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THE PHOENIX APRIL 15, 2010 • lBBl VOLUME 132, ISSUE 25 If ioiuc Tina Johnson launches campaign in Chester Bike Shop owner, student team up against MS Alumna Keetje Kuipers returns to read poetry
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Thursday, April 15, 2010 Volume 132, Issue 25 The Phoenix The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881. EDITORIAL BOARD Jeff Davidson Editor in Chief Sarah Pozgay Managing Editor Dante Fuoco News Editor Amelia Possanza News Editor Linda Hou Assistant News Editor Miriam Hauser Living & Arts Editor Maki Somosot Living & Arts Editor Camila Ryder Assistant Living & Arts Editor Peter Akkies Opinions Editor Mark Chin Sports Editor Marcus Mello Sports Editor Susanna Pretzer Copy Chief Olivia Natan Photo Editor Xingyu Zhang Photo Editor Andrew Cheng Assistant Photo Editor Valerie Clark Aesthetics Coordinator Eric Sherman Director of Web Development STAFF Allison Gantt News Writer Menghan Jin News Writer Jacqueline Small News Writer Quitterie Gounot Living & Arts Writer Isaac Han Living & Arts Writer John Oh Living & Arts Writer Nina Pelaez Living & Arts Writer Dina Zingaro Living & Arts Writer Katie Becker Living & Arts Columnist Anne Coleman Living & Arts Columnist Emily Crawford Living & Arts Columnist Allison Goldberg Living & Arts Columnist Alex Israel Living & Arts Columnist Ben Schneiderman Crossword Writer Anna Shechtman Crossword Writer Victor Brady Sports Writer Marcus Mello Sports Writer Timothy Bernstein Sports Columnist Mark Chin Sports Columnist Andrew Greenblatt Sports Columnist Jessa Deutsch Opinions Columnist Molly Weston Opinions Columnist Hannah Brilliant Copy Editor Renee Flores Copy Editor Jen Johnson Copy Editor Katharyn Schultz Copy Editor Jacqueline Small Copy Editor Kara Stoever Copy Editor Nick Brown Photographer Jakob Mrozewski Photographer Weina Qiu Photographer Eric Verhasselt Photographer Michelle Lin Staff Artist Carey Pietsch Staff Artist BUSINESS STAFF Johnny Taeschler Director of Business Development Marcus Mello Circulation Manager Fanny Zhao Circulation Manager COVER DESIGN Valerie Clark EDITOR'S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise-from top left) Mon Oncle dAmerique: images.allocine.fr Gamelan: mondaviarts.org. people.gnome.org Zee Avi: sdentertainer.com Meta and Cornerstones: static.wix.com TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Johnny Taeschler. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates to change. CONTACT INFORMATION Offices: Parrish Hall 470-472 E-mail: editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Newsroom phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Web site: www.swarthmorephoenix.com Mail subscriptions are available for $6O a year or $35 a semester. Direct subscription requests to Jeff Davidson. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. All contents copyright © 2010 The Phoenix. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. April 15, 2010 THE PHOENIX 2 Page iiiiiil f-T !'"? I I ■ 1 Bear ; & Olivia Natan Phoenix Staff Julia Luongo, left, with the support of Swarthmore Cycles owner Lindsey Yanez, right, will be participating in a 150-mile bike ride for MS. News Cats in dorms violate housing policy In an effort to help abandoned kittens found in March, some students took them in, breaking the college's policy of no pets in dorms. Faculty, too, helped to look for homes for the kittens. Page 3 Dash for Cash ends due to concerns about nudity An incident involving the men's rugby team drinking and streaking in the fall caused a three-semester ban on alcohol at rugby events and the cancellation of Dash for Cash. The deans said that public nudity is an issue on campus and should be discouraged. Page 5 Activist seeks to make history, spearhead change Swarthmore students will be supporting Tina Johnson, founder of the Chester Co-op, as a candidate in the first primary race ever in the 159 th district in Delaware County. Page 6 .v Bike shop owner and student team up against MS Julia Luongo, along with Swarthmore Cycles owner Lindsey Yanez and Strath Haven High School students, will be participating in a bike marathon to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis patients. Page 7 Living & Arts Outsmarting crooks has never been so funny Swarthmore students impressed last weekend in their production of "The Butter and Egg Man," the semester's main stage Drama Board production, directed by Anne Coleman. The tale of an outsider being duped by a more worldly, urban man may be a familiar tale, but "Egg Man" provides a new perspective on the theme. Page 11 Students' book collections garner prestigious prize Meredith Firetog 'lO, Myles Dakan 'lO and Ben Goossen 'l3 took home this year's Newton Book Collection Competition's first, second and third places, respectively. Phoenix writer Isaac Han sat down with Firetog and Goossen to speak to them about their collections and their interests in book collecting. Page 12 Barbie's legacy: female beauty ideals overextended Throughout the blogosphere, there has been much criticism for women like Heidi Montag who have had hideous amounts of plastic surgery. But these women should be treated with pity, not scorn, columnist Emily Crawford finds, for simply attempting to achieve the feminine ideals set forth by our culture. Page 13 Thanks, HBO, for a glorious new era of television In recent years, television has been increasingly innovative and fascinating, columnist Alex Israel argues, due to the growing influence of television shows on HBO. Thanks to shows like "The Wire," television has been reaching levels of quality previously thought to exist only in movies. Page 13 Performing multiple selves: peering inside Lorca's box This coming weekend, the department of theater is putting on a production of "Bodas de Sangre," originally written by Spanish poet and playwright Gabriel Garcia Lorca and updated and adapted by McFeely Sam Goodman 'lO for his honors directing thesis. The production examines the way people perform and express themselves. Page 14 Opinions Long overdue summit tackles nuclear issues The Phoenix explores the recent international agreements reached to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles, improve oversight of weapons storage and continue negotiations on tightening sanctions against Iran. Page 16 Aid remains exceptionally generous Molly notes that the college is one of a select group of colleges that continues a policy of need-blind admissions, loan-free financial aid and a commitment to meet all demonstrated need. She also explores the impact of these, policies on the college's budget. Page 17 Sports Week in sports: Tiger's fade, the Jets' trade, an MVP vote stayed Tim Bernstein takes a look at three issues in sports: the continued hullabaloo over Tiger Woods, the presence of "talented but troubled" NFL athletes on the Jets, and the annoying nature of sportswriters and their MVP/Hall of Fame votes. Page 18 Debunking the myths about southpaws in sports Mark Chin discusses the pros and cons .of being left-handed in the arenas of baseball and tennis. Separating the facts from the myths, Mark ultimately disproves the fallacy that southpaws have a complete and total advantage. Page 18 Young fencing team performing on national level The Swarthmore College fencing team, under Head Coach Marshal Davis, hosted the USACFC National Championships last weekend. With hundreds of fencers from over 40 schools present, the Swarthmore squads continued their route to success. Page 20 Corrections FROM THE APRIL 8, 2010 ISSUE: The Phoenix incorrectly reported on the Contents page that the Garnet soft ball team played Allentown while it should have been Muhlenberg. For these and any other mistakes we may have unintentionally made, we extend our sincerest apologies.
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News EVENTS MENU Today Campus-wide ping pong tournament The Swarthmore Ping Pong Club is hosting a tournament during Ride the Tide from 1 to 3 p.m. in Fieldhouse West to attract ping pong players to the College. Parrish beach sleep-out Earthlust is holding a sleep-out on the lawn in front of Parrish from Thursday night until Sunday morning. This event is hosted in conjunction for Show Me Democracy's "Wake Up...Sleep Out!" campaign, which aims to demonstrate independence from non-renewable energy. Earthlust will provide tents and snacks. Participants must provide their own sleeping bags. Tomorrow Writing panel The Writing Associates Program is holding an alumni panel on "The Writing Life" in Kohlberg 226 at 4 p.m. The four panelists will discuss how their Swarthmore educations prepared them for varied careers in writing. Lorca play Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), the honors directing thesis of McFeely Sam Goodman 'lO, will show on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Frear Ensemble Theater. Saturday, April 17 StuCo outdoor Parlour Party StuCo is hosting a Parlour Party outside McCabe from 1 to 5 p.m. StuCo members will be available to talk about student concerns and questions. There will also be food, music and bubbles. Sunday, April 18 Swarthmore Charity Fun Fair The Swarthmore Rotary club is hosting the annual Charity Fun Fair from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Swarthmore town center. There will be music, a parade, a sidewalk sale, two guided bike rides and a barbecue dinner. Over 50 charitable organizations from the Delaware Valley area will be sponsoring booths to raise money for their causes. Free digital portraits Andy Shelter will be shooting free digital portraits in the Creative Living Room from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday, April 13 Islamic Studies annual lecture Lisa Hajjar, Associate Professor of Law and Society at UCSB, will give a talk entitled, "The Trials of Lawyers in the Era of Terror" in SCI 199 at 4:30 p.m. Her lecture will look at the role of lawyers in the negotiation of U.S. torture policy. E-mail submissions for the events menu to news editor Amelia Possanza at apossanl@swarthmore.edu by Wednesday at noon. Cats in dorms violate housing policy BY ALLISON GANTT aganttl@swarthmore.edu When abandoned kittens appeared on campus in late March, members of the college community were inclined to help and offer temporary shelter. But while staff members are seeking out homes for the kittens, students have been keeping others in their dorms, which is prohibited by college policy. Assistant Dean for Residential Life Rachel Head said that she heard reports of a cat residing in Mary Lyon last week through conversations with other students about recent Facebook posts involving a kitten, but she added, "Nothing has been confirmed." Two students from different residence halls, however, said that they are each currently keeping a cat in their respective dorm rooms. Both students, who requested anonymity because they are breaking college housing policy, said that they are keeping these cats until they can find them homes. "We're pretty sure that she belongs to someone, and we're looking around, but we haven't found anyone yet," one of the sources said. Though saying that she didn't know anything for certain about students keeping cats in dorms, Head said, "It's definitely not a good idea if [a cat is] inside the dorm at all." Under official college policy, students are not allowed to keep pets in their dorm rooms, mainly because of potential allergy problems. "[When] we ever become aware of animals inside [dorms], we usually work through the RAs to let the residents know that that's not appropriate and that they should get rid of them," Head said, adding that she plans to contact the RAs to remind them of pet policy as her next step in response to this situation. A student with a pet is charged for any damages the pet may have caused to the living space. There is no other punishment for students. Cats and other pets may even have unconsidered side effects, Head said. "A lot of times [cats drag dead mice] into dark places ... and then you get very smelly, decomposing mice hidden all throughout the dorm. Dead mice attract other mice," Head said. Bedding and food of pets can also attract mice, Head added. She referred to a mouse infestation in Alice Paul last year, which she believes was prompted by the bedding and food of a student's hamster. In fact, Head said that last year a group of students submitted a formal proposal to place a cat in every residence hall in response to Mary Lyon's mouse infestation, but it was denied for these reasons. One of the sources currently keeping a cat, however, said that the cat does not seem to have caused any problems. "She's not public in the dorm at all, so students who have allergies are by no means forced to be in contact with her," this source said. "She's very set aside from the rest of the dorm." This student's cat was found on March 26 outside of Lang Music Hall. This kitten matched the age and description of a group of kittens discovered under a dumpster in the water tower parking lot around the same time. This student added that students have placed an advertisement in the local Swarthmorean, asked campus faculty if they know anything of her origins, and plan to place flyers in a local veterinarian's office. The other source found a cat around the same time near Kohlberg Coffee Bar. Stephanie Specht, the Administrative Assistant for the Mathematics and Statistics Department, said in an e-mail that she helped find one of the kittens by the water tower a home when a student brought it to her office. That cat now lives on a farm killing mice, she said. v Owen Redgrave, Director of Public Safety, said that if Public Safety finds a stray animal that does not have a tag or appears wild, "the only tool we really have is to confine it and call [Swarthmore] animal control," Redgrave said. He added, however, that he did not believe Public Safety was involved with this case of kittens. The campus-noted "Willets Cat" a cat that trolls around Willets is an exception to the pet rule because she does not live in the dorms, Head said. Tori Barber 'l3, a Willets resident, said that the cat goes into the dorm on occasion when students bring her in to play with her, but "she doesn't like being in there much." Barber said that the cat is also very friendly and safe. "If you're nice to Willets Cat, Willets Cat is nice to you," Barber said. Redgrave agreed that the cat, which Public Safety calls Hemingway, is goodnatured and clean. Hemingway only tends to visit for short amounts of time and does not tend to stay year-round. "Maybe she does have an owner out there," Redgrave said. Hemingway, however, is an exception to how Public Safety handles stray animals. Redgrave said that often if Public Safety gets involved in a case involving stray pets they find identification on the animal. "We get lots and lots of ... lost pets from Borough residents ... and we'll often look, and they'll usually have happy endings," Redgrave said. Erin Schlag, a biology coordinator and lab instructor, said that when she saw the eats under the dumpster last month, she sent out a notice in the Faculty Digest that afternoon asking others to adopt. "I put out the announcement and I got a lot of feedback from people giving me information about no-kill shelters," Schlag said. "There were no people who were interested in adopting them." Willets Cat, known to Public Safety as Hemingway, takes a nap on campus. Despite her name, Willets Cat does ndt actually live in the student dorm of the same name. Housing policy prohibits pets in dorm rooms. swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX April 15,2010 3
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WEEK IN PICTURES Eric Vertiasselt Phoenix Staff A student team shows off the boat they designed for the annual Crum Regatta after the race on Sunday Nick Brown Phoenix Staff Meredith Firetog and Reid Wilkening, members of the Student Health Advisory Committee, offer condoms and advice at the health and wellness fair on Tuesday. Weina QJu Phoenix Staff Students and their families sample a variety of foods at the international food fair on Saturday afternoon on Magi 11 Walk. Local team pedals hard in the battle against MS BY JACQUELINE SMALL jsmall2@swarthmore.edu Lindsey Yanez, the owner of Swarthmore Cycles, works as a mechanic at many bicycle marathons for charity, but Bike MS, which raises money and awareness for multiple sclerosis, has affected her the most. "Of course, I'm not saying that others who have lung cancer or diabetes or breast cancer and other issues aren't brave, but people with MS really make you feel humble, like 'You need to get off your ass and do something,'" Yanez said. Yanez said that Bike MS inspired her to talk to both students at Strath Haven High School and Julia Luongo 'lO, who are bicycle enthusiasts who often spend time at Swarthmore Cycles. The group organized a team of three people, including Luongo, for the event, to ride 150 miles in the Chesapeake Challenge, which will be I held on May 22 and 23. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that destroys the nervous system, severely harming quality of life. It has no known cure and commonly affects people in early adulthood. Women are affected by it more often than men. "It's a pretty horrifying disease, and it's just so brutal because it affects everybody very differently," Yanez said. "I know all these people now [from the biking events], and some of them, when you see them each year, they're worse off and more sick than they were before. It makes me really sad and it makes me angry, but anger is what makes change happen." The students who participate in the Chesapeake Challenge will ride fixed gear bikes 100 miles on the first day and 50 miles on the second.These are bicycles that are built in such a way that the pedals are always in motion as long as the bicycle is, so riders cannot coast. Each bike has only one gear, so riding cannot be made easier when going uphill. Some of the riders in the Challenge have built or worked on the bikes they will use, choosing to ride more difficult bikes in order "to challenge [themselves] and make a statement," Luongo said. She added that they hope the extra difficulty will get people's attention and encourage people to donate more generously. "The odds say these kids probably won't finish the 150 miles, but the ride will be in Chestertown, Maryland, which is pretty flat, shore-type country," Yanez said. Luongo was enthusiastic about the prospect of attracting donations."We placed some bins around the Ville, in the Co-op and the toy store and the bike shop, so that's probably a couple hundred dollars that way," she said. "And there's also a $3OO entry fee per rider, a donation really, so each of us will definitely raise that much, hopefully more. We're also hoping to raise more money during the Fun Fair in the Ville this Sunday." Yanez urged students to contribute to the drive. "Every single Swat student should scrape up just one dollar out of their piggy banks and put it in an envelope and give it to Julia or in the bin in the bike shop," she said. She has also contacted Maurice Eldridge '6l, vice president of the College, I for a donation. With his approval, the College bought the jersey that Luongo will use and made a contribution."It's a pretty small amount of money, but it's a way to be supportive of a local merchant who's doing some really great community service," Eldridge said. "[Multiple sclerosis] is a majorly debilitating disease, but maybe these events will change something in a good way." He reflected that other diseases, including polio "which was a serious concern when [he] was younger," have been eradicated through charitable efforts like the March of Dimes. The riders on the team from Swarthmore and Strath Haven will wear jerseys with the Swarthmore College logo on the back "as a way to pay homage to the college's generosity," Yanez said. She added that the students from Strath Haven see Luongo as their team captain. "Julia was captain of the soccer team at the college, and she's really a very natural team leader. So when it comes to corralling 15,16 or 17-year-old boys, they really look up to her and respect her," Yanez said. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosts rides nationwide throughout the year, with 15 in the month of May alone. The NMSS website describes the rides as "the. premier cycling series in the nation" and says that they are for all "cyclists seeking a personal challenge and a world free of MS." "People with MS really make you feel humble, like 'You need to get off your ass and do something.'" Lindsey Yanez Owner of Swarthmore Cycles News swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 4
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'Dash for Cash' ends due to concerns about nudity BY LINDA HOU rhoul@swarthmore.edu For many years, rugby players from the men's and women's teams have run naked through the first floor of Parrish Hall at the biannual fundraiser called "The Dash for Cash." At separate intervals, members of the women's and men's teams would run naked across the first floor of Parrish as onlookers held out money to support the teams. Dash for Cash was held once in the fall and once during Family Weekend. Yet this year, Family Weekend passed without any public nudity, and the only hint of Dash for Cash was an unrelated event of the same name in the Mr. Swarthmore competition, where the participants were fully clothed. The indefinite cancellation of Dash for Cash came out of the deans' disapproval of public nudity, said Myrt Westphal, associate dean for student life. "We just want the whole campus to know that being naked in public is like underage drinking. It's against the law, and you can get in trouble," Westphal said. "You can be put on a sex offenders list and some terrible things can happen." Westphal said the decision for the cancellation and a ban on alcohol for three semesters for all rugby events arose after members of the men's rugby team went streaking around campus after a banquet last fall. "They just had a wild and crazy night after their banquet, and they just really disrupted the library and the dorms. And there were concerns about how they disturbed people's sense of safety," Westphal said. Even though Dash for Cash was not what precipitated the troubles, Acting Dean of Students Garikai Campbell '9O said that allowing it to happen makes students think that nudity is allowed in other instances. "There's ... a certain amount of confusion that comes from being clear about what is appropriate with respect to nudity by having an event that could feel very supportive," Campbell said. "Because being nude in the dorm spaces, in public, is problematic to the community in a variety of ways, we wanted to be very clear about these behaviors. One way was to encourage something other than Dash for Cash." The captain and all contacted members of the men's rugby team declined to comment.comment. All contacted members and a captain of the women's team declined to be interviewed, but social coordinator Elizabeth Hamilton 12 replied with a statement from the team in an e-mail. The email said that Dash for Cash was different from streaking since it is based on trust, not surprise. The e-mail said that the women's team was disappointed that it was not involved in conversations regarding the event's cancellation and were not informed of the cancellation until the team asked the deans. "For the women's rugby team, Dash for Cash was always a celebration of that trust. It was a bi-annual reminder that we live in a community where we can feel safe appearing naked in public, and where our fellow members of the community could feel comfortable showing up for this event," the email said. While the e-mail said that the loss of trust within the college community has made it necessary for Dash for Cash to end, it also noted that the team will have to find other ways to raise money. Since the women's rugby team is a club team, it does not receive the same money that a varsity team does. "For Dash for Cash to be successful, it must be an event that the entire community would like to sustain, whether or not they choose to dash themselves or even to attend. The women's rugby team acknowledges that the time has come for Dash for Cash to end," the e-mail said. Although it was only the men's team who caused the disruptions last semester, Westphal said that because drinking and nudity can sometimes be part of the rugby culture, the bans on alcohol were put into place for both the men's and the women's rugby teams. Assistant Dean and Gender Education Advisor Karen Henry 'B7 said that public nudity on campus is especially offensive for survivors of sexual assault on campus. "Anytime we have an event such as a Dash for Cash or other instances in dorms where there have been naked people, there's always been a concern for survivors on campus who feel really unsafe," Henry said. Ally Grein 'lO, a facilitator for Swat Survivors and a former rugby team member, said that while Dash for Cash is not as scary for survivors because they are forewarned, unplanned streaking could be especially frightening for survivors."As a facilitator of Swat Survivors, I've had numerous occasions of people complaining about the rugby team and their nudity in their drunken debauchery," Grein said. "I know they don't mean to make people scared but the result is that they scare people and put people in a lot of pain." Grein said that seeing people in the nude can be traumatizing for survivors, and unplanned streaking, especially common amongst the men's rugby team, is even worse since it is unavoidable. "The men's rugby team, in recent years, has had a history of getting naked, streaking on the halls of dorms, jingling door knobs and occasionally vandalizing hallways," Grein said. "That really just creates an unsafe environment and it's hard because you live in the dorm, and they go all across the campus, and you don't know when they're coming into your dorm." Campbell, however, said that the problem was not simply with the rugby team or any other groups on campus. "This is a community-wide reporting that we've gotten [about streaking]. It's problematic in a space where you ought to feel safe and comfortable," Campbell said. Campbell also said the discouragement of Dash for Cash by the deans rose more from a concern for the safety of students,"especially with the discovery of an off-campus man taking pictures of Dash for Cash last semester. "Last year was the first time I heard of a person on campus, a man that no one knew, "taking pictures," Campbell said. "We owe it to our students to protect them that way ... from some outside person doing we don't know what with those pictures." When asked why Dash for Cash has been allowed to happen for so long and is only now being ended, Campbell said that Dash for Cash has been a long tradition, and there was never a reason to end it before. "It has a long tradition of existing before any of us here," Campbell said. "Like many traditions, there periodicallyperiodically needs to be looking back." Westphal also said that the deans expect students to act as adults and will punish them only when problems rise. "We can't deal with everything all the time, so you kind of have to pick and choose your battles," Westphal said. "We're not a police state, we can't get around and poke our noses in everything." Campbell and Henry said that the deans hope to have more conversations with the campus. According to Westphal, Henry and Assistant Dean and Director of the Intercultural Center Rafael Zapata will also speak with the rugby teams to explain to them why streaking can be offensive. "It's not 'speaking out against nudity' as much as we want to encourage some conversations with the community, [with] us having some input in that conversation," Campbell said. "Right now, I'm going to be looking to Dean Henry to construct some of those conversations next semester." Poll on campus issues proves inconclusive By Allison Gantt STUCO HIGHLIGHTS After the work study and breakfast poll closed at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Student Council convened for an emergency meeting to discuss the results. According to an e-mail to the student body from Vice President Deivid Rojas 'll, survey results regarding StuCo payment were close, and the data proved inconclusive. The question will be posed to students again as a referendum on the upcoming ballot. The issue of offering breakfast on Sundays was largely supported in the survey. StuCo plans to talk with the Dining Services Committee about these results, Rojas said in the e-mail. Meeting with president At their Sunday meeting, all of the StuCo members agreed that a Friday meeting with the Board of Managers, the possibility of Sunday breakfast and endorsement of the Dream Act should be on the agenda for their Wednesday meeting with President Rebecca Chopp. After the Wednesday meeting, president Rachel Bell 10 said that Chopp seems to be in . support of the Dream Act. During the meeting Chopp also suggested that StuCO consult Stu Hain, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Services, on the issue of beginning a Sunday morning breakfast.Bike Share The Bike Share program will be up and running by this weekend or at the beginning of next week. "The locks that were donated to us are combination locks, this complicates the 'checking out' bike process," Rojas said in an e-mail. "We are looking into getting key locks instead." McCabe, which will be handling the checkout system, is currently processing necessary information and materials, such as keys, bikes and helmets. SBC and shuttles The SBC budget was approved unanimously. President Rachel Bell 10 and Student Groups Advisor Ben Francis 'l2 were not present. Van Co-Coordinator Sophia Naylor 13 attended the meeting. Naylor, who is in charge of the King of Prussia and Media shuttles, said that the shuttles have had difficulty this year due to "a lot of miscommunication" and because "it's been a lot of figuring things out." Naylor said that the movie, Target and ML shuttles, however, have been running more smoothly. Naylor said that she received no training prior to taking the position, but is working to create a manual for next van coordinator to ensure processes run more smoothly in the future. Rojas recommended that the manual creation process be mandatory for each SBC position, and SBC Manager Simon Zhu 11 said that this could be included in the contract. Upcoming StuCo events StuCo will be hosting a Parlour Party this Saturday both for fun and for students to learn about various StuCo positions. The Parlour Party will run from 1 to 5 p.m., and StuCo members will be available to talk between 1 and 3 p.m. The Parlour Party will be held outside of McCabe Library and will include snacks, drinks, bubbles, beach balls and a music playlist by Luis Penate 13. On May 2, StuCo will host a double-feature movie night on Parrish Beach from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. The theme will be "Anywhere But Here," and potential movie choices include "Up," "The Wiz," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Where the Wild Things Are," and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." Dippin' Dots and popcorn will be available.StuCo will also have a Ride the Tide event on Thursday from 9-10 p.m. News swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX April 15,2010 5
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Activist seeks to make history, spearhead change BY MENGHAN JIN mjinl@swarthmore.edu While canvassing through the city of Chester, Tina Johnson met a woman struggling to get state support and funding to build a safe haven for homeless women. When Johnson told her that she would offer her support if elected into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the woman responded, "I have been waiting for you." Johnson is trying to secure a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 159 th District in Delaware County in the first contested Democratic primary race ever held in the District. Johnson will be challenging incumbent Thaddeus Kirkland, a Democrat who has served as state representative in the 159 th district for 18 years. Although Johnson does not have political experience, she said that, as an activist in Chester, she is ready to help an area that is frequently ignored by politicians. "I decided that I was sick of complaining about the things that were wrong and I was either going to be quiet about that or to do something. ... I'm not one to be quiet," Johnson said. "If you want something to change, you have to change the winds, you have to change the political conversation." Swarthmore involvement On campus, Johnson's relationships with several students and faculty have helped her campaign get off the ground. Many of these relationships at college have been formed out of the Chester's Community Grocery Co-op, a community owned and operated grocery store that Johnson spearheaded five years ago. Right after Johnson announced her candidacy earlier this year, she reached out to Alice Evans 'lO, who worked with her last summer through the Lang Center at the Chester Co-op. "She called me to see if she could meet with me to talk about using Swarthmore students as a resource in campaigning," Evans said. "She doesn't have a huge treasury ... and doesn't have a whole lot of existing political backing and so she's really using a lot of her personal connections and connections she's made through her previous work with the Coop."For the Community-Based Learning component of professor of religion Mark Wallace's Religion and Ecology class, Evans and others will have a booth this Sunday at the Swarthmore Charity Fun Fair to raise money for the Co-op. Associate professor of political science Keith Reeves has also formed a close relationshiprelationship with Johnson. The two worked together five years ago on the development of the Chester Co-op, and now he occasionally invites her to teach a class in one of his honors seminars. Currently, he is conducting behind the scenes policy research for her campaign,.formulating strategies to help her get ahead. Johnson's student support is also strong. With Emily McAfee 'l3, Sachie Hayakawa 'l3, Natali Cortes 'l3 and Aden Tedla 'l2, Evans attended Johnson's campaign kick-off party in Chester. All students in attendance provided positive feedback on meeting Johnson at the party and noted that they admired her ability to relate with other people. "There was a little baby at the campaign party and she's the candidate, she's not the babysitter, but she went over there and picked her up and played with her," McAfee said. The campaign Johnson first made her name known with the founding of the Chester Co-op five years ago. Johnson said that she spearheaded the Co-op when she realized that Chester residents' lack of access to affordable and fresh produce was negatively impacting their health. Even now, however, the city of Chester lacks a supermarket.For decades, the city of Chester has also suffered from underperforming schools, a collapsing tax base and an absence of jobs, said Wallace, who has written about environmental justice issues in Chester. For the past eighteen years, Wallace added, Kirkland has done little to improve conditions in Chester. "Without education and wifhout jobs, people lose hope," Wallace said. "The people in Chester are wonderful. They're committed to their families, they want to work, they're very giving and kind-hearted, but many of them suffer from hopelessness because they don't have the education that will allow them to enter the job market." Committed to the welfare of Chester residents, Johnson has the potential to transform Chester's school system and greatly increase the well-being of residents with more job and investment opportunities, Wallace said. "I live in hope," he said. "I support her and I live in hope that she will be elected." Some of Johnson's supporters said that her leadership role with the Co-op allowed her to interact with a diverse group of community members, giving her an opportunity to develop friendships that have become important to her grassroots campaign. "That's the foundation of her campaign drawing on friends and family," McAfee said. Residents of Chester have been very receptive of Johnson's campaign. "They're very excited and very proud of her for taking this courageous step," Reeves said. Reeves said that he is confident that Johnson will win not only the primary against Kirkland but also the general election in November, which is when she could secure a seat in the state house. "We're not under any illusions that this will be an easy effort, but I believe ultimately she will prevail," Reeves said. "If she is elected, she's going to be a wonderful representative for all the constituents in the District, which includes not only Chester but lots of other communities that for a long period of time have really not had their voices heard in Harrisburg." Johnson's twin sister Nessie said that the fact Tina is making history just by running against Kirkland has not fazed her yet. "Since she announced to the family that she was running, she has been full of excitement," Nessie said. "There's no hesitation about it." For the past couple months, Johnson has been going out into the community, knocking on doors with the help of volunteers from students and community members, to meet new people and get her story out in the open. "I'm asking community members to put me in a position to do the heavy lifting, and part of that heavy lifting is ... to let them know one person cannot change a community," Johnson said. "It takes ... a lot of everyone doing the work together to find the solutions." The biggest challenge, Evans said, will be getting people in Chester as well on campus to vote at the primaries on May 18. To help, Evans hopes to spread word of Johnson's historic campaign on campus and provide transportation to the polls. "Because this is the first primary in our history ... people are just not used to going to vote in the primaries because they don't have a choice," Johnson said. But with the help of Reeves, Swarthmore students and other Chester community members, Johnson will continue in the next month to reaching out to the community and make herself known. "We have very specific internal targets for our localization strategy," Wallace said, "and we have a wonderful set of volunteers who are extraordinarily enthusiastic." Photocourtesyofchestercoop.com Tina Johnson, who founded the Chester's Community Grocery Co-op five years ago, is running for state representative in the first-ever contested Democratic primary in the 159 th District. "I decided that I was sick of complaining about the things that were wrong," she said. News swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 6
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Nicholas Kristof to keynote at Bryn Mawr anniversary BY ELIZABETH HELD BICONEWS.COM, APRIL 13, 2010 FROM THE 81-CO NEWSI New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof and Melanne Verveer, United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, are making the two keynote addresses at a conference on girls' and women's education as part of Bryn Mawr's 125 th anniversary celebration.The conference, entitled "Heritage and Hope: Women's Education in a Global Context," will be held during the college's birthday weekend, September 23-25. The conference will kick off with a cake cutting ceremony. The cake will be supplied by none other than Charm City Cakes, of "Ace of Cakes" fame. Laurel Lemon 'll, a member of the 125 th Anniversary Planning Committee, came up with the original idea to order a cake, which she said seemed like a fitting way to celebrate the college's birthday. Besides an excuse to eat cake, the true goal of the conference is to promote discussion about the future of women's education in both the U.S and the world. The idea for a conference grew out conversations between Shore and Joanna Semel Rose '52 at a Friends of the Library Board meeting. Semel Rose offered to underwrite the expenses for Bryn Mawr to host a conference devot- Ed to women's education as part of the 125 th celebration. Chief Enrollment and Communications Officer Jenny Rickard, who is co-chairing the 125 th Anniversary committee with Chief Information Officer Elliot Shore, said of the conference: "[The goal is to] bring together leading experts from all over the world on the goal and need for educating women, looking to the past as well as to the future to chart a course for what that future path is for women's education globally." Both Kristof and Verveer were chosen because of their dedication to the cause. Kristof has written "prolifically and effectively" on the theme of conference and educating women globally, Shore said, "He seemed to be a very fitting keynote." Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn most recently published "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," a book exploring sex trafficking, sexual violence, microfinance and girls' education. As for Verveer, Shore said, "She's the person in the United States who's the representative to various international bodies for the importance of keeping women's issues on the global agenda." Kristof and Verveer are just two of many speakers headed to campus. The tentative schedule includes directors of U.S primary girls' schools, presidents of women's colleges from around the world, and leaders of non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) dedicated to assisting women. Ruth Lindeborg, Secretary of the College and postdoctoral fellow Anne Bruder have been working to organize the conference. Bruder said in an e-mail that she chose the speakers "based on their particular and impressive contributions to the fields of girls' and women's learning, social justice, leadership, history, and global policy... We wanted the conversations to be dynamic and so we chose diverse panelists who would each bring a different perspective to the conversation."Lindeborg said that President Jane McAuliffe wanted to include NGOs, and has been very interested in those that are working to advance women's rights and education around the world. She said McAuliffe thinks there could be "an important and interesting conversation between girls' schools, women's colleges and those NGOs about potentials for collaboration." Both Lindeborg and Bruder are excited about the possibility of promoting collaboration between the different groups represented at the conference. Lindeborg said that there is plenty of opportunity for cooperation, and that the conversations have begun - "but to bring all those conversations together here, is great." The conference is open to students. Registration opens on May Ist. While there is a registration fee, students will get a fifty percent discount. "I absolutely hope students who are interested in these kinds of conversations will look for opportunities to participate; because if this is a forwardlooking conference, the current generation of college women, Bryn Mawr or from other places, are important players in moving a progressive vision for women's education forward," Lindeborg said. "[The goal is to] bring together leading experts from all over the world on the goal and need for educating women." Jenny Rickard Chief Enrollment and Communications Officer News swarthmorephoenix.com 7 THE PHOENIX '. i. uv J - M " April. 15,-2(11.0. ADVERTISEMENT STUDENT/ALUMNI MIXERS THIS FRIDAY April 16th, just stop in to join the conversation with alums + students who share these interests IHJEEII/STIIAMJHT ALLIANCE Student/Alumni Mixer ■ 4:OOPM-S:3OPM, Intercultural Center THE WRITING LIFE Student/Alumni Mixer 4:OOPM-S:3OPM Kohlberg 226 GARNET GREEN MIXER A Swarthmore Sustainability Group! Student/Alumni Mixer 4:OOPM-S:3OPM Kohlberg Coffee Bar SWARTHMORE BUSINESS Student/Alumni Mixer 4:OOFM-S:3OPM Science Center 104 Want to- continue the conversations? RSVP TODAY (Thursday) to attend the Student/Alumni Dinner, Saturday, April 17th 6PM Upper Tarble ® www.swarthmore.edu/alumni/councilweekend
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April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 8 DUAETMIV rnUtiXIA I iiLlu 2010 HIRING APPLICATIONS DUE APRIL 30 @ 5 P.M. Please see our website for additional information and to obtain an application. Go to swarthmorephoenix.com/apply to submit an application. PHOENIX ■, . . PHOENIX PHOENIX IPHOENIXI PHOENIXI WRITING, BUSINESS, EDITORIAL & GRAPHICS POSITIONS JOB DESCRIPTIONS EDITORIAL POSITIONS Section editors are responsible for ensuring the completion of their section, reading and editing all copy submitted for publication in the section, coordinating their staff of writers, writing items for publication and laying out pages in QuarkXPress. The section editors must be present in the office for their respective deadlines until the Editor in Chief is satisfied with their completed section. Additionally, the section editors must attend all weekly editorial board meetings on Monday and Thursday evenings, and they must communicate regularly with the writers of their sections to assess their progress and to develop story ideas. The responsibilities of a section editor may be divided between two individuals. Managing editor (2) The managing editor(s) are responsible for the completion of the newspaper and for delegating tasks to other editors and staff members, to support the role of the editor in chief. The managing editor(s) have significant involvement in the editorial, design and layout processes, and must be present in the office during production on Tuesday nights and Wednesday. Approximate hours per week: 25. News editor The news editor must have a current and comprehensive knowledge of events, people and issues on campus. Job duties include reading and editing all news copy, leading a staff meeting on Monday nights to work with reporters and develop future story ideas, working with other editors to select news content and directing reporters. Frequent communication with reporters, photographers and senior editors is essential. Applicants should be competent reporters, willing to write last-minute news stories and take photos. Approximate hours per week: 18. Living & Arts editor The Living & Arts editor must be able to develop creative feature and art ideas for the section each week; maintain familiarity with the art, music and theater scene, both on campus and in the Philadelphia area; and select events to feature as editor's picks. The living section allows for more creativity indesign than do other sections in the paper. Approximate hours per week: 16. Chief copy editor The chief copy editor of The Phoenix is responsible for the factual and grammatical aspects of all copy in the newspaper. Responsibilities include reading all copy, reading proofs of all pages, coordinating the schedules of a staff of'copy editors, maintaining and updating The Phoenix stylebook and providing editorial feedback to the writers and editors. Approximate hours per week: 12. Graphics editor Responsibilities include working with the editors and staff artist(s) to conceptualize and create cover art and graphics within page designs. The graphic designer should coordinate art and is responsible for ensuring completion of graphics or photo-intensive pages. The graphic designer will also attend editorial board meetings. Previous work with Photoshop is required. Approximate hours per week: 8. Photo editor Responsibilities include taking, uploading and editing photos; maintaining a staff of photographers; coordinating the use of the paper's digital cameras; and communicating with editors at editorial board meetings and throughout the - week. Approximate hours per week: 10 These job descriptions are intended to inform applicants of what would be expected of them if hired. All applications must be submitted online at swarthmorephoenix.com/apply Questions? Want more information? Contact us at editor@swarthmorephoenix.com STAFF POSITIONS Reporters / staff writers (8 news, 6 living, 5 sports) Reporters write at least one story a week for their section. Writers must attend weekly meetings. Approximate hours per week: 6-8. Columnists / Bloggers (6 opinions, 2 sports, 8 living & arts) A columnist receives a biweekly column. The columnists are expected to work closely with their respective section editors in developing topics and improving their writing styles. Approximate hours per week: 3—4. Copy editors Copy editors check facts, style and grammar and proof pages. Approximate hours per week: 3—5. Photographers Photographers are expected to fulfill weekly assignments. This includes taking photos at the assigned time and uploading the photos onto the Phoenix server in a timely fashion. - Approximate hours per week: varies. Staff artists (3) Staff artists are required to submit at least one illustration per issue, for various sections of the paper. Approximate hours per week: varies. Cartoonists (4) Cartoonists may apply to work as either an op-artist or a living & arts artist, and will be required to submit pieces biweekly.Approximate hours per week: 2. Opinions editor The opinions editor's primary job is to ensure that a diverse range of views relevant to the campus are represented on the editorial pages. Responsibilities include soliciting op-ed pieces, working with staff columnists and cartoonists to develop and carry out ideas and ensuring completion of the staff editorial each week. The opinions editor must also keep abreast of relevant campus and world events. Approximate hours per week: 12. Sports editor The sports editor should maintain a comprehensive knowledge of all varsity and club teams on campus. Duties include reading and editing all sports copy and assigning sports photos. Applicants must be competent sportswriters who are willing to write and take photos as needed. Approximate hours per week: 12. Assistant section editors Assistant editors in news, living and arts, sports and opinions may be added as training positions. Assistant section editors are responsible for helping the section editor in all duties and learning all aspects of production essential to the section, including layout design and editing. Assistant section editors are also responsible for writing for their sections as necessary. Approximate hours per week: 8-10. BUSINESS POSITIONS Advertising manager (2) The advertising manager(s) work to recruit local and national ads. Responsibilities include keeping up-to-date advertising records, sending out invoices and tearsheets to the advertisers, documenting paid invoices; providing up-to-date advertising income figures and attending weekly business staff meetings. Access to a car is preferable, but not required. Approximate hours per week: 6. Circulation manager (2) The circulation manager(s) must distribute copies of The Phoenix to areas across campus early Thursday mornings, stuff faculty and administration mailboxes, maintain subscriber lists and ensure that subscriptions are mailed out each Thursday on a weekly basis, deliver extra copies to The Phoenix office and answer subscription requests as they are received. Approximate hours per week: 3. WEB STAFF (NEW!) Web Editor (2) The Web Editor(s) edits all stories that appear only on the web, -moderates comments, posts to and moderates the forums, and coordinates the newly created Phoenix Web Staff. The Web Editor will hold a weekly or twice-weekly meeting with the Web Staff to ensure there is plenty of fresh content to keep the website as lively as possible. Approximate hours per week: 5-7. Web Staff (4) Web staffers are in charge of keeping The Phoenix website up-to-date throughout the week. Staffers will' write stories, post blogs and/or take additional photos for the website. Staffers are required to attend •' ••" weekly meetings to discuss the content to be placed on the website and will be required to post several. . - items every week. With much less time commitmerrt,' V it's a great way to get started on The Phoenix. Approximate hours per week: 3-4. Assistant Webmaster / Ruby on Rails Web Developer The webmaster is responsible both for maintaining the website and for improving it in ways that engage our readers. Expect to post content, tweak styles, optimize the server configuration and maybe even build entirely new sections of the website. A wemaster must have experience with Rails or an avid interest in learning Rails as an extension of some existing web development background. Knowlege of HTML, CSS, and Java Script is required. UPHOENIXI FOR HIRING RULES, FULL JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR FALL 2010: http://www.swarthmorephoenix.com/hiring
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Living & Arts Mr. 'SmIley and Bubbly crowned Mr. Swarthmore BY DINA ZINGARO dzingarl@swarthmore.edu Last Friday night, at the Mr. Swarthmore competition, Omari Faakye 10 took to the runway smiling shyly and dressed in a traditional white Ghanaian dress. By the conclusion of the. two-hour pageant hosted by the Ladies' Soiree Society (LaSS), Faakye was chosen as Mr. Swarthmore 2010 from among 10 other competitors. His arrival at Swarthmore as a first-year for soccer pre-season in 2006 was only his second visit to the United States. Looking back, Faakye explained that it was the "best way to welcome [himself] into the Swarthmore community." "They taught me about how to approach the Swarthmore society being able to carry yourself as a confident person here," Faakye said of his teammates. "[They also taught me] about being able to relate to people despite the fact that they are so different from you because we are all so different."Faakye, after two years of resisting participation in Mr. Swarthmore, agreed to it this year when he recognized the importance of promoting organizations. He represented both the men's soccer team and the Swarthmore Christian Fellowship (SCF), both of which he has participated in since his first year. "Those two groups have really defined my existence here. They define my lifestyle and that's why I'm really committed to both of them," Faakye said. Earlier in the fall semester, when the soccer team lost to Transylvania University in the final game of the season, Faakye remembers returning to his dorm in tears. He realized his response demonstrated the deep connections he had with his teammates. "It was an intense moment for me and it all made so much sense [as to] why I sacrificed so much time for practice. It was my love for the team," Faakye said. Faakye felt inspired by the Mr. Swarthmore's promotion of "Take Back The Night," which is an international organization to end sexual assault and violence. Faakye had auctioned off a hug at an auction hosted by the Village Education Program in March. Coupled with his love of raising money for campus groups and his passion for the cause, Faakye explained that, participating in the Mr. Swarthmore event was "emotionally fulfilling." - Faakye's friend John Bouchard 'lO believes Faakye's liveliness granted him the ability to raise money, and that his "humble charisma" made him perfect for the Mr. Swarthmore title. A close friend of Faakye, Andy Hoot 'lO said that "[Faakye] continuously puts the comfort and happiness of other people as his primary concern, and has done this for years." Even with his outgoing personality, Faakye admitted that he felt nervous at the beginning of each pageant event. For the competition's talent portion, participants were expected to entertain the audience for a maximum of four minutes. Faayke chose to break dance because it did not require major preparation. In Ghana, break dancing was a popular feature of day-to-day life amongst the youth. "We used to wake up in the morning and fetch water and kids would just break dance to get the bucket, turn the water on and fill it up.. It was so ingrained in our lifestyle," Faayke said. Fellow competitor Sean Bryant 'l3, also known as "Mr. Baseball" at the pageant, admitted that "most of [the guys] who were in Mr. Swarthmore were trying to catch a peek at him dancing because [they] knew it was going to be something fun and entertaining to see." During the Q&A portion of the pageant, each contestant was expected to respond to two random questions from the judges. Faakye was asked to describe himself in two words and chose the words "smiley" and "bubbly." "You can't walk around and not greet anyone; you are always in constant swinging your head back and forth looking for someone to greet," Faakye said about the culture of traditional greetings in Ghana. "Greetings show that you care about each other and you are cognizant of each other's presence." The judges then asked Faakye to identify the most important person in his life. He chose his mother, who acted as the guiding force behind his academic achievements. She encouraged Faakye to retake an entrance exam, which then enabled him to attend a high school and later, led him to his education at Swarthmore. "She did it in such a loving way forceful, but loving and persistent. That takes a lot of heart," he said. Post-graduation, Faayke hopes to get an engineering job. Currently, he is working on his senior design project where he uses solar panels to supply hot water to Hicks. After Swarthmore, he hopes to attend graduate school for a master's degree in energy efficiency and renewable energy resource management.Faakye feels confident that Swarthmore's liberal arts program has prepared him well. "Swarthmore really gives you all you need and more," he said. With less than a month to graduation, Mr. Swarthmore 2010 explained that he will miss being surrounded by such a diverse community where he can "connect with people from all walks of life." Andrew Cheng Phoenix Staff Omari Faakye emerges victorious at this year's Mr. Swarthmore. cartoon by carey pietsch swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX April 15, 2010 9
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Alum sheds light on poetry, creative process BY SARAH POZGAY AND CAMILA RYDER slong6@swarthmore.edu, cryderl@swarthmore.edu roei anu aiurana iveeije uz reiurnea to Swarthmore on Monday to read from her first published volume of poetry, "Beautiful in the Mouth," which was released by BOA Editions, Ltd. last month. The book deals heavily with themes of love, loss, place and the body. It won Kuipers the 2009 A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, the reward for which is publication. Kuipers also judged the 2010 student poetry prize winners, whom she announced directly following the reading. Elizabeth Dickey 'lO, who was selected as winner of the Lois Morrell Poetry Prize, was present both at the reading and for a classroom discussion in Professor Nathalie Anderson's "Contemporary Women's Poetry" course on Tuesday. Dickey, who bought and began to read "Beautiful in the Mouth" only after attending the reading, commented on the differences in reading and listening to Kuipers' poetry. "[S]he feels to me like a really solid presence, like she herself she has just a gorgeous voice and she presents herself in a way that's very solid, and she's very clear on who she is," Dickey said of Kuipers' reading. "I think it was interesting to see or to get a sense of that first before reading the book because the book, as she mentioned in class [Tuesday], is so much about her inhabiting these different personas of herself," Dickey said. "So it was sort of like cognitive dissonance to see her so kind of be at one with herself and then be able to throw on all these different things." As judge of the Lois Morrell an&iJohn Russell Hayes Poetry Prizes, Kuipers noted that "[for] such a small school and small program, it's just ridiculous that there are that many talented writers on campus." In addition to Dickey, Kuipers selected Nina Pelaez 'll and J ely, for the first and set yes Poetry Prizes. In selecting Kuipers saic came ■■■■■■^^^^^^^^^H California whelm an undergra* always felt a IgSm of push-puaHß my Coast perso||H| Coast said. "I wante the poems t| thought best s| the dialog I these parts of the dj^HH These 'lO, who lives near "[S]he read JH which is a rf^HJjJBHB [the poem] . Hp wildfire conditi • cap tured the fe g in a lot of smoke," he sa Professor and chair of the nt Allen Kuharski, whb taught major at Swarthmore, found own distinct voice. "The language is to ssible and unpretentious, but very eloquent, very powerful," he said. "She has a very simple, untheatrical delivery, but [it's] really strong." Kuharski said he enjoyed the combination of sensuality, loneliness and the "constant awareness of death and ultimate things" in much of Kuipers' poetry. While this was the second reading Kuipers has given from "Beautiful in the Mouth," the first occurring several days ago at a poetry conference in Denver, she said it was the first reading she has given unaccompanied. .J "[Monday] night wjas really unique for m because unless you hpe a book, it's really quit rare that you actually to read by yourself. S I'm always reading with other writers as part of series, as part of a jfroup event," she said. The experience has also been a new one fo Kuipers in terms of thinking about her own work According to Kuipers, it has been both surreal an exciting to watch the process of her work being con verted into a book. "It's interesting in some ways tojlife my wor separated from myself. That's what having a boo is," she said. "It's like having a child you know—it you, but it's not you " Kuipers began writing and compiling 'Beautifu in the Mouth" during her residency as a |larger Davis Boyden Wilderness writer i& 2007. In 2009 Kuipers was also named a Wallace Stegner fellow a Stanford University, an award that according t Anderson "is probably the most prestigious a war to be given to a young writer in America." When Kuipers was at Swarthmore, she too many classes with Anderson, including the poetr workshop. "You can, as a teacher, see the ways i which the reading that".& student did here or th language and |poming out of Swarthmore, I realized fc®w vJa is to have all sorts of different types oflknqH e to draw from and pull from as a writer and WA \ my writ- Another influence on her ler experience with Nathalie Anderson. Kuiper; few classes with Anderson during Swarthmor learned the importance of poetry as a "craft." "[Anderson] places such a great deal of emphasis on the hard work of craft and the importance of formal elements in creative writing," Kuipers said. "I think ttflbally Laid a foundationer me in education from any other she could have hj; While she was an undergraduate, tl Kuipers said she never garnered the same level 0 recognition that she has now. "I was not the poet when I was here," she said. "I really want to be, but I was second-tier and had to work very hard to be a part of the workshops and get published in the literary magazines and so on." This struggle was lething she spoke about at the reading and that nated with students and faculty alike. She didn't win prizes when she was here and ... overing her own voice as a writer was a wcess," Anderson said. "A lot of students ... assume that if they do good work, they'll be recognized for it and of course they are recognized but there are only a few prizes." Kuipers learned that writing is a process that takes time and the best work cannot be churned out all the time. Both Work and Dickey found this insight encouraging from the perspective of student "[Kuipers] was trying to find her voice in fiction and art, and it's helpful to know that someone makes it [as a professional writer]," Work said. "[Writing] is something that you work on and as [Kuipers] would say, something that you craft. It feels more liberating that way," Dickey said. "I don't always have to sit down and write a perfect poem, just like try to find something that is interesting to roe and work with it." "It wasn't until after Swarthmore that I came more into my own as a writer," Kuipers said. "So to come back here as someone who is successful in something that I really struggled to be good at at Swarthmore kind of blows me away. ... I can't imagine a more meaningful experience of reading my work anywhere." Disclosure Note: Nina Pelaez is a Living & Arts staff voriter for The Phoenix but had no role in the production of this article. ■■■■■■■^■■■■■■■^■■■■■iM some ways to Pirated from lat having a book 3 a child you , but it's not you."' Ipers 'O2 Jakob Mrozewskl Phoenix Staff I Poet and 2002 graduate Keetje Kuipers read a selec- I tion of poems from her recently published book "Beautiful in the Mouth" on Monday. She also I announced the winners of the 2010 Lois Morrell and John Russell Hayes poetry contests. Living & Arts swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 10 1010 Lois Morrell and John Russell Hayes Poetry Prize Recipients Lois Morrell Poetry Prize: Ist Place: Elizabeth Dickey 'lO John Russell Hayes Poetry Prize: Ist Place: Nina Pelaez 11 2nd Place: Jessica Holler 'lO Winners of these awards received a monetary prize for their work. The Lois Morrell poetry prize was $5OO and the John Russell Hayes were $4OO and $3OO for first and second place, respectively.
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Outsmarting crooks has never been so funny BY QUITTERIE GOUNOT qgounotl@swarthmore.edu Around this time of year, as papers pile up and exams loom close, we Swatties are in dire need of entertainment. As this weekend's performance of "The Butter and Egg Man" showed, our peers are excellent at providing us this fun break. Although set in the 19205, "The Butter and Egg Man" successfully immerses the audience in its environment: the corrupt and hectic milieu of show business. This play was likely one of the inspirations for the famous musical "The Producers." When Peter Jones, played by Harry „ Apostoleris 'l2, a sweet and naive boy from Ohio, comes to New York self-consciously bearing a large inheritance, he finds himself caught in the rapid traffic of a language that he does not speak: the language of show biz and of money. It does not take much convincing for him to invest the bulk of his assets in a play produced by a certain Joe Lehman, played by Avilash Pahi 13. But Lehman turns out to be a shameless crook who is not nearly as sure of the play he is presenting to Jones as he claims to be. Jones soon risks losing both the funds and the trust that he had invested into the project. This familiar tale of the outsider being duped by the city men comes as no surprise. The interesting twist comes when the plays turns out to be unexpectedly successful, with Jones having obtained the controlling share. He is finally in a position to give the former producers a taste of their own medicine. The play's wacky cast of characters gives it all its comedic brillianc, and the actors breathed new life into recognizable types and made each character into an original creation. Pahi, with his booming voice and mysterious hat, was great in the role of the crook, Lehman. His animation when selling his play generated an energy that never completely waned. Apostoleris's candor shone in his sympathetic portrayal of Jones. Elizabeth Keck 'l3 was the grandiose femme fatale Mary Martin, shining with glitter and overdramatic in her every gesture. Zack Wiener 'l2 put his linguistics training to good use, enunciating his words just as a pretentious British director would. Every single actor demonstrated an ability to take his or her character completely over the top, winning the audience's laughter and appreciation.Assistant Director Will Treece 11 was in charge of the not-so-small feat of "keeping things light and funny." As a purely comedic play, "The Butter and Egg Man" was very different from "Outrage," the play Treece helped direct in the fall. Treece enjoyed this new challenge. "It's a lot of acting concepts and seeing them through comedic lenses," he said. Commenting on the humor of the play, Treece added that he thinks that it is mainly a "big character play." "All the characters are just ridiculous. It's all about throwing them into the same room and seeing what happens," Treece said. Much of the comic effect here, he explained, was based on people failing to match the expectations others have for them. For example, the producers expect Jones to be a complete idiot, but he eventually outsmarts them. While the play's humor definitely has much appeal, director Anne Coleman 10 saw much more to "The Butter and Egg Man" than mere entertainment. For her, it was an invaluable opportunity to showcase the work of playwright George Kaufman. This particular play was an especially interesting choice, because it is the only one that Kaufman wrote without a collaborator. Coleman pointed out that "The Butter and Egg Man" bears many parallels to Kaufman's life. The character of the literary agent is an echo of the many people who plagued Kaufman's career with plagiarism accusations. Coleman also interpreted Kaufman's humor as a response to those people around him. Kaufman had entertained a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with a prestigious circle of New York intellectuals, who constantly sought to impress, outstrip and tease each other. Coleman saw Kaufman's use of oneliners as well as his characters as inspired by that relationship. "He loved looking around him and turning people into material. His friends knew who they were in his scripts. It was all about how to insult each other within a circle of friends," Coleman said. Members of the cast seem to have enjoyed making the play, thanks in part to Treece and Coleman. Aside from playing acting games, the cast found the directors' knowledge of theory to be impressive and helpful. "This must be a Swarthmore thing, but I'd never unpacked things that much before, like comedy and what is funny," Keck said. Keck felt challenged by the pervasive physicality of her role, but relished the opportunity to try out a character quite different from the villains and musical characters she played in high school. "You have to make [your character] human. I understand what [Mary Martin] wants," she said. "It might seem vapid and shallow to me, but I can see where she is coming from." "The Butter and Egg Man" offered a powerful glimpse into the 1920s world of show business and into Kaufman's own relationship with other intellectuals. Swat Style Snapshot TEXT AND PHOTO BY CAMILA RYDER Name: Xiaoxia Zhuang Year: 2010 From: Auburn, AL Current Residence: Roberts What She's Wearing: "My leggings are from the Gap. My gray shirt is from the Gap it's supersized and sort of stretched out, but that's the way I like it fitting," Zhuang said. She layered two tank dresses: one from Zara and the other Alexander Wang. "My jacket is from Alexander McQueen, the McQ line," Zhuang said. Her black boots are from Behind the Glass, a boutique in Auburn owned by her friend's mother. Her necklace is from Zachary's Smile and she bought her bright lime green watch in China. Her leather carryall bag is from a thrift store. While her big, black, wide-rimmed glasses may be a distinguishing factor in many of her outfits, Zhuang's beloved McQ sweater catches the eye instantly. Black and white stripes are mixed with a bold zigzag and oversized diamond pattern in true Alexander McQueen style. It takes the traditional, oversized sweater and amps it up with the bold print. The smooth transition from each design makes for quite a dynamic piece. How She Describes Her Style: "Classic but quirky," Zhuang said an email. "I like things that have some sort of tradition to them, but a unique take on things, whether if s like an unexpected fabric or a different seaming ... something that stands out and has a bit of spark to it." In reference to her style, Zhuang feels that it's "flexible and fluid." Fashion Influences & Inspirations: "What guides me is I just pay attention to small ... details," Zhuang said. "I also really like good fabrics." She also enjoys taking inspiration from all over, whether it's a unique lighting fixture to a look in a magazine. "I think it's really cool that you can apply that in your style." Zhuang also feels her interests in fashion began when she took art lessons at age seven. In her e-mail, Zhuang also said that her "near-obsession" with fashion was inspired by her first purchase of Vogue magazine. Where She Shops: "I shop everywhere and anywhere," Zhuang said. Her shopping haunts ranges from discount shopping at Loehmann's or thrift stores, to buying basics at stores like Gap, J.Crew and Zara, or finding items at higher end stores. "I really like small, well-curated boutiques because I like to see the vision and the different style that each one has," she said. Zhuang, like many others, relishes in finding good bargains, but she looks for clothes that aren't too trendy. "What I look for [are] things that are ... unique, but will also stand the test of time," she said. "I'm not too into trends per se because I feel like fashion is so cyclical." I Designers & Blogs She Follows: "I've been into different designers since I was really young, but now with blogs and stuff, it's easier to see how they apply to real life or carry it from the runway [into] reality," Zhuang said. Among some of her favorite designers are Rick Owns, Ann Demeulemeester, Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfield, Alexander McQueen, Rag & Bone and Givenchy. Zhuang gravitates toward "forward-thinking European designers" as well as up-and-coming designers like Joseph Altuzarra 'O5 or Rodarte. Her favorite blog is Jak and Jil. Favorite Items in Closet: Zhuang loves her McQ sweater as well as her Earnest Sewn jeans, a J.Crew blazer, silk scarves with abstract designs that she found for .99 cents and a Vince jumpsuit. "The things that I like in my closet always have some sort of story to them," she said. "I can tell you where I got all my clothes and the circumstances behind that." Wardrobe Staples: "I have tons of jackets and I never have the opportunity to wear them," Zhuang said, but she loves the look of a well-fitted blazer. She also tends to combine "simple tank tops in drapey fabrics" with a jacket, her Earnest Sewn jeans and sandals. "I usually wear sandals, but sometimes I break out the occasional loafers or boat shoes." Zhuang also loves the effortlessnes and easiness of a "black cotton dress with a scarf draped over my shoulders." Do you think you (or a professor) have great style? Then submit a photo of you in your best outfit to cryderl@swarthmore.edu. Please include your name and contact information. Living & Arts swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX April 15, 2010 11
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Students' book collections garner prestigious prize BY ISAAC HAN ihanl@swarthmore.edu Considered the oldest book collecting competition in the United States, the A. Edward Newton Book Collection Competition rewards those Swarthmore students with the best, most creative and most stimulating book collections. The competition started in 1930, when a Swarthmore professor, Robert E. Spiller, introduced his class to Newton, an avid book collector. According to the Swarthmore website, Newton liked a student's idea of awarding a prize to the student with the best book collection and began funding the competition. This year's first place winner is Meredith Firetog 'lO for her collection titled "Tangled in Bob Dylan." Second place went to Myles Dakan 'lO for his collection called "Notes Almost Divine: American Shape Hymnody." Third place went to Ben Goossen 13 for his collection named "A History of the Future: A Literary Evolution of Science Fiction." A talk and reception will be held today at 4:30 p.m. in the McCabe Reading Room to honor the winners. Meredith Firetog 'lO Isaac Han: What was the inspiration for your book collection?Meredith Firetog: Bob Dylan. IH: How did you collect the books in your collection? Was it a long process? MF: I actually started collecting the books ... about five years ago when I took a class on Dylan and the collection was inadvertently created. I would just go to a bookstore and go to the music collection and be drawn to all the books about Dylan, by Dylan or somehow tangentially related to Bob Dylan. And gradually I realized I was collecting quite a number of books about this one topic. IH: Are there any books in the collection that you find most interesting or special in your collection? MF: Well, in terms of books about Dylan's career and Dylan as a cultural icon, I think Greil Marcus's "Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads" is one of my favorite books. Greil Marcus is this awesome rock journalist and it's this book that traces the recording of the song "Like a Rolling Stone" and kind of traces the cultural milieu of the '6os. Another really cool book that is actually one of the more recent books I got is "Bob Dylan Revisited" and it's a book that has 16 graphic artists who did graphic novel representations of Dylan's songs and it's really beautiful. IH: Do you think your collection reflects your personality in some way? MF: In as much as your car reflects your personality. But, I think what you mean or what you're getting at is what you can see from my collection is that I have something that I'm passionate about and I have a very emotional and aesthetic attachment to, and at the same time have an intellectual attachment to which is obvious in its literary counterpart. A lot of the books are criticisms of Dylan's writing as poetry. So a lot of it is literary criticism or looking at how the Bible works in Dylan's books. So it also shows my love for academia at the same time how I'm integrating my emotional and aesthetic passion into my intellectual passions. IH: What can you say about book collecting as a hobby? MF: I guess I didn't really consider book collecting as a hobby until really coming across this competition and realizing how established the contest is and how a lot of people do collect books for very specific themes. And at first it was like, 'I have a lot of books about Dylan,' and now I think that I am much more focused on where I want expand my collection. For example I want to expand to include influences of Dylan and what he got from Hank Williams and Lead Belly and the other artists from the '3os, who really influenced his style in the 'sos, '6os and '7os or mainly 'sos and '6os. I wouldn't really count the stuff from when he was in high school. So I think as a hobby it's something that I'm excited to be a part of as I expand my collection. Ben Goossen 'l3 IH: What was the inspiration for your book collection? Ben Goossen: The specific collection is about the literary evolution of science fiction. And I'm inspired to look into science fiction books because I'm interested in the way that history happens and the way individual events can make an impact on society and science fiction gives a very good way to understand how one particular event, something that currently doesn't exist in society, can change how people think about the world. IH: How did you collect the books in your collection? Was it a long process? BG: I collected most of them through book sales and used bookstores. Whenever I'm in a new town I try to look for used book- stores and pick some things up. I've been collecting since I was a little kid so it's certainly a lifelong process. IH: Are there any books in the collection that you find most interesting or special in your collection? BG: Well every book is different so they're all of course interesting. But there are a couple that are particularly interesting. I have a collection of Isaac Asimov's fiction, the things that he wrote in his teens, and they're incredibly different from the stories that he wrote when he was the grandmaster of science fiction. So to see the evolution of his writings is real cool. And I have some early copies of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Those are pretty neat for their historical value. IH: Do you think your collection reflects your personality in some way? BG: I'd say it reflects my per-1 sonality in two ways. First, I m a very analytic person. And my collection is organized in historical categories. So it's very easy for me to look at how science fiction has changed over history. So I can compare different authors, books, techniques, and different purpos- es in writing the books. And secondly it reflects the way I visualize the world. I like to think big picture and that's the same way that these authors conceive their novels. They create large and consistent universes, which I find to be very fun. IH: What can you say about book collecting as a hobby? BG: It's awesome. It's very cheap. You can get a lot of books without paying a lot of money. It's very rewarding. You can find books everywhere, which means it's-a very universalist hobby. There's lots of information you gain from it and of course you're never done collecting. Myles Dakan 'lO was not available for an interview. "There's lots of information you can gain from [book collecting] and of course you're never done collecting." Ben Goossen 'l3 For the solution to this week's puzzle, see The Phoenix's online edition at www.swarthmorephoenix.com. Living & Arts swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 12 CROSSWORD POETIC LICENSE ACROSS 1 It's got Game 6 TV station with the slogan "Life Surprises" 9 Only U.S. state with a name that is one syllable long 14 You Beautiful," Joe Crocker hit 15 End or act ending 16 Grouchy muppet 17 Shel Silverstein's favorite sandwich? 20 Golfer Ernie 21 Rosa Parks belonged to it: abbr. 22 Crum regatta need, perhaps 23 Dr. Seuss' specialty? 29 -Magnon 31 Minimalist sculptor whose works take up maximum space 32 Stallion's mate 33 British punk rock band, with "the" 35 Word with ring or coin 37 e-giggle 38 Rhyming music genre 40 It rhymes with 38-across 42 Big picture: abbr. 43 Hai _ 46 They go on sale after Easter 47 Gets an 100 on 49 Unexpected win 52 Jets' sets?: abbr. 53 Like the titles of Shakespeare's sonnets? 56 Gerund's end 57 "Golden Girl" Arthur 58 Notorious rapper 61 Method Man and Redman? 67 Root or Yale, e.g. 68 Pepper 69 Screwed up . 70 It "hits the spot" per an old jingle ' 71 Disc popular in the 1990s 72 Comedian Foxx et aL DOWN 1 Rubberneck 2 Caspian Sea feeder 3 Eliot of "The Untouchables" 4 Suffix with Marx or Lenin 5 Literally, "instruction" 6 Competitor's request 7 56 in Ancient Rome 8 Board of directors hiree 9 Like some support 10 Guru residence 11 Frigid 12 Some vets served there 13 Before, to Keats 18 Adams and Carter, e.g. * 19 "_____ to speak of" 23 "American Pastoral" author 24 Suffix with ass or al 25 Conquistador's quest 26 Like the rims of some glasses 27 Soldiers 28 Shrieks 29 Seal the deal 30 He asked you to "believe it or not" 33 Trim, as a sheep 34 " man walks into a bar..." 36 Less than a swig 39 Dive 41 Nana and Asta, famously 44 TV's Kwik-E-Mart clerk 45 Doctrine 48 Morrissey's group, with "the" 50 Waning 51 Adolescent 54 Sylvia Plath sonnet first published in 2006 55 Less cooked 58 West Virginia Senator Robert 59 e-chatted 60 Home-schooled students' degs. 61 Gusto 62 Ginger 63 Halloween initialism 64 58-across' genre 65 -Cone 66 Charlemagne's reign: abbr. BY ANNA SHECHTMAN I n *": ■a ,-'.: M 1 ■ IS A, :: i 'r-A 59 « 51 52 S3 &4 s§s *': :V For the solution to this week's puzzle, see The Phoenix's online edition at www.swarthmorenhoenix.com.
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Barbie's legacy: female beauty ideals overextended Barbie dolls. Plastic surgery. The Plastics from "Mean Girls." Over the past 50 years, give or take, the metaphor of an idealized female body as "plastic" has become ingrained as part of society's popular vocabulary, and the examples of this effect are endless. When women's appearances are either literally too fake, through plastic surgery, or when they simply present themselves in a too perfect way, they get called fake and plastic, like doUs. I'll admit that I am fully complicit in this system; many a time have I fallen too easily into the habit of calling someone who wears too much makeup a "doll-girl" or "doll-face." But where do we draw the line? At what point does criticizing varying levels of altering one's appearance, ranging from a flick of mascara to fullon invasive surgery, become misogynistic rather than productive? A prime example of this cultural trend is Heidi Montag, of (debatable) reality show fame from the MTV show "The Hills," which is currently airing its sixth and final season. I'm unclear about what Montag actually does, but for whatever reason she is still floating around in celebrity world, and has recently come out with a brand-spanking new, surgically enhanced body. Literally, I mean her whole body. In the way that some women might talk about have their nose or boobs "done," Montag had everything done. My only real source of information about this has been through such reputable news sources as "Gawker" and their feminist offshoot blog "Jezebel," but seeing .one before-and-after picture really gives "you all the information that you need. The girl no longer looks human, to put it bluntly. Somewhat understandably, the media buzz around her aUeged 10 surgical procedures has been, strong, especially since Montag has been particularly vocal about the benefits of plastic surgery. Unlike most stars, who tend to deny that they've had work' done particularly anti-aging processes such as Botox, which are ostensibly meant to preserve one's youthful appearance, rather than alter it she has actively announced and discussed the procedures she underwent and the insecurities that drove her to select them. To be fair, there's no way that Montag could have denied her surgeries, given that she looks like a completely different person now. Not surprisingly, Montag has received a lot of criticism for undergoing such invasive procedures at such a young age, particularly to such extremes. Her methods were also extreme. She underwent extensive liposuction, although she was already a thin girl, particularly a "back scooping" procedure usually requested by people who have recently received gastric bypass procedures and are left with excess skin. This could all be attributed to society's unattainable and unhealthy beauty standards, except for the fact that I don't think anyone was ever calling Heidi fat. Not to mention the fact that she also had fat injected in various other body parts, including her cheeks, of all places. No, Heidi Montag wasn't trying to emulate skeletal fashion models or even largebreasted porn stars, although elements of both are present. Rather, her goal seems to have literally been to reshape her whole body into an inhuman form, closest to the original "plastic": Barbie. You know how you read all those reports about how if Barbie were a real person, she'd be eight feet tall and wouldn't be able to stand upright? Well, Montag appears to be approaching such distortions. She reportedly is no longer able to go jogging because of her surgeries, a side effect for which many of the aforementioned blogs have mocked her. But at what point does such mockery become offensive, even anti-feminist? OK, Montag is clearly delusional about what is aesthetically pleasing, a practical use of money or advisable under any circumstances. She is setting a bad example, her priorities are terrifyingly skewed and she probably has some form of a psychological disorder at this point. But rather than laughable, isn't ah of that just saddening? After all, isn't she really just a product of her environment? Sure, by normal standards Montag already fit the stereotypical definition of beauty: thin, big boobs, long blonde hair, etc. One might argue she wasn't really conforming to a common ideal, but rather a delusional and disproportionate one. But really, all she has done is taken ideas that are already floating around in our culture and extrapolated on them. For instance, we all know the scene from "Mean Girls" in which Regina George and company all criticize their objectively attractive appearances in front of a mirror. Well, all Heidi has done is taken that idea and acted upon it. She grew up in a society, as we all have, in which we are increasingly told that even the most stereotypically "attractive" of us should still find fault with our bodies; that plastic surgery is ok, almost a "natural" course to take for those who can afford it; that the appropriate way of dealing with insecurities or an ugly-duckling syndrome is to undergo a makeover, rather than accept our flaws, real or imagined.In short, what Montag has done is taken all these messages projected by society and literalized them. Sure, we can criticize her for being too susceptible to such things, but much of the mockery that the media has subjected her to goes past that. There has been a "dumb blonde," "human Barbie," plastic-y rhetoric surrounding her new body that has a decidedly gender-based tone to it. After all, she was subjected to society's expectation of self-criticism and acceptance of elective surgery precisely because she is a woman in the entertainment industry. That's not say that men don't receive plastic surgery as well (anyone else remember the calf-implant craze of a few years ago?), but it remains a far less acceptable option for male-identifiers. After all, Montag's husband Spencer Pratt may be an idiot who gets mocked all the time too, but not for his appearance and he has not felt compelled to undergo any surgery (yet). A desire to defend Heidi Montag's psychotic actions, which I would at the very least put in the same ballpark as severe self-mutilation, has been furthest from my mind in this column. But rather than criticism and mockery, I think pity is a more apropos reaction to her behavior. Or at the very least, we might strive for criticism on the basis of the disturbing social messages that she is enacting. After all, I played with Barbie dolls. We *all did, with the exception of some individuals who probably had both very intelligent parents and very stunted childhoods. So before mocking a woman for playing into society's superficial Barbie-doll stereotypes and ideals, I suggest that we consider what role we have taken in creating the conditions that aUow the Heidi Montags of the world to exist. Emily is a junior. You can reach her at ecrawfol@swarthmore.edu. Emily Crawford Into the Abyss Thanks, HBO, for a glorious new era of television I've spent the past few weeks extremely excited for the premiere of the new HBO show "Treme" (pronounced tre-MAY), a series about post-Katrina New Orleans that premiered last Sunday. (As of the writing of this column, which is happening late Sunday night, I haven't watched it yet. But don't worry; I'll review it in the coming weeks.) "Treme" is creator David Simon's follow up to the breathtaking "The Wire," a sprawling series that spent five stellar seasons chronicling crime and corruption in Baltimore, and which many critics (myself included) have dubbed the best show in the history of television. Simon's hotly anticipated return to HBO got me thinking about the range of incredible television the network has produced everything from the cosmo-and- Manolo-obsessed "Sex and the City," to the soapy vampire drama "True Blood," to the critically acclaimed "The Sopranos," not to mention "John Adams," "Entourage," "Oz," "Six Feet Under," "Band of Brothers," "Hung," "Big Love," "Carnivale," and so on. Some of these shows were true hits, some faded in their later seasons notably "Six Feet Under," "Entourage," and now "Big Love" and some, like "Carnivale," were only beloved by crazy people who, like moved on to even weirder things after the show's two short seasons were lost. (Was "Carnivale" a precursor to my love for "Lost"? Why yes, I believe it was.X Thinking about the diversity of HBO?s lineup, and the almost unbelievable proportion of quality shows on the network, made me think both about how HBO's programming model managed to generate so much great work and about how television as a whole has changed as a result of a small subscription channel called Home Box Office. When professional critics and avid televisions fans (I include myself in the latter category) talk about why HBO is so great, they tend to point to the fact that, as a subscription channel, HBO is not subject to the fmicky rules of the FCC and can include as much sex and swearing as they want in their shows. Now, I'm not arguing that this may be part of the appeal of, say, "True Blood" which is as close to softcore porn as you can get without actually watching porn and I'll also concede that the mobsters of "The Sopranos" and the cops and drug dealers of "The Wire" were much more authentic than they would have'been had they been forced by the censors to use "freak" and "crap" instead of "fuck" and "shit." However, the sex and swearing are only part of the appeal of any given HBO show, and as evidence I will point you toward the A&E reruns of "The Sopranos," which are scrubbed of all cursing and much of the violence and still manage to be intriguing. No, the real reason that HBO shows are of a much higher quality than almost anything else on TV is that HBO values quality over quantity. This.means both that shows have much shorter seasons, often only around 12 episodes (although sometimes shorter: the most recent season of "Big Love" ended after episode nine, which ended up being a blessing for the fans who were disheartened by how far the once-great polygamy drama had fallen). This also means that they can have much lower ratings in order to be considered successful. Indeed, because HBO is a subscription channel, ratings don't really matter that much and shows with mediocre ratings, such "The Wire" (which, I will mention again, is the best show ever to be seen on television) are allowed to continue long after they would have been cancelled by other networks. This focus on quality, coupled with the shorter seasons, means that HBO shows tend to have much higher production values than many network shows, although the networks are now picking up on the trends. The excellent cinematography of "Lost" and "24," and the beautifully detailed art direction and.costume design on "Mad Men," are really due to the influence of HBO. Indeed, I would argue that television has been elevated to an art form that can compete with cinema and that often surpasses it, largely because of the new standard of quality that the network has set. I have not yet seen anything in any movie that equals the fourth season of "The Wire," which examined the failing public school system in Baltimore in a way that inspired fury, heartbreak and the tiniest bit of hope. (Seriously, will you all just go watch "The Wire" already? You'll thank me later.) I'm not sure there has ever been a movie .ending as polarizing and brilliant as the cut to black that closed the curtain on "The Sopranos." The point of all my ramblings is that HBO gave birth to a new era in television, one that has given us such gems as "Lost," "Mad Men," "Dexter" and "Arrested Development." These kind of obsessively detailed, deftly written and brilliantly acted shows are, like those of HBO, unique in that they don't pander to their audience, but instead expect viewers to invest their time and energy into the show's world, and hopefully be rewarded for their investment. So Don Draper, raise your glass to Tony Soprano, because without him, you probably wouldn't have a leg encased in a beautifully tailored suit to stand on. Alex is a junior. You can reach her at aisraell@swarthmore. edu. Alex Israel Pencils Down, Pass* the Remote Living & Arts swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX ApriHs,-20K) I lb 13
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Performing multiple selves: peering inside Lorca's box BY NINA PELAEZ npelaezl@swarthmore. edu This coming weekend, the theater department will be putting on a production of "Bodas de Sangre," a tragedy written by Spanish poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca. The play is the culminating honors directing thesis of McFeely Sam Goodman's 'lO. "Bodas de Sangre," translated into English as "Blood Wedding," is a chronicle of violence, passion and mayhem. Lorca's play recounts the story of a man and a woman who are about to be married. However, the Bride is in love with Leonardo, the son of an enemy family, and she runs off with him on the wedding night. The Groom pursues the pair into the forest where the events reach a tragic conclusion. Goodman's adaptation, however, goes far beyond the text of Lorca's play. "We are performing Lorca's play as written but we have added on top of that," Nell Bang-Jensen 'll said. His adaptation uses Lorca's text as a vehicle to explore the ways that people create realities, try to shape their lives into narrative and "perform" multiple selves. The result is a complex performance that moves the text from a removed event to something much more universal."Sam's adaptation celebrates reflexivity, celebrates theater, without being solely about reflexivity or theater," Nolan Gear 'l2, another one of the production's actors, said. The play also utilizes the idea of "inside" and "outside" of "the box." "I really wanted to create a performance that lets the audience see the people underneath these archetypal characters," Goodman said. Goodman does this by making all of the characters visible to the audience at all times through the use of screens, through which the audience can see. "The idea is that the characters are 'acting' as themselves because they can't be seen by the audience, but really they can," Bang-Jensen said. "It has a very performative quality," Goodman said. "I hope that the audience can take away that the people 'outside of the box' are performing these archetypes 'inside of the box' as a way of expressing themselves." The play recounts the events in Lorca's play and looks into what the characters are left to deal with in the aftermath of the events. In this adaptation, the events take place in a Las Vegas wedding chapel, which is also reminiscent of an old movie theatre. The characters too have been transformed from the original, into "a group of punkish neo-flappers," as described by Bang- Jensen. Goodman did his own English translation of Lorca's text, making changes to some of the language and tone, which vacillates between modern and more dated speech. "The language helped shape the way we wanted the designs to look," Samantha Panepinto 'l3, the production's costume designer, said. The designs, which are often anachronistic, reflect some of the play's motifs. "The costumes go with the disjoined sense of reality in the play, " Bang-Jensen said. The costumes also took influence from surrealism, which heavily influenced Lorca's writing. Panepinto also drew inspiration from popular culture in creating the designs for the play. "I was also inspired by Lady Gaga because anybody who says they aren't inspired by her is lying," she said. Goodman also sees the play as a metaphor for Lorca's own experience as a poet and playwright. "Bodas de Sangre" explores sexual politics and shows the experiences of individuals with passions that are repressed and constrained by society. Lorca's own repressed sexual identity can be seen reflected in the narrative of his play. Goodman's adaptation looks closely at the way that these characters in the play, and all people, attempt to weave stories, in order to create an identity."We need stories so badly, so that we can feel like we belong in the world," Goodman said. "That's what we like about stories and theater; we identify with them." The play promises to be an evocative and complex adaptation of this Spanish theater classic. "Where other shows (tritely) collapse the divide between audience and actor, Sam is instead collapsing the interface between interior narratives and exterior realities, exploring how we write our own plays and perform them, what happens when our private narratives get screwed up, how we pick up the pieces," Gear said in an e-mail. The play will debut this Friday, April 16, at 8 p.m. with additional performances on Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 19th at 3 p.m. It will be performed in the Frear Ensemble Theatre. Xingyu Zhang Phoenix Staff "Bodas de Sangre" will explore sexual politics and the problem of repressed desires. PEASLEE DEBATE SNAPSHOT Swarthmore's Amos J. Peaslee Debate Society will host the American Parliamentary Debate Associate (APDA) National Championships from Friday, April 16 to Sunday, April 18. Preliminary debate rounds will be held all over campus. The tournament will culminate in a speech, "The Media World Gone Mad," by journalist Shelby Coffey at 4:30 p.m. in LPAC Cinema. The debate society last hosted nationals in 2004. Eighty debate teams and forty judges are to expected. Jennifer Koch for The Phoenix CAMPUS CONNECTION CORNER Suzie Long CERTIFIED NURSE PRACTITIONER Campus Connection Comer is a collaborative Learning for Life Project that seeks to connect students and staff on campus. YEARS AT SWARTHMORE: Nine HOW SHE SPENDS HER FREE TIME: "When I can steal some time, I have been delving into our landscape, turning it into an organic edible yard." She also enjoys watching her favorite TV shows on Hulu. BEST PART OF THE JOB: - "I enjoy the work I do with various aspects of college health: sexual, women's, men's travel and general health. Mostly, I am thankful for the opportunities I have to work with the student [here]." HOW STUDENTS CAN MAKE WORK EASIER: "It is important for students to learn how to become their own advocates by asking questions, seeking answers, taking responsibility... knowing and understanding what medications and treatments they are using ... Understand that the staff here are professional, caring people who want to help you." Text by Miriam Hauser photo by Nick Brown Living & Arts swarthmorephoenix.com 14 ls,'2dlQ THE PHOEPIJX
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15 April ds;£ol Q> THE PHOENIX swarthmorephoenix.com Ati f y ALAIN RESNAIS MONTH FRENCH CINE-CLUB MONDAY, 7 P.M. LPAC 301 FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES Fusing Reggae. Afro-pop, HiP-hoP, Rock & Soul g e o o v r HE COR ones riETA (HO 0/VOU& ms&r (s<f/U/e> (My American Uncle) editor's By Maki Somosot PICKS FRIDAY 9 P.M.-12 A.M. Thomas Great Hall Bryn Mawr College SATV/RDAV/10 P.M. - 12:30 A.M. OLD 6 CLVB fWfcf d/VCls UNDAY, 3 - 5 P.M. COTT AMPHITHEATER,
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Opinions Lng overdue summit tackles nuclear issues Staff Editorial The past two weeks have been a hopeful time for those who worry about the continued existence of nuclear weapons and their proliferation. Since the end of the Second World War, a number of states have built up nuclear arsenals and the United States and Russia literally built thousands of nuclear weapons each. Despite the Cold War ending two decades ago, nuclear weapons remain a global problem. We are happy to see, however, that President Obama has used his leadership to begin to tackle three of the most difficult problems nuclear weapons still pose. Most dangerous to international security is the determination of what have been named "rogue" states such as Iran and North Korea to acquire the capability to produce and deploy nuclear weapons. While North Korea is known to have tested nuclear weapons in the past few years, the Iranian leadership maintains that it wants to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The United States and to a lesser extent the international community as a whole are worried, rightly, that Iran might acquire a nuclear weapon, or worse, the capability of deploying it. If this were to be the case, regional stability in the Middle East, already extremely fragile, would almost certainly be upset as Israel would be faced with the uncomfortable question of intervening in Iran. Until now, efforts to restrain Iran's nuclear ambitions have been unsuccessful despite strict United Nations-endorsed sanctions on trading with the country. The Obama administration has been looking to further tighten sanctions to pressure Iran into abandoning its nuclear program. Until now, this has been difficult as support in the United Nations Security Council has not been unanimous, with China often threatening to veto any resolution unless it was watered down. President Obama reportedly secured a promise from President Hu Jintao of China that the latter would join negotiations.A second problem, which is becoming increasingly urgent, is the lack of a universal monitoring system for the whereabouts of nuclear weapons. While countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom face no problems protecting their arsenals, concerns have been raised by the U.S. administration of the accountability and security especially of the Pakistani stockpile as well as those of countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. In Pakistan, the worry is that a terrorist organization might obtain a nuclear weapon, which would have dramatic consequences for world stability. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was left with enough nuclear material to create an estimated seven warheads, according to The New York Times. The United States signed a deal with Ukraine to remove the material from the country in exchange for U.S. assistance in providing Ukraine with materials for nuclear power reactors. Deals such as these make us hopeful that further nuclear proliferation can be curbed through international agreements. On Monday and Tuesday this week, world leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. and agreed that by 2014, all nuclear weapons must be safely stored and accounted for. Such agreements had earlier proved elusive as some countries see them as infringing on their sovereignty. This is an understandable concern, but the threat posed by further proliferation of nuclear weapons is too great to be left unchecked. The last problem is less imminent than the others, but shows the extent to which nuclear warfare is still a possibility. Both the United States and Russia have sharply cut the numbers of weapons they own and the numbers ready for instantaneous deployment by thousands of warheads. Despite this, each country still retains enough nuclear weapons to annihilate the other or, for that matter, most of the world. The summit in Washington this week received a strong initial push when in the week before the summit, the United States and Russia signed a bilateral agreement agreeing to significantly reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. While this agreement has correctly been criticized for not changing the capabilities of either nation, we believe that it contributed to a closer relationship between the United States and Russia, which is necessary after the unproductive relationship under President Bush. While this is only a small step, The Phoenix believes that it can be the start of what a writer in the magazine Foreign Affairs recently called "the road to zero." Remembering an inspiring professor letter to the editor To the Editor, I never knew Professor Ostwald; I only exchanged fleeting greetings with him when opening the door to McCabe or Parrish. Yet, I have long admired his figure as a great scholar who embodied the dedication to intellectual work that is ingrained in the core of Swarthmore. I remember freshman year after reading his version of Nichomachean Ethics being told by Professor Sharpe that the translator, though retired for over a decade, could be seen around campus dutifully engaged with his research. I cannot fully express here how much that inspired and continues to inspire me, that a man in his eighth decade of life would still approach the world with a desire for further inquiry. The class motto of 1927, which is next to the doors of Parrish where I would cross his path, states, "Use Well Thy Freedom" and I can think of few who embody its words more fully than my vision of Professor Ostwald, a seemingly joyful octogenarian who would smile on his way to study. My deepest condolences to his family, to his colleagues and to the countless pupils he affected. The Swarthmore community is now a poorer place without him. Ryan E. Jackson 'll POLL OF THE WEEK Which countries should be allowed to have nuclear weapons in the near future? A. No country. B. A subset of current nuclear powers. C. All countries that already have them. D. Any country that can safely keep them. Go to www.swarthmorephoenix.com to answer the poll. Last week's results With which of the following statements do you agree? The barrier simulation... A. stimulated compassion. B. is a productive start of campus discussion. C. got me talking about the conflict. D. was offensive. LETTER, OP-ED AND COMMENT POLICY Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication. All comments posted online and all op-eds and letters must be signed and should include the writer's full name. Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Op-eds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and op-eds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and opeds received after that time from publication.Letters may be signed by a maximum of five individuals. Op-eds may be signed by a maximum of two individuals.individuals. The Phoenix will not accept pieces exclusively attributed to groups, although individual writers may request that their group affiliation be included. While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer's name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board. Please submit letters to: letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Please report corrections to: corrections@swarthmorephoenix.com Letters, corrections and news tips may also be submitted online to the paper by clicking "Contact" on the Phoenix website. swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 16
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Aid remains exceptionally generous Over the course of this semester, this column has tracked many of the aspects of the college's budget that can seem disconnected from students' day-to-day lives. Financial aid, however, is one aspect that deeply, directly affects students. This week, we'll explore what financial aid costs, where it goes, and how Swat stacks up against peer schools. I Parsing what the colmmmmm^^^^mmmm^^m lege "spends" on financial aid is a tricky business because it isn't really "spending" in the conventional sense. Instead, financial aid represents the additional portion of the college's spending that it must fund from its own resources. Thus, when the college plans its budget, it calculates the amount it would gross from tuition and fees if all students paid the full amount, then subtracts the amount it expects to spend in financial aid. For the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the college would expect to receive $76.5 million in student revenues without financial aid, but instead only expects to receive $48.8 million, a $27.7-million difference. The combination of increased tuition and fees for next year with an estimated 11 percent increase in scholarship expenses will push this amount up from $24.9 million for the 2009-2010 budget year, with expected net students' revenues rising from $48.2 million to $48.8 million.What does this mean on a per-student basis? In the 2008-2009 fiscal year (the last for which a financial report has been released), 49 percent of Swarthmore students received need-based scholarship from Swarthmore. The average scholarship amount was $29,151, up from $25,008 the previous year. As a percentage of charges, the average scholarship amount was 61 percent in 2008-2009, up from 55 percent in 2007-2008. Year to year variation partially reflects the way Swarthmore articulates its commitment to financial aid. The college is committed to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need, as determined by the financial aid office (on the basis of a number of standards, including the FAFSA's expected family contribution). For many students, the college's definition of their family's ability to pay (and therefore their need for financial aid) differs from their own interpretation, often by several thousands of dollars. Thus, throughout this column, please note that the college's definition of need may not be (and often is not) the same as students and their families would define it. Even the fact that the college meets full demonstrated need puts Swarthmore in an elite and generous group: as of 2008, just 63 college and universities in the US even claimed to meet full demonstrated need. This list is composed mostly of private schools, with some prominent public exceptions, like the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and includes all three Tri-Co schools, all eight Ivy League universities, and all of US News & World Report's Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges. The last is a bit tautological, as part of the ranking system includes the financial resources of schools (which are, obviously, closely related to ability to commit to meeting need). Another very expensive and much-discussed portion of the way Swarthmore does financial aid is the no-loan initiative, announced on December 8, 2007 and begun for the 2008-2009 academic year. This provision followed what was at the time a growing trend among peer schools and extended a commitment the college had already made to Swarthmore Scholars, Evan Scholars, McCabe Scholars and Lang Scholars (like myself). As with the full-need commitment, "no-loan" in this case does not necessarily mean that students and their families take out no loans. Instead, it means that when the college makes its financial aid offer to meet all of what it considers to be a student's need, it does so entirely with grants and work-study. Prior to the no-loan initiative, the college still pledged to meet all of demonstrated need, but it sometimes did so by offering students and families loans. The price tag on this initiative was hefty: when the college announced the loan-free policy, it estimated that per-year cost would be about $1.7 million.Only about 40 US colleges and universities claim to be loan-free and just 14, including Swarthmore, place no income or residence limitations on eligibility (many schools, like UPenn, are loan-free for students whose families have incomes below a certain threshold, while many state schools offer loan-free packages only to instate students). Williams College and Dartmouth College, both of which began their loan-free financial aid programs around the same time as Swarthmore, have recently begun reintroducing loans. As of this writing, Swarthmore remains committed to its loanfree policy, a commitment it reaffirmed in the operating budget released in February for next budget year. Swarthmore's exceptional generosity and attention to affordability, even among wealthy peers, has not gone unnoticed. The Princeton Review, in their most recent release, named Swarthmore one of just 13 colleges and universities on their "Financial Aid Honor Roll" for earning a 99 (the highest score) for financial aid. The Princeton Review's Best 371 Colleges also named Swarthmore number one in the country for student satisfaction with their financial aid packages. In conjunction with USA Today, The Princeton Review also named Swarthmore number one among all private colleges and universities as a "Best Value," beating out even schools with larger per-student endowments, such as Harvard and Yale Universities. Kiplinger ranked Swarthmore second (to Pomona College) in the country among liberal arts colleges as a "Best Value" for quality and affordability. In the recommendations for adjusting the college's spending proposed by the Ad Hoc Financial Planning Group and approved by the Board of Manager in December 2009, $457,000 in changes to financial aid were approved. The only change to financial aid specified was an increase in expected student summer earnings from the previous rates ($1450 for first-year students and $lB9O for returning students) to an unspecified higher rate, after many years of no increase. The Financial Aid Office's website reports that the college now expects students to earn at least $2OOO in the summer prior to beginning Swarthmore and $2,500 during each of the subsequent summers. For the future beyond next fiscal year, however, it is possible that more changes will need to be made. According to the previously mentioned proposal, Swarthmore's scholarship expenses have risen steadily and significantly at a rate that may prove unsustainable. In 1993, scholarship expenses made up 24 percent of gross student charges (i.e. students and their families covered 76 percent of tuition and fees). In 2009, scholarship expenses made up 34 percent of gross student charges. These rising costs have been covered through increases in endowment income and the capital campaign and the Financial Planning Group noted that, "growth is unlikely to be sustainable in the future." As a result, the Planning Group recommended that the possible lack of sustainability of recent growth in financial aid spending be considered in the college's longterm financial planning and adjustments to spending. In light of all this information about how exceptionally fortunate we are as Swarthmore students, it is worth considering the blurry line between "financial aid" and general college spending. As we saw a few weeks ago, tuition and fees do not cover the per-student cost of a Swarthmore education even for those students who do not receive formal financial aid. For the 2010- 2011 fiscal year, the college's operating budget projects per-student spending of approximately $72,448 ($108.6 million total spending, spread over an expected 1499 enrolled students). Total student charges, however, will be $51,500, up 3.8 percent from the previous year. This difference represents what the Annual Giving office calls an "invisible scholarship" of almost $21,000 for each and every Swarthmore student, provided though the generosity of Swarthmore alumni and friends past and present. Please join me in two weeks for my final column, which will look at just who makes the crucial decisions about the college's budget. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments about this week's column, next week's topic, or the budget process in general. Molly is a senior. She can be reached at mwestonl@swarthmore.edu. Molly Weston Budget Break-down Fusing anonymity and safety online FROM THE 81-CO NEWSMH The anonymity of the Internet acts as a shield for most college students. It lends a sense of security to users, allowing them to get advice on private issues in a public forum without ever having to disclose who they are. Websites such as the college anonymous confession boards (ACBs) serve as a place where frustrations are vented, crushes are made public, and campus gossip is divulged. Often, the threads are characterized by their incoherence, but they do offer a window into the intellectual maturity of Bryn Mawr and Haverford students.Most people benefit from the opportunity to share their views without any accountability on the Internet. They know the chances of verbal retaliation are minimal and that their thoughts are supposedly confined to the virtual abyss of online discussion. These websites demonstrate an undeniable truth about not only ourselves but people in general: anonymity makes us very honest. The absence of personal repercussions for admissions made on online forums, much like bathroom walls, gives people access to an unfettered expression of themselves. Paradoxically, this makes websites like Chatroulette all the more alarming, because the opposite is true. With no registration process and minimal safeguards, people have no idea who they are really talking to. While engaging in conversation with random strangers might seem more exhilarating than typical Tuesday night activities, the dangers are more profound than simply being flashed. While building an online relationship with someone anonymous, you don't know what their motivation is, and what, if any, of the things they say about themselves are true. Remember that when sharing personal information on such sites, the person you're talking to probably already knows what you look like. A detail that seems vague and unimportant that you wouldn't think twice about mentioning could make it very easy for someone to figure out where you live, who you hang out with, or what your schedule might look like. Never give out names, phone numbers or any other details that could give lead a person to figure out who you are. Even something as generic as a phone number gives access to your area code, which could have detrimental consequences for not only oneself but one's family as well. And although Internet homicide may seem more likely to be the plot of a bad movie than a tangible reality, there have been instances of people meeting in chat rooms that have ended in tragedy. According to Michael Largo, the author of "Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die," Internet dating has become "very popular, but since 1995, there's been...over 400 instances where a homicide has been related to the person that [the victim] met online." While not all cases may have such dramatic outcomes as an encounter with a "Craigslist killer," remember that it's easy to take a screen/recording of incriminating Chatroulette screens and activities. No one wants to be caught doing something stupid or embarrassing, especially when online background checks will probably be part of the hiring process for future employers. And remember, there is something infinitely more satisfying about living in reality than burying oneself in cyberspace. Ahmed is the Opinions Editor of the Bi-Co News. She can be reached at sahmed@brynmawr.edu.Opinions swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX April 15,2010 17
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Sports Week in sports: Tiger's fade, the Jets' trade, an MVP vote stayed Some of my thoughts from the week in sports ... A phony like no other Sue me, but I wanted to see Tiger win the Masters, I really did. No more judgment can be passed on his transgressions than has already been passed, including a particularly nasty piece of hypocrisy courtesy of the chairman of Augusta National (a golf club that does not admit women) who opined that Woods "disappointed all of us" with his treatment of women. All the same, I would have gladly accepted another excuse to marvel at the way Woods is able to reduce these mental mountains to molehills and store them on the back burner while he's playing. For about three days, it looked like there was a shot, even though Woods, perhaps as a byproduct of his greatness, struggles to come from behind at the end of major tournaments. In the end, it was not to be, as Tiger played himself out of contention early on Sunday, and allowed Phil Mickelson to pull away. Certainly, it's hard to root against Mickelson in light of what his family has endured this year (his wife was diagnosed with cancer), but I wasn't quite ready to start pulling for the Jay Leno of golf, whose affected populist act I always found much more grating than Tiger's aloofness. Ultimately, his win left me in neutral, wishing instead that K.J. Choi had done a little bit better job off the tee and become the second straight South Korean to win a major (Y.E. Yang won the PGA Championship last year). True, Choi likely never had 15 mistresses, but no one's perfect. "Talented but troubled" ... is the apparent motto for the 2010 New York Jets, who seem to be doing everything they can to emulate the Dallas Cowboys of two years previous, right down to acquiring well-known head cases and letting the "Hard Knocks" cameras document their training camp. Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, and Braylon Edwards all came to the Meadowlands prepackaged with the "talented but troubled" label, the one that seems to function as a repellent for some teams and a nonfactor for others. The Jets are fast putting themselves in the latter category, amassing an All"talented but troubled Pro" roster the likes of which hasn't been since ... well, since the "Hard Knocks" 2008 Cowboys. That team, of course, imploded on itself when it turned out that Terrell Owens and Pacman Jones weren't ready to buy into the concept of team (yes, really) and the near-consensus preseason Super Bowl pick missed the playoffs. To be sure, none of the Jets' recent acquisitions are as polarizing as Owens, nor do any of them come with quite the excess baggage of a Pacman Jones. All the same, the success or failure of any NFL reclamation project falls squarely on the head coach. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, with his avuncular attitude and (in)famously easygoing training camps, proved ill-equipped to extract the potential from a player like Pacman Jones. On the other end is New England's Bill Belichick, who stole Randy Moss for a fourth-round draft pick and immediately coaxed from him the best season a receiver has had since Jerry Rice's prime. How will Rex Ryan fare as manager of the most high-profile day-care center in New York? One thing we know already: he lets talented players loose, and he's got a lot of talent now. And if Moss's experience in 2007 tells us anything, it's that when talented players translate into team success, the "troubled" tends to fall off the end on its own. Either way, of course, it should make for some incredible television this summer. Between "Entourage" and "Hard Knocks," now HBO has ... well, only one show I can't wait to watch this summer. Arrogance at its worst Sportswriters' willingness to treat their votes for seasonal awards and Hall of Fame berths like the key to a chastity belt has become the most nauseatingly self-righteous trend in sports journalism today. There's no longer an MVP or Hall of Fame race in any major sport that isn't accompanied by a columnist feeling the need to explain the tangential reason for why they won't just "give away" their vote to the front-runner. It began in earnest when Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury News refused to vote Mark McGwire into the Hall of Fame because she wouldn't know how to explain it to her children, then continued when a prominent writer withheld his Hall vote from Ricky Henderson because, having covered him for a number of years, he saw how he "dogged it" on some days. The latest entry to this cult of bloated self-importance is NBA writer Tim Povtak, who penned a column on Monday for Fanhouse.com letting everyone know that Leßron James's disrespect of his team's fan base by skipping the season's final two games has cost him his MVP vote. Povtak's logic is beyond laughable—surely Cleveland fans could care less if James is in good shape for the playoffs, just as long as he suits up for those two meaningless games—but the superiority at play here, the willingness to "punish" athletes by withholding these votes, is even more startling. Fortunately, Povtak himself supplies the appropriate summation: "Arrogance at its worst." He was referring to James, of course, but it does the job on both ends. Timothy is a first-year. You can reach him at tbernstl@swarthmore. edu. Timothy Bernstein Bullet Points Debunking the myths about southpaws in sports Being left-handed has proven to have its positives and negatives. For example, studies have suggested that being left-handed leads to improved mental capacities and functions, such as an improved ability to multitask and to think creatively. According to Stacy Z of Associated Content Online, lefthanded individuals experience perks such as the ability to celebrate their own holiday (International Left-Handers' Day, August 13th!), earn paychecks up to 26 percent higher than right-handed individuals (as seen from the study comparing men who graduated from college, "Sinister and Rich: The evidence that lefties earn more") and experience an advantage at toll booths over us lesser right-handed individuals, who find ourselves struggling throwing change into the toll booth buckets with our weaker hand. To offset these incredible benefits, studies have also shown that lefties are "more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic and have Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as mental disabilities" and "more likely to die young and get into accidents" (Amanda Onion, ABC News Online). One commonly held perception is that being left-handed gives you an advantage in sports where athletes are frequently matched with just a single opponent (sports such as baseball, tennis, and boxing). The reason for this advantage stems from the fact that only about 10 percent of the adult population in the world is left-handed. As a result, righties face lefties less often than they face other righties, and are less familiar with striking patterns and tennis angles that come from these "southpaws." Are these perceptions supported by the numbers? Fact or Myth: It is advantageous to box using a southpaw stance. Fact. It appears that the "left-handed advantage" holds in boxing, as four of the current top 10 poundrfor-pound boxers fight in a southpaw stance as opposed to an orthodox (right-handed) stance. This proportion of lefties in the top 10 is much larger than the proportion of lefties in the normal adult population. Fact or Myth: It is advantageous to play tennis with your left-hand as your forehand side. Myth. The lefty-advantage seems to fall when looking at the best tennis players in the world. Only two left-handed players, in the past four years have finished at least once in the top 10 in the end of year rankings for the Association of Tennis Professionals. Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal finished in the top 10 in 2009, but only Nadal managed to reach the top 10 from 2006-2008. (It's also interesting to note that Nadal did not naturally favor a lefthanded forehand. His uncle convinced him to switch from playing with his right to his left hand when he was young as an attempt to gain an advantage over other players. If only he had read my column.) Of 40 potential spots in the men's top 10 these past four years, only half of them were lefties, a percentage about equal to the amount of lefties in the general adult population. Similarly, only one left-handed player (Pattie Schnyder, 2006) has managed to finish the year ranked in the top 10 of the Women's Tennis Association in the past four years. Fact or Myth: It is advantageous to be a left-handed batter in baseball. Fact. Besides the incredible historic examples that exist (Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams), the notion that lefties are more successful batters in baseball is supported by two facts. One, left-handed hitters have an innate advantage over right-handed pitchers because the pitcher is breaking balls in general sweep towards the lefty batter, and they are easier to see. (An optical illusion occurs when a lefty faces a lefty. The left-handed batter sees the release of the pitch to be in line with him because it comes from the same side.) Because most pitchers are right-handed (242 of the 328 pitchers on the current MLB rosters pitch with their right hand), being a lefty batter is a boon. Second, left-handed hitters are a step closer to first base than right-handed hitters. As a result, less time is necessary to safely record a hit. This perception that lefty batters are more successful batters in baseball holds: for the past four years, lefties have had wild success in achieving a top-10 ranking in On- Base Percentage (a statistic that essentially measures how often a batter records an out). Of 40 potential spots in the MLB's top 10 leaders in OBP these past four years, lefties have comprised of 22 of them, a percentage way above both the percentage of lefthanded adults in the general population and the percentage of left-handed batters in the MLB (122 of 336 batters are left-handed on current MLB rosters). For consistency's sake, I did not include switch-hitters in my analysis. Fact or Myth: It is advantageous to be a left-handed pitcher in baseball. Myth. If we assume the previous statement about left-handed batters to be true, it seems that left-handed pitchers should be at a disadvantage in baseball as the majority of the batters they face will be right-handed. Even the fact that right-handed batters may not be as experienced facing southpaws doesn't seem to give a benefit to these pitchers, as seen in the top 10 leaders in Earned Run Average (a statistic that measures the frequency a pitcher gives up runs) these past four years in the MLB. Of 40 potential spots in the MLB's top-10 leaders in ERA from 2006-2009, southpaws have comprised only 11 of them. This percentage is more or less equal to the percentage of left-handed pitchers that throw in the MLB. One argument that might challenge the lack of success left-handed tennis players or left-handed pitchers have had in their respective sports is that there are just a lower number of left-handed athletes that do either of those activities in the population. But as we've seen in particular with left-handed pitchers, the percentage of successful southpaws isn't even greater than the percentage of left-handed pitchers in general playing in the MLB. It would also seem to be true that, if lefthanded athletes in these sports did hold some natural advantage due to their physical orientation, there would be an influx of successful southpaws into their respective sports, as coaches would groom lefty tennis players, and teams would draft more lefty hitters and batters. As tennis and baseball (pitching, at least) show, this simply just doesn't always seem to be the case. So, at least in respect to sports, the commonly held perception that being left-handed is advantageous isn't completely true. While lefty batters in baseball may be better hitters and might have easier times at toll booths, there's no denying that only six of the top 25 highest-paid baseball players are left-handed. Mark is sophomore. You can reach him at mchin2@swarthmore. edu. Mark Chin Playoffs? You Kidding Me? swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 18
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Swat snaps seven-game skid SPORTS IN BRIEF The Swarthmore men's lacrosse team snapped a seven-game losing streak in regular season play this past Wednesday by defeating Washington College at Clothier Field. The team's victory not only marked the Garnet's first win over a Centennial Conference opponent, it also marked the Garnet's first win over the Shoremen in 57 years. Despite turning the ball over eight more times and being called for four more penalties than Washington College, the Garnet defeated the Shoremen 11-7 behind a balanced attack on offense bolstered by faceoff success (14-22) and excellent goalkeeping by Kevin Friedenberg 'lO. Attackman Tyler Bradshaw 'lO spearheaded Swarthmore's offense, leading the team with four goals on eight shots. Attackman - Gavin Musynske 'lO and midfielders John Bukawyn 'l2 and Wes Marcik 'l3 each added two goals. Starting midfielder Max Hubbard 'l2 also scored an assisted goal off a feed from Pat Greene 'IL Despite experiencing five less manup opportunities than the Shoremen, the Garnet capitalized on the three they had, scoring on two of their manup possessions. Friedenberg outplayed his Washington counterpart, making seventeen saves against 24 shots on goal in addition to helping the Garnet successfully clear the ball 23 of 26 attempts to record the win. The men's lacrosse team carried the momentum from their victory over Washington into their game against a non-conference foe, Christopher Newport, this past Saturday, played at Stonewall Jackson High School. The Garnet defeated the Captains 11-9. The team grabbed more groundballs (32-23), won more face offs (16-7), had fewer turnovers (12-11), and was called fof fewer penalties (3-4) in the win. But Bradshaw stole the show, scoring a career-high of five goals in the victory, which helped him earn Co-Offensive Player of the Week laurels for the Centennial Conference. The Garnet finish off their season with two final conference matches at Gettysburg, this coming Saturday at 5 p.m., and against Haverford, on April 24 at 3 p.m. GARNET IN ACTION Saturday, Apr. 17 Outdoor track at Widener Invite, 10 a.m. Golf at Philadelphia University Open, 12:30 p.m. Baseball vs. Franklin & Marshall, 12:30 p.m. Softball vs. Franklin & Marshall (Senior Day), 1 p.m. Women's tennis at Dickinson, 1 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 17 Women's lacrosse vs. Muhlenberg, 1 p.m. Men's tennis at Dickinson, 1 p.m. Men's lacrosse at . #2 Gettysburg, 5 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 18 Baseball vs. PSU-Abington (Senior Day), 1 p.m. GARNET ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Tyler Bradshaw SR., LACROSSE, MARIETTA, G.A. WHAT HE'S DONE: Bradshaw was named Centennial Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week after notching four goals in the team's first conference win against Washington and a career-high five goals against Christopher Newport He ranks second in the CC for goals per game and points per game. FAVORITE CAREER MOMENT: "My first collegiate goal, the game winner in OT during the season opener vs. Goucher freshman year." SEASON GOALS: "Beating Haverford and receiving conference honors." FAVORITE MLB TEAM: "Atlanta Braves." Olivia Natan Phoenix Stafl Garnet hosed by Hopkins at home SPORTS IN BRIEF The Swarthmore women's tennis team suffered their first Centennial Conference loss this past Tuesday to No. 13 Johns Hopkins. The Garnet (8-4, 6-1 CC) and the Blue Jays were the only teams in the Centennial Conference to be undefeated in conference matches before Tuesday's meeting. The team lost all their singles and doubles competitions to Blue Jay players except for #1 singles, where Rachel Wallwork 'lO defeated Carolyn Warren 6- 2, 6-2. Wallwork, who has not suffered a singles loss in conference matches so far this season, was also undefeated in conference doubles matches until Tuesday, when she and Emily Rosenblum 13 fell to their opponents from Johns Hopkins. Rosenblum and Kelsey Johnson 'l3 also suffered their first singles losses in the Centennial Conference this season. The women's tennis team last defeated the Blue Jays in 2006, en route to a 10- 0 conference record. In 2007 and 2008, Johns Hopkins dealt Swarthmore its only Centennial Conference loss for each season. The loss to JHU followed the team's victory over conference foe Ursinus this past Saturday. The women lost only one of their nine matches to the Bears. In that victory, the Garnet swept all three doubles matches, dropping only seven games total. Wallwork, Rosenplum, Johnson and Stephanie Chia 'l3 also added wins in their singles matches for the team. Swarthmore, who won five of the six singles competitions, dropped only 10 games in total in their wins. Wallwork and Johnson both defeated their opponents without dropping a single game. Despite the loss to Johns Hopkins, the Garnet are having a stellar season, rebounding from their 2009 season where the team went 4-6 in conference play. The infusion of talent from six first-year players suggest that the women will continue to be a strong force in the Centennial Conference for the" years to come.' The Garnet women continue Centennial Conference action at Dickinson this Saturday at 1 p.m. Jakob Mrozewski Phoenix Staff Emily Rosenblum (above) laces a backhand over the net and Kelsey Johnson (below) follows through on a hit against her opponent from Johns Hopkins. Sports swarthmorephoenix.com THE PHOENIX April 15,2010 19
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Young fencing team performing on national level BY MARCUS MELLO mmello2@swarthmore.edu Last weekend, during Family and Friends Weekend 2010, roughly 750 fencers from 41 college fencing teams around the country flooded into the Lamb-Miller Field House for a two-day national fencing tournament the United States Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs (USACFC) National Championships, the largest collegiate fencing tournament in the world. On Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Swarthmore fencers dueled fencers from other colleges, putting into action everything they had learned as members of a young team. The last tournament of the year ended in fine fashion for the Swarthmore fencing team as several squads placed respectably well and two individuals, Jing Yi Ng 11 and sabre captain Rodrigo Luger 10 qualified for the individual tournament with Ng winning a medal. Before coming to the tournament, the teams were seeded based on the results of previous conference championships. With seven different conferences in collegiate fencing, it is the national Seeding Committee's job to produce the seeded tournament brackets. The teams were seeded by weapon epee, sabre and foil and then by gender. To qualify for the individual tournament, the fencers had to perform well in separate pools and then move on to face other fencers in their event who also qualified. According to Swarthmore fencing head coach Marshal Davis, the Swarthmore USACFC Tournament was a result of basically two years of planning. Swarthmore was officially made the host of the 2010 USACFC Championships in 2008, partly due to Davis's well-known status in the collegiate fencing world. "Fencing is a traditional type of sport," Davis said. "A new team with no experience cannot expect to be able to participate at large, reputable tournaments. You have to be invited in order to participate." As both the co-commissioner of the Southern Atlantic Conference and the Chief General Legal Counsel of the USACFC, Davis has been able to get Swarthmore experience hosting nationals and invited to other big fencing schools such as UCLA and Northwestern as a young team. The president of USACFC came to Swarthmore and validated that Swarthmore would be able to keep up with the other teams at nationals. And he was not mistaken. At three years of age, the Swarthmore College fencing team has witnessed extraordinary growth and has already reached several milestones. Swarthmore is part of the Southern Atlantic Conference (SAC), which is historically the largest and most dominant fencing conference in the country, and includes many powerhouse Division I schools such as Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Navy. Though a small liberal arts college, Swarthmore has proven that its team can keep up with teams from the bigger, more athlete-oriented schools. Last month, the Swarthmore team traveled to the 2010 SAC Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee and won the overall combined competition. The team also placed 11 individual medalists, three of whom won gold medals. The team started out in 2006 as what Luger described a "small group of people who met casually twice a week to practice foil." Luger began fencing during his first year. In his sophomore year, the club was able to recruit several new sabreists and hire Coach Davis. The team attended a few open tournaments, one of which was held at Temple University, where Davis was head coach of the men's team. Davis came into contact with the Swarthmore fencers and the rest is history. Luger said, "Since then, we've grown almost exponentially in size. Our recent victories show that our level of fencing has also increased dramatically, and that in just three years we've earned a place among the top collegiate fencing teams in the country." Davis knew that he would put a lot of time into coaching and push the Swarthmore fencers to become better when he first began coaching. "I told them that I do things right or not at all. I said I would have Swarthmore fence a full schedule and treat the team as a Dl [Division 1] squad that had been around for a hundred years." Davis modeled Swarthmore's schedule closely after Temple's. "Now, we are the strongest team in the SAC, which is basically the best conference in the country," Davis said. While many state schools that have student bodies in the tens of thousands struggle to fill up a fencing team, Swarthmore has put together a full one'— and a strong one that is in a short span of time. Under the coaching of Davis, an accomplished fencer himself, the Garnet fencers have improved tremendously. "The Swat fencers are extremely dedicated and work very hard," Davis said. "Fencing is a sport that requires intelligence and the intellectual capacity of Swarthmore students makes them great fencers. They can learn and strategize easily." While most other coaches teach their fencers more about the blade, Davis focuses on movement. The Swarthmore fencers learn how to fence using the Soviet system, a style that requires quickly thinking multiple steps in advance and making decisions based on the happenings of the duel. Davis brought the Soviet style with him from the University of Florida, where Bruce Capin coached him. World-class Olympic fencing master Emmanuil Kaidanov from Penn State trained Capin. "Swarthmore students love the Soviet system. They are bright and can absorb a style that takes other people several years to learn," Davis said. With most fencers walking on to the Swarthmore team with no experience, it takes a lot of work for them to reach the level of fencers from other teams, a lot of whom are recruits. Epee captain Quang Huynh 10, who began fencing during his first year, said that the epeeists have been dedicating a lot of time to fencing. "On average, we've attended practice three to four times a week working on tactics and drills and hit the gym once to twice a week for conditioning. The epeeists have worked extremely hard over the past year and it has shown in how they fence and in competition results." According to Davis, a majority of the fencers are continuing to practice until finals and some are staying over the summer to train. With many fencers graduating in the next two years, practice is important for the Swarthmore team. Davis said that he also plans to try to recruit more firstyears from the incoming class. The fencing team certainly has a lot to be proud of. The team has transformed from a small group of students who fenced for fun to a Southern Atlantic Conference (SAC) powerhouse in just three years of existence. "I am extremely proud of them," Davis said of his fencers. "I am especially proud of the women to finish seventh in the country overall considering they just began fencing three years ago." On a more specific level, the women's sabre squad came in sixth place, the women's epee squad came in 14th place, and the women's foil squad rounded up in the top 16. Overall, the men were in the top 30 teams. The sabre quad walked away with a tenth place finish while the epee quad took 27th. The University of Florida won the overall tournament.Luger, Swarthmore's sabre captain, believes that this was the best year for the sabre squad so far. "It's certainly the best fencing I've seen in the three years the club has been in existence, and if we keep improving at this rate, I have no doubt that we will be strong contenders for the gold medal in Chicago next year." Last month, the Swarthmore sabre squad secured a gold in Tennessee at the SAC Championships and the squad is continuing to improve. "Our A squad consistently does well at tournaments, and each year we become more and more competitive. Our B squad is entirely made of freshmen who had never picked up a sword before. They've improved dramatically in the past six months and have been winning bouts at all the tournaments we've been to this year," Luger said. Ng and Luger were the only two Swarthmore fencers to move on individually. Ng earned herself a seventh place finish, establishing herself as one of the best female epeeists in collegiate fencing in the country. Davis acknowledged that a number of the fencers in Ng's individual tournament had Olympic or national points. With the season over, the fencing team will be losing five seniors. One of them, Huynh, said that fencing has been a large part of his life at Swarthmore. "It's been a wonderful experience and I've developed close relationships with many of my teammates." He plans to continue fencing after leaving Swarthmore. Luger agreed that it has been a fun experience to be a part of the Swarthmore fencing team. Although he said that it is a big time commitment, Luger said that fencing is loads of fun and extremely rewarding. "Fencing is just as intellectual as it is athletic. When you're on the strip, it's just you and your opponent and nothing else in the world matters." Like Huynh, Luger plans to continue with fencing after Swarthmore. Davis said, "We would like to give special thanks to the administration and the athletic department for making the hosting of nationals possible." Olivia Natan Phoenix Staff Rodrigo Luger (right), captain of the men's fencing sabre team, lunges at his opponent at the USACFC National Championships. Sports swarthmorephoenix.com April 15,2010 THE PHOENIX 20
