The Official Campus Newspaper of Swarthmore College Since 1881 VOL. 136, ISSUE 11
Sexual Assault at Swarthmore: A Bigger Problem Than It Seems
The Phoenix THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
NYS Becomes Active Group on Campus
By ANNA GONZALES News Writer
TODAY: Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. High 49, Low 33. TOMORROW: Mostly sunny, 10% chance of rain. High 52, Low 33.
SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM
Swarthmore’s Financial Aid: Questioned By Some Students By DANIEL BLOCK News Writer
Trigger Warning: This article deals with accounts of sexual assault and may be triggering to readers.
A Swarthmore college education is expensive. Between tuition, personal expenses, books, fees, and room and board, the price between 2012 and 2013 comes out to be $58,090. It is far more than the average cost at a four-year institution in the United States. It is even more than the average American’s salary. In order to make its educational experience affordable, Swarthmore, like most other colleges and universities, offers financial aid. Indeed, Swarthmore will go out of its way to make prospective applicants aware of its financial aid policy. On the admissions and financial aid portion of its website, the college highlights that it is need-blind for U.S citizens and permanent residents when considering admissions, that it offers aid to 100% of those who demonstrate need and that it has eliminated loans from aid awards so as to “enable students to graduate debt-free.” This is touted in college guides and by admissions officers in information sessions. According to the Princeton Review and USA Today’s 2012 guide, Swarthmore is the second best valued private college in the nation. Previously, it has been ranked first. But for a school that is supposedly among the most generous in the United States, there are plenty of aid recipients who are not satisfied with what they received, or with the way the financial aid office handled their situations. In spite of the fact that the school no longer officially incorporates loans into aid packages, plenty of students still take out loans, and the office maintains a loans coordinator. All of this begs the question, just how generous is Swarthmore College’s financial aid?
Following Angie Epifano’s account of rape in the Amherst College student newspaper, Swarthmore survivors have claimed that the college’s handling of sexual assaults mirrors Amherst’s horrific mistreatment of Epifano. Administrators and counseling sources say that in the past year and a half there have been major changes in the ways in which the college deals with allegations of sexual assault and that the current process reflects these changes. Two current students, survivors of sexual assault perpetrated on Swarthmore’s campus, described their experiences of seeking support from confidential counseling services or from administrators as retraumatizing. At every step of the process, both survivors were endlessly questioned as to the legitimacy of their rapes, discouraged from reporting their assailants, and blamed for their assaults. One survivor (Student 1), a current senior who was raped during her freshman year, said that the assault was so diminished by her friends and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff, and that she was so heavily discouraged from reporting her rapist, that she never even made it to the administration. She was warned that her attempt to bring her rapist to justice would be a drawn-out and fruitless struggle. “I didn’t think it would be a good idea to say anything because I had been told that no one would believe me, that even if someone did I’d have to fight at every step, and that it would be so emotionally draining that even if I got the result I wanted I’d be too miserable by then to feel like it mattered,” she said. “So I was silent.” As at Amherst, Student 1 was made to feel — by both the CAPS counselor and her friends — that she was to blame for the rape. “I was asked if I had led them on, if I’d been drinking, if I’d given consent and forgotten,” the survivor said. “I was told that I shouldn’t complain because after all, hadn’t I gone out to get some?” Student 1 was asked to repeat exactly what had happened and if she was sure it was rape so many times that she could not remember what had actually occurred and what she had adopted into her narrative. Student 1 was also made to feel guilty as a method of discouraging her from reporting her rapist. “I was reminded that my rapist was a good person and asked if I really wanted to accept responsibility for destroying their life,” she said.
Angie’s Story Angie McMillan should be a sophomore. A former member of the class of 2015, McMillan completed her freshman year before returning back home to Seattle for the summer. Unfortunately, McMillan has not come back to campus. The reason? Due to family complications, McMillan cannot afford her financial aid. “Basically, my father and I don’t have a great relationship and my mother is not wealthy, so financial aid used my father’s income, and they assumed that I don’t need it,” McMillan said. “However, due to my father and my relationship, he’s not helping with school,” she added. Even though her father has refused to contribute to her education costs, McMillan said that financial aid told her they could not factor her relationship with him in. “Despite my relationship with him, because he was my father, they have to consider him in their package,” she said. DINA ZINGARO FOR THE PHOENIX
Continued on Page 6
Delta Upsilon brother Samuil Haque and NYS member Jessica Seigel participated in the all-campus Crum Cleanup held on Saturday morning (above). Rossana Estrada of NYS cleans graffiti off a rock in the Crum (below). Page 5.
Continued on Page 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
NEWS STUCO MAKES STRIDES, TACKLES INITIATIVES
LIVING & ARTS NANOWRIMO ARRIVES, STUDENTS PARTAKE
OPINIONS STANDING BEHIND THE MERITS OF MATH
SPORTS SO SWEET: GARNET MEN INTO NCAA SECTIONALS
As the semester continues, Student Council — lead by co-presidents Gabby Capone and Victor Brady — has shown progress in achieving all of the measures promised at the beginning of the school year. Page 3
Swarthmore students buckle down to meet the 50-000-word deadline before the end of the month — along with their normal courseload of history readings, biology labs and religion papers, that is. Page 9
Referencing statistician Nate Silver, who correctly predicted the outcome of the election of all 50 states, Patrick Ammerman argues that the country must also hold scientific fact in the highest regard . Page 15
The Garnet dominated Albertus Magnus and RPI in convincing fashion to roll into a Sweet 16 matchup against the Lord Jeffs of Amherst College to be played this upcoming Saturday. Page 17
PAGE 2
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix MARCUS MELLO, Editor in Chief MENGHAN JIN, Managing Editor The News Section KOBY LEVIN, Editor AMANDA EPSTEIN, Assistant Editor News Writers ANNA GONZALES NEHMAT KAUR CHI ZHANG
WILLIAM BLACK DANIEL BLOCK SARAH COE-ODESS
The Living & Arts Section STEVEN HAZEL, Editor ALLI SHULTES, Assistant Editor GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE, Columnist AKURE IMES, Columnist DEBORAH KRIEGER, Columnist BRAD LENOX, Columnist VIANCA MASUCCI, Columnist KIERAN REICHERT, Columnist LANIE SCHLESSINGER, Columnist DAVID TOLAND, Columnist ZOE WRAY, Columnist SAM ZHANG, Columnist ELIZABETH KRAMER, Artist RENU NADKARNI, Artist PRESTON COOPER, Puzzlemaster Living & Arts Writers TAYLOR HODGES AXEL KODAT
JEANNETTE LEOPOLD MAYRA TENORIO
ZHENGLONG ZHOU/PHOENIX STAFF
The Opinions Section
Web Content ERIC SHERMAN, Webmaster ALLEGRA POCINKI, Web Design & Maintenance
PRESTON COOPER, Editor PATRICK AMMERMAN, Columnist TYLER BECKER, Columnist SEAN BRYANT, Columnist DANIELLE CHARETTE, Columnist AARON KROEBER, Columnist HARSHIL SAHAI, Columnist
Business Management ALLISON McKINNON, Circulation Manager AXEL KODAT, Social Media Coordinator CAMILA RYDER, Publicity Coordinator HARSHIL SAHAI, Business Manager
The Sports Section DANIEL DUNCAN, Editor JENNI LU, Writer DAYO FAYANJU, Columnist SCOOP RUXIN, Columnist JAMES IVEY, Columnist
Copy JOYCE WU, Chief Copy Editor Copy Editors ALEX BLOCKER SARAH COE-ODESS SOPHIE DIAMOND
Graphics PARKER MURRAY, Art Director Graphics Editors MIREILLE GUY JULIA NEE
ALICE KIM JEANNETTE LEOPOLD
The Phoenix is located in:
ALLEGRA POCINKI NYANTEE ASHERMAN
Parrish Hall, Offices 470-472 500 College Ave
Photography
Swarthmore, PA 19081
JULIA CARLETON, Editor RAISA REYES, Editor
Tel 610.328.7362 Photographers YENNY CHEUNG MARTIN FROGER-SILVA JULIANA GUTIERREZ AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA KATY MONTOYA
Email editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Web swarthmorephoenix.com
ADRIANA OBIOLS SADIE RITTMAN CHANELLE SIMMONS NITHYA SWAMINATHAN ZHENGLONG ZHOU
Please direct advertising requests to advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change. Mail subscriptions are available for $60 a year or $35 a semester. Please direct subscription requests to Marcus Mello. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
Garnet Women End Season in Penalty Heartbreak | Page 20
News
Swarthmore’s Investment Practices Questioned SPJP members met with Suzanne Welsh, VP of Finance and Treasurer, on Tuesday in hopes of starting a campaign to change the way in which Swarthmore’s endowment is invested. PAGE 4
NYS Presence Felt On Campus: The Soon-To-Be Sorority Becomes An Active Group On Campus NYS has already organized a mixer with the fraternities and a Crum cleanup event on campus, and expects to become even more active in the Spring. PAGE 5
Living & Arts
Q&A With Jane McGonigal
Jane McGonigal and how to transform the world’s problem by applying the lessons of video game designers to problems from terrorism to public health. PAGE 7
Apocalyptic Playwriting Thesis ‘All-One’ Premiers Before World’s End
Theater guru Jeanette Leopold previews Sophia Naylor’s thesis, which uses the backdrop of an impending world’s-end in mythical Ireland to highlight fears of death — and being forgotten. PAGE 8
Behind-the-Scenes: Rhythm ‘N Motion The Tri-Co’s largest dance troupe performs their semesterly show this Saturday evening after weeks of rehearsals. Find out what goes into producing Swarthmore’s favorite crowd-pleaser. PAGE 8
on Pavement
Kyle Abraham’s modern dance exhibition, “Pavement,” breaks out of traditional genres and blends jazz and hip-hop with frivolity and despair. PAGE 12
Smart Swat Shopping: Searching the Racks for Hidden Treasures
Rittenhouse Square’s Sophisticated Seconds offers a miscellany of items, but with minimal sales items. PAGE 12
Beer Behind the Curtain: Why Visit a Brewery?
Brad Lenox advises column readers to explore local breweries for a better understanding of where, exactly, their favorite beverages originate. PAGE 13
Smart Swat Shopping: Searching the Racks for Hidden Treasures
Staff Editorial
JULIA CARLETON/PHOENIX STAFF
In the wake of the sexual assault scandal at Amherst in which the administration offered little support for a victim, The Phoenix recommends that Swarthmore take a look at its own sexual assault policies to ensure the same does not happen here. PAGE 15
It Starts With Hello
Sean counsels the Swarthmore student body on how to brighten someone’s day with just a little politeness - be it holding the door or saying a friendly hello. PAGE 15
Back to Conservative Basics
Danielle believes the GOP needs a makeover, starting with better messaging and a return to the classical principles of conservatism. PAGE 16
Rittenhouse Square’s Sophisticated Seconds offers a miscellany of items, but with minimal sales items. PAGE 12
Sports
Brad Lenox advises column readers to explore local breweries for a better understanding of where, exactly, their favorite beverages originate. PAGE 13
Jamie thinks better equipment won’t slow the rate of concussions in the NFL; only a change in player attitudes will. PAGE 18
What does the College have in common with this classical dance tradition? Intensity, rigor, passion -- and a tendency to identify with a single element of one’s personality while marginalizing others. PAGE 13
The Lakers are doomed with James Dolan as their president of basketball operations. PAGE 18
Beer Behind the Curtain: Why Visit a Brewery?
Death by Ballet: A Definition
Can You Dig It?: A Soldier’s Silent Night
Dorm Dive: Coast to Coast
EVS Technician and former army ranger David Toland reminds readers to keep military personnel in their thoughts during the holiday season. PAGE 14
Abraham Opens His Identity, Leaves it
Arts critic Deborah Kriegar reviews a local concert with up-and-coming high school band “Riley Road” that has just released its first album. PAGE 14
The Palmer singles of Price Ferchill, Richard Scott and Thera Naiman reflect hometown pride in creative ways. PAGE 10
Opinions
Riley Road Review
Players Need to Adjust to Prevent Concussions
Letter to the People of Los Angeles
Stolen Thunder: The Thunder Lost What Might Have Been
Dayo thinks the Oklahoma City Thunder made a huge mistake in trading potential icon James Harden. PAGE 18
Volleyball Tops Off Season in ECAC Semifinals
Volleyball loses to Moravian for the second time this season, falling 3-1 in their ECAC semifinal in Bethany, West Virginia. PAGE 19
News
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
PAGE 3
‘Financial Aid’, continued from page 1
The Process Applying for financial aid at Swarthmore, like at any other college, can be a time-consuming process. Students and their families must compile a wide variety of documentation, from tax returns to paycheck stubs. Laura Talbot, the director of financial aid, explained the wide variety of factors that go into making a decision, including some that McMillan felt the office was not being receptive to. “Our aid applicants and their parents provide us details of their financial situations. We consider their income, assets, tax liabilities, family size and make allowances for standard living expenses but index those allowances for the cost of living in various areas of the country. Allowances are made when parents are also paying elder care expenses, high medical expenses and tuition for other siblings. Other special considerations are made when a parent has lost a job, lost overtime, lost benefits, won’t have sufficient retirement income.” The aim, said Talbot, is to try and ensure that students who are admitted to Swarthmore will not be impeded for financial reasons. “The college’s strong financial aid program is intended to make certain that capable students have financial access to Swarthmore,” she said. Suzanne Welsh, the vice president of finance and treasurer, emphasized that Swarthmore does not pre-budget financial aid. “We don’t consider financial aid an expense,” said Welsh. “We accept students without knowing what their need is, and then once the students are here, we have a methodology for determining everyone’s need on an equitable basis.” It is impossible to deny the wideranging impact of the financial aid department. Roughly 54 percent of the student population receives financial aid in some form, either from a campus work opportunity or from scholarships. This year, the average aid grant was $38,785, and the college is anticipating awarding over $29 million in scholarships for next year. While financial aid’s wide range and relative size is undeniable, satisfaction with the process is far less clear-cut. Michael Wheeler ’16 felt that the financial aid process refused to take into account the circumstances surrounding his situation. The result was aid that he felt was not adequate. “They totally looked at us as
purely numbers. They refused to take into account Total Cost: $82K special circumstances that change the numbers temOther Sources porarily,” said Wheeler. $11K “They refused to take a human perspective,” he added. Philanthropy: $37K Total $18K The lack of consideration for context is certain53K ly something that McMillan agrees with. While she said the office expressed Scholarships: 37K their condolences about her situation, she felt they $19K were less than cooperative. “It seems each time I try to communicate with them, 25K I have to pry for information,” she said. Wheeler agreed that 12K communication with the office was not easy. “It was miserable trying to get in contact with people, even 0 to ask a simple question,” Full Pay Students 100% 54% Aided Students he said. “They were very terse.” Overall Average Talbot, however, pointed out that it was often difPhilanthropy $34K 42% ficult for the department to manage all the financial $37K 45% Family Contributions aid applications and cases. “There are 5,900 families Other $11K 13% applying for financial aid every year, so we’re man$82K 100% aging lots of families,” DANIEL BLOCK & MARCUS MELLO/THE PHOENIX she said. In part, as a result, Talbot said that the Above, a visual representation of financial aid per student at Swarthmore. Information provided by Suzanne Welsh. primary responsibility for making sure everything in the plain,” he said. The student felt that they say they don’t give aid out in would just change both the manapplication is completed belonged Swarthmore’s financial aid system loans, they basically say we will ner in which I achieve that and the to the student. “No student should was extremely generous. “I received give the absolute smallest amount duration of time it might take to get wait for a reminder from the Col- something like three times as much of aid,” he said. This, according to there,” he said. lege but should instead manage his as what other schools have offered Wheeler, inevitably leads to loans. own aid application — just as we and what the FAFSA’s estimated “They do basically say that in con- Is Swarthmore’s Financial Aid state in our aid application instruc- family contribution is, and that’s junction with giving you the mini- Fair? tions.” without loans,” he remarked. mal amount of grant money, here Determining the fairness of Welsh strongly disagreed with Talbot said that the office wants are loans we can help you get,” he a policy as important and widethe assertion that the office does not to find out what special financial explained. reaching as financial aid is a diffifactor in personal circumstances. circumstances a student and family Talbot does not disagree with cult thing to do. To a certain extent, “That’s entirely inaccurate,” she might be going through, if not per- this. Indeed, she said that the of- it is a subjective question. A person said. “We spend a lot of time under- sonally. “We have an application fice of financial aid encourages who feels well compensated is more standing every student’s situation, that encourages students to tell us, seeking ways to finance the educa- likely to view it in a positive light, we encourage students and their ‘What’s going on financially in the tion through other means if the aid and the opposite is true. “There alfamilies to provide as much infor- family?’” available is not enough. “We offer ways will be students who may just mation as they can about their situBut Wheeler still said that he, the alternative ways of financing not agree with the calculation that ation, we make special allowances and other students, felt unsatisfied. college,” she said. we make,” Welsh said. for extraordinary medical expenses “I don’t think most people get an While Wheeler remains frusThis, according to Talbot, is not and other extraordinary circum- aid package and go, ‘Oh, that’s fan- necessarily bad. “The majority of trated with the administration of stances,” she said. tastic.’ They go, ‘Oh, I can go.’” our student borrowing is through aid and the process by which it is Welsh added because the office the federally-subsidized Direct Staf- determined, by comparison, he of financial aid keeps all informa- Loans and Debt ford Loan Program,” said Talbot. says that Swarthmore’s financial aid tion submitted by students and parAccording to a recent report by “These loans are interest-free dur- policy is far better than it could be. ents confidential, students may not the Institute for College Success ing the borrower’s enrollment and “Putting things in perspective, they know the full picture. “Individual and Access, roughly two-thirds of then carry just 3.4 percent interest were very generous,” he said. He students don’t necessarily know all college students who graduated in after the borrower leaves school.” credits this in part to Swarthmore’s the information that we have about 2011 graduated with debt. The averFurthermore, Swarthmore stu- prestige and endowment, saying their families’ situation,” she said. age student graduated with $26,600 dents, as of late, are not graduating that colleges that are just slightly As for dissatisfaction, Talbot dollars in loans, a figure that has with as much debt as most college less prestigious are “brutal when it says there is little the office can do, gone up in recent years. seniors are. The average four-year comes to financial aid, because they unless there is new or modified fiIt is widely regarded that gradu- undergraduate debt for the Class of don’t have enough of an endownancial information. “If a student or ating with a substantial amount of 2012 was $5,307. ment to give out a lot of need-based parent provides us new or corrected college debt can be very problemStill, debt is something students aid.” Even McMillan expressed the application information, we are atic. It forces students to prioritize struggle with. Wheeler, for exam- sentiment that her situation, howhappy to take another look at our money over service or passion, and ple, grappled extensively with the ever cruel and absurd, might not be decision,” she said. “Without new can drain students of income. question of whether his debt would unjust. “I understand why they’re or corrected information, however, It was with those burdens in be prohibitive in his post-college saying no,” she said. “It’s just frusthere wouldn’t be any basis for a mind that Swarthmore College career. “That’s a big question I was trating.” different decision,” she added, say- abolished loans as part of aid pack- trying to answer when I was decidBut people see room for iming the initial decision “considers all ages in December of 2007. But ing whether I wanted to take it on,” provement. Both Wheeler and Mcwe can do.” Millan cited communication as an in spite of this change in policy, a he said. “We figure out a family’s ca- third of the class of 2012 graduated The anonymous student said area needing growth. “They didn’t pacity to pay,” Talbot continued. in debt, and students from all class- it was something he was not wor- want to spend the time it took to “Whether they are comfortable pay- es continue to use loans to finance ried about. But that was a product make us understand the situation,” ing that amount is going to be up to their education. of what he wanted to do. “It won’t said Wheeler. them. We don’t take into account They also felt that adding some “Some families pay their shares affect my career choice because my their spending decisions.” of Swarthmore expenses from career would have been something perspective to a student’s personal Welsh agreed, saying that un- their current income, some from that would be high paying in the situation might help. “I would really fortunately, it sometimes does not their savings, some from their in- first place,” he stated. like that,” said McMillan. work out. “We look to both parents vestments, and some from future But financial aid at Swarthmore But he sees how debt could be to provide what they’re able for income-loans,” Talbot said. “Bor- problematic. “It pressures you into must, at the end of the day, grapple children. There are circumstances rowing is just one of the financing feeling like, ‘I have to do something with something that almost all inwhere a parent might choose not options available to our families.” while I’m here, I have to work hard stitutions have to address — limto. And that’s very unfortunate if it But some students found the in order to ensure that I will not ited resources for great demand. prevents a student from returning College’s stated policy on not giving collapse under this debt.’” “We’re eager to do the best we can to Swarthmore.” out loans in aid packages somewhat Eventually, Wheeler came to for a family,” said Talbot. Beyond Not everyone is dissatisfied with misleading. Wheeler, for example, the conclusion that it would not, at that, she said, there is only so much the financial aid process. A student said that while he acknowledged least in the long run, dramatically the office can accomplish. “Famiwho preferred to remain anony- the school does not directly give out affect his life. “The answer I even- lies make decisions about how they mous regarded himself as quite loans in aid packages, they tend to tually came to is that it would not spend their money. We do our best, lucky. “I am literally unable to com- make use of them anyway. “While prevent me from being fulfilled, it and then they do their best.”
Cost of a Swarthmore Education
Unfortunately, McMillan’s difficulties do not end there. “My mom is disabled, and my father was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,” she explained. This means that McMillan’s father will have to live the rest of his life off the money he has already accumulated. But even her father’s diagnosis does not change the picture. McMillan said she told the Office of Financial Aid, but that “it didn’t change anything.” A confusing and difficult cycle of submitting and resubmitting materials has followed. McMillan needed to tell her father what to submit and then wait to hear back about what they got. “I would tell him what information he would need to send to the office, but then the office would tell them that they hadn’t received them,” she said. This forced her to go back to her father and start the same sequence over again. The result has been that, for now, a Swarthmore education is no longer in McMillan’s price range. And McMillan says that, at this point, she is not sure when, or if, she will be able to return.
Financing a Swarthmore Education: Cost/Student 2011-2012
$29K Subsidy for all students
The Phoenix
News
PAGE 4
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Swarthmore’s Investment Practices In Question SPJP Organizes Meeting With VP For Finance
By AMANDA EPSTEIN Assistant News Editor At 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, six students went to the Investment Office with a list of 40 companies they identified as ethically objectionable, wanting to know whether the College is or has invested in any of them before. Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine, or SPJP, who organized the initiative, researched companies that not only contribute to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, but also ones involved in fossil fuel, tobacco and arms production. Suzanne Welsh, the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer of the College, was expecting the students, who greeted and immediately handed her the prepared list of companies. Danny Hirschel-Burns ’14, member of SPJP, spearheaded the meeting, and told Welsh that SPJP, along with many other student organizations on campus, wanted to know if Swarthmore has invested in companies like Motorola, Caterpillar, Philip Morris USA, Wal-Mart and ExxonMobil — all of which are, in their view, implicated in human rights violations across the world in some way or another. Swarthmore, however, does not disclose its investment portfolio except to the Committee on Investor Responsibility. Welsh explained that the College hires a firm to handle part of the endowment, which the firm in
turn invests. Dwider says that they initially started “We give them an allocation of money looking at investment issues directly related from the endowment and they are buying to SPJP’s mission by finding companies that and selling shares,” she said. “They have lee- make a profit from the human rights violaway within their specific mandate.” tions taking place in the West Bank and Gaza. Still, she agreed she would try to do what Some of these provide technology that enables she could to provide the names of companies the Israeli occupation (like bulldozers that aid Swarthmore has invested in the last quarter. home demolitions) or grow products illegally According to SPJP members Sarah Dwid- on the land. In the midst of the investigation, er ’13 and Benjamin however, SPJP realB ernard-Herman ized this movement ’14, in the process can’t just be about of learning about Occupation-related The ultimate idea is to the College’s incompanies. open a discussion about vestment practices, “We realized how the College invests SPJP found out that this is a structural Swarthmore does problem in the inmoney and to create a not screen the comvestment practices space for students to panies they invest in of the College as for ethical concerns. approach the Investment a whole,” she said. “Most colleges “The ultimate idea Office. have their endowis to open a disSarah Dwider ’13 ment managers cussion about how screen for some the College invests SPJP Member kinds of companies, money and to crewhich means that ate a space for stuthe college tells the dents to approach people who manage their investments that the Investment Office and say, ‘Look, we have there are certain companies that for moral or a problem with this company, this industry. ethical reasons are irresponsible to invest in We think that as an institution of Quaker and therefore the college shouldn’t,” Bernard- roots, it’s unacceptable that we’d be profiting Herman said. “The most well known indus- from this,’ and then get into some kind of try-standard screens are for tobacco compa- discussion about making this into an estabnies and arms manufacturers. Swarthmore is lished screen and adding certain criteria until anomalous in that it doesn’t screen for either.” changes are made.”
Both Dwider and Bernard-Herman think that it is unlike Swarthmore to have such a policy regarding its investment practices. “It’s not unheard of or difficult to have the people that you are paying to invest your money screen [companies],” Dwider said. It is possibly for this exact reason that Welsh questioned the students’ motives for wanting to know about the College’s investment in these companies. “Any given day we could own any of these companies [on the list] and the next day we could not own them,” Welsh said. “So I don’t know that it’s relevant which ones we actually own but our policy itself.” The VP for Finance asked the students present if they’d be willing to send a more detailed list with all of the practices the group found questionable for each of the 40 companies on the list, some of which are domestic, and others international. She plans on sharing these concerns with the Committee on Investor Responsibility, which meets in the spring. According to Bernard-Herman, this meeting can result in a couple of things. “If it turns out that we are invested in companies that profit from the Occupation, we could compel the college to find a shareholder resolution, asking those companies to stop contracting with Israeli operations in the West Bank and Gaza,” he said. “If that fails, or the resolution gets thrown out, then other options like a divestment campaign start to look more reasonable.”
StuCo Makes Strides, Aims To Fulfill Promises By WILLIAM BLACK News Writer
Amidst all the national political buzz of late, the 10 dedicated Swatties of the College’s Student Council have been working hard to deliver on past promises as well and develop new initiativwes here at Swarthmore. Co-Presidents Gabby Capone ’14 and Victor Brady ’13 each have high hopes for StuCo this year. For Brady, the key is accessibility. “My biggest goal when running for Co-President, if it were to be summed up in one word, was accessibility — in the sense of both knowing about and taking advantage of the social and academic opportunities,” he said. Of the several main proposals on the table, Brady is very excited about a major SEPTA ticket program, much like those in place at Haverford and Bryn Mawr, which would enable students to take advantage of all the opportunities Philadelphia has to offer, free of charge. Meanwhile, Capone hopes to use her experience garnered from serving as last year’s Appointments Chair in order to help streamline the Council and improve efficiency —“to focus less on planning and more on doing.” “My original goal for myself was to keep StuCo relevant, flexible and ready to take on whatever came its way,” says Capone, “but this has evolved into a more specific goal of … ensuring that the goals of other members are accomplished.” Some of the goals StuCo is focusing on include the restructuring of the pilot bike share program, increased evening food options, centralizing a campus events schedule, and revisiting semi-regular campus-wide collections, to name a
ZHENLONG ZHOU/THE PHOENIX
Co-Presidents Gabby Capone and Victor Brady discussed StuCo goals at the beginning of this semester in Parrish Parlors. StuCo is moving forward to tackle new and old initiatives.
few. Newcomer to the Council Tony Lee ’15, one of two Campus Life Representa tives, has been involved in the reform of the bike share pilot program. Alongside fellow Campus Life Rep Ali RoseberryPolier ’14, Lee has worked closely with McCabe lending coordinator, Alison Mastpasqua, to revisit and re-design the program, which is riddled with kinks. Through examining feedback logs, revising the lending contract and employing a student bike mechanic, Lee and company are on pace to have the program up and running by the end of the semester. Commitment as displayed by Lee and Roseberry-Polier is what both Capone and Brady see as crucial for StuCo’s ability to effect change.
“Historically, there has been a culture of talk and inaction within Student Council which I think can be attributed to trying to accomplish too much in our group Sunday meetings over the past few years,” says Brady. “Though the Sunday meetings are critical for discussing the initiatives that we work on and mapping our agenda, much more substantive work is accomplished by individual members or in small groups apart from this full council meeting. We’ve been working more on individual initiatives than ever before, and coming together with concrete proposals rather than just for abstract brainstorming sessions this semester.” Capone sees a few challenges facing Student Council that need to be ad-
dressed. “Internally, to begin with, [StuCo] is a relatively small group (10 people out of a campus of 1,500) and the students on Student Council are typically already very involved individuals — so you’ve got 10 spread-too-thin-students with very specific job descriptions who have to go the extra mile if they want to fit in everything they listed on their platform. Student Council would benefit from expansion and restructuring.” Co-President Brady also sees decentralization as a problem for the group. “Swarthmore is extremely decentralized in terms of funding sources and committees which contributes to an awful lot of frustration among the student body in terms of initiating change, or creating projects and new initiatives. I think there’s a major need for a student leadership forum — for club presidents or representatives and committee representatives to come together and report on the ‘happenings’ within each smaller group and collaborate on larger events.” As an effort to make Student Council more accessible to all students wishing to join, the Council voted last year to pilot small stipends for elected officials serving in the 2012-2013 school year. This would have put Student Council positions on the same echelon as other committee coordinators around campus while also providing students in the work-study program a chance to contribute more easily. The Student Budget Committee cut the program from StuCo’s budget. For more information, students are welcome to attend meetings at 7 p.m. Sunday in Parrish Parlors, visit StuCo’s blog, http://swarthmorestuco.tumblr. com, which includes minutes from each meeting, or follow them on Twitter @ swarthmorestuco.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
News
PAGE 5
The Phoenix
The ladies of NYS, who have formed a close-knit group of women on Swarthmore’s campus, hosted an all-campus Crum Cleanup last Saturday along with a mixer with the fraternities.
COURTESY OF DINA ZINGARO
NYS Joins Greek Community, Hosts Series of Events By SARAH COE-ODESS News Writer As the girls of Not Yet Sisters (NYS) prepare to become the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta in the spring, they have started becoming a prominent group on campus. From a mixer with Phi Psi and Delta Upsilon (DU) on November 3 and a Crum Woods cleanup with both fraternities this past Saturday, NYS’ presence on campus is seemingly that of a sorority. “When Theta officially comes to campus in the spring, this also will bring more structure for leadership and organization,” NYS Extension Committee’s Ashley Gochoco ’14, Dina Zingaro ’13, Julia Melin ’13, and Paige Grand Pre ’13 said in a collective email interview. “This semester, we have formed fundraising, communications, events and community service committees. At our meetings, we have come up with a number of philanthropic and social events to do on campus, but unfortunately, it’s a great challenge to do such wide-scale events without strong structure and organization. Next spring will allow us to make happen a lot of what we hope to do with other groups on campus.” NYS member Hayat Abu-Samra ’15 agrees that although the group is starting to feel like a cohesive sisterhood, there will be noticeable changes next semester. “The group is doing lots of things that the official sorority would do,” she said. “Of course, once it’s official in the spring, I’m sure it will feel more solid and active. Currently, it’s not official, we’re just another chartered group on campus, in regards to meetings, community service obligations, et cetera.”
The collaboration is really important because it will increase the comfort level for a lot of people ... having both genders represented will balance out the Greek scene an enormous amount. Liz Braun Dean of Students With baked goods, beverages and a cleaned out Phi Psi, the mixer proved the soon-to-be sorority and the fraternities could interact well. “I thought the turnout from all three houses was great,” Phi Psi President Michael Girardi ’13 said. “Everybody walked away from that thinking, ‘Wow, that was a cool group of people,’ no matter which group it was. It had just the right effect.” DU President Sean Mangus ’13 agrees that the event was a success. “Our intention was to provide a venue for members of these campus groups to meet one another and begin to build last-
ing friendships,” he said. “The members of these groups had a “Whether it’s through community service activities, co-hostgreat time getting to know one another. Because of this, I hope ing parties, sharing their space with us, or holding campusthat when members of these groups collaborate in the future, wide events, having both genders represented will balance out they will be collaborating as friends achieving a common goal the Greek scene an enormous amount.” In addition to forming bonds with the fraternities, NYS’ of community and individual improvement.” Over the past several years, Swarthmore College’s Greek “Semester Sister” program is an opportunity for the future sissystem has grown substantially. DU had only 15 active broth- ters to get to know each other and support one another acaers in 2005. Today, it has over 40 members, with a total of demically and mentally. The next event NYS will co-host is the SwatGlow paint pararound 100 male students in either of the fraternities. As the Greek life at Swarthmore continues to grow, Girardi hopes ty, which will take place at Phi Psi this coming Saturday. The group also plans to have an all-campus movie screening around people will perceive it better. “People look at the frats as havens for athletes,” he said. finals week and will continue to have sister-bonding activities, “There is a stigma. […] We’re looked down upon, and we don’t such as philanthropic events, potlucks and sleepovers. like that. Over the past couple of years, we’ve been trying to change that. In recruitment, we’ve tried to pick up as many non-athletes as possible. I think NYS will definitely help in that regard. Looking around in the mixer, there were a lot of girls who didn’t play sports. It was a nice breath of fresh air.” Girardi also added that he thinks Kappa Alpha Theta will have a positive reputation because of the people involved. “An organization is only as good as the people who make it up, and I have really high hopes for them.” Gochoco, Zingaro, Melin and Grand Pre also hope that Theta will improve the image of Swarthmore’s Greek life, particularly in terms of community service. “We believe that Theta can contribute a number of unique things to Greek life, but we primarily want to enhance a lot of what the fraternities have been doing in regards to philanthropic work and service to the Swarthmore community,” they said. “Theta will have our own community service project that we will dedicate much of our efforts to. We hope to forge bonds with groups like the WRC, Speak 2 Swatties, Green Advisers and so many other groups on campus so that we can all be supportive and helpful to one another.” NYS, DU and Phi Psi all expressed interest in continuing to hold events together, both in sorority-fraternity pairs and collaboratively with all three groups. These events could range from social events like the mixer to community service projects similar to the cleanup. “The collaboration is really important because it will increase the comfort COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM NYS members bonded before and during the Greek community mixer held on Saturday, November 2. level for a lot of people,” Abu-Samra said.
News
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Week In Pictures: Sixteen Feet, i20, MoCo
SADIE RITTMAN/PHOENIX STAFF
Kyle Pierce and Jonathan Cronin performed solos at Sixteen Feet’s Toe Jam concert in Sci 101.
SADIE RITTMAN/PHOENIX STAFF
Students enjoyed a dinner prepared by students from i20 at the International Student Dinner held in the Friend’s Meeting House on Saturday evening.
YENNY CHEUNG/PHOENIX STAFF
Behind the scenes, members of i20 prepared meals for the community to feast upon.
JULIA CARLETON/PHOENIX STAFF
Mixed Company’s Fall Concert, held in Lang Concert Hall on Friday night, was the group’s first performance of the year and featured a solo by Yvonne Socolar.
‘Sexual Assault’, continued from page 1 Another survivor and current student (Stu- fied its efforts to create an effective procedure for dent 2) initially sought counseling services to dealing with sexual assault. Braun echoed LaMar’s response, framing the help her deal with the trauma of the event and was encouraged to speak to a member of the email from Chopp and Braun in the context of Dean’s Office about her assault. Director of the changes in how the college deals with allegaWorth Health Center Beth Kotarski, who is in tions of sexual assault. Braun said that since she charge of primary support for survivors of sexual had arrived, she had been working closely with assault, said that CAPS counselors would only Chopp in collaboration with students, faculty, encourage a survivor to report their assault if and staff towards improving the college’s polithe assailant seemed to be a repeat offender and cies. “The letter that President Chopp and I sent to the community was not meant as a response posed a danger to the community. According to Student 2, the administrator to the Amherst incident, but rather was meant to constantly questioned the legitimacy of the rape. continue to raise in our community’s conscious“They told me that sometimes what one party ness the seriousness of this issue,” Braun said, thought was assault was really just a big misun- adding that she and Chopp wanted to encourage derstanding,” Student 2 said. When Student 2 at- the entire community to participate in creating tempted to explain the ways in which her assault a culture of zero tolerance for sexual assault and felt completely different from simply going too sexual misconduct at Swarthmore. Braun said that changes in recent years have far in a consensual hookup, she was told by the administrator that, “Many people have disem- included revising policies and procedures related bodied sexual experiences and that doesn’t make to sexual assault; moving primary support for sexual assault survivors to Kotarski and Patricia them rape.” Like Student 1, Student 2 was also asked how Fischette, a post-graduate clinical fellow who much she had had to drink on the night of the works in CAPS, both confidential reporting serassault, as though this diminished the serious- vices; expanding community-wide educational ness of the sexual assault or was at all pertinent efforts such as workshops, presentations, and to its legitimacy. “After I answered the question, creating organized lists of resources for survivors [the administrator] actually started laughing and (a wheel of confidential and non-confidential told me ‘that’s a lot for a small person like you,’” resources, complete with contact information); sending a reminder of the college’s policies and Student 2 said. Student 2 said the administrator also ques- resources to the entire community once a setioned her about her level of sexual experience mester; adding additional training for all CJC and inquired as to why exactly Student 2 was so members for cases related to sexual assault; and sexually inexperienced. “I was accused of mak- changing the ASAP workshops based on coming up an assault because I supposedly could not munity feedback. Kotarski and Fischette have been instruadmit to myself that I actually wanted sex that night,” she said. Student 2 added that the admin- mental in retooling the college’s approach to issues of sexual assault. istrator attributed her Together, they have relative lack of sexual worked closely with experience at the time The letter that President Sexual Misconduct to her religious views. Advisors and Resource Student 2 was frustratChopp and I sent to Team (SMART) memed that she was asked to the community was ... bers and sought to justify highly personal implement a greater choices, and that “I’m meant to continue to of education not ready for sex” did raise in our community’s degree and discourse about not seem to be a satconsciousness the sexual assault on camisfying answer for the especially around administrator. seriousness of this issue. pus, the area of consent. The confidentialLiz Braun Fischette said that she ity of various college and Kotarski want the resources was not exDean of Students conversation around plained to Student 2, sexual assault to conand she was told that tinue throughout the she had to either report the assault or tell the college that it was not as- year and not to be simply a one-time discussault. When she chose the first option, Student 2 sion at the beginning of the year in mandatory was accused of changing her mind as a result of Acquaintance and Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP) workshops for new students. “This needs being swayed by her friends. Additionally, Student 2 was strongly discour- to be a recurring thing that happens monthly in aged from taking disciplinary or legal action some kind of activity, panel, presentation or disagainst her assailant. When she stated that she cussion. We’re trying to move towards making did want to take action against the person who this conversation at the forefront of the campus had assaulted her, Student 2 was “highly encour- community,” Fischette said. The two have also tried to recenter the proaged” by the administrator to sit down and have an informal chat with her assailant and the deans cess of sexual assault around the survivor. Kotarski said that unlike at Amherst, a counselor at about what had occurred. “It is beyond me how survivors could be ex- Swarthmore would never attempt to tell a survipected to say exactly what happened to them just vor that their experience was not one of sexual a few days later,” Student 2 said. “I was basically assault. She said that it was crucial not to re-trauaccused of being a liar because, in the weeks af- matize survivors by asking them if they were sure ter my assault, I was able to move past my initial the incident was truly rape or questioning the feelings of confusion and guilt enough to see that survivor about their clothing, drinking or other what happened to me was a crime and not my actions prior to the incident. Fischette agreed, and said that she and Kotarski, when called upon fault,” she said. Student 2 did say that she eventually received for help, intend wholly to return control to the the help she needed from administrators, and survivor over the process, since the experience of that her perpetrator no longer attended the col- sexual assault is one of completely losing control lege, for which she was enormously thankful. and being violated. Braun and LaMar stressed that they would Student 1, who never reported her assault, had to wait for her rapist to graduate, and struggled welcome feedback from all members of the comthrough the impossible task of avoiding the as- munity, including those who were dissatisfied sailant on Swarthmore’s relatively small campus. with current policy. “If any survivor, or truly any When asked to comment on the experiences student believes that they are not treated fairly, of Student 1 and Student 2, Director of Equal Op- appropriately, or sensitively, then that’s someportunity and Title IX Coordinator Sharmaine thing they should let me know about, because LaMar said that she could not do so without a we’re always interested in improving the way we sense of when the incidents occurred, since in the approach these very serious and traumatizing past year and a half the college has undergone a types of incidents,” LaMar said. Though administrators and counseling sourcclose examination of its policies, practices, and types of resources available to students and re- es say that there have been major shifts in the source personnel. “I believe that the experiences college’s process of dealing with allegations of today would show that we’re being very support- sexual assault, it remains to be seen if the changes in policy and proliferation of resources and eduive,” LaMar said. As stated in a letter from President Rebecca cational efforts will result in a process that preChopp and Dean Liz Braun, emailed to the en- vents the recurrence of such deeply troubling tire college about a month after Epifano’s story stories as those of survivors of sexual assault at broke, over the last year the college has intensi- Swarthmore.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 7
The Phoenix
Gaming for Change
Q&A With Jane McGonigal: Jane McGonigal, Ph.D is a games developer and the author of “Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make us Better and How they Can Change the World.” Her work focuses on how social video games and collective intelligence can be used to solve major real world problems and help individuals live happier, more fulfilling lives. On Wednesday night she delivered a lecture entitled “Games to Change the World” as part of the Cooper Series. What initially got you thinking about ways of using video games to enact or promote positive global change? Little known story, actually: I started my PhD in the fall of 2001. I’d just moved from New York, showed up in Berkeley, and 9/11 happened. My husband and I had been playing a game that year called The Beast that was this online, collective intelligence, extreme scale collaboration game. It had ended in July but on 9/11 a lot of the players of the game came back to the game forums and said, “Maybe we can solve 9/11; we have this global distributed network, we have this amazing collective intelligence, let’s try to solve 9/11.” That morning, it was the first thing they thought of, and it wasn’t just one random person. It was hundreds of them. They had this whole debate, “Are we crazy? This is real, that was a game, we shouldn’t even be thinking like this, it makes us sound like we’re nuts,” and it got me thinking: Once we’re done with the game, have we learned anything that’s
actually applicable to real life, and, if so, how do we apply it? Although they didn’t “solve 9/11,” that got me interested. Were there lots of gamers who wanted to do real problem solving? Did the idea to make games specifically tailored to solve real world problems come from your research into the positive psychological effects of regular video game use? Kind of. I’m really just trying to fix the real world. I’m not trying to fix games, I don’t want you to stop playing whatever games you’re playing, you don’t even need to play them for fewer hours. I’m just trying to take all the stupid ways we do things in the rest of our lives— the way we run schools and workplaces and hospitals, and try to solve climate change—and make it work better. I don’t even necessarily think of what I’m doing in those spaces as making games. In my mind what I’m really doing is creating a massively open online chorus. I’m just happening to be inspired by things I know about, by game design and game psychology. In some ways, we might be better off not thinking about it as two kinds of games but thinking about it as trying to do everything else better than we do it now, and looking to games as inspiration for how to do it. More information about McGonigal can be obtained at her website, janemcgonigal.com.
OUTSIDE
the
BUBBLE
By CAMI RYDER
Christmas Village in Philadelphia November 22 — December 24 Love Park, Philadelphia
With the holiday season finally upon us, it seems especially fitting to celebrate with the third annual Philadelphia Christmas Village, located at the heart of the city in Love Park. Modeled after the traditional German Christmas Village, COURTESY OF PHILACHRISTMAS.COM the Philadelphia version features more than 50 vendors of food, drinks, ornaments, gifts, jewelry, arts & crafts and general holiday fare. Opening to the public on Thanksgiving Day, the Village boasts authentic European food, including bratwurst, lebkuchen (gingerbread cookies), Stollen holiday cake, mulled wine, funnel cakes and more. Running until Dec. 24, the Village is open Sunday - Thursday, from 11 - 7 p.m., and Friday & Saturday from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Admission is free.
2012 Philadelphia Marathon November 16 — November 18 Various locations in Philadelphia
.C W O KN O ET
V O S.L
ES
SY
E RT
U CO
F O
R ST
M O
If you like running, if fitness is your thing, or if you just enjoy the spectacle of people running for an extended period of time, then check out this weekend’s 2012 Philadelphia Marathon. Weaving through the streets of Philly, participants will end at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. If you have friends running in the marathon, there are many ‘Cheer Zones’ set up across the city. If you’re not keen on running, but still love your workout routine, then head on to the Health and Fitness Expo, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center this Friday and Saturday. The Expo boasts more than 80 vendors of running apparel, shoes and accessories, as well as product samples and tips on your health and fitness. The Expo is free and hosts an raffle. For more information, check out www.philadelphiamarathon.com.
Full Spectrum: Prints from the Brandywine Workshop Now — November 25, 2012 Philadelphia Museum of Art
ADRIANA OBIOLS/PHOENIX STAFF
As part of this year’s Cooper Series, game designer Jane McGonigal, who has given TED talks and appeared on both CNN and The Colbert Report, lectured yesterday evening in LPAC about how to use Internet games to solve some of the world’s more pressing issues.
In its last week at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Full Spectrum exhibition is not one to miss. Featuring works by Ibrahim Miranda, Sam Gilliam, Moe Brooker and Isaiah Zagar, the exhibit highlights prints that discuss “cultural identity, political and social issues, portraiture, and landscape, as well as patterning and pure abstraction.” The Brandywine Workshop is internationally renowned for its printmaking, and its celebration of diversity. The Philadelphia center is at the heart of the Philadelphia art community, and features many local artists. The exhibit is free with the paid general admission to the PMA. This Friday also features a performance by John Dowell for the Art After 5 event.
COURTESY OF PHILAMUSEUM.ORG
Living & Arts
PAGE 8
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Behind the Scenes: Rhythm ‘n Motion
The Tri-Co Troupe Prepares for Fall Performance By ALLI SHULTES Assistant Living & Arts Editor
Whatever excuses you may have for not attending Rhythm ‘n Motion’s annual fall dance performance this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. probably won’t hold up in the dancers’ books. Going out? Consider the show a pregame for RnM’s post-performance Wharton-D party. Tired? So are the performers — they spend roughly two hours a week on every number they will be showcasing on Saturday, with 11 pieces in total on the lineup. Got homework? So does Co-Director Griffin Dowdy ’13, whose thesis draft — due Sunday after the show — is probably significantly more stress-worthy than your economics problem set or 200-page political science reading. Besides, if past years’ attendance are any indicator of Saturday’s crowd, all the cool kids will be doing it. The Tri-Co troupe typically fills the Lang Performing Arts Center’s main stage — just under a thousand seats. Last year’s spring show pushed the fire capacity, with students squatting on stairs and in aisles to cheer on their friends. With 50 active members, chances are slim that you are without friends in the company. Co-Director Brian Lee ’14 believes it’s students’ personal relationships that drive audiences to the event each semester. “[When you] see RnM-ers [rehearsing] so often and putting so much time in, you can’t help but come and see what it’s all about,” Lee said. “When all that work is manifested in a final product ... it’s hard not to get excited.” Founded in 2001 by Jumatatu Poe ’04, who is now an Assistant Professor of Dance at the College, the group has evolved beyond its original focus on dance of the African diaspora to celebrate all underrepresented forms of movement and performance. In honoring the group’s roots, each show opens with a piece performed in the African tradition of umfundalai — a required rite of passage for all incoming performers. The dance troupe welcomes six to 10 new members each semester to boost numbers following graduation and study abroad departures. Typically, the audition process draws roughly 40 “newbie” hopefuls, although this year Lee and Dowdy saw numbers climb as high as 70. No formal dance training is required to audition, although admission into the troupe mandates enrollment into one of the many courses the Dance Department offers. All active members of RnM receive one vote in determining who to bring into the group. According to the Co-Directors, the decision is usually unanimous. Emphasis is placed on “broad-skilled dancers” over more specialized candidates. This year, the group has broadened its area of influence to include dance enthusiasts both at Swarth-
more and in the community. After hearing several students confess that they tried out for RnM because “it’s a good workout,” Dowdy and Lee decided to implement workshops offering basic dance instruction to the community-at-large. In the past month, dancers have additionally worked with the Dare2Soar program, which brings tutors from the college into Chester, in running a hip-hop workshop for interested children and teens in the community. As a performance-based group, a majority of RnM’s rehearsal time is spent on developing choreography and preparing for the semester-end show. Although technique doesn’t receive a huge time slot in practice schedules, dancers necessarily accumulate new skills in working to realize the visions of student choreographers. According to Lee, each piece requires a time commitment of roughly one to two hours a week. Dancers choose which pieces to participate in based on students’ informal showings of starting choreography at the beginning of the semester. Group members can choose to take part in anywhere from one to seven numbers in a given semester. Choreographers are typically “RnM veterans” willing to take on greater responsibility and an increased time commitment to the group. Dowdy, whose sixth piece of choreography for RnM dancers will be performed Sunday, typically spends an hour choreographing just 30 seconds of a routine — and according to Lee, he’s one of the fast ones. “Choreography is definitely a big commitment,” Dowdy said. “It’s a very vulnerable place to be because you have so much artistic authority over what’s happening. It’s also a painfully long process that involves taking in a million different variables about how you want things to read in the piece and how that balances out with how well the people in the dance are even able to put that out there. It’s a give and take, and a vulnerable and humbling process.” In addition to the group’s 11 pieces, the newly formed alternative dance group, Terpsichore, will be performing original choreography on Saturday night. “It’ll be interesting to see how we can work together in the future,” Lee said. “Even though there are other dance groups [in the TriCo, Terpsichore] is the first that’s really interested in public performances, and we’re excited to lend our support.” Audience support for both groups promises to be strong, as in past years. “[Crowds turn out] because of the environment that we create [in LPAC], and the expectation that [the event] is going to be full, and it’s going to be loud,” Dowdy said. “It reaches a very broad audience because of the amount of different styles we employ. You get to watch your friends ‘doing their thing’ ... and that brings people out — the expectation that it will be a good hour.” The doors open at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night — arrive early to claim a seat.
COURTESY OF CATHERINE XIANG
Rhythm ‘n Motion’s executive board (left) looks forward to another great performance. Dancers perform in last year’s shows (right).
Apocalyptic Thesis ‘All-One’ Premiers Before World’s End By JEANNETTE LEOPOLD Living & Arts Writer
Sophia Naylor’s obsession with death features prominently in her playwriting thesis, “All - One,” which will premiere this Friday at 7 p.m. in LPAC’s Frear. “I’m drawing on the apocalypse,” Naylor said in an interview. “The apocalypse is pretty in vogue. It’s been going in and out of style for a while, and now that we can destroy ourselves at any moment with global war, and with the Mayan 2012, it’s back in.” “I’m very kind of … morbid,” she said. “The apocalypse is a fascinating thing that’s tied into the meaning of life. And if you think about it in that sense, you think, ‘What if life — stopped.’” Naylor has been writing plays for some time now, though she started work on this particular play last semester. She was editing a play that she’d written for her playwriting class while writing this new one. However, Naylor said she never questioned which play she would use for her thesis: “I always thought I’d like the newest project to be my thesis, because I think each project feels like it’s getting exponentially better.” Her words closely echoed those of author Zadie Smith, who spoke at the college last week and commented that her favorite book is always her most recent one, because it feels the most right. “All – One” began as a play about sign language, which is one of Naylor’s interests. She changed the purpose from sign language to the apocalypse because she was interested in visuals, having a chorus, and exploring the relationship between what is spoken and what is seen. “The deaf culture battle between the hearing and the deaf world was too much to do along with the apocalypse, so I had to choose which was more important to me,” she said.
The apocalypse is a fascinating thing that’s tied into the meaning of life. And if you think about it in that sense, you think, ‘What if life — stopped. Sophia Naylor ‘13 When asked to give a synopsis of the play, she said, “There are three friends, Kate, Frederick, and May, who have been camping out all summer in a hovel in rural Ireland. But winter is coming— yes, I get the Game of Thrones reference—so that’s happening. They don’t have much time left [before winter]. Kate has synesthesia, but it has gone and she is convinced that she will find it. Iris, a young fairy, has found out that she is a bringer of Autumn, and therefore of death, and both she and Kate are afraid of dying.” The rest of the play involves Kate and Iris’ attempts to create a land of youth, a place where they will be forever young. “In the end, Kate’s main worry stops being about living forever, and becomes a fear of being forgotten, and whether or not she matters,” she added. Kate’s new fears seem very similar to a fear of death. Naylor clarified: “It’s like, if I have to die, at least I’ll leave something behind. But eventually that will also go, and will it matter that I existed? That’s the gist, more or less.” Swarthmore theater-goers will recall Kari Olmon’s dramaturgy thesis last week. Olmon’s thesis made use of Swarthmore actors, as well as set, lighting, costumes, and props. Naylor’s will be very different: her actors are professionals, and they will sit in a circle on a bare stage and read the play without any design elements. “I had to decide if I wanted to have blossoming professional actors without as much rehearsal time, or student actors with much more rehearsal time,” Naylor said. “Jill [director Jill Harrison] has been amazing at making sure that the text comes first. She doesn’t want to distract the audience. Jill always says, ‘Intention and clarity,’ and that’s what we’re going by.” Naylor said she’s learned a lot through this process, and that is has been very helpful for her to see her play read aloud as she works through it. “The actors ask questions like ‘What am I doing between scenes?’ and I’m like, ‘I have no idea. Let me go think about that.’ It’s made me think about what are the parts that are tricky in a good way, and what are the parts that need to be rewritten.” The first reading of Naylor’s play, earlier in the semester, was funny and thoughtful. After over a month of editing, it can only be more so. Come to the Frear on Friday night and Sunday night (not Saturday!) at 7 p.m. for an evening of apocalypse, mythical Ireland, and a new take on how to stage the reading of a play.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 9
The Phoenix
COURTESY OF DAVIDSEAH.COM
National Novel Writing Month at Swarthmore Past “Winners” Share Their Stories from the Month-Long Marathon By ALLI SHULTES Assistant Living & Arts Editor Take a moment and imagine your alltime best hand at Misery Poke – the twenty-page lab report, the twenty-hour problem set, the botched pass and lost match, the breakup and the breakdowns – and add 1,667 words. Now multiply by 30. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, affectionately, may seem like a form of self-imposed masochism, but for fiction lovers on campus, the challenge to produce 50,000 words in the month of November offers valuable incentive to plunge past writer’s block and into the heart of compositional chaos. Now in its eleventh year, the international write-athon draws hundreds of thousands of participants from all walks of life. Among the critics, opinions vary as to whether producing 1,667 words a day for 30 days a novelist makes. “Salon” cofounder Laura Miller, former author of the New York Times book review column “The Last Word,” published a piece in 2010 titled “Better Yet, DON’T Write That Novel” that criticizes the hype surrounding NaNoWriMo when “the last thing the world needs is more bad books.” The rumored moans and groans of publishers notwithstanding, many feel the exercise is valuable for aspiring novelists. The event has now spurred the publication of over 100 novels submitted by participants, including “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, which has since been turned into a feature film. It’s also generated spin-
off projects like Camp NaNoWriMo (a summer challenge for those whose November schedules are inflexible) and the Youth Writers Program (a modified word count for 17-and-under participants). Swarthmore students aren’t the only undergraduates intrigued by the project. In 2009, Stanford University added “Topics in Intermediate Fiction Writing: NaNoWriMo” to the English Department’s course offerings. The course’s syllabus, which reassured potential participants that their novel needn’t be “good at all,” nonetheless emphasized the skills to be acquired through the month-long marathon. “In the trenches of this creation you will gain a much greater sense of large fictive structure,” course Professors Tom Kealey and Scott Hutchins wrote. “ You’ll also sharpen your skills at the aspects of fiction writing less seen in short stories, but more common to novels: plot, props, secondary “flat” characters, position change, dynamic scening, one-way doorways, summary, exposition, and fluid movement through time... Our creative process together will tend to be a wacky, crazy free-for-all. ” For four-time NaNoWriMo participant Ben Schwartz ’13, there is no trepidition to bestow the title “novelist” on the winners of NaNoWriMo. “I believe anyone can write a novel,” he said with conviction. “Not everyone can write a good novel. But if you write 50,000 words, you are a novelist, and that’s really pretty cool.” Success rates are slim. Of last year’s 256,618 registered national participants, only 36,848 met the 50,000-word goal by the end of the month. Swarthmore’s standard – as in most other areas – is slightly
Illustration By Renu Nadkarni
higher: in Schwartz’s experience, roughly five to six writers succeed in meeting 50,000 words by the end of the month, out of a starting group that typically ranges from 10 to 15 students. Sarah Geselowitz ’16, a two-time NaNoWriMo champion, met the word count for the first time five years ago – as an eighth grader. “I just saw it on the internet and thought it sounded fun,” she said nonchalantly. “Winners” registered through NaNoWriMo must submit their manuscripts for evaluation before receiving certificates to prove their success, in the instance that the novel itself doesn’t do the job. Beyond verifying word count, the organization determines that cheating strategies – repeating a word fifty-seven times to meet the word count, for example – have not been employed to meet the challenge. Schwartz’s first year as a NaNoWriMo participant fell far short of the benchmark word count. A collection of short stories set in Chicago with magical undertones rung in at 22,000 words when he decided to surrender the challenge in 2008. However, his success the past three years places him securely in the ranks of November’s literary elite. He produced 64,000 words in 2009 in a project that compiled a series of roleplaying adventures from an online game he created (think Dungeons and Dragons, only freeform and virtually-based), and in 2010 and 2011 he completed parts one and two of what is now a 90,000-word novel on a thirteen-year-old girl’s appropriation as a super-weapon by a government at war. This November’s double theses requirements necessitated Schwartz’s withdrawal from the competition. Geselowitz’s current endeavor takes the form of a frame novel, in which characters create layers by lapsing into stories of their own. “So far, the furthest I’ve gotten is five layers deep,” Geselowitz said. “It’s really fun, because it means that whenever I get bored, I can go up or down a level. I don’t have a responsibility to continue with a story.” The range of generic influences is, in Schwartz’s opinion, characteristic of NaNoWriMo writers and their work. “The thing about [NaNoWriMo] is that it’s about getting you to write,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what you write. There are many NaNo rebels who aren’t quite doing a novel. Maybe it’s a 50,000-word autobiography, or a 50,000-word graphic novel, or a project you’ve already started – the goal is just getting you to write.” While Schwartz edited and polished the novels he produced for the past three challenges, he noted that writers who don’t choose to salvage the whole project nonetheless often retain certain characters or scenes as they move onto future literary endeavors. Citing a quote commonly attributed to Ray Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451,” he emphasized that the take-away from the challenge isn’t neces-
sarily the writing produced, but the act of producing written work. “In order to write your first great novel, you have to write a million shitty words first,” he said. To bulldoze through a 200th of those million shitty words every fall, Schwartz and Geselowitz strategically employ personal reward systems to drive their writing through the dog days of November, although to different ends. Schwartz annually replaces the notorious freshmen fifteen with a November nine-to-ten pound weight gain, fueled by his insatiable love of chocolate (one cookie per 500 words). Geselowitz considers novel-writing to be its own reward after completing her course assignments. Both writers spend between one and two hours writing every day, splitting the project up into manageable blocks of time to maximize efficiency and minimize burnout. Schwartz’s involvement in NaNoWriMo extends beyond his past projects. As a summer intern for the nonprofit Young Writers Program of the NaNoWriMo Office for Letters and Light, he worked to develop free curriculum plans for educators looking to incorporate the month’s mission into after-school programs or classroom enterprises. The Young Writers Program allows participants younger than 17 to set their own word count challenge while exploring the writing process. Included on the website are “pep talks” to encourage participants and resources for educators. Last year, the program saw 1,800 classrooms participate. Schwartz sees the value for young participants resting in the challenge’s expansion of educational and social awareness. “The most important part [of the program] is that you’re not just understanding the writing process, you’re understanding the act of storytelling, and how and why stories are made. You get a deeper understanding of what a story is. That can’t be learned by observation – you have to learn by writing your own. Understanding narratives gives [you] a deepened awareness of classical literature, but also the movies and the T.V. shows you watch, a depended awareness of the media-scape… you become aware of [the] tricks of trade, and how and why stories affect us.” The same benefits apply to college-aged writers. For those who have considered the event and written it off due to a busy schedule, Schwartz suggests that November is the time to jump in. “My advice would be if you want to write, write,” Schwartz said. “I know so many people at Swarthmore, and friends from other schools… who say, ‘yeah, I want to be a writer, I have some great ideas that I just have to sit down and outline.’ Do it – sit down and write it. That’s the difference between a writer and everyone else – a writer puts the stories in his head down on the page.”
PAGE 10
Living & Arts
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
DORM DIVE
Tri-Coast Living in Palmer Hall
Richard Scott Price Ferchill Thera Naiman
By MAYRA TENORIO Living & Arts Writer
Inside Palmer, students Richard Scott ’14, Price Ferchill ’14 and Thera Naiman ’14 have creatively brought a “Tri-Coast” feel to our Tri-Co community. The three friends found each other through a mildly complicated process that included middle school friends, a random assortment of first year roommates, and Swarthmore athletics. Ferchill explained that most students, like them, block into Palmer but “[they] don’t keep to themselves,” which allows the development of a larger hall life when compared to dorms like Pittinger. Moreover, Palmer has a spacious lounge on the first floor equipped with many couches and a pool and ping-pong table; during hurricane Sandy, this was the favorite hangout spot noted Naiman. The “Tri-Coast” theme was methodically planned by the three friends prior to moving in. Naiman explained that “the differences in our rooms are symbolic of our personalities,” and moreover, aim to distinguish where each friend is originally from. Naiman is from California, Ferchill from Texas, and Scott from Pennsylvania. Furthermore, from left to right the friends’ rooms are in order of time zones, representing the West, Midwest and East coast. Scott’s room is on the far east. His room has large windows which he leaves open to keep his room at a “comfortable
Thera is going to be on Survivor, Price will be on Big Brother or ... Jersey Shore and I would be on The Amazing Race or The Apprentice. We’re going to be stars. Richard Scott ’14 58 degrees”; the cold adds to the East Coast feel. He has posters of Maine and Donald Trump, a “true New Yorker.” Scott grew up not far from Swarthmore College, and admits most things in his room are from his living room. He has various Polish pottery, a large rug in the middle of the floor, and a couch in front of a window on the far right side of the room. Aside from borrowing things from home, Scott admitted to going through a “klepto phase last year.” Near the door he has a David Hasselhoff poster which he
and his dad stole from a gas station. He also has a large maroon traffic cone that Scott confessed is “once again stolen.” Scott is on the cross-country team at Swarthmore and has used the number tags from his meets to decorate the wall that faces the door. Around the room, near the ceiling are also small drawing cut-outs ranging from small men in business suits to the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine chasing down a ghost. According to Scott, the three friends share a love for reality TV. “Thera is going to be on Survivor, Price will be on Big Brother or the next establishment of the Jersey Shore and I would be on The Amazing Race or The Apprentice,” he said.“We’re going to be stars” he added. Next is Ferchill’s room, who describes its decor as “minimalist chic.” The only decorations in Ferchill’s room are on the wall to the right of his room. He said he does not want to distract from the architecture of the room because “its got great angles.” Hanging on the wall are a couple of old license plates along with sport caps from golf tournaments he’s played in. “I’m more of an accent guy,” he said, plus they are “cost effective” since he did not have to pay for decorations. Very proudly displayed near the entrance of his room are his golf clubs. Ferchill is on the golf team and according to Scott, he often plays out in the hall. Naiman indicated that “the empty space in his room represents the open spaces in Texas.” To amplify the Texan feel, Ferchill has a number of small cacti along his windowsill. Sadly, he explained he did not bring them from Texas but purchased them from Home Depot. He noted real Texan cacti “might be difficult to get through security.” Naiman and Scott asserted that Ferchill is like a cactus. “Prickly and short” chimed in Scott jokingly, though Ferchill quickly repudiated with a loud “no,” stating “they’re unique.” “They’re resilient...it’s hard to kill a cactus,” explained Naiman. Considering Ferchill is an engineering major and moreover, has little to no storage place in his closet, one can argue he is resilient like his cacti. To the left lies Naiman’s vibrant West
coast room. On the wall adjacent to her bed are pages from Sunset Magazine depicting coastal scenes. “I miss living near the ocean,” she admits. There is also a Singin’ in the Rain poster, one of Naiman’s favorite movies which also follows her theme by taking place in Hollywood. Colorful lights adorn her window; below these is her “Survivor shrine” which includes a signed picture of Survivor contestant Yau-Man Chan. On the wall opposite her bed are newspaper articles featuring “quirky old people” said the history major who noted, “maybe that’s why I like [them].” Naiman believes two plush bats are most representative of her. They’re magnetic and are easily transportable throughout room. “I’m gravitational,” she explains. Naiman also plays the violin and is the treasurer of Swat’s mariachi band, which explains the sombreros found throughout her room. Near her door are her prized set of Agatha Christie mystery novels and various board and card games. According to Naiman, she and Ferchill are the best Trivial Pursuit team out of all their friends. Aside from games, Ferchill mentioned “our favorite pastime is embarrassing one another.” The three friends often “play pranks on each other” which they agreed could
ALL PHOTOS BY MARTIN FROGER-SILVA
simply not be “mentioned out loud.” The overall environment in Palmer is one of “family” described Naiman. Scott voiced how many students complain about PPR being off campus, but in reality “it’s not that far away.” Ferchill noted that Swarthmore students “are a little spoiled” due to the privileges Swarthmore’s small campus provides compared to bigger schools. For Richard, walking “one minute longer for a bigger room” is a good deal, especially when he gets to enjoy the company of his friends from coast to coast.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 11
The Phoenix
Abraham Opens His Identity, Leaves It On the Pavement
CO UN CIL AD AN CE BA M LA OF A ST Y CO UR TE
The open stage is set only with a basketball hoop at its back-right corner. The first dancer saunters onstage to the hearty strum of a dusty guitar, stock music that could have been pulled from a Western movie. The twang of guitar strings reverberate through the auditorium for several minutes and someone a few rows back whispers, “I thought this was a hip-hop show.” “No, no,” her friend corrects, “this is a modern dance show.” The music gives way to a recognizably hip-hop beat and the succeeding movements are accompanied by jazz, Motown love ballads, and classical music. By the end of Pavement, a new piece by choreographer Kyle Abraham, it was still unclear whether the label of a single genre could encapsulate the variety of movements. Abraham and his dance company, Abraham.in.Motion, brought movement and techniques to LPAC Friday night that were as varied as the music that accompanied them. Dancers twirled to Bach with strict form and graceful elongation. At first this seems at odds with the urban setting the show makes pains to establish by playing recordings of traffic and street life and the affected dialects the dancers employ in the few, brief instances of dialogue. And these segments of traditional dance would seem odd, if they were not so fully integrated into the performance. The dancers will use their bodies to speak joy and revelation to the valuating strings of Vivaldi, but then their movement will be disrupted and as they stumble, swirling ballet will fall away to macho, chest-heaving pops to the beats of rap producer Hudson Mohawke. “He’s kind of the contemporary dance ‘it guy’ in New York and I’d seen his stuff online for a couple of years,” said Swarthmore dance professor Jumatatu Poe. “I thought what he was doing was really exciting: that there were different worlds living inside his body. The worlds of social dance, in which I include hip-hop, but also the classical worlds learned in the studio.” Students agreed. “It was a nice break from seeing the story told though hip-hop and rough movement,” said Sebastían Bravo ’13. “It brought a lot of issues to the table and did it very thoughtfully.” “The idea that you had the gritty fight scenes sometimes set to opera music created this really interesting tension,” said Carmen Smith-Estrada ’14. The piece used fluid transitions between styles of movement to show the emotions that lie beneath the surface of day-to-day life. A sequence of modern dance wherein two dancers playfully grappled with each other gave way to aggressive, sharp movement when one dancer playfully slapped the other and the movement devolved into a fight. One of the show’s most startling moments began innocently as a dancer asked those passing to lend him a dollar. He asked, “Yo man can you help me out? I need to get a lottery ticket. I know it’s my lucky day,” but over the course of a few minutes, his requests became stripped down, devolving into cries of “Help me,” that were ignored by those who passed. Even more disturbing was the way that this dialogue slipped back into disaffected cadences and he asked, “Hey brother I wanna get a sandwich. Can you help me out?” “There are moments of it that I still think about,” Bravo said. “Like the image of the man screaming ‘Help me’ has really stayed with me. I don’t want to delve into it too much; it was just beautiful as an image.” As a collection of cathartic moments without an obvious narrative intention, Pavement left audience members with unanswered questions, but not unsatisfied. “While I’m still trying to figure out what the movements meant,” said Smith-Estrada, “I really enjoyed it in that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I walked away not knowing what to make of it, but I think the point wasn’t to walk away knowing the plot line. I think it was all a product of his own identity.” “The way that all these things were juggled and switched back and forth were reflected in [the protoganist’s] everyday life, “ Poe said. “There’s a lot coming together in his body and I wanted students to see this.”
.OR G
By TAYLOR HODGES Living & Arts Writer
Living & Arts
PAGE 12
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Searching Through Philly for Hidden Treasure
COURTESY OF BLOGS.PHILADELPHIAWEEKLY.COM
COURTESY OF HERCAMPUS.COM
COURTESY OF BLOGS.PHILADELPHIAWEEKLY.COM
Look to South Street’s Sophisticated Seconds to Score
Sophisticated Seconds offers expensive outfits at convenient prices from a convenient South Street location.
Sophisticated Seconds is a small consignment shop located right on South Street, that offers secondhand clothing, accessories GABRIELA and home goods for low reasonable prices. CAMPOVERDE and There is also a second location on Sansom Street, Swat Smart closer to Rittenhouse Shopping Square. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Price: $$ 2204 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 215.546.0784 During a bus trip to South Street, my friend (and partner in crime) and I grew impatient. After catching a glimpse of a small consignment store right on our bus route, we knew exactly what we had to do. I pressed the stop request, and within 30 seconds, we were off the bus and hustling down the streets to get to our new desti-
nation. Sophisticated Seconds offers a lot of merchandise for female customers. Upon entering, you are immediately greeted by home décor, which offers a myriad of items from candlesticks to jewelry boxes, and that can easily be placed in a dorm to liven up the room. Moreover, you are placed in front of a rack of jackets, which vary in style and color. Racks are separated by size to avoid the inevitable disappointment that follows the realization that something you really like is two sizes too large or small. Along the sides of the shop, you have racks filled with sweaters, long sleeve tops and bottoms. There are a couple of racks for men’s clothing, but they contain few noteworthy items. In the rear, there are linens and pajamas and slips. In small niches throughout the store, you can spot displays of handbags and shoes, all placed together according to color patterns. Although Sophisticated Seconds promises to provide discounts according
to the color of the tag on certain items, I did not encounter many sale items during my trip. Some items, however, were permanently marked down, but these, from what I observed, only included solid colored slips. One of the things that I liked the most was that there were a few unexpected items found here that you rarely see at most consignment stores this small such as packaged tights, gloves with tags still in tact, and small jeweled clutches. One of the downfalls to this shop is that you should not come with the expectation to find anything specific. Like any other thrift and consignment shops, Sophisticated Seconds cannot guarantee to have some version of a plain white tee you desperately need or a pair of black booties in your size. If you do decide to go, be sure not to rush so that you don’t miss out on anything. While I rummaged through the racks, I did make a few awesome finds. I encountered a Vince cashmere sweater
Thanksgiving Day
Need Advice? Ask Nestor! Dear Swatties: Just a reminder to send your troubles to dearnestor@ swarthmorephoenix.com to receive advice from your friendly campus advice columnist! In my day-to-day life, I have loved helping my co-workers, fellow students, friends and family overcome the many bumps in each of their respective roads. However, what I have struggled with is not being able to advise those whom I share very little to no contact with on campus and beyond. As a result, I am thrilled to finally make my wish of helping all of you who I do not know a reality. This will work by you submitting an anecdote to “Nestor” describing a relationship, friendship, family, sex, academic, career or general life issue that you would like advice on. You can submit the anecdote electronically by emailing dearnestor@swarthmorephoenix.com. If you prefer to submit by hand, you can also turn the submission into The Phoenix via campus mail. Let me stress that if you decide to send an email, your comments will be ANONYMOUS. ANONYMOUS!!!! ANONYMOUS!!!! I want to conclude by saying that I do not think of myself as a relationship, friendship, family, sex, academic, career or life advice guru. However, I have experience working with friends, family, students and psychologists dealing with a number of different social issues. Whether these conflicts, dilemmas or inquiries were considered common or uncommon, I have gathered ways that I find work best to tackle the obstacles faced in our day-to-day lives. I want to stress that my advice is subjective, and stemming from my own experience. Oftentimes, there is no “right” way to deal with an issue; there could be multiple ways. I am looking forward to listening to and advising you on issues that you encounter in your lives. My next column will run in next week’s edition -- be sure to check it out! Best, Nestor
for $27 which would normally be priced for over $100. There was also a Rebecca Taylor two-piece suit ($40) in mint condition, typically around $250. The most surprising thing for me was that the jewelry was relatively expensive. There were few options under $8, which caught me off guard since I always see these kinds of shops as ideal places to take advantage of cheap jewelry. I was not a huge fan of the selection as I saw that very few pieces could be for everyday use.f Overall, I was content with what I encountered. During this trip, I bought a simple wired bronze colored headband ($8) that I can use with pretty much anything, a sequined black button-down sleeveless top from Tahari ($21) and a plain, black silk top ($2) which was an amazing bargain. All these items were in perfect condition, so I could not have asked for more. I look forward to one day stumbling upon Sophisticated Seconds again, to be stunned once again by the treasures I can find in this small shop.
ACROSS 1. Closeby 5. Video-chat 9. Sicilian volcano 10. Protagonist 11. Disposable handkerchief, in the singular 13. __ Bean, clothing brand 15. Thanksgiving dessert 17. Pirate affirmative 18. Military vehicle 19. “Saddle” between two mountains 21. Thanksgiving dish of light and dark 24. Now that you’ve solved this one, all the chemistry clues argon 25. Pimples 26. Greenpeace is one 28. Break 32. Paddle 33. Railway 34. Albany, from Philadelphia 35. I see the glass as halfway to this DOWN 1. For tides, highest of the low and lowest of the high 2. ___, Brute? 3. What comes alive in the dark of the night, according to Ke$ha 4. Guttural 5. Feng ___ 6. Eager 7. Annum 8. Law enforcement 12. Draw with pencil 14. Implement, as a tax
16. Pad Thai ___ 19. Clergyman 20. A kidney is one 22. Come together 23. Give back weapons 27. Salem state
29. Beat one’s foot 30. Alternate abbreviation for UConn? 31. Ether BY PRESTON COOPER
For the solution to this week’s puzzle, see The Phoenix’s online edition at www.swarthmorephoenix.com under Multimedia.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 13
The Phoenix
Beer Behind the Curtain: Why Visit a Brewery? Every time you step into a liquor store or sit down at a bar you are forced to make a choice – which beer do you want to drink? Do you want to drink at all if nothing strikes your fancy? After style, one of my main considerations in deciding my selection is where the beer itself is made. In general, I prefer to buy local beer when possible (though without sacrificing taste) because I enjoy supporting breweries from the area in which I’m currently drinking said beer. Because I’m a New Jersey native and obviously a current Swarthmore resident, this means that I generally buy from PA (because other than Flying Fish, NJ beer is lacking). However, when I’m traveling my policy is the same; whether in Portland, ME or D.C., I make it a point to buy something that reflects the local flavors, styles and tastes. BRAD Though this is purely LENOX my opinion, I do believe there are some objective Brew’s Clues benefits to buying local. In much the same ethos as the locavore food movement or the “farm to table” paradigm, your purchase is directly benefiting your local economy, encouraging entrepreneurship and family-owned, community-oriented business practices. Moreover, there is the intangible element of pride that comes from supporting the things that make your town or city special. Brandishing your Troegs bottle proudly is no different than wearing your Phillies hat around, except public drinking is very much illegal and generally frowned upon (damn Puritans). Though this is harder if your brand is Budweiser or Heinekin, for most people it is very possible to meet face-to-face the people directly responsible for making the beer you drink. Given the number of breweries in the country (around 2,000), most people live within driving
distance of at least one brewery, regardless of size. Swatties who are interested in doing so have little excuse, because we are minutes away from a brewpub (Iron Hill, which has been lauded in earlier columns), and a 20-minute train ride from 2 major regional breweries, Yards and Philadelphia Brewing Company, without counting the numerous brewpubs in the city limits (Nodding Head, Dark Horse and The Farmer’s Cabinet, among others) and on the Main Line. In less than an hour by car you can reach Victory or Troegs, and Dogfish Head a little over 2 hours. Basically, if you have the desire to visit a brewery, you can. The question is, should you? Most breweries offer regular guided, or often unguided, tours – usually on weekends and sometimes by appointment – along with free samples and and the opportunity to buy beer at the gift shop. While a brewery visits are often an excellent way to spend an afternoon, especially if you or your companions have never been on one before, not all tours are created equal. It might come as a bit of a shock (or not at all, but I’m not picky) given my enthusiasm for craft beer, but just because people make beer doesn’t mean they have to be good hosts. Sometimes they can even be assholes. My advice then for visiting breweries is fairly simple. Number one, if you have never seen the inside of a brewery, period, then plan a day trip and do it. While people might not want to see where some of their food comes from (sausage comes to mind, as does Mountain Dew) being able to visualize the raw materials, the machinery and the process that goes into making the finished product you buy is both illuminating and empowering. You are able to see first-hand the people whose labor goes into your enjoyment, and the aesthetics of a brewhouse, while maybe unpleasant to some,
are very powerful. The sweetness of the malt, the musky dankness of hops, the spice of yeast and the heat of brew kettles can make what otherwise might seem like a dry, packaged food product, come alive. Which is especially important to beer, because, well, it is alive. However, if you are trying to decide whether to take the time to make a second or third pass – say, for example, you are visiting Seattle and want to check out some local breweries – it is more difficult to justify the investment with simple aesthetics. What is a time-strapped beer enthusiast to do? First of all, though most breweries in this country are about as old as I am, there are some that are worth visiting for historical purposes alone. For example, Yuengling – the most Pennsylvanian thing in PA – also has the honor of being the country’s oldest, continually operated brewery. Though most of their production now takes place in Florida of all places, the original Pottsville, PA location is still up, running and available for tours. I had the pleasure of visiting Yuengling two summers ago, and while the normal spiel about how beer is made was nothing new, I was also able to see old-school brass brew kettles (and weird WPA-era murals) along with pre-prohibition underground tunnels, originally used for cooling and storage. Moreover, I was able to meet Dick Yuengling, the current owner and direct descendant of the original founder. Basically, because of the unique historical importance of the brewery, the tour went from pedestrian to awesome. Unlimited samples at the end doesn’t hurt either. Which brings me to my second point: what food and drink a brewery decides to serve can be a make or break a visit. For example, Dogfish Head has two main locations in coastal DE, with the main production facility in Milton
and the original brewpub and distillery in Rehoboth Beach. For a company that claims to be the epitome of craft beer’s “quirky” side – their giftshop is stocked with Patagonia collaboration apparel – they have one of the most soul crushingly corporate tours I have ever experienced. Not only do you have to make scheduled appointments for tours, the 45 minute process consists mainly of a long-haired, sandal wearing guide reminding eager listeners how “off-centered” their beer is. While it was nice to see some standouts – for example, the massive 10,000 wooden fermenter tank made from Palo Santo wood from Paraguay – seeing stainless steel cylinders and bottling lines gets old. And when your tour concludes with a limited number of shark-shaped drink voucher “tokens,” you can’t help but feel like you’ve just finished your first ride at Disney world. Dogfish Head offered nothing special in their gift shop beer wise, offered nothing substantive to sample, and generally felt about as stingy as the Big Guys they are fighting against. The brewpub, on the other hand, offers location-specific beers and the chance to try DFH liquors (rum, gin and vodka) – too bad the “Visitor Center” isn’t there. Unfortunately, given the space that my column is allowed, I feel like I have left my diligent readers at a bit of a cliff. The rant that this could have been would take a newspaper twice as large, but I’ll leave you all with a few final words: if you’ve never been on a tour, go, especially if its your local brewery that’s at question. Otherwise, do you research online and see if the trip is worth it because more times than not, it isn’t. My next column will not be a Tours, Part 2, but instead will focus on some interesting non-beer elements of the beer world – packaging, labels and general brewery culture. Cheers and happy drinking.
The Death of Ballet: A Definition
What Do Classical Dance and a Swarthmore Education Have In Common? More Than You Think I met Galia in Mark Wallace’s firstyear seminar on religion and literature, and I knew she was a dancer from the start. She started her dancing career in ballet. For thirteen years, from three to sixteen, she had a passionate relationship with it, constantly struggling with the feeling that ballet was a rigid and glamorous perfectionism that was anathema to freedom, but also loving the structure SAM and beauty that it contained. Ballet emZHENG bodied masochism, Vowel Movements endurance, and endless ambition. She practiced relentlessly. It was also a metaphor for the objectification that she felt in her life. She felt her identity was reduced to her achievements, as the world champion ballet dancer, the tennis player, the straight-A student. Ballet was a major source of her eating disorder. At sixteen, she won first place in a prestigious world ballet contest in Barcelona for an original solo act, where she performed those feelings in a dance based on Barbie. Barbie, like her, was objectified and crippled by perfection.
A judge at the contest was so touched by erything through the lens of academia the dance that she cried. She could have reminded her of the perfectionism of gone anywhere at that point, but she ballet. Everything other than her intelchose the riskiest possible path: she quit. lectualism was written off and ignored. She switched to African dancing later Likewise, there was the same masochism, the same ambithat year, and detion, and the same scribed her process endless endurance of loosening up seemingly for its as one of the most Swarthmore’s intense own sake. This difficult and parafocus on channeling was overwhelmdoxical struggles ing to her, and she of her life – an ineverything through transferred out of tense overcoming the lens of academia Swarthmore after of self-doubt and her first semester. a lifetime’s worth reminded her of the Are we like of inhibitions. In perfectionism of ballet. the ballet? That is the process, she the question that overcame her eatEverything other than Swarthmore Coling disorder, and lege must ask itbecame one of the her intellectualism was Is our beauty, fullest, most viwritten off and ignored. self. like Galia’s ballet, brant human beinextricable from ings I have ever death? met. It’s not a question that can be anShe came to Swarthmore expecting an affirmation of the liberation-seeking side swered easily. It is at once intimate and of her identity. She wanted a community political, and asks us to tangle with the who understood her fight against objec- personal and interpersonal forces that bring us together. If you are honest about tification and repression. And they did – on paper. Swarth- asking it though, consider taking a weekmore’s intense focus on channeling ev- end off and traveling to New York. Or
take a year off and go to China. I don’t offer Galia’s experience as consolation for anyone else who might feel stifled at Swarthmore. It’s different for everyone. Some people are happy here. Some people are trying to make friends and are frustrated. Others are overworked and don’t have enough time for their own commitments. None of those are mutually exclusive either. Some people are happy, overworked, and frustrated, all in one. The question is whether the mixture is liberating or noxious for you. Or maybe it’s both. In any case, socially sanctioned times to think about the future are rare, and there might not be many opportunities given to you to truly reflect before graduation. It’s up to you to seize those quiet moments for yourself. I don’t think the question is whether Galia could have made it work here, but rather whether it would have been worth it for her. It is for some people, and it isn’t for others. She seems to be doing fine in New Orleans, meeting new people every day, participating in the local community as a member rather than an observer, and immersing herself in its imperfection. There are no right or wrong answers — this is your life, not Swat’s.
Living & Arts
PAGE 14
The Phoenix
The Bi-Co Bubble Looking to break the Swarthmore bubble next semester? Have trouble finding classes you’re curious about on campus? Check out these Tri-Co courses at Haverford and Bryn Mawr. Course Name: Erotica Campus: Bryn Mawr Department: Political Science Description: The course explores the relationship between love and art, “eros” and “poesis,” through in-depth study of Plato’s “Phaedus” and “Symposium,” Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and “Antony and Cleopatra,” and essays by modern commentators (including David Halperin, Anne Carson, Martha Nussbaum, Marjorie Garber, and Stanley Cavell). We will also read Shakespeare’s Sonnets and “Romeo and Juliet.” Course Name: The End of the World as We Know It Campus: Haverford Department: Religion Description: Why are people always predicting the coming endtime? This course will explore the genre of apocalypse, looking for common themes that characterize this form of literature. Our primary source readings will be drawn from the Bible and non-canonical documents from the early Jewish and Christian traditions. We will use an analytical perspective to explore the social functions of apocalyptic, and ask why this form has been so persistent and influential. Course Name: Early Modern Pirate Campus: Bryn Mawr Department: History Description: This course will explore piracy in the Americas in the period 1550-1750. We will investigate the historical reality of pirates and what they did, and the manner in which pirates have entered the popular imagination through fiction and films. Pirates have been depicted as lovable rogues, anti-establishment rebels, and enlightened multiculturalists who were skilled in dealing with the indigenous and African peoples of the Americas. The course will examine the facts and the fictions surrounding these important historical actors. Course Name: Topics in Urban Studies: Philadelphia Architecture Campus: Bryn Mawr Department: Growth and Structure of Cities Description: A mid-level course that explores how we understand and write about architecture and architectural history, based on the analysis of visual materials, close reading of texts, and visits to actual sites.; Current topic description: An exploration of the architecture and evolution of the Philadelphia area over three centuries. A local focus will allow both first-hand experience of buildings and reference to period archival evidence as a basis for constructing a nuanced understanding of the subject.
‘Riley Road’ Breaks Out
Local Teenage Talent Hits World Cafe This past Thursday, I journeyed out to the World Café Live in Philadelphia to see Riley Road perform in their first headlining show. Readers might recall my earlier interview piece about Riley Road, but for those who missed it, I’ll talk briefly about the band. Riley Road is made up of three 15-16 year olds from the Philadelphia area: guitarist/vocalist Nick Cianci (son of Tony Cianci, Swarthmore ’86), drummer Isaiah Weatherspoon, and bassist Brandon Walker. They’ve been playing music together for about two years and have steadily won local competition after competition. They play a brand DEBORAH of bluesy rock and have great chemisKRIEGER try, a real sense of camaraderie as well as talent to spare. Expect big things I on the Arts from this local trio. I had previously seen Riley Road for the first time at this same venue in August, when they were competing in a Battle of the Bands competition, which they won handily. I was blown away by the charm and energy the three boys displayed on stage. Performing seems to come naturally to them, and they clearly enjoy one another’s presence onstage and off. The boys played a mix of covers and original material on Thursday night, introduced several new songs, and balanced the blues, blues-rock and rock aspects of their set quite well. They opened their set with an instrumental groove, a cover of “Cissy Strut” by The Meters that got the crowd energized immediately. They then segued into their debut of a new song, called “Better Man.” “Better Man” is already a huge step forward artistically and creatively for this young band; it is an up-tempo number with a heavy drumbeat courtesy of Isaiah, and a catchy, compelling, smoky vocal line from Nick complemented by his impressively technical guitar solo, that really showed his guitar chops. Riley Road then played another cover, this one of “The Letter” (made famous by the Box Tops), which was a bluesy track with soulful vocals, followed by a cover of “Worried Down With the Blues” (written by Warren Haynes, who was in both the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule, two of Nick’s favorite bands), this one a slow, melting jazzy number. A highlight of the night soon followed:
Riley Road’s well-executed cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” done with a more rock edge. The crowd’s enthusiasm grew with each song. The band then took a short break, and Nick addressed the audience, thanking us for coming to support Riley Road. He reflected on it being “surreal” hearing Riley Road on the radio. His sincerity and appreciation of the band’s loyal cadre of fans earned the band another round of applause. The boys then jumped back into performing, playing “Tied to Me” (which has received lots of play on WXPN), the opening track from their EP. I’d heard this song so many times before that it felt like a classic already. This song in particular demonstrated the band’s perfectly attuned ability to jam with each other and not drown out any of the other members. This earlier track in the band’s discography focused less on technical prowess and more on the band’s natural ability to gel. They then played another track from their EP, titled “Easily”, which compared to their other songs had a more bluesy and ballad-y feeling with chugging guitars. Another highlight of the evening came next, a new track that is still untitled. This new song was a leap back into the past sonically for the boys. It was more rock than blues and even seemed to have a 1950’s dance-hall feel, but still was anchored by deep bluesy undertones. Brandon’s bass in particular shone during this new track. The boys then finished out the night with a mix of originals and covers and concluded with an extremely enjoyable number, a cover of “Rocking Horse” by Gov’t Mule with a long instrumental section where the boys really showed off their technical abilities. Isaiah’s drum solo was absolutely incredible, with changing tempos and time signatures that roused the crowd again and again. The band thanked the crowd and left, only to return for an excellent encore, joined by another guitarist, Conor McCarthy, and an organ player, Devin Calderin. This cover of “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers had a full, rich sound and a thrilling building intensity. It made for a splendid encore. This small, intimate concert displayed a trio of boys with a big sound. Riley Road is sure to hit it big soon and they will deserve every inch of their success.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
A Soldier’s Silent Night David Toland is an EVS Technician whose new column, Can You Dig It?, details his experiences at Swarthmore, in the US Army, and with his three children: a daughter, Hunter, 11; and two sons, Noah, 13, and David, 12. Driven by an enjoyment of poetry and digital storytelling fostered in Learning for Life, David is writing to share his life experiences with the Swarthmore community. The holiday season is upon us, and all the craziness has started. Many people are excited about being off school for a month or off work for some time. Holiday parties, mad rushes to the stores, trimming the Christmas tree, and singing Christmas carols. The truth is that we are so spoiled and blessed that we don’t even realize it. I am still amazed that at this time DAVID of year many people still think Christmas is all TOLAND about the gifts. I have to tell you, it truly turns my stomach. If your biggest worry is if you’re getting Can You Dig It? the new iPhone 5 or another new item that just came out, it’s pretty sad and selfish. We have so many military troops around the world that won’t be home with their families during this holiday season. Many men and women are still in combat zones fighting for us. No matter how good or bad you think life is, wake up each day and be thankful for life. Someone somewhere else is fighting to survive. On Christmas day when you’re at your church services, just think of the men and women that are serving in harm’s way that are wearing bullet-proof vests and cavalier helmets at their church services. It is very sad and brings tears to my eyes knowing that there are families that can’t be together because they are out there making sure all of us can be. At this very second as you’re reading this article, there is a little girl and a little boy writing their Christmas list, and the first thing on it is to have their mother or father home from a far-off land they are deployed at, and who can’t leave their post. As you can see, all of the material things on your Christmas list just don’t seem that important in comparison. When you are celebrating with your families and friends, please pray for and toast these true heroes that are thousands of miles away from their loved ones. In 1987 a U.S. Marine named Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt wrote a poem titled “A Soldier’s Silent Night.” If you don’t understand what I am talking about, I will let Santa Claus explain it. (See insert below). ‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone, in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone I had come down the chimney with presents to give, and to see just who in this home did live I looked all about, a strange sight I did see, no tinsel no presents, not even a tree No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand, on the wall hung pictures of far distant lands With medals and badges, awards of all kinds, a sober thought came through my mind For this house was different, it was dark and dreary, I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone, curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder, not how I pictured a United States solider Was this the hero of whom I’d just read? Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed? I realized the families that I saw this night, owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight Soon round the world, the children would play, and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year, because of the soldiers, like the one lying here I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone, on a cold Christmas eve in a land far from home The very thought brough a tear to my eye, I dropped to my knees and started to cry; the soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, “Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice; I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more, my life is my God, my country, my corps” The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep, I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep I kept watch for hours, so silent and still and we both shivered from the cold night’s chill I didn’t want to leave on that cold, dark, night, this guardian of honor so willing to fight. then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure, whispered. “Carry on Santa, it’s Christmas day, all is secure” One look at my watch, and I knew he was right. “Mery Christmas my friend, may God bless you this night.”
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Opinions
PAGE 15
The Phoenix
Sexual Assault Responses at College Warrant Review Staff Editorial The recent revelation by Angie Epifano, a former student of Amherst College, that her school’s administration reacted in a way that was grossly out of line when she reported her sexual assault to school authorities, has stirred shock and strong emotion across the nation and on the Swarthmore campus. Given that Swarthmore and Amherst are very similar colleges, naturally Swarthmore’s own track record on responses to sexual assault warranted a review. A news article by Anna Gonzales in this week’s issue of The Phoenix chronicles the reflections of two anonymous sources on their experiences with the administration and CAPS in the aftermath of their respective assaults. The sources report that their own experiences were eerily similar to the one described at Amherst. While we must caution the community against overreliance on anonymous information, the events reported by the two survivors certainly call for a review and reevaluation of how Swarthmore responds to sexual assault. It is not enough to simply review College policy; the administration must ensure that the execution of responses to such incidents meets the highest standards of integrity. No one at the College should ever downplay the significance of a sexual assault to a victim or doubt the veracity of his or her story. During Orientation, all freshmen take part in an ASAP workshop where they are taught that the very worst thing one can say to a sexual assault survivor is, “I don’t believe you.” The Administration must ensure that it follows the lessons taught in the workshops it supports. Overall, it appears that the College does a moderately good job of responding to sexual assault incidents. We commend President Chopp and Dean Braun for their November 6 message to students,
in which they highlighted an ongoing review of policies related to sexual assault and promised to continue educational efforts to prevent such incidents and aid survivors. We would, however, like to see more emphasis placed on the educational aspect. Swarthmore has a responsibility to educate its students not just in academic subjects but in social spheres as well. Sexual assault will not go away after graduation; a stronger educational campaign on how to prevent and deal with sexual assault will go a long way toward students’ well-being both at Swarthmore and in the “real world.” We would also like to remind the community that admitting the occurrence of sexual assault on a college campus does not make that institution a “rape school,” or give it the reputation of having rampant sexual assault problems to the point of widespread fear for safety. It is a commonly held view that the Amherst administration attempted to downplay Epifano’s assault experience for the purpose of not having the “rape school” label applied to the campus. Instead, Amherst now bears the even worse label of a school that allows assault to happen and doesn’t do anything about it. Swarthmore should learn from the shortcomings of Amherst and be sure to treat all cases of sexual assault with the utmost seriousness. The College should also ensure that students have access to legal recourse against their perpetrators should they desire to press charges. We find the CAPS policy (as detailed in the news article by Anna Gonzales) of “Only encourag[ing] a survivor to report their assault if the assailant seemed to be a repeat offender and posed a danger to the community” to be an ill-advised one. A perpetrator is a perpetrator, and reporting and/or seeking legal recourse against a sexual assault is an immutable right. Coming forward must always be an option, and doing so will remind the community that assault does happen at Swarthmore, and it is a serious offense.
LETTER, OP-ED & COMMENT POLICY Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication. All comments posted online and all op-eds and letters must be signed and should include the writer’s full name. Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Opeds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and opeds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and opeds received after that time from publication. Letters may be signed by a maximum of five individuals. Op-eds may be signed by a maximum of two individuals. The Phoenix will not accept pieces exclusively attributed to groups, although individual writers
may request that their group affiliation be included. While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board. An editorial represents the opinions of the members of the Opinions Board: Marcus Mello, Menghan Jin and Preston Cooper. Please submit letters to: letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Please report corrections to: corrections@swarthmorephoenix. com Letters, corrections and news tips may also be submitted online to the paper by clicking “Contact” on the Phoenix website.
It Starts With Hello
A Few Moments of Politeness Can Make All the Difference On Campus Hey everyone! Slam, here and I’m bringing you my bi-weekly column “Real Talk With Slam” again. This week I will be talking about something that has irked me for sometime, now. It’s the manners that seem to disappear when people enter Sharples. There must be some invisible force field that knocks the common sense out of Swatties as soon as we enter the dining hall. It’s utterly remarkable. I’ll take you through the things I encounter during my daily Sharples experience. Let’s start with where the force field begins: the entrance. When I walk up those two awkward steps up toward the dining hall, I typically notice someone is lagging behind me with a huge bookbag, tote bag, or athletic bag usually bigger than their entire existence. The large bags are not a problem for me at all. In fact, I respect a rather large bag! That shows that you are really going hard in the paint with your academics, fashion, and/ or sport, and you deserve all the praises. However, what makes me want to trip you is that after I hold the door open for you, you seemingly forget that I exist. Yes, the force field SEAN is officially at work here! BRYANT I don’t want to stop and have a full conversation Real Talk with you, because frankWith Slam ly, I probably don’t care about what you have to say at the moment because I’m on a mission to grub out on Caribbean bar. However, a simple thank you is not much. It’s two words and eight letters. Seriously. It’s easy and shows that you have some manners. Now that we have entered Sharples, it is time to get our ID cards swiped by the amazing Sharples staff who have to sit in those seats all day and watch us pass by and talk about our Swarthmore problems, which in the grand scheme of things, are probably not that serious. As I wait in line, I notice that few people acknowledge the men and women who are swiping us in to the dining hall. Say hello! Stop being rude! Ask them how their day is going or at least give them a smile. I can’t tell you how many Swatties hand over their card, don’t say a word and stroll into Sharples with their group of friends without saying a thing to the Sharples staff. Um, what? I’m sorry, but at what point did we become so disconnected from social interactions that we couldn’t flash a smile or say hello? This goes for when we are getting swiped in or receiving food. Anyway, let’s head downstairs. Right now, it’s probably that rush period
What makes me want to trip you is that after I hold the door open for you, you seemingly forget that I exist. Yes, the force field is officially at work here! A simple thank you is not much. downstairs and it seems like everyone and his or her ancestors are in the dining hall. Now, as I am walking to find a seat downstairs, I’ve probably been bumped about three different times. And more times than not, someone has said sorry because they literally have been forced to say something as I glare at them for not looking where they are going. But I do know that some of the time I bump into someone, it’s my fault
COURTESY OF BRICKBATBOOKS.BLOGSPOT.COM
COURTESY OF LITTLEONESREADINGRESOURCE.COM
and I apologize, see if anything was spilt, and I keep it moving. Swatties are typically good at this sort of thing. Now, it’s time for the meal. After I get my food, sit down, and enjoy the company of my friends, I usually notice a couple of things. Somebody is throwing food of some sort or somebody has dropped some food on the ground. Now, both of which are not that bad, but what is offensive is that sometimes the people who throw the food or accidently drop the food don’t clean up their mess. My big question is, who do you think is going to clean up your mess? The Sharples Fairy? Oh, no. You must be mistaken. If you’re going to have some fun and play with your food, you damn sure better clean it up. It’s not the Sharples staff’s job to clean up after your disregard for the dining hall. The worst is when I notice people watch the food land on the floor and walk. Right. Past it. Oh, okay, so you saw it was there and you just didn’t care to pick it up? I am just trying to understand where you thought that you were paying tuition for services to clean up the mess you made. After I pick up my tray, and prepare to leave Sharples, I always notice a few trays, cups, and or plates scattered around the dining hall. Again, did you think the Sharples Fairy was going to pick your tray up for you? Could you not walk the short distance to the conveyer belt to clear your tray? Did you think someone was going to follow you and pick it up for you? Maybe you thought there was an army of Keebler elves that would crawl from the cracks of Sharples and magically move your tray as soon as you were done. I’m really trying to understand why this is a constant recurrence in some college students on this campus. I love my Swatties, I really do! All of these things are common courtesy that people seem to forget about. It’s as if as soon as some of us walk up those awkward two steps into the dining hall we really do forget how to act. Just be respectful of others. It’s a simple task that speaks volumes and it all starts with hello.
Opinions
PAGE 16
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Scientific Literacy Stronger in U.S., But Still A Ways To Go The night after Election Day, Jon Stewart proudly boasted he had the winner of the 2012 election that night. His guest was Nate Silver, the man who had done the not-so-unthinkable: correctly predicting the presidential election and all but one congressional election using polling data and statistics. Silver’s models had been doubted, ridiculed, and belittled in the days up to election day by talking heads and media outlets who wanted to see the race between Obama and Romney go down to the wire. And despite Silver’s high confidence there would be an Obama victory, no one was willing to rely on his calculations. There was perhaps some truth, when Stewart quipped, “What I was really concerned about last night was that, if your prediction model had been wrong, it would have been a defeat of arithmetic.” In a sense, Silver’s cavalier attitude (he was so confident he bet MSNBC talking head Joe Scarborough $2,000 that Obama would win) was in fact putting arithmetic on the line. For one reason or another, most political analysts PATRICK were unwilling to call the on the seemingly AMMERMAN election sturdy grounds of statistics. Popular Why not? After all, SilScience ver’s model had been spoton for the 2008 elections. However perfect his track record and elegant his model, Silver was arguing objective science to an audience that was more interested in abstractions — things like who had momentum, and whose body language showed confidence. Did these stories just make for good news, or was there simply a widespread under appreciation for Silver’s methods? A perpetual problem all around the world is how to spread “scientific literacy.” Yet scientific literacy has become essential for how voters and politicians make public policy decisions, from states deciding what goes into school curricula to Congress deciding how committed we will be to combat the rise of the oceans and the warming of our planet. Internationally, the United States fares quite well overall in surveys of scientific literacy. In 2008, the U.S. was second in the world, with 28 percent of its population demonstrating the range of scientific knowledge deemed necessary for personal decision-making and for understanding the policy issues of our government. This survey asked questions such as whether the center of the Earth was “very hot,” whether or not antibiotics kill both vi-
ruses and bacteria, and whether all radioactivity is man made. Only Sweden scored higher on these questions. Having 28 percent of Americans scientifically literate is a significant increase from the same figures from the late 1980s and early ’90s, which hovered around 10 percent of Americans with that level of scientific knowledge. However, 28 percent is still a relatively small proportion of the country, and the past decade has shown a disappointing stagnation in these numbers. The survey questions on which the U.S. does the worst as compared with other countries is on issues of evolution and the origin of the universe. In 2010, only 38 percent of Americans answered that the universe began with a huge explosion, and only 47 percent indicated that humans developed from earlier species of animals. These were phrased as true-false questions, so these answers indicate that respondents did a worse job answering these questions than they would have had they guessed randomly. Much of the credit for the U.S. getting numbers up to even their current levels comes from more Americans attending colleges and universities than ever before. U.S. universities are unique because they require all students to take general science credits in order to graduate, even students who are not majoring in the sciences. Surveys have consistently shown the number of college science courses taken to be the greatest single factor behind scoring well on scientific literacy tests. There are two reasons why college science courses are so important. One is that they are much more demanding than anything offered at the high school level, forcing the students to engage the material more thoroughly. However, the significant boost college students in science classes get can also be attributed to the country’s generally poor science programs in high schools. U.S. K-12 students are typically in the middle of the pack in standardized testing administered internationally. For instance, a 2007 test ranked the United States 11th in the world, trailing countries like Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hungary, and England across the board in math and science. Within the United States, students growing up in families of low socioeconomic status were especially likely score badly on these tests. Because many Americans will never go on to get a four-year college degree — some will never finish high school — the K-12 years are the best time to teach many Americans about sci-
entific fact. However, these facts may not be enough to help many Americans keep up with modern scientific issues throughout their lives. For instance, the true implications of climate change have only recently begun to emerge — an issue that would never have been taught in a K-12 setting only a few decades ago. A high school education may be informative to teach students about the fundamentals of science, but whether the curricula gives students the tools to engage scientific issues throughout their lives is up for debate. Finally, there are cultural issues that also contribute to how Americans score on these tests. As mentioned above, the United States has disappointing scores on topics regarding evolution and the origin of the universe. Many American citizens believe in a literal interpretation of the story of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Those who believe that the Earth was created in seven 24-hour days reject theories of the Big Bang and evolutionary development, which are the dominant narratives in the scientific community. When scientific debates are brought into the political sphere, this can also create widespread belief in nonscientific or poorly supported theories. One
needs to look no farther than the inflammatory comments made by some pro-life Republican candidates during the last election cycle (e.g. Todd Akin) to see how quickly can unscientific viewpoint can enter political discourse, to the point where it becomes a counter-argument to scientific facts. This phenomenon is largely responsible for the widespread disparity in opinion over global climate change in this country, a disparity that is virtually nonexistent outside of the United States. Nate Silver’s claim to fame this election was to stand behind the merits of math, and he was rewarded for it. However, other Americans’ reluctance to do the same demonstrates how far we need to come as a country in order to understand the power of elegant math and science. As science becomes a more important in personal decision making and in determining public policy, it is vital for our citizens and our government that everyone is given the tools to engage with the fundamentals of scientific thought. Finding ways to dispel a culture of science-denial and to promote engagement with scientific topics past K-12 education should be a top priority for this country, and for countries the world over.
COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.ORG
Back to Conservative Basics
GOP Should Return to Effective Messaging and Principled Conservatism To argue that Nov. 6 was anything but a major setback for young conservatives would be sophistry. It took some very strong coffee and a full boycott of the Drudge Report to pull myself out of bed last Wednesday. The past four years have marked my real political coming of age, as I learned of classicalliberals such Smith, Hayek, and Tocqueville. Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind and the newfound VIP of the Swarthmore Institute for the Liberal Arts, would probably argue that I’m genetically conservative, with a predisposition for values like liberty, loyalty and sanctity. Whether or not that’s true (it’s certainly reductionist), I’ve spent the last few years The Nascent doing my best to cultivate Neoliberal conservative foundations. That’s meant reading books, but, perhaps more importantly, working out my own connections in what American romantics call “civil society.” If it were just a matter of rooting for Mitt Romney over Barack Obama, I’d be no better than the political equivalent of a disgruntled Red Sox fan. What made the election matter was my fear that America’s traditional brand of liberty — which I’ve discovered, debated, defended and learned to cherish over the past four years — was at a crucial turning point. I am personally anxious that higher taxes and
DANIELLE CHARETTE
health care costs as well as sky-high debt may hit our generation the hardest. But what makes the results manageable is my realizing that classical-liberalism is not something you can pin to your lapel come Election Day. I used to be a kid who thought the Republican Party was a coalition to cheer for. Only recently have I grasped that being a conservative is about conducting my life in a certain manner, with an eye for liberty, history, and beauty, above and beyond the political season. I don’t mean to say that these are only conservative sensibilities. Yet for me they reinforce a certain love for localism, constitutional order, Christian ethic, and Jeffersonian democracy that bodes well with American conservatism. So now that we’re back to the philosophical basics, what’s a conservative politico to do? First up, some, like the Washington Post’s Charles Krauthammer, are anxious to pitch the cause to Hispanics, in the name of reclaiming the more socially conservative bloc of newer immigrants come 2016. Certainly Mitt Romney, who garnered just 27% of the Hispanic vote, did a dismal job of extending conservatism’s broad appeal. But enough with the demographic slicing and dicing. As a whole, conservatism is more ideologically consistent than American Democrats, who still seek to hold together the FDR coalition of labor unions, welfare recipients, and
urbanites along with newer minority, environmentalist and secular feminist interest groups. I aspire for a political framework that inspires members based on ideals. Republicans need to rethink their pitches to non-whites, city-dwellers, women and the young because liberty and responsibility are universal principles, not because Ann Romney awkwardly squeals, “I love women!” at the RNC Convention. Second, we need to revive the Tea Party. No, not the rabid, old-time-religious, racist Tea Party the media dreamed up. And no, not the Tea Party of goons like Todd Akin who won primaries because cunning Democratic challengers split the conservative vote and the Religious Right was too sanctimonious to get him out of the race. The real Tea Party, which spearheaded the townhalls against Obamacare in 2009, is — or was — actually quite classically-liberal in nature. An August study by the Cato Institute found self-proclaimed Tea Party members were united in an economic disgust with Big Government but trended toward more libertarian answers on social issues. I’m prepped for a Mitch Daniels-styled “truce” in the Culture War. Frankly, the Constitutional arguments are on the side of samesex marriage. The opposite is true for abortion, which continues to rest on Roe’s infamously activist 1973 decision. Yet until the Supreme Court hands the issue back to the legislature, the GOP is woe-
fully misguided to keep sending poorly-versed candidates into debates in which Roe v. Wade gotcha-questions dash their Senate hopes. Finally, Republicans need to stop posing as compliant strawmen. Contemporary liberals like to argue that they like free enterprise but want the rich to pay a “little bit more” for the sake of a social safety net, lest conservative Social Darwinists get their way. That may have been true for small social safety-netters like Humbert Humphrey, but it doesn’t apply to a party that has essentially nationalized healthcare and the student loans process, bailed out the big banks and auto industry and massively encroached on banking. This is quite the federal agenda, yet, even if we commandeer every McMansion and yacht along the Eastern seaboard, there just aren’t enough rich people to pay for it. Republicans should start reminding this to every voter who has access to a calculator. These are suggestions for a newer, smarter, more principled GOP, because November 6 was a huge victory for Wilsonian progressivism but bad news for liberty-lovers. Part of me is tempted to manically mimic Patrick Henry and shout “Live free or die!” to anyone who will listen. That, though, has all the trappings of poor mental health. Better to re-read the Federalist papers, chat with my neighbor, participate in the community and watch America take her course.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Sports
PAGE 17
The Phoenix
So Sweet: Men’s Soccer Into NCAA Sectionals By SCOOP RUXIN Sports Writer
The Swarthmore men’s soccer team turned in a pair of dominating performances this weekend at Clothier Field, advancing to the sectional round of the NCAA Division III National Championships. The Garnet, seeded fourth in their region, defeated thirteenth seed Albertus Magnus on Saturday, 3-0. Just 24 hours later, Swarthmore beat fifthseeded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) by the same score. The wins set up a showdown with top-seeded and undefeated Amherst College. On Saturday, Swarthmore addressed concerns of whether they could regain momentum after a disheartening loss to Haverford in the Centennial Conference championship game, answering that question with a resounding “yes.” With a week to reflect and improve after that game, the team regained its focus. According to Head Coach Eric Wagner, “There has been a strong mentality and a definitive sense of purpose for the past week since that loss to Haverford.” As captain Jack Momeyer ’14 put it, “The biggest thing about not winning the conference was that we have nothing to fall back on for this season, so that has been our motivation going forward.” At the same time, however, Wagner attributed the performance to the team’s high level of fitness, which has allowed it to continue improving throughout the season. He said, “The team trained extremely well, and the players have taken great care of themselves this season.” Although Swarthmore did not manage to score in the first half against Albertus Magnus, they left little doubt as to which team was superior. The Garnet outshot Albertus Magnus 10-2 in the first half, holding the visiting Falcons without a single shot on goal in the half. The defensive performance highlighted a trend, according to Wagner. “We have gotten some outstanding performances from several players defensively lately, and that has proven to be very effective in tournament play.” Momeyer emphasized the importance of determining the flow of the match, saying that, “It shows the other team that the game will be played at your pace, and in your style. As long as we can continue to do that, no team can stop us.” Captain John Pontillo ’13 described the mood at halftime as one of confidence, saying that “We directed the flow of the game from the start, and we knew it was only a matter of time until we put one in the back of the net.” In the second half, the Swarthmore attack wasted little time ensuring that the team’s dominance was reflected on the scoreboard. The team scored twice in the first 6 minutes of the half. The first score was credited to forward Joe Keedy ’14. The 6’5” Keedy helped ensure that his return to the basketball team would have to wait a little bit longer by shooting a ball off of a Falcon defender and into the back of the net. Less than two minutes later, Swarthmore showcased its strong youth presence, as Koby Levin ’15 headed in a pass from Wyatt McCall ’16. With the score now 2-0, the stifling Swarthmore defense ensured that the game was all but over. A 67th minute penalty goal by leading scorer Michael Stewart ‘15 made the score 3-0, and allowed Wagner to rest some of his players before Sunday’s game. While both teams on Sunday had to play their second game in as many days, only visiting RPI looked tired. In comparison, the Garnet again controlled the early part of the game. This time, the team’s first half domination was reflected on the scoreboard, in the form of a couple of goals worthy of being featured in SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. In the ninth minute, midfielder Noah Sterngold ’14 shot a firecracker past a diving keeper from behind the 18’, giving the Garnet a very early 1-0 advantage. Sterngold attributed his goal to the team’s “good ball movement,” saying that “We worked the ball around for a good amount of time and so quickly that when Mike [Stewart] found me in the middle, no one was close enough to close me down.” After Stewart himself found the net in the 29th minute, a 43rd minute goal from Momeyer served as the highlight of the weekend. Assisting Momeyer on the score was defender Geli Carabasas ’14, who sent in a long, high pass that faded as a golf drive or tennis shot might, landing perfectly about six yards out on the left side of the net, where Momeyer one-timed the ball past the helpless keeper. Momeyer lauded Carabases for the pass, attributing the goal to the strong chemistry the two have developed. “[Geli] is basically a brother to me out on the pitch,” said Momeyer, adding that, “The ball he sent in was exquisite. He put enough on it that the defender had no hope, but he kept it light enough to hold the keeper on his line. I saw that the keeper was poised to pounce on me if I tried settling the ball, so I opted to place it in the corner on my first touch. Definitely the best goal I have ever scored in a competitive match.” After the game, the Garnet locker room was a mix of
Alec McClean fights an RPI player for a header (top). Geli Carabases passes the ball to Jack Momeyer to set up a goal (bottom).
joy with a sense that there was more to accomplish. Pontillo said, “For many of us, yesterday’s game was the best and most enjoyable game we have been a part of,” and the team took the time to appreciate how well they played. At the same time, however, the team remained motivated to continue winning. “There is not a real ‘sense of accomplishment’ in this team yet. There is no doubt that we are already focused and highly motivated to continue our postseason challenge,” Pontillo added. Swarthmore will face its toughest opponent yet in Amherst on Saturday. The Lord Jeffs dispatched Centennial
AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA/THE PHOENIX
Conference opponent Dickinson on Sunday, 4-0, and the squad appears primed to contend for a National Championship. For their part, the Garnet are excited to be an underdog. “The pressure is all on [Amherst],” said Wagner, “so I expect they will play tight and a bit nervous. If we relax, play confidently, and stay focused and disciplined, it could be another wonderful weekend of soccer for us.” With the Garnet playing their best soccer of the year when it matters most, there is no reason they should not be able to defeat Amherst and continue advancing through the NCAA’s.
Sports
PAGE 18
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Players Need to Adjust to Prevent Concussions
This weekend Jay Cutler, Alex Smith and Michael Vick all suffered concussions that changed the games that they were in. A concussion is never a nice thing for the injured party but it also messes up the team that has the injured player. A concussion to your quarterback can disrupt a team massively and limits the chances of a win for the affected team. When MiJAMES chael Vick was IVEY taken out of the game with Out of Left Field a concussion it appeared as if Nick Foles had answered the prayers of Eagles fans. Foles managed to move his team all the way up to the red zone and score in the third quarter to tie the game. Foles seemed to be able to get the offense moving, something Vick has struggled with for large periods of this season. But he couldn’t win the game for the Eagles, and after the third quarter his quality dropped: his passing was irregular and the calls from the sideline were not helping a quarterback playing his first game. Losing Vick should have changed the way the offense played but Reid and Marty Mornhinweg persisted with the game plan that hadn’t really been working for Vick, while hoping that Foles would be able to carry the team forwards. In Chicago, the injury to Jay Cutler meant Jason Campbell was pushed into the firing line. Campbell definitely has more experience than Foles, and was once meant to be the franchise quarterback of the Redskins before he was dumped off to Oakland last year and released in favour of Carson Palmer in the off season. But in poor conditions, Campbell was incapable of throwing a touchdown. In half a game he simply couldn’t complete downfield. The Bears fell apart due to a passing offense that was incapable
This past weekend, Jay Cutler (6) of the Bears suffered a concussion from a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit.
of being utilised in the pouring rain. In the end, the Texans won because they had a stronger running game and Arian Foster managed to get around the outside too often. Injuries obviously change games. And concussions have to be taken seriously in the game. Cutler managed to play on after the hit that gave him his concussion but as soon as his symptoms were diagnosed, he was pulled from the game. But the tackles that left Cutler and Smith with concussions were due
Letter to the People of Los Angeles Dear Laker Nation, Hello from New York! We love your weather, your people, and occasionally your prices. We don’t like your earthquakes. We New Yorkers have experienced the terror of floods, blackouts, and out of control parades. Then there is the annual plague of James Dolan. From his perplexing ego troubles (see Lin, Jeremy) to his even more perplexing connection (for lack of a better word) with Isaiah Thomas the executive (footnote one), Dolan is the Megan Fox to our city’s Michael Bay (footnote 2). For years, we thought we DAYO were alone in our big-city-owners- withFAYANJU small-minds misery. But in Jim Buss (AKA Jim Bust) we may at last have company. The Balls to the Wall Lakers president of basketball operations snubbed eleven time champion coach Phil Jackson for Mike D’Antoni, who has been forever thwarted in his quest to escape the third round of the playoffs. An all-offense play-caller whose system wears even young legs (which the lakers lack), he might be the harbinger for the tyrannical mediocrity and failed expectations to which we in the big apple have grown accustomed. Laker Nation, fear not. Find humor in your amusingly incompetent dictator. Egypt survived Mubarak. Libya survived Qadaffi. Cambodia survived Pol Pot. We have survived Dolan 1.0. You, we hope, will survive the reign of Dolan 2.0. Good Luck! Signed, with love, The people of New York
to a major problem with the game: helmet-to-helmet tackling. Smith took a hit to the back of his helmet as he was going to ground after a run. The helmet couldn’t protect him from the fierce headbutt of Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Cutler was taken out by a helmet-to-helmet collision from Tim Dobbins, a collision that is illegal and a blatant attempt to injure the quarterback by hitting him through the jaw. Both of these were completely needless challenges: Cutler had already thrown
COURTESY OF THENEWSWORLD.INFO
the ball and Smith was going down. But these challenges seem to occur all the time; RGIII already suffered a concussion from being tackled hard as he was going to ground. What can you do though? Football is a violent sport, as is boxing, as is ice hockey, as is rugby. People will get hurt if they play them. Players also get hurt in non-contact sports as well. It is possible to get a concussion from anything, including falling out of bed or a barroom brawl. Football may be a vio-
lent sport, but the best way for the league to reduce concussions is to make players more responsible for their own safety. While research is going on into how to make the football helmet safer and more concussion proof, it may just be an easier step to make sure football helmets are not designed for tackling other players. By giving players the protection of the tough and sturdy helmet, you are also handing them a weapon to be used on the field. Clearly, the helmets are tougher than shinbones because the amount of dives head first at the legs of an opponent is dangerously high. There are very few plays that seem to end with a traditional wrap and tackle, a form of tackling that means rugby players don’t need as much armour as their football equivalents. Rugby players rarely lead with their heads because it is incredibly dangerous, something that is still true with a helmet on. Concussions occur in rugby as well, but you never see players purposely using their head to tackle someone. Both Cutler and Smith were taken out by the use of the helmet as a weapon rather than a safety device. Maybe we should take a lesson from the Dark Knight here: “One man’s tool is another man’s weapon”. I’m not saying that I know how to fix a problem like this because injuries happen. I’m also not saying that removing armour is the answer: added protection is not the problem here. The helmets lend to a sense of invulnerability. There is an attitude problem at the moment. Players want to make tackles and are making bad tackles because they are more effective at getting an opponent on the ground. It’s something that has to be changed because concussions are never a desirable outcome from a tackle.
Stolen Thunder: The Thunder Lost What Might Have Been A chance a iconography, a lore, a legendarium. A means of developing a collective memory, the memory the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Bulls, Niners, Packers, Cowboys, Yankees, and Red Sox have. It is ironically what the Heat have started to build: a franchise memory from its victories and the lore around them. I was beside myself with glee when the Thunder exposed my least favorite title team (the Mavericks) for one hit wonDAYO ders. I didn’t mind that they FAYANJU seemingly sent Balls to the Wall Kobe off the next month. I hoped (but did not believe) that they could unseat the last of a past decades’s western vanguard in the then undefeated Spurs. But as sports can do, I was pleasantly surprised. The ascension of the young, fearless, and uninhibited meant as much to me as a younger sibling as it did to me as a young person. It heralded the coming of a future, a next step, of ownership of a world once held by the
old and established. I watched the 2012 NBA Finals not caring who won. The young had already won. Speed, spirit and energy had won over fear, age, smugness and bitterness. Each team had already established their chapters in their epic road to the finals. There were the foundation stories for the future books and documentaries about these new icons. As my parents told me of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Dr J, so too would I tell my own about Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Durant, Westbrook, Bosh, and Harden. The Thunder and the Heat were each spinning a legend. It didn’t matter who won; it was all part of the bigger story. These two franchises were building collective memories. The Thunder weren’t looking for that bigger picture. They traded Harden at the beginning of the season for money reasons, surmising that the franchise would be too poor to hold on to him without going over the luxury tax. It is somewhat difficult for anyone in the 1% to cry poor, and even harder for the
heirs and natural gas barons who own the Thunder to do so. After selling out season tickets for four years straight, the Thunder let an icon, a player with value beyond his work on the court, go to line their pockets. Money cutting never won the Yankees, Lakers, Cowboys their strings of postseason victories. Why should money makers and job creators believe Oklahoma City is any different? All these aforementioned teams did and do have a collective memory. These collective memories give franchises and the words used to name them value as proper nouns even when times are rough. They make these franchises part of people’s lives. They make the forest not the trees. They make the Celtics different from celtic, and the Yankees more than a 150 year old word for northerners. Oklahoma City might have become The Thunder. But in their iconoclasm,in getting rid of James Harden, getting rid of a part of their legendarium, they might have relegated themselves to just the Thunder. I’m going to miss them.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Sports
PAGE 19
The Phoenix
Volleyball Ends Stellar Season in ECAC Semifinals
AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA/THE PHOENIX
Chastity Hopkins goes up for a kill as senior Allie Coleman sets the ball.
By JENNI LU Sports Writer
the Conference,” she said. “We played a really solid game.” Coleman certainly has more than a few moments that she’ll remember from her Last Saturday afternoon, Kat Monte- four years as the starting setter. As one of murro ’13 and Allie Coleman ’13 played two remaining four-year seniors on the their final game for the Garnet women’s team, she’s not only watched the team imvolleyball team, as they finished their 2012 prove over the year, but also seen the proseason with a 3-1 loss to Moravian College gram evolve over her college career. “The in the ECAC semifinal match. The team freshman have improved not just in terms ended with a 20-7 overall record and an of skill set, but also in terms of being comfortable on the court,” she said. “Every year 8-2 record in Centennial Conference play. Montemurro led the offensive push ... we become more talented.” Across the board, players and coach with fifteen kills, coupled with Coleman’s thirty-three assists. Adding onto the offen- alike were incredibly proud of the team’s sive attacks, Madison Heppe ’16 and Kate growth. “I’m pleased about the ball control and defense,” said Amodei ’15 tallied Chwastyk. Coming two service aces each. into this season with On the defensive side, Danielle Sullivan ’14 “We garnered a lot of re- three less primary and Chastity Hopkins spect from others in the passers than last year, the team focused to ’15 led with twenty region as well as hone these two skills digs and three block throughout the season. assists, respectively. nationally.” “Our focus from day Looking back at the one has always been Harleigh Chwastyk season, Heppe conball control and desiders the team’s win Head Coach fense,” said Chwastyk. against Eastern to be Meanwhile, Heppe the highlight. “Eastern noticed the team’s was a nationally ranked growing consistency. team, tenth in the nation, and we came out strong,” she recalled. Head coach Harleigh “The team got better at making less misChwastyk also considers her team’s victory takes — at not giving the other team so against Eastern as the season’s most mem- many free points and making sure we put orable moment, adding, “We garnered a lot the ball in play,” she said. However large or small the leaps that of respect from others in the region as well both the team and the program have made, as nationally.” Not only was this game a hard-fought there is no denying that Coleman, along win, but it was also a popular favorite with Montemurro, played a massive role amongst the Swarthmore community. “It in shaping both paths. “Both are incredmay have been the largest crowd we have ibly dedicated, passionate, competitive, had for a volleyball match,” said Chwastyk. and intense,” said Chwastyk. The statistics On the other hand, Coleman will nev- certainly prove their importance to the er forget the team’s annual battle against team. Since Chwastyk first began coaching Haverford. “They were the powerhouse of at Swarthmore, Coleman and Montemurro
make up the first class to lead their team to four consecutive conference championship matches, four ECAC championship matches, and beat a nationally ranked team. Despite having only spent one season so far with the two players, Heppe also recognizes the impact both of them have made. “Allie and Kat were both amazing. I could not have asked for better,” she said. To sum them up simply, “They both had positive energies, always made smart players, and loved volleyball.” When asked if she wanted to leave any
Vlast words of advice to her teammates, Coleman responded, “It’s important to maintain the underdog mentality ... that’s what separates the good from the great. The talent’s going to be there, so it’s about maintaining the intangibles — like the chemistry, and the passion.” Saturday night proved bittersweet for her, who admitted, “I definitely shed a few tears.” However, as her final volleyball season has finally wound down, she leaves with one last promise: “I’ll always be playing volleyball.”
GARNET ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
JAKE BENVENISTE JR., SWIMMING, REDLANDS, CA.
What He’s Done: Won the 100 fly to spark the Garnet pulling away in their 125-80 win over Franklin and Marshall. Favorite Career Moment: At Conferences freshman year, earning the 1650 and 1000 records in one race. Season Goals: Personal bests in the 100 fly, 200 fly, 500 free and 200 free. Hopefully get closer to the 500 record than I was. Favorite State: California — because of the three WWW, sunshine and Mexican food.
RAISA REYES/THE PHOENIX
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?: If a woodchuck could chuck wood, I would chuck the wood right back. Bring it, woodchuck.
Sports
PAGE 20
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
The Phoenix
Garnet Women End Season in Penalty Heartbreak By DAN DUNCAN Sports Editor
After a 12-6-1 season, the Swarthmore women’s soccer team earned the second seed in the ECAC South Region postseason tournament. In the opening round, the Garnet eased past Marywood 2-0 to reach the semifinals. As the highest seed able to host (No. 1 seed Stevenson had other commitments), Swarthmore played host to the tournament semifinals and final last weekend. The Garnet took on Wilkes in the first semifinal of the day on Saturday, and from the very beginning looked to have momentum on their side. Less than 90 seconds into the game, Emma Sindelar ’15 put the Garnet in the lead with her sixth goal of the season. Their opponent refused to fade, though, and after some even play by both sides, the Colonels struck in the 30th minute to tie the game at one apiece. The score remained tied at 1-1 for the rest of the match, thanks to strong defensive efforts from both teams. Reba Magier ’16 had three saves to keep the Garnet in the match, while her opposing counterpart had four. Magier said the defensive effort was a key for the Garnet to compete not only in this game, but throughout the whole season as well. “I owe a lot to my back line for helping me out. If I didn’t have this great of a line, then the scores of our games would be much different.” Two overtimes passed, and neither team was able to score a decisive goal to win the game and advance. As a result, the Garnet and Colonels went to a penalty shootout to determine which team would move on to the ECAC final. Swarthmore’s players were on target, but Wilkes’ goalie came up with a save on one shot. After making all five of their shots, the Colonels advanced to the final by a shootout score of 5-4. Both Magier and captain Ariana Spiegel ’13 said the end of the match was stressful. According to Spiegel, “It is probably one of the most nerve-racking experiences that any player will face. There is a lot of pressure in that one moment on the goalkeeper and our chosen kickers. You can feel your stomach
turning inside-and-out just waiting to see your teammates take their kick.” Magier, who aside from being in goal was one of the Garnet shooters, added, “Taking a PK is very different than being in goal. The kicker has more power and definitely more pressure.” Despite not making it past the semifinal game, the women were not disappointed with their effort. Spiegel pointed out that the reason the game went to penalties in the first place was because the team fought so hard to keep Wilkes off the scoreboard. While the penalty shootout might be a “crazy” situation, she added, “That’s soccer for you.” In Sunday’s final at Clothier Field, Wilkes went on to face Stevenson, who rolled by Lebanon Valley 2-0 in the other semifinal.
The final was a closely fought match. Wilkes scored in the first half to take an early lead, but Stevenson found an equalizer in the 61st minute. The score stayed that way for the rest of regulation, when the match went into overtime tied at 1-1. Just minutes in, Kayla Curry of Stevenson scored to give the topseeded Mustangs the tournament championship. The conclusion of the ECAC tournament ends the Garnet’s season. Spiegel said that even though another team may have won the tournament, “We sure did play our hearts out. I feel like we had a lot of great moments filled with amazing soccer and fun, and for that, I can say I am satisfied with our season.” As the season ends, so do the careers of
Megan Brock advances upfield with the ball against Wilkes during the ECAC South Region semifinals this past Saturday .
the graduating seniors: Spiegel, Beth Martin ’13, Haley Most ’13, Cassie Strawser ’13, and Mariam Vonderheide ’13. For Spiegel, t was an emotional time: “[The season was] filled with moments that are your lasts, but it really makes each opportunity to play that much more appreciated. I love playing soccer and that love has been there since I was six and my parents signed me up for this sport, to my freshman year of college, until last Saturday when I stepped off the field for one last time. The team has always had that type of passion and love for soccer, since I’ve been at Swat; that type of passion is why playing soccer is just so enjoyable.” The next season will begin sometime in late August; the schedule will be released when finalized.
JULIA CARLETON/THE PHOENIX
“ f