Misc.12.9.21

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The Miscellany News December 9, 2021

miscellanynews.org

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 156 | Issue 12

VSA approves Science and arts thrive together in exhibit casework system Leila Raines Arts Editor

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Will Sorge

News Editor

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n Nov. 21, the VSA Senate passed the Student Advocacy and Casework Act (SR. 13). Much like members of the U.S. Congress, VSA Senators will be empowered under this bill to advocate on behalf of their constituents to the College administration, serving as liaisons under the newly-created Senate Casework System. Next semester, students will be able to submit requests to their respective Class Senators on the VSA website through the Senate Casework System web form. Casework requests will then be automatically directed via email to the senator, who has exclusive power and responsibility to fulfill the requests. Students’ names and other identifying information will be redacted in case files, so as not to disincentivize use of the system. Cases will be considered complete when a constituent has received the outcome they desire, when an alternative satisfactory outcome has been reached or when the Senator has made a demonstrable effort to reach an outcome when none could be reached. Senators have wide latitude in conducting casework, including urging prompt consideration by administrative officials, arrangSee VSA on page 3

Rugby

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Doug Cobb

Sports Editor

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new garden of sorts has sprouted on the second floor of the College Center. Posters hanging from the walls capture the spiraling branches, ornate leaves and bundles of flower buds of various plant samples that Alison Carranza ʼ23 [Disclaimer: Carranza is the Social Media Editor at The Miscellany News] and Garrett Goodrich ʼ23 collected as part of their research on the aesthetics of various botanical specimens. Last Wednesday, Dec. 1, they celebrated the opening of their exhibition, “Art and Science of Herbarium Specimens,” opening up their discussion about the entanglement of botany with art to the Vassar community. The curation stemmed from Carranza and Goodrich’s research for a fellowship at Vassar’s Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI), in which they helped digitize collections of botanical specimens in the area. “We were travelling around the Hudson Valley and part of Connecticut for our URSI project this summer taking photographs of herbarium specimens when we noticed how beautiful some of the specimens were,” Carranza recounted in an email correspondence. This observation sparked a more in-depth discussion about the relationship between botany and art, and the curation blossomed from there, blooming into the current ex-

hen I wrote about the Vassar women’s rugby team earlier this semester, I described them as “dominant” (The Miscellany News, 2021). About a month later, it's clear that characterization was an understatement. This past weekend, the Brewers defeated Temple University 74-5 in the Ameri-

home

can Collegiate Rugby Association (ACRA) National Championship game. The win moved the Brewers to 11-1 on the season, with a point differential of plus 523. This was the second national title in program history, with the first being the 2018 Brewers. After cruising to the Tri-State Conference title, the Brewers were awarded a spot in the quarterfinals of the ACRA national tournament where they bulldozed Colby College

Alison Carranza/The Miscellany News hibit housed in the College Center. The collection features many visually appealing specimens, from leafy ferns and bulbous orchids to three-leaved trilliums and vines with clusters of seeds, little yellow arids popping out against the red insides. Each specimen has its own backstory, with distinct yet valu-

national

able connections to the broader field of botany. While some reveal ever-evolving change within certain species, others provide fruitful insight into the effects of climate change on plant morphology. Overarching all of this botanical diversity, the intersection between See Science on page 5

championship

53-5, before winning a hard fought match against the United States Coast Guard Academy 36-20 in the semi-finals. Then, after two weeks of waiting, they brought home the national championship this past Saturday with their thrashing of Temple University down in Matthews, N.C., in the final. The Brewers were firing on all cylinders with tries from eight different players and seven cons from Marie Claire Cicenia ’23. By halftime, it was 38-0 Brewers, and

Photos courtesy of David Hague.

they never looked back. In an email correspondence with The Miscellany News, championship game MVP Emily Howell ’22 explained, “The team played very cohesively and competitively in both the semi-finals (two weeks ago) and the finals! In the semi-finals we had to really play our hearts out to win, and we ended on a higher scoring (but still fairly competitive) final game! The championship game ended up being a lot of fun! Temple had a lot of very talented players and were fun to play against!” Similarly, Kira Nolan ’22 described how much this win meant to her. “For me as a fifth-year senior, winning was the culmination of a long journey and it felt significant that we were last on that same field pre-pandemic. It was a pretty surreal experience, but a really fun game to finish on,” she said via email correspondence. Both Nolan and Howell acknowledged the contributions of past Vassar rugby players and teams in this victory. “Winning on Saturday was the product of the entire Vassar rugby community. We would not have even gotten there without the Class of 2021, who kept the program going over a really difficult year without any of the reward of competition. We are also lucky to have an incredible network of alumni who support See Champs on page 14

Inside this issue

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ARTS

Read Assistant Arts Editor Massimo Tarridas’ tribute to Virgil Abloh.

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FEATURES

Find the best places to listen to “Red (Taylor’s version)!”

15 SPORTS

Read about the women’s frisbee team and how they qualified for nationals!


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