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PHOENIX fDECEMBE^!^OO^^HTcAMPUsT<Em A revival of the College Republicans broadens the college's political landscape. v j *% # * Ten unique performances graced me stage of the Lang Performing Arts Center this past Saturday at the Fall Student Dance Concert, p. 17. Garnef badminton gets close, but not close enough, to beating Drexel University in its first game of me season, losing by one match, p. 26. Four more students are tracked and targeted by the RIAA for engaging in in illegal file sharing, primarily through Lime Wire. p. 6.
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13PHOENIX I PHOENIX.SWARTHMORE.EDU EDITORIAL BOARD lan Karett Editor in Chief Jack Keefe Managing Editor Maria Khim News Editor Kaitlin Kyi News Editor Elena Chopyak Assistant News Editor Tiffany Liao Living & Arts Editor Alex Ho Assistant Living & Arts Editor Lena Wong Opinions Editor Genevra Pittman Sports Editor David Burgy Chief Copy Editor Maryanne Tomazic Chief Copy Editor Loretta Gary Photo Editor Cheryl Tse Photo Editor Andrew LeClair Webmaster STAFF Apolline Berty Reporter Melissa Cruz Reporter Ramya Gopal Reporter Rosa Kim Reporter Rosario Paz Reporter Sarah Peterson Reporter Ylngjia Wang Reporter Sunny Coweil Living & Arts Writer Liana Katz Living & Arts Writer Julian Chender Living & Arts Columnist George Dahl Living & Arts Columnist Adam Dalva Living & Arts Columnist Nick Gaw Living & Arts Columnist Joe Grimm Living & Arts Columnist Meagan Hu Living & Arts Columnist Marshall Morales Living & Arts Columnist Aakash Suchak Living & Arts Columnist Rachel Sugar Living & Arts Columnist Rory Sykes Living & Arts Columnist Abigail Graber Movie Critic Sophie Horowitz Living & Arts Artist Alyssa Work Living & Arts Artist Josh Cohen Opinions Columnist Yoshi Johnson Opinions Columnist Lauren Mendoza Opinions Columnist Rasa Petrauskaite Opinions Columnist Joel Swanson Opinions Columnist Brendan Work Opinions Columnist Sam Goodman Op-Artist Meredith Leich Op-Artist Ben Cronin Sports Columnist Kevin Friedenberg Sports Columnist Philip Lee Sports Columnist Andrew Quinton Sports Columnist Martha Marrazza Copy Editor Y'mgjia Wang Copy Editor Alyssa Work Copy Editor Clare Kobasa Photographer Katherine Koch Photogapher Eric Loul Photographer Yimei Zou Photographer Meghan Downie Staff Artist BUSINESS STAFF Kyle Skolfield Circulation Manager CONTRIBUTORS Josh Abel, Caitlin Adams, Abraham Bae, Matt Bleiman, Sarah Bricault, Esther Burson, Conor Casey, Han Youl Cho, Alexandra Israel, Laura Keeler, Joan Kim, Anagha Krishnan, Efisa Lopez, Chenge Mahomva, Robert Manduca, Greta Pittenger, Mary Prager, Julissa Ventura, Anna Zaiokostas, Zheng Zheng TO ADVERTISE: E-mait: phoenix_ads@swarthmore.edu Advertising phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to lan Yarett. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change. CONTACT INFORMATION Offices: Parrish Hail 470-472 E-mait: phoenix@swarthmore.edu Newsroom phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Mail subscriptions are available for $5O a year or $25 a semester. Direct subscription requests to Kyle Skolfield. The Phoenix is printed at the Delaware County Daily Times in Primos, Pa. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. All contents copyright © 2007 The Phoenix. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. Bravo, bravo! Katherine Koch Phoenix Staff The Swarthmore College Chorus, directed by associate professor of music John Alston, performed Benjamin Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb," the "Ceremony of Carols," and Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Pslams" last Sunday. See story, p. 13. Come out, come out wherever you are... In the interests of engaging the political landscape on campus, two students reorganize the College Republicans and attract interest from the left and the right. Cover art: Meghan Downie Phoenix Staff Corner photo: Robert Manduca for The Phoenix 5 No longer the Weathermen Swarthmore's branch of Students for a Democratic Society engages in activism, protesting the School of the Americas and planning counter-recruitment efforts. 7 I want to meet the Vatican's top exorcist Biology professor Scott Gilbert discusses bioethics at the Vatican at a conference hosted by the Legion of Christ and the Pontifical Academy of Life. Living & Arts IS The first day of Xmas, DU gave to me... Delta Upsilon brothers and Willets residents pledge to help needy families during the winter holiday season. Id Can I sue him for child support? Alex Ho interviews Douglas Chang 'B4 on his first non-documentary film, "Absent Father," which explores the dark narrative of a teen impregnated by God. 21 I blame this all on TV, drugs and Derrida The perception of an increasingly conservative-religious youth population proves false, says Joel Swanson. 22 Insert psuedometa-hypocrisy reference here Brendan Work argues that aversion toward hypocrisy is sometimes unnecessary, and that engaging in hypocrisy can, at times, even produce some good. 25 Don't cry for me, Argentina- Sports editor Jenny Pittman gives her fond farewell to The Phoenix, reminiscing about her favorite tomboy Swat moments. For the story "Two alumni awarded prestigious Rhodes scholarship" in last week's issue, The Phoenix received incorrect information as to who was the first female Rhodes Scholar to come from the college. That was in fact Jane Elizabeth Stromseth '7B, who entered for economics. Other female Rhodes Scholars have included Melissa Ward Burch 'Bl for biology, Janice Hudgings '9l for engineering/mathematics and Rebecca A. Brubaker 'O6 for political science. So far, 28 Swarthmore students have received the honor. Editor's Picks graphics courtesy of: Jon Peters, Lily Ng, www.artcentergallery.com and www.gabrielteas.com.
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News Extended McCabe hours a reality for next semester BY ELENA CHOPYAK echopyal@swarthmore. edu After gauging student interest and working with administrators, Student Council members announced that McCabe Library will have extended hours next semester. McCabe will be open from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. on Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Fridays, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m. on Sundays. Additionally, weekend hours at Underhill Music Library will now match those at Cornell Science and Engineering Library. After considering student suggestions and conducting a student survey, Student Council entered discussions with the administration to enact the change. "The original impetus came from the suggestion box," said Sam Asarnow 'OB, Student Council Vice President. "I think that we followed through, from suggestion box to realization."The recent push for more hours is not the first attempt at extending library hours. According to College Librarian Peggy Seiden, a McCabe survey was conducted in the beginning of this decade that demonstrated a student inclination for longer hours. However, at the time, there was less interest on behalf of the administration to execute the change. Student Council President Peter Gardner 'OB said that the administration supported the Council's proposed changes. Gardner said that, due to scheduling conflicts, the biggest challenge was actually bringing administrators, librarians and Student Council members together. "The process was very quick because we had excellent data that [showed] there was broad support," Asarnow said. Seiden, an integral player in the recent change, conducted research on library hours at other colleges similar to Swarthmore, such as Reed College, Wesleyan University, Amherst College and Carleton College. "We are open fewer hours than our peer institutions," Seiden said. Reed's main library is open 120.5 hours per week, Wesleyan's for 111 hours, Amherst's for 110 hours and Carleton for 116 hours per week. Currently, McCabe is open for a relatively low-end 102.5 hours per week. The financial impact of the extended hours is relatively small. Seiden said that powering the electricity in McCabe costs around ten dollars an hour. However, McCabe's lights already remain on throughout the night so that Environmental Services can work once library patrons leave. Additionally, the heat never shuts off completely in McCabe, but cycles on varying temperatures throughout the day. Seiden said that McCabe will require an additional 18 hours of student work and five hours of staff work per week. "We're going to absorb [the cost] in the existing budget for the trial period, but I will be asking for the additional funds for the additional hours," Seiden said. Seiden estimated that the additional wage costs will total approximately $3,300 annually out of the library's $3 million budget. Student Council discussed the pros and cons of extending library hours with Dean of the College Jim Larimore and Seiden, Asarnow said. "I think that both Jim and Peggy understand that this is the status quo at our competitors' [schools]," Asarnow said. Asarnow and Gardner considered McCabe's multi-functionality as a library, study space and social center. "The fact that we don't have a student center space means that McCabe functions as a work and social place that has a deeper significance to students," Gardner said. Asarnow also noted McCabe's unique library resources and numerous public computers as additional reasons for keeping the library open longer so that students may have access to these services. According to Asarnow and Gardner, next semester will function as a long trial period for the changes. "We definitely want to have a way of checking to see if this is a good idea," Asarnow said. "We are constantly assessing and reassessing," Gardner said. Asarnow and Gardner both plan on maximizing their use of McCabe by remaining in the library until 2 a.m. However, their plans for reform are not quite finished. "We're very interested in changing the buzzer," Gardner said. Beginning next semester, students will enjoy longer McCabe hours at a minimal expense to the college College Republican revival to broaden campus political spectrum BY MARY PRAGER mpragerl@swarthmore.edu "There's this assumption on campus that everyone shares the same liberal perspective." Sam Griggs 'll The Swarthmore chapter of the College Republicans is in the process of being revived this year in an attempt to broaden the spectrum of political perspectives represented on campus. So far, the College Republicans have had two meetings, a You Tube Debate watching party, as well as an informational meeting in early December. The turnout at the meetings suggests that the College Republicans may be experiencing their biggest comeback in 14 years, after formal meetings stopped being held last year. According to Justin Shaffer 'OB and David Pupkin 'O9, the leaders of the College Republicans, the group began planning the revival in September. So far, they are in the brainstorming stage and don't have any concrete plans to report. Shaffer and Pupkin declined further comment. Vice President Maurice Eldridge '6l met with the leaders in late November. He said there are no concrete plans for the Republicans, but he said that the administration is receptive to possible ideas. "We're open, we're responsive; we hope the other agencies on campus will be responsive too," Eldridge said. "I think diversity of perspectives and views is important for all of us, and I myself am sort of resistant to absolute labels I think it's very misleading, especially in this place." Two first-year College Republicans share Eldridge's sentiment. "I was under the impression that there were both groups [Democrats and Republicans] on campus. I understood that the Republican group was probably going to be a smaller one, but I was surprised that it was completely nonexistent," Kate Walton 'll said. Walton first found out about the College Republicans at the You Tube Debate party, and signed up for the mailing list. Some hope that the comeback of the College Republicans will contribute to a more balanced political scene at Swarthmore. "I came to Swat expecting a bit more moderate political views on campus. It seems like discussions are onesided," Sam Griggs 'll said. According to an "Enrolled Student Survey" conducted by Institutional Research at Swarthmore College, of the 81 percent of students that are registered voters, 17 percent of students identified themselves as "far left" in their political ideology and six 58 percent of students identified themselves as "liberal." Twenty percent called themselves "middle" in their political ideology and six percent self-identified as "conservative." Zero percent called their political ideology "far right." With the majority of students being sharing nonconservative viewpoints, the revival of the College Republicans gives moderates and conservatives a forum to express their political views. "It's nice to have a place where you're not constantly being attacked for your opinions and [not] always having to be on the defensive for your political views," Walton said. "When you do introduce any conservative point of view, it's almost immediately refuted because people don't take it under consideration." "There's this assumption on campus that everyone shares the same liberal perspective," Griggs said. "The degree of diversity of opinion is really how liberal you are." If the defiling of College Republican posters is any indication, the new club may face some opposition from the student body. Walton said that a poster in the basem*nt of her dorm had been defaced within a brief period of time. While defiling had been done with a humorous slant, Walton pointed out that had it would mostly likely not have happened for the poster of another political group. The College Democrats, however, are extremely positive about the revival. "The Republicans on campus felt like they wanted a group and they wanted to get some political debate on campus," said president of the College Democrats Daniel Leigh 'O9. "I think that sometimes Swat can lack political diversity. There are a lot of issues we can talk about and discussions we can have and the College Republicans can really facilitate that." Professor of Political Science Richard Valelly '75 emphasized the importance of political diversity on campus. "I think it's important for students to be politically active on both sides of the political spectrum," Valelly said. According to Valelly, the College Republicans were very active in the 1993-94 academic year, with five or six energetic students organizing events and a speaker series featuring big-name conservative figures."This caused a bit of a buzz," Valelly said, especially among the faculty. It was at this time that the American flag came to be flown atop Parrish, Valelly said. After that academic year, the club seemed to peter out, likely as a reaction to the election of President Bill Clinton and the unified Democratic control of the government. Valelly predicts that the 'OB elections will inspire the strengthening of the Republican party, and that students, regardless of political orientation, will find the club's revival interesting and worthwhile. "I hope the College Republicans grow, I really do, I think it's good for the college, it's good for the students," he said. With respect to the upcoming elections, the College Republicans and Democrats will likely be working together to involve Swat students in discussion and debate. "We look forward to doing civic engagement and working with the College Republicans," Leigh said. With regard to the republicans on campus, Griggs said, "We're not the people who read Ann Coulter we do read her for fun, but we laugh at her too." phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 3
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Plan B now available at Worth Health Center BY APOLLINE BERTY abertyl@swarthmore.edu Beth Kotarski, the new director of Worth Health Center, has worked to make the emergency contraception method called Plan B, also known as the "morning after pill," available to Swarthmore students through Worth. Plan B, described as a "second chance" on the Plan B Web site, is up to 89 percent effective at reducing the risk of pregnancy and can be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse, though its effectiveness is greater when used earlier.Kotarski explains that the product has been on the market for the past five or six years. "Since my main discipline is reproductive health, I was a little surprised that it wasn't here yet," Kotarski said. "I think the reproductive services here have a full offering which is impressive for such a small college. So I see my role in the next year or so as just kind of tweaking those offerings and just making sure that we always stay on pace with other colleges and the latest offerings." According to the McKinley Health Center of University of Illinois Web site, "Plan B works through delaying or preventing ovulation, by interfering with fertilization (inhibiting the movement of the egg or the sperm through the fallopian tube), and may inhibit implantation by altering the lining of the uterus. It is not effective if the process of implantation has begun." Before Plan B became available at the health center, Worth offered a combination of birth control pills in high doses for emergency contraception. This, Kotarski explained, would provide an amount of progesterone comparable to the amount found in Plan B, but also a high dose of estrogen. "The reason people got very sick with the older method was because it had high doses of estrogen ... but Plan B is just progesterone, and some women are sensitive to it, so they can experience nausea, but it's not nearly in the numbers that the older method was," Kotarski said. "Thus it's more effective because women can keep it down long enough for it to work." The possible side effects, though rare, include nausea, cramps, menstrual changes, dizziness, breast tenderness, diarrhea and moodiness. However, Kotarski said, "Plan B should not make you sick." "I'm a great believer in a woman's right for choice and I think it's being offered in an appropriate way. It's not being proselytized, but it is being offered for women who choose that," Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal said. The Plan B pills are now available at the health center for use in emergencies. "They just come in and are interviewed by the nurse who's here, and it's dispensed right here," Kotarski said. The college purchases Plan B for $3l a dose and sells it to students for $l5, absorbing almost half the cost. Kotarski explains that surrounding pharmacies also have it, but at a higher price, about $4O. "I've checked at Genuardi's, Target, they all have it. It's just that it's certainly more expensive," Kotarski said. There are, however, some concerns about making Plan B available, such as that it might detract from students' use of other contraceptive devices. "The studies have never borne that having emergency contraception readily available is going to make women less likely to use another, more effective method," Kotarski said. Plan B should not be used as a replacement for other forms of contraception. "The only thing that comes up [regarding Plan B] as a Sexual Health Counselor is don't use Plan B as regular birth control: it's only for emergencies," Sexual Health Councilor Mark Duglash 'OB said. Kotarski explains that though its rate of effectiveness is higher than the previous "morning after" method offered at Worth Health Center, it is still less effective than condoms, the pill or other more common forms of birth control. "[Plan B] lowers in effectiveness if used too often, thus the title 'emergency,'" Kotarski said, "but we would never prevent a woman who needs it on a monthly basis from taking it. We would just wonder [if she needs] better counseling or control methods because it's not as effective if it's used monthly." Westphal believes that the new method has been presented in a very considerate fashion. "I appreciate the way it's being publicized, because it's not in the face of people who disagree with that method, so I think it's being handled sensitively," Westphal said. As for future plans concerning the center, Kotarski said that college health centers have lost their status as clinics, preventing them from having access to less expensive birth control from the manufacturers. "So, in other words, if it's $4l for a pack of pills, that's what we have to pay," Kotarksi said. As a result, WHC is switching their birth control pills to ones on the generic label in order to save money. "They're just as effective, just as good," Kotarski said. Dluglash saw the new additions to WHC as a sign of the health center's commitment to adapting to change. "I think Worth is great, I think Beth is great, I think we're moving up with the times," Dlugash said. Elisa Lopez for The Phoenix Worth Health Center recently acquisitioned Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, which is being offered for $l5 a dose. NEWS IN BRIEF Student Council deals problems with online ballot, candidates find inventive ways to spread their message "This is the first time a candidaate has used an Internet video and people have actually watched." Romane Paul Student Council Vice-President Candidate Complications in the setup of the online ballot led Student Council to make modifications and restart the election a few hours after it initially began. The online site campus-vote.com was also used for last semester's election, but miscommunications when setting up the ballot this semester led to a lack of the "None of the Above" and "No Preference" options on the ballot. Student Council Vice-President Sam Asarnow 'OB said that the problem was quickly discovered and resolved. "A number of students e-mailed us to inform us of the problem," said Asarnow. "We had to contact campus-vote.com and they were fabulous. They were really helpful and agreed to redo the ballot for a very small fee." However, Student Council had to appeal to the Student Budget Committee for the necessary supplementary funds. "We asked them for funding, and they agreed without any problems," Asarnow said. ITS is paying for the elections this semester and next semester to ease the transition period from ITS-controlled elections to third-party-controlled elections.The Student Council and Student Budget Committee will only have to pay for the cost of redoing the ballot. Vice- Presidential candidate Romane Paul 'lO was disappointed that the mistake may have confused voters. "Swarthmore students are busy and can't always read through long e-mails completely and some who already voted may have gotten confused," he said. Despite his frustration, Paul said that he is comfortable with the election process. In addition to its use for running the elections, the Internet has also provided candidates with a means for communicating with the student body. Paul decided to use You Tube and Facebook as core parts of his election campaign. Paul believes that the Internet is a great way to express his views on issues that cannot be fully expressed during minute long speeches at debates. The result has been very positive. "295 people have watched the [YouTube] video, which was significant,"significant," Paul said. "This is the first time a candidate has used an Internet video and people have actually watched." Overall, the Student Council is very happy with the new online ballots. "We got feedback about the benefits of online voting for students abroad and students who do not eat at Sharpies," said Student Council President Peter Gardner 'OB. "We are very satisfied with the system."Campus-vote.com is a third-party system, so it is more difficult to hack, and they also send out e-mails and reminders to students who have not voted. "It is well worth the price," Gardner said. The revised online voting.took place from Sunday, Pec. 2 to Tuesday, Dec. 4 and voting in Sharpies was held Wednesday Dec. 5 and will continue today. Results will be announced by e-mail no later than 11:59 p.m. tonight. By Matt Bleiman News phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 4
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A recently revived SDS gets involved nationally, regionally BY YINGJIA WANG ywangl@swarthmore.edu Swarthmore's chapter attended a protest at the School of Americas and will campaign against recruitment This is something close to home that we can hope to achieve ... This is a way to deal with the effects of war that is happening in communities around us." Markus Schlotterbeck 'ID SDS Member "We talked a lot about the national SDS and what they're doing. I think they agreed on some points of unity for the Northeast as a region." Anna Kastner 'OB SDS Member Since its revival earlier this year, Swarthmore's Students for a Democratic Society has hit the ground running. Notably, the group has attended a recent protest at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, which is better known by its former name, the School of the Americas, and has actively networked with SDS groups from area schools. A counter-army recruitment campaign is also in the works for next semester. Ten students from the college, the majority of whom were SDS members, attended the Vigil to Close the School of the Americas over the weekend of Nov. 16 in Fort Benning, GA, where SOA is located. According to School of the Americas Watch's Web site, the weekend included speakers such as U.S. presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich and well-known human rights activist Adriana Portillo Bartow. SOA is a United States Department of Defense facility operated military training institute for Latin American military leaders. Perhaps one of the Department of Defense's most controversial projects, the SOA is accused of training its students in methods that violate international human rights laws accusations that have been bolstered by select alumni who later became known for their atrocious human rights abuses. Two SDS members who attended the protest, Anna Kastner 'OB and Markus Schlotterbeck 'lO, felt that it was important for SDS to be present at the protest. "It's a cause that I always thought was important, and I also think that it's for a cause that is achievable. I know last year there was a bill in Congress to close down the School of the Americas that came incredibly close to passing. So I feel that at the national level there is a lot of support for shutting down the School of the Americas, so this is an important year to push for that," Kastner said. "I felt like I was participating in at least raising awareness in U.S. involvement in training soldiers who are the leaders and members of paramilitary group and death squads in South America. It's a very clear example of U.S. foreign policy that is contrary to standards of human rights and contrary to the values that the U.S. espouses," Schlotterbeck said. In addition to the SOA protest, Swarthmore SDS has also been active in regional SDS activities. Just this past weekend, members attended the Northeast Regional SDS convention in Philadelphia. Once the national SDS completes a census, the group will know more about the numbers and activities of other SDS chapters. "We talked a lot about the national SDS and what they're doing. I think they agreed on some points of unity for the Northeast as a region. Our chapter of SDS will be receiving a ballot of sorts where we can have input on what the national SDS is doing," Kastner said. "We also got a good sense of SDS nationwide, of how many groups there are and how strong each individual chapter is." Looking ahead, SDS is planning a counter-recruitment campaign that it is looking to put into effect next semester. "Counter-recruitment is going places where recruiters have a strong presence ... and saying some of the things that the military doesn't say. It is countering the message of the recruiters and telling potential recruits the things the military doesn't want to tell them," Schlotterbeck said. Schlotterbeck also described the reasoning behind this campaign as two-fold. "The inspiration is that the military is recruiting disproportionately to minority and disadvantaged people -and that these people are dying overseas," said Schlotterbeck. "This is something close to home that we can hope to achieve ... This is a way to deal with the effects of war that is happening in communities around us." Thus far, SDS has gathered information about schools that may be potential sites for its campaign and has drawn upon the counter-recruitment training session that some members attended at the SOA protest. According to Schlotterbeck, the group is generally interested in going into schools where recruitment is heavy and either setting up a table in a lunchroom or passing out information in the halls. He does not foresee much difficulty in receiving permission from schools for SDS to carry out its campaign, since schools that allow recruiters are required to allow counter-recruiters to be present as well. In addition, schools aren't necessary resistant to counter-recruitment efforts. > Students at the college have responded favorably to the group's counter-recruitment campaign. "I'm glad to see a Swarthmore group doing counterrecruitment because military recruiters sometimes target a very specific group and give them very biased and misleading information about the military. I think this campaign will help people make a more balanced decision about whether or not to enlist," C.J. Seitz-Brown 'lO said. Dean recognized regionally as an influential Latino BY MELISSA CRUZ mcruzl@swarthmore.edu "[Zapata] is great at linking student life with academics, and he sees it and talks about it as a whole, not in boxes." Pat James Associate Director for Student Programs and Training "[Zapata is] awesome. He's an excellent collaborator and is very well connected a great team player." Tim Sams Assistant Dean and Director of the Black Cultural Center Assistant Dean and Director of the Intercultural Center, Rafael Zapata, has recently been named one of Delaware Valley's Most Influential Latinos by the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress and the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations. He was ranked under the category of "10 under 40," among 25 others in his category. Nominated by a diverse panel of committee members, the group of individuals consists of 51 leaders, engaged in a wide range of professions, including politics, economy, education, leadership and social services, among others. The leaders are separated within four categories of the publication: Most Influential, Movers & Shakers, Latino Leaders, and 10 under [the age of] 40. As Assistant Dean and Director of the Intercultural Center, Rafael Zapata oversees the college's Intercultural Center, which consists of multiple student organizations including the Native American Student Association, MULTI, the Swarthmore Asian Organization, Enlace (the Latino/a student organization) and the Swarthmore Queer Union. In addition, he readily advises and counsels students on a number of matters ranging from academic, to student life issues. "This came as a surprising honor," Zapata said, when asked about the recognition.recognition. Having worked here at Swarthmore for five-and-a-half years, he said that he has "always tried to stay relevant beyond the college, and to collaborate with communities beyond Swarthmore." Zapata is an active member and President of Taller Puertorriqueno, "a community-based cultural organization that strives to preserve, develop and promote Puerto Rican arts and culture and the quality representation of other Latino cultural expressions and (our) common roots," as described by the organization's Web site. "The IC groups (which he oversees and works with) including Latino, Asian, Native American and queer students, as well as South Asian, multiracial and Muslim students and those who support immigrant rights, have more than doubled in number since his coming to Swarthmore in 2002," according to the Dean's Office Web site. He also helped start and develop Class Awareness Month. Zapata also works with other community-based organizations, such as the Asian Arts Initiative. The Asian Arts Initiative is currently arranging for Margaret Cho, who will be appearing at Swat sometime in February, to come and support Mountain Meadows, a camp for children of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) and other non-traditional families and their allies. "What I love about Swat is its commitment to social responsibility," Zapata said. Zapata said that he is very glad that he can take the "small, grass-roots nonprofit organizations, who don't have the same resources as Swat, such as Taller Puertorriqueno, and provide constructive collaboration through working with the college." Assistant Dean and Director of the Black Cultural Center Tim Sams commented on his experience, working with Zapata. "[He is] awesome. He's an excellent collaborator and is very well connected a great team player." Sams also mentioned that Zapata is very energetic about every issue, and that he brings a wide range of programming to the campus. "No one brings the range of folks to campus that he does," Sams said. Associate Director for Student Programs and Training at the Lang Center James agreed about the wide range of topics that Zapata has worked with. "He is great at linking student life with academics, and he sees it and talks about it as a whole, not in boxes," James said. In addition, James commented on how Zapata's enthusiasm and energy gave the IC the boost that it needed. Sams also said, "his biggest contribution is that he makes us aware of every issue. He's able to help us see how they connect and relate." News phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 5
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RIAA detects illegal file sharing cases on campus BY ROSA KIM rkiml@swarthmore. edu "The RIAA ... has decided to play hardball and the stakes are a lot higher now." Nick Hannon ITS Information Security Analyst In September, the Recording Industry Association of America detected four Internet Protocol addresses on Swarthmore's network sharing sound files owned by the record companies they represent. Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal said the college's Information and Technology Services traced the IP addresses to two sophom*ores and two seniors. ITS Director Judy Downing said the RIAA notified ITS of these illegal activities approximately two weeks ago. Shortly afterwards, ITS forwarded the RIAA's message to the four students. The RIAA is not able to trace IP addresses back to individuals it is only able to contact these students through ITS. But if ITS does not comply, the RIAA is legally in the right to subpoena the college to reveal the students' identities under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as stated in the college's copyright policy. "We have not given the RIAA anyone's name," Westphal said. "The RIAA would have to get a subpoena to force us to give that up." In its November press release, the RIAA, "a trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry," according to its Web site, said it sent over 400 pre-litigation settlement letters to colleges and universities across the country. "[This] gives students the opportunity to resolve copyright infringement claims against them at a discounted rate before a formal lawsuit is filed," the press release said. The RIAA launched this campaign earlier this year, specifically focusing on illegal file trafficking on college campuses. Swarthmore received its first two notices last semester. Westphal said it is uncertain whether other sweeps have taken place that the college has not yet heard about. ITS Information Security Analyst Nick Hannon said while organizations like the RIAA have previously taken measures to hold individuals sharing a large number of files accountable, this new wave of screening individuals regardless of their share file size has not been seen before. "The RIAA and some others have decided to play hardball and the stakes are a lot higher now then they were maybe a year or two ago in terms of the amount of money they are trying to assess. The risk is a lot higher now and that has to be weighed into any decision," he said. Downing said according to the notices ITS received from the RIAA, the majority of the individuals detected used the peerto-peer software called Lime Wire. However, Hannon said this does not mean that other P2P software, even internal ones such as Direct Connect, are in any way safe. "There is no such thing as being anonymous on the Internet, it just isn't really feasible. Whether you're browsing a Web site or you're sharing files, you're really not anonymous in any way," he said. "It's extremely hard to be anonymous. That's something that I think young folks in general don't quite understand of how much information is out there and what kind of records are out there." Westphal said while she supports the recording industry's stance against illegal downloading, she does not, however, support how the RIAA has decided to handle these cases. "The way that the RIAA is doing this, I'm not very happy with. I guess they have to pick on somebody and I guess that colleges are more able to find things in the complex of a college or a university, rather than people in their individual homes," she said. "[But] to hit people with thousands of dollars of penalty, that's harsh. So I feel very sympathetic to the people who got these messages that are going to have to deal with this. But I do agree that the artist should be paid for their work." Co-president of Free Culture Ben Mazer 10 said while the organization supports the free distribution of art, science and technology, it does not support illegal downloading. Instead, it encourages alternative means of accessing music, such as purchasing used CDs and records. He said by not downloading illegally, one is also reducing the RIAA's power which Free Culture believes to garner most of the profit generated from sales, instead of the artist. He said while the RIAA claims illegal downloading adversely affects everyone involved, artists still benefit from them because it helps put them out there and the merchandise and concert ticket sales make up for the lost profit. Westphal said the college does not police its network for illegal trafficking nor is the dean's office approaching this as a disciplinary issue. Rather, "when something like this happens, there's always a cry for more education." One of the four students, a sophom*ore who requested to remain anonymous, said while the college has made some efforts to educate the campus community about the risks involved in copyright infringement, more can be done to promote awareness about the seriousness of the consequences. "[lt] has really gone right over the heads of the campus, because it'll be in a general e-mail about ten other things. It'll be only known towards freshman during orientation. It's not [the college's] fault. I'm not blaming them, but in working with them, we can figure out other ways to let the campus know that, 'look you really need to just not have these programs on the computer," the student said. "You are taking a risk every time you even have the program open." Westphal said that many individuals on campus falsely believe that they're safe. And that even though the recent measures the RIAA has taken might not reflect the way things are done at Swarthmore, the risks and consequences of copyright infringement are very real. "I'm really upset for the students. It's not the Swarthmore way we warn people before we do things to them," Westphal said. "But Swarthmore's not the real world. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that there's nobody else in the pipeline." THIS WEEK IN PICTURES Robert Manduca Phoenix Staff Swarthmore Students Supporting Life host a Coffee House study break Friday night in Parrish Parlors. Students gather around for a game of Scrabbles. Cfare Kobasa Phoenix Staff Amused students look on as Martin Warner serenades his audience during WHlets idol in Memphistos Lounge. Eric Lou! Phoenix Staff Dennis Hogan and Dermot Delude-Dix improvise during the bi-annual Vertigo-go Show Saturday night in front of a packed audience in SCI 101 News phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 6
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Biology professor's Vatican lecture bridges science and theology BY lAN YARETT iyarettl@swarthmore.edu At a conference, Scott Gilbert addresses the possible points at which personhood begins "The priests were extremely nice to me, though the right-to-life physicians did yell at me." Scott Gilbert Professor of Biology "I think It is good the way he approached the topic ... to combat problems that affect human development/' Bill Anderson Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology On Nov. 15, professor of biology Scott Gilbert spoke on bioethics and human embryology at a conference held at the Vatican entitled "Science, Religion and the Ontological Quest." Gilbert's speech specifically addressed the issue of when human personhood begins. The conference was sponsored by the Legion of Christ and the Pontifical Academy for Life, "not exactly your liberal groups," Gilbert said. One of the goals of the conference was to explore the "themes and problems regarding the relationship between scientific issues and philosophical-theological thought," according to its Web site. Gilbert has a bachelor's degree in religion and biology, as well as a master's degree in the history of science and a doctorate in biology. "Being in embryology is a great place to put a liberal arts education to use," Gilbert said. "In this talk, I really had to do that." Gilbert said that he was unsure as to why he was invited to the conference. However, he suspects the invitation may have came as a result of a bioethics textbook that he wrote along with two Swarthmore students, and/or as a result of a widely quoted Web site he created that explores the issue of when human personhood begins. "I can't tell you when human life begins, but I can tell you that there is no consensus," he said. In his talk, he went over several possibilities for when human life begins, including fertilization, gastrulation (the point in development at which the EEG pattern starts) and birth, giving supporting arguments for each. According to Gilbert, other speakers at the conference included right-to-life physicians, biologists who do embryology, legislators from the European Union and Italy and theologians and philosophers. The cardinal who led the conference had previously "blasted the physicians treating Terri Schiavo," he said. The head of the specific session Gilbert spoke at was one of the chief exorcists of Rome. "This was a very conservative group," Gilbert said. Most of the audience consisted of priests, priests in training and students. It was held in the auditorium of the Legion of Christ. "[Speaking at the conference] was not intimidating it is intimidating when you are facing a group of people who know more in your field so this wasn't so much intimidating because I knew more embryology than the audience ... as long as I kept to the science, I felt comfortable," Gilbert said. "I thought this was one of the most challenging teaching experiences I've ever had." "I don't know if I accomplished all that much, except to give people the sense that you can be a moral person and believe something other than that personhood begins at fertilization," he said, explaining that he set out to present both the theological and scientific reasons why personhood does not necessarily begin at fertilization.While Gilbert said that he doesn't expect the church to change its stance on when human life begins, he hoped that they could "appreciate why a person could have [alternative] beliefs." "The priests were extremely nice to me, though the right-to-life physicians did yell at me," Gilbert said. According to Gilbert, the only other American at the conference was a rightto-life physician named William Hurlbut, a member of President Bush's Council for Bioethics. The other two biologists who spoke at the conference were not v.ery controversial, Gilbert said. One, a Scottish scientist who discovered mouse embryonic stem cells, named Dr. Kaufman, spoke on conjoined twins. The other biologist, named Dr. Minelli, spoke on arthropod development. Several of the other talks were designed to appeal to people's emotions, as opposed to sound science, Gilbert said. "In my talk, I tried to find commonalities the fight to ban endocrine disruptors is something that both the church and the scientific community could work together on," Gilbert said. Gilbert cited Operation NOAH, in which biologists and evangelicals have worked together to prevent the extinction of wildlife though for different reasons the protection of the biosphere, and the protection of God's creation, respectively. Gilbert hopes that the same sort of situation, with the two communities working towards similar goals, could be achieved in the fight to ban endocrine disruptors, which are used in all kinds of manufacturing processes and found in Nalgene bottles, clothes that have been treated for flame resistance and many other goods. Endocrine disruptors have been shown to health and developmental problems. "I was the only one who publicly spoke out against the Church's position that zygotes and early embryos are equivalent to adult persons," Gilbert said. Bill Anderson, visiting assistant professor of biology, said that he though it was great that Gilbert was invited to a conference of this nature. "I think it is great that they invited him," said visiting assistant professor of biology Bill Anderson. "Having heard what Scott said [at a practice version of the talk at Swarthmore], I think it is good the way he approached the topic describing ways in which science and religion can work together to combat problems that affect human development." For instance, Gilbert emphasized the possibility for the two communities to work together on the issue of banning the use of endocrine disrupters.. "I hope that it prompted discussion of the topics that [Gilbert] raised at least a greater understanding of the science behind early human development," Anderson said. "I'm not quite sure what impetus was behind the gathering whether or not the people are contemplating a change in their philosophy with regard to human development, it is helpful to hear from multiple points of views, even if you don't change your opinion. It is good to hear what is known, to at least get the whole picture and not make decisions in a vacuum."Lois Park 'lO, a student in the Stem Cells and Cloning class this semester, attended Gilbert's practice speech on campus, prior to the speech at the Vatican. "I think it's definitely important what Scott Gilbert did speaking at the Vatican about human embryology," she said. "More than anything, [his speech] was informative he covered a wide range of relevant topics. He gave a comprehensive look at what is going on in human embryology these days." News phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 7 ADVERTIsem*nT Save so much on gear that you'll actually be able to go someplace cool to use it. mmM/tiM^M? : . . S:"^:-:^"^BBSffi8j College Students Get 15% OFF full-price items. Must show valid college ID. Restrictions apply; visit store for details. Haverford 525 W. Lancaster Ave. A* EASTERN MOUNTAIN SPORTS
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Coffee bar trial proves successful, longer hours to come BY RAMYA GOPAL rgopall@swarthmore.edu After a successful trial period, Kohlberg Coffee Bar will continue its new Saturday hours of 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., according to an e-mail from the Student Council sent last Monday. Dining Services conducted a two-week trial run to determine whether $3OO in revenue could be made each Saturday. While the first two weeks were successful, revenues from last weekend did not meet the minimum. However, Dining Services will continue the coffee bar's Saturday hours through next semester to thoroughly assess its success. According to Cash Operations Manager Gusti Ruhri, the three weekends with Saturday hours so far have not sufficiently determined the success of the program. The first weekend occurred "when there were a lot of things going on," Ruhri said, which did not provide a good indication of student interest. The subsequent weekend, however, revenues decreased. This past Saturday, Dec. X yielded a monetary loss because Student Council was not aware Kohlberg would be open and therefore did not publicize it. However, both Ruhri and Student Council president Peter Gardner 'OB are optimistic for the future. Student Council initiated the pilot program for Saturday coffee bar hours when they received requests from students to extend coffee bar hours on the weekends. Dining Services chose Kohlberg due to its central location on campus. Although students can potentially buy cheaper coffee at Dunkin' Donuts in the Ville, Gardner believes studentsstudents are resistant to going off campus for coffee. "There's some sort of mentality that [crossing] the railroad tracks is crossing a border," Gardner said. "It's also not as convenient and student-friendly." Coffee, hot chocolate, chai and tea are Kohlberg's products that are in most demand. Since 'they are favorite winter drinks, Ruhri is concerned that student demand will decrease next semester because of the warmer weather. "When it gets warmer, students won't bother to go inside," Ruhri said. However, Dining Services Director Linda McDougall noted that iced coffee and smoothies are the drinks of the summer. Currently, Kohlberg offers a limited weekend edition of their snacks by selling fewer pastries and no sandwiches.The extension of the trial will help Dining Services determine whether to keep the Saturday hours open the whole year, just for the winter or to abandon the program entirely. "This point next semester will be a better barometer of deciding if Saturday hours will continue," McDougall said. Gardner also hinted that Sunday afternoon hours might be a consideration if Saturdays prove to be lucrative.Ish*ta Kharode 'OB said she was glad to be able to buy tea on Saturday while passing through Kohlberg. "My friend said there was no tea, because the coffee bar is closed because it's Saturday," Kharode said, "[but] we walked in and it turned out that the coffee bar was open, which was a pleasant surprise." Kharode looks forward to spending on Saturdays in Kohlberg next semester when her points are replenished. Abraham Bae for The Phoenix Students line up to purchase food and drinks at Kohlberg Coffee Bar, which will continue to have extended hours on Saturday as part of a long-term trial. Bookmobile for Chester children moves forward BY ROSARIO PAZ rpazl@swarthmore.edu With the hopes of providing children in Chester public housing sites with food for thought books, sophom*ores Mai Schwartz 'lO, Casey Osborn 'lO, Jake Ban 10 and Gina Grubb 'lO are working with the Lang Center, Swarthmore Library and Chester Library to initiate a Bookmobile project. The Bookmobile project will provide children with the opportunity to read and borrow books donated by the on- and off-campus community by driving a children's bookfilled van into the housing sites during afterschool hours. According to Osborn, a group of students, including herself, took a Sociology & Anthropology seminar with Jennie Keith called "Social Change and Social Responsibility" that not only taught them about different strategies for implementing social change, but also actively placed them within a community organization in Chester where they spent two to four hours each week observing and interviewing members of the organization. "We got together at the beginning of the school year ... and we kind of talked about how we might be able to continue to work within Chester. A lot of us just felt compelled to continue to work within the city," Osborn said. After brainstorming project ideas, the group went to Delores Robinson, administrative assistant in the Lang Center, to make a proposal of their idea. "She knew what would work and what wouldn't work. We initially thought that we would go to after school sites, [but] she suggested public housing sites," Osborn said. According to Ban, a fellow Bookmobile .organizer, public housing sites are something like compounds in which low-income families can stay for reduced prices. The idea of the Bookmobile project is to provide an extensive book collection within the Bookmobile van that would be driven into Chester and provide the children at the public housing sites with a time period in which to read the books and engage in literary games. Eventually, the Bookmobile hopes to potentially provide the children with the opportunity to purchase or borrow books, though the logistics of these additional elements of the plan have yet to be resolved. "To start, we probably wouldn't be lending books out just a two hour period where kids could read books," Osborn said. "We're hoping that at the end of the semester, if there are kids that have taken a particular liking to the Bookmobile, we would like to reward them with a book of their own ... that is almost earned for being good readers."According to Ban, the project would be implemented in the afternoon, during after school hours, in order to provide the students with a space in which to continue reading in a non-academic, yet engaging setting. "The plan is to work in conjunction with the public housing sites as well as the public libraries and have our own mobile and go to the four different public housing sites in Chester and have volunteers read to kids," Ban said. Bookmobile organizers have already begun to collect book donations from the campus community by placing boxes around campus after the end of Thanksgiving Break to allow for students to bring back any unwanted or unused children's books from home. Osborn and the other organizers will also be working with the Swarthmore Library in the Ville in order to expand the collection of book donations in addition to the donations being collected on campus. Other than the inspiration that came out of Keith's first-year seminar last year and Ban and Grubb's participation in Diane Anderson's education class, "Literacies and Social Identities," the Bookmobile organizers have recognized the need for an initiative that promoted literacy within these particular low-income communities. According to Ban, there are limited, if any, after school programs available to the children in these communities and the bookmobile project hopes "to fulfill the niche in this way." Another shortcoming of these communities has originated from the poor book collection in the Chester Library. In this sense, the Bookmobile project would "supplement" any inadequacies in the literary resources available to the children. "We're meeting with the librarian [of the Chester Library] on Friday, but we know they don't have that many children's books as most community libraries do," Grubb said. "We'll be trying to get those kinds of b00k5..." Although the project is still in the beginning of its planning stages, organizers already have big hopes and visions for the Bookmobile. "I really hope that we can get a van that we can paint, or a bus. I envision a small 'Magic School Bus' type bus that we painted and that is full of books," Ban said. "That's what I envision. And we want a song kind of like the ice cream truck." "I think our biggest obstacle right now is finding vans," Osborn said. "Our primary concern is that we make this project sustainable.""I expect it to be hard," Grubb said. "We still have a lot of work...l'm sure the first time we try to get this going, it's going to be hard to get excitement going ... We really hope this becomes something [the kids] look forward and to be able to get more students volunteers to come and read with them." According to Osborn, the Bookmobile project will be tentatively implemented near the beginning to middle of spring semester. During that time, she and the other Bookmobile organizers plan to apply for grants to further sustain their initiative in the future. The Bookmobile group will continue to collect children's book donations after winter break and encourages students to take that opportunity to bring back books from home. The donation boxes will be placed in Shane Lounge, McCabe Library and the top of Sharpies. Yimei Zou Phoenix Staff The Bookmobile project, organized by Sociology and Anthropology students, collects books in a box in Shane Lounge. News phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 8
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Stolen car reported and found within hours BY MARIA KHIM mkhiml@swarthmore.edu "People should always take reasonable precautions. Crimes of opportunity happen when property is unattended or unsecured and within the means to take it." Owen Redgrave Director of Public Safety "But I was incredibly lucky to find it in such a short amount of time; both Public Safety and the Swarthmore Police were amazing." Virginia Tice 'O9 A student-owned vehicle parked in C lot was discovered missing and reported stolen on Monday afternoon. Within an hour after police officers began searching in the campus vicinity, the vehicle was found abandoned but unharmed on Widener Road, alongside the train tracks, according to the car's owner, Virginia Tice 'O9. Tice said she had lent her car to a friend, who returned the car to C lot on Sunday night. When Tice returned to C lot on Monday around 2 p.m., she discovered the car to be missing. Shortly after, she reported her missing car to Public Safety. "We first made sure that it was stolen versus borrowed. After we looked into some of those avenues, and it became clear that it was stolen, we contacted the Swarthmore Police," said Director of Public Safety Owen Redgrave. Sergeant Raymond Stufflet of the Swarthmore Police Department questioned Tice, took down her statement and then proceeded to search the nearby areas accompanied by another officer. Less than an hour later, Tice received a phone call from the Swarthmore Police, saying that they had found her car only a few blocks from campus. "It was so sketchy because the car was parked halfway on the curb, and pieces of chocolate were strewn in the back seat," Tice said. "But I was incredibly lucky to find it in such a short amount of time; both Public Safety and the Swarthmore Police were amazing. The CD player doesn't seem to work, but there was no damage otherwise. According to Tice, this type of incident is not an uncommon occurrence. "I was told that this happens a couple of times a year," Tice said. "Some people will decide they want to go for a joy ride. They'll look for a car that is unlocked and vulnerable and they'll just get in a car, drive it around and dump it somewhere nearby." Swarthmore Police Chief Brian Craig acknowledged that it was a rare case to have found the missing car so nearby to where it was taken. "Occasionally, the person will leave a stolen car where they take a new one. Generally, when they take it for a joy ride, they don't take the car just two or three blocks away, it goes a longer distance than that," Craig said. "That's not to say that it couldn't have been somebody that lives in the area, but it looked suspicious the way everything fell together. Whoever had the car was not real careful about how they parked it." Redgrave confirmed that the motives behind this incident probably did not involve professional theft, since the car was discovered within such a short span of time and at a very nearby location. "If the car was taken by a professional car thief, it probably wouldn't have been found so quickly," Redgrave said. "One reasonable theory may be that someone found that it was vulnerable and took it for a joy ride. The fact that it wasn't vandalized or had things taken such as the radio, seems to support that theory, but it could be anything." Another similar report was filed on a missing car the same day that was supposedly parked on Meyers Avenue. It turned out that the student had loaned the keys to somebody and it was found parked in a different location. Craig cautioned students to be aware of their responsibility when lending out their car keys. "The problem in both cases, it appears to me, is that students were loaning their car keys to people," Craig said. According to Redgrave, there have also been several similar reports involving student lending out their cars. "We average less than one car theft a year but some people share their car rather freely and when that happens, they can occasionally lose track of where it is. So we've had those kinds of situations where it seems as though it was stolen but it was just parked somewhere else," he said. "People should always take reasonable precautions," Redgrave said. "Crimes of opportunity happen when property is unattended or unsecured and within the means to take it. Often things get stolen under those conditions."File Photo Cars line a parking lot on campus. On Monday afternoon, a student's vehicle was reported as stolen from C parking lot. Borough police found and returned the vehicle within an hour. News phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 9 ADVERTIsem*nT Student Tour Operator V $* >" &MWALQSrMK'ffTU MUffH, SdlTnp&rbirti Cti4i &Twvd Free 1-800-648-4849
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Good Food initiates composting program with a scrape-off BY MATT BLEIMAN mbleimal@swarthmore.edu This past Monday through Wednesday, Earthlust teamed up with the Good Food Project to host a scrape-off during dinners at Sharpies. Scrape-offs, which have been previously held at Sharpies, are a way for these groups to show students how much food gets wasted after a typical meal. Earthlust and the Good Food Project advertised the scrape-off with signs and informative pamphlets with the hope that students would participate, both to give accurate results and to add to their composting efforts. Students were encouraged to scrape their leftover food off into bins during the three-day long campaign. Club volunteers were at dinner between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m to aid students and inform them about the scrape-off and food waste. The food was sorted into compostable and non-compostable bins, which allows composting to happen more quickly and efficiently. Certain foods, mainly vegetable and fruit-based foods, can be composted but others cannot. New separate bins were used in this week's compost program, differing from the previous years' methods of "natural composting," which occurred in an unsorted heap behind the bleachers on the athletic fields without an aerator. The new method of composting takes into account that animal meat products slows the process of composting, and separates them accordingly. After the scrape-off each day, the Good Food Project weighed the food to calculate the exact weight of the wasted food. According to Good Food Project coordinator Claudia Seixas 'lO, the amount of food wasted in the past has diminished throughout the scrape-off week. "The idea is to reduce the amount of waste we produce," Seixas said. "We will have bins out to collect the waste and afterwards weigh the bags to see how much is wasted." Seixas hoped that people would see how much they wasted and become more conscious, hopefully decreasing waste over the three days of the scrape-off. Earthlust member Nicholas Buttino 'OB led Earthlust's involvement in the project. "The goal is to try to show people how much they waste individually and as a community," he said. Buttino said that after the project is over they plan to publicize the results for the campus to see, though it might be difficult to correctly and accurately compile the results. Buttino said he hoped that people would help contribute by properly sorting their food after the dinners. Buttino also hoped the project will successfully raise awareness for food waste in the community. "We know there is quite a bit of concern for the environment within the student body, but people working with environmental awareness want to show that students care," Buttino said. Buttino said he hoped that the scrape-off will do just that in a more specific context: make students more aware of how much they waste and get people thinking about trying to reduce waste. The Good Food Project will be taking the compostable trash and using it for their new composting program. The program started a few weeks ago, and the Good Food Project hopes that it will be a continued project. Using a Foundation Grant from the Lang Center, Good Food members bought materials and set up a compost pile behind the bleachers at the athletic fields. The compost pile is covered by a blue tarp in one of the cinder-block dividers. Students get credit for work-study to maintain the compost pile. Food unused by Sharpies was directly sent to City Team Ministries' kitchens in Philadephia, where the unused food is donated to lowincome families and homeless individuals. In the past, leftovers from the meals of students were sent to an incinerator in Chester, where waste is treated through combustion and converted to ash and gases. Seixas says that rather than burning the food, composting it would be much better for the college environmentally. Compost coordinator for the Good Food Project James Marzluff 'OB will be comparing the weights of the compostable and non-compostable scrape-off foods to see just how much food at Sharpies could be composted instead of burned. Marzluff has been helping to collect compost scraps from Sharpies since the project started. "Every day we collect kitchen scraps like apple peels, melon rinds, coffee grounds and lettuce trimmings, haul them down to the compost pile in our trusty golf cart [from the arboretum] and mix them with leaves and woodchips provided by the grounds staff. We turn the pile over a few times a week, and so far things have been going well," Marzluff said. Marzluff also sees the benefits that making a compost heap will produce for the campus. "A properly built compost pile really heats up as a result of microbial action, and can get as hot as 1400F, effectively killing any pathogens or weed seeds and creating a rich, sweet-smelling and sanitary hummus that we will use to grow more vegetables in the spring," he said. For now, the scrape-off will be a one-time project and collections for the compost heap will be a separate initiative maintained by the Good Food Project. The group hopes to have more workers to sustain the program. Additionally, it is possible that future scrape-offs will be planned. "We currently do not have plans to implement it on a regular basis, although that could change next semester," Marzluff said. Katherine Koch Phoenix Staff Viewed from overhead, students separate their leftover food into bins in a crowded, fast-paced dinnertime at Sharpies so that the Good Food Project can later weigh and compost it. AROUND HIGHER EDUCATION BY ERIN PRAH DAILY COLLEGIAN (PENN STATE) Christmas tree sparks eco-debate at Penn State on whether the college should use an artificial, cut or live tree (U-WIRE) - It's not easy being green. At least, that's the debate surrounding the staple of each winter holiday season.The question of whether an artificial or a real tree is more environmentally friendly has become a popular subject on blogs and Web sites. Arguments are made for both: An artificial tree can be used year after year, but a real tree avoids man-made materials like plastic and aluminum varieties. Sarma Pisupati, associate professor of EGEE 101 (Energy and Environment) at Pennsylvania State University, said although he isn't an expert on the subject, he thinks an artificial tree might be better because it is reusable. "I think if we use it for a number of years, and it's not something that we dispose of by just using it once, that should be OK," Pisupati said. He said that when his family decorates, they use an artificial tree that they have had for 10 years, and he doesn't expect to buy another one soon. "I don't want to chop a tree down every year," he said. One topic he is well informed about, though, is the lights that go on a Christmas tree.He said LED, or lightemitting diode, tree lights are prevalent in the market and are a great option. "I can confidently say those are the best lights," he said."They use very little energy, and they are very dutiful. They can produce 40 to 50 thousand hours of lighting." But not everyone thinks artificial trees are best for the holidays. Rick Bates, an associate professor of horticulture, said he has been asked the question many times and has come to the conclusion that using a live tree is more environmentally responsible. "Generally, an artificial tree is factory-produced," he said. "It's going to be manufactured using petroleum products."He said a lot of Christmas tree farmers are growing trees smaller, so that after the holiday season, the trees can be replanted in the family's yard. John Tait, owner of fait Farm Trees outside of Boalsburg, said he can understand why real trees could be environmentally friendly. "There is the oxygen production, and the tree is recyclable," he said. "In the Centre region, most of them are recycled and made into mulch, so when that whole cycle works, then it's pretty environmentally friendly." There are two different kinds of real trees cut and live. A cut tree is cut off at the trunk while a live tree has its roots dug up along with the tree. Tait agreed with Bates and said some families like to replant their live Christmas trees in their back yard as long as they only keep the tree in the house for 10 days. Besides the fragrance a real tree offers, Tait said it is the tradition behind selecting a real tree that makes the difference."It becomes a family tradition of going to the farm and cutting the tree," he said. "Getting a tree out of a box and putting it up ... it's not the same." News phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 10
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HPHOENIXI JS APPLICATIONS DUE HIRING DEC. 7 @ 3 P.M. Pick up an application from the board outside the mailroom or print one off our Web site. Please submit completed applications via campus mail to The Phoenix. SPRING 2008 WRITING, BUSINESS AND EDITORIAL POSITIONS JOB DESCRIPTIONS These job descriptions are intended to inform applicants of what would be expected of them if hired. Questions? Want more Information? Contact Editor In Chief lan Yarett at ext. 3887 or iyarettl EDITORIAL POSITIONS Section editors are responsible for ensuring the completion of their section; reading and editing all copy submitted for publication in the section; coordinating their staff of writers; writing items for publication; and laying out pages in Quark XPress. The section editors must be present in the office for their respective deadlines until the editor in chief is satisfied with their completed section. Additionally, the section editors must attend all weekly editorial board meetings on Monday and Thursday evenings, and they must communicate regularly with the writers of their sections to assess their progress and to develop story ideas. The responsibilities of a section editor may be divided between two individuals. Managing editor (2) The managing editor(s) are responsible for the completion of the newspaper and for delegating tasks to other editors and staff members, to support the role of the editor in chief. The managing editor(s) have significant involvement in the editorial, design and layout processes, and must be present in the office during production on Tuesday nights and Wednesday. Approximate hours per week: 25. News editor . The news editor must have a current and comprehensive knowledge of events, people and issues on campus. Job duties include reading and editing all news copy; leading a .staff meeting Monday nights to work with reporters and develop future story ideas; working with other editors to select news content; and directing reporters. Frequent communication with reporters, photographers and senior editors is essential. Applicants should be competent reporters, willing to write last-minute news copy and take photos. Approximate hours per week: 18. Living & Arts editor The living & arts editor must be able to develop creative feature and art ideas for the section each week; maintain familiarty with the art, music and theater scene, both on campus and in the Philadelphia area; and select events to feature as editor's picks. The living section allows for more creativity in design than do other sections in the paper. Approximate hours per week: 16. Opinions editor The opinions editor's primary job is to ensure that a diverse range of views relevant to the campus are represented on the editorial pages. Responsibilities include soliciting op-ed pieces; working with staff columnists and cartoonists to develop and carry out ideas; and ensuring completion of the staff editorial each week. The opinions editor must also keep abreast of relevant campus and world events. Approximate hours per week: 12. Sports editor The sports editor should maintain a comprehensive knowledge of all varsity and club teams on campus. Duties include reading and editing all sports copy and assigning sports photos. Applicants must be competent sportswriters who are willing to write and take photos as needed. Approximate hours per week: 12. Assistant section editors m Assistant editors in news, living and arts, sports and opinions may be added as training positions. Assistant section editors are responsible for helping the section editor in all duties and learning all aspects of production essential to the section, including layout design and editing. Assistant section editors are also responsible for writing for their sections as necessary. Approximate hours per week: 4-10. Chief copy editor The chief copy editor of The Phoenix is responsible for the factual and grammatical aspects of all copy in the newspaper. Responsibilities include reading all copy; reading proofs of ali pages; coordinating the schedules of a staff of copy editors; maintaining and updating The Phoenix stylebook; and providing editorial feedback to the writers and editors. Approximate hours per week: 12. BUSINESS POSITIONS Graphic designer Responsibilities include working with the editors and staff artist(s) to conceptualize and create cover art and graphics within page designs. The graphic designer should coordinate art and is responsible for ensuring completion of graphics or photo-intensive pages. The graphic designer will also attend editorial board meetings. Previous work with Photoshop is required. Approximate hours per week: 8. Photo editor Responsibilities include taking, uploading and editing photos; maintaining a staff of photographers; coordinating the use of the paper's digital cameras; communicating with editors at editorial board meetings and throughout the week; teaching photographers how to use the cameras and correct photos for print; and attending editorial board meetings. Approximate hours per week: 10. Director of business development The director of business development will work as The Phoenix's business manager and will also be responsible for both short and long term development and improvement of the paper's business operations. Responsibilities include maintaining records of the paper's finances; keeping up-to-date business records, including current figures on advertising income; aiding in the annual budgeting process; holding weekly business staff meetings; and communicating regularly with the Swarthmore College Business Office as well as the editor in chief, the advertising managers and the circulation manager. Approximate hours per week: 10. Advertising manager (2) The advertising manager works to recruit local and national ads. Responsibilities include keeping up-to-date advertsing records; sending out invoices and tearsheets to the advertisers; documenting paid invoices; providing up-to-date advertising income figures; and attending weekly business staff meetings. Access to a car is preferable, but not required. Approximate hours per week: 6. Circulation manager The circulation manager must distribute copies of The Phoenix to areas across campus early Thursday mornings; stuff faculty and administration mailboxes; maintain subscriber lists and ensure that subscriptions are mailed out each Thursday on a weekly basis; deliver extra copies to The Phoenix office; and answer subscription requests as they are received. Approximate hours per week: 3. STAFF POSITIONS Reporters (8) A reporter writes at least one story a week for the news section. Writers must attend weekly meetings. Approximate hours per week: 5-8. Living & Arts staff writers (6) A living & arts staff writer is responsible for one story each week. Topics range from student performances to Philly events. A variety of writing styles is encouraged and inperson reporting is expected. Approximate hours per week: 5. Sportswriters (5) Sportswriters are responsible for writing weekly stories or features for the sports section, and must attend weekly meetings. Approximate hours per week: 5-8. Columnists (6 opinions, 2 sports) A columnist receives a biweekly column. The columnists are expected to work closely with their respective section editors in developing topics and improving their writing styles. Approximate hours per week: 2-3. Living & Arts columnists (8) A variety of columns is encouraged for the living & arts section, including music reviewers, movie reviewers, fashion columnists, food critics, art reviewers and humor columnists.Approximate hours per week: 2-3. Copy editors Responsibilities include checking facts, style and grammar and proofing pages. Approximate hours per week: 3-5. Photographers Photographers are expected to fulfill weekly assignments. This includes taking photos at the assigned time and uploading the photos onto the Phoenix server in a timely fashion. Approximate hours per week: varies. Staff artists (3) Staff artists are required to submit at least one illustration per issue, for various sections of the paper. Staff artists may also be asked to submit smaller illustrations as well. Approximate hours per week: varies. Cartoonists (4) Cartoonists may apply to work as either an op-artist or a living & arts artist, and will be required to submit pieces bi-weekly. Approximate hours per week: 1-2. Crossword writers (2) Crossword writers will produce one crossword puzzle every other week, for publication in the living & arts section. Approximate hours per week: 1-2. ' Why Swarlhmore? A artflg o* e-maSfe threatens t*w wBh Mptoive*, tesdinj; to insertions atemtpm Sttsrity, IPHOENIX \ # 18 and risings Xhr womefl's soccer tea? aJkiwing <«tly one goal is St* story, p 22. «™ i a the bubble w peers ta tttstateabtilty rating*. TdnT^F^ii^TT^o? HIRING RULES, FULL JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THE SPRING 2008 APPLICATION: p://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/phoenix/hiring.htm I
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Living & Arts Sigur Rós delivers BY NICK GAW ngawl@swarthmore.edu I first became interested in Iceland after being shown a short promotional video produced by Iceland's tourism bureau. It was a very good video and certainly made me want to visit. I recall being particularly interested by sections describing nightlife and seafood. But for a long time, this short film fell from my memory, and I forgot about Iceland. Recently, however, all of that has changed. My desire both to review this promo video and to visit the Nordic nation has been renewed by Sigur Ros' recent releases: "Hvarf-Heim" and "Heima." Sigur Ros has had a busy fall. Last month, the Icelandic quartet released the two disk set "Hvarf-Heim." On Dec. 4, Sigur Ros released "Heima," a double disk DVD package featuring a documentary. "Hvarf-Heim" is a solid effort, but their cinematic release, "Heima," is spectacular. "Hvarf-Heim" is released ontwo CDs. The first disk, "Hvarf," meaning 'disappear" or "haven," contains five new tracks. These are all well written and flawlessly executed Sigur Ros songs. They do not mark any stylistic departure for the band, but after four full-length releases, Sigur Ros has certainly landed on something that works. "Heim," meaning "home," the second record in the set, is an acoustic revisiting of Sigur Ros' older material. The description alone is certainly exciting, but in practice, the record falls short. Each of the six tracks is beautifully performed and recorded, but on the whole, they fail to diverge markedly from the original recordings. These acoustic versions just seem like slightly more raw recordings of the originals. In some cases, I wouldn't be surprised if the tracks were the pre-produced cuts of full-length album tracks. All told, the record is an interesting listen, but not an essential part of every Sigur Ros fans' collection. Yet even if the record is a bit disappointing, it is a testament to the band's wizardry - creating rich atmospheres even without electronics. Sigur Ros' 97 minute long documentary, "Heima." however, finally pairs cinema with the sound that has, since the band first formed, been described as "cinematic." Perhaps this is an obvious pairing, though one that creates only high expectations for the group. On all accounts, Sigur Ros delivers. The film features the band returning to Iceland to play a series of unannounced, free concerts. "Heima" gives viewers an opportunity to see the band play against the backdrop of Iceland's waterfalls and greenery. Here, the music matches the surroundings precisely and feels remarkably contextualized and complete. Sigur Ros' first performance in the film features a familiar sight for anyone who has seen the band play live: a silkscreen masking the band onto which images and video are projected. Quickly, though, the band shows itself, speaking frankly about Iceland and touring and playing stripped down performances around the country. One of the most interesting people that Sigur Ros encounters on their musical odyssey is a middle-aged man who constructs marimbas and other large keyboards out of thin pieces of shale from a nearby mountain and long-dead rhubarb from his back yard. The quartet joins together to play a massive shale marimba and the music that they produce is deeply haunting. After watching "Heima," it is clear that Sigur Ros has complicated feelings towards their career. By virtue of their success, the band has become a part of the American music industry, though they feel oddly out of place there. "Heima" shows Sigur Ros stepping out from behind the silkscreen and back home. Unlike "Hvarf-Heim," the documentary is something very new for the band. If you aren't a fan of the band already, this film is a great starting point. cartoon by sophie horowitz Hindu Club adds diversity The Hindu Club of Swarthmore fills a very important role for its roughly 25 members. Started in 2006 by Devi Ramkissoon 'O6, HCS "fulfills the needs of students who identify with or would like to become more aware of Hinduism" and "aim[s] to inform Swarthmore community and shed light on possible misconceptions about the Hindu faith." In its third year as a chartered group, HCS seems to be achieving both these goals. With around ten regulars, the Hindu Club of Swarthmore meets every two to three weeks. The first few meetings of the semester went into planning for Diwali, the festival of lights and the Hindu New Year. In its first year HCS hosted a Diwali dinner for its members, about eight to ten people. Last year the Diwali dinner drew close to 20 members of the Hindu Club and after hosting such a large crowd, Ish*ta Kharode 'OB explains they realized that it wouldn't be so difficult to open Diwali dinner up to the entire campus. HCS invited the entire campus to this year's Diwali dinner and about 60 people came. "We try to incorporate the campus into the culture," Deoroop Matapersad 'O9 said of the dinner. For Kharode, it was very important that the whole campus be invited to the Diwali dinner so that they could learn more about the holiday and what it means to Hindus, as well as share in the celebration. Opening the Diwali dinner to the entire campus gave the members of the Hindu Club an opportunity to share with their peers something very important to them. Everyone at Swarthmore is very passionate about something (many times more than one thing), and being able to share that enriches both oneself and the community. For the members of HCS, this year's Diwali dinner gave them and the College this opportunity. When not planning Diwali dinner or festivities for Holi, the festival of colors celebrating the coming of spring, the Hindu Club of Swarthmore spends its meetings reading and discussing a chapter from one of their religious texts, usually the Bhagavad Gita. We talk about "how it relates to our daily lives and how we can improve ourselves based on that moral," said Matapersad, who serves as treasurer of HCS. The Hindu Club of Swarthmore serves a very important purpose for its members. For Matapersad, HCS helps him keep religion at the forefront of his life. "At Swat religion is sort of like the background of people's lives, so at Swat it's defi- As nitely important to have people there" with whom he can discuss and practice his religion.Ramya Gopal 'lO agrees. "In the intellectual and analytical atmosphere it is really easy to lose touch in the religious sense. It's really nice to have that group of people for me to remember, to revitalize that religious sense in me whether it's more cultural or spiritual."For others, like Parth Lakhani 10, the Hindu Club serves an even deeper purpose. It helps people in the college's ultimate search for knowledge: finding meself. For Lakhani, HCS is "a way to try to understand what I grew up with better, look back on it, see what makes sense, rhat I want to keep in my own life." College is the beginning of adulthood, a time when students reflect on themselves, discover who they are and who they want to become. For everyone, this means exploring different aspects of themselves and their pasts, and for many Hindu students, this means discovering themselves vis-a-vis Hinduism. In this way, the Hindu Club of Swarthmore serves an extremely important purpose for the Hindu students of Swarthmore. With so much diversity on campus, the more groups like this one, the better. Julian is a senior. You can reach him at jchendel@swarthmore. edu. JULIAN CHENDER The Spiritual Scene Meghan Downie Phoenix Staff phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 12
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RORY SYKES Visually Stimulating As this is my last column, I thought I would switch up the form a bit and return to my original inspiration for this column: people watching. In lieu of incoherent ramblings, I instead present to you a few poorly rendered sketches that were scrawled last Friday from my vantage point atop the Great Hall stairs at the PMA. Beyond gaining a new interest in male balding patterns, I was reaffirmed in the wisdom of my decision not to pursue a major in Studio Art. Hey, what are friends for? This is Aristotle's simple truth: "Among friends there is no need for justice." Our basic aim: to alter the structure of this society so that the power imbalances that lead to and perpetuate oppression are removed. We propose friendship as the social model and paramount social tool for achieving this goal. Friendship is not the only relationship possible among equals (see the Cold War). For us, as members of the Patriarchy, a hot war is one we neither wish to win (for moral reasons) nor to lose (for selfish ones), though we can understand how those long abused might prefer an open fight (if they could win) over a labored coexistence. Justice seems to demand such a thing. Friendship does stand out to us, because equality is almost the defining trait. There are loving relationships, such as those between a parent and a child, that are revolting to contemplate as archetypes of human interaction on a grand scale. It is parity between the parties that allows choice and consent. Out of these things comes a freedom to do what otherwise could not be done: ending the unacceptable dominance of the current upper class, while finding some means to protect me and mine from what we deserve once we no longer have the power to protect ourselves. This is Aristotle's simple truth about friendship: "Among friends there is no need for justice." Attending open IC events is obviously an easy way to meet minority students, and we encourage everyone who isn't a hateful bigot to attend them; however, to use this as the principle means of meeting the oppressed is inefficient in the economic sense. This is analogous to color-sighted vs. colorblind affirmative action, whose efficiency Harvard's Professor Fryer has recently analyzed. Wait, doesn't this tokenize a person? Well, having acknowledged the existence of the sets, queer, black, Hispanic, female, etc., we are also going to recognize the existence of members of those sets. There is a school of thought that equality can be achieved by ignoring difference. And we can look at eye color, which is often not even noticed, as an example. Why can't sexuality be like eye color? The differences are twofold. The first is that power structures are evolutionary in the sense that they reinforce themselves. Turning off active oppression without correcting current imbalances would at best lead to a slow (generational) change of fortune. The other is that active prejudice does exist and becomes invisible to those who refuse to recognize the construction of minority groups. If it were possible to remove the power of others to perceive groups, or if these perceptions were so idiosyncratic as to be uncorrelated with each other, then perhaps equality could be achieved without intentional unequal treatment. But this is not the case. So yes, we advocate walking up to random individu- als who appear distinct from friends you already have and making a good faith effort for friendship. This might appear somewhat patronizing, but please don't be too proud; so much of what we (the dominant class) have is built on patronage that to refuse to accept it is a severe handicap. The act is initially one of patronage; thus there must be something beyond it or a feudal relationship will be established a recasting of parent and child. If a real friendship grows, then it will not be patronage, but nepotism that flourishes, and out of a thousand injustices we will have social justice. Even if this weren't an effective remedy for oppression, it would at least reduce the alienation plaguing our modern age. There are those who see hom*osexuality as others see alcoholism, and even to see alcoholism in this way is unhealthy. But for friendship there must exist some minimum of respect; there must always be recognition of parity, and past a certain point, condemnation erases this parity. People view themselves in a positive way and identify with and assimilate the traits of their friends. Therefore, people at least tolerate all the traits of their friends. We understand that one wants more than tolerance and is right to expect such in time, but today, for many, even tolerance would be a mighty step. And this is the beginning. The hope is to sufficiently populate the upper class (by association) with men and women who were once outsiders that their traits become woven into the power structure. A stable society is built for self-replication and once some threshold has been achieved so that today's equilibrium is pushed off, we will begin the transition to a new one. George and Joe are seniors. You can reach them at gdahll@swarthmore.com and jgrimml@swarthmore.edu.JOE GRIMM GEORGE DAHL What is Delicious? Chorus enraptures BY SUNNY COWELL scowelll@swarthmore.edu "It made me cry ... it was so beautiful." Emmanuelle Wambach 'OB On Sunday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m., the Swarthmore College Chorus performed in Lang Music Hall. Led by chorus director John Alston, the Chorus performed works by Britten and Bernstein. The chorus is comprised of over 80 singers, ranging from Swarthmore students to professors to people from the town of Swarthmore. Before starting the first piece, Alston gave a brief introduction to the audience explaining how Britten wrote several of his works in an insane asylum. Consequently, the pieces often mention animals in the lyrics. For example, the first stanza of one piece reads, "Nations, and Languages, and every Creature/In which is the breath of Life." The poetry mentions several different animals and how they, along with man, "praise God with all his might." After Alston's further insights about Britten's life, the chorus proceeded to sing Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb" with text from Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart. This piece featured soprano Cara Arcuni 'O9, tenor Ben Starr 'll, alto Jackie Werner 'OB and Jamie Birney 10 singing bass. Alston introduced the next piece, Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols", by reading some of the lyrics to the audience and deeming them examples of "miraculous poetry." The work began with a medieval drone and consisted of 10 movements including Wolcum Yole! and Hodie Christus Natus Est. The fourth movement featured Helen Stott 10 singing soprano. The fifth movement as well as the seventh movement featured Abigail Weathers 10 on soprano. The last two movements were energetic with the chorus erupting into harmony. The Swarthmore Department of Music and Dance rehearsal piano accompanist Mac Carlson enhanced both of Britten's pieces. Lastly, the chorus performed Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" with text from the "Book of Psalms". The piece was divided into three psalms, with the first featuring soprano Erin Martell 'O9, tenor Starr, alto Werner and Eric Mulligan 'OB as bass. In the next psalm, Erica Evans 11 soloed in soprano. With quick hits from the drum, the last psalm was a brilliant chorale. Guest musicians accompanied the entire work on trumpet, percussion, trombone and harp. The concert concluded with Alston receiving red roses as well as a standing ovation from the audience. Many students are motivated to join chorus not only for love of music, but also to experience Director John Alston's genius and charisma. According to Romane Paul 10, "John Alston is a talented and charming director." Emmanuelle Wambach 'OB also thoroughly enjoyed the concert and said, "It made me cry...it was so beautiful."Living & Arts phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 13
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SWARTHMORE AFTER HOURS Photos: Courtesy of writers indicated in articles. Graphics: Tiffany Liao Phoenix Staff 6 - 7 a.m. Most Swatties are asleep between 6 and 7 a.m., and those of us who are still awake are probably just going to bed. For Derrick Kao 11, however, this hour is a time to feel awake, athletic and invigorated; in short, a time to swim. "It's hard getting up that early," Kao said, 'and I have to go to bed early the night before," surely a difficult task for a Swattie with a lot of work or a busy social life. According to Kao, however, the morning practices that he is "strongly recommended" to attend are often worth the wake-up time. Morning practices have only two attendees on average, so "there's a lot of one-on-one time working with the coach, and a lot of work on technique," Kao said. Sarah Bedolfe 'll, an occasional attendee of morning practices, added, "They aren't too structured and the coach lets you work at your own pace. I like that aspect, because I'm not exactly brimming with energy in the morning and it lets me ease into the workout." Attending two practices a day (afternoon practices are required whether or not a swimmer goes to morning practice) can be tough and time-consuming, but the rewards come when it's time for a meet. When Kao or Bedolfe manages to squeak by a competitor in one of their races, all the Redbull-fueled early mornings seem worth it. BY ALEXANDRA ISRAEL 3 - 4 a.m. Every Tuesday morning from 3-4 a.m, the radio waves hum buzz and roar with the sounds of Billy Bragg and Wilco, Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn. During this hour, WSRN DJs Tom Eisenberg 11 and Adam Kornetsky 'll entertain the self-selective and caffeineinduced insomniacs of Swarthmore's campus with the second half of "Old Country Buffet," their Americana, alt country, classic country, roots rock, country rock and sometimes folk radio show. Though 2-4 a.m. may seem like a less than ideal time to broadcast, Eisenberg and Kornetsky hardly seem to mind sometimes they nap before their show, sometimes they don't, but either way they're usually up this time anyway, they tell me, and the five friends they have with them in the station when I visit only make the late night radio slot a good time with friends. "We just have fun with it," Komestky said. After joining in and laughing at the positively riveting possibility of Bio-Dome 11, I have to agree. Eisenberg tells the listeners that Kylie Minogue called Bio-Dome her "worst career move" ever, explains that the 3.7/10 IMDB user rating is the obvious work of hackers and puts on Son Volt as people pick out some vinyl and go over the pronunciation of "tremolo." BY ANNA ZALOKOSTAS 2 - 3 a.m. At 2 a.m., the night is still young for Dan Symonds 'll When he's not riding his bike, scrounging in the hallways for pizza, surfing You Tube or talking with halhnates, he goes down to the game room with his friends for a serious game of "two-ball." There was some debate over the origin of two-ball. Vertigo-go, Swarthmore's improvisational comedy group, and the Cross Country team both claimed to have invented two-ball, but according to Symonds, since the Cross Country team has adopted all of Vertigo-go's terminology for the game (see Ball Speak), Vertigo-go now believes that the invention should be credited to themselves. \ Two-ball is played at the foosball table except, as the name suggests, it requires two balls instead of the traditional one. Some may consider foosball to be just a game, but two-ball is at another level completely. "Most of us don't know the rules for one ball foosball. We take the game so seriously, we have people do commentary sometimes," Symonds said. Unlike normal foosball, two-ball requires the offensive players on opposing sides to put in the ball and one team must score both balls consecutively against the opposing team. If each team scores one ball, the teams play again until one team can score both balls. Symonds not only plays two-ball late at night, but during the day as well. Plans for a two-ball tournament are in the works and will be open to the public. BY JOAN KIM Swim Livmg & Arts THE PHOENIX 14
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j3>all Basic Terminology for Two Ball Early First Ball In: when a ball is shot straight into the goal as the first hit in the game. This is very hard to defend against and utilized by master two-ball players. Gerriballing: origin, “geriatrics;” when one player decides to hold one ball off while playing the other instead of wildly playing two balls at once. Climbing the Ladder: clearing the ball defense and moving it up the field The Great White: when a player hits the ball in a way that causes it to fly through the air and into the goal without touching the table. 1 - 2 a.m. From 1-2 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, Allison Grein 10, better known as "Ally," danced with friends at the Fall Formal. Grein started out the evening "by trying not to burn my neck with a curling iron as I danced around in my room getting ready with friends." Grein and her friends took pictures during the "beautification" process and listened to music that put them in a party mood. From 1-2 a.m. at the formal, Grein enjoyed herself while wearing a Spanish themed outfit with a sultry red dress, red heels and red lips complemented by her spiral-curled hair. Grein danced with her friends on the top of the stage and nearly lost her hearing in the process, but enjoyed being the center of attention. Grein said, "It was a nice change of pace to trade in the sweats for a pair of red heels." BY SUNNY COWELL _ 4 - 5 a.m. It's the age-old college story. What does one do when a paper, which was supposed to get itself written over Thanksgiving, remains unfinished hours before the deadline? Connor Buhl 'OB camped out in Trotter to finish his paper so as to avoid being locked out. As long as he had his paper into his professor's inbox by the morning, he would be unscathed by a late penalty. The plan seemed foolproof until Buhl realized its one hitch, that "there are no printers [in Trotter]." Fortunately, Buhl had his friend Jim Marzluff 'OB print the paper out and walk it over to Buhl. Crisis averted, the two walked back to Worth for a beer and a chat. BY ALEX HO 7 - 8 a.m. Swarthmore at 7 a.m. is both eerie and beautiful. Each building that is normally filled with a constant stream of people during "waking hours" is largely empty. Quiet clusters of students gather in Sharpies. Only at 8:30 a.m. does Swarthmore truly seem to rouse itself from its deep, well-deserved sleep. While the rest of campus sleeps, Yoshi Tibbets 'O9 rises early every Tuesday and Thursday to study for Japanese. Sitting alone in the otherwise deserted game room, Tibbets diligently reviews vocabulary and grammar.Nate Erskine 'lO decided to start "sleeping in" this semester. Waking up at 7 a.m., he journeys to Sharpies before beginning his work. In previous semesters, Erskine often began his days at 6:30 with an hour-long clarinet practice session. BY LIANA KATZ j&OOQlt X^OUft lua js>al\ phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 15
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Intellectual fashion? Fashion seems to be seen as taboo to many selfdescribed intellectuals for its emphasis on superficial concerns. Earlier this semester, I found myself receiving fashion column advice from two of the most fashion unconscious people I know, Mickey Katz and Dwight Smith (mad love, bros!). Among their ideas for my column was to make up a completely ridiculous fashion trend and see if it would catch on around campus, like wearing your belt on your head a la Doug Funnie's alter-ego Quail-Man, and suggesting that they write a column in conjunction with mine that would argue the exact opposite of whatever I said. Despite their playful mocking and admission of knowing nothing about fashion, their satirical ideas did get me thinking about the fickle nature of fashion and its reputation of being overly shallow, materialistic and illogical. Indeed, I myself find many aspects of the fashion world nonsensical and oftentimes uninformed, like the ostentation of Fendi's recent catwalk show that took place on the Great Wall of China and fashion's associations with the likes of vapid socialites and celebutantes who have the money and media exposure to flaunt their prosaic, skin-baring "fashion" creeds to the masses. But in the words of Pulp front man Jarvis co*cker, who so often sang about the tragic hubris of pretty rich girls, "If fashion is your trade, then when you're naked, I guess you must be unemployed." With those ideas in mind, the subject of fashion in a setting such as Swarthmore seems like it would be very much looked down upon because it is completely irrelevant to the cause of intellectual inquiry and social activism that defines this school. But really, it would be hypocritical of anyone to say that they were unconcerned with their appearance. Fundamentally, everyone is affected by fashion because what one wears has a big (albeit often subconscious) effect on how they interact with and are perceived by society. What much of this boils down to is this perceived lack of intellectualism in the fashion world that puts it on a level lower than that of other aesthetic disciplines, far behind the fields of art and architecture in terms of respectability. Fashion tends to be seen as taboo to many self-described intellectuals for its emphasis on superficial concerns. Indeed, indulging in fashion seems incongruent with existing inside the ivory tower. The designer Miuccia Prada seems to struggle with this inconsistency in her work. When she joined the family business in 1978, she was a pronounced feminist and member of the communist party who had just received a Ph.D. in Political Science. In an interview she did for the Financial Times, she explained, "The problem is that to be a rich fashion designer you are supposed to be stupid and I hate the idea of appearing like an intellectual and so I indulge in a certain camouflage." And perhaps it is better that fashion does not have the sort of formalized academic air attached to it. Because in the end, it is a form of self-expression. And being able to create a beautiful piece of clothing that can be universally appreciated, in itself, transcends all of the superficial, anti-intellectual tags associated with fashion. Standing in the Wharton EF 2nd lounge during the half time of the Giants-Bears game, here I am once again faced by my fashion unconscious friends. Mickey stands proudly in a pair of bright pink corduroy girls' pants, my 1996 Olympic Games Izzy mascot t-shirt from second grade and a blue and white striped belt fastened around his head (seriously, guys, it's the latest trend). Dwight sports a striking pair of yellow corduroys, pumpkinorange buttoneddown shirt, plaid tie and pastel-colored track jackt et. Amidst the f violent laughter to which we have f all fallen prey, Dwight takes a look at r himself and in all sincerity, says, "Wow I really think I look good. I Objectively." I ask Mickey how he feels in his ensemble and he curtly replies, "Sexy." Even though it looks like a combination of Easter and childhood memories have just exploded all over their bodies, their outfits exude feelings of joy and whimsy that are so representative of these two. And right now, no amount of intellectualizing can explain why, but there's no denying that they are experiencing a moment of supreme fashion glory. Meagan is a senior. You can I reach her at mhul@swarthmore.edu.MEAGAN HU It's a Scientific Lifestyle Meagan Hu Phoenix Staff 'Snow' is bloody brilliant BY ANNA ZALOKOSTAS azalokol@swarthmore.edu Earnestly tapping, tinkering, twirling and whirling out songs of youthful radiance and offbeat beauty, I Saw The Bloodied Snow But I Did Not See The Creature warmed the crowd of Olde Club with its romantic sincerity and impassioned harmonies at the band's first fulllength show on Friday, Nov. 30. As Stephanie Duncan 'OB, Bizzy Hemphill 'OB, Nick Forrest 'OB, Dwight Smith 'OB and Patrick Lindsey 'OB took the stage with their song "Magical Mystery Tour," the band's guitars, melodica, accordion and keyboard swirled together in an insistent avowal of whimsy and wonder that swelled and encased the audience, grabbing all those watching and sealing them in sweeping layers of intimacy, honesty and sweetness, contagiously spreading a quiet feeling of connection and understanding.Somewhat more reserved at first, Duncan, Hemphill, Forrest, Smith and Lindsey opened up as the show went on with the cheers of good friends, old fans and new listeners. They were playing and reverberating off of the crowd as much as it echoed back in a reciprocal relationship of excitement and energy that turned Olde Club into a small corner of song and dance and youthful idealism. "There were so many things that had gone wrong before the show started and I was really worried, but it was so fun and ,great that people responded so well to original music," Hemphill said. Everyone truly did respond well to the music. Neal Dandade 'O6, who came from Chicago just to see the concert, said, "It was really a great show and they had all of us in the audience engaged it was fantastic." Expertly interacting with the crowd and each other, smoothly transitioning between songs and creating the perfect atmosphere of heartfelt sincerity and casual fun, I Saw The Bloodied Snow smoothly crafted instruments and voices into a sound distinctly unique that is part Beirut, part Mirah (especially when she sings with The Black Cat Orchestra) but really entirely their own. Unlike many college bands, the band sounds new, refreshing and different, not like an imitation of whatever bands Pitchfork is raving about at the moment. Rising and falling, flickering, creeping up and swelling up in symphonic moments of Eastern European interludes and retreating back into sparse minimalism, I Saw The Bloodied Snow's songs offer a sound that is melodious and memorable and, quite simply, very good. For many at Olde Club, the highlight of the performance was the encore. Stomping and clapping out a confident cover of Lil' Mama's "Lipgloss," the band got everyone in the room stomping and clapping and singing along with them. Following their cover of "Lipgloss," they went into "En Basiant," an old favorite of twinkling exuberance, happy laughter and the rippling sound of youth and freshness and beauty, of Orange Juliuses on hot summer days, a perfectly appropriate way to wrap up a perfectly wonderful show. "Since it was the first time we played a full-length show, we really pulled out everything we had," Duncan said. "There was a contingent of the audience that sang along to our older songs that was a trip plus, we played six new songs. Playing new stuff is usually pretty frightening, but also exhilarating when you pull it off and people get into it." If I Saw The Bloodied Snow But Did Not See the Creature put on such an excellent performance for their first full-length show, it's safe to say that we can only expect them to get even better and better with every subsequent time take the stage, whether it is at Olde Club or somewhere beyond the confines of Swarthmore's happy little campus. Claire Kobasa Phoenix Staff I Saw the Bloodied Snow tries out some new material for the Olde Club crowd. Yimei Zhou Phoenix Staff Liviiii? & Arts phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 16
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Smarts and charm at the first Mr. Engineer BY JOAN KIM jkiml@swarthmore. edu Brains and beauty what more could one ask for? The first Mr. Engineer pageant, hosted by Swarthmore Women Engineers to raise money for the Expanding Your Horizons organization, not only tested Swat's finest engineers on their wit and talent, but also on their quick calculating skills. Last Saturday night, Upper Tarble was full of fellow engineers and fans who witnessed the crowning of Seth Hara 'OB as Mr. Engineer with a dazzling caution tape sash. The hosts, Kara Peterman 'O9 and Kelsey Hatzell 'O9, started the night off with an introduction of the competitors who cat-walked down the aisle to music such as "Macho Macho Man" and tried to win the hearts of the audience and the judges Anne Krikorian 11, Tane Remington 10, Rosanne Breakenridge 'O9, Anima Singh 'OB, Kelly Siano 'O7 and Jess Mandrick 'O7. The first contest was a test of a good eye and a steady hand. The competitors had to draw the perfect circle. Some engineers had a few tricks up their sleeves. Chris Caruso 'OB took off his belt to use it as a compass. Cyrus Stoller 10 took out his key lanyard to draw his perfect circle. The second round tested "speed, skill and knowledge." With the use of every engineer's best friend, the graphing calculator, each competitor had to quickly find the value of a convoluted mathematical expression. Dogus Cubuk 10 was first to calculate an answer, although it was incorrect. He knew that speed was his best bet for gaining the most points. Only two, David Burgy 10 and Sam Garcia 'OB, calculated the correct answer, -0.030108. The answers from all the competitors ranged 11 orders of magnitude. The last round before the first cuts were made was a test of strength. The engineers carried buckets of heavy coarse aggregate, a material that is added to cement to produce concrete, and strutted down the aisle. Each competitor tried to make his catwalk special by taking off layers of clothing or giving a calculator to a judge. Cubuk carried four buckets of coarse aggregate down the aisle and performed a set of lifts with two buckets in each hand, which was enough to make any audience member blush. Travis Rothbloom 10 ended the event with a bang by dumping the entire bucket over his head and nonchalantly walking backstage. The judges then had to choose five finalists and after calculating the scores to make sure they were both "precise and accurate," finalists Hara, Cubuk, Caruso, Garcia and Jeff Santner 'O9 were announced. Some contestants expected others to make it to the finals. Santner said, "I was surprised Travis didn't make the final five after his spectacular cat walk demonstration." Part two of the competition began with impersonations of engineering faculty members. This event produced many laughs from knowing engineers in the audience and among the judges. Then, the finalists were challenged to design "the next SWE t-shirt." While the finalists put their creative minds to work, SWE showed a video of "A Day in the Life of an Engineer." Garcia's shirt had the phrase "Can't Resist Us" with a drawing of a circuit board and "For U and Me" on the back. Hara's design had "Smart Boys think know Smart Girls are Sexy" which produced many smiles from the judges. Then came the Q&A, which Cubuk and Santner said was their favorite part of the competition next to the faculty impersonations. Hara was first to go and was asked, "What does the inside of McCabe look like and how many floors does it have?" Hara said that the Q&A was the toughest part of the competition for him. "You never know what you're going to get. I kind of lucked out." Although, Hara, like every devoted engineer, no longer goes to McCabe library to do work, being a tour guide kept him familiar with the library and he answered correctly. The hosts asked Cubuk, "Explain the significance of the figures in the Mural Room." Cubuk, though he knew the story behind the paintings, chose to share a funnier version of the story. He explained how an engineer in E6 realized how all the students in class "were bored like hell" and he thought that if he painted pictures on the wall, that the students would be entertained. The pictures back then were considered to be very funny. Caruso responded to the question, "If you were a tool, power or otherwise, which would you be, and why?" by choosing the grease gun. Since engineering at Swarthmore "sucks the life out of you" and prevents engineers from socially interacting with others, they lose their "slickness." With the grease gun, Caruso explained that he could keep a supply of "slickness" with him at all times. Santner was asked the cliche, "How many engineers does it take it screw in a light bulb and why?" Santner responded that it took five or six to set up a meeting time, get together, wonder why the final group member was not there, call the last group member and then finally screw in the light bulb. Garcia was given the final question: "How would you pick up a date?" He humorously responded by saying that he would "grab her by the sides and pick her up." The prizes were announced. Runners up received prizes that included miniature slinkies. The winner of the entire competition received a caution tape sash, a framed picture of Smitty the machinist and an invitation to a date with all of SWE. After much anticipation, Garcia received first runnerup and Hara was "sashed" Mr. Engineer. "It's really cool to actually be a part of the first annual Mr. Engineer contest and it's a great opportunity for campus recognition for engineers and SWE. They are trying to get more active recently. It was a lot of fun and a big honor," Hara said. "It was all just for fun, but we're a close department and I think [the other candidates] deserve recognition. They are all Mr. Engineers in my eyes. I was just lucky to receive the title this year." Other competitors in the contest were: Jeff Kahn 10 and Abhay Manandhar 'O9. > A diversity of styles featured in the Fall Dance Concert BY SARAH BRICAULT sbricaul@swarthmore.edu Imagine flowing, sensual, flirtatious, even erotic movements across the stage. Imagine tap dancers, ballerinas and African ritual dances. On Friday, Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m., Swarthmore students introduced audiences to all these and more during the Fall Student Dance Concert. Held in the Lang Performing Arts Center, this concert was engaging because of both the diversity of dance styles displayed and the beauty of the dances themselves. There were 10 very unique performances, and each utilized dance in its own rich way. From a tap performance, to a traditional Ghanaian dance, from two dancers to 13, from music created onstage to dancing that began before the music, there was diversity in every element of these performances. The night started with Alma's Rock House, choreographed by Henry Roy. Skirted dancers skipped and twirled across the stage, flirtatious and flowing, playing with the music. A dramatic tone change came with Parson's Etude, the second performance choreographed by David Parsons. The sensual motions of three dancers replaced the playful motions of many, their harsher motions creating a much more dramatic tone. Their movements were "dry and harsh but still so beautiful," said Marilyn Batonga 'OB. The next dance group paraded onstage to the sound of traditional Ghanaian music from drums and other native instruments. Their ritualistic movements and rhythmic music had the audience clapping along. The next dance began in silence, with the two dancers weaving among ten glowing bulbs that had been lowered from the ceiling. Their erotic, sensual movements and the accompanying music conveyed a story of love and separation in the piece, entitled "Never Before." It was refreshing to "see a dance in which the women do the lifts and are touchingtouching in a very real way," said Claire Galpern 10. "The relationships between women are often in the subtexts [but not expressed]," Anjali Jaiman 'lO said. After a brief intermission, the concert continued with three ballet performances: variations from The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Ciechi. These three dances captured all the flowing beauty of ballerinas. A clip from "A League of Their Own" began the next section: a tap rendition of girls playing baseball complete with gloves, bats and even baseball uniforms. Skirts made from newspaper and bubble wrap (and one person dressed as a box) constituted the costumes for the next dance, entitled "Unpacking" and choreographed by Michael Nguyen 'OB. The unique interpretative dance captured the conflicting elements of separation and conformity, of leaving and remaining. The final performance in the concert was another African dance entitled "Aaracatu de Baque Virado." The dancers in this scene actually brought members of the audience onstage to participate in a rousing conclusion to the concert. The audience, which ranged from Swarthmore students to professors and families with children, all seemed to enjoy the performance. "I always enjoy the dance concert," said Batonga, "[not only was there] good choreography, but also good lighting and costumes." Indeed, colored lights and patterns played on the wall behind the performers created an interesting backdrop for almost every dance, and the hanging bulbs for "Never Before" and the boxes present in "Unpacking" were particularly effective. "I enjoyed coming to see what my friends have been working on," said Galpern. The concert ended with enthusiastic applause from the audience - a fitting end to a night of diverse, beautiful dances created by students at the Fall Student Dance Concert. Robert Manduca for The Phoenix Ballet was one of the many genres displayed in the Fall Student Dance Concert. Robert Manduca for The Phoenix Students perform a communal dance set to traditional Ghanaian music. LJving&Arts phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 17
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Make a 3-D snowflake out of The Phoenix BY SARAH BRICAULT sbricaul@swarthmore.edu Have you ever wondered what to do with all those old editions of The Phoenix? Well, one option just in time for the holiday season is to make snowflakes out of them! One of my favorite winter crafts is the threedimensional snowflake. They are pretty, fun to create and can make any-size room look more festive. However, despite its complex appearance, the 3-D snowflake is actually relatively simple to create. If you follow the steps below, you can create these delicate, complex-looking snowflakes with ease. (Though you don't have to tell everyone how easy they were to make!) Just be mindful of the fact that newspaper is much thinner than computer paper and thus large snowflakes probably won't work as well. Just slice The Phoenix along the binding, cut the remaining pages in half, and then use these quarter-pages instead of computer paper and follow my five easy steps to a full-fledged 3-D snowflake, which I've dictated below. Step 1: Gather your materials. All you need for this project are six pieces of paper, a pair of scissors, tape and/or a stapler and a piece of string. For this example, I used 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, but paper of most kinds of and sizes will work as well. Step 2: Get a folded square. Take one piece of paper and hold it horizontally. Fold the top left corner down until you have a right triangle. Cut off the remaining rectangular section so that you are left with a square folded in half. (This step gives you a square piece of paper. If you already have a square piece of paper, just fold it in half.) Step 3: Prepare a petal. Take the folded square so that the folded edge is in front of you. Take the scissors and make a diagonal cut from the folded edge parallel to one of the cut edges. Cut almost to the middle, but not quite (make sure you leave enough paper in-between cuts to support your snowflake.) Make three cuts on each side so that the distance in-between the cuts are approximately the same. Your cuts should look like the perforated lines on the leftmost image below. Step 4: Construct a snowflake petal. Open up the square and take the triangles created by the two innermost cuts. Tape them together. Flip the snowflake over and repeat three times as shown in the picture. The final result should look like the rightmost image in the picture. This is one petal of your snowflake. Repeat steps 2- 4 six times. Step 5: Finish your snowflake! Take two petals and either staple or tape the bottoms of the petals together. Also connect the x-shaped middles of the petals together. Continue this process until all six petals are connected. If you choose, you can attach a piece of string to a petal to hang your snowflake. Now that you've made one snowflake, don't be afraid to experiment. I've made snowflakes out of construction paper, newspaper, and even Post-it notes! The smaller the snowflake is, the more delicate and exquisite it looks and the harder it is to make. The little ones make great presents or ornaments, while the large ones can decorate entire rooms in very little time. The 3-D snowflake is just a simple craft that's fun to make and looks beautiful when you're done. Sarah Bricault for the Phoenix! This season, Swatties bring holiday cheer with charity BY LIANA KATZ lkatzl@swarthmore.edu [Adopt a Family] has a limited scope; but gives people the opportunity to do something concrete. Zebi Brown 'O9 Swarthmore students are known for their active commitment to various causes and making their voices heard throughout the year. Even as the winter holidays approach, many groups and individuals are making a concerted effort to give the needs of others extra thought. A popular form of holiday gift giving on campus is "adopting a family." Delta Upsilon has chosen to sponsor one family consisting of a single mother and her twoyear-old child. According to DU brother Alex Ginsberg 'OB, the idea was suggested by Tramane Hall 11, one of the fraternity's recent pledges. DU was given a "wish list" for the family, including items such as clothes and toys. Ginsberg did not set an initial goal for how much money he wanted the fraternity to raise, but after some research, he realized that a relatively small amount could go a long way. If the effort is overly successful, Ginsberg hopes that DU will be able to give some of their excess funds to other groups pursuing similar projects. In addition to setting aside some of the fraternity's budget for the family, DU brothers have been tabling at Sharpies. "People are very giving," Ginsberg said, commenting on DU's surprising feat of raising $lO6 in one day. Ginsberg noted that it is often hard to persuade students to stop and contribute when tabling at the top of Sharpies, but he believes that because Adopt a Family gives students a chance to "make a personal impact," people have been very generous in their donations. "My heart was warmed," Ginsberg said. Like DU, Resident Assistants and students living in Willets have also decided to adopt a family. The initiative was encouraged by Max Wilson 'lO, who initially volunteered his hall to sponsor a family. According to Willets RA Zebi Brown 'O9, enthusiasm from RAs and students alike has been strong. "People have a vague idea of wanting to help," Brown said, "The [Adopt a Family] project has a limited scope; but gives people the opportunity to do something concrete." In addition to adopting a family-for the winter holiday season, other groups are reaching out to the community outside of Swarthmore. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Athletic Department are organizing a holiday food drive to benefit needy families in Chester. Up until Dec. 14, students are encouraged to drop off non-perishable food items at the Field House and other locations throughout campus. Even without an organized effort, supporting a worthy cause can be as easy as the click of a mouse. Many charities and non-profit organizations have added a "click to support our cause" button to their websites, relying on sponsors to donate money each time the button is clicked. One of the most academically oriented and addictive online donation programs is Freeßice.com. The concept is basically a vocabulary quiz with a purpose other than to be able to use the word "beshrew" in a sentence. With support from various corporate sponsors, Freeßice donates 20 grains of rice for each vocabulary word on-line visitors can correctly identify. According to Freeßice's website, the rice is then distributed by the United Nations World Food Program, helping the needy "have food to eat, learn skills and find hope for the future." Sarah Bricault for the Phoenix Living & Arts O phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 18
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Alumnus returns with his first feature film BY ALEX HO ahol@swarthmore.edu How does a Swarthmore graduate with a liberal arts, decidedly non-vocational education make a splash in the world of media? It's a question that professor Patricia White was intent on answering as she began to establish the college's Film and Media Studies program in 1999. White made a point of networking with alumni working comfortably in the media arts. One of them was PBS documentary filmmaker and producer Douglas Chang 'B4 who, White said, "was somebody I connected with right away." Since then, Chang completed his first feature film, "Absent Father," and White has invited him to present a sneak preview on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in Science Center 101 before the film goes on to any definitive distribution plan. Joining Chang is the band responsible for the film's score, M.Fix, which is headed by multimedia artist Madaleine Fix-Hansen and incidentally includes Bryn Mawr College professor Homay King and Haverford College professor Gus Stadler. M.Fix will be performing at Olde Club at 9 p.m after the screening. At first glimpse, "Absent Father" seems like another dispensable indie flick in the predictable Sundance mold a teenage girl is faced with pregnancy and the fallacy of her middle-class existence. But the film has one big twist; its protagonist, Abigail (Jessica Kadish), has been impregnated by God. This premise, which brings a whole new level of irony to the film's title, may recall yet another smug indie film, the satire "Saved!" Indeed, Chang said, "I had originally conceived the movie as almost a comedy." "But the film seemed to kind of take a life of its own and took a dark turn," Chang said. "All of a sudden it became a fairly serious drama with some comic elements...stuck in the margins." Perhaps the reason for the film's serious take on its supernatural story is that Chang draws from a very real inspiration. The idea for "Absent Father" was conceived by Chang as he saw his good friend Allison Sherman struggle through a divorce and raise a two-year old son on her own. Sherman would later co-write and produce the film. The other major impetus for Chang to make "Absent Father" was his interest in religion and faith. "My personal feeling is that there are a lot of people out there who sense that something's missing, that the normal realms of their experience are not quite adequate to explain what they actually feel and wish for. How they try to express that and how they try to fill that void is a fascinating thing. Religion is one very, very strong way that people try to find that connection," Chang said. "I thought why not take it head on and really look at somebody who's facing a religious dilemma taken at face value." It's about as face value as a religious dilemma can get. As implied by the title, Abigail is left pregnant without God's support. Chang describes his film as more Book of Job than nativity story. In bringing the tale of the virgin conception to today's world, Chang hopes to explore "the disparity between a kind of older faith-driven view of the world with a modern view of the world." According to Chang, "Absent Father" was heavily inspired by two classics, Carl Theodore Dreyer's "The Passion of the Joan of Arc," the 1928 silent film that revolutionized the close-up in film grammar, and Jean Luc Godard's 1962 "Vivre Sa Vie" ("My Life to Live"), which looked at how the former film "is treated in much more modernist terms." Chang said. "In some ways, my film is an attempt to reconcile the two, to try to find how the two are both different sides of the same coin." Chang doesn't view his feature debut as very different from his career in documentary filmmaking. He felt that his crew worked more like a documentary crew than a big studio production, in part because of a limited budget, but also because "I love the way documentaries are made," Chang said. "They have skeleton crews...There's a lot of scraping around, but people are kind of pushed to bring a lot of creativity to their jobs, whether they're a PA or the director." Chang felt that documentaries afforded him a deeper understanding of film. "When you look at a film, on some level, you're looking at something very real, and on some level you're just looking at a projection on a wall. I think that having a training in documentary...is vital [to learning] what film is capable of capturing in terms of reality and what it isn't." Chang also credits the single film class available at Swat when he was an undergrad. "There was very little in the way of resources, but I think the grounding that I got just from learning from [retired professor Kaori] Kitao's class ... was in terms [of] really understanding the language."It's the genuinely independent nature of Chang's filmmaking that has White excited about introducing his work to students. "As somebody who has been working in various media sectors and really not doing the mainstream thing, Doug would have a lot to say to current students who are interested in film from all different angles," White said. The future of "Absent Father" is still up for grabs, and it's not likely that you'll find a theatrical release stateside anytime soon. Having participated in the Religion Today Film Festival in Rome, Italy this past October, Chang has been making connections abroad, where there seems to be greater interest in his film. Still, Chang said, "My background in the PBS world has sort of made me think about kind of outreach possibilities, where the film can actually reach groups that would respond to the story in a special way ... I'd love for religious people to see it, even if they think it's controversial." Chang wants to go "beyond just marketing the film to really looking at who stands to benefit from the question that arises from a film like mine." Particularly, Chang said, "I think the people who've responded very strongly to the film tend to have gone through some period of real loss or mourning that they've not always been able to express to other people or to quite understand themselves, and hopefully, the film seems to hit a note with them." Courtesy of www.passionplayprojections.com Douglas Chang on the set of his film "Absent Father". Night of Scenes gets surreal for better or for worse BY ALEXANDRA ISRAEL aisraell@swarthmore.edu On Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2, the lights went up in Science Center 101 on Drama Board's Night of Scenes. Thirteen actors and two directors put together two short plays - playwright Christopher Durang's "The Actor's Nightmare" and "This is the Fargans" by Eli Epstein- Deutsch 'lO. Both plays were equally absurdist, creating implausible situations and ultimate universes in which surrealism reigns over reality and the characters are caught up in a vortex of circ*mstances outside their control. The major difference between the two works, however, is that Durang's piece, while fast-paced and packed with literary references, never takes itself so seriously that it loses its audience while Epstein-Deutsch's play seems designed to confuse everyone except the playwright and played out with a purposeful obtuseness that left the audience feeling unsatisfied. It is only appropriate, however, to begin at the beginning with "The Actor's Nightmare." Durang's gem of an absurdist short play presents the audience with the hapless George Spelvin (played with appropriate comical confusion by Julian Chender 'O9), an accountant who is placed in the middle of the titular nightmare. He arrives at a theater, not knowing how he got there and looking for an exit, only to be informed that he will be playing the lead in the show that night. Poor George is unaware of what play he is appearing in, doesn't know his lines and is given nothing but offhanded dismissals when he asks his fellow actors what the show is and who he is playing. The acting in the Durang piece was excellent across the board, with particularly strong work by Chender and Sarah Noble 'lO, who played the haughty ingenue Sarah Simmons with appropriate snobbery and panache, all the while looking smashing in a yellow evening gown. Will Treece 'll turned in a comical performance as fellow actor Henry Irving, playing both "Hamlet"'s Horatio and an executioner with wit and good comic timing. The direction, by Dustin Trabert 10, better known as Phil "The Shape of Things" and as the Booty Man, was solid, playing up the comedy properly while still creating pity for Chender's confused accountant. "The Actor's Nightmare" was everything witty and wonderful that "This is the Fargans" strove to become. Epstein- Deutsch's piece told (as far as this reporter could guess) the story of five Fargans, played with immense lasciviousness by Melissa Cruz 'lO, Nat Sufrin 'll, Radwan Dahhan 10, Kate Aizpuru 10 and Matthew Thurm 10. These five actors gave the Fargans something of an air of the fairies in "Midsummer Night's Dream" but with bigger vocabularies and much less characterization to work with. The Fargans were, it appears, created by an evil genius Doctor of Ceremonies, played by Sven David Udekwu 'O9. The Fargans take advice from a medium played by Claire Sumdayeng-Bryan 10 and are locked in something of an epic struggle with an evil organization known only as the Fratboys and based out of Arby's. At least, I think that this was the story. I could be completely off base, as the piece was short on plot and long on incomprehensible - although often rhythmic and alliterative - philosophical discourses. Despite the difficulties presented by the script, the acting in the piece was very strong. The Fargans were dedicated to the difficult physical aspects of their roles, rolling around the floor in their underwear and using vocalizations of both their lines and other sounds to great effect. The real standout, however, was Udekwu's Doctor of Ceremonies. Udweku took a role that could have easily been played as a cliche of a mad scientist and elevated it to a great, creepily comic performance, using his big voice and maniacal facial expressions to create an impression of absolute control over his creations' lives. The moments that Udweku was on stage, rolling his tongue around the alliterative lines and focusing all attention on his character, were the few moments when the mediocre script was elevated to weird, fascinating greatness. Eric Loui Phoenix Staff Nat Sufrin (left) and Melissa Cruz contemplate meat in "This is the Fargans". Lfring&Arts phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 19
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editor's PICKS By Tiffany Liao dance ; Rhythm N Motion Saturday, Dec. 8 7 p.m. LPAC Don't miss the only RnM show this year! Speaking of dance, I finally learned how to crank dat soulja boy, much to my roommate's lasting horror. Sadly, no one will ever get to see it since . she's banned me from debuting it in public. "Strong Eliza" Finale After two and half years, Swat's only sitcom "Strong Eliza" is coming to an end. Find out what happens to Eliza Strong as she enters high school in a special one-hour-long broadcast. Sunday, Dec. 9 10 p.m. WSRN tune in listen Reigning Battle of the Bands champs! Earl Grey and the Teabags Reunion Show! Tuesday, Dec. 11 9 p.m. Olde Club J Featuring Jason Horwitz 'O7, Jesse Rappaport 'O9. Garth Griffin 'O9 and Sonny Sidhu 'O9. Hip hop group Boomstanders as openers, Earl Grey is everyone's cup of tea. Heh heh heh ... it took me way too long to think that one up. Senior Company Presents (Directed by Joe Borkowski 'OB and Bryn Mawr senior Lauren Dubowski. watch December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 20 phoenix.swarthmore.edu
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Opinions The changing face of conservatism One of the truisms which the media tells us that we are supposed to accept about American culture these days is that the country is becoming more religious, and that this will necessarily translate into a more conservative political environment. The 2004 election supposedly proved that the country is dominated by "values voters" who are socially conservative and numerous enough to potentially decide the fate of our elections. Karl Rove made courting such people part of his strategy to build a "permanent Republican majority" following President Bush's election in 2000. Unfortunately, the actual evidence does not support this media narrative. America is neither becoming more and more Christian, nor are Christians turning the country inexorably towards the political right. A recent survey conducted by the nonpartisan Barna Group, which studies religious beliefs and attitudes among Americans, found that young Americans are increasingly rejecting the label of Christian. Whereas 77 percent of Americans over the age of sixty refer to themselves as Christian, only 60 percecnt of 16 to 29 year-olds are willing to use that label. And even those who do still consider themselves Christian feel increasingly hostile towards the practices of the church in this country. Half of all young Americans who attend church regularly nonetheless described institutional Christianity in America as "judgmental," "hypocritical," and "too involved with politics." Fully 80 percent of young Christians, and nearly all young non-Christians, perceive churches as "anti-hom*osexual." And while most of those surveyed, Christians and non- Christians, approved of the values of Jesus, the prevailing sentiment seems to be that Christians no longer represent these values. According to David Kinnaman, the president of the Barna Group, our generation "is becoming increasingly secular." How did this happen? How did evangelical Christians go from a movement that was supposed to reshape politics in this country in a permanently conservative direction to a movement that is today largely reviled by young Americans? Most likely, the exclusive focus of many conservative Christians on social issues, namely abortion and gay marriage, had a large part to play in this shift. By pushing these issues at the expense of others, evangelical Christians made themselves seem like an outlet of the Republican Party, rather than a genuine spiritual movement. Historically, politically active Christians have cared about a lot of issues, such as poverty, slavery and the environment, but evangelicals seem to have totally forgotten about this legacy. It's hard to picture Pat Robertson or the late Jerry Falwell marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, against racial injustice. It seems much easier to imagine them railing against his support for democratic socialist economic policies and his opposition to the Vietnam War, despite the fact that he couched all of his proposals in Biblical rhetoric. Fortunately, there are positive signs that a genuine sea change is occurring among American Christians. Evangelical Christians had been a primary base of support for Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, but polls show their support for this military misadventure slipping. According to William Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, one of the most attended churches in the country, "The quickness to arms, the quickness to invade, I think that caused a kind of desertion of what has been known as the Christian right." White evangelicals, who were supposed to vote Republican more reliably than just about any other demographic group in the country short of registered Republicans, are now more likely to identify as independents or as Democrats than they are as Republicans. And less than half of them continue to support President Bush. When Bush doesn't even have the support of his most reliable voting bloc, he should know something is wrong. Politically active Christians are also increasingly looking to issues beyond polarizing culture war social issues. Richard Cizik, the Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of the most influential evangelical political activists in the country, has publicly declared that opposition to global warming needs to be part of the evangelical agenda. When some other prominent evangelicals criticized Cizik's position, he went so far as to accuse them of being influenced by ties to oil companies. Evangelicals have also become more active in human rights and poverty related causes. Richard Land, the president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of Bush's strongest supporters on Iraq, has lobbied Bush to take more action to combat the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. In one of the more unlikely alliances in recent memory, Southern Baptist leaders worked together with feminist activist Gloria Steinem to lobby Congress to be tougher on human trafficking and prostitution. Even traditionally right-wing organizations like Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition have not been immune to some of these more progressive concerns. Joel Hunter, who was scheduled to become president of the coalition at the beginning of the year, was forced to resign due to his open support for causes such as a higher minimum wage, and abolition of the death penalty. He also helped draft an open letter to President Bush in support of the creation of a Palestinian state, which was signed by more than thirty other evangelical leaders. The Catholic Church has similarly broadened its political agenda. On Nov. 14, Catholic bishops meeting in Baltimore approved a guide for Catholic voters for the 2008 election which affirmed Catholic opposition to torture, genocide, and the targeting on noncombatants in war zones. The guide goes so far as to say that Catholics can vote for a candidate who favors legalized abortion if other ethical concerns outweigh that one. This is a far cry from the days of the 2004 election, when many bishops wanted to deny communion to John Kerry for his pro-choice stance. These are all positive signs that Christians are beginning to understand why young people today view them as hypocrites, and are taking steps to remedy this perception. Despite their increasingly secular outlook, young people still overwhelmingly approve of Jesus. If only Jesus's followers acted more like him, they would engender more respect. Joel is a sophom*ore. You can reach him at jswansol@swarthmore.edu. JOEL SWANSON Sound and Fury op-art by meredith leich letter to the editor DU thanks supporters To the Editor: On behalf of the brothers of Delta Upsilon, I would like to recognize and thank those generous hearts of the Swarthmore community whose donations will make it possible for us to show our adopted family that they are not alone this holiday season. While tabling for charity in the front of Sharpies often yields as much frustration as success, all of the brothers who had the chance to help this week said they were amazed by the number of people who not only acknowledged their existence but also responded with enthusiastic selflessness. In just a week, you have helped us raise enough to give a little girl and her mother most, if not all, of the items on their wish list; any money left over will go to other groups on campus who have adopted families. All of DU thanks you wholeheartedly for embracing our goal and reaching into your pockets to help us reach it. Additionally, we want to voice our deep appreciation for those who were unable to donate any money yet offered to give of themselves in other ways. Whether you decided to make presents yourself or volunteered to advise us when we shop for women's clothing, or even if you simply promised to get your friends to donate, your thoughtfuhiess was inspiring. Finally, we want to ensure that due credit goes to all of the other groups on campus who adopted families or who have embraced the holiday season's spirit of giving in some other way (specific shout-outs to Phi Psi for its work with Swat Sudan). Swarthmore is blessed with a wealth of people who genuinely care about improving the lives of other people and we of Delta Upsilon are glad to help in whatever way possible. Once again, on behalf of the brothers of DU, thank you for your generosity. We are humbled. Alex Ginsberg 'O9 Delta Upsilon, VP of Community Service PS. Last year we began working with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization and have firmed up a partnership with an elementary school in Chester. We are looking for more, especially male, mentors. If you have any interest in applying to be a Big Brother or Sister, please e-mail me at aginsbel ©swarthmore. edu. phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 21
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College Republicans re-start conversation ■ editorial As a student body, it seems as though we consider conversation, debate, and the sharing of experiences to be the hallmarks of the Swarthmore experience. Yet, with a predominantly liberal student body, one could say that conversations in past years have been decidedly onesided. Over the past 14 years, the College Republicans have existed on-and-off as an operating group, and with its recent revival, it seems as though Swarthmore may be shaken up but in a good way. Before this announcement, it seems as though there had been quite a few complaints within the Swarthmore community about the lack of political diversity on campus. While ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds are fairly well distributed amongst the student body, it seemed as though political opinions were quite left-leaning. One can look to the televised coverage of students watching the fall 2006 elections in Mephistos wherein students cheered emphatically when states turned blue and booed unhappily at the slightest tinge of red to get a good handle on just how strong liberal sentiment on campus is. Yet, amidst all of this, there seemed to be an air of dissatisfaction with the political landscape on campus. Those with more conservative leanings seemed discontent with how polarized the campus was - to the point of extreme discomfort when voicing their opinions for fear of hostile responses. Left-leaning students felt as though something was missing from their self-edification: a dissenting opinion that would challenge them to think through their own beliefs. With few conservative students willing to express their opinions, liberal students were left to construct their arguments amongst likeminded peers, rather than in the presence of students who differed from themselves. There were, in effect, few to no conversations happening. To say the least, the revival of the Swarthmore College Republicans is one that will likely cause quite a stir on campus. Whether the event is met with negative or positive reactions will be left to the student body, but the potential for important discussions is quite high. We have sincere hopes different voices will begin to emerge within the student body and that collaboration between the Swarthmore College Democrats and the Swarthmore College Republicans will follow. But until that happens, let the much-needed conversations begin. We want to hear from you! Letters and opinion pieces represent the views of their writers and not those of the Phoenix staff. All letters and op-eds must be signed and have the writer's contact information. Letters cannot be longer than 400 words and must be submitted by noon on Monday. Op-eds cannot be longer than 600 words. Letters may contain up to five signatures of individuals only. Op-eds may contain up to two signatures. The Phoenix will not accept pieces signed on behalf of any groups or containing unfounded attacks upon a person's character. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix editors reserve the right to withhold any letters from publication. To report a correction, e-mail phoenix@swarthmore.edu.Submit letters to phoenix_letters@swarthmore.edu or The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Ave. Swarthmore, PA 19081 op-art by sam goodman Hypocrisy can spark change From business suits, speeches and commercials to ... all the pleases and thank-yous that characterize our society, yet seem so unnecessary on the surface, hypocrisy is there. The first complaint against those who cry hypocrisy at the drop of a hat should be simple: that people change. It could be argued that argument is an art. But it's a practical art, understood and appreciated out of necessity. And because we ordinary folks are its artists, we rarely take time to see argument as more than a vehicle for practical achievement that is, persuasion. There is an infuriating tendency, however, that goes unnoticed as a result, and it can be found in every discourse from those on the political stage to the ones in the pages of this newspaper. It's the buzzword "hypocrisy." We've become so enamored with the word and its easy application that we've forgotten what hypocrisy means or why we can't stand it. But a close examination yields a surprising reality: Hypocrisy is not always the evil we think it is. It can be one of the most powerful tools for good available to us. Defending hypocrisy should start with defining it, and this is perhaps where the root of the problem lies. The popular aphorism of the hypocrite is "do what I say, not what I do." But today's expanded definition has come to include "what I have done, regardless of any current personal opposition to having done it." The standard of hypocrisy is now much lower, and we look at perfection as if it were a legitimate option to the contrary. How many political careers have fallen on the barbs of a marijuana leaf? How many children start smoking because their parents couldn't overcome the hypocrisy of telling them not to, but they had in the past? We look for spotless, infallible role models as if they were just around the corner, and anything short of it isn't good enough. The first complaint against those who cry hypocrisy at the drop of a hat should be simple: that people change. That's only half of the solution, though. What about the hypocrites who change in the span of mere days? Hours, even? Aren't they then deceitful and not merely misled? It depends on what can be termed deceit. As bizarre as it is to say it, today's social codes are based on euphemisms, facades and other little lies. For example, the notion of sportsmanship in personal experience, beating the crap out of someone on the rugby field and then shaking his hand afterward typifies a form of hypocrisy that we unabashedly admire. Our glorified concept of romance is candlelit dinners and elegant attire, even if animal sexuality is the only thing underneath. From business suits, speeches and commercials to the welcome mats and warning labels and all the pleases and thank-yous and ladies and gentlemen that characterize our society, yet seem so unnecessary on the surface, hypocrisy is there. Modern thinking seems intent on stripping down the little hypocrisies that act as both fabric and facade for society. Sportsmanship isn't as strong a force as a shoe deal in the NBA; professional sports are mostly played by mercenaries who get paid to win, not to shake hands afterwards. Popular music is also taking a turn to the blunt side of things the first songs that come to mind are Akon's "I Wanna f*ck You" or the Ying Yang Twins' subtle masterpiece "The Whisper Song," wherein the rappers express their intents to "beat the puss* up," interjected by gems like "wait till you see my dick." It's not the wildly sexual lyrics that are the issue of consternation that's what differentiates the defense of hypocrisy from backwards conservatism. Rather, it's the rejection of the hypocrisy long held sacred in the music industry that claims if you want to talk about smoking, drinking and f*cking, you don't write a song called "Smokin', Drinkin', and f*ckin'" (Ice Cube, 1998). When musicians violate that standard, it not only takes the fun out of deception, it takes a certain value out of it, too. The hypocrisy that exists in this case teaches us wit and subtlety. But it can also teach us courtesy, humility and virtue. To be frank is human, but to be hypocritical is occasionally divine. Puritanical thought would have us believe that animal instincts are dangerous. Modern thought would have us believe that they're our most genuine, that society's little polite lies are the danger. But it takes a fine line between the former and the latter, between too much lie and too much truth, to do good. When we teach our children not to screw up like we did (or continue to do), we're striving to be more than human while acknowledging that we are human. That's the hypocrisy that holds us together. So rather than be quick to decry hypocrisy in argument, we should question whether it's being used to make empty promises or promote the sacrosanct disparity that exists between who we are and who we try to be. Brendan is a sophom*ore. You can reach him at bworkl@swarthmore.edu. BRENDAN WORK The Doog Audit Opinions phoenix.swarthmore.edu December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX 22
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StuCo candidates sound off CANDIDATE FOR CAMPDS LIFE REPRESENTATIVE ANDREA CORNEJO 10 My name is Andrea Cornejo 10, and the first couple of weeks on campus, I looked around and couldn’t see how there could be anything to complain about here at Swarthmore, everything seemed to run so smoothly. It was through a gradual process that hidden discrepancies and oddities about social, financial structures per se, came to light. I think Student Council this semester has done an effective job bringing certain aspects of campus life setbacks to administration’s attention, and bringing forth commitment to change these issues. Undoubtedly, I pledge to continue in their proactive footsteps to making Swarthmore campus life better for the student body in general. I would also make a further commitment to explore social, cultural and even financial issues more in depth. For instance, during Class Awareness Month, (month long activities to raise awareness on class issues) several overlooked or unaddressed issues have materialized, such as stringy resources for incoming lower class students, that I have been planning on bringing to the attention of administration.As Campus Life Representative, I will communicate student concerns and inquiries to administration and make sure they are acknowledged. I have been working closely with several Alumni groups, a great resource for information and support for any activity. I am familiar with a majority of student group leaders, and those who I am not familiar with I would be delighted to get to know. My greatest strength is I am no conformist, and am constantly compelled to pursue a solution or an answer to enigmas I encounter. All of these qualities and many more will help me be a successful Campus Life Representative. I am going to go out on a limb and make a bold assumption that as Swarthmore students, we want not to be negated and fed generic answers. Instead, we want substantial explanations for why processes, structures and policies are as they are. Because if we know this, if we were to know the precise details of why our meals don’t roll over, of why there are students on campus who cannot afford their books, etc., we will be able to understand the best way to promote, and request change. By talking to student groups and individuals, I will see what issues need to be brought to attention, use my council position to present it to appropriate Deans and/or administration and work with both students and administration to find the best way to approach student body issues. I believe my equality driven character along with my perseverant and outspoken personality will be a great combination for Campus Life Representative. I look forward to hearing from you, thank you for your time and have a great tomorrow! CANDIDATE FOR CAMPDS LIFE REPRESENTATIVE JOAN KIM 10 College life is not only about academics. Don’t get me wrong, as a Student Academic Mentor, I definitely endorse studying for exams and preparing for classes. I also understand that you experience college life only once in your life and I’m here to make sure that it’s the most rewarding and unforgettable four years in your life for learning and self-development. As a contributor for the Living and Arts section of The Phoenix, I’ve learned about three important aspects of student life- student activities, what students are most interested in and listening to students and the administration for their opinions. These tools are important to use as a Campus Life Representative. I’m always around to listen to any opinions or concerns about campus life. You could approach me in person or perhaps I’ll overhear you in Sharpies. Either way, I’ll make sure your opinion is heard, since I plan to be active in discussing current policies in debate and in brainstorming ways to improve Campus Life. I’ll make sure to facilitate communication between the students and the administration and encourage all students to speak up about their opinions on Campus Life. As Campus Life Representative, I will not only fulfill duties such as ensuring all Student Council sponsored events are publicized, but I will be accessible and actively represent the student body’s diverse views on plans and policies for the college. CANDIDATE FOR CAMPDS LIFE REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER Yl 09 Hi, my name is Jennifer Yi, and I want to be your campus life representative. We need to make some changes to improve the overall quality of life at Swat, and I am the person to do it! If elected I would work for: Better food: Have you ever thought that Sharpies food just isn’t as satisfying as the tour guides made it sound? I will work for better food quality and longer hours so that you are not left starving at midnight when you have to write that paper. Better events: Ever thought that going to that party or event wasn’t worth the opportunity cost of three hours of not being able to study? I will work for a greater variety of events that are more spread out so that you are not so stressed. Better facilities: Have you ever not been content with the dismal lighting in McCabe or our meager gym facilities? I will work towards better facilities so that we can do what we love. Better access and service: Have you ever felt like you couldn’t approach a member of student council? I am here to do what you want me to do. I encourage all of you to contact me with any and all questions, suggestions, or concerns so that I can bring it up with student council and the administration.As your campus life representative, I will work with student council and the administration to demand that your needs/goals/wants are met. Vote for me so that I can continue to bring new and innovative ideas, services and facilities to this campus! I have experience, I am qualified and I want your vote. Vote Jennifer Yi! CANDIDATE FOR STDDENT EVENTS ADVISOR LACEY DICKINSON 10 My name is Lacey Dickinson and I am a sophom*ore. I was appointed to the Student Affairs Committee last spring, and began serving my term this fall. As a young buck my freshman year, I enthusiastically attended various on-campus events, and continue to do so. I cannot begin to fathom the emptiness of a life without the standard Saturday night Paces party, or a midweek pizza study break. Taking part in making these events happen as a member of SAC has been a fulfilling experience thus far, and I now hope to expand my participation in enhancing the social schedule of my fellow Swatties as the Student Events Advisor. I am a great candidate for Student Events Advisor, not only because I am passionate about providing and attending a plethora of entertaining on campus events, but also because I have the experience that would allow me to fulfill the duties of Student Events Advisor. In my freshman and junior years of high school, I participated in student council acting as chairperson of various committees that planned school-wide events. During my senior year, I acted as a student liaison to the school principal on a board that served to inform school administrators of the condition of the student body, and organize various school-wide charitable campaigns. Participation in these organizations throughout my high school career allowed me to develop key leadership, coordination and organizational skills. This semester, I worked as a Swarthmore phone-a-thon caller, calling alumni and parents of current and past students. Begging strangers for contributions has certainly strengthened my communication and interpersonal skills. If elected Student Events Advisor, I would like to make SAC a friendlier, less ambiguous and less intimidating group so that a broad range of students feel comfortable interacting with us and requesting funds for their events. In order to alleviate the ambiguity often associated with SAC and throwing campus events, I would insist on holding at least two informal study breaks a semester that would allow curious potential event hosts to casually interact with SAC members and ask questions. This sort of structured, informal interaction would not only serve to give SAC a face, but also reduce the amount of intimidation that may be associated with having to present event proposals to the committee. If elected, I would also push to include a FAQ section on the SAC website, which would allow students to review the main regulations at a glance, and perhaps clarify the multitude of regulations affiliated with holding an on-campus event. Thus far, I have been an ardent member of the Student Affairs Committee, and would love to spread my fervor to Student Council. If elected, I would channel my passion for SAC, along with my past experience, towards my duties as Student Events Advisor. Eye on Venezuela BY JUAN VICTOR FAJARDO GOMEZ ifajardl@swarthmore.edu OP-ED Last Sunday, Venezuelans were summoned to the voting urns and asked whether or no they supported the constitutional reform pu forth by President Chavez. I included a total of 69 change to articles in the current con stitution (written by Chave himself in 1999), among which the followin two stood out: an extension of the presidentia term from five to seven years as well as fh possibility of immediate and indefinite reelec tion, and the dilution of the Central Bank' autonomy from the branches of government Both of the suggested changes are incompati ble with the current system of government in Venezuela and involve a fundamental chang in the structure of government. At about 1:30 a.m. on Monday, the pertinen electoral institution announced a partia report of the results. They read as follows with a 44 percent abstention rate, the constitu tional reform received 49.29 percent of th votes in favor and 50.70 percent of the votes in opposition. The proposed reform was turned down by a difference of less than 200,000 votes The result is certainly comforting. A radi cal reform like the one proposed is not neces sarily a bad idea for a democratic nation, bu in practice, the changes would have been irreversible. As shown by the electoral results, th Venezuelan society is almost divided into two perfect and deeply polarized halves. In a situa tion of such polarization, and with an unusu ally high abstention rate, a shift of this magni tude would have forced half of the population to live under a system of government wit] which they didn't agree. The victory of the opposition is importan not only because of its outcome but because i is a victory for a weakened and questionec democratic system. In a way it is a legitimiza tion of democracy in Venezuela and o Chavez's status as democratic leader. The actuality of either of these implications is, in fact, not the most important question to have in mind. The aspect most worthy of contem plation is the impact of this unprecedentec electoral defeat for Chavez on the concept o citizenship in Venezuela. Even though the act of voting is often seen as the ultimate expression of the democratic citizen, in Venezuela we are challenging tha paradigm. Chavez, the opposition and the Venezuelan constituents are more than ever aware of the fact that Chavez's will can be both at odds with and overruled by the will of the people. The fact that less than 200,000 voters saved the country from what would have been an institutionalized polarization of Venezuela makes every citizen realize the potential they have to decide what future they want or, in this case, don't want, for the country. For that reason, the ultimate expression o the democratic citizen in Venezuela is more profound. Venezuelan constituents have awoken from a stupor of political indifference and now live and breathe an opinionated and heartfelt political life. The true democratic cit izens are on the streets voicing and fighting for what they believe in. If there is something that we, Venezuelans, need to thank Chavez for, it is this rediscovered sense of patriotism and nationalism. For those of us who live this new demo cratic experience in Venezuela from what is practically academic exile in the north, it is important to find refuge from political inactiv ity in expressing these thoughts with the peo pie around us. Chavez is a man who has impacted my country in many ways and that will be in power for at least five more years The challenge for us is to regain control of the helm, harness his power and redirect the nation toward a future of reconciliation. Opinions phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 23
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Central and South America begin leaning to the left The value of strong democratic tradition, it seems, has not been lost on Venezuelans, even after several years under a highly reform-oriented ruler such as Chavez. Big things are afoot lately in the societies that we "Americans" like to forget are part of America proper, too. In the past few years, Central and South American countries have been experiencing small, but significant revolutions of an electoral-democratic variety. Ostensibly reacting to the persist» ence of economic and social ills, as well as U.S. influence in the hemisphere, these Latin American societies are experiencing a self-conscious lurch towards the political left. While recent developments in Peru, Mexico and Colombia suggest that the region's trajectory will not be consistently uni-directional, a discernible break from the political status quo in favor of fresh and sometimes novel political approaches is certainly underway. Most recently, this past Sunday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez asked his people to approve significant new reforms to the country's constitution. He proposed some 70 changes, the most significant of which were eliminating the limit on the number of terms a president can serve, creating certain communal forms of property, ending the central bank's autonomy, altering the administrative and territorial structures of the country and instituting several laborrelated policies. v What did his people give him for an answer? To the world's surprise, they gave him a resounding "No!" Sure, given that the measure was only narrowly defeated, it wasn't exactly "resounding" in a conventional sense, but for a politician accustomed to landslide electoral victories, the rejection of the referendum was an irrefutably meaningful defeat. Since it is alleged that even many Chavez supporters rejected the reforms, either through voting or through abstention, to what were Venezuelans responding? Experts believe that the proposals were just too much too soon; more specifically, most Venezuelans, Chavistas included, were not prepared to entrust so much power to one person. On these grounds, I think that the people's answer was the right one. The value of strong democratic tradition, it seems, has not been lost on Venezuelans, even after several years under a highly reform-oriented ruler such as Chavez. I am, on the other hand, curious as to whether other reforms might yet be implemented, such as the proposed establishment of a pension fund for laborers in the informal sectors of the economy. On some level, I am tentatively hoping that at least some of the more socially democratic measures find their way back on future ballots. Given that such measures alone would most certainly pass, I would like to see just how successfully Chavez could implement and manage redistributive programs like this pension fund. You see, the endeavors in this vein are what amount to small but" significant revolutions. They represent part of that self-conscious shift towards the left that I mentioned earlier, alternatively viewed as a sort of pro-democratic revision to a very historically anti-democratic, neo-liberal project. Free and open markets, fiscal austerity and privatization have not significantly alleviated rampant inequality and poverty in many Latin American societies indeed, this historical reality persists today and so disillusionment with the Washington-backed neoliberal agenda has driven them in search of other political and economic solutions.Am I saying that Chavez and his policies are just such a solution? Hardly. On the political front, Chavez has moved to curtail freedom of expression in some troubling ways. (Although to be clear, Venezuela is still characterized as having a robust and vocal political opposition movement, one that controls much of the media there.) He also seems to have become preoccupied with the country's poor; not so much for their own sake, but more for the sake of maintaining and increasing his own power. On the economic front, meanwhile, the capitalist machine is alive and clipping along in Venezuela, despite Chavez's attempts to dress it in the trappings of socialist revolution. In fact, Venezuela's rich are only getting richer, while the poor have arguably benefited only marginally under Chavez's policies. On the other hand, what first began in Venezuela as a populist reaction to persistent ills there has spread to the rest of the region. A populist meme, as only politics of the Latin American variety can sustain, has been promulgated throughout the hemisphere: growth and progress, yes, but above all else, democracy and equity. In this sense, there's still something to be said for Hugo's shenanigans. Chavez's antics also embolden the more pragmatically minded (and less dramatically inclined) reformist leaders of the region to enact incremental but significant change without fear of rebuke from the U.S. In countries like Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Nicaragua, governments have cautiously explored alternatives to the neoliberal project, variations on the one-size-fits-all "Washington consensus" which are more adequately tailored to the historical context of their countries and the needs of their peoples. Increasingly, Latin American governments are shaking free of the constraints of a U.S.-devised neo-liberal vision so that they can re-envision their societies on their own terms and with reinvigorated mandates from their people. All in all, I guess I'm trying to say that I find the rumblings down south rather exciting. Chavez: sure, he's not all that, but the broader political undercurrent he and other Latin American leaders represent is something we would all do well to note. Perhaps the only other region from which we're seeing mounted such a potentially significant resistance to the U.S.-backed neoliberal agenda is East Asia. The Chinese brand of economic plan and vision, however, represents a very different movement, one bereft of ideals like equity and equality, and one that is taking place against a decidedly less democratic backdrop than the foment in Latin American countries. For the next decade, I'll have my eyes cast anxiously in the direction of Venezuela and Brazil down south for the stirrings of quiet revolutions. Yoshi is a senior. You can reach him at ajohnsol@swarthmore. edu. YOSHI JOHNSON Yo, It's Not That Deep Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organization curbs nation's progress What happens when Zimbabwean state institutions can no longer manipulate and restrain civil society to the whims of the dictator? The Zimbabwean government has to find another weapon to use and the weapon of choice is Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organization. The CIO, the official intelligence agency, can be simply described as the corrupt and ugly distant cousin to the United States' CIA. The CIO was created by colonialists in the early 1960s in order to keep an eye out on Southern African revolutionaries (or terrorists). When Zimbabwe received independence in 1980, it would have been intuitive to disband the CIO. However, the CIO was kept and, in an ironic turn of events, the CIO now terrorizes and harms Zimbabweans in a manner that is similar to the colonial CIO. The only difference is that Zimbabweans now suffer at the hands of their fellow countrymen. The ClO's presence makes a solution to the "Zimbabwean Crisis," the undemocratic state and the searing economic meltdown more complicated as it has made the tenacity of Zimbabwean mentalities insipid. The ClO's greatest strength is that is has had the ability to dilute the influence of opposition parties. One party, the Movement for Democratic Change, is presently Zimbabwe's most feasible and influential opposition party. The party appeals to the Shona ethnic majority, the Ndebele ethnic minority, small and large business and landowners and even the small Zimbabwean white community. The MDC unites everyone because most people share the goal of overthrowing President Robert Mugabe. The power of the MDC was shown by thenslight electoral success in 2000, where the party won 57 electoral seats even under electoral conditions that where generally declared undemocratic. Sensing that the MDC was threatening the power of Mugabe's party, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, the CIO unleashed a plan that swiftly split the MDC through infighting. The bonds between the different groups within the MDC are fragile as their interests vary; the only common interest is for economic reform and the removal of Mugabe. The CIO was very aware of this and used the media to put pressure on the already brittle bonds between the interest groups within the MDC. The CIO has a firm hold on Zimbabwean media; the World Press reports that The Financial Gazette, The Daily Mirror and The Daily Mirror on Sunday, three of the most popular and once independent newspapers, have now been infiltrated by the CIO. Eddie Cross, a leader within the MDC, wrote earlier this year, "This past week the MDC has been headlines every day all negative stories designed to show that the MDC is divided, its leadership weak and indecisive and that we are incapable of really effecting change." With only two independent newspapers left, it was difficult for the MDC to oppose these claims and at present the MDC's political power has been diluted as the party has split into two factions. The CIO is relentless and at times creative with the undemocratic and unlawful tactics that it uses to discredit opposition leaders. In the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections, the CIO put MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai on trial for treason. The evidence was an alleged grey and spotted filming of a conversation between Canadianbased political consultant Ben-Menashe and Tsvangira. The BBC reports that, "it was obvious that the tape had been heavily edited in an amateurish attempt to put incriminating words into Mr. Tsvangirai's mouth. The clock in the corner of the CCTV [closedcircuit television] footage kept on flicking backwards and forwards." The CIO also has the ability to make the constitution and the laws that govern Zimbabwe malleable. In the late 19905, the CIO started suspending and confiscating the passports of human rights activists and journalists who the CIO felt would discredit the president. When the CIO began its confiscations, it was both illegal and unconstitutional. In order to prevent people from appealing, the constitution has recently been amended. The ClO's actions have made finding a solution to the "Zimbabwean Crisis" more complicated as these actions have shifted Zimbabwean mentalities. Through fear, the CIO has managed to move Zimbabweans away from striving for change regardless of the cost. The CIO has different divisions and some of the most feared units are those who recruit inconspicuous civilian youth under a flirtatiously innocent name: The Zimbabwe National Youth Service. The common nicknames for this group, however, such as "the Green Bombers" and even "the Taliban", give insight into the torture and pain they inflict on citizens suspected of supporting the MDC. To illustrate the ClO's ability to hamper a solution, one only has to look at Operation Murambatsvina, a.k.a. "Operation Drive Out the Trash". This operation was cloaked under the pretense that its aim was to reduce the spread of infectious disease through eradicating squalor. The operation attacked and demolished the homes and small businesses of the urban poor. The UN reported that 700,000 Zimbabweans lost both their homes and there income because of Operation Murambatsvina. It is no coincidence that the urban poor were targeted. The MDC's core support comes from Zimbabweans living in urban areas. This situation makes a solution to the Zimbabwean crisis complex, so that neither an Iraq-style military invasion nor the current fruitless negotiations between the MDC and ZANU-PF can change the new Zimbabwean mentality: To hell with collective action ... my survival comes first! Chenge is a first-year. You can reach her at cmahomvl@swarthmore.edu. CHENGE MAHOMVA Wawona Opinions phoenix.swarthmore.edu 24 December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX
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Swat men suffer tough losses after injuries BY CONOR CASEY ccasey2@swarthmore.edu "The talent is there, so we should be able to start picking up wins." Noam Fliegelman 'OB Sometimes the first one is the hardest one to get% The men's basketball team (2-3, 0-2 CC) is still looking for its first conference win of the year after falling to Johns Hopkins University 73-59 last Saturday and to McDaniel College 66-61 on Nov. 28. In the game against defending Centennial Conference Champions Johns Hopkins, Swarthmore found itself at a disadvantage with the loss of starting forward Matt Turner 10, who had incurred a season-threatening injury two games before. Classmate and name-sharer Matt Allen 10 started in his place as part of Swarthmore's three guard offense. The Blue Jays took advantage of Swarthmore's initial height deficiency and just over two minutes into the game, took the lead for good. Major contributors for Hopkins were Doug Polster, who led all scorers with 20 points and shot 7-10 from the field on the day, including 3-5 from threepoint range, and Collin Kamm, who put up 13 points on the day. For Swarthmore, lan McCormick 'OB grabbed his fourth double-double of the season, tallying 19 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to five blocks. Fellow senior Steve Wolf 'OB contributed 11 points and eight rebounds, and Raul Ordonez 'O9 came off the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds in 21 solid minutes. A bright spot on the day for the Garnet was that Swarthmore out-rebounded the Blue Jays 41-34, and amassed more steals (4-2), more blocks (8-2) and more assists (11-10) than its Baltimore counterparts. Swarthmore, however, suffered from the free-throw line, making only 15 of 31 attempts, good for 48.4 percent. Similarly, its shooting average from the floor was an almost equally unimpressive 38.8 percent. To add insult to injury (or the other way around) 2006 Centennial Conference honorable mention Matt Kurman 'OB sprained his ankle in the game, limiting his playing time. The game against Johns Hopkins followed a disappointing loss the previous Wednesday to the McDaniel Green Terror, a team that finished tied for sixth place with the Garnet last year with an 8-10 record in Centennial Conference play. The game saw three of Swarthmore's starters put up big numbers. McCormick had another big game with 16 points and 14 rebounds, Wolf added 12 points and seven rebounds, and Noam Fliegelman 'OB put up a season-high 14 points. The Terror, meanwhile, had stats less gaudy but more spread out. Forward Chad Arrington led all McDaniel scorers with only 12 points. Nevertheless, the Green Terror bench came alive for 20 points, while the Garnet subs could only produce nine points. The story for the Garnet was essentially one of "too little, too late." While it outscored its opponent by nine in the second half (34-25), the 14-point deficit it entered halftime with proved to be too much to overcome. And while Swarthmore repeatedly tried to get three-point shots to fall, the Garnet continually missed, shooting just 71 percent in the game from beyond the arc (1-14), and going a collective 0-10 from three-point range in the second half. According to head coach Lee Wimberly, the Garnet is not playing in the same style that it did in its first two nonconference victories. "We've gotten away from trying to push the ball up court," he said. "The turnover ratio has been lousy, whereas it was good the first couple games." Players maintain that the team's shooting is off. "We're not shooting the ball well, especially from the guard position," Allen said. In particular he praised the play of McCormick, whose play he called "phenomenal," but added that "we need to have other people step up." Fliegelman agreed. "We need to help out on rebounding, not just lan, but the other centers and forwards as well." According to Fliegelman, "The talent is there, so we should be able to start picking up wins." The injuries the team has endured so far, both to Kurman and Turner, have certainly had a negative impact on the season to this point, though Wimberly praised the players for their resolve. "The guys have stuck together," he said. "It's tough when you have expectations, but they've overcome adversity, and I give them credit for that." But, he acknowledged, "We're not nearly as good as we were when were at full strength." The men played at Muhlenberg College last night in a game too late for this edition, but will return home this Saturday to face off against last year's number two playoff seed Ursinus College at 2 p.m. Yimei Zhou Phoenix Staff Center lan McCormick tries to stop a drive by forward Sam Lacy as the Garnet prepared for last night's game. Yimei Zhou Phoenix Staff Swarthmore guard Matt Allen is defended by forward Danny Walker in a practice held earlier this week. Sports phoenix.swarthmore.edu THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007 25
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Finding the beauty in everyday Swat sports moments Swat isn't known in college guidebooks for its passion for athletics. We're never described as a jock school, and on most Sunday afternoons library-goers outnumber football junkies by 20 to 1 But as a jock, a tomboy, whatever you want to call me, I've managed to experience my share of memorable, emotional and sometimes just crazy sports moments, proving that the wonderful world of sports can permeate even as intense an academic environment as Swarthmore in subtle yet significant ways. It doesn't matter that most of these events never made the paper, they will always have a firm place in my heart, and for that, I would like to thank the people who made them possible - and The Phoenix, for giving into my last demand to be as sappy and nostalgic as possible in one column. Without further ado, the ten greatest sports moments in my Swarthmore tenure: 10. Watching the Eagles vs. Patriots Superbowl freshman year in a dorm room filled with Philadelphians, a few months after my New Yorker roommate and I agreed not to speak for a week following game 7 of the ALCS. Yes, I'm a gloating sports fan, but I'm a New Englander. I've had it rough, now I have it good. Give me a break. 9. Perpetually lifting 15 pound dumbbells (and occasionally making it to 20!) in the gym while surrounded by lacrosse and basketball players. Maybe if I grunt you'll think I'm tougher? 8. Being in the bathroom when Swat scored the winning goal in overtime against Frostburg State this Fall. Wondering why fans were running onto the field before the extra time had started. 7. Forcing Worth courtyard naked laps and claiming matchmaking prowess because of it. (Can I also take this space to point out that it's a bad idea to try to strip while running and that I've seen the abrasions to prove it?) I'm going take the liberty to combine this with another nonalcoholic Beirut moment. Taking Swarthmore men's basketball all-time scoring leader Matt Gustafson 'O5 and general crazy person Chris Rose 'O5 into overtime in my first game of Beirut ever. It was totally legit that I was sober and thus may have a had the slight advantage in hand-eye coordination. That second round of cups was the most beautiful pyramid I will ever see in my life. 6. Playing a spontaneous game of Red Rover on Parrish Beach with my freshman year hall the first week of classes and again the last. Sorry, here's the sappy part. Nothing like starting out your Swarthmore career with a clotheslining from two senior guys twice your size. 5. Watching my roommate sink a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer in a Swarthmore basketball game freshman year. Wishing I had athletic skill. 4. Sporting underwear with "SWAT" written across the backside to a women's soccer game junior year. Not minding that I looked like a fool because, hey, it's Swarthmore. Taking that same attitude to my appearance and behavior most other days of the year. 3. Inventing, with the help of my sophom*ore year block, a truly epic game, Competitive Bra Unhooking. It's challenging, it's violent, and it's amazing. No nudity involved, I promise. Look for more information during Senior Week. 2. Watching both the men's and women's swim teams beat F&M at home last year. Along with everyone else in attendance, I went hoarse. I may have gotten just a little teary-eyed at the end. And again writing the article. Frampton, don't laugh. L Mercilessly heckling opposing soccer players and their haircuts, making the most obscure sports metaphors possible, arguing over the best NFL quarterback to the point of rage, eating as much Key Lime Pie as the human stomach can hold (a sport, if you've never tried it), and discussing the meaning of life on the rugby sideline with the best co-editor and friend I could ever have asked for. A few months remain before I have to say goodbye to this school, but it's not too early to say, thank you Swat. Thanks athletes, hallmates and partners in random acts of foolery. It's been so good I've occasionally forgotten that I don't have a football team to root for. Genevra is a senior. You can reach her at gpittmal@swarthmore.edu. GENEVRA PITTMAN With a G Meghan Downie Phoenix Staff File Photo Moment number 4. Supporting Swat athletics in the most stylish way I know how. If you have better ideas, let me know. Badminton faces off against top competition BY ZHENG ZHENG zzhengl@swarthmore.edu "Anyone who has played badminton can say what a great sport it is. It can be as physically demanding as any other sport." Hitesh Bhattari 'OB The Garnet badminton team started off the first game of its season losing by one game to Drexel University in the new Intercollegiate Badminton Association for/nat. This competition consisted of six games of singles and three games of doubles. "The Drexel game was our first game, so we went out fresh and played hard and had fun," captain Patricia Kelly 'OB said. "It went well overall and we weren't too sad about the results." In the singles matches, Kimberly Kramer 10, Maithili Parikh 11 and May Maani 10 won at first, second and sixth singles, respectively. Losses came for Kelly, Alice Xiang 10 and Karma Lama 10 at third, fourth and fifth singles. First doubles team Kramer and Parikh won their match, while second doubles players Kelly and Xiang and third doubles players Lama and Maani lost their matches, giving Drexel the 5-4 victory. This past weekend, the Mid-Atlantic Jr. Nationals was held at Bryn Mawr College. Swarthmore College came in second place in the event, one point out of first place. The Mid-Atlantic Juniors competition's results were as following: Kramer won Women's Singles overall; Parikh came in second place in Women's Singles; Kelly made it to the quarterfinals; Xiang made it to the semifinals in Women's Singles Consolation; Robert Manduca 10 and Cole Armstrong 10 represented Swarthmore in the Males' Singles match and played well; Kramer and Parikh won Women's Doubles overall. "Many of us have been sick lately, but we still managed to achieve second place in the collegiate competition, losing to Drexel by only one match," Kramer said. "Every member gave their all this weekend, and it's no question that each person is an essential, integral part of the team." This particular tournament was different from Classics in that there were different age categories: under 1L under 13, under 17 and under 25. This gives the young children that train and play badminton a chance to experience the thrills of a de facto competition and to show off their budding sportsmanship. "There was a lot of small kids playing," Hitesh Bhattari 'OB said. "It was quite a scene to watch small children running around the court hitting shuttles. 'Love for badminton' I would call it." He added, "Badminton at Swarthmore is both an individual and a team sport. It is individual in a sense [that] the games are either singles or doubles. It is a team sport in a sense every game you win brings points to Swarthmore. I joined badminton since my freshman year. It has been a very pleasant experience. Learning badminton with Bhavin [the team's coach] has been a great experience. In the U.S., badminton is a grossly neglected sport. But anyone who has played badminton can say what a great sport it is. It can be as physically demanding as any other sport." Since the last tournament, Bhavin has had the players focus on clearing (when one hits a high shot from the back of one's side to the back of the other side), serving and footwork. The members are aiming to become more consistent in terms of gaming strategies and to keep a positive mindset even when not performing so splendidly during a game. Practices typically entail first running laps on the indoor track, stretching and doing duck walks and sprints. Next, the players warm up their shots on court. Coach Bhavin then divides the team into individual groups and has them tackle certain areas of weakness. At the end of practice, the players play games against each other in simulated matches for extra practice. The team has recently acquired a brand new player, Celeste Abou Negm 'O9. "I think team will have a lot of great successful games ahead of us," Kelly said. The team is done with matches utnil after winter break. "Most of our games are next semester in February, and I envision our team going all the way." Disclosure Note: Robert Manduca is a contributing photographer for The Phoenix but had no role in the production of this article. Sports phoenix.swarthmore.edu 26 December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX
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Women's bball opens season with spunk BY GENEVRA POTMAN gpittmal@swarthmore.edu After starting its conference season off with a big upset victory over McDaniel College, the women's basketball team suffered two tough losses to Johns Hopkins University and Muhlenberg College in the last week. With the two losses, the Garnet fell to 1-2 in the conference, 2-4 overall. On Saturday, Swarthmore was dominated by the Blue Jays from the get-go, as Johns Hopkins outscored the Garnet 41-22 in the first half. The Jays shot 42.9 percent from the field in the half to Swarthmore's 25.9 percent, and got 13 points from its bench compared to only two from the Swarthmore substitutes. Hopkins was able to build on its lead in the second half, outscoring Swarthmore 37-23 despite equalling the Garnet's shot percentage of 33.3. Lyndsay Burton and Kristin Phillips of the Jays led Hopkins with 12 points each to earn a 78-45 win, and Phillips added 12 rebounds, a teamhigh. Hopkins' Britni Lonesome led the team in both assists and steals, with four of each. For Swarthmore, Kathryn Stockbower 'll earned a game-high 15 points and also led the team with 12 rebounds, while classmate Ceylan Bodur added 11 points of her own. On Tuesday night, Swarthmore traveled to Muhlenberg and faced off in a much tighter game. Again the Garnet fell behind early, finding themselves behind 42-29 at the break. Swarthmore managed to climb back into the game to make it close in the second half, but its ultimate deficit proved to be too much to overcome in the end, as the Mules prevailed, 74-64. Against Muhlenberg Swarthmore shot an improved 42.0 percent from the field, including going 7-14 from behind the three-point arc, with four of the treys coming from Bodur. Bodur had 18 total points in the game to lead the team, and Stockbower had 17 in addition to 15 rebounds. Kaitlyn O'Malley of the Mules led her squad with 16 points, and Kaitlin Strumph came off the bench to contribute 10 of her own. Muhlenberg made particularly good use of its deep roster, as it used twelve players on the night, only two of whom played less than ten minutes. Despite its recent losses, the team's play against McDaniel made it excited for what it can do in the future. "In the McDaniel game that we won we really showed how good of a team we can be," Kristen Traband 'OB said. "We really executed on offense." However, she said, "In the past couple games we haven't been able to have that offensive fire ... We've shot ourselves in the foot a little because we've had so many turnovers." The team is working on regaining themental edge and aggressiveness that allowed it to defeat the Green Terror, one of the conference's best teams. "If we believe that we can match other teams physically, we have the skills to do that," Laura Popovics 'OB said. The upperclassmen are also excited about how the team has been able to come together, and especially about the new additions to the squad. "We've meshed really quickly from the beginning," Traband said. "Kathryn [Stockbower] has proven that she can be one of the best players in the league. Ceylan [Bodur] has provided us with a lot of depth, she's a really potent threat out there on the wing. We have a more balanced offense than we have in previous years." Despite recent losses, the team is keeping its energy and enthusiasm up. "I don't think anyone is down right now because I think they realize that we just played two of the best teams in the conference," Pam Costello 10 said. "We really do have a chance of finishing high in the league." This Saturday, Swarthmore will hope to get back on a winning track with a non-conference game at Goucher College, and then will play its last game before winter break at \ Bryn Mawr on Tuesday. The Owls are currently tied for last place in the conference with a 0-3 conference record, 2-4 overall. What's in store for Garnet: upcoming Swat athletic events Swiinming vs. Rowan University Saturday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m. Men's Basketball vs. Ursinus College Saturday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m. at Moravian College Monday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. Indoor Track * at Jack Pyrah Meet at Haverford Friday, Dec. 7, 4 p.m. Women's Basketball at Goucher College Saturday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m. at Bryn Mawr College Tuesday, Dec. 1\ 7 p.m. Football legends - memories of Baggio "I retained the pigtail for six years, proclaiming myself as the Korean Baggio." It's cold. The trees are bare. The sun sets at 5 p.m. Tests and paper due dates are overwhelming our calendars. Yes, the signs are clear: it's December at Swarthmore. As your nostalgic (and procrastination-prone) soul longs for the warmth of past days, it's crucial to retain your sanity through some form of catharsis. My ritual recipe consists of You Tube with a pinch of football. The beauty of You Tube lies in its ability to preserve moments of the past: Liverpool's unbelievable overcoming of a three-goal deficit in Istanbul, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's memorable injurytime winner at the Estadio Camp Nou, Ryan Giggs' unilateral mauling of the Arsenal defense in the 1999 FA Cup semifinal and so on. This brings me to my final topic of the semester: football legends.Every sports fan has an idol. These days, I have a particular soft spot for Henrik Larsson and Francesco Totti (at right). Growing up, however, my idol was Roberto Baggio, Italy's greatest footballer of all time. Renowned for his dazzling coiffure and org*smic free kicks, "II Divino Codino" ("the divine pigtail") remains a cult figure among all football fans. He started his top-flight career in the Italian Serie A with Fiorentina, earning a transfer to Juventus in 1990 for a record-setting fee of 25 billion lira ($l9 million). In protest to losing their young talisman, enraged Fiorentina fans rioted in downtown Florence, resulting in the injury of 50 people, proof that Baggio was destined for greater things. During his subsequent 5- year sojourn in Turin, he won everything that one could possibly win as a player, including the FIFA World Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) awards, as well as the Champions League, Coppa Italia and Scudetto (Italian League). Since then, he has enjoyed successful spells with AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan and Brescia, cementing his spot as one of the greatest footballers in history. The statistics do all the talking: he has scored 318 goals in all competitions, 205 goals in the Serie A and nine goals in three World Cups. He joins a long list of formidable trequartista (three-quarters), otherwise known as the second striker position, playing in between the midfielders and forwards. He brought glory to Italian football and is fondly remembered by fans worldwide. I remember the first time I watched Baggio in action, a group-stage match against Czechoslovakia in the 1990 World Cup. By halftime, Italy had already taken the lead on a goal from top scorer Salvatore Schillaci. And then it happened, a moment of sheer magic that led to the goal of the tournament. Baggio receives the ball from the left-hand side of the pitch, just inside the Czech half. He plays an elegant one-two, dribbles past a defender, and with two players in front of him, hits a splendid shot into the bottom of the net. I'll never forget the expression I had on my face, a young Phil Lee mesmerized by such exquisite technique. Baggio then became my idol, the center of all my conversations. It impacted all aspects of my life including my hair, product of an inspired hairdresser who completed her first "Baggiocut."I retained the pigtail for six years, proclaiming myself as the Korean Baggio ready to wreak havoc on the lives of my playground opposition defense. I never defended, staying true to my trequartista (lazy) nature, and always proclaimed the superiority of my idol in lunchtime "who's the greatest footballer in the world" arguments. Baggio was my world. Fast-forwarding to the present day, I still retain a fondness for my childhood idol. Amidst the chaos that persistently terrorizes all post-pass/fail Swatties in December, my homemade You Tube remedy succeeds, once again, in keeping me sane. As we head into the holidays, try exploiting the wealth of exquisite sports moments available via You Tube. Those memories, I guarantee, will make you smile. Phil is a senior. You can reach him at pleel@swarthmore.edu PHIL LEE Wannabe Pundit? Sports phoenix.swarthmore.edu 27 THE PHOENIX December 6, 2007
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"Miller sets another Swarthmore record at F&M Invite BY GENEVRA POTMAN gpittmal@swarthmore.edu sports "Although the other teams at the meet had all tapered, we didn't let that hinder how we swam." Reid Wilkening 10 The Swarthmore swim teams faced off against their most formidable competition of the season last weekend at the Franklin and Marshall Invite, held over two days in Lancaster, Pa. The Garnet earned a total of 53 season or lifetime bests, finishing fifth in both the men's and women's meets out of nine and ten teams, respectively. Kutztown University, Rowan University and host Franklin and Marshall College controlled the scoreboards in both the men's and women's meets, finishing in the top three places. Rowan was victorious for the men with 680 n points, and Kutztown for the women with 686.5. One significant disadvantage for Swarthmore coming into the meet was that it had not slowed down its schedule to prepare for the competition, while other teams in attendance had tapered and shaved for the meet. "Basically we went into that meet off one of our hardest weeks of training and everyone else was shaved and ready, so [coach] Chris [Daly] and I were pretty pleased," coach Sue Davis said of the teams' performance at F&M. "Although the other teams at the meet had all tapered, we didn't let that hinder how we swam," Reid Wilkening 'lO said. "Overall after a very hard week of training, both the men's and women's teams competed very well." The personal bests for the team included another Swarthmore school record for Anne Miller 'lO, as she swam a second place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle in 18:02.07, 10 seconds behind Rowan University's Samantha Edwards. Allison Bishop 'll (fifth, 18:35.07) and Sarah "' Bedolfe 'll (13th, 19:23.11) also swam to personal bests in the mile, as the Garnet women gained 35 of their 377 total points in that event. Sally Chang 'll also swam a personal record 2:15.80 and Fatima De Vol 'll swam the best 100 back of her career in 1:08.97. For the men, both Tramane Hall 'll (29.87) and Kyle Skolfield 'lO (28.19) swam to personal best times on their 50- yard breast stroke legs of the 200 medley relay, and Connor Morrison 'll earned a personal record of 5:2216 in the 500 freestyle. Lorenzo Ramirez 'lO earned his own personal bests in both the 50 freestyle (29.19) and 100 freestyle (1:1141). The Garnet women dominated the 100 butterfly, with Miller (58.94), Casey Osborn 'lO (1:01.61) and Jennie Lewis 'OB (1:02.03) finishing first, fourth and fifth in the event. Other top performances for the Swarthmore ladies were Miller in the 500 freestyle (third, 5:17.63), the 400 medley relay team of Allie Jordan 'O9, Stephanie Su 'll Miller and Lewis (fifth, 4:13.90), the 800 freestyle relay squad of Osborn, Franny Zhang 'OB, Chelsea Brett 'll and Miller (fourth, 8:14.35), Osborn in the 200 butterfly (fourth, 2:17.82) and the 400 freestyle relay team of Claire Shelden 'lO, Lewis, Brett and Zhang (fifth, 3:49.91). Top-five finishers for the Swarthmore men included Andrew Frampton 'OB in the 500 freestyle (fourth, 4:56.61), the 400 medley relay team of Doug Gilchrist-Scott 'O9, Sterling Satterfield 'U Brian Roth 'O9 and Michael Ahn 10 (fifth, 3:45.47), the 200 medley relay team of Gilchrist- Scott, Skolfield, Roth and John Heagy 'OB (fifth, 1:4141), the 800 freestyle relay squad of Heagy, Satterfield, Frampton and Ahn (fifth, 7:32.76), Satterfield in the 200 breaststroke (fifth, 2:20.18), and the 400 freestyle relay team of Gilchrist-Scott, Santiago Lombo 'll, Heagy and Ahn (3:2153). One of Swarthmore's motivations for competing in the Invite was that it is one of the meets during the season that most closely mimics the multi-day schedule of the Centennial Conference Championships, held Feb. 22- 24 at F&M. Though the meet came at a difficult time with swimmers already under academic pressure, it apparently served its function. "The F&M Invite was excellent preparation for conferences," Zhang said. "There were many tough races." The team decided to give an award for outstanding swim for each of the three sessions in the meet. The prize was won by Ramirez, De Vol and Blaise Sheridan 'O9 for each session, and Miller took home the award for the meet as a whole. For its last challenge before winter break, the highlight of which for the team is a ten-day training trip to Puerto Rico, Swarthmore will face off against Rowan at home on Saturday at 2 p.m. Rowan showed last weekend that it continues to be a threat, and the Garnet hope to step up and get fast swims in its home pool. "We'd like to see everybody get season-best times," Daly said. Davis also promised the possibility of record-breaking swims for fans in attendance at Saturday's meet. "Rowan's got a chance of breaking some of our pool records and I think we have a chance of breaking our pool records," she said. Anne Miller, Swarthmore's new record holder in the 1650-yard freestyle after finishing second in the event on Sunday, practices her stroke on Monday afternoon phoenix.swarthmore.edu 28 December 6, 2007 THE PHOENIX
