Swarthmore Phoenix March 21, 2019 by The Phoenix

Today in OPINIONS: Sydney Covitz on Why Swat A5, CAMPUS JOURNAL: Gidon Kaminer on McCabe Caution Tape A6, Emma Miller on the dorms as astrological signs A7

PHOENIX

THE

Baseball hits it home

Defeats number one team Wooster over

VOL. 147, NO. 7

Spring Break

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March 21, 2019

Denice Frohman Shelby Dolch

writes about the poet’s focus on intersectional

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identity

Men’s Basketball Concludes Best-Ever Season as National Runners-Up Ricky Conti Sports Writer

he Swarthmore Men’s Basketball team recently wrapped up what was undoubtedly the greatest season in the College’s history by securing its second Centennial Conference title and their first ever Final Four and NCAA DIII National Championship appearance. The team was virtually untouchable this season, going an impressive 29-4 overall and

The week ahead Today Caring for the Dead: Intimacy, Abandonment and Transgender Funerals in Turkey 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Asli Zengin’s research lies at the intersection of ethnography of gender nonconforming lives and deaths. Friday CIA Week: Kohlfest 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Student groups have the opportunity to take over a Kohlberg classroom, and make it their own with food, crafts, a teach-in, a demonstration, or whatever they come up with for students to engage with. Kohlberg 328 Saturday Womxn’s Leadership Summit Keynote Speaker 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Summit hopes attendees will leave feeling empowered, inspired, and prepared to translate the weekend’s discussions, workshops, and panels into further conversation and action at Swarthmore and beyond. LPAC Concert Hall Sunday SBC Weekly Meeting 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m SBC Committee weekly meeting to discuss budgetrelated matters and consider supplemental funding requests for the week. Sharples Room 209 Monday Lecture: Politics and the Study of the Middle East 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sci 199 Tuesday Grow Your Own Greens with Sue MacQueen 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Grow Your Own Greens - Join us in planting your own lettuce and spinach seeds for an early spring crop. Wister Center Gillespie Room Wednesday Robyn Ochs: Beyond Bisexuality 101 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Explore the experience of people who embrace nonbinary sexualities, and look at some of the challenges to recognizing and understanding the middle sexualities. IC Room 201

WEATHER Mertz pond is ﬁnally a ﬁeld again.

15-3 in conference play, good enough to host the Conference tournament for the third year in a row. The team carried an eight game win streak into the Conference tournament, and used that momentum to secure double digit wins in both the semifinal against Washington College and the championship game versus Johns Hopkins. This marked the fourth year in a row the Garnet earned their way to the Conference championship game. After the Conference

tournament, the No. 6 ranked Garnet hosted the first two rounds of the tournament. By then carrying a ten game win streak and 14-1 record at home, the team absolutely breezed through the first two rounds, beating Mitchell College by 17 and No. 12 MIT by 40. With the win streak now at twelve games, the Garnet took their talents to Amherst College, where they edged out both No. 5 Randolph-Macon in the Sweet 16 by a score of 58-57 and No. 14 Nichols College by 69-65 in

the Elite Eight. The Garnet then traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to play No. 9 Christopher Newport. There was some unfinished business between the schools, as Christopher Newport knocked out the Garnet in the second round of the tournament at home two seasons ago. The Garnet got revenge, winning 70-63 in the Final Four, and advanced to their first ever NCAA DIII National Championship game. At this point, the Garnet were

riding a fifteen game winning streak and had beaten four consecutive nationally ranked opponents. The Garnet were set to face No. 4 Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the title game. Wisconsin Oshkosh opened up their season with a narrow 82-70 loss against Division I Wisconsin-Madison. With its student body of nearly 14,000, it could easily compete as a mid-major Division I school. The atmosphere was all too familiar for the Titans, continued on page A9

Garnet Travels to Fort Wayne

Brandon Hodnett, Director of Athletics Acommunications / With Permission

Coach Landry Kosmalski, proﬁled on A10, directs play during the DIII National Championship Game against University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 16, 2019.

Crumb Cafe Improves After Initial Adjustments Veronica Yabloko & Maddie Palden News Writers Where can you go for mocktails, smoothies, and best of all, a break from Sharples food? The Crumb Cafe! Halfway through the second semester, the Crumb Cafe is continuing to grow and adjust since its initial opening in the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester. While transitioning from Paces to Sharples was difficult when it first opened, the Crumb has become a popular place for students to eat and socialize. This semester, the Crumb is now running with shorter wait times and a growing menu. Kitchen director Zachary Lytle ’21 and Penrose Retica ’22, barista manager on Tuesday nights, both say that internal organization has improved significantly since the Crumb first opened. “This semester, everyone’s a lot more familiar with how the Crumb works, and things have just been running a lot smoother,” said Lytle. “Our wait times are much shorter.” “A lot has changed for the better since [last semester] … [we] added prep chefs for the kitchen, which makes getting our food supplies easier and made the manager and comanager positions more fluid and equal,” Retica said. Director of drinks Sue Kim ’21 explained that, while last semester was about adjustment to change, this semester is about consolidation and organization. “[We’re] working on becoming more consistent with things,” said Kim. “We had some issues with hiring enough people last continued on page A2

College to Renovate Lang Music Building with Renewed Lang Funding

Tiara Tillis News Writer

As students, faculty, and community members roam campus, they walk past the large scale construction of the BEP building and minor renovations of Science Center wall paneling. In the coming year, they’ll also come across reconstruction of the Lang Music Building. This influx of projects appearing around campus in the recent months has been in discussion amongst departments, the College Budget Committee, and the Budgeting Office for years prior to establishment of the projects. Within this discussion, the Music Department has voiced their needs for a reboot of their building, which acts as both a musical and intellectual space for the Swarthmore community. Through frequent conversations with the Budget Office, the Music Department has worked towards allocating appropriate funds for their department and movement towards renovations. On February 27, 2019, President Valerie Smith sent a school-wide email announcing the 7 million dollar donation made by Board of Managers’ member, Jane Lang ’67, and her niece, Lucy Lang ’03, from Eugene Lang’s Fund for the Future to renovate the Lang Music Building. They also offered another 1 million dollars if the College could raise an additional 1 million dollars, to which a series of fellow Swarthmore alums and managers pledged $100,000 each. With a grand total of 9 million dollars in donations, renovations for Lang Music

Building will be underway in summer 2020. Some of the renovations include replacing the original piping throughout the building, modifying the Presser Room, currently an under-used rehearsal space, to create a flatfloored, acoustically separated rehearsal space with storage, and replacing the building’s entire heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The replacement of the HVAC system will create three new zones of control in the concert hall as well as the ability to properly humidify/dehumidify the building throughout the year to properly maintain instruments. This would help stabilize the climate conditions in the Underhill Music & Dance Library for maintenance of the collections. Once news of the new renovations was released, Associate Professor and Chair of Music Jonathan Kochavi and other music faculty were enthusiastic to know the building they cherished was being upgraded. “The music faculty is tremendously excited about the upcoming renovations to the Lang Music Building! The music faculty cherishes the Lang Music Building. Its innovative design promotes a sense of community and exudes creativity and joy,” said Kochavi. For many of the larger scaled projects on campus, discussion begins months beforehand. The Lang Music Building renovation is no exception. In Kochavi’s 16 years of working at Swarthmore, he and his predecessors, Tom Whitman and Barbara

Photo courtesy of Atziri Marquez / The Phoenix

Milewski, helped lay the foundation for the discussion of renovations. Since then, fellow faculty members have been in discussion with the Board of Managers and administration to implement changes to the Lang Music Building. There has also been dialogue with facilities and administration over the past semester to ensure the needs and vision of the space as an academic and performance program are met. Large scale renovation projects such as the Lang Music Building have budgets separate from that of the operating budget. In May of each year, the Board of Managers generates an operating budget for the

fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). This budget is comprised of funds from tuition and fees, financial aid, endowment distribution, projected enrollment, gifts, federal and state support, debt service, and new initiatives. The budget adjusts according to the future projection of these factors. For the 2018-2019 school year, the school’s operating budget is 174 million dollars, distributed across all academic and administrative departments. Academic and administrative departments and programs undergo a budget proposal process beginning in November outlining potential requests for increased funding

or proposal of new projects and renovations. The proposal of new projects or programs within a department operate from their approved operating budget for the year, unless these projects are scaled larger or projected to be more than $75,000. In order for these larger scaled projects to be approved, they must prove to be useful to the Swarthmore campus and mission for more than five years. Upon approval, funding for these projects is encompassed in the capital budget which, similar to the operating budget, is sent to the Board of Managers and highlights capital spending for the following fiscal year and

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THE PHOENIX NEWS

March 21, 2019

Crumb Cafe update, continued from A1 semester, and sometimes these people wouldn’t show up to their jobs. We’re working on incentivizing people to cover when they’re needed and to communicate to their coworkers about when they need help.” To improve consistency and consolidation, the Crumb has also made several changes to be more efficient. Instead of having runners transport orders, the Crumb now has a printer which sends orders directly to the kitchen. The Crumb has also seen a more stable profit this semester, with an average of between 900 and 1,200 dollars per night. However, the Crumb’s huge margin of profit per hour only translates into a small one per day since they only operate for a few hours daily. “Our profit margins are huge — we are profitable — but we’re only serving for 2.5 to 2.75 hours,” said Lytle. “So, while we are profitable, our profits are thin.” Despite its many successes, the Crumb is still trying to improve and grow. Lytle says

the Crumb is hoping to add more items to the menu and try new recipes. Some of the new recipes include a hummus platter, turkey burgers, vegan pancakes, mocktails, and french toast. Unfortunately, there are limitations which prevent the Crumb from adding certain recipes. “We have incredibly limited storage space, so we can only bring in so many ingredients,” said Lytle. “And the more ingredients you have, the harder it is to keep everything in stock. So you want to try and re-use ingredients in different recipes.” Moreover, the Crumb can only access ingredients through the vendors Sharples uses. Lytle explained that all ingredient requests must go through the Sharples staff. “If you go to a hip, high-end restaurant, they’ll often have a meat vendor, poultry vendor, fresh vegetables from a farmer’s market. The Crumb is not large enough to do that, so we have to piggy-back onto Sharples.” The Crumb is also looking for ways to improve training, which

Lytle says is still a challenging process. “It’s hard to learn cooking skills intellectually, it’s more of a trade and you have to practice it. It’s very hard to do that other than with time,” Lytle said. “At Paces, we had the advantage that we weren’t doing that much. Here, it’s a lot more busy, more constant, and a lot more to be thrown into.” In addition to improving training, the Crumb hopes to add more student group takeovers. Takeovers are nights where student groups create their own menu and serve it at the Crumb. Recently, Animal Allies took over the Crumb, making a profit of 1,460 dollars. “I think it was really successful and we’re looking forward to future takeovers,” Lytle said. “It didn’t happen last semester because we were still establishing ourselves.” Overall, the Crumb hopes to makes the experience enjoyable for both those there to work and relax. Lytle hopes to make the kitchen and servery less isolated by getting chairs for the islands in the servery so

Photo courtesy of Runa Cheng

that people can talk to the baristas, managers, and cooks. “It’s very satisfying to make something, and a nice break from academic stuff,” Retica said. “There’s definitely a great sense of camaraderie among

the staff.” Kim, too, enjoys the experience of working at the Crumb. “My favorite part is definitely interacting with people,” said Kim. “Being able to interact

with so much of the student body in one night is such a nice experience, to get to know so many different people on this campus.”

beautiful space and will have a deep and lasting impact on our ability to provide vibrant musical experiences for the entire Swarthmore community for years to come.” Music students have also expressed their appreciation for the new renovations. Xia Headley ’21, a psychology major and music minor, was among those students who were excited about all the renovations being made. “I’m excited they are finally

fixing the things that are broken in Lang Music, but I was surprised they were renovating something that wasn’t the BEP building. They have been working on that building for a long time,” said Headley. “I’m most excited about them renovating the Presser room because I have lessons in there and it is a room that has been neglected for a long time.” Due to financial contributions from the Langs, donations from fellow managers, and dialogue

amongst the music department and administration, the Lang Music building will be revived. The music department is excited for the changes to come. “We are incredibly grateful for the remarkable leadership of the Lang family on this initiative. We are also humbled by the way that five members of the Board immediately stepped up to get us halfway to the Lang’s challenge grant,” said Kachovi.

Lang Music renovations, continued from A1 priority spending for the next five years. “The capital budget pertains to projects valued greater than $75,000 that will have a useful life of more than five years. This includes new buildings, renovations, and system upgrades. Funding for capital projects, like BEP or the Lang Music Building renovation, comes from three main sources: explicitly restricted gifts to the College (Lang Music), debt financing (PPR Apartments), or

funding drawn annually from the endowment to meet renewal and replacement needs,” stated Vice President of Finances and Administration Gregory Brown in an email to the Phoenix. Kochavi, along with other members of the music faculty, views the Lang Music Building as an essential part of the Swarthmore community and experience. Acting as a space for educational and musical exposure, the Swarthmore campus and community take

advantage of the Lang Music Building to learn and emerge themselves in music. “Our concert hall is not just a gem for the campus, but it provides what many consider to be the best small hall concert experience in the greater Philadelphia area. Its physical dialogue with the Crum Woods is arguably the most successful architectural example of this kind on campus,” said Kochavi. “These renovations will provide much needed love to our

DU Reopens Amid Scrutiny of Greek Life Bess Markel News Writer

After being closed for the Fall 2018 semester, Delta Upsilon Fraternity will host its first party on March 23. Its reopening comes soon after the publication of a school-sanctioned report examining the role of Greek life at Swarthmore, and a new substance-free housing policy of the national Delta Upsilon Fraternity. According to DU president, Zach Gonzalez ’19, the fraternity was closed in the fall because it violated campus party guidelines at their Spring 2018 formal, which was held off campus, by not registering the event under a party permit. They plan to rebegin hosting open parties this semester, while following the new substance-free housing policy put in place by the national charter. DU’s national charter announced in May 2018 that as of August 2018, there would be restrictions on alcohol in houses, including a ban on hard alcohol (which is already banned by the college at registered events) and stipulations on storage of beer and wine consumption and distribution. As of August 2020,

all alcohol will be banned from DU houses. “The Board of Directors has passed a substance-free housing policy that will take effect Aug. 1, 2020. This means that within two years, no alcohol, tobacco or other drugs will be stored or used in a DU chapter facility, regardless of a member’s age. To help chapters ease into this transition, beginning Aug. 1, 2018, all hard alcohol will be removed from chapter housing, and there will be stipulations on where beer and wine may be stored, consumed and distributed within a chapter house,” stated the announcement. According to Gonzalez, the national policy change will have no effect on the parties at DU. “The substance-free housing is in relation to having alcohol in brothers’ private rooms. We plan on following this once it is enforced, but this does not mean we will be unable to host social events with alcohol present,” wrote Gonzalez to the Phoenix. The reopening of DU comes in the context of institutional review of Greek life culture on campus. On March 8, the Task Force on Student Social Events and Community Standards released a special report

examining social life on campus. Under the direction of President Smith, the task force met with many student groups to discuss, among other things, the impact of Greek life on campus social life. These groups included both DU and Phi Psi, as well as the group Organizing for Survivors which has advocated for the fraternities to no longer have control over their houses. It also included the feedback from many individual students. Some representative responses from the feedback collected were published in the March 8 report. The report included perspectives on fraternities, recognizing that they provide social events and another culture on campus. However, the majority of the feedback on Greek life highlighted concerns centering exclusion and inequality of resources. These included concerns about the fraternities playing a disproportionate role in campus social life, controlling a party space that includes a bedroom, fostering a toxic environment that makes other students feel unsafe, and being a place where reported and unreported accounts of sexual violence take place. Several students reported that they have

safety concerns when going to parties at the frats. “First-hand accounts were provided by survivors of sexual violence that occurred at or originated at fraternity houses. Several people shared that they believe more incidents occur than are reported due to fear of retaliation,” read one of the quotes in the report. Daria Una Mateescu ’20 believes that both fraternity houses on campus, including DU’s, should be permanently repurposed; like some people in the report, she believes they hold undeserved social power on campus. “Frats are premised on misogyny, perpetuate misogyny, and have tacky parties where, understandably, massive amounts of alcohol need to be consumed to look around and not feel sick with disgust,” Mateescu wrote to The Phoenix. Feedback included in the report discussed how the frats always have access to a hosting space because they have their own houses. In contrast, other groups face greater obstacles to hold events because they have to secure limited space on campus. “Because of their control of a house and access to dues

money for alcohol, fraternities play a disproportionately large role in campus social life. Other campus groups find it much more difficult to organize events, especially events with alcohol,” read a quote in the report. While recent changes in alcohol policy have resulted in an increase in the number of alcohol referrals and a decline in the number of open parties on campus, DU’s reopening will lead to an increase in the number of open parties held on-campus. OSE reported that for Spring 2018, 63 reported closed parties were hosted compared to 38 open ones. In Fall 2018, only 24 out of 80 reported parties were open. DU plans to continue hosting open campus parties on Thursdays and Saturdays. “If fraternities continue to control the houses, then these spaces should be made available more broadly for use by other campus groups, either in partnership with the fraternity or by using the space independently,” one commenter said on the report. According to Gonzalez, the fraternity hopes to open up their space to other groups and create better connections with the rest of campus.

“In an effort to make the space feel more open to the entire campus, we will be working to co-host some social events in our space with different campus groups,” he said. “We will also try to put together a Band Night where different student bands can come perform in our house. These events have been very fun and great ways of bringing the campus community together in the past.” According to Gonzalez, DU hopes to be a larger presence on campus outside of the party scene by hosting events such as study halls with snacks and philanthropic events. DU hopes that these events will allow the campus to see their organization in a different light. As DU reopens in an everchanging party scene at Swat, the conversation around DU’s role and place will inevitably continue. The task force will be making recommendations to President Smith around the role of Greek life on campus by the end of April.

Friends Historical Library Hires New Curator Gidon Kaminer News Writer On Wednesday March 6, College Librarian Peggy Ann Seiden announced that Jordan Landes would be joining the school community as the new curator of the Friends Historical Library. “The curator is our public face, the person who is not only the administrator of the library but is also responsible for maintaining relationships with faculty, students, and researchers outside the community,” said Archivist and Former Interim Curator of the Friends Historical Library Pat O’Donnell. Landes arrived at Swarthmore after an extensive career devoted to working at libraries, a journey that she began at the Haverford’s very own Quaker Collection where she worked as an undergraduate student, and will continue at Swarthmore’s Friends Historical Library. After graduating from

Haverford, Landes earned a Master of Library Science Degree from the University of Maryland and a PhD from the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. She has worked in libraries spanning a wide range of topics throughout her career, including computer science at the University of Maryland Computer Science Department’s library, history at the University of London’s library, contemporary dance at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and theater at Shakespeare’s Globe. Landes stood out as the clear choice for the position. “The search committee process was somewhat arduous. Finding a person who knows anything about Quakers and anything about libraries is basically a unicorn,” said archivist Celia Caust-Ellenbogen. “We got a huge number of applications, most of them were academics who wanted to work at Swarthmore and didn’t know anything about

libraries and often didn’t know much about Quakers either, or they were librarians and archivists who similarly didn’t know anything about Quakers ... So when we saw Jordan it was like an oasis in the desert.” According to O’Donnell, the committee was aware of Landes even before she applied, and considered her a strong potential candidate because of her background and expertise. “She was on everyone’s shortlist. We were just delighted, we thought she’d be a really great fit in the campus culture so we brought her to campus to give a talk and she got a lot of really positive comments,” said CaustEllenbogen. Audience members of a multitude of backgrounds and interests were enthused by Landes and her presentation. “There were some local Quakers in attendance that were really happy with her, those of us on the committee were happy with her professional qualifications,

the academics were impressed by her academic qualifications (since she has a PhD and has published a book). She really was the perfect intersection,” said Caust-Ellenbogen. After spending an extended portion of her career in the United Kingdom, Landes has returned to the United States. “It’s the records and collections that brought me back to the Quakers. Quakers have always been diligent on record keeping,” said Landes. “During the English Civil War there were a lot of dissenting sects, and the Quakers are among the few that survived. I’d like to think that was because of the record keeping, which allowed them to stay organized in a certain structure. Quaker record keeping was initially a huge part of the faith: publishing, corresponding, and writing Epistles.” Though the records date back centuries, Landes maintains that the collection is still relevant today.

“Activism has always been a part of Quakerism and of Swarthmore, it has been a continual thread, and right now in this moment it is a particularly strong one,” she said. O’Donnell recalled a particular event when the archives proved pertinent to modern student activism. “Some years back the group of people who started Mountain Justice [the predecessor to Sunrise] came in and looked at our records on how students managed to get the college to divest of companies that promoted or tolerated apartheid. So Mountain Justice came in to see how they did it, what techniques helped, and what mistakes they made so they could try to not repeat them,” said O’Donnell. The significant impact that Quakers have had throughout their history merits their writings for preservation, said O’Donnell. “You’ve got this relatively small sect that managed to

make an incredible difference in the world in so many ways, and I think it’s really important to preserve the record of how they went about doing this, how this small group of people made such a large impact,” she said. Landes is eager to advance study of Quaker history at Swarthmore. “I’m particularly excited to reach out to students who may not have thought of coming in to here, as well as reaching out to the community and to different researchers from outside the College,” she said. “The job will be a certain amount of administration, so some of it will be negotiating that, but anything in higher education involves that,” said Landes. “But there’s room to shape what I want to do in promoting the collections.”

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Power in The Philadelphia Flower Show Rachel Lapides Arts Writer

hroughout history, art and nature have intertwined and informed each other. Nowhere is this clearer than in the Philadelphia Flower Show’s annual celebration of all things floral, which rejoices in the coalescence of the two, both organic and cultivated. According to the event’s website, the “nation’s largest and longestrunning horticultural event” has a different theme each year. With an eye on this year’s theme, “Flower Power,” many exhibits examined the hippie counterculture movement of the 1970’s, as well as nature’s role in wellness and equality. Flowers have long been associated with spring, a time of renewal and rejuvenation after the stagnancy of winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly acronymized as SAD) is a significant issue for students of Northeast colleges like Swarthmore. While many students embarked on a lucky escape to the West Coast or Miami’s sunny beaches, many students were unable to afford to travel to somewhere warm during spring break. Beyond the important cultural experience that traveling brings, the yearly migration of students flying south for spring break has created a social capital phenomenon as well. In high schools and colleges across the nation, this stereotypical week of parties on beaches is guaranteed

to generate an Instagram feed clogged with beautiful sandy oceans, blossoming flowers, and bikini pictures. This is not to say that such an event is a sinful, decadent luxury, or that Swarthmore students who made their way closer to the equator were doing anything wrong. Quite the opposite is true. Exploration, the beauty of nature, and sunny skies are all important components of happiness and health. But the fact remains that these joys remain exclusive to those who can afford them, and the “spring break phenomenon” presents a clear class dichotomy. Flowers have carried meaning in many societies and class settings, becoming a universal and thus equalizing force. During the flower power movement, anti-war protestors employed nonviolent tactics, earning them the rhyming title to describe the strength of this commitment to peace. At the entrance, my friend and I were greeted by an enormous sculpture suspended in the sky. Rather than being made of marble or clay, the artwork was comprised of a much more delicate medium: flowers. Just like the collective force of passive protest during the Vietnam era, hundreds of tiny petals came together to form tremendous daisies, stems, and butterflies. Nature begets art begets nature. Immediately, the message of “Flower Power” was clear. Flowers were here, and they were powerful. The show had two main components. In the first part

Photo courtesy of Rachel Lapides

Photo courtesy of Visit Philly

of the event, the focus was on the aesthetic quality flowers can provide, and how they can be used as an artistic medium. Underneath the floating meadow was an international floral arrangement contest. These luxurious compositions not only included natural mediums, but synthetic textiles as well; textured rugs, painted walls, velvet ottomans, and occasional wine glasses completing the decor. Another notable piece functioned as a color wheel, each spoke separated by neon tubing and filled with flowers and plants of the corresponding color, the neon contrasting with the natural stems and buds. In the second part of the event, the show turned into a more practical exploration of the positive role nature can play in our lives. These exhibits were less man-made, instead displaying idyllic backwards, outdoor landscaping, sustainable solutions, or benefits in wellbeing. Structures such as “Cultivating Wellness from the Ground Up,” focused on the beneficial role that nature has on stress levels. My favorite display was “The Mindfulness Minute,” which encouraged viewers to take a minute to enjoy nature with their different senses. For example, a purple painted panel was covered in lavender and offered its relaxing scent. By the time the Flower Show closed (we

stayed there until the very end — 9:00 p.m.), the rainy downpour outside had turned to snow. But the feeling of spring remained. Swarthmore, too, could have many of the types of peaceful natural spaces that were on display. We are fortunate to live on one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. However, one of the things about an arboretum being a collection of trees is that they do what trees do — lose their leaves in the winter. While the grand branches of Swarthmore’s hundreds of trees provides beautiful silhouettes and receptacles of snow, the campus can feel barren and lifeless in the winter. As Spring break is not available to everyone, The Philadelphia Flower Show provides an excellent example on how the nature already present in Swarthmore can be transformed into pieces of art and practices of wellbeing. However, tickets to the event are on the expensive side (a little over $20 if you buy them early and with a student discount). With its status as an arboretum and commitment to sustainability, Swarthmore presents as passionate caretakers of the natural world. But this doesn’t necessarily translate to the student body, as the classification and upkeep of trees is quite out of our hands. Perhaps creating a wall of lavender or growing flowers indoor to bloom all year long would be a start.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Lapides

Spring Forward: Five Fresh Tracks for the New Season Tiffany Zheng Arts Writer

The first three months of the year have already proven 2019 to be an inspiring year for music. With new, much-anticipated releases from artists like James Blake, Kehlani, and Toro y Moi, there aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with the music coming out daily. Both well-established and up-and-coming artists are pushing the boundaries of genres and adding their unique flair to prove that they deserve to be in the world of music. As we enter the second quarter of 2019, here are a few tracks from a few artists on the rise to start off spring right.

Clones - Tierra Whack 2019 will undoubtedly be a huge year for Philadelphia native Tierra Whack. In addition to her musical talent, Whack’s slightly disturbing, but nonetheless intriguing visuals and eccentric artistic approach is unmatched by any other artist, and her music video for “Mumbo Jumbo” awarded her a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video. Following up on her fifteen minute project packed with a weirdly dark and playful concoction of rap and R&B, “Whack World,” Whack has released four tracks in 2019 thus far. “Clones” struck me in particular; the persistent buzzing background track maintains suspense throughout the song as Tierra Whack calls out her imitators. Never failing to inject some humor in her tracks, Whack somehow makes a mumbled delivery of the chorus fit “Clones” perfectly. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Tierra Whack as she releases a song each week in honor of “Whack History Month.”

Old Fashioned - Bruno Major

Two years after his debut album “A Song For Every Moon,” British R&B artist Bruno Major doesn’t miss a single step with a refreshing new cut of his 2014 song “Old Fashioned.” Known for his soulful lullabies and dreamy and intimate production, Bruno Major represents a soft, romantic side of R&B that feels both vulnerable and idyllic, alongside contemporaries like Daniel Caesar. In the track, he sings about the sweet and simple idea of being “old fashioned for you,” and manages to pack so much love into a song with such minimal production, that it seems like Major’s music was perfectly made for falling asleep in someone’s arms.

Have Mercy - YBN Cordae YBN Cordae once again proves to be one of the most talented members, if not the most talented member of the YBN collective, with new single “Have Mercy.” Finding fame with trap bangers like “Kung Fu,” Cordae showcase his potential to do it all through clever rhymes and wordplay. Many in the music industry have pointed out YBN Cordae’s ability to mix “old school and new school” elements of hip hop. “Have Mercy,” complete with a bold beat and strong lyrics that are simultaneously confident and humble, is no exception.

Naan by Childish Major (prod. Groove)

Atlanta producer turned artist Childish Major finds his groove with new release “Naan” available exclusively on Youtube. The song features bouncy yet smooth instrumentals that are undeniably catchy, accompanying Major’s unapologetic verses about moving on from an ex. Just under two minutes long, the track leaves listeners wanting more from Major, who continues to make his seamless transition from producing for artists like 6lack and J. Cole to making his own mark as an artist. Since releasing “Naan,” Childish Major has released a track every week, like Tierra Whack, all of which which showcase his vocal abilities and explore a more introspective side of Major. These consistent releases, as well as Childish Major’s recent collaborations with the HBO show “Insecure,” the Dreamville record label, and fellow artists shows that Major is definitely on the 2019 One’s to Watch List.

Tia Tamera (ft. Rico Nasty) - Doja Cat

In “Tia Tamera,” two badass female artists collaborate to bring listeners a bop and a half. Backed by a bright yet sinister beat, Doja Cat and Rico Nasty establish their commanding presence throughout the track with aggressive delivery and incredible energy. One need not look further than the title to see the funny and unabashed lyricism the two give their listeners — Doja Cat references Tia and Tamera, twins from 90’s sitcom “Sister, Sister,” to refer to her boobs throughout the song. In such a male-dominated industry, more tracks like these, from Doja Cat and other great female artists, might be just what we need in 2019.

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THE PHOENIX ARTS

March 21, 2019

Reflecting on Denice Frohman Shelby Dolch Opinions Editor Six years ago, in my first year of high school, I watched a spoken word poem performed online entitled, “Dear Straight People.” For the first time I heard the words, “Dear Queer Young Girl, I see you. You don’t want them to see you so you change the pronouns in your love poems to ‘him’ instead of ‘her.’ I used to do that.” That poem spoke to me because I was that queer young girl, sitting in the front of my creative writing class, trying to parse through the fact that I never saw the complexities of my identity within the quatrains and sonnets of the past. I remembered changing the names of the people I had crushes on in conversation so I wouldn’t be seen as the queer young girl. Now I embrace that label with pride. On Thursday, March 7, Denice Frohman, author of the poem referenced above, was the keynote speaker for Multi week. She shared poems throughout her speech, which was followed by a question and answer session for the audience of over 30 people in the Intercultural Center Dome. She acknowledged the artistic lineage that came before her, knowing that her ability to write as she does comes from them. She cited Cherríe Moraga, author of “This Bridge Called My Back,” as one of her major inspirations many times. “The books that mattered most to me were not assigned to me,” she said, explaining how Moraga had impacted her work. This set the tone of many portions of her speech where she recommended different authors and books for the audience to read. After she said the name of the book she would look

Photo courtesy of Shelby Dolch

out across the audience and remind them to “write this down,” often to the crowd’s laughter. Despite, or maybe because of the humor of her serious, almost motherly nature, many in the audience did, in fact, rush to write down all she said. The experience of not seeing ourselves within the literature that we are taught resonated with many of us in the audience. Frohman explained that poetry holds a duality, with “two or more points of tension,” which is part of the reason this form of writing spoke to her. She began writing while in college because it provided a way to contain all her parts — her Puerto Rican mother, her white Jewish father, and her queerness. It allowed her to reconcile the many times in her life where she was forced to choose what part of her identity she was more. Throughout her speech, she spoke about her constant struggle with whether she was “Latina enough.” For Frohman, she was constantly at odds with society over her Latinidad. She said that even her Latinidad was multi because of her Puerto Rican, white-passing identity. Frohman witnessed the constant discrimination her mother faced because she had a thick accent. The white Americans surrounding them viewed it as representative of intelligence rather than what it actually was — an accent. Frohman’s mother’s experiences were juxtaposed with her own. She knew that she was white-passing and that she had to teach herself Spanish, which was her mother’s first language. Eventually, Frohman realized that her language wasn’t always accessible to her mother. “I get you but I don’t always understand you,” Frohman’s mother told her once. After that,

Frohman always started her conversations with her mother in Spanish. When asked about how she found her voice in her writing, Frohman explained that it was more a matter of what kept her from it in the first place. She noted the failures in her public education that affected what she thought was within her reach. She now knows that there is a power in telling your own story and defining it for yourself. “You inherit a script of what you’re supposed to be,” Frohman explained. Those words resonated very deeply within me. The script that was given to me was one that I could never quite fit into — a puzzle piece that was the correct shape but one of the edges wasn’t quite right. To find happiness and contentment, I had to realize that I would never fit in that puzzle because it was the wrong one. Frohman’s poetry helped me to realize that — from high school to today. She put into words the stories so many people hold but don’t have the language to share. To then take that experience and see it all in person was an incredible experience that I could never put into words — at least not in a way that does it justice. Seeing the complexities of having identities that intersect and interact in a multitude of ways was so powerful because rarely in society do we ever allow people to be everything that they are, at once. We require people to pick the part of themselves that they are the “most,” and then leave the rest of themselves behind. Denice Frohman shows us that we don’t have to dissect ourselves into fractions. We can be the complete versions of ourselves no matter what society asks of us.

Dear Ex: A Taiwanese Story About Losing and Regaining Love Carrie Jiang Arts Writer Recently available on Netflix, “Dear Ex” (2018) tells a story of a Taiwanese teenage boy who drifts apart from his mother after his father’s death. Both of them are trapped in a confronting situation with a young man who turns out to be the father’s lover for years, even before the boy’s parents were married. After finding out that the father left all of his insurance money to the man, the boy’s mother rushes into the man’s life and disturbs the peace that had once prevailed. The story revolves around a central figure who has already passed away, and the three main characters confront and compromise with one another through recalling their mutual memories with the deceased man. For instance, Chengxi (Joseph Huang), the teenage boy, has never had a tight bond with his mother Sanlian (Ying-xuan Hsieh), and the relationship they have had seems to be more distant after the death of his father. He has always known that his father is gay, and when Sanlian finds out and confronts with Jay (Roy Chiu), the “mistress,” Chengxi impulsively moves in with Jay as a rebellious act against his mother. During the days he spends with Jay, Chengxi gradually finds out about the deep love Jay still has for his deceased lover, which makes the boy also ponder the feelings he has for his father. Through a series of other hilarious yet warm-hearted incidents, Sanlian finally improves her mother-son relationship with Chengxi — she learns to show more caring side to her son, and the latter grows to understand her previous mental situation. This is supposed to be a tragedy, yet through the ways it is presented, we mostly receive a pleasant effect. What I found creative about the film is that there are animated doodles which seem to be drawn by Chengxi — the narrator —

throughout the movie, adding a delightful mood to an overall sad story. The directors Mag Hsu and Hsu Chih-yen purposefully included the doodles during the scenes where they could not afford good cutting technologies. The extremely low budget contributes to the ultimately visually pleasurable atmosphere to the movie’s overall effect. The intense relationship between the wife and the “mistress,” as well as the seemingly-suffering kid does not evoke any happiness in

the audience, and the memories they mutually share with the dead father add on to that grief. Yet the constantly appearing doodles, along with the warm color tones and the humorous narration by Chengxi build up a sharp contrast, reminding us there will always be positive aspects to things that are negative. Taiwan is one of the most welcoming LGBT film production sites compared to other Asian regions. A typical example would be Tsai Ming-

liang, a queer director with unique filmic characteristics who penetrates queerness into almost all of his works. “Dear Ex”, as a film directly about how queer identity conflicts with a seemingly heterosexual marriage, loosens the tension and shifts the audience’s attention to love itself — whether it is between man and man, man and woman, or mother and son. Perhaps it is just the existence of Chengxi that prevents Sanlian and Jay from battling with each other

to an extreme, and that is when we see the role of parental relationship being played into the relatively polarized positions of a heterosexual wife and the gay “mistress.” “Dear Ex” is a delightful dessert that is worth being enjoyed, one that often turns tragedy to comedy, and it teaches us about the situation LGBT groups have in the broader society of Taiwan. People with homosexual identities are still forced to make choices in favor of the

heteronormative context, and the so-called “correct marriage” can be fragile. Even though the film and media circle welcomes productions with such topics, and the filmmakers are already able to tell a story of love on the foundation of homosexual relationships, there is still much to work to do regarding sexuality recognition and inclusiveness in Taiwan.

OPINIONS

March 21, 2019 PAGE A5

EDITORIAL

hen we were in high school, college admissions officers taught us that we needed to be as involved as possible. We needed the hardest classes, the best grades, and the most leadership positions. This mindset not only put an inordinate amount of pressure on high school students — especially first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color — it also followed us into college. At Swarthmore, we pressure each other into hyperinvolvement on campus. Students can feel like if they’re not running from class to meetings to office hours to practices to the library with no time in between, they’re not doing enough. By creating a culture that idealizes overwork and exhaustion in academics and extracurriculars, many of us have found ourselves unable to devote time to the activities and people that we truly care about.

Participation in campus groups can, of course, be positive: it’s a way to make friends in a new environment, explore our interests, and learn how to work well with others. But sometimes, we join extracurriculars and accumulate leadership titles without thinking about the commitments we’re making. We compare ourselves to other students who always seem smarter, more involved, and more impressive. Either that, or we worry about whether employers will think we have enough experiences from campus activities to bolster our already obsessed-over academic record. But research shows that in terms of career success and fulfillment, the best thing students can leave college with is a passion; the worst is indifference. And the fastest path to indifference is burnout. Being a conscientious leader takes much of one’s time and energy. So do classes here, and

Why Swat? Sydney Covitz Op-Ed Contributor

The American news cycle is, frankly, boring me. There is nothing interesting to editorialize, in part because the presidential election has not yet transfigured into a meme. Facebook, Amazon, and Google are still trying to ruin the world one ad campaign at a time, security regulations have not yet caught up with the tech industry, Trump is never going to stop telling us he is God’s gift to the economy, and the Democratic Party is still in the midst of an identity crisis. Here at Swat, the admissions office has just read through over 11,000 “Why Swarthmore?”

essays and sent out acceptance letters to the new members of the class of 2023. In order to help these accepted students make their decision about Swat, I have constructed below an essay that I believe best exemplifies the true essence of Swarthmore. Why Swarthmore As a Swarthmore student, you will get a lot of emails about van rides. Van rides are great, but are they great enough to justify the 100+ emails we receive about them every week? That is a question for you to consider, should you choose to attend this institution. It took me until sophomore

so do campus jobs, and so does being in a place where we are constantly around other people. In the dash to squeeze every last minute out of college, we forget that there’s nothing wrong with having enough time to not have to do readings for our 1:15 class while shoving Chinese food down our throats in Sci Commons.We should stop expecting ourselves to do it all when it’s more than enough to concentrate on doing a few things well. More importantly, we should stop expecting others to do it all. We need to re-envision involvement on campus. We should strive for our activities to fulfill us, and not for them to check a metaphorical box on our list of things we believe we should do. The college experience does not need to be an aggregation of different titles and endeavors; instead, we should aim to follow our interests and give ourselves time to commit deeply. And this doesn’t always mean following

convention, as some interests don’t have clubs or classes that go along with them. Debate as long as you enjoy debating. Write for The Phoenix as long as you enjoy writing, care about seeking the truth, and are passionate about journalism. Play a sport as long as you love playing that sport. Volunteer as long as giving back fulfills you. The everpresent, elusive Elite Grad School or Well-Paying Job may like to see perfect grades; but in the future, a test score from a class you weren’t interested in won’t matter. You’ll instead remember spending hours working on a boat for the Crum Regatta with your friends, working to organize a public film screening, or talking to your professors well beyond office hours end. Do what you care about— and don’t worry about what your classmates will think about it.

year to figure out the difference between SBC and SGO, Lang and Lang, and Clothier and Clothier. In my computer science Artificial Intelligence class, we are learning how to program ourselves out of a job when we fail to be better at programming than the hacker teenager living in his neighbor’s basement. Being the elite liberal arts institution that we are, of course, we read a lot of Foucault. If I had a dollar for every time Foucault was assigned at this school I would probably be able to buy Wharton an air conditioner. We get up every day, go to class, and receive different lenses through which we

can look at the world. To be honest, these “lenses” tend to confuse the hell out of me. If we are looking at a chair with a modernist interpretation through an anthropological, sociological lens tinted with a splash of psychoanalytics, will we actually see the chair, or will we just see fuzzy remnants of our own confused, hyperfocused yet sleep-deprived brains? Don’t even get me started on the emails. I swear Swat students get more emails per day than the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. I honestly believe we spend more time reading (deleting) emails than actually attending the events these emails describe.

THE

With Activities, Quality Over Quantity

PHOENIX

Shreya Chattopadhyay, Editor-in-Chief Bayliss Wagner, Managing Editor Laura Wagner, Managing Editor NEWS Naomi Park, Editor Trina Paul, Editor ARTS Esther Couch, Editor Nicole Liu, Editor CAMPUS JOURNAL Dylan Clairmont, Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY Atziri Marquez, Editor LAYOUT Sarah Chang, Editor Catherine Zhao, Editor COPY Anatole Shukla, Chief Editor BUSINESS Robert Conner, Manager SOCIAL MEDIA Abby Diebold, Editor

OPINIONS Shelby Dolch, Editor Max Katz-Balmes, Editor

DIGITAL OPERATIONS Daniel Chaiken Navdeep Maini

SPORTS Jack Corkery, Editor Ping Promrat, Editor

One time I ran into a window in a library after six straight hours of exams. This was not a high point for me. It was painful, and I ended up with a concussion. To summarize, at Swat, we get up every day, go to class, internalize existentialism, do eighteen hours of homework, sleep (maybe), rinse, and repeat. And for what? So we can become “productive” members of society? Please tell me how getting addicted to Sharples french fries and being able to analyze Foucault renders you in any way productive. Honestly, most of us are so lacking in social skills we could use a lesson in basic conversation.

EMERITUS Keton Kakkar Ganesh Setty

The End. Anyways, I sincerely hope prospective students do come here. This is a pretty exceptional place, despite the fact that in the outside world, you will be asked if you meant Skidmore, if you go to an all women’s college, how to spell “S-w-a-rt-h-m-o-r-e,” and whether or not it is a community college. However, regardless of the questions with which you will inevitably be confronted about this place away from the Swat bubble, know with certainty that you will be reaping the benefits of this place for the rest of your life.

Everyone Should Get Vaccinated Giorgia Piantanida Op-Ed Contributor

Anti-vaxxers seem to have recently risen from the ashes of misinformation campaigns, and their voices are seemingly louder now than ever before. They refuse to vaccinate their children and are often regarded as evil, uneducated individuals who could not possibly want the best for their children. Some may indeed be like that. But the majority of anti-vaxxers are confused about vaccinations, and to keep their children ‘safe’, they opt out. The majority of anti-vaxxers fear there may be a link between vaccinations and autism, and they refuse to gamble with the development of their child. Besides the link not having any solid scientific proof, it also highlights the ableism that is involved behind these decisions — parents are actively arguing that they would prefer a dead child over a child with autism. But anti-vaxxers aren’t just focused on autism and vaccinations — they also think ingredients in vaccines are toxic, citing concerns such as too many metals in injections. Otherwise they may voice concern over the lack of testing vaccinations have gone through, which is not true because vaccines aren’t even available to the public before serious tests have been done on them. Sometimes, they argue that infants receive too many vaccines in too short of a time, and their immune systems are unable to keep up, although science has proven that vaccines are necessary as the baby loses its maternal protection. Lately, it seems as though this movement has been becoming even stronger, with the voices of anti-vaxxers becoming louder as their numbers increase. To people outside the movement, the anti-vax movement makes little to no sense — vaccines have eradicated diseases that used to wipe out populations, and they have been lifesavers for countless individuals. So it feels counterintuitive to reject a generally accepted safety practice when we are living in the 21st century. And the surreal part is that the real victims of this movement, the children, do not get a say. Parents have the

ultimate decision making power, and if they refuse vaccinations, no matter how much the child might benefit from them, the children cannot legally get them. And this has led to severe outbreaks of mostly eradicated diseases, such as measles. Recently, a severe measles outbreak occurred in New York, and lawmakers have decided to step up and do something about it. According to the New York Times, lawmakers are trying to get a bill passed that allows fourteen-year-olds to get their shots without parental consent, in an attempt to slow down the outbreak crisis. And this is the kind of legislation we should be moving towards. We can’t keep letting children live eighteen years without the right to vaccination, thereby endangering their right to life. We have a duty to protect the vulnerable, and while granting vaccination rights to kids fourteen and older is a start, we must make these lifesaving vaccinations mandatory. Of course there would have to be versions of vaccines created for those with allergies, and they should be affordable for all. But those details are part of the process we would have to undergo in order to make them mandatory. We have to shift our focus from claims of the dangers of vaccination, which have no kind of root in real science, and instead ensure that children are able to fully access their healthcare and maintain their right to a healthy life. The anti-vax movement stems from a massive campaign of misinformation that started at the same time as the creation of vaccinations in the early 1800s. By the time the UK established the Vaccination Act of 1853, which made it illegal to refuse vaccines for infants, citizens were openly protesting. They argued the law went too far and took away their rights to make decisions about their children’s health, but as time went on and the positive effects of vaccinations became obvious and protests decreased. But some people hung on to the anti-vax belief in the UK, and later spread to the US through British antivaxxers campaigning in America. Most recently, the anti-vaxxers

have exploded in numbers as social media posts went viral. There are now thousands, if not millions, of parents who refuse vaccinations on behalf of their children due to the danger of them ‘getting’ autism, a claim with no scientific backing. One doctor, Andrew Wakefield, in the last part of the 20th century, published a scientific study that claimed vaccinations were strongly linked to cases of autism. Some concerned parents picked this up and chose to run with it, probably without actually reading the paper. The doctor only bothered to study twelve individuals and had no control group, to name a few of the issues with his ‘experiment.’ He was actually stripped of his scientific titles after this paper, due to unethical behaviour, misconduct and dishonesty, but this didn’t stop him from trying to spread his research globally. And somehow, the parents that stand by his research haven’t bothered to look into it enough to understand the extent to which does not stand. But I don’t want

to focus on the unsubstantiated link of vaccines and autism today — I want to focus on the rights of the children who are not getting the full span of their healthcare because of their parents. We as a society, and the government specifically, have a duty to defend those who are incapable of defending themselves. But the children who are not legally allowed to vaccinate themselves against deadly disease, or those with dangerous illnesses, or those on immunosuppressants are not being protected to the same degree. Children should not be subjugated to endangering their lives because their parents read a few articles and think they know better than doctors. If anything, children should be legally forced to be vaccinated, to protect not only themselves but those around them. A choice should not be made readily available, especially if people are not being educated correctly about the vast number of benefits vaccinations actually deliver. Worldwide, vaccines actively

prevent 2-3 million deaths a year. According to the World Health Organization, vaccination is cost effective, because it gets to the root of the problem before the problem even begins, and if worldwide vaccinations were more accessible, another 1.5 million lives could be saved. In December 2010, the Meningitis A vaccine was introduced in Africa, and since then, the Men A epidemic has been nearly eradicated. Measles, which is a highly contagious virus, has declined by 84 percent globally through the use of vaccines. Polio, a disease that was once extremely widespread, is now almost completely eradicated, thanks to vaccines, with only three countries still experiencing high rates. Clearly, the health and economic benefits of vaccines are many. Besides the children who are not themselves getting vaccinated, any vulnerable individuals who live or exist near them and are not able to get their shots are placed at a higher risk for diseases. People who have cancer,

or any number of other illnesses, are not able to get vaccinated with a regular schedule, or at all, so they must rely on their classmates and friends to get vaccinated to create that barrier for them. These children whose parents want the best for them, who want them to be happy and healthy, are then being placed at an even higher risk of contracting another deadly illness. Lawmakers do have a responsibility. They have a responsibility to protect these vulnerable people and can do so by implementing legislation that gives children more direct rights to their own bodies. As of right now, they are severely limited. These children must be protected, even if it means going against the wishes of their parents. Anti-vaxxers often base their claims on faulty scientific evidence, impose their demands on their children, who in turn are forced to suffer the consequences. And we cannot stand idly by and allow this to happen — it is time to make sure the children get their shots.

PAGE A6 March 21, 2019

Campus Journal ARTS FASHION FOOD LIVING PHILLY PROFILES ST YLES

Section of McCabe Second Quarantined for Unspecified Reason* Gidon Kaminer CJ Writer

cCabe second, the newest and hottest offering in the field of library study spaces, has quickly risen through the ranks to become the darling of most every student at the college. Even in a crowded field, facing tough competition from the social Cornell first and the visually stunning Underhill, the well-lit and expertly designed McCabe second stands out as a first-rate choice. But coming back from spring break, regular guests of McCabe second were unnerved to discover that a section of the floor’s seating area was cordoned off with caution tape, in a scene somewhere between a CSI episode and an Area 51 investigation. The alluringly mysterious auras of the dramatic scene have swirled around the minds of the student body, and with time have congealed into theories regarding the root cause of the quarantine and its possible further implications. Some students immediately associated the quarantine with a biohazardous event. “I’m pretty sure someone here has mumps,” said Kiaan Rooney ’22. “Actually never mind, Alice Holland sent

out that false alarm email a few days ago.” Rooney added, “Well still I guess hand, foot, & mouth disease is always an issue, maybe it can be transmitted via furniture as well?” “This is a natural outcropping of the Cornellification of the college,” said Katy Knowles ’21. “People go to Cornell to socialize, not to study. Then they brought Cornell to McCabe when they redesigned, and now they had to shut down part of the redesigned floor because people were being too loud and it was distracting to the rest of us,” explained Knowles. “I’m glad they did it, because it has been impossible to work here recently, but I would rather they just have not redesigned McCabe in the first place. We already have one Cornell, we don’t need more of them.” Tommie Wright ’19 has always had a great affinity for the new seats, and yet strangely enough he actually strongly supports the school’s choice to make them inaccessible to students. “These chairs are just too nice. Their craftsmanship is superb, the way the textured fabric seamlessly cascades over the curves of the arm rests is exquisite. It would be a terrible fate if these chairs would end up soiled by Sharples takeout and nasty body oils.” Wright continued, adding, “We

don’t deserve these chairs. They are too good for us and we are not worthy of them. They belong in a museum, not in this perverse exhibitionist display for them to be touched and violated by anyone who comes by.” “It’s basic economics,” said economics major Natasha Corx ’22. “It’s supply and demand. The first thing you learn in Intro to Econ.” Corx explained, “Clearly the demand for these chairs was not high enough. But the college already invested money in them, they’re brand new, and they want them to be more popular so that it looks like a more worthwhile purchase. So by decreasing the supply of chairs available, the demand for the rest of the chairs will increase, and the college can justify this expense more easily.” Sociology major Ismail Murillo ’19 believes that the containment area might have something to do with a class he is in this semester. “My sociology class is all about how people interact with their surroundings, how they react when they encounter the unexpected, how being unable to continue with your routine makes you aware of a routine that you might not even have been consciously aware of in the first place.” He explained, “so this is probably a project that someone from class is doing right now, a public installation to

study how students will interact with this change.” “These chairs are just so nice that people would fight over who got to sit in them” said Clarice Lindsay ’20. “They were really a flashpoint for conflict, they brought out the absolute worst in people — envy, greed, wrath, pretty much all the sins you can think of,” she added. “That’s just not the kind of thing that

contributes to building a healthy and vibrant school community. We’re better off without them.” Even though the area is currently surrounded by caution tape, students can still reserve it through the online Swat Central portal if they wish to host events there. “It’s a fairly coveted space, with plenty of bright lights and a good central location on campus,” said

Director of Events Management Susan Eagar. Students wishing to reserve the space can visit 25live. collegenet.com/swarthmore to see upcoming events in the cordoned off area, and to reserve it for future events of their own.

*This article is satire.

Photo courtesy of author

Renaissance: A Phineas Phoenix Origin Story, Part One Anatole Shukla Chief Copy Editor Phineas Phoenix existed only to fulfill the curse that Venus had borne since she first surfaced, fully-formed, from frothing, frigid foam. With her air of majesty about him, Phineas shed his virgin egg-tooth as he reared his beak and bestowed in his former home its first puncture. The egg’s allure of safety — its comforting threat of captivity — no longer permeated his stubborn will. The first vision he ever glimpsed of the world in all its boldness was his nest, engulfed in flames. Flames of a vivid vermillion. Streaks of soft indigo meshed with gold. The brightness and all-encompassing warmth of those flames instilled in him a lingering desire for freedom and a thirst for a steady stream of knowledge. With nothing to follow him but his name and his trail of brilliant scarlet feathers, the infant Phineas took to the sunrise, searching for some haven to satisfy his flame of ambition. He counted the sunrises and sunsets as he flew and searched for his new home. Each day, they came more rapidly, one after other, a cycle of life and death. His feet never once touched the ground during the time that he sailed carelessly through the

Earth’s cyan sky, a burning star in his own right. When finally the noble phoenix tired of his quest, he spotted a building far below him — a mammoth building of herculean stature, composed of two enormous wings protruding from a majestic dome. Here, Phineas decided, he would rest his exhausted little body for the night. In the morning, he would hunt and fish for sustenance in the nearby creek. When his legs so much as touched the shingles of that lovely dome, however, he took to the air in fright as an explosion resounded beneath him. The building quickly took to flames, and before he processed the extent of his own destruction, a column of fury shot through the west side of the dome. Phineas looked at the rapidlygrowing cloud of smoke beneath him, mortified that he had become his own newly-selected home’s arsonist. The year was 1881, and the month was September. It took hours for firefighters to arrive from the nearby city of Philadelphia to squelch the apparent instance of arson, but by then, the building already sat in a pile of its own ashes and embers. Nobody ever found out what had caused the fire to begin with, but Swarthmore students thus referred to the incident as “The Great Fire”.

Phineas left the area thereafter, only returning once the building and dome had been rebuilt with newer, more flame-retardant materials. He lived in peace on top of that dome for another 102 years, circling around the tri-state area to brighten his days, and occasionally visiting his closest and dearest friend, Bryn Mawr’s Owl. In 1983, however, Phineas felt a pain in his chest, a pain whitehot and scorching his insides. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe, and rather than crashing down from the sky, he decided to take refuge on top of the nearest building. He coughed, and with that cough and tiny gust of fire that came with it, Phineas’s world no longer existed. As a solitary phoenix in a world of short-lived, ethereal birds, he knew not the fable of the manner in which phoenixes tend to live and die. An excruciating pain came over him as he coughed and sputtered about in the flames, and he felt the ceiling under him collapse in a pile of rubble and loose stone. When he woke up, he wondered where the Carnegie Library had disappeared, why he felt so helpless, and why, oh why, a layer of thick black soot suffocated him as he struggled to breathe. TO BE RESOLVED ON APRIL 4

Obituary: The Quiet Room Painting Jaimie Lopez CJ Writer Quiet Room Painting, at the young age of 20, passed away last Sunday, March 17 in the Quiet Room. The Quiet Room Painting was a project born out of love. It was painted by the participants of the Summer Community Learning Project in 1998. SCLP was an organization aimed toward bringing together “daughters and granddaughters of faculty and staff at Swarthmore over the summer and during the school year,” said Erica Turner in the Daily Gazette in 2007. The aim of the program was to “[bring] together girls from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds to learn about science, drama and other assorted subjects, become familiar with the college environment, think about being a girl and about others, and have

a college-aged female mentor.” The painting left its impression on the Swarthmore community. “I stared at it for hours and I still don’t understand it,” said an Avid Crumb Cafe Customer, who often came only to look at the painting itself. “I didn’t even know that this painting existed,” said Athlete Who Only Sits In the Main Room. The painting is survived by other iconic Sharples art like Man Eating Greasy Pizza and Man Eating Crispy Chicken, both by Maisie Luo ’19. The painting rests on the top floor, forever watching over the patrons of the Sharples Quiet room. It will be sorely missed. Services will be held this Friday at the Crumb at 10 p.m. Editor’s note: The Quiet Room Painting is not in fact dead, and has simply been moved upstairs. That being said, it might as well be dead, as it has lost its identity as the “Quiet Room Painting.”

Nara Enkhtaivan / The Phoenix

March 21, 2019

THE PHOENIX CAMPUS JOURNAL

PAGE A7

The Dorms as Astrological Signs Emma Lee Miller CJ Writer

DESTINATIONS Author’s note: ThisAmay be a controversial article. However, placement in your astrological chart, but equal to moon, rising, mercury, venus, and mars B if you disagree remember that the sunCsign is not the most important Admissions Office (Parrish Hall) .................................... 1 B2 placements! Alice Paul Hall ................................................................ 52 C3 ARIES: Willets Beardsley Hall ................................................................ 14 B2 Black Center (Robinson House)with .................... C2immature sign, than a dorm known 71 What Cultural other dorm should be associated Aries, the68most To Springfield, Bond Memorial Hall ....................................................... 58 C2 and confident, which describe the for its wild first-year population? Aries are impulsive, energetic, Baltimore Pike, Clothier Field .................................................................. 41 B4 with the stench of Saturday night’s and I-476 energies of this hall no matter the day. With the floors covered Clothier Memorial Hall ................................................. A2 domain. vomit no one bothered to clean up, this is for sure this fi20 re sign’s Cornell Science and Engineering Library (Science Center) .......................................................... 6 A2 70 NORTH TAURUS: Woolman Cunningham Fields and Tennis Courts ....................... 61 C2 Cunningham House....................................................... 67 B2 Taurus, the sign of the bull, is known for its stubborn, picky, and luxurious qualities. The Woolman 11 9 Cunningham North lot .................................................. 62 C2 12 resident lounges in the arguably biggest rooms offered on campus. Due to the location, residents Cunningham South lot .................................................. 51 C3 either don’t leave, or, when they do leave, do not return until the end of the day, showing the lazy 10 Dana Hall......................................................................... 25 A3 attributes of this dorm. Dwell Hall ........................................................................ 24 A3 8 69 David Kemp Hall ............................................................ 53 C3 GEMINI: Danawell Dean Bond Rose Garden .............................................. 17 B2 Dean’s Office (Parrish Hall)............................................. 1 B2 Gemini is one of the more debated signs of the zodiac, just as Danawell is. It is either loved or Delta Upsilon House...................................................... 29 A3 7 hated by the residents. Gemini is a communicative sign, and in this dorm many people gather, be it 13 68 16 DuPont parking lot .......................................................... 9 A1 in the impressive new kitchen or in the lobby to use the projector with friends. Eldridge Commons (Science Center)........................... 7 A2 15 Essie Mae’s Café (Clothier Hall).................................... 20 A2 14 CANCER: Mertz Facilities Management (Service Bldg.) ........................ 40 B3 6 64 Faulkner Tennis Courts ................................................. 26 A3 62 67 65 Cancer is all aboutLibrary the home. MertzLibrary) looks like a comfy lodge due to its warmly lit halls and Friends Historical (McCabe ............... 18ski B2 66 5 17 wood and brick design. Not only that, but Mertz literally has a hearth — what cozier attributes does it 63 2 Hallowell Hall ................................................................. 23 A3 need to be recognized as Cancer? Hicks Hall ........................................................................ 13 B2 4 3 Inn at Swarthmore .......................................................... 49 C3 58 18 61 LEO: Wharton AB (Clothier Hall)............................... 20 A2 Intercultural Center 57 1 Interfaith Center (Bond Hall)......................................... 58 C2 Wharton AB isArt defiGallery nitely a.............................................. fire sign in part due to its concentration of eight freshman on each 59 Kitao Student 28 A3 floor. Neither Aries (not messy enough) nor Sagittarius (not obnoxious enough), Wharton AB’s Kohlberg Hall and Coffee Bar ....................................... 2 A2 56 55 enthusiasm forField socializing apparent, marking them as37Leos. 60 Lamb-Miller Houseis ............................................... B3Plus, Wharton AB knows they’re the best dorm (for underclassmen, at the very least), showing off their Leo conceit. BENJAMIN WEST 21 19 Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility ....... 12 B1 20 Lang Music Building and Concert Hall.......................... 4 A2 VIRGO: Alice Paul &Center David(LPAC) Kemp............................. 3 A2 Lang Performing Arts 54 List Gallery (LPAC) ............................................................ 3 A2 22 23 Virgo is ............................................................................ known for being the worker of the zodiac. Alice Lodges 63 Paul C2 & David Kemp both, with their 53 24 lighting smells, come off more like an office building Magill and Walk .................................................................... 19than B2a home. Virgo also is the ruler of 51 the sixth Biological house, a house associated with health, which is5fitting 31 Martin Laboratory ........................................ A2 for dorms that are reminiscent of a 52 25 hospital. Mary Lyon Hall ................................................................ 42 B5 26 Matchbox ....................................................................... 34 A3 28 IA LIBRA: McCabe Library ............................................................. 18 B2 H Wharton CD & PPR 27 P 29 30 DEL HILA P Mertz Hall ....................................................................... 54 C3 O T 50 INS An air sign, Libras are .................................................... known for their communication. CD is the side that houses TRA Mullan Tennis Center 36Wharton A4 A I upperclassmen. People here do their own thing, and are either burnt out by their workload or have D Off-Campus Study (Cunningham House) ................... 67 B2 E OM TRAINS T gone the end of eight or so semesters. Libras 56 are known Oldinsane Tarbleby ...................................................................... B2 for their compromising live-and32 let-live attitude, which is reflected in the attitudes of Wharton PPR Apartments ............................................................. 43 B4 CD and PPR residents, who do their 40 a 33 49 own thingHall here. Palmer ..................................................................... 46 C4 Parrish Hall ...................................................................... 1 B2 Swarthmore Town Center 34 Peace Collection (McCabe Library) ............................. 18 B2 SCORPIO: Hallowell/Dana & the Lodges 37 39 Pearson Hall ................................................................... 16 B2 35 Dana/Hallowell is known for its labyrinthine hallways, to be designed in order to keep Phi Psi House ................................................................. 30rumored B3 38 SOUTH 48 Pittenger Hall ................................................................. C4 for its potential for manipulation. In students from protesting effectively. Similarly, Scorpio 45 is known 47 Public Safety House) C2 the Lodges, each(Benjamin dorm hasWest access to the ......................... others through57 an underground tunnel system. While locked 36 Hall ................................................................... 44 B4passageways are clear indicators of upRoberts by the college for safety reasons, these secretive, dramatic Scheuer Room (Kohlberg Hall)...................................... 2 A2 Scorpio energy here. 46 Science Center ............................................................... 7 A2 43 Scott Arboretum Offices (Cunningham 45 SAGITTARIUS: Wharton EF & WorthHouse) ......... 67 B2 41 Scott Outdoor Amphitheater ....................................... 21 A2 N Sharples Dining Hall for ..................................................... 31 like B3 the social scene in Wharton EF. It’s Sagittarius is known its off-the-wall personality, just 44 Swarthmore Meeting 69 B1 is. Sagittarius is also known for always so loud Friends there, usually for....................................... no reason — just as Sagittarius and Community 49 inC3 itsSwarthmore unreliabilityCampus and unrealistic ideas due Store to its.............. detriment Mercury. In Worth, it’s almost a given Pavilionand ............................................................... 38be B4 forTarble the washers dryers in the laundry room to always full, and for laundry to sit for hours Title House ................................................................ 33forB3 after itsIXcompletion. Why is there only one laundry room so many students? An unrealistic idea Train Stationin(SEPTA) .................................................... 50 C3 To Chester implemented a dorm where unreliable residents dwell. and I-95 Trotter Hall ..................................................................... 15 B2 Underhill Music and Dance Library (Lang Music) ....... 4 A2 CAPRICORN: Parrish Visitor’s Center (Benjamin West House)...................... 57 C2 Ware Pool ....................................................................... 35 often A4 seen doing productive activities An administrative building during the day, students are Water Tower parking lot ................................................. 8 here such as doing homework or getting their mail. At night,A1 however, parties are held here, ranging West Field House Laneinparking lot.............................. 32 radio B3 room. This dorm is not as quiet as from alternative parties the lounges to pregames in the Whartonand Hallfollows .................................................................. 22 A3 expected, the attitude of “work hard, play hard” that this goat of the star follows. Whittier Hall .................................................................... 11 B1 MAP OF THE CAMPUS Willets Hall ..................................................................... 65 C2 AQUARIUS: Mary Lyon Visitors may park in designated lots Wister Center ................................................................. 66 B2 Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Women’s Resource Center ........................................... 27Lyon A3 in its location a mile away from Aquarius has an independent reputation, as does Mary and in any lot at other times. Woolman House ........................................................... 71 B1 swirled around this dorm, from plots campus. Just as Aquarius is known for its mystery, rumors have Worth Hall ...................................................................... 64 C2 of the administration placing the quiet students here after complaints by the local Swarthmore Key Worth Health Center ..................................................... 55 C2energy definitely lurks here. residents and tales of raucous basement sex parties. Aquarius College entrance 101 S. Chester Road ...................................................... 47 C4 Parking lot ENTRANCES VISITOR PARKING PISCES: PPR AND Apartments 42 Benjamin West entrance ............................................... 60 C2 Destination North entrance ............................................................... 70 B1 Honestly, I am not sure what goes on at PPR Apartments, but mystery and confusion is typically Electric vehicle charging South entrance ............................................................... C4are disconnected from reality, which is Pisces-related behavior. Pisces are very imaginative and48 often Accessible parking Map courtesy of Swarthmore College; Graphic by Sarah Chang Benjamin West lot of .......................................................... C2 space, neither off-campus nor onsimilar to the status PPR Apartments as they fall into59 a murky Accessible path Field House lotJust ............................................................... 39 the B3planet of travel, PPR Apartments’ out campus housing. as Pisces is in detriment in Mercury, ...................................................................... 10 B1 ofWhittier the way lot location makes them hard to travel to.

08/2017

Local News, Digitization, and Democracy: a Panel When: 7 pm on Monday, April 1, 2019

Guest Speakers Thomas Hjelm ’81 is Chief Digital Officer of NPR.

He oversees NPR’s digital product, design, technology and operations teams while leading organizational strategies for innovation and growth across existing and evolving platforms. He also works closely with partners across the public radio system to develop and execute strategies for network collaboration, as well as with major distribution platforms.

Eugene Sonn ’95 is the Audio News Director

of WHYY. Under his direction, WHYY has won the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association Joe Snyder Award for Outstanding News Service several times. He lead the team through coverage of the Amtrak train #188 crash in Philadelphia, Pope Francis’ visit, the 2016 Democratic National Convention among other big stories.

Elizabeth Hansen ’02 studies viable models

for local news. She is the academic lead for the business models for news program at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at the Kennedy School, an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and a fellow at The Tow Center for Digital Journalism at the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Sasha Issenberg ’02 is an American journalist.

His articles have been published in Philadelphia, Slate, the Washington Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Boston, The Boston Globe, Monocle and George, where he was a contributing editor. He is the author of the book The Sushi Economy which was published in May 2007. He is also the author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns about the new science of political campaigns. He has also written a book on medical tourism. His most recent book is on same-sex marriage.

PAGE A8

THE PHOENIX CAMPUS JOURNAL

March 21, 2019

Swat Ed: Deep Throat BY P. AFDERSEX ’69

wat Ed is The Phoenix’s biweekly sex education Q & A. We accept all questions and they are kept completely anonymous. If you’re looking for medical advice or a diagnosis for that weird thing on your genitals, get in touch with a medical professional! For everything else, email swatedquestions@gmail. com. Today’s subject matter is oral sex on a penis and the societal expectations around the act of fellatio. I read the previous “Deep Dive” from last semester and wondered if you could go in depth on oral sex involving a penis in the same way. I don’t hook up with people very much but in my experience, I’ve nearly always gone down on my partners and I don’t think that they feel the same sense of obligation. I don’t mean that they never go down on me, I just don’t think that they’re as motivated to do it. What’s up with that? - Going down, yelling timber While all facets of sexuality and sexual behavior are influenced by societal perceptions and beliefs, fellatio has an interesting place in American sexual history. According to 1994’s Sex in America, the most definitive study on sexual behavior of its time, a minority of women over 50 years of age had ever

engaged in fellatio in their lives, while three quarters of women under 35 had. Previously, oral sex was considered even more intimate than intercourse and something one would only do with their spouse, if at all. The scandals of President Bill Clinton prompted a mass of news-cycle fearmongering, with magazines, talk shows and parenting groups warning that young people were engaging in an epidemic of oral sex. The Clinton scandal and the news coverage of fellatio among young people probably contributed to the act entering the mainstream, as did the rise and prevalence of internet porn. Federally mandated abstinenceonly programs, which began in the early 1980s, have also probably contributed to this. The programs push to avoid intercourse at all costs, narrowly defining a loss of virginity as penis-invagina intercourse. Oral sex is therefore an easy workaround of the system, supported by the fact that religious students are more likely to say that oral sex is not sex. Given the sexual revolution, porn, media coverage, and abstinence-only education, it makes more sense that by age eighteen two-thirds of teenagers have engaged in oral sex. Oral sex, therefore, emerged in popular culture as a sort of halfway point between something that relatively benign like kissing and the “all the way” or “home run” of sexual intercourse. That middle ground

gives it an interesting and unique status as a sexual act. There’s a public perception among young people that it’s less of a big deal than “actual” sex (a perception that can have both positive and negative outcomes) and less risky than intercourse. There’s obviously no risk of pregnancy, but there is still STI transmission risk, and oral sex has been linked to rising rates of gonorrhea and herpes type 1. Many people report fellatio as less personal than intercourse and therefore fair game for a one-time hookup — if you don’t want to have intercourse, you can just fall back on fellatio and call it a night. Looking at fellatio in the social currency of hookup culture, we can see how it figures into the male-centric pattern of our society. Since fellatio isn’t perceived as quite so sexual or as big a deal as intercourse, it can be easier for people to justify pressuring others for it, verbally or with physical coercion. For givers, it can be perceived as easier to justify giving it to someone else just to get it over with. In “Deep Dive,” our focus was on cutting through societal misinformation and personal discomfort to give and receive cunnilingus successfully with a focus on pleasure. The pleasure of the receiver isn’t usually the issue when it comes to fellatio. We should pay attention instead to how the giver feels about the process and what the overall emotional and power dynamic

is between partners. If the giver feels as though they are placating their partner or trying to avoid being seen as prudish, there’s a problem. I’m mainly speaking about hookup events, not necessarily sex in romantic relationships, but these ideas are frequently applicable to sex in relationships. We should also note that oral feels like such a common and mainstream activity that it’s easy to forget some people don’t like giving or receiving or both, and that’s okay. Oral sex is a selfless thing — one person is doing all the giving and the other person is doing all the receiving. That’s not a bad thing at all, but it does mean that a sense of obligation around it can really feel terrible. In general, we should never

feel as though any sex act does nothing for one partner. Even if they’re not receiving any sort of pleasure, doing something for the other person should feel positive and exciting. We can also look at the perceived roles people take on during oral sex. Giving oral sex can be perceived as a passive or submissive act. There is no inherent quality to any sex act: people can passively receive or actively receive, and the same goes for giving. People who don’t like the way they approach giving oral sex can think about whether it feels active, or more like they’re just being used as a masturbatory device. Similarly, receivers can think about whether they’re active participants or passive enjoyers. Switching it up can be a good change of pace.

Most importantly, try to actively avoid yielding to expectations over your own personal comfort and desire. This might mean identifying when you feel pressured to give oral sex as to not leave a hookup partner disappointed. Conversely, it might mean identifying when you feel pressure to get something out of a hookup partner to avoid feeling disappointed. It could also include looking at the way you approach fellatio: as a chore, an unpleasant task, or a joyful occurence to be shared with a partner? Since the pressure around this act is particularly strong, it’s okay to take a step back from situations you’re unsure about before deciding to proceed.

Swarthmore’s Turned Me into a Lovesick Heathen (Help!) Dylan Clairmont CJ Editor

Nothing like a week away from Swarthmore to remind yourself how uniquely f*cked this place is. The whole “Swarthmore Bubble” thing is overdone; the way in which we try to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the elite liberal arts collegiate sphere — as if Middlebury or Wesleyan aren’t just other shades of the same color of beige — reeks of needing some sort of validation of otherness. With that being said, I feel as though something about Swarthmore distinctly has turned me into some sort of freak version of myself that loves love that I can’t help but otherwise believe this wouldn’t have been the case had I gone elsewhere. Of course, there really wasn’t much of a choice. Swarthmore gave me the most money, gave my family the most esteem out of the slew of name-recognitionless options, and enticed me with promises of queerness and Quakerisms. By the time it was May 1, I was already envisioning the ten kids we would have together and the quality time we would spend together while on holiday. Obviously I was entirely unprepared for what was to

come once I got here. The queer awakening I was envisioning did not pan out as planned, as I quickly came to realize that it doesn’t matter how many queer students there are on campus, a school of 1,600 is way too small to have any sort of pool worth swimming in. I tried to swim in it regardless. We all do! No matter how shallow it looks, how much it looks as though it desperately needs to be cleaned, there’s some sort of jerk response to dive in head first. I failed my swim test during orientation, so perhaps that should’ve been my warning from the universe to steer clear from any and all bodies of metaphorical water, but alas it was too late — I was caught up in the waves. As I have since taken the required swim class in order to graduate and have thus fulfilled my swim test requirement, I’ve managed to get myself out of this (cess)pool and have cleared my head. With this clear head I’ve come to two conclusions: (1) swimming makes me really horny and (2) it’s hard to have a clear head when waves are rushing at you (and you’re, again, extremely horny). I’ve also just come to see that, at least in my case, there’s something distinct about Swarthmore that just makes me a

kinda lovey dovey. And it’s gross. Prior to being at Swarthmore, I thought love was stupid. That definitely hasn’t changed, but just because you think something is stupid doesn’t mean you don’t want it. I mean, hey, I had an entire collection of Bakugan that, while insanely cool, definitely did not need to take up an entire shelf in my room for years, well past the time it stopped being cool to have them. Still, there’s something about seeing your friends get Swat Married one by one, seeing the vacancies that pop up in dorms as your friend with a really good room lets it collect dust when they move in with their girlfriend of two weeks, seeing the cuddling at Sharples that can really mess with your head and convince you that you, too, should be having “the talk” and discussing names of children, that makes you just a little bit lovesick here. So what is a boy to do? With my newfound swimming skills, I decided to take a quick swim across the pond and found myself capsized on “Love Island.” “Love Island” is a British reality show (as well as mobile phone game) where non-homosexual men and women (who are presented as heterosexual in all of their relationships, but could very well not be heterosexual in

their lives outside of the shows) are plopped onto an island off of the coast of Spain and asked to couple up or else they will be kicked off the island. It’s probably sexist, definitely offensive, and at the very least, trashy. It’s also reality TV at its absolute peak, and it’s frankly addicting. Whether the islanders are having conversations about Brexit — which inspire memes about British people thinking Brexit had to do with trees — or you’re watching hot twentysomethings have literal sex in front of your very eyes, the show

is highly entertaining. It’s about as clear an example of cisgender heteronormativity as possible, but something about “Love Island” just transports you out of the lacklusterness of Swarthmore’s dating pool and immerses you into a sunny beach with a bunch of hot young people with sexy British accents (and sometimes just funny British accents). This show has absolutely engrossed all of my time this semester, with friends quickly becoming obsessed with it after the first episode of British accents and banter. Something about

Allow Me To Have Just This One Moment Of Weakness…….

R.L. B*rnard CJ Writer

Faithful reader, I have to pause our usual noble quest for truth and allow myself to come clean. How can I expect to find the truth if I cannot be truthful with myself? If you’ll let me, the burden of this project is weighing on me, and I have no other outlet. I fear I’ve lost grip on this whole thing and you, reader, are my way out… A few weeks ago I received an email. The email was brief, the person commended my quest, and said if there was anything they could do to help, they would. The email was sent from an account with a name strikingly similar to mine, so I brushed it off as a mere joke. Someone trying to get in on the fun. I responded jokingly, stupidly thinking they had nothing to contribute. I was naive. They responded with the picture I’ve provided for you today. This picture, and I cannot stress this enough, I think has the key. I hope to be able to fill in the gaps, but I believe whoever this person is, they know something. I quickly responded, begging them to meet me, so we could both throw anonymity to the wind and

exchange what we know. I have not heard from them since. And I fear my failure to hear them out, my own stubbornness to have all the answers has endangered my quest for the truth. At the beginning of this process I floated on the pure adrenaline of the possibility of finding the culprit. I dreamed that the pieces were fitting together one by one, that finding that last missing piece would make the doer of the deed abundantly clear. I wanted the white hot surge of truth to bring light where there was once dark. I wanted to bask in revelation, dance in the warm air of discovery. Do I not deserve this much for what I’ve sacrificed? Was this email my chance of discovery that I’ve let slip through my fingers? Comparing this email to my own research, all I’ve found are broken shards, shattered beyond repair. I’ve piled them together, but the pieces don’t want to fit, they tease me with their individuality, with their refusal to create logic. Everything must mean something. Without meaning there is chaos. When engaging in this kind of work, the deafening silence teems

with information. In a world full of noise, silence is intentional. What sparks one to remain silent? Having something to hide? Or fear that speaking it will make it true? Or, do they yearn to release the truth that burns inside them, to finally be set free, but are denied that right? The meaning of these silences continues to unfold into oblivion and I, perhaps naively, am lead into the dark. But without meaning there is chaos. Understanding the breadth of this investigation meant I had to first assume no one was innocent. Everyone who was around that Fall of 2016 holds with them a piece of the puzzle. But what I’ve learned is that people unfold to you over time — no person shows their hand right away. I’ve been observing. People exist in multiples, welded together and pulled apart by the force of time. A motive for one person in Fall of 2016 to do this deed could have no bearing on who they are now. The unfolding of time makes each moment the first to ever exist; our cells replace and we are reborn. How do I reconcile the deeds of Fall 2016 when time has overturned every particle that existed then? The culprit I seek no

longer exists. That person existed for a blip, documented by those bats. By writing this column I write the past into the present. What separates me, the investigator, from creating the event all over again? What does truth mean if people don’t wish to find it? Did the truth I sought only exist in my dreams? Is a dream a lie if it doesn’t come true? Or is it something worse…… I used to look in the mirror and I see someone with pure intention. The longer I look, that person melts away and another one forms. I stare into eyes I once knew so well and wonder, that maybe, no one knows what they’re truly capable of. Maybe the email was meant to have this effect on me. Maybe this occurrence inhabited a sinister place in my memory for so long because, in a different time, in a different body, in a memory that I can’t find, it was me all along. With no tether to time I repeat the cycle. Without meaning there is chaos.

Photo courtesy of author

“Love Island” is clearly clicking with Swatties, and I think a large part of it might just be the fact that we are all sort of in search for our own “Love Island.” Once we’ve realized that Swarthmore is not in fact our “Love Island,” we search outward, and at least in my own experience, land upon the far more sexy, far more exciting, far more British “Love Island.” Going to Swarthmore College has meant becoming a lovesick heathen, and with that, a permanent resident of “Love Island,” and for that I’m grateful.

SPORTS

March 21, 2019 PAGE A9

Garnet Conclude Best-Ever Season as National Runner-Ups, continued from A1 as they had made it to the National Championship the year before, but fell victim to Nebraska Wesleyan. Wisconsin Oshkosh took an early lead in the game and, although the Garnet were able to compete, the early lead proved to be the big difference-maker. Nonetheless, the Men’s Basketball team walks away cemented into the history books. Senior Cam Wiley wraps up one of the most historic careers in school history. If he isn’t the best player in school history (which he probably is), he is undoubtedly the most impactful player to wear the S. Wiley ends his career as a three-time FirstTeam All-Conference selection. He was two-time First-Team All-Region and one-time Second Team. Wiley takes home two All-American awards, once as a First-Team member and once as a Third-Team member. Wiley is also a two-time Conference Player of the Year with two Centennial Championships on his resume. Statistically, Wiley is first and fourth for most points scored in a single season. He is tied for second in the most threes made in a single season and is the leader for most assists in a single season. His 1,565 points put him third all-time, and his 187 threes put him tied for second all-time. Wiley spoke about how he was able to have such a successful career. “You’re happy because all your hard work is paying off, but you also get the chance to do it with your teammates who you get to be around every day. You spend so much time with them and sacrifice with them.” The one accolade on Wiley’s resume he will never forget is his trip to the NCAA DIII National Championship. He’s confident the team will be back soon. “Now that I’m a senior and that was my last round, I won’t get the chance to win a National Championship, but because my teammates had that experience, it will motivate them to get to the National Championship next year. I believe in them, I believe

that the experience is really going to benefit them next year.” Wiley cites the team culture as being one of the biggest reasons the team has been so successful the past several years. “We know that our culture and our spirit is the best, and that is a big reason why we are successful. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing, because we believe in what we are doing and we believe it works.” Wiley isn’t the only star on the team, as the Garnet’s depth is one of its biggest strengths, and a big reason why the team will continue to compete in the

coming year. The Garnet have two powerful weapons down low in juniors Zac O’Dell and Nate Schafer. O’Dell was named First-Team all-conference and took home the Defensive Player of the Year award, after taking home Second-Team all-conference last year. O’Dell led the conference in Blocks per Game with 2.3, was third in rebounds per game with 8.1 and first in Field Goal percentage at 62.6 percent. Shafer was not far behind O’Dell, taking home Second-Team allconference after averaging 7.4 rebounds per game and shooting

57.8 percent from the field. Shafer had 2.2 blocks per game. O’Dell and Schafer were the only two players to average above 2.0 per game in the blocks department. The Garnet also have the best three-point shooter in the conference in sophomore Conor Harkins. The Honorable Mention all-conference selection made 110 threes, good for the all-time single-season school record ahead of himself and Cam Wiley at 76. Harkins has 186 threes so far, only one less than Wiley, and only 23 behind the all-time record of 209, with two seasons to play remaining.

The Garnet also have one of the best coaches in the country, as Landry Kosmalski earned both Centennial Conference and All-Region Coach of the Year. Kosmalski’s impact on the program has been more than noticeable. Wiley spoke about Coach Kosmalski’s impact. “[He} has inspired me in many ways because he has worked his whole career to come up with his philosophy. He wrote the culture and taught it to the players, but he holds everyone accountable to it because he holds himself accountable to the same standard, and gets everyone to

believe in it. He is one of the most precise people I know, he is always prepared and always has a message. It is really easy for the team to follow his lead. He has incredible habits; great coaching habits. It helps glue our team together.” The Garnet finished the season ranked No. 2 overall in the country. The success of the team isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “I think our program is going to be good for as long as we stay committed to our principles,” said Wiley.

Photo courtesy of Athletics Communications

Swarthmore Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Off to Historic 6-0 Starts Chris Licitra Sports Writer

Coming into the 2018-2019 school year, no one could have foreseen the amount of athletic success that was about to take campus by storm. From women’s soccer winning another Centennial Conference Championship and earning a trip to the Sweet 16, to Men’s Swimming winning a Centennial Conference Championship, to Men’s Basketball not only winning a Centennial Conference Championship, but playing in the Division III National Title Game, this school year has yet to find a season where campus-wide excitement for a sport team’s success is lacking. Although it is still relatively early in the season, the spring sports appear to be continuing this success. Both Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse are off to 6-0 starts. For the men’s team, this is their first 6-0 start since 2000, and the women have not been 6-0 to start a season since 2014. Both teams have been absolutely dominant during this stretch also. The men have won by an average of 7.8 goals per game, while the women have won by an incredible average of 10.8 goals per game. Men’s Lacrosse has beat Albright College, Widener University, Vassar College, Delaware Valley, Southwestern University, and Drew University. The team is currently led in points by Jake Ross ’20 (22 points) and followed closely by Austin Chang ’20 (21 points) and William Vespole ’22 (nineteen points). When asked about the hot start to the season, Head Coach Patrick Gress said that, “The pre-season and nonconference schedule has gone well so far with strong leadership and consistently good practices. The players are keeping their focus on one practice at a time with slow

and steady improvement.” This improvement is coming into fruition shown even while the Garnet are still trying to finalize rotations before conference play. “Although the lineup has changed from game to game, the defense continues to make stops while forcing opposing offenses into low angle shots,” states Gress. “The offense is averaging 45 shots per game and passing the ball very well with over 60 percent of goals being assisted.” With 60 percent of the goals being assisted, the team is clearly playing unselfishly and together. Having a team that plays together and for each other is not only a reflection of the coaches, but also its leaders. Every great team has had great leaders, and this year’s Men’s Lacrosse team certainly has that. The Garnet are led by senior captains Thomas Ferguson, Dylan Rittenhouse, and Christian Vik. Ferguson, an

extremely tough, absolute grinder of a defensive midfielder from Redding, PA, has credited much of the success to the hard work the team put in during the offseason. “I attribute this year’s success to my teammates’ commitment to the off-season program,” Ferguson said. “Lacrosse is a year-around commitment and you need to be focused on your end goal starting day one of fall ball. Chris and Michelle, our strength coaches, have gotten us into great shape and its really starting to show as the season progresses.” This great shape has certainly shown, as the team has scored almost 60 percent of its goals in the second half of games. When the opposing team is tired, Swarthmore men’s lacrosse still seems to have a lot left in the tank. As for the women, they have beaten Immaculata University, Arcadia University, Widener University, the University of

Lynchburg, Piedmont College, and Eastern University. The Garnet are led by captains Tess Wild, Kathryn Restrepo, and Elizabeth Wainwright, and head Coach Karen Borbee. The current points leader for the team is Senior Kathryn Restrepo with 25 points, followed closely by fellow Senior Tess Wild with 22 points. The defense in anchored by goalie Betsy Cohen, who earned Conference Defensive Player of the week a few weeks ago for her stellar performances. “The team has been successful so far because we have a lot of energy,” said Ostrowski. “When our seniors began playing at Swarthmore the team was barely providing enough players to play a game. Now we have more numbers and our bench is much deeper. With this larger team, we have a lot of energy and excitement that has helped keep everyone focused and working hard.” This depth and energy certainly is providing the

team a lot of confidence going into conference play. Conference play starts this upcoming weekend for both the men and women as they each take on Franklin and Marshall College at home. Both players and coaches are excited for the conference season, as the Centennial Conference is one of the best conferences in the country for both men and women. Gettysburg women’s lacrosse team won last year’s national championship, and four Centennial Conference men’s teams are ranked one of the top twenty (three in the top ten) teams in the country. It’s safe to say the Centennial Conference is tough. “Everyone is working hard to improve everyday in practice and we have learned a lot about ourselves from our first six games,” expresses Coach Borbee. “Once we start our conference season, we will be challenged by some really

good teams. I’m excited to start conference play and I know the team is as well.” The spring should be and exciting time for the sports teams at Swarthmore. Many games will be won and a few will probably be lost, even though losing does not seem to be in Swarthmore DNA recently. However, both teams have lofty, but certainly achievable, goals, especially considering this year’s success. Ferguson closes, “Our goal for the rest of the season is to win the Centennial Conference. We have been a fringe playoff team in the conference and are looking to make the step to perennially compete for the conference championship. It has been a remarkable year for Swat athletics and we are looking to keep the ball rolling.”

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THE PHOENIX SPORTS

March 21, 2019

Garnet Baseball Start the Season Hot in Steamy Florida Jacob Brady Sports Writer

hen a team finishes their season standing amongst the six best teams in the country, they can face fairly lofty expectations the next year. Such is the case for this year’s baseball team that advanced to last year’s Division III College World Series after sweeping its way through the NCAA regional tournament and finishing the season as the sixth ranked team in the country. And so far, they have shown that they are up to the task to match or better that result from 2018. The baseball team seemed poised for great things after that magical run to cap off the 2018 season. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper had the Garnet tagged as the third-ranked team in the nation in their preseason rankings. While the loss of starting second baseman Matt Palmer ’18 and relief pitchers Jackson Ramey ’18 and Max Kassan ’18 to graduation loomed large, the Garnet looked well poised to replace them, especially with a large and talented incoming crop of freshmen. The Garnet brought in eleven first years in total, including six pitchers to help shore up the bullpen. When such a sizeable class of new players comes in, there’s always the question of how they will mesh with the team and how they will adjust to a new level of baseball. However, no such problems with team chemistry have seemed to emerge so far.

“The freshmen are a great group of guys and they’re very talented and have learned very quickly. We can see that they want to win and we’ve already thrown them in a bunch of game situations and they’ve done very well so far,” senior pitcher Charles Groppe said. The Garnet also returned the services of all of their AllCentennial Conference selections from last season. Charlie Levitt ’19 was named to the All-Conference First Team after slashing .344/.452/.633 to go along with nine home runs and 41 RBIs. His season was perhaps even more notable for his nineteen hit by pitches — at one point in the season, he led Division III in this statistic. Jackson Roberts ’19 was the First Team’s designated hitter after mashing a single-season program record ten home runs while also batting an astounding .399. Sawyer Lake ’20 followed up a 2017 Rookie of the Year performance with a First Team appearance, recording an ERA of 3.42 while striking out 67. And Jack Corkery ’20, the Garnet’s relief ace, recorded eight saves and a WHIP of 1.13 to round out the Garnet’s representation on the First Team. Cole Beeker ’20 was a Second Team selection at first base after hitting .361 with seven home runs and 65 RBIs while also leading the team in swiped bags with twenty. Ricky Conti ’19 rounded out the list of All-Conference selections, although he was ultimately named a Third Team All-American for the

season. The baseball team was scheduled to play six games prior to their spring break trip down to Port Charlotte, Florida. However, all were canceled due to snow and rain, leading to their very first game of the season being played in Florida after flying down the day before. In their first game of the season, Heidelberg, which had already played eight games, jumped on the Garnet early, putting up six runs in the first four innings and eventually taking down the Garnet 10-3. But the Garnet did not let their opening game loss get them down as they rebounded in big fashion in their second game of the day, taking down Scranton 27-8. They were led by six RBIs from Levitt, who also recorded his first home run of the season. Paul Cooke ’22 also recorded his first home run with a two-run shot in the eighth inning. Perhaps the Garnet’s most impressive win of the trip came against the then first-ranked College of Wooster. The Garnet showed great tenacity in rallying from a 3-2 hole in the seventh and eighth innings. Holden Bridge ’20 got the rally going in the seventh with a leadoff double. This was followed by a Sam Jacobson ’21 single and then a Jared Gillen ’20 single to drive home Bridge and tie the game. Cole Beeker later drove in a couple runs with an RBI double and a few more runs would score later after an error by Wooster. The Garnet continued to pile on the runs in the eighth, securing a 13-6 signature win. Jack Corkery,

Atziri Marquez / The Phoenix

throwing his second ever collegiate start, recorded a quality start with six innings of two-run ball. “It felt pretty good. We definitely had that game circled on our schedule, but now it’s over and we have to focus on beating every other team,” said senior pitcher Zach Gonzalez ’19. These comments by Gonzalez reflect a key part of the team’s mentality, which is to not get hung up on any individual game but to take each game seriously as they come and to quickly move on to the next opponent. Groppe had a similar take on the season. “Our goal coming into this season was to win a lot of games and have a lot of fun. But ultimately, we’re trying to win our conference again and make it back to the World Series, and that’s where our focus is,” he said.

The Garnet are certainly well on the way to winning a lot of games. They walked out of the spring break with a 7-3 record, which they improved to 8-3 after a 6-1 win over Widener on Tuesday afternoon. In addition, they’ve managed to earn some significant individual accolades along the way. Holden Bridge, the team’s new starting right fielder was named Centennial Conference Player of the Week after hitting .565 during the Florida trip, hitting safely in all ten games the Garnet played. Sawyer Lake was named Pitcher of the Week after pitching a complete game two-hitter against Ohio Wesleyan, striking out ten. Coming out of spring break, Gillen, Beeker, Levitt, and Bridge were all hitting over .400 and the Garnet were scoring at an impressive clip of 12.4 runs per game which led all

of Division III. The Garnet showed they could win in colder weather as well as pitcher Ryan Warm ’20 went the distance in the win over Widener and Conor Elliott ’19 hit a home run. Levitt just missed a solo shot to dead center earlier in the game that turned into a triple and led to the Garnet’s first run of the game in the 6-1 win. Overall the Garnet seem poised to continue their success from last season, combining impressive hitting with a stable of shutdown pitchers that have them ranked as one of the top ten teams in the country, and they have shown no signs of cooling down even in the colder Pennsylvania weather. The Garnet continue their homestand with a game against Drew University tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

Spring Sports Take on Warm Destinations Over Spring Break

Neel Gupta Sports Writer

Amidst the frenzy surrounding the Swarthmore men’s basketball team unprecedented run to the final four and into the Division III national championship game these past few weeks, Swarthmore’s spring sports spent their spring breaks competing and training against and with top teams from across the nation. Since the start of the semester, Swarthmore’s spring sports teams have won an outstanding twothirds of their games, and spring break continued the trend, with almost every team posting a winning record. Notably, the No. 5 ranked Swarthmore men’s baseball team travelled to Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte in Florida and put together a 7-3 record on the trip, while also knocking off the number one team in the country, Wooster, in a dominating 13-6 performance. It was Jack Corkery ‘20’s first start of the season and he delivered, throwing eight strikeouts over six innings and holding Wooster to only two earned runs. Late surges in the 7th and the 8th propelled Swarthmore over Wooster and secured the

historic win. The team has benefited from strong batting performance from their junior class, as Holden Bridge ‘20, Jared Gillen ‘20 and Cole Beeker ‘20 all are batting over .400. To conclude their trip, Sawyer Lake threw a shutout game, holding Ohio Wesleyan to zero runs while Swarthmore’s batting squad picked up twelve. Also in Florida were the women’s’ lacrosse and tennis teams, who both had successful spring breaks. The women’s lacrosse team won both the games they played in Clearwater, Florida over the University of Lynchburg and Piedmont College. Freshman Kyra Hall ‘22 , Eleanor Miller ‘22, and Megan Ruoff ‘22 scored their first ever collegiate goals in the game against Piedmont. Senior Kathryn Restrepo ‘19 excelled over the break as well, assisting on four goals against Lynchburg and scoring two of her own against Piedmont. Alongside the winning came plenty of time relaxing and enjoying themselves in the Florida heat according to Eleanor Miller. “After practice one day the coaches treated to us to ice cream from an ice cream truck that stopped next to our field.” said

Eleanor Miller ‘22. Women’s tennis put together an impressive spring break as well in Lake Cane, Florida, as the previously unranked Garnet elevated themselves to an impressive 15th in the country after defeating the 12th ranked WashU of St. Louis. The match was incredibly tight as four of the six singles matches went to tenpoint tiebreakers in the third set, with the Garnet winning three of them. Elise Talley ‘21 clinched the win at six singles, winning 10-8 in the ten point tiebreaker. “I played an intense 3rd set and I somehow won 10-8 and my team ran on the court and started cheering “we won!” and I was in complete disbelief and shock.” Talley said. “Our coach told us that our team hasn’t beaten a top twenty team in probably ten years, so it was an incredible moment for us.” The win for the Garnet was backed up by another tight win against Millsaps College a couple days later where Elise Talley again clinched the win, this time in doubles partnered with Christina Wang ‘22 at the second spot. Look for the Garnet to continue their winning streak in an important Centennial Conference match

against rival Johns Hopkins this Saturday at home. Women’s tennis’ success was not replicated by the men’s team however, as the men put together a 1-6 record on the trip to Claremont, California, including an 0-3 record in the Stag-Hen Invitational at the end of the week. Although the team as a whole lost repeatedly against nationally ranked opposition, the number six singles spot whether Noah Criss ‘22 or Evan Han ‘19 slotted in, won every match against opposing teams. Unfortunately, not much else went right for the Garnet, as numerous 0-3 sweeps in doubles led to large deficits for the singles lineup to make back up. A highlight of the week came in the match against the 14th ranked Pomona-Pitzer team as the Garnet went up 2-1 in doubles behind a dominating 8-4 performance from John Lathrop ‘21 and Evan Han ‘19 at two doubles. Unfortunately, the Garnet could not close the deal in singles, as Noah Criss ‘22 and Simon Vernier ‘19 lost in third sets. The Swarthmore men’s tennis team is likely to be unranked this season after an impressive ranking of 19th to end the 2017-

2018 season. This year figures to be a rebuilding year for the Garnet as it marks the first year under new coach Jason Box and the first year without the vaunted class of 2018 headlined by Mark Fallati ‘18’s record 60 career singles wins. Looking forward, the men’s tennis has another tough weekend coming up, as they face-off against highly-ranked Amherst and Brandeis in Massachusetts, and further down the road, important showdowns at home against conference rivals Haverford and Johns Hopkins. Men’s lacrosse and the co-ed track team had comparatively light spring break loads, filled mostly with training and a single game and meet respectively. Men’s lacrosse won their game in Texas, defeating Southwestern University 17-13 behind a pair of hat tricks from Ryan Mulvey ‘19 and Mason Evarts ‘21. The time in Austin was a bonding experience for the team according to Jack Ballou ‘22. “We spent out free time touring the University of Texas stadium and paddle-boarding and the time in Austin was filled with great memories and team camaraderie.” said Ballou. The track team also spent a

lot of time bonding and enjoying themselves in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “Besides running daily, the team spent their time playing mini-golf and frisbee, and making daily trips to Krispy Kreme.” said Brendan Penfold ‘22. Alongside the fun came a healthy dose of competition this past weekend however, as the track team competed in a meet on Friday and Saturday where Brendan mentioned the team having “strong performances all around.” Spring break was an exciting time for Swarthmore athletics, as some teams put together some incredible wins while others enjoyed themselves and found success in limited competition. For most teams, the spring break trip while providing important competition, served mostly to tune-up the team for the more important matches later in the season. The trips allowed teams to singularly focus on competing for the first and only time all year and provided a space for athletes to come together as a team.

Coach of the Week: Landry Kosmalski James Sutton Sports Writer In his sixth season coaching the Garnet, coach Landry Kosmalski led the men’s basketball team to a Centennial Conference championship and a national championship appearance, the best season in school history. A history major and forward at Davidson College, where he is third all-time in rebounds, he has played professionally and coached in Europe also serving as assistant coach at Davidson. Swarthmore is his first head coaching job at the college level. He sat down with the Phoenix recently to discuss his career and recent tournament run. James Sutton: What got you into basketball, and then coaching? Landry Kosmalski: I played a lot of sports growing up, and my dad actually played in the NBA, so basketball was always my favorite, and I was taller. When I was playing overseas, I was trying to think of the next thing, and it really really just seemed natural, I realized it was just what I wanted to do my last year of playing, and I was fortunate Davidson had a spot when I was finishing up my playing career overseas. JS: Where did you play overseas? LK: I played in Sweden for three years, and then for one year in France. JS: Did you enjoy that experience? LK: Oh yeah, it was awesome, life changing ... I coached one year in Sweden. Photo courtesy of Athletics Communications

JS: What led you to choose Swarthmore when you were looking for a head coaching job?

KM: It just seemed to be good. It was very similar to my alma mater, Davidson, a liberal arts school. I liked that it’s located next to a big city but it’s a suburban campus. And when I came on the visit it seemed very similar: good people, beautiful campus, good relationships, so it seemed like a really good fit. JS: What were your goals for building the basketball program when you arrived? LK: It really just started with trying to establish a culture irrespective of the results. I think we always try to make decisions based on how it impacts our future as a team, as a program … We really devalued immediate success so we could build something that we thought could last. JS: You’ve been to Division I March Madness twice at Davidson, do you feel like it was more or less pressure for you in the DIII tournament? LK: It’s always a little more pressure when you’re the head coach … I think they did a good job of making our guys feel special with the locker room, and the nametags, the hotel situation, the bus situation, the banquet … all of us, players and coaches, will remember that for the rest of our lives. JS: Anything you want to tell fans leading into next season? LK: We’re incredibly grateful for the support we received from the community, from the students, from the faculty, from the administration. I think from going some other places and seeing how other people do it, I think we have the most support, and the best following in the country, so I’ve been really grateful for that, to be a part of the community, to get people excited, and to draw people together.