JANUARY 26, 2012 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 135, ISSUE 2
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PHOENIX Painting a Fresh Picture
Inside: New VP Clauss to head ambitious capital campaign ‘Papers’ explores lives of undocumented students Swim teams rout Bryn Mawr and Cabrini
A current List Gallery exhibit features recent encaustic paintings by Assistant Professor of Studio Art Logan Grider p. 11
The Phoenix
Thursday, January 26, 2012 Volume 135, Issue 2
The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881. EDITORIAL BOARD Marcus Mello Editor in Chief Camila Ryder Managing Editor Adam Schlegel News Editor Koby Levin Assistant News Editor Brad Lenox Living & Arts Editor Steven Hazel Assistant Living & Arts Editor Reem Abdou Opinions Editor Tim Bernstein Sports Editor Allegra Pocinki Photo Editor Cindy Luu Social Media Coordinator Peter Akkies Webmaster Eric Sherman Webmaster
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
Forward Will Gates dribbles the ball up the court in the Garnet’s 58-46 loss to McDaniel last night from Tarble Pavilion. The Garnet fell to 1-16 on the season. PAGE 20
News Sorority structure develops at interest meeting
Sorority organizers hosted their first interest meeting in Paces last night, detailing the potential structure of the newly proposed addition to Swarthmore’s Greek life. PAGE 3
‘Tinker, Tailor’ explores the PAGE 14 burden of information Global warming: perhaps Nate Blum reviews a movie with stunning and novel visual affects, yet convoluted forgotten but not forgiven dialogue that ultimately hinders the film. PAGE 9
All about the sex: ‘Shame’ grapples with sex addiction
“Shame,” a Steve McQueen directed drama, spotlights sex addiction and its effects on a brother and sister who live in New York City. PAGE 9
Fire at Countryside Deli leaves gap in local dining Swat Style Snapshot options For the semester’s first installment of the On Christman Eve, a fire broke out at the local Countryside Deli & Market and Carrafa family residence, displacing a local family as well as a slice of borough culture. PAGE 5
feature, Sera Jeong profiles Mireille Guy, a first-year who shops at thrift stores and Urban Outfitters and is influenced by her Parisian heritage as well as Rolling Stone magazine. PAGE 10
With recent increases in global temperature and ongoing dependence on fossil fuels, Harshil Sahai examines the issue of global warming and how we can sustain the planet’s energy resources. PAGE 15
Living & Arts Gospel Choir provides a spiritual and musical outlet
The Swarthmore Gospel Choir restarts and recruits new members to continue a tradition that began in 1971 that represents the black and Christian communities at Swarthmore to the world. PAGE 7
services and what it means for the newlyreleased Strategic Plan. PAGE 12
Seeking out local food choices for Restaurant Week
In a new column exploring local food, Amelia Dornbush introduces Restaurant Week, an inexpensive way to sample some of Philadelphia’s best food this weekend. PAGE 12
Opinions
Even one year later, Egyp‘Safe sex is great sex’: tips tians continue to protest from Vianca on how to play The Phoenix offers insight into why the ongoing revolution in Egypt is an opportusafe nity for both Egyptians to look to OccupiVianca Masucci picks up her sex column with some tips for safe sex and how to have safer unprotected sex as well. Vianca discusses a variety of topics, ranging from condoms to dental dams to other fun stuff. PAGE 8
ers for inspiration, and to American youth voters in the upcoming election to consider Egypt’s protesters as a model of political resolve.
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BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Paul Chung Circulation Manager Emily Richardson COVER DESIGN Amelia Kucic
Sports
CONTRIBUTORS Henry Ainley, Victor Brady, Amelia Dornbush
Swimming shows off depth and talent in 3-0 week
EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) movienewz.com creative-control.ca costumestore.com squeakycme.com
After spending part of winter break in Puerto Rico, the Garnet swim teams returned to the pool with a vengeance, sweeping Bryn Mawr and Cabrini in a week of stellar performances. PAGE 17
Prescod-Caeser details her hopes for Strategic Plan- Awakening to Auden: examining imbalances on ning The new Vice President for Human Re- campus Poor shooting dooms womsources, Pamela Prescod-Caesar, speaks on Steven Hazel examines Swarthmore’s culher upcoming role as an active member of ture of balancing academics and student en’s basketball vs. Ursinus the implementation process for planned developments in the Strategic Planning document. PAGE 6
STAFF Amanda Epstein News Writer Charles Hepper News Writer Yi-Wei Liu News Writer Sera Jeong Living & Arts Writer Samme Sheikh Living & Arts Writer Allison Shultes Living & Arts Writer Chi Zhang Living & Arts Writer Dylan Jensen Living & Arts Columnist Nate Blum Living & Arts Columnist Vianca Masucci Living & Arts Columnist Renu Nadkarni Living & Arts Artist Naia Poyer Living & Arts Artist Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Danielle Charette Opinions Columnist Harshil Shai Opinions Columnist Shirhan Shen Opinions Columnist Sam Sussman Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Political Cartoonist Ana Apostoleris Sports Writer Axel Kodat Blogger Julia Carleton Photographer Cristina Matamoros Photographer Holly Smith Photographer Justin Toran-Burrell Photographer Sophie Diamond Copy Editor Taylor Hodges Copy Editor Jaimi Kim Copy Editor Axel Kodat Copy Editor Margaret Lawlace Copy Editor Vija Lietuvninkas Copy Editor
The inconsistency continued for the Swarthmore women’s basketball team, as they shot just 25 percent en route to a 46-39 loss to Ursinus. PAGE 18
Corrections
FROM THE JANUARY 19, 2012 ISSUE The cartoon on page 6 was wrongly attributed to Naia Poyer. Renu Nadkarni created the cartoon. In a photo caption in the article “Traditional winter trip sends teams to Puerto Rico,” the women’s basketball player #20 was wrongly identified as Chastity Hopkins, when it is in fact Ginny LaFouci.
OPINIONS BOARD Reem Abdou, Marcus Mello and Camila Ryder
TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Amelia Possanza. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change. CONTACT INFORMATION Offices: Parrish Hall 470-472 E-mail: editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Newsroom phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Web site: www.swarthmorephoenix.com Mail subscriptions are available for $60 a year or $35 a semester. 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. All contents copyright © 2012 The Phoenix. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
In the Week in Pictures: MLK Day 2012, Naudia Williams was wrongly identified as a member of the Class of 2015, when in fact she is in the Class of 2014.
January 26, 2012
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News
swarthmorephoenix.com
Events Menu
Sorority structure develops at interest meeting
Today Faculty Lecture: Bob Rehak (Film & Media Studies) Assistant Professor Bob Rehak of the Film & Media Studies Department will be giving a talk on “Materializing Monsters: Fan Objects and Fantastic Media” in Kohlberg’s Scheuer Room at 4:30 p.m. Logan Grider Lecture and Reception Assistant Professor of Studio Art, Logan Grider, will be hosting a lecture in tandem with his ongoing abstract encaustic painting exhibition at the List Gallery beginning at 4:30 p.m. Teach For America Career Event Come learn more about the Teach For America post-graduate fellowship program from Swat alums that will be sharing their stories and experiences from their time in the program in Parrish 159 at 6:30 p.m. Tomorrow Embrace Your Legacy A daughter of Holocaust survivors, Barbara Shaiman, will be sharing her personal story as well as speaking on the non-profit organization she founded to advocate teen social activism at 12 p.m in the Lang Center’s Keith Room. First-Year Time Management Workshop Are you are a freshman having some difficulty creating a college schedule that works for you? Then head on over to the time management workshop held in Kolberg’s Scheuer Room from 12:30 to 1:45 (lunch included). Be sure to bring your class schedule and syllabi. Sunday, January 28th Orchestra 2001: Boulez, Andriessen and Crumb Philadelphia-based Orchestra 2001 will be premiering the final volume of George Crumb’s American Songbooks cycle, Boulez Anthemes II for solo violin and live electronics, and Andriessen’s tribute to American soprano Cathy Berberian in LPAC at 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 29th “Schooled to Obey, Learning to Protest” A current candidate for the Comparative Politics position within the Political Science Department, Dr. Shervin Malekzadeh, will be hosting a lecture on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attempts to create the New Islamic Citizen through schooling at 4:15 p.m in Trotter 301.
Submissions for the events menu may be sent to: news@swarthmorephoenix.com
Cristina Matamoros The Phoenix
Around 30 women were in attendance at last night’s sorority interest meeting, hosted by Julia Melin, Olivia Ensign, Christina Obiajulu and Callie Feingold, who hope to have the proposed project finalized and realized by next fall.
By Amanda epstein aepstei1@swarthmore.edu The group that recently fought to garner charter approval for the creation of a sorority on campus held an interest meeting in Paces on Wednesday night. With approximately 30 women in attendance, the group discussed its intentions in forming a sorority and outlined the succeeding steps required to see this project to reality. All of the women present were asked to introduce themselves and state the reasons for which they think starting a sorority is important. Gender equality in a social setting, challenging the existing Greek system of the United States, wanting more defined mentoring, expanding friend circles and creating a safer (and not male-dominated) wet space were among the intentions women had in establishing a sorority on campus. The group of four women spearheading this project, Julia Melin ’13, Olivia Ensign ’12, Christina Obiajulu ’12 and Callie Feingold ’12, revealed that a consultant (former Dean of Greek life consultant at Dartmouth College) has already been conferred with in determining what path a sorority at Swarthmore will want to take. One of the tentative paths involves associating the sorority with the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization for 26 women’s sororities. This organization would provide a large part of the necessary funding to create the framework and space for the sorority and would also offer a large, national network of women. Even more so, the organization would help subsidize the
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cost of joining a sorority, therefore making it equally accessible to every woman on campus. “A few of these sororities [in the NPC] were here at Swarthmore 79 years ago,” Melin said. The NPC’s chapters are all pretty autonomous, but they do require that certain guidelines for behavior be met. The interested members would vote on their preferred sorority within the umbrella that is NPC. The second and less feasible option is associating Swarthmore’s sorority with the National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC), an organization for 10 multicultural fraternities and sororities established in the 80s. Although associating with the NMGC appeals in character, the organization lacks the resources and age to provide the support and structure this campus’s women might need creating a sorority. According to Ensign, both options are feasible, each with its own drawbacks. Swarthmore’s group of women will have to choose whether they want to have effective economic and structural support, while at the same time, attempt to figure out how the chapter will be molded to fit the Swarthmore ideals, or if they want to have a strong multicultural identity, but have to do exponentially more fundraising to make this project viable. “That’s the type of conversation we want to have ... We want to make sure that everybody feels educated about the issue,” Ensign said. While there was clear interest in the prospect of a sorority starting on campus, shown by the number and enthusiasm of the women present at the meeting, there is still a considerable amount
January 26, 2012
of opposition. Frequently voicing her opinions on mediums like Facebook, Yana List ’14 is a strong opposer of sororities on campus. “A lot of the arguments I have heard in favor of sororities talk about the fact that there is no female dominated drinking space on campus, where the fraternities are male dominated,” she said. “I have friends that have talked about feeling either unsafe or uncomfortable when partying at the fraternities, and just creating a sorority is not going to fix the underlying problem... I think the solution involves abolishing the Greek system.” List, like many others on campus, agree that sororities, like fraternities, function “as exclusionary entities that discriminate based on looks, weight, wealth, etc.” And while she concedes that it is possible that Swarthmore’s sorority will not operate by reproducing the stereotypical characteristics that so commonly exist in most other college campuses, List believes that the campus should not open itself up to that possibility. “I think that this is the time to reconsider how social life works at Swarthmore, and how gender is respected, and at times disrespected,” List said. With an approved charter, the group of women interested in the sorority merely have to appeal to the school for funds in order to continue the project. Once they can start paying a consultant to properly guide them in the path to creation of a sorority, it is only a matter of time. The group hopes to have this project running by next fall.
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News
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Clauss to lead record capital campaign upon arrival at Swat
Week in pictures
scribing the initial stages as a gradual “process of hypothesis testing.” From these initial stages, the more Karl Clauss’s forthcoming entrance concrete elements of the plan are foras Vice President of Development and mulated. Starting with a careful and compreAlumni Relations coincides with the start of a particularly exciting time for hensive analysis of donor capabilities, the college. Clauss will occupy a prom- the most lucrative donations, comprisinent position at the helm of Swarth- ing between 80 and 90 percent of funds more’s upcoming capital campaign; a raised, are sought first. The campaign’s progress will not be comprehensive philanthropic effort intended to raise the funds necessary to made public until its goal is halfway realize the school’s ambitious strategic met. Campaigns usually occur over the space of five to seven years. initiatives. Challenges confronting Clauss in Former President Al Bloom set the goals for the approaching campaign in the approaching capital campaign Dec. 2006, after the successful conclu- include an uncertain national finansion of “The Meaning of Swarthmore,” cial climate, persistently rising costs the college’s previous campaign that of higher education, and heightened skepticism in America towards the viraised $245 million. The approaching campaign, pro- ability and relevance of the residential jected to begin in 2014, will be required liberal arts experience in the modern to raise $400 million to fulfill the de- world. Despite the mands of the significant chalstrategic plan. posed by These initiaSwarthmore is embark- lenges the nature of 21st tives were enuhigher merated in the ing on an exciting new century education, Clauss booklet “Strategic Directions chapter...in implementing has great reason be optimisfor Swarthmore a dynamic and forward- to tic. Swarthmore College,” draftthinking strategic plan. boasts an exceped in Decemtionally diverse, ber 2011 by the Karl Clauss robust and loyal Strategic Planbody of over ning Council Incoming VP of 19,000 alumni, and publicly reDevelopment & many of whom leased last Monare leaders in a day. Alumni Relations wide array of proClauss’s roles fessional fields. as VP were set The figures forth in the final position description for the job exhibit the strong loyalty of college issued last September; “Reporting to alumni. Within the last year, donor President Chopp, the Vice President retention rate has remained stable at for Development and Alumni Relations 84%, while giving from parents to the provides the strategic direction and Parents Fund has increased 21% and leadership for all of the College’s devel- the number of alumni donors in the ten opment and alumni relations functions most recent classes increased by 11%. Development efforts in the 2010-11 year and oversees a staff of 46.” Serving as a major gifts fundraiser saw the Annual Fund increase by 4.9%, along with Chopp, Clauss will be ex- with over half of all alumni participatpected to build and maintain strong ing. In addition, the alumni community relationships with the college’s most maintains a rich network of connecgenerous donors. He will lead a systematic process tions through the numerous events and of communication, identification, cul- activities facilitated by the 18 regional tivation and recognition intended to Connections, as well as the over 1,000 appeal to the Swarthmore community active alumni volunteers who work while promoting a broader base of phil- in admissions, career services and externship capacities. anthropic support for the school. It is in this capacity that Clauss’s Clauss will also seek to heighten alumni engagement by strengthening role in effectively connecting with relationships with graduates and ad- alumni will be brought to the fore. Clauss has responded eagerly to his dressing the unique interests, expectapivotal role in this substantial undertions and motivations of alumni. The strategic plan describes the up- taking. “Swarthmore is embarking upon coming capital campaign as one “designed to excite donors, encouraging an exciting new chapter as President them to engage with us to achieve our Chopp leads the community in imvision for the future, and to commemo- plementing a dynamic and forwardrate the College’s sesquicentennial,” thinking strategic plan. I am honored as the campaign will coincide with to partner with a committed board of the 150th anniversary of the college’s managers and talented staff to support this effort with an ambitious camfounding. Professor Chopp outlined the stan- paign,” he said. Clauss will be arriving at the college dard progression for a collegiate capital campaign in a recent interview, de- to begin work on March 1.
By Charlie Hepper chepper1@swarthmore.edu
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
President Rebecca Chopp hosted the MLK reflections and commencement last Friday in the Friends Meeting House, concluding the MLK commemoration week.
Holly Smith The Phoenix
Snow fell, and stuck, for the first time during this year’s unusually mild winter, blanketing the campus momentarily in a cool layer of white over the weekend.
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Assistant Professor of Studio Art Logan Grider, debuted selected abstract encaustic paintings of his in the List Gallery last week.
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January 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
News Countryside Market & Deli plans to rebuild after fire
swarthmorephoenix.com
By koby levin jlevin1@swarthmore.edu
In the aftermath of the Christmas eve fire at Countryside Market & Deli, it seemed like the Carrafa family’s holiday season would be ruined. Their home, full of gifts, had been destroyed. But an outpouring of neighborly support refilled the Carrafa’s stockings. “It was an overabundance,” John Carrafa, the owner of Countryside, said. “They filled my sister-inlaw’s living room up with toys from one end to the other. Santa Claus was here twice. It was such a good feeling to have a good holiday, even though we didn’t have a good holiday.” The reaction came in the form of condolences as well as gifts: cards have been arriving from Swarthmore and beyond. “I’m continually getting cards from people we know and people we don’t know, people who have stopped in our place, who sent cards from home to express sorrow for what happened. I have received cards from Alabama and Kentucky,” Carrafa said. The Carrafas, all of whom are staying with relatives, plan to rebuild, a process expected to take about a year. Reconstruction can begin once the official police investigation into the fire is complete and the insurance claim can be processed. According to Fire Marshal Tom Moleski, the investigation will be completed sometime this week. Though the restaurant will remain much the same, Carrafa said that he would use the reconstruction as a chance to enlarge and streamline the kitchen as well as comply with several recent ordinances. A handicap ramp is one possible addition. The destruction of the market leaves a hole in Swarthmore’s culinary scene. It will be missed by Swarthmore students, who counted on it as a local dining option. “They had a very extensive menu variety and all the items were very interesting but delicious,” Brady White ’15 said. “The service was great and accommodating, and the atmosphere was homey and comforting,” he said. The market was known for its wide selection of singular sandwiches, its menu boasting more than 150 options. Daniel Feist-Alexandrov ’15 recalled or-
dering an “excellent” chicken sandwich on ciabatta bread along with “delicious eggplant fries.” He highlighted the importance of Countryside’s proximity to the college, adding that, in Countryside, students have lost “a good and not too far away eatery.” At 6:26 a.m. on Dec. 24, the fire department received a fire-alarm alert from the market. The Swarthmore, Broomall, Springfield and Mooreland-Rutledge fire departments responded, making it a first alarm fire, “a very typical alarm response for a building fire in the borough of Swarthmore,” Swarthmore Fire Chief Bob Jones said. “The police described it as a ‘working fire,’ meaning there was a visible flame; when we arrived, the back addition of the kitchen was shrouded in smoke with some visible flame,” he said. The building was made up of three parts: a house containing the dining room and living quarters (estimated to be about 100 years old), an addition built to hold the kitchen and another addition stretching back from Yale street into the property. Of these, only the house and second addition remain standing. The kitchen burnt entirely to the ground, victim to an arbitrary architectural feature: since it has no door to the outside, firefighters were forced to go through the only doors available. “Our approach was through the front and through the back, so it was easier to concentrate our efforts on those parts and then work our way toward where the fire was,” Moleski said. “There wasn’t an exterior door that led directly into where the fire was.” Chief Jones added that he enjoyed Countryside. “I liked it there,” he said. “It had a nice atmosphere and good food.” In the firefighters’ attempts to control the fire, one Springfield firefighter sustained a minor injury. “The Springfield firefighter was hurt when a hose was unexpectedly filled with water,” Moleski said. “This happens from time to time, no matter how careful you are. He has since fully recovered.” Carrafa, who has been in Swarthmore for 17 years this month, is ready to get back to work. “I have more time on my hands now, so I’m able to sit down and redesign the building, keeping the look and making it more efficient,” he said. “But I’m ready to go.”
Justin Toran=Burrell The Phoenix
The charred remains of the building that used to house Countryside Deli and the Carrafa family residence still stands along a section of Yale Avenue.
Around Higher education
A peek inside local area Occupy general assembly meeting
By sarah smith www.thedp.com, Jan. 24, 2012 Put both hands up and wiggle your fingers if you agree with me. Point them at the ground and wiggle them if you disagree. If you feel neutral but still want to express yourself, aim your fingers parallel to the ground and wiggle them. Think I’m breaking procedure? Arrange your thumb and forefinger into the shape of a triangle and hold it above your head. With this silent language, the General Assembly of Occupy Philadelphia began its meeting, which is held every Tuesday and Thursday in the Friends Center at 15th and Cherry streets. Upon introducing myself as a reporter, the facilitators debated whether or not I was welcome. They almost held a vote among the entire GA, before deeming it unnecessary. When everyone filed into the two-story church and settled down on the pews, the meeting began when the facilitator roared, “Mic check!” The crowd yelled it back at him and the chatter stopped — mostly. After a reading of the Occupy Philadelphia guidelines, working committees reported on their progress. Occupy Spaces plans to refurbish a vacant lot with greenery, Occupy groups
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on the West Coast plan to rally to stop a reads it aloud, followed by the facilitashipment that’s being escorted in by the tors opening the floor to “clarifying Coast Guard and Occupy Pittsburgh is questions.” These questions are theoretplanning a march in protest to Gov. Tom ically true to their name — not attacks, not disputes, but true clarifications of Corbett’s (R-Pa.) budget speech. Next came the announcements. One the proposal. In reality, the clarifying questions man, clean-shaven and sporting a brown hat that matched the rest of his brown were about 50 percent clarifying and 50 percent snarky. In some cases of snarkiattire, stood up. He was one of the only men without a ness, I didn’t blame them. A facilitator walked around with a beard of some sort. He introduced himnotepad to keep self as Nate and imtrack of the order mediately explained questioners. A his stunning lack of We emphasize that this of maximum of five facial hair. “It means I’m is a living document that people at a time were on “stack.” running for Concan be changed by the The sixth was ofgress,” he declared ten frustrated. — Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. “Concerns” 13th district. TwinAnonymous speaker came next. At kle-fingers went up this time, memall around the room. at the Philly bers voiced issues It was one of OcGeneral Assembly they had with the cupy’s few moments proposal, offered of universal consensupport, refuted sus. I wished I had a earlier concerns camera. After other announcements, the or suggested slight tweaks. The same procedure with stack apgroup moves onto proposals. The procedure for this is strict, and if someone de- plied. If a proposal is open to amendviates, finger-triangles are immediately ments, members will offer those ideas after concerns. thrust into the air. Then a counted vote took place to First, the person making the proposal
January 26, 2012
pass or decline the proposal. The proposal on the table yesterday concerned a new set of guidelines regarding respect. People took turns reading aloud the proposal, and I was reminded forcibly of some of the worst moments of highschool English. Then the debates began. “How are we going to hold people accountable?” one woman asked. “I don’t want us to have the way where the only way you express anger is to be passive aggressive,” said the longhaired man in front of me. He also added that passive-aggressive behavior was the “middle class way” to express one’s anger. No one disagreed. People expressed concern about the finality of these rules. Someone offered an amendment to add the following text: “We emphasize that this is a living document that can be changed by the General Assembly.” The amendment passed, but there was no consensus on anything resembling an accountability procedure. With five minutes left in the meeting, the GA held a vote. Thirty two voted yes on the proposal. Two voted no. Three abstained. The amended proposal had passed, and Occupy Philadelphia adjourned till Thursday.
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News
swarthmorephoenix.com
Prescod-Caeser details her hopes for Strategic Planning By yi-wei liu yliu2@swarthmore.edu Pamela Prescod-Caesar will become Swarthmore’s new vice president for human resources on Feb. 15, replacing Melanie Young. She will be vital in ensuring the successful implementation of Swarthmore’s recently released “strategic directions,” a road map for the college’s development into the 21st century. Several goals of the strategic directions include greater staff and student diversity, increased sustainability as well as the creation of an “Institute of the Liberal Arts” and the revamping current facilities. Prescod-Caesar is currently associate vice president for human resources at Colgate University, where President Chopp also served before moving to Swarthmore. In a phone interview, Prescod-Caesar said she originally “had no desire to leave Colgate,” and that the opportunity to come to Swarthmore was a surprise. “I loved working at Colgate, but when this job opportunity was sent out to a number of human resource professionals, I thought, why not explore an opportunity at another great liberal arts college?” Prescod-Caeser said. Although Colgate and Swarthmore are similar in terms of student body size, she expects the experience
at Swarthmore to be different. “I’m particularly excited by the strategic plan that will be in place soon. My interest was sparked by the commitment Swarthmore has to diversity and sustainability. I’m also very attracted by the deep Quaker roots of this institution,” Prescod-Caesar said. Asked what role she would play in the college as part of the Swarthmore community, Prescod-Caesar explained that the human resources department “helps to manage an institution’s greatest assets, its people. In contrast, some larger institutions might place more emphasis on the endowment over the employees. I will be making sure that the college’s human capital is in line with its institutional goals.” Prescod-Caesar has extensive experience in human resources management, including being a former member of the Society for Human Resources Management, an international association devoted to human resource management, as well as the Harvard University’s Administrative Fellows Program, among several other prestigious human resources organizations. Her experience will be particularly useful in helping Swarthmore achieve its ambitious goals as part of its mission to “prepare its students for the 21st century.” Despite her HR experience, there has been speculation circulating among students regarding the similar
backgrounds of President Chopp, Prescod-Caesar and Karl Clauss, Swarthmore’s new vice president for development and alumni relations: they are all from Colgate. In response to such rumors, President Chopp said that there was a rigorous formal process to find the right person for the job, involving many deliberations by the search committee in whittling the number of potential candidates from 197 to 12 to finally three. These three candidates were then invited to the Swarthmore campus to meet with student, staff and the President. After thorough reference checks, a final candidate was selected. “Pamela has a lot of experience working in the liberal arts college setting, and relates well to her constituents. Throughout the search process, Pamela was seen as vitally able to contribute to all our strategic goals,” President Chopp said. Prescod-Caesar offered her own explanation: human resource professionals currently or formerly part of Colgate might have been especially willing to apply for the job because of President Chopp’s excellent reputation among the Colgate community. “I worked with her briefly and did not directly report to her, but I was familiar with President Chopp and am delighted to be able to work with her again.”
Around Higher Education
International student population on the rise at Villanova By Katie Armstrong www.villanovan.com, Dec. 2, 2011 According to a recent University report, over 3.9 percent of the applicant pool for the Class of ‘14 and 2.9 percent of actual enrollees were foreign students. An official 2009 report approved by Stephen Merritt, dean of Enrollment Management, showed a steady increase in international students over four years, despite the worldwide financial crisis. The University’s international student enrollment reflects trends documented by the Open Doors 2010 report published in November by the Institute of International Education, a leading not-for-profit educational exchange organization in the United States. According to the report, the total number of foreign students studying in the United States in academic year 2009-’10 increased 3 percent from the previous academic year. The economic downturn did negatively impact international enrollments throughout the United States in academic year 2009-’10, according to the report. The current freshman class at the University includes 48 first-time international students with 32 being non-U.S. passport holders. Director of University Admission Michael Gaynor has been involved in international education for most of his 29year career at the University. He has traveled to about 50 countries on behalf of Villanova, including locations in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and the subcontinent, but other members of admission staff are now fulfilling the role of travel. “There is an art and science to what we do,” Gaynor said. “The science is looking at such data published by the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report, in terms of what countries are sending their students to the U.S. and also statistics from the College Board as far as SAT senders from specific high schools that are likely to matriculate at colleges in the states.” Recruiting abroad, he said, is very similar to recruiting domestically. “Recruiting overseas involves physically going abroad and establishing relationships between prospective students
and our admission officers,” Gaynor said. “Our work is based on relationship building and earned trust. We don’t do anything short-term.” A primary strategy for recruiting international students involves touring other institutions, individual counselor travel and personal visits to secondary schools. As a member of the Council of International Schools, the University has participated with and served as tour leaders for CIS recruitment trips and continues to be represented at Fulbright Commission-sponsored college fairs. The Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling’s summer conference for secondary school counselors and admission representatives –– which the University hosted –– facilitates another opportunity to learn and network on behalf of the University Associate Director of International Admissions Rev. Francis Chambers, O.S.A., is in his 11th year of international recruiting at the University and actively recruits international students by attending international conferences and participating in college tours across numerous countries, as well as college fairs and high school visits.The University is one of only approximately 300 colleges in the country that recruit students overseas. And while most universities rely on their name and reputation to attract applicants, what Villanova has to offer is much more substantial, according to Chambers. “Our goal for international student enrollment is 10 percent of the freshman class, and it is not an easy goal to meet,” Chambers said. “International students have a lot of options. However, Villanova is a very different experience. In larger universities such as they have in Europe, the large class size allows no access to professors, students have to find housing and the idea of learning outside the classroom is not widespread throughout the world.” The strong sense of community that the Office of Residence Life promotes is often a deciding factor for international students to choose Villanova, according to Chambers.Additionally, the University’s academic reputation is an additional marketing tool abroad, according to Chambers. “Recruiting is also a matter of get-
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ting the academic reputation out there,” he said. “Villanova was always known in Latin America but not necessarily in Asia and Europe, like it is here in the U.S. In Asia, students tend to apply to top-name schools, so once we have a student who had a very good experience here and tells their peers about that experience, the word-of-mouth sets our name in stone.” For the 2010-’11 academic year, over 85 countries were represented in the University’s admissions pool with Angola, Mali and Mozambique being new locales for prospective first-time freshmen. South Korea saw 58 applicants apply to the University — the most applicants from any one foreign country this past year. According to the Open Doors 2010 report, China, India and South Korea are the top places of origin, respectively, for international students studying in the United States.
Also according to the report, international students contribute about $20 billion to the U.S. economy through tuition and living expenses, and the United States continues to host more international students than any other country. Gaynor says that the University welcomes international students for the diversity of thought and culture these students inevitably bring into the classroom setting and beyond the campus environment. “International students bring a different lens,” Gaynor said. “This perspective extends to more than just merely tolerating but understanding and embracing differences. This focus better prepares all of our students to become more responsible and savvy international citizens as they enter the global marketplace upon graduation from Villanova.”
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January 26, 2012
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‘Papers’ addresses immigration, students for MLK week by samme sheikh ssheikh2@swarthmore.edu
Applying to college served as a uniquely revelatory experience for high school senior Walter Enrique Lara. While reading through the catalogue of probing questions typically featured on college applications, Lara learned something about himself that he didn’t know before. Unlike most college applicants, who might gain some self-knowledge from how they answer a particularly personal question, it was through Lara’s inability to answer a rather mundane or routine question that he learned a shocking truth about his identity. Lara didn’t have a social security number to enter into any of his applications. He had no idea that his parents had moved from Argentina to the United States when he was only three years old. They had hidden this crucial part of his identity in America for what they thought would be his own good “My parents never told me about our situation,” he wrote in a short essay, explaining his predicament. “They wanted to keep it away from me so that I wouldn’t think less of myself than anybody else, and so that I would not worry.” “Papers,” a documentary screened in Scheuer Room in Kohlberg on Jan. 18 imparted to the 10 or so audience members in attendance that same understanding. The screening was part of “In Shackles: Shining a Light on Shadow America,” a week-long Swarthmore commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and his commitment to social activism. “Papers” revolved around the stories of five different undocumented high school seniors — including Lara — from all across the United States, each story representing a unique aspect of life as an undocumented American student.
The film was born out of director Ann Galinsky and producer Rebecca Shine’s experiences working as tutors and mentors with at-risk immigrant youth in Portland, Oregon, and their dismay at the extra obstacles posed by the lack of papers. After 15 years of building a life with his family in Florida, Lara learned that he was an undocumented resident in the United States. From that point on life would only get harder for him. Even though he was an honor roll student, Lara found that colleges couldn’t offer him acceptance, much less financial aid, because of his resident status. As a result, he worked as a cable contractor’s assistant. It was while on the job in 2009 that Lara was arrested by federal agents and made to face the prospect of being deported to a country he never knew. Lara’s story is representative of the plight of some six million undocumented students in the United States. Their situation is a hidden one, often obscured by the polarized national discourse on immigration and immigration reform that — in the language of Capitol Hill — leaves the cost of human suffering out of the equation. Another of the students included in “Papers” was Yo Sub, the 17-year-old son of Chinese immigrants born in North Carolina. The film establishes early on that Sub is an exceptionally intelligent and driven student. By the time he was a senior in high school, Sub had exhausted all of the academic opportunities at his public high school except for music theory and calculus and maintained a 4.5 GPA. Like Lara, Sub did not know of his legal status in the United States; his parents never revealed this information to him. When Sub inevitably found out, he chose to send out applications to his
dream schools despite the fact that he knew that he was an undocumented student. One of the most poignant scenes in the documentary is when Sub revealed that he had not received an acceptance letter from a single university. At the other end of the spectrum and on the other side of the country lives Juan Carlos. Unlike some of the other interviewees, Carlos — though born in California — has always known that he was undocumented. For Carlos, it was precisely this knowledge that inhibited his academic drive. “I can’t get a job anyways,” he shrugged at one point during the film. “It was hard to focus.” In the kaleidoscope of emotions of “Papers,” from Yo Sub’s bitterness to Juan Carlos’ apathy, the film additionally explored the role of fear in the lives of undocumented students. Simone was born to Jamaican immigrants in New York City and in the documentary her face is never shown due to her concerns for anonymity. Constantly anxious about her precarious status in the country she was born, Simone spoke about her experiences with wage inequality and workplace abuse that she endured without complaint, so as to not garner unwanted attention towards her and her family. Though understandably downcast in its portrayal of the current conditions for undocumented youth in the United States, “Papers” maintains hope in the form of the DREAM Act. This legislative proposal that was gaining headway as the film was being made would have created a path towards citizenship for undocumented students. The end of the film features Lara, Sub, and hundreds of other young high school graduates across the country congregated in Washington D.C. to lobby for the bill’s passage in Congress.
Lara, a 23 year old young man, has at this point in the film gone through an unimaginable ordeal. Having been apprehended by federal agents at his workplace and detained for 20 days, Lata had become a lightning rod for the undocumented youth community nationwide. Garnering the support of lawmakers and regular citizens, Lara was able to stay in the country and avoid deportation. Speaking to the crowd of students and activists in Washington, D.C., both Lara and Sub (who had won a Microsoft scholarship, despite his legal status) symbolized the promise of new possibilities for undocumented students. “Never give up,” was the simple but powerful advice that Yo Sub had for his fellow undocumented students. After the film had ended, it became clear that it made an immediate impact on the audience. “I thought the discussion was really cool, a lot of people raised some insightful and important points,” Sean Bryant ’13 said. An intern with the BCC, Bryant was one of the people involved in bringing the film to Swarthmore. “The story of undocumented students really struck home for me, especially with Simone’s story,” Bryant said, speaking about his shared Jamaican heritage with one of the film’s characters. Even without such a personal connection, “Papers” is able to convey a frank and personal understanding of the disenfranchisement of millions of youth in America. Through the film, the audience in Kohlberg last Wednesday was exposed to the kind of social inequality Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to combat. The screening served as a relevant and enlightening addition to Swarthmore’s remembrances of one of our nations great instigators of social progress.
Gospel Choir provides a spiritual and musical outlet by chi zhang czhang1@swarthmore.edu “Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness. Opened my eyes, let me see; Beauty that made this heart adore You; Hope a life spent with You.” These are the lyrics of “Here I Am to Worship,” a song written by Tim Hughes and covered by Israel and New Breed. It is typically sung in churches as a way of showing praise and worship. It was performed two years ago by Swarthmore’s Gospel Choir. According to Carolyn Maughan ’12, who sings alto and served as the choir’s president during her sophomore year, “Here I Am to Worship” expresses the message of salvation, gratitude and admiration. “The song is telling God that we worship Him, that we are available to Him, and that we acknowledge His sovereignty,” Maughan said. The Swarthmore Gospel Choir, founded by ten students in 1971, is one of the student groups that represent the culture of the black community at Swarthmore. According to the description of the choir on the college website, the Gospel Choir “serves as a spiritual uplift, a cultural identification, and a special outlet for black students at Swarthmore.”
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The choir puts on performances regularly throughout the year, including an alumni performance in the spring. The choir held its first interest meeting this past Monday evening at 7 p.m. in the BCC and the members began preparing for this semester’s choir performance and making plans for the alumni choir show this April. Alan A. Symonette ’76, the president of Swarthmore College alumni association, and Barbara Haddad Ryan ’59, the associate vice president for external affairs, wrote for the introductory board of the Alumni Gospel Choir on the wall of the Black Cultural Center: “[The choir] has inspired audiences in Philadelphia, New York City, Connecticut, Washington, D.C. and the US Virgin Islands. Its success testifies to the members’ commitment to each other and celebrates African-American cultural identity.” “It is a proud tradition of the college,” Karlene Burrell-McRae, assistant dean and director of the Black Cultural Center, said. She emphasized the importance of having and maintaining the choir on campus, saying that “the students think having a gospel choir is important because it’s a part of who they are; it’s a part of their culture.” Burrell-MacRae added that the Gospel Choir serves as an
opportunity for students to have home feel just a little bit closer. Briani George ’15 agreed. Having had the experience of singing in a choir since she was three, George said that leaving home and being in college has made her want to have that experience again.” For Kafui Dzaka ’15, another member of the choir who also performs in the male a capella group Sixteen Feet, it is also a continuation of previous high school choir and musical performance experience. Gospel music is an expression of Christian life. The music can describe personal feelings during worship, spiritual ceremonies or depict communal belief at large. Praise, worship and gratefulness to God, Christ or the Holy Spirit are constant themes for most gospel music. According to Rayshawn Davidson, the Gospel Choir director, the group specializes in a kind of contemporary and urban music that can speak to pretty much anybody who is Christian. “Gospel music is Christian music. It is for anybody who believes that our Savior Jesus Christ died for our sins and his Father God will come back one day and take us away from this earth,” he said. Davidson believes God sees that people are sinful but will forgive anyone who confesses his or her sin. “We need His help in order
January 26, 2012
to become better people because no one is perfect. Some people may look perfect, like on TV, you see people who are celebrities,” he said. “They look really good but they are not perfect. Everybody is imperfect in their minds or in their souls.” However, at Swarthmore, the Gospel Choir is not just a traditional group solely for Christians, but for any singer who is willing to share his or her voice. For those who don’t have any religious preference, Davidson suggests they can also join in the choir to make their voice heard. “If someone has a voice and also likes to sing or to sing as a group, he or she should just use the voice to sing. If you have a voice, it’s better to use it than to just keep it.” The biggest challenge the choir faces right now, according to Burrell-McRae, is to pick up from the past and to restart because the choir has become smaller and smaller over time. Holding rehearsal on every Monday at 8 p.m. in the BCC this semester, the choir welcomes anybody who is interested in being a part of the group. Both Symonette and Ryan believe that the “Gospel Choir’s performances on campus remind all of us of the many ways that both students and alumni can enrich the entire College community.”
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Living & Arts
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‘Safe sex is great sex’: tips from Vianca on how to play safe I got a lot of jazz last semester for not doing a column on safe sex. I would (and did) argue that we get enough of the condom confrontaVianca Masucci tion in high Missing Parts school. But I guess I do feel some moral obligation to put information out there that can prevent the curse of barnacle dick. So, here it goes. As Lil Wayne so eloquently said, “safe sex is great sex.” Our man Weezy touches on a point that is golden — knowing that you’re safe while you play dip the sausage makes sex more enjoyable. When you’re lying flat enjoying sex (in any form that comes), it’s nice not to worry about waking up in two weeks to find your groin has gained an uncanny resemblance to the side of the Grand Canyon. So, use these tips to freshen up on your knowledge of safety and put your mind at ease: Condoms Love gloves are the easiest way to prevent pregnancy (if applicable) and the transmission of most sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) during penetrative and/or oral sex. Herpes, however, is transmitted through skin contact and one can only be fully protected against it with more extreme measures. More on that later. As a sexually active adult in your 20s, condoms are the reality of the situation if you plan to have a beef kebab join in on the action. So, instead of uselessly resisting them and either a) living a sexless life because no one wants to bone a sailor
or b) contracting a nasty case of the clap (amongst other things), just accept them as part of the deal and cope. Luckily for us lovers of the beef, condoms come in all varieties, textures and flavors. Take the time to try a couple of different styles and see what condom suits your junk. Ribbed condoms provide a nice layer of friction, flavored condoms can help mask the taste of the latex during oral (the banana one is pretty rank, though), and there are a variety of condoms made with special lubricants that add magical (and sometimes frightening) sensations. Some folks opt for the ultra-thin or sheepskin condoms to have a more ‘natural’ feeling. Just remember that sheepskin condoms are permeable to HIV, so don’t use them unless you are sure that both you and your partner are HIV negative. And, before I get this question, no, there is no vegan alternative for the sheepskin. Celery shoots don’t quite feel like the real thing. Condoms are truly a gift from Aphrodite. They have obtained the reputation of being a burden because they are perceived as an obstacle that stops the action of the moment and, therefore, completely and totally ruins the sex beyond repair. Hey, it’s a 30-second endeavor, not a 30page paper. If you are genuinely worried about ruining the momentum of your play time, apply a condom to the beaver cleaver as soon as it is erect and continue your foreplay. This prevents any delay when the time does come to take a trip down the Nile. If this option is not savory, remember that you don’t have to treat the condom application as a pause in the action. This is sex we’re talking about — any action related to the sex can be made as sexy (or unsexy) as you want it to be with a bit of creativity. Treat the addition of the condom as part of the play. Dirty talk while putting on the condom, place the condom on your partner orally, continue to rub, kiss, and touch, dominate your partner and tell him/her/hir to get her/his/hir slutty ass over here and roll this condom on your rock-hard cock so
that you can fuck her/him/hir into the next dimension. Yeah, stuff like that... Dental Dams … are the best form of barrier method for cunnilingus and annalingus. Why would you need protection for that, you may ask. Herpes is why, and it’s a very good reason why. Last year, the CDC reported that 16.2% of Americans, or about one out of six, have the HVS-2 infection. Yes, really. With statistic like that, you’d be a fool to take a bite of the pink plum or take a journey up a creased chasm without some protection. Besides Herpes, a minute possibility of HIV transmission and Gonorrhea infections of the throat are also a risk that you face with unprotected oral. Can you imagine the creepy crawlers that cause the clap doing laps around your tonsils? It’s just as gross as it sounds. “Clean sex” Part of safe sex is clean sex. Never jam anything into your partner’s cooter if you haven’t first thoroughly cleaned it. Vaginas are especially susceptible to infections because they are ideal hosts for bacteria. Whether you are penetrating your partner with miscellaneous body parts or sex toys or sundry household items, you need to disinfect your penetration tool. Whether skin, silicone, metal, or plastic, any penetration tool should be cleaned with antibacterial soap and warm water. Dry all inanimate penetration tools in the sun and store them in a cool dry place. Jelly toys are porous and can never be fully disinfected. If you own one, don’t share it and never accept an invitation from someone else to share theirs. Unprotected sex One thing that irritates me is when this topic gets totally avoided when talking about safe sex. I know the idea of safe unprotected sex sounds like an oxymoron but there is a way to have safer unprotected sex, if not necessarily safe.
One should never have unprotected sex with another person unless they are sure that their partner is disease-free. Unless you are some super X-Men mutant, this translates to a trip to the clinic with your partner to get tested. Planned Parenthood has STD screening packages that you can get for a semi-reduced price (it used to be just ‘reduced’ before the sex-fascist Republicans hit the scene, but whatever). Have a serious conversation with your partner about switching to unprotected sex. You should date this person monogamously for at least six months before your clinic visit (it can take up to six months for HIV to be detectable) and make sure that you trust them to either never sleep around or use protection when they do sleep with others. Once cleared, ladies who date men must still be wary of the worst sexual repercussion of all — pregnancy. Chemical birth control, vaginal diaphragms, the rhythm method, spermicidal foam and vaginal sponges are all great forms of contraceptive. Each, however, has its pros and cons, so you and your partner should do some extensive research before trying any of these forms of birth control. If you have a minor slip-up (no pun intended) and eat the meat raw without taking the proper precautions, make sure that you take them afterward. Get tested (both immediately and again after six months) and take emergency contraceptive (Plan B), if necessary. Don’t have the “well, it’s already done” mentality, and don’t feel ashamed. We all know what the right thing to do is (and everyone should do that). But, sometimes, the reality does not match the ideal. So take the steps necessary to make sure that you are healthy and make a better decision next time. Less Jack Daniels, more latex, yeah? Vianca is a junior. You can reach her at vmasucc1@swarthmore.edu. You can submit your questions and inquiries anonymously at www.swarthmorephoenix.com/ sexedquestions. All submissions will only be read by Vianca.
cartoon by naia poyer
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January 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Living & Arts
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‘Tinker, Tailor’ explores the burden of information
“Tinker, Tailor, Sol- film portrays a gray, rainy England, with a muted Ultimately the scene shows how more of this action dier, Spy,” directed by color palette. But of course, a spy film needs exotic lo- would nicely break up all the dialogue. The dialogue itThomas Alfredson and cales, which come in the form of a dusty Istanbul and self is bogged down with code names and ill-explained starring Gary Oldman, an even more gray and muted Soviet Hungary. The jargon. A lot of information is thrown at the viewer, has the look and feel of a film sometimes plays with shallow focus. An impor- and the film can get confusing at times. This paradoximodern spy thriller, but tant piece of information may be pulled into focus in cally made the film feel slow. I would zone out during it ultimately falls short parallel with a character taking the fast and confusing of its potential, getting notice of it. It the discovery of dialogue and then find bogged down in lengthy these details more visceral. I myself lost and bored at Despite how nice the film dialogue and confusing also particularly enjoyed how, what was happening in spy jargon. after seeing Smiley buy new looks, one thing overshadows the next scene. The film, based on glasses, flashbacks were inthough the great Nate Blum the whole experience: there is bulkEven the novel of the same dicated by which frames of dialogue, some Movies Now! name by John le he was wearing. It was simply way too much dialogue. themes do shine through, Carré, begins somea nice little touch. Gary namely what happens time in the 1970s Oldman’s performance is when human emotion with the revelation another highlight, even if confronts the machinery that there is a mole in the British Secret Intelliit is not his most challenging role. of the Cold War. Again, I do not want to spoil anything, gence Service. After a failed attempt at lurHowever, despite how nice the film looks, but two agents (therefore two men) are alluded to having a Hungarian general who potentially one thing overshadows the whole experi- ing been lovers at university. This adds a human eleknew the identity of the mole, Control ence: there is simply way too much dia- ment to the plot which is otherwise dominated by cold (John Hurt), the head of “the circus” logue. Most of the film amounts to Gary calculations. Other romances, peripheral and central, as British Intelligence is known, and Oldman talking to people. For something pepper the film with humanity without distracting George Smiley (Oldman), his right that should fit neatly into the spy thriller from the intrigue. I will just say that while the mahand man. After a politician gets wind genre, there is surprisingly little tradi- chinery of the Cold War is in the end more powerful, that there may still be a mole, Smiley, tional spy activity. Where are the hand- human emotion gets the last laugh. now advantageously outside of the offs? Where are the chases? Why is there Overall, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” has the pocircus, is asked to investigate who the not one forged piece of identification in tential to be a great movie. It looks great, and has some mole might be out of the highest rankthe entire film? Without revealing too great performances. However, the filmmakers needed ing agents: Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), much, there is a fantastically tense to better adapt the material for the silver screen. The Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), Roy scene where a character must steal whole movie gets lost in hours of people talking. I came Bland (Ciaran Hinds), and Bill Haydon a document from within the Secret into the theater wanting at least a somewhat exciting (Colin Firth). Intelligence building. It was the one spy thriller but left underwhelmed and frankly bored. The visual style feels crisp and distinct, time in the movie where I can actuNate is a junior. You can reach him at nblum1@ and there are some brilliant moments. The ally say I was on the edge of my seat. swarthmore.edu. Renu Nadkarni Phoenix Staff
All about the sex: ‘Shame’ grapples with sex addition By Camila ryder cryder1@swarthmore.edu Film portrayals of addiction aim to evoke an unsettlement in the viewer with their disturbingly realistic depictions of drug or alcohol abuse — just think of “Requiem for a Dream” or “Trainspotting.” You’re thrown into these crazed whirlwinds of the addict’s minds, repulsed by the excess — not only of the drugs but also the films’ atmospheres themselves. British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen’s drama “Shame,” which delves into the depths of sex addiction, aims to generate that same repulsion at something we all to often glaze over when watching films — the sex. “Shame” has no qualms about sex, nudity or full-frontal nudity (it received an NC-17 rating), but it is not meant to make you want sex. Unlike the drugs or alcohol, there is something quite unnerving about sex addiction. It is something that is so instinctual within every human that it seems almost wrong or perverse to have an addiction to sex. There’s an incredible stigma attached to it, partly because of an embarrassment associated with sex: it is so personal and comes from within, whereas drugs or alcohol are more like outside triggers. Depictions or ideas of sex range from passionate to intimate, but McQueen tries to show the excess of sex this is supposed to disturb the viewer in a way that emphasizes the fragility of the addiction. “Shame” delves into the depths of sex addiction through Brandon, a seemingly controlled Manhattanite with a
destructive obsession with sex. The excess to which Brandon, played by Michael Fassbender, craves sex is apparent in the film’s first scene. Brandon is sitting on the New York metro and a young woman across fro him catches his eye. As he gazes up and down her body, the film flashes back and forth between Brandon’s various trysts to the woman’s legs as the metro’s whir mixes with orgasmic noises. It’s an incredible opening scene, as we’re placed in Brandon’s mind immediately, hearing and seeing all that he thinks about, which is sex. He is at once this seemingly composed and regular man — he goes to work, he goes on a run, he flirts with women and hangs out with friends. But the whole time, his mind is preoccupied with sex. It is all he thinks about and what the audience must think about as well throughout the film. Instead of simply going home after work, relaxing and watching TV, Brandon eats Chinese takeout and watches porn, has sex video chats with women online and is constantly looking for sex with a prostitute or just a random man or woman. You’re almost repulsed at the end of the film when he goes on a self-destructive binge. Instead of being completely disconnected because of drinking to excess, he perpetually seeks sex, no matter with whom. Even his work computer is chock full of porn. McQueen contrasts Brandon’s need for sexual excess with the grey and white starkness of Brandon’s apartment. Even his wardrobe is essential blacks and greys. The New York back-
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drop drifts away from the typical image of a bustling city, as McQueen plays upon the quiet gloominess that can overtake New York in a rainstorm. Carey Mulligan plays Sissy, Brandon’s wayward and emotionally unstable sister, who comes and stays at his apartment, disrupting his stoic and routine daily life. There are definite hints that they share a pretty troubled past, but nothing is ever stated. Mulligan is absolutely brilliant — incredibly needy, selfish and broken. One of the most beautiful scenes of the movie features Sissy singing a heartbreaking rendition of “New York, New York.” The camera just watches intently as the sadness plays out on her face and in her eyes as she sings about the dream that is New York and the desire to leave behind one’s “little town blues.” For the first minute or so of the song, we’re focused on Sissy’s face, but then the camera flashes over to a crying Brandon as Sissy sings the final notes. Though “Shame” is mainly focused on Brandon’s addiction, it also offers an intensely personal and real portrayal of strained sibling relationships. It captures the fragility of both characters, suffering from addiction and depression, and how being in each other’s lives once again breaks down whatever distance or barrier Brandon placed around his life. Neither Fassbender nor Mulligan garnered a nomination for the Academy Awards, though Fassbender was nominated at the Golden Globes. Though it is not Best Picture quality, it is a wellcrafted and strong second release from McQueen. What takes the cake, though,
January 26, 2012
Courtesy of www.thecinemasource.com
are Fassbender’s and Mulligan’s performances. They’re incredibly nuanced actors and “Shame” allows them to really delve into their versatility as performers. It’s still incredibly surprising that Fassbender did not receive a nomination from the Academy … but maybe they’re just a little scared to talk about sex. “Shame” is rated NC-17 and is playing at the Ritz at Bourse in Philadelphia.
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Swat Style Snapshot Name: Mireille Guy Year: 2015 From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Current Residence: Willets
Her Current Outfit:
Guy wears a pair of black boots, well-loved as evidenced by the mismatching shoe-laces and a sizeable hole on the left shoe. Her black skinny jeans with ankle-zip details are from a thrift store. The bold cheetah print sports jacket, also purchased from a thrift shop, has shoulder pads that add structure to the otherwise loose fitting garment. “The raincoat is really crazy compared to the pants so they match together,” Guy said. Underneath the jacket she sports a simple lace camisole from Urban Outfitters. A chunky pendant necklace, a birthday gift from her grandmother, completes her outfit.
How She Describes Her Personal Style:
Although Guy attempts to lay out her clothes the night before, oftentimes her wardrobe choices are made a bit more haphazardly. “I get changed in the dark in the morning because my roommate’s asleep,” she said. Black skinny jeans and garments of dark colors and patterns are staples in Guy’s wardrobe. She stocks up at chain stores such as American Apparel and Urban Outfitters. “I’ve gone into Urban Outfitters wearing very [similar outfits] to what is on the mannequin,” she said. There have been numerous times when these coincidences have occurred, causing Guy to be embarrassed, especially when sales associates take notice. Purchases from thrift stores round out her wardrobe, adding unique and not necessarily trendy pieces. She frequents one thrift store on South Street and Greene Street stores as their wares counter what Guy calls her “generic” clothes. For Guy, aesthetics determines her outfits overall. “Sometimes my clothes are extremely uncomfortable,” she said.
Fashion Influences & Faux Pas:
As a subscriber to Nylon and Rolling Stone, Guy finds style inspiration from magazines. Her style icons vary from musicians to muses, notably Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Mick Jagger and Kate Moss. She also turns to other forms of visual media such the British sci-fi television series “Misfits” and Wes Anderson movies for style cues. Guy appreciates the diversity in personal style at Swarthmore. “I wore [a] uniform in high school so coming here it’s great to see people wearing different clothes,” she said. Pants are an apparently sensitive topic for Guy. “Leggings as pants drives me crazy,” she said. “For guys, it drive me crazy when they wear shorts in the winter.” According to Guy, demonstrating good style is about being yourself. “You can wear super cool clothes but if you’re not comfortable in them you’re not going to put off a good vibe,” she said.
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On Parisian Chic:
Guy, who has paternal French heritage, lives in Paris during her summers. Paris, which has no shortage of high-fashion houses, is too expensive of a city for Guy to shop in, so, she limits herself to window-shopping. But the stylish city inspires her to replicate the French aesthetic when she returns home. “My favorite [pastime] is to sit in the cafes and watch people walk by and they’re all so fashionable.” She appreciates the simplicity of the way French women dress, citing skinny jeans, a pretty blouse and a Longchamp bag as the quintessential look of a French girl. According to Guy, French women apply make-up minimally, inspiring her to sport an au naturale look. “I think it looks a lot more natural and I definitely try to do that.”
Do you think you (or a professor) have great style? Then submit a photo of you in your best outfit to sjeong1@swarthmore.edu. Please include your name and contact information.
PHOTO & TEXT BY SERA JEONG
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January 26, 2012
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Living & Arts
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Grider’s exhibit explores emotion and harmony
The exhibit “Logan Grider: Recent Work” at List Gallery features 16 paintings that utilize encaustic technique and explore abstract expressionism. by allison shultes ashulte1@swarthmore.edu
“I think [my paintings] are pretty unpopular,” Assistant Professor of Studio Art Logan Grider said while scanning the walls of List Gallery, which feature some of his most current work. “They require you to stand in front of them for more than a few seconds.” On display through Feb. 21, the exhibit, entitled “Logan Grider: Recent Work”, features the artist’s “rigorous yet exuberant abstractions,” in which “his saturated palette, densely worked surfaces, and eye for unexpected rhythms result in compositions with a presence and complexity that far exceed their small scale,” as stated in the event listing on List Gallery’s website. Subjects are conspicuously absent in Grider’s abstract paintings. Titles, which are given to completed works by his wife, serve as “yardstick measurements” to gauge the aura of a work while still allowing “association to be a second priority.” This consequentially enables viewers to have “more of an experience, and for the paintings to emotionally register,” Grider said. The paintings, while perhaps intimidating to a general audience due to their lack of subjects, are “relatively simple,” Grider said. “I’m not making a big statement — they’re quiet, small paintings.” There are a number of approaches viewers can take to relate to and appreciate the pieces, regardless of prior exposure to abstract art. For musically inclined visitors to List Gallery, color can be related to tone: “a [specific] color in a painting is like a tone that sets everything else, and influences the rest of the painting — other aspects are built on top of that tone.” For the literary, it may help to think of the paintings as “more like poetry than expository essays,” with a meaning that “isn’t so understandable,” Grider said. The medium used for the pieces on display at List Gallery is encaustic paint, which Grider turned to after a trip with his advanced painting class to R&F Encaustics last spring. A combination of refined beeswax, dammar varnish, and dried pigment, the paint
presented a challenge in that it cooled rapidly after being heated, allowing only a small window for manipulation after being applied to panel (or canvas). However, the difficulties of the medium, while undoubtedly frustrating at times, were the factors which ultimately provided Grider with the effects he found impossible to achieve with oil painting — encaustic paints added texture and depth to what he previously felt to be controlled, flat and thin. The switch from oil to encaustic additionally gave his basement studio a reprieve from the noxious turpentine. Once the paint was applied, Grider acheived refinement by using a knife to scrape away layers. The
“A specific color in a painting is like a [musical] tone that sets everything else — other aspects are built on top of that tone.” Logan Grider Assitant Professor of Studio Art paintings were begun without any sketches or plans; the process consisted of “reacting to the decisions I had just made,” Grider said. “[I was] trying to answer the question of how to keep a painting balanced while still keeping it interesting — how [to] create harmony with dissonance.” Paintings progressed slowly, according to Grider, although perhaps not as slowly as work done in other mediums. Most of the work on display at List was begun in June 2011; one piece on display was completed only two weeks before the exhibition’s opening. Students passing through Grider’s classes at Swarthmore aren’t your typical art students, which is all the better in Grider’s opinion. “The students here
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January 26, 2012
Allegra Pocinki Phoenix Staff
are brilliant. Most of [the students I work with] aren’t art majors — some of my best students are neuroscientists or engineers or biology majors,” he said. “I would much rather teach here than at an art school.” Grider derives his energy for teaching art from his students, as he finds it can be a “serious challenge to keep learning going … I ask a lot of them, and get a lot back.” “If I have to paint before and after class to keep myself going, then that’s what I do,” he said. “A part of teaching is constantly reevaluating what you’re interested in; if you don’t teach, you can become isolated in your studio, and don’t question your values.” Grider spent a significant portion of his undergraduate education drawing and painting nude models, a skill which was given a heavy emphasis. The process became “boring and repetitious — I got tired of looking and painting.” Careful not to make the same mistake with his students at Swarthmore, Grider looks to stimulate his class through trips and exposure to a variety of different styles and techniques. Stephanie Carrera ’15, enrolled in Grider’s First Year Seminar “Making Art” last semester, only saw Grider’s work online, and yet still noted the visceral reaction she experienced. “He would never show us his work — he is all about teaching, and showing us what he knows,” Carrera said. “[But his pieces] are these really vivid, thick things — they’re such fun pieces. And he’s such a fun guy.” One project the students in the seminar undertook involved progressing from a sketch of a form to a clay model to a charcoal drawing, culminating in an animation which included the original form. Carrera said the incorporation of so many different elements of art — from modeling to drawing figures from memory — seemed like “the strangest way to learn, and yet afterwards, seemed like the only way to learn. He really gave us a taste of what we should have going forward.” Grider will give a lecture on the progression of his art at 4:30 p.m. today at the Lang Performing Arts Center, which will be followed by a formal reception in List Gallery.
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Living & Arts
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Awakening to Auden: examining imbalances on campus Almost 60 years ago, W.H. Auden spent three years teaching at Swarthmore, earning a place in the ranks of the college’s most famous scholars. Viewed as eccentric and frequently described as resembling a “thatched cottage,” he found time to deliver several lectures on education at Swarthmore, saying, “We are far too dependent on teaching … It would be better if you regarded teachers as boring old gentlemen,” and adding that, “It is through other channels as well as through introductory courses that one receives suggestions of [one’s life-long passions].” Auden identified the core characteristic of Swarthmore that has long been apparent to students, professors and alumni: even among small liberal arts colleges, our colSteven Hazel lege focuses on academics above all else. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. The goal of college is, after all, Swat in Sync education. Many at Swarthmore are proud of our reputation as an intellectual, academically rigorous community. For me, Swarthmore’s intellectual reputation was a major factor in my decision to come here. But what often isn’t discussed is the other side of that reputation: because we devote so many resources to academics (whether those resources are student time, financial resources, or the intangible spirit of campus culture) there is an opportunity cost in choosing to correspondingly underfund student life outside of the classroom. By underfund, I mean not simply with respect to money but with regards to time and interest as well. We have all bought into the idea that this is an intellectual place — that we should spend Friday afternoon at the library and that we should be proud of the hours of work we have left to do tonight. Ironically, at least at a relatively liberal institution like Swarthmore (we can admit that most students and professors are unabashedly politically liberal, can’t we?), we stick staunchly to the traditional idea that the real education takes place in academic buildings, rather than considering that learning and development take place just as readily in dorms and student centers. Despite the college’s Quaker heritage, which focuses on a holistic view of learning and wellness, this imbalance is a Swarthmore tradition, even a point of pride. Students have been complaining about Sharples food for decades. A Phoenix article examining campus spaces, including Kohlberg and Parrish parlors, concluded that “Swarthmore has a definite need for a student center where people can meet and gather to share resources and ideas.” That article was published 16 years ago. When do students begin to suspect that Swarthmore is out of balance? Perhaps the first clue makes itself apparent to freshmen during orientation who might be curious to know why many of their friends beginning at other liberal arts colleges have week-long orientation adventures in the outdoors or doing community service, while Swarthmore students stay firmly on campus. This imbalance begins to dawn on the majority of the population after a few weeks at Sharples, when we realize that the food doesn’t get any better, only more predictable. We are also reminded of this imbalance when we walk into
Steven Hazel Phoenix Staff
athletic facilities that are worse than those of many public high schools. Don’t take my word for it. A comparison of Swarthmore’s financial statements with those of other liberal arts colleges with similar endowments — although Swarthmore’s has the highest total spending per student — bears out the idea that the balance between academics and all the other components of student life is simply different here. I’ve chosen to look at Amherst, Bowdoin, Haverford, Middlebury and Williams because they have similar numbers of students and endowments, and are colleges rather than universities, which tend to have different priorities and economies of scale. Although Swarthmore spends more per student than these peer institutions, Swarthmore actually spends less on student services than any of these colleges, less than $8,000 per student per year. Student services is a category that includes “activities whose primary purpose is to contribute to students emotional and physical well-being and to their intellectual, cultural, and social development outside the context of the formal instructional program” according to the National Center for Education Research. In order to attempt to express each college’s chosen mixture of academics and student life, I have expressed the ratio of student services spending per student compared to instructional spending per student in the table below. Swarthmore’s ratio of spending on student services to spending on academics is by far the lowest of the schools considered. This column will take commonly cited complaints about Swarthmore — Sharples, the lack of a true student center, housing, career services and maybe more — examine them in the context of Auden’s idea of balance, compare our student services with peer institutions, and perhaps make suggestions for their improvement. In general, the purpose of this column is neither to fix Swarthmore nor to complain. Rather, I hope that it will draw attention to the academic imbalance in many areas of life at Swarthmore, and hopefully even lead to efforts to achieve balance in those areas. In light of the ongoing Strategic Plan, more students should take a moment to consider the incredible aspects of Swarthmore as well as the disappointments and ponder: how can an intellectual experience be made into a holistic development of student to adult? Steven is a sophomore. You can reach him at shazel1@swarthmore.edu.
Seeking out local food choices for Restaurant Week
Amelia Dornbush Swarthmore Locavore
Food. It’s a very important aspect of a Swattie’s existence. I have heard people complain about not being able to eat because they are overwhelmed with work or because the colors on the plates are rather monochromatic ... again. Then, in my mind at least, the cries of delight during Caribbean Bar and Local Food night are almost akin to a school wide holiday. I guess that what I am trying to say is that people tend to talk about food. And with good reason, since food is
more than a mere necessity. Generally, I am going to be talking about one specific aspect of dining: the ingredients, specifically ingredients that come from local sources. Personally, I believe that eating local food is both better for the environment and better for the body, taste buds included. There have been many works written discussing the benefits of eating locally and/or organically, but the purpose of this column is not to persuade people to become locavores (a clever term used for those who eat local food — like carnivores for meat, only hopefully less ferocious). Michael Pollan, author of many books about food, such as “The Omnivores Dilemma” can do that far more effectively than I can. Should one not have the time or inclination to read “The Omnivores Dilemma” (I still haven’t), I would recommend checking out the quick summary provided by Fair Food Philly for information about the benefits of eating local food. In this column, I hope to provide information about affordable ways for Swatties to find local products to eat if they have the inclination to do so.
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My motivations for writing are rather personal. As mentioned previously, I think local food is delicious. I want to eat delicious food, and I would rather not spend a lot of money on it. I should also probably mention that I am neither an especially accomplished cook nor an especially accomplished farmer. My qualification for writing this column — apart from an externship at a boarding school with a farm in Iowa and the few times I volunteered at local farmer’s markets back home in Georgia — is that I like to eat. Hopefully, I will be able to provide useful resources for those who tend to get a bit tired of the standard campus dining options. Over the course of the semester, I plan on exploring local farmers’ markets, local options offered by Sharples and the Co-Op, and the Philadelphia food scene, among other topics. However, the subject of this week’s column is the annual Restaurant Week happening in Philadelphia from Jan. 22 to Jan. 27 and Jan. 29 to Feb. 3. For those unfamiliar with this marvel, Restaurant Week is a phenomenon that occurs twice a year, during which a whole host of restaurants in the Philadelphia area agree to one price for all their meals. Each restaurant that participates offers a prix-fixe $35 menu for dinner, and some offer a $20 dollar menu for lunch. Please note that neither tip nor tax is included. While $35 is hardly cheap, and in fact I hope that this will be the most costly food offering that I will ever discuss in this column, the value is nevertheless worth noting. For instance, at one of the restaurants participating, Le Bec-Fin, the least expensive January prix-fixe menu is $85. During Restaurant Week this past fall, I went with a few friends to Fork, a restaurant in Old City known for its organic menu. I suggested this restaurant to my friends because of its emphasis on local food and the large array of red tractors on the side of the menu. Center City District’s online menus for Restaurant Week include symbols of red tractors, indicating that some of the food in the dish
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comes from local providers. Looking at the menus of the restaurants participating in the week, it’s evident how many local options they have. While this is not the only way to choose a restaurant, I would argue that it is one of the better methods. Doing so could perhaps encourage restaurants to use local ingredients — and even leave the person feeling better after eating. Perhaps it was only psychological, but I felt surprisingly energized and alive after eating at Fork. I was perplexed as to why until I realized the possible correlation (and yes, I know correlation does not imply causation) between the food I ate and my new-found state of contentment. So, if you are planning on splurging in the future, I would recommend considering going into Philadelphia for restaurant week and looking at menus online for the red tractors. Personally, I will be returning to eat at Fork; I am very much looking forward to ordering their “Local Pumpkin Risotto”. After a cursory and somewhat random skim through some of the restaurants participating, I noticed that other places also have a plethora of red tractors: Amuse at Le Meridien Hotel (they only offer dinner), C19 Philly Cichetteria Venezia and Square 1682. While I have not eaten at any of these restaurants, I have almost no qualms about suggesting that you try them for the simple reason that, in my experience at least, places that take care finding local ingredients, also take care in how they cook said ingredients. If you have any questions about eating locally, please do not hesitate to contact me. Next column I am going to be writing about ways to get local food within walking distance of campus. Happy Eating. For more information, visit www.centercityphila.org/ life/RWRestaurants.php and www.fairfoodphilly.org/ links/why-buy-local Amelia is a first-year. You can reach her at adornb1@ swarthmore.edu.
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Living & Arts
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Friday, January 27 at 8 p.m. in LPAC Mainstage — $5 Donation suggested
GHF’s 4th Annual Variety Show
Movie Committee Presents: Friday & Saturday Jan. 27 & 28 at 7 p.m. & 10 p.m. Sci 101
editor’s picks
Saturday, January 28 at 2 p.m - 4:30 p.m. Ware Pool
Paces
2.0
Beats.
Drop.
Bass.
Saturday, January 28 at 10 p.m - 2 a.m. Paces 13
By Brad Lenox
Swat Swim vs. Gettysburg January 26, 2012
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Opinions
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Staff Editorial
Even one year later, Egyptians continue to protest On Wednesday, January 25th, Egyptian protestors marked the one-year anniversary of the uprising that toppled the Mubarak regime by marching to Tahrir Square to demand that the ruling military council immediately hand power to civilians. The renewal of activist dissent is concurrent with Monday’s inaugural session of the first freely elected Parliament in six decades, which resulted in nearly half of the member seats being given to Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood. Now, Egyptians across the demographic spectrum fear that the Islamists will ultimately stifle the democratic movement, which continues to vehemently sweep Arab countries. The larger concern is that both the ultraconservative members of Parliament and army commanders will work jointly to obstruct any reforms that the revolution has fought for. These include grievances about negligible economic growth, grave human rights abuses and the enduring lack of political freedom. The most urgent responsibility of the newly elected parliament is to act quickly in an effort to amend laws that restrict free speech, association and assembly and that give police (acting under the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) far reaching power to violently restrain protestors. And while the SCAF’s chieftain, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, partially lifted the 30-year State of Emergency on Tuesday (which bans public assembly and allows indefinite detention without charge, and prosecution in special courts that allow no appeal process — and subsequently rely on torture to obtain confessions), he said that Egypt would continue to apply the law in cases of “thuggery” (a term so vague and all-encompassing that it seems to almost necessitate that the military use brute force). Of course, this gesture should be considered alongside the fact that the last year has seen hundreds of peaceful protestors convicted by military tribunals on charges of “thuggery.” As such, the notion that the country’s dictatorship has ceased to function with the ousting of Mubarak is an idealized and highly problematic one, and revolutionaries realize this. The fortitude of Egypt’s demonstrative campaign also seems to parallel the Occupy Wall Street movement, whose protestors — drawing inspiration from the Arab Spring —continue to rally against American economic inequality all across the United States. The difference, however, is the unabashed oppression inflicted upon Egyptian activists by members of the military council. For all the liberty and prosperity young and old Egyptians alike have crusaded for, the move towards true, citizen-inspired democracy in Egypt seems a long way off, whereas there might be glimmers of hope for a reformed American economy. Moreover, the unwavering revolution can provide lessons for the legion of youth activists and voters who have some stake in both the GOP primaries and the imminent general election. To be a young individual in the United States right now means something similar to being a young individual in Egypt — there is a tangible sense of the need for political efficacy, the consequential reasoning that the votes we cast and protests we participate in have meaningful ramifications for our futures. Nevertheless, in Egypt, the opportunity remains for new members of Parliament to terminate the long-standing rule by military fiat and transition Egypt into its legitimate democratic infancy. However, facing continuing abuse from security forces makes this an onerous task — but in a reversal of roles, perhaps Egyptian revolutionaries can now look to Occupiers and American youth for inspiration in affecting change. Likewise, perhaps we can look to Egyptian revolutionaries for a sense of unfaltering resolve.
Emma Waitzman The Phoenix
Letter, op-ed and comment policy Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication. All comments posted online and all op-eds and letters must be signed and should include the writer’s full name. Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Op-eds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and op-eds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and op-eds received after that time from publication. Letters may be signed by a maximum of five individuals. Op-eds may be signed by a maximum of two individuals. The Phoenix will not accept pieces exclusively
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Courtesy of sanfranciscosentinel.com
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January 26, 2012
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Opinions Global warming: perhaps forgotten but not forgiven
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Remember a few years ago: before the 2012 election fury, before the Euro debt crisis, before the Occupy movement, before the global financial crisis, there was a period during which global warming was the supposed issue of the century. Carbon emissions as a result of factory pollution, gasoline usage, fossil fuel burning and, frankly, a lack of concern for the enHarshil Sahai vironment, led to the depleConservatively Liberal tion of the ozone layer, and eventually, global warming Economics causing a plethora of repercussions threatening the livelihood of the planet and its inhabitants. However, the recent lack of media coverage of the issue does not prove that the issue has subsided — in fact, it is on the rise. The twelve hottest years on record have come in the past 20 years, the hottest being 2010. More countries have set high-temperature records than ever before. The Arctic sea ice was the lowest it has ever been as of November 2011, when all the media was covering was Herman Cain’s sexual allegations scandal. Temperatures in northern Canada have been a whopping 20 degrees Celsius higher than normal in the past month — the same month that was clogged with Republican candidate debates and the subsequent hour-long analyses of each one. What is even more shocking is that all these changes are happening despite a year with the lowest levels of solar activity in a century, which should be making countries colder rather than warmer. The sad truth is that we are now suffering from two very big problems: the lack of energy and the rise of global warming. History has shown, however, the habit of ignoring the latter for the former. Countries have continued to practice environmentally unfriendly acts in order
to secure the most oil, including war, political maneuvers and brute force, neglecting to use renewable energy for time and cost reasons. If the US can have cheap access to the most oil, either from the Middle East, South America or domestically, they have no reason to invest in the renewable industry. This decreases the global oil supply as well as increases CO2 emissions, furthering global warming. Luckily, the solar, wind and hydroelectric industries which has grown significantly over the last few decades (with the U.S. having a renewable energy penetration level of over 16 percent — three times higher than global standards) have provided financial and employment incentives for many Americans. However, the U.S. does not nearly represent the majority of the countries in the world, which display much weaker levels of clean energy. Let’s face it, renewable energy is an industry with an assortment of ingenious ideas that has transformed the way individuals think about gathering electricity. Having an infinite amount of energy to draw from should easily take care of the world’s energy problems, right? Wrong. Solar power generates less than 0.5 percent of the world’s energy, and is estimated to rise to a lowly 2.5 percent by 2025. But don’t wind and water-turbine systems produce a significant portion of the global energy supply as well? Wrong again – wind accounts for less than 3 percent of the world energy market (estimated to rise to only 8 percent by 2030), and hydroelectric power accounts for only 8 percent of the U.S. market and significantly less overseas. Moreover, hydroelectricity requires the use of a dam, which has very high fixed costs, and requires a large water source. Wind power needs an environment with very windy conditions as well as a complex and expensive set of equipment to gather, manage and transport the energy. The same is true for solar power. By 2025, we should expect about a 15 to 20 percent reliance on renewable sources for the world’s demand of energy. That is, a 75 to 80 percent reliance on nuclear power and fossil fuels, which is estimated to run out by 2060. This leads us to the question we should be asking ourselves: whether or not renewable energy can reach an 80+ percent penetration level by 2060. By most estimations, the answer is no.
So, in this struggle to meet the demands of global energy, what needs to be done? Two strategies come to mind: either, (1) attempt to eliminate the dependence on nuclear and fossil fuel energy by using renewables by 2060, or (2) decrease the global demand of energy and consumption in order to allow for more time to bring renewable energy to the market. So far, countries seem to be ignoring the effects the average consumer has on energy consumption and relying on the economic incentives of clean energy to whisk away dependence on fossil fuels. The fact is that clean energy is expensive, and until the price of oil rises to a high enough level (after which it may be too late), the industry will have a tough time incentivizing a global initiative. How often do you judge your actions based on their level of environmental friendliness? An American’s average CO2 emission level is tied very closely to his or her age. Spending, eating, living and transportation habits all account for how friendly one is towards the environment. At 20 years old, the average American emits around 8 tons of CO2 per year, at 40, 12 tons and at 60, an American peaks at 15 tons. A recent study shows that an individual can reduce his or her carbon emissions by nearly half by simply making environmentally-conscious decisions: changing their eating, spending and consumption habits. However cliché it may be, the “carbon footprint” is a reality. The global climate change and energy crisis is daunting to say the least. The pressure that the world will face in the coming years will be immense. The lack of energy has created wars and galvanized conflict, causing genocide and oppression. Sadly, it may only get worse. Still, the rise of renewable energy is astounding. China has recently expanded its solar industry despite economic losses and the US continues to develop its clean energy industries. However, the issue may still require additional attention from the media, illiciting action from average individuals like us. After all, it is our world that we live in, enjoy and prosper from; it is not a stretch of the imagination to say that we “owe” planet Earth. Harshil is a first-year. You can reach him at hsahai1@ swarthmore.edu.
Conservative philosophy in today’s GOP primaries
I once had a history teacher who would have mild fits if we dared to refer to any chapter of history as “ineviSure Danielle Charette table.” enough, as The Nascent Neoliberal the “inevitable” Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney watches his poll leads evaporate in Florida, I’m the one who feels a spasm coming on. The primaries have proven unpredictable, entertaining, long and a little absurd. But have they showcased true conservatism? In 2009, the left-leaning New Republic ostentatiously proclaimed, “Conservatism is Dead.” Today, with the birth of the Tea Party, constitutionalism has become a kind of hobby, and countless Americans moan about federal overreach. I’m confident to say national conservatism is alive and well — but how about within the Republican Party? While I consistently have qualms with the GOP — namely its willingness to march over the neo-con cliff and its willynilly spending habits during the 2000s — I agree with historian of American conservatism George Nash, who observes that the Republican Party has acted as the “imperfect vehicle of modern conservatism.” Personally, I would have cheered
New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s no-nonsense style, Bobby Jindal’s intelligence or Paul Ryan’s commitment to budgetary enlightenment. But my old high school teacher wasn’t one for hypothetical history either, so I’m left with the current cast of characters. Over the summer, Donald Trump was not-so-quietly boosting his reality show ratings. Simply put, he is an eminent domain junkie and pseudo-conservative whom the GOP would be wise to avoid hiring as a spokesman. Michelle Bachmann is a better protestor than leader, and similarly, Herman Cain ought to audition for promotional speaking, not the presidency. Because of Texas’ executive structure, governor Rick Perry deserves far less credit for his state’s economy than he claims (although the Texas story is more a tale of what happens when East Coast legislatures drive away their constituents). Alas, Perry’s debate embarrassments were a sad confirmation that Republican candidates sometimes speak in the same foolish ways late night comedians pray they will. As for the group still standing, Rick Santorum’s protectionist manufacturing proposals will clog the tax code further. And if he’s going to preach about social conservatism, he probably shouldn’t address New England college kids with a scowl — it’s simply not going to sell. Nowadays, conservatives blush at the mention of Bush’s 2000-era “compassionate conservatism” campaign. Not only did President Bush’s strategy prompt the costly prescription drug entitlement and constitutionally-sketchy faith-based initiatives, but his campaign essentially
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implied that conservatism on its face isn’t all that compassionate. In fact, it called for a conciliatory adjective to soften the conservative blow. “Compassionate Conservatism” is akin to running on a cuddly capitalism ticket. But voters forget that the reason Bush positioned his politics as warm and fuzzy was because New Gingrich’s tenor as Speaker of the House was anything but. Gingrich’s rap sheet includes petty fights with President Clinton, affairs, lobbying for the very housing agencies conservatives love to hate and being censured by his own embarrassed Party in 1997. President Bush reckoned the future of conservatism rested on distancing itself from Gingrich — not nominating him for the Presidency! That leaves Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. In all honesty, Ron Paul is an American gem. I love his candidness, his monetary policy and the way he fidgets during debates. His outlook on foreign affairs is just a little too wishful to seal the deal, but he’d make a great cabinet member. It’s time for Romney to make his case. He needs to defend his career as a very good businessman and concede that his leadership in Massachusetts wasn’t perfect. No doubt, Romney used to be a moderate in a very blue state. I’m willing
January 26, 2012
to allow him a change of heart, but he needs to say it with command, not as that guy who secretly likes to iron pillowcases. His debate answers in New Hampshire were genuine. He needs to reclaim that confidence and stop fretting that Gingrich is about to tackle the network moderator. Family isn’t everything, but it’s an awful lot. Mitt is truly a family man, and that should count for something. Back in 2008, Romney used to advertise how much he loved data. Thankfully, he’s lost that persona. America’s not looking for an Accountant-in-Chief. In contrast, Romney decisively addressed a group of Occupy Wall Street protestors who interrupted his speech: “Let me tell you something. America is a great nation, because we’re a united nation,” Romney declared. “And those who are trying to divide the nation, as you’re trying to do here, and as our president is doing, are hurting this country seriously. The right course for America is not to try to divide America, and try and divide us between one and another. It’s to come together as a nation.” In that moment, Romney was not some inevitable voice in the elephant party, but a compelling conservative. To win, he has to robustly represent both. Danielle is a sophomore. You can reach her at dcharette1@swarthmore.edu.
Bush reckoned the future of conservatism rested on distancing itself from Gingrich — not nominating him for the Presidency!
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Opinions
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AROUND HIGHER EDUCATION
Reshuffling the Race Card when it comes to US Census BY RACHEL DEL VALLE dailypennsylvanian.com, Jan. 23, 2012
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Sofia Vergara is having a moment. The Colombian actress who is often described as “voluptuous” has been famous in Central and South America for years. Vergara rose to stardom in the States when she landed a role on the much loved, laugh track-free sitcom “Modern Family.” Like Ricky Ricardo before her, Vergara plays on her accent and cultural stereotypes in order to color her character Gloria, a fiery Latina. That persona reaches into her off-screen life as well. In the past year, she’s picked up a number of advertising campaigns for companies including Pepsi and CoverGirl. But here’s the thing about this spicy Colombiana: she’s a natural blonde. Vergara is just one example of the complicated relationship between the category of “Hispanic” and conventional notions about race in this country. Despite what Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 — which implicitly encourages racial profiling — might tell you, with Latinos, what you see is not always what you get. Findings from the 2010 U.S. Census released last year show that more and more Latinos are thinking outside the race box. Instead of identifying as black or white, they opt for something less clear-cut. Looking at a PDF of the race question on the 2010 census, I found myself doing the same. I’m not “White” or “Black” or “American Indian.” I don’t fit into any of the Asian subdivisions. Out of 15 options to categorize my skin, I choose the most ambiguous one — “Some Other Race.”
In the U.S., race is a trick question. I don’t know For the 2010 census, a new line was added above the question of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish race. It read, what the solution is, but I do know that our current system isn’t working. If Hispanics hope to gain the “For this census, Hispanic origins are not races.” If Hispanic is “not a race,” then people like me political influence to correspond with their growing don’t have a race. And according to the U.S. Census population, we need to be counted as something disOverview of Race and Hispanic Origin, I’m not alone. tinct. As a recent article Hispanics made up 97 in The New York percent of all those clasTimes points out, censified as only “Some Other Race.” There is a complicated relationship sus data collected on specifically — Many attempted to between the category of “Hispanic” race not ethnicity — deterspecify their “other” classification by writ- and conventional notions about race. mines voting districts and identifies dispariing in identifiers like ties and discrimina“Latino,” or “Salvadortion in education, an.” But in the general count, those personal preferences were generalized as health and employment — just to name a few. When Hispanics refuse to conform to America’s “Some Other.” If I had more than an inch to explain, I would say racial conventions, they may be hurting themselves that my family history isn’t easily charted on ances- more than they realize. The lack of clarity in Histry.com. There’s the Caribbean influence on my moth- panic identification gives politicians the excuse to be er’s side, with some Afro- and Chino- Cuban mixed in. equally unclear in their policies. Take, for example, Republican Presidential candiThere are the European notes on my father’s side that date Mitt Romney. In Florida, Romney has launched lead to Spain and back to Cuba. It’s a long history that I’ll never be able to trace an ad campaign with his son speaking Spanish, apcompletely. I can’t deny its complexity by checking pealing to the large Latino population. In South Carolina, he has been campaigning with a box. Because even if I do attempt to clarify what makes me look the way I do, it will be melted into Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, author of draconian Arizona-style immigration laws. There’s “Some Other.” Then there’s the other end of the color wheel — something wrong with that duplicity. With a census that robs Latinos of a racial identhose who choose to identify as “white” instead. Many of these are mixed-race Hispanics who choose white tity comes a country that attempts to oversimplify it. because the other half of their racial identity isn’t an Hispanic identity is more than skin deep. With people like Vergara entering the mainstream, I hope that option on the checklist. Should there be a “brown” box? And if there were, when the next census rolls around in 2020, we have a clearer vision of what Latinos look like. would people accept it?
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January 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Sports
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Swimming shows off depth and talent in 3-0 week BY ANA APOSTOLERIS aaposto1@swarthmore.edu After a month-long winter break featuring some well-deserved rest and a training trip to Puerto Rico, the Swarthmore swim team made a triumphant return to the pool last week. Going a combined 5-0 in three dual meets, the Garnet reasserted its enviable depth on both teams and welcomed back several key contributors from semesters spent abroad. The women took to the water first, opening the second half of the season with a dual meet against Tri-Co rival Bryn Mawr on Wednesday. The Garnet made quick work of the Owls, earning a 100-79 victory on the strength of double individual victories from four separate underclassmen. Supriya Davis ’15 and Kate Wiseman ’15, in the middle of two of the finest rookie seasons in program history, took home two wins apiece in individual events. Davis beat the field by a minute and 18 seconds in the 1000 freestyle, touching in 11:00.52; she then finished first in the 100 butterfly, her time of 58.33 fourth-fastest in the Swarthmore record books. Maggie Regan ’14 and Becky Teng ’14 were double-winners as well, continuing their evasions of the sophomore slump. Regan earned convincing victories in the 200 IM (2:18.32) and the 500 freestyle (5:29.11), leading the field by over fifteen seconds in the latter race. Teng placed first in the 200 freestyle (2:08.59) and the 100 breaststroke (1:14.09). The Garnet also benefitted from notable performances from several other swimmers, including Erin Lowe ’14, Rosalie
Lawrence ’12, Naomi Glassman ’12, Jacqueline Scala ’12, and Amelia Possanza ’12. In an interview with the Daily Gazette, head coach Sue Davis commented on the depth of her squad, saying, “Leadership … comes from every team member and I rely on that for the success of our team.” “This is definitely the strongest team I’ve ever seen at Swarthmore, both in terms of individual swimmers and in terms of the whole team dynamic,” Lawrence, who took second in the 100 backstroke (1:06.00) against Bryn Mawr, said. “We have an incredibly balanced team, [and] it’s great to see us performing well in short and long races as well as relays. This is going to be really important as we look ahead to our next three meets, which are all expected to be very close.” Neither the men nor the women appeared to have much trouble with the Cabrini Cavaliers on Saturday, as the women took home a 110-80 win while the men breezed through an 81-55 victory. On the men’s side, the Garnet benefitted from the returns of several swimmers, including Josh Satre ’13 and Daniel Duncan ’13, from semesters abroad. Satre wasted no time in making his presence felt, earning two victories on the day in the 1000 (10:38.91) and 500 (5:10.04) freestyles. Duncan celebrated his return with a win in the 200 freestyle (1:51.63). “Our first meet back was a good chance for everyone to get back into the swing of things,” Duncan said. “Watching from abroad, I was really impressed with the early part of the season, and it looks like everyone got right back into it. The next few meets will be a better test of where we
Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics
Tim Brevart and the rest of the men’s side had little trouble against Cabrini.
Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics
Maggie Regan was one of several double-winners on the women’s squad.
are, and a lot more fun because there will 1:04.88) and Hannah Gotwals ’13 (200 butbe some fast people to race.” terfly, 2:31.69) also earned first-place finSeven other Swarthmore men also ishes for the Garnet. earned first place finishes, as Stan Le On Wednesday, the Garnet routed ‘14 (100 breaststroke, 1:04.60), Frederick Washington College by scores of 133-72 Toohey ‘14 (200 butterfly, 2:11.06), Dante (men) and 123-77 (women). Davis again Fuoco ‘12 (200 backstroke, 2:11.39), Lance won both distance freestyle events for the Liu ’12 (200 breaststroke, 2:23.22), John women, including a 10:47.64 in the 1000 Flaherty ’14 (400 IM, 4:26.33), Tim Brevart freestyle which is second-fastest in school ’12 (100 freestyle, 50.39), and Max Krackow history. Wiseman swept the sprint free‘15 (50 freestyle, 22.92) touched ahead of the style events, winning the 50 in a fast 24.96 field in one event each. and outtouching Davis by 0.14 seconds on Krackow, who appears poised to suc- the 100, her 54.15 fourth-fastest in program ceed Brevart as history. the team’s primary Satre repeated sprinter, credited his distance sweep This is ... the strongest winter-break trainfor the men (1000 ing with his early freestyle, 10:27.50; team I’ve ever seen at second-half sucfreestyle, Swarthmore both in terms 500 cess. “The trip ab5:08.29), while Flasolutely helped me of individual swimmers and herty took the 200 to refocus on my IM (2:03.52) and 200 in terms of the whole swimming in the backstroke (2:03.06) second semester,” team dynamic. Duncan (200 freehe said. “It only style, 1:51.04) Rosalie Lawrence ’12 takes a few days Despite success of not swimming so far this season to get out of shape, — the women cur[so] … I am pretty sure the hard work will rently boast a 5-1 record, while the men are pay off.” 3-2 — the swimmers believe that the best The women boasted five double-win- swims of the season are yet to come, in reners in their half of the meet, once again sponse to the toughest challenges. showcasing their depth to the fullest ex“Once we rest and taper for our Content. Teng (100 backstroke, 1:05.39; 100 free- ference champs, one should expect to see style, 58.27), Regan (1000 freestyle, 11:21.99; a dramatic drop in time,” Krackow said. 400 IM, 4:53.55), and Davis (500 freestyle, “We’ll be well rested and able to give our 5:21.31; 200 freestyle, 1:57.88) replicated peak performance.” their successes from earlier in the week, The Garnet will attempt to keep the and were joined by Lawrence (200 breast- ball rolling on Saturday, as the Gettysburg stroke, 2:40.34; 100 breaststroke, 1:13.19) Bullets visi for the final home meet of the and Lowe (50 freestyle, 26.46; 200 back- season. The action is scheduled to start at stroke, 2:22.12). Glassman (100 butterfly, 2:00 p.m.
GARNET IN ACTION FRIDAY, JAN. 28
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1
Swimming vs. Gettysburg, 2:00 p.m.
Women’s basketball at Muhlenberg, 6:00 p.m.
Women’s basketball at Gettysburg, 2:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball at Muhlenberg, 8:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball at Gettysburg, 4:00 p.m.
THE PHOENIX
January 26, 2012
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Sports Poor shooting dooms women’s basketball vs. Ursinus swarthmorephoenix.com
game as Swarthmore shot a season-high 51% from the floor on the season. Genny Pezzola ’12 added nine rebounds to 14 points to finish just shy of her first career double-double while Polli handed out a career-high seven assists. The Garnet has dominated the Swarthmore-Haverford rivalry in the last half-decade, winning eight out
tion … We need to focus on who our opponents’ scorers are and getting to them in order to continue to be strong on the defensive end as well.” After a convincing win against Haverford on JanuCritical to offensive execution is holding onto the ary 18, the Swarthmore women’s basketball team ball. After ranking 236th in the country two seasons hoped it had left its season-long struggle with consisago in turnovers-per-game, Swarthmore has imtency by the wayside. proved to 65th in Division-III, turning the ball over But despite holding the Ursinus just 16.9 times per game. Bears to a shocking 24.6 shooting perRoss cited an abundance of energy centage on Saturday, the team flounas a key to the team’s successes. “In the dered on offense in a disheartening games that we won, the team has had 46-39 defeat. The 39 points matched the major energy on the floor and on the team’s season low. bench. The team has really pinpointed Saturday’s game was a microcosm of that as a key to our success for the rest the team’s entire season thus far: with of the season,” she said. “Even when a whistle seemingly every time down you don’t have a lot of energy, you have the floor for either turnovers, fouls, tieto fake it and try to inspire everyone ups or timeouts, the game lacked any else on the team.” semblance of flow or rhythm. The three-point arc has also set the Just as neither team could string tone for the remainder of the Garnet’s together productive possessions on season. Prior to the year, DeVarney Saturday, Swarthmore’s team has recognized that the team would live and struggled to string together victories. die by the three-point shot. The Garnet entered Saturday on a mini Though the team is 56th in the countwo-game winning streak, tied for its try, hitting six threes a game, the team longest of the season. is last in the United States in threeA low scoring first half saw Ursinus point defense. head into halftime with a 21-17 lead. The Still, despite currently sitting in Bears were able to open up the lead to eighth in the Centennial standings, double digits midway through the secSwarthmore will have plenty of opporond half, but a three from Eliza Polli ’13 tunity to move up over the final three brought the Garnet to within a single weeks of the season. possession with 4:50 to play. In the final Five of the team’s final seven games Julia Carleton The Phoenix 1:30, three Swarthmore turnovers and Forward Elle Larsen led the Garnet with eighteen points in the loss to Ursinus. are against the top-five teams in the consistent Ursinus free-throw shooting Centennial Conference standings as the iced the game. of nine overall including four straight on the road. team will travel to Muhlenberg, Franklin & Marshall “I think that we were really excited to play SatOn Saturday, however, the team killed itself on of- and Gettysburg and will host Johns Hopkins and urday,” coach Renee DeVarney said. “We just didn’t fense by not working to their strengths, according to Haverford. play well offensively. We’ve used the phrase ‘don’t be Madge Ross ’13. “There was this weird disconnect on Swarthmore got back on the winning track on casual’ in practice, and no one intends to be casual, offense. We were not taking good shots and we defi- Wednesday night, when the team routed Bryn Mawr but maybe we just need a little more focus. When you nitely did not play as well as we could,” she said. “It 67-36 in front of a home crowd. have twenty-two turnovers and eight travelling calls, almost felt like we were stuck in molasses the entire “Building momentum is huge,” Brittany Schmelz I was just frustrated by our offense.” game.” ’12 said. “We just need to keep going, keep playing Adding to the frustration was the fact that the loss DeVarney believes that focus will be the key to the hard, keep hitting shots and keep winning.” came on the heels of Swarthmore’s most impressive team going on a run through the final seven games of The women will visit the Gettysburg Bullets on showing of the season at Haverford on Jan. 18 as five the regular season. Saturday in what is virtually a must-win game before Garnet players scored in double figures. Elle Larsen “We need to continue to work on all of the little facing Muhlenberg on Wednesday. Tip-off from the ’15 led the team with 18 points on 8-10 shooting in that things especially being sharper on offensive execu- Battlefield is scheduled for 2 p.m.
by victor brady vbrady1@swarthmore.edu
Garnet athlete of the week
Josh Satre
JR., SWIMMING, HOCKENSSIN, DEL. WHAT HE’S DONE: Satre came away with a double win in the 500 and 1000-meter freestyles in the team’s rout of Cabrini. FAVORITE CAREER MOMENT: “The win in the 500 free against Franklin and Marshall my sophomore year was very memorable, it was the first time I broke 5:00 in the race, as well as the first time we had beaten them in a very long time.” WHAT HE WANTS TO DO: “To swim our hearts out, put out as good a showing as possible, and finish the season strong, winning as many meets as possible. Top three at conference would be ideal.”
Henry Ainley The Phoenix
FAVORITE BAND’S BEST SONG: “‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ by U2.”
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
Senior Genny Pezzola scored fourteen points and grabbed nine rebounds vs. Ursinus.
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January 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Sports
swarthmorephoenix.com
Around Higher Education
Tebow’s success controversial, compelling, untenable
at least 200 passes. If you’re not an NFL stat geek, I’ll summarize these findings for you. Tebow was one of the worst passing quarterbacks in the NFL. Tim Tebow is the most polarizing figure in sports If passing stats alone determined the legitimacy of an NFL quarterback, Tebow would have been cut since Barry Bonds, Tiger Woods and Hulk Hogan. faster than Shaquille O’Neal at a national You either love or hate the man, but it’s gymnastics team tryout. The ability to win rare to find someone who’s never heard his games — the most important stat — is what name. Surprisingly, even people who don’t keeps Tebow in the league. even like football have some sort of opinIn high school, Tebow catapulted into ion about Tebow. He’s one of the few aththe national spotlight when he single-handletes who has developed a fan (and enemy) edly won a game despite suffering a broken base with no logical territorial boundaries. Though he played college football for the fibula in the first half. The following year, University of Florida Gators and currently Tebow won the Florida Class 4A State High plays in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, School Championship. In college, Tebow millions from around the nation are glued won two national championships and a to the TV whenever he takes the field. Heisman trophy. This man has a history of Simply put, the 24-year-old Tebow has winning games. turned into a sports legend. Regardless of Despite being a horrible passer, Tebow whether you love or hate him, you can’t continued to win games in the NFL. He lost deny the fact that he was the most captihis starting position during training camp vating sports figure of 2011. Every time he but ended up regaining the spot in the midsteps on the field, there’s an undeniable dle of the season and finished an impresbuzz that surrounds him. sive 8-5 as a starting QB. Part of Tebow’s notoriety stems from his Tebow is a great runner, is tougher than religious beliefs. Dating back to his days at the main character of any Sylvester Stalthe University of Florida, Tebow has been a lone movie and has the composure of a vetvocal advocate of Christianity. eran quarterback in intense situations. He In college, Tebow turned many media manages to take over games in the fourth opportunities into ways to tell the world quarter, aka “Tebow Time,” and lead his about his faith. Because of his constant refteam to victory in close games. erences to God in press conferences and his Although Tebow wins football games, he pro-life Superbowl ad, Tebow was a wellowes much of his success to the strength of known Christian advocate before he took the Bronco’s defense. his first NFL snap. In Tebow’s 13 starts, the Broncos were Many use Tebow’s Christian beliefs to only able to score more than 20 points in mount a campaign of criticism that has four games. Of those four games, half were nothing to do with his talents on the footagainst two of the worst defenses in the ball field. Although everyone is entitled to NFL. Courtesy of timesunion.com their own opinion, hating Tebow because of As much as I love to root for Tebow, his It was fun while it lasted. his religious background is both ignorant current tenure as an NFL quarterback is and backwards. unsustainable unless he can lead his team Although I don’t consider myself part of to at least three TDs every game. His re“Tebow Nation,” I feel compelled to defend the athI think it’s out of bounds to criticize Tebow for cent loss to the New England Patriots proves that you lete. Instead of supporting Tebow with my own reli- his religious beliefs, but it’s completely fair to criti- can’t beat a great team with a faltering offense. Tebow gious preferences, I choose to defend Tebow because cize him for his unorthodox quarterback abilities. is a great athlete with great character, but character of this country’s founding principles. This country His passer rating of 72.9 in the 2011 regular season alone won’t keep your job. was founded on the principles of free speech and free- was 28th among NFL QBs and he ranked 27th with Unless Tebow improves his game over the offseadom of religion, and our forefathers intended that 12 touchdown passes. His abysmal 124 passing yards son, don’t expect to see him as a starter for too much the every citizen could practice their own religion in per game ranked last among all QBs who attempted longer.
by chad hollis thedartmouth.com, January 20, 2011
whatever manner they please. Tebow is a modest and caring individual who plays a game he loves and uses his celebrity status to help people around the world. Do your research before you criticize — Tebow’s not a bad guy.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Women finish 7th, men 13th, at Ursinsus-hosted track meet The Swarthmore track & field team took a step toward February’s conference championships when they traveled to Ursinus on Friday to compete against the conference rival Bears and a number of other visiting squads. While the meet was a collection of events, most of them individual, the Garnet women ended up ranked seventh in total points, while the men placed thirteenth. As was the case in last weekend’s Gotham Cup, first-year shot putter Osazenoriuwa Ebose ’15 was a bright spot for the women’s side, breaking the school record she set last week to place third in the shot-put event. Ebose’s shot was measured at a distance of 11.56 meters, one quarter of a meter longer than the shot that broke a thirty-year record last Saturday. On the women’s side, many of the top performances were once again courtesy of the senior members of the team. Stephanie Beebe ’12 finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:25.32. Fellow senior Katie Gonzalez ’12 (2:32.67) placed eighth. In the women’s mile run, the Garnet had two finishers in the top five, as seniors Margret Lenfest ’12 (5:39.63) and Hannah Rose ’12 (5:43.23) finished fourth and fifth respectively. Hurdler Kenyetta Givans ’12, whose hurdle time last week was good for ninth among all Division III runners, finished third in the 60-meter hurdle event, clearing four hurdles in 9.25 seconds. Nicole Cox ’12, the only member of the Garnet to participate in the high jump, finished eighth out of thirteen qualifying jumps with a height of 1.47 meters. Collectively, the Swarthmore women earned 35.5 points on the day, which placed in the middle of the pack at seventh of fifteen total teams. The top three teams, in order, were Georgian Court, Rowan, and host Ursinus.
THE PHOENIX
Despite missing star junior Jacob Phillips ‘13, the men’s side enjoyed several topten finishes on the day, with some of the best performances coming from the team’s younger members. First-year Erick White (2:04.84) placed eighth in the 800-meter run, while the stalwart Aidan-DuMont McCaffrey ’13 (4:38.64) finished ninth in the men’s mile. The men’s best finish of the day came from Robert Fain ’14, who was third in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:08.42. First-year Jonas Oppenheimer ‘15 (9:23.21) was twelfth. In the triple jump, in which the participant must execute a “hop, bound and jump” routine that differentiates the event from the long jump, Zach Kronstat ’15 finished seventh with a jump measuring 11.86 meters. All of this gave the Garnet men ten points on the afternoon, only enough to place them thirteenth out of fourteen teams competing (the fifteenth team for the women’s events was the women’s college Bryn Mawr), better than only the team from Holy Family University. The Ursinus men finished fifth in their own house, behind Rowan and a three-way tie for second place of Lebanon Valley, Gwynedd-Mercy and Messiah. Prior to Friday’s meet, Head Coach Pete Carroll expressed his desire to “see where his team was at” following a lengthy break from competition between the semesters. While the conference championships (held at Ursinus on February 25) remain more than a month away, Friday’s meet made clear that the team has rust to shake off from now until then. In the meantime, the Garnet’s next event is the Haverford McElligott Invitational, taking place the weekend of February 3.
January 26, 2012
BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN
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Sports
swarthmorephoenix.com
Men’s basketball gets hot, then cold against Ursinus bounds, making the most of Ursinsus’s aggressive defensive plan by hitting all five of his free-throw attempts. Thirteen For one brief moment, the Swarth- of Gates’s 17 points came in the secmore men’s basketball team was play- ond half, as he became the catalyst for ing at that level they know they are ca- Swarthmore’s hot start out of halftime. Off the bench, Keedy added eight pable of reaching. In the ten minutes after the Garnet points and two boards, while senior began the second half on Saturday trail- guard Michael Giannangeli ’12 was the ing Ursinus 39-30, everything finally only member of the Garnet with more than two assists (three). came together. “It was a tough loss, but we played Of the 15 shots they took in those ten minutes, 13 of them went in, culminat- extremely hard and put ourselves in a ing in a three-pointer from Joe Keedy position to win,” Gates said. “It’s en’14 that put the Garnet up by seven. A couraging to see that no one has given defense that found new life held the vis- up, [and that] we’re still playing hard and working together.” iting Bears to just fifteen points. Ursinus forward Jon Ward led his For those 10 minutes, the crowd gathered at Clothier field on a weekend af- team with 21 points, while Jesse Krasna ternoon got to see just how dangerous recorded the only double-double on eithis team, in a season where almost ther side with twelve points and eleven nothing has gone right, can be when the rebounds. Krasna also led both sides with five assists. candle is lit beneath them. If there does exist a silver lining in And just like that, the flame was exthe aftermath of the loss to Ursinus, tinguished once again. it would be that the most recent deDespite feats have holding a become 61-54 lead with 9:55 There’s a big emphasis on getting much more competito go in better every day of practice, and tive, with the secthis week’s ond half, to leave the gym a better team g a m e s Swarththan when we came in. against Urmore (1sinus and 15, 1-8 in Joe Culley Haverford confer(a 65-62 Head Coach ence) fell loss) goto Ursinus ing down 75-72, as to the final the Bears held the Garnet to just 1-of-6 shooting in overcoming the seven-point minute. “I think we really are getting better deficit. Although Swarthmore kept the game as a team,” Federer said, echoing the close down the stretch with free throws, positive outlook of Gates and Kober. Ursinus finally overtook them on a “Ursinus was a tough team, but a few jumper from Pat Vasturia with 3:04 to plays here and there down the stretch didn’t go our way and that’s what it go. It was a lead the Bears would never came down to. I feel like the wins will relinquish, as the Garnet did not score come if we continue to work hard and another field goal until the game’s final push each other in practice.” Added Coach Culley, “There’s a big seconds. “Although we came up short, we emphasis on getting better every day of still felt that we outplayed them and practice, and to leave the gym a better deserved to win,” Jay Kober ’14 said. team than when we came in.” The Garnet failed to win their sec“They are a playoff team, which gives ond game of the season on Wednesday, us confidence down the road.” Weighted down by 34-percent shoot- when they dropped a home contest to ing in the first half, and having made McDaniel by the score of 58-46. Kober lead the Garnet in scoring only four of their fifteen three-point attempts, the Garnet went in at half- with 17 points, and center Matt Sharma time trailing by nine. However, in the added 12 points off the bench. Sharma first ten minutes of the second half, and Gates both tied for the team lead in the Garnet rode a string of more high- rebounds with six each. Swarthmore’s record now moves to percentage shots to overtake the Bears and build up a lead behind 61-percent 1-16 on the season. Swarthmore will now go on the road second-half shooting. “[During halftime], we stressed bet- for two straight games, beginning on ter ball pressure defensively, making it Saturday when they take on Gettysburg harder for them to make passes to the in another conference matchup. The big players on their team, and staying tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The more patient with our offense,” Head Gettysburg match is the first of seven remaining conference games. Coach Joe Culley said. To Gates and his teammates, they In the final ten minutes, however, as their lead slowly eroded, the Garnet are opportunities to show what the Gartook four of their six second-half three- net is capable of. “[There] is a lot of time to prove that points and came up empty each time, allowing the Bears to come from behind we are better than our record shows,” and deny them their second win of the he said. “We’re going to keep playing hard season. Junior forward Will Gates ’13 led and hopefully come up with a few wins Swarthmore with 17 points and four re- down the stretch.
by timothy bernstein tbernst1@swarthmore.edu
THE PHOENIX
Davis Ancona dunks over two defenders against McDaniel.
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
The Garnet have shot thirty-five percent from the field this season.
January 26, 2012
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