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November 30, 2006
Weekly Calendar 12/1-12/7
Backpage
Backpage...Baseball MVPs continue trend of home-run hitters
Lucas Mann
Ryan Howard, who was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Nov. 23, is a big, big man. Standing 6’4” and listed at 255 pounds (a figure that looks like it could apply to only the lower half of his body), he was Major League Baseball’s best power hitter in 2006.
Basketball shoots to score
Elizabeth Pacheco
The Vassar women’s basketball team hosted the Vassar Tip-Off Tournament from Nov. 17-Nov. 18, marking the official opening of their season. Although Mitchell College narrowly defeated the Brewers, the team played with great heart and intensity, giving fans a glimpse of their potential for the season.
Future Waitstaff sings for a new world of musical theater
Anita Varma
After putting away their “Bat Boy: The Musical” scripts from last semester, the Future Waitstaff of America (FWA) are in final rehearsals for their upcoming production of “Songs for a New World.”
Local landscape artist in Palmer
Liza Darwin
Vincent Connelly’s Landscapes in the Mist, the latest exhibit at the James W. Palmer Gallery, premiered on Nov. 27. The paintings capture the mountainous landscape of Connelly’s home in Ulster County, New York.
Oscar season at the movies
Rachel Pittenger
For film-savvy Vassar students, the approach of the long winter break brings excitement about the holiday movie season. The holidays offer a wealth of new movies that are vying for Academy Award-winning status, and the film industry is highly selective about the films it releases during this popular time of year.
Hunger Action provides nourishment for community
Jenny Nigro
Just 45 minutes into the Peanut Butter Jam, participants began scraping the bottom of the large containers of peanut butter. Rather than lamenting the low supplies, Hunger Action welcomed the empty vats as a good sign.
On The Job | Alum heads to MTV, Red Bull
Raga Nadella
Some college graduates without a definite career path might sit at home watching MTV. But Vassar graduate Damon Johnson ’02, on the other hand, headed directly to the popular music network MTV itself to promote high-profile music events in its marketing department.
Vassar Technology Today | In computing, opposites don’t attract—they integrate
Matthew Leung
Recent developments in mobile, wireless, and ad-supported products hint that the computing industry is undergoing major changes to phase out traditional laptops and desktops with store-bought, stand-alone software.
Student-run library a resource for radical interests
Shirley Shangguan
Students who can’t seem to find that particular anarchist work by Leo Tolstoy in the Thompson Library might consider visiting the little-known Radical Literature Library in College Center 213.
Inside Resources and Recruitment | The Courting Game: Employment recruiting
Acacia O'Connor
Lauren Sutherland
In some ways, the Career Development Office is like a dating service. The CDO advisers consider your wants and needs, and then bring you together with your mate in what is intended to be a blissful union.
Career Development at the College | Survey asks graduates “Where are you now?”
Acacia O'Connor
Most seniors know the feeling: the sense of panic that begins in the fall and worsens as graduation approaches. “What are you going to do next year?” is the question everyone seems to be asking.
Tools of the trade for job searching, networking
Amanda Melillo
When starting a search for a summer internship or full-time job, many students may not know where to start.
Staff Editorial | More information would aid class choices
At the end of every semester, students face the dilemma of selecting classes for the next semester, and are only provided with minimal information about courses and professors.
Eye On America | Darfur and Kosovo: A racial hypocrisy
Ross Weingarten
In recent weeks, the situation in Darfur, a remote region of Sudan, has taken a turn for the worse. Dozens of men, women and children have been murdered by squads of bandits called Janjaweed that have rumored links to the Sudanese government.
Views On Vassar | Students should clean their own bathrooms
We are slovenly loafers. From clumps of hair left in shower stalls to greenish-yellow phlegm left in bathroom sinks, Vassar students seem to have no sense of responsibility towards one another.
The Purple State | Approaching the same-sex marriage question
Larry Friedman 
Guest Writer
I believe that prohibiting homosexuals from marrying one another is a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees equal treatment to everyone in America.
The Observer | Despite past wrongs, U.S. ought to stick to ethical standards when providing aid
Zachary Kaye
In the aftermath of the disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq, many Americans will be reluctant for their nation to exert its military power overseas for any purpose.
Letters to the Editor | Promoting athlete stereotypes and ignoring victims of sexual violence problematic
MEChA protests killings in Mexico with teach-in, candlelight march
Nadine Reitman
On Nov. 20, members of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/Chicana de Aztlán (MEChA) and supporters joined together in a teach-in and march from Blegen House to Main Circle.
Plan B made available on campus
Joshua Goodman
As Plan B (formerly known as the “morning after pill”) becomes available over the counter nationwide, Vassar College Health Services plans to increase the availability and accessibility of Plan B on campus as well.
Vassar grad at center of O.J. Simpson scandal
Katie Paul
After widespread public outrage and accusations of bad taste, media executives have cancelled the latest project of notorious publisher Judith Regan, Vassar Class of 1975. In his book If I Did It and a corresponding television interview, O.J. Simpson planned to explain how he would have murdered his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
UCLA authorities use force to remove student from library
Shahreen Saifi
On Nov. 14, a student was discovered in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Powell Library without his student identification, and University of California Police Department (UCPD) officers were called to escort the student outside.
News Briefs
Photo of the Week
From Nov. 16 - Nov. 18, students from Unbound and Philaletheis performed "Urinetown." This weekend, student theater performances will include the Woodshed Ensemble's "The Trestle of Pope Lick Creek"...November 17, 2006
Weekly Calendar 11/16-11/22
“Heathens All!” The Vassar College Thanksgiving Play
Betsy Rossberg
Ah, Thanksgiving, that holiday of meat, gravy, cranberries, and re-runs of The O.C. and Grey’s Anatomy. Doesn’t it just make you want to break out into song? Songs about reparations for the Native Americans for all the turkey the fat white Less-Native Americans ate at that feast of thanks and giving many years ago? That’s what we thought.
Israel at Heart brings new outlook to basketball
Lucas Mann
Filing into Jewett parlor, the players from Israel at Heart were almost indistinguishable from the Vassar men’s basketball team. The two teams of tall kids with athletic gaits and hooded sweatshirts didn’t look much different from one another.
Sports Briefs
Fencing team gets the inside edge
Emma Carmichael
The Vassar College fencing teams advanced toward their season goals with a set of victories on Sunday, Nov. 12. The women won over Cleveland State University, Marist College, City College of New York, and Sacred Heart University. The men’s team swept Cleveland State, Marist, Sacred Heart and Yeshiva University.
Ultimate soars to early successes
Elizabeth Pacheco
Even as the last of the fall leaves disappear, Vassar’s men and women’s ultimate frisbee teams are continuing to practice out on Noyes Circle. Although the team practices co-ed, the men and women’s teams each competed separately in two tournaments this fall.
PHOCUS on photographers in new student exhibition
Lauren Tennenbaum
PHOCUS, Vassar’s student photography club, is currently sponsoring an exhibit featuring works by its members, curated by students Elizabeth Lewis ’07 and Faith Holland ’07. Fifty-seven photographs taken by 17 different student photographers are currently displayed in the Faculty Commons.
ViCE Jazz founder returns to play at Matthew’s Mug
Mally Andersen
What goes around will come around when ViCE Jazz co-founder Stefan Zeniuk ’02 returns to Vassar to play at Matthew’s Mug. Zeniuk plays tenor saxophone in the band Gato Loco, and has returned to his alma mater several times to play in the Mug with different jazz groups.
Anna Kisselgoff lectures about appreciating dance
Liza Darwin
“Dean of Dance” and chief New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff, gave a multimedia presentation on appreciating dance on Wednesday, Nov. 8 in the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater.
Gender identity: More than a checked box
Lauren Sutherland
New York City took steps toward adopting a more inclusive definition of gender on Oct. 30, when the Board of Health concluded its final hearing regarding a proposal to allow individuals to change the sex indicated on their birth certificate without the formerly required proof of sex reassignment surgery.
Enviromentor | Earth-friendly biodiesel fuels machinery
As fuel prices across the country shot up to well over $3 per gallon this summer, people began looking for ways to reduce what they were spending at the pump. I had heard about the growing market of biodiesel and decided to give it a shot..
This Week at Vassar in 1973
On Nov. 14, 1973, three Terrace Apartments were mysteriously egged and pelted with garbage early in the morning.
Vassar Technology Today | Battle of the bandwidth: Shaping Vassar’s network
Matthew Leung
Vassar’s connection to the Internet uses a T3 line that has a bandwidth of 45 megabits per second (Mbps) for each outgoing and incoming Internet connection. At this speed, while the outgoing connection is almost never used to full capacity, the incoming connection is usually full, especially in the late afternoon and evenings.
Students learn how to “Cooke” for the mind, body
Mike Alberti
On Friday, Nov. 10, Vassar Wholistic sponsored a three-hour class called “Mindful Cooking and Eating” at Blegen House. The free class, which was attended by 10 students, was taught by holistic cooking expert Santha Cooke. Another class will be held on Friday, Nov. 17 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
Democratic Party Takes House and Senate: Professors comment on what Congress’ shift may mean
After the midterm elections, The Miscellany News asked three professors at Vassar to comment on certain pressing topics for the nation today.
Staff Editorial | Critical discussion missing from VSA decisions
On Sunday, Nov. 12, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council voted to amend Section 1 of the VSA by-laws to create five new committees that will each directly report to one of the five members of the VSA Executive Board.
Eye On America | College sex scandals have Vassar implications
Ross Weingarten
The year 2006 may be remembered as the year of the Democrats. Their stunning success in last week’s midterm elections may reverse the course of the country, changing America’s stance on foreign policy, taxes, and other crucial issues. But there is a much less thought-about, yet important trend that emerged this year: the college sex scandal.
Views On Vassar | College needs to be more environmentally conscious
Tendai Musakwa
Vassar students are intelligent. The cream of their high school classes, they are chosen from all over the world for their reasoning abilities and their exceptional motivation for the betterment of humanity. This is why I’m surprised when I see stoves carelessly left on in dorm kitchens and taps left running in bathrooms.
Object Lessons | Girls Gone Wild co-opts the language of choice
Carolyn Bradley
If you’ve spent any time in an American college bar with TV screens in the last few years, then you are probably familiar with Girls Gone Wild (GGW).
Staff Editorial | Cell number requests troubling
In a letter sent to all Vassar students on Wednesday, Nov. 8, the College requested that students provide the College with their cell phone numbers by returning an enclosed form to the Office of the Registrar.
Letters to the Editor | Yes, we chose to be in Strong
It’s not about the bathrooms—it’s about being able to maintain and preserve a female-empowered space on campus.
Lost tarantula prompts evacuation
Shahreen Saifi
On Friday, Nov. 10, a pterinochilus murinus, a poisonous tarantula, got loose in Davison House. The quad swarmed with disgruntled and terrified students as Davison was evacuated and Campus Security was notified.
ACT OUT looks forward after VSA certification
Nadine Reitman
ACT OUT was officially certified at the Sunday, Nov. 12 Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council meeting, becoming the 114th certified organization and the eighth to be added this academic year. The Council passed certification for ACT OUT with a unanimous vote.
November 16, 2006
Young voters flock to polls for midterm elections
Amanda Melillo
Approximately one out of every four young Americans participated in the 2006 mid-term elections. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, nearly 10 million Americans under the age of 30 showed up at the polls to vote in the midterm elections
VSA creates internal committees
Brian Farkas
On Sunday, Nov. 12 the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council unanimously passed an amendment to its bylaws that created a committee (composed of various Council members) for each of the five members of the VSA Executive Board.
News Briefs
College bars investment tied to Sudan government
Juliana Kiyan
In an Oct. 14 resolution, the Vassar Board of Trustees approved the prohibition of direct investment by the College in 22 companies that are either owned by the Sudanese government or whose business activities perpetuate the genocide against the people of its Darfur region.
Photo of the Week
Jeremy Shiman '10, Sean Murray '10, and Brian Sciubba '08 participated in Main's study break Eating Contest last week. The contestants ate four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then...November 09, 2006
Weekly Calendar 11/10-11/16
Backpage
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.
News Briefs
Photo of the Week
Students wait outside Main Building in the early hours of Nov. 4 after sparks from an electrical outlet prompted a fire alarm and evacuation. Many students, scantily clad in...November 04, 2006
Inaugural Weekend 2006
Hannah Rosenblum
A photo essay of inauguration weekend events.
November 03, 2006
Inauguration Weekend News Updates
Weekly Calendar 11/3-11/9
Tennis continues dynasty with fifth state title
Emma Carmichael
Five straight Liberty League titles. Five straight New York State Championships. NCAA team qualifiers four of the past five years. With stats like in these, it seems that Vassar College’s women’s tennis team has earned the right to be considered a dynasty.
Athletes warned about Facebook
Elizabeth Pacheco
For students across the nation, The Facebook has become a common feature of both college and high school culture. What was first a simple means of communication between college students is now a widespread online community. Earlier this year, students’ eyes were opened to the site’s potential dangers when a news feed that tracked the movement of every single Facebook member was added.
ViCE books chart-topping hip-hop sensation Lupe Fiasco
Acacia O'Connor
By what miracle did Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) book such a giant star, you ask? Good timing, and a bit of luck.
Black Is Black Ain’t exhibit opens in FLLAC
Rachel Pittenger
The new exhibit Black Is Black Ain’t brought film and race relations together at its opening in the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (FFLLAC) on Oct. 31. The exhibit, named after a 1994 made-for-television documentary directed by Marlon Riggs, explores the history and art of African-American movie posters. Separate Cinema, the local organization that compiled the exhibit, is dedicated to celebrating African-American contributions to the film industry.
New senior seminars for anti-thesis English majors
Joshua Goodman
In these final weeks of the fall semester, many senior English majors are rushing to finish their thesis projects and papers. This is the first academic year that English majors are not required to write a thesis.
Vassar Sailing Club gets second wind
Greg Armstrong
The Vassar Sailing Club, an organization that has long sat in a defunct state, is setting sail anew this year, revitalized and under new leadership. Plagued for years by organizational issues and a lack of fully functioning equipment, the club has been all but out of operation until this year.
Vassar Technology Today | Third-party solutions: Your virtual bodyguards
Matthew Leung
The proverbial “free lunch” offered by peer-to-peer applications such as Kazaa and Limewire is very tempting to scores of Web users. Not long ago, record companies started suing users who illegally download music through these applications. As evidence, record companies compiled detailed lists of those illegal activities with specifics such as time, location, and names of downloaded songs. It was not difficult for these companies to invade the privacy of their customers, because most sensitive information is exposed when a standard unprotected connection to the Internet is made.
November 02, 2006
Staff Editorial | Youth voter apathy a concern nationwide
Vassar is definitely a politically active campus. But when it comes to voting, Vassar students fall into the category that politicians and pundits alike love to criticize: the youth voter.
Eye On America | Iraq not yet ready for withdrawal of U.S. troops
Ross Weingarten
For years, those who object to the war in Iraq have been clamoring for the return of deployed American troops. It now seems that the time is fast approaching when they will get their wish.
Views On Vassar | Opening doors for each other more than just common courtesy
Tendai Musakwa
Vassar students open doors for each other at almost every entrance on campus. I watch in amazement as the huge All-Campus Dining Center (ACDC) door is propped open by a single female while 16 people enter, and then someone else takes over this temporary doormanship. As I head toward my next class, a boy in a t-shirt in the pouring rain holds the door for me. I am still 15 yards away and the chiming of the library bell signals that both of us are late.
Object Lessons | Securing reproductive rights begins with grassroots activism
Carolyn Bradley
Nothing passes for political sophistication on the left quite like the view that reversing Roe v. Wade would actually help the pro-choice position. Here’s how this counterintuitive theory goes: If the abortion issue were removed from the courts to the political arena, Republicans would be robbed of an abortion politics that amounts to little more than fiery rhetoric and token gestures.
New rules may strip Mug of character
Evan Casper-Futterman
There are some big changes happening at Matthew’s Mug, and it may not be the den of iniquity within the palace of hedonism that is Vassar for much longer. Alcohol withdrawn. On-site Aramark presence. Talk of profitability, and lack thereof. Rumors of renovation and revitalization. Rumors of an administrative agenda to strangle it into non-existence.
Letters to the Editor : Graduates can help reform education
Renovations to Matthew’s Mug on hold
Mike Alberti
Matthew’s Mug patrons looking to sip drinks in a newly remodeled setting will have to wait. Following the suspension of hard alcohol last semester in response to the Mug’s troubled finances, renovations originally planned for this past summer have now been delayed indefinitely, pending increases in funding.
Vassar gears up for Nov. 7 elections
Nadine Reitman
The 2006 midterm elections are just around the corner, and the Vassar College Democrats are ready to get everyone (including the candidates) pumped up. In the Nov. 7 elections, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are up for re-election, as are some local politicians.
Vassar hosts conference on diversity among faculty
Shahreen Saifi
In an effort to embrace different cultures and to reflect them in its academic courses, Vassar College is hosting this year’s conference for the Consortium of Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges (CFD) on Friday, Nov. 3.
