The Official Campus Newspaper of Swarthmore College Since 1881 VOL. 136, ISSUE 6
The Phoenix
TODAY: Showers in the morning, storms in the afternoon. High 77, Low 57. TOMORROW: Lots of sunshine. High 79, Low 59.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012
Spoken Word Gains Popularity on Campus
SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM
Parrish Key Code System May Soon See Its End Safety Concerns Prompt Potential Security Changes By DANIEL BLOCK News Writer
MARTIN FROGER-SILVA/THE PHOENIX
Top left, the audience watches the performers at the Coming Out Week and OASIS Joint Open Mic held in Scheuer on Sunday. Top right, Abigail Henderson performs a poem. Above, members of The Noize join Noel Quiñones at the mic. Page 8.
After a male intruder grabbed a female student in a Parrish residential hall restroom in the fall semester of 2006, the entrances to Parrish’s residential wings were installed with locks to improve security. This included the addition of the keypad systems that allow those who want to enter to unlock the doors using a numerical combination. Now, six years after that incident, and five years after the keypad lock system was installed, there is new concern that Parrish’s residential halls are not adequately secure. As a result, administrators, public safety, and the residents of Parrish are talking about eliminating the keypad system and allowing access exclusively via keys. Indeed, the west all-male hall on Parrish’s fourth floor has already had its key code system deactivated. According to Public Safety Communication Supervisor George Darbes, the unease stems from the fact that the key code to the Parrish halls has been disseminated beyond the residents of Parrish. “In order to be kept secure, the key code has to be kept to yourself,” Darbes said. “If you give it away, it’s not a safe space anymore.” “In the past, people have been concerned as to why this was the one space that didn’t use keys,”
said Rachel Head, the Assistant Dean for Residential Life. As a result of growing concern, Head began speaking with Parish residential advisors about whether the keypad system should be done away with. Michelle Ammerman ’14, the resident assistant (RA) for Parrish’s 4th floor east wing, stated that Head contacted her and the other RAs in late August during RA training. “She sent us an email basically telling us to talk about it as an RA team and have our residents weigh in on the topic,” Ammerman said. Consequently, Ammerman and the other RAs for Parrish began discussing the keypad system with their halls. And while Ammerman says that there is no consensus among her hallmates, “generally, we like the key code system,” adding that “not having to get your key out and not having to get up to let your friends in” was nice. Indeed, many residents of Parrish, including Ammerman, favor having key codes. “I like the key code because it’s quicker and easier than the key,” said Tom Kim ’16, a resident of Parrish’s third floor, where the keypad system is still in place. Scheynen Loeffler ’16, a resident of Parrish’s fourth floor, says he would also prefer to have a
Continued on Page 4
Men’s Soccer Bounces Back from Tough Week By ROY GREIM Sports Writer
Last week, the Swarthmore College men’s soccer team rebounded from a rough two-game stretch with wins over Centennial foes Muhlenberg and McDaniel to remain tied with Dickinson atop the conference table. A stunning 2-1 overtime loss to Stevens on September 19 and a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Dickinson on the 22nd were disappointing results for the Garnet, which had just entered the national rankings at No. 14 in D3Soccer.com poll and No. 18 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire National Poll on September 18, only to drop out of the NSCAA poll the following week. Nevertheless, these setbacks provided
motivation for a team looking to defy preseason expectations and find itself back in control of the conference. “Those two results were definitely a wake-up call,” captain Jack Momeyer ’14 said. “They made us realize that this season will not be without speed bumps, and the better we weather the storm, the easier we can bounce back. I think it is a testament to our resilience; we shook off our two worst results one week, and got our two best results the following week.” On September 27, the Garnet faced a tough test as it traveled to Allentown, Pa. to take on Muhlenberg at Varsity Field, where the Mules hadn’t lost since November 20, 2010, when they dropped a 1-0 contest to Merchant Marine in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
The road team struck early and often as defenders John Pontillo ’13 and Cameron French ’14 both found the back of the net within the first 15 minutes of play. Pontillo put in a header in the 11th minute off a corner from Noah Sterngold ’14 and French scored in a similar fashion just minutes later, heading in a ball from Momeyer in the 14th minute. In a 2-0 hole, Muhlenberg was able to the cut the deficit in half a mere 22 seconds before intermission as Cody Antonini, a second-team All-American in 2010, scored from the top of the 18-yard box. Coming out of halftime, the homestanding Mules mounted an offensive attack, registering four of their seven Continued on Page 18
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
NEWS CAMPUS TO WELCOME WELLNESS FACILITY
LIVING & ARTS YOU’LL FALL FOR THIS “LOVE STORY”
OPINIONS ELIMINATE GENDERED BATHROOMS AT SWAT
SPORTS GARNET XC RACES TO INVITATIONAL FINISH
Several members of the Swarthmore administrative staff met on Friday to discuss tentative plans to build a new wellness center where the squash courts are currently located on campus. Page 3
Walnut Street Theater’s production of this predictable romance, which stars Alexandra Silber and Will Reynolds in the lead roles, brought writer Jeannette Leopold to tears. Page 8
Aaron Kroeber suggests that Swarthmore de-gender bathrooms in public buildings in the interest of equality across all genders, as one of the last civil liberties Swarthmore does not endorse. Page 12
Standout performances on the men’s and women’s teams from Jacob Phillips and Jenna Cody led the Garnet to strong finishes at the Dickinson Long/Short Invitational held Saturday. Page 16