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Concordiensis T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F U N I O N C O L L E G E S I N C E 1 8 7 7 Volume CXLV, Issue XVIII `

concordiensis.com

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Team Trans Talks Hockey, Life, Politics By Daniel Greenman News Editor

Thursday, March 31, the Office of Intercultural Affairs, LGBTQ+ Committee, Union Price, and Union Athletics sponsored a Transgender Day of Visibility Panel Discussion: Assistant Atletics Director for Facilities and Kent State Hall of Fame hockey player Brianne Brinker interviewed members of Team Trans, an all-trans and nonbinary professional hockey team considered the first US sports team made only of transgender or gender-nonconforming players. The team began in 2019 when Boston Pride Hockey player Aidan cleary asked teammate Greg Sargent to help make a team from a trans hockey player Facebook group. Team Trans first played in Boston’s Friendship Series against the Boston

Pride Hockey Select team that November. Team panelists were Mason LeFebvre (goalie, jersey number 32, Vice President, media coordinator, founding member), Danielle McLean (plays “wherever [needed], jersey number 20), and defenseman Sage Buch. The players recalled their ways to and time on the team: Mason joined “relatively late” for Boston’s series, having found out a month and a half prior, and organized the team’s November 2021 Madison, Wisconsin series. He recalled a “really cool” exchange with the National Hockey League (NHL) which yielded a video of “eight or nine” NHL players saying their pronouns and well-wishes to the team. When Buch left Division III (D3) hockey at Utica College (“I realized I probably shouldn’t play women’s ice hockey when I’m not a wom-

an”) they went to Utah, where Buch still plays women’s ice hockey. On Team Trans they “felt like [they] were a 12year old going to” their first away hockey camp, and had “worlds and away the best experience that [they’ve] ever had with hockey.” They said also that they didn’t “have to hold back” like in women’s hockey and “[got] to go full speed!” Prior to her learning of the team, Brinker had been refereeing and coaching youth games and thought she was done playing. She first heard of the team in following LeFebvre on social media, and attended the Madison event, the “most amazing event [she has] ever been involved with”. It included an exhausting practice (“they were skating the heck out of us at first”) and she “couldn’t talk to enough” of the “46 or 47” people present.

When asked how “what was going on inside [affected] their] play” before Team Trans, LeFebvre recalled early intramural and Division III games when he was out to just his boyfriend. Despite enjoying playing then, in women’s locker rooms he felt he “couldn’t relate to[...] people” except for his captain, who eventually came out as trans masculine. A year after being out to friends and family, Mason told his team he was starting testosterone the next morning. They, “some of the most chill people that [he knows]”, were supportive. McLean recalled high school hockey; after fighting cancer senior year she was not recruited. She then was a walk-on in Hofstra University’s men’s club team: “It was fast. It was really good hockey; a lot of contact”. She described “hockey bro culture” growing up as “pretty toxic” and came

out a “year or two” after college”, losing many of her closest friends and many of her high school hockey friends. She then joined Boston Shamrocks hockey, a bunch of “drunk Boston Irish girls” like herself, as then giving her “community that [she] desperately needed.” She now plays adult women’s hockey in the DC area, and met her partner through hockey. Buch recalls “rocky” times in college hockey after realizing they were “somewhere on the gender spectrum” before they were out to themself, and “watching trans masculine people on the internet wishing [they] could be like them.”

See TEAM on page 2

Fire & Ice 2022 Kicks off Spring Term

By Daniel Greeman News Editor On Wednesday, March 30,

from 5PM-7PM behind Reamer Campus Center, the annual Fire & Ice was held. More than a few hundred students attended and formed long lines for food and drinks provided by Union College Dining, including barbecue, kettle corn, potatoes with cheese and toppings, sushi, stir fry, stromboli, assorted other desserts in-

cluding brownies and a chocolate fountain, and apple cider. Fire was present primarily from lit torches lining the event space, and ice sculptures of Nott Memorial, a snowflake, and more were displayed on the more central food tables. Ice, as in shaved ice, was additionally present at a Kona Shaved Ice truck parked at the edge of the event. A band outside the F.W. Olin Center played throughout the event, starting with Camila Cabello’s Havana and Pitbull’s Fireball, then playing

songs including The B-52s’s Love Shack, a mashup of Old Crow Medicine Show’s Wagon Wheel and John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads, and later songs including AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and Nicki Minaj’s Starships. Union College President David Harris was spotted at Fire & Ice; having had apple cider, he was looking forward to barbecue, popcorn and stir fry. Though, he said, he was monitoring his eating due to later plans for dinner

Nott Memorial ice sculpture

See ICE on page 2

We’re beautiful on the inside, too

Opinions. page 3 Favorite Union event shirts

World, page 4 Update on Iran nuclear deal

Sci/Tech. page 5 Steinmetz Research Spotlight: Sasha Milsky

Trey Everett| Concordiensis

807 Union St., page 7 English language in Berlin city

Sports, page 8 Union Men’s Lacrosse’s win over Clarkson

News

Thursday, April 7, 2022 | Concordiensis

TEAM Continued from page 1

Once in the college locker room, wondering how to come out to their team, Buch heard teammates joking about someone who came out two years prior. This “formed a barrier between” between Buch and the rest of the team even though they felt “so close to [the teammates] 30 seconds before”. Buch left the league and college hockey, despite a promising career given a first-year starter spot. Their league now in Utah has “some of the most welcoming people [they’ve] ever met”. Buch recalled the chant “Go ladies! And Buch!” and says they “ended up in a really wonderful place”. McLean and Buch have had experience too in protrans media or advocacy: last year McLean, a journalist, wrote a story published in Teen Vogue and other outlets on Rio Grande Valley, Texas’s Adelyn Vigil, a 13-year-old trans child pushed discriminated against in cheerleading

and other school activities. It is “very tough to get a trans child to want to tell their story, to put their name out there in states that are actively hostile and trying to prevent them from playing sports”, said McLean, segueing to some reporters having “really terrible questions, asking 8-year-olds about genitals and stuff like that.” Vigil’s principal banned her from joining the team she wanted; she suffered anxiety panic attacks due to bullying and more. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) focused on her situation though she declined to file a suit due to Texas’s legal climate and her social environment. “They had child services hunting trans children down[...] trying to break up families” said McLean. Buch, long an advocate in Utah, a state “kind of tricky for a trans person” is on Utah Pride Center’s Board of Directors and has led youth peer support groups. They said Utah has 75,000 kids in youth sports, 4 of them trans, and 1 of them in girls’ sports, meaning Utah’s recent House Bill (H.B.) 11, backed by $500,000 in lobbying is “to stop one girl

from playing sports.” The girl, who Buch emphasized isn’t winning state records or titles, “is going out there and playing sports that she loves with friends.” Buch added that 86% of Utah trans youth have considered suicide, and 56% attempted, compared to 40% having attempted US-wide. And, said Buch, 40% of Utah trans youth are homeless, largely from anti-trans conservative and religious values. The bill passed the Republican-led Utah State Legislature and was vetoed by Republican Governor Spencer J. Cox, who wrote of his veto: “I don’t understand what [trans youth] are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live. And all the research shows that even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly”. Three days after the veto the bill became law by Special Legislative Session. For all youth, Buch emphasized, sports are for forming relationships, social skills, sportsmanship and hard work. Buch lamented that “it is terrible how targeted so many of these bills are and how much they’re coming not

from a place of any scientific literature, not from a place of any true knowledge or concern about women and youth sports”, and that the bill only intended to improve youth in no way other than legislating trans youth. McLean said “hormones change so much” and said, partly from experience, that after two years of estrogen and testosterone blockers (Thomas began hormone replacement therapy [HRT] in May 2019), one feels relatively “pretty weak.” She added that Thomas has long limbs (she is 6’1”) but so do many women. She said Thomas followed the rules and that “denying trans people this opportunity is awful.” In the Q&A segment, the panel was asked if degendering sports would help. Lefebvre called degendering impractical, though maybe a good idea. Buch spoke against degendering, as they loved playing women’s hockey, with “more finesse, more passing, more handling of where you’re gonna put the puck” than men’s, which deals with “who is the biggest person on the ice”. They, and Mc-

Lean, who was for Title IX and keeping gendered sports due to its opportunities for many women, supported consulting endocrinologists regarding fair placement in a sport’s highest levels. When asked if civil liberties groups reached out to Utah Pride Center after H.B. 11, Buch said no and that groups like ACLU need a defendant to take a case up the court system, possibly to the Supreme Court. On trans issues, Buch recommended following trans member of the Delaware Senate Sarah McBride, Transgender Education Advocates of Utah (TEA) and Transgender Law Center (TLC). McLean referenced National Center for Trans Equality (NCTE), the Trevor Project, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and Trans Lifeline. After expressing relief throughout the talk for her largely supportive coming out experience, Brinker said in ending the talk that had she not come out she would not be alive today.

ICE

Continued from page 1 with family. He said it was “great to see everyone” out and about at the event. Waiting in a group halfway to the barbecue table was Christian Rufo ‘23, who had also been to last year’s Fire & Ice. Rufo, while not looking forward to any food item in the barbecue section in particular, was anticipating trying the spread in general. Jeremy Schmelkin ‘24 praised the “really good[...] variety of food” and “ambience” of the event, and was looking forward to a chocolate-covered pretzel. Fire in an even more spectacular sense was provided by Ravenbane’s FireCraft, performing at Union for their fifth time. Amber and Shane Ravenbane showed off an assortment of fire-related tricks, including fire eating, fire breathing, twirling fire fans, and showing off a fire whip for the finale. Their work requires “hours and hours of safety training”, said Shane.

Trey Everett | Concordiensis Attendees (U-L), Amber Ravenbane eats fire (U-R), and students enjoying the First & Ice event (Lower)

Bianca Ring

Opinions

Thursday, April 7, 2022 | Concordiensis

ringb@union.edu

Top 10 Union College event shirts Will Grimwood Contributing Writer

As everyone at Union should know by now, students will go to any event for the free stuff. Nothing will draw in students more than the promise of a free t-shirt. I’m coming to the end of my Sophomore year, and I have gathered what feels like an uncountable number of shirts. Heck, I’ve begun to run out of coat hangers to store all of them. So today, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to rank some of my favourite and least favourite free t-shirts of the past two years. [A disclaimer, whilst these ratings will mention events of how the shirts were acquired, the ratings are based on the actual design of the shirts] 5/10 – International Orientation Leader Another thing that is fairly well known about me is that I am an international student. In August of this year I was given

the opportunity to introduce new students to campus as an International Orientation Leader. I was not the only leader to get a variation of this shirt. This shirt was made in a variety of colours for different purposes and different groups. All of these groups were functioning at the same time, and the constant theming on the Nott really unified us in a unique way. Some of the details of the Nott were excluded for simplicity’s sake, which works in its favour, though more could have been amended for a possible 6 or even 7 out of 10. 8/10 – Nott Today COVID: The Classic Union Pun I don’t think it is legally permissible to get through a week at Union without hearing at least some permutation of this joke. It hides everywhere, from witty friends to the 404 message on the school’s website. A fun personal story about this shirt: I was actually featured on President Harris’ Instagram wearing this shirt, because I happened to be sitting out-

side the library wearing it. The Garnet is a classic touch, and who can’t support a simple pro-vaccination message? 10/10 – The Wild Goosechase This was a UProgram event almost exactly a year ago from my writing this. A series of silly little competitions and tasks to perform, you and your friends act like idiots for points. Did we win? Of course not, but we had fun together. One competition we definitely won though was best team name: “Goose Willis.” This shirt is remarkable. It combines colour in a way that makes everything stand out; it is instantly recognizable across campus, and one often under-discussed design aspects: the name tag. Being able to distinguish and unite your team was a wonderful creative decision on behalf of the artist. The shirt colour was a good choice, as it not only makes for a good base layer that most people can match somewhere, but it allows for the actual de-

Will Grimwood | Concordiensis NOTT Today COVID Shirt (left) and Wild Goosechase Shirt (right) sign to stand out even more. I genuinely really love this t-shirt and wear it as part of my regular rotation (although that might also be because of the memories attached). I’m almost certain I’ve missed some, and obviously some shirts came before I did, but these are mine, and

I’m excited to see what new shirts I can get in the future.

SRS leaves the curriculum for class of 2026 Bianca Ring Opinions Editor

Last week, I sat down for the first class of my spring term Sophomore Research Seminar, Colonialism In Africa, taught by Professor Brian Peterson. Professor Peterson informed us that next year would be the last year that an SRS would be part of Union College’s curriculum. I had heard that most SRS classes required students to devote a lot of work and time in order to do well, but I had also been told that it was a very helpful introduction to conducting research at a college level. To hear a more informed opinion on the subject, I asked Professor Peterson his thoughts on the removal of SRS class-

es. He responded with the following email, with my questions in italics and his answers in regular print. What do you think of Union’s decision to remove the SRS requirement from our curriculum? Personally, I thought that the SRS program played an important role in the overall curriculum and was disappointed to see it ended. Do you think removing this from the curriculum will make learning how to properly research a topic more difficult in other classes? It’s difficult to say. As always, things will be gained, but perhaps something will also be lost. From a professor’s point of view, it seems that we might be losing a valuable part of our college’s curriculum. To get another side of the sto-

ry, I asked Will Grimwood ‘24, who completed his SRS requirement this year, for his opinion on the impending change. His responses, again, are in print, whilemy questions are in italics. What did you think of your SRS? My SRS was an extremely formative time for me academically as well as socially... It was very much an opportunity to learn a new skill, as well as creating a meaningful relationship with people I probably wouldn’t have outside of my major or my minor endorsements. Do you think that kids in the class of 2026 will be missing out by having this curriculum change? So one of the main reasons I looked at Union as a college was for the ability to diversify, I’m not necessarily here to just be a STEM major, I’m also here

to dabble in my humanities and arts, and having something outside your specific major gives you not only new opportunities and new ideas, but just that extra breadth of knowledge that i think draws people to liberal arts colleges.

Grimwood’s praises of the SRS program seem to be exactly what Professor Peterson had hoped students would get out of the class. It appears the Sophomore Research Seminar will be missed by students and professors alike.

Concordiensis

Vol. CXLV, Issue XVIII, April 7, 2022 Jing Chen & Michael Rosenbaum Editor-in-Chief Daniel Greenman, News Editor Bianca Ring, Opinions Editor Avanti Khare, Sci/Tech Editor Zahra Khan, World/Business Michael Rosenbaum, 807 Editor Editor Trey Everett, Photo Editor concordiensis.com Email: concordy@gmail.com Office: 406 Reamer Campus Center

Mail: Concordiensis Box 2577 807 Union Street

Zahra Khan

World / Business Thursday, April 7, 2022 | Concordiensis

khanz4@union.edu

Iran nuclear deal plan causes concern for Israel Zahra Khan World/Business Editor

While the Ukrainian conflict is in full swing, the Biden administration maintains its goal of restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as the highest foreign policy priority. In July of 2015, Iran, alongside the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, and Germany came to an agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA). According to the Business Insider, the goal of the JCPA was to “to restrict Iran’s ability to develop Nuclear Weapons in exchange for lifting economic sanctions against Tehran.” As

a result of this deal being put into place, Iran agreed to reduce its number of centrifuges (machines that contributed towards enriching Uranium) by two thirds, and gave access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (the UN’s agency). However, under the Trump Administration, the United States withdrew from the pact in 2018. As reported in the Business Insider, the Trump administration unsuccessfully made a move to “squeeze Iran into negotiating a more stringent version of the deal with harsh economic sanctions as part of a ‘maximum pressure campaign.’” As a result of the withdrawal, there were many sanctions imposed on Iran from America that devastated

Iran’s economy, prompting the country to rebuild nuclear technologies. According to the New York Times, Biden looks to reignite the new deal in hopes of proving America’s “recommitment to international agreements that were cast aside by Donald J. Trump.” There has been large forms of criticism both within the United States and from other countries in response to the restoration of the nuclear deal. According to AP News, Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennet expresses concerns saying “the emerging deal, as it seems, is highly likely to create a more violent, more volatile Middle East,” Additionally, Israel felt the deal gave Iran a pathway to still create missiles as these conditions would

only be held for a temporary amount of time. As highlighted in AP News, a second point in the list of Israel’s concerns include if sanctions become eased, then “billions of dollars in now-frozen assets to be released, Iran would spend more on arming and funding its proxies across the region.” However, reviving this deal could raise a series of problems and concerns. In terms of actually moving forward with this plan, it may take a while considering the Biden administration and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi have been in no hurry to negotiate considering the amount of opposition both parties are facing. The second major issue could be the Israeli-Iranian conflict may escalate after

Israel’s attacks on Iran and Iranian- aligned groups located in Syria have igrown since 2015. Additionally, Israel felt the deal gave Iran a pathway to still create missiles as these conditions would only be held for a temporary amount of time. As highlighted in AP News, a second point in the list of Israel’s concerns include if sanctions become eased, then “billions of dollars in now-frozen assets to be released, Iran would spend more on arming and funding its proxies across the region.”

COVID-19 numbers around the world Zahra Khan World/Business Editor

The mask mandate being lifted here in the United States sparked an optimism amongst people, as it’s currently providing a possible end in sight when it comes to COVID-19. With the spring weather rolling in, and more people spending time outside, most are starting to feel more at ease. However, while everyone wants to forget Covid ever happened, understandably so, it still remains to be a prevalent illness, and is still sparking crises and jeopardy not only in the United States, but the rest of the

world as well. The United States alone has reached 974,431 deaths due to covid, making it the country with the highest death rate over any other wealthy country in the world. According to BBC News, Brazil has 659,227 deaths due to covid, and India currently has 521,070 deaths. As of April 4th, 2022, the United States, India, and Brazil are the countries with the highest share of Covid-19 cases across the globe, and these three countries’ cases account for 17% of cases around the world according to Statistica. There are a combination of reasons as to why these countries hold the highest share

of Covid-19 related deaths. When it comes to vaccination, the United States has failed to vaccinate nearly as many people as it should, especially when it comes to the elderly. A New York TImes report states 12% of Americans over the age of 65 have not received the first two doses of either Moderna or Pzier. Additionally, 43% of people that are over the age of 65 have not received the booster as well. According to The New York Times, when it comes to administrating booster shots, the United States fell behind in administering these shots, thus leaving a large number of individuals vulnerable. Health officials have announced

since the first omricorn case, “the share of Americans who have been killed by the coronavirus is at least 63 percent higher than in any of these other large, wealthy nations” according to The New York Times. The higher the amount of unvaccinated individuals get, the more hospitalizations there will be. In India, while 5,488 cases of Covid infections were due to the Omicron variant as of January, the predominant strain in India was still the delta variant, according to cnbc. As of February, the number of cases in India do seem to be declining. Earlier in January there were reports of 340,000 cases, but that number has

gone down to 172,433 cases according to The New York Times. However, spikes of high covid numbers were said to be due to a backlog of about 18,000 deaths to the country’s tally as of February.

60-Second News

Armed forces from Ethiopia’s Amhara were accused of starting an ethnic cleansing against the ethnic Tigrayans. This cleansing led to a thousand deaths and more than one million displaced.

Protesters take to the streets of Sri Lanka as the island nation faces an economic and political crises

Europe has started imposing sanctions on Russia’s economy. For instance, there was a 4.3 billion dollar ban on Russian coal imports per year proposed by the European Comission.

Avanti Khare

Sci/Tech

Thursday, April 7, 2021 | Concordiensis

kharea@union.edu

Russia-Ukraine War Impacts International Space Missions By Avanti Khare Sci-Tech Editor

Space missions from Mars rovers to Earth-orbiting satellites are facing postponements or cancellations due to the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. These changes in plans are in part due to the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union and the United States, according to Science News. The shifts are impacting everything from international collaborations to missions that

rely on Russian rockets to get to space. For example, the ExoMars mission is a partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. This is a two-part mission to Mars that contains an orbiter and a rover. The orbiter reached Mars in late 2016, but the Rosalind Franklin Rover was supposed to launch this September. In a March 17 statement, the ESA said their leadership “unanimously acknowledged the present impossibility of carrying out the ongoing cooperation with

Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission with a launch in 2022.” The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also affected US space activities, but to a lesser extent than its impact on the ESA. The International Space Station collaboration so far seems unchanged. Currently there are two Russian cosmonauts, four NASA astronauts and one ESA astronaut aboard the station. According to NASA public affairs officer Joshua Finch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, a Russian Soyuz Capsule is set to return

the two cosmonauts and the and one of the NASA astronauts to Earth, landing in Kazakhstan as scheduled. However, during a March 1 NASA advisory meeting, several officials recommended that the US space agency think about what cooperation with Russia on space missions going forward would look like.

Steinmetz Research Spotlight: Sasha Milsky ‘22 By Avanti Khare Sci/Tech Editor

This week’s Steinmetz Spotlight is Sasha Milsky ‘22, a biology major studying the isotopic variation in White-footed Mouse and Eastern Chipmunk fur. She writes about her project, “the prevalence of tick-borne diseases has been fluctuating across the United States, calling attention to the need to better understand the importance of various host species in maintaining these disease cycles. Here, I built upon previous research exploring the use of stable isotopes as a method to identify previous hosts of Ixodes scapularis (Black-legged Tick). Due to the difficulty in collecting ticks from hosts consuming natural diets, I investigated the isoto-

pic variability in fur, a tissue with some isotopic similarity to the red blood cells that ticks consume. I also examined “tick-fur spacing”, or the difference in δ13C and δ15N isotopic signatures from the host fur to the molted tick. First, I generated an isotopic library of fur signatures from nine common tick host species (average 3-4 samples/ species). Logistic regression revealed difficulty in identifying a fur sample accurately to its species, likely due to high dietary overlap between ecologically similar host species. Therefore, species were grouped by feeding guild. A logistic regression model at the guild level assigned fur samples to the correct guild 58% to 91% of the time. This variability is likely due to opportunistic feeding. To make use of this library as a reference to determine previous

tick hosts, I examined whether there was a standard value for tick-fur spacing. To do this, I trapped and held Peromyscus leucopus (White-footed Mice) and Tamias striatus (Eastern Chipmunks) in our vivarium. There, I collected fur samples and ticks that dropped from each individual within 12 hours of capture and were thus reflective of the host’s wild diet. Tick-fur spacing values were quite variable (δ15N range: 1.47‰ to 5.63‰; mean=3.24‰ ± 1.14 (SD); δ13C range: -2.61 to 1.39, mean=-0.73 ± 0.76), so more study is needed to determine the utility of a fur library for this technique. Overall, intraguild variability limits the utility of this approach, but in the absence of more host-specific molecular techniques, it may shed light on host preferences of I. scapularis.”

Image courtesy of Sasha Milsky ‘22

60-Second Sci/Tech

The ExoMars rover was designed to search for signs of past life on Mars.

A year on Mars is almost twice as long as a year on Earth.

The core of Mars may be similar to Earth’s, but the exact structure is not known.

Mars has about one tenth the gravity of Earth.

On Mars, you would experience 62.5% less gravity than you would on Earth.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Students enjoying at the annual Fire & Ice event hosted by Union Hospitality (Left), and an ice sculpture of the Nott Memorial (Right)

Trey Everett | Concordiensis

C NOTICES

Reappointment review committees have been formed for six assistant professors and one librarian. Committees are reviewing the following assistant professors: Christopher Chandler, Dong (Carl) Cheng, Colleen Connelly, David Friedall, Chandra Pappu, and Silvina Yi. Members of the Union community are invited to submit written comments on their teaching, service and scholarship to the committee chairs preferably by Friday, April 22. Committees are: Christopher Chandler (Music) Jennifer Matsue, committee chair (matsuej@union.edu), Tim Olsen and Dianne McMullen Dong (Carl) Cheng (Economics) Lewis Davis, committee chair (davisl@union.edu), Eshi Motahar and Shelton Schmidt Colleen Connelly (Chemistry) Kristin Fox, committee chair (foxk@union.edu), Jim Adrian and Joanne Kehlbeck David Friedell (Philosophy) Krisanna Scheiter, committee chair (scheitek@union.edu), Peter Bedford and Leo Zaibert Chandra Pappu (Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering) John Spinelli, committee chair (spinellj@union.edu), Jenn Currey and Luke Dosiek Silvina Yi (Modern Languages) Daniel Mosquera, committee chair (mosqued@union.edu), Christine Henseler and Michele Ricci-Bell A reappointment review committee has also been formed for Rebecca Fried, Digital Projects and Metadata Librarian at Schaffer Library. Members of the campus community are invited to offer written or oral testimony to committee members. David Fuller, chair, Schaffer Library (fullerd@union.edu), Sarah Schmidt, and Joanna Dipasquale

Daniel Greenman

807 Union St. C

Thursday, April 7, 2022 | Concordiensis

greenmad@union.edu

Re: Language in Berlin Michael Rosenbaum co-Editor-in-Chief

Maybe one of the most jarring things about living and being in Berlin is the incredible amount of English that is all of the city. English is in the airport and its environs (normal for international travel), but also in menus, metro stations, graffiti and advertisements. This is especially true of spoken word at the German Language School, the base of Union’s Berlin study abroad program. GLS is by no means monopolized by Americans; Union is the sole organized American group here. English’s popularity is quite surprising but has been extremely helpful; official instruction and textbooks at GLS are all in German. This was expected but extremely jarring. Despite English’s preva-

lence in Berlin, the biggest hurdle has been the language gap. But it has manifested in unexpected ways. I find myself limited less in action than in expression. I expected my lack of ability to speak to first and foremost impair me in going to restaurants, taking the metro, exploring and making the most out of living in Berlin; that not knowing German would cloister me away from the city and keep me in GLS’s wonderful campus. At the same time, I expected not knowing German to lead to an easier, or at least more efficient process of classroom experience. Those expectations have been fully reversed. I’m very at ease in the wider city and can take full advantage of shops, cafés, etc.. But my ability of verbal expression has been greatly diminished. It’s added a level of unsureness that can occasionally be infuriating. I suppose none

of this is especially surprising. No one starves during study abroad; obviously students shop for groceries, visit restaurants, or are fed by host families. But perhaps because of the key position of language on this trip, my experience has made it clear how high the bar is for any form of expression, and how much higher that bar is for cogent, funny or insightful expression. One can only hope those things are possible in one’s native language. The academics of language learning and the realities of living that language abroad are sharply different. The brand of student that comes to GLS is also interesting; GLS is very much a preparatory school. Most students are studying to achieve certificates that will allow them to get into Universities or for the possibility of getting residency visas. With classmates with such professional and

Michael Rosenbaum | Concordiensis Berlin’s Museum Island with the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Döm) on the left outstanding goals, Union stu- couldn’t give the same caliber dents are also there. So, on of answer. My reasons are the first day of classes, when personal and based on my everyone was sharing why interests rather than career they ‘d come to study Ger- aspirations. But studying has man, everyone in my class become the schedule of each had long term goals behind day, with classes all morning their time at GLS (which for and trips around the city in the some is quite a long time). I afternoon.

Union College’s Woman of the Week: Alex Lipsky Jackson Giamattei Staff Writer

Nominated By: N/A Nomination: Alex is constantly putting others first and seldom waits for a pat on the back, or any form of appreciation. As the capitain of the women’s crew team, Alex is committed to being a positive role model to underclassmen and rising leaders by promoting the values of hard work and dedication. She coordinates 6AM practices, and takes the time to communicate with coaches and teammates to ensure team stability and efficiency. On any given day, she can be seen running to BME capstone meeetings, practice, SDT events, and to just be with her people. Alex is the true embodiment of a team player, leader, hard worker, and friend. Like many strong women, she constantly has the weight of the world on

her sholudlers, but it is seldom seen as she puts the feelings of other people ahead of ther own. It is for these reasons that I would like to nominate Alex Lipsky for the Woman of the Week.

in these groups is awesome to see. I also appreciate the discipline and work ethic sports have provided and I think that the support system teams offer for young women is vital to shaping a person.

What are your proudest accomplishments?

Who do you look up to? I look up to my mom so much. She will stop at nothing to find the solution to any problem thrown her way, whether it is work-related or a personal matter, and she always does it with a smile on her face and a level head. I have watched her take on so many jobs, volunteer opportunities, and new endeavors and put 100% into every single one of them. She is warm and welcoming to everyone, and I hope to be half the mother, wife, and perosn that she is.

I think my proudest accomllishment would have to be everything that I have worked for and all of the relationships that I have formed during my time at Union. I was a pretty shy girl in high school, so pushing and growing into a girl who speaks her mind and experiences everything she wants is something I am really proud of. What are you passionate about? I have always been very passionate about women in sports and STEM, especially since I am both of those things. Often women are overlooked in these roles so to see the increasing numbers of women

What does being a woman at Union mean to you? To me,being a woman at Union means being a part of a

Alex Lipsky ‘22 commmunity that I can always count on. Whether it be my team, my sosority, or just any woman on campus, I know there will always be someone in my corner. How do you think Union can

Courtesy of Women’s Union do a better job at supporting women on our campus? I think Union could do a bettter job of ensuring women are comfortable on this campus in every single way possible no matter what.

C Sports

Michael Rosenbaum

Thursday, April 7, 2022 | Concordiensis

rosenbaum@union.edu

Union Men’s Lacrosse maintains win over Clarkson Joshua Kent Staff Writer __________________________ Union lacrosse had a big win this weekend over the Clarkson Golden Knights, improving to a record of 9-0 on the season, the best record the program has ever had. The seventh ranked Dutchman were victorious over the Golden Knights, winning by a score of 15-11, and improved to 2-0 in Liberty League play. Union came out of the gates fast against Clarkson, scoring the first six goals in the first quarter. Kieran McGovern ’22 got the Dutchman going, scoring at 13:36 and 11:48. The onslaught then continued with goals from Keaton McCann ’22, Jack Donahue ’22, and two goals from Hayden Frey ’22. These six goals surpassed the average goals allowed per game by Clarkson this season. Clarkson would respond with two goals of their own, keeping the game competitive. The Dutchman’s dynamic offense would continue its attack in the second quarter, scoring another six goals. Union’s Hayden Frey ’22 would end Clarkson’s two goal run by scoring his third goal of the game on the power play. The two teams would then trade goals for a time, with Clarkson scoring on slow methodical possessions and Union often striking quickly in transition and off faceoffs. Keaton McCann ’22 would end the half strong, scoring another two goals and completing his hat trick with the latter coming with just two seconds remaining in the half. The final goal expanded the Dutchman’s lead heading into

Courtesy of Union Athletics Faceoff man Matthew Paolatto ‘24 takes a draw against Clarkson.

Attacker-Keaton-McCann ‘22 takes a shot against Clarkson.

the half, up 12-6. The Dutchman would let off the gas in the second half, being outscored 5-3 and allowing Clarkson to get back into the game. A slow third quarter saw Clarkson score two goals quickly at the start of the half, seizing the momentum. The Golden Knight defense also seemed to find its rhythm, holding Union to just one goal in the quarter. With a score of 13-8 entering the final frame, Union’s Kieran McGovern ’22 scored his fourth goal of the game. This, however, was not enough to turn the momentum back in the Dutchman’s favor as Clarkson would go on a four goal run to shrink Union’s lead to just three. With 3:23 remaining, the Dutchman desperately needed to stop the bleeding. An unlikely hero would emerge, as defenseman Clint Gourdeau ’23 would score with just less than two minutes remaining to put the game out of reach. The Dutchman improved to 9-0, their best record in program history. The Dutchmen will travel to play two tough ranked opponents next week. On Wednesday, the men go to number 18 ranked St. John Fisher, before playing number nine ranked Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday.

Courtesy of Union Athletics

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