The Haverford Index - January 2016

The Index Eutαxia Swzein Dokei

Volume LXXVII, No. 3

January 2016

Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com

Tuition Assistance: Who Gets Money and What Does It Mean for the Student and Community?

Sam Turner investigates Tuition Assistance, one of Haverford’s lesser known, crucial programs.

Samuel Turner ‘18

“Preparing boys for life” is more than just a motto: Haverford strives to embody these four words. A wide selection of enriching experiences ranging from scholastic and athletic competitions to global immersions is available to every Haverford student, and the evident diversity offers students a wealth of perspectives and opinions that ultimately expands their knowledge and real-world skills. All of these opportunities are facilitated through the tuition afforded by students as well as the tuition assistance accessible to all candidates. At $37,500 for Form III-VI students during the 20162017 school year, annual tuition is a scary figure that can burden many families.

This significant financial investment can not always be met by families of varying socioeconomic status, especially as circumstances may shift. As a result, students are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance, from which students can receive financial resources procured through tuition, endowments, and gifts to the school by completing a detailed process managed by the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) and the Tuition Assistance Committee. Through tuition assistance, Haverford offers equal

and unparalleled educational opportunities to all of its students, regardless of financial background and extenuating circumstances.

As it provides deserving students with opportunities, financial aid has become

Haverford looks to build a class from all backgrounds beginning in Jr. K

a symbol of the generosity, diversity, and mission of the school. (Throughout this article, students interviewed will remain anonymous for the sake of upholding their privacy.) Not only does financial aid apply to tuition, but also to any extracurricular pursuits of said student, such as the curiosity in global traveling that captivated a Fourth Former on financial aid who traveled to Nicaragua last spring break for a Spanish lingual and cultural immersion experience. He commented that, “Financial aid doesn’t stop me from doing anything.

I went to Nicaragua last spring break and

Experiences of an AfricanAmerican Female Student

Sophia Lindner details her life on the Main Line and the challenges posed by “Main Line culture” for a student of color.

Sophia Lindner AIS ‘16

When asked to write a personal narrative as a black girl on the Main Line, I jumped at the chance to detail my life for so many who have no idea what it’s like. However, rather than bore you with my entire life story, I’ve compiled a few important aspects of growing up here that I’ve learned work a little differently when you’re black and a girl. Try comparing them to aspects of your own life - maybe it’ll give you insight into the lives of those with a not-so-Main Line experience.

Friends. I learned quickly when I was younger that if I wanted a lot of friends, some of them would have to be white. I had no choice but to break the barrier of difference; however, most of my white friends never had to do that and therefore never did. Making white friends was easy, but keeping them was hard - I had to prove constantly that I was worthy of their country club, European vacation-

type lifestyles. Unfortunately, my Black Suburban culture was also different from that of the other minority kids who lived in the city; it put me in a unique “in-between” position. The first time I was ever in a room full of kids like me was in 10th grade at a diversity conference, and I cried for hours afterwards because I realized how unfair it was that my white friends got to feel that safe and comfortable every day.

Of course there were exceptions, and as a kid you generally don’t care much about other kids’ differences. But as I got older, those differences became more prevalent.

People grew into their parents’ opinions and became articulate enough to voice them; I eventually realized that most of my white friends possessed some element of bigotry.

(Continued on Page 5)

Also inside this Issue...

Athlete of the Issue: Freddy Corradetti

had an amazing time.” Additionally, the student revealed that “[Financial aid] has made life easier because even other than financial aid itself, the school gives me a lot of support. I can get breakfast every morning and they give me the TransPass so I can get to school everyday. The school makes life a lot easier to go through every day considering how rigorous it already is.”

Financial aid has also come to represent the “brotherhood” that exists within the walls of Haverford. The same student later responded that “I don’t think anybody would judge me for being on financial aid considering that a lot of students are.

That’s what it’s for. If you can’t afford to go here, you get financial aid.” In fact, 32% of Haverford students schoolwide receive some level of financial assistance, which totals to 6.4 million dollars, with the average grant being about 21 thousand dollars. In response to these numbers, Director of Community Life and Associate Director of Admissions Mr. Donta Evans said that “You can’t tell who is on financial aid, which I think is great.

There are some students who are here on aid, who you would probably never guess are on aid, and there are others who you think would be on aid, but aren’t.”

Haverford’s camaraderie and brotherhood is demonstrated by this fact as is the notion that “there have been students that have gone through Haverford that didn’t realize

Haverford and Agnes Irwin students offer their unique perspectives on race, socioeconomics, and life in Main Line high schools.

We at the Index hope these articles inspire reflection and conversation, and we invite you to respond by submitting work to: index@haverford.org

that they have been receiving financial aid,” remarked Director of Enrollment and Tuition Assistance and Interim Director of Admissions Mr. Kevin Seits.

This commitment to confidentiality is highly valued by the administration as it is by students’ families.

In fact, “[the school] asks the parents in the statement of the grant letter itself to keep everything confidential and [the school] keeps everything confidential.

(Continued on Page 3)

Polarity of Opinion in Main Line Schools

Sophie Gaddes reflects on the constrating opinions found within the halls of Haverford and Agnes Irwin.

Sophie Gaddes AIS ‘16

On December 8, 2015, Agnes Irwin housed its first ‘‘Day of Understanding.’’

As stated on our website, the Day of Understanding was created with the ultimate goal of “help[ing] participants more fully understand and appreciate others’ points-of-view,” which, in practice, meant attending a total of five workshops throughout the day - workshops with titles like ‘‘The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,’’ ‘‘Issues in the Transgender Community,’’ ‘‘Civil Rights Law and the Case Against the Lower Merion School District,’’ ‘‘Race as a Social Construct,’’ and more.

Did the Day of Understanding accomplish this goal? Yes and no. Several students, when questioned, said they were “pleasantly surprised” by the workshops.

The surprise most likely stemmed from the day’s atmosphere. Girls reported an overall “accepting” environment, i.e., one where they felt unusually at home voicing their

views. The students and faculty, led by speakers who promised to follow the Day’s guideline of “welcom[ing] all viewpoints,” entered difficult discussions (on socioeconomics status, institutionalized racism, Islamophobia, etc.) with the tacit agreement that the ultimate purpose was to unite as a community in mutual appreciation of perspectives. Knowing that all parties - some with personal points of view on the matter, and others endeavoring to understand them - were there to share in the experience, rather than judge, made students feel safe enough to open up.

Which, to them, was “pleasantly surprising.”

Though girls’ surprise when faced with peer support may be sad, it’s not hard to believe.

(Continued on Page 6)

Article Haverford Culture Relational Teaching Debating the “Issues” The Dress Code Mindfulness: Pro/Con Affirmative Action: Pro/Con Diversity’s at Haverford Reflection on Ethnicity Athlete of the Issue

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The Index

News

January 2016

Division and Ideals: What Defines a Haverford Man? Ethan Delehman ‘16

Editor-in-Chief Delehman considers the changing nature of Haverford Men and culture in a unique twist on the traditional “Letter from the Edtiors.”

We are progressing towards an era of constant instability. The status quo is dead, and in its wake exists a form of society where division is commonplace and civil, educated discussion is something to be lauded rather than something to expect.

What then, is there to do? For those of us seniors who, in five short months, will find ourselves in a terribly perplexing world, a world of uncertainty and opportunity in equal parts, the answer is hardly clear.

I cannot pretend to have been an active participant in each of the seemingly hundreds of significant debates that have come up as of late. Whether to do with gender, sexuality, race, or class, the responses I’ve seen in the context of the Main Line community and, in particular, the Main Line private schools, is both encouraging and frightening. Regardless of allegiance or point of view, we have hopelessly dedicated “opinionists” doing their best impressions of congressmen shouting over each other in a faux attempt to get things done. The result is not a solution, or a mutually beneficial situation in which both parties learn and grow.

Rather, what I’ve witnessed take place is destructive and harmful with just the slightest hints of civility.

What does that say about Haverford as a community? About Agnes Irwin? About the entirety of the Main Line? What are we accomplishing when we reduce political discourse to a public circus, and leave behind a legacy of aggression and an utter lack of willingness to communicate in any type of honest and genuine way. It seems to me, more than anything else, a reflection

of the society we are constantly exposed to, and that’s unfortunate.

Haverford should exist above the petty qualms of our society.

I have, at different times, experienced Haverford as——despite this term now being used derogatorily——a safe space in which I was ensured the ability to develop my character free of judgment.

Lately we seem to be forgetting the fact that, excluding faculty, we are high school students. Whether fourteen or eighteen, whether we’re slowly trudging along through our first year of high school or getting ready to leave it all behind, we are, at the end of the day, students, kids, boys on the verge of becoming men.

There is so much time later on in life to be cold and cynical to each other, to allow for the tender tendrils of society to reach into our minds and corrupt us, to turn on one another as though we never shared anything to begin with. Here though, in the walls of Haverford, this should not be the case. I struggle to come to any sort of conclusion regarding why this is so.

I remember being seduced in the second half of my eighth grade year by the untouchable majesty that was Haverford. Haverford, indicative at that time of untainted intellectual development provided me with hope for a meaningful high school experience. I worry about the current freshmen and the soon to be freshmen for this very reason. The core of the Haverford community appears to be experiencing a slow and unavoidable collapse. Teachers may come and go, the upper classes may leave and move on to bigger and better things, but there was ever something that was destined to survive the

With the finality of high school approaching at a rapid pace, I’ve found myself reflecting on my years at Haverford.

The funny videos, the social media rants, and the endless jokes about our excellent sodexo staff are amusing, pleasant memories. But what’s stuck with me, what I will remember twenty years from now, is the brotherhood. The friends, the teachers, everyone who’s made me who I am. For a lack of a better term, my mentors. As you’ll recall from my opening speech, “Haverford is inclusivity at it’s finest, Haverford is togetherness. Haverford is a bunch of sophomores pulling a rope and defeating the odds, it’s every robotics trophy sitting in the library window, it’s the Gentlemen’s Club on a Friday night, and most importantly, Haverford is what we make of it.” We are fortunate to attend

this excellent school, but we can always improve. It is both an expectation and an opportunity for us to leave this school better than we found it. It contradicts our core principles to do anything less. And Study Body President Postell though the words “us,” and “we” are used loosely in a typical Haverford dialogue, the change starts with you, the one. A team is only as strong as its weakest link, so make an individual effort to the best person you can be, and we will be a better team than we ever could have a imagined. Make a new friend, find a mentor, be a mentor, and let’s finish this year the Haverford way.

Letter from the President

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 Ryan Conway ‘16 Outdex Editor Cameron Miller ‘16, Social Media Coordinator 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

constant battering brought on by change, it Line community is hopelessly dedicated. was the Haverford core: moral, respectful, Willing to sacrifice anything in the name and kind men helping each other grow. I of success, he is a team player by necessity was not prepared to watch Haverford, with a mind of self-motivation. Call it during my brief but conservative significant tenure, values, call it become something a hunger for profoundly differently success, The than what I viewed Haverford it to be as a young School breeds and idealistic middle boys prepared school graduate. for life, and, Trying to pinpoint unfortunately, what exactly has life is brutal. caused such a drastic As such, we shift is a fool’s errand have elected to The Index Staff looks forward to publishing more in 2016. destined to accomplish forego certain nothing. What matters elements usually now is the actions taken to combat it. The present towards the end of childhood and simplest solution and the solution that I the transition to “real life.” could most easily be directly involved with I have friends who have spoken about is a dramatic alteration to current senior life after Haverford—college, careers, and leadership. I, standing alongside the rest of general life goals—since freshman year. the Class of 2016, have done little in the These soon-to-be men tend to be heavily way of inspiring a positive relationship affluent and, more often than not, superbetween different members of the Upper lifers at Haverford.

School. Hopelessly competitive, we are a Coming to the close of this letter, I group destined to accomplish remarkable find myself reluctantly recognizing that things. In exchange for this, however, we the idealist take I had on Haverford as a have sacrificed the sense of togetherness middle school applicant is considerably and community that has permeated out of removed from the truth. In order to prior senior classes. separate ourselves from the set of ideals I want nothing more than to say that our that “Haverford men” now tend to embrace top priority has been aligning the entirety would require not only a complete change in of the school, binding them together with the character of the Main Line community, a sense of shared responsibility to maintain but a shift in the nature of our society. So what it means to be a Haverford man. long as the world is competitive, so long as Unfortunately, there are two problems success is dictated by effort and dedication, with that statement. The prototypical Haverford men will always strive to be in Haverford changed, and, I assure you, we the upper echelon of societal achievement. are it. The Haverford man, as dictated by As much as I would like to fault us for the expectations so consistently prevalent that, I cannot. both in the classroom and in the Main

Montana: A Boys’ Latin Perspective Connor Lees ‘17

The barn at the Big Timber Rodeo Grounds grew silent. Photographs and watercolor paintings surrounded the artists and townspeople sitting in fold-up chairs. Tanner Hicks stepped up to the mic and started rapping.

“Divine be this record / Peep the spirits in the booth / I switched up they train of thought / Someone repair the youth / And I bought a pair of Jordans but that’s not the air I use.”

“After [I performed], I felt like I wanted to be in the arts scene when I’m grown up,” Tanner told the Index. “I liked watching everyone do their thing, it was inspiring.”

Yet as a junior in high school, Tanner is already apart of the Philadelphia arts scene.

He records music daily in a recording studio in his own house where he has already recorded two mixtapes. Two of his songs, “DMT” and a freestyle over Pusha T’s “Nosetalgia,” have obtained nearly 1,700 listens on Soundcloud. However, his talents aren’t just limited to posting songs on Soundcloud; he also raps at shows and showcases: “I was going to rap at SOB [Sound of Brazil] in New York, but my manager told me they were filled.” Sound of Brazil is a music venue in SoHo for up and coming R&B, rap and Latin artists.

Kanye West, Drake, and John Legend all began their careers at the Sound of Brazil.

Tanner was one of two Boys’ Latin students to go on the Big Timber Arts Roundup this past October. Before this year, only students from Haverford,

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/

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Most of the teachers are unaware of it as well. If a student knows that he is receiving tuition assistance, it is only because his parents told them.” In addition to the confidentiality and respect valued in the financial aid process, the school emphasizes its approach to financial aid as “based upon a family’s demonstrated need. We don’t have academic, athletic, or musical scholarships; it’s need-based, but it’s meritdistributed. For new students, not for current ones, we wish we had enough money to give to every student that needs it.

A lot of the time, we allocate it to stronger candidates within the students that have been admitted. It is often referred to as a scholarship, but it is actually need-based financial aid,” Mr. Seits remarks. A merit-guided system of assessing financial aid based on need and qualification of SSS guidelines is carefully implemented, but it in no way affects a student’s admission to the school as stated by Haverford’s “need-blind admission” policy.

Although a student’s financial status is strictly a personal matter between the family and the school, financial aid discussions occasionally manifest in community forums; how students discuss and think of these topics speaks to the diversity and acceptance of the Haverford community. Mr. Evans believes that “it is up to the students [to talk with friends about financial aid], depending on how comfortable they are. I am sure some students disclose it to friends that are on financial aid and to friends that are not on financial aid.” Whether this discussion be used as a bonding moment or an explanation, openly conversing about socioeconomic status is a process that can benefit both parties. For example, a Fifth

The Index

News

Former on 90% tuition assistance revealed that “when [students] would ask where I’m from and I told them I’m from North Philadelphia, they would reason that I am on financial aid. At first, it was uncomfortable because I was new and wanted to fit in, but after a while, I realized that we all have very distinct backgrounds, so everybody bringing their distinct backgrounds into the common culture helps the community’s

former continued on to state that “I think people are aware [that I am on financial aid]. However, I believe this shows why Haverford is such a great place. Instead of assuming that I’m on financial aid because of my ethnicity, my peers assume it because I have a library laptop. Haverford washes away the stereotypes [...] and strips away all the things that we typically judge people by. When I’m in school, I feel like the only thing that matters is who I am.” There is no need at Haverford to publicly discuss financial aid as its students naturally form an opinion about each other based on personal attributes as opposed to socioeconomic status.

Students have the right per the First Amendment to discuss their financial aid status, but “regardless of our Ms. Dawn Blake Esteemed Haverford gentlemen, like the ones shown above, help families that are able to pay significantly in making a Haverford education accessible to all applicants. the full tuition or the ones that are receiving assistance, most families mentality expand.” This student’s are making huge sacrifices to get this great comment demonstrates that financial aid education that Haverford has to offer,” said is not a delicate topic to shy away from Mr. Seits. Most families have endured on discussing, but rather one that can expand one level or another for a Haverford School the community’s global awareness and education, and “[students on financial aid] thoughtfulness by “using financial aid as are no different from kids that aren’t on a retention tool to keep the students that financial aid in that they are just coming we have, as a yield tool to basically enroll to school and receiving assistance to get students that typically wouldn’t be able a more excellent education than they to afford it, and for diversity, and not just would elsewhere,” commented a Fourth racial diversity, but also socioeconomic, Former not on financial aid. Financial aid geographical, and religious [diversity],” is not a conscious determinant of anything as Mr. Seits remarked. The beneficiaries but is merely available for the overall of financial aid are not only the students betterment of the community. And so, directly receiving the assistance, but financial aid has strictly remained “a tool also the students who are privileged to to make sure we retain our enrollment, to interact with contemporaries of varying get the best boys possible, to retain the background and perspective. This boys that we have, and to be a reflection extensive and healthy diversity contributes of overall society,” remarked Mr. Seits. to a depth of perspective for all students In Haverford’s eyes, each and every student that the school prides itself on. This Fifth has equally unbounding opportunities and

January 2016

resources available to him independent of financial circumstances. However, through the eye of the Fifth Former, financial aid has encumbered his heart with a fleeting sense of guilt since he feels that “since I have been given so much already, I am afraid and even shy to ask for more because I feel it is too much. For the most part, I try to set the fact aside and do what I can.” This take-too-much attitude is rarely addressed or even considered by other students. Although Haverford supports financial aid students in all arenas of student life, this guilt may quietly impede them from reaching their full potential in areas such as global travel, sports, classes, and leadership. There may be a missed experience that needs to be addressed in order to reach full equity among students of varying financial backgrounds.

Financial aid is both directly and indirectly advantageous to the entire student body, but its invisibility within the community is what is most resounding. For the most part, socioeconomic status has been blanketed at Haverford as “the school has done things not just for the financial aid students, but for every student to make sure that Haverford is a place where everyone has all the means and access to a full Haverford education,” Mr. Evans commented.

The student body’s brotherhood and the community’s welcoming arms ultimately disarm any fouls of financial disparity and grant every student an accepting and lasting home at Haverford. In a seemingly secondary, yet even more prevalent role, financial aid fulfills the school’s motto of “preparing boys for life” since, as Mr. Evans observed, “one of the things that students are going to face once they leave Haverford and once they graduate college is a world that is diverse with all different people and the school’s commitment to providing that type of environment is significant and beneficial to our students.”

Relational Teaching Creates a Close-Knit Haverford Community Wayne Hester ‘16

Mr. Matthew Green—Head of the Upper School—said teachers and students share an “affable relationship,” because “the faculty care deeply about the kids,” and “make efforts to understand kids beyond their identities as performers.”

Underappreciating aspects of The Haverford School—intentionally and unintentionally—comes easily without evocative circumstances that force reflective thoughts on what makes Haverford special. Haverford offers unique opportunities that may be difficult to identify for someone who actively engages in the community. The willingness on the behalf of teachers to mentor and be an outlet to students distinguishes Haverford from other institutions. The effort teachers (Continued from Page 2) Agnes Irwin, Episcopal Academy, and schools from Montana went on the trip.

When asked about what it was like fitting in, Tanner said that “everyone was real cool, really artistic and open minded. It wasn’t that hard to fit in.”

On the contrary, the common stereotypes against students from Main Line schools often don’t agree that they are “open minded.” Thirty-nine Urban Dictionary definitions for “Main Line” label these students as cliquey and stuck up. One Urban Dictionary definition defines the Main Line as “only a fun place if you have money” and that the Main Line’s “diversity goes as far as the BMW one gets for their 16th birthday.”

Boys’ Latin students are similarly

put into relational teaching at Haverford and the effect personal teacher-student relationships have on our community goes undervalued. The concept of relational teaching and how teachers enact it maintains a sense of mysteriousness.

Sixth Former Walter Paiva said he has a “good relationship with many teachers at Haverford,” and “these relationships form naturally.” This corroborates Mr. Green’s belief that the faculty exhibits a kindhearted and seemingly effortless approach to familiarizing themselves with students.

Mr. Green offers a unique perspective on the subject as a member of the administration, a teacher, and a parent of a Haverford student. He sees these relationships occur, forms them, and observes the direct impact

they have on someone he holds dear.

Mr. Green stated for these relationships to come to fruition, teachers must have

judged, but by Philadelphia residents: “People say ‘your jeans are too tight.’ We have a more New York way of dressing.”

Long-sleeve t-shirts and skinny jeans are a more New York style, while baggy jeans and short sleeves are more Philly.

Not dressing like other Philly residents can be risky: “We aren’t afraid to do what we do. But if you meet the wrong people downtown, you can get jumped.”

The scrutiny doesn’t end just there: we all make assumptions about each other’s financial standing whether we’re aware of it or not. Cars, phones, computers, and even headphones are all barometers of a given student’s wealth. At Boys’ Latin, this especially applies to sneakers: “Kids’ll come in with foam pods or Jordans and brag.” At Boys’ Latin, though, what car a student drives to school is not that big of a deal since most students get to and

from school on SEPTA; they “don’t come in no Mercedes or Maseratis. But, we don’t ride SEPTA because we are poor.

It’s because we don’t have a car or our parents are working.” So, when students try to showcase their wealth at Boys’ Latin, “nobody really pays attention.”

This begs the question: could it be possible that these Main Line stereotypes only reside on the Main Line? Before the trip, Tanner recalled that “nobody has said anything about [Main Line schools] so I didn’t think that deeply into it.” Tanner’s initial preconception of Haverford was that “it was a really good school. I remember hearing that it was an all-boys school, and I was thinking that, wow, that’s just like us.” Check out Tanner’s music by searching MisGuided Supreme on Soundcloud or on YouTube to watch music videos of his songs.

Student-teacher relationships grow at a young age

a “finely tuned antennae for non-verbal communication.” He believes due to the nature of males, sharing personal information—without simultaneously doing another activity—does not come easily. He references the metaphorical phrase “going out and having a catch”—

an activity that allows appropriate time for personal discussion. While the possibility exists that teachers can overstep boundaries, Mr. Green states the faculty makes conscious efforts not to “infiltrate” a student’s personal life. A student’s willingness to accept a teacher’s endearment requires a teacher to know a student apart from academics.

Emphasizing relational teaching in the hiring process allows Mr. Green to assemble an amiable staff in the Upper School. He noted that he requests candidates to recount a time where they showed involvement in a student’s life outside of the classroom. He made it clear teachers to need be multidimensional and exhibit the capability to not only teach their respective subject but connect with kids beyond the classroom as well. Knowing a student as more than just a student plays a role in their desire to accept a teacher’s endearment.

Dr. Kellen Graham agreed that sharing extracurricular activities stimulates a more personal relationship with a student: “finding some part of their life to celebrate their life, to honor, and to connect with them.” The shared belief amongst two well-respected faculty members shows teachers emphasize learning a student’s identity outside of the classroom.

Dr. Graham said that to forge personal relationships with students, teachers could use “universal” methods to resonate with students. He says the “cliché” of “treating kids with respect” can go a long way. All faculty members can replicate the act (Continued on Page 5)

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The Index

News

January 2016

We all Want to Talk about the “Issues,” So How Do We Do It? Anna Kramer AIS ‘16

police shooting of Michael gentrification. The demanding immediacy Anna Kramer discusses how teenagers, specifically in our Brown and the protests of headlines, tweets, and Tumblr posts has community, respond when presented with opposing views. which followed. As tensions provoked overwhelming waves of anger, rose across the country, fear, and worry.

Bae. Lit. On fleek. These words and tensions also rose on the Main Line.

Racial injustice on such a widespread phrases pervade Main Line teenage culture, The 2000 US census classifies the Main scale inspires disgust and grief in many filling the hallways of private and public Line as primarily white, with a median and gives pause to those who would schools alike with the latest generation of family income above $100,000 per year. deny its existence.

While these injustices slang. They are also words which grew in However, minority populations and lowerhave catalyzed much of the fear and popularity on black Twitter and Tumblr income families do maintain a presence resentment bubbling to the surface, it is the before shifting to mainstream use. They minority-majority are words which will hold a place in the relationship on history of American youth. They are the Main Line words which some consider culturally that is the primary appropriative, and they will never be and underlying widely acknowledged for their origins. Is source of current it right, therefore, to use these words with undeniable tensions. abandon and without consideration and In November, respect for their beginnings?

P h i l a d elphia Every person has an instinctive reaction Magazine’s Steve to this particular question, whether it be yes Volk wrote a piece or no. This dilemma is representative of the entitled “Racial questions which have plagued Agnes Irwin Profiling On The and the main line school community as Mr. Evans, Mr. Brady and Mr. Poolman organized a “Character & Main Line,” highlighting just how Citizenship Day” as a means to help the Fourth Form approach the our generation comes of age. Questions of many issues of the day with more perspective and understanding. prolific racism in this community can cultural appropriation, micro-aggressions, be.

Volk’s story told of the experiences PC culture, privilege, and diversity of faculty, students, and thought have on the Main Line itself, and the city of of two African-American students in public consumed the preoccupations of school Philadelphia’s predominantly African- school who were the frequent targets of administrations and students alike. Racial American communities are less than jokes using the n-word, of a black man in and minority politics have made a meteoric nine miles from the heart of this suburb coat and tie stopped in the street at police rise to the center of student social activism, of exclusivity. The news media, hungry gunpoint because another black man had triggering tensions so immediately that the predators of sensationalism, have tracked robbed a house several blocks away, and of positivity and productivity necessary for with dogged determination every police a church attacked with hate speech because killing, riot, and protest since Michael of a sign emblazoned with “Black Lives genuine progress have been left behind.

What triggered this spectacular Brown’s death. In the process, they’ve Matter.” Some of the comments included: reawakening of minority concerns in our exposed and publicized more injustice and “How dare you put that sign on your schools? The same triggers which threw discrimination in the last year than in the lawn?” “Don’t all lives matter?” “You’re a spotlight on our country’s continued twenty years previously. They’ve revealed stupid, horrible people.”

Unfortunately, those who are largely systemic mistreatment of minorities, to the general public persistent and systemic mistreatment of minorities through to blame for these more obvious crimes particularly African-Americans: the police brutality, mass incarceration, and lie beyond the reaches of Agnes Irwin.

Those who will be to blame in the future have yet to commit any crime the students and faculty can easily rally against. With no single blatantly racist target within our school, the powerful energy and focus of minority students and social activists has turned to issues of diversity and speech.

While these concerns are essential to student well-being, they can not and must not be approached with anger. We must remember that many of these issues reside on that fuzzy line where black and white merge into grey, and any resolution must involve respectful and open-minded consideration of more than one perspective.

As it stands today, our current path of redress only exacerbates the issues up for debate and alienates allies along the way.

On January 12th, Emma Griffiths, a senior at Agnes Irwin, continued the tradition of senior assemblies with a ten minute speech entitled “PC Culture: The Causes and Effects of A Hypersensitive, Hyperconscious Generation.” Her speech explained the research which illustrates the cons of restrictive speech and the pros of open-mindedness and diversity of thought.

Immediately following her assembly, she was met with forceful pushback online by her classmates and by alumni and was often portrayed as inconsiderate and disrespectful. Some of the comments regarding her character were openly vicious and employed obscenities. One long Facebook post followed another, the majority made by alumni who had not seen the assembly and who posted without the facts in hand.

(Continued on Page 9)

The Legitimacy of Senioritis: A First-Hand Perspective Matt Chow ‘16

The second semester of a senior’s year is unfortunately his last in high school.

As college approaches, many believe the widely accepted theory of “senioritis” tends to kick in. Simply put, they slack off in classes and don’t try anymore. However, at Haverford, the attitude of a Sixth Former on his second semester may have a different twist thanks to the environment around him.

Sixth Formers at Haverford see their last semester as one not to waste. Walter Paiva states that it’s his, “final chance to be with the community I love.” Fellow classmate Danny Donahue also finds his last semester provides, “a way to enjoy time with my friends.” Evidently, there is no lack of enthusiasm towards the second semester in regards to community and relationships. Cameron Cummins also notes the importance of exploration in the final chapter at Haverford: “ If you want to leave high school without regrets, then try new things.” Paiva also hopes to continue to create, “lasting memories”.

Academically, it can be challenging for seniors to keep chugging along through the semester despite having next to nothing left in the tank—this lack of fuel having a great deal to do with the college process. College applications and decisions plague Sixth Formers throughout the first semester.

Seniors like Paiva felt obliged to take “required or recommended classes I find tedious.” Perhaps it’s natural for a senior to feel like they need a break. Mr. Neal Cousins, Director of College Counseling, agrees that, ”it’s hard for seniors; they’ve been working hard for the last seven semesters.” As the second semester begins and the college frenzy subsides, Cummins stated: “there is no benefit in stressing, so why do it?”

At Haverford, administrators stress transformational experience over transactional experience. However, with the ever-present pressure of college admissions Sixth Formers struggled to focus on anything close to a “transformational experience.” Donahue noted: “In the first semester I was always worrying about grades.” Cummins felt the same: “Almost everything had me thinking, should this go on my transcript?”

But what does this mean now for these now stress-free Sixth Formers? For seniors who already know where they are going for college, like Cummins, it feels as, “an enormous amount of stress has been alleviated.” Donahue also feels, “a

academic experience in a new way.” He also mentions “I don’t think my behavior would be much different even if I had already been admitted to college.”

One subject frequently mentioned in relation with the second semester was electives. These seem to help Sixth Formers pursue areas they actually enjoy.

“I can finally dictate my schedule to my interests effectively,” says Paiva. “In that regard, I don’t see myself losing interest or motivation, since I plan to enjoy my last classes at Haverford to the fullest.”

Cummins states that the best thing about senior year in terms of academics is “most of the courses are electives, which means they’re more focused on one’s interests rather than what’s required to be taken.”

Mr. Cousins even says that for some students who have their schedules changed for easier classes, it may help with the transformational experience because it’s “the opportunity to take that class because it’s really cool and interests them.” This diversity of classes and electives may be helping seniors combat “senioritis.”

How about those Sixth Formers who still seem succumb to senioritis? Mr. Cousins notes that every year he has “seniors coming in asking for schedule changes,” and many because “they don’t seem to want to work as hard.” For those Former President Nick Greco leads the Class of 2015 to Graduation. people, Cummins thinks they “definitely Once January hits, June is often the only thing on Sixth Formers’ see some futility in the second semester, minds. because there really is no incentive lot more relaxed due to the fact i’m into for trying.” For those who don’t see the college already”. Now with the pressure transformational benefits, they “see school gone, “it is now more transformational as a sort of rewards system, so if you take rather than transactional.” Cummins also away the carrot on the end of the stick, am agreed that now the experience outweighs I going to keep running?” the grades: “Seniors have a last chance to So what could help to alleviate these try new things and it can’t possibly be for a attitudes in those Sixth Formers who do transcript at this point.” take the second semester lightly? One Even for Sixth Formers who don’t know point of discussion was the Graduation where they are going to college yet, such Project. Mr. Cousins believes it provides as Paiva, they can “embrace the Haverford a “valuable opportunity to do independent

work you might be asked to do in college.”

Donahue also says “it is a great bridge from high school to college.” “It allows flexibility for students to design a unique curriculum suited to their individual interests,” adds Paiva. Unfortunately, this project doesn’t necessarily have the same reception for the rest of the grade. Mr. Cousins and Cummins both agree “Some students take the project seriously and many don’t.” “I have no idea how to amend the Graduation Project,” says Paiva, “but perhaps recognizing the problem is the first step in change.”

Many Sixth Formers still have final exams on the tip of their tongues. The old system allowed Sixth Formers with a B+ average to not take an exam; some students had to work hard to achieve that grade, while others could relax. While having mandatory exams now seems to require all seniors to keep studying, it may take away an incentive for continuing to work hard in the second semester. Alluding to Cummins’ analogy, the carrot on the end of the stick has been taken away. Perhaps the administration “can develop an equitable method for dealing with senior exams,” he added.

Senioritis. As seniors begin to realize they are moving on from Haverford, they run the risk for falling into that stereotype.

However, Paiva assures “for the most part though, I’d say that seniors still care and are dedicated to their work.” Haverford has the characteristics that can allow the most Sixth Formers to avoid a slump and see out the rest of Upper School in a transformational way. Now, how can we change “most” to “all”?

Page 5

The Index

News/Opinions

January 2016

Students of Color on the Main Line (Continued from Front Page) It was a lot easier for my other privileged friends to overlook these qualities because they were never the objects of it, and that meant I was the oversensitive one. What I ended up realizing was that I either compromised parts of my identity for a friendship or I lost that friend. I can still probably count on one hand the number of friends I have that don’t require that compromising.

Politics/Social Justice. There were, in general, two types of kids on the Main Line: those who preferred to stay out of politics, and those who did pay attention to them but then assumed that it gave them authority on everything. Both groups, however, possessed a certain density, a detachment from these issues that I really don’t think you can find in many other places.

It was most prevalent in the first type, the kids who milked the luxury of living their lives non-politically. The white kids who’d rather turn off the news about another black man getting shot because it wasn’t their brother who could be next.

The boys who ignored all the Planned Parenthood drama because it would never have a potential impact on their future.

I was always so jealous of how they could ignore the goings-on of the world, completely unaffected, and I continue to be amazed at the kids who are now my age and still feel no responsibility to inform themselves. But for the most part growing up, I could manage to stay out of their way and they mine.

The second type of kid, however, was much more scary and is now much more common. They expressed another type of detachment where, although invested in politics, they never associated outside issues with those affected by them in their own environments. These were the white guys who swore up and down that racism and sexism weren’t that bad, never mind my experiences as a black girl, because they read an article about Oprah; my classmates who insulted #BlackLivesMatter and expected me to agree, as if I wasn’t included in that hashtag. They thought I viewed things the way they did because I didn’t fit into their mental categorization of what a black person or a woman was.

The worst part, however, was that they all operated on this level of strict logic and “intellect,” above all emotion, and they used it as an excuse to invalidate anything that wasn’t purely objective or statistical.

It’s truly terrifying to see the entitlement in someone who thinks that emotions are invalid in an “intellectual debate.” As if we have the option of magically transcending our identities in order to talk “objectively” about issues that affect us. As if we’re weak for “allowing” the pain of racism and sexism to “cloud our judgement” of those systems, for not being “civil” when fighting for our humanity.

Image. I was also jealous of white kids because they never had to represent their whole race. If I wanted to know how

white people did their hair, I had 50-some girls in my grade I could ask. If I wanted to know what they ate for dinner, I could explore my friends’ houses and learn the differences between Italian, Irish, and German families. But when there were 8 black girls in a grade of 70-something, it got a lot harder to see those differences and ask those questions. And when white kids couldn’t find the answers easily, they made up their own. Over time I’ve ended up creating a whole mental archive of answers to whip out whenever necessary: no, not all of us wear weave; yes, some of us dislike rap music; no, I don’t know anyone named

lose” situations, if you will.

Because there were so few of us, everything I did was twisted to pin me to my race. Somehow, if I played a sport well, it was because black people were good at sports; but if I gave a good speech, it was impressive for a black person. If a guy thought I was pretty, then I was only pretty “for a black girl.” I once went to the bathroom during class and when I came

held them against us. They used it to seem aggressive and thuggish, like rap lyrics in an instagram where the picture insinuated something reckless or illegal. And yet they were never seen as unprofessional, or dirty, or anything associated with that language when we used it. AAVE was one of the strongest markers of our cultural identity, and they were using it because they could.

I then saw it in both dance and just general

Student-Teacher Relations (Continued)

contrary approach. Dr. Graham bending over backward to exact these methods shows his care for a student aside from the classroom.

Although interviews with Dr. Graham and Mr. Green suggest relational teaching must stem from extracurricular activities, Dr. Graham believes “the depth of a student’s learning correlates to the quality or depth of his relationship with a teacher.”

He said a student’s reluctance to let a teacher down due to built up respect drives them to excel academically.

A student who Dr. Graham deems to be underperforming or demonstrating

disobedience increases Dr. Graham’s longing to connect with that particular student. He feels extra motivation from the students who indirectly challenge his ability to personally relate to them.

With the effort teachers put into relational teaching, the payoff remains unclear. Sixth Former Cameron Miller said, “Having a teacher to be close with is truly part of the Haverford experience because we aren’t just close with each other but also close with our teachers.” He says having a teacher to connect with makes communicating easier because teachers have more knowledge and experience than peers.

of showing affection and interest as an approach to building personal relationships with students.

While he believes these universal mannerisms can help reach all students, Dr. Graham acknowledges that each student should be treated on a “case-by-case” basis. Similarly to Mr. Green’s technique of finding “what makes a [student] tick,” Dr. Graham values the importance of discovering what a student needs to thrive.

He says some kids need “tough love” or “hard limits”; others may require a

Philly Magazine recently shed light on a potentially systemic issue of racial profiling on the Main Line

Bon Qui Qui; yes, I am just as capable of swimming as you are. And no, you’re not “blacker” than me because you fit part of a stereotype that I happen not to fit. It was and is exhausting to have to keep my entire existence on display and available for scrutiny 24/7; but if I didn’t, I subjected myself to assumptions and projections that were always wrong. One of those “lose-

back my friend turned to me and said, “I feel like black people have to pee, like, all the time.”

This meant that we never got credit for the things we did that were good on their own.

Maybe I was just good at giving speeches; maybe I just looked pretty, period. But we were put into this category of person within the category of black people; it was assumed that the former came because of the latter, not simply in conjunction with it. Conversely, it eliminated room for us to make the same mistakes as our white counterparts - one of us laughed a little too loud? Wow, black girls are so obnoxious.

I did badly on a test? God, black girls can be so dumb. (These are both things I have heard said about us, in full earshot.) Every day was a battle to prove that I was better than my stereotype.

Culture. One of the hardest parts of growing up on the Main Line was adjusting to the culture. Some things were easy to pick up, like how people are so rich that $200 leggings are a commodity, or how Lilly Pulitzer is a real style that people enjoy wearing. But the biggest thing I’ve noticed as part of Main Line culture, as both my age and our level of technology has increased, is a very blatant disrespect for black culture. I saw it first in the language. AAVE (African-American Vernacular English), which includes words like “lit,” “finna,” “hella” and more, was my family’s natural way of speaking. It was also the way of speaking they had to leave behind when going to work because it was “unprofessional,” and the way of speaking my black friends were called “dirty” for in school - discouraged by our teachers because it wasn’t “proper” or “correct.” But then I started seeing those words come out of the mouths of the very white kids who

Agnes Irwin Seniors Sophia Lindner (left) and Anna Kramer (right) each present distinct ideas on how to foster dialogue on contentious issues.

style. The dances that my friends and I grew up with, the braids we wore in our hair, the colors and patterns we mixed to create our outfits, and the way we carried ourselves were demonstrative of the essence of the intersection of blackness and girlhood. But when we brought that essence with us to school, it was shunned, deemed ghetto and trashy. Our classmates gossiped that we’d never get anywhere in life acting the way we did; we learned from white friends that our hair and behavior were things to be “corrected.” Then we grew up. Suddenly twerking was “new” and “fun.” White girls wore cornrows to look “badass.” The same kids who called us ratchet were now taking pride in the label as they posted pictures online that would have gotten us expelled.

And then they’d tell us to stop complaining about appropriation, that “culture is meant to be shared,” even though every time we had tried to share our culture with them they spit it right back in our faces. This complete lack of empathy has grown to be one of the most deeply disturbing aspects of the Main Line that I’ve seen.

In situations like these you’d think my friends and I could find solace in the black boys of the Main Line; however, our experiences differed greatly even from theirs. There was this obsession with black hypermasculinity on the Main Line that kept black boys from expressing emotions and confronting psychological issues as freely as we could. They were the ultimate “cool” kids; partially because they were cool, and partially because they gave their white counterparts all the “fun” aspects of blackness without any of the scary ones.

However, they were so cool that it was a lot harder for them to confront social injustices in school for fear of losing that “coolness,” and subsequently, the basis of a lot of their friendships. The years of conformity that followed, though I don’t blame them, made them very different people from the people we became. I admit that it still feels pretty strange to be so alienated from people who supposedly understand what I go through.

I think what makes my story so interesting is that I was one of the lucky ones. I’m Christian, neurotypical, able-bodied, a native English speaker, and my family is respected here. A lot of my friends didn’t have those privileges. Their experiences were different and often much worse than mine, but what brought us together was that none of us had what our white and male friends had. However, though I won’t cherish much about my time here on the Main Line, I am grateful for the people who have made it a little less hellish along the way. People like me weren’t made for places like this, and sometimes that just happens. But it’s been happening to me for a long time. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned here it’s that talking about these things isn’t just “being negative” - it’s acknowledging problems, and that’s the first step to fixing them. And hopefully, after sharing this, I might not be the only one who wants to fix them anymore.

Whether teachers are unaware of the impact their outgoingness has on students or students are blind to the effort teachers put into becoming more relatable on a personal level, both sides should recognize the role they play in making a positive difference in our community. Both teachers and students must make an effort to pursue personal relationships; if a teacher matches Dr. Graham and Mr. Green’s enthusiasm, he or she will be motivated to pursue students who show a lack of effort. The effects of relational teaching will make Haverford a more inclusive community for all.

Page 6

The Index

Opinions

January 2016

The Stark Divide of Opinion (Continued from Front Page)

Wick Editor-in-Chief Sophie Gaddes

Usually in our quote-unquote ‘discussions’ about sensitive current issues - police brutality, affirmative action, wealth distribution - there’s an underlying tension that chokes any potential real talk.

It’s tension rooted in two problems running rampant not only at AIS, but across the nation: our growing inability to talk openly, and the subsequent, and steep, divide.

From the tender age of seven, Agnes Irwin has been instilling in its students the negative effects of ignorance. We know the drill: sticking to unfounded viewpoints, bad: opening our ears and minds to other perspectives, good. It’s simple, but we still can’t seem to get it right. Just ask the copious amount of juniors and seniors who skipped school on the Day of Understanding.

One student defended her absence to me: “I just knew that all the workshops were going to be about what I’m doing wrong.”

The girl I spoke to is, on the surface, cookie-cutter private school, and I don’t mean to offend with that description: I’m just pointing out that she fits our stereotypes. She’s white. She’s wealthy.

She feels wary of frank conversation about today’s toughest issues with people who

don’t fit those categories - which makes those who don’t feel wary of her, too. And while discomfort with the uncomfortable is nothing new, discomfort to the point of avoiding any possible resolution is unacceptable. Our reluctance to broaden our viewpoints by understanding the viewpoints of others is driving us further and further into echo chambers. We’re learning to restrict our self-expression our discontent, our beliefs, our suggestions for change - solely to groups where we are confident no one will disagree.

And that polarization keeps the cycle churning, until there really is no middle ground to search for in the first place.

This division into separate fields of thought, and subsequent paralyzation when it comes to real progression, is by no means unique to the Main Line.

We’re a symptom of a bigger epidemic.

In the January/February issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, the article “Walking on a Wire”, which dove into “students’ increasing tendency [at universities] to favor psychological safety over views they find threatening or objectionable,” outlined key points of a campus symposium called “Academic Freedom Now.” The symposium included speakers such Claire Finkelstein, director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at Penn, and Ann Franke, formerly employed by the American Association of University Professors. In response to colleges’ recent restrictions on free speech - Wesleyan’s student newspaper apologizing profusely for running a conservative op-ed (and then having its budget slashed after the scandal), Yale students requesting “safe spaces,” etc. - Finkelstein argues: “Students need to hear ideas that they disagree with... that are offensive, that shock them, that are lovely... that are titillating.”

Students hear ideas they disagree with at Agnes Irwin all the time, from both ends of the spectrum. (Though I’d be lying if I said AIS doesn’t have a liberal tinge.)

But the thinking behind hearing ideas that challenge your own is supposed to be that it will open an intriguing can of worms: inquiry, passion, debate, realization, and, yes, progression. Instead, the forcefulness that students feel they need to express themselves with, if they express themselves at all, is slamming the door shut.

In one of my classes recently we found ourselves discussing U.S. taxation policies. Well, I say “discussing.” Here’s what happened: A few of us pointed out the similarities between the wealth gap of a newly-industrial America and the wealth gap of today. One girl then said loudly, to the room at large, “You could be taxed more. Come on.” Everyone fell silent.

Whether or not her point is valid isn’t the issue. In all probability, many girls in that classroom would agree with the sentiment behind her statement. But the options shouldn’t have been total agreement or shame. The mindset that complex topics would be viewed through such a narrow lens - a lens so on the offensive that it leaves no space for any widening, through either questions or debate - isn’t conducive to expression or resolution. If our obstinance when it comes to open discussion continues unchecked, compromises - in the workplace, politically, socially - become impossible.

(Check with the President and Congress about how united they feel, and how much progress we’re making because of it.)

Yes, we have different experiences.

But if we let that divide us completely, we’re only feeding into the system. Let’s use a scenario: two girls participate in a classroom-mandated discussion about the

United States welfare system. (This might get uncomfortable. Trigger warning?) If these two girls have different economic standings - one comes from a family that can drop AIS’ tuition fairly easily, one holds down two jobs to help her parents do the same - that would probably affect their perception of, and potentially opinion on, the topic. The first girl, though her understanding of the relief that financial assistance can provide is not as personally informed, should still be allowed to respectfully offer her opinion. But the conversation wouldn’t get that far. Let’s go further and say that an upsetting comment is made - or a neutral comment is applied in a way that it was not intended. Here’s what happens next: the girls leave the room, and they take the conversation with them. They stick labels on each other’s backs that don’t come off easily, especially if they’re pointed out to friends.

The wedge gets driven so far between them that they feel they can’t agree at all - don’t even feel it’s worth it to try. And if they didn’t want to breach it before, through calm and amenable discussion, they definitely won’t try to breach it now.

I have attended Agnes Irwin for thirteen years. I can say with full confidence that it is devolving into an environment where we don’t trust each other. Where we feel unsafe. Where we feel irrevocably divided. The biggest shame to me is that there are so many issues in our society in our educational systems, our economic systems, our judicial systems. I want to see change, too. But if we don’t discuss these problems openly and respectfully, realistic solutions can’t be achieved. And the problems we need to combat? They’re just going to get a whole lot worse.

Do Clothes Make the Haverford Man? The Dress Code Debate Rages on Peter Merhige ‘16

Mr. Green and Mr. Fifer have sent a clear message to the Upper School Student Body: wear your jacket. Peter Merhige explores the heated topic.

Amid increased attention to the dress code, tensions are simmering between Haverford faculty and the student body. Recently, the administration spent a significant amount of time during its weekly meeting discussing how to enforce the dress code during the second semester. Much of this was centered around understanding what did and did not work throughout the first semester.

Dean of Students Mr. Mark Fifer said, “As we do periodically, we talked about areas of community life in which we could improve. The bigger picture objective of that meeting was to make sure that we’re doing what we are saying and confirming that these little areas of school life, like the dress code, don’t fray around the edges, proceeding to us dealing with more significant issues.” As a result of this discussion, the past week has led to increased attention surrounding students being in or out of dress.

Although pressure has been increased for students to pay more attention to dress code, many do not seem to mind Haverford’s uniform as a whole. Sixth Former Cameron Cummins said, “Well, it’s a good thing.

I don’t have to wake up in the morning and think about what I have to wear- it’s just there.” This sentiment was echoed by Fifth Former Jack Roarty, who said, “I’ve gotten used to it, so I don’t really mind it too much.” Although many Haverford students either like or feel indifferent about the dress code, some do not approve

of the faculty’s recent crackdown on code violations. This is exemplified by the recent trend surrounding wearing Timberland boots to school in lieu of dress shoes.

While Haverford does require students to wear dress shoes as a part of its dress code, it also contains a loophole, of which many students have already taken advantage. On days when the weather is deemed inclement, students are permitted to wear shoes better suited to face the elements. In this case, the problem for the faculty is deciding where it can draw the line. Even though temperatures have dropped significantly, the Main Line experienced the winter’s first snowfall, albeit very miniscule, only yesterday.

Current Haverford math teacher Justin Gaudreau shed some light on the situation at hand. He said, “I’ll put it this way: we’re not going to school out in the snow. I understand there’s a rule that you can wear boots on a snowy day, but in reality, when you start pushing that rule, then you make attention to it.” This attention that Gaudreau alluded to meant only that there would be only one outcome- a swift clampdown on students wearing boots on temperate days.

This action by the faculty prompted an angered response from some students, including Sebastian Yager. When asked how he felt the dress code was being carried out, he said, “It’s overly harsh for sure”. He often wears a pair of boots and a winter coat to school during the winter instead of dress shoes and a blazer. As a result, teachers are

able to mark him, “Present Out of Dress,” which can accumulate into detentions.

On the contrary to Yager’s opinion, Gaudreau provided a more experienced viewpoint with regards to rigidity and enforcement. He said, “I think it’s about

certainly we can strive for improvements.”

The key to Fifer’s argument is not that the rules have been altered in any way, rather, he encourages the administration to make sure an important aspect of Haverford’s culture is not disregarded. He said, “The systems that can be used to hold students accountable have been elevated in the faculty’s mind, so there might be more consistent use of tools like Present Out of Dress or simple reminders in the hallways for students to keep their jackets on.” This promotes gradual compliance of the student body, which Fifer mentioned previously.

The Honor Council sets a perfect example of how students should dress during their initiation.

Gaudreau agrees with Fifer in that he understands enforcing a the same. Every year there’s an ebb and school uniform within a large student body flow of the dress code: when the school is not easy. He said, “As it goes with any year starts, everybody is in dress, and as teenagers, you give them a little bit, and we get more comfortable, it gets a bit lax. they’ll take a mile”. Perhaps overcoming Maybe this year that drop was noticed a these loopholes is the biggest problem little sooner and needed to be corrected.” that the faculty will have to face while In addition to Gaudreau’s outlook, encouraging the student body to pay closer Cummins said that, “I think it’s just about attention to the dress code in the future. right, I mean, certain kids get called out, but that’s only if you’re a repeat offender.”

Going forward, Fifer made it clear that these, “repeat offenders,” as mentioned by Cummins, are not going to be let off the hook like before. “We’re aspiring to more consistent enforcement,” he said. “That’s a process. One could argue that there will never be full compliance by the student body, but

Page 7

The Index

Opinions

January 2016

Pro/Con Spotlight: Fourth Formers Grapple Over Mindfulness’s Efficacy PJ Rodden ‘18

Floating around the halls of Haverford, this new phrase of “being mindful,” or in other words, “mindfulness,” has become a new topic of discussion that has made its way into the classrooms and discussions among the Haverford student body and faculty. Recently added to the curriculum this school year, the semester-long mindfulness course is offered to Fourth Formers and the faculty. “Mindfulness isn’t just about relaxing, it’s not about feeling happy and it’s not about feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Those are all good things. Mindfulness is about literally what happens inside your body,” stated Dr. Michael Baime, Director at the Penn Program for Mindfulness. He continued by saying that “When you’re stressed, your biology changes. Your body tightens. Your thoughts change. The way that you make emotions change. Even the rate of your heartbeat changes. So really we are not just working with thoughts and feelings, but we are working with basic biology. So by changing the neural connections and activity in the brain, you actually change what happens in the whole body.”

Occurring once a cycle during a double block, fourth formers interact in an intimate setting to practice and discuss topics, such as stress management, meditation, attention, and awareness. For many, this is a challenge in itself, but the rewards are invaluable. Stepping away from our world of distractions with constantly vibrating phones or the daunting chemistry quiz next

period, mindfulness forces us to leave the distractions behind and helps us focus in on our present state. In essence, this is what mindfulness is all about. Undoubtedly, this beneficial course deserves a place in Haverford’s curriculum.

In a high-paced environment like Haverford, the ability to cope with stress can go a long way in a student’s

Dr. Michael Baime P’ 16 heads the Penn Medicine Program for Mindfulness.

performance, either in the classroom or on the playing field. Research proves that any form of meditation will improve a person’s well being, physical health, and mental health. With the recent addition of the semester long mindfulness program, the core principal of the course provides a foundation for the students and faculty to

Newly introduced to the Haverford curriculum, Mindfulness fields praise and critiques from the Fourth Form class, who are exposed most to the Mindfulness activities, and the greater Haverford community. Fourth Formers P.J Rodden (Pro) and Grant Sterman (Con) debate the necessity of the program in Haverford’s rigorous, higly structured curriculum. build up techniques that will reduce stress and lead to the improvement of one’s well being. The four months of participation in this extensive program implies that mindfulness requires both concentration and acceptance, something not all students can come to terms with. Furthermore, mindfulness requires a ready and willing mind to adapt and meditate.

In my experiences, the mindfulness course takes on the approach of “mindfulness meditation,” the practice of controlled and regulated breaths with attention to the body’s movements.

Forcibly finding relaxation in the setting of a classroom and after weeks of practice, I began to improve in the act of meditation through my ability to deliberately pay attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment. Moreover, I began to hone my mindfulness skills in a way that I could see the results in my performance in the classroom. Concluding the four month class, I felt a decrease in stress and improvement to my sleep patterns due to the many mediation sessions that I had put myself through. Currently, colleges, high schools, and even middle schools around the country are beginning to

implement mindfulness courses simply because of the beneficial results of meditation and stress relief factors that have been shown to significantly impact a student’s performance. The practice of mindfulness has grown to become incorporated into “mainstream medicine,” used by psychotherapists alike. For some, mindfulness is referred to as an investment.

Ultimately what you put in is what you will get out. With the right mindset and willingness to adapt, mindfulness will positively affect your well being.

Mindfulness deserves a place in our curriculum, if not somewhere throughout the school day (clubs period, after school, etc.), and it upholds a certain level of importance that needs to be emphasized more thoroughly. In a place like Haverford, finding just ten minutes in any day to meditate will make a difference in one’s physical and mental health. In the broader spectrum, mindfulness and meditation itself is simply not for everyone. No one should be forced to meditate, but the invaluable benefits outweigh all the reasons not to experience and partake in a course such like mindfulness.

Mindfulness Holds Importance, but not a Place in the Curriculum Grant Sterman ‘18

Fourth Former Grant Sterman acknowledges Mindful- others, with only ten reconvene for class, that group of students kids, and I thought would continue to ask the teacher to do the ness’ benefits, but questions its place at Haverford. that this would allow This past semester, the Fourth Form for the teacher to class of 2018 took part in what some would really focus on us, on his teaching, and the have called a new class and others, a test class as a whole. Unfortunately, while I do trial. This course, dubbed mindfulness, believe that their intentions were genuine, was the school’s idea for relieving the the teacher was sometimes unable to keep stress accompanying a Haverford School the class under control and was instead student. This class involved meeting distracted by the few kids that did not want with a professional during what would have previously been double gym in personal sessions where he or she would attempt to teach us some basic calming tactics. Before I begin my story, I would like to make it clear that by no means do I feel that the Haverford School should remove this from the curriculum. While I may have had a rather negative experience, I was still able to watch the program help The traditional “happy, smiley” faces we see at Haverford. Mindfulstudents calm down and ness seeks to keep those smiles and allow students time to breathe. focus during the most difficult parts of the to listen and just wanted to make a joke out semester. of the teacher. As the classes continued, My personal journey with mindfulness, these same students would continue to admittedly, did not begin with the most tell the teacher how much the class was open mindset on my part. We all were, helping them inside and outside of school. especially me, in the dark and confused Despite what many people would have about what would actually be done in guessed based on what I have just said this class, as it had never been taught, let about these students, I actually did believe alone mentioned before. But whatever them because I realized they still left class skepticism I had about what would actually everyday cheerful and relaxed, whether be taught in mindfulness did not affect the they paid attention or not. This sort of successfulness of that first class or all the epiphany rejuvenated my hope for what the others. At first, the class was optimistic and course would do for me and my excitement efficient, and, overall, we had productive to learn for things. However, this attitude minds. I had a smaller class than most was short lived as every time we would

same things each class, rather than learn new things. This came as both a shock and an impediment to me because our teacher was an expert and I wanted to hear everything he had to say that could help us. As these thoughts sat in my mind, I experienced my other major issue with the class. As a Fourth Former who takes two languages, one advanced, and three other

honors classes, and has no free periods, I can honestly say that I get quite a bit more work than most other kids in my grade.

And so while I sat in these handful of unproductive and rather comedic sessions, I could only think about the hour and a half free period that I could have to make the rest of that week a little less stressful. Being that I, like many kids at Haverford, have a very busy outside-of-school schedule, I often do not finish my homework till late into the night, and I often do not get to start on bigger assignments that early. A double free, in my eyes, would have been truly my own stress reliever and my own mindfulness program to relieve stress. So with the classroom environment, lack of

productivity, and my yearning for a study hall, my experience with mindfulness was somewhat negative.

But overall, I am very grateful to the school for honestly caring about the wellbeing of my classmates and me, regardless of whether or not I received as positive of an experience as others.

Mindfulness emphasizes self-awareness and reflection. In doing so, it allows people to focus their attention for longer periods of time - an ovbious benefit for a student.

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Opinions

January 2016

Affirmative Action: Necessary, Justified, and Worthwhile Eussa Hasan ‘18

On March 6, 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first United States president to pass a bill acknowledging and enforcing affirmative action, pushing government employers to hire “without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” This bill became a pivotal point in U.S history by finally conveying the message that America was truly equal for all, which contrasted with its earlier record of racism and prejudice towards minority groups. Today, the most often used and controversial form of affirmative action regards student admission into universities. Many administrations have taken it upon themselves to give prospective minority candidates favor in college application. Although universities have received much backlash from students in the majority, arguing that the the admissions process discriminates against them, many still uphold such a policy in order to preserve a reputation of diversity on campus. Efforts by these universities help even the playing field for students who inherently have been prejudiced against for their skin color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.

Affirmative action allows universities to diversify their campuses, so that all students expose themselves to varying cultures and ideas different from what they are accustomed to. When students see new people and make friends from other backgrounds, they learn the personal stories of others, therefore accepting and tolerating their differences. For example, although the media may portray African Americans as “thugs” and “criminals,” learning the life story of someone who can paint the whole picture opens up the minds of Americans with preconceived stereotypes. Even after Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, many southern states still segregated against blacks from enrolling in

all-white schools, in the hope that students would not open up their minds to the people they “hated,” yet never had a chance to meet. With affirmative action, the lingering prejudices that some young Americans still hold onto can be eliminated when members of the majority truly understand the real story behind what it means to be a minority.

In many parts of the country, children from poor minority neighborhoods cannot even obtain the opportunity to apply for college, let alone pay for the tuition. In fact, according to Infoplease.com, this wealth inequality gap has diverged so much in just the recent years that, in 2011, the average income of a white household persisted at $55,412, whereas the average household of a black or hispanic, the two most disadvantaged groups in America, lingered at a meager $32,229-38,624. Ever since the first African Americans arrived in America, they were brutally discriminated against by whites, from the use of chattel slavery to the Jim Crow laws. Believe it or not, way after the abolishment of both, racial inequalities between whites and blacks still remain rampant, as a lack of education in poor minority neighborhoods keeps the vicious cycle ongoing. The only way that minorities can finally rise up to equality is if they are given a chance for more college education, leading to more successful careers and better decision-making skills.

In other words, affirmative action gives everyone has the same chance to make it rich in “the land of opportunity,” regardless of background.

Although chances for Asian Americans to achieve success has gone down over the past years relative to population growth, this statistic will eventually crumble once affirmative action spreads to more universities and companies across the U.S. Because so many minorities

are left out of college, hundreds of potentially brilliant minds are wasted, and will never have the chance to change the world. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2013, approximately 62.6% of America’s population consists of majority whites. Although this figure may rather large, this still means that 37.4% of Americans are part of the oppressed minorities groups, much of whom cannot even dream to acquire a university education. With so many Americans left hopeless or unsure what to do, the next great doctor perhaps won’t be able to find a cure for cancer, or maybe the world’s smartest man will not able to change our understanding of the universe as we know it. This is why investing our time and efforts in minorities today is so important for the world tomorrow: The last thing this great country needs is wasted talent. Nevertheless, in a large fraction of 37.4% of America’s population, this situation is a reality for so many, just because to whom they were born. However, the implementation of affirmative action in American universities will drastically decrease the number of great minds never being used for good, therefore reducing the chance that the country will accidentally pass up on the next revolutionary figure in the future.

The critics against affirmative action assert that the policy is equivalent to “reverse discrimination,” meaning that, in the system, whites are less favored over

minority students because of their race.

This assertion is most definitely incorrect, because affirmative action only seeks to set a higher quota--a set limit on a certain demographic--for minorities, not to favor a non-white student over a white student. Even though a higher quota for minorities means a lower one for whites, this only means that the competition between whites for spots in college will only get tougher, creating a harder-working next generation of workers in the U.S. Even though the opposition says that the result of more competition among whites leads to others also losing their chance for education, there will never be a shortage of colleges that will accept a certain amount of whites as well; therefore, nobody actually loses in this ideal situation.

Because this argument against affirmative action is basically invalid, the three points-more diversity on campus, financial inequalities, and “no mind left behind”-mentioned above justify affirmative action as a must-do policy for colleges to consider in their admission processes. More progress in achieving this goal is fortunately becoming more of a reality in the 21th century; several major universities have already begun using affirmative action, with the number increasing exponentially every year. The 21th century is only the beginning of this new progressive movement for equality between both majorities and minorities alike; the only path destined for affirmative action in the future is upwards.

Affirmative Action: Con Will Henderson ‘18

Affirmative action has changed from one of the most noble and honorable aspects of the college application process to one of the worst and most unfair aspects. Affirmative action is supposed to be how organizations, most often colleges, admit groups of people that have historically been excluded from those organizations. So ideally, affirmative action was designed to be fair, but it has changed into something that is racist and prevents qualified people from being admitted to colleges. This has become a huge problem that needs to be fixed. The solutions are simple, and everybody would benefit from them.

At its core, affirmative action is noble because it tries to include groups of people in the US who have had dark histories.

Specifically, affirmative action is meant to help African Americans, since they have had a long and brutal history of slavery and discrimination, women, because women did not gain full rights until 1920, and other, less populous groups as well.

President Johnson became a rather adamant champion of affirmative action because in 1965, only 5% of undergraduate students were black. Obviously, the 1960s are known as the zenith of the Civil Rights Movement, and the opposition to this movement caused a significant amount of racism in the US. President Johnson’s goal was clearly to give more opportunities to minorities, specifically African Americans, through attending college. But once the percentage of black people graduating from college corresponded to their actual percent “makeup” of the US’s population,

affirmative action should have been stopped because the demographics of those graduating college should match the demographics of the US. This would cause an equal amount of distribution of each race in colleges. The only other option would be to admit the most qualified people to these colleges which, because many people feel that diversity is important in colleges, is an unlikely alternative.

According to the US Department Of Education, 33.7% of college graduates are black or non-white, while minorities comprise 27.6% of the US’ population, and 66.3% of college graduates are white, while white people make up 72.4% of the US’s population. The rate of minorities graduating college compared to their actual population may not seem very significant, but when speaking in terms of millions of people, it is. Other sources like Pew Research state that the rate of minorities graduating college versus their percent makeup in the US is more than triple that for Whites. In my view, affirmative action extremely overcompensates for the amount of minorities getting admitted to colleges, and it completely destroys the chances of a white person getting into college. The definition of discrimination is, “the making of distinctions in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit.” So, how is it not discriminatory for colleges to admit somebody that is a minority purely because they are from a

Affirmative Action and its relevance in American society are hotly debated topics, espcially among presedential candidates

particular class, while not admitting white people purely because they, too, are from a particular class? Are colleges not making decisions, “in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs?” Why are colleges not admitting students, “according to actual merit?” How is this not racist, too? People never ask these questions because they are too politically correct, but if everybody who wants equal rights in the US — people supporting the “Black Lives Matter” protests or feminists or anybody else for that matter — are not willing to accept the fact that affirmative action is racist, then they are just hypocrites.

Something must be done to fix the injustices that exist because of affirmative action.

There are two ways to fix the issue at hand.

The easiest solution would be to completely end affirmative action altogether, and instead, admit only the most qualified people into each college. Some may call this discriminatory, but how is it discriminatory if people get into colleges, “according to actual merit?” If, for example 100 nonwhite people apply to a college (and they are hypothetically the most qualified people in this case), and 100 white people apply to a college (and they are hypothetically the least qualified people in this case), then every single one of the non-white people

The Race Files

should get into the college before the 100 white people should. This would be the same the other way around. The other solution to the issue would be to admit people based on the demographics of the US. So, since 72.4% of the US is composed of white people, then 72.4% of the student body should be white. Since 12.6% of the US is composed of black people, then 12.6% of the student body should be black.

This would eliminate the possibility of any discrimination, but it would still cause one issue: there would be no guarantee that all of the most qualified people get into each college. That is why the first listed solution would likely be best; colleges should only admit the most qualified people.

The crux of this argument is that affirmative action is discriminatory. Affirmative action is not the answer to helping anybody either; it disallows qualified people to get into college, and it is discriminatory. The best solution would be, without question, to allow the most qualified people to get into college because affirmative action has now overcompensated so much, that now, nonwhite people have better chances of getting into colleges than white people. People need to speak out against this biased ideology because it is unjust, unfair, and prejudicial.

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Opinions

January 2016

Differing Approaches to Talking about the “Issues” (Continued from Page 4) Responding to Griffith’s assembly in a measured and respectful fashion is appropriate and necessary, as discussion is essential for any resolution; nevertheless, it is equally important that debate be fully informed by the facts, and it is absolutely inappropriate to take to the safety of an online forum in order to bully someone whose words do not align with the values of the writer. The response to Griffith’s assembly was extraordinarily divisive and reverberates to this day, leaving those who are allies suddenly less willing to participate in conversations for fear of the same reaction. An essential key to allyship is diversity of thought, opinion and perspective; without it, allies would be lacking and progress will be nil.

One such ally is senior Kiley Mahoney, the head of Agnes Irwin’s multicultural board. Since her election, members of the community have voiced concern that a white student leads a board dedicated to multiculturalism. In the tumultuous night of Facebook posts following Griffith’s senior assembly, Mahoney’s position became a topic of debate. The discussion regarding her headship made assumptions about her actions and attacks on her intentions, alienating a key ally.

To Mahoney, multiculturalism “is more than a set of ideologies, but a collective effort concerning the evolution of cultural diversity… It is inclusive of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, religion, and ability… It is

important to recognize that it is nearly impossible to evaluate the multicultural identity of an individual by the notion of appearances. To do so would ultimately go against the principles of open-mindedness and understanding upheld by the board.”

Mahoney defines her leadership as allyship; rather than attacking her skin color, energies would be far more productive in partnership with her open and active desire to address concerns of multiculturalism within the community and outside of it.

Cultural appropriation plays a key role in the debate over cultural respect.

When something is labelled as culturally appropriative, it’s generally viewed to be a piece of culture taken for its own use by another culture without regard to its origins. Depending on the point of view, cultural appropriation ranges from a fantasy creation to one of the most poisonous and pervasive forms of disrespect and disregard. At Agnes Irwin, the discussion has ranged and continues to cover topics such as costumes, cornrows, rap music, and words. To some, cultural appropriation can often feel as though it exemplifies a broader lack of respect or regard for minority communities. To others, it represents those qualities which are most commendable about our multicultural western society.

Anika Jagasia, an Indian-American senior at Agnes Irwin, shares the second perspective. “Personally, with respect to my own experience, when Indian culture is “appropriated” into the western world, I don’t find that offensive, marginalizing, or oppressive. For example, Free People and Urban sell bindis and henna tattoos, which

people wear to concerts, and those are originally part of Indian culture. I think it’s reflective of the modern global world and does not devalue my culture or take away from its significance.”

Cultural appropriation is the definitive example of the nuanced and complex subject which necessitates two-sided and open-minded debate in the school community. It is an act performed by all people of all cultures, most often unintentionally by both staunch allies and minorities themselves. It is also a natural cultural evolution, a gradual absorption which defines every culture to date. At the same time, for those cultures which have been underappreciated and unacknowledged in communities on the main line, the act of cultural appropriation can often feel as though it exemplifies a broader lack of respect and regard.

There is no bright line rule for these twosided conversations. There is no definitive way to label cultural appropriation in the way we label hate speech. There is no blanket statement which makes the Facebook reactions to Emma Griffith’s senior assembly appropriate or unacceptable. There is no shared definition of equity and respect which unilaterally demands that the head of the multicultural board be a person of color, but there is also no definition which encourages that person be white. Remember bae, lit, and on fleek?

There is no rule which declares we are disrespecting a culture when we let these words fill our hallways and our texts, just as there is no way to to ensure that we are not offending those around us when they

slip out of our mouths.

If you believe we can draw a line through these difficult conversations, I challenge you to remember that we as a human race would not have evolved to our existence today if we could not see and understand the other perspective. I challenge you to realize that complexity and nuance are a reality of existence. Every argument and every debate is situational. Do not let your anger or your upbringing close your mind.

If you have never changed your mind, I can guarantee that you’ve been wrong. If you have laughed at every argument which does not align with your political views, I can guarantee that you’ve been wrong.

If your ideas and reactions mirror your parents exactly, I can guarantee that you’ve been wrong.

The sickening and unfathomable nature of our country’s racial divisions have cleaved divides within our own communities. We must not let our anger and fear overcome our ability to work with one another. Take advantage of positive forums for conversation; if you have something to say, write it in your school newspaper.

Read the school newspaper. When you are offended or hurt by the words or actions of your classmates, seek them out for conversation. Rather than approaching a debate with anger, be prepared to listen. I beg of you, let us not be divided. Let us not be pessimists, but find within ourselves the strength to be optimistic about what we can do when we decide to work together.

began.

“He’s across the street in that white car. Go and grab the jewelry we bought. Anika needs to wear it to see which sari matches best.” I looked at the street, teeming with hulking bulls and speeding auto rickshaws. I looked back at

true Indian would have been able to cross the street without any help,” he derided.

“What is this, your trip first to India?”

I sat in silence in the doorway for the next hour. I had always thought of myself as both Indian and American. My family and friends in America have always thought of me as a blend of both cultures – from how I acted to what I ate, how I spoke to my insights on life. But this man, this stranger with his slicked hair, did not think of me as Indian. I was an outsider who had just come to visit: I was not one of them.

On the ride back, I watched a cabbage vendor finish his sale and a woman wearing a sari and heavy jewelry zip by on her motorcycle. As my mother and sister scrutinized the fabric of the sari for any imperfections, analyzing the intricate handiwork, criticizing the color as more vermillion than carmine, I realized what had happened just hours before. While it may have been reassuring to see a local person accept me into Indian society, I did not need that shopkeeper’s blessings to validate what I already knew and will always know: that at my core, I can cook dal and throw together a hoagie in the same meal, can feel as much pride looking at America’s red, white, and blue as I do looking at India’s three, colored stripes – the saffron stripe of my heritage, the pure white of my religion, the deep green of my ancestral land. Getting ridiculed by a shopkeeper only reinforced my IndianAmerican identity and cemented my belief that the combination of the two cultures has shaped who I am. Even if he judged me as an outsider, I could connect with the spices, the food, and the embroidery and colors of the saris. Regardless of how others see it, Indian culture is an integral part of my identity and has defined my taste, my perspective, and my values.

Besides, who else but a true Indian would take off his shoes before entering a shop?

A Reflection on Ethnicity and Culture Arnav Jagasia ‘16

Sixth Former Arnav Jagasia recounts his experiences abroad in India.

“Get out of the car!” my family yelled behind me. My mother and sister pushed me out of the car; the driver – no one in our family dared to navigate Mumbai’s streets – told us he would park nearby. I looked around for where we could possibly be going. Both sides of the street were lined with small shops and vendors; a woman squatted selling fruits and spices, her motorcycle supported on the tree behind her. Green custard apples, amber lychees, bags of saffron, cumin, and turmeric, the vendor’s goods represented my heritage, and in the orange skin of her mangoes, you could see the rich culture of India – the gamboge robes of the first Buddhist monks, the flags of long-gone Hindu empires, the sweet spiral of a jalebi. I have always lived in the United States, but through food and family, religion and culture, I related with my Indian heritage. The vendor wrapped the mango in a small cloth and sold it to a businessman, who sauntered into a shop down the street.

“In there,” my mother said. Confused, I looked around, without even the slightest idea of our destination. The fruit vendor laughed at my disorientation. Grumpily, I took off my shoes and followed my mother into a sari shop sandwiched between the fruit vendor and a nearly-dead tree. Shelves packed with silk saris lined one wall: pillars of ochre and carmine and cerulean rose to the ceiling. Traditions as old as the Indian race itself persisted through these saris’ colors and patterns; the sequined borders and intricate handiwork had endured for centuries, passed down from one weaver to the next. The owner ushered us inside. By the time my mother and my sister and the shopkeeper and his tall, skinny assistant

had entered the shop, however, there was no room left: the shop could not have been more than a hundred square feet. I sat sprawled in the doorway, one leg out in the street waiting to get trampled by an unsuspecting pedestrian.

My mother clarified that she wanted to buy a Kanjivaram silk sari for my sister, Anika. The assistant produced a ladder, and leaning it against the shelves, he crawled up and through an open tile in the ceiling. Immediately, that dark ceiling hole, surrounded with stains of water damage, began to rain colored fabrics.

As if there were not enough saris on the ground already, torrents of silk fell from the ceiling, one sari after another. For three hours, I stared at the saris, engrossed by the colors and the silks, the rich textures of my heritage. I have always had a deeprooted attachment to Indian culture – the culture of my parents and so many generations before. I was raised in a bicultural household, where I celebrate on both August 15th and July 4th, where I grill tandoori chicken right next to my burgers. Growing up in America, I have always been able to live these two lives together. Some days I’m admittedly more American than Indian; other days I’m more Indian than American; still other days, I’m somewhere in between, embracing the best of both cultures. Watching the assistant throw silks or the fruit vendor sell her saffron, I connected with my Indian heritage, with the perspective that has allowed me to observe the world through not just one lens, but two.

“Arnav!” my mother snapped. I looked up from my reverie under the silks. My mother and my sister and the shopkeeper all stared at me, even the assistant poked his head out of the ceiling hole, dislodging three more saris from the shelf.

“The driver just texted me,” my mother

Sixth Former Arnav Jagasia heads the Robotics squad.

my mother. One hand brushing through his hair, the shopkeeper began to laugh.

“How could you send him across the street?” the shopkeeper said to my mother in Hindi. A sigh of relief overcame me: someone sympathized with my views of the maelstrom outside. Little did I know, that sympathy was far from what he was implying. “How could this American kid cross our street? There’s no way!” he scoffed.

American kid? Why did he have to bring up my American background? Admittedly, the ability to calmly stroll through a barrage of auto rickshaws and cows is not a skill I developed growing up in suburban America, but still, what did my American culture have to do with my hesitation to cross the street? I feigned a pathetic smile to cover up my building anger.

I searched the pavement outside the shop to find my shoes. Quickly, my mother and I went together across the street to the car and returned with a case of temple jewelry.

As I removed my shoes outside the shop, the shopkeeper began to laugh again. “A

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Sports

January 2016

Gentlemen’s Club: What’s Happened and How to Move Forward Will Means ‘16

“The Gentlemen’s Club” is The just seems as if there has been a change.”

Haverford School’s student-led fan Students have widely recognized this organization. Previously a rallying point “change” yet a definitive reason has yet for much of the school’s student body, the to be clearly articulated . Varsity athlete group has recently experienced a sudden and basketball player Micah Sims made it drop in attendance to major sporting events clear how much this drop in attendance can over the past few months. Tensions have affect athletes’ performances. “It’s really risen among athletes, student leaders, and important to see all of my friends and the student body over the perceived lack of interest.

Accusations over whom to blame and solutions concerning how to fix the problem vary widely across the forms.

The Gentlemen’s Shaky at times, the Class of 2015 finished on a high note at PPL Park for Club has long been classmates the Inter-Ac Invitational final against Hun School. seen as the crown in the jewel of the Haverford School brotherhood Gentleman’s Club... it has the ability to experience. Graduates of the school often change a game.” Mr.Sims also recognized cite how much they enjoyed their time that the amount of people that show up cheering on their fellow Fords. The idea of to his sporting events, like basketball and being part of a large school effort to support football, has diminished over the years its athletic and co-curricular programs from a little over a hundred to maybe seems to have a timeless appeal. Events “fifty or sixty” for games against rival that the Gentlemen’s Club has attended schools or during championship matches. in the past included basketball games, The change in Gentlemen’s Club football games, service board events, participation has not only affected the and robotics competitions. Naturally, the seniors and athletes but has also been recent fluctuations in attendance have widely felt by younger class members. Fifth taken the spotlight among the student former Jack Roarty asked what exactly the body’s leadership and upperclassmen. Gentlemen’s Club intentions were. Roarty “I do feel like there has been a decrease,” went on to say how the Gentleman’s Club said Sixth Former Jonas Miccolucci. “I feel is “Centered around sports” and does not like there’s just been more of a disconnect prioritize other extracurricular events. between the upper and underclassmen.” He cites how his Service Board activities Miccolucci is widely known for his strong regularly achieve far less of a turn out support of many of Haverford’s sports when compared to sporting events. His teams and his active involvement in theatre explanation was a familiar one, saying programs. When asked why there has been a “I don’t know why... maybe the Class of recent disconnect, Micolucci could not find 2015 and Class of 2016 are different as a clear answer. “I don’t really know why, it people, but I do notice more of a gap.”

Roarty’s comments draw attention to the recently graduated Class of 2015, citing them as more influential and successful in bringing the forms together than the current senior class. In previous years, leaders like Sam Bloch and Joe Raymond have cemented themselves in Gentlemen’s Club history by constant vocal and active support for school events.

Support varies for Roarty’s position among the current underclassmen with some agreeing with his comments and others electing to choose a different opinion.

Sophomore Tyler Burt shared similar perceptions concerning the Gentlemen’s Club as Miccolucci and Sims claiming that the Gentleman’s Club is basically “Just a bunch of Haverford students rooting for kids who they see in class everyday.” On the issue of a possible senior vs. rest-ofschool gap forming, Burt took the middle ground. “Freshmen I personally think the word has not gotten out enough,” he said. “They just don’t know how fun it

is to go to games and really get rowdy.”

Burt’s claims suggest that a decrease in attendance can be attributed to freshmen who are not yet fully integrated into the school’s culture, supporting the idea that a gap does exist, but not on a grand scale.

While the idea that a gap has certainly

formed has proved undeniable, few answers were given as to what served as the possible catalyst for the fracture. The Gentlemen’s Club has long been the pride and joy of the Haverford community. The brotherhood exhibited at these events often exemplifies some of the core values which Haverford tries to instill into its students. Friendship among peers, loyalty to each other, and respect for a wide array of talents are all on show on events which The Gentlemen’s Club attends.

Many students, including School President Keyveat Postell, have repeatedly called for increased attendance to not just sporting events but academic related activities like Robotics and Service board as well, citing the moral support it gives to fellow Fords and the emphatic nature of cheering others on.

Overall, the revealing of a gap between forms and a decrease in fan attendance has noticeable consequences with very few solutions.

Aside from the strong EA Day student section (shown above), students have started to question the success of the Gentlemen’s Club in 2015-2016.

Squash Team Will Contend at Nationals in Elite Company Grant Sterman ‘18

This Presidents’ Day weekend, as the harshness of winter is in full force, over 175 schools totalling over a thousand squash players will convene in Philadelphia to compete in the twelfth United States High School Team Squash Championships. This prestigious, annual tournament will divide high school squash teams from across the country into divisions based on gender and overall skill. High school nationals works differently from both a normal individual squash tournament and a normal season team match. Each division will have sixteen teams of seven, with one alternate, who will face off their players of similar ladder positions in a best of seven matches round. The team that wins four matches first will move on to the next round and continue their dream of capturing the title.

This year, due to our home court advantage, the Haverford School will be sending three teams to each capture their own division’s title for the first time. However, while the Haverford School hosts some of the top squash players in country, there are many schools that have been and will continue to be very difficult to get through. For Division I and Varsity A, there are three other schools in additions to Haverford that will be in close competition for the title. All three of these schools, Avon

Old Farms, Belmont Hill School, and Brunswick, have defeated Haverford in the past and gone on to win the tournament.

Avon Old Farms has a very diverse group of players from all over the world as it is a boarding school, while Brunswick and

Fifth Former Duncan Joyce has been a steady presence for the Fords this season.

Belmont Hill continue to bring in talented local players who have very successful individual careers in squash in addition to their team. For Haverford, there are a few key things that if abided to will increase their chances of winning astronomically. If the team is able to work together through optimistic and difficult times, stay healthy and not get distracted, it will be very hard for any of those teams, despite their caliber,

to overcome them.

There are many aspects of this tournament that make squash and team sports so compelling. The first and maybe most powerful message about team squash is that each player, no matter what their spot is on the ladder, has equal importance to the success of the team. This concept ends up resulting in very unpredictable, nerve-wracking, and exciting matches that could come down to either the world class number one players or the number seven players who have never really felt such pressure before.

Another very unique attribute that high school squash has is the amount of international students and players who are recruited to these schools in order to strengthen teams.

Players from Egypt, the Caribbean, England, China and countless other countries can be found on a plethora of teams creating a vibrant cultural exchange setting and intensifying the competition.

It is really amazing to see how both schools and foreign players benefit from

high school squash and this tournament in particular as schools receive the attention and praise of succeeding at such a high profile tournament and students receive an opportunity to come to America and learn at some of the best schools just to play a sport that they love. Finally, high school nations provides an irreplaceable bond between teammates as they coach each other tough situations, comfort them after a tough loss, and cheer for them as they hit the winning shot. The memories that players, fans, and coaches get from this unique tournament are ones that will always be kept because of all of these compelling aspects.

One of the best in the country, VI Former Sean Hughes leads a formidable Fords squad.

Page 11

The Index

Sports

January 2016

Athlete of the Issue: VI Form Wrestler Freddy Corradetti Frankie D’Angelo ‘17

Sixth Former Freddy Corradetti has seen a lot in his almost four years at Haverford.

The tragedies Freddy has battled and the pain of those closest to him that he’s felt have not only made his character, but also someone to admire with great reverence.

Personal life aside, Corradetti has been one of the most successful wrestlers in Haverford history with a record of 110-30 with 303 team points in his four years on varsity.

His wrestling career started when he was just five years old. It all began when his dad ripped him out of basketball practice after hearing there was a chance for Corradetti to compete on the mats. He remembers struggling with it at first, but soon after it became his whole life.

He looked up at the successful older kids, who enjoyed continued success, receiving jackets after winning a number of tournaments. Reminiscing on his childhood, Corradetti said, “Those jackets were my first motivation, I wanted one so badly.” As he earned his own jackets over the years he became increasingly more confident in himself. Then in Eighth Grade, he found himself asking the question, “where am I going to go next year?” Garnet Valley seemed the likely choice as most of friends were going there and he was familiar with the setting. Luckily, a special person captured his interest and introduced him to the place that would become his home for the next four years. Strongly influenced by Kip and the Taviano family, Freddy decided to attend Haverford.

From his experiences as a Third Former on varsity to now Form VI captain, searching for that elusive Inter-Ac title, I asked Freddy what he’s learned that is not only crucial for success on the mat, but also for his battles every day. He responded, “Being positive is the most important thing, you really can’t be negative. Ninety percent of every fight you’re in comes down to who wants it more and who really believes in themselves. You need to be confident in everything you do. As a

captain, I try to set this example.” He also added, “As a captain, I want to be there for anyone. Being a captain the team knows they can come to me with anything.”

In his four years, Corradetti has admired Haverford wrestling stars of recent years in LJ Barlow and Jake Hervada. He said, “Growing up wrestling with LJ and seeing his accomplishments, it made me want that. And Jake, he’s another really, really good friend of mine. He has always kept me confident and believing I could do things I hadn’t even thought I was capable of before.”

Like so many wrestlers before him, Corradetti will become yet another product of wrestlers that storied Haverford wrestling coach, Bruce Kennett will have produced. Both entering their last seasons at Haverford, Freddy couldn’t give Coach Kennett enough praise when I asked him what it was like as a part of his coach’s last team at the school. He said, “Having him as a coach has been a privilege. He is a great mentor and very influential. Never once has he ever talked down to me. He always builds me up. With all the big name clubs and wrestling programs he’s been a part of, I’m honored to have him on my side and wrestle for him in his final season.

On the outside, Freddy’s wrestling career at Haverford has been a smooth, glamorous road. Shortly into the 2015-16’ campaign, he reached an illustrious milestone: his 100th career win. Regarding his 100th win he said, “It’s a huge milestone. I was really relieved and faced a lot of adversity.

Through hours after school practicing, it just proved it was time well spent. I reached a goal I had since freshman year.”

Little do many know the dark times that Freddy has battled through on his long journey to success. In December of his Fourth Form year, Corradetti’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. He said, “My mindset changed, I felt pressure but I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. I knew I wasn’t going to quit, but I just kept thinking about a life without the pressure of wrestling. I didn’t feel like me at first.

Seeing what my mom was going through, meant to him and how he learned to push I looked at things differently. Practice was forward after the tragedy and he said tough, but my mom has it a lot tougher. emotionally, “Everywhere I go you can Something clicked, and I started believing see me with #10 gear on. He has been my in myself motivation along again. I said with my mom to myself if ever since the she can do accident. Since it, I can do he’s not here, I anything.” have to do all Soon after that he wanted finding his to do. Since he fight again is no longer able through his to work, I will mom, he work for him. experienced You don’t know his most at first where memorable your hidden drive match: the will come from, match against but every day Episcopal of since we lost him, his Fourth Kip has been my IV year. drive, he has been Haverford my motivation.” had gotten When I asked off to a him what these rough start last four years as the first have meant to three kids him, he took a to wrestle while to think. He Standing Tall: Corradetti has overcome much adversity in his tenure at Haverford for the Fords were finally said, “A lot of my all pinned. Then it was his turn. With life had been focused solely on wrestling.

Haverford fans shouting and everyone in But the Kip event and coming to Haverford the pavilion on their feet, he won 5-0 and opened my eyes. I have one hundred set the tone for the rest of the way. brothers that are all my best friends. It’s a That season, Freddy went through a lot. genuine place. I can be me. It’s taught me His mother’s bravery sparked a new drive so much more than wrestling. I would be in him, but even before that tragedy struck a totally different person if i didn’t come him in a way few could compare. His older here.” brother at the school, Kip Taviano, died in a After Haverford, Freddy wants to be fatal accident during the spring of his Third remembered as someone who earned his Form year. The accident struck so many way and set the example for what it takes to people by surprise and we all continue to achieve success. “I want to show that you remember Kip, but it affected Freddy in can always work harder than you already a way few can relate. Freddy said, “Kip are. Leaving my mark, I don’t just want to really influenced me to come here. He be remembered as a wrestler, but as a hardwas a great role model, an older brother working humble person. I’m not a straight ever since my first day. He included me A student, but I will always give you my in everything and showed me the ropes.” I all. It’s not about just me, it’s about all of asked Freddy what carrying on his legacy us together.”

Swim Team Looks to End Inter-Ac Championship Drought Ryan Sanfilippo ‘18

“the swim school,” not just in the InterAc, but nationally. Over the past fifty years, the GA swim program has produced numerous Division I athletes, national champions, and Olympians. With GA as the powerhouse, there were not many points left for other teams to be had. This dynasty contributed to the Fords not being able to win for such a long period of time.

The 2015-2016 Fords are led by Sixth Former and University of Pennsylvania commit, Matt Haigh, as well as fellow Form VI co-captains, Dave Mitchell and Harrison

It has been seventy-seven years since the Haverford School Swimming and Diving team has won the Inter-Ac title. To put that number into perspective, the last time the Haverford School Swimming and Diving team won the Inter-Ac, World War II had not yet started. That is very hard fact to think about, especially considering recent Haverford sports teams, in general, have been dominant within the Inter-Ac. Since head coach, Sean Hansen took over in November of 2000, the Fords have been competitive in the hunt for the Inter-Ac title every year. The same will be for this year as it has been for the past five; three times the team has come within seven points of being champions.

Most recently, last year, when the Fords lost to Malvern by seven points in their Standout Matt Haigh continues to dominate in the 200 and 500 freestyle Inter-Ac competition opener.

Prior to and for the first half of Coach Hansen’s tenure at Haverford, White. Those three seniors are followed up Germantown Academy was known as by a strong supporting cast that includes

3x Speedo Junior National Champion their ability to get up and race. As captain Fourth Former, Alex Boratto, Fifth Former Matt Haigh said, “This year we came into Charlie Ryan, the season Fourth Former, with a team John Nelligan, III goal of being Former JR Leitz, undefeated and II Former, Brian Inter-Ac Brennan.

What champs. makes this team so N o b o d y formidable against has worked its opponents is the harder than depth from which our team. it can draw. Teams We worked like Penn Charter hard in the Only with the team for two years, Co-Captain David Mitchand Episcopal offseason in ell has left his mark Academy have two or the weightroom three very good swimmers, but not much with Rosko, doing extra morning practices, else to back them up. The Fords’ squad is practices over school breaks, and even snow able to rely on a multitude of people that can day practices.” The Fords are very proud of step up and swim fast when needed. What and confident in the training that they have killed the squad last year against Malvern been doing since the end of the last winter was that , although the Fords had more 1st season, especially the grueling training this place finishes, Malvern was able to win by winter season. As Haigh also said, “I can’t getting more 2nd and 3rd place finishes. wait for us to get up and race this team and The Fords’ most challenging meet by put our hearts on the line, because I know far will be Malvern, on Thursday January as a team we have outworked them, and I 28th. Like the Fords, Malvern has a few truly hope it will show in the end results.” star swimmers, most notably, Penn State commit and Olympic Trials Qualifier Billy Beard, but the Friars also bring a lot of depth from which they can draw from.

However, the Fords are very confident in

Page 12

The Index

Politics

January 2016

Paris Climate Talks: A Step Forward, But is it Enough?

Geroge Rubin ‘17

It’s been a few weeks since the climate summit in Paris, and climate change has again fallen behind the curtain, out of public view, the continuing threat of ISIS again taking the spotlight. But even though it has left the headlines, the agreement reached in Paris definitely deserves a second look.

In his statement on the Paris climate agreement, president Obama called it an, “an enduring agreement that reduces global carbon pollution and sets the world on a course to a low-carbon future” What caused his opinion to differ so greatly from the GOP chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee who said the accord will do little to change the status quo and that, “This agreement is no more binding than any other ‘agreement’ from any conference of the parties over the last 21 years”? Parties aside, who is right? Are the GOP presidential candidates right, finding it absurd that our nation’s politicians were wasting their time at a climate conference while the threat of ISIS is still looming? We as a country need to get into the nitty gritty of what the deal says, whether countries will follow its terms, and most importantly whether it will actually make a difference considering where we stand as a planet climate wise.

The ultimate goal of this climate conference was the same goal as has been touted by climatologists and world leaders alike for 20 years: to keep the rise in global temperature since pre-industrial levels below 2 degrees celsius. 2 degrees celsius seems like an arbitrary number, and really it is. It’s a testament to how little we really know concretely about the effects of a rising global temperature on our climate. Although keeping the rise in temperature below 2 degrees will devastate many important ecosystems — polar bears will most likely go extinct and most of the world’s coral reefs will dye — it is expected that 2 degrees is the threshold beyond which could exist severe climatic changes.

Still, an average of 2 degrees or less across the globe could cause catastrophic effects like ruinous droughts, floods, dramatically rising sea levels, more severe storms, and consequently food and water shortages in both developing and developed countries.

In short, the future of humanity is at stake and the less our global temperature rises, the less severe these consequences will be.

Sadly, the odds are very low that we as a planet will achieve this goal. The simple fact is that if deforestation and cement related carbon emissions are taken into account, we can only release 650 more gigatons of CO2 before the global temperature gets to that two degrees mark. That is only twenty more years of emissions at current rates. And sadly, emissions are still rising every year and will probably will not peak until 2025, 2030, or later because of the growing demand for energy in the coming decades and the growth of coal based, developing economies. To realistically keep the global temperature below two degrees, emissions would need to peak somewhere around 2020 and then decrease continuously in the years afterwards. Sadly, that chain of events is very unrealistic; it is probably already too late to prevent this permanent, destructive damage from being done to our planet’s atmosphere.

Although the deal calls for global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, in this case as soon as possible will not be soon enough. Especially since even developed countries like the US haven’t reached their emissions peak.

So with the future looking bleak and the chances of achieving the 2 degrees goal exceedingly low, the Paris accord, acting as the nation’s last best hope, takes a different approach to the issue; it is the last global agreement in a series of failed agreements attempting to limit carbon emissions. The first attempt to unify the world on this issue was the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The protocol split the world into developed and developing nations and forced the developed countries to accept legally binding emission targets. The developing countries, since their per capita emission rates were low and their economies were still growing tremendously, were basically allowed to do whatever they wanted.

Come 2009 global emissions were spiraling out of control. The Kyoto Protocol had completely failed. Since it was a legally binding agreement, it had to pass through the US senate and they failed to ratify it. Although Europe, New Zealand, and Japan made small cuts, emissions from developing and rapidly growing countries throughout the decade rose dramatically, putting to shame the meager cuts of the wealthier European countries. In order to try to remedy the situation, another climate

Greenhouse gases are clearly an issue, yet politicians remain divided over how serious of an issue they are.

Vox.com

The Paris Accord was a step in the right direction in terms of cutrailing emissions

agreement was settled on in Copenhagen.

At copenhagen, a deal was crafted that would force all countries, developed and developing, to make commitments. The problem was that conflict continued between the developed and developing nations. Countries like China and India insisted that the rich countries should bear more of the burden since they were responsible for most of the CO2 already in the atmosphere. Also, although these countries were willing to make some actions, they didn’t want to submit to legally binding goals, unnecessarily risking sanctions. The conference ended in another failed resolution.

As representatives from around the world gathered in paris a few weeks ago for one last crack at a working global climate resolution, they were determined to take an alternate approach. So how is this agreement different? Well it gets rid of any legally binding agreements. Countries submit voluntary pledges that their government deems politically and technologically feasible without the risk of sanctions or other economic penalties if the pledges are not met. The deal then calls for single emissions accounting system with an outside party which will insure transparency in assessing countries. In addition, the agreement has provisions for a global “stocktake”, every five years, which shows how the countries are doing in cutting their emissions compared to their plans.

One of the biggest benefits of this type of plan has been that countries don’t hesitate to submit ambitious plans, since there is no downside really with the absence of legally binding agreements.

Since there was no legal requirement it was straightforward for every country to agree to the deal and the Paris conference closed with a deal that encompassed pretty much the entire world, rich and poor.

The lead up to the climate conference was very hopeful with many countries making big pledges.

The US pledged to cut emissions by at least 26% below 2005 levels by 2025 through the Clean power plan. China pledged that 20% of its electricity would be made using renewable energy by 2030 and that its emissions

Global Carbon Project

would also peak then. The European union pledged to cut its emissions 40% below 1990 levels also by 2030.

The question is, will these ambitious goals be met. The downside to this style of deal is that the lack of a legally bound pledges doesn’t give the accord much power.

Essentially, the agreement acts simply as a set of diplomatic tools to help nudge countries into making deeper cuts in emissions than they would have otherwise. Although the document contains those transparency measures and five year stocktake plan, there is no guarantee that countries will actually make the cuts they say they will. And even if they do, the global temperature will still end up rising 2.7 degrees celsius or more.

The current pledges, even if completely fulfilled, are not enough to prevent the worst consequences of global warming.

So who is right? Does this deal put us on the course to a low carbon future or is it just another vague agreement that won’t change anything? The answer is we don’t know. Because the agreement is completely voluntary and there is no penalty if countries don’t achieve their goals, there is a good chance that the process could prove ineffective. But the accord could also put in place a system that, as it gains credibility and trust by the countries, could gain momentum and end up achieving the 2 degrees goal or even less.

The problem with the climate change issue in general is that we can’t see the worst of the consequences until it is too late. People tend to prioritize problems that are affecting them now, that they can actually feel. Why were we willing to sacrifice so much to fight terrorism after 9/11? Because the problem was brought here to our homeland. Climate change is a problem that is really testing on our current political system because it is a problem that we won’t be able to really see in our own lives until it is too late to solve it. When people start to fear this issue, that’s when we will become unified as a nation.

But the problem is we don’t just have to be unified as a nation on climate change, we have to be unified as a planet. By the time that happens, it will probably be too late.

Maybe this deal will be the beginning of a heroic and unifying effort by all countries to solve this issue. There is one sobering fact, however, that makes me very pessimistic.

We can’t come together and solve world hunger; we can’t stop people from dying from preventable, curable diseases; we can’t stop poverty; we can’t provide universal education; we can’t stop fighting with each other. We can’t, as a species, solve these pressing world issues. So I don’t think we will solve this one, at least not to the extent we want to (under 2 degrees). We aren’t ready as a world community to solve this issue. This is a test that we as a species will most likely fail, regardless of this agreement.

Page 13

The Index

Politics

January 2016

Accepting Refugees Makes Little Sense to US Interests Bill Wu ‘17

Taking in Syrian refugees seeking asylum from their war-torn home countries is the morally correct thing to do. But is America, and are other countries ready for these refugees? Is accepting tens of thousands of refugees a good idea if the economic and social burden is simply way too much for a country to handle?

Ever since 2011 with the start of Syria’s bloody civil war, an estimated 320,000 people have been killed and around 1.5 million others wounded. There are a total of 4.6 million Syrian refugees today, many of whom are displaced, in need of urgent medical assistance, and lack any stable income. Around 2 million children have been forced to quit school and work, and millions of refugees have fled into neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, which have experienced internal problems of their own. Children in Syria are also forcibly recruited to serve as fighters, human shields, and in support roles, according to the U.S. State Department, when instead these children should be in school receiving an education to increase chances of success in later life, since they are, after all, the future of Syria.

To put things in perspective, and in no way to demean any of these disasters, the Syrian Crisis has affected around 12 million people, more than those affected by Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the Haiti Earthquake combined.

With all of this in mind, it is no wonder that countries around the world are clamoring to accept more refugees. There is not a single doubt that these people need assistance and that the war is a terrible crisis in that region of the world. However, should developed countries like the US, Germany, France, Great Britain, Sweden, and others be accepting these refugees?

The answer may seem obvious at first — but it is not so simple.

Welfare and health benefits are an

obvious matter of concern. In 2015, an plague countries that have overstretched estimated $4.3 billion was needed to their resources by accepting refugees with support those refugees who had fled Syria open arms. Most refugees seeking asylum into neighboring countries like Jordan, in Europe and the US have a huge cultural Lebanon, Turkey and others, or to host and language barrier that prevents them countries, like Germany, Sweden, the US, from effectively integrating themselves in to list a few. So far, only 58% of this goal the community, and prevents the children was met — around $2.5 billion has been from having a quality education. Other donated for relief purposes — leaving a than having huge religious, cultural, $1.8 billion gap yet to be covered. In many and linguistic barriers to overcome, of these countries, surplus financial resources are stretched very thin, if not completely nonexistent.

The US currently has 18.9 trillion dollars of debt, according to the US Debt Clock. This suggests that our country needs to face the huge debt issue before we add to the already enormous debt by paying for the health benefits and welfare of refugees. Germany, which has been the “nicest” country in the West so far in accepting refugees, currently has 700,000 refugees to house this year, according to the The Main Migrant route from Europe to Germany (Source: BBC) Bloomberg View. Germany has many welfare plans; unemployment and these refugees are sometimes of dubious pension are few. Unemployment itself has backgrounds since fake passports or an average ceiling in Germany of around illegal trips across the Mediterranean can 60,000 euros. Simple math leads to the be easily bought for around 1000 euros. astonishing number of 42 billion euros, the Once a “refugee” arrives in the EU, he or amount needed to support all of Germany’s she “is fingerprinted and then allowed to refugees per year. Not all are unemployed, reach the European mainland even if they but with health care benefits, pension, wage- do not have identification documents,” guarantee funds, and many more welfare according to the Guardian. This lenient benefits, the actual number is much higher. policy, called the Schengen System, has The US, under the Obama administration allowed the ISIS terrorists involved in the is set to receive around 10,000 refugees Paris attacks to enter the EU via Greece, this year, and is planning to raise the cap and cross country borders without the of refugees the US can accept annually to need of a passport until they reach their around 100,000 by 2017. The US also pays target locations. There has been a rampant around $9000 annually to those in need of fear in many parts of Eastern Germany welfare, meaning that the amount of money for German civilians’ safety. This fear has spent on maintaining refugees could easily been proven valid after the New Year’s Eve spiral out of control.

Cologne assaults, in which more than 100 Other than economic constraints, the women were mugged or sexually assaulted. social burdens of accepting refugees also Of the 32 suspects identified, 22 of them

were in the process of seeking asylum, essentially Syrian refugees, according to Reuters. After the incident, many refugee centers were attacked, creating further tensions. A common complaint about the refugees was voiced by Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, when he said, “Why should German taxpayers pay to imprison foreign criminals?” The calls for harsher deportation policies for refugees who commit crimes in host countries is justified.

After accepting such a large number of refugees into the EU, there has only been tension and struggle, whether socially or financially. or implement tighter security.

Although all of these problems begin to show the true picture of all of the negatives associated with accepting a large amount of refugees, there is still an alternate solution, a compromise that is able to solve all issues.

Since Syrian refugees are in dire need of aid and since Western, developed countries put themselves at too great of a burden by accepting these refugees, perhaps these said countries could fund a large-scale project for refugees to settle temporarily on separate plots of land around the globe. At the same time, Syrian refugees would escape the terrors of war, malnutrition, poverty, and lack of education, and Western, developed countries would keep their culture and economic and social situation stable.

Meanwhile, there should also be active efforts to remove ISIS completely from the region and restore peace and stability so that refugees can ultimately return to Syria and participate actively in reconstruction.

The ultimate goal should not be to accept as many refugees as possible — the main focus should be neutralizing the conflict while, as a byproduct of war, removing refugees from danger areas. Although this is a time consuming and painful process for the refugee, the American taxpayer, and the international soldier, this is the only viable solution that can finally attempt to solve the problem at its roots.

Pres. Obama’s Executive Action on Guns in Best Interest of Nation Ryan Tino ‘16

President Obama made headlines on January 5th when he took executive order to pass new gun control legislation.

His proposal includes making background checks more common and effective. Retailers must provide more comprehensive background checks of prospective gun buyers, and if the buyer does not meet the standards necessary for a weapons purchase, the retailer must notify law enforcement. Mental health status will also become a larger part of the background check system, and those who do not qualify will be prohibited from making purchases.

The proposal also calls for an increase in ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) personnel and the establishment of an online database to track the sale of illegal firearms.

President Obama’s actions have been met with much criticism. The National Rifle Association, or NRA, tweeted that the proposal “will do nothing to improve public safety.” Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz all commented that the President’s executive order undermines the Second Amendment. House Speaker Paul Ryan was even quoted as saying “[President Obama’s] words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”

The majority of the criticism aimed at the President’s policy deals with personal opinion rather than fact. According to

BBC News, 13,286 people were killed in some form of gun violence in 2015, and 26,819 people were wounded. 475 deaths and 1,870 injuries were the result of mass shootings (“defined as a single shooting incident which kills or injures four or more people, including the assailant), and there were 64 school shootings in the calendar year. The BBC also concluded that between 1968 and 2011, more people were killed by domestic gun violence than in all wars the US has participated in to date.

The numbers are staggering, but many opponents of gun control seem to ignore the figures. Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, said on his own website that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.”

In fact, all of the leading Republican presidential candidates support the Second Amendment and reject arms restrictions.

The Second Amendment itself has become the center of the gun control debate. Supporters of gun ownership argue that the Amendment, which states that “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” protects the individual right to own weapons. However, this interpretation leaves out a majority of the Amendment.

“A well regulated Militia” is the central idea of the Second Amendment, for its intent was to keep state militias armed. This right is not necessarily extended to every

citizen. Of course, the Amendment itself is rather ambiguous, but to assume it gives this right to all citizens is going too far.

An interesting case study of the efficacy of gun control centers on Australia. After experiencing similar gun violence, Prime Minister John Howard passed reforms that outlawed certain assault weapons and required buyers to show legitimate need for a gun (self defense was not seen as a genuine reason). The Australian government also promised to buy back existing firearms from their owners.

Because of this new legislation, gun violence in Australia plummeted. Homicide rates dropped by 59%, and suicide rates by firearm dropped by 65%. Before the 1996 legislation, the country averaged around 525 deaths by firearm per year. Since then, gun deaths dropped to about 252 people per year. If a system in which the federal government has limited authority is able to pass such controversial reform, why should the United States be unable to pass legislation that allows citizens to purchase weapons but with more strict guidelines?

It is very easy to look at individual cases to prove a point. Once can present the case of an Ohio woman who has shot two home intruders to date, the most recent shooting occurring in September. Because the woman was armed, she protected her family, and quite possibly saved her life and the lives of those around her. This may seem like the perfect example of

why the right to bear arms is so important, but one must look at the bigger picture.

According to the Washington Post, in 2012, there were only 258 self defense killings across the country, but 8,855 homicides by firearm. That is 34 criminal gun deaths for every 1 self defense killing.

The issue is very simple: gun control is necessary in the United States. The federal government is supposed to look out for its citizens. When there is something in society that must be changed for the good of the American people, then change must occur. Thousands of people die by gun violence every year, and many Americans, especially in the federal government itself, are unwilling to solve the problem. As President Obama said in his January 5th speech at the White House, “[The United States is] the only advanced country on Earth that sees [...] mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency. It doesn’t happen in other advanced countries. It’s not even close.” The US is seen as a champion of forward-thinking and innovation. It is a nation that combats problems head on in order to find the best solution possible.

And in this time of widespread gun violence, the United States needs to solve the problem for the good of the nation.