The Official Campus Newspaper of Swarthmore College Since 1881 VOL. 137, ISSUE 6
The Phoenix THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
TODAY: Partly cloudy, 30% chance of rain in the morning. High 47, Low 33. TOMORROW: Partly cloudy. Chance of rain: 20%. High 47, Low 30.
SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM
Allergic to Swarthmore? By TOBY LEVY News Writer
COURTESY OF POWERUP: DIVEST FOSSIL FUELS / THE PHOENIX
Pictured above, members of Mountain Justice, convergence participants, and frontline activists hoist colored fists in the air as a gesture of defiance.
Convergence Activists Join to Fight for Divestment By ANNA GONZALES Assistant News Editor
Nearly 200 students from over 70 colleges and universities converged on campus last weekend to discuss divestment from fossil fuel companies, collaborating with frontline activists to shape what students described as the most unified and energetic youth climate movement in years. However, meetings between students, activists, and Board of Managers members to discuss divestment were largely unproductive. Laura Rigell ‘16, a member of Swarthmore Mountain Justice, which began the movement to divest college endowment funds from fossil fuel companies, described the governing vision for the convergence as one of unity. “The idea was to bring other people from divestment campaigns to the same place so they can realize they’re not the only ones doing it, to develop as a movement, and start calling ourselves a movement,” Rigell said. The convergence brought students together to join in developing goals and strategies for a strong, unified movement. Participants shared organizing skills and attended training sessions focused on decision-making, campaign strategy and media, as well as creative tactics, which involved crafting the art for group actions. Participants such as Dan Juberlirer, a sophomore member of Tufts University’s divestment group, saw the convergence as vital to building the national student movement. “It was the first time that we as students have all come together and talked about what our priorities are,” Juberlirer said. “I have a much clearer sense now of the direction of the national movement and how divestment can play into climate justice.”
Rigell said that a strong sense of direction is crucial at this point in the movement, since the number of divestmentfocused groups at colleges and universities has exponentially increased in the last year. The movement originated at Swarthmore in the fall of 2011, expanding to five or six other colleges by the spring of 2012 and exploding to over 250 campuses with campaigns by the time of the convergence. “The explosion is partially due to press given to Swarthmore and to us spreading the word,” Rigell said, referring to coverage of Swarthmore Mountain Justice by major news outlets such as National Public Radio and The New York Times. However, Rigell added, two non-profit organization, 350 and the Responsible Endowments Coalition also drove the popularity of the movement. The organizations have directed resources towards traveling to different campuses to educate and galvanize student activists, Rigell said. Rigell also linked the movement’s popularity to what she sees as its distinct appeal. “It’s the divestment tactic that has fired people up,” she explained. “It’s really unique. The youth climate movement hasn’t been so energized or united in at least the past four years.” The convergence also helped to facilitate solidarity with frontline communities, areas in places such as West Virginia and Texas which are affected by fossil fuel industry practices like hydraulic fracturing, coal mining and mountaintop removal. From Friday through Sunday, frontline ac-
tivists spoke at rallies and panels, sharing their own stories of fighting climate injustice in communities reeling from fossil fuel destruction. Juberlirer said that the contributions of frontline activists greatly enhanced his understanding of how marginalized communities around the world bear the brunt of climate change impacts. “Divestment is the way to be in solidarity,” he explained. Pat Walsh ‘14, a member of Mountain Justice, spoke to this broadened view of divestment as part of the larger movement for climate justice, a theme which emerged throughout the weekend. “Fossil fuel divestment is now nationwide, but it is just one piece of a greater environmental movement, a broader movement for environmental justice and climate justice,” Walsh said. “While students are working on these campaigns they should engage in the overlap with people from impacted areas fighting fossil fuel extraction, or those who live in poor communities surrounded by oil refineries and polluting facilities, such as Chester,” Walsh said. The convergence also helped participants to develop a more complex, intersectional view of the problem of climate change and of the divestment movement. “We need to acknowledge how other axes of oppression and other movements for social justice intersect, whether economic, for labor rights, or indigenous rights, or for gender, racial, or sexual justice. They’re not categories that we should be listing,” Walsh said. “They’re all encom-
“The youth climate movement hasn’t been so energized or united in at least the copast four years.” Laura Rigell ’16
Students who suffer from food allergies may have found their newest, and most surprising ally in the form of the United States Justice Department. On December 20th of last year, the Department announced an agreement with Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., ensuring that students with food allergies could fully and equally enjoy the university’s meal plan and food services in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In the wake of this decision, schools and colleges all over the country are discussing and re-considering their food distribution processes, and Swarthmore is no exception. Noah Weinthal ’15, who is highly allergic to peanuts and peanut products, has been spearheading reform in Sharples, as well as in the Kohlberg and Science center cafes. Weinthal came across posters in Sharples, noting that that cafeteria used various allergens in their kitchens and that cross contamination could occur. During a meal at Sharples, finding a supposedly washed mug covered with a streak of peanut butter was, for him, the final straw. “I get that nothing is ever 100 percent safe,” said Weinthal. “But in the past Sharples has mislabeled ingredients in certain foods like pad Thai, which does contain peanuts. There’s sesame oil in a lot of foods too and some people are allergic to that. Whole wheat pasta has been labeled as gluten free, but anyone with Celiac disease knows there’s a major distinction between the two.” Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten. People with celiac disease who consume food containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine. “Some people think having allergies simply means I can’t eat Reese’s,” said Weinthal. “But what they sometimes forget is that I could actually die.” Overall, change is occurring gradually, and much positive work to mitigate issues for students with food allergies has already taken place. Sets of dishes, utensils and cups are now specially washed twice for the sole use of allergic students. Additionally, a special condiment bar is available, and packaged, nut free desserts like Oreos are accessible for those who desire them. Essie Mae’s Café in Tarble has begun carefully labeling their products, and the other cafes are in the process of following suit, according to Weinthal. While change has been positive on campus, the Lesley University decision certainly comes with its share of drawbacks and is not without controversy. Though many consider the Lesley decision a resounding victory for those with allergies, skepticism remains about the ruling. In resolving the case with its various affected parties, the university agreed to comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which states that students with severe food allergies are actually disabled. Some believe this notion to be degrading, offensive and incorrect, but Weinthal does not view the wording of the ruling negatively. “My allergy means I can’t be around certain people, I can’t fly on certain airlines and
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
NEWS
LIVING
OPINIONS
SPORTS
Gil ’72 and Barbara Kemp’s donation, coming on the heels of Eugene Lang’s ’38 gift, will largely go to strengthening international financial aid and renovating Clothier Hall.
This stylish sophomore gets his pants custom-made in India ... and sneaks into fashion shows to catch glimpses of his favorite designers.
The Phoenix EdBoard weighs in on the place of student journalism in the conversation about Greek life. How can we make these conversations more civil and constructive?
Garnet swimmers set both conference and school records at the Centennial Conference championships, including a gold medal by the women’s 4x800 meter relay.
Kemp Family Donates Twenty Million
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Swat Style Snapshot: Satyajit Rao ’15
PAGE 8
Staff Editorial: Talking about Greek Life
PAGE 13
Swimming Smashes Records at Confer ences
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
The Phoenix STEVEN HAZEL Editor-in-Chief KOBY LEVIN Managing Editor PARKER MURRAY Managing Editor The News Section AMANDA EPSTEIN Editor DANIEL BLOCK Assistant Editor ANNA GONZALES Assistant Editor SARAH COE-ODESS Writer COLE GRAHAM Writer AIDAN PANTOJA Writer TIFFANY KIM Writer TOBY LEVY Writer The Living & Arts Section ALLI SHULTES Editor GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE Assistant Editor TAYLOR HODGES Assistant Editor COURTNEY DICKENS Writer MIREILLE GUY Writer AXEL KODAT Writer JEANETTE LEOPOLD Writer MAYRA TENORIO Writer JOSHUA ASANTE Writer VIANCA MASUCCI Writer SERA JEONG Writer IZZY KORNBLATT Columnist
DEBORAH KRIEGER Columnist CATHY PARK Columnist KIERAN REICHERT Columnist DAVID TOLAND Columnist PAIGE FAITH SPENCER WILLEY Columnist ZOE WRAY Columnist DINA ZINGARO Columnist YENNY CHEUNG Artist ELIZABETH KRAMER Artist RENU NADKARNI Artist PRESTON COOPER Puzzle Master The Opinions Section AARON KROEBER Editor PATRICK AMMERMAN Columnist TYLER BECKER Columnist PRESTON COOPER Columnist CRAIG EARLEY Columnist PATRICK HAN Columnist HARSHIL SAHAI Columnist The Sports Section DANIEL DUNCAN Editor SCOOP RUXIN Writer JAMES IVEY Columnist IBIDAYO FAYANJU Columnist
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Business PAUL CHUNG Director HARSHIL SAHAI Director ERIC SHERMAN Webmaster DANIEL BLOCK Social Media Coordinator CAMI RYDER Publicity Coordinator ALLISON MCKINNON Circulation Manager The Phoenix is located in Parrish Hall, Offices 470-472 500 College Ave Swarthmore, PA 19081 Tel 610.328.7362 Email editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Web swarthmorephoenix.com 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 Harshil Sahai. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc., and is a member of the Associated College Press and the Penn. Newspaper Association. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
ADRIANA OBIOLS / THE PHOENIX
INSIDE THE PHOENIX NEWS Students Struggle with Math Placement Exam Students who fail to score high enough on the placement exam are be barred from taking calculus at college until they show improvement, which can create some tricky situations. PAGE 5 SMART Holds Consent Workshops 6 The Sexual Misconduct Advisors and Resource Team (SMART) held consent workshops. The meetings focused on campus culture and how to make the school safer. PAGE 6 This Week in Greek On Friday night at 7:30 p.m., the school will have its second forum on Greek life at Swarthmore. PAGE 6
LIVING & ARTS Still Pain Runs Deep: Another Heated
Look at Sephardic Jewish Culture Arts columnist Zoe Wray discusses the ways in which history and personal narrative can alter the perception of an exhibition. Check out the exhibition, entitled “Turkey’s Sephardim: Another Look,” at the Gershman Y Galleries in Philly. PAGE 6 Music as Temporal Art: Woodwinds Across Centuries Orchestra 2001’s spring concert, a look at the evolution of woodwind instruments and compositions, intrigues but doesn’t necessarily entertain. PAGE 7 The Bus Boys: The Vegan Tree Tired of eating salad when you go out with friends? According to The Bus Boys, you won’t believe this food isn’t the real thing. PAGE 7 Beyond Belief: Dangerous Recycling of Religious Language What does it mean that Bush and Bin Laden used similar rhetoric after 9/11? Columnist Dina Zingaro ’14 explores the implications of re-using language
from the Crusades in modern political discourse. PAGE 10
Sequestration: Proponents, Opponents, and What It Is
Figure Composition Course Hits the Big Apple
Preston takes a look at the Sequestration, which may begin tomorrow, in terms of its fiscal, economic, and political effects. PAGE 14
Students explored exhibitions by Henri Matisse, George Bellows and Swarthmore’s own Art History professor Randall Exon in a recent excursion to the Big Apple. PAGE 11
OPINIONS Growing Up As a Permanent Alien Patrick reflects on his growing up thirdculture, caught between his competing national and ethnic identities and how he dealt with this tumult. PAGE 13 Big Data: An Opportunity for Innovation As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, more and more data about each of us goes into the hands of tech giants: Harshil considers the possibilities of this data and its future implications. PAGE 14
SPORTS Garnet Fall to Bullets in TItle Game After an inspired run to knock off Muhlenberg in the Centennial Conference tournament, Swarthmore comes one basket away from an NCAA tournament berth. PAGE 15 Relays Highlight Track and Field Championships The Garnets score big in relays at the Centennial Conference championships, including a gold metal by the women’s 4x800 relay. PAGE 15 Will the Classico Be a Classic? Jamie looks at Saturday’s game between Real Madrid and Barcelona, and debates the pros and cons of Real Madrid putting forth effort in the match. PAGE 16
News
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
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The Phoenix
Sharples kitchen, where meals are tailored for certain students every day, has separate fridges to prevent foods from mixing and creating problems for Swatties with allergies.
JUSTIN TORAN-BURRELL/THE PHOENIX
‘Allergies,’ continued from page 1 can’t even travel to certain countries. It really is a disability, and what’s important about the Lesley ruling is that it strengthens the conversation about equal access. Why shouldn’t I have same number of options as anybody who doesn’t suffer from peanut allergies?” Hans von Spakovsky, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, wrote an article for FoxNews.com, arguing that it’s simply wasteful for a branch like the Justice Department to expend capital investigating food preparation in Lesley University and at other schools. Notably, he pointed out that “the dispute was whether the university had enough gluten-and allergy-free ‘hot and cold’ options in each of its cafeterias where the students eat on any given day.” Weinthal, however, vehemently disagrees, and believes, in fact, that varied food options is the key issue. “Students with allergies ought to have the same opportunities as those who do not have them. I think the common experience is that everyone feels like they don’t have choices, that we can’t experience the same things as our peers.” Linda McDougall, the head of dining services, recognizes the need for continued
vigilance and safety policies, but says there are in fact a variety of options in terms of food choices for students with allergies. “We custom tailor meals for certain students everyday, and we store certain items in a separate fridge to avoid any problems,” she said. Raisa Reyes ’15, another student with allergies, agrees with this sentiment, explaining that for her the school has been very accommodating and that “there are enough safe food choices for people with peanut allergies.” McDougall also explained that the cafeteria would no longer be making dishes that used peanut butter or peanut products in any way. “No menu items have peanuts now,” she said. “We may however, start using peanut butter substitutes like ‘Wow,’ in the future to accommodate everyone.” Real peanut butter will still be served and situated at a separate table near the condiment bar. Issues concerning food allergies and food access on campus span beyond simply eating, though, explained Leslie Hempling, the head of disability services at the college. She said that a major concern among many administrative members involved in this topic was the breakdown in initial commu-
nication between students and administration. “Students approach their allergies in terms of administration differently. We’re going to try and make the process much more explicit from now on,” she said. Beth Kotarski, head of the Worth Health Center, agreed that there needed to be more dialogue between incoming freshmen and administration in order to provide an optimal and safe dining environment. “A lot of students don’t understand how important their initial health screening is,” she said. “Even in the most severe cases of allergies, pediatricians often clear students for college food. Also, a lot of students feel they want their privacy and don’t want to be labeled or be different, but it can hurt them in the end,” she said. Hempling said that a form would be sent out for the incoming freshmen class asking them to pay close attention to their personal allergy issues, but still giving them the choice as to whether or not to disclose the information. In general, Weinthal views the broad administrative changes not only as a victory for students with allergies, but as a means for pursuing dialogue that can help students with all forms of disabilities in different facets of college life. He hopes that
his work will inspire others to seek change, and create a better, more inclusive, and easily accessible college environment. He also however, recognizes that more work needs to be done, by students and administration. Reyes agrees with this, and suggested certain changes that could help mitigate food issues for students with allergies, particularly in Sharples. “They don’t list the specific type of nuts they put in ice cream,” she said. “I’m only allergic to peanuts so I can eat ice cream that contains other kinds of nuts. Additionally there should be one ice cream scooper for nut ice creams and one for nut free ice creams. Finally, there should be an explicit rule for contaminating condiments with peanuts or nut products. If you have a piece of bread with peanut butter, you shouldn’t use the jam knife to spread jam on top of the peanut butter-covered bread.” Hempling echoed Weinthal’s beliefs, stressing the importance of all the surrounding issues. “Hopefully this will permit students who have not disclosed to open up,” she said. “Hopefully they will choose to identify [as students with food allergies] so they can get the kinds of choices that they want through the dining services.”
News
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
The Phoenix
Gil and Barbara Kemp Donate $20 Million to College Board of Managers Chair Gil Kemp ’72 Shows Commitment to Strategic Plan Goals By AMANDA EPSTEIN News Editor Last Saturday, the college announced a $20 million donation from Gil Kemp ’72 and Barbara Kemp. The gift, which will go towards financial aid, a new community space in Clothier Hall and achieving strategic planning goals in general, came largely as a result of Gil Kemp’s involvement with Swarthmore as chair for the Board of Managers. “In the fall of 2014, around the sesquicentennial, we’re hoping to begin the public facet of what will be an ambitious campaign to realize the hopes and aspirations of the strategic planning process,” Kemp said. “Important in launching a campaign like this is to have the foundation, and it’s important for me as chair to help establish the campaign if I’m going to ask people to support it.” The decision to allocate a large part of the donation — eight million dollars — to financial aid stemmed from both the college’s needs and the Kemps’ aspirations for Swarthmore to become need-blind for all of its students. Ac-
cording to Kemp, the strategic planning process saw expanding financial aid as a priority. The money, which will be granted through a global leadership scholarship, focuses largely on drawing in more international students. The large increase in international students since Kemp’s graduation in 1972 demonstrates how Swarthmore has evolved into a global community. Kemp believes it is important to maintain this change. “The fact that we are not need-blind for international students is something we need to remedy,” he said. “Financial aid is a great way to provide access to bring more terrific young men and women from throughout the world.” According to President Rebecca Chopp, the focus on international students also surged from Kemp’s keen interest and involvement in international dealings through his business, Home Decorators Collection, which was purchased by the Home Depot in 2006. “This was an opportunity to signal admissions as well as financial aid our interest in making sure that international students have the same opportunity [Gil Kemp had when he traveled the world],” she said.
The scholarship won’t demand that students study in a certain field, but that they show a commitment to international issues. “[Showing interest in global leadership] is going to be totally dependent on the student,” Chopp said. “Maybe it will be a student who has lived in Singapore or Brazil. It may also be a U.S. student who has done a lot of things with immigrants coming in.” The remaining 12 million dollars will go towards other strategic planning goals. Five million will aid the construction of a community space in Clothier Hall, which strategic planing surveys revealed is a pressing need for current students. According to Chopp, in fact, this part of the donation will be attended to first. According to Kemp, financial aid and community spaces were important to him because they were important to the college. “The fact that both of these initiatives were identified in the strategic planning process resonated with me. It happened to be things I believe in. I think more than my vision, it’s the vision of the college community collectively,” Kemp said.
Kemp, who still holds the college’s outdoor mile record at 4:15.5, also wrote for the Phoenix for four years, ran the student film society, and was active in student council. It is the wide array of experiences he had at Swarthmore that Kemp found rewarding and ultimately urged him to give back. “I thought then and still do now that one of the wonderful things about Swarthmore is that you can try lots of different things,” he said. “I’m not sure I studied as much as I should have, but I loved having the opportunity to experience so much.” It is for this reason that even a few years after graduating, Kemp had already made his first donation to the college. “I went into publishing and I happened to receive a bonus that I hadn’t expected,” he said. “It was a delight to pay it forward and give back.” Both Gil and Barbara Kemp have been and continue to be active in non-profits and community work. Their donation is only one of the ways in which they have been involved with Swarthmore and its future as a prestigious and accessible liberal arts college.
‘Convergence’, continued from page 1 be listing,” Walsh said. “They’re all encompassed and intersecting in the work that we aspire to be doing.” He added that divestment movements should actively seek out people working on these other types of campaigns, and build upon the connection in their movements. “We’re really all working for a more just, more livable, more sustainable future,” Walsh concluded. Despite the convergence’s success in creating a solid network of a student-run groups, facilitating solidarity with frontline communities and broadening views of climate justice, Mountain Justice members and frontline activists were largely frustrated by a meeting with members of the Board of Managers to discuss divestment. One frontline activist from a community affected by coal mining grew extremely upset at the lack of productivity in the meeting after sharing his story of losing family members to lung cancer, and walked out, as did a Board member. Mountain Justice member Ben BernardHerman ‘15, one of the meeting’s facilitators, said that the goal of the meeting was to clarify the motivation for beginning the divestment movement at Swarthmore. “Swarthmore Mountain Justice came out of trips to West Virginia and talking to people who work against mountaintop removal,” Bernard-Herman explained. “We thought it would be helpful for the administration to have a conversation with these people, so that they could understand where we’re coming from and why we’re doing this.” Bernard-Herman and other Mountain Justice members believed that meeting frontline activists could change the opinions of some Board members. “It’s one thing for the administration to say certain things to us about the campaign, about divestment…but it’s another to say that to someone who’s lost family members to fossil fuel destruction,” he said. Bernard-Herman added that many members of Mountain Justice are cushioned from the immediate, direct effects of fossil fuel destruction, but that activists on the frontlines bear the brunt of these effects. Perhaps due to a difference in expectations about the meeting, Mountain Justice members did not feel much progress was made. Bernard-Herman described the meeting’s tone as “aggressive and confrontational” on both sides. “The meeting didn’t end up happening in a way that brought out the best in people’s
ability to listen,” Bernard-Herman explained. Vice President for College and Community Relations and Executive Assistant to the President Maurice Eldridge ‘61, who planned and facilitated the meeting along with BernardHerman, said that confusion surrounded the purpose of the meeting. “I’m not sure what their expectations were of the meeting,” Eldridge said. “The feeling was that this would be an informal, off-the-record conversation so that people could hear each other’s side.” Eldridge too questioned whether productive discussion had occurred at the meeting. Eldridge explained that the Board of Managers does not consider divestment to be an option for a variety of reasons, mainly that Board members do not believe divestment would be the most efficacious method of fighting climate change. “The Board doesn’t really want to go down that road,” he said of divestment. “The Board is going to continue to listen to student voices, students will be heard, and they’re not going to shut them out, but it’s not going to be an easy sell.” However, Eldridge said, the college and the Board recognize the urgency of fighting climate change and will pursue a number of alternatives to divestment, including a Climate Action Plan, which involves carbon neutrality and hiring a Sustainability Coordinator for the college. Eldridge said that the preliminary version of the plan, presented by the Sustainability Committee last weekend, was well-received by the Board of Managers. Eldridge added that he and Board members believed that directing student energy towards changing the political climate in order to advance climate change legislation would be a better use of student efforts. He also said that he was unsure whether enough students saw divestment as the top issue in terms of fighting climate change. “Putting divestment aside for a moment, what else may we do?” he asked. Bernard-Herman felt that the administration’s ideas in their current form were not sufficient alternatives to divestment. “The only ideas they’ve come up with so far are conversation and education,” he said. Bernard-Herman feels that while this is commendable and important, it is not enough. “At some point, if you only engage in conversation, the conversation begins to take on a second purpose of not just education, not just learning, but systematically delaying action,” he said. Looking forward to Mountain Justice’s fu-
COURTESY OF POWER UP: DIVEST FOSSIL FUELS’ FACEBOOK PAGE
Students from around the country gathered at Swarthmore last weekend to demand divestment.
ture after the convergence, members say that they want to focus on creating student support for change in the college’s investment policies. “We’re going to be trying to build a lot of support on campus, because that’s the only way a big action would become effective,” Rigell said. “The Board would realize that it’s not just a handful of people who think we need to do something.”
It appears that despite administrative resistance, Mountain Justice, joined by a vast network of newly unified, student-run groups across the United States, will persist in efforts to build student support and convince the college to divest from fossil fuel companies. It remains to be seen whether student and media pressure on the Board of Managers will change investment policies.
News
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
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The Phoenix
Week in Pictures
Students Struggle With Math Placement Exams By DANIEL BLOCK Assistant News Editor
Philip Queen ’16 practiced tricks on his slackline, a type of tightrope, on a sunny day outside Parrish.
COURTESY OF SARAH KIM
COURTESY OF POWER UP: DIVEST FOSSIL FUELS FACEBOOK PAGE
Noel Quinones ’15 gave a performance of slam poetry for participants in last weekend’s convergence.
COURTESY OF POWER UP: DIVEST FOSSIL FUELS FACEBOOK PAGE
Convergence participants marched from a rally in the Scott Ampitheater, carrying cardboard fists.
Olivia Edwards ’14 knew she wanted to major in biology when she came to college. But in order to do that, Edwards needs to take some math. “It’s required for my major,” she said. So, as an incoming student, Edwards took the math placement test. And while she does not remember exactly how well she did, she knows the end result. “When I actually attempted to take a class, they told me I needed to be remediated.” Based on her score, Swarthmore prohibited Edwards from taking a math course that allows for further work in the department or is required by other majors. She is not the only student who has had difficulty with the math placement process. “I could not take any math classes here,” said Michael Wheeler ’16, who also failed to score high enough on his placement test to take Math 15, Elementary Single-Variable Calculus. Phillip Everson, the math professor in charge of placement, says the department is aware that this happens. “If they don’t do well enough on the readiness test, then we require them to do something first,” he said. Kaitlyn Litwinetz, the academic support coordinator for the math department, agreed, saying the department, in general, is strict about not allowing students they consider unqualified to take calculus. “In the last couple years, the professors have really cracked down on not letting students into Math 15 who aren’t prepared to take it,” she said. For some students, like Edwards, the lack of a precalculus course has made life more difficult. “It kind of sucked,” said Edwards, who was told she needed to do review work over the summer and then re-take the exam to enroll in Math 15. But that summer, she was occupied by an internship. Hence, Edwards felt she did not have the time to adequately prepare. “I had to move around my whole schedule because of not taking it,” she said. But Everson feels the process is fair and accommodating. “If they aren’t happy with it, they come and talk to us,” he said. He pointed out that the department offers review materials, and in 2008, hired Litwinetz to help people in exactly that situation. “I reach out to students,” said Litwinetz. “People that don’t really place into Math 15 could come talk to me,” she said. Litwinetz said she distributes review material to students who need assistance in preparing for math. Litwinetz, like Everson, argued the department was accommodating, and that in spite of strict standards of admittance to Math 15, professors were willing to accept students who truly needed to take the course. “I think the professors would kind of work with them and let them take it,” she said. Indeed, even some students barred from taking math are not too disappointed. “I did not plan on taking any math classes here,” said Wheeler, who added he felt the problem was not widespread. “I have a feeling that the number of people for which this is actually a reality for it is incredibly low,” he said. Edwards agreed. “I knew I was going to be a bio major when I came to this school, so it was not enough to dissuade me,” she said. Still, students felt the system could use improvement. “It’s a little bit of a hit to the self esteem,” said Lauren Mirzakhali ’15, who, like Wheeler and Edwards, was ineligible for Math 15. Wheeler felt that the system was not as flexible as Everson made it out to be. “It was very dismissive,” said Wheeler. “It was very much like, ‘Figure this out on your own, or it’s a no.’” Some students said they thought the school should have a precalculus course they could do during the semester instead of as summer work. Even Litwinetz felt it might not be a bad idea. “I do think there are some students who would benefit from it,” she said, adding that she thought it might be good for the school to offer a summertime, “no credit,” course. However, Everson said that there was only so much the department could do with its resources. For example, he said that while the math department would like to offer a precalculus course, it did not have the means. “We just don’t have the possibility of offering a preparatory course for Math 15. We don’t have the staffing,” he said. But students seem to understand those issues and the lack of need. “It just seems a little counterproductive to start something that you’d already be behind in,” said Mirzakhali. Wheeler agreed. “I can only imagine there are a handful of people here who are as bad at math as I am.”
COURTESY OF POWER UP: DIVEST FOSSIL FUELS FACEBOOK PAGE
Nearly 200 students and activists packed campus this weekend to demand divestment from fossil fuel industries.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
The Phoenix
SMART Holds Consent Workshops Group Aims to Foster Dialogue and Create Safer Spaces on Campus By NEHMAT KAUR News Writer
Since the issuance of Title IX guidelines in 2011, Swarthmore has worked to revise and improve its sexual misconduct policy and provide better information and access to resources for issues regarding sexual assault and misconduct. As a part of this revision in policy, last week, the Sexual Misconduct Advisors and Resource Team (SMART) held workshops for students to discuss issues regarding sexual misconduct at Swarthmore. One workshop focused on dating culture at college and another on campus culture. Sharmaine LaMar, Title IX Coordinator, said in an email, “The most recent SMART events have focused on how individuals can build a culture of support and empowerment for those affected by sexual assault.” Lisa Sendrow ’13, a member of SMART, said participants talked about feelings of discomfort in campus situations. “The workshop on campus culture focused on feeling uncomfortable during class, at the library or at Paces and so on,” she said. “We talked about ways to make the campus safer. Whether it’s a classroom, at a party, your bedroom, wherever you may be.” As the events were considered a safe
space, the personal stories and experiences and assist in any events which do address shared by students who attended cannot these topics.” Mayra Tenorio ’15, another Sexual be reported in detail, but Sendrow singled out communication as an important topic Health Counselor, said that it was important to have approachable resources on of discussion at the workshops. She said, “We talked about the impor- campus for sexual assault and health istance of communication and the impor- sues. “Not everybody in different countries tance of talking to each other before you and cultures do anything thinks it’s with the other okay to talk person. We also discussed and learn Any questions about issues the idea of about sexual like consent, making consent health. A lot the ‘nice guy’ sexy, how gender identity and of how sexpersonality and what that ism starts is gender expression interact how sex and means.” with a healthy sex life, are sexual health Alexander all questions that people can is talked Noyes ’15, a about. For member of bring to us as a group. the Sexual women it’s Alexander Noyes’15 not encourHealth CounSexual Health Counselor selors (SHCs), aged, open, etc. It’s a spoke about the role SHCs privilege for you to know play in issues and be educated about such things,” she concerning sex and sexual health. “Any questions about issues like con- said. Tenorio highly approved of SMART’s sent, making consent sexy, how gender efforts to facilitate such dialogue. identity and gender expression interact LaMar and Sendrow were both pleased with a healthy sex life, are all questions by the success of the workshops and the that people can bring to us as a group,” he number of students who attended. While LaMar confirmed an approxisaid, “We would be happy to collaborate
This Week In Greek By ANNA GONZALES Assistant News Editor
The second of a series of discussions on the role and scope of Greek life on Swarthmore’s campus will take place on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Friends Meetinghouse. Joyce Wu ’15, who created the original petition for a referendum on the existence of Greek life, said that facilitators would introduce one or two questions to participants. These questions would be selected from broader topics of exclusivity, social dynamics, and benefits and drawbacks of Greek life, according to Wu. While one of the co-editors-inchief of The Daily Gazette, Max Nesterak ’13, facilitated the first discussion last Thursday night, Wu said that Assistant Dean and Director of the Black Cultural Center Karlene Burrell-McRae will tentatively facilitate Friday’s talk, though the decision has not been finalized. According to Wu, Dean BurrellMcRae is trained in discussion facilitation and was a popular choice among students planning the event. “She is also very good at getting people to come up with concrete goals rather than just discussing things all the time, which Swatties are wont to
do,” Wu said. Dina Zingaro ’13, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, said she hoped the meetings would continue to facilitate positive, open, face-to-face dialogue among students. Zingaro hopes that Theta members will be able to better introduce themselves to the student body, along with what she and other Theta members see as a unique brand of Greek life. “In our meetings, we use the term ‘Swarthmorize’ a lot, which for us means to align Theta’s values with Swarthmore’s credo of activism, awareness of social and environmental issues, and really offering something back to the community,” Zingaro said. She hopes that the discussions of Greek life will help the entire student body to “Swarthmorize” Theta and shape the sorority’s role on campus in a positive fashion. “All of us want the same thing: an inclusive student body that recognizes and fosters diversity of interests and backgrounds,” Zingaro concluded. Wu hopes to leave Friday’s discussion with tangible objectives. “I would like to come out of it with some concrete goals and maybe even some proposals of how to achieve these goals,” she said.
mate attendance of 70 students, Sendrow was particularly pleased by the fact that the workshops created a dialogue between the students, SMART members, and Beth Kotarski, Director of Worth Health Center and Patricia Fischette, a Counseling and Psychological Services staffer, who are both SMART Advisors. The referendum on Greek life was a popular topic of conversation at these workshops, though SMART members have not reached a consensus on their view of Greek life. “The main thing is we care about the safety of the student body. I think it’s important for SMART to find out what makes people feel uncomfortable and work with the brothers to improve on it,” Sendrow said. “We just want to keep people safe and prevent assault. SMART and the brothers have worked together in the past and received positive feedback. We’ll continue doing so.” Now that the workshops are over, SMART members are looking forward to planning for the Genderfuck party that is approaching. They will be holding workshops, training members of Delta Upsilon, Phi Psi and Kappa Alpha Theta to be sober hosts at the party and working closely with members of DART, the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, in preparation for the event.
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Still Pain Runs Deep: Another Heated Look at Sephardic Jewish Culture The title of one of two recently opened formed into pieces that are less works of exhibitions at the Gershman Y galler- art than they are mediums through which ies of Philadelphia, “Turkey’s Sephardim: the artist can express what seems to reAnother Look,” implies that there has ally matter to her, the apparent feelings been a previous look at this unique ethnic of stigmatization for her Jewish tradition. group. And, indeed, this sect of the Jew- With this goal overwhelming the art of ish population, which possesses a blended the exhibit, it ultimately felt more like an heritage hailing from Turkey, Rhodes, unconventional avenue for discussion of Iran, Iberia, Morocco, and other nations, anti-Semitism rather than an art show. has received countless looks Laurence Salzmann’s photofrom people all over the world graphs, which he took during a ZOE — looks of scorn, indifference, trip to Turkey from 1984 to 1989, WRAY and racism. The pain that the also took away from their identity Spanish Inquisition afflicted on as artwork, but in a different and Aesthetics the Sephardic Jews, who were Apperceptions strange way. His five-year sojourn forced to flee to Mallorca and originated as a three-month docuTurkey, remains quite a sensimentary project commissioned to tive subject for their descendants. Its ten- him by the University of Tel-Aviv, but he derness especially becomes evident in the somehow ended up staying much longer art of Micaela Amato, whose mixed media with the Sephardic Jewish community and show, “Qasida/Casida: Los Chuetas Mal- took thousands more photographs than lorquines,” appears alongside Philadelphia he had originally planned. Eighteen of of native Laurence Salzmann’s photography these make up “Turkey’s Sephardim: Anin “Turkey’s Sephardim” at the Gershman other Look.” Although Salzmann claimed Y in an adjacent gallery. that he considered these photographs to When I attended the exhibition’s open- be primarily documentary rather than art, ing reception, the crowd of approximately to me it seems inconceivable to me that thirty to forty people consisted mostly of these photographs could be considered Jews, with a good number from the Sep- anything but artworks. They simply are hardic clan. Instead of focusing on the not the same as the yellowed photographs artistic process at all, the discussion panel of civil war soldiers staring dolefully into with the two artists rapidly developed into the camera with their arms cut off that a passionate discourse about the conceal- one might see in a historical museum. It ing of faith that Sephardic Jews had to is clear that Salzmann paid attention to the endure under the brutal Spanish Inquisi- formal qualities of his photographs as he tion in order to survive. Various audience composed them. members shared family stories of the great One photograph that particularly lengths that Jews went to in order to hide haunted me was the archival pigment their Judaism. I was the only one to ask a print of the Brit Milah (circumcision) question about the art on view itself, but ceremony of the newborn David Hubert even this question addressed to Amato— Roditi at Divan Oteli in Istanbul. The dra“Why did you choose to work in mixed matic lighting of the black and white palmedia?”—received an answer that allowed ette, the crowded composition of six figfor an immediate segue into a diatribe ures packed together in the foreground of on the awful tribulations of the Jews that the intimate picture plane and the serious have occurred for over five hundred years: but calm expressions of the grown men as “Because my people come from a variety they pinpoint their attention so fixedly on of backgrounds, and I was trying to build the infant makes for a surprisingly powerup in my mixed media real human beings ful image. that experienced so much suffering.” It is photographs like these in the exDuring extern week over Winter hibition which convince me that whether Break, I externed with Miriam Seidel ’73, Salzmann consciously thought about it or the curator of the Gershman Y, and I aided not, he was thinking about these photoher in crafting this exhibition. As a result, graphs as an artist, not as an anthropoloI had already seen the work that would be gist. on display. Without any idea of the intense Since future viewers of this exhibition, emotional significance that the mixed me- which is on view until April 14th, will not dia pieces retain for Amato, they appeared see it with the presence and commentary as relatively benign, delicate sculptures of its artists, the feelings and opinions that of ceramic and cast glass. These sculp- the works generate will most likely differ tures, which she modeled after her fam- markedly from the impressions that I acily members’ faces in order to capture the quired at the gallery opening. I’m actually distinct facial features of the Sephardic not sure which is the best way to experiJewish race, had seemed to me as a sort ences these art pieces. of quaint homage to the artist’s heritage. The answer to that question ultimately On the surface, they are small, beautiful leads to the question of how much the sculptures made of glass that glows with artist’s intention should figure into one’s dreamy, deeply saturated hues that seam- analysis and appreciation of the art, a topic lessly blend into each other, reminiscent of that art critics and historians still debate. the multiple shades of blue that shimmer Either way, go to this show to see the exin the ocean. pression of many things at once: so many After a glimpse of the artist’s perspec- years, so many traditions, so much happitive, however, these sculptures have trans- ness and so much hurt.
OUTSIDE
COURTESY OF JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
BUBBLE BY GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS V. OTTAWA SENATORS Wells Fargo Center Saturday, March 2nd, 12 p.m.
There is nothing quite like being in a stadium filled with screaming fans, shirtless men with beer bellie and lots of hockey action. Let the Flyers keep you on the edge of your seat as they battle on the ice against the Senators. Grab your foam finger, some face paint, that Wawa cup of Coke, and a dash of enthusiasm. This is a game that you want to see in person and not off a Kohlberg projector. Tickets are available through wellsfargocenterphilly. com and StubHub.
THE SKATALITES
The Blockley Friday, March 1st, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
The foundation of ska, rock steady and reggae is currently in the area. They are most famous for creating the first truly Jamaican music, and there is nothing better than going to see the originals. Take a break from electronica for a night and jam out to the group who started it all for Jamaica. The Skatalites will be sure to give you a show you’ll remember. General admission tickets are $15.
GET LUCID! THE ACTIVIST ART FUNDARISER PARTY By art party, we are not talking about a fancy term for Day Glow. PhilaMOCA will host a multimedia art extravaganza which will include spoken word poetry, live music, theater, and art. Afterwards, head down the block to The Institute Bar for the TechHouse Afterparty. There is only a $5 minimum donation fee to enter. All proceeds will be donated to the Prometheus Radio Project, an organization aiding community radio stations.
RESTAURANT MONTH
Chestnut Hill Thursday - Saturdays in March
Philly’s Gensham Y, where Salzmann’s exhibit is on display until April 14.
the
PhilaMOCA March 2nd, 7 p.m. -2 a.m.
18 restuarants in Northwest Philly will provide customers with lunch and dinner deals throughout March. All these specials are offered Thursday to Sunday, perfectly timed for weekend dates. Just think about a four-course meal at Thai Kuu, serving Thai and Asian Fusion dishes, for only $19.95 or a three-course meal at Mica, an upscale New American restaurant for $29.95. Remember, you can never put a price on good food. For information on participating restuarants visit chestnuhillpa.com.
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The Phoenix
SWAT STYLE
Handmade and Handed Down By MIREILLE GUY Living & Arts Writer
For Satyajit “Saty” Rao, it’s all about thoughtfully pairing simple staples with a few special pieces. A new York native, his tastes are a product of his environment, they just happen to be stylish. He builds his wardrobe from a variety of different places, but manages to pull them together as if it wouldn’t make sense for them to be any other way. This is evident in his current outfit, where each part seems to compliment the others, and the whole ensemble comes together with its dark color pallet. Rao is currently wearing a pair of black Doc Marten’s by Patrik Ervell with beige soles (perhaps the brightest part of his outfit). Well worn, these are one of his favorite pairs of shoes -- he’s even worn them on hikes. His navy blue fitted pants are custom tailored, guaranteeing a unique fit to add to his overall look. Rao often gets his pants hand made. “While in India one time, I was looking for a suit for some event, and I didn’t want to go to a store and get a crappy one. I realized I could get a suit fit however I wanted in whatever material from a tailor” he offers as explanation as to how he began to get his pants custom made. Rao picks out fabrics and designs at home and brings them with him during his trips to India, having his family tailormake them for him—literally outsourcing his pants to India. His black socks, black tee, and his navy blue and green plaid coat are all from Uniqlo, a Japanese casual wear store with branches in New York City. His brown knit cardigan is Stephan Schneider, and his hat is a New York Yankees baseball cap because, as he states, “I gotta rep New York.” His bracelet, a gift from his grandmother, was originally an Indian necklace that he then fashioned around his wrist.
ZHENGLONG ZHOU / THE PHOENIX
On Style Influences and Living in New York Rao does not credit his style to anything in particular, but rather, he explains it as a sort of osmosis of his surroundings. Although born in India, Rao grew up in New York City. “Living in New York, you see a lot of
people going with what the current trends are” Rao said. “For example, a lot of people are wearing boots and workwear right now. I try to do my own thing, but comfort’s essential.” New Yorkers can go pretty big on style, but Rao holds steadfast to looking and feeling comfortable in his clothes. He explains that he does not go for any particular look (although he does admit to going through a pretty big sneaker phase that he has not quite yet shaken). Must-haves for him include black tees and chunkier, big sweaters, especially when it’s been so cold out! Rao also credits his style to independent films such “My Own Private Idaho,” “Blow-Up” and “Le Samuraï” as well as the street style blog Superfuture. Like any younger sibling, Rao admits to sometimes “borrowing” clothes from his older brother. “He dresses decently well and is into similar things” Rao explained. “His style has sort of rubbed off on me and I get free clothes every once in awhile.” Guilty Pleasures and Sneaking into Fashion Shows Rao is all about the sales, hitting up stores such as Uniqlo to catch good deals. Furthermore, in addition to getting some of his clothes custom tailored, he’ll occasionally—as on birthdays, for example— treat himself to special pieces. Favorites include New York natives Patrick Ervel and Robert Geller, as well as Stephan Schneider. Rao, on occasion, will sneak into New York fashion shows to catch some of his favorite designers in action. Whereas you might be picturing him sneaking under a tent tarp, Rao gains entry in a more clever way. He explains that “you’ve got to go in with a camera, pose as a photographer, tell them that you’re going to shoot this for a magazine, and they let you in.” He admits that this ploy does not always work, and the fashion world can be cruel in their rejection. Overall, it is obvious that when it comes to clothes, Rao does not put so much pressure on himself, resulting in a more genuine, almost effortless style.
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SELECTIONS
When is the moment? Photographs by DANIEL Y. CHO
Home is elusive. The sensation of absolute completeness. An image can embody an emotion, from corner to corner. It can capture more than a subject or a moment. It can make you feel. This approach to photography, to seek an adjective, not noun, is powerful. It’s one thing to be able to compose something familiar in our lives well and another to be able to capture an explicit emotion. A photograph can make you feel at home. Home can be expansively defined. These pictures are not about Kanye at a concert, a youngster at a basketball court, or Yuan smiling on top of his bed. They are about where they want to be. At one particular moment, they all found a place, both physically and mentally. They are comfortable with their identities and rooted in their respective spaces. Expressions feel true to the individuals. They are returning home, they are feeling home, and they are experiencing home. This emotion was lived at one point. A friend of mine has a teapot that’s inscribed with the words, “Home is where the heart is.” When I can sense this nature in people — I click
PRESENCE OF HOME IN
1| ...June ‘11, Fargo
2| ... June ‘12, Sarajevo
3| ... February ‘13, Wharton Dorm
4|... November ‘11, Wells Fargo Center
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Living & Arts
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
The Phoenix
Dangerous Recycling of Religious Language
For this week’s bit of commentary on religion, I’ve decided to shake things up a bit and begin with a little guessing game. As promised at the end of my last installment, this week will again consider religious rhetoric, but not saints’ erotic wordplay or the hot to trot couple in The Song of Songs. Instead, I will now consider religious language’s sway in the context of violent world conflict. Specifically, I will explore the shared rhetoric of seemingly clashing forces on the world stage: former President George Bush and Osama bin Laden. Here are two excerpts, one from each leader, from speeches and interviews in the wake of 9/11. As you may notice, it’s not necessarily obvious to whom each belongs — can you guess who said what? “Tell them that these events have divided the world into two camps, the camp of the faithful and the camp of infidels. DINA May God shield us and you from them.” ZINGARO “In this conflict there is no Beyond neutral ground. If any governBelief ment sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocents, they have become outlaws and murderers themselves. And they will take that lonely path at their own peril.” If you guess the first as bin Laden and the second as Bush, then congratulations! You win, well, bragging rights. Both statements profess equally blunt categorizations of what is good and what is evil, which belongs to the religious dualism of Manichean cosmology. Here, there is neither neutrality nor a middle ground, and any hesitation is deemed unacceptable. For Bush, “you’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists,” while bin Laden quite similarly declares “whoever upholds [the enemy] with one word” becomes the enemy. Ironically however, despite these leaders’ desperate efforts to distance themselves from one another using this extreme language, they actually harmonize in their adoption of strict binaries. Their powerful lyricism testifies to how religion bleeds into political discourse. Even though bin Laden’s rhetoric may seem to more explicitly cast a religious tone over the war, characterizing the conflict as “one of faith” between the infidels and the faithful, Bush’s speech proves just as faith-based. Bruce Lincoln illustrates the religiosity of Bush’s language, for example, in the former president’s description of the terrorists as those who “may burrow deeper into caves and other entrenched hiding places.” Yes, this language likens his enemies to hunted animals, but more importantly to those deemed fearful in the Apocalypse of Revelations 6:15-1729: “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the
commanders ... hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains ... for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” In his thorough examination, Lincoln provides an extensive glimpse at the echoes between other biblical verses such as Job 8:13 and Bush’s claim: “... [anyone who sides with Bin Laden] will take that lonely path at their own peril.” Though such biblical allusions may go unnoticed by those without the requisite textual knowledge, as Lincoln admits, they were audible to his audience who were attentive to such phrasing. Even more striking however is this duo’s not-so-subtle shared references to the Crusades. Bush branded the holy war (arguably inadvertent): “This crusade, this war on terrorism (Sept. 2001) ... crusade to defend freedom, this campaign to do what is right for our children and our grandchildren (Feb. 2002).” Also choosing to wield Crusader language, bin Laden describes Bush as “the biggest Crusader”; bin Laden himself was described as the “modern-day Saladin” (the Western name for the ruler Salah al-Din ibn Ayyub who was the great Muslim general who confronted the Crusaders in the Near East).
Not a one-hit wonder In fact, the twenty-first century is a repeat offender for this type of recycling of religious language. January’s two-part coverage in the online publication “The Revealer” described Muslim protests in Ethiopia and the government’s response to weekly demonstrations by Ethopian Muslims. What interested me here specifically is the Ethiopian government’s strategy in what is becoming an international religious affair: the use of rhetoric from the “War on Terror.” Demonstrators claim that the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his successor Hailemariam Desalegn have given the “Ahbash” sect of Islam (formerly known as the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects whichhas moved toward anti-Salafism and emphasized the necessity for Muslims to obey political rulers) control over key Muslim institutions in the country. For many, the government’s alleged promotion of the Ahbash sect represents an effort to counter the spread of Salafism (Islamic sect that grants more authority to the Qur’an, the Hadith and the consensus of approved scholarship) inside Ethiopia. Yet, the government crackdowns on protesters have drawn international criticism, including from Ethiopia’s ally the United States. Appealing to the U.S., it seems that the Ethiopian government has borrowed its rhetoric with great purpose.
Comic by RENU NADKARNI
Associating Salafism with extremism, the government has proven quite skillful at positioning itself as a “U.S. ally in combating terrorism” and positioning domestic dissidents as extremists. In fact, as “The Revealer” reports, the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have charged the Ethiopian government with the misuse of their Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009. The Proclamation possesses “an overbroad and vague definition of terrorist acts” that can be misused to “stifle peaceful dissent.” Just last May, Meles employed language as a political weapon to appeal to his allies overseas: “We are observing tell-tale signs of extremism. We should nip this scourge in the bud.”
What’s the harm? As per custom for my column, we arrive at some version of “so what?” in light of this language of religious conflict, what are the consequences of recycling such lingo? In other words, other than proving linguistic savviness, what does it matter who borrows language and from where they borrow it? Well, the consequences are twofold. First, there is the potential to disintegrate the protective symbolic walls that we often construct to keep others (especially enemies) at a distance — i.e. their motivations and worldviews are so different than and foreign to our own and therefore, beyond our understanding. This mindset cripples conflict resolution. Yet, the Ethiopian government seems to be using rhetoric from “War on Terror” in order to appeal to the U.S. instead of distancing us. Now, in light of Bush and bin Laden specifically, what happens to these walls when extremists like bin Laden who we may deem as the barbaric and uncivilized “Other” employ the same terminology as our own leaders? It is threatening. Similar phrasing and speech would seem to imply that we also share the same worldview; therefore, it becomes harder to simply characterize others as irrational or unreasonable. The blinders are removed and we are therefore forced to move beyond our own ignorance to acknowledge the possibility that our enemy’s rationale may in fact be reasonable to some degree. The second consequence of borrowing the lexicon of historical religious conflict is what political scientist Samuel P. Huntington first termed as “the class of civilizations.” In his 1993 Foreign Affairs article, surveying post-Cold War politics, Huntington posits that the primary source of world conflict will be along cultural and religious lines rather than ideological or economic ones. Originally, Bernard Lewis coined the term in the September 1990 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, in his article entitled “The Roots of Muslim Rage.”He wrote, “This is no less than a clash of civilizations — the perhaps irrational but surely historic reaction of an ancient rival against our Judeo-Christian heritage, our secular present, and the worldwide expansion of both. It is crucially important that we on our side should not be provoked into an equally historic but also equally irrational reaction against that rival.” Therefore, the lingering phantom of the Crusades too easily ignores the specificities of our own contemporary conflict. Bin Laden and Bush’s adoption of Crusader language reduces the particularities of the contemporary conflict: its tensions, questions and lead actors. We ignore the nuances and our own conflict inevitably inherits the animosity of a past conflict. To borrow a war’s rhetoric is to assume its sentiments and emotions as well. In a November 2001 interview, Bin Laden speaks to this type of inheritance of conflict and speaks the contemporary war as either “a single, unrelated event, or ... part of a long series of Crusader wars against the Islamic world.” Identifying the dangerous repercussions of Bush’s use of “crusade,” French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine explained, “We have to avoid a clash of civilizations at all costs. One has to avoid falling into this huge trap, this monstrous trap [which has been] conceived by the instigators of the assault.” This trap leads us to the erroneous conclusion that there exist self-contained societies that correspond to fixed civilizational values — for example, the “West” versus the “East.” In this vein, resorting to language of the Crusades stunts conflict resolution since it reinscribes a particular historic hostility and thus, merely adds fuel to the fire. Whether bin Laden, Bush or the Ethiopian government, there is a power in authoring history with one’s choice of language, yet also a greater danger in manipulating rhetoric of past religious conflict. Shifting gears away from my recent focus on religious rhetoric, next installment will address religion’s presence in yes, — brace yourself fans of Matthew, Mary and Lord Grantham — Downton Abbey.
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The Vegan Tree Offers More Than Just Salad The Vegan Tree 742 South St Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 454-2898 Rating: 4.5 / 5 Price: $ Good for Groups: No
Being vegan and going out to eat = tough life. Every menu gets reduced to a garden salad with dressing — as long as there’s no dairy in it. While everyone gets to order dessert, you sit there watching as people munch away at a crème brûlée or a milkshake. It was with much determination (and willingness to eat a great meal) that we decided to discover a great vegan option for casual weekend dinners out of town. That was when we ended up at The Vegan Tree. Trust us, we did not just pick it because its name screams vegan. The atmosphere ANGELA OH was quaint. Small and square tables were GABRIELA set up with simple picnic-patterned CAMPOVERDE tablecloths. NothThe Bus Boys ing was spectacular, but it was comfortable. The decor was cute, and not in the casual remark sense. Pastel purple, light blue and mellow green vases held short sunflowers. Specialties were written with a hot pink sharpie and placed on small doilies, which made looking at them all the more pleasurable. A counter displayed desserts including brown sugar cheesecake, chocolate cake and carrot cake slices all enticing you and luring you in. Again, everything is vegan and, even so, right for the taste buds. The service was pleasant. Two women took turns at waiting on us since there were only a few customers. They were kind and offered to explain any of the dishes to us. It seemed strange that the location was not bustling on a Friday night, but after considering that it is a vegan restaurant, it seemed all right — we assumed not too many people are fond of going to a restaurant where everything is a soy-based substitute of the actual thing. South Street itself is an adventure. Not only do restaurants offer a variety in
GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE/THE PHOENIX
good food but also in experience. Down the street we noticed a restaurant, Hot Diggity, specializing in unique hot dog dishes and a take out places claiming to have the best gyros. And, don’t forget about the reputable Jim’s Steaks, known for its delicious cheesesteaks. This week’s Vegan Tree menu highlights four entrees and two desserts: Ocean Sushi Roll, Golden Nuggets, Asian Seaweed Salad, Chocolate Cake, and Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie. Not being vegan myself, I entered this adorable restaurant with a couple suspicions. It was hard to believe that anyone could really imitate the flavor and texture of chicken or create a beautifully
crafted cake without any dairy products. Nevertheless, with the assurance of my partner, we stepped in and slowly began challenging my suspicions. We first whetted our palettes with the Ocean Roll. Each of the nine pieces looked more like the Korean kimbap than the traditional Japanese sushi. The seaweed exterior encased warm black rice, imitation crab, fresh cucumbers, and my favorite, smooth and buttery avocado. With our hunger levels sky high, each piece was well appreciated. Tasting a lot like a California roll, this dish was delicious but not particularly spectacular. Next, the most interesting dish ar-
rived: The golden nuggets. My questioning of fake chicken was finally answered. The Golden Nuggets came with approximately 8 triangular pieces and a sriracha/mayo dipping sauce in the middle. With the first bite, we both let out an exclamation of surprise. “This tastes just like the chicken my grandma use to make,” Gaby noted. For me, if I were ever blindfolded, I would not be able to tell a real chicken nugget and this apart. Each bit was as tender and juicy as a nugget can get. Immersing each piece in the sauce, we happily pretended to be eating real chicken. Next arrived the Asian seaweed salad. The preparation took a little longer than expected, but I was willing to wait, as I rarely come across a salad with wellprepared seaweed. This dish arrived with a mixture of spring greens, seaweed, and large slabs of tofu laid on top. Once the waiter placed this in front of me, I immediately began spearing pieces of lettuce and seaweed into my eager mouth. Starting from the pieces on top, the salad tasted fresh and well-flavored with a sesame oil dressing. The seaweed was clearly prepared well with no lingering seawater saltiness. Unfortunately, as I got to the bottom layers where most of the dressing gathered, each successive bite became a little too salty. Using the bland flavor of the large pieces of tofu balanced out the flavors and helped me finish the dish. The dessert at Vegan Tree was definitely my favorite part. Gaby ordered the chocolate cake while I bought a simple coconut chocolate chip cookie. My dessert was not noteworthy. The cookie itself was pretty flavorless. Without the chocolate chips, the cookie would have tasted like a dry biscuit. On the other hand, I was lucky enough to steal a few bites of Gaby’s dish. With the first bite, I really could not believe that this rich and moist cake had no dairy products in it. The combination of chocolate frosting and chocolate bread created the perfect amount of sweetness unrivaled by any I have eaten before. This was our guilty pleasure with half the guilt. As we exited, we noticed a sign by the entrance with a sketch of a cow and a caption that read, “I am a happy cow with a family and friends. Please don’t eat me! Go vegan.” There is no doubt a place like this makes it much easier to avoid eating these friendly animals.
Music as Temporal Art: Woodwinds Across Centuries By TAYLOR HODGES Assistant Living & Arts Edior For those who’ve pondered the conflicting sonics of contemporary and Renaissance woodwind compositions, Orchestra 2001, an ensemble for modern classical music, provided just the food for that particular thought in Lang Concert Hall this past Sunday. For those uninterested in the disparate sounds of Western wind instruments, you didn’t miss much. Sunday saw Orchestra 2001, Swarthmore’s professional orchestra in residence, perform “The Winds of Yore… And Now,” a collaborative concert along with Renaissance wind ensemble, Piffaro, a Philadelphia-based group that performs Renaissance compositions using dulcians, sackbuts, recorders, and other traditional instruments. “The initial idea was of collaboration between the two groups,” said James Freeman, Artistic Director of Orchestra 2001 and the conductor of Sunday’s per-
formance. “From there we joined forces and tried to find ways to combine and oppose the groups.” The concert presented the two groups playing Renaissance material together, found Orchestra 2001 playing 20th century pieces exploring Renaissance tropes, Piffaro playing Renaissance compositions, and many combinations in between. The concert was a rare stimulus for extended contemplation of the wind instrument and of classical music’s development over the past 500 years, but didn’t offer much for patrons simply seeking enjoyment of pleasant musical aesthetics. Freeman said that he hoped the concert, which is by nature a bit more removed from the contemporary soundscape than the group’s typical repertoire, would leave listeners “entertained, as this was a concert with as much great humor as academic musical ideas.” And however infrequent, the concert did offer moments of baser pleasures. A performance of Arne Running’s “Renais-
sance Redux,” a contemporary meditation on the pleasures of Renaissance musics filled the hall with swirling crescendos of baroque melodies stricken with modern clave rhythms. And Orchestra 2001’s subsequent airing of Peter Schickele’s classical music spoofs written under the pseudonym P.D.Q. Bach injected silly refrains of modernism into pastiches of self-serious classical arrangements. Yet these moments were too few throughout a performance that exceeded two hours. Although a deeply intellectually engaging performance, “The Winds of Yore” amounted to one of Orchestra 2001’s least approachable concerts of the last few seasons. And even though all of the joint performance’s pieces were thought provoking at the least, the intended intellectual conversation seemed less essential than it has with past Orchestra 2001 concerts. Orchestra 2001’s fall concert, a retrospective of difficult 20th century composer John Cage, whose oeuvre often
toes the line between music and performance art, provided a comparable balance between chin-stroking and heartstirring, but the questions the concert asked seemed much more essential. While John Cage’s works inspired questions about the nature of performance and the very perceptions of sound, “The Winds of Yore” posited more esoteric questions of irrelevance to the average listener immersed in the contemporary world of music. Connecting the dots between Renaissance sounds and today is an important exercise for chronicling musical evolution, but it’s difficult to escape the feeling that this exercise is more than purely academic. In any case, the concert was a slog of interesting materials, and at a certain point, interesting isn’t enough. Sure, the concert rerouted neural pathways to places they wouldn’t have reached otherwise, but at some point post-intermission it was hard not to be reminded of the adage, art should entertain and instruct. One isn’t much good without the other.
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The Phoenix
Figure Composition Course Hits the Big Apple Recently, my studio art class, “Figure Composition,” took a trip to New York. After an early wake-up (and a mild panic when I realized that the power outage on campus had caused my alarm to reset itself), a long bus ride, and a delicious lunch at the Tick Tock diner (which I am told is a tourist trap), we found ourselves in arguably the greatest art museum in the nation: the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Philadelphia’s eponymous Museum of Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art have DEBORAH their strengths and charms (and I have KRIEGER not yet had the pleaThe Bus Boys sure of visiting Chicago’s Art Institute), the Metropolitan Museum of Art remains my favorite museum in the United States. “From the MixedUp Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” remains one of my favorite books and an inspiration to this day (sadly, I have not yet followed Claudia’s example and run away to live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but give it time). As a class, we only had about two hours to spend in the museum, but I could easily spend weeks traversing the grand galleries and never get bored. Our goals were to see the Henri Matisse and George Bellows exhibits. Professor Exon also wanted to show us some works in the museum’s permanent collection that he thought would prove inspirational in their use of composition and design as well as the treatment of the human figure. This account will briefly touch upon the Matisse and Bellows exhibits, then tackle Professor Randall Exon’s exhibit, located in
the Hirschl and Adler Modern gallery in the Crown Building on 5th Ave. The Matisse show, “In Search of True Painting” (which runs until March 17), was especially interesting to me as an artist because it demonstrated how Matisse addressed different subjects multiple times during his painting career. He strove to grow as an artist by creating later versions of earlier paintings. The exhibit presents examples of Matisse’s approach and treatment of the similar compositions and subjects in his journey as an artist, often holding them up side by side. The differences in techniques in his treatment of the same exact composition are striking. Whereas in an earlier approach to a bowl of fruit on a table, “Still Life with Purro I,” Matisse would use broad strokes of flat color, a later version of the same arrangement, “Still Life with Purro II,” is characterized by “confetti”-like dashes of paint. What remains constant in all the works of the exhibit are Matisse’s idiosyncratic, unnatural use of color and the dynamism and deftness of his compositions and brushstrokes. A true intellectual and artistic highlight of this show is the way the exhibit presents the evolution of several works on display. The exhibit displays a finished painting, and then juxtaposes it with photographs taken of the painting’s journey to completion. The audience gets an opportunity to see the whole process of the artist, from the graphite sketch to the final painted product. Pressed for time as we were, having to keep moving quickly diminished the effectiveness of the exhibit. I would have liked to compare and contrast works more in order to understand what he was striving for in each interpretation of the same subject.
“Converging on Campus” Illustration by YENNY CHEUNG
Our next destination was the simply titled “George Bellows”, which runs through Feb. 18. According to the museum, this exhibit is the “first comprehensive survey of an artist’s career in nearly half a century” (metmuseum.org). Bellows is an artist whom I know and can recognize, but don’t know much else about, so this exhibit was an excellent learning opportunity for me. George Bellows largely painted ordinary people at the turn of the 20th century; he is most famous for his loose, meaty depictions of boxing matches and his gritty paintings of the New York tenement life of the working poor. The show takes the audience through his career chronologically, allowing me to appreciate his evolving style. In addition to his paintings of fights Bellows also painted very distinctive portraits, all with visible brushstrokes and a lively sense of movement and vitality in each figure. Of particular note early on in the exhibit is the saggy, realistic flesh of the woman in the work titled “Nude Girl, Miss Leslie Hall.” As I traveled throughout the exhibit, I realized that Bellows’ famous boxing pictures must have shocked in their time, but are now ubiquitous and thus rather difficult to appreciate on their own merits. The exhibit devotes nearly equal space to Bellows’ landscape and place-oriented works. “Summer Night, Riverside Drive,” a highlight, has an incredible sense of atmosphere. The work depicts a couple walking along a path at night and truly impresses with its deep shadows and its tenderness, created by the small lamp post light source. On a purely technical note, Bellows also simulates the texture of snow quite well. Additionally, this truly extensive show
juxtaposes drawings and finished works, revealing his sketchy, keen draftsmanship. The exhibit also displays some small lithographs created by the artist, which demonstrate a key understanding of the handling of light and shadow. Approaching the tail end of the exhibit, portraits of women that include several of his beloved wife are of note. These works are intimate and lovely; Bellows uses his loose, dynamic technique to great effect. Painters of the human form can learn quite a bit from Bellows’ treatment of flesh and of character. In contrast to the dynamism and wild energy of the previous exhibits, Professor Exon’s small showing a few blocks away, simply titled “New Paintings,” is a study in serenity and harmony. This collection of works is focused on depictions of water and beaches, with the occasional work featuring a beach house or human subjects. The paintings all have a similar palette of khakis, pale blues and whites, with the occasional dash of silver on a gleaming canoe or a fish in a young man’s arms. Exon’s work is meticulously composed and atmospheric. His admiration of painters such as Eakins and Hopper is especially evident in his treatment of the human figures in his works. The works all have a Vermeerlike stillness that creates a sense of absolute peace in the viewer, which was a nice contrast to the earlier works we had seen at the Met. Overall, the day was exciting and enriching, and I encourage my readers to try to catch all of these exhibits and shows. Unfortunately, the Bellows and Exon shows have since closed, but the Matisse is still on display until March 17.
Macbeth Hits Main Stage By ALLI SHULTES Living & Arts Edior “Get ready, witches, and stand by, Lady M!” The curtains open on the Yellow Stocking Players’ production of “Macbeth” this Friday, marking the end of a far more grueling tech week than cast members are typically subjected to. Transitioning from Olde Club to LPAC’s main stage, the Yellow Stockings’ typical bare-bones set is undergoing upgrades: lighting and musical expertise has been brought in to create the dramatic effects needed to stage one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. At the cast’s last tech rehearsal on Tuesday, Director Patrick Ross ’15 and the cast seemed calm, if tired. According to Assistant Director Sara Morrell ’15, rumors of all-nighters abound among cast and crew. “It’s one of those intuitive feelings that it’ll get done and look amazing,” Morrell said at Tuesday’s rehearsal. “Tonight, you start to see those brief moments where the tech and the actors come together in unique ways.” The greater technological capacity is not wasted on this show. As McDuff and Macbeth battle to the death, leering shadows — far eclipsing the two actresses — play across a two-story tower; eerie green lights work behind a final scene featuring the ghosts of murdered characters, manipulated by the play’s infamous trio of witches. This is not a production that could be staged on the tightly-packed floor of Olde Club. Shows will runn in Lang Performing Arts Center Pearson-Hall Theater on Friday, March 1 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday, March 3 at 4:00 p.m.
ADRIANA OBIOLS/THE PHOENIX
Opinions
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
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The Phoenix
The Place Of the Press In Discussing Greek Life STAFF EDITORIAL The tone of last Thursday’s Greek life debate was exemplary until its final minutes, when the revelation that the Phoenix had live-tweeted the event ignited tensions in the room and put an end to productive conversation for the night. Many were left with a sour taste in their mouth after what was otherwise a successful night. For this we apologize. It was tactless of The Phoenix to live-tweet the event without giving fair warning to the students in attendance, especially if names were to be included. Still, we believe that it was the way in which the action was executed, and not the action itself, that was outside the confines of our rights as a newspaper. Our mistake, however, has revealed a misunderstanding about what sort of space the Greek life debates are happening in. This space cannot be a safe space in the sense that it cannot be confidential, nor can it be a place where people can discuss their personal experience without fear of it being challenged for argument’s sake. We are dealing with a campus-wide issue, so we must create access for the Swarthmore community as a whole. Debate must be public. The discussion last week was advertised as a public forum, and future discussions should be too. Confidentiality and anonymity handcuff debate. If whatever “happens in the space stays in the space,” how can it make its way into administrative policy? How, in that case, is change possible at all? We need to use the arguments made and the experiences told in these debates as a basis for transforming our school into a better one. If there was a clear and unanimous consensus at last Thursday’s meeting, it was that change needs needs to happen, and a public debate is the only way to transform experiences and arguments into instruments for action. Making debate public is also the only way to include the entire campus. If doors are closed, only a fraction of campus will be privy to a process that concerns us all. To this end, the student press must be allowed full access to the debates. We ought to be allowed access to public spaces anyway, we can be particularly useful in this case: our function, after all, is the dissemination of information. If we want every side to be
heard, if we want to prevent discussion from exclusively perpetuating discussion, if we want these meetings to be worth losing two hours of homework time, we must make sure that our campus hears those that want to be heard. But, some have asked, will the Phoenix be able to cover the debates objectively? How is neutrality possible when you have taken a position in editorials? It is certainly correct to insist that the Phoenix must remain non-partisan in the reporting of this and any issue, and in pointing out that we do, in fact have opinions. The suggestion, however, that this disqualifies us from producing objective reporting belongs to a line of reasoning that might also have us do away with the judicial branch of the U.S. government. And as that lovely institution attests, it is perfectly possible for a group of partisans to produce material based on some ethical standard of objectivity (to be be clear, all sides of the debate are represented on our EdBoard). All news coverage that makes claims on objectivity is produced by biased people. Editorial pages are evidence of this, as is the fact that unbiased people do not exist. “Objectivity”, our ethical standard in journalism, means a commitment to making every side of an issue heard in news coverage. Identifying those differences, even for a biased person, is not an impossible or even difficult task. We do not believe we have failed in it yet, and we won’t so long as our news section continues to produce and promote journalism that covers issues from all relevant perspectives. We hope accusations of journalistic bias will not prevent that students from all sides of the debate from seeing the Phoenix as a place to make their experiences known. It would be counter-productive to see it as hostile or amenable to any perspective. The discussion on Greek life is evolving from what truly was a promising first meeting into what will hopefully be a series of forums, and it will behoove all parties and the discussion itself for people to understand how others came to their positions. In this, and in providing campus access to the debate, the platform afforded to the student press can play a useful role in the coming weeks.
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 opeds 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. Op-eds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and op-eds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and op-eds 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 opeds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board. An editorial represents the views of a plurality of members of the Editorial Board. 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.
Growing Up As a Permanent Alien Growing up as an ethnic minority in speak English or Korean and my Chinese many different places meant that I never nationality provoked a great deal of bullyquite fit in, no matter where I was. ing from my Korean classmates. I actually I was born in Harbin, China but moved identified much more strongly with the few to Beijing when I was just one year old be- Chinese students at school, and when I cause of my parents’ career goals. They moved to a largely Chinese-American comstarted their own munity in Arcadia the very next year, I felt small business much more at home. PATRICK which took them While I was a sophomore at Arcadia HAN all around the High School, I was naturalized as an Ameriworld. That meant can citizen. Most of my friends back home Asian Persuasion that I either trav- are ABCs, or American-born Chinese. I supelled with them pose that makes me a CBKA – a Chineseto countries like South Korea and Japan, born Korean-American. I remember taking stayed with a nanny in Beijing, or spent AP U.S. History in high school and reading time with my grandparents in Harbin. I President Theodore Roosevelt’s speech to was constantly moving from one place to the, largely Irish Catholic, Knights of Coanother, never knowing what it meant to lumbus, declaring that “There is no room “be home.” When people asked me “what in this country for hyphenated Americanare you” in China or ism . . . a hyphenated Korea, I never knew American is not an quite how to answer. American at all.” On the one hand, Being a double-hyI am Korean by race Though I proudly call myself phenated American, and ancestry. My felt like Mr. Roosan American when people Ievelt great-grandmother wouldn’t have on my father’s side ask me what I am while I am thought of me as very was born in North abroad, they are never quite American. He went Korea and immion to proclaim that satisfied with this answer. “There is no such grated to northeast China seeking a new thing as a hyphenlife. Her husband ated American who was a military officer is a good American. for the South Korean The only man who army. My grandparents on my mother’s is a good American is the man who is an side were born in South Korea and moved American and nothing else.” I had enough onto a plot of rural farmland just outside trouble reconciling being Korean and Chithe city of Harbin. My grandfather was nese at the same time; how could I suddenly originally a village leader back in Korea but become “American and nothing else?” became a farmer because land was available To this day, though I proudly call myin northern China. Long story short, I was self an American when people ask me what Korean by descent, but because my both my I am while I am abroad, they are never quite parents were born in Harbin, China, I was satisfied with this answer. When I go back Chinese by nationality and spoke Chinese to China and South Korea, people respondas my mother tongue. ed to my answer with a look of confusion. My parents told me I was Korean, but “Where are you really from? What are you that I should tell people that I was Chinese if really?” they would ask. I always dutifully they should ask so as to avoid being marked explain that America is a place, not a race, as different and potentially being discrimi- but deep within, I knew I wasn’t just Amerinated against, or at least to avoid the stereo- can and had to appreciate that I had ethnic types Chinese people have toward Koreans. roots elsewhere. I knew I wasn’t simply oneMy parents’ Korean friends insisted that third Chinese, one-third Korean, and oneI was Korean and third American, but Korean alone, and some strange culthat I should speak tural amalgamation Korean at home as of the three. Perhaps My position as an my native language. the beauty of AmerMy Chinese teachoutsider provides me with ica and being an ers bombastically American citizen is proclaimed that all an outsider’s perspective on that no cultural identheir students, mycultural values and norms tity is imposed on self included, were us, and the diverse being raised to be- that many take for granted. ethnic mosaic that come patriotic, loyal comprises American citizens of China. My society permits, even Chinese classmates encourages the free and friends did not will to choose one’s understand the dual nature of my ethnic cultural identity in a way not possible in identity so I simply told them I was Chinese places like China and South Korea. like them. Today I am still struggling to underImmigrating to the United States when stand who I am and how it relates to heriI was seven years old did little to help my tage, race, culture, family, ancestry, nationprepubescent identity crisis. In June 2000, ality, and citizenship. Perhaps I will never I moved to a very Korean neighborhood find my one true “identity” in my Korean in downtown Los Angeles near Koreatown heritage or Chinese upbringing or Ameriand attended a diverse elementary school. can values, but maybe I will somewhere in There the American teachers told me I was between them. Though I never quite fit in American, even though I was still a Chinese perfectly in any place in which I have lived, citizen and only a permanent resident in perhaps my position as an outsider provides the United States. Though Korean students me with an outsider’s perspective on culrepresented the majority of the school, I tural values and norms that many take for never quite fit in to the Korean-American granted. And even though I can’t call any social group and the distinct culture they one place “home,” if home is truly where the had developed. It probably did not help heart is, perhaps I have many homes. Right that I could only understand Korean but now it just happens to be Swarthmore, I couldn’t speak it. In fact, my inability to Pennsylvania.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
The Phoenix
Sequestration: Proponents, Opponents, and What It Is The Biggest Fight On Capitol Hill That Was Never Meant to Actually Happen Tomorrow, March 1st, is not only the deadline for the dreaded Sophomore Plan, but also the deadline for Congress to act, if it so desires, to avoid a trillion-dollar slate of automatic spending cuts. The “sequestration,” as it is called, was set up by Congress as part of the “fiscal cliff” deal at the beginning of this year as an incentive to find places where the federal budget could be trimmed in order to reduce the deficit. If Congress proves itself incapable of finding such cuts (surprise), the sequester will kick in and reduce spending automatically. What is the sequester? The idea that the sequester will impact all government programs equally is a misconception. To start, the sequester will only impact discretionary spending, not mandatory spending. The difference between the two types of federal spending is in the name. Mandatory spending, such as spending on Social Security and Medicare, is spending that the government PRESTON does automatically. For instance, my grandmother is guaranteed receipt of COOPER her Social Security check every month. Inside Unless Congress changes the way in Capitol Hill which mandatory spending is allocated (known colloquially as “entitlement reform”), Grandma will continue to receive her monthly Social Security check for a certain amount of money. The sequester will not change that. Discretionary spending is more complicated. This is spending that Congress may adjust from year to year in its annual budget. Defense is the major driver of discretionary spending, but this category also includes other institutions and programs such as the FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency. All of the spending cuts mandated by the sequester will fall on discretionary spending, half on defense and half on other programs. The total value of spending cuts mandated by the sequester is $1.2 trillion, spread over the next ten years. While the $120 billion per year that these numbers work out to does not seem like a huge proportion of the $3.5 trillion annual federal budget, many are concerned about the disproportionate way that the cuts will fall on the Pentagon and other programs. The 64% of federal spending that is mandatory will not be affected, leaving the $120 billion in annual sequestration cuts to fall on just $1.3 trillion of the federal budget. This amounts to a nearly 10% reduction in spending on these programs over the next ten years – something that has people in Congress and beyond worried. Who will be hit? Defense and other discretionary spending account for roughly equal parts of the federal budget - 19% and 17%,
Some lawmakers, though, believe the sequester is a painrespectively. The Budget Control Act of 2011, which set up the sequester, stated that half of the sequestration cuts ful but necessary evil. In order to achieve meaningful defishould go to defense and half should be spread equally cit reduction, they say, some unpopular cuts must go into among other discretionary programs. However, the Act was effect. This sentiment has become particularly prominent silent on spending the Pentagon and other programs should among House Republicans, a group dominated by Tea actually cut, meaning that the exact effect of the sequestra- Party supporters who remain persistent in their pursuit of deficit reduction. Leaders such as Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and tion cuts remains uncertain. Recently, a number of Congressional Republicans have Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) have taken to Twitter to proproposed legislation that would shift the responsibility for mote their goal of spending reduction with the hashtag of determining defense cuts onto President Obama, which #CutWaste. Not all Republicans agree, however. In the Senate, many would in theory reduce their impact by enabling the President to pick and choose which programs are worthy of be- older, establishment Republicans have decried the cuts, esing kept intact, rather than letting the cuts happen indis- pecially to the military, as unconscionable. John McCain criminately. But in the eleventh hour, this plan stands little (R-AZ), a senior member of the Senate and Vietnam War veteran, has spoken passionchance of passing Congress. ately about the need to avert Because the cuts will hapthe cuts to the Pentagon and pen to discretionary spendother vital institutions such ing and not mandatory Leaders have been silent on as the National Institutes of spending, many states where which new revenues they would Health, on the grounds that the federal government has the sequester would devasa strong presence will feel raise and which government tate America’s national sethe impact of the cuts more curity. heavily than others. In the programs they would cut in The debate between defiWashington Beltway area, order to reduce the deficit. cit and defense highlights for instance, 20% of GDP is the difficult political position dependent on government that sequestration puts Respending. Given the high publicans in. A party defined number of military installations in Virginia, that part of the capital area is particularly by its emphases on national security and balanced budgets suddenly finds that pursuit of those two goals would lead it vulnerable to cuts in defense spending. down divergent paths. Should the sequester go into effect, the deficit would go down, but military spending would Who stands where? Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, has adamant- take a hit. Should Congress avert the sequester, the Pentaly opposed the sequester, citing potential hiring freezes and gon budget would remain intact, but the government deficit furloughs in the Defense Department that would hurt his would be wider. It’s a tradeoff, and different members of the state’s economy. “There’s no reason that this has to hap- Republican Party often find themselves on different sides of pen,” Kaine, who sits on the Senate Budget Committee that the debate. Some conservatives, though, dismiss the effect of sesets fiscal policy, said this weekend. “We just need to find a questration on the deficit as negligible. The Heritage Founbalanced approach.” The “balanced approach” Kaine is referring to is a hypo- dation, a conservative think tank, has argued that the sethetical compromise plan, a combination of new revenues quester does not make any long-term structural changes to and spending cuts, that has eluded Congress for so many the federal budget. After all, the sequester will only affect months. Many members of Congress have endorsed such discretionary spending, but most of the explosive growth a plan, but leaders have been silent on which new revenues in the federal budget expected over the next few years will they would raise and which government programs they come from entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security that fall under the mandatory spending categowould cut in order to reduce the deficit. In reality, the sequester was never supposed to happen. ry. In the long-term, therefore, the deficit will still increase The authors of the Budget Control Act of 2011 intended to to astronomical levels, regardless of whether the sequester use the threat of it to spur Congress into action on deficit goes into effect or not. Perhaps that reality reveals what the sequester truly is — reduction, instead of allowing the cuts to go into effect on the indiscriminate manner, should Congress fail to reach an just pure politics. agreement to avert the sequester before tomorrow.
Big Data: An Opportunity For Expansive Innovation Ever since the tech boom of the 1990s, the word “technology” has been reimagined every year, every month, stretching the fringes of what humans are capable of engineering. The typical hardware innovations that improve daily lives, speed up HARSHIL our methods of communication,and expand our horizons of entertainment SAHAI are changing rapidly. However, I want Conservatively to highlight an innovation that hides Liberal Economics under the shadows of consumer interaction via hardware that, I believe, will be the epicenter of the growing technological earthquake in the years to come: big data. Every interaction from using your iPhone to call your friend, to Facebook messaging your roommate with your Galaxy, from buying a book on Amazon on your laptop, to taking the Septa from Swarthmore to Philly with your phone in your pocket, is recorded, measured, and tracked by technology behemoths in Silicon Valley. Gigabytes on terabytes on “petabytes” (yes, 1000 terabytes) of information tracking your location, purchases, likes, dislikes, and even daily routine are stored in servers somewhere thousands of miles away. Although it may seem intrusive, and even dangerous if put into the wrong hands, it represents a plethora of opportunities to use the data for business, marketing, security, and research purposes. A blatant example would be Amazon tracking your purchases and giving you strategic recommendations also
based on the pattern of your browsing history, age, geographical region, etc. Going one step further, Amazon could pay Facebook for more descriptive and acute information on your likes and dislikes to better market products for you. Besides borderline invasion of privacy, the benefit to you is personally tailored products that you may not have noticed earlier. To companies, this equates to more cash. If you are reading this article in print, Google, Apple or Blackberry knows where you are at this moment through your cell phone device; that you are paused for a period of time at a particular location. Perhaps you have just exited a class (which it knows you go to every weekday). The Phoenix can now look at the data and start to place newspapers nearer to classrooms according to where the most popular area is (or where people read papers the most?). Perhaps you happen to have just bought coffee because you saw an interesting topic on the front page. Your purchase was tracked by MasterCard, and can be coordinated with Apple to find the location. Coffee shops, in response, may choose to market newspapers themselves rather than the coffee to drive in customers! If you are reading this article online, Google Chrome or Apple’s Safari already knows when you clicked on this article, how long you have read it for, and beyond that, which page you left to arrive here. Maybe Facebook or Twitter had a link that led you here. In that case, The Phoenix may use the data to further market themselves through those social avenues.
What’s more, by noticing that most users tend to read articles when they are newly released on Thursdays, advertisers of The Phoenix can use the data to save money by only running ads on that day. They can tailor their ads based on user’s previous web pages and Facebook likes and dislikes. Bottom-line: there are a variety of cost saving, revenue generating and strategic marketing incentives that can help drive productive use of big data. However, there are many uses that have yet to be explored. A less obvious, but equally viable use of such large, diverse data would be to help drive predictions. These predictions could range from the financial sentiment using Twitter feeds to estimate future stock market prices to stopping riots and other violent events that are organized online. Financial institutions could use Amazon purchase data to see fashion trends and make educated speculations on the rise or fall of certain fads. A sociologist could use the data, which essentially maps the movement of consumers, to perform a variety of research and draw important and revealing conclusions about societal behavior. As hardware expands into depths that only God knows exist, the creation of new, exciting data provides a world of opportunity for businesses, governments, researchers, and even individuals to further expand the realms of knowledge. Although such sensitive and private information does raise important security concerns that must be resolved, only time will tell what revolutionary insights big data will bring.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
Sports
PAGE 15
The Phoenix
Garnet Fall to Bullets in Title Game
Team Earns a Bid to ECAC South Region Tournament By SCOOP RUXIN Sports Writer
Coming off of a 9-15 season, the Swarthmore Women’s basketball team earned little respect going into this season. Picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll, Swarthmore wasted little time in proving the rest of the Centennial Conference wrong, winning 11 of its first 12 conference games en route to a 15-5 regular season record and earning its first playoff berth in 11 seasons. Conventional wisdom would dictate that earning the Conference’s second seed should earn Swarthmore some respect coming into their matchup against a Muhlenberg squad that the Garnet had already defeated twice. Instead the doubts continued; in a pre-playoff roundtable featuring playby-play announcers from each of the five playoff teams, only Swarthmore’s Victor Brady picked the Garnet to win. The doubts of others were in a way understandable: Swarthmore had won several games by three points or fewer, none more stunning than their second win over Muhlenberg, in which Kayla Moritzky ’14 banked in a three pointer at the buzzer. While it may have been easy for outsiders to attribute Swarthmore’s success to luck and a few good bounces, Brady recognized what every person associated with Swarthmore basketball this season did: that this was a team which exhibited a level of belief, effort
and raw emotion unmatched by opponents. Tri-captain Madeline Ross ’13 articulated the ways in which Swarthmore managed to find avenues to victory in nearly every close game: “I think that what is so unique and special to this year’s team is that nobody was afraid to prove people wrong. We believed in ourselves, and because really, we as players and teammates were the only ones that knew what we were individually and collectively capable of, it almost felt like we had a secret weapon.” In the semifinal, Swarthmore found itself in a familiar territory, trailing 56-50 in the final minutes against Muhlenberg. Once again, it appeared to outsiders that the Garnet would fall, and once again, Swarthmore, in the words of Ross, “[found] the heart and strength to finish the game strong.” A three pointer by Centennial Conference Player of the Year Katie Lytle ’14 cut Swarthmore’s deficit in half, and the Garnet clawed their way to within a single point with under a minute left in regulation. After stopping Muhlenberg on the defensive end, Ross, aided by a fortunate bounce off of the referee, drove in for a layup, giving the Garnet its first lead since the opening minutes of the half. After a backcourt violation gave Swarthmore the ball back, Muhlenberg fouled Mortizky, putting the point guard in a familiar position. Against Muhlenberg just weeks earlier, Moritzky missed two free throws in the final seconds before sinking the game winning three-pointer. This time,
Moritzky chose to lessen the drama, sinking both free throws to put Swarthmore up by three. After Lytle and Centennial Conference Second Team forward Elle Larson combined to make three free throws to seal the game, Ross and the Garnet could hardly control their emotions. Ross described the moment she knew her team would advance
“We believed in ourselves ... it almost felt like we had a secret weapon.” Madeline Ross ’13 on to the finals: “I was on the defensive end as Elle sunk her free throw, and I remember just feeling like I was about to cry of happiness. I felt this unbelievable surge of pure happiness, and when that buzzer sounded, Katie Lytle and I both leapt into the air and hugged each other.” As Lytle noted, Swarthmore accomplished a season goal that few believed they were capable of: “We had been working towards the goal of making it to the Conference championship since preseason, so beating Muhlenberg was an incredible feeling.” After briefly celebrating the win, however, Swarthmore refocused itself, preparing for a Conference final matchup with number
one seed and tournament host Gettysburg the following night with a Conference title and an automatic NCAA tournament berth at stake. Swarthmore prepared to neutralize Gettysburg’s home crowd by focusing on, in Ross’s words “playing with each other, and continuing to play our game, to not let these swings in momentum affect us.” In a physical, defensive game for all forty minutes, Swarthmore matched Gettysburg basket for basket. Thanks to strong shooting from Moritzky (11 points), and a hardearned 25 points and 19 rebounds from the combination of Lytle and Larson, Swarthmore found itself with a chance to tie the game on its final possession. Though Moritzky’s runner clanged off the back rim, Ross emphasized just how close Swarthmore was to victory: “It was a two point outcome. One basket. Although it is really unfortunate that the game didn’t end in our favor, I think it’s important to highlight the journey that led us to this championship [game]” that really made it so special.” Swarthmore, cited by D3hoops.com as one of its last four teams out, narrowly missed the NCAA tournament. However, the Garnet earned the second seed in the ECAC South tournament, meaning that the team will have the opportunity to finish the season with a win. Such a conclusion would a fitting ending for the Garnet. After all, in the words of Ross, “We are a team of champions, and we had one hell of a show this season. We have one more championship to work towards, and we’re ready.”
Relays Highlight Track and Field Championships Women’s 4x800 Wins Gold Medal and Sets a New Record
By DAN DUNCAN Sports Editor It was truly a team effort for the Garnet track and field teams last weekend at the Centennial Conference Championships, held at Ursinus. Both the men and women closed out the indoor season led by tremendous performances by relay squads. On the women’s side, three different relays scored for Swarthmore. The 4x800 meter relay was the highlight of the meet, as Rebecca Hammond ’13, Becky Painter ’13, Sarah Nielsen ’16, and Katie McMenamin ’16 took first place in a time of 9:30.42. Their time was a new Centennial Conference record. The distance medley also performed exceptionally, as Painter, Nielsen, McMenamin, and Amy Amuquandoh ’16 ran to a silver medal (12:34.21). Sprinters got in on the action as well, as the 4x200 meter relay placed seventh (1:54.08). For the men, the distance relays again paced the team. Aidan Dumont-McCaffrey ’13, Erick White ’15, Jonas Oppenheimer ’15, and Dan Creem ’16 teamed up in the distance medley to take fourth (10:40.47), while the 4x800 relay took sixth (8:12.91). Painter said relays have a different feel than individual events at conferences: “Since we race the other teams in our conference pretty often and we have access to the times everyone has run so far in the season, I would have known where I could expect to finish in an individual event. In a relay though, it all depends on who the coaches decide to run.” She added that although each runner on the team is on the track alone, it really is a team effort. “Once you’ve let go of the baton, you have to trust that your teammates will continue your effort.” Painter praised McMenamin for anchoring both of the medal-winning relays. Osazenoriuwa Ebose ’15 was similarly impressed by the performance of the relays, pointing out that the women’s 4x800 was “50
percent freshmen,” while the distance medley was “75 percent freshmen.” There were several strong individual performances over the weekend as well. The women were led by two fourth place finishes, by Hammond in the mile run (5:04.12) and Ebose in the shot put (38-07.00). Painter was particularly impressed by Hammond’s run, saying, “She’s my cocaptain and also my hero.” Ebose said she expected to do better, but as Painter pointed out, “She was still fourth in the conference. That speaks to her talent.” Katie Lin ’16 added a fifth place long jump (16-02.50), while Julia Nee ’15 took sixth in the 400 meter dash (1:02.23). On the men’s side, Matthew Heck ’13 led the way with a fourth place finish in the 400 (52.00). Other scorers included Zach Kronstat ’15 in the triple jump (8th, 40-05.50) and Jason Heo ’15 in the 60 meter hurdles (7th, 9.22). Heo lowered his own program record in the morning, with a prelim time of 9.15. Eric Verhasselt ’13 also set a program record by scoring 2897 points in the decathlon en route to a 14th place finish. Overall, the women finished seventh in the meet, scoring 39 points, and the men scored 19 for a ninth place finish. With the indoor season out of the way, the Garnet now turn their attention to the outdoor season. Painter said the team was optimistic going into the spring. “It’s great to see that so many of our girls from cross country are even more competitive on the track, and our sprinters are looking really impressive too. We’ve always had fast sprinters, but we’ve never had such depth on the sprinting side before.” She added that the outdoor events speak more to the Garnet’s strengths, pointing out that Ebose can compete in discus and javelin in addition to shot put in the spring. For her part, Ebose was excited that the freshmen
have already shown themselves to be “incredibly talented and hard-working,” and expects this to continue throughout the spring. The athletes will now retreat into their training for a month before resurfacing at the
Danny Curran Invitational, held March 2829 at Widener. Several more invitationals are on the schedule before the Garnet return to Ursinus May 3-5 for the conference outdoor championships.
GARNET ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
SUPRIYA DAVIS SOPH., SWIMMING, CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
What She’s Done: Was named Outstanding Performer of the Centennial Conference Championships for the second year running for winning the 100 and 200 butterfly in NCAA B qualifying times, while helping the 200 medley relay to a Conference and school record time of 1:48.81. Favorite Career Moment: Probably conferences last year, because I went lifetime best times in all of my individual events. Goals for Next Season: My goals for next season are to stay in shape while I am abroad, and to come back in the spring ready to swim fast! Favorite Death Eater: I was debating between Bellatrix and Draco Malfoy... Malfoy. Favorite Tea: Indian chai Baa baa, black sheep, have you any wool? No, but I have bleached hair! DAN DUNCAN/THE PHOENIX
Sports
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
The Phoenix
Swimming Smashes Records at Conferences
Davis Named Most Outstanding Performer for Second Year By SCOOP RUXIN Sports Writer Although neither the men’s nor the women’s swimming teams returned home with the championships that they had hoped for, several Swarthmore swimmers set school records and earned individual accolades. In the Centennial Conference Championships, held at Franklin & Marshall, the men’s team finished in sixth place, while the women came in fifth. On the men’s side, the weekend was highlighted by John Flaherty ’14 winning the team’s sole medal of the weekend, taking the bronze in the 200 IM (1:55.99). In the 400 IM, Flaherty and Dan Duncan ’13 combined to deliver the top two performances in school history in the event. Flaherty lowered his own school record by about two tenths of a second, to 4:09.95, while Duncan was just behind in 4:10.79. Flaherty attributed his performance with the “support and motivation from my teammates, especially Dan Duncan ’13 and Charlie Hepper ’13.” Without the help from his teammates, Flaherty believes that “it would be really tough to get through the practices necessary to set such a mark.” One dramatic highlight missed in the official results was the 800 freestyle relay, in which Duncan, Flaherty, Jake Benveniste ’14, and Sam Tomlinson ’15 teamed up to break a 15-year-old school record. The quartet touched fourth in 7:06.43, but were disqualified for an alleged false start. Although video showing no such thing occurred was not enough to overturn the officials’ decision, the evidence was enough for coach Sue Davis to recognize the swim as the program record nonetheless. Other top performances included Flaherty’s swim in the
200 backstroke (4th, 1:55.34), while Duncan also made the A final in the 200 IM (6th, 1:57.38) and 200 butterfly (5th, 1:58.14). Other A finalists were Stan Le ’14 in the 100 breaststroke (8th, 1:01.07), Roger Chin ’13 in the 100 backstroke (6th, 55.53), and Benveniste in the 200 butterfly (8th, 2:01.97). Although Flaherty acknowledged that the team would have liked to place better, he emphasized that the disappointing finish was not a result of a lack of strong races by Swarthmore. “I think the team was very proud of its performance this weekend. Almost everyone swam lifetime, collegiate, or season best times,” Flaherty said. “Even though we would have loved to finish in a higher place in scoring, everyone should be proud of how they swam this weekend and all season.” The Garnet women were led by the usual suspects. Supriya Davis ’15 and Kate Wiseman ’15 earned two golds apiece individually, while teaming up on relays for another two gold medals. On the strength of her gold medal performances, as well as a bronze in the 200 IM, Davis earned the Female Most Outstanding Performer award for the second consecutive year. The feat marks the first time a Swarthmore swimmer has won the award twice, and with two years of eligibility remaining, Davis figures to remain the Conference’s top swimmer. Like Flaherty, Davis chose to credit her teammates for her success, saying that, “having my teammates there cheering for me, and supporting me is definitely the driving factor of my success the past two years.” Davis hopes that her season is not yet over. Her times in the 100 (56.88) and 200 butterfly (2:07.53) met the B standard for the NCAA Division III championships. Although she noted that qualifiying with B standards means her spot in
the meet is not guaranteed, she said, “If I do end up going, my goal would be to make it to finals and go for a personal best time in the 100 and 200 fly.” The NCAA will release qualifying individuals after this issue goes to press. Wiseman was as impressive as Davis. In her top swim of the weekend, she swam a blazing 52.59 in the 100 freestyle. This time lowered her own Swarthmore College record, while setting a new Conference Championship meet record in the event. In another exceptional performance, Davis and Wiseman teamed up with Rebecca Teng ’14 and Nikkia Miller ’16 to win the 200 medley relay in record fashion. The team’s time of 1:48.81 shattered the both the school and Centennial Conference records for the event. Wiseman and Davis were not alone in the Garnet’s medal haul. Miller came away with a silver in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.13), and Maggie Regan ’14 won bronze in both the 400 IM (4:43.77) and 200 breaststroke (2:27.95). Miller, Wiseman, Teng, and Davis won gold in the 400 medley relay (4:00.76), while Lowe joined Wiseman, Miller, and Davis in taking silver in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays (1:39.37, 3:35.53). Davis characterized the team’s mood after the meet as positive, saying that “although many of us had ups and downs during the meet, I think we are all incredibly happy with our performance this weekend.” She singled out Wiseman for having “awesome individual swims” as well as noting that, “all of our relays were also swum with a lot of heart.” Although Swarthmore did not finish in as high of a position as they hoped, the record setting individual and team performances will not soon be forgotten, and will elevate that standards of Swarthmore swimming in seasons to come.
COURTESY OF HANNAH GOTWALS
Left, John Flaherty ’14 prepares to take off as Dan Duncan ’13 finishes his leg of the record-setting 800 freestyle relay. Two exchanges, including this one, were declared early by officials despite obvious evidence to the contrary and the relay was disqualified. Right, Alice Wong ’13 swims a strong 500 freestyle in the Friday preliminary session.
Will Saturday’s Clasico Match Be a Classic?
What we have this week is really a treat, with Real Madrid fighting to save their season and to begin 2013 on the right foot. The match on Tuesday, Feb. 26 against Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey clash was a great start to a three-game run that will decide whether or not Mourinho was a successful coach in Spain. Starting with a 3-1 victory in this run of games sets the tone for how things should play out in the future, but really, the score line of this one game should not be exaggerated because what seems like Madrid’s dominance could also be seen as a symptom of Barca’s continuing failure. The first thing to look at is the game JAMES itself and how, for IVEY once, Mourinho got the tactics right Out of Left Field and a referee who was not willing to be bullied by Barcelona. This combination enabled Real Madrid to provide a solid defensive effort without the threat of being penalized for every challenge. Admittedly, Barcelona did try it on a bit despite the fact that Roura knew that he wasn’t going to get any favors, but old habits die hard and a lifetime of training can’t be overturned for one match. With Mallenco in charge, Madrid had a chance to get their tackles in without being punished un-
fairly. However, the tactical battle during the match was much more interesting than what was happening with the referee. Much like in the Milan game, Roura had no idea what to do to tactically break down Madrid once plan A had failed. Against Milan there was no incision, there was little magic from Messi, and the ball simply moved from wing to wing via Xavi and Iniesta. The same things happened on Tuesday, with the occasional shot from Pedro and Iniesta when they cut inside. The Alba goal at the end was from a lovely chip over the backline by Iniesta but it was probably the only through ball in the final third that reached its target. Barcelona once again had 62 percent of possession and very little to show for it, but that was because of the Madrid game plan: bring the fullbacks in and keep one defensive line. By congesting the middle of the penalty area and letting the Barcelona midfield take long range efforts Real Madrid managed to nullify almost every Barcelona attempt. Varane was particularly impressive all throughout the game and proved that against Barca all you have to do is look for the interceptions and resist the urge to get stuck in, unlike Pepe. In the end there was only going to be one result once Ronaldo scored the first goal since it meant Barca had to chase the game against a team that was quite happy to give two thirds of the pitch up. The next two games coming up will really
show how Mourinho wants to be remembered in Madrid. The game on Saturday against Barcelona will give an indication as to the team for next week. Having played and beaten Barcelona in the match that mattered, there will be two possibilities for the Clasico (any match between Real Madrid and Barcelona) this weekend: either Mourinho will field a strong team and show that he wants to beat Barcelona for pride or he will bench several major players and set his sight on winning in Manchester. Either way, there will be a lot of politics in his decision and his legacy will rely on how well he does. If he sacrifices the next Clasico then it will show that he has truly given up on La Liga and that he plans to focus on winning the Champions League. It will also show that Mourinho is willing to sacrifice his feud with Barcelona for a chance at some silverware, a decision that would be unpopular with the Madrid faithful but would be understood by the board. However, Mourinho has too much history with Barcelona to simply roll over in favor of beating Manchester United; all the eye poking and other shenanigans would have been for nothing. But with the greater prize in the Champions League and most of the Real Madrid team available for the return leg, it would be silly for Mourinho to risk it all by trying to get a few points off Barcelona that probably won’t
matter in the end. The Champions League is winnable because Real Madrid is in a good position and the competition shouldn’t scare them too much. United have been able to win despite playing poorly in Europe most of the season, and against a Madrid team hot off a Clasico win they may just fold. Against Queens Park Rangers it took a Rafael wonder goal and a lapse of judgment at the end of the game from an overrated group of defenders to win. Manchester United have found a way to win a lot of matches while playing poorly and have rode their luck a lot of the way too, but without Phil Jones to pick up Ronaldo and maybe without a fully fit Van Persie there is a good chance that Madrid could dominate the game by controlling the middle of the field. It might just be time to call the final as being a Bayern Munich — Real Madrid face off. Also with Barcelona 2-0 down against a Milan team that knows how to defend competently at times and Barca showing that their possession football is not scoring them a lot of goals against quality sides, it should be a good year for Madrid to put in a Champions League challenge. Anyway, depending on what team Mourinho starts on Saturday we’ll know whether he plans to go all out for the rest of the season on all fronts or whether he is going to be more tactical and hedge his bets on Champions League success, his third and Madrid’s tenth.