The Miscellany News
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866
November 16, 2023
miscellanynews.org
Volume 160 | Issue 10
Campus creates spaces for conversation on Israel-Palestine Jacques Abou-Rizk, Jyotsna Naidu Editor-in-Chief, News Editor
O
ver the last few weeks, faculty groups and student organizers have worked to create safe spaces to educate the community about the conflict between Israel and Palestine as well as expand conversation beyond the combative online narratives. On Oct. 31, a group of faculty led a teach-in held in Rockefeller Hall. Professor of Philosophy and Media Studies Giovanna Borradori,
Director of Engaged Pluralism and Professor of Religion Jonathon Kahn and Professor of History Joshua Schreier intended to help students to make sense of the violence in the region. Borradori said, “Such [media] narratives have not educated public opinion in an accurate and responsible manner, opting instead to inflame, indeed weaponise, a binary rhetoric. As a consequence, even more intensely than the public at large, college campuses have been asked to endorse opposing camps, in which the only position to take is
Karen Mogami/The Miscellany News.
‘for’ or ‘against.’” In response to the rise of community concerns, Dean of the College Luis Inoa, Chair of the Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT), has emailed students multiple times about a rise in antisemitic, anti-Israeli and anti-Palestinian hate speech. In an email on Friday, Nov. 10, he wrote, “Acts that dehumanize or disrespect others violate our community standards and undermine the very principles we stand for. Such actions, mainly when they target specific communities, are hurtful, escalate tensions and move us further away from listening to and empathizing with others.” The effort of a teach-in, according to Borradori, is to combat the polarizing language that is engulfing many students around the country, including here at Vassar. She said, “Such polarized and polarizing rhetoric lacks fundamental historical knowledge of how this conflict developed, regionally and geopolitically, its phases and motivations, which date long before Oct. 7, 2023. Therefore, in order to ‘respond to current violences with nuance,’ academic institutions need to honour their intellectual and pedagogical mission, not just in words but with their actions.” On Nov. 3, President Elizabeth Bradley called on faculty and staff to initiate the Restorative Response Group, a new short-term working group, to provide spaces for collective listening. The group hosts listening circles under the new Office of Restorative
Practices and shares mental and academic resources. “These circles are specifically designed for people at Vassar who are grieving the loss of life and want to process the current state of affairs by connecting with one another,” the website states. The working group welcomes input from the Vassar community as they continue to plan further restorative practices. Bradley, in a written correspondence with The Miscellany News, underscored that the teach-ins have been beneficial to creating safe spaces on campus. She said, “These are initiated by the faculty and we appreciate their efforts to teach about nuanced, complicated issues and also hold spaces for healthy and informed dialogue.” Additional assistance for students to process includes Vassar Counseling Services with daily walk-in appointments, academic extensions by talking to individual professors or the Class Advisor and submitting a report of bias to the Bias Incident Response Team. Rachlin Director for Jewish Student Life and Assistant Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices Rabbi Bryan Mann is also offering one-on-one sessions with students. Borradori emphasized how valuable experiences like these can be for students in such difficult and chaotic times, “The students that attended the teach-in asked critical questions that already showed superior historical See TEACH-IN on page 3
Meet Professor Rebecca Edwards, anticipated Town Supervisor Benjamin Savel Reporter
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rofessor Rebecca Edwards has long been known to the Vassar community as an exceptional scholar of women’s history and 19th-century America. But, starting on Jan. 1, 2024, she will be taking a two-year leave of absence from the College after being elected as the next Town Supervisor of Poughkeepsie after the Nov. 7, 2023 elections. I sat down with Professor Edwards to discuss her thoughts on local politics and her vision on how to implement positive change for Poughkeepsie. Edwards has been involved in local politics for over a decade. She served as a Dutchess County legislator from 2016 to 2021, taught a class where students work with elected officials on policy and organized a local group called We Are the Town of Poughkeepsie to promote legislative transparency within the town. Throughout her time as a representative, teacher and advocate, she was surprised by how much can be accomplished purely through local engagement. “When you actually get to talk to people, you hear a whole diverse array of perspectives and experiences of what people are struggling with,” she said. Her most recent impact on local politics came when she organized a petition with the
group We Are the Town of Poughkeepsie. The town was going to borrow $54 million to move the police station, an enormously expensive project that would provide no new services to the community. With the group, she organized a petition with over 750 votes asking for more transparency on the issue. A few weeks later, the Town Board finally tabled the project. This success inspired Edwards to run for Town Supervisor, with one of her primary goals being to increase communication with the community. She stated that she wants to ensure “that every Poughkeepsie resident knows what’s going on, whether that’s through a smartphone app or through mailings,” for example. She emphasized that her first priority is making decisions open, accountable and transparent. Besides increased engagement with Poughkeepsie residents, Edwards has other visions for the town, including fighting for housing affordability, promoting engagement between the town and the three colleges within it and expanding opportunities for childhood education. “It’s hard to afford to live here. Senior citizens are worried about their homes as taxes rise,” she stated. “For some people, it gets to the point of homelessness because they can’t afford the rent anymore.” Edwards also wants to fund more enSee SUPERVISOR on page 6
Image courtesy of Rebecca Edwards.
Inside this issue
4
ARTS
Arts Editor Jesse Koblin discusses the implications of the new AIgenerated Beatles single, “Now and Then.”
8
HUMOR
Writer adopts digital pet, but immediately regrets her decision.
14 SPORTS
Vassar College’s Cricket Association wins their inaugural game against Colgate College, writes Copy Editor Caris Lee.