The Miscellany News
Burlesque embraces sensuality
Ferry voices concerns over new dining plan Brooke Thomas Guest Reporter
Laurel Hennen Vigil/The Miscellany News
Matt Stein Reporter
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rom a young age, kids who maybe do not fit societal notions of “ideal” beauty standards or don’t fit the hourglass figure are constantly compared to what they are not. This seeps into self-image and causes insecurity, anxiety and more issues to arise. Luckily, ad campaigns and policies are sprouting to promote a body-positivity movement. And now at this campus, there’s Vassar Burlesque. On Feb. 10 and 11, The Susan Stein Shiva Theater set up a spotlight for the inaugural Vassar Burlesque performance. This special event, presented by The Philaletheis Society, featured a variety of performances, from choreographed dances to stripteases to original songs. Performers adopted burlesque names as aliases throughout the night, with “The Slut Superior” as the Mistrex of Ceremonies. The creative directors of Vassar Burlesque are Madeleine Briggs ’18 and Daisy Walker ’18, and Lindsay Matheos ’19 was stage manager. The concept for this group originated from talks between Briggs and Walker last spring. Briggs found interest prior to that at Northwestern University, where their feminist theatre group, Lipstick Theatre, performs an annual burlesque show. Both shared a mutual fascination for iconic burlesque performer Dita Von Teese and the empowering core that lied within the theatre style. Walker recounted the initial development that generated this group: “The more that Madeleine and I talked, the more we realized that this whole burlesque thing might just be a possibility, and a possibility with endless possibilities, at that. Here seemed to be an opportunity to create a space for anyone of any body type, gender, race, ability, age, sexual orientation, or any other identity to explore and celebrate themselves, no matter where they were in the self-exploration or self-acceptance process.” See BURLESQUE on page 16
On Feb. 11, groups of pro-choice and pro-life protesters congregated near Poughkeepsie’s Planned Parenthood. The pro-choice contingent resolutely supported the organization while the pro-lifers called to defund it
Protest draws rivals on abortion dispute Laurel Hennen Vigil News Editor
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t Planned Parenthoods in more than 40 states across the nation on Saturday, Feb. 11, thousands of demonstrators from both sides of the abortion debate gathered to both decry and defend the embattled women’s health organization, which provides services to more than 2.5 million people every year (Planned Parenthood, “Planned
NEWS
nformation about a contentious new meal plan has been floating around campus since last year. The January dining message sent by Dean Roellke confirmed that along with the new dining partner, Bon Appétit, Vassar would be receiving a new “all students on the all access” meal plan. Dean Roelke’s email reads: “We believe very strongly this plan will be of great benefit to all of our students– encouraging community-building over meals while allowing for increased flexibility around individual schedules. Part of this plan will also include the ability of students to use their i.d. cards at selected off campus locations. We are currently finalizing details and will have a full program outline for you and for parents by the start of the March break.” Although not fully briefed on the finalized version of the meal plan, many students are concerned with the implications of the change, specifically those it has for students who generally don’t have a meal plan: students living in the Town Houses, Terrace Apartments, South Commons and Ferry House. Current and past residents of Ferry have begun to organize around this issue, creating a Facebook group for Ferry alumni and having meetings with Luis Inoa to talk about how Ferry will work once the new plan has been implemented. Discussions in the
Playoffs approaching, New exhibition series a season on the line centers queer artistry Lindsay Wolk
Guest Reporter
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lthough the Vassar women’s basketball team has been playing since mid-October, the Brewer’s fate rests upon two days: Wednesday, Feb. 15, and Friday, Feb. 17. In the last two weekends of intense conference play, VC went 2-2 as the team defeated No. 1 Skidmore College and No. 7 St. Lawrence, but fell to No. 5 Union College and No. 3 Clarkson University. With these results, the squad currently stands at sixth place in the Liberty League with a conference record (8-6) tied with No. 4 Rochester Institute of Technology and Union. To advance to post-season play, Vassar has to hold a spot within the top four teams. Therefore, the women’s basketball team must defeat both Bard College and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to potentially earn a spot in playoffs. On Friday, Feb. 3, The Brewers took on the Union Dutch on Vassar’s home court. The first quarter of the game held numerous lead changes prior to the Dutch taking control of the game in the second quarter, heading to half with a 32-23 lead. Nevertheless, the Brewers regained momentum with a more connected offensive unit and outscored Union 18-6 in the third quarter. This surge, however, stumbled again as they entered the fourth period.
Inside this issue
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Parenthood at a Glance”). After the pro-choice Women’s March on Jan. 21, over 70 anti-abortion groups organized #ProtestPP, a nationwide rally calling to defund Planned Parenthood. In many cities, even more pro-choice activists gathered to counter protest in support of the organization. At the counter protest in Poughkeepsie, several hundred people congregated See PROTEST on page 4
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Facebook group have shed light on the reasons why people see Ferry’s dining traditions as a valuable asset for Vassar students. I joined Ferry for a haus dinner on Feb. 9th to talk about the upcoming changes. As with many Ferry dinners, because of busy schedules and other conflicts, not every resident was in attendance. Those who were there and did speak to me all mentioned that their opinions were their own and they did not claim to speak for the group. They also made clear what it is about Ferry that makes it different from other living situations on campus and what is at stake with the new meal plan. One of the most prominent similarities was the emphasis on Ferry as a place for community building and the concern that this would be damaged by the new plan. Jason Albertson, a Ferry resident from 1982-85, said of his and some of his housemates’ experiences: “We were all Ferrites; we all ran the house at various times, we all believe, strongly, in commensalism, the practice of sharing food and cooking for each other as a way to enhance the experience of community. I lived at Ferry for four years, and as a non-typical, older student, the community that we evolved around shared meals, shopping, cooking, meal planning and self determination through those behaviors was key.” Annie Hope ‘18 shared many of AlSee FERRY on page 5
Fair on healthy sexuality aids student mentality
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Head Coach Candice Brown noted that, despite better ball movement and the team’s ability to find good looks at the basket, shooting proved to be an issue throughout the final period. Notably, despite outshooting Union by 23 shots from the floor, the Brewers made only 27 percent of those while the Dutch scored 44 percent. Sophomore guard Nicole Teta and freshman forward Sophie Nick each scored 10 points to lead the Brewers, as well as leading the team in rebounds with eight rebounds and seven rebounds respectively. Sophomore forward Sabrina Ulsh also added a seven-point effort. Vassar rebounded quickly from the tough loss and stepped up to the challenge of playing No. 1 Skidmore the next day, Saturday, Feb. 4. Prior to the game against the Brewers, Skidmore had only lost two Liberty League games. Sophomore Maeve Sussman commented, “We worked really hard on having selective-memory-loss. We recognized that we didn’t play well against Union but didn’t get caught up in the loss.” Sussman continued, “We looked at the game and what we needed to do better and took it as a learning experience. The next day when we played Skidmore that was the only thing we were thinking about.” The game against Skidmore proved See BASKETBALL on page 18
If fashion is your passion, with Contrast you’ll cash in
Tori Lafon
Guest Reporter
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cting as a mirror to one’s self or to society as a whole, a work of art is a manifestation of environment, beliefs and experiences, or a juncture of all three. Thus, art is unavoidably an expression, as well as an exploration, of the constructs and characteristics that inform individuality, whether the
message is intentionally encoded by the artist or decoded by the spectator. Throughout its history, art has proven to be an effective tool of communication by giving a voice to diverse groups and communities across the planet. It is through such artistic creations that the nuances of intersectional identities can be explored. When it See ART on page 14
Courtesy of Hien Nguyen
Courtesy of Leo Hilton
Madeleine Briggs ’18, pictured above, was one of the dancers in the body-positive and identityaffirming Vassar Burlesque shows this past Friday and Saturday.
Volume CXLIX | Issue 14
February 16, 2017
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Hien Nguyen ’20 is the first artist featured in the LGBTQ Center’s new series of art exhibitions as part of the Queer/Trans People of Color Art Initiative, which will be highlighting a new artist every 1-2 months.
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After Brown had them beat, fencers back on SPORTS their feet