Eating Disorders

FEBRUARY 23, 2012 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 135, ISSUE 6

THE

PHOENIX

Inside: Strong novices lead Peaslee Debate to victory Columnist makes predictions for 2012 Oscars Swimmers shatter records at CC championships

Craving Control

Speaker will address pervasiveness of eating disorders on college campuses as a recovering Swattie shares her story p. 6-7

The Phoenix

Thursday, February 23, 2012 Volume 135, Issue 6

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881.

EDITORIAL BOARD Marcus Mello Editor in Chief Camila Ryder Managing Editor Adam Schlegel News Editor Koby Levin Assistant News Editor Brad Lenox Living & Arts Editor Steven Hazel Assistant Living & Arts Editor Reem Abdou Opinions Editor Tim Bernstein Sports Editor Allegra Pocinki Photo Editor Cindy Luu Social Media Coordinator Peter Akkies Webmaster Eric Sherman Webmaster

Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics

John Flaherty set a new school record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:10.11 and also received a silver medal for his time of 1:55.70 in the 200 fly — the third fastest in school history. Flaherty also earned a spot on the Centennial’s All-Sportsmanship team. PAGE 17

News

more’s budget.

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Exhibit provides List interns curating opportunity Experienced novices lift with A look at McCabe’s new exhibit, “Wildly Beyond the Bestiary,” which feaPeaslee Debate Society to Human: tures collages and sculptures inspired by dominant season animals and curated by List Gallery inLed by a strong set of newcomers as well as experienced seniors, the Peaslee Debate Society has seen their oratory efforts met with increasing success as of late.

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Compensation for Green Advisors moves forward

The student position of Green Advisor has recently received approval from the Sustainability Committee to become a paid position starting at the beginning of this fall.

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terns.

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media and whether or not more bias on the Internet is a problem or liberation for today’s journalists.

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Sports

Barkin’s interactive theater Youth leads swimming to at championships thesis sparkes excitement success Though the men’s and women’s swim teams Last weekend, Lori Barkin ’12 played all seven characters in her Honors Theatre Solo Performance of the “House of Widows,” which explores the world of a family of Cuban women.

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failed to place in the top three, a number of stellar performances from the Garnet underclassmen have swimming poised for a bright future.

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rules set to change Searching for the best sex New soccer’s balance of power Center for Innovation and toy for the biggest joy In light of the Rangers Football Club’s failthorough explanation of where to buy sex ure to pay off its debts, James examines a leadership envisioned in Atoys both online and locally, what toys to series of new rules soon to be implementStrategic Planning try, and how to use toys ethically and safely ed that will change how soccer teams will Aside from the Center for the Liberal Arts in the 21st Century, the Strategic Planning document has outlined the need to establish a second center to realize its long-term vision for the college, the Center of Innovation and Leadership.

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Living & Arts

while still having fun.

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spend their money for the better.

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Haverford beats women’s basketball, heads to playoffs

Opinions

Politicizing the female body: the war on women’s The Oscars return with an health The Phoenix offers its view on what seems eye towards the past to be a conservative-backed war waged on

Nate Blum takes a look at the Oscar nominees in preparation for this Sunday’s Academy Awards, and picks his choices for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress.

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Eating at Swarthmore: fresh ideas for dining options

This week’s column focuses on dining options in the Strategic Plan, and ways to improve Sharples without destroying Swarth-

women’s health. We discuss the proposed legislative limitations on female reproductive rights and why such a gender-alientating discussion about these rights is particularly harmful to not only women, but all of us.

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Contextualizing new media and partisanship today

A disappointing season came to an inauspicious end for the women’s basketball team, as poor shooting doomed them once again in a 61-48 loss to the playoff-bound Fords.

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Corrections

FROM THE FEBRUARY 16, 2012 ISSUE The article titled “Basketball shows defensive might vs. Bryn Mawr” was mistakenly attributed to Roy Greim. It was written by Victor Brady.

STAFF Amanda Epstein News Writer Charles Hepper News Writer Yi-Wei Liu News Writer Sera Jeong Living & Arts Writer Samme Sheikh Living & Arts Writer Allison Shultes Living & Arts Writer Chi Zhang Living & Arts Writer Nate Blum Living & Arts Columnist Gabriela Campoverde Living & Arts Columnist Amelia Dornbush Living & Arts Columnist Dylan Jensen Living & Arts Columnist Vianca Masucci Living & Arts Columnist Lanie Schlessinger Living & Arts Columnist Renu Nadkarni Living & Arts Artist Naia Poyer Living & Arts Artist Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Danielle Charette Opinions Columnist Harshil Sahai Opinions Columnist Shiran Shen Opinions Columnist Sam Sussman Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Political Cartoonist James Ivey Sports Columnist Axel Kodat Blogger Julia Carleton Photographer Cristina Matamoros Photographer Holly Smith Photographer Justin Toran-Burrell Photographer Sophie Diamond Copy Editor Taylor Hodges Copy Editor Jaimi Kim Copy Editor Axel Kodat Copy Editor Margaret Lawlace Copy Editor Vija Lietuvninkas Copy Editor BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Paul Chung Circulation Manager Di Yan Circulation Manager Osazenoriuwa Ebose COVER DESIGN Amelia Kucic COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF: us.123rf.com CONTRIBUTORS Victor Brady, Roy Greim OPINIONS BOARD Reem Abdou, Marcus Mello and Camila Ryder EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) celebrityfox.com cristinaviscu.blogspot.com gnr19851995.blogspot.com freesheetmusicdownload.org TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Amelia Possanza. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change.

CONTACT INFORMATION Offices: Parrish Hall 470-472 E-mail: editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Newsroom phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Web site: www.swarthmorephoenix.com Mail subscriptions are available for $60 a year or $35 a semester. Direct subscription requests to Marcus Mello.

The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

All contents copyright © 2012 The Phoenix.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

Danielle discusses traditional media, new

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February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX

News

swarthmorephoenix.com

Events Menu Today Call-in for Syria As the one year anniversary of Syria’s ongoing civil war nears, the question begs to be asked — when will this humanitarian disaster end?

Come show support for the Syrian people by participating in a call-in that will be targeting your local senators to support the Syrian Human Rights Accountability Act at 11 a.m. in Shane lounge. Pizza will be provided to all those who call.

Experienced novices lift Peaslee Debate Society to dominant season

Delaware Valley Friends School Info Session The Delaware Valley Friends School is providing college students with a unique opportunity to both gain experience teaching students with dyslexia as well as earn money from their tutorial services. Learn more at 2:15 p.m. in Kohlberg 115.

ET Phone Speak 2 Swatties Parlor Party Join Speak 2 Swatties in celebrating the installation of a brand new 24/7 peer counseling hotline with telephone-shaped foods and delicious dessert spreads at 7 p.m. in Shane lounge.

Tomorrow Uprooting Classism Workshop Interested in the vast ocean of relationships that money and class both create and destroy in an evermore globalized society? Then head to Kohlberg 115 at 6 p.m. to attend the Uprooting Classism Workshop, where the issues classism presents will be dissected and discussed.

TEDxSwarthmore Student Challenge The five semi-finalists that were recently selected to take part in the TEDxSwarthmore challenge will each be presenting abbreviated TEDlike talks on their subjects of interest at 7 p.m. in Sci 101.

Sunday, February 26th Greenbox Parlor Party Have you seen the green box sitting across from the Post Office?

What about the Sustainability Suggestions Box on the Dash? If you find yourself curious and interested in learning more, come to the Greenbox Parlor party at 4 p.m. in Shane lounge.

Sci-Fi Speed Dating and Breaking Dawn Roast The Psi Phi student group will be hosting several rounds of “speeddating” (role-playing your favorite sci-fi characters with costumes if you so choose) followed by a roast of the newest Twilight film, Breaking Dawn, at 4 p.m. in Parrish Parlors.

Submissions for the events menu may be sent to news@swarthmorephoenix. com

Julia Carleton The Phoenix

The Debate Society, pictured in part here, has ridden a wave of success this season propelled by a group of dedicated seniors, a strong class of novices, and team chemistry. organization to expose underprivileged Swarthmore’s Debate Society travBy Koby Levin students to debate. He describes debate els all around he country, and occajlevin1@swarthmore.edu “the single most important academic sionally the world, for tournaments.

When a Swarthmore debate pairing and social experience I’ve had in my During the season, which goes from Ocreached the final round of a tourna- life.” tober to May, there is an APDA debate ment at Bryn Mawr early this month, This being his first season in APDA, happening somewhere every weekend. they already knew what to expect from Waks has debated as a novice. He has Members of the Debate Society simply their opponents. In fact, they had driv- nearly reached the varsity finals in a choose which weekends they would en to the tournament in the same van novice pairing, an unusual achieve- like to debate, get in the team van, and — both teams in the final were from ment. He is a near lock for APDA’s go. The Society’s private endowment, Swarthmore.

“Novice of the Year”, one of the presti- funded by Amos J. Peaslee (19)’07, pays Of the more than thirty pairings gious awards the organization accords for a van for local travel as well as aircompeting at the tournament, three to individuals and schools for season- fare for far-flung major tournaments from Swarthmore’s Amos J. Peaslee long performance. According to several like the World Universities Debating Debate Society’s (APDS) made the of his debate teammates, APDA will Championship, which was held in the playoffs, a dominant performace that pass a bylaw in response to his perfor- Philippines this year and was attended is an indicator of the resounding suc- mance this season which would prohib- by six Swarthmore debaters. cess they have had this year. Their it students with two or three years of According to Griffin Olmstead ’15, success there yielded enough debate college debate experience from compet- a novice who has attended eight tour“points” — awarded for winning a de- ing as novices. naments to date this season, some bate and speaking well — to put them Waks leads a strong novice class, students attend as few as one or two in 10th place for the “Club of the Year”, which comprises transfer students Sam tournaments, while the most dedicated one of the American Parliamentary De- Sussman, Lorand Laskai, and Reem debaters will attend many more (Waks bate Association’s (APDA) prestigious Abdou as well as freshmen with prior has so far attended 11). “I’d say the awards recognizing season-long perfor- debate experience. Jenny Koch ’12, typical person who is a fairly active mance. The Debate Society has built its president of the Debate Society, noted member of the team probably goes to success on a core of senior debaters as that the prior academic experience of between seven and 10 tournaments in a well as a particularly strong and dedi- transfer students gives them a leg up. given season,” he said. cated class of novices.

“We have an especially strong novice The commitment, however, is APDA, of which Swarthmore is a class because a lot of them are transfer worthwhile to debaters for the public member, defines a novice as simply a students,” she said. “Their ability to speaking experience and quick, analytfirst-year debater. Novices compete think and comprehend issues having ical thinking skills they build through with the same people as varsity debat- taken seminars before gives them an APDA’s brand of rapid-fire extemporaers during tournaments, but they can upper hand.” neous debate. qualify for a separate, novices-only First-years and seniors, however, Debate can also be purely fun; witplayoff round if, as is generally the make up the majority of this year’s ness Waks’s favorite rounds of this case, they do not make the varsity play- team. According to Waks, this age mix season, which came at a tournament offs — novices, after all, generally have yields an energetic team atmosphere. hosted by American University: “we less experience than varsity debaters. “[The distribution of team ages] means debated about whether George Michael Enter Andrew Waks ’13, a transfer a lot of great mentors, and a lot of Bluth of ‘Arrested Development’ ought student who as of the beginning of this new, excited members learning rap- to ‘go for it’ with his cousin Maeby,” year had four years of high school de- idly about debate,” he said. “There’s he said, “and whether as the first govbate experience, two years of college just a lot of really great community on ernment after a zombie apocalypse it debate experience at NYU, and three the team this year, and I think that’s would be a good idea to grant amnesty years of coaching experience, all along- helped make people dedicated to and for crimes committed during the apocaside being the founder of a non-profit invested in debate.” lypse.”

THE PHOENIX

February 23, 2012

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News

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Week in pictures

Compensation for Green Advisors moves forward

Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix

Egyptian activists involved with the 2011 Egyptian uprising in Tahrir, Ahmad Salah and his wife, spoke of their experiences in the events of the past year on Tuesday.

Holly Smith The Phoenix

Quaker Reflections on the Occupy Movement were presented at a lecture and group discussion last Friday at the Friends Meeting House.

Julia Carleton The Phoenix

Director of Latino Studies at NYU, Renato Rosaldo, presernted his research and findings on cultural citizenship last Friday.

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gram,” Carr Everbach, an engineering

By Amanda Epstein professor and Sustainability Committee aepstei1@swarthmore.edu member, said in an e-mail.

Sustainability Coordinator Clara Fang “Often people will do hard work with and Paul Shortell ’13 presented a propos- passion for a cause they believe in; when al for the creation of paid Green Advi- they are paid for that work, they begin to sor positions on Monday morning to the think of the effort as part of a transaction, college’s Sustainability Committee (Sus- and hence of less value.”

Com). The proposal was approved, which Other members of the committee were means that if the necessary funding is ob- also skeptical to set such a precedent for tained, Green Advisors will be paid start- other volunteer groups. However, the ing next fall. committee finally conceded that as long Established in 2010, the college’s Green as there were a few paid coordinators Advisors (GAs) are a student group of with extra duties, like rallying extra volvolunteers that facilitate sustainability unteers to act as GAs, paying them would in the residence halls. be okay.

They are unpaid and organized by “What SusCom wants to encourage is student leaders. According to Fang, they a cultural shift at the college whereby evmanage composting, produce digests on eryone is expected to do her/his part to sustainability issues, and help students reduce needless waste,” Everbach said. conserve energy, water, recycling and Now that the proposal has been apgenerally be more “green.” proved by the Sustainability Committee, Fang was hired primarily to create Fang and Shortell will have to present the and work on the college’s climate action proposal to the Student Budget Commitplan, a project formed to reduce Swarth- tee (SBC). With their approval, they will more’s greenhouse gas emissions in ac- be able to fund the position for next year. cordance with the American Colleges and Because the SBC’s money would only University Presidents Climate Commit- fund the project for a year, Fang hopes ment signed by President Rebecca Chopp to eventually get in early 2010. funding from the “The changes Revolving Green that we want to This is not just about Fund. make are meant The proposal to really expand reducing waste ... it’s projects that the this program and cost will be close really about changing make it more powto six thousand erful and also to cultures. dollars a year. put it in alignment However, it also Clara Fang, with the college’s that s u s t a i n a b i l i t y Director of Sustainability estimates there will be savgoals,” Fang said. ings of approxiThe new Green mately $22,000 if Advisor group would have a staff supervisor and student the GAs’ jobs are properly carried out.

“This is not just about reducing waste coordinator. Each GA would be required and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. to attend training sessions run by the Sustainability Coordinator at the begin- It’s about integrating the experience of sustainable living into every student’s ning of and throughout the school year.

According to Fang, the new structure life. They develop good habits and attiwould allow for higher expertise, extra tudes while they are at Swarthmore... and accountability and more legitimacy in then they can take that to their home and GAs. It would also be easier to recruit work lives,” Fang said. “It’s really about enough student workers to have a GA in changing cultures, about changing attitudes and behaviors.” every residence hall.

Everbach agrees that Swarthmore The new position, along with the comshould incorporate co-curricular sustainpensation, would have more responsibilities. As it is outlined in the proposal, be- ability education into student life as part sides attending necessary trainings and of its social mission.

“No educated person, and certainly meetings, the GAs would have to “disseminate information” through weekly no Swarthmore graduate, should be ignodigests, “manage sustainability infra- rant of the essential issues surrounding structure” by maintaining drying racks, our use of resources and the consequenccompost buckets, recycling and garbage es of that use,” he said.

Mackenzie Welch ’14, a current Willets bins and ensuring CFL light bulbs are distributed to students, and “monitor and GA, is unsure as to what the monetary measure” energy and water usage in the compensation would result in.

“Though I’m not currently an active hall.

They would also have to plan events, member, I think it would set a good exlike inter-dorm energy-saving competi- ample to reward the students who are tions in the fall and winter and recycling going out of their way to help reduce events in the spring, in addition to help- Swarthmore’s waste and raise consering conserve “green” measures through vation awareness on campus,” she said. the move-in and move-out processes, ac- “My only hesitation is the possibility that students would apply to the GA position cording to Fang.

Some members in the Sustainabil- because of the monetary benefits, rather ity Committee, which is comprised of 19 than participate through intrinsic intermembers that represent faculty, students est in the program.”

Welch doesn’t think that the monetary and alumni alike, were not in favor of the compensation would change her involveposition becoming paid.

“The concern voiced by several mem- ment, but she agrees with Fang that makbers was that paying volunteers may ac- ing it a paid position would increase the tually reduce, rather than increase, the number of students willing to take the job participation in the Green Advisors pro- and raise their level of accountability.

February 23, 2012

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News

swarthmorephoenix.com

Center for innovation and leadership envisioned in Strategic Planning By yi-wei liu yliu2@swarthmore.edu Apart from the Center for the Liberal Arts in the 21st Century, Swarthmore’s latest strategic plan, the Strategic Directions published in Dec. 2011, also recommends building a Center for Innovation and Leadership. The Center would be part of a recommendation that broadly states the need for Swarthmore to actively “provide a residential liberal arts experience that serves the needs of students and contributes to the vitality of substantive community.”

The other three parts of the recommendation — affirming support for athletics and addressing facilities needs, developing wellness programs and encouraging students to engage in and with the arts outside the classroom — have received student support. On the Swarthmore College Strategic Planning website, students have expressed strong opinions in their comments. Kate Derosier ‘14 mentioned that “it is very true that the arts facilities are oversubscribed”, and another student wrote that “a new fitness center and new athletic facilities are a must.

We are not encouraged to be student-athletes because it’s extremely difficult to find space or time.” One parent even wrote, “my younger children would not consider following their older sibling to Swat mostly because of the athletic facilities,” hailing the recommendation to improve athletic facilities to be a muchneeded relief.

Yet no students had commented on the recommendation to help students “develop the abilities to lead, inspire, listen, and learn in ways that reflect the values of Swarthmore’s tradition and community.”

Part of the reason students have less awareness of the Center compared to other college initiatives may be that many of the details have still not been worked out.

“We are at the very beginning stages of planning about the Center for Innovation and Leadership. What has to happen first is a census of how we engage innovation and leadership already,” Associate Vice President for Planning Garikai Campbell ’90 said.

Campbell said the work faculty do with students, existing centers such as the Lang Center and Writing Associate and Residential Advisor programs are all opportunities and spaces in which both innovation and leadership are being nurtured and developed. The Center would add on Swarthmore’s tradition of innovation and leadership by acting as an umbrella for existing organizations as well as by adding new initiatives.

To develop discussion on the specific roles the Center should take, Dean of Students Liz Braun chatted with several students during Friday lunchtime on the direction of the Center.

“We don’t know specifically where it will live, but ideally it will be a dynamic and flexible space where students, faculty, staff, and alumni can work together on collaborative projects, brain-storming, seminars, and more.” Braun said.

The Center is planned to be formally launched in the fall of 2014.“We will be forming a planning committee this spring and hope to spend the next two years coming up with an implementation plan and also beginning to introduce some pilot projects related to the Center,” Braun said.

During the chat as well as the strategic planning process, students have started to identify some of the key areas that they would like to see the Center focus on, including mentorship and networking; entrepreneurship; creative collaborations; developing core leadership competencies; and preparation for life after Swarthmore.

Planners of the Center say even more student feedback is essential to the success of the Center. “We want to be sure to get as accurate and comprehensive a sense as possible of the possibilities we already offer, where they are working very well and where we might want to strengthen, and what, if anything, new we can be doing. Part of that means talking with students about their experiences,” Campbell said.

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THE PHOENIX February 23, 2012

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Living & Arts

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Craving control: student to share her story of a ten-year

By Dina Zingaro dzingar1@swarthmore.edu

In a country with a $40 billion diet industry and an advertised body type that only five percent of American females naturally possess, eating disorders permeate American culture and have the highest mortality rate of any mental disease. Whether binging, purging or avoiding food entirely, 24 million people in the US suffer from eating disorders, 95% of whom are between the ages of 12 and 25, according to the Renfrew Center Foundation.

Though stereotypes of eating disorders may conjure up images of a minority population of emaciated and shallow teenagers with fears of muffin tops and saddlebags, unhealthy relationships with food characterize the lives of disciplined, driven and determined women and men for reasons far more psychological than simply food.

In tandem with NEDA’s National Eating Disorders Awareness week from Feb. 26 to Mar. 3, Wendy Cramer from the Renfrew Center, a residential eating disorder treatment facility in Philadelphia, will address the pervasiveness of eating disorders on college campuses, and the symptoms and strategies to supporting a friend who may be struggling with one.

As part of the presentation, a senior Swarthmore student will be speaking and sharing her own story about her 10-year struggle with anorexia, her relationship with food and the obstacles of an ongoing recovery.

Eating disorder and disordered eating According to the Renfrew Center, one in five women struggle with an eating disorder or disordered eating, which is a classification used to describe a wide range of irregular eating behaviors that do not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Usually the most widely known eating disorders, anorexia is characterized by a refusal to eat, calorie and fat gram counting and starvation, while bulimia is marked by recurring episodes of rapid food consumption, tremendous guilt and then purging either through laxatives, self-induced vomiting, fasting or excessive exercise. However, binge-eating disorder is actually the most common and describes the self-destructive behavior of eating large amounts of food, often by yourself and driven by negative emotions.

Currently, though there are no binge-eating criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Cramer explains that it exists in a “sort of catch-all” diagnostic code called “Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified” or EDNOS. The DSM provides codes of standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders and outlines such definitions for eating disorders.

Therefore, individuals may be struggling with disordered

eating, body image issues and chaotic or extremely rigid patterns around food, but they cannot be diagnosed if they do not meet all the criteria.

Though the Swarthmore student was a “textbook case” for anorexia, after meeting others in her experience, she believes that the DSM clinical definitions can be restricting and dismissive. “A lot of people with the diagnosis of EDNOS feel almost marginalized by doctors and even other people in treatment because they feel that their issues aren’t as concrete, aren’t as recognizable and therefore aren’t as serious, which is a very dangerous place to be in,” she said.

Cramer noted that “if someone doesn’t fit [all of] the [DSM] criteria for one of the eating disorders, we cannot say that they have an eating disorder, but they have disordered eating. And to be honest, that is probably 99% of women.”

Though 90-95% of those with eating disorders are female, men do experience eating disorders and, among gay men, nearly 15% suffer from bulimia or anorexia.

Unfortunately, a stigma exists for men seeking mental health treatment in general and especially for an eating disorder, since as Cramer explains, there is often a flawed perception of eating disorders as a “girl problem.”

Control and perfection In the midst of a major relapse after eight years as an anorexic, a Swarthmore student felt the enormous burden that accompanies an eating disorder. “[The anorexic habits weren’t] paying off cognitively, emotionally, physically anymore. I couldn’t function; I couldn’t accomplish things I wanted to accomplish,” the student said. “It was all I could think about — eating, not eating, and what to eat — and after a while it just felt really suffocating.”

In her professional experience, Cramer believes the general population tends to misunderstand the severity of the extent to which eating disorders distorts normal living. “This is not just ‘Oh, snap out of it or just eat, stop throwing up and everything will be better,’” Cramer said.

“It’s such a lonely life because you don’t have time for anything else. It’s a total obsession with foods, calories, what you are going to eat and what you are not going to eat — it’s exhausting.”

Diagnosed at the age of 12 after meeting all of the DSM criteria for anorexia, the student’s heavily restricted relationship with food, which including using the Internet to check the calorie content of every food she ate, originated from a desire for control rather than a longing for a body image ideal. “If I wanted to look like Jessica Alba when I was 12, I would have stopped [with the unhealthy eating] way earlier than I did because I was way off [in my appearance] because there is no way anyone would have construed [what I looked like] as attractive. That really wasn’t my idea of attractive either, I just felt like it

needed to be that way.”

Consistent with the student’s experience, when asked about the patterns in motivations for eating disorders, Director of Student Health Services Beth Kotarski answered with one word: “perfection.” Although unhealthy relationships with food may arise initially to fulfill a perfected body image, someone experiencing an eating disorder, as the student explains, “has something much more serious going on emotionally and psychologically than unhappiness with their thighs.” For her, the need to control each aspect of her included what she put into her mouth. “I was a huge perfectionist when I was a kid and for one reason or many reasons that manifested as an issue with food.”

As Cramer explained, women with eating disorders tend to be overachievers, very smart and creative women with a great deal of discipline, however they use this determination and drive for an unhealthy lifestyle.

In the locker room In 2005, the NEDA reported that in a study of Division I NCAA athletes, over one-third of female athletes reported attitudes and symptoms that placed them at risk for anorexia nervosa. Social influences, performance anxiety and athlete’s self-appraisal contribute to athletes’ dissatisfaction with their body, especially in individual sports such as gymnastics, running, dancing or figure skating; sports that emphasize appearance or weight requirements such as bodybuilding or wrestling; and endurance sports such as running and swimming.

Head Athletic Trainer Marie Mancini described the role and extent to which athletic trainers may address eating disorders as “recognition and referral.” Working closely with the teams, Mancini tries to develop strong relationships with athletes since she believes eating disorders are symptoms of other things in students’ lives rather than only body image issues.

In some cases, student athletes have been restricted from their sport based on a ruling by Worth Health Center and were unable to return until certain criteria were fulfilled, such as reaching a certain weight. “First and foremost, you want to voice concern for [the athlete] so that they know you are truly looking out for them and care,” Mancini said.

With NEDA week approaching, Whitney Ladd Post — the co-founder for Eating for Life Alliance — addressed the intersection between sports and disordered eating on her blog “Invisible Victories.” In light of recovery, she feels that the intrinsic characteristics of athletics such as sense of team, commitment, step-by-step training toward a goal and positive self-coaching may be applied to actually treat eating disorders. ... continued on page 7 ...

cartoon by renu nadkarni

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February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

battle with anorexia at upcoming lecture on eating disorders Making friends with the “frienemy” “Eating disorders are messed up because they are one of the few disorders that you don’t want to get better from. You see it as integral to your identity and who you are and the longer it is with you, the stronger that perceived need becomes,” the Swarthmore student said, who is currently still in recovery.

Her game of self-betterment — rather than a desire to lose weight — and challenging her self-control by eating fewer calories day-to-day consumed her life. In August of 2010 before her junior year, she began a day treatment program at a local center with the expectation of returning to school with her peers. However, after three weeks, she realized she needed more time and stayed at the center for an additional three months.

Returning to normal life, however, and what she describes as “learning to walk again” proved the biggest challenges. “Being in treatment is the easy part. You feel like a child because everything is done for you … right after treatment, you are left to your own devices and there is all that self-doubt and the guilt of possibly screwing up again,” she said. “You can never stop paying attention because that’s when you get in trouble.”

Unlike those with alcohol and drug addictions, people recovering from eating disorders cannot choose to completely cut food out of their lives. Being sober from food does not exist and thus, patients are encouraged to make peace with food, which often exists simultaneously as an obsession, fear and enemy. Addressing this challenge of recovery, the student said, “has been so hard because food is a drug or was for me, or not eating it was a drug for me. It felt great. I don’t know why, but it did.

It calmed me down. I felt like all my problems could go away if I just didn’t bother with food — totally irrational.

But now I have to make friends with it.”

Following eights years with her eating disorder as her main extracurricular in middle school and high school, which included four respective weekly appointments with her therapist, dietitian, nutritionist and medical doctor, she feels that recovery poses a challenging catch-22. “[Recovery at the day program] almost reinforced my identity as someone with an eating disorder because when you are in a place like that, you are treated like a patient.” A standard day at the program — breakfast, therapy sessions, lunch, therapy sessions, snack, therapy sessions and dinner — revolved around eating and discussing food with therapists and other patients.

“All you focus on is food when you are trying to focus less on food. It’s weird,” the student said. “It’s a sad but necessary model for recovery.”

In light of this challenge, Cramer hopes to instill hope in her upcoming lecture in the possibility for recovery.

“Recovery is a lot of hard psychological work, but it’s completely possible. Yes, you will have days when you don’t feel great about yourself or your body, but we all struggle with that,” Cramer said. “Yet, to know that you will not return to those self-destructive behaviors and will have coping skills and a good support system becomes a hopeful and ongoing process.”

What to say Reflecting on her own experiences, the student suggests “active support in the form of asking” or in other words, just asking what the individual wants when addressing their struggle with an eating disorder. “The fewer assumptions you make, the safer you will be in how you act around the person who is trying to get better or struggling,” she said.

However, approaching someone still in denial or not yet ready to address their situation becomes increasingly difficult since often being insistent can worsen the situation. “When I was stuck in that sick mindset and I didn’t want to get out, anybody mentioning it mostly just irked me and reinforced my belief that ‘I don’t need other people, this is something I have to do this by myself,’” the student said.

In her presentation, Cramer will address the challenges of and ways to express concern and support for loved ones who may be struggling with an eating disorder.

“Thinspo” and seeking community Though abnormal obsessions with the body and especially the female body have saturated culture for some time, the means for young women to access the newest fad diet and the latest trend has become faster and easier with technology and the Internet. “Thinspo” refers to a series of pro-eating disorder sites that encourage unhealthy relationships with foods and posit eating disorders as lifestyle choice rather than mental disorders.

Amidst the pro-ana sites for anorexia nervosa and pro-mia for bulimia nervosa, the Tumblr called “thinspiration” serves as a more general platform for inspiration, encouragement and support for people with eating disorders. Users such as shrinkmedownforeternity

or hhipb0nes post photos of protruding collarbones and hipbones as inspiration and seek companionship in their choices: “still [I’m] pissed that I can’t work out do to throwing up constantly but hey, [I] might lose a few pounds! hahaha.” Another user seeking approval posted her new daily diet: coffee for breakfast, both gum and coffee for lunch and coffee for dinner.

“Eating disorders are very secretive, and isolating and it is very easy for someone who is disconnected and isolating themselves from other people to find this online community that will encourage these very dangerous behaviors and they egg them on with pictures and verbal support,” Cramer said.

For the Swarthmore student, since her anorexia began at a young age and therefore, such images seemed incomparable with an underdeveloped body, her problem was not “comparing, but counting [calories]” and such sites played less of a role in her disorder. However, she does understand the loneliness associated with eating disorders: “When you are eating in a very controlled fashion — specific amounts, specific times, specific ‘everythings’ — you don’t want to do that in front of people because it’s embarrassing. So, when you don’t eat or choose to eat by yourself, your social life disappears.”

Hope in recovery Both mentally and physically healthy, the student said, “part of getting better is not having the urge to do that anymore, not to compare so actively and constantly, not to self-assess and nitpick and not be mean to yourself.”

Amidst this cultural obsession with the physical and control, rather than living in the moment, Kotarski invites both male and female students to “block out the noise of society” and to engage in “a conversation about power and strength and having something substantial to elevate ourselves above it all.” As part of NEDA week, Cramer’s lecture and this recovering student’s story will facilitate dialogue for students about supporting the prevention of self-destructive behaviors, the possibilities of recovery, ways to create support systems and develop healthier relationships with the self.

Wendy Cramer and the Swarthmore student will present on Feb. 28 in Sci 199 at 4:30 p.m., hosted by Speak2Swatties, Swarthmore’s student-run peer counseling and mental health advocacy organization.

living in photos

New cast of women takes to the stage for ‘The Vagina Monologues’

Courtesy of Elena Ruyter

On Feb. 17 and Feb. 18, female students performed in “The Vagina Monologues.” Isabel Sacks, Alison Ryland and Amanda Epstein (left and bottom right) performed as Woman 1, 2 and 3. Natasha Pena (center) performed ‘Because He Liked to Look at It.’ Jocelyn Hawley (top right) performed ‘The Flood.’ “The Vagina Monologues” is a play created by Eve Ensler and this is the second year Swarthmore has produced the play. This year, the play was directed by Lisa Sendrow with Marian Firke serving as assistant director.

THE PHOENIX

February 23, 2012

7

Living & Arts The Oscars return with an eye towards the past swarthmorephoenix.com

Nate Blum puts forth his Academy Award predictions, discusses categories The 84th Academy both inevitably prove to be surprising. The line-up Awards will be held this is full of worthy, though incredibly disparate, canSunday, marking the end didates. Kenneth Branagh, Jonah Hill, Nick Nolte, of one cinematic year Christopher Plummer and Max von Sydow, ranging and the beginning of an- from young to old, all have recognizable and estabother. A common theme lished careers and their performances really do all for this year’s nominees merit recognition. I choose either of the extremes of is bittersweet nostalgia. this group. Jonah Hill proves that he is still on the up Whether straight period and up with the nomination, and it would be great to pieces like “The Help” see him win. On the other hand, Max von Sydow, fa(four nominations) or mous for his roles in multiple Ingmar Bergman films “The Artist” (10 nomina- including his much-parodied chess game with death, Nate Blum tions), or time-traversing gets a serendipitous opportunity for Academy recognigenre-benders like “The tion for his cameo in “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Movies Now! Tree of Life” (three nomi- Close.” (He did not win for his only other Oscar nominations) or “Midnight nation in 1980 for “Pelle the Conqueror.”) The supportin Paris” (four nomina- ing actress category pits Jessica Chastain and Octavia tions), the majority of this year’s nominees are films Spencer, both nominated for their roles in “The Help,” that put critical yet reverent spins on material from against each other. Bérénice Bejo was superb in “The the past. Of course, complicatArtist,” but I foresee Spencer ing this are several films that taking it, which is probably take hard looks at very conthe best chance “The Help” This category is a toss-up, temporary issues like “Girl at picking up a win. but I really want to see Mara hasThe with the Dragon Tattoo” (five category for Best Acnominations), “The Descenget some recognition. Meryl tor in a Leading Role in many dants” (five nominations) and ways is the most predictable Streep has enough Oscars.

“A Separation” (two nominalist of nominees, but also in tions), the latter both tackling, many ways the most exciting. in part, the complex emotional Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt and issues surrounding contemporary health care. This George Clooney are all very heavy hitters. Oldman will be by no means a comprehensive overview, but certainly gave a great performance in “Tinker Tailor instead will enumerate the nominations that I found Soldier Spy,” but the part was not challenging enough interesting and worth watching. to warrant an Oscar win. Plus, Oldman is much betThe supporting actor and actress categories will ter as a villain (see “The Fifth Element” for definitive proof). Ultimately, this category will come down to George Clooney and Jean Dujardin for “The Descendants” and “The Artist,” respectively.

Clooney’s performance was one of the only things that kept me from hating “The Descendants” and it showed really nuanced humanity. But, Dejardin did carry an entire silent film in the 21st Century.

This category comes down to a choice between nuanced and flashy.

The Best Actress in a Leading Role category, on the other hand, pits old against new. Rooney Mara gets recognition for her unbelievably tight performance as Lisbeth Salander, the eponymous “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Not only was this part extremely challenging, requiring her to lose weight, get her nipple pierced and learn a Swedish accent, but Mara also had to carry the second adaptation of one of the most successful book franchises of the past decade with the fan-favorite character.

The direct challenger to this up-and-comer is the much-celebrated Meryl Streep for her role as Margret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” Overall, reviews of “The Iron Courtesy of tumblr.com Rooney Mara, who has received global critical praise for her performance as Lisbeth Lady” were tepid, but all Salander in David Fincher’s adaptation of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” is a con- praised Streep’s uncanny performance as this tender in the Best Actress category.

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February 23, 2012

Courtesy of screenrush.co.uk

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, “The Artist” features Jean Dujardin, who received his first Oscar nod for Best Actor for his role as a silent film star.

controversial figure. Streep seemed to naturally step into the role, especially in the moments focusing on Thatcher’s rise to power (critics wanted the film to focus on this rather than the aging, weak Thatcher).

Again, this category is a toss-up, but I really want to see Mara get some recognition. Meryl Streep has enough Oscars.

Finally, we come to the most anticipated category: Best Picture. Ever since the Academy allowed more than five nominations in this category, I have found that it gets a bit muddied. However, this year there are some really solid choices. I will start with two nominees that I do not want to see win. First, “The Tree of Life” better not win this category. The film was an overblown, pretentious bore. Though it won the arguably more prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, the American response to “The Tree of Life” was more divided. Films with 15-minute montages of nature rarely go far at the Oscars. Second, “The Help” somehow got a Best Picture nomination. I feel no need to reiterate the problems with the movie. Just try to watch the movie without cringing at the racial condescension, despite its supposed message. So who’s going to win, you ask?

“The Artist,” “The Descendants” and “Midnight in Paris” are my favorite three. Neither “The Descendants” nor “Midnight in Paris” were perfect films, but both have quite charming elements that leave lasting impressions. The depiction of Hawaii in “The Descendants” is one of the best representations of that state ever. However, “The Artist” has too much going for it to lose. Its celebration of classic Hollywood and classic Hollywood film-making will be sure to seduce many in the Academy, as will the incredible costumes and art direction that brought that era to life (hopefully the film will win in these categories, as well). Simply put, if you have mostly silent, black and white, classically inflected film set in a place called “Hollywoodland,” then you are pretty much guaranteed an Oscar.

Finally, two things to consider. “A Separation” definitely deserves to win the Best Foreign Language film. Its fresh US release will help with that. Also, “Drive,” one of my personal favorite films of the year, was snubbed, getting only one nomination for Sound Editing. It definitely deserved Best Art Direction, Director or even Best Picture. The Academy Awards are this Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

Nate is a junior. You can reach him at nblum1@ swarthmore.edu.

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts Eating at Swarthmore: fresh ideas for dining options

swarthmorephoenix.com

If there is one complaint that unifies Swarthmore students on an almost daily basis, it’s a complaint about having to eat at Sharples. Strategic Directions, the final version of the Strategic Plan, does not contain the words “meal plan.” It refers to food only in connection with a volunteer food bank in Chester, and Steven Hazel briefly mentions “reconfiguring [Sharples].”

Swat in Sync While it would be easy to question the logic of developing an “inn, restaurant, and retail spaces on the edge of campus” in order to accommodate visitors while ignoring dining options for students, this article will try to reframe the “Sharples is bad” line of complaint into a more nuanced comparison of dining at Swarthmore with peer institutions. There is an important distinction to be made between the food served at Sharples and the atmosphere and structure surrounding it, from the limitations of the meal plan, to the secondary dining options like Essie Mae’s, to the architecture of Sharples itself.

Sharples as an Institution: hours, architecture Another recurring complaint about Sharples is the hours, particularly on weekends, when students are expected to be finished eating by 6:30. Clearly, it is a little ridiculous to assume that students will be going to bed earlier on weekends, or that they will not need to eat on Saturday nights. Early closure on weekends means students are forced to go into the Ville or go without

food. At peer institutions, the main dining hall closes much later, 10:30 p.m. in the case of Williams. Even Haverford students get an extra hour to eat on weekends. Although it seems like a small item to quibble about, increased dining hours, while not an enormous expenditure for Swarthmore, can make a real difference in student wellness, allowing late night snacking and studying in the dining hall, as well as contributing to a solution for overcrowding by spreading out the times the dining hall is used.

The Meal Plan One critical aspect of the Swarthmore dining experience is the meal plan and points system, which allows students access to Essie Mae’s and the two coffee bars as well as to Sharples itself. For $5,900 a year, students living in college housing are provided with three choices: a 20, 17, or 14-meal option. This price, while steep, is on par with prices at peer institutions and works out to about $11 per meal, assuming you use all of your meals each week, your balance points, and eat on campus for 15 weeks each semester. As you might have noticed, the meal equivalencies at Essie Mae’s are a fraction of this — the convenience premium of Essie Mae’s later hours is apparently getting $4.60 in exchange for a swipe that originally cost you $11. This seems a bit steep, and further discourages students from eating later, despite their schedules.

The meal plan operates under the assumption that students either want to eat at Sharples three meals a day, every day or that they can forgo four meals a week under the 17 meal plan. An alternative to this countdown system, which can leave students without meals at the end of the week, is an unlimited swipe option that allows entry throughout the week without penalty, which has been successfully introduced at Amherst, Williams, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Rebecca Chopp’s

previous institution, Colgate University.

An unlimited swipe system is more consistent with a Quaker sense of community and would increase student wellness by allowing more swipes per day, for example to accommodate an afternoon snack or studying in Sharples, while making it unnecessary for students to carefully count and conserve their remaining meals.

Secondary Eating Options Another often-derided component of eating at Swarthmore is the lack of variety, whether due to the repetition of the meal schedule every four weeks, the constancy of certain bars like pasta bar, or the lack of alternatives to Sharples. The addition of a third food bar at Sharples would help for days when there are two bars offered for dinner that you don’t like, and would make the dining experience something to look forward to. Essie Mae’s and, to a lesser extent, the coffee bars, serve as secondary options, but Essie Mae’s current hours are staggered so that the grill is open when Sharples closes. This means that choices are made not depending on students’ preferences, but on the time of day.

Although the Strategic Plan fails to envision a new dining experience at Swarthmore, or even to propose changes, by looking at the structural flaws of the present, we can imagine a Sharples of the future that, while not requiring the expenditure to build a new dining hall, significantly improves the experience of eating at Swarthmore. A dining hall with longer hours, unlimited swipes and more varied food options could serve as more than a dining hall, but also as a study and community center that removes food as a source of stress in students’ lives and introduces it as a way to recharge and relax.

Steven is a sophomore. You can reach him at shazel1@ swarthmore.edu.

living in brief

Health and Wellness program unveils new Wellness Lounge

Camila Ryder The Phoenix

Paury Flowers and Liz Braun (left), Melissa Zheng (center), and Satya Nelms, Flowers and Karlene Burrell-McRae (right) attended the grand opening of the Wellness Lounge.

The Swarthmore Health and Wellness Program celebrated the grand opening of their new Wellness Lounge this Monday, Feb. 20 with a kick-off party. Complete with gourmet eggrolls and homemade smoothies, the student-comprised Swarthmore Wellness Awareness Team (SWAT) and the Wellness Coordinator Satya Nelms celebrated the unveiling of the lounge in Wharton C basement. “[We’ve] been trying to get the space ready,” Nelms said, adding that the students of SWAT wanted to create a “calming, soothing space … to encourage a calm, contemplative [atmosphere].” With the lounge’s freshly painted walls in a serene blue and the homey setting, the wellness group hopes to make the space more available to student use.

Nelms and the student members of SWAT want to have an “integrated student wellness program” on campus. The Wellness Program began two years ago, but recently received a reinvigorating jolt when Nelms joined as wellness coordinator last summer.

The Wellness program aims to promote an overall wellness for students, encompassing emotional, spiritual, physical, nutritional, social and academic wellbeing. Wellness, according to the program’s website, is a “healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit … [and] an active process of becoming aware of and making THE PHOENIX

choices toward a more successful existence.” With all the demands that come with college-life, the program hopes to help students understand ways in which they can promote greater personal well-being in not only the spiritual realm, but also in their social and academic lives.

The program hosts and supports a variety of events on campus all with the aim of promoting student well-being, including weekly wellness and fitness classes and last semester’s Love Your Body Festival. “[We hope to develop] a community environment on campus … [and] support campus well-being,” Nelms said. Some events the lounge will host are small discussion groups open to the student body on a variety of topics, Ashtanga and Power yoga on Thursday, and guided meditation on Fridays from 12-1 p.m.

Nelms and SWAT are also in the process of creating a Wellness Peer Educator Program, which will encourage greater community involvement in helping students discover ways to increase their well-being.

For further information on events — or to make an appointment with Nelms — contact Nelms at snelms1@swarthmore.edu or visit their website and Facebook page at Swarthmore Student Health and Wellness.

BY CAMILA RYDER

February 23, 2012

9

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Swat Style Snapshot Name: Natalia Cote-Muñoz Year: 2012 From: Mexico City, Mexico Current Residence: David Kemp Her Current Outfit:

Cote-Munoz wears a solid tangerine-colored dress with three-quarter length sleeves and a scooped neckline. She has accessorized the dress with a slim, patent black belt. Purchased from H&M, the dress has a fitted upper silhouette and a full skirt, when paired with the belt, accentuates her waist. To balance the bright hue of the garment, she wears black leggings and black Camper boots. Of the established Spanish footwear company, “they have really comfortable shoes that last forever,” she said. Durability is important for Cote-Munoz because like many Swarthmore students, she walks routinely and is oftentimes unable to maintain her shoes. Cote-Munoz has kept her use of accessories to a minimum, but wears a J.Crew headband studded with diamantes to keep her wavy hair in place.

Building Her Wardrobe:

One way Cote-Munoz procures clothing is by raiding her mother’s wardrobe. Cote-Munoz calls this “consensual stealing,” because her mother will oftentimes allow her to keep the clothes she has purloined. While on campus, Cote-Munoz, who is often strapped for time, shops online especially at websites with good sales such as Urban Outfitters. Other stores she frequents include The Gap and H&M. She notes J.Crew and Desigual, a Spanish brand specializing in casual wear, for their creative use of colors. But she is not exclusive to certain brands and will buy “random” things at Springfield Mall. “If I tend towards certain brands, its more about convenience,” she said.

Penchant for Bold, Bright Colors:

Color is the dominant focus of Cote-Munoz’s outfits. “I really like solid colors. Usually I pick one or two bright colors with a combination of neutrals,” she said. Cote-Munoz attributes her sense of aesthetics to her upbringing abroad. “Growing up in Mexico City, I’ve always been exposed to colorful things,” she said. Her taste for color has developed by being exposed to colorful environments, for example through visits to the neighborhood Coyoacan, known for its colorful houses such as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul. According to the political science major, wearing eye-catching hues makes her happy and wards off feelings of depression.

“I think being at Swat has made it more necessary for me to wear brighter colors,” she said.

Aesthetics and Art:

’12 z o ñ e-Mu

N

ot C a i l ata

As a Film and Media Studies minor and the coordinator of the Movie Committee, visual art is an interest that Cote-Munoz holds strongly. Films play into her sense of aesthetics, which then ensues into her style. But rather than being inspired by the costuming in films, Cote-Munoz is inspired by the overall aesthetics of films, which she abstractly describes as “things being framed a certain way.” Particular films like Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Amelie” and Stanely Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange,” have left a mark on Cote-Munoz for their innovative use of color. Having taken painting classes throughout her elementary and high school years, Cote-Munoz is also an aficionado of art. She names artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Gustav Klimt and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser as additional influences on her sense of aesthetics. Her established taste for bright bold colors in visual arts correlates to her personal style, as she likens her appreciation for cheerful artwork to her attraction to wearing bold colors.

Her Style:

Fashion is not one of Cote-Munoz’s interests. She is neither attuned with fashion houses nor a fan of fashion blogs. “Mostly I just try things on my own, and it either works or doesn’t,” she said. When it doesn’t work, she feels it is very apparent, as she will receive comments or looks from people. Oftentimes, she feels people are bothered by certain color-combinations. “Too many colors throws people off,” she said. She attempts to create a sense of balance in her ensembles, for example by offsetting vivid colors with neutrals and pastels. “Otherwise I’d look like a clown,” she said. With the exception of heels, which Cote-Munoz wears to add height to her frame, dressing is about being comfortable. She also considers elements of garments that flatter her body shape, and is fond of voluminous skirts and dresses as well as belts that highlight her waist. Because she has a penchant for solid, bright colors, she usually refrains from adding patterns and textures to her outfits, especially animal print or fur which Cote-Munoz is particularly averse to. Ultimately, for Cote-Munoz, “[Style] is a form of expression. Like art.”

Do you think you (or a professor) have great style? Then submit a photo of you in your best outfit to sjeong1@swarthmore.edu. Please include your name and contact information.

PHOTOS & TEXT BY SERA JEONG

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February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Exhibit provides List interns with curating opportunity

Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix

“Widly Human: Beyond the Bestiary” features works from a diversity of mediums, including painting and sculpture. someone else, we did another studio visit, but that also didn’t end up working out. We by samme sheikh decided, as time was getting less and less to approach a group of artists.” ssheikh2@swarthmore.edu The concept for the show was inspired by the work of nationally recognized Texas phoStarting at the beginning of this month and ending in early April, McCabe Library will tographer, Isa Leshko. Leshko’s ‘Elderly Animals’ project, which features photographs of play host to the curatorial efforts of some of Swarthmore’s own students. “Wildly Human: aging animals like an old blind horse and a 12-year-old potbellied pig, stemmed from her Beyond the Bestiary” represents more than six months of work on the part of List Gallery watching her mother struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. interns Elizabeth Laplace ’12, Soomin Kim ’13 and Francesca Bolfo ’12 in bringing the “It started from our excitement for this photographer who shot elderly animals. How work of local contemporary artists to Swarthmore. they were portrayed is so human-like, so when you look at the photos, you get the inThe origins of the exhibit stretch all the way back to last September when Andrea between sense of human and animal,” Kim said.

Packard, director of the List Gallery, was approached by McCabe in order to fill an early It was through Leshko’s work that the interns came upon the notion of the bestiary in springtime gap in its exhibition schedule. Packard then decided to turn this request into a the Middle Ages that informs much of the artistic works in the exhibit. Bestiaries were teaching opportunity for her interns at the gallery. created in illustrated volumes in the Middle Ages and describe the creature that is in“I think she just decided that she wanted to do something a little bit different,” Kim ’13 between human and beast. “From there, we each came up with around ten artists that said, “to do something intensive with her three interns and give them the chance to work we found, we went through all their work and then selected a smaller group,” Bolfo said. on the curating process.”

This selection process allows for the diversity of mediums, styles and messages within For Bolfo, an honors art history major who hopes to end up in curatorial work, this spe- the common theme of the exhibit. “We didn’t always end up coming to conclusions easily. cific opportunity to engage in the curating process served as unique preparation for her future aspirations. “I think this opportunity is way more exciting than putting up work in We have a lot of similarities in taste, but there are definitely differences as well,” Kim said.

Talking about the role of maintaining diversity in taste and perspective when composa gallery somewhere because this was so interactive,” Bolfo said. ing the exhibit, Kim said, “I would say our own tastes are reflected in the selection of artFor Bolfo, Kim and Laplace, the experience negotiating McCabe as a gallery space ists, it’s inevitable. For example when you look at Brian Meunier’s work, for me, there’s served as a unique introduction to the curating process.

“The biggest challenge we realized right from the start was the issue of reaching out to something warm here. It’s sort of funky but also and strong and realistic, and I can easily the sea of struggling artists to find somebody who would best show in a space like this,” imagine the artist’s pure and childlike imagination.”

“At the same time when you look at verses, the collage work, it’s so intricate. It doesn’t Bolfo said, talking about unorthodox lighting and wall space in McCabe as compared to speak to me as instinctively as Brian’s work but it’s so fun to look into because there’s so these in a typical art gallery.

From the beginning, the process was an evolving one, shifting from what was initially many stories you can get out of it,” Kim said.

From Brian Muenier’s sculpture work to Josh Dorman’s complex collages, there is a going to be the showcase of a single artist’s work, to a group show, displaying works of wealth of engaging artwork to provide students on campus with a meaningful study break artists who feature a common theme.

“The first person we spoke to didn’t end up working out,” Bolfo said. “We approached in this pioneering, student-curated exhibit in McCabe.

Barkin’s interactive theater thesis sparks excitement

By Allison shultes ashulte1@swarthmore.edu

Audience members attending “The House of Widows” this past weekend found themselves not only thrust beyond the fourth wall of performance theatre, but integrated into a richly vibrant family of grieving Cuban women — all of whom looked somewhat similar.

In addition to producing the script, designing the set and directing the play, honors theatre major Lori Barkin ’12 played all seven of the characters in her Honors Solo Performance Thesis, wrenched from one role to the next over the course of an hour-long funeral.

From the onset, members of the Swarthmore community attending the funeral of Dr. Enerio José López Pardo were invited to step into Barkin’s fictionalized family.

At the door, attendees were given prayer cards, black mourning veils, and fans. Later in the play, viwers were instructed to wail, munch, sip, gossip or cackle on cue, providing a shifting interactive backdrop for the characters.

The line between fact and fiction within the play’s cast of characters and plot is “blurred,” according to Barkin. The production helped her realize a long-held goal to write about the women in her life.

The female cast and funeral setting is not coincidental. “All the older men — the old patriarchy in my family — is completely

dead […] My brother and I were constantly surrounded by old Cuban women of all kinds — my mother’s friends, my aunts, our nanny, my grandmother… even when there were men there, we were constantly in the care of Cuban women who spoiled us way too much and fought over us,” Barkin shared. “So they’re really integral to my upbringing.”

“There’s a language between the women in my family that I think is fascinating, and is only spoken by us. It’s a part of the impetus of the piece. There’s like a secret society between them that the men aren’t fully aware of,” Barkin said.

The decision to include the audience in the performance seemed natural for Barkin. “It was a solo performance, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to stand behind a fourth wall,” she said with a smile. “That would’ve been boring […] I do believe theatre is community, and that’s a big difference between theatre and film. Theatre is flesh and blood, it’s live — you having an experience together in a very immediate way and I think I seek to exploit that as much as possible in a way that’s comfortable for the audience.”

“I also think it makes the characters more empathetic, if they let you into their world,” Barkin continued, “and on a pragmatic level, only one body, and I think multiple bodies can do so much more than my one body could do.”

Adding the audience as a variable also ups the excitement and risk of any given

THE PHOENIX

performance. During her Saturday show, a grieving family member began talking with one of Barkin’s characters; at another performance, a viewer believed they were being told to stand up, and received an improvised consolation from the character of Cuqui for not being able to handle the intensity of the funeral.

“I think the way Lori brought each member of the audience in as a Cuban widow was particularly exciting,” Nathan Siegel ’15 said, after seeing the performance twice. “During the performance, we were not just a passive audience, but really part of the action. For me, this made the production especially engaging and memorable.”

Barkin noted that while “The House of Widows” was a solo performance, she received help from many different sources, including her faculty advisor, Allen Kuharski, professor and chair of the theatre department. “With Lori’s input, I put together the artistic team for her project last April and May, when we brought in Becky Wright as a guest artist to work with Lori as a director, assisted by Alex Torra as a dramaturge,” Kuharski said in an e-mail.

“I knew from early on that Alex Torra would be a unique resource for the project, since he is both a busy director and actor in Philadelphia’s young performance scene, with a long history with our alums in Pig Iron Theatre Company in particular, and comes from the same CubanAmerican community in and around Mi-

February 23, 2012

ami as Lori,” Kuharski said.

Additionally, Kuharski served as a pseudo-producer of the performance; he put together the artistic team, made the schedule and budget and lent an extra pair of eyes during late-night rehearsals, which began during the spring semester.

The whole performance took shape over the course of two and a half months, although the idea for the story has existed for much longer. “Lori […] first talked about doing a piece with the themes and characters of ‘The House of Widows’ at the start of her sophomore year, though it was already clear then that she had been thinking about this project for some time,” Kahuarski said.

For Barkin, the story isn’t quite over yet. “I’m not done with it yet. I still don’t know exactly where it’s going,” Barkin said.

Part of the difficulty in putting the performance away may derive from the dramatic evolution it’s undergone, even since December. “I wasn’t done editing the damn script until the Friday before [opening weekend],” Barkin said.

Additionally, a monologue spoken by the character of Enerio wasn’t added to the script until the night before the show opened.

“It’s surreal that it’s over,” Barkin smiled. “I’m still surprised it all fell together. It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s showed me that there really is no greater payoff than original work.”

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Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Searching for the best sex toy for the biggest joy

In life, there comes a time about a decade after the awful preteen years when it’s okay to start playing with toys again.

The context in which this is acceptable is totally different than a Hot Wheels tournament, but no less ‘hot’ or entertaining. For those individuals who are into more playful forms of play, sex joys with sex Vianca Masucci toys.

Missing Parts Sex toys capture all the joy of Christmas morning without the nuisances of family bonding. Whether alone or with a companion, sex toys can be a perfect complement to any sex life.

Given the variety and increasing availability of these little buggers, they are an easy addition to all things sex. If there’s anything we Swatties need, its a little fun and a lot of orgasms. So, kill two birds with one butt plug and use these tips to maintain that little (or large) joy of yours for years to come and come and come.

Picking one out: First time? You may find it overwhelming to discover the sheer number of different types of sex toys out there. The logic behind this is that no two vaginas/ cocks/asses are the same — everyone has their preferences and enjoys different sensations. So, don’t feel any pressure to know exactly what you are looking for. Sex toys come in a variety of rigidities, textures/ materials, shapes/forms, colors, designs and so on and so forth. Swallow your shame for about two-hours and go to a sex shop (there are tons in Philly — I suggest Sexploratorium) so that you can actually see and feel the options. Unfortunately, there are no test rides with these guys, but most stores do demonstrations of their products so that you can get a better picture of what you want. You can ultimately purchase online, if you so choose, so that you can read reviews, avoid the discomfiture of asking the sales clerk if she has “it” in black, and find the best rate.

Let’s face it — that shit is expensive and, as a brokeass college student, you may not want to break your ass even more for the purposes of pleasing it. So, take time to do this thorough and thoroughly awkward research. What exactly is there? Well, are you looking to … … stick it where the sun don’t (and never wants to) shine?

Then, dildos, butt plugs and anal beads may open up a hole new world for you. They are a lovely alternative to fingers or random phallic items because they are designed solely for the purpose of sexual pleasure and provide exquisite sensations that cannot be replicated with shampoo bottles. Dildos are penetration tools used for penetrative pleasure of any sort. Butt plugs are designed to be inserted in the rectum to provide mad sexual pleasure while you continue other forms of play. Anal beads are inserted one by one and pulled out in the same manner during climax to provide truly life-changing orgasms. For dual snatch and anal play, sterilize the toy when shifting focus from the back to the front. Using condoms on your toy makes this a very easy task. … get some good vibes?

Anal probes and vibrators are generally used to stimulate areas that are heavily populated with nerve endings, such as the clitoris or the anus. They offer more targeted and intense stimulation than any measly finger can. You can find them in phallic form, as belts that you can fix on to the ‘afflicted’ area, as spherical eggs, in the form of vibrating cockrings (inserted on the base of said cock) that give good vibes to the receiving partner during penetrative sex, or even discreet, disguised shapes like lipstick and rubber duckies! Fo reals, look (http://store-fbcd2.mybigcommerce.com/)! A quick tip for those with thin walls who want to stimulate their walls: the loud everybodyin-your-hallway-can-hear-you-zinging-your-monkey sound that vibrators produce is often generated by the

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vibration of the batteries against the internal tubing toy in water unless the packaging explicitly states of the vibrator. You can reduce this noise by lining that it is waterproof. You’ll ruin your toy as well as the casing around the battery pack with a rolled piece your fun. of paper or somewhat reduce the problem by avoiding vibrators that are powered by C batteries and keeping Ethdicks and Safety: your amazzzzzzzing toy under the covers.

Many popular erotic toys are made of polyvinyl … get your pride swallowed? chlorides (PVC). Studies on PVC have revealed that There is an up and coming market of sex toys for these phthalates have potentially serious negative those who want to get up and, eventually, come. Toys impacts on health. Specifically, some research has targeted for the dons of the dong are a recent develop- linked PVC to cancer and damage of the reproductive ment for consumers of all things sexy. Masturbator system. Yikes! Always check the make-up of your toy sleeves (in the form of ‘fleshlights’, real-to-life models, and try to steer clear of any toys that contain PVC. Reor suction chambers) and love-dolls are some exam- tailers like Babeland, Rabbit Habit and Smitten Kitten ples of these truly great advancements in the field of have a collection of PVC-free toys. Silicone toys are engineering. also a good alternative to PVC products. If you really … be miscellaneously kinky? love the texture of PVC or already own a toy that conWhatever compilation of freaky ideals turns you tains PVC, I suggest using it with a condom. on, there are toys for it.

In addition to being BDSM gear, sex furnipotentially carcinogenic, ture, costumes, electroethical production of Sex toys capture all the joy of stimulators, adult diasome sex toys can be a pers, statistics problems problem. Lovers of leathChristmas morning without the set, et cetera, are all availer or BDSM merchandise nuisances of family bonding. able with a bit of Googlemay be concerned about magic. Find online comthe use of animal prodmunities of people who ucts in these toys. Smitshare your fetish and ask around. Additionally, any of ten Kitten (mentioned above) has a host of animalthe retailers I suggest below will have toys related to friendly toys that can provide the satisfaction to your your kink or be sex-positive/informed enough to sug- hide without harming that of a poor defenseless anigest some places that do if you call or e-mail. mal.

For those who lust after the earth, the most ecoMaintenance: logically correct choices are glass or metal toys. These Sex toys suffer from a fair amount of wear and tear materials are less toxic and longer-lasting than their and need to be cared for like anything else. Store all plastic or PVC-containing counterparts. Furthermore, toys in a cool dry place. You may want to purchase the market for ‘Green’ sex toys is expanding. Solar some Tupperware for your toy (it’s an investment!) to charged vibrators (available at Babeland) and vibrakeep your toys cool, dry, clean and fresh. Keep each tors with rechargeable power packs are coming into item separate by wrapping it in a soft cloth (T-shirts trend with many retailers. or socks work well), because some materials are not So, whether you are part of the some that like it compatible with each other and can cause deteriora- hot, the some that like it vibrating, or the some that tion or discoloration. Remember never to store sili- like it vegan, there is a toy out there for you. Join in cone toys together without wrapping them individu- the fun but never forget to play safely. Do not share ally. If vibrating motors are removable, store them jelly or rubber toys with your partner(s) and always separately from their respective toys as well. sterilize the toy between use and person to person use.

Sex toys usually have a short shelf-life. Regularly Using condoms on your toys during play dates with inspect your toy for visible cracks in plastic, acrylic, your playmates may be the most convenient solution or glass toys, mold or mildew, deterioration and bat- for extended periods of play. It may be a pain in the tery corrosion. These are signs that you may need to ass, but unsafe play could result in much worse pains break it off with your broken toy. in that exact area.

As for cleaning, a general rule is that you can clean Vianca is a junior. She can be reached at vmasucc1@ your toys with a mild antibacterial soap and warm swarthmore.edu. water. This technique works well for realistic materials (‘skins’ like Cyberskin, Fauxskin, Ultraskin, etc.), rubber, vinyl, acrylic, metal, silicone, plastic, glass and jelly (though this material is porous and can never be fully disinfected). Take extra care to rinse jelly and rubber toys very thoroughly during washing — the porous nature of these materials make it difficult to remove all the traces of soap. Plastic, acrylic and glass require an extra wipe down with alcohol and consecutive rinse to be super squeaky. Every couple of months, if you can get adequate privacy, boil your non-electronic acrylic, silicone, metal and glass toys for good measure. Avoid this practice if you’re www.swarthmorephoenix.com not 100% sure of the sex toy’s material content. www.facebook.com/SwatPhoenix Remember, never fully submerge an electronic

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Living & Arts

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Fair Food Farmstand offers up local treats at Reading Market On Tuesday morning, I set my alarm for 7:15 a.m. to meet up with a friend and go to Reading Terminal Market for the first time. I had heard numerous wonderful things about the market located right by Market East train station in Philadelphia, and it did live up Amelia Dornbush to its hype. The market, which celebrated its 120th Swarthmore Locavore anniversary on Feb. 22, is located indoors and manages to feel simultaneously cozy and expansive. The fare ranges from bakeries, to Greek food, to places selling honey, to vendors selling fruits and vegetables. This description offers only the bare minimum of an idea of all the different types of food there.

When I first envisioned writing about Reading Terminal Market, I thought I would focus on the whole market, rather than a specific store front within the market. However, once there, it quickly became evident that the market was simply too large to attempt to write about in its entirety. There were simply too many wonderful places to adequately cover in the space allocated for this column. Instead, after wandering aimlessly around, purchasing various items such as a mini king cake to celebrate Mardi Gras and some bread from the Metropolitan Bakery to snack on, I decided to focus on one of the merchants I saw when I first walked in: The Fair Food Farmstand.

The Fair Food Farmstand is truly remarkable. Selling fruits (apples and pears at the moment), various root vegetables, onions and different kinds of meat, Fair Food Farmstand buys products from over 90 local organizations. Fair Food Farmstand is part of Fair Food, a non-profit organization that works towards promoting the use of locally sourced products in this region of the country. I was quickly convinced by the wide variety of exclusively local food available for purchase that even focusing on their operation in

general would not be satisfactorily detailed. I instead some of their culinary favorites with you. I got to try decided to write about one food that they sold: cheese. a wonderful mimolette (this crazy bright orange cow For those who do not know me, you will not un- cheese that looks a bit like a canteloupe) from a friend derstand exactly how much I love cheese. On the cork last semester. But the most important reason is that board in my room, right above relics from some of the I sincerely believe that part of the joy of food, is the best plays I have ever seen, there is a card depictcommunal aspect. ing the cow of Rogue Creamery (located in Eating well consists not only of the food Oregon) jumping over the moon. When you put in your mouth, but also the comI was trying to think of a good gift pany that you share when you do so. It to bring back from my hometown may not make the food taste better, but of Atlanta to Swarthmore, I it will certainly make you feel better. decided to bring back some I do not think I have written a colcheeses made in Georgia. umn where I have not menApart from the cheese tioned experiences with I had with my meal friends for that very that I wrote about reason. in my last column, After walking I had no idea through the market about what the for a while, I relocal cheese was turned to purchase like in Philadela brie. There were two phia. So imagine my for sale, and I very much delight (and truly, it appreciated the advice from was delight), when the sales person pertaining to I saw a sign for lowhich I should purchase. The Fair cal cheese — espeFood Farmstand also had other types cially when I saw of cheese available besides brie and blue that the sign was encheese.

I believe that I saw a tomme, as well ix en couraging people to as possibly the same goat cheese from Shellho P request samples. he bark Hollow Farm I wrote about last colrT ye I love samples. umn. o P ia The Fair Food FarmThe brie was a belated birthday present for a Na stand had two different types of blue cheese friend and was deliciously creamy and fresh, while when I visited, one which they said resembled still being flavorful. The cheese cost slightly over a stilton and another which was creamier. I twenty dollars a pound, and I got a very sizable piece asked for a sample of the latter. It was quite tasty, for only a little over eight dollars. but unfortunately my love for blue cheese for some The one sentence summary? If you have time, go to reason does not seem to be universally shared by my Reading Terminal Market. If you like cheese, definitehallmates. ly try the local ones sold at The Fair Food Farmstand.

When I purchase food, especially cheese, I like to Next time: Martindale’s: I know last time I said in buy them with others besides myself in mind. There the article I would cover it, but it was an (accidental) are multiple, non-selfless reasons for this: 1) bribing fake out. Next column it really will be the subject. people with food is a great way to make friends and 2) Ameila is a first-year. She can be reached at said new-found friends might be interested in sharing adornb1@swarthmore.edu.

living in photos

O.A.S.I.S. performs, teaches the art of the poetry slam at Paces event

Julia Carleton The Phoenix

Last Friday, Swarthmore spoken word group O.A.S.I.S. hosted a poetry slam in Paces Café. The event allowed students to perform spoken word pieces and taught its participants the ins and outs of how a poetry slam works. Mame Bonsu, Noel Quiñones, Samantha Stevens and Javier Perez performed poems at the event. This Saturday, O.A.S.I.S. will hold a similar event in Olde Club from 7-9 p.m and five students will be chosen for the National Poetry Slam to be held in Los Angeles in April.

THE PHOENIX Feburary 23, 2012

13

Living & Arts

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Movie committee presents: oscar party

Jennifer Koch Junior Vocal Recital Saturday, February 25 at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 26 Upper Tarble 7:00 pm

Lang Concert Hall

editor’s picks

By Brad Lenox

The Electric Factory Feb. 27, 10 pm Swat Student Challenge Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 pm Sci 101 14

February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Opinions

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Staff Editorial

Politicizing the female body: the war on women’s health When lawmakers make policy that impacts women specifically, they often justify it by claiming that it is in the state’s legitimate interest to protect the autonomy and dignity of women. It is precisely this oppressive rhetoric about preserving female integrity that is employed when women are not part of the dialogue.

What ends up invariably occurring is the debates and subsequent passage of legislation affecting surrogacy, abortion and birth control — all taking place without a meaningful female presence. Just last Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) brought to the forefront via a tweet and e-mail the fact that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on religious liberty and contraception consisted exclusively of testimony from men from conservative religions organizations. At the hearing, Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) refused to allow a progressive woman to testify in favor of Obama’s birth control mandate, which does not exempt religiously affiliated employers from having to include contraception in insurance coverage of employees.

But the attack on reproductive health care, and women’s rights at large, reached its peak when a string of invasive legislative measures gained traction in Congress and in the popular media these past few weeks. The effort to withdraw funding for Planned Parenthood by the Susan G. Komen Foundation; the Virginia law that would require vaginally penetrative ultrasounds of women about to undergo an abortion; and the anti-birth control bill that would give employers the power to deny coverage for contraception all culminated in an uproar amongst women’s rights advocates. It’s worth noting that these consist of both male and female Democrat lawmakers.

The uniform feature, then, remains to be a conservatively fueled encroachment on the female body, without any real engagement with the female demographic. It is grounded in the age-old Republican argument that these measures are necessary since the background conditions of gender inequality (most markedly manifesting itself in income disparities) that characterize our society make reproductive issues a unique harm in perpetuating these conditions. Moreover, it is often claimed on the right that conditions of racial and economic inequality are further enforced through the asymmetry of things like surrogacy and abortion. This logic implies that since women face structural marginalization, they should then also be subject to the patriarchy of the state in “protecting” them from this marginalization. One way to do this is by limiting births out of wedlock and into poverty.

The issue with this argument is that it, itself, reinforces the asymmetrical status of women in our society. Since these inequalities are inherently socially constructed, any discussion of a particular practice reinforcing those inequalities only works to do just that — reinforce those very inequalites, especially without the consent of women themselves. That is, when those on the right claim that the market of women’s reproductive labor widens the gap in equality between men and women, they entrench the notion that the gap in equality between men and women is hopelessly wide. This is not to say that the gap is nonexistent (it is very much grounded in racial and economic factors that contribute to that inequality), but that

The uniform feature remains a conservatively fueled encroachment on the female body, without any real engagemment with the female demographic. it is at risk of becoming unequivocally enduring once legislators begin to posit that the choices a woman makes with her body should be limited so as not to be socially degraded. It’s a circular argument that’s padded only by morally righteous grandiloquence.

What’s more, when the state supersedes its power and dictates the extent to which women can use their bodies (whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy or engage in contract pregnancy), it is also implicitly asserting that women do not have the equal right (that men have) in the market economy or with their own bodies, and that it is limited based on their procreational skill. This is inequality.

The politicization of the female body is a tragic barrier to uninhibited social progress. It is a gross violation of human rights, adding to a legacy of marginalization and domination through politics. More disturbingly, it is also the tolerance of what amounts to what most democrats and critics of mandates like the Virginia ultrasound bill call “state-sponsored rape.” Government intrusions at this scale demonstrates what that state’s House of Delegates’ David Englin (D-VA) describes as the “lengths Republican legislators will go to prevent women from controlling their own reproductive destiny.”

The political discussion about women’s rights simply cannot take place without women at the table. If we allow it to continue, the discussion about our human rights will begin to take place without us.

To support the petition demanding that women be at the table when discussing women’s health issues, go to www.dccc.org/pages/wherearethewomen.

THE PHOENIX

Emma Waitzman The Phoenix

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Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Opeds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and opeds must be submitted by 10 p.m. on Monday, and The Phoenix reserves the right to withhold letters and opeds received after that time from publication.

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February 23, 2012

may request that their group affiliation be included.

While The Phoenix does not accept anonymous submissions, letters and op-eds may be published without the writer’s name in exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board.

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Opinions

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Contextualizing new media and partisanship today

Alexis de Tocqueville rightly observed that 19th century Americans were a newspaper-thirsty bunch. In “DemocraDanielle Charette cy in America,” TocThe Nascent Neoliberal queville praises, “Nothing but a newspaper can drop the same thought into a thousand minds at the same moment. A newspaper is an adviser that does not require to be sought, but that comes of its own accord and talks to you briefly every day of the common weal, without distracting you from your private affairs.”

Toqueville presents himself as the iconic witness of the American experiment, and I often think of him as that French tourist loving his prolonged American vacation. He certainly took vigorous notes. In this example, Toqueville identifies newspapers as a source of community and common local experience. Of course, countless other historians have noted the ways in which a robust free press inspired American civic life.

But as I write this, I’m trying to picture Toqueville, that grand French spectator, hunched over a Macbook and posting a Facebook status. Would Toqueville have approved of today’s pervasively-partisan blogosphere? Of Fox News? Or is Tocqueville instead advocating a bygone era of blissful neighborhoods, in which residents anxiously awaited the paper-boy and nodded their heads in unison while skimming the editorial page?

Since the 1990s, journalism bigwigs, such as New Yorker writer Nicholas

Lemann or Washington Post publish- table, and, now, with the Internet and er Katharine Weymouth, have been competing cable news networks, we mourning the death of the traditional have the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet that is newspaper. To many, the newspaper our current media. symbolizes a smorgasbord of American Many pundits and academics express culture — that grand fusion of current worry that politically-charged blogs events, art, sports, book reviews and and niche magazines reinforce one’s crossword puzzles. already-held beliefs and, hence, drive a Maybe it’s that the morning newspa- deeper wedge between conservative and per has been on life-support since I was a liberal news consumers. Yet the perceptoddler, but I’m not too worked up about tion that we’re all locked in our own poits demise. Yes, Rupert Murdoch’s right- litically sound-proof rooms is based on leaning Newscorp and addictive web- little evidence. sites like the Drudge Report are a fairly The more impassioned conservative new phenomenon, wearing their politi- and liberal readers visit like-minded cal preferences on their sleeves. But the sites, the likelier they are to seek out oft-cited, oft-bemoaned “vast right-wing sources that also challenge their given conspiracy” opinions. The must be seen war of words in context: that happens a reaction between say, Sometimes bias is well-sandagainst the Fox News and wiched within the Washington polite-liberalMedia MatPost editorial page, and ism that domters, often, ininated the sometimes it’s loud and sweaty. volves exposmainstream ing readers to press for a the writings century, with of the oppofew real alternatives. site side. Bloggers may point out their Politely liberal outlets, like today’s competitors to underscore a gaffe or ABC or CBS news, really do attempt to falsehood, but it gets followers moving downplay bias and look conservatives to different crossroads of the web nevin the eye, yet they have been histori- ertheless. cally dominated by writers and producSuch is the beauty of the hyperlink. A ers who privately consider themselves recently published result in the journal Democrats. In fact, the early-twentieth “Political Behavior” combined five colcentury “yellow journalism” led by Jo- lections of study data between 2004 and seph Pulitzer and William Randolph 2008. Subjects were asked about their Hearst wasn’t even all that polite. Re- own political attitudes and their prefporter bias has long been present. It’s erences for ideologically-charged news human, and not even the worst human websites like the progressive DailyKos vice at that. Sometimes bias is well- and the Tea Party-promoting Townhall. sandwiched within the Washington Post com. A relatively small slice of responeditorial page, and sometimes it’s loud dents admit gravitating toward politand sweaty, as in a round of Hardball ically-consistent websites such as the with Chris Matthews.

National Review Online or Moveon.org.

But in reality, mainstream journal- The type of person who hangs out on ism has long had a lefty flavor to it. politics-heavy blogs surprisingly proves Outlets such as Fox News formed an to be more familiar with mainstream extremely-lucrative business model by news outlets than the general public. bringing conservative options to the Curiously, even the critique of parti-

san media is rather partisan in itself. No person chastises himself for being too ideological and vows, as a New Year’s Resolution, to view more CNN. Instead, most of the criticism gets leveraged at political foes, i.e. the economy would improve if only we could issue a gagorder on the Glenn Becks or Keith Olbermanns of the world.

This impulse to a shove a sock in the mouths of one’s adversaries is my reason for opposing “postpartisan” endeavors like the “No Labels” movement.

Such feel-good strategies for public discourse pretend political ideology can be separated from public policy. It can’t.

Eliminating one version of news bias means maintaining another.

It’s true that George Washington, upon leaving the presidency, hoped America wouldn’t succumb to political parties in his Farewell Address. Whether or not the Founding Fathers crossed their fingers for a party-free electorate, when people today complain about parties, they’re usually expressing dissatisfaction with politics in general, rather than the specific method of media or side of the aisle.

Consider these hypothetical moans: “Why are people spitting about the debt ceiling? Why can’t I turn on the TV without hearing about income inequality stats? Why does John Boehner’s gavel look like something better suited at a construction site than the House of Representatives?”

Obviously these examples get filtered though the hyper-partisan sieve that is our modern media. But at their core, they’re just as political as any of the elbow-shoving that went down during the Jefferson-Adams campaign, when parties were still hazy.

Toqueville, I suspect, would have made his peace with media partisanship, if for no other reason than that the Internet is even more vast than the “vast right-wing conspiracy.”

Danielle is a sophomore. You can reach her at dcharet1@swarthmore.edu.

Why there should be broader engagement with queer issues

BY VASOMNOLEAK LY vly1@swarthmore.edu

Being a queer person, I know the sharp, stinging edge of the word faggot. It’s been used to deride me before, and to a certain extent I’ve grown thick-skinned.

The old cliché comes to mind here, “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” and somewhere deep down I’ve internalized the saying, in a way deluding myself into believing it. This is why it came as such a surprise to me how once again being the target of the insult could have cut me so deeply, exposing old wounds I thought had healed over.

What shocked me most, however, was the fact that this incident happened at Swarthmore. I heard the slur not once, but three times, at the Paces party hosted by the Swarthmore Queer Union. At first, the sheer absurdity of the situation made me doubt my own ears; why would anyone at Swarthmore, or even the Trico, say such a thing? But hearing it repeated, directed at me as I was dancing with another male student, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I walked over to the source, a group of three individuals, and in the dark and without my glasses, stared into their faces.

Too shocked to say anything, all I did was stare at the hazy image in front of me. They rushed out when the lights came on. Neither I nor anyone I was with saw who they were.

OP-ED

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My issue of contention is not with the identities timents towards queer members of our community of the perpetrators; I don’t want an apology, nor do from other members of our community. When queer I want retribution. I can’t even say with absolute events abound on campus, when open, passionate certainty that the perpetrators were Swarthmore discussions about gender and sexuality are commonor Trico students, but I feel this issue is important place in and outside of classrooms, it becomes easy enough that it warrants attention from the school to forget that there are people on the fringe who are and student body. Anyleft out and disengaged one who’s familiar with from the dialogue about Swarthmore knows that queer issues. Who are [It] becomes easy to forget that community here is not an we leaving out? And there are people on the fringe who why is there enough disintangible concept. At the core of this community is connect that prejudices are left out and disengaged from a set of values based on inagainst queer people the dialogue on queer issues. tegrity, kindness, sincercan manifest in such ity, and respect, and how inappropriate, hurtful those values manifest in ways? the way students act towards one another on a daily It’s foolish to expect Swarthmore to be insulated basis. And when those values are violated, how are from the anti-queer sentiments that pervade the world we students supposed to react? around it, especially considering that Swarthmore How am I supposed to react? students are not blank-slates. Each of us came here I can remember feeling angry, disappointed and bringing with us our own set of values and prejudices most importantly, violated. Being derided for express- from home, and I would like to think that the time ing myself in a place that should have been a safe we spend here will make us challenge our previous space is not a fun experience, and to those who may notions. But in the meanwhile, I want to ask our comthink that it’s a small offense, I can only say that this munity a question. How can we make the message incident shook me because it has made me feel unwel- clear, to those who are not currently hearing it, that comed. All of us at Swarthmore know that this school integrity, kindness, sincerity, and respect should be is generally a welcoming and open place for queer universal, not contingent on a person’s gender identipeople, but this positive aspect of Swarthmore can fication, sexuality, race, or any other inherent aspect also lead us to forget that there are still negative sen- of that person?

February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Sports

swarthmorephoenix.com

Underclassmen highlight Championships performance narrowly missed out on a medal finish, earning fourth place (7:52.77), less than three tenths of a second behind Gettysburg’s ‘A’ team (7:52.53).

Despite the women’s outstanding success after the first two days of the meet, the best was yet to come. On Sunday, the Garnet won gold in four of the six events contested, bringing their three day total to 10 wins out of a possible 18.

Davis swept the butterfly events, winning the 200-yard final easily and finishing almost seven seconds ahead of teammate Lowe (2:10.55). After earning another ‘B’ cut in preliminaries (2:05.97), Davis outdid herself in the finals with a time of 2:03.88, which was less than a second off of Division III automatic qualification (2:03.09) and good for a pool record.

Naomi Glassman ‘12 and Hannah Gotwals ’13 also finished well for the Garnet in the event, finishing eighth and ninth respectively (2:21.25, B-Final: 2:15.37).

Also completing a sweep was Wiseman, who sprinted her way to gold in the 100-freestyle and set a new school record of 53.09 in the process. The previous mark of 53.91,

& Marshall’s Jenna Walters (2004), both of whom earned seven golds in a single championship. Wiseman finished with five golds, Regan with four, Teng with three, and Lowe with one gold and two silver medals.

Despite finishing outside of the top three at last weekOn Monday, all five swimmers were named to the end’s conference championships hosted at Gettysburg Centennial Conference first-team, while Wiseman and College, both the Swarthmore College men’s and women’s Lowe also received honorable mentions for their results swimming teams put the rest of the Centennial on notice in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 100/200-yard fly, with phenomenal showings from its underclassmen. The respectively. Gotwals was named to the conference Allclasses of ’14 and ’15 combined for 24 of the Garnet’s 25 Sportsmanship team. medals on the weekend, taking gold in 11 separate events.

Supriya Davis ’15 led the way for the women’s team On the men’s side, Swarthmore finished fifth out of with six gold medals and was named the meet’s Most Outseven teams with a total of 406 points. The Garnet men standing Performer for her efforts. also benefited from youth, as two of its three medals Davis is the first Swarthmore woman to win it since were earned by an underclassman.

Alice Bonarou ’99 earned the honor in her senior season, Though they did not medal on the first day of comand only the second freshman in conference history to petition, the men had a respectable showing, earning 94 receive the distinction. points.

On Friday morning, Davis debuted in record-breaking In the 500-yard freestyle event, Josh Satre ’13 placed fashion during preliminaries, setting a conference, cham14th (4:51.01) and Peter Ballen ‘14 finished in 17th place pionship and school mark in the 200-yard IM (2:08.60), (4:56.52). In the 200-meter IM, John Flaherty ’14 placed which also earned her an NCAA ‘B’ cut. Later that day, sixth with a time of 1:58.20. she captured gold in the event, finishing On Saturday, the Garnet finally in 2:08.84. Her victory ended a twelvebroke through and earned a spot year drought for the Garnet in the 200 on the podium with Flaherty’s gold IM, with Swarthmore’s last victory commedal performance in the 400 IM. His ing in 1999. time of 4:10.11 set a new school record, Not to be outdone by her classmate breaking the previous mark set by Davis, Kate Wiseman ’15 also had a John Lillvis ’03 in 2002 (4:11.49). The strong performance on Friday, earning event also saw strong performances gold in the 50-yard freestyle (24.16) and from Charlie Hepper ’13 (6th, 4:18.15), breaking a school record in the process.

Daniel Duncan ’13 (8th, 4:19.99), and Davis and Wiseman also teamed up Zach Gavin ’14, who won the B-final in with Maggie Regan ’14 and Rebecca Teng 4:19.01. ’14 to capture gold in the 400-yard medley Sunday saw two more medal winrelay (3:58.93), setting a new championning performances for the men: one ship and conference mark and beating for Satre and another for Flaherty. their nearest competitors by nearly four Satre swam hard in the 1650-yard freeand a half seconds. style and captured a bronze medal in The Garnet women continued their 16:48.80. Flaherty added a silver to his dominance on Saturday, shattering records and collecting medals with relaindividual medal collection with a tive ease. strong showing in the 200 fly (1:55.70).

In the preliminary trials of the 100His time is now the third fastest in Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics yard fly, Davis earned her second ‘B’ cut school history. and missed out on automatic qualifica- The team, pictured at Championships, looks to have a bright future ahead of it.

On Monday, Flaherty was named tion to NCAA Division III Nationals by a first team All-Conference and received mere four one-hundredths of a second. Her time of 55.95 an honorable mention for his second place finish in the was a championship, conference, and pool record, and set by Claire Arbour ’00, stood for 13 years before being 200-yard fly. He also earned a spot on the Centennial’s shattered by Wiseman.

She is also the first Swarthmore broke the school mark (56.66) set by All-American Anne All-Sportsmanship team.

Miller ’10 in 2010. During Saturday’s 100 fly finals, Davis swimmer to capture gold in the event since Arbour took Although both teams were unable to replicate last first in 1999. won the event with a fast 56.11, finishing over two secyear’s third-place finishes, all of the swimmers have an In the 200-yard breaststroke, Regan earned her second onds ahead of silver-medalist Erin Lowe ’14 (58.80). incredibly positive outlook on the 2011-2012 season.

Also earning individual gold on Saturday was Regan, individual gold and fourth total, touching in 2:25.26 and “As a team, I was hoping the men would finish higher setting a pool record. who won the 400-yard individual medley for the second than we did. The conference seemed to get really fast Going into the final event of championships, the 400year in a row (4:36.87). Having narrowly missed out on breaking the school and pool records in last year’s finals, yard free relay, the women sat in fourth place with 479 this year,” Flaherty said. “That being said, every perRegan shattered them this time around by almost three points, only six behind Ursinus College. The relay team son on this squad had a great meet. What more could be of Teng, Lowe, Davis and Wiseman rose to the occasion, asked of them?” seconds.

Indeed, the Centennial is as fast and deep as ever, as Davis and Regan again joined Teng and Wiseman, who earning gold after swimming a fast 3:34.67, which was demonstrated by the Dickinson men’s surprise second a new school record and only two-tenths of a second off picked up another individual medal with silver in the 100yard breaststroke, and the foursome continued its record- of the conference and championships marks. Although place finish in the overall standings, which pushed F&M breaking success, winning the 200-medley relay (1:49.12). Ursinus took second in the relay (3:35.87), their ‘B’ team out of the top two in championships for the first time Their time set a new mark in conference and champion- captured first in the B-final (3:40.81), which secured them since 1999.

Luckily, the swimming programs have an abundance third place overall for the meet with 537 points to Swarthship competition. of talented underclassmen and are ready to use the com“We were confident going in and got really pumped more’s 527. up, and it was really exhilarating,” Wiseman said. “EvWhen all was said and done, the women’s swim team petition to push themselves to perform even better next eryone had incredible splits, and we were so happy for left Gettysburg with a lot of hardware: 22 medals (19 gold, year.

“I am extremely excited for the coming years,” Regan each other.”

3 silver), all earned by underclassmen.

Remarkably, Saturday’s 800-yard freestyle relay was Davis’s six gold medals shattered the previous Swarth- said. “I believe that everyone on the team is just going to the only event in which Davis and Wiseman competed more mark of three in one meet, and put her just behind continue to improve, which will mean even bigger and but did not medal. The pair, joined by Teng and Lowe, Washington College’s Rachel Glasser (2010) and Franklin better things for the future.”

BY ROY GREIM rgreim1@swarthmore.edu

GARNET IN ACTION

SATURDAY, FEB. 25 (CONT.)

SATURDAY, FEB. 25

Baseball at Catholic University, 3:00 p.m.

Track & Field, Conference Championships @ Ursinus, 11:00 a.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 26

Baseball at Catholic University, 12:00 p.m.

Baseball vs. Eastern, 12:00 p.m.

Men’s lacrosse vs. Eastern, 1:00 p.m.

Women’s tennis vs. Carnegie Mellon, 1:00 p.m.

Men’s tennis vs. Stevens. 1:00 p.m.

THE PHOENIX

Baseball vs. Eastern, 3:00 p.m.

February 23, 2012

17

Sports

swarthmorephoenix.com

New rules set to change soccer’s balance of power

German football relies on large crowds and an exsion after going bankrupt, because they were docked 10 points, and the fact that 27 clubs in the top two di- tensive youth system to survive. German clubs are visions in Spain are in some sort of administration, often partly owned by the fans. The German model is show that new financial rules need to come into effect. that fans must own over half of the club shares. This These would help the lower league clubs not only makes the club more responsible to the fans and in through more equitable distribution of TV revenues turn affects the club’s finances.

The clubs are already regulated by strict financial in Spain and to lower player wages, but also to provide boundaries and limits to prevent future financial rules, and can therefore sell cheap tickets to fans ($15 at Bayern Munich) and also have very low amounts problems.

The downside to the new rules is that only the big of debt.

While Bayern Munich has no debt and still has a clubs will ever win anything. The biggest clubs in the biggest leagues will always win. Even Chelsea may team with world stars, Manchester United has curJames Ivey struggle with the new rules since they are subsidized rently £439m of debt and are not in the Champions League. by an outside source in Out of Left Field Germany also has their chairman Roman a greater variety in Abramovich.

Only teams with The new rules would promote long-term Bundesliga winners plenty of others. that other top leagues Leeds United famously took out loans to buy players huge stadiums and muldeveloment of clubs by encouraging and a very well develbased on the gamble that they would win the Champi- tinational merchandisthem to focus more on youth player oped national team to ing abilities will be able ons League and Premiership in 2001. back up their financial Portsmouth FC went into administration in 2009 to win anything. production rather than transfer fees. regulation policy.

The Premiership and was relegated from the Premiership. They have The new rules would probably lose gone into administration again this season. would shatter the ACF Fiorentina became bankrupt in 2002 and had Manchester City, Chelto reform starting in the bottom division. Teams mak- sea and Tottenham from the title race because their structure of the game for a number of years: players ing financially risky decisions has been a part of the stadiums are not big enough to compete with the would probably be forced to accept lower wages no game since its inception but now the stakes are higher. power of Arsenal or Manchester United (or even New- matter what club they play for, the leagues would have At the moment there are many clubs that are over- castle who should do well by the rule changes). Some to reorder with the clubs with larger stadiums rising to spending and paying out each year more than they smaller clubs like Wigan might drop out, as their fan the top, international competitions such as the Champions League would likely become more competitive. make in revenue. FIFA is set to introduce new rules in base cannot sustain a Premiership club.

Even Premiership perennials such as Everton and Then the changes would stabilize: clubs would benefit one year’s time that will help regulate club spending Fulham might struggle to stay up due to the new rules. by having better youth programs and greater financial in order to prevent clubs from reaching bankruptcy.

The new Financial Fair Play rules essentially state There are clubs in the lower divisions such as Not- security.

These rules will come into play in 2013, and will be that a club must break even over a five-year period. tingham Forest that have large stadiums and so could The new rules would promote long-term development come to dominate with the new rules. This change the largest sporting revolution since the destruction of clubs by encouraging them to focus more on youth could disturb the whole balance of football in England of the wage cap in 1961 and the Bosman ruling on free player production rather than ever-increasing trans- and other countries that rely on billionaire owners to transfers in 1995.

James is a sophomore. You can reach him at jivey1@ fer fees. The guidelines would prevent clubs from gam- fund their teams.

Though these rule changes would likely change swarthmore.edu. bling their financial security on hypothetical league the power structures in positions in the future.

Clubs would only be able to pay players what they England, Spain and Italy, could afford to pay them (and pay them on time), which there would be limited might bring down player wages from the astronomical change in German footamounts currently spent on wages. And most impor- ball. Germany is the extantly, with financial security the fan’s emotional and ception to the rule that financial investment in the club is secure. The rules football clubs are bailed A roster largely intact from 2011 150 turnovers with nine of his own, are there to protect the fans as well as the clubs and out by millionaire ownshould have the men’s lacrosse team and also returned a team-leading avthe players. Leeds, who went down to the third divi- ers. confident heading into this sea- erage of 2.3 ground balls per game.

All the same, the defense ranked just son.

Swarthmore, after losing just four eighth out of nine conference teams seniors, will return their 10 leading with 8.2 goals allowed per game.

As goalkeepers, both Michael Brockscorers and two starting goalkeepers from last season as they try to way ’12 and Jonathan Cohen ’14 are improve on a 4-11 campaign in which back to compete for playing time they won just two conference games. once more. Cohen started nine of the SR., BASKETBALL, POTOMAC, MD. The Garnet’s ability to win the close team’s 15 games last season and fingame will be under scrutiny this sea- ished with an impressive 93 saves, son. In 2011, Swarthmore went just but Brockway excelled in his smaller 3-5 in games decided by two goals or role with 10.7 saves per game and a WHAT HE’S DONE: fewer, meaning that their 4-11 record .571 save percentage, outperforming Giannangeli scored a career-high could have easily been very different. Cohen in both categories.

19 points, including 11 in the secAlthough the Garnet roster’s conAmong those returning to the Garond half, in Swarthmore seasonnet offense will be attackman Jona- tinuity gives them good reason to be ending win over Haverford. than Molloy ’14, midfielder Wes optimistic, they will have to improve Marcik ’13, and midfielder and co- through one of the toughest schedcaptain Max Hubbard ’12. Molloy and ules in the conference. Four teams on FAVORITE CAREER MOMENT: Hubbard were tied for the team lead Swarthmore’s schedule were ranked Beating Haverford and setting my in goals last season with 21 apiece, in Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason career high on Senior Day. It was while Molloy also led the team with Top 20 ranking for Division III men’s an incredible way to end my bas27 points (the sum of goals and as- lacrosse. ketball career.

These include Dickinson (No. 4), sists).

Although Molloy and Hubbard were Gettysburg (No. 12), Cabrini (No. 16), WHAT HE’LL MISS MOST: tied for 12th in the conference in goals and Haverford (No. 18).

My teammates. Our motto this year The Garnet will open the 2012 slate scored, Swarthmore’s offense ranked has been Family. I am really going dead last in goals per game (6.6), as- at home against Eastern on February sists per game (2.5), and shooting per- 25 at 1:00 p.m. to miss these guys next year.

The team will then play a threecentage (19.6%). Swarthmore also led all conference teams with just over 22 game slate during spring break NBA PLAYER HE LOOKS UP against Widener (March 3), Washturnovers per game.

TO: Overall, the Garnet defense per- ington & Lee (March 7), and No. 16 Michael Jordan. He was the ultiformed better than the offense, and Cabrini (March 10). They will begin mate competitor, refused to lose, will benefit from the return of defend- conference play on March 17 at Ursiand was selected to the NBA Aller Matt Bowers ’12, the only captain nus. to return to the team this year. BowDefensive First Team a record nine

BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN ers led a team that collectively forced times.

Holly Smith The Phoenix Last week Rangers F.C., the Scottish Champions, went into administration (a state of being unable to pay their debts) after they were unable to pay their tax bill. Rangers currently owe Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs around £49 million and have not been able to make any payments.

Rangers are probably the highest profile casualty in recent years but there have been

sports IN BRIEF

Men’s lacrosse team eyes bounce-back

Garnet athlete of the week

Michael Giannangeli

18

February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Sports

swarthmorephoenix.com

Haverford beats women’s basketball, heads to playoffs

by VICTOR BRADY vbrady1@swarthmore.edu Long before the final whistle sounded, the Haverford Fords had qualified for the playoffs. Entering Saturday, the regular season finale between the Swarthmore and Haverford women’s basketball teams shaped up as a win-and-you’re-in, lose-and-you’re-out rivalry match for the Fords.

But when McDaniel finished off an upset of Gettysburg in a game that ended midway through the first half in Tarble Pavilion, the Fords were assured their first ever trip to the Centennial Conference Playoffs. They didn’t need the help. An hour later, the Fords were celebrating a 61-48 victory, their second-consecutive win over the Garnet at Swarthmore.

Saturday’s match was more of the same for the Garnet, who again struggled shooting the ball and defending the three-point arc. After shooting above 40 percent in five of the their first nine games, all before the New Year, the team eclipsed that mark just once over the final 15 games of the season while shooting under 30 percent six times.

“Our timing was a real problem in the second half,” Stephanie Lechich ’14 said. “We didn’t become worse shooters. It really just had to do with other aspects of the game.”

The Garnet defense surrendered 38 percent shooting from behind the arc over the course of the season, last in Division III. Opponents shot above 37 percent from three in six of the Garnet’s last seven games.

“We definitely had our eyes on making the playoffs at the start of the season,” head coach Renee DeVarney said. “When it got to the point where we knew that we had to win games to make the playoffs, we started pressing mentally and panicking.”

Added Elle Larsen ’15, “We fell a little short of our goal but we really did enjoy the season and we plan on using it as a building block for next season.”

On Saturday, the Fords jumped out to a 10-2 lead seven minutes into the game. After the lead ballooned to 11 with just inside five minutes to go in the first half, the Garnet went on a 7-0 run behind a transition-jumper

by Brittany Schmelz ’12, a layup by Larsen and a deep three from Katie

Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics Lytle ’14.

Second-Team All-Centennial guard Katie Lytle.

The Garnet trailed by just five at

halftime, but Haverford went on an 18-3 run in the first six minutes of the second half, thanks in part to five Swarthmore turnovers. The lead was never cut back to single digits. Haverford junior Dominique Meeks finished with a career high 22 points after the Garnet had held her to her season average 13 in the team’s first meeting this year, a 71-57 Garnet win.

Despite the disappointing results this season, a 9-14 record and ninth-place finish in the Conference, 2011-2012 was in many ways a year of growth for a Garnet team which saw freshmen and sophomores combine for 51 percent of the team’s minutes, 56 percent of the team’s rebounds and 62 percent of the team’s points. Lytle emerged as one of the Conference’s premier players, averaging a double-double for the season. Her 10 rebounds-per-game were third in the Conference and 56th in Division III. Lytle’s 13.3 points per game average was seventh in the Conference and she was named SecondTeam All-Centennial. After two seasons, Lytle has 515 points and 391 rebounds and is on pace to finish her career in the top eight in program history in both categories.

Lytle’s post partner Larsen led the Centennial Conference by shooting 51 percent from the field and she finished the year at 12.8 points per game. Though she finished three-field goals shy of being eligible for the national rankings, she would have been 43rd in the nation. The two bigs combined with Kayla Moritzky ’14 to provide 51 percent of the team’s assists in 2011-2012. Moritzky emerged as one of the most dynamic playmakers in the Conference, leading the team with 74 assists, second with 34 steals and third at 7.9 points per game.

Saturday’s game also brought the careers of Christina Duron ’12, Genny Pezzola ’12, Nicole Rizzo ’12 and Brittany Schmelz ’12 to a close with the team’s record at 49-50 over the past four seasons.

Duron started on Saturday for the first time in her career and was an emotional leader for the team while recording 18 steals in her career. She also had the fifth highest three-point percentage among active players. Pezzola leaves Swarthmore sixth in program history with 88 three-pointers made. After shooting 54 percent from the free-throw line as a freshman, she improved to 88 percent in her junior year and 90 percent as a senior. As a senior, she also posted career highs in steals and assists.

Rizzo posted career highs in steals and rebounds as a senior and was an active defender often asked to lock down the opponent’s top wing. She too shot 90 percent from the line as a senior. Schmelz, a three-year starter, ends her career with 138 assists. She hit a career-high 22 field goals as a senior while shooting 39 percent, third-highest on the team.

“This was a great group for stability in the program with the four seniors all staying together from their freshman year on through,” DeVarney said. “Their work ethic and passion for wanting to be there every day was really important. They’ve laid a strong foundation for our young core to build upon.”

The seniors set a really good example of being committed and believing in the team,” added Moritzky. “If we continue to believe in our team and work as hard as the seniors did, we will be in good shape.”

Conference title the only goal for Garnet baseball

by TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN tbernst1@swarthmore.edu Coming off a strong season that ended just short of the postseason, the Swarthmore men’s baseball team comes into 2012 looking to take the next step.

After a 2010 season in which the Garnet made the Centennial Conference playoffs for the first time in the program’s history, last year’s team went 20-14 overall but just 9-9 in conference play.

After jumping out to a 9-4 record, the Garnet’s momentum stalled, as they lost four out of their final five conference match-ups to end up on the outside of the conference playoff picture.

“We’re coming off two 20-win seasons in a row now, so we’re getting used to being one of the top teams in the conference,” outfielder Rory McTear ’13 said. “Now we have our eyes on something bigger.”

Senior catcher Mike Waterhouse ’12 threw down the gauntlet for a team with playoff expectations.

“If we don’t make the conference playoffs, it’s an unsuccessful season,” Waterhouse said. “Last year, we thought we should have, but kind of fell apart at the end. If we live up to the talent we have, we should be in the top four teams in the conference.

“All eyes are set on conference championship and dethroning [last year’s conference champion] Johns Hopkins, but first things first: we’ll try to make conference playoffs.”

As is the case every year, the team lost valuable senior players, it has retained a strong nucleus of talent that excelled in 2011.

The four players that represented the Garnet on last year’s All-Centennial team, and who also happened to be the top four hitters in the Swarthmore lineup, will all return this season to anchor an elite offense.

Last year’s leadoff hitter, infielder Anthony Montalbano ’12, was the rare leadoff hitter to lead his team in slugging percentage (.538). However, in large

part due to his place in the lineup, his 13 RBI ranked last among his team’s starters. McTear created havoc as the number-two in 2011, leading Swarthmore with 15 stolen bases and 33 runs scored.

“We all realize we have roles on the team,” McTear said. “We can’t try to do things we’re not good at. My job is to get on at the top of lineup, and steal bases.”

Waterhouse will return behind the plate and likely bat third again this year.

First baseman and putative cleanup hitter Nicko Burnett ’14, who was elected as a first-year, led the Garnet with a .389 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. Burnett, for his part, stressed his desire for better plate discipline and an improved all-around game.

“I want to follow up a strong freshman year with a better one,” Burnett said. “I need to cut down on strikeouts and play good defense, but it really just comes down to helping the team win. The number in the wins column is the only one that really matters.”

Although the top four hitters in the Garnet lineup excelled last year, Waterhouse cautioned that the lineup was not set in stone.

“The good thing about this [team] is that there are so many options, and depth at a lot of positions,” Waterhouse said.

“No spot in the order is guaranteed, I just hope I can contribute as much as possible, [and] I’d prefer to hit second or third if I can, but if that’s not where I’m going to help the team, then I’d rather hit where Coach [Exeter] thinks I can help.”

Highlighting the returning pitchers are starters Ignacio Rodriguez ’12, Zach Weiner ’12 and closer Ramsey Walker ’13. Last season, Rodriguez led Garnet starters in wins (5), ERA (3.45), and strikeouts (40).

Weiner, the number-two pitcher in the rotation, went 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA, while Walker tallied seven saves to break Swarthmore single-season record.

THE PHOENIX February 23, 2012

Rodriguez, despite his success last year, still looks to improve.

“Personally, I’ve been working on throwing more strikes so I can go deeper in the ballgames,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve also been working on my curveball, which I think will help me get more swings and misses.”

Despite several standouts, pitching was an area of relative weakness for the Garnet in 2011. While they lead the conference in batting average and slugging percentage, their staff’s 5.42 ERA ranked Swarthmore seventh out of 10 teams.

Joining the roster this year are first-years Dylan Jeffers, Brian Kaissi, Trevor Shepherd, Danny McMahon, Samer Nashed, Zach Powell, Joseph Rizzo, Gregory Cox, Scoop Ruxin, Luke Alventosa and Colton Aho. Whether they make a significant contribution to the 2012 season remains to be seen, but they have already won praise from older members of the team.

“They’re a crazy bunch of guys, but I love ’em,” Montalbano said, “I think they’ve got what it takes to be not just college baseball players, but good college baseball players. I’m proud to be able to pass the torch to them.”

Almost unanimously, members of the Garnet expressed their belief that this team has what it takes to win the conference championship.

Making the playoffs would be nice. This season, winning the title is what it’s all about.

“You’ve got to crave to win a championship, “ outfielder Sean Bryant ’13 said. “We’re all hungry for it, for the opportunity to bring a championship back to Swat.”

Swarthmore kicks off the season on the road with a doubleheader against the Catholic University Cardinals.

The first game is slated to begin at noon, while the second is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

19

Sports

swarthmorephoenix.com

Men’s basketball defeats Haverford on Senior Day

net won this one on a last-chance three or mounted spot for the Garnet throughout. His 18 points per

by TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN the type of furious comeback they haven’t been able game ranked fourth in the conference this season, tbernst1@swarthmore.edu to all year. Instead, the Garnet led virtually the en- his 6.7 rebounds per game ranked sixth. This TuesEasy? No. Nothing has been easy for men’s basket- tire game, taking a 4-2 lead two minutes in and nev- day, he was named to the All-Centennial Conference ball this year. The 0-6 start. The head coach’s resigna- er looking back. At last, at long last, what the team Second Team. tion mid-season. The 14-game losing streak where it showed in fits and starts during the season came toGates, when asked about his performance this seemed like the breaks would never go the Garnet’s gether for 40 minutes. The 91 points the team put up year, stressed areas he felt continue to warrant imway. None of it was easy, and while there’s no one was the most they had scored in four years, since the provement. who would say that this is the way they wanted or end of the 2007-2008 season, when a whole different “I don’t think I attacked the basket as much as I expected this year to go, it’s hard to imagine that ev- team was playing in Tarble Pavilion. have in the past, sometimes settling for the outside erything the team has been through didn’t add up shot a little too much,” Gates said. to make their last victory that much sweeter. “[The team is] more effective when we attack The clock ran down in Tarble Pavilion on Satthe basket, so I really hope I can do a little more of urday afternoon, after two free throws from Will that next year.

Gates ’13 — his final two points in a standout sea“I also did not get to the free throw line as much son — put the Garnet up by 14 over Haverford. A as I should have. Going into next year we should meaningless three from the Fords, and it was all have a lot of confidence that we have the parts to over. Swarthmore 91, Haverford 80 on Senior Day. be a tough team and hopefully that shows. I am The first time in this Senior Day tradition that the definitely going to do my part this off season to Garnet came out on top and the first time in eleven prepare myself for next year and will do my best games that Swarthmore (3-22, 3-15 in conference to make sure that everyone is prepared for next play) has beaten Haverford (9-15, 7-10 in conferyear.” ence play).

Despite losing to Swarthmore for the first time “Ending the season like that was all we could in nearly five years, Haverford played a resilient have asked for,” Gates said. “It was such an emogame, staying with the Garnet until the final mintional victory. With the frustration from the rest utes. of the season, it was only fitting to beat Haverford As it has all year, Haverford’s backcourt was for the first time in five years. It really felt great able to put up the points; guard Ian Goldberg led to send the seniors out with their first win over all scorers with 30 points, while Cam Baker addHaverford. ed 20 of his own. No other member of Haverford “Everybody has worked so hard this year that reached double digits. it sucked to not really have that show up in our Following the conclusion of the game, the serecord. I’m glad people finally got to see what kind niors expressed nostalgia for what they had just of a team we are, especially because our win was finished. such a team effort. It was by far our best game this “Senior Day was really a mix of emotions for

Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix year and really was well deserved.” me,” Rogalski said in an email. I could not beJordan Federer taking the ball upcourt with Marc Rogalski (l.).

As the Swarthmore Athletics website noted in lieve this was the last time I would take the floor the run-up to Saturday’s game, this is the 162nd with my teammates, but at the same time I was time, or the equivalent of a full baseball season, Those 91 points meant that there was room for extremely focused and determined to beat Haverford. that Swarthmore and Haverford have played each players besides Rogalski and Giannangeli to shine. It’s one of the few things I had left to accomplish in other in men’s basketball. Swarthmore now holds a Forward Davis Ancona ’14 played the best game of my career at Swarthmore, and I feel very fulfilled. To 91-71 edge. his Garnet career on Saturday with career highs in have all of my family and friends present just made After being honored before their last game in a points (19), blocked shots (6) and rebounds (8). Jor- the victory that much better.”

Swarthmore uniform, seniors Michael Giannangeli dan Federer ’14 added a team-high seven assists, and There’s no denying it: the final numbers don’t look and Marc Rogalski showed why the team will miss finished the year ranked sixth in the conference with good. On Saturday, it didn’t matter. them next year. Rogalski recorded his second career 2.8 assists per game. Off the bench, Joe Keedy con“The most important thing is this,” Rogalski said. double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while tributed four points and three rebounds, while Jay “When I look back on my career at Swarthmore, I Giannangeli’s 19 points were a career-high. He also Kober added three points and two boards. won’t remember all the losses and difficulties I faced added 11 points in the second half to ensure that he, Gates’s 20 points and 11 boards put the finishing along the way. I’ll remember how a great group of Rogalski, and the team would go out on a high note. touch on a season that has solidified his place among guys came together and finished the season with a Maybe it would sound like a better story if the Gar- the conference’s elite players and remained a bright victory.”

Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

Jordan Martinez passes the ball. Martinez came off the bench for four points.

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Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

Michael Giannangeli had a career-high 19 points in his final game at Swarthmore.

February 23, 2012

THE PHOENIX