APRIL 26, 2012 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 135, ISSUE 14
THE
PHOENIX
Inside: Project unveils corporate support for occupation “Cabin” short on screams, not smarts Women’s lax beats Ursinus in playoffs
One Million Bones
Swarthmore students have chance to participate in worldwide art project that seeks to raise genocide awareness by displaying one million ceramic bones at the National Mall in Washington, DC. p.5
The Phoenix
Thursday, April 26, 2012 Volume 135, Issue 14
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 Peter Akkies Webmaster Eric Sherman Webmaster
Julia Carleton The Phoenix
The Yellow Stockings Players presented William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” this weekend in Olde Club.
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gaged their verbal and written skills and encouraged them to spread slam poetry as an art form. PAGE 7
three especially implicated demographics who should have a viable interest in not only the primaries, but also the upcoming general election.
the first time: PAGE 13 Project shows corporate in- For understanding your body, Unbudgeted leadership in volvement in occupation Students for Peace and Justice in Pal- comfort level the United States Senate estine unveiled their latest end-of-year project, the ‘Fruits of the Occupation,’ in which multinational corporate support for the Israeli occupation is highlighted symbolically through an enclosed orchard in front of the Science Center.
This week’s sex column focuses on all aspects of virginity and explains everything from what it should mean, to whom you should explore it with, to how to deal with awkward first sexual encounters.
Danielle asks an under-raised yet terribly necessary question on Capitol Hill is, where is the Senate’s budget? PAGE 15
Africa: with its potential for PAGE 3 the next India? Peace Collection brings Improv workshop brings growth, Harshil describes how the growth of priComedy Weekend off-stage Rustin exhibit to McCabe Last weekend’s Comedy Weekend pro- vate enterprise in African nations is the Local social activist and Quaker Bayard Rustin is being remembered through an exhibition in McCabe library, where documents and artifacts are on display to demonstrate Rustin’s life-long commitment to social justice.
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vided a welcome opportunity for campus comedy groups, including Vertigo-go and Boy Meets Tractor, to join with alumni involved in comedy to entertain and enlighten students about comedy after Swarthmore.
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Students in a Philosophy course have opted to create a final project that entails a lecture in addition to participation in the making of artwork bones as part of a larger effort to raise awareness for the millions of victims of genocide.
horror movie, which parodies the motifs of the horror genre, but forgets to terrify viewers in the process. Read on to find out if it’s worth seeing anyway.
‘One Million Bones’ rais- ‘Cabin in the Woods’ is short es public awareness of on screams, not on smarts Movies Now! reviews a self-conscious genocide PAGE 9
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Living & Arts Opinions
The Phoenix analyzes the current condition of American politics, indicating
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BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Paul Chung Circulation Manager Di Yan Circulation Manager Osazenoriuwa Ebose COVER DESIGN Amelia Kucic COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF: http://tiny.cc/v8ncdw and http://tiny.cc/j9ncdw CONTRIBUTORS Victor Brady, Pendle Marshall-Hallmark OPINIONS BOARD Reem Abdou, Marcus Mello and Camila Ryder EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) usm.edu en.wikipedia.org blog.oilpaintingandframe.com boingboing.net
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Direct advertising requests to Amelia Possanza. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change.
Men’s lax goes 3OT for first Haverford win since ‘04
It was a victory for the ages this past weekend, as the men’s lacrosse team went three overtimes with the Fords, finally pulling out the victory for the first time in the rivalry in seven seasons.
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Game Change 2012: Our CUSPI brings Swat slam stakes in the upcoming poets to competition in LA election Members of Swarthmore’s OASIS group traveled last weekend to LA to perform in a slam poetry competition that en-
key to harnessing the largely untouched expanse of natural resources, allowing Africa an unprecedented role in global relations.
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 Raisa Reyes 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
Baseball celebrates Senior Day with sweep of F&M
As the Class of 2012 bid farewell to Clothier Field, the team sent them out in style with a doubleheader sweep of Franklin & Marshall.
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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April 26, 2012
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Events Menu
Project shows corporate involvement in occupation
Today A Meal with Professor Bakirathi Mani The Associate Professor will be speaking informally about her experiences being an Asian-American today. Grab a bag lunch and join her in the big IC Center Room at 12:30 p.m. Tomorrow LSE: Childish Gambino The rapper/comedian will be joined by Muhsinah at 7:30 p.m. in Upper Tarble. Wristbands for the event will be distributed under the bell tower at 12:30 p.m. In order to squeeze as many Swarthmore students into the venue as possible, no guests will be permitted to attend. What is the value of a human life? As part of Genocide Awareness Month (which is being commemorated on campus via the Million Bones Project; see pg. 5), a workshop will take on perceptions of genocide, exploring valuations of a human life and the reactions and feelings of bystanders unaffected by genocides. 4:30 p.m. in the Scheuer Room. The Student Dance Concert A semester’s worth of African Dance, Tap, Flamenco and everything in between will be put on display on LPAC’s main stage at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday. Saturday, April 28th Keith Calmes concert for Haiti There will be no charge for entry into this concert by classical guitarrist Keith Calmes, but donations for Haiti will be much appreciated. Stop by the Friends Meeting House at 7 p.m. Directing II Night of Scenes: WILDE/CINDERELLA An excerpt from Oscar Wilde’s rollicking, contortionist “The Importance of Being Earnest” and an original piece called “The Cinderella Project(ion)” will be directed by two students from the Advanced Directing Workshop as their final project. Come to the Frear Ensemble Theater at 8 p.m. for the show. Tuesday, May 1st Crum Creek Clean Up Anyone interested in helping pick up trash, remove log jams and install water bars in the Crum can call 610328-8025 to sign up for a volunteering post. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon. Honors Dramaturgy Thesis: Jessica Cannizzaro ’12’s FIRESIDE TALES Compiled and written by Cannizzaro, “Fireside Tales” is based on American local legends and classic folk songs. Exploring the evolution of storytelling across time and cultures, the play will be performed at 7 p.m. in the Frear Ensemble Theater. Submissions for the events menu may be sent to news@swarthmorephoenix.com
Cristina Matamoros The Phoenix
The installation takes the form of an orchard enclosed by a chain-link fence and is intended to symbolize corporate support for the Israeli occupation via company logos which hang from the plants like fruit. By Koby levin jlevin1@swarthmore.edu
Students walking the path across the Science Center Lawn this week could not help but walk through a chain-link enclosure sprinkled with potted trees whose leaves intermingled with instantly-recognizable logos of international corporations. The display, called “Fruits of the Occupation,” was created by Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine (SPJP), which hopes to raise awareness of the economics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — from U.S. aid to Israel to the profits being made by companies who support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and, finally, to strategies of economic activism. The theme of the installment follows what SPJP representatives said has become a widespread trend in activism: attempting to influence the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through economic pressure. SPJP has embraced the strategy this year, pressing for a student boycott of Sabra hummus, whose parent company supports the Golani brigade, while petitioning the administration for Sabra’s removal from campus snack bars. Posters hung on the fence of the installment mention the Sabra boycott efforts, and the logos hung on the trees within the enclosure suggest more potential targets — General Mills, which has a factory in an Israeli settlement, is one; Motorola, Chevrolet and Pizza Hut are among other corporations accused of picking the fruits of the occupation. These boycotts are one of the answers to the question Ahmad Ammous ’13, the President of SPJP said the group faces most often. “People often ask what they can do about the conflict,” he said, “and this is the answer: it’s pressuring the government [to stop supporting the occupation] and stopping purchases of products that benefit from the occupation.”
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April 26, 2012
A panel will be hosted by SPJP this afternoon that highlights those and other options for those looking to get involved. Josh Ruebner, the National Advocacy Director for the campaign to end the US occupation in Israel, and Barbara Wein, Director of Peace Brigades International, will lead the discussion, which is titled “What you can do about the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict.” Ayman Abunimer ’12, an SPJP member, called the speakers the “founders of the end-the-occupation movement”, and noted that while the display is mostly intended to alert students to the profits being made from the occupation, SPJP also hopes that it will get students thinking about what they can do to help if they so choose. “Fruits of the Occupation” is the fourth large scale spring display in SPJP’s four year life-span. Previous projects include a map of the West Bank occupation, also located outside of Beardsley, which highlighted the presence of Israeli settlements in ostensibly Palestinian territory; and a now-famous Wall simulating the wall separating Israel and Palestine, complete with checkpoints and guards, that stretched across the front of Parrish. Construction time for the projects has ranged from a full weekend (for the wall) to a handful of hours for this year’s project, but the majority of the effort put into the installations goes towards planning. Ammous said, however, that the effort of securing permission from the proper deans was justified by the efficiency and punchiness of the message the display imparts to Swarthmore’s time-starved community. “It can be very hard to bring people to a more educational event like a movie,” he said. “Swatties are busy. It takes a lot of effort on our part [to put up an display], but it only takes like three minutes for you on the way to lunch to understand what the point is.”
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Peace Collection brings Rustin exhibit to McCabe
Week in pictures
Allegra Pocincki The Phoenix
Members of the Swarthmore Asian Organization (SAO) speak with several specs during the Activities Fair held Friday as part of Ride the Tide.
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
A case in McCabe displays materials from the current Bayard Rustin exhibition, which will last until the middle of June. By charlie hepper chepper1@swarthmore.edu
Holly Smith The Phoenix
Mark Chin performs a solo in Essence of Soul’s Spring Bellsing concert in the Clothier Belltower. The concert was held Saturday afternoon and featured Grapevine.
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
The Swarthmore women’s rugby team recently participated in the Prom Dress Rugby Game against Ursinus at Cunningham Field, winning 7-5.
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McCabe Library is currently displaying an exhibition on the life and work of renowned social activist Bayard Rustin. The exhibit is entitled “Bayard Rustin: Passionate Prophet for Racial Equality, Peace and Social Justice” and will remain on display on McCabe’s first floor until June 15. The materials featured in the exhibit were drawn entirely from Swarthmore College’s world-renowned Peace Collection. Rustin, a native of West Chester, PA and a Quaker, was born in 1912. He was a pacifist, conscientious objector, early freedom rider, anti-nuclear activist, internationalist, worker for racial equality and supporter of gay rights, most famous for his prominent role in the American Civil Rights movement. He was a mentor for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where King made his immortal “I Have a Dream” Speech. Throughout his life, Rustin espoused a philosophy of nonviolence, advocating for the use of nonviolent practices of resistance in both the Civil Rights movement and other protest movements. His influence was most profoundly felt through the techniques of non-violent resistance that he taught to Dr. King and other leaders of the 1950s movement and which he implemented in his role as a key strategist for the movement in the 1960s. Head Peace Collection Librarian and curator of the exhibit Wendy Chmielewski remarked that popular interest was a major inspiration for its assembly. “Because 2012 marks the centenary year of his birth, we had a lot of inquiries from people interested in seeing an exhibition on his life and work,” Chmielewski said. On display in the exhibit’s glass cases are a wide variety of documents and artifacts chronicling Rustin’s dedicated and profuse work in the pursuit of social justice in diverse areas.
April 26, 2012
In addition to important documents, the exhibit also highlight’s Rustin’s musical and artistic interests. LP recordings of Rustin performing spirituals and songs from both American folk and English Elizabethan traditions as well as sheet music for the Rustin-composed protest song “You Don’t Have to Ride Jim Crow” are notable features. Chmielewski stated that the expansive holds of the Peace Collection afforded a wide array of significant primary material for display. “Rustin was active in many different movements and his lifelong commitment to non-violent social change assured that a wealth of material pertaining to his work have been archived in the Peace Collection,” Chmielewski said. Friends Librarian Chris Densmore noted that Rustin may have been the originator of the oft-repeated phrase, “Speak Truth to Power,” stating that “Wendy has researched the origins of that phrase which originally appeared in a Quaker pamphlet but now seems to be used almost everywhere.” In addition to his relation to nearby West Chester and the Quaker community, Rustin has strong historical connections to the college, which hosted him as a guest speaker in the fall of 1949 at a Collection. There, Rustin spoke about his experiences in the Journey of Reconciliation of 1947, a protest against segregation in interstate transportation that would inspire and serve as a model for the Freedom Ride protests of the 1950s. In a retrospective article appearing in the March 2012 issue of Friends Journal, copies of which are featured with the exhibit, Swarthmore graduate Newton Garver ’51 reflected on Rustin’s Collection speech and on his resonant words concerning the effectiveness of non-violence. Garver praised Rustin and his associates in social activism as “seasoned veterans of direct action who knew better than most people how to absorb unjust violence without either a cowardly or a violent response.”
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‘One Million Bones’ raises public awareness of genocide
Courtesy of onemillionbones.com
As a final project for their “Human Rights and Atrocities” course, three students are bringing the “One Million Bones” project to the college, aiming to raise awareness of genocide. By AMANDA EPSTEIN aepstei1@swarthmore.edu Spearheaded by a group of students in this semester’s philosophy course “Human Rights and Atrocities,” a workshop focused on different perceptions of genocide will be held tomorrow in Kohlberg’s Scheuer room. The workshop will begin with a presentation by Sana Musasama, a ceramic artist and art professor in New York, on the work she has been doing in response to the Khmer Rouge genocides in Cambodia. After the lecture, the event’s attendees will be making bones using newspaper, wire and plaster for “One Million Bones,” an international education project that will collect one million artwork bones from people across the world for an art installation designed to recognize the millions that have been victims of genocide. The event will conclude with a discussion on perceptions of genocide and a reflection of the project. Vija Lietuvninkas ’14, Alyson Passanante ’14 and Marina Tucktuck ’13 created the event as a final project for their philosophy course. According to Professor Krista Thomason, who teaches the course, students could either produce an event that would raise awareness about genocide or write a paper. “We have a lot of speakers come on campus, and they have a lot of great things to say, but we wanted to do more than a talk, something that was more community-based,” Lietuvninkas said. Lietuvninkas met Musasama on a trip with the art department to New York, where she saw the her show “Unknown Unnamed,” a response to various forms of human suffering. Included were her pieces centered around the killing fields in Cambodia. Musasama’s memorable description of the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge genocides prompted Lietuvninkas to contact the artist and invite her to the college for the occasion. “I will talk about the impact of genocide on this country [Cambodia] and the effect it had on the lives of its people to this very day ... I will show my work and talk of its influences, how I made my choices based on what I experienced in Cambodia,” Musasama said in an e-mail. According to Tucktuck, Musasama will be making the connection between art and genocide to set a framework for the succeeding art project the attendees will be engaging in. “Art has this ability to help you understand yourself and the things around you in a more emotional and non-linear way ... I thought that it would be cool to engage the Swarthmore community in an art project to
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represent the individual lives lost,” Lietuvninkas said. The event will end with a discussion to reflect on the experience. According to Passanante, one of the things students had trouble with in class was that a lot of their education on genocides was very impersonal and statistical in nature. Early on in the course, it became very apparent that there existed a stark dichotomy between one person’s death being counted as a tragedy while the deaths of millions simply became a numerical statistic. “We are hoping to tackle that [dichotomy] and the value of a human life,” Passanante said. “We want to investigate general perceptions of genocide and what we can do about it in an unaffected community, but also as part of the larger global community.”
Thomason said that she was pleased with the idea behind the project. “It’s really great to see that students are thinking in new ways about genocide... In this case, trying to get a better grasp of it through the use of art,” she said. “That’s the point of the course.” The event will take place tomorrow from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The bones produced will be sent to the “One Million Bones” project, originated by artist-activist Naomi Natale. They will be installed as a mass grave on Washington D.C.’s National Mall in the spring of 2013. Disclaimer Note: Vija Lietuvninkas is a copy editor for The Phoenix. She had no role in the production of this article.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Wharton intruder remains unidentified Late on the night of April 20, two reports were made to Public Safety of a suspicious male in Wharton dormitory. The first reported a stranger who tried to enter a student’s room, found that the student was in the room, and promptly left; the second reported a stranger, a male fitting the same description as in the first report, seen walking the halls of Wharton CD. Public Safety notified the Swarthmore Police and a search was made of the area, but to no avail. Several days before the incident, there was a similar report made by a faculty member of a suspicious male fitting a different description who entered an office space at Trotter Hall. “Any college attracts all types of folks, including thieves. Spring and fall are bad times for safety; not only does warmer weather bring people out, there are also criminals who prey on college campuses, who know students are a little more disoriented in the fall and stressed with exams during spring habits,” Michael Hill, director of Public Safety, said. Public Safety is still unable to identify any of the reported individuals, whose motives were either to steal or, as lost guests, simply trying to find their way back. “It’s possible that they could’ve been innocent people who couldn’t find the right door, didn’t find their host when they opened the door, and left. But it becomes less likely with two reports with such similar descriptions of the person in question,” Hill
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said. Vice President for Facilities and Services Stuart Hain sent a campus-wide e-mail notifying the community of what happened only hours after the search was made. Although the Swarthmore campus has a reputation of trust and safety, Hain reminded in his e-mail for everyone to be vigilant in locking doors, securing valuables and reporting suspicious activity to Public Safety as soon it is observed. Fortunately, there have been no reports of theft, as in both occasions someone was in the room to deter the potential thief from entering. Additionally, no evidence suggests that either incident was related to the targeted harassment or disruption of privacy against any member of the Swarthmore community. Wharton residential advisors were not available for comment, as it is RA policy not to comment on safety incidents in the dormitory. If the same person returns, Public Safety is confident it can use information from this time to help identify and find him. “Hopefully he will go somewhere else and not return, but if he returns we know Wharton is a frequent spot, what he looks like, and a student body alert to report suspicious activity,” Hill said. BY YI-WEI LIU
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April 29 28 @ 5 P.M. APRIL Please see our website for additional information and to obtain an application. Go to swarthmorephoenix.com/apply to submit an application.
WRITING, BUSINESS, EDITORIAL & GRAPHICS POSITIONS JOB DESCRIPTIONS
These job descriptions are intended to inform applicants of what would be expected of them if hired. All applications must be submitted online at swarthmorephoenix.com/apply Questions? Want more information? Contact us at editor@swarthmorephoenix.com
EDITORIAL POSITIONS
STAFF POSITIONS
Section editors are responsible for ensuring the completion of their section, reading and editing all copy submitted for publication in the section, coordinating their staff of writers, writing items for publication and laying out pages in QuarkXPress. The section editors must be present in the office for their respective deadlines until the Editor in Chief is satisfied with their completed section. Additionally, the section editors must attend all weekly editorial board meetings on Monday and Thursday evenings, and they must communicate regularly with the writers of their sections to assess their progress and to develop story ideas. The responsibilities of a section editor may be divided between two individuals.
Managing editor (2) The managing editor(s) are responsible for the completion of the newspaper and for delegating tasks to other editors and staff members, to support the role of the editor in chief. The managing editor(s) have significant involvement in the editorial, design and layout processes, and must be present in the office during production on Tuesday nights and Wednesday. Approximate hours per week: 25. News editor The news editor must have a current and comprehensive knowledge of events, people and issues on campus. Job duties include reading and editing all news copy, leading a staff meeting on Monday nights to work with reporters and develop future story ideas, working with other editors to select news content and directing reporters. Frequent communication with reporters, photographers and senior editors is essential. Applicants should be competent reporters, willing to write last-minute news stories and take photos. Approximate hours per week: 18. Living & Arts editor The Living & Arts editor must be able to develop creative feature and art ideas for the section each week; maintain familiarity with the art, music and theater scene, both on campus and in the Philadelphia area; and select events to feature as editor’s picks. The living section allows for more creativity in design than do other sections in the paper. Approximate hours per week: 16. Chief copy editor The chief copy editor of The Phoenix is responsible for the factual and grammatical aspects of all copy in the newspaper. Responsibilities include reading all copy, reading proofs of all pages, coordinating the schedules of a staff of copy editors, maintaining and updating The Phoenix stylebook and providing editorial feedback to the writers and editors. Approximate hours per week: 12. Graphics editor Responsibilities include working with the editors and staff artist(s) to conceptualize and create cover art and graphics within page designs. The graphic designer should coordinate art and is responsible for ensuring completion of graphics or photo-intensive pages. The graphic designer will also attend editorial board meetings. Previous work with Photoshop is required. Approximate hours per week: 8. Photo editor Responsibilities include taking, uploading and editing photos; maintaining a staff of photographers; coordinating the use of the paper’s digital cameras; and communicating with editors at editorial board meetings and throughout the week. Approximate hours per week: 10
Opinions editor The opinions editor’s primary job is to ensure that a diverse range of views relevant to the campus are represented on the editorial pages. Responsibilities include soliciting op-ed pieces, working with staff columnists and cartoonists to develop and carry out ideas and ensuring completion of the staff editorial each week. The opinions editor must also keep abreast of relevant campus and world events. Approximate hours per week: 12. Sports editor The sports editor should maintain a comprehensive knowledge of all varsity and club teams on campus. Duties include reading and editing all sports copy and assigning sports photos. Applicants must be competent sportswriters who are willing to write and take photos as needed. Approximate hours per week: 12. Assistant section editors Assistant editors in news, living and arts, sports and opinions may be added as training positions. Assistant section editors are responsible for helping the section editor in all duties and learning all aspects of production essential to the section, including layout design and editing. Assistant section editors are also responsible for writing for their sections as necessary. Approximate hours per week: 8–10.
BUSINESS POSITIONS Advertising manager (2) The advertising manager(s) work to recruit local and national ads. Responsibilities include keeping up-todate advertising records, sending out invoices and tearsheets to the advertisers, documenting paid invoices; providing up-to-date advertising income figures and attending weekly business staff meetings. Approximate hours per week: 6. Circulation manager (2) The circulation manager(s) must distribute copies of The Phoenix to areas across campus early Thursday mornings, stuff faculty and administration mailboxes, maintain subscriber lists and ensure that subscriptions are mailed out each Thursday on a weekly basis, deliver extra copies to The Phoenix office and answer subscription requests as they are received. Approximate hours per week: 3. Advertisers (3) Advertisers sell ads for The Phoenix website and print edition to local businesses. This position pays a commission for ads sold. Having access to a car is preferable but not required. Approximate hours per week: varies.
Reporters / staff writers (8 news, 6 living, 5 sports) Reporters write at least one story a week for their section. Writers must attend weekly meetings. Approximate hours per week: 6–8. Columnists / Bloggers (6 opinions, sports, 8 living & arts) A columnist receives a biweekly column. The columnists are expected to work closely with their respective section editors in developing topics and improving their writing styles. Approximate hours per week: 3—4. Copy editors Copy editors check facts, style and grammar and proof pages. Approximate hours per week: 3—5. Photographers Photographers are expected to fulfill weekly assignments. This includes taking photos at the assigned time and uploading the photos onto the Phoenix server in a timely fashion. Approximate hours per week: varies. Staff artists (3) Staff artists are required to submit at least one illustration per issue, for various sections of the paper. Approximate hours per week: varies. Cartoonists (4) Cartoonists may apply to work as either an op-artist or a living & arts artist, and will be required to submit pieces biweekly. Approximate hours per week: 2.
WEB STAFF (NEW!)
Web Editor (2) The Web Editor(s) edits all stories that appear only on the web, moderates comments, posts to and moderates the forums, and coordinates the newly created Phoenix Web Staff. The Web Editor will hold a weekly or twice-weekly meeting with the Web Staff to ensure there is plenty of fresh content to keep the website as lively as possible. Approximate hours per week: 5-7.
Web Staff (4) Web staffers are in charge of keeping The Phoenix website up-to-date throughout the week. Staffers will write stories, post blogs and/or take additional photos for the website. Staffers are required to attend weekly meetings to discuss the content to be placed on the website and will be required to post several items every week. WIth much less time commitment, it’s a great way to get started on The Phoenix. Approximate hours per week: 3-4. Assistant Webmaster / Ruby on Rails Web Developer The webmaster is responsible both for maintaining the website and for improving it in ways that engage our readers. Expect to post content, tweak styles, optimize the server configuration and maybe even build entirely new sections of the website. A wemaster must have experience with Rails or an avid interest in learning Rails as an extension of some existing web development background. Knowlege of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is required.
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Living & Arts
CUPSI brings Swat slam poets to competition in LA by allison shultes ashulte1@swarthmore.edu
Five members of OASIS (Our Art, Spoken in Soul), the spoken word poetry group on campus, flew to Los Angeles over the weekend to represent Swarthmore College for the first time at the College Unions’ Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI). Held at the University of La Verne from April 18-21, the competition featured 48 teams from across the country — over twice the number of schools represented at the event last year. Finishing in fourth place in the first preliminary bout and missing first by only a little over a point in the next, Swarthmore’s team put on a strong showing, especially as first-time competitors. Noel Quiñones ’15, Javier Perez ’13, Mame Bonsu ’14, Kojo Boateng ’14 and Mary Jean Chan ’12 were selected to participate in the competition based on results from a slam held in Olde Club earlier in the month. Judged by three students from the Tri-Co, each poet was allowed one poem to showcase their abilities, which was then scored by the panel. The five performers with the highest scoring poems made the CUPSI team and then entered an intensive period of writing and collaboration, producing five poems each and four group pieces for the competition in LA. Judges at slams are typically randomly selected from the audience, which CUPSI does as well. Poems are scored primarily based on their emotional impact on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being a “perfect” poem. Perez and Quinones both scored 10’s at the slam in Los Angeles, an impressive feat in a renowned competition. Quiñones was a huge force in organizing the CUPSI initiative for members of OASIS. OASIS member Julian Randall ’15 described CUPSI as “Noel’s baby,” and said “slam poetry is his really great passion in life. He was so happy when he was there… he was just in his element.” Serving as treasurer of OASIS with Haydil Henriquez ’14, Quiñones played a major role in organizing the April 18th CUPSI showcase, which featured the work the team members produced for the national slam. The motivation for the event was more than just practice: a week and a half before they were scheduled to leave for LA, a funding issue left the group one plane ticket short. Forced to pay out of pocket, the showcase served a secondary purpose of eliciting donations to
help offset the ticket cost. “The Showcase turned out to be really amazing,” Quiñones said in a phone interview. “We got the most donations out of any Paces event this year ... the support from the Swarthmore community shocked us. There were over 100 people at the event. To have that much support, while we were at Swarthmore and also through calls, texts, and Facebook posts after we had left, was incredible.” CUPSI kept team members busy, even when not competing. Arriving in LA an hour before their preliminary bout, OASIS members jumped right into the competition. Without having the time to develop a strategy and figure out how the slam worked, the initial round was challenging, but the team quickly pulled it together — in less than a day — and nearly took first place in their second bout. In the following days, they attended multiple workshops and watched other teams compete in two rounds of preliminary bouts, a semi-final, and the finals, which took place on Sunday. Additionally, yoga sessions, 5K runs and Disneyland excursions were made available for the competitors during their down time, although CUPSI itself held more intrigue for the performers. “CUPSI was one of the best experiences of my life,” Quiñones said in a phone interview. “The feeling of being surrounded by 300 poets from the entire country ... it was really inspiring to hear all these different poems and ideas, all these poets thinking outside the box. There was so much talent. And we made so many connections off stage, so many people were saying ‘If you’re ever in this city, if you’re ever in that city, we can organize an event.’ ... it reaffirmed passion for this art form, that there’s people all over the country really dedicated to this and they want to share this story with everyone.” Marc Smith is credited with creating the slam, which he brought to the Get Me High Lounge and the Green Mill, clubs part of the Chicago jazz scene in the mid-1980s. His event, the Uptown Poetry Slam, has inspired a movement towards this art form across the country; as shown by the increased number of teams competing at CUPSI, the movement is still gaining momentum. “As we have more and more open mics on campus, more people are getting involved,” said Randall, noting the growing membership of OASIS
on Swarthmore’s campus alone. Spoken word poetry, originating earlier than the slam itself, is characterized by its emphasis on performance and emotional content that traditionally deals with political or social critiques. Members of OASIS come into the group with varying levels of experience; some, like Quiñones, have been involved with spoken word since high school. Others, like Chan, are relatively new to the art form. Exposed to slam for the first time at Joshua Bennett’s performance in LPAC this January, Chan was wildly surprised by her selection for the national team. Persuaded by a friend to perform a poem in the last five minutes of the tryouts, Chan chalked her reading up as a “fun experience” and left the venue before the final selection could be made. She received a text half an hour later informing her she’d made the cut. Her whirlwind weekend in LA was made especially poignant by her impending graduation. “It’s been such a blessing,” Chan said of her experience at nationals. “It’s been transformative for me. I’ve never heard so much amazing poetry in such a short time. There was such emotional intensity — the poems really packed a punch, and dealt with such heavy topics. Some poems dealt with rape, sexual assault, heartbreak … I’ve never heard poems that are so explicit about topics that are so difficult.” Inspired by a workshop in LA exploring page poetry versus spoken word, Chan hopes to potentially bring slam poetry overseas when she leaves for graduate school in the UK this fall. The remaining four members of the team plan on drawing from their experience in future years and at future slams. As a young team, there is room to grow, and the future looks promising for spoken word at Swarthmore. “Right after we found out we didn’t make it to semi-finals, we were already talking about 2013 CUPSI team,” Quinones said. “We really want to push the boundaries of art form. The stuff we saw we weren’t prepared for, but we have the talent and now we know how to strategize. Now we need to start pushing the envelope.” Quiñones mentioned his teammate Perez in describing the transformative nature of CUPSI. “On the plane ride back, Javier said that before California, he thought this was a hobby, and now it’s something he needs to do for the rest of his life.”
Farmers’ markets make for great seasonal eating When I first started this series of columns, I was not really sure where they would take me. Basically, I just wanted to have an excuse to eat good food and share my thoughts about doing so with all of you. It promised to be a culinary adventure and I would like to think that it was. I learned a lot about the local food scene through these writings. From Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, to Martindale’s Natural Market on the Pike, to Paces Café here on campus, this column gave me the opportunity to explore a variety of local food options. I hope that at least some of what I have written was as helpful to you as it was delicious for me. I knew that I would like my last column to be someAmelia Dornbush thing special, but I had not put much thought into what it would entail. I recently had a dream of trying to talk Swarthmore Locavore my lovely employers at The Phoenix into paying for me to eat at White Dog Café or another super nice (and sadly expensive) restaurant that focused on local food. I figured the column could be about the special moment where you had to take someone out for a nice dinner and happened to have $50.00 fall out of the sky for you to do so. Plausible, I know. Clearly, this plan was not especially well thought out. Therefore, it is perhaps for the best (for the sake of this column and the paper’s budget at least) that this dream did not become a reality. Instead, I got sick. First a cough, then a fever, and then a cold. While this is unfortunate for quite a variety of reasons, for the purposes of this article, the main problem is that I have no appetite. While truly shocking given my attitude towards food, I have only eaten food out of a sense of obligation of my body to do so, rather than from any sense of hunger or pleasure derived from the taste of food. Rather than writing about food, as I normally do, I am going to be discussing the importance of continuing to try to eat local food once you are home over the summer. In many ways, it was my experience with local food from home that prompted me to try to seek it out here. I had volunteered at a local farmers’ market and eaten
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at many restaurants that had local organic food. I am very much looking forward to returning home to eat at all of the things that I grew up eating. However, rather than writing a monologue about all of the wonderful places that Georgia offers, since I imagine that would not be that relevant to most of the campus (if it is relevant to you, please email me), I am instead going to provide resources for people to be able to find local food on their own. First of all, please know that this time of year is probably one of the easiest seasons to find local and organic food. Many farmers’ markets begin operating in late spring. For instance, Swarthmore’s farmers’ market does not open until May 26 this year. If you are looking for local food over the summer, I would suggest first seeing if your state has any umbrella local or organic organization that can highlight places for you. In Georgia, one such organization is Georgia Organics, which has lists of resources for local and organic food that can be quite helpful. Additionally, I recommend using the website http://www.localharvest.org/ as a search database for all types of local food in the United States, such as farmers markets, restaurants, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), and grocery stores all across the country. While I can say that, at least for Atlanta, their list is not 100 percent comprehensive; but it is certainly a very good place to start. If you are interested in seeing what food is seasonal in the area you live, the National Resource Defense Council has a helpful section of their website (http://www. simplesteps.org/eat-local) that enables you to see what foods are currently in season for different states. For instance, I learned that in late April, lettuce, tomatoes and asparagus are in season in Pennsylvania. My other suggestion, which may seem self-evident, is to do a simple Google search of local food in the area in which you live or are going to be in. It is not necessarily the most effective or filtered method, but it is a start. And sometimes, a start is all you need. Well, that’s it. End of this semester’s column. Hope you have enjoyed and can find nice delicious food to chow down on over the summer and for reading week and finals. Happy Eating! Amelia is a first-year. You can reach her at adornb1@swarthmore.edu.
April 26, 2012
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For the first time: understanding your body, comfort level Virginity. The word itself conjures up heteronormative associations of man on woman vaginal penetration and bullshit expectations of proper ladies with freezer-box cold vaginas. Firstly, let me just say that sex is so many things, not just penetration. Virginity is something that is not defined by that one act. It’s like layers of an onion — a layer is peeled off with Vianca Masucci every new sex act achieved Missing Parts — and at the core, a nerdy sex-deprived Swattie is waiting to be freed. It always amuses me how college students love to act like sex is no big deal, when in high school it was, like, the ultimate deal. For most, those anxious feelings do not disappear in a period of one to four years. We are all a little nervous about sex whether it’s our first time or our hundredth time. Leave your worries behind and find some room in your sex-filled mind for this advice: Who’s the right one? There isn’t one — there are many. I hate the idea of “the one.” There are 7 billion people in the world and even more permutations of a satisfying first experience. “Love” is a word that is thrown around a lot when you speak about first times. If you’re in love and you want to lose part of your virginity to the one you love — great! If you are in Paces and you want to lose part of your virginity to the one who loves sweaty grinding — great! Some people find it easier to ‘hit it and quit it’ the first time so that they can leave the experience behind them quickly and move on to bigger and better things. Ain’t no shame in that game. As long as you feel comfortable with the experience that you’re having, the circumstances are irrelevant. Your body You may think that sex can be awkward and let me tell you: hell yeah, that shit can be awkward. Part of the reason for that is the fact that you’re sharing your body with another in a way that you don’t usually share your body. Our body-fascist society has manipulated many of us into hating our bodies so that someone in a big corporation can benefit from our self-consciousness. While totally lame, it’s the reality of the situation. Most people are a little shy about their bodies or parts of their bodies, especially the first time. Remember this for your benefit as well as your partner’s. If you feel a little shy about showing your bod to your partner(s), you always have the option of turning off the light or keeping the lighting low. Candlelight or the light on the hutch of your desk is perfect for creating flattering shadows. I actually look like Reese Witherspoon under the right light. If you feel a little shy about having Neil Armstrong Jr. exploring your moon-base, just move their hands to a place that’s more comfortable for you. Try to relax and enjoy. The more turned on you are, the more comfortable you’ll be. If you notice that your partner is shy about being touched, proceed slowly. Make sure they’re comfortable and find ways to turn them on. If you get their junk juicy enough, they won’t care where you touch them. In the moment When you find yourself facing the loss of a layer of virginity, tell your partner (if they don’t already know) that it’s your first time. It may seem “supa dupa awks” to disclose that information, but it will result in a better sexual experience for both parties. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your partner stupid questions. Your partner didn’t hop out of the womb as an integral sex god with a mission to pound down all the meat mound in the world. They were once or are now virgins, too. We all figure out everything we know about sex through reading, experience and seemingly stupid questions. If your partner acts like a jerk about it being your first time, then leave immediately. You definitely don’t want to have sex with someone who can’t deal with the whole virginity factor and it’s good to know that they can’t. More than anything else, you need someone who is understanding and open to the experience. As for your expectations, lower them. Seriously, low. Thanks to cable TV, there is this perception amongst virgins that the first time will be magical and that sex will bring you to a higher plane of existence. Nope. At 12
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o’clock, your chariot will turn into a pumpkin and you will feel like the same painfully ordinary person you were before you had the sex. Additionally, the mechanics of any type of sex are a little tricky to master on the first go. You may think you were awful the first time or you may not have liked the sex. Give it another try — nothing happens as easily as it does in movies. Your technique and your comfort level will improve with successive encounters.
sensations that should never be associated with good sex. Anyone noticing a trend?
Penetration specifics I know. I’m contradicting myself. Though I do sincerely believe in my nursery rhyme rendition of the definition of virginity, I also realize that first time penetration is one of the trickier first times. So, I’m giving it a little extra attention. For information on other types of sex (outercourse, oral sex, kink, safe sex, etc.), please look through my column archives on the Phoenix website. For those who will be receiving for the first time, please, ignore the horror stories about the first time that your melodramatic friends tell you. If you can deal with the pain of being a Swattie during exam week, a little cherry popping should be more than bearable. The vagina and the anus are elastic orifices (the vagina more so) that can and will accommodate any reasonable penetration tool of choice.
The penis If it’s your first time using your penis for penetration then congratulations. You made it! What makes a lot of penis possessors nervous the first time is the pressure to perform. Just remember, this sex is not about your penis. It’s not even about you. It’s about you and your partner achieving mutual pleasure. One of those fears that those penis possessors have is that they’ll come too quickly. Stimulation as intensive as penetration can do that. If the thought is distracting you, shoot off a practice round. Come once early on through digital manipulation or whatever means you and your partner prefer, and focus on your partner’s pleasure. Once you’ve released yourself from that burden, you’ll be a lot more relaxed and you will be able to focus on the preconceived intent of the sex. Chances are you will get hard again, last longer the second time, and be more calm and therefore, a better lover. Another burden on those penetrating via penis is the process of locating the hole. A 16 year-old-boy nervously asked me “what if I can’t find it”? It’s not the lost city of Atlantis, it’s a hole with a known location. You will eventually find it with some poking around. Also, the prefingering session will make the hole a bit bigger and will help you get familiar with its location. If you’re doing it in the dark or low lights, don’t be afraid to ask you receiver to guide your penis to the damp depths. They most certainly will know where it is.
The vagina and the hymen Most people believe that the hymen is the equivalent to a Vaginal Berlin Wall that will break, cause pain and a crazy rush of blood from the vagina the first time it is penetrated. This is one of those age-old sex myths. The vaginal corona is a crown shaped membrane that covers part of the vaginal entrance. Similar to a crown, the membrane has a hole in the middle from where menstrual blood flows out. Usually, the vaginal corona wears down over time especially due to physical activity or tampons. So, the experience is more like a stretching, not a breaking, which, if done right, results in mild pain and/or bleeding. So, how do you do it right? Firstly, make sure the vagina is lubricated. Preferably with natural lube. This translates to ample foreplay. Salt-n-Pepa’s famous words were “you gotta lick it before we kick it” but, any beforehand play should suffice as long as the pink pit is moist. Start by using one finger, when the receiver feels comfy add more until you can finger bone with three comfortably. Width, not length is the pain factor here as there is a tight ring of muscles concentrated at the opening of your vagina and less the further up you go. If you slowly increase the number of fingers until it’s close to the width of the penetration tool of choice, you’re good. Once you’ve achieved comfortable penetration with the fingers, move on to other penetration tools, if desired. One more point on vaginas The hymen stretching plays a role in discomfort during your first time, yes. But, more often, the first time blues are exponentially worsened by your nerves. When you’re nervous, the muscles in your vagina will tighten which will make penetraca tion difficult and a lot more painful. Just relax — when the lips of your face are smiling, the lips downstairs will be happy too. If the vagina is tense, dry, and you or your partner just jambs a large penetration tool into the vagina without proper preparation, then, yes, it will bleed. It will also be very painful. You will rupture the vaginal corona and cause awful sensations that should never be associated with good sex. Don’t be that couple.
A note for all receivers You may feel the sensation of having to go to the bathroom the first time, either from the front or the back. This is totally normal — the sensation will fade throughout this sexsion or in successive sexsions.
Using other penetration tools Please, make sure that the penetration tool is, as I said, reasonable for this first encounter. I don’t think full sized lava lamp is appropriate...for the first time anyways. For all participants of penetration Read my columns on general penetration and safe sex on The Phoenix website for more detailed instruction. The first time is the beginning of a beautiful (and sometimes downright nasty) thing. Don’t be afraid of it — we’ve all been there or will be there. Even if the first time sucks and is the worse experience of your life, that’s a good thing! It just means that sex will continue to get better with successive sexcapades. Good luck, my virgin minions, and have fun! Vianca is a junior. You can reach her at vmasucc1@ swarthmore.edu.
rtoon by renu nadkarni
Butt-sex The anus contracts when an individual is excited/nervous/any-other-first-time-feeling. For this reason, the booty needs a little more attention. I suggest starting with a nice anal massage to calm some of those first time jitters and applying ample lube. Again, gradually finger the anus until the width of the fingers is almost equal to the width of the penetration tool. As comfort allows, penetrate with the penetration tool. All penetration tools should be secure or designed with a widerbase to avoid … losing anything. Throughout the session, continue to add lube. The anus does not naturally lubricate and will not do the job for you. If the anus is tense or dry, and you or your partner just jambs a large penetration tool up there without proper preparation, yes, it will bleed. It will also be very painful. You will rupture the anal canal and cause awful
April 26, 2012
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Improv workshop brings Comedy Weekend off-stage BY CHI ZHANG czhang1@swarthmore.edu
Who doesn’t like to laugh? Those who went to the April 21 Improv Workshop in Mephistos lounge found a place where they could laugh loudly and create laughter in turn. As a part of Comedy Weekend at the college, the workshop was taught by Russ Armstrong from the Magnet Theatre Company. The Magnet Theater, founded in 2005, is an improvisational comedy theater in New York City that provides not only great comedy shows but also abundant improv training programs. A member of both Boy Meets Tractor and Vertigo-go, Swarthmore’s only sketch comedy group and improvised comedy troupe respectively, Thomas Powers ’13 is also the organizer and programmer for Comedy Weekend, a spring comedy festival where different groups are invited to come to campus and perform or hold workshops. According to Powers, the first Comedy Weekend in Spring 2009 was mainly about “Raising Comedy Awareness,” which conveyed the message of hoping to inject more comedy into Swarthmore through bringing outside groups’ performances and workshops. These activities can enable people to try out many different kinds of comedies, like improv or sketch comedy. The Comedy Weekend was able to bring comedy acts to Swarthmore to perform for the first time at the college. Former member of Vertigo-go Brian Ratcliffe ’11 returned to campus to participate in Comedy Weekend. Ratcliffe believes that “through the many workshops that are offered, students have the rare opportunity to learn directly from these up-and-coming masters of their craft.” This combination of great performances and professional workshops “makes Comedy Weekend a strange and precious thing, indeed,” he said. Many Swarthmore alumni are contributing enormously to the comedy industry. According to Morgan Williams ’14, a member of Vertigo-go, Comedy Weekend enables them to return to Swarthmore and to “’give back’, to teach current students what they’ve learned.” On this past Sunday, Sam Dingman ’04, Neil Dandade ’06, and Morgan Phillips ’96, who were all Vertigo-go members, led a workshop on
“comedy after Swarthmore”, and offered insight into how a student who aspires to go into comedy and improv can find a place in the world. “Acting is storytelling, and stories are what connect us to each other,” Ratcliffe said. Ratcliffe is currently living in Philadelphia and is pursuing a career in theater. He acts in both devised and scripted productions around the city. He is also on a House Team at the Philly Improv Theater. While at Swarthmore he was a member of Vertigo-go for all four years and participated in other dramatic outlets. He acted in productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as Demetrius, “12 Angry Men” as Juror No. 8, and “Metamorphoses” while a member of Senior Company. “As a theater spectator,” he said, “I love that moment when something onstage is able to move or excite me, to strike up a resonance inside me.” While as an actor, he is looking for the moments that can “remind us of our shared humanity.” The workshop this past Saturday especially provided participants insights that can be applied not only to acting in a comedic scenario, but also to create humour out of the little things in life. It consisted of increasingly complicated scenarios. The first scene had participants act as if they had knives which they then pretended to throw — with accompanying sound effects — at their fellow actors. To act these scenarios in the workshop required a lot of careful attention even to very trivial eye contact and body language, as well as delicate cooperation among the players. Russ Armstrong, one of the instructors at The Magnet Theater in New York, led the workshop. In his first time teaching a workshop at Swarthmore College, Russ felt that “college students tend to be a bit less jaded than you can sometimes get with grizzled 10-year vets. And they’re much more at ease with getting weird than some adults.” “I thoroughly enjoyed every single aspect of the workshop, and I found that Russ’s tips and exercises on how to balance multiple-character scenes were the most applicable to the kind of forms that we have been working on this semester,” Williams said. One such scene concluded the workshop, the “worst best-friends game.” In the scenario, two people acted as the eponymous best-friends, who visited a third person’s house, hoping to comfort their friend who is in low spir-
its. However, the two friends are constantly distracted while attempting to offer suggestions on how to feel better, eventually forgetting about their friend altogether. “This helped us learn how to make two characters work towards a common goal, while maintaining a thematic relationship between themselves,” Williams said. The game indicated a way to homogenize not just the personalities of the characters, but also “the objectives and habits of the friends in the scene,” he added. Ratcliffe also participated in the workshop. His favorite game was “Peas In A Pod,” in which players mirror what his or her scene partner is doing. In addition to being extremely hilarious, Ratcliffe also thinks that “this delightful humor of those scenes arose effortlessly, without much straining on the part of the players to be creative or funny.” In this workshop, Powers especially appreciates how the participants were able to create their characters “from a tiny suggestion, and then let them go and see what kind of other quirks or traits we pick up with them.” He also mentioned, “I enjoyed one of the Mamet Speaks exercises when we were sitting in chairs together and creating the same character with the same universal gesture/sound.” The Mamet Speaks exercise is in reference to David Mamet, a well-known American playright. Mamet’s characters usually interrupt one another, their sentences trail off and their dialogue always overlaps. Theater, for Williams, is magic. “It is tricking people into believing something, and taking that belief on a roller coaster ride,” he said. Comedy possesses a very similar magic for him. Sometimes, he makes people laugh at something that they never thought they would laugh at before. “You’re changing their precepts and stigmas, and you’re doing just a little bit to break down norms and turn the world a degree off its axis,” he said. Powers believed acting and the comedy groups make him feels like “a chance for a bunch of people who are overworked and under-slept to forget about their final paper, or their lab report and try to have fun during practices and forget all that other stuff.” “Swarthmore has great comedy talent, and that talent deserves to be featured and shared from time to time,” Williams said.
‘Cabin in the Woods’ is short on screams, not on smarts One certainly cannot find fault in lack of ambition in “Cabin in the Woods,” directed and written by Drew Goddard with producer, co-writer, Nate Blum and cult faMovies Now! vorite Joss Whedon. It attempts not to be a horror movie, but to be all horror movies. The film, ripe with meta-reflexivity and genresavviness, pits two tried and true generic conceits against each other in order to disentangle the filmic codes of the horror genre. Though it fails to truly deliver on the scares, “Cabin in the Woods” is a near exhaustive commentary on horror movies, and for a film explicitly constructed of clichés and stereotypes, will most likely prove to be one of the most original films of the year. “Cabin in the Woods” opens with two seemingly disparate story-lines that quickly converge in surprising and not-so-surprising ways. The film opens with banter between two government types (Richard Jenkins and Henry Whitford) in a hightech, and presumably secret, facility. They are planning for some global event. Simultaneously five college students embark on a weekend trip to, well, a cabin in the woods. Of course, these characters all fit very neatly into stereotypes. We have Curt the jock (Chris Hemsworth), Jules “the slut” (Anna Hutchison), Holden the brain (Jesse Williams), Marty the stoner (Fran Kranz) and
finally Dana the requisite virgin (Kristen Connolly). Thus, the quintessential sciencefiction horror opening meets the quintessential slasher opening. Very quickly these two story-lines converge into what can be called a slasher movie conspiracy. “Cabin in the Woods” assumes a certain knowledge by the audience of the codes of the horror genre. Not only are any and all horror movie clichés, stereotypes and conventions obviously deployed, they are also quickly and repeatedly subverted. This is a horror movie about horror movies. To accomplish this, the film is incredibly invested in watching and voyeurism. When the kids first make it to the cabin, Holden notices that his room has a two-way mirror looking into Dana’s room. As she begins to undress, Holden (reluctantly) bangs on the wall to stop her. Later on, when Jules undresses revealing her breasts, the government men, who (spoiler alert) are surveilling the kids in the cabin, say “nice” to each other after seeing some skin. The film presents two modes of horror movie audience-ship. On the one hand, we have the compassionate viewer, who watches with sympathy for the victims’ plight. On the other, we have the coolly detached viewer, who is honest about the voyeuristic pleasure of the camera’s gaze. While “Cabin in the Woods” is by no means the first horror film to tackle the voyeuristic nature of the genre, it is perhaps the most complex exploration of this idea. Just think of the layers in the first example above. Holden watches Dana, and himself is watched by the g-men, who are in turn watched by us the audience members. Every mode of voyeurism collapses into one moment quite brilliantly. “Cabin in the Woods” definitely adds its own flavor to the well-established horror-fan-as-sadistic-voyeur idea. Yet, not all of “Cabin in the Woods’’” subversions of the horror genre work as
successfully. Perhaps the problem is not that the film attempts to subvert horror clichés or codes. Rather, the film attempts to subvert the entire (and nebulous) horror genre in one fell swoop. Ambitious as this attempt may be, it was doomed to fail from the beginning. “Cabin in the Woods” meticulously, almost obsessively, deconstructs every horror trope as it happens in the film. What this amounts to is an exhaustive commentary on how horror movies work, which is admittedly impressive in its own right. However, this leaves no room Cou rtesy of meda.t to tackle why itanboo ks.com horror works. What are the underlying societal fears that inform horror films? What are the consequences of the voyeurism of horror films? While the film is quick to point out the stark differences between “zombies” and a “zombie hillbilly torture family,” it fails to address the critique of consumerism that underpins zombies or the urban fear of a uncivilized rural oth er, which the second monster seems to imply. This seems like a huge missed opportunity, especially considering how erudite the writers are when it comes to horror. In other words, “Cabin in the Woods” describes well the filmic elements of horror, but fails entirely to address the important human elements of horror. Which leads to the question of horror itself. Is “Cabin in the Woods” scary? Decid-
THE PHOENIX April 26, 2012
edly no, and how could it be? Fear comes from the unknown. So when a film metareflexively points to and deconstructs every scene, audience fear never has a chance to build. This is not to say that the film lacks gore. There is enough blood and death for several slasher movies. Instead, the viewer is trapped in the detached viewing mode of the g-men, and the film does not allow the compassionate viewing mode. No sympathy? No horror. The “Scream” series proved that a film can both comment on horror as a genre and be truly terrifying. The lesson to be learned from them is that sometimes a horror movie just needs to be a horror movie. Yes, it is fun to point out the generic codes that lead us to fear, but it is equally fun to invest in those codes unreflexively and get a genuine fright. All of this is not to say that “Cabin in the Woods” is a bad movie. Despite some missteps, it holds up as a thoughtful and wellmade film. Its problem is over-ambition. It tries to do too much, and in doing so somewhat fails to be what it set out to be, a horror movie. At the same time, I love to see the kind of ambitious and risk-taking filmmaking that “Cabin in the Woods” shows. It might not be particularly scary, but “Cabin in the Woods” is well worth the time of any horror fan, and movie fans in general. Nate is a junior. You can reach him at nblum1@swarthmore.edu.
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Swat Style Snapshot Tim Kwilos ’13 Economics and Psychology Randolph, New Jersey Matt Lamb ’12 Political Science and Economics Malibu, California Rory McTear ’13 Political Science Marlton, New Jersey Zach Weiner ’12 Honors Economics Baltimore, Maryland
What They’re Wearing:
Trendsetters and aficionados of fashion, Lamb, McTear, Kwilos and Weiner model Hawaiian shirts every Friday as a ritual of sorts. Their shirts, although sharing a common Hawaiian theme, feature a diverse range of prints, including palm trees, hibiscus flowers and tropical fruit. Weiner and McTear have preferred wearing shirts with vibrant, eye-catching pigments whereas Lamb and Kwilos are partial to subdued hues, bringing the collective aesthetic to a color balance. The students, all baseball players and Delta Upsilon brothers, procured the shirts at Goodwill, an exclusive highfashion boutique. According to McTear, their shirts were destined to become part of their wardrobe. “You don’t find the Hawaiian shirt. It finds you,” he said.
A Grassroots Wellness Initiative:
Fridays see the students displaying their Hawaiian shirts to transition from a long, stressful week to a relaxing weekend. Through wearing Hawaiian shirts, the students are easily mistaken for simply expressing exceptional style. However, their actions are much more nuanced, as their objective is to exude good vibes in an effort to relax the campus atmosphere. Hawaiian Shirt Friday symbolizes a movement to bring an island lifestyle and the Hawaiian shirt aesthetic to the suburban campus of Swarthmore College. For McTear, the altruistic wearing of Hawaiian shirts on Friday and expressing positivity is akin to serving the school community. “We really don’t dress for ourselves on Fridays, we dress for others,” he said. The students find a sense of satisfaction in the collective effort to positively impact their peers. Kwilos, an economics major, notes the positive externalities of wearing Hawaiian shirts, which fits with Swarthmore College’s Wellness Initiative. “We just see people’s faces light up,” he said. For Lamb, wearing Hawaiian shirts strengthens students’ social relations by transcending class and social differences. “You can be a highclass individual, or a lowly beach bum but you’re coming together over a Hawaiian shirt and a laid-back atmosphere and attitude,” he said.
Hawaiian Shirt Friday
The Art of Complementing the Hawaii style:
Although the Hawaiian shirt acts as a symbol of solidarity, it also allows Lamb, McTear, Kwilos and Weiner to express their individuality. In order to keep the Hawaiian shirt as the visual focal point, the students must navigate other elements of their outfits carefully, striking a precarious balance between enhancing but not overshadowing their shirts. Weiner, a self-proclaimed fashionista, accompanies a shirt with his signature look of sweatpants and white undershirt. “I like wearing a shirt underneath so I can have a distinction between where my neck hair ends and chest hair starts,” said Weiner. McTear on the other hand, styles his shoes with a chic pair of sneakers from an up-and-coming brand, Sperry’s, and a pair of jeans from American Eagle, a purveyor of denim which McTear describes as “a really hipster type place.” In a bid to capture the essence of a beach bum, Lamb pairs his shirt with Vans, exuding a laid-back Southern Californian look. Lamb often hankers for a luau on Parrish beach. “Sometimes I wear a swimsuit underneath my jeans so I can have the whole feel of being at the beach,” he said.
The Friday Morning Ritual:
Hawaiian Shirt Friday holds different meanings for each of the students, who each pay homage to the movement each Friday morning through unique dressing rituals. McTear prefers to leave two or three buttons unfastened in order to exhibit his chest hair. “It’s really a turn-on for a lot of people,” he said. For Lamb, dressing on Friday mornings is about “throwing it on” in keeping with the integrity of the laid-back island attitude. On Friday mornings Kwilos will raid through his pile of clothes, either in his drawers or on his floor to find his Hawaiian shirt. Like Lamb, Kwilos throws on his shirt in order to celebrate the end of a school week. For Weiner, participation in this ritual practice acts as a transcendental experience, transporting him to a state of enhanced cerebral performance. “I’m in a better mental state to learn when I’m wearing this shirt,” he said.
Joining the Cultural Movement:
The students are attempting to actively recruit other students to join the dissemination of a relaxed island culture at Swarthmore College. “But not too actively, we’re relying on the vibes,” Kwilos said, who describes the Hawaiian Shirt Friday faction as “all-inclusive.” They perceive the responses to their Hawaiian shirts as somewhat well-received. “[Other students] are definitely smiling with us, not at us,” Lamb said. Lamb, Student Council Co-President, is hopeful that an island culture will catch on at Swarthmore. “This is a call to the student body to don your Hawaiian shirt and embrace the lifestyle, island flavor and love,” he said. Do you think you (or a professor) have great style? Then submit a photo of you in your best outfit to sjeong1@swarthmore.edu. Please include your name and contact information. PHOTOS & TEXT BY SERA JEONG
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April 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Living & Arts
swarthmorephoenix.com
Swat in Summary: the challenge of defining our values One of the most admirable aspects of the final Strategic Directions document is its emphasis on core values and Swarthmore’s culture. The Strategic Plan bases its concrete recommendations on an identification of Swat’s core values in Rebecca Chopp’s words: “Our singular commitment to academic rigor and creativity, our desire to provide Steven Hazel access and opportunity for all students, regardSwat in Sync less of their financial circumstances, our diverse and vibrant community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and our conviction that applied knowledge should be used to improve the world.” These values can be further distilled into two essential characteristics of the Swarthmore “brand”: intellectual rigor and commitment to far-reaching social action. This is a view echoed by many prospective students, who often choose Swarthmore because they believe they cannot find a similar environment elsewhere. Many college presidents and deans use the term “campus culture” to describe this environment, created by the clash of new students’ expectations with the reality of their experience. The administration does not have a monopoly on the creation and change of campus culture. In fact, given their rhetoric about striving for a strategic plan pursuant to the values of that culture, they may see themselves as public servants pursuing those values. For the past semester, this column has questioned many of the decisions in the strategic plan, particularly the decisions that seem to ignore student services and benefits that are provided at many of our peer institutions. How-
ever, these decisions are made with the tacit and sometimes active consent of the Swarthmore student body. Although the Strategic Plan was discussed and written by a panel made up mostly of faculty members and staff rather than students, Swarthmore’s culture in the long term is determined by its students and our choices. Previous writers have commented on our culture of stress and complaining — The Phoenix’s Apr. 19 cover story discussed Swarthmore as a highly-pressurized environment. This culture extends beyond emphasizing and perhaps even requiring academic stress. Ironically, despite our commendable focus on activism and idealism in our community, Swatties’ attention seems much more focused on improving the world outside Swarthmore than improving the quality of life of those inside of it. Of course, the easy answer to this challenge is that everyone who attends Swarthmore is privileged in a way that means that we owe the rest of the world service rather than selfishly campaigning for a better dining hall or campus amenities. It seems unconscionable and even arrogant to argue that improving our own lives is more important than improving those of the less fortunate. This is a false dichotomy. No one needs to choose between volunteering in Chester and having a healthier campus culture. Most of the time, decisions such as those in the Strategic Plan require the re-allocation of funds from one building project or institution to another, but do not require enormous amounts of student time to make their voices heard. One of the best aspects of having a small community is that consensus building and voting can be done quickly and effectively. How long would it take to get everyone on campus to vote on the need for a new student center, for example? Such a project could probably be accomplished in a few days with an online poll. Obviously, not every decision can be made via online poll, but if polls were phrased fairly and the options presented were financially equal, many parts of the plan could be submitted to non-binding polls to help planners guide their decisions.
Both the administration and the student body as a whole bear some blame for the less savory aspects of campus culture and student life, from the constant complaining about workload to the lack of decent athletic facilities. The administration could and should seek more student feedback that takes place outside of committees which are formed and then seem to never be heard from again. For example, the administration could establish an online poll on mySwarthmore, sponsor lively debates on aspects of the Strategic Plan, and move away from a decision-making process that seems to allow many people to enter discussions but few to be part of the final decision making process. On the other hand, students who complain about Swarthmore should recognize that our belief in the power of individual social action outside the bubble should be paralleled by a belief in that power inside it as well. It is difficult for me to think of any substantive on-campus changes enacted by the Student Council or various committee heads, although that may well be my own ignorance. If campus leaders are pushing forward changes that support student life, then they might be well served by making these changes more visible, so that other students are encouraged in their own efforts at on-campus change. Students should also recognize that in a small community, if they dislike aspects of their community, they both have a duty to act and the power for that action to matter. At Swarthmore, a simple letter to a dean or the President might make a real difference. I began this column by citing W.H. Auden, who taught for four years at Swarthmore in the 1940s and who wrote an article in the 1944 Phoenix entitled “Student Government – or Bombs?,” which argued that “there must always be two classes, the governors and the governed, who can never be friends.” Sixty years later, I would argue that this idea is wrong. Rather, administrators must get to know the true complaints and criticisms of students, while students in turn must trust that if they advise, administrators will listen. Steven is a sophomore. You can reach him at shazel1@ swarthmore.edu.
LIVING IN BRIEF
Student performers rock IC courtyard with soul The vocals, instrumentals and comedic styling drifting from the Intercultural Center’s courtyard last Friday night drew wandering passersby to spend the evening with “Cecily and Friends,” an event featuring the vocal talents of Cecily Bumbray ’12. While not the large-scale, full-band farewell to Swarthmore that Bumbray had originally envisioned, the performance nonetheless drew an audience eager to hear her perform old favorites, including coves of “Someone Like You” and “Crazy for You,” in the company of close friends and fellow artists. Bumbray, who has been involved in multiple vocal groups on campus during her time at Swarthmore, is a presence both at local functions and colleges across the region. She has sung at charity events and open mics, and plans on pursuing a career in music after graduation. Currently in the works is a single titled “Too Much” that she hopes to release in August. “I’d always heard Cecily practicing around the dorm, since she lives on my hall, and I wanted to hear her perform live,” Jason Heo ’15 said after the concert. “I was taken aback by how talented she was. I think she’s talented enough to be successful in the future, but I also know she works really hard at it, so I think her drive will lead to good things for her.” Bookending her two abbreviated
sets were joint performances by Chele Harrington ’12, semi-finalist on “The Glee Project,” and Daniel Eisler ’15, and Anthony Montalbanoa ’12 and Sean Bryant ’13; poetry readings by Ian Anderson ’13 and Haydil Henriquez ’14; rapping by Steve McFarland ’15; and an improv comedy sketch by Christina Obiajulu ’12. When she wasn’t singing, Bumbray was kept busy monitoring the fickle lighting, which shut off intermittently throughout the performance. Stuck in traffic while en route to Swarthmore, Bumbray had to forgo vocal warm-ups to help set up in the courtyard before the show; however, despite the stress leading up to the event, she thought the concert “went really well … people enjoyed themselves, and that’s what matters.” Bumbray noted that while Swarthmore has a lot of talented artists, there aren’t frequent opportunities to showcase individual musical passion on campus. This, in part, fueled her motivation to organize a show before graduating. “I was talking to one of my friends … who was saying that artists on campus don’t connect and collaborate often enough, and I totally agree. Because we’re Swatties we say, ‘Oh, I have a paper to write, I don’t have time,’ but if you don’t make time for your artistry you’re limiting yourself, you’re sti-
THE PHOENIX
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Cecily Bumbray and Friends performed last Friday at the Intercultural Center Courtyard.
fling yourself,” Bumbray said. “There’s a lot of really talented people here … and we need more opportunities on campus for people to perform.” To learn more about Cecily’s music or follow her progress after gradua-
April 26, 2012
tion, visit her website at cecilymusic. com, her YouTube page “CecilyMusic,” or find her on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter.
BY ALLISON SHULTES
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Living & Arts
swarthmorephoenix.com
ABLLE No Class Party Olde Club Fri, April 27th 10 P.M. - 2 A.M.
Student Dance Concert Fri. April 27 & sat. april 28 Pearson-Hall Theatre 8 p.m.
editor’s picks
By Brad Lenox Night of Scenes 2: Wilde/Cinderella Sat. April 28 and Sun. April 29 8 P.M.
Frear Ensemble Theater
Oil Paintings at Kitao Thursday, April 26, 5 P.M. Featuring: Halleh Balch, Elizabeth Cozart, Philip Koonce, and Elena Ruyter
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April 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Opinions
swarthmorephoenix.com
Staff Editorial
Game Change 2012: our stakes in the upcoming election As we plod through the Republican primaries and steadily approach the 2012 presidential election, several key issues continue not only to plague our collective conscience, but also to stifle any hope for complete progress. The political arena has responded garishly, with rampant partisanship demonstrated by a gridlocked Congress on issues from taxes to Social Security. These persistent ideological divides have thus set the public sector on a path riddled with polar perceptions amidst a bleak social environment. More than half of America’s recent college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed; Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of reproductive health care services in this country, is facing moral and political attacks from all sides; and the legalization of same-sex marriage, the tragic instances of racial violence and the enduring debate over immigration are still part of our national awareness. At the point where unemployment, health care, gay rights and racial discrimination all constitute a perpetual and immediate web of contentious concerns, the consideration of who our next Commander-in-Chief will be is a vital one. With Rick Santorum’s recent withdrawal from the primaries, Mitt Romney looking to be the likely party nominee, and with the general election only months away, these decisive issues will surely frame the public’s political discourse. This means one very obvious, very important and very consequential thing: women, minorities and college students will be greatly implicated in whatever ends up happening this November. Since a substantially large portion of either candidate’s voter base represents all three demographics, questions about the condition of the economy, the politicization of the female body and the plight of marginalized groups are not only relevant, but also requisite. Moreover, with ensuing debates over LGBT rights, another segment of the population will be necessarily affected by the anticipated political contest between Romney and Obama. Highlighting greater anxieties about the environment, equality and the economy, the upcoming election will perhaps be just as monumental as 2008’s. Like the race between President Obama and Senator John McCain the inevitable choice between Obama and Romney will be an inherent game changer — if Obama wins, his intended course in resolving the issues of his time must not only be more impassioned, but also more exhaustive, proving to voters along both party lines that his second term will see even more historic reform. If Romney wins, the American political, social and economic spheres will see an acute transmutation in all regards. So where does that leave women, minorities and college students — this election’s critical voting base? In a perfect world, it means increased social movements on behalf of an earnest and informed public, particularly among young people; it means an unconditional exercise in participatory democracy. As the assured inheritors of whatever policies either candidate passes, our stake in the upcoming election is considerable. Now is when apathetic politics are unacceptable. Now is when our voice — our vote — is most imperative. Now is the time.
Emma Waitzman The Phoenix
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Courtesy of thedailybeast.com
THE PHOENIX
April 26, 2012
13
Opinions
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Unbudgeted leadership in the United States Senate
Depending on your political beat, Congressman Paul Ryan is either a neatly-combed, responsible Midwesterner with some budgetary bravery, or an entitlement-slashing, Ayn Rand-worshiping fiend disguised as a harmless congressional geek. Jekyll and Hyde have apparently arrived on the House floor. I, for one, back the Ryan Danielle Charette Budget because it attempts to simplify our tax code, The Nascent Neoliberal answers the call to rein in Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security costs, and is the largest debt-reduction bill ever put forth in Congress. At the same time, it preserves the basic social safety net, and contrary to last November’s nowinfamous New York ads, does not wheel grannie over an Adirondack peak. Individuals over 55 will not see their retirement plans adversely affected, and the rest of us probably doubted the perpetuity of Medicare and Social Security anyway and are thankful to spy a Plan B. Of course, not everyone’s a fan of Ryan’s Wisconsin grin. Paul Krugman has labeled Ryan’s budget a version of raw “pink slime” and “the most fraudulent in American history,” while dubbing Ryan himself the “flimflam man.” I guess there’s nothing like a budget to bring out the worst of the bullies in the Washington playground. However, an under-raised question on the Hill is, where is the Senate’s budget? Where is the well-cooked beef to counter Ryan’s “pink slime”? This week marks three years since the Senate Democrats passed a budget. Deroy Murdock points out that this “Era of the Absent Budget” has been longer than the production of “Gone with the Wind”, the construction of the Empire State Building and the War of 1812. The last time the Senate passed a budget was before I landed at Swarthmore. I was probably sitting in homeroom conjugating Latin verbs, and that sure feels like a long time past. Such a prolonged hiatus directly violates the 1974
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, yet Majority Leader Harry Reid’s insistence on avoiding a politically dangerous vote has been largely successful. There’s nothing like budget-speak to put the populist masses to sleep. President Obama’s own proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 met with instant death on Capitol Hill because of its reckless disregard for the deficit, huge tax hikes and a pass on mounting entitlements. A Senate alternative would put Democrats on record as either supporting the President’s dreamy budget or lining up behind the less-than-glamorous stats that define Ryan’s recommendation. Meanwhile, Paul Ryan makes for a shiny object of scorn in the press, and the President campaigns against a Trumanesque “Do-Nothing Congress.” With Congress showcasing an approval-rating lower than the likes of Stalin and O.J. Simpson, it’s been fairly easy for the White House to cast the dysfunction as Republican-induced, all while Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad quietly slips out the back door. Dishonestly, some claim the lack of a budget is thanks to the threat of a Republican filibuster. Yet a budget just needs a simple majority. Given their slight numerical edge, Dems could propose and pass a budget at any time. Sen. Conrad now says it’s too messy to pass a budget in an election year. Yet 2010 and 2011 didn’t bear budgets either. Technically, there’s no defined penalty for lawmakers who refuse to bring about a budget, although the absence of a plan has most certainly intensified America’s fiscal problems, since there’s no roadmap for addressing the spiraling deficit. Yes, it’s true that last summer’s debt-ceiling duel — which Sen. Conrad keeps trumpeting as the more official-sounding “Budget Control Act” — does give an inkling as to handling some federal expenditures. But the deal offered no insight on Social Security, Medicare, or the paying of interest on the national debt. It was incomplete at best, as almost everyone who followed that disappointing showdown knows. Even Sen. Conrad must be feeling a little sheepish. A few weeks ago, he temporarily caved and announced he’d force his committee to “mark up” a “10 year plan.” Sensing Conrad was tiptoeing dangerously close to what laymen call a budget, Reid urged him to backtrack, and
Courtesy of visiontoamerica.org
Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin holds The Path to Prosperty, the Republican Party’s long-term budget proposal, which he introduced in opposition to Obama’s plan. no details have seeped their way out of committee. Sure, the drawn-out GOP primary has led to all sorts of Republican infighting and embarrassing yapping in the media, but the scarier sound may be behind Reid’s Senate doors: silence. Danielle is a sophomore. You can reach her at dcharet1@swarthmore.edu.
Africa: with its potential for growth, the next India?
Harshil Sahai Conservatively Liberal Economics
W h a t is the first thing that comes to mind with the word “Africa”? Poverty? Political unrest? Corruption? Conflict? H u m a n trafficking? Despotism? How about natural resources, economic potential
and a future metropolis? Indeed, Africa’s global impression has been of oppression and governmental imbalance. The most recent articles in the New York Times, The Economist and Newsweek have discussed the struggles African nations are going through to establish basic governance. However, I do recall a time period when China, India and Japan were all viewed in the similar vein of corruption, instability and political barriers. Few predicted the immense growth of these three nations, and chose to ignore their distinct competitive advantages. China had the world’s largest workforce, India was a close second and Japan was able to expand through innovation. So what is Africa’s competitive advan-
tage? The short answer is natural resources. Africa has a large quantity of natural resources including oil, ivory, diamonds, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum and also woods and tropical fruits. However, a vast majority of such resources are untapped and without use. Likewise, before the industrial revolution, there was no use for such a large workforce in China, nor was there the infrastructure to train such workers. Now, technology, clothing, manufacturing and other industries from around the world rely on such labor to cheaply assemble and import their products. Likewise, globalization and industrialization have allowed many of Africa’s resources to aggrandize in value — meaning, there are millions of dollars for Africa to consume hidden below the ground. This is a well-known fact, at least for the majority of educated individuals. Why then is such wealth not harnessed? For one, the political infrastructure of many resource-heavy nations prevents development and growth of such industries. It is often very difficult to establish a business of mining and gathering natural resources when there is no formal method of purchasing land, hiring workers, developing roads, etc. (not to mention conflict). Secondly, many attempts at gathering resources have already been made by foreign nations, but only to suffer adverse effects on Africa. Multinational corporations and developed nations have often forgone their jurisdictions to gather African resources. Through parsing of African land, they have often created conflict;
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further, any profits incurred from exported resources were sent oversees, leaving little benefit to Africa. The political environment of Africa makes it difficult for the continent to selfsustain these natural resource industries. Here is where foreign entities with stronger infrastructure that recognize the potential come in. However, these international firms reap all the profits and leave Africa stripped of its own resources. So what’s the solution? Private enterprise. Slowly but surely, Africa has started adapting to such changes and embracing globalization. Private enterprises have grown immensely, not only in wealthier South Africa and Tunisia, but also in many politically-inept sub-Saharan regions. I believe that this growth of private enterprise in African nations is the key to harnessing the largely untouched expanse of natural resources. In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, it is often difficult to see someone who does not own a cellular phone. Taxi drivers who make less than five thousand dollars per year always have a cell phone by their sides to communicate with their family, friends and employers. Restaurant waiters, who make even less, text their friends after work to meet up for food in a nearby night market. Government-owned telephone efforts were inefficient, expensive and of poor quality, but through recognizing a demand for the convenience, many private enterprises took up the business and now provide service and cell phones to the entire city of Nairobi. Other busi-
April 26, 2012
nesses such as IT, tourism, taxi and banking have expanded in city centers across sub-Saharan Africa. A walk through downtown Lagos in Nigeria is now met with office buildings and local enterprises, rather than preconceived notions of vast poverty and lack of infrastructure. This growth of local privatized industries has started showing signs of success, and even further, a slow, but steady, growth of the economy. To Africa’s avail, many foreign investment firms have started to notice the potential of these local enterprises. Today, over $50 billion is invested from around the world to African companies, stock exchanges, microcredit organizations and commodities — one of the largest increases in foreign investment since that of the South Asian subcontinent. It is no surprise that many investors are looking to Africa as the next India. With foreign backing, African firms now have the financial ability to expand. Moreover, such overseas investment in sub-Saharan private enterprise allows Africa to reap benefits from its own resources, while acquiring financial infrastructure from abroad. Making the jump from the IT, cellular and banking industry (which is largely domestic) to the acquisition and export of natural resources is a bit daunting. However, with support, instead of intrusion, from overseas, and a growing economy, it is not difficult to envision Africa coming close to the likes of China, Japan and India. Harshil is a first-year. You can reach him at hsahai1@swarthmore.edu.
THE PHOENIX
Student Council Platforms
swarthmorephoenix.com
MEET the candidates
Below are the platforms for the Fall 2012 Student Council elections. The open positions are: co-president, campus life representative, educational policy representative, and student groups advisor. All platforms are also available on www.swarthmorephoenix.com. Tomorrow is the last day to vote. Voting will take place in Sharples from 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., and Essie Mae’s from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
For co-president:
Daniel Cho ’13
Hello-My name is Daniel Cho ’13 and I would love to become your next Student Council Co-President. Over the past three years, I have had the opportunity to serve as a Resident Assistant, Student Representative on Council on Education Policy, and the President of the Lang Center sponsored Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia (SREHUP). These three different leadership experiences have uniquely informed myself in the ways in which I see the pluses and negatives of the Swarthmore experience. The following two (but not limited to) proposals are thoughts about how we can improve campus life via Student Council leadership.
Proposals: Spring Festival: Building a greater sense of community on campus Even though I haven’t had the opportunity to work extensively with the IC/BCC coalition, the goal of an overarching organizational structure to unify different groups on campus resonates strongly with my own. Group leaders from organizations like SAO, Enlace, and others are brought together through the coalition to work towards a collective cause: building a community at Swarthmore that will both appreciate and understand the diversity of the study body. As Co-President, I wish to define Student Council’s identity with the IC/BCC structural philosophy in mind. Specifically, I hope to organize opportunities and spaces to build a greater sense of community on campus. We begin the year with the Activities Fair, which celebrates the wide range of interests on campus, and I believe we should end on a similar note. In order to address the lack of campus events that are focused on community-building, I would propose organizing a student festival in the spring semester. The essence of the event is “the campus throwing a party for the campus.” The gala relies upon a wide range of campus groups to lead the event, which broadens the scope from an individual group to the entire student body. Student Council would handle the funding and logistics, while different student groups would have the opportunity to assume other party-specific responsibilities. Some have likened this proposal to a “Students’ Day” celebration. In the last two weeks, I have had the chance to talk to the following group leaders/members who have expressed interest (noncommittal) in taking part in this event: I-20 SAO HAN QSA SQU SCF WRC MECS E-Club WSRN Enlace Phi Psi Grapevine The Phoenix Delta-Upsilon Baseball Team Rhythm n Motion Men’s Lacrosse Team Peaslee Debate Society Men’s/Women’s Swim Team Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia And, last but not least, Student Council Co-President Gabby Capone, Matt Lamb, and Campus Life Representative Sean Bryant. From these conversations, I am confident that we will be able to identify meaningful ways each student group/team on campus could contribute to the festival and that there is enough interest across different organizations to bring this event to life. As a result, I believe that this specific proposal is a reasonable goal to pursue in hopes of improving campus life and student group relations. Creating a Swarthmore Education Forum Presently, there is not a clear forum for Swarthmore students to articulate their thoughts and concerns about their individual academic experiences. Even though Student Council has deemed the area of Educational Policy important enough to create a position for it, assessing the student body’s academic needs and demands has remained a challenge. I believe that this is a concern also shared by student representatives of the Council on Educational Policy and those on the Curriculum as well. This difficulty is a big concern because current student representatives (unable to access a greater net of student experiences) cannot represent more than their thoughts and the experiences of their immediate peers. Concurrently, the old (created by Eric Zwick ’07) and the new class rec books (“Disguide”) have become inaccessible to the student body.Both were online databases that compiled course reviews for students to use as another resource (in addition to SAMs and word of mouth) when selecting their classes. And without a doubt, it was a helpful guide.
For those unfamiliar with the class rec book, imagine a Swarthmore profile of “RateMyProfessor” full of reviews, maintained internally, and tailored exclusively to the Swarthmore student body. The class rec book was originally created by members of the Student Council and the Swarthmore College Computer Society for the student body. Therefore, I believe providing this resource is an imperative responsibility of the Student Council. If academics are one of the defining experiences of a Swattie, we need to ensure that the student body has the ability to make an informed decision when selecting courses. My question to you: Do you ever feel like you have enough feedback on classes during registration? My second proposal is to revive the class rec book and expand it into a general education forum moderated by Student Council. This forum could include departmental reviews, advice about the Honors System, and a space for students interested in a particular interdisciplinary program to voice their needs and demands. Once the class rec book is back running (I have contacted Student Council and Mark Serrano ‘13 to potentially head this project next semester). Based on the performance of the old class rec book, I anticipate this new forum to have a significant user base based solely on its primary function. Because the class rec book already draws the attention of a significant portion of the student body, it could easily be expanded into a larger discussion space. By consolidating a diverse array of topics related to the student academic experience at Swarthmore to one location, I believe that student voices about the academic experience here can be far better represented and actualized by student representatives. Conclusion: If elected, I will ensure that Student Council is conscious of its leadership position and encourage it to build a stronger community on campus. My hope is that as Co-President, I can actively seek out your ideas and solutions for campus concerns even beyond these two proposals. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, suggestions or thoughts please e-mail me (dcho1). I’d be more than happy to reply.
Victor Brady ’13 Hey Swat! My name is Victor Brady ’13, and I would love to be your Student Council Co-President. Having nearly reached the end of my third incredible year here at Swarthmore, I am eager to give back to this community by serving on Student Council. As Co-President, I will work to ensure not just the relevance of Student Council, but more importantly, of your individual and collective ideas, opinions and concerns in enriching this community. The recent student councils have made important progress in increasing the transparency of decision-making at Swarthmore through fireside chats and open dialogues. But I believe that transparency extends beyond the creation of forums, some quickly forgotten, for discussing ideas and decisions. Transparency must be increased not just in the interaction between administrators and students but also amongst students and between clubs, organizations and committees. I will extend transparency into action not just to represent student concerns in administrative decisions but also to increase collaboration among organizations and committees with similar missions and to increase the accessibility of student activity funding. Swarthmore has remarkable financial resources for organizing activities but too often, these resources are hidden in an intricate web of committees, forums, and administrative or departmental offices. No student should miss out on these resources because they are unable to untangle an overly complicated financial network. In addition to working with our Student Budget and Activities Committees to streamline the funding process, I will create a map of all of Swarthmore’s sources of funding to increase the transparency of and accessibility to those funds. Part of the mapping process will be an evaluation of all of our current clubs, organizations and committees to determine where there exists overlap in mission or activities. By putting these groups in contact with one another, we can create greater collaborative projects and reduce redundancy in funding. Too often, events that occur on campus overlap and conflict with one another not due to poor planning but due to a lack of an easily accessible and user-friendly calendar when planning events weeks or even months in advance. Swarthmore should have an easily-accessible community event calendar through which all activities, student-run, administrative-run, even arboretum-run, are entered. Our current campus calendar leaves much to be desired in comparison to our peer institutions and I will work to create an improved system so that unnecessary and unintentional conflicts can be avoided. While I laud the current student council’s use of open discussion to increase dialogue about important issues within our community, I believe that the current model of discussion must be adapted to ensure greater student voice. These dialogues often face great time constraints and so they should take on a more town-hall-meeting design that emphasizes student concern rather than background information or even responses from administrators or student council. Open discussions provide a unique opportunity for students to have their opinions publicly heard by administrators and your student council and so student input should be maximized. Through this new model, background information on an open-discussion topic will be delivered through student publications or hard copy prior to a dialogue and the responses to student ideas will be delivered similarly after the discussion is completed. When a substantial portion of open discussions are lost to opening statements or the reiteration of current policy, the discussions lose their effectiveness as public forums for student input. Several of my experiences at Swarthmore will help me continued on 16... effective serve as Co-President. When I served on ...
THE PHOENIX April 26, 2012
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Student Council Platforms continued from 15...
student council as a student life representative in 2011, I initiated the Small-Steps campaign to address and alleviate small points of contention on campus. That campaign has been a tremendous success. Class-registration has been adjusted so that the MySwarthmore system no longer freezes at midnight when the servers are overloaded by students logging into to pre-register. Mealequivalencies in Tarble have been adjusted so that a meal is actually a meal, and the current student council is working to address several additional concerns. I will continue to utilize Small-Steps to improve the quality of student life on campus. This is one of the jobs of student council, to act as a facilitator in addressing concerns that add up to a general frustration with student life and I will work to better align student councils goals with the goals of the student body. Our student council is only effective if it tackles issues that are import to you.
For student groups advisor: Shelly Wen ’14
My name is Shelly Wen, and I am running for Student Groups Advisor for the 20122013 school year. When I first arrived at Swarthmore in my freshman fall, I remember being amazed at how independent and student-run this campus was, between committees like SBC and SAC and groups like SAO and Enlace who plan a month’s line-up of events with little advising. However, I also quickly realized that with this independence comes a lot of responsibility - obtaining funding and planning events can be a long and arduous process. Yet, being a student leader is such a fulfilling experience that I want to be both a resource and a voice for student groups on student council. After serving as co-president of Swarthmore Asian Organization (SAO) for a semester, I have learned a lot about the process our organization uses for planning events. With this experience, I realize that many groups on campus have a lot of knowledge that can be shared with each other when it comes to planning events and funding. As student groups advisor, I would see myself as a year-long resource and facilitator for any and all student groups to come to with questions, especially in terms of finding funding, chartering, and Student Council support. After planning APIA heritage month, I can say that I know many, if not all, the different sources of funding available for different
Elowyn Corby ’13 Hi, I’m Elowyn, and I’d be honored to serve as next year’s educational policy representative. I know that if I’m chosen to be next year’s educational policy representative I’ll give it everything I’ve got, and I believe I have the experience and dedication needed to do the job well. Educational policy and student government have always been fascinations of mine, and especially at a small school like Swarthmore where a few persistent students can really have an impact, I can’t imagine a better way to spend my senior year than representing the student body’s voice on StuCo and to the administration. I believe I’m qualified for the position: I have extensive experience in student leadership, and in working with non-students on college policy issues — a large part of the ed. policy rep. position. Before coming to Swarthmore I spent two years on the student senate of my local community college, where I chose to take classes instead of attending a regular high school. While there, I probably devoted more time to student government than I did to my actual schoolwork: 18 of us represented a student body of 17,000, and it became something of a full time job. Through skill, luck, or (most likely) my persistent obstinate streak, I was able to get onto a number of important college-wide committees and form strong relationships with the administration and faculty I worked with. While there I also served as the chair of the inter-club council, and at the end of my second year I was awarded the annual Outstanding Student Leadership Award. Here at Swarthmore I currently chair the Forum for Free Speech, and over the years I’ve been part of a number of different student groups. As an honors political science and peace education double major, I have a fair amount of experience with educational policy: I took a course in it last year, did an externship with a group working to increase minority and disadvantaged student enrollment in community college, and spent last summer working at the College Access Center of Delaware County. I believe these experiences would inform my perspective as the ed. policy rep., and would help me keep my focus where I believe it should be: on the needs of the students. Beyond what’s strictly part of the ed. policy rep. job description, there are a number of other issues that I’d like to make sure are on the StuCo agenda next year: our school has a long way to go on budget and investment transparency, and we need to reevaluate the way our administration deals with sexual assault on campus. I believe that as the voice of the students, StuCo is uniquely positioned to play an active role in protecting students’ interests on campus, and I hope to be part of that process. If elected, I also encourage you all to talk with me about your own concerns and priorities: I’m far from omniscient, and I know I’ll do my job better if you help me know what we need as a community. Thank you for your consideration! Elowyn
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In addition to my year on student council, I have served on the Deans Advisory Council and on the Student Advisory Committee to the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. I have extensive experience meeting with administrators, and more importantly, in standing up as a representative of your ideas. I have served as a tourguide since the second semester of my freshman year and initiated the Garnet Sports Network at Swarthmore, one of the premier Division III broadcasting networks. I believe in action. And as co-president, I will seek out your ideas for action and work with you to transform suggestions and concerns into tangible action that strengthens and enriches our community. As always, my ears, and my door, are always open. I am eager to serve as your next student council co-president. All the best, Victor Brady ’13
types of events, and I am happy to brainstorm with student leaders in order to find funding to meet their needs. As a student leader, I also know the stress of Spring Budgeting and would be happy to offer assistance to groups with their budgets. Finally, I aim to be a liaison between SBC and newly chartered groups to negotiate funding, especially those that get chartered after Spring Budgeting. From my experience collaborating with other student groups, I am already in contact with several student leaders on campus. One salient example of collaboration that I have been a part of has been with other student groups within the IC-BCC community in collaborating on general meetings and events. As Student Groups Advisor, I want to foster collaboration among groups to gather students with overlapping interests. Lanie, the current Student Groups Advisor, has started to create a master contact information sheet of all of the student groups and leaders on campus, and I aim to keep it both up to date and available for all students. Additionally, I am interested in providing a calendar – either a physical one on a Parrish board or an online one through google calendar – for student groups to update with their events to avoid overlapping. Finally, I am open to organizing spaces and events for student groups around similar interests for the sake of greater collaboration across groups, such as the activist coalition meeting that occurred between the IC-BCC and activist groups. Furthermore, I have heard many groups demonstrating interest in establishing institutional memory so that subsequent leaders have access to the same information about funding, planning events, or even managing a mailing list and just because it is pretty exciting to see what
For educational policy representative:
swarthmorephoenix.com
your organization has done in the past in order to plan for the present. In SAO, we have used methods such as transition documents, where previous leaders write a short but specific document about everything they did in their term, setting up mentors and mentees to pass on the information through experience and word of mouth, and creating a scrapbook of all of the events in order to establish institutional memory. Although most of my experience as a student leader, developing institutional memory, and collaborating revolves around the IC community, I am happy to be a resource for other student groups with different models as well. I feel that many of these strategies can apply across several different types of groups, but I am eager to brainstorm different strategies and models to find the best fit for each individual group. Finally, my inspiration to run for student groups advisor lies in my personal dedication to mentoring and advising: in this past year, I have not only been a leader in SAO and had the honor of fostering the leadership of several amazing freshmen, I have been a SAM in my dorm as well. While I speak a lot about my involvement in SAO, I’ve had a lot of experience reaching out to people outside of SAO and the IC. As a SAM in this last year, I have hosted office hours almost every week for the semester in my room regardless of how many students visited me. In that same vein, I am incredibly available – as many know, I am constantly on gchat and eager to answer any questions that are asked. I am excited to share my knowledge with student groups and help student groups share their knowledge with each other. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at swen1@swarthmore.edu.
For campus life representative:
Camille Robertson ’13 Dear Fellow Students: My name is Camille Robertson, and I am running for Campus Life Representative. Now a rising senior, I would like to put the experience and perspective I have gained over my past three years here in the service of the student body by working to implement structural changes that will allow for and foster a more inclusive and open dialogue among students, and within the larger College and local community. In my time at Swarthmore, I have learned that effective public communication and collaboration begins with setting up mutually agreed upon systems and methods of student engagement that are sensitive and affirmative of differences in modes of dialogue. Specifically, I draw from my experiences as: 1. EcoSphere Coalition (of environmental justice and sustainability groups) founder 2. Diversity Workshop facilitator 3. Queer and Trans Conference Planning Committee publicity and outreach coordinator 4. Earthlust “facilitator of the facilitators” and event and initiative organizer 5. Capoeira club treasurer, and once Ultimate Frisbee van coordinator Throughout this work, I have strived to respond to the particular requirements and goals of each group. For example, coordinating the new EcoSphere coalition, one way to meet the student groups’ expressed desire to have more streamlined communication was to create an email listserv to publish weekly newsletters of environmental events, announcements, and opportunities, in addition to our monthly meetings with representatives of each group, the Sustainability Coordinator, and the Chair of Environmental Studies. Watching participating students talk through different approaches to environmental activism and leverage their joint voice to engage administrators and members of the Board of Managers reinforced for me the importance of structures that facilitate strong intergroup dialogue. The communication needs and preferences of the student body should dictate the avenues of information circulation and types of discussion forums that the StuCo Campus Life Representatives oversee. Elected to this position, I would pursue the following initiatives: 1. outreach to established student forums such as the IC-BCC coalition and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee to identify key issues for discussion and action 2. further investigate the possibility of a Student Groups Union that would facilitate skill and resource sharing, event co-organizing, and cross-campus dialogue 3. establish more effective response mechanisms to campus incidents by creating more digital and physical forums for students to discuss the issues 4. increase the number and distribution of gender neutral bathrooms in residential and academic buildings to affirm a broader spectrum of gender identities or expressions 5. advocate for renovating social and cultural spaces such as the big Intercultural Center room to make them fully accessible to all students, faculty, staff, and guests of the College I look forward to discussing these matters more fully with the campus as StuCo Campus Life Representative, and thank you for your consideration of my proposals. Yours sincerely, Camille Robertson ’13
April 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Sports Men’s lax goes 3OT for first Haverford win since ‘04 swarthmorephoenix.com
BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN tbernst1@swarthmore.edu At the tail end of a season that didn’t turn out the way they wanted it, the Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team can at least say they did something no team in the last seven years has done — beat Haverford. Not that the Fords (5-8, 3-4 in conference) were willing to let the streak end without a fight. And so, by the time Steve Selverian ’13 ended the game in the third overtime, the Garnet (5-9, 2-5 in conference) could walk off the field knowing that they couldn’t have done any more to earn their 10-9 victory. The win not only snapped a six-game losing streak for Swarthmore, but marked the program’s first defeat of their rival since the 2004 season.
HAVERFORD SWARTHMORE
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The way things started off for the Garnet, one overtime, let alone three, didn’t look like it would be necessary. Swarthmore scored five of the game’s first six goals, with Selverian, Molloy, Brendan Conway ’14 and Ian Lukaszewicz ’15 all getting in on the early action. For Lukaszewicz, the goals solidified his team lead in total points (a sum of goals and assists) in only his first year in the program. “Older kids on the team have helped me out over the year, telling me what
I’ve done right and wrong,” Lukaszewicz recalled, “so I’ve adjusted to my role on the team in a way that I can help them as best I can.” As the second quarter wound down, however, the Haverford offense woke up. They scored three of the next four goals and went into halftime trailing only 6-4. While John Bukawyn’s ’12 goal to open third-quarter scoring appeared to halt the Fords’ momentum, two goals from Geoff Geppert closed the Garnet lead to 7-6 as the third quarter ended. A minute into the fourth quarter, Jake Maldonado’s unassisted score tied the game at seven, bringing Haverford all the way back from the 5-1 deficit. After a score by Daniel Kowalshyn temporarily regained the lead for Swarthmore, backto-back goals from Christian Clay and Geppert gave Haverford their first lead of the game and put the Garnet’s streakbreaking win in serious jeopardy with just seven minutes left to play. Having led the way for the Swarthmore offense all season, Molloy created a new addition to his highlight reel with a game-tying goal that came with just 90 seconds left in regulation. The goal, with an assist from Lukaszewicz, tied the game at nine and sent it to overtime. And then another overtime. And then another. And nearly one more before it ended. “We touched the ball once before we got [the final] possession,” Molloy said. “We were on defense for ten straight minutes or something like that, and were scared that we weren’t going to get another chance.” “We finally cleared the ball in the
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Andrew Preiser on attack for the Garnet.
Ian Lukaszewicz leads Swarthmore in points.
third overtime, [and] the ball got passed around back to me behind the net. I came around and looked inside, and I saw two guys streak down the middle of the field, Ian and Steve.” “I knew that they were both open, and I threw a pretty bad pass, up high, and Steve just made an athletic play, jumped a couple feet in the air, and swatted it out of the air. It was a crazy play,” Molloy said. With the afternoon sun starting to give way, and the Clothier Field crowd waiting for the euphoria that once appeared imminent, Selverian gave them their relief with just a minute left in the
third overtime period. Max Hubbard ’12 added a goal on five shots, while Kowalshyn made one assist to go along with his goal. Starting the entire game for his team, Michael Brockway ’12 saved 13 shots, while his Haverford counterpart Joe Banno saved eight. “We showed a lot of focus and heart throughout the game,” Conway said in an email. “We stuck to our game plan and battled with them every single play.” The Garnet will play its season finale this Saturday on Senior Day against McDaniel. Play is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
After losing to Dickinson in a 14-5 score on April 14, shown above, Swarthmore defeated Haverford for the first time since 2004 in their triple-overtime win.
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
GARNET IN ACTION SATURDAY, APR. 28 (CONT.) Softball at Ursinus, 1:00 & 3:00 p.m.
THURSDAY, APR. 26 Softball at Eastern, 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. Track & field, Penn Relays, TBA
FRIDAY, MAY 4 Track & Field, Conference Championships @ Ursinus, TBA
FRIDAY, APR. 27 Track & Field, Penn Relays, TBA
SATURDAY, MAY 5 Track & Field, Conference Championships @ Ursinus, TBA
SATURDAY, APR. 28 Baseball at Dickinson, 12:30 & 3:00 p.m. Men’s lacrosse vs. McDaniel, 1:00 p.m. Women’s lacrosse, Conference Semifinal, 1:00 p.m. (with win on 4/25)
THE PHOENIX
SUNDAY, MAY 6 Track & Field, Conference Championships @ Ursinus, TBA
April 26, 2012
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Sports Baseball celebrates Senior Day with sweep of F&M swarthmorephoenix.com
by ROY GREIM rgreim1@swarthmore.edu As far as Senior Days go, it would be difficult to find a more perfect one than last Saturday, April 21, when the baseball team dominated conference opponent Franklin and Marshall 13-5 and 19-0 in the last home games for the class of 2012. “You try to approach every game the same way, but this past Saturday definitely had a different feel to it,” second baseman Anthony Montalbano ’12 said. “Knowing that you are playing in your last home games ever in college, you try to take in as much as you can so you can appreciate and remember every detail.” The Garnet, F&M 5 which had lost SWARTHMORE 13 three of its last four games going into Saturday, had a lot to appreciate as it scored F&M 0 a combined 32 runs off of 32 hits SWARTHMORE 19 in the doubleheader. In the first inning of the afternoon, Swarthmore got on the scoreboard early, after Nicko Burnett ’14 reached home off of a delayed double steal with
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
First baseman Michael Cameron launches a ball.
Tim Kwilos ’13, who stole second and then took third base off of a throwing error. After a scoreless second, an RBI double by Montalbano drove in Zach Schmidt ’12 and a sac fly from catcher Mike Waterhouse ’12 increased the Garnet’s lead to 3-0 after three innings. The fourth saw the gap widen between the Garnet and the Diplomats as a bases loaded triple from Burnett scored three runners. Another sac fly from Waterhouse drove in a run and left F&M trailing by seven going into the fifth. Although the Dips showed life in that inning, scoring four runs off of five hits, their rally was short-lived as the Garnet responded by adding two runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh, which was all they would need to pick up the win. Four of the six RBIs in those innings came from Kwilos, who is having a phenomenal individual season and is the Centennial Conference leader in RBIs (47) and second in hits (53). In addition to leading the conference, his 84 total bases put him in first place, in front of Waterhouse and Spencer Ross ’12, who both had 78 in 2010, for the most in one season at Swarthmore. On the mound, starting pitcher Ignacio Rodriguez ’12 was solid through four innings, but allowed four quick runs in that frame and was relieved by Adam Hardy ’12, who picked up his second win of the season after allowing only two hits and no runs in three and two-thirds innings. Also performing well was the Garnet defense, which allowed only one error in the first game. In between games one and two, the 12 seniors were honored in a ceremony and then it was back to the field for the second half of the twin bill. Much to the dismay of the Dips, the Garnet was even more dominant on offense in the second game, scoring 19 runs, including 13 in the seventh inning. Zach Powell ’15, who had no hits in his college career before Saturday, stole some of the spotlight from the honored seniors, going 4-4 in the game with six RBIs and two runs. After an RBI double by junior designated hitter Sean Bryant, Powell continued the scoring in the first with a two RBI single that drove in both Burnett and Bryant. In the third, Powell had another two RBI base hit that extended the Garnet’s lead to five. A single from Montalbano in the fourth drove in Michael Cameron ’12 from second base and put the Garnet ahead 6-0. This was as many runs as the Garnet would need win the game, thanks to an absolutely dominant eight-inning effort from starting pitcher Kyle Crawford ’12, who picked up his sixth win of the season while allowing only five hits and striking out eight. With the 14th win of his career, Crawford is now tied with Neil Mejia ’14 for second most all-time in program history. Although the Garnet did not need much offensive production to support Crawford, it added 13 runs in the seventh inning for insurance. The frame began with a walk by Rory McTear ’13, who would end up going to bat three times in the inning alone. Powell, Burnett, Montalbano, Cody Ruben ’14, and Brian Kaissi ’15 all had two RBIs off of singles in the seventh and Danny McMahon ’15, Scoop Ruxin ’15, and Nick Constantino ’14 brought home runners as well. The Dips went through four pitchers in the inning and only one, Brett Klatsky, allowed fewer than three runs. Pitcher Paul Giulio fared the worst of the four, allowing
Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix
Matt Lamb tips his hat on Senior Day against Haverford.
three earned runs off of two hits while recording no outs. “I think the two big wins show how deep we are as a team,” Crawford said. We truly dominated all facets of the game and it’s easy to pitch when the team puts up runs.” On Monday, the Garnet returned to action against Rutgers-Camden, but could not build off of Saturday’s wins as they fell 9-5 to the homestanding Scarlet Raptors. Montalbano, Waterhouse, and Bryant collected two hits apiece and Powell continued his tear, finishing the game with one hit and two RBIs. This Saturday, the Garnet will conclude its season on the road with a doubleheader against the Dickinson Red Devils. At 7-9 and in seventh place in the Centennial, the team is not technically eliminated from the playoff race, but would require a lot of help in order to make the postseason. For a team that had its sights set on a conference championship at the beginning of the year, this season has been somewhat disappointing. “We went through a rough stretch of conference games where we seemed to be lacking some combination of pitching, hitting, and fielding,” pitcher Adam Hardy ’12 said. “I think as a team we expected a different outcome, but I am proud of the way we have responded instead of giving up or tanking the rest of season.”Nevertheless, the Garnet is resolved to come out swinging on Saturday and send its twelve seniors out on a win. “I’m expecting a big performance from the team on Saturday against Dickinson,” Hardy continued. “For the seniors these are our last games, but more importantly, I think the team wants to finish the season off on a high note.” The class of 2012, which is the winningest in program history, will be remembered not only for its talent, but also its leadership on and off the field. Although the wins they have accumulated are now in the past, they have influenced the program’s future success through their strong example of how to play with passion and enjoyment. The first game is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m.
sports IN BRIEF
Garnet softball back to .500 with four-game winning streak Coming off of a doubleheader sweep over Immaculata last Thursday, the Swarthmore women’s softball team pushed their winning streak to four on Saturday, beating conference rival Haverford on the road in back-to-back games. The two victories were Swarthmore’s first against a conference opponent this season, and bumped their overall record up to .500 at 18-18. In Game 1, Swarthmore pulled ahead of Haveford in the fifth inning, scoring a run to break a 1-1 tie. The Garnet then added two more runs in the top of the sixth, but had them erased when Haverford’s Dayle Comerford hit an RBI double to key a two-run rally and pull Haverford to within 4-3 going into the final inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Swarthmore was unable to lock down the win when Jill Schnall’s sacrifice fly tied the score at 4. In extra innings, Swarthmore finally broke through in the top of the ninth and held on to win 5-4. In the second game, Haverford took an early lead off of Melissa O’Connor ’14 in the bottom of the first on Jen DiCandilo’s two-run home run. Swarthmore would strike back quickly, however, as an RBI single by Nicole Aaron ’14 and RBI groundout by Danielle Seltzer ’13 evened up the score. After Haverford answered with a run in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2
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lead, as Samantha Bennett ’13 reached on an error and later scored on another one that allowed Smayda to reach. The defensive miscues continued for Haverford on the very next pitch, when Smayda attempted to steal second and Laurie Sellers wound up scoring the goahead run on a throw from the catcher that sailed into center field. Lowe replaced O’Connor in the bottom of the fifth, facing a based-loaded, no-out situation. Lowe helped her own cause, snaring a sharp ground ball that seemed tagged for center field and turning it into a 1-2-3 double play. Haverford would not score in the half-inning. In the top of the sixth, the Garnet broke the game wide open with three runs in the top of the sixth, rendering Haverford’s run in the bottom half of the frame meaningless. Lowe stayed on to retire the side in the bottom of the seventh, closing the books on a second consecutive doubleheader sweep for her team. Swarthmore closes the season with road doubleheaders Thursday at Eastern and Saturday at Ursinus. BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN
April 26, 2012
THE PHOENIX
Sports Phillies showing their age in the early going swarthmorephoenix.com
be given a new contract, it would still have been better to keep your second best hitter when you know that your big guy is going to be injured for a long period. Unless you think that you can get someone to replace Howard in free agency, then you have to have a backup plan and I refuse to accept that Jim Thome, Ty Wiggington, John Mayberry Jr. or a combination of the three is going to produce even half of the output that Howard has over the past few years or even match that of Ibanez. The offense is about as useful as ice skates on a beaver, and despite the great pitching staff available, James Ivey this season will not Out of Left Field end well without somebody who can drive in runs. The offense is about as useful as However, the just read the reports for. And ice skates on a beaver, and this season should sureto think a couple of weeks ago have an upside I was really considering going season will not end well without ly since the Phillies to a few games over the sumsomebody who can drive in runs. will at some stage mer… have to go play in But to bring back the dog the new Miami metaphor, it appears that, stadium. Since the without Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and a performing Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies Marlins just had a state of the art stadium built for seem to be just a regular old mutt in the pack rather them in Miami they have managed to fill it with all than the pedigree that won five NL East titles in a sorts of cool contraptions that a traditional stadium, row. It really doesn’t look like there could be a quick like the Phillies have built, would have. Behind the fix, and that fans are just going to have to suck it up fence there is a nightclub that continues long after and wait until Howard and Utley get better and the the game is over, there is a swimming pool in the VIP section and a retractable roof designed to keep the staoffense can score a few runs. Now, it was easy to foresee that without Ryan How- dium cool for the summer. This is a stadium that has ard and his 33 home runs last season that the Phillies everything and more, and that might be some fun to would be missing something on offense. The offense go see, but it will never be quite right since baseball fell apart in the playoffs against the St Louis Cardi- is about the baseball and the fans, not the nightclubs nals after Howard was injured (and the squirrel inci- and partying. Marlins Park could be a sign of the future of basedent) because the offense is so dependent on Howard ball, turning more into baseball and American footfor getting a large percentage of the team’s homers. This is even more vital when the team itself hit 153 ball with the added attractions, but baseball occurs home runs all of last season, meaning that Howard much more often than either of the other two and the was responsible for just under a fifth of all home runs. game would eventually win out over special attracTo compound the problem, when they knew that tions. But most importantly it is going to be enjoyable Howard was going to be injured through the begin- watching the Phillies getting their season back on ning of the season, the Phillies decided to let Raul track at the Marlins and getting a whitewash there. James is a sophomore. You can reach him at jivey1@ Ibanez go, their second most prolific home run hitter last season. While Ibanez was getting old and had to swarthmore.edu. So far, the spring has left me very frustrated. Not frustrated like most dogs are before you get them ‘fixed,’ but I suppose ‘agitated’ would be a better word. The Phillies have begun what looks to be a disappointing season, and one that is not going to be fun to either watch occasionally or
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With Chase Utley (top) rehabbing injuries on both knees, and Jimmy Rollins (bottom) hitting just .242, the Philles NL East dynasty is at risk.
Garnet athlete of the week
sports IN BRIEF
Tennis prepares for postseason In the men’s season finale, Swarthmore secured the Number 3 seed in the upcoming conference playoffs with a 5-4 win over Haverford (10-7, 6-3 in conference). At one point, Swarthmore was down four matches to two, but pulled out the win thanks to consecutive singles victories from Max Bressman ’12, Max Kaye ’14, Preston Poon ’14 and Christian Carcione ’14. Bressman defeated Haverford’s Natty Sergay out of the Number 2 spot, 6-2, 7-6 (2). Kaye cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 win over Andy Dougherty. Poon had an even easier time in his 6-1, 6-0 win over Jake Weisenthal, while Carcione sent the Garnet home with a win by beating Will Garrett 7-5, 6-3 out of the Number 6 spot. Swarthmore’s only doubles victory came at the hands of Carcione and Max Kelm ’12, who won 8-2 over Matt Romei and Matt Cebul. The skilled sophomore class showed why the Swarthmore men’s tennis team should be a conference force for many seasons to come. The women’s team, while also play-
off-bound, was unable to close out its regular season with a victory. The Garnet fell 8-1 to Johns Hopkins on Saturday, with the lone victory coming from Lia Carlson ’14, who won her singles match out of the number one spot by defeating JHU’s Elaine Baik 6-4, 6-2. Juniors Emily Rosenblum ’13 and Kelsey Johnson ’13 were defeated out of the 2 and 3 spots. Rosenblum fell to Hailey Hogan 6-1, 6-4 while Johnson lost to Shannon Herndon by the score of 6-2, 6-3. However, the Blue Jays swept the rest of the singles matches as well as doubles. The team of Carlson and Rosenblum came the closest to a win, testing Herndon and Gabrielle Clark but ultimately falling 8-4. The Centennial Conference semifinal match for the women’s tennis team will take place against Dickinson this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Men’s tennis will play second-seeded Franklin & Marshall this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in their conference semifinal.
BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN
THE PHOENIX April 26, 2012
Corinne Sommi SOPH., LACROSSE, DARIEN, CT.
WHAT SHE’S DONE: Sommi’s two goals and two assists in Swarthmore’s win over Haverford helped catapult the team into the conference playoffs. FAVORITE CAREER MOMENT: “Beating Dickinson [this year]best game we have ever played as a team.”
WHAT MAKING THE PLAYOFFS MEANS TO HER: “[It proves] to the conference and the lacrosse world that we are an up and coming program.” WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?: “My sources say Barbados.” Holly Smith The Phoenix
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Women’s lacrosse defeats Ursinus to reach semis by victor brady vbrady1@swarthmore.edu
Talk about returning the favor. One year after the Haverford women’s lacrosse team celebrated a berth in the Centennial Tournament on Clothier Field after knocking the Garnet out of postseason contention, Swarthmore earned the honor of doing the same at Haverford with an 11-8 victory. The win put Swarthmore in the five-team Centennial Tournament for the first time in six years while the Fords will be forced to watch from home. Haverford scored three of the first four goals on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead just under eight minutes into the game. But from that point forward, it was nearly all Garnet as Swarthmore scored four of the next five before halftime to take a 5-4 lead into the intermission and never trailed in the final four minutes of the game. After opening up their largest lead at 10-6 with 6:33 to play, Swarthmore played comfortably to the finish to close out the three-goal win. Annalise Penikis ’13, profiled earlier in the week by LaxMagazine.com, scored four goals and added an assist while Corinne Sommi Swarthmore 11 ’14 added a pair of goals and asPenikis ursinus 10 sists. currently leads the Conference in goals (61), assists (37) and points (98). No player in Centennial history has ever led the Conference in all three categories. Penikis is also just two points shy for 200 in her Swarthmore career. But despite the brilliant numbers for Penikis, the Garnet is not a one-woman team. And that was the case on Saturday as six different players recorded a point, seven different players gathered at least one draw control, and 12 of the 14 players who appeared on the field Saturday gathered at least one ground ball. Though the Haverford-Swarthmore game has had the same playoff implications in each of the past two years, the Garnet entered Saturday a very different team, with a very different attitude, from a year ago. In 2011, the team itself was somewhat surprised to still be in contention on the final day of the season. “Last year, our chance to make playoffs was really a fluke; this year, it has been our main goal and we were not going to let Haverford ruin it,” Sommi said. Added coach Karen Borbee, who is now just 11 wins shy of 200 for her coaching career, “Last year, Haverford was a better team than we were and we kept it close from pure hustle and heart. We pressured them in the midfield and were able to stay close. This year, we were pretty even going in and we knew it was going to be the team that took control of the tempo and the flow of the game that was going to win. We were able to do that.”
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Swarthmore will meet either F&M or Washington in the semis.
The win gave Swarthmore the fifth seed in the tournament setting up a rematch with fourth-seeded Ursinus. The Bears beat the Garnet in the Centennial opener 16-9 in a game that Borbee said. Swarthmore would like to have back.“It was not our best. We were not playing at the level that we are playing at now,” Borbee said. What needs to change for Swarthmore to reverse the result? For both Borbee and Sommi, it is back to the simple things. “Our shooting percentage has to be higher, our save percentage has to be higher, and our midfield has to be ready to battle on draws. Those three things will make a huge difference,” Borbee said. “Our main mistake in the Ursinus game was that we didn’t accomplish the basics,” Sommi added. “We threw the ball away and caused a lot of fouls on defense, which are both things we can control and have since worked really hard to eliminate.” So it was back to Collegeville on Wednesday with a spot in the Centennial semifinals against top-seeded Gettysburg on the line. Though it was the biggest game for the program in the last half decade, the Garnet was confident it could channel its nerves into positive aggression on the field. “Obviously it’s hard not to be anxious, but we need to channel our nerves in a way that makes us fight harder to get the ball back when we lose it and go after every loose ball,” Penikis said. The first round matchup turned into an instant classic. Ursnus scored the opening goal of the game before Penikis responded to bring the contest level 1-1. The Bears took a 2-1 lead and the Garnet answered again with Sommi. Ursinus again went up one, Beth Martin ’13 tied the game for Swarthmore and after a draw control victory, Sommi scored her second of the game, with an assist from Penikis for point number 100, to give the Garnet its first lead of the game. The teams went into halftime all knotted up at four. After the break, the teams played eight minutes of scoreless lacrosse before the Garnet scored three goals in the span of 1:33 to take a commanding 7-4 lead as Annalise Mowry ’12 Marie Mutryn ’12 and Penikis each found the back of the net. The Bears pulled one back to make it 7-5 when Penikis began to take over. The junior scored three consecutive goals to make the score 10-5. But the Bears came battling back, and cut the score to 11-10 with 5:30 to play. That set the stage for a heroic effort on the draw control by Maddie Williams ’12. With the ball loose on the turf, Williams chased after it on a dead sprint for 55 yards into the offensive corner, corralling it inches before the end line. Her effort and an offside call on the Bears allowed the Garnet to run out the remainder of the clock for a thrilling win. Improving to 12-5, Swarthmore advances to the Centennial semifinal against Gettysburg at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The winner will meet the winner of Franklin & Marshall-Washington for the Centennial championship on Sunday.
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Lucy Whitacre assisted Annelise Mowry’s goal.
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April 26, 2012
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Marie Mutryn scored two goals in the win over Haverford.
Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix
Caroline Murphy had four ground balls against Ursinus.
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Nicole Vanchieri tallied two draw controls against Ursinus.
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Garnet defenders forced 13 turnovers against Ursinus.
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