ViCE announces Cherry Glazerr for fall concert
Last Tuesday, Sept. 20, ViCE Music an nounced on Instagram that American rock band Cherry Glazerr would be the headliner for this year’s fall concert.

The band consists of Clementine Creevy (lead vocalist and guitarist), Sami Perez (bassist) and Tabor Allen (drummer). Ac cording to The Vogue, the band’s lineup has changed a lot since its formation in 2013, with notable alumni Hannah Uribe, Sasami Ashworth and Sean Redman, all of whom eventually left to pursue other mu sical endeavors.
In more recent years, Cherry Glazerr has become well known as a more polished rock band with its newest single, “Come Back Around with Moon Boots,” which came out this past July. Cherry Glazerr has played many gigs across the country, including Wicker Park Fest in Chicago, IL, this past summer and Day In, Day Out in Seattle, WA.
Opening for Cherry Glazerr will be the popular Vassar student-run band Show face.
The ViCE Fall Concert will be Satur day, Oct. 7 on the CDF Quad from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Vassar dining changes swipes
Jacques Abou-Rizk, Will Sorge News EditorsThe new academic year has brought a few noticeable changes to the struc ture of dining here on campus. Perhaps the most important changes have been to Ex press and The Retreat. Located on opposite sides of the College Center, the twin graband-go cafes are mainstays of non-Deece campus dining.
Major changes include a revamped swipe schedule and moving the hot bar from Ex press to The Retreat. The hot bar had been included in The Retreat prior to the 20212022 academic year.
Associate Dean of the College for Cam pus Activities Dennis Macheska said the changes were made with strategic consid eration. “In the past, Express served three times the number of meal swipes com pared to The Retreat,” Macheska wrote in an email correspondence. “Due to the size of the infrastructure, there were often long lines waiting to access Express. Moving the hot items out of Express into The Retreat was one way of shifting the volume of traf fic to a larger food service location.”
Some students, such as Maritza Flores
Vassar Geology Department showcases 'Hidden Beauty' of earth
Sophia Wood Guest Reporter Harrison Walker Guest Columnist
Just over a week ago, Vassar’s Earth Sci ence and Geography Department put on an exhibit at the 53rd annual Hudson Val ley Gem and Mineral show, showing off some of the College’s finest gems and crys tals. This year, the show attracted nearly 30 separate gem dealers selling a variety of cut and uncut gems, with some additional organizations like Vassar simply putting up display cases. The show was on the week end of September 17th and 18th, and the theme this year was “The Hidden Beauty of
Rocks.” Vassar put together a beautiful set of geodes, crystal deposits and other awe some looking rocks for the exhibition.
The premise of our exhibit was for all the rocks to have one interesting face and one relatively boring one. A mirror is installed at the back of the exhibit; this way, when you look in the case, you see the backs of a bunch of rocks with their interesting sides reflected in the mirror, adding an addition al layer of zeal and perspective. The rocks themselves include sulfur, amazonite, chal copyrite and others, alongside geodes with crystals embedded inside them. One geode
(red and centered in the display case) has quartz, sphalerite and chabazite crystals embedded inside of a hematite rock. Three types of crystals in one geode! As the stu dent that carried this rock into Gold’s Gym, the fitness center where the show was host ed, I can tell you lifting it was a doozy.
The exhibit was put together by Labora tory Coordinator Rick Jones, (whose torso and lower face are featured in the mirror) with the assistance of Alex Murphy ʼ25, who is working there this semester. Jones enlisted my help, as the recently hired ge ology office assistant, to set up the exhibit

at the show. Now that the show is over, the exhibit is on display in Ely Hall (just past the museum), so come check it out!
Vassar’s Earth Science and Geography Department is housed in Ely Hall (pro nounced eel-ee; we will correct you), just behind Main Building, and nestled in front of Smith and Pratt. It’s in the same build ing as the AULA, where I’ve heard upper classmen have previously interacted with a particularly attractive medical professional for COVID-19 testing purposes. The depart ment is small and homely and has been
Ranking all of the Deece teas becomes a harrowing journey
Madi Donat Get Me Out of HereDear friends, I come to you live from the other side of Hell. Today, I bring to you the story of one of the most harrowing expe riences of my entire college career and dare I say one of the most harrowing experiences of my entire life. I am a changed person now; I feel as though I have finally entered adult hood after this ordeal. This morning, amidst the calming, routine aura of Deece Breakfast, unbeknownst to the other diners, I, along with two friends—whom I now consider life long companions—sat down and ranked ev ery single Deece tea.
Inside this issue
Last week was National Banned Books Week; check out some of the Misc staff's favorite banned books!

This was, for many reasons, a struggle: Firstly, how many teas even are there at the Deece? Some teas differentiate between or ganic and regular; must we taste-test them both? How can we source every single one? And where, oh where, has Wild Sweet Or ange gone? The answer to these questions, respectively, is: 14; no; mostly the Deece, but Retreat and the Bridge also, over a whole week; and we have absolutely no idea but we aren’t necessarily complaining.
So, with our list down by one, my fearless friends and I steeped 13 tea bags in the late morning glare of the Deece. Some steeped for a mere minute, some for three, some for five. We had three timers going at once. But,
somehow, we made it. And thusly, I present the list of all 13 Deece teas we tried.
Unlike my other lists, this will not be in ranked order. Instead, the teas will be listed in the chronological order in which we tried them. At the bottom of each, we will list its definitive tier. Please know that these opin ions were formed with my friend Karin at the helm, who I consider to be a tea expert. She likes to be modest about that, but I know the truth. And with all that said, let’s get tea-ing.
Refresh-Mint
A strong, if underwhelming, start. I myself am an avid fan of peppermint tea and love its ubiquity at the Deece, a place where my tum my could often use its soothing, calming es
sence. I love peppermint tea. One of my com panions did not. She said it reminded her of the times as a child when she used to eat den tal floss, which is definitely worrying but also somehow makes sense given what I know about her. She demanded this knowledge be known publicly, so there it is. We didn’t have anything particularly enlightening to say about Refresh-Mint at the time, as we had nothing to compare it to, but later we would realize just how lucky we were to begin with such a lovely tea.
Ranking: A Tier
Calming Chamomile
I am not a chamomile lover and never have
A new exhibit at the Palmer Gallery celebrates the 40th anniversary of LongReach Arts.
Read about the experiences of first-year athletes grappling with the reality of partici pating in college sports.See Food on page 3 Image courtesy of @vassarvice via Instagram.
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Graphic courtesy of Sandro Luis Lorenzo ’24.New swipes at The Retreat,
’25, have voiced concerns over the changes.
Flores said, “I think it has made the lines at Retreat much longer, and I don’t have a rea son to go to Express anymore.”
Dean Macheska also cited staffing con cerns as a reason for the change. “In addi tion, moving hot items to The Retreat helps allocate labor and staffing needs in a more effective manner—the hot food prepared in The Retreat needs to travel a much shorter distance. Soup, oatmeal and other items previously packaged into cups could be of fered as self-service options, thus allowing us to allocate labor to other needed areas.”
Garrett Schmid ’25 is happy about the de cision to move the hot bar to The Retreat.
“It is a much larger space and [it] accommo dates the rush of people better. However, I do feel that it has now left Express as irrel evant, and I see little reason for me to use it for the rest of the year.”
The Retreat is now offering a Pick 3 or Pick 4 program. Macheska expressed con fidence that students will benefit from the changes. He said, “The adjustments have helped balance the traffic and meal swipes to the appropriately-sized locations. The Retreat is experiencing more utilization similar to what was experienced in Express
last year. The lines waiting to access either location have also been reduced meaning students have a more expeditious experi ence securing food.”
Macheska also emphasized the role of the rising cost of food. “The College now pays more for the sushi than is earned from the swipe,” he said. “Sushi cost rose 300% over last year’s cost. Rather than eliminating su shi from the program, we opted to create a Pick 3 program,” Macheska
If students use their swipe at Express or The Retreat after 3 p.m., Street Eats would require VCash as payment on the same evening. “Actually, we added another full swipe to students for The Retreat that was not previously available,” said Macheska. “Students now have a breakfast, lunch, and dinner swipe (M-F) that can be utilized at either The Retreat, Express, Food Truck, or The Bridge Café. Students have a brunch and dinner swipe on Saturday and Sunday where they previously had only one swipe per day on weekends,” he said.
Speaking specifically on the new swipe schedule, he added, “This modification also allowed for The Retreat to remain open un til 6 p.m. instead of the previous 4 [p.m.]. This adds extra service time for students to access food.”

mixed reviews
Jacques Abou-Rizk/The Miscellany News. Image courtesy of The Miscellany News.National Banned Books Week: Members of the Editorial Board share their favorite challenged reads

read. Here at The Miscellany News, we believe in having the opportunity to read literature on a variety of topics, from sexuality and gender, to racism
JACQUES ABOU-RIZK News EditorAngie Thomas' “The Hate U Give” is an awe-inspiring young adult novel of police brutality through the innocent account of sixteen-year-old Starr, who not only witnesses her friend get murdered, but stands up to do something about it. The words flow effortlessly and the plot thick ens with every page turned. Simply witnessing Starr unravel the com plicated evils of white supremacy is worth fighting every ban on this masterpiece.

and white supremacy, in order to better understand the world we live in while appreciating the beauty of writing. We chose from an array of challenged and
banned books from the American Li brary Association (ALA) and encour age everyone to pick up these mustreads:
WILL SORGE News EditorThis book was formative for me and my entire generation. Often regard ed as the more cerebral counterpart to “Twilight,” Suzanne Collins’s young-adult dystopia was born of a thematic marriage between American reality T.V. and news coverage of the Iraq War. For so many people my age, “The Hunger Games” was a spectacular introduction to totalitarian ism. It was a portent to one potential fu ture, informed by both past and present brutality. But perhaps most importantly, it reminded us that the youth bear a special burden in moments of oppression and so cial unrest, and that we are uniquely em powered to make change. May the odds be ever in our favor.


As Opinions Editor, I'm always in trigued by stories about people's opinions and voices. This one happens to be about the silencing of certain opin ions, mainly those that are written, and I think it's a really great representation of the consequences of censorship.
MONIKA SWEENEY Senior EditorSince the time of its publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” has been both praised and condemned. Despite attempts to ban this work and erase it from classrooms, this book is critical to teaching children about the troubled world we live in and the intricacies of how one’s actions can have a domino effect on the lives of oth ers. While it is a story about racism, in justice and corruption, it is also one that explores the importance of being kind, open-minded and ethical. Banning this book in classrooms would do a disser vice to past, present and future genera tions.

Whenever I see the bright limegreen cover of this book, “Heroes” by David Bowie immediately starts play ing in my head. Maybe because my rela tionship with this story also extends to the 2012 film adaptation, an iconic cine matic masterpiece that captures the sen timents of the original novel. Overall, the novels' exploration of serious topics, especially of mental health, distinguish “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” as an important novel to read, especially for young adults.
NINA AJEMIAN Managing EditorLois Lowry's "The Giver” is a timeless novel that has been one of my favor ites since I first read it in sixth grade. Lowry’s writing is so comfortable and embracing, clearly in contrast with the dystopian world she has created. The story follows Jonas as he discovers that he is very different from the rest of his community—and in learning this, he begins to realize that maybe the way things are aren’t the way they should, or could, be. “The Giver” is the kind of story that sticks with you long after you finish reading its last (beautifully am biguous) sentence and will always be relevant to read.

Every year, book lovers from around the world celebrate our freedom toImage courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Image courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Image courtesy of HarperCollins. Image courtesy of Houghton Mifflin. Image courtesy of Scholastic. Image courtesy of HarperCollins.
Notes on a playlist: Songs with a little bit of 'magic'

Usually I make playlists based on what I’m listening to most at the moment or on a very niche vibe, trying my hardest to define a specific mood or moment through music. I tend to get tired of whatever playlist I have on repeat, and move on to something new. But my “magic” playlist is one of the few that I ha ven’t gotten tired of and actually have contin ued to add to over the years. It’s a compilation of songs that I think have a little bit of magic in them. I decided to order this playlist from least to most upbeat so that if you’re in a bad mood, you can wallow in your sadness for a little bit, and then with each next song you’re lifted out of it.
The playlist starts off with one of the sad dest songs I know: “anything” by Adrienne Lenker. This song comes from Lenker’s dev astating breakup album “Songs” and gets me
every time, enveloping me in melancholy as it recounts the complicated feelings sur rounding the end of a relationship. Although I promised myself that I wouldn’t put any songs on here that I’ve liked for less than a year to make sure that this playlist would never get old, I had to make an exception for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” by Taylor Swift. This song felt like it was everywhere as soon as it came out and for good reason—the extra content that Swift gifted us with in the longer version of this song makes it that much more powerful. The updated version includes lyrics like “I was never good at telling jokes/ but the punchline goes/ I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age.’” It gets me every time.
There are 33 songs on this playlist, so skip ping ahead a bit, we have “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes. For some reason, this song is mentioned on the Wikipedia page “List of Music Considered the Worst,” but, quite frankly, I think that is a travesty. This is the
perfect song to sing along to when you’re on a road trip that you got up early for, and it final ly reaches mid-morning.
One of my best friends sent me “Lilacs” by Waxahatchee early in the pandemic, and it quickly became one of my favorite songs ever. Katie Crutchfield’s lilting voice is gorgeous on this song, and its meditative lyrics feel time less. A song with a similar vibe and next up on the playlist is “Spring Street” by Dar Wil liams, which I think is about the realization that you don’t always have to go somewhere new to become someone new. To me, this song feels like poetry.
Veering into the solidly cheerful portion of this playlist, we have “Clearest Blue”x by CHVRCHES. This song came out in 2015, but recently rose in popularity due to its part in “Heartstopper,” the feel-good Netflix show that came out earlier this year. “Clearest Blue” is electropop gloriousness and the perfect song to dance to in your room. “Super Troup
er” by ABBA is next, and I don’t think I need to say anything about why this is on here—it just is. Everything by ABBA is magic. If sing ing along to this song doesn’t instantly cure you of whatever ails you, I don’t know what will.
“Origin of Love” by Mika is next on the list. This song is about a lot of things, but the strongest theme, in my opinion, is a cel ebration of queer love that rejects religious hatred. It’s beautiful. The last magical song on the playlist is “Cut to the Feeling” by Carly Rae Jepsen, which might be the happiest song I know. It’s pure pop, which is Jepsen’s special ty, and it captures the essence of jubilance.
I don’t expect music magic to be the same for everyone, but these songs are definitely special to me. My more niche playlists for quiet studying, experiencing a July heatwave, driving on the highway or capturing the vibe of a waterfall might come and go, but “magic” will stick around for a long time.
Why 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' is a top-tier show
Richard Lu Guest ColumnistWithout a doubt, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (ATLA) is one of the best animated children’s shows of the 2000s. Co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzo outdid themselves with this masterpiece. Running on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008 with three seasons, the series engaged audiences of all ages. Its influence on American pop culture and viewers ev erywhere remains unchallenged to this day. The show has also received countless awards and nominations from various electing bod ies in the film industry, being nominated for the Outstanding Animated Program award at the Primetime Emmys in 2007 and win ning the Favorite Cartoon award at the Kids Choice Awards, USA, in 2008. With three new animated theatrical films currently in development, I think it’s important to speak on why “ATLA” deserves acknowledgement. Although I didn’t have the privilege of watch ing the show while it was airing (I watched it in 2012 on blu-ray DVD and rewatched it in 2020 on Netflix), the show has stayed on my mind since I laid my eyes on it for the first time. Here’s why:
Note for readers unacquainted with the show: spoilers ahead!
In its short runtime of just 20 minutes an episode, “ATLA” manages to deliver so many valuable lessons and themes. One episode that stays close to me because of the amazing lesson that it teaches is “The Southern Raid ers” (S3E16). In this episode, Katara seeks re venge for her deceased mother by locating the
perpetrator who murdered her in cold blood and hurting them like she was hurt years ago. She eventually finds the culprit with the help of Zuko and is ready to kill him, but decides to not because she doesn’t want to stoop to their level. This showed me as a young kid that ven geance is never the answer because it contin ues the cycle of violence. Instead, be the better person and walk away. Each installment has a significant takeaway and leaves one wanting more. I remember reflecting on every episode I saw and waiting impatiently for the upcom ing installment. The biggest cliffhanger for me was definitely the ending “The Crossroads of Destiny” (S2E20). Aang was just struck down from the sky, possibly dead, from the lightning strike that hit his back. The episode ended with a grave “The Earth Kingdom has fallen.” This left me at the edge of my seat and got me to rush immediately to the following season. From learning how to settle minor squabbles between enemies to learning how to forgive and forget past traumas, the show essentially raised a generation of kids through the television screen.
The animation and composition are im portant to mention as well. The show con tains various Asian influences, easily seen in the illustration of the four nations depict ing the Inuit, Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan people. These influences shed light on Asian culture, which was rare in American media at the time.
The music is also a vital part of the show and made for numerous iconic moments. The song “Leaves from the Vine,” composed by Jeremy Zuckermann and Benjamin Wynn from “The Tales of Ba Sing Se” (S2E15), is one
such example that made viewers, including myself, cry for the first time after hearing it. This piece has a resounding feeling of loss which was represented by a sorrowful Un cle Iroh crying over his deceased son under a sakura tree. It was performed by the late Mako Iwamatsu, the original voice actor for Uncle Iroh who sadly passed away before the show finished. This additional fact tugged on many more heart strings for viewers all around the world. Rest in peace Mako Iwamatsu.
The show also tackles darker topics, some thing that many viewers and I appreciate dearly. This brought a certain authenticity to “ATLA” that wasn’t present in other children’s shows at the time. The first season explicitly depicts the aftermath of the air nomad geno cide and the unfairness of war. The second season touches upon censorship in the walls of Ba Sing Se and Oppa’s animal abuse. Fi nally, the third season focuses heavily on the destructive effects of war on people and on the landscape. Despite the maturity of these topics, “ATLA” handles them in a tasteful way, appropriate for its target audience. The top ics are presented neither too grimly nor too lightheartedly, a perfect blend for children to understand and absorb. What I find admi rable is how the show doesn’t underestimate the intelligence of the viewers. The creators understood this and made a show that stays in the hearts of its watchers.
The characters are also great role models for young kids. Of the main cast, each char acter embodies a unique persona that makes them unforgettable in the eyes of the audi ence. Aang is a playful and careful spirit that young viewers can easily relate to. He proves
that anyone can take on the pressures of the world with a smile and be a good leader in the face of adversity. Katara is a strong and resil ient force that keeps Team Avatar together. She shows viewers that people can embrace their losses and manifest them into newfound power. Sokka is a funny and resourceful lead er that leads Team Avatar into the most sig nificant battles of the show. He demonstrates how anyone can become a better version of themselves if they listen and learn from oth ers. Toph is an intense and snarky character who provided much of the show’s amusing banter. She proves that great things can come in small packages (literally). Her unassuming appearance and intense personality made her a favorite among fans. Lastly, Zuko is a trou bled and unforgiving person who grows im mensely over the course of the three seasons. He shows that forgiveness is always possible and that forging your own path can be done if you put your mind to it. All that said, the characters harmonized so well together and created a memorable cast.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is the one show I can rewatch over and over without getting tired. As a young child, I remember being glued to the television screen and attempting to absorb all the details from the phenome nal character and world building. As an adult now, I continue to admire the show’s creativ ity and authenticity. I felt seen by the show, and it got me acquainted with the realities of the world in a subtle way. If I had to recom mend something for the average viewer to watch, I would say ATLA a million times over. You’ve heard it here first! If you haven’t seen ATLA, you definitely should!
Image courtesy of The Miscellany News.Varied perspectives, techniques shine in Palmer Gallery exhibit
Ganesh Pillai Arts EditorWhile previous Palmer Gallery shows have highlighted the work of a sin gle artist, such as the case with the recent collection from Marieken Cochius, the gallery’s new exhibition has a different task—to showcase the work of a collective. The gallery is filled with pieces of varying styles, themes and mediums, represent ing the many artistic minds on display. The LongReach Arts at 40 installation just opened in the gallery this past Thursday, Sept. 22, and if its goal was to celebrate its diverse set of contributors, then it surely accomplished this mission.
2022 marks the 40th anniversary of LongReach Arts’ founding, hence the “at 40” in the title. The collaborative began in earnest in 1982, first serving as a group of creatives that formed over the summer to showcase their work in the Hudson Valley. Today, the group remains steadfast in its commitment to connect its artists and pa trons with the local community, and cur rently includes 16 artists.

The exhibition’s central piece, located by the text on the wall titling it, is from the late Elayne Seaman. Seaman, the founder of this group, unfortunately passed away earli er this year. She is succeeded by her daughter Donna and the extremely talented cohort of artists. The piece “Chrysanthemums” instantly attracts the eye, the viewer imme diately aware of the stark contrast between
the white, detailed flowers and the black background. It breaks away from typical flowery pieces, choosing to be understated and monochromatic instead of indulgent and bright. It is a stunning work of art to highlight the living memory of a late, great woman.
The equally striking piece, “The Secret Life of Throw-aways,” features typically dis carded household plastics and restructures them into a beautiful hanging installation. Comprising 24 pieces in total, such as bottle caps, old toys, etc., artist Trina Greene urg es the viewer to examine the piece closely in order to notice the interactions between all of the individual pieces within the work and the ways in which they combine into the cohesive whole. The personal nature of the piece, as well as her emphasis on close view ing (literally), was a fresh and welcoming way to present art as something for viewers to interact with and consider, rather than as something lofty and unapproachable. The exhibition also offers pieces of a more abstract, thematically unspecified nature. One work of art features a combination of colors, with blues, greens and reds meshing together to form a painting that feels aquat ic, teeming with life. Other paintings utilize similarly colorful designs, providing a plen tiful mix of artistic styles and inspirations.
As a whole, a visit to the LongReach Arts exhibition feels like entering into a conver sation, a discussion with a group of people each showing their true colors, even in the
occasional black and white piece. It’s an ex position of the talents of a group–each piece reflects this diversity in its unique nature. However, if there is one common thread underlying the installation, it would be the de-emphasis of the singular path in favor of the freedom of choice. Art does not have one set of criteria it must meet. It does not need to communicate in any specific way
Ganesh Pillai/The Miscellany News.or through one specific style. A structure of overlooked plastics can appeal to the same ideal as a painting of chrysanthemums in black and white, namely the validity of many walks of life and the importance of ac cepting and embracing other perspectives.
“LongReach Arts at 40: A Celebration” is currently located in the Palmer Gallery and will run until Oct. 20.
Passing the time on a long train ride with Sibylle Baier
Luke Jenkins Guest ColumnistSibylle Baier’s album “Colour Green” took 36 years to be released. I would be re leased from my train in 11 hours. Hunched over in my seat, I was flying eastward in an Amtrak car, on the Lake Shore Limited line, to visit America’s finest gem, its crowning jewel: Ohio. I sat alone in a window seat, cross-legged and content, looking out into the Hudson Valley. My unexpected companion? A German singer-songwriter with one lone album, a desolate folk style and a peculiar life story—Sibylle Baier.

The train’s hum quieted as I played “To night,” the first track on her 2006 release, “Colour Green.” According to a rare inter view with Baier from the Goethe Institute, the album was originally recorded from 1970 to 1973 after a trip across Europe. It would take until the 21st century before be ing released by Georgia-based Orange Twin Records. Why did it take all those years for her to reach an audience? Simply put, Baier did not plan to release the record. After ap pearing in the movie “Alice in the Cities” in 1973, Baier turned away from a career in the arts, focusing instead on raising her kids. The recordings went into the attic, and in a rather poetic fashion, it was one of Baier’s children, a son named Robby, who compiled and encouraged the release of her work.
This situation makes for an interesting dynamic between Baier and the listener, one that I experienced firsthand on the train, trying not to fall as I made my way to the bathroom. The album is eerily intimate, never intended to be heard by anyone out side of a few close friends. It exists wholly and completely for Baier’s own enjoyment, her own contentment. Her life is like a mov ie trope, the notorious artistic recluse, the name that could’ve been, but chose not to be. With so little known about Baier, so few photos and so few interviews, she has been
immortalized almost entirely through these 14 songs.
The first of these 14 is a melancholic ode about a commute to work. The notes are mo notonous and steady. Each track following is notably similar—Baier’s voice clear and suc cinct over the sound of her guitar. And that’s it. That’s the entire album. She goes on about nature, about sights and sounds, but the content is abstract at best. She floats from one place to another, not unlike the rather pungent train I was on. Albany, Ithaca and Rochester were all equally unimportant as my heart yearned for that notoriously clean,
refreshing Ohio air.
Only half an hour later on my ride and I had reached the end of “Colour Green.” You have to wait for the very last track, “Give Me a Smile,” to hear any other instrument besides guitar accompany her voice. And then it ends, just like that. A tiny flourish to cap off a near-perfect album, so entirely free from where music stands today. It’s incred ibly easy to get through at just 33 minutes long, but unfortunately for me, I still had 10 and a half hours to go. I listened a few more times.
If you're just looking to dip your toes in or
don’t have the time to listen to the album all at once, I recommend “Remember the Day,” “Girl,” or “Forget About.” These songs are my favorites, but their sounds are also largely representative of Baier’s entire repertoire. “Colour Green” would be a nice addition to your listening this fall if you're looking to disconnect, or if you need mindless music when studying at the library. For something remotely similar, see Vashti Bunyan’s “Just Another Diamond Day.” I hope neither al bum disappoints, and if they do, give them another listen the next time you're riding Amtrak.
Image courtesy of Luke Jenkins '26.FEATURES
The Hudson Valley carries a notable psychedelic history
Anna Meyer Guest ColumnistIf you take a trip 15 miles up the road from Poughkeepsie to Millbrook, you will en counter a large, stately Victorian home— unsuspecting, aside from the painting of a clown-like cartoon face on the façade of the building. The painted image depicts the face of the “turned-on” man, the embodiment of Timothy Leary’s “turn on, tune in, drop out” mantra, according to the Times Union.
Leary was an ardent proponent of the use of psychedelics for spiritual purposes and a prominent leader of the early psychedel ic movement. At the height of the war on drugs, he was vilified by Richard Nixon, who referred to Leary as “the most danger ous man in America,” according to the New York Times.
Though the Hitchcock Estate, where Leary and his associates dwelled and exper imented, now lies dormant and relatively abandoned, it served as the epicenter of the psychedelic movement nearly six decades ago.
In the early ’60s, Leary and Richard Alp ert (later known as Ram Dass) began ex perimenting with psychedelics at Harvard, where they founded the Harvard Psilocybin
Project. The project later morphed into the International Federation for Internal Free dom (IFIF), whose goal was to examine the religious use of psychedelics, according to New York State Historian Devin Lander. In Alpert’s influential book, “Be Here Now,” he described the rift that formed between pro fessors involved with IFIF and those who were weary of it.
Tensions grew between the groups of aca demics due to their differing ideologies, and in the spring of 1962, Leary and Alpert were terminated from their tenured positions––Leary for his failure to show up to his lec tures and Alpert for giving psilocybin to an undergraduate student. After being kicked out of Harvard, Leary and Alpert moved to Mexico. They continued their psychedel ic explorations there before moving back to the United States a short six weeks later when the Mexican government learned of their controversial circumstances at Har vard and expelled them from the country, according to Lander.
Lucky for them, one of their remaining connections from Harvard was Peggy Hitch cock, an heir to the Andrew Mellon family fortune. She informed Leary and Alpert that her brother had recently purchased a 2,500-
acre estate in Millbrook with a 64-room mansion which they had no use for. Leary and Alpert, eager to find a new place to relo cate their project (which was renamed to the Castalia Foundation), moved into the man sion, signing a lease that obligated them to a $1 monthly rental payment, according to Timeline.
The house took shape as a psychedelic commune with a rotating cast of philoso phers, psychologists, artists and pop culture icons. As the scene got wilder, and fear of the counterculture movement grew among politicians, the Millbrook estate became the subject of government scrutiny. In the spring of 1966, the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, led by G. Gordon Liddy (who was later involved in the Watergate Scandal), raided the mansion, and although they did not find anything aside from a small amount of marijuana, the estate came under inescapable surveillance, which ul timately drove Leary and his peers off the property.
Later that year, Leary reorganized the Castalia Foundation into a religion called the League for Spiritual Discovery (abbreviated as L.S.D.) with the hopes of maintaining the legality of LSD on the basis of religious free
dom.
The estate also served as a meeting point for Ken Kesey—another prominent figure in the promotion of acid—and Leary’s sects of the psychedelic movement. In 1964, Kesey’s notorious Furthur bus carrying his crew of Merry Pranksters on their acid-crazed cru sade across America made a stop in Mill brook. However, the two groups did not get along—the Millbrook group was too aca demic for Kesey, and the Furthur group was too rowdy for Leary, who was on a three-day psychedelic trip during the visit and did not bother to spend time with his guests.
Today, Leary’s dream of psychedelics be ing recognized for their powerful spiritual and healing properties is gaining traction in the mainstream, as evidenced by the nation wide movement to decriminalize psychedel ics, including in New York.
Though the house has long been empty of Leary and his colleagues, their indelible influence still permeates the Hudson Val ley. As psychedelic research picks up steam in scientific circles, the Millbrook estate stands as a monument to the movement’s ’60s counterculture roots and as a reminder of Dutchess County’s prominent role in psy chedelic history.
Student orgs are now able to perform at sports halftimes
Willa Jewitt Guest ColumnistCould the Super Bowl 2023 be at Vassar College? We could make it happen now that student organizations can perform halftime shows at sporting events. The Stu dent-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Vassar Student Association (VSA) an nounced last week that Vassar now has live, free entertainment at sporting events. I don’t know about you, but the only rea son I watch the Super Bowl is not for the sweaty guys pushing each other over in an attempt to get a ball across a tiny white line (at least I’m pretty sure that is the goal of football). I’m much more interested in the halftime show: a fun, engaging event that sometimes has people ziplining in from the roof just like Lady Gaga (if you missed her 2017 Super Bowl halftime performance, go watch it right now).
At Vassar, lots of sporting teams—wom en’s volleyball, women’s and men’s soccer, women’s rugby, just to name a few—are giving people that same opportunity to per form, maybe minus the giant zipline. As a smaller liberal arts school, while there are many student-athletes, sporting events are not as big compared to the ones at larger state schools. The halftime shows will al low for a mixing of sports and art, combin ing two important aspects of Vassar.

Trina Chou ’23, the captain of the wom en’s lacrosse team and the VSA liaison for the SAAC, explained the benefits of this program, saying, “The VSA Athletics Committee ever since being formed last year has had the goal of trying to connect student athletes to non-student-athletes on campus.” As a liaison, Chou is able to coor dinate between the student organizations and the sports teams helping to get the half time shows off the ground. She is also the co-chair of the VSA Athletics Committee, along with Kyle Flynn ’23.
When asked about the decision to start halftime shows, Chou noted, “One of the things that was brought up was halftime shows, given that they provide the unique opportunity for organizations to perform, and also help to drive athletic attendance.”
Student organizations that perform are giv
en the opportunity to showcase their work for a new audience. It also allows for more collaboration between the student organi zations and sports teams.
Chou said, “There have actually been halftime performances in the past at Vas sar…and they’ve demonstrated to be a great way for the whole campus to come togeth er.” She also added, “Because leadership changes every year, some things get lost and I think organizing halftime shows was one of them.” There also could be a wide range of groups performing: dance orgs, student bands, a capella groups (it’s the perfect op portunity for a “Pitch Perfect” inspired riffoff) or even a stand-up comedy and improv showcase. The possibilities are endless.
There are already multiple organizations
interested in performing, such as the aca pella group Measure4Measure, but before groups can take the stage, field arrange ments and logistics need to be worked out by Chou along with field manager and base ball coach Blayne Fuke. This new opportu nity is expected to launch by the spring se mester of this year, but planning is already underway for performances at games start ing in October. There could even be specific themes for different halftime shows, giv ing the chance for multiple organizations to perform. The games and their halftime shows could also be promoted together.
While most people associate halftime shows with football games, having these performances in other sporting events fosters an engaging atmosphere from the
basketball courts to the rugby field. Rebec ca Gutierrez ’26, who is on the women’s volleyball team, said, “The halftime shows would add more spirit and energy to the court and make it even more fun and inter active for the people in the stands.” Also, I personally think having great halftime per formances will make our rival schools jeal ous and intimidate them, especially if there is a crowd of adoring fans; so it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Chou ended with saying, “I hope these halftime shows can be a fun way for Vassar students to support their friends, wheth er it’s through a halftime performance or a sports game.” The Super Bowl halftime shows better watch out now that Vassar’s are here.
Image courtesy of Vassar Athletics.FEATURES
Vassar Geology Department showcases 'Hidden Beauty' of earth

very welcoming to me as an interested first-year and employee there.
Ely Hall also hosts some drawing classes as well as the A. Scott Warthin Jr. Museum of Geology and Natural History, filled with a lot of really cool science! This museum is free and open to all Vassar students, so I would recommend swinging by when you have that awkward 30ish minutes between classes. The Assistant Museum Curator this year is Elise Poniatowski ‘23; I asked about her work in the museum and she re plied, “I feel so lucky to get to work in the collections and continue to keep this space as special as it is. I encourage students to come look at the Mass Extinctions Exhibit on the back wall of the museum—it was a fully student run and assembled project!"
I’m currently enrolled in ESCI 151, The
“Something unique about geography is that we study how social issues play out over physical space. We mainly consider the often contentious relationships between institutions of power and everyday people. It’s an incredibly versatile discipline with lots of applications.”
Solid Earth: Physical Geology with Profes sor Jill Schneiderman, and her class has
been delightful so far. Schneiderman has been at Vassar since 1994 and said about her field: “Geology gives me a sense of humani ty. When you look at the length of geologic time, humans are only a speck of that time, yet our effect on the world is profound. Studying Geology enables us to live more sustainably.” She said she teaches geology to
give this humility to students.
I also spoke to the senior interns for Geog raphy and Earth Science respectively, An drew Miller ‘23 and Carter Mucha ‘23, about what they thought of the department. An drew said: “Something unique about geog raphy is that we study how social issues play out over physical space. We mainly consid
er the often contentious relationships be tween institutions of power and everyday people. It’s an incredibly versatile discipline with lots of applications.” Carter added in reference to the greater department, “The Vassar Earth Science department is a wel coming place where comfort and academ ics blend into an effective and supportive learning environment. Professors actively work to include everyone in the process of learning science!”
And I almost forgot the maps! As The Miscellany News “Welcome Back” cross word pointed out a few weeks ago, Ely Hall is home to hundreds of beautiful, gorgeous maps of all kinds. I am a map nerd and proud of it, so I have spent multiple hours in this room looking through the many drawers of interesting maps. One of my fa vorites is a railroad map of the state of Penn sylvania that expanded from a tiny six-inch notebook to around the size of a standard Vassar dorm desk. The map curator, Yidan Xu ‘23, runs the map room and puts up a “Map of the Week” bulletin across from the faculty offices. This week’s map is “The Red Planet Mars,” a national geographic map of Mars from 1973. Please come by to see the interesting ones featured each week!
If you’re interested in the department at all, I’d highly encourage you to sign up for an Earth Science or Geography course or to swing by one of our GeoTeas every Wednes day at 3 p.m. People in the department will sit together in some cool Adirondack chairs next to Ely and talk about anything relat ed to earth science and geography (maybe even the Adirondacks). Free tea and snacks are provided each time! We’ll also have a Night at the Museum event in late October, so keep your eyes peeled for more details there. Whether you like maps or meta morphic rocks, France or fossils, the Earth Science and Geography Department might just be the place for you.

HUMOR Breaking News
From the desk of Madi Donat, Humor EditorCook like a pro with no experience or training or brain cells!
Alyssa Willeford Top ChefHave you ever seen a pile of burning gar bage? Have you ever watched the edges of banana peels and old milk cartons curl as dancing flames blackened them into indis tinguishable lumps of smoking charcoal? Have you ever smelled that smell, that smell of decay and rot and carcinogens multiplied a thousandfold by the searing heat? Have you ever experienced this and wished you could recreate it right in the convenience of your own home?
Incidentally, I’d like to recommend a new hobby to my readers: cooking. Using just a few costly ingredients and a variety of sen sitive and hard-to-care-for kitchen equip ment, you too can have a tasty dish bubbling away in the pot in no time, or else a cheery bonfire on your stove or in your oven. It’s like Christmas! I’ve been cooking for a very long time now—three weeks and counting—so you can lean on me for all your food preparation needs. Without further ado: Let’s get lit!
Cooking tip #1: Seasonings, seasonings, seasonings. Did you know that every thing that makes life worth living will also eventually kill you? It’s true! Oil contains health-threatening cholesterol, for exam ple, and salt will raise your blood pressure until you pop like an overripe tomato. But nearly one hundred percent of human be ings have died anyway over the course of history, so you’re probably safe to kick your food up a notch. Add just a pinch more salt than your kitchen-coward family, or just one more knob of butter, and just watch as flavor blooms in your pan. You can also just do what I do, which is to go through your cabinets adding whatever catches your eye until you end up with a concoction that would make cucumber lime Gatorade taste like the finest champagne. No judgment—but remember, if you skip out on any flavor, you’re a wimp too!
Cooking tip #2: Choose your weapons carefully. The method you use to prepare
food determines essential aspects of the final dish, such as whether it is worth eating. Try roasting a pan of vegetables until they’re crisp and just cooked through, or searing a hunk of protein on high heat to draw out its flavor without making it too tough. Or just try my favorite technique, one which I often use un intentionally: the Smoky Frying Pan. Start by browning some onions until the edges are nice and black, then add spices and toast un til the kitchen becomes an industrial hazard. It’s a delight for the palate and a workout for the lungs!
Cooking tip #3: Leave the details for later. You’re a busy adult, and you can’t spend time worrying about every little thing you put in your mouth. Try assembling a repertoire of easy one-pan meals and dump dinners, making planning a breeze. Even better, use my patent-pending Brain Hack™ to really optimize your diet! When at the store, just buy whatever random items catch your eye. Then, later, throw them into a casserole dish, add water and salt and bake at 450 for seven hours. Trust me: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Cat Cookies For People come out of this process just as delicious as expensive freshly-laid quail eggs. It’s a miracle in the making!
Cooking tip #4: Okay, fine. Who do you think you’re fooling? You’re not a real cook. I’m sure as heck not a real cook. In the end, society is a game we play with each other. It’s all in the mind, man. Instead of worrying about the totally-not-groovy artificial con structs of, like, flavor and nutrition, just jam with the ingredients you already have. Don’t shop; shopping just pays the Man. Instead, dig those old cans of junk out of the back of your cupboard, all that stuff you never use, the nasty jam with spices in it your grandma gave you seven years ago for Christmas or whatever—take that stuff, and just, like, eat it with a spoon, man. Who needs to cook, when cooking is, like, all around us? Stick that in your skillet and let it sizzle.

But grooviness aside, feeding yourself is
one of the greatest challenges you can pos sibly face. Many people throughout histo ry—most of them dirt-encrusted medieval peasants—have somehow failed to accom plish even this basic task. With my cooking tips, though, you’re sure to be able to have
enough to eat. After all, even if you offered my famous pineapple potato chip casse role to those exact same peasants, you still wouldn’t end up having to share it. So long, my friends—and think of me as you feast like royalty!
Leila Raines/The Miscellany News.Asking Vassar students, "What are you listening to?"
Nandini Likki TikTok FamousI’m sure I’m not the only one on this fine fall campus who has seen those videos where YouTuber Shan Rizwan asks students at various universities, “What song are you listening to?” They feature the beauty and diversity of music taste, and prove that you can never tell what people are listening to as they walk by you on the way to class, myste rious headphones on ears. Apparently, peo ple don’t dance or laugh or smile or breathe when they walk to class; they turn into Eas ter Island statues and avoid making eye con tact with you—and I’m not excluding myself from this. I don’t want anybody to know I listen to Global K-pop Boy Band Sensation Holy Shit I Love Your Choreographies group Seventeen religiously, so I try to mimic the faces of the couple from “American Gothic” as much as I can. Now you’ll never know that I listen to Neutral Milk Hotel—oops. Anyway, if you were walking by me on the street, I could never tell what you were listening to. Maybe it’s Jessica Pratt. May
be it’s Death Grips. Or maybe you’re the kind of person who busts it down to “Cbat” by Hudson Mohawke on the way to your French drills. Since Rizwan has not visited Vassar yet, I thought I’d recommend some songs you should listen to just in case he de cides to POUNCE on you and ask you this DREADED question. You don’t want to be the chump caught listening to Kirk Frank lin!
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac.
Hood classic. I don’t care if it’s basic—the worst thing you’ll be labeled as is “vanilla” by a bunch of snobs in a YouTube com ments section.
“Suck It and See” by Arctic Monkeys.
The title’s kind of “cheeky,” as Alex Turn er would say (what are British people like? I have no idea).
“Enjoy” by Björk.
Oh, this song is so badass. And appar ently, it’s one of Björk’s less popular songs. Who wouldn’t want to be scared half to death by those random trumpet bursts while walking around campus at 10 in the
morning? When you tell someone to “en joy” this song, they definitely won’t but it will leave a lasting impression, which is the least you could hope for with a Björk song anyway.
“Tekitoi” by Rachid Taha.
To be honest, I feel sorry for you because I know your taste in music will never touch mine—you didn’t grow up with an Indian dad whose favorite genres were Motown and Qawwalis. The best song I can think of that combines both of these fun styles is “Tekitoi.” Maybe you can show it to one of your friends to prove that you might still have a little culture in you before you both skip it to listen to Taylor Swift’s new album, you vapid rube.
“Cherries Were Made For Eating” by Godiego.
I’ve made my love for the movie “House” quite clear before, but did I men tion this amazing song from the movie’s soundtrack?! Imagine saying the title of this song to someone and they respond with the next lyrics like, “Yeah, and fish were
made to swim in the sea?!” I would propose on the spot.
“Hrudayam Ekkadunnadi” from the “Ghajini” OST (Telugu).
OHHH ya know ya girl Nandini had to put a super old Telugu song on here, #eas torwestindiaisthebest. The backing beat (97 beats per minute, I checked) is perfect for a brisk walk on a fine October morning. The lyrics, like all Telugu song lyrics, are so sickeningly sweet and romantic that they’ll make you cry honey. What a lovely look in the morning. Where is my heart? It’s cir cling around this song.
“Ohio Is For Lovers” by Hawthorne Heights.
Okay, okay, I included this just for laughs. I know this is supposed to be a serious arti cle, I’m sorry. But have you ever heard an emo song sung by four white guys that has “Ohio” in the title? Of course you haven’t; I’m here to cleanse your ears. My mom ac tually used to work in the same city that Hawthorne Heights is from… Yeah, there’s nothing there.
If last week was a weird week for you, don’t worry; this week can always be weirder!
HUMOR
HOROSCOPES


This is a week of healing. Sometimes you need to heal from things. Like writing horoscopes, for example. Or a Sunday morning spent in the throes of Tartarus (see next page). Do you need to heal this week? Probably. If you want to heal together, I can set up a whenisgood.


STICK FIGURES OF VASSAR



Poetry Corner Anna Kozloski
Infantile Instinct
A babe had a horrid propensity
To shriek with such frightful intensity
That one fateful day, When denied time to play, Its cry quaked the earth with immensity.

HUMOR
Ranking all of the Deece teas becomes a harrowing journey
been. Never do I need a tea to make me MORE sleepy. However, one of my fellow reporters is a self-proclaimed chamomile-head, and of this tea, she had this to say: “It must have been a dud because it tasted like cardboard instead of soothing fairy liquid (the type of tea you would gently lower a sugar cube into with a tiny silver pair of tongs. The kind of sugar cube you would feed to a horse out of the palm of your hand, if you’re into that kind of thing).” I cannot say I agree with this state ment, but it is true that the chamomile we got was incredibly cardboard-forward. Maybe the tab on the teabag fell into the mug while it was steeping. Maybe they put sawdust in there instead of the actual tea leaves; we may never know the true reason why the chamo mile didn’t taste of the gods as it usually does. (Maybe it’s because chamomile isn’t that good to begin with? But hey, that may just be me.)
Ranking: C Tier
Baked Cinnamon Apple
A new fighter in the Deece tea ring! I sus pect that the dining staff heard of our rank ings and conspired to bring in a new, pretty good tea into the mix! I am a big fan of apple teas, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint! It’s super apple forward, not too overpower ing and gave me the faint impression of oats on the tongue. Our tea aficionado, however, was less impressed. “It’s not unpleasant, but it’s mostly just hot water,” was her statement on the matter. I, however, found that it had the most flavor out of our two previous teas. A little watery, sure, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Despite its distinctive apple juice-y notes, it loses a good deal of points by virtue of not being particularly cinnamon-y. It is in the name, after all. I was willing to let this slide— apple and cinnamon too often blend imperceptibly into a singular flavor, after all— but my fellow compatriots were not so kind. For this reason, it was bumped down slightly.
Ranking: B Tier Zen
Another nice way to ease into our taste test. It tasted like a kind of stale green tea, but overall had a nice, minimal flavor to it. There was supposed to be lemongrass flavors in it, which none of us picked up on, but that aside, it was just a kind of green-ish hot bev erage that could maybe have given us a sense of Zen if we’d let it. We did not let it. We bar relled ahead, unaware of the power that this Zen could truly have on us had we opened our hearts to it. It won’t be until the end of this journey that we look back and realize what we wish we hadn’t taken for granted. A perfectly respectable tea, for sure, if a little old-tasting.
Ranking: B Tier
Passion
This, my friends, is when our descent into madness began. I had never had the misfor tune of trying “Passion” before, and, now that I have, boy do I ever wish I hadn’t. The first thing you will notice about Tazo’s “Passion” tea is the smell. My God, the smell—it smells like straight up chewing gum. Like, Trident brand chewing gum that has no actual flavor save for a phrase like “Tropical Splash!” or, “Pineapple Madness!” or, “Surfboard City!”

Once you’re through with the initial olfactory shock, you are hit with the taste. And what a taste it is—at first it is unnecessarily sweet, then it is unnecessarily sour. And all through this is the inexplicable, yet unmistakable, smack of salt. Pure NaCl, Gatorade electro lyte, hot sodium juice. My friend explained it thusly: “I could imagine using it as a plantbased dye, perhaps to color yarn, or a scrap of linen, and pretend I am a colonial woman sewing myself a new petticoat.” True indeed that its brilliant purple color begets stares and intrigue, but I implore you all: Abandon hope, all ye that drink Tazo’s “Passion” tea. As
my friend so gracefully said, “If this is what passion is, then I don’t want it.”
Ranking: F Tier
Sweet Cinnamon Spice
This is a bad tea. And, to drink this bad tea after the atrocious tea that was “Pas sion” was like a kick in the face, or a punch in the gut, or a “we need to talk” text. Reader, it smelled not good. If “Passion” smelled of Tri dent gum, “Sweet Cinnamon Spice” smelled like Red Hots. I swear, they use the exact same flavorant as the Red Hots brand. And, reader, that taste does not go away. Rather, it gets worse. My friend told me it tasted like the cinnamon challenge, and I wish I had be lieved her the first time. Though we steeped it for the requisite five minutes and it burned the back of my throat a little, it was still some how too watery. I cannot impress upon you enough how absolutely terrible this tea was, especially following the impossibility of the previous tea’s horrificiness. But, we must sol dier on. Life is about encountering moments of dread and fear, yet pushing on anyway. And on we push.
Ranking: F Tier
Decaf English Breakfast
At least this tea didn’t really fucking taste like anything. It was necessary for us to fea ture a second brand option to make it clear that we’re not just doing this ranking because we’re in Big Tazo’s little corporate pocket. (Though, by now I’m sure you’re well aware of the fact that, while it might be nice for Tazo to see this list, we highly doubt they’d pay us for it.) The brand name, Choice, recalls our campus’s safer sex supplies org, and this tea’s taste complements the bland and unexciting assortment of men some on this campus may have the option to use such products with. They both come in such nice little packets. Both packets may elicit the same response: It was bad. It was unremarkable, and it was very weak. I want to move on. I want to not drink tea anymore. Jesus Christ.
Ranking: D Tier Chai
This chai smells delicious! It really does. I’m clinging to the small moments of hope here. As expected, it disappointed. The chai ended up as less of a flavor and more of a feeling, though all the while it dried up our tongue and throat. By this point, a thick film of tea flavorant had collected on our tongues, and it was making it hard to be objective taste-testers. It’s like when you try and do a wine tasting and you do use the little spit bucket but a little alcohol seeps in through your cheeks and you’re buzzed by the first hour so you can’t really say anything produc tive about the drinks after that. By this point, I think I would’ve preferred being wine drunk. At least there’s a little aphrodisiac happening in there. This tea left me dry and sad, in more ways than one.
Ranking: C Tier
Vanilla Caramel Chai
This was also a chai. Except it wasn’t, be cause instead of tasting good, like chai nor mally is supposed to, it tasted bad. It smelled like a doctor’s office, according to my notes (what does that even mean?). It was sweet in a weird way. It reminds me of the time I was driving home from a sleepover and I was us ing my pillow, but my pillow was next to the nail polish that I brought to the sleepover, so I was inhaling nail polish for the whole car ride and I got a headache and I thought I was gonna die. It’s got a little bit of a caramel thing happening in the middle, and no vanilla to be found. The cinnamon is a ghost at the back of my throat. I legitimately cannot say anything else except that it sucks. Don’t get this one. Don’t bother. As a matter of fact, don’t get any of the teas from the Deece; they’re all terrible. They’re clogging my nose. They make me
queasy. I want to go home.
Ranking: D Tier Awake English BreakfastThis was a normal enough black tea. Pretty astringent, pretty oversteeped, pretty bitter, as teas go. Nonetheless, it was palatable and fruity, and smelled exactly like it was sup posed to, instead of like the defunct Peeps store or a CVS. I for one wished I could’ve drunk it with milk, but this is not a time to think about what could have been, lest we dis solve into a puddle of grief for that which we cannot have. If I began to wish for milk, what next? Sugar? Honey? A nap? A moment, a singular moment, away from this, my per sonal Hell? The sweet embrace of death to come and take me away? To sleep, no more? To sleep, perchance to dream? To shuffle off this mortal coil? I don’t like this anymore. I don’t know why I decided to do this. I want to call my mom.
Ranking: C Tier Earl GreyUsually we would enjoy the smell of Earl Grey tea, but by this point our whole suite of senses had just been messed up by every thing. It was kinda watery, and didn’t have the normal notes that Earl Grey tea normally provides— namely, lavender and dirt. But it was kind of watery and sad and boring, and I wanted to not drink it. Much like how I want ed to not drink the remaining teas. Or any tea for the rest of my life, ever. I think I have been ruined, not just in terms of tea, but also just in general. I’m not myself anymore. I’m barely a person. I have been made beast by Deece tea. I have been made unrecognizable. Anyway, this one was pretty good actually.
Ranking: B Tier Green GingerGood Lord. Finally, a good tea. I have an in credibly strong nostalgic connection to Tazo Green Ginger, but even if that wasn’t true, I think I would have still sunk to the earth to thank the gods for just this taste of paradise, of ecstasy. For those wondering the flavor pro file of Tazo Green Ginger, know that it doesn’t taste like much green tea or ginger, but it is still so good. It does provide the slightest lit tle ginger tingle, enough to trick your brain into thinking that you’re drinking something that’s good for you even though it smells like a witch store and is mostly like hot juice, but not in the way that “Passion” is hot juice; no, this is the ambrosia of Mount Olympus, the milk from the teat of Saint Mary herself. If Tazo Green Ginger was a person, I would be filled with an unrelenting desire, an in satiable lust unlike anything I have ever yet known. Tazo Green Ginger does something to me. It envelops me and caresses me, and turns me to honey in its capable hands. This is a good tea.
Ranking: A Tier
China Green Tips
Finally, somehow, we reached the end of our journey. A normal, regular cup of green tea. I was met with a deliciously fruity green tea smell. I may not be a green tea aficionado, but this one certainly tasted like it’s supposed to taste. It, again, smelled old to our tea ex pert, who is used to high-quality green teas and not green teas from shit companies like Tazo or Choice (sorry Choice; I know you didn’t mean to be roped into this, but at this point there’s little I can do). This was a nor mal, regular cup of green tea that made me feel nothing, which, at the end of this ardu ous journey that took maybe 45 minutes of my late Sunday morning, was all I could re ally ask for. At this point, I had gone numb. I was fading in and out of consciousness. Even my trusty water bottle, which I’d used as a palate cleanser thus far, was starting to smell weird, like tea and garlic. I had also spilled a cup of coffee on my pants at some point be
fore this, but in my state I had only just no ticed it by this point. This tea was pretty good.
Ranking: B Tier
So, there you have it. We taste-tested all 13 teas. We did not manage, through the course of this test, to get our hands on Wild Sweet Orange, but you as well as I will know that its primary tasting note is “hot Gatorade.” That said, I do find it important to simply copy and paste the description of this tea as it reads on the box, which was suspiciously put out JUST AFTER we finished our test: “Wild Sweet Orange is like finding a magical orange grove filled with the ripest and most juicy or anges but instead of using a ladder to get the fruit down, you plug in your electric guitar and blast the volume until it’s orange every where.” A D Tier description for an unques tionably D Tier tea.
Though by now we were done, in our hu bris we decided to prolong our misery a tad bit longer. As a bonus round, we added a splash of milk to our four salvageable black teas (Va nilla Caramel Chai is NOT a part of this list), to see if that improved the flavor somewhat. Some of our final rankings were calculated based on this specific part of the tea-ste test.
Awake English Breakfast
The milk kind of washed everything out. I think I got sour milk. It gave it a sort of cheesy flavor.
Earl Grey
Tasted fine. I wish there was more to say. Tasted like it’s supposed to. It would’ve been nicer with honey.
Chai
Just tasted like shit chai.
Decaf English Breakfast Nothing. Weird milk flavor.
Final recap: The Frankentea
In our hasty tea bag removal, we ended up with a bowl full of all of the steeped bags. At the bottom of this bowl was a lovely little pud dle of liquid, which I lovingly refer to as the Frankentea. And, reader, believe me when I say that we all took a sip. Our journey in the Underworld coming to a close, it was the fi nal elixir, the shot to take us out back into the world of the living. I implore you to un derstand that this journey was so harrowing, so horrific, so perplexing and disorienting at times, and above all so wholly unpleasant, that this perfect sip of all teas combined was a welcome one. The salty sourness of the “Pas sion” and fake spiciness of “Sweet Cinnamon Spice” were masked by the calming flavors of Earl Grey, Peppermint, Green Ginger and Zen. And, reader, I beg you to hear me in this: I would have gone back for another sip of this Frankentea. I would have drunk again from the bowl of shame, the bowl of regret. I would have re-entered the fray for that nectar. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Madi Donat/The MiscellanyOPINIONS
Belonging at Vassar: Impostor syndrome has lasting impacts
Lucy Funes Guest ColumnistIgrew up being told that I was destined for great things, that I was Ivy-bound and all those other cliché things that a teenager hears in one of those Lifetime coming-of-age films. When I was accepted into Vassar, I felt that all my hard work had paid off. I had been accepted into a prestigious liberal arts col lege, after all, and Admissions doesn’t make mistakes, right?
So why, since my acceptance, have I strug gled to feel like I belong here?
If anyone can relate, then you are prob ably familiar with the term “imposter syn drome”—which clouds over your head and is very hard to get rid of, especially when sur rounded by all the talented and intelligent students in your classes (who, I should men tion, are likely feeling the same way).
Put simply, impostor syndrome is a feeling of not being good enough or not belonging, even though all your efforts and abilities, time and time again, prove otherwise. Yet it's much deeper than just feeling like you don’t belong, Psychology Today describes it as the inability to internalize accomplishments.

Although prevalent on most college cam puses,impostor syndrome is not just con fined to these four years of study, or to the world of academics as a whole, but can be present at any point in life. This is worth noting, because a younger version of me be lieved that as time passed, I’d grow to simply just feel that I belonged. I had watched TED Talks and had conversations with people old er than me who had “been there, done that” when it came to grappling with that sense that they were frauds some years ago when they were in college.
I lived vicariously through such stories; they gave me hope that I might wake up one day and feel like a Vassar student instead of just being a student at Vassar. But through out the very tough academic year I had yet to wake up and feel this sense of belonging. If anything, I was even more convinced that I was not cut out for this school, or perhaps college in general.
I’m sure at least a handful of fellow first-generation students have felt this way at least once in their lives. According to Best Colleges: “For many first-generation stu dents who have worked hard to get to college, imposter syndrome can be a huge obstacle to staying in school and thriving”. As first-gen eration students at Vassar, not only are we the first (or one of the first) in our households to go to college, we are also going above and beyond to receive the higher level of educa tion that our parents have always dreamed of or once may have dreamt of for themselves. It’s a lot of pressure at times, and there is a sense that everything must always be per fect. An illusion of this may have been seen academically when so many of us were top of our class in high school. This was the case for me, and to be met with my first Bs, Cs and Ds at Vassar made me second guess everything.
Silently, we may think to ourselves: How do I measure up to someone whose parents both went to college and have degrees? Even if we don’t think that, we do manage to be very hard on ourselves for being human and will unfairly compare ourselves to others who seem like they have their lives together.
In reality, no one really has it together and that is okay, the people we compare our selves to are likely also silently questioning their own academic abilities and how they measure up to everyone else here. Students’ unique backgrounds and experiences heav ily impact the ways in which impostor syn drome manifests itself.
As stated before, impostor syndrome is not something that independently exists in college or academia as a whole, but can bleed into many other parts of your life. At its core, this mindset makes it difficult to accept ac complishments and abilities as products of hard work, mixed in with comparisons to the accomplishments and abilities of others.
The expectation that I would simply stop feeling this way over time was lost when I started reaching out to older mentors who had similar roots to my own. In contrast to past stories I had heard about overcoming impostor syndrome, these newer stories seemed more personalized and realistic. The shared experience of being first-generation (and in some cases Latinx as well, which in troduced similarities in culture and upbring ing) allowed me to view myself from an out side perspective. If I respected my mentors for the challenges they faced in their youth, then why should I not also treat myself with respect for facing very similar challenges? The role models in my life are not perfect and
that makes no difference to me, so why am I so hard on myself for not being perfect and for simply being human?
More importantly, said individuals were open about their current struggles with im postor syndrome. They described it not as something that magically goes away after graduation, but as a long-term challenge that over time can be managed. In one conversa tion, an incredibly talented older friend of mine told me about how every day she looks in the mirror and speaks only good things about herself in order to remind herself that she is enough. She holds a strong belief that comparing her abilities to others, in a way that does not foster growth but only brings her down, is a disservice to her younger self, one who worked tirelessly and among unique challenges to achieve all the successes she has to her name.
She is not wrong—it is unfair to our young er selves to be so harsh with our present-day selves. Practicing self kindness is surpris ingly very difficult, but necessary in order
to overcome the beast that is impostor syn drome.
The possibility that this feeling can be long-term is not meant to discourage anyone currently dealing with impostor syndrome, but instead can become a strategy to help re duce these negative feelings. Waiting for it to go away on its own will not work, we must treat ourselves with the respect and kindness we deserve in order for impostor syndrome to loosen its grip on us.
Of course, we are all different, and this is easier said than done, but it is not impossi ble. Your situation is unique, but your feel ings make you part of a bigger community of those who came before you and those who will come after you.
And if you haven’t been reminded in a while, please bear in mind that you indeed do belong here, and your presence and unique ness are important in shaping Vassar in ways that you may not even realize right now.. You are a valid part of this community. You are deserving of your place here. You are enough.
Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.OPINIONS
Lindsey Graham pushes national abortion restrictions

REMINDER: Midterm elections are on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. All House seats (435 representatives) and 35 out of 100 Senate seats are on the ballot this year. More voting information at the end of this article.
On Sept. 13, 2022, The New York Times reported that Senator Lindsey Graham (Re publican-South Carolina) brought a bill to the Senate. This particular bill, as detailed on Graham’s official Senate website, would essentially ban abortion across the United States, as Politico details. Though Graham stated that his bill will restrict most cases be fore 15 weeks, it is highly unlikely that these exceptions will gain access to an abortion. His proposal comes at a time of extreme po litical contention—a tug of war over which party will gain control of the House and the Senate. With the investigation into Trump and his associates underway, the Republican Party (GOP) has started to fracture between Trump loyalists and dissidents, leaving the elected status of many (former and current) Trump allies hanging in the balance.
In an attempt to quell the unease sur rounding the GOP, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky) began to run on a platform for reducing infla tion, rather than the pressing issue of abor tion rights. McConnell even went on to say, “I think most of the members of my confer ence prefer that this be dealt with at the state level,” according to The Washington Post. As of now, the GOP would rather steer attention away from the issue of stolen bodily autono my and instead focus on economic recovery.
The GOP now has two enemies: the Dem ocratic Party and themselves. Fox News re vealed that McConnell does not believe the Republicans are supporting “quality” can didates. This statement, as reported by Po litico, was very publicly rejected by Senator Rick Scott. This tension demonstrates the growing disagreement within the party and shows cracks of inconsistency in party mem bers’ stances, even as they attempt to put up a united front. Graham’s comments could be used as ammunition for his Republican col leagues as they compete for various positions
across the country. His competitors now have the opportunity to solidify their stances as “pro-choice” (which would be untrue) to conform with the general views of the public and to drive voters away from Graham. Not to mention, his Democratic opponents can use his rashness to bolster support for their party and show that the GOP does not sup port the majority view of the voters.
Though Graham has recently been ada mant about restricting abortion access, Time details that he has also stated in the past that he believed that abortion laws should be de cided by individual states, rather than on a national level. His switch in opinion is rem iniscent of a recent trend within the GOP—a trend of inconsistency. If anything, his re versal shows how deeply corruption runs in today’s politics. It highlights how politicians are willing to twist and warp their opinions into a lie merely to gain favor with voters and thus more power for personal gain (as
opposed to serving the public). That level of inconsistency should raise many alarms in the eyes of voters, especially now, though this pattern has been developing for quite some time, as shown by AP News. It’s been brewing even before the Jan. 6 Committee was formed and an investigation began, per The Washington Post. This trend can be used as key evidence in the eventual prosecution of government officials who enabled the insurrection. Prosecutors can use their fre quent backtracking to highlight how their recent condemnation of the insurrection is a self-serving move; it’s a lie, meant to deflect from their involvement and to avoid punish ment for their collusion.
Graham knows that his bill is unlikely to pass due to public opinion, as reflected in a survey done by the Pew Research Center, and the fact that a national law on abortion is a stretch, as The News & Observer notes. So why even announce it? Why publicize it?
Power. Graham’s proposal is, at its core, a reach for power, according to The Hill. Pro posing this bill is meant to convince voters of his core beliefs and to persuade them to sup port him. He is essentially telling voters that he will use his elected power to push for such a bill in the future, even though it’s unlikely to pass now. It’s a hollow promise, but also an attempt to ramp up conservative voters and to spur on this battle for political power.
As seen in FiveThirtyEight, GOP infight ing has provided the perfect opportunity for current and former Trump-backers to ramp up their aggressive campaigning as midterm elections get closer and closer. Graham’s approach to abortion—making his opinion very clear to the public—is an attempt to so lidify his position in the now-uncertain fu ture of the Republican party and to force his fellow Republicans to unite around a singu lar stance. In other words, he wants to look strong in front of the nation. His plan back fired.
What seemed to be a move of political prowess to galvanize voters turned into free fuel for Democrats to set his campaign ablaze during these tight races. According to AP News, the White House issued a statement on Sept. 22, 2022, saying that Graham’s bill would become a catalyst for a national health care emergency. In a recent NBC News poll, voters reported that they trust Democrats more to protect not only abortion but also is sues of climate change, healthcare and main taining democracy. But that’s still not reas suring enough. The same poll also reported that voters trust Republicans to act on crime and economic issues.
Reporting from The New York Times shows that voting laws are explicitly under attack. Bodily autonomy is under attack. The New York Times also warns that candidates are openly and overtly stating that they will not accept election results, so I’m not exag gerating when I say that every vote counts. For those not from New York, it is incredibly important to vote with an absentee ballot.
For more information visit: https://www. usa.gov/absentee-voting. If you are not reg istered to vote, please visit https://www.usa. gov/register-to-vote to get started.
Disability isn’t a barrier, discrimination is (Part 1)
Grace Fox Guest ColumnistIam disabled (ADHD, PTSD, depression and anxiety), so I have been working on getting my accommodations for my first year at Vassar since June. I beat the dead lines; I had documentation, a diagnosis and people supporting me. I met with the director of the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity (AEO) and my accommodations were approved, even though in the process I had to extensively repeat the reasoning given in my therapist’s documentation. I was satisfied. I emailed, wondering when I would get the accommo dations letter to send to my professors.
This was the first of many unanswered emails I have sent to the AEO. Turns out, the office doesn’t provide you with letters for your classes until the end of the second week of school. Meaning that for two weeks, I can be judged on first impressions (late, inattentive, loud) and discriminated against (told to pay attention, forced to be in overwhelming sen sory spaces, given only verbal instructions) with no proof that I’m receiving inequitable access. Even then, the AEO only sent letters to three of my five professors and included maybe half of the accommodations we had
agreed upon. The logic in waiting so long to send out letters, I’ve been told, is that each class is different, and the same accommoda tions don’t apply to everything. But how does this process make more sense than sending out the letters early and letting the student and the professor talk about what will be applicable for the course? We already must meet to go over the letter, and professors and students likely have a better sense of what each class environment will be like. To me, this policy just makes true accessibility more difficult to achieve. And why?
In my experience, the AEO chooses lan guage (learning “differences,” for instance) that avoids terms such as “disabled.” In my accommodations meeting, the director men tioned that it is called the Office of Accessi bility and Educational Opportunity because it’s for everyone, and not about people’s dis abilities. But these idealistic claims simply aren’t true—the AEO isn’t for everyone. It’s for people whose access has been restricted— namely, disabled folks. Also, to get accom modations or an academic coach, you must be officially diagnosed (an expensive and of ten ableist process).
Hopefully you are feeling a bit harried at this point in your reading—I sure am. The
expressed
only space on campus built for disabled peo ple like me was already inaccessible. Due to a lack of communication and accommodation, I felt that the AEO wasn’t on my team. There are no affinity spaces for disabled students on campus, much less ones that go further than “disabled” and recognize the inherent diversi ty of our community.
I want to move on from the personal for now, so I’m going to break down some defi nitions from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and some policies and realities about disability at Vassar. I hope this calls attention to a few of the issues with accessi bility on campus and helps this community understand why it is almost laughable (if it weren’t so deeply hurtful) that the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts theme this year is “Access and Disability: Creating a World Where Everyone is a Participant.”
Title III of the ADA states that disability is: “a physical or mental impairment that sub stantially limits one or more of the major life activities” of an individual; “a record of such impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment.” Further, “the defini tion of ‘disability’ shall be construed broadly in favor of expansive coverage, to the maxi mum extent permitted by the terms of the
ADA.” Additionally, there cannot be eligibili ty criteria that screens out groups of disabled people from getting accommodations. What if a student is perceived by most professors and peers to have issues concentrating or trauma that makes certain topics impossible to engage with, but they cannot afford the time, energy and cost involved in a diagno sis? Furthermore, many colleges, including Vassar, communicate that self-advocacy is the only way to get accommodations. This is a bit misleading; parents and others are permitted to be involved, and restricting the involvement of those helping disabled per sons get accommodations is prohibited by the ADA. This is not the only administrative bar rier to equal access that those at Vassar may encounter; the AEO handbook has not been updated since 2015-2016, but their processes have been.
This is just a small portion of the legal ac cessibility violations that make daily life un necessarily difficult for disabled members of our community. Vassar must prioritize the education and well-being of its disabled stu dents by ensuring equitable access for every one. Next week, I’m going to tackle my expe rience with campus culture and ableism—the less official, but just as painful, side.
Courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.Cookies with rookies: First-year athletes discuss college sports
Yaksha Gummadapu Guest ReporterSitting knee-to-knee in a circle around a plate of homemade cookies (courtesy of Octavia Cordes ’26) on my too-smallfor-five-people dorm room floor, Caroline Siekman ’26 (women’s basketball), Cailan Baker ’26 (men’s soccer), Eli Schair-Rigo letti ’26 (men’s rugby) and Lily Brigman ’26 (women’s soccer) provided me with honest insights on what it is like to be a first-year athlete on campus.
Playing sports at the college level is the dream for many high school athletes. If get ting here requires immense discipline and hard work, playing at the college level de mands more. “The people here are the best of high school and club soccer,” Brigman admitted when I asked about the difference between her high school sports and college sports careers so far. “You aren’t the best on the team anymore—it’s weird,” she contin ued.
Entering your first year of college alone is a daunting task. On top of the sports they play, first-year college athletes must adjust to the sometimes daunting parts of college, such as living alone, an increased workload and the pressures of socializing.
Thankfully, athletes find that they have a strong community to lean on. “A senior, the captain and a freshman who may not play get the same treatment, which in itself

is inclusive. It makes a stronger team,” Bak er said. As someone who has never played a team sport long enough to understand team spirit beyond the superficial level of a shared jersey design and appreciative high-fives, Baker’s description made me feel like I was truly missing out.
“Our season hasn’t even started yet, but each week we have a ‘buddy’...who is an upperclassman who checks in [on the firstyears] and takes us to go get coffee or lunch,” Siekman added. “We also have weekly meet ings with our coach. We don’t even need to talk about basketball; he’s just always there and making sure we are all doing okay.” Siekman also mentioned how the upper classmen, having taken many of the same classes as her in their first year of college, are willing and ready to help her with any aca demic challenges she may face.
After being Siekman’s roommate for only a few short weeks, I found her schedule to
up to be on a team, there is an expectation that you are going to take responsibility for your work. I think they might be will ing to have a little bit of leeway, but I don’t think we’ll be treated any differently,” Schair-Rigoletti replied.
With such rigid time constraints taking up a majority of their time, athletes often miss out on participating in the numerous clubs and organizations at Vassar. “We as athletes have a different college experience than everyone else, but coming into school we accepted that and I enjoy it. It has struc tured my time,” Baker explained.

difficult to make friends outside the team, but it’s been pretty easy,” Siekman offered, when I asked the rest of the group if they felt like these stereotypes isolated them from the Vassar community at large.

The one big question I had for my inter viewees was what they hope they can take away from their experience as athletes at Vassar. What is the end goal of wearing burgundy and gray jerseys for the next four years of their lives?

“I want to win a championship,” Schair-Rigoletti answered without hesita tion, earning nods of agreement from the
be a ridiculously tight squeeze. Watching her still meet her deadlines every week with early morning conditioning and hours of practice left me with no excuse to not do the same. But it made me curious: if and when these busy schedules inevitably lead to a pa per or problem set that can’t be finished on time, do these athletes think they can get support from the academic staff at Vassar like they do with the athletic department?
“I do get the feeling that since you signed
“I did sign up for about a million clubs at the club fair, but I haven’t gone to any of them. I figure off-season I can get more into that,” Brigman said in agreement, laughing.
It is also apparent that on top of everything these athletes have to face, stereotypes can sometimes be thrown into the mix. “Some one asked me the first couple of days into school, ‘Are you like an aggressive person?’ after I told them I play rugby. I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ I mean, I don’t play rugby because I’m an angry person. It's just a fun sport,” Schair-Rigoletti shared with the group.
While some may harbor preconceived notions about what it means to be a “jock” in college and distance themselves from ath letes, others are able to relate to them and form friendships. “I was worried it would be
rest of the group.
“Yes,” Baker affirmed. “Short term: make the NCAA tournament. Play and play well. Have fun. But long-term, though, make lasting friendships, bonds and even develop relationships that could help you get into the workforce in the future.”
With that remark, as the athletes reached for the last few cookies on the plate, I came to the conclusion that I was conversing with incredibly ambitious, kind and talented peers. Balancing grueling academics with rigorous practice, all while navigating the most confusing and tumultuous part of their lives so far, is no easy feat. And yet they are fully determined to succeed. I have no doubt that the future of Vassar athletics is in safe hands.
Image courtesy of Lily Brigman '26. Image courtesy of Caroline Siekman '26. Image courtesy of Cailan Baker '26. Image courtesy of Eli Schair-Rigoletti '26.
The Miscellany Crossword “Serenades of Shoes”

ACROSS
1. DIY Sweden
The contents of Snickers, Milky Ways and Baby Ruths
The Saxon scoop
"Why you little..."
The import and export company of Seinfeld fame
A street fighter win, technically
Vaccines, in other words
A vocal vote
Steady
A red dwarf
Prefacing "under," modifies "torn"
Ear inflammation
They fight for rights
Paul Simon's kicks
Otherwise
"Behind you!" past tense
The rest of Polo, abbrv.
Exclamation following a fencing mishap
Another way to say "an enchanted forest"
Potassium iodide
Got any ink?
counterpart
hours
dust
Answers to last week’s puzzle:

"That Cozy Feeling"
By Julia Barnett51. Noyes' sleep quality 52. "Am too!"
53. Broker's haven
DOWN 1. Gram
2. Most Vassar professors (at least a little)
3. Brexit, in other words
4. In the past
5. What makes a reptile a reptile
7. "Sick ___!"
8. Complete the triple: TH, SoCo 9. Foolish 10. A place for shady deals
11. Elvis Presley's slips
14. SSW, but turned around 15. Quixote 16. The South's pronoun 21. Biden's crowd
22. Billy Joel's pumps
23. Las hermanas de sus padres 24. "Come __ __ bro!" (2 wd.)
25. Hit macaw movie
28. "____ from New York it's _____ ____!" rearranged, abbrv.
29. If you're lactose intolerant, just drink ______ milk (2 wd.)
30. Escobar's trade of choice 32. Sub's alternative 35. Panem District 2, male tribute
37. Egypt's Mubarak 40. Archaic lighthouse 41. Ton's predecessor 42. A tic-tac-toe win 43. Escobar's unit of choice 44. Angry 46. There's 64 of 'em across the state
48. That moment when you have nothing to put in the box
49. Clooney's hit TV drama 50. Big ___