” He continued, “We really have focused as a team on not only on learning from the matches we play but on winning. Even though this season is still not as solid as we expected we have such an incredible foundation for next year.”

Mencotti agreed, and wrote that, “We’ve had to adapt and switch the roster up, but everyone has really stepped up to the challenge and played fabulously.”

According to Head Coach Parker, the team’s competitive edge was not dulled by losing so

many players: “The team atmosphere was one of enjoyment, whilst giving 100% effort in training and going the extra mile to iron out any technical deficits and thus improving the quality of their play,” she wrote. “There was no question that this effort was paying off. Ladder positions were contested on a weekly basis allowing for the line-up to change according to the current form of each player.”

During the inaugural Hudson Valley Individual Tournament, Vassar competed at home turf against Bard College, Fordham University and Ithaca College. In the A division, Mencotti took the title but came down with his injury, and freshman Carly Scher took the B division title.

courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

Sophomore Juan Fernandez recently played in the number three spot vs. Fordham University. After losing six senior women last year, the squash team went co-ed and is currently building up its roster.

According to freshman Sam Hammer, his favorite moment of the season was “watching Vince Mencotti beat the Fordham number one at our season opening tournament while on a torn ACL.” Veit expressed the same: “What makes it incredible is that a) it was his first collegiate match ever and b) he won the last three points of his final game with a torn ACL. [I] can’t wait to see what he does when he’s healthy!”

In their first team match of the season at Haverford, PA, the Brewers went down 9-0 after losing Mencotti and co-captain Bowditch.

“Despite going down 9-0 in both matches, there were bursts of potential shown in many games,” explained Parker. “Highlights against Lehigh came from Phun, Doctor and [senior Alan] Darer, who snagged a game apiece before going down 3/1. Likewise against Haverford both Bertram and Hammer stole one game each.”

During the Liberty League Championship, which took place on November 23-24, the team traveled to Canton, NY to compete against Bard College, Hobart College, No. 5 University of Rochester and No. 6 St. Lawrence University .

According to Coach Parker, the championship is always a challenge for the team: “Always a challenging encounter, but this year it offered the unique opportunity for the Brewers to share the court with Rochester and St. Lawrence, the two teams ranked #5 and #6 respectively in the country. This was particularly exciting for Ricardo Espinosa as his first introduction to squash was through watching the World Junior Championships at his hometown in Ecuador a month before his first year at Vassar. The current #1 at St. Lawrence was competing in Ecuador that year and took away the World Champion title,” she explained.

She continued, “The main focus for the weekend was to throw everything into the first match against Bard College. No. 59 ranked Vassar had a positional gain to achieve by defeating

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

No. 54 Bard. Regardless of recent obstacles and a flu virus that had taken out some of the team, they played smart and assertively, and earned an 8-1 victory.” After the win over Bard, Vassar advanced to a No. 53 rank. In a match vs. Wesleyan, the team dropped all nine matches, but played well vs. Ithaca.

Against Ithaca, “VC earned all five points in the five through nine spots, falling in just two games in those spots,” wrote Parker. “No. 2 player and captain Kiet Phun picked up a straight set victory with an 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 score line to start the scoring for Vassar. No. 5 player David Garfinkel earned a hard-fought five-set victory, rallying from down a set at 2-1 to earn an 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 17-15 marathon victory.” She continued, “Senior Alan Darer breezed by his opponent in the No. 6 slot, winning in straight sets with scores of 11-5, 11-0, and 11-1. Freshman Carly Scher won a spirited match at No. 7, taking an 11-8, 11-6, 18-6 victory, while fellow freshman Isabelle Bertram posted an 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 victory as well.”

The team ended this half of the season with a 2-6 record overall. By Jan. 19, the post-winter break season commenced with the addition of five new players and two returning players from abroad. The team has since won matches vs. Siena College and Gettysburg College, but has dropped matches against Tufts, Haverford, Northeastern, Fordham and NYU. Nonetheless, the team is looking forward to competing in the CSA Team Championships next weekend. “We expect to have some even matches ahead of us,” wrote Espinosa. “Our goal is to win the trophy in our division.” According to Veit, “I want us to win our tournament this weekend and even our division at Nationals. We have practiced so hard and have been coached so well that all we need to do is stay focused and play our game.”

The team will travel to Boston, MA on Feb. 14, 15 and 16 to compete.

February 13, 2014

SPORTS

Smart incident reinforces racial biases Luka Ladan

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Columnist

hen Marcus Smart, one of basketball’s biggest and brightest collegiate stars, placed two hands on Jeff Orr, a lifelong Texas Tech supporter, and rocked him back with a forceful shove, the heat of the moment proved to be too much. In that situation, Smart–by all accounts, a likable student-athlete with a sturdy character–went way too far, as his unique brand of intensity boiled to the top and spilled over in the front rows of the United Spirit Arena.

That shocking display of animosity and vitriol cannot be condoned under any circumstance and no matter the reason, especially with thousands of eyes watching and many impressionable minds tuning in for what was supposed to be a marquee matchup of conference rivals, and nothing more.

Alas, Marcus Smart made it into much, much more than that in a span of mere seconds–sometimes, deep-seated anger gets the best of us, and I can certainly attest to that from my own experiences. Smart messed up in the blink of an eye, as many of us do on a day-to-day basis. We are imperfect beings, and that unfortunate situation in Lubbock, Texas shed light on the scores of personal imperfections that come to characterize all of us.

But, the situation in Lubbock shed light is much more than a young student-athlete losing his cool at a time when emotions run high and patience runs thin. Namely, it reminded us all that racism still exists in this world. Not only does racism stubbornly keep manifesting itself in the realm of athletic competition, but that sort of narrow-minded expression of racial superiority is anywhere and everywhere– we only have to cast a gaze long and hard enough to realize that there are those in our midst who view certain others with disdain, and for no logical reason. Apparently, Jeff Orr is one of them.

Now, I’m basing my opinions in this instance on a sad and regrettable truth that I have come to realize: that Orr uttered some

sort of racial slur (if not more) in the direction of Marcus Smart and provoked the shove that followed in the immediate aftermath. In other words, I’ll assume that this particular basketball fan insulted a player on the basis of that player’s skin color, which prompted a reaction from the player in question. That is the most egregious of errors on the part of said basketball fan, a damnable offense that should not go unpunished by the institution to which he feels such an unshakable sense of allegiance. It is vulgar, disgusting and inarguably moronic all at the same time and understandably angered many people. I tense up and shudder a bit just thinking about the thought process behind such an expression of base loathing–and, once again, I am reminded of those in our midst with no glimmer of enlightenment.

I am reminded that there are those in these United States of America with neither the aptitude of an open-minded soul nor the greater understanding to improve. These foolish people do not see the light in front of them and they never will because of the stupidity that courses through their veins and clouds the neurons in their nervous system. Jeff Orr, and all of those who resort to such base loathing, have no place in an enlightened society predicated upon the eternal equality of all human beings, no matter the skin color visible to the naked eye.

As such, I am reminded that our supposedly progressive state, built upon the individual human rights and the civil liberty shared by all, still houses a multitude of shortsighted individuals with no understanding of that fundamental concept. What does “civil liberty” really mean to a racist simpleton like Jeff Orr? On a deeper level, it doesn’t even register.

It is a shame that in our time something so fundamental does not register. We have all come a long, long way from the pits of slave shackles and racial division in the coffee shops, but there is more work to be done as we strive to move forward as one united people–open-minded and tolerant of those in

our presence, with no exceptions. A simpleton like Jeff Orr reminds us of that inconvenient truth. Our work is not over, and it won’t be until there is a universal and unwavering belief in the sanctity of the “civil liberty” as most of us know it to be, which is shared by men and women, boys and girls, of all tones and complexions.

We are not residents of that truly enlightened society—a city that is set on a hill and casts a shining beacon for all to see–until all of the city’s residents understand. Not most and not some, but all. These United States are not exceptional in the Eyes of the Beholder until we all acquire such understanding–this America of ours, whose beacon should illuminate the darkest corners of mankind, will never shine so bright when the evils of racism still dim the display.

Only when such evil reveals itself are we fully aware of the imperfections that permeate our society. When one of us decides, for whatever reason, to resort to a base loathing of the other, then we are all affected by that shortcoming present amongst us–by the dimming of the light that should shine brighter. The unfortunate situation in Lubbock dimmed the display ever so slightly because one racist individual chose to make his presence felt for the public eye to see.

That is the true travesty, not the sudden display of anger and subsequent shove. Yes, Marcus Smart messed up in the heat of the moment looking back on the situation and resigned himself to sheer force of violence at a very inappropriate time when he clearly shouldn’t have on the national stage, or any stage whatsoever. But, when looking at the situation with a critical eye, there is a greater problem to confront here. We are again exposed to a greater inconvenience, and one far more disheartening.

So, it is up to each and every one of us to acknowledge, recover and fully understand what is at stake. Only then can our American society truly see the light in all of its shining brightness.

Broncos’ loss hidden by Winter Olympics Clyff Young

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Guest Columnist

fter an NFL season filled with uncertainty, scandal and the unexpected, expect one thing from the final Sunday of professional football: Expect this Super Bowl to be the most watched ever.” Yes, that is in fact a quote from me from the column I wrote before the Super Bowl aired Sunday, Feb. 2. That was the only prediction I made, and it did indeed come to pass. Super Bowl XLVIII was the single most-watched televised event in the history of the United States of America. According to the Hollywood Reporter, an average of 112.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Seattle Seahawks and their aptly nicknamed defense, The Legion of Boom, absolutely dismantle the Denver Broncos’ record-breaking offense (“TV ratings: super bowl XLVIII is most watched in history with 112.2 million viewers,” 2.3.14). The Super Bowl itself, though the definition of a snooze fest, was full of surprises, namely that Seattle won 43-8. So what did we learn?

“The Super Bowl itself, though the definition of a snooze fest, was full of surprises, namely that Seattle won 43-8.”

To start, the fallout from the Broncos loss has been far less central than expected. Peyton Manning, NFL league MVP for the fifth time this past season, lost another big, cold-weather game, this time in seriously disappointing fashion. So the decided lack of Manning-ruined-his-legacy talk has been refreshing. Although the Broncos lost, if there were ever a time to lose a Super Bowl that time is right now. The Winter Olympics have not gotten off to a great start, to say the least. To the dismay

of athletes and journalists from around the globe, the standard that Sochi has set so far is woefully low. It seems to be common that the cities who host the Olympics always have to push to the very last second to be ready. After all, the preparations for the London summer games came under a great amount of scrutiny, and the UK’s ability to pull off a successful games was questioned. But the British came through. Russia, on the other hand, has not faired as well. Amidst the terrorism, $51 billion cost, incompletion of facilities, strange bathrooms, stray dogs and poisonous water of the Sochi Winter Olympics, there has hardly been time to talk about the Super Bowl. Lucky Broncos. They may be the only people in the world benefiting from the chaos that has been Sochi thus far.

Back to football, though. There will be plenty more to write about the Olympics in the two weeks to come, especially when the puck drops for Olympic hockey. Was Super Bowl XLVIII the worst loss in the history of the NFL? It was not, in terms of point difference between the two teams, the most lopsided loss in Super Bowl history. That unfortunate distinction belongs to, you guessed it, a different Denver Broncos team! Denver lost to the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV, that 45-point margin of defeat the largest ever in the big game.

In fact, of the five most lopsided Super Bowl loses in NFL history, the Denver Broncos have been on the losing side three times. When one thinks of tortured fan bases, Denver doesn’t immediately come to mind. But after the Broncos’ heart-wrenching loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL playoffs in 2013, and this loss suffered earlier this month, maybe it is time for that logic to change. The Mile High City has been through a lot the past two years.

Even if Super Bowl XLVIII didn’t produce the widest margin of victory, it still has to be considered the worst defeat ever for a few reasons.

This year’s Denver team scored more on

offense than any other team in league history. They did that on the shoulders of Peyton Manning, who threw for a video game-esque 55 touchdowns. This isn’t the case of some happy-go-lucky, Cinderella team making it to the Super Bowl on an improbable run before getting blown out. Denver was a juggernaut.

Seattle held that multi-headed hydra of an offense to eight total points. Even those eight points seemed like a lot given the way the Seahawks played. The context of the Broncos loss is what makes it the worst ever, not the final score. But the onus doesn’t fall squarely on the Denver offense.

“There has hardly been time to talk about the Super Bowl. Lucky Broncos.”

Seattle’s defense, the Legion of Boom, lead

by Richard Sherman, might be the best defense since the ’85 Chicago Bears tore threw the league en route to a 15-1 regular season record and a Super Bowl title. Seattle’s coach Pete Carroll is not a good coach, he is a great coach. Not only did he get his ring, he is now one of only three men who have won a college football national title and a professional one, joining Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson. Pete Carroll has proven to the rest of the football world that a coach doesn’t need to be a mean, fire-spitting monster on the sideline, too. His players love him, and he keeps it loose.

What we learned from the Super Bowl: The Olympics have been an unparalleled disaster thus far, Super Bowl XLVIII is the worst championship loss in league history, Seattle has a legendary defense, and Pete Carroll is an awesome guy and a great coach. I can’t wait for the football to start again.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 19

All-Star weekend sees modifications Zach Rippe

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Columnist

his Friday, Feb. 14 is a very special day. For some, it will consist of spending time with their significant other and sharing a nice romantic evening together. Yet this Friday also marks the beginning of NBA All-Star weekend. Friday night begins with both the NBA All-Star Celebrity game followed by the “Rising Stars Challenge.”

Unfortunately, the new format for the “Rising Stars Challenge” seems to have taken away some of its fun. Formerly known as the “Rookie Challenge,” this game pitted the best rookies in the NBA against their sophomore counterparts, adding a sense of drama to the game as these rookies were in for a challenge against their more seasoned opponents. Last season, the league decided to switch things up and have Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley pick teams. I must admit watching Shaq and Chuck pick teams has been quite entertaining and seems to be something the NBA (or TNT at least) is pushing. However, this change destroys the underdog mentality it used to have to a certain degree. Oddly, one team this year only has one rookie while the other only features two sophomores.

Saturday marks perhaps the most entertaining night of the weekend with NBA All-Star Saturday Night. All-Star Saturday Night kicks off with the Shooting Stars Challenge, where teams made up of WNBA players, NBA Legends and current players compete to see who can make shots from certain spots in the shortest amount of time. The event is a bit dull, yet it is merely a precursor to the three-point shootout and the slam dunk contest. Before those is the skills challenge where players again race the clock through a dribbling maze to see who can complete the course the fastest. While the three-point shootout is always consistently entertaining and star studded, the Slam Dunk Contest has become somewhat of a drag.

Fans can tune in and watch stars like Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins go head to head or see Vince Carter turn in one of the greatest performances in dunk contest history, yet the past few years have seemed to buck that trend. TNT and the NBA market the Slam Dunk Contest as if it is the marquee event of the night, but when Jeremy Evans (who?) won by videotaping himself dunking a ball, the event hit a low point. It’s enough to have to watch players seemingly glide through the prior events of the night that all have wonderful sponsors plastered on to them as commercials break the action. It used to be okay because you knew that last half-hour would be the greatest dunking exhibition you’ve ever seen. But it’s hard to get excited when you’re getting ready to watch rookies and relative unknowns compete.

The amount of product placement and use of gimmicks has gotten to the point where the skill of the actual dunks is not impressive; it takes a back seat to who can come up with the most ridiculous theatrical performance. This year, the NBA has added some star power back into the event by selecting rising All-Stars Damian Lillard, John Wall and Paul George for the competition. However, their new set of rules seem to completely redefine the contest itself.

This year, the dunkers will be split into two teams and compete for both team and individual awards. There will be a freestyle round where players get to put in as many dunks as possible within 90 seconds, a “battle” round where players from each team go head to head, and a fan-voted “Dunker of the Night” award. While this change does destroy the seemingly traditional format of years past, it does have potential to be extremely entertaining. It is so easy to voice displeasure at the previous years’ contests as they seemed to lack speed and passion. Yet something may be missing. Players who once could prepare that one mindblowing dunk (e.g. Vince Carter’s 360 windmill or pretty much every one of Jason Richardson’s dunks) will now have to perhaps trade quality for quantity. The matchups between them could be intriguing, but the dunks themselves might be simple and somewhat bland. There’s no telling for sure what will happen, but the NBA sure does love to experiment with the format of its events. It may not be a hit, but it definitely will be something different.

SPORTS

Page 20

February 13, 2014

Pyne’s senior leadership inspires fellow teammates Jonathan Safir rePorter

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courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

or senior Joe Pyne, volleyball has afforded him opportunities he otherwise would not have had. The ability to play collegiate volleyball while also attending a top-notch liberal arts school was a huge part of Pyne choosing Vassar. Pyne hails from Los Angeles, Calif., where he began playing volleyball at age 12.

In an emailed statement, Pyne, the team co-captain said, “volleyball is a game of intensity and that’s what made me first interested.

It is a game where at the highest level you can see each player’s actions and expressions and how badly they want to win and love the game and the emotional roller coaster each game becomes as you fight for every single point.”

He continued, “collegiate volleyball is especially fun because one of the only differences between Division One and Division Three is the height of the players. We play against people who easily could be Division One players if they were only a few inches taller, or if there was a larger selection of schools who had Division One Varsity Men’s Volleyball programs.”

This year’s team currently sits at 2-5, and they have a plethora of freshmen playing and returners who had to switch positions to fill specific needs. Through it all, Pyne says, “the season is going well, we have had a couple games that I wish we could have back, but since the season is so long we are constantly looking forward and trying to develop the skills necessary to compete when playoffs come around.”

Freshman Trey Cimorelli said, “Joe is becoming the leader of our team. He is one of the few starters who have real collegiate experience and that can be seen through his play.

When the team needs a big kill, Joe has a knack for stepping up. When the team is struggling and really needs a side-out he knows exactly what to say in the huddle to get the guys going.”

Cimorelli looks up to Pyne not only as a player, but as a student at Vassar College as well. “Having Joe as a teammate is great. Being the only senior on the team puts a large amount of responsibility in his hands. A lot of the un-

derclassmen, including myself, look up to Joe in many ways both on and off the court.”

Cimorelli continued, “Being the only senior puts a large amount of responsibility in his hands and he handles it all extremely well—a lot of the underclassmen, myself included, look up to Joe in many ways both on and off the court.” Pyne gave effusive praise to his teammates for their hard work, dedication and commitment to making this a successful start to the year relative to expectations. “The season is going well, we had a couple games that we wish we could play again, but since our season is so long we are constantly looking forward and trying to develop the skills necessary to compete when playoffs come around,” Pyne wrote in an emailed statement. “Personally, I never expected the season to go so well—the team is super close and I enjoy being on such a cohesive team who have similar goals. Every person on the team has a unique personality, and the ability we have of being able to balance working hard and having fun is something I have not seen the team have in a while.”

Cimorelli said, “Joe is the consummate teammate. He often has the team over to his house to hang out on weekends. He cooked a meal for us during the pre-season, and has held many team outings. He is always smiling and having a great time. Joe is truly a blast to be around.”

Pyne was a four-year High School captain, named All-League all four years and was also the recipient of his high school’s athlete of the year his senior year. With all that, Pyne said, “I never expected to play volleyball much further than high school. I took it seriously — but it was a little later — around junior year in high school when I realized I could potentially play in college.”

It’s a good thing he decided to do so, because as Cimorelli pointed out, “Joe is a huge asset to our team and I am not sure where we would be without him. He is a very valuable player and a true leader.” Pyne, an English major, chose Vassar because of his desire for a liberal arts education and has become acutely aware of differences between both coasts. “Coming from

Senior outside hitter Joe Pyne is one of the co-captains for the Vassar men’s volleyball team. Pyne is competing in his fourth and final year as a men’s volleyball player for Vassar College during 2014.

California, I noticed a ton of subtle differences in how east coast people act, but which never really amounted to any difference or change in how I approached my life here, except for maybe the weather. I do not, and never will, understand how east coast people handle winter so well…it lasts four whole months! Winter in Los Angeles is nice because it is when the city finally sees rainy and overcast weather, but even then it is still basically sunny 24/7, and you miss the warmth of that desert sun when you have taken it for granted and become accustomed to it your whole life.” Pyne says his hobbies outside of volleyball include, “I try to read and write for fun, I sometimes sketch weird cartoonish things, I play a lot of video games, and I watch quite a few movies.”

Coming from California was a big adjustment for Pyne, but, as he describes, he was mainly urged to come to Vassar due to aca-

demic reasons. “I’m an English major, and was more interested in a liberal arts education than becoming lost at a larger university, so I only applied to smaller schools on the east coast, and generically applied to most of the schools in California like most other California kids.”

If you ever make it out to a volleyball game, you will notice that Pyne always has his fingers taped–for no apparent reason. “I tape my fingers for no real reason other than to look cool,” said Pyne. “And also, I always touch the bottom of the antenna right before the teams meet at the net to wish each other good luck at the beginning of each match.”

And when there, you will see a player who, according to Cimorelli, “is extremely talented and has great court vision. One of his biggest strengths is his service game, and he can be counted on at the service line when the team needs a run.”

Men’s and women’s fencing place high in tournament Chris Brown sPorts editor

Co-ed Squash

Wilson were 3-0 in sabre, while sophomore Elam Coalson was 2-0 as well. Against Boston University, the foil team again stepped up as the same trio from before earned six wins. Coalson switched from sabre to épée for that match, and won twice, while Lee, freshman Clayton Marr and freshman Ry Farley each won at sabre.

Against Massachusetts, Arden continued his strong comeback with three more wins at sabre, and Steinschneider chalked up three more victories. In the afternoon, Steinschneider ran his season record to 70-25 thanks to going 11-1 on Saturday. Artis finished 9-4 in the foil, and Arden added an 8-2 record at sabre for the Brewers. Wilson, who came into the match as the team’s winningest sabre fencer on the year, upped that mark with an 8-3 day. VC is off until the New England Championships on February 22 in South Hadley, Mass.

courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

The Brewers recently competed at the Hudson Valley College Team Tournament, where they faced off against three teams to take a runner up finish in the tournament. The first match that the Vassar College Squash team went up against was the team from Siena College. Senior co-captains Ricardo Espinosa and Kiet Phun both delivered wins. Espinosa, at No. 1, defeated Siena’s Matt Eliseo at a neat 11-3, 114, 11-6 and Phun brought down Jake Hebert in the No. 2 spot for a final score of 11-7, 11-8, 11-3.

Sophomore Ben Kurchin clinched his first win of 2014 against Siena’s Sean McKenna in the No. 7 spot, defeating his opponent in only three games for a final score of 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 and breaking his losing streak to bring his team to victory. Fellow sophomore Tim Viet stumbled in his first game against John Schoonmaker in the No. 6 position before turning around to win the next three consecutive games 10-12, 11-1, 11-7, 11-4. Rounding out the morning’s matches was sophomore Juan Fernandez in position No. 4.

This was only Fernandez’s second victory out of 17 matches played this season. He beat out Siena’s Jarret Bodo by hair in each of his matches for a score of 11-8, 11-9, 11-7. Vassar beats Siena 6-3. The second match of the day was a semi-finals match against Gettysburg College.

Vassar beat out Gettysburg 8-1, with freshman female player Carly Scher taking her first win of the tournament after losing a close match against Siena College. In the finals, the Brewers eventually fell 1-8 against Fordham College.

The team will now look towards their final competition of the season, that being the CSA Team Championships, to be held in Boston, Mass. this upcoming weekend.

al. The tournament consisted of five matches.

The Brewers fell to Sacred Heart University 21-6 to start the day, but came back to knock off host University of New Hampshire 18-9, Dartmouth College 19-8, Boston University 19-8 and University of Massachusetts 17-10. In the match with Sacred Heart, Vassar’s senior Matt Steinschneider picked up a pair of wins, and the sabre squad was 3-6, but SHU was too much for VC. The Brewers rallied nicely by getting a very solid 8-1 result out of its sabre team against New Hampshire. Zach Wilson was 3-0 in sabre, while senior Kenny Lee used the same weapon to go 2-0. Junior Tre Artis was 2-0 against UNH in foil, while Bobby Maiocco added a pair of victories at épée. In the 19-8 triumph over Dartmouth, Vassar was 8-1 at sabre and 9-0 in foil, as Steinschneider, Artis and senior Giovanni Zaccheo were each 3-0. Senior John Arden and

Men’s Fencing

This past weekend, the men’s fencing team participated in the New Hampshire Invitation-

Both the Vassar men’s and women’s fencing teams placed well in their recent tournament, only losing one match per team. As the season comes to a near close, the teams will next go to South Hadley, MA.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Women’s Fencing

The women’s fencing also had a successful tournament at the New Hampshire Invitational. Out of a total of six matches, the team would end up winning five, performing in top form at the invitational. Vassar College fell in its first outing of the morning, dropping a 21-6 decision to Sacred Heart University. They came back to knock off New Hampshire 16-11. Vassar followed that up with wins Dartmouth College (16-11), Boston University (18-9), Wellesley College (15-12) and University of Massachusetts (16-11).

The freshman duo of freshman Elsa Stoff and freshman Olivia Weiss both earned two wins against Sacred Heart to start the afternoon. In the next match with New Hampshire, sophomore Lily Elbaum earned three victories with the sabre, and Stoff and Weiss each cashed in three wins as well. Freshman Claudia Carcamo was 2-0 in foil, and sophomore Rachel Messbauer went 2-1 with the épée against UNH. Vassar followed that up with another solid performance against Dartmouth, as the sabre team went 8-1. Junior Kathleen Konno and junior Anastasia Stevens each went an unblemished 3-0 in the match, while Elbaum was 2-1 for the sabre fencers. Weiss and Messbauer each went undefeated with three wins apiece against the Big Green. Vassar finished the day with a win over the University of Massachusetts, as Stoff and Carcamo led the way in foil with three more wins. Weiss finished off her amazing afternoon with three wins, while Messbauer was 2-1 and senior captain Noelle Sawyer went 2-0 in épée for VC. The afternoon saw Weiss creep closer to Stoff for the team wins lead, though Stoff wasn’t ready to give up without a fight.

Weiss went 17-1 on the afternoon, winning her last 15 bouts, while Stoff was 15-3 for VC. Stoff now has posted an 85-29 season mark, while Weiss has a total of 80 victories opposed to just 23 losses. The Vassar College women’s fencing team will be traveling with the men’s team for the next tournament to be held on Feb. 22 in South Hadley, Mass.