« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
October 26, 2007
New senior housing to be constructed
Brian Farkas
Vassar College will begin construction on new Town House units in the coming months. This new housing, which will accommodate approximately 50 students, will alleviate the pressure that will be placed on the College’s housing due to the renovation of Davison House.
Haverford considers smoking ban
Julianne Herts
Haverford College may soon prohibit smoking on its campus, a move which would make it the latest in a number of colleges to adopt a smoke-free environment.
Maria Mitchell Observatory undergoes renovation
Brian Farkas
Education students at Vassar will have a new home following a major renovation to the Maria Mitchell Observatory, which began the week of Oct. 15.
News Briefs
Mug half full after months of renovations
Hayley Tsukayama
After several delays and changes to the renovation plans, students returned to the dance floor at Matthew’s Mug on Oct. 22.
Local candidates accuse each other of misconduct
Elysia Glover
Town of Poughkeepsie Republican Chairman Tom Martinelli has filed a complaint with State elections officials against incumbent Democrat Supervisor Patricia Myers. Republicans are accusing Myers of failing to submit the required campaign donor information to election officials.
Staff Editorial | Carelessness causing bike program to backpedal
The Green Glance | Global warming must be battled through practice and policy
Nathan Zucker
Given its reputation for progressive thinking and social activism, it is time that Vassar becomes a leader in fighting what is without a doubt the most serious ecological crisis of the modern era.
Letters to the Editor | Injustice of Jena can't be ignored
Arboretum status: Trees well and blooming
Sarah Goetz
Since Matthew Vassar initiated plans for an arboretum in 1865, the College’s trees have been an essential feature of the campus.
Students, campus groups utilize October break
Alexandra Matthews
The promise of sleep and old friends keeps students sane when midterm week has them up to their eyeballs in papers and coffee from Matthew’s Bean. But many students this year chose to spend October Break not on the couch, but pursuing their regular commitments even more intensely with on-campus training, research or networking with students from other colleges.
Penetrating Questions | Columnist mouths off about safe oral sex
Jiná Ashline
"Is there any risk to oral sex, and do i really need to use protection when I eat my girlfriend out?
New group tackles clean water issues
Jasmine Brown
What are we doing to protect and ensure the safety of our water supply? H2O Action, a local campaign under the Vassar Greens, is working to provide an answer to that question.
Vassar Technology Today | There's something political about Mac and PC
Matthew Leung
During October break, the front page of Apple’s Web site featured a picture of Al Gore. A coincidence, some may say, but it seems reasonable to say that computing has a conservative versus liberal division similar to that of electoral politics.
NSO does the time warp with 'Rocky Horror'
Jackson Reeves
The 12th annual production of “Rocky Horror” at Vassar on Nov. 2 will feature a midnight screening of the 1975 film in Sanders Classroom. Student actors will simultaneously re-enact the movie in the auditorium.
New organization gives space, support to student art
Juliana Kiyan
For one week, residents of Josselyn House can forsake cell phones, instant messages and Facebook for a simpler form of communication with one another: two cups connected by taut string. Multiply this childhood communication device by several hundred and Strings Attached, a unique public art installation, is born. The installation, which will be on display from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4 in Josselyn, is the inaugural project of the new Vassar Public Art Committee (VPAC).
Local art gallery spotlights Hudson Valley works
Anita Varma
Couched between Marco’s Pizza and Sushi Village on Raymond Avenue is a little-known treat: the Arlington Art Gallery. An airy space with ample room for receptions and art openings, the gallery boasts a wide variety of paintings of the Hudson Valley and Hudson River.
Music Box | Radiohead
Mike Newmark
In Rainbows is bound to resonate with listeners, but not in the way you’d expect.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums: Set Fire to Flames
Mike Newmark
Mike Newmark spotlights an album from the past 15 years that has been neglected, maligned, or underappreciated.
Forsyth scores as a leader for women's soccer
Elizabeth Pacheco
From her central defensive position, Caitlin Forsyth has been a critical leader on the field as well as a source of constant guidance and support for all of her teammates.
Varsity weight room open
Joe Bubar
Vassar athletics has made another improvement, opening a new Varsity Athletics Weight Room in Kenyon Hall before October Break.
Sports Brief | Field Hockey team looks to end their fall season with a final win
Jessica Albert '09 goes to shoot as Catherine Twardy '08 shows support during the team's early season game against Smith College. The field hockey team will look to end their...Sports Briefs | Women's tennis captures their sixth state championship title
Elizabeth Pacheco
Once again, the women’s tennis team has made Vassar athletics history and by winning their sixth consecutive New York State Championship title.
Overtime | Jones disappoints with steroid use
Kyle Nelson
Last year I wrote a scathing critique of the media’s attack on Marion Jones. Well I was wrong, very wrong it seems. A couple of weeks ago, Jones admitted to having lied to a federal court about her steroid usage before her Sydney victories.
Backpage | Halloween 1907-2007: A Century of Hospital Visits
Pearl Stein '07 models the suffragette costume.Typhoid Mary spreads her disease.Locally grown candied beets....October 05, 2007
Freshmen Class Council takes office
Christine Vines
After 473 ballots were tallied for the Fall 2007 Vassar Student Association (VSA) elections, freshmen Joseph Martinez, Elizabeth Anderson, Charlie Kuder and Kwesi Sey were elected to the Class of 2011 Council.
Local voters, candidates ready for primary
Elysia Glover
Candidates across Dutchess County are gearing up for the final campaign push before voters take to the polls in the general election on Nov. 6.
State clears lab of animal abuse charges
Hayley Tsukayama
Health inspectors from the New York State Department cleared the Vassar College bird laboratory of any state law violations after conducting an investigation of Vassar’s animal care facilities last August.
Vassar women to attend computer conference
Brian Farkas
Six Computer Science students, accompanied by Assistant Professor of Computer Science Jennifer Walter and two alumnae, will attend one of the field’s most prestigious conferences for women in Orlando, Fla.
News Briefs
Class Issues Alliance hosts faculty panel
Brian Farkas | Christopher Doscher
When it comes to diversity, gender, race and sexual orientation are among the first categories that come to mind.On Oct. 3, the Class Issues Alliance attempted to bring social status to the forefront of people’s mind by holding a panel discussion entitled, Confronting Class Boundaries.
Staff Editorial | Security on campus should be a cooperative effort
While it is ultimately the responsibility of students to watch out for themselves and their neighbors, the College should aid students in their personal security needs.
The Green Glance | Meat consumption eats away at planet's resources
Nathan Zucker
Although ethical arguments against the slaughter of other species are a primary motivation for those who adopt vegetarianism, there are equally compelling reasons which justify a societal shift from animal to plant-based foods.
UN must intervene in Myanmar
Steve Keller
On the other side of the world is an oppressed nation of nearly 50 million people living under the iron fist of a military junta. Myanmar, formally known as Burma, is in the midst of crisis after twenty years of totalitarian rule. The inaction of the West and other free nations in dealing with these atrocities is inexcusaable.
Green Haven Prison Program expands
Stephanie Damon-Moore
The average Vassar classroom is accessed by crossing manicured lawns and through stately wooden doors, not past metal detectors and armed guards. But for Vassar students interested in crossing a different threshold to explore the criminal justice and witness the American prison system firsthand, prisons themselves become classrooms.
ACT OUT, QCVC: Come on out!
Sarah Siegel
ACT OUT and the Queer Coalition of Vassar College (QCVC) are organizing campus events intended to raise awareness of and discussion about GLBTQ issues during Coming Out Week.
Get passport without leaving campus
Acacia O'Connor
If you want to hop a plane tomorrow and travel to India, New Zealand or Peru, there’s nothing stopping you. Nothing, that is, except the want of a United States passport.
Gross to talk in person
Jackson Reeves
Terry Gross, Host of National Public Radio’s Peabody Award-winning talk show “Fresh Air,” will finally come to campus Oct. 4 after being unable to deliver the Class of 2007 Commencement Address in person.
Upcoming play a production of women born
Marcella Veneziale
“How does a woman play MacDuff or Macbeth?” This was the question on the mind of Gwen Ellis ’08, who plays the part of Macbeth in the drama department’s production of one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays. Taking a unique approach, the Experimental Theater of Vassar College will stage the play with an all-female cast.
Plays written by and for women flourish in Idlewild
Juliana Kiyan
Formed as a “safe haven” for female artists on campus, the new Idlewild Theatre Ensemble seeks to create more opportunities for women in theater.
FilmFest celebrates Vassar filmmakers
Juliana Kiyan
A torrid affair between a professor and a student. Challenges to abstinence-only sex education. Long Island clam diggers. These are some of the topics to be explored through the camera lens at the third annual Vassar FilmFest, a scholarship benefit presented by the Vassar Club of Washington, D.C.
Music Box | Le Loup
Mike Newmark
The first time I looked at Le Loup’s debut, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, I rolled my eyes.
Courtside | An interview with a squash star
Elizabeth Pacheco
For the seventh time, Vassar College is hosting the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) Class of 1932 Tournament. The six-day event, held from Oct. 1-6, attracts top-ranked international players including 30-year-old Rachel Grinham, the tournament’s first seed and the third-best player in the world.
Courtside with Jenny Duncalf and Natalie Grainger
Elizabeth Pacheco
During the Vassar College Class of 1932 WISPA Tournament, The Miscellany News talked with Natalie Grainger and Jenny Duncalf, the second and third seeds, respectively.
Amaechi to speak about sexuality and athletics
Jake Berzoff-Cohen
John Amaechi, the first openly homosexual professional basketball player, will be on campus on Monday, Oct. 8 to kick off Vassar’s Coming Out Week.
Sports Brief | Freshmen duo clinches ITA title to advance to the national tournament
Elizabeth Pacheco
This past weekend, Vassar athletics made history yet again when the men’s tennis team recorded their first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regional Championships title.
The College Court | Criticism of athletes shoud stay on field
Emma Carmichael
On Saturday, Sept. 22, the Cowboys, Oklahoma State University’s football team, took the field against the heavily favored Texas Tech University Red Raiders and came away with an impressive 49-45 win.
