Phoenix 8/26/10

AUGUST 26, 2010 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 133, ISSUE 1

PHOENIX

Inside: Moodle officially chosen over Blackboard 9 Top 10 campus hang-outs Pig Iron Theater gets six Barrymore nominations

Rekindling Compost Two solar-powered composters eating up trash on campus, p. 5

The Phoenix

Thursday, August 26, 2010 Volume 133, Issue 1

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881.

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EDITORIAL BOARD Jeff Davidson Editor in Chief Amelia Possanza Managing Editor Linda Hou News Editor Menghan Jin Assistant News Editor Lauren Kim Assistant News Editor Miriam Hauser Living & Arts Editor Camila Ryder Living & Arts Editor Dante Fuoco Opinions Editor Marcus Mello Sports Editor Victor Brady Sports Editor Jacqueline Small Copy Chief Olivia Natan Photo Editor Xingyu Zhang Photo Editor Julia Kaparti Aesthetics Coordinator Eric Sherman Director of Web Development STAFF Jacqueline Small News Writer Quitterie Gounot Living & Arts Writer Isaac Han Living & Arts Writer Dina Zingaro Living & Arts Writer Jasper Goldberg Living & Arts Columnist Maki Somoset Living & Arts Columnist Jen Johnson Living & Arts Columnist Alex Israel Living & Arts Columnist Ben Schneiderman Crossword Writer Timothy Bernstein Sports Columnist Mark Chin Sports Columnist Sam Green Opinions Columnist Andrew Cheng Photographer Eric Verhasselt Photographer BUSINESS STAFF Marcus Mello Circulation Manager COVER DESIGN Julia Kaparti

Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff

New students twist and turn to form a human knot at orientation.

News

Living & Arts

College swears in first Orientation week 2010 Swarthmore may not have the biggest female president campus, but it can still be hard to deterRebecca Chopp was inducted as the 14th president of the college in May. She is the first woman to hold that position, but one of many influential women throughout Swarthmore’s history. PAGE 3

mine where the best places to study, read or just hang out are. Writer John Oh looks at ten locations on campus perfect for studying, relaxing and socializing. PAGE 8

Alumni theater group nomiCollege to transition to nated for six Barrymores Moodle by fall 2012 The Pig Iron Theatre Company, founded In two years time, the tri-colleges will be making a transition from Blackboard, our current learning management system, to Moodle, an economical open-sourced software with tools comparable to those in Blackboard. PAGE 4

Good Food keeps campus’ green momentum rolling This summer, two solar-powered rotary compost bins were installed in Hicks Hall.

Compost will come from excess dining hall food and will be used to fertilize Mertz field.

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Summer residents leave costly mess The mess left behind in Mary Lyons by summer residents affected both coordinators and students alike. Students are in conflict, being against receiving an undeserved penalty but also understanding the circumstances from which it stemmed. PAGE 6

Egg vandals plague Borough of Swarthmore News Editor Dante Fuoco conducted a Q&A with next year’s Lang Visiting Professor for Issues of Social Change Louis Massiah to discuss Massiah’s work with film and media projects and his plans for the classroom at Swarthmore. PAGE 7

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by seven Swarthmore alumni, received six Barrymore nominations for its 2009 production, “Welcome to Yuba City.” The critically acclaimed show is nominated for Outstanding Overall Production of a Play and Outstanding Direction of a Play, to name a few. Alums shed light on their theatrical process and what they learned at Swarthmore. PAGE 9

Bridging social commentary and cheap entertainment Does pulp fiction offer more than just cheap entertainment? A current exhibition in McCabe, curated by Hilary Trout ’13, attempts to explore this question, examining pieces by authors such as John Murray Reynolds, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Avery Myers, and even famous literary figures such as Ursula K. LeGuin and Isaac Asimov. PAGE 12

Opinions From red pens to freedom For a first-year international student, Swarthmore offers a more fluid education and a reprieve from censorship in his homeland. PAGE 14

‘PC’ lexicon is crutch, not Getting to and from Philly: tool, for tolerance the Liberty Bell by Train Despite its intentions, politically correct Going to school only half an hour outside of Philadelphia can be a great chance to explore much of America’s founding history first-hand. But the SEPTA system can be overwhelming and confusing at first.

Columnist Jennifer Johnson guides students through riding public transportation into Philly to visit the Liberty Bell and other Philadelphia landmarks. PAGE 10

language closes off dialogue and leads to confusion. PAGE 14

Cera’s Scott Pilgrim closes summer season with fun

Tim discusses the debate over clutch hitting — do some players come through when the pressure is on, or is the clutch hitter just a baseball myth? PAGE 15

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World may seem like just another entry into Michael Cera's list of portrayals of awkward teens in search of love. But writer Isaac Han finds that Scott Pilgrim's combination of romance and video game send-offs is both poignant and fun. PAGE 12

CONTRIBUTORS Jim Graham, Aaron Friedman, Mariam Zachary, John Oh, Sinan Kazaklar, Jared Brown EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) http://www.mtn18.com/latest_news/3MoveIn 49.jpg http://mwcapacity.files.wordpress.com/2009/ 09/greenvase_l.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/78/154382375_ d7beec9567.jpg?v=0 http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/265881196_ 94eaa0661e.jpg?v=0 TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Jeff Davidson.

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Sports Taking a crack at settling the clutch-hitting debate

Women’s soccer After one of the most exciting seasons in Swarthmore Athletics history, fans choose to honor women's soccer three-peat as the Swarthmore Athletics Moment of the Year.

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August 26, 2010

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events menu

College swears in first female president

Today Orientation play: ‘Life at Swarthmore’ Quirky and hilarious, the annual orientation play introduces life at Swarthmore with a mix of performance and film. The play is opened by Assistant Dean Karen Henry and will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in PearsonHall Theater in LPAC. List Gallery Exhibition In an exhibit entitled “Aesthetics of Intimacy,” still life paintings showcasing intimacy by Suan Walp, Mark Karnes and Don Southard are on display in the List Gallery every Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. until Sept. 10.

Sex, Action and Social Commentary An examination of how pulp fiction reflects on the fears and ideas of the late 1890s till the 1950s, the exhibit will be on display in McCabe Lobby until Sept. 17th during McCabe open hours.

Tomorrow Game night Play various board and card games or sing karaoke in Parrish Parlors from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Games will be provided.

Saturday, August 28 Capture the Flag at the Crumhenge Explore the Crum woods’ creek and circle of stones and play capture the flag at the Crumhenge at 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Coolers of water will be provided.

Comedy show Sketch comedy group Boys Meets Tractor and improv comedy troupe Vertigo-go will be performing and showing videos in Sci 101 from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, August 28 Activities fair Many campus groups will be showcasing their organization at various booths of the activities fair as they try to recruit new students. The fair is on Parrish Beach, or Tarble-in-Clothier in rain, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Black Cultural Center open house The BCC, located in the Robinson House, is hosting its first open house from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Interfaith Center open house Meet representatives from all campus religious groups at the Interfaith Center in Bond Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

‘The Graduate’ This classic movie is shown on Parrish Beach on the eve of each school year.

E-mail submissions for the events menu to news editor Linda Hou at rhou1@swarthmore.edu by Wednesday at noon.

tHe PHOenIX

Photo courtesy of Jim Graham

Rebecca Chopp speaks to the gathered campus community at her inauguration in early May.

BY JACQUELINE SMALL jsmall2@swarthmore.edu Lucretia Mott, one of Swarthmore's founders, would have been happy to attend President Rebecca Chopp's inauguration.

Not only is Chopp an accomplished scholar and administrator, her official induction as the college's first female president this May was a clear victory for Mott’s vision of equal rights.

The weekend of the inauguration was marked by a symposium of professors and alumni who spoke on panels about civil discourse and sustainable living.

Alumni and faculty also participated in arts performances and readings at a program on Friday evening called, “A Celebration of Community: Performances in Honor of Rebecca Chopp's Inauguration as 14th President of Swarthmore College.” Many of them attended the ceremony itself, as did Swarthmore students and representatives from neighboring institutions such as Haverford, Bryn Mawr, University of Pennsylvania and Widener University.

One of the six speakers at the ceremony was the provost of the college, Constance Hungerford, who spoke of Chopp’s merits as an individual.

“We hail you especially as a fellow scholar, who brings a distinguished record of ground-breaking research in feminism and theology, a pursuit of inquiry and writing that you have sustained even through the distractions of administrative responsibility at Emory, and then the Yale Divinity School and, finally, at Colgate,” she said.

Nathaniel Erskine ’10, who served a term last year as StuCo vice president, gave a speech at the inauguration praising Chopp’s accessibility to students.

“President Chopp [is] an attentive and reflective listener. She continually welcomes ideas and stories whether they are about a freshman's transition

to Swarthmore, budgetary policy, or her beloved discipline of theology. Students are glad to have a leader who proactively values their contributions.”

Several speeches mentioned that Chopp’s interest in progressive religious movements and how those movements are influenced by women will suit the college’s history as a school founded by the Society of Friends.

Barbara Mather ’65, who is the first woman to be chair of the Swarthmore Board of Managers, opened the ceremony. In her welcoming speech, she said, “The inauguration of any president is a momentous occasion, but the inauguration of Rebecca Chopp is a long-awaited and very welcome affirmation of the vision of [our] founders and each of our foundational cornerstones.”

Swarthmore was one of the first coeducational institutions in the United States, admitting female students like famed feminist Alice Paul and hiring women as faculty members, such as Maria Sanford, before it became standard. But 146 years passed with only male presidents. In May, Rebecca Chopp was inaugurated as Swarthmore’s fourteenth president, and first female, to hold that position.

“I think the glass ceiling has decisively been shattered at Swarthmore, once and for all,” Chopp said in an interview after the inauguration, adding that the college has already had women in important positions such as provost and treasurer.

Many of the other speeches referred to the progressiveness of the founders, especially Lucretia Mott, who was a suffragist and abolitionist.

David Cohen ’77, chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s board of trustees, who Mather called one of “our friends in higher education,” said in his speech.

“I think [Mott] would be pleased and delighted to see Rebecca Chopp inaugurated as the first woman president in

August 26, 2010

Swarthmore's illustrious history.”

Cohen also asked rhetorically why it had taken "so long" for a woman to be hired as president.

Chopp later said in an interview, “My sense is that it didn’t take all that long, in light of the fact that women didn’t become the presidents of any colleges until the ’70s or ’80s. ... Women had to work their way up the administrative ladder in regard to college administration.”

She also pointed out that former President Al Bloom’s “immensely successful tenure of 18 years” overlapped with the beginning of this phase of equality in higher education.

Although women have been reaching the rank of college president for a few decades, Chopp said in the interview that women in academia still face many challenges.

She said that the difficulties of balancing family obligations remain an obstacle for faculty and staff, especially for women who have young children.

Also, she said that in spite of the presence of “very successful women in the sciences as professors and certainly as students,” women are still underrepresented in the natural sciences.

While Chopp stressed in the interview that differences in gender should not be regarded as inherent parts of human nature, she said that she thinks women “tend to be more focused on consensus and they embrace getting lots of voices at the table.”

She added that in her studies of collaborative religious communities founded by women, she has found that “at this point in our history, women tend to think very holistically ... and this is something we see played out in women presidencies.”

Chopp also said that she believes many more women will continue to become college presidents, and that she is eager to see more women of color in the position.

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College to transition to Moodle by fall 2012

Week in pictures

but generally the consensus of the people that piloted both systems last year was: ‘They both do what I need Over the next two years, the col- them to do,’ ” Ruether said. lege will be making a transition Faculty members of the pilot did from Blackboard, the current learn- stumble upon some differences ing management system, to an open between the two learning managesource software called Moodle. ment systems.

Faculty members can use either While Blackboard offers more Blackboard or Moodle for their organization through the capability courses until the Fall 2012 semester, to create different folders, Moodle when Moodle will become the only offers a simpler chronological laylearning management system avail- out. able throughout the Tri-Co commuJensen found Moodle relatively nity straightforward to set up, but Chief information technology prefers the option to make folders in officers from Swarthmore, Blackboard and will be sticking Haverford and w i t h Bryn Mawr Blackboard made the deciwhile it’s still “We didn’t get a lot of sion at last available. semester’s end Also, most feedback saying after the comof the standard Blackboard’s worth a lot features used pletion of a pilot project in Blackboard more than Moodle.” run by Tri-Co are not stanAndrew Ruether Information dard in Te c h n o l o g y Moodle, but Academic officers. This are plug-ins. project allowed F o r Technologist for the 30 faculty memAssociate Natural Sciences and bers and 200 Professor of students across Engineering Engineering all three Carr Everbach, schools to test he found that a newer version of Blackboard he could only send out an e-mail to against Moodle. his entire class through Moodle — a “Moodle is used by something standard feature in both versions of like 25 percent of the liberal arts col- Blackboard — by adding such a leges in the U.S.,” said Gayle plug-in.

Barton, the college’s chief informa“Moodle requires more training tion technology officer, in an e-mail. to use, especially if you’re familiar “It’s the second most commonly with Blackboard,” Everbach said. used learning management system “You’ll need to recalibrate your [after Blackboard] among schools of brain.” our size and mission, plus it’s open While it may be more difficult source so there’s no license fee and constructing a course on Moodle, on it's supported by a large community the user end of the spectrum, of people, so it was the logical Everbach’s students found Moodle’s choice to compare to Blackboard.” simplified layout pretty easy to use.

At the conclusion of the pilot “They were able to get the readproject, an assessment of ings, do the readings and post Blackboard, Blackboard 9 and responses so that the class could see Moodle showed that between all them,” Everbach said. “We had a three, Moodle offered the same tools digital dropbox; they emailed each as both versions of Blackboard at a other through Moodle. I think, in general, they liked it. lower cost.

“I don’t think they felt it was sig“We didn’t get a lot of feedback saying Blackboard’s worth a lot nificantly different from their point more than Moodle,” said Andrew of view. It’s a little bit harder for the Ruether, academic technologist for person constructing the course. the natural sciences and engineer- That requires a little bit more training and work.” ing ITS will be offering guidance and The licensing fees of Blackboard alone total $40,000 annually and, support for any faculty member according to Barton, switching to who wishes to transfer their courses Moodle will save the Tri-Co about to Moodle during the next two years of transition. $100,000 a year.

“It’s going to be time transferring “If it’s the same, cheaper is better, right?” said Eric Jensen, associ- courses from Blackboard to Moodle, ate professor of astronomy, who also training people, having people learn and definitely ITS is going to proparticipated in the pilot project.

A survey sent out by ITS from all vide a lot of support for that process three Tri-Co schools to both faculty and helping as much as we can in and students at the end of the proj- migrating the courses over,” ect concluded that faculty and staff Ruether said.

Ruether is optimistic that the of the pilot project had no particular preference for either the newer next two years will go by smoothly.

“It’s doable,” he said about the Blackboard 9 or Moodle.

“We had some faculty that slight- transition. “It’s just, it will take ly preferred Blackboard 9, some fac- some time. I don’t anticipate any ulty that slightly preferred Moodle, problems.”

BY MENGHAN JIN mjin1@swarthmore.edu

Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff

Summer Miller-Walfish hands a dorm room key to a first-year student during move-in day on Tuesday.

Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff

Kira White and Rebecca Contreras, both Campus Advisors, blow bubbles and get in touch with their childhood roots. The theme for orientation is “Camp Swartmore.”

Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff

Liz Braun, dean of students, leads an activity that simulates the sound of rain at the first meeting for all new students on Tuesday in Lang Concert Hall.

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August 26, 2010

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Good food keeps campus’ green momentum rolling ity welded aluminum drum with insulated walls, which sits on a set of rollers that turn to spin the contents of Composting at Swarthmore is about the drum. While the drum tumbles, an to become much more efficient. air pump allows the oxygen to contact After two years of collaborating the compost. with students, Kanti Somani’s project “The aeration is essential to fuel of installing solar-powered compost the aerobic microorganisms that are bins on campus has reached its final responsible for breaking down the stage. In a partnership with the col- organic material in the drum. Without lege, Somani, the owner of a compost aeration, anaerobic organisms take company called worms.com, applied over and produce really smelly byfor a $16,000 grant from the common- products,” Bastian said in an e-mail. wealth of Pennsylvania in early 2008.

As the organic materials decomThey were awarded the grant in 2009, pose, they generate considerable and two bins were installed in Hicks amounts of heat, which is why this Hall and testkind of composted. ing is called therThe bins mophilic compostwill turn food “Temperatures [in the bin] ing. “The main scraps and ecomposers can get up to almost 160 dthrive other waste in high into plant ferdegress though, which is t e m p e r a t u r e s , tilizer, which usually between hot enough to cook a will be used for 120 and 140 an organic d e g r e e s steak to medium rare.” lawn project Fahrenheit,” Andy Bastian ’12 on Mertz Field Bastian said. and in commu“Temperatures [in nity gardens in the bin] can get up Chester. The goal is to fertilize Mertz to almost 160 degrees though, which is Field entirely with compost from the hot enough to cook a steak to medium dining hall instead of man-made fertil- rare.” izers. This will stop food waste from When the bins first came to campus Sharples and Essie Mae’s from going after being shipped from Texas, there to landfills or being incinerated. were several problems with them. “We Somani said he hopes to be able to use saw that we were going to make a lot some of the compost to feed his worms, of changes,” Bastian said. “The system as well. worked, just not well.” The units did Somani’s business, worms.com, not work well when the sun was not sells compost bins, worms, and books out, such as overnight or over a series about composting throughout the of cloudy days, which drained the batUnited States and Canada. Initially, he tery quickly. thought he would apply for the grant Bastian spent a few weeks trying to for himself, but decided to team up modify the system, but eventually with a college and chose Swarthmore removed and replaced it with a more after hearing about the Good Food robust and efficient one. “The whole Project. project was a good exercise in handsOver the summer, three students, on engineering design and I learned a Andy Bastian ’12, Jean Dahlquist ’11, lot about composting and working and Camille Robertson ’13, were with solar power,” he said. Somani involved with the project. Bastian stressed the importance of his dedicaworked on remodelling the bins to be tion and that after about three more effective, and Dahlquist and days, he knew he could rely Robertson, both of whom are on Bastian to finish the projpart of the Good Food ect.

Project, helped The bins will use food determine where from the dining hall and the new bins snack bar during the year. should be placed on During summer, because campus and what Sharples was closed, the their role should be bins broke down paper in the existing comdust, coffee bean chaff, posting routine. and other waste subNormally, compost stances donated by bins must be manually companies including or machine-turned to Kimberly-Clark, allow oxygen to reach ABC Lids, and Open the waste and help it Sky. Somani said, “I decompose. The solar feel that it is very imporpowered bins have many tant to team up with local busibenefits over other types. nesses and try to give back to the com“These will be fully susmunity.” He added that these compatainable because they’ll be totally pow- nies are part of the Sustainable ered by the sun. Air is forced into it, Business Network of Greater and all your organic material can go Philadelphia. into it. This really speeds up the According to its website, sbnprocess, so something that could take philadelphia.org, the SBN is “a nona couple of weeks only takes a couple profit network of local triple-bottomof days. We also don’t have to worry line businesses and social entrepreabout whether it’s getting enough air,” neurs. We are local business people, Somani said. professionals, social entrepreneurs, Each of the bins, which are about as investors, not-for-profit leaders, and wide as a desk, has a 900-pound capac- government representatives who are

BY JACQUELINE SMALL jsmall2@swarthmore.edu

THE PHOENiX

Photo courtesy of Mariam Zachary

Andy Bastian ’12 fiddles with the two new rotary composters in the basement of Hicks Hall to make them more efficient.

committed to building a more socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable local economy.”

Samples of the compost have been sent to Pennsylvania State University, and Somani said they “received some very favorable results.”

Jean Dahlquist ’11, co-coordinator of the Good Food Compost Project,

said in an e-mail that she was impressed by the speed with which this project has progressed since the grant was awarded.

“It is amazing what you can do at Swarthmore with a few determined students... I just hope we can keep up the flow of new ideas and lots of drive.”

NEwS iN BriEf Egg vandals plauge Borough of Swarthmore Over the summer, the quiet town of Swarthmore was hit with a series of vandalism attacks.

According to the police report, between July 27th and August 3rd, various residents reported vandals armed with eggs, water balloons and pellet guns attacking houses, homes, and in some cases, individuals.

The incidents, which were committed during the late evening and early morning hours, occurred at Harvard and Yale Avenues, the 300 block of N. Princeton Avenue, the 400 block of Drew Avenue, the 600 block of Yale Avenue, the 200 block of Cornell Avenue, the 400 block of Harvard Avenue, the 200 block of Yale Avenue, the 300 block of South Chester Road and the unit block of South Chester Road, according to the police report.

Police have obtained a vehicle description and possible license plate number from one of the incidents and are actively investigating the crimes.

Despite these cases of vandalism, Swarthmore has consistently had a crime rate below the national average, with 52% fewer occurrences of property crime per person, 53% fewer occurrences of violent crime, and 52% fewer occurrences of total crime, in 2008.

August 26, 2010

Still, the police report cautions that while some may see these incidents as “harmless pranks,” they are “dangerous activities that could cause injury.”

They add that “Persons identified committing these offenses will be charged to the fullest extent of the law.”

Swarthmore borough manager Jane Billings said that she did not know of the vandalism cases before hand, but considers Swarthmore a fairly safe town.

When asked how vandalism affects the borough, she said that the incident "affects somebody if they're [directly] affected by them, but not the borough as a whole."

When asked whether measures should be taken to prevent future cases, Billings said that such measures will be taken only if they are recommended by the police department, which does not report to the borough directly.

The Chief of Police of the Swarthmore Police was on vacation and unable to be reached at the time of publication.

“I would completely defer to the police on that. If they had a problem and they thought it was necessary, they would bring it to the Borough,” said Billings.

BY AARON FRIEDMAN

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News Summer residents leave costly mess

BY LAUREN KIM lkim1@swarthmore.edu M a i n t e n a n c e , Environmental Services Technicians and numerous other summer program coordinators were greeted with a messy kitchen and trash-filled hallways when they visited Mary Lyons dorm on Monday, August 9.

Maintenance and EVS Technicians called on Rachel Head, assistant dean for residential life, and Patti Shields, director of environmental services, after having gone through weeks of gradually deteriorating conditions in the off-campus dorm. Director of Summer Programs and Facilities Coordinator Patricia Maloney had already been surprised by ML’s lobby conditions when she made a brief visit on Saturday. But Maloney said that Monday’s scene was “completely unacceptable.”

The incident incurred some serious consequences. None of the 87 summer residents in ML were refunded their $50 security deposits.

This penalty was especially unpopular with those who claimed ‘not guilty.’ They were just as taken aback by the accumulated mess as maintenance and EVS staff had been. They sent remarks and comments through e-mail as insider explanations of what had happened and also as replies to what they felt about being penalized for the mess. Xingda Zhai ’13 said in an e-mail that many students had left early, and that the mess had been made after their departure.

Other students remarked on how they had unwillingly contributed to the final trash buildup due to circumstances at the time.

“There was no cleaning by staff in the last few days, which rendered all other cleaning impossible,” summer resident Benjamin Yesley ’11 said in an e-mail. “By Friday, every trash bin in ML was overflowing, and the halls were congested with things that no one in ML would ever want to claim. I was totally unable to dispose of trash in any civilized way, and ended up putting more refuse on the floor, or leaving it in my room, because there was literally no better place to put it.”

ML conditions had apparently not been too bothersome, at least until the last couple of days. Daniel Cho ’13, one of the summer residents, said that any mess that might have been made during the initial period had not been too extreme as to alert the EVS staff. There had been students who constantly cleaned the kitchen and the

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trash that others had left behind. Party remnants were a few bottles that students could take care of.

But it was toward the end that the mess had accumulated to a much higher degree, especially in the kitchen.

Cho recalled that in the excitement of leaving, students had neglected to wash the dishes they had used with their previous care. They had also failed to clean up the free food that had been scattered in the ML kitchen for all to take and eat.

“I understand why our deposits weren't refunded,” said Doug Woos ’11, another summer resident.

“Both kitchens were extremely dirty, and I don't envy the EVS people who were tasked with cleaning up the mess. Most people have the common sense to clean up after themselves, especially when the space is shared with so many other students, and most people did a pretty good job; a few specific individuals were responsible for the Chernobyl in the kitchens.”

The kitchen had been strewn with food scraps, leaving the area “filthy with rotting food.” The refrigerators were in equally “filthy” condition.

Maloney commented on the state of the mess, saying that she worked alongside the EVS staff in cleaning rotting food from three of the refrigerators in particular because she “could not leave [the EVS staff members] to this disgusting task alone.”

In addition to the mess in the kitchen, the hallways and dorm rooms were filled with trash as well.

Maloney said that clean up involved taking out countless bags of trash and that the floor was a sticky mess. As a collective mess, the situation at ML took far longer to take care of than a normal residence hall clean up.

The summer coordinators had repeatedly reminded students to clean after themselves.

Cho recalled Maloney sending occasional messages when the trash level seemed to be increasing. The summer coordinators had also recognized the RA’s effort in informing everyone about consistently cleaning up their rooms and the kitchen and the fact that not all contributed directly to the mess.

However, they noted that the situation was a result of collective action.

“I understand that not everyone contributed to the mess,” said Maloney. “But it is a community living at ML for the summer and so everyone is responsible.”

swarthmorephoenix.com

Eric Verhasselt Phoenix Staff

Students line up to greet and help first-years for the start orientation week.

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August 26, 2010

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Former Rep. Tom DeLay heading for jury trial, judge rules

BY NOLAN HICKS DAILY TEXAN, AUG. 25 A Travis County district judge ruled Tuesday the long-standing saga over allegations Tom DeLay laundered money to fund Republican candidates running for the Texas House during the 2002 election will go to trial.

Judge Pat Priest, who was specially appointed to the case, ruled that DeLay would receive a trial ahead of two codefendants but he won’t rule until today on whether a change of venue should be granted.

“I think we need to try Mr. DeLay first,” Priest said. “[DeLay] has been demanding trial since day one and he’s going to get it.”

The judge also rejected several defense motions to dismiss charges against DeLay and his co-defendants based on prosecutorial misconduct.

The pre-trial hearings began at 9 a.m. and lasted into the late afternoon, but DeLay appeared confident. He insisted to reporters during a break in proceedings that he would be proven innocent of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money but said that he would not receive a fair trial in Travis County.

“This is a political maneuver by a rogue district attorney [Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle],” he said. “And if I had gotten my trial speedily, like I think I’m entitled to, I may still be in Congress and I may still be in the leadership of Congress.”

The Texas charges were brought by Earle, who was investigating if $190,000 in corporate campaign contributions donated to DeLay’s Texas political action committee, laundered through the RNC and then donated to seven Republican candidates running in Texas House races, was in violation of Texas’ ban on corporate contributions to candidates running for state office. It was also revealed recently that the Justice Department had concluded its probe into the relationship between DeLay and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who plead guilty to charges of corrupting public officials in 2006. A congressman, two White House officials from the Bush administration and two of DeLay’s congressional aides were among those convicted of accepting bribes from Abramoff.

He said he wouldn’t have done anything differently to prevent the appearance of impropriety that triggered a sixyear federal probe into his ties with Abramoff and indictments in Texas.

“I don’t think there’s enough money in politics,” DeLay said. “Money is corruptible to the corruptible, it is up to the individual. There is nothing wrong with participating in the process and [raising money to help] candidates get elected. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done.”

Charges against DeLay in the Abramoff inquiry were dropped last week by the Department of Justice.

Priest quickly ruled on a motion from DeLay’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, that he

should be tried separately from two codefendants, James Ellis and John Colyandro. Ellis was DeLay’s chief Texas fundraiser and ran Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee, which Texans for a Republican Majority was modeled after.

Colyandro was selected by DeLay and Ellis to run TRMPAC. After ruling that DeLay’s trial should proceed separately, Priest heard a series of motions from defense lawyers to dismiss the charges.

The judge heard arguments in closed session — because of discussions about grand jury material — after lunch on the legitimacy of Earle’s use of three grand juries to obtain an indictment of the former congressman. DeLay’s lawyer, DeGuerin, said before the closed session that after failing to obtain an indictment from one grand jury, Earle used a newly installed panel that produced the indictment.

“The defense is standing in a very deep hole with a very short stick, but I don’t want to preclude them from presenting their case,” Priest said after hearing a series arguments alleging prosecutorial misconduct.

DeLay said he didn’t expect a favorable ruling from the judge on the issue of prosecutorial misconduct, but that the important thing was putting the question on the record, so that it could be appealed and challenge the Travis County District Attorney’s authority.

“What’s important here is to make the

case and put it on the record because there will be other things coming down the pike when it’s all done,” DeLay said.

The judge also heard arguments on whether Earle and current District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg had biased the potential jurors by speaking with the press.

The judge ruled against several motions to dismiss the charges Tuesday and indicated that he’s likely to reject the others today.

“They would liked to have the indictments dismissed but they were not,” said UT law professor Steve Bickerstaff, who attended the hearing. “The impression that was conveyed today is that Judge Priest is ready to go to trial.”

DeLay’s lawyer will argue today that he cannot get a fair trial in Austin because of his role in the controversial 2003 mid-cycle redistricting of Texas’ congressional map.

“Everybody knows that Travis County is the last bastion of liberalism in the state of Texas and that everyone who lives in Austin either belongs to an organization or is politically motivated one way or another and knows what’s going on because they talk to each other,” DeLay said. “We will present our case to the judge. There’s no way I can get a free and fair trial in this county.”

After the hearing was adjourned at 5 p.m., DeGuerin said the case was probably moving forward to trial phase.

“It’s just a matter of when and where,” he said.

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INTERESTED IN JOURNALISM? BUSINESS? CIRCULATION? THE WEB? Join the Phoenix staff for a fun and informative meeting at 8 p.m. on Monday August 30th in Science Center 101 to learn how YOU can get involved in Swarthmore’s 129-year-old newspaper

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August 26, 2010

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Living & Arts Top 10: Campus hang-outs

swarthmorephoenix.com

Orientation Week 2010

Underhill Library Underhill Library is typically not one of the popular libraries, but that may be its allure.

With a beautiful view of the Crum, you can do your homework while sitting in a comfortable chair, complete with pillows. There’s also a cushioned bench - a great place for taking naps.

Paces Café Open from Sunday through Wednesday, Paces Café is a neat location to get your fourth meal on while hanging out with your friends or doing homework. The prices are perfect for frugal college students. And on Thursdays, Paces transforms into Pub Nite, a perfect way to unwind, if you’re so inclined.

McCabe First Floor Got homework? Need to hang out with friends? Do them both on the first floor of McCabe. Many groups like to hang out and do homework together while enjoying the perk of 10 p.m. coffee and snacks provided by the library.

The Crum The Crum is part of Swarthmore’s extensive arboretum and a haven to get away from the stress of schoolwork. Take a hike around the trails and get reacquainted with the beauty of nature.

Crumhenge Upperclassmen might know Crumhenge from their freshman orientation trust walk, and freshman will be meeting it soon. It’s another great nature setting to escape away from the stress that is schoolwork.

Science Center Café and Lounge At the heart of the Science Center is the Café and Lounge, complete with chairs, tables, and couches for working in groups or by yourself.

It’s right next to the Cornell Library and close to many classes. The Café and Lounge is definitely a popular location to study.

Mullan Fitness Center Whether you’re an athlete or not, it’s good life choice to come exercise at Mullan Fitness Center, to jog, lift weights or use the elliptical.

The tennis courts are located at this location as well.

Eric Verhasselt and Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff

Explore Philly: Upcoming events in the city

Wharton Courtyard During the springtime, the Wharton courtyard boasts cherry blossom and magnolia trees in full bloom. It’s really a special sight.

Barbecues and hangouts are common sights at this beautiful and convenient location.

Pearson Education Library The Pearson Education Library may be small, but it’s fully equipped with computers, a chalkboard, and quiet. It’s a great place to study without being bothered, whether you’re by yourself or in a group.

LPAC 2nd Floor Lounge This second floor lounge is a nifty niche that overlooks part of the hallway in LPAC. The artistic layout of the lounge is enough to lure most people, but it’s also a great place to grab a book and read.

BY JOHN OH

8

Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt The most famous and last pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra, has remained a mystery to explorers, historians and the world – until now. Underwater expeditions unearthed Cleopatra’s royal palace, ancient cities and artifacts, thought to be lost at sea. The new exhibit, which runs until January 2, 2011 at The Franklin Institute, boasts over 140 artifacts. Check out www.fi.edu/cleopatra/ for ticket information and more.

Friday Night Lights Fireworks Series Check out the brilliant and dazzling fireworks at Penn’s Landing this Friday! Every Friday until September 3rd, enjoy a free fireworks display, starting at 9:15 p.m. on the waterfront.

Summer Samba Festival 2010 Celebrate the end of summer with great music, dancing and food. The Summer Samba Festival, starting on Friday and partying until this Sunday, will feature art

August 26, 2010

shows, discount shopping, cheap food and drink, capoeira, music and dance performances throughout the weekend. The festival will be at the Head House Square and South Street district.

Free Summer Dance Performance The final summer dance performance will be this Saturday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. Come out to 40th and Walnut Street for a free performance, featuring Rennie Harris RHAW, Project Capoeira and KeturahNicole, for eclectic and exciting dancing. Check out www.universitycity.org for more information.

Food Truck: Cupcake Edition Haven’t dabbled into the food truck phenomenon sweeping the nation yet? Check out Philly’s own cupcake trucks, including Buttercream, Sugar Philly, and Brown Betty Petite. Find their locations online and head out for a sugar-coated adventure in the city.

BY CAMI RYDER

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Alumni theater group nominated for six Barrymores

BY DINA ZINGARO dzingar1@swarthmore.edu The Pig Iron Theatre Company, founded by Swarthmore graduates, recently received six nominations for The 2010 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre for its 2009 production of “Welcome to Yuba City.” The slew of nominations recognized director Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel '94 with Outstanding Direction of a Play, playwright Deborah Stein ’99 with the Independence Foundation Award for Outstanding New Play and actors Dito van Reigersberg '94 and Sarah Sanford '99 with Outstanding Ensemble in a Play. Pig Iron is also nominated for Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, Outstanding Set Design and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play.

Pig Iron, a previous recipient of seven Barrymore Awards, generated a great deal of noise with “Welcome to Yuba City.” The production was the highest attended show last summer at the 2009 Live Arts Festival in Philadelphia, while simultaneously selling out 14 shows.

The ensemble created a comical portrayal of the American West. Pig Iron’s production process is an “open beginning,” which means there is an initial sense of the work’s setting, but a script and characters are absent. Bauriedel said, “Every time we are making something from scratch, the challenges are trying to follow what’s exciting in the rehearsal room.”

Each actor imagined his or her own characters using the director’s initial concept of the American West. “Everyone in the ensemble was absolutely stunning. One of the pleasures of the play was watching the actors transform into these widely different and interesting characters,” Bauriedel said.

In rehearsals, the cast improvised while Stein wrote in response to what the actors created.

Stein’s approach to playwriting tends to “leave a lot of space for [her] collaborators to bring their own visions and mark on the roles.” She believes her style is greatly influenced by her work with Pig Iron, which includes six plays since 2000. “It's a huge honor, for the whole company, to see our work recognized in this way,” Stein said.

Though Bauriedel shares Stein’s sentiments, his personal satisfaction with the production remains unchanged. “An award is very exciting, but at the same time I feel very strongly for some pieces that didn’t have the same popular appeal and that didn’t get the same recognition,” Bauriedel said.

Seven alumni, Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel, Soli Holum, Nate Read, Jay Rhoderick, Dan Rothenberg, Dito van Reigersberg, and Telory Williamson, founded Pig Iron. The founders convened on campus in the summer of ’95 and were granted use of the relatively new LPAC building.

The group found success with its first show at LPAC and later in Edinboro, PA, before making its home in Philly. Now, three of the original founders, Rothenberg, Van Reigersberg, and Bauriedel remain with Pig Iron as the company’s co-artistic directors alongside an administrative staff, company members, and a board of directors.

The trio is responsible for core decisions about the company’s operations, work as liaisons to the board of directors, and attract funders since Pig Iron is a non-profit organization. Bauriedel, who graduated as a theatre major, said, “Swarthmore was a hugely influential time for me where I really was able to take theatre from so many different angles … I began to meet people who were kindred spirits who wanted to break convention and make

theatre that was not stale and old and something vibrant, fresh, and new.”

Pig Iron continues to maintain this early desire for the edgy and exploratory. The company is an interdisciplinary ensemble, and therefore, works from a multitude of perspectives such as dance, puppetry, realistic theatre, experimental physical theatre, cabaret, visual art, and music.

The company’s name further reflects its knack for the unusual. Pig iron, a raw iron material, is the counter-balance weight used backstage to move scenery in and out of the scenes. Bauriedel said, “It does something totally artificial and theatrical, but also really useful and raw and kind of unperformed about it.”

Van Reigersberg credits Swarthmore’s theater department for instilling in him “a desire to change the face of what theatre can be, a yearning to both engage the heart and prod the brain, a love of ensembles, and a sense of daring.” To current students, he said, “Fail gloriously. This is your most expansive moment, maybe in your whole life, when the playing field is wide and full of possibility.”

Like Bauriedel and Van Reigersberg, Stein believes in the possibility of finding your fellow dreamers right around you. She said, “Find your community of people--fellow travelers, like-minded creative folk, people you can stay up all night dreaming up stuff with—and stick with them.”

The company plans to open The Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance, a two-year theatre program in physical and ensemble-created theatre. Also, the ensemble is busy with its newest original work “Cankerblossom,” which will run from September 1-18. The production delves into a planar world where a young couple tries to rescue its adopted child who is made of cardboard.

Swat Style Snapshot Name: Jessica Cannizzaro Year: 2012 From: Manhattan, NY Current Residence: London, British American Drama Academy What She’s Wearing: Cannizzaro’s jacket is from a London thrift store and she found her black, newspaper-boy cap at a hat shop in Japan. “I love these shoes,” Cannizzaro said of her tan oxfords, which she found in Swarthmore’s famous little costume shop. “I liked the shoes so much and they fit so perfectly, the teacher said I could keep them!” Her knee high socks are from Target, a Swarthmore student made her shirt, and her navy knit skirt is American Apparel, which she paired with an Urban Outfitter’s necklace and her mother’s vintage leather purse.

It’s an outfit of basic colors, but Cannizzaro finds the perfect look for the transition from summer to fall, with the short, summery lengths of her skirt to the jacket, knee highs and oxfords rounding out the look for fall.

Her outfit also hits the runway mark, as it was definitely back to basics for Fall 2010 collections like Celine, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney (the former two being Cannizzarro’s favorite designers).

How She Describes Her Style: “It kind of changes all the time,” Cannizzaro says of her style. “It’s kind of how I’m feeing at the moment and I think style is just knowing who exactly you are in that moment and I try to be true to that.” From floral, feminine dresses one day to ripped jeans and t-shirts the next, Cannizzaro’s changes up her look with chameleonic style. She recently chopped off her brown locks for an edgier, shorter haircut and has found that her new hair gives her a new perspective on her style. “I think everyone should … try something extremely drastic with

THE PHOENIX

their hair at least once in their life.”

Where She Likes to Shop: For Cannizzaro, shopping hits close to home, as she frequents her friends’ and family’s closets, as well as the unending closets at thrift stores. “I love going to thrift stores and finding all those incredible little things that people give away,” she said. Some of her favorites are New York’s Beacon’s Closet and the Village Thrift Store as well as Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange and the Salvation Army.

Cannizzaro also loves sales at Urban Outfitters and quirky, Americana items from roadside shops, like the oversized American flag sweater she found on a recent road trip to Gettysburg.

Never Leaves the House Without: Vests. “I was told a lot this summer that my signature seems to be vests,” she said. “I think a good vest can really complete and pull together an outfit.”

TEXT BY CAMILA RYDER PHOTO BY MARY JANE CANNIZZARO

August 26, 2010

12 ’ o r a z niz n a C a Jessic 9

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Getting to and from Philly: the Liberty Bell by train Welcome to Swarthmore. If you’re not from the area, when you say you go to Swarth-more and the person you’ve informed asks, “Where’s that?” you probably reply, “Philadelphia.” And if you say Philadelphia, the chances are they’ll say, “So, have you seen the Liberty Bell?”

By the end of the year, Jen Johnson be able to answer “Yes.” In-town, Off-campus Swarthmore is about eleven miles southwest of the birthplace of the United States. Depending on what mode of transportation you take, what time of day, and what day of the week it is, it takes between thirty-five minutes and two hours to get downtown.

Driving and parking downtown can be expensive and a hassle–however, taking a car into the urban center is a problem most Swatties don’t have. Most Swatties rely on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) via the Media-Elwyn Line (formerly the R3), which stops at the foot of campus. Trains run once an hour and more frequently during rush hours.

Schedules can be found on the SEPTA website (www.septa.org), and the Student Dashboard lists the arrival times of the next three inbound trains, which will take you to Center City. Schedules and fares are subject to change throughout the year, so a paper railway time guide will not be accurate indefinitely. The organization’s website lists service changes, but reportedly, the most reliable way to get updates about service changes is to subscribe to its Twitter feed.

The train is more likely to be late than early, but most off-peak (non-rush hour) trains are punctual. Inbound trains arrive on the platform nearest to the softball field, next to the station office. Bring $15 cash for the train fare.

After you board the train and it starts rolling, the conductor will come through and ask for, “All tickets and passes.” If you have purchased a ticket beforehand, slide it into the black clip on the seat in front of you, and the conductor will validate it as he passes through. Advance fares are cheaper than onboard fares, and can be purchased at the station office Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM to noon. Currently, weekend and evening onboard fares are the same as advanced purchase fares, but weekday fares before 7:00 PM are more expensive onboard ($12.00) than in advance ($10.75). If you buy your ticket onboard, tell the conductor you’d like a round trip

Courtesy of Google Maps, Map Data

ticket to Market East Station. You can also ask for a round trip to Center City, which is the fare zone. Either way, to get to the Liberty Bell, you should get off at Market East. If the trains are moving well, it takes about forty minutes to arrive.

Unfortunately, your train could arrive on any of several tracks within Market East, making the nearest exit a variable factor. To get to your destination, make your way up to the street and find a corner. Make a tour of the block if necessary–if you do, you should see Reading Terminal Market, a great place to grab lunch that is quite a destination itself.

Ideally, you want to find yourself between the Hard Rock Café on the corner of 12th & Market and the Burlington Coat Factory on the corner of 10th & Market.

There should be an important-looking building with a statue of William Penn on top down the street to your right; this is City Hall.

If you have time, it’s worth a look, but your destination is in the other direction. In Philadelphia, numbered streets run roughly north-south, and named streets run roughly east-west.

Walk away from City Hall on Market Street as the numbered cross streets decline. At 6th and Market, the scenery changes from urban jungle to small-and-wellmanicured national park, and you have arrived.

At the north end of the park between Race & Arch Streets, the National Constitution Center is an interactive historical museum concerned with the birth of the United States, open 9:30-5:00 Monday through Saturday (open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays) and noon-5:00 on Sundays. Adult admission is $12. The Independence

Visitors’ Center between Arch & Market is where many different city tours begin, as well as the site of the nearest public restroom. The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.. Tickets are required March through December for Independence Hall, but can be reserved by phone or online. Tickets are normally free, but there is a $1.50 per ticket surcharge for advance reservations.

When you’re ready to return to campus, reverse course. Just make sure you’ve kept your train ticket. If you feel likely to get lost, the weather turns out to be awful, or walking from Market East to 6th & Market is a hardship, the alternative to walking is to stay underground and change to the Market-Frankford Line (you will have to pay again, though not so much) and ride it to 5th & Market. Unfortunately, SEPTA’s rail system is not particularly good at accommodating physical disabilities affecting walking.

To call this area the historic part of Philadelphia does not do justice to the city’s life apart from its political significance to the creation of the nation.

Yet, it is the history of this area that exists in American culture as the most popular idea of Philadelphia. The trip to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the National Constitution Center is not so simple that you couldn’t get lost, or so quick that it only requires you to set aside two or three hours. It is nevertheless a good first trip off campus. On the whole, it’s a safe and straightforward trip with a clear and significant goal, and should you get lost downtown, it shouldn’t be hard to reorient yourself and get directions.

Welcome to Philadelphia.

Cera’s Scott Pilgrim closes summer season with fun

BY ISAAC HAN ihan1@swarthmore.edu If the overwhelming experience of the Scott Pilgrim vs the World could be summed up in one word, the word would be “fun.” This action-packed Movie Review film, an adaptation of the Scott Critic rating: 7.5/10 Pilgrim graphic novel series by Rotten Tomatoes Bryan Lee Rating: 81% O’Malley featuring Michael Cera, adds an anime and video gameinspired action element to spice up the tale of an awkward teen in searh of romance, which seemingly-typecast Cera has already explored in numerous films.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) encounters the literal girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), though he’s dating high school student Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Once he finally gets Ramona to go on a date with him, he finds that there is a League of

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Ramona’s Evil Exes out to get him. In order to date Ramona, he must defeat all of these exes.

The movie is presented as if it were a video game. For each object and character there is a list of details as the viewer scans and surveys parts of the room to get a better feel for and ready immersion into the world of the film, just as one would when playing a role-playing video game. This aide to immersion draws the viewer into the film and the action never slows, assuring that the viewer, whom the film seems to assume has attention deficit disorder, is never bored.

The fast and upbeat pace of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is refreshing and allows the film to be at once entertaining and appealing, especially to anyone who has ever played an arcade game like Mortal Combat or Dance Dance Revolution. The fight sequences where Scott battles Ramona’s exes each commence with the classic “vs. screen” right out of any arcade fighting game, and after each kill there point scores light up the screen and coins burst into the air to reward each victory and signal the end of a level, a stage of the game that is the

movie. This innovative device ensures that the viewer will pay attention and be entertained.

Along the way, the themes of the struggles of teenage love and romance emerge throughout the film, making the fun more than just sheer enjoyment but also a poignant take on the genre. After each battle, the trust of the couple of Ramona and Scott gets tested as character flaws get revealed. After battling some strange exes, Scott begins to question Ramona’s character and their relationship begins to tear apart. It seems as though the League has done its job. It is only when Scott begins to learn selfrespect that he is able to look past Ramona’s flaws and accept their relationship enough to continue to fight for its success. The film increases its meaningfulness by making comments on romance and break-ups, and the importance of self-respect in creating lasting relationships.

It is this combination of pure entertainment value and poignant, though occassionally cliched, observations that makes Scott Pilgrim a delight to watch and more than just another Michael

August 26, 2010

Cera movie about teenage awkwardness.

It takes a familiar genre and adds a welcome flavor to the experience. The action-packed fight scenes in which Scott Pilgrim uses advanced martial arts and acrobatics expands on the awkward teen type-cast in which Cera is entrapped, making him as much an action hero as an awkward nerdy hipster. The innocence and nonchalance by which the character of Scott Pilgrim can traverse between the tropes of the nervous teen who is squeamish around girls and those of the the martial arts guru that can defeat even the baddest of foes adds to the humor of the film that charms the audience into getting behind Scott Pilgrim as he battles for a love that he respects and in which he believes.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one of those summer hits that proves to be a total entertainment experience. In blending the pleasing aspects of teenage romance, martial arts action, visual effects reminiscent of classic video games and humor, it is a movie that will surely bring you out of that summer funk and remind you what the summer movie season is all about: having fun.

THE PHOENIX

is

FALL 2010

APPLICATIONS DUE

HIRING

SEPT. 5 @ 5 P.M. Please see our website for additional information and to obtain an application. Go to swarthmorephoenix.com/apply to submit an application.

WRITING, BUSINESS, EDITORIAL & WEB 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.

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, 2 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.

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.

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.

FOR HIRING RULES, FULL JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR FALL 2010:

h t t p : / / w w w. s w a r t h m o r e p h o e n i x . c o m / h i r i n g

THE PHOENIX

August 26, 2010

11

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Bridging social commentary and cheap entertainment

BY QUITTERIE GOUNOT qgounot1@swarthmore.edu For many people, the words “pulp fiction” evoke a very specific and immediate association: the 1994 movie by Quentin Tarantino. Both an example and a parody of the film noir genre, Pulp Fiction immerses the viewer into the fragmented yet interconnected lives of Las Vegas mobsters and small time criminals.

Fewer people, however, know about pulp fiction, the genre which gave the famous film its name.

Perhaps it is the very nature of the genre that is to blame. After all, pulp fiction is not the kind of literature that teachers like to pass out for students to study. Known for their lurid stories, filled with gratuitous and explicit sex and violence, pulp magazines are not exactly considered art. As students in 2010, is there anything for us to learn from the cheap entertainment popular in the early part of last century?

This is a question that has been on the mind of Hilary Trout ’13 for some time and developed into the current McCabe exhibit, “Sex, Action, and Social Commentary: Pulp Magazines in America.” Spanning some eight cases all around the entrance and lobby of the library, this exhibit brings together over thirty specimens of the pulp fiction genre, and other original documents such as letters concerning alleged copyright violations. This collection, donated to Swarthmore College by Philadelphian author David H. Keller’s family, includes many of his own stories.

However, the collection also features stories, essays, and poems by a variety of other authors such as John Murray Reynolds, H.P. Lovecraft, and Ray Avery Myers. Visitors might be surprised to see mentions of famous literary figures like Ursula LeGuin and Isaac Asimov. “Under the grim and grime of pulp, you get some major household names,” Trout said.

In fact, many well-known American writers of the past century launched their literary careers that way.

For example, both Ray Bradbury and Tennessee Williams published their first stories in pulp magazines.

Pulp fiction might seem out of place at an institution like Swarthmore, as it is first and foremost cheap entertainment, deriving its name from the low-grade wood pulp paper on which it was printed. With a varying but always low price, pulp magazines did not pretend to compete with the so-called classier entertainment of the “slicks,” more expensive publications recognizable due to their glossy covers. The writing was often amateur and almost always verbose because writers were typically paid by the word. All the same, it is precisely this commonplace quality that made the pulps such a staple of American newsstands from their appearance in the late 1890’s to their decline in the 1950’s.

“It was popular because it was cheap,” Trout said.

“It was something everyone could afford, entertainment everyone had access to as long as they could read or get someone to read it to them.”

Beyond shockingly racist cover art and depictions of scantily clad women, pulp fiction can be seen as a vehicle for social and political ideas. Stories that might strike us as profoundly sexist in their portrayal of gender roles are countered by many examples more sympathetic to a feminist audience. Pulp fiction encompasses views as diametrically opposed as socialism and capitalism. The modern audience is called to sift through and identify for him or herself those ideas that are worthy. “The authors are beginning to work through questions like racism, sexism and technological mayhem on the page, though not always in ways progressive people would like to see,” librarian Melanie Maksin said. “It’s a medium that is far out there in many ways, including socially and politically.”

As the exhibit makes clear, pulp fiction reflects the prevalent anxieties of its time, such as the advent of technological warfare, the excesses and inefficiencies of governments, and the depletion of natural resources. “The pulps were a small glimpse into what was going on in the cultural subconscious,” Trout said.

Through the pulps, writers of all social origins, professions, and political persuasions delivered a raw bulk of stories and ideas. Much like Wikipedia today, the pulp can be blamed for its inconsistent quality, the

12

Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff

“Sex, Action, and Social Commentary” is the newest McCabe exhibit covering the oft-hidden genre of pulp fiction. “anything and everything” that seem to make it up.

But it can be praised for its wonderful accessibility and integration of popular involvement.

One thing is sure: the significance of pulp fiction

has been seriously overlooked.

“By showcasing our collections, we want students to think about what else may be lurking in the library,” librarian Pam Harris said.

Crossword SWARTHMORE OR LESS ACROSS 1 Where some write notes 6 Chipotle chow 11 TV scientist Bill 14 Like some bonds and bears 15 “Fame” actress Cara 16 Comparative suffix 17 Pong maker 18 Subject of the documentary “An Unreasonable Man” 19 He claimed “Hip Hop is Dead” in 2006 20 Swarth_____ (incoming freshmen) 23 When repeated, a Gabor 24 Eater’s start?

25 Hurt 29 _______ TV 33 G.I. Bill beneficiaries 36 Tongue-in-cheek 38 Summons 40 Swarth____ (professors) 43 Etch 44 “All About Eve” actress Davis 45 Nikita’s “no” 46 Succinct 49 Molt 50 “____ is everything:” Andy Warhol 52 By way of 54 Swarth_____ (rising seniors) 62 Never alternative 63 Kafka’s “The _____ Colony” 64 Back-to-school purchases 65 Corrida cry 66 Hagar’s dog 67 Blue hue 68 “____ Blaue Reiter” 69 Asinine 70 -Watt and -byte prefixes DOWN 1 It may be “Hot & Spicy” or “Hickory Smoked” 2 Dorothy’s pooch 3 Banned apple spray 4 Meter’s message 5 “M” director Lang 6 It’s not good for conducting

August 26, 2010

7 Composer Khachaturian 8 Let go 9 Lollapalooza 10 “Tilted Arc” sculptor Richard 11 Suffragists’ amendment 12 Wine label datum 13 Hosp. areas 21 1940s White House monogram 22 Cites 25 Deans, e.g.: abbr.

26 Chum 27 Engine measure 28 Member of a college 30 Actor who won comedy and drama Emmys for the same role 31 Failure in Manila?

32 “Treme” airer 34 Short-term investment, briefly 35 Lopped (off) 37 Env. contents

39 Where to throw darts, perhaps 41 Run’s partner 42 Sixteenth prez 47 Trim 48 Norse goddess 51 Brand promoted by Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, and Michael Jackson 53 MLB statistic 54 Chemistry unit 55 Philadelphia campus 56 Fit for duty 57 Give notice 58 Seep 59 BYOB part 60 Gumbo vegetable 61 Manipulates 62 Snooze, with “off”

BY ANNA SHECHTMAN

For the solution to this week’s puzzle, see The Phoenix’s online edition at www.swarthmorephoenix.com.

THE PHoENIX

swarthmorephoenix.com

r e - m i g r a t i o n

i m a g i n a t i o n

Residence halls open for returning students (upperclassmen move in ) Friday, August 27

List Gallery Exhibit: Aesthetics of Intimacy, through September 10

editor’s P I CK S

By Miriam Hauser

A Capella performances: 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Sunday, Clothier Bell Tower

Activities Fair, Sunday, 1:30-3:30

d e m o n s t r a t i o n THE PHOENIX

a p p r e c i a t i o n

August 26, 2010

13

Opinions

swarthmorephoenix.com

‘Pc’ lexicon is crutch, From red pens to freedom not tool, for tolerance

BY SINAN KAZAKLAR skazakl1@swarthmore.edu

As I discourages free expression of ideas grew up and forces people (particularly students attending on a very liberal campus such as the a conser- one we have the privilege of inhabiting) v a t i v e to conform to an ideological orthodoxy parochial that, while claiming to equally respect school in all points of view, is in fact intolerant of the Deep all but a select few.

As highly intelligent and socially South, my p a r e n t s conscious students, we are completely told me capable of being sensitive to and tolerthat fol- ant of diverse groups of people on our lowing a campus and in the wider world without Samuel Green “political- the linguistic crutch that is the “PC” The Middle Path ly cor- lexicon.

The use of such politically correct rect” lexicon could terminology as “visually challenged” often mean that a person shapes his when we mean “blind” and “weight disspeech — and consequently, perhaps, proportional” for “fat” does not heighthis beliefs — to the standards of the en our sensitivity to potential pitfalls of dominant socio-political climate that offensive language, make us more he finds himself in, no matter the place aware of our innate prejudices, or make us kinder, gentler people. on the spectrum.

Rather, such terms serve to annoy, At my first-year orientation about confuse, frusfour years ago, I trate speakers made several and prevent a grievous linguisclear, simple tic mistakes, When you speak in and direct meschief among politically correct terms, sage from being them calling the put across. occasion “freshno one can tell what It’s time to man” orientayou’re actually get real when tion.

I got you speak. slammed by the talking about.

Using politistudents on my cally correct hall for my perterms conceived “insensitivity.” I overheard one student, after tributes to a linguistic orthodoxy the shock of my faux-pas had passed, which isolates those (like my 18-yearwhisper to another, “Well maybe he old self) who have not been inducted just doesn’t know because he’s from the into the elite ranks of those who know the leftist code-words and academic jarBible Belt.”

As silly as the comment might seem, gon that are often used in the place of he was right. I didn’t know — the way intelligent and rational argument.

When you speak in politically corkids insulted their peers at my high school was generally by calling them rect terms, no one can tell what you’re actually talking about. Rather, just say “gay.”

But soon I was inundated with a bar- your true message in respectful and rage of semi-coerced changes to my lin- clear terms without interjecting the guistic diet, and I found myself, mere lockstep, group-think opinions entailed months after the “freshman” incident, by “PC” lexicon.

I anticipate writing more about the referring to native-Spanish speaking folks as “Latino/Latina individuals,” issue of the far-left liberal orthodoxy that I have noticed dominates political, which I will admit was a little silly.

And I think that it was at some point social and economic discourse on camin my career here at Swat that we col- pus — the same orthodoxy that has lectively started referring to people made me move to a more central posiwho we used to call “African- tion on the political spectrum.

I have chosen to entitle my opinion American” — or, more commonly, “black” — as “people of color” to column “The Middle Path” to address encompass a wider spectrum of racial the fact that it is quite possible (and I believe, preferable) to be politically and and ethnic background.

And I know at least a letter or two socially liberal without complying with has been added to the LGBTQ spectrum all of the demands of a far-left ‘politicalacronym since we discussed the special ly-correct’ orthodoxy.

So far as I understand, our college is needs of middle school students who fall within the LGBTQ spectrum in my a place where open “dialogue” is one of first-year “Introduction to Education” the primary priorities of our collective social agenda. seminar.

What’s more, college is a time to And really, isn’t this acronym long expand your worldview and challenge enough already?

Now, first-year students of your assumptions, not to kowtow to Swarthmore, esteemed class of 2014, as whichever ideological establishment we enter the fall semester (or perhaps it you find your peers dominated by.

Conforming to the linguistic and ideshould be referred to as the “autumn ovester,” as per the 1994 satirical clas- ological orthodoxy of “PC” dampens sic “Politically Correct University”), I the freedom of our discourse.

Samuel is a senior. He can be reached beg you to not overuse such terms.

Why? Because political correctness at sgreen4@swarthmore.edu

14

The 11-hour transatlantic plane ride ends with lack of sleep and amplifying excitement.

Up until then, I realize, I never really thoroughly thought of what was awaiting me in the United States, Land of the Free.

International students apply to American colleges with different motivations.

If you ask them about their reasons for applying to American educational institutions, some say “a good education,” others “a change of scenery,” and a small group does not even know.

As evidenced even in this small example, we, as the international students, come from not only different countries but also from different mind frames.

As a Turkish student from an American school in Istanbul, I am here for a number of reasons, the most important of which is to have a multifaceted education. The European education system expects students to make career plans nearly as early as kindergarten and builds up their education based on that decision for the rest of their lives. An engineer takes only technical and “necessary” classes in college, missing out on a lot of other subjects.

As opposed to the strict field education in Europe, the American liberal arts education gives the student a broad understanding of life and the liberty to discover new things that might be interesting. I can be on the pre-med track and pursue my interest in journalism while taking sociology classes at the same time.

What do you call freedom, if not that?

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, we drew thick lines between academic fields and stuck to them for our lives. But how efficient is it to categorize students based on their initial educational preferences and turn a blind eye on any other field? Is it better to encourage students to focus on a single study and ignore the rest?

Then, we end up with well-educated doctors who do not even know how to com-

OP-ED

municate with the patients and smart engineers who do not know anything about the world issues. Those are the unfortunate creations of the system.

At a personal level, I must add the importance of the First Amendment, in other words the freedom of speech. A journalist’s biggest nightmare is probably censorship or the red pen. For different reasons, I have been struggling against the red pen in the past few years.

In my high school newspaper, we could not write opinion pieces about politics because it is prohibited by the Ministry of Education regulations. Therefore, the completed issue was controlled by the Dean of Students, and every now and then we would publish the issue with a blank space in a corner because an article became the victim of the red pen.

After a point, any kind of critical article was impossible to publish and it got really frustrating. The newspaper was becoming just an advertisement booklet where the recent events on campus would be reported with as little criticism as possible.

When I realized that there was no way of fighting the bureaucracy, I decided to find a loophole in the system and utilize it.

I wanted to write about the negative effects of the strong political polarity in Turkey.

The method I came up with was writing an allegorical article using the chemical polarity to portray polarity between the Turkish political parties.

It fortunately passed the censorship and became the first opinion piece to ever be published in my high school. It was a truly fulfilling experience, yet I believe journalists should not need to struggle with the restrictions to share their opinions. Agreeing or disagreeing is one thing; prohibiting the share of ideas is another.

It has not even been a week since I arrived at Swarthmore, but I am already writing a column, sharing my experiences, opinions, and ideas through the newspaper.

And most importantly, I do it without any kind of restriction. On the contrary, I am encouraged to share as much as possible. It is a generous opportunity, and I am planning to use it as productively as I can.

Letter, OP-eD anD cOmment POLicy Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication.

All comments posted online and all opeds and letters must be signed and should include the writer’s full name.

Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Op-eds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and op-eds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and op-eds received after that time from publication.

Letters may be signed by a maximum of five individuals. Op-eds may be signed by a maximum of two individuals. The

August 26, 2010

Phoenix will not accept pieces exclusively attributed to groups, although individual writers may request that their group affiliation be included.

While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board.

Please submit letters to: letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Please report corrections to: corrections@swarthmorephoenix.com Letters, corrections and news tips may also be submitted online to the paper by clicking “Contact” on the Phoenix website.

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Sports

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taking a crack at settling the clutch-hitting debate T h e debate about whether “clutch” players t r u l y exist in baseball is so perfectly indicative of timothy Bernstein the great Bullet Points divide t h a t exists between the statistically-oriented and those content to judge only by what their eyes provide them.

The former — if you believe the latter — is consisted almost entirely of sun-deprived bloggers who have never quite made it out of Mom’s basement and who retreat behind the security of numbers because, really, why bother to actually watch baseball when you can write on sports blogs that no one reads anyway?

The latter — if you believe the former — is broken down thusly: 35% fans who have only just stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy, 25% idiot scouts who still don’t care about on-base percentage (as seen in the b o o k “Moneyball”), 20% close-minded veteran sportswriters who should really just do everyone a favor and die already, 15% jock ex-ballplayers, and 5% Joe Morgan*.

The Stat Guys refuse to acknowledge that which cannot be quantified, while the other side is distrustful of data they see as potentially misleading, preferring to go entirely by what they see, which periodically involves someone who has the slightly ethereal ability to rise above human concerns such as pressure and perform regardless. Since seeing is, to them, believing, let’s call that side the True Believers. A little heavy-handed? Absolutely, but take baseball out of the equation and the two opposing maxims here are simply “I know nothing that cannot be proven” and “I know because I believe.” *The first thing you are taught when being initiated into the statistical community is that at the end of the day, just about everything is Joe Morgan’s fault, oil spills and forest fires not excepted. Also, they don’t care how much he appears to dislike playing baseball, J.D. Drew IS, in fact, underrated.

What the Stat Guys have going for them is that, while the stories about great “clutch” moments in baseball have proven endlessly repeatable, the supposed ability to consistently perform “in the clutch” has not. Enter Fangraphs.com. For those unfamiliar, Fangraphs has asserted itself as the Mecca for Stat Guys everywhere — a place to analyze, debate, reason, conclude, rinse, and repeat — when it comes to baseball statistics**. This does not, however, mean that they are satisfied to use only the categories that have already been created. No, in addition to the usual sets of numbers you might expect from a baseball-themed website, Fangraphs has created several custom categories of its own. And in the ultimate middle finger to the True Believers, who stand for nothing if not for the fact that you just can’t even begin to put a number on what one of the blessed few known as “clutch

players” does for his team…they went ahead and made a statistic that measures “Clutch” performance. **The ideal visitor to Fangraphs is someone who is somewhat interested in statistics and heavily into baseball. If you are heavily interested in both statistics and baseball, you will never leave the site, and your life will slowly begin to erode all around you.

How this statistic (simply labeled “Clutch” on the website) is calculated is almost beside the point*** since it was more or less created with the sole purpose of proving that it wasn’t actually important. The Clutch ratings on Fangraphs routinely switch from positive to negative on a year-by-year basis for just about any player one can think of. More, perhaps even most importantly, is that there is absolutely no connection whatsoever between being an elite baseball player and occupying the hallowed ground reserved for “clutch” players. ***In a nutshell: it takes an aggregate sum of all plays made by a given player over the course of a season that adds to the probability that his team will win a game and subtracts from it a version of that sum that takes into account how important the given situation was in terms of winning the game (i.e. batting with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning when losing by one run is a more important, or “higher-leverage” situation than, say, batting with no one on base in the first inning when winning by three runs. A home run in both situations does not hold equal importance for one’s team).

Essentially, it shows how much better a player performs in an important situation compared to how he would in a less important one.

Just for fun, I took a look at the players who have raised their game in the clutch better than anyone else this year and put their Clutch Ratings opposite Wins Above Replacement (WAR), a statistic that determines a player’s overall value (measured in how many more theoretical wins that player would be worth to his team over the course of a season than, were he injured, the prototypical weak-offense/averagedefense free agent who would be available to sign at a moment’s notice). For reference, 4 Wins Above Replacement usually puts a player in the top 25 in all of baseball, 3 in the top 40, and 2 in the top 80.

Here are the top 10 from the unfinished 2010 season:

To label someone a clutch player is to ignore the big picture. To deny the existence of Clutch is to ignore the little one.

tHe PHoeniX

Top 10 “Clutch” Players, 2010 Player / Clutch / Wins Above Replacement Michael Bourn, Astros OF / 1.87 / 2.0 Jose Lopez, Mariners 3B / 1.81 / -0.1 Shin-Soo Choo, Indians OF / 1.67 / 4.0 Carlos Lee, Astros OF / 1.45 / -0.8 Russell Martin, Dodgers C / 1.42 / 2.0 Lastins Milledge, Pirates OF / 1.29 / 0.6 Corey Hart, Brewers OF / 1.22 / 1.9 Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox 1B / 1.15 / 4.1 Yadier Molina, Cardinals C / 1.09 / 1.7 Placido Polanco, Phillies 3B / 1.01 / 3.5 Clutch Average: 1.40 Wins Above Replacement Average: 1.9 The Stat guys would be overjoyed to see this list; a couple of excellent players, a couple of horrendous ones (you rarely see negative WAR ratings in the major leagues since, as you might imagine, such players would not normally be allowed to play in the major leagues), but overall a mixed bag that points to no specific trend. The average

player who is among the elite in the clutch is a good if not spectacular player worth about 2 wins to his team.

Here are the bottom-dwellers, the players who, in important moments, evidently struggle to hold their bats correctly: Bottom 10 “Clutch” Players, 2010 Player / Clutch / Wins Above Replacement Rajai Davis, Athletics OF / -1.62 / 0.7 Ben Zobrist, Rays 2B / -1.59 / 2.7 Ryan Theriot, Dodgers IF / -1.50 / 0.2 Derrek Lee, Cubs IB / -1.39 / 1.1 Jayson Werth, Phillies RF / -1.34 / 3.5 Adrian Beltre, Red Sox 3B / -1.27 / 5.6 Cody Ross, Marlins OF / -1.26 / 1.6 Adam Jones, Orioles OF / -1.14 / 1.7 Carlos Gonzales, Rockies OF / -1.12 / 3.7 Alexei Ramirez, White Sox SS / -1.11 / 3.2 Clutch Average: -1.33 Wins Above Replacement Average: 2.4 Again, nothing illuminating. If anything, the chokers appear to be better than their Clutch counterparts, at least according to WAR. Beltre and Gonzales, in particular, are having outstanding seasons, and would probably not be offered in exchanged for Jose Lopez and Lastings Milledge. If, however, that is too small of a sample size for you, we can widen the picture a bit. Will the Clutch rating, when its totals from the last three seasons are added up, reveal any patterns unto us?

Top 10 “Clutch” Players, 2008-2010 Player / Clutch / Wins Above Replacement Carlos Lee, Astros OF / 3.68 / 5.2 Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks SS / 2.78 / 7.3 Raul Ibanez, Phillies OF / 1.67 / 4.0 Pedro Feliz, Cardinals 3B / 2.54 / 1.9 Ryan Howard, Phillies 1B / 2.35 / 9.6 Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners OF / 2.35 / 11.8 Chone Figgins, Mariners IF / 2.25 / 9.1 Michael Bourn, Astros OF / 1.95 / 6.4 Brian Roberts, Orioles 2B / 1.75 / 9.0 Jose Lopez, Mariners IF / 0.88 / 4.7 Clutch Average: 2.32 Wins Above Replacement Average: 7.2 Yeah….no. Carlos Lee, clutch as he evidently is, might just be the worst everyday player in baseball right now, and he didn’t have to lower his game that much in order to achieve that status. Perennial All-Stars Ichiro and Howard muddle up the picture even more, which is of course the whole point. Some great players have happened to perform in clutch situations over a given period of time, but it is not repeatable or consistent (both Lee and Howard, for example, have had multiple seasons with negative Clutch ratings). The same is true for the mediocre and the terrible. Since we’re at it…

side to what the other side claims cannot be measured by any such standards…no, there doesn’t really seem to be any such thing as a consistently “clutch” player, and those who have posted impressive ratings in that category do not necessarily belong to baseball’s elite.

And yet—and this is going to sound crazy at this point in the column—is there really any doubt in anyone’s mind that clutch players do exist? Is it possible to watch an infielder who has fielded ten thousand ground balls let one carom off of his glove with the winning run on third base and say that it doesn’t take a little…well, something…extra to make that play?

Do we have to watch one more batter stand in the box as both the last out and the tying run, looking like he would rather be trapped in a car with Mike Tyson’s pet tiger than where he is right now, before we acknowledge that this is not a quality that every player possesses inside of himself? In the end, the reason this argument will never be resolved is because everyone— Stat Guys and True Believers alike—is correct.

And yet, still they would have us believe that their views are irreconcilable when the truth is that they don’t want them to be reconciled. No, a baseball player cannot come up with thirty-five consecutive hits in high-leverage situations because baseball simply does not allow one to collect thirty-five consecutive hits in any situation.

And yes, playing pop psychologist is pointless, but we shouldn’t need an introductory seminar with Professor of Psychology Andrew Ward to see what is right in front of our faces—that when the chips are down, some players let it get to them, so that it affects their performance.

And some don’t. To label someone a “clutch” player is to ignore the big picture.

To deny the existence of Clutch is to ignore the little one.

As little as either side is interested in hearing this, there happens to be room for both of them.

Timothy is a sophomore. You can reach him at tbernst1@swarthmore.edu.

garnet in action Friday, Sept. 3 Women’s soccer vs. Baptist Bible, 7 p.m.

Volleyball at Greyhound Premiere (Moravian), 7 p.m.

Bottom 10 “Clutch” Players, 2008-2010 Player / Clutch / Wins Above Replacement Felipe Lopez, Cardinals IF / -3.97 / 5.6 Adrian Beltre, Red Sox 3B / -3.66 / 11.9 Luke Scott, Orioles, OF / -3.59 / 6.2 Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies SS / -3.45 / 10.2 Chris Young, Diamondbacks OF / -3.44 / 6.3 Jayson Werth, Phillies OF / -3.42 / 13.3 Matt Kemp, Dodgers OF / -2.94 / 8.8 Chase Utley, Phillies 2B / -2.76 / 18.8 Brian McCann, Braves C / -2.66 / 14.0 Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals OF / -2.28 / 10.3 Clutch Average: -3.22 Wins Above Replacement Average: 10.5

Saturday, Sept. 4

Now this is getting ridiculous. By any measurement, Utley has been one of the top five players in baseball over the past three seasons, and McCann, Tulowitzki and Werth have all been excellent in their own right.

Like I said above, and please note the inherent caveat here, when judged by the standards that have been attributed by one

Women’s soccer vs. Lebanon Valley, 7 p.m.

August 26, 2010

Volleyball at Greyhound Premiere (Moravian), 7 p.m.

Field hockey vs. Immaculata, 11:30 a.m.

Cross country at Haverford Dual Meet, TBA Men’s soccer vs. Gwynned Mercy, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 5 Men’s soccer vs. Immaculata, 2 p.m.

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Sports

swarthmorephoenix.com

Soccer ladies’ ECAC title win voted “Moment of the Year” championship secured 39% of the vote to finish at number one, outdistancing the men’s soccer team’s Sweet 16 berth As if they were short on victories. in the NCAA tournament, which finThe Swarthmore women’s soccer ished second, and swimmer Travis team’s ECAC (Eastern College Pollen’s national championship, Athletic Conference) South Region which finished third. Rounding out championship was voted “Moment of the final five moments was the basethe Year” for Swarthmore athletics in ball team’s victory over F&M to the 2009-2010 season. secure a playoff spot and the men’s The title, which was clinched with basketball team’s victory over heavily a 1-0 victory over PSU-Behrend on favored Ursinus College.

November 15th of last year, was the For head coach Todd Anckaitis, third straight for the Garnet, making who has won three conference titles in them the first five seasons at three-time winSwarthmore, ner in the histoone of the most “It’s pretty unique to join a lasting impresry of the ECAC’s South Region from the program that’s just begun sions (Johns Hopkins, title run was the to gain momentum within resilience with Gettysburg, and Carnegie Mellon which his team the last couple years.” have all won persevered withAlexa Ross ’13 twice). out the benefit “It’s pretty of home field unique to join a advantage. program that’s just begun to gain Anckaitis pointed out that all three of momentum within the last couple the team’s title victories have years” said midfielder Alexa Ross ’13, occurred on the road. who joined the team as a freshman “Even though our energetic Swat during the 2009 season. To be able to crowds haven’t had the chance to be be a part of that building, especially at there in person for some of [the a time when we have so much energy, team’s] most exciting accomplishis exciting.” ments, we always feel that essence and The soccer team’s success easily try to play with the extra boost they’d gathered enough support in the first of give us if they should be there,” said two polls done on the Swarthmore Anckaitis. website, becoming one of five choices “It’s great that they recognized the for the final poll. chance to support our efforts now Two-thousand votes later, the among all the outstanding accomplishBY TIM BERNSTEIN tbernst1@swarthmore.edu

Women’s soccer ECAC South Region championship game was easily voted “Moment of the Year” on the Swarthmore Athletics website.

ments of the Garnet athletes.”

On the season, the Garnet finished 16-4-1, peaking at Number 15 in the rankings devised by the National Soccer Coaches of America (NSCAA).

The 2009 season was also the first time that the program was nationally ranked for the entire year.

Anckaitis was quick to refute the notion that the soccer team’s phenomenal success over the past three seasons has created heavy expectations going forward.

“Our past performance doesn’t set the expectations. We always set high expectations of ourselves regardless of past performances” Anckaitis said.

“Our successes just validate our plan, the execution and work we put into it.”

The Garnet begin their third straight title defense with the Swat Kick Classic Tournament. The inaugural match takes place on Friday, September 3rd against the Baptist Bible Defenders. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Jared Brown

Members of the women’s soccer team scrimmage and work on their moves during a pre-season practice

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August 26, 2010

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