The Miscellany News
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866
Calls for divestment mount on one year anniversary of Oct. 7
Allison Lowe, Sarah McNeil News Editors
In a memo sent to the Vassar community on Oct. 10, President of the College Elizabeth Bradley updated the campus on the status of the agreements that were negotiated between students and administration last spring, which led to the disassembly of Vassar’s Gaza solidarity encampment. These agreements included a statement that the Vassar College Board of Trustees would vote on an endowment divestment proposal from weapons and surveillance companies during their October 2024 meeting, among several other initiatives. This email followed the start of Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine (VSJP)’s Week of Rage, which was organized in conjunction with a call to action by the national chapter of SJP. Across the country, the Week of Rage placed pressure on institutions to divest from military technology and weapons manufacturers.
This past spring, VSJP organized an encampment on Library Lawn, in solidarity with Gaza and in demand for Vassar’s divestment. Vassar’s encampment corresponded with demonstrations on nearly 150 campuses across the country. It lasted from April 30 to May 4, when an agreement was signed by student representatives and the Office of the President. One of the key points of the agreement was the promise that President Bradley would support students in present-
ing a divestment proposal to be reviewed by Campus Investor Responsibility Committee (CIRC) and Trustee Investor Responsibility Committee (TIRC), after which it would be reviewed by the Board of Trustees in October. The calls for divestment central to the Week of Rage were therefore marked by a particular sense of urgency, as it now appeared likely that the divestment proposal would not be reviewed during the Board’s meeting scheduled for later that month.
In email correspondence with The Miscellany News, Marianne Bergmann, Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources and Associate Professor of Chemistry, explained this delay, writing, “After TIRC reviews and considers, they may make a recommendation to the full Board, which would likely vote after discussion. As CIRC forwarded the proposal to TIRC in mid September, TIRC will need time to review and consider. Thus, it is most likely they will make a recommendation to the full Board in February, at the next Board meeting. The board meets only three times a year—Oct, Feb, and May.”
President Bradley acknowledged the frustration that had emerged from this delay, writing in an email to the community, “I am aware this process has taken longer than some desired; however, the time reflects the importance of a deliberate process, which follows the Governance, and reflects engagement of differing voices coming to agreement.” VSJP, however, expressed how
the multi-step process has made the goals of the agreement increasingly difficult to achieve, writing in an email to The Miscellany News, “The bureaucracy that prevents the proposal’s agreed upon timeline is an administrative tool used to petrify any movement toward divestment.”
VSJP further emphasized the urgent nature of divestment: “These manufacturers are directly responsible for the suffering of millions, including the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and victims of the military industrial complex. By passing the proposal, we will ensure that Vassar does not fund or profit from militaristic violence.”
In a Sept. 22 statement posted to their Instagram, VSJP stated, “The people of Gaza cannot afford any delays in the process of divestment, nor can Vassar justify its continued blatant disregard for the suffering in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, and all other victims of the military industrial complex.”
President Bradley’s email came three days after the anniversary of the Hamasled attack on Israel, where more than 1,200 victims were killed and taken hostage. Shortly after this attack, Israel declared war on Hamas. The subsequent ground invasion and air strikes have killed over 40,000 Palestinians, including a large number of women and children. College administration and various student organizations planned multiple events and demonstrations throughout the week of Oct. 7, aimed at honoring the lives lost in Israel, Palestine
and Lebanon.
Vassar Against Antisemitism (VAA)—a new organization which has described itself as a group of students, faculty, alumni and allies centered around supporting activism that avoids antisemitism and dehumanization—organized a memorial exhibit to recognize the lives lost at the Nova Music Festival in Israel. In a written statement to The Miscellany News, VAA wrote, “On October 7th 2023, we witnessed the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 1,200 people were slaughtered, and while the victims were largely Jewish and Israeli, a wide range of nationalities and religions were counted among the dead. 251 people were taken hostage, 101 of which are still held captive in the Gaza Strip. Monday, October 7, 2024 marks the one year anniversary of this horrific attack. Vassar Against Antisemitism seeked to unite in community on October 7, 2024 to mourn and commemorate the lives lost and pray for the return of the remaining hostages.”
The exhibition was open on Library Lawn from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday. Signs encouraged passersby to walk through the exhibit, where pictures and information on the victims created a path across the lawn. Students and faculty tabled throughout the exhibition, giving students space to discuss and process. In a written correspondence with The Miscellany News, VAA leadership explained, “This exhibit was structured to
Students prepare, register to vote Vegetarian ponders
Jacques Abou-Rizk Contributing Editor
For the first time in Vassar’s 163-year history, students will vote in a general election at the on-campus poll site, which was created in 2022 after a lawsuit brought the county to court over the violation of state law. As Nov. 5 approaches, students are utilizing the resources on campus to educate themselves and register to vote. This semester alone, more than 150 students registered to vote with their campus address, adding to the few hundred students that were previously registered, according to the Office of Community-Engaged Learning (OCEL).
Student activists, like those who are part of VassarVotes, have spent the last few weeks tabling in dorm buildings and at different events on campus in an effort to bring resources to as many students as possible. VassarVotes is a nonpartisan commitment by the OCEL to empower Vassar students in the democratic process, according to a written statement from Associate Director of OCEL Jean Hinkley.
Calder Beasley ’26, a Dorm Voting Advisor (DVA) for VassarVotes, wrote in an email correspondence, “We answer any questions related to voting, help students register and assist in absentee ballot requests and returns.” Because Vassar students are able to vote as either a New York resident or a resident
of their home state, Beasley emphasized the importance of Vassar students knowing their options.
He added, “As a college student, you have the right to choose to vote with your home or campus address. You can register online for most states, but to vote on campus, you should fill out a paper registration form. Check registration deadlines specific to your state.” Beasley added that the New York state registration deadline is Oct. 26. VassarVotes made available a guide with all dates, deadlines and ballot tracking information.
DVAs not only engage voters but ensure students are aware of their voting rights and understand important issues. Hinkley said, “Our mission is to ensure that every Vassar student has the resources and knowledge to actively participate in civic life.”
For students registered with their campus address, in the sixth Ward, second and third election districts of the Town of Poughkeepsie, the importance of having a new polling site cannot be understated. Hinkley added, “Students and community members in these election districts vote at the Aula. Previously, there were multiple polling places for campus voters. Having one central and accessible location supports campus voter access.”
“I imagine having the polling place on campus causes less planning and time involved in transportation to and from the polling site,”
Oliver Stewart alerts student body of new pop quiz recounting the 2024 October Break.
Caris Lee Features Editor
It has been a year since I became a vegetarian, and when family or friends ask why, my response often seems too nonchalant or indifferent for my liking. Simply stating that it is because I care for animal rights seems to be half-hearted—one can be a meat-eater and still care for animals, after all. And though I do not have quasi-mystical reason like in Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” where the protagonist suddenly converts to vegetarianism because of a dream, there are justifications for vegetarianism that resound across society—or at least should. Prominent among these justifications is Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach in her work “Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility.”
Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach relies on a basic theory of injustice. Beings (human and non-human) are striving for significance through meaningful activities like movement, communication and social bonding. Injustice is when this striving is blocked or interfered wrongfully, by malice or neglect, say. This notion of significant striving means that animals have sentience—a subjective view on the world, not just an automatic gravitation to pleasures and the avoidance of harms but rather the perceptual awareness and emotional understanding that imbues this striving with personal meaning. For example, Cni-
philosophy
darians (corals, jellyfish, sea anemones) and Porifera (sponges) do not exhibit sentience. So, when animals are wrongfully thwarted in their striving for a flourishing life, injustice occurs. Importantly, this thwarting is not merely harm. An illness, storm, or competing with another animal for food can negatively affect an animal’s life, but we would not consider that an injustice—this is more of an impediment. Rather, this thwarting needs to have some sense of wrongdoing either as a deliberate or negligent act. Human life is everywhere, from habitat invasion to the invention of factory farming—the pervasiveness of human power means that humans have a responsibility to treat these domains ethically and with care. Nussbaum argues that humans are all collectively responsible for supporting the life-activities with those creatures with whom we share the planet by stopping our wrongful interference so that all sentient creatures have a chance at striving for a flourishing life.
Some utilitarians like Jeremy Bentham will say that killing an animal can be humane if done painlessly and morally acceptable if for some useful human purpose that is not sadistic or for pure amusement. However, as R.M. Hare and Peter Singer will respond, most meat-eating today is grounded in pain-inflicting practices like factory farming and slaughterhouses. Factory farming is grossly inhu-
As Vassar’s fall teams reach the end of their seasons, Henry France recaps their performances.
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The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed.
The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. Staff editorials are the only articles that reflect the opinion of a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.
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Campus memorials mark anniversary of Oct. 7
Continued from Oct. 7 on page 1
allow for individual mourning, honoring those lost and still held captive.” They continued, “There were yahrzeit candles and other prayer items on site for those who wished to use them. A student greeter was there to assist people as they entered the memorial. At 5 p.m., a prayer service and rally mourning the lives lost and calling for hope and coexistence took place on the lawn near the exhibit, co-led by students, faculty, and clergy.” VAA reported there had been an estimated 120 attendees.
VAA further described the reaction from students and faculty, writing, “Students have responded with unequivocal support and shared how meaningful and special it was to be able to share humanity and sorrow together, while focusing on light and hope despite the difficult and painful situation on the ground at this current time.” They added, “We hope the Vassar community will continue to support coexistence, peace and dialogue, without the need to dehumanize or cause harm to any community on this campus.”
The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices (RSLCP) also recognized the Oct. 7 anniversary, holding a support space in Pratt House that afternoon. Staff from RSLCP, Counseling Services and Restorative Practices for Engaged Pluralism were all available for those looking to process their thoughts. Additionally, the support space offered attendees art materials, journaling prompts, narratives from peace activists and spaces for quiet contemplation. Various administrators and religious officials on campus emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the multiple ways that community members might need to grieve and process their emotions. In an Instagram post addressed to the Vassar community, Rabbi Bryan Mann, the Rach-
lin Director of Jewish Student Life and Associate Director of RSLCP, wrote, “You may need to focus on one aspect of your prayers, hopes, and grief related to October 7th and that is okay. You may have the capacity to hold it all. You may need to completely dissociate and ignore the day entirely. There is no one correct way to mark October 7th.”
VSJP marked the start of the Week of Rage in a statement posted to their Instagram, writing, “October 7th marks one year since the Al-Aqsa flood, after which israel began its genocidal campaign in Gaza. This is a continuation of seventy-six years of occupation, apartheid, and colonial violence.”
The statement continued, “In our walkout last October, we reported the estimated death toll to be over 10,000 and today the official death toll of 41,000 does not even account for those bodies under rubble and indirect deaths from devastated health, food, and other public infrastructure. Some studies estimate a death toll of 186,000 people. While israeli operations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon escalate, the United States government sends billions of dollars in military aid, and American academic institutions refuse to divest from the military industrial complex.”
The first event held on Sunday Oct. 6 was a teach-in organized in conjunction with the Working Student Coalition (WSC). The teach-in discussed the history of labor activism in support of Palestine before the featured speaker Larry Goldbetter, the president of the National Writers Union (NWU), a sister organization to Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, joined via Zoom. Goldbetter presented on unions that protest in support of Palestine and spoke of NWU’s work protecting journalists on the ground in Gaza, Palestine and the U.S. VSJP organized a student walkout and march on Monday Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. on the
CDF Quad. Roughly one hundred students met on the Quad where VSJP displayed Palestinian flags and handed out signs calling for a ceasefire now, divestment from the military industrial complex and for the liberation of Palestine. Marshalls handed out masks and bottles of water to attendees as well as handouts including the Walkout Guidelines and the chant list. Students marched from the CDF Quad to Noyes Circle with numerous community members joining the march as it moved through campus. Several passersby held fists in solidarity as students chanted, “Free, Free Palestine!”, “Disclose! Divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!”, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “We will honor all our martyrs, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.”
In the evening of Oct. 7, The Vassar Muslim Student Association (VMSA) and VSJP held a vigil and Janazah in absentee that was open to campus members of all religious backgrounds on Chapel Lawn.They stated in a written correspondence: “The Janazah in absentee, which is the funeral prayer for Muslims, and the vigil, open to all backgrounds and faiths, was held to grieve for the martyrs in Palestine and other conflict zones.” The statement continued: “The use of the word ‘martyr’ for Muslims includes those who have died in battle, under oppression, in worship, from disease and childbirth, etc. All of these apply to those killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Sudan, Afghanistan and in every other place there is continuous violence.”
VMSA requested The Miscellany News not report further on this event due to safety concerns for attendees.
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, VSJP hosted a die-in on the President’s Lawn, where students laid on the ground while each displaying the name, face and biographical informa-
tion of an individual Palestinian healthcare worker killed during the war. VSJP wrote of this event, “No business as usual during a genocide. We demand an end to Vassar’s silence and complicity!”
On Oct. 9 and 10, VSJP created a memorial installation on Library Lawn to commemorate the Palestinians killed since the war’s start. Palestinian flags were placed across the Lawn, along with signs calling for an October divestment vote. In a statement posted to their Instagram, VSJP wrote, “We have 200 flags representing 210 martyrs for the 42,000+ killed by israel’s genocidal siege…We implore all who visit this space to keep in mind that while the flags tally the numbers, we must remember to think of the individual Palestinians the numbers represent.” The final event of the week was a film screening followed by a discussion of the documentary. VSJP shared, “Finally, on Thursday, October 10th, VSJP held a discussion of the recently published Al Jazeera Documentary which details the investigation into war crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza since October 7th.”
In correspondence with The Miscellany News, VSJP wrote of the campus’ response to the Week of Rage, stating, “The response on the part of students has been very supportive, which is reflective of the demographic popularity of our movement among young people across the political spectrum.”
As the October Board of Trustees meeting approaches and Israel’s war on Gaza enters its second year, the Vassar community has continued to grapple with the various challenges posed by this conflict. It remains to be seen whether VSJP’s divestment proposal will be discussed during the upcoming October Board meeting, or if it will be pushed until February.
Vassar orgs encourage voting participation in local elections
Hinkley added. “For example, in 2020, VassarVotes worked with Safety and Security to offer shuttles and to the polling locations off campus.”
Associate Professor of Political Science Taneisha Means, one of the plaintiffs in the 2022 poll site lawsuit, sought a hopeful outlook on student political engagement in the future.“This is partly the result of the polling site on campus, but I would argue the culture around campus is helping too.” She continuedd, “Numerous student-led and institution-led efforts are mobilizing students to register and vote, such as VassarVotes.”
The League of Women Voters of the Mid-Hudson Region first filed the lawsuit with help from local activists and lawyers representing Means and Magdalena Sharff ’26 as plaintiffs. The lawsuit alleged that the Dutchess County Board of Elections, specifically Republican Election Commissioner Erik Haight and Democratic Election Commissioner Hannah Black, failed to abide by New York Election Law § 4-104, which mandates the selection of a designated poll site on all college campuses housing more than 300 registered voters. As of 2022, Vassar had more than 1,100 registered voters, according to The Poughkeepsie Journal.
College-age students, being the newest members of the U.S. electorate and with higher levels of education, are more likely to participate in politics than those with lower levels of education, according to Means. “These facts, taken together, shed light on why college-age students are targeted politically,” she
said.
Means continued, “As a House Fellow who resides in Lathrop House and votes locally, I knew a polling site on campus would make voting more accessible for me and other voting-age family members, making it much more likely and easier for us to vote. And as a political scientist and active community member, I understand the importance of working together to increase access to the ballot box for the Vassar and its contiguous community and encourage broad political engagement and participation.”
The fight for the poll site on campus, according to Means, is reflective of the frustrating and messy local political systems. She said, “Still, despite how frustrating and messy they can be, I believe there is an increasing awareness of the power of participating in politics. If we pay close attention to voter disenfranchisement, it becomes easier to understand the power of voting.
There would be no opposition if Vassar students’ voices and political engagement weren’t politically influential.”
Beasley wrote that it is important to research all elections—at national, state and local levels—as well as any amendments on your ballot, to make sure you are fully prepared to vote. He explained, “It’s important to make your voice heard, and voting is one of the easiest ways to do so. We fought for a polling location on campus, so let’s make sure we use it!”
Hinkley added that DVAs will be leading an event “Voting Together” the morning of Election Day, as well as “Bagels and Ballots,”
with more details to be released on their Instagram.
“Thanks to the Dorm Voting Advisors, VassarVotes is able to support voter engagement and outreach efforts. The DVAs build capacity for VassarVotes to be able to engage in efforts like tabling, classroom visits, 1:1 voter support, voter communications, and more,” she wrote.
VassarVotes is not the only organization on campus providing students with resources this election cycle. Hinkley added, “This semester, campus collaborations also expanded VassarVotes capacity for voter engagement.
The ALANA Center supported us in hosting a voter registration support station in their community room.”
Additionally, Restorative Practices in Residential Living Team is facilitating election circles in residential houses for all students from Oct. 30 through Nov. 8.
Since the establishment of a poll site on campus, Means and Hinkley have both noticed a bigger focus on local voting. Means said, “Students are generally curious about becoming involved and engaged in the local area. Voting provides one precise, convenient, and impactful way.”
Continued from Voting on page 1
Image courtesy of Berk Meral ’28.
‘Megalopolis’ is definitely a movie
Benjamin Kaplan Columnist
Have you ever seen an old man rant for a really long and awkward amount of time about something? And while it is occasionally interesting and you get the greater picture, the steps to get there are loosely strung together at best? That is Francis Ford Coppola and his dementia’s new film “Megalopolis” in a nutshell. It is a movie where the most bizarre happenings will occur alongside some of the most cliché tropes, and it is a complete dedication to itself at a time when many films are taking themselves less seriously. At my 10:30 p.m. showing of the film, where I was stuck in between my date who was falling in-and-out of sleep and a couple feeling each other up, I was mesmerized with just how unexpected everything in this film felt. I left the theater wondering whether or not that was a good thing.
“Megalopolis” largely follows Cesar Catalina, an over-the-top character played expressively by Adam Driver, and his quest to reshape an alternate universe version of New York City named New Rome. Right off the bat, the setting is fantastic and inspired, though sometimes underutilized. The attention to detail in the first half of the film and the mix of Art Deco and classic Greco-Roman architecture breathes life into the story. This reaches a peak halfway through at a Madison Square Garden that is both familiar to our own but also a lavish Roman stadium with horses and gladiators. After this scene, the entire film loses this great
scenery and basically just becomes real-life NYC, which was a let down.
Cesar’s main rival is Mayor Franklyn Cicero, played quite straight as a calculated man by Giancarlo Esposito. Cicero’s daughter Julia, played passionately but not quite well by Nathalie Emmanuel, falls in love with and becomes an assistant to Cesar after he famously tells her “to go back to the cluuubbb.” To quickly touch on that elephant in the Megalon-built room, the dialogue in this film is unique. In some scenes, the frank deliveries and expressive emotions laid into the script lead to great, surreal experiences. Other times, it feels like you are watching an over-produced porno. The other important characters who really exemplify this dichotomy are Aubrey Plaza as the TV personality Wow Platinum (I am not kidding), Jon Voight as the incredibly rich and horny Hamilton Crassus and Shia LaBeouf as the party boy turned horny fascist street thug Clodio Pulcher. These characters interact in a slew of side bits that never amount to much.
The first half of “Megalopolis” is fairly enjoyable and well put together, despite being filled with some very wacky and often unexplained concepts. The basic elements of the plot are laid out, interesting scenes take place and Driver sells Cesar as an enigmatic character not too dissimilar from Al Pacino’s Micheal Corleone in Coppola’s famous “Godfather” films. But what those films have that “Megalopolis” lacks an ability to take those elements and extend them into a satisfying build up and execution of a final
act. What we get in “Megalopolis” is equivalent to a bunch of pretty good Lego blocks being smashed against each other until the movie ends in such a comedically corny fashion that the entire theater I was in legitimately thought it was satire.
This is not even touching on the annoying messages throughout the movie that come off as both preachy and dumb to the audience. Cesar is presented as some genius, tragic artist sigma male who repeatedly does wrong, yet every character and element of the plot rewards him. It becomes exhausting by the end of the movie to see how much Coppola wants you to know that Cesar’s genius vision to build some weird CGI city justifies all the horrible things that Coppola has him do; it is terrible! The only good reasoning I have thought of is that Coppola skimmed the Power Broker and thought Robert Moses was the good guy. Like so many elements in Megalopolis, this messaging has some legs in the first half but completely falls apart in the second’s mad dash towards a happy conclusion. The monologues from Driver about hope and love are effective in the moment but remain utterly meaningless.
On one hand, it is incredible to see a mastermind director attempt a passion project to really say something about the inner-workings of our modern society, how a city works on many levels and what a city can be. On the other hand, this movie is a mess, and if you want that deeper project that strays from the path in the last few years, just watch Martin Scorcese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” or Denis Villevenue’s “Dune” films. But if memorability was the goal, Coppola delivered. The 12-year-old assassin, the fake virgin debacle and the extended Driver drug trip are just a few of the insane things the film plays off seriously. I instantly knew this film would be full of head-scratchers when, just a few moments into the movie, Cesar turns to the camera and, out of all things he could possibly do, flashes a copy of Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha in the middle of a conversation. It is almost like Coppola wanted you, the audience, to know he spent decades and millions of dollars to do whatever he wanted on the big screen again. This is a confusing and often adventurous movie that should not be watched earnestly. The ambitious ideas and the obvious loose threads throughout the film show that this was a film born out of both passion and the probably worsening dementia of Francis Ford Coppola. The place this movie takes in the modern landscape is far more interesting than a lot of what happens in the film, as it really makes the case that people want something new. General audiences are done with recycling. They want exciting new ideas that really turn your head—just look at the successes of out-there projects like “Saltburn” or “The Substance.” It may just be possible with “Megalopolis” that fascinating new ideas and scenery can not sell an entire film. At its best, this movie is an enrapturing story that feels like it has something to really say to the audience. It is unfortunate that at its worst, the audience realizes it is not really saying much at all.
Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.
Vegetarian weighs in on collective responsibility to animals
mane—animals bred, confined and mutilated in industrial production facilities with little concern for their well-being. Animals here are denied any chance at this Nussbaumian notion of striving for a flourishing life—they cannot freely move, enjoy fresh air, or have the autonomy to live as active, sentient animals. They are treated simply as products to gain a profit from, exhibiting the sheer instrumental use of another sentient being. Zoe Giles ’25 became a vegetarian in the 6th grade after learning about the horrors of a slaughterhouse. She stated, “Now I don’t even like meat. I can’t get over the concept of eating meat.” The ethical horrors are additionally underscored by the greenhouse gas emissions produced by factory farms.
However, shifting to an animal-free diet is not feasible for everyone. Some require the nutrients from meat for their health. Nussbaum herself eats fish, and though she has an interesting justification on why fish are not considered sentient beings, she more prominently states that the problem with eating meat is when we use the animal as a
mere means and do not respect their dignity. Acknowledging that the world is represented to animals in a certain way and that animals move about the world and strive for meaning and significance is something we ought to recognize. Humane farming is one step forward in this respect. Importantly, animal-free diets also come with their own class and economic considerations. Products from humane farming or meat alternatives can be more costly. It is easy to say that ought entails can, however the reality of the financial burdens of a vegetarian diet is one that should not be ignored and is a reflection not on the individual but of our structural problems with society. As Ellie Sheik ’25 commented, “I don’t think we have to cut out meat, I just think eating less of it is healthier for us and healthier for the planet.”
Like Sheik, I do not wish nor do I think it fathomable for everyone to become a vegetarian. For myself, I have come to learn that simply stating “animal rights”—a culmination of Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach and the brutalities of factory farming—for the reason that I am a vegetarian seems only to be part of it. Perhaps here is the other: The
diverse world of non-human beings is one that evokes a child-like wonder not inwardly self-attached but outwardly directed. That is, to see another animal moving about the world in their own way and sense of meaning takes me out of my own worries. And this sense of wonder is ethically attuned. My attention is rapt in something other than myself, and I garner a sense of respect and understanding for animals whose perception and sense of
significance I may not understand—surely, I do not need to understand and pathologically anthropomorphize an animal’s form of life in order to have compassion for them. Franz Kafka, a vegetarian, stated when looking at a fish in an aquarium, “Now at last I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you anymore.” Kafka’s comment is silly and a bit sardonic in its own right, but perhaps revealing in something at its core for vegetarians too.
Fall Break: City slicker explores southern Vermont
Jesse Koblin Senior Editor
Feeling invigorated by ruddy autumnal leaves, crisp air and the seasonal spirit of transition, I ventured to rural Vermont during October Break with my friend Nate Dexter ’26 for a week-long journey walking between small towns in the south of the state. My foray into New England was an uncharacteristic expression of adventure for me—having hardly left the Tri-state area in two decades as a New Yorker, I have been apprehensive about the remote northern reaches of our country (actually, about anywhere above the Catskills). Contemplating trips to Rhode Island and Maine led to moments of startling home-bodiedness, often changing my travel itinerary to a jaunt to the Jersey Shore. My comfort zone has always been close to the vital rhythm of New York City’s liveliness, the plurality of identities its residents hold and the ubiquity of places to get overpriced cappuccinos. The American northeast—generally a space with vast stretches of unremitting nature— is antithetical to the world I have known. However, two weeks ago, I gathered my courage and determined to bravely strike into the rural vastness of southern Vermont. My objective was to survey the multicolored foliage on foot, crest many a rolling hill and enjoy some bucolic cattle-grazing scenes on the roadside. Each evening, we would lodge at increasingly quaint bed and breakfast inns, and each day, we would hike a loop from Chester up to Ludlow and back to Chester once again. In six days, we would clear approximately 80 alpine miles of brisk mountain air and fronds crinkling on northerly gusts.
We began the trip by driving to Vermont from Poughkeepsie through the expanse of upstate New York, listening to ’70s soft rock hits and talking excitedly about eating home-cooked breakfasts at cozy inns. I rode shotgun, owing to my NYC-native inability to drive. Biding our time driving through the countryside on Route 279, we eventually passed through a highway-side copse known as Hoosick and then into Arlington, Vermont. Immediately, it seemed as though I was immersed in an alien world, scenic and strange compared to what I had known in the Hudson Valley. I was overwhelmed
by the sprawling mountain ranges of Green Mountain National Forest, which conceal Bennington College’s inconspicuous campus, and excited as we took the steady curve of a parclo exchange and rattled off the freeway, descending into the tiny town of Chester. Home to a population just above 3,000, Chester is essentially comprised of one street lined with kitschy gift shops, storefronts purveying confections and cutesy ranches, namely the cloyingly adorable Buttonwood Farm replete with idyllic stable horses meandering through verdant pasture. Chester, a mythologized cross-section of small-town Vermont life, was fitting as both the inception and terminus of our walking tour. We checked into the imposing Fullerton Inn, plunked our backpacks down in a drafty and dated but quaint second-floor room, went to the nearby pub for sustenance and conked out.
After waking the next morning, grabbing breakfast and setting off on our first day of walking, I felt my truest expectations for a New England trek realized. We embarked through the Arcadian Lover’s Lane Road, a stretch of sharp inclines dotted with leafy explosions of yellow and red that slope down to the sleepy town of Andover (population: 568). The walk was genuinely breathtaking, taking us through dense rows of beautifully faded greenery and winding through shaded hilltops and sun-soaked clearings of pastureland. Eventually, we arrived at the Inn Between and Which Ways, an adorable Gothic inn nestled halfway between Chester and neighboring Londonderry. Recognizing our feet hurt from walking all day, the inn owners, Brigitte and Jason, lent us electric bikes to ride out for dinner. Seizing the opportunity, we briskly carved swathes across backroads powered by motor bicycles and descended from a stunning mountaintop vista into Weston, a quintessentially patriotic small town. Beautiful sterling white Colonial architecture and an adorable storefront purveying fudge and cider give the town its character, completed by a village green with Civil War cenotaphs and bunted U.S. flags that adorn an adorable central gazebo. We lazed in Weston, ate fudge, enjoyed the genuine beauty of the small town and then rode to neighboring Londonderry before returning our electric bikes to the Inn Between. Innkeeper Brigitte
made maple popcorn, and we played Trivial Pursuit: Totally 80s in the ancient refurbished inn’s living room, originally erected in 1826 as a stagecoach holding.
The rest of our time walking across Vermont passed swiftly, spent trudging up imposing mountain ways, passing through small farms and country stretches, reading roadside plaques about Finnish immigration to Vermont, running from wild farm dogs patrolling the roads, traversing byways and passing small ranches. We ventured to the small town of Ludlow, nestled in a valley with Okemo Mountain towering overhead, where I feasted at The Killarney pub and sampled hard ciders (there is a reason why Citizen is the most prolific Vermont cider; it is simply the best). We moved on to tiny Tyson, a hamlet seated on the banks of stunning Echo Lake (which surprisingly does not echo). From Tyson, we trekked across the long-disused Old Notch Road, an old carriage road overgrown with brush and felled trunks winding through a gorge. Our journey across Old Notch spit us out at the crest of a tiny mountain to the town of Plymouth Notch, the home of 30th U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. The entire town is a historic site, home to the estates of the Coolidge and Wilder families preserved in their stately 20th-century Colonial styles. We got a fine brie named Ballyhoo from Plymouth Cheese Company (founded by Calvin’s father, John) and then jaunted to Calvin’s gravesite, an inconspicuous series of gravestones where Cal rests along with his son, wife and father.
Coolidge became a patron saint and lodestar for us on this trip. Known for his laconic demeanor, which spawned his nickname ‘Silent Cal,’ he was, from all we have learned, a bit of a dork: always sporting a nerdy bowler cap and cane, a little ungainly and awkward, staunchly Puritanical and committed to small-government laissez-faire politics. Balancing the stoic countenance of a politician with daily pancake breakfasts, Coolidge was thrust into the highest office of government after Warren G. Harding’s death, forced to ascend to new heights as he took his oath in his Plymouth Notch homestead during the early hours of the morning on Aug. 3, 1923. In a sense, I felt like him; thrust into a new experience entirely unlike my own, although I could
not possibly be taciturn or laconic given the moment-to-moment breathtaking vistas we were stumbling upon. The day after we visited Plymouth Notch, on the way from Tyson to neighboring Proctorsville, we sauntered through South Reading and saw simply the most breathtaking view of the Green Mountains on a shady forest lane. A black cow, grazing on a mountainside pasture set against the alpine vista, mooed absently at us and tipped its head back down to tear free a mouthful of grass. I could not help but laugh with delight at the sheer strangeness of the scene compared to my usual setting in the city: cooing pigeons on guano-spackled pavement and waterbugs skittering over porcelain.
After a final night in Proctorsville’s adorable Golden Stage Inn, a bed-and-breakfast tied into an apiary and goat farm, we returned to Chester. The walk back was frosty and bittersweet. Over our time here, the chill had set in, and winter gales had blown free all the peak foliage from the trees overhead; many times while walking, winds would wend across trees and shake from them their plumes of autumn color. The seasons shifted during our time here, and we journeyed back through the final few miles of walking, 10 degrees colder than when we initially arrived. We had a final coffee on the Chester Common, soaked in the vibes of our last moments in smalltown Vermont, and set off back to New York State.
I arrived at Poughkeepsie Train Station with a ticket to Grand Central in hand and a fundamental whiplash that shifted my perception. After six days in gurgling creeks and the gently whimpering winds of a New England wilderness, returning to the Empire State was overwhelming. The modernity, commotion and crowds of people on Lexington Avenue felt comparatively strange, and helped me understand just what wondrous things I had avoided outside the city for so long. Though happy to be back home, I am excited to return to a place I never thought I would find so intriguing, formative or instructive. Between the seemingly opposed chaotic urbanity of New York City and the quiet rurality of Vermont, there are areas of parity: their expansiveness, meditative nature and plurality of beauties to behold.
Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.
Brewer is reminded of Baudrillard at Austin City Limits
Yaksha Gummadapu Features Editor
Everything is bigger in Texas, even the music festivals. I kicked off my annual Fall Break trip to visit my family in Houston a little differently this year. I took a three-day detour to attend weekend two of the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival with my friend, Catherine Phillips ’26. Decked out in cowboy boots and outfits that will give my mother a scare, we tapped our little wristbands and walked wide-eyed and bushy-tailed into Zilker Park, the home of ACL for the last 50 years. Immediately we were suffocated by the heat and dust as we began to get the lay of the land. But then, in the far distance, I could hear The Maria’s. All was forgotten. Fuelled by ice cream for lunch and dinner, we sang till we lost our voices and danced till we earned some gnarly blisters. At the end of night three, after we showered a desert’s worth of dust down the drain and tried to rehydrate before we packed up, Catherine looked over at me and said “Tyler, the Creator’s set was unreal.” And she was right. I agreed that his set was the best performance I had ever seen. But looking back, I think something a lot more complex was at play. Of all the sets we had seen, including stellar ones by Chappell Roan, Chris Stapleton and Remi Wolf, Tyler, the Creator’s felt like we were in a different world.
I am not saying that just because we were dehydrated, developing smoker’s lungs from the air quality and adjusting to a sudden rise in temperature following our chilly week of midterms in Poughkeepsie. This reflection occurred after getting a good night’s sleep and filling my belly with steaming hot rice and
home-cooked chicken curry. After three days in the Lone Star State’s bustling city of Austin listening to live music and restraining myself from buying overpriced merchandise, I must pretentiously say that ACL made me think of Jean Baudrillard and his theory of hyperreality.
Before I explain my train of thought, let me preface this by saying this reflection is tied closely to the version of this abstract theory that I oversimplified for my comprehension so I could write papers for my Media Theory class. So in short, when you read this spiel on Baudrillard, know you are reading Yaksha’s understanding of his work, which is in no way a legitimate and qualified source. It is what I learned in the short amount of time I studied him. Feel free to read the “Simulacra” and derive your understanding of hyperreality. Here is mine and here is why it popped back into my brain months after a music festival.
In his book “Simulacra and Simulation,” Baudrillard proposes the idea that a simulation is when something attempts to be a copy of reality. But in our world, everything has been copied so many times over, that we have strayed so far from reality that we now exist in hyperreality. If I were to take a picture of an apple and present it to you as real, that would be a simulation. If I were to take the picture and repurpose it so many times over, like maybe editing it or photocopying it, it would not really even be tied to the apple. At most, it could be tied to the third or maybe fourth version of the picture of the apple. The end product that we now have, the over-photocopied apple, is a hyperreality, constructed based on prior media that roots it in media, not reality.
Hope that helped! Now why did I think about this after ACL?
Like most 20-year-olds, I have artists that I love and I have social media accounts. Whether it is the all-knowing “algorithm” or just having mainstream music taste, my feed is filled with content regarding the artists I love. And I do not mean just TikTok edits, memes and articles. I am suggested clips of their live performances, even if it is just them saying something controversial or funny. This led me to become an avid watcher of recorded live performances. I have watched grainy clips of Queen at Wembley Stadium and Fleetwood Mac on their iconic 1997 “The Dance” tour more times than I can count. And while your experience with watching recorded performances may not be as obsessive as mine (I watched RAYE’s whole Oscar performance four times in the airport with my phone on 10%), I am sure you have similarly seen clips of musicians, either your favorites or just very popular ones, performing on your social media accounts. You have a certain idea of how they perform.
Going into Tyler’s set, I had watched so many videos of him, I knew what his set design was going to look like, that he would lovingly berate the crowd and that he would roll his eyes back till we could only see the whites before rapping some of his most difficult to perform lyrics. I was seeing Tyler, the Creator live for the first time, and I was already well versed in what his artistry is like live. Standing in that crowd, I saw a copy of many productions of Tyler’s performances from before. And that has to do with his unique style and genius, but it also does have to do with how much of it I had already seen and he had
already performed. Watching his live performances in my dorm room while putting away my laundry was a simulation of seeing him live. Seeing him live after years of watching and hearing him recorded, live, and otherwise felt like hyperreality. Not to mention all the edits, remixes and even AI imitations of his work I have consumed.
This may sound like an insult, as though I thought this experience fell flat of my expectations. That is not the case at all! Witnessing Tyler perform, in a crowd of people shouting the lyrics back at him, and watching him dance and match our energy was a beautiful experience. It just made me think about how the advent of video recording has changed that beautiful experience. Baudrillard says that simulation, which itself is a copy of reality, in today’s world has become, “the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal.” He makes the case that the evolution of technology and how humans utilize it has done away with reality, creating untraceable simulations that form a hyperreality.
I cannot help but wonder if the relatively novel, highly accessible recordings of live performances have changed live music in general. After all of this exposure to recorded performances, can we still go to a concert and be sure that we are enjoying the reality of the art we love? Or is it the excitement that comes from already knowing Tyler is incredible that pushes me to go see him and feel satisfied with that achievement? Who knows. Maybe if Baudrillard could hear “SORRY NOT SORRY” live, he would take it all back. I bet he would pull out his phone and record a bit, just to live in the simulation a bit longer.
Exploring new worlds through NSF REUs
For many of us, autumn feels like the real start of a new year. New classes begin, cold weather clothes emerge and we begin to settle into routine. Accompanying this is the inevitable summer internship application cycle, which starts especially early for those in STEM fields. Ahead of the December rush, I want to highlight a program that has been the foundation of my past two summers.
Similar to Vassar’s Undergraduate Summer Research Institute (URSI), the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors intensive external research opportunities known as Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). These programs typically open for application from November through January, and applications are submitted on a rolling basis from December until March. Applying is similar to college; applicants complete a personal statement, provide recommenders and answer program-specific questions. As rigorous as the process is, landing one of the opportunities is exciting and makes it all worth it. Attending an REU site is a great way to meet other academics in the field, explore a potential graduate school and live in a new area!
Generally speaking, each site hosts a cohort of students that attend weekly activities together but complete their research in separate labs. Group activities include field-specific training, professional development workshops and faculty and graduate student lunches or talks. Recreational activities are also offered, such as movie nights or off-site excursions to explore the area. Outside of cohort responsibilities, student researchers typically work the standard 9 to 5, though
flexibility is offered based on the program and lab. At the end of the summer, the research is presented in a symposium to peers and faculty across the program, department and university.
To start, interested students can visit the NSF Education and Training Application (ETAP) portal and filter the search by their level of education and field(s) of interest. Each site lists the name of the school or site affiliate and information about the projects and mentors.
During summer 2023, I attended an NSF REU site at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPRRP). As a relatively amateur computer science major at the time, I was fortunate enough to be accepted to a site specializing in quantitative biology. My cohort was housed in suite-style apartments across the street from campus. Prior to departure to the site, our program mentor connected us via email, which sparked a WhatsApp chat where we discussed packing essentials, arrival plans and our hopes for the summer.
Unique to this site was the opportunity to develop relationships across five programs— our summer undergraduate program, two multi-year academic programs and two postbaccalaureate programs. Many of us—especially those in the same labs—became fast friends, planning grocery trips, nights out and a long weekend on the eastern coast of the island well in advance.
Each week, members of the five programs attended a collective lunch with one of the faculty mentors and either a workshop or group activity. The mentors spoke to us about their journey into academia, their current research and how they eventually ended up at UPRRP. Additionally, included in the extra activities were a talk from a Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipient, a hackathon
and several movie nights throughout our time.
Outside of the group activities, I worked in the lab of Dr. Alfredo Ghezzi, where I was taught about the type of work the lab does as well as many of the ongoing projects before being assigned my own task—to create a standard method for monitoring fruit fly behavior in tolerance assay experiments. Given that the primary focus of the lab was on biological research, I was able to work on the machines in a separate computational lab which allowed me to meet new people and learn about open-source machine learning tools. I especially treasured this opportunity because the research was truly cross-disciplinary, and I was able to gain experience in tools in a field I would not have at Vassar.
After enjoying my time in Puerto Rico, I decided to reapply to REUs for Summer 2024. Fortunately, I was accepted to the program I was most excited about and braved my fears of living without an ocean beach, moving inland to attend an REU site at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I initially found the program during my 2023 application cycle during which many of the projects and mentors piqued my interest, especially because of their overarching theme—human-centered computing for social good. This year, I diligently monitored the application portal waiting for the opportunity to apply.
Once accepted, I excitedly emailed my mentor—Dr. Harmanpreet Kaur—to begin the onboarding process into the lab. Dr. Kaur sent me six initial papers to read to get a feel for the subfield and the work she conducts. At the start of the program, we met to discuss whether I wanted to join an ongoing project or brainstorm something of my own; I chose the latter. The final product was a mixed-methods within-subjects study about the correla-
tion between an individual’s level of agreeableness and conscientiousness, and their performance on an AI-assisted writing task. This program had a consistent schedule for cohort-wide workshops—Mondays were professional development seminars, Wednesdays were for faculty and graduate student research talks and Fridays were for graduate student led workshops that put the topic of the Monday seminar into practice.
Dr. Kaur is a part of the GroupLens lab, a conglomerate of five faculty members, and their students that share the same space and often collaborate. As an extrovert, I greatly enjoyed working at my desk in the lab alongside the graduate students. I was able to focus on my work when necessary, but still spin my chair around to ask questions about Minneapolis, graduate school, the workforce and beyond.
Overall, both of my REU experiences were incredibly fulfilling. I made new lifelong friends and core memories, met academics across multiple fields and lived in vastly different areas. I encourage anyone looking for a fun and meaningful summer experience to check out next year’s REU programs!
Maryam Bacchus Managing Editor
Maryam Bacchus/The Miscellany News.
Magazzino Italian Art enters new chapter
Makenna Monaghan News Editor
Justa 40-minute drive or three Metro-North stops from Poughkeepsie, sits the only American museum dedicated to post-war and contemporary Italian art. Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, a nonprofit museum and research center, serves to celebrate Italian artists and display their creative practices, from Arte Povera to the present. Just over a month ago, the museum released its new leadership team introducing its new Director Adam Sheffer ’90, Artistic Director Paola Mura, Chief Operating Officer Monica Eisner and Director of Education Nicola Lucchi.
These new appointments ring in a new phase of its development as it opened a second building on the campus, the Robert Olnick Pavilion, and continues to expand the museum’s exhibitions, programs, amenities and outreach. The museum itself was opened seven years ago by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, who both reside as Managing Trustees, with the main goal of presenting their collection of Arte Povera. They remarked in the Sep. 19th press release, “We are excited to name the leadership team that will Advance Magazzino in all areas from curatorial and education programs to community outreach and fundraising, as the museum continues to grow and evolve.”
I had a chance to visit Magazzino myself over the summer in between shifts at the local Poughkeepsie Trolley Barn Gallery and visit the permanent exhibition, “Arte Povera”, a comprehensive survey of 12 artists associated with the Arte Povera movement. The movement itself, which translates literally to “poor art” in English, gained popularity between the 1960s and 70s in major cities in Italy from Turin to Naples. A signature of the movement remains its exploration of materials used beyond traditional oil paints on canvas, such as everyday materials like rags and soil, aiming to challenge the values of the commercialized gallery system radically. On Magazzino’s website, it is described as a movement in which “The artists aimed to eradicate the boundaries between media as well as between nature and art under the mantra ‘Art is Life.’”
The exhibition features artists such as
Giovanni Anselmo, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Marisa Merz and Giuseppe Penone, among others. Through over 70 artworks ranging from mediums, the gallery unfolds the evolution of each artist and the movement as a whole in its expansive seven-room main gallery. Surrounding the sprawling somewhat marbled concrete floors stand crisp white gallery walls—illuminating the works that range from free-standing, mounted, and somewhat precariously placed or hanging about. It is hard not to be taken aback by the sheer amount of work and history that surrounds you as you stand in the light-flooded galleries.
I had the honor to speak to both the Director, Adam Sheffer, and the Creative Director, Paola Mura, about their new positions, past experiences and what the future holds for Magazzino Italian Art.
Sheffer and Mura both shared their main inspirations for pursuing a career in the arts; something which struck them both at quite a young age though in vastly different parts of the world—really symbolizing the mission of Magazzino: promoting Italian art while entering it into a conversation with American art. For Sheffer the museum was always a place of interest for him, “I was very lucky as a boy, I was raised in Boston, where we have a great museum. I was also kind of unlucky because I was a terrible athlete and never liked participating in team sports, so I cut a deal with my parents that if I agreed to play baseball or soccer, they would take me to the museum in the afternoon. It just seemed like the most worldly place I had ever experienced.” Through this deal he found comfort in understanding what art was about and its ability to extend perceptions about the world in which we find ourselves.
Mura, hailing from Sardinia, Italy had a more innate experience with art. “When did I become involved in arts? Well, since I was born, you know, because in it, maybe being Italian is different than being, I don’t know, from another country, we have very long history…So really I mean, most of the time you just live in art is invested in normal life, which is, how can you not? It surrounds you. And so that’s the start.” Being surrounded by the long history of public functional buildings, civil buildings and public art led her to a plethora of different studies with-
in art—trained as an architect, she holds a postgraduate degree in conversation and the management of contemporary art as well as a PhD in museum studies.
She brings these past skills and experiences to New York informing her commitment to Magazzino’s mission highlighting the stratification of Italian contemporary art. She continued, “I find an incredible, incredible depth in Italian contemporary art which is made now, but you can see that layers, okay, yeah, Italian arc. Layers, centuries, and millennia of what was past and now we constantly elaborate from our culture, since archeological times, because it is, I mean, there are sculptors and artists that find their meaning, and their poetic in something that happened 1000s years ago, and then Roman and then the humanism, their Renaissance, okay? And then over and over and over. And then all this is a background on which you can build new thoughts and new perspectives.”
Sheffer found his specific appeal in Italian art as a student here in 1986 taking a seminar with art historian Romy Golan on the exhibition on view at The Palazzo Grassi in Venice, “Futurismo e Futurismi.” Although unfamiliar with Italian art at the beginning of the seminar, Golan’s expertise was incredibly engaging as they traveled to different collections of Italian futurist works. Sheffer noted Vassar’s impact on his new position, “Vassar gave me some real first-hand handson opportunity to get engaged with the history of Italian art. And it was a very formative experience, a formative time in my life,
and it’s always stayed with me. So I felt very comfortable when I was asked to apply for this job, because, frankly, I knew what I was talking about.”
Prior to Sheffer’s appointment at Magazzino, he worked as an art dealer in New York City. He remarked that he hopes his skills from being a Manhattan-based art dealer, primarily his skills in dealing with budgets, management, raising money and generally just the ability to ask for things will be relevant to being a museum director and growing Magazzino. He is looking forward to bringing Italian postwar artists into conversation with Italian postwar artists and examining the shared experiences they have had and the impact of Italy on American artists who lived there postwar.
Looking to the near future, Paola Mura commented on an upcoming exhibition about Maria Lai, a female artist born in Sardinia. “She was born in 1919, and she has a very strong background and foundation in our traditional culture, and then starting from it, she developed her poetic and art, living in Rome, coming to the States, traveling, getting in touch with philosopher writers, other artists, and always maintaining this double characteristic of merging, interweaving together her local tradition and an international openness.”
Curated by Paola Mura, “Maira Lai. A Journey to America,” the first retrospective in the United States of one of the most important Italian artists of the 20th century, will open on November 15, 2024, and run until July 28, 2025.
Poet Ishion Hutchinson presents 2024 Bishop Lecture
On Oct. 3, the Vassar English department hosted Ishion Hutchinson, poet and W.E.B. DuBois Professor in the Humanities at Cornell University, to deliver the annual poetry reading honoring Vassar alumna and poet Elizabeth Bishop ’34. Hutchinson read from his poetry book, “School of Instructions,” which was published in late 2023. After a short introduction from Professor of English Amitava Kumar, Hutchinson began by providing background on the development of his book and its seven year writing process that started with a commission he created for the 2018 poetry collection, “Unwritten: Caribbean Poems after the First World War.” The collection was assembled to honor the untold stories of West Indian soldiers from the British-occupied Caribbean that served in the British Imperial army during World War I. Hutchinson’s contribution, “A sense of urgency,” navigated the dual timelines of a 1990s Jamaican schoolboy and a group of West Indian soldiers journeying through a wartime campaign
in the Middle East. During an intensive research process, Hutchinson visited the Imperial British Army archives and was able to find handwritten journals and photographs from the real-life soldiers he was writing about, which inspired his poem’s goal to amplify the humanity and language of its subjects. The archives also provided fertile grounds for Hutchinson to expand the story behind “A sense of urgency” to eventually become the single poem, split into six sections, that spans the length of “School of Instructions.”
Hutchinson’s central character, Godspeed, bears purposeful parallels to the author’s own experience growing up in Jamaica in the ’90s. Moments with Godspeed immerse the audience in day-to-day activities like attending school, avoiding an antagonistic principal, spending time with family and sitting in church, giving us a broader sense of context that reflects Hutchinson’s own process of realizing and learning about the colonial history of where he grew up. In the story of the soldiers, Hutchinson embodied a powerful sense of musicality and repetition as he sang their chants and the
sounds of their environment, allowing the audience to feel how their journey is just as real and grounded as Godspeed’s. Hutchinson also read from passages that transition between the different landscapes, describing the soldiers as they trudge through muddy and desolate stretches of land to Godspeed as he navigates the hallways and church pews of Jamaica. Mixed in are recurring motifs of cherry trees, angels and heaven, musical rhythm and mythological allusions, as well as historical facts about the real West Indian soldiers who fought for the British Army to emphasize the scale of their suffering and sacrifice.
While taking questions from the audience after his reading, Hutchinson revealed that the layout of the ancient Greek story, “Anabasis,” and its March of the Ten Thousand offered thematic parallels to the West Indian soldiers venturing across unknown territory of the Middle East and ultimately inspired the structure for “School of Instructions” he implemented later on in the writing process. As for the book’s title, Hutchinson took further inspiration from archival documents. He combined “school” and “in-
structions” to reference language used by those in power during British colonial rule to infantilize their subjects, especially in the context of military regiments.
Hutchinson also explained that his modern poetry, despite drawing themes from ancient stories, takes neither the form of prose nor a traditional epic. Hutchinson found its influences in Caribbean storytelling’s style of language would have been difficult to portray in any other format. As a result, and fitting for the evening’s event, Hutchinson said his work is made more meaningful when sounded out aloud, whether the reader is presenting for an audience-filled lecture hall or simply reading alone. Like the passed-down oral tradition of Caribbean storytelling Hutchinson found impactful to help inspire “School of Instructions,” his spoken words had a unique power, one which he argued could not be achieved by narrative prose. As a poet, he finds that the form requires greater risks and a certain “primordial experimentation” with language.
“Poetry,” said Hutchinson, “can stand as a monument that will outlast.”
Sydney Jones Guest Columnist
Image courtesy of Magazzino Italian Art.
From the desk of Nicholas Tillinghast
Steve Carrell returns to campus! He’s just here to hang this time. Breaking News
Academic calendar revisions: Fall Break and beyond
Josie Wenner Breakdancer
Many people have questioned why Vassar has a fall break. I’ve questioned why Vassar has a fall break. PB has questioned why Vassar has a fall break. With that and the two-week spring break, sometimes it seems like we’re never on campus. I say, why stop at fall and spring breaks? Let’s throw in a break for every random day of the year. Call this academic year a KitKat bar the way we’re breaking off a piece.
Pi Day and Ides of March Break
Pi Day is March 14, representing the first three significant digits (3.14) of the mathematical constant pi. The Ides of March, when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE, are March 15. I think we could bundle these two together and get a few days off out of it.
Help a Horse Day Break
National Help a Horse Day is April 26. That’s like right around Founder’s Day, so what if we just didn’t have any class at all for a few days so we could help as many horses as possible to atone for whatever sins we will surely commit on Founder’s Day.
Maria’s Birthday Break
My friend Maria’s birthday is March 25, so it would be great if we could all have a day or two off so we can have a big party.
Josie’s Birthday Break
My birthday is August 18, so we’re already not in school, but I just think everyone should know.
Break Break
This break could be any day of the year, but you’d have to utilize the time off by going out and smashing as much stuff as possible.
Jimmy Carter’s Birthday Break
Jimmy Carter turned 100 years old on October 1! I think we should get all future October 1s off, so we can properly celebrate this American hero.
National Sandwich Day Break
National Sandwich Day is November 3. We should get time off to snack on sandwiches to our hearts’ content.
Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving is an important family holiday for many people, and it’s crazy that we don’t get any time off for it. Last year, I had a midterm on Thanksgiving Day, and two classes that afternoon. It was nuts! I know that PB doesn’t believe in Thanksgiving because of her personal vendetta against tur-
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.
keys, but we should really get the holiday off.
Fwinter Break
There’s Fall Break. There’s Winter Break. But where’s our break for the well-known season of Fwinter, falling right between November and December? That’s finals season. I’m very stressed at that time, and I could use some rest and relaxation.
Miscellany News Humor Editors Break We work hard. We deserve some time off.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Quick! What did your friends do over October Break?
President of the College Elizabeth Bradley revealed in her Oct. 20 Sunday email that all Vassar students would spend a class period this week taking a pop quiz about how their circle of friends spent the recent October Break, sending students into a panic.
“I mean, yeah, I asked my friends what they’d been getting up to, but I didn’t actually pay attention to the answers,” one hyperventilating junior told The Miscellany News. “Nobody told me I was going to be tested on it!”
The college has implemented a complex algorithm, written by professors in the Department of Computer Science, to select students’ whose October Break plans the student body should be quizzed on. The algorithm, which analyzes the totality of students’ movements on campus and online activity, consumed three gigawatts of electricity to run, and all of Sunset Lake was drained for the water to be used in cooling the servers.
“Good riddance,” a number of students told The Miscellany News in unison. “It smells weird.”
In any case, the quizzes have now been generated and have already been rolled out to some students. The Miscellany News asked
students leaving the testing rooms for their reactions, and although most felt as though the program represented an uncalled-for intrusion on the part of the college into their personal lives, some took a more positive view.
“If you didn’t take notes on what your friends did last week, that’s totally on you,” one first-year student said. “I think people are just salty because they didn’t study.”
Dean of Studies Thomas Porcello concurred. “For far too long, there has been no accountability mechanism for students after they ask what their friends did over break,” he said. “This program will incentivize students to truly engage in active listening while their friends describe their experiences.”
The stakes are sky-high. Those who excel on the quiz will be rewarded with Brewer Bucks; those who fall short will see the failure recorded on their permanent record, commonly known as the “Fearlessly Consequential File.”
Most students say that this is the last time they’ll be caught off guard in this fashion.
“I know what I’m doing next October,” one said.
“I’ll be perched in a tree across the street from my friend Ralph’s house, binoculars trained on his bedroom window.”
Oliver Stewart Currently Studying
Anna Kozloski/The Miscellany News.
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.
President Bradley’s life behind the scenes
wearing a ghillie suit to remain unnoticed by any observant passerby (a classic move).
Dearest readers, I’m certain you’ve noticed all the recent activity on campus. A TV show of some sort is being filmed in the Nircle? At least that’s what I’ve heard on Fizz. Tina Fey, Steve Carell—it’s making me furious to be abroad. That aside, you may not have noticed another change in normal campus activities…the suspicious absence of one Elizabeth Bradley. She’s been busy with what you could call “a second job,” and the story of how she got it? Well, let’s just say, it’ll make you choke on your hot dog.
I have it on good authority that President Bradley is not only in this show, but is actually the mysterious star of the entire production. All of her normal duties are being fulfilled by a shockingly uncanny body double while she army crawls between filming locations,
How did President Bradley come to trade hosting teas and begging alumni for money for running lines and getting makeup touch ups? Well, the specifics of that led me down a long line of interviews, reviewing camera footage and investigating events that took place at Citi Field this summer.
President Bradley, a lifelong Mets fan, was watching a game not long ago. There she was, clad all in orange and blue with an ice cream helmet in one hand and a hotdog in the other. Just like any Mets fan, she didn’t show up with thoughts of winning in her mind, but simply for the love of the game. To make a long story short, the Mets won! President Bradley was overjoyed, but this moment of joy nearly led to her demise. See, exactly as the winning points were scored, she had just taken a large bite of hot dog. In all the excitement, she began to choke. There she was, her
airway closed off, becoming dizzy, worrying that the last thing she would ever see was the cold, unflinching smile of Mr. Met. She needn’t have feared though! Luckily, Tina Fey, a highly observant lifelong Mets fan was standing right behind her and noticed the situation unfold immediately. She sprang into action and performed the heimlich maneuver, saving President Bradley’s life, an action for which she was eternally grateful. According to a vendor who was nearby hawking popcorn and water bottles, President Bradley thanked her profusely and promised that if Fey ever needed ANYTHING, she was only a ring away.
Fey did not forget this offer. She was quick to reach out about using Vassar for filming, and President Bradley was more than happy to oblige. The requests didn’t end there though. Right before filming was set to start, the big star of the show ran away with someone. I cannot confirm nor deny if that some-
one is Pete Davidson, but let’s just say things didn’t end with Madelyn Cline for nothing. Fey was desperate to find a new star, and quickly remembered the charm and wit of our own President Bradley. So, she reached out with one more big favor: could Bradley step in?
Well readers, it seems that this was another request President Bradley was happy to fulfill. According to a source very close to the president who goes by the pseudonym Brohn Jadley, she’s long harbored a passion for acting and was positively jumping at the opportunity. I’ve had a working relationship with Jadley for years and can assure you he always provides highly accurate information. I for one can’t wait to see this new side of President Bradley, and I will be here to give you all the scoop as soon as it’s dished up. President Bradley, if you’re reading this, I want to give you one piece of advice. Acting? Well, it’s really reacting
Spending my 21st birthday on an Amtrak train
9:02 a.m. It’s Friday, October 18. I’m currently on an Amtrak train from 8:45 a.m. to 3:38 p.m. The train was 15 minutes late, so who really knows when we’ll come in. I’ve taken a lot of Amtrak trains in the three-anda-quarter years that I’ve been in college, and this will be one of the last ones, and I think it’s good to write this article now rather than on the actual last train ride, lest I begin weeping all over my laptop on an Amtrak train.
Also, it’s my 21st birthday. I really like having birthdays. I don’t understand people that don’t. I think people should make the most of theirs. I think that if you can set up your birthday thus that you are not beholden to anybody, that’s the way to do it. I think people should just bend to your will on your birthday. You should start every conversation with a stranger on your birthday with “It’s my birthday” and then go from there. Could be fruitful.
Clearly I did not set up my birthday this year thus that I was not beholden to anybody. I was beholden to Amtrak today. I would have gone home many days earlier but I stayed on campus to work a day on the Netflix show that was filming on campus. This entailed yelling stuff like “we’re rolling!” and “cut!” to no one in particular on the perimeter of the set and then creeping ominously close to Steve Carrell when we weren’t filming. I got within five feet.
9:28 a.m. The kid that’s kitty-corner to me has the first paragraph of a college essay on the right side of his screen and ChatGPT on the left. The guy sitting next to me by the window looks like he could be my older brother. Whenever I pick a seat on an Amtrak train, I tend to pick someone who looks vaguely like me, like some sort of train alter ego, or, at minimum, I pick someone who is a thin man that’s leaving soon. I imagine people pick me for the same reasons.
Did you know Amtrak’s have seats facing rearward now? I foolishly planted myself in one of those seats. I don’t get much motion sickness at this point in my life, but riding in this seat just feels like being on that one part of a roller coaster ride where they try to get clever and send you backwards. For six hours. Picking a seat on an Amtrak train now is like picking between standard and shenanigans mode. On the Amtrak subreddit, all of the Amtrak enthusiasts are complaining about it. All 50,000 of them.
9:43 a.m. Every time I have ever been on an
Amtrak train, they close the cafe cart at the worst possible time. Just as I’m feeling ready to get food, they’re just like, “Okay, smoke break. Find your own food, dawg.” A lot of times there’s no warning. It just closes and then I’m mad for an hour. This day was particularly tragic because I had just a single piece of sourdough bread for breakfast that I hastily shoved in my pocket that morning and then ate on the train platform.
I’ve had some weird meals on train days. The first Amtrak train I ever rode in, which was during COVID times, I was really confused about whether or not I was allowed to eat at my seat because of the whole mask thing, so I ended up just eating two burritos in the bathroom. Adequate lunch.
10:25 a.m. Amtrak’s kinda weird, huh? Did you know that all the passenger train companies in the 70s went bankrupt so the government had to create Amtrak? Amtrak is technically for-profit, by which I mean they lost 757 million dollars last year and 869 million dollars the year before that. They’re for-profit but it really seems like they are against-profit right now.
11:01 a.m. Alright, the cafe cart is back open.
On my way back, I pass a couple that is wearing a couple’s hoodie with two arms and two neck holes. As I double-take, a woman sitting behind them loudly asks me, out of misplaced kindness, “DO YOU WANT TO SIT HERE?” and I said, “No, but thanks?” I never talk to anybody on an Amtrak train unless I have to, let alone offer someone a seat unprompted. Why would you ever do either of those things unless you were incredibly lonely? I felt sorry for that woman, I really did.
At the cafe cart I got my standard: A small bag of Doritos, a microwaved cheeseburger and a Sandy’s cookie. I always buy this specific cookie when I ride an Amtrak train. It’s 400 calories and I’ve only ever seen it on an Amtrak or at summer camp but it’s really good. They have a lot of alcoholic drinks on the menu, which has always felt bizarre to me, some vestige of when riding a train could be considered a luxury. I mean, who would want to drink on an Amtrak? What sort of degenerate would wanna do that? Unless maybe the government had restricted them from buying alcohol for 21 years…
12:40 p.m. They closed the cafe again. I have no words.
2:30 p.m. I’m finally back at the cafe cart. Sat down in a booth, wistfully looking out the window at the passing terrain. I take a sip of my Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey. The sun shines upon me. Real serendipitous and shit. Baller, even.
That’s not what really happened though. What really happened was that I went to the cafe cart, saw that everything was eight dollars and then went right back to my seat. It wouldn’t feel like such a hit if Grammarly hadn’t blindsided me for a year’s subscription that day. This is a reminder to cancel your free trials right now.
Still, I could’ve eaten eight dollars. It would have made for a good fun fact—I’m always looking for those. “I had my first legal drink on an Amtrak train.” Bam. What a vignette. I didn’t though. I just didn’t feel right, like my whole life was just set up for this moment for me to overpay for alcohol on an Amtrak, and everybody would point and laugh at me when I did it, like a big sting operation. So I sat back down. I imagine those big wigs at Amtrak were surely shaking their fists after that, another eight dollars further away from breaking even this year.
Nicholas Tillinghast
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.
Emma DaRosa Choking on a Hot Dog
How come nobody likes my Letterboxd reviews?
Nandini Likki Film Festival Attendee
In her ad for AMC Theatres, Nicole Kidman once said, “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this” (the place in question being, obviously, an AMC Theatre). But I must confess that sometimes, heartbreak does not feel good in a place like this. These past few years, I have spent countless hours of my time laboriously writing sarcastic, empty one-liner reviews of popular movies on Letterboxd. Is this endeavor an attempt to salvage my shattered self-esteem after my failed stand-up comedy career? Mayhaps. However, most of my family members and friends have praised my beautiful sense of humor, so that just
leaves me with one puzzling question: How come nobody likes my Letterboxd reviews?
Letterboxd is a website where people can log the movies they’ve watched and leave reviews for them. It’s become notorious amongst cinephiles and non-cinephiles alike for both fostering a diverse community dedicated to cinema, while also making some really annoying—I mean, annoyingly hilarious—users infamous through their movie reviews. Some reviewers on the website have tens of thousands of likes and followers just for writing reviews like “this also happened when i dyed my hair,” written by Karsten Runquist (one of the most followed users on Letterboxd) about the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
I foolishly believed that I could join the
brave legion of Letterboxd royalty one day. Many people aspire to achieve success and satisfaction through their career, relationships, or accomplishments—but I know that’s impossible. Look at me. I’m double majoring in film and English, aka unemployment and disappointment. My love life would make John Cassavetes cry. The only chance I have at fame and fortune is through building a massive following on Letterboxd. Sure, I only have 10 followers, all of whom are other film majors at Vassar, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?
Maybe I’m addicted to watching bad movies that no one has ever heard of or even wants to watch, but can’t I captivate my audience with my wit through my review of “Communist Girlfriend Capitalist Boyfriend”?
I’m at my wit’s end. Is there truly no hope for a budding young critic like me? Will I have to follow my father’s footsteps and become a cryptocurrency influencer? Gone are the days of Siskel and Ebert. We must now usher in “gal pacino” and “stavvybaby69.” The moviegoing masses are bereft without an honest, pure voice that will provide them with the humorous criticism they desire. So I implore you, readers of the Misc: What do you think? Are my reviews funny? Do I have any luck fulfilling my dreams of becoming a professional Letterboxd reviewer? Why don’t you follow my account today and let me know? Thank you so much for reading, and don’t forget to hit that subscribe button and press the bell icon so you can be notified when new reviews come out.
replaced with gorilla that simply rips your arms off
Earlier this semester, Vassar students were shocked and appalled by the college’s new approach to grading, wherein midterms for several classes were replaced with a gorilla that simply rips your arms off. We reached out to Vassar faculty and students for their thoughts.
Professors explained that the experience of the gorilla who simply rips your arms off allows students to compress the agony of midterm exams into a single moment of pain, affording them more time to study, participate in labs and furiously chug White Claws in the Davison basement.
Vassar’s health services staff endorsed this theory, stating that “Baldwin will soon convert one of its wings to a Gorilla Services Center, providing arm transplants for students in need. Payment in VCash will be accepted!”
Others remained skeptical. Many students worry that this new testing method may be unsustainable, given that most students have only two arms to simply rip off. Some faculty also had problems with the gorilla that simply rips your arms off. Professor of Biology Timothy Lampasona, for instance, believed that “a bug that simply rips your arms off would have been cooler.”
Others voiced logistical concerns, worried that their TAs might be unwilling to
remove arms, which have simply been ripped off, from the floor of testing rooms. Accessibility advocates also critiqued this testing method’s biases in favor of stronger students, saying that a grizzly bear that simply rips your arms off would even the playing field, as “even the strongest among us would fall prey to the grizzly’s awesome might.”
Pressed for comment, President Bradley stated, “It’s what you deserve. Do you know how many college students get no October break whatsoever? I didn’t. And I still got my midterms done. Meanwhile, you lazy sons, daughters and non-binary children of bitches can’t write an essay without
three extensions and half a bottle of Adderall.”
As of press time, The Miscellany News humor section wishes to remind the gorilla that simply rips your arms off that we have access to bananas and are willing to share them in exchange for continued possession of our arms.
Midterms
Wren Buehler Double Amputee
Making the case for electoral reform
Soren Fischer Assistant Opinions Editor
As this next cycle of elections comes near, we are once again reminded of how limited our options are. American polarization is generally emphasized through a binary divide: liberal and conservative, Democrat or Republican. However, Americans can actually be divided into nine distinct categories, according to the 2021 political typology of the Pew Research Center.
Dissatisfaction with the two-party system is at an all-time high of 63 percent, per a 2023 Gallup poll, and the plurality of Americans, 42 percent, consider themselves Independents. This division is evident of what we need to do: break up the major parties as they stand.
This is nothing new to American discourse, and people have long wanted for the political establishment of the two-party system to be abolished. For an increasingly flawed democracy, per the Economist Intelligence Unit, this diversity of thought cannot be ignored. Having a representative democracy means representing the complexities of the electorate, so people should not be left voting for the better option, but rather their best option.
However, not even then are there remotely viable options because of the two major parties’ duopoly and the historical precedent of voting. I think that many people vote based on party loyalty and not so much on their personal ideology. Of course, it would be near impossible to have a perfect candidate who fits their constitu-
ents to a tee, but I would generally advise against voting for a candidate purely based on their political allegiance.
That is why a potential solution, though a long-term vision, might be through not expanding on the already existent minor parties directly, but rather abolishing the two-party system from within and splitting the parties along their factions into various groups that could form coalitions with those already existent minor parties. Either that, or no parties at all: where politicians would not be constrained to party discipline and could have a different opinion on every issue.
The Democratic and Republican Parties are already hyper-factioned. While for issues like reproductive rights and gun control, there are fairly general agreements along party lines, there is less of a consensus on the subject of, for example, military aid and the defense budget—particularly to how it pertains to Israel, arguably the issue that may determine the outcome of this election.
In April, 58 members of the House of Representatives—37 Democrats and 21 Republicans—voted against the Israeli aid bill, largely representing the ideological fringes of both parties. While the Democratic opposition was in condemnation of Israel’s decimation of Gaza, where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the legal threshold of genocide has been met, as reported by Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Republican opposition is based on the growing isolationism spear-
headed by former President Donald Trump. Despite the majority of Americans supporting an arms embargo on Israel, according to a June poll from CBS, this unequivocal aid has not ceased, and violence has further spread throughout the Middle East. When the majority of Americans feel like they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a MarketWatch survey, taxes should be going into social programs for their well-being, not enabling a bombing campaign that is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history which shows the compromising effects of militarism on our welfare, per the Institute for Policy Studies. Unfortunately, only 35 percent of the people surveyed by Gallup think that the United States is spending too much on national defense and military purposes. However, even that 35 percent is not adequately represented at the federal level, as military spending bills continue to pass with ease.
Furthermore, why have the Libertarian and Green Parties—the third and fourth largest parties respectively—not made any noteworthy progress in building local coalitions or running in state elections, but they do continue to field perennial candidates every four years? This attempt to challenge the duopoly has only done one obvious thing: siphon votes from a disaffected electorate.
While nominating candidates can lead to public funding and a preferable option for upset voters, I see an apparent lack of transparency from candidates in what their intentions are. The presidency is
only a piece of the puzzle, and this election alone will not challenge the two-party system enough. However, it could be used as a starting point to mobilize people at the grassroots.
As much as I would like for alternative candidates to have a real chance at winning the election, the fear that a vote can be “wasted” if not cast for a Democrat or a Republican creates a self-perpetuating cycle, leading to the American public overwhelmingly voting for the two major parties.
I empathize with those who plan to abandon the Democratic ticket due to the Biden Administration’s policy on Gaza and Kamala Harris’ unwillingness to pivot in support of an arms embargo on Israel.
However, I have a few questions to consider for those who are stuck or conflicted: Do you fully recognize where your vote is counted and the extent of reasons you are doing it? Are you voting in a swing state where the winner will come down to a few thousand votes? Are you a single-issue voter, or is it more than that? Remember: Drastic electoral reform will not come out of the results of this election, so consider that before you cast your ballot.
Escaping the binary of political parties is inextricably linked to electoral reform, and our need for proportional representation and ranked-choice voting is essential to maintaining the remanence of democracy. Regardless of the result this November, it is not your fault. It is the fault of the system The political establishment is responsible for staying up with the people, not the other way around.
Social media exacerbates aging insecurities
Zoe Rodriguez Guest Columnist
It was the summer of 2023, and I was walking along a trail back home from the beach with my friends. Lingering sand blew across the black asphalt, and seaside shrubs framed the borders of the trail, obscuring the ocean from view. My friends and I were chatting when I spotted something ahead that stopped me in my tracks. It was an old woman riding a bike. She wore a breezy sundress, and her long gray hair was whipped in the wind. Standing high up on the pedals, she outstretched her arms all the way and she closed her eyes, as if she were experiencing something far too beautiful for mere sight.
She came and went in seconds, but the impression of the old lady floored me. She did not have a care in the world, soaking in the serenity of the warm day with open arms. What she was doing may have been a little unusual, but to me, she seemed wild and spontaneous. She was a representation of how getting old can be wonderful. I became ambitious; I wanted to be just like her someday. Old and free.
Yet I keep seeing content online that discourages this ambition. On social media and the media in general, growing old is not celebrated. We are told to prevent signs of aging. The term “anti-aging” has lost its meaning. Anti-aging used to mean the reversal of certain aging processes, but now it feels more like a literal condemnation of growing old. Social media messaging tells us wrinkles, eyebags and gray hair are
somehow synonymous with “ugly.” Older traits are suddenly something to be fixed. What makes these features so wrong? Why do we rarely see beauty attributed to older features?
You would not think anti-aging techniques are on the minds of college-aged students, however, they are often confronted with the transition into adulthood and no longer being children. All aging comes with difficulties, and anti-aging messaging harms us all. I urge you to consider what looking old means to you. What would make you uncomfortable to see in the mirror one day, and why?
A new design for straws came out, intended to prevent these infamous wrinkles around the mouth.
The aging filter on TikTok put things into perspective for Gen Z. A supposedly accurate tool in “guessing how a face would age” according to The Washington Post, the filter shows you how your face would look as an elderly person. While it is initially funny for a lot of young people online, the filter made aging feel more real. Gen Z’s fear of wrinkles plagues social media. Kids as young as
14 are posting their anti-aging strategies on TikTok and going viral, according to CNN. Strategies like face tape, skin care routines, peels, facials and lasers are surfacing online, while “brands specifically tailored to young skin are cropping up,” according to the CNN article. Seemingly more and more younger people are genuinely worried about looking old.
One post I have seen that struck me the most was the fear of “smile lines.” A new design for straws came out, intended to prevent these infamous wrinkles around the mouth. The straw bends in an “L” shape, to stop the user from pursing their lips and creating these “smile lines.” Wrinkles are literal markers of how much we have smiled and frowned and laughed and expressed ourselves. Youth should be about aspiring to craft wrinkles one day, instead of wasting our time preventing them. Once we accept that looking wrinkly is our fate, we can realize there is beauty in it.
Another facet of aging plaguing online culture is gray hair. Depending on genetics, most people start to have gray hair anywhere from their mid-30s to mid-40s. For us college students, gray hair will come for us in 15 or more years. That should not be a scary fact, because there is nothing more natural than the gradual loss of melanin production in hair follicles. Gray hair suits everyone. There is a universality in growing gray hair—it matches every complexion. Yet there is an entire market of products to “fix” gray hair: vitamins, special shampoos, hair masks and serums. The other option for many people with gray hair is dyeing
it, which entails a lot of time and maintenance. Not dyeing gray hair is often referred to as “embracing” your look—accepting it even when most people do not. Gray hair becomes a statement, rather than a default.
An article from The Guardian titled “‘Own your grey hair and be powerful’: women on no longer dyeing their hair” includes personal testimonies from 11 women who stopped dyeing their gray hair, and how it makes them feel free. Their individual journeys are important, but on a larger scale, it is shocking to see that uncovering this natural feature is something we must “decide” to do. Celebrity women who have gray hair are referred to as “wearing” or “rocking” their gray hair in the media, emphasizing their choice to not dye it. Is gray hair not just something you have? Nothing about it is inherently undesirable. Gray hair is cool. It is something we should feel lucky to have one day. That day is closer than we think for us college kids, but that is not a bad thing.
When I saw that old lady riding her bikeso freely, not once did I think about her appearance. She just looked like she was living. We spend so much time being self-conscious about our appearance as young people that we should not have to stress about the way we look when we are old and gray. The beauty standards for aging reflect our views on getting old itself—we fear it deeply. If we start with the fact that aging is a natural part of life, we can begin to undo the harmful standards we have set for ourselves. Until then, this anti-aging rhetoric will remain in our heads, long after they start to turn gray.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.
Brewers Ballin’: McAusland impresses in Saturday sweep
Our goal with Brewers Ballin’ is to feature Vassar athletes who starred for their team the week previous to publishing. If you would like to nominate an athlete, please email hfrance@vassar.edu.
Brewers Ballin’
Name: Maura McAusland
Year: Sophomore
Team: Women’s volleyball
Stats: McAusland (second from left, top row) has been integral in the women’s volleyball team’s recent run. Recently, the team beat both Union College and SUNY Cobleskill, earning a sweep against Cobleskill. Against Union, a team-high 17 kills, 18 digs, two blocks and an ace. In the rout over Cobleskill, McAusland tallied a match-high nine kills along with two aces and five digs.
Statement: As a team, we’ve all been very excited about this season, we have a young new coach, a great dual sport first year Erin Lovett, and new edition sophomore Francesca Medrano. The first half of this season was definitely an adjustment, we had lots of players coming in and out of injuries, but we’ve found our footing. With this last weekend, going 2-0 and winning our first conference game, we all have really high hopes for the rest of conference play and season.
Student previews upcoming NHL season
Casey McMenamin Guest Columnist
The NHL season is upon us! Last year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs concluded in dramatic fashion, as the Florida Panthers earned their first franchise championship, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in an epic game 7 battle of the Stanley Cup Finals. This year is shaping up to be another season of drama, intrigue and suspense. With that being said, here are my top five teams to look out for in the 2024/2025 NHL season.
1. Florida Panthers
Key additions: forward Thomas Nosek; forward Jesper Boqvist
The reigning Stanley Cup champions look poised and ready to defend their title. Despite a short summer due to their Cup run and losing some key rotation players, the Panthers have vital experience that few other teams have. If the team can find a way to reverse the aging process of Sergei Bobrovsky and keep their legs fresh throughout the season, they might make it five straight years that a Florida team has made it to the finals, and three in a row for the Panthers.
2. Edmonton Oilers
Key additions: defenseman Josh Brown; forward Viktor Arvidsson
After clawing their way back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals, but ultimately falling in game seven, many fans are wondering: Can Connor McDavid win the big one? The 2024/25 season seems to be the best shot yet to win the cup for the three-time Hart trophy winner, despite the fatigue from a short summer off. Remembering the bad taste of a Stanley Cup loss
will only fuel this Oilers squad throughout the long season. To go all the way, the Oilers will need even more out of star players McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
3. Dallas Stars
Key additions: forward Colin Blackwell; defenseman Matt Dumba
The Dallas Stars have been one of the NHL’s best teams over the past few seasons, and they hope to continue that trend this year by making it over the hump of the Western Conference Finals and competing for a championship. The key to the Stars’ recent success has been their talent development. The ability to revitalize a roster year over year is crucial to sustaining success in the NHL. Wyatt Johnston has already emerged as an elite player, but he will need to be even better in his third year if the Stars are going to realize their Cup dreams. Another up-and-coming Dallas forward to watch this season is Logan Stankoven, who is looking to establish himself in his sophomore season.
4. New York Rangers
Key additions: forward Reilly Smith; center Sam Carrick
Before falling to the eventual champions in the Florida Panthers in the semifinals last year, the New York Rangers entered the playoffs with high hopes after leading the NHL in points in the regular season. The season’s end was disappointing for New York, and now they enter 2024 with an aging, yet star-studded, roster—the clock is ticking louder than ever for the Rangers. The team is held together by goaltender Igor Shesterkin who was voted best at his position during the 2021-22 season. Shesterkin is in the midst of contract negotiations with New York, and the team’s
hot start to the season has put even more pressure on the front office to get a deal done. There is no doubt that the squad has all the tools necessary to bring a Stanley Cup home, but a few major questions loom large: Can winger and 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafrenière get going? And, how will the high-powered top line including stars like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Vincent Trocheck do as the season wears on? If the Rangers can perform at their ceiling, they will be one of, if not, the best team in the NHL. The window is closing for the Rangers.
5. Boston Bruins
Key additions: forward Elias Lindholm; defenseman Nikita Zadorov
The Boston Bruins do not rebuild, they reload. With the key signing of Elias Lindholm, Bruins fans are hoping that Patrice Bergeron has been resurrected. It is important to note that these are the same Boston fans who thought Mac Jones was the reincarnation of Tom Brady. Nevertheless, Lindholm is positioned to anchor the Bruins’ top line this season and adds key veteran experience. Newly extended goaltender Jeremy Swayman is the Bruins’ main man
following a trade that sent his partner in net, Linus Ullmark, to the Ottawa Senators. If Swayman emerges as a top NHL goaltender this year and leads the Bruins to another successful season defensively, Boston fans should enjoy a continuation of their winning ways.
Prediction for the 2024/25 NHL Season: I believe that the Edmonton Oilers will finally climb the mountain this year and win it all. They have the best 1-2 punch in the league with McDavid and Draisatal and are eager to redeem themselves following last year’s game 7 loss. The Oilers’ biggest challenge is their schedule, not because of who they play but because of how many games they have played in the last year. Staying fresh will be paramount for the fulfillment of the Oilers’ postseason dreams.
Hot take: Not mentioned in the list above, but the Chicago Blackhawks are a dark horse for the playoffs this year. The team has signed veteran players Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi to pair with their young core of promising players. If star player and former number one overall pick Connor Bedard has an even better sophomore year, the Blackhawks may be contending for a Wild Card spot in April.
Image courtesy of Maura McAusland ’27.
Henry France/The Miscellany News.
Fall sports approach end of season
Henry France Sports Editor
Fall has been busy for Vassar College Athletics. Multiple teams have earned national rankings, with one even landing in the top 10. And most fall teams have been competing since before the semester began. As the teams approach the end of their seasons, whether that is their playoffs or league championship races, their performances so far are overdue for a recap.
Men’s soccer
The men’s soccer team has put together an impressive season, sitting at a record of 9-2-2 overall and remaining undefeated in Liberty League play. The Brewers outscored opponents 8-0 in their first four Liberty League games, earning a United Soccer Coaches ranking of 10, nationally. The squad has emerged as a top 10 team in the country through a combination of high-powered offense and a gritty defense that has allowed just one opponent goalper-game on ten shots-per-game. The Brewers’ performance has not gone unrecognized, with five players earning Liberty League honors: Clem Grossman, Joshua Lee and Arden Tobolski earning Liberty League Rookie of the week honors; Jared Fiske earnings a performer of the week and offensive performer of the week honor and Jacob Raphan earning a defensive performer of the week honor. The effort this year has been evidently balanced, with three players, Arden Tobolski (19), Jared Fiske (13), and Eli Torrey (12) logging double digit points on the year. The lads have three games remaining this year: at Ithaca on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m., vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., and vs. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.
Women’s soccer
The women’s soccer team has come out to a hot start this year, earning a record of 8-24 overall and sitting fourth in a tight Liberty League table behind a Skidmore team who they had a close match with earlier this fall. The team came into the season with high expectations underscored by a highly touted recruitment class of ten first-years. The group has not disappointed, contributing 38 of the team’s 108 points this season, and 16 of the 41 goals this season. The first-years are headlined by forward Alice
Crowley, who leads the team in goals with 12 (0.86 per game) and points with 27 (1.9 per game), earning Liberty League rookie of the week four times this season. The team’s success is a balance of offensive and defensive strength, allowing just 0.78 goalsper-game while scoring an impressive 2.93 goals-per-game, translating a 41-11 overall score versus opponents. Crowley alone has outscored the Brewers’ opponents. But, the Brewers’ accomplishments have been an absolute group effort as three separate goalkeepers have earned starts and contributed to the defensive effort, with first-year Laura Shea earning herself a Liberty League defensive player of the week honor. Of the 22 non-goalie players on the team, 17 players have tallied an assist or goal on the season. The Brewers have three games left with their next match at 2 p.m. vs Ithaca at home on Oct. 26, next on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at RPI at 7 p.m. and finally on Saturday, Nov. 2 at RIT at 2 p.m..
Women’s volleyball
The women’s volleyball team had a slow start to the season but has been finding their rhythm this year under first-year head coach Grace Campbell with two big wins in the past two weeks. The team sits at 4-12 this year, and seventh of nine in the Liberty League. The team is building momentum, finding their stride since mid-October. They started by picking up an impressive set at nationally ranked Ithaca College followed by a gritty 3-2 win over the highly touted Union College and finally an impressive 3-0 sweep over SUNY Cobleskill. Vassar’s performance this year is reflective of a young and improving squad, highlighted by second-year outside hitter Maura McAusland and 2023-24 Vassar Athletics Rookie of the Year and Liberty League First Team outside hitter Holland Kaplan. Both players were integral in the Brewers’ victory over the weekend, as McAusland tallied a team-high 17 kills, 18 digs, two blocks and an ace in the win over Union, with Kaplan adding 13 kills, a career-high five aces and 14 digs. First-year opposite hitter Erin Lovett tallied 12 kills and two blocks in the match. The team will look to keep the momentum going this Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. against Skidmore College and Saint Lawrence University, respectively, in Kenyon Hall.
The team entered the 2024 season after an impressive 2023 season where the team beat NCAA National Semi-finalist Kean as well as Liberty League champion William Smith under first-year head coach Annie Kietzman. Kietzman led the squad to five All-Liberty League selections along with three NFHCA All-Region III honorees, but this year the Brewers graduated 11 seniors from their strong 2023 squad and have felt that departure. The Brewers have fought hard this season with four of their 12 losses coming with a one-point margin, including a 1-2 loss to fifth-ranked Christopher Newport University. The squad finds themselves sitting at 3-12, good for eighth in the Liberty League. With close games and an energetic, young squad, the team looks to get back on track with three games remaining in the season, including a home match on Sunday, Oct. 27 vs. University of Rochester at 12 p.m.
Men’s and women’s cross country
The men’s cross country team got out to a hot start this year, finishing first of seven and first of 10 at the Vassar Season Starter and Ron Stonitsch Invitational, respectively. The team earned a fourth-place finish at the Wesleyan Invitational, where senior Jose Magaña recorded a sixth-place overall finish to lead the way for the Brewers. Next, the team earned a top-15 finish at the popular Paul Short Run at Lehigh—Magaña once again supported the Brewers with a 17thplace finish out of 373 total finishers. Most recently, Vassar earned a 13th-place finish in the Connecticut College invitational, beating nationally ranked Wesleyan. The Brewers will race in the Liberty League championships on Nov. 2 in Canton, NY.
The women’s cross country team has been on a tear this year, finishing in the top-10 in five out of their six total races this year, including three top-three finishes. The team started the year off with two firstplace finishes at the Vassar Season Starter and Ron Stonitsch Invitational each. The strong season has culminated in the Brewers snagging a #24 national ranking. The nationally ranked squad went on to a second-place finish at Wesleyan after their strong home openers, headlined by sophomore Haley Schoenegge, who crossed the finish line second overall with a 6000 meter time of 21:20.06. Most recently, Vassar earned two top-10 finishes at the Connecticut College invitational. Highlights include
Schoenegge racing to a fourth-place overall finish out of 277 total finishers and firstyear Sarah France with a 18th-place finish out of 243 total finishers with a season-best time of 23:06.7. The Brewers will race in the Liberty League championships on Nov. 2 in Canton, NY.
Men’s rugby
The men’s rugby team has put together a perfect 7-0 season so far, shutting out their opponent in three of the contests and outscoring them 276-88. Most recently, the Brewers edged SUNY New Paltz 44-40, eight tries to four, despite going down 12 points after leading by 12 earlier in the contest. The team will be competing in the tristate conference playoffs beginning on Oct. 27 in hope of capturing the championship title on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Women’s rugby
The women’s rugby team has earned an 8-0 start to their season, outsourcing their opponents by an absolutely staggering 412-53. The team has quadrupled their opponents’ scoring overall this year. Most recently, the Brewers have shut their opponents out in three straight matches by an aggregate score of 152-0. Two of the wins came against Columbia University, and one of the two by way of forfeit. The team will compete in the tri-state championship Nov. 3-9.
Women’s golf
The women’s golf team has endured a challenging start to their season. The Brewers started out with a win against SUNY Purchase on Sept. 14 and have had to fight hard since then. The squad traveled to Middlebury, Vermont for the George Phinney Classic where they earned a 10th-place finish, led by Teaen Sweet who finished tied for 30th place. Next, the team faced off at the Williams Fall Invitational where they managed a 19th-place finish. Finally, the team earned a second-place finish at the Union College Fall Classic. The Brewers’ season will continue in the spring on March 29 at home at the Vassar College Invitational.
As we enter the final week of October and multiple teams contend for a playoff spot, Brewers sports continue to heat up. Make sure to check out upcoming home matches where you can show up and support your Brewers!
Field hockey
The Miscellany Crossword Bad Form
By Felix Mundy-Mancino
ACROSS
1. Policy for dreamers
1. Athenian statesman and winner of the first Kentucky Derby
10. Suffix with road- and hip-
15. Thinking
16. Written assignment
17. Female screen stars
18. Adjust, as a brooch
19. Swedish furniture store
20. Crude name for a donkey
21. Pass with the highest marks
22. Oslo is its capital
24. Carrot-like vegetable
25. Hosp. area for newborns
26. Silverstein, poet and musician
28. Ages and ages
29. Kohl’s competitor
32. MED, ___, XL
33. Chomp
34. Cheerful tune or feature of an accent
By Olivia Blank
36. Retired commercial flight option, abbr.
39. Public transportation options in San Francisco
42. A bad clue
44. Notoriously large former president
45. Feature of many outdated boats
47. Cheesy Welsh dish
49. Clothes not to be mixed in with the rest of the wash
51. Peaceful
52. Actress Zadora
54. Fontanne’s theater partner
55. Camera maker
56. Change from solid to gas without passing through liquid state
58. Tone enharmonic with F flat
59. Composer of Gymnopedie
60. Less dangerous
61. Rite inkorectlie
DOWN
1. Be ___ in the neck
2. Apt cry of encouragement for a geologist?
3. Temporary
4. Backwards
5. Casual shirt
6. Owner of the Indianapolis Colts Jim
7. Insult
8. Hydrocarbon suffixes
9. Some U.N. officers, for short
10. More desertlike
11. Dangerous fly
12. Spanish, in Spain
13. Precipitating
14. Neural Junction
21. French, in ancient Rome
23. Golden, in ancient Rome
24. Bit of fish food
26. Month before Adar
27. What crossword answers
Answers to last week’s puzzles:
By Felix Mundy-Mancino
Fish: STAR, JELLY, MONK, GOLD
Phases of the moon: FULL, CRESCENT, NEW, HALF
Types of backs in the NFL: NICKEL, QUARTER, CORNER, RUNNING
Lox bagel toppings: CAPERS, SALMON, DILL, ONION
should never be cut in, with 40down
30. Unchanging
31. /
35. Guide for a hiker
36. 12 make a perfect bowling game
37. Property of The Knack?
38. Fed up with
40. With 27-down
41. Orient
43. Counterpart to the House of Representatives
46. Soup legume
48. Harley owner
49. Goes on strike
50. Metal building material
52. Fried bread served with chole
53. Pink bird
56. Half of an academic yr.
57. AOL, e.g.
By Mia Ryan
