The Official Campus Newspaper of Swarthmore College Since 1881 VOL. 136, ISSUE 5
The Phoenix THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
TODAY: Mainly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 74, Low 60. TOMORROW: Chance of rain, wind. High 67, Low 55.
SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM
2010
Jobs: Swarthmore Grads Found Them 2011
2
2012
2
EMPLOYED
By ANNA GONZALES News Writer
Despite the recession and economic downturn, Swarthmore students have continued to secure post-graduate employment in impressive numbers. This steady trend owes itself primarily to diversity in fields of study and to a strong institutional relationship with alumni of varied career paths. Career Services conducts a survey after graduation each year asking new alumni to describe their post-graduation plans, whether they be employment, graduate school, travel, or other. According to Career Services Director Nancy Burkett, around 70-75 percent of seniors respond each year, and the percentages of students pursuing careers or graduate studies have remained steady and relatively unaffected by changes in national unemployment rates. “You might expect with the downturn in the economy in 2008 that more students might have gone into graduate school following graduation,” Burkett said. The non-partisan Economic Policy Institute described the job market for college graduates in May of 2012 as “grim,” as the unemployment rate for college graduates younger than 25 averaged 9.4 percent, with another 19.1 percent performing jobs for which they were overqualified. From 2008 to 2012, however, an average of 61 percent of each of Swarthmore’s graduating classes secured employment, while an average of 21 percent of new alumni matriculated to graduate school, with the rest of the class reporting travel or “other.” These percentages remained relatively constant throughout 2008 to 2012, with the biggest change occurring from 2008 to 2009, when the number of students with employment dropped eight percent and those going to graduate school increased by three percent. Post-graduation plans also differed from major to major. “What tends to happen is in certain majors, students cluster around job types or job families,” Burkett said. “Economics majors cluster around economic consulting, and biology majors cluster around scientific research. Many of those students target their careers in those fields.” With the social sciences and humanities, though, these targeted job groupings disappear. “The type of employment is more diverse, because majors like political science prepare you for a wide range of fields, and there’s not just a certain path laid out before you,” Burkett said. Burkett explained that separating out trends from the survey data would be difficult because of the characteristic variety of Swarthmore students’ goals and priorities. “It’s rare that two Swarthmore graduates go to work for the same employer,” Burkett said. Though many Swarthmore students, at least in their first year after graduation, pursue careers in teaching, scientific research, economic consulting, and non-profit work, the employment plans are still remarkably varied when compared to those of other institutions. “Swarthmore graduates are incredibly diverse in their interests, in their passions, in their commitments, and that plays out in the careers they choose upon graduation,” Burkett said. Continued on Page 4
GRADUATE SCHOOL
OTHER
Volleyball on Nine-Game Winning Streak
AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA/THE PHOENIX
Brone Lobichusky, 7, and Zahra Ahmed, 8, go up for the block during Saturday’s game against Dickinson, securing the Garnet a 3-0 win. PAGE 19.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
NEWS PETITION QUESTIONS P.E. REQUIREMENT
LIVING & ARTS OLYMPIC STAR TO SPEAK AT HAVERFORD
SPORTS OPINIONS SO FAR TO GO: HILTON’S TENNIS DOMINATES IN TOURNAMENTS CHOICE WORDS
Students complaining of inconvenient, insufficiently rigorous P.E. courses have created a petition asking for a more flexible requirement. It has attracted over 30 signatures so far. PAGE 4
Olympic bronze medalist John Carlos, who achieved fame in the 1968 Olympics with his Black Power salute alongside teammate Tommie Smith, will present a lecture on the role of political activists. PAGE 8
Sean uses Paris Hilton’s recent homophobic rant as an example of the need for us all to shoulder greater social responsibility, and speak up when someone makes an offensive remark. PAGE 16
The Garnet competed and found success at tournaments featuring Division I and other high-level competition, winning matches at both the singles and doubles levels. PAGE 20
PAGE 2
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix MARCUS MELLO, Editor in Chief MENGHAN JIN, Managing Editor
The News Section KOBY LEVIN, Editor AMANDA EPSTEIN, Assistant Editor News Writers NEHMAT KAUR CHI ZHANG PATRICK HAN
SARAH COE-ODESS ANNA GONZALEZ CHARLES HEPPER The Living & Arts Section
STEVEN HAZEL, Editor ALLI SHULTES, Assistant Editor GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE, Columnist AKURE IMES, Columnist DEBORAH KRIEGER, Columnist BRAD LENOX, Columnist VIANCA MASUCCI, Columnist KIERAN REICHERT, Columnist LANIE SCHLESSINGER, Columnist ZOE WRAY, Columnist SAM ZHANG, Columnist ELIZABETH KRAMER, Artist RENU NADKARNI, Artist PRESTON COOPER, Puzzlemaster Living & Arts Writers TAYLOR HODGES AXEL KODAT
JEANNETTE LEOPOLD
ZHENGLONG ZHOU/PHOENIX STAFF
The Opinions Section
Web Content
PRESTON COOPER, Editor PATRICK AMMERMAN, Columnist TYLER BECKER, Columnist SEAN BRYANT, Columnist DANIELLE CHARETTE, Columnist AARON KROEBER, Columnist HARSHIL SAHAI, Columnist
ERIC SHERMAN, Webmaster
The Sports Section
Copy
DANIEL DUNCAN, Editor ROY GREIM, Writer JENNI LU, Writer JAMES IVEY, Columnist SCOOP RUXIN, Columnist
ALLISON McKINNON, Circulation Manager AXEL KODAT, Social Media Coordinator CAMILA RYDER, Publicity Coordinator HARSHIL SAHAI, Business Manager
JOYCE WU, Chief Copy Editor Copy Editors SARAH COE-ODESS SOPHIE DIAMOND ALICE KIM
Graphics PARKER MURRAY, Art Director
LAUREN KIM JEANNETTE LEOPOLD RAZI SHABAN
The Phoenix is located in:
Graphics Editors MIREILLE GUY JULIA NEE
Business Management
ALLEGRA POCINKI NYANTE ASHERMAN
Parrish Hall, Offices 470-472 500 College Ave Swarthmore, PA 19081
Photography
Tel 610.328.7362
JULIA CARLETON, Editor RAISA REYES, Editor Photographers MARTIN FROGER-SILVA AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA SADIE RITTMAN
Email editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Web swarthmorephoenix.com NITHYA SWAMINATHAN ZHENGLONG ZHOU ADRIANA OBIOLS
Please direct advertising requests to advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change. Mail subscriptions are available for $60 a year or $35 a semester. Please direct subscription requests to Marcus Mello. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
Master Plan Forum: Students and Administrators Meet To Discuss Future of Campus PAGE 6 (Photo by Sadie Rittman)
NEWS Q&A With Student Council’s New Co-President
Kieran Reichert draws a map of Swarthmore in which the only landmarks are his memories from four years of experience, emotion and reflection. PAGE 11
It’s Bedtime at Swarthmore
OPINIONS Staff Editorial
The Phoenix argues that the Swarthmore Inn will not Dean Myrt Westphal kicks of the Wellness Center’s The Phoenix interviews new Co-President Victor Brady new monthly series featuring faculty readers and child- necessarily bring the promised benefits, in addition to causing inconvenience and bearing a hefty price tag. about his goals, motivations and inspirations. PAGE 3 hood classics. PAGE 11 PAGE 16 Bystanders Beware: Workshops To Be Held
for Bystander Interventions
Bystander Intervention workshops will be held on September 28 and November 16 for students in different organizations in order to help them better deal with difficult situations on campus. PAGE 3
New Clubs on Campus
The App and Investment Clubs are (re)invented in hopes of reaching and helping students that may be interested in more business-oriented industries. PAGE 5
LIVING & ARTS
Brews Clues: In Defense of Brewpubs, Not that they Need It
Disappearing Doctors
I Am Sam: Giant Squids in the Rain
Middle East Turmoil: Solidarity is Messy
Patrick predicts that the nation’s health care system will Brad Lenox charts the history of Craft Beer through see increasing strain in the coming years as physicians the Prohibition era to the present and includes a review become scarcer. PAGE 17 of Iron Hill brewery in Media. PAGE 12 Last Saturday’s torrential downpour inspires reflection on previous relationships en route to The Giant Squid performance. PAGE 13
Missing Parts: Suggestions for Singles
The campus’s favorite sex columnist shares advice on how to navigate the territory between one-night stand and Swat marriage. PAGE 13
Smart Swat Shopping: Latest Trends Come Aesthetic Apperceptions: What a Museum Should Be at a High Price South Moon Under, a Philadelphia boutique that caters Columnist Zoe Wray applauds the Rodin Museum’s renovations for emphasizing paintings over profit. to men and women and offers a dazzling range of acPAGE 14 cessories, is a place to splurge to not to shop regularly. It’s All About Self-Expression PAGE 8 EVS Tech David Toland’s new column focuses on the Ivona, Princess of Burgundia lessons learned from his experiences as a father, a The Philly Fringe Festival’s production portrays the soldier, and now a vital member of the Swarthmore play’s namesake as smarter — and less believable — community. PAGE 14 than Swarthmore’s Spring 2011 production. PAGE 9
Habit of Art: A Constellation of Memory
Danielle questions whether America’s policy toward the Middle East will solve the perennial problems with the region. PAGE 17
SPORTS Rugby Teams Growing by Leaps and Bounds
Roy Greim sits down with ruggers to talk about one of the fastest growing club sports in the country. PAGE 18
Foosball: A Sport for All of Us
Jamie takes a look at a version of soccer even the leastathletic of us can play and thrive at. PAGE 18
Golf Takes Its First Swings in Fall Tournaments The golf team competes at tournaments in Harrisburg and Swarthmore, and finds hopeful signs in the early season. PAGE 19
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
News
PAGE 3
The Phoenix
New StuCo President Discusses Goals, Experience
Victor Brady Fields Questions from Phoenix Reporter Sarah Coe-Odess By SARAH COE-ODESS News Writer
Sarah Coe-Odess: Why did you decide to run for co-president? Victor Brady: I’m really focused on working to make Swarthmore more accessible and user-friendly. I think having been here for three plus years now, repeated things keep coming up. And how do you go about addressing them? I figured that this was a pretty good way. SC: Have you been considering running for a while? VB: After serving as Student Life Representative, I decided to run as co-president as a senior. I had the chance to work with really capable leaders in Simon Zhu ’11 and Olivia Ensign ’12. They set the bar pretty high. SC: What qualities did you learn from them? VB: They were very big on action. There was a big culture of inaction in Student Council, and they were able to make some progress on that front. I’m sure they would have liked to do more, and I wanted to do more. So I want to continue to do that. Simon, having worked as manager of SBC, was very attuned to the budgeting and student finances, and that’s something that’s going to be increasingly important. SC: What is the first thing you want to accomplish? VB: We had a meeting on September 24th, and we have four or five things we’re starting to work on. Haverford and Bryn Mawr both have programs to get free SEPTA tickets to get into the city for entertainment purposes, and we want a system like that. Ian Anderson ’13 and I are working on a proposal to have students work at the coffee bars until 2:00 in the morning […] to create student jobs. And we’re having every member propose something on that type of scale and divide up next week to discuss them. We don’t want to accomplish just one idea — we’re working on many fronts. SC: What are you most looking forward to as co-president? VB: Accomplishing some of these things. There’s been a lot of talk about late night food options, and SEPTA tickets have come up year after year. We have a very dedicated group on Student Council that wants to make things happen, and I think it will be very fulfilling and beneficial to the community. SC: What do you hope to learn from the experience?
ZHENGLONG ZHOU/PHOENIX STAFF
Victor Brady will join Gabriella Capone as co-president of Student Council. Brady, who is heavily involved in the athletic department and has served as Student Life Representative, hopes to bring his experience to the position in achieving his goals.
VB: I certainly hope to see other people’s sides to Swarthmore. Everyone has a very unique Swarthmore experience, and working as a head tour guide has helped me get a better window into people’s Swarthmore experiences. I think Student Council will as well. I want to learn what are other people’s concerns and visions, and how can we work for that as a community? SC: What has been an important decision StuCo has made during your time at Swat that you want to model your work after? VB: I think the Small Steps Forward campaign we started a year and a half ago was critical. Prior to that, there was no form of student suggestions after the elections, which, quite frankly, I think is quite shocking. I think the Small Steps Forward is critical to maintaining legitimacy and policy
change. SC: How do you think working with Student Council is different than working with a Swarthmore athletic team? VB: Delegation is going to be critical to being successful at Student Council. Understanding that every one of us, regardless of our title, plays an equal role in achieving what we want, which I think is very similar to an athletic team. Everyone on the field and on the team plays an equal role in the success, so I think that’s similar. SC: Do you think you can apply any qualities that you’ve acquired from being so involved in the athletic department to being co-president? VB: I think that especially the field hockey and softball teams have been extremely welcoming and supportive of my work, de-
spite my Y chromosome, and I think that goes back to understanding the different Swarthmore experiences and valuing individual experiences and emphases here in the community. SC: If you could compare your leadership skills to any athlete or coach, who would it be and why? VB: J.J. Watt on the Houston Texans has the most remarkable motor that I can remember seeing in an athlete. […] His work ethic is unparalleled, and his foundation Dream Big, Work Hard helps youth in Wisconsin. I wear his wristbands on both arms. His card’s motto is, “No dream is too big if you have the right work ethic.” I think that’s a really good reminder and a way that I try to work, and that I hope our student council will try to work this year and this semester.
Dean of Students Division Initiates Bystander Intervention Training By CHI ZHANG News Writer
Last spring at Pub Nite, a guest of a Swarthmore student waved a Confederate flag around, and continued to do so even when people requested that he stopped. It is this kind of scene in which bystanders may feel a need to do something, but don’t know the best ways to defuse rather than escalate the situation. To address this, the Dean of Students division of the college is organizing and sponsoring bystander intervention workshops on September 28 and November 16. Dean of Students Liz Braun said the trainings are “in direct response to student concerns we heard last year about wanting more support and skill-building about how to intervene in difficult situations,” such as a conflict or unacceptable behavior. “Students reported that these types of issues often come up in peer-to-peer settings such as campus parties and the residence halls,” said Braun. She believes the bystander training can provide a good model “since it focuses on strategies for assessing
the most appropriate response.” The bystander intervention workshops include two three-hour sessions, one for staff in the morning and another for students in the afternoon on both of these dates. About 15-20 staff members and 4050 students are expected to participate. The staff members are from the Dean’s Office, Environmental Services, Public Safety, Athletics, and the Lang Center, and the student representatives are from groups such as Party Associates, Resident Assistants, Student Academic Mentors, Intercultural Center, Student Council, Sexual Misconduct Advisors and Resource Team, Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, Phi Psi, Delta Upsilon, and Not Yet Sisters. “I am especially pleased that Dean Braun has opened up the training to various organizations on the campus,” said Thomas Elverson, alcohol education and intervention specialist at the college. “Participants will be trained how to intervene in a correct and vigilant manner.” Vijay Pendakur, director of the office of multicultural student success at depaul university, will conduct the training sessions.
Pendakur “has also done work specifically applying the bystander model to issues of homophobia and racism, which I thought was particularly timely based on issues from last spring,” Dean Braun said. Those workshops “will be highly interactive and give participants an opportunity to enhance their own skills in cross-cultural communication and bystander intervention,” she said. The workshops will also provide another way to build community and establish new connections between student organizations and departments. Party Associate Coordinator Ben Kapilow ’13 expects that the workshops “will shed light onto the various types of events that could disrupt the safe and comfortable party atmosphere that Swarthmore seeks to achieve.” Since his freshman year as a Party Associate, Kapilow said he has witnessed some incidents and heard about others in which “party-goers were placed into uncomfortable and sometimes unhealthy situations ,either directly or indirectly.” “Though Swarthmore parties are comparatively tame, there have certainly been many harmful or at least potentially harm-
ful situations at parties in the past in which bystander intervention was or would have been helpful,” Kapilow said. He believes after this workshop, the participants will have a stronger understanding of what they should do when disruptions happen. As a member of many sexual misconduct prevention groups and an organizer of sexual misconduct related activities on campus, Lisa Sendrow ’13 will go to this training due to her affiliation with the Sexual Misconduct Advisors and Resource Team (SMART). “I want to see the issue through the lens of other groups and see how our campus is training students to have more of a role,” Sendrow said. Charles Tse ’13, representing Delta Upsilon Fraternity at the workshops, is also “looking forward to engaging in discussions with other participants on keeping Swarthmore a comfortable environment for all.” The workshops are just a start. Dean Braun said that she hopes the training “will build expertise here on campus so that we can continue to offer this type of workshop for students and staff every year.”
News
PAGE 4
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
Petition Seeks Changes to P.E. Requirement Students Tell of Gym Class Interrupting Their Workout Schedules
replaces many individual exercise routines.” It was Schlessinger’s personal exAs freshmen flood campus and Ori- perience as a freshman last year that entation Week begins in earnest, the sparked off the idea for this petition. She settled for Fitness Training afchaos of settling in — buying things, losing things, picking classes — also ter being lotteried out of tennis and includes finding a way to satisfy the squash, but this was inconvenient. In her words, “My Fitness Training class physical education requirement. Though not an entirely common was at 7:30 p.m. which was inconvepractice amongst colleges, Swarthmore nient because I had to stop what I was is part of a group that imposes a physi- doing at a prescribed time to go to a silly class. It was really frustrating for me.” Schlessinger doesn’t identify herself as a lazy student with a disinclination for completing the PE requirement. She justifies her stance on the petition by saying, “I’m extremely dedicated to my fitness, I work out every day; I just like to do it on my own schedule.” Through the petition, she hopes to bring about a more flexible system of completing the requirement so that other students don’t suffer the inconvenience she encountered last year and may have to continue to suffering in order to complete her PE requirement in her sophomore year. Of the many changes put forward in the petition, the most prominent is the demand for having an independent study option to allow for a more flexible schedule for students and the KAYLA MORITZKY/PHOENIX STAFF introduction of proSean Thaxter and Dominic Rizzo do strength training. grams like Couch to 5K, Insanity Workouts cal education requirement which its and P90X workouts. To the potential argument that instudents need to complete for graduation. The requirement amounts to four dependent study doesn’t allow for sucredits that need to be completed over pervision or monitoring by the college makes, Schlessinger retorts that there the first two years of college. In the eyes of Lanie Schlessinger ‘15 was barely any supervision when she and a growing group of signees, how- took Fitness Training last year and ever, this asks too much. Schlessinger, so there would not be a big difference an english major, has recently come up from the present system. The existence of intramural club with a petition titled “Petition to Develop Alternative Options to the Four- sports that offer PE credit and dance Credit Physical Education Require- classes like salsa and tango, which are ment” to reform the college’s physical popular options for PE, are not considered rigorous enough by Schlessinger, education requirements. According to the petition, her reason who feels, “To the administration’s for proposing changes to the system is, credit, these are awesome options for “The PE requirement largely overlooks people who don’t already have an exerathletic students who do not partici- cise routine but for people who already pate in the Swarthmore athletic depart- work out that’s silly. Salsa dancing is ment.” The petition adds, “There are not a good substitute for my physical many students who do not participate fitness training. While she acknowledges that this in the school’s athletic programming but do observe strict or semi-strict isn’t a big issue for most of the student physical exercise routines and there is body, she is convinced that there are no physical education class, including others who feel the same as her. JudgFitness Training, that appropriately ing by the number of signatures the peBy NEHMAT KAUR News Writer
‘Senior Jobs’, continued from page 1 This diversity helped shield Swarthmore students from the nationwide economic troubles of the past years, Burkett remarked. “Fundamentally, our diversity is our strength,” she said. Burkett said that at many colleges, a majority of students enter fields such as consulting or investment banking. This is not the case at Swarthmore, where students explore numerous fields outside of areas which traditionally hire a large number of recent college graduates. “When the recession resulted in job downturn for many of these areas — consulting, finance — our students weren’t as impacted
tition has collected to date, 35 students implementing the changes proposed by share her sentiments about bringing a the petition. “PE is not about meeting your personal workout requirements. change to the system. The biggest peeve for Schlessinger It’s about allowing for regular activiand others is the fixed timing of many ties that help with health and wellactivities, especially for fitness train- ness,” she said. Chwastyk, who has been in charge ing. Josh Hallquist ’14, a supporter of the petition, commented online, “The of the PE Department for eight years, noted that the petitime issue is the tion is not the first biggest to me. Few of its kind that she’s people work out at exactly the same I’m extremely dedicated come across in her time at Swarthtime daily, and for to my fitness, I work out more. “The mission a college student, even a 3x a week every day; I just like to do of our department is trying to meet commitment to the it on my own schedule. the needs of every same time can be an issue. I think Lanie Schlessinger ’15 student and trying to do right by the the individualized student body,” she timing alternative said. makes more sense.” “We’re excited about receiving stuPE Coordinator and Women’s Volleyball Coach Harleigh Chwastyk re- dent input and while some of the petisponded to the creation of the petition. tioned changes are implementable, oth“Our department did an internal/exter- ers are not because the PE Department nal review a year and a half ago and is structured like an academic departis currently in the process of trying to ment,” she added, implying that the PE follow through on all the information Department cannot be as flexible as the collected and acting upon it,” she said. petitioners would like it to be. Lanie Schlessinger is a living and “We are assessing our curriculum and arts columnist for The Phoenix. She had we know that we need changes.” However, she is noncommittal about no role in the production of this article.
KAYLA MORITZKY/PHOENIX STAFF
Dominic Rizzo works on lunges with Eric Hoffman, strength and conditioning coach, in the weight room.
by that,” Burkett said. A strong alumni network also protected Swarthmore graduates from the impact of the economic turmoil. Burkett said that many job postings and internship postings are from alumni in a wide range of career paths, and that alumni support continued throughout the recession. Despite the steady numbers of employed graduates, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon ’13, a special major in philosophy and literature, still seemed cautious regarding her job prospects after graduation. She said that though she felt optimistic, she recognized that she was only at the beginning of her job search. “If you look at the national numbers, jobs have been added for college graduates, but some members of last year’s class have been looking for jobs for a long time and
still haven’t found anything,” she said. Wiltshire-Gordon was also curious as to why the other 20% of each class was neither employed nor pursuing graduate studies, and attributed this to rejection from jobs and graduate schools. Burkett felt that the futures of Swarthmore graduates appear bright, and said that job posting numbers and employers recruiting on campus were both up. She believes that students will be presented with a number of diverse opportunities as they begin their search this year. If Swarthmore students continue to pursue a wide variety of disciplines and interests, and if alumni connections remain productive, it seems that post-graduate employment will hold steady, no matter the economic forces buffeting the nation.
News
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
PAGE 5
The Phoenix
New and Reimagined Clubs Debut Investment Club and App Club Offer Real World Skills
portfolio. At the upcoming meeting, CoPresident Aliya Padamsee ‘14 will present a “practical, technical approach to riskaverse trading.” Discussions of assigned reading mateSwarthmore College’s already prodi- rial such as Burton Malakiel’s “A Random gious list of student-run organizations has Walk Down Wall Street,” a classic finanexpanded even further this semester with cial text analyzing various investment the revival of the previously dormant In- techniques and stock market behavior, vestment Club and the foundation of the will also play a prominent part. Working in a similar vein, the App App Club. Although both focus on highly lucra- Club seeks to augment members’ classtive industries, neither clubs’ immedi- room knowledge with hands-on approach ate interests seem to be solely pecuniary. to product development. “The Computer Both hope to provide students interested Science department at Swarthmore is in these industries with opportunities great, but it focuses mainly on CS theto expand their skill set and apply what ory. Our club offers the unique chance they’ve learned in the classroom to more to apply the theory to reality, and create some really cool stuff along the way,” the real-life problems and scenarios. club stated in a “The mission group email. of our club is to Like Investprovide inter- I hope to convince my peers that ment Club, the ested Swarthinvesting can be a rewarding, profits App more students stimulating and socially Club hopes to with the opporearn seem to tunity to learn beneficial career. be mostly inand become Adam Silver ’14 tangible. “Our better investors. Along the way, Investment Club Co-President main profit is what we learn I hope to confrom the develvince my peers that investing can be a rewarding, stimu- opment process. We’re not precisely sure lating and socially beneficial career,” In- how SBC would react if we decided to sell vestment Club Co-President Adam Silver our Apps. We will likely keep them free, and if we don’t we’ll make sure, in true ’14 said. Investment Club’s main activities will Swattie tradition, that the profits go to a involve members working together to good cause,” the group responded. Although both groups’ missions are maintain a mock portfolio of equities and fixed income, with the ultimate goal of comparable, their size is not. While Inoutperforming set benchmarks for each vestment Club currently boasts 75 stuclass of assets. The club is currently in the dents on its mailing list and a first meeting process of selecting members that will be attendance of 25, App Club has capped its membership at five to promote close coresponsible for specific asset classes. The club also hopes to educate mem- operation between coders. “There hasn’t been much interest from bers on specific investment strategies and techniques. At the club’s meeting the student body. We work with some on the 21st, Financial Analyst Nathan fairly obscure technologies that don’t exNewport of the College Investment Of- actly make a lot of headlines, so the popufice described the school’s approach to lation that’s actually interested is pretty managing its endowment and offered small,” the club email stated. Numbers aside, members of both clubs suggestions for managing the club’s mock By CHARLIE HEPPER News Writer
seem positive about the directions their organizations have taken. While App Development Club has remained much more low-key, this seems to fit into its overall ad hoc structure and plans. In regards to its future activities, the group responded: “In the immortal words of nuclear physicist Richard Feynman, we’re making it up as we go along.” Investment Club members have complimented of the organization’s membership diversity and overall approach. “When I first joined the club my freshman year, it was predominantly composed of Phi Psi brethren. Most members seemed purely interested in the money-making aspect of investing and not the processes and risks involved. I think the current membership base represents a much more diverse and multi-focused population,” said Parker Murray ’15. Murray further stated that he feels the club has a lot to offer individuals who aren’t as interested in finance careers; “I personally don’t have any plans to go on Wall Street and am more interested in the club for its money management applications.” Investment Club Co-President Aliya Padamsee summed up both clubs’ modus operandi by referencing her own experience in the field of investing: “Other than seminars I’ve attended on [futures and options], I’ve learned by doing!” Parker Murray is the Art Director of The Phoenix. He had no role in the conception or production of this article.
Buy Your Parents a Subscription of The Phoenix! Subscribing to The Phoenix is a great way for parents and alumni to keep in touch with the latest in Swarthmore life. As a studentrun newspaper, we cover the issues that students care about and give you a ground-level view of what’s really happening on campus.
Get our in-depth coverage mailed to you every week that we publish. Just $35 for a semester, $60 for a full academic year. You can subscribe on our website or by mail. Make your check payable to “The Phoenix”. The Phoenix is mailed to subscribers on a weekly basis.
Best Pizza in Town! 1029 E Woodland Ave. Springfield, PA
610.544.4951 www.firepitpizzeria.com
10% discount to all Swarthmore students
Does not apply to online orders AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA/PHOENIX STAFF
Investment Club Co-Presidents Adam Silver and Aliya Padamsee.
Fast delivery!
News
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
Master Plan Forum
Students and Administrators Meet To Discuss Future of Campus By PATRICK HAN News Writer
This past Tuesday afternoon, Swarthmore administrators and Strategic Planning Council Members gathered in the Scheuer Room to present their developing nascent ideas for the “Campus Master Plan” to an open student forum Swarthmore students and to receive feedback from the forum. The Master Plan comprises various construction and renovation projects that the administration aims to pursue within the next 15 to 25 years to optimize quality of life for the students, faculty, and staff of Swarthmore College. Despite its name, the purpose of the forum was to make the planning process more transparent, democratic, and malleable to the greater campus community, not necessarily to cement concrete plans. “This forum is for idea generation, not announcing final decisions,” declared Stu Hain, vice president of facilities and services. And with a strong showing by students who are passionate about Swarthmore, many ideas were generated in the hour-long discussion. Adam Gross, a Baltimore architect and the keynote speaker, presented a handful of potential campus improvement projects conceived by him and the Council. Responsible for many of the new construction projects at Swarthmore and the University of Virginia, he related the way in which architecture, landscaping, and the environment interact to produce the overarching ethos of a living and learning space like Swarthmore. Gross began by discussing the need for more social and work spaces “on top of the hill,” away from the residence halls, ones on the same vein as the “Gateway Arch” attached to Duke University’s Perkins Library, a predominantly glass study space where campus residents can work and socialize. “When my dad came to visit, we found it surprisingly hard to find a good space to talk,” one student shared, highlighting the need for more common spaces on campus. “All the social spaces were too loud and we couldn’t talk very loudly in the academic spaces like the library.” Gross also pointed to another source of architectural inspiration from Duke University: “Duke Link,” a multipurpose student center with flexible furniture, whiteboards for walls, and AV and IT features that are on the cutting edge of academic-oriented technology. The council hopes to follow the same principle of creating more modern and flexible social spaces by relying more heavily on glass materials and introducing more natural lighting into building interiors. The discussion then shifted to the various clusters of residence hall scattered about campus. Concerning Alice Paul, David Kemp, and Willets, Gross detailed proposals for new vegetated “Green Roofs,” which are already installed atop several residence halls and maximize building efficiency by cutting air conditioning costs and managing stormwater. He also explained the possibility of replacing the “gloomy Northern entrance” to campus with “less dense greenery, similar to that of the Parrish lawns.” Gross continued by cataloguing numerous design “alternatives” and options, like constructing a new 80-bed residence hall in the area, a T-shaped architectural addition to Willets, and more archways above walkways. Similar motifs of open and enclosed common spaces manifested in potential projects for Clothier, Wharton, Hallowell, and Dana. Gross brought up the idea of “getting rid of the tennis field [near Wharton] altogether and moving it elsewhere on campus” and replacing it with a circular field. He also proposed building a new residence hall with more common spaces and a level of underground parking, an idea that was well-received by community residents at Swarthmore
Adam Gross, a Baltimore-based architect, presents a series of potential campus improvement options.
town meetings. Students were particularly excited about potential renovations to Clothier Hall, including re-activating more entrances. “Essie Mae’s is really crowded,” one student pointed out. “I like this idea because it would allow more room for people to eat and talk together.” Another student added that “the game room gets crowded too when people are waiting their turn to play ping pong, pool, and foosball.” An idea that drew an enthusiastic student response was “taking out” Upper Tarble and replacing it with a more flexible student space that aesthetically resembles the Hogwarts-like halls of the University of Chicago. Yet one attendee pointed out that “Upper Tarble is one of the only dance spaces on campus aside from LPAC. It’s frequently used by dance clubs like Tango and Swing so the administration would have to provide an alternative space for dancers.” Matthew Goldman ’15, however, countered that “dance spaces can be replaced by the new buildings that will be constructed by the administration,” displaying his enthusiastic support for renovating Tarble. “I have a vision of walking into Clothier one day, and seeing the light coming into those big windows and there will be spaces to do work and to hang out and a space to eat that doesn’t make me anxious to go in there.” Regarding the balance between historical tradition and functional modernity, he believes that “there is no tension” between the two concepts as long as the fusion is well implemented architecturally. Another hot topic was the fate of Sharples. Gross and the council acknowledged the inadequacy of space to accommodate 1,500 students, and promised to develop more ideas on how to address this need. Students also highlighted the fact that the dining hall is typically dimly lit during the day and that more windows would at once illuminate the space and save energy. Some students also raised concerns over the need for better integration of the PPR Halls and the rest of campus. Elizabeth Braun, dean of students, reminded the students that construction will soon begin on the new inn on the southern end of campus and that the bookstore will be relocated from Tarble
to the basement of the inn, which may address the campus integration problem. Another open forum will be held on Thursday, October 5th to focus on staff issues. On Wednesday, October 24th, a third forum will be held, focusing more on the faculty perspective and needs pertaining to academic and research facilities. Each of these forums will be open to students who are interested in the future planning and design of the Swarthmore campus. The importance of campus planning
SADIE RITTMAN/PHOENIX STAFF
goes without saying. “If you ask freshmen why they chose their colleges, they usually say one of two things,” Gross said in a recent article in Slate Magazine. “Either they got a good financial aid package or they thought the campus was beautiful.” The aesthetic appeal of a campus is able to attract not only prospective students, but also tourists. With such important decisions about the future of the campus to be made, the future of the Swarthmore community is in students’ hands.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 7
The Phoenix
Latest Trends Come at a High Price
Gaby Looks In On South Moon Under South Moon Under is a small boutique whose mission is to offer an eclectic mix of women’s and men’s fashions as well as accessories and gift for the home. It is part of a small chain of stores which provides online shopping and has 17 stores nationwide. There are some days that I really want to buy a bunch of stuff and store it all in my closet and smile at how useful that must feel, but there are also other days when I go on a mission looking for key novelty items, when one or two will do justice. The latter feeling suddenly struck me this past week, and I went along with it. It was too overwhelming to ignore. I decided to revisit South Moon Under after I was first introduced to it during an event for Philadelphia’s Fashion Night Out. The four-story space has a unique layout. Three floors are dedicated to womenswear, and the lower level is specific to menswear. Additionally, the top floor is dedicated to sale items for women. Currently, there is an abundance of resort and summer clothing in the sale section. GABRIELA One thing you should know before shopping here is that South Moon Under is definitely a place where you would CAMPOVERDE splurge. Most of the regular priced items are $50 and over. Smart Swat Shopping That being said, my favorite aspect of South Moon Under is its collection of brands, which include some of my favorites. Here, you can find Rebecca Minkoff, Free People, BB Dakota, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Frye and Michael Stars for women and Penguin, Alternative Apparel, Quiksilver, RVCA and Life After Denim for men. The boutique remains up-to-date and sells small quantities of different styles. I visited this store two weeks later and could not find the style dress I had seen previously. Additionally, this location is on top of the latest fall trends and is slowly accumulating more clothing for the upcoming cold weather. There is no doubt you can find a graphic sheath dress, scuba jacket or silk scarf here for women and camelcolored pants, an oversized overcoat or a leather jacket for men. South Moon Under caters to those looking for pieces that you can easily slip into and know you are dressed up-to-date. Moreover, there is a plus side to this location being part of a chain: if your size or color is not available in-store and is online, you can have it shipped to you free of charge. As much as I would like to say that we should make South Moon Under our default Center City shop, its price range does not scream college student budget. However, I felt the need to share and recognize this wonderful boutique. South Moon Under Rating: 4 out of 5 1731 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-563-2298 southmoonunder.com
the
OUTSIDE
BUBBLE
Center City Restaurant Week September 30 - October 5 and October 7-12 Throughout Philadelphia
Starting this Sunday, you can grab a meal in downtown Philadelphia for a fixed price of $20-35. Restaurant Week focuses on the Center City restaurant district of Philadelphia, and includes over 100 participating restaurants. Restaurant cuisines range from Italian to Greek, Indian and Middle Eastern food. Due to its popularity, reservations must be made in advance and can be entered at www.centercityphila.org. Check out restaurant and menu options in advance at www.centercityphila.org/ life/RWRestaurants.php and make your reservation selection as soon as possible!
COURTESY OF EATINGLV.COM
College Day 2012 Kickoff DJ Dance Party Friday, September 28 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Before College Day 2012 kicks off this Saturday, September 29, Campus Philly is hosting a “Philadelphia DJ Dance Party”. The party will begin at 5:45 p.m. at the Great Stair Hall of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Performances include Philly-based DJ Phoenix, Rich Medina and The Marksmen, and Jump N Funk. In addition to the dance party, museum galleries will be open throughout the evening. Campus Philly College Day will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. Museums offering free admission to students with ID include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, the Eastern State Penitentiary, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the National Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross House, Liberty 360, Franklin Square, and The Franklin Institute.
COURTESY OF ALTIERISEBORWIEBER.COM
Hairspray
September 26 - November 4 The Media Theatre “Hairspray”, the Tony winning musical that ran for nearly seven years, comes to The Media Theater located on East State Street. The play, which is set in the early 1960s in Baltimore, tells the story of teenager Tracy Turnblad, who becomes an overnight sensation after winning a role on a local television dance program. “Hairspray” features a live orchestra and Springfield’s very own Victoria Mayo in the lead role. Tickets are $49 for adults. GABRIELA CAMPOVERDE/PHOENIX STAFF
COURTESY OF LIFE360.COM
Living & Arts
PAGE 8
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
Olympic Star John Carlos to Speak at Haverford
Bronze Medalist Will Explore Intersecting Roles of Public Figures and Activists By ALLI SHULTES Assistant Living & Arts Editor
As the last strains of the Star-Spangled Banner lingered over the Olympic stadium, the United States 200-meter dash medalists Tommie Smith and John Carl o s we re m e t with a salvo of jeering. They stood with their heads bowed, black-gloved fists extended upwards in a symbol of solidarity with the Black Power movement sweeping through the states. Their feet, donn i n g b l a c k socks in a gesture towards Americans living in poverty, are planted outside the frame of what has become one of the most iconic photographs in the history of the Games. Smith’s black scarf and Carlos’s rosary beads, representing black pride and the victims of lynching, have also faded from public collective memory. These details are overshadowed by the resolute lines cast skyward in support of a struggling civil rights movement. They stepped from the medal podium into the heat of 1968 Mexico City and the wrath of the International Olympic Committee. Immediately expelled from the Olympic Village, they returned home to stinging backlash, perhaps best captured by a Time Magazine headline parodying the motto of the Games — “Harder, Faster, Stronger” — with the words “Angrier, Nastier, Uglier.” The athletes, founding members of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) established in 1967, received hate mail and death threats from an outraged public. Carlos, whose activism has continued long after the shutter closed in 1968, will be speaking at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Stokes Auditorium at Haverford College. His discussion, which will include Haverford Associate Professor of History Alexander Kitroeff, aims to address questions on the intersecting responsibilities of public figures and activists through the retelling of his path to the ’68 Olympic Games and the trajectory his life took afterwards. A major cause of contention following the Games in 1968 arose from a feeling that national problems did not warrant an airing on a venue as publicized as the Games. The conflicting visions of the Games as a celebration of international camaraderie and a repression of internal disputes continue to surface in modern times. Leading up to the 2008 Beijing Games, rumors circulated of athlete boycotts over the troubling human rights abuses inflicted on the Tibetan people by the Chinese government; in Mexico, conflicts between private and state interests are already surfacing over preparations for the 2016 Games. “[The Olympic Games] function as a venue of inclusiveness and understanding among different nations as well as take patriotism to nationalist extremes,” Kitroeff said in an e-mail. “As we speak, there are ongoing pro-
tests in Rio de Janeiro in some of the favelas, the poor Carlos has continued to stand against social injusneighborhoods which may be razed to make way for the tices despite his reception following the 1968 Games. infrastructure of the 2016 Olympics.” He served as a torch-bearer for the 2008 Human Rights Kitroeff remembers watching the infamous medal Torch, which travelled parallel to the Summer Olympics ceremony as a young boy in Greece, and cites the in- torch relay to raise awareness of China’s human rights recreasing emphasis on profit and the media frenzy sur- cord. He also spoke at the Occupy Wall Street movement, rounding the Games with heightening audience obses- telling audiences, “Today I am here for you. Why? Besion with its athletes. One need only recall the coverage cause I am you. We’re here 43 years later because there’s of London to recognize the scale of the world stage set by a fight still to be won. This day is not for us but for our the hordes of news agencies and their loyal contingents children to come.” of viewers. The 1968 Games marked the beginnings of The discussion’s event coordinator Stephanie Zukerthis consumption-based coverage, and Carlos and Smith man, who serves as the program ssistant for Haverford’s recognized their opportunity to send a message. Center for Peace and Global Citizenship, sees Carlos as “My premise for going to the games was to make a a natural choice for a lecture centered on social activism. statement,” Carlos said in a 2012 interview with The “The bridge between sports (public figures) and soRoot. “It was the first time the Olympic Games was tele- cial justice seemed particularly relevant in an Olympic vised worldwide. The first time the Olympic Games was year,” she said in an email. “That moment when John televised in Technicolor. The first time that anyone even Carlos and Tommie Smith raised black-gloved fists on cared to step up and make a public statement about hu- the Olympic medal stand was not only one of the most manity.” famous moments in Olympic history, but incredibly conBut for the IOC’s lackluster response to an troversial at the time, and inspirational to so many OPHR petition in 1968, Carlos and Smith may not black-Americans at the time. Dr. Carlos suffered for have participated in the Games at all. The petition many years as a result of racism after those Olymcalled for a restoration of Muhammad Ali’s title pics, but has become a hero to so many people. That as boxing champion of the world, which had been event was so significant... I wanted his story to be stripped from him following his refusal to fight in the shared with the younger generation who did not Vietnam War; the removal of white supremacist Avery live through it.” Brundage as head of the United States Olympic ComTake the 5:50 van to Haverford mittee (Brundage was additionally infamous for his role tomorrow to catch in securing the 1936 Olympics for Hitler in Nazi GerCarlos’s discusmany); and a ban on South Africa and Rhodesia from sion. the Games in solidarity with their black communities struggling for equality. Athletes prepared to boycott the games if the IOC refused to meet their demands. However, when the IOC leveled a ban on South Africa and Rhodesia without addressing the petitioner’s’ other concerns, the boycott lost its teeth, and sprinters Carlos and Smith decided their cause was best pursued by racing in Mexico City. Rhodesia and South Africa’s participation in Mexico City would have produced a different narrative of the 1968 Games — a less powerful one, in Kitroeff ’s opinion. “I sympathize with protests by athletes, but individual boycotts of [the 1968] Games would have not been very effective,” he said. “Nation-based boycotts, such as those of the US during the Moscow 1980 Games and of the Soviet Union of the Los Angeles 1984 Games, are both considered to have COURTESY OF KATHLEENCROSS.COM failed in their goals ... as John Carlos and Carlos (right), made the Black Power solute an emblematic gesture durTommie Smith showed, it’s better to be ing the 1968 Olympic Games. Carlos stands with fellow American athlete there and protest than to stand outside.” Tommie Smith (center) and Australian Peter Norman (left).
Choreographer Brings Math, Dance to Troy Dance Lab By AXEL KODAT Living & Arts Writer On Wednesday, choreographer Dr. Karl Schaffer presented four works collaboratively created with both dancers and non-dancers from Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr at the Troy Dance Lab in LPAC. The show, entitled “Math + Dance: Where Patterns Collide” represents the culmination of Dr. Schaffer’s three-week long Tri-Co residency. Dr. Schaffer has been working with and exploring the intersections of math and dance since 1990, when he premiered his first work explicitly focused on these overlapping fields with his friend and collaborator Erik Stern, entitled “Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern: Two Guys Dancing About Math.” Dr. Schaffer estimates that they have since performed the work more than 500 times, primarily around North America, with some international tours. Dr. Schaffer—who is, in addition to being a choreographer and dancer, a math professor at De Anza College—describes his initial desire to investigate the interactions between math and dance as ultimately logical, if not necessarily inevitable: “I like dance and I like math. Sometimes you look for ways of combining things that you like to do.” The mathematical principles that Dr. Schaffer saw in many dances when he examined them carefully remain unceasingly rich areas of inspiration. What exactly are these concepts? “One of the first things we pulled out was symmetry principles and ways in which choreographers use symmetry between bodies. People tend to think of symmetry related to the body as the bilateral reflection symmetry in the body. We were dealing with symmetries involving multiple dancers.” Other concepts he has explored range from geometry and sequences to topology, and he recently wrote a paper on the combinatorics of the ballet barre: “The simplest tendu exercise,” he remarked,
“gives rise to all kinds of recursions.” In many of his works since “Two Guys Dancing About Math” Dr. Schaffer has continued to explore the many overlaps between the two seemingly disparate disciplines, both through independent work and with his company, which he co-directs with Erik Stern. He is careful to clarify, however, that he continues to create dance works with no overt or even conscious focus on mathematics. Even in his work that does, to varying extents, involve math, he works hard to strike a balance between aesthetic and primarily dance-oriented concerns and the desire to communicate something mathematically interesting or profound: “For me the mathematics involved in this choreography is one of the metaphors we use in creating dances, I’m not usually looking for a way to take something from a math textbook and stick it on stage.” The four works presented on Wednesday explored four separate areas of math: the construction of shapes and especially polyhedron from loops, triangular numbers, symmetry, and tessellations. All works included elements of student input. The work focused on symmetry was almost entirely student-created, and the work involving tessellations included large chunks of improvisation. Of the four, the works on loops and triangular numbers seemed the most constrained and perhaps limited by their mathematical subtext, though both remained engaging in different ways. In the work on loops, each student dancer held a large loop of string with which they formed various shapes, loops, and floor arrangements. The work on triangular numbers offered a similarly literal take on its subject, with dancers often combined in groups of three or six numbers and at one point coming together in lines of varying lengths to fully demonstrate the game of Bulgarian solitaire, a mathematical procedure Dr. Schaffer introduced before the piece began. Even amid this relatively strict structure, however, Dr. Schaffer found room to draw from other sources, including folk dances connected to
the piece’s music. For the work involving tessellations, a camera captured the dancers’ movements live and fed them into a tessellation program, whose output was projected on the back wall. The results were frequently exquisite, with movements combining in various vaguely kaleidoscopic formations. The piece opened with an expressive solo by Bryan Chen ’15 and ended with all dancers collected in the center. Fed through the tessellation program, the mass of undulating limbs and interlocking bodies created a seemingly organic network of gently pulsing and expanding abstract formations on the back wall—an evocative demonstration of the potential for complexity and beauty intrinsic in the simplest mathematical forms. The work on symmetry featured no such technological embellishments but was perhaps the most instantly striking of any of the works—maybe a necessary consequence of reducing aesthetics to the most elementary compositional forms: symmetry, human bodies, and the elemental human interactions of touch and perception. The opportunity to engage in the active creation of dances concerned so specifically with an often unfamiliar landscape offered a chance for the student dancers who performed in these pieces to reflect on those aspects of their art form that are frequently the most assumed and thus in some sense neglected: Aileen Eisenberg ’15 commented that the process “made me more aware of patterns and lines.” Natalie Gainer ’15 concurred: “It was interesting to look at dance from a more formulaic, analytic perspective.” The residency was coordinated by Bryn Mawr mathematics lecturer Amy Myers, who attended one of Dr. Schaffer’s workshops and became interested in bringing him to campus, and was funded by a Mellon Tri-College
Continued on Page 15
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 9
The Phoenix
Giant Squid Delivers Thrills and Cephalopodic Humor By AXEL KODAT Living & Arts Writer
Last Saturday, as rain drenched the Swarthmore campus and first-years nervously awaited a night of imminent disorientation and uncertain giddiness, The Giant Squid arrived in Science Center Room 101 and gleefully preempted this long-delayed process with their own brand of giddy surrealism, narrative disorientation, and a healthy dose of zoologically-derived humor. The show, written and created by Tim Sawicki, performed by Philadelphia theater groups The Berserker Residents and Swim Pony, and directed by Adrienne Mackey ’04, loosely follows the exploits and (more often) blunders of Dr. Prof. Thaddeus Quintus Broom, Esq. in his obsessive attempt to find a full specimen of the mythical giant squid. Broom—who we quickly learn neither completed his doctorate nor teaches at any actual “institution” (his derisive quotes)—was accompanied on his original Arctic expedition by his half-brother and “real” scientist Daniel Hastings, who died in a tragic accident during this attempt, and his crackpot team of devoted and equally zany sidekicks, appropriately labeled Team Broom and composed of Oliver, a childishly innocent and anxious boy genius; Crenshaw, the excessively violent general bad-ass learned in the delicate arts of Merfu; and Ketut, a vaguely
awkward caricature of some aboriginal guide/storyteller with predictably mystical sensibilities. Completing the ensemble is Anna, Broom’s exceedingly pregnant and seemingly brainwashed or stunned wife (and, importantly, Daniel Hastings’ widow). Team Broom provides an intermittently amusing iteration of the standard group of bumbling sidekicks, mostly aligning with the traditional roles of brains, physical strength, local knowledge, and, in this case, hopelessly unqualified and delusional leader. The show is structured as an academic lecture, by Broom himself, about his cephalopodic fascinations, adventures, and discoveries, but also about his life and insecurities. Frequent temporal shifts, narrative breaks, surreal vignettes, small (and hilarious) presentations by each team member on their area of specialty, and occasional attempts at interaction with the audience (a raffle of a once-living Humboldt squid, for instance), provide almost incoherent structural variety that nevertheless, somehow, works. Moments of genuine humor at the beginning—Oliver marvels in a sing-song voice at the beauty of nature as a vicious blood-leeching creature floats by and he uncovers the submerged “body of a half-eaten man”; Crenshaw summarizes his self-defense philosophy as “Definitely Always Favor Total Beatings Over Other Beatings,” or, in its preferred acronym form, DAFTBOOB (Does the humor
AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA/PHOENIX STAFF
Dr. Broom introduced the audience to “Arcatoothis,” the giant squid.
here derive from the self-consciously immature and nonsensical joke or how apparent it is from the tortured acronym that the writer went out of his way to make it? Who Continued on Page 12
Ivona, Princess of Burgundia: Philly Fringe vs. Swat Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium Falls on Its Face with Philly Fringe Production By JEANNETTE LEOPOLD Living & Arts Writer
The absurdist theater group “Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium” (IRC) put on “Ivona: Princess of Burgundia,” directed by Tina Brock, as part of the Philly Fringe Festival, which ended this past Sunday. Anyone on campus last semester might recognize the bizarre title. Production Ensemble, a spring semester theater course whose function is putting on a play, produced “Ivona, Princess of Burgundia,” directed by Professor Elizabeth Stevens last semester. Swarthmore’s “Ivona” was unequivocally better. The play, written by Polish playwright and author Witold Gombrowicz in 1938, is about how the royal court of Burgundia is affected by the presence of the title character, who is different from them. That’s the bare bones of it. The interesting part is that Ivona has only a few lines throughout the play, despite being onstage more than any other character. When the Prince of Burgundia sees Ivona in a park, he is enthralled by her, but he doesn’t know why. She incenses him, he says. On a whim, he asks her to marry him. T h i s i s
shocking for the court, because Ivona is a repugnant commoner. The real interest in this play comes from the fact that it is possible to play Ivona in a number of different ways. Three of her five lines include “Wool,” “Yes,” and “Please leave me alone, I am not afraid.” Some productions cut out her speech altogether. Because she says little, and other characters’ reactions to her are overdone and absurd, the director has to decide how to portray her. The clues in the script that directors and actors look to as a way of “figuring out” their character can be used in this case as evidence for a number of different conclusions. For instance, Swarthmore’s Ivona was lifeless. She hunched forward on her seat and found it difficult to move; she had to be dragged from room to room, and often it seemed like she wanted to speak but just couldn’t remember how. IRC’s Ivona was upright, elegant and proud. She didn’t speak because she was offended at how the prince had treated her when he first met her, and she was too prideful to lower herself to his level. Either version of Ivona is an appropriate interpretation of the play. In Swarthmore’s version, the court is disgusted by I v o n a because she is a real frump. It expects the
prince to marry someone of high class, or at least someone beautiful and charming. In IRC, the court hates Ivona because she refuses to bow to them, and because she has an air of superiority that the court cannot stand. Swarthmore’s Ivona dressed in the same type of brightly colored clothing as the rest of the characters, and did seem to be a part of the world of the court. IRC’s Ivona, on the other hand, appeared onstage in a soft white dress, symbolizing innocence, purity and a bride on her wedding day. The rest of the court dressed in a mix between period-style and modern clothing. The result was that Ivona looked lovely while the court looked strange. They appeared to be from different worlds. IRC’s portrayal of Ivona stops working at the end of the play, when the court conspires to kill her. The court has decided that she cannot live, so they plan to feed her a bony fish and intimidate her so that she chokes on a bone and dies. In Swarthmore’s “Ivona,” this works because Ivona was so stupid that she would not pick up on the plan, and so timid that she was frightened by the counselors. In IRC’s show, Ivona was so intelligent and present that it was clear that she knew that when t h e court served her t h i s fish, they
were planning to kill her. She also did not appear frightened of the counselors at all. Nevertheless, she did eat the fish, and then she died. What she did was commit suicide. However, the actress did not play the action like she was killing herself. The action was not clear; it was confused. It seemed as though the actress herself did not know why she was eating the fish. She ate it with a huge gesture, as though she was wondering whether or not to eat it, and then, suddenly — she ate it! But for no reason. IRC’s portrayal of Ivona was strong in many ways but not fully developed. On the whole, though, their production was terrible. While Swarthmore’s actors played with the lines, finding the humor and the meaning, the IRC actors spoke quickly and loudly, with little variance and without seeming to know that they were speaking at all. Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium’s Producing Artistic Director Tina Brock wrote in her director’s note, “I became hooked on studying non-verbal communication in college, fascinated with the many ways we speak volumes about what we feel and think without uttering a word.” An admirable sentiment. Unfortunately, she did not make use of this fascination in the slightest in her production. I n stead, it seemed like the actors were rushing through their lines in their haste to get off the stage and have a drink.
COURTESY OF DAVID SWANSON
The Theater Department’s 2012 Production Ensemble depicts Ivona as a lifeless slob.
Living & Arts
PAGE 10
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
SWAT STYLE SNAPSHOT By CAMI RYDER
Savannah Saunders 2016 Ft. Lauderdale, FL David Kemp
Flirty & Feminine Flair:
T
ending towards looks with dresses and skirts, Saunders views her style as “kind of feminine.” Pairing her feminine pieces with quirky classic sweaters and cardigans, she fuses the eclectic with the delicate, citing the contemporary epitome of feminine, Zooey Deschanel, as one of her inspirations. “I always like what she wears, it’s very feminine, kind of old-fashioned dresses,” Saunders said. Known for her “adorkable” personality and vintage style, Deschanel’s looks harken back to the flirty looks of the 40s and 60s, decades that Saunder favors. The 1960s represent “a very classic look for women and the 40s, with the pencil skirts and dark lipstick.” Though she doesn’t feel she could dress like the 40s now, Saunders loves the graphic and bright colors of the 60s and the decade’s early “Jackie O-type of dresses.” Saunders also has a penchant for peppy brights, which she credits to being from Florida. “We can wear bright things all year round. The whole ‘don’t wear white after labor day’ — it never really applies,” Saunders said. “People wear summer clothes all year.” One of her favorite items in her closet is a fun yellow cardigan that she loves to wear all the time, with jeans and shirts or her dresses.
Thrifting Through the Decades: Saunders’s love for the feminine aesthetic of 40s and 60s clothing translates into her visiting mainly thrift stores and consignment shops for her clothes. Some of her favorite fashion pit stops include local thrift shops in Ft. Lauderdale and Goodwill, as well as more contemporary fashion stores like Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. Saunders also frequents Plato’s Closet, a consignment chain with locations all across the country, for standout, “weird pieces.” Much like popular consignment shops like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads Trading Company, Plato’s Closet allows you to trade in your old clothes for cash or store credit. (Plato’s has a nearby location in Springfield, and offers a discount for college students every Wednesday.)
Savannah’s Current Outfit: Saunders’s pink-laden outfit is a true display of her love for the bright side of the color spectrum. Her soft pink dress hints at the full-skirted shapes of the early 60s, yet she punches it up with a colorful graphic sweater that she layers over the dress. Reminiscent of patterns of past collections from Marc Jacobs and Blumarine, Saunders’s church thrift store find is a lighthearted mixture of the 80s flair of her Florida origins and the psychedelic looks of the 60s. She pairs her bright looks with more demure tones in her black opaque tights from Target, her cognac-hued purse and brown oxfords from Journey’s. With the weather rapidly becoming colder and colder, the Sunshine State native is already worried about dealing with the snow — especially since she hasn’t purchased a winter coat. Yet, she displays a great transitional look with her outfit, which mixes cozy layers with a warm weather palette.
Delicate Elegance of Decades Past FASHION STAR Savannah is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has a penchant for ‘40s and ‘60s inspiredpieces, which she searches for on the racks of consignment shops. Her love of bright colors is evident in her pink dress and cropped sweater. She draws inspiration from Zooey Deschanel. MARTIN FROGER SILVA/PHOENIX STAFF
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 11
The Phoenix
ALLI SHULTES/PHOENIX STAFF
PORTRAIT BY SARAH DIAMOND
A Constellation of Memory The sun sank toward eye-level as I walked to Beardsley Hall, clad in my “most flamboyant patterned shirt,” as per Sarah Diamond’s request. “I have an idea,” she warned me at the end of her email invitation. Her idea, it turned out, was to paint me in my most singular look — which, she thought, must be the florid shirt and glasses that she instructed me to wear — with a background of her own composition. I’d never sat for a painter before and felt a hint of Dorian Gray enter my stride on the path to the art building. Walking into the Senior Studio space for the first time is an out-of-Swarthmore experience: there are no walls, only curtains divide the space into personal allotments for each of the Studio Arts seniors, and there is artwork everywhere. The tiny laptop music that permeates the curtained spaces and the half-finished canvases and hunks of clay somehow alerts you aurally to the vibe that the space emits: this is where people who know what they really want to do, do it. As someone who aspires to the title of artist (or even just person), this setting was particularly exciting. Sarah sat me down in a worn leather armchair and began to sketch. Watching her hand fill the canvas captured my attention more than any finished painting would, and for that I felt grateful. To experience art in the present, a moment when artist’s and observer’s (and subject’s, in this case) experiences coincide: what a rare thing indeed! Never will I read a novel or a short story as the author pens the words, nor watch a film as it’s being shot — the relationship between painter and model is more aligned with that between stage actor and audience, or musician/ singer and their audience. The performative aspect of painting elucidated several links and divides between color and words for me, the languages upon which each medium is founded. Color can be saved and stored on a palette, making the act of choosing definite and limited, effectively restricting the painter to a mood and tone externally. On the other
hand, writing prose draws, at each word, from the entire lexicon and therefore offers countless moods and tones to the author and he or she must abstractly limit him- or KIERAN herself to establish a tone. These and more revelatory noREICHERT tions streamed through my Habit of Art hand as Sarah’s hand cocked up and down on the canvas. The profound, halfformed connections amassed until I noticed a glint of finality in Sarah’s eye, and I scooted over to inspect the portrait. I was painted in reds and browns, the colors of my shirt, and I could see myself in the heavily brush-stroked canvas as I would in a stained mirror — here, however, the stain was not simple tarnish, but Sarah’s artistry. Each stroke contained within it the contours of her expression, each curve nudging the viewer closer to her vision. In painting, even the minutiae are employed by the artist for his/her aims; in writing, the words are already fixed, and the play comes in the arranging and the structure of the set. After being painted in an hour, I had formed contradictory conclusions of the two disciplines, thus troubling my already complicated schema of art. I then left Beardsley, agitated and thinking. Treading along the asphalt paths, I felt my mind leave my body and enter the spring of art: memory. To my right was Kohlberg Hall, the bright nucleus of my academic career at Swarthmore, and where my freshman year culminated with wine-red revelry. Ahead stood Parrish, whose third floor housed me the year I left home. Still farther, down the hill, the smokestack rose above my second home for three years: Clothier Field and our antique field house, where I spent the energy that my intellectual pursuits left stagnant and unused. Walking the well-worn routes stirred parts of me that had bonded to the place, flushing loose fragments into emotion and tears.
The place where I learned and relearned how to read, to write, to live and to love; how could I flourish anywhere else? In “The Short Story,” Professor Betsy Bolton relayed a useful distinction in defining the short story genre. The authors of such stories, she explained, often wished to communicate one of two things: their sense of place or of the past. In the section she called “Lore of Place,” we read Faulkner, Sherwood Anderson and Flannery O’Connor — three authors whose fiction reflected the Southern tradition from whence it came. Likewise, the “Lore of the Past” portion of the syllabus focussed on writers like Ray Carver or Jorge Luis Borges whose projects were, in many ways, intertwined with memory and the past. With lore of place and past vibrating in my mind, I pass McCabe, the teeming core of Swarthmore’s academic rigor, and continue downhill. On my left, hidden amid a fecund grove, is ‘Mina’ — the pond outside the arboretum office. This same pond, years ago now, watched as I found love at Swarthmore and learned bliss from its bottomless depths. On to Willets, where the love bloomed, and also where I spent my first night at Swarthmore as a prospective student, and finally to Worth, whose high stone walls cradle me each night. One brief walk down from Beardsley took me through years of memories, landmarks on a map that weighs a good deal more in my mind than the physical ‘here.’ The thing about memory, though, is that it’s not a static cache: each present action confers new meaning to the past, therefore reshaping that past and drawing new lines to the future. When living in a place where the past has stacked up all around you, the present challenges you and the future threatens to stomp it all out, what do you hold onto? Not to answer my own rhetorical question, but I think you hold onto this liminality we live in — the both/and scenario of life and learning — which might soon be snuffed out by life’s definition and tedium.
Living & Arts
PAGE 12
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
In Defense of Brewpubs (Not That They Need It)
Last Spring when the Brewer’s Association — the national trade organization that collectively represents craft brewers — released its quarterly assessment of the state of beer in America, many a pint glass were clinked in celebration. Since Prohibition, the overall national demand for beer has grown rapidly for various reasons, from changing tastes to changing demographics, yet for almost a century, the total number of independent brewers operating nationally had steadily declined. Ask someone over the age of 40 about Schlitz or Stroh and they might wax poetic about their younger days. The benefits of a growing industry were increasingly being collected in fewer and fewer coffers, and based on the BRAD rate of closings and acquisitions, LENOX many thought American beer had stagnated. But the present would beg Brew’s Clues to differ: in 2012, a brisk (sarcasm) 79 years after Prohibition had ended, the total number of operating brewers in the US had returned to a pre-Greatest Experiment high — around 1,900. Regardless of how embarrassingly long it took for this trend to reverse itself, the future of American beer looks bright. Craft revenues are up double-digits and new brewers are popping up everyday — and at the forefront of this Second Wave are your friendly neighborhood brewpubs, the foot soldiers of the craft movement. If you break down the numbers, over 1,000 of the magic 1,900 are brewpubs — bars, or more often restaurants — that brew their owns suds right where they serve them. Though to some this seems like a novel idea, a part of the growing national love of eating and spending locally, it is more a return to the past than a groundbreaking innovation. In the days before Big Beer, like the early to mid-19th century when Anheuser-Busch was still shipping beer on wagons, towns in the American Northeast and Midwest had breweries like we have Starbucks now. Though it is easy to glamorize this as some sort of halcyon era of quality, locally-made and diverse beer, the hard material facts are much simpler. Before the Big Man, Adololphus Busch, pioneered refrigerated railcar transportation, most beer was produced and sold locally because it had to be. No refrigeration meant that beer could spoil in a matter of days in warmer temperatures and limited transportation technology meant that business was always done around the corner. Moreover, more breweries did not equate to more choices for drinkers; often, the local brewer made exactly one, maybe two, kinds of beer and, regardless of its quality or taste, it was what you were stuck with. Though the modern tapestry of American beer resembles its 19th century ancestor in appearance, it is cut from much different (and in my opinion better) cloth. Those readers familiar with the wonderful offerings of the Brewery tantalizingly close Media have probably heard of Iron Hill. From the exterior alone one can tell
that it is different than your run of the mill steakhouse. The large plate-glass windows reveal not just happy diners, but also massive cylindrical steel brewing and fermenting vessels. Iron Hill Media is actually one of six locations in the Iron Hill family, a family-owned business spread across Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania. Though bigger than most brewpubs, which generally never move off the block, its list of credentials and awards shows that growth did not come at the expense of quality. Iron Hill has taken numerous Gold and Silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival, held each spring in Colorado, with special distinction given to the Media Location. Though all Iron Hill locations offer a solid list of six year-round “House” offerings, Media highlights one of the many advantages of brewpubs — the ability to experiment. Under the direction of Brewmaster Bob Barrar, Media has installed a 10-gallon “pilot system.” To put this in perspective, that is roughly the amount that your average home brewer makes in his or her garage. This small scale allows IH Media to innovate and experiment with styles, ingredients and techniques — like the recent Dark Humor Rising wild-fermented porter brewed in Mr. Barrar’s honor — that would make even medium sized plants like Victory shudder. Small batches mean small overhead; if the brew comes out nasty, the wasted resources amount to very little. Instead, it can be dumped down a drain with little risk to the brewer. Some more risk-taking brewers like Troegs also use this model with their “Scratch Beer” series of oneoff, one-time-only releases, but it is the standard model for most brewpubs. In addition to your normal rotation of seasonal styles (such as a wheat or blonde ale in summer), you can hope to see something like a bourbonbarrel aged kolsch, or a traditional German beer from Cologne, to make up a wonderful-sounding example, show up once and a while as well. Other than purely for epicurean variety, brewpubs bring a lot to the experience of going out for a drink. In addition to enjoying (hopefully, more often than not) a well-made beer, the five dollars you put down at somewhere like Nodding Head or Dark Horse in Philly, supports a local business — one owned and operated by the people that live right down the street from you. Most people like where they come from or currently reside, unless you are like Anthony Bourdain and myself, who are reluctant to talk about New Jersey unless served with a shade of self-awareness. You’re probably going to be in a bar full of “regular” faces anyway, so why not keep all that money local? So, in summary, brew pubs continue the tradition of the saloon without all the back-room activity and spittoons, replacing six-shooters and horse-drawn kegs with locally made, lovingly crafted beer. You’ll be hard pressed to find the kind of daring antics going down right around the corner anywhere else, so take the time to do a quick Google search and discover something awesome — maybe this weekend. Cheers, and happy drinking!
“THE MINDS BACKSTAGE” “The Minds Backstage” ACROSS 1. Like Atlantic City, from Philly 4. Alan Rickman 9. Soft mineral 11. Sharpens (one’s skill) 12. Bullets 13. Of space 14. “Merrily We Roll Along” composer 16. Kazakh continent 17. Place for music, in the 90’s 23. “Importance of Being Earnest” author 26. Australian bear 27. Armageddon 28. Pass, on a track 29. Theoretical college in Peshawar, Pakistan 30. Gorilla 31. It’s got a lobe and a drum DOWN 1. Like Union or Penn 2. Gregor of “The Metamorphosis” 3. Furry red puppets 4. Iranian leader 5. Schnoz 6. Opposing 7. Hairdo 8. Prefix meaning “within” 10. Like an ice cream holder
15. Indian music style 18. Like Baltimore, from Philly 19. Concealed 20. You might do it in Vegas 21. Natural drug used to treat Parkinson’s
22. Leg bone 23. Tex. neighbor 24. Cleanser 25. Superman effect BY PRESTON COOPER
For the solution to this week’s puzzle, see The Phoenix’s online edition at www.swarthmorephoenix.com under the multimedia tab.
AROUND HIGHER ED
New Frat Clashes with Yale Policy By SOPHIE GOULD www.yaledailynews.com Sept. 26, 2012
Though Yale’s newest fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) has announced a policy of admitting only Christians, it will have to change its membership rules if it intends to comply with Yale’s anti-discrimination policies. Victor Hicks ’15, the founder and president of Yale’s chapter of BYX, which is the largest Christian fraternity in the country, told the News last week that only Christian students are eligible for membership, though anyone is welcome to attend the fraternity’s social events. But exclusivity on the basis of religion is against Yale’s anti-discrimination policies, Associate Dean for Student Organizations and Physical Resources John Meeske told the News Monday, though he declined to comment further on how the Dean’s Office may deal with the fraternity going forward. The website of the BYX national organization stipulates that “each of our members is a professing Christian and exhibits a willingness to serve in Christ’s Kingdom.” Chapters at other universities that have similar anti-discrimination policies have pressured their universities to change their regulations to allow the fraternity to remain Christian-only. In 2006 and 2007, Christian groups filed lawsuits at the district and circuit level on behalf of BYX against the University of Georgia and the University of Florida. Rather than go through with the lawsuit, the University of Georgia altered its policy to accommodate BYX’s membership requirements. The University of Florida followed after a circuit court ruled that the school must recognize BYX. The University of Missouri also withdrew its demands that BYX comply with its anti-discrimination policy after the Christian Legal Society sent a letter to the school’s administration citing legal precedents. But recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have established that universities are within their rights to deny official recognition and funding to student organizations that discriminate on the basis of religion. In 2010, the Supreme Court
ruled that a policy at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law that prevented discriminatory organizations from registering with the school was constitutional. “Essentially what that case says is that if a school has a discrimination policy that says that they don’t allow any discrimination by their student groups, that is a legitimate policy that the school can have,” said Ada Meloy, general counsel at the American Council on Education. According to the Undergraduate Regulations, “undergraduate organizations are expected to adhere to the University’s equal opportunity policies.” Yale’s equal opportunity statement prohibits the school from discriminating on the basis of “sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, or national or ethnic origin.” Meeske said the only exception to the rule is that some organizations can be open to only one gender. “The only exceptions would be things like a male-only or female-only singing group or sports group,” he said. “There are some exceptions that recognize that there are some activities that need to be a specific gender.” Hicks, who could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, told the News last week that “being a brother of the [BYX] fraternity is being a Christian. It’s one of the requirements.” Yale’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity, takes a different approach as it does not restrict membership to Jewish students and has “several” nonJewish members, according to AEPi president Daniel Tay ’14. “We look for people that embrace [the religious] side and can appreciate that side of the fraternity, but ultimately the goal is to find people who fit in with our culture in a holistic sense,” said Tay, adding that AEPi hosts both religious and secular events. BYX is currently registered with the Yale Dean’s Office and has eight members — the minimum required to found a BYX chapter according to the national fraternity’s policies. Since fraternities and sororities at Yale are no longer allowed to hold rush in the fall, BYX will invite freshmen to rush the fraternity starting in the spring term.
‘The Giant Squid’, continued from page 9 knows.)—keep the show afloat at the beginning until the narrative takes off. In one scene, Broom and Anna travel underwater in the fragile and expensive expedition submarine, unauthorized by Hastings, who we ultimately understand was the true scientist and only reluctantly a partner in Broom’s squid fixation. Broom remarks on the sadness of the mechanism which causes a certain marine creature to die immediately after procreating for the first time. Anna responds comfortingly, “I’m sure they don’t know any better,” to which Broom replies, “But we know.” In this same way, various sinister undertones and intimations of darkness alert the audience earlier on to the likely fate of the crew, and we are left, seated in our familiar lecture, to watch, laughing along, as the group inexorably approaches their bloody, presumably demon-squid-fetus-related fate. And this eventual plunge into a precisely calibrated synthesis of all the hallmarks of perfectly produced horror is stunningly well done. With flawless lighting and sound engineering, The Giant Squid manages to pull off an ending that both mocks the genre’s notable idiosyncrasies and indulges liberally in their potential for brilliant audience manipulation and heightened adrenaline. Remarked audience member and Theater Major Josh McLucas ’15: “It’s not very often that theater scares you, and when it does, it’s usually invasive. The Giant Squid managed to frighten and evoke screams using simple but effective techniques.” In the end the show’s energetic eclecticism and range of stylistic references combine with its wild and surprisingly effective jumping-of-theshark at the end to create a simultaneously polished and wonderfully messy pastiche—part comedy, part thriller, and part pop-cultural exploration. You may learn virtually nothing about squids, but this is one lecture in 101 that will consistently keep you awake.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 13
The Phoenix
One thing I love about being back on campus, besides the various forms of free contraceptives, is getting some critiques of my column that extend beyond obscure bible passages condemning it. I’ve gotten some good reviews, and I’ve gotten some bad ones. As a true self-deprecatory and masochistic Swattie, I disregarded all the good feedback on my work and focused on what I’ve been doing wrong. Namely, I talked to a lovely and not-atall sober Swattie this weekend that noted the lack of work focused on being single and looking for something ... more. Or less, depending on whom you’re sleeping with. I apologize for my neglect, and just to make it up to you, this week’s column is devoted to the singles. VIANCA The problem with “datMASUCCI ing” at Swat is that there is not really a dating scene. Missing Parts Most people sleeping together are either attached at the hip, or hooking up casually with someone(s). So where can one find ass between a Swat marriage and swinging from person to person? Or even find some lovin’ in the existing social systems? You have to make a social context for it. Yes, the scary word is “social” here. But, creating a social vibe that attracts who you’re looking for is simple: Going somewhere: Don’t spend absolutely every minute of your life in your room and then complain that you’re not getting any. Unless you’re Pygmalion, your Physics textbook is not going to come to life and give you a blow-job. If you want to meet someone, you need to make some time to go out and socialize. At Swat, there are the fours S’s — studies, social life, sleep, and sex. If you want to fit yourself into someone’s hole, you need to find a way to fit all those things into your schedule. Go to club meetings, parties (if that’s your scene), lectures, or any interesting event, or join a PE class, volunteer, visit Philly, etc.
Missing Parts: Suggestions for Singles
How to land more than a one-night stand You should try to do pretty much anything else that allows you to stimulate something other than your brain. The chances of meeting someone and becoming feel-miliar with someone (besides yourself) are increased with population density. Going places alone: Tacking onto my last point — if you always travel in a posse, you’ll get no pussy. As hard as it is for someone to make the first move, the task of first penetrating a phalanx of friends makes this all the harder. Swatties have this tendency of making things awkward and the more Swatties you have around you, the higher the incidence of awkwardness. If you want someone to approach you, it’s much less intimidating for them to do so if you’re alone. I know that, at our tender age, eating a meal alone is the equivalent of admitting that you have some serious social deficiency. Uhm, look around — we all do. So, don’t sweat it. You’re not going to self-destruct if you walk into Sharples alone. In fact, you might find that going somewhere as a single will result in leaving as a double. Put yourself out there: It takes a lot of bravery to ask someone out, I know. But, logistically, someone asking someone out is how dates happen. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and be that someone who asks. When you’re out alone, don’t sit around thinking about how sad you are to be alone, avoid-
ing eye contact with everyone, and just hoping that someone will talk to you. Someone might, yes. But, why wait? Instead of being so selfconscious while you’re out, try looking around the room. See who else seems like they’re intentionally avoiding eye contact with everyone and strike up a conversation with that person. Seriously, try it. The worse that can happen is that they won’t be interested and you’ll be in the same sexless position you were in before. On that note, don’t take rejection personally. I know, easier said than done. But, I beg you, realize that when someone goes out cruising for a date, they have specific tastes and preferences that they developed long before they met you. Their preferences have nothing to do with you. They are a reflection of that person’s experiences and the influences in their life. If you know what you’re looking for, look in the right places: If you are the type of person who has a preference for a particular type of person or relationship, go to events where you can find people with similar preference. This is not to say that you can’t find someone anywhere. I’m just saying that if you’re not into partying and don’t like dating people who party, you probably shouldn’t go looking for your life partner at a Paces party. If you’re looking for a one-night stand, it might not be the best idea to go cruising in Sharples on a Sunday afternoon. If you’re looking for a person who cares about the environment, civil
rights and philanthropy, you’re not going to go to a Republican rally. Try to get involved in things that you’re interested in. Hopefully, you will find someone who shares your interests and also wants to share your bed ... or your double-headed dildo. Keep positive: When you fall into depressing, bitter, angry singlehood, you might as well be wearing penis/vagina repellent. I know many people who love to read Sylvia Plath, but no one who wants to fuck her. You don’t have to be falsely perky and smiley to get a date — always be yourself. But, hating and being untrustworthy of every potential date you meet because of your past experiences will not get your very far ... into their pants. Save the bitter bitchfest for your bffls or your roomie. Stay in practice: Just because you’re not having sex doesn’t mean that you should not be connected with your sexual self. As I’ve said before, masturbation is the perfect way for you to understand the orientation of your sexual self. A good lover can articulate their needs to other lovers and ask about their lover’s needs in turn. Don’t let yourself grow rusty. If you’re lookin’ for some love, I hope this helps. However, if you don’t find someone that’s into you with all the ‘basics’ — respect, a good personality, sanity, and an interest in mutual pleasure — don’t settle. Don’t allow yourself to fall into that detrimental line of thinking in which you believe that being with someone who is an emotionally abusive ass is better than being alone. It’s not. Whether you’re single or doubled, it’s a matter of circumstance. You should pursue what makes you happy, not what you think makes you happy. With that, I wish that Aphrodite blesses all my single-readers seeking with some good fortune. With any luck, you’ll be savoring a nice hair-pie by the end of this week.
Giant Squids in the Rain
Reflections on Lost Love en Route to a Crypto-Zoology-Horror-Comedy Show I wrote this a week ago, right after watching The Giant Squid performance here. I don’t like this piece anymore, but it’s the way it is. I felt a certain way, and I captured it at the time, and I think these things pass in that way. It was a lonely night, but in retrospect it was uniquely so, so I hope it finds a suitable listener or otherwise dies softly like lonely thoughts deserve to do. The Giant Squid presentation was a real relief. I drove here from my apartment in West Philly on Saturday night to see it, and about five minSAM utes out the door, the rain started pouring. It’s danZHANG gerous how badly my car skids in rainy weather. It’s a Bluebirds manual, so it slides back on inclines too, which accentuates the skidding when I finally hit the gas — hydroplaning, I’m told it’s called. There’s nothing much to that but for the fact that my ex-girlfriend and I had a thing with the rain (“ex” is a crazy phrase, by the way, because I never called her my “girlfriend” while we were in love, out of respect for the way we just ended up together, almost by magic). For some people it’s sunsets, foreign countries or songs, but for us, it was rain. Sudden downpours always got me thinking, and this case was no exception. I arrived at Ben West 30 minutes before the show started, and it was pouring too hard for me to go into Willets and grab some food as I hoped, so I sat in the parking lot at Ben West and thought about the rain. We broke up in a brutal way, right when she arrived on campus to visit me for a weekend during my freshman year. I told her that I was in love with someone else, and that I had become someone else, too. The next morning, I drove her home, getting a speeding ticket for aggressive driving somewhere in southern Virginia. Guilt is a strange monster, because it is essentially the self eating itself. For someone who has been sheltered from guilt much of his life, it has been a strange experience. Apologizing straight away is rarely possible when someone is truly offended, because you have no voice to do it in. Your entire character is guilty — not in the “feels guilt” sense, but in the sense of “indicted of a crime.” You have to salvage bits of yourself. You may end up with
no words for long periods of time. I suddenly remembered how I felt in high school, sitting in her garage, when I asked her about this piano song on a CD she burned for me. I was very moved by it, until I found out that it was Rachmaninoff performed by an exlover of hers, someone whom she still cared about very much. It’s beautiful, in retrospect, that she would share that with me, but at the time I was so jealous that I couldn’t even get mad; I just let it stain me, for weeks, and apparently for years. I’ve just let this entire continent of emotion in my mind go unexplored. Meanwhile, life went on and I talked about other things, and it occurred to me in the car that my jealousy was so immature and unexamined that it may have rotted me out, and made me commit this act of emotional violence as revenge. Can you imagine? She loved me, but because of that silly grudge, I broke her heart. I was deciding between grabbing some food from Willets and risking being late to the show, and just going. I decided on going straight there. I parked in the science center lot and sprinted through the rain. The “professor,” who was t he lead actor in the skit, shook my hand when I entered, welcoming me to the lecture. There was something about The Giant Squid that was very forgiving to watch. When people dress like professors and stand on desks and yell about imaginary beings, it lubricates the imagination and makes you feel forgiven for having had flights of fancy yourself. It was held in Science Center 101, perfect for it being a “lecture.” The aesthetic of underwater exploration was framed by the sound of rain on the roof, which struck me as cozy, since the seats were packed despite the storm. For our academia-in-miniature campus, it was spot-on for us. The hard messages — that the ways we do research are very human (“science is not a science!”), that it’s absurd how we encroach on the dead and how dif-
ficult is the burden of those who love them — were presented so subtly that they were taken for granted from the start, while the humor captivated and drew us on. I also love how the room itself was subverted. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take a class in there again without seeing people jumping off tables and chairs being submarines, and imagining the professor tapering off into flashbacks… The light-hearted moments melded into darkness, but never too much. It was thrilling, and I hadn’t felt this kind of delight in so long. The lighting, music and sound effects transformed Sci 101 into a submarine, a boat
and a giant projector screen one after another. I caught a glimpse of the people working the lighting out of the corner of my eye, and I wanted to stare at them, but I felt so obligated to the show that I couldn’t bear to turn around. I didn’t want to ruin the illusion, or distract the people around me, which is also why I will never be a good journalist. But out of curiosity I did make one quick peek. I gathered my energy, swung my head around and took a big look at the woman operating the equipment. She was wearing glasses, no visible facial expression and for a second I thought — is this really the person operating the show, or is she just one of us?
Need Advice? Ask Nestor! Dear Swatties: Just a reminder to send your troubles to dearnestor@swarthmorephoenix.com to receive advice from your friendly campus advice columnist! In my day-to-day life, I have loved helping my co-workers, fellow students, friends and family overcome the many bumps in each of their respective roads. However, what I have struggled with is not being able to advise those whom I share very little to no contact with on campus and beyond. As a result, I am thrilled to finally make my wish of helping all of you who I do not know a reality. This will work by you submitting an anecdote to “Nestor” describing a relationship, friendship, family, sex, academic, career or general life issue that you would like advice on. You can submit the anecdote electronically by emailing dearnestor@swarthmorephoenix.com. If you prefer to submit by hand, you can also turn the submission into The Phoenix via campus mail. Let me stress that if you decide to send an email, your comments will be ANONYMOUS. ANONYMOUS!!!! ANONYMOUS!!!! I want to conclude by saying that I do not think of myself as a relationship, friendship, family, sex, academic, career or life advice guru. However, I have experience working with friends, family, students and psychologists dealing with a number of different social issues. Whether these conflicts, dilemmas or inquiries were considered common or uncommon, I have gathered ways that I find work best to tackle the obstacles faced in our day-to-day lives. I want to stress that my advice is subjective, and stemming from my own experience. Oftentimes, there is no “right” way to deal with an issue; there could be multiple ways. I am looking forward to listening to and advising you on issues that you encounter in your lives. My first column will run in next week’s edition -- be sure to check it out! Best, Nestor
Living & Arts
PAGE 14
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
What a Museum Should Be
A Review of the Rodin Museum’s Renovation
COURTESY OF PHILADELPHIA.ABOUT.COM
In the hyper-commercialized world of today, nearly every museum that visitors enter thrusts useless but appealing merchandise into their patrons’ faces, giving them more opportunities than they could possibly want or afford to buy artsy trinkets. Museums no longer consist of an admissions desk, a bathroom and galleries; now it would feel unusual, a refreshing change of scenery, to visit a museum without a gift shop, without a café, without large spaces designed for nothing other than concerts and lavish parties. Without a doubt, museums have limited revenue sources and face unique challenges. In order to ZOE remain relevant and worthwhile, art WRAY museums depend on sufficient funds to preserve and display priceless artAesthetic works properly, attract the best curaApperceptions tors and art historians money can buy and install state-of-the-art security to safeguard their treasures. As if that didn’t pose a tall enough order, art museums must do all of this while keeping admissions prices as low as possible to allow people of all socioeconomic backgrounds to experience the joy of art, an expression of the human condition to which everyone should have access. Nevertheless, the superfluous frills that are now commonplace in art museums often become a distraction and a nuisance. Similar to how some colleges become more interested in selling their product rather than offering an education of unique quality, art museums seem to fall privy to neglecting their duty to curate thoughtful exhibitions because they’re too busy trying to sell concert tickets, attract mega-donors whose names are then promised a prominent spot in the museum lobby and contrive “blockbuster” shows that are rich in notoriety but weak in substance and scholarship. The complete ignorance of the Barnes Foundation’s board of trustees when they ignored Albert Barnes’ will and moved his art collection to Philadelphia solely to collect ever greater funds and enhance the city’s prestige had convinced me that, when city governments and corrupt but powerful charitable trusts are involved, art and its owners’ voices will surely be muffled out amid the cacophony of the rush for cash. To my pleasant surprise, however, the renovation of the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, which began in 2009 and just reopened this July, manages to avoid the temptations of focusing on income streams in lieu of displaying art in the most accessible way to viewers. Even more surprisingly, the renovations made a point of restoring the look of the museum and its surrounding gardens to its original 1926 design. This involved some investigative work for the renovation officials: they traveled back in time to take paint and material samples sealed behind contemporary walls, researched
the original landscape blueprints in their archives and reexamined how they should present the art. The result of their meticulous toil exemplifies the ideal model for an art museum, with elements that I wish more museums would incorporate into their own operations. The walls of the museum are no longer painted with dark colors; in their place stand the linen walls that originally adorned the museum when it opened in 1929. The gardens surrounding the museum match those of the original, down to the very last flower. They appear lovingly maintained and affect a peaceful atmosphere surrounding the Beaux-Arts building. Due to innovative conservation techniques that shield it from air pollutants, one of Rodin’s most famous works, The Burghers of Calais, now regains the position outside that it lost in 1955, where the museum’s founder, entrepreneur and philanthropist Jules E. Mastbaum, originally placed it. Rodin’s sculptures Adam, The Shade, Eve and The Age of Bronze have also gratefully returned to their spots outside for the same reason. Most wonderfully of all, the museum radically changed how it presents Rodin’s genius to the world. Before, the museum’s curators simply chose to crowd as many of the more than 140 pieces in its collection as it could into the scant 5,300 square feet structure. Now, they have pared down their on-view collection to allow more breathing room and give each individual piece more appropriate space to shine. And while some pieces stand out for their sheer celebrity or size, such as a lifesize 1929 copy of The Kiss, viewers aren’t “told” which works are important and which are not by virtue of a prominent, central gallery location. Since museums often tout the few masterworks they may have (a designation which they determine, not the viewers) and almost shrug off their other holdings by stashing them in stale corners, they often pressure their visitors who perhaps don’t feel like the adequate art connoisseurs they aspire to embody to “like” certain works and in the process excuse them for eschewing others. An implicit message appears to underlie the overt conspicuity some works enjoy that whispers, “This is a masterpiece; if you don’t like it and therefore don’t recognize it as such, you’re the very ignorant buffoon you claim to deprive that doesn’t understand Art!” This subliminal prodding or judging thankfully fails to infect the Rodin Museum. The small number of carefully placed choice pieces in nondescript places within the museum’s intimate rooms liberates visitors to view each and every work without preconceived notions pushing them to give more value to one sculpture over another. It frees viewers to consider each piece objectively and embrace their original thoughts rather than merely submitting to the echoes of the “Art experts” bounce and ricochet within their skulls, sometimes with enough force to knock them senseless and give up trying to appreciate art — a reaction every museum struggles to avoid. With this freedom I personally proceeded to seize on some works that perhaps would have been tempting to disregard in an effort to imitate the art experts I yearn to emulate. I had never heard of Rodin’s 1885 piece Danaid (The Source). The relatively small sculpture mesmerizes me in the way it depicts the musculature and bones of the subject’s body. Rodin contorts the woman’s form as to almost abstract it, yet when I look at her, she seems so real and immediate that I feel in my own torso the cascading bends and protruding bones of her own. I don’t know if Danaid is considered a seminal component of Rodin’s oeuvre, or whether the art world deems it lousy. At the Rodin Museum, I don’t feel like I have to care, either. Go to the improved Rodin Museum and discover your own treasures, reach your own conclusions, and learn about art from the art itself, not from some anonymous curator with a Ph.D. The museum’s curators plan to reconfigure what’s on view every couple of months, making it worthwhile to visit as an enigmatic, multi-faceted friend — almost like the architectural version of a Swattie.
ELIZABETH KR
AMER/PHOENIX
STAFF
It’s All About Self Expression
Lessons from Swarthmore and Beyond 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 story-telling fostered in Learning for Life, David is writing to share his life experiences with the Swarthmore community. Walking around Swarthmore College campus reminds me of a Dr.Seuss quote: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” I think that is what selfexpression is all about. I have met a lot of the students on campus and no one is alike. They all have their own style DAVID and characteristics. I think that is TOLAND what makes Swarthmore College so wonderful. Believe it or not, Can You Dig It? walking around campus and seeing the students has opened my eyes on the way I let my three kids express themselves. For a quick example, my eleven year old daughter wanted to dye her hair pink, so I took her and had it done. My twelve year old son is kinda punk-rock, rocks a pompadour hairstyle, and wears a fedora hat. My thirteen year-old son
Believe it or not, walking around campus and seeing the students has opened my eyes on the way I let my three kids express themselves. has long hair. It does not change anything about them; it is just the style they choose. This reminds me of the many different types of styles I see as I walk around campus. Growing up, there was no self-expression in my house. I grew up in a middle class family with “old school” parents. It was regular haircuts and normal clothes. When I was in junior high school, an earring was the thing to have, but that was out of the question in my house. In my house, growing up was more like a “normal kid” with no outrageous style or self-expression allowed. After high school, I went into the U.S. Army for ten years. There was no chance for self-expression at all. Everyone dressed the same, had the same haircut, and looked the same. So I started getting tattoos. Now that I am older, I have all the opportunities for self-expression I want. I have 64 tattoos, earrings, and a mohawk. In my experience, the first thing most people do is judge you based on the way you look. My thoughts are the same as Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who stated, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently from you.” One person that stands out in my mind and I will never forget is a Doctor of Education who I worked with in the past. She was, may I say, an old hippie, but one of the smartest people I ever knew. We would talk a lot and got to know each other well. One day, out of nowhere, she said , “Thank you...you changed my whole outlook on people with tattoos.” I guess in her generation only bikers and trouble makers got tattoos. My advice: don’t ever change to try and please anyone else. Be yourself and let people get to know the real you. So lace up your oxblood Dr. Martens, dye your hair blue, and rock your way through life.... David Toland, Learning for Life
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Living & Arts
PAGE 15
The Phoenix
Bedtime with the Deans
Readings of Childhood Favorites Bring Magical Memories By ALLI SHULTES Assistant Living & Arts Editor
ADRIANA OBIOLS/PHOENIX STAFF
Myrt Westphal reads “Frederick and His Friends” to a group of students in Parrish Parlors on Wednesday evening.
In the midst of freshmen orientation week’s characteristic chatter, the sudden silence in Wharton C Basement caught Wellness Coordinator Satya Nelms off guard. “‘Come, Boy, sit down, sit down and rest…’” Abby Holtzman ’15 read from “The Giving Tree” as tea-tasting attendees quieted and clustered at her feet. Watching as the lines from Shel Silverstein’s classic lulled listeners into a stillness not often found at the college, Nelms resolved to recreate the magic of the moment during the stress-filled weeks of the school year. Bedtime Stories, her new monthly series, features faculty readings of beloved childhood favorites from “Green Eggs and Ham” to “Goodnight Moon.” “I have a six-year-old and a four-year-old, and when I’m reading them a story, it reminds me of how young they are,” Nelms shared. “I was reminded that at the tea tasting — how young our students are. And I think with all your responsibilities and pressures, for one hour a month to get to be young again and hear a story read to you, is going to be wonderful to watch.” Myrt Westphal, Associate Dean for Student Life, helped inaugurate the series with playful renditions of “Goodnight Moon” and “Frederick the Mouse” last night in Parrish Parlors.
Swatties spilled from the couches onto the floor to hear the old classic and quick favorite. Readers are offered a list of suggested stories, but are free to supplement the recommendations with favorites of their own. Westphal chose “Frederick the Mouse” for its unique illustrations and plotline. The story’s hero shucks responsibility in order to more fully appreciate the beauty of the summer months. When winter comes, his community shares the food they gathered in exchange for Frederick’s stories and poems. Westphal believes the timeless moral — to “stop and smell the roses” — was particularly suited for her Swarthmore audience. She also sees Frederick as a specifically Swattie-like rodent, able to “see things that others don’t always comprehend.” “The other mice don’t really understand what Frederick is doing,” she explained. “They’re caught up in the more mundane aspects of everyday life, whereas Frederick is more concerned with his mind and imagination.” The monthly series will conclude with President Rebecca Chopp’s reading of “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” — a Dr. Seuss classic and quintessential graduation tale — at the end of the school year. Readers in the intermittent months include Professor Keith Reeves from the political science department, Dean for Student Life Diane Anderson, and Dean of Students Elizabeth Braun.
‘Math + Dance,’ from page 8 Creative Residencies Grant. The Mellon Grant Program received a planning grant in 2007 and this year begins a three-year implementation phase, after which its continuation as a permanently endowed program will hinge on its success during this period. Regardless, it is guaranteed to run at least until 2015, and, with the aim to bring artists to the Tri-Co to work with faculty in non-artistic, more traditionally academic fields, this program is, according to program coordinator Tom W. Bonner, “the first program of its kind in the country.” And though the program sponsored residencies during its planning phase, Dr. Schaffer to be funded by the program as an official and potentially permanent entity. In addition to working with students on the pieces presented Wednesday, Dr. Schaffer also visited classes, attended meetings of the Bryn Mawr Math Club, and extensively interacted with faculty members in various disciplines. It is this interdisciplinary dialogue and cross-pollination, of course, that ultimately motivate and provide the central goal for the Mellon Grant Program. Upcoming residencies funded by the program include a choreographer interested in connections between dance and robotics, and a group of visual artists with disabilities, who will work with students in sociology and education, among other disciplines. Student dancers performed in “Math+Dance: When Patterns Collide,” which was held in Troy Dance Lab yesterday afternoon.
ADRIANA OBIOLS/PHOENIX STAFF
Opinions
PAGE 16
Inn-sanity
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
The Phoenix is unsure that the benefits of the new hotel will outweigh the costs Staff Editorial Four years after first being proposed to the Board of Managers, the Town Center West Project (also known as the Swarthmore Inn) near PPR may soon break ground — but many students still have reservations about the benefits, if any, that the new inn will bring to the College. The cost of the project is currently up in the air, but a 2008 estimate put the price tag between $30 million and $50 million. Though financed by outside gifts and not student tuitions, is the inn really the best project towards which to apply College funds? The inn does not seem like a facility that will cater to the student population. In a town where one can easily buy a meal for under $10, the inn will put in an upscale restaurant with a bar — not someplace that the majority of college students would choose to venture. Many of Swarthmore’s students are under the legal drinking age anyway. Despite arguments that the inn will revitalize the Borough of Swarthmore, there are many potential costs which cannot go ignored. It is unlikely that the inn will attract people not directly connected with the College; very few new customers will come into the area because of the inn. Why would tourists and businesspeople stay in Swarthmore when all of Philadelphia is at their disposal? Any customers that do come will likely use inn and College facilities almost exclusively; Ville shops and restaurants will probably see very little uptick in activity. Not to mention that the inn may take away the business of our two perfectly fine bed-and-breakfasts, both of which are close enough to campus to be convenient for College visitors. The inn’s recently approved liquor license is also a point of contention, particularly in the Ville. In the interest of keeping the peace, many residents express qualms about creating a source of alcohol accessible to students so close to their homes and businesses. The liquor license, being the only one granted in
the Borough of Swarthmore, gives the inn an unfair monopoly on the sale of alcohol. It is shameful for the College to campaign for a loophole for itself in the Borough’s “dry” policy. Liquor licenses should either be made available to all Ville businesses or none at all. Convenience is also an issue, particularly for students. The inn has already been in the works for four years, with no ground even broken yet. How long will it be before the full inn is completed? Until the ribbon is cut, students in nearby dorms such as PPR will have to deal with constant noise and movement of construction materials. The project will not be confined to the softball field; it will require the demolition of the road leading to the athletic facilities and the construction of a new one. For students and residents of the Ville, inconvenience caused by the construction will be a persistent problem. While the above concerns should be addressed, we do recognize the need for a place to stay for alumni and other campus visitors. Furthermore, the project cannot turn back now, after four years in the making. But the Town Center West Project as it stands now is more extravagant than the College needs. Currently it is a three-building complex with a sunken amphitheater, a fine arts cinema and an underground parking garage. In a town of 6,000 people, these effects seem mainly for show. A hotel of a size that requires the demolition and construction of roads is too much. A smaller building with fewer rooms and a moderately priced restaurant without a liquor license would be sufficient. It will take less time to construct and use less College money. The inn project need not halt — just downsize. Not to mention that the inn is very close to the siren which signals to Swarthmore’s volunteer fire department. Who wants to stay at a hotel where you can be woken up in the middle of the night by those three familiar heaven-splitting blasts?
STATEMENT FROM THE EDITORS The Phoenix wishes to acknowledge that the following statement, printed in its September 13, 2012 issue, was misleading: “[Pittsburgh] is the steel manufacturing heartland of America.” While several steel companies are located in Pittsburgh, the economy of the city does not depend nearly as heavily on the steel industry as it has in the past. The Phoenix also stated that the unemployment rate of Pittsburgh is “high.” This was not intended to be a comparison to the unemployment rates of other areas of the state or nation, but only a statement about Pittsburgh itself.
COURTESY OF THE SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN
So Far To Go
Hilton’s Words Remind Us to Stand Up to Bigotry “Ewww. Eww. To get fucked? Gay guys are the people we claim to love to make reckless and disrehorniest people in the world. They’re disgusting. spectful comments? Dude, most of them probably have AIDS … I would I call this lack of action the “bystander phenombe so scared if I were a gay guy … You’ll, like, die of enon.” As bystanders to ignorant comments, we AIDS.” sometimes feel it is not our place to interfere with. These were the words of none other than the in- The taxi driver probably didn’t feel comfortable famous hotel heiress, Paris Hilton. This disrespect- butting into the conversation, but he should have! ful and offensive rant was caught on tape in a NYC He should have let Hilton know that the comments cab this past week when a were unacceptable to all gays and gay allies. However, gay friend of hers was trying for fear of confrontation, I’m sure he refrained and to describe to her the very put the recording device on in hopes that whoever SEAN popular app called “Grindr.” watched it would see how crazy Hilton is. Although BRYANT I think it goes without say- it is agreed that many people do not agree with her, I ing that not one part of what also do not cannot excuse the friend’s decision to let Real Talk with Slam Hilton has said is true, by Hilton’s comment slide. He cosigned and simply said any means, but what comes “no thank you” after Hilton says “you’ll, like, die of to my mind is, what would have happened if the cab AIDS.” Had I been the cab driver, I would have pulled driver never recorded this rant? My guess is absolutely over right then and there and told her to not trip on nothing. I firmly believe that her gay friend probably the way out. Then I would have tried to find a puddle would have tried to excuse Hilton’s behavior (which of water on the side of the road so that I could drive he did), and the cab driver probably would have been through it and splash her entire outfit. silent as well as anxious for Moreover, don’t wait for them to get out of his cab. the moment when the perThen I would imagine that son who is being offended is everyone would continue livsitting a few feet away from At some point, some ing their lives while not adthe offender at the lunch dressing what was problemresponsibility has to be on or dinner table. Tell your atic about her statements. friend what is wrong about Sigh. But this is the world we the friends of whoever is of- what they are saying when live in: a world where friends no guards are up and you and bystanders don’t speak fensive because how can we two are just hanging out. It up about what is wrong when there. If they are truly progress as a society if we starts a friend makes an incredibly a friend, then they will hear offensive comment. appreciate everything allow people we claim to and Now, some of you reading that you are saying. this may be thinking, “Slam, then they can exit love to make reckless and stageIf not, you can’t speculate on what left, because someone could have happened!” But disrespectful comments? who doesn’t listen to what that is where you’re absoyou have to say is not somelutely wrong. I can indeed one who you want to keep speculate on what could have around in your life. Likewise, happened in that taxi ride and I will tell you exactly if you feel offended by a friend, let them know. If they why. It is because we live in a time where as peers, dismiss how you feel, feel free to dismiss them from we often remain quiet when our friends say outland- your life. There is no use in keeping someone like ish and offensive comments for fear of getting into a that around. There is never a reason strong enough heated argument with a treasured and trusted friend. to keep someone in your life who adds nothing but It’s a real thing that everyone struggles with; in par- constant bigotry and ignorance. Not to mention, ticular, Swatties. But we shouldn’t! If something is your friends will always be reflections on you, so unhomophobic, racist, or sexist, call it out and never be less you want people associating you with that mindafraid of confrontation. At some point, some respon- less jerk of a friend who doesn’t even understand how sibility has to be on the friends of whoever is offensive disrespectful he or she is, I would suggest you find because how can we progress as a society if we allow yourself some new ones.
Opinions
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
PAGE 17
The Phoenix
Disappearing Doctors
A Shortage of Physicians May Burden our Health Care System in the Near Future What does the Affordable Care Act — aka Obamacare — mean to you? Is it a long-overdue promise of universal health care? Is it moving America in the wrong direction — towards socialism? Has it become mainly a political tool being played up by both Republicans and Democrats to sway voters? A lot of political debate has gone into making a universal health care bill for the United States, and unless things change quickly the debates will continue raging for several years to Popular Science come. But we need to take a step back and look at the human element of health care in the United States. There are a lot of aging Americans who will need additional health care in the near future, and the United States is hurtling towards a doctor shortage of large proportions. When the entirety of Obamacare is enacted, an additional 32 million Americans will be covered by health insurance. Meanwhile, as the baby boomer generation grows older, the number of elderly Americans will increase drastically over the next 10 years: the Census Bureau predicts a 36 percent increase in those 65 and older over the next decade. Combined, these forces will see the demand for qualified doctors, both general physicians and specialists, rise dramatically over the next decade. As the number of seniors grows and the demand for doctors increases, the workforce of doctors is aging as well. According to the American Association of Medical
PATRICK AMMERMAN
Colleges (AAMC), about one third of doctors who are practicing today will retire in the next decade. An analysis of predicted supply and demand for full-time physicians conducted by AAMC shows that over the next decade the country could be facing a shortage of 45,000 primary care doctors, as well as a shortage of 46,000 surgeons and specialists. Among the most underrepresented doctors in the near future will be general surgeons, ophthalmologists and orthopedic surgeons. By 2025, there may be as many as 130,000 too few doctors to meet public demand. These shortages will be felt by everyone, as doctor’s appointments become harder to get and waiting rooms grow more crowded. However, the effects will be most acutely felt by vulnerable populations in inner-city and rural areas. These areas already have trouble attracting doctors, who are preferentially choosing to take jobs in moneyed suburbs or wealthy urban areas. This means that even with a universal health care program in place, there will remain an inaccessibility problem for those who can’t afford to live in the kind of neighborhoods that attract an adequate supply of family doctors, let alone specialists whose numbers are either stagnant or shrinking under the current system. One would expect the shortage to be answered by an increasing number of students choosing to enter medicine, looking forward to a steady job and good pay in a medical career. In fact, there are plenty of students seeking MDs, and the number of medical schools and the number of graduates they produce has been steadily increasing. Most sources agree that the cause of
the doctor shortage lies in the number of overhaul of Medicare. His campaign has residency programs available in the coun- criticized Obama’s cuts to Medicare that try. Residency programs provide valuable provided a large portion of the money that training to medical school graduates, but will fund Obamacare. Romney has vowed the cost of training one resident for a hospi- to restore funding to Medicare, although tal has grown to be huge: $145,000 per year it is unclear where this money would go. according to one article on bloomberg.com. Most of Obama’s cuts eliminated overpayAt these costs, hospitals are reliant on the ments to health insurance companies, and federal government in order to support putting those overpayments back into the their residency programs. This funding is legislation would be a step backwards in provided by Medicare, which pays the hos- American health care. In order to meet a rapidly growing depital directly for each resident they take in. The amount of money allocated for this mand for doctors, Congress and whichever purpose has been frozen since 1997 when presidential candidate wins the 2012 elecCongress placed a cap on how much could tion must act quickly to either increase be spent on residency programs, making it government funding for residency posivery difficult for hospitals to expand their tions or fundamentally change the system residency programs as the baby boomers of training doctors in the United States. grow older and the doctor shortage looms. Medical schools have done all they can do, This cap has kept the number of resident but their enrollments must be capped with positions available in the United States an eye to the difficulties their graduates at about 110,000 for the past 15 years. The face trying to find residency programs. A solution will not be cheap: a recently federal government’s stagnated funding introduced piece of for specialists has at legislation proposed times been even more additional funding of stagnant. Since 1970, nine billion dollars to the number of dermaHopes for an increase add just 3,000 residentology residents has in funding for medical cies per year for the been highly consisnext five years. tent, around 300 per residencies seem slim in But no matter the year. Hopes for an intoday’s political climate. cost, the federal government must act. If crease in funding for they don’t, the Amermedical residencies ican public health seem slim in today’s political climate. President Obama offered system will be overwhelmed, and the ramisome incentives to those entering the med- fications will be wide-reaching. In this ical field in the Obamacare bill he signed country, universal health care will never into law, but did not alter Congress’s be a reality until we have a workforce of cap. Presidential candidate Mitt Rom- doctors who can truly serve the needs of ney, meanwhile, has suggested a major all Americans.
Middle East Turmoil: Solidarity is Messy Two years ago, a number of Swatties braved the February cold, dressed in white and marched across campus in a display of “solidarity” for the Egyptian uprising against then-President-cum-Dictator Hosni Mubarak. These students, like many Americans, hoped freedom, not radical Islam, was sweeping the Middle East. Unfortunately, the latest chapter hasn’t been so celebratory. From Egypt to Libya to Tunisia to Lebanon, American property and dignity was torched. In Benghazi, U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three diplomatic staff were murdered in what looks to have been a planned terrorist attack. Multiple embassies saw the DANIELLE American flag torn down and CHARETTE desecrated, replaced with the The Nascent Neoliberal same black flag of Salafism that al-Qaeda has been known to fly. The State Department is currently backpedaling from its original comments in the wake of the September 11, 2012 rioting, statements which proved to be wishful thinking. As it turns out, the uprisings weren’t random. No, some stupid YouTube clip wasn’t the catalyst. No, that diabolical preacher from Florida wasn’t egging them on. On September 13, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano assured the morning talk shows that uprisings were just a “one-off” by isolated attackers, as if the embassy ambushes were the handiwork of a few adolescent kids playing with matches. A full week later, Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged the Pakistani Taliban was in fact involved. The gross discrepancy earned little more than a collective shrug from the mainstream press. In a landmark case back in 1989, the Supreme Court confirmed that flag-burning is indeed a display of free speech. Many Americans were outraged. Yet we seem eerily oblivious as Arab protesters — whose revolutions Washington supported — scorch that same flag. Where’s the solidarity now? Why not band together for Constitutional freedoms, which, like it or not, protect films the President calls “disgusting?” “Solidarity” conjures up a vision of the masses taking to the streets for one cause or another. It’s true that such displays described the Arab Spring for a short while. But revolutions are the easy part. Establishing legal foundations and norms is when statecraft gets tricky. I wonder if an element of our blindsightedness — in Swarthmore and D.C. alike — is our appeal to “democracy” when we ought to be talking about good, small-r republican governance. By this I mean a sense of civil unity, a trust in elections, a legal system that addresses grievances, a respect for pluralism and communities shaped by human capital. Handing out ballots is relatively simple, while forging the social and economic frameworks for dignified
self-rule is the Achilles heel of politics. Knee-jerk calls for berserk, yet the past two week’s events reinforce Romney’s democracy can end in groups like the Muslim Brother- basic point. The Middle East is deeply unstable and in need hood exploiting democratic means for undemocratic ends. of committed, associated citizens who keep their leaders We’ve witnessed this phenomenon with Hezbollah in Leb- honest. Order must precede liberty, and then liberty will anon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. reinforce order. President Obama is publicly exasperated with Israel’s A world where Internet drivel becomes more offensive Prime Minister Netanyahu, as the Iranian quandary esca- than terrorist attacks is a world of Orwellian doublespeak. lates, the Middle East revs up hostilities and Egypt falters This is what happens when the postmodern politician as a reliable ally. These are tough issues, to be sure, and believes all nations, regimes, words and faiths are interthey require bold American leadership. Instead, President changeable. Our red, white and blue flag is easily swapped Obama opted to guest-star on “The View,” making a pub- for one that is bleak and black. lic appearance with Whoopi Goldberg rather than Prime Minister Netanyahu or Egypt’s President Morsi. This is an example of Disney politics — an immaLetters, opinion pieces and online writers may request that their group ture hope that a flick of the comments represent the views of affiliation be included. presidential wand can make their writers and not those of The difficult problems vanish, at least until after election day. Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. While The Phoenix does not accept Speaking to the UN The Phoenix reserves the right to anonymous submissions, letters General Assembly on Tuesedit all pieces submitted for print and op-eds may be published withday, President Obama propublication for content, length and out the writer’s name in exceptional claimed, “We do not expect clarity. The Phoenix also reserves circumstances and at the sole disother nations to agree with the right to withhold any letters, op- cretion of the Editorial Board. us on every issue.” That’s eds or comments from publication. fine when we’re talking An editorial represents the opinions about various local priorities between states, but “tolAll comments posted online and all of the members of the Opinions eration” and “respect” are op-eds and letters must be signed Board: Marcus Mello, Menghan Jin rendered dangerously holand should include the writer’s full and Preston Cooper. low when when our leaders name. are not willing to unequivocally defend American free Letters are a minimum of 250 words Please submit letters to: speech. Washington’s elites and may not exceed 500 words. Op- letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or were quick to agree with the Muslim world that some obeds are a minimum of 500 words scure movie was “blaspheand may not exceed 750. Letters The Phoenix mous.” The agreement that and op-eds must be submitted by 10 Swarthmore College violence and murder are unp.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix 500 College Avenue acceptable wrongs was, well, reserves the right to withhold letters Swarthmore, PA 19081 muted. and op-eds received after that time Republican nominee from publication. Please report corrections to: Mitt Romney faced harsh corrections@swarthmorephoenix. criticism this summer when he attributed Israel’s prosLetters may be signed by a maxi- com perity to her institutions mum of five individuals. Op-eds and “culture,” insinuating may be signed by a maximum of Letters, corrections and news tips that some societies possess two individuals. The Phoenix will may also be submitted online to the better civic checks and balnot accept pieces exclusively attrib- paper by clicking “Contact” on the ances than others. Politiuted to groups, although individual Phoenix website. cally correct pundits went
LETTER, OP-ED & COMMENT POLICY
Sports
PAGE 18
The Phoenix
Rugby Growing by Leaps and Bounds Phoenix Reporter Roy Greim Has Q&A With Players
By ROY GREIM SportsWriter
From 2007 to 2009, rugby was America’s fastest-growing sport, according to a study conducted by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA). In 2010 alone, participation in the sport increased by 50.7 percent, bringing the total number of American rugby players to a little over one million. American interest in rugby is also expected to increase with the inclusion of rugby sevens in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. The United States has won the past two gold medals in the event, which came in 1920 at the Antwerp games and in 1924 in Paris. Here at Swarthmore, interest in rugby is higher than ever as both the men’s and women’s teams, which are both members of the East Pennsylvania Rugby Union, report high numbers of firstyear players participating. Recently, Roy Greim asked some members a few questions about the sport and the fall season. Roy Greim (RG): What is rugby in a nutshell? Taylor Nation ’14 (TN), member of the men’s team: In rugby, two opposing teams are trying to advance into the other’s goal area (called a try zone), without passing the ball forward. On offense, the team’s backs pass the ball backward to each other, using mismatches and deception to exploit holes in the defense. Every time a player gets tackled, the forwards start a ruck, which is a contest for possession. Whichever team wins the ruck gets an opportunity to move the ball forward. On certain penalties, there’s a scrum, which I believe rugby is most synonymous with. The forwards grab a hold of each other and try to push the other team’s forward pack backwards, so that they’re in possession of the ball. Whichever team wins, keeps trying to get into the try zone. RG: What made you interested in joining the club? Did you have any experience prior to coming to Swarthmore? Becky Griest ’15 (BG): I had no experience and had almost no concept of the game. My roommate actually convinced me to join. She had a sister on the team and had heard about all the fun the team has together. The team was so welcoming and supportive, and as a freshman, it was so wonderful to have a group of people to go to, to ask questions to, and have fun with. We have each other’s back. As the season went on, I fell in love with the
game itself. It’s empowering, and allows you to work towards a common goal. It’s interesting: one moment you’re doing everything you can to tackle someone, and the next you’re socializing with the other team over a burger. Aarthi Reddy ’14 (AR), co-president of the women’s team: Honestly, I was coerced into being on the mailing list during the Activities Fair my freshman year. I had no experience playing rugby, and I was already interested in taking a PE class that met at the same time as weekly practices. I decided on Friday of my first week that I’d just give it a try — my roommate had gone to practice and said it was really fun — and I’ve been with the team ever since. As a freshman, the rugby team gave me an opportunity to bond with upperclassmen, who were welcoming and patient, and other freshmen that I never may have met. The community created by this team is something I consistently rely on and I can’t imagine dealing with the challenges of Swarthmore without the knowledge that my team always has my back — on and off the field. TN: I played football in high school, and even then, a lot of my friends were trying to get me to join the local rugby club. When I got to Swat, I wasn’t really doing anything physical since we didn’t have a football team. I figured rugby was a close second to football, and a great way to stay in shape. Turns out that I was only half right. Though the conditioning aspect of rugby is indeed awesome, I love playing it so much more than I did football. The nice thing about playing rugby at our level is that there isn’t really a lot of experience necessary to start. We’re all learning. It’s a simple game to pick up, and awesome to play. RG: Are there any misconceptions or negative stereotypes about the sport that you’d like to address? Pauline Goodson ’14 (PG), Fitness captain: Probably the amount and degree of injuries you receive, as well as what kind of physique you need. The truth is that rugby is actually very safe, if not a little painful and leaves you with a few bruises. There’s not any specific body type we look for when recruiting people because we know any talent can be useful on the field, whether it’s taking opponents down or speeding through them. AR: Many women believe they have the wrong body type for rugby and this simply isn’t true. Each position on the rugby field is unique and requires different strengths. Of course, the com-
mitment to keeping high fitness levels is incredibly important for everyone but whether you’re big or small or tall or short, if you’re willing to put in the effort, there will be a place for you on the field. TN: A big misconception is that you can be “too small” to play rugby. Although size doesn’t hurt in any sport, playing rugby really involves more smarts and knowledge than it does size. Odds are if you’re 5’5 125, you’re rarely going to be matched up against a 6’1 forward. You’re going to be out in the back line, where speed and focus are more important. We have had a couple of very small players that turned out to be great tacklers and really big assets to our team. RG: From what I understand, you have a pretty large group of first-year players this fall. What’s your impression of them and what does this mean for the growth of your sport? TN: Our first-year players are great! Sam, Razi, Emilio, Rudy, Greg, Omar, Kingston, and the rest of our guys are awesome. They’re showing a lot of talent and love for the game, and it’s going to be great to see them grow up to even better ruggers than they are now. That being said, it would be great to have even more guys come out to play. I would love to see 20, 25 guys out to a practice. If anyone’s interested in playing or knows someone who is, they should come to practice! We meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Cunningham Field and we play games on Saturdays. We look forward to seeing you out there! PG: It probably means rugby’s here to stay for a while. Our family is expanding and when the veterans graduate, it’s always nice knowing there’s a solid team still ready and eager for the next season. These girls are so fantastic in their readiness to learn something new and I find it obvious that in each and every one of them we have a great addition to the team. More simply, I’m beyond excited to play with them. AR: Our roster shows we currently have 18 new players, which is unbelievably exciting! Easily the most exciting thing about these new players is the fact that their ages span all four class years. It means that our team isn’t just growing from the bottom-up, but that it’s truly expanding. Barely a year and a half ago, we showed up to matches with 12-13 girls maximum (15 are required to field a team) and the fact that we now have a roster of over 30 women and can field two entire teams, with substitutes, is beyond incredible.
Patricia Zarate carries the ball in a women’s rugby practice on Cunningham Fields Wednesday afternoon.
RAISA REYES/THE PHOENIX
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Foosball: A Sport for All of Us I have a hobby that I like to indulge in some evenings. It’s vigorous, works up a sweat, and involves a huge amount of wrist strength. Every Thursday night I take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to play foosball with friends and the Swiss Mister Hans-Jakob Werlen. So, this article is in tribute to them and the great game that is foosball. (Also, I apologise for the double entendre but foosball to me is all those things; it gets intense). The problem I have found with life is that I have hit my peak at the age of twenty. Admittedly it’s JAMES not a very high peak, more of a mound or a molehill, IVEY but it is my peak nonetheless. Playing in IM soccer Out of Left Field is too much of a struggle for me. I labor up and down the wing like a wounded wildebeest, exhausted and oblivious to the world. Receiving the ball is quite frankly a terrifying experience, especially when I have to turn and face the determined faces of the hungry opposition who wait like hyenas to finish my wearied person and strip me of the ball. And if you ever want to see what a grown man losing all self respect looks like, then, since I am the only person who ever plays in a Fulham shirt, it’s easy to see. It’s a sad state of affairs when it seems that your peak physical fitness and mental strength are long behind you; it’s sadder when that peak is at twenty. But IM soccer is a tough, gritty team sport made for those who can run fifty yards without having a mini heart attack. Foosball, on the other hand is tough, gritty game that requires less physical exertion, which is great. It is, however, a game that requires mental agility and quick reaction times. I have neither. The game is obviously simple: you have 11 players attached to four metal rods and you want to use those players to score. Simple enough. But the problems arise when one has to play a regular player of the game. Techniques are developed
It’s hardly as simple as tiddlywinks or as easy as Connect Four. with greater amounts of game time. A surprising amount of control can be gained from plastic shaped men attached to a rotating bar. A passing game can develop if it is desired, shots can be angled depending on the part of the player used, and occasionally you can get goals from a keeper firing a shot the length of the field. It is a fast game. It is an enjoyable game (but only when you aren’t playing Hans-Jakob, because he always wins). There are counter shots that use a clearance to gain extra power and a hugely satisfying sound when the plastic ball hits the wooden goal backboard hard. Despite all of the fun that people have playing the game, it is not very popular, or at least, it seems that very few people will play it. I don’t know whether this is because it seems a little bit nerdy or because people just don’t consider it to be worth their time, but it certainly isn’t nerdy and it is definitely worth the time. Maybe some people just had a bad experience one time. Foosball deserves some respect in any case, as it is a difficult game. It’s hardly as simple as tiddlywinks or as easy as Connect Four. It is a game that requires mental strength and physical exertion. Cross chess and football together, and you might get somewhere close to the awesomeness of foosball. Obviously, this is an individual sport, not just a merger like Chess-Boxing, which has its own rules, code of conduct and international championships. Just to give a few examples of how important and mainstream that foosball has become: the sport has been registered with the International Olympic Committee, there are 65 countries in the current International Table Soccer Federation and the first major tour by a player (Lee Peppard) was sponsored as the “Quarter of a Million Dollar Tour” back in 1976 (which is a lot more money now obviously). If you want to give it a go, there are tables next to Essie Maes. It’s great fun and it is worth it. And if you want to learn how to really play like a pro and see a true master in action, then talk to Hans-Jakob, the resident sharp-shooter of Swarthmore College.
Sports
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
PAGE 19
The Phoenix
Streaking Volleyball Too Much for Dickinson Garnet Powers by Red Devils in 3-0 Match
By JENNI LU SportsWriter
2010 team. Leading the team’s offense was Zahra Ahmed ’15, who finished the game with an impressive 0.562 hitting percentAccording to coach Harleigh Chwastyk, success “starts age. “It was great to play on the outside. It’s an exhilarating and challenging position,” said Ahmed. Her excitement was with the first pass.” And with that first pass, the Swarthmore women’s vol- made clear on the court, as she tallied 11 kills and two block leyball team propelled themselves past the Dickinson Red assists for the game. On the other side of the spectrum, Danielle Sullivan ’14 Devils on Saturday afternoon in straight sets – 25-3, 25-17, and 25-10. The Garnet are now riding on a nine-game, 27- led the team in defense, ending the afternoon with 11 digs. set winning streak that has only been matched once by the Kat Montemurro ’13 totaled two service aces to lead the team. Going into the game, Chwastyk expected a challenge from the Red Devils. “I knew that they were young, and I knew that they were pretty scrappy on defense,” she said. However, her team quickly took control of the first set, and were in command of the match for its entire duration. Montemurro’s strong serves helped the Garnet outrun their opponent, gaining a 15-1 point lead that was untouchable for the remainder of the set. Ahmed credited much of her team’s success to their aggressive offense, explaining, “Dickinson’s go-to hitter was their outside. When we attacked the floor with our serving and hitting, she never really had the chance to hit.” The team finished the first set with a formidable 0.579 hitting AKSHAJ KUCHIBHOTLA/THE PHOENIX percentage, averaging only one Danielle Sullivan jumps up for the set in Saturday’s game against Dickinson. error per 19 attempts.
The second set proved slightly more difficult, as Dickinson began playing with less tension and more drive. “We ran into some trouble in the second set with serve and serve receive,” recalled Ahmed. The two teams saw each other tied at both two and eight points apiece before the Garnet slowly pulled away. “We picked up the energy and recovered quickly,” said Ahmed. The team finished the third and final set in similar fashion to the first, building off kills by Sullivan and Ahmed to finish off Dickinson. “I’ve been working on different aspects of my hitting and blocking in practice,” said Ahmed. “I hope this continues to translate in games.” Despite this unparalleled start to an undoubtedly promising season, Chwastyk refuses to relax. “I look at it day to day, match to match,” she said. In her eyes, there is still a sea of possibilities to reach. “I have an ongoing list of things we need to work on...the pursuit role, our offense off a bad pass, and transitioning out of system more effectively,” she listed. When asked if she was concerned that her players might lose their focus, Chwastyk answered quickly with a short, simple “Nope.” “We’re going to treat every match the same, and we’re going to work our best every time we step on the court,” she said. Not ones to relax, her players plan on competing with the same level of intense determination. “We’re doing a great job at playing aggressively and recovering from any lapses. Everyone is committed to finishing each point and set,” said Ahmed. Looking at their schedule, the Garnet will need all the physical and mental toughness they can muster, as they take on Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday and Johns Hopkins on Sunday. Two conference games against two of the top teams in the conference. Some might see it as a daunting challenge, but not Chwastyk. “In 2010 we were the underdog team. This year, people expect things from us,” she said. So far, the Swarthmore women’s volleyball team has not disappointed.
Golf Takes Its First Swings in Fall Tournaments Compete Against Teams in Harrisburg, at Home
By DAN DUNCAN Sports Editor Golf may be a spring sport above all, but competition takes place year-round. The Swarthmore golf team started off its 2012-13 campaign last weekend with the Penn State Harrisburg Fall Classic, and then hosted the Swarthmore Fall Invitational on Monday. During the weekend tournament in Harrisburg, the Garnet placed 14th overall with a team score of 649. Kyle Krainock ’13 led the team with a two-day score of 158, while Price Ferchill ’14 had the lowest overall Swarthmore score with a 75 on the first day. Although the team may not have had the best tournament, the players saw hopeful signs. Krainock pointed out that “our team had a pretty solid first day of the tournament, but we faded a bit on the second day.” He added that the first tournament of the year is always hard. “It takes some time to get back in the swing of tournament play,” he said. Overall, he felt that the team showed promise and that the team was capable of performing at a high level later this year. Ferchill agreed, adding, “The team’s play this weekend was up and down … Everyone had either one good round or a stretch of good holes, but we couldn’t seem to keep any momentum going for the entire 36 hole tournament.” At the same time, he said, “I think that this weekend could serve us well in the long run. It might have been the wake-up call that we needed to fuel the rest of our fall season.” While the men were in Harrisburg, Amanda Beebe ’15, the sole female member of the golf team, was competing at McDaniel College in their Women’s Fall Invitational. Her score of 85 was strong enough for a sixth place finish, and fourth among competitors from the Centennial Conference. The Garnet returned home for the oneday Swarthmore Fall Invitational, hosted at the nearby Rock Manor Country Club. Swarthmore tied for sixth overall in a tightly packed field. The team score of 333 was just four strokes out of second place. Andrew Park ’15 had the top score, tying for third overall individually with a 75. On the women’s side, Beebe again had a stellar outing, taking second place in the individual competition with a score of 84.
With the Centennial Conference and spring.” so they should contribute positively this NCAA Championship tournaments in the At the same time, there are other goals as year.” spring, one might wonder why there are tour- well. Ferchill added that during the fall seaFerchill was impressed with the freshnaments in the fall. The answer is that every son, the team tries to let freshmen and new- men’s resumes, pointing out that each of the bit of experience helps. Ferchill said, “Golf comers start in tournaments. This way, they new freshmen have a background in golf, really is a year-round sport. The fall season can get experience and adjust to collegiate and tournament experience prior to coming is used mainly as a time to get to know new competition in a less stressful situation. to Swarthmore. He thinks they are able to be members of the team, reacclimate to NCAA Ferchill and Krainock both believe the starters by the end of the year. competition, and to prepare for the spring freshmen will adjust quickly. Krainock said Swarthmore has two tournaments reseason.” one in particular, Jason Jolliffe ’16, could be maining on the fall schedule before going Krainock added, “I see the fall season as tremendous. “I am excited to have him on the into hibernation until spring. On October 6 being a way for the team to get back into team because he is a great kid and absolutely and 7, the Garnet will compete at McDaniel’s tournament mode. For the freshmen, the fall crushes the golf ball.” He added, “The three Mason Dixon Classic, and then close out the season is important because it allows them other freshmen (Jeremy Chang ’16, Thomas fall on October 9 at the Philadelphia Univerto get used to golf at the college level. Three Kim ’16, and Andrew Pak ’16) are solid too, sity Golf Classic. of our juniors [Jeff Wall ’14, Kyle Knapp ’14, and Sam White ’14] are abroad this semester, so this fall season is especially unique for our team. When they come back in the spring, our team will be even What she’s done: FR., GOLF, WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. more competitive.” Placed 6th in the McDaniel Women’s Fall The different Invitational and 2nd in the Swarthmore emphasis in the fall Fall Invitational as the sole female Garnet does not change the team’s focus, golfer. though. As Ferchill pointed out, Favorite career moment: “Our primary goal Making first team All-Conference this is always the same, past spring as a freshman. regardless of the time of year: to win golf tournaments.” Her season goals: Krainock agrees, For the spring season, I really just want to saying, “As with evhave fun and let my game come together ery tournament we naturally with practice and balance. play, our goal as a team is to win. In our fall events, it The best hole on campus would be: is very common to Magill Walk/Parrish Beach: a nice downhill be playing against par 3 other teams from the Centennial Conference, so we are able Favorite V.I.L.E. henchman: to gauge our abilities against them, I spent a full 15 minutes on Wikipedia resee how we need to searching Carmen Sandiego’s henchmen improve, and what and I still don’t know who they are and if I we’ll be up against even have a favorite. DAN DUNCAN/PHOENIX STAFF come the conference championship in the
GARNET ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
AMANDA BEEBE
Sports
PAGE 20
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
The Phoenix
Men’s, Women’s Tennis Strong in Tournament Play Mubeen, Wieler Score Impressive Doubles Championship By SCOOP RUXIN Sports Writer
The Swarthmore men’s and women’s tennis teams each had successful weekends, winning several matches in elimination-style tournament play. The men hosted the Tim Berman Invitational and sent players to the Saint Joseph’s Invitational, while the women competed in the USTAITA Southeast Regional Woman’s Championship, held at the University of Mary Washington. The men sent Irving Stone ’15 and Christian Carcione ’14 to Saint Joseph’s, where they encountered an invitational tournament featuring tough, Division I level competition. Even though James Wieler ’13 and Malik Mubeen ’13 competed at home, they also faced DI-quality opponents. The Garnet seniors came into the tournament unfazed by their competition. “It’s always weird facing off against a school that has six times as many students and three times as many dining halls as yours,” Mubeen said, “but we try to treat it like any other match.” The duo of Wieler and Mubeen represented tiny Swarthmore in a big way, dispatching foes from Villanova and Lafayette on their way to a doubles championship. The squad also enjoyed success in singles competition, with all four Garnet players picking up at least one victory. Both Stone and Carcione defeated foes from Drexel, and though both picked up just one win over the weekend, their teammates were impressed, especially in light of the tough competition the team faced. “It’s always important to compete against good competition in preparation of the spring season,” Wieler said, adding that “overall it was a pretty successful weekend.” The Garnet men will conclude their fall season by sending Anthony Collard ’14 and Max Sacks ’15 to the regional ITA Tournament next weekend. Mubeen emphasized the team’s desire to have a strong final showing in the fall, saying, “we’re looking to get a couple guys deep into this tournament to end the fall season on a positive note.” After that, the team will turn its focus to the spring season, where it hopes to continue its run as a nationally-ranked powerhouse. Having graduated star players Zak Kelm ’12 and Max Bressman ’12, Wieler knows that “someone will need to step up and fill in their roles this spring.” To do that, Swarthmore will count on Stone and Sacks to step up. According to Mubeen, “both saw some time in the starting lineup last year and have been working hard to challenge for the top
spots on our team.” Swarthmore will also look to Billy Lennon ’16 and Matt Hirsh ’16 to contribute towards the team’s goals. “We hope to be nationally ranked again,” Wieler said, with Mubeen adding that “we want to challenge Johns Hopkins for a berth in the NCAA tournament.” The Garnet men will face a tough Centennial Conference schedule this spring, but if this fall is any indication, it figures to be a fun and successful ride. While the men were in Philadelphia, the Swarthmore women were in Virginia, competing against top-tier competition at the Southeast Regional Championship. Coach Jeremy Loomis expected the tournament — Swarthmore’s first road trip of the year — to be a “good measure for us to build on for the spring.” Loomis was impressed with his team’s performance during the weekend, saying, “I was happy with how we responded from being somewhat sluggish in the morning on the first day.” The team took several positives away from the weekend. Emily Rosenblum ’13, Kelsey Johnson ’13 and Jackie Lane ’16 all won singles matches. Swarthmore also found success in doubles play, where two duos — Rosenblum and Lane, and Johnson and Epiphany English ’14 — each picked up victories. The tournament provided the Garnet an opportunity to measure itself against regional competition, including Centennial Conference foes that the team will face again during spring conference play. After they conclude their fall season this weekend, the Garnet women will turn their attention to preparing for the spring. The Garnet will spend the winter honing their skills. “We are excited to play more and keep improving,” Johnson said. According to Loomis, the major focus of the winter will be conditioning, a goal that was reinforced by the weekend’s competition. “I watched the teams that played the best over this past weekend, and the overriding theme was that the person who was able to track down lots of balls, be consistent and not tire out was usually the victor at the end of the match,” he said. Loomis hopes that the team can use the fall season as motivation to work hard this winter to put the team in strong position to reach the lofty goals it has set for itself. Johnson set her sights high, saying that, “we always try to make it to the finals of the Centennial Conference tournament.” As with the men, the Garnet women will look to get past a mighty Johns Hopkins Blue Jays squad in what will be an exciting and highly contested Centennial Conference season.
We want to challenge Johns Hopkins for a berth in the NCAA tournament. James Wieler ’13
James Wieler and Malik Mubeen attack the ball in their doubles matches.
JULIA CARLETON/PHOENIX STAFF