The Milton Paper SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
MILTON’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER
TYLOKO
HEADMONITOR’S COLUMN Hey guys! It’s me, Semi. I’m one of your head monitors! I hope everybody’s had a good first week of school. I know I have! I think it’s fun in the first week of school to kinda feel out who’s in your classes and what the vibe is gonna be like for the rest of the year. The highlight of my week was probably Blond becoming available on Spotify so I can stop posing as an Apple Music listener. Without a doubt, the lowlight of my week was when I closed the SGA Assembly by saying, “thank you for being great audience.” You probably shuddered violently out of second hand embarrassment. Hannah Montana says that everybody makes mistakes, so I think I’ll eventually forgive myself for it. Maybe next time I’m at a podium I can remember how to speak the English like normal person. Other than what has quickly become the most heinous moment of my life, I hope you guys enjoyed the SGA Assembly! It seems like you did. I know how much you appreciated the thoughtful speeches and videos, especially the one on how to best uphold our community’s standards. What are you gonna do to help uphold the community’s standards? Maybe try your best to make sure other people feel welcome here, especially if you have new kids in your grade. I remember when I was a freshman here at Milton. I had spent the majority of my summer brushing up on tips from Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, trying to apply them to the larger scale. I also watched a bunch of those “How to Survive Highschool” vlogs, with full intention of following the instructions to a T. But when I arrived on campus, I found myself feeling very afraid. Afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Afraid of getting my lunch money taken away. Afraid of being ruthlessly stuffed into a locker. But soon, I realized I didn’t have to be so afraid! Everyone was being super nice, which made it a lot easier
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 SUMMER OF A REFUGEE page 3
VOL. 34, NO. 02
Cox Library Summer Overhaul
By MALCOLM MCCANN Throughout the summer, the library staff worked extensively to transform Cox Library. The overhaul attempted to improve the organization of the collections and usefulness of the space. According to the library staff, the sale and removal of 13,000 books presented the greatest challenge. As a result of the book purge, the library now has approximately 30,000 books, meaning the librarians eliminated 30% of the library’s collection. The library followed a specific criteria in their mass book sale. As the head librarian, Ms. Pearle devised the library’s policy and timeline for book removal. Ms. Pearle explained that all books that were “10 years and older, not circulated, falling apart, or outdated” were prime candidates for removal. “There were spiders nests in some of the books, that’s how old and unused they were,” noted Ms. Pearle. The motive for the book purge was the effort to increase the effectiveness of the library, one of Ms. Peale’s main concerns since ascending to power a year ago. Mr. Ball explained that the school formed a committee to address the library, and, in February of 2014, they produced a report titled, “Milton Academy Library Review.” The summer reforms tried to address the numerous concerns. The committee’s worries included some of the books’ lack of circulation and the library’s overstocking on broken, outdated books. Books that were deemed useful, yet falling apart, were replaced. Thus, the library
Inside This Issue
MR. BLAND’S SUMMER page 4
staff added 500 new books to their shelves. “More space on the shelves allows for updated books and books teachers and students actually want,” said Ms. Pearle. The mass removal of books also allowed the librarian staff to better organize the collection, more effectively take stock of the volumes, and take note of inadequacies in certain subjects. All of the books deemed unfit for the library were sold to Thriftbooks, a bulk reseller of books. The library splits 50% of the revenue with the company. So far Thriftbooks has sold 2,500 of the 13,000 books, resulting in over $1,000 of revenue. It is unclear whether or not the library has made a profit when considering the costs of shipping and labor involved in the process of selling the books. The book weeding did not violate any in-kind donation conditions to the library. “The school politely declines donations that pose unreasonable constraints or conditions upon Milton,” according to a statement provided by the development office to The Milton Paper. “We do not accept books we cannot get rid of,” said Ms. Pearle. The project for the removal of books took place over seven weeks during the summer. Cox hired two young alumni to help Ms. Pearle move and sell the books. Salaries for work over the summer are funded by a separate budget designated for the season. The library also removed their periodical microfilm collection and relocated the microfilm reader to the basement.
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THE POWER OF A STORY page 6
NEW MASCOT page 11
PAGE 2
The Milton Paper
Editorial
The 34th Editorial Board
The Death of Discourse
Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor Editor at Large Opinion Manager News Managers Senior Editors
Malcolm McCann and Eli Burnes Letitia Chan Cheyenne Porcher Mateen Tabatabaei Marshall Sloane and Henry Westerman
Chloe Kim and Henry Burnes
A&E Editor Rachel Handler Opinion Editor Gabrielle Fernandopulle
Sports Editor Peter Digiovanni
Layout Editor Jack Daley Photo Editor Caroline Massey
Faculty Sponsor Lisa Baker
Cartoonist Lilly Le
Associate Editors Navpreet Sekhon Jonah Garnick Nihal Raman Website Manager Alex Iansiti
News
A&E
Allison Reed Elina Thadhani Ellie Lachenauer Juliana Viola Will Torous Alexandra Millard Jack Sloane
Emma Comrie Katie Friis Lydia Hill Olivia Zhong Sarah Miller-Bartley Emma James
Opinion
Columnists
Michelle Erdensanaa Jerome Vainisi Molly Wilson Barbara McDuffee Noah Cheng Jack Weiler
Michelle Erdensanaa Tyler Piazza Semi Oloko
Sports Sarah Willwerth
Humor Sophia WilsonPelton Lydia Hill Zack Herman Nick Govindan
Write For TMP! Applications are in your inbox. Milton’s Independent Weekly Student Newspaper “A Forum for Discussion and Thought” Founded 1979 • Publishing Weekly Since 1983 Founders David Roth • Mark Denneen The Milton Paper is an independent, student-produced publication. It does not necessarily represent the views of the students, faculty, administration, or Milton Academy itself. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission. Letters Policy: The Milton Paper gladly accepts letters from anyone who sends them. We do not promise to publish any or all letters, and we retain the rights to edit letters for content, length, and clarity. We will not publish anonymous letters. If inclined, please take the opportunity to write to us. Send letters by mail (Letters to the Editor, The Milton Paper, Milton Academy, 170 Centre Street, Milton, MA 02186), by email (TheMiltonPaper33@gmail.com), or by personal delivery to our mailbox in the faculty lounge.
Milton Academy has come a long way in its efforts to be a more inclusive community where students of different backgrounds can all find ways to have a successful experience. Nevertheless, the overall trends in diversity and clubs do not encapsulate the complexities that come with embracing multiculturalism and a difference of ideas. Mr. Bland’s convocation address, by highlighting the importance of accepting those with different principles and backgrounds, should be a call to action for all members of the Milton Academy community to meet the lofty goals of diversity and inclusion constantly espoused on campus. Real diversity requires action. Milton Academy often analyzes diversity through one lense: improving student and faculty demographics. In the process, we overlook the importance of experiencing our school’s diversity. Affinity groups, political organizations, and religious clubs provide magnificent opportunities to form close communities of people who share similar backgrounds and ideas. That being said, students should not remain isolated amongst these people. If you doubt the existence of these divisions, look toward the student center, composition of classes, or makeup of clubs. Our community has become isolated along lines of race, class, gender, religion, and political affiliation. America’s political environment makes it imperative to tear down our community’s divisions. The 2016 Presidential election reveals that American politics has devolved into a battle of extremist factions that do not intend to find common ground. Both parties have come to view policy arguments as irreconcilable ideological feuds that must remain static. Donald Trump, through shameless name calling and hateful rhetoric, managed to stifle all meaningful policy discussion in the Republican primaries and has continued to pervert Presidential politics with his disgraceful campaign tactics. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has worsened the partisan gap by using demeaning language to make Donald Trump supporters feel inferior and worthless. To make matters worse, both sides have seen the 2016 election as a call to move deeper into their ideological extremes. Milton can do better than those running for our nation’s highest office. Milton should encourage joint meetings between all racial, religious, and political groups on campus in order to discuss issues such as free speech, the 2016 election, or any general concerns. Avoiding our problems does not solve them. Isolation only allows divides to fester and grow. Imagine the power of different clubs or affinity groups engaging in dialogue at a time when America seems incredibly divided along racial and political lines. No rigid structure exists for improving this discourse, yet that does not limit its importance. The classroom, the club meeting, and even the Student Center are all viable centers for the free sharing of ideas. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
News
The ATS Helpdesk By JULIANA VIOLA Gone are the days of trekking to the basement of Warren Hall for Academic Technology Services, for ATS has moved its Helpdesk into one of last year’s Student Center computer labs (SSC303). The project is the brainchild of Grant Henderson, Director of Technology Integration. “We wanted to be more available and present in the daily flow of things,” said Helpdesk Coordinator Brenda Fuller. The change is meant to correspond with Milton’s new bring-your-own laptop policy, which will both influence the educational experience and bring new challenges for ATS. With technology taking on a greater role in the classroom, it’s essential that ATS provides students with the technical support they need in order to take notes in virtual lab notebooks, read from electronic textbooks, model mathematical functions with software, operate the new printer system, etc. In addition to technology troubleshooting which ATS has offered in the past, new services include group or individual technology tutorials and the availability of loaner laptops in the event a student leaves his or her laptop at home. Students can either request personalized tutorials or attend group tutorials which might prove particularly helpful come midyear exams. Open 8-3:30 on weekdays, the Helpdesk also operates a space across the street on the second floor of the library, where students can borrow laptops for the day. The new laptop policy has brought other changes to some of Milton’s spaces. The desktop computer area on the first floor of the library has been converted into an open workspace with tables; the computer lab in the history hallway is now a classroom; and the English computer lab is now a faculty room. These updates face mixed reviews from students. On one hand, it’s great to see how ATS has made itself more available, its new office well-situated in the midst of student activity. Students are sure to make full use of technology
services both new and hold, and it’s exciting to think about how ATS’s presence will further enhance the academic experience here. The change could even create an opportunity for students to gain more experience with technology since the Rangers team, a student-run group, will be expanding its role to meet technological needs on campus. On the other hand, many students bemoan the lack of workspaces on campus. It seems day students in particular feel the changes since many relied on computer labs as quiet spaces to get work done during the academic day (whereas boarders can utilize their dorm rooms). As the school year continues, the questions about how physical spaces will be used, how much ATS will interact with students, and how technology will affect curriculum will only increase.
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PAGE 3 EDITORIAL CONTINUED We must always respect others when engaging in this discourse. Without respect, the sharing of ideas shuts down and evolves into a competition to see which ideology can prevail. We must also oppose censorship and accept that some individuals may be offended by a discussion. The balance between respect and free speech can be difficult, yet do not interpret being offended as a call to retreat deeper into your own ideology. If you take offense to an idea respectfully proposed by someone else, explain to them your opinion. In the process, you can either educate that individual or gain a better understanding of their original intentions. The 2016 academic year will provide countless chances to talk with others, join new clubs, and meet new people. Use these chances, for at its best, Milton Academy can be a place where students of varying backgrounds are introduced to different beliefs than their own. This process can be difficult, even uncomfortable, yet the Milton community can be strong only if we choose to share our differences with one another as opposed to remain isolated from those that differ from us. •
HEADMONITOR’S COLUMN CONTINUED to try to get to know new people. No one had tried to give me a wedgie or a swirly in the toilet bowl. School isn’t such a scary place. In fact, it’s a great place! So let’s make it even awesomer by being super nice and respectful to one another. Let’s make everyone feel as welcome as I did my first year here! Anyways, I hope you guys have had a good start to school. Please don’t hesitate to say hey to me or Tyler or the rest of the SGA Council. We’re a real fun bunch. If you have some suggestions or just wanna have a good time, definitely swing by the Thursday SGA meeting in the bottom of Straus. We’ll have food and good vibes. •
PAGE 4
News Mr. Bland’s Summer By JACK SLOANE
As the leaves begin to change color, the temperatures continue to drop, and the harsh, cold season of Fall approaches, one knows that the adored season of summer must come to an end, and the Milton Academy school year must begin. And, as expected, on September the seventh, 2016, students began to flood the campus once again, as the student center became a crowded mess, and Forbes Dining Hall lines reassumed their decrepit nature. The students of Milton Academy are now left with nothing else than a distant memory of their summer vacations. Yet I, as a Milton Paper news writer, had already received my first mission of the school year: to capture the grandiose nature of a single faculty member’s summer in a tell-all interview. Realizing the important nature of this piece, I decided to strive for nothing less than the best, approaching the almighty headmaster of our grand institution, Todd Bland. One can imagine what a principal’s summer might entail: exotic trips to the Caribbean, long walks on desolate beaches, and strenuous climbs up rural hiking trails. Or maybe, to the contrary, summer ’16 didn’t go quite as one would expect... Enjoy. Sloane: Mr. Bland, I’m doing an article for The Paper about faculty experiences over the summer, and I was wondering if you had any exotic stories or tales that you wouldn’t mind sharing? Bland: The highlight for me that comes to mind that might be modestly interesting was live music. I got to enjoy the Newport Folk Festival, but I got to enjoy it by boat. It is a mix of rock, classic rock, what’s considered American Folk, and some soft rhythm and Blues. We have a home in Newport. That’s a place that we as a family escape to. Newport, you’ll find, is a very fun place, and it’s a place that I have known for a while because I went to St. George’s school. The real draw for us was
that it’s close to Milton; there’s a lot going on which is nice, and I love the ocean. I was actually here in Milton a lot because my kids were home and working around Boston, but we took a lot of great weekends in Newport. We are very lucky; most people don’t have access to places they can go different from where they are during the year. When I lived in Ohio for eight years, my appreciation of New England grew tremendously. For me, there just wasn’t as much natural beauty or diversity of destinations in Cincinnati as there is in New England. To be able to see the variety from the Vermont Mountains to the Rhode Island Coastline... we are very lucky. I love Country music. I love all music, but I love Country Music. And my appreciation and love of Country Music has been enhanced because our daughter Emily is at Vanderbilt now. Nashville is music city and one of the hubs of country music in America. So I’ve grown in my appreciation and love of country music. And I have this tradition now, second year in a row, where I go with my daughters to the Zac Brown Band at Fenway park. Country music, it is an acquired taste; it’s kind of like food. There are very few foods that I don’t love, and there are very few kinds of music that I don’t love. But with my summer time, one of the things I love most is being active. I love playing tennis and golf. I fish, a lot. I love to boat. So having a bit of time to do that, and particularly being able to do that with people that you enjoy and family and friends, is what I look forward to most about summer. But my perfect day in the summer is going for a long bike ride, playing tennis, going fishing, maybe a playing round of golf, eating great meals in between, and sleeping well at night. So those were highlights, not terribly exotic but highlights. •
Overcrowded Schedules By NIHAL RAHMAN
Milton Academy prides itself on giving its students an excellent education, and the school fulfills that promise. However, while Milton students accept an inevitably large workload, all too often they still feel overworked. This overload often results from teachers’ piling on major assignments at the same time. The consequences of this phenomenon can be alarming; the extra work can leave students stressed and can cut down time for sleep and relaxation. According to the Center for Disease Control, teenagers should get 9-10 hours of sleep a night. This amount, however, seems unattainable on even a light homework night and all but impossible to achieve when under the pressure of two tests and a DYO due in the same week. With a major assignment due in the near future, students often spend extra time on schoolwork. The Upper School Student Handbook states that, for non-freshmen, “homework assignments should average 45-60 minutes in preparation for each class meeting.” Teachers usually encourage students to adhere to that time constraint and to stop doing homework after an hour. However, major assessments can force students to work well beyond that hour. For example, a teacher could give students three nights without other homework to study for a major test. Although the teacher gave fair notice, three hours (following the one hour-pernight maximum) is often insufficient for adequate preparation. So, to do well on a test, lab report, or large paper, students frequently have to exceed the recommended homework time. Now, this wouldn’t be such a big problem if working on that assignment was a student’s only homework. But with most students having at least four subjects of work a night, finding the extra time to write or study can be tough. In addition, with multiple major assessments looming over students’ heads right before breaks, the usual daily stress is pushed even further. With this established problem, one might ask, “What can the students and teachers do to fix it?” The answer to that question lies in the communication within the Milton community. Students should be able to tell teachers about their overpacked schedules. Moreover, teachers should communicate with other teachers to make sure that major assessments are somewhat dispersed. The Student Handbook states that students should hand in no more than three
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News
PAGE 5
Summer of a Refugee
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
By EMMA JAMES As a student of Milton Academy, you have successfully been shoved headfirst into the relentless storm of schoolwork and activities known as September. Not only are you trapped in this bottomless pit for the next twelve weeks, but what’s worse, you knew this was coming – you signed up for this insanity! New students are quickly learning that Ware is not the same as Warren, and will hopefully have adjusted in a few days or weeks. Yet, imagine if that adjustment period lasted not just weeks or even months, but years? On a more serious note, many adolescents around the world are experiencing a transition unparalleled by any prep school. Regular students like us are being forced out of their homes, neighborhoods, and entire lives amidst a political panic they never asked for. “New culture, new language, new people: it’s so hard to learn,” said Mohammad Daud Sahak, an eighteen-year-old student whom I had the chance to meet in Northern Germany this past August. In 2013, the Taliban had targeted his family for being associated with the Afghanistan National Army. On the night the militant Islamic fundamentalist group raided his house, Sahak fled Afghanistan with his older brother, never to see his family again. The brothers first travelled to Denmark, living there for more than a year. “I was always asking him, non-stop asking every day, when is my sister calling
from Afghanistan? But nobody could tell me. But one day, I remember my brother told me, he said ‘our family is dead. Our mom, our dad is dead, our small sister, my big brother.’” But as Fortune noted in February, Denmark is not welcoming to refugees, the Danish Parliament “mov[ing] to seize assets and valuables of persons applying for refugee status,” in order to push them away. Because of this negligence, Sahak and his brother then relocated to Germany in 2015. According to Eurostat figures, Germany had registered “35% of all first time applicants in the EU Member States” that year. Sahak and his brother were among those more than 440,000 applicants, living into a refugee camp for the entirety of March 2015. Soon after, they settled in Heere, a farming village in Northern Germany. “I was the lucky one who got in a German class, and I start with my class and study hard and push myself,” Sahak explained, but many refugee students aren’t so fortunate. The president of the German Education Union, Marlis Tepe, shared that the governments for each of the sixteen federal states must hire “something like 25,000 new teachers, but there are not enough teachers, and in some regions it is difficult to find.” This scenario results in public schools overcrowded with refugee students, many of whom don’t speak fluent German and many of whom, one in five, have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to German psychotherapists.
“It was so hard for me the first day: nobody could speak good English. It was so boring the first two, three months. I felt alone, and then I learned German and I found a lot of friends,” but, as he later added, that involved staying up studying until 1 a.m. most nights. During the end of his first year in the German high school, Sahak asked his teacher to be placed onto the advanced track of studies. After being granted a mere fifteen-day trail period, Sahak earned the right to stay in the classes. Just one year later, he received his diploma as the top student in his graduating class, receiving a special award and gifts from the regional education office. Early in August, Sahak began technical school in a neighboring village called Baddeckenstedt. “When I go to school, nobody knows I’m a refugee,” he said, describing the extent of his transition. He also runs a local program to help teach and integrate the continuous increase of refugees. While Germany still generously accepts the steady stream of refugees, a growing anxiety is resulting in political adjustment and public backlash. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had announced on May 25 at a meeting with the Cabinet of Germany the adoption of the new Integration Act, which “sets out details regarding integration courses and the suspension of the labour market priority check.” More specifically, the declaration identifies several key
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Opinion
PAGE 6
The Power of a Story
A Reading from Homer by Lawrence Alma-Tadema
By MALCOLM MCCANN One of the essential skills Milton students will learn is the ability to construct and present a logical argument. In science courses students use hard evidence to assert a conclusion. In math classes students use deductive reasoning to prove mathematical statements. In history and English courses students learn how to develop a thesis and use evidence to support their logic in a literary presentation. It is safe to say Milton distinctly teaches students how to produce and present a logical argument. This is an incredibly valuable skill in life, but in the quest to change public opinion in the real world logical arguments are not as strong as we think. When the average person chooses a position on an issue, they hold other influences higher than logic. Personal experiences and inherent beliefs will always hold more authority in the world than reasoning. A prime example of this is the debate regarding gay-marriage. According to Gallup polling, 37% of Americans disapproved of gay-marriage in 2015. The logic on why gay-marriage should be legal is extremely strong, and the arguments against are devoid of reason, solely emanating from personal beliefs. This is because logic is not persuasive enough to hold any effect on those who hold personal experiences in the highest regard. As Voltaire once said, “Common sense is not so common.” However, this does not mean that it is impossible to sway opinions on certain issues. When a person is confronted with a personal story or a socratic conversation they are far more likely to change their mind. A prime example of this was the “Yes Equality” campaign in Ireland which set out to sway public opinion on gay marriage for a Irish referendum on the topic, a seemingly impossible task in a country with an over 80% Catholic population. In November 2015, the campaign claimed victory as the country
voted to legalize gay marriage. They were successful specifically because the use of wide spread canvassing, a campaigning tactic where a volunteer goes door to door. The employment of canvassing was unusually effective because of their approach. Instead of arguing with strangers, canvassers engaged in a dialogue and discussed personal narratives. The Yes campaign focused on maintaining a soft tone, avoiding aggressive spats with their opposition, and tapping into a rich vein of personal stories. The campaign understood that the key was to create a calm environment in which stories could be heard in order to allow voters to empathize with others. At the same time, the campaign realized it had to address doubts voters had, thus the slogan for canvassers was, “I’m Voting Yes, Ask Me Why.” The Yes campaign’s success stemmed particularly from their use of personal stories and productive dialogues. The concept that stories and dialogues work better for canvassing is founded in science. Recently, David Broockman and Joshua Kalla, two graduate students from UC Berkeley, published a study on persuasion techniques pioneered by the Los Angeles Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Center in California, whose canvassers have conducted more than 13,000 face-to-face interviews over its nearly 50-year history. The center has its canvassers conduct “analogic perspective taking.” They invite someone to discuss an experience in which that person was treated unfairly because they were perceived as different and, and the canvasser attempts to generate sympathy for the suffering of another group—such as gay or transgender people––to make the subject empathize with others. Instead of delivering a sermon to strangers, canvassers at the center begin a Socratic dialogue that can last 20 minutes. They do not tell people ahead of time what conclusion they want to reach, and the goal is that, by the end, subjects will have
built up empathy with a group of people different from themselves. Broockman found that this canvassing technique was far superior than ones involving the canvasser lecturing the subject. As seen in this study, the power of personal narratives and intimate conversations is exceptionally better than logical explanations. Indeed, Milton should continue to teach the ability to produce arguments founded in logic, but we should also adapt to be teaching the real-world power that stories hold. The impact of a story is far greater than that of a lecture, and that is why Milton should encourage more speakers to tell their personal stories, rather than give informational lessons to the student body. An example of this was when Chris Herren came to speak at Milton in 2013. His story on his experience with drug abuse was far more influential and powerful than a speaker that would be talking about the statistics of drug abuse. It is safe to say that the speakers who tell their personal stories to students shift perspectives far more than those who lecture the student body. Students in the Milton community must also recognize this truth. Today, the political culture at Milton is defined by the inability of students to alter the opinions of their peers. Currently many students believe that employing condescending explanations of their political stances is a productive manner to inspire ideological changes. Students should take a different approach. Instead of an aggressive tirade, students should participate in meaningful, constructive dialogues or describe personal experiences to promote their opinions. Diatribes will never work, and students must work to alter the present climate. All in all, Milton places the utmost value on the ability to construct and present a logical argument, but we are under the false notion that everyone thinks in accordance with common sense, they simply do not. However, people do, in fact, empathize and prioritize an honest personal story and a productive dialogue, and Milton must adapt to this reality. •
RIP Computer Lab 1
Cox Library Summer Overhaul CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In light of the new laptop policy at Milton, the library removed the large collection of desktops on the first floor. The library replaced the periodicals room, a room previously stocked with newspapers and magazines, into a new classroom. In total, this change was budgeted at $25,000 for electrical wiring, furniture, whiteboard space, new technology, and other expenditures. Another classroom will be installed in the library. The reason behind the implementation of new classrooms is due to the high demand for classrooms accessible to those who are disabled due to the inaccessibility of Ware Hall, the math and language building. The library also saw a conformational shift in the physical organization of the Library. “We have planned for the first floor to be a more social space with more comfortable chairs for programming and meetings, the second floor to be a quiet, collaborative workspace with all the tables, and the third floor to be a silent research space with only history books and personal working carrels,” said Ms. Pearle. Previously carrels and tables were evenly spaced in the library on the second and third floor. “This change also accommodates Class IV study hall. Before, students would be distracted with the group tables on the third floor,” said Ms. Pearle. Ms Pearle also cited how this organizational shift follows the common trend among college libraries with the highest floors being the quietest. The final goal of the transformation in the library was to better accommodate the Middle School. The first floor includes a section with young adult fiction for middle schoolers to read without going upstairs. The library also added a middle school librarian to their staff to handle the needs of the lower school. The library expects to see many more reforms in the future to remain a relevant institution on an increasingly modernizing campus. •
Opinion
PAGE 7
From Objectification to Rape
By LETITIA CHAN On September 2, Brock Turner was released after a mere three month sentence after raping an unconscious woman, because the judge “feared imprisonment would have a ‘severe’ impact on Turner”. His victim wrote a twelve page piece addressed to him, illuminating the suffering of a rape victim, especially one who saw her rapist slip away with a much lighter sentence than he deserved. “In newspapers my name was ‘unconscious intoxicated woman’,” it reads. “For a while I believed that that was all I was. I had to force myself to relearn my real name, my identity…That I am not just a drunk victim at a frat party found behind a dumpster, while you are the All American swimmer at a top university innocent until proven guilty, with so much at stake.” 23% of female undergraduates report that they have been victims of sexual assault or misconduct, according to a campus sexual assault survey in 2015 conducted by the Association of American Universities. 11% of female undergraduates were “assaulted in a way that is consistent with criminal definitions of rape or sodomy”. The truth is that rape begins with the objectification of female bodies, and the distance from this dehumanization to rape is very short. This may be straightforward, but is not yet in place: that we ensure rapists suffer proper repercussions, instead of allowing the epidemic of rape to continue alongside the prevalence of victim blaming. The hard task ahead is to separate the freedom for girls to safely dress and act
however they want from the easy slide into objectification and potential assault in order to strive for gender equality. The Stanford rape case, one among many, most of which go unreported, is infuriating because the rapist was released after merely three months (none of this is to say that rape does not happen in inverted roles of gender or difference in gender identity, just less). Stanford reacted to the rape case by deeming it a drinking problem and posed as a solution a ban of hard alcohol at parties, explaining, though the page, entitled “Female Bodies and Alcohol”, has since been taken down, that women were simply different, more susceptible to intoxication, and therefore suggesting a justification for rape. I am perplexed as to why people do not tell young men not to rape women and administer sentences for their offences accordingly, but contribute instead to a culture which reinforces that women are to be blamed and which continually tortures and silences female rape victims. Women are subjected to narrow, impossible standards of dress and behavior to be socially accepted. Every adolescent girl I have known has been catcalled, by boys who look as young as twelve— which is funny in the moment, but hardly so when you think about it. I have been asked genuinely by a man, “Does it really hurt a woman to be raped?” upon which I was too stunned to answer. When a girl wears a crop top and shorts, it does not always mean she is showing skin for male attention.
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PAGE 8
Arts & Entertainment
Q&A with Michael Adams
From Objectification to Rape CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
By MARSHALL SLOANE (Previously published in The Boston Globe Ideas section) There are seven states (including Massachusetts, of course) where the use of profanity is still a crime. Which, when you think about it, is pretty gosh darn ridiculous. Ancient Germanic and Scandinavian peoples forged and honed many of our current set of swears and they’ve been valuable components of human expression ever since. The Romans and Greeks used it in literature. Shakespeare leaned on them heavily too. Michael Adams, a professor at Indiana University Bloomington, says we’re living through a golden Age of Profanity where the use of curses is both unprecedentedly creative and remarkably expressive. That’s a damn good thing, says Adams, author of the new book “In Praise of Profanity” which delves into poetry of the profane. While working at the Boston Globe, I spoke with Adams by phone from his home in Bloomington, Indiana. Below is an edited excerpt. SLOANE: What’s so compelling about the poetic value of profanity? ADAMS: When you think about sitting down and writing a poem you may have an idea that you want to communicate in the poem, but a lot of what you’re playing with is the sound of the language. In everyday speech, we don’t have a lot of time for that. We don’t have the time to worry in a conversation about the pleasure aspect of sound. I think profanity serves the purpose of being a type of poetry that fulfills our urge to say words that sound a certain way. Profanities can be a pleasure to speak, but there is also a forcefulness of profanity in certain situations. In some cases, we just enjoy saying those words. It depends a lot on speaker’s intention and context. There are different poetic values that you can draw out of profanity in different settings. SLOANE: Why don’t people more often connect profanity with poetry? ADAMS: I have a very strong feeling that
we teach poetry in school the exact opposite way we should. What classes tend to do is say poets are exceptional speakers and poetry is exceptional discourse. We should be teaching kids poetry from their experience in everyday speech. Obviously, kids shouldn’t use profanity, but all of that exceptional, expressive, playful language we use is the basis for the higher art of poetry. We are almost completely unaware of how interesting we are or how interesting our speech can be. SLOANE: What are some examples of famous poets using profanity? ADAMS: The most famous example is “This be the Verse” by Philip Larkin. The poet goes for the element of surprise by starting the poem with profanity. That is a way to orient the seriousness of the poem, especially since it was written in the 1950s. Larkin’s work is different from “The Ramble in St. James Park” by Phillip Rochester. Rochester created an image that was just meant for people to take pleasure in. Even if he creates an obscene image, it has no real purpose other than conjuring up an image in people’s minds that would be fun for them to think about. SLOANE: There seems to be a range of ways that slang and profanity are incorporated in poetry. ADAMS: Yes. I think there is as much of a range of poetry as there is in everyday speech. Poetry is a very oral art. It is meant to be read as though you are speaking it out loud to yourself. That is where the fun is. It does not make a difference whether the profanity is being used to express anger or playfulness, for profanity, when used, is always being a little disruptive to the norms of poetry. That’s the poetic value of profanity. SLOANE: What role has profanity played in television? ADAMS: A show I mention in the book is Californiacation. The show is so obsessively focussed on Hank Moody. He is a very complicated and vexed character. It is a really unusual show, so if you come up with an idiosyncratic show, you may also find some idiosyncratic uses for profanity.
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I say this adamantly as a girl, but to be honest I’m unsure about the statement as far as it extends. The female body is rewarded for adhering to the eyes of heterosexual men, and punished for not living up to or lacking interest in playing part to such principles. The objectification and sexualization of women suggest that women dress for men, and some women retort, looking good makes them feel good about themselves. But for as long as human beings experience and require sexual attraction, which is forever, women will dress scantily as men walk around without shirts on. It is impossible to feel accepted without being wanted. The need to feel attractive contradicts the need for gender equality, but it should not. To begin: we should move past the times in which people can say a girl is “asking for it” and throw around words like “slut”. If men’s promiscuity is seen as strength and a source for attractiveness, why are the similar actions of a woman shamed? I am not advocating for unrestrained sexual liberation so much as arguing that men and women should be treated the same. It is when we extinguish the objectification of women and diminish rape counts that women can be in charge of their sexuality and not suffer from it any more than men do from theirs. Warning women against rape, telling them to dress more modestly to protect themselves, suggesting they take RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) classes—these are all temporary but ultimately futile measures to keep women safe and do almost nothing against rape, which will go on as long as it can be committed. My hope is that incidents like the Stanford rape case will not happen again, that the world can shift the blame from the victims to the transgressors, where it rightfully should be, and that men will find enough human decency not to take advantage of women’s bodies. And if men fail to do so, if there continues to be as much rape of women by men as presently and historically, then it is entirely the fault of the rapists, who continue to get away with it. It is because sexual harassers are immoral animals, not because of her blood alcohol level or the length of her skirt. •
Arts & Enterainment Beatnik Legacy
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Refugee Student CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 improvements, such as “taking integration courses at an early state…legal certainty while undergoing vocational training [and] job opportunities for refugees.”
By EMMA JAMES A version of this article was first published in the Graduation Issue Beatnik Café, or just Beatnik for short, has long been a pivotal feature of the Milton. Three or four times each year, hundreds of students pack into Straus Library to watch their peers--and sometimes even faculty members-- perform. Beatnik performances range from jazz ensembles to song covers to piano concertos to student-written raps, and the night’s events can exceed three hours in length. The members of Magus Mabus, the organization which runs Beatnik, gather even more attendees with the allure of free food and gift card raffles. But oddly enough, not many attendees are aware of the historical context of the word “Beatnik.” The Beat Generation was a culture movement in post-World War II America. Modern World History and Art History teacher Larry Pollans explained the movement as “a group of coming-of-age youngsters who were looking for alternative ways of expressing their views of the world [and] disagreement with their elders.” Students in universities began to question societal norms like traditional sexuality, modern materialism, and the stigma surrounding drug use. Among these students were Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, two men who met at Columbia University in the 1940s. They started the movement in New York’s anti-conformist underground scene. They named it the “Beat” Generation because of the word’s double meaning: beat as an adjective can mean tired and worn, but beat as a noun is a unit associated with rhythm. Rhythm had a special significance during the period: the artistic push was famous for making intellectual remarks about society through literature, since many of its members, including
Kerouac and Ginsberg, were poets. Mr. Pollans calls the poetry of the Beat Generation “freeform” because the writing generally had no measure or rhyme, and was “more primal.” In his poem “America,” Ginsberg makes some truly controversial statements, including “[g]o f*** yourself with your atom bomb” and “I used to be a communist when I was a kid and I’m not sorry,” lines showing how radically defiant some ideals were. Aside from essentially inventing slam poetry, the Beats joined forces with modern jazz musicians. In his November 1, 2012 discussion of the collaboration between poetry and jazz, Geoff Page of Cordite Poetry Review highlighted a 1958 recording by Jack Kerouac in which he alternately reads his Blues and Haiku poems for a few bars, and then tenor saxophonists Zoot Sims and Al Cohn offer some bars of “musical comment.” As reflected by this eccentric collaboration, the Beats were fighting the rules and expectations in every aspect they could, even in their wardrobe choices, wearing “dungarees (jeans) and tee shirts,” according to Mr. Pollans. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen coined the word “beatnik” on April 2, 1958 as a combination of the Beats culture and the launching of the Soviet satellite, Sputnik, just six months before. Sixty years later, Caen’s legacy, along with a sliver of the entire Beat Generation, lives on at Milton. Michael Sabin ‘16, former music editor of Magus Mabus and one of the main coordinators of Beatnik last year, explained that the event has “fluctuated in frequency and style” during his time at Milton, gaining popularity in recent years. Sabin credits the increased attendance to the “casual and friendly vibe,” and the range of genres in the lineup. However, though the night is always entertaining, does our Milton tradition live up to its namesake? “Unfortunately, Beatniks today have
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Even still, the safety and stability of refugees in Germany has remained threatened by groups like Alternative for Germany (AfD), which not only lobby against but also seem to spark attacks against the migrants. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a group that follows and campaigns against racism and related violence, recorded more than 150 attacks against refugee shelters in 2015. But AfD gained more support in polls after a series of attacks in mid-July, many perpetrated by Islamist militants, that resulted in fifteen dead across the country. If the group manages to seize a majority, the refugee situation in Germany might soon resemble that of Denmark. Despite the political unrest, refugees must remain diligent in following the tedious road to citizenship. Over the past several months, Sahak and his brother have been in the process of applying for a temporary residence permit that would allow them to stay in Germany for three more years, while receiving an education and establishing a career. The brothers currently await the answer. •
Get Into College: Apply to La Voz
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Sports
Mustangs of the Week: Adam Kulick and Zoe Katz
Adams Interview CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
Profanity becomes an emblem of what is special or different about that show. Two other examples are Modern Family and The Sopranos. They are different genres of television shows, so the attitude toward profanity in Modern Family is going to be comedic while the Sopranos is very much a drama. I think that one of the reasons we find profanity useful is that we can bend it to our purposes in an almost endless variety of contexts. Television, like literature or common speech, represents that truth about profanity: it is over the top expressive. Zoe Katz (‘20), a freshman from Andover, SLOANE: Why does your book relate By NAVPREET SEKHOON Massachusetts, is a fresh addition to the Milton profanity to power in society or a social Girls’ Varsity Soccer team and Millet House. group? Massachusetts native Adam Kulick Although Zoe transitioned to playing ADAMS: I have come to think of (‘18) joined Milton’s Varsity Boys Soc- goalie only four years ago, she started playing profanity and slang as extreme forms of cer team this year as a new boarder in soccer when she was eight years old. Ever standing out. It comes down to a question Norris House. since, Zoe worked to rise to the top in this high- of power and whether or not people will Hailing from Cambridge, ly competitive game. At first, soccer helped her let you get away with using profanity. It’s Adam has played for Beaver Country to make friends in her community and keep ac- not that there’s a rule against it, but it is a Day School of Chestnut Hill and Global tive, but Zoe quickly found her new passion. In symbol of your authority if you can use Premier Soccer (GPS), a Massachusetts sixth grade, she joined Global Premier Soccer profanity in certain circumstances where club team. 13 years into his soccer ca- (GPS) Massachusetts, and then in eighth grade you are talking to people subordinate or reer, Adam still has “the same passion she played for her town’s high school varsity junior to you. Some people will get to for soccer that [he] had as a kid.” team “just for fun.” Although Zoe always has swear in public situations and some peoAdam’s passion has delivered terrific fun in soccer, she also recognizes the crucial ple don’t. results. Nevertheless, he appreciates the role her position plays. “Playing goalie can SLOANE: What is an example of expectations that come with playing for be very mental,” she explained, “if I make a someone using profanity to show her the New England championship team. mistake that leads to a goal, I just have to stay power? He said, “I know the team went 22-0 last focused and move on, or else my negativity ADAMS: In the book, I use the examyear, so this year’s team has big shoes could affect the way I play for the rest of the ple of Vice President Cheney swearing to fill. There’s a lot of pressure on us, game.” quite loudly at the Senior Senator. In but the team is very close knit, and we At Milton, Zoe continues to find competition that situation, he had both personal and believe in ourselves.” Despite his per- in her sport: “I was very excited to play soccer institutional power, so if he was really ansonal achievements, he credits much of at Milton, but also very nervous, because as noyed by the Senior Senator, he could use his success to his mom, saying that, “She a goalie one of my jobs is to direct the team.” profanity. Nobody could say, “well Vice comes to my games whenever she can However, she worried that, because she is three President Cheney you just can’t talk like and always encourages me to take risks, years younger than many of the other girls, the that,” since his answer would be, “I damn be confident, and be a leader.” team wouldn’t listen to her. But they do. Now well can.” The varsity team views Adam an official member of the varsity team, Zoe SLOANE: What do normal people do as a team player who likes to win—a feels comfortable and excited to better herself in order to get away with using profanity? perfect combination for any athlete. As along with her teammates. ADAMS: If something is taboo, you a central midfielder, he is responsible for Moreover, being one of four goalies on the have to come up with something that setting up plays and keeping the team on varsity team motivates Zoe to “work harder you are allowed to say. The euphemism track. Accordingly, he has “always loved everyday to hopefully move up in the ranks.” replaces what you aren’t allowed to say. the feeling of scoring goals, assisting She continues to grow in both skill and Since we are allowed to use profanity teammates, and winning games.” Even mentality not only because of her ambition, but more, euphemism is less socially importafter his long soccer career, Adam’s am- also because of the support of her past coaches ant than it used to be. SLOANE: Does poetry play a role bition in soccer is immutable, and he’s and her older brother. Zoe’s coaches taught excited to join the Milton soccer team, her the importance of visualizing herself in the in euphemisms like it does in normal emphasizing that, “I want to win every- game before she actually plays. This technique profanity? ADAMS: Some of those euphemisms thing with Milton and play Division 1 helps her keep a strong mentality and focus on can be just as poetic as the profane terms, soccer.” One might find Adam pregam- the mentally challenging task before her—the maybe even more. One example is a Jesus ing by eating a big meal, listening to re- team depends on the goalie to keep fighting to Christ euphemism: Jiminy Cricket. If you laxing music, and stepping onto the field protect the goal no matter the score. However, are looking for something that is fun to with his right foot first. He’s only just through his everlasting support, Zoe’s brother say, just say Jiminy Cricket. starting at Milton, yet Adam still shows also inspires her to keep playing. SLOANE: What should society keep in promise for the team. He’s ambitious and In the upcoming season, despite being one of mind as people use profanity more often? has the skills the team needs to keep up the youngest members of the team, Zoe will ADAMS: There has to be a limit of soMilton’s record. • fight just as hard as the other girls in every game, practice, and scrimmage, hopefully help- ciety’s comfort with profanity or we lose ing push herself and her teammates to victory.
Sports
New Mascot
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Schedules CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 major assessments a day. That precaution, though, doesn’t make any exceptions for having multiple major assessments on consecutive days. Furthermore, the nature of a major assessment is unclear. Quizzes, for example, usually don’t fall into the category even though they can easily run over an hour of studying per night. However, with a clear definition of a major assessment and sufficient communication between students and teachers, these responsibilities can become significantly less stressful. •
Beatnik CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
By HENRY WESTERMAN On the first day fall tryouts, the hopeful prospects of Milton Academy’s varsity athletic teams were greeted with an exciting surprise: the reveal of Milton’s new, yet to be named mascot. A muscular, orange haired Mustang, complete with a blue and orange Milton Athletics uniform, charged into the ACC towards its cheering fans only to, while high-fiving freshmen, stumble and crash face-first into a precarious microphone stand. Despite a difficult start, the ‘stang went on to bring excitement and cheer to the rest of Milton’s campus throughout the following few days of orientation, being featured several times on Milton’s highly competitive @ma_athletics Instagram profile. Ms. Reiser of the Activities department and Coach Stone of the Athletics department worked together to recruit the new Mustang to Milton’s team. “We’ve been working with a company called Bam! Mascots ever since Milton changed its logo a few years ago,” said Mrs. Reiser. Bam! designs custom mascots for schools, teams, and other groups. Crafted over a long term design process, Ms. Reiser and others on an informal ‘mascot committee’ regularly received design updates from the company and helped decide what the final model would look like. This newly designed Mustang features a built in ventilation system, powered by an internal battery, as well as a cooling vest for the wearer. “We wanted the new mascot to be as realistic and exciting as possible, but also to be safe for the wearer. The old mascot was so old and worn that no one wanted to wear it to outdoor events, so this year seemed like a good time to go ahead and get a new one that students would be excited to use and to see at games.” Though
Bam! Mascots could not be reached for a quote on the cost of a suit, we do know that the new Mustang’s cost was split between several departments on campus. Currently, the Athletics department is developing a plan for students to decide the new mascot’s name, and would appreciate any student input in deciding how to make this important decision. Raneem El Torky (I) thoroughly enjoyed her first day in the Mustang suit and, despite some pitfalls, was very excited to show off the new ‘stang. The new suit comes complete with an interior air-conditioning device. However, Raneem remarked,“they didn’t put the AC in when I first wore it, so I was basically dying.” She also added, “falling was really awkward. It’s funny ’cause when Coach Stone asked me to wear the suit, the first thing I told him was ‘I am scared to fall’, and then the first thing that happened was I fell.” Unfortunate microphone placement aside, Raneem thought her debut in the Mustang suit was a success, and said she would “definitely” like to wear it again soon, “hopefully with the AC next time!” The Milton community has generally positive reviews for its newest and most enthusiastic member. From its luscious orange mane and tail to its authentic hoofshaped feet and hands, the new Mustang definitely seems to be an improvement on the previous, well-worn version. However, some were quick to point out some of its flaws. “It’s muscles are way too huge” complained Warwick Marangos (II), a sentiment with which many students agree. However some see it as a motivational factor of the mascot. No matter one’s perspective on the new Mustang’s appearance, there’s no question that this new ‘stang is here to stay. •
very little spoken word like that of the Beat Generation,” admitted Sabin, explaining that, while Magus Mabus attempted to revamp the lost art, “it dwindled out again for the most part.” Despite not featuring the same customs and therefore not continuing in the same historical context, Sabin concluded that “modern Beatnik [is] at its core an open mic, but some of the spirit of the Beat Generation still pervades.” Similar to the coffee houses in Greenwich Village in which Kerouac and Ginsberg formulated their movement, “Beatniks now still are a place where the student body feels more free to express themselves than at almost any other event on campus,” said Sabin. Even if the context surrounding the Beat Generation is unknown to much of the student body, Milton’s own Beatnik Café manages to preserve the same underlying sentiment that the Beats strived for -- and that’s priceless. •
Sloane Interview CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 the expressiveness of the language. There are people using profanity so much that profane words become inexpressive. They almost become repetitive dribble, but I think that people’s ears are very well calibrated to save profanity from overuse. SLOANE: Couldn’t society simply come up with new words that could reduce the threat caused by profanity overuse? ADAMS: Profanity has a small vocabulary. Now, I am not going to say that we won’t come up with new profanity, but we are much less likely to come up with new profanity than we are to come up with new slang. So we have to treasure the vocabulary which exists and keep it expressive in a way that we don’t have to keep any item of slang expressive. •
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Ad Nauseam How to Win Freshman Year 1. Email your advisor your Dunks order so you can have an iced caramel swirl with cream and sugar every Wednesday morning (remind them not to forget the hot cup). 2. Legally change your last name so you can sit next to the hottie in your Workshop class. 3. Tell your classmates Health is cancelled to spend some quality time with Coach Stone. 4. Ask the bookstore for cash back after using IA. 5. Milk the “I don’t understand the printer system” excuse as long as you can. 6. Convince the deans to cancel study halls because the library is no longer a safe studying environment. 7. Cry during Class IV talk to secure a B+ minimum. 8. Befriend the librarians so you can seat five people at a four person table without consequences. 9. Convince the librarians to get rid of even more books in the library so your history teacher can’t fact-check your research paper. 10. Commit forgery on the plagiarism statement. Loophole. 11. Use Sparknotes for non-graded assignments. If questioned, blame that mess of a kahoot. 12. Help Mr. Heard find his niece. 13. Start studying for SAT (and ACT for backup). 14. Unfortunately there is literally no way to win on the Megablunders test. We’ve tried.
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