Letter from the Editor A New Sort of Spring
I
love holidays. I love them all: the religious ones, the quasi-religious ones, the silly ones, the personal ones. And not just the standard, institutionalized holidays— no, I take great relish in those totally arbitrary spans of time more commonly referred to in the U.S. as “vacation.” I think I much prefer the British “going on holiday,” even if that holiday happens to just be Spring Break, or summer, or President’s Day, or St. Patrick’s Day. There’s just something joyful about the idea that though there may not be an actual “Holy Day” (or, increasingly, people may simply not celebrate holidays as such), the time we take off to exclusively enjoy ourselves, slow down, and step back from the hubbub of our hyper-workified world is still worthy of associations with divine celebration. Taking holiday and making the most of it implies that we must do so, for our own sake, and as such it acknowledges a fundamental, communal human need for leisure. Vacation, on the other hand, sounds like a luxury, an absconding of the social duty to be economically productive, something only the landed can really afford to do, and only then at the expense of the rest of us. But holiday is democratic: we all need it, and we all take it together. Tied up in all this, I think, is a wide-sweeping and subtle phenomenon that most people, going through their daily lives, know intuitively but rarely give much thought to. I’m talking about the importance of celebration, the value in being aware of the work we do and being proud of it, both on the individual and communal level. Oh, Kenny, you’re going off your rocker, you say. Stop this mushy, sentimental hogwash and get back to business, to serious things. This is Hilltopics, after all. But that’s just it—we, as a society, are uncomfortable recognizing and accommodating our need for affirmation and reflection, so we repress our urges and push them underground, pretending ‘like we don’t all do it.’ Then, in a grotesque twist of logic, we crown those who can least disastrously (at least, on the surface) negotiate our strange society with the title of “success.” The rest are labeled as alcoholics, drug addicts, hippies, hedonists; unproductive, lazy, different, creative, challenging, overly energetic, dysfunctional, depressed. Sound familiar? In short, we fail, in general, to allow ourselves the time and social freedom to take care of a fundamental human drive for happiness via reflection, relaxation, self-assessment, and pleasure. Instead, we adopt unrealistic work (and study) schedules, work hard/play hard mindsets, an intolerance for diverse lifestyles, and craft a world of cutthroat competition with
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very real consequences for very real people. But holidays, I think, are a bit different. Holidays are the time when Uncle Joe can get drunk like he usually does but no one judges him for it; in fact, everyone might be getting drunk with him. On our birthdays, we take the time to reflect on the simple fact that we have been living for (insert your age if you dare) years, and perhaps to relish in the mere, miraculous fact of our existence. In the Facebook age, we also get little reminders that we have more friends than we sometimes remember; many people disparage these as insincere and hollow. They may be so, but I still like them—they’re reminders, at least, that we are a little less alone. That we all, despite our pretensions, like to hear from our friends, however long-lost, on our birthdays. In his famous poem “The Waste Land,” the supposed scourge of many an undergraduate English student, T.S. Eliot tells us that “April is the cruelest month.” Well, if he was talking about college life (hint: he wasn’t), Mr. Eliot hit it right on the mark. This is crunch time. This is, as I saw in a recent Facebook post, my-professor-screwedup-the-syllabus-so-now-I-have-three-exams-all-for-thesame-class time. It’s the time of year, most of all, when it’s easy to forget about the good in us, the good in going to university, the good in the world. And, of course, it’s the time when that good should be most apparent. This is the final year of SMU’s centennial celebration—say what you will, but I think universities deserve holidays too. This is the time when the rose bushes between Perkins Chapel and Meadows are abuzz with bees (go see them, you won’t regret it), when Orion fades and Sagittarius, that other hunter, begins to brighten. So get out. Stop. Look, notice. Dare to howl at the moon as it rises, and again as it sets. Take a break from the (dare I say it) bullshit of the world and take pleasure in whatever you happen to take pleasure in. Find the good in yourself, in this new Spring, in SMU. That’s what Hilltopics is to me, and what I hope it is for you. A celebration of good things, good people, and good fortune, and a recognition of what could be and will be better. Something desperately needed and ferociously craved—perhaps, even, a sort of holiday.
-Kenny Martin
All Lives Matter Rhetoric is a Sign that the Beginning Times are Near by Tyrell Russell
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e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
are equal despite a reality that says otherwise. Since the creation of Black Lives Matter following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the phrase “All Lives Matter” has existed as a concise rebuttal. Black Lives Matter is
About 150 years before this declaration, the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The same people who wrote this declaration profited from the slave trade from 1619 up until 1807, 30 years after “all men were created equal”. These men, who wrote explicitly the rights of ALL men, thrived off of the abuse, labor and torture of other men and women. Most of their children carried the torch well into the 19th century and even fought for the right to perpetuate these abuses. Some of their children’s children, following the Civil War and subsequent emancipation of slaves, dealt with the loss of their property by creating an environment in which former slaves were still subhuman. Later generations saw and socially profited from the eras of Reconstruction, Jim Crow, War on Drugs, and the current era of Mass Incarceration and disproportional criminalization of people of color. Despite morphing generations, changing landscapes and circumstances, one thing has never changed: the rhetoric that ALL men
a plea. It is a plea spoken out of the reality that black people are deprived of their basic human rights and dignity. In this reality, black people represent one half of all persons in US prisons. It is the countless headlines describing black people being executed in the streets by both civilians and law enforcement officials and the ensuing slander of the victim while the abuser remains unscathed. In the new millennium, it becomes eerily clear how history mimics itself. After all, what became of black bodies that were lynched in the 19th and 20th centuries and the lynch mobs that oversaw the crimes? The former remained largely unidentified and thrown away while the latter received praises for their part in holding steady the order of society. This response feels quite similar to the killing/acquittal dynamics of the past few years. So what is All Lives Matter? Is it an observation or an aspiration? It’s neither. Instead, it’s the product of a society that has yet to reconcile with its past.
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A Letter to Those Who Don’t Wear My Letters What it really means to be a Panhellenic Woman To Whom It May Concern,
I
am a Panhellenic woman. I am an active member of a sorority. I was recruited, offered a bid, welcomed on the front lawn of my house on bid night, hugged, embraced, initiated, and given a home. I wear a badge every Monday night and perform my chapter’s secret rituals. I have 150 sisters at SMU, and nearly 200,000 sisters internationally. I am a Panhellenic woman, and my sisters saved my life. What you need to know about Greek life at Southern Methodist University is that you cannot lump it all together. As an SMU Ambassador, I give the following spiel on every single tour I give on this campus: SMU Greek life consists of four councils of organizations, along with many professional, religious, service, and honors fraternities that exist outside of the SMU Student Activities office. Those four councils are the Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, and the Panhellenic Council. 35% of undergraduate females are Panhellenic women. 26% of undergraduate males are IFC men. 32 % of all undergraduate students are in either Panhellenic, NPHC, IFC, or MGC organizations.
life. I do not include its letters here, because my voice is the voice of a Council, not just a chapter. As the Vice President of Public Relations on the eight-woman Panhellenic Council, I will not wear my Greek letters next fall as I disaffiliate from my chapter for a semester, in order to be an unbiased and fair leader of my Greek community. But I want to write of my personal experience as not just a Greek letter-wearing woman, but as a member of the Panhellenic community. Being a member of a Panhellenic sorority has literally saved my life. My first semester of sophomore year, I was ostracized from a group on campus, torn down, and insulted, and the experience left incredibly deep wounds on my heart and in my mind. I began to show serious signs of depression. I sought out counseling help and other resources, none of which helped. I would burst into tears at the library. I would lash out at the people who tried to help. Ultimately, it was my sorority sisters who coaxed me out of my bed, out of the house, and back into the world, breathing the life and the drive to keep living back into me. There were weeks upon weeks when all I wanted to do was stay curled up in my room, and not speak to anyone. My sisters taught me how to love myself again, how to trust again and how to step back into the world on sturdy, less-anxious legs once more. They patched me up. I am a Panhellenic woman. I have a home where people care about me. I am a part of a community that focuses on building women up, not tearing them down. I cannot speak on behalf of any other council, or any chapter on this campus that is not under the Panhellenic umbrella, but I know that each Panhellenic chapter wants, above all, to foster sisterhood and growth. Without my sisters, I am less loving, less learned, less laborious, less loyal. They make me so, so much more.
I am writing this as an initiated member of the Panhellenic community, which consists of the following chapters in alphabetical order: Alpha Chi Omega, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi. This is the community with houses on Daniel and University Avenues, the community that completes formal recruitment the week before the spring semester begins.
In the event that you see any activity that you believe may violate SMU’s policies (including hazing and illegal recruiting) from any Greek organization, please contact the IFC and Panhellenic Council advisor, Ashley Fitzpatrick, at 214-768-4192, or the Student Conduct & Community Standards Office at 214-768-4563.
My sorority is a sacred and highly important aspect of my
Vice President of Public Relations, Panhellenic Council
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Sincerely,
Blair Katherine Betik
Really Uncomfortable by Destiny Rose Murphy
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his semester I had the honor of performing in SMU’s 2016 production of The Vagina Monologues, a very controversial play written by Eve Ensler in 1996. For those readers that did not see the show (shame on you), the basic idea is that Ms. Ensler conducted a couple hundred interviews with women about their vaginas and then wrote a series of monologues and dialogue inspired by their stories in order to bring attention to the negative stigma attached to the female sex organs and to the various dangers that women struggle with all around the world like rape and genital mutilation.
Some of the monologues are hard to listen to; they bring the audience face to face with painfully detailed descriptions of the horrors that many women face. Other monologues are lighter hearted, and the audience often finds itself giggling about awkward sexual encounters and unabashed moaning. The monologue that I performed, which was done in the character of a very old woman remembering various vagina related events in her life, was called The Flood because the first time that the woman was turned on she had “flooded” through her underwear.
said the word “vagina,” but instead referred to “it” as “down there”. My monologue had a few funny spots, and a few serious lines, but overall it was much easier to speak than the monologue that includes shouting the C-word. I absolutely loved meeting and practicing with the other cast members and I was very proud at the end of our performances to learn that we had raised almost $2,000 for the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center. In a word, my whole experience being in the monologues was positive, but I was deeply saddened when the show came up in conversation around campus. A surprisingly large number of people condemned the play, even knowing that I was taking part, and spoke to the inappropriateness of our selling of Pussy Pops in the Hughes Trigg crossroads. Comments about how the play was performed just for splash value abounded, and a few more cutting ones about how it did nothing to promote good feminism because it was not well mannered. These people, I think, have missed the true meaning of the monologues. The fact that the word vagina (and pussy, and c***, and every other iteration) makes you uncomfortable is the reason that we say it. The female body has been shamed in countless ways for countless years, and the vagina has gotten more than its fair share of that shame. And for what reason? For bringing every human being into this world? For being attached to a woman? The negative stigma attached to the vagina is undeserved yet it persists. The monologues are meant to call attention to this stigma and to force the audience to question it and hopefully rebel against it. We sell Pussy Pops because it makes some people uncomfortable to see them even though it shouldn’t. We make vagina art because so many people avert their gaze from pictures dedicated to a part of the human body. We do this because it makes you really uncomfortable and we will continue to do so until you no longer are.
My monologue was one of the easier ones to perform Have a Clittastic day. and listen to. In typical old lady fashion I never actually
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The Administration’s Pulpit: Interviews with the AVP for Enrollment Management and VP of Student Affairs Hilltopics writer Arya McCarthy sits down with Wes Waggoner, AVP for Enrollment Management, and Pamela Anthony, VP of Student Affairs, to learn more about their roles at SMU.
An Interview with Wes Waggoner by Arya McCarthy
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es Waggoner is SMU’s Associate Vice This is a transitional time for SMU. A new provost President for Enrollment Management. has just taken office. How do your visions for the university align? The Provost and I strongly agree that SMU is on a tremendous, upward trajectory on many fronts. We are both committed to ensuring SMU is the school of choice for Dallas and the nation’s brightest students from all backgrounds. Academic excellence and diversity of all types are important to me, the Provost, but most importantly to SMU. SMU has a high number of admitted students, but few accept their offers. One source places the number that accept admission offers at 24%. What can be done to improve SMU’s yield?
The list you cite from USNWR also shows that some of our highly ranked peers (Tulane, U of Miami, Boston University and others) actually have lower yield rates that SMU does. Often as the size and quality of a University’s applicant pool increases the yield decreases. I know that you’ve been involved with SMU for a Our task is to improve our efforts to make SMU the while. How did you wind up here?
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I am pleased to see a University-wide Actually, I’ve worked in college admission – in one role or another – for almost 25 years. I discovered this career conversation and commitment to through an extracurricular activity. I was a tour guide in increasing diversity and inclusiveness college. I started as an admission counselor at my alma on our campus. mater Tulane University in New Orleans. In addition to 10 years as a high school counselor, I’ve also worked for the University of Tulsa and TCU. I like to say that I had always worked for schools that start with the letter first choice school for the best students who apply. The “T” then finally I moved up in the world (and in the Admission and Financial Aid Offices have a number of alphabet) when I came to SMU. initiatives to make this happen, but we also need SMU students to share their great experiences with friends
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and other admitted students. We have great students! Your stories from the Hilltop will convince more great students to come to SMU. Our freshman retention rate is also concerning—89.2%. That means 150 students leave after their freshman year. What are some of their reasons, and what can we do to keep them? First a correction – the information at niche.com is old. The current freshman retention rate is 90.3%. That’s a strong number, but at SMU we always want to do better. Students choose to leave for a variety of reasons – from change of major that SMU may not offer to a desire to return closer to home. Likewise, many students, almost What steps do you follow to study a problem before 400 each year, choose to transfer to SMU from another making a decision? school. I tend to seek input from experts and practitioners – both quantitative and qualitative input. My colleagues are bright and talented professionals. Even when I think Academic excellence and diversity I have the answer, I always find that they have great of all types are important to me, the ideas and insight to share. I make better decisions when Provost, but most importantly to I gather information from those around me.
SMU.
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We’ve made strides in geographic diversity and are holding steady for economic diversity, but we’re falling back in racial diversity. Could you take some time to give your general thoughts on minority student grievances, diversity, and freedom of speech? I’m ecstatic! The students who have shared their concerns have done so with an appropriate amount of emotion, while also displaying professionalism and responsibility – both to themselves and to the SMU community. I am pleased to see a University-wide conversation and commitment to increasing diversity and inclusiveness on our campus. Over the last decade, SMU actually has made great strides in racial diversity as well. Less than ten years ago, the percentage of undergraduate students representing ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds was less than 20 percent. This year that number is 27% - higher than many if not most of our national peers. We’re not content with that because indeed that number has not continued to go up. In the last two years it has declined. But with the commitment of our students, faculty and staff as well as our alumni from all parts of campus, SMU can continue to be a leader in making sure all students have the opportunity for a great education.
Where is the country moving, with respect to admissions practices and higher education in general? College admission is ready for a big change. I think the profession is still exploring what that change will be. The national conversation surrounding higher education will undoubtedly continue to be about providing great opportunity to all students. But we want to make sure we do it right. Have a look at news articles on the Coalition Application or the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s report “Turning the Tide.” Read about changes to financial aid surrounding the decision about “Prior Prior Year.” All of these are aimed at making college accessible to more and more students. That’s not a new ideal, but there are new ways to get there. What are some of your favorite movies? Cinema Paradiso and Amadeus. I’m dating myself with those – but they are indeed my favorites. So if I try to think of a more recent movie I enjoyed, I guess The Imitation Game comes to mind. [1]http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2016-01-25/ national-universities-where-students-are-eager-to-enroll [2]https://colleges.niche.com/southern-methodist-university/rankings/
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An Interview with Pamela Anthony by Arya McCarthy
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n February 1, Dr. Pamela Anthony, dean of students at Iowa State University, joined SMU as our new Vice President of Student Affairs. I had the chance to speak with her about her plans for SMU.
we’re all people, and nobody is more important than any other because of socioeconomic status or gender or race or sexuality—all those things that make us different. At the end of the day, if I cut open my heart and I cut open yours, I bet every time, the blood’s still going to be red.
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I want us to be at conferences presenting what we’re doing and writing about what we’re doing, so that other people are looking at us as the model.
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What systems have you seen implemented at other universities, or have implemented yourself, that you plan to bring here? I don’t have a specific program or idea I want to bring to SMU, because I really need to understand what SMU is already bringing to me. A lot of institutions talk about best practices, so they look to their peer institutions and aspirant institutions to see what they’re doing. I want people to look at us. I want people to say, “They’re doing some really great things at SMU.” I want us to be So what are student affairs? at conferences presenting what we’re doing and writing about what we’re doing, so that other people are looking When I think about student affairs, I think of the out-of- at us as the model. classroom experiences that complement the academic experience. When you come to college, we want you And when it comes to student affairs, I assume to graduate. Along that way to the degree, I want you students are best to ask about it. to develop some skills. I want you to learn how to communicate. I want you to interact with people who Yes, I tell people all the time, when I was a Dean might be different from you. I want you to be a critical of Students [at Iowa State], the part of my job that I thinker. I want some leadership skills. And I want you liked the most was the ‘of students’. If you look at any to have fun. organization advisors, or any of our staff here, I hope that most of them would tell you that the reason they SMU has certain stereotypes of privilege around it. got into this field and they continue is because they love How do you respond to those? students. Either they had a really good time in college like I did, or they had a bad time and want to change it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a person who and you know you can have both. But that’s why we’re is privileged, or that their parents had money. I don’t see here: to make sure you have good experiences. anything wrong with it. I think that where we go astray, though, is if our family backgrounds have prejudiced One or two years ago, there was a proposal for an behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that people are inferior. LGBT chair in the student senate. People on campus That is a problem, and I would hope that individuals who thought it would pass, until comments were made come into this environment that have that perspective on YikYak disparaging the idea. I’d like to ask you would have their perspective broadened to see that about both the place for YikYak and the general
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principle of free speech on campus. I think if you feel comfortable saying it, do it, but understand there could be consequences to you doing it. Particularly, the free speech one is a hot issue on every campus, because people feel like, “Oh, you know, you just want us to coddle you and make you feel good.” I don’t agree with that either, but I think when you get to the point of saying, you know, calling people names that we know are provocative. Sometimes people try to act like, “I didn’t know you’d be offended,” Yes, you did. That’s why you said it anonymously, so I can’t trace it to you. Yes, you did. There are some things that we know that are triggers for marginalized populations, so I don’t buy it when people act like they didn’t know. Let’s just say, “I believe this because,” I can respect a person who says that, even though I don’t agree with them and might be offended, and I can understand that me being offended is not—You have the right to offend me, you absolutely do. And I have the right to respond to you if need be. I’m just saying, you have to be able to deal with the consequences. And that’s what people don’t want to
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I think that where we go astray, though, is if our family backgrounds have prejudiced behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that people are inferior
You cannot, because he did not have a gun. He had skittles, or whatever the candy was that he had. Come on, now.
I really appreciate how involved and attentive you are towards to students. I love y’all. I do, because I think of myself as a student. I mean, I joked with the woman who was here before, I loved college so much that I never left. I’m still here, you know? Three degrees later, two decades later, you know, I think I’m doing alright. Hilltopics readers want some new music recommendations. What’s next on your Spotify playlist? That’s a good question! Okay, so, admittedly I love Beyonce. I mean, I do, I’ve seen her in concert twice. Yeah, I love her. And you know why I like her? One, because she can actually sing. I mean, like, without all the, you know, mixing, and, she can actually sing. I’m not saying she’s like the best singer, but she has good vocals. And she is such a performer. Like, I just, I love her. So, of course, Formation is out there now. It’s whatever it is. Some new music for me is definitely going to be Beyonce. What else do I like though? I mean, I like all kinds of—I like classical piano, instrumental, probably, but are piano. I also like rap, I’m kinda, I like Gospel, I mean really, just kinda depends on the day and what’s going on. Beyonce is really my favorite. I’m an old school pop kinda girl so, yeah; I like it all.
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do. People want to say whatever, and then when you want to hold them accountable—Mama used to tell me there’s a reaction to every action. I don’t want to get into his political argument, but I think about a Treyvon Martin situation, and I think about George Zimmerman, who decides, he’s going to be the vigilante in the neighborhood, and you don’t know what’s going on, but you decide because he’s a young black man with Find the full interview and other exclusive content a hoodie on that he’s dangerous. And he has skittles! online at hilltopicssmu.wordpress.com. Not a gun! And that baby is six feet under, because you in your prejudiced mind decided he was a criminal. Unacceptable. You can’t make that make sense to me.
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Wear Make-Up, Starve Yourself, and Shave in the Name of Beauty by Jessica Pires-Jancose
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n fifth grade I begged my mom to buy me a razor. My hairy legs had suddenly begun to feel disgusting, and I knew that my ascension into womanhood was only one shave away.
When I was twelve I began to feel ashamed of my appetite. Each time I ate food I felt as though I was traveling farther and farther away from the flat stomach and thigh gap that I so desperately wanted. I used to joke that if I flapped my arms hard enough my arm fat would probably help me fly away. I would go with my mom to the laser hair-removal clinic and sit in the lobby reading Lemony Snicket books and dream about the day when I, too, could pay to have a laser kill each individual hair follicle in my body. Maybe then I could finally achieve sweet, sweet hairlessness. It wasn’t until I came to SMU and began to take Gender Studies classes that I realized that the social norms that equate beauty with slender, hairless, white bodies are
completely arbitrary. Who says you can’t be beautiful and feminine with body hair or fat on your thighs or black or brown skin? Why is body hair considered disgusting and repulsive on women but this same body hair on men is perfectly acceptable? Why am I supposed to have long, flowing hair on my head but not anywhere else on my body? Why am I supposed to be a size zero? Why am I supposed to wear make-up? Why are men and women alike are fed an “idealized” image of the female body that is almost completely unattainable? The pressure to conform to beauty ideals is very real, but this concept of femininity is not grounded in reality. Wearing makeup makes you no more or less feminine than not wearing makeup – and the same goes for
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having long hair, wearing certain clothing, shaving your body, etc. Hair is just that – hair. It is the same whether it is grown on a man or a woman. Having body hair doesn’t make you disgusting; it makes you human. There is no reason why society should insist on infantilizing women by demanding that they have smooth, naked-mole-rat bodies and then in the same breath insist that men have body hair in order to be considered masculine. In the name of challenging these norms, I stopped shaving my underarms this summer and, several weeks ago, shaved the hair
on my head into a buzz cut. I find challenging beauty norms to be incredibly empowering. Once I began to question this expectation of female hairlessness, I found myself feeling more comfortable with the other parts of my body that don’t fit into what women are “supposed” to look like. I’m human and humans have fat and body hair and acne and many other characteristics that society has deemed undesirable. Having acne and body fat is completely normal! Women aren’t some magical unicorn species of human that is automatically born smooth and slender. Women and men come in all shapes and sizes and colors and they all deserve to be celebrated. Personally, I feel more confident and feminine with my buzz cut and underarm hair. However, if wearing makeup, shaving and having long, luscious hair makes you feel more confident and
feminine, then you do you! The point of this commentary is not to vilify women who enjoy fitting into traditional beauty standards but to point out that it is also okay to not “fit in.” All bodies are beautiful.
Society creates a culture of fear around nonconformity. Many women go to extreme lengths to conform to traditional definitions of femininity out of a fear that they will not be considered beautiful otherwise. Women who do not fit the mold of being naturally slender feel pressure to work out obsessively and eat sparingly. Those who have dark body hair feel pressure to shave, bleach, wax or laser their bodies. Women who consider cutting off their hair fear that they will no longer be considered feminine, beautiful or desirable.
failed to do so, I urge you to question the (often) unrealistic standards that society holds you to. Whether your questioning takes the form of thought, discussion or action, remember that it is okay to feel uncomfortable. I still sometimes feel uncomfortable with my underarm hair and at times my buzz cut makes me feel “unfeminine” – it takes a long time to un-learn the messages that society has fed us all our lives.
Women who fit society’s idealized beauty mold should be celebrated – but women who do not fit the mold Just remember: No matter how you look, act or dress – should also be celebrated! If you are a woman who has you are beautiful. ever dieted or worn makeup or shaved out of fear that you would be considered “ugly” or “undesirable” if you
Comic Relief by Andrew Oh
Have something to say?
Hilltopics letters to the editor can be emailed to Kenny Martin (kjmartin@smu.edu)
Find Exclusive Hilltopics Web Content at hilltopicssmu.wordpress.com Hilltopics | Page 11
A Different Sort of Climate Change by Elizabeth Ridgway
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very Tuesday and Thursday morning this They push themselves in their classes and pull allsemester, you will find me walking across nighters so that they can graduate and land a job the boulevard from Meadows to Cox at about that will require them to work 18+ hours a day as
& 9:22am, leaving 8am Music Theory in the Owen Fine Arts Center and heading to 9:30am Managerial Accounting in the Maguire Building. Crossing from one side of the boulevard to the other is like a sort of like crossing a tactical front line: the aesthetics, values, and uniforms of each side is visibly quite distinct from the other. Musical jargon about fingering and g-strings, contextually quite innocent to all musicians, is jarred out of place and becomes, out-of-context, sexual innuendo in Cox. The uniqueness and non-conformity of the artist’s personality—reflected in what tends to be either trendy or somewhat unique clothing and aesthetic choices—is replaced with the swagger of those clad in Greek t-shirts, indicating that in a world run by suits and black ink, status is determined by how may date dashes you went to and which victory formals you attended. As a student double-majoring in Piano Performance and Finance, I often get strange reactions from people who find out that I’m studying two disparate fields with no overlap. Students in Meadows often assume the Finance major is a utilitarian Plan B in case performing doesn’t work out, while students in Cox reveal, in an attempt to find some semblance of understanding, that they too played piano or violin from ages 5 to 8. Of all the schools at SMU, Cox and Meadows have the most distinctive atmospheres. Considering that they’re the only schools to which you must meet GPA requirements or pass an audition screening, it could be argued that they’re full of the university’s most talented students—but the students belonging to each also appear diametrically opposed in everything from skill sets to attitudes. In reality, while the people in each school have a strong desire to dissociate themselves from the other, they have much in common with their goals and work-ethic, even if they perceive themselves much differently. Cox students consider themselves the serious ones.
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an investment banker or a hedge-fund manager. It’s reported that because of their dedication and focus, Cox as a whole has more internship opportunities than it has students to fill them. While Cox seems so black and white, Meadows seems to have an aura of lore about it, with its labyrinthine basement, convoluted hallways, and cacophonous classes and practice rooms. It would be eerie to walk through the Owen Fine Arts Center while silent. Even at 2 or 3am, into the late hours of the night, it’s rare to find every practice room unoccupied. It’s a building with self-expression established even in the idiosyncratic architecture. However, if you’re at all familiar with the world of performing and fine arts, you know how competitive, cutthroat, and negative the arts environment can be. It’s rumored that, during concerto competition season at Julliard, pianists will hide razors between the keys so that unwitting competitors would be placed out of commission. Inherently, an arts school is a place designed for free expression. Contrary to popular belief, however, taking a Meadows elective doesn’t guarantee you an easy A. Just like Cox classes, many Meadows classes (especially those that are not for non-majors) are based on theory and analytics. Being an artist isn’t all about interpretation and feelings. To a certain extent, it’s also about perfection—artists get paid to be neurotic and obsessive about details. In the same way, a good businessperson can’t be manufactured or formulized— creativity and innovation lie at the heart of success in professional careers. In the complex markets that have now developed in the twenty-first century, utility alone is no longer adequate—aesthetics is equally as important. While the idea of the artists’ value rivaling that of the businessperson may be anathema to conventional Information Age thought, the reality is that the future belongs to those who can couple left-brain functionality with right-brain significance. With most professionals now specializing in either aesthetics or
utility—but rarely integrating both—a need has arisen for individuals who can transcend brain lateralization. Many companies today, even for technical jobs, hire people from arts schools to find a diversity of opinion and talent. Steve Jobs, in his search to create the most innovative products, intentionally hired poets, musicians, and artists. Similarly, it is increasingly important for artists to develop business skills. Both schools can benefit from the way that others approach different problems.
who do are rewarded with respect and positive rapport. Rather than confirming the identities of those who are similar to ourselves, we need, as the recently published Meadows Values Statement asserts, “to make thoughtful choices about building a community…in which all persons know that they are celebrated for their unique and individual giftedness.” Perhaps neither school has yet produced a climate in which this is true—in which openness to others’ perspectives, ideas, and identities is considered paramount. It is the goal of a university as a whole to encourage diversity of thought to promote What may not be immediately discernible, however, far-ranging academic inquiry, and the SMU student is that many Meadows students are as resistant to body, regardless of academic affiliation, should strive Greek life and the business school as the business to produce a cultural climate that does the same. school students are to Meadows students. Cultures are perpetuated by feedback cycles. Those who don’t fit aren’t rewarded for their non-conformity, and those
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Returns! Join us for our last meeting of the 2015-2016 year on Friday, April 29th at 5 PM in the Scholars’ Den Conference Room. The event will feature a discussion led by Professor Lippert and a student presentation by Clayton Matthie. As always, cookies and tea will be plentiful!
UHP Seniors: Congratulations! Join us for a celebration of your achievements at Dr. Doyle’s house! Invitations with more details will be emailed soon. Be sure to pick up your Honors cord at the party!
UHP Advisory Council Open Meeting Have thoughts on the Honors Program? Join us for an open Advisory Council meeting on Friday, April 29th at 4 PM in the Scholars’ Den to share your opinions! Topics will include: UHP and the UC, the Honors community, and more!
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Conspicuous Sensuality: Observing Maillol’s The Three Graces by Blair Katherine Betik
P
oised in the upstairs foyer of the Meadows Museum, three women stand side by side, with stoic faces and bare bodies. Cast in lead, Aristide Maillol’s The Three Graces exemplifies both the composed and dignified nature of the naked female body as well as the sensual and soft quality of hips, breasts, and curves that are indicative of womanhood. Algur H. Meadows purchased the sculpture in 1969 and donated it to his museum. Prior to this acquisition, this piece was fabricated by Eugene Rudier from Maillol’s wax mold between 1937 and 1939, and remained in Maillol’s collection until 1944 when it was passed to the possession of the artist’s son, Lucien Maillol. A private collector, Wildenstein, purchased The Three Graces in 1955 and owned it until Algur H. Meadows’ purchase. In Greek mythology, the Graces were the daughters of Zeus: Aglaia, Euphrosnye, and Thalia, the goddesses of splendor, mirth, and good cheer, respectively. The sculpture
is completely in the round, free standing figures rooted only by the lead platform to which they are sculpted. The Three Graces captures both the sensuous and dignified natures of the female body, stripping it of all context. The only context for The Three Graces is the natural air around the sculpture, framing the figures in nothingness, and therefore highlighting the shape and form of the full and womanly bodies. The metallic and reflective quality of the lead adds even further definition of the sensual, as light glints off the sculpture and brings the lead to glimmering light. The dignity comes from the posture, the straight faces, lean necks, straight backs, and openness of the nudity despite the light that shimmers across the forms’ surfaces. The bent elbows that lead to presenting hands—this adds to the composed quality. This quality is dynamic, as the dignity is paired with the sensuous, as the poised posture is paired with the tilt of the hips, the softness of the hands. To the viewer, these naked women are both imposing and awe-worthy, but intimate, welcoming, and comfortable. All of these qualities--- light play, metallic material, fluid lines, selective definition, posture, and the role of that open air interacts with this sculpture--- all cohesively emphasizes the grace of womanly bodies. These three goddesses are so fleshy, yet so composed. They are physical, yet respectable. The Three Graces is a marriage of imposition and intimacy, sensual skin replicated in gray, reflective lead. Maillol’s The Three Graces is owned by the Meadows Museum and is in the Museum’s private collection.
Announcing the 2016-2017 University Honors Program Mentors! Armstrong Commons Boaz Commons Cockrell-McIntosh Commons Kathy Crow Commons Crum Commons Loyd Commons Mary Hay-Peyton-Shuttles Commons Morrison McGinnis Commons Virginia Snider Commons Ware Commons Transfer Student Mentor
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Kelsey Shipman Beau Bequeaith Florence Kam Robert Schmidt Grace Kuang Keely Pike Cece Weigman Sophi Farid Melissa Chambers Sydney Schmitt Emily Elson Stejara Dinulescu Destiny Rose Murphy Zachary Wellen Elizabeth Ridgway Alexander Grozek Maddie Nerad Nicole Rueb
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Staff and Contributors Editor in Chief.............................. Kenny Martin Tech and Layout Editors .............. Camille Aucoin, Kara Hallam Copy Editors ................................ Camille Aucoin, Abby Hawthorne Special thanks to............................David Doyle and Sally Spaniolo
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Stejara Dinulescu
Writers
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Composed by Stejara Dinulescu