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February 15, 2007
Weekly Calendar 2/16-2/23
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Men’s swimmers and divers are a splashing success
Emma Carmichael
The Vassar College men’s swimming and diving team made program history at home last Saturday, Feb. 10 when they captured their first-ever Sprint Invitational victory with a 59-point lead over second-place Skidmore College.
Athlete of the Week | Bisignano, Upham are all-stars on the strip
Elizabeth Pacheco
Coming off of their most successful season in years, Vassar’s men and women’s fencing teams are highly anticipating the New England Championships. With the tournament less than two weeks away, players are honing their skills on the strip in hopes of continuing their dominance over opponents.
National Sports Brief | Super Bowl loser’s apparel finds suprising home
Elizabeth Pacheco
At the end of Super Bowl XLI, when the Indianapolis Colts’ victory had become reality and Peyton Manning had finally achieved his redemptive win, a sea of emotion and coveted championship merchandise flooded Dolphins Stadium in South Florida.
Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos Visit Vassar
Schechner to lecture on experimental performance
Liza Darwin
Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (NYU) Professor of Performance Studies Richard Schechner will give a lecture on “American Experimental Performance: Histories, Functions, Prospects.”
An Interview with Oneida
Oneida (pronounced “oh-NYE-duh”) has been a difficult band to pigeonhole, which is precisely what makes listening to them so rewarding. They mix genres as though no differences exist between them, and they’re supremely confident spinning off in any number of directions. Their latest album, Happy New Year, was released in July 2006 to critical acclaim.
Music Box | Deerhunter
Mike Newmark
Maybe this will damage my credibility as a music journalist, but I believe that the best music can’t be described in words. I admire artists who have been able to elevate their music above language, and the albums most dear to me have rendered me dumb and hopeless to explain their power.
V-Week at Vassar
Emma Epstein
Lauren Sutherland
Baize Buzan ’10’s eyes do not stray far from the page in front of her as she delivers the somber, almost deadpan meditation on war and compassion that concludes this year’s production of “The Vagina Monologues.”
Two Broads Abroad | Reunion in Italy full of mishaps, saved by Nutella
Part of going JYA, especially in Europe, is traveling, or as the British call it, “going on holiday.” The countries are so close together and the flights are so cheap that hey, you might as well rack up a few more passport stamps.
Vassar Technology Today |Technology history repeats itself in recent news
Matthew Leung
Over the course of the history of modern technology, there were some notable events, organizations, and laws popularized by either their novelty or potential threat. But in the last couple of weeks, news in the technology sector seems to have reflected some of these well-known events in funhouse-mirror style.
On The Job | From Mr. Vassar to Mr. Teacher
Mike Alberti
During the weekend of Mr. Vassar, former competition winner Phil Clark ’05 returned to Vassar to speak to students and recruit for Teach For America (TFA), the non-profit organization he has worked for since graduating from Vassar.
Prepare for a Zombie invasion
Andrew Birkhead
You may have noticed students over the past week wearing bandanas, shooting NERF guns and cursing aloud. Don’t be afraid, it’s only the Apocalypse. That’s right, zombies have taken hold of our campus.
Author, radio personality Sarah Vowell to deliver Alex Kreiger ’95 lecture
Sarah Siegel
After lending her voice to animated film, radio shows, and numerous books, writer and humorist Sarah Vowell will be giving the Alex Krieger ’95 Memorial Lecture Thursday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Students’ Building.
Betty Francis: Mug Gatekeeper
Jackson Reeves
Everybody knows Betty Francis: She is the sentinel of the renowned Matthew’s Mug and a campus celebrity. She showcased this popularity at last weekend’s annual Mr. Vassar competition, where she served as judge for her fourth year in a row.
Staff Editorial |Successful All College Day Mural requires respectful dialogue
For the past six years, the All College Day Mural has provided an open forum for the Vassar community to post opinions on any issue. The theme of All College Day 2007 is “Building Community at Vassar: What’s Next?” and the mural should serve as a space to discuss ways in which to strengthen our community.
Eye On America | Radical changes needed to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine
Ross Weingarten
Last week, leaders from the two sects of Palestinian leadership met in the holy city of Mecca to try to broker a peace agreement between the two groups.
Views On Vassar | Haiti Project a role model for international charity
Tendai Musakwa
Are we the self-involved, ignorant students that some people assert we are, or are we more in touch with the communities around us than people give us credit for?
Off Topic, On Point | Mr. Vassar prompts examination of group decisions
Evan Casper-Futterman
A friend of mine recently sent out an e-mail in which she expressed her desire to be nominated for Mr. Vassar. Ultimately, it seems she didn’t get enough votes, and her candidacy ended before it really began.
Society’s perceptions of the male body: A heavy weight to carry
Susannah Plocher
The other evening, hoping to beat the rush, I bundled my lazy self up and headed over to the gym. It was after 8 p.m. at this point, so I figured that not many people would be there. Though I was right in guessing that few people would be there, I was amazed at the gender divide of those who were: Of the 20 or so people there, only three were women, myself included.
Letters to the Editor | VSA adds Vice President for Student Life
The Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council is currently considering an amendment to the VSA Constitution that would add a sixth member to the VSA Executive Board: a Vice President for Student Life.
SAAC to adopt new drug testing policy
Audrey Tempelsman
On Feb. 19, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will vote on the “Drug Testing and Education Program,” a policy that would empower the Vassar Athletics Department to test student-athletes for drugs.
VSA adds new position to Exec Board, renames other posts “VPs”
Brian Farkas
The Vassar Student Association (VSA) introduced a major amendment to its Constitution at its Feb. 11 meeting, altering Article IV to create a brand new sixth Executive Board position: the Vice President for Student Life.
Blackboard, Inc. combats criticism of patents policy
Shahreen Saifi
In response to months of criticism that its legal policies were squashing educational software development, Blackboard, Inc. pledged on Feb. 1 that it would not assert patent rights on open-source projects or homegrown software.
University of Chicago votes against Sudan divestments
Hayley Tsukayama
Breaking with many of its peer institutions, the University of Chicago announced on Friday, Feb. 2 that it will not divest from companies linked to the Sudanese government.
Harvard names first female president
Anita Varma
While the nation muses over whether Hillary Clinton will be the first female president of the United States, Harvard University has appointed its first female president. Harvard University President-elect Drew Gilpin Faust was selected on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Alum Vera Rubin receives award for achievements in astrophysics
Stephen Cheung
Dr. Vera Cooper Rubin was named the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award for 2007. As such she delivered a lecture entitled “How I Left Vassar and Found Dark Matter: Reflections on Vassar and Astronomy,” in Sanders Auditorium at 3:30 p.m., on Feb. 8, at an event hosted by the Alumnae and Alumni Association of Vassar College (AAVC).
Comments at Mr. Vassar contest spark controversy
Stephen Cheung
The Mr. Vassar competition on Feb. 10 raised some eyebrows when contestant Austin Clark ’08 cracked jokes about Asians during one of the judged events in which contestants modeled handmade loincloths and then described the production process using a slideshow.
News Briefs
Initiative will bring Bronx high school students to Vassar
Brian Farkas
A partnership between Vassar College and the Columbus Institute for Math and Science (CIMS) is marking its fourth anniversary with an initiative to introduce inner-city students to the possibility of higher education and bring the entire freshman class of CIMS to Vassar.
