Misc.11.11.21

Page 1

The Miscellany News November 11, 2021

miscellanynews.org

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 156 | Issue 9

County GOP Vassar 'bans the box' from job applications widens majority Annabelle Wang News Editor

Ben Fikhman

Assistant Opinions Editor

O

n the heels of last year’s Democratic successes nationwide, Dutchess County Republicans enjoyed a great share of victories in this off-year election. Historically, the opposing party tends to outperform its rival after a presidential election, and they feel strong effects when the current president’s approval rating tanks below 50 percent; President Biden’s is at approximately 42 percent (FiveThirtyEight, 2021). In this election, the Democrats focused on defending seats rather than seeking gains due to this historical precedent. In Dutchess County, 32 percent of all registered voters in the country cast a ballot, amounting to 66,000 ballots. Voter turnout was nearly 80 percent in 2020 (Poughkeepsie Journal, 2021). Republicans gained two seats in the county legislature, expanding their majority from 15-10 to 17-8. The two Democratic incumbents that fell short of defending their seats were Vassar History Professor and the legislature’s minority leader Rebecca Edwards (D) and Hyde Park’s Brenda Lawler (D) (Daily Freeman, 2021). They lost to Tony D’Aquanni (R) and Benjamin Geller (R), respectively. Furthermore, Denise See GOP on page 4

O

n Thursday, Nov. 4, VC Prison Divest shared via Instagram Vassar Human Resources’ announcement that the College had “banned the box” during the employment process, meaning that the College will no longer ask prospective employees about their criminal history on job applications. “The box” refers to the check box found on Vassar’s hiring applications inquiring about an applicant’s criminal record. Vice President of Information Technology and Human Resources Carlos García noted that Vassar may still conduct relevant criminal background checks as required for some jobs, such as those positions requiring contact with vul-

nerable persons, access to sensitive areas on campus and/or significant financial responsibility. Many students were satisfied with the College’s decision to ban the box. When Christopher Unruh ’23 first saw VC Prison Divest’s Instagram post, he was excited about the College’s decision: “I agree with the decision to remove the box. I mean, it was really great news to hear that they had removed it.” Unruh shared that Vassar banning the box is an example of the College putting into practice what it often preaches. He stated, “Vassar has this whole thing where we say that we're like this paradise of liberalism and equality and all of these ideals. But yet we h[ad] these policies in place, which disproportionately harm certain communities.” Unruh con-

Image Courtesy of Gerd Alimann via Pixabay

tinued, “If we're going to say these types of things … and promote these types of ideas, they [administration] better live up to what they have to say.” A national civil rights organization composed of formerly-incarcerated individuals and their families known as All of Us or None started the Ban the Box campaign in 2003 (The New York Times, 2016). They intend to convince employers to ban the box on their hiring applications so that ex-offenders are not automatically disqualified from the hiring pool due to prejudice before having the opportunity to fully demonstrate their qualifications. Employment discrimination against formerly-incarcerated individuals is highly prevalent in the U.S., which has the highest incarcerated population in the world at 2,068,800 people as of 2019 (Word Prison Brief, 2019). According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the unemployment rate for formerly-imprisoned people is nearly five times higher than that of the general U.S. populus (Prison Policy Initiative, 2018). The Ban the Box Movement is widespread: As of 2021, the District of Columbia, 37 states (including New York) and over 150 cities and counties across the U.S. have adopted a ban the box policy for public-sector employment. Moreover, 15 states and 22 cities and counties have mandated the removal of conviction history questions on job applications for private See the Box on page 3

Rugby, field hockey win leagues

New dance faculty member brings energy, 'Nique' Henryk Kessel guest reporter

S

tudio 1 in Kenyon Hall felt especially alive. Dancers from the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) crowded the ballet barre on three sides of the room, with five

more barres standing in the center. After a particularly strenuous combination, the dancers released their arms from above their heads in unison and exhaled. The teacher was Desmond Richardson, a renowned contemporary dancer and choreographer. His experience ranges from

Photo courtesy of Yesmina Townsley ’23.

Inside this issue

dancing at the American Ballet Theatre and Broadway to forming his own dance company, Complexions. On Oct. 27, he gave a masterclass in anticipation of officially joining Vassar’s dance faculty next semester. Richardson taught the class with unbounded energy. “Attack!” he yelled, snapping his fingers. Just watching him made me fix my posture. Chair of the Dance Department, Miriam Mahdaviani, described the process of considering Richardson for a faculty position. “Two dancers he worked with in the past, Steve Rooks and John Meehan, are now faculty members in Vassar's Dance department. When we were talking about new faculty for the department at a faculty meeting earlier this year, Desmond's name came up and we all loved the idea,” She explained. On Wednesday, Richardson’s visit served as his introduction to the 37 dancers that make up VRDT. Mahdaviani is looking forward to the wisdom Richardson will bring to the dance department and VRDT students. Along with making headlines for being the first Black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, Richardson has developed his own dance aesthetic, which he calls “Nique,” short for technique. As Mahdaviani explained, “This aesthetic is based on a ballet foundation but adds a more contemporary See Dance on page 7

10-11 Veterans' Voices

Doug Cobb

Sports Editor

T

here is only one word that can accurately describe the Vassar women’s rugby team: unrelenting. They have gone 8-1 this season following their victory in the TriState Championship this past weekend. But the Brewers haven’t just beaten other teams— they have crushed them, outscoring their opponents 457-67 this season. The massive tally includes regular season wins against University at Albany (68-0), RPI (58-15), Fairfield University (39-14), Marist College (62-0) and Stony Brook University (28-0 by forfeit). Their lone loss came against Bowdoin in a close 17-26 defeat. The Vassar women’s rugby team continued their dominance in the Tri-State Conference tournament, winning the quarterfinals against Rutgers 63-5 and the semifinals against RPI 47-0, off of particularly strong performances from their seniors. This past Saturday, they took home the title with a 75-7 victory over Fairfield in the finals. Vassar notched a school-record seven tries (a try is when a player touches the ball to the See Champs on page 14

This Veterans Day, Vassar's veterans share stories of service, civilian life


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.