Swarthmore Phoenix, October 25, 2018

Today in OPINIONS: Laura Wilcox on tax evasion A5, Giorgia Piantanida on technology A5, Sydney Covitz on environmental justice A5, A debate on BDS A6

PHOENIX

THE

Athlete of the Week

Meet Emily Hapgood of Women’s Field Hockey

VOL. 146, NO. 6

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Christopher K. Morgan and Artists

October 25, 2018

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The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881

Sybrina Fulton Comes to Campus, Urges Students to Vote, Protest Tiara Tillis News Writer

O

n Monday, October 22, 2018, the Black Cultural Center, with the help of the Office of the President and LPAC, hosted a talk by Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin. While the event was originally scheduled for Black History month, according to BCC Intern Joy George ’20, the Black Cultural Center worked to ensure community members had the opportunity to hear Fulton’s story.

Fulton described her life and the events prior to the loss of her son,

how her life has changed since the incident, and how she maneuvers through life after his death.

In 2012, Sybrina Fulton received news that her 17-year-old son, Trayvon Martin, had been shot and killed in a violent confrontation with George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. According to Fulton, the news of her son’s death not only generated a sense of confusion, anger, and sadness amongst Fulton’s family and friends, but across the nation.

“I can vividly remember being in my room, on the floor, looking at my purple walls ... and crying. It didn’t feel real,” Fulton said.

The loss of a loved one is no easy experience to endure. With cameras and reporters knocking at her door to interview her, Fulton expressed that there were days she would turn them away because some days were harder than others for her. As Fulton recalled the events of her son’s death, she addressed what it was like to be a mother and public representative for those who have lost their loved ones to gun violence.

“First and foremost, I want you guys not to think of this as a lecture. I am a mother, so think of this as me, a mom, having a conversation with a large audience. People

call me a public speaker, but I still don’t think I am. I am simply a mother,” Fulton said at the beginning of her talk.

Fulton’s emphasis on her role as a mother created an atmosphere in the LPAC Theater that was relaxed and personable. Many students resonated with her energy throughout the talk, such as Bria Dinkins ’21.

“She said just think of me as a mother. It wasn’t a message or a theme in her story, but she came off so genuine and vulnerable and just so candid and honest. It really showed what type of person she is by her starting off like that,” Din-

kins said.

In the midst of discussing the heavy topics of gun violence and death, Fulton addressed how she became an activist.

“I was never really into politics, but when I lost my son and we got the verdict, I knew something wasn’t right. That’s our justice system, but I knew something had to be done,” Fulton said.

Fulton has created a national organization, Circle of Mothers, that helps mothers who have lost their children to gun violence have a sense of community of women continued on page A2

The week ahead Thursday Summer Opportunities Fair, Scheuer Room, 12–2:30 p.m.

Learn about what college departments and offices are hiring for the summer, as well as resources to find summer opportunities Faculty Teach-In, IC Big Room, 4:30–6:30 p.m.

Professors Atshan, Balkan, Ghannam, and Shokr are hostin a faculty teach-in entitled “The Jamal Khashoggi Tragedy & its Implications for the Middle East.”

Small Craft Warnings Write-In, Parrish 4th, 9–11 p.m.

Friday Intersex Awareness Day, Hormel/Nguyen Intercultural Center, 12:30–1:30 p.m.

Friday marks Intersex Awareness Day The Swarthmore Project for East European Studies Talk, McCabe Atrium, 4:30–6 p.m.

Saturday Pterodactyl Hunt, Kohlberg, 7-9:30 p.m.

Psi Phi is hosting their annual Pterodactyl Hunt, where students can complete quests and defeat monsters with your very own swords Sunday SBC Weekly Meeting, Sharples room 104, 5:00-6:30 p.m.

SBC meets to discuss budgetrelated matters and consider supplemental funding requests for the week. Open to campus.

Monday Rumors, Strikes, and Industrial Debris in Mumbai, India, Science Center 101, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

Screening + Conversation: “Paywall: The Business of Scholarship”, McCabe Atrium, 4:30–6:00 p.m.

Tuesday Careers in Publishing by Michael Pietsch, Sci 199, 4:30–6 p.m.

WEATHER Idk, go outside and check

CONTENTS Campus news A1-A3 Arts news A4-A5 Opinions A6-A7 Sports A7-A8 Read more at swarthmorephoenix.com Copyright © 2016 The Phoenix

Courtesy of Swarthmore College

New GOTV Committee Aims to Boost Low Student Voter Turnout Bess Markel News Writer Only 24.8 percent of registered Swarthmore students voted in the 2014 midterm elections, a percentage lower than the national average for college students.

Swarthmore staff and students on the Get Out the Vote, or GOTV, committee, which President Smith organized this February, are working to increase voter turnout in the upcoming November 6 election.

College students are typically a very low turnout group in elections. Tuft University’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education found that 29.1 percent of registered college students voted in 2014. This national average was slightly higher than the percentage of Swarthmore students who voted.

Emily Weisgrau, head of the GOTV committee and Director of Advancement Communications attributes part of the low turnout at Swarthmore to confusion about how to register and the fact that the Swarthmore campus is divided into two precincts.

“Right now, the campus is served by two precincts in the Borough of Swarthmore. Because the law states that you must use your residence hall location to determine where you vote, students living in certain dorms going to the northern precinct (at SRS) [Swarthmore-Rutledge School] while others go to the western precinct (at CADES),” Weisgrau said.

The GOTV committee is taking several steps to provide students with more information on candidates and communicate effectively with the student body. They also helped students register from the start of school until October 9, which was the last day to register in Pennsylvania.

“We’ve dramatically increased continued on page A2

SJP Announces New BDS Campaign Abigail Young News Writer

On October 9, Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a rally and teach-in at Parrish Hall to announce their new Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign at Swarthmore. SJP is calling on the college to divest from seven companies, including Caterpillar, Hyundai, and HewlettPackard, it believes are supporting and profiting from the Israeli settlement of disputed land.

Within the campus community, there is some controversy over this movement, as there was last semester during SJP’s Sabra hummus protest.

The on-campus BDS movement is an extension of SJP’s campaign last semester for a boycott of Sabra hummus. President Smith responded to the campaign by introducing an alternative hummus brand on campus, while keeping Sabra.

Now, SJP is expanding its goals.

“We … know that [the campaign] more than about just hummus and it’s more than just about one company. We think it’s really important to hold our own institutions, hold Swarthmore accountable for what it’s invested in to address these broader human rights violations,” Abby Saul ’19, a member of SJP, said. “The goal of the campaign itself is to use [BDS] to pressure the state of Israel to comply to international law and to uphold the human rights and dignity of all Palestinians.”

BDS is a global movement that calls for boycotting, divesting, and imposing sanctions on specific companies in order to, ac-

cording to their website, “[work] to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”

SJP’s BDS campaign is specifically targeting companies it believes are complicit in Israeli settlement of disputed land. It is calling for the college to divest from vehicle manufacturers Caterpillar and Hyundai and defense contractors Boeing, Elbit Systems, and Lockheed Martin, which do business with the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as Bank Hapoalim and technology company Hewlett-Packard.

“I think the goal is more broadly is several things: get Israel to end the blockade on Gaza; get Israel to end its military occupation of the West Bank; and allow Palestinians the right of return, which they are guaranteed under international law,” Fouad Dakwar ’22, a member of SJP who spoke at the rally, said.

According to another member of SJP, Zoe Jannuzi ’22, Swarthmore SJP members’ contact with other SJP chapters is limited to the Philadelphia area. However, their list of companies is modeled after those from the SJP chapter at Barnard College.

These are not the only colleges across the country that have groups pushing for divestment.

At Stanford, for example, the undergraduate senate passed a resolution in 2015 to divest from companies “identified as complicit in human rights abuses in Israel and Palestine.” Despite other instances where colleges have passed resolutions, no American college has ever

divested as a result of the BDS movement.

SJP highlighted Caterpillar as a company that has business both in Israel and the college itself. The company provides vehicles for the construction of the new BEP building, and according to Saul, it is also manufacturing vehicles used in the demolition of the village of Kahn al-Ahmar in the West Bank. Caterpillar has previously been targeted by BDS activists for providing vehicles to the Israeli Defense Forces. “[It] is the vehicles that is being used to destroy the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar and other Palestinian homes.

[These are] the same [type of] vehicles that are currently being used on our campus to construct our new academic building, and we think there’s a really strong disconnect there,” Saul said.

Khan al-Ahmar has recently become a point of contention in the Israel-Palestine conflict due to Israel’s plan to demolish the village of 180 people. According to an article from The Washington Post, the possible demolition has been condemned by European countries at the UN, and if it does occur, it would be considered a war crime. Recently, Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed the demolition to “negotiate a solution” with the residents.

Despite the controversy surrounding the movement globally, SJP members feel that the BDS campaign at Swarthmore has been met with a largely positive response following the rally.

“We already have seen some good responses,” said Dakwar. “I have had lots of support as one

Nara En / The Phoenix

of the speakers at the event, at the rally. A lot of people have been coming up to me and saying that it was really insightful.”

However, according to Jewish Student Advisor Rabbi Michael Ramberg, who attended the rally, some students have privately expressed disagreement with the announcement of the BDS campaign, but do not feel comfortable expressing their opinions in public.

“Some students have expressed general support for the campaign but concern that sometimes aspects of campaigns like this can veer into antisemitism,” Ramberg, who has spoken to about a dozen students, said.

“Other students have shared that the existence of the campaign is deeply upsetting because it threatens fundamental

aspects of their identity. Still, other students have shared that they’re not sure what they think and while ideally, they’d learn more they find the campus climate intimidating, worrying that if they engage they will be opening themselves to attack, and will thus likely just try to avoid the issue.”

Pushback on campus included a statement of condemnation of the Swarthmore BDS campaign from Swarthmore Students for Israel, which was posted on Facebook. According to the group, the BDS movement shuts down discourse and is antithetical to the college’s values.

“Israel is an issue that supersedes religious and political lines and we firmly stand with continued on page A2

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THE PHOENIX NEWS

October 25, 2018

SJP, continued from A1 the Pro-Israel community, both Jewish and non-Jewish alike,” the statement said. “As such we recognize the variety of opinions within the pro-Israel spectrum but come together with the soul binding belief that Israel has the right to exist and that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination. Furthermore, Swarthmore College prides itself on critical thinking, open dialogue, and respect for each other’s humanity and right to existence. The BDS movement has proven time and time again that it strictly opposes every single one of these values.”

On a national level, other op-

position toward the BDS movement has been incorporated in legislation that affects pro-BDS student organizations in colleges. In 2017, Congress introduced a bill called the Israel Anti-Boycott Act that declares that the US opposes “restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by an international governmental organization, or requests to impose such practices or boycotts, against Israel,” according to the bill’s summary.

The bill is still in Congress. Also in 2017, the New York state Senate passed a law that withholds federal funds colleges from colleges that divest from Israel, as

well as a bill that prohibits student groups from supporting BDS, which the law considers hate speech.

The Swarthmore administration has not yet responded specifically to SJP’s announcement.

In a statement to The Phoenix, Vice President of Finance and Administration Greg Brown restated the board’s position against divestment for social objectives.

“The investment guidelines of the Board of Managers clearly state that endowment investment decisions are made without regard to social issues,” Brown wrote. “The investment

guidelines have been reaffirmed by the Board several times in recent years.”

The investment guideline in question states that the Board’s Investment Committee ought to manage the endowment so as to “yield the best long-term financial results, rather than to pursue other social objectives.” This guideline was implemented in 1991 after Swarthmore divested from apartheid South Africa.

The board used the guideline as a justification for not divesting from fossil fuels in 2015, and reaffirmed this decision in 2017.

Brown added that he hopes that there will be continued dis-

course on campus about BDS and other issues.

“At Swarthmore, students and all members of the community should be able to express their opinions and engage in dialogue. Many of these global issues are complex, and warrant thoughtful and respectful discussions among members of our community.”

However, members of SJP believe that the administration’s policy hinders dialogue in the Swarthmore community.”

“This [guideline] means that the board refuses to even have any type of discussion on the matter, and that really doesn’t

make sense to us ... we should be having these conversations. Everyone should be aware of what Swarthmore is invested in,” Saul said. “It’s frankly really disappointing that we can’t even have these conversations.”

Moving forward, SJP is trying to collect signatures for a petition and is encouraging students to attend their weekly meetings.

Though student response appears to have a spectrum of responses, it remains to be seen how the college administration will respond to SJP’s activities.

piece of paper. And don’t just hang it on your office wall. You gotta do something with it,” Fulton said.

Dinkins said that her presence and affirming words about uniting as a community captivated her throughout the entirety of the talk..

“Everything she said, I was really internalizing. She was speaking her truth and was really interactive. I felt a different sense of community because she was engaging with us and made me have a new appreciation for my community. I wasn’t expecting it, but I appreci-

ated it,” Dinks said.

Fulton expressed that she hopes to continue to inspire and help those affected by gun violence in this nation. She plans to expand and continue her annual Circle of Mothers’ conference in addition to continuing to speak out about gun violence to as many people as she can.

“Just keep moving through the storm, please? I know its hard, but no matter what you are going through, you have to look past the storm and get through it.” Fulton said.

Her message and story with gun violence were impactful to many people, according to Dinkins.

“I’m used to a lot of these scholarly articles and statistics, but I think it was great for us to hear real feelings. Her assessment and breaking down of gun violence and race created simple images and phrases that just stuck in your head. It was just ‘wow,’ and really brought me back to the basics,” said Dinkins.

vania will be voting on the next governor, one senate state, a congressional race, as well as state congressional and Senate races.

Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon is running against Republican Pearl Kim for the open 5th congressional district seat. Both the governor’s race and senate race are predicted to go to the Democratic incumbents, Tom Wolf and Bob Casey.

The current mayor of Swarthmore Tim Kearney is running for state Senate against Republican incumbent Tom McGarrigle, while state representative Leanne Krueger Braneky, also a Democrat, is up for re-election.

The GOTV committee has several more initiatives and events that will happen over the next couple weeks in an effort to increase voter turnout.

“We’re rolling out a social media campaign after fall break to encourage students to become “voting buddies”—like a gym buddy—someone who will hold you accountable for going to the polls or mailing your ballot,” said Weisgrau.

Weisgrau encourages all students to vote and to feel like their votes matter. For Weisgrau, voting is a way to make her voice heard.

“For me, voting is both a way

to honor the hard-fought battles that women and people of color went through to earn the right to vote and the most important and meaningful way to voice my opinion about what direction I want my town, state, and country to head in. By voting, I know my opinion is heard, even if I don’t get the outcome I want, and I believe it’s a privilege to have that opportunity,” Weisgrau said.

The GOTV committee encourages all registered students to vote and will be providing rides to polls on November 6th starting at 8 a.m.

Sybrina Fulton, continued from A1 who understand their struggle and grief. She also created a message for the nation, Rest in Power. According to Fulton, Rest in Power acts as the foundation of Fulton’s memoir for her son, the title of Trayvon’s documentary, and the motivation for her progression through life.

“Rest in Power is the name of my book and Trayvon’s documentary that aired on BET. It will make you uncomfortable and you will learn some stuff you probably didn’t know, but that’s the point,” Fulton said.

Fulton stated that acts of senseless gun violence are happening because of the color of people’s skin. In order to fix this, Fulton suggested that we go back to the basics of humanity and human right. This idea of going back to the basics of humanity is one that Dinkins resonated with most.

“Her message about going back to the basics at first sort of startled me because I hadn’t heard that in a while. We don’t really think about the basics. I think it put Swatties in a different headspace.

To me, it was as if she was saying,

‘My son died because people can’t think about basic human lives and rights,’” Dinkins said.

Aside from discussing her story, Fulton took time to address the youth in the audience and remind them of their importance in this nation.

“I firmly believe it is too late for my generation, you know, we are about to take a seat. It is up to you guys to make a change in our nation. I really believe that. Continue to get your education because that’s the only way you are going to make it anywhere. It’s with that

Get Out the Vote, continued from A1 communications about registration and voting this semester, expanding the frequency and means of communications,” Weisgrau said. “Jacob Demree ’19, a member of our committee, sets up a table in Shane Lounge every Wednesday at lunchtime to register students, help them get absentee ballots, and talk to them about the importance of voting … We’ve created the new URL, vote.swarthmore. edu, and updated the resources on that website to make it easier for students to find everything they might need.”

Kenny Mai ’21 has been volunteering to help students reg-

ister to vote in partnership with Swarthmore Asian Organization and Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, a local non-profit that aims to protect the Philadelphia Chinatown. SAO is just one of the clubs that joined forces with the GOTV committee to help register students.

Mai was inspired by SAO’s mission and decided to help by volunteering to register students outside of Sharples Dining Hall.

“SAO believes very strongly in the importance of voting and political efficacy especially in this turbulent political climate and I believe in the same,” Mai said.

Swat Graphics

Mai also believes that part of the low turnout could be because students want to vote in their home state, but then forget to mail in their absentee ballot.

Kevin Dee ’22 is from California and wanted to vote in Pennsylvania. He found the student groups incredibly helpful and proactive in the registration process.

“I’m voting in Pennsylvania because it is a swing state and California is not. The student groups were really helpful in registering me, they even contacted me to fix an error on my registration,” Dee said.

Students who vote in Pennsyl-

ARTS

October 25, 2018 PAGE A3

“Christopher K. Morgan and Artists” Comes to Swat Lijia Liu Arts Writer

W

hile most Swatties were gradually adjusting to campus life in early September, Lia D’Alessandro ’21 was sweating it out in Troy Dance Lab. “We had a tough weekend dancing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day,” she said. “We were hungry, sweating, working hard, and challenged physically and mentally.”

That weekend of intensive rehearsals is part of Christopher K. Morgan and Artists (CKM&A)’s year-long residency in the department of music and dance. Founded by acclaimed artist Christopher K. Morgan, CKM&A is a professional contemporary dance company that aims to uncover social and cultural issues through performances and community engagement efforts.

“My creative process usually begins with something I personally experience or observe – the struggles that I see, or issues I grapple with in my life,” Morgan said.

CKM&A is the first featured guest artist invited by the dance program to campus. “I’m excited about the potential for students to build a long-term relationship with professional artists,” Olivia Sabee, assistant professor and director of dance, said.

Sabee reached out to CKM&A about the residency because of her familiarity with Morgan’s work. “[Morgan] is a pillar of the Washington, D.C. dance community,” she said. “He makes really excellent work. He’s approachable but will push for excellence.”

This semester, CKM&A will present one of their most iconic pieces, titled “In the Cold Room”, for the fall dance concert. “In the Cold Room” experiments with light, shadow, and temperature to evoke a feeling of spatial and psychological isolation among the three dancers in the piece.

“Isolation, in my own experience, is often self-imposed,” Morgan said. “I built this into my work with the three [dancers]. Even though they physically connect and touch, they are not deeply connected and rarely look at one another.”

Morgan also described how light streaming into the “Cold Room” symbolizes escape; darkness, continued isolation.

“I imagined three people stuck in space,” he said. “Light seeps in from different places, making it feel like there’s an opportunity for exit or escape, but every time they start to approach the light’s point of entry, it eludes them and they are trapped.”

During her three-day visit to campus in September, Tiffanie Carson, CKM&A Assistant Director, conducted the audition and rehearsals for “In the Cold Room.” In total, six students were chosen to participate in the piece, including D’Alessandro. The six students will form two casts, each consisting of three dancers.

Carson taught the choreography over the weekend when she was on campus. Louisa Carman ’21, one of the six dancers, thought that rehearsing with Carson was challenging but rewarding.

“We don’t usually have that type of work environment in Swarthmore’s dance classes because there is more time spent on everything,” she said. “This was more fast-paced and challenging, but in a good way, be-

cause being able to quickly pick up the choreography and style that somebody is presenting is a good skill to have as a dancer.”

D’Alessandro appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with other dancers during rehearsals, which allows them to encourage one another and constantly improve.

“We work with one another to perfect and execute the movement in our own ways,” she said. “You need to be determined and continue to push yourself to achieve your goals, so that you can become the best dancer you physically can be.”

She particularly enjoys partner work with other dancers.

“We need to feel one another’s energy and experience the movement with the right intentions,” she said. “It requires a new level of self-awareness.”

After Carson’s stay, the students have been practicing weekly under the guidance of Sabee and Stephanie Liapis, assistant professor of dance.

Carman is grateful to Sabee and Liapis for their active involvement. “Their contribution to rehearsals has been really

helpful,” she said. “We learnt the choreography so quickly at first and they helped us make sense of what happened over that weekend.”

“It’s really great to see the students grow into their roles in the piece,” Sabee said. “I’m excited to see them on stage in December.”

Besides benefitting from the perspectives provided by Carson, Sabee, and Liapis, the dancers also rehearsed once with Morgan to better understand his vision for “In the Cold Room”.

“I liked how [Morgan] would talk to us about the technique behind how we can do the movements, and also provide metaphors for what we can think about during the dance,” Carman said.

D’Alessandro thought it was especially valuable to learn from Carson, who was one of the three original performers in the piece, as well as Morgan, the choreographer.

“Both are incredible instructors and people with amazing artistic visions,” she said.

“Working with both of them

and and seeing their collaboration was really amazing in aiding our understanding.”

Next year, CKM&A will present “Pōhaku” as part of a featured artist series co-sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant of the President’s Office.

“Pōhaku” is a deeply personal performance that draws upon Morgan’s native Hawaiian background. The piece integrates elements of contemporary dance and traditional hula to tell a captivating story about the native communities of Hawaii.

“It began with my interest in connecting – or rather, reconnecting – with my native Hawaiian culture,” Morgan said.

“Most of my career has been in modern dance, but throughout my career, I was interested in hula and storytelling...I hoped to dive deeper into Hawaiian themes and reintegrate hula into my movement vocabulary.”

Before “Pōhaku” debuts at Swarthmore, CKM&A will host a stone-collecting workshop open to all members of the community. The stones gath-

Love is in the Bin — and Public Art Too?

Rachel Lapides Arts Writer

Banksy’s most well-known work, “Girl with Balloon,” sold for $1.4 million at Sotheby’s on Friday, October 5th. Minutes after the pounding gavel confirmed the sale, alarms sounded and a wave of exclamation went through the auction house.

Banksy’s painting had shredded itself.

The following day, Banksy posted a video on Instagram showing the mechanisms behind the painting’s self-destruction. The video starts with the text, “A few years ago I secretly built a shredder into a painting,” continuing, “in case it was ever put up for auction….” The causal relationship of destruction occurring only after the piece’s sale sends an anti-capitalist message against the purchasing of art. Banksy is a graffiti artist; the goal of his art has always been accessibility to the public — murals on walls ready for passerby to admire or deface.

“Girl with Balloon,” sometimes known as “Balloon Girl,” is perhaps one of the most famous artworks of all time. Like Banksy himself, “Girl With Balloon” is faceless, showing plainly the black silhouette of a girl reaching out to a red heart-shaped balloon. The enigmatic artist tends to refer to his subjects only in the barest descriptions, with names like “The Drinker,” “Um-

brella Girl,” “Mobile Lovers.”

Banksy’s success comes partly from the universal applicability of these murals: free from intellectual pretension and easy to understand, his pieces use clean stenciled lines and limited color to outline clear ideas. The version of “Girl and Balloon” sold at Sotheby’s feels deeply ironic, its simplicity contrasting dramatically with its extravagant frame, which places his usually accessible art under the parameters of the wealth and exclusivity at an auction.

Banksy often plays with the contrasts between the innocence of children and the violence of their surrounding world, pointing out political or social issues.

The first version of “Girl with Balloon” was a mural created in 2002, with the words “There is always hope” written nearby.

This hope, written or implied, is usually present in the different versions of “Girl with Balloon,” Yet one notable variation of the work, “Balloon Debate,” painted on the West Bank, depicts a young girl being lifted over the separation wall between Israel and Palestine by a number of black balloons, which replace the hopeful red balloon, just as the innocent child is placed in a dark situation. Similarly, “Bomb Hugger” shows a girl hugging a bomb close to her; “Child Soldier” paints a little boy holding a gun the size of him, “Slave Labour,” depicts a child in a

sweatshop, “Cash Machine Girl,” shows an ATM’s mechanic arm reaching out to grab a girl.

These themes of violence and anti-commercialism anticipate his decision to shred “Girl with a Balloon” at the Sotheby’s auction. Banksy’s public art is not meant for sale; in an Instagram post from August 15, he writes, “I don’t charge people to see my art.” His distrust of the capitalist system, seen especially in “Cash Machine Girl” and other works, is even reflected by his name.

Banksy is most often thought to be a man named Robin Gunningham, a name which, combined with “Banksy,” creates a modern-day Robin Hood image: “Robbin(g) Banks(y).”

In typical Banksy fashion, many details and circumstances of the shredding remain a mystery. According to The New York Times, Sotheby’s claimed to not know anything about Banksy’s intentions. The Times, however, points out that the frame of “Girl with Balloon” would have been clearly heavier than expected with the shredding mechanisms inside. Additionally, the unnamed man who activated the destruction was able to make his way past security with this technology. Sotheby’s also chose to hang the piece up on a wall, an atypical placement for a smaller work like this one. Furthermore, “Girl with Balloon” was saved for last, which could have been to prevent the resulting uproar

and confusion from affecting the other following sellers. Finally, the anonymous woman who bought the painting for a record sum has decided to continue with the sale, as the piece may have even increased in value. Critics claim that the increase of the work’s value after its destruction actually reduces Banksy’s allegedly anti-capitalist act to just a publicity stunt.

Still, all of these decisions could have revolved simply around the popularity of the piece.

Banksy’s Instagram video from October 6th shows him creating the mechanism that allegedly shredded the artwork.

Many, however, commented that the logistics of the device doesn’t add up. It seems like Banksy used sharp knives rather than a simple shredding device and placed the knives at the wrong angle to be shredded. The age of the artwork and its destruction mechanisms also calls the truthfulness of the shredding into question. The text of the video states that the frame was put together a few years ago, so the batteries would be unlikely to survive that long. In response, Banksy posted another video to YouTube to authenticate his original, anti-capitalist intentions by filming the genuine shock from Sotheby’s auctioneers and claiming that the shredder malfunctioned, stopping short of fully destroying the artwork. Even this new video

has some issues, however, including an ungloved man using a soldering iron without getting serious burns. In all, the video seems manufactured, with dramatic edits like shots of wealthy auction-goers indulging in food and drink and a cut to the pressing of the button that set off the machine. This doesn’t necessarily entail that the shredding was fake and that Sotheby’s was in on the equation; it would also have been very easy for Banksy to not respond and leavehis process a mystery. Instead, he purposefully reveals parts of his production, even including tiny mistakes, like intentional sleights of hand in a magician’s larger performance.

Through Instagram and YouTube, Banksy speaks out to his true audience: the general public. As of the time of this article, the Instagram video from October 6 has over 13 million views, captioned with a quote attributed to Picasso, “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.”

The creativity found in the very process of destruction relates to the name of the Youtube video he posted, “Shredding the Girl and Balloon — The Director’s half cut.” “Half cut” is both a pun on the British slang “halfcut,” meaning drunk, and the fact that the piece was only shredded halfway. The most interesting parts of the title, however, come from Banksy’s new role as “The Director,” and how

ered will be incorporated into the set of “Pōhaku”.

“Their attention and care is infused into the stones gathered for the set, so it’s a way to share our native Hawaiian culture and connect to the community,” Morgan said.

For now, however, dancers are eager to perform “In the Cold Room” for the audience at Swarthmore. Carman hopes to see the effort that she and her fellow dancers have devoted to the piece will come to fruition at the fall dance concert.

“Being in this piece has challenged me as a dancer because it is technically difficult, but I’m hoping that by the time we’re performing it, we can successfully convey the messages in the piece,” she said.

Like Carman, D’Alessandro is also looking forward to the performance. “I’m really excited to show the world what we have and can’t wait for the concert.”

the video itself was a “cut” like a film. Banksy even describes his past experiments with the mechanisms as “rehearsals,” making both the act of destruction and its recording into an artistic production.

The performative shredding of “Girl and Balloon” is a piece of art in itself. Although Banksy suggested through his videos that the painting was meant to be completely destroyed, the half-shredded remainder has unexpected yet tantalizing implications. The shredded “Girl and Balloon” beheads the titular girl and cuts off her outstretched arm by obscuring her under the ornate frame, leaving only the strips of her lower body below and the red heartshaped balloon intact above.

Banksy has renamed the piece “Love is in the Bin,” as it is effectively a new artwork. Just like the the shredded girl, the artist is obscured by the selling of art, which reduces the message of love and hope the piece has carried through the world to mere strips in a proverbial garbage.

Even if the destruction was false and Sotheby’s was aware of what was going to happen, the work still can be seen as a performance questioning the very meaning of art itself.

PAGE A4

THE PHOENIX ARTS

October 25, 2018

PERCEPTICON Raises Awareness of Ingrained Reception Habits Elena Moore Arts Writer

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ERCEPTICON, a three room, audio-visual exhibition challenging visitors’ unconscious reception habits, will be on display in Beardsley Hall from October 26 through October 28. questioning of unconscious biases and the status quo. The rooms will confront a variety of contemporary issues, including gender, class, race and sexuality, crosscultural communication, power, propaganda, and storytelling.

PERCEPTICON was designed

by Sunka Simon, professor of German and film and media studies, and Laila Swanson, assistant professor of costume design and theater, along with three current Swarthmore College students, Na Yoon Kim, Mikail Ahmed, and Nadezda Malaya, and one current Haverford College student, Kevin Medansky. Simon and Swanson previously collaborated to design a five hour workshop that explored the synergistic connections between theater and film and media studies; this workshop aimed to discuss and highlight theory and genre history as well as appreciate the collaborative work necessary

for a theater, television, or film production. After experiencing the success of this workshop, the duo opted to continue exploring these unique intersections and applied for a Foundation grant.

The exhibition seeks to explore two critical questions: How do we make sense of what we see, read, hear, and feel?

How much of our reception is automated by cultural and social habits? The first room, titled the Blair Witch Room, derives inspiration from the Boston Contemporary Art Institute and will display analog media, single items of pairs, opaque textiles serving as room dividers, untraceable sound sources, fragments of letters and documents, and blood and lipstick writing. The second room will focus on propaganda and surveillance by showcasing signs, posters, and warnings from different eras and disparate cultures mixed with Hallmark cards, catalogs, advertisements, and Twitter hashtags. Surveillance cameras and monitors will be displayed outside of the room for the viewers to engage with. The final room, titled the Lost in Translation Room, will explore the relationship between text and image. Viewers

Karin Nakano / The Phoenix

will be invited to watch clips from parliamentary debates superimposed with subtitles from children’s television shows, to subtitle a muted scene, and to

translate segments of a foreign film.

The exhibition is open to the campus community in groups of up to five individuals; it is a

timed exhibit with twenty minutes allocated to each room.

The entrance to the exhibition is on the Science Center side of Beardsley Hall and it will be

open on October 26 from 3-9 p.m., October 27 from 10 a.m.9 p.m., and October 28 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Robin Mandel ’97 to Share Multimedia Art and Engage Community

Reuben Gelley Newman Arts Writer

From November 5 to 8, students walking through the Sci Quad between 7 and 8 p.m. will see a strange and exciting sight: projections of their peers singing displayed on the walls of Kohlberg, Beardsley, Sci Center, and Martin.

The series, entitled “Chorus,” will begin with large projections of one singer and expand to four; on November 9, it will culminate with all four singers performing an octet with their projections from 7:30-7:50 p.m.

This is the work of Robin Mandel ’97, a multimedia artist and Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In addition to “Chorus,” “Hold Still,” an exhibition of his recent sculpture and other work, will run from November 8 to December 15 in List Gallery. Mandel give an artist’s talk on the 8th at 4:30 p.m. in LPAC cinema, with a reception in the gallery to follow.

Mandel came back to campus a couple of years ago to give a lecture, and Andrea Packard, the curator of the List Gallery, and the Studio Art professors were greatly impressed by his art and its intel-

lectual inquiry. They received a Cooper grant to bring Mandel to campus and fund exhibition catalogs, which will be available for free during the show.

One major piece in “Hold Still” is “Siren,” which, as Mandel writes in the catalog, “uses three spinning projectors, each playing a clip of a vocalist singing individual notes for as long as her breath can sustain.”

He continues: “As she sings, her image steadies; as her breath runs out, her image spins, and remains in motion until the next note begins. A breath is a simple physical act, but one with poetic poten-

tial as it relates to voice, speech, and song. By visually linking the breath to the legibility of the video image, Siren underscores the fragility, physicality, and necessity of that simple gesture.”

“Chorus,” in many ways an expansion of “Siren,” seems to do a similar thing. The singers will also hold notes for the length of their breath, and the spinning projections will now be greatly enlarged. For one of the singers, Maximillian Barry ’19, “Chorus” is inspiring in its innovation.

“I’m an art major, so seeing an alumnus doing art as a career was pretty encouraging,” said Barry.

Courtesy of Robin Mandel

“Halloween” is Back from the Dead Shane Jung Arts Writer

“Halloween,” the direct sequel to the 1978 original, offers more of the same punky, slashy entertainment under new creative hands who have a clear love and understanding for what made its predecessor so effective and influential. But what it lacks in originality, it gains in intertextual nostalgia and a knowing edge that make the movie that much more enjoyable and serviceable. “Serviceable” is exactly the word to describe this movie — meaning that, despite a couple of nice added touches from acclaimed director David Gordon Green, it isn’t without some pretty glaring flaws.

It’s 40 years after the events of the first film, both within the

world of the story and in terms of the two films’ release dates.

Laurie Strode, reprised by an older but sprightly Jamie Lee Curtis, is still traumatized by the murders of her friends from the original film and has taken extreme measures in preparation for the murderer Michael Myers’ inevitable escape from prison. She is so against the government keeping him alive in prison that she even prays for his escape so that she can kill him once and for all. Unfortunately, her paranoia has resulted in two failed marriages and the loss of custody of her now estranged daughter; her daughter was taken away since Strode had been obsessively and abusively preparing her for Myers’ return as soon as she was born.

Strode also has a teenage granddaughter who has been trying to

reconnect with her nearly deranged grandmother despite her mother’s understandable objections that stem from a traumatic childhood. How each of these female characters across three generations and their interrelationships change after Myers returns serves as the emotional core of the story.

To start with the positives, the choice of David Gordon Green as director has some unexpected but welcome outcomes.

Green is a director most known for his comedies, such as “Pineapple Express” with Seth Rogan and James Franco, and dramas, such as last year’s underrated and overlooked “Stronger.” His experience with both genres makes for a surprisingly wry and oddly sweet sense of humor and some pretty convincing family drama. Quick comedic glimpses

into victims’ personal lives and personalities serve as an effective and economical method in adding depth to these minor characters and fostering the audience’s attachment to them right before their unsightly end by the stoic killer. The film also contains plenty of delightful but also meaningful references to the original and other genre call-backs such as babysitters, high school drama, and teenage indulgence, even if certain subplots regarding these teenagers render the film a bit unfocused and detract from the core of the story.

As for the negatives, the choice of David Gordon Green as the director also has some predictable and rather unfortunate consequences. For one, he has never directed a horror movie, and his lack of ex-

“It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before; it has a very strange quality to it: spinning projections and haunting singing. There’s not very much performance art that goes on on campus, so I think that will be cool to have.”

But although Barry really enjoyed working on “Chorus,” it’s not for everybody.

“One person [Mandel] contacted wanted to [participate] but felt uncomfortable proceeding because their image will be blown up so large,” says Packard. “That’s very understandable, but it made me realize how exciting and brave the students who are participating are; they’re going into uncharted territory, and that’s part of the excitement.”

For Mandel, that bravery becomes a metaphor for intellectual engagement on a diverse campus.

“It was very important to me that this project reflect the community in which it was shown,” he wrote in an email. “I want these voices and faces to be of the community in which they are seen and heard.”

He expanded: “The whole project is modeled on the idea of intellectual discourse, and turning that into something you can hear, turning it into some kind of a song. This discourse is not always easy to hear, not always harmonious, but it is, ideally, open and free and engaged in with a spirit of generosity. As such the sounds of the singers are sometimes discordant and sometimes harmonious, but always in the same key.”

To me, this is a beautiful idea, and I also simply love the idea of spontaneous singing on campus. Singing, I feel, is something that brings people together, and I hope “Chorus” will do that for the college community.

“Hold Still” also promises to be exciting. In addition to “Siren,” it contains many other thoughtprovoking works of art, among them “Entertaining Illusion,” a piece which involves projected images on a wine bottle and wine glass.

“A bottle, a wine glass, two spotlights, one pane of glass, one very long table, and two video screens comprise the setup,” writes artist Elizabeth King in the catalog. “The proposition? To make that bottle and that wine glass surprise us.”

That’s no easy feat, particularly as Mandel surprises his audience and then invites us to figure out the trick, a process that, for King, is rewarding in and of itself. I won’t tease more of the pieces here, but be on the lookout for the ordinary made strange. (This is, after all, Swarthmore — since when was anything here ever ordinary?)

“What Mandel’s is doing is a relatively new aesthetic and conceptual language and it’s a really effective one because it takes art outside of its usual box and it brings it into places where people aren’t expecting to encounter that kind of experience,” says Packard. “It breaks down barriers between people who categorize themselves as ‘Oh I don’t know anything about art.’”

And whether you’re an artist or not, check out Mandel’s work in a couple weeks, when List Gallery will become the home of wonders, and the people and buildings of Swarthmore will sing. For more info, see the List Gallery’s webpage on the exhibition: https:// www.swarthmore.edu/list-gallery/robin-mandel-chorus-andhold-still.

perience with the genre really shows. Horror movies live and die by atmospherics, dread, and shock value, of which “Halloween” has very little. As a result, the film feels breezy, inconsequential, and is just not very scary. Additionally, Green seems to believe that his experience with comedy movies will help him juggle between scares and laughs throughout the runtime, and heighten the emotional impact of both by way of juxtaposition. If done correctly, this would stay true to the shifting tone of the original “Halloween” and would recreate the winning formula of last year’s horror sensation, “It”. But you can’t have a successful balance between the scary and the funny if you’re much better at one than the other. Consequently, you have a movie that is more

funny and predictable than it is scary and suspenseful.

But perhaps that’s the point.

In an age of increasingly implausible, foolish, and CGIdependent horror movies, it’s oddly refreshing and reassuring to have an unpretentious slasher flick out this Halloween that just wants to have some campy, gory fun, relying on more relatable domestic drama, fears, and violence than the supernatural. Following Michael Myers in one continuous long take from house to house with kids running around on Halloween night is still as terrifying and effective as the original’s famous long take four decades ago. And it just might convince you to check underneath your bed, inside your closet, and behind the curtains at night. Happy Halloween.

OPINIONS

October 25, 2018 PAGE A5

Laura Wilcox Op-Ed Contributor

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arlier this month, The New York Times published an extensive investigation of the Trump family’s widespread tax evasion schemes entitled “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches from His Father.” The article described tax evasion that lasted for decades and led to President Trump receiving far more financial help from his family than he has claimed. After more than a year of examining tax documents, the investigators found that Trump’s parents avoided taxes by making deceptive and sometimes fraudulent transfers to their children, avoiding the 55 percent tax rate on inheritances.

However, likely due to its length, level of detail, and competing coverage of the Kavanaugh hearings and confirmation, its publication received very little attention and few other newspapers covered the investigation’s findings. The article deserves much more attention than it has received because it is a

stunningly researched, precisely written piece of journalism.

The investigation began when New York Times reporter Susanne Craig noticed an unusual $1 million loan from a Trump familyowned company on a disclosure form for the president’s sister and started digging. The journalists who worked on the article read over 100,000 pages of documents with painstaking attention to detail, knowing the entire investigation would be discredited if they made an assertion that was later shown to be false. The tax code and the transactions they were following are extremely complex, so it’s a remarkable accomplishment to write about them in a way that is accessible to the public and doesn’t distort the truth.

The article is a prime example of what good journalism is supposed to do: carefully follow leads that seem minor at first, research rigorously, and explain complex topics to the public. It’s also a reminder of the critical role a free press plays in keeping our elected leaders accountable, and I would not

be surprised if the journalists win a Pulitzer Prize for their efforts.

Additionally, the article contradicts the myth the president has cultivated about all his wealth being self-made. The president has repeatedly claimed that he received “only” a $1 million loan from his parents, but The New York Times investigation showed that he was actually given millions of dollars more. The extensive financial help the president received from his family proves that he has lied for years about a primary part of his identity, that he obtained his wealth entirely on his own and without significant help from his family. One of his campaign strategies was to portray himself as self-made and accountable to no one. Instead, The New York Times investigation proved that the president was already earning hundreds of thousands of dollars every year from his parents’ businesses by the time he was a toddler and was repeatedly bailed out by his father when his ill-advised business ventures failed. Therefore, the president’s claims that he

accomplished what he did on his own are complete lies.

Of course, this article doesn’t really provide any new information about the president’s character—it’s clear that he utterly lacks a moral compass. Very few people haven’t made up their minds about how they feel about the president. Since many readers likely found that the article only confirmed their already deeply negative opinion of the president, they could argue that its findings aren’t important because they are unlikely to change anyone’s mind.

However, the article is a reminder that our president has no appreciation for the duty of the wealthy to pay their share of taxes, further implying that he has a deeply held disrespect for the ability of government to redistribute wealth and make people’s lives better. It also is indicative of his broader attitude that the rules just don’t apply to him. Thankfully, New York state tax authorities have begun investigating the allegations of tax evasion in the New York Times article. There’s no statute of

Swat Global: Technology and Loneliness Giorgia Piantanida Op-Ed Contributor

We live in 2018, a time in which the whole world is interconnected through complicated systems of social media. Companies like Facebook give us the opportunity to be constantly connected to our loved ones, no matter where in the world we are, seemingly offering us a safety blanket of loved ones.

In reality, this endless network of connections works to make us feel more isolated and alone than we could ever imagine. The infinite nature of it has a detrimental effect on coping with feelings of loneliness, enforcing rather than deterring them. And unfortunately, rather than allowing us to feel less lonely, social media tends to further isolate us and make us feel more alone than ever.

Leaving a place of comfort and familiarity is difficult. Although

the prospects of embracing a new adventure and having access to completely new experiences are often very exciting, there is a certain sadness that comes with the knowledge that you will soon be surrounded by a place you do not know as well. In our day and age, though, it seems like everyone that leaves not only loves every second of it, but that they immediately molded to the new ways they encountered. Snapshots of their daily life on Instagram and Facebook litter your feed, and you may admire how easily they bent themselves into their new environment, thoughts of home and family long gone. Their highlight reels stain your thoughts as you go through the day, and when you yourself are also supposed to be adapting to somewhere completely new, it forces you to take a look inside yourself. It forces you to question why you’re unable to

blend in, enjoy your time away, be whole on your own.

Personally, I have gone through this when I left for study abroad. I reached out to other friends who were studying abroad, even the ones that had too many highlight reels to count, and they agreed — they were lonely, and the social media that was supposed to make them feel more connected to a familiar place made them even more lonely. It appears to be a common problem.

Applications to keep yourself rooted to the place you’ve come from are commonplace. There’s Whatsapp, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter- you get it.

They have not only permeated our day to day life, but they’ve become the go-to when boredom sets in.

A common pastime is simply laying around and scrolling through whatever social media your fingers lead you to, having shallow

The Necessity of Environmental Justice Sydney Covitz Op-Ed Contributor

Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report warning the world that if we don’t act radically, our planet will, in the very near future, become unlivable. The report states that if we do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions extensively by 2032, our planet will warm beyond 1.5°C, which is the cap on warming 195 countries agreed upon in Paris in 2015. Climate scientists have asserted that if warming exceeds this number, the world will become unlivable and we will no longer be able to prevent catastrophic climate disaster. This report, although frightening, action-inspiring, and put together by the world’s most acclaimed climate scientists, does not take into consideration the fact that for many, the planet is unlivable now and has been for decades. Further, this perspective — one that understands people are already experiencing the catastrophic burdens of climate change — is often overlooked due to the fact that it is society’s the most marginalized lives that have been and continue to be scapegoated.

Established by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization, in 1988, the IPCC is a governmental group inside the United Nations tasked with, according to their website, providing for the world a “clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.”

This group of scientists claims to be dedicated to formulating solutions to climate change; however, I would call into question how

much these scientists who claim expertise on the “socio-economic impacts” of climate change, have been educated on the concept of environmental justice.

Environmental justice is the movement informed by the fundamental truth that many lowincome and minority communities are disproportionately affected by the negative externalities of climate change. Environmental justice scholars and activists look to formulate solutions to climate issues while taking into account this fact and understanding that expertise can come as much from experience as it can from those possessing scientific and technical degrees. I would argue that those who have been in this fight for the longest might have perspective and information useful and inaccessible to the scientists using only the knowledge they acquired from approximately the last 30 years of study.

Climate change, as I have learned in Professor Giovanna DiChiro’s course titled “Environmental Justice,” does not affect all people equally. Those who are already most vulnerable to systemic societal abuses often become increasingly defenseless as various aspects of the environment deteriorate. Additionally, as can be seen in the Actualitix global map of CO2emissions per capita, much of the developed world, specifically the United States, Canada, and Russia are disproportionately responsible for emitting greenhouse gases.

Yet while we are the ones who are causing this climate deterioration, it is so often developing countries who feel the burden of our actions. An environmental justice perspective is a critical component to aiding our understanding of this disproportionate impact, which occurs on all levels — global

continental, national, and state — because it addresses concerns of climate change while taking into consideration who the vulnerable populations are and their needs with respect to these environmental factors.

The needs of communities most marginalized by climate change are also frequently those subjected to unprecedented social and economic challenges. Furthermore, since they have been fighting this fight for the longest, these communities represent the untapped potential of the international environmental movement within the context of fighting climate change. In their work titled “Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement,” authors Agyeman et al. explain, “If the climate movement is truly to succeed, it must also speak to the needs and aspirations of marginalized peoples facing pressing social and economic challenges.” Organizations such as the IPCC are severely lacking in this practice, which leads them to erroneously overlook the fact that people are already directly experiencing the negative, detrimental, life-threatening, and lifeending effects of climate change and environmental racism. The “social and economic challenges” to which Agyeman et. al refer are present in so many communities who are subjected to disproportionate effects of climate change.

Addressing simply the scientific aspects of climate change without taking into consideration the social justice ramifications parallels putting a band-aid on a bullet hole — reducing greenhouse gas output, although important, will not change the fact that disproportionate quantities of toxic waste continued on page A6

engagements with friends, family and sometimes strangers that may be nowhere in your vicinity. And when you’re already feeling lonely, whether it’s because you miss home, your family, friends, and all you see are happy faces, it only serves to isolate you. Not only do you not have those you love near you to comfort you, but you also have no one to relate to in those superficial posts because everyone just focuses on their almost-perfect moments. On social media, everyone highlights the seemingly perfect parts of their life and ignores the difficult portions.

Even then, you still have direct messages and video calls. Perhaps.

But messages often come off dry, succinct and not nearly as emotional as you desire. After all, how can you even be properly sarcastic with block letters? The loneliness you may be feeling seems to get exalted by the detachment and

THE

Trump’s Tax Evasion Deserves More Attention

w

PHOENIX

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

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

SPORTS Jack Corkery, Editor Max Katz-Balmes, Editor

limitations on civil charges for tax evasion in New York, so the President could still be compelled to repay unpaid taxes from decades ago as a direct result of the work of the journalists at The New York Times. Since the article could have these concrete consequences, it

is an important piece of journalism and deserves more attention than it initially received upon publication. Furthermore, it is an impressive reminder of the ability of journalism to explain complex topics and hold elected officials accountable.

simplicity messages often carry with them. And video calls, though a major improvement, are never enough. Whether if it’s because of the lag time between the words in the speakers and the movement of the mouth in the video, or the lack of physical presence of the other person, it always leaves you feeling a little emptier and lonelier than you may care to admit.

Social media is, no doubt, a very important and sometimes positive invention that is unlikely to ever truly die out. While it may change forms, its continued existence seems hard to argue against.

And though it is meant to protect us from isolation, it often highlights our loneliness in our minds, when the only emotion we find on our screens is one of exaltation and happiness. It creates an imagined community online, lacking any physical presence in our daily lives, and due to its nature

of showcasing perfect moments, takes a toll on our everyday lives and mistakes. It makes people judge themselves more harshly than they would otherwise, as they see their own shortcomings as unique, as they compare themselves to the lives their friends and families have constructed on the web. And unfortunately, oftentimes, we must leave our loved ones and the sense of what is familiar behind in order to understand that detachment, that negative space between what people project themselves to be and what they really are. Because after all, we’re all just humans, and humanity comes with mistakes and shortcomings, even when we may not broadcast it to the world.

We Should Remember What Nikki Haley Did

Daijing Xu Op-Ed Contributor

Unexpectedly, on October 9, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, announced that she will be leaving the Trump administration at the end of the year. Denying the suspicion that she will be running against Trump in the 2020 election, Haley promises to actually campaign for him. Therefore, her departure does not demonstrate opposition to the administration’s ideology and positions.

With a possibility of a further political career, she should not be remembered as a moderate Republican or a voice of reason in the Trump administration.

As one of the only officials that has left on good terms with the Trump administration, she does not hesitate to criticize both sides of the U.S. political parties.

During the charity dinner on October 18, Haley initially joked about the administration, and then seriously criticized the current political climate.

“In our toxic political environment, I’ve heard some people in both parties describe their opponents as enemies or evil,” Haley said. “In America, our political opponents are not evil. In South Sudan, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war — that is evil. In Syria, where the dictator uses chemical weapons to murder innocent children — that is evil. In North Korea, where American student Otto Warmbier was tortured to death — that was evil.”

“In the last two years, I’ve seen true evil,” Haley continued. “We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil. They’re just our opponents.”

From this quote, she appears to be a moderate who encourages the two parties to work together.

Many would argue that as one of the few women of color in the administration, she is preventing Trump from doing even more damage. She was an outspoken critic of Russia’s aid of the Assad Regime. This is despite Trump’s conspicuous fondness of Putin and Russia, demonstrated by his tout of Putin’s denial of election meddling, followed by the rebuke of the US intelligence agency at the Helsinki summit earlier this year. In contrast to the majority of the Republican party whose opinions seem to sway to that of the President’s, she has very strong viewpoints and is sometimes a critic of the Trump administration. Nevertheless, as a continuous supporter of Trump’s 2020 presidential election, she is definitely not an ally to the Democrats. From her rebuke of Russia, we can conclude that her enabling of the Trump administration’s ideals and policies is to her own liking, and her departure from the administration does not mark her an opponent of the Trump administration.

Nikki Haley, who still has a political career ahead of her, should be remembered negatively for what she did as UN ambassador. One of the notable “feats” of her career was the U.S. withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council. In May, the United States moved its embassy into Jerusalem, disregarding the Palestinians that live in the West Bank. In recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the United States demonstrates its support for Israel’s unethical occupation of Palestine territory, which has been ongoingly rebuked by the UN human rights council. Af-

ter receiving criticisms over the pro-Israel policies, Nikki Haley, representing the United States, accuses the Council of having a “chronic anti-Israel bias,” calling it “a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias”. In favor of Israel’s foreign policies, with Nikki Haley’s support, the U.S. has also pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and the UN cultural organization UNESCO. Interestingly, while she called Syria’s use of chemical weapons “evil,” Israel has been condemned by the UN for multiple human rights offenses, including its use of white phosphorus, an illegal chemical weapon, during the war on Gaza. Aside from siding with the Trump administration for its pro-Israel policies, Nikki Haley has also defended the administration for its withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.

Nikki Haley has always supported the policies of the Trump administration. She is no moderate and must not be remembered as one. As Haley exits the Trump administration, there is no need for us to shed a tear, but neither should we celebrate her departure. On her way out, Nikki Haley has praised Jared Kushner as “a hidden genius,” while Trump is suggesting his daughter, Ivanka Trump, as her UN replacement.

Although Haley was a disappointment, I doubt her replacement could be much better. Nikki Haley’s record as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations should serve as a warning that Republicans cannot be trusted to protect human rights, regardless of their occasional opposition to the Trump’s crazy views. To defend the rights of people all over the world, your vote matters now more than ever.

PAGE A6

THE PHOENIX OPINIONS

Swat Takes: BDS

October 25, 2018

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

Swarthmore Should Divest from Israeli Apartheid Now

BDS is a Denial of my Existence

Matthew Koucky, on behalf of SJP Op-Ed Contributor

Rebekah Katz Op-Ed Contributor

he Boycott, Divest, and Sanction movement completely undermines the dialogue and conversation necessary to even begin to unpack the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because at its basic level, it is an antisemitic attack. BDS and National Students for Justice in Palestine, its loudest proponents, do not support a solution to the conflict that allows for Jewish self-determination. As a movement it completely stifles the conversation necessary to even begin to unpack the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because it denies my identity’s right to exist; my Judaism is fundamentally indistinguishable from my Zionism.

BDS claims that its purpose is to put pressure on the Israeli government when in reality it implies the end of the Jewish state and therefore Jewish right to self-determination. This, among other reasons, is where the antisemitism resides. Antisemitism, according to the U.S. State Department, is partially defined as “denying the Jewish people their right to selfdetermination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” I am a strong advocate for recognizing nuance, and so I believe that the proponents of BDS here at Swarthmore are not, at least purposefully, being antisemitic like their national representatives are. Nonetheless, in the same way that some people see my love for Israel as a threat, many Jewish people like myself see BDS as a threat.

Not only has BDS’ co-founder Omar Barghouti said, “we ought to oppose categorically a Jewish state,” but the national charter itself indirectly advocates for destruction of the Jewish state by calling for the right of return for all Palestinian refugees displaced during the 1948 and 1967 wars, as well as their descendants. A number totaling more than 7.2 million individuals, this demographic shift would effectively end the Jewish majority in the Jewish state.

I fundamentally believe in Zionism as it is defined as the right for Jewish self determina-

ing protest exhibited at UCLA’s Indigenous Peoples Unite panel discussion; I see major activists tweeting (and deleting) things like “’I would have killed all the jews in the world, But I kept some to show the world why I killed them’ -Hitler- #PrayForGaza #PrayForPalestina.” I see support for indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza landing in civilian homes filled with mothers and children and stabbing attacks and shootings, and blatant conflations of anti-Zionism and antisemitism perpetuated by their own advocates despite my hearing their own constant assertions that they are not the same thing.

I love Israel with all my heart.

It is a haven, a shelter, a home, a protection. Saying that support for Israel equals unapologetic support for all things Netanyahu is drastically unfair, and believing that the Jewish people don’t have a right to their national homeland denies the blatant need for one. 80 years after the Holocaust and living in a country where the Jewish population is primarily white and European can numb anti-Zionists to antisemitism around the world, and give rise to the argument that I have oft heard that Jews are “are safe enough” to not need that homeland as a level of protection. Yet this is a myopic view that focuses on white European and American diasporas, ignoring the need for a safe haven for victims of modern expulsions — Jews of color in the Yemeni, Mizrachi, North Africa, Sephardic, and Arab communities. For more information on this, I would recommend the film “Expulsion and Memory: Descendants of Hidden Jews.”

To advocate for the disintegration of the Jewish state via BDS is to advocate for the displacement of these very people.

And so how do I disregard the reality that the Jewish people are still in danger to this day, that six million of my people were massacred no more than 80 years ago and the constantly impending fear that there’s no telling when a massacre may happen again? How am I supposed to throw away the level of protection that Israel provides by supporting its disintegration?

How am I supposed to ignore the millennia of pain my own people have faced? And so, how could I possibly support a movement that, at its core, threatens to take that away?

subject to environmental injustices before it was on the radar of scientists and present within the global conscious. Environmental justice activism began as early as

the 1960s, and the effects of climate change have been persistent in communities for even longer — just not in communities with individuals privileged enough to pos-

sess a voice on the international stage.

The views below are my own and do not represent the opinions of any group or organization of which I am a part.

O

n October 9, Swarthmore Students for Justice in Palestine launched our Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign, calling on Swarthmore College to divest from seven companies invested in Israeli apartheid and occupation in Palestine.

Recognizing that Israel’s decadeslong projects of settler-colonialism, apartheid, and occupation are facilitated by the support of international corporations and foreign governments, this movement places nonviolent pressure on the State of Israel to affirm Palestinian humanity and end the ongoing occupation and colonization of Arab lands. As an institution that professes to uphold social concern and responsibility as core values, Swarthmore College has a moral imperative to divest from Israeli apartheid.

As stipulated by a 2018 United Nations report, “Israel is a racist state that has established an apartheid system that persecutes the Palestinian people.” Israeli apartheid is upheld through illegal land seizures, racist ID laws restricting movement and citizenship status, an internationallycondemned apartheid wall, home demolitions, the ongoing mass displacement of Palestinians, and the violent repression of peaceful protest. Palestinians are legally considered lesser than Israeli Jews, as this summer’s racist nationality law — officially denying Palestinian self-determination — made clear. President Trump is the strongest accomplice to apartheid yet, giving Israel nearly $4 billion in foreign aid, supporting the unification of Jerusalem under Israeli control, all the while withdrawing critical aid to UN relief for Palestinian refugees.

Given the depth of this crisis, we call Swarthmore College to take moral action and end its financial support of apartheid. We demand that Swarthmore College divests from seven companies that provide the Israeli government and military with a wide range of services to carry out apartheid. Hyundai Heavy Industries and Caterpillar supply construction equipment used to build and maintain the internationally-condemned apartheid wall, demolish Palestinian towns, and murder Palestinian civilians solely for remaining in the houses they themselves own.

Bank Hapoalim finances the construction of such settlements and

tion and for Israel to exist as a Jewish state. BDS as a movement inherently denies that.

Zionism at its roots means liberation of the Jewish people through their own state; BDS at its roots means destruction of that state.

Because I believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, the automatic assumption is made that I am pro-settlements, pro-apartheid, pro-Netanyahu.

It takes hard conversation that cannot begin from the starting point of erasure of my identity for others to learn that the reality is, the only “pro” that I really am, is pro-Jewish state. It takes hard conversation to truly make it so that the conflict is not perpetuated as an us-versus-them binary.

I have had to challenge myself over the last few years to not hear basic criticism of Israel as an attack on my identity. As such, criticism of Israel is not inherently antisemitic. Statements like “I oppose the Netanyahu administration’s policies regarding settlements in the West Bank” are necessary, and in my opinion, valid. I will even say it out loud: I personally oppose the Netanyahu administration’s policies regarding settlements in the West Bank. While I certainly can’t speak for the entire proIsrael community, my stance on Israel is progressive; I believe in a two-state solution, I believe in Palestinian sovereignty, and I also believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

In my experience, however, advocates of Students for Justice in Palestine don’t necessarily see my viewpoint. They often make the claim Zionism is defined as white supremacy and colonialism, and advocate for BDS as a solution to that erroneous definition, and fail to recognize the spectrum of opinions within the pro-Israel community. If they’re going to draw these conclusions, than they also need to understand how the organizations and movements they support reflect terribly on the cause they claim to be fighting for. When I see Students for Justice in Palestine, I see their co-founder Hatem Bazian perpetuating blatant antisemitism on Twitter by retweeting memes of a foolishly depicted Hassidic men with the overlay “Mom, look! I is chosen! And now I rape, smuggle or steal the land of the Palestinians! #Ashke #Nazi;” I see aggressive and intimidat-

T

Nara En / The Phoenix

engages in banking discrimination against Palestinians.

Hewlett Packard aids Israel in the tracking of citizens, Palestinian “residents” of Israel, and Palestinian nationals by issuing biometric ID cards, which enforce a system of ethnic identification and segregation. HP also maintains the information system of the Israeli Prison Service, in which Palestinian political prisoners — including hundreds of minors — are subjected to torture and discriminatory treatment after their processing in the unjust military court system.

Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Elbit Systems all design the weapons and aircrafts the Israeli Defense Forces use to commit a range of well-documented crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, including chemical warfare and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians. The goals of these companies in particular stand against peace in Palestine. Taken together, these seven companies subcontract apartheid. These practices directly violate the UN Human Rights Norms for Business, which require “businesses to exercise due diligence regarding the source or potential uses of goods or services, and in some instances to forego business opportunities in order to avoid complicity in, or encouragement of, human rights violations.”

Throughout history, governmental change has often followed social and institutional change.

During South African apartheid, divestment was an essential way to shift international public opinion — and thus forced our elected

leaders to take action. BDS has already proven this to be true. With hundreds of BDS victories last year alone, we are slowly shifting the public to stand against apartheid.

Our governments will be forced to follow. This is particularly true of the United States, whose uncritical support of apartheid and occupation continues to prevent international action. BDS at Swarthmore is thus critical to creating the swell of popular support we need to end our community and our country’s support of apartheid.

Given our commitment to social responsibility, Swarthmore College has a moral imperative to divest from Israeli apartheid.

Furthermore, our institutional prominence and location in the United States — whose financial and material aid to Israel constitutes a larger portion of Israeli foreign aid than any other country — uniquely positions us to pressure our government to cease support of this regime and to set an example for other civil society bodies. By stigmatizing companies that support Israeli apartheid, BDS at Swarthmore can contribute to much larger changes in public opinion, as our communities come to grips with the American funding of apartheid in our name.

As long as Swarthmore College supports these corporations, it supports colonization, occupation, and apartheid. Swarthmore, divest now.

We encourage you to sign our petition which can be found on our Facebook page at Swarthmore SJP.

Environmental Justice, continued from A5 dumps are being placed in African-American communities.

Climate justice activists are not invited to meetings of the IPCC, whose reports have served as guid-

ing principles for responses to climate change. In order to construct a comprehensive and effective solution to the rapidly deteriorating environment, it is imperative

Crossword by Ziv Stern Across:

1 - “The Dark Knight Rises” villain 5 - “Livin’ La Vida ___” 9 - State known for its potatoes 14 - By word-of-mouth 15 - Wall St. openings 16 - Not even once 17 - A Swarthmore education, in line with this puzzle’s theme 19 - Ere 20 - However 21 - Labor activist Chavez 22 - Mexican president Enrique ____ Nieto 23 - Beauty parlor 25 - Song at 57-Down 27 - Like Alaska and Hawaii, on most US maps 30 - Punctual 34 - Molecule piece 37 - Steamy 39 - Sign of assent 40 - “10-4” 42 - What it would have been anywhere else, in a Swarthmore saying, or a hint to the starred clues 43 - Blackjack request 45 - Hashtag for fun facts 46 - Ford flops 49 - Word after backup or seating 50 - Big hammer 52 - Page opposite the verso 54 - Merit 56 - Purge from 59 - Weight 61 - Neptune’s realm 64 - Good guy?

66 - Floppy cap 67 - A Swarthmore education, in line with this puzzle’s theme 69 - “Fear of Flying” author Jong

that these groups work together in order to capitalize on the expert knowledge each has to offer.

Further, climate change began to affect individuals in communities

70 - Attachment to a gun or a sheaf 71 - Compound found in urine 72 - Aids 73 - Vortex 74 - Pie or piece of cake, idiomatically

Down:

1 - Corpse 2 - *58-Down, anywhere else 3 - Int’l agreement re-negotiated by President Trump 4 - Legolas, for one 5 - Driver’s ID 6 - Work of art 7 - *62-Down, anywhere else 8 - “Ad ___ per aspera” 9 - When push comes to shove 10 - *51-Down, anywhere else 11 - River that Stratford is upon 12 - *59-Down, anywhere else 13 - Rock from a vein 18 - Clickable image, or graven image 24 - It’s often paired with lemon 26 - Louis XIV, e.g.

28 - Spans of time 29 - Printer need 31 - Part of IHOP: Abbr.

32 - NYC art museum 33 - Garden guarded by a flaming sword 34 - At Swarthmore, they’re liberal 35 - Hard labor 36 - Look lustily 38 - “Tall” story 41 - Yacht races 44 - Apple music player 47 - Masculine article?

48 - Descriptor for Hamilton, along with “young” and “hungry” 51 - Go AWOL 53 - Fey of “Mean Girls” 55 - ____ word

57 - Wagner work 58 - Chips, across the pond 59 - Leafy seasoning 60 - Neighbor of Ontario 62 - “Common” disease in winter

63 - Oklahoma city 65 - Neutrogena rival 66 - Arthur of “The Golden Girls” 68 - Street, in Paris

SPORTS

October 25, 2018 PAGE A7

New Details of Rape Allegations Against Superstar Footballer Emerge Francis Eddy Harvey Sports Writer

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ast year, world famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was the subject of a story released by German news outlet, Der Spiegel, in which he was accused of raping a woman eight years ago in a Las Vegas bar. According to the article, the incident occured on June 13, 2009. The woman in question chose to remain anonymous using the pseudonym Susan K. We now know this woman as Kathryn Mayorga; she publicly came out recently as the woman levying these accusations against the Portuguese superstar.

The time delay from the incident and Mayorga’s desire to remain anonymous resulted in the story gaining little traction from mainstream media.

However, in the past month, Ms. Mayorga has publicly come out and new documentation of a nondisclosure agreement signed in 2010 has surfaced. Legal papers indicate a nondisclosure agreement of $375,000 in 2010 was paid out to Ms. Mayorga by Ronaldo and his lawyers in exchange for her silence. This ensured Ms. Mayorga would not pursue formal charges against Ronaldo. However, Mayorga claims at the time she was “terrified of retaliation” and of “being publicly humiliated.”

The resurgence of the story has put the Portuguese footballer under fire. With Ronaldo’s fame and popularity, he seems virtually untouchable.

Not only does has he played for the biggest clubs in Europe, but also has one of the largest social media followings in the world.

This did not stop Mayorga, who said she publicly accused him because she was inspired by the #MeToo movement.

Ronaldo has vehemently denied all accusations, leaving some to question the validity of Mayorga’s claims. After the story resurfaced, Ronaldo, on multiple platforms and occasions, has continued to proclaim his innocence. He has said the allegations against him are “fake news.”

Ronaldo also tweeted, “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may

be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.”

Despite these denials, there is documentation of the nondisclosure agreement between Ronaldo and Ms. Mayorga months after their encounter.

Additionally, The International Business Times reported, “Ronaldo has reportedly spent about a million dollars to put together a team with a forensic expert, a former police officer and a public relations officer.” Ronaldo’s financial commitment to his defense and his continuous denials indicate that he is prepared to fight Mayorga’s allegations and, unlike years ago, not settle.

At the time of the alleged attack, Kathryn Mayorga was a model working at the nightclub, Rain, in Las Vegas. Confirmed by pictures of the two of them together, and by Ronaldo himself, Ronaldo and Mayorga were conversing throughout the night.

Ronaldo also acknowledges that on that night, he and Mayorga did go back to a penthouse, and in the early hours of the following morning engaged in sexual relations. Ronaldo, through his lawyer Christiansen, claims that the sexual relations were “completely consensual.”

Mayorga’s side of what happened at the penthouse is much different. She said their sexual relations were not, by any standards, consensual; Ronaldo raped her. Soon afterwards, Ms. Mayorga went to the Las Vegas Police Department to report the incident during which evidence was documented and photographed.

According to legal papers, “Cristiano Ronaldo pulled the plaintiff into a bedroom and on to a bed and attempted to engage in sexual intercourse.”

Mayorga resisted Ronaldo, and screamed, “No, no, no.” Additionally, the papers state, “When Cristiano Ronaldo completed the sexual assault, he allowed her to leave the bedroom stating he was sorry, he was usually a gentleman.”

The most complicating matter of this case is the non-disclosure agreement Mayorga signed in 2010. The first step for her case against Ronaldo is getting the initial settlement of $375,000 invalidated, which will

allow her to press formal charges. According to The Independent, this is Mayorga’s biggest legal obstacle. However, regardless of what happens with the non-disclosure agreement, this is likely to be a long drawn out process as witnesses will need to be called in for questioning and police have only just begun an investigation.

Historically, for world famous athletes like Ronaldo, the punishments often do not fit the crime. This is because of athletes’ ability to spend big on legal council coupled with the reality that victims are afraid of the attention their accusations tend to attract. Numerous athletes, primarily in American sports, seem to have gotten lighter punishments than deserved. A prime example is Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who has been accused of sexual assault, but settled out of court, and was merely suspended for four games by the NFL. However, regardless of the outcome, Ronaldo will not come out of this unscathed. He is under pressure from numerous high-end brands and sponsors who use his fame and appearance to advertise their products.

The NBA is Finally Back Ankur Malik Sports Writer

The NBA finally returned last Tuesday — after a typically frantic offseason full of high-profile trades. LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Raptors traded DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in return for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Paul George stayed in Oklahoma despite links to the Lakers, and DeMarcus Cousins signed with Golden State in free agency. Unlike George, then Thunder teammate Carmelo Anthony moved to Houston to join the Rockets.

Although most teams haven’t even played four games, the winners and losers of those trades

are starting to become more apparent. LeBron still needs time to gel with his teammates, but it is already clear that the Cavaliers are rudderless without him. It was obvious the Cavs were heavily reliant on him last season — not just on offense, but on defense too — and those judgements have only been confirmed by Cleveland’s performances this season.

They have given up 116, 131, 133 points in their three games so far — and they aren’t doing great offensively either. According to Tom Withers of NBA.com, “[Cleveland are] pinning most of [their] hopes on Kevin Love, who signed a fouryear, $120 million contract extension this summer.” It is unclear whether Love can shoulder all the responsibility that LeBron did in

his two spells with the Cavs. Love lamented to Cleveland.com about the team’s performance against the Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena.

Love didn’t mince his words.

“The last three quarters were pretty damn alarming. Opening Night at home we expect to play better.

We expect to play better in front of our home crowd. I don’t know if alarming is the right word but it sure sounds right, just with our effort level. Our effort level wasn’t there, especially defending the three-point line. They were just gunning and we weren’t getting into them, we weren’t physical.”

LeBron’s departure means Love needs to take on a bigger leadership role — he, along with other veterans like Tristan Thompson,

With so much money invested in him and his products, Ronaldo is almost too famous to be guilty. He has a lifetime onebillion-dollar contract with Nike and is also on the cover of the one of the most popular video games in the world, FIFA 19.

Millions of copies have already been distributed. Additionally, Ronaldo has his own personal products to worry about. His most notable personal product lines are his fragrance, underwear, and CR7 soccer cleats.

Ronaldo, whether convicted or not, has already suffered from the publicity Mayorga’s allegations have brought him.

Nike and EA, the producer of FIFA 19, have begun to distance themselves, knowing how seriously their company names and sales could be damaged if the allegations are found to be true.

Nike released in a statement after the allegations saying, “We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

Additionally, EA sought to distance themselves from Ronaldo, saying “We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct them-

selves in a manner that is consistent with EA’s values.”

However, not all those associated with Ronaldo have done the same. Juventus, Ronaldo’s current club, back their superstar tweeting, “Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus.”

The tweet finished with, “The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion.”

Since the June night in 2009, Ronaldo’s and Mayorga’s lives have changed dramatically.

For Ronaldo his life has gotten nothing but more lavish.

He remains unmarried, but has four kids. Professionally, he has done quite well, moving from from Manchester United to Real Madrid and, most recently, to perennial Italian Champions, Juventus. Over the past 10 years, he has set new records, becoming the UEFA Champions League all-time top scorer and has won three Champions League titles in four years. He is also now one of the most popular athletes in the world, with

over 121 million Instagram followers.

Mayorga on the other hand, like most people who have undergone traumatic events, has been greatly affected by this night. For her, over the past 10 years, she stopped modeling in order to become a teacher, only to quit after publicly accusing Ronaldo. Since that night, she has said that she suffers from clinical depression, PTSD, and has considered suicide. These types of trauma are not uncommon for people who have undergone such horrific events.

It is encouraging, however, that her accusations are being taken more seriously than the would have perhaps years ago.

In response to her claims, the Las Vegas Police Department released the following statement: “As of September 2018, the case has been reopened and our detectives are following up on information being provided by the victim. This is an ongoing investigation and no further details will be released at this time.” As the investigation continues to unfold, Ronaldo will be called in for questioning, forcing him to face the seriousness of Mayorga’s accusations.

have to make sure that the team elevates their game and plays harder in the future.

The Raptors-Spurs trade is a balanced one that is too early to call. DeRozan and Leonard both performed well for their previous teams, but Leonard wanted a move following a long injury layoff, and he got it, switching San Antonio for Toronto. Danny Green was a solid pickup for the Raptors too. On the other hand, DeRozan was happy to stay up north — perhaps the Raptors felt they needed to make a change after yet another season of playoff capitulation.

They also parted ways with previous coach Dwayne Casey. Even though he won Coach of the Year for the Raptors’ strong showing in the 2017-2018 regular season — they topped the East standings — the sweep by the Cavaliers in the East Semifinals cost him his job. Nick Nurse, his assistant since 2013, is now head coach.

Leonard already looks to be at home in Toronto, having lead them to an early 4-0 record in the East. DeRozan has started strongly too, averaging 29 points and nine assists in his first three games for the Spurs, helping them to a solid 2-1 record alongside star big man LaMarcus Aldridge.

Paul George was tipped to join the Lakers this offseason, but LeBron went to LA instead, meaning George stayed with the Thunder. While solid defensively, George struggled with his shooting at times last season, and those struggles have continued. In three games this season, he has only shot 38.2 percent from the field,

and 31.3 percent from behind the arc. Those figures must improve if Oklahoma City are to be less reliant on Russell Westbrook’s scoring production. This is especially true now that Anthony has left, even though he too was disappointing in his single year with the Thunder.

DeMarcus Cousins is yet to play a single minute for the Warriors due to a long-term injury to his left Achilles tendon. That is the part of the reason why the move came as such a surprise to many in the NBA. However, the Warriors have told ESPN he is making “good progress in his rehab.”

Speaking before Golden State’s game Monday night versus the Phoenix Suns, coach Steve Kerr was confident the All-Star is on his way back.

Kerr commented to ESPN on the situation: “I think he’ll be more involved in practice. He’s been doing a lot of individual work most of the young season.

He has not participated in most of our practices. He’s done work in the weight room, the training room, on the floor before practice, so I think we’re going to start seeing him involved in more of our team activities.”

Although it is incredibly early, there are still teams worthy of praise. The Denver Nuggets have always been potent offensively thanks to big man Nikola Jokic, but their defense has been the pick of the league so far. They have limited all three of their opponents thus far to less than 100 points, a hugely impressive feat when you realize one of those

teams is Golden State, who are obviously stacked offensively. it’s even more impressive considering the fact that the early weeks of an NBA season are usually higher scoring than what follows. The Milwaukee Bucks have also been playing great basketball behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak”, as he is affectionately known, is rebounding at almost twice the rate he did last season, and he is scoring more, too. If Antetokounmpo keeps this form up, he could be on for his best season yet. Finally, the Toronto Raptors have been solid at both ends of the court, in part thanks to their moves in the offseason.

The Raps were superb in the 20172018 regular season, so it comes as no surprise, but it still worth noting the ease with which they have put together their four-game winning streak. For now, they are outpacing the Boston Celtics, the clear favorites for the Eastern Conference title this season now that LeBron has left Cleveland. In the west, it will be interesting to see whether any teams can make life difficult for Golden State. The Rockets topped the regular season standings last season, but fell just short in the Western Conference Finals. One suspects it will be easier for Golden State this time as Houston have lost Trevor Ariza, their main three-point threat last year. The only thing for sure is that there is a lot of basketball to be played over the next eight months. And there will undoubtedly be plenty of twists and turns along the way.

PAGE A8

THE PHOENIX SPORTS

October 25, 2018

Favorites Remain at the Top in College Football Christopher Licitra Sports Writer

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he NCAA Division I college football season is in full swing and, through nine weeks, has not disappointed. There have been countless upsets, coaching scandals, and many debates about the teams primed to make the four team playoff for the national championship. Six teams in the top of the current AP rankings were not there when the season started. Teams such as Texas, UCF, Florida, and Notre Dame are having surprise seasons, proving to many fans that they belong in the playoff conversation. However, with all the chaos and upsets that have occurred, there have been two constants: Alabama and Clemson. These two teams have shown, without a doubt, that they deserved the respective top two rankings that were given to them when the season started.

Clemson and Alabama have won the past three national titles and met in the 2017 national championship game. These two programs are starting to solidify themselves as national powerhouses. And, while other preseason title contenders, such as Ohio State and Georgia, have lost, it appears that Clemson and Alabama are on yet another crash course to meet in the national championship. Alabama has beaten every team by at least 22 points and currently has the Heisman trophy front runner, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, leading the team. Alabama looks nearly invincible and finally has the one piece of their team that they haven’t had since AJ McCarron in 2013, an elite quarterback.

As for Clemson, not only do they have three potential top-10 NFL draft picks on their defensive line, but they also appear to have a future star in top high school recruit and freshman starting quarterback, Trevor

Lawrence. According to Trent Dilfer, a former super bowl winning quarterback, “Trevor is better than 15 guys in the NFL right now from a talent standpoint.

Maybe more.”

Clemson plays in the ACC, a relatively weak conference.

Because of this, Clemson has shown their dominance by blowing out other ACC teams. In week nine, they beat the supposed second best team in their conference, North Carolina State, by a score of 41-7, a game in which Lawrence threw for 308 yards and a touchdown. Both teams are currently undefeated. As seen time and time again, however, surprise upsets are nothing new in college football, and LSU and Michigan are two teams that

have the best chance to compete with Alabama and Clemson.

Michigan and LSU have had solid starts to their seasons.

They have beat a combined six top-25 teams, including consistently strong teams such as Wisconsin and Georgia, and have a few top teams remaining on their schedule. LSU plays Alabama in two weeks, in a game that could decide who makes it to and possibly wins the Southeastern Conference, which is often considered the top conference in the country. Michigan, on the other hand, still have a matchup with highly ranked Ohio State, a national championship contender even after a loss this past week to Purdue. Many analysts believe that if both teams win out, they

would possess a serious opportunity to win the national championship, a game that often has the the Heisman Trophy Award winner in it.

The Heisman Trophy Award is given out annually to the top college football player in the country. Every year, college football analysts predict who will win the trophy. Often times, a player who initially was thought of having a very low chance of winning emerges and wins. This season, it appears as though the analysts chose correctly. The preseason and current Heisman Trophy favorite is Alabama quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa’s current stats are impressive: 2,066 yards passing, 25 touchdowns, no intercep-

tions, and about a 70 percent completion percentage. These are among some of the top stats in the country, and Tua has yet to play in a fourth quarter of a game this year because of Alabama’s dominance. The aforementioned Trent Dilfer believes Tagolvailoa is one of the best quarterbacks to ever go through the Elite 11 football camp, a camp that has had countless NFL quarterbacks pass through it. The sophomore quarterback is the current Heisman front runner, and, if he and the Alabama football team can keep up their dominant form, nobody would be surprised to see Tagovailoa hoisting the trophy at the end of the year.

Other candidates that have a chance to hoist the trophy

Garnet Hall of Fame to Add Six Inductees Ricky Conti Sports Writer

This Friday, the College will add six members to the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame. The six new members are composed of five individual athletes and one team. One of the most notable members of the class is Lee MacPhail from the Class of 1939.

What is most notable about MacPhail is that he already occupies seats in several other Hall of Fames, including the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

MacPhail came from a baseball

family, and the name continues in baseball even today. His father, Larry, worked in the front office for several Major League teams, and is also in the Baseball Hall of Fame. As a front office executive for the Yankees, Lee helped the Bronx Bombers win seven World Series titles. After working for several teams, Lee moved on to become the president of the American League in 1974. He is mostly credited with the expansion of 1977 that created the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.

Lee’s son, Andy, is currently the President of Baseball Operations for the Philadelphia Phil-

lies. Andy MacPhail graduated from Dickinson College.

A former member of Team USA, Liz Osterman ’77 will also be inducted. Osterman was a three sport athlete, participating in squash, lacrosse, and field hockey. Osterman’s two biggest honors include winning the department’s May E. Parry Award and being named to First-Team all-American. Osterman represented Team USA in lacrosse from 1980-1982.

Michele Fowler-Stewart ’86, one of the greatest soccer goalies in college history, will also be inducted. Fowler-Stewart was also a three-sport athlete,

participating in soccer, basketball, and softball. As a goalie, she collected over 160 saves in two seasons. She was equally excellent on the court. She currently holds the record for most field goals made in a career, and ranks well in numerous other stats.

The only football player to be inducted is Robert Ruffin Jr. ’92.

Ruffin played both basketball, and the now-discontinued game of football. In basketball, he held school records in rebounds and blocks up until 2008. He helped the Garnet win a conference championship as well.

Ruffin was better known for his

contributions on the football field, where he played on the defensive side of the ball. Ruffin collected more than 100 tackles in three of his four seasons.

One of the more recent graduates to be inducted is Katie Tarr ’02. Tarr played field hockey, lacrosse, and basketball.

She played all but two games in all three sports all four years, and was recipient of the department’s Eleanor Kay Hess and May E. Parry Awards. As a basketball player, she helped the Garnet win both a Centennial Conference Championship, as well as NCAA Tournament game. In field hockey, she

include Ohio State’s Dwanye Haskins and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray. Haskins currently has 2,801 yards passing, 30 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 71 percent completion percentage. Murray, on the other hand, has passed for 1,977 yards, rushed for 428 yards, and has a combined 30 touchdowns. Both players are currently leading their respective teams to strong seasons and pose a threat to Tagavailoa’s chances of winning the Heisman. However, if Tagovailoa continues with the same level of play and Alabama reaches the national championship, nobody would be surprised to see another Alabama player celebrating this great achievement.

earned First Team All-Conference twice. As a field hockey player, she led the Garnet in scoring all four seasons.

The only teams to be inducted are the 1982-1985 men’s lacrosse teams. Throughout those years, the team won three conference titles, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Along the way, the team beat several highly ranked opponents and placed multiple members on the all-Conference teams.

These six inductees are some of the most esteemed athletes to attend Swarthmore, representing the college’s commitment to all student endeavors.

Athlete of the Week: Emily Hapgood Jack Corkery Sports Writer Swarthmore field hockey picked up a huge Centennial Conference win in an overtime thriller against Gettysburg last Friday.

Down 2-0 in the second half, the Garnet were able to equalize the score and push the game into overtime. Once there, the Garnet sealed the win with a clutch goal from Emily Hapgood ’22. Hapgood, a first-year from Halifax, MA, could not have picked a bigger place to score her first collegiate goal. Field hockey currently sits at a nice 6-9 record, with their final game coming up this Saturday against Haverford at Clothier Field.

Jack Corkery: What is your major, and why did you choose it?

Emily Hapgood: My intended major is neuroscience, and I got into neuroscience because I am interested in researching ways to help solve problems people are faced with neurologically.

JC: What led you to choose to attend Swat?

EH: I chose Swarthmore because I loved the atmosphere of the school and how everyone here enjoys learning and supports everyone else both in and out of the classroom.

JC: What has been the biggest change for you as a freshman college athlete?

EH: The biggest change for me as a freshman college athlete has been adjusting to the busy schedule of the season and learning to manage my time at Swat.

JC: What is your favorite spot on campus?

EH: My favorite spot on campus so far is Cornell, especially being there late at night talking with friends.

Emma Ricci-De Lucca/The Phoenix

JC: What led you to start playing field hockey?

EH: I started to play field hockey freshman year of high school because I wanted to join a team where everyone supported each other and I fell in love with the sport as soon as I learned how to play.

JC: What is your favorite part about being on the field hockey team?

EH: My favorite part about being on the field hockey team is getting to spend time with all of my teammates both on and off the field and becoming family to everyone on the team.

JC: What was it like to score your first career goal in such an exciting way?

EH: I was excited to score the goal in overtime during the game because I know that everyone on the team worked so hard all game and gave all of their effort and I was happy to be able to help the team finish off the game with a win.

JC: Do you have any team or personal goals for the rest of the season?

EH: My goal is to continue to work hard and improve as much as I can personally and we can together as a team for the rest of this season and into next season.