Misc.03.24.22

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The Miscellany News

miscellanynews.org

March 24, 2022

Ukranian

students

speak

out

on

Charlotte Robertson Assistant Copy Editor

I

n the four weeks since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Vassar students, along with the rest of the world, have watched the horrors unfold from abroad in fear and disbelief. Since then, Vassar’s Ukrainian students have been finding ways to reach out to the community while reflecting on family, history and homeland. Filipp Kazatsker ’23, born in Odessa, Ukraine, explained, “Putin, he’s seen Russia, Belarus and Ukraine as one nation. As he describes it, we are all brotherly people.” He added, “We’ve been at war since 2014, with Crimea…[Putin] is an imperialist. He’s seeing Ukraine as something to conquer, something to take over, to install his own president, his own puppet.” Zheka Chyzhykova ’25 described Ukrainian-Russian relations as long-established and complicated; she grew up in eastern Ukraine, but moved to Kyiv when Russia invaded the region eight years ago. “Throughout centuries, Russia had never had any respect for or understanding of Ukraine as an independent country,” she said. Igor Martiniouk ’24, a Ukrainian-American, agreed: “[Putin] writes this idea that Ukraine is not an actual country, that

What’s

Courtesy of Igor Martiniouk ’24.

brewing

Henryk Kessel Guest reporter

F

or students on campus last semester, The Brew Coffee Bar was the only place with trained baristas and steamed milk on campus. Nestled in the courtyard of the Loeb Art Museum, Vassar’s student-run coffee shop served hundreds of students. After a hiatus for winter break, The Brew has made its long-awaited comeback—this time with a roof over its tables to accommodate for the colder months. . Located in the basement of Main Building, the Old Bookstore offers just as much

down

natural light as the Loeb’s open courtyard. The room is warmed by the sun, which floods through the massive skylights. And just like at the Loeb, art can still be admired around the corner at the James W. Palmer III Art Gallery on the first floor. The Brew’s Co-Founder and Co-General Manager Anna Guttman-McCabe ’22 noticed the similarities between the two spaces. “[The new location] allows The Brew to still have a connection to the arts as it does at the Loeb,” she said. Along with the arts, The Brew values building a sense of community. “The new

in

the

Old

space allows for people to gather easier with access to more tables, and community is a big part of the Brew,” explained Guttman-McCabe. The Old Bookstore compliments the coffee shop vibe: perfect for catching up with a friend or last-minute studying and just steps away from most academic buildings. From the business end of things, the Old Bookstore’s central location allows for more customer access. “[The Old Bookstore] receives a lot of traffic from students, and we are able to be in a more central location and See The Brew on page 6

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 157 | Issue 6

invasion

Ukraine is legit just part of Russia.” Though he was born in the United States, Martiniouk has family in Ukraine; they have since scattered to Poland and Romania, seeking refuge. Over the phone, he told me: “Mariupol—I was just there, like eight months ago. And now there’s a genocide going on over there.” He mentioned that the areas the Russian military is targeting are not military bases. “We have theaters that were sheltering people, right in the center [of Mariupol], being bombed. And there was a sign that said дети, which is children in Russian, in large letters, so that it was understood ‘don’t bomb this,’ there are civilians living there…And we still see those areas being bombed.” Kazatsker moved to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn when he was two years old, an area of New York with a dense Ukrainian and Russian population. “English was my second language. Ukrainian culture has been very, very prominent in my life,” he explained. Of the war, he commented: “Many didn’t believe that [Putin] would actually go through with a full-scale war… My grandmother especially did not expect this. There’s been this huge shift in attitude from ‘this will all be over soon’ to genuine fear.” Marina Hrytsenko ’23, who was born and raised in Kharkiv, told me: “[My family] could not believe until the last moment See Ukraine on page 3

Bookstore?

Courtesy of Adrianna Guarino ’24.

John Leguizamo talks about Bruno, 2022 Commencement Janet Song, Sawyer Bush

Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor

W

hile some might know him for his recent work as the voice of Bruno from Disney’s “Encanto” or the winner of notable awards such as the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award and 2018 Special Tony Award, John Leguizamo described himself to The Miscellany News quite differently, stating, “I’m John Leguizamo. Introverted extrovert, Cancer, … Latinx and trying to make the world a better place before I leave it.” The actor, writer, producer and director will be the speaker of Vassar’s 158th Com-

mencement Ceremony on May 22. Leguizamo’s pride in his Latinx ethnicity and its impact on his life and career became a constant theme throughout his interview. A native Colombian, Leguizamo grew up surrounded by Latin culture in Jackson Heights, Queens. Speaking on what it was like to grow up surrounded by so much diversity, Leguizamo said, “You get to really learn all the cultures in the world, and you also understand your culture through other cultures.” He attributed much of his professional success and growth to this diverse community stating, “It gave me such a confidence and [love and pride] of my eth-

nicity, and I think that’s what propelled me to my life, even though Latinx people were basically erased and absent in American history.” Leguizamo also credited his success in the entertainment industry to the teachers who provided him guidance during his studying as an actor, such as Herbert Berghof and Lee Strasberg. “I learned all the techniques [from them], and I think that’s a basis for great acting: studying with masters and doing theater. Theater is the Olympics of acting and it really challenges your ability— your skill set, right? I think that’s what gave me longevity and kept my passion alive,”

he said. When asked about the advice he would give to young artists following his footsteps, Leguizamo again emphasized the importance of teachers, stating, “[Find] the best teachers. They’re everywhere; they’re in L.A., they’re in New York. Find them and study with the best teachers and really delve into the study of the craft. And I think everything else falls into place.” He then added, “[The] other thing I tell all the young people starting up is: Say yes to everything. Work behind production, work in production, work behind the camera, work as a production assistant… [work See Speaker on page 4

Inside this issue

5

ARTS

Come join Arts Editor Ganesh Pillai at the Barclays Center as he reviews Tame Impala’s recent concert tour.

From Quebec to New York, check out what places Vassar students visited over spring FEATURES break!

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In this totally-notdifferent Nature Report, Humor Editor Madi Donat has a run-in with an HUMOR Irish spider.

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