Swarthmore Phoenix, April 18, 2019

Today in OPINIONS: Laura Wilcox on the Fed nominees A7, Editorial on support for low-income, first-generation students A7, Giorgia Piantanida on “The Cursed Child” A7

THE

PHOENIX

Sharples Profile: Meet Anna McCarthy: Mindfulness,

VOL. 147, NO. 11

Music, and Mother Sauce

A9

Working Women

Kristina Stallvik’s photo essay on cultural evolutions

April 18, 2019

of traditional rural

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881

labor roles

Internal Phi Psi Documents Circa Spring 2013 Reveal Sexist, Racist, Homophobic Attitudes Bayliss Wagner, Naomi Park, Trina Paul, Ganesh Setty, Keton Kakkar, Laura Wagner Content warning: violence, rape, offensive and racist language I’m baaaaaaccccckkkkkkkkk.

So after a nice 4-month vacation in paradise, [NAME] is back to boom roast some Phi fellows and bimbo rats at the same damn time. SO far, I dig the hustle. Nothing better than basement takedowns and tiny Asian chicks getting pummeled

The week ahead

with full sheet cakes bearing the one and only [NAME]’s face.

You guys make the minutes, I just sit behind my laptop and craft offensive shit.

For all you newcomers out there, if you show these to anyone outside the frat you are dead to me. … . Leaks will probably get my room in Mertz burned down while I’m sleeping so just don’t do it (lookin right at you [NAME]).

This is how the author begins a 12-page, 1997-word description of the happenings of an

annual Phi Psi tradition, Paint Party, on Feb. 5, 2014 — a tradition that recurred only last weekend at the college.

The author uses racist language to describe a fellow member’s sexual interaction with a Black woman. He describes a member vomiting on a woman during sex. He insinuates a woman bribed a police officer with sex.

Phi Psi, which disaffiliated from its national Phi Kappa Psi chapter in 1963 in order to admit a Black member into its

pledge class, presently leases an on-campus house from the college. Phi Psi has historically included most or all of the men’s lacrosse team roster.

These “minutes,” as they were referred to by members of the fraternity, were written during spring 2013 and spring 2014; they contain photos, videos, memes, and graphically detailed, written accounts of drinking, sex, parties, and campus events at the time. The Phoenix began an investigation after an anonymous source sent

them, unsolicited, along with numerous other internal Phi Psi documents.

The events chronicled in the minutes range from “drunken nights” to purported accounts of private sexual encounters with women, and include pictures, videos and memes of students, including Phi Psi members themselves.

A PDF of what The Phoenix received can be found here.

All names and identifiable information have been redacted. continued on page A2

Leaked Documents Reveal Photos from Spring of Discontent

Today SZW Consumption Symposium 4:00 p.m.

Series of short talks by professors about consumption followed by a mixer.

IC Sproul Hall Room 201 Friday Passover Seder 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Ritual meal for the first night of Passover, the Jewish holiday celebrating freedom. Let all who are hungry come and eat!

IC Sproul Hall Room 201 Saturday Rhythm & Motion/Terpsichore Concert 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Lang Performing Arts Center Lobby (LPAC), Lang Performing Arts Center Room (LPAC) 102 Pearson-Hall Theatre - Full Sunday Vertigo-go Sh*t Show 12:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Kitao Gallery Monday Landscape for a Rebel Woman: Winnie MadikizelaMandela, Violence & the Intimacies of Gender in South African Politics 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Professor Shireen Hassim, Canada 150 Research Chair in Gender and African Politics at Carleton University, Ottawa, will be giving a talk entitled: Landscape for a Rebel Woman: Winnie MadikizelaMandela, Violence & the Intimacies of Gender in South African Politics.

McCabe Library 100 Atrium Tuesday Financial Wellness Lunch with Vanguard 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Looking for ways to bring your financial life under control?

This session will help you learn how to pay down credit card debt, set up an emergency fund, and save for a comfortable retirement.

Bond Memorial Hall MultiPurpose Room Wednesday Community Walk 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday is national Walk at Work day! Celebrate by joining our friends in Athletics for a community walk around the track. Your participation will enter you in the Fitbit Charge 3 raffle, and Rita’s Water Ice will be at the finish line Swarthmore Track

Weather Rain, probably CONTENTS News A1-A4 Arts A5-A6 Opinions A7 Campus Journal A8-A9 Sports A10 Read more at swarthmorephoenix.com Copyright © 2019 The Phoenix

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Editor’s Note: Our Process on the Phi Psi Coverage Trina Paul, Keton Kakkar, Naomi Park, Ganesh Setty, Laura Wagner, Bayliss Wagner RECEIVING THE FILES Members of The Phoenix and Voices were sent an unsolicited set of Phi Psi’s internal documents from past years last week. The folder included documents detailing pledge tasks for members who were initiated in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2016, as well as documents labeled “minutes” that were dated from 2013 to early 2014. The files we received ranged from photos and videos of members completing the pledge tasks listed in the documents to minutes containing sexist, racist, and ableist comments. Members of The Phoenix and Voices staffs worked separately in writing their respective articles but made the agreement to redact and publish the same documents and photos from the folder and to publish their respective stories at the same time.

EDITORIAL DECISIONS After receiving these documents, seven members of The Phoenix Editorial Board — the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editors, News Editors, and two Editors Emeriti — made the decision to publish two stories and to redact and publish the documents we felt were the most consequential. Some photos and videos were not published in order to protect the identities of the individuals in them.

The Editor-in-Chief recused herself from the writing, redacting, editing, and publishing of the documents and final stories due to personal reasons. Phi Psi leadership was informed of the upcoming publication of the documents and stories on April 15, 2019. Later that day, the current Phi Psi president stepped down from his position as Sports Editor at The Phoenix.

Photos in Phi Psi documents joke about 2013 IC urination incidents, make disparaging comments about women, and show pledging process, and more.

continued on page A2

Phi Psi Leak Suggests Evidence of Hazing Laura Wagner, Trina Paul, Naomi Park, Bayliss Wagner, Ganesh Setty, Keton Kakkar

The Phoenix obtained unsolicited Phi Psi internal files from an anonymous source that reveal details of the Phi Psi pledging process. The files include folders with documents, photos, and videos detailing aspects of the pledging process, among other information, as far back as 2010 and as recently as Fall 2016.

The leaked files contained photos and videos of fall break pledge tasks from the years 2012 to 2015. These images and videos depict inductees performing embarrassing tasks to be completed as part of the pledging process.

A smiling pledge dressed in a hat and holding a guitar stood with two girls who held separate signs which read “Help me go to clown school” and “It was this or a butt chug, please donate.”

One pledge had his ears pierced in a mall. Another pledge is shown dressed in a gorilla costume beating his chest at the top of a sightseeing location.

Another appeared in a video standing on furniture and dancing to the song “I Will Survive” in the library of an Ohio college. One pledge was filmed falling in multiple crowded restaurants.

Documents in the files also

detailed a Philadelphia scavenger hunt for the 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2016 pledge classes.

The scavenger hunt required pledges to take an early morning train and perform one individual task along with several group tasks in the city. Each pledge was assigned to one of the individual tasks.

Many of the scavenger hunt tasks were sexual in their nature, and some used women and homosexuality as a means for emasculation or embarrassment.

For example, one individual task was for two pledges to go to an establishment named “Doggie Style.” One pledge was to get into a “doggie style” position, hump the other for a full minute outside of the establishment, and then they were to switch. The instruction noted that the pledges should “get into it.”

Another task was to go into a women’s clothing store, try on clothing, and ensure that an employee was filmed helping the pledge try on clothes.

A pledge was told to purchase a dildo at a sex shop and take a photo with “hot girls” holding the dildo. Another task was to play pornography on a phone in a Starbucks, while wearing headphones that were not plugged into the phone. The pledge was to pretend to be oblivious the porn is audible to others and “[had] to sit there for at least a minute.”

Other tasks were less sexual and more comedic in their nature.

A pledge had to run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art while wearing Swarthmore athletics gear, yelling and completing exercises at the top of the steps. One pledge was asked to find an Amish stand at Reading Terminal Market and perform an interpretive dance about the pledge’s love of Amish culture for three minutes. One of the last individual tasks was to ask for a continuum transfunctioner at an auto shop, and meow ten times during the conversation. The document instructed the pledge to bring back an order for a continuum transfunctioner.

The Phoenix presented Phi Psi leadership with the leaked documents, and gave them the opportunity to comment. Their official statement on behalf of Phi Psi Fraternity said that the “Philadelphia event” was a way for pledges to explore the city of Philadelphia and meet alums of the fraternity.

“We also teach our brothers about the history of the fraternity and coordinate a Philadelphia event where all brothers explore the city and meet with Philadelphia-based alums. All of these components provide our new brothers with the tools to be upstanding members of our community and active facilitators of safe social spaces,” the fraternity said in their

statement.

The scavenger hunt tasks remained roughly the same across the years, with few additions or subtractions. Meanwhile, the college updated the student code of conduct for the 20132014 school year to ban hazing.

The 2013 policy, which lasted until 2018, defined hazing as “any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health of a student or willfully destroys or removes public or private property for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in any organization operating under the sanction of or recognized as an organization by an institution of higher education.” It also specifies hazing as “forced conduct which could result in extreme embarrassment, or any other forced activity which could adversely affect the mental health or dignity of the individual” Swarthmore College policy currently bans hazing in accordance with the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law of 2018.

The college’s current definition of hazing is “any behavior and/ or acts of servitude that is designed or intended to humiliate, degrade, embarrass, harass, or ridicule an individual, or that which a reasonable person would deem harmful or potentially harmful to an individual’s physical, emotional, or psycho-

logical well-being, as an actual or perceived condition of new or continued affiliation with any organization, and/or team.

Hazing also includes knowingly or recklessly engaging in such behavior and/or acts.”

The school has received reports on four separate occasions between Fall 2013 and Fall 2019 that the fraternities were involved in hazing, according to the college’s 2019 Hazing Biannual Report, but they have never found them guilty, on the basis of insufficient evidence.

The report can be found on the college’s website.

Only leaders of student organizations are required to attend anti-hazing training, putting the onus of preventing hazing on those who are in charge of the pledging process, and potentially leaving new members uneducated about the policies and laws around hazing.

“Student leaders attend the trainings, but students joining the organizations are not required to attend an anti-hazing training. We are evaluating how we can educate all students about hazing since nearly every Swarthmore student will participate in a student organization during their time at the institution,” Andrew Barclay, director of student activities, wrote in an email to The Phoenix, in response to questions about the college’s policies and continued on page A2

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THE PHOENIX NEWS

April 18, 2019

Documents, continued from A1 Video footage, miscellaneous photographs, and drafts of public statements have been omitted from this PDF. It is unclear whether the author(s) of these minutes incorporated information that members reported to them, or whether the author incorporated this information without members’ consent in some cases. There is also no evidence to suggest that all events, both described and insinuated in the minutes, actually occurred.

Minutes of this nature were circulated to Phi Psi members on a fraternity-wide listserv that contained numerous college email addresses. Pledges were given access upon completing the initiation process, 2015 Phi Psi president Conor Clark ’16 said in an interview with The Phoenix.

The minutes were circulated in this fashion between March 18, 2013 and Feb. 5, 2014, the date the above excerpt was created. The above excerpt is from the last known set of minutes of such nature to be sent through Phi Psi’s listserv.

Minutes written after this date continued to circulate, but among a smaller subset of Phi Psi members who opted into a separate listserv with private email addresses.

“I’m very surprised that those [the minutes] came back up,” Clark said. “That happened very early on in my time at Swat and generation over generations, we worked very hard to distance ourselves from that point in time, and grow into a more mature and a better organization,” Clark said.

Accountability & 2013 Referendum These minutes were written and circulated during the Spring of 2013, a period that would become known as “The Spring of Our Discontent.”

During this time, a confluence of events precipitated unrest amongst the college commu-

nity.

These events include: a student referendum on Greek Life, multiple urinations on the door of the Intercultural Center, and two federal Title IX complaints submitted by Hope Brinn ’15 and Mia Ferguson ’15. That spring also marked Kappa Alpha Theta sorority’s controversial return to the college, which had been without sororities since their abolition in 1933.

Notably, these minutes circulated among the fraternitywide listserv at a time when the student body debated existence of Greek life on campus. In Spring 2013, the debate led to a vote conducted by a campuswide, non-binding referendum which concluded by a 20-point margin that a majority of students were not in favor of the eradication of Greek life.

Shortly before the referendum vote, then-Phi Psi President Zach Schaffer ’14 told The Phoenix in a 2013 interview, “The Greek groups on campus will continue to work together with the leaders of the referendum to figure out how we should proceed going forward.”

Schaffer could not be reach for comment on this article.

A flurry of op-eds, Facebook posts, and sidewalk chalkings displaying messages about the referendum as well as student protests characterized the sense of divisiveness on campus. Several incidents of urinations on the door of the Intercultural Center shook campus, as reported by The Phoenix. But no perpetrator was ever found.

The Phoenix does not have sufficient evidence to draw conclusions about these incidents. However, a video dated April 9, 2013 at 1:08 a,m., depicts a person filming a stream of urination onto chalk letters that spell out “REFERENDUM.” Due to the sensitive nature of the video, The Phoenix has chosen not to publish it online.

In April 2013, the student

body voted against the five out of six questions on the referendum, indicating that the majority did not wish to eliminate Greek life on campus but did want to make Greek institutions coed.

When asked to comment on the minutes, 2012 Phi Psi president Mike Girardi ’13 stated that he did not recall if he had read them. He described the ‘The Spring of our Discontent’ as a time of conflict both within and without of the Phi Psi house.

“There were those who saw issues that should’ve been addressed and others who didn’t quite understand the issues at hand and thus believed everything was fine,” Girardi said. “I believe that [a] culture regarding racism, sexism, sexual assault, and homophobia were all at a crossroads at Phi Psi and a choice was to continue building on changes that were focused on rooting out the negative aspects of our culture or to go backwards.”

Minutes throughout the spring of 2013 into the spring of 2014 include the following statements: [2/7/14] “[NAME] had some lady friend upstairs late night (May or may not have a different skin color). Well [NAME 1] and [NAME 2] (mainly [NAME 2]) wanted a peak. After perfuse banging on the door [NAME 1] finally screams, “[NAME 2] WANTS TO SEE SOME BLACK NIPS!!!” Absolutely laid it all out there. Hey [NAME], never change for me.

[4/8/13] “We just took a nice sloppy poop on that referendum and we control the social scene. I feel like the only move at this point is manifest destiny. I mean am I wrong? Expand our territory and wipe out every other group in our path. First stop WRC next stop BCC (sorry [NAME] and maybe [NAME] it’s

Hazing, continued from A1 practices regarding hazing.

When asked by The Phoenix about how the college generally investigates hazing, Miller said that the college investigates on a case-by-case basis when they receive reports.

“We would investigate any allegation of hazing that we become aware of to the best of our ability,” said Associate Dean for Student Life Nathan Miller.

Miller also said that the college uses educational programs to prevent hazing.

“We try to educate organizations as part of training purposes [about] what is hazing and to

be ... proactive in even educating members” Miller said.

Barclay described that the education program around hazing focused on educating members of student organizations about college policy and state law.

“We review the college antihazing policy and state laws related to hazing. This year, an additional training was offered to discuss the Timothy J. Piazza anti-hazing legislation which went into effect during the Fall 2018 semester,” he wrote.

The college can receive reports of hazing through the

Public Safety reporting form.

“The college would take any allegations of hazing very seriously,” Dean Miller said.

A redacted version of the pledge documents can be found on The Phoenix website.

just a pawn in the grand scheme of things). Just taking over one building at a time until we possess enough building space to start our own milf sex trafficking ring. God that would be hot.

Anyways, it was so packed in Phi after the concert that I was legitimately scared of being accused of sexual harassment for rubbing up against so many tits. Every time I turned around I felt like I just whacked a girl in the cans. Sluts.”

[4/8/13] Up to this point, I honestly thought that a male getting sexually assaulted was a hoax. A myth. A masquerade fashioned by elitist feminists to legitimize their own troubles. I just could not comprehend how a man could allow a woman to sexually conquer him without putting up a fight. This view, however, completely changed after this past Thursday. [NAME] was legitimately assaulted. Deflowered, if you will. Some broad rolled into Phi Psi and was not going to take “no” for an answer.

She tickled his tits, groped his cock, and rubbed her wet vag all over his neatly pressed khakis.

An all out estrogen mugging.

[3/25/13] At around 12:30 he was already elbow deep in soggy puss. I made my way down to the sanctum to blow molly off some chicks kankle and what do I see? [NAME] just wrecking a chick on a Phi Psi couch. Fuck yea. Hopefully he creampied her too. You know what? I know he creampied her. That’s all [NAME] does. Buzzcuts and creampies coming at you whether you like it or not.

[4/22/13] On Saturday he decided to take one of these strolls and came across a chick passed out faced first in front of trotter. We weren’t given any real details as what occurred after he found her. I have no further comment on this story.

[5/19/13]

One of the funniest stories from formal of course involved troll [NAME]. Hot dick over here just absolutely smacked [NAME]’s ass for no reason.

It was a good windup too. He made solid contact and acted like it aint no thang. Let me tell you something. [NAME] was not at all happy. She looked at him like he had just killed her 3rd grade pet guinea pig.

[3/24/13] I just want to warn all of you that if I happen to make out with you late night in Phi Psi it is completely not my fault. [NAME] syndrome is unavoidable. One second you are bouncing around looking like an Italian [NAME] and the next you are sucking face in an empty house with someone who also has a penis.

[4/8/13] Hopefully all of you are bottling up all the consent you have for this weekend. Should be a good one!

Phi Psi leadership, on behalf of the fraternity, condemned the minutes.

“Our current brothers were in high school and middle school at the time of these unofficial minutes. We unequivocally condemn and reject the obscene and hurtful remarks made in these documents. We are thankful for the extensive discussion and exceptional dialogue between the Swarthmore Administration and other student groups that has led to a transformation of the fraternity in recent years,” the statement read. “We want to reaffirm our commitment to these causes and to continue developing a culture of accountability and inclusion. We are proud of who we are today, a diverse group of 59 brothers who are members of the community like everyone else.”

Editor’s note, continued from A1 Current Managing and News Editors and Editors Emeriti collaborated to report on, redact, write, edit and publish two stories about the documents: one story about Phi Psi’s pledge tasks and the college’s policies on hazing, and one story about Phi Psi’s public image and rhetoric during and after the Spring of 2013, when the minutes were written and disseminated.

AUTHENTICITY In order to determine the authenticity of the documents, both managing editors and news editors made contact with five members of Phi Psi who were present in 2013 and 2014, the majority of whom corroborated the authenticity of the files. Additionally, many photos and videos contained in the set of files identify members of the fraternity. The files’ metadata also corroborate their authenticity with details such as the creators of the documents and the date that they were created. At no point did any member of Phi Psi fraternity, student or alumni, dispute with The Phoenix the validity of these documents.

REDACTION We decided to redact the documents in order to legally protect ourselves and to protect the privacy of individuals.

When redacting the documents, photos, and videos in the folder, we removed all information that would publicly identify any individuals. The process involved the following steps: copying and pasting all minutes into separate documents, redaction of names and identifying characteristics, screenshotting the documents, and consolidating the screenshots into one PDF. As a result of this process, the document appears fuzzy and may be difficult to read. It is also not presently text-searchable. We apologize to those who may be unable to access the materials as a result. Should you require an alternate format, please email any of the attributed reporters.

REPORTING FOR STORIES When writing the story dealing with the documents labeled “minutes,” our reporting lead to many phone calls, emails, and texts to former Phi Psi members as well as a deep dive into The Phoenix’s archives from years past to recount Phi Psi’s public narratives at the time when the “minutes” were produced. In order to contextualize the reporting for our story on Phi Psi’s pledging process, we contacted administration about the college’s policies on hazing and referred to the college’s recent Bi-Annual Hazing Report.

LOOKING FORWARD In an email addressed to students in December 2018, President Smith announced that the Task Force on Student Social Events and Community Standards would be creating a report on that would “critically examine critically examine social life on campus — including Greek life and programming in campus social spaces.”

The task force has collected feedback from the college community in the past few months and will include recommendations for President Smith. The task force aims to deliver these recommendations by the end of April.

If readers are interested in responding to the publication of Phi Psi’s internal documents or The Phoenix’s stories about the documents, they can submit an op-ed or letter to editor@swarthmorephoenix. com.

April 18, 2019

THE PHOENIX NEWS

PAGE A3

CONTENT WARNING: The images* below exhibit homophobia,

transphobia, ableism, sexism, crude language, and sexually explicit content

*Images are taken from the documents labeled “Minutes� spanning the years of 2013 and 2014. They are some, not all, of the images contained in the documents.

PAGE A4

THE PHOENIX NEWS

April 18, 2019

After Delay, SGO Holds Executive Board Elections Gidon Kaminer News Writer SGO Executive Board elections, originally scheduled to begin on April 9, were delayed to April 11. On Tuesday April 9, Student Outreach Chair Ash Shukla ’22 sent an email to the student body informing that the scheduled SGO Town Hall would be cancelled, and that the Executive Board elections would be postponed. The elections were moved to April 11.

Elections were postponed due to shake-ups within SGO leadership.

“Our president, who was intending to run the elections, had to take a leave of absence,” wrote current Chair of Visual & Performing Arts Will Bein ’21 in an email to The Phoenix.

“We had to postpone the town hall to deal with the process of finding a new election keeper.”

The election concluded on April 13. Tyler White ’22, Marios Vafiadis ’22, Katie Reeves ’22, TJ Thomas ’20, and Murtaza Ukani ’22 joined the Executive Board as chairs of Academic Affairs, Visual & Performing Arts, Student Life, Student Organizations, and Diversity, respectively.

“This year’s Executive Board election was postponed because the president, who was running the elections, minimized his role in SGO and asked for another member to take over midway through,” wrote Vice President and President Elect Katherine Capossela ’21 in an email to the Phoenix. “Finding a suitable substitute — a current member of SGO that wasn’t running in next year’s election — was a challenge, but our Arts Chair Will Bein ‘21 stepped up to the

plate.”

The hastened nature of the election left SGO with little time to publicize the election, which according to Capossela led to to less engagement with the election Google survey and decreased student interest in running for SGO positions.

“All of the election confusion set us significantly behind schedule, so SGO was simply rushing to put the election together without pausing to consider the importance of posting signs or Facebook campaigns to boost voter turnout,” wrote

Capossela.

Capossela believes that low student interest in the elections is an issue that must be addressed.

“I think the biggest reoccurring issue SGO faces is low morale around the election process. As with all campus-wide surveys, the student response rate to elections is often low.

This is especially concerning because we are student representatives, and to truly be representative of the student body, we must be selected by a larger portion of our com-

munity,” wrote Capossela. “I believe such low voter turnout and number of candidates is the result of a failed advertising campaign on SGO’s part.”

Chair of Appointments Dawson Epstein ’21 took a more positive view of the concluded elections. He believes that making Executive Board elections before Senate elections would allow losing Executive Board candidates to run for Senate positions.

“I appreciated that executive board elections were held before senate elections, al-

lowing those who were not elected to the executive board to run for a senator position.

Also, elections being held relatively early this year will allow for a smooth transition for new members,” he wrote in an email to The Phoenix.

According to Capossela, there has been greater student participation in the past, especially during elections that were more well-publicized.

“We launched a significantly more visible campaign earlier in the semester to fill empty positions, which was quite suc-

cessful. (For example, eight people applied for the Environmental Chair position in the winter, whereas none applied this election cycle.),” wrote Capossela.

Capossela hopes to get more students involved in the upcoming senate election. She ended her email on an optimistic note.

“We have great plans to up the spirit around SGO elections for these positions, so stay tuned!”

After National Search Proves Unfruitful, Terhune is Made Dean who met with the finalists were said.

As he was not a candidate for invited to provide the president and the committee chair with the role, Terhune did interact On Monday President Val feedback. The president also with the finalists as senior staff.

President Smith notes TerSmith announced that Jim called candidates’ references. hune was not seeking the job.

Though none of the finalists Terhune, Interim Dean of Stu“He did not express interest dents, will be Dean of Students were selected, students felt the in the permanent position until through at least the spring of search was fruitful.

“I had one I asked him to continue to serve 2021. This ancandidate in while we paused the search,” nouncement comes after a “Ultimately, though mind that I she wrote.

Capossela is confident in Terthought was year-long, na- incredibly capable worthy of the hune’s ability as Dean of Stutional search to dents. position, but find a replace- and accomplished “I have personally met with I’m a student ment for Dean at their present and can only him every other week for an Braun, who resigned amidst institutions, no one speak from the hour or so to talk about student concerns. I think that’s the first student’s percontroversy at candidate had the time in recent history SGO and spective.

I’m the end of last right mix of quali- sure there were the Dean have made that kind year. things I was not of connection.”

Terhune was ties needed in this Terhune notes two main obaware of,” said not considered jectives for next year. The first SGO Presidentas a candidate critical role at this is to incorporate students into elect and selecduring this time,” President policy decisions. tion-committee search process, “What’s really jumped out at Kat and was asked Smith wrote to The member me is the absence of a codified Capossela. to assume the Phoenix.

The final de- role for students in the process role after the of shaping in particular the search failed to yield a candi- cision is up to the President.

“Ultimately, though incred- rules and policies that govern date President Smith deemed ibly capable and accomplished students lives. I think it influsuitable for the role.

The search for the Dean of at their present institutions, ences a lot of the way things no one candidate had the right unfold on campus,” Terhune Students was lead by a selection committee made up of mix of qualities needed in this said.

He intends to role students, faculty, and staff, critical form a commitand chaired by Provost Sarah at this time,” “...I want to be of students, President Smith Willie-LeBreton. The consultclear about this. I tee faculty, and staff ing firm Isaacson Miller guided wrote to The centralize the committee, and President Phoenix. wasn’t a candidate to decision-making According to Smith was informed of the work around student Terhune, the this time, and at at every step of the process. policies. idea of him this point don’t The search went as follows: The second from Isaacson Miller provided the moving is to ensure we committee with an initial batch the Interim role have any expectahealthier of candidate materials, from to Dean of Stu- tion or plans to be have forms of activwhich the committee selected dents was first ism. a number of quarter-finalists to broached a few a candidate next “If we are in interview. The committee then weeks ago. His time,” Terhune fact committed lives chose six candidates to bring family to the notion of to President Smith’s attention, elsewhere, and said. justice and huthe decision of which she selected three to man dignity and took considercome to campus as finalists. respect, that starts here with ation.

Before spring break, each fihow we treat each other and “Term appointment. I’m donalist arrived on campus for a day and a half. They met with ing this for two more years. I how we come to each other in want to be clear about this. I difficult moments and difficult a broad set of the community: committee members, students, wasn’t a candidate this time, conversations.”

The college will resume a nastaff, faculty, the president’s and at this point don’t have senior staff, and staff in the any expectation or plans to be a tional search for the next dean in the fall of 2021.

Dean of Students division. All candidate next time,” Terhune Keton Kakkar Editor Emeritus

Photo courtesy of Swarthmore College

ARTS

April 18, 2019 PAGE A5

Students Display Collaboration and Creation in Playwrights’ Festival Ash Shukla Chief Copy Editor

A

t Olde Club on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, a sign outside informed visitors to enter through the building’s back entrance. Rows of chairs were set up both on Olde Club’s floor and stage, creating tiered seating for a small audience.

Delicate music played from the speakers above, and the audience quieted down while a handful of students took the floor. The 2019 Playwrights’ Festival had begun.

Playwrights’ Festival forms a unique facet of theatre at Swarthmore because of its friendliness towards actors, writers, and directors both experienced and inexperienced. The festival was entirely student-run, with only students writing, directing, producing, and performing. This third iteration of the festival took place in the form of nine ten-minute one-act plays, with topics ranging from divorce to political bias to pet robots. While the show began with two fairly eclectic pieces, “_____ of My Eye” (written by Rebecca Regan ’19 and directed by Thandiwe McMillan ’20), and “Corporal Solutions” (written by Gwen Gilfond ’22 and directed by Nadezda Malaya ’22), it ended with two plays about the sober topic of death and

mourning.

These two plays, diametrically opposed in tone, were “Facepaint” (written by Collin Spangler ’20 and directed by Jack McManus ’21) and “Sincerest Condolences” (written

by Alex Kingsley ’20 and Mikail Ahmed ’22). “Facepaint” explored a woman’s moving attempts to navigate her husband’s grief upon the death of his friend and her close friend’s recent divorce. On the other hand, “Sincerest Condolences” presented an outlandish funeral of a truly despicable man that kept the audience chortling with every twist.

The majority of plays contained humorous sentiments, but nevertheless, a list of content warnings accompanied the festival’s program. These warnings listed any content in the plays that may have negatively affected the audience, regardless of the material’s presentation in the plays. For example, “The Last Sardine Run” (written by Emma Pernudi-Moon ’19 and directed by Amaechi Abuah ’21) centered on two human divers who befriended two sardines in the ocean during a sardine migration. One of the sardines eventually succumbed to a fishnet, and despite the humorous nature of the death, the list of content warnings for the play included “death.” For other plays, however, the content

warnings proved to be necessary.

The most controversial play in the show, “The Beast that may or may not exist” (written by Mikail Ahmed ’22 and directed by AV Lee-a-Yong ’21) used “the Beast” (Powell Sheagren ’22) as an onthe-nose allegory for political bias. Throughout the short play, the Beast perpetually taunted people (Alex Lehner ’22 and Lucas Dyke ’20) in various scenarios as they debated whether the Beast was real or not. These included a discussion of the Beast in a TV interview with a famous actor and a politician’s denying the existence of the Beast and its influence on his actions. Because of the political nature of the play, the list of content warnings included in the festival’s program extensively covered this play, including “offensive political rhetoric, offstage violence, mention of sexual harassment, [and] slurs.” While several objected to offensive jokes in the show before the festival began, which included a throwaway line about sexual assault allegations and another line comparing undocumented immigrants to space aliens, the jokes ultimately remained.

Oswaldo Morales ’21, who directed “RoboPet,” a two-person play about a girl (Samantha OrtizClark ’22) whose mother gives her

a robotic pet (Skylar Thoma ’21), discussed the collaborative nature of Playwrights’ and the challenges that the production entailed.

“One of the more challenging things for this show was trying to find time to meet with the cast.

That’s part of the reason that rehearsals were not that long, because the actors both are very busy in other things that they are involved in on campus,” he wrote in an email to The Phoenix.

He greatly appreciated the support that other students gave him as a first-time director.

“I had not directed a show before this, and had a lot of help from the producers to help me learn what exactly directing entailed ... The [p]roducers, Ziv Stern and Clare Grundstein, were very accommodating and were able to help us with whatever we needed.

We also had help from designers and other people who have experience in theater… Two student directors on campus, Collin Spangler and Jack McManus, even gave a directing workshop in the early stages of [Playwrights’] for those who wanted the extra help.”

Both Morales and Jake Chanenson ’21, director of “LoLA” (written

by Kayla Sembly), a play about a smart device designed for singles, found that the most rewarding aspect of playwrights was being able

Nara Enkhtaivan / The Phoenix

to watch their actors perform and captivate audiences.

Chanenson wrote, “The most rewarding aspect of playwrights was to see my wonderful actors perform in the show. I couldn’t have been prouder of their work and was so glad that the audience

enjoyed it.”

Morales echoed the sentiment.

“The most rewarding aspect of Playwright’s was seeing two wonderful actors who had not been in a show together, very seamlessly capture the audience with their performance,” he wrote.

Jordan Peele’s Us Brings Laughter, Screams, and Social Critique James Sutton Arts Writer

Early on in “Us,” Jordan Peele’s second directorial effort, a young girl on the Santa Cruz boardwalk passes a beach bum carrying a cardboard sign that reads “Jeremiah 11:11.” These digits appear again and again: on a digital clock, the score of a baseball game, a Black Flag t-shirt. Clearly Peele wants us to notice that this isn’t just the raving of a lunatic but a sign and portent. And what, exactly, does the relevant verse say? In the words of the King James Version, “Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.”

Chilling stuff.

The film begins in 1986, with young Adelaide’s (Madison Curry) birthday visit to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Bored and unnoticed by her bickering parents, she wanders into a blatantly offensive attraction, “Shaman’s Spirit Quest,” where the stereotyped voice of a Native American elder guides the participant through a cheesy hall of mirrors. Suddenly, the lights flick off, and she notices her reflection isn’t mirroring her movements. It’s her doppelganger. Adelaide runs out, traumatized to the point of silence.

We then cut forward to the present day, as the adult Adelaide’s (Lupita Nyong’o) family

embarks on a trip to their vacation house in the Santa Cruz mountains. We see their car in an aerial shot, surrounded by dense pine forests, reminiscent of the Torrance family’s drive to the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining” and one of many times Peele pays homage to classic thrillers, far too many to all be covered in this review. Anyone who has spent time driving in those stretches of evergreen forest running along the Pacific Coast from Santa Cruz to Washington will understand the unease; the immense trees, crowding in and blotting out the sun, can feel otherworldly. Peele understands the sense of being swallowed by forested darkness, as did Kubrick; so did David Lynch with his depiction of the looming pines in “Twin Peaks.”

Once at the house, Adelaide struggles to contain her dread.

She worries that she’ll again encounter whatever she saw in that house of mirrors. Her husband, the goofy, dad-joke-cracking Gabe (Winston Duke), is sympathetic but doesn’t really understand when she tells him her story. They journey to the beach against Adelaide’s intuition, with their two children, older daughter Zora (Shahadi Joseph Wright) and hyperactive son Jason (Evan Alex). The old house of mirrors is still there, the racist Indian replaced by a figure of Merlin.

There’s a scare when Jason momentarily wanders out of sight and Adelaide’s panicked search-

ing on the beach references yet another classic horror movie, “Jaws.”

But the real horror begins that night, back at the house, whose wide windows and open floor plan make it feel sickeningly exposed to the darkness outside. A family appears in the driveway, dark silhouettes framed by the security lights. Gabe’s blustering attempts to scare them out of the driveway quickly turn to panic as the family, clad in matching red jumpsuits, impassively stride towards the door. They get in, of course, and when Adelaide’s family is forced to sit across from them in the living room, we see that these strange people are all twisted doppelgangers of the Wilsons (and played by the same actors). When Gabe asks, terrified, “who are you?” the mother croaks out “we’re Americans.”

A little on the nose, but this line is where the central political theme of the movie comes in.

Without giving away too many plot points, the doppelgangers come from an underground, parallel, society, leading lives of deprivation while their fellow Americans up above enjoy material comforts and happiness. The premise falls apart if you think about the specifics too hard, but it is just believable enough, and more than scary enough, to keep up the suspension of disbelief.

The best horror movies often have this trait; it’s as if the boldness of the plot convinces you that the

director knows something you don’t, and that this could all be real. By hiding the fact that often, movie plots are not logically airtight, the viewer is left with the fear that the world is not quite as safe and comprehensible as they may believe.

The tension and fear that’s been building in the first act then explodes into slasher violence.

The doppelgangers, referred to as Tethered (I won’t explain why) begin to wreak havoc in Santa Cruz. Their weapons of choice are long, wickedly sharp scissors, and Peele does not skimp on the gore.

As the Wilsons each try to defeat their evil counterparts and flee the house, they realized that the night’s terror reaches far beyond their home. One might say it’s a cataclysm on a biblical scale.

Peele certainly believes there is some sort of judgement going on, though whether you believe it’s divine or not probably depends on how ticked off you think God is at the world. In more secular terms, the movie could be read as a horrific vision of the class-based “apocalypse” Marx predicted, or America’s racial sins catching up to it, as they did in the Civil War. The director’s decision to keep the film open to many levels of interpretation was a wise one. Movies are a blunt instrument, poorly suited to conveying complex ideas. They simply can’t reach the levels of precision a book or essay can and are most successful when they stick to conveying impres-

sions and experience. “Us,” then, is not a manifesto, but a depiction of how suffering kept out of sight and mind can reach a boiling point and explode.

This movie shows, as “Get Out” did, that Jordan Peele is among the best young directors working today. He likes to say that “every shot must be beautiful,” and that mantra shows even in throwaway, transitional frames, such as in a scene at the beach where the family’s shadows march behind them in an aerial shot. I’ve never seen a director use corners so effectively: every wall and hallway is shot so that we can’t see around it, reminding us that danger lurks everywhere, hidden. The soundtrack, composed by Michael Abels, is appropriately terrifying, and the Californian songs scattered throughout are a nice touch.

One scene, in which the Wilsons’ friends are murdered while “Good Vibrations” blasts through their house, reminded me that Brian Wilson (no relation to the film’s protagonists) was descending into insanity when he composed it. The next scene, set in the same house, unfolds to the rage-filled beats of “Fuck Tha Police” as the Wilsons unleash some pain on the Tethered.

While the entire cast does a great job, Nyong’o’s performance is what lifts this movie from good to great. Playing Adelaide and her evil “twin,” Red, she effortlessly shifts between compelling characters who command the screen.

Adelaide is frightened, yes, but willing to stab and hack her way through the Tethered to save her family. She’s no screaming Shelley Duvall: when she hears Pluto’s (Jason’s doppelganger) aggrieved yelling as Jason outwits and traps him, she smirkingly says to Red, “I think that’s yours.” As Red, she is by far the scariest character in the movie (although the just-wrongenough smile of Umbrae, Zorah’s doppelganger, really freaked me out). She struggles to croak out words in a raspy, tortured, voice, but moves with a balletic delicacy that both fascinates and repulses.

And Nyong’o shows that Red is more than just a motiveless murder machine. She sees herself as a kind of gruesome messiah, bringing judgement on a world that has wronged her and her family. An Oscar consideration is certainly in the cards for this dual performance.

And make no mistake, this movie is terrifying. I spent a good chunk of the second half hiding behind my notebook from the images on screen; I’ve had no fewer than two nightmares since seeing it two nights ago. But it is more than just scares. It’s a deserving entry into the modern horror canon. Peele is climbing towards the top ranks of American genre directors, and this showcase of his talent plumbs the depths of American society for a new vision of horror.

Billie Eilish Cuts Through the Noise on Her Debut Album Max Gruber Arts Writer

Teen pop sensation Billie Eilish has been making major waves in the music industry for the last three years. Catapulted to fame off of her multi-platinum hit “Ocean Eyes,” Eilish ascended to stardom with only a few loose tracks to her name. Since releasing her E.P. “dont smile at me” in 2017, fans have been left anticipating a full length record from the Californiabased singer. With “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” Eilish is shouldering high expectations, those of her loyal fanbase as well as those of listeners who, exposed to the nonstop media buzz, are delving deeply into her music for the first time. Concise, catchy, and well-produced, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is a tightly packaged collection of pop songs with an occasionally dark and sinister bend. The album is a strong opening statement from the teenage sensation,

and a benchmark for what effective songwriting and a strong vocal performance can deliver in the 2019 pop landscape.

Eilish begins the record on a tear, as the five-track stretch between “bad guy” and “wish you were gay” delivers back-to-back tunes which are infectious without being generic or derivative.

The album’s opener “bad guy” features Billie’s moody vocals over a shuffle beat and a hypnotic bassline. Produced by her brother Finneas O’Connell, the track features a solid groove that makes it pleasantly danceable. Towards the end, the track pauses in silence before heavily distorted bass and rattling high hats burst in for a final 30 seconds which add a grim flavor to an otherwise playful track.

Also known under the moniker FINNEAS, O’Connell’s production and songwriting deserve a great deal of credit not just for “bad guy,” but for the success of the album as a whole.

This is especially evident on

“you should see me in a crown,” as the droning synths mesh with dentist’s drills, creating a chaotic and noisy chorus that mesh unexpectedly well. In the last third of the song, heavily manipulated vocals color an instrumental break that is heavy and industrial, adding to the sonic diversity of the record without seeming like a gimmick. The following track, “all the good girls go to hell,” continues with the sinister motif, as some villainous organ chords pop in throughout while Billie delivers an earworm hook where she playfully declares that, “All the good girls go to Hell/ ‘Cause even God herself has enemies.” Another whimsical moment on the record is the track “my strange addiction,” where a number of samples from the U.S. version of “The Office” are sprinkled throughout.

Despite moments of levity, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” delivers a number of serious and even disturbing songs.

“Bury a friend” features a number

of eerie screeches and a ominous lyrics as Eilish sings from the perspective of a monster hiding under her own bed. “Xanny” is less outlandish, as Eilish reflects on a group of her friends who seem too strung out and intoxicated to engage with their surroundings in a meaningful way. “Xanny” tows the line between preaching and melancholic contemplation quite well, saying “Please don’t try to kiss me on the sidewalk/ On your cigarette break/ I can’t afford to love someone/ Who isn’t dying by mistake in Silver Lake.” Even more heartbreaking is the track “listen before i go,” where Eilish sings about commiting suicide. A simple yet poignant piano ballad, “listen before i go” draws its strength more from Billie’s vocal delivery than from the lyrics themselves.

With each repetition of the word “sorry” Eilish conveys a mixture of melancholy and resignation.

Eventually, her vocals fall away with a final “sorry” and quiet sirens close out the song.

“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is an album which traverses a number of sounds and topics without feeling unfocused. In fact, the eerie and sinister elements of bombastic cuts like “you should see me in a crown” complement the quieter moments of the album. Lyrically, there are some sharp moments on the album and while Eilish doesn’t pen the most profound narratives from start to finish, her emotive and powerful vocals more than make up for any shortcomings.

The individual tracks are very strong, but the sequencing in the album’s last half leaves something to be desired. While no individual moment on the record is particularly bad, I found it disappointing that the last three tracks were all relatively quiet and lowkey. For an album that started off at a gallop, it’s a shame that the project’s closing moments couldn’t be a bit more gripping.

Many prospective listeners might be turned off by Billie’s

presence in the media or her occasionally militant (and young) fanbase. While it might be hard for some listeners to look past the noise, the music speaks for itself.

This is a solid pop album with effective songwriting, excellent production from Billie’s brother, and a number of strong song topics and vocal performances from Billie herself. At just seventeen, Billie Eilish is in the process of being catapulted into superstardom. With so much potential and music ahead of her, even skeptics should anticipate what Billie Eilish will do next.

PAGE A6

THE PHOENIX ARTS

April 18, 2019

Working Women: Portraits of Rural Labor in Southern Vermont Kristina Stallvik Arts Writer

Throughout my multimedia documentary project “Glass Door” (parts of which have been featured in two previous Phoenix issues), I have become increasingly interested in not only how one’s work informs identity, but how the identities of workers inform the overall culture of a profession. Culture is often dangerously thought of as a static entity which can be essentialized and therefore easily understood. On the contrary, by its very nature, culture is complex, contradictory, constantly fluctuating, and always responding to a host of new (social, political, technological, etc..) pressures. The subjects of my portraits — Anna Darrow, Jane Goodall, and Lynn Levine — are all actively and successfully fighting to shape the cultural evolutions of their respective workplaces.

With this series, I am attempting to blur the distinction between photojournalism and fine art, taking qualities from each tradition to create a visual rumination on women working with their hands and bodies in unsanctioned ways. The mindset they each bring to the fields of logging, carpentry, and forestry are challenging the oppressive patterns which simultaneously harm womxn+ and the environment itself.

Anna Darrow, draft horse logger

Jane Goodall, carpenter

Lynn Levine, forester

OPINIONS

April 18, 2019 PAGE A7

Trump’s Nominees Will Undermine the Fed Laura Wilcox Op-Ed Contributor

D

onald Trump recently announced his intention to fill the two open spots on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors by nominating Herman Cain and Stephan Moore. Both have no monetary policy experience and are grossly unqualified for the job, but there’s something deeper and more troubling about their nomination: it signals Trump’s determination to meddle with the Fed. Both Cain and Moore would bring a decidedly partisan mindset to an institution that prides itself on being independent.

The Federal Reserve Board’s governors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and serve up to fourteenyear terms. Governors are members of the Federal Open Market Committee, which meets eight times a year to review the state of the economy and decide whether to change the Fed’s monetary policy tool, the federal funds rate.

Since the Fed’s governors influence interest rates and therefore the trajectory of the economy, it is crucial that they are experienced

and make decisions independent from political considerations.

Herman Cain was a Republican presidential candidate in the 2012 election, memorably proposing the “9-9-9” tax plan under which the only taxes would be a nine percent income tax, nine percent sales tax, and nine percent corporate tax. The closest thing Cain has to monetary policy experience is a stint on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors.

This group is comprised of business owners who meet with the president of the Bank of Kansas City about the state of the economy; they don’t have anything to do with deciding the Fed’s interest rate policy. Stephen Moore is the former president of the conservative Club for Growth and was a Trump presidential campaign advisor. Moore has shown a blatant disregard for facts during his time as an economic commentator: he’s called for a return to the gold standard and has recently said that the economy is experiencing deflation, which it certainly is not. Economists from all political backgrounds have decried Cain and Moore’s nominations; Gregory Mankiw, chair of the Council

of Economic Advisers during the Bush administration, called them “shockingly unsuitable.”

At the moment, Herman Cain’s chances of confirmation appear small, as several Republican Senators have already signaled that they are not willing to support him.

Moore also has legal issues, such as a failure to pay child support, that might prevent his confirmation. But even if Cain and Moore never end up on the Board of Governors, the public should still find the fact that they are under consideration deeply distressing.

Trump is threatening to fill the vacancies on the Board of Governors with people who are purposefully averse to facts and are willing to manipulate monetary policy to what is politically convenient. For instance, Moore and Cain called for the Fed to raise interest rates during the Obama administration when the economy was still recovering from the Great Recession. Now that unemployment is historically low and the economy has been in a long expansion, both have said the Fed should lower interest rates. Lower interest rates encourage investment and provide the sort of short-term boost

THE

w

to the economy that is politically beneficial to whoever is in the White House.

The Fed’s independence is at the core of its identity as an institution. It carries the “dual mandate” to maintain maximum employment and stable prices.

It’s critical that the members of the Federal Open Market Committee, who vote on interest rate changes, carry out the terms of the dual mandate apolitically. Interest rates that are too low would be politically popular but could lead to runaway inflation and be disastrous for the economy. If Cain and Moore are confirmed, they might use their positions on the Federal Open Market Committee to promote lower interest rates, allowing Trump to take credit for a boost in short-term growth and perhaps making the economic effects of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act look more robust.

Until recently, Trump has made reasonable nominations to the Federal Reserve Board. Jerome Powell, who Trump nominated to be Fed chair, has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2012 and was originally nominated by President Obama. He is competent

The Cursed Child Brings Magic to Life Giorgia Piantanida Op-Ed Contributor

One point that I have found to be absolutely amazing about Swarthmore is that almost all Swatties can immediately bond over Harry Potter. And it’s not just Swatties who can share this bond.

This past Winter break, at an externship, my mentor and I engaged in an intense conversation about which house we belonged in. If I tried to remember every time I’ve had a heated discussion about Harry Potter at Swarthmore, I would seriously struggle — the monthly average must be around five. As much many of us love the magical world of wizardry, however, a large part of the H.P. fan base has reacted negatively to the newest play installment, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” In this play, Harry’s middle child, Albus Severus, first arrives at Hogwarts as a student and gets sorted into Slytherin, where he befriends Scorpius, Draco Malfoy’s son. Albus feels as though he is constantly disappointing his father, starting with his friendships, and tries to make him proud by using a time turner to save Cedric Diggory, who died during Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. However well-intentioned Albus is, he makes many mistakes and ends up changing the past.

From the fact that the time turners work differently in this story to that the plot is similar to fanfiction, dislike for this latest story has been widespread. Personally, I think this reaction is not fair to the piece as a whole. After all, it was written as a play and intended to be seen in play format, and it can’t be judged in the light of the past books. Instead, we should be taking into account all

the attributes plays lend and factoring those more thoroughly into our criticisms.

First, I want to address the criticism that I hear most often — the story has already been done and is worn out, because the set-up of the plot is the same as the previous seven Harry Potter books, and J. K. Rowling is just trying to squeeze more money from the amazingly lucrative franchise. Honestly, the same argument could very well be made for the rest of the series.

In all seven books, except the last one, Harry starts off in trouble, either with the Dursleys or certain elements of the wizarding world, and eagerly awaits the chance to return to Hogwarts. Then, when he arrives at Hogwarts, there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. As he progresses through the year, Voldemort or a Voldemort supporter stirs up trouble for Harry, and he reacts, often against the wishes of his friends.

Then, the year ends with a face-off between evil and Harry.

Obviously, this simplified sequence of events generalizes what happens in every book. But to say that the eighth installment is the same as the seven books that came prior to it, which are all highly praised, well, the argument loses some steam.

Another complaint I hear is that the play reads like fanfiction. The story is about Albus Severus and Scorpius, so in many ways, I think it would be hard for that to not be true. Harry Potter fans have been writing about the generation that came after the original books since before the last official Harry Potter book was released. The only extensive contact the Harry Potter world had with the next generation had, up until this point, been

through fanfiction. We are so used to reading novels about the golden trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and the only time we could’ve encountered written material about the next generation was through fanfics. So it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that this play reads just like so much of the fanfiction that has come before it. What this argument forgets is that while this play may read like fanfiction, it’s also on the big stages all over the world, behaving very much like a real play, which I haven’t heard any fanfiction do before it. The only reason we now understand it to read like fanfiction is because we had only been exposed to these characters through fanfiction.

There’s an adjustment period we must go through before accepting these characters have more ‘official’ stories crafted by Rowling, and many have not gone through that adjustment yet.

By the same token, I have heard people disregarding the story entirely because it’s written in play format, and it’s hard to follow. Admittedly, I was on that boat for a long time — then again, I dislike reading plays in general. The only play that I have truly enjoyed was “Hamlet,” which is a hard standard to match. It was a much harder play to follow and understand, but its storyline was hard for me not to get completely sucked into. And after all, Rowling isn’t writing at the levels of Shakespeare, and she never was. Her strengths are in the storytelling and creation of a new world, which she does on stages across the world much better than through the play script. Having the script released gave fans more universal access and allowed more people to get another glimpse into the world of Harry Potter. Instead

of limiting access to the individuals who are lucky enough to grab a ticket to the live show, Rowling ensured that a wider audience would be able to access the story by releasing the script.

With all that being said, I will now confirm that I have fallen in love with the story of “The Cursed Child.” Though I was once a naysayer, I changed my tune when I saw the play for myself in late January. As a Christmas present, my parents got me and my sister tickets to the show, and honestly, I wasn’t too excited. I had read the play two years prior and found it to be quite boring.

The story in the play was no different to the script — the words I had read were being spoken and acted out by the actors on stage.

But the experience was completely different. The entire two-part show an emotional rollercoaster; I was moved to tears several times, and by the end, I was full-on sobbing. The actors drew me in, and the storyline kept me engaged — the acting was brilliant, and the numerous special effects kept everyone on their toes. Not only that, but the life lessons littered throughout the play were extremely relatable. Even though I had encountered those lessons in the script, they came alive when they were played by actors on the stage. Hearing and watching the script made it all more real, and it truly felt like I was going on the journey with the characters.

Like so many others, I grew up with Harry. The first time I read any H.P. book, I was nine, almost the same age Harry was when he started Hogwarts. By the time the play had been announced, I had been a Potter fan for half of my life. Though I was excited to read

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and highly committed to the Fed’s independence. However, it seems that Trump has changed his strategy for dealing with the Fed: he’s stepped up his criticism of Powell and made these ludicrously unqualified nominations. Right now, the Fed is clearly one of the most highly-functioning, nonpartisan institutions in our government.

Even if Cain and Moore are never confirmed, it is terrifying that Trump is attempting to erode the credibility of an institution that has long been immune to politics.

it initially, I came out the other end disappointed. It wasn’t until I finally got to see the play live, toeing the line between being a young adult in college and being a young adult in the real world, that I understood how amazing it really was. In the original books, I related to them due to more childish fears — going to a new school, being able to make friends, hoping people would like me. Now, my fears now run much deeper: will I be able to get a job? Find financial, social, and emotional stability?

Will I have kids, and will they love me? Will I ever be able to show my parents how much they really mean to me?

“The Cursed Child” addresses all these fears in some way, whether in a subtle tone or a much more overt manner. Though it still minimally focuses on the childlike fears through Albus, the older audience also picks out the fears we can relate to. Throughout the play, Harry and Albus argue, and there is one moment in which Harry tells Albus he wishes Albus had never been born. One can immediately feel the regret Harry feels at lashing out, and his disappointment in himself leading him to not being able to explain to Albus he messed up. Although I do not have kids right now, I related to that fear — the fear of messing up so badly you do not know how or if you can ever make it better. Harry is not the only one I learned from. Albus, while young and not very wise, makes brave decisions in an effort to show his dad he is good enough to be a Potter. Even though Albus messes up almost every time, his drive to make his dad proud is one I’ve often felt towards my parents, and it’s taken a very long time to accept that I may never be able to

do so up to my standards. In the play, Harry is proud of his son but unable to convey it. In my life, I am aware my parents are proud of me, but I am unable to accept it as enough. Watching the father-son duo work through their misunderstandings moved me to tears, and pushed me to go home and work through my own.

“The Cursed Child” relies on the same mechanics that have made Harry Potter successful — a story that most can identify with. For me, the breaking point was when Harry thought he had turned Albus completely against him, and they had fragmented their relationship too much to ever return to normal. It reminded me of my own relationship with my parents, and how difficult it could one day be for me to have the same bond with my own kids. As a story that’s supposedly old and worn out, it certainly felt fresh.

“The Cursed Child,” in many ways, is not accessible to everyone. Tickets are massively expensive, the show is in two parts so it becomes a much bigger affair, and it’s not in every city in the world.

This, for me, is heartbreaking, because accessibility was the magic of the Harry Potter books and the play. And while I do truly hope it may one day become a Netflix special or be made more public in another way, I will still stand by my claim that “The Cursed Child” is absolutely brilliant, and its timing perfect. Even as the eighth installment of a massively successful story, it is fresh, new and just as relatable as the first seven books, and hopefully, more people will be swayed to see it in the same way.

Low-Income Students Shouldn’t Be a Low Priority EDITORIAL

Despite efforts from the administration to level the playing field between low-income, first-generation students at Swarthmore and their more privileged peers, the administration struggles to see the real issue at hand — that this institution was built for the wealthy, by the wealthy. The administration attempts to counteract this with info sessions about imposter syndrome saying, “You belong here!”, and panels that talk about finding “community” with other low-income students once you get here, but these efforts don’t seem to be able to identify the root of the problem. The administration needs to make a more concerted effort to support low-income students during their time here.

In terms of getting first-generation and low-income students in the door, the college has made significant progress. 27% of the admitted students from the Class of 2023 are first-generation, and 36% of admitted students are affiliated with local, national, and interna-

tional community based organizations such as QuestBridge.

Of course, the real work begins once these students arrive here.

In many ways, the college has made progress when it comes to addressing issues of equity on campus. The fact that we live on a cash-free campus is something to celebrate, as no one wants to carry around quarters for laundry or printing or have to worry about breaking the bank for whoever the school decides to bring for Worthstock. The school isn’t not trying, but their endeavors aren’t robust enough. These efforts do not take into account other types of capital that aren’t simply dollars, such as educational capital or being able to exist comfortably in certain institutional spaces.

Yes, during breaks the First Generation/Low-Income program will send emails to students who might still be on campus to let them know about ways to get meals with Sharples being closed, such as food being provided at the identity centers. We do want to ac-

knowledge the vast improvements to food access during breaks.

Spring break marked the first time where students had multiple meal swipes at Essie’s — something that allows for more students to get food. These measures are important and should be expanded on wherever possible. Baselinenecessities, such as meals, should not be only given to those who can afford them.

Yes, the college does have an emergency fund, but as it stands the emergency fund is capped and often runs out before the end of the semester. Although this is not heavily advertised, the webpage on the emergency fund does briefly allude to the limited funds, stating that, “the Dean’s office may not be able to fulfill all requests.”

The very fact that the emergency fund is somewhat vague in its wording makes it so that students are unaware of what funds they have access to, and how it is that they can appeal in cases where the emergency fund does not work out for them.

Yes, the school is making efforts to have first-generation and lowincome students take interviewing skills classes, but these endeavors are often housed only in S.T.E.M. departments. Not only that, but Swarthmore fails to realize that many of these resources need to be actively requested and sought out, not addressing the fact that low-income students are often discouraged from reaching out in the first place.

While Swarthmore does have a very comprehensive financial aid system compared to a majority of schools, and many students come to Swarthmore for that very reason, the school often drops the ball once students arrive. Yes, Swarthmore is helping students pay for schooling, and yes, Swarthmore is a cash-free campus, but what about addressing the emotional and social aspects involved in being low-income in a sea of students that populate the 1% and have parents with Ivy League educations who helped them get to where they are now and continue

to help them succeed.

Swarthmore attempts to shove these differences under the rug, seemingly arguing that because we are all here, we are all equal. While there is, of course, a privilege that comes with getting a Swarthmore College degree, that does not erase the fact that hierarchies exist during the four years that students are on this campus, and will continue to exist once students are off this campus.

Students in various low-income groups and who are affiliated with the FLI office have been working on developing a guide and website for students that clearly lays out all the resources available to them — some of which is not known to the majority of students. This is unacceptable and is a task that the administration itself should be pursuing actively. Why is the burden being put on first-generation and low-income students to ask what they may not even know they don’t have access to?

Knowing what to wear, how to network, and who to reach out to

are all implicit skills that the administration conveniently forgets that half of their student body will be aware of, while the other half lies completely in the dark. It is not enough to accept these students for optics. The school needs to actually promote equity once these students get to campus, to ensure that their initiatives are not all for naught.

The administration needs to make it clear that first-generation and low-income students are a priority to them. Simply telling students that they belong doesn’t make that happen — tangible action does. Expanding and dispersing resources to low-income and first-generation students is something that is well within the capacity of this college, and must be done. In contrast to what some may believe, just attending Swarthmore doesn’t completely level the playing field.

Campus Journal

PAGE A8 April 18, 2019

ARTS FASHION FOOD LIVING PHILLY PROFILES ST YLES

Big Birds are Watching You Jenny Xu CJ Writer

I

n the digital age, the fear and normalization of being watched constantly have increased more than ever. The meme about FBI agent watching you through your front camera is a great example of our generation’s digital anxieties. Reflecting on my childhood, or to “Barbie as Swan Lake,” which I watched over the weekend with nostalgia, I realized that our anxiety of being watched has manifested in media since we were very young. In these iconic movies of childhood, every single time the protagonists have come up with a great plan or discovered a big secret, the scene following it would be the camera shifting out of focus into the background, in which little black birds fly away to report to their evil overlord. Birds have

always been symbols of surveillance. Recently, journalists have reported that China has launched “spy birds” to boost government surveillance. I know that Americans love to sh*t on China for being a surveillance state; however, who is to say that other governments, or institutions, have not sent out flocks of robotic birds to watch over its population and that journalists are just too afraid to say so?

As a skeptic, I argue that it is entirely plausible that these “spy birds” are present on the seemingly peaceful campus of Swarthmore College.

It was a bright, sunny day, my friends and I were lounging under the shade of Parrish Beach.

As the wind ruffled our hair with its gentle breeze, we laid on our white beach towels, staring up at the sky, where the birds were chirping noisily as usual.

Suddenly, my friend Jordan Reyes ’19 said with nervousness, “These birds are fake.”

It was in that moment my third eye opened.

The yellow beak of every single little or big bird looked plastic to me. Their movements seemed patterned and robotic (the birds kept on landing next to us, but flying away the second we made eye contact). I peered into the black eyes of the bird in front of me, and there was nothing in them.

I wondered if I had ever seen a bird eat worms or have sex — the answer is no. Maya Henry ’20 exclaimed, “You know, the birds here don’t sh*t!” They were right: if the birds here shat, the clean stone pavement would be filled with white splatters of poop.

Even more suspiciously, Quincy Ponvert ’22 has observed that “the birds here on campus make

eye contact with me more than normal birds.” Of course, because they are watching us. If that is true, who is watching us through them? Is it the government or is it the Sw*rthmore adm*nistration?

Just like Michel Foucault said, we live in a society (OK maybe not that part) — where power is delocalized through the apparatus of the panopticon, in order to “induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power.” To say that in simpler words, you can never trust your friends, not even Jim Bock ’90.

As the people™, the least of our joys is ~tweeting~ something niche on a blue ~bird~ app with interesting use of emojis and pointless redactions. Hidden within our carefully counted asterisks is the fear of our thoughts being read by those outside our

community. We wake up in sweat every single night with the aftertaste of a nightmare, in which an adm*n holds up a screenshot of what we have secretly schemed against the school in codes that only we can understand. We might ask how they deciphered

Frat, Bat, Rat

those blobs of asterisks. Little did we know, the birds have always been watching.

Twitter (preferably with emojis) Sincerely, [ redacted ] Ps [ redacted ]”

R.L. B*rnard CJ Writer “*Sniff* *Sniff*...I smell a rat.”

-- Jack Nicholson “The Departed” Firstly reader, I would like to address my brief hiatus from giving you your bi-monthly dose of bat info. I admit I went slightly off the rails, but as you can tell from our last communication, the weight of this mystery has been weighing on me. We all have moments where we buckle under the pressure and this column was my outlet. Thank you for allowing me the space to do so: my head is screwed on straight, and no, I did not bring back the bats in my absence.

However, my frustrations at the brick wall I’ve come up against in this investigation were not for nothing. My relentless hammering away has caused a leak.

I received a coded letter not too long ago. The writers of it remained anonymous. As you can see from this photo of the message, the point was kept simple:

Our sketch artist’s rendition of the suspect

Just kidding, that’s not the letter. The real letter was written in a foolishly simple code. It was so rudimentary an experienced code-maker wouldn’t even sneeze on this code. But let me not judge these faceless individuals for their naivety to the skill of the team I have assembled for this task. Although we don’t have confirmed names, we have reason to believe that this letter was written by someone on the inside. The author does not sound like a pariah, as they would tread less carefully. No, this person, or persons, has reason for their cowardice.

I’ll share with you the translation we’ve uncovered, with the pertinent details removed of course, and show you the evi-

Ode to Swarthmore Women’s Rugby Clio W. Hamilton CJ Writer

Photo courtesy of author

Unsuspecting Swarthmore students who find themselves on Parrish Beach just after 6:30 p.m. on Fridays can, if they’re lucky, catch a glimpse of a pack of mudcovered people moving across the field towards Sharples and singing. Who might these hooligans be, taking synchronized swigs from their water bottles and shouting about how Wednesday is a hump day? None other than the Swarthmore women’s rugby team of Sharples poster fame, the weirdest and most lovely group of stone-cold badasses I have ever known. Here’s the story of how I became one of them.

During orientation last fall, sweaty and stressed and wondering how, exactly, I was supposed to make friends when I’d spent the entire summer scooping ice cream — and therefore talking only to small children, the elderly, and drunk high schoolers — I went to get lunch and was ambushed by two seniors who were tabling. They wore matching jackets and were holding an egg-shaped ball and, smiling diabolically, asked me if I wanted to join the rugby team? Having not yet developed the protective layer of disinterest which many Swat students assume around tabling groups, I laughed and told them that I’d never played a sport with a ball in my life. They told me that didn’t matter and, shrugging, I put my name down.

Sports teams make me nervous, as a rule, but I’d played roller derby all through high school and rugby people seemed like they were cut from the same chill, queer, slightly frightening cloth as the derby people I grew up around. I figured I’d go to a few practices, see what happens, and decide from there if I wanted to keep going.

This is what being on the women’s rugby team is like: for three afternoons a week, every week, you fling your body into other people’s bodies. You run laps with your teammates and do dynamics, warm-up exercises with names like “henpecker” and “open the gate”; if you’ve never done dynamics before you will be baffled by them and fall constantly during ACL hops. You will mutter “Frankensteins, airplanes, Frankensteins, airplanes” to yourself while your teammates wonder whether you’re a human or a badly-programmed robot someone stuffed into leggings and snuck onto the pitch. Rugby flings you into a world of rucks and basket hands and lineouts, and even after having each new term cheerfully explained to you it’s impossible to figure out why, during said lineouts, rugby is transformed from a contact sport into a contest of which team can lift a player up in what can only be described as a giant aerial wedgie. You go to team dinners and dry events and after-game socials, all of which meld together into a blur of card games and

dence behind my thinking.

“Dear Who Did the Bats, Given our reluctance to reveal our identity, it would be hard for us to ensure you of our good intentions. If you read this message closely however you will understand both the extent of our knowledge and our desire to ensure it does not fall into the wrong leather gloves hands before the statute of limitation expires. Before you dismiss this message as a red herring with no valuable information we urge a close reading. But if after close investigation you still doubt our competence and good intentions, please email location and time to [ redacted ] and we can arrange an in person meeting with appropriate arrangements or simply tweet said location and time via Swarthmore

laughter.

You are not going to be good at rugby at first; I’m still not sure that I am. I still drop the ball every third time it’s passed to me, and have not rucked successfully in a game without falling over.

I’ve taken to cataloguing the bruises I collect after each practice by color, location, and size.

But I feel so much more settled in my body now than I used to. My arms and legs are more solid — I can run without hyperventilating. On days when I can’t get my brain to settle and pay attention in class, rugby practice forces me to be aware, to strategize, to talk to my teammates or else risk falling on my ass.

I don’t want to sound like a cult member or, god forbid, say that exercise is the key to good mental health (it’s not). But the amount of good that rugby has brought into my life since I joined is astronomical. Over this first year at Swarthmore the women’s rugby team has been my rock, my home base, the most reliable producer of uncontrollable belly laughs, bruises, and questionable early-afternoon beverage choices (yes, I did drink from my captain’s sweaty cleat the first time I scored a try, yes, I was the only team member brave/foolish enough to try the Swiss ale we’d found in the Kohlberg Panopticon room, yes, it tasted like liquified fermented oatmeal, yes, I’m sorry Mom). Swarthmore women’s rugby players are more powerful than God. They have thighs

Call it a mole, call it a rat, call it an insider scoop. My theory?

First of all, the culprits left this note inside a puzzle in Cornell.

The location alone emits an air of someone who spends ample time in the very library that inspired the construction of NPPR. I smell athlete. Why else would the culprits emphasize concealing their identities until “the statute of limitation expires” ?

Is the expiration date an allusion to graduation or the completion of their athletic responsibilities?

How tightly bound are the ties of one DIII athlete to another?

Does their fear of baseball wrath stem from admittance of a personal betrayal or simply because they fear retaliation when rubbing elbows in the Matchbox?

Time is dwindling, and it seems these culprits believe me to be one step behind. But what is a journalist without an ear on the ground? And what kind of delinquent keeps evidence of their deed hidden behind a poster?

Make no mistake, the rat race is almost won.

of iron and nerves of steel. They are writing their theses and running miles before practice and RAing and applying for jobs and attending conferences and living their lives, and still they drag themselves out onto a field of grass and mud to play this game together. They played five games in our regional championships and WON. So many people on the rugby team are graduating this semester. I don’t quite know how to deal with that fact, not yet. I’m going to miss them. But I tabled with the team at Swatstruck last week and offered prospective students candy out of our trophy, asked them if they wanted to try a jersey on for size, and smiled at them. Maybe some of them will come to practice, and maybe they won’t. But either way, Friday afternoons next semester will still see a singing pack of rugby people — my singing pack of rugby people — stumbling Sharplesward to get something to eat. You could join us, if you’d like. Muddy clothes, much like a decent singing voice, are not required.

April 18, 2019

THE PHOENIX CAMPUS JOURNAL

PAGE A9

Swat Ed: Spring P. AFDERSEX ’69

S

wat Ed is The Phoenix’s biweekly sex education Q & A. We accept all questions and they are kept completely anonymous. If you’re looking for medical advice or a diagnosis for that weird thing on your genitals, get in touch with a medical professional! For everything else, email swatedquestions@gmail.com.

Today’s subject matter is physical pleasure during sex and difficulty with erections.

My boyfriend and I (we’re both guys) have been dating for about four months but we only recently started getting physical. I’ve been having a really good time but I’ve gotten the feeling that he isn’t experiencing the same level of enjoyment from it that I am. I asked him about it and he said that he likes sex but it’s not a huge source of physical pleasure. I kind of don’t know what to do with that information, since it’s never been a problem with any of the other guys that I have dated. I know that he masturbates so enjoying sexual stuff in general must not be a problem. What do I do?

I’m not sure how to talk to him about it without putting pressure on him or making it seem like I’m taking it personally.

-- Confused Dude This is a really good question and it’s a difficult one to answer. There are a lot of reasons that people don’t experience the same levels of pleasure from sex. I’ll go ahead and list a few, but it’s really important to note that they do not necessarily apply in your situation. Without talking to your partner, the best I can do is talk in the abstract about why these things happen, so please don’t jump to conclusions and use this as a general framework.

One reason can be comfort with a partner. This doesn’t in any way mean that he doesn’t like you or doesn’t feel comfortable with you now. Comfort with a sexual partner is some-

thing that naturally grows over time. Like you said, you’ve just recently started getting physical and as relationships grow and strengthen emotionally, so does attraction. There’s a practical learning aspect to it too: you figure out what makes the other person tick and incorporate it accordingly.

Another reason can be desensitization. This can be psychological, if one person is used to heavy porn or erotica usage, where they essentially train themselves into associating pleasure with that sort of stimulation. That is associated with literal physical desensitization — relying on stimulation to masturbate that another person can’t replicate very easily.

Easing off of masturbation and porn usage can be really helpful in this regard. If you’re using condoms you could also try different sizes or types.

Another is performativity.

It’s something that I usually see in heterosexual women, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t apply to other people. Essentially, it means that instead of focusing on what’s happening in your body, you’re putting on a performance for the other person based on what you think they want. Removing or reducing expectations about sex helps with this, as does communicating about what feels good for your partner and emphasizing that their pleasure makes you happy.

Another is that sex might feel less like an act for their own pleasure and more like a bonding experience with a partner, which is perfectly valid. Sometimes people prefer to focus on the intimate and comforting aspects of sex rather than physical pleasure, and they don’t necessarily need to orgasm or experience mind-blowing pleasure to have satisfying sex. That might be the case for your partner. Of course having an intimate and comforting experience and physical pleasure are not mutually exclusive, and you’re probably waiting for me to talk about how to pull in that physical pleasure. Fair enough.

Before you go to this step, make sure that you’ve had a big enough sample size of experiences to rule out you two just getting used to one another. If that’s the case, then ask your partner what things they find to be personally arousing and work that into your routine. Ian Kerner, a sex therapist that I am a big fan of, has a very interesting theory about getting out of your comfort zone (just into the growth zone — not the panic zone). He theorizes that you can find the most erotic experiences by doing something that is novel to the partnership and exciting. It doesn’t have to be really kinky or out there. Examples in his book “Passionista” include telling one another about dreams, going sans underwear, fantasizing together, and going to new locations. If your partner has had experiences (or fantasies) that were unusually exciting or physically pleasurable, see if you can figure out what made them that way. It might have been a sense of closeness and affection with his partner, it might have been

a sense of giving or receiving, it might have been that his left knee is insanely sensitive and his partner kissed it in just the right way. Hopefully these recommendations give you a framework to think about this.

Good luck!

I hooked up with a guy at a party about two weeks ago and when we tried to have sex he experienced an … equipment malfunction. I was kind of pissed off and I let him know it. I told my friends about it and one of them thinks that he didn’t like me, someone else thought that he was really drunk, and everyone else just thought it was funny. I was upset then but now I’m wondering if I was too harsh.

--What’s Up? Not Him The answer is yes. You were definitely, definitely too harsh. I’m not even sure what you’re angry about. I assume that “equipment malfunction” refers to an inability to get hard, which is totally normal

for people that are nervous or under the influence. It pops up (or doesn’t) a lot with first times, new partners, or unusually stressful situations. It’s not a big deal unless you make a big fuss over it and make your partner feel bad. The appropriate reaction is saying that it’s okay and proposing alternate activities. Don’t linger on it, don’t act as though anything is out of the ordinary. This can be a sore spot for a lot of people and a source of embarrassment, so your job as a good partner is to assure them that you are on their side.

The appropriate reaction definitely does not include telling your friends so that they can laugh about it (especially at a school this small) or “letting them know” how annoyed you are about it. In general, if you want to tell someone embarrassing details about another person’s sex life, don’t. At the very least, don’t use their name or identifying details. It’s simply not anyone else’s business and it’s frankly pretty cruel of you. If you’re not mature

enough to deal with a situation as minimal and commonplace as a flaccid penis you probably aren’t mature enough to be sexually active. If you’re interested in growing as a person from this experience, I would recommend reaching out to this person with a sincere apology that identifies how you acted wrongly in this situation, how you regret it deeply, and how you won’t do it again. Since you have demonstrated an inability to act appropriately in tough situations and you don’t know this person well at all, this is an instance where texting an apology is appropriate. It will also allow you to word your apology carefully and kindly. I hope that you will learn from this experience and bring more kindness and sensitivity to any subsequent partner you might have.

Sharples Profile: Mindfulness, Music, and Mother Sauce with Anna McCarthy Gidon Kaminer CJ Writer

Anna McCarthy started working at Sharples in August three years ago, just as the class of 2020 entered the dining hall for the first time. She usually works at the pizza station, though she also stocks the salad room, and on Sundays can be found staffing the vegetarian line. Hailing from Springfield, PA, McCarthy currently resides near Whittier Place, a short walk away from campus.

“When I got out of high school I knew I just wanted to make things with my hands,” she said.

“I liked to bake a lot, so I worked at a bakery from when I was seventeen until I was twenty.”

While she enjoyed working at the bakery, she eventually moved on to working at a catering company.

“If I never saw a cupcake again I would be perfectly okay with that,” she said.

As a caterer, McCarthy worked part time staffing stations and serving food at weddings and other events.

“Eventually I knew I wanted to get out of food,” said McCarthy.

The opportunity to work at Swarthmore presented itself, which was appealing to her because it would allow her to support herself while also going back to school. She enrolled at Delaware County Community College, where she is currently majoring in psychology and is planning to add a business minor.

“I want to study the relationship between psychology and diet. I think that gut health and mental health can be connected, that healthy eating might contribute to fighting depression,” she said.

McCarthy wants to continue serving people through pursuing a professional career in psychology.

“My favorite part of working

here is talking with students,” she said. “And I like making pizza, it’s something different every day and it’s fun to see the end result.”

Just like every Swarthmore student, McCarthy has opinions about certain Sharples bars.

“I like potato bar, I have a weird obsession with potatoes. I could eat them and never get bored.

Maybe it’s because I’m Irish,” she laughed.

During school breaks McCarthy returns to her previous catering job, or works as a nanny.

McCarthy enjoys going on walks and going to the gym, and spends plenty of time hanging out with her siblings (she is the oldest of six).

“I’m really into reading, I read a little bit of everything. The last book I read that I really liked is The Kite Runner. People’s narratives are always interesting. I like to read informational books too, I like to read about nutrition and health, and I find psychology books interesting too. Really dorky reading.”

“What motivates me to read is to learn more, and especially with biographies how to learn from other people and emulate their lives. It’s another way to open your eyes to the world. A lot can be painted in a book,” she said.

She also enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, spanning genres from indie folk to R&B. “My music taste is very all over the place. Recently I’ve been listening to Lord Huron. I just found this one guy, his name is Dominic Fike, he’s just this 23 year old kid from South Florida but his music is super catchy. And I like Khalid. Not to be confused with DJ Khaled though,” she added.

Owing to her culinary interests, McCarthy said that if she could speak with one historical figure she would choose French chef Antonin Careme.

“He created the five mother sauces, base sauces that chefs

use and expand on. He had a lot to do with organizing kitchens and perfecting the way things worked. He cooked for a lot of famous people, like Napoleon,” she explained. “But if I could ever talk to a fictional person it would be Jean Valjean from Les Miserables. It’s my favorite musical.”

Among her hopes for the future, McCarthy said that she “always wanted to go to New Zealand to see the Glowworm cave, where if you touch it it lights up a bit. That would be pretty neat.”

McCarthy concluded with words of advice that she has found to be helpful in her life thus far.

“As you get older I think you need to focus on the day-byday. Not to use the whole millennial buzz word, but I think that’s where mindfulness comes into play. There’s so much of a push to keep on going and moving but you just need to appreciate the little things in life and think about how much you did accomplish. And even if you feel like you’re not in the right place you need to look at the place you are now how that’s gotten you farther from where you used to be before. And you can use that to figure out where you’re going.

But those are just my thoughts.”

Photo courtesy of author

SPORTS

April 18, 2019 PAGE A10

They Never Stop Running Francis Eddy Harvey Sports Writer

F

or many Swarthmore athletes, one season is enough. With daily practices, weekly games, and a full course schedule, the season can certainly be a grueling time.

That being said there are many advantages to not being in-season time, namely a much freer schedule and the chance to catch up on work. Most athletes that play a fall sport finish their season by the end of November and do not start formal practices again until March. There is, however, one exception.

The men and women’s cross country team, like every fall sports team, returns to campus two weeks before the start of classes for a brutal preseason consisting of multiple practices a day. While in season, they have practices every day, running on the track or throughout the Crum, training for their next meet. Their season culminates in the Centennial Conference Championship, and then if they qualify, runners are invited to the NCAA Regional Championship. This year both the men’s and women’s team placed fourth. Overall, Haverford’s men won the meet, as did Johns Hopkins’s women.

Once their season concludes, almost all 40 runners jump straight back into a new season, indoor track and field. Okay, ‘straight back into’ is a bit of an overstatement.

According to cross country and track runner, Sierra Sweeney ’21, “most runners take two or three days off before starting

back up again.”

Supposedly, ‘two to three days’ is more than enough time to rest, catch up with schoolwork, and prepare for another season. And sure enough, as far as academics are concerned, this is more than enough time.

The men’s team had the thirdhighest GPA in Division III, averaging 3.73, while the women recorded the thirteenth highest with 3.72.

As the events for indoor track are not strictly limited to running multiple kilometers in every weather condition imaginable, more athletes are included. Each team will have around 35-40 members once sprinters, throwers, and huddlers are thrown into the mix.

This particular season goes from November through late February and most indoor track athletes, like the swimmers or basketball players, cut their winter breaks short and return to Swarthmore before the second semester starts. Although most runners return early, it is not mandatory and for especially the cross country runners, winter break is the only time of the year they are able to return home.

After winter break, the teams continue practicing on a daily basis, getting ready for the championship meet. This season, both the women’s and men’s teams once again had a great season, placing 2nd and 3rd respectively. The conference championship in February officially marks the end of the indoor season. But, as I am sure you guessed, there is yet another season succeeding indoor

track and field season — outdoor track and field! This season goes through the end of the spring semester.

The outdoor track and field season is currently ongoing and the team is looking to replicate their success in the winter. In their most recent meet, each team competed in the Chester Quarry Classic against Eastern, Haverford, Winder, and West Chester. Swarthmore’s Adil Belgaumi ’20 led the way for the Garnet, finishing first in the 100-meter dash. His teammates followed suit as Robert Eppley ’19, Graham Doskoch ’20, and Alex Flowers ’21 placed second in their individual events.

The women’s team led by Kayla Camacho ’19 and Clay Conley ’20 placed first in their events — the 100 meter dash and the discus throw. Rachel Vresilovic ’20, Sayaka Vaules ’20, and the 4x100 — meter team consisting of, Camacho, Vaules, Simran Khanna ’19, and Lauren Holt ’21 all placed second in their respective events.

For Camacho and Conley, this success is nothing new. Last season, Camacho was named on the All-Centennial Conference First Team, while Conley won the shot put and weight throw at the 2019 indoor centennial conference championship and went onto compete at nationals.

Swarthmore’s cross country and track teams have maintained a consistent level of success both on and off the track over the years. The teams are as cohesive a group as any, and despite the daily trainings and meals over the year, the teams

still can be seen filing into sharples together. According to Sweeney, although the men’s and women’s teams compete separately, they are still one team. Their cohesion has been integral to their continued success and makes being on the team a meaningful experience.

Apparently this cohesion is not just specific to our teams, and more so speaks to the nature of running. Running as a sport is physically and mentally exhausting. And despite the individualistic nature of the sport, it is not as competitive as some might think. Sweeney says that running with and against other people is a shared experience — each runner recognizing and appreciating the work of the fellow runners besides them.

“Compared to other sports, running has really good people who are kind and welcoming,”

Sweeney said.

This is not completely surprising seeing that running, unlike soccer or football, is not a contact sport. This allows fewer opportunities to cheat or purposely injury other players.

Soccer players simulate fouls to get to calls from the referee, while one of football’s main objectives is to hit the opposing player as hard as possible. Running however, is a competition against yourself and the clock.

There are no shortcuts or easy ways out. ’ Jean-Baptiste Robert ’21, a sprinter, also recognizes the camaraderie amongst runners, but claims that sprinting is a little different. Unlike distance runners who wish their opponents luck before a race, he says sprinters tend to be much less amiable and more focused on winning. As an indoor track and field athlete, Robert noted

Photo courtesy of Athletics Communications

Tiger Woods Roars Back to Win Masters Kyle Jones Shah Sports Writer

Tiger Woods’ win at the Masters was one of the most amazing comeback stories in sports history. The past decade has been the toughest years of Tiger Woods life. In June of 2008 he won the US Open in a playoff to win his fourteenth major of his career. He was only four short of matching Jack Nicklaus’ career major wins record. Something many deemed Tiger would certainly break. However, from then on Tiger’s life got turned upside down. The publicity around his divorce and familial issues began to consume the narrative with Tiger. He took time away from golf and needed to re-

set. Tiger returned to golf in 2012 with a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his first win since the divorce scandal. From then on he bounced around mediocrity on the course and faced four back surgeries that sidelined him from action. At this point many believed his career in golf was over.

Everyone was convinced of that fact in October 2017, when he was arrested and pleaded guilty to reckless driving. Even Tiger believed his golf career might have been coming to close, telling other golfers at the 2017 Masters Champions’ dinner that his career was done. A career that started off unbelievably dominant and would end with a public divorce and embarrassing arrest.

Tiger made his return to golf in December of 2017 and finished in the middle of the pack in each of his tournaments leading up to the British Open. He was leading going into the final round of the Open when he double-bogeyed the twelfth hole to end in a tie for sixth. From then on, Tiger has picked up his game and started to reach the level he was once at before his back surgeries and off the course issues. This all led to last weekend, when Tiger went into the Masters with no one betting on him and no one expecting anything from him. However, Jack Nicklaus believed in Tiger, saying “I felt for a long time he was going to win again.”

Tiger’s play this weekend was

great from the start. He was among the leaders going into the final two days, and he entered play in the final round a few strokes back. Up until that point he had never won a major in a come from behind fashion. Tiger’s last round was special, finishing two under par to reach thirteen under for the tournament.

On the final hole of the day, the eighteenth green was swarming with spectators and golfers alike, all watching to see if Tiger could pull out his fifth Masters win, for which he had been waiting fourteen years. His last hole was not his best, but it certainly was good enough to secure the win. The loudest roar for a bogey to end a round of golf erupted from Au-

gusta National on Sunday. Tiger enjoyed a heartfelt moment with his son and mom, shedding more than a few tears. Everyone, even his competitors who had pushed him to the last hole, were happy to see Woods back in his old form once again, something no one thought would happen. It was not just Tiger playing well, it was Tiger playing like Tiger. He was intimidating on the course, and it seemed that everyone was there to watch him win and the other golfers lose.

Social media exploded with Tiger’s win. Though it felt like everyone doubted Tiger during his arrest, his divorce, his poor play, and his injuries it still seemed that everyone was behind him

Coaches Strengthen Swarthmore Athletics Ben Lau Sports Writer

In 2016 the athletics department hired its first full-time strength and conditioning coach, Chris McPherson. Last year, Michelle Pifer was also hired to supplement his role. Since their arrival, the Swarthmore athletics program has experienced unprecedented success. Just in this past year, the Garnet have won Centennial Conference titles in women’s soccer, men’s swimming, and men’s basketball, with the men’s basketball team finishing as the national runners-up.

Women’s softball coach Melissa Finley attributes her team’s success to her players’ work in the weight room with the strength and conditioning coaches.

“They’ve been working harder,” she said. “They’ve done a lot more in the weight room with our strength coach, Michelle, in terms of lifting and conditioning.”

In addition to Finley many other coaches attribute their team’s recent success to both McPherson and Pifer. Pifer gives the credit to the athletes.

“There has a been a great shift in attitudes and the recent success in Swarthmore’s Athletics can show for it.” Pifer said. “We as Strength Conditioning Coaches understand it is tough and it is not ideal — but it is a part of fulfilling the commitment to yourself and to your team, and the journey of being successful at the sport that you love.”

McPherson thinks overall athletic success is a product of much more than just a better strength and conditioning program.

“It takes a team effort which involves administration, sports coaches, sports medicine and most importantly Swarthmore College student-athletes,” he said. “Our athletes have bought in to what we have been doing and worked hard in and out of season — through this the results are starting to show.”

In his time here, McPherson has worked to create a culture of a strong work ethic and accountability. He has also made efforts to make the gym a more hospitable environment.

“I wanted the weight room to be a welcoming environment for all students,” he said. “When most students arrive on campus they have little to no experience working out in a weight room. The weight room can be an intimidating place at times, so I wanted to change that. I also wanted the weight room to be a place of learning as much as the classroom was for our student athletes. Besides learning proper weightlifting technique, which muscles you are working or proper running mechanics, the weight room can teach lessons about life that one not might realize right away.”

Sports has spoken to McPherson in ways that reach beyond life lessons. Growing up, McPherson felt a connection to athletics that inspired him to get into the strength and conditioning field.

He ran track and field at Temple University before going on to get his masters in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from California University of Pennsylvania.

He previously worked at La Salle University, St. Joseph’s, and Tem-

ple before coming to Swarthmore.

“Sports has personally had a major impact on my life and I wanted to do something that allowed me to have the same impact on others through a career that involved athletics,” McPherson said.

“Helping others improve their athletic performance and reach their personal goals has been a dream job of mine and I am happy to be living out that dream.”

He works with men’s soccer, men’s basketball, baseball, field hockey, women and men’s lacrosse, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s swimming.

Pifer takes on the other sports and has learned to adapt workout regimens to accommodate different team’s schedules.

“My role is to provide year round training for women’s soccer, women’s basketball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, and women’s track & field,” Pifer said. “Each individual sport team has a different off-season and in-season training schedule, availability, and demand from me.

Therefore, I work to fulfill each individual sport team’s needs and demands so they may be successful.”

Pifer joined the program last year after interning at Bucknell University, Bloomsburg University, and at University of Pennsylvania. At those internships she fell in love with coaching and strength conditioning.

“I grew to love coaching and the weight room, the connection and relationships you build among athletes, coaches, and the Athletic department staff,” Pifer said. “But most importantly the

the huge time commitment that he and his fellow teammates as the one downside of the sport. He does however understand things could be worse as he noted the 30 or so cross country runners who are inseason every season.

With the Centennial Conference Finals taking place on May 3, the Garnet only have a few more weeks of practices and meets. The Garney will compete in the Widener Invitational, Larry Ellis Invite, Penn Relays, Lion Invite, and University of Delaware Open. In these remaining five meets, the Garnet athletes will look to improve on their times in the hopes of breaking personal records, finishing higher at Conferences, and qualifying for the National Championships.

opportunity to see each individual athlete’s hard work that transpires into physical improvements, and ultimately translates to success on and off the field.”

Pifer outlined the some of her roles in her job as a strength and conditioning coach.

“The role of a Strength and Conditioning Coach is to foremost reduce the risk of injury, maximize athletic development, and improve overall wellness for each individual athlete,” she said.

“Additionally, the goal of of each weight room and conditioning session is to use scientificallyproven strategies to improve an athlete’s power, strength, flexibility, mobility, maximal speed, and cardiovascular system. When strategizing to maximize physical performance for each individual sport; the sport demands, sport characteristics, and specific sport movements from each individual sport are considered throughout the annual program design.”

To get the most out of workouts, Pifer and McPherson connect with coaches in the department to be aware of the schedule for different teams. By accounting for fatigue, intensity of practices, and physical stress, they can design more effective training sessions.

“This can be a complicated process so as coaches, we work diligently to monitor fatigue so athletes feel fresh, explosive, and strong going into each competition,” Pifer said. “Furthermore, the communication with Sports Medicine allows us to be on the same page for current injuries, physical limitations, and appropriate progressions or regressions due to

current injury.”

Pifer has also contributed to the informational presence of the athletics department, releasing advice on healthy living habits and nutrition on the Swat Strength instagram page almost daily. She has also held sport nutrition presentations for most of the individual sports teams on campus. Pifer has also strived to help in the difficult balancing of academic and team requirements.

“I have attempted to provide time alternatives to athletes to aid management of being a student at a rigorous academic school while maintaining success as an athlete,” said Pifer.

Most of Swarthmore’s studentathletes have really felt the benefits of the coaching from McPherson and Pifer. Women’s soccer player Ally Scheve ’22 is one of many to appreciate the work of the strength and conditioning coaches.

“I have really enjoyed working with Michelle this spring,” she said. “She has obviously put in a ton of effort and thought into how to structure lifts so our team can get the most out of every meeting.”

Scheve also mentioned how much their team’s coach cares about their athletic success.

“Michelle is always super welcoming and will write you a work out even if you don’t have team lift,” she said. “She also generally wants to know how you are feeling and what she can do to help you achieve your goals.”

Looking forward, Pifer and McPherson have plans to continue improving the athletics program

when he finally figured out his game and roared back to top of the PGA on Sunday. It was a moment of ecstasy for both Tiger and all golf fans to see the world, who once doubted him, applaud the dedication and skill that Tiger needed to win that fifth Masters at age 43. Tiger’s win was not only important for him but for golf. It seemed everyone knew about the Masters and followed the tournament closely because Tiger was winning. Tiger’s popularity is needed to keep growing the game of golf, and his win means good things for the future of golf and the influence on younger generations. Tiger’s win was emotional and important not only to him but to all.

and goals they wish to see accomplished in the coming years.

“My goals are to continue to provide content to student-athletes about sport nutrition, recovery strategies, and weight training related topics on Instagram and through presentations for individual sport teams,” Pifer said. “Other goals include searching for opportunities on Swarthmore’s campus to educate and communicate the importance of maintaining good physical health, the benefits of participating sports while attending Swarthmore College, and how participating in sports teaches you life’s biggest lessons. Lastly, my professional goals are to obtain my sports nutrition certification this summer, and to obtain my USA Weightlifting certification this summer as well.”

McPherson holds similar goals.

“I would like to see continued growth among all of our varsity sports teams both in and out of sport,” McPherson added. “Our student athletes have accomplished some amazing things these past few years that makes me proud. Another goal would be to have one of our varsity teams win a national championship. On a more personal level I want to continue to improve and grow as a coach.”

McPherson and Pifer have undoubtedly been crucial in the recent success of Swarthmore athletics. However, they are sure to share the credit for this success.

“In conclusion, our contribution to overall athletic success is truly a team effort,” McPherson said.