VOLUME CXXX

SEPTEMBER 11, 2006

ISSUE 1

Photo from the HWS Daily Update.

“Your education here, like every other aspect of your new lives, will be challenging and provocative.” - Dorothy Wickenden ’76, executive editor of The New Yorker, speaking at Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ Convocation ceremonies.

Campus Additions

INSIDE:

1 2 3 4

NEWS CAMPUS LIFE OP-ED SPORTS

Skylor Powell, WS ‘09 Contributor

New Buildings on Campus Death of Crocodile Hunter The Robust Classes of 2010 Community Outreach

9/11 Anniversary

Thoughts from the Sports Editor Home Games

Editorial Board

Liz Staino Managing Editor

Annalise VanHouten News Editor John Heavey Sports Editor Trippe Duke Op-Ed Editor

Emily McLoughlin Content Editor Karen Mattes Layout Editor Rachel Stephansky Copy Editor Come join The Herald!

Tuesday Night September 11, Wasey Room 7 p.m.

For those of you returning to campus for your second, third, or fourth year, there have been some exciting changes that you may have recognized. Art fans are no longer restricted to the Houghton House and the Carriage House; The Katharine D. Elliott ’66 Studio Arts building is named after the generous alumna who alone gave the largest donation in the history of William Smith. Architects built all 14, 600 square feet for art and architecture students. The building provides classrooms, offices, wood shops, metal shops, and studios for all different medias to students and faculty. The Katharine D. Elliott ’66 Studio Arts building is not the only change that was made for studio art and architecture students. Though the Carriage House has been a part of the campus since 1913, new

renovations make it more modern and up to date. These renderings include a photo lab and digital imaging studio, along with a dark room for black and white photography. Thanks to the Sheldon and Ruth Goldstein Foundation, these renovations are possible. Another new building of interest is the new apartment building at 380 South Main, downtown across the intersection from Marks Pizza. Due to the ever increasing size of Hobart and William Smith students, housing for juniors and seniors has extended to the outer limits of campus. This temporary housing accommodates forty people, including students, RA’s and faculty. With the placement of the building right in town, the colleges have high hopes that it will help to integrate interactions between students and members of the community.

The new Studio Arts building

The new South Main Manor

Photo from the HWS website

Photo from the HWS website

R.I.P. Steve Irwin 1962-2006 Trippe Duke H ‘08 Op-Ed Editor

World famous cable television star Steve Irwin died last Monday, September 4, in a tragic accident involving a sting ray while filming a new documentary Oceans Deadliest on location at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. While being better known for his incredibly popular show Crocodile Hunter, which aired on Animal Planet, Steve Irwin was an avid supporter of wildlife conservation who was quietly one of the most generous philanthropists of his time. “If we can touch people about wildlife, then they wanna save it. My Job, my mission, the reason I’ve been put here on this planet, is to save wildlife.” Irvin comments during an interview. The “Crocodile Hunter,” was born outside of Melbourne but grew up on a family owned wildlife reserve North of Brisbane, Australia. It was there that he was discovered while working for Australia’s Rogue Crocodile Relocation Program. His parent’s park is still open and has been expanded greatly by

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The Herald

Campus Life

Page 2

Does More Equal Better? Annalise VanHouten, WS ‘09 News Editor

Reach Out to Our Little Brothers and Sisters Skylor Powell, WS ‘09 Contributor

It was just a year ago that I was in a Campus Greens Meeting when a woman representing the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program came to talk to us about getting involved with the community. She explained that joining this program meant spending a few hours a week with a child from Geneva, and doing whatever sounded like fun. Of course, as a freshman, I felt the need to become involved in anything and everything, so I signed up before I even understood what I was signing up for. After a week passed by, I was sitting in front of that same woman, this time for an interview about what she called a “match.” In other

words, she was evaluating the type of person that I was in order to figure out what younger girl, between sixth and eighth grade, would get along with me. What type of girl from the Geneva Community would have the most fun doing things that I was interested in? How willing was I to hang out and watch movies or go bowling with what she called a “little,” for a few hours a week? It was only a few weeks until I met my “little sister” Ashley. In eighth grade, Ashley was interested in what normal thirteen year olds are interested in: cute boys, sports, gossip, and teddy bears. Ashley was just a girl who wanted someone to look up to; an older friend to show her the ropes and provide guidance that maybe she could not receive from friends her own age or from her parents. Since our first meeting, we have gone ice skating and watched movies, gone to baseball games and out to eat. She has learned a lot

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We’ve barely gotten into our first few weeks on campus, but already there has been lots of talk concerning the new freshmen class. Nothing to do with their interests, abilities, or personalities, but rather, THE SHEER SIZE. Let’s face it. The class of 2010 is absolutely huge compared to the other years. I mean, if you look at it technically, there are really only about 50 to 60 more people. My class was around 545 at the beginning of freshmen year, and this class is 602 (sometimes it’s 603, depends on the day). So, when you look at it in terms of numbers, you think, ‘well, I mean, it’s larger— but it’s really not THAT large. What’s the big deal?’ Have you ever heard of maximum capacity? That is, when the space you have is filled to the very brim. If it goes over, there is literally no room for people. Now, perhaps I am exaggerating on some level, but if you had been in Saga for breakfast during orientation, you would see where I’m coming from. And think about it: there were most of the freshmen and a good number of orientation staff and it was close to impossible to walk around and get food, forget about the amount of seating. So…what happens if you add the rest of the campus? Yeah, it wouldn’t be pretty. Ultimately, the number might not seem that big if you look at it on a piece of paper, but when you are trying to go about your daily business, getting food, going to the post office, etc., it’s not hard to tell we are cramped for space. I am very appreciative of the Colleges though, for recognizing the need for more faculty so that we can keep the same small class size. I think

obviously that is one, if not the most critical issue, because, after all, we are a school. So, in the academic respect, the freshmen class size hasn’t really impacted us all that much. Housing though, is a different story. I am glad that the Colleges acquired South Main Manor for the year, because that does help out some, but in general, I was appalled at the almost ‘makeshift’ housing that some freshmen are living in. A few years ago, JPR was renovated, and much ado was made about the awesome lounge areas on every floor, complete with study rooms and comfortable furniture. And they were great. This year, most of the lounges have been converted into actual ‘dorm rooms.’ The quotations are there because the only differences between the old lounge area and the new rooms are that all the nice furniture is gone and in place are the standard bed, desk, and drawer. I had one person tell me that the windows still look out onto the stairs and down below the floor, so they have to cover them with colored paper for a little privacy. So, these rooms, although practical, are not the most efficient means of housing students. South Main Manor isn’t open to freshmen, so in some aspects, being a part of the largest class HWS has ever seen means you get shafted in the housing department. I want to make it clear that I am not bashing the administration or admissions, because, as a tour guide, I know first hand the story behind the numbers in the incoming class. As is popular belief, many people think the Colleges had planned to admit an extraordinary amount of students this year both in part to make more people want to come, and to

get our name out there as a more well-known and prestigious school. That is simply not true. During the year, admissions planned to admit about the same number of students as they had the previous year, and the years before. The number of the total applicants at the Colleges increased, but not tremendously. A big part of what created today’s class size was the number of early decision applicants. Over 200 freshmen applied this year E.D. That makes up one third of the entire class! The students who did apply here that way were well qualified and ambitious, there’s no arguing there. The other main reason the class size is as big as it is seems too simple. More than the regular number of students of past years paid their deposit. They decided they wanted to be a part of HWS, and committed themselves to us. I suppose you could say it is chance—and that any year could be the year that more students than expected would want to come here, but I like to think it’s because they think this school is awesome. Most of us think so too, or we wouldn’t be here. It is customary for college admissions counselors to sent acceptance letters to a larger group of students than what the ultimate class size will be. High school seniors nowadays are applying to 7-10 schools, so it has to be taken into consideration that some are applying to HWS as a safety, or as a second or third choice. So really, a lot depends on the decisions of other colleges to accept or reject a student. This year, it had a huge impact. It wasn’t that the Colleges were simply trying to make us bigger; it’s just that

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The Herald

Opinion - Editorial

Page 3

Five Years Later Focus on the people, not the politics. Kelly Stephens, WS ‘09 Contributor

Classes of 2010

continued from page 2

more than the regular amount of well-qualified students decided to make us their school for the next four years. I think it says a lot about our school— over the years we’ve built up a great reputation through community service, our global education program, and academics through internships and networking. So, like most things, there are pros and cons to the large class of 2010. There are some people who resent the size, and some who embrace it. I think most of us agree that if this class size is going to be a

continuing trend in the next coming years, we need to expand student housing and space, and this will be addressed in the Capital Campaign this coming fall. I do believe that overall it may be inconvenient at times, but this class should be viewed in a positive light. It brings a lot of potential and opportunity to our school. Look at it this way; it’s better to have a larger group of students, than none at all! Yes, I know, probably impossible, but theoretically—what would that say about HWS then?

Big Brothers, Big Sisters Continued from page 2 from me and asked for a lot of advice, which has been very fun to give. However my favorite part about having Ashley as my little sister is learning from her. She is just going to be a freshman and already knows that she wants to go to the Cornell Veterinary School. She baby-sits kids in the neighborhood as well as her little sister and brother, and buses tables on the weekends. She plays football, softball and is in a bowling league, and some-

how still makes time to hang out with friends. If anything, this girl gives me the motivation to keep pushing myself to meet my own goals. For anyone who is interested in becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, please contact me at Skylor.powell@hws.edu. It is a long commitment, so we are especially seeking out freshmen, though anyone interested is always welcome.

With the fifth anniversary of September 11th upon us, it is hard to not look back on how our country has changed in half a decade. Five years ago I was a freshman in high school, wandering the halls of a new school that at first looked so big and scary that I had no idea it would soon become my second home. I had no interest in foreign affairs and did not care about how our US officials were running our country. Within a week the world as I knew it would be shaken. Getting on a plane would never be as easy as it once was, and I would soon surround myself with newspapers trying to figure out who was “out to get” the United States and what the President was trying to do about it. September 11th would no longer be known as my parents’ anniversary or my friend’s birthday, it was now the day that I almost lost my future cousin and the day the eyes of Americans were awakened. Living an hour or so from the city, my town and surrounding towns were able to

see the aftermath of 9/11 with our own eyes. Our fire fighters traveled into the city almost everyday to search for survivors and help with the cleanup effort. My father, a New York State Assemblyman, traveled to Ground Zero two weeks after 9/11, to survey the damage with other elected officials, while still trying to accept that this had really happened. There are conspiracy theorists feel that terrorists did not hijack the planes and fly them into the World Trade Center. They also feel that the cell phone calls made from the hijacked planes were really government officials trying to cover up their plan. I find these theories to be far fetched and I relate them to someone’s wandering imagination, but there are people who choose to believe them and I respect that. These theories have been broadcasted throughout the media recently because of the upcoming anniversary and the recent release of movies involving 9/11. In the end, it might have been al-Qaeda, the government, or some group we have not yet heard of, that crashed the planes into the World Trade Cen-

World mourns Crocodile Hunter Irwin and is now called the Australian Zoo Wildlife Park. Steve Irwin’s death occurred when he was swimming in shallow waters and a stingray, stung him in his chest leaving a poisoned spike and venom gland lodged in his heart. When he got back to his boat Crock One his crew preformed CPR while racing for a half an hour to meet an evacuation helicopter. But it was too late, and Irwin was pronounced dead upon arrival in Port Douglass, located in the

Queensland province of Australia. Steve Irwin gained international recognition for his show Crocodile Hunter, which aired in 44 different countries, and was a regular guest on many US talk shows including The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, as well as South Park and Australia’s The Wiggles. He will be remembered as one of the most colorful television characters of the past decade, for his antics, and love for some of the most dangerous ani-

ter. Those phone calls made may have been real or they could have been just a hoax. One thing is for sure, it is time we take politics out of 9/11 and look at it in a different light. September 11, 2001 changed the lives of thousands of people. Families lost husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, and even children. These are the people that we should be remembering on Monday. It should not be about what terrorist group did this or which government official failed to pay attention to that. Throw away the politics, stop looking back and thinking what if we had done this differently. We need to stop and take the time to remember and celebrate the loved ones that were lost and the firefighters, EMTs and other rescue services who went in to the World Trade Center to help. So when you’re walking to class or sitting in SAGA on Monday, remember those who lost their lives and those who went in to save them.

continued from page 1 mals on the planet. Animal Planet will be remembering Steve all week airing special episodes of Crocodile Hunter starting at 6:00pm ET. Steve Irwin passed away at the age of 44 and leaves his wife and children Bindi Sue, age 8, and Rob, age 3.

The Herald

Sports

Why the Jets Will Win the Super Bowl John Heavey, H ‘09 Sports Editor

In 1969, when the Super Bowl, and even the NFL for that matter, was still in its infancy, the New York Jets won one of the most storied football games of all time. On January 12, 1969, Super Bowl III, the Jets rode to triumph on the wings of Broadway Joe Namath’s guarantee- defeating the Baltimore Colts 16 to 7. Similarly to Joe Namath’s guarantee in ’69, I am here, now, to forecast a most certain victory for the New York Jets in this year’s Super Bowl. Despite a preseason that was far from stellar, a mediocre team, and even having a rough forecast from all experts, I maintain that the Jets will take a historic path, ascending the ladder of sports greatness to the ultimate achievement. If you, the reader, plan on finding within this article factual and statistical support that can justify the Jet’s triumph, you may as well stop reading. For, in truth, there are few available in that field. However, I have something that can argue for their win that supersedes fac-

tual data. The Jets, in fact, have something one their side that has defeated fact and evidence for years in all arenas of sports and realms of life: destiny. In the years that have risen on top of each other in this new millennium, tragedy seems to be the motif. From the 9/11 attacks, to the tsunami in Southeast Asia, to Hurricane Katrina, and the countless other natural and accidental catastrophes, the past seven years have been utterly depressing at times. In fact, such instances start to bring individuals down and the world becomes a very unhappy place in which to live. However, as it always seems to do, the sport carries its weight. Whenever our planet, as I note above, begins to get depressing, the sports world always pays its dues and gives the common man something to lift his spirits and be happy about. Sports and the world have a set relationship in which the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL can bail the world out in trying times. For instance, in 1980, when the United States was on the brink of nuclear war,

and any day the sky could’ve open up, raining down the bitter end of existence as we know it, the rag-tag U.S.A hockey team beat the impossibly powerful U.S.S.R. team in the Olympics. Everyone stopped thinking about how scared or upset they were about the Cold War and cheered for the boys of the red, white, and blue- spirits and heads rose, and the world was ready to take on another day. Currently, though the sports world is doing its part. For instance, the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years, the White Sox redeemed themselves from the 1919 folly of throwing the world series by taking their place at the table of champions this past year, and even the underdog Pittsburgh Steelers came all the way from the Wild Card spot to take the Super Bowl. However, these feeble attempts are not enough to counteract the horrible events occurring every day around the world. It is for this reason that the planets have aligned for the New York Jets. The first factor of why there needs to be a sports miracle, is that even all of the current uplifting stories cannot actually lift any thing up. Now, many may wonder why the Jets would bear the responsibility of this task. In the world of sports, New York, of late has been a tough place to raise your head. This past season, The Knicks, were by far, without question the worst team in the NBA- on an embarrassing level. Never before had the Knicks fallen so low- a far cry from their 1994 finals run. Secondly, the consistent, never let you down Yankees, have in fact let us down. I have a five year old nephew that has never even seen the pinstripes take home a World Series championship- it’s a terrible shame. When even the Yankees can’t win, it is obvious that something needs to be done. And that is where, finally,

Page 4 the Jets come in. Things have not quite been going well for the Jets either. After showing hope in the past years and rising to the top of the AFC on the shoulders of a young, exuberant franchise quarterback, Chad Pennington, the pieces have started to fall apart. Pennington has had two shoulder surgeries in as many years, and has provided as much to the team, that at one point was his, as I have. Curtis Martin, after having a dismal year, came back and had the best rushing season of his career. Soon after that, he suffered another injury, bringing a close to his legendary career. And finally, in their worst season since 1997, the Jets missed out on the best pot of gold the NFL has ever offered. About midway through last season, Jets fans became much less interested in the NFL and took a much keener observation of College Football. The 2006 NFL draft was one of the best incoming classes in NFL history. With such a cheerless season, the Jets were sure to take one of the top two picks. However, in the, quite possibly, best three player draft ever, the Jets had the fourth pick. The horse was down, and the horse was being kicked. For me, last May when all of this culminated- natural disasters, the Yankees having a poor showing in the playoffs, the Knicks and Jets having unbearably shameful seasons, and then the draft- I knew something had to happen. I sat down one rainy afternoon and prayed to the sports gods. I watched “Rudy,” “Hoosiers,” “Miracle,” and “Remember the Titans,” and asked the gods to deliver us from this evil. And I, as the sports gods’ prophet, am here to tell you

they will. The stage is set. This season, despite sub-par predictions and a mediocre staff on both side of the ball, the Jets will pull off a solid season. They will, naturally, lose a fair amount of games- this is truth, no fairy tale. But nearly all of their victories, which will be nine in number, will come in the fourth quarter, giving them an inspiring aura, and providing the fans with something to hold onto. Then on Monday night, December 25th, the Jets will pull off a Christmas miracle, defeating the Miami Dolphins on the national stage in similar fashion to their 2000 Monday night comeback against Miami- two overtimes, deep into the night, coming back from at least 28 down. This will clinch them the wild card spot in the AFC for the playoffs. The rest, as they say, will be history. New Yorkers will wake up after the Jets Super Bowl victory with a new attitude- an attitude which will spread infectiously to the rest of the nation. This will be an attitude of “it can be done.” And, by God, it will be done.

Be a fan! Check out these home games!

HWS X-Country Sept. 16, 11:45 am. Hobart Soccer Sept. 13, 4:30 WS Field Hockey Sept. 16,11:00 am Sept. 17, 2:00 pm WS Tennis Sept. 17, 1:00 pm