The Index Eutαxia Swzein Dokei
Volume LXXVII, No. 4
Feb/March 2016
Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com
Assessing Haverford Student Political Culture: How Much Should the School be Involved? The 2016 election frenzy has swept Haverford. Fourth Former Sam Turner describes students’ political interests and activities to gauge a structured political curriculum’s merit. Samuel Turner ‘18
The 2016 presidential race has Haverford students avidly discussing modern politics. Most students follow the presidential race and are in the process of developing their own views on candidates. However, the lack of a structured political education at Haverford has compelled students to conduct personal research. This selfedification not only educates the student himself but also his peers and faculty through everyday interactions. Student views are both prevalent and undeveloped throughout the community, which begs the following questions: how critical is it for students to develop political views? How can students exchange opinions? Was the recent Wachs-Lexa debate effective in this task? And, lastly, whose role it is to ultimately foster these beliefs? Most argue that the study of politics may be critical to the academic and character development of students. Third Former Alek Lexa reaffirms this notion by commenting, “Since we are merely less than four years away from voting ourselves, it is important to understand the people we will be voting for or re-electing.” The current Sixth Formers and a handful of Fifth Formers will even be voting in the
2016 presidential election this November. In addition to studying political figures and news, Lexa argues that following current events that will impact millennials’ future is equally critical: “There is a lot of time spent on past history and I think the more time we spend on learning about what’s going on and things that affect us - things like global warming and water crisis - that’s what going to be mattering in 5 years. I think it is great to learn about what’s happened, but I think the more crucial element is learning about what will happen in the future and how that is going to affect us when we enter the workforce.” While it is largely agreed upon that studying politics and developing personal views are beneficial towards oneself, the exchange of those views and its impact on the community is slightly more ambiguous. Upper School history teacher Mr. Tim Lengel states, “There’s no better recommendation for a democracy than the free exchange of views without any personal malice and that’s something we need to train you in.” If not beneficial, exchanging viewpoints is, simply put, democratic. Fifth Former and Student Body President Keyveat Postell believes that discussing political views is necessary because “if you have friends from one walk of life and friends from another, they’ll have varying
Does Haverford Truly Prepare Boys for Life?
Heard, seen, and spoken daily, Haverford’s motto makes a weighty promise. Sixth Former Peter Merhige analyzes the claim’s accuracy. Peter Merhige ‘16
One can not walk through Haverford’s Admissions Office without reading the school’s motto: “Preparing Boys for Life.” It is emphasized throughout our high school careers and even printed across the flags that hang from each lamp post on campus. But does Haverford actually prepare boys for life? And more specifically, what parts of Haverford succeed in doing so? Having attended Haverford for 14 years, I feel confident in saying that Haverford has certainly taught me well. After all, the school’s mission statement is to develop “the full intellectual, artistic, athletic, and moral potential in each boy, and graduate young men with strong character who possess a passion for learning and the necessary problem-solving skills to make a difference in the world.” While I know that I have utilized all of Haverford’s resources in order to become a better person and
student, it is difficult to judge given that I do not know anything besides life in Wilson Hall. I am not the only one that feels this way. Sixth Former Cameron Cummins said, “At the moment, it’s hard for me to say because I’ve not lived life outside of Haverford. I’ve been able to develop my writing skills really well, which is important, and I’ve also learned to interpret people’s opinions and ideas logically. These are all essential in preparing me for college academics and beyond.” Even though it is not yet possible to judge the worth of our Haverford educations, my fellow seniors and I are able to look back at our time here at the school and evaluate what we will remember. Both of the abilities that Cummins named are just a few of the multitude that Haverford seeks to improve in its students. (Continued on Page 3)
Also inside this Issue... Featured previews of all five Spring teams
Walter Paiva
The unprecedented Wachs-Lexa debate suggests an increasing interest in politics and the 2016 election.
opinions on different events, and you get to see two sides of the argument.” The student exchange of political views generates an open-minded environment in which students expand their political and character portfolio by considering how socioeconomic background and general life experience may influence perspective. However, students must be comfortable enough to express their opinions, and the environment must be conducive to openminded discussion. On this topic, Fifth Former Eli Wachs commented, “Even though Haverford is a majority Republican school, I still feel very comfortable getting into intellectual debates and expressing my own views. On the Main Line, you can get made fun of, but that just makes you
research the facts and get your arguments ready. Haverford presents a safe space for students to express their views.” Wachs argues that Haverford provides a safe space for students to openly convey their opinions, and this theory was recently justified in a student debate. Wachs and Lexa, portraying their favored candidates Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and business mogul Donald Trump respectively, participated in a mock presidential debate held in Centennial Hall.
(Continued on Page 3)
Inside Haverford’s Global Studies Program
Sixth Former Arnav Jagasia discusses the future of the Global Studies Program with Mr. Andrew Poolman, who heads the intiative. Arnav Jagasia ‘16
From the tropics of Costa Rica to the mountains of southern China, Haverford students have experienced far-flung reaches of the world thanks to our Global Studies Program. It’s funny to imagine what a coat and tie wearing Haverford student would do wandering the streets of Rome or cooking empanadas, learning Spanish in northern Nicaragua or living in a rural village in Yunnan, China. Over the past three years, however, Haverford’s Global Studies Program has shown time and time again that Haverford students are eager to forge connections with people across the world and embrace foreign cultures, skills essential for succeeding in our increasingly globalizing world. Many of these opportunities are thanks to Mr. Andrew Poolman, Haverford’s first Global Studies Coordinator. Since Fall 2013, Poolman and the Global
Studies Program have prepared Haverford students to be global citizens through student exchange programs, travel-studies abroad, and further Global Education in the classroom. Currently, The Haverford School has a strong partnership with Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen, Denmark. Haverford students can apply to stay with a host family in Copenhagen and observe classes with their Danish hosts at Ordrup Gymnasium, and Ordrup students can do the same at Haverford. In midMarch, Haverford once again welcomed students from Ordrup Gymnasium, and Fourth Former Will Merhige, who served as a host, remarked that “the biggest impact of hosting a foreign student was forming friendships with kids from a different part of the world, while at the same time learning about our cultural differences.” (Continued on Page 4) Article Letter from the Editors Continued Articles Are we a “community?” Faculty Op-Ed Baseball Preview Squash Nationals Political Changes The Candidates Apple vs. the FBI
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News
Feb/March 2016
Letter from the Editors
Editor-in-Chief Delehman offers a personal anecdote on “Senioritis”; Main Line culture may be part of the problem. Ethan Delehman ‘16
Lately, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to do anything Haverford asks of me. This is not the result of some sudden shift in class quality, nor is it something brought on by the school itself. Rather, it seems as though I have entered into an integral part of the high school experience: second semester Senior year. I was among the group of Haverford seniors fortunate enough to be admitted into my first choice college under an early admission program. That is to say, I knew where I was attending college by midDecember. The three and a half years of my life prior to December 10th were, more or less, all leading up to that moment. I’ve been taught from a young age to be highly competitive, to aspire for greatness, to work towards something until you are no longer able. All of these, I did. I applied myself; I drove myself into the ground with the stress of a burdensome course load and an untraceable bevy of extracurriculars, only in part because I truly enjoyed it. I admit, I am of the type of student who genuinely enjoys the stresses and pressures of an institution as demanding as Haverford. However, this comes with a caveat. I must be motivated. I must be working towards something. Work without an eye on the horizon is nothing short of
meaningless. This is where I find myself now, trapped between two worlds: I am not yet done with my Haverford career, yet the rapidly approaching joys of college life echo through my every decision. From early September of 2012 to December 10th, 2015, I held my eye fixed firm on the horizon. I drove myself to be a dedicated and patient student capable of
The 2015-2016 Index Staff
anything because I had been told by no small number of respectable adults that my work would be rewarded. It was. This, unfortunately, is the problem. I celebrated. I received the warm regards of friends, family, and faculty alike, all before quietly resigning myself to a semester in purgatory. How it is that, as I approach the end of my Haverford career,
I cannot muster even the most basic energy to fulfill the expectations of my teachers? Consider it a flaw in work ethic. Despite only living on The Main Line the last seven years, I am very much a product of it. More often than not, I view my prep school education as transactional. I work tirelessly for the sake of a score or an average that I can present with a twisted kind of confidence. As though I am proud to present something that, practically speaking, is worthless: A letter or a number on a piece of paper. I am able to say all of this now. I can openly espouse beliefs contrary to what my own actions indicate. I can say transformational learning is the key, that my Haverford experience and the experience of any student like me was molded by our ability to see beyond the simplest result of hard work. Of course, this is a lie. I am undeniably attracted to the idea of pure, transformational learning. However, I find it difficult to believe that Haverford students—regardless of academic aspirations—would be able to achieve it. The culture of our school, as we siphon it from The Main Line, is so glamour oriented, we cannot help but put all students in a position of constant competition, quickly replacing intellectual curiosity with a need to achieve a certain result. This shift in priority is never more prevalent than in second semester seniors.
Since joining The Index, I have read no shortage of articles detailing how best for the school to address the “issue” of senioritis. Rarely do these articles take into account the layers of build up to such immediate malaise. What some deem as a sudden onset of laziness upon nearing the end of high school is, in reality, the result of a careful and calculated approach to the high school experience. What, then, is there for a senior to do? This question does not hold a simple, unanimous answer applicable to all Haverford seniors. Rather, it will be the result of individual action. I am drawn to the sheer number of teachers, each of whom has taken considerable action to ensure my success. I am drawn to my parents, generous enough to have paid my tuition. I feel a sense of obligation to them, a sense of duty. My every instinct tells me simply to tread water for the next several weeks, emerging from my time at Haverford refreshed and unscathed. Yet, I also cannot help but feel as though I am doing myself and those around me a profound disservice. Who am I to assume such a position of arrogance as to completely dismiss the community that has helped me thrive? I have no answer to that question. This is not an issue to be settled by arguments or big question posing as significant. Rather, it will only be the result of a gradual and ultimately rewarding shift away from those most toxic elements of Haverford culture.
work with Agnes Irwin to make as many bagged lunches as we can to feed the homeless in Philadelphia. So far this year we’ve donated more than 1,200 bagged lunches to the folks at Project HOME to distribute to people living on the streets of Philadelphia. The Peanut Butter and Jelly Club will continue to have meetings throughout the remainder of the year, so if you are interested, contact the club’s leader, Jeff Li, or ask any of the club’s members to add you to the Facebook page. St. James School Students who work at St. James School participate in a community work day and or sports clinics at this charter school in North Philadelphia. As of now, the dates for St. James School are February 20th, March 12th, March 19th, April 2nd, April 16th, may 14th, and May 21st, all from 9:30-1:30. Contact Kenny Fitzpatrick if you’d like to join in.
Environmental Work Days Skunk Hollow Community Gardens, located at the Willows in Radnor, holds environmental work days every Saturday from 9:30am-noon beginning at the end of March, and needs all the volunteers they can get. This is a hands-on, get down and dirty opportunity for anyone interested in working in gardens that promote Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). If interested, contact Ms. Loos. Coming Up ... These are just a few of the projects we have available. Coming up in April will be the Lacrosse “Checking for Cancer”, Baseball’s “Striking Out for Cancer,” Philadelphia’s Broad Street Run, and our Annual Home Run Derby. Stay tuned for more details. There are plenty of other opportunities for students and advisories to volunteer. Check out our Calendar of Volunteer Opportunities on the window of the Service Learning Center and the Haverford website under Service Learning.
March Service Board Update: Volunteer Opportunities Will Henderson ‘18
Project HOME Tutoring Led by Alex Ciardi, participants in Project HOME Tutoring go down to Rowan House on Friday evenings from 5:30-8:30. We have a large list of students volunteering for this, and we can always add more. Due to several setbacks, this tutoring program has only had a handful of tutoring sessions, so it would be great to get as many guys participating in this as possible. Haverford/Agnes Irwin Dodgeball Tournament The Haverford/Agnes Irwin Dodgeball Tournament will be held in Haverford’s gym on Sunday, March 20th, at a time yet to be determined. Teams will likely consist of eight people, and there must be four guys and four girls on each team. The purpose of the tournament is to raise money for environmental sustainability, the Service Board’s main focus of the year. This is the Service Board’s biggest event of the year, so it would be great to have as large of an
attendance as possible, both teams AND fans cheering everyone on! Riverbend Environmental Education Center and H2O for Life will be the recipients of funds raised. Possible Can Drive Supplement Due to the somewhat disappointing amount of cans collected this year, the Service Board is trying to find different outlets that would increase our efforts in fighting hunger. So, one of the events that the Service Board may lead is a “Haverford’s Got Talent 2.0.” Since several students were not able to participate in the talent show during EA Week, we would like to give those students another opportunity to perform for the community. The show will likely be after school and the Service Board is still deciding what admission will cost, or if people may bring cans for admission as well. Please stay posted for any updates. Peanut Butter & Jelly Club The Peanut Butter and Jelly Club has had several sandwich making gatherings this year, and it continues in its efforts to get as many attendants as possible. We
The Index
2015-2016 Staff
Alex Sanfilippo ‘16, Editor-in-Chief Ethan DeLehman ‘16, Editor-in-Chief Drew Sterman ‘16, Editor-in-Chief Arnav Jagasia ‘16, News and Features co-Editor Samuel Turner ‘18, News and Features co-Editor Bill Wu ‘17, Opinions Editor Kenny Fitzpatrick ‘16, Sports Editor George Rubin ‘17, Politics Editor Connor Lees ‘17, Web Editor, Asst. Sports Editor Ryan Conway ‘16 Outdex Editor Dr. Kellen Graham, Faculty Advisor
The Index is a student-run publication of the Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community. The Index also provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic
policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs. The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change. All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at index@haverford.org. The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OS X, using Adobe InDesign CS5.5. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. Southern Dutchess News prints 200-400 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the Upper School on the day of release. The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1091 community members, consisting of 975 students and 116 faculty members. Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index http://www.haverfordindex.com/ (610) 642-3020 x. 1222
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(Continued from Front Page) With a majority of the Upper School voluntarily in attendance, Wachs and Lexa debated fiercely; however, in retrospect, the fitness of this forum was questionable. The debate reminded Wachs of “a gladiator-esque scene with just carnage - not in terms of winning or losing,” and to Lexa it seemed “rushed,” adding, “more could have been discussed, it was for entertainment purposes, and it didn’t actually accomplish the goal of truly discussing important issues.” In this case, Wachs agrees: “Considering the issues we have today, we really do need substantive debates that dive into specific issues. It would be more important to talk about our criminal justice system, our educational system, systematic racism; the school tries in a way to talk about them, but I think you see some students in defense over privilege.” Wachs raises a good point in that an appropriate forum for political discussion must be an organic environment where students can comfortably discuss current events without feeling attacked. That being said, despite their retrospective critiques of the debate-style forum, Wachs, Lexa, and Mr. Lengel all concurred that it was a solid start to exposing students to different beliefs, fostering a receptive environment, and promoting engagement in government policy. Before considering how to engineer said environment, students and faculty alike must reflect on how political views manifest in the community and their role in everyday student life. Postell states that “student views don’t necessarily emerge on the outside and I don’t think political views confine you to any group. I’m friends with people from both sides of the spectrum.” Party association may not be evident in many students, and from a faculty perspective, Mr. Lengel “doesn’t want [his] students to know where [he] stands on any ideological spectrum. A lot of teachers don’t [hide their views] and that’s totally fine. It’s just a personal choice.” Ninth Headmaster and avid political thinker John Nagl also concurs: “I have expressed my political view to a certain extent, but I don’t think school is an appropriate forum to espouse political views. I taught in the political science department at West Point
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and one of things we prided ourselves on as teachers was that our students never knew what our personal political orientations were.” Although school may not be the appropriate forum for explicitly expressing personal views, Lengel suggests that “political views are really the things that inform how you act, how you go about the world, how you see the world, and how you interact with it. The way we all act, the things we believe, the things we discuss are all politically held beliefs.” Political views aren’t necessarily pro-or-con-something but more an organic representation of a combination of aspects such as socioeconomic background, education, and family experience. Ultimately, expressing one’s orientation isn’t necessarily a choice but rather is exemplified through everyday actions, statements, and events. Although student views may not expressly impact the Haverford experience, they determine the
Eli Wachs speaks in January’s debate
Yiheng Chen
lenses through which we view the world and each other. Haverford may be doing more than meets the eye to develop a politically-engaging curriculum: “The school does some stuff that I think is great, but the school doesn’t do that much that is explicitly political; however, that doesn’t mean that the school isn’t training us to think politically - going on trips to foreign countries, doing community service, hearing reflections, having outside speakers on various topics,” comments Mr. Lengel. Mr. Lengel continues by stating, “This is part of the deal of going to school in exchange for the opportunities, education, stretching of boundaries. Part of the deal is that we, as your teachers, hope that you’ll take these lessons that we’re trying to instill
in you, translate them into your own views and your own world and your own ways, and make the world a better place as you see fit. We’re trying to set you up for a life of citizenship, education, and engaging with the ideas of the world.” Haverford may be subtly preparing students to handle political situations in the real world and the heavy burden of voting, but students and faculty have conflicting opinions on the role of the school in educating students politically. Wachs asserts that “it is the school’s job to teach current events, but it is very tough to teach politics without bias and it is better to let students reach their own conclusions. Exposing students to information in a good platform, especially through first-hand experience in clubs like debate, lets them have access to facts that can inform them and is the best way to learn.” Since Dr. Nagl’s installation in 2013, the school has become much more politically conscious as evident by the number of partisan speakers, most recently Aaron MacLean of the Washington Free Beacon. Given Dr. Nagl’s extensive political history, he comments, “I have brought some of that to the Haverford School, and I hope to bring more of that to the Haverford School. I’m very interested in engaging what I consider to be informed thinkers from both ends of the spectrum and exposing our young men to those perspectives.” Moreover, Dr. Nagl firmly believes that “it is the school’s job to educate [students] politically because [our students] will not only be citizens of this great country, but voters. One of the reasons behind public education in this country is we need an informed electorate that will choose who will steer this country.” In fact, Dr. Nagl and Mr. Lengel are organizing Democratic and Republican primaries likely Haverford’s first - on Tuesday, April 26, the date of the Pennsylvania primary. On the contrary, Wachs self-educates by visiting four millennial news websites every day and doesn’t rule out watching fast-paced, comedic approaches to current events, as evident with John Oliver, formerly John Stewart and Trevor Noah. Most agree that a political education, whether formal or not, is a necessity today. As the school is moving in a politically active direction, Mr. Lengel will be teaching a “Government and Politics” course in the 2016-17 academic school year. Having
Feb/March 2016
taught a political science class at his previous school, Mr. Lengel was a strong proponent of this course at Haverford. As outlined in the Course Catalog, the Government and Politics course will focus on the intellectual and historical foundations of the western style of government, the organization of the United States’ federal government, various Constitutional issues, and the 2016 general election. On the benefits of this course, Mr. Lengel explains, “It’s going to pull in a lot of things- some economic, some history, some philosophy, some literature, some music. It’s going to tie into many of the separate threads that you have learned about. I’m hoping to get a lot of cool speakers; I have a lot of friends on both sides of the aisle who write for newspapers, are reporters, are studying international relations, and I even have a close friend who is advocating for solar energy use in Nevada. I’m going to make it a very dynamic sort of class.” Haverford will begin to fulfill its political education role with this course. Elated by this option, Wachs comments that, “We’re becoming a pipeline for Wall Street almost, and I think it’s a shame because they’re very bright people here. Nowadays, not our brightest people in general are not attracted to politics, and over 50% of them end up as lobbyists. If Haverford can continue character development and restart the trend of sending the best and brightest of each generation to Washington, I think it can become a valuable asset and especially one we should explore with other schools in the other areas.” The benefits of taking a government and politics course are endless: “A class about politics is a very essential course. I found myself much more inclined now [to study politics], being an older student,” responds Postell. From Lexa’s hope that the course will dispel the media’s bias and provide more opportunities to “challenge certain ideas,” to Wach’s desire for a politically unbiased course, Mr. Lengel’s government course will benefit our students immensely by analyzing the events and figures that will affect them and help them make informed political decisions. The Government and Politics course will sustain the political fire that Dr. Nagl has ignited as Haverford adapts to engage its students politically and educate them in a connected world where political knowledge has become exceedingly critical.
Are We, as Alumni, Prepared for Life? (Continued from Front Page) For example, Haverford does not merely focus on the humanities, rather, it boasts a diverse core curriculum that appeals to all. Not only do students learn in classes, but also outside of the classroom through clubs like Speech and Debate. Better yet, many of these are nationally renowned programs — not just a place to hang around with friends after class. Haverford’s successful Robotics program competes annually at World Championships; Pegasus, the school’s literary magazine, has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association with a gold medal; and DECA students qualify yearly for Nationals, to name a few. All of these extracurriculars are essential to the Haverford mission statement because they develop important skills, like Cummins noted, as well as giving students a small taste of the working life. Many members of the professional world are also Haverford alumni — some of whom have returned to teach. Tim Lengel, a member of the Class of 2007, now teaches in the History department at Haverford after graduating from Williams College in 2011 and teaching at the Collegiate School, in Richmond. Having recently experienced
both Haverford and college life, he can clearly answer my earlier sentiment. He said, “I did feel prepared for the level of college academics. My history classes went particularly well, and I was able to hit the ground running.” He was also able to excel in other subjects, such as music. He said, “While I was at Haverford, I was big on the Notables and the Theater department. For me, the music class — I took music theory here at Haverford — was supremely helpful.” With regards to the present day, Lengel said, “I think there are some really fascinating initiatives; frankly, some of which I wish I could have experienced
while I was here.” One such initiative is Ms. Carmen and Epstein’s and Dr. Kellen Graham’s Human Relationships course, co-taught by Epstein and Graham along with Ms. Taylor Smith-Kan and Mr. Jesse Sataloff. Originall conceived by Dr. Nagl, Human Relationships aims to create a healthy environment for upperclassmen from the Agnes Irwin School, The Baldwin School, and Haverford to discuss serious topics such as family, gender, and sex. By doing so, Haverford students — and their female counterparts — will hopefully graduate with a better understanding of life and the roles we play within it.
Many older Haverford gentlemen appear “prepared” and well-equipped in their respective fields. Does the same ring true today?
Another important aspect of life at Haverford are its sports teams. While everybody knows about the school’s athletic success, I suspect that far fewer know how we benefit ourselves on the playing field, court, etc. In fact, the walkway which connects the Lower School and the Gymnasium is called the walk of virtues — inscribed with all the essential values that a Haverford man should possess. When each Lower Schooler transitions from classroom to the field of play, he walks beneath virtues such as respect, perseverance, courage, humility: characteristics that an athlete must display while competing at Haverford. At the moment, it would be impossible for the Class of 2016 to know whether or not we are actually “Prepared for Life.” However, we can take comfort in the fact that experienced faculty members, like Tim Lengel, have graduated, subsequently returned, and lived to tell the tale. Haverford has done everything possible for us; it’s time for this Class to go out and prove what we have learned.
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News/Opinions
Global Studies: Spain and Greece Await (Continued from Front Page) In addition to the Danish Exchange program, Poolman noted that Haverford is formalizing an exchange program with the Welham Boys School in Dehradun, India and is looking into another exchange program with a school in Latin America. The majority of Haverford students involved with the Global Studies Program have participated in travel-studies, where they spend between one and three weeks abroad, furthering their language skills or embracing a totally new culture. Over the past three years, Upper School students have had the opportunity to travel to Italy and Nicaragua, China and Costa Rica. Sixth Former Colin McCloskey, who traveled to China last summer, recalled his experience, saying: “The Haverford China Trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to throw myself headlong into Chinese culture and language at the exact same time.” As McCloskey alluded to, these travel-studies have an academic focus; the travel-studies in Central America and China, for example, were focused on refining student’s Spanish and Mandarin skills, respectively. Travelstudies, however, often go far beyond those initial curricular ties; many travel-studies integrate service learning or homestay opportunities. Fifth Former Mohid Khan, who also went to China last summer, remarked that the homestay opportunity allowed him to “experience the world through the lens of a completely different culture.” This spring Haverford students will have the opportunity to travel to Seville to improve their Spanish skills and embrace Spanish culture or travel to Greece to learn more about the culture and lives of Ancient Greeks. Dr. Andrew Fenton, one of the travel leaders for the travel-study in Greece, said that he hopes the experience will broaden and deepen student’s appreciation for history. He remarked that “most of the students, who are going to Greece, are Latin students, and for them, in particular, it is a chance to put into context the things
Feb/March 2016
they have been learning.” The academic lens of the travel-study programs can push beyond any text-based curriculum in the classroom, giving students an opportunity for experiential learning, especially in disciplines that traditionally lack a handson approach. As impactful as these travel-studies or exchanges are, it is only a small minority of the student body that travels each year with the Global Studies Program. Poolman jokingly remarked, “We send twenty-five students to Spain and everyone knows, and we all see those students go and come back.” To bring such experiences to the rest of the community, however, Poolman is also working on integrating new lessons on Global Studies into the classroom. Poolman noted that even though “it takes a while for teachers to integrate new ideas into lessons that are pretty wellestablished,” Global Studies has begun to make an appearance in a Haverford’s curriculum. Students are exposed to ancient and modern cultures in trimesterlong units in the Lower School and a more comprehensive Global Perspectives course for the Form II students in the Middle School. In the Upper School, Poolman noted that history and language classes are the natural fit for integrating global studies initiatives. Additionally, Upper School students have the opportunity to apply for interdisciplinary Global Studies experiences such as the three-week long Student Global Leadership Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. When compared to the travel-study or exchange programs, integrating into Global Studies into the classroom is “more difficult and less visible” – as Poolman put it. Even so, we are definitely seeing a growing presence of Global Studies education the school’s curriculum, and this will only continue to increase in the near future. Over the past three years, the Global Studies Program has encouraged students to travel abroad and learn about people from across the world; the program has begun to inspire fundamental changes in our curriculum in all three divisions. But, to what effect? Poolman says that the long-
term goal of the program is to motivate boys with “a desire to see the world and get out of our local community, to realize that
that journaling “allows students to stop and reflect and think about their experiences, and that type of assessment
there are people and cultures around the world that can offer us knowledge to help us along our journey.” What’s more, Poolman wants to keep driving the program forward, reinforcing these goals and confirming that the Global Studies Program is truly preparing boys for life. First, he noted that the school has been comparing its global readiness against other schools through the Global Competence Aptitude Assessment (GCAA). The aim of the assessment, as purported on the GCAA’s website, is to measure knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for global competence. While it is important to benchmark Haverford’s global readiness, Poolman noted, “[the test] was not as successful as I think a lot of Global Studies educators were hoping it would be.” Inspired to find other methods to make the work of the Global Studies Program even more meaningful, Poolman is conducting an action research project for the International Boys School Coalition on how to make travelling abroad more impactful through journaling. The Haverford students, who participated in the Danish exchange program, for example, were asked to journal about their view on human geography before they left, while they were in Copenhagen, and when they returned. Poolman commented
is really valuable.” Furthermore, Fenton commented that while in Greece, he wants to do “projects and exercises with an eye to making sure the boys who go have more than just a trip.” So, be it through a formal assessment to measure global competence or journaling activities throughout the duration of a travel-study, Poolman and the Global Studies Program are dedicated to ensuring that Haverford students understand the value of global citizenship in our modern world. The Global Studies Program is not just about an exchange program in Denmark or a trip to Central America. The program strives to strengthen Haverford’s community and enrich the education of its students. Including Global Studies in the curriculum allows students to extend their learning beyond just a textbook and truly appreciate the diversity of opinions and cultures in our world. If Haverford students continue to travel abroad and gain an understanding of foreign cultures, if students continue to forge connections across the world and appreciate different perspectives, Haverford will surely have a stronger community – one filled with men better prepared for our rapidly globalizing world.
you have to hit rock bottom before you understand how amazing your classmates are. So here is my experience with the Haverford community. People tell you that the first semester of senior year is easy, or easier than junior year. It’s not—you will go through all kinds of stress and insanity just trying to find the pen that’s in your pocket. Standardized tests, midnight paper writing, test cramming, five plus hours of homework, managing your five or six honors classes, and working on the common app and all the ensuing essays; that’s not all that different from the past three years. Life outside the classroom reached a breaking point where I felt like I was screaming, but I could barely talk. Debilitating injuries and sickness slowed me down in cross country. I questioned who my friends were and weren’t. Personal issues seemed to stop time. I began to wonder what I did to deserve it—I didn’t. But I’m happy that first semester happened. I became stronger—smarter—with each passing day. Every manner of emotion is reflected with the changing of the seasons, and the community was there; mighty and powerful. One Friday clubs block, I sat down with one of my teachers and talked about life. Being far wiser and more experienced, he helped me get back on my feet and keep pushing until December.
That first semester of senior is the run of your life; don’t let anyone, including yourself, take you down. Like most of my classmates, I hardly made it.
something seemingly unachievable: running a mile under five minutes. When everything went wrong, running was the only thing to turn to. I couldn’t do it, I still can’t. And he is no closer to his ultimate goal. But every time he got knocked down—majorly defeated—he continued to move forward. He suddenly stood up, reached down, grabbed my hand, and hoisted me up. It was perhaps one of the most surreal moments of my life. Goals, ones that we may perhaps never reach, will move us forward as students, athletes, people, and as a community. We aren’t the best community, but we all try hard to become better. So, I think the effort along makes us amazing— spectacular. Just attempting a positive mindset overwhelms any anxiety that might be devouring you. Every year, or month, or day should be the run of your life. These guys around you are your brothers—you better believe it. I’m not happy everyday, but I still say hello to anyone and everyone I know. I work hard every night on work I don’t want to do. Because everything is working towards that final goal. Your brothers are here to help you, to carry you across the line if need be. And that’s a community.
The Ordrup Exchange remains arguably the Program’s largest, continuing succes.
Can We at Haverford Call Ourselves a “Community?” Cameron Cummins ‘16
What is a community? A group of unified persons, or perhaps a gathering of individuals with similar ideas and interests. Unfortunately, in an abstract sense, which this article seems to demand, there is no quantifiable answer. I feel like this article is meant to be controversial— cynical—because the media only shows the atrocities of life because it’s interesting. But honestly, I don’t have a pessimistic view of Haverford. Being a senior, my understanding of the underclassmen and their approach and perception to Haverford is limited, but I hope to speak for Haverford as a whole rather than a singular opinion. We are brothers; we fight, argue at the dining tables, disagreeing regularly about who is right. But we support each other in the, “best of times and in the worst of times,” to loosely quote Charles Dickens out of context. Each of us has a friend or a mentor who is there to understand and listen; they genuinely care about how you feel. Before high school, I never really grasped this idea—I just kind of nodded my head to the very notion. So maybe you disagree with me; you think nobody cares about you and your opinion. Maybe nobody is there to help you or listen to you. I thought the same thing and honestly,
The Gentlemen’s Club purports to represent the community.
Still, my running injury continued to progress until I could hardly walk. After every practice, I collapsed against a wall, thinking about everything that was going wrong. One day, one of my best friends came over to me. Leaning against the wall, he slid down the side; he sat beside me. No matter how hard life seemed, this guy had it harder; working nearly every night—he functions on maybe two hours of sleep. He told me about one of his greatest passions; how he tried and tried, consistently failing to achieve what he wanted. Like him, I attempted to dedicate my passion towards
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The Index
Opinions
Feb/March 2016
History Dept. Chair Hannah Turlish Responds to Affirmative Action Article In the first faculty op-ed of the year, Ms. Hannah Turlish responds to an article in last month’s Index denouncing Affirmative Action. Ms. Hannah Turlish
An article on affirmative action in the last Index has inspired me to write a response. I write while concurrently hoping that a student will write a similar rebuttal, thus making mine unnecessary, but I do feel compelled to craft one of my own. I want to make clear that I completely understand the very human desire for things to be “fair,” and I absolutely identify with the feeling that some people get things that they don’t really deserve. That being said, the writer’s claims about affirmative action just don’t pass muster with what is actually true. For starters, some of the facts cited in the piece are not accurate. A search of the U.S. Department of Education website revealed that nonwhite Americans earned 26.4 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2010, as opposed to the 33 percent cited in the article. The article also overstated the percentage of Americans who identify as white; it is currently 63 percent, rather than the 72 percent cited in the article. While the discrepancies might not seem significant to the casual observer, they are enough to discount the argument that nonwhite Americans are earning a disproportionate number of college degrees. It is in fact the opposite. The claim that college admissions should
be based on merit is also rather complex.. What does that mean? If admissions were only based on test scores and grades, colleges would be overwhelmingly female and Asian. Therefore, white males are the beneficiaries of a form of preferential treatment, in that colleges are interested in having a gender balance and not having a predominantly Asian student body. In much the same way as the interview was added in the early 20th century as a way to “control” the number of Jews admitted to Ivy League colleges, a lot of effort is being expended to make sure the white male doesn’t become an ever-dwindling cohort. Harvard University is currently being sued by a group of Asian families who claim less qualified white applicants are getting in while their children are rejected. Part of their lawsuit correctly claims that legacies and athletes are primary factors that lead to the average white admit to Harvard having a lower SAT score than the average Asian admit. A 2003 Wall Street Journal study revealed that 40% of legacy applicants to Harvard that year got in, as opposed to the 11% acceptance rate for the overall applicant pool. Given that 80% of all legacy admits to Harvard are white, I would say this is a huge boon to wealthy white people who have nothing more than the pure luck of having a parent who went to Harvard. And if there isn’t a
legacy at work, money is quite effective. Years ago I taught a young woman in New York who got a C+ in my class, a typical grade on her report card. After her parents gave a $3 million donation, she got into Yale. Speaking of Yale, it seems that the “affirmative action is unfair” charge is most
University of Michigan students protest affirmative action in front of the Supreme Court in June 2003. The policy has been highly debated since its implementation.
often spoken with a few schools in mind. We aren’t talking about the University of Oklahoma, or Gonzaga, or even Penn State. The unspoken reality here is that there is only white-people outrage about non-white people going to Ivy League schools. And then there are athletes. As any student who has had me as a teacher knows, I am a beneficiary of the strongest form of affirmative action there is. As a B student with one AP class at Germantown Academy, I still had my pick of schools because I swam awfully fast. Kids ranked
in the top 10 of my graduating class were being rejected by the very same schools I got into without much effort on the written application. Athlete applications go into a separate pile; they aren’t even part of the “merit” process. Why do we, here at Haverford, often nonchalantly refer to one boy as “going to Harvard for lacrosse” but then feel empowered to write opinion pieces questioning racial preferences? Note also that when it comes to the Ivy League, preferential sports admits include entire teams that are only fed into by wealthy, mostly-white private schools. When was the last time you saw an urban public high school field a squash, lacrosse, or water polo team? Lastly, I must address the claim that efforts to address centuries of our country’s greatest sin – slavery – are racist. The disadvantages that a black person faces in this country are almost without number. Redlining, police brutality, not getting an interview if the name on the resume is LaToya Brown -- and then white America being surprised and hurt that Beyonce’s “Formation” is “so political.” I would happily embrace just about any amount of racial preference to occur in an effort to right those wrongs. I would encourage all of us to rethink the claim that affirmative action “completely destroys the chances of a white person getting into college.”
Haverford Missing the STEM Boat Fifth Former Connor Lees argues that Haverford should expand its STEM course offerings. Connor Lees ‘17
What does “preparing boys for life” mean? It is as if the people tasked with making up a mission statement could not decide on what Haverford prepares boys for, so they settled on “life.” Why are parents of Junior Kindergarten boys willing to spend half a million dollars on a Haverford education? Ideally, their son graduates, Haverford gets him into a prestigious college, which looks nice on a job resumé, and that boy lands a high-paying job. If all goes according to plan, mom and dad receive a fine return on their investment: financial security for the family and a gentleman. To make the financial burden that comes with a Haverford education worth it, Haverford has to mold its curriculum to ever-changing needs of the modern workplace. The top ten jobs on U.S News’ 2016 Highest Paying Jobs Report are all doctors, and the top 16 jobs are specialized in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subject. As the workplace continues to demand STEM jobs, liberal arts institutions like Haverford have to ask themselves: are we going to adapt, or not? Haverford should expand its STEM courses because society values doctors, programmers, engineers and mathematicians. Haverford is leaning more towards STEM subjects, but there is still much room for improvement. Certain STEM electives or variations of them should be available to underclassmen. All the science electives, finance, and economics are exclusive to upperclassmen, with software programming being offered to Fourth Formers for the first time next year. Locking kids into core classes (a Math, a Science, an English, a Language, a History) with no electives follows the liberal arts model, but limits exploration.
High school courses should be designed to help students discover what field of study they enjoy. One of the biggest decisions college-bound high schoolers have to make is what to major in for college. I write for the Index, submit to Pegasus, take Calc*, and want to be a doctor. I fear that once I go to college, I will declare for the wrong major. Since Haverford “prepares boys for life,” they have an obligation to help me in the decision that will determine my future academic studies. To help future students choose their major, students should be exposed to STEM electives like engineering and software programming before they are Sixth Formers and do not have the time to. I look back on the monitored Third Form study halls, my wasted year in music class, and wasted years in Spanish class, and wish I could have spent that time learning about engineering, software programming, finance, or writing. It does not make sense to offer such great electives exclusively to upperclassmen who are also studying for standardized tests and writing college applications. The way Haverford’s backloaded course catalog works now, the next great engineer could never get his start because he entered the Sixth Form knowing nothing about Engineering and having no time to take the class. To make high school a more “transformational” experience, as Mr. Green puts it, the administration should seriously consider making STEM electives available to underclassmen. I am not saying that all the electives should be available to incoming Third Formers. Instead, Third Formers should have the option to take an introductory computer science, coding class or web design class, and should be introduced to the science electives via Third Form Physics. Third Form Physics is not a full year course because the math is too advanced for most
Third Formers. Mr. Maley recognized this require Algebra II, which explains why it and tried something new with my class. is not open to Third Formers. However, We covered all the material that the other Ms. Hudson, who works in the ELC and classes covered, but we had about two teaches Software Programming, says that weeks at the end of each semester to learn basic coding, website design, and computer a new science topic of our choice. Before science can be taught to anyone. Knowing the Midterm, we built circuits and learned how to code and understand how computers about Electronics and before the Egg Drop work are two life skills in demand in the we learned about Astronomy and Environmental Science. Using the leftover time from Third Form Physics to introduce kids to the science electives will give them a better idea of what to expect from the electives when they fill out future course selection sheets. I would include Engineering to the mix as well. If a revamped Third Form Physics will not work, then having the Chemistry or Biology classes visit an Engineering class to see what it is like would also be some introduction to With such a successful Robotics program, one would expect more STEM Engineering which is focused courses in the curriculum better than none at all. An introductory finance class should modern workplace. As companies like be offered to Fourth Formers. Haverford Google grow, and others increase their students should understand how the stock web presence, more programmers will market works, how banks work, how need to be hired. As the world population to save money, and about taxes before grows and more people buy smartphones, leaving for college. A Haverford student the market for app developers will increase learning how to save or invest his, let’s say as well. Entrepreneur, artists, and other lifeguarding money, is a valuable life skill. Haverford graduates would benefit from Other than applying the exponential P=ert a web design course, which might even problems in PreCalc* and optimization improve our school’s web presence if problems in Calc*, finance is absent from students began designing websites for the Math courses. An introductory finance student-run organizations. Take the Index’s class would further Haverford’s goal of website for example. And yes, the Index “preparing boys for life.” has a website. As Web Editor, I inherited Haverford has the most room to an outdated, hard to navigate Wordpress improve with the “T” in STEM. Right (which is a website platform) site. In now, there are two technological courses trying to redesign the site, I have gained at Haverford: Software Programming I and an appreciation for the undervalued skill of II. In Software Programming I, a class of knowing how to design a website. usually ten or so learn Python, a coding language. Software Programming I does (Continued on Page 6)
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(Continued from Page 5) In terms of computer-based classes, Haverford lags behind. Agnes Irwin has a computer science department, and we really only have two computer based class. The future is here, and we need to catch up. At this point, the administration and department heads reading this will probably brush my proposal aside as too idealistic or improbable. But I believe with a few changes, we can offer STEM
The Index
Opinions/Sports
courses to underclassmen. First, take away the arts requirement. There are students at Haverford who are not art people, and they should not be forced to waste a whole year of high school taking an art course when they could be pursuing another interest in a STEM course. Remember, these students spent their lower school and middle school days taking mandatory art classes, if they do not enjoy those, they should have the option to learn about investing, coding, or website design. However, if a student is not taking a STEM elective instead of an art, he should not be exempt from the arts
requirement. The arts requirement should not prohibit a student’s academic interests. Secondly, make software programming a language choice. “Learning Python is like learning a new language,” said Software Programming teacher Ms. Hudson. Lawmakers in Florida have made coding a language choice in their public schools. Some students at Haverford are just not into foreign languages, and students who follow the regular Spanish track might never be conversational in Spanish. I urge the administrators to think end results here. Would you rather have an influx
Feb/March 2016
of Haverford graduates coding at some Silicon Valley company, or barely able to hold a Spanish conversation with a native speaker after four years of classes? I applaud Haverford for the strides in STEM courses over the past few years. We are a liberal arts school with leaning towards STEM courses. The world is changing, and to keep up, Haverford must change too. Otherwise, Haverford will fail to deliver on its promise to “prepare boys life.”
New-Look Fords Basketball Both Surprises and Impresses Frankie D’Angelo ‘17
Following last year’s disappointing season – a third place finish in the Inter-Ac – former head coach Henry Fairfax decided to step down. The 2014-2015 team held perhaps the most talented group of players in the program’s history with numerous Division I players. Yet, even with that talent they fell very short of expectations. The Haverford School athletic director, John Nostrant was thus tasked with finding someone who would restore pride back into the Ford’s basketball program. When Nostrant hired new head coach, Bernie Rodgers back in the summer, he saw someone from the outside that would bring grit back to Haverford basketball, someone who would restore pride. Coach Rodgers took on the challenge of rebuilding the broken program, seeing it as an opportunity to build something great. Coach Rodgers said on coming to Haverford: “I knew it was going to be a unique challenge. I saw the facilities and the resources that coming to a school like this had to offer and I knew right away it would be special. I really loved the opportunity that I would get to teach as well. I would really be able to build a bond with players in an aspect I’ve never really
had before.” He knew entering the season that everyone expected this to be a long
Kharon Randolph emerged as a force for the Fords this season, earning all Inter-Ac honors
year, but the team proved everyone wrong. When The Index asked him about the team’s shifting mentality regarding its potential, he responded “The first Inter-Ac
game against GA was a big step. We proved to ourselves and everyone else that we could play with anyone. We didn’t allow earlier losses to shake our focus.” With a team full of underclassmen playing huge roles, The Index asked Coach Rodgers how Sixth Formers like Jack Marshall, Tommy McNamara, Micah Simms, and Jack Bellwoar led the way. Coach Rodgers spoke highly of them, saying “They did a good job of not getting too high or too low and showing up and representing the school. They instilled the mentality that if they aren’t quitting, the rest of you aren’t either. They set the foundation for what is to come. They established the work ethic that will help us in the next few years. I wish I had these guys a few more years.” Perhaps the most important thing these Sixth Formers will leave is an impact on current players. In the future, Coach Rodgers will look towards Third Former, Gavin Burke and Fourth Former, Karon Randolph to lead the way. When asked about the next step for Haverford basketball, he said, “It’s going to take guys who will step up to the challenge of doing what it takes to be on top. It’s going to take the guys who want to get better in
the offseason.” Of course, this was the first years of the rebuild. When The Index asked when Coach Rodgers expects to hang another Inter-Ac Championship banner in the fieldhouse, he said that “Time will tell. We beat everyone this year except for the top two. I’d like to think we aren’t very far, but catching the top teams (EA & GA) is certainly going to be a challenge.” As to whether or not the season was a success, Coach Rodgers offered, “We were successful in not having much experience. We were in every game, but fell short of winning several times. We were successful in setting the program in the right direction.” Through the year, Fords fans saw glimpses of what the future might hold. This year, Haverford Basketball upset Friends Central in the PAISSA playoffs and won a thrilling shootout win over Malvern. Heading into this season, the consensus was that the team did not stand a chance, but partly due to Rodger’s leadership, the team surprised everyone. Coach Rodgers restored pride back into Haverford basketball and Fords fans can only wait and see what the future holds.
Track Chases Second Consecutive State Championship K. Carter, P. Merhige & A. Helms ‘16
Going into the Spring Track season, the athletes plan on repeating as Inter-Ac and Independent States champs. Spring Track sprinters Nick Biden and Sam Lindner, who both set the school record in the 4x400 meter race at the State Championships for Winter Track, are excited going into the season. “I’m confident [that] the track team will win Inter-Ac’s and the Independent States for the second year in a row,” Biden said In the spring, Biden sprints 200 meter and 400 meter races, but also runs in the 4x200m and 4x400m relays if needed. He has a couple of goals for himself for this upcoming track season: “I want to win the 400m and the 4x400m at Inter-Ac’s and States. I also want to break 50.00 seconds in the 400m.” Biden is going try to walk on Penn’s track team this fall. Along with Biden, Fourth Former Sam Lindner has also set ambitious goals for himself: “I want to win the Penn Relay 4x400m and the Inter-Ac and State title.” When discussing the potential success of the team, Lindner said, “We should be stronger than last year.” As well as the sprinters, Haverford’s distance team has big goals for this season. Sixth Former Matt Chow said, “The team’s goals are to continue to build on the success from last year and win Inter-Acs and the State Championship again.” He added on, “Personally, my goals are to stay in shape, continue to build relationships with teammates, and bring down my 800
Sam Lindner hopes to seize momentum from a successful winter to dominate the hurdle events.
time.” It will be difficult to improve on last year’s results, but the distance squad is determined to repeat last year’s success. In order to do so, the team must make sure to capitalize on its strengths. Chow said, “I think our strengths are that some of us are flexible with different distances, like Charlie [Scales] in the 800m and 1600m.” Sixth Former Charlie Scales reaffirmed this point, saying “I think a lot of the guys on our team really want to compete and score points at Inter-Ac Championships. [The team] has lofty goals all around, and this helps maintain a high level of intensity within the team.” This is a big year for the distance squad, not just because of team goals, but also because of the coaching change -- this is the first Spring Track season for new distance coach Brian Long. Having already spent two seasons assistant coaching Cross
Country and Winter Track, he is ready to go. On the topic of the new season, he said, “Going into Spring Track, I think my goals are an extension of the entire year’s goals, as well as working with these distance guys through Cross Country, Winter Track, and Spring Track. It’s exciting to see the development of every athlete over that span of time, and I think we have an opportunity to run some really solid times.” This development is not only evident to Coach Long; Many believe that his leadership has reinvigorated the team after the departure of Bryan Skelly. Chow said, “I think under Coach Long, the distance squad has become stronger and more stable; he has implemented core into our workouts. He also is pushing every one of us. He is meticulous with his times and wants all of us to bring watches to workouts. I think this has helped the team as a whole grow better and faster.” The distance squad, under the new leadership of Brian Long, is determined to pick up right where they left off last year. Do not forget about the field events of the Haverford Track team. The field events have consistently served as one of the stronger points for the team. According to Sixth Former captain and two-time InterAc MVP Micah Sims, “We’ve been above the running events. I think this year will follow that trend, however, we are just not as deep.” Sims says the team will have to rely on new faces if they want to be as successful as last year: “Solomon Dorsey
(long jump), Tyler Will (shot put), and some other new guys can step up.” With new faces, Micah does not expect any different results. He said his goals for the season are “An Inter-Ac championship and a PAISAA championship.” Sixth Form Track rookie Tyler Will is very much looking forward to the season. He will throw shot put for the Fords, and could be a big-time stand out in the InterAc this year. The track team is known to have many hard workers, and Will seems to fit in only a few days into the season. “Although I have no experience, I know all of our athletes work extremely hard and there is a lot of potential.” When asked why he wanted to participate in the shot put, Will said, “My large frame and powerful shoulders will allow me to launch the ball further than my competition.” He also added, “I know Micah Sims is one of our best athletes, and [he] will help us win many meets.” Last year, Micah Sims’ longest jump was 22.975 feet, which was a state meet record for PAISAA. Another standout was Sixth Former David Chikowski, who pole vaulted 11 feet. Both athletes will look to outdo themselves this year. The Spring Track team as whole is looking to outdo themselves this year. It will be difficult to improve upon last year’s Inter-Ac and Independent States titles, but this year’s team appears destined for success.
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Sports
Feb/March 2016
League’s Strongest Infield Makes Fords Title Contenders Brian Denoncour & Danny Donahue‘16
The 2015 season for the baseball team was memorable: a 25-5 record, the most wins in school history, multiple All Inter-Ac and All-Delco selections, and a trip to the PAISAA State Tournament semi-finals. Can the 2016 squad possibly replicate their predecessors? “Last year was last year. These guys worked their behinds off for this year. Last year is forgotten,” says hitting coach Mr. Peter Vanni. Coach Vanni, who doubles as the third base coach, shares the same view as many of the players. “We cannot live off of last year’s success. This is a new year,” says Sixth Form Captain James McConnon. How will the Fords build an identity with their bats? First, they must replace the production from last year, which includes Delaware County Player of the Year and four time All Inter-Ac second baseman Kevin McGowan. McGowan, now playing college ball at LaSalle, carried a .300 plus batting average over his four year career on Memorial Field. “[It’s a] huge loss in the lineup,” said Coach Vanni. Other graduates who made big impacts in the lineup include clutchhitting Ryan Fuscaldo (Dickinson), who had a memorable walk-off hit against Germantown Academy in the PAISAA Tournament last year. Fuscaldo, along with power bat Nick Greco, are productive graduates the team will have to replace. Another tough loss for the lineup is cleanup-hitting Sixth Former Frank Cresta, who decided not to play this season to focus
on his upcoming college football career. How will the Fords make up for this loss of production? Look no further than last year’s lineup. “We have six guys from the lineup last year that are among the tops in the league if they play the way they are capable,” says Coach Vanni. Leading the charge will be McConnon and Fifth Formers Tommy Toal and Bryan Hyland. At the top of the order for the third straight season will be Toal. A LaSalle commit and two-time All Inter-Ac player, Toal’s special ability to get on base will be crucial to the Ford’s success. Hyland, the three or four spot hitter this season, looks to continue crushing balls onto Lancaster Avenue. McConnon, a doubles machine, is the glue that hold this lineup together. Also returning to the lineup is Fifth Form shortstop Dave Hogarth and Fourth Form outfielder Justin Meyer, an All Inter-Ac selection in his first season as a Ford. The Pitching staff will also be looking to rebuild after an injury-riddled 2015 season. After losing a few team members to graduation, the team needs younger players to step up. According to Sixth Former and starting pitcher Michael Warnick, the rotation should consist of five players: “[Sixth Former] Ben Tracy, [Fifth Former] Tyler Dunbar, [Sixth Former] Cameron Miller, and I will lead the rotation along with Fourth Former Justin Meyer, who was our closer last year.” Warnick looks to rebound after a tough season. He said, “I was coming off of shoulder surgery and a year of recovery,
so the start of my season did not go as well as I hoped. I struggled early on due to the loss of velocity and command of my pitches. I gave up a lot of home runs and extra base hits. I kept steadily improving throughout the season, but I am just getting back to my pre-surgery self at the start of this year.” While Warnick was Large shoes need filling for the Fords, especially those of allstar McGowan able to pitch in 2015, Tracy was faces on the baseball team, the goals not, as he said, “I threw really well in remain the same. “Our expectations the first month until I ran into an injury.” have been the same all four years I’ve One player who improved been playing: Win more than 20 games vastly in 2015 is Miller, who had to step and go out and try to win an Inter-Ac/ up with Tracy’s injuries and Warnick’s State championship,” says McConnon. struggles on the mound. He will also be A tough schedule sits ahead of key to the rotation’s success in 2016. the Fords, including big time non-league In 2016, the most important foes like Neumann-Goretti, St, Joe’s Prep, thing will be staying healthy and and Conestoga. Even with these games, improving, as Warnick says, “The the team knows their biggest test will key this year for me would be to keep come with their first league game. “The getting stronger and to improve my Inter-Ac opener against Malvern will be command over my three pitches to face crucial.They are the defending champions the high level of talent in the Inter-Ac.” and we hope to display our championship One looming challenge for the potential from the get-go,” says Hyland. Fords is their pitching diversity, that is Even with established talent the amount of right-handers versus left- returning, the players know that the local handers in the rotation. Warnick says, media’s predictions will favor other local “Our rotation is not as diverse as we would teams. “They will probably pick us to want it to be having our top four pitchers finish last in all of their predictions and all being right-handed, but we have some we all can’t wait for another season of young, new lefties who are in the freshman proving them and the rest of the doubters and sophomore classes that I hope will wrong,” says McConnon. With the make an impact for the varsity squad.” talent of the 2016 squad, it looks like the While there are plenty of new doubters will have to wait another season.
Can Lacrosse Live Up to (Almost) Unprecedented Hype? Micah Sims ‘16
It would be hard to think that going 26-0 and being a National Champion could ever be matched, but that is the plan for the lacrosse team this year. “Even though we are ranked #1, we lost a lot of guys and need to find our identity,” said Sixth Form defenseman Andrew Fine. After losing 20 Sixth Formers, and just about every single one making an impact on the team, it is hard to think that a team can stay atop of the country. Still, the team knows what success looks like. “We have a lot of talent and know what it takes to win games,” said Fine. Losing 20 Sixth Formers is tough, but the lacrosse team also has many Sixth Formers coming back. “One of our strengths is our senior leadership,” said goalie Alex DeMarco. DeMarco is joined by teammates Dox Aitken, Keyveat Postell, Alec Haas, and Forry Smith as guys who played last year and know what it takes to win. Joining them from the Sixth Form class are Austin Helms, Luke Desperito, Andrew Fine, Jack Marshall, Andrew Westby, Tommy McNamara, and Brendan O’Neill. All of those Sixth Formers are players who are committed to play lacrosse in college, but did not get to play last year because of injury or the amount of roster spots on the team. Importantly, they will also have help from a core of talented underclassmen. Underclassmen such as John Nostrant, Chris Morrison, Connor Mosebrook, and Luke O’Grady are looking to step up. “We are going to look to the seniors for leadership,” said Fourth Former Luke O’Grady. Even being the Pre-Season #1 High School Lacrosse team (according to USA Today) still involves some weaknesses. “We lost a lot of seniors and don’t have a lot of experience on defense
Goalie Alex DeMarco ‘16, a Penn commit, has been a force for the Fords in the net.
or faceoffs,” said Fine. Losing all three faceoff guys from the Sixth Form class, it will be tough to find someone to fill in that key spot for the Fords. “We will have to have a bunch of new players who will fulfil big roles on the team,” said Sixth Former Attackman Austin Helms. The Fords will be losing just about the whole defense, except for goalie Alex DeMarco; most of their starting midfielders except for Dox Aitken; and most of their starting attackmen except for Forry Smith. “We just do not have a lot of experience,” said Fine. Obviously, this experience will grow as the season moves along for the Fords, but they want results right away. Even with the amount of kids lacking playing experience, practices
are key and every single repetition is important. “We are coming together nicely in the first few days of practice,” said Fine. This chemistry is something that is important to the success of any team. “One of our biggest strengths I believe is our coaching staff,” said Helms. The core group of Coach Nostrant, Coach Petrone, Coach Loving, Coach Kates, and Coach O’Grady know how to get the job done. After last year’s strong season, Coach Nostrant was named Phillylacrosse. com’s 2015 Coach of the Year. This coaching staff is special because they are not celebrating the accomplishments of last year, but focusing on the fast approaching season. When I interviewed Coach
Kates, he did his best Coach Gregg Popovich (the San Antonio Spurs Head Coach) impression by barely answering any questions. While his answers were minimal, he said, “We are not comparing teams, they are different teams. Last year was last year. This year is this year.” Coach Kates also added, “Every game is important. We have to treat the next game like it’s the biggest game.” Even though you have to treat every game as if it is the most important game, the players have their eyes on a handful of specific Jim Roese games. Some of those games on the schedule are against Culver, Malvern, Brunswick, and Gonzaga. Culver Academy had a record of 17-6 last year, and lost to Haverford by four. Malvern had a rough year last year, going 13-10 and losing to the Fords twice by at least six. Brunswick School went 14-4 last year, but only lost to Haverford by one goal. The final challenge will be Gonzaga, who went 18-3 and did not play Haverford.
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The Index
Sports
Feb/March 2016
Fords Come Close, but Ultimately Falter at Squash Nationals Bill Wu ‘17
This past winter season was perhaps one of Haverford’s best years for squash. The team witnessed everything — from broken wrists to collapsed lungs, from a MASA championship to a High School National final — leading to the bittersweet, but ultimately savory, year of 2015-2016. The Varsity A team did not drop a single match until the grand finals of High School Nationals, in which they lost 4-3 against the formidable Brunswick A team. With both the top heaviness and depth in the lineup, no team (except Brunswick) would come close to getting the W, allowing Varsity A to finish the season strong with a 12-1 win/loss record. Although the Varsity B team fared worse, finishing with a 3-6 win/loss record, many players came out with great wins over the better-rated Varsity A teams of the region. The B team also had a stroke of bad luck when, unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a collapsed lung right after the first match of high school nationals, effectively taking me out from a crucial spot on the team. I was the #3 player on the team that went to Nationals, and my absence shook our team’s confidence. The B team went on to lose its next match to Groton in Nationals 4-3, and then it won its next two matches with the uncomfortably close scores of 4-3 each. No doubt if I were healthy and the B team played at its absolute best, we would have had a solid chance at winning Division II, boosting the A team’s confidence, and perhaps bringing home two beautiful, hefty trophies. Nevertheless, this season witnessed one of the best years of squash at Haverford, and three (including JV) of the most competitive teams with the most dedicated players. The Varsity A team won MASA for the second year in a row, capturing the Inter-Ac title and gaining the glory of being the best squash team in the Delaware Valley. With nail-biting matches in High School Nationals, the A team manifested all of the hard training and team bonding it had accumulated throughout the year to sweep the previous year’s finalist, Belmont Hill, in a 6-1 rout. As for the final against Brunswick A, the match could not have been more nerve-wracking. A seesaw of matches took place, with
some unexpected wins and close losses. Never would Haverford’s fan section be more rowdy than in that final matchup. Duncan Joyce, despite having a hamstring injury, won in a 5 game thriller, 16-14 in the 5th game, after falling just short on multiple match balls. His opponent, Tyler Carney, could no doubt feel the intensity of Duncan’s fighting spirit and the Cameron
battled it out on one court, yet everyone jostled and pushed to see Justin’s match on the other, since his was the true tiebreaker. ll of the pressure to win rested on Justin’s shoulders. If he had won, this would have been the first time Haverford had ever won High School Nationals. Even with the spacious steps and bleachers, every available inch of space was taken up.
Fourth Former Grant Sterman exults after a crucial victory
Miller’s hilarious distractions dressed up in a suit wearing sunglasses. Grant Sterman also performed well in his matchup, and ultimately won in an exciting 4 game set. Both Wills on the team had tough losses — Will Glaser against a rapidly improving Will Holey, and Will Means against the solid Drew Monroe. Peter Miller lost in an epic 5-gamer, losing the first two games, then getting back the next two, only to lose out in the 5th 11-7, a wonderful show of Pete’s determination to win, no matter what the odds. By the time Justin had to play, the score was 3-2 Brunswick in matches, although it was really 3-3 since Sean Hughes is, after all, the best player in the country, and his opponent stood no match. Normally, Sean would be the center of all attention, as his style of play and ceaseless pressure on his opponent strike awe into all of his spectators. However, nobody watched Sean and David Yacobucci play: The two top 10 players in the country
Newcomers were met by a human wall. The tension was immense. Every time the ball was struck, there was utter, deadly silence, until the deafening eruption after a winner or a mistake. Justin won the first 2 games in a fury of points, throwing his opponent, Max Finkelstein, from wall to wall, leaving Max in a daze. The end was almost in sight; Justin was simply too good for Max. For the third game, Justin flew on court, ready to take the next game and clinch the title. Unfortunately, Max was also ready, and with Max’s newfound determination, he produced a win, 11-3, out of nowhere. Not to despair, Justin was ushered off court by his friend and teammate, Duncan, and had his fuel tanks refilled with Gatorade, and his mind refreshed by consolation and advice. The final, ominous “boom!” of the court’s door closing marked the point when it was all up to Justin. The title. The glory. Everything that everyone had worked for rested on his shoulders. The air crackled with nerves and the walls looked like they
would collapse under the pressure of the crowd. Justin lost 11-8. Frantically, Duncan again ushered him off-court, albeit with a more distraught Justin. Nobody could blame him — many in the crowd could barely control their own chests that beat out of control, let alone Justin’s. Throats were hoarse from shouting. Feet were sore from stomping. In the end though, Justin unfortunately lost his momentum under unimaginable amounts of pressure, losing the game 11-5. But who could take his position and do anything any differently? For many, the situation would be an otherworldly experience. Although Brunswick eventually pulled ahead in that crucial last match, winning their second Division I title in a row, the dejected Fords eventually began to realize how far they had come just to be present in a final like this and come just inches away from winning Haverford’s first ever championship title. From a positive perspective, we built upon many years of hard work and motivation, leading to the best High School Nationals experience and one of the best Haverford squash seasons of recent memory. On a sadder note, Coach Poolman is retiring as head coach this year, ending his coaching career on as high a note as can be. With such a bittersweet departure, the team is eternally grateful for the wonderful program that has allowed us to meet new people and play the sport that we all love. Our team wishes Mr. Poolman best of luck in the next chapter of his life, and we are looking forward to the next year, in which hopefully we can live up to the tremendous accomplishments of this year and this outstanding season. This season has been perhaps the most eventful and exciting year for Haverford squash. This year will no doubt be imprinted in all of our minds as we move on from Haverford. Perhaps the beauty of the sport will be recognized by more people, as our team continues to grow and learn together, and as we unite under the commonality of the exquisite sport we call squash.
Young Tennis Team Looks to Continue Inter-Ac Dominance Will Means ‘16
The Haverford School’s tennis team enjoyed one of its best ever seasons last year under the guidance of Coaches Fink and Gottlieb. The challenge for the 20152016 season? Do it again. Tennis historically has been one of Haverford’s most successful teams. Over the past decade, Haverford has had a monopoly over the Inter-Ac and has produced dozens of top individuals. The team also excels in academics, winning the Hattersley Award for the past two years, which is given to the varsity team with the highest GPA. In 2015, the team had a 21-1-1 record when they went undefeated in the InterAc, won the New England Mid-Atlantic regional tournament (NEMA), and placed 5th in the national tournament, amassing large amounts of hardware for the team and individual super stars along the way. Dr.Gottlieb stated that the team’s hunger for competition and success is as strong as ever. “We want to be able to go toe-to-toe with the best teams,” he said. “We want to be as competitive as we can.”
Repeating last year’s accomplishments is by no means an easy task, however, and with the loss of several key seniors, including Ben and Zach Lieb, Nathan Kidambi, and Andrew Gushner, the onus falls on the underclassmen to step up and fill big roles. Gottlieb sees “Some of the sophomores who were in between the teams last year,” as key players who will add important depth. “I’m thinking of guys like Luke Egan, a young lefty, the Golz brothers... and then some of veteran players who didn’t get as much playing time last year like Peter Merhige and Andrew Clark,” said Coach Gottlieb. “They’re really going to have to step up.” Despite a large exodus of talent, Coach Gottlieb still see’s excellent leadership in the team’s captains, Drew Clark, Peter Merhige, Andrew Clark, and from the top of the ladder in the form of players like Benji Bacharach, John Walsh, and Conor Lees. Walsh, a Fourth Former, is largely expected to lead the team at the #1 spot, faced with task of replacing Zach Lieb.
After three years of tremendous success, Captain Clark now guides the program.
Walsh remains unfazed by the pressure and is confident the team “will approach our matches with the same confidence and the same expectations we had last year.” Walsh also targets another undefeated season and predicts close matches against Lawrenceville and EA. However, he believes the leadership of the captains will prove key to the team’s morale and attitude
going forward. “Our whole team looks to them for guidance and I think they will lead this team to another great season,” Walsh remarked. Captain Andrew Clark shares the enthusiasm.“ I feel as though our chances of repeating our previous successes this year are just as good as any other year. Our program is a strong one that knows how to go about things the right way, and that will pay off for us again.” Clark highlights the diligent preparation the team goes through at the start of every year as the main reason for confidence leading into the new season. Clark cited his main responsibility as a captain is “to keep team morale high so that our team continues to play well this year.” “ That tournament runs all day, and it is always great to see our team really come together and play our best tennis at the end of the season. “ His desire to replicate the same memory will undoubtedly inspire himself and those around him.
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The Index
Feb/March 2016
Sports/Politics
Core Group of Sixth Formers Lead a Competitve Crew Program Ryan Conway & Edwin Baime ‘16
Waiting has been the name of the game for fans of Haverford Rowing. Under the not-always patient gaze of Coach John Stephanik, the program is trying to climb back to the days of back-to-back Stotesbury Cup wins in major races. The team has seen varied degrees of success during Stephanik’s tenure, but fans have been looking to the future for the next great crew dynasty. Well, Coach Stephanik and the rest of the crew team have a message for you: the future is now. This year’s team boasts loads of young, raw talent in the Third and Fourth Forms. And with the first spring practices underway, these underclassmen have shown that they do, indeed, have talent. Fifth Form rower Andrew Lengel said, “The first practices are important to our program because they help our team get used to working together with each other.” Lengel went on to explain that while these practices are key for the entire team, they are especially important for the young rowers on the team, “For the younger guys, these early practices in the cold help condition them to the type of mental fortitude they will need to find in order to achieve at the highest levels of rowing.” These early-spring practices also serve as a time for the new guys to adjust to rowing on the water. “[Early practices] give them a few weeks to adjust to an entirely
new medium on which to compete than they are normally used to,” Lengel said. It is in these early months that these
Pendergast is still a humble Third Former. His attitude and work ethic alone have garnered a great deal of respect from his teammates.
(From Left to Right) Guy Wuollet, Joe O’Brien, Will Pechet, and Scott Zelov competing on the Schkuyill River
young members of the team can establish themselves as rowers and prove themselves ready to contribute to the team as a whole. The crew team this year is full of young, talented rowers. Third Formers Aidan Leavy and Jeff Pendergast are projected to impact the team in a big way. Many teammates have referred to Pendergast as a “beast on the erg.” Even though his numbers back up the hype,
Sportgraphic.com
Pendergast said, “I’m looking forward to some of my first regattas and to potentially making JV rather than just [the] Freshman team.” The team also has a lot of returning talent in the form of David McKay ‘18 and Tim Scheuritzel ‘18. McKay is one veteran Fourth Former looking to improve himself and help the team succeed in the coming months.
“I am excited to get to know my teammates better and create great memories and bonds like winning medals that will last throughout our high school rowing careers,” McKay said. McKay is motivated to continue improving both on and off the water, looking to lower his 2k time to below 6:40, which would place him among the top 25% of sophomore rowers in the country. The biggest challenge the coaches face each season is fielding as many competent boats as possible. This year’s lineups aren’t solidified, but a few classics could stand to do well. The varsity eight this year is the product of intense work ethic and the rigorous training regiment. Lengel said, “Early last season we saw some… success, we beat local powerhouse crews like St. Joe’s Prep in the first couple Manny Flicks.” The boat will likely have some familiar faces such as Captain Guy Wuollet. Lengel said “We’re really looking to do some big things, we could win City Championships, maybe even The Stotesbury Cup or Scholastic Nationals in the varsity eight category.” There is a positive outlook for the team right now. The other major boat to look for is going to be the varsity quad. Which, according to Lengel, will be “Mean and lean.”
How American Politics Have Irreversibly Changed Editor-in-Chief Sterman makes his case that the 2016 election will forever change the landscape of American politics. Drew Sterman ‘16
Few elections in American history have had the lasting effects that the election of 1912 have had. Arguably one of the most hotly contested Presidential race in history, it was also the first modern Presidential election. Eventually Woodrow Wilson emerged victorious, but not without a good challenge from the opposition: William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Eugene Debs. Many aspects of this election mirror our current political situation, and may offer a precedent for what is to come in the future. America is on the verge of entering a new progressive era. As the new York Times stated in article about the Occupy Wall Street in November of 2011, “A third progressive era is likely to be in the making. This one should aim for three things. The first is a revival of crucial public services, especially education, training, public investment and environmental protection. The second is the end of a climate of impunity that encouraged nearly every Wall Street firm to commit financial fraud. The third is to re-establish the supremacy of people votes over dollar votes in Washington.” Similarly, the heart of the 20th century Progressive movement was a desire to reform America’s economic structure after decades of control by wealthy businessmen. The last century had come to a close with three major economic depressions including the worst in 1893 and few people in America could ignore the super wealthy as the average American lived in relative poverty. Citizens felt that both major parties had been in the pockets of wealthy Robber Barons since the industrial revolution. Many of these
modern electoral interests parallel those of the election that took place more than a century prior. Both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have received praise for being either self-funded or being funded by the commonwealth. Trump has reportedly spent twenty-four million dollars to fund his campaign, while Sanders boasts the fact that his average donation is twenty-seven dollars. Both of these backings contradict the era of citizens united and Super PACs, especially with the $118 million PACbacked Jeb Bush dropping out of the race. Despite the Supreme Court decision, the populus seems to be opening their eyes to the dubious nature of corporate lobbying in the government. The closest comparison that can be drawn between 1912 and 2016 is the rise of political socialism and progressive politics. Although on a different scale of support, Eugene Debs garnered 6% of the popular vote as an independent socialist. Theodore Roosevelt, whose campaign promised to increase federal regulation and protect the welfare of ordinary people, amassed 27.4% of the popular vote. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders has support from 37.9% of democratic voters. The analogous rise in declared socialism(democratic or not) can be boiled down to one core anachronistic statement: Radicalism is/was on the rise, and the number of those who felt the American capitalist system was fundamentally flawed was in fact growing fast. The rise of radicalism is not unique to the modern left-leaning Democrat. Many of Trump’s supporters are equivalently radical but for different reasons. Both extremes on the political spectrum yearn for a large shift in the American paradigm. The republican extreme is no longer the Tea
Party, condemned to the fringe for years; the new conservative radicalism, boosted by a deadly combination of brash jingoism and a hatred of the Obama administration. To draw votes away from Debs and Roosevelt in a tight neck race, the democrat Woodrow Wilson had to alter his views, becoming increasingly supportive of radical movements of the time, such as suffrage, isolationism, and prohibition. Hillary Clinton is currently experiencing a similar transition. With her unrelenting White House ambitions, she has clearly moved further left, recently speaking out against many of the same issues that Sanders had been preaching since before he announced his candidacy. And in both situations, these strategies seem to be largely successful. History remembers Wilson as the victor, and Clinton has obtained a large delegatory lead after a triumphant super tuesday in which she took 7 out of 11 available states. The election of 2016, in addition to altering the landscape of American policy, will likely change the way in which the media conducts the election as well as the way in which each candidate comports themselves. Similar to the O.J. Simpson Court Case of the mid-1990s, this election has been a media goldmine. The candidates campaign strategy has become more of a mudslinging contest rather than an intellectual policy-based conversation. Any insider who can say something controversial to denigrate a candidate gains his or her fifteen minutes in the spotlight. Social media has been the gasoline under the proverbial political fire. The largest modification of the American political system is likely the impending split within both the Democratic and Republican parties. Both parties are caught at a fork in the road. Republicans struggle to cope with the likely nomination
of Donald Trump and his pseudo antiestablishment alignment. Many moderate conservatives feel alienated by his recent victories, and could possibly look to form their own haven for conservatism. As Patrick Healy wrote back in January for the New York Times, “The Republican Party is facing a historic split over its fundamental principles and identity, as its once powerful establishment grapples with an eruption of class tensions, ethnic resentments and distrust among workingclass conservatives who are demanding a presidential nominee who represents their interests.” Although not as imminent, the Democratic party is also facing an identity crisis. Seen as the vehicle for progressive views since the early 1960s, Democrats must decide how progressive their party ideals should be. They may either choose to be more radical and align with Bernie Sanders’ policies, or to follow a comparatively moderate path on progressivism, such as the one as President Obama and former Secretary of State Clinton have done. Should party leaders, such as Senators Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, choose to fully align with either side, they may alienate the opposite. A distinct possibility in this year’s election is a record high in political apathy. With radicals on both sides of the ballot, it is possible that voters will choose to vote for neither of the parties nominated candidates in the general election. Many voters distrust Clinton, rightfully so, and oppose the views and policies(or lack thereof) of Trump. This could leave a gray area of moderates, of which a hypothetical third party candidate could take advantage. Regardless of the outcome, the 2016 election is likely to be a landmark event in American government history.
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Politics
Feb/March 2016
The White House Marathon: Which Candidate Can Endure? To those struggling with candidate selection, Fifth Former George Rubin breaks down the final five and what 2016’s political future may hold. George Rubin ‘17
At Haverford, the argument over the coming presidential race has begun in full force. Passionate political rhetoric fills the halls with kids of all grades and backgrounds chipping in. Forbes, in their coverage of one of the democratic debates, said, “win the youth vote and win the presidency.” This has become a rule of thumb at least for the past few elections. That being said, here is a quick overview of which candidates excite young people and Haverford students and whether or not they have a chance at winning their party’s nomination and the general election. The candidates who have been receiving most of the spotlight at least during the primaries and who also have been the most interesting to young people are the two anti-establishment candidates, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Donald Trump is the most divisive of the candidates by far and is definitely the most polarizing. His supporters are very loyal while his opponents have become very passionate in their dislike for him. Trump’s favorability ratings are very low; he is extraordinarily unpopular with democrats, independents, and even some republicans. It has become obvious that the rest of the world doesn’t like Trump either. The British parliament had to vote on whether or not to ban him from the country based on his remarks about muslim immigration and the former Mexican president cursed at him on a live Fox News interview. To those that support Trump, he is a man who says what’s on his mind and speaks the truth. Alex Lexa, a third former, says that Trump, “does not have any special interests that he represents, he represents the people, and knows exactly what needs to change, he also has proven that he will stand by his words and not back down to his opponents, which is exactly what U.S foreign policy needs.” Many of those who oppose him label him a racist and a sexist and even claim he invokes the ideas of fascism or extreme conservatism. The question is whether there are enough people who support him to counter the vast numbers who can’t stand him. If there aren’t, he has no chance at winning the general election. Bernie, on the other hand, has the highest net favorability rating of any of the candidates. Although he supports radical and what some would consider unrealistic policies like free college education, he is similar to Trump in
that he is anti-establishment and considers himself the leader of a political revolution backed by working class americans. Although he has a strong base of supporters, many wonder whether there is even a reason for Sanders to remain in the presidential race. This is because unlike the republicans, the democratic party has roughly 500 superdelegates which are party officials who can decide who they want to pledge for come the Democratic National Convention. As of now, Clinton has almost all of these delegates which, once added to the delegates won in the primaries, gives her almost twice the number of delegates as Bernie. However, and this is where bernie’s hopefuls make their argument, if the superdelegates aren’t taken into account, the number of pledged delegates are relatively close: 1,147 for clinton vs. 830 for Sanders. Sanders supporters argue that although Clinton has done phenomenally well in the deep South, Sanders campaign will pick up many more delegates in the more progressive states of the North and West, especially with the winner take all systems in some of the states. If Sanders has more delegates than clinton when the democratic national convention comes, then team bernie will be able to make the argument against superdelegates giving the nomination to Clinton. Since a candidate who didn’t win the most delegates in the primaries has never been nominated, the big question is does Bernie have a chance at winning the majority of the pledged delegates in these next primaries. The idea that Sanders still has a chance becomes increasingly hard to believe as the primaries continue. Although he is the only candidate with a positive net favorability rating among voters and has been shown by almost every poll to have a higher chance at beating Trump than Hillary, his task of obtaining more delegates than Hillary becomes more unrealistic as the race continues. As of now, Clinton has 58% of the pledged delegates while Sanders has only 42%. To win the majority of the pledged delegates, he would have to win 57% of the rest of the delegates, far outperforming what he has done so far. Also, the fact that Sanders didn’t win South Carolina and did poorly in the primaries of super tuesday means that if he wins he will be contradicting the historically proven claim that whoever wins super-tuesday and south carolina wins the nomination. It
is pretty safe to assume that Clinton will be the democratic nominee no matter how unfavorable she is with the american public. Although many young and passionate Sanders supporters will probably be disappointed with this outcome and regard it as a lost opportunity for america, the fact is that having Hillary as the nominee will drastically increase the chances of a democratic presidency. Although Sanders has a chance at beating Trump, the fact is that Hillary, who is a relatively moderate candidate, is almost guaranteed to beat a radical and polarizing candidate like Trump. Also, if Bernie was somehow elected president, his views would definitely clash with those of the republican controlled legislature which would
of the delegates. The recent Kasich win in Ohio leaves Trump 564 delegates shy of a majority, which means that he’ll have to win at least 53% of the delegates going forward to secure that majority. As the campaign moves to the Northern and Western states, there will likely be more of a demand for Kasich’s moderate conservatism. Also, although this terrain will be less accepting of Cruz’s extremely conservative evangelical style of candidacy, success in his campaign will likely attract potential Trump supporters rather than the more moderate Kasich supporters. With these two candidates working together against Trump, it is somewhat likely that a brokered convention will become a reality. In this case, Kasich will have a huge amount
Ohio Governor John Kasich has been gaining momentum since his primary victory in his home state
Slate
probably just exacerbate the congress’ current stalemate its low approval ratings. The three remaining candidates are members of the political establishment who are much less popular with young people. John Kasich is the most moderate republican candidate and he sticks closely by his family oriented, christian values. Fourth former Ryan Sanfilippo describes him as offering, “a very traditional and moderate conservative view that can resonate with a lot of people.” Of all the republicans, he probably has the best chance of beating Hillary in a general election but since he has less than a fourth the amount of delegates as Trump, he doesn’t really have any chance at winning the nomination. It is still beneficial for him to stay in the race though. This is because there is a chance that this year there will be a brokered convention for the republican party. A brokered convention occurs when no single candidate has secured a majority
of power since whoever gets his support, whether it be Trump, Cruz, or a dark horse candidate like Paul Ryan, will get all his delegates. What could make this situation even more exciting is that the delegates don’t even have to remain pledged to the candidate chosen by their state’s voters in the primary; most of the delegates aren’t ardent Cruz or Trump supporters and could decide to step in and save the party by voting for someone else in the convention. If Trump doesn’t win the majority of delegates or even get close to winning it, then what happens the night of the republican convention will be of utmost importance. Similar to the hopes of Bernie supporters though, hopes of a brokered convention are a little bit unconvincing. Likely, come November, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the two names on the ballot. But only time will tell if there will be something exciting to shake things up.
Carolina do because the latter all have track records that have predicted who the nominees will be. On the other hand, the republican nominee, following these notions about Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, could either be Ted Cruz, who won Iowa, or Donald Trump, who won New Hampshire. Because Trump won the South Carolina primary, he will likely be the eventual nominee for the republicans due to the state’s track record. Although it may surprise many people, Trump also has other signs pointing to his nomination, like the fact he won Nevada, and that he won seven out of eleven states on Super Tuesday. Traditionally, the candidates who have done well on Super Tuesday usually go on to win the nomination. But, because the republicans still have a handful of candidates at this point (specifically Ted
Cruz and Marco Rubio), there are still many more variables to take into account. There are only two democratic candidates running for the nomination, but there are still five republicans. These early primaries, like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, all serve as elections that “weed out” all of the candidates who do not have a shot. After the Iowa caucuses, Martin O’Malley, a democratic candidate, dropped out after he got less than 1% of the vote. On the republican side, candidates like Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Jim Gilmore dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses. Again with the New Hampshire primary, Chris Christie faced the difficult decision as to whether or not he should end his campaign because he did not do nearly as well as he wanted, and he began to lack funding. One
Past Primary Elections Often Dictate the Future Will Henderson ‘18
With 2016 presidential election now under way, the media has constantly covered the early primaries. But do they actually matter in the grand scheme of things? The elections matter in the sense that each candidate gets a certain amount of delegates, which determines whether or not they receive their party’s nomination. Primaries also help “weed out” all of the candidates that do not have a chance of winning the nomination. Lastly, all of these primaries and caucuses serve as precursors to later elections; they help people in latervoting states decide who to vote for. Since 1976, every nominee, except one, from both the republican and democratic parties, has won either Iowa or New Hampshire in the primaries. In South Carolina’s case, the state has voted for the eventual nominees all but once since
1980. Clearly, most of the early primaries are major signs as to who the eventual nominees will be for the democratic and republican parties. So in the case of this election cycle, the democratic nominee will either be Hillary Clinton, who won Iowa, or Bernie Sanders, who won New Hampshire. Obviously these are the only two candidates who are still running for the democratic party, so the most important election for Clinton and Sanders was South Carolina, where Clinton was picked, and judging by the state’s record since 1980, she will likely be the nominee. Coming from the Nevada caucuses, Clinton had a bit of momentum going into South Carolina, and that likely carried her through in South Carolina. Having said that, Nevada by no means carries as much weight as Iowa, New Hampshire, and South
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Politics
Feb/March 2016
Apple vs the FBI: Who Stands on Higher Moral Ground? Nick Chimicles ‘19
In an age where technology is ever present in people’s lives, people want digital security and privacy. The majority do not want the government having full surveillance over their conversations, whereabouts, or digital activities. But at the same time, people are afraid of the threat of terrorism being bred by organizations such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Does one outweigh the other? Should the government be able to neglect the privacy rights of the people in cases of terrorism or should people remain protected by those rights, no matter their affiliations or wrong-doings? These questions are at the heart of the privacy dispute between Apple and the United States government. On December 2, 2015, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik added to the ever-extending list of mass shootings in America. They killed 14 people and seriously injured 22 in San Bernardino, California. In a shootout with police both terrorists were shot and killed. In the process, the police were able to acquire Farook’s iPhone 5C, the phone that has triggered this controversy. Farook had enabled a function that would delete all of the stored data on his iPhone after ten failed passcode attempts. Because of this, the FBI is not able to guess every possible combination until the iPhone is unlocked. In the weeks after the attack they had their best computer engineers and hackers attempt to bypass this security function to no avail because of the advancement encryption. At that point the FBI was left with no other choice but to ask the creator of the phone, Apple, for assistance. In late February 2016 a federal judge issued an order directing Apple to assist the FBI in creating a way to unlock Farook’s iPhone. Apple filed a formal appeal to what they call a “dangerous” request with “chilling” implications. Once Apple filed its appeal on February 25, the conversation amongst not only the government and technology executives, but also the general public began to take off. A heated exchange
ensued among millions of people all having an opinion on whether or not terrorist threats outweigh a person’s digital privacy. The government wants Apple to create a way in which this specific iPhone can be unlocked. It calls the encryption that prevents this a, “vicious guard dog” that hurts national security. It seeks to find more information about who Farook was affiliated with as well as to uncover the truth about what caused this man to become radicalized. The government claims that by uncovering this information it can prevent future terrorist attacks. It is considered the government’s obligation to protect its citizens and it sees the encryption created by Apple as an impediment to its ability to protect the United States. Apple, however, has not created a key to its impenetrable encryption system. The government argues that this backdoor would only be used once in this specific case. However, Apple said in its customer letter that this, “is simply not true” and, “[this] technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices”. The FBI wants to force Apple to create this key so that it can be used for other cases, enabling them to obtain more evidence and bring more criminals to justice. President Obama, who sides with the FBI, gave a statement on March 11, 2016 saying, “If technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong that there is no key, there’s no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer, how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?”. Alek Lexa, a Form III student, argues that even if Apple creates a key for this specific case, the FBI “knows [Apple] unlocked the phone, they are going to have people working 24/7 trying to figure out how they did it”. Since the FBI is in possession of the iPhone, they can attempt to reverse engineer Apple’s decryption. If they succeed in doing this, the FBI and law enforcement will have the ability to unlock and access anyone’s phone. In light of Edward Snowden’s uncoverings, this circumstance, or something similar, is
Primaries (Cont.) day after the primary, Christie finally dropped out. Other candidates like Ben Carson, who consistently get the fewest votes, should drop out soon as well. By weeding out all of the candidates with no prospects, the primaries help people in later-voting states decide who to vote for. As there are fewer and fewer candidates to choose from, there are usually about two candidates from both the republican and democratic parties from which voters must choose. In 2012, the two republican candidates that emerged were Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney. After several weeks and several losses in the primaries, Rick Santorum dropped out and voters were able to get behind Mitt Romney. Obviously, if this logic is applied with the democrats, the only two candidates that could emerge would be Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. But, on the republican side, the two candidates that are probably going to emerge are Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, the candidates who each won Iowa and New Hampshire respectively. So, as more people suspend their campaigns, it will be easier for people in later-voting states to decide who to vote for. Although Clinton won the Nevada primary, the
only real significance that this win has is in terms of delegates; Nevada does not have any particular “track record.” With Clinton and Trump winning the primaries for the democratic and republican parties in South Carolina, they will likely be the people that “emerge” for each party. The primaries, in every presidential election cycle, are quite important, but the most important ones by far, are Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. These primaries have historically helped predict the nominee, but they also influence other areas as well. The early primaries help get candidates without any chance out of the race, limiting the amount of decisions that voters must make in later primaries. Obviously, the primaries make it easier for people to decide which candidate they would like to cast their ballot for, and in doing so, the nominee from each party begins to emerge. The bottom line is that the most important primaries are Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina because they almost always predict the eventual nominees, but almost as important are the other primaries, which weed out candidates and eventually, decide the nominee.
what Apple and millions of Americans fear. Fears of this key being captured by people with far less noble intentions are also present amongst Americans and especially Apple. The UN Human Rights Chief sees this backdoor as “potentially a gift to authoritarian regimes and criminal hackers”. If the United States forces Apple to create this key, authoritarian regimes
with America’s fight against terrorism. Despite not having the people on their side, tech industry leaders such as Google, Microsoft and AT&T filed formal legal briefs on March 3, 2016, which backed Apples fight against the government. These companies have sided with Apple because they do not want to be found in the same situation, making technology that has not yet been developed and that is possibly harmful to the privacy of their customers. While the judiciary and legislative systems of the United States attempt to solve this constitutional dilemma, other countries have already taken action. In light of the Paris attacks which invoked much hatred and fear amongst the French people, France adopted new legislation on March 8, 2016 that gives “prison sentences to technology company executives who refuse to give data to investigators in terrorism-related cases”. In the debate process, French lawmakers technobuffalo.com actually referenced the Apple privacy Apple CEO Tim Cook has adamantly refused the FBI’s request. case, showing how this conversation such as North Korea and Russia would has reached beyond the United States. force Apple to also supply them with Both sides have agreed that this dispute it. This means that private information should be settled by Congress through could be given to governments that the passing of new legislation since this are hostile to the United States which case has broader applications than just a would hurt national security as well. single iPhone. Some, including the FBI, The real question raised by this dispute have cited the All Writs Act of 1789 as an is whether cyber security or homeland empowerment for the government to force security outweighs the other. Eli Wachs Apple to create this key. However, with (2016) says that he is “far more worried the recent advancements in encryption with millions of mobile bank accounts, and the fact that Apple does not actually [the] power grid, and telecommunications have the data that is stored on the iPhone being jeopardized than another, though itself, even the 21st century revival of the incredibly tragic, lone wolf attack”. Though All Writs Act is not entirely applicable. Alek Lexa and Eli agree that the iPhone But, if the legislation is deemed applicable should not be unlocked, a broader study by the courts then it can be used again done by the Pew Research society revealed and again in criminal cases with less that about half of Americans want the magnitude than a terrorist attack to force iPhone to be unlocked by Apple. However, the unlocking of encrypted iPhones it is worth noting that this statistic was With its stand in its case, Apple has conducted in the middle of February, before sparked a constitutional debate on the this case began increasing in popularity. way in which governments balance This statistic is in parallel with Americans’ national security and consumer privacy. terrorist fears, as well as their frustration
Delegation Update All Statistics Updated on March 21st, 2016 Republican Party: Donald Trump: 680 Ted Cruz: 424 Marco Rubio: 166* John Kasich: 143 Ben Carson: 8* Jeb Bush: 4* Carly Fiorina: 1* Mike Huckabee: 1* Rand Paul: 1* Not yet allocated: 1,044 Democratic Party: Hillary Clinton: 1,630 (includes 467 superdelegates) Bernie Sanders: 870 (includes 26 superdelegates) Not yet allocated: 2,265
* = Suspended Campaign
Date of Pennsylvania Primary Election: April 26th
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The Index
Feb/March 2016
The Outdex
Recently at Haverford...
We at the Outdex regret to inform you, dear reader, that dozens of second semester seniors are in charge of publishing this popular section of the Index. Our lone junior, Andrew Lengel, is basically a second semester senior. Below you’ll note the work we’ve done for this semester, and for this Outdex issue:
Alas! Do not feel saddened by this absence of energy, effort, ethic, enthusiasm, or execution. 11 pages of knowledge rests before you so that you may broaden your horizons and seize the day to make your life extraordinary!