MARCH 22, 2012 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 135, ISSUE 9
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PHOENIX
Inside: Speaking Associate program in beginning stages Swat welcomes sign language poetry slam Tennis nets easy wins over weekend
Homophobic taggings on campus, verbal harassment and altercations at Pub Nite highlight a need for reevaluating students’ & College’s social responsiblity
p. 3, 14
The Phoenix
Thursday, March 22, 2012 Volume 135, Issue 9
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
Courtesy of Congwen Wang
The International Festival of Sign Language Poetry “Singing Hands Across the Water” featured seven Sign poets from the UK and across the US.
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Living & Arts Opinions
Undocumented immigrants Opening Lee and Chairez arrested through Bryn Mawr junior Jessica Lee and poetry sophomore Tania Chairez were arrested on Mar. 14 for their protest and civil disobedience. Lee and Chairez, both undocumented immigrants and students, planned their arrests in order to both raise attention to their undocumented status and to Bryn Mawr and other colleges to protect and support their undocumented students.
doors, minds Understanding China’s rare sign language trade deficit, revisited
Last weekend’s sign language festival featured six sign language poets who performed at Swarthmore and highlighted their novel expressions of language and ideas. PAGE 7
China recently reported its largest monthly trade deficit in more than two decades. Despite popular claims that this is a sign of slowing Chinese growth, Shiran argues that it is still too early to tell based on an analysis of the seasonality of China’s trade and the possibility of the implementation of a government-sponsored stimulus package. PAGE 15
Senior artist exhibitions explore multimedia, genre Puerto Rico’s economic PAGE 4 Two Swarthmore senior artists who focus explorations of identity, Miyuki Baker, reforms offer lessons for New Writing Center on who has recently won a Watson Fellowship, speaking program in early and Petra Floyd, whose work has been dis- mainland played at the Brooklyn Community Pride Tyler explores the policies instituted in stages Puerto Rico by Governor Luis Fortuño, and Center. The Writing Center’s new Speaking Associates, or SPA, program is currently in its pilot phase, aiming to help students develop and finesse their public speaking skills. The program will offer three types of services to students, including individual SPA meetings and advice, collaboration with courses where presentations play a prominent role, and hour-long practice sessions with SPA associates. PAGE 5
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how the Republican party should include bold reforms in the party’s 2012 platform, much like Fortuño did in Puerto Rico. PAGE 15
Music Now! reviews the Flatbush Zombies, a New York rap act whose lackadaisical attitude towards marketing seems to be paying off and whose “Thug Waffle” music video has surged in popularity. PAGE 9
Sports
Flatbush ZOMBiES bring rap, breakfast to a new high
Ursinus beats women’s Students create new blog about the college Belgian brewing: a tradition lacrosse in conference of breaking rules for the lord opener application process What do the monks of the Cistercian Order First-years Steven Gu and Hope Brinn collaborated with students from UPenn, Stanford and other universities to develop a new blog called “The Collegiate” that will serve as a resource for high school students during the college application process. Launching on March 28th, the blog will feature first-hand experience from current college students across the country. PAGE 6
of the Strict (otherwise known as Trappists) have to do with Belgian beer? Read more to find out. PAGE 9
The Garnet’s early-season success didn’t carry over against Ursinus on Saturday, as they fell to the Bear’s 16-9 in the first conference matchup of the year. PAGE 17
Crowd-pleasers Laurel Baseball splits weekend Halo, Ital hit the Olde Club doubleheader against Bates Coming off its worst loss of the season against stage Widener, Swarthmore had an easy time of Olde Club’s musical acts last Saturday, Laurel Halo and Ital, have undergone monumental shifts in their musical styles and brought an energetic, dance-inducing tone to Swarthmore’s music scene. PAGE 12
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Bates College in the opening game with a 13-0 win, but dropped the second game 7-2. PAGE 19
March 22, 2012
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 Nate Blum Living & Arts Columnist Gabriela Campoverde Living & Arts Columnist Amelia Dornbush Living & Arts Columnist Dylan Jensen Living & Arts Columnist Vianca Masucci Living & Arts Columnist Lanie Schlessinger Living & Arts Columnist Renu Nadkarni Living & Arts Artist Naia Poyer Living & Arts Artist Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Danielle Charette Opinions Columnist Harshil Sahai Opinions Columnist Shiran Shen Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Political Cartoonist Roy Greim Sports Writer James Ivey Sports Columnist 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 BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Paul Chung Circulation Manager Di Yan Circulation Manager Osazenoriuwa Ebose COVER DESIGN Amelia Kucic COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF: www.genealogyintime.com CONTRIBUTORS Victor Brady, Amelia Possanza OPINIONS BOARD Reem Abdou, Marcus Mello and Camila Ryder EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) sgtsass.com bkbn.net poptower.com batesmoren.com 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.
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Events Menu Today Peace and Protest: Nigerian Civil War Activism and the 1960s Milieu Brian McNeil of the University of Texas at Austin, a 2010 Moore Fellow, will discuss activism in the social context of the 1960s with a focus on the Nigerian Civil War. The lecture, set for 7 pm, is co-sponsored by the Friends Historical Library and the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Queer and Trans Art Show Stop by the Queer and Trans Conference’s exhibit at the Kitao Gallery, featuring paintings, photography, sculpture and more by queer and trans members of the Swarthmore community and allies. from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. Tomorrow Production Ensemble 2012: Ivona, Princess of Burgundia The opening production of Ivona, Princess of Burgundia will start at 4:30 in LPAC’s Pearson Hall Theater. Written by renowned Polish playwright and philosopher Witold Gombrowicz, the play combines darkness, comedy and an “unappealing heroine.” Science and Spirituality: Compatible or in Conflict? Physics professor Catherine Crouch and Dr. Ard Louis, a Reader in Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford will weigh in on metaphysical questions at 7:00 pm in Sci 199. Dr. Louis, a Christian, will bring an element of spirituality to the discourse. SCF and the Veritas Forum, the event’s hosts, will serve refreshments after the event concludes at 8:00. Saturday, March 24th Swarthmore College Faculty and Staff Composers Concert Swarthmore’s faculty and staff composers will have their pieces performed from 3:00 to 4:00 pm in Lang Concert Hall. Instrumental work will be handled by current students and alumni. Violist Carol Rodland and Pianist Marcantonio Barone Highly acclaimed violist Carol Rodland will be filling Lang Concern Hall with her “delicious” tones from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. She will join pianist Marcantonio Barone in playing contemporary pieces including Anything Goes by Cole Porter.
Submissions for the events menu may be sent to: news@swarthmorephoenix.com
Flag waving sparks student, dean reactions
Several recent campus events have incited much campus discussion
By amelia possanza apossanz1@swarthmore.edu Last Thursday, a male visitor to the college waved the stars and bars of the confederate flag during the closing minutes of Pub Nite. The visitor, as well as some Swarthmore students standing near him, allegedly pushed one student who asked him to put the flag away and called another a “giant slut.” Although only a small number of students witnessed the event, an email sent out the next day by Senior Class Secretary Maia Gerlinger ’12 to the entire student body informed the community of what had happened. The display of the flag launched a debate about the meaning of this symbol and how the college should handle incidents of violence and hate speech on campus. The Incident Avery Davis ’12 was one of a small group of students who actually witnessed the event and asked the visitor to put the flag away. She said that the visitor began waving a flag a little larger than a standard sheet of letter paper at 11:45 p.m., fifteen minutes before the Pub Nite ended. He was standing with a group of five to 10 friends, some of them Swarthmore students, chanting “U.S.A.” One of the Swarthmore students, a high school friend of the visitor, served as the guest’s host on campus. Davis, citing the fact that Pub Nite was a safe space and that his actions were inappropriate, asked him to put it away. The male holding the flag as well as some of his friends, who Davis described as looking pleased and eager to provoke other students, pushed Davis away. Davis alerted the Party Associates to the situation. When the man holding the flag continued to refuse to put it away, two of Davis’s friends also asked him to put it down. When a third friend of Davis’, also a female, approached, the man holding the flag said, “Fuck off you giant slut.” Davis explained that she and a group of friends found the flag offensive because it represented a time when the United States oppressed and enslaved a large group of people. While it is perfectly legal to display the flag, Davis felt differently. “In my opinion [the flag] should be legally classified as hate speech.” Davis returned with friends to a dorm and searched the Cygnet and Facebook to find out the names of the visitor and his host. The next morning Davis, along with Julian Leland ’12 and MC Mazzocchi ’12, spoke with Dean of Students Liz Braun to ask that the visitor be asked to leave campus and not return. They also asked that the Swarthmore students who invited him to campus be spoken to. “[Braun] was pretty receptive,” Davis said the next day. “I am hopeful that she will take action.” However, on Monday the group returned to the deans because they felt that there had been an incredible silence surrounding the incident. Davis described the response to the incident as “slow” and “paltry.” Braun said that she did not email the campus until Monday night because she wanted to make sure that the Deans shared accurate information with the
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campus. According to Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal, the host is being adjudicated in accordance with college policy. The student handbook states, “Hosts are responsible for the behavior of their guests and can be sanctioned if the guest breaks College policy.” In this case, the guest’s violations included underage drinking and intimidation. Westphal indicated that in the confidential adjudication project the administration would be mindful of how the host responded. “I think the host of the guest did what he could to get the guest out of the way and off campus.” The host, a first-year student who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the subject, spoke regretfully about the incident. “I’m really sorry for bringing him here,” he said. “I didn’t know he had the flag.” The host said that as soon as he saw the flag out at Pub Nite, he took it away from his friend, left the scene and asked his friend to leave campus and not come back. He added that he doesn’t think that the flag is an acceptable symbol to display in public. However, the incident has incited discussion about the meaning of the flag. A post on swassipthesequel.tumblr.com describing the incident was met with five anonymous commenters who identified themselves as students stating that dis-
The important thing to remember is that there isn’t a one-side fits all approach. Liz Braun Dean of Students playing the flag was not a hateful or intimidating act. Westphal said she did not feel comfortable deciding whether this was an instance of hate speech. However, she said that what mattered was the fact that students felt hurt by the incident. In addition to concerns surrounding the display of the flag on campus and lack of respect the visitor showed when he refused to put the flag away, students also raised concern about Public Safety’s response to the incident. Mazzocchi was working at McCabe library during Pub Nite. After it ended, a friend went to McCabe to inform Mazzocchi of what had happened. They felt very upset about the incident and called Public Safety after the incident because they wanted there to be a record of the event. Mazzocchi called Public Safety once and then, 10 minutes later, remembering more information, Mazzocchi called back. During the second call, they felt the Public Safety Communications Officer on Duty did not take the report seriously. Mazzocchi’s library shift supervisor, Late Night Access & Lending Supervisor Kim Gormley, overheard the two phone calls and confirmed that Mazzocchi sounded like they had to justify themselves. “For the person that’s supposed to be the gateway to safety to be so dismissive, that’s really alarming,” Maz-
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zocchi said. In an email, Mazzocchi said that on Tuesday George Darbs, Public Safety Communications Supervisor, called to apologize for the dispatcher’s behavior and to say that the flag was a hateful symbol.
Moving forward Davis and Mazzocchi are worried that these types of hateful acts have become a trend on campus. “I feel like there has been a real increase in violent and hateful incidents,” Davis said. Early Sunday morning, homophobic graffiti was written on the walls of David Kemp Hall. Five weeks beforehand, there was an incident of homophobic hate speech directed toward a first-year student at a Swarthmore Queer Union party. The male student was dancing with another man when someone shouted “faggot.” Last spring, two violent incidents took place, one involving strangers assaulting students and another involving a student threatening another student. While both Braun and Westphal were hesitant to say that this was any sort of trend as each incident took place under different circumstances — in some cases with students, in others guests, and in others total strangers — the two deans said that there is an ongoing dialogue about how to protect and support students who have felt injured in any way. In her email concerning the three intimidating incidents this spring, Braun said, “These separate incidents point out the need for us to be ever vigilant in our commitment to resolve differences in a constructive, civil manner, and to be mindful of others who may feel intimidated or anxious if discourse deteriorates.” In an interview, Braun said that one potential way to help students “resolve differences” is to implement Bystander Training, a program open to all students, at the college. This type of training, which Braun has spoken about with her colleagues at peer institutions over the past few months, entails teaching students alternate strategies for intervening in difficult situations while still avoiding the type of direct confrontation that would put students in danger. Bystander Training would enhance the resources already in place to support students, such as the PAs and trained Party Hosts. However, Braun said that there is not a certain program or solution that can be expected to “fix” these types of situations. “The important thing to remember is that there isn’t a one-side fits all approach.” She emphasized the importance of community dialogue and suggested that the upcoming diversity symposium beginning March 28 would be an important part of this multi-faceted approach to making the college a safe community. In addition to Bystander Training efforts, a group of RAs has submitted a letter to Dean Head, Dean Westphal and Dean Braun voicing concern and expressing plans for the future. Davis, in regards to Bystander Training, was in agreement that no one program could make the campus feel safer. “I think Bystander Training is a good idea,” she said. “But I think what is the root cause and why this is happening are important issues.”
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Undocumented immigrants Lee and Chairez arrested
Week in pictures
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
McCabe Library hosted a Library Happy Hour on Monday afternoon complete with tropical drinks and snacks, offering tips on navigating the new Tripod.
Courtesy of Jessica Lee
Jessica Lee, a junior at Bryn Mawr, is an undocumented immigrant who was arrested after staging a civil protest against antiimmigration and deportation laws. By koby levin jlevin1@swarthmore.edu
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
Sunday’s Jonathan R. Lax ’71 Conference on Entrepreneurship featured two panels and David Gelber, a former producer of “60 Minutes,” as the keynote speaker.
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Two students read t-shirts hanging on on the lawn in front of Parrish Beach. The shirts, made as part of the Clothesline Project, will hang until 6 p.m. today.
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When Bryn Mawr junior Jessica Hyejin Lee was arrested last week, she was not concerned about being deported. In fact, Lee, an undocumented immigrant, wanted nothing more than to see Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials march into her cell. In their most brazen test yet of the hypothesis that undocumented immigrants who publicly reveal their status are safer from deportment than those who keep their status hidden, Lee and Tania Chairez, a sophomore at UPenn’s Wharton School and also an undocumented immigrant, planned a protest and civil disobedience that would end in their arrest — typically a nightmare for undocumented immigrants. Their goal, Lee said, was “to prove that they could place an order for deportation proceedings on us but that they would still cancel it because we had the community’s support and we had come out publicly at a rally.” The initial phase of the protest focused on the celebration of undocumented students and calling for the release of Miguel Orellana Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who has been detained since July. About 100 people, including approximately 20 Tri-Co students, congregated at Love Park in Philadelphia, listening as Lee and Chairez spoke to the crowd about their experiences as undocumented students and 3 high school students publicly came out as undocumented for the first time. The demonstrators then marched to the ICE field office on Callowhill Street. Lee and Chairez entered the building, demanding to speak with Thomas Decker, the director of the Philadelphia branch of ICE. When no one emerged to address them, Lee and Chairez walked into the street outside the building and sat down, chanting and holding signs that said “undocumented unafraid” and “immigrant rights are human rights.” The other demonstrators looked on from the sidewalk, encouraging Lee and Chairez and lending their voices to the protest. The police arrived, and after warning Lee and Chairez five times to stop blocking traffic, they handcuffed them and placed them in a squad
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car. At the station, each student refused to provide her name — Lee called herself “undocumented Jane Doe” — and they both pressed everyone around them to get ICE involved. “They refused to believe we were undocumented,” said Lee, “so we spent time just telling everyone in the jail we were undocumented. Every once in a while we would say “where are the ICE officers? Are they coming?” Lee and Chairez spent the night imprisoned, but were released in the morning when an ICE officer recognized Lee as a student protestor. Lee has been charged with obstructing a highway and disorderly conduct. The reaction of the Bryn Mawr community to Lee’s arrest was swift. Upon finding out Lee was in jail, a recent graduate circulated a petition throughout the alumni community requesting that ICE release Lee and Chairez which amassed over 700 signatures in a span of six hours. After Lee had returned to campus, Michele Rasmussen, Dean of the Undergraduate College at Bryn Mawr, sent a letter to the student body reaffirming the administration’s support of all Bryn Mawr students regardless of status. The letter also committed Bryn Mawr to “providing an open and safe space for all community members to examine issues that affect not only our college but the nation and world of which we are all part,” citing a community response meeting that took place on Lee’s first night back on campus as an example of such a space. Evelyn Fraga ’13 and Jovanna Hernandez ’13, who attended the rally and the meeting, noted the warm atmosphere there as attendees participated in a question and answer session with Lee and voiced thoughts on an open microphone. “You could really feel the community support, the love within that room,” Fraga said. Despite the camaraderie at Bryn Mawr following Lee’s arrest, she still says there is more to be done. She introduced a plenary resolution that would require the College to publicly acknowledge its support of undocumented students, but it was deferred, so she plans to petition for its passing in the coming months as well as continue campaigning for the release of Orellana Garcia, encouraging students in the Philadelphia area to go public with their undocumented status and pushing the Tri-Co to become sanctuaries for undocumented students. Haverford has already taken one of the key steps outlined in Lee’s resolution by passing a recent proposal that will treat undocumented immigrants as Americans when they apply. They were previously classified as international students, only 12 of which receive financial aid annually, so the change will improve their access to financial aid. Fraga and Hernandez are planning a petition for next week to push the administration to adopt similar policies and to raise awareness of immigration issues at Swarthmore. In retrospect, Lee acknowledges the riskiness of her plan. Nevertheless, she considers it worthwhile for the sake of other undocumented immigrants, whom she believes can benefit by “coming out of the shadows” to announce their status. “There are always risks and what ifs,” Lee said. “There is a reason we were the only two people willing to take the action.” Next time, she hopes there will be more.
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News New Writing Center speaking program in early stages
swarthmorephoenix.com
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
Speaking Associate Lindsay Dolan works with Erik Heaney in preparation for the new SPA program, which aims at aiding students in honing their public speaking skills. By Charlie Hepper chepper1@swarthmore.edu
Within the next couple of years, Swarthmore students will likely see the addition of another acronym to the school’s distinctive lexicon. Since 2008, the Writing Center has been working on developing the Speaking Associates, or SPA program. Currently in its pilot phase, the goal of this program will be to help students hone their skills in public speaking and in giving presentations. The program is not currently advertising services but has worked with select courses during the past semesters in order to develop its future staff, structure and approach to working with students. Jill Gladstein, program director for the Writing Center, described the program as going though an “experimental process through which a core group of six WAs are being trained and the structure of the program is being set up.”
While initial training sessions for SPAs taught the fundamentals of giving good presentations, later sessions saw the SPAs themselves shaping the directions the program will take. “The sessions that followed focused more on discussing our role as SPAs, and the strategies we could use in order to fulfill that role. Because the SPA program is a pilot program, Jill had us discuss these ideas so that we could figure out the greater purpose of the program,” Erik Heaney ’14 said. Once implemented, this program will offer three kinds of services to students. During regular Writing Center hours, individual SPAs will give students advice on the process of planning their presentations. Required meetings with SPAs will be also integrated into particular courses in which presentations and speaking play a prominent role. Hour-long practice sessions will also be available, involving two associates acting as a mock audience and providing feedback on rounds of practice presentations. Specifically, SPAs will work with students on developing and improving the organization of their presentations. Students will be urged to structure their presentations according to the classic hamburger model, consisting of a well-developed introduction, middle and conclusion. SPAs will help students improve aspects of their delivery, such as eye contact and body language, and aid them in creating effective visual aids, such as posters and slideshows. By providing a practice audience for students, the program seeks to provide a means by which students can gain greater confidence in public speaking. The SPAs themselves have reacted positively to the effect that the program’s training has had on their own speaking abilities. “For me, speaking has always been a challenging skill that requires constant practice and attention. Speaking is hard. So I think that any help you can get with your ability to speak, the better. I am very glad to be able to offer this service,” Heaney said. Senior and current Speaking Associates Coordinator Lindsay Dolan further elaborated on the significance of this program to the school’s pedagogical philosophy. “This program is part of a bigger process of critical self-examination that Swarthmore is currently going through. Swarthmore’s teaching philosophy does not focus on presentation as much as it does on writing. Thus, the Writing Center wants to help students recognize there is a process one must go through that is necessary for creating a good presentation, just as in writing a good paper,” Dolan said. Dolan further noted that most of the classes she has taken at the college have not featured oral presentations or the teaching of effective oratorical and rhetorical skills as salient aspects of their curriculum. The only exception was a class she took at Haverford, entitled “International Relations Theory: Conflict and the Middle East” with Barak Mendelsohn. Dolan is an Honors Political Science major and Economics minor who will be pursuing her Ph.D. in Political Science next year. Gladstein states that the response to the SPA program so far has been good on all fronts and that even in its limited pilot state, the program has a lot of potential. “It seems to be getting the necessary attention and the board of managers is interested” However, the program is not yet ready to open its doors and offer services to students; “We do not yet have the resources to take the program where it needs to go. We need a physical space for this to occur so that students can have a place to practice their presentations. We also need to train quality SPAs before the program can take off,” Gladstein said.
Black Tie, Inc. hosts parties in spirit of social activism By amanda epstein aepstei1@swarthmore.edu
The newly formed group Black Tie, Incorporated is putting a new spin on social activism. Created at the beginning of this year by four juniors, the group’s mission is to raise money and awareness for different causes by throwing on-campus parties. The creators, Henry Ainley ’12, Kojo Boateng ’14, Andres Bueno ’13, Cariad Chester ’13, Jesse Dashevsky’ 13, Javier Perez ’13, Will Schulz ’13 and Mark Serrano ’13 research every cause in detail before deciding to support it, trying to target local groups above others. “Social action causes are frequently underfunded and under-publicized. Black Tie, Inc. addresses both of these challenges with our events. We have developed a sustainable fundraising model and hope to increase campus awareness about the issues we support,” Chester said. “We wanted to use our social capital for social justice.” Black Tie, Inc. has supported organizations like the Global Health Forum (GHF) of the college, whose current initiative is to eradicate malaria through the purchase and delivery of bed nets in Sierra Leone. The organization was carefully picked for its lack of overhead costs and its effectiveness in tackling the issues surrounding the disease. The party through in which Black Tie, Inc. partnered with GHF was “Speak Easy” themed and even hosted a musician to entertain the crowd. “Because our events require and entry fee, we feel obligated to exceed the average Swarthmore party experience. I think we are completely successful,” Chester said. “The Masked Ball” and “Casino Royale” were also
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parties hosted by the group at Olde Club. Michael Fishman ’15, who went to a few of the parties, thinks that they have been better organized and on the whole, more fun to attend than other campus parties. “It’s a win-win situation. You get to have a great place to socialize and de-stress while at the same time raising awareness and money for a cause that can make a tangible impact,” he said. The group has also worked with tutoring programs and homeless shelters, raising an estimated total of five thousand dollars this year after covering the cost of the parties. According to Chester, the group raised more money for social causes than all of Swarthmore’s student groups combined. Because the group is private, it does not receive funding from the school, nor can it make use of resources like the RSD and bulletin boards to advertise their events. According to student Budget Committee (SBC) member Kevin Li ’13, student groups cannot receive funding for events from either SBC or SAC (the Social Affairs Committee) unless they are free of charge. For that reason, Black Tie Inc. is and will remain a non-chartered, or private, group. The group’s main focus now is to establish the infrastructure necessary to better communicate information both about the parties and organizations to the student body, according to Perez. These efforts include, among other things, establishing the group’s website. Their next event, dubbed “The Take Your Shirt Off Party,” which unlike its name suggests does not require attendees to take their shirts off, will be collaborating with the student group, Achieving Black and Latino
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Courtesy of Black Tie, Inc. Facebook Events
Promotion for Black Tie, Inc. events, like the Casino Royale Party, occurs through Facebook events and in Sharples. Leaders of Excellence, ABLLE. The money raised will be used to buy textbooks, fund field trips and help provide meals during sessions for ABLLE’s S2K, a mentoring program that partners with the Chester Housing Authority. “The funds will help ABLLE’s mentoring program sustain itself for a good while until we get a separate grant that will make the work more sustainable” said Perez, who is also a mentor for the program. After “The Take Your Shirt Off Party,” the group will start the process of allowing organizations to apply for their support.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
QTC explores ‘Power, Pleasure, and Violence’ in annual event series
On March 21-25, the Swarthmore Queer Trans Conference (QTC), previously known as the Sager Symposium, will be holding its annual series of events discussing topics related to queer and trans issues. Kicking off the conference with a parlour party yesterday, the QTC will be hosting a myriad of events until Sunday evening, focusing around this year’s theme of Power, Pleasure, and Violence: A New Discourse of Bodies, Desire, and Sex. The conference is free for all attendees. QTC is organized by the QTC Planning Committee, an organization chartered by the Student Budgeting Committee. “Since Sager decided not to fund the conference, the QTC Planning Committee … works all year to convene, accommodate, compensate, and celebrate our fabulous presenters and conference attendees,” Camille Robertson ’13, one of the organizers of QTC, said. This year’s QTC addresses a variety of different topics encompassed by the theme. “Guest speakers, performers and filmmakers will present on issues of cultural production (porn), violence and sexual abuse, non-normative sexual practices (barebacking, BDSM), theories of identity and pleasure (femme, trans), intersections of race, class, gender, nationality and sexuality and much, much more,” Robertson said. This year’s events include lectures, a film screening and various live artistic performances. Specific details about all of the events can be found on QTC’s website, qtc.swarthmore.edu. The conference’s website discusses the nature of the general discourse on these topics, and how they hope that QTC will differ from this trend. “Much of LGBTQ political work and media coverage centers around issues of loss and pain (AIDS, gay bashing, teen suicides) and “gay rights” (gay marriage, don’t ask don’t tell).” The 2012 conference will instead turn their conversation and focus towards a “consideration of bodies, desire, and pleasure.” However, the group also made clear in the writing on their website that they “do not want to neglect the violences, grief, and isolation that many of us experience, although in different ways and to different degrees.” Today’s events include a Reproductive Justice Panel, featuring the Philly Collaborative for Reproductive Justice, from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. in Kohlberg 116 as well as a queer and trans art show in the Kitao Gallery, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. For a complete list of events happening this weekend, visit their website or refer to graphic at right. BY AMELIA DORNBUSH
Courtesy of qtc.swarthmore.edu
Students create new blog about the college application process By yi-Wei liu yliu2@swarthmore.edu As the competition to gain admission into America’s elite universities from both domestic and international high school students becomes increasingly fierce, the demand for any resource that can help students enter the college they love is intense. Several freshmen at Swarthmore, collaborating with students from the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Princeton, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Saint Mary’s College of California, aim to help satisfy that demand by developing a new blog called “The Collegiate” about the college process at wwww.thecollegiateblog.com. According to co-founders Steven Gu ’15 and Hope Brinn ’15, the goal of “The Collegiate” is to serve as a comprehensive resource for all aspects of the admissions process for all people regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, ethnicity and interests. Every week, each member of the team, which comprises students from several universities as well as one high school student undergoing the application process now, will contribute a post on the blog. Topics of the posts will range from SAT preparation methods to techniques to de-stress. Currently, both co-founders are working to develop and organize content as well as manage social networking, maintain the website, and ensure stable finances. The blog will place emphasis on the importance of fit, hoping to change the image that many students have of the college process as a rat race into one that allows students to explore their identity
and where they belong. “Ultimately we want to encourage students to seek out schools that are the best fits. The college process should be about finding an institution that will allow you to best develop as an individual rather than stressing about eight or nine AP courses and which clubs will look best to admissions officers,” Brinn said. The blog, developed and written fully by students, also aims to be a resource that is especially helpful for students going through the college process who might not have access to experienced college counselors. “I’m interested in providing help to international students, because many seem to need help applying to colleges in the US. For example, my counselor was Australian, with little experience in American higher education, and she was expected to help 150 students applying to countries all around the world,” Joyce Wu ’15 said, who is planning to write articles for the blog as well as handle its public relations and copy editing. Although there are already similar websites that give advice to students undergoing the college process, such as College Confidential, the Collegiate is unique in that it is much more intimate and draws solely from the experiences of “experts”, current students who have made it through the process. “My main source of information ended up being College Confidential, which caused a lot of stress based on unrealistic goals and expectations — think “I didn’t break 2300 on my SATs and now I’m never going to college!” Wu said. The blog’s tentative launch date is March 28.
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March 22, 2012
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Living & Arts
Opening doors, minds through sign language poetry By allison shultes ashulte1@swarthmore.edu
Following a weekend packed with performances, workshops and lectures, the seven poets featured in the International Festival of Sign Language Poetry “Signing Hands Across the Water” kept shaping the same sign in describing their experiences to the event organizer: an opening door. Representing a span of ages and geographic locations, and communicating in both British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL), the poets’ collaboration opened new avenues not just for audience members witnessing a novel exhibition of language, but for their own experiments in poetry. The festival, made possible by the William J. Cooper Foundation, featured poets Peter Cook, Kenny Lerner, and Debbie Rennie from the United States and Richard Carter, Paul Scott, Donna Williams, and John Wilson from the UK. The performers were kept busy with a conversation with the public on Friday evening, performances and workshops on Saturday, and a concluding panel discussion on Sunday morning. Of the seven visiting performers, six are deaf, some from birth and others who lost hearing earlier in childhood. Some grew up in deaf households, while others grew up with hearing families. Many of the poets did not begin learning sign language until 18 or 19 years old, previously “mainstreamed” in a hearing world. In panel discussions, one got a sense both of the differences in their experiences as well as the common bonds forged through a more universal Deaf culture, a prevalent topic in many of their poems. Spearheading the event was Cornell Visiting Professor of Linguistics Rachel SuttonSpence, a Reader in Deaf Studies at Bristol University. She was enormously excited to find so many of the poets signing an opening door. “In the Deaf community, and in Deaf poetry, the symbol of a door is something significant … Doors are real barriers to information and communication, and these doors kept opening, so all these barriers kept falling. Being a sign language poet is a pretty isolating thing, and for [the poets] to come together themselves over these four days, learning from each other and sharing their ideas, has been very enriching for them as poets.” Event organizers succeeded in making the event accessible to all audience members -- no easy task with the collection of languages present. Both American and British sign language translators were available to convert one system to another via a live feed projected onto a screen, and additional interpreters translated sign into oral English. The intersection of various languages and cultures was a sign of a job well done for Sutton-Spence. “The role of the Cornell Visiting Professor is to bring different cultures to the college, and because of my field I was able to bring British culture and deaf culture as well,” Sutton-Spence said. “So it was kind of like two for the price of one.” In addition to Swarthmore students and faculty, many members of the local Deaf community convened on campus to witness the weekend events. Prior to panels and conversations, hands flew through the event spaces, marking a transition from the hearing to the Deaf world. High attendance not just at the poetry performances, but at scheduled discussions and conversations, “speaks volumes for the interest there is not just in being entertained, but in understanding sign language poetry,” Sutton-Spence said. The conversations with the poets on Friday and Sunday raised critical issues concerning the past, present and future of sign language poetry. One of the larger topics under debate was the translation of signed poetry into written or spoken English. The dissonance between wanting to garner appreciation in the hearing world for signing as a language equal to any oral tradition and creative medium while also noting the inability of poetry to transcend translations from any language to another manifested itself in the varied views of the poets on the subject. This issue was also exhibited in performances on Saturday: while some performers chose to highlight or supplement their signed poetry with snatches of narration for hearing audience members, others proceeded completely in sign with no added description. Peter Cook, a deaf poet whose collaboration with hearing signer Kenny Lerner combines visual and auditory forms of expression, noted in a discussion that his perception of his poetry changes based on the composition of the audience. In performing for a deaf audience, he describes his performance as “signing,” whereas for a primarily hearing audience, he thinks of his poems as “visual communication.” This dynamic approach to performances was noted by many of the other poets, who saw sign poetry as being liberated from the more crystallized nature of written poetry, which is preserved on the page. Regardless of auditory prompts or fluency in sign language, audience members sat mesmerized by the poets. Capturing poetry within the body and manifesting it through signs, movement, and facial expressions transformed what is typically thought to be an oral tradition into a performance, a dance, a play. Cook and Lerner, founders of the Flying Words Project, demonstrated one of the ways to incorporate a hearing performer into the world of Deaf poetry. The Flying Words Project combines Cook’s signing with Lerner’s oral cures to create both an auditory and visual experience for their audiences. The cues are not a translation of the signed poetry, Lerner explained in an e-mail. “If you close your eyes and only listen to the words, you won’t get the poem. Our goal in the voicing is for the words to say just enough so that you … see the image for yourself. For example, at the end of the poem ‘Made in the USA’ (about the Chinese sweat shops and the Chinese mines) I voice almost nothing for the last minute of the poem. I’ve set it up so that you already understand what is happening. The miners are digging down into the earth forever. You see that for yourself. You see the sweat drop go down and down and down,” Lerner said. Lerner is not interested in simple translation, as his work aims towards “helping you to see the image we’ve created in ASL,” Learner said. “Our goal is to create art, not to create deaf art or hearing art.” Jocelyn Adams ’15, currently enrolled in Sutton-Spence’s course “Sign Language, Literature, and Folklore” and a volunteer at the festival, thought the weekend’s events drew attention to the more visual aspects of poetry for audience members. “When writing [poetry], you’re always removed from that idea you’re trying to express,” she said. “With sign ... you can capture more than you can with letters or words. It also made me more aware of the performance aspect — in that regard, I think spoken word and sign language poetry have a lot in common. There’s so much energy in seeing [the poets] perform in front of an audience, and there’s not the same passion in type.” The heightened energy
THE PHOENIX
Courtesy of Congwen Wang
Top: A group conversation in sign language on Magill Walk. Middle and Bottom: sign language poets performed Saturday in Upper Tarble. in sign language poetry was noted by many of the poets as well, and underlies many of their composition preferences of creating poems in ASL or BSL without relying on written outlines. Many of the poets performing were “celebrities” in the classroom, as they are some of the best-known living sign language poets, according to Adams. The poets, despite their different experiences with poetry, all seemed to agree that there was great potential for the medium in the future, both in exposing the hearing world to deaf poetry and kindling enthusiasm in Deaf communities. To learn more about the individual performers or the festival, visit signinghandsacrossthewater.com
March 22, 2012
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Living & Arts
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Atonement asks readers to question the price of drama Atonement, by Ian McEwan, is an exploration of the human imagination and its ability to obscure reality. In particular, novel Lanie Schlessinger the d e m o n strates how Bibliobabble one lays a film of imagination over the landscape of reality, forming a new picture so deceiving that one can forget that the film is present at all. Briony, the novel’s main character, is an imaginative young girl. She’s a storyteller at heart, already wrapped up in her imagination, destined to be a writer, and desperate for more drama in her simple life. McEwan writes of her, “But hidden drawers, lockable diaries, and cryptographic systems could not conceal from Briony the simple truth: She had no secrets” (5). She wishes more than anything that she had secrets to keep, but the pieces of her life that no one knows are the pieces no one wants to know. Briony’s craving for drama stems from her need for writing material, which is initially an admirable aspiration but becomes dangerous for everyone. The way Briony floats away inside her own mind is another symptom of her literary inclination. Fixated on stories and unable to find worthy ones in her real life, she must search her own mind to find what she seeks, which draws her out of reality. Once again, this quality is endearing — tender and sweet — until it grows
dangerous. Her ability to live entirely in her own mind disconnects her from reality and makes it easy for her to get lost in her own personal wonderland. I would argue that Briony is one of the most controversial characters in literary history. One could easily sympathize with her, excusing her actions on the bases of her age and her terrified mental state, and defend her to the death. But one could just as easily denounce her as being satanic, holding her entirely responsible for telling a lie that destroyed at least two lives. One could even take both stances in the same essay. Ultimately, the debate over good Briony versus evil Briony comes down to one core philosophy: is a person’s morality measured in spirit or in actions? Are both pieces components in the ultimate judgment of one’s moral integrity? Does one weigh more heavily on the picture than the other? A subset of this question can be: do we believe in forgiveness? Can we redeem ourselves? At worst, readers find Briony irritating in the beginning of the novel. She flutters around, she’s a bit nosy, she’s bossy. But others find her charming and endearing. Many have little opinion of her at all. It is only after her sin — telling a lie that destroys two lives, if not more — that these positions become polarized. The readership divides after this turning point into Briony haters and Briony lovers: the “kill Briony mob” and the “save Briony protectors.” The reader’s opinion of Briony says a lot about his or her own beliefs. The “kill Briony” mob voices the cynical perspective. Briony is so desperate for something to write about — genuine drama — that she is willing to sacrifice the people closest to her. She presents a mere fantasy of hers as absolute truth, even when she is specifically given the opportunity to revise her statement. And she never clears innocent names by admitting
that she lied to anyone who matters because she is a coward. The “save Briony” protectors voice the sympathetic perspective. Briony was a young girl who witnessed an atrocity. Not knowing how to respond or where to file this painful memory, she attempted to bring herself and her cousin some solace by blaming someone. If she wavered in her accusation or far worse rescinded it, they would no longer have the comfort of knowing that the guilty man was behind bars. Not to mention, exchanging the truth for the lie would sacrifice more innocent lives just for the sake of punishing one guilty man. I am inclined to side with the “save Briony” protectors, but I was originally a member of the “kill Briony” mob. What makes Briony such a controversial character is that she challenges our notions of right and wrong. The question that I find most provocative here is: if no one believed Briony, and everyone simply continued with his or her life, would readers still hate her? Would anyone perceive her as the antagonist if her lie had no effect? The cause would still be the same; the mistake itself would be identical to the mistake Briony makes in the novel. And yet, it’s difficult for me to believe anyone would have truly cared that she lied, or at least they would be more likely to be sympathetic. Readers are quick to attack Briony. She causes the tragedy that the novel is centered on, which makes her the obvious antagonist and the clearest person to blame. It is far too easy to use Briony’s previously endearing qualities — her literary mind, her lofty imagination — against her. But deeper reflection upon her character presents a strong irony, which is that these readers make the same error for which they blame Briony. Briony wrongly blames an innocent man
for a guilty man’s crime, and the reader wrongly blames Briony for not telling the truth when it is the same guilty man’s responsibility to come forward. The point I believe McEwan makes with this beautiful, complex novel is that we could all afford to be a bit more compassionate, a bit more sympathetic, and significantly more forgiving. Characters: A+ The sheer complexity of the characters in Atonement is the novel’s main stroke of genius. Language: A+ McEwan writes with the kind of beautifully melded, yet down-to-earth language that makes book lovers smile to themselves as they read. Plot: A The plot is strong and rich. McEwan drives the novel through many different settings, masterfully navigating through each new scene. The plot is consistent enough not to perplex the reader, but changes so often that the novel feels fresh throughout the entire reading experience. Ideas: A The ideas McEwan explores in Atonement are essential questions about the human condition that we spend our lives attempting to answer for ourselves. They’re not only complex and interesting, but are additionally important, home-hitting questions. Difficulty: C (A is difficult, F is easy) McEwan’s language is emotionally and intellectually accessible to a wide variety of readers. It’s neither overly emotional nor dry, neither convoluted nor juvenile. Lanie is a first-year. She can be reached at eshless@swarthmore.edu
Senior artist exhibitions explore multimedia, genre by amelia dornbush
adornbu1@swarthmore.edu
Senior Miyuki Baker recently was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, while currently working on putting together her senior art show. “I’m really excited to have finally found a focus for my show, which will play on the idea that our identities are like the clothes that we wear. Since I work in mixed media I’ve always tended to jump around a lot and never make a complete series,” Baker said in an e-mail. “Even though I’m still working with a lot of different processes, my work is feeling a lot more cohesive now and the senior studio workshop has given me that space to do that.” Baker hopes to be able “to get into the studio a few hours every day”. Her show will be exhibited on May 17 as part of senior studio. “It’s really getting down to the last couple of months so I really want to push myself to put together the best show I can,” she said. Baker also received a Watson Fellowship. The Fellowship program provides recent college graduates with monetary support for a year of traveling and, according to their website “independent, purposeful exploration … to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership.” Baker hopes “to take lots of photos and make sketches while ... abroad next year.” Baker garners inspiration from a variety of of different sources. “I’m inspired greatly by traditional fiber arts and crafts. I obsessively look at Japanese dyeing patterns, embroidery, lace, doilies and quilts,” Baker said. “I make things out of a lot of things … I don’t like to work in just one medium because the medium usually appears before the idea. I cherish being able to create (what I hope is) organized chaos by dipping trash into bold and juicy colors, making patterns and telling stories that provoke a response from my viewers,” Baker said. Baker also mentioned that she felt that her art connected with who she is as a person. “My art is often re-
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lated to my different identities — queer, Japanese, Hapa, environmentalist, feminist, etc.” However, Miyuki added that she had mixed feelings about focusing on her identities in art. “At times it is suffocating to always find myself in the art, like I can’t separate it from my identities. At the same time, I feel like I am constantly finding out more about myself through my art and this is intensely empowering and stimulating,” Baker said. “I hope that by putting my personal stories into my art I can touch the viewer at a deeper level. Hopefully I can also touch the viewer at the purely visual level as well.” Petra Floyd is another senior artist at Swarthmore whose works relate to identity. “I’m moving towards work that explicitly explores my identities. I have some lofty goals about my art, but it’s ultimately about doing something that I really enjoy,” said Floyd in an email to The Phoenix. “Lately I’ve been influenced by Toni Morrison and Suzan-Lori Parks [a playwright, screenwriter and essayist]. Kitsch and aspirational working-class and immigrant aesthetics. Family, identity, memory, loss, absence, trauma, upward mobility, cultural authenticity, immigrant, first-generation, and queer identity.” Floyd displayed a collaboration between her and JD Stokely, a student at Hampshire College, at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, as part of an exhibition sponsored by the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and Roots and River Productions, on February 29. The show as a whole was called “Multiverse: A Black Od(d)yssey,” and Floyd and Stokely’s work was entitled 867 Sharon Ln. Floyd described this piece as a “multimedia interactive installation” and said that it was her “First ‘real world’ art show.” Floyd is pleased that her work is branching out to different genres and that she has found a collaborator to create with. “I’m pretty excited that making a leap to a new disciplines, theater and performance, as a writer and designer has been really rewarding. I’ve always wanted to work collaboratively. I’m happy that I’ve found someone I work well with and shares many of my [identities], my
March 22, 2012
Courtesy of pinterest.com
An image that inspires Miyuki Baker, taken from her pinterest page. collaboratorJD Stokely.” Floyd is hoping to finish and produce a play she is writing with Stokely. She hopes to have the piece performed at a showcase sponsored by Roots and River Productions, an organization that Floyd described as “a nonprofit art production company for emerging queer artists of color”, as well as The Philly Fringe Festival. Floyd explained that she was drawn towards theater because of its relationship between the viewer and the work. “I’m drawn to work that actively engages the viewer, prompting exploration and reflection by addressing the viewer’s body. I like work that embraces ‘touch’, basically intimate, tactile experience between the artist and the work, and later, the work and the viewer, which is why I’m really interested in installation and experimental theater,” Floyd said.
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Belgian brewing: a tradition of breaking rules for the Lord When I originally planned this week’s article, I imagined myself writing a cunning and patriotic diatribe about the centrality of hops to American brewing culture — and why that was awesome. However, I took my nose out of my glass and realized — through ethanol-stung eyes and a destroyed palate — that while my own tastes lean toward Brad Lenox hop-centric styles, there are countless equally deserving Brew’s Clues beers in which our favorite vine plays only a supporting role. Many brewers who are most well-known for putting out some of the most bitter and enamel-stripping Imperial IPAs also craft delicate, sweet, and understated brews that can give the most seasoned drinker whiplash. While IPA is by leaps and bounds the most popular category of beer styles at the moment, in my personal drinking experiences it is rivaled, and maybe even surpassed, by a citrusy-sweet beer out of Belgium whose own history is defined by the absence of hops – witbier. This week will focus on a drinking nation that has received more reverence, imitation and import than any other, despite its minuscule size. Belgium is the land of many brews, and American consumers are better off for it. Wedged between France and Netherlands, Belgians fall largely into two geo-linguistic categories — the Dutchspeaking Flemish and the French Walloons — in addition to a much smaller German population in the east. The capital city, Brussels, is a microcosm of this larger linguistic tension because, while located in Flanders, a majority of its inhabitants are French-speaking. However, while political tensions may be deep-seated and volatile, Belgian beer seems unaffected by these same divisions and brewers have long taken pride in a unified, distinct and uniquely Belgian brewing tradition. Without a doubt, Benedictine monks have had one of the most profound and probably most well-known influences on the larger Belgian brewing tradition. While monastic brewing is often synonymous with Belgian brewing, it is important to note here that many other very important secular brewers exist, but for the purpose of writing a clear but brief summary of an entire nation, this article will focus only on the former. Though it may sound counter-intuitive to suggest that
men of the cloth could be parties in the making of the Demon Drink, this relationship has less to do with morality and more with economics. The Order of Cistercians of the Strict, or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict. The Cistercians were a reform group that sought to relax some aspects of monastic life under these rules while retaining its important traditions and foundations — including the stipulation that monasteries should be self-sufficient. In order to not place undue financial burden on the Order, the Vatican, or local communities for funding, Trappist monks produce high-quality artisanal foods for resale. This includes chocolate, cheeses, and obviously beer.While Christianity, especially in the American context, has had a problematic and confused relationship with alcohol, booze is not anathema to good Christian living. Monks have traditionally seen beer, due to its hearty and cereal-based composition, as a nutritious and healthy addition to the sparse monastic diet. During religious celebrations and periods of fasting, beer was often the only thing consumed by Brothers for the entire day. Caveat: this beer, known by the style designation of “pater” and usually not available in stores, is often under 3% ABV. Monks rarely overindulge. Though the term “Trappist” does bring with it certain flavor and stylistic expectations when applied to beer, it is not a brewing designation. Like Bordeaux wines or tequila, Trappist products are appellations of origin protected under US and EU trade law, and any beer wishing to use that terminology must meet specific qualifications. In this context, a “Trappist beer” is authentic only when brewing is directly overseen or done by members of the Order and production is on a not-for profit basis. Anything otherwise is bananas. Of the seven breweries that meet such criteria, six are located in Belgium and the seventh, La Trappe of the Netherlands, had its official status recently restored in 2005. Included are three Walloon monasteries: Rochefort, Chimay and Orval, and three Flemish: Westvleteren, Achel, and Westmalle. At any beer bar worth their salt in the US, at least one of these names should be on any bottle list, except for Westvleteren which does not normally sell beer outside of the monastery. Though not all these offerings are the same in style or taste, they do share many similarities, especially the fact that they are all ales that are conditioned in the bottle. An entire article could be written about bottle conditioning, also often referred to as secondary fermentation, but the process is rather simple. Normally, one strain of yeast is used for the “primary” fermentation of beer, which is what consumes sugars and produces ethanol. In
all Trappist and many other Belgian beers a second strain of yeast is often added to the completed beer, along with additional unfermented sugar, during the bottling stage. The yeast restarts fermentation while in the bottle, which creates carbonation naturally, adds dryness to the beer, and often imparts additional flavors. Belgian yeast strains, many of which are closely guarded secrets, add an incredibly distinct “spiciness” to the beer. When adding American hops to any beer style the “American” prefix is usually added to what was normally ”pale ale;” similarly, attaching “Belgian” to “India Pale Ale” usually means it uses this distinct yeast profile. Chimay, Rochefort and Westmalle all produce a similarly limited line-up of beers, which includes two of the most famous Belgian styles — dubbel and trippel. Though their names correspond beautifully to the Roman Catholic Trinity (pater being the “singel”), etymology most likely comes from the multi-stage mashing process used by brewmasters to produce strong, rich beer. A tripel, for example, might use three “runs” through a single mash in order to extract as much sugar and alcohol as possible. Though this style designation is contested, Chimay and Rochefort both produce “Quads” or “Belgian Strong Dark Ales,” which as their names suggest, are darker and stronger than other offerings. Belgian beers are known for their strength — during the Dark Ages of Beer (that is to say, the 1970s) these import selections were notorious for drinking American swill under the table. This is the result of both tradition and law. Unlike in England, where beer was taxed to both consumer and producer based on alcohol strength, Belgian brewers had no such constraints. Instead, a batch of beer was taxed based on the size of the brewing kettle; consequently, in order to minimize costs brewers would try and pack as many ingredients into a single mash, which explains the multi-staged brewing mentioned above. Moreover, Belgium did not chaff under any purity laws regulating ingredients like Germany had since the 1500s, opening up flavor possibilities of which Bohemians could only dream. In order to complement the spiciness of yeast, actual spices are added to the brew kettle as well as what Trappists refer to as “candi sugar.” Though the name implies rock candy, it is actually a caramelized syrup that, when added to fermentation, increases alcohol strength without adding too much cloying malt-sweetness to the body. Because this article barely scratches the surface of what Belgium brewing means to Americans, it must necessarily end on a cliff-hanger. Cheers! Brad is a junior. You can reach him at blenox1@swarthmore.edu.
Flatbush ZOMBiES bring rap, breakfast to a new high T h e Flatbush ZOMBiES love Lana Del Rey. Like, really love her. “It was the song ‘Born To Die.’ I cried for the first time Dylan Jensen in three Music Now! years when I heard that,” onethird of the Brooklyn horror-rap trio, Meechy Darko, said in an interview with MTV. “I was in the living room in front of all my friends but I didn’t care.” Now, I’m not sure this is the same reaction I would have had when asked about Lana Del Rey, but I suppose the Zombies do owe her some level of appreciation. Shortly after the controversial singer announced her interest in the trio’s “Thug Waffle” video in an MTV Hive interview, YouTube views for the group increased ten fold, and word of their grimy, weed-centric rhymes shot around the Internet. Since then, the Flatbush ZOMBiES have meticulously
released a handful of singles and have conducted a number of interviews with publications ranging from “The Source” magazine to MTV. Yet despite the massive amount of attention surrounding the ZOMBiES, the group has yet to release a full-length album. On one hand this isn’t surprising considering that if they smoked even half as much weed as they rap about, I imagine it would be hard to do much of anything. On the other hand, however, the Flatbush ZOMBiES claim a different philosophy. “We’ve just been holding on to our music, not letting it get out too much … and the music would hit like it’s supposed to hit when the time was right,” explained Meechy in his interview with the Village Voice. As far as I can tell, and judging from the extreme number of views for each of their videos, this arbitrary and somewhat lackadaisical approach seems to actually be working for the Flatbush Zombies. Hailing from the Flatbush community of Brooklyn, the Flatbush ZOMBiES consist of beat-maker, Erick Arc Elliot, the heavy-bearded father of one; MC Zombie Juice; and the charismatic (and slightly insane) Meechy Darko. Typically decked in gold-teeth fronts, camouflage puffy-coats reminiscent of
early Wu-Tang Clan and surrounded by nuggets of marijuana, I could see where it would be more than easy to label the ZOMBiES as just another pseudo-reggae influenced, weed-praising rap group. Especially with tracks like “Thug Waffle” and lyrics such as “Count it up, bag it up man, we love money, we love weed.” The difference here, however, is that these guys are actually Jamaican, or at least they claim to be. Their flow is unique enough to separate them from the mass of upcoming New York rap acts like Azealia Banks and A$AP Rocky and Elliot’s beats tap into a darker and more frantic realm than a lot of the more accessible groups, which is a nice change of pace from airier artists such as Wiz Khalifa. Though it seems like beats of that description would be tough to rap over, both Meechy and Juice attack their lines with a fury and command unlike any other act I, or Lana Del Rey apparently, have heard recently. Flatbush seems to combine an assortment of somewhat idiotic and entirely random things, and arranges them in a form that makes it seem entirely normal. I mean, how many acts could title a track “Thug Waffle” and still have some form of street cred? Not many. According to the Flatbush ZOMBiES,
THE PHOENIX March 22, 2012
“zombie” is more than a name or a fad. To them it stands as some sort of lifestyle or culture. It is what this undead trio is striving for — the ultimate high (no pun intended). “It’s what we’re going through. We ain’t just trying to get high or get stoned or whatever. Zombie is the ultimate,” Elliot said in the interview with Village Voice. Even though I want this to come off more as a gimmick than anything else, it doesn’t. The Flatbush ZOMBiES are actually as ridiculous as their name, track titles and lyrics suggest, yet they manage to save themselves from the limits of the shock-rap title, unlike Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All and Tyler The Creator. This isn’t to say there is no talent or complexity in their unusual antics; there is. There has to be some evil genius behind the line, “Today I purchased a coffin and I ain’t even died yet, smoked about 100 blunts and I ain’t even high yet.” However, in order to tell if the “zombie” lifestyle is simply some fleeting fad or not, there needs to be more material. When that material will be released, no one has any idea. But, if I am to trust the ZOMBiES, I’m sure it will be when the time is right. Dylan is a junior. You can reach him at pjensen1@swarthmore.edu.
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Alex Anderson brings style and simplicity to Parrish Hall DORM DIVE by Sera Jeong sjeong1@swarthmore.edu
Being wait-listed for a dorm room can be unnerving for students as room assignments are oftentimes made very close to the start of the semester. Alexander Anderson, a junior, was wait-listed and learned of his housing for this semester merely one day prior to moving in. But the anxious wait paid off as Anderson now occupies a double room, used as a single, on the fourth floor of Parrish. As a Chinese and studio art double major, he studied abroad last semester in China. He is pleased to have acquired an on-campus single, much prized by juniors, for his return to campus this semester. “I’ve always wanted to live in Parrish. It’s so close to everything,” he said. Parrish is a unique building, as it mixes both dormitory and administrative spaces. Anderson often speculates how much the noise and activities from the residential halls may affect the administrative offices below his room. “I think about the music that I play sometimes and I wonder if they can hear it,” he said. Parrish is also the only dormitory that offers single-sex housing for males, although Anderson claims an all-male hall life is not too different from a mixed-gendered one. “I thought it was going to be dirtier but it’s not,” he said. For Anderson, living in a single hasn’t resulted in isolation or diminished his social interaction. “One of my best friends, Eddie [Zhang] lives here … my dorm life is Eddie,” he said. Anderson describes Zhang as the “unofficial roommate.” Zhang, who lives down the hall frequents Anderson’s room and doubles as human furniture. “When [Anderson] needs a footrest I just get on all fours and take it like a champion,” Zhang said.
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March 22, 2012
The room has an extended windowsill, allowing natural light to flood in during the day. Anderson can enjoy views of Parrish Beach offered by the large windows, from his bed. He considers his residency in Parrish as a definite upgrade from living in the basement of Willets as a sophomore. “[I’ve moved] from the lowest part of campus, like underground, to the highest part of campus,” he said. Because the room is a “dingle,” an intended double used as a single, there is ample space and double the furniture, sans a bed frame that a friend appropriated and took to Alice Paul. “I’ve never had this much space on campus before,” Anderson said. The high ceilings characteristic of rooms in Parrish amplifies the expansiveness of Anderson’s room. Anderson’s interest in art inspired him to decorate his walls with various artwork sand use the surfaces of the many pieces of furniture in his room as display spaces for his ceramic artwork. On the wall above his bed hangs a self-portrait he painted in his foundation art class. Also displayed are large, striking prints, such as a print of a near-nude male by Kehinde Wiley, a New York-based contemporary painter. An oversized teapot, which Anderson handcrafted in his “Container as Architecture” course during the Spring 2011 semester, sits atop of his dressers. Parrish, in Anderson’s opinion, offers convenient amenities such as an elevator. “I always take the elevator, it’s so convenient. I mean it’s right outside my door,” he said. Anderson appreciates living in such an elevated floor without the need to climb numerous flights of stairs. “Stairs are slavery,” he said. The elevator also makes it feasible for him to access the laundry room, which is located in the Parrish basement, more than five floors below. Whilst many communal spaces exist in Parrish, Anderson has attempted to create the ambiance of a personal lounge in his room. “I spend most of my time stretched out on my bed, not wearing very many clothes, reading,” he said. He refrains from using the fluorescent ceiling light and instead relies on two lamps or natural light to illuminate the room, for a softer, warmer effect. Because of the vast amounts of space and minimal decorations, the subtle lighting creates a sense of darkness. Anderson admits that the soft lightening sometimes induces sleep. But in the case that he needs to do work, he takes advantage of the study spaces in Parrish and simply takes the elevator down to the parlors.
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Crowd-pleasers Laurel Halo, Ital hit the Olde Club stage by samme Sheikh ssheikh1@swarthmore.edu Last Saturday night, Olde Club played host to a concert-turned-dance party as musical acts Laurel Halo and Ital performed sets that struck many students as unfamiliar, but ultimately as danceable music. Muted exclamations of “Oh my god!!” or just plain “What?!” could be heard amidst the din that night as students responded to Laurel Halo’s incongruously groovy merging of hip hop production and shoegaze-y moanings, while all anyone could do was dance when Ital played his weird, minimalist disco set. It might be a surprise to some students that the oddball music that the concertgoers at Olde Club succumbed to — as evinced by jostling, elbow-throwing mass that packed the venue — is derived from decidedly more mundane origins. Before adopting her pseudonym and performing trippy, dark and all-around unconventional dance music, Laurel Halo played the piano and violin. She went on to study these instruments and music theory at the University of Michigan because, as she says in a 2010 interview, “I related super hard to classical music more than anything growing up.” How did this person — seemingly destined for a life of starchy formalwear as part of some classical orchestra or conservatory — end up decked out all black, mall-rat chic, hammering out dark synths on drum machines in front of a bunch of college students? The answer is: college radio. After joining a freeform radio station where the goal was to play music from a diverse array of genres, Laurel Halo found that this experience opened doors for her musically. In an interview with The Quietus last year, she said, “I think I actually learned more about music doing freeform radio,” than she did at college music classes. Ital, otherwise known as Daniel McCormick, also went through a transitory period to make the kind of music he played last Saturday at Olde Club. Judging from his impassioned footwork and deft control over the various drum machines and synths in front of him that night, one might have thought McCormick had always been Ital; a dance DJ. However, McCormick began his career as a punk musician with a slant towards the danceable, having been in punk/pop group Mi Ami, and his own solo noise-punk project, Sex Worker. His embrace of dance and house music was less a monumental shift like Laurel Halo’s shift from classical to freeform, but rather a slight tweak of his musical taste. In an interview with The Quietus, McCormick shares, “[the change] is only a couple of subtle tweaks of process and focus… and [my past music] transfers over pretty easily … I’m not trying to escape the past or escape my previous
work or something.” With two distinct processes of musical growth by way of intellectual consideration of one’s influences and broadening one’s horizons, it’s easy the think that these two “think-y” dance artists were perfect for this, perhaps, overly-cerebral campus. Providing a chance to kick back and forget all that, Laurel Halo and Ital made us forget all our readings, problem sets, essays, and everything else on our minds and got us dancing.
Living in brief
Living in photo
Raisa Reyes The Phoenix
Ital, who’s music was reviewed yesterday in the New York Times, performed at Olde Club last Saturday with opener Laurel Halo.
Production Ensemble presents Ivona, Princess of Burgundia
Featuring 16 talented student actors, “Ivona, Princess of Burgundia” will hit the stage of LPAC’s Pearson-Hall Theatre tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. for its opening performance. With tech week drawing to close, Swarthmore’s Production Ensemble — after rehearsing the play since the start of the semester — will finally take to the stage. Written by the renowned Polish dramatist Witold Gombrowicz, “Ivona” tells the story of a kingdom driven to insanity by its unlikeable, even repulsive, heroine — the eponymous Ivona. Directed by Assistant Professor of Theater Elizabeth Stevens and enlisting the help of other Swarthmore theater professionals to spearhead design in sound, lighting, costumes and the set, Ivona has a tremendously skilled cast. According to Jonghee Quispee ’14, an honors theatre major who will be serving as assistant director for the play, the cast does this play “remarkable justice.” Stevens herself as even commented that the cast “possess[es] the deliberation and sharpened skills of professionals.” The play has not only allowed Quispee to work hands-on with Stevens, but it has also allowed the entire cast to gain experience working with an accomplished theater professor. In addition to the cast, perhaps one of the more unique and anticipated parts of the play is the construction of the set. According to Quispee, attendees of the show will most likely be sur-
prised to see that they are led directly onto the mainstage, with constructed seating on a balcony above and around the set. Unlike in other recent theater performances, audience members will thus have an opportunity to enjoy the play from a sort of bird’s eye view. One of the more challenging parts of putting on the show is the general complexity of the set changes. Firstyear Sarah Kaeppel, the Assistant Stage Manager for the play, describes that her biggest challenge “is to make the set changes very efficient.” Kaeppal, who has plenty of stage managing experience from high school, will be faced with her first stage management experience in “Ivona.” “My main goal is to keep the backstage activitiy as organized and efficient as possible so the actors have the best opportunity to present their amazing work,” she said. Comedic in nature, “Ivona” also includes a somewhat peculiar humor and twisted farce, particular towards the end of the play. Attendees can certainly look forward to the sense of hilarity that the play hopes to evoke from its audience. Shows are scheduled for Friday, March 23 at 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Saturday, March 24 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. An invited dress rehearshal will also be held tonight at 8 p.m.
BY MARCUS MELLO
THE PHOENIX
Raisa Reyes The Phoenix
The College of William and Mary Symphony Orchestra performed pieces such as Bartok’s No. 3 Piano Concerto, which featured Anna Kijanowska on the piano, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 last Saturday at the Lang Concert Hall.
March 22, 2012
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Step off campus and into Urban Outfitters at 36th Street It has been my New Year’s resolution to get out of the Swat bubble at minimum once a week because although it Gabriela Campoverde is great to enjoy the Smart Swat Shopping wonderful scenery afforded by an arboretum and by living in the suburbs, I need to be surrounded by non-Swatties, cars blasting loud music and streets with actual sidewalks. Even though I usually act like the stereotypical pretentious native New Yorker by stating that Philly should not even be considered a city, I have to admit that it is growing on me. So, this week I decided to pay Urban Outfitters a visit, figuring that it is a popular store among Swatties. Here is a Philly outing tip: If you don’t want to pay the sometimes painful roundtrip SEPTA ticket, you can always buy a one-way ticket on a Friday or Saturday and catch the Philly shuttle back to Swat from one of its three convenient locations, which are all a decent walk from this Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters is a men’s and women’s clothing and furniture retailer which has merchandise fit for anyone interested in a bohemian, retro or kitschy look. Here, you can find products ranging from the perfect day dress to a classic plaid button-down and a Stanley thermos. This retailer originated in Philadelphia and is also part of a larger corporation which includes Free People and Anthropologie, among others. The University City UO is located on 110 South 36th Street between Sansom and Chestnut Streets. RATING:
Pros: What I absolutely adored about this particular Urban Outfitters is that everything they had on display on the first floor was the most recent in-season merchandise. As an online window shopping addict, I can guarantee you that the items they have are up to date with the newly added merchandise online. You are also welcomed into the store by a n outdoor sales rack which had women’s lightweight henleys and lightweight cropped three-quarter sleeve shirts for only $9.99. The sales sections on the second floor include one for men’s wear, one for women’s wear and one for home goods. Most importantly, even though the clothing items were on sale, there was a variety of sizes available. You would be able to find something even if you do not wear a size extra-small or extra-large, which is more than you can say for most stores’ sales sections. The home goods section included anything from key caps to random books on translated slurs. In the men’s section, you can find solid V-neck tees from BDG for $14.99. The shoe section for men also impressed me. Bed Stu sneakers which once cost $75.00 were on sale for $40.00 and Sebago shoes went from $175.00 to $40.00. Unfortunately, as in most cases, the men’s sale section was smaller than the women’s sale section with only five small racks. The women’s section on the other hand, was at least twice as big and had everything from dresses to velvet cropped tops to ballet flats. The best buys I encountered were Kimchi Blue ballet flats for $19.99, Ecote long sleeve cropped texture tops for $9.99, and BDG slim fit long sleeve tops for only $9.99. All these items were around half off their previous prices. During my trip, I also managed to score a striped cropped sweater from Cooperative previously $49.99 for $19.99 and chiffon printed shorts from Kimchi Blue previously $39.99 for only $9.99. What surprised me the most about their sale section was that it had items
Courtesy of urbanoutfitters.com
The Urban Outfitters in University City boasts a large women’s section, a wide variety of men’s shoes and an extensive sales rack.
available that never go on sale. For instance, I found a Pendleton backpack which used to cost $89.99 marked down to $39.99. There was also Beatles wall art for all you fans for only $9.99. Additionally, if you ever want to decorate your bay window with throw pillows, you can invest in them here for only $14.99 each. I even ran into an Andy Warhol inspired thermos with a Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup print for $4.99. Cons: I really cannot say that there is a lot I disliked about this store. The only thing I noticed is that there are still so many articles of clothing from the fall and early winter seasons. Right now, the thick wool sweaters and long sleeve velvet dresses hanging on some of the sales rack are not going to be sold and not a smart buy since trend-wise they might not be in style for Fall 2012. Moreover, some of the staff seem unwelcoming and unhelpful. The cashier just did not look happy to be there.
However, the woman working in the dressing room was very kind and even offered to help me look for similar styles to some items that did not have the right fit. The location of the UO at 36th Street is easily accessible on the MarketFrankford Line, which has a stop at 34th Street and Market Street in University City. You’re just a few blocks away from UO. Just take the Media/Elwyn train into 30th Street to catch the M-F line headed towards 69th Street Terminal. Sadly, that is all for this week! Stay tuned for next time when I review a thrift store in Philly. Keep an eye out for shopportunities, my lovely shoppers! Just remember, go big or go home! Dying for me to visit a store before you give it a try yourself? Need me to go on a hunt for a store with a particular style of merchandise? Shoot your suggestions via email. Gabriela is a first-year. You can reach her at gcampov1@swarthmore.edu.
Emotional walls and relationships: let them go Lately I’ve come to find out things about myself, first how not smart I am in regards to numbers, secondly how naïve I can be about the smallest things and third that I build up walls. Not like actual brick walls, but ones that are unable to be seen or brought down with any explosive device. These walls are more emotional than physical. They are put up in order to ensure Maximianus Reid that I will not get hurt. Let me explain a little Behind My Shades further. If there comes a time when I feel that something is not right or there is a possibility of me getting my feelings hurt, I shut down in a sense that I would rather cut someone off than be hurt by them. I feel that many people are guilty of this very thing, but will never admit it. In the recent past, I have come to realize that I am guilty of this more times than I would
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like to the point that I am unaware at times of the fact that this “wall” has been put up. This has affected so many relationships — not only intimate ones, but close friendships as well. It was not until recently that I reflected on how some of my relationships ended that I found that I had this problem. I am the type of person who is very sociable and amiable, but I realized that though I would care for a person it was too easy for me to cut them off emotionally. Even with friends, I am receptive most to those who are around me constantly; those who aren’t fall to the cliché “out of sight, out of mind.” And in a sense, I am guilty doing this even in my most intimate relationships. Now, I will be the first to admit that this is a huge problem because I know at times girls that I have talked to feel as if things have gotten weird or no longer the same than when we first met. I never understood when a girl would bring this sort of problem to my attention. Rather, I would just brush it off. Looking back on it, I could have made an effort in communicating the sudden chill that had come over our relationship. But, I ended up not saying much and leaving her usually confused and dumbfounded into what was going on in my mind. This is something that didn’t occur just once or twice, but it seemed to be a repeated process to the point that I had to acknowlMarch 22, 2012
edge that it was me who had a problem. That is why I am writing this article: to tell others who may be scared to let others in or allow others to get close to you because you have been hurt by others (friends, family, boyfriends/girlfriends). To find the root of the problem can be extremely difficult and don’t get me wrong, it was hard to do. But I have found that once you take that painful reflection period, you give yourself the opportunity to heal. Because sometimes you find a guy or girl who is perfect, but due to the fact that you have not dealt with certain problems, you miss out on a really great person. I mean, I value the opportunity to write this column because while anonymous, it also allows me to be transparent. This column is made up of real feelings, real situations and real experiences. I can only write about what I have experienced personally. At times, I had trouble writing this particular piece because this was an issue that I have shunned for so long. But by writing about this, I hope that it will cause others to let down that emotional barrier and allow someone who deserves to be there in. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on something that could have been really special, trust me I know. Until Next Time, Take Care. THE PHOENIX
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Millionyoung + Blackbird Blackbird Friday, March 23 @ 9:30 pm Rhoads Dining Hall Bryn Mawr
QTC Presents: Nicky Click, Lexi Starr Show, & Sgt. Sass Saturday, March 24 at 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Olde Club $3/$5 for couples
editor’s picks FRIDAY, MARCH 23 at 8:30 P.M. THE ELECTRIC FACTORY TICKETS: $30
By Brad Lenox
Movie Committee Presents: THE DESCENDANTS
Fri. & Sat. March 23 & 24 7:00 & 10:00 pm LPAC Cinema THE PHOENIX
March 22, 2012
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Staff Editorial
Talking the talk, but not walking the walk at Swat
OPINIONS IN CARTOON
Social dialogue is often pillared by two concerns: commerciality and civic cataclysms. That is to say, we usually reach for the language of diversity and tolerance when we either want to promote something as particularly diverse or tolerant, or when we want to understand, and ultimately extinguish, instances of homogeneity and intolerance. In that sense, we appeal to an ostensibly universal ethos, one in which we feel like if we don’t discuss something wrong in contemporary society, then we are somehow condoning and perpetuating it. Such is the corner Swarthmore finds itself hustled into. With the recent and highly public (thanks to the clandestinely omnipresent forces of sardonic sites like “Swassip”) onslaught of both hate speech and sexual misconduct, the administration has felt compelled to address the campus community in a way that highlights not only the College’s legacy of acceptance and collectivity, but also the College’s shortfall in enforcing that legacy. In an email addressed to students, Dean of Students Liz Braun hoped that “we as a community will offer those members that have been affected our support by doing what [we] do best — pause long enough to reach out to one another, to question uncivil discourse, to demonstrate support and collegiality, and to be particularly attentive in those situations in which civility and sense of community has been compromised.” Her email is just one of several sent to students this past year that express these sentiments, indicated an unceasing trend of uncivil discourse. But maybe Swarthmore and the administration itself aren’t solely to blame for incidents of victimization. Marketed to prospective students as an open and progressive institution which works its hardest to foster a clear sense of intercultural respect and cooperation, here is where Swarthmore’s social dialogue is pillared by commerciality — the school is advertised according to its commitment to what Dean Braun describes as “civil discourse and an abiding regard for one another across many social, political, religious, ideological, and cultural differences.” In that sense, potential Swatties are attracted to our purported values of tolerance and respect. But the eloquence spun around this sort of discourse is not limited to the admissions goals of the school; it stretches far back to oft-iterated Quaker values. What happens, then, when someone calls another student a “faggot” at a campus party? Or a confederate flag is proudly waved at Pub Nite? Or the number of sexually assaulted students grows in number? Or graffiti expressing racism and homophobia is plastered on our campus and in the surrounding community? These are the episodes of hatred and disrespect that violate our collective stanEmma Waitzman The Phoenix
[T]he administration has felt compelled to address the campus community in a way that highlights not only the College’s legacy of acceptance and collectivity, but also the College’s shortfall in enforcing that legacy. dards of reason and justice. These are the installments of violence and fear that stain a glossy brochure that boasts understanding and social inclusion. So how do we begin to reconcile those values we claim to have drawn us to Swarthmore, and the fact that we don’t all uphold them once on campus? Yes, rapt discussion is a good and logical start. We can continue to hold symposiums (like the upcoming Cultivating a Diverse and Inclusive Community symposium on March 28) and give talks on tolerance. But, like “KONY2012’s” noble yet deficient campaign to bring Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony to justice, any real shift in the reality of the situation cannot simply come from a submissive awareness. Moreover, these attempts at manifesting our values through discursive means are not actual reactions or responses to those troubling incidents that compromise our community. An email from the administration and a tangential workshop don’t do much, if anything, to resolve deep-seated fractures in the principles we subscribe to and the conduct that compromises those principles. We also cannot continue to try and achieve that shift in the situation until after the fact. The moment we wait for something awful to happen in order to be prompted to act is the moment we allow it to happen — campus injustices prey on our passivity. And so our diligent participation lies not only in inciting social dialogue, but also acting it in our day-to-day lives at Swarthmore as the crucial complementary step. We will encounter hate time and time again while off campus, in the “real world.” Our duty, then, is not to shelter ourselves from bigotry — particularly those bigoted attacks on minority groups — but to take advantage of our membership in Swarthmore’s campus community by genuinely engaging ourselves with an identity that puts humanity above all else. This means going beyond social dialogue and taking decisive steps towards doing as we say.
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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, opeds 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. Opeds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and opeds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and opeds received after that time from publication. Letters may be signed by a maximum of five individuals. Op-eds may be signed by a maximum of two individuals. The Phoenix will not accept pieces exclusively attributed to groups, although individual writ-
March 22, 2012
ers may request that their group affiliation be included. While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board. An editorial represents the opinions of the members of the Opinions Board: Marcus Mello, Camila Ryder and Reem Abdou. Please submit letters to: letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Please report corrections to: corrections@swarthmorephoenix. com Letters, corrections and news tips may also be submitted online to the paper by clicking “Contact” on the Phoenix website.
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Understanding China’s rare trade deficit, revisited On March 10, China’s General Administration of Customs reported that its February monthly trade deficit had reached $31.5 billion, its weakest performance in more than two decades. Chinese imports surged by a faster-than-expected rate of 39.6 percent compared to February last year, while exports climbed at a Shiran Shen slower-than-expected rate of 18.4 percent. Perhaps The Swarthmore counter-intuitively, the Globalist red figure is not a solid sign of slowing Chinese growth or a restructuring of China’s export-led development model towards one that is domestic consumption-driven. Chinese trade is highly seasonal in nature and has potential to be substantially boosted by governmental stimulative measures — China’s February trade deficit may turn out to be ephemeral. The red figure has triggered many guesses about the status quo and future trend of the Chinese economy. Some journalists interpret the figure as the latest indication of China’s slowing economic growth, lending evidence from China’s 2012 GDP growth rate target of 7.5 percent — a seven-year low when growth was cresting closer to 9 or 10 percent in the last few years. Other journalists interpret the figure as an indication of a restructuring of the Chinese economy that taps into the purchasing power of China’s expanding middle class. With China’s economic growth moderating and Europe failing to recover from the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, there are concerns that the global economy will slow as well. China’s monthly trade deficit can be partially attributed to weaker demands from Europe and North
America. With the eurozone teetering on the brink of Besides the distortion effect of the Chinese New a recession, China’s exports to the region slumped by Year holiday and weak demand markets in Europe $9 billion, or one third, compared to January. In the and North America, falling property prices may have meantime, a slow U.S. recovery resulted in Chinese initiated a chain reaction that has had a negative efexports to the U.S. dropping $7.3 billion last month. fect on investment and development. Already, there is However, less than enough attention has been paid a slowdown in steel and iron ore imports, which may to the fact that Chinese trade is highly seasonal by reflect a reduction in domestic investment. The pace nature. The Chinese New Year holiday, which is in of iron ore imports slowed to 5.7 percent in Januarylate January or February based on the lunar calendar, February, compared to a 7.9 percent contraction in the could distort the figure due to the shutting down of the fourth quarter. exporting manufacturers to celebrate this national holAs China weathered the darkest moment of the iday. In the first half of the year — especially the first global financial crisis thanks to a generous governquarter, the trade surplus ment stimulus package, tends to be much smaller it is plausible that the and sometimes goes negaChinese government will Now that inflation has slowed, the do something similar tive. In the second half — particularly in the should the trade figures Chinese government is able to fourth quarter, the surin the upcoming months plus expands due to the fail to go up. Last year, focus on the pace and production cycle of goods the government expendquality of economic growth. made for the Christmas ed much effort in curbing shopping period in North rapidly rising consumer America and Europe. In prices. Now that the inMarch 2010, for example, China ran its first monthly flation has slowed, the Chinese government is able to trade deficit in recent memory. Back then, some ana- focus on the pace and quality of the country’s economlysts rushed to conclude that it might indicate a major ic growth. adjustment in the Chinese economy towards enhanced All things considered, there is unlikely to be a hard purchasing and more balanced trade. However, China landing in China this year, given the seasonality of ended 2010 with a trade surplus of $183 billion. China’s trade and the possibility of the implementaIn addition, the Chinese New Year factor can be tion of a government-sponsored stimulus package. At tricky, since the difference in timing of the Chinese the very least, China’s February trade deficit is sugNew Year holiday from year to year provides some gesting that it is still too early to draw any precise complexity in comparing figures between two consec- conclusion whether China is slowing or shifting gears. utive years. The 15-day holiday may start some time Trade deficit is not inherently bad for China at all. between late January and late February. Some econ- To the contrary, as China begins its transformation omists thus suggest that the January and February towards a more domestic consumption-led economy, trade figures should be averaged. In January, China trade deficit will increase and the country will have a recorded a trade surplus of about $27.3 billion. For the more robust economy in the face of slow recovery in two months combined, exports rose by about 7 percent the rest of the world. and imports rose by about 7.7 percent, paling in comShiran is a senior. You can reach her at sshen1@ parison with what they were in 2011. swarthmore.edu.
Puerto Rico’s economic reforms offer lessons for mainland
Puerto Rico rarely makes it onto the news in the United States, but with the Republican primary there this past Sunday, the island territory found itself in the spotlight; so was its governor, Luis Fortuño. Elected to the governorship as part of the New Progressive party (the island’s equivTyler Becker alent to the Republican The Swarthmore party) in 2008, Fortuño promised to work with Conservative his party to provide necessary reforms to bring Puerto Rico out of its fiscal mess. Fortuño succeeded in his quest. When Governor Fortuño came to office, Puerto Rico was headed for bankruptcy. The budget crisis was worse than that in any of the states on the mainland, and the recession was deep. Fortuño brought Puerto Rico back from the brink through actual cuts to government expenditures. This included cutting 17,000 government workers and cutting government spending by some 20 percent. Fortuño also put into place reforms to improve the business climate in Puerto Rico. In contrast to the approach of the Obama administration with the Dodd-Frank bill that increased regulations, Fortuño reduced regulations to make it easier to operate a business. The corporate tax rate has been reduced in a three-step process, going from 41 percent to 30 percent and then 25 percent in 2014. One of the most important reforms was to reduce the red-tape involved in opening a business, something many of the laid-off government workers have pursued. John Stossel from Fox Business Network spoke to a woman who created her own business and
is now so happy about the whole experience that she called her company “‘Law 7’ — after the law that fired her.” These reforms have made running businesses less costly and focused on production. The reforms have also been good for workers. While the unemployment rate increased to a high of 16.6 percent in May 2010, a combination of the job cuts and the recession, the rate has dropped to 15.1 percent. It is important to remember that the Puerto Rican unemployment rate has been historically higher, in the double digits even during the better economic climate prior to 2008. The unemployment rate is on its way down, without billions of dollars in government spending. The deficit-to-revenue ratio went from being higher than any state, to fifteenth in the nation — Puerto Rico’s debt was reduced from $3.3 trillion to $610 million in just three years. The island’s economy is moving again. In addition to the unemployment rate starting to drop, the housing market on the island is recovering. Sales of new homes were up over 90 percent in 2011, and existing home sales are up to 35 percent. A five-year property tax holiday has helped this occur, while the deficit has still fallen. The housing market remains a problem for the economy in the United States, with sales actually decreasing last year. The gains seen in the past few months are not even close to the gains Puerto Rico has seen in its recovery. Governor Fortuño has presided over a more impressive recovery than we have seen in any of the states. He understands — unlike those in Washington — that if you provide a business-friendly climate and actually cut spending you can have economic growth and reduce a deficit. Perhaps Governor Fortuño did this because he had no other choice. The need to reform was a necessity. Puerto Rico could not pay its bills, and could certainly
THE PHOENIX March 22, 2012
not avoid bankruptcy. Fortuño’s popularity declined as a result of the reforms, and there were protests in the streets by the workers laid-off by the government. But Fortuño did what was right. And, with the economy improving, his reelection prospects have increased. Governor Fortuño genuinely wanted to repair Puerto Rico. This is the type of leadership we need to display as conservatives going into the 2012 elections. We cannot sugarcoat the reality that the task ahead is difficult. Governor Fortuño decreased spending while stimulating the economy, while President Obama has increased spending and the economy has begun to recover slowly. Industries such as housing still pose major problems in the path to recovery. We also have the deficit and debt to handle. President Obama did introduce liquidity into the market through stimulus, but he and the Democrats in Congress coupled this with overreaching regulatory reform and Obamacare. It is going to take bold leadership to bring down the deficit. Bold leadership like Governor Fortuño offered in Puerto Rico. He adopted conservative policies even when he knew his popularity would decline. Cutting the workforce and dealing with low approval ratings is something nobody wants to endure. We need to recognize our problems are great, and there is no way to fix those problems without someone willing to take the hit. The Republican primary is winding down, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate for president. Romney and the party need to work together on a platform that is bold. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposed budget released Tuesday is a step in the right direction. Now we just need the party to embrace a new vision for America — we need look no further than the “51st state” of Puerto Rico. Tyler is a sophomore. You can reach him at tbecker1@swarthmore.edu.
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Around Higher Education
I know why the caged bird sings: Celebrating Aung San Suu Kyi By RAYMOND SCOTT biconews.com, Mar. 19, 2012
It seemed at first strange to read a headline, “Pity The Burmese Dissident in Exile.” Before just last month, Burmese dissidents abroad for decades in Thailand and other locales across the West have been symbols of defiance against the military junta that has ruled their country since 1962. They have been untiring in their campaign for regime change and economic sanctions; indeed, the Democratic Voice of Burma, centered in Norway, had been the driving force behind the media coverage of the military’s harsh military crackdown in 2007. Yet, nowadays, foreign diplomats and Congressmen would rather fly to Burma’s capital city than dine with dissidents in exile. Just last month, the United States, and a host of other nations, restored full diplomatic relations with Burma, or as the military junta would have us know it, Myanmar. An unexpected flurry of political and economic reforms, engineered by the Generals, have reached a kind of fever pitch in recent day. Of late, the military junta has nurtured the creation of a competitive soccer team, has allowed the number of radio stations to play both Burmese and Western style music, has created the country’s first television channel solely dedicated to music videos, and Burmese youths have begun hosting underground music and art festivals with overt political subtexts in the Burmese capital. The junta has begun issuing permits for private hospitals and schools, both of which were strictly prohibited only a few years ago; it has sold its state-run, Soviet-style factories to private enterprise, and it has begun to lift the restrictions on automobile consumption. The country has lessened its trade restrictions, freed over 1,000 political prisoners and brought ethnic rebels to the negotiating table for a ceasefire arrangement. Burma has even warmed its relations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The advent of a vibrant Burmese society that is unafraid of political repression is indeed upon us. The techno artist U Thxa Soe, who gained popularity with his
The most dramatic and glowing reform of all, however, came when the junta released Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman who manifests the struggle for human rights worldwide and has been lionized by groups like Amnesty International. recording of a protest song, “We Have No Money” typified the new liberal energy radiating in Southeast Asia. The narrative we are most familiar with when discussing Burma is a place where megalomaniacal generals had systematically squelched their country’s bountiful resources, revived medieval-style torture tactics and held hostage the basic necessities of survival from their own brothers and sisters. Without much difficulty, Burma had consistently earned for itself the distinction as the world’s least developed country. When Cyclone Nargis laid waste to the country, the government withheld foreign aid just long enough for cholera to kick in. Against this backdrop, Burma sent shockwaves across the globe when the military junta announced its willingness to embrace serious reform. The most dramatic and glowing reform of all, however, came when the junta released Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman who manifests the struggle for human rights worldwide and has been lionized by groups like Amnesty International. Ms. Kyi, who won a smashing electoral victory in the late 1980s before the military ordered to keep her cloistered under strict house arrest for fifteen of the past twenty-one years. Languishing in prison, Ms. Kyi had become the moral conscience of Burmese society and her release from house arrest should be regarded as a litmus test of the sincerity and dedication of the nation’s reformers. Now, Ms. Kyi, has declared herself in parliamentary election in April for a seat in the suburban district of Yangon, Burma’s largest city, and from there seems poised to be appointed in a ministerial position within the government ranks. The lifelong work of the courageous dissidents of the Burmese underground has been realized with Ms. Kyi’s release. The tightfisted grip the military has had on Burma for over thirty years now seems to be lessening, and with it, Burma, and, moreover, the world, is blessed with a true champion of all the things we value: pluralism, compassion, dissent, nonviolence and hope. With Aung San Suu Kyi we have one of the worlds humanitarian giants continuing to make history. In many ways, her struggle and triumph gives us reason enough to believe in the inevitable realization of human dignity worldwide. After far too long, the caged bird can sing at last.
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Chinese faces behind Apple products
By yumeng zuo dailypennsylvanian.com, Mar. 19, 2012 The New York Times article, “In China, Human Costs are Built into an iPad” published in January was seen by millions of eyes. While most of the comments on the Times’ website criticize Apple for its lack of corporate social responsibility and its neglect of the workers’ human rights, little attention has been given to the responsibility that the Chinese government should assume. The Chinese government often emphasizes the low cost of labor when trying to attract new investments. But should this be prioritized above the cost of lives and basic human rights? The government should supervise the protection of workers’ human rights. The Times reported how “workers assembling iPads, iPhones and other products often work in abusive and sometimes deadly conditions.” Apple factories run 24 hours a day. Each worker is required to work 12 hours per day, six days per week. Workers must choose shifts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Although they work 72 hours, they can only receive “$112 before tax.” In addition, child labor was found in Apple factories. These facts are against the Chinese labor law, which states that the maximum of working hours per week is 44 hours and that it is illegal to hire child labor. However, no action has ever been taken by the government to protect these workers. The Chinese government fails to protect workers’ human rights and conceals the fact that workers are being exploited. Standing for 12 hours at work makes it difficult for a lot of workers to walk after their shift. The materials and work environment that they face every day are also poisonous. Back in 2011, 137 workers had nerve system injuries due to the material used to clean iPhone screens. The material is poisonous. However, these accidents did not draw the attention of the government to take action. Before an explosion, which took place in May 2011, a non-profit organization warned factories to address the safety issues, but the tragedy still happened. But the explosion last spring, which resulted in four deaths, was only reported 10 months after the incident. This makes me wonder — did the government cover it up? If working conditions are so dangerous, why do so many workers still insist on working for Apple? The lack of social welfare in China definitely can be blamed. Workers who stay at home to farm, for example, earn as little as $20 per year. For these people who live below the poverty line, the government provides an average of $130 each month, depending on the specific area’s policies. It is impossible for them to afford to send their children to school. It might cost a family all of its annual income to pay for an undergraduate’s tuition — which is $1,100 per year. So even though workers suffer in these factories, they have to stay in order to pay for their family’s expenses. The money they receive is a large amount compared to how much they can earn at home. To boil it down, the Chinese government has to take the responsibility to protect workers’ human rights and give them more of a priority. While the wealth gap between underdeveloped areas and developed areas continues to be a constant problem, more attention should be paid to social policy and welfare needs.
Hello Phoenix,
letter to the editor
The poll for this week asks whether the “Kony 2012” campaign has enough power to generate real action in efforts to rid Uganda of Joseph Kony and the LRA. I believe this kind of yes-or-no question does not address the critical issues of the Kony campaign. For one thing, the LRA is in much smaller numbers than it once was, and has not been in Uganda since 2006. The LRA is, however, still operating in the DRC, CAR, and South Sudan. Uganda has already gotten rid of Kony, though it is still important that the LRA be stopped. I feel there is no doubt that the emotionally-charged “Kony 2012” campaign will attract many young people in America to take action, most likely by giving money to Invisible Children and contacting policy makers. Though the campaign has a very direct goal — support intervention to achieve Kony’s capture (U.S. military advisors have already been in the region working toward this) — the goals of its founding organization (Invisible Children) are much less clear. IC is a for-profit institution and has made questionable use of its donations. Further-
March 22, 2012
more, the “Kony video” barely includes the voice of Ugandans, who were personally affected by the LRC and oversimplifies the conflict to a level that is very problematic; by pinning every problem on one person, they clearly leave out other factors, including the poor human rights record of the Ugandan Military and reasons why the children of Uganda were not better-protected from the LRC. The question of whether the campaign will lead to action may not be the really important one. Perhaps a better question would be whether the campaign is something to support, or something that should be seriously reconsidered and questioned. I do feel that some initiatives of Invisible Children, such as radio networks that warn villages of nearby LRC violence and getting Americans aware of the conflict, can be beneficial to the plight of these children. However, the level that the Kony campaign and its sponsoring organ misconstrues information is troublesome to both Americans wanting to know how they can help and to Ugandans who deserve the right to represent themselves in this discussion. Robert Fain ’14 THE PHOENIX
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Ursinus beats women’s lacrosse in conference opener BY VICTOR BRADY vbrady1@swarthmore.edu
Even in last Thursday’s comfortable 18-9 women’s lacrosse victory over Widener at Clothier Field, the Garnet wasn’t quite right. Sure, Swarthmore led 14-6 at the half, won 20 draw controls to SWARTHMORE 9 Widener’s nine, and out-shot the URSINUS 16 Pride 36-15, but the fluidity and grace that diffuses from a team firing on all cylinders was absent for large stretches of time. As Swarthmore played possession in the second half with a comfortable lead, the Garnet committed eight turnovers and scored just four goals on 11 shots after committing six turnovers and scoring on 14 of 25 shots while attacking in the first. Much to the Garnet’s disappointment, it was this second half, rather than a 4:30 stretch of the first half when Swarthmore scored nine times against Widener, that foreshadowed the team’s Centennial Conference opener on Saturday at Ursinus. Despite the highest expectations in a half decade and three wins out of four games to start the year, Swarthmore was unable to stay with the Bears in Collegeville, falling by a 16-9 final. “We can’t have off games: we just never got into any sort of rhythm at all,” Annalise Penikis ’13 said. “It never felt like we were playing together. It never clicked. It wasn’t that people weren’t working hard, but it just wasn’t a unit and we are going to have to keep working together.” Penikis scored five goals on Saturday and handed out two assists giving her 21 and 12 through five games. It was not nearly enough. After the Bears took a 2-0 lead two minutes into the game (the Garnet has conceded first in four consecutive games), Swarthmore responded with four straight goals with one apiece from Corinne Sommi ’14 and Nicole Vanchieri ’13 and a pair from Penikis. With
the score 5-3 on another goal by Penikis with 16 minutes to play in the first, Ursinus went on an extended eight minute run, scoring six of the next seven to take a 9-6 halftime lead. “We learned a lot on Saturday,” Penikis said. “We need to win the draws. We need to follow the game plan. We couldn’t afford to give them opportunities inside of eight meters and we gave them those opportunities again and again and they capitalized.” Added head coach Karen Borbee, “I think we underestimated how easy it is to get away from the game plan and let ourselves get flustered mentally. Once you get away from the game plan it takes a lot of mental strength both individually and as a team to get it back. Now we know not to overlook that challenge.” Swarthmore was never able to regain its early confidence as the Bears scored four of the first five goals in the second to open up a 13-7 lead. Though the Garnet cut the lead to 13-9, Ursinus won going away in the final five minutes as the Garnet pressured for possession. Though the Garnet entered Saturday winning 58 percent of its draw controls, the team gathered just 31 percent against Ursinus giving the Bears extra possessions. Ursinus committed 17 turnovers to just seven for Swarthmore but the homestanders were also opportunistic with 16 goals on just 21 shots. “It definitely wasn’t our effort,” Borbee said. “We just didn’t manage the 50/50 balls as well as we have in other games.” Part of the challenge as Swarthmore transitions from Centennial afterthought to playoff contender is changing the team mentality. “I don’t think we’re sold on the idea yet that we are a really good team,” Penikis said. “We wouldn’t say that we aren’t a good team but we have to go into games with a more confident attitude, that we can take the game to whoever we play.” Early disappointment leaves opportunity for improvement and Swarthmore exploded on Wednesday in a brief return to non-conference play with a 16-12 victory over Cabrini. Penikis netted four more goals, while Sommi and Mutryn added three apiece.
Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics
Against Ursinus, Annalise Penikis had her third straight game scoring five goals or more.
Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics
Defender Marie Mutryn had one goal against Ursinus.
“We had a really great practice on Monday and we carried that intensity into the game [at Cabrini],” Beth Martin ’13 said. “It was back and forth in the first half but we really responded and came out strong in the second half.” “We still have a lot to improve on and we haven’t played to the best of our abilities yet this season, but we’re confident that we can carry this momentum into our next Conference game,” Martin added. The Garnet visits Bryn Mawr for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday. “When a game doesn’t go the way you planned two things can happen — the team can either learn from the mistakes made and be a stronger team moving forward or take a step backwards,” Borbee said. “How a team handles adversity tells a lot about its character. I have confidence this team will use the disappointment from Saturday and channel it into focus and energy to be better for our next opportunity.”
Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics
Midfielder Corinne Sommi added a goal of her own against the Bears.
GARNET IN ACTION SUNDAY, MAR. 25
THURSDAY, MAR. 22
Men’s lacrosse vs. Whittier, 1:00 p.m.
Men’s tennis at Ursinus, 4:00 p.m.
MONDAY, MAR. 26
Softball at Widener, 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Baseball vs. Keuka, 3:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAR. 24
TUESDAY, MAR. 27
Women’s lacrosse at Bryn Mawr, 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at Haverford, 3:30 p.m.
Softball at Rutgers-Newark, 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
Softball vs. Muhlenberg, 3:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Women’s tennis at TCNJ, 1:00 p.m. THE PHOENIX
March 22, 2012
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Sports
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As Formula One begins, a reminder of its greatness All right, so you’ve probably noticed by the title that this isn’t the usual abusive rant about some topic to do with soccer. Instead this is going to be a loving rant about how Formula One is probably the coolest sport on the planet. And by the end of this article you will feel completely enlightened about the type of racing that Europeans love. The first reason to give this season of Formula One a try is that there are currently six different world champions on the grid who represent fourteen different championships between them. Germany has Michael Schumacher, the most successful racing driver in the sport with seven world championships, and the Sebastian Vettel, the winner of the past two seasons. Britain has Lewis Hamilton James Ivey and Jenson Button representing her with one world championship each. Fernando Alonso of Spain has two chamOut of Left Field pionships and Kimi Raikonnen, Finland’s fastest current racer, has a single championship. Schumacher has only recently come out of retirement and Raikonnen has rejoined the sport after quitting to try his hand at rally car racing. This is the greatest collection of former winners in the history of this sport, making it a great time to get into it. Supporting the sport typically means supporting either a driver or a team, or both can come together. For Britain it’s an easy choice, since the best two drivers drive for the best British team, McLaren. The two drivers, however, have completely different styles: Jenson Button is very calm and keeps the car in good condition until the end of the race; Lewis Hamilton is the total opposite: he drives with a fierce ambition that either allows him to drive extremely well, or it leads to crashes. Both of these drivers have large followings in England and are considered to be major heroes. The Germans have Michael Schumacher, who is known as one of the most cutthroat drivers, and used to stop at nothing to achieve victory. Sebastian Vettel is one of the greatest drivers to grace the sport: he was the youngest champion ever and is currently one of the sport’s nicest people. His style is aggressive but calm; he can maintain any lead he is given through his consistency. Kimi Raikonnen is known as the Iceman because of his ruthless partying and driving. He may not be the most stylish driver or the most adventurous but he won his title in 2007 due to his consistency at getting in the top 3. Fernando Alonso is just plain arrogant. There are top drivers from countries across the world so people can support by nationality, team, or style. Formula One is a global phenomenon. The races take place all across the planet, with drivers hailing from India, Australia, Japan, and Brazil. The sport is followed by a host of wealthy businessmen and celebrities wherever it goes, making it a bit of a playboy club. But with new teams joining the circuit each year — bringing new countries into the sea-
Men’s lax falls to Ursinus by Timothy bernstein tbernst1@swarthmore.edu A late rally almost gave men’s lacrosse another dramatic, come-from-behind victory on Saturday. This time, however, Swarthmore came up short in an 8-6 road loss to Ursinus that opened conference play for both teams. After a scoreless opening period, Swarthmore (3-3, 0-1 in conference play) and Ursinus (5-1, 1-0 in conference) traded goals for the first part of the second period, with midfielder Wes Marcik ‘13 and attacker Jonathan Molloy ’14 posting early scores for the Garnet. By halftime, however, the Bears had pulled ahead to a 4-2 lead off two late goals by Mark Stratton in the final four minutes of the second period. In third period, Ursinus capitalized on the momentum from their first-half lead, scoring three more goals in the third period to stretch their lead to 7-3. After attacker Brendan Conway ’14 opened the second half with a goal to cut the deficit to one, the Bears scored two goals in less than two minutes from Steve Smyrl and Mark Stratton. Dave Kraus scored his second goal of the game near the end of the third period to put the Bears up by four. In the fourth period, after another goal by Smyrl made it 8-3 in favor of Ursinus, the Garnet mounted a comeback attempt. Conway scored his second goal of the game off an Ian Lukaszewicz ‘15 assist. In the final minutes of the game, with Ursinus still leading by four, Zach Belden ‘12 and John Bukawyn ’12 scored to make the deficit 8-6 with 2:30 left to play. “We started riding harder, and getting more ground balls,” Lukaszewicz said of Swarthmore’s fourth-quarter play. “Once we started winning the ground-ball battle, things got better.” As the clock ran down, Bukawyn, Belden and Max Hubbard ’12 were all able to get shots off, but Ursinus goalkeeper TJ Magnani was able to make all three saves to stop the Garnet’s comeback and ice the game for Ursinus. After the loss, players focused on missed opportunities that could have changed the outcome of the game. “[Magnani] made some good saves at the very end, but I think there were some shots we had earlier that could have easily been goals if they had been a little more accurate,” Marcik said. The loss marks the fifth straight year that Swarthmore has fallen to Ursinus. The Garnet’s last victory over their conference rival came on March 21st, 2007, when they defeated the Bears 6-5 at home. At goalkeeper, Michael Brockway ’12 made eight saves for the Garnet, while Magnani stopped 17. For Swarthmore, Lukaszewicz had two assists while Hubbard, Bukawyn and Daniel Kowalshyn ’14 each added one. “I think that if we can play every quarter like we did in the fourth quarter against Ursinus, we will be right where we need to be to win those close games,” Conway said. On Tuesday, the Garnet took on Muhlenberg at home in their second straight conference match-up. The team resumes play this Saturday with a home game against Richard Nixon’s alma mater, Whittier College. Start time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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son — and new tracks being tested out, the sport is constantly moving around the planet, and there is no other sport quite as international as Formula One. The sport is fraught with plenty of wonder stories about victorious drivers and teams. Button won his single title with Brawn GP, a team that only Courtesy of sportscarzone.com existed for one year and won Michael Schumacher remains the best-known Formula 1 driver. the title. Brawn GP was created after Honda went bankrupt, and it won the title against much better and more established teams. Vettel won his first race driving for Torro Rosso, which is consistently one of the worst teams in the sport. From that moment on, Vettel has developed into one of the greatest drivers to ever grace the sport. Drivers can win or lose championships right up until the last lap of the last race: Lewis Hamilton won his championship by overtaking the driver in front of him, Timo Glock, to secure 5th place in the final corner of the final race. Another great thing about the modern race is the technical brilliance of the cars. These are extremely fast cars that race around a track of typically three kilometers per lap in about 1m:10s. At this past weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the winner, Jenson Button, regularly hit 140kmph, experiencing similar g-force to an astronaut when going into each curve. Driving 300km a race, drivers are in their cars for usually about an hour and a quarter. The twisting circuits are considered to be an art form to create and many proposed tracks are not accepted simply because they are considered to be too routine. There are races through the streets of Monaco, the night race in Singapore, the ancient track of Silverstone in England, and plenty of purpose-built, high-quality, expensive circuits in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. I will get back to a column on soccer next week because I know that this is really what this is meant to be, but Formula One is one of the most technical sports around. It is how Europeans do racing: it is the cool, clever sibling of NASCAR who was captain of the football team and got all the girls in high school and college and in everyday life. It is just worth having a watch. The race is always on Sunday but you really want to check what time it is here since they race in the afternoon in whatever country they happen to be in (Australia and Malaysia start at 2:00am ET). James is a sophomore. You can reach him at jivey1@swarthmore.edu.
Garnet athlete of the week
March 22, 2012
Lia Carlson
SOPH., TENNIS, STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.
WHAT SHE’S DONE:
Carlson did not drop a single game in two matches-one singles, one doubles-against McDaniel.
FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE SEASON: My favorite moment at Swarthmore might have been my win [over Laura Chen] in singles against Carnegie Mellon because I lost 6-2, 6-1 to her last year.
WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO:
My goal for the season is a conference championship for our team.
FAVORITE TRICK SHOT TO PRACTICE:
Holly Smith The Phoenix
My favorite trick shot to practice is a between the legs shot but I still can’t really do it, especially if I have to move at all to get to the ball.
THE PHOENIX
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Baseball splits weekend doubleheader against Bates by roy greim rgreim1@swarthmore.edu
The Swarthmore baseball team had a .500 weekend, splitting a home doubleheader against the Bates College Bobcats on Sunday afternoon. Rebounding from its worst loss of the season, a 12-1 defeat to 320 rival Widener University on March 14, the Garnet was absolutely dominant in the first game against Bates, winning 13-0 in seven innings. “Going into Sunday, we knew that we missed an opportunity against Widener,” right fielder Tim Kwilos ’13 said. “We wanted to come out, play hard and play well against another good team in
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Dylan Jeffers got the loss against Bates.
Bates.” Starting pitcher Kyle Crawford ’12 tossed a complete game shutout for his team-leading fourth win of the season. He allowed only five hits, all of which were singles, one walk and struck out five batters, improving his ERA to 3.24. Against Crawford and the Garnet defense, Bates managed to advance past second base only once, after Griff Tewksbury reached third on a two-out single by Kevin Davis in the top of the fourth. A well-timed strikeout, however, ended the inning and left both runners stranded on base. The offense recovered well from its uncharacteristic performance against Widener, scoring 13 runs on 12 hits, including two doubles, a triple and a home run. The Garnet is now 6-0 on the season when it scores in double digits and 13-3 overall. After managing only one hit in the first two innings, the team began to pull away after a three-hit, three-run third inning. Second baseman Anthony Montalbano ’12 began the inning with a single to left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a walk by left fielder Nicko Burnett ’14, Montalbano was driven home by a single from third baseman Mike Waterhouse ’12. A double from Kwilos, who leads the team with a .426 batting average, brought in both Burnett and Waterhouse, completing the scoring for the inning. In the fourth, Burnett hit a three-run shot, his team-leading fourth home run of the season, increasing the Garnet lead to 6-0. After hitting a triple to begin the inning, first baseman Spencer Ross ’12 scored in the fifth off a single from center fielder Rory McTear ’13. In the sixth, the Garnet once again demonstrated its ability to score in bunches, collecting six runs off four hits
and two errors. With no outs, the Garnet once more, on a walk drawn by Rizzo in quickly loaded the bases after a single the final inning. by shortstop Danny McMahon ’15, who Bates continued its scoring, collectadvanced to second off an error, a single ing three runs on four hits in the fifth by Burnett, and a walk from Montalba- and one final run in the seventh. Jeffers no. Drawing a base picked up the loss, alon balls, Waterhouse lowing nine hits and drove in McMahon five runs in Bates 0 earning and kept the bases four innings. full with no outs. This is the third Swarthmore 13 time this season that Next, a single from Kwilos scored Monthe Garnet has lost talbano and a one-out the second game of double from desigBates 7 a doubleheader after nated hitter Miles winning the first. Santo ’12 brought Previously, it lost Swarthmore 2 in both Burnett and 6-12 against CathoWaterhouse. Kwilos lic after winning 7-0, reached home off a and fell 4-7 to Eastern sacrifice fly from catcher Joseph Rizzo after beating them 7-4. ’15 and Santo rounded out the scoring, “One of our problems has been maingetting a run after another Bates error. taining strong focus during the second Unfortunately, the Garnet was unable game in double headers,” Waterhouse to sustain its offensive production in said. “Hopefully we can really get better the second game, falling to Bates with a at this in time for our conference play.” score of 7-2. The team played away at Gwynedd“In the second game, although we Mercy on Tuesday, winning by a score of were hitting the ball pretty hard we 7-3 in nine innings. Kwilos was a home weren’t able to find any holes,” Montal- run shy of hitting for the cycle and drove bano said. “They played good defense in three runs off of three hits. Starting and didn’t give us anything we didn’t pitcher Ignacio Rodriguez ‘12 earned his earn.” fourth win of the season, striking out The contest was scoreless after two in- eight in seven innings. nings and starting pitcher Dylan Jeffers The Garnet is now in the middle of a ’15 was only one out away from blanking six-day break and will return to action on Bates through three. The Bobcats, how- Mar. 26 at home against Keuka College ever, scored three runs on the final out (N.Y.). First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 and would have gotten a fourth if not for p.m. The next day, conference action offia tag out at home plate to end the third. cially begins with an away game against Swarthmore responded in the fourth rival Haverford, who swept Swarthmore inning behind a two-RBI single from last season, winning by scores of 5-3 and McTear, which drove in Kwilos and Bur- 7-6 (11 innings). nett. With the bases loaded, the Garnet “The rest after our Tuesday game looked poised for a rally, but a ground was nice to heal some minor bumps and out from shortstop Nick Constantino ’14 bruises,” Burnett said. “We know we ended the inning with three left on base. play Haverford to start the conference The team did not get another hit for the next Tuesday and that’s really the only rest of the game and reached base only mental preparation we need.”
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THE PHOENIX March 22, 2012
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Women’s, men’s tennis teams roll over opponents
In the Number 3 singles match, Katie Samuelson ’14 defeated Patron English 6-3, 6-1, while Number 4 Epiphany English ’14 faced a tough match-up against Laura Pollard, but pulled it out in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 10-2. It was the same story in doubles play, as Swarthmore racked up three more shutouts to bring their total on the day to seven. Carlson and Emily Rosenblum ’13 blanked Starlings and Patron at Number 1, Johnson and English defeated Pollard and Hamric at Number 2, while Iyengar and Brooke Wilkins ’14 finished off the rout with an 8-0 win over Lewis and O’Meara. Although the Garnet women came in confident against the Green Terror, they nevertheless appreciated the sportsmanship of their opponent. “They are one of the weaker teams in the conference so we were confident, but they are also certainly one of the nicest,” Johnson said of McDaniel. “Some of the teams we play can honestly be extremely unpleasant. Regardless of the outcome, it is always nice to play a fair team.” On the men’s side, the team moved to 5-6 on the year with a 6-3 victory over TCNJ. Swarthmore won two of the its three doubles matches behind the duos of captains Zak Kelm ’12 and Max Bressman ’12 as well as sophomores Max Kaye ’14 and Christian Carcione ’14. Playing out of the Number 1 position, Kelm and Bressman defeated TJ Riley and Marc Nichols by a score of 8-5. Kaye and Carcione had an even easier time with their victory, dispatching TCNJ’s Steven Fernandez and Jordan Cruz 8-3. Swarthmore’s lone doubles loss came in the Number 2 position, as Anthony Collard ’14 and Daniel Park ’14 fell 8-3 to Fernandez and Howard Telson. With a 2-1 lead from doubles, Swarthmore built on their early success in the singles matches, winning four of six to take the overall competition. After Kelm fell to TJ Riley (5-7, 6-3, 6-1), the Garnet Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix Epiphany English defeated Laura Pollard in a tough, three-set men clinched victory by ripping off four consecutive contest. singles wins. The streak started with Collard, who avenged his doubles loss to Fernandez with a breezy 6-4, 6-3 vicby timothy bernstein tory. tbernst1@swarthmore.edu Bressman had to fight to defeat TCNJ’s Nichols, It was an excellent weekend for Garnet tennis, as both the men’s and women’s teams had little diffi- but eventually put his opponent away (2-6, 7-6, 7-4). Out of the Number 4 position, Kaye also rallied culty picking up victories in convincing fashion. The Swarthmore women had one of their most im- from one set down to beat Howard Telson (3-6, 6-4, pressive showings of the year on Sunday afternoon, 6-3). Finally, Preston Poon ’14 finished off the streak shutting out McDaniel 9-0 at home to begin the seawith a decisive 6-3, 6-2 win over son’s slate of conference matches. Daniel Lee. Swarthmore (2-1, 1-0 in conferDespite a late loss by Park MCDANIEL 0 ence) completely overmatched the to TCNJ’s Gabe Allen (6-4, 6-0), Green Terror (1-2, 1-0 in conferthe Garnet had already ensured Women’s tennis 9 ence), who won only one set in all themselves of a win over their renine matches. gional rival. In singles play, four of the six Swarthmore’s streak came despite the best efforts Garnet players defeated their opponents without dropping a single game. In the Number 1 and Num- of the TCNJ home crowd. “It was St. Patty’s Day, and so all of their frat ber 2 positions, Lia Carlson ’14 and Kelsey Johnson brothers came out [in support for the TCNJ team] ’13 shut out Brittany Starlings and Devan Hamric, and screamed at us the whole respectively, by scores of 6-0, 6-0. time,” Kaye said. The other two singles shut“It was hard to get focused, and outs came in the Numbers 5 and MEN’S TENNIS 6 when I lost the first set, I realized 6 positions, as Gayatri Iyengar it was just a focus issue, and so ’15 blanked Lauren Lewis while TCNJ 3 once I started going for shots and Nadeen Hamza ’15 did the same to ignoring the crowd, I started to Elise O’Meara. play better.” “Since I grew up in Cairo and Bressman was more direct in his assessment of have only been playing tennis on clay courts, the game on clay courts really only depends on consis- the home fans. “I think our guys did a great job of handling the tency,” Hamza said in an email. obnoxious crowd at TCNJ,” Bressman said in an “Going back to Barcelona and playing on clay courts brought back many skills I had learned. Go- email. “It gave our opponents a bunch of energy and ing back into the game with consistency definitely it was obvious that they were trying to distract us. helped me win that match with very few errors espe- But we were the stronger team and that showed in cially since I depend on my forehand for most of my the end.” The win over TCNJ comes in the first contest since winner shots.”
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March 22, 2012
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Overall, the Garnet women only dropped one set against McDaniel.
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Lia Carlson (right) and Emily Rosenblum won their doubles match.
the men’s team achieved a national ranking based off their performance over spring break in California. Last Friday, Campbell’s ITA Division III National Poll ranked Swarthmore 20th in men’s tennis, the first time since 2007 that the men’s team has been nationally ranked. “Once we got our team chemistry figured out, and got really settled in, we started playing well as a whole team,” Kaye said. “It really was a team effort that got us to the national rankings, hard work and focus and belief in ourselves. We actually believed that we could win, we’ve been waiting for this ever since I got here, and we finally got the big upsets [in California].” Kelm hopes that the ranking will signal a return to form for the tennis team. “While the men’s tennis team has been strong in recent years, it has not quite reached the level of many past Swarthmore teams which were typically competing for and winning national championships,” he said. “These recent wins that led to our national ranking and hopefully many more wins this season should help the team get back to that high level.” Men’s tennis resumes play this afternoon when they take on Ursinus on the road at 4 p.m. The women’s team will take on TCNJ this Saturday at 1 p.m. THE PHOENIX