The Phoenix 2/7

The Official Campus Newspaper of Swarthmore College Since 1881 VOL. 137, ISSUE 3

The Phoenix THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter Official

ADRIANA OBIOLIS/THE PHOENIX

Potential sorority members Ashley Gochoco ’14 and Aya Ibrahim ’15 discuss upcoming events at Friday’s recruitment kickoff with Lindsey Witt, Educational Leadership Consultant.

By AMANDA EPSTEIN News Editor

Eighty years after a lengthy battle to abolish sororities, Swarthmore saw the official reestablishment of a Kappa Alpha Theta (KAO) chapter on campus this past weekend. Sixty-five girls received bids from the national organization after a week of flyers, pins and brochures, information sessions, recruitment events and interviews with a series of Theta alumnae from across the country.

Promises made about financial and gender exclusivity by the Not Yet Sisters (NYS) group for the past two semesters, however, have now drawn controversy. Although a recently published Daily Gazette article mistakenly asserted that women would have to be female according to college records to be accepted into the sisterhood, the financial question remains. According to Satya Nelms, the sorority campus advisor, dues for new members have been reduced approximately $85 from the original $360.

Still, the remaining $275 will have to be accounted for by every member. Seniors also have an additional $75 fee (reduced from $150). While payment plans can be instituted, neither the organization nor the college will cover the fee in full for members.

“Our organization provides a payment

plan so the young women would work with “I’m not really sure why they can’t get our educational leadership consultants and their funds the way every other club does a financial advisor, a local alumna who and why there can’t be scholarship assiswould serve in that role, and establish a tance,” she said. payment plan for the spring semester and According to Julia Melin ’13, one of the a similar one for the fall as well,” said Di- NYS founding members and now a Theta, rector of Chapter Services Kelley Galbreath the dues are not only necessary but also Hurst. “It’s tailored for each individual.” beneficial for the sorority’s members.

Phi Psi, one of the fraternities on cam“The money that you put in is going to pus, has similar, albeit smaller fees for its come back to you,” she said. “It’s not like members. According to fraternity mem- you’re writing out this blank check and ber Grayson Roze ’15, you’re never going to although the organizasee any of the benefits Promises made tion’s independence from ... Our dues will actuala national organization ly go towards allowing about financial prevents them from being us to contribute back to and gender excluable to provide scholarSwarthmore.” ships, it also allows them In order to help the sivity...have now to be flexible with paystudents who may not drawn controversy. be able to pay the fees, ments depending on students’ financial needs. Phi which are due March Psi formally broke away 1, the sorority is brainfrom its national fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, storming different fundraising ideas. Acin 1963 “in a dispute over discrimination cording to Melin, these ideas include trying against black and Jewish students,” accord- to raise awareness of jobs on campus for ing to the group’s website.

Thetas, having flexible payment plans, and Although the fee has been reduced and asking fraternity alumni for loans. payment plans are available, Hope Brinn “I think it would help strengthen Greek ’15, who was instrumental in introducing ties on campus,” she said about the loans. the petition for a referendum against the “[There might be] DU and Phi Psi alums sorority last spring, thinks this may not be who are invested in strengthening the soenough. rority on campus, because that can only Continued on Page 4

TODAY: Mostly cloudy, chance of rain: 10%. High 36, Low 29.

TOMORROW: Rain mixed with snow.

Chance of rain: 70%. High 41, Low 26.

SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM

Mental Health at Swat: Are We Happy Here?

By AXEL KODAT Living & Arts Writer An informal Phoenix online poll conducted last week produced striking results.

Of 185 respondents — about 12% of the student body — 54% reported that they had suffered from anxiety and/or depression while at Swarthmore, while 58% disagreed that stress, anxiety, and/or depression are necessary byproducts of receiving a rigorous education. Despite Swarthmore’s famously high retention rate, about 35% of respondents had considered transferring.

And 18% of respondents admitted to having had suicidal thoughts while on campus.

These results, unscientific as they may be, suggest that the time is right for a sustained discussion of mental health.

Among those who have heard of Swarthmore, perceptions similar to “everyone there is overworked and depressed” are not rare. The college ratings book America’s Douchiest Colleges introduces Swarthmore with not one but eight frowny faces, which, one learns upon consulting the glossary of icons in the front, indicate that potential students should “get ready to study like [they] go to Swarthmore.” Graffiti on the walls of the student radio station at Reed College — a school frequently compared to Swarthmore in terms of academic rigor but more recently known for its pervasive drug culture — include a piece that reads “Have fun—otherwise we’re just Swarthmore.” In 2010 The Huffington Post named Swarthmore the most grueling college in America.

There are, of course, some outliers. Last August the Daily Beast published a set of college rankings, including one listing the “Colleges with the Happiest Students,” in which Swarthmore was ranked 8th. A similar study performed the previous year

by Center for College Affordability and Productivity placed Swarthmore second.

Both lists attracted ridicule for an array of pretty obvious flaws — the latter wasn’t so much a ‘study’ as a list of colleges in order of retention rates, and the Daily Beast placed similar emphasis on that metric, as well as post-graduation satisfaction — but the responses they provoked were instructive. “Daily Gazette” comments on the issue were generally bemused and dismissive of the studies’ findings. Some even seemed defensive, as if the college’s essential reputation for producing moody Marxists and eternally dissatisfied activists were on trial.

Or, in the words of one College Confidential commenter: “We may be most satisfied after college, BUT SWATTIES ARE NOT THE HAPPIEST WHILE AT SWARTHMORE. But we were happy. It’s complicated.”

Complicated it may be, but the fact that Swarthmore’s storied “gruelingness” is Continued on Page 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS

LIVING

OPINIONS

SPORTS

While it appears most students find other ways to cope with the pressures of college, some do use ADHD medications like Adderall to help complete assignments.

What does it take to be a dance major?

Step into the shoes of three students who weave a passion for movement into academic interests from education to circus arts to black studies.

Craig argues that Democrats must make a greater appeal to rural voters, who have been frequently turned off by the party’s environmentalist leanings.

Garnet athletes on the baseball, softball, lacrosse, and tennis teams began practicing on February 1 on the first day they could legally practice with a coach.

Student Study Drug Use Small But Existent

PAGE 3

On Pointe: Dancing Through Swarthmore

PAGE 10

Crops, Coal, and Climate Change

Spring Sports Burst Into Action

PAGE 13

PAGE 16

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 31, 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 TIFFANY KIM Writer TOBY LEVY Writer AIDAN PANTOJA 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

Layout

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 PRESTON COOPER Editor AARON KROEBER Assistant Editor TYLER BECKER Columnist SEAN BRYANT Columnist DANIELLE CHARETTE 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

MARCUS MELLO Editor MENGHAN JIN Editor NYANTEE ASHERMAN Assistant YENNY CHEUNG Assistant MIREILLE GUY Assistant JOSHUA ASANTE Assistant MAYRA TENORIO Assistant JOSH GREGORY Assistant CAMI RYDER Assistant JULIANA GUTIERREZ Assistant Photography JULIA CARLETON Editor RAISA REYES Editor JOSHUA ASANTE Photographer YENNY CHEUNG Photographer MARTIN FROGER-SILVA Photographer JULIANA GUTIERREZ Photographer AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA Photographer KATY MONTOYA Photographer SADIE RITTMAN Photographer HOLLY SMITH Photographer JUSTIN TORAN-BURRELL Photographer ZHENGLONG ZHOU Photographer COURTNEY DICKENS Videographer Copy JOYCE WU Chief Copy Editor SARAH COE-ODESS Editor

SOPHIE DIAMOND Editor JOSH GREGORY Editor ALICE KIM Editor AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA Editor ALLISON MCKINNON Editor ALEC PILLSBURY Editor CAMI RYDER Editor Business HARSHIL SAHAI Director PAUL CHUNG Director ERIC SHERMAN Webmaster MARCUS MELLO Social Media Coordinator CAMI RYDER Publicity Coordinator ALLISON MCKINNNON 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.

JUSTIN TORAN-BURRELL/THE PHOENIX

News

tity and celebrate cultural contributions. PAGE 6

Early Decision Applications Conclude for Class of 2017 Early decision applications fell this year, as did female, Midwestern, and Mid-Atlantic applications. PAGE 3

Dr. Patrick Cheng will speak tonight on the intersection of race, sexuality and spirituality. PAGE 6

Sager Lecture: Rainbow Theology

Smart Swat Style

Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter Official Swarthmore’s 80 year-long sorority ban ends and brings controversy. PAGE 4

Explore Rittenhouse Square with two shops that are part of the URBN corporation: Urban Outfitters and Free People. PAGE 10

Missed Connections Attempts to Help Awkward Students As the fervor for Swarthmore Compliments and Like a Little have died down, a new anonymous virtual method of flirting has come to take its place.

PAGE 5

Cathy Park expresses her appreciation for the honors program and describes the moment during her seminars when hard work is clearly visible. PAGE 10

Living & Arts Chopp Sponsors Student Protest of Keystone XL Pipeline The President’s Office will pay for a bus to transport Swarthmore community members to what is expected to be the largest climate-change rally in history in Washington, D.C. PAGE 5 Freedom Now: Black History Month A collaboration of student groups organize lectures and events in order explore the different components of iden-

A Letter to My Honors Examiners

Artist Snapshot: J. Henry Fair Deborah Krieger interviews with photographer John Henry Fair, who discusses environmental activism through the arts. PAGE 11

Opinions Editorial The Phoenix has offered a survey on mental health and encourages students to take it in order to start a conversation on the stress culture at Swarthmore. PAGE 12 Reflecting On “Senseless Violence” Tyler charges that the term “senseless violence” should

only be reserved for acts of violence in which there truly is no rhyme or reason, and not for terrorist attacks or totalitarian atrocities. PAGE 13 Football Head Injuries a Major Risk Patrick takes a look at the research into the long- term effects of trauma from contact sports, particularly Football, urging more caution be taken by sports authorities. PAGE 14 Killing Americans Abroad Aaron criticizes the recently-issued White House white paper defending targeted assassinations against American citizens believed to be enemy combatants without trial.

PAGE 14

Sports Spring Sports Burst Into Action Garnet athelets on the baseball, softball, lacrosse, and tennis teams began practicing on February 1st. PAGE 16 Guardiola Setting Bayern Munich Up To Be Powerhouse Jamie thinks Bayern’s hiring of Pep Guardiola will help catapult the side into a period of European dominance on par with that of Barcelona. PAGE 16

News

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 3

The Phoenix

Study Drug Use By Students Limited But Existent

By DANIEL BLOCK Assistant News Editor Michael* was not pleased with the way his day had gone. It was finals week, his seminar paper was only a few days away from being due, and he was still hundreds of pages behind on his reading. He had planned to spend the day working, but instead spent most of it talking to friends. Now it was past 2 a.m., and the chance of any work getting done was effectively gone.

But it wasn’t just that Michael, a Swarthmore student, had spent the day socializing when he wanted to be working that made him disappointed. Procrastination is nothing new to college students. To Michael, something special had been squandered. “I can’t believe I wasted an entire day of Adderall,” he said.

Adderall is a prime example of a study drug. It is an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication, but it is frequently used by students in college and high school across the United States without ADHD to help concentrate on work. Frequently, students with prescriptions for these drugs will sell their extra pills to peers who want an additional boost of energy and focus.

Adderall and other ADHD medications like Vyvanse, Concerta, and Ritalin are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States. They are also among the most abused.

In 2011, the National Institute for Drug Abuse found that 9.8 percent of college students had illegally used Adderall. Recently, the death of Richard Fee, a young college graduate from North Carolina who committed suicide after his prescription for Adderall ran out, has generated a firestorm of media coverage and put a new spotlight on the drug and those similar to it. Fee developed severe depression and underwent psychotic breakdowns after he began heavy use of Adderall and Vyvanse.

“Most of us know of instances where people have abused them either for the purpose of studying or just to get high,” said David Ramirez, the head of Counseling and Psychological Services and a psychologist, who felt that there was a relatively high level of concern among mental health professionals about the abuse of ADHD medications. “People are not passive about this,” he said.

“Taken as prescribed, typically, the side effects that doctors would be worried about are appetite loss and sleep deprivation,” said Ramirez. But when misused, the list of negative side effects grows worse, ranging from dependency to judgment impairment. “You can produce a psychotic state,” he said. Indeed, taken in high enough amounts, it is possible to overdose.

This danger is not lost on students who use the drug without a prescription. “I think the health problems are very real,” said Chris,* another Swattie who, like Michael, has illicitly used Adderall. “Adderall is an amphetamine.”

JULIA CARLETON/THE PHOENIX

Students with prescriptions for ADHD drugs may sell their extra medication to their peers.

But for the most part, Chris felt that if used appropriately, the drugs are not particularly risky. “Adderall and Vyvanse are made to be non-addictive,” he said.

Lewis,* a student who has a prescription but only uses the drug on occasion and sells his extras, agreed. Besides difficulty going to bed while on the medication, he felt the only danger came from overuse. “The only health effect that I would say is an issue is taking too many,” he said. He was not worried about his clientele.

“I usually never sell more than two,” he said, adding that he knew most of the people he sold to and assumed they were only taking one “for a specific assignment they want to get done.”

But Ramirez emphasized that, at least from his perspective, the dangers were not minimal.

“You can definitely create serious health hazards,” he said. “These things are taken pretty seriously.”

Health concerns aside, it is not difficult to see the appeal in using ADHD medications to study. “It’s really helpful,” said Michael. “Once you start on a task, you’re able to continue on that task sort of endlessly. I can start a book and read 300 pages of it,” he added.

“You feel almost obligated to do work,” said Lewis. “You really just keep going until you crash or have nothing else to do.”

Indeed, the drugs can be so effective that it has caused many to question their fairness.

Even Chris believed it gave an unjust advan-

tage. “I think it’s ethically wrong,” he said. “It’s like the whole steroid issue, except over millions of millions of people.”

But others, like Michael, disagreed. “Yes it does give me an advantage, but I don’t really think an advantage means anything because I don’t think I’m competing with anyone around me,” he said. “I don’t see why me doing better is going to make anyone else do worse.”

“I think it’s perfectly fair at a school like this,” Lewis said. “There’s not a lot of time in the day.”

Martin Warner, the college’s Registrar, was not overly concerned whether or not the drug gave people unfair advantages. “Perhaps, ironically, I’m not worried about the fairness issue. For me, really, it’s a wellness issue,” he said. Warner felt that fairness was not unimportant. But when it came to members of the Swarthmore community, it was health he was focused on. “That’s much more interesting and compelling to me,” he said.

Ramirez was unsure if illicit use of the drug gave students an advantage. “I simply don’t know,” he said.

But when it came to students with ADHD, he was unequivocal. “For the people who need it, it’s an awesome thing,” he said. “It levels the playing field for them. So it’s sad that there’s so much abuse.”

And such abuse is most prevalent, unsurprisingly, at schools where the workload is

large and demanding, a category that this college certainly fits. Classes are rigorous, and students seem to make a habit of juggling multiple activities.

Study drugs are present Swarthmore, abet in relatively small numbers. “From what I know, it’s not very big,” said Lewis.

His own clientele was not particularly large.

“I have a pretty tight group of people I sell to,” he said.

Ramirez agreed, saying that while what he sees at CAPS may not be representative of the school as a whole, it appeared not to be all too frequent. “I don’t think it’s a big problem,” he said.

Still, while study drugs may not be pervasive, they certainly exist. And Swarthmore’s taxing workload can lead to their use.

“I think the intensity of Swarthmore could aggravate a person’s vulnerability to feel unsettled and uncertain,” Ramirez said. This, he said, could in turn lead students to abuse study drugs.

But in general, it appears students here find other ways to cope with the pressures of college. “There are definitely some schools I’ve heard of where Adderall is more legitimate in the sense that to do anything outside of school, you have to take it,” Chris said. But according to him, this college is not one of them. “Most people at Swarthmore are good at managing their time in that sense.”

ED Applications Conclude for Class of 2017

By COLE GRAHAM News Writer With the second round of early decision applications complete, admissions staff have sequestered themselves away as they work to finalize decisions.

Not every school provides a second Early Decision option, but the college continues to offer one in case a student misses visiting, testing, or interviewing opportunities before the first Early Decision deadline, said Dean of Admissions Jim Bock ’90.

The Admissions Office does not record separate statistics for fall and winter early decision applicants. “We report combined numbers for both fall and early decision as that is how guide books and surveys report them. It is easier and cleaner to add the numbers and report our combined early decision

statistics for the sake of comparison,“ said Bock. Nevertheless, the numbers show that students are attracted to both options.

According to Bock, the college received approximately 540 early decision applicants this year, second only to last year’s 575 and only the third year in which the college has broken the 500 Early Decision applicant mark. Last year the College received 6,616 total applications, compared to a record 6,632 this year.

The students applying have not changed much either. “The pool remains competitive and strong on all measures,” said Bock. Admitted students highlighted finding kindred spirits as their motivation for applying early.

“I immediately connected with the student body,” said Emma Eppley, a senior at the College Preparatory School in Berkeley, CA, who was accepted early. Eppley fondly recalls a

campus visit that involved hallway conversations on an eclectic range of topics, from technological advances over the past fifty years to DNA sequencing to Tolkien and Firefly.

Demographically, fewer women and more men applied early than in previous years, as did a record number of nonU.S. citizens. Geographically, there were fewer early decision applicants from the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic. The college also saw a drop in early applicants from New York, a trend that may have resulted from Hurricane Sandy. “We worked with several students who needed extensions to submit transcripts, scores, and other support material due to school closings in early November,” said Bock.

Although he cannot comment on matriculation and admission statistics until decisions are mailed, Bock said, “We are excited by this year’s combined early pool.”

PAGE 4

News

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

The Phoenix

Swarthmore’s Kappa Alpha Theta chapter officially reestablished itself with 65 members. KAØ returns to campus after an 80 year absence, after being abolished due to the sorority’s refusal to accept Jewish students.

‘Theta,’ continued from page 1 that can only help strengthen the fraternities as well.”

This strengthening of Greek life, however, is what many of students have feared since NYS’s inception.

“People who say that Greek life affects only the people involved are lying. Every college publishes the statistics,” Brinn said.

“The limited Greek life was a big factor for me [in choosing Swarthmore], and as a historically Quaker institution, I don’t believe that having a strong presence of Greek life on campus meshes with our values ... I think that should be a concern for everybody. It is inherently exclusive.”

A comment on the recent Daily Gazette article similarly expressed concerns that the members of the sorority “mistakenly think that the opposition they face is specifically about the sorority. My opposition to the sorority comes from wanting to abolish exclusive ‘ities’ that have an outsize and often negative impact on social life,” the comment said. “Greek life already has toxic vibes.”

Dina Zingaro ’13, one of the NYS members who spearheaded the movement to get Theta on campus, insists that Greek life on this specific campus, and the sorority in particular, will be different. In fact, she was originally drawn to the idea of a sorority because “[the leaders of NYS’s] goals were different from what a stereotypical sorority would be.”

Nina Serbedzija ’14, an ex-NYS member, agrees. One of the most enthusiastic members of the group last spring, she was deeply involved in the beginning stages of the process.

“I was going through this crazy thing where I was just like, it needs to happen,” she said. “What I really wanted, and what the sorority was for me, was a way to remedy the fact that there were no party spaces on campus that weren’t dominated by men, that weren’t owned by men ... And it was definitely what it meant for a lot of founding members of NYS. Not just [creating] a party space, but a female space where women can get to know alcohol on safer terms.”

However, she thinks that the final product does not reflect the original intention. According to Serbedzija, the process

became about choosing a high-ranked sorority, choosing one that was in the most Ivy League schools. Establishing ties with a national organization went from being about having resources to get through the arduous process of establishing a sorority, to an excuse to have something “to put on our resumes.”

According to the Theta Fraternity Vice President Ashley Atkins, in fact, the sorority differs from other women’s groups specifically in its networking and socializing opportunities. “The vast resources that we are making available to these young women is just over the moon,” Galbreath Hurst said.

“Whether you’re on the Swarthmore campus for a year or four years, Theta doesn’t end.”

This may be a moot point for some, though.

“We’re a pretty well-connected liberal arts college,” Brinn said. “And there are all sorts of problems with being nationally affiliated.”

According to Serbedzija, the presence of the national organization has exacerbated the image of a sorority not just as a medium for networking opportunities but also as an organization for social activism.

“You don’t join a sorority for community involvement. There are a million other clubs here for that,” she said. “[A sorority] should be about something way more fun than that.

And not just fun, but necessary.”

The sorority does foresee a lot of “philanthropy-type events” for this semester, according to Melin. Along with these, they will be doing “a lot of bonding events to get to know each other better and build a stronger sisterhood, as well as a few social gatherings, even with the fraternities.”

The Educational Leadership Consultants,

COURTESY OF AMANDA BROWN

Corey Burnett and Lindsey Witt, who are paid employees of KAØ, will be helping the chapter through its first few months.

“Corey and I will be guiding the new members through the member orientation program where they learn about our organization as well as our policies, procedures and operations. Our role is to support the members as they develop into a fully functioning chapter,” Witt said in an e-mail.

Zingaro is confident that the Theta girls will make the sorority a part of Swarthmore’s credo of inclusivity and activism.

“We’re going to make it a really great place for women,” she said. “We need the community’s support.”

Despite her criticism, Seberdzija thinks the student body should be patient.

“They are just establishing themselves.

The real test will come when the people Theta sent leave.”

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

News

PAGE 5

The Phoenix

Missed Connections Attempts to Help Awkward Students

By NEHMAT KAUR News Writer

If the success of “Swarthmore Compliments” and “Like a Little” are anything to go by, Swatties love interacting with each other through anonymous virtual media.

While the former allows students to anonymously post praise for their friends on a Facebook group, the latter is a site that can be used by students to reach out to other students they find attractive.

On Jan. 17, a new Facebook group was created as yet another such medium for “Swawkward” communication.

As of now, the group has not yet received much student attention. It currently has 37 likes and two anonymous posts.

The student behind the group chooses to remain anonymous to avoid compromising its purpose. She described Swarthmore Missed Connections as “a mixture of Swarthmore Compliments and Like a Little.”

The group’s goal is to enable people who had a chance encounter or are otherwise afraid to approach one another to find each other and possibly meet.

The creator thought of the group as an alternative to Swarthmore Compliments.

“Compliments turned into the same compliment over and over again. With Missed Connections, it’s exciting to think that a post is maybe kind of possibly about you,” she said.

The group’s description on Facebook lists some details that should be included in posts, including location, description of the addressee and a nickname or descrip-

tion of the poster.

The founder of the group decided to start it for a number of reasons. She wanted to revive the cute, awkward energy of Swarthmore Compliments and Like a Little with some improvements. She was referring to the temporary problems with the Like a Little site that have since been fixed.

Talking about the role such groups and sites play in the lives of Swatties, she noted that “it’s not just about being too shy. We lead stressful lives and the possibility of having someone crush on you or just receiving anonymous praise can be a great confidence boost.”

The creator of Swarthmore Compliments agreed with the sentiment of such groups being confidence boosters and stress relievers, but he drew a distinction between the two groups. “Compliments wasn’t really about the posters’ anonymity. That wasn’t a big part of it.”

He pointed out that Missed Connections was probably more dependent on anonymity since it deals with messages that are not limited to platonic praise. “I guess if people trust the person behind the group to not spread their identity around and talk to their friends, then it could work,” he said.

The founder of Missed Connections concurred. “It would be really uncomfortable for people to know who was on the other end,” she said, referring to both her identity and the posters’.

However, Facebook is not a medium that provides easy anonymity, a flaw the

COURTESY OF SWAT MISSED CONNECTIONS ON FACEBOOK

The profile picture for the Missed Connections Facebook page, a still from the Wes Anderson film Moonrise Kingdom.

founder of Missed Connections is aware of. “You can’t have aliases since it’s a Facebook group and not a website. So you can’t respond to comments,” she said.

She encourages posters to be creative with their responses. The group’s description includes the following example as a possible response to a post: “Set up a meeting place — ‘I’ll be on second floor Cornell tonight, come find me.’”

The founder is not averse to converting the group into a website in the future if she finds someone who can help her with it. She also admitted that such a site called Swarthmore Missed Connections already exists but is not used. “If someone promoted the other one better, it would do

well,” she said.

Sara Brakeman ’16, who appreciated the concept of Swarthmore Compliments and had a few posted about her, is more reserved about Missed Connections. “I feel like these sites are intended for other viewers that are not the person the post is about. When you write the post, you don’t assume that the person you’re writing about will actually see it ever. It’s for entertainment. I wouldn’t use this but I can see why someone would,” she said.

Swatties seem to be responding to Missed Connections slowly. It remains to be seen if the group will gain the same level of popularity as Compliments and Like a Little.

Chopp Sponsors Student Protest of Keystone XL Pipeline

By TOBY LEVY News Writer “Crippling drought. Devastating wildfires.

Superstorm Sandy. Climate has come home — and the American people get it.” These words are the slogan of the “Forward on Climate” rally scheduled for Feb. 17.The protest stands in opposition to the proposed Tar Sands Pipeline (also known as the Keystone XL Pipeline) that will carry toxic tar sands from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries, cutting through multiple western states in between. Fears over the pipeline include oil spills, damage to plants, animals and people situated in its intended path, and the potential for pollution.

With over 100 organizations supporting the movement, the rally is expected to be the largest ever for climate change, attracting thousands of Americans, including Swarthmore students. Buses are scheduled to take supporters to Washington D.C. from over 25 states, including Pennsylvania. One of those buses will come from the college, taking interested students and faculty to the protest.

“We hope to offer transportation on the bus to whatever students, faculty and staff members are interested in joining us,” said Patrick Ammerman, the college’s current sustainability intern — a position for a single student each year who makes recommendations to the the College community concerning policies related to environmental sustainability on campus. “This is a very exciting opportunity, since we can essentially give an open invitation to all members of the Swarthmore community.”

The college will fund the bus through donations from President Rebecca Chopp and Vice President for Community and College Relations Maurice Eldridge, both of whom support the rally and the opportunity for as many members as possible from the college community to attend.

“Maurice Eldridge and I have offered sup-

COURTESY OF MOUNTAIN JUSTICE ON FACEBOOK

Members of Swarthmore Mountain Justice protested the Keystone XL Pipeline during fall semester.

port from the President’s Office to pay for a bus to take community members who are interested in participating.” said President Chopp. Eldridge meanwhile highlighted his belief in the importance of the rally.

“Clearly climate change is a major threat to humankind that must be confronted by all of us,” he said. “I am expressing my personal view [about the harmful effects of the pipeline], but the college and the college community together face the same issue and together we will seek ways to make a difference.”

Chopp also said that she hoped many students would attend the rally and make their voices heard about the urgency of climate change, particularly as President Obama begins his second term.

However, not all are in accordance for stopping production of the pipeline. In fact, according to TheHill.com, public polling during the 2012 calendar year suggested that the

majority of Americans are actually in favor of it. Hill blogger Cindy Schlid, a senior manager of Downstream at the American Petroleum Institute, believes that the pipeline could in fact be beneficial, creating 20,000 jobs immediately, and potentially “117,000 new U.S. jobs by 2035.”

For Giovanna Di Chiro, the Lang Visiting Professor for Issues of Social Change, the job statistics are no all they are cracked up to be, and the effects of the pipeline on the environment unquestionably outweigh the economic incentives for it.

“Drilling tar sands oil in the first place already adds to greenhouse gas concentration, which is bad enough,” she said. Ecological, climatological, and biological studies show that the risks of climate issues and this pipeline are not exaggerated. Also, historically job creation in these cases is never what its promoted to be.”

At the congressional level, the pipeline has been a characteristically partisan issue, splitting

Democrats and Republicans down what have become traditional and staunch partisan lines.

However, two Democratic senators from Montana and North Dakota (states on the intended route of the pipeline) have strongly supported the project, further stressing public variance on the issue.

Ammerman, though, believes that the fervor surrounding the issue on campus is fairly archetypal of nation-wide tar sands views.

“The Forward on Climate Rally is attracting support from those who oppose the pipeline for so many different reasons: the indigenous people it will displace, the damage it will do to local ecosystems, and the effect it will have on global climate change. I believe the sweeping support we’re seeing on campus for those opposed to the Tar Sands pipeline is a testament to how deplorable the proposed pipeline really is,” he said.

Advertising and logistics for the rally are being executed as a joint effort among members of several of the college’s student run ecosphere groups, with additional help from members of the Dean’s Office. However, considering the magnitude of the issues at stake, Di Chiro thinks that the event has not been publicized enough on the Swarthmore campus.

“I’m an environmental professor and I didn’t even know about the buses leaving from the college for the rally,” she said.

Whatever the differing opinions from state to state and across party lines, it’s evident that there is zeal among the college’s environmental groups and their members who are eager to participate in the protest.

“It is important for concerned students to join us on the 17th as we show our solidarity against Keystone XL in Washington,” said Ammerman.

“Climate is what makes the earth the earth,” said De Chiro. “We failed to stop climate change already, so how do we really join together and wake up? The rwwally is one way, not the only way, but it sure can be a good catalyst.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The Phoenix

Freedom Now: Black History Month

By COURTNEY DICKENS Living & Arts Writer February marks the beginning of Black History Month, a month dedicated to the act of remembering and acknowledging. In other words, it is meant to celebrate black life and cultural contributions to all that is America.

Much like other heritage months, Black History Month is one marked by heritage museum exhibitions, faculty discussions, feature films, and documentaries that make these identities and histories tangible and accessible.

What is most unique to the month is the opportunity it afforded Afro-Americans at the turn of the 20th century to defend their right to full citizenship, and, in turn, resolve the seemingly contradictory identities of blackness and being American. At its inception, according to the archives of Library of Congress, Carter G. Woodson, through his Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, “conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925” to “raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization”. The response was “overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.”

In its context, as well as throughout the Civil Rights Movement, the month gained its footing as a valuable vehicle of social change.

Not until 1976, the nation’s bicentennial, was the celebration expanded to a month. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

This year at Swarthmore, Alaina Brown ‘13 and A’Dorian Thomas ‘16 worked tirelessly to organize a series of social events, faculty lectures, musical performances and student-led discussions that allowed for cultural, intellectual and collaborative engagement with black history and culture. This year’s theme, “Freedom Now,” has as much to do with tracing the legacy of black identity from slavery to physical freedom with questioning “how black communities are practicing freedom as seen in their community service activities, activism, etc” and in what ways freedom is still not afforded to them.

Central to this year’s theme, however, is the promotion of inclusivity in the exploration of

history and discussion of contemporary socioeconomic issues still affected the black community. In other words function, they aim to demystify the common misconception that black history is a single, particular entity. As seen in the various events planned, this month will be also be used to contemplate the intersectionalities of race, gender and even sexual orientation as related to systems of oppression.

Through a unique blend of cultural, intellectual, and collaborative events, “Freedom Now” offers students with different tastes and sensibilities experiences to learn about and engage with black history.

This month there will be a plethora of cultural events that will appeal to those who perhaps don’t want to get political but still be exposed to black culture. These events include a Steel Pan (a type of drum frequently used in reggae, and soca music) concert this Friday hosted by the Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA), a gospel choir performance (traditional hymns and songs from the Bible), a poetry reading by Sunni Patterson presented by the Kathryn Morgan Festival and a student talent symposium, Soul Shack (a fun place where poets, singers, dancers, musicians, etc of the black community showcase their talents in a supportive setting). In many ways, these cultural events use artifacts, in the form of music and black and Caribbean heritage to offer students some insight into and to really celebrate the diversity and beauty of black cultural production.

This month is predominantly marked, however, by intellectually stimulating events, all of which, in having a political agenda, are provocative and in many ways combative, all in the hopes of incite conversation about black issues that quite frankly we need to be having.

For example, the Paces takeover will stream clips of black people in songs, videos and other multimedia as artifacts of black life that will be used to moderate dialogues between students.

As Alaina explains, the “provocative clips” will “offer a forum to discuss the various “isms” that affect black life.” Alaina hopes that this takeover will engage “not exclusively black students” and instead allow the general Swarthmore community to be “less PC.” In another attempt to engage a diverse group of students, Alaina and her cohorts organized a faculty panel featuring Professors Alison Dorsey (History), Cheryl Jones Walker (Education) and George Lakey (Peace and Conflict Studies). Their conversation will be address issues of equality in a so-called “post-racial” society. I

know what you’re thinking: this conversation is bound to step on some toes. This is the beauty of the conversation, however.

As Professor Walker explains, she is participating because it is “important to engage in discussions on college campuses about African American history and contemporary issues affecting the wider Black community.” For her, a debate that particularly challenges the notion of a “post-racial society” allows her to address those who “question the need for affirmative action and other remedies for racial inequity.”

As a professor of education she is “fortunate to have the opportunity to address issues of social inequity and structural inequality in my courses and research” and stresses that “creating the space to have these important conversations and providing research materials that demonstrate the impact of racism help some understand the legacy and the continued realities while it gives others a language to make the case that they know and understand.” This panel will offer students the facts needed to establish an educated stance on how racism still affects the lives of those in the black community. What is important to note about her opinion is her belief that these conversations not only empower black people to communicate their experience but also give critical information about the issue to those of other ethnic groups who might shy away from taking her courses.

The final component of this year’s events is the myriad of collaborations between groups, all of which attest to the universalizing agenda of “Freedom Now.” From a lecture presented by Victor Ríos about incarceration brought by the Achieving Black and Latino Leaders of Excellence (ABLLE), to the lecture about Black Sign Language presented by Donna Jo Napoli of the Linguistics Department, to the Matt-Armstead talk co-sponsored with QTC (the Queer and Trans Conference, it is clear black issues are not singular issues. These collaborations really prove not only the universality of the themes of oppression, exclusion and marginalization but also that categories of race, gender, and even sexuality are all components of any given identity.

Camille Robertson ’13, opens up about her involvement in the (QTC) Planning Committee and the reasons QTC chose to collaborate for Black History Month: “QTC — Swarthmore’s annual student-run, weekend-long, free and public conference” provides the scene to “learn from and celebrate queer and transidentified people of color...directly impacted

by systems of oppression and yet too often silenced or not heeded in conversations about issues affecting queer and trans communities.”

Due to the “deeply intersectional approach to promoting critical discourse around queer and trans issues” QTC supports “and stand[s] in solidarity with other groups that struggle against racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of normalized fear and hate.”

Matt Armstead is described by Camille as bringing a perspective that “will allow him to facilitate a compelling and important dialogue about how we ask and demand that the communities and institutions we participate in see us as our whole selves — queer selves, black selves, multiple selves.” Camille paints a vivid picture of how the multiplicity of all identities gives this heritage month purpose outside of the realm of race; at the Matt Armstead talk, a wide range of students will be able to empathize with experiences.

This Black History Month, Swarthmore students are encouraged to ask thoughtful questions and interact with students outside of their comfort zone.

When asked “Why should students engage in BHM?” Alaina giggled and replied, “You can take time away from school and learn in an interactive way and build a tighter Swarthmore community.” She also stressed that “BHM has everything to do with everyone. Black history is American history.”

This sentiment was echoed by Paury Flowers, faculty contact person for the BHM Committee. “The history of people of African descent is the history of our nation in my opinion so whether your definition of how we come together as a melting pot or salad bowl, we need to know the ingredients individually and collectively,” she said.

Paury stresses that the “Freedom Now” theme prevents stale conversation. “The conversation only gets old when a diversity of opinions are not brought to the table. I hope that the BHM events prompt this kind of thinking and engagement.”

To what end is this conversation? Camille believes that “Black History Month demands that the Swarthmore community recognize the whole selves of its Black members and their immense intellectual, political, cultural, and social contributions to the College.” Be a part of this movement for mutual understanding and respect and most of all, celebrate the vibrant and complex culture of black people.

Sager Lecture Tonight: Rainbow Theology

By ALLI SHULTES Living & Arts Editor

Unicorns. Lady Gaga. “Mr. Wong Dong’s Emporium.” When it comes to framing conversations on religion, sexuality and race, Dr. Patrick Cheng tends to favor the colorful.

Dr. Cheng, a professor at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will be speaking at tonight’s Sager Lecture on “Rainbow Theology.” He is the author of two books on queer theology and is currently working on a third. “The Rainbow Theology: Bridging Race, Sexuality, and Spirit” will be released in April and focuses specifically on people of color who identify as LGBT. He also blogs for The Huffington Post, using events drawn from politics to pop culture to highlight different conversations on religion, sexuality, and intersectionality.

Dr. Cheng’s lecture will center around two major themes: queer ideology and, more specifically, the tension between communities of color and LGBT groups. He additionally plans to touch on Quaker views of sexuality within a larger context of LGBT history in the United States, tipping his hat to the college’s heritage.

Using Christianity as a framework for discussion is one way Dr. Cheng plans to mitigate the complexity of identities encapsulated in his lecture.

“Christian theology should listen to and bridge different groups,” Dr. Cheng said in a phone interview. “In general, LGBT and

Christian [groups] have a bad reputation for not always understand each other. With the not listening and communicating.” media and other interest groups exploiting The lecture comes at a pivotal moment tensions between LGBT groups and commufor Christian-LGBT relations on campus. nities of color in particular, minding the gap Earlier this week, a letter written by four stu- becomes critical for cooperation in achieving dents involved in Swarthmore Christian Fel- common goals. As Dr. Cheng and Anderlowship (SCF) and Swarthmore Progressive son note, it also applies to Christian groups, Christians (SPC) ran in The Daily Gazette where more progressive groups and tradivoicing support tionally conserfor LGBT comvative factions munities.

“When I came out of the closet in are beginning Carolyn Anstruggle over college in the late 1980s, I thought to derson ’14, one questions relatof the writers I was a unicorn. That is, I believed ing to LGBT and a member roles in the that I was a mythical creature. of both SCF and church and Surely I was the only gay Asian- family.

SPC, felt that the groups’ hisDespite the American person in the universe.” tory of silence diversity of stuDr. Patrick Cheng, around LGBT dent groups on “A Unicorn at the White House” campus, Swatgroups may have caused poties may feel like tential members the “rainbow to feel alienated from the Christian commu- bridges” that Dr. Cheng describes, straddling nity on campus in the past. various identities that may feel incompatible.

“People who have been hurt in the past by Student 1, who wished to remain anonymous, Christians won’t be first to come up and ask, has seen identity clashes in LGBT and Asian ‘what do you believe?’” Anderson said. “It’s an Pacific Islander (API) groups in which he has issue that has a huge emotional impact, and I participated. Students who may not identify think that the burden is on us, because there with the culture they find at umbrella LGBT has been so much negative discourse coming groups on campus can sometimes question from the Christian community internation- their own sexuality, according to the student. ally, to show we don’t think that’s acceptable.”

“Students who aren’t out think ‘is this Both Anderson and Dr. Cheng advocate what it means to be gay?’” Student 1 said. “A for dialogue between communities that may lot of times it’s minorities [who feel this way].”

Groups like PersuAsion, which cater to a more specific demographic (in this case, LGBT API students), offer students spaces to explore issues of identity. The closed nature of the group and constantly changing meeting locations additionally offer anonymity to students still unsure of how to identify.

Neither Student 1, Anderson, nor Dr. Cheng seem to advocate for the acceptance of a particular narrative surrounding issues of race, sexuality or spirituality: rather, an emphasis is placed on respect for plurality and process.

Although Anderson felt strongly about the need to express her own opinion on the topic, she believes that support for LGBT communities — and relationships — is a “tough issue” for other members of the Christian community. Her view does not speak for others involved in the campus organizations.

“There are a lot of different positions you can take,” she said. “Even if you get to the same conclusions, you can use different evidence for your decisions. People are still making up their minds; they want to consider everything before deciding what they believe.

I think that’s a really important process and a Swarthmore process, to spend time thinking over every piece of evidence you can get ... I believe struggling with beliefs and opinions helps you come to better conclusions and a position you feel more strongly about.”

The lecture will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Bond Memorial Hall. Come and take part in the discussion.

Living & Arts

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

‘Wellness’, continued from page 1 a point of pride for students, that misery becomes fodder for games and constant sleep-deprived stress an assumed norm, threatens to marginalize voices of genuine misery or inner distress, to make anxiety and unhappiness “not a big deal,” subject to competition — and ultimately to trivialize real issues surrounding mental health.

In a “Daily Gazette” op-ed last semester, Rafi Ellenson ’16 wrote: “For a school that prides itself on emphasizing the life of the mind, there seems to be remarkably little discussion here at Swarthmore about the mind misbehaving, or acting in off or unusual ways.” It is from this view that this series will move.

Ivory Tower, Millennial Edition A 2010 New York Times article entitled “Mental Health Needs Seen Growing at Colleges” documented a dramatic rise in college students coping with “serious mental illness”: national surveys indicate that the proportion of patients at college mental health centers in this category has more than doubled in the last decade, up to roughly half of all visitors. The article attributed this spike to a range of factors, including an increasing willingness to discuss previously taboo issues and the increasing use of powerful psychotropic medications that enable students who would otherwise likely have been unable to function effectively in a college setting to go to college.

Amid this evolving mental health landscape, driven students at the nation’s most competitive institutions face a range of additional pressures, distractions and temptations, due in part to relatively recent technological and medical changes, as well as a changing academic culture increasingly defined by perpetual activity and a competitive obsession with overcommitment — taking on the largest course load and most grinding array of extracurricular activities imaginable.

A 2010 article in Harvard Magazine entitled “Nonstop” portrayed a snapshot of this cultural shift: this is the playdate generation, groomed to experience time and life as a blank calendar awaiting careful segmentation into precisely calibrated blocks — for activities, work, and perhaps a few for sleep and friends. Harvard students, the article claims, are forced to compete in an environment where the expectation is that you do “3000 things at 150 percent.” This culture of maniacal achievement comes with obvious downsides: “The paradox is that students now live in such a blur of activity that idle moments for … introspection are vanishing.”

In response to this article, Stanford professor Terry Castle penned a Chronicle of Higher Education op-ed provocatively titled “The Case for Breaking Up With Your Parents,” in which she argues in part that the close parental involvement enabled by cell phones -- a phenomenon stunningly common among her undergraduates -- delays the skepticism toward or resistance to received knowledge and authority that she describes as an “absolute precondition, now more than ever, for intellectual and emotional freedom.”

Moreover, there is increasing evidence that this constant digital connection can

The Phoenix

have profound psychological consequences. A growing body of research shows that persistent Internet use can lead to psychological changes similar to those produced by drug addiction, potentially leading to intensified depression and periods of mania. And last May, The Atlantic published a widely circulated cover article called “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?,” which surveyed recent research pointing to the potential psychological consequences of social media — including the seemingly paradoxical conclusion that the constant connection may be making us more lonely: “Facebook denies us a pleasure whose profundity we had underestimated, the chance to forget about ourselves for a while, the chance to disconnect.”

If there are analogs to addiction in the rhetoric of technology’s routine interventions in college life, the massive rise in the off-label, illicit use of Adderall, Ritalin, and a variety of other stimulants commonly used to treat ADHD — some studies now put the use of Adderall among college students as high as 34.5% — as “study drugs” (essentially cognitive steroids for busy college students), has an even higher potential to tangibly and immediately impact the focus and scope of college mental health services.

A 2009 New Yorker article entitled “Brain Gain: The underground world of ‘neuroenhancing’ drugs” examined the common uses, ethics and additional problems surrounding these stimulants, which it characterized as “drugs that high-functioning, overcommitted people take to become higher-functioning and more overcommitted.” An article published in the Times this past week called “Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions” vividly depicted the potentially drastic mental health consequences of persistent Adderall abuse. An article in this issue of The Phoenix surveys its presence at Swarthmore.

Mental Health Services at Swarthmore Swarthmore’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is one of only a handful of college counseling centers in North America that offers unlimited free counseling to students. As the demand for college mental health services grows nationally, a similar explosion has been underway at Swarthmore.

According to CAPS Director Dr. David Ramirez, the percentage of students who had used CAPS at least once by graduation used to hover around 30%. In recent years, however, the number has begun steadily increasing. Now, it is around 38%.

Other metrics depict an even more dramatic increase in the demand for psychological health services. On the first day of classes last semester — Labor Day — CAPS recorded around 73 individual contacts from students seeking appointments. And this past semester alone CAPS saw the same number of students that they had seen in the entire 2007-2008 academic year.

What is driving this increased demand?

Dr. Ramirez believes that “there are multiple variables involved.”

“Culturally, overall, more students who have serious mental health challenges have been able to be accommodated earlier in

Illustration by RENU NADKARNI

PAGE 7

Illustration by CASEY SCHREINER life, starting in preschool, with supportive ancillary services to keep them viable as students, so that when they get to college they continue to need those services,” he said.

“It’s a time of great stress, for a lot of people,” continued Dr. Ramirez. “A lot of people’s families are stressed and those things can reverberate and affect students in their time here.”

In addition, however, Dr. Ramirez sees the increase in demand for CAPS as a possible signal that seeking counseling no longer carries as powerful a stigma as it once did. “We used to worry a lot about barriers to seeking treatment and about the stigma of receiving mental health services. In the last three years, the tremendous increase in the use of our service has led me to think that perhaps we have succeeded … in to a certain extent destigmatizing the behavior of asking for help,” he said.

In recent years and in response to this increased demand for services, CAPS has undergone a substantial change in its staffing structure. In the past, CAPS was staffed by a mixture of senior licensed staff and clinical interns, students in their last years of graduate school who had prior clinical experience and were working toward their full license. In the spring when CAPS typically became busier, CAPS usually hired a group of independent, fully licensed practitioners to supplement the year-round staff.

As demand for psychological services grew, however, CAPS was forced to hire these contractors earlier and earlier. Eventually, the contractors were hired as early as fall, and became what Dr. Ramirez describes as a “de facto staff, who were here on an adjunct basis.” Around three years ago, in part to ensure greater continuity of service, he decided to restructure the staffing system, so that the positions previously filled by independent contractors became year-round positions staffed by postgraduate fellows.

This decision drew a certain amount of criticism at the time, spurred by the perception that CAPS was replacing licensed counselors with interns, and the concern that little to no oversight existed. Dr. Ramirez refutes this characterization. “Everyone’s always supervised,” he said. “Even the senior staff are supervised by me.”

Negative perceptions of CAPS persist, largely due to the view that many clinical interns are insufficiently prepared for the tough and widely varied work of counseling college students. I spoke to four students who have formerly used or continue to use CAPS. They expressed somewhat mixed but frequently positive views of the service. All but one wished to remain anonymous.

Experiences Student #1 came to Swarthmore with a previously diagnosed eating disorder, but when she visited CAPS midway through the semester after barely eating for two weeks, her counselor told her, in essence, that he didn’t see what was wrong: “The second time he basically said, ‘I don’t really see what’s wrong, I’m not really getting it.’

I was very open, I disclosed all the issues, I said ‘I’ve lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks, I haven’t eaten more than 500 calories a day’ and he said ‘It sounds just like typical coping behaviours. To me you’re functioning

so I’m not really understanding the issue.’ … I met with him two more times, and the only good thing he did was refer me to the nutritionist.”

After meeting with the college nutritionist — who told her that she could have been admitted to a hospital — she was able to obtain adequate help, but she says, “I had a huge advantage because I knew, I had a diagnosis, and I had a history. But if someone else didn’t know anything they could have died in that same position where he’s basically telling you that despite these huge red flags, objectively disordered behaviors, that you’re ok! … besides the nutritionist, there’s no support for eating disorders on this campus.”

Her primary concerns with CAPS mirror those voiced by many others. “I think the problem is that a lot of colleges say, ‘We can only deal with short term issues, situational stuff,’ but Swarthmore says that they can, and I don’t think they can.” She acknowledges that CAPS nevertheless provides a valuable service, as long as “you go in cautiously and know that psychologists don’t know everything.”

Student #2 was unsatisfied with her counselor’s expectations that their time together would be spent progressing toward a specific, straightforward goal. “She wanted to have very clear-cut goals for our time together. … Every day when I would come back the new week she just expected that whatever I wanted to talk to her about that day would be very coherent with what I told her the very first day, and if it strayed in any way she’d always pull out that sheet of paper and be like ‘But your original goals, how do we solve these?’ I didn’t know how to explain to her that I wasn’t just a well-delineated person who had one set of issues that I consistently wanted to address.” She hasn’t been back since, but has considered trying CAPS again with a different counselor.

Daniela Kucz ’14 has had three counselors over her time at Swarthmore. Her first was initially a positive experience, but, she says, “once I had worked through those initial issues, they started going a little crazy with psychoanalysis, which was not the best experience honestly. I ended up no longer seeing them because I felt that they had insulted me, in the things they would find in my problems.” Still, Kucz says, “the great thing with CAPS is that you can switch therapists,” and her experiences since have been positive.

Student #3 has also had three counselors over his time at Swarthmore. The first, an intern, was excellent, but the second, who came from the same program, “was horrible. It’s really important for a therapist to make you feel accepted and supported and I didn’t get the sense that she even liked me. She was very cold.” His third and current counselor, however, is “excellent,” and his view of the service as a whole remains largely positive: “CAPS is excellent.”

This semester, CAPS will be starting a new series of group therapy sessions, which they hope will help satisfy student demand for some alternative forms of counseling.

In this vein, next week’s article will focus on alternative psychological resources on campus, including Speak 2 Swatties and the newly emphasized wellness initiative.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

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The Phoenix

DORM DIVE

Barn Edition

By MAYRA TENORIO Living & Arts Writer In three years, five roommates have made apartment 1N inside “The Barn” their home. Roommates Peter Haury ’13, Rebecca Painter ’13, Paige Grand Pre ’13, Jake Carter ’13 and Declan White ’13 are the longest Barn residents to date, which shows in the lively decor and well-established living arrangements.

The Barn is located just outside of campus on Chester road. The building, which is of impressive size, houses students who opt to live off-campus in groups of four. “We knew it was going to be the five of us,” said Grand Pre, who noted the only other alternative available to the five friends sophomores was the on-campus lodges. The idea of three of them having to share a single room was not an appealing option. Instead, the roommates moved into The Barn and transformed the living room area into a bedroom for Haury.

The apartment is rectangular-shaped so that upon walking in, one finds themselves in a long, custard-colored hallway lined with white doors on either side. On the far left, past a wooden bench and large mirror, is Carter’s room. A large foosball table at the entrance adorns the spacious room. A long blue couch sits against the left wall, next to a fireplace, which Carter admitted attracted him to the room. Resting on the floor is a “Settlers of Catan” box set, which is what the roommates “do together the most.” According to Carter, the apartment plays an average of five times a week.

Down the hall is Grand Pre’s room. The

light blue walls are embellished with movie, art, sports and music posters. “All my roommates make fun of me for having so many,” Grand Pre explained. One painting shows a penguin trying to sell drugs to another.

Haury, who prefers to call Grand Pre “Paige the material girl,” says this painting is most definitive of her because it is “homemade art” depicting penguins “who are above the influence.”

Most noticeable in Grand Pre and the others’ rooms are their large beds in contrast to the twin XL beds found in on-campus dorms. Grand Pre herself has a queen bed. “It takes so much space but it’s worth it,” she said.

A self-described “comfort man,” Haury referred to his bed as his “pride and joy.” His room is on the far right of the hallway. For Haury, the dark pine green walls and yellow windowsills create a “soothing” environment. A white couch faces two large embossed chairs which are lit by a wide lamp, giving the room an open and inviting feel.

When asked about living with female roommates, Haury noted that the girls are cleaner. He and Painter have been friends since high school; both grew up in Swarthmore. Painter is on the track team and already has a job in line in Boston for after she graduates. She described her room as being an unintentional “girly room.” Her walls are a “Tiffany blue” and covered with an array of photographs, depicting moments “from high school up to last semester’s Halloween.” These, along with flowers dispersed

throughout the room and floating book shelfs hinged to the wall, have created a warm and very personable space. “I started with the ‘Southern Comfort’ sign and went from there,” she admitted.

Painter’s closet can be found in the hallway, and when opened blocks the flow of traffic. Moreover, Grand Pre explained that their “friends [often] got confused” when trying to leave, due to the array of inconspicuous white doors. To address the problem, the last door on the left now sports a bright red ‘“Exit” sign. On the opposite end of the hallway outside of Haury’s room is a whiteboard that the roommates use to “communicate with each other,” Grand Pre explained.

Although the board is mostly used to let one another know “how much money we owe each other,” White said. Photographs from sophomore year and study abroad line the edges. Pictures of Delta Upsilon, which Haury, Carter, and White are a part of, are also displayed.

One cannot miss the kitchen, whose wooden cabinets bring emphasis to the crimson walls. The roommates agree this is where they most often congregate; as Grand Pre noted, this is the “only place where all of us fit.” The roommates explained that Christmas has been key to collecting an assortment of kitchen appliances. The roommates mentioned that the move off campus was primed primarily because of food. “[We] wanted to be out of Sharples,” Carter noted, adding that every roommate now

cooks “to varying degrees.”

“We like frozen food,” said Haury. “All we have inside the fridge is parmesan cheese” Painter added, prompting a laugh from everyone. According to the roommates, having meal time together was an adjustment when they first moved in as sophomores, whereas “now it’s more casual,” according to Grand Pre. The roommates admit to experiencing a loss of the campus community due to living off campus yet note the other students living in The Barn are “very nice,” not to mention that the Co-op makes the “hallway smell so good,” as Grand Pre raved. Apartment upkeep has gone quite well, since every roommate does their part to keep the place looking nice ... well, everyone “except Declan” according to Carter.

Although I was prevented from venturing into his room due to a “broken light,” White mentioned his room was the smallest. which made it “great for watching TV.” White is obsessed with Network TV and disclosed ‘Scandal’ as his favorite show at the moment.

Surrounded by the warmth of the kitchen, the roommates laughed with one another as they gathered around the table. “We talk about the world,” said Haury. “Because we live together, it’s ok to get passionate about things.” The roommates hope to follow tradition at the end of the semester and “pass down” the apartment to another group of fellow Swatties “who will care about [the apartment] as much as we do” said Carter.

MARTIN FROGER SILVA/THE PHOENIX

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

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The Phoenix

SELECTIONS

When is the moment?

Photographs by DANIEL Y. CHO

1

3

2

WHILE

I carry around my camera all the time.

It’s easy, because it’s a small compact camera, not a DSLR. So, whenever the “moment” comes, I am usually ready for it.

Many of the photographs that I cherish are usually taken close to home and are from quite ordinary moments. Why? Though I definitely enjoy and do take travel photos from abroad and other images that are taken during “photography justified” circumstances (i.e. parties, holidays, etc.), I am attracted to the idea of discovering excitement from the plain old, everyday. This is no novel approach, of course, but it is a powerful practice to begin to change our

4

1| ...dozing on Parrish Beach

2| ... walking down to the servery

idea of when it is the appropriate moment to pull out our cameras and make sure we capture it. I think its interesting when people decide to bring along their cameras and when they decide to buy one.

By being inspired by color, light, and pattern, not by the spectacle, seemingly banal moments like riding an escalator with friends up to a food court becomes rightly so, exciting.

That’s because they are. A visual record of more of the everyday than ones further away from home and the usual might help us realize what we’ve, individually, come to deem important enough to document.

5

3| ... riding up the escalator

6

4|...listening to an ensemble

5|...chatting with friends

6|...waiting for the train

Living & Arts

PAGE 10

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The Phoenix

On Pointe: Dancing Through Swarthmore

By MIREILLE GUY Living & Arts Writer

Like most things at Swarthmore, the dance program runs a lot deeper than it may appear at first glance. Although a small department, majoring in dance at Swat often means exploring multiple fields catering to their unique areas of interest. What makes it stand out is its emphasis on world dance and the ability students have to explore dance through other departments as well.

“If you look at colleges like Swarthmore, most of the programs in dance over there are mostly western,” explains Pallabi Chakravorty, acting director of the dance program.

From her perspective as an anthropologist, “most of the dance programs [at other schools] are western orientated, mostly modern and ballet ... and if they do have something, it’s just one class, not really part of the structure of the program.”

This fits in with the Dance Department’s message that dance is a global discourse, as exemplified by course offerings such as the Northern Indian dance style Kathak as well as African dancing. Within the dance major itself, students can decide to focus on the technical side of dance as well as the academic, with students often double majoring (bio/ dance double majors are not uncommon) or creating their own special majors. Life after

Swat for dance majors can include an anthropological study of dance, a career as a professional dancer, or even pursuing a PhD in a dance–related field. In fact, the dance department fits in perfectly with the mission of Swarthmore College.

Jacqueline Morgen When Dean Martin Warner suggested that Jackie Morgen ’13 have a special major in circus arts, she tells me she literally laughed at the idea. Currently a senior, Morgen plans on going to med school next year, and figured she would major in bio at Swat with a minor in dance. But when she learned that a dance minor would not reflect on her transcript any specialization in circus arts, she reconsidered as she wanted her passion for circus to be evident on her transcript.

Morgen ultimately decided to do a special major in Circus Arts and Dance while also fulfilling pre-med requirements. Perhaps uniquely Swat, her special major has allowed her to incorporate some of her other interests as well, including developmental psychology and journalism writing both of which count towards her major. Morgen explains how it made sense for her to do her special major through the dance department, with class offerings such as the History of Dance and the Anthropology of Performance, she is always looking for courses that she can push towards circus.

Jackie Morgen ‘13 regularly practices her trapeze skills off-campus.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACKIE MORGEN

“It gave me the opportunity to look at circus academically,” Morgen explains. “There’s kind of an emerging group of young people right now, and we call ourselves ‘circademics’, it’s basically circus academics. There really is a lot you can learn from circus.”

Morgen did just that during the summer of 2010, when she received funding from the school to participate in circus arts therapy in Atlanta, combining her interests of circus and developmental psychology. She is also the founder of Swat Circus, the circus club here on campus, which takes trips into Philly for events such as trapeze lessons and practices their tight rope walking on Parrish Beach.

Morgen has been involved with circus arts since she was 8, and although she can do a bit of most acts, she really enjoys the flying trapeze, often doing it in her free time off campus in Bucks County. Besides doing offcampus studying one semester, she has found the courses and classes at Swat are enough to fulfill her major requirements. Morgen has taken advantage of what Swarthmore has to offer, explaining how “studying [circus] in Swarthmore as part of the dance program, I have been encouraged to find those parts of circus, which I can really dig into.”

As Morgen prepares her senior thesis and plans on going to medical school next year, she is adamant that circus and dance will always be part of her life because at the end of the day, she states, “it’s just fun.”

Daniel Cho For Daniel Cho ’15, it was pretty clear from the beginning of his career at Swarthmore that he would dance. Cho is a special dance and education major with a minor in music. Within the dance part of the major, he is specifically interested in choreography and performance, whereas in education he plans to study the social inequalities in the United States education system. Cho is excited about looking at how possibly to combine these two aspects, recognizing that Swat is a great place to explore these avenues.

But first and foremost, he hopes to pursue dance professionally after Swarthmore. Also an avid singer and actor, Cho highly values the expression and emotion in his performances. One of his favorite genres of dance is lyrical, contemporary dance, which is about expressing emotion through the lyrics in the song through choreography. Yet lately he has found himself drawn to ballet, and for Cho dance at Swat means dancing both inside his major requirements as well as outside. In addition to Ballet II and Pointe classes, Cho’s

passion for ballet pushes him off campus to attending three ballet classes off campus at the Swarthmore Ballet Theater.

“That feeling you get [while doing ballet], because you have to work hard on it”, Cho explains. “When the teacher tells you did something right, then you know you worked so hard for it, and that’s the best.”

Cho is part of two dancing troupes on campus — Rythm and Motion as well as Terpsichore. He is able to combine his passion for dancing with acting and singing as well by participating in musical theater on campus.

Jalisa Roberts Jalisa Roberts has been able to use many of the resources that Swat has to offer to pursue her double major in dance and Black Studies. Her interests can be best exemplified in the work she’s done in launching her own non-profit youth program for underprivileged youth in her hometown of New Orleans. Roberts uses dance as leadership training, as well as a means of exploring various aspects of black history in order to help rebuild communities post-Katrina. Roberts has received funding from the Lang Civic Center for her non-profit, titled “The Cocoon Youth Empowerment Program.” She credits her inspiration to an opportunity she had to take dance classes as a child, and she wants to share that with her community.

For Roberts, it’s the support and trust from the dance department as well as its many resources that she values the most.

“While the number of student majors is small (2), the amount of resources are very great,” says Roberts. “I’ve had a lot more opportunities to form intimate relationships with people who do great things in my field than I would have had a chance to anywhere else, which is great because it’s rare to get that one on one mentoring with people who are considered legends.”

For her senior dance performance, Roberts plans on incorperating the theme of the four elements. Ideas t for this include a dress with fabric that covers the whole stage and perhaps the use of a game torch. “The support from the dance program runs really great,” Roberts explained. “Everything I’ve ever thought about doing on stage has been possible.”

Roberts’s passion for dance extends to her Black Studies Thesis, where she is exploring dance and social change. Roberts plans on getting her MFA in dance and will continue to work on choreography and various independent studies.

An URBN Look at Rittenhouse Square After unexpectedly waking up at 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday due to insomnia, I decided that something had to be done with all this free time. Originally I thought I would sleep in and then head to a few art exhibits. Instead, I hurriedly got ready and decided this Smart Swat Shopping was the perfect excuse to visit downtown Philadelphia and head to the shopping district. While my real intention was to walk around Rittenhouse Square to absorb the feel of as many shops as possible, I was quickly sucked into two stores that are part of the URBN corporation, Free People and Urban Outfitters.

GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE

Free People Free People is a contemporary brand which caters to women who seek something suitable for a more mature, intellectual and individual image while still maintaining a youthful adventurous spirit.

Rating: 4 / 5 Price Range: $$$ 1625 Walnut St Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-0720 www.freepeople.com My experience visiting the Free People boutique is like going to a museum. I always have to pay close attention for fear you might miss something worthwhile. Most of the clothing is displayed as outfits with mul-

tiple layers, making it hard to see individual items. Beautiful scarves and fun cords can also be found folded up on shelves or under wall displays.

The first floor holds most of the merchandise while the second floor has intimatewear and fitting rooms.

Although I am in love with the bohemian chic clothing that FP has to offer, two items stood out to me. The Heartstopper dress ($118), a white mini dress with delicate pleating and a colored pattern along the neckline, back, and trim is a beauty. I currently covet The New Romantics Neon Embroidered blouse ($168) — a gauzy peasant blouse perfect for the upcoming warm weather.

This location also includes merchandise from brands that share a similar style to Free People and are sold online as well. I spotted a simple white keyholed playsuit from Keepsake ($150) and a pair of Blank NYC jeans ($40, originally $88) on a few side clothing racks.

The sale section is impressive and in previous trips, I have managed to always find a great deal.

Bodycon dresses can be found for $19.99, jeans for $29.99, and even sweaters for $49.99. Prices are slashed 25 to 75 percent.

The sale jewelry also included subtle pendant necklaces for $19.99, previously $29.99 to 59.99.

Free People is most definitely the place to visit if you are searching for daywear that is a crowd pleaser or a special item for you or a friend.

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters is a men’s and women’s clothing and furniture retailer which has merchandise fit for anyone interested in a bohemian, retro or kitschy look.

Rating: 4 / 5 Price Range: $$ 1627 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 569-3131 www.urbanoutfitters.com After being greeted by a busy employee, I was immediately confronted by a table with everything screaming Valentine’s Day. I saw before me some of the most awkward and hilarious gifts to get your valentine. Think The Cosmo Kama Sutra By The Editors of Cosmopolitan.

The three and a half floors offer a variety of merchandise for young consumers.

The Rittenhouse location offers exotic buys like hair chalk, Stüdy Design floral baseball caps, Cat in the Hat button-downs, and party decorations. You can find a lot more because it is just that big. The makeup location on the first floor is the largest I have seen in any location yet.

What makes Urban Outfitters different from Free People is its ever-entertaining apartment section. While there are rugs, duvets, and electronics here, there are also quirky objects like flasks that read ‘THAT SH*T CRAY!’ ($18), a mug that states ‘Fifty Shades of Me Don’t Give a Sh*t’ ($12), and a ‘Think Cap’ beer can hat. My favorites were a Luchador bottle opener ($12), an ‘Awkward

Family Pictures’ photo album ($16), and a set of Solo Cup Shot Glasses (4 for $14).

Clothing-wise, Urban is moving towards a spring which emphasizes mint hues, lace, peplum tops, distressed denim shorts, and high-low trends for women’s fashions. For men’s fashions, the trend are moving towards a relaxed look through graphic tees, canvas sneakers and Herschel Supply Co. backpacks.

The sale selection for both men and women is decent. You can find a lot of great stuff, but the sections are not updated often.

Moreover, the prices on average reflect a 25 percent discount.

Some sale sections are impressive. While I rummaged through the sale jewelry which included necklaces and earrings for only $4.99, I felt like buying everything. I kept asking myself, “Do I really need this?” As much I wanted to live out Rebecca Bloomwood’s scene from “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and buy all the jewelry in sight, I thought about my study abroad savings ($0) and successfully restrained myself.

From the men’s section, there were a lot of odd items on sale. Basically, many items things that people do not want to wear. For instance, you could potentially wear Taylor Swift across your chest for the low price of $9.99.

Shopping at Urban is similar to shopping at other brands all under URBN, and if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to Free People or Anthropologie, this is the place to shop.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Living & Arts

PAGE 11

The Phoenix

A Letter to My Artist Snaphshot: J. Henry Fair Honors Examiner To My Honors Examiner: Dangling Apricots. When we meet in 106 days and start our conversation masked as the oral examination, I will deliver, with all sincerity, that humorously abstract phrase. You’ll be intrigued, we’ll awkwardly laugh as if students normally utter such non sequiturs, and I’ll catch you up on what dangling apricots, “which, like unruly children, make their sire/stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight,” signify in the reign and CATHY demise of King Richard I. PARK I won’t be able to communicate to you how my study Through Rose-Tinted Swoggles group giggled, squirming like tickled pandas in the middle of Sharples, when one of my fellow troopers nonchalantly tossed that quote out as an important passage. Surely, it must be a crucial passage because it had been scribbled, out of any context, in her notes. The most important notes during seminars are the unfinished, barely legible pen marks that attest to your frantic efforts to catch the spontaneous bouts of wisdom that vanish as soon as you realize their worth. As focused college seniors, we then proceeded to outline in detail exactly how we would theatrically use “dangling apricots” when we meet you, because, what’s a conversation about Shakespeare without some drama?

Those achingly rare days demonstrate to me the beauty of kids busting their butts to remain afloat. The camaraderie of “we’re all in it together”...

I don’t even know who you are yet but when we make some small talk, you will probably ask me about my experience with the Honors program. I will probably tell you in a very conventional manner that Honors preparations were grueling but rewarding, that in the end, it was an experience that I would repeat if I could. I can’t, but if ever I increase the statistics on the Quaker Matchbox, I’ll advise my kids to partake in the Honors program.

I’ll give you a sneak peek of what I’ll tell my kids, though. The task, 106 days away, is pretty daunting in the sheer amount of material that I need to recall, retain and articulate. I’m honestly not going to spend every minute of my free time reviewing. I’ll spend a couple hours here and there, mostly because I have a responsibility to my fellow seminar students to contribute engaged and thought-provoking insights in discussion. We all know we hate that kid in class who doesn’t really have anything to say but just blabs.

No one wants to be that kid. Precisely for that reason, seminar inputs are stellar and on rare days, the inputs synergize to form a collective output that is greater than the sum of input made by individuals. And kids, that is exactly why I’m in the Honors program. Those achingly rare days demonstrate to me the beauty of kids busting their butts to remain afloat. The camaraderie of “we’re all in it together” whether “it” is The Titanic or a hot air balloon that euphorically dawdles amongst the clouds.

My study group is the remains of a 2012 seminar. More than half of our troop has graduated, with rumors of what they felt about the exams, how they prepared for it, who got what Honors distinction, and more. Frankly, the only lasting part of their Honors examinations is what the underclassmen gossip about as we prepare for our own because no examination can truly test, validate or invalidate this experience.

No examination will recognize the subtle lessons that I may be gleaning by making painstaking leaps of faith. I hope the legacy of the dangling apricots survive the rumor mill.

Best Regards, Cathy Park

In person, J. Henry Fair, whose photographs grace the walls of the McCabe Library Atrium, is witty and selfeffacing, yet rather mysterious. There is a sardonic edge to his words and a pensive air to his manner. During my interview with the artist, he turned down my admittedly thoughtless offer of a paper napkin in case he spilled his coffee. The man truly is conscious of even the most innocuous-seeming actions and the long chain of harmful effects they wreak DEBORAH on the environment. In his library talk on Friday, Jan. 25, he stressed KRIEGER repeatedly the importance of recI on the Arts ognizing climate change, which he aims to address in his oeuvre, and which he feels is the most pressing issue for our planet today. I spoke with the artist shortly before his talk.

Deborah Krieger: So, in general, can you talk about your artistic background and how you began to approach art?

J. Henry Fair: Photography was always a natural means of expression for me. I picked up a camera when I was very young, and never put it down. I’m very interested in social issues, the environment in particular so I naturally looked for a way to tell these stories with the camera, the environmental stories in particular. And I’m also fascinated by machines as sort of a pinnacle of man’s abilities.

In some ways, machines are one of our highest expression, and certainly the pinnacles of our tool-making abilities are beautiful in themselves. I mean an offshore oilrig, as horrible as what it does is, is a beautiful thing. So that tendency in photography, that direction, and my environmental consciousness, led to this effort to make pictures which told a story about the environment.

DK: So do you come from more of an environmentalist background using photography to advance your message, or is it more of first photography, then you’re inspired particularly by the environmental issues?

JHF: I’m an artist first, and then an activist.

DK: So how did you get into environmental activism?

JHF: Well, I’ve always been concerned about the directions our society is taking, the unsustainable directions.

And things that seem very clear to me don’t seem so clear to other people and being a soapbox preacher by nature, and a loudmouth, I wanted to tell a story about ‘OK, what’s the cost of that paper napkin?’ And it’s ironic that most of us in our world take comfort and pleasure in the representations of nature but yet in some sense almost everything we do sabotages nature.

Back to the paper napkin — we don’t think about the fact that if you grab a handful of paper napkins you’re basically supporting deforestation. And supporting deforestation means supporting climate change and it means supporting habitat destruction. You know, it’s quite ironic. Nobody doesn’t love Animal Planet, right? And we all love to look at the cute little animal babies… and yet everything we do.

DK: There’s a bit of an interesting dichotomy because the things you are photographing are extremely horrible and terrible for the environment but you make them look so beautiful. So how do you grapple [with that]?

JHF: They wouldn’t be effective if that wasn’t the case. If they were just boring pictures of cut-down trees on a hillside, which is the usual environmental picture that you see in your typical environmental magazine, you’d yawn

and move on. Whereas since they are beautiful, since they are graphically and colorfully beautiful, we stop and we say, “what is that?” And by stopping and being curious, then suddenly hopefully the viewer will think about “so that’s the waste from making paper towels? My god, who would have thought?”

DK: In your work, have you ever encountered… a struggle from the people whose oilrigs you’re photographing?

Have there ever been any obstacles against showing your work?

JHF: What I’m doing is very straightforward, and I’m pretty well known, and what I’m creating is art. Most of the stuff as you’ve seen is abstract. I want people to think about our whole direction as a society and our responsibilities as individuals, so I don’t really name names. I know very well if I’m looking at a waste pond, I know very well what company it is and what they’re making, I know what they’re emitting and all of that. But it’s not really for me to say, “OK, that’s a certain brand of facial tissue and this is the emissions.” a) that’s boring and that would detract from the artwork and b) I’m more interested in people thinking about the issues of “OK, if I use facial tissues instead of a handkerchief, I’m supporting deforestations, I’m supporting water pollution, I’m supporting climate change, I’m supporting habitat destruction. I’d rather make those connections for people than [tell] people “oh, this brand of facial tissue is bad.”

By looking at my photographs, I would like people to ask questions about the directions that our society is taking, and more specifically about their responsibility as citizens: are we citizens, or are we consumers? Everything has a consequence, and in our world those consequences are often hidden from us. [There] are very real chains of cause and effect, but they’re hidden from us. And so I’m trying to illustrate those chains of cause and effect and get people to say ‘OK, wow, I contributed to that… by buying this product, I am complicit in that chain of causation, and am I willing to be complicit?’ and obviously that’s a very complex message which not everyone will get by looking at the pictures. A lot of people will just get the aesthetics and walk away. And, I mean, as an artist, that’s your fate. You don’t know what someone will take away from your art.

DK: Obviously, you fly a lot. I’m assuming that you pay some kind of carbon offset?

JHF: I’m gonna hide under the table now. No, I don’t offset my travel. My feeling is that yes, I fly a lot and yes, that’s a tremendous carbon footprint, and yes, that is a sin. I tell myself that I’m doing good, and I believe that I am.

DK: Do you have a general closing statement that you hope that people reading this interview will take away from it?

JHF: I hope that people will think about the consequences — are we citizens or are we consumers? Are we mindless purchasers of whatever is put in front of us? Where will that take us? Or are we citizens who are cognizant of the impact? For me, being an adult is being responsible for the consequences of your behavior. If you step on someone’s toe, you look them in the eye and apologize for it. For me, being an adult means I’m responsible for the consequences of what I do. And that’s the big picture of what I would like people to take away from my work.

Chinese New Year ACROSS 1. Pow! 4. Highway fee 8. Like Caesar or Nero 10. Cry to a British bathroom?

11. Awaken 12. Skew 13. 2013: Year of the ___ 14. “Never have I ___...”

15. Taxi 16. Like the U.S. Capitol 17. Light footed 18. Forum for anonymous romantics 19. 2012: Year of the ___ 25. Triclops?

27. Stadium 28. Tolkien’s trees 29. Coordinates 30. Canadian territory with capital at Whitehorse 31. Abhors DOWN 1. Spiritually regenerated 2. Friendliness 3. Disguise 4. Alaskan pole 5. Peace branch 6. Haha-ed

7. Tolkien trilogy 8. Rapscallion 9. Desired 20. Foolhardy 21. Stark girl of “Game of Thrones” 22. Sir

23. “___ upon a time...”

24. Gungan Boss from “Star Wars” 26. Suffix with pragmat or commun

BY PRESTON COOPER

Opinions

PAGE 12

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The Phoenix

Join the Conversation Phoenix Mental Health Survey Marks Beginning of a Campus-Wide Dialogue

STAFF EDITORIAL There is no doubt that Swarthmore is emails from individuals wishing to discuss a great place to learn. Through hard work their answers further. The results of the and perseverance, our graduates have gone survey will be detailed in a multi-part seon to realize amazing careers and full lives. ries of articles, beginning this week. You But that high reward sometimes comes at can find this week’s article by Axel Kodat a high cost. Our status as one of America’s on the front page.

We at The Phoenix encourage everypremier liberal arts colleges is not without a price — and that price is the mountains one on campus to fill out the survey, even of work that Swatties have to wade through if you don’t believe you are affected by mental health issues. It on a daily basis and the is important to have sleepless nights spent everyone’s voice heard. completing assignMoreover, a higher rements and readings. sponse rate will yield We believe that it’s findings more repretime to have a converOur goal here is to sentative of the state of sation about the stress start a conversation. It the student body. Our culture at Swarthmore, and its effect on stuwill be a long conversa- goal here is to start a conversation. It will be dents. tion about many topics... a long conversation on The Phoenix has many topics, includcreated a survey for But that conversation the stress culture students to fill out on cannot begin without a ing at Swarthmore and pothe current state of starting point, a role we tential policy or institheir mental health.

The survey, which believe the survey can fill. tutional changes with regard to students’ takes less than five mental health. But that minutes to complete, conversation cannot consists of several begin without a startmultiple-choice quesing point, a role we betions on topics such as workload and social culture. Responses lieve the survey can fill.

The results of the survey could change to the survey are completely anonymous, though students may choose to email The the way we at Swarthmore talk about menPhoenix at living@swarthmorephoenix. tal health, and by extension change the way com if they wish to have a conversation our campus deals with these issues. Actual about mental health. You can access and recommendations for change are beyond take the survey through the Facebook page the scope of this editorial, but when that conversation begins, The Phoenix will be of the Swarthmore Phoenix.

The survey already has over 180 re- a part of it. However, nothing will hapsponses, demonstrating that mental health pen without strong student participation, is a significant issue on campus and some- which is why you taking the survey is so thing that Swatties care deeply about. In important. Your response will make the addition, The Phoenix has received several campus a better place for all.

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.

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Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Opeds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and opeds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and opeds received after that time from publication.

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may request that their group affiliation be included.

While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board.

An editorial represents the 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.

Killing Americans Abroad

America Cannot Be Secretive About Violent Operations Abroad Though I am frequently disgusted by the seemingly-constant assertion that the US can exert its will across the globe, without oversight foreign or domestic, I am comforted by the fact that, on the whole, we feel a need to hide this opinion from plain sight, to cloak it in veiled statements heaped with deAARON nials. I like that KROEBER we aren’t always The Civil proud of what we Libertarian nevertheless do to other nations. If we trumpeted it from the rooftops every time we ordered an assassination or bombed a hospital, I think more Americans would denounce the actions of our government, and so we hide them away.

At least we feel this shame. At some point, I hope, this hypocrisy comes out, that we realize that our foreign policy of violence is not just, but until then, I’ll content myself with a dollop of guilt.

The white paper issued by the White

drone strikes.

It is argued that no trial or judicial review is constitutionally required, because the targets are enemy combatants.

Is not the purpose of a trial to determine guilt? Moreover, I think it would be wise for us to reexamine what it means to be at war. Were an American serving in the infantry of an enemy nation with whom we were at war, it would be impossibly difficult to prevent their death until they could be brought to trial. Under those circumstances, it might be reasonable to label them an enemy combatant, entailing the forfeiture of their rights. But these were not Mr. Aulaqi’s circumstances. He was not killed as part of a larger attack, he was targeted for assassination.

We cannot pretend that war has not changed since our founding. Our ability to wreak violence anywhere in the world gives us more power, but also more freedom in deciding how to go about waging war. If we are able to target indi-

America has committed grievous crimes throughout the world, and Americans have turned a blind eye to them. We remember the hardships put on soldiers and their families, not on the people whose countries we have invaded.

House on Monday, which justifies the killing of US citizens who are presumed to be enemy combatants without any oversight, is, I believe, a step towards a change in the way we view foreign operations. The document itself proposes no changes to policy, it is an apology, but it legitimizes actions which must seem, to anyone vaguely acquainted with jurisprudence, criminal. Asserting that the president may unilaterally order the death of any US citizen, without trial or judicial review, shows a hubris in the government and the military that may cause people to take a closer look at American operations abroad. Until now the government has sought as much as possible to keep its dirtier deeds from becoming public, and we have implicitly accepted this, not wanting to truly come to grips with what we do abroad. Maybe now we’ll have to.

To be clear, this white paper is not purely theoretical -- an extreme situation posited as an exercise, it deals with reality. Last October I mentioned in my column the case of Anwar al-Aulaqi, an American citizen presumed to be an alQaeda leader who was assassinated by a US drone strike in Yemen. The administration has fought against hearings hearings to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Aulaqi’s death, and this white paper lays out in no uncertain terms that the White House will not accept any interference with what they consider to be the President’s right to order

viduals, we can go through due process and ascertain their guilt or innocence in court before we move to kill them. The ‘war’ we currently fight is not fought by marching lines of infantry, but by targeted bombings. We can know who we are killing before we kill them, and that should entitle them to some rights. We may never be willing to grant foreign nationals the same rights as Americans, but I hope that sometime soon we will be willing to guarantee our own citizens the rights they deserve.

America has committed grievous crimes throughout the world, and Americans have turned a blind eye to them. We remember the hardships put on soldiers and their families, not on the people whose countries we have invaded. Now we have killed Americans in the name of defense and war, targeted them individually and ordered their assassination. I hope this will make us take a deeper look at what we’re fighting for, and at how we do it. The executive branch has acted alone on this one in a way that should not be allowed.

We must insist on a balance of powers.

Americans were knowingly killed by the government without trial; we must insist on due process. We cannot fight wars in secret, have decisions made this far from the public, their elected representatives, and the courts. If we are to be the greatest source of violence in the world, we should be willing to understand that, or we should change it.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Opinions

PAGE 13

The Phoenix

Crops, Coal and Climate Change

To Establish Strong Majorities In Both Houses, Democrats Must Appeal To Rural Voters Dodge Ram aired an ad in the Super Bowl last weekend featuring the late Paul Harvey’s 1978 FFA convention speech “So God Made a Farmer.” I grew up hearing Harvey’s voice on the radio in the bus on the gravel road to my small Montana school, so his name caught my attention when it flashed across the screen. I was surprised to find that none of my fellow spectators had ever heard of him. It was one small reCRAIG minder of the real and meaningful gap between rural America and non-rural EARLEY America. This gap runs much deeper The Pragmatic Progressive than reactions to a Super Bowl commercial. Understanding it can provide critical insight into the behavior of the American democratic process.

The gap is perhaps clearest but most overlooked in talking about climate change. Swarthmore Mountain Justice has made news in recent months with its movement to convince the college to divest from fossil fuel companies.

Whatever that particular campaign ultimately achieves, the broader environmental consciousness of college students bodes well for the future. For now, unfortunately, the prospects for climate action are much dimmer. In the last four years the government has taken important steps to tighten fuel efficiency standards and invest in clean energy. Yet though the Democratic House in 2009 passed a bill to cap carbon emissions and provide an economic incentive for companies to reduce their long-term pollution, the Senate essentially ignored it. Neither chamber ever even considered a simple carbon tax. Our political system has demonstrated no urgency about one of the most important economic and national security threats of our time.

We liberals usually describe this as a corruption problem. A cartel of gigantic, heavily-subsidized, multinational corporations has sent a legion of lobbyists and an arsenal of campaign donations into battle to defend their right to destroy the planet. Politicians desperate to stuff their campaign coffers readily comply with their every whim,

blocking any chance for important policy changes. This explanation has the ring of populist common sense, but it is too simplistic and has too often led us to overlook bigger structural obstacles to climate action.

Money is certainly a factor. Particularly at the committee level, interest groups providing Congress with resources and information can make the difference between good policy and bad. Lobbyists give a leg up to those who can afford to hire them. However, political science research suggests that money is not a critical factor in the final passage or rejection of legislation.

Republican intransigence is a worse problem. Republicans see environmental policies as big government meddling in the market. Many conservatives don’t even accept the science of climate change; right-wing media and politicians like Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) continue to insist that it’s just a grand liberal hoax. Their knee-jerk rejection of anything President Obama supports should not be discounted, either.

However, this does not explain the failure of cap-andtrade after the 2008 elections, when Republicans were at their weakest and Democrats seemed invincible. This we can attribute not to big money or obstinate ideologues, but to the simple fact that to establish congressional majorities, Democrats must win elections in rural states and districts. This remains the central obstacle to climate action.

Rural America largely sees environmentalism as a foreign invader. Farmers and ranchers don’t appreciate, in the words of a relative of mine, “over-educated yuppie environmentalists” sticking their noses into ranchers’ business. They consider the EPA a bloated tyrant with an itchy regulation finger. Disagreeable though this frame may be, it is based on legitimate concerns. Small towns seeing hope for rejuvenation in the construction of a new coal mine naturally resent lawsuits holding it back. Farmers paying huge amounts of money for fuel and equipment don’t like the idea of more Washington regulations pushing prices even higher. Many rural Americans see

environmentalism as a true danger to their jobs, families, and communities.

Given this culture, being a bold environmentalist would be political suicide for a rural Democratic politician. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), for example, is a strong progressive but has drawn criticism for occasionally being too conciliatory to the coal industry. This is because his state is heavily rural and reliant on coal for jobs. What kind of senator — and what kind of fellow citizen — would he be if he hurt his state’s dominant industry so much that thousands of his constituents lost their livelihoods?

Most rural Democrats, though, do support some environmental causes. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), for example, has an 86 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters. Only on contentious issues with salience to their constituents do they go the other way: Tester supports the Keystone XL pipeline, as do Democratic senators from Alaska, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Dakota, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Perhaps Democrats from such states are especially easy to purchase, but it’s more likely that they don’t want their constituents to see them as out-of-touch liberal tree-huggers. The national Democratic establishment has no incentive to push them into that position, either; if just four of those senators lose their elections, Democrats lose the majority and can no longer do anything at all.

As we seek to force the political system to address climate change, we must search for ways to work around or, preferably, change this dynamic. We should seek to persuade a few Republicans with moderate constituents to support reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making climate change action “bipartisan” rather than “controversial.” We should advocate unleashing rural America’s tremendous potential for development of wind and other renewable energy sources — making green energy rather than fossil fuels the source for community optimism. If only to remove some of our political obstacles, liberals need to better understand the concerns of the American heartland. We cannot afford to overlook them anymore.

A Reflection On ‘Senseless Violence’ Writing for The Corner on National Review Online last week, NRO media editor Eliana Johnson criticized President Obama for calling the Holocaust “senseless violence” in a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. She wrote TYLER that “the idea that all violence is ‘senseBECKER less’ violence is one that has taken deep The Swarthmore root on the left; it’s also, unfortunately, Conservative one that poses a major impediment to understanding the world.” This created a backlash in the blogosphere, with many blog writers going as far as accusing Johnson of anti-Semitism and providing a justification of the Holocaust.

Back in September, I wrote a column critical of Obama for describing the Benghazi consulate attack as “senseless violence,” and reached a similar conclusion about the term’s use. Johnson is also critical of Obama for using the term in that case, as the attack was clearly premeditated by an al-Qaeda-affiliated group looking to make a political statement in Libya.

The sharp rebuke of Johnson’s NRO post is not surprising, considering the lack of understanding of the term “senseless” by our political leaders and media alike. “Senseless” implies irrationality. While we would like to think of violence as “senseless,” in reality, violence is a powerful coercive mechanism, whether orchestrated by Islamic terrorists or the Third Reich. Violence in these circumstances is also based on an ideology manufactured to justify its use.

In his rebuke of Johnson, Daily Kos writer Jed Lewison accuses Johnson of implying that since Nazism was not “senseless violence,” this means that “Nazism made perfect sense.” This is a misunderstanding of what it means for something to be “senseless.” Lewison seems to think the opposite of “senseless” is “sensible,” which Johnson

correctly points out as untrue in her response to the on- vens. Trying to fill a power vacuum left after Gaddafi’s slaught of criticism. Planned attacks on individuals in the fall from power, the terrorist group with ties to al-Qaeda name of ideology or the attainment of a political goal are sought a display of power. They used violence as a “means neither “sensible” nor “senseless.” These attacks represent to achieve” this end.

So why label all these events “senseless violence?” I’m the use of radical dogmas to justify the egregious and evil actions that we find in Hitler’s Germany and from modern not entirely sure why the term is used so often, except to brush aside a much more problematic ideological current day al-Qaeda.

“Senseless violence” is an incorrect label for these at- that tries to legitimize its means. Is it that we do not want tacks, and the term has been used far too often to describe to admit that “sensible people” have been responsible for great evil, as Johnson menviolent actions that occur tions in her clarification for very different reasons. post? It’s certainly easier to President Obama accuratedismiss these individuals ly used the term to describe I’m not entirely sure why the term as “crazy” and “irrational” the devastating Aurora, [“senseless violence”] is used so ofColorado movie theatre than deal with the harsh reality that they have been shooting last year, where ten, except to brush aside a much to murder by an a gunman opened fire at a more problematic ideological current driven ideological current. midnight screening of The The critical reaction to Dark Knight Rises, killing that tries to legitimize its means.

Johnson’s post, and the twelve innocent movieObama administration’s goers. Since then, he has constant use of the term, called both the Benghazi makes me think that there consulate attack and the are influential individuals who view all violent actions as Holocaust the result of “senseless violence.”

There is a profound dissimilarity between these situ- “senseless.” This is a grave mistake, and one that has seriations, and it is troubling that our government equates ous implications for American policy. Individuals around them all with the same overused phrase. Not all violence the world hold values diametrically opposed to our own. is irrational, and to imply otherwise makes it sound like al-Qaeda recruits people and carries out terrorist attacks the Obama administration lacks an understanding of ra- in the name of ideological opposition to American values. tional violence committed in the name of a belief system This is scary rationality, not senseless irrationality. with sensible followers. There is a reason people particiWe need to have a mature conversation that recognizes pate as willing accomplices in rational violence. As I said where the roots of violence come from instead of dismissin September, the Benghazi terrorists had a “political goal” ing all violence as “senseless.” There seems to be an imin taking over the consulate and killing Ambassador Ste- pulse in the other direction, and that’s unfortunate.

Opinions

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The Phoenix

Head Injuries From Contact Sports a Major Risk Research Shows How Little is Known About Athletic Trauma

Swarthmore’s hockey team, the Motherpuckers, playing one of many sports which carry a high risk of severe head injuries.

Last week featured the biggest American sporting event of the year, the National Football League’s Super Bowl.

For anyone who had been following the news coming to light the weeks leading up to the big game, an uncharacteristic black cloud seemed to hang over the occasion.

Preparing for the biggest game of his career, Ray Lewis, a star player for Baltimore, found himself suddenly in the midst of a doping scandal. On the other side, a San Francisco player PATRICK made explicitly homophobic comAMMERMAN ments that received widespread media coverage and backlash. And if Popular Science this wasn’t enough, the NFL found itself facing the strongest evidence yet that contact sports like football lead to long-term neurological damage due to a poorly understood condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. No one is sure exactly how old you must be to start showing signs of CTE, or how much head trauma an athlete needs to show symptoms. Many retired football players have reported symptoms such as dementia, headaches, disorientation, confusion, and vertigo. The final stages of CTE closely resemble Parkinson’s disease accompanied by overt dementia.

Researchers have struggled to identify CTE and its symptoms because there has not been a way to detect signs of CTE in living athletes until just this January.

CTE is defined by a number of brain abnormalities, such as the atrophy of the frontal cortex — which controls attention, short-term memory tasks, and motivation — and the temporal lobe — which is responsible for long-term memory. Shrinkage in these areas of the brain is hard to detect because there is no known technology to track specific molecules or phenomena in the brain associated with CTE. While most CTE research is quite recent, it actually has a long history associated with contact sport. People have known CTE occurs in boxers and prizefighters since the early 20th century, when it was known as “punch drunk syndrome.” Doctors assumed that only boxers could get punch drunk, and didn’t associate it with injuries sustained in other contact sports.

However, the pioneering work done at Boston University School of Medicine since 2008 has forever changed the way we think of contact sports. By performing autopsies in on the brains of deceased NFL players, the lab was able to determine that 33 of the 34 brains they sampled showed damage due to CTE. The lab has also diagnosed

GERARDO LIMON/THE PHOENIX

CTE post-mortem in the brains of hockey players, soccer recent years has been for players to be bigger, run faster, and hit each other harder. Unsurprisingly, this has been a players, and wrestlers.

There have also been claims of correlation between recipe for more head trauma among professional football player suicides and CTE. Three retired NFL players who players in modern football.

What does information like this mean to modern have committed suicides in the past six years have all been diagnosed with CTE. There is also speculation that the sports? Some are saying that the NFL should read the suicides of three National Hockey League players last year writing on the wall. They are already facing lawsuits from will eventually be linked to CTE. All three athletes played a collection of retired players suffering from mental health the role of “enforcer” for their team — a position whose problems as well as concerns from current players about main responsibility is to get into fist fights with members the toll their careers are taking on their bodies. Because of the other team, and often comes along with a number there is no known amount of head trauma that leads to CTE, it is hard for the NFL to impose appropriate safety of blows to the head.

Even a college linebacker from the University of Penn- regulations. Current football helmets were designed to sylvania, who took his own life in April 2010, was after- withstand strong blows and protect the player from injuries such as skull fractures, but wards diagnosed with CTE by do nothing to protect players the BU lab. The young man, from the repeated head trauma Owen Thomas, had never been that leads to CTE and contribdiagnosed with a concussion The danger is real, not only utes to concussions. Helmets and never showed any sympmay even lead to a higher intoms or behaviors indicative to professional athletes, but cidents of CTE because playof neurological damage. Reto collegiate athletes and high ers can use helmets to hit their searchers suspected that there was a strong possibility his beschool athletes. Because so little opponents even harder than would have been possible with havior may have been altered is known about chronic trauthe old leather football helmets.

by CTE. matic encephalopathy, we have Regardless of the risks, the As stated above, there has NFL and other professional recently been a breakthrough little to no information about sports must embrace and rein CTE research. Just last how much head trauma is too spond to the best information month, researchers at UCLA we have about the dangers of used new imaging techniques much, and how long you must CTE. The danger is real, not to locate damaged proteins replay a contact sport before you only to professional athletes, lated to CTE. This method albut to collegiate athletes and lowed them to detect signs of sustain long term damage. high school athletes. Because CTE in living subjects. They so little is known about CTE, specifically looked at images we have little to no information of five retired NFL players, all about how much head trauma of whom screened positive for CTE. If these techniques prove accurate in further stud- is too much, and how long you must play a contact sport ies, they will bring us a step closer to identifying CTE in before you sustain long term damage. Until diagnostic tools for CTE are developed and implemented, it’s essenliving athletes.

Critics of professional football and other contact tial that our professional sport leagues act responsibly and sports have called for drastic changes in how the games educate professional athletes and student athletes alike are played. In hockey, new strict enforcement prohibit- about the long-term risks they face. Many have said that ing blows to the head is in the process of creating change the NFL has reached a turning point in its history, but the in the way the sport is played. The NFL has similarly en- question remains whether it will embrace the future, or gaged in new efforts to protect players in “defenseless” act in ignorance and continue to endanger the next genpositions and to discourage hitting others in the head or eration of young athletes who will bear the consequences neck areas. However, in the NFL especially, the focus in of their inaction for a lifetime.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Sports

PAGE 15

The Phoenix

Men’s basketball outlasts rival Haverford 62-59 Victory Showcases a Season of Improved Passing, Defense

By SCOOP RUXIN Sports Writer It is said that at Michigan, the head football coach is judged as much on how many times his teams defeat Ohio State as how many Rose Bowls Michigan and Ohio State win. At Auburn, a 1-9 season is acceptable — if that win is against Alabama. While SwarthmoreHaverford may not share the same national fame as these rivalries, it is no less storied of a tradition. No matter their records going in, Swarthmore and Haverford can always be counted on for exciting, competitive basketball. When these two teams met last season at Tarble Pavilion, Swarthmore sent its seniors out with its most exciting and well-played game of the season, defeating the Fords 91-80.

Swarthmore entered the teams’ first meeting since that game once again struggling through a difficult season. Again, however, the team managed to put its record behind it, defeating Haverford, 62-59. The victory showcased the steady improvements that Swarthmore has been making during coach Landry Kosmalski’s first season.

Though it has not yet translated into consistent victories, Swarthmore’s improvement under its new coaching staff is clear to even the casual observer. Karl Barkley ’15 has spearheaded an increasingly tenacious defense, energizing his team by taking several charges — a facet that was nearly absent from Swarthmore’s defense last season. The defensive improvements have not been lost on Kosmalski. “Overall toughness and competitiveness has been the emphasis and charges are a part of that,” he said. “We have made huge strides defensively this season and I am proud of our work our players have put in to do so.”

Joe Keedy ’14 agreed that defense has been “a huge point of emphasis this year,” attributing the team’s ability to take more charges to “defending as a team... and tightening up helpside rotations.” Barkley added, “There is a collective emphasis on having your team-

Despite the Jan. 26 loss to Gettysburg (pictured), men’s basketball defeated Haverford, demonstrating their increasingly stronger defense.

mate’s back [on defense].” In the win against Haverford, Swarthmore’s improved defense was in full force: the 59 points scored by the Fords are the fewest Swarthmore has allowed this season.

Swarthmore basketball has also become significantly more exciting to watch this season due to the increased pace of play encouraged by Kosmalski. Kosmalski has instituted what he calls “an equal-opportunity motion offense,” emphasizing “passing over dribbling.” The new offense is starkly different from the one-on-one approach of last year’s team, and the result has been easier shots, which have resulted in a higher shooting percentage and more assists. Barkley spoke about the team-oriented offensive approach, noting that there is a “new focus on making ‘next one’ passes,” which he defined as, “If you’re

only slightly open, swinging it to the next guy who might have a more open shot.”

Kosmalski has been particularly impressed with the ability of Jordan Federer ’14 to facilitate the offense from his point guard position. Kosmalski pointed out that Federer has posted a 29:8 assist to turnover ratio over his last five games, lauding the 5’11 point guard from New York City for his “outstanding” decision-making.

Federer showcased his passing ability in the win over Haverford. Though he did not tally a single point, Federer made his mark on the game by collection six assists. He and backup point guard Seth Leibert ’16 combined for nine assists, most of which went to one of four Garnet players who scored in double figures for the game: forward Will Gates ’13 (17 points), guard Jay Kober ’14 (17), Barkley (14) and Keedy, who scored 12 and added 11 rebounds. Although Swarthmore did not have its best shooting performance (37%), its seven three point field goals and 11-16 free throw shooting made the difference in the win.

Despite the many improvements Swarthmore has made, challenges lie ahead for the Garnet as they look to build their team into one that competes for Centennial Conference championships. Largely as a byproduct of its

SADIE RITTMAN/THE PHOENIX

higher paced offense, Swarthmore has turned the ball over 17 times per game this season.

Kosmalski attributed the figure to the adjustment process, saying, “More turnovers will come when you play fast, but they especially come when you play fast without having the experience of playing fast.”

Though Kosmalski has observed improvements as his team has “gotten better at making quicker decisions,” he acknowledged that “it is a tough and painful lesson to learn over the course of the year.” Barkley agreed. “We have gotten a lot better, but it takes time to really feel fully comfortable [with the new system].”

Although Swarthmore’s improvements have not yet translated into consistent victories, the team is clearly headed in the right direction. Improved defense, a faster pace of play, and more ball movement have transformed Swarthmore basketball into a brand that is refreshingly entertaining to watch, especially in comparison to years past.

On Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., Swarthmore will take on Conference leader Franklin & Marshall at Tarble Pavilion. As Saturday is also Senior Day, Swarthmore will honor graduating seniors Gates, Jordan Martinez, Andrew Greenblatt and Eugene Prymak.

GARNET ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

ALICE WONG SR., SWIMMING, OAKLAND, CA.

What She’s Done: Earned her first career victory in last Wednesday’s meet against Washington.

Favorite Career Moment: I guess I would say the other day winning the 400 free relay. And, really, whenever I swim faster than anyone on the guys’ team during practice is a major highlight.

Goals for Conference Meet: Personally, I’d like to make it back at night in all my individual events. I also intend to inform the community about the conference meet, goal being 10 tweets per day. Team-wise, I want us to make our mark on F&M’s pool and acquire some pool records.

DAN DUNCAN/THE PHOENIX

Favorite Tree: I’m not so much a tree person. But... I think it would be a toss up between El Tule, and Methuselah.

PAGE 16

Sports

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The Phoenix

Spring Sports Begin, Minus the Spring Weather

By DAN DUNCAN Sports Editor There may be snow on the ground and the groundhog may have seen his shadow, but spring is in the air at the athletic facilities. Feb. 1 marked the first day spring sports teams could legally practice with a coach present, and players on the Garnet baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s tennis teams dove in with enthusiasm.

While coaches’ approaches to practice may differ, the most important thing for each team is to shake off the cobwebs accumulated during the offseason. Rory McTear ’13, who plays baseball, said the team works to stay in shape through the fall and winter, but acknowledged, “There is always a period of adjustment when formal practices begin again.”

To try to lessen the need to adjust, McTear said members of the baseball team had been practicing together at the beginning of the semester, hoping to “mirror actual team practices.” Other teams operate similarly. Annalise Penikis ’13, a lacrosse player, said, “It hasn’t been too hard adjusting to practice because most everyone was already taking time out of their day to work out and play before the season started.”

Different teams take different approaches to the early season. Penikis said that women’s lacrosse emphasizes conditioning and fundamentals of the game in the opening practices. “We work on possession, the components of solid team defense, and offensive movement,” she said. “Later in the

season there is less general instruction [or] breaking down the game. We generally focus on things that need work based on games.”

In contrast, McTear said the baseball team works on plays earlier in the season before focusing on fundamentals as the season progresses: “We work heavily on team drills that may not need to be covered later in the spring, such as 1st and 3rd plays and bunt defenses. By April, these types of plays will become second nature for us and practices then usually focus more on hitting and individual defensive work.”

The senior players were excited by the enthusiasm shown by the younger players in particular. Penikis noted that not only were players ready to begin the season, “The intensity at practice is definitely a step up from last year (especially this early in the season) and our freshmen are definitely a big part of that.” McTear said the baseball players are experiencing cabin fever, since although “everyone is pumped up to be practicing as a team again,” they are nevertheless “hoping for some good weather so that we can get outside on our field soon.” Penikis, who can practice on the artificial turf of Clothier Field, lamented that practices are “cold,” although” this has in no way dampened her enthusiasm for the season.

All of the teams have about a month to prepare for their first games, with most home openers coming in the week before spring break. After that, the teams flee to warmer climes, with games in California, Florida, or South Carolina. The full schedules, including the spring break trips, are available at www.swarthmoreathletics.com.

Revving up for the spring season, the Garnet teams, like baseball (top left), softball (bottom left), and the men’s and women’s track team (bottom right), are diving into practices.

JUSTIN TORAN-BURREL/THE PHOENIX

Guardiola Setting Bayern Munich Up To Be Powerhouse Controversial topics are usually my favorite and I was going to write about how Ray Lewis’s triceps were either repaired by a Christmas miracle or, more likely, by other manmade miracles that may or may not have been previously on the head of a deer in New Zealand. But the Ravens won, so they can celebrate for a little bit and Ray Lewis can carry on his claim that God is magnificent and that God was really concerned with fixing his triceps four months earlier than he does for evJAMES eryone else.

If the Ravens had lost, I think IVEY I would have done the same thing as I’m doing now because to kick a Out of Left Field man when he is down is not gentlemanly, but in the coming weeks I will be among the group of fans clamouring for Ray Lewis to surrender his blood for blood tests. This is not a good time for that though, so let’s talk about happier things like YouTube videos of otters causing havoc or goats making strange sounds.

Or let’s talk about important issues in European football … like Pep Guardiola going to Bayern Munich this summer to form his new super team that will spend the next decade battling with Barcelona for dominance of the world that may eventually lead to German domination of Europe. Guardiola’s move to Bayern makes a lot of sense when you think about it: Bayern has all the necessary elements for continental success like Barcelona did. Transitioning to Bavaria should be no problem for Pep given that Bayern already have a world-class team that can play effective passing football and a youth academy like La Masia where he can harvest talent to fill in his

squad. One of the richest clubs in the world (without debt as well), a gigantic stadium, and a heritage that breeds a culture of winning; all of these will only help make Guardiola’s Bayern into one of the strongest teams in Europe.

The future of Bavaria looks secure given that Jupp Heynckes will retire at the end of the year with a strong Bayern side intact and flourishing in the league. Many of the players are either just reaching their peak: Ribery, Lahm, Schweinsteiger; or are beginning to show that their talent might turn into success: Badstuber, Boateng, Alaba, Kroos. The basis for a world class team with a winning mentality is already in Munich and the addition of a world class manager with a brand of attacking football that will suit the Bavarian club is sure to lead to greater success.

But it is also sensible to look at the other reasons why Guardiola’s move to Munich makes so much sense. Yes, a lot of it should be put down to just how good Munich is as a team and as an organisation. However, where were the other opportunities in European football? Chelsea is the obvious opportunity available. It is a poisoned chalice. Nobody should be allowed to manage Chelsea. Abramovich might as well go one step further than Jerry Jones and take over coaching the team himself. It makes no sense for Chelsea to even hire a manager.

Just get in an unpaid intern who won’t be able to control the players and will be free to fire after a couple of poor matches. That would make more sense and would be a great reality TV show, better than Being: Liverpool (thankfully over), as young football fans could be put into the stressful world of a football club and have all their childhood dreams shattered by John Terry, after he has had an affair with your wife, and Ashley Cole, who has brought his air rifle to training. Guardiola

is an intelligent man. Guardiola wouldn’t go to Chelsea and have his reputation stained.

The other options would have been Manchester United and City but Guardiola is friends with Alex Ferguson and so would not go to City nor would he force Ferguson out of a job (that will be Mourinho’s job next week). The Spanish national team wasn’t an option for a Catalonian. Who wants to take over the sinking ship of Inter Milan still poisoned by the end of the Mourinho era and currently going through refurbishment (as is AC). Roma collapsed too late to get into the rush for Guardiola and Arsenal will never abandon Wenger even as they start forming the next generation of players; I think it’s currently the tenth or eleventh attempt to create a team from the academy, maybe? My numbers might be a little low.

I lost track after Jeremie Aliadiere left. When you look at the clubs that were available, then Bayern is the logical choice, it is also one of the best-run clubs in the world and Pep is a very lucky man. But that is what happens when you are a worldclass manager taking a sabbatical in NYC; you get to choose your next opportunity.

I will leave you with one thought though: Jose Mourinho is most likely not going to last past the end of this season at Real Madrid. Jogi Low is supposedly in line for the Real Madrid job and Jurgen Klopp is the next in line for the German job. Would it be that strange if Mourinho was perhaps looking at Guardiola’s move to Bayern and thinking about a move to Germany at the end of the season too, if not just to learn a new language and beat his nemesis? If Mourinho does leave Madrid it would most likely be for Chelsea or Manchester United but I will retain the hope, in a conspiratorial fashion, that he will be eyeing up the Dortmund job.