Misc.11.18.21

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The Miscellany News November 18, 2021

miscellanynews.org

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 156 | Issue 10

What does divestment really mean? Jhumpa Lahiri on writing and T language Lucy Brewster and Alex Eisert News Editor and Senior Editor

he College’s announcement on Oct. 18 that the Board of Trustees had adopted a climate-conscious investment strategy was a victory for many, particularly for the student-activists who worked towards the goal of fossil fuel divestment for nearly a decade. However, many feel that the decision regarding the endowment remains shrouded in mystery. The use of technical financial terms has left many students wondering whether Vassar’s new investment strategy guarantees a complete divestment from fossil fuels. “I was personally really encouraged to see Vassar formally, but somewhat vaguely, commit to divestment,” explained Izzy Rico ’22, representative on the Climate Action and Sustainability Committee and Students for Equitable Environmental Decisions (SEED) leader. She continued, “I have a few lingering questions…there is very little transparency on what our billion dollar endowment is funding and almost no contact with the trustees who make the high level decisions about how to invest the endowment.” According to the American Council on Education, at the basic level, endowments function as a source of financial stability for an educational institution. They typically

are gifts from donors. The original amount of the gift, referred to as “principal,” must be used solely for investment, although the College can choose which companies to invest in. The returns on the investment can then be spent at the College’s discretion. In some cases, donors will specify that their gift can only be used for certain purposes—for example, financial aid or a specific department. Vice President for Finance and Administration Bryan Swarthout explained, “Like all financial markets, the endowment had

a strong investment return last fiscal year.” He continued, “The net return on investment for last fiscal year was 30%. Over the last decade the average annual return has been 8.9%.” In other words, the stock market saw excellent returns across the board in the past fiscal year as the economy rebounded from the COVID-19 lockdowns, and the College’s endowment was no exception. According to the College’s summer 2021 financial report, the total endowment funds as of June 30, 2021 are listed as $1.38 See Endowment on page 3

Sandro Luis Lorenzo/The Miscellany News.

Leila Raines Arts Editor

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n the chilly night of Monday Nov. 8, the Villard Room bustled with excited chatter as students, professors and Vassar community members alike mingled and cherished the warmth of the room. Rows upon rows of colorful plastic chairs faced an elevated pair of armchairs positioned at the front, empty and awaiting their anticipated inhabitants for the night. Seats filled quickly. Attendees grasped copies of books. Tips of pens rested on notebook paper, ready to write down notes and capture moments from the upcoming event. When the door at the front of the room opened and this year’s speaker for the Alex Krieger Memorial Lecture finally stepped into view, the whole room immediately burst into energetic applause. Award-winning novelist and writer Jhumpa Lahiri walked over and sat across from Professor of English Amitava Kumar. See Lahiri on page 6

'Metamorphoses' impresses with elaborate set, costumes Charlotte Robertson Guest Reporter

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t was my first time in a theater in nearly two years. I was standing inside the Vogelstein, queued up for The Experimental Theater of Vassar College’s production of “Metamorphoses.” The show, a highly anticipated event, was completely booked. Around me, students and professors cheerfully mingled. Excitement brewed with every smooth sound of the checkmarks tallying those lucky enough to have reserved a ticket. “Metamorphoses” by Mary Zimmerman is a dramatic adaptation of the epic poem by Ovid depicting the beginning of humanity

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Team, Jackie Molloy Sports Editor

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t’s been a long time coming, but Vassar men’s cross country is finally sending a team to the NCAA Division III Championships. After finishing a program-best fourth in the Mideast Regional meet this past Saturday, the squad finally received the golden ticket: an at-large bid for the national championships. Sasha Allison ’22 and Augusta Stockman ’23 of the women’s cross country team will join them as individual qualifiers when the athletes travel to Louisville, Kentucky this coming weekend to compete for national glory and gold.

through a series of myths. Three unnamed laundresses narrate the play, dipping in and out of each isolated scene with calculated and flowery commentary. The result is a production charged with philosophy; in pondering the creation of mankind, the laundresses glean lessons from the greedy King Midas, the all-too-smug Erysichthon and the untrusting Orpheus, deciphering “good” from “bad” through triumph and mistake. The show is at once hilarious and heart-wrenching, tender and scorching. For a senior thesis, it is a tall order impressively executed, leaving me emotional by its end. While the performances in “Metamorphoses” were lovely, what made the production

truly special was its set. The in-the-round theater encouraged a sense of community amongst the audience; the reactions of my peers melded with the experience of watching the show. Additionally, the arena layout forced the actors to be hyper-aware of their engagement, elevating the show to a three-dimensionality that is otherwise lost in drama. The stage itself was spectacular. At the top of the show, it was plain and blinding white in color, composed of two cutout shapes: a rectangular platform, suspended with ropes, level with a small circle, upon which a woman, dressed in purple, danced. While filing into his seat, one audience member accidentally stepped on the suspended platform, and the

individuals The Vassar men will finish this season, and for three seniors, their careers, right where they always wanted to end up: Louisville in November. Their success all season is a testament to their dedication, grind and ambition to prove that their program is not only one of the best in the region, but the country. The Brewers kicked off their season with two first-place finishes at their home course, setting an expectation of success from the get-go. Vassar beat out New Paltz, Union and Bard to notch their first victory of the season, and claimed eight of the top 10 places including the top five spots, finishing with

qualify

entire stage precariously swayed back and forth—yet, the woman in purple never broke concentration, her focus inward and intense. When the lights went down, the platform quickly rose above the stage, forming a ceiling. The underside of the platform was covered in vibrant, green vegetation and golden, twinkling lights, providing an earthly illusion. Collective oohs and ahs from the audience were testament to its beauty. The round cutout was actually a covered pool of water, which served as a central feature of the show: Narcissus’ looking-glass for one scene, the site of a tempest in another. Fine sand covered the rest of the ground. The backdrop to the stage See Theater on page 8

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a perfect 15 points. Next, the squad claimed the top spot at the Ron Stonitsch Invitational, with five runners again finishing in the top 10. After their dominance at these first two races, Vassar received their first national ranking of the year at 28th, which they carried for two weeks. Through these early performances, the team made it clear that they were not only going to be highly competitive with their opponents, but also with each other. The quartet of Miles Takiguchi ’23, Reed Dolan ’21, Johnathan Dean ’22 and Jack Casalino ’22, followed closely by Benny Clark ’25, Aidan Mayer ’24 and John Hurly ’25, all consistently finished within seconds

of one another and swapped places all season. The momentum of their dream start carried into their next three races as the Brewers collected a second place finish at the New Paltz Invitational, and added two more first place wins at the Saratoga and James Earley Invitationals. Again, Vassar ended with five runners in the top 10 at both New Paltz and Saratoga, and four at James Earley. Takiguchi finished second at Saratoga and James Earley, including setting a personal record of 25:30.0 at the latter. Dean also ran a personal best at James Earley, crossing the line See Champs on page 15

Inside this issue

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ARTS

Have you watched Squid Games? Gwen Ma explores LGBTQ+ representation in Netflix's new series.

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Is a tote bag a staple in your wardrobe? Guest reporter Hannah Beinstein FEATURES explores the popular option in her article.

In their article, Sam Patz and Marta Candelas argue that more Vassar students OPINIONS should listen to Latin music.

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NCAAs


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