Misc.10.28.21

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The Miscellany News

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866

October 28, 2021

miscellanynews.org

Volume 156 | Issue 7

VSA Senators negotiate timeline College divests from fossil fuels for $15 student employment wage Alex Eisert, Janet Song, Olivia Watson Senior Editors, Editor-in-Chief

Lucy Brewster News Editor

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hile New York State enacted a $15 minimum wage in 2016, the policy allows for regions of the state to raise the minimum wage gradually, giving businesses time to adjust. (New York State Government website). Although New York City has an established $15 wage, other regions, including Dutchess County, are still catching up. While Vassar has thus far followed the region’s minimum wage increase of $12.50 for student employees of the College and committed to an eventual $15 rate for student employees, students are pushing for the College to enact a faster increase to $15 for student employees. VSA Senators pushing for a $15 wage for students argue that the current wage of $12.50 makes it difficult for work-study-eligible students to make their full $3,000 yearly allotment. VSA Senators Joe Mangan ’23 and Julián Aguilar ’23 introduced a piece of legislation called “Raise the Wage” in the VSA on Oct. 15. The bill outlines a plan for the College to expedite the wage increase for Vassar student workers. While the College supports a gradual increase to raise the student employment wage to $15, the College and VSA represen-

tatives disagree on the timeline. The legislation also includes a provision calling for a commitment from the College to adjust the work study amounts to account for rising living expenses of students and a better integration of the work study calendar with the academic school year. Although Aguilar and Mangan advocate for a full $15 wage by the 2023 fiscal year, Vice President of Information Technology and Human Resources Carlos Garcia indicated the College’s goal is to be at $15 by Fall 2024. Mangan and Aguilar explained that their goal is to make sure all students on financial aid meet the work-study allotments included in their financial aid packages. Both VSA representatives and the College agree that raising the wage would not affect the actual amount of money students receive in their financial aid packages, but instead allow students to accumulate the full allotment with fewer weekly hours. Mangan and Aguilar provided VSA data showing that during the 2021-22 academic year, only 36 percent of work-study-eligible student workers met over 90 percent of their allotment. “[Raising the student employment wage to $15] would be a step forward in ensuring that one hundred percent of student financial need is, in fact, met by the College. Further See Wage on page 3

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n Oct. 18, President Bradley shared via email a statement from the Board of Trustees that announced their unanimous decision to divest from direct fossil fuel investments. This announcement followed nine years of student activism calling for the College to divest and the lead of several other colleges that have divested from fossil fuels, such as Brown, Columbia and Georgetown (Inside Higher Ed, 2021). The statement also

updated the campus community on the College’s Climate Action Plan and their goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030, as well as addressing climate-conscious amendments to the campus course offerings. According to the Trustees’ statement, Vassar has implemented a new climate-conscious investment strategy based on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) regulations. The Trustees wrote: “We have no direct investments in any company that explores, refines, or develops reserves of fosSee Divest on page 4

Courtesy of VC Divests via Facebook.

Health Services faces staffing struggles, rise in visits Alex Wilson

Assistant News Editor

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common—and often challenging—aspect of the adjustment to college life is seeking healthcare both on and off campus. Finding quality care, trustworthy providers and common-sense solutions can be a hard-to-reach balance. Vassar’s Health Services aim to ease that stress by providing accessible, equitable care on campus. But for years, students have expressed conflicting perspectives on whether the service delivers the standard of care that it sets out to provide. Recently, these concerns have

been exacerbated as Health Services deals with simultaneous staffing struggles and a ballooning number of patients. Earlier this year, Margot Schinella ’06 was brought on as the new Director of Health Services and immediately set out to raise the standard upon her arrival. “A priority for me as a Director of Health Services was to increase awareness of, and accessibility to, medical services on campus,” she explained. She continued, “I have been actively working on expanding how our department can better support all of our students in an equitable and inclusive manner.”

Since her arrival, she’s acted on these priorities: recently adding services including HIV prophylaxis through PrEP preventative treatment therapy initiation, gender-affirming hormone therapy management, IUD and Nexplanon placement and removal of long-acting contraceptive options. Still, Health Services is facing challenges—namely, struggles with staffing. Lately, students are feeling the impact. One student, who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, explained that they recently had to wait 45 minutes to see a provider after twisting their ankle, before

the staff finally sent them to a healthcare provider working in Vassar’s gynecology unit. The provider instructed them to wrap the ankle, but upon following up with a physical therapist not employed by the College, it turned out that the gynecological provider had provided incorrect information. In response, Schinella stated, “All of our providers are either board-certified Family Nurse Practitioners or Physicians Assistants. We do not have a gynecologist on staff, however we do have providers who See Health Services on page 5

Meet the student DJs changing the tempo of music at Vassar Julianna Aguja Guest Reporter

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inGin Plehn ’22 and Diego Scala Chavez ’22 have a stage presence as effervescent as their music––a bright blend of hyperpop, hard dance, house, hip hop and recognizable chart toppers. On Oct. 8, Plehn and Scala––who DJ under the names Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas and neotech, respectively––opened for Vassar College Entertainment’s (ViCE) fall concert headliners, AG Club. Their hour-long set on Commencement Hill was

an exercise in opposites: Plehn’s all-black outfit contrasted with Scala’s bright yellow shirt and pink cowboy hat. They moved separately but as a unit, swaying to and from each other as they mixed songs while taking turns at the turntable. Their setlist paired remixes of avant-pop artist SOPHIE’s “Whole New World” with City Girls’ “Twerkulator,” and t.A.T.u’s “All the Things She Said” played not long after “7AM” by Lil Uzi Vert. In my conversation with Plehn and Scala, they told me about how their AG Club set was an hour-long marriage of their individual music tastes and mixing styles

formed during their time at Vassar. Plehn learned how to DJ as a first-year after getting involved with Vassar College Sound System (VCSS), a campus organization for students interested in DJing and organizing music events on campus. Plehn, who is now a chair of VCSS, has been interested in electronic dance music since middle school, citing Zedd and Avicii as early influences. During her sophomore year at Vassar, she settled on her DJ name, an homage to her New Jersey roots that cheekily plays on the “Jersey Girl” trope and the state’s ban on self-serve gas stations. “I just

thought it was kind of a funny name, so I took it and ran with it,” Plehn expressed. Plehn has since honed her DJing skills, crafting mixes that encapsulate her broad music interests and follow in the footsteps of Porter Robinson, SOPHIE and Paris Hilton. Her enthusiasm for creating music shined as she described her process for creating a mix, a formulaic, yet experimental process that gives every DJ the space to explore their own unique play and mixing styles––one of Plehn’s favorite things about this type of musicianship. See DJS on page 6

Inside this issue

7

ARTS

Read about how Arts Editor Leila Raines spent her Fall Break getting creative.

9

Are you hungry? Check out what your fellow Brewers were cooking up FEATURES during Fall Break!

15 SPORTS

Check out our sports roundup to read about Vassar's cross country and soccer team!


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