« February 18, 2007 - February 24, 2007 | Main | March 25, 2007 - March 31, 2007 »
March 01, 2007
Weekly Calendar 3/2-3/9
Backpage
Spring sports set to start their seasons
Emma Carmichael
Even in the midst of snowstorms, Vassar spring sports teams are gearing up for their upcoming seasons.
Uphill season for downhill ski team
Sports Briefs
VRDT celebrates 25 years at Bardavon
Audrey Tempelsman
For 138 years, myriad dance legends and other performing artists have leapt across the small stage of the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, located at 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie. For the past 25 years, the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) has maintained its place in the Bardavon’s rich history.
Well-versed Australian poet to read original works
Liza Darwin
Prominent Australian poet Les Murray will host a reading of his works on Tuesday, March 6. His poetry, described by The New Yorker as “working-class lyricism,” has received worldwide acclaim and awards.
DJ Rekha mixes it up with lecture on bhangra in U.S.
Lauren Sutherland
Bhangra, a form of traditional Indian song and dance that originated in harvest festivals in the Punjabi region of India, has found a home in a radically different—but no less celebratory—setting.
Letters from Iwo Jima a rare, haunting war film triumph
Matthew Poland
François Truffaut once famously argued that it is impossible to make a successful anti-war film, because by its very nature cinema renders violence an exciting spectacle. Few films produced in the 40-year interval since his claim have done anything to challenge it.
Music Box | Explosions in the Sky
Mike Newmark
There was a moment during All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone that truly scared me. It came in the middle of the 13-and-a-half-minute “It’s Natural to be Afraid,” where two guitars quietly and comfortably meander in three-fourth time.
Spring Break Arts Calendar
College drafting plan for possible pandemic
Sarah Siegel
When Betsy Wieand ’08, along with her fellow health interns, along with campus Emergency Medical Technicians were presented with the College’s plans for a possible flu pandemic, their party favor was neither the ubiquitous free pizza nor Nilda’s baked goods: it was hand sanitizer.
NSO adds comics events to NonCon
Weintana Abraha
It’s that time of the year again: The College Center is abuzz with video games, card tournaments, and game enthusiasts of all ages.
Two Broads Abroad | U.S. tourists prompt humbling experience
Acacia O'Connor
After five semesters of Italian language classes and two trips to Italy, I had accumulated a certain amount of pride in my ability to function as a student and not solely as a tourist.
Pastry Garden takes the cake
Emma Epstein
I discovered The Pastry Garden while searching for a friend’s birthday cake, and I almost wish I hadn’t, because I haven’t been able to stop going back.
Vassar Technology Today | Overdependence on bandwith is a disaster waiting to happen
Matthew Leung
Our complaints about the slowness of bandwidth at Vassar are like our complaints about congestion on the highway: During rush hour, the demand for roadway seems unlimited. But on the entire global scope of bandwidth usage, the availability of bandwidth is actually meeting, if not surpassing, the demand.
Has Vassar College gone to the dogs?
Staff Editorial | College designation of gender-neutral bathrooms laudable
If you do not identify with your biological sex, which bathroom do you choose? Men’s room? Women’s room?
Eye On America | Prince Harry’s deployment highlights hypocrisy of politicians
Ross Weingarten
Imagine receiving the order that within weeks, you will be sent to Iraq to join the war. Imagine knowing that you and your friends will soon be involved in an an incredibly unpopular war, and that in a short time you will be surrounded by heavily-armed enemies who want to make your life as hard as possible.
Views On Vassar | Students should be given full control over transcript access
Tendai Musakwa
How would you like it if every single administrator on campus could access your academic records? Or if the Office of Residential Life and the Learning and Teaching Center were to contact you to discuss ways to change your lifestyle in order to raise your gpa?
Opposition to Iraq war shows selfishness of American citizens
Christopher Binetti
In a recent Democratic Party primary debate, Congressman Dennis Kucinich stated that the common claim that President Bush deceived the American public was not true. When the debate on the Iraq invasion began to intensify in the fall of 2002, the President did not postulate a good enough reason to go to war.
Off Topic, On Point | Obama may not bring the change we desire
Evan Casper-Futterman
Two Facebook groups have probably appeared on your news feed recently: “One Million Strong for Barack Obama” and “America for Barack Obama.” So, is Barack your friend on Facebook?
Vassar fundraising tops $50 million
Shahreen Saifi
It was a record-breaking year of fundraising for Vassar, among many schools. According to the Council for Aid to Education (CAE), Vassar raised $34,337,585, but including gifts and pledges, Vassar’s total fundraising for the year was approximately $50 million.
VSA to initiate faculty evalutations
Danielle Laberge
The Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council passed the Professor Review Resolution to create a forum for faculty evaluation at its Feb. 25 meeting. The idea sprang from the former AskStudents database, which was dismantled by the administration over concerns of unfair grades and inappropriate comments.
Ongoing sewage troubles shut down the Mug
Brian Farkas
After a series of sewage leaks in Matthew’s Mug, the campus bar has been shut down until extensive repairs can be made.
ACT OUT demonstrates in Retreat
Stephen Cheng
ACT OUT, the student activist group that protested the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in New York City during the Fall 2006 semester, held a silent vigil and fundraiser in the Retreat on Feb. 22.
Rutgers awarded $3 million for federal social monitoring project
Hayley Tsukayama
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, a $3 million grant this week to study patterns in online social networking, part of a four-university collaborative program begun this past summer.
News Briefs | Security
ALANA bulletin board vandalized
Audrey Tempelsman
Last week, students discovered black ink scrawled over the announcement board of the African American/Black, Latino, Asian/Asian American, Native American (ALANA) Center, Vassar’s primary resource for students of color.
