Misc.05.06.2021

The Miscellany News May 6, 2021

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Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 155 | Issue 10

Leftist Union calls for College to implement $15 min wage Alex Wilson

Assistant News Editor

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n recent years, battles over student workers’ compensation have become all too familiar to much of the Vassar community.

Now, the Vassar Leftist Union is organizing a campaign to raise Vassar’s minimum wage for student workers to $15 per hour.

These battles can be traced back to the creation of the 20162017 State Budget, when Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced a statewide plan to incrementally raise the minimum wage in New York State to $15 per hour. This plan included varying schedules for different parts of the state. But while New York City (NYC) has already reached the $15 hourly goal, other parts of the state, including Dutchess County, have yet to meet that mark.

Vassar has been playing a game of catch-up with this incremental plan. In 2019, after facing criticism for paying student employees a $10 per hour wage, the College raised the student minimum per hour wage to $11.80 in order to meet the local minimum. That $10 wage had been below the local minimum

Inside this issue

Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News. wage since the end of 2017. Moreover, Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources Marianne Begemann conceded that under the $10 wage, only 9.8 percent of students were meeting their student employment

Alex Eisert

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student organization the Vassar Leftist Union released a petition demanding that the College immediately rectify this.

Leftist Union President Joe Mangan ’23 noted that the organization began examining

student wages after finding that student workers were not being awarded hazard pay during the pandemic. Mangan said they eventually realized that the lack of hazard pay was just one part See Wage on page 3

Title XI investigation disrupts track season Sports Editor

Julia Michaels has written some of the most famous pop tracks of the ARTS last decade, from "Sorry" (Justin Bieber) to "Love Myself" (Hailee Steinfeld). Now she's come out with her own first album

(work study) award amount.

Now, since the local minimum wage was raised to an hourly rate of $12.50 at the end of 2020, the College has again found itself paying student employees below minimum wage. Last week, the

[TW: This article discusses sexual assault and abuse on campus.]

Additional reporting for this article was done by Lucy Brewster and Annabelle Wang. n Saturday, April 17, Vassar’s Track and Field team was scheduled for an intrasquad mock meet. It never happened. After alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct on the team, athletes protested their intrasquad event by boycotting competition.

According to multiple athletes, momentum towards a boycott began building Friday, April 9, when

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a former cross country and track athlete named Grace (a pseudonym) revealed to team captain Josh Lacoste ’21 that she had been sexually assaulted by a teammate.

At the time of publication, both Grace and Delaney (also a pseudonym) of the Vassar Track team had shared accusations of sexual assault against the same teammate with The Miscellany News.

The alleged misconduct goes back as far as 2019. In the fall of that year, Grace, a long-distance runner, was assaulted. She eventually quit the team, citing an alleged mishandling of her sexual assault accusations.

Both the Vassar administration and Head Coach James McCowan shared that they could not comment on open Title IX investigations or specific incidents. “While we cannot discuss specifics of any case, all students are entitled to a just process, which includes due process for all parties and a fair investigation,” commented Vice President of Communications Amanita Duga-Caroll via email.

“We cannot discuss confidential matters regarding specific students,” said Head Coach McCowan. “We are committed to working together with the students, administrators, fellow coaches and other

members of the college community to provide a healthy and inclusive environment for all members of the cross-country and track and field programs,” he added.

Ryan Mazurkiewicz ’22, a team member, shared his experience with the boycott. As the team began to grasp what had transpired, the boycott took form. “That was a decision made by first years,” he said. “It wasn’t an organized boycott as much as a ‘I’m not running next to this person [the accused] today’—my guess is around 15 people started doing that Friday night, and everyone else was open to it by See Track on page 11

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Check out your horoscope in this week's newest revelations from HUMOR the Misc's very own Astral Projector, Assistant Humor Editor Madi Donat.

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Hear from Vassar's Track and Field Team SPORTS in their own words why they chose to boycott a practice meet.

Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News.

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May 6, 2021

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

May 6, 2021

NEWS

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Vassar Leftist Union petitions for $15 minimum wage Continued from Wage on page 1 of the larger problem of Vassar repeatedly paying student employees under minimum wage. Unlike Vassar, other local institutions such as Bard College and SUNY New Paltz have already begun compensating student workers at the current hourly minimum.

Writing on behalf of the College, Associate Vice President for Communications Gladwyn Lopez explained that “Vassar’s minimum wage adjustments are aligned with the school year, not the calendar year.

We raised the hourly rate last year to $11.80 to match the state wage increase that went into effect that January and we will raise it again this year, July 1, to reflect the recent state minimum wage increase.”

paying student workers $15 hourly would be a valuable opportunity to set a local model. This opportunity to step up and set a progressive standard, Greenstein explained, is especially important given that the state’s regionalized plan to achieve a $15 minimum wage doesn’t actually lay out a clear timeline for reaching that goal in parts of the state out side of NYC and Long Island.

The petition’s organizers noted that the primary concern they have heard from student workers—who informed the petition— is a persistent inability to meet student employment award allotments. “The allotment will not change, but [$15 per hour] will just make it easier to reach that allotment,” Mangan explained. Sydney Leidig

"The petition's organizers noted that the primary concern they have heard from student workers­—who informed the petition—is a persistent inability to meet student employment award allotments.”

But the Leftist Union’s petition goes farther than asking for the current minimum—they’re demanding the coveted $15 per hour wage.

Aaron Greenstein ’24, who serves as the organization’s treasurer, emphasized that

’22, a Research Assistant in the Political Science Department, echoed the concern that the current wage rate does not reasonably allow for work study allotments to be met. “Many jobs do not offer enough hours to make the full amount, and I am not even

sure if it’s possible to make the full amount while working the maximum hours allowed,” she said.

However, Lopez cautioned that due to the limited amount of allocated WorkStudy funds, any increase in hourly wages would result in a reduction in the number of hours that students can work.

Given this possibility that a wage increase would lead to a decrease in available hours, Leidig noted the importance of considering options beyond just a wage increase if the primary goal is to make it feasible to meet work study allotments. “I wonder if a stipend program would be more equitable,” she reflected. “The amount of work study we’re supposed to make is factored into our financial aid awards, so I don’t understand why they can’t just give everyone that money through a stipend.”

Mangan emphasized that any effort to increase equity in student compensation speaks to the nature of broader power relations between administrators and students.

“I don’t see how administrators can say that we have shared governance of the college,” they lamented, citing student-led lobbies for divestment and a COVID-related no-fail policy as evidence that the administration often ignores proposals with major student support. Greenstein agreed with Mangan’s point, and questioned whether the administration’s support of student needs is hollow. “I feel that it is entirely contingent on

people holding them accountable,” he said.

“And if students don’t do that, they’ll just never improve things.”

The Vassar Leftist Union’s petition states that: “We believe that an immediate raise for Vassar’s student workers is necessary, possible, and deserved in light of the pandemic-related risks many student workers have faced in recent months.” As of May 6, it’s garnered 270 signatures.

Lopez insisted that “At this time, the wages reflect the significant flexibility that most student jobs afford - much more than other entry-level, part-time or full-time positions on campus,” while also clarifying that there is no current plan to institute a $15 student minimum wage.

Both the petition and Mangan acknowledged the College’s assertion that the student wage rate will be raised to meet the current minimum of $12.50 by July 1. Still, they say this is too little, too late. “They’re doing that about a year behind schedule.

They continue to do things behind schedule. It’s not even the bare minimum; they’re behind the bare minimum,” Mangan said, before adding that the pandemic demonstrated the necessity of many Vassar student workers—especially those at the post office and college store at the time when students couldn’t leave campus for other services. “I think a lot of workers are going to have strong feelings and will probably be ready to fight back,” they insisted.

Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ARTS

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May 6, 2021

Songwriter for the stars Julia Michaels releases debut album Ilana Frost

Guest Columnist

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hat do the hit songs “Sorry” (Justin Bieber), “Love Myself” (Hailee Steinfeld) and “Used To Love You” (Gwen Stefani) have in common? They were all written by one of the most prolific songwriting connoisseurs in pop music today, Julia Michaels. She’s the invisible music-making machine behind artists like Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato and nearly every other big name in music. With an extensive, top-charting discography under her belt at only 27, Michaels’ voice in-

lia fashion, the song opens with sweet vocals and a simple guitar riff before erupting into a pounding bass line and the dark humored hook, “I wanna live in a world where all your exes are dead.” We get a teeny bit of angry Julia back, but she’s an in-love angry Julia so the lyrics are more humorous than heartbreaking. The track is funny, dramatic and rooted in live instruments like the content on the inner monologues. “All Your Exes” is Michaels at her finest, and certainly an album highlight.

If “All Your Exes” captures the old, familiar Julia, “Lie Like This,” another single off the album, embodies her fresh

"The production emulates the weirdness of the ebbing and flowing of relationships, balancing a simple guitar riff against eerie operatic background vocals and velvety reverb. The sound is new but her observations remain deliciously descriptive and sage." conspicuously dominates Spotify playlists and pop radio. Although she has written professionally for artists since she was a teenager, the singer only made the leap to become an independent artist in 2017 when her smash hit “Issues” was too brilliant and too personal to give away. Since then, she’s released three critically acclaimed EPs, and on Friday, April 30, the iconic songstress released her debut album, “Not In Chronological Order.”

In a way, this album isn’t really her debut. Her first EP “Nervous System” was a cute little warm-up lap for the following heavy-hitting sister EPs “Inner Monologue Part 1” and “Inner Monologue Part 2.” Put the inner monologues together on one playlist and that is Michaels’ real debut album. All the songs are about herself; she sings about anxiety, body image, fury at men and all her hot takes on relationships and exes. But getting to know her is more than just the content itself; it’s the way she crafts phrases with care and finesse that showcases the seasoned, poetic professional she is. “My friends, they wanna take me to the movies / I tell ‘em to fuck off, I’m holding hands with my depression,” she quips in “Anxiety.” Michaels turns pain into humor like nobody’s business in moments like “Happy,” singing, “Don’t kiss in front of me, it makes me sick / I’m not bitter, well, maybe a little bit.”

The queen of pop songwriting shines in these EPs. From start to finish, the two projects are an unbridled stream of consciousness woven with lyrical and musical mastery. The production is one-of-a-kind, incorporating both live instrumentation and traditional pop sounds. It has a living, breathing relationship with the writing, heightening the intensity of every line.

She’s confessional, self-deprecating, raw and witty with no trace of a filter.

“Not In Chronological Order” is a whole different Julia. This time around, she’s madly in love with J.P. Saxe—there’s no more clever rage, no more signature pessimism and with the exception of “That’s the Kind of Woman,” not a whole lot of introspective moments where she makes astute insights about herself. Every other track (nine out of the 10) centers around her boyfriend, which makes for a cohesive album, but previous EPs better introduced us to Julia as the emotionally complex but painfully relatable person that she is.

“All Your Exes” is the transition track between the two inner monologue EPs and “Not In Chronological Order.” In classic Ju-

sonic style the most. “Lie Like This” is a pure dance single loaded with synths and electronic drums. It’s flirty, light-hearted and all about letting yourself freefall into romance. Her lyric game is as fearless as ever on this tune with witticisms like, “He says I’m emotionally sound / Emotionally fucked too.” “Lie Like This” thrives as a single, easing us into this more fun, more dancey and more sexy era.

The last single before the release of the album was “Love Is Weird,” yet another highlight of “Not In Chronological Order.”

The production emulates the weirdness of the ebbing and flowing of relationships, balancing a simple guitar riff against eerie operatic background vocals and velvety reverb. The sound is new but her observations remain deliciously descriptive and sage: “Love is weird / Don’t know how I wound up here / Love is weird / It shows up and disappears / Love is strange for some / It ranges from makin’ love to tears.”

There’s not a bad track on the project— Michaels isn’t capable of writing anything less than impressive. However, “Undertone” and “Wrapped Around” are probably the least exciting contributions to “Not In Chronological Order.” While the lyrics are still woven from gold by the veteran wordsmith and the production is still dance-invoking, the concepts feel recycled. These are the tracks that could’ve used just a touch more of Michaels’ flare to match the distinctive personality of the rest of the album.

“Little Did I Know,” the album’s token ballad that was notably co-written by Saxe, is a “Lose You To Love Me” moment (the Selena Gomez hit written by Michaels) and shows off the breadth of what Michaels can accomplish as an artist. We’ve heard the catchy pop hits, but in this grandiose tune she reaches new vocal heights. Although writing is like breathing for her, Michaels can also sing and she’s audibly more confident in her endearing, breathy tone that spills earnest emotion all over the place with every note. “Orange Magic” and “History” are also objectively high-calibur songs about love, but similar to “Little Did I Know,” they lack the dark, sarcastic one-liners that made fans originally fall in love with the artist. They’re great, but just not as enthralling and cheeky as “Happy” or “Falling For Boys.”

“Pessimist” and “That’s the Kind of Woman” are the best non-single songs of the album and are tied with “All Your Exes” for the best of the project, singles

Courtesy of Justin Higuchi via Wikimedia Commons. and non-singles. While “Pessimist” still revolves around J.P., it’s also about the classic bitter, self-deprecating Julia Michaels that fans know and love. “Plantin’ lemon trees since I was 23,” she pokes fun at herself

“Although writing is like breathing for her, Michaels can also sing and she’s audibly more confident in her endearing, breathy tone that spills earnest emotion all over the place with every note." against a breezy, dance pop beat. The hook, “You took a pessimist and turned me into something else” captures how her relationship has affected the evolution of her musical projects.

“That’s the Kind of Woman” is the last track on the record and the only one that’s entirely about the singer herself. Of course, self-examination and leaning into insecurity is Michaels’ magic trick in songwriting, and her voice is old friends with lone acoustic guitar. That combined with

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

the whimsical specificity and radical honesty of her lyrics are what makes her her.

The breathtaking verses list ideal personal qualities: “Crosses T’s and cuts her ties / Figured out sympathize from empathize.”

They lead naturally into the gut-wrenching hook, “If the me I am / Walked out that door / That’s the kind of woman I’d leave me for.” After this song, dedicated Michaels fans will probably be crying and sighing with a nostalgic flavor of relief.

That’s Julia Michaels, the voice for insecure young women everywhere. She made sure to have their backs on this album even though she’s in love.

It will be difficult for Michaels to ever quite match the stunning personality of “Inner Monologue Part 1,” a flawless EP top to bottom, if she and her boyfriend get married (which seems likely). The dilemma is all too familiar for artists who fall deep in love and settle down. Their music almost inevitably suffers from a lack of anger, grief and new stories to tell, unless they’re Kacey Musgraves and write “Golden Hour.” “Not In Chronological Order” is a good album— by any means, a well above-average pop album. Unfortunately for Michaels though, she set the bar astronomically high for herself. And “Inner Monologue Part 1” put the bar in another universe. She deserves to be happy though, so I’ll accept her lovey bops with immense gratitude and turn to the older content when I need to rage.

May 6, 2021

ARTS

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Fall 2021 ready-to-wear collection celebrates 100 years of Gucci Massimo Tarridas Columnist

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or their 100th anniversary, Gucci did what no other luxury fashion brand has done before—collaborate with their competition, Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga.

This merger is perhaps the most covered and publicized aspect of this collection, but there are so many other interesting details that have gone overlooked. One of these is the dissolution of the menswear and womenswear categories to include both in one massive 94-look show. They’ve also released a 15-minute short film showcasing all of these looks, with a soundtrack that compiles songs that explicitly mention Gucci, such as Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang,” Rick Ross’ “Green Gucci Suit” and Die Antwoord’s “Gucci Coochie.” The production budget must have been insanely high, with massive set design, plenty of CGI, dozens of camera angles and a finale consisting of albino animals roaming the garden of Eden. I like to think Gucci took my advice from my defense of logos in their extremely over-the-top, flamboyant presentation that fully displays their self-awareness about the cultural capital surrounding their brand. They’ve curated a vast selection of Gucci iconography over the past hundred years and collapsed them onto the most iconic stage imaginable. While it is somewhat tacky, it is also an impressive fashion show.

Most details are culled from the brand’s equestrian history, their iconic red and green stripes coming from the pattern on saddle belts. Horse bit clasps appear not just on their famous loafers, but on purses, leather vests and jewelry. The headwear

replicates vintage horse-riding helmets with chin straps, emblazoned with “Savoy Club,” a reference to where founder Guccio Gucci worked in his youth. Whips, jodhpurs, boots, jackets and handbags are all stylized around the English tradition of riding gear, subverted in fetishistic and impractical ways. It’s a little weird, but far too many fashion houses working parallel to Gucci often don’t get weird enough.

This is where Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele moves past the historical into the contemporary. The runway is an empty white hallway lined with flashing cameras, functioning doubly as a stand-in for a nonexistent crowd and as another callback to how long Gucci has been around, with Kodak’s early 20th century “Brownie” model serving as the oldest example. After walking, the models wait in a red room before being let out into a tropical paradise.

The sterility of the hallway, followed by the models leaning in for kissing, dancing and huggingclearly shows an awareness of how cyclical Gucci’s hundred years have been— the Spanish flu had only ended a year before Gucci was founded.

Taking cues from Gvasalia, the shoulders on some of the jackets are exaggerated and boxy, or curve upwards ever so slightly. Gvasalia’s influence is mostly subtle, showing itself in the occasional black plastic midi skirt, wraparound long coat and pops of Lynchian blue. I believe Michele might also be borrowing from Hedi Slimane’s Celine Spring Summer 2021, a collection rife with points of inspiration borrowed from TikTok, particularly with regards to logoed curb chains and bulbous eyewear. Most of

the other accessories are either very classic or fall into the trend of intervening a monogram with colorful, clashing motifs—but then appears the pièce de résistance, a bedazzled anatomical heart clutch, in both silver and gold. These moments of avant-garde design poking through an otherwise commercial aesthetic give the rest of the show a bit of weight.

From the CFO’s point of view, the true centerpiece is not the heart clutch, but the garments with the names of two industry giants stamped all over. What does this intertextual union mean? Well, for one, it’s not as surprising as Supreme and Louis Vuitton’s collaboration a few years back.

But maybe this completes the cycle of the streetwear-ification of haute couture, just like when Supreme and Bape collaborated twenty years ago. One of the coats is, aside from the structured shoulders, just a coat.

Without the logos it would almost look like Inspector Clouseau’s. What it gains from having “Gucci” and “Balenciaga” printed all over is conflicting.

Gucci started as a maker of quality leather handbags and nothing more; Cristóbal Balenciaga was an important designer who innovated the use of fabrics, tightened and triangulated the female silhouette and resisted the bourgeois regulations of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture parisienne (the Parisian syndicate that decided what was and what wasn’t true haute couture). This core is reflected in what they produce nowadays. Gvasalia founded the highly controversial and conceptual Vetements.

For Balenciaga, he designed the magnificent Winter 2020 show, which featured a

Courtesy of Rhododentrites via Wikimedia Commmons. runway that was a flooded platform in the middle of the stadium, clothes that looked like Sith Lord garb, a hardcore electronic soundtrack and a climax punctuated by the projection of fiery hell onto the ceiling.

The still water reflected the red and orange tones, setting the models aflame and raising questions about our dying earth. Michele, well, Michele is having fun making variations on the same leather goods for rich teenagers. As I’ve said before, logo-centric lines have a purpose and their own value, but for Gucci, there is little to no distinction between runway art and the stuff you sell to keep the house afloat. Balenciaga may sell plenty of branded T-shirts, but they validate themselves by producing genuinely jaw-dropping shows. If a logo’s value is in its heritage, then Gucci’s doesn’t mean much, and Balenciaga’s does.

'Khaled Khaled' boasts strong talent, but overwhelms in excess Ganesh Pillai

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Guest Columnist

t would seem that album release season is getting back into full swing. With the release of “Slime Language 2” two weeks ago, and upcoming drops from the likes of Isaiah Rashad and J. Cole, hip hop fans are approaching the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to notable album releases. As for the present, DJ “We the Best!” Khaled released his 12th studio album “Khaled Khaled” this past Friday. As expected, it was chock full of big-name artists appearing on a collection of songs.

However, despite its bright spots, “Khaled Khaled” falls into many of the same tropes that have held DJ Khaled’s previous albums back.

One skill that Khaled definitively has is his ability to collaborate with great artists. His albums consistently include guest verses from some of the biggest names in music, and are able to adapt with the times. If you want a way to encapsulate the year in music, your best bet may be to simply check out the producer’s release for that year. For example, Future had a very eventful 2015, releasing a total of four projects including the trap masterpiece “DS2,” and was in turn featured heavily in Khaled’s album “Major Key” in 2016.

Likewise, while fresh off his hit mixtape “Coloring Book,” Chance the Rapper was featured on multiple tracks in the 2017 release “Grateful.” For this year’s installment, the notable presences on the album include Drake, H.E.R. and Bryson Tiller. In fact, the album is filled with some of the most talented artists in the industry.

However, I find that Khaled often pairs artists with one another in a very haphazard fashion that isn’t always complimentary. Sometimes these unorthodox pairings work out well, such as Justin

Bieber and 21 Savage on “Let It Go,” where Bieber’s smooth vocals and the Atlanta rapper’s monotone cadence both ride the warm, summery beat well. Another pairing I appreciated was old-school rapper Lil Wayne with new-school Jeramih on “Thankful,” the album’s opening track.

Sampling the legendary beat from Jay-Z’s “Heart of the City,” Jeramih’s singing style complements the ethereal beat and puts the listener in a peaceful frame of mind.

However, on a song like “This Is My Year,” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Rick Ross and Big Sean, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. A Boogie’s melodic ability does not complement the hard-hitting one of Rick Ross, and the songs end up with each rapper unable to exercise their specific skill sets to their full potential.

This unorthodox pairing of artists is emblematic of the larger issue that this album faces: Khaled is simply trying to do too much. Sampling the iconic “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos, “I Did It” features a whopping four additional artists alongside Khaled for a sub-three-minute song. The constant changing of artists is too overwhelming. The multiplicity of features is entirely unnecessary. For such an “outthere” beat as this one, it would have been far better to allow the listener to familiarize themselves with it while hearing only one or two different voices throughout the song. Of course, having this many artists on one song is not unheard of, far from it even. Songs such as “1train” by A$AP Rocky or “Forever” by Eminem both have four or more features, but are also six minutes long, thus allowing each of the artists to firmly establish themselves on the beat.

The listener is able to fully acclimate to each new voice, and therefore recognizes each rapper’s unique ability to ride the beat.

Another example of Khaled’s excessive-

ness is the overproduction of certain songs.

When it comes to making beats, more does not always mean better. The best producers can make incredible beats that are both deeply layered and complex, but also ones that are far more bare-bones. Metro Boomin has made the beautifully rich “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1,” as well as the relatively simple “Ric Flair Drip,” both of which are equally impressive beats. While Khaled is fully capable of making great beats, be it complex and simple, there is unfortunately no happy medium on his latest project. For example, on “Just Be,” the overproduction is apparent, with Khaled adding guitar riffs on top of piano notes on top of already very complicated background synths and melodies. The result is an experience that is overstimulating rather than enjoyable.

The biggest winners of this album are

“Khaled is simply trying to do too much."

Drake and H.E.R., both of whom provide multiple great contributions to the album.

On “Popstar” and “Greece,” the two singles of the album, Drake utilizes his characteristically slick verse-writing and offers two very different cadences, both of which work. Particularly on “Greece,” his unusual, spacey and far away sound was difficult to appreciate at first, but grew to be a song I thoroughly enjoy. Meanwhile, R&B singer H.E.R. truly knocks it out of the park with her two verses. Her contribution to “I Can Have It All” brought life to an otherwise boring song, and she made one of my favorites off the project “We Going Crazy.”

Hearing the three Migos go back-and-forth on the high-energy beat was enjoyable, but

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

it was H.E.R.’s silky voice that solidified the song for me. She is able to tie a relatively happening beat together, and commands attention when she is on the track.

Other than these high points, I find the album suffers from one of the more intangible and difficult to explain aspects when it comes to albums, namely replay value.

Some albums have it, and some don’t. Regardless of the quality of the songs, some songs just have more longevity than others.

For example, “Slime Language 2,” while not being entirely consistent, did have a few songs with very good replay value. I found myself actively searching them out to listen to following the release. In these early days following “Khaled Khaled,” I do not get the sense that I will feel a pull to return to these songs. Perhaps it is because of the general over-the-top nature of many tracks, or the reliance on guest verses, but I do not get a sense of significant longevity from it.

“Khaled Khaled” provides us with some great songs and moments; however, it is largely an example of a producer trying to do everything they can, rather than focusing on one particular skill or technique, and perfecting that. While his status within the rap world is unquestionable at this point, the ability of DJ Khaled to put together one cohesive album still remains in question.

Rating

4.6 /10

Best Songs: "We Going Crazy," "Let it Go," "Popstar," "Greece" Best Feature: Drake ("Greece")

FEATURES

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May 6, 2021

I heard a racial slur in my dorm hall: What now?

Anonymous

Guest Columnist

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few weeks ago, I had a heated argument with the athletes down the hall about their volume, and after they did not quiet down, I filed a noise complaint. Security came, asked them to be considerate of their neighbors, and left. Later that night, I heard them angrily pacing the hall and shouting an anti-Asian slur, and I knew that they meant for me to hear it.

I have since moved out of that room. This is the end of the story for me. I am happily removed from racists and I can finish the semester in peace.

But for Vassar athletes—what now?

Before my living situation this year, I was rather unexposed to the athletic world at Vassar, and everyone I knew was equally clueless about sports here. Practically none in my circle were athletes. We didn’t know when the seasons were for any sport, much less what the scoreboards read. Vassar is a Division III liberal arts college, so it seemed like it was just the order of things for regular Vassar students to go about their lives rolling their eyes at the cliques of athletes in the Deece (at least in the pre-COVID days) and carrying on with their days.

"You can tell me to be angry at the individuals, but I am also angry at a culture that empowered their actions."

I was perfectly content with the separation of regular students and athletes, until the moment I heard that slur. I was shaking with anger. These pockets of institutionally-backed, generally white and wealthy spaces somehow allowed these athletes to think it was not only okay, but justified, for them to yell racial slurs down a hall of where maybe twenty people live, because they were upset at me for calling security on them.

You can tell me to be angry at the individ-

uals, but I am also angry at a culture that empowered their actions. These four ath-

"You are unable to see or understand people who have different priorities at Vassar, and it all breaks down. This is why we need you to become self-aware for this community." letes are on the same team and live together, and if this is what they do together, I don’t believe for a second that they act differently when they’re around their team. You can tell me to be mad at one team, but it is also true that every Title IX sexual assault case I know is against a male athlete attached to different teams. Yes, this is all athletes, either a part of the toxicity or complicit, turning a blind eye. How did we reach a point where anyone could feel entitled to act in such ways?

I am not here to name names or call to abolish whichever private-school sport hurt me, and it is not surprising that I’m pointing out that athletics at Vassar is generally a physically, socioeconomically and racially exclusive space. What has changed is that I am no longer okay with the division of athletes and non-athletes, and I as well as ev-

together, compete and you feel like family.

You cannot imagine your life without this sport, this team or this lifestyle. Naturally your circle is mostly composed of athletes.

You party on the weekends (or weekdays) and think you’re having the time of your life.

Even better, you get privileges as an athlete.

Admin will let you go off campus during a time when regular students have only ever seen five other pod member faces maskless the whole semester. It sounds almost ideal.

Your priorities at Vassar are different than to someone like me.

Yet the lack of responsibility that athletes take for their athlete culture is so not ideal for everyone else. You think it is not your fault that Vassar recruits predominantly white athletes, and you think it is not your

"If you think this piece does not represent you as a white athlete, prove me wrong. Demand more diversity on your teams. Pressure your coaches to change the recruitment process. Hang out with regular students with different priorities, backgrounds, and skin colors than you and show them respect. Hold your teammates accountable. Call them out." fault that athletes happen to be mostly wealthy. You think it is not your fault that you happen to get along with other athletes better than everyone else, and boom, you

"In itself, it is not harmful that you don’t include me. It is harmful that by excluding me, you start thinking I am less than you."

eryone else on this campus need athletes to become self-aware. It is the bare minimum.

I get it, athletes are a different crowd. You spend up to 20 hours a week at practice with your team, you love your sport, you travel

You only get one Saturday night a week! You are unable to see or understand people who have different priorities at Vassar, and it all breaks down. This is why we need you to become self-aware for this community.

In itself, it is not harmful that you don’t include me. It is harmful that by excluding me, you start thinking I am less than you.

I also want to point out that there are pockets of white friend groups and white spaces on this campus that mimic this on a smaller scale. Again, I hope you become aware of who you’re excluding and why it’s harmful.

If you think this piece does not represent you as a white athlete, prove me wrong. Demand more diversity on your teams. Pressure your coaches to change the recruitment

have yourself a physically, socioeconomically and racially exclusive space. Soon, you start thinking it is okay to shout racial slurs down your hall, because how dare that Asian girl ruin your Saturday night?

process. Hang out with regular students with different priorities, backgrounds and skin colors than you and show them respect.

Hold your teammates accountable. Call them out. Let the whole world know that you and your team do not think it is okay to treat women and minorities as anything less than equal, and mean it. If Vassar athletics is unable to diversify their recruitments and if your coaches or teammates are unable to treat all others with respect, ask yourself the difficult question: Do I value this sport more than I value treating people fairly? If not, quit and stop being complicit in their toxic culture. Athletes do not get to take up more space and still be destructive to others (including other athletes) at Vassar. Period.

And that would be a first step in the right direction.

Courtesy of Seowon Back ’24.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

HUMOR

May 6, 2021

Page 7

Breaking News From the desk of Izzy Migani, Humor Editor Vaccine recipient accidentally brings a half zip to vaccine appointment; National Guards remark on weird smell Christian school teaches Greek myths, apparently Vivian Phillips Greek Goddess

I know more about Greek mythology than I do about the Bible. As a member of the generation that grew up with Percy Jackson novels, this isn’t very surprising. However, when you work in the fact that I went to an Episcopalian school from the first to eighth grade with obligatory daily chapel attendings, this schism gets more perplexing.This is all extra intriguing because this Christian school is where I received the majority of my mythological education.

I took my first mythology exam in 3rd grade, which is coincidentally my first memory of stress. Everyone in our class received a D’Aulaires Book of Greek myths. For the next month and a half, we spent hours memorizing the names and details of basic Greek stories. The first memories of stress I have stem from Preparing for the exam. I scrawled things like “Zeus births Athena from his head” onto my flashcards, blissfully unaware of how seedy the majority of the stories I was reading were. I am not sure how my thirdgrade teacher at our Christian, Texan elementary school managed to explain the concept of Zeus’ repeated, persistent adultery to a room of eight-year olds with zero understanding of the concept of sex. But the mythology exam covered everything, blemishes in Zeus’ record and all.

This “mythology exam” wasn’t just a test we took for class credit. Rather, it was a two-hour long testing experience that was nationwide … or so I was led to believe. It wasn’t until I

went to high school and college that I realized this wasn’t a curious relic of the no child left behind curriculum.

“Oh my god you know what’s such a weird memory,” I asked my roommate last semester. “The national mythology exam! What was that”.

I got a blank stare in return.

“You know, like the test you took every year for nearly a decade from ages eight to fourteen?” I asked. “You don’t know?”

This exam was my LIFE once a year for five years, and, I think, the start to my crippling test anxiety. I would spend months in preparation because our teachers made it out to feel like SUCH a big deal. The pressure I felt to have the entirety of the Greek’s mythological anthology profiled in my brain superseded any pressure I felt to believe in a God at all. I attended our daily chapel ceremonies each morning and sang “How Great is our God” while flipping through the Roman names of Greek gods in my brain. As we shared our “peace be with you” handshakes I strained to remember the names of every woman Zeus adulterated with.

I was so invested in acing this test because of how the results were presented to us. Every year when our testing scores came back, our school sent emails to the parents of the entire student body. In late May they poured into our chapel and proudly sat down next to their children. One by one our teachers called us up to hand us our awards. We were called up not by our grade but by where we placed in the exam. First Bronze, then Silver and then

Gold. By the time our teachers got to the end of this list, there were often only a handful of students left in the pews. While standing in the front of the church with your award, you could often hear the sniffles of the students who did not place. It was brutal.

My experience going to this school was overall a very good one. Although they would

not be happy to hear I am now agnostic, they would be happy to hear that I actually remember a surprising amount of mythology. Probably because I spend every day in subconscious fear that someone on the street is going to run up to me and say: “Quick! Name four separate instances where Hera tortured the mistresses of Zeus by turning them into animals!”

Image courtesy of Prettysleepy via Pixabay.

WORD ON THE STREET

Who would play the villain in the movie of your life?

Reporting and photos by Madi Donat

“The guy with the itty bitty bowling ball [bowler] hat from ‘Meet the Robinsons.’”

“I think [British comedian] Marty Feldman would play the villain.”

“The smell in the fourth floor hallway.”

- Natalie Habaybeh ’22

- Kayla Walthall ’23

- Ben Northrop ’23 MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

HUMOR

HOROSCOPES

Page 8

May 6, 2021

Madi Donat

Astral Projector

Invent new words this week. English is pretty good at specific words and feelings, but not good ARIES enough.

Use them in sentences and hope people March 21 | figure it out from context clues. A fun intellectual April 19 game … or a way to lose friends? You decide.

TAURUS

April 20 | May 20

I do not know what alternative music is. Sometimes you turn on the radio to an alternative station and they are playing Imagine Dragons. What gives? Is it simply the presence of a funky electric guitar that turns a song alt? Please enlighten me, I’m so confused.

The weather is doing that thing now where it’s pants temperature in the morning but fully September 23 | shorts temperature by the afternoon. And then it’s cold at night! I am almost 20 years old and I October 22 still haven’t figured out how to dress for those days. Are dresses the answer? Tearaway pants?

LIBRA

SCORPIO

October 23 | November 21

People who drink black coffee honestly scare me. Like, you can stop pretending it tastes good; I promise we will all still think you’re cool. I put milk and sugar in mine, but the milk is from a cow which is kinda rare here. What can I say; I love cows and want to support their work.

Remember that meme a few years ago when we all talked like cowboys? Like we would put cowboy hats on stuff and say “What in tarnation?” etc.

We should bring that back, I feel. I don’t think we squeezed enough -tion puns out of that one. Make a list of -tion words this week.

Sometimes I say I’m not a party person but then I go to parties … so I definitionally AM a party perSAGITTARIUS son.

But do my vibes negate this? Is it how other November 22 | people think of me that’s more important than December 21 how I label myself? I feel like these answers have implications.

We need to discuss ambrosia salad. Has anyone actually eaten it or do we all just look at pictures of CANCER it online and try not to think about how it looks like June 21 | cole slaw or various bodily fluids that aren’t where July 22 they’re supposed to be. If you’ve eaten it and like it, lmk. I want your power.

Have you ever woken up from a nap feeling CAPRICORN worse? That is a betrayal of Biblical proportions.

December 22 | Though at least when Judas betrayed Jesus it was January 19 super homoerotic and fun. Waking up from a bad nap just feels like biting into a mealy apple.

GEMINI

May 21 | June 20

I started this semester sure that I’d only use my reusable utensils but now I take a pack of disposable July 23 | ones every time I’m at the Deece AND I’ve started August 22 taking plastic water bottles too. Could you please email Mother Earth and tell her I’m really really sorry and I didn’t mean to.

LEO

AQUARIUS

You know those weeks where at the end of the day you feel like you’ve done all the work possible but August 23 | then you wake up the next day and there’s MORE? September That’s me this week. Tbh these horoscopes were one 22 of those things. Oops. Don’t be like me: Write your horoscopes EARLY.

PISCES

VIRGO

January 20 | February 18

February 19 | March 20

All the Aquarian stereotypes say that you like aliens, which is cool but I doubt that applies to all of you. Besides, which alien? Is it E.T., or Megamind, or that little guy from the “Star Wars” show that everyone’s obsessed with? (I can’t say his name or D*sney will sue me.)

According to astrology, every sign has a part of the body that they correspond to and feel a connection with. And I hate to say it, but yours is the feet. Your body part is the feet and toes. I wish I was lying, but that is 100 percent true. Use this information wisely.

FROG AND TOAD ARE FRENEMIES

by Frog and Toad

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

May 6, 2021

HUMOR

Page 9

Will "Super Animal Royale" be the new Fortnite?

Julian Bencze

I

Pro Gamer

f you're an "about town" and "hip with the kids" kind of Vassar student, you may have heard the trendy gamer song "Chug Jug With You," a wonderful Fortnite take on Estelle's American Boy ft. Kanye West. However, if you are a self-respecting kind of Vassar student, you may be disinclined to admit to your peers that you have even heard of Fortnite. I myself struggled with this in a past life. When mentioning this dilemma to my housemate, he decided to play devil's advocate and claimed that the Fortnite isn't all that bad, as you can at least "be a goldfish operating a mecha suit".

Fortunately, I don't give a shit.

My saving grace from the ever-approaching throes of Fortnite was a simple early access Steam game, Super Animal Royale. It's a third person shooter, sometimes team based, and very similar to Fortnite (at least I will assume, as all of my knowledge of the game comes from the catchy TikTok tunes). The catch-instead of playing as an ugly cringey person, you can be a variety of very cute cartoon animals, from various breeds of dog (husky, shiba inu, weimaraner) all the way to mysterious fictional creatures (Super Swamp Skullcat, anyone?) Some of my personal favorite animals include the Super Fried Chicken and the Super Radioactive Rat, which the gamer can unlock at level 20.

An excellent perk of this game is that it manages to be immensely satisfying to play while also being objectively terrible. It took me perhaps a solid week to learn how to actually aim a gun, and I just learned how to properly operate a hamster ball last night. I can't really put a finger on it, but something about the immense cuteness and comedy of watching a bunch of sassy cuddly animals beat the shit out of each other with semi automatic weapons brings me a lot of joy.

This game is immensely enjoyable as free to play-some milestone achievements

Izzy Migani/The Miscellany News. can only be unlocked by buying the upgraded version, but there are more than enough free perks that have kept me entertained for the past month or two. Perhaps I am biased, since my favorite part of any game is character creation and collecting clothing. Either way, I am very content with my ever-growing collection of animals and outfits. The shop has been full

of summer items this week, so my Super Black Cat has been roaming the jungle armed to the teeth with a bikini, sun hat and blue pool noodle (a surprisingly effective weapon!)

I am now content in my gaming journey, as I am able to act out the different lines of the Fortnite song without ever having to approach that game. I can "chug jug"

B’S CORNER

BY B GOMEZ

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

with my animal pals, and when my friend gets "downed," I can "revive him and head southbound." We haven't managed a ton of wins, but have fully embraced our status as the "Number Two Victory Royale" champions. I highly recommend this game for anyone who is cool and likes to have fun. I hope to run into you in the Super Penguin Palace soon!

Page 10

OPINIONS

May 6, 2021

Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News.

The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

SPORTS

May 6, 2021

Page 11

Title IX investigation calls Vassar Track's future into question Continued from Track on page 1 Saturday morning [the day of the boycott],” he added.

The upperclassmen on the team soon realized the boycott would disrupt the event. “By the time we actually got to the meet Saturday morning, the entire team knew, and the authors of [our team’s Miscellany News] article went to meet with [Coach] James [McCowan] and [Coach] Justin [Harris] to discuss how the team would move forward,” Mazurkiewicz said.

According to several members of the team, the coaches suspended the alleged abuser indefinitely after the boycott. The Student Athlete Handbook’s code of conduct states that an athlete can be kicked off a team for any number of “personal misconduct” behaviors.

But once a Title IX case opens, the language in section 106.71 makes it so the accused are essentially immune to these standards because actions taken can be interpreted as retaliatory.

According to Delaney, by Monday, April 19, Vassar’s administration had told the coaches to reinstate the alleged abuser or face discipline themselves. Practice that day

was cancelled, and a meeting led by Director of Athletics Michelle Walsh and the coaches was held instead. When the team found out that the accused had been reinstated, they were furious. “We were so angry,” Mazurkiewicz explained. “This person is not going to be running. Either because you kick him off the team or because there is no team.” Delaney echoed this sentiment: “we were trying to plead our case … it wasn’t getting through to the administration, so that was a very frustrating meeting.”

Practices were then cancelled indefinitely, although the team organized informal workouts without the coaches present. Finally, the team had a meeting with some of the College’s deans and Director Walsh on Thursday April 22. “Is he on the team?,” was the students' first question. To the athletes’ relief, the Deans said that no, he had quit. “It makes this conversation possible … We no longer have to worry about women on the team being in contact with a serial predator,” Mazurkiewicz said.

But the team still had a lot of questions, Delaney explained. “Are the coaches going to be punished? Because we felt like they didn’t do everything in their power … that meeting

was a little frustrating.” She continued, “But [at least] it seems like there are more policies being instilled from our concerns...about communicating more about no-contact orders between the coaches, administration and Athletic Director as well.”

Vassar’s Title IX policy notes another removal option labelled “Emergency Removal” procedures. Emergency Removal gives the College “the authority to remove a Respondent from any program on an emergency basis, where Vassar (1) undertakes an individualized safety and risk analysis and (2) determines that an immediate threat to the physical health or safety of any student or other individual arising from the allegations of covered sexual harassment justifies a removal.”

When asked for comment, Duga-Carroll responded, on behalf of the College: “Without a finding of responsibility via a Title IX investigation and proper hearing, no student may be disciplined. Suspension from an athletic team is discipline.”

Mazurkiewicz lambasted these regulations and the decisions of the College: “Simultaneously, everyone was wrong here,” he said. “It’s not too much to ask for the College to have

authority at least on repeat offenses to remove abusers from the space.”

Delaney agreed: “I’m very frustrated with the Title IX system … If someone is accused of sexual assault, they should be kicked off the team. Being on the team is a privilege, not a right.”

As things stand, the future of the Track team is up in the air. When asked what could be done to ensure her return, Grace brought up the need for separate coaches for the women’s and men’s teams: “I know we can’t hire someone based on whether they’re a woman, but it would make me more comfortable to have someone I could go to that’s more understanding of women’s issues … I would like a separate coach.” Delaney concurred, saying “there are coed teams on this campus...How can we keep teams safe when something like this happens?” And rethinking traditional coaching models is definitely part of the equation, Delaney elaborated: “The coaches need to go through training about how to better handle the situation...Sexual assault does happen a lot here, [so] there needs to be change and more support for survivors in my opinion.”

Vassar Track and Field’s personal account of abuse and amorality

[TW: This article discusses sexual assault and abuse on campus.]

This is a collaborative piece written by various members of Vassar’s Track & Field team and approved by all members. All accounts of abuse are written by the survivors (names are pseudonyms) themselves. This is the first part in a series, all of which can be found here.

Starting a piece like this seems nearly impossible—where does the situation originate?

The public outcry? The abuse itself? The team meetings trying to crack down on a toxic culture that has historically been far too permissive of sexual assault and abuse? Or the culture itself, built by coaching staff and administration long before any current student set foot on campus? There is no visible beginning to the story of sexual assault, only the latest chapter. Our latest chapter exposed the rampant injustices inherent in the Title IX system, presented and promoted by Vassar College.

Within the first months of her first year at Vassar, Grace on the cross country team was assaulted by a teammate. She was worried about potentially being in the same space with her abuser and wanted to let Coach A know that she felt unsafe. However, since she was still processing her emotions and understanding the event as sexual assault, she did not feel comfortable sharing the name of her abuser to the coach just yet. Coach A told her that he wanted to have a discussion with the abuser and pressured Grace to tell him the name; when this wasn’t successful, he went to Grace’s captain and an additional friend on the team, demanding the name of the abus-

er. This made both of the people he reached out to and Grace severely uncomfortable. He clearly investigated the case without permission. Furthermore, when Grace was finally ready to come out with the name to Coach B (whom she did not relay any information to prior), he stated he already knew who it was and what had happened. Coach B told her that they would do whatever it took to make survivors feel safe, even if that meant breaking Title IX laws (which the coaches had already done by discussing the case with each other). However, their evasions of the Title IX laws made Grace feel less safe and protected by the coaches. In the end, both of the coaches lost Grace’s trust and created a team culture so toxic she felt she had no choice but to quit.

The social dynamics of the team made it difficult for Grace to feel comfortable speaking up. She felt cut off from the sprinting side of the team. She was worried that if she went to the coaches with the name of her abuser, and the coaches had a conversation with that person, the person would speak up against her.

The abuser was an outspoken member of the team, which created a culture that silenced her. She felt unsafe at team events outside of practice. Once the coaches did know who it was, they did nothing to make her feel empowered. They admitted to having conversations concerning the abuse with this person— the exact opposite of what Grace wanted—but did not inform Grace of these conversations or their knowledge of the abuser’s identity.

Months before Grace quit, a second survivor, Delaney, who is on the track team, was harassed and abused by this same teammate,

someone whom she previously considered to be a friend. Delaney turned to her primary coach, Coach B, for help and confided in him.

She knew she would be too uncomfortable being in the same space with this person and couldn’t stand the thought of having to see him at practice (This is a co-ed team, where both the men and women practice with one another). After opening up to Coach B about the situation, he told her that he would need to have a conversation with the other coach on the team, Coach A, and with the abuser himself, because, “That’s just not the way we do things around here,” (referring to the abusers’ actions). Delaney instantly felt worried and panicked, as her abuser was very well-liked and had a good reputation on the team. She thought that when this conversation took place, the abuser would twist the story to make it seem like Delaney was at fault and in the wrong. Although Coach B said that he would tell Delaney when this conversation took place, he never did.

In the fall, Coach B was initially supportive and responsive, checking in with Delaney and shifting practices around to make her feel more comfortable. But as the year went on, his support and communication with her wavered and diminished until she felt alone and forgotten. She, along with many others, had no idea that there was another survivor (Grace) on the team and that the coaches knew about this. Coach A neglected to even reach out to Delaney until April 17, all while knowing for several months that she had been abused by this person. In addition, Delaney had not heard from Coach B about the

Answers to last week’s crossword puzzle: “Chess”

By Reese Collins

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

matter since November, illustrating his failure to ask how she was doing or check in to see if she was comfortable enough to move into full group practices in the spring (where she would see her abuser every day, as opposed to once or twice a week in the fall). This once safe and stress-free environment was now a panic-inducing space where she frequently had to calm herself down before arriving, constantly feeling anxious and on-edge.

Over the past few months, Delaney has shown up to practices and meets and has seen her abuser smile, laugh and interact with other women on the team, all while receiving support from the coaches. She was struggling.

Coach A and B both knew that this person had abused two people on the team and did absolutely nothing to help these women feel more comfortable or discipline the abuser.

Feeling like there were no other options or outlets to go to, Delaney took matters into her own hands. She had to teach herself how to pretend as if her abuser wasn’t at practice and standing six feet away from her at times. She had to desensitize herself from instant fear and panic when hearing his voice and seeing his face. She felt like this was her issue, her problem and something that she simply just had to live with. She was worried about the little things too, like how next year she could possibly be a leader for this team and have to stand next to this person during photo day and take a picture with him. She was worried that a serial sexual assaulter and abuser would be a captain and representative for this team, where she would have to stand by his side, feeling silenced, uncomfortable and helpless.

Page 12

CROSSWORD The Miscellany Crosswords “Themeless #4”

ACROSS

62. No matter what

1. On the market 10. Deep-voiced choir member 15. Burrito blankets 16. Crew member?

17. Exhaust pipe products 18. Absurd 19. IBM's Watson, and others 20. Bulletin board fastener 21. Men in black 22. Originate (from) 24. Avoids 26. Morse sound 27. School paper 29. Common sushi fish 30. Dash partner 31. Coolest Car and Class Clown 35. Less wealthy 37. Country on the Red Sea 38. Worked against 40. Goes (for) 41. Half a cheerleader's prop?

42. Abominable snowmen 46. It's brown and sticky 47. Like some remedies 50. Good way to have it 51. Two-dimensional 53. Red shell or banana 55. Twitch 56. Like some fibrous breakfasts 57. Award for Malek or Hopkins 59. Knight's mount 60. Like a family with a single parent 61. Editor-in-Chief of the Misc., familiarly

DOWN

By Greg Calidonna & Ian Rosevear

1. Calm 2. Rejects, in a way 3. Appears, as a problem 4. "___-a me! Mario!" - Mario Mario quote 5. Santa's helper 6. Twain, for Clemens 7. Many a defensive highlight 8. More spindly 9. Double bend 10. Sea cell 11. Top-notch 12. Graceful plummet 13. Lookout 14. Tragedy by Euripides 21. "Finally!"

23. Bricklayers 25. Bit of the past 28. Nomad's tent 30. Small crown 32. Leering voyeur 33. Blunder 34. NBA player Young 35. Inhabit 36. Behind the times 38. Garden fertilizer 39. Surrounding 43. Body work?

44. Turns of phrase 45. Clandestine 47. Useful around the house 48. Offshore

49. Admit 52. Requirement 54. Myriad 57. Squeeze-happy snake 58. XXX x X

By Reese Collins

“National ____ Day in May” ACROSS 1. "Son of ____!"

5. Desktop images 10. Not crazy 14. Viking inscription 15. Twin city of Gomorrah 16. Late Trebek 17. UN nuclear watchdog 18. Sound 19. "____ get it!"

20. 5/4 22. Most weird 24. Yours, in French 25. Do something 26. Suffix meaning inflammation 27. Awry 29. "I guess we're done here?"

34. Playwright Chekhov 36. Charity 37. "Sorry to hear that!"

38. 5/10 41. History 42. Cow's comment 43. "Of peace on earth, good will _____" 44. 2015 Pixar picture 47. Singer of "Yeah!" & "My boo" 49. Hang ten 50. Part of BYOB 52. Greek wedding cry 53. Chemist Mendeleev 56. 5/28 (the Friday before Memorial Day) 58. Indian bread 59. Criminal 61. REM's "The ____ Love"

May 6, 2021

62. Pas sans 63. Grocery store passage 64. Warehouse stamp, abbr.

65. Emeralds et al.

66. Tons 67. Fruity drink endings

DOWN 1. Patti Smith's record label 2. Mexican's neighbor 3. Anxiety 4. Close to 5. Actor Oscar 6. Woos 7. Betting info 8. "There's ___ in team, but there is an M and an E!" 9. Use an iron 10. Desert dangers 11. Skin-soothing succulent 12. What’s often breaking?

13. Leave 21. Got shown 23. Day, in Spanish 26. "Let ____" 28. Data 30. "The joke's _____" 31. Tried to fit into a small space, maybe 32. Undamaged 33. QB Brady 35. Relating to 28-down, usually 38. Cost of living fig.

39. [It's gone!]

40. Boxing match segment 45. Major, in German 46. Past the cutoff age 48. What's Grand in Michigan?

51. Boat trails 53. Tow 54. Use a U-Haul, perhaps 55. Thing on a list

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

56. Parks who sued OutKast over the use of her name 57. When tripled, a movie about Pearl Harbor 60. Brazil city, for short