THE
CAMPUS SERVING ALLEGHENY COLLEGE SINCE 1876
VOLUME 136, ISSUE 24
- FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 -
New conduct policies spark ASG tension By KATIE McHUGH Features Co-Editor mchughk@allegheny.edu
Several routine changes meant to clarify Allegheny’s conduct code and alcohol policy passed despite initial resistance from a student government upset with recent reversals of student wishes. Previously, the college generally limited its disciplinary jurisdiction within the campus, but recent changes officially expanded its purview to include EL seminars, study abroad experiences, entertainment events officially sponsored by the college and other off-campus gatherings of students. The college also implemented specific procedures stripping punished students of certain privileges. Students may be barred from attending formals, concerts, athletic events or other activities. When Residence Life determines that a student may be a threat to others’ safety, they may bar the offender from entering certain residences. The changes fueled some discontent with Residence Life. “I’ve never been on the other side of a disciplinary hearing, so I don’t really have a right to speak about that, but people get very angry about the way policies are enacted,” said resident advisor Serafina Lanna, ‘14. Lanna also pointed out the tensions between administration and student body contributed to the resistance to the scheduled updates. “There’s not really a great relationship between Res Life and the student body,” Lanna said. “It’s more of a relationship where people despise Res Life, and they’re maybe willing to subvert other things they do because they’re angry with policies. And that’s speaking as an RA, which is a little bit uncomfortable, but it’s true.” Allegheny Senate Government senator Colin Soleim, ‘14, was surprised at the heated discussion surrounding the changes to the policies, but understood its roots. Much of the controversy stemmed from misdirected frustration at the four-year residency requirement, Soleim
said. “I don’t think it comes from people getting in trouble,” he said. “I think it comes more from the fact that people can’t get the rooms that they want, and they have to live on campus. A lot of it comes from a sense of entitlement.” According to Soleim, Residence Life’s prospective power loomed large in students’ imaginations. “To be honest, it seems like people are just very afraid of the potential power of Residence Life, when really, they’re bound to a certain set of rules,” Soleim said. “They’re not the national government, where we have this fear that they have infinite power.” “They can only do so much and they’re not going to use all their powers if at all possible,” he said. ASG assistant director of concerts and special events Kyle Trogstad-Isaacson, ‘13, who took issue with the jurisdiction stretching to off campus locations, posted the first draft of the rules on his Facebook page, eliciting outrage from peers. “I told them what the changes were going to be, and they felt that [they] were going to be screwing around with offcampus housing,” he said, “I understand you are under the student conduct policy as soon as you matriculate, but at the same time, it’s an off-campus building for a reason.” As a Theta Chi brother living off campus in the fraternity house, Trogstad-Isaacson felt personally pressured by the changes. “That’s our house. That’s our autonomy. We don’t like to be tread on,” he said. Residence Life, however, stressed that the changes were simply clarification of existing procedures. “The biggest change for the conduct policy was just adding the restrictions and loss of privileges section,” said assistant director of Residence Life Joe Hall, explaining there were no significant changes made to the policies. “Those were things we already utilized
See CONDUCT | Page 2
INSIDE
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Campus Crime An unidentified man with a gun robbed Phil Schweitzer April 5 on Highland Avenue. Several female students reported a man shouting sexual solicitations from his vehicle April 9 around campus.
The incidents raise the question:
How safe are we on campus? PAGE 2 Design by Dana D’Amico
Bywater to bid farewell Veteran philosophy professor, diversity pioneer reflects on Allegheny By KERRY BORNSTEIN Contributing Writer bornstk@allegheny.edu
In 1967 Allegheny College was a very different place. There was no Black Studies program and no Women’s Studies program. The student body was much less diverse. Absent from the curriculum were classes that focused on issues of social justice. That all changed with Bill Bywater. At the end of the 2012 academic year, Professor Bywater will retire after 44 years, leaving behind a legacy not just as an educator but as a mentor to both his students and his colleagues. “He is truly a smart man with a unique and effective approach at teaching,” said Jennifer Lauer ’12. He leaves behind a legacy that includes not only his contributions to social justice and the Philosophy Department, but to the Black Studies, Women’s Studies and the Lesbian and Gay Studies programs. Allegheny will commemorate Bywater on April 20 with a conference on Social Justice at 2:15 p.m. in the Tippie Alumni Center. “[The conference] was a surprise to me, put together by my colleague Eric Boynton,” said Bywater. “I didn’t know any details until the posters came out.” Born in Detroit, Bywater at-
tended Lehigh University for his undergrad and the University of Michigan for his graduate work. Originally intent on being a lawyer, he left law school after one year. “I discovered that the law was about winning, not about justice,” said Bywater. He then realized he wanted to teach, and has since taught at Allegheny for the entirety of his teaching career. Professor Bywater started teaching at Allegheny in 1967. “The diversity of the faculty and the student body have gotten more diverse,” said Bywater. “Even though the student body is more diverse, in important ways the students have stayed the same. They are as inquisitive and intelligent as ever.” Over the years Professor Bywater has strived to diversify the college’s curriculum as well as its population. He helped to start the Black and Women’s studies programs, along with others, in the early 1970s. In the mid-1970s he taught a course in philosophy and feminism and even earlier than that he taught a class on Black American thinkers. Bywater paved the way for other fac-
ulty to teach classes on themes of social justice. This was not without its challenges. “It has been challenging and rewarding at the same time to get both faculty and students to see the importance of social justice issues as being part of the curriculum,” said Bywater. As a professor for 44 years, few match Bywater’s knowledge and expertise. “His commitment to both the Black and Women’s Studies programs has been sustained and steady for a long time,” said Professor of English Laura Quinn. “He has contributed allegheny.edu through both the classroom and programming.” Of the programs he has helped to implement at Allegheny, he believes they will go far. “However, now it really looks like the college is going to be successful, it is really putting in a major effort to supporting the success [of students of all colors],” said Bywater. “There is a much stronger effort being made by the college then ever before in the area of Black Studies and inclusiveness.” As well as making an impact on his peers, Bywater’s experience has been enriched by
his peers over the past 44 years as well. Bywater counts Professors Don Goldstein, Paula Treckel, and Eleanor Weisman as just a small sampling of the many colleagues that have contributed to the richness of his teaching career. “It is a weird feeling,” said Bywater. “I’ll miss helping people understand, better understand the world that we’re living in.” Bywater was pleased about the introduction of the award. “It is a really good idea to have an award like that for the college,” said Bywater. “It certainly is really good to be able to give people who are working in these areas recognition. The work can be difficult and sometimes lonely, it is nice to see that the recognition will happen for people on a regular basis.” Professor Bywater’s vast knowledge and passion concerning social justice are not the only things that will be missed. He is known to be quite the joke-teller. “There is one in particular that I remember. What did the mayonnaise say when the fridge door was opened? Stop it; I’m dressing,” said Jordan Abbott ’12, recalling his time spent as a student of Bywater. In his retirement Bywater plans on continuing his social justice work and, of course, telling his jokes.
► T I TA N I C
► f e at u r e s
► golf
Reviewer relives her childhood in 3-D with James Cameron’s epic blockbuster, Titanic.
Taboo topics make for laughs in We’re All Shitty People.
Windy weather doesn’t hinder golf team at Mid-Atlantic Regional.
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2 || April 13, 2012 || The Campus
AlleghenyCampus.com
[NEWS]
News editors: Elaina Mercatoris, Cory Rectenwald, Chelsea Fleischman || news@alleghenycampus.com
Two incidents raise safety questions By ELAINA MERCATORIS and CORY RECTENWALD News Co-Editors mercate@allegheny.edu rectenwald@allegheny.edu
According to Director of Safety and Security Jeff Schneider, Safety and Security’s crime prevention strategy focuses on educating students, rather than attempting to deter criminals. “It’s a proactive approach with the students to do this and don’t do this,” Schneider said. “That’s about the only way we can really address [crimes], other than when an incident does occur, we collaborate with the city police in order to give them the information we have.” Offering students vehicle escort services and encouraging students to travel in numbers are two primary ways Safety and Security hopes to prevent crimes around campus, Schneider said. “Unfortunately, there’s all sorts of people like that running around today, and all we do is try to prepare the community for such things and of course react when something happens,” Schneider said. Although there are 14 emergency call boxes around campus, they are almost never used for emergencies but more often for an occasional false alarm, Schneider said. The proposed Closed Circuit Television system, which would provide surveillance in various areas on campus, was unpopular with Allegheny Student Government this year. According to Schneider, he has had success with CCTV at other colleges where he has worked, but it is difficult to determine the extent to which it would deter criminals at Allegheny. “Maybe if these suspects know that there are cameras on campus, and they don’t know where, maybe they wouldn’t be coming to campus to commit crimes,” Schneider said. “But it’s really hard to say.”
harassment Multiple female students reported verbal harassment Monday by a bearded man in a teal-blue van. Meadville police tracked the perpetrator down and ordered him to cease and desist but did not pursue criminal prosecution, according to Schneider. Junior Stephanie Mancine was crossing the street toward the Wise Center when she heard a man shout, “Hey sexy! Your legs are beautiful!” “I thought it was a friend of mine messing with me,” said Mancine. “I turn around and it was this crazy man with facial hair.” About an hour later, senior Olivia Mesoras was then harassed on her way to the gym. “I don’t know what the heck is happening to this campus,” said Mesoras. “I feel like it was so much safer when I was a freshman.” Mesoras said that she ignored the man at the time of the incident but she does plan to change her habits. “I’m not going to walk around by myself at night like I used to,” Mesoras said. “I’m just going to be more cautious.” Mancine expressed concern that people were becoming complacent about these sorts of harassment incidents. “I’m a young woman, it’s not the first time someone has made a catcall at me,” Mancine said. “I’ve grown accustomed to it, which is not good.” She was skeptical about whether Allegheny allocates enough resources towards security on campus. “Our Safety and Security office does everything they can with what they have,” said Mancine. “But as an institution, I think you need to cover all your bases and protect the people who are paying a lot of money to go here.”
CONDUCT for students in conduct meetings and our follow-ups with them in terms of taking certain things away depending on the situation.” Warnings were also extended to two years. “Sometimes, when an event is on a borderline between a warning and a probation, a warning for a year sometimes doesn’t suffice,” said Hall. “So having say, two years, would give us more of an opportunity to just extend a warning rather than put a student on probation.” Warnings, unlike probation, do not require parental notification, except in certain cases involving illegal substances or violent behavior. They may now be given to students in-
robbery A student reported an incident with an unknown man April 5 that ended with a stolen cell phone and threat with a visible weapon. The man has not been identified. Phil Schweitzer, ’13, walked down Highland Ave. around 10 p.m. when a man approached him, asking to use his cell phone. After Schweitzer complied, the man made two calls that weren’t answered and began to walk away with the cell phone. When Schweitzer asked for his phone back, the man said, ‘Step off,” and showed him a gun. “I don’t know where it came from, but I was looking at him in the face and I looked down and he had a gun,” he said. This incident was not the first time Schweitzer was threatened for his cell phone. “It was a lot less scary than the last time I had my phone taken, when I had a knife to my back,” he said. He had been in Philadelphia when he had a knife put to his back and had his phone stolen. Schweitzer said that if it hadn’t had that previous experience, he thought he might be more concerned. “It’s not really that big of a deal,” he said. “Now I’m just down one phone.” Both Safety and Security and the City of Meadville Police were present at the scene and filed reports, but to no avail. “The city has not gleaned any more information, nor have we,” said Schneider. “All we’re doing is reaching out to the victim.” Schweitzer’s view of campus security didn’t change following the incident. “I still feel like the campus is pretty safe,” he said. “Campus security, they’re really doing the best they can, and you have
The campus asks... How did you react to last week’s two crimes? “I’ve never heard of something like that happening, especially because there was two incidents. For the one I was surprised because it sounded so violent and then the other one I was shocked because you hear about people harassing women all the time when they walk down the street but I never really witnessed it. I know that I talked to a few of the girls and it really scared them, it was scary for them to go through that. -Olivia Walter, ’14 CHELSEA FLEISCHMAN/THE CAMPUS
“I was kind of surprised, I mean I don’t think stuff like that normally happens here. I feel like you don’t see that kind of stuff as much because this is a small campus, a small town, which made it more surprising.” -Haley Moorman, ’14
CHELSEA FLEISCHMAN/THE CAMPUS
How do you think that security handled the situation? “Yeah, definitely, though I would say that if they could get information out sooner... Like I know that the e-mail was sent out 12 hours after the crime occurred, so if they have real suspicions on stuff like this, they could get the information out sooner. On campus I feel really safe, but sometimes if I’m walking up Park Avenue, Or just more off-campus areas, I don’t feel quite as safe.” -Rebecca Dilla, ’15 CHELSEA FLEISCHMAN/THE CAMPUS
“I think they do what’s within their constraints. I mean they don’t carry any type of weapons or anything like that unless there’s an arsenal somewhere. They just got a new security director, I think 2 years ago, and before that from what I’ve heard, there was just a complete disconnect between the college and the Meadville Police Department. So when events would go down, the police department would just kind of push it aside and put it on the back burner, where as now I think they’re more responsive. You definitely see cop cars coming through here much more often than I might have freshman year.” -Jordan Abbott, ’12
CHELSEA FLEISCHMAN/THE CAMPUS
from page 1
volved in misconduct off campus. Incidents involving drugs, violence, or other serious circumstances occurring aboard could now result in disciplinary action. Conduct policy, no matter where it is broken, may result in disciplinary action. “There could be certain circumstances where we need to follow-up with that student before allowing them back into the community,” said Hall. “They’re still representing the college, they’re still students,” said Hall. “Those are really rare circumstances but they do happen.” More severe penalties, such as fines, were considered but dropped, Hall added.
Policy clarifications 1. Misconduct violations during EL Seminars, Study Abroad experiences, entertainment groups, and off campus gatherings that violate the Honor Code or College policy are now subject to disciplinary action according to the procedures outlined in the student conduct system. 2. For academic and nonacademic conduct matters, warnings may now be extended to two years and under certain instances, parents or advisors may be notified.
3. In certain circumstances, students convicted of misconduct may lose certain privileges including but not limited to: attending formals, athletic events, concerts, or other campus programs. Parents or guardians may also be notified.
4. The official alcohol policy now includes the risks of consuming alcohol: signs of alcohol poisoning, and increased risk of injury and sexual assault.
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[NEWS]
CRIME BLOTTER April 5 - Highland Avenue An unknown person stole a student’s cell phone. April 7 - Campus Center A student reported that his unattended bookbag and money were stolen. The student later reported that the bookbag was found. April 9 - Walker Hall A student reported her iPhone stolen.
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The Campus || April 13, 2012 || 3
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|| The Campus || April 13, 2012
[REVIEWS]
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Exaggerated disaster drama of ‘Titanic’ heightened by 3-D effect By MOLLY DUERIG Features Co-Editor duerigm@allegheny.edu
Titanic is a never-ending series of climaxes. From Rose’s unforgettably steamy deflowering; to her miraculous rescue of Jack from his chains; to the horrific scene in which the ship finally points straight up to the sky at a 90 degree angle, it is very difficult to decide which moment in the movie is most exciting. For me, the whole film was, in a word, flooring: as hard as it may be to believe, I’ve only seen Titanic once before, at my (male) best friend’s sleepover party, at the age of eight. During the scene when Rose undresses, all the other boys at the party squealed and scrambled over to the screen to plant kisses on her face. As the only girl present, I, oblivious to all reason, joined in. My friend’s dad came in a minute later and turned off the VCR, screaming at us all to knock it off. I was left with a sheepish grin on my face and a vague feeling of curiosity in regards to what would happen next in the movie—a desire that, incredibly, was never fulfilled until now. Titanic, though admittedly extremely overdramatic and unrealistic in plot, resonates of truth in the human feelings it conveys. It’s impossible not to empathize with Rose’s struggle to choose between repressing her spirit back into the life she’s always known and jumping into the depths of the unexplored with Jack. Certainly, the blunt distinction between the lives of these two characters is a bit exaggerated.
Not everyone can relate to the experience of being a vagabond living off the land that has a torrid affair with a tightly-wound (and engaged) aristocratic girl. The Hell-like image of the bowels of the ship as Rose and Jack run through laughing mischievously is just a little too excessive of a metaphor for rebellion and the corruption of a virgin soul. Clearly, this relationship is too fantastical to be considered truly relatable by most audiences. But consider for a moment what it would be like to step into the big, bad world outside of your personal comfort zone, and you’ll understand how excruciating the decision-making process can be. How do you decide what (or who) to value, to throw away, to run away from, when you don’t even know what other options lie in store for you? At a certain point, you might question how much of your life has been owed to your personal decisions, and how much has been determined by factors outside your control. And the answer you come up with might scare the shit out of you. That’s what happens to Rose when she meets Jack and realizes that an entire world, free of lies, hypocrisy and social status, exists outside of the twisted shelter she’s always known. After overcoming her initial paralysis of fear and uncertainty, she flourishes with happiness, desire and the love she never experienced with Cal, her abusive dipshit fiancé. Unfortunately, the ecstasy these lovers unlock is doomed to be smothered (literally) by the bitter cold North Atlantic
and 52,000 tons of ship. Utter disaster brings out both the best and the worst of people in Titanic. Some people ensure everyone around them has life vests. Some people ensure their own unworthy spots in the limited supply of life boats, through dirty bargains with sailors. Still other people ensure they use the time to the best of their ability: they drink; they play music; they chain up young boys in the bottom of the ship and leave him to suffer a torturous death, of which he will be fully conscious. Or at least that’s what some people think until Rose saves the day in a marvelous scene of the upmost suspense, in which she axes Jack free from his handcuffs just moments before the water level reaches high enough for him to drown to death. This is an impressive reversal of stereotypical gender roles, especially for the story’s time period. It was moments like this one in Titanic that left me suddenly choked for breath. Other moments had me screaming out unexpectedly (luckily, we were the only guests in the theatre that night); others, I’ll admit, made me cry. Moments of particular suspense were heightened by the 3-D effect. For example, when a passenger just barely swims through the only open door before it closes on his leg, I almost felt the whisk of the door on my own leg. However, it’s difficult for me to judge just how much of a difference the 3-D effect has on the movie when I’ve only seen
http://200movies1woman.com
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as the famous pair of ill-fated lovers in James Cameron’s Titanic, originally released in 1997 and re-released in 3-D at the end of this month. part of Titanic once before, as a very young child. After awhile, I started to forget I was even wearing 3-D glasses. Certainly, I felt as if I’d been transported into the world of the film, but a lot of that experience was simply due to the impressive special effects and breathtaking shots of the ship (inside and out).
One thing I will mention in support of the 3-D effect: it definitely intensified the underwater scenes in the beginning, when the treasure hunters explore within the sunken wreck of the RMS Titanic itself. At moments, I felt as if I actually were that robot contraption the hunters control with their arms. All in all, I was surprised by
how deeply I was drawn into this tale of disaster and romance. As the only girl child at an eight-year-old boy’s sleepover birthday party, there was no way I could have properly appreciated the embellished piece of art that is Titanic in the same manner I do now, as a typically conflicted and emotional 21-year-old female.
New Alabama Shakes release wasted, inconsistent opportunity
By CODY MILLER Music Reviewer millerc3@allegheny.edu
The newest album from the Alabama Shakes does not compare to their last, self-titled release of 2011, which was nothing short of exciting. They sounded real, approachable and unassuming, and the band immediately gained a spot on my informal “Artists to Watch” list. The Alabama Shakes (formerly known as “the Shakes”) are a young, soul-tinged southern rock band hailing from Athens, Alabama. Fronted by vocalist/songwriter Brittany Howard, the bohemian bluesrockers lends itself to hype. From the analog richness of their lo-fi demos to the impassionate, quasi-Aretha soulful prowess of Brittany Howard to
even their birthplace of Athens, Alabama, they seemed to exude authenticity. By the end of 2011, the band popped up on numerous critics’ “best of ” list and even scored an endorsement from Jack White (who, if you’ve seen the film It Might Get Loud, is clearly the de facto authority on passionate, rootsy blues-rock.) Rising out this torrent of hype is the 2012 album Boys & Girls, a 11-track, 36-minute long release brimming with the same bluesy vibes of their selftitled EP. The band blends Otis Redding-influenced soul-blues, southern swamp rock grooves you’ll swear were lifted from John Fogerty himself. The album is organic, nofrills analog based production – kind of like something you
would expect from “true rockers” like the White Stripes or the Black Keys. Their sound is emblemized by the extraordinarily captivating voice of front-woman Brittany Howard. It resonates with a tincture of crooning vibrato, raucous growls, and ultimately a formidable bluesy-punch that at once immediately demands attention and yet, can verge on being dangerously overbearing. The album begins with “Hold On,” easily the band’s strongest track and the album’s lead-off single. It’s a brilliant piece that is the essence of the band’s unorthodox sound. Beginning with an unassuming, earthy swamp rock groove, the song climaxes into a feverish chorus of raspy, rambunctious rock n’
roll. If you are one of those folks who believe “rock is dead” (whatever that means), the track could very easily lead you to believe the band were the so-called ‘saviors’ of a dead genre. It’s that cool. The following tracks “I Found You,” “Hang Loose,” and “Rise to the Sun” capture the same essence of “Hold On” – albeit while sounding slightly more prudent. If “Hold On” captured the band as a heated, visceral frenzy, then the following tracks bottle up that sound into something slightly less meandering, but at the same time frustratingly restrained and formulaic. While each are solid bluesrock tracks in their own respects, they find the band falling into a rut of predictable
flourishes of verse-chorusverse, quiet-loud-quiet framework that lacks the dynamism of the album’s leading track. This becomes more apparent after the first half of the album. The Shakes made the mistake of composing a top-heavy track-listing that leaves the second-half of the album littered with mostly predictable filler depends more on Howard’s voice to carry the pieces than anything else. “Heartbreaker,” the album’s seventh track, is stifled by the band’s roots rock formula and ultimately feels like a wasted opportunity. It is a track that could be more, but the Shakes seem almost afraid to push themselves beyond anything other than Howard’s passionate howls. Sure, it sounds cool, but it leaves the band sounding more like the sum of its influences than something which reinvents the past into something exciting and perennial. Perhaps savings Side B from sounding like a complete disappointment are the final two tracks “I Ain’t the Same” and “On the Way.” While still formulaic and predictable, both tracks seem to regain the same energy found in “Hold On” and to a lesser extent on the remainder of the album’s first half. “I Ain’t the Same” is probably the closest the band comes, outside of “Hold On,” in truly capturing the raw and unfettered sound of their influences. So, maybe the Alabama Shakes aren’t the saviors of
rock n’ roll, but why should anyone expect them to be? It is important to remember this is only a debut album, and it certainly sounds like one. The Shakes prudently tread along, making all of the right steps, reluctant to step outside of the shadow of Howard’s extraordinary voice. Tracks like “Hold On,” “I Ain’t the Same” and “I Found You” are highlights and illustrate that the band certainly has the potential to be great, provided they can escape sounding like gimmicky, indie roots-rock. When the album strikes, it can be downright sublime, but the inexperience of the Shakes is ultimately what weakens them. The record feels too short and hastily put together in light of all of the hype the band has received as of late. It prevents them from truly pushing these songs into formidable, powerful, and resonating pieces. So, should you believe the hype? Well, it depends. If you are a sucker for nostalgic, rustic roots rock, you might very well love this album. As for me, I’m not so inclined to think that the latest flavor of raspy, blues-based garage rock is necessarily extraordinary. Instead, Boys & Girls feels an above-average debut plagued by inconsistency and feels overly reliant on a lead singer that never consistently matches the power of her voice with equally stirring songs.
[Features]
www.AlleghenyCampus.com
‘Shitty People’ makes audience laugh, groan
The Campus || April 13, 2012 ||
Horoscopes It’s the end of semester and your birthday’s either coming up or just happened, which means school is the last of things consuming your attention. Hang in there... it’s almost over! For the rest of the semester, concentrate on pushing your own personal limits, whatever those may happen to be. You’ll reap the rewards.
Taurus
Aries
You’ve been stuck in a rut for awhile, and you’re sick of the same old routine. So change it up a little bit! Springfest is the perfect opportunity to do a little experimentation. Come up with an idea for an activity that excites you, no matter what it is, and do it. You’ll be amazed at what a little change can do for the soul.
Gemini
Some days, it seems like the world is out to get you. You’ve tripped over a stray brick on Brooks Walk for the umpteenth time, you forgot you had a statistics exam and you just found a hair in your food at McKinley’s. Take a deep breath. Things are looking up. Expect a more pleasant surprise sometime this week.
Cancer CODY MILLER/THE CAMPUS
Sam Moritz (left) and Leo Leonel (right) played James Van Handen and John Horner, two friends who get caught up in a scheme to fake the death of Horner’s wife for sexual gain. By MARY GRACE WARREN Contributing Writer warrenm@allegheny.edu
Masturbation, necrophilia and bestiality, topics usually excluded from polite conversation, highlighted the dialogue of We’re All Shitty People, a student-produced and directed play which premiered Friday night. The racy play revolves around John Horner, played by Leo Leonel, ’12, and his illfated attempt to save face when his wife leaves him and moves to Australia. Horner decides that the best way to avoid being punished by his familycentered boss by telling him that his wife committed suicide. Though the play is based on a rather ominous concept, its humor and wordplay keep the atmosphere relatively light. The dark humor highlighting the play resonates through dramatic twists such as the discovery of Mr. Horner’s friend James Van Handen, played by Sam Moritz, ’12, and his coworker Genevieve Danfield, played by Lauren Farruggia,
’12, making love in a casket. We’re All Shitty People’s humor was not only dark but also played off of the emotions of the audience by touching upon topics usually considered taboo. We’re All Shitty People was able to draw the audience in by making them vulnerable due to their discomfort with the unusual topics. This connection with the audience was apparent as the audience hooted and hollered at all the appropriate, or better, inappropriate, moments. Director Andrew Copenhaver, ’13, experienced a bit of awkwardness while working on the play. Copenhaver had the unusual experience of directing his girlfriend, Faruggia, as Genevieve in her romantic scenes with Sam Moritz. “The first few nights were really uncomfortable,” Copenhaver said. “At the same time, I hoped that Sam would take it professionally and I knew that Lauren was taking it professionally, and I tried to be as professional as a result, but that didn’t make it any less uncom-
fortable. It gets to the point where you kind of just have to roll with it. But that’s the least of your worries when you’re watching the play and hoping nothing crashes and burns.” One scene in which Moritz and Farruggia discuss the telltale signs of a women faking an orgasm stood out as particularly funny. The scene begins with a dark stage and the sounds of squeaking bed springs. Light fades in as Moritz and Farruggia share a post-coital cuddle and cigarette. Although this is a rather cliche set-up, the dialogue regarding Moritz’s “batting averages” in relation to his pleasing of women was fresh and hilarious. I personally felt a bit awkward at parts due to the bawdy humor. However, the fact that the play was able to affect me in this way speaks to its success. Overall, the play was cohesive and very humorous. The audience responded very well to the timing, banter and chemistry of the actors. For me, We’re All Shitty People earns a 3.5/5 possible stars.
Pam Houston closes semester’s Single Voice Reading Series
As far as love goes, you never thought you’d have it all figured out, but you finally do! Congratulations, you’re automatically happier than 75% of the campus community. But wait, you’re not instantaneously leading a perfect life? Tough shit. Love’s a huge part of life, but it’s not everything. Remember to pay attention to other aspects of your life as well.
It’s been a difficult year, but you’ve accomplished a hell of a lot. Be proud of yourself. And don’t worry if you sometimes get the slightest inkling that other people aren’t as proud of you as they should be. They’re probably just jealous or preoccupied with their own personal bullshit. Don’t be afraid to take pride in what you do. Just remember: nobody likes a pretentious jerk.
Virgo
You’ve been enjoying the party side of college life… a little too much. Now, after receiving a piece of negative feedback recently, you’re beating up on yourself. Chill out, man. Just stop doing things you know you shouldn’t do and you’ll be fine. In fact, you’ll be shocked at the positive feedback you’ll get… even before you really deserve it.
Scorpio
Pisces
Sagittarius
You haven’t been giving yourself enough credit lately, and it’s starting to show in your face. Your sad, sunken, wrinkled face, lined with bags under your eyes. No, just kidding! But for real, you should try to get some extra sleep or at least give yourself some extra encouragement. You rock! Take it all with a grain of salt. And give more hugs.
Aquarius
You’ve recently endured a difficult romantic experience, and it’s hard for you to rid yourself of cynicism. So don’t. Drink it down, suck it up and emanate that sarcastic outlook on life. Your witty sense of humor is what makes people love you. You don’t need to try to impress anyone… you already do. Remember that.
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CHARLIE MAGOVERN/THE CAMPUS
Libra
Family’s important, but it’s easy to disregard that notion when we’re all caught up in college life. Take a moment to call your mom, dad, grandma, great-aunt Gemima, whatever the case may be. You’ll be surprised at how grounded it’ll make you feel, especially in comparison to how you’ve been feeling lately.
Slow the fuck down! Seriously, though, you’re really getting ahead of yourself with commitments and obligations. Your commitment is admirable, but it’s starting to weigh down on you and negatively affect your schoolwork. Try to take a step back and relax just a little. It’ll be magic for your soul. And if anyone tries to stop you from getting into your groove… they ain’t worth your time.
Capricorn
Leo
Today is going to be very strange. Depending on your reaction to what happens to you, your day could either spiral downward or skyrocket. The best thing you can do is try not to react quickly. Take the time to mull over your emotional responses before act-
When you woke up this morning, you probably thought, “God damn it, not again.” Yes, again. It’s happening again. And it’s never going to stop happening. So get used to it, and appreciate what you have. Because, guess what? You have a shit ton. In fact, people are jealous. Insanely jealous. And your bitterness just makes them even more depressed about their own lives. So take some pity on us and smile.
Author Pam Houston spoke this Tuesday at the Single Voice Reading Series. English major Margot Miller, ‘12, is a fan of Houston’s work. “Her voice is a lot like her writing style, which works well when you’re reading aloud. That doesn’t always happen [with writers],” Miller said. She described Houston as a particularly “down-to-earth” writer, one of the few writers of fiction prose who spoke at this year’s Series.
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6||April 13, 2012 || The Campus
AlleghenyCampus.com
[ s p o rt s ]
Lacrosse rebounds against Bearcats Senior catcher Offense leads Gators to 16-5 victory over St. Vincent College brings leadership By MATT MASCOLO Staff Writer mascolom@allegheny.edu
A.J. CROFFORD/THE CAMPUS Left: Freshman Carly Luitgaarden, who plays attack for the Gators, helped the team in route to a 16-5 domination of St. Vincent on Wednesday. Right: Caitlin Hubel, ’12, had her first assist of the season in the victory, which put the Gators at 7-5 overall heading to Oberlin on Saturday. By JOHN LICHINA Staff Writer lichinaj@allegheny.edu
Allegheny lacrosse never trailed Wednesday at home against St. Vincent College ending a two-game losing streak with a 16-5 win. The game began with a Gator onslaught on the St. Vincent goal that would last the entire game. Allegheny finished the game with a 38-13 advantage in shots. Senior captain Kiah VoyerColbath tallied the first goal of the match three minutes in. It was the first of five goals for her on the day bringing her season total to team-leading 44. St. Vincent pulled it back shortly after but, the tie did not last long.
Brennan Maine, ’14, scored the first of her four goals to give the Gators an advantage they would hold the rest of the match. Sophomore Kelly Dickson’s first half hat trick aided a 7-2 Gator advantage at halftime. Two goals in the second half brought her game total to five. Defender Kelly Cribby, ’14, credited Dickson and other members of the Gator offense for their offensive production. “All seven of our attackers can score like that,” said Cribby. The Bearcats struggled all day with Allegheny’s firepower up front. St. Vincent had trouble with ball control and it created offensive difficulties for the Bearcats. “We are untouchable when
we work together,” said Dickson. Allegheny dominated their opposition statisically. Freshman Sara Schwartz led the back field’s effort to win the battle for ground balls. The team converted all of their free position shots and won the turnover battle for the day. As the offense dominated on one end, the backside was equally successful. Nineteen successful clears from 21 chances sealed the game for the Gators. “We have been working on that a lot, trying to bring all thirds of the field together,” said head coach Stephanie Janice. Keeping the ball away from St. Vincent was essential in the
Gator victory which lifted Allegheny’s record to 7-5. The Gators hope that their success will continue into the weekend as they face a conference foe in Oberlin College. The game may have big playoff implications since Allegheny sits mid-table with a 1-1 record in conference. “We’ve had success against them in the past and we want to continue that trend,” said Coach Stephanie Janice. Saturday at one in the afternoon Allegheny will face-off against Oberlin where a win would do wonders towards a post season appearance.
Men’s golf takes fourth place By COLLEEN PEGHER Sports Editor pegherc@allegheny.edu
Windy weather conditions and slick greens were a challenge for the men’s golf team on the final day at the MidAtlantic Regional where they finished in fourth place. “You couldn’t even hold a wedge on the green,” said sophomore Oliver White. “[The weather] made it very, very difficult.” While the weather presented a challenge for the team, it did not stop them from performing on Sunday. They finished with a score of 323 behind St. John Fisher, who shot 313 in the opening round. Matt Donahoe, ’12, led the Gators with a score of 77 on the first day of play. Head coach Jeff Groff credited Donahoe for his contribution to the team’s second-best score on Sunday. “Matt’s a grinder,” said Groff. “He hangs in there and does whatever he can on each
hole to post the best score possible.” Despite his solid performance, Donahoe said there is room for improvement for himself and his teammates, especially after the challenges the squad faced Monday, when they shot 341 and dropped to fourth place overall. “As for Monday’s struggles, I am sure everyone one of us can go back and look at our round and say we could have cut three or four strokes off our score,” Donahoe said. “I know I can certainly say there were a couple of holes I would go and play differently.” Groff felt that his team’s finish was strong considering the competition they faced over the weekend. “We came in fourth out of fifteen teams, which were some of the best teams in our region,” said Groff. “We teed off Monday morning knowing that we were in the hunt to win the championship and
we didn’t get it done, but it was good knowing we were playing for something in that second round.” In spite of their second round struggles, the tournament serves as preparation for upcoming competition. “The second day can only have a positive impact on us as a team,” Fritz said. “We put ourselves in a position to win and every time you do that you get a little bit more comfortable and better in those situations.” Both Fritz and Oliver White, ’14, finished with an 81 on the first day, and ended with final scores of 166 and 168 respectively. Freshman A.J. Crofford closed out the weekend in 38th place out of the 78 golfers in the field. Crofford, a rookie, has been a bright spot for the Gators and Groff hopes that he will prove a formidable contender in the years to come. “[Crofford] has worked his way up into the top five and
he went south with us during our spring break trip,” Groff said.“He’s been thrown into the deep end so to speak and he’s handled it well. He has a good, positive mindset and in terms of the future of the program, if he keeps working at his game, he can certainly help us.” The Gators will travel to Carnegie Mellon this weekend, and the following weekend will host the first 36 holes of conference play. The Gators feel they have what it takes to contend for a championship, with Wittenberg being their toughest competition. The Tigers have won the NCAC tournament the past two seasons. “All that matters right now is how we do at conferences,” Fritz said. “That is the only thing that determines whether we go to Nationals. Each week we just need to take something from our performance that will make us better.”
Gowanlock’s contribution to the team was her leadership and her outstanding fielding Covered by a catcher’s ability behind the plate. mask, senior Felicia GowanShe completed her sopholock wouldn’t be the first Gator more year with a .989 fielding to catch your eye on the field, percentage, one of the best but she has made an unseen among catchers in the NCAC impact for the Gators in her se- conference. nior season. UnforThe squad tunately for currently sits Gowanlock at 17-4-1, their and her teambest record mates, the Gasince 1995. Betors struggled hind their sucto find any cess is freshsuccess all year man pitcher and finished Caitlin Nealer, 12-21, failing who is 11-2 to win a game with a 0.73 in the NCAC earned run avtournament a erage. But beyear after they SPORTS INFROMATION went to the fihind Nealer is senior catcher nals. Felicia Gowanlock. “After my entire class quit, “From the beginning, I fully we lost a lot of talent from our trusted Felicia as my catcher team early on,” Gowanlock because of her great experience said. “We were terrible my behind the plate,” said Nealer. sophomore and junior years “She does a great job of balanc- and a lot of it had to do with ing my emotions during the the losses after my freshman game. She knows when to be year.” intense and challenge me, but Last season the Gators finshe also knows when to lighten ished 7-21, losing their last the mood a bit. Her balance four conference games and keeps the team calm. She ex- failing to make the NCAC udes that sort of confidence.” tournament. The 2011 season Nealer, a two-time WPI- proved to be a disappointment AL Player of the Year in high for a traditionally successful school, struggled a bit ear- program. lier this season despite several Allegheny softball boasts outstanding pitching perfor- 45 wins in the NCAA tournamances. Gowanlock ment, 22 All-Amerhas had to deal with icans, and a team a variety of differwinning percentage ent pitchers’ personjust under 70 percent alities in her years However, I told the all-time. as catcher, each one the culture of losing girls, I didn’t began to set in. displaying different needs on the mound who care if we wasGowanlock, and different rounamed team bordered on captain in her junior tines. “They’d hate struggled at the cockiness, it year, me saying this, but plate going 12-60, is better than but towards the end pitchers are prima donnas,” Gowanlock the season, orcheslacking the of said. “They can just trated a five-game confidence to hitting streak. be head cases sometimes. Nealer gets still compete at a ledGowanlock down a lot, I tell her the team in fieldhigh level. that she’s doing a ing percentage, while serving as a key vocal good job, try to be as leader on a team with encouraging as poslittle success. Desible.” spite all of the team Gowanlock, the Felicia failures, Gowanlock only senior on the Gowanlock tried to recreate the team, brings experi’12 winning culture. ence, leadership and “Felicia and tenacity to Gator Coach [Sandra] Sansoftball, but her road to captain wasn’t an easy one. ford taught us to play to win, After an impressive 24-18 in instead of not to lose,” out2009, Gowanlock’s freshman fielder Stephanie Fort, ’13, said. year, the team lost six of their ”Felicia had no problem stepping into that role. She’s been a seven freshmen. Some girls transferred and natural leader since I got here others quit due to the time as a freshman. None of it was forced. She’s great for advice constraints. Gowanlock suffered a set- and she has experience dealing back of her own academically, with college softball, dealing posting a 1.9 grade point aver- with coach. That is valuable to age in the spring semester of all of us.” This season, Gowanlock’s her freshman year. “I had a really terrible se- “play-to-win” philosophy has mester during my first softball finally shown positive results. season,” said Gowanlock. “I “Coming into this year, I tried thought about quitting because to be more vocal and give us my grades were so low. Other that competitive edge,” Gowangirls didn’t want to devote the lock said. “I told the girls, I time, that’s why they quit, but I didn’t care if we bordered on cockiness, it is better than lackstill wanted to play.” Despite struggles at the ing the confidence to compete plate her sophomomore year, at a high level.”
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GATOR UPDATER
Softball In a battle of the top two teams in the NCAC, the Gators fell to Wittenberg in a double
The men’s tennis team improved to 7-6 overall last Saturday afternoon when they defeated the Fighting Scots of Wooster. Patrick Cole, ’14, continued his dominance this season
against Wooster w i t h another victory in the number one singles slot. The victory leaves them tied atop the NCAC standings with Oberlin headed into their matchup with Thiel Friday. I
Men's Tennis
ON AC C
Women's Tennis Last week, the women’s tennis team, who is ranked 25th regionally, fell to Hope College in the Oberlin Shootout. Hope is ranked 15th regionally, and dominated the Gators 9-0. Carolyn Shetter, ’14, and Deb Landeau, ’12, were the only members of the Gator team to take a set. Allegh-
eny will be back in action this weekend against Wooster to open NCAC play.
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up seven runs in their 7-2 loss. Looking ahead, the Gators will travel to Kenyon for another double header this weekend.
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header on Saturday on the road. Headed into the matchup, the team was 2-0-1 on the road, but miscues were a problem for the Gators against the Yeowomen. Game one ended with a final score of 3-2, after Allegheny dropped a 2-0 lead with freshman pitcher Caitlin Nealer walking a career-high four pitchers. In the second game of the double header, Allegheny gave
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put the Gators at 10-15 overall and 4-0 in NCAC play. They were originally scheduled to play Grove City on Tuesday, but the games were postponed due to weather. Next up, they will face off against Oberlin at home on Saturday and Sunday. The game will kick off at noon at Robertson.
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Baseball The Gators battled the Hiram Terriers in a double header at home on Saturday afternoon. They successfully completed a four-game sweep of the Terriers, winning game one 19-1 and game two 10-2. In game one, the Gators received offensive production from a variety of players, with 13 players recording at least one hit and ten Allegheny hitters driving in at least one run. Their victories over Hiram