Swarthmore Phoenix, November 8, 2018 by The Phoenix

Today in OPINIONS: Laura Wilcox on voter suppression A5, Sydney Covitz on the deportation of Susan Abulhawa A5, A debate on the pass/fail semester A6

PHOENIX

Skating Through the Glass Door

THE

Athlete of The Week Meet Brittany

Weiderhold of Womens’ Soccer

VOL. 146, NO. 8

November 8, 2018

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881

Women’s Soccer Stays Centennial Champions, Will Host Opening Round of NCAA Playoffs Alana Elliott Sports Writer

warthmore College women’s soccer brought home the Centennial Conference Championship title for the second consecutive year last Sunday. Netting a combined total of 10 goals in two days, the Garnet outplayed both McDaniel and Johns Hopkins in the tournament. Senior captain and twotime All-American Marin McCoy ’19 earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award, scored in both the semifinal and

final matches, and continues to lead the Garnet offense by creating scoring opportunities. In 2017, Swarthmore faced Hopkins in a conference final game that ended in a penalty shootout. The nail-biting shootout resulted in the Garnet winning their first conference title since 2014. This year, the trophy came much more easily for the Garnet. On Saturday, the Garnet faced McDaniel in the semifinal round of the Centennial Conference tournament. Although the Green Terror scored first, the Garnet

responded with a goal from Sophia Stills ’21. Just 33 seconds after Stills entered the game, she made a quick turn and rocketed a shot into the top left corner of the net. While the score was tied 1-1 at half, the Garnet dominated possession for the majority of the 45 minutes. The second half was more reflective of the Garnet’s superiority on the ball. Seven minutes into the half, McCoy blasted a ball to the corner of the net to put the Garnet in the lead, but the Green Terror responded with an equalizer in the 66th minute. Eléonore

Moser ’20 then sent a free kick soaring towards the goal in the 72nd minute, and after a McDaniel defender misplayed the ball into their own net, the Garnet were again in the lead. In the 82nd minute, Seneca Kinn-Gurzo ’20 laid a ball off for Bellara Huang ’21, who netted her first goal of the season by tucking the ball right under the crossbar, just out of reach of the Green Terror keeper, increasing the Garnet lead. The final goal of the game was scored by Brittany Weiderhold ’20 in the last minute of play to firmly guarantee Swarth-

more’s 5-2 win over McDaniel. The win over McDaniel not only secured a spot for Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference Championship game versus Johns Hopkins, but it also built momentum for the team. Going into the match, the Garnet’s energy was palpable as they showed their eagerness to defend their Centennial Conference Championship title. Weiderhold said, “The team wasn’t scared or nervous, but rather confident and calm, ready continued on page A8

The week ahead Today Difﬁcult Conversations workshop 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A workshop on how to effectively communicate across deep differences Hormel/Nguyen Intercultural Center at Sproul Hall Kitchen 205 Friday QPR Suicide Prevention Training 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. QPR Suicide Prevention Training for students, faculty, staff, and community members. Sci 199 Saturday Student Network for Action and Power Training 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Are you interested in social change and want to be involved? Join Student Network for Action and Power (SNAP) for a regional training Nov 9-11. Scheuer Room Sunday SBC Weekly Meeting 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m SBC Committee weekly meeting to discuss budget-related matters and consider supplemental funding requests for the week. Sharples Room 209 Monday Confronting Systemic Bias 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hormel/Nguyen Intercultural Center at Sproul Hall Room 201 Tuesday Sustaining Activism, Sustaining Self 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Join Miriam Zoila Pérez, a queer Latinx writer, activist and Swat alum to hear about their journey away from despair and towards optimism as a political practice, one which ensures we keep envisioning the world that we need. Sci 199 Wednesday An Oral History of the US Soccer Women’s Fight for Gender Equity, 1970 - 2005 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Bond Hall Weather TBH, we can’t think of anything clever.

Courtesy of Brandon Hodnett

Dems Win House and Sweep Delco Abigail Young News Writer

Tuesday, November 6 was a historic night for elections both in Swarthmore and across the country due to upsets and voter turnout, the latter of which was considerably higher from Swarthmore students than in 2014. On the national level, Democrats won back the U.S. House of Representatives with one of those seats being Mary Gay Scanlon’s, a Swarthmore resident who won a newly-redistricted seat. Due to a couple of key wins, Republicans managed to hold onto the U.S. Senate. Student Turnout With a Get Out the Vote committee, food truck, flyers across campus and chalk reading Remember Nov 9, 2016?, there was much emphasis on student voting prior to Tuesday. According to Emily Weisgrau, chair of the Get Out the Vote committee, the

number of students who took the vans in 2018 is roughly equal to the total number of students who voted by any means in the midterms elections in 2014 — about 200 students. This signals a large increase in participation over the 2014 elections, in which 84 students used the vans. The dataset does not include how many students took alternative transportation to the polls or how many voted absentee in 2018. Despite the rain, there appeared to be a steady flow of students using the college-provided vans throughout the day. Some students noted that officials at the polling place said that voter turnout was the highest they’d seen. Dana Homer ’21, who walked to her polling place, was impressed with voter turnout. “There was already a line, which is good because it means high turnout,” she said. Across the country, 113 mil-

lion people voted in the midterm elections (about 49 percent of eligible voters), which is the first time over 100 million people have voted in the midterms. Pennsylvania Races Democrats won all the Pennsylvania races that Swarthmore students voted in. In the race for State House in the 161st district, incumbent Leanne KruegerBraneky (D) beat her Republican challenger, Patti Rodgers Morrisette. In a tightly contested race for State Senate, Tim Kearney, the mayor of Swarthmore, upset Republican incumbent Tom McGarrigle. According to the Delco Times, Kearney, who was called an “elitist liberal professor” during the campaign, received 54,027 votes while McGarrigle got 46,963. Mary Gay Scanlon (D) won the U.S. House of Representatives election for the 5th district, which now includes Swarthmore. She

won with 65 percent of the vote, and her opponent, Pearl Kim (R), received 35 percent. Her supporters were featured on ABC’s national broadcast, which had a reporter at the Inn at Swarthmore, where her campaign was gathered for election night. Scanlon, the first congresswoman from Delaware County, is one of four women who won House races in Pennsylvania, victories which have changed the previously all-male group of representatives. For the U.S. Senate, incumbent Democrat Bob Casey retained his seat with 55.6 percent of the vote while Republican challenger Lou Barletta got 42.8 percent. Barletta has closely allied himself with President Trump, who won Pennsylvania in 2016. Dale Kerns, the candidate from the Libertarian Party, received 1 percent, and Neal Gale, the Green Party candidate, received 0.6 percent. In the gubernatorial race, incumbent Democrat Tom Wolf

Future of Crum Regatta Uncertain George Rubin News Writer

The Crum Regatta, an annual college tradition, was removed from the schedule for the school’s parent and alumni “Garnet” Weekend for the indefinite future. In addition, Registrar Martin Warner said he will be stepping down from his role as “Commodore” of the regatta after twenty years serving in the position. The event has been postponed until the spring and will no longer be run by the school’s alumni office. It is also unclear whether there will still be cash prizes. Responsibility for the regatta was shifted to Swarthmore’s Office of Student Engagement, but it’s unclear who exactly is in charge. The decision to remove the

event from the Garnet Weekend schedule this year went largely unannounced, according to engineering major Kira Emmons ’20. After she realized that Garnet Weekend was coming up and she hadn’t received an email from the alumni office, Emmons asked Warner about the status of the event. According to Emmons, he informed her that he did not know why the event was removed from Garnet Weekend. “We were certainly disappointed, it’s sort of become an annual tradition for us,” Emmons said. “More than anything, I’d just like to know what happened and why it’s gone, because it just kind of disappeared without a word from anyone. It concerns me that not even Martin Warner knows what happened.”

Associate Director of Events Geoff Semenuk, who helped run the event in years past, mentioned decreasing participation in the event recently. “The regatta experienced progressively lower turnouts of participants and spectators through the years,” said Semenuk. “Contending recently with SEPTA bridge construction and the subsequent Crum Creek rehabilitation didn’t help.” Semenuk sees the future of the event in the spring, as student-run and potentially nature focused event. “Hopefully ... the students will take ownership of the regatta and make it more of a break from studying, a celebration of nature, or maybe an Earth Day event,” said Semenuk. Director of Student Activities

Andrew Barclay also mentioned that the event may have an environmental component in the future. “I think it’d be great to partner with environmentally based student groups and the Sustainability Office,” said Barclay. “In short I’d like to see more participation and involve other elements like a Crum clean up.” According to Warner, the event has probably been going on since the early 1970s, but it’s unclear exactly when it started. The event involves small groups of students racing on the Crum using homemade boats or rafts constructed for the event. Usually, the boats are made out of repurposed objects like balloons, garbage bags, or water bottles, said Warner. Some students even engineer boats out of wood or metal on cam-

O4S Members Criticize PubSafe External Review Ganesh Setty & Bayliss Wagner Editor-in-Chief & News Editor More than 15 students affiliated with Organizing for Survivors shared their personal experiences and dissatisfaction with Public Safety during a public forum hosted by two consultants, Regina Lawson and Bill Lafferty, from D. Stafford & Associates this past Tuesday night. O4S felt that the purpose of the review was unclear, given that President Valerie Smith had promised to conduct a review of bias against underrepresented students within PubSafe. The review concerns Public Safety’s organizational structure, policies and procedures, complaint processing, and interactions with the campus community, among other aspects of the department. O4S members’ concerns included the scope of the review, last year’s Public Safety survey, the consultants’ methodology, the timing and publicization of the forum, the lack of accountability for Public Safety itself, and their own personal experiences in dealing with Public Safety. In addition, O4S contends that the college has failed to be transparent regarding the fulfillment of promises made last year. The forum was part of the consultants’ three-day visit to the college. According to its website, D. Stafford & Associates is a consulting firm that specializes in independent audits of Clery Act compliance, Title IX policy decontinued on page A2

kept his position. He received 2,832,955 votes and beat his closest challenger, Republican Scott Wagner, with 57.6 percent compared to 40.8 percent. In a controversial video last month, Wagner threatened to “stomp all over” Wolf with golf spikes. Wagner later apologized. National Races Significant Democratic wins in Swarthmore and other parts of Pennsylvania were a trend in U.S. House races. At the watch party at the Women’s Resource Center, races across the country were also of great interest. There, students watched in interest to see how many House seats would switch to Democrat. There were cheers for Democratic winners such as Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania’s 17th district as well as frustration towards prominent Republican figures such as Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ted Cruz. continued on page A2

pus for the event. Rhys Manley ’20, a physics major, helped to construct a seven-foot plywood rowboat his first year and a tenfoot aluminum canoe his second year. Teams also dress up in themed costumes for the event, and there are various prizes awarded to participants such as The Crum Crik Cruiser Award for the best-engineered boat. The prizes cover categories such as first to cross the finish line, most innovative use of materials, best costumes, and regatta spirit, said Warner. The top prizes usually pay about $50-$100 and the prizes are critical for covering the cost of a boat, said Emmons, which was generally about $100 for her team. Emmons mentioned continued on page A2

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THE PHOENIX NEWS

November 8, 2018

Election, continued from A1 An early race that disappointed Democrats was in Tennessee when Marsha Blackburn, an outspoken ally of President Trump, beat former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen by a significant margin (54.7 percent to 43.9 percent). Another race that drew national attention and the attention of watch-party attendees was Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s challenge against Republican Ted Cruz for Texas senator. Ultimate-

ly, Cruz won the election with 52 percent of the vote compared to O’Rourke’s 43 percent. Cruz’s win, as well as Democrat Heidi Heitkamp’s significant loss to Republican Kevin Cramer in North Dakota helped the Republicans keep control of the Senate. The reporting of these results was also met with disappointment at the watch party, especially after O’Rourke seemed to have an early lead. In the gubernatorial race in

Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis is projected to win over Democrat Andrew Gillum by a narrow margin. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, DeSantis has 4,056,393 (49.7 percent) votes while Gillum has 4,008,435 votes (49.1 percent). Another potentially historymaking gubernatorial race in Georgia has not concluded, as Democrat Stacey Abrams has not yet conceded to Republican Brian Kemp, saying that many votes

have yet to be counted and “voices are waiting to be heard.” This particular race has been shrouded in accusations of voter suppression due polling places closing in predominantly black counties. Kemp, the Georgia Secretary of State, is in charge of overseeing voting. Currently, Kemp has 1,972,953 votes (50.3 percent), and Abrams has 1,909,838 votes (48.7 percent). If no candidate has more than 50 percent after they are all counted, there will be a

runoff election in December. Despite potential losses for Democrats in the two close gubernatorial races in the South, in Wisconsin, Democrat challenger Tony Evers unseated incumbent Republican governor Scott Walker. Evers garnered 49.6 percent of the vote compared to Walker’s 48.4 percent. Alumni Wins Tuesday night was also a big night for two Swarthmore alumni who won their elections. Phil

Weiser ’90 won Colorado attorney general, and Josh Green ’92 won the position of lieutenant governor of Hawaii, running with incumbent David Ige. Ige and Green won over 60 percent of the vote. Both Weiser and Green ran as Democrats.

tween Public Safety and the campus community.” When Lawson asked if students were aware of the website’s community concern form and bias incident report process, students shook their heads. Students also stated that these reports were internal to Public Safety, so they would be received and resolved by Public Safety Director Mike Hill, and thus could not be unbiased. “What we want to do is make sure that if you have concerns about the conduct of Public Safety officers that you have a location to go to, you have a mechanism that you can complain, and what I’m hearing loud and clear is we need — you want ... at least to know that [your concern] is not going into a vacuum,” Lawson said of their concerns during the forum. Most of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the particular methodology of the review, and whether the reviewers had access to demographic data to properly assess bias in the first place. Members of O4S said it would be impossible to conclusively determine whether Public Safety or any of its officers have a bias against marginalized students on campus because of this lack of external resources for making complaints. Lawson mentioned that they have access to previous bias incident reports and college judicial conduct records, which do include demo-

graphic data. According to Interim Director of Communications Mark Anskis, the external reviewers requested and received materials including department manuals, the College’s memorandum of understanding with Swarthmore Borough Police Department, department work schedules, campus survey data, several years of crime data and statistics and Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, community policing efforts, and parking information. Lawson later noted to participants of the forum that Public Safety officers underwent a training course last summer with Fair and Impartial Policing, which she said is “one of the leading law enforcement bias training sessions available.” Later in the discussion, students felt there were no substantive avenues wherein Public Safety officers themselves could be held accountable by higher-level officials in the college. Though Lawson did note that students could report incidents to Human Resources, students also voiced their dissatisfaction with the response time of the office. As far as the organization of the event itself, the public forum was not widely advertised to the student body. In an email sent by VP of Finance Greg Brown on Oct. 22, the forum was one part of a larger

email explaining the external review. The college did list the public forum on its official calendar. Across the O4S members in attendance, all thought the review was inherently flawed to begin with, though at no fault of the consultants themselves. Some took issue with the consultants not clearly stating which standard they would use to determine if discrimination was found. “I thought the forum illuminated the fact that discriminatory behavior on the behalf of [Public Safety] officers would not be the center of the investigation. I was shocked by the lack of any clear standard for evaluating what discrimination entails or what systematic changes can minimize it,” Daria Mateescu ’20 said. Similarly, O4S core member Morgin Goldberg felt that the discussion during the forum allowed for reflection on the failures of Public Safety. “For me, the experience brought up important questions to think about: is Public Safety understood, staffed, and trained like a pseudo police force [and] is that conducive to a healthy or safe community? What does a real restructuring of Public Safety look like? I don’t think D. Stafford & Associates can answer that, and certainly not at this point. In that sense, I guess it was productive,” she said. Akshay Srinivasan ’21 was one

of the SGO representatives who attended the forum restricted to RAs, DPAs, and SGO members the previous night. “I personally thought the talk was productive because we basically got to voice a lot of concerns. However, I’m worried that the report won’t be very comprehensive and that it will be too specific to the IACLEA process. I appreciated that they wanted to meet with us, but I was a bit disappointed that their preliminary review didn’t cover a lot of what we were saying (which were like the main issues we had with pub safe), and so we were basically explaining to them what the problems were,” he wrote in an email. Both Lawson and Lafferty indicated that there is no set end date for the completion of the report. Students who wish to share their experiences with Public Safety or report a bias incident can do so on the Public Safety website. The report form is delivered directly to Director of Public Safety Mike Hill and Associate Director Sam Smemo. Students can also fill out an anonymous Public Safety survey on their website as well. Students can read the full O4S open letter to President Smith as published in Swarthmore Voices on November 5.

Pub-Safe, continued from A1 velopment, and independent, trauma-informed investigations of sexual misconduct. The two hosted a similar discussion the previous night, but that talk was restricted to RAs, DPAs, and representatives of SGO, as well as a student member of the Public Safety Advisory Committee. Lafferty and Lawson said these two meetings were the only scheduled meetings between students and the firm. The scope of this particular external review was not completely clear to community members in attendance. As part of their demands last spring, members of O4S requested a review of Public Safety that would focus specifically on alleged bias incidents against marginalized students; they released a on Monday calling the external review “deceptive, ineffective and insulting in its current form.” While President Smith did promise an external review of Public Safety completely separate from the one conducted for International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators accreditation in a letter last May, she did not establish a timeline for such a review. The review, when conducted, would pay “special attention to the ways in which the office handles Title IX concerns and treats women, students of color, and queer and trans students.” This served as a major point of

contention during the public forum, as students expected the external review done by D. Stafford & Associates to specifically focus on alleged incidences of bias toward marginalized groups on campus. According to O4S core member Olivia Smith ’21, the group prepared to lead the conversation towards the concerns they had about Public Safety. “Because we had no idea what the structure and dynamic of the forum was going to be, (that is, we didn’t know if administration or even Public Safety officers would be there, nor did we know the reviewers’ agenda for the evening) we were prepared to be more disruptive if we needed,” she said. “The way it was structured actually lended itself well to the way we wanted to communicate with them.” However, according to internal emails obtained by The Phoenix, President Smith wrote to specific members of O4S explaining that this external review is part of the college’s goal to be accredited by the IACLEA. This is the first time the college is going through this accreditation process, and external review is intended to help with that process. Smith went on to say that the D. Stafford & Associates external review will not review the college’s own alcohol and student conduct policies, but rather focus “entirely on the interactions be-

Crum Regatta, continued from A1 that cash prizes may no longer be offered now that the regatta is student-run. The event fits with the quirky side of Swarthmore, similar to events such as the Pterodactyl Hunt and Ninja Grams, said Warner. Emmons echoed this sentiment, calling it the type of event the school likes to advertise on social media. She also mentioned that she values how the event serves to bridge the gap between liberal arts and natural sciences majors. “We oftentimes talk about how scientists engage with liberal arts,” said Emmons. “I think less often we see the humanities and social sciences seriously engage with science on campus, and I think it’s one of the ways, even if it’s kind of

a joke, that anyone can start to engage with engineering.” The event also serves as a chance for alumni to interact with current students. “We often time field a lot of questions from interested alumni after the event,” said Emmons. “They come up to us after the event and want to know how we built the boat or what materials did we use.” Whether or not the event happened on Garnet Weekend wasn’t an issue, said Manley, however he was interested in making sure the event wasn’t canceled for good. The shift in responsibility from the alumni office to OSE sparked concerns that the event may not happen at all, he said. “I think it’s one of those

things that requires enough effort on the part of the team to show up and build the boat,” said Brandon Zunin ’20 who helped with the welding of an aluminum kayak for the event. “It’s great to have an adult who’s getting paid to say ‘We only have four teams signed up, sign up for the Crum Creek Regatta.’” The Regatta is a time-honored Swarthmore tradition, though whether or not it will continue to be has not yet been determined. The decision to hold the regatta will likely be up to both students and OSE.

Courtesy of Atziri Marquez

Yesterday, students lit sparklers together on Parrish Porch to celebrate Diwali/ Deepavali. Students spoke about their own experiences with Diwali before they assembled in Parrish Parlors to eat Indian snacks and sweets. The event was organized by Deshi, Swarthmore’s South Asian Student Organization.

Emma Ricci De-Lucca / The Phoenix

ARTS

November 8, 2018 PAGE A3

Foibles, Feelings, and Feminism Lijia Liu Arts Writer

s rain falls gently upon Sproul Hall, Alok VaidMenon asked the audience a plaintive question: “Where do all the sad girls go?” Their voice lingers around the dome; their vocals layered by a loop station that filled the space with hypnotic charm and more unanswered questions. For Vaid-Menon, the sad girls — or more accurately, sad people — are everywhere. We grow so well at hiding our loneliness that it has become an “international emergency.” What we need is a way to reconnect with our feelings — in an ideal world, “feelings are real and not gender.” Vaid-Menon, a gender nonconforming performance artist, came to Swarthmore last Friday as part of the Pride Month celebrations on campus. They performed various spoken-word poems discussing a large range of issues: transphobia, gender, sexuality, identity, emotion, and many more. As the political climate becomes more hostile towards gender non-conforming and non-binary communities, Vaid-Menon’s art takes on an increased urgency. They highlighted the violent hate crimes committed against transgender people and the Trump administration’s complicity. Even the audience is not exempt from Vaid-Menon’s piercing critique. “Why do you only care about us when we’re on a stage entertaining you?” they said. To them, there seems to be a disconnect between how gender non-conforming individuals like themselves are treated in different situations. As a performer on stage, they receive laughs and applause; on the street, they only get stares and snide remarks. In the background of their performance was a surreal soundscape that Vaid-Menon expertly curated with the loop station and their own voice. Occasionally, there were repeated phrases enmeshed with the background whispers and tones — a poignant prayer cutting through the noise of daily life. Chase Smith ’22 was captivated by Vaid-Menon’s use of music and sound, as well as their exploration of different social issues in their art. “It was mesmerizing because of their ability to incorporate spoken word, music, and the loop station into their beautiful performance,” he said. “They highlighted every problem, from mental illness to racism, transgender rights, and heteronormativity,” he added. “It really made me feel something.” Prospective student Alex Malcombe from Lafayette High School in Louisiana appreciated the chance to see Vaid-Menon discuss these issues so openly. “It was interesting to see this kind of culture,” she said. “I’m

from the South and it’s not as open there.” Between their pieces, VaidMenon offered hilarious anecdotes and satirical jibes on almost everything, from U.S. politics to irritable bowel syndrome. “Straight people have drag queens,” they said. “They’re called politicians.” Vaid-Menon specifically commented on the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, branding them a “big drag show.” While others around them responded to Trump’s victory with shock and horror, Vaid-Menon remained unruffled. “I found out that racism and sexism were invented in 2016,” they said with characteristically wry sarcasm. In these tumultuous times, Vaid-Menon stressed the importance of maintaining one’s digestive health, especially because of the ongoing debate over transgender bathroom rights. “The only straight thing in my life is my digestive system,” they said. Besides electoral and bathroom politics, Vaid-Menon also discussed how the current feminist movement has much room for improvement. They said that the movement is dominated by one perspective — typically that of heterosexual, white women — and is still dictated by social norms. “Why can’t we talk about people who defy society’s beauty standards?” they said. “I hope for feminist politics that fight for all bodies, not just beautiful bodies.” In the end, Vaid-Menon said, what unites us is our ability to feel. Our courage to experience true emotion, feel empathy for those different from us, and offer unconditional love keeps us together. Feelings come from strength and not weakness, they said. “We’re crying because no one seems to care,” they said. “We’re crying because we care.” After Vaid-Menon’s performance, students were able to meet them and obtain copies of their poetry collection, “Femme in Public.” Many eagerly stood in line to speak with Vaid-Menon. Céline Aziza Kaldas Anderson ’19, one of the event’s organizers, found the performance “amazing, incredibly powerful, and important.” Paola Rosario ’20 also enjoyed the performance. “It was a roller-coaster of emotions,” she said. “I laughed and almost cried ... it was profound and amazing.” The night ended with an open-mic segment for all students to participate in. Some of the performances included poetry recitals by Nora Shao ’19 and Destiny Samuel ’22, an original song by Gene Witkowski ’21, an Adele cover by Chase Smith ’22, hip-hop verses by Harsha Sen ’19, and an upbeat song by the band Goblet.

Lijia Liu / The Phoenix

Courtesy of IC

“Wildlife” Emerges as One of the Year’s Best in Wake of Mulligan’s Fiery Performance Shane Jung Arts Writer A 1960s Montana family burns to the ground in Paul Dano’s masterful directorial debut. Dano is best known as an actor (“There Will Be Blood”, “Little Miss Sunshine”) with an innocent face that juxtaposes against his rather sad and weary eyes, which are simultaneously absorbing and inscrutable. Although Dano does not act in this film, his eyes behind the camera present this story in a similarly understated yet spellbinding fashion. The story follows 14-year-old Joe Brinson (Ed Oxenbould), the son of Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Jeannette (Carey Mulligan) Brinson, as his parents’ marriage falls apart against the backdrop of a looming wildfire in the mountains. The film is shot through his eyes and his experience and

is fundamentally a coming-ofage story. I know little and care less about Dano’s private life, but “Wildlife,” despite being adapted from Richard Ford’s 1990 novel of the same name, feels extremely personal; even Oxenbould’s resemblance to Dano with his babyish face but mature eyes may not be a coincidence. But perhaps everyone would find this movie personal and deeply affecting, provided that they have experienced family problems at some point in their lives. “Wildlife” is undoubtedly a melodrama, which as a genre has always been concerned with the family. Melodrama, by definition, combines music and drama to create an emotionally heightened experience. Contemporary audiences may find old Hollywood melodramas cheesy and unforgivably overdramatic. However, unlike

these studio films, “Wildlife” is anchored by an understated and naturalistic atmosphere that matches the subtle performances of its director. The score is ambient and minimalistic. Gyllenhaal and Mulligan give nuanced performances that feel authentic to the film’s setting. This period piece may even be a much better representation of the outwardly picturesque and materialistic American family bubbling with anxiety and discontent underneath than the movies made during its time period. But most importantly, the film is a slow-burning drama that earns its emotional climax with its assured direction. Dano employs plenty of static and painterly shots that linger after the actor leaves the frame, creating a sense of emptiness. The mostly unmoving camera and tightly composed frames are reminiscent of still

photography, a motif that gains thematic significance and emotional impact over time. Dano also never loses sight of its main subject, Joe. Recurrent point-of-view shots encourage the audience to identify with Joe as we witness his parents’ marriage go up in flames through Joe’s eyes. But all wildfires pave the way for new life, and identifying with Joe and his development may provide insight on what exactly can rise from the ashes. Though Joe is the main character of the story, Jeannette and Jerry play essential roles as the compelling and active subjects of Joe’s passive gaze and as the catalyst for change. Mulligan steals the show in a career-high performance as a discontented yet ambitious mother. Gyllenhaal also offers a heartbreakingly implosive performance as a prideful but guilt-ridden fa-

ther. To describe how Jeannette and Jerry drift apart would be to spoil the movie, but both of these characters make decisions that may be frustrating yet are completely understandable. In what could have been a very wordy film, Mulligan and Gyllenhaal express themselves through minute body language and actions, which never feel out of place or ostentatious. As a result, though you may not sympathize with either of their flawed characters, Dano makes sure that you empathize with them. The slow pace and picturesque compositions create a dreamlike atmosphere in which time seems to stands still, as if the film were a photo capturing a single moment in time. Early on in the film, Joe takes up a part time job as a portrait/ family photographer at a local photo booth. His boss tells him

that people take these pictures to capture happy moments and preserve them forever. He reminds Joe to always ask the subjects to smile. “Wildlife” does the complete opposite. Dano captures a devastating and tragic moment in an adolescent’s life that no one would want to preserve, let alone project onto the big screen. But it is this very confrontational nature of the film that allows one to explore and come to terms with the pain of losing one’s innocence and transitioning to adulthood. It’s not a very uplifting film, but it will undoubtedly affect you in a way few movies can. Its emotional impact builds and builds in a way that you can’t detect at first, until it culminates in a final image you will never forget.

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THE PHOENIX ARTS

November 8, 2018

Skating Through the Glass Door Kristina Stallvik Arts Writer

ver the past two years, I have embarked on a project to visually and textually document women in male-dominated industries. From the start, I had the twofold goal of celebrating women’s accomplishments and creating a platform to share and validate experiences. This project has spanned mediums, states, collaborators, and a multitude of professions from filmmakers to foresters, all under the title “Glass Door.” A riff on the expression ‘glass ceiling’, the concept of a glass door acknowledges the barriers facing women in the workforce with a focus on the entryways we have been able to forge. With this ongoing project I hope to remedy the severe lack of representation that often aids in shutting women out of professions and perpetuates archaic notions of what we are capable of.

FDR skatepark in south Philly is a notorious destination for photographers. Nestled underneath the highway and entirely covered in brash graffiti, the energy is palpable from the minute you approach the towering halfpipe.

left: Ci Ci, right: Emily

Ci Ci staying firmly on her board as she reaches a horizontal position nearly parallel to the base of the bowl.

Ci Ci gliding across the flat portion of the park, waiting her turn on the halfpipe. She is framed by light streaming in from the gaps in the highway above.

You can check out the rest of the images in my series here: http://www.kristinastallvik.com/zine-2/

Emily getting a running start to make it up the steep wall of the bowl after wiping out at the bottom.

“Love, Simon” is Unremarkably Queer, Remarkably Mainstream Esther Couch Arts Writer

Two years ago, we had “Moonlight” (2016). Last year, we got “Call Me By Your Name” (2017). This year, we have “Love, Simon” (2018). “Love, Simon”, directed by Greg Berlanti, is a teen film adapted from the book “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli. It centers on the titular protagonist Simon Spier, a highschool junior living in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. His circumstances are deliberately simple and “easy”: upper-middle class, exceedingly loving and accepting family members, and a diverse yet cohesive friend group. As he repeatedly reminds the audience, “I have a totally, perfectly normal life. I’m just like you.” Except for one thing: he’s in the closet. He repeats these lines verbatim in an anonymous email to

“Blue”, another closeted teen who describes his experience in the closet as a ferris wheel ride on their high school’s confession page. After Blue responds to Simon’s email (where Simon disguises himself as “Jacques”), the two begin to talk on a regular basis, and Simon attempts to figure out Blue’s identity. We get just as invested in the mystery as Simon: we see his interactions with various guys at school, and each one morphs into Blue. His eyes linger on Bram, a popular and charismatic student that dresses up as “Barack Obama on vacation” for Halloween. He rushes outside of the Waffle House to flirt with Lyle, a charming server at the diner. He imagines Cal, the school’s shy piano player, typing out emails and signing them off as Blue. It’s the kind of representation that the LGBT community lacked for too long. It’s amazingly, groundbreakingly mainstream.

I arrived here one Sunday morning with the hope to meet female skaters, expanding my project into the murkier realm of masculine environments rather than strictly workplaces. The resulting photos attempt to depict the famous skatepark in a way that positions skaters Ci Ci and Emily at the core, a rarity among the thousands of photos of FDR one can easily find on Google images. Acknowledging skateboarding’s strong historic ties to masculinity, I hope these images are a powerful and graphic portrayal of women’s place in what Ci Ci described as an “extremely intimidating” arena. Female skaters often face suppression and belittlement. To combat this dynamic, my images attempt to magnifying their presence in the park, solely exploring the relationship between the individuals and their loaded environment. Before I arrived, Emily was already documenting Ci Ci’s runs and tricks on her iPhone. As the only female skaters at their park at home in north Michigan, the pair was enthusiastic about my additional documentation. They hope to use these images to provide representation for other women who are hesitant to start skating.

It has all the tropes of a teenage movie — the evil blog page, the somewhat homoerotic bullies, and the eccentric authority figure that tries to befriend high school students — but for the first time, the protagonist is gay. It’s far from revolutionary and cuttingedge, but that is what makes the movie unprecedented. By showing the normality of feeling afraid of coming out, even in a situation as ideal as Simon’s, the film is casual and relatable. What’s problematic about “Love, Simon”, however, is that for a movie that is supposed to be the definition of inclusive, its criticism of certain identities as well as its careless typification is unnerving. For instance, Ms. Albright (Natasha Rothwell), the high school drama teacher, feels like a token sassy black woman that exists to chime in with one liners and provide comedic relief. Then there is the sole openly gay

student, Ethan, who is flamboyant and dresses like Oprah. Simon never apologizes for being embarrassed that Ethan is more “effeminate” and open than he is, and Ethan’s character never develops into something other than an underwritten femme foil. And while Simon is noticeably uncomfortable when his father calls another man “fruity,” he doesn’t prove himself to be any less judgmental and berates his classmate for liking magic. Furthermore, although the movie doesn’t strive to be extraordinary, it risks too little. Not only is Simon one of the most boring protagonists to exist (through no fault of Nick Robinson, who plays him very well), but the queerness in the plot is eroded and the result is a heteronormative love story featuring a gay protagonist. The film never explores the different aspects and questions that come with a queer relationship:

how will each partner deal with different levels of comfort of “being out”? How will one partner navigate the other’s unaccepting family or friends? How will the relationship persevere despite the constant ostracism, judgment, and assumptions? Perhaps the most disappointing part is that while Simon tells the audience that “[he] deserves a great love story,” the romance and chemistry in the movie pale in comparison to “Moonlight” and “Call Me By Your Name.” The film is ultimately more about coming out than finding love, as demonstrated by the fact that the main conflict is Simon’s inability to come out on his own terms. Overall, under Berlanti’s direction, there are many witty and heartfelt scenes that bear resemblance to old teenage classics such as “Pretty in Pink” and “Sixteen Candles.” Simon’s theoretical universe of straight people com-

ing out, despite being an overused parallel, is a funny addition to the movie, as is the zooming in on the Google image of Anderson Cooper when Simon looks up how to dress like a gay man. And though the ferris wheel scene is a bit of a rip-off of an earlier queer film “Garçon Stupide,” it’s still a brilliant moment: the unending ride, suddenly going from top of the world to the bottom serves as a very real metaphor of what it’s like to grapple with one’s identity. It’s hard not to want some experimentation and introspection, along with more realistic, darker moments of what it is like to be in the closet. At least “Love, Simon,” unlike the majority of LGBT movies, ends on a happy note, which I think is needed at this point in time. It really is just a start — there’s still time left to make 2018 a great year for queer cinema.

OPINIONS

November 8, 2018 PAGE A5

LAURA WILCOX OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

ne of the most important battlegrounds for determining which party controls the Senate this year is one of the most sparsely populated states, North Dakota. Without a victory in North Dakota, the Democrats’ path to control of the Senate was almost impossible, and incumbent Senator Heidi Heitkamp lost her re-election battle there on November 6. Unfortunately, the legitimacy of the election in North Dakota is threatened by a new, politically-motivated voter ID state law that requires voters to present identification with a residential address. Many of the state’s 30,000 Indigenous People, particularly those who live on reservations, don’t have residential addresses and instead use P.O. boxes, meaning they are disproportionately affected by this law. The new law has been challenged in the courts, but the Supreme Court just upheld it in early October, allowing the state to enforce it in this year’s midterm elections. SCOTUS’ ruling

means that North Dakota will be voting under different rules in the general election than the primary. It also leaves little time for the thousands of North Dakotans that lack residential addresses to obtain the necessary identification. The law is transparently intended to disenfranchise Indigenous Peoples, whose support of Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp is widely recognized as crucial to her narrow victory in 2012. Supporters of the law claim that it’s necessary to prevent voter fraud, but plenty of evidence suggests that voter fraud just doesn’t exist. For example, Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, found only 35 cases of voter fraud in a 15-year time period where more than 800 million ballots were cast in national elections. Moreover, supporters of the law have failed to explain how using a P.O. box as an address would ever help someone commit voter fraud. It’s clear that voter fraud is simply a cover for Republicans to disenfranchise voters that lean

Democratic, avoid the will of the people, and deeply undermine democracy. The law is politically motivated because the North Dakota state legislature, which is Republican-controlled, only began debating more restrictive voter ID laws after Heitkamp was elected, and Indigenous Peoples tend to vote more Democratic than the state as a whole. It goes without saying that North Dakota’s voter ID law is deeply immoral if it prevents even one person from voting. But since the Senate race between incumbent Heitkamp and her Republican challenger, Kevin Cramer, was so close, this law could have had a significant effect in deciding Cramer’s victory and maybe even in determining continued Republican control of the Senate. There is evidence to suggest that the law may prevent thousands of people from voting, as experts estimate that as many as 5,000 voters may lack identification with a residential address. Heitkamp won by only 3,000 votes in 2012, so this year’s Senate race could easily be decided by that margin. Ad-

ditionally, court rulings over the law have happened so close to the election —a judge denied a motion to exempt counties with reservations from the law on just November 2 — that voters may be confused about whether or not they are eligible to vote and may stay home, leading to an even more depressed turnout. Tribal leaders have responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the law by working nonstop to assign addresses to homes that previously didn’t have one, ensuring voters can have the required identification. Reservations have expanded their get-out-the-vote efforts. The Turtle Mountain reservation has printed so many new ID cards that its machine started to melt the cards. Of course, it is disgraceful that tribes have been forced to expend so much time, money, and energy to ensure that their communities simply have the right to vote. But many tribal leaders have described their communities as energized and motivated to vote, a small sign of hope that this malicious law will have less of its intended

THE

Voter Suppression in North Dakota Must be Stopped

PHOENIX

Ganesh Setty, Editor-in-Chief Laura Wagner, Managing Editor Keton Kakkar, Managing Editor NEWS Bayliss Wagner, Editor Katie Pruitt, Editor ARTS Nicole Liu, Editor CAMPUS JOURNAL Naomi Park, Editor Dylan Clairmont, Editor OPINIONS Shelby Dolch, Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY Emma Ricci-De Lucca, Editor LAYOUT Trina Paul, Editor COPY Dan Siegelman, Chief Editor BUSINESS Peem Lerdputtipongporn SOCIAL MEDIA Abby Diebold, Editor DIGITAL OPERATIONS Navdeep Maini

SPORTS Jack Corkery, Editor Max Katz-Balmes, Editor

effect. Sadly, it’s too late to change voter ID laws in North Dakota in time for the 2018 midterm election on November 6. However, Republicans will learn that maintaining a tenuous hold on power by denying people the right to vote will not work because people will see through their attempts to disenfranchise

voters and vote them out of office, and newly elected leaders will follow the model of states that have made it easier to vote. Supporters of voter ID laws may claim that they are preventing voter fraud, but the integrity of our elections will really be ensured by making voting seamless and accessible to everyone.

Condemning Israeli Security’s Decision to Detain and Deport Susan Abulhawa

SYDNEY COVITZ OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

n September 18, Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa came to speak in my Peace and Conflicts Studies class titled “The IsraeliPalestinian Conflict.” This class exposes its students to every perspective under the sun surrounding the conflict, inviting speakers from all backgrounds and professions from Dani Dayan –– Consul General of Israel in New York –– to an expert in archeology in the Israel/Palestine region to relate their perspectives. When Abulhawa came to our class, she eloquently described the ways in which the conflict has touched her life and gave us her opinions on various issues. She opened the floor to questions when she was done speaking.

This past Friday, November 1, Abulhawa arrived at Tel Aviv airport on her way to the Palestinian Literature Festival that was being held in Palestine. This event is cosponsored by the British Council. Upon her arrival in the airport, Israeli security officers detained Abulhawa for approximately 32 hours and eventually decided to deport her back to the United States. I claim that it is fundamentally unjust to treat people in this way; Israel’s actions with respect to Palestinians are, in particular, antithetical to the teachings of Judaism and to the lessons extracted from our people’s history. Abulhawa’s case is not unique; this refusal of entry to individuals of Palestinian descent for no reason other than their ethnicity is far from an isolated inci-

dent. In fact, barring Palestinians from moving into and out of their homeland is fundamentally entrenched into the Israeli state’s policies. Palestinians residing in Gaza, which is often referred to as an open air prison, are rarely granted exit visas, and those in the West Bank receive them arbitrarily. Furthermore, Palestinians living in the occupied territories are not permitted to leave the area through Tel Aviv airport. Residents of the West Bank must travel through Jordan and Palestinian Gazans must go through Egypt. In both cases, Palestinians must pass multiple Israeli checkpoints where their laptops are analyzed and they are subjected to extensive strip searching, questioning, and overall scrutiny. My questions is as follows: How can a state claiming to be a

democratic state with liberties and freedoms for all, a state built on the premise of functioning as a safe haven from persecution can engage in the project of forcing out a group of people based on their ethnicity, their religion? As Jews, we should be the first people to recognize that this kind of behavior and these patterns of oppression are unjust and must be combatted. Another speaker who came to our class was professor Eve Spangler, who told our class that her Judaism is antithetical to Zionism, a sentiment with which I couldn’t agree more. I believe that Israel’s actions, different laws for different types of people, occupation, humiliation of Palestinians, and blatant disregard for international human rights law go against everything for which

voters. This disenfranchisement was enacted by state government officials, yet had impacts on the national and gubernatorial arenas. Conversely, many Congressional races in Pennsylvania turned blue, in large part because the State Supreme Court redrew the Congressional district map, deeming the old one illegally gerrymandered. What happens on the state level thus deeply impacts national politics, and we cannot afford to turn our attention from it. Swatties turned out to vote in numbers that exceeded the 2014 midterms, but we need to continue the work to be politically engaged in 2020, and not just at the top of the ticket. Current first-

years and sophomores will be in a position to lead the charge to get Swarthmore students active in electing leaders who align with our community values and will protect the dignity and rights of all people. We must continue the work put in by Swatties who spent their summers, evenings, weekends, and more working on campaigns ranging from competitive Congressional races to local elections for Pennsylvania’s state legislature. Having good district attorneys, judges, members of county council, and county commissioners is important. The people we elect locally are the ones who can affect some incredibly important issues of our time, such as education, pris-

ons, and gun violence. There is a Republican seat on county council up for reëlection next year; if a Democrat wins, they would overturn the Republican majority that has held for over 40 years. The council would then, among other things, be likely to deprivatize Delaware County’s prison, the only forprofit prison in the state. This is but one of the many ways a local election could correct injustice. So rest now, but don’t wait up on the 2020 Presidential hopefuls before getting involved. Let’s buckle down and pull the weeds out at the roots.

didn’t enjoy themselves as much as they would’ve liked and are simply happy to be home. But unfortunately, the reality of travel is slightly more bleak. This is not to say traveling isn’t amazing, and a very eye-opening experience, but it’s not all beautiful sunsets and pretty photoshoots. Traveling today has become the perfect way to dress up one’s life, even if only through pictures and videos. It seems as though we are slowly shying away from the sheer beauty and uniqueness traveling can provide us to instead focus on what we can show the world travel has given to us. We need to return to the bare bones of what travel has the power to gift us: eye opening experiences through which we can grow. Instead of focusing on what our travels can give to others, we should be looking inward

and focusing on what travel can give us: the ways in which it can completely change and mold who we are from the inside out. Let’s begin with an often overlooked detail. Travel, when the distances are quite lengthy, occurs with airplanes. Sometimes, even ridiculously short distances that would be easier to complete with a train or bus are undertaken with airplanes, but that’s usually the exception. But that’s not the focus of the fantasy of travel, is it? No, the focus is usually on pretty views and crazy stories one brings home, all forever immortalized with pictures and videos redone one too many times in order to encapsulate the feeling of the moment. But travel is not about that. Travel is not about the Snapchat and Instagram stories one shares so all

their friends know where they’ve been. It’s not the Instagram and Facebook posts you can upload to flaunt the memories you’ve made. But somehow, as something so unique and personal has become so accessible, it has also become immensely shallow. It feels as though travel has become a perfect vehicle to fill an empty void within people when they don’t really know who they are, or are not confident enough to own it. Travel should be about mistakes and difficult moments that made one stronger, with laughter and happiness weaved throughout the story. It should emulate life in its rawest, truest form rather than the picture-perfect tales we flock to movie theaters and bookstores for. Travel should be clashing with new cultures and being uncomfortable and admitting that

We Must Keep our Attention Local EDITORIAL

There is much to be optimistic about from Tuesday’s midterm elections. Democrats flipped the House of Representatives, giving them the control over motions brought to the floor and the power to subpoena the President, which will allow them to investigate Trump’s tax returns. As 2020 looms and the nation turns to the Democratic Presidential primary, we should, rather than dive into the fanfare, reaffirm our commitment to local and state politics. What we also saw on Tuesday were blatant instances of voter suppression, be it in North Dakota or Georgia, that largely impacted Democratic

Judaism stands. I would also like to make it clear that I do not condemn Israel’s decision to detain Abulhawa –– along with the other discriminatory and abusive actions the government performs –– in spite of my Judaism; I condemn them because of it. It is my people’s history of persecution that renders my understanding of Israel’s current oppressive actions towards people of other races and religions increasingly salient, exposing them as blatantly and unequivocally wrong. I write these words looking through the lense of globally, historically entrenched antisemitism. As a people, Jews know ethnically-based discrimination and should therefore be the first to advocate against it. It is for this reason that I believe antisemitism

has more in common with Zionism than it does with anti-Zionism. Zionism and antisemitism are both born out of the ideology of white supremacy and advocate for monolithic societal composition. Such ideology perpetuates the very things Jews and other minority groups have feared for centuries. I am Jewish, and I am a writer. Israel would welcome me with open arms and even offer costfree opportunities for me to enter their country. And yet, a celebrated author whose parents are refugees of the 1967 war is barred from returning to her homeland. This, I believe to be absurd.

perhaps, it’s not all rainbows and rosies. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and getting lost in the moment and somewhere along the line finding yourself among strangers. Going abroad is a strange, sometimes difficult experience that Swat students have the access to. Being almost at the end of my experience, I’ve had to face a lot of difficult days. After accepting that life does not always imitate art in the perfection of its details, faking sheer happiness on a constant basis became a little harder. Coming into touch with a culture that has very few resemblances to the U.S. caused a culture shock I never expected, and I felt surrounded by strangers who couldn’t understand my struggles. And yet, among the mess and chaos my emotions were crafting in

this situation, I found myself and rose stronger than I ever could’ve hoped otherwise. And for that, I have to thank the wondrous beauty of travel when I chose to put the phone away and stop playing into the fantasy social media crafts for us. It made me realize how important our mere presence is. The act of traveling has the ability to open our eyes to our truest selves and help us see how small our place is in the world, humbling us. That’s what we should be highlighting instead of pretty photoshoots and slightly overdone social media stories. We should be using the opportunity to expand our minds and sights and improve who we are, not for likes and new followers. Because travel is nothing like the storybooks would lead us to believe — it’s more freeing than that.

Traveling Is Not a Luxury GIORGIA PIANTANIDA SWAT GLOBAL

Throughout the last century or so, travel has not only become a much more affordable commodity, but has been picked up by the likes of Instagram influencers as a full-time job. With it’s ever increasing availability, it is no longer the stuff of fairy tales for many of us. Airplanes and cruise liners are objects we spot easily, often times not even sparing a second glance at the mighty vessels. And yet, a quick scroll through social media will quickly prove that travel is still made into a beautiful fantasy by many who paint travel like a perfect fairy tale that not only brings joy and laughter, but always makes you fall in love with a new country. There is very little online about people who have traveled to a new country and didn’t like it, or

PAGE A6

THE PHOENIX OPINIONS

November 8, 2018

Swat Takes: First Semester Pass/Fail

“Swat Takes” is a curated conversation between two authors about a contentious topic. If you would like to submit an article or an idea, email editor@swarthmore.edu. Have a response to this week’s Swat Takes? Submit a letter to the editor.

Your First Semester Grades Do Matter

JASON KIM OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

s a first year Swattie, the statement above has been the recurring theme of the many conversations I had with my fellow Swatties. The question at hand is, however, whether it’s really okay to simply pass with an unpromising grade or even fail. It seemed like people were forgetting that you can still fail under the pass/fail system. I believe that it is important to take the first semester seriously as if it wasn’t a pass or fail system. In the long run, our first grades will have a minimal effect on our acceptances to grad schools or entries to jobs and positions. After all, the trajectory of a positive slope is what really matters. In the short run, however, just passing your first semester classes can have many drawbacks. Especially for students who will be looking for internships in the coming summer, it is most likely that the employers will want to know how you performed in your first semester courses. Many times, if the school avoids revealing the letter grade, employers will request a written description of the student’s academic performance, which can get more detailed about how well we do in a class, hence the reason we should not be just chilling and getting by. In addition, for students who wish to transfer out of Swarthmore (for whatever reason), your first semester grades will matter a lot, since those grades will reflect how motivated you are as a new student in a new environment, especially if the institution’s first semester is not pass/fail. Many of the schools that Swatties wish to transfer out to (for example, the Ivy League schools) require credit/no credit courses’ grades to be uncovered, and if you just did reasonably well in your first semester classes, they won’t be

enough to impress the admissions officers! If you are not planning to transfer, your views and academic interests might change as they often to do for a lot of college students; and you might want to transfer in the case Swarthmore cannot provide you with the resources that are appropriate for your new interests and passions. It is safe to leave the door of transfer open, which is only possible by getting reasonably impressive grades. Even if you feel like you are destined to be a Swattie for life, getting good grades in the first semester can serve to impress your professors related to your potential majors or minors. Starting out your first semester with great relationships with your professors, especially with those in a department you want to deeply explore, will pave a successful college career ahead of you, both for recommendations (which will get you into graduate school and jobs) and an enjoyable, academically fulfilling college life. Lastly, consolidating study habits in the first semester can massively help you and your grades. There is a reason why people often advise against dating in freshman year, let alone in the first semester. While socializ-

Swat Graphics

ing and meeting a future partner is important, your daily patterns and the study habits you get used to in the first semester will probably be repeated throughout the future college years. The first semester is an important first step for the subsequent four years, so practicing healthy studying habits is imperative. I am not suggesting a full repeal of the pass/fail system. Whenever my stress level is coming up to my throat and I feel like giving up, it’s always reassuring to know that the first semester is pass/fail. I can only imagine how nervous and stressed I would have been if my letter grades for my first semester were going to be recorded in my transcript. The pass/fail system is appropriate and necessary especially in a liberal arts school like Swarthmore, where students should feel comfortable enough to explore courses in diverse fields of studies. But we should also keep ourselves in check and not fall into the abyss of complacency and laziness; instead, we should take advantage of the pass or fail system by not only taking new, interesting courses but also working hard to live up to the academic standards of a Swarthmore student.

Karin Nakano / The Phoenix

Your First Semester Grades Don’t Matter

DAIJING XU OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

ue to my frequent appearances in McCabe Library, whenever my upperclassmen friends see me, the first thing they say is something along the lines of “why are you here? You’re a freshman, go to bed!” One of them even went so far out of their way to threaten to take my laptop away just so I would consider not finishing my 200 pages of reading and go to sleep before midnight. Perhaps the repeated advice from these kind upperclassmen has unconsciously convinced me, as I am halfway through the first semester and I have completely stopped any attempts at A’s in any of my classes. Instead of trying to achieve good grades that don’t matter in the end, I believe that it is better to prioritize my health and social life in the first semester. As a first year, one of the first things I heard about college life is the “choose two” diagram, which suggests that the fragile balance of social life, academic, and sleep can only be achieved by choosing two and sacrificing one of these necessities. Fortunately, Swarthmore has kindly provided us with pass or fail grades for the first semester, which means that

Karin Nakano / The Phoenix

first-years will have the chance to learn the navigation around college life. Nevertheless, because of the hardworking nature of Swatties, most of us still try the hardest to achieve A’s, even if they are just “shadow grades.” I started the semester also thinking that I would work very hard and get used to the rigorous coursework of Swarthmore in the first semester, so that second semester would not suddenly become impossible. However, a lot of upperclassmen have pointed out to me that they regretted working so hard first semester. I have nothing to lose by just passing, instead of having A’s, in all my classes. The insignificance of our first-year, first semester grades is the reason we have pass/fail in the first place. Unless you choose to reveal them, they have no effect on the overall GPA. Neither employers nor the admission officers in graduate schools look to these grades for proof of an individual’s excellence. In college, not only do we gain knowledge for our future careers, we also ought to learn how to cooperate and lead others to succeed in workplaces. By taking advantage of the pass/ fail semester, I have gained the opportunity to participate in

multiple extracurriculars, taking leadership roles in them, which is crucial in developing my leadership skills. When I prioritize my extracurriculars and social life, I get to become a part of the Swarthmore community and deepen my friendships with my fellow classmates. Therefore, next semester when grades do matter, I can have friends by my side to support me for the rest of college experience. From my experience of joining many extracurriculars and activist groups, I learned my own limits and gained the knowledge to navigate just how many courses I can allow myself to take and just how rigorous some extracurriculars are. Knowing that I won’t have any regrets in my following years for not participating in any activities that I liked but was too busy for, just because I spent all of my time trying to achieve a perfect A record that doesn’t matter in the end. I believe that the pass/fail semester is also an opportunity to challenge myself by taking classes outside my comfort zone, in case I never get to learn about a subject that I would have liked but that I was too afraid to take. In this case, even if I end up hating this new subject, I don’t have to beat myself up and study until 3:00 a.m. every night for something that I don’t actually like, just because I want a perfect GPA. To the first years that are still overworking themselves, I believe that academics are not the most important part of your college life. Your grades really do not matter in the first semester, and you may regret it next semester when you lose the chance to have fun, expand your range of extracurriculars, and make new friends. In the words of my wise upperclassman, “don’t work, go to bed.”

SPORTS

November 8, 2018 PAGE A7

The 2018 MLS Playoffs Are Here

he Major League Soccer regular season began in early March. Eight months later and the business end of the season has arrived. The MLS Cup is on the line, and in a little more than a month, the 2018 champion will lift the trophy. In the MLS, the playoffs follow an interesting format. First of all, the conferences in the MLS do not have the same number of teams — the Eastern Conference has eleven teams, while the Western Conference has twelve. The top six teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs, so the teams in the Eastern Conference have better odds of reaching the postseason. Here’s where it gets interesting. Since there are six teams that qualify from each conference, traditional brackets won’t work from the outset — there needs to be a way to reduce this to four teams from each conference. To achieve this, there is the knockout round, also known as the play-in round. Of the six playoff teams from each conference, the teams that finished in positions three to six compete in this round, while the top two teams get a bye to the next round. The third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed. In the knockout round, games are single-elimination. In each conference, the two teams that advance from the knockout round then face the top two seeds in the conference semifinals. The first seed plays the lower of the qualifying seeds from the knockout round, while the second plays the higher seed. Just like the NBA playoffs, the conference semifinals are followed by the conference finals. Then, the final two remaining teams compete in the MLS Cup to determine the winner of the trophy. While the conference semifinals and finals are contested over two games with the aggregate winner advancing, the MLS Cup final is only a single game. The knockout round has already been played — now we are into the conference semifinals. In fact, the first game of each semifinal matchup has already been played, with the second legs being played on Novem-

ber 8 and 11. In the East, New York Red Bulls, Atlanta United FC, New York City FC, and Columbus Crew SC remain, while Sporting Kansas City, Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, and Real Salt Lake are left in the West. Two franchises that have generated a lot of interest this season are Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United. This is because both teams signed star strikers who both had great careers in Europe — the Galaxy signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while D.C. signed Wayne Rooney. This has naturally increased interest in the MLS among European fans, particularly Manchester United supporters, since the two players were together at MUFC before coming to the MLS. Ibrahimovic played for many of the best clubs in Europe in his glittering career — Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Manchester United to name a few. On the other hand, Rooney stayed in England, starting at Everton before spending thirteen fruitful seasons at Manchester United — the most successful club in English soccer. He is the England national team record goalscorer, as well as Manchester United’s record goalscorer, and has won every trophy available at the club level in England. Ibrahimovic has also amassed countless major honors — he has won the league title in Spain, Italy, and France, as well as many domestic cups. These two players haven’t just joined the MLS — they’ve led their teams. Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals, enough to earn him second place on the goalscoring charts. He also provided ten assists, which is a very impressive return from a striker. When Rooney joined D.C. in the middle of the season, they were dead last in the East. In only twenty games, he notched twelve goals and seven assists, dragging them into the playoffs with the help of teammate Luciano Acosta, who also performed superbly. Sadly, both these teams are out of MLS Cup contention. The Galaxy didn’t even qualify for the playoffs — they had to win their final game of the regular season to do so, and were 2-0 up at half-time, only to let the game slip in the

second half. D.C. qualified for the playoffs by finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. However, they lost on penalty kicks to Columbus Crew in the knockout round in front of their home crowd. Having finished the regular season superbly to reach the knockout round, it was a bitterly disappointing end to their season. Before the penalty shootout against Columbus began, Rooney told his teammates: “whatever happens, we can be proud of what we’ve achieved.” Following the loss, he remained upbeat. He told the Washington Post: “we had no right to make the playoffs. To do that, we’ve brought belief back to the fans, we’ve brought belief back to the team — and we have to build on that now.” Coach Ben Olsen echoed his captain’s sentiments. “It was a hell of a run. Don’t let this spoil what these guys did to set the right tone and foundation for Audi Field and the next generation of D.C. United, and who we are and what we’re about. They got this city interested again in soccer and our team.” The Galaxy camp wasn’t so positive following their secondhalf collapse that cost them a playoffs berth. “A bit empty right now,” Galaxy interim head coach Dominic Kinnear told Goal.com of his feelings after

the match. “Even at the half I knew the game wasn’t over. We needed to keep on playing, because they have some players playing forward that can hurt you. And, like I said, our possession in the first half kept them away from our goal, and then our lack of possession the second half brought them a little bit closer to our goal.” Romain Alessandrini, one of the Galaxy’s best players alongside Ibrahimovic, was equally dejected. “We just have to blame ourselves,” he said. “Now we just have to move forward. It’s hard to say that for the fans because a club like LA Galaxy has to make the playoffs every year, and two years in a row without playoffs is tough.” Luckily, there is still plenty of exciting talent left in the playoffs. Atlanta United FC are one of the favorites to go all the way. Although they missed out on first place in the Eastern Conference on the final day of the regular season, their forward line is too powerful and dynamic for opposition defences. They have the MLS’s top goalscorer in Josef Martinez — he has scored 31 goals this season, nine more than his nearest challenger — and another huge attacking threat in playmaker Miguel Almiron. Together, they have combined for a ridiculous 43 goals and 20 assists. Fur-

thermore, their defense is the second best in their conference based on goals conceded. Another MLS Cup contender is the New York Red Bulls. Like Atlanta, the Red Bulls have the devastating pairing of a clinical striker and creative midfielder in Bradley Wright-Phillips and Alejandro Gamarra respectively. While Martinez is a relatively new addition to the league, joining in 2017, Bradley-Wright Phillips has played for New York for five-and-a-half years. Barring the 2013 season, in which he only played seven games, Wright-Phillips has averaged more than twenty goals a season in his last five seasons. He has also proven he can deliver in the playoffs, having scored nine goals and provided two assists in his sixteen postseason appearances. On the other hand, Gamarra is in his rookie season. In just twenty games, he has fourteen assists and six goals, helping the team to the top of the conference alongside Wright-Phillips. However, the Red Bulls lost 0-1 at home to Columbus Crew in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals. This was a shock result, seeing as Crew were the fifth seed. Nevertheless, with their greater technical abilities, New York should be able to bounce back and move on to the conference finals.

Having reached the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2017 — winning it in 2016 — the Seattle Sounders have the opportunity to extend their streak. To do so, they too will have to overturn a first leg home defeat. They lost 1-2 to the Portland Timbers, their bitter Northwest rivals. Seattle’s best player is 32-year-old Panama international Román Torres, who scored the winning penalty kick in their 2016 title win. His physicality intimidates attackers. MLS.com aptly describes him as being “built like a freight train.” Furthermore, “Torres has been a key defensive cog in Panama’s machine for over a decade.” He will need to demonstrate his defensive prowess if Seattle are to claw their way back against the Timbers and advance to the next round. While Atlanta, Red Bulls, and Seattle are probably the favorites, with only eight teams left, nobody can be written off entirely. Nine games are left — that is a lot of soccer yet to be played. No matter who wins, more Americans than ever will be tuning in to watch. This sport is here to stay.

Favorites Emerge Halfway Through the NFL Season Jacob Brady Sports Writer It’s just over halfway through the NFL season, and this year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting of all time. It’s had its fair share of drama, surprise contenders, unexpected

flops — and there are still eight weeks of action left. The reigning world champion Philadelphia Eagles are currently on the outside looking in for a spot in the playoffs, but they remain in the thick of the NFC East race. The Super Bowl runner-ups, the New England

Patriots, are sitting pretty with a 7-2 record, good for second in the AFC, following a shaky 1-2 start. The Kansas City Chiefs are exceeding expectations as head coach Andy Reid has led them to an 8-1 record behind the stellar play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the fan-

tastic collection of offensive weapons around him. The New Orleans Saints, one year after having one of the worst defenses in the NFL, all of a sudden have a top ten defense, and this, along with super play from quarterback Drew Brees, has helped them to a 7-1 start. And the two Los Angeles teams, the Rams and the Chargers, are presenting themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, setting up a potential crosstown showdown. The Rams continue to cruise under the direction of second-year head coach Sean McVay, who has only lost six regular season games in his young career. The Chargers are second in the AFC West behind the Chiefs, and the play of quarterback Philip Rivers, along with a stellar defense featuring star rookie safety Derwin James, has them on course to make their first playoff appearance since 2013. Perhaps one of the biggest storylines this season has been the play of the quarterbacks, both young and old. Mahomes, in his second year in the NFL and first year starting, is leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns, and he has a legitimate chance to break Peyton Manning’s single season passing touchdown record of 55. Jared Goff, in his third year out of Cal with the Rams, continues to shine as he sits second in passing yards and third in touchdowns. But it has not just been the young guys who are impressing this year. Tom Brady, who made his NFL debut in 2000, continues to play at an elite level, sitting top ten in all relevant statistical categories. Drew Brees also continues to

play like a much younger man, leading his New Orleans Saints team to a 7-1 start, including last week’s victory over Goff’s Rams, who at that point were undefeated. However, in a year where rookie quarterbacks were supposed to make big impacts on the field, many have failed to impress. Sam Darnold, the number three overall pick for the New York Jets, has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns while only completing 55 percent of his passes. Josh Rosen and Josh Allen, two other quarterbacks picked in the top ten, have also struggled with the rookie blues, each of them also posting ~55 percent completion percentages while throwing more picks than touchdowns. The only rookie quarterback who has lived up to some of the hype surrounding him is first overall pick Baker Mayfield, who has led the Cleveland Browns to two wins this season, double their win total from the previous two seasons. But as a whole, these four quarterbacks rank as four of the five worst passers in the league by quarterback rating, a statistic that measures the quality of a quarterback’s play. While the quarterback play has faltered at times, other rookies have risen to the challenge. Saquon Barkley, while admittedly playing for a lackluster New York Giants offense in which he is a top two option, is on pace for more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage — receiving, rushing, and kick returns — something only two other rookies have accomplished. Calvin Ridley, a rookie wide receiver out of Alabama, has also im-

pressed for the Atlanta Falcons, especially given the fact that he has to share the field with AllPro receiver Julio Jones. On the other side of the ball, Bradley Chubb, a top ten pick out of NC State, has benefited from playing opposite Von Miller, one of the premier pass rushers in the game, with the Denver Broncos. He currently has eight sacks, one back from Miller and good for sixth in the league. Speaking of sacks, the season began with its fair share of controversy as pass rushers seemed to be getting called left and right for roughing the passer penalties. That commotion seems to have died down now, and it has not prevented some players from putting up absurd sack numbers. Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings has 11.5 sacks, and could threaten Michael Strahan’s 22.5 sack season record, set in 2001. Aaron Donald, who was very briefly the highest paid defensive player in NFL history when he signed a six-year, $135 million contract, has 10 sacks and looks to be running away with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Miller, J.J. Watt, and Myles Garrett sit tied for third with nine apiece. It’s already been an incredible NFL season, and there’s still plenty of football left to be played.

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THE PHOENIX SPORTS

November 8, 2018

Controversy Rises at the WWE Crown Jewel Kevin Liao Sports Writer

n Friday morning, World Wrestling Entertainment held its Crown Jewel payper-view, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Highlighted by a number of marquee matches, including the in-ring return of wrestling legend Shawn Michaels, it was supposed to be a groundbreaking event, aimed at showcasing the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the WWE. However, despite all the hype built for Crown Jewel, several major controversies surrounding and during the event largely overshadowed it. First, above all, was the complex political atmosphere towards the Saudi government — particularly regarding the death of Jamal Khashoggi. After the journalist was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Saudi government repeatedly denied involvement, changing its account of Khashoggi’s death numerous times before finally admitting it had been premeditated. In the wake of the controversy, numerous prominent businesses withdrew from partnerships and summits with the Saudis, citing the suspicious nature of Khashoggi’s death. However, notably absent amongst them was the WWE, which, according to CNN had signed a 10-year, $400 million deal to hold events within the country. The implications in holding the event were clear: by continuing to conduct business with the KSA, the WWE was showing its support for the Saudis’ actions — or sending a message that their primary loyalties lay with their paychecks. Even after pressure from several U.S. Senators, in-

cluding Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), according to Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE stayed its course. In releasing a statement, it appeared to take a comparative approach, citing contractual obligations: “Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event.” Through their actions, however, WWE conveyed a far more damning sentiment — come hell or high water (or international repercussions), the show would go on. By going ahead with the event, though, the company triggered backlash from a number of its stars, with two in particular refusing to even work the event. First, John Cena, arguably the most popular wrestler of the modern era, declined to make an appearance at Crown Jewel, where he’d been slotted in as part of a “World Cup” tournament to determine the top wrestler in the world. Slated to wrestle other top names like Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle, Cena was instead replaced by another star, Bobby Lashley. The awkward conclusion of the tournament suggests WWE’s plans were rapidly changed, as none of the eight competitors came away as the World Cup winner. Instead, Shane McMahon, the commissioner for SmackDown Live (one of WWE’s weekly shows) made a surprise entrance in the finals, defeating finalist Dolph Ziggler to win the trophy, and the tournament — despite never having been in it. The other prominent star to pull out, Daniel Bryan, made an even bigger ripple in the pay-per-view,

as he had been scheduled as one of the Main Events for the evening. Slated to face title-holder AJ Styles with the WWE Championship at stake, Bryan’s refusal forced the company’s hand. WWE quickly replaced him with fellow SmackDown star Samoa Joe, and booked Styles to defeat Bryan in a quick title match the week before the pay-per-view. More important than the booking, though, was the statement both superstars made — they weren’t willing to put their reputations on the line for something they didn’t believe in, and would act on it if necessary. The pay-per-view also lacked women throughout its match card. As the Saudi General Sports Authority frowned upon the presentation of women’s wrestling, whenever WWE has held an event in Saudi Arabia the entirety of

the women’s roster is left off the event, with men’s-only matches. This has led to considerable criticism for WWE, as despite holding Evolution, the first ever women’sonly pay-per-view event the week prior, fans pointed at Crown Jewel as a step backwards for women’s representation in wrestling. Instead of a celebratory event, critics saw Evolution as a hasty compensation for Crown Jewel, a politically-fueled move instead of an altruistic one. Finally, in choosing him to host Crown Jewel, WWE reintroduced one of its most famous, yet controversial figures — Hulk Hogan. Hogan, revered throughout the 1980s (often known as the WWE’s golden age) is often seen as the embodiment of professional wrestling, with countless fans getting their exposure to WWE

through the man nicknamed “The Hulkster”. However, in recent years, a leaked video where he repeatedly used racial slurs and described himself as “racist, to a point”, disgraced Hogan from the WWE, as they severed ties and dropped any references to him. After several years, though, the WWE appears to have re-embraced Hogan, re-inducting him into their Hall of Fame, and booking his surprise return at Crown Jewel as the event’s host. While older fans have praised the move as rightfully honoring someone who helped make professional wrestling iconic, others have seen the move as tolerance of racism and inappropriate behavior by WWE. An icon from the supposed “glory days” of wrestling, but also a period plagued by steroid use and backstage politicking, Hogan

is seen by some fans as a relic — wonderful for nostalgia, but representative of a time better left behind. Though Crown Jewel is now in the books, WWE may continue facing repercussions for holding the event, as both sponsors and fans react to their decision of going ahead with the pay-per-view. And, with nine more years on the deal, the company will likely face the same situation once again down the road, with the same issues — political undertones, women’s’ exclusion, and the checkered pasts of its competitors — not going away any time soon. Though we can certainly hope the situation improves, only time will tell.

With 20 minutes remaining in the game, the Garnet knew they had prevailed once again over the struggling Hopkins. Scrambling to put at least one point on the scoreboard, Hopkins managed to slide one ball past the Garnet defense and into the net for their only goal of the match. Swarthmore’s starting defensive line, consisting of Moser, Curran, and captains Caroline Coats ’19 and Yasmeen Namazie ’19, shut down nearly all of Hopkins’ attempts to create a scoring opportunity during the match. When Hopkins did get shots on target, starting goalkeeper Amy Shmoys ’19 denied the Blue Jay attempts, racking up a season high of five saves in the first 77 minutes of play. Freshman goalkeeper Chantal Reyes ’22 finished the last 13 minutes

of play and made two saves. With the conference title secured for the second consecutive year, the Garnet earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. 2018 marks the fifth straight year that Swarthmore will participate in the tournament. The team gathered together in a classroom on Monday, November 5 to watch the NCAA Selection Show, anxiously awaiting the announcement of their bracket. There were screams of excitement as the selection committee announced that Swarthmore will host the first two rounds of the tournament on home turf at Clothier Field where they have a record of 5-1-1. Louise Rosler ’20 commented on the announcement saying, “To be able to host really is a tes-

tament to how hard we’ve worked this season [and] means the NCAA has recognized us as one of the best teams in the country. It’s really exciting to have fans out to support and encourage us. It also means a lot to the seniors who thought that senior night would be their final home game.” The Garnet, now ranked No. 12 in the nation, are scheduled to play the St. Joseph’s College of Maine (16-3) at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 10 in the first round of the tournament. With a win on Saturday, they will move on to the second round and will face the winner of the NYU (105-3) and Virginia Wesleyan (114-4) match on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Centennial Champions, continued from A1 to play. Coach made it apparent to us that no pressure was needed in this game and just to have fun with it.” On Sunday, Hopkins came in as the favorite. The Blue Jays were ranked fourth in the nation prior to the match, but Swarthmore, ranked No. 22, dominated play from start to finish. With a score of 5-1, the Garnet made history by scoring the most goals in a Centennial Championship game. They also tied the 2013 record of 10 goals scored in the tournament, which was previously held by Hopkins. Lizzie King ’21 got the Garnet off to a quick start. She scored the first goal of the match in the fourth minute of play by outplaying the keeper in a one-on-one attack after receiving a through

ball directly to her feet from Amy Harris ’21. Harris, a key playmaker in the midfield, leads the team with seven assists on the season. Feeding off the energy of the game, the Garnet maintained possession and were able to find the back of the net again when Melissa Curran ’19 sent the ball across the field to McCoy, who slotted a ball into the bottom left corner. The half ended with Swarthmore up 2-0. Head coach Todd Anckaitis switched from his normal starting lineup going into the second half, starting Weiderhold, Stills, and Grace Taylor ’21 in place of King, Kinn-Gurzo, and Maddy Carens ’20. This proved to be a key tactical move. Inside the first five minutes, Weiderhold sent the ball forward from half-field,

finding Stills. Stills was then able to finish on an open net after the keeper came sliding out of the box in an attempt to stop the ball. The next goal came when Weiderhold swiftly took the ball down the left side, beat two defenders, and slammed it into the right corner of the net. Swarthmore’s final goal came in the 67th minute, when King drew a foul in the box resulting in a penalty kick. Sydney Covitz ’20 took the kick and slotted it precisely into the bottom left corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. Each of the game’s five goals were scored by Swarthmore’s five top goal scorers of the season. In order, they are: McCoy with twelve, Weiderhold with eight, Covitz with six, King with five, and Stills with four.

Athlete of the Week: Brittany Weiderhold ’20 Jack Corkery Sports Editor Swarthmore women’s soccer continued their streak of Centennial Conference dominance last week, wrapping up a second consecutive conference championship with a pair of blowout wins. Last Saturday, the Garnet knocked out No. 3 seed McDaniel College with a 5-2 win. The following day, the Garnet faced tournament host and No. 1 seed Johns Hopkins in the championship game. Hopkins entered the game ranked fourth in the nation and was considered the favorite to outside observers. However, the Garnet took them down with ease, completely dominating the game on both sides of the ball on the way to their 5-1 win. Key in both victories was Brittany Weiderhold ‘20. The junior from Downingtown, PA scored goals in both contests, raising her season total to eight, which has doubled her total from her freshman and sophomore seasons combined. She’ll be a key part of the Garnet’s path to the national championship, which starts with a home matchup Saturday at Clothier Field against Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Jack Corkery: What is your major, and what made you choose it? Brittany Weiderhold: I am a biology major here at Swarthmore. I’ve always had a passion for the biological sciences, and there are so many opportunities to pursue in this area of study. I really enjoy working with children and intend on pursuing some type of career that involves both biology and younger children. JC: What made you decide to attend Swarthmore?

Emma Ricci-De Lucca / The Phoenix

BW: I live 40 minutes away from Swarthmore and had no idea this beautiful place existed until I came to a soccer clinic. From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew this was where I wanted to spend the next four years. The campus’ beauty took me aback. I was in awe of the buildings and the fact that it was

an arboretum. The girls on the team were very friendly, and I found it quite easy to chat with them about all things Swarthmore. Coming from a very rigorous high school, I also knew that Swarthmore would challenge me academically.

team is really beneficial because it enhances the competition and this directly translates onto our field play.

JC: What is your favorite Swarthmore soccer memory?

BW: I came into this preseason with a lot of more confidence than previous years. I trained all summer working on my ball skills and fitness and felt pretty prepared coming in. I used to play outside mid[field], and still occasionally do, but being repositioned as a forward has also helped me with scoring goals. I have a lot of incredible competitors on the team who push me each and every day at practice, so I feel like this influence has really contributed to my goals this year as well.

BW: This one’s a tough question because every day is a memorable day on the soccer team. Although it’s fairly recent, my favorite memory is beating Johns Hopkins 5-1 in the conference championship. Not only was it an incredible win, but the women’s soccer team made history with this win. It’s the programs first time ever winning back-to-back championships and from my knowledge, we’re one of the few teams that have ever scored that many goals against Hopkins. It’s also a memorable game because our five goals came from five different players, truly showing the depth of the team. JC: What was it like to win the Centennial Championship in such a blowout? BW: This past weekend was such an incredible experience. Last year, we struggled against Hopkins in the conference final but we proved this year that we are a better team and we are continuing to improve each and every season. We played our hearts out in that game and the energy both on and off the field contributed significantly. This was definitely an amazing win to lead us into the postseason and I, along with my teammates, can’t wait for what is to come. JC: What is the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s team? BW: I would say the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is health. Last year, we suffered from a lot of injuries that left players out for weeks to months at a time. This year, we have been fortunate enough to avoid those. Having such a healthy

JC: What changes have you made this year to score so many more goals?

JC: How does the team feel about being able to host the NCAA playoffs? BW: If you haven’t seen the video on Instagram or Twitter, the team is super stoked to host the first and second rounds of the tournament — Yaz (Yasmeen Namazie) even took a spill for it. We accomplished so much in the regular season and set ourselves up well going into this NCAA tournament and I believe we definitely deserve to host. I know there will be a lot of energy this weekend and having it at home gives us a certain advantage because we are familiar with this field and get to save time that would have been spent traveling. JC: What should the fans watch for on Saturday? BW: I think fans should expect to see a high energy game on Saturday. I actually lost my voice from cheering so much this past weekend, and I am completely ready to do it again. We plan on going into this game with a lot of intensity and fight because at the end of the day, we really want that national championship title.