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November 09, 2006
Weekly Calendar 11/10-11/16
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Backpage 11.10.06...Rugby advances to semi-finals
Elizabeth Pacheco
“My goal for the teams this season is the same every year: to win every single game we possibly can,” said Tony Brown, head coach of the men and women’s rugby teams for the past 12 years.
Athlete of the Week | Sanders dominates in cross country
Lucas Mann
For Colin Sanders ’08, last year’s cross country season ended in personal disappointment. “I was really frustrated after my sophomore season,” said Sanders. “I felt like I hadn’t met the expectations that I had for myself.” While many of us would respond to frustration with a summer of drowning our sorrows in laziness, Sanders took a different approach.
Field of Dreams : Plan for Prentiss Field renovations finalized
Acacia O'Connor
After years of wishing and hoping, Vassar baseball players will finally be able to hit one out of the park, literally. The $7.5 million plan to reconstruct the baseball, field hockey, soccer and lacrosse pitches at Prentiss Field is gearing up, which is an exciting prospect for the athletic community.
Thought Travels to Palmer
Lauren Tennenbaum
The ancient and the contemporary unite in the new sculptural exhibit Thought Travels, which is on display at the Palmer Gallery. The pieces, by sculptor Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, are monumental in size, yet often minimalist in approach.
Acclaimed poet Harrison to read
Rachel Pittenger
On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the English Department will sponsor an on-campus lecture and reading by acclaimed poet Jeffrey Harrison. Harrison is the author of several books of poetry: The Singing Underneath (1988), Signs of Arrival (1996), Feeding the Fire (2001), The Names of Things; New and Selected Poems (2006), and An Undertaking (2005).
New Futurist theater group debuts
Weintana Abraha
The long tradition of theater at Vassar is expanding with the addition of a new experimental group: the Unbound Futurist Troupe. Affiliated with the Unbound theater group, the Futurists bring a unique, progressive sensibility to the existing core of theater and comedy groups on campus.
A look at Vassar activism
Stephen Cheng
Amanda Melillo
Challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is just one of the causes that Vassar students have espoused in the College’s vibrant history of civil activism and student protest.
Vassar Technology Today | Death of the PC: A glimpse into the future
Matthew Leung
Technological developments, such as PDA/cell phone hybrids and tablet PCs that have more features than laptops, have already indicated that the reign of the traditional laptop and desktop is over. Future developments in personal computing will focus on mobile devices and on ways to integrate with the internet.
Students practice what Lama preaches at lecture
Mike Alberti
On Tuesday, Nov. 7, Lama Surya Das, an authorized lama in the Nyingmapa School of Tibetan Buddhism, spoke in the Villard Room to a crowd of Vassar students and Poughkeepsie residents. Surya Das’s talk, entitled “Buddhism in America,” was presented by the Department of Religion. Surya Das spoke for about 40 minutes, and then opened the floor for questions.
Staff Editorial | College should recognize need for all-female housing
The debate over whether Strong House should go co-ed brings to the surface competing claims of tradition and change, a common dilemma at historic institutions like Vassar.
Eye On America | Saddam Hussein’s sentence not completely beneficial
Ross Weingarten
On Sunday, Nov. 5, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging by an Iraqi court. President Bush and members of his administration lauded the event as a huge step towards the democratization of Iraq, and as proof that there is a judiciary that is independent of political and social pressures.
Views On Vassar | College needs to foster inter-cultural understanding
Tendai Musakwa
I am black. Overwhelmingly afro-centric, I am also a devout Catholic and come from a socio-economic background best described as “poor.” It is easy at Vassar, with its predominantly white, middle-class student body, for me to feel nostalgic at times for the community that I come from: a community that consists of people with similar viewpoints to mine. In a true liberal arts college, however, I should not feel this way.
The Purple State | French media highlights American follies but ignores assets
Jordana Merran
As a French-American citizen living in the United States, I refused for a long time to admit that Europe, or at least France, is anti-American. I actually wrote one of my college admissions essays on the “freedom fry movement” that followed the U.S.’s Iraq UN resolution and how Americans have got it all wrong: the French don’t hate America—in fact, they love America!
The Observer | Military sacrifices must not go unnoticed
Zachary Kaye
For the unfortunate families and friends of those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s current wars are all too close to home. For the rest of us, our nation’s military actions do not affect us much at all.
Students must maintain global awareness
Evan Hannay
It would be hard to argue that the majority of Vassar students are acutely aware of world events and frequently take active moral responsibility in helping to solve any crises that arise. After Hurricane Katrina, various student organizations helped raise money for relief efforts, and forums were organized to discuss the issues surrounding the American tragedy. Students have held discussions and protests in response to the war in Iraq and the genocidal conflicts underway in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Letters to the Editor | Withdrawal of American military from Iraq long overdue
Letters to the Editor | VSA president’s portrayal of Fergusson’s tenure inaccurate
Six ACT OUT students arrested in Times Square
Nadine Reitman
Six Vassar students were arrested for criminal trespassing on government property after refusing to leave the Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square on Friday, Nov. 3.
College considers the possibility of Strong males
Mike Alberti
Ever since Vassar became co-educational in 1969, Strong House has been the only exclusive, single-sex dormitory on campus, but many students, especially those who do not live in Strong, would be hard-pressed to explain why an all-female dorm exists at Vassar.
Admissions programs seek solid minority enrollment
Jackson Reeves
Every year, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid reaches out to prospective students with on-campus information sessions and special programs, many of which are part of a larger effort to attract prospective students of color. In addition to the existing recruiting programs, a new chatroom manned by current Vassar students is set to open this month. The chatroom aims to be a place where prospective students can ask questions about college life.
