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April 27, 2007
Vassar Cycling Club to host championship race
Elizabeth Pacheco
Even in a pack of cyclists battling to the finish line, the Vassar Cycling Club can be easily picked out from the crowd. Dressed in a fluorescent version of Vassar’s traditional pink and gray, the team stands apart from their opponents in both their uniforms and successes.
April 26, 2007
Vassar’s The Powder Kegs win radio contest
Mally Anderson
Last weekend, Vassar student band The Powder Kegs won the Prairie Home Companion radio show’s first annual People in their Twenties Talent Show in St. Paul, Minn. The six diverse finalists that competed were selected from over 700 entries, and won the chance to perform live on the radio show on Saturday, April 21. Over 11,000 listeners cast votes for their favorite band, who would win a $1,000 prize.
Russian futurist opera to be revived at Vassar
Liza Darwin
The Russian futurist opera “Victory Over the Sun,” first performed in 1913, will come to life at Vassar on Thursday, May 3. Rooted in the idea of transcending the visible world for a better one in the future, the opera plays with the concept of breaking down the monotony of past traditions and creating a new self.
Velvet Underground receives its own exhibit
Mike Newmark
The Velvet Underground—a serious contender for the greatest band of all time—embodied so many features of the late-’60s zeitgeist (sex, drugs, psychedelia, a mixture of apathy and anxiety) while simultaneously shunning them and defying easy pigeonholing.
Students present compositions
Rachel Pittenger
A variety of composers from the Vassar student body will demonstrate their musical talents in a concert on May 1. Pieces to be performed were all written by Vassar students in music department composition courses. A select group of musical compositions were chosen for the concert; they will be performed by student members of Vassar’s music community.
New spoof comedy Hot Fuzz offers wit, action
Matt Poland
As perhaps the sole opposer to 2004’s spoof-y cult classic, Shaun of the Dead, I entered into Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright’s follow-up burlesque of Hollywood action flicks, with a bit of trepidation.
Music Box | Mice Parade
Mike Newmark
“Post-rock” arguably stands as the most infuriating genre tag for musicians and the most convenient for music journalists. So far removed from Mojo magazine supremo Simon Reynolds’ original definition as rock that focuses on timbre and texture above all else, post-rock eventually served to classify bands that were deemed unclassifiable, from Labradford to Gastr del Sol to The Sea and Cake.
Just Coffee initiative supports grassroots fair trade
Sarah Siegel
Lately, students passing through the College Center have been flocking to a table with a simple grab: “Free Coffee.” Students in the Just Coffee initiative handed out free samples of the stuff last week in return for signatures on a petition seeking to replace Starbucks Coffee with Just Coffee at the Kiosk.
Convocation ceremony marks transition to new school year
Mike Alberti
Next Wednesday, seniors and professors will sport their robes, members of the Daisy chain will don their gowns, and the bell atop Main Building will ring all aftenoon. With Spring Convocation approaching, the year is drawing to a close.
RIAA guidelines target students for music downloads
Juliana Kiyan
Since 2003, colleges across the nation have been under pressure from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to crack down on students who use their network connection to illegally download music. During the past year, however, the RIAA has taken a more aggressive stance by targeting individuals who may share as few as four to five songs, along with those who make a large volume of copyright protected music available on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks. In light of the recording industry’s new tactics, Vassar is taking steps to educate and warn students about the risks of engaging in P2P file sharing.
Vassar Technology Today | RIAA lawsuits against peer-to-peer downloads cost us more than just cash
Matthew Leung
On Jan. 23, 2007 the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) registered for the domain name p2plawsuits.com. No one knew what they were up to with the new site until Feb. 28, when the RIAA posted a press release on its Web site, riaa.com, stating that it was launching “new initiatives” to address illegal music downloads by college students using peer-to-peer (P2P) clients such as Kazaa and Limewire.
Eye On America | Gonzales case indicates administration’s disregard for legal process
Ross Weingarten
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ congressional testimony concerning the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year has not received the full media attention that it deserves as of late. Gonzales’s refusal to admit wrongdoing is just the latest in a long line of political blunders by this administration, and one that proves just how arrogant and, at times, idiotic, the White House can be.
Off Topic, On Point | Walls indicative of Vassar’s attitude towards community
Evan Casper-Futterman
When hundreds of Vassar staff, faculty and students turned out one year ago for the Poughkeepsie May Day march down Main Street, there was a definite feeling of progress in Vassar-Poughkeepsie relations.
Rumors about Vassar becoming a dry campus prove to be fiction
Alan Neuhauser
So let’s get this straight: Dean of the College Judy Jackson does not want to make Vassar a dry campus.
Staff Editorial | Virginia Tech tragedy reminds us of support
Student-athlete misquoted about jocks at Vassar
Letters to the Editor | Blame for racial tension at Vassar misplaced
VSA announces elections results
Hayley Tsukayama
Vassarions, meet your incoming Vassar Student Association (VSA) Executive Board: President Sam Charner ’08, Vice President for Student Life Morgan Warners ’08, Vice President for Operations Summer’s-Grace Green ‘09, Vice President for Academics Jessica Cho ’08, Vice President for Activities James Kelly ’09, and Vice President for Finance Jessika Wong ’08.
College to consider need-blind admissions policy
Brian Farkas
The Board of Trustees will likely consider a move to a need-blind admissions policy at its next meeting, scheduled for May 10–12. Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid David Borus said that he is confident “that this is one of the many issues that they will be considering.”
Student loan troubles escalate to federal level
Katie Paul
The student loan controversy went federal on Tuesday, April 24, when Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the formation of a task force that will examine “key lender issues” amidst the recent onslaught of allegations, multimillion-dollar settlements, and—this week, for the first time—a lawsuit.
News Briefs
Dorm fires spark security concern, investigation
Juliana Kiyan
Following the discoveries of burned materials in Noyes and Strong Houses this semester, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police and Arlington County Fire Department are conducting an investigation of both incidents. Buildings and Grounds and Security are also taking measures to educate students about fire safety and awareness.
“Keep Vassar Weird” campaign fights shift to mainstream
Shahreen Saifi
Vassar students tend to take pride in the liberal atmosphere and the tolerant environment that are associated with the College. “Vassar is a comfortable respite for indie-chic students who revel in obscurity,” one student declared to the Princeton Review, which posts the comment on its Web site to describe the school. However, some students allege that the Vassar administration is now downplaying the school’s offbeat personality.
