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The Phoenix

The Official Campus Newspaper of Swarthmore College Since 1881 VOL. 137, ISSUE 11

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THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM

Science for Poets

By COURTNEY DICKENS Living & Arts Writer

MARTIN FROGER-SILVA/ THE PHOENIX

Spring Comes to Wharton Courtyard

Early this week, Swatties enjoyed the warm weather and flowering magnolias of Wharton courtyard for the first time this year.

ONE REFERENDUM PASSES, FIVE FAIL College Community Puzzled as to Next Steps, Reflects on Debate

By DAN BLOCK Assistant News Editor

After one of the college’s most heated debates, students voted down all but one of the referendum propositions that sought to alter the shape of Greek life on campus. With roughly 80 percent of the student population casting a ballot, students rejected proposals to disaffiliate Greek organizations from their national chapters, eliminate, reduce or make fraternity houses into substance-free spaces, or ban Greek life altogether.

Supporters of Greek life were, overall, pleased with the outcome of the referendum. “I’d say that as a group, Phi Psi is satisfied,” said Zachary Schaffer ’14, the president of Phi Psi. Rory McTear ’13, the president of Delta Upsilon (DU), expressed the same sentiment. “We’re definitely satisfied by the results,” he said.

The end of the referendum marks an important moment in the dialogue and, for now, an end to the campaign to ban fraternities that began on February 14 when several students posted a petition to have a referendum on the existence of Greek life. “I don’t see the sense in pushing for something the community doesn’t want,” said Joyce Wu ’15, one of the students who started the petition.

Wu, however, added that the percentages of votes many of the proposals received meant that, regardless of failure, there were still concerns that must be addressed. “Two of them had 36 percent of people saying ‘yes,’” said Wu. “With those numbers, it gives us a way to move forward in taking action.”

Furthermore, not all of the referen-

dum was voted down. By a 20-percent margin, students voted in favor of having Greek organizations admit students of all genders. That proposition will now be forwarded to the Deans’ Office, college president and Board of Managers, who will have the final say on its implementation.

Associate Dean of Student Life Myrt Westphal said that the administration was not yet entirely sure what its response to the passing proposition would be. But male students shouldn’t plan on rushing Kappa Alpha Theta too soon.

“I would say not to expect any immediate changes in policy,” said Westphal, who said that before administrators could examine that proposition, they first needed to clarify what exactly it meant.

“We don’t know what question two is telling us because of the way it was worded,” she said. “If it had been worded, ‘we think all of the fraternities should be co-ed,’ then that would be different.” But as Westphal pointed out, some students voted in favor of that proposition thinking it would ensure that a trans woman, for example, could rush the sorority, and not that it would mean a self-identifying man could join Theta.

“I think people who had diametrically opposed opinions may have voted the same way because they misunderstood the question,” she said.

While McTear said that he and the other brothers of Delta Upsilon were “one-hundred percent in support of ” the concept of a co-ed Greek institution, he felt forcing Delta Upsilon to go co-ed would be a bad idea. “It would jeopardize our relationships with the national fraternity if we were to become a co-ed, Continued on Page 3

gender inclusive fraternity. That’s a relationship we really cherish and want to maintain,” he said, emphasizing that the students voted that they did not support having Greek organizations disaffiliate.

“The student body has agreed ... that we should maintain our national affiliation, so that’s something we don’t want to jeopardize.”

Wu understood Delta Upsilon’s situation, pointing out that because the provision calling for the fraternities to disassociate with their national charters failed, asking them to admit more than one gender was tricky. “They are kind of contradictory,” Wu said, adding that she, and others, would need to talk to more people before any decision could be made.

According to Schaffer, the provision poses less of a problem for Phi Psi. “It’s more of an issue for the people who have national charters.”

While Schaffer could make no firm predictions for what would happen if someone who was not male tried to join Phi Psi, he suggested that the group would not close its doors. “I don’t think we’d turn them away. I think we have to be open and let them go through the process.”

He added that while there was no precedent for having Phi Psi be genderinclusive, there is not, as far as he can remember, any prohibition on students of other genders joining. “Anyone is free to join if they want. They just have to go through the normal pledging process,” Schaffer said.

Still, Schaffer said that the organization would prefer to wait till the administration makes a final decision, and that, based on tradition, the fraternity would

Every semester, hordes of Swarthmore students occupy the corridors and classrooms of the Science Center to attend some of the most highly enrolled courses at Swarthmore — introductory science courses in biology, computer science, physics, astronomy and math. These students are diverse: scholars of the sciences, those who dabble in all subjects and those who are there to fulfill their natural science requirement.

This final group, anxious Shakespearean experts, multi-linguists and Marxist theorists in-the-making, enter the Science Center for the first time since their Swarthmore tour. They are awed by the tea selection at the Coffee Bar, the winding and seemingly endless corridors and the overabundance of chalkboards covered in formulas and equations. These students come ready to apply their sharp reading skills to the new language of science. Fulfilling the natural science and engineering practicum requirement, they participate in the college’s liberal arts ideology, meant to broaden the minds of and impart a widerange of skills to the entire student body.

It is hard to classify these introductory courses. Some are prerequisites for further study, such as BIOL 001 or 002. Others are “one-stop” classes, geared toward introducing these subjects in a broader way to students unsure of whether they are interested in pursuing a major in the sciences or just want a taste of the subject. Interestingly, there seems to be a stigma around the latter courses, which arises from a misguided understanding of what classifies science or math and what is learned in these classes. Based often in conceptualization rather than practical application, these courses are often disregarded as too rudimentary and to some degree useless.

Determined to demystify “one-stop” classes, Professors Lisa Meeden of computer science and Ralph Gomez of mathematics weigh in on all, from the material covered, their pedagogical approaches, the demographic of students who take them and the general purpose these courses serve in their respective departments.

In 2006, the Computer Science department revamped its most popular course, COMP SCI 021 to make it more accessible to a broader range of students. Shifting from a more complex programming language to Python, scrapping a book that was too “syntax-heavy” and “that was frustrating for students,” and instituting a Ninja program headed by a computer scientist, the department successfully increased the number of students taking the course by 300 percent.

Due to the overwhelming interest in the course, nearly “50 students are lotteried out of it every semester,” Professor Meeden said. Catered to students who, due to the lack of computer science courses in high school, are “really starting from scratch,” COMP SCI 021 offers a fun and Continued on Page 7

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THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

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HOLLY SMITH / THE PHOENIX

Spring has officially sprung at Swarthmore. Clockwise from top left: students relax on Parrish Beach, a Robin perches by the ampitheater, Magill Walk as the trees begin to bloom, and the Martin biology building.

News

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

PAGE 3

The Phoenix

Zoellick Controversy Raises Questions Of Tolerance

By ANNA GONZALES Assistant News Editor Following President Rebecca Chopp’s campus-wide email announcing that Robert Zoellick would not be speaking at commencement or accepting his honorary degree, a number of students vented their anger towards the campus intellectual environment. Some took Zoellick’s decision not to come to campus as evidence of a widely intolerant student body intimidating a renowned alum. Others continued to see discussions about Zoellick’s appropriateness as a graduation speaker as a necessary form of discourse.

Those upset that Zoellick would not be speaking at graduation or accepting his honorary degree linked his decision to an intellectually oppressive campus environment. Kingston Pung ’16 explained that he saw students’ decision to question the choice of Zoellick as a commencement speaker as extremely disrespectful and intolerant.

“Politics aside, he’s an alumni [sic] of Swarthmore who graduated from the school, went through everything that we went through, worked extremely hard, and became wildly successful,” Pung said. “To imagine him being excited to come back to Swarthmore and share with the senior class the ways in which his Swarthmore education affected his life, and then for him to be rejected because of the intolerance of this community of different political ideas is staggeringly disrespectful.”

Pung believes that this disrespect and intolerance are antithetical to Swarthmore’s professed values, adding that the student body does not truly embody the ideals of tolerance which are at the core of the school’s Quaker roots.

“That’s a gross misrepresentation of what the actual student body acts like, as opposed to values which they purport to stand for,” Pung said.

History Professor Timothy Burke weighed in on the debate over Zoellick as well on his blog, expressing the belief that Zoellick, as a Swarthmore alum, should not have been judged based on his politics. “It would take an extraordinary act of specific malice and evil before I would think to disown a student, an alumni [sic], from this ... community ... the central value of a liberal arts education, as I see it, is that we exert no mastery or ownership over what our students will become, and love them all for what they are and will be,” Burke wrote.

A common theme of shame prevailed across numerous student Facebook postings related to Zoellick. Students seemed to feel that their classmates had scared away a prominent graduate, and felt embarrassed as a result.

“I can’t believe I’m a part of such a self-righteous and entitled class. I’m so ashamed of some of my classmates right now,” one senior wrote.

Many members of the senior class, as well as underclassmen posted similar statements.

Other students felt that the discussion of whether or not Zoellick was an appropriate graduation speaker and recipient of an honorary degree was comprised of completely reason-

able questions, and did not see these discussions as evidence of an intolerant or oppressive community.

One senior, Jane*, explained, “The sense that I got was that the meetings were meant to be a space for students to have a face-to-face discussion about why some students had an issue with Zoellick coming and what kind of response people would be comfortable with.”

Jane expressed confidence in Swarthmore’s ability to conduct discussions about difficult issues. “Swarthmore is the kind of community that can foster having hard discussions, and we should have hard discussions,” Jane said.

These discussions, for Jane, are an integral and vital part of shaping the Swarthmore community. “We’re allowed to talk about things.

We’re allowed to have opinions and disagree, and that’s an important part of being at Swarthmore,” she said.

Eddie Zhang ’13, like Jane, believes that the discussion over Zoellick was productive and reasonable. “Disagreement is highly necessary for any kind of growth,” Zhang said. “Our time as educated elites to understand problems beyond the mere recycling of talking points is long overdue.”

Anna Stitt ’13 agreed that the discussions about Zoellick were appropriate, adding that she would have worried if students did not discuss their commencement speaker before graduation.

“I think [the discussion’s] presence indicates a subculture within Swarthmore of criti-

cal thinking and a willingness to paint outside the lines of what is endorsed by the dominant power structure and the institutional apparatus of Swarthmore,” she said.

For Stitt, the tolerant community sought by many students originates in discussion. “Striving to be a community that is tolerant of a variety of perspectives and experiences begins with respecting the dissension and critical questions around the decision to invite Robert Zoellick to speak,” Stitt said.

Stitt also raised questions about the perspectives of those angered by the discussions of Zoellick. “I hope we can use this opportunity to critically reflect on the power apparatus operating on our campus, in which some communities are shamed for raising their voices, while others are defended as victimized and marginalized,” Stitt said.

One alum still felt that the controversy over the choice of Zoellick as a commencement speaker was valid. Mark Schwartz ‘75, who took political science classes with Zoellick during their time together at Swarthmore, said that the issue was unrelated to intolerance of different political opinions. “Tolerance means the free flow of information and of speech,” Schwartz said. “I’m sure [Zoellick] would be welcome to speak at any time or any place at Swarthmore during the academic year. This isn’t about tolerance or intolerance, it’s about whether or not you honor somebody within the highest ideals of Swarthmore’s Quaker tradition.” *Jane is a pseudonym.

‘Referendum,’ continued from page 1 prefer to be exclusively open to male students.

“I think our alumni would like to see it sort of stay with the composition that it has now,” he said.

But while Schaffer was less concerned about the ultimate outcome of the referendum, he was not pleased with the way the fight was conducted.

“I think the way the referendum process turned out was kind of embarrassing,” he said.

“It turned into a really ugly thing that started out as a constructive dialogue between the two sides.”

In particular, Schaffer felt that the fraternities came under attacks that were unnecessarily personal.

“I think one of the most disturbing parts of the whole referendum process were the unwarranted accusations,” he said, referring, for example, to the chalkings accusing the organizations of harboring “a certain number of rapists.”

“It’s a false accusation with no evidence, no backing, and no one signing the statement,” he said.

However, Westphal said that some felt that

erasing the chalkings crossed the boundaries of censorship. Westphal talked to a number of students in the wake of the chalkings. “One was a woman who had written about a rape of her that someone had washed off the sidewalk, and she felt like that was making her rape insignificant and erased.”

But another had the opposite response.

“I spoke to another woman who said, ‘I feel like I’m triggered and re-assaulted every time I walk on a pavement around here,’” said Westphal.

McTear felt the debate divided the campus to an unhealthy degree. “It has become a very polarized campus and that’s disheartening.”

Westphal agreed. “I haven’t seen Swarthmore students so strongly opposed to each other as in this conversation or debate.”

Regardless, students felt that the conversation needed to continue. Indeed, McTear indicated that he thought the process, in spite of the polarization, was beneficial. “The discussions, when we had them, were very positive and I hope we continue to have them,” he said, adding that his fraternity was trying to be more attentive to campus concerns.

HOLLY SMITH/THE PHOENIX Referendum opponents and supportetrs expressed their wishes for the student body to vote their way through chalking and posting signs around campus.

Ashley Gochoco ’14, one of the leaders of Theta, said the sorority had similar aims.

“The referendum serves as a reminder of this reality and the need for the Greek community to play a stronger role in making Swarthmore the most inclusive and safe place possible,” she said.

Wu pointed out that the high turnout rate and rancor indicated that this was an issue people felt strongly about. “Whatever peoples’ opinions are, they definitely do care.”

Joyce Wu is chief copy editor for The Phoenix. She had no role in the production of this article.

News

PAGE 4

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

The Phoenix

2013-14 Tuition to Rise by Over $2,000

By TOBY LEVY News Writer

It’s no secret that college tuition is high.

In the 2012-2013 calendar year, full tuition at the college, including room and board, reached $55,750, but $57,850 has now been determined for the 2013-2014 year. Full costs have increased annually by about 4.4 percent over the last decade equating to an approximate $2,000 increase each year over that timespan.

Suzanne Welsh, vice president for finance and treasury, explained that the budgeting process begins in the fall when each department of the college reviews its specific needs and submits a budget request for the following year. The president’s staff review all the requests and forwards them to the president.

Welsh, however, searches for information from a variety of sources in order to make decisions about how much tuition for the coming year will be.

“My office works on the revenue side of the budget,” Welsh said. “With respect to student charges, for example, we gather information about national economic data, fees of our peers, etc.”

Welsh further noted that The College Budget Committee (CBC) meets periodically throughout the process too.

“By January, we usually have a set of budget requests that greatly exceeds the amount of funds available,” she said. “The process to come up with a balanced budget, a recommended tuition increase, and recommended salary increases for faculty and staff takes several weeks during the winter. The president presents a budget recommendation to the Finance Committee and the Board of Managers in February.”

Even so, concerns from students have been raised about the ever-increasing prices. Jesse Bossingham ’16 is concerned about where tuition money is going.

“I think that it’s interesting that we’re having a conversation about childcare for staff,” he said. “Especially when alumni are donating funds specifically for renovating buildings at the same time that tuition is going up. In order to ensure a complex and diverse student body, it is really important that we make sure finances are not a barrier to attending this college.”

Welsh noted that Swarthmore’s increases are in line with those of a comparable group of selective private institutions and that often the cost had actually been lower.

Looking at comparable liberal arts colleges, tuition appears to be similar across the board. Amherst College costs $57,970 per year while at Haverford costs reach $59,446. Middlebury College totals $57,075 while at Williams, the cost for the upcoming year will total $59,712. The standard comprehensive charge made to each student for tuition at Pomona is $54,964, $786 less than Swarthmore’s. Notably, none of these costs include books, personal items or travel expenses. ”Swarthmore’s increases have actually been lower than some comparable institutions,” said Welsh. “With that said, however, we are in a period of low inflation currently, and growth in national family incomes has not kept up with increases in tuition.

Swarthmore’s financial aid program, for students who qualify, mitigates concerns about affordability. However, for many families who do not qualify for financial aid, affordability is a valid concern.”

Though financial aid mitigates monetary stress, some students don’t feel that the assistance they receive is enough. A member

of the class of 2014 who chose to remain anonymous because of his financial aid situation explained that even though his family received help from the school, sometimes the money just wasn’t enough.

“My family gets about $15,000 a year from the college,” he said. “I understand the many expenses of the college and of all the departments, but I know for a fact that the money we get is just not enough. One of my parents called the college this past summer to ask them to review our financial statements again because we didn’t think we could pay the rest of the cost. They wouldn’t budge.”

He explained that his parents had been forced to dip into their retirement accounts, as well as forced to ask extended family for monetary aid. On top of this, by his sophmore year his parents had also asked him to take out a student loan.

“I understand there are people in more difficult financial situations,” he said, “But the amount I receive, based on my GRAPHIC BY AMANDA EPSTEIN family’s income makes *The average inflation rate was calculated by the U.S. Inflation Calculator and is for the first of each acaademic year (i.e. for the 2008-2009 academic things hard.” year, the inflation rate is for 2008) Welsh, though, noted that the College is committed to maintaining access and affordability.

“We recognize that resources for the budget will be more limited in the future.

In a low inflation environment, the rate of increase in tuition is likely to continue to slow. Likewise, endowment returns in this financial environment are likely to be lower as well.”

Alexandra Willingham ’15 serves on the College Budget Committee, (CBC) which gives students a glimpse of the college’s budget and finance policies. Although she and her fellow members are required to respect the confidentiality of the reports, from her experience serving on the committee, she believes that the college’s decision to raise tuition fees is justified.

“Tuition increases because inflation raises the cost of a college education,” she said.

“Presenters in the meetings showed us how Swarthmore tuition has actually increased less than the inflation rate in the past few years, while wages for faculty and staff have increased. Having seen the numbers it’s not a case of the administration needing to justify an unfair policy; this is an economic reality that occurs at all colleges.”

Welsh also explained that tuition and endowment provide 90 percent of the revenues in the annual budget.

“The implications of this are that we will need to live more simply as a community since resources to add programs, staff, and new services will be reduced. There will also be pressure on salary pools. Fundraising will be essential to implement new strategic initiatives.”

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

Living & Arts

PAGE 5

The Phoenix

AgoraTalks to Highlight Independent Inquiry

By ALLI SHULTES Living & Arts Writer

For many students, the most visible indicators of thesis work being undertaken on campus are the precariously stacked books atop McCabe’s dimly lit basement study carrols. Those more familiar with thesis-writers may experience the process as an absence — the disappearance of a friend for hours at a time — or a series of increasingly manicsounding Facebook posts and tweets as deadlines fast approach.

Challenging the concept of the solitary scholar, the inaugural AgoraTalks — slated for Thursday, April 18 — seek to bring light to the independent work being done in separate corners of campus.

Kieran Reichert ’13 and Jonathan Molloy ’14 conceptualized the AgoraTalks as a forum for students to share their senior thesis projects with a wider audience.

“The whole thing where you do 100 pages of work, produce a thesis, it gets graded and stored in a drawer indefinitely [and] it’s completely static after that ... I just think the theses are such a cool idea for an undergrad curriculum, and Swarthmore’s such a cool place in terms of diversity and thought, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t make this a cornerstone of our curriculum instead,” Reichert said.

Both founders expressed mild disenchantment with the current state of theses at Swarthmore, which represent a massive undertaking for students but often don’t move past departmental offices. Reichert’s experience writing his senior paper for the English Literature colloquium only furthered this feeling: according to Reichert, a professor in the department informed majors that this paper would not be their best or longest, but merely another assignment to turn in before deadline.

For Molloy, the talks are an opportunity to expose what’s already being accomplished by students. He first became interested in students’ original research when he began working more heavily on his own special major in architectural studies. Discovering a plethora of projects taking place in cubicles across campus, he became invested in the idea of shared knowledge and collaborative learning as an ideal for the undergraduate experience.

“I was thinking of combining the two platforms of students’ original research, which is going on at the school,” Molloy said of the talks, “but then giving it some exposure so everyone else can benefit it, which contributes to this idea of liberal

COURTESY OF ERIC VERHASSELT

Eric Verhasselt’s hydrogen powered prototype secured third place at the Eco-marathon in Houston, Texas this weekend. He functioned as his own pit crew while competing against teams with eight or more engineers.

arts, interdisciplinary thinking, and exchange of ideas.”

The lecture series is loosely based on TED talks. The positive reception of TEDx on campus last spring convinced the founders of AgoraTalks that there is an audience for innovative research and thinking. It will feature six speakers — nominated by faculty, peers, or themselves — who will present on their projects in 5 to 10minutes. In keeping with the ideal of cross-disciplinary learning, they will represent all three of the divisions (the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities) on campus.

As with TED, Molloy and Reichert plan to produce videos of the series. For students who participate, these could potentially serve as resume supplements, and provide a more succinct and comprehensive summary of research than a 100-page thesis. They could also be employed as positive PR for the college.

Vice President of the Institute for the Liberal Arts Timothy Burke sees the AgoraTalks and similar projects — for example, MiddLab from Middlebury College, where students’ research is showcased through an online archive — as an important opportunity to expose the “maker culture” happening behindthe-scenes at liberal arts colleges. “[Original research] is proof that the liberal arts is happening,” Burke said.

“Critiques of the liberal arts rest on no one really knowing what’s going on in-

COURTESY OF ERIC VERHASSELT

side a college like this one. Our informational presence, in certain ways, is very narrow ... you don’t get a great view of what’s happening inside classrooms.

This is a great way to put a few students up in front and say ‘this is the outcome.’”

Molloy and Reichert envision certain talks as additionally serving as good advertising for the departments they come from, and playing an influential role in students’ choice of major or decision to do thesis work. Already, underclassmen have expressed interest in completing research in order to speak at AgoraTalks, according to Molloy.

Eric Verhasselt ’13 is one student whose presentation could exert a strong sway over undecided students. An engineering major with a penchant for automotive technology, his personal academic inquiry concluded this weekend at Eco-marathon, a competition sponsored by Shell, in Houston, Texas. His 3 1/2 by 7 foot hydrogen-powered car secured third place in its division at the competition, which rewards designs for their efficiency.

Verhasselt’s car is the result of two years of intensive work. Officially the project for the course Engineering Design, the prototype has consumed an estimated 30 hours per week this spring, and many times more since its inception in Verhasselt’s junior fall. In his approximation, only half to two-thirds of engineering majors are aware of his project, and outside the department, a select handful of friends.

“It’s very cool to have recognition for the project,” Verhasselt said. “I work alone a lot, and ... I’m really proud of the car and it’s really nice to see it get recognition. It’s like my little baby , and seeing your little child grow up and get all these awards ... you’re like rooting behind it, that’s sort of the way I feel. And it has a definitely good mentality behind it — it’s all about efficiency and using what you can, which is definitely a mentality that’s here at Swarthmore.”

Along with the exposure granted to select seniors and their projects comes the challenge of the talks: explaining complex concepts in layman’s terms to a general audience.

“There’s a tendency to want to use [the language of] the field you’re in,” Reichert said. “It’s true of someone even doing high level political science...it ex-

ists in every field. Literary criticism, for example. No one understands what [literary critic] Harold Bloom is saying unless you have a dictionary in your hand.”

Despite the challenge it poses, Reichert, Molloy and Burke feel stepping away from “Balkanized language” is one of the more valuable aspects of the talks, and they’re not alone. Reichert cited Louis Menand, author of “The Marketplace of Ideas”, who gave a lecture in February in which he claimed the future of the humanities depends on its increased accessibility. Molloy invoked Robert Feynman, the legendary physicist who claimed that if you can’t explain a concept to a fifth grader you don’t understand it well enough yourself.

The lectures are christened after places of assembly in ancient Greece — specifically, the agora in Athens, where Socrates spoke with his pupils. The agora is not a new concept for Molloy — almost synonymous with the exchange of ideas, it’s also used to refer to his room, which serves as a conversational hub for his friends in Worth.

Molloy has additionally employed the term in relation to an architectural project he’s currently working on as part of his major. Situated in the water tower parking lot behind the science center, the building — which would be used as a student space for research — is inspired by antiquity but based on a post-World War II structure in Cambridge called Building 20. Designed as a munitions factory, Building 20 was put into use instead as office space by an amalgam of groups and individuals representing disparate areas of interest, such as the Tech Model Railroad Club and the Physical Science Study Committee. Major 21stcentury innovations including Chomskyan linguistics and sound speaker technology emerged from this collaborative nexus.

While he plans to submit his project proposal upon completion, he doesn’t expect it to receive immediate funding.

Reichert described the AgoraTalks as a tangential avenue for securing a similar end to his friend’s agora design — an increased awareness of what students with diverse interests are accomplishing in their rooms and study spaces around the college.

The talks will be held at 3:45 p.m. on April 18 in Science Center 101.

Living & Arts

PAGE 6

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

The Phoenix

Beyond the Bubble: Off-Campus Housing

By MIREILLE GUY Living & Arts Writer

Approximately 88 percent of students live on campus at Swarthmore—that’s 12 percent who opted to live off, with the majority of them choosing the surrounding neighborhood. Although, at other schools, living off-campus is the norm after freshmen year, students at Swarthmore have generally decided that they would rather live in dorms. However, students who live away from campus all have their reasons, and come into it with different expectations and goals, though the general consensus seems to be that the experience is what you make it.

Students who ultimately decided to live off campus felt that when coming back from abroad it was difficult to readjust to dorm-style living. Students are often placed in homestays or apartments while living abroad, and after coming back to Swat it can be hard to move back into a double or even a single. Living abroad requires a great amount of independence and the readjustment back can be difficult.

Furthermore, the December lottery is notoriously uncertain as fewer students go away in the spring than in the fall. As a result, this year many juniors were placed in doubles as a solution to the housing crunch, with only approximately 10 or so on-campus singles in the lottery. Disgruntled with the housing process, some returning juniors turned to off-campus housing instead. Furthermore, living on campus costs a little over $12,000 for room and board, so it’s no surprise that students express delight over how much cheaper living off campus is.

“Essentially, I decided to live off campus because I wanted my own room, and many of the options for dorm housing were off campus anyway, things like Woolman, PPR, etc,” Vija Lietuvninkas ’14 said, who returned from abroad this semester and currently sublets a professor’s apartment with a few friends. “One immediate benefit is that living off campus is definitely cheaper. Way, way cheap-

MARTIN FROGER-SILVA / THE PHOENIX

The Barn, which houses several dozen Swarthmore students, is a popular alternative to on campus housing. Many choose to opt out of the meal plan.

er.”

Living off campus generally means losing hall life, which is often a concern for those moving into off-campus apartments. One of the nice things about Swarthmore’s size is feeling connected to the campus. There’s a certain social ease in being able to run into friends while walking to your dorm, or getting to know new people on your hall. Although you might be just as far from classes living off-campus in the Ville as living in PPR, students find that they sometimes have to make sure to catch a meal with a friend in Sharples or take the extra step to stay connected.

Though there is definitely something to be said for the social ease that comes with living on campus, many students

explain how it can be nice to have a space away from the buzz of campus. The plus that comes from socializing where you eat and where you study can make it difficult at times to take a step back the Swat bubble. Many students who live off campus have found it to be nice having their own place away from the seemingly constant bustle on campus.

“I’ve liked being able to, at the end of the day, remove myself a little bit from Swarthmore and have my own space,” said Morgan Bartz ’14 , who lives in the Ville.

One of the trickiest things about living off-campus might be the responsibility that comes with having your own place. After the initial steps of finding a property to rent with the right number

Illustration by RENU NADKARNI

of rooms at the right rent level for the right dates, there’s no one there to clean your bathroom or fix a bum light. You are Workbox when you live off campus. With the luxury of a full kitchen comes the responsibility of doing the dishes. However, many students find satisfaction in taking care of their space, often decorating and designing to suit them best, not having to deal with those backward leaning chairs or having to wear flip flops in the shower.

“I really enjoy things like cooking and decorating and gardening,” Sara Blazevic ’15, who lives in the Barn, said, “and some of the little parts of your day that you can have when you have your own apartment that you can’t have when you live in a dorm.”

When moving off-campus, students have to decide whether or not to stay on the meal plan. Many opt out, and instead cook for themselves and have friends occasionally swipe them in. Students sometimes bring bagged lunches prepared in their apartments to eat on campus for lunch, and cook breakfasts and dinners at home when up for it.

“Getting up and making breakfast with my roommates is one of my favorite parts of the week when it happens,” Blazevic explained. “It’s just really nice, all of us in the kitchen together, making eggs, tea, our little lunches for the day.”

Other options include ordering in or eating out if one is lucky enough to have a car. With the necessity of cooking that comes with living off-campus, students expressed a newfound appreciation for the easiness of eating Sharples and its buffet style options.

Living off campus means having a different day-to-day routine, and involves taking into consideration things you might not have while living on campus (such as planning ahead for lunch or being more proactive about meeting new people). It also requires you to be more thoughtful about how you spend your time, juggling time spent between your apartment and on campus. But for many of those who live off campus, it’s a no brainer — a nicer space for a cheaper price. Students’ college experience pushes past the Swat bubble, and involves more interactions with the “real world.”

“Living off campus this year has enhanced my college experience,” Kanayo Onyekwuluje ’13 said, who lives in the surrounding neighborhood. “I feel ready for the real world, I feel like I’ve made real adult relationships and friendships with people, and I feel prepared for the next step in life.”

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The Phoenix

Review: Thumbs Up For “Three Sisters”

Production Ensemble explored the classic Anton Chekhov play “Three Sisters,” which featured an elaborate set and costumes. From left, Aaron Matis’ 16, Tyler Elliot ’15, and Casey Ferrara ’14.

By JEANNETTE LEOPOLD Living & Arts Writer

Production Ensemble’s “Three Sisters,” by Anton Chekhov, was incredible.

The show was performed on LPAC mainstage this past weekend, with an exceptional cast, a huge set, and Russian music that blasted over loudspeakers between acts. The costumes, particularly the soldier’s uniforms, were striking.

“Three Sisters” is a classic and a masterpiece, so naturally my primary fear on entering the theater was that it would be boring. Nothing could be further from the truth. Though the driving force of the play is general depression and the major theme is that nothing works out happily, the production was full of laughter and rejoicing. In short, the actors did not play depression; they were constantly trying to escape depression by making each other laugh and lightening the mood.

The three sisters were stunningly played by Maddie Charne ’14 (Olga), Michelle Johnson ’16 (Masha) and Casey Ferrara ’14 (Irina). Charne played the older sister, who is desperately unhappy about her lack of marriage, and

who works through pain in her head and stomach. She cannot believe that Masha, who has a husband (Kulygin, played by Allison Hrabar ’16), would cheat on him with a visiting soldier, Vershinin (Mark Levine-Weinberg ’14). Meanwhile Irina is, of all of them, the most desperate to get to Moscow, where she will be surrounded by cultured people and start her life afresh, without sorrow or despair.

Good luck; no one gets to Moscow in this play, either physically, by walking the thirty miles to get there, or metaphorically, by finding contentment.

Ferrara was dressed all in white, which symbolized her youth, innocence and purity, while Masha was in black to show her depression and capability of cheating on her husband. Yet this cheating is not seen as sinful by the audience; her relationship with Kulygin is so cringingly terrible that we want her to find true love with Vershinin. Kulygin, brilliantly played by Hrabar, is stupid, obsessed with meaningless things and very clingy to Masha, who clearly doesn’t like him in the least. Masha and Vershinin’s love, on the other hand, is a shining bright spot in their lives and in the play.

At the end of the performance, the two

“Science for Poets,” Continued From Page 1 challenging introduction to programming, to ultimately spark interest in it. Unlike upper-level COMP SCI courses, COMP SCI 021 has a lab component, a feature that Meeden relishes. The broadness of the topics covered allows Meeden to adopt a more interactive approach, one comprised of a mix of lecture and independent problem-solving on the part of the students. Teaching her students—comprised predominantly of underclassmen and women,—to “think algorithmically” and to “learn to program by programming” Meeden hopes to impart them with “a different way of thinking and...approaching problems.” This popular and innovative course successfully puts computer science on the map, legitimizing the intellectual pursuit of computer science and teaching most students how their most prized possession, their laptop, is programmed to interpret their commands.

In its practicality and its placement within the computer science track, COMP SCI 021 evades the stigma often associated with other intro classes made “for dummies.”

Math 003 is a prime example of these sorts of classes with a stigma. Better known as Introduction to Mathematical Thinking, Math003 is a juicy course for most Swatties. Satisfying both the natural science distribution and the writing course requirement, this course gives Swatties the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. But how exactly does this course fit into mathematics? Professor Ralph Gomez describes it as a “tour of the mathematical landscape” concerned less with proving mathematical statements (as is the case in upper level courses such as Complex Analysis or Topics in Geometry), than with “trying to understand some of the great mathematical ideas.” What Professor Gomez finds valuable about the course is that students will leave with a valuable

are literally ripped apart by Olga because Vershinin needs to leave (presumably for war), and Masha collapses, weeping, into Olga’s arms. Vershinin and Masha’s relationship was entirely believable and wonderfully portrayed by Levine-Weinberg and Johnson.

This was truly an ensemble production; in addition to the three sisters, their brother Andrei (Stephan Tuomanen Masure ’15), his girlfriend-turned wife Natasha (Michaela Shuchman ’16), Irina’s sometime-fiancé Tuzenbach (Tyler Elliot ’15), his rival Solyony (Aaron Matis ’16) and the sisters’ older friend Chebutykin (Nathan Siegel ’15) share center stage.

Natasha is mocked by Andrei’s family for wearing silly clothing and being odd.

After marrying Andrei, she becomes a tyrant; her tyranny culminates in Act IV, when she seizes a fork that was left outside and shrieks, “Who left this fork out here?” She bullies Anfisa (Anushka Mehta ’15), the family’s old maid, into leaving the house, and fights constantly with Olga.

Chebutykin begins the play as a charming old man. People around him often reference the drinking problem that he used to have, but everyone laughs

skill: being able to “articulate precise mathematical statements.” This is where the writing comes in. Every homework assignment is comprised of short-answer questions that predominantly ask that students explain why a theorem works or apply an idea (such as fractals, symmetry, etc) to images and real-life situations. Students are also required to write longer 2-3 page writing assignments ranging from reflections on a Pythagorean theorem proof to the formulation of a plan of execution of a complex problem.

Granted, students aren’t using calculus to show that the angles of a triangle always sum to 180, but they are doing math. Teaching their minds to think “mathematically,” these students are honing their problem-solving skills. What makes this course more dynamic in its approach than say, theoretical mathematics, is that strives to call attention to the many ways mathematics shapes our world. From the logic behind bar codes, to the appearance of Fibonacci numbers in the perfect spirals of artichokes, students come to appreciate math because it is so alive.

For Elena Ruyter ’14, Math 003 is not “math for dummies...but rather math for poets.” While she acknowledges that she is taking the course to fulfill the NSEP and W requirements, Ruyter looks forward to Professor Gomez’s class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 in the morning. Approaching each hands-on exercise voraciously, she takes another stab at her relationship with mathematics. Despite never being “very good at mathematics,” Ruyter dedicated herself to becoming an engineer, and having “an extensive background in math and science” as part of an IB program in high school, Elena entered Swarthmore ready to embrace the sciences. She began to reconsider her plan after taking Math 025 her freshman year. Describing the course as moving “very fast” in covering complicated material, and feeling like an impostor among the “people in the class [who] were math and statistics majors,” Elena dropped her pur-

KATY MONTOYA / THE PHOENIX

at the references—clearly, the problem is no longer serious. By the middle of the play, though, Chebutykin is drinking again; he staggers into the sisters’ room in Act III and hurls a clock at the floor, breaking it. He then lunges into a devastating monologue about there being no point to life, and says he wishes he had never been born. Siegel played this role with great versatility, beautifully showing the happy, loving side of Chebutykin so that his rage and sorrow later in the play were all the more heart-wrenching.

Other great characters were two jokester soldiers, played by Jack Sailer ’15 and Joshua Peck ’13, who add to the merry crew at the beginning of the show and snap photographs (with excellent light and sound effects). Ferapont, a deaf old man, was hilariously played

by Isabel Knight ’16. Solyony is socially awkward, but convincing as Tuzenbach’s rival for Irina’s hand (though neither get her heart).

The play was brilliantly staged; the set allowed for a great deal of playing room and the actors used it fully, creating diagonals and tension in every scene.

“Three Sisters” was fantastic. I enjoyed every second.

suit of the sciences for a career in the Humanities and Social Sciences. For her, Math 003 “...resonates with my learning style and what I’m interested in more... it has a lot to do with art, a lot to do with philosophy.” Taught at a comfortable pace, and thoroughly, Ruyter finds it refreshing that it is a “fundamentally different way to look at mathematics through a conceptual sense.” Ruyter’s intention is not to romanticize Math 003 nor devalue upper-level math courses. Instead, she asks that all students see that Math 003 does have its “own character and its own life that deserves analysis separate from” the quantity of multi-layered proofs and equations that are too often associated with mathematics.

Despite its low number, Professor Ralph Gomez regards the course as “one of the most important courses he will ever teach.” Influenced by a statement that mathematician/author Edward Burger once made regarding courses like Math 003, Gomez believes that in targeting students who are “initially terrified with mathematics and carry a frustration toward the subject” and changing their opinion, allies for the struggle for better mathematical education throughout the US are created. At stake, then, is the very vibrancy of mathematics. What both Professor Meeden and Gomez share is a strong belief in the value of these courses to inspire the minds of those who might be shy of the sciences to either pursue the sciences or at the least, appreciate their beauty and usefulness.

Interestingly, this stigma seems non-existent in the Social Sciences and Humanities. In these departments, introductory courses of all kinds are seen as the most useful; only in establishing a solid historical, theoretical, or contextual base in the subjects can one ask deeper questions and seek better answers. Paradoxically, the stigma is strongest in the sciences, a discipline which is also fundamentally dependent on building complex concepts from smaller foundations.

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Spring has arrived and with it came the big chair and sunglasses, frolicking on the organic lawn, flip-flops and chirping birds, sweaty hairlines after conquering the hill from Sharples, and, of course, the housing lottery. While an algorithm decides our numeric fate, most of us will have the option of ultimately choosing the place where we shall ponder, play and sleep.

There are a plethora of housing choices, and each dorm has its own unique culture and style. You may be a meanderer and thus believe you’re familiar with every dorm on campus; on the other hand, you may love Willets basement and never have felt the need to venture out elsewhere. Or you may simply be wrong about your assumptions altogether or be unaware of how birthday parties really go down in Mary Lyons. With the input of experienced fellow Swatties, I have classified every dorm into five categories that give special recognition to the idiosyncratic spirit of each.

For the “Come Over & Hang” category, the winners are Willets, Worth, and the Lodges, dorms that are great for socializing with hallmates or described as having a lively and spirited culture. Estefania Brambila-Olmedo ’15 loves Willets, which was her first choice for housing this year. “It’s right behind McCabe and it’s very social,” she said. Unfortunately, the walls are not soundproof and private conversations easily become public knowledge.

However, Lisa Sendrow ’13, who lived in Willets her freshman year, did not share the

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same enthusiasm. “I hated Willets. I thought it was gross and it smelled awful. As far as I know, it still smells awful,” she said.

My own brief encounters in Willets basement can be summed up with the words “pungent fromage.” Nevertheless, Willets is the place to be for some good ol’ bonding time even if, as put by WaiWai Kim ’13, “[it] looks like a mental hospital.”

Kim, who lives in Worth, explained, “beer, hookah and hanging on the courtyard exemplifies what it’s like living here.” Worth and the Lodges can be said to make up their own enclave on campus. “It gets really pretty during spring,” he noted. Michael Lumetta ’15, one of the lucky few to live in the Lodges, admits his home “borrows” the party atmosphere from Worth but said “the social environment of the Lodges specifically is a little isolated [because] there’s no organic way for people outside of the block to be in the space. It’s up to the block to invite other people.”

Lumetta’s advice for those interested in the Lodges is to be really sure of whom you want to live with. “If anything hits the fan, you need to know that you’re prepared to tackle it together with your lodgemates,” he said. If living in Worth, Kim advises that “putting your bed next to the radiator is not a good idea.”

Under “The Middle Child Syndrome” category we find Dana, Hallowell, and Mertz.

These three dorms appear to me to be underappreciated. They’re not labeled as the best, nor the worst; nevertheless, most Swatties’ experiences in these dorms has been favorable. “I think Hallowell has a perfect location. It is close to the center of campus but it is also a bit removed.

The view of the Crum from my room is beautiful,” Evelyn Fraga ’13 said. She did complain about the zigzag halls that prevent Hallowell from being “as lively as Willets.” “With that said,” she said, “Hallowell makes interesting hall crawls.” Eileen Hou ’16 also appreciates Dana’s location, but warned that “there are ‘Dana bugs’ in the Dana basement.”

Mahnoor Malik ’16 described Mertz as having the “best of everything” because it is social at

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night and especially on weekends, but still “usually peaceful enough to study in.” While Fraga, who has lived in Mertz in the past, called it “the nicest dorm overall,” she was not a “big fan of its location.” Malik on the other hand praised Mertz’ location, stating “it is two minutes from McCabe, five minutes from Hobbs, and Sharples is across the field.” Her note of warning included the seven-minute walk up the hill to the Science Center, and if looking for “pin-drop silence, then probably [Mertz] is not the place for you.”

The third category is “Middle-Swat.” Mary Lyons and Parrish fall under this category.

Mary Lyons residents are often harshly misjudged for doing things their own way in their faraway land. As resident Molefi Ford ’15 said, “on one side of the third floor, there are people who drink tea, do arts and crafts, and go to bed at 10 p.m. On the other side, there are people who have nudist BDSM birthday parties.”

Ford adds that all cultures are present and everyone gets “along really well with each other because they’re not judgmental sex-negative gossipers, like those ML-haters on campus are.”

Moreover, “people on campus talk about ML like it’s way over in New Jersey or something, but in actuality it’s only a ten-minute walk to Sharples. Maybe using your legs for ten whole minutes is scary for some Swattie suburbanites,” Ford said.

Lastly, Ford’s pitch for Mary Lyons is that “you get your own bathroom. ML is at the top of the list for anybody who hates awkwardly walking down the hall in a towel.”

Parrish, on the other hand, is “centrally located, and is incredibly close to just about any event on camps. You can wake up five minutes before class starts and get there on time,” Joshua Satre ’13 said. Patrick Han ’16 described Parrish as the “Anti-Swat dorm,” noting that most residents are athletes, conservative, or religious. Sung Won Ma ’16 confirmed that Parrish is “not a very social dorm; it’s perfect if you’re looking for a quiet space.”

I found Parrish eerily quiet. The many secret passageways and staircases and the basement — which Han admitted of being afraid to enter alone — only added to the spookiness.

On the plus side, Satre insisted, “We have the nicest bathrooms and showers of any dorm on campus” and that as long as “you don’t mind the single-sex nature of [the halls], it’s the best dorm on campus if you want a convenient, roomy, quiet dorm.”

Dorms Alice Paul and David Kemp fall under the “New and Flashy” category. I have added Wharton to this category because although it’s not “new,” the long-standing building is in pristine condition and it’s “flashy” in a lavish and ornate way. Kyle Krainock ’13 said

“Wharton has the best location of any dorm on campus. It is right in between the academic buildings and Sharples,” and according to Lisa Sendrow ’13 “it’s right above the hill so I don’t have to deal with that every morning.” Amen to that.

I currently hold a single in Wharton and I also agree with Krainock, who mentioned that “with spring finally here, the courtyard is absolutely beautiful with its blooming flowers.”

He also added that “Wharton is arguably the most popular dorm on campus and its demand is well deserved … rooms are nicely sized and in good condition.” It should be acknowledged, however, that Wharton has mice. “I’ve only had two,” Sendrow said. Personally, hearing tiny scratches inside the wall during the night has been sufficient to make me nervous.

Alice Paul and David Kemp are very new and flashy due to the intense red walls that can be seen from Parrish Beach. There is definitely a feel of luxury inside both dorms that even a beautiful dorm like Wharton does not have. “I absolutely love our room in AP,” Rosve Wunrow ’16 said. She likes how “the ceiling is really high ... and there’s a lot of space and light. The dorm spaces are pretty fancy, too, especially the kitchens, and the bathrooms.” Wunrow admitted to feeling really lucky for getting “a great dorm as a first-year.”

The highlight of both AP and DK are certainly the hip and spacious lounges. “DK has some great parties and people socialize a lot–probably because it’s such a nice dorm, people like to hang out here. However things don’t usually go too crazy,” resident Chuck Jiang ’16 said. Harrison Tasoff ‘14 agreed with Jiang that DK has a “relaxed social life ... It’s neither overwhelming nor absent.”

Lastly, Kyle, PPR, and Woolman can be found under the “When-Cast-Away-Bring-Many-Wilsons” category. In the film “Cast Away,” Tom Hanks’s character becomes stranded on an island and turns to a volleyball to keep him company. Likewise, the inconvenient distance of these dorms from the center of campus seems to be overcome by the presence of friends. The key is making blocking arrangements to ensure happiness. Palmer and Pittenger have many singles with spacious hallways and Roberts offers suite-style rooms for up to five friends. There is virtually no hall life, but I repeat, bring all the Wilsons you can.

Woolman and Kyle are distinct in that they are both houses. Kyle is an all-female dorm.

“I love Kyle because you have tons of space...[also,] I know all eight of the girls in the house, which really helps build a sense of community,” Nyantee Asherman ’15 said. But the location of Kyle has not worked well for Asherman. “I hate that I am far away from the gym and Sharples.

So my workouts and eating habits have suffered ... That also means I spend a little more money on breakfast bars,” Asherman said. “Overall I would say that I loved Kyle, but I value the gym and Sharples too much to live there again.”

Similarly, Catherine Xiang ‘15 has enjoyed Woolman’s spacious rooms and being together with all of her friends. “I think [Woolman is] a great sophomore option that many students tend to forget,” she said. She described the interior as very cozy and homey but did warn that students “shouldn’t expect it to be a very social dorm, it’s more of a place for sleeping.” Blocking is very important according to Xiang, who said, “don’t expect many of your other friends to be willing to make the trek to Woolman on the weekends.” Nevertheless, “its semi-secluded-butnot-too-secluded location” can prove to be relieving and provide a space to just relax and rest. § // GRAPHICS BY PARKER MURRAY

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The Phoenix

What I Learned About Sex From Cosmo

COURTESY OF FANPOP.COM

In last edition of The Phoenix, my lovely editors gave me the title of the “Campus’ Favorite Sex Columnist.”

Though I am very flattered by the title, I have to admit, I can’t imagine myself being anyone’s sexual sage. This is not because I don’t believe in the advice that I share on a bi-weekly basis — I put a lot of thought into my column and I would never give a piece of advice that I wouldn’t take. However, advice is a social experience — it’s the way in which people relate their own points of VIANCA view, experiences, and personal beMASUCCI liefs to someone Missing Parts else’s situation. I’m not too good at those social things, hence the doubt.

Customary self-doubting aside, I love advice. To me, advice is like oral sex—I love to give just as much as I love to receive. I’ve especially loved figuratively going down on you all these past two

years. Sadly, my time here is coming to an end. Because we live in a society that is beginning to accept our generation’s attitudes about sex and, simultaneously, to realize that we are progressively becoming the biggest consumer base, I worry about what kind of terrible sex advice you will all be exposed to. So, I’m creating this guide on how to avoid the negative shit that mainstream sex columnist shove down our throats. It’s called “What I learned About Sex from Cosmo”.

It’s Impractical From “Cosmo”: “Mix one tablespoon of saliva (the kind deep in your throat works best — its viscosity makes it a good substitute for lube) with one tablespoon of water to stretch the spit.”

Response: I’m sorry, Cosmo, but this is awful advice. When people are about to make the Freud, they usually don’t have measuring cups anywhere near them. One eats a pie during sex, you don’t

make one. Nor does anyone reach down their throats to harvest the Jamba juice needed to jam. In fact, most people are usually so overcome with excitement and tension that some sex basics are glossed over in an attempt to gloss one out.

Actually though: Many of those multimillion dollar magazines make money from our insecurities. Cosmo is, after all, trying to sell us beauty products and clothes, not the self-confidence to feel as though we don’t really needs those things. One symptom of this industrialist disease is the impracticality of the advice that sex columnist give. In their attempt to make the mastering of sex seem like the mastery of novelty in the bedroom and, therefore, distance us from what seems natural to make us feel like sex is this scary thing that we’re probably not good at, sex columnists will tell you to do the most random shit and call it a sex gods’ (or goddess’) insider tip. It’s not — it’s just some bullshit that they made up.

They don’t do it themselves and they’ve probably never tried it. As my father (whose advice I realize I’ve applied to my sex life multiple times, making the earlier Freud reference highly appropriate) used to say, the simplest solution to a problem is usually the best one. This is true for sex too.

There’s One Way to Do It From “Self ”: Here’s a list of techniques that guarantee an orgasm…

I’m just going to stop you there. There are no ways to guarantee someone an orgasm. Different things work for different people. Different people are into different things. Period.

Lists of things that are guaranteed to “please your man” or “give you pleasure” are utter and total bullshit. Every individual needs to discover what pleases their individual bodies and their partners’ individual bodies. Unless you fucked the author of the column or they fucked your partner, they have absolutely no insight on this.

It’s Heteronormative, gender-conforming, and assuming From “Men’s Health”: Blindfold Yourself. Many women stick to the missionary position because you can’t see their bodies that way. If you really can’t see her because your eyes are covered, she’ll do a lot more with you, to you, and for you.

Response: Every women in the world is an insecure, fragile, vanilla-sex-having creature that must be sexually enlightened by a male lover and his magical flute-playing penis.

Obviously, this advice is heteronormative and gender-conforming. Because I’m a Swattie, I get a little (sexually) excited just typing those terms. However, I’m not mentioning this because I’m expect-

ed to. Ideas about gender roles and heteronormativity taint a majority of sexual literature and, sometimes, are really hard to pick out. They are responsible for the creation of usually negative and/or absurd sexual archetypes. This leaves those of us trying to figure out who we are and what we like (read: all of us) scrambling to fit into some type of category. For example, trying to decide whether I fall in the ‘freaky nympho girl with serious daddy issues’ or ‘slut’ category is my internal crisis right now. Not. That brings me to another point about these sex columns: they are harmful to people who don’t fit into a mold. In supporting existing sexual archetypes, they reinforce the norm and delegitimize those of us who do not fit these standards.

Additionally, there are sexual archetypes that have negative associations — like “slut” and “creepy fetishist.” These are the results of years of slut-shaming and the ancient theories of sexual philosophers that made fast and loose connections between personality traits and preference of sexual acts. People who identify with some of these more taboo archetypes may feel a lot of shame, and those who don’t identify at all may feel lonely. This ‘norm’ makes people feel awkward navigating a social/sexual scene that they feel as though they don’t fit into and won’t be accepted in. Incapability to understand or follow the narrow social scripts presented by these magazines leave a lot of people feeling insecure or unworthy of love. That’s just total bullshit. Your alternative sexuality, sexual preference, sexual act, sexual persona, non-sexual persona, or whateva is totally normal.

It Does Not Require Preparation or Protection I would share a quote about preparation or protection but there aren’t any.

The lack of acknowledgement of the fact that sex has a logistical and practical side is a big problem with these magazines.

They’re all about passion but never about passionate conversation about protection, consent, respect, and comfort.

They’re all about technique, but never the technical aspects of actually performing sexual acts and the ‘baby step’ sexual acts that can lead up to the long strides. The advice offered is not comprehensive and, therefore, inherently sex negative.

I’m not going to tell you to stop reading Cosmo. Like I said, I never give advice I wouldn’t take. Mainstream magazines are deliciously trashy and they’re a great guilty indulgence. Just be wise about what advice you are applying to your own life. The sexual health counselors on campus, Dan Savage’s Savage Love sex column, and scarleteen are some great resources for good information on sexual health.

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The Phoenix

“Awkward.” Overcomes Teenage Cliches Sometimes the best discoveries are accidental. Some time ago, iTunes was giving away free downloads of the pilot episode of MTV’s “Awkward.”, a show I knew little to nothing about. I figured that I had nothing to lose from a free download, so I took advantage of Apple’s magnanimity, figuring I’d stumble upon the episode when browsing my iTunes library.

When I finally got around to watching the pilot, I was charmed and surprised by how much I enjoyed it. High school dramas as a television genre do not pique my interest. I tend to prefer procrastinating with crime procedurals where the leads’ smoldering sexual tension or pure comedic interactions overshadow the actual crime fighting (looking at you, Psych, Bones and Castle), early Aaron Sorkin walk-and-talk fests, smart, absurd comedies, and some of the BBC’s intermittent offerings. Degrassi was before my time; Gilmore Girls never hit my radar; The Secret Life of the American Teenager was maudlin and poorly acted; 10 Things I Hate About You, formulaic and short-lived.

While “Awkward.”, fits squarely within the clichés of high school drama, it proves compelling and thorDEBORAH oughly enterKRIEGER taining (as of I on the Arts writing this review, I am on episode seven) due to its snarky, relatable lead character Jenna, ably portrayed by Ashley Rickards. The show centers on her romantic and non-romantic trials and tribulations. Jenna is self-possessed, yet realistically insecure about herself; she is the only seemingly sane character in a world populated by comically oblivious teenagers, parents and other so-called authority figures. When she is thrust into the school spotlight due to a series of laughably surreal misunderstandings and unfortunate coincidences, Jenna must continue to navigate the everyday trials and tribulations of high school, all the while dealing with her low social status and her confusing relationships with the well-meaning but unreadable Matty (Beau Mirchoff) and the more open,

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uneasy Jake (Brett Davern). Jenna must also grapple with hilariously incompetent authority figures such as the school counselor (Desi Lydic), who, with her Kristen Wiig-esque mannerisms, wants to be as hip as the teenagers, while dealing with the obligatory cheerleader antagonist, Sadie (Molly Tarlov).

Though “Awkward.” may well seem like a formulaic high school television show, it is notable and worth watching for several reasons. Firstly, it’s refreshing to see a show about teenagers in high school dealing with sexuality in a way that does not pass judgment. There are no plot-required teenage pregnancy arcs à la Secret Life. Jenna is the product of a teen pregnancy, but the show uses this fact to justify her clueless, hilariously well-meaning parents rather than attempt to spread a sex-negative message to its audience. Sex is a big part of the show, but it is not portrayed as the be-all end-all.

Secondly, while most of the characters and plots make use of high school stereotypes, the denouements of episodes sometimes veer in unexpected directions, adding an offbeat flavor to the

comedy. There are the big bonfires and house parties that populate every television and/or film high school. There are the love triangles, the rumor mills, and the other hallmarks of classic high school shows. But often the way these plots tease themselves out are just witty enough to let you know that the show’s writers know what they’re doing.

Thirdly, the show makes a rather poignant choice of villain in Sadie, a popular cheerleader. Whereas most stereotypical high school cheerleaders are blonde, sample-sized nymphs who use their sexuality to further their power, Sadie is not conventionally attractive and is shown to struggle with her body image and weight, as well as trying to maintain male interest. It’s a part of her character that is ultimately relatable to nearly everyone who has made it through high school, where no bully is so flat as their television counterparts. Presenting Sadie with all her insecurities makes her a more complex and less stereotypical villain.

Lastly, as I mentioned before, this show derives much of its charm and humor from Jenna, who, with her voice-

over wit and identifiable position as a beacon of sanity, is as true a heroine as one could hope for. Growing up, instead of watching high school TV dramas, I read quite a bit of young adult fiction, and was often disappointed in the different kinds of storylines created for teenage girls like myself. Teenage boys such as Tom in Frank Portman’s “King Dork” and Greg from “Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl” were allowed to be what I felt was realistic to my experience as a high school student. They were preoccupied with dirty jokes and hormones; they cussed, swore, and were really snarky.

In contrast, I found that many of the “high school genre” books centered on a female protagonist did not reflect my experience: the girls in Sarah Dessen’s and Susane Colasanti’s novels (“Along for the Ride” and “When It Happens”) are more concerned with earning the love of a boy in sentimental and often saccharine storylines. These heroines were not the truly realistic, hormone-addled, insecure protagonists I felt us (teenage girls) to be. I wanted something more like a female Holden Caulfield. Jenna has enough edge and humor to her that she manages to be the kind of female protagonist I had been seeking in both TV and writing — she has a clear sex drive, she makes mistakes and suffers realistic heartbreaks, and she isn’t preoccupied with finding her “soul mate” at age fifteen.

Of course, as to be expected, the show has some flaws. The cast’s lack of diversity in the realms of both race and gender is a disappointment, and the shallow and thoughtless behavior of Jenna’s socalled best friend, which is played for laughs, makes you wonder why Jenna keeps her around.

Overall, though, the strength of Ashley Rickard’s portrayal of the deadpan, sardonic Jenna, and the absurdity of her interactions with her world, make “Awkward.” worth watching. Luckily for me, and for my readers, the first two seasons (the third season premieres on MTV on April 16 at 10 p.m.) are available for streaming on Netflix Instant. For the twenty-minute bites of entertainment it provides, “Awkward.” is a rather delicious guilty pleasure.

Stay Gold: Finding What Matters Most David Toland is an EVS Technician whose new column, Can You Dig It?, details his experiences at Swarthmore, in the US Army, and with his three children: a daughter, Hunter, 11; and two sons, Noah, 13, and David, 12. Driven by an enjoyment of poetry and digital storytelling fostered in Learning for Life, David is writing to share his life experiences with the Swarthmore community.

DAVID TOLAND

Respect your elders. Learn from the people who Can You Dig It? have walked the path before you.

Respect those people because sooner than you can imagine you are going to be old as well. We are all moving in different directions in life. I am sure many of you know the meaning of “Stay Gold.” For those of you that are not familiar, this means when you are a child, everything is new. I believe that we should always stay that way. There will be good times and bad times ahead for all of us. I would like to give you some advice about what to do when times get

difficult. Many times I have heard people say, “Bad things, they will not happen to me.” I have said it myself, and let me tell you somewhere along the way it will happen to you.

Many of you will get married and some of you will get divorced. It is a tough thing to go through, but there is no reason to be hateful. Sometimes relationships just do not work out; there is no need to point the finger at each other. You can still be friends even if your marriage did not work. Along this journey of life many of you will have kids, and for those of you that have read my previous articles you know my kids are my life. My advice on children is simple.

Children should not have to sacrifice so that you can have the life you want. You make sacrifices so your children can have the life that they deserve.

Let me tell you that money is not everything and if you think it is, you are going down the wrong path. I have friends that are always talking about making over $100,000 a year, and are constantly telling me they can get me a job making the same money. They

looked at me like I was crazy when I said, “No thanks, I can’t work the schedule they need me to work.” It does not matter what the salary is, my kids are involved in many after school activities and I do not want to miss any of it. I believe that you cannot put a price tag on the time you spend with your children.

That is where “Stay Gold” comes into play, because everything your kids do is something new.

For the people thinking about heading into the military, you will have some of the best and the worst times in your life. My advice is pretty simple. We are all scared. You hide in that ditch because you think there is still hope, but the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you are already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function — without mercy, without compassion, without remorse.

For all the people heading out into the business world, here is some of my advice to you. Never give up your dreams and goals in life. A degree from Swarthmore is the best money can buy,

but sometimes in the business world or “the real world,” politics play a big part in being successful. You could be the best person for the job, but the truth is sometimes it is who you know, not what you know. I always quote the line from the movie, The Bronx Tale, “That I was getting two educations, one from the street and one from school. That way, I’d be twice as smart as everybody.”

The world is not all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and I do not care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.

Nobody or nothing is going to hit you as hard as life. But it is not about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.

It is about how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That is how winning is done. Now, if you know what you are worth, then go out and get what you are worth. But you have to be willing to take the hits, and not point fingers and blame other people. Remember life is a journey not a destination so … Stay Gold.

Opinions

PAGE 12

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

The Phoenix

Bursting the Ideological Bubble

To Be A Truly Diverse Community, We Must Respect Ideological Differences

The heated debate over the presence of Greek life on campus resulted in some chalkings being removed by the administration.

This semester, disputes over Greek life and the role of former World Bank President Robert Zoellick ’75 in Swarthmore’s commencement have engulfed the college. Several seniors I know have characterized the zeitgeist as the most divisive they have seen since they arCRAIG rived. This has led EARLEY to a lot of conversaThe Pragmatic tion about whether Progressive we – as students or as Americans – can come together or accept each other despite our differences. I maintain that we can, we should, and we must.

It is sometimes said that Swatties are diverse in every way but ideologically. We are overwhelmingly liberal.

We have thriving environmental, peace, queer, and labor activist groups. We value equality and social justice. Most of us celebrated the Obama victory in 2012. Our professors mostly lean left and classes are often conducted in a leftleaning context. Conservative students, professors, and groups are a distinct minority.

I share much of that outlook. It was one of the things that attracted me to this college after being raised in an extremely conservative small town. At the same time, such political consensus tends to become an echo chamber in which thinking is made duller and opponents’ sincerity, intellect, or intentions are called into question. In the liberal “Swarthmore Bubble,” all man-

ner of left-leaning ideas are accepted but moderation and conservatism are often overlooked. That’s fine as an exercise in philosophical development of committed leftists like me, but it leaves us woefully unprepared for politics in the real world.

Our country is not Swarthmore. It is a union of people and states with very different economic, social, and political interests. The constitutional structure of the U.S. Congress forces people from different places and cultures to come together and act in the interest of an entire nation. Alabama must coexist with Massachusetts.

Even the divisions between those areas are exaggerated. While people who, for example, write opinion columns are deeply divided over politics, the American people as a whole are not. Political scientist Morris Fiorina argues persuasively in his book “Culture War?” that Americans have such broad political goals as “a secure country, a healthy economy, safe neighborhoods, good schools, affordable health care, and good roads, parks, and other infrastructure.”

They aren’t interested in petty fights over ideological purity. They’re practical, if ambivalent, when it comes to politics.

A pluralist union, a divided political class, and a moderate public make the enactment of extreme ideological positions very difficult and utopias impossible. It forces us to compromise and to listen to the voices of our opponents.

However, it should not force us to abandon broader convictions.

The late Senator Ted Kennedy (DMass.) should be our model for striking that delicate balance. He was a bold defender of all the major causes the American left supports and was reviled for it by right-wing activists. At the same time, he was able to forge numerous compromises with Republicans to improve our public policy regime. His partnership with conservative Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) became legendary in Washington. Hatch at one time despised Kennedy, but on the Senate Labor Committee they found common ground on public health issues. Most notably, they led the creation of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, providing states with federal funding to create or expand health insurance coverage for kids in modest-income families. Given that Kennedy was always a liberal and Hatch always a conservative, the partnership could be contentious, but over the long term it was constructive.

Had Kennedy dismissed his conservative colleague as a dead loss and refused to work with him, his record might have looked like that of former Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio): a lot of great words that make liberals happy but have few legislative accomplishments to support them. Instead, Kennedy accumulated a stunning legislative record and a reputation for bipartisanship, all while remaining true to his liberal values.

For this to catch on, the left cannot

HOLLY SMITH/THE PHOENIX

be the only side to compromise. Republicans must unclench their fists, stop pushing conspiracy theories, and become serious governing partners. They are sending mixed signals now, hoping to find some way to avoid giving any ground but less comfortable with blanket rejection of every Democratic offer than they have been in the past. If just a handful of Republicans in both chambers of Congress chose to meet Democrats in the middle on important issues, a lot of Washington’s dysfunction would dissolve.

Those of us who are not legislators have the luxury of confining ourselves to our respective bubbles if we want to.

Liberals at Swarthmore have an especially easy time doing that. However, our democracy is better served when we know how to deal with people who don’t think like we do.

This is not a plea for everyone to get around a campfire and sing “Kumbaya.”

It is merely a recognition of the basic, frustrating reality of living in a pluralist democratic republic – or a college campus full of people with strong opinions that sometimes clash. If we tear each other apart in the course of our debates, we cannot solve our problems. Swarthmore students and American political activists need to accept our differences, learn to understand each other, and seek common ground where we can. Our ultimate goal is to create a society that works as well for its people as possible.

Ideology should be secondary.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

Opinions

PAGE 13

The Phoenix

Reflections on a Turbulent Semester in Campus Politics Lessons to Draw From This Semester’s Events

Judging by conversations online and Timothy Burke in the history departon campus, Swarthmore’s community ment noted in a comment to his excelappears the most divided I’ve witnessed lent blog post about the situation that since I arrived on campus three years claiming Zoellick was “a key architect ago. One supposed controversy after of the Iraq War” was intentionally used another has infected campus dialogue by a Daily Gazette commenter identifywith anger and vitriol. Our community ing as “Will L.” even though he knew it has descended into was inaccurate. Burke writes that using a madness that is Iraq as “something dramatic” to start a TYLER almost unexplain- controversy was both “anti-intellectual and really counter to the entire purable.

BECKER When I read pose of the institution.”

The Swarthmore Until Zoellick’s decision to withthe comments on Conservative the Daily Gazette’s draw was announced last Friday, many website, look at of my peers shrugged off the building the chalkings accusing Greek life of opposition to Zoellick from a small perpetuating a “rape culture,” or hear segment of the student body. Little did people lamenting Robert Zoellick ‘75’s they know that the loud voices of a few decision to withdraw from graduation, campus members would cause Zoellick I worry about the direction our com- unease with participating in graduation. munity is headed.

The chalkings that appeared on At the same time, anecdotal evidence shows the majority of our cam- campus earlier this week brought me pus is not behind this antagonism. yet again into feeling our community was headed in a After news of Zoeldownward spiral lick’s withdrawal that would make from graduation campus discourse ceremonies hit on Characterizing on important isFriday, I witnessed sues untenable. The Swatties of all poGreek Life versus the Greek Life referlitical stripes agorest of the campus is endum produced nizing over his debitterness between cision. It became intellectually sides that made obvious that nodishonest, and now we two it difficult for any where near a mahave data to show this. meaningful discusjority of the campus sion to take place. had been fighting Now that the rethe Swarthmore sults of the referfaculty’s decision endum are in, and to invite Zoellick to speak and award him an honorary de- only 29% voted to abolish Greek life, we can move on knowing that a magree from the College.

The Zoellick controversy seems to jority of the campus supports allowing have awoken much of the campus that Greek life to exist. Characterizing the doesn’t have time or patience for the fraternities and sorority versus the rest constant back-and-forth that plagues of the campus is intellectually dishonthe Daily Gazette’s website. These est, and now we have data to show this.

The questionable campaign tactics online discussions have hijacked the norms of campus discourse and driven used by those supporting the referenthe discussion in caustic directions. dum have made any response besides Misinformation, such as Zoellick’s a dramatic restructuring unacceptable supposed involvement in the Iraq War, to individuals who participated in the has spread far too easily. Professor “Vote Yes” campaign. While I know

the vote’s results will not deter further another face-to-face are far more efopposition to Greek Life’s existence, I fective for understanding all sides to am hopeful that our community can an argument than making provocaheal from this lengthy fight. tive claims online. While I realize this Swarthmore’s dynamic political cul- method of debate is not going away, ture over the last few months appears we should be mindful of the impact to have come to a close. With only these discussions can have. slightly more than Fourth, the ada month remaining ministration needs of classes and final to develop a means exams, we can all for communicating focus on the reason Discussions should be with the student why we all came to body that makes framed with facts first, Swarthmore: to enstudents feel their personal feelings second. concerns are acgage in an unparalleled academic tually being adexperience.

Disdressed. It is above tractions from this my pay grade to reality have been determine a soluall over the place this semester due to tion to this problem, but many of the the commotion coming from campus people involved in the “Vote Yes” politics. campaign made pretty startling claims Many important lessons should be about the administration. While some drawn from this semester’s events. of those claims are likely exaggerated, First, Swarthmore does not have a the claims’ very existence comes from monolithic student body coming here a frustration between the administrato hide from the realities of the world tion and select groups of students that according to some fabricated “Swarth- needs to be addressed. Students did not more values” norm. Using “Swarth- help this situation by giving up on reamore values” against groups on cam- soned dialogue in the recent campus pus and to judge the accomplishments debates. of Swarthmore alums is a dangerous And, similarly, the administration precedent that we must shy away from needs to be more responsive to the in the future. Ours is a diverse commu- campus climate. When the Zoellick nity that encourages pluralism. Fram- discussions started and false claims ing opposing positions to your own as disseminated quickly, President against these “values” is not a legiti- Chopp’s office should have issued the mate exercise. defense of Mr. Zoellick they offered Second, discussions should be when announcing his withdrawal. I framed with facts first, personal feel- have no idea why it took so long for ings second. Those personally opposed any word about the Zoellick case to to Zoellick’s speaking suffered from come from the administration, besides a lack of research on his actual roles sending a dean to moderate a meeting and accomplishments. Making an ar- of seniors determining what to do next gument that lacks a legitimate basis in about the selection. fact makes you look unintellectual and Swarthmore has appeared a dividstupid. As Swatties, we can do better. ed community lacking any means to Third, online discussions have cre- reconcile the differences between the ated a 24/7 forum for our campus that multiple sides. Now that debates of should be reexamined by us as indi- this semester have effectively ended, viduals and by the people running the let’s come together and make sure this commenting boards. Regular campus semester never happens again. forums where people can talk with

Letter to the Editor

LETTER, OP-ED & COMMENT POLICY

I am frustrated and saddened at the level of disrespect the Swarthmore community showed alum Robert Zoellick ’75, resulting in his withdrawing from speaking at Commencement.

To my mind, the issue at stake here has nothing to do with Zoellick’s politics. Whether or not he had anything to do with starting the Iraq war, whether or not he did a good job as President of the World Bank, however you feel about Goldman Sachs—it doesn’t matter.

When I say it doesn’t matter—of course it matters that Swarthmore students, like people everywhere, have opinions. It is admirable to voice one’s opinions and it is good to stand up for what you believe in. It’s like we were taught in kindergarten, though: you might think Jimmy is a jerk, but shouting at him across the playground makes you a jerk as well.

The Swarthmore community made one of our members so uncomfortable

that he would rather not be a part of one of our most important celebrations. I love Swarthmore, and I am ashamed that we made that mistake. To deny a basic level of cordiality and respect to anyone is disgusting. To deny it to an alum weakens our entire community.

The Swarthmore College website boasts that a “diversity of perspectives represented by Swarthmore students, faculty, and staff­– including different viewpoints, identities, and histories – contributes to the community’s strong sense of open dialogue and engagement with ideas and issues.” Where is that diversity of perspective? Where is the willingness to listen respectfully to people we disagree with?

In the future, I hope that we can find it in ourselves to open our arms to anyone who turns towards us—whatever their race, gender, religion, profession, or political affiliation.

Jeanette Leopold ‘13

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

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PAGE 14

Opinions Thatcher’s Legacy

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

The Phoenix

A Female Icon, Not a Feminist Hero In the midst of all the Facebook sta- as prime minister improve the prostuses about Swarthmore’s own contro- pects of other female politicians? An versies, opinions on Margaret Thatch- optimist could argue that just having a er’s role as a politician and a woman woman be Prime Minister was a large made a brief appearance on my news step forward in the array of professional feed as word of her passing spread. The possibilities for women. But what of the Iron Lady was a remarkably divisive po- quality of leadership that said woman litical personality for her controversial provided? The idea of women as leaders politics and her status as Britain’s first, would probably have more legitimacy and to date only, fe- in people’s eyes if they had the example male prime minister. of a female leader who wasn’t just sucNEHMAT While many in Brit- cessful in reaching the post but comKAUR ain have celebrated mendably handled the post too.

Duniya Britain has not had a female prime her death with parShuniya ties and jokes about minister since, and one has to wonder privatization and if old Maggie’s questionable and divifree milk, others have taken the oppor- sive legacy did more harm than good tunity to acknowledge and applaud the for other aspiring female politicians. If woman who broke through the glass we laud Thatcher for managing to rise ceiling and forged a significant political through the ranks as a “female politicareer for herself. What we choose to cian”, it does not mean that her ability stress about Thatcher’s legacy is entirely to execute the job of a politician was our own choice, but in our scramble to contingent on her gender. But this is a label her either a terrible politician, a carefully made distinction that is hard feminist icon or even an anti-feminist to emphasize in a world ready to slot a woman who ought to be thoroughly successful woman as a “feminist icon” derided, we draw crooked, fuzzy lines or “female politician” and not simply an between the individual, her status as a individual who happens to be a woman and overcame obstacles to reach profesfemale leader and her politics.

As many have already said and sional success. Yes, we need more womcountless historians will recount in bor- en to look up to but not every successful ing textbooks for years to come, Mar- woman is willing to be an inspirational garet Thatcher broke through class figure for other women.

Thatcher isn’t and gender barriers alone in this catto make a place for egory of prominent herself in Britain’s female leaders. An highly patriarchal For women and men interesting example political structure.

If we stop the story everywhere, Thatcher’s of a female political leader whose legacy here, her profespolitical success is still unset is Ansional success in the normalized the idea gela Merkel. The face of economic and German chancellor gendered disadvanof having women in is arguably the most tages is commendpowerful positions. important person in able and aspirational. the European Union Observing a woman right now and largeas prime minister in ly responsible for 10 Downing Street probably inspired countless little girls handling the Euro Crisis. Curiously to be politicians. For women and men enough, she does not choose to ideneverywhere, Thatcher’s political success tify as a feminist either and by her own normalized the idea of having women in admission does not fight for women’s powerful positions and reinforced the rights. Yet, one cannot discount the notion that women can do all the things fact that she is one of the most powerful that men can. However, what Thatcher and influential people in the world and did during her stint as prime minister not many women are. When the Euro mars the story of her personal success Crisis has concluded in one way or anconsiderably. The Conservative poli- other, will we think of Merkel as the extician introduced harsh measures for ample of a successful female politician privatization, shut down coal factories or a Thatcher-esque entity that played rendering many jobless and strapped a large role in the European Union’s for cash, reduced milk subsidies and de- miserable attempts to fix itself? Will clared herself anything but a feminist. her success actually make it easier for Arguably, she did not turn out to be a women in German politics or will her good politician or leader. Most were failure be marked as that of a misguided glad to see her off when she finally left leader?

Maybe this is why women like office as a widely hated politician. Her political life may not be an admirable Thatcher and Merkel distanced themone, depending on your personal politi- selves from the political connotations cal views, but that does not necessarily of feminism. They would much rather have to detract from the achievement of be perceived and judged as individuals how far this woman made it profession- and politicians rather than stress their ally. Acknowledging one positive aspect sex and the limitations that can someof her does not lead to an inherent en- times come along with it. When talkdorsement about other aspects of her ing about a politician we can talk about their personal selves and their political that we may disagree with.

Did Margaret Thatcher make it or professional selves but in the case of easier for other women to enter the a female politician or leader, we should political arena or promote gender think of gender as a component of the equality through her position? She was individual, the position of a female infamously averse to the term ‘feminist’ leader and professional prowess of the and all that the label entailed, like insti- person as separate categories. Margaret tuting measures for gender equality. But Thatcher was a successful woman, but a did the simple fact of having a woman poor female icon and politician.

Furthering Science in the Developing World

However, these partnerships can be The past few decades have shown tremendous growth in scientists in all hard to achieve, especially if the goal scientific disciplines, and has spread is to address local environmental or through some of the world’s develop- public health issues. In most cases, the ing nations as well. Countries such as partnerships are forged around topics Brazil, China, Mexico and Malaysia popular in the developed world, such have made great strides towards mak- as sustainable development or climate ing science and technology, especially change. These issues may be related to biotech, a part of their economies. Yet, the issues of the country itself, but do most developing countries have not felt not specifically address those issues.

It is not hard to imagine that apthe same surge of funding and scientific discovery, especially the countries plied scientific questions would be betof sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, these ter researched if local scientists were countries have suffered from signifi- given the tools to research them withcant brain drain, due to their scientists out needing to appeal to those counchoosing to conduct research in other tries with the most funding. Scientists countries — often because of the avail- would be more likely to understand the scientific questions that need to be ability of funding.

Despite trends in recent years, most posed, and what studies would be most scientific research still occurs in the likely to have a positive influence on developed nations. In terms which policy in their own country. The curcountries’ scientists are being pub- rent multinational partnerships are lished in scientific funded largely by institutions in the journals, the United wealthier countries, which may limit PATRICK States and Europe the areas of research that local scienAMMERMAN are still well ahead tists can pursue.

Moreover, more available funding of the rest of the Popular Science world. The number from the governments of developing of publications in nations would reduce pressure on local scientific journals scientists from publishing in the most by researchers from developing coun- prestigious journals. Major journals tries, accounted for only 30 percent of such as Nature and Science publish publications, up from 20.9 percent in basic research that has little applica2002. Of publications in developing bility outside the natural sciences. If nations, most came from just a handful a nation’s scientists are to study local of countries that have provided signifi- scientific issues, there must be flexibilcant increases in funding for science ity on behalf of the funding agency to in the past few decades:predominantly reward findings that are published in China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey more specialized or regional journals.

In order to create the institutional and Malaysia. Other large, relatively rich countries have seen growth in framework to provide adequate fundtheir science and technology sectors as ing in these developing countries, there well, notably South Africa, Egypt and must be a community of scientists present who can utilize it, and can show Nigeria.

The growth in science and technolo- why it is useful and necessary to answer local questions and gy that has been seen bolster the nation’s in these countries economy. Resource has not come easrich countries could ily. Most developing countries lack the inApplied scientific ques- help to facilitate this, by coupling stitutions responsible tions would be better long-term partnerfor educating scienships between scitists, hiring scientific researched if local entists, who could researchers, and providing funding. To scientists were given the build strong relaencourage scientific tools to research them. tionships with local scientists and gain research, some govfamiliarity with loernments have crecal issues, with imated policies of givprovements in sciing extra rewards to scientists who publish frequently or are entific education. Already, some NGOs published in the most prestigious jour- offer opportunities to high achieving nals. It has been speculated that these students interested in the natural scipolicies have led to more cases of scien- ences. If those students could have tific fraud in these countries due to the opportunities to make livings as scienadded pressure they place on scientists tists in their home countries, scientific to publish. Others have also raised con- communities could be built up over cerns that, in countries such as China, time into thriving, valuable pieces of research funding is not distributed the local economy. Scientific advances fairly, resulting in some researchers offer not only jobs, but local knowledge receiving more funding that is perhaps that informs policy to help people live healthy, happy lives. undeserved.

A country’s strong scientific comFor countries without the wealth or resources necessary to develop a thriv- munity can do a great deal of good for ing scientific community, one strategy all its citizens. The rapid development has been to create partnerships with of the science and technology sector scientists in other countries. These in countries like China exemplifies partnerships can bring in funding to some of the benefits that come with work on basic research in places that the promotion of scientific research. would normally be cost-prohibitive. If developed countries could act more These partnerships also have the ad- intentionally and dutifully to establish vantage of bringing scientific exper- strong scientific communities around tise into the country, which could help the world, the increase in human when research is required to inform lo- knowledge that would create would be a benefit to all mankind. cal policy decisions.

Sports

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

PAGE 15

The Phoenix

Baseball Knocks Out Haverford, Gettysburg To say baseball is doing well right now would be one of the greatest understatements one could make on campus at the moment.

It’s almost difficult to put into words. The Garnet have not lost back-to-back games in a month. They have won 15 out of their last 18 games. And in that stretch, they have had a five-game winning streak and a sevengame winning streak — and they already have strung three games together into a new streak. By upsetting then nationally-ranked Haverford, Swarthmore helped knock the Fords out of the rankings this week. Simply put, this team is on fire.

With a 6-1 record in the Centennial Conference, the Garnet are sitting in second place right now, just one game behind #5 Johns Hopkins. Designated hitter Scoop Ruxin ’15 said that while some people be surprised, the team DAN DUNCAN may isn’t. “We were picked last in the preseason poll, but that has never meant anything to us because we have known from day one that we had the ability to be a very good team,” Ruxin said.

Ruxin added that during the streak, the Garnet have been “beginning to understand how good we can be,” while giving credit to just about everyone on the team. That’s because the team has not been relying on one single leader, and has been winning on both the offensive and defensive ends, as Nicko Burnett ’14 explained. “For the most part we are playing well in every aspect of the game.

And when the bats aren’t as hot, the pitchers pick us up, or if a guy is struggling on the mound the bats have been doing the job.”

Throughout the team’s stretch of exceptional play, the pitching staff has allowed four or fewer runs in 10 of 17 games. Every one of the team’s starting pitchers has been throwing well. Veterans Ramsey Walker ’13 and Luke Alventosa ’15 come to mind, and Ruxen pointed out, “Joe [Warren ’16] and Oscar [Leong ’16] have improved with every start they have made and both threw really well last week.”

Even in the times when opposing teams figure out the Garnet starters, the team has been fortunate to have a reliable relief corps.

Matt Bertuch ’14, Sean Mangus ’13 and Nate Booth ’16 have each done tremendously when called upon to keep close games close or shut down an opponent.

The Garnet aren’t winning on pitching alone though. The team is a powerhouse of-

JUSTIN TORAN-BURRELL/ THE PHOENIX

Pitcher Nate Booth ’16 (top) pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings, earning a win in Tuesday’s defeat of Haverford.

fensively, scoring ten or more runs in seven of the last 17 games, including the last three in a row. But as Burnett pointed out, that kind of prolific-ness is not the work of one

GARNET ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

REBECCA HAMMOND SR., TRACK, WINTERS, C.A.

What She’s Done: Broke the school record in the 1500 (4:36.48) to lead the Garnet teams’ stellar weekend performance.

Favorite Career Moment: Winning the four by eight freshmen year outdoor when we hosted conferences. Nothing like beating Hopkins in a relay at home!

Season Goals: Break the 1500 record again, run a fast eight.

Next Record Target: Haha. The ones I have. 8 and 15.

Favorite Flower Currently Blooming: Flowers. I like them.

DAN DUNCAN/THE PHOENIX

player. “What has been great about the offense recently is that you can’t point to one guy and say he is the reason we’re winning.

We are getting production from the entire

lineup which is what is allowing us to score so many runs.”

The team as a whole is batting .343 on the year, with an impressive .429 on base percentage. Ruxin said knowing everyone can hit is good for the team. “When some people don’t hit well, others always step up for them.”

By far, however, the team’s greatest asset in recent games has been their fighting mentality. Where other teams might fold, the Garnet have realized that, as the great Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” This has led to two impressive comeback wins in the last week alone.

On Saturday, Gettysburg jumped on the Garnet early, running out to an intimidating 8-0 lead. Except, the team didn’t respond by “panicking,” as Ruxin said. Instead, they answered the Bullets’ attack and then some, responding with five runs in the next two innings to get within range, and then adding eight across the seventh and eighth innings to pull out a hard-fought 13-10 victory. Then, rather than rest on their laurels, the Garnet carried that momentum into the second game of the doubleheader, smashing Gettysburg 14-3.

Swarthmore pulled off the comeback again on Tuesday, this time against Washington. Down by two in the eighth inning, the Garnet exploded for six runs to turn the tables and put the game out of reach.

After last night’s 6-1 loss against DeSales, the Garnet have a rough weekend in front of them. On Friday, the team travels to Washington College to close out the twogame series with the Shoremen, while Saturday brings a clash of the top two Centennial teams thus far, as Swarthmore plays host to #5 Johns Hopkins.

First place in the standings is on the line, but Ruxin said the Garnet aren’t worried.

“The great thing about these games is there is no pressure on us. We played without fear against Haverford because we knew that no matter their ranking, we had just as much talent as them ... As long as we take that same attitude into Hopkins, we should be fine.”

With that fearless style of play, the Garnet should prove to be a tough out against the Blue Jays. The first game starts at 12:30 p.m., while the nightcap is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Scoop Ruxin is Sports Writer for The Phoenix. He had no role in the production of this article.

Sports

PAGE 16

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

The Phoenix

Men’s Lacrosse Looks to Pull Off Upsets

By SCOOP RUXIN Sports Writer

For the Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team, every game is a challenge. The Centennial Conference ranks perennially as one of the strongest lacrosse conferences in all of Division III, and this season is no exception.

The conference features three top 20 teams, in 2nd ranked Dickinson, 10th ranked Washington College and 15th ranked Franklin and Marshall, and Gettysburg and Ursinus trail close behind and receive votes in the national poll. In order to compete against such difficult opposition, Swarthmore’s team understands that it must perform at the top of its game every time it steps onto the field.

Despite the team’s 3-6 overall record, the team has proven fearless thus far, refusing to bow to more highly touted opponents. This fearlessness has been especially evident at home, where the Garnet opened Centennial Conference play with a resounding 13-9 victory against Ursinus.

Unfazed by the Bears’ previously undefeated record, virtually every Garnet player contributed in a meaningful way. Steve Selverian ’13 and Andrew Preiser ’15 led the way for the Garnet, scoring three times each.

The pair was followed by Ian Lukaszewicz ’15 and Wes Marcik ‘13, who notched two goals apiece.

The team’s performance against Ursinus exemplified some of the Garnet’s biggest strengths thus far this season. Lukaszewicz noted that “big keys have been

faceoffs, offensive production and goalie play.” Lukaszewicz singled out goalkeeper Jon Cohen ’14 for his particularly important role in the team’s wins, saying that, “Jon Cohen played real well, and without his stellar play, the end result may have been different.”

Lukaszewicz particularly stressed the importance of winning faceoffs, something which Dane Fichter ‘14 and Geli Carabases ’14 did with regularity in the team’s recent victories over Ursinus and Elmira. “The more face offs we win,” Lukaszewicz said, “the more the offense has the ball, and the offense produced well in those two games, scoring double digits in both.”

Both Marcik and Lukaszewicz spoke about what the upset win over Ursinus meant for Swarthmore. Marcik described the game as “a huge highlight to my lacrosse career,” while Lukaszewicz added, “A win at home on a nice day with everyone down at the field is one of the best feelings you can have, and Ursinus was just that.”

He pointed to the game as an indication of what the team is capable of when it plays consistently, saying, “The way we played in that game is the way I know we can play in our other conference games, as long as we can eliminate inconsistencies and play a full 60 minutes.”

Though Swarthmore has lost its two most recent conference games, to Muhlenberg and Gettysburg, the team’s 1-2 conference record leaves it in position to compete for a playoff spot if it plays well in its final five conference games. This task will not be easy; three of those five games are against nationally ranked oppo-

nents, including Saturday’s showdown against Franklin and Marshall at Clothier Field.

While Swarthmore may not appear to be in a strong position, beating Ursinus has proven to the team that they are capable of beating anyone. Marcik said that, “the way we played in that game is the way I know we can play in our other conference games, as long as we can eliminate inconsistencies and play a full 60 minutes.” Lukaszewicz and Marcik agreed that the team’s goal remains to make the Centennial Conference playoffs. While Lukaszewicz acknowledged that “we have the most grueling part of the schedule coming up over the course of the next three weeks,” he stressed that “if we pull wins from conference teams, there is no reason why we still can’t make the playoffs.”

The main key to accomplishing this goal will be for the Garnet to deliver the type of consistent performance that they did against Ursinus in the rest of its games. Marcik noted, “our team can play great or play poorly, depending on who shows up to play,” adding that “this season has been the largest roller coaster I have ever been on.”

The coming three weeks will determine if Swarthmore can withstand the challenge of nationally ranked competition and achieve its goal of qualifying for the playoffs. After the team takes on Franklin and Marshall Saturday, it will hit the road for a nonconference tilt against Drew University April 17, before traveling to Dickinson April 20. The team will play its final home game on April 24, against Washington College.

JUSTIN TORAN-BURRELL/ THE PHOENIX

The Garnet softball team defeated Eastern College on Tuesday afternoon, winning 6-0 in the first game and 10-4 in the second, and included strong performances from the team and pitcher Sarina Lowe ’14 (far right).

sharples friday 4/12/13 re imagined kitao gallery 7-9pm

http://courses.swarthmore.edu/spring2013/group-plane/