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September 28, 2006
Weekly Calendar 9/29-10/4
The BackPage | Rosh Hashanah Resolutions
Happy New YearRosh Hashanah Resolutions...Excitement builds for women’s volleyball
Acacia O'Connor
Did you know that the Vassar women’s volleyball team has won five consecutive Liberty League Championships? Or that they have won a bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament four times in the past five years? If so, it would come as little surprise to hear of the team’s success thus far this season.
Test affords loophole in Title IX
Emma Carmichael
In 1972, the U.S. Congress enacted Title IX of the Educational Amendments in an effort to prohibit sex discrimination in educational programs, with a focus on athletics. Title IX reads, “No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sexual be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid.”
Line blurred between sports, life
Lucas Mann
The fervor that college football stirs up can become frightening. This fact became more than evident in the recent controversy involving college football official Gordon Riese. Is a victory for teams that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hastens to reiterate are amateur worth a school president degrading an official who made a mistake? Is it worth rabid fans responding to this unforgiving sentiment by threatening a man that they have never met, making his return to a job he has performed well for 28 years seem dangerous?
Dar Williams sparks discussion with concert
Mally Anderson
Music and politics united on Wednesday, Sept. 27 when Democracy Matters’ hosted politically active folk musician Dar Williams in hopes of seeing the “fusion of music and voices,” according to Democracy Matters member Amy Dowley ’08. “We want students to feel empowered as a generation of voters that can work to improve our political system to one that represents the greater society, and not just the sector of society with the cash to pay for it,” said Dowley.
Off the Shelf exhibit to debut in FLLAC
Joe Rozek
The Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC) is planning a unique exhibit called Off the Shelf that will debut on Friday, Oct 6. The exhibit is not the museum’s usual fare of photos and paintings, but rather a rare collection of books created by 13 up-and-coming international artists. Director of FLLAC James Mundy said, “This is something new for us. We’ve never done, at least in the time I’ve been here, an exhibition on books.”
Music-sharing on College network will not change
Lauren Tennenbaum
With new changes to the Vassar network and a log-in requirement, students have recently voiced concerns that Computing and Information Services (CIS) will begin monitoring individual student activity on the Vassar network. This would mean that the College would have the ability to scrutinize records of what people do on Vassar’s network for evidence of illegal file sharing. As a result, CIS would likely shut down illegal music sharing programs such as OurTunes and Kazaa. Admittedly a prospect more characteristic of a dystopian novel than of the College’s liberal atmosphere, Vassar downloaders can sleep easy tonight: Vice President of CIS Bret Ingerman assured the student body that no such monitoring is occurring, and there are no current plans to begin this monitoring.
WVKR revamps lineup for year, debuts new talk shows
Lauren Tennenbaum
This year, Vassar’s student-run radio station, 91.3 WVKR, came back from the long summer with energy. Armed with a brand new Web site (wvkr.org) and new merchandise from American Apparel, the station is in the process of training new DJs, adding new shows, and cooking up exciting events, all while pleasing the community with a varied feast of existing radio programs.
ViCE Jazz hosts funk band
Mally Anderson
As part of Tuesday jazz night at Matthew’s Mug, ViCE Jazz will host the dynamic New Orleans funk band Brotherhood of Groove on Tuesday, Oct. 3. The Miscellany News had a chance to talk with the band’s front man, Brandon Tarricone, about the band’s music and its activism.
Arlington Street Fair celebrates Poughkeepsie
Performers will include the barefoot monkeysaavc.vassar.edu...Short school year affords little leniency
Lauren Sutherland
Against the impossible odds of rigorous coursework, research papers of stapler-breaking lengths, and four-hour science labs, Vassar students manage to have active and unique personal lives that often send them outside the campus gates during the school year. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, more than 50 Vassar students traveled to New York City to protest the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in front of a military recruitment center in Times Square. On Friday, Sept. 22, many Jewish students left campus to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with friends and family. These students, as well as the myriad others who balance personal commitments with the demands of academia, face the dilemma of missing class without suffering the repercussions of “ditching.”
On The Job | Journalist focuses on public health
Lara Harte Weissman
In the few short years since her graduation from Vassar, Veronika Ruff ’01 has seen more of the world than many will see in a lifetime. While concentrating in International Studies at Vassar, Ruff developed an interest in world cultures, and eventually parleyed this passion into a journalism career that brought her to both Japan and Bangkok. She is now the liaison to the Asian titles for Rodale Publishers.
Vassar Technology Today |Do you have a plan to secure sensitive data?
Matthew Leung
Windows and Mac provide quick and easy interfaces for creating data. Hitting the “save” button in an application like Microsoft Word creates digital data that can be manipulated and retrieved later. But neither platform provides ways to manage and organize the data you’ve created. There are many different data types, including user, application, system, and history data, and each type can contain sensitive personal information that should be safeguarded. If the user does not implement a structured method of data management, then data on a computer is scattered haphazardly throughout the hard drive, and private data becomes difficult to contain and protect.
Student workshops reach out to campus activists, create dialogue
Gabriel Meltzer
Last March, as part of All-College Day, the College placed a mural in the College Center and invited students to write freely on it throughout the day. Many of the comments posted indicated a genuine concern about the present state of Vassar’s relationship with the Poughkeepsie community. Recently, four Vassar students looking to channel this sentiment into action gathered their peers to discuss the many dimensions of community service.
This Week at Vassar in 1974
Joshua Goodman
The Miscellany News reported on Sept. 27, 1974 that a Raymond House resident suffered serious injuries that Saturday afternoon. The girl, who wished to remain anonymous, slipped while climbing out a window attempting to join a friend on a balcony situated several feet to the left of the room. The victim fell onto the grass below, which fortunately cushioned her fall. Her injuries included four fractured vertebrae.
Staff Editorial | Unguarded gates may weaken security of campus
The construction that began this summer on Raymond Avenue has caused significant traffic buildup throughout the surrounding area during high-density rush hours. Vassar has done its part to alleviate this problem by complying with state engineers’ recommendations and diverting cars away from the hub of campus traffic activity— Main Gate. Drivers are provided with three alternative options: North Gate (the closest and most heavily trafficked), South Gate, and the lesser-known Manchester Gate (located behind the golf course). These gates must now remain open at all times, whereas in the past they have been closed at night.
Eye On America |Playground lessons on an international scale
Ross Weingarten
From an early age, boys and girls are told by parents and teachers to act with good ethics and good morals. But what does this mean? What are ethics? And why are they so important? To me, ethics are the code of conduct that we use to interact with the world around us. To treat people fairly, with respect, and with dignity is using what we call “good ethical conduct.” We are taught to respect our elders, look people in the eye when we talk to them, and treat others as we would wish to be treated. All of these actions contribute to good ethics. Lying, cheating and derogating are, of course, acting badly.
Views On Vassar | Vassar’s liberal environment is stifling the conservative voice
Tendai Musakwa
The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the word “liberal” as “respecting and allowing many different types of beliefs or behavior.” Vassar would confidently describe itself as liberal in this respect as it purportedly “honors diversity of perspective…and also has tolerance and respect for diversity” (admissions.vassar.edu/about_coed. html). However, the experiences of students at the College tell a different story altogether. It seems that the overwhelming majority of socio-political liberals at Vassar is impinging on the right of the minority conservatives to freely express their views and ideologies. The College has become a restrictive environment for conservatives to assert themselves and this has started a debate as to whether Vassar is indeed liberal (by the Cambridge definition) or not.
Pro-amity women should abandon maternal-peacemaker role
Carolyn Bradley
For the past couple of years, we’ve all witnessed a revival of maternalist peace politics in America. Naturally, the image of the virtuous mother has long held a head seat in peace movements—where women are projected as voices of compassion, feeling, and nonviolence—but this image has been particularly popularized since the start of the Iraq War.
Trimming unneccesary committees would solve problem of cluttered VSA
Katie Aspell
Like most other Vassar students, I was recently bombarded with e-mails advertising the available Vassar Student Association (VSA) positions in the upcoming elections. The sheer number of offices, including such gems as Bookstore Advisory Committee, Committee on Curricular Policies, and the ambiguous Master Planning Committee, overwhelmed one uninitiated to the workings of the VSA. What are these positions? Are they completely necessary to Vassar students? And who on earth receives fulfillment from having a Russian major representative to Vassar curricular policies (other than Russian majors)?
U.S. security compromised by Iraq goals
Zachary Kaye
On Sept. 21, The New York Times disclosed the severity of the manpower strain under which the United States army is operating. The occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan require a constant rotation of tens of thousands of soldiers, and each unit requires proper rest, re-supply, and rehabilitation between deployments. The military relies on an increasingly large share of National Guard and Reserve units to fulfill commitments. As a result, the United States can now field only 7,000-10,000 soldiers in the event of an emergency.
Mold in TA forces students out, again
Brian Farkas
On Friday, Sept. 22, Buildings and Grounds gave students 36 hours to evacuate Terrace Apartment (TA) 33 after finding extensive mold damage. The four residents had reported that two living room windows and one bedroom window were infested with so much mold that they could not be opened or closed completely.
CIS upgrades technology, security
Nadine Reitman
Computing Information Services (CIS) is implementing new technology and tightening computer security measures throughout campus.
Security emphasizes health, not write-ups for sick students
Nadine Reitman
It is a situation with which many college students are familiar: friends are overly intoxicated and need medical attention. But should one call Emergency Medical Service (EMS) at the risk of prosecution for underage drinking? At the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council meeting on Sunday, Sept. 17, Davison House President Alberto Apodaca ’08 expressed concern that freshmen seem afraid to call for help despite the College’s Good Samaritan policy.
September 21, 2006
Weekly Calendar 9/22-9/28
The Matthew Vassar School of Learning
Poughkeepsie, NY—During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, painted copies and plaster casts were used to cultivate an appreciation of major works of western art, as well as a corresponding sense of elite culture to Americans who could not travel to see the original works firsthand...As the first U.S. college founded with both a permanent art collection and an art gallery, and with art among its core academic offerings, “It is no surprise that Vassar College collected and displayed both copies and casts from the very start,” said Jacqueline Marie Musacchio, an associate professor of art.
Women’s rugby values experience, not just wins
Acacia O'Connor
How do you measure the success of a team? Do you measure it in wins and losses, or in the number of points scored? Do you measure it in championship appearances? If you define success in these terms, Vassar women’s rugby is certainly extraordinary. However, if you ask Coach Tony Brown, he’ll tell you that it isn’t the numbers that count.
Athlete of the Week
Liz Pacheco
The women’s volleyball team captured the Vassar Invitational title on Sept. 9. En route to their final win over Skidmore, the team defeated Union College, Hunter College, and, for the first time in tournament history, SUNY Cortland. While the entire Vassar team performed well, captain Amanda Hsuing ’08 had a particularly standout performance.
Aikido class offers fun for beginners, experts alike
Emma Carmichael
When you think of martial arts, you may think of typical ninja movies: people dressed in black with covered faces, flying through the air while yelling battle cries and ripping out their opponents’ hearts. Aikido, a Japanese martial art form that has been in existence for over 80 years, does not quite fit that image.
Rushdie emphasizes power, neccessity of storytelling
Acacia O'Connor
“The truth about the world is that the world is not realistic. The world, in fact, is a fantastic place.” These words, pronounced to hundreds of students and community members in the Vassar College Chapel, shed light on where author Salman Rushdie places himself in the world of literature. In many ways, Rushdie, this year’s William Starr Freshman Course Lecturer, personifies a mixture of reality and myth—a fact that was apparent in his interactions with the student body on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
“Vassar Girls” on runway
Mally Anderson
Fashion label Tuleh’s Fall 2006 collection featured slim, below-the-knee pencil skirts, prim coats and suits, and muted wools. The pieces’ headline? “Vassar Girls.” In the July/August 2006 issue of Departures magazine, an article entitled “Vassar Femmes,” (written by an anonymous Vassar alumna) explored the idea of the archetypal Vassar girl and whether she ever really existed.
U.S.-India ties changed after Sept. 11, panel says
Mike Alberti
As Professor Emeritus of Political Science M. Glen Johnson took the podium to introduce the panel discussion “India Today: Reliable Partner or Emerging Rival?” on Tuesday, Sept. 19, he reflected on the country’s dramatic emergence into the public consciousness.
Plans for neighboring Hyde Park will protect historic town’s charm
Shahreen Saifi
Hyde Park, the former hometown of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Vanderbilt family, has been known for its landmarks, inns and small shows, as well as the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Four years ago, the town developed plans to ensure that “historic” did not mean “outdated,” and in July 2005 the town board took a decisive step towards development by releasing the newest draft of its comprehensive plan.
This Week at Vassar in 1982
The Vassar women’s volleyball team was returning from a match on Monday, Sept. 20 when they came upon a one-vehicle accident on the Taconic Parkway. The driver, Poughkeepsie resident and Culinary Institute of America student Karen Morris, had lost control of her car and smashed into a tree, sustaining a concussion and a broken clavicle.
Vassar Technology Today |Conference system makes learning truly global
Matthew Leung
In fall 2005, a group of Vassar students and a group of German students sat down to discuss the Holocaust, thousands of miles between them. The distance was bridged by an Internet connection, a camera, and a plasma video screen. Weeks later, Associate German Professor Jeffrey Schneider sat in that same room under the overhead studio lights with his students to talk to a group of German actors who were in a Schiller play.
Crossword puzzle solutions
Global Connections crosswordJer Isseks...Staff Editorial | Effects of early admissions under scrutiny
Harvard University is ending all Early Admissions programs for Fall 2007 applications. The decision caused a stir in the academic community, and seven days later, Princeton announced similar plans to drop its early admissions program. Colleges and universities around the country have entered a debate about the merits and pitfalls of EA, raising the questions of why colleges have these programs and who benefits from them.
Eye On America | The price of safety—do we pay too much?
Ross Weingarten
On Sept 14, the Senate Armed Service Committee approved a new approach to detaining and questioning terrorism suspects that the Bush administration deemed too lenient. The new legislation gives suspects more rights than they have had in the past, and limits the use of coercive measures such as torture to attain information. The Committee, which includes powerful Republican senators such as John Warner of Virginia and John McCain of Arizona, said that Bush’s proposal did not do enough to protect the rights of detainees. The White House was outraged, and said that they needed their approach to pass in order to gain vital information to stop future terrorist attacks.
Views On Vassar | Lack of variety in Campus Dining a cause for concern
Tendai Musakwa
Catherine E. Beecher, a noted educator and culinary expert in the 19th century, once said, “The art of keeping a good table consists not in loading on a variety at each meal, but rather in securing a successive variety.” Diversity is imperative in producing a balanced and wholesome diet, but unfortunately this element is lacking in the College’s dining services. The two main dining facilities on campus, the All-Campus Dining Center (ACDC) and The Retreat, serve a myriad dishes and sides but still lack “successive variety,” as Beecher calls it, in the food they serve. In short, students at Vassar are fed the same food repeatedly, and this has raised concern regarding their health.
Accountability sorely lacking in sports journalism
Kyle Nelson
Sports journalism is an increasingly broad field that jumps in leaps and bounds when national scandal is on the horizon. Remember OJ? Mark McGwire? Barbaro? The news has always been objective truth, but what happens when a simple game becomes a scientific survey and any definitive achievement can be dethroned by slander? Today, every move is questioned, every record asterisked. Where once it was simple performance enhancers, today it is testosterone. Where once there was a simple drug test and a yes or no answer, today there is a convoluted and questionable process that leaves just as many questions and answers. Unfortunately, athletes from across the sports spectrum have begun to find out that all it takes is one skeptic to destroy an entire legacy.
Assessing weight (in pounds) of empire
Evan Caspter-Futterman
I am generally an ardent critic of the United States government, especially when it relates to issues of international cooperation or shared purpose between countries. Why does the United States feel compelled to defend its sovereignty against the goals and ambitions of all humanity, as embodied in the Kyoto protocol, the International Criminal Court, or the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child—signed by all UN members except for the United States and Somalia? Yet on one critical point I applaud the United States for its continued obstinacy, and indeed wish that our quests for imperial dominion would extend to the sphere of units of weights and measures.
Letter to the Editor | Sept. 11 inappropriate day for chalking
Like most Americans, I was full of emotions on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. There was rage, fury, and indignation at the perpetrators of the heinous crimes committed that day. There was pity, sorrow, and sympathy for the thousands who lost loved ones, and awe, respect, and reverence for the untold many who acted selflessly.
ACT OUT protests in NYC
Military's LGBT policy protested
Stephen Cheng
Katie Paul
More than 50 Vassar students protested at the Armed Forces Recruitment Office in Times Square on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and railed against the United States military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which they say is a violation of the civil rights of those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT).
Students take part in Darfur rally
Christine Vines
Marching along Fifth Avenue and congregating in Central Park, tens of thousands of people rallied in New York City on Sunday, Sept. 17 to protest the genocide in Sudan. Demonstrations occurred throughout the world for the Voices to Stop Genocide campaign, which were scheduled to coincide with the opening of the 61st General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). Approximately 30 Vassar students representing Save Darfur and Hunger Action gathered in New York.
Early admissions eliminated at Harvard, Princeton
Colleges debate drawbacks of early admissions
Rachel Wolff
On Sept. 12, Harvard University announced the termination of its early admissions program beginning next year. Less than a week after Harvard went public with its decision, Princeton University announced that it too would eliminate its early admissions option.
Lathrop fire leaves extensive damage
Mike Alberti
In the aftermath of the garbage can fire on the third floor of Lathrop House on Sept. 10, 20 students have been displaced from their rooms because of smoke and water damage. These students have been relocated to different rooms in Lathrop, as well as to other residence houses. Students were initially given a one- to two-day period before they could return to their rooms, but this wait period has now been extended to two to three weeks.
September 14, 2006
Weekly Calendar 9/15-9/21
2006 Ryder Cup to renew golf’s most storied rivalry
Jer Isseks
This year’s Ryder Cup is certain to yield an exciting and highly contested three days of golf. It will be played at The K Club in Kildare, Ireland, from Sept. 22–Sept. 24. American captain Tom Lehman will send the ten hottest American golfers into play, along with his two captain’s picks (Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank).
Cross country wins Vassar Invitational
Jer Isseks
On Saturday, Sept. 9, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams began their fall seasons in monumental fashion. The men’s team finished well ahead of the competition, taking first place overall at the Vassar Invitational, while the women’s squad squeaked by rival New York University (NYU) to secure a win as well.
Women’s soccer team optimistic about near future
Emma Carmichael
After years of less-than-spectacular league play and cycling through four different coaches in as many years, the Vassar women’s soccer team is finally finding itself on even ground. With a strong base of upperclassmen, a brand new coach, and a talented freshmen class, the future of women’s soccer at Vassar looks promising.
Student-athletes briefed on forms of hazing
Elizabeth Pocheco
Acacia O'Connor
As fall athletes kick off their seasons, winter and spring sports teams are beginning to plan for their competitions as well. Included in these preparations was a mandatory meeting held for student-athletes on Thursday, Sept. 7 in Rockefeller Hall. During the meeting, athletes filled out National Collegiate Athletic Association compliance forms, and were briefed on the possibilities of drug testing, as well as the ramifications of hazing practices. While athletes concurred with the grave consequences that occur as a result of hazing, some also questioned why the practice of Serenading is permissible, since it bears similar characteristics to hazing.
Rushdie to address freshmen
Acacia O'Connor
On Wednesday, Sept. 20, author Salman Rushdie will be giving a talk entitled “Step Across this Line.” Rushdie’s book, Shalimar the Clown, a finalist for the Whitbread Book Awards, was the Class of 2010 summer reading selection. Rushdie is this year’s William Starr Freshman Course Lecturer.
Though older, Dylan thrills fans
Evan Hannay
As a lifelong Bob Dylan fan, the prospect of seeing two concerts in one week sent me into sensory overload. When I saw that the “Poet Laureate” of rock and roll was coming to New Britain Stadium in Connecticut and then to Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls at the end of August, I knew I had to go to both. Many of my friends responded to the news dubiously with responses such as, “Dude, he’s so old,” or, “Is Bob Dylan still alive?,” but after the concerts I can say that the Dylan of “my” generation, although not exactly spry, looks great.
Art, nature converge at Storm King Art Center
Acacia O'Connor
“The Storm King Art Center is an unusual museum,” reads the brochure for the expansive open-air sculpture garden located in Mountainville, NY. Viewing the museum’s 91 impressive and sometimes fanciful sculptures is a worthwhile way to spend the afternoon, as Vassar’s Outing Club found when they wandered its 500 acres on Sunday, Sept. 10.
This Week at Vassar in 1977
Joshua Goodman
On Sept. 16, 1977, The Miscellany News reported that the Vassar Student Association (VSA) had declared a major budget deficit because of alleged levels of fiscal irresponsibility within the VSA.
Judicial Board prepares to rule on cases for 2006-2007 academic year
Greg Armstrong
Each year during spring elections, the Vassar student body elects nine students to sit on the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Judicial Board. The Judicial Board hears cases ranging from the conduct of VSA officers and their dispensation of VSA legislation, to the College’s academic honor policy. The Judicial Board is an integral part of the VSA, often proving vital to its ability to function smoothly and arbitrate conflicts.
Vassar Technology Today | Exploring internet bandwidth, sharing large files
Matthew Leung
As digital storage becomes cheaper and cheaper, so does Internet bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred via the Internet. This makes sense, since it would not be convenient to be able to store multimedia files like videos, music, and photos but not be able to share them via the Internet. With the myriad of resources at Vassar and from third party companies, sending these large files to others easily through the Internet highway might make you never want to drive on Raymond Avenue again.
EatingWell changes flavor of campus dining
Alea Bell
This fall, people checking out at the All-Campus Dining Center (ACDC) and The Retreat were offered a letter entitled “To Parents from Campus Dining at Vassar College.” The letter, signed by Director of Campus Dining Maureen King, wasn’t about advertising any new changes, but was meant to raise awareness. “For instance, do people know that we don’t use oil with trans-fats? Or that we get our milk from local dairy farms?” asked King. The letter also mentioned the little-known facts that some chefs are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), and that Campus Dining frequently sends employees to take classes at the CIA.
Youthful professor seeks the right ways to ask questions
Mike Alberti
The newest member of Vassar’s philosophy department also happens to be the youngest. Instructor in Philosophy Barry Lam, age 27, said he has often been mistaken for a student on campus, and that’s easy to believe. In addition to looking young for a professor, Lam also dresses like a fashionable college student, and has a comfortable, laid-back way of speaking.
On The Job | Former Town House entrepreneur encourages students to explore options
Former Town House entrepreneur encourages students to explore options
Joshua Goodman
Unlike many college students reluctant to begin their “real lives,” Jonty Yamisha ’99 was eager to graduate and to enter the professional world full-time. During his senior year at Vassar, Yamisha, an International Studies major, started his first company called Teralong Interactive from his Town House.
While JYD, student discovers inner “science nerd”
Jenny Nigro
On a dreary Saturday during her first week at Williams-Mystic, the maritime studies program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, Brooke Adams ’07 participated in a lab and wondered what she had gotten herself into.
Vassar makes the grade in The Advocate
Guide cites Blegen, Queer Coalition as major supports for LGBT students
Jessica Hughes
National newsmagazine The Advocate recently joined the list of major publications that rank Vassar as a top college. The Advocate reports on gay news and entertainment. In its first comprehensive college guide, The Advocate includes Vassar as one of the top 100 supportive campuses for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender (LGBT) students.
History in danger of repeating itself in Iran over nuclear arms
Zachary Kaye
Historical events are rarely congruent to one another in more than a loosely theoretical way. The value in studying history with the intention of bettering one’s understanding of current events lies not in finding direct analogies, but rather in understanding themes and how past events have led to our present world.
Reality show generation revolts against Facebook
News feed, not world issues, cause young people to speak out
Benjy Sarlin
Earlier this month, the ubiquitous social website Facebook.com instituted new sweeping changes. Chief among them was a “news feed” that bombarded users with daily updates on their friends, ranging from events as major as new relationships to those as mundane as writing “nice photo” as a comment.
Views On Vassar | Quiet corridors a haven for noisemakers
Tendai Musakwa
The Black Eyed Peas’ song “Pump It” reverberates across the floor at 11:30 p.m., interspersed with loud shouts and the rhythmic creaking of a squeaky bed. This is a typical scenario on a Friday night at any college, one might say. Regrettably, this is not the archetypal floor at a college—this is the second floor of Noyes, a floor which the College designated a quiet corridor. Quiet corridors are halls on which no noise is supposed to be heard outside anyone’s room and parties are not allowed. Currently, not all Quiet Corridors are serving their intended purpose and should be closely examined in order to determine whether they are necessary at all.
Five years after Sept. 11, where do we stand?
Ross Weingarten
Monday, Sept. 11 marked the five-year anniversary of what was perhaps the worst day in American history. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America claimed 3,000 lives, and changed the world, and changed everything from airport security to U.S. foreign policy.
Staff Editorial | Facebook news feed raises questions of privacy
Everyone is talking about The Facebook, again. In the last two weeks, popular social network The Facebook (facebook.com) developed and implemented a new feature called a “news feed,” which provides up-to-the-minute information on the activity network members. Just days after the new feature appeared on Facebook, thousands of users cried foul, prompting Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook) to issue an apology and to update privacy controls.
VSA-ResLife committee formed
Stephen Cheng
The Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council adopted a resolution on Sept. 3 to form a VSA-Residential Life Ad-Hoc Committee (VRAC). According to the opening statements of the resolution, VRAC was founded to improve the working relationship between the VSA and the Office of Residential Life, in order to maintain a “positive residential experience at Vassar College.”
Campus renovations of Blodgett, Main continue
Joe Rozek
Several academic buildings and houses underwent significant renovations this summer, some of which are still in progress. Backed by multi-million dollar budgets, Buildings and Grounds Associate Executive Director Jeff Horst and Project Managers Art Fisher and Brian Corrigan are leading the major construction efforts on Blodgett Hall, Main Building, several residence houses, and are conducting an inspection of the arboretum.
UN hosts 59th NGO conference
Katie Barnett
More than 2,500 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) gathered for a conference at the United Nations in New York from Sept. 6-Sept. 8. The 59th Annual Department of Public Information/NGO Conference addressed ways to strengthen collaboration between local communities and global institutions. The meeting was entitled “Unfinished Business: Effective Partnerships for Human Security and Sustainable Development.”
Bush appoints Vassar graduate
Katie Paul
Marc Thiessen ’89 was appointed by President George W. Bush to be Deputy Assistant to the President on Friday, Sept. 1.
Princeton Review ranks Vassar
Shahreen Saifi
The 2007 editions of the Princeton Review’s “Best 361 Colleges” and U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” highlighted a variety of Vassar trends and reaffirmed the College’s standing as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. These annual publications often attract the attention of high school students and their parents across the nation while they wade through the process of researching colleges.
College commemorates Sept. 11 anniversary with Garden of Peace
Christine Vines
Members of the Vassar community observed the five-year anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 through their own quiet and personal remembrances, without any official gathering or service. The College encouraged students to reflect on the anniversary, and to participate in the Garden of Peace.
Fire breaks out in Lathrop, displaces students
Shirley Shangguan
Flames filled a garbage can on the third floor of Lathrop House on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 10. Students noticed the fire in the north annex at 6:30 p.m. and alerted authorities.
The BackPage | Want Not, Waste Not: A Miscellany News Guide For Recycling
Want Not, Waste NotrA Miscellany News Guide For Recycling...September 08, 2006
Weekly Calendar 9/8-9/14
Freshman Week-ish: A Retrospective
Freshman week is a rite of passage. This year’s froshies somehow got stuck having classes in the middle of theirs, but whatevs, too bad. We at The Miscellany News hope you still had a memorable time—if you can remember it at all. If not, here’s a rundown on what probably went down:
From an athlete’s perspective: Basketball and touring in Ireland
Evan Hannay
When I told my friends from home that I would be going to Ireland with the rest of the Vassar men’s basketball team at the end of the summer to compete, many asked incredulously why anyone would go to Ireland to play basketball. For them, the idea of traveling to Ireland for basketball, where sports such as Gaelic football, hurling, rugby, and, of course soccer dominate the national sports spectrum, is akin to going to Siberia to get a tan. Nevertheless, the trip was an extremely valuable experience. From Aug. 19 to Aug. 27, we had the unique opportunity to experience vibrant Irish culture and to participate in an under-the-radar yet passionate basketball scene.
Agassi bids final farewell to professional tennis
Jer Isseks
On Sunday, Sept. 3, professional tennis player Andre Agassi ended his career with a loss. It happened at the 2006 U.S. Open, in a match against a young German unknown named Benjamain Becker. Some, upon hearing this, shrugged and moved on. The end of Agassi may be the formal conclusion to an era in tennis, paving the way for the great Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and company to finally fully claim the tennis spotlight. Some refuse to let go of their deified image of Agassi, retirement or not, feeling strongly that Agassi was one of the most vibrant personalities in professional tennis.
Brewer athletes prepare for coming games
Fall sports teams train with rigorous pre-season practices
Jer Isseks
Walking through campus early on an August morning, a passerby is generally met by closed doors concealing students in their third REM cycle, an empty quad, an emptier All-Campus Dining Center, and general tranquility in all directions.
Times-featured exhibit on display at FLLAC
Lauren Tennenbaum
Subterranean Monuments, a temporary exhibit featured at the Francis Lehman Loeb Art Gallery, has been up for just over two months and has already been featured by The New York Times. The exhibit showcases the work of three New York-based artists, Rudy Burckhardt (1914-1999), Ray Johnson (1927-1994) and Peter Hujar (1934-1987), known for their eccentricities, reclusive nature, and the way they shunned the fame and glamour associated with mainstream culture.
NoViCE hosts small shows
Sam Bloch
An eclectic lineup of comedians, performance artists, rock bands, folk acts, and out-there world musicians will play at Vassar this semester. NoViCE, a self-described “small shows” wing of Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE), co-chaired by Jake Friedman ’07 and Zach Rottman ’07, will curate what Friedman called “frequent shows of a really diverse character.”
New writing specialist looks to create cross-campus dialogues on writing
Emily Drake
Lee Rumbarger has joined Vassar’s Writing Center as the College’s new writing specialist this year.
This Week at Vassar in 1985
Joshua Goodman
In the first week of the 1985-1986 academic year, an eight-month investigation conducted by Poughkeepsie Town Police ended with the arrests of three Vassar students charged with selling cocaine.
Vassar Technology Today | Beyond e-mail attachments: Ways to share files on-line
Beyond e-mail attachments: Ways to share files on-line
Matthew Leung
Sending Microsoft Word documents as attachments in e-mails is popular, but not many people realize the various troubles this can bring, since the sender has no control over the document once he or she hits the “send” button. There are simple alternatives, however, that allow the sender to securely send a document. Think of this as having your own bullet-proof truck to deliver your documents rather than using the public postal service.
Arlington Station provides late-night slices
Joshua Goodman
After hours of traveling and unpacking, only to find both the Retreat and the All Campus Dining Center closed, many returning Vassar students headed to their standby restaurant for late night meals: the Subterranean Skye Café. Those who made the trip to 7 Collegeview Avenue this year, however, were in for a surprise. Subterranean Skye had closed its doors and Arlington Station Pizza & Deli had opened in its place, garnering encouraging reactions from Vassar students.
Where are all the fresh-men in the Class of 2010?
Enrollment trends, uneven dorm assignments emphasize gender disparity
Lauren Sutherland
The idea of the co-ed college bathroom is sometimes worrisome to incoming Vassar freshmen, evoking images of overtaxed showers and toilets, as well as humiliating encounters with the opposite sex in varying degrees of undress. However, the comparatively pristine bathroom on the west wing of Josselyn House’s fourth floor is at odds with the conditions typical of many bathrooms on campus, something the freshmen girls who use it attribute to the lack of male residents on their floor.
After drive up from Florida, new House Advisor settles in
Among the multitude of new faces at Vassar this fall is Scott Radimer, House Advisor for Cushing and Noyes. Radimer has been on campus since late June, settling in and preparing for the 2006–2007 school year.
Habermann, with master’s in college
Like one-fourth of the student body, Assistant Director of Campus Activities Megan Habermann is new to the Vassar campus. In this position, Habermann is responsible for the organization and management of campus events, ranging from concerts and performances to lectures and meetings.
VSA President urges “open mind” for new year
Vassar Student Association (VSA) President Abel McDonnell ’07 has several plans and goals for the upcoming academic year. These goals range from improving the technology that VSA uses for elections to engaging in discussions about improving financial aid with new College President Catharine “Cappy” Hill.
Letters to the Editor: Still a time for action, not reflection on destructive effects of Katrina
It is funny that America has taken time out to remember us. For us New Orleaneans, the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was just another day. On that day, a year ago, more than just homes were destroyed. I am telling you LIVES were destroyed, shattered, dismantled, chewed, spit out, chewed again, and thrown to the winds. How can we look back and reflect when the turmoil and chaos that Katrina has caused is still going on every day? People are still waiting on FEMA trailers, filing lawsuits with insurance companies, stuck in whatever city they were evacuated to, and grieving the loss of everything they worked hard for.
Coded, generic speech hinders language efficiency
Evan Casper-Futterman
It is no longer politically valuable (if it ever was) to note that President George W. Bush and his administration have an awkward, even antagonistic, relationship with the English language. But that does not mean that we should be able to get away with it either. If their troubles provide us with any “moral of the story,” it should be that the words we use mean what we want them to mean, because we have thought them through. We shouldn’t foster euphemized or coded language in academia simply because that is what the “real” world demands of us. I begin the semester with a criticism that indicts myself as much as anyone else on campus.
Staff Editorial: First anniversary of Hurricane Katrina highlights need for continued outreach efforts in New Orleans
August 29, 2006 marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Although a full year has passed, the destruction from the force of Katrina has not yet been repaired. While there is ongoing reconstruction of New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana, only half of the city’s population has returned, many people remain displaced. Approximately half of the $110 billion of government funding allocated to rebuilding the city has not found its way south. Clearly, the process of healing and rebuilding will take much longer than one year.
News Editor
