The Phoenix

FEBRUARY 10, 2011 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 133, ISSUE 17

PHOENIX

Inside: Bi-Co News funding cut by Haverford, Bryn Mawr Tom Stephenson selected as college’s provost Bathtub Debates pit academic divisions in battle

Kathryn Stockbower Stockbower topples NCAA Division III record for career double-doubles and makes Garnet history. p. 20 NEWS YOU CAN TRUST. DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. THURSDAY MORNINGS. SUBSCRIBE AT: WWW.SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM/HEADLINES

The Phoenix

Thursday, February 10, 2011 Volume 133, Issue 17

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881.

Page

19 Jakob Mrozewski Phoenix Staff

Swimmers dive into Ware pool on Saturday as the Garnet took on conference opponent Dickinson. The men lost 110-95.

News

Eliminating preconceived notions of Hungary

Sports

Maki Sakuma, currently studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary, dispels some common Hungarian stereotypes. PAGE 10

Grading the Super Bowl: Tim gives it a B-plus

StuCo is conducting preliminary discussions regarding cutting the $40,000 Halycon yearbook budget. PAGE 3

‘Prep School Negro’ to address racial prejudice

Environmental economics in the works

Today, director Andre Lee will present his documentary, “The Prep School Negro,” which explores racial and class barriers faced by students of color within the nation’s elite private schools. A discussion will follow. PAGE 10

Though Super Bowl XLV became the latest most-watched TV show in history, it failed to impress columnist Tim Bernstein. PAGE 17

Talk of cutting Halycon budget

The college has submitted a grant proposal to the Mellon Foundation in order to secure funding for a new professorship and related courses. PAGE 4

Stephenson appointed college’s new Provost As current Provost Constance Hungerford prepares for the end of her five-year term this spring, chemistry professor Thomas Stephenson gears up for his new position as Provost this fall. PAGE 5

Bryn Mawr cuts Bi-Co paper funding Bryn Mawr has abruptly cut funding for the Bi-college newspaper amidst concerns that Haverford is not carrying enough of the financial burden. PAGE 6

Astrological trouble terrorizes Swarthmore When global confusion follows a change to the astrological calendar, Swatties realize that they are not the only ones left in a perpetual state of chaos. PAGE 11

Last Thursday, the annual Bathtub Debates had professors from the three main academic divisions in a battle over which division would be best suited to rebuild civilization in the advent of Earth’s destruction. PAGE 12

Opinions

Class, race and Populism in Obama’s America

Expand your dating horizons ... to the Internet

Jon argues that today’s electoral environment is influenced strongly by divisions of race and class. PAGE 15

Steve Dean tells us not to be afraid of the Internet, which can be an excellent and safe place to get to know someone romantically. PAGE 8

Super Bowl reminds us of America’s promise Tyler tells us how simple reminders of patriotism can be salient. PAGE 15

‘Inside Job’ investigates the 2008 financial crisis United doesn’t “Inside Job,” an Oscar nominated docu- Citizens mentary on the people behind the financial damage political speech

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men’s team picked up its second loss against Dickinson, but defeated Washington in fine fashion. PAGE 19

Stockbower breaks NCAA double-double record Senior basketball star Kathryn Stockbower has established herself as one of the best athletes in Garnet history, recently breaking the NCAA Division III record for double-doubles amongst her other accolades.

PAGE 20

OpenLeaks provides promising changes in transparency to the online leaking of classified information. PAGE 14

Living & Arts

and banking crisis of 2008, will be screened at LPAC on Monday, followed by a facultyled discussion. PAGE 9

The Garnet played strong basketball against conference opponent Johns Hopkins, but could not keep it up as the team fell to Washington College. PAGE 18

Women’s swim team drowns Dickinson, WashBathtub Debates pit profs ington The women’s swim team improved to 6-3 in battle for humanity on the season with two solid victories. The

NYU professor discusses racism in Brazil OpenLeaks improves on The annual Jerome H. Wood Memorial lecture was delivered this Monday by Barbara WikiLeaks standards Weinstein, who spoke on racial discrimination in Brazil. PAGE 7

Men’s basketball defeats Hopkins, but falls 78-72 to Washington Shoremen

Political speech remains largely unchanged after the Citizens United ruling. Danielle Charette argues why. PAGE 16

Corrections FROM THE FEBRUARY 3, 2011 ISSUE: In last week’s in-depth story, Alcohol policy and the college campus, the position of Delta Upsilon president was misattributed to Adam Koshkin. The current president is Zachary Ontiveros.

The photo of last week’s Garnet Athlete of the Week, Kenyetta Givans, was taken by Eric Verhasselt, not Jakob Mrozewski.

EDITORIAL BOARD Camila Ryder Editor in Chief Marcus Mello Managing Editor Menghan Jin News Editor Adam Schlegel Assistant News Editor Susana Medeiros Living & Arts Editor Dina Zingaro Living & Arts Editor Olivia Natan Opinions Editor Paul Chung Photo Editor Allegra Pocinki Photo Editor Julia Karpati Graphics Editor Peter Akkies Director of Web Development Eric Sherman Director of Web Development Jeffrey Davidson Editor Emeritus STAFF Jeffrey Davidson In-Depth Reporter Navin Sabharwal News Writer Patrick Ammerman News Writer Sera Jeong Living & Arts Writer Steven Hazel Living & Arts Writer Steve Dean Living & Arts Columnist Alex Israel Living & Arts Columnist Ariel Swyer Living & Arts Columnist Aliya Padamsee Living & Arts Columnist Timothy Bernstein Film Critic Renu Nadkarni Artist Naia Poyer Artist Ben Schneiderman Crossword Writer Holly Smith Crossword Writer Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Danielle Charette Opinions Columnist Eva McKend Opinions Columnist Jon Erwin-Frank Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Artist Ana Apostoleris Sports Writer Daniel Duncan Sports Writer Renee Flores Sports Writer Timothy Bernstein Sports Columnist Hannah Purkey Sports Columnist Andrew Greenblatt Sports Columnist Renee Flores Copy Editor Lauren Kim Copy Editor Susanna Pretzer Copy Editor Jakob Mrozewski Photographer Eric Verhasselt Photographer BUSINESS STAFF Ian Anderson Director of Business Development Patricia Zarate Circulation Manager GRAPHICS Julia Karpati Cover Design Parker Murray Layout Assistant CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Kramer, Rachel Killackey, Philip Koonce, Renu Nadkarni, Eli Siegel, Mihika Srivastava, Brent Stanfield OPINIONS BOARD Camila Ryder, Marcus Mello, Olivia Natan EDITORS’ PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left): http://freshpeel.com/2007/08/first-date-witha-consumer/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2685/43697562 54_d7d7a70edb.jpg http://dcprosportsreport.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/09/Live-Microphone.jpg http://hplusmagazine.com/sites/default/files/i mages/articles/mars1.jpg http://www.pbk.org/userfiles/2009%20publicity%20photo%20Pratt_websize.jpg 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 Camila Ryder.

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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 Camila Ryder.

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 © 2011 The Phoenix.

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For these and any other mistakes we may have unintentionally made, we extend our sincerest apologies.

February 10, 2011

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events menu Today “The Prep School Negro” film screening and lecture Come to LPAC at 7:30 to watch Andre Lee’s documentary about current day prep-school students of color as well as his own past experiences as a participant in the process of accelerated desegregation in recent decades.

Halcyon re-evaluating its budget

“Seeking Signs of Life on Mars” lecture Lisa Pratt will be speaking in Sci 199 at 8 p.m. on her work with NASA to design a mission to search for signs of life on Mars.

The lecture is sponsored by Phi Beta Kappa.

Tomorrow Study abroad general info session Students interested in studying abroad for either the fall or spring semesters of 2011 must attend one of these preliminary meetings at the Off-Campus Study office located in Cunningham House. The meeting will begin at 2 p.m.

O.A.S.I.S presents Def Jam poet SHIHAN All-time Def Jam poet Shihan will be performing alongside Swarthmore’s first spoken word poetry group O.A.S.I.S in LPAC at 7 p.m.

Alturas Duo performance The Cooper Series brings to campus Scott Hill and Carlos Boltes of the Alturas Duo, which has been deemed one of the most entertaining and high-energy ensembles in the chamber music world today. Come witness this performance in the Lang Concert Hall at 8 p.m.

Film screening with Nadine Patterson As part of Black History Month, Nadine Patterson will be in the BCC at 12 p.m. to screen her 1993 movie, “Anna Russell Jones: Praisesong for a Pioneering Spirit.” A discussion of the movie will follow.

Saturday, February 12th Folkdance club English-Scottish ball Enjoy four hours of English and Scottish country dancing and live music at the Folkdance Club’s 41st annual ball in Tarble-in-Clothier at 8 p.m.

Ghana book-sorting pizza party Help the Lang Center sort and organize books from last year’s Developing Ourselves on Reading (DOOR) Spring Book Drive that will eventually be shipped to Ghana. The party will be held in the Keith Room in the Lang Center starting at 3 p.m. Pizza will be served.

E-mail submissions for the events menu to news@swarthmorephoenix.com

tHe PHOenIX

Jakob Mrozewski Phoenix Staff

Due to recent student concerns over the budgetting of the yearbook, Halcyon editors have been in discussions with both StuCo and SBC members about printing a substantially lower number of yearbooks per year.

BY ELI SIEGEL esiegel2@swarthmore.edu

Student Council is currently discussing preliminary plans to recommend that the Student Budget Committee cut part of the Halcyon’s $40,000 budget for next year due to student concerns that it is an unnecessary expense for the college.

Some students have recently expressed that a yearbook is not needed in order to stay in touch with college friends, and that the college would be better off allocating expenses in order to lower the student activity fee or to fund other campus groups.

This discussion does “not come as a surprise” to James Preimesberger ’11, the executive editor of the Halcyon, as the group has been in contact with the SBC several times over the last four years to discuss downsizing the budget.

“In cooperation with the SBC, the Halcyon has tried to order the correct amount of books that the student body wants,” Preimesberger said.

To achieve this, the Halcyon has sent out e-mails in past years asking students if they would like a yearbook.

This survey has had a strong impact on the amount of books ordered. In 2008, the Halcyon ordered 1,250 copies of the yearbook, while last year the Halcyon ordered only 800 copies. This reduction in the number of books has lowered the Halcyon budget from $46,000 to $38,000.

“The survey has been very successful,” Preimesberger said. “Last year we only had about 20 copies leftover, most of which we ended up giving to departments on campus and students who had not yet gotten a yearbook but wanted one.”

However, some students on campus are skeptical about the benefits of a yearbook. “Having a printed yearbook isn’t that important to me,” Nick Allred ’13 said. “If the money is better spent in other places, I have no problems with cutting the yearbook.”

These general concerns have generated a discussion in StuCo over whether the significant funds that the yearbook receives could be better allocated elsewhere. “Cutting Halcyon’s budget would allow for two things,” Simon Zhu ’11 Student Council President said. “It would allow for both the possibility of lowering the student activities fee and redistributing money to other clubs and groups on campus.”

There are several possible options for the Halcyon going forward.

Currently, the Halcyon is considering ordering 800 books — the same as last year — at a cost of $38,000, ordering 600 books at a cost of $33,000 or ordering 400 books at a cost of $26,000. If the Halcyon were to order only 400 books, only the seniors would be able to have copies.

Another possible option would be to make an online yearbook. Over the past several years, Spencer Lamm, the

February 10, 2011

Digital Initiatives Librarian, has been working with Preimesberger and the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library, to scan and upload old yearbooks dating back to 1881.

The original goal of this project, Lamm said, was to create “a wonderful resource for alums [and] a set of archival quality digital copies of the yearbooks for preservation purposes” as the college only has one complete copy that is damaged.

However, the project could be expanded to be the only format of the yearbook that would be available to students. This not only could help the budget, but also make it easier for alums to access.

“It would effectively make new yearbooks mobile so that people could access them anywhere, anytime,” Lamm said.

Preimesberger said that having a physical edition of the yearbook, even if printed in a small run, is important because “it is a big aspect of tradition and it would be valuable when you are older to be able to look physically at a collection of people’s faces.”

The Halcyon plans to send out a survey by e-mail sometime within the next month asking the student body whether or not they would like a yearbook for the upcoming year. If anyone has any opinions about this issue, Zhu expressed that they should approach StuCo.

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Environmental studies program to grow

WEEk in picturEs

spectives, combining the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences into a single interdiscipliThe college submitted a grant nary minor. proposal this January to the “Environmental studies is a Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in burgeoning field,” said Carol order to acquire funding to hire a Nackenoff, professor of political professor of environmental eco- science and chair of the environnomics and expand the environ- mental studies program. mental studies program.

She continued by mentioning The Andrew W. Mellon that environmental economics is a Foundation is a private organiza- crucial element to this field of tion that awards grants to sustain study. and strengthen leading institu“We consider environmental tions and their core capacities. economics a key component of an According to the grant proposal environmental studies program draft, Swarthmore is requesting [and] identified it as one of the funding to endow both “a tenure- areas we most needed in this protrack position with teaching gram,” she said. responsibilities in Economics and But due to unforseen circumEnvironmental Studies” and stances in past years, the area of “course replacement and course environmental economcis has development been unable funds.” to be develThe grant oped into the will be used “We consider curriculum in the first here at environmental economics few years to Swarthmore. a key component of an contribute “We have toward the not been able environmental studies creation of to offer enviprogram.” new courses ronmental at the college, economics Carol Nackenoff including a because of the Political Science Prof. team-taught health of the introductory person who course, an was previousintermediate-level environmental ly doing it,” she explained. economics course and an Although it is currently unceradvanced-level economics course. tain whether Swarthmore will Environmental economics is a receive the funding, Nackenoff field of study focusing on the eco- remains hopeful about the success nomic effects of environmental of the grant. policies.

“Mellon has already supported “[It]’s a microeconomic field some new hires at Haverford, for where you look at issues in the instance, and we are a relatively environment, trade-offs with poli- small program at Swarthmore,” cy, how externalities, both positive Nackenoff said. and negative, work, and how it “The fact that you have an affects economics,” Professor of opportunity to speak with Mellon Economics and Department Chair along the way and bounce ideas off Ellen Magenheim said. them is very useful in formulating Magenheim also emphasized the the grant proposal.” role this field has on environmenStudents support the notion of a tal studies. new environmental economics pro“It plays an important role in fessor. understanding environmental “I believe having a professor in problems and solutions. It’s a field this area of economics will expand we’d be very excited about having [our] views and allow [students] to [a professor in],” she said. see economics in a more wellThe draft further discussed the rounded way” Stan Le ’14, a importance of this area of econom- prospective economics major, said. ics: “Evaluating environmental “As an economics student, I benefits and costs and assessing think it’s crucial to look at issues mechanisms for allocating envi- from a variety of perspectives. ronmental resources among pres- Increased focus in this area of ent and future uses is critical to study will allow us to better accomour approach to environmental plish this goal.” studies.”

The proposal was drafted last Hiring an environmental econo- July and submitted earlier this mist and developing new courses year, and Nackenoff expects to will ultimately serve to expand the hear a response fron Mellon someenvironmental studies program at time in March.

Swarthmore.

If Swarthmore is awarded the Developed in 1992, the depart- grant, the new position will be crement seeks to address environmen- ated during either the 2012 or 2013 tal concerns from a variety of per- academic year.

BY NAVIN SABHARWAL nsabhar1@swarthmore.edu

Allegra Pocinki Phoenix Staff

The Copeland String Quartet performs works of Mozart and Shostakovich in the Lang Concert Hall during the Monday Midday Concert Series.

Allegra Pocinki Phoenix Staff

Professors Tariq al-Jamil, Shane Minkin and Farha Ghannam lead a teach-in and discussion about the Revolution in Egypt on Friday.

Paul Chung Phoenix Staff

Part of the Afro-Latino Month Series, MAKU Soundsystem performs with three other bands in Olde Club Saturday night.

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February 10, 2011

tHE pHOEniX

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Stephenson appointed college’s new Provost

Eric Verhasselt Phoenix Staff

A member of the Swarthmore faculty since 1985, Professor Tom Stephenson of the chemistry department will replace Constance Hungerford as the college’s Provost at the end of the academic year.

BY AARON KRAMER akramer2@swarthmore.edu

On July 1, Professor Thomas Stephenson of the chemistry department will officially take over as Provost of the college as Constance Hungerford’s five-year term as current Provost comes to an end.

President Chopp approved this appointment last Tuesday.

As Provost, Stephenson will be in charge of overseeing the faculty, the academic program and the administrative offices that support the academic program, such as ITS and the library.

Hungerford is optimistic about this appointment. “I’ve worked with him on a number THE PHOENIX

of committees,” Hungerford said. “He’s very well organized and very thoughtful. He’s open-minded, listens well and has the interests of the college at heart.”

Stephenson has played a substantial role in the college administration since 1985. In the late ’90s, he served as Associate Provost for Information Technology Services, and has served on both the Committee on Promotion and Tenure and on the Council of Educational Policy.

“I’m pretty excited about [being Provost],” Stephenson said. “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to contribute to the institution in a way that

I haven’t been able to in the past. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, a little panicked, but overall very, very excited and ... honored to have been selected.”

The Committee on Faculty Procedures, composed of two representatives from each of the three divisions, began its lengthy search process for a new Provost this past September, first alerting faculty members that they were looking for a new Provost and asking them to submit names for consideration.

The Committee also gauged faculty members for their ideas on setting criteria for the college’s Provost.

Peter Collings, professor of physics February 10, 2011

and astronomy, said that all of the suggestions boiled down to six qualities of an ideal Provost: to “exemplify and support the teaching and research the faculty values, build consensus by framing issues productively, implement policies effectively, make tough decisions in a fair and timely manner, articulate the views of the faculty to diverse audiences and draw on a good working knowledge of the faculty to help manage change.”

Committee members felt that Stephenson best exemplified these criteria.

“It’s a very important assignment,” Collings said.

“Certainly if you asked the entire faculty, as we did, if you

had a first choice, who would it be, they all didn’t agree on one person. But we hope — it was part of our basis for picking Tom — that everyone is looking forward to it.”

Not only will Stephenson serve as the spokesperson for the faculty and try to develop a strong relationship with the administration, he will also have a significant role in the ongoing Strategic Planning Committee deliberations. “I’m looking forward to seeing what emerges from [it] and working with the faculty to implement new initiatives that involve the academic program,” he said.

The Strategic Planning Committee is charged with examining and reforming college policies in order to adapt to the evolving needs of Swarthmore students while maintaining financial sustainability. For the next year, the Committee will be reviewing admissions, financial aid and curriculum policies, as well as alumni relations.

Stephenson sees the Provost’s role in the planning process as a facilitator of good ideas. “We have 180 visionaries on the faculty,” he said. “I’m really in the job of trying to guide a process that brings the best of those ideas forward and trying to implement them.”

For the past week, Stephenson has received great support from his colleagues about his appointment.

“They’ve reacted very positively,” he said. “Everybody’s been very excited and congratulatory.”

Stephenson has also been speaking with Hungerford about transitional issues and will likely shadow her over the coming months.

“She has been very cooperative and is really anxious to make the transition work seamlessly,” he said. After the end of this academic year, Hungerford will take a year of sabbatical leave, then return to the art department.

But Stephenson will especially miss teaching chemistry and interacting with his students.

As a professor, Stephenson has been known for running a productive classroom. “He’s a great professor, very thorough,” said Maya Marzouk ’13, who took General Chemistry with Stephenson in the fall.

“He pays attention to detail … [and] tried very hard to make sure everyone understood the material. We got a lot accomplished for a general chemistry class.”

Though Stephenson is a bit intimidated to have been chosen from a pool of high-quality candidates, he is looking forward to his next couple years as Provost. “It’s really going to be an adventure,” he said.

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Haverford, Bryn Mawr cut Bi-Co News funding editorial said, also calling the han“We feel like the Bi-College News funding worries us.”

Co-treasurer of SC Kayla dling of the funding “reckless” since hasn’t had an incentive to closely the Bi-Co at no point before this look at their budget since they always Hoskinson HC ’11 talked of the same The Bi-College News, the weekly semester was aware it would be get what they ask for,” she said. “If issues. Bi-Co had originally asked for print newspaper shared by Bryn caught up in the middle of this there’s a way they can do what they $14,000 this semester, without much Mawr and Haverford Colleges, is debate. do each semester for less, that’s going explanation. When asked to further stuck in the middle of a heated policy explain where the money goes with With no money from Bryn Mawr, to help.” issue that has finally boiled over. the Bi-Co then submitted a budget to SGA wants Bi-Co to scrutinize its an updated budget, Bi-Co was already Instead of stacks of freshly printed H a v e r f o r d , budget more, able to reduce its costs down to papers filling their campus corners which does its like most other $13,000.

Tuesday morning, a note from the Bi- budgeting on a As the issue is being resolved, Bistudent groups “We feel like the BiCo staff informed would-be readers semesterly basis. are required to Co will continue not to print. that the paper is on hold until further “It’s just unfortunate the way The Bi-Co had College News hasn’t had do. SGA and SC notice. will be working things came to pass,” Gupta said. “To asked for $14,112, an incentive to closely The issue at hand is an antiquated but SC budgeted with them on a certain extent it’s understandable rule that states that a student group them for $3,500 look at their budget since doing this on why Bryn Mawr wanted to cut fundcannot get funding from both for the first half ing since they didn’t want the burden Sunday. they always get what Haverford and Bryn Mawr, even if, of the semester Again, the of the whole newspaper, but the timlike the Bi-Co and many other groups and at midthey ask for.” editorial refuted ing was really wrong.” at the close-knit schools, students semester would While some money will certainly these claims, Sophie Papavizas ’12 from both colleges participate in it. saying that “in come in, no one is exactly sure how consider giving The rule was created in the ‘90s to them more.

SGA president January the Bi- much that will be. In the editorial the prevent student groups from abusing Co News Bi-Co says that it is “still unable to According to the system. received an determine its printing plan for the Papavizas, SGA As a result of its creation, the Self knew the Bi-Co could ask Haverford email from the co-treasurers indicat- rest of the semester.” That will be at Government Association (SGA) for money, well aware that most like- ing that we had provided sufficient least until Sunday’s meeting, where which handles funding at Bryn Mawr ly SC would not be able to make up information regarding our finances funding will be decided. and Students’ Council which handles the entire cost.

When they know how much money and they asked no further questions it at Haverford agreed to split the The hope was that SC and SGA about our budget. According to this Bi-Co will receive, the staff can decide major costs that are incurred by bi- would meet early in the semester to email, there was simply not enough what the future of the paper will be — college groups. resolve the issue of funding between money for SC to shoulder the unex- which includes options such as biHaverford took the funding for the the two schools; an unintended result pected burden of the Bi-Co News. weekly printing and online-only.

WHRC radio station and the movie- was that the discussions did not hap- This inconsistency in SC’s story Until then, Bi-Co stories will only making club, and Bryn Mawr took pen soon enough that funding could about their reasoning regarding our appear on its website. the Bi-Co News. be restored to Bi-Co before their Now that WHRC has drastically accounts ran dry.

ADVERTISEMENT reduced its costs by going online and On Tuesday the groups finally the movie-making club was disband- held a joint meeting to discuss the ed, there is a huge disparity in how issue. much each college’s group funding “Quite apparently it needed to be sources are paying, even though the discussed,” SC Co-President Ryan benefits are received by both campus- Fackler HC ’11 said. “We haven’t es. reached a final solution but both stuAccording to Bi-Co co-Managing dent governments are on the same Editor Malli Gupta BMC ’12, the page with a working solution. At this paper received a notice from the SGA point we just need to type it up, distreasurer Laurel Lemon BMC ’11 ten tribute it, sign off on it. We left the days before the start of the semester meeting with something everyone is saying that funding for Bi-Co had going to be happy with it.” been cut. This issue of sharing fundFackler said that they are working ing was often as fast as they discussed can to resolve between the SC the issue with and SGA, but a “While we agree that the Bi-Co. solution was According to funding of bi-co clubs never reached Papavizas, the needed to be reevaluated, two groups will in how to split funding. hold a regular we believe that using the “We had budgeting meetstudent newspaper as a some response ing with Bi-Co but it wasn’t on Sunday to means to achieve that end enough,” SGA decide together is completely unacceptPresident how to split S o p h i e funding for the able.”

Papavizas BMC newspaper.

International Peace and Conflict Resolution Bi-Co editorial ’12 said. “What Since the we decided was $3,500 from Apply now for Fall 2011 master’s degree program. that maybe it Haverford has Get started with an online course this summer. would come off as a little drastic but already been mostly used up on the it would start the conversation.” first two issues, the pertinent issue A staff editorial, published on the for Bi-Co is both how much more Bi-Co’s website yesterday, expressed Haverford can additionally give and extreme dissatisfaction with this how much Bryn Mawr will be able to scrape from its already-appropriated though.

“While we agree that the funding budget.

But the problem goes beyond poliof bi-co clubs needed to be reevaluated, we believe that using the student cy too — Papavizas said this will also newspaper as a means to achieve that hopefully resolve some long-standing end is completely unacceptable,” the issues with Bi-Co’s budget.

BY JEFF DAVIDSON jdavids1@swarthmore.edu

Conflict Resolution

www.arcadia.edu/peace

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February 10, 2011

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NYU professor discusses racism in Brazil

BY BRENT STANFIELD bstanfi1@swarthmore.edu Dozens of students packed the Scheuer Room in Kohlberg on Monday to hear the annual Jerome H. Wood Memorial Lecture being delivered this year by Professor Barbara Weinstein. She was invited to speak by Professor Diego Armus of the history and Latin American studies departments.

“Weinstein is not only one of the most respected Brazilianists working in the US; she’s also a well respected and well known Brazilianist in Brazil, which is not that common,” Armus said.

Organized by the Latin American Studies department, the topic of the lecture was “Racism in a Racial Democracy: Race and Regional Identity in Postcolonial Brazil.” Focusing on certain instances of discrimination against people of African descent in Brazil, Weinstein discussed the implications of the claim that Brazil is a nation free from systematic racial prejudice throughout her lecture.

Currently a history professor at New York University, Weinstein took a historical perspective at looking at discrimination in Brazil, leading the audience through some of the history of racial discourses in Brazil from the abolition of slavery in 1888 to the Constitutionalist Revolution in 1932.

The lecture began with a short introduction by Assistant Dean and Director of the Intercultural Center Rafael Zapata, followed by a short speech from former English Professor Charles James regarding the large impact that Jerome H. Wood had while at Swarthmore.

Started in 1997, the Jerome H. Wood Memorial Lecture series focuses on AfroLatin American history and culture.

Wood arrived at Swarthmore in 1970 and, along with James and the late Kathryn Morgan, helped develop the black studies program at Swarthmore. Additionally, he was a member of the Committee of Women’s and Minorities Studies, which shaped the current gender and sexuality studies program, as well as the Sager Committee and the Task Force on Cultural Diversity. In 1983, Wood was awarded a Fulbright Lectureship in U.S. History.

“Professor Wood made a tremendous difference in the lives of students and colleagues during his over two decades at Swarthmore,” Zapata said in his introduction to the lecture. “He’s remembered as much for his humanity and sense of humor as well as his scholarship, teaching and activism.”

As an accomplished historian, it is apparent why Weinstein was chosen as the Wood Memorial Lecturer for 2011. She has delivered Fulbright Lectures at both the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Universidade Estadual de Campinoas in São Paulo and was also appointed the President of the American Historical Association in 2007. Weinstein has already released two books, both of which were also translated into Portuguese and published in Brazil.

When asked what her goals are in her research and writing, she responded, “I really don’t want to write anything that people want to hear. I really want to challenge people’s assumptions. I’m very determined to not think about Brazil as a failed United States, but as a country that has to be understood on its own terms.”

During the lecture, Weinstein discussed various attempts to whiten Brazil, and more specifically the progressive region of São Paulo, both literally and figuratively. She explained how, after the

THE PHOENIX

Paul Chung Phoenix Staff

History Professor Barbara Weinstein of New York University gave a lecture on Monday about the false image of Brazil as a racial democracy during the Jerome H. Wood Memorial Lecture for 2011. abolition of slavery, masses of European immigrants were paid to come and work on the coffee plantations in São Paulo as an attempt to literally “whiten” São Paulo.

One example she showed of this was a painting called “Modesto Brocos y Gomez” which depicts an elderly African woman, with hands raised in praise. Next to her was a woman of mixed race, her daughter, who was holding a child, the African woman’s grandchild, who was white.

Next to the woman and the baby was a traditional Spanish immigrant, the father of the child. A common name for the picture, said Professor Weinstein, is “The Redemption of Ham.” Ham, being a Biblical character who is considered responsible for all non-White races in much of racist conversation.

Thus, Weinstein showed that while racism is just as prevalent in Brazil as in the United States, it takes a different form, in that miscegenation is accepted in Brazil.

Weinstein also put particular emphasis on the importance of the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 in Brazillian history.

The revolution was a response to the loss of political power of the Paulistas — inhabitants of the São Paulo region — after their candidate was defeated by Getúlio Vargas. The Paulistas saw Vargas as a dictator who made arbitrary decisions, because his decisions were in favor of the more black North Eastern citizens instead of the more white Southern, specifically Paulista, citizens. Thus the state of São Paulo rose up against Vargas, claiming to be defenders of the law.

Those faculty and students in attendance found Weinstein’s lecture interesting and informative.

“I enjoyed the lecture very much,” Nick Allred ‘13 said. “I knew so little about Brazilian racial history heading into the talk, but I think Prof. Weinstein did an excellent job of getting the entire room up to speed and still doing justice to the nuances of the subject.”

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February 10, 2011

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Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

My column from two weeks a g o explored the wondrous possibilities of TriCo dati n g .

H o w e v e r, before you Steve Dean jump on the TricCo Life Tips from a Dean shuttle in search of a non-Swat squeeze, I would like to further expand your dating horizons — this time, to the Internet. No, I do not mean seeking a relationship that consists entirely of IMs, cute emoticons and grainy softcore nudity (although if that tickles your fancy, then by all means, tickle away). What I am recommending is that you suspend disbelief long enough to consider the evidence that, contrary to 4chan’s claim that the Internet contains no women, the heyday of online dating (for men and women alike) has indeed come, and the social stigmas associated with online dating are rapidly deteriorating. With over 200 million users worldwide across an increasingly diverse assortment of dating sites, your chances of meeting a wellmatched mate are increasing daily.

Why should you trust my judgment on this? Well, for starters, I have no ulterior motives for providing this advice. I have no particular desire to encounter you online and have you awkwardly acknowledge (via poke, wink, etc.) that you read my column.

What I do have, however, is experience.

I’ve been in short and long-term relationships that began with traditional face-to-face encounters; I’ve experimented with TriCo dating. And, most recently, I have scoured the online dating realm in search of the most effective, multifaceted and user-friendly forum for meeting someone new. In the process, I have encountered new friends, a relationship partner and — to my surprise — a large number of other Swatties! So, whether you’re purely interested in meeting other Swatties under the all-seeing eye of the Swat social radar, or whether you are genuinely interested in meeting someone new for any reason, be it friendship, a relationship, sexual exploration, or a post-college roommate, I propose that you open your mind to this promising possibility.

Most of the doubts I originally had about online dating revolved around safety and artificiality. If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you’d know that your safety on the Internet is never guaranteed and that it’s in your interest to take every necessary precaution in your online affairs.

Many people fear putting their information and photos out on the Internet for all to see. In addition, they fear impostors with fake profiles and the dangers inherent in a first meeting with someone they met on the Internet.

On the contrary, I believe that meeting someone first on the Internet is, if anything, far safer than meeting someone at a bar. After all, you get to check up

8

Din aZ ing aro The Pho eni x

Expand your dating horizons ... to the Internet on their social/sexual/criminal history ahead of time, and you get to lay out your boundaries before too. All you have to do is follow the basics of Internet safety. Before agreeing to meet anyone face to face, take the time to video chat to ensure that they are real. Befriend them on Facebook so you can gauge a) how many friends they have and b) h o w they

by that time, it notifies pre-selected friends of your exact whereabouts so they can follow up with you to ensure your safety.

When it comes to artificiality, people typically prefer the spontaneity and mystery of meeting people naturally to the relative physical and emotional disconnectedness of m e s s a g i n g online.

I know how difficult it

interact with those friends.

Most importantly, don’t carelessly place yourself in compromising positions.

Ensure that you meet your date in a public place, and be very upfront about your expectations, goals and limits before you meet up. There are even nifty apps to help further ensure your security. This Valentine’s Day, the smartphone app DateTrackerAlert will be available for free download. It lets you set a check-in time for your date, and if you don’t check in (on your phone or via email)

can be to get a sense of s o m e o n e ’ s “spark” over the Internet, even after days of messaging.

While I would never disagree that face-to-face interaction is essential for determining your true compatibility with someone, I nevertheless contend that online dating sites today enable you to greatly increase your probability of finding that spark in someone who is actually going to be compatible with you in the long term.

What this means is that you can escape the traditional dating dilemma of feeling the spark for someone who is totally wrong for you, thereby making yourself miserable. Through online dating, you ensure the compatibility ahead of time, and when someone finally does

c a r t o o n

February 10, 2011

b y

n a i a

possess that spark, you can know, without reservation, that the relationship you enter into is not predestined for failure. If you meet someone in a bar and hit it off right away, it may take many weeks or months before the person’s inherent (and ultimately unbearable) flaws and biases reveal themselves. And let’s not forget the insidiously destructive effects of beer goggles. The beauty of online dating sites is that they let you immediately filter out people whose preferences or dispositions you consider unacceptable.

Of course, my considerations about online dating come from many months of experience across a wide variety of dating sites.

In order to pave effective inroads into your Internet intercourse (I’ll refrain from the offline variety for the time being), I will present you in my next article with a thoroughly Dr. Seussian review of the wide range of available dating websites: Sites for friends and innocent ends; sites for sex and black latex. Sites for dating, mating, rating; sites for social navigating.

Sites for free, sites for fee; sites for Apple iPhone glee. Sites for women, sites for men, sites for finding one or ten. Every site I find I’ll reference, no matter age, nor sex, nor preference!

Steve is a senior. You can reach him at sdean1@swarthmore.edu.

p o y e r

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts ‘Inside Job’ investigates the 2008 financial crisis swarthmorephoenix.com

BY DINA ZINGARO dzingar1@swarthmore.edu When the economic recession hit in 2008, American citizens learned of the risky and irresponsible choices of banks in the spotlight such as Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. However, in his Oscar-nominated documentary “Inside Job,” filmmaker Charles Ferguson dives into the complicated web of participants surrounding the crisis such as the rating agencies, economists and financial insiders who remain in the shadows. On February 14, the political science department will host the screening of the documentary, followed by a panel discussion with professors to discuss the ongoing discourse surrounding the 2008 global recession.

Professor of political science Rick Valelly, who saw the film shortly after its release in October 2010, recalled his initial reaction. “I was just holding my jaw for the entire two hours,” he said. Responsible for prompting and organizing next Monday’s on-campus screening, Valelly met writer, producer and director Charles Ferguson earlier at M.I.T. in the 1980s.

Before receiving his Ph.D. in political science from M.I.T. in 1989, Ferguson received his BA in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. Later, he conducted postdoctoral research while consulting the White House, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Defense and several U.S. and European high technology firms.

In addition, he provided strategic counseling to top managements of U.S. high technology firms, including Apple, Xerox, Motorola and Texas Instruments. He also founded Vermeer Technologies in 1994, one of the earliest Internet software companies. Valelly believes that Ferguson’s thorough experience accounts for the film’s acknowledged success.

“The basic reason that the movie is so clear is that Ferguson himself understands the most complex aspects of contemporary financial innovations,” he said.

Along with publishing literature on information technology and its relationships to economic, political and social issues, Ferguson received a 2007 Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature for his film “No End In Sight,” which covered U.S. policy in Iraq. Currently, Ferguson awaits the upcoming 83rd Academy Awards where “Inside Job” is nominated for Best Documentary Feature. Over the course of the last year, the film received seven other Best Documentary nominations, including the Best Documentary award from the Directors’ Guild of America in December 2010.

Written, produced and directed by Ferguson, the film exposes the shocking truth behind the global crisis, which continues to result in millions of people losing homes and jobs. Even as some dominant players remain unrepentant and obdurate concerning their actions, the film exposes the negligence of their decisions and how this triggered the global financial meltdown.

Even for Ferguson, who had felt prepared to find bad behavior among Wall Streeters, the truth shocked him. In an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered host Melissa Block, the filmmaker said, “I had grossly underestimated the level of extraordinarily unethical and even fraudulent behavior that had occurred on such a large scale.”

“Inside Job” features extensive research and (often contentious) interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists. “The documentary does a brilliant job putting those pieces together,” Valelly said. However, the film goes beyond merely fulfilling the objectives of an investigative movie and instead provides an extremely clear analysis of the technical elements of the financial innovations that brought on the crisis, such as collateralized debt obligations.

During the deregulation of the financial services industry in the 1980s and ’90s, as stock indexes soared and profits swelled, there were a few investors, economists and government officials who warned that the speculation would only lead to a catastrophic situation. The film incorporates the voices of such individuals through interviews conducted by Ferguson.

On the other hand, though many of the highest-profile

players declined to be interviewed, the film does feature interviews where Ferguson adopts a much more aggressive style with higher-profile individuals. Even though segments could become rather uncomfortable and challenging, Valelly said that Ferguson “can do that because he knows what he's talking about.”

In considering such interviews, professor of psychology Barry Schwartz said, “You’d like to know what was left on the cutting room floor, but I think it was reasonable to show how resistant to honest answers people were.”

In a movie review from the fall, The New York Times described “Inside Job” as “the story of a crime without punishment, of an outrage that has so far largely escaped legal sanction and societal stigma.” After seeing the film, Schwartz also believes that the documentary exposes major characters in the crisis who remain out of the spotlight.

In particular, Schwartz felt shocked by the “unbelievable role played by the rating agencies,” many of which have escaped blame and legal liability in the public mind. “[The economic crisis] was certainly written about, but the devils were Goldman Sachs or AIG; they weren’t these rating agencies and they should have been,” he said.

Instead of reflecting the financial instruments’ true value and risk factors, agencies gave triple AAA ratings to unworthy instruments.

Along with business and government, Ferguson directs much of his critique at academia and suggests that a few prominent economists allowed the financial services industry to corrupt the study of economics. In the NPR interview with Block, he said, “Very prominent professors of economics, often people who've also held high government posts, are paid to testify in Congress. They are paid to be expert witnesses in both civil and criminal trials. They're often paid to write papers that praise the financial services industry and argue on behalf of deregulation of the industry. They make millions, in some cases tens of millions, of dollars doing this. And this is usually not disclosed.”

“After seeing this movie one can’t help but wonder whether it will happen again in the next decade or two. This movie is a wake-up call.”

Rick Valelly Professor of Political Science

THE PHOENIX

At the Academy Awards, “Inside Job” will share the stage with four other documentaries: “Exit through the Gift Shop,” “Gasland,” “Restrepo” and “Waste Land.”

Confident in the documentary’s chances of winning, Valelly said, “The movie, cinematically, has superb production values: the cinematography and the color palette are really cool, the sound track is great and the interviews are riveting.”

For the post-screening panel discussion, Valelly drew from various departments in his selections of Schwartz, professors of economics John Caskey and Mark Kuperberg, and also the Lang Professor of Social Change Louis Massiah, who is also a documentary filmmaker himself.

In anticipation of the discussion, Schwartz will draw from his “psychological perspective” and hopes to discuss rational economic behavior and how these so-called rational decision makers are rarely rational. “I must say that the level of complete ignorance of what it was they were doing is astonishing. And trusting an economy to the ‘rational decision making’ of self-interested parties should give you pause when their decisions were clearly so irrational,” Schwartz said.

Additionally, he hopes to consider the messages sent to bankers, investors or brokerages about their purpose in the financial system. He said, “I think that the notion that your aim is to make money, period, is wrong and when we inculcate that in people, this is what we get.”

Though Kuperberg understands that the financial system clearly caused the recession, he hopes to examine what exactly it is about the financial system that resulted in the crisis. “Was it greed, stupidity, a conspiracy or did the system evolve over time into something that was too complex for anyone to understand? It is important to know the answer to this question if we are to avoid this happening again,” Kuperberg wrote in an e-mail.

Similarly, Valelly believes the film can provide students with a deeper insight into the origins and regulatory response of a financial crisis that he believes will repeat itself. “After seeing the movie one can’t help but wonder whether it will happen again in the next decade or two,” Valelly said. “This movie is a wake-up call.”

With the screening approaching, Schwartz encourages students to attend in order to clarify America’s devastating phenomenon, especially the mystery that often accompanies it. He said, “It’s not easy to explain the exactly what happened and why, and I think this movie does a very good job.”

Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/3tfhp

Director, writer and producer Charles Fersugon awaits the 2011 Oscars where his film “Inside Job” is considered the front-runner for Best Documentary Feature.

February 10, 2011

9

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Eliminating preconceived notions of Hungary My earliest memory of anything related to the country of Hungary is from primary school.

In second grade, my beloved math teacher was leaving my class because he got a better job in Hungary, or perhaps it was Turkey. One of my friends joked that our teacher was going to Maki Sakuma Turkey because he felt “hung(a)ry” or leaving Quest for the for Hungary because he Hungarian Identity wanted to eat some “turkey.” Looking back, my friends and I enjoyed these little word plays so much that now, I cannot recall which of the two countries he was actually going to. But I remember my astonishment when I looked it up in world atlas. Hungary and Turkey were so much closer to each other than it sounded like that the joke suddenly ceased to be a wordplay.

Though assuming that countries line up in alphabetical order may have been a childhood stupidity, I still had only a very general idea of where it was before I came here, no other facts. Whether the capital was Budapest or Bucharest, the population Asian or Caucasian, and the language German or Persian, it never really came to my attention that I simply didn’t know. If this is true for you too, although some Hungarians informed me that within 50 years their country may no longer exist, for the remaining 50 years to come it might not be a waste of time to learn together with me. Let’s begin with the simple fact that for those living in Hungary, the language is

Hungarian.

I am Japanese, so the following may not apply to you, but it was a self-centered surprise that came to me when I learned that Hungarian existed. The language seemed to be of no real use, yet I realized that my own native language of Japanese is just as useless as Hungarian since it is not the official language of any other country or organization, unlike, say, English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Arabic or Russian. Even though a language’s value does not lie in its usefulness outside of the country, Hungarians seem to acknowledge the same uselessness of their language that I had originally assumed.

One Hungarian citizen appeared quite perplexed upon discovering my intention to learn Hungarian.

Similarly, when I went to a Japanese conversation club, the Hungarians joked about a Japanese student majoring in Hungarian and kidded that he must be possessed with mania.

At this point, you may have guessed that Hungarians are either quite self-sarcastic or pessimistic. In fact, this seems to be a popular stereotype that characterizes Hungarians. In her online blog, Hungarian former Yale professor Eva S. Balogh, spoke of the population’s legendary pessimistic nature. She quoted a 1991 New York Times article entitled “Hungarians are Thriving, Gloomingly,” to give an example, and also quoted an interview of a Hungarian former Prime Minister, Jozsef Antall: "Just as there is American optimism, which is the motor of American life, so Hungarians have a tendency to be pessimistic. Every renewal in our history was always born in pessimism. Even our anthem is pessimistic." It is true. Upon my arrival, one of the first words I was taught was “sajnos” (pronounced shine-ush), which means ‘unfortunately,’ and yes, I do hear it everywhere everyday. Also, I was informed that Hungarian is rich in swear

words. At the cultural orientation in my program, the speaker told us that Hungarians could talk about their swear words for two hours straight. Moreover, an academic journal sitting in my new home abroad featured an article entitled “Why Men Die Young in Hungary,” which talked about clinical depression and suicide rates.

Hungary is definitely different from shining America, and Hungarians know it. There is a famous expression that captures their feelings, which says, “In California, even the fences are made of sausage.”

This is perhaps because, for Hungarians, “the United States was always the far-distant land of untold riches, particularly so during the fifties,” as written in a cultural encyclopedia published in 2007. Let us compare more. English remains as the most useful language globally, and most people know of the United States’ location while at least I only knew it was somewhere close to Turkey. Unlike the Hungarians I have encountered, I have never met an American who believes that the United States will disappear in 50 years. Hungarians may have some reasons to be pessimistic, but what is the reason that distinguish them from the other countries in a similar situation?

Why are Hungarians the way they are, and does this common stereotype about their sarcasm and pessimism capture them accurately? During my semester here, I would like to learn more about the native people and their history and find out.

However, one can never generalize. To be fair, I met a passionate Hungarian who dreams about giving a rock concert in Japan, but is now traveling to Denmark to study Indian meditation on his guitar.

In the end, we are all children of mother Earth, which has no national boundary, i. e. there are always people who refuse any cultural explanation.

Maki is a junior. You can reach her at msakuma1@swarthmore.edu.

‘Prep School Negro’ to address racial prejudice

BY SUSANA MEDEIROS smedeir1@swarthmore.edu

Today at 7:30 p.m. in LPAC Cinema, freelance film producer André Lee will host a screening and discussion for “The Prep School Negro,” a documentary about his experiences attending the elite Philadelphia prep school, Germantown Friends School (GFS), on full scholarship. The film addresses both the unspoken prejudices that still remain in mostly-white elite institutions and the various identities students of color must juggle in their school and private lives.

Associate professor of sociology and black studies program coordinator Sarah Willie-LeBreton was instrumental in bringing Lee to campus. She first saw him last February at an informal showing and panel discussion on the documentary at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, where she was a member of the panel discussion.

“He talked in the documentary and after [the screening] about his experience as a working poor kid from Philadelphia suddenly admitted to a school that was predominantly white, where most of the students came from very affluent families and the challenges that he faced in the adjustment,” Willie-LeBreton said in an e-mail.

In a director’s statement on Prep School Negro’s website, Lee wrote about this adjustment. “Students who

10

bore the names of grand department stores, major construction companies and factories in Philadelphia surrounded me. I had heard those names all of my life and never connected them to actual people. One of my classmates was the son of the owner of the factory where my grandmother and aunt had toiled all their lives, and where my mother was still working. The school tuition was more than my mother’s annual salary.”

However, Willie-LeBreton feels that the importance of the documentary lies in its focus not simply on Lee’s personal experiences in the late ’80s, early ’90s, but also on interviews he conducted with students in similar situations today. “What is so wonderful about Mr. Lee's documentary is that it moves out from his individual experience to the experiences of other students of color at elite private schools,” she said.

These student’s testimonies offer a multi-faceted perspective of the struggles that come with what is, and is meant to be, an opportunity for underprivileged and underrepresented students. “Sometimes the people who spend a great deal of time in privileged spaces forget or never even know how difficult the spaces they take for granted can be for those who are new to them,” Willie-LeBreton said. “People who spend a great deal of time in predominantly white schools are often unaware of how these spaces replicate

privilege and oppression, and how the structures and expectations that they take for granted might be unfair from the start.”

To bring this issue to light, Lee has visited various private schools in the nation’s cities since his film’s release in 2009. In April 2010, he toured throughout many of New York City’s private institutions and was also featured in GFS’s Spring 2010 bulletin.

Amanda Brown ’14, a boarding school graduate and current member of Enlace and various black community groups on campus, is interested in the film’s message. “I do think there was a big difference between a diverse school and a majority white school … I hope this movie relates to my experiences as a minority.”

When asked about her personal experiences, Brown said, “A lot of times I felt like I was a poster child for the black community. They made sure to include my face when I spoke at parent’s forums, new students forums.

During admissions weekend I was put on a forum to speak my part and to kind of give my opinion on being black and how diverse and accepting my school was. And it was accepting … but it was diverse [only] to a certain degree.”

In his director’s statement, Lee explained that students of color do not simply struggle to fit in their prep school environments. For him, going to Germantown Friends School meant

February 10, 2011

leaving his community behind. The students he interviewed expressed similar woes: on the one hand, they were too black for their predominantly-white schools, but on the other hand, they were too white for the neighborhoods in which they’d been raised all their lives.

Managing these multiple identities and the feelings of inadequacy that come with them left a lasting impression.

“We had been trained to live as second-class citizens,” Lee wrote, “and I felt guilty about gaining access to this world of privilege and knowledge.” In reference to why he decided to make Prep School Negro, he continued, “I wanted to share this new world with those who were not able to walk with me. My former elementary classmates were not reading ‘The Iliad’ or traveling the world on a choir tour … The idea for ‘The Prep School Negro’ grew out of my first days at GFS. It has been with me ever since.”

Willie-LeBreton hopes that the movie will speak to Swarthmore students, who are, after all, members of an elite institution themselves. “Although this documentary focuses on one person's story, and on the high school experience, I think many people will find that it raises themes that are generalizable to many people and to the college experience as well.”

“This documentary,” Lee wrote, “will tell my story and the story of other prep school Negroes like me.”

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

­S wat­Style­Snapshot Name: Katerina Stampouloglou Year: 2014 From: Thessaloniki, Greece Current Residence: Willets What She’s Wearing: Stampouloglou is wearing a pleated black dress underneath a grey jersey throw-over, paired with black, knee-high boots. As an international student, most of the items from her wardrobe were bought in her hometown.

“Everything I am wearing is from Greece, but the dress and the jacket are world-wide brands.” To add color to the otherwise neutral color palette, she accents her outfit with a loosely wrapped floral scarf and oversize crystal heart necklace.

How She Describes Her Personal Style: Preferring clothes that differ from the hooded sweatshirts and track pants sported by many college students, Stampouloglou said, “I dress in a European way. We dress in a less athletic way than Americans and dress up more, even during the day.”

However, she avoids looking too formal and chooses not to wear ostentatious designer brands, and instead, opts for modest high-end pieces. On a typical day, Stampouloglou chooses to wear layers of black and oversized clothing.

Where She Shops: Her wardrobe features an eclectic mix of both international and regional brands of high-end pieces and chain store finds. “I shop in Greece on a street where there are both global brands like H&M and also from local boutiques that import clothes from Italy.”

Reflecting her shopping habits, that printed scarf she sports is from H&M, while her boots are Italian-made.

Fashion Influences / Inspirations: Currently, Stampouloglou’s style is largely shaped by the fashion tastes of her classmates back home in

Greece. “People in my high school tended to be very welldressed. You could find people wearing many different styles from classy to athletic, but each person had a good representation of that style.” Everyday, she tries to add a refined flair to her outfit and her Swarthmore friends describe her style as “chic bohemian.”

When asked about possible style icons, Stampouloglou said, “I don’t have a person who I see what they are wearing and try to emulate their style.” In general however, as a selfproclaimed city girl, she does enjoy the urban, feminine look.

Wardrobe Staples: For Stampouloglou, her favorite accessory is her pink crystal necklace, which also holds some sentimental value. “The heart necklace was a gift from my parents for being accepted to Swarthmore,” she said. Since she frequently sports basic, dark-colored dresses, Stampouloglou relies on her accessories as a staple to provide interesting contrasts.

She said, “I like colorful scarves and ethnic-style necklaces also.” Still, she admits that her most frequently used item in her wardrobe is her simple black wool coat. “Here [in Pennsylvania], the musthave item is a warm coat because it is so cold you cannot survive otherwise.”

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

TEXT AND PHOTO BY SERA JEONG

Astrological trouble terrorizes Swarthmore

Ariel Swyer Let’s Be Serious Something is amiss at Swarthmore — quite amiss!

More than that, it’s askew, atilt, ajar and all in a great muddle.

However, as fortune would have it, I was able to determine the source of all that is amiss using a combination of highly developed investigative reporting skills and poor logic. What’s going on is this: a great chaos of astrology.

There’s a great chaos of astrology going on around here and it’s quietly turning everyone into loonies.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning and show you how I came to arrive at this particular conclusion. As a Phoenix writer

THE PHOENIX

and skillful investigative reporter, I began with two clues offered to me by the general public. First, I ran into someone who very firmly insisted that this column is about mice. “A lot of your articles are about mice,” he said to me.

Then, a different reader told me something to the effect that she liked this column because it was nice to know that there were other people who were confused and a mess. “It’s nice to know that there are other people who are confused and a mess,” is possibly what she said, or quite possibly not, as I can’t really remember at all. In fact, it’s entirely within the realm of reason and plausibility that she could have told me she didn’t like the column because it didn’t discuss bob sledding very often, but honestly I haven’t the time to think about that.

Therefore, using these two pieces of information and operating on the assumption that this column is a brilliantly representative view of life at Swarthmore, one may extract the next clue: we at Swarthmore are confused messes and have mice. To further reduce this, the final result is confused mice. This was very convenient, as I happen to live

with a confused mouse. As you may know, my roommate and I call this mouse “Leslie.” So, I decided to spend some time meditating on Leslie’s current state in search of answers. This is what I knew about Leslie’s recent activity: 1. She ate a large number of granola bars 2. She ate a bag of mints 3. She ate a container of cere al 4. She ate some crackers 5. She tried to eat my pants Based on this information, I concluded a great deal of important things, two of them being that Leslie is eating our dorm room and that I need some more pants. Another illuminating piece of information about our confused mouse, which I later recalled, is that we’re pretty sure she left a business card of a psychic spiritual advisor called Samantha under my bed. (I didn’t put it there, my roommate didn’t put it there … one has to use common sense.) Clearly, Leslie was having a spiritual crisis.

There are quite a few things in this universe that could cause a mouse to have a spiritual crisis, especially this particular mouse. For one thing, she exists

February 10, 2011

without the company of any members of her species, and instead, lives with a couple of weirdo college students who are always flinging tea everywhere and writing about her in the newspaper.

Furthermore, I got the sense that my leaving my existentialism readings scattered across the room hasn’t been easy on her. I realized that in general she has had some big concerns for such a small creature. But were these things big enough to induce a spiritual crisis substantial enough to send her to Samantha?

No. It had to be bigger.

So, I tried to think of something even bigger and the first thing I came up with was the sun. The sun is, from what I know about it, extraordinarily big, or at least bigger than the Eiffel Tower, which is itself quite big. The sun is a star. Therefore, Leslie was concerned about the stars. The reason, of course, that Leslie or anyone would be concerned about the stars would be that she recently found out she was a Virgo. For anyone who has recently found out that she is a Virgo, there is reason to be distressed. We can assume that Leslie, as a confused mouse, is the essence of Swarthmore and

thus it necessarily follows that we at Swarthmore are all a muddle due to possibly having found out that we are Virgos.

You have probably heard the news about all the astrological signs having been wrong and you’re probably confused and upset. I know I’ve been confused and upset. I decided to do a bit of research in an effort to learn more about the situation through the googling of the phrase “astrological signs changed.” This was pretty helpful, generating the results: “No, your sign hasn’t changed,” “New zodiac sign dates,” “Did your sign change?”

“Zodiac Signs CHANGED” and finally “your zodiac sign may have changed.”

Yes, it’s true: this time, no one knows what’s going on! It’s not just me, it’s not just Swarthmore — the whole world is in a state of astrological chaos.

Help! Call the fire department! This is not good. Anyone who knows whether or not I’m a Virgo should contact The Phoenix right away! But wait, I have to go call Samantha now — I think Leslie’s eaten the entire Kierkegaard Anthology.

Ariel is a first-year. You can reach her at aswyer1@swarthmore.edu.

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Living & Arts Bathtub debates pit profs in battle for humanity swarthmorephoenix.com

BY STEVEN HAZEL shazel1@swarthmore.edu Last Thursday evening, students joined three faculty members for the annual Bathtub Debate, hosted by the Peaslee Debate Society, in Science Center 101. A tradition since 2007, the debate brings together three professors from each academic division (social sciences, humanities, and natural science) to debate. Their discussion this year focuses on determining which division is most essential to rebuilding civilization on another planet following Earth’s devastation by nuclear war ignited by the conflict between the Twilightinspired factions of Team Edward and Team Jacob.

Moderated by President Rebecca Chopp, the debatefeatured Grace Ledbetter of the Classics department, professor and newly appointed provost Tom Stephenson of the chemistry department and Barry Schwartz of the psychology department. Each were allowed nine minutes to deliver their initial argument, and afterwards, the audience was allotted time to address each professor with both questions and criticism. Each professor then used the remaining three minutes apiece to make a closing argument.

Opening the event, president Chopp said, “Team Jacob contacted me about starting a university [on another planet]. Where else would they go?” Then, she invited each professor to begin their opening arguments.

“I feel like the guy who brings stinger missiles to a duel with two unarmed opponents,” Stephenson said. In his argument, he explained that while the humanities can perform crucial tasks such as analyzing existentialism, the natural sciences could purify water, produce medicines and perform other tasks that would be more immediately useful when settling on other planets.

“This is Swarthmore however, and perhaps we should look at prosperity as thriving – looked at this way, the other divisions at least have a fighting chance,” Stephenson said. “The real question is which division will allow humanity to flourish with or without other life forms.”

He argued that perhaps the natural sciences would best allow humanity to flourish since they allow us comforts such as water and medicine and, perhaps, even a way to connect with alien life forms. In an effort to win over the audience, Stephenson intensified his argument. “Science has brought us fermentation. And only a scientist can preserve this technology for our new society,” he said as the audience laughed. Also, he spoke of science as the origin of the birth control pill.

He humorously said, “It gave a bunch of college students the chance to have fun without taking responsibility. Why doesn’t the Nobel Committee get it?”

Without the discovery of neither fermentation nor birth control, professor Ledbetter of the humanities faced quite a challenge. However, beginning ironically, she said, “I will pass over the point that we are tasked with regenerating humanity. Wouldn’t it make sense for the humanities to regenerate humanity? Only if one truly understands language.”

Ledbetter argued that, during the time of Plato, all three divisions were once considered as intimately linked. Thus, philosophy, mathematics and history were all perceived as part of the same spectrum of knowledge.

“If Classics were the only division in the bathtub, it would eventually give birth to all of the other divisions.

Students would learn to see how all of the divisions are interconnected,” she said.

Also, the Classics department has more gods, and those gods are, according to Ledbetter, more fun than those in other departments.

In closing, she challenged Stephenson’s assertion that the natural sciences would be alone in creating a party culture. Rather, she believes that the study of the Classics “would insist, with religious sanction, that we have fun.”

Finally, Schwartz took to the stage and opened by asserting that the humanities and natural sciences have already discovered all that their divisions will ever discover. Even with an audience full of natural science majors, Schwartz said, “If not another scientific fact is discovered, ever, the world would survive.”

Schwartz explained that technology makes it possible for humans to live comfortable, healthy lives and the study of the humanities reveals how a humane world should look. Yet, Schwartz argued that those

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studying the social sciences still “have work to do, because [those in the humanities and natural sciences] don’t know enough to induce people to live in ways that bring decent and humane societies into being.”

He continued to emphasize this point in his discussion, specifically in light of healthcare advances in the developed world, which have essentially conquered acute disease and working to cope with chronic disease.

“I know there are some optimistic people, who probably never leave [the science center] who hope that there will be a technological fix for everything,” Schwartz said, “but we all know how wrong that turns out to be.” For Schwartz, it seems that the natural sciences have achieved all they can.

In comparison, he explained that in the social sciences, recent advances demonstrate continual and substantial progress in the study of perception and human happiness. “Give [social scientists] a chance on another planet,” Schwartz said, “and we’ll eventually find a way to enable people to take full advantage of science, literature … and even classics.”

Following the separate arguments, the professors listened to the audience in a spirited Q&A session.

Questions included, “How would your division entertain people on another planet?” and “What would you teach first?” In the end, the job of choosing a winner was up to President Chopp’s clap-o-meter. Initially, each division seemed to receive equal amounts of thunder-

Jakob Mrozewski Phoenix Staff

President Rebecca Chopp introduces the faculty debators for the 5th annual Bathtub Debates. ous applause. However, Chopp named Barry Schwartz of the social sciences as the official Bathtub Debate winner. For a prize, Schwartz received a comical rubber duck to keep all of those social scientists company while they are in their interstellar bathtub.

Crossword ACROSS 1. Cheer (for) 5. Corner of a diamond 9. 1988 Summer Olympics city 14. _____ facto 15. Cries of surprise 16. Laceless shoes 17. List-ending abbr.

18. Strike from a list 19. “It’s _____ against time” 20. HOLEY 23. Threaten, like a guard dog 24. “Yikes!”

25. It’s about 78% nitrogen 26. Winter ailment 28. Texas _____ M 32. Undercover operation 35. Miss America headwear 37. Try to win, in romance 38. HOLY 41. Uganda’s _____ Amin 42. Fruit desserts 43. Roger who played the same role seven times 44. Exclamation before “darn it!”

46. Coquettish 47. Emeril’s catchword 48. Louisville Slugger wood 50. Ray of light 54. WHOLLY 57. “Lorna _____” 59. Egg-shaped 60. North Carolina university whose mascot is also a Phoenix 61. Patronize, as a restaurant 62. Hockey player’s deceptive move 63. Actress Sofer of “General Hospital” 64. Astronomer Tycho 65. Yankee or Angel, for short 66. Poems of praise

9. Hammett sleuth 10. California’s state motto 11. _____ Little, “The Wire” gangster 12. _____ symbol (bar code) 13. Campus concert featuring The Roots, Estelle, and Girl Talk in the past few years, for short 21. Get down from a horse 22. Brain surgeon’s prefix 26. Ulysses S. Grant bill 27. Statutes 29. “Horton Hears _____” 30. Pinot _____ 31. Idiot 32. Gulp from a bottle 33. Heading on a list of errands 34. Eye part 35. Bullring bull

36. Giorgio of fashion 39. Millionaire’s boat, perhaps 40. Speedy Gonzales’s hat 45. Palindromic woman’s name 47. Gordon Hayward’s team that lost in last year’s March Madness championship game 49. Diez minus tres 50. Cottonmouth or adder 51. Tried to catch a conger 52. Make up for, as sins 53. Mocking birds?

54. Smidgen 55. Dr. Pepper, for one 56. Stuntmaster Knievel 57. Girl at a ball 58. Viking ship need

BY BEN SCHNEIDERMAN

DOWN 1. Cambodian currency 2. Choose to participate 3. Japanese city near Kyoto 4. Accepting 5. Hobo’s ride, perhaps 6. “What _____!” (“That’s funny!”)

7. Aretha Franklin’s singing style 8. “Cómo _____?”

February 10, 2011

For the solution to this week’s puzzle, see The Phoenix’s online edition at www.swarthmorephoenix.com.

THE PHoENIX

swarthmorephoenix.com

d a t e s

d a n g e r NINJA GRAMS

It’s not too late, to Screw Your Roommate!

Only $3 for a Valentine’s Day greeting a friend (or a secret crush) is sure never to forget! Attacks will occur on Monday, Feb. 14th.

All the proceeds go to Global Neighbors and the CADES community mosaic. Buy them now at the top of Sharples during lunch or dinner.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 12 Place: Sharples RSVP: Your Roommate’s Job Please Bring: Awkwardness

editor’s P I CK S

B

W E

A

E R

By Dina Zingaro

Life on Mars?

Geologist Lisa Pratt presents “Seeking Signs of Life on Mars” and her work with NASA to design a mission to Mars to look for signs of past life.

SHIHAN Def Jam poet performs with O.A.S.I.S. Swarthmore’ s first spoken word poetry group

Today, Feb. 10 8:00 p.m.

Science Center 199 Friday, Feb. 11 7:00 p.m.

LPAC Cinema

d i c t i o n

d i s c o v e r y THE PHOENIX

February 10, 2011

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Opinions

swarthmorephoenix.com

Staff Editorial

OpenLeaks improves on WikiLeaks standards For several weeks last year, the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks dominated newspaper front pages and nightly broadcasts with its “leaking” of confidential and highly sensitive documents, such as a large number of US State Department cables. The WikiLeaks method of acquiring, reviewing and analyzing top secret documents presented many government officials, journalist and the public with the difficult questions about anonymity and national security.

But starting this spring, OpenLeaks, a proposed successor and alternative to WikiLeaks, will become operational.

OpenLeaks was founded by several former WikiLeaks employees after the scandal surrounding WikiLeaks’s founder Julian Assange became conflated with the organization’s work. The OpenLeaks model differs from that of its predecessor in how it uses the leaked documents.

OpenLeaks is solely in charge of collecting and rendering documents, which includes removing traces of the source and checking the document’s validity.

WikiLeaks oversaw the entire source-to-publication process, which included the collecting and rendering, as well as writing an article about the document and its signification and publishing the article. WikiLeaks, though, would not publish the leaked document in its entirety on their website.

The OpenLeaks model allows the person submitting the document to decide who will get to see the document after it is processed, whether a specific member or members of the OpenLeaks community or the entire OpenLeaks community. The community will be composed of NGOs, advocacy groups and media organizations, half of which will be selected by OpenLeaks and half of which will be selected publicly.

This model is a clear improvement on the WikiLeaks model. Though both processes guarantee the whistleblower the same anonymity and security, the OpenLeaks model offers the whistleblower more power in choosing who will receive and publish the information.

Rather than a non-transparent group analyzing the document, like WikiLeaks did, OpenLeaks is a better option as it caters more towards the whistleblower’s preference as to who will see the document. The separation of the submission portion from the analysis and publication portion of the process is also an improvement. Quality will increase if the steps of the process are delegated to two or more organizations.

OpenLeaks can improve the submission and rendering process since it no longer has to focus on analyzing the documents and publishing articles. This eliminates the conflict of interest an organization that both collected documents and published about them might have.

On a global level, OpenLeaks serves the important and necessary role of collecting anonymous submissions of classified documents to increase transparency in government. Though WikiLeaks and its work were deemed detrimental by some countries, its check on governments’ secrecy was ultimately beneficial, since most of the U.S. State Department cables released to several global news outlets in December were insignificant.

The U.S.’s attempts to suppress the information only went to show how beneficial to democracy an organization like WikiLeaks could be. The publication of the information in submitted documents provided a further necessary accountability mechanism to monitor state activity.

OpenLeaks is also working on improving the WikiLeaks submission process through improving the security the anonymous submission process.

Additionally, OpenLeaks plans to find the legal basis for whistleblowers in their jurisdictions in order to further increase the security of the whistleblower. This will clearly make submission seem safer to potential whistleblowers, and, as such, it will encourage submissions.

The Internet provides a unique opportunity for whistleblowers to share information that countries keep secret unnecessarily. Both WikiLeaks and OpenLeaks state their commitment to ensuring that information which could endanger lives will not be released.

However, the WikiLeaks site states, “in all cases, WikiLeaks will only redact the details that are absolutely necessary.” A video published by OpenLeaks mirrors this intention, though the OpenLeaks model limits the extent to which they can be the ones removing potentially dangerous information since they aren’t the ones publishing anything.

Though WikiLeaks, OpenLeaks and smaller sites serving the same purpose provide a great service to society, questions must be raised regarding the right of small group of private citizens to hold sway over such information.

The WikiLeaks model had worse implications for this problem because the same small group of people both accepted submission and analyzed and published on the documents. WikiLeaks worked to promote transparency, and yet the transparency of their organization was questionable.

OpenLeaks seems a promising improvement on the model, mostly because the transparency of the process is greater. Whichever organization goes on to publish something on the submitted document, it is clear that the whistleblower had some input into who would analyze and publish about the document.

This increases the number of people and organizations that see the document before it is published — the whistleblower, OpenLeaks, and the organization or organizations that publish the document. Accordingly, a larger group of people will make the decision to release this information, lending the release more

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Emma Waitzman Phoenix Staff

legitimacy.

The beginning of OpenLeaks operations this spring will provide further transparency to a process that seeks to provide transparency and accountability to government actions. However, the improvements in the variety of sources that decide to publish classified information do not mask the potential for the release of information that could threaten lives.

Letter, OP-eD anD cOmment POLicy Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication.

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All comments posted online and all op-eds and letters must be signed and should include the writer’s full name.

An editorial represents the opinions of the members of the Opinions Board: Camila Ryder, Marcus Mello and Olivia Natan.

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

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Letters may be signed by a maximum of five individuals. Op-eds may be signed by a maximum of two individuals. The Phoenix will not accept pieces exclusively attributed to groups,

February 10, 2011

although individual writers may request that their group affiliation be included.

The Phoenix Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Please report corrections to: corrections@swarthmorephoenix.com Letters, corrections and news tips may also be submitted online to the paper by clicking “Contact” on the Phoenix website.

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Opinions

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Super Bowl reminds us of America’s promise It’s early Monday morning, just after midnight. A couple hours ago, the Green Bay Packers came out on top in Super Bowl XLV. But that detail is irrelevant.

We are sitting in a circle in my dorm, taking a break from work and getting ready to kick off a new week. The Super Bowl tends to dominate the conversation, from who is to blame for the Tyler Becker Steeler’s hard-fought loss to The Swarthmore the flashy Black Eyed Peas halftime show.

Conservative There are still hard feelings present; most of the group was rooting for the Steelers, dominated by a Pittsburgh native still reeling from his team’s defeat.

Meanwhile, the only Green Bay fan in the room sports his green and yellow while pouring everyone hot chocolate.

The discussion turns to one of the night’s low points: Christina Aguilera’s utter butchering of the National Anthem. One person in the room is not from America and is unsure how our country’s national anthem goes. Within a few seconds, the room is beaming with the sounds of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Although not completely intune, it was nonetheless a flawless rendition.

Sitting on the windowsill partaking in this event, I did not think much about the meaning of what was going on around me. It was not until the next morning that I sat up in my bed and thought about the patriotism that was displayed the previous night.

And by patriotism I do not mean watching the Super Bowl and singing the National Anthem means you have to

agree with each and every thing the government does. I am talking about this notion in America that despite all of our differences, black and white, conservatives and liberals, Packers fans and Steelers fans, we can still come together and enjoy a good football game.

This would not be possible in a lot of the rest of the world. In light of recent events, particularly in Egypt, I wonder why others deny American exceptionalism. They do not have a firm understanding of the concept and choose to focus on the past atrocities committed by and in the United States.

Despite this, most Americans, no matter their ethnicity or background, are still willing to sing “The StarSpangled Banner” and huddle around and watch the Super Bowl. This unity is an exceptional feat.

We often take the stability and political rights we enjoy in America for granted. Some are far too quick to criticize the idea that America is a “shining city on the hill.”

Others seek to downplay this idea. Still others repeatedly try to have the Pledge of Allegiance banned in our public schools. There is no doubt that the promotion of American exceptionalism is on the decline.

President Obama made some of the right steps in his State of the Union a couple weeks ago. This contrasts to his past inability to understand the uniqueness of American exceptionalism. In 2009, Obama stated “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.”

This is a misunderstanding of American exceptionalism because one of the core aspects of the belief is that America is different from other countries in the values it seeks to promote and its ability to achieve those values. It was nice to see the President go in the other direction.

It is acceptable to be patriotic. While we cannot forget the past, we must look to the future. I am afraid that

singing the National Anthem in 50 years will be more of a chore than a celebratory event if we continue to allow others to downgrade America.

I hear everyday people discuss institutional oppression and discrimination as if America has not moved in a positive direction toward true equality in a long time. I believe that this notion ignores recent history and many of the positive developments that have occurred.

We need to remember that our values are moral and, as issues arise, we, as Americans, will address them in the best way possible. The American system gives us the ability to do this.

This breaking out into “The Star-Spangled Banner” in unison has reminded me of something that I feel is often missing in academic circles: a distinct love of America.

We often focus on the past wrongs committed in our society.

While it is important to understand the past so we do not make the same mistakes in the future, just the fact that we have learned from these mistakes should be celebrated. Instead, we focus on what is wrong in our current society.

I am not saying that there is nothing that needs to be changed to move our society closer to its values; in fact, there are many improvements that could be made that would better achieve true liberty and equality.

But, we need to occasionally reflect on all that is good about our society and how our values are noble and right.

Learn from the past, but think toward the future.

In the present, while you innocently watch the Super Bowl or hear a nostalgic delivery of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung aloud, take time to revel in these moments.

This is America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Tyler is a first-year. He can be reached at tbecker1@swarthmore.edu.

Class, race and Populism in Obama’s America As Democrats’ prospects for the 2010 midterm elections grew increasingly dim, a chorus of voices from the “professional left” called on the president to abandon his frail and poorly articulated message of bipartisan pragmatism in favor of FDR-style populism.

Liberals like New York Times columnist Frank Jon Erwin-Frank Rich argued that by aggresSensible Socialist sively attacking banks, the financial industry and the concentration of wealth, Obama could galvanize his base and win back support among those older and whiter voters who were deeply distrustful of the bank bailout and healthcare bills and appeared poised to hand Congress back to the Republicans. Obama chose to ignore these calls. He made the right decision.

I should first note that the administration deserves criticism for its inconsistent and inadequate messaging, particularly on the healthcare bill. Obama and Congressional Democrats failed to lay out in a simple and accessible manner how the bill would benefit most individual Americans.

Only as they defend the bill from the threat of repeal have Democrats begun to effectively yield simple talking points regarding the tangible and universal benefits that are part of the bill — i.e. no lifetime limits, coverage regardless of preexisting conditions, kids on parents’ insurance until 26, etc.

Nonetheless, ineffective messaging accounts for only a small piece of what happened in the midterms. Much of the public, particularly those voters enthusiastic about voting in the midterms, was reflexively opposed to the healthcare bill. They instinctively believed it would threaten their health security in order to provide benefits to the poor.

These same voters would resoundingly reject a populist tirade against big business and the rich. Attacking finance and the banks might have gained more traction, but particularly after the Citizens United ruling, carried considerable risk.

On the recommendation of a Swarthmore political sci-

THE PHOENIX

ence professor, I recently read Thomas Edsall’s “Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race Rights and Taxes on American Politics.” Edsall’s compelling and well-substantiated thesis posits that through effective manipulation of the issues of race, rights and taxes, Republicans built a top-down majority coalition by convincing a crucial swath of mostly white working-class voters that they would protect their interests against a redistribution-focused Democratic party captured by poor minority special interests.

This strategy, from its inception in the late 1960s, has relied on the political salience of a black urban underclass to convince working class white voters — whose already insecure economic position was made more precarious by deindustrialization, periodic recessions and civil rights policies that increased competition for jobs and education — that “big government” and all kinds of social welfare meant redistribution from hard-working whites to those poor minorities who were implicitly described as lazy — see the welfare mother — or criminal — see the hoodlum.

Others, such as Tali Mendelberg in The Race Card, have shown the potency of race in 20th century American politics in specific elections. Mendelberg’s rigorous statistical analysis of public opinion data from the 1988 Dukakis v. Bush election shows that the Willie Horton ads, while explicitly about crime, won votes exclusively by activating racial animus.

Those who call for Obama to take on an aggressive populist tone forget that despite the election of the first black president, race is one of, if not the single defining characteristic of American politics. While demographic and cultural change may have lessened the viability of the racebased Republican electoral strategy, it remains potent, particularly among older voters in crucial swing states in the Midwest and Florida.

For many in today’s America, higher taxes and bigger government still mean more favoritism for unworthy others. Business, by contrast, means small job-producing entrepreneurs whose fortunes determine the livelihood of “average” Americans. Effective messaging might be able to lessen the effect of these associations, but they remain the durable products of nearly 50 years of conservative domination in presidential politics.

Had Obama adopted the language of class, pursued a more ambitious federal spending agenda and aggressively attacked banks, big business and the rich, he would almost certainly have faced an even more severe, and better-fund-

February 10, 2011

ed white backlash. The decision to make healthcare reform the center of his agenda reflected a recognition that the new deal coalition collapsed long ago and was replaced — perhaps until 2008 — by a conservative voting majority defined in large part by its “middle class” whiteness.

In the long run, the healthcare bill will prove to be not just good policy, but good politics. This bill, passed by the party of what remains an unwieldy and not class-based coalition of women, minorities and young people, will provide meaningful and tangible benefits to those white voters who defected from the Democratic party beginning in the late 1960s. It will, I hope, begin the process of stitching together a new bottom-up coalition that will see government intervention not as a threat to education, income and white privilege, but as the only means of ensuring substantial economic opportunity for all.

Those who long for a class-based populist crusade against the new American plutocracy should direct their efforts toward movement building at the grass-roots level.

The most effective means of undoing the white conservative voting majority will be to grow the political power of young people and people of color.

In 2008, despite the onset of the Great Recession, abysmal economic messaging on the part of the McCain campaign and the profound unpopularity of the Bush administration, Obama lost the white vote by 12 percent.

Excluding the south, he won a very slim majority of under two percent. He compensated by winning 95 percent of the black vote and 68 percent of the Hispanic vote.

If what has been, in many respects, an implicitly racebased Republican strategy fails to resonate with Hispanic voters, increasing their electoral strength may force a realignment of the electorate and make economic populism once again a viable political strategy. If progressive activists can dramatically accelerate registration and turnout among Hispanics in just one state, Texas, they could force a dramatic leftward shift in American politics.

Competition may not as readily resonate with liberals as populism, bank bashing or social welfare, but it does provide a coherent narrative with which to build a majority coalition in support of an active government while avoiding toxic and racially charged notions of “big government” and not antagonizing the financial interests whose political power has reached a zenith. In the short term, it is the ideal narrative for national Democrats.

Jon is a senior. He can be reached at jerwinf@swarthmore.edu.

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Opinions Citizens United reinforces right to political speech

swarthmorephoenix.com

It’s been a solid year since Court Justice Samuel Alito, during the 2010 State of the Union Address, proved why he pursued legal studies instead of professional ventriloquism.

As is now well-known, Alito was snagged mouthing “not true” when President Obama admonished the Court for its Danielle Charette Citizens United v. Federal The Nascent Neoliberal Election Commission ruling, saying ‘Well, I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities.”

Obama’s scolding refers to the decision which overturned aspects of the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act so that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts is now protected under the First Amendment. Following the path of a 1976 decision, the Court pursued the logic that sharing political speech necessitates money. As such, restricting money restricts speech.

Of course, the Citizens United case opened the floodgates for Obama to warn against cash-flow from the Holy Trinity of boogeymen: “Big Oil, Wall Street banks [and] health-insurance companies.” Following suit, the New York Times smeared the decision as a “blow to democracy,” as if the Times’ exemption from funding restrictions under its “media corporation” designation is the most egalitarian thing since Paul Revere’s midnight ride.

Public campaign finance reform is equally dubious.

A dismal eight percent of Americans opted for voluntary funding participation on their income tax form in 2008.

Even Obama, a politician with impressive fundraising capacities, partially woke up to the scam when he rejected public funding in the name of heftier private donors.

In doing so, Obama, at least in his behavior, proved

public financing to be what the nation has long suspected: the naked emperor. Finally, bewildered voters can stop being swindled out of their free speech.

In the aftermath of November’s so-called Republican “shellacking,” outrageous campaign contributions have been added to the media hit-list. But the notion that the Supreme Court indirectly bought a Republican victory causes my conservative eyebrows to raise.

Firstly, loosening up independent expenditures benefits corporations and labor unions. Under the Orwellian system the court has finally overturned, groups weren’t even allowed to send politically-related emails to their employees.

Previously, the FEC had kept watch on 33 types of political utterances and 71 different guises of “speakers,” amassing 800 pages of rules and 1200 pages of explanation (You might even bet on reading less in Swarthmore Professor Weinstein’s Modern Epic class …).

Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union — which incidentally has spent $20 million on politics in the past five elections — issued the draconian statement that corporations will “funnel their shareholders’ money straight to a campaign’s coffers.”

This is faulty with a capital “F.” Corporate contributions to actual candidate campaigns are still restricted with gusto. Last year’s ruling only freed independent advocacy. If companies or unions attempt so much as an iota of commentary regarding a specific election or political issue in a book or movie, the FEC is free to swarm.

Truly, for-profit companies like Starbucks are unlikely to alienate customers by racing full-throttle into political-pandering. When Target foolhardily jumped too heavily into policy concerning gay-rights, it underwent an LGBT counter-attack. Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike drink coffee, buy Coke products and like Microsoft, and CEOs know this.

As for folks who want to stir hype about judicial activism and catch Originalist-minded thinkers in a hypocritical tap-dance, that doesn’t amount to much either. It is the Court’s duty to safeguard our

Constitution and reign in Congress when it stampedes across the Bill of Rights.

Moreover, as Justice Scalia notes in his decision, the 355 chartered corporations in the United States by the end of the 18th century illustrate an early and robust privilege for business associations to express themselves. Certainly founders like Thomas Jefferson, who preferred an agrarian sensibility, were not friends of colonial business, but just because companies were unfavorable did not mean a Philadelphian fist was shoved in their mouths.

Indeed, religious, educational and artistic firms were incorporated quite early under general statutes.

Corporations and voluntary assemblies alike enjoyed privileged speech. An excellent example is an abolitionist Quaker corporation which petitioned the First Congress, printed in newspapers and distributed pamphlets in 1790.

For the old insistence that money is not speech, that’s like saying the Washington Post can no longer pay its writers, production-staff or distributers on the grounds that it is engaging in political proclamations.

In our everyday lives, we speak with our wallets. If we like a pair of jeans, we buy them. If the humane society aligns with our sentiments, we write a charitable check. The last-ditch argument that the Free Speech Clause is only relevant to individuals and not corporations is also hogwash since the Green Party, Sierra Club and Newsweek aren’t individuals, yet their speech has long been encompassed by the First Amendment.

Yes, Citizens United overturned precedent, but sometimes this is necessary. If decisions were always sacrosanct, the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” ruling would still be on the books. During the 2007-08 election cycle, spending for all U.S. campaigns, at the municipality level up to the president, totaled $8.6 billion.

To put that in context, the sum is about what Americans spend each year on potato chips. Here’s one comfort food government doesn’t have to ban.

Danielle is a first-year. She can be reached at dcharet1@swarthmore.edu.

Around higher educAtion

Appreciate the power of Philadelphia politics

BY EVAN MEDINA dailypennsylvanian.com, Feb. 8, 2011

Readers, I have a confession to make. I didn’t vote for Philadelphia City Controller in 2009.

To all of those disappointedly shaking their heads at me right now — perhaps there are a few of you — please accept my apologies.

But to all of those still asking, “What on earth is a City Controller and why would I vote for one?” know that you are not alone. Odds are that you and your friends didn’t vote in that particular election either.

Even those of you who aren’t into politics have probably heard of the socalled ongoing “crisis” that is low voter turnout. But if low national turnout is a crisis, then turnout on the local level is a Bruce Willis-style Armageddon.

According to a paper published in the Urban Affairs Review in 2003, “existing evidence suggests that turnout in city elections may average half that of national elections, with turnout in some cities regularly falling below one-quarter of the voting-age population.”

One might ask — is 25-percent turnout really comparable to gigantic asteroid jettisoning from space to

16

nection between the decisions made in destroy all life on Earth?

No, of course not. But it is sympto- Philadelphia and our everyday lives,” matic of an important issue: citizens said Penn Democrats President and are largely unaware of the impact College junior Isabel Friedman. “They local government makes in their connect more with federal decision everyday lives. That includes Penn making.”

I completely agree, but it wasn’t the students.

Take air quality, for instance. federal government that rebuilt the Thanks in part to Mayor Michael South Street Bridge, which opened Nutter’s efforts on the Greenworks after a 23-month reconstruction projPhiladelphia campaign — a plan to ect last November. Eighty percent of make Philadelphia the most “green” its funding came from the federal government, but city in it was the America by Philadelphia 2015 — I don’t expect all Penn students Department SEPTA is of Streets now running to lobby for their own city ordi- that manmore than nances, but perhaps we could aged the proj260 cleanerect, finishing b u r n i n g be more aware of what local ahead of hybrid buses. schedule and T h e government is doing. on budget. hybrids are Yes, a govalso quieter, ernment which is a big deal for any student living on a agency can actually do that.

Of course, nothing in this column is SEPTA route who has been woken up at 3 a.m. to the sound of a screeching intended to suggest there are no Penn bus engine. I should know — I’ve been students that recognize the power of local government. College senior there.

What accounts for this disconnect Jason Goodman, a resident of Lower between citizens and local govern- Merion, certainly has.

Goodman lobbied his hometown to ment?

“Students might not make the con- pass an ordinance prohibiting disFebruary 10, 2011

crimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodations. After a year’s worth of work, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance last December.

“I was frustrated with the lack of [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] equality in the state laws,” said Goodman, who is the vice chair for political affairs of the Lambda Alliance, Penn’s umbrella organization for LGBT groups.

“There are many things that local governments can do and have done which are very relevant,” he added.

“It’s really important to stay in the know about what’s going on.”

I don’t expect all Penn students to lobby for their own city ordinances, but perhaps we could be more aware of what local government is doing.

Maybe even vote once or twice.

And just to quench your undying thirst for random facts, Philadelphia’s City Controller is Alan Butkovitz.

Sparing you all the details, his job is to help save the taxpayers money as the financial watchdog of the city.

Sounds like a position worth caring about, particularly considering that many of you seniors out there start paying real taxes next year. the PhoeniX

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grading the Super Bowl: tim gives it a B-plus J u s t ing power isn’t there. It will get respectdon’t call it ful notice in columns like these during an “event,” this week alone, then be left to recede because on into the murkier general theme of Sunday it “Aaron Rodgers made the big throws clearly left when he needed to, and that’s what hapthe capa- pened.”

Compelling? Absolutely. But a B-plus bilities of that word all the same.

Not that that stopped the game from in the dust.

No, this becoming the latest most-watched TV some- show in U.S. history. In the face of a Timothy Bernstein was t h i n g looming work stoppage, this might Bullet Points more. This have been almost poetic (“facing the was ... a possibility of a future without football, m o m e n t . America tuned in to say their farewells Frozen in time to preserve everything in record numbers”) if the show it had we hold dear to ourselves as to beat wasn’t … last year’s Super Bowl.

Americans. A moment that wasn’t sim- On the bright side, if there is a lockout, at least FOX can hold on to the record ply about football, not even close.

There was redemption in there, too. for one extra year. So, you see, everyHope. Pain. Anger. And euphoria. body wins.

Everyone but the Steelers, that is.

There was overcoming adversity, from within and without, to reach the pinna- Pittsburgh certainly could have played cle of achievement. All of it executed worse than they did, but this was one of beautifully, one might even say flaw- those performances that makes the idea of experience as a decisive advantage lessly, by the FOX network.

So, yeah, I guess you could say I seem quaint and beside the point.

Mendenhall, Ben Roethlisberger and thought Sunday night’s episode of “Glee” was pretty f-ing good. When will Troy Polamalu, with five titles between Finn and Rachel see they’re meant for them, each had notably disappointing performances. Roethlisberger commiteach other?!

On a side note: The Super Bowl was- ted two interceptions on throws that were doomed n’t bad. Not allfrom the start, time great, but each of which worth the four turned into a hours by a long All things considered, will touchdown for shot. Peter King this be the Super Bowl we Green Bay. in Sports Mendenhall’s Illustrated called mention in February 2012? fumble also it a “B-plus” and Probably not. became a just on instinct, Packers touchthat seems about down, while right. Mostly, the Polamalu, lack of a crunchtime highlight-reel moment — Tyree’s fresh off winning NFL Defensive Player Helmet Catch, Tracy Porter’s pick-six of the Year, was rendered nearly invisi— will keep it from becoming truly ble (and … slow?) by Rodgers’s laserlike memorable, but don’t mistake this precision. Mike Tomlin, coaching in his game for a disappointment. Unless, of second Super Bowl, committed a costly course, you’re one of the 400 people blunder by having his kicker attempt a whose seats weren’t installed in time, 52-yard field goal to pull within a point, and please join me in a moment of which he would miss in a fashion that prayer that one of those people was a would cause Mike Vanderjagt to beam member of that dubious “Miss with pride. The Steelers appeared Weddings, Miss Childbirths, But never strangely rattled at times, twice forced Miss a Super Bowl” club. Fate is rarely to call a timeout because they were out of position in the second half, which left so just.

The absence of a seminal moment them with only one timeout on their was not for lack of trying. At times, it final drive.

For whatever all of the Steelers’ seemed as if the game had everything but one of those plays. There was the experience might be worth, it couldn’t early-game highlight reel moment that make up the difference against a team was cool but didn’t decide anything that outplayed them and now has the (Nick Collins’s interception return for a trophy to show for it.

Almost more so than any contest touchdown in the first quarter). There was the game-changing play that we between the teams on the field, the didn’t know would be as important at Super Bowl annually turns into the the time (Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble Battle of the Dueling Narratives, and at the start of the fourth quarter). There this year was no different. By midweek, was even the rare crunch-time Big Play the question was whether the game that wouldn’t look good out of context, would follow the pleasingly alliterative which came when Aaron Rogers com- “Roethlisberger’s Road to Redemption” pleted the clutch third-down pass to or the provocatively themed “Aaron Greg Jennings that allowed the Packers Rodgers: The Next Great Quarterback” to go up by six points with two minutes and now we have our answer. Putting aside the dubious notion that winning left.

The play, obviously, was huge for the Super Bowl would be considered Green Bay — an incompletion there atonement for possible sexual assault, forces the Packers to punt the ball to it’s hard to dispute the idea that Pittsburgh, who would need only a field Rodgers has joined the Brees-Bradygoal to tie — but the SportsCenter stay- Manning level in the NFL. the PhoenIX

Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/rcrqc

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV last Sunday.

Three seasons in, he already owned the league’s highest passer rating in both regular season and the playoffs, and now he has a Super Bowl ring to add to it. Rodgers, as was the case all postseason, never seemed intimidated by the task at hand on Sunday, calmly dissecting the Pittsburgh defense despite repeated drops from his receiving corps. His feelings immediately after winning the championship? “Let’s get another one.”

In the words of the immortal Jon Gruden, “Now this guy Aaron Rodgers, this is a guy who you can just tell wants to win.” I’m glad he’s here.

All things considered, will this be the Super Bowl we mention in February 2012, if we’re forced to get way too involved in pre-spring training?

Probably not. It has the disadvantage of coming on the heels of Giants/Patriots and Steelers/Cardinals. But doesn’t that tell us something more interesting?

Two years in a row, we got classics, and the games rewarded the millions of people who watched beyond anything they could have expected. This year, we got a very solid, at times exciting con-

test between two small-market teams that was in doubt with two minutes to go. No Helmet Catch. No toe-tipping in the back of the end zone. No wide right at the last second. And now it’s the highest-rated show in the history of television.* *Until the next Super Bowl comes along and beats it.

This is the state of the NFL right now, not giving us what we want so much as telling us that what we want is what it has.

Not to say that a labor agreement can’t be reached, but if you have any doubts about the kind of hole that a season without football would leave on every part of the culture, look no further than that episode of “Glee” that aired right after the game.

Ratings-wise, the show is usually a little like the football game was: Solid, dependable, but unspectacular. On Monday morning, the numbers came in: highest-rated scripted program in three full years.

I ask: Who out there is surprised?

Tim is a sophomore. You can reach him at tbernst1@swarthmore.edu.

garnet athlete of the week

February 10, 2011

Rebecca Teng fy., swimming, new yoRk, ny.

whaT she’s done: The first-year captured a double-win in the garnet’s recent meet against dickinson.

Teng won both the 200 im (2:14.64) and the 200 breaststroke (2:32.55). her time in the latter race was a season-best and the third fastest conference time this season.

favoRiTe caReeR momenT: “it was a great feeling winning the Ursinis meet. That meet really showed off our depth and versatility as a team ... The win meant more than just settling a score — it meant the world to our rivalry with Ursinis.”

season goaLs: “To place in the top three at conferences.”

favoRiTe pLace in nyc: Paul Chung Phoenix Staff

“metropolitan museum of art.”

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Sports Men’s basketball defeats Hopkins, but falls 78-72 to Washington College big men really stepped it up on defense, and our team was able to outscore Hopkins in the paint, which was a huge After a frustrating stretch of games, factor,” Eugene Prymak ’13 said. the Swarthmore men’s basketball team The game against Johns Hopkins was finally broke through with a win, topping the Wall O’Mahony game, which is Johns Hopkins 53-50 last Saturday. The played in memory of two Johns Hopkins win snapped a five game losing streak alumni who perished at the World Trade that dated to January 15.

Center on Sept. 11. Gates was named the With the win, the Garnet improved to Swarthmore MVP of the game.

6-15 on the season and 3-11 in Centennial The victory was the first road win of Conference play. Perhaps more impor- the season for the Garnet, and tantly, the win pushed the Blue Jays (5-16, Swarthmore’s first in Baltimore this mil3-11 CC) back into the Centennial cellar. lennium. The Garnet had not won a road Neither team shot particularly well game against Johns Hopkins since 1997. during the game, which kept it close. The Swarthmore looked to keep things Garnet went into the half down by two rolling in Wednesday night’s late game at points, and after some back and forth Washington. The Garnet played to avenge play got the lead thanks to Will Gates ’13 a 74-64 loss on December 8. However, the and Jay Kober ’14. The lead didn’t ever team could not pick up the win and lost get to be more than three, but that was all by a score of 78-72. the Garnet needed.

The Garnet It was a onehad a strong perpoint game for against “Clearly our defense did formance much of the final the Shoremen, minute. Gates was led by 22 points a much better job of pre- from credited with a Kober. venting high percentage Unfortunately, game-saving steal after some stellar that wasn’t quite shooting than it has in defense by Kober enough as and Sam Lacy ’11, some recent games.”

Washington and added two free staged a secondEugene Prymak ’13 throws to give the half rally to Garnet a three emerge with a 78point cushion.

72 win.

The time remaining on the clock?

Working with a halftime lead of eight, Only a third of a second — too little for the Garnet played well through the secHopkins to get a shot off. ond half. But the Shoremen went on a 15Gates just missed a double-double, 4 run in the latter end of the half to pull leading the offense with 21 points while out the win. grabbing nine boards. Kober added 17 A solid offensive effort led to several points of his own. In fact, just five Garnet Garnet players scoring in double-digits. players scored in the game, but that Besides Kober, Gates (13 points), Jordan proved to be enough to beat the Blue Federer ’14 (12), and Jordan Martinez ’13 Jays.

(12) carried the offense.

Impressive free throw shooting was The Garnet had one of the better free key to the win. The Garnet went 17-20 throw shooting days in Centennial from the line, while the Blue Jays shot Conference history, making their first 22 only 67.9 percent. attempts, just missing a CC record.

The defensive performance was much Swarthmore finished 26 of 29 for the stronger than previous games, as the night.

Garnet held Hopkins to only 31.1 percent The Garnet begin their final homesshooting for the day. “We played good tand of the season on Saturday, hosting team defense and neutralized their inside first place Franklin and Marshall at players,” Kober said.

Tarble Pavilion. Swarthmore looks to “Clearly our defense did a much better improve upon an 85-46 loss to the job of preventing high percentage shoot- Diplomats earlier this season. Tiping than it has in some recent games. Our off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

swarthmorephoenix.com

sports in brief

BY DANIEL DUNCAN dduncan1@swarthmore.edu

garnet in action Friday, FEb. 11 Track & field at Boston University Valentine Invitational, 5 p.m.

tuESday, FEb. 15 Badminton vs. Bryn Athyn, 7 p.m.

Saturday, FEb. 12 Track & field at Boston University Valentine Invitational, 11 a.m.

Women’s basketball vs. Franklin & Marshall (Senior Day), 2 p.m.

Men’s basketball vs. Franklin & Marshall (Senior Night), 4 p.m.

WEdnESday, FEb. 16 Women’s basketball vs. Bryn Mawr, 6 p.m.

Men’s basketball vs. McDaniel (Senior Night), 8 p.m.

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GO GARNET!

Philip Koonce The Phoenix

Sophomore Jacob Phillips came in 8th in the 1 mile race with a time of 15:47.40.

Track & field shines at Keogh Invitational Men’s and Women’s Track & Field competed at the Keogh Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Haverford College.

Four from the men’s team qualified for the Centennial Conference Championships. Jacob Phillips ’13, Chris Wickham ’12, and Stuart Russell ’14 qualified in the 5,000 meter run with times of 15:47.40, 16:11.41, and 16:11.78, respectively.

John McMinn ’13 qualified for his 1 mile time of 4:41.06.

The Invitational also saw personal and season bests for the men’s team.

Richard Scott ’14 ran a 2:02.24 in the 800 meter run and Daniel Ly ’12 received a 42-4.00 in the triple jump. At the Widener Multi Event, Eric Verhasselt ’13 ran 10.85 in the 55 meter hurdles, 1410.5 in the long jump, 27-8 in shot put, and 3:04.08 in the 1,000 meter run.

From the women’s team, six qualified for the Conference Championships.

Kenyetta Givans ’12 received first place in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.61. Givans also made Swarthmore record at Haverford, garnering 9th place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.23.

Hannah Rose ’12 qualified in both

February 10, 2011

the 1 mile and the 800 meter, with times of 5:35.54 and 5:35.05, respectively.

Rebecca Painter ’13, Emma Saarel ’14, Rebecca Woo ’11 and Caitlin Russell ’11 all qualified for the Centennial Championships in the 5,000 meter run.

In the 800 meter run, Rebecca Hammond ’13 came in second place with a time of 2:21.35 and was followed

by Stephanie Beebe ’12 in 11th place (2:26.79) and Katie Gonzalez ’12 with a time of 2:31.62. Vija Lietuvninkas ’14 once again performed well in the high jump, maintaining her spot on the AllTime performance list. Lietuvninkas came in 9th with a 4.10.50.

Select members from the team will run in this weekend’s Boston University Valentine Invitational.

Phillips, Aidan Dumont-McCaffrey ’13, Ly, Saarel, Hammond, Beebe, Painter and Rose will travel to Boston for what is one of the most competitive meets for Track & Field.

The Garnet will run against both Division III and Division I athletes.

The Boston Invitational will be this Friday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 12.

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Women’s swim team drowns Dickinson, Washington

Jakob Mrozewski Phoenix Staff

Charlie Hepper picked up a second place finish in the 200 yard butterfly in the Garnet’s meet against Dickinson with a time of 2:01.29.

BY RENEE FLORES rflores1@swarthmore.edu The Swarthmore women’s swim team (6-3, 5-2 CC) won 107-98 in the Senior Day meet when it hosted Dickinson on Saturday, Feb. 5 and continued this trend when they beat Washington 116-90 at Ware Pool on Tuesday. The men (6-2, 4-2 CC) had a strong showing in their loss to Dickinson 110-95, but rallied to defeat Washington 126-66 in the final dual meet of the season.

From the first event, the Garnet took charge and built an early lead, keeping Dickinson in the lurch.

Rebecca Teng ’14 led the team in event wins in the day, including the 400 medley with fellow “A” team members Margaret Regan ’14, Hannah Gotwals ’13 and Chelsea Brett ’11 with a time of 4:14.00.

The team finished a full 1.45 seconds the Dickinson team touched the wall.

Following this first win, the team fell into a bit of a dry streak, failing to take first in any individual events until Teng came back for her second win of the meet in the 200 IM (2:14.64), finishing almost a full two seconds ahead.

Gotwals took the 200 butterfly, with a

time of 2:18.18 and Erin Lowe ’14 won the 100 freestyle, finishing with a time of 55.97. Teng reemerged with a season-best finish to win the 200 breaststroke, with a time of 2:32.55, third best in the Conference this season.

Although Swarthmore won five events to Dickinson’s six, the Garnet took second in ten of 11 events, which was enough for the team to claim the victory over the Red Devils.

The seniors were excited for the Senior Meet, and expressed joy about their victory over Dickinson. “We went in with high expectations of a really big fight. To go into the last relay knowing we had won, it was great. Beating Dickinson has placed us in the top three. It feels like a huge accomplishment,” Sarah Bedolfe ’11 said.

The men fought throughout the meet, event-by-event in the hopes of winning, and it was not until the last event that the loss was decided.

The men fell behind in the first event, the 400 medley, taking second place.

However, following the 400 medley was the 1000 free, and the Swarthmore men took the first four spots. Sophomores Tyler Hanson (10:13.87), Joshua Satre

Jakob Mrozewski Phoenix Staff

Daniel Duncan was victorious in the 200 IM (2:00.39) in the meet against Dickinson.

THE PHOENIX

(10:19.26), Jacob Benveniste (10:20.84) and Charles Hepper (10:26.62) led for the Garnet.

Hanson’s time marks the best in the Centennial Conference for this season.

Hanson won the 500 freestyle, finishing with a time of 5:00.04, followed by Satre (5:00.43), Peter Ballen ’14 (5:05.55) and Hepper (5:07.19).

Daniel Duncan ’13 finished first in the 200 IM, with a time of 2:00.39. Dickinson took a total of seven individual wins to Swarthmore’s three, but the men were still fighting it out in the final race, the 400 freestyle, only to fall short by a third of a second.

After the meet, the seniors expressed their confidence in the continuing years of the program. “[Coach Sue Davis] knows what everyone needs. And Casmera did a brilliant job first semester.

She is one of the top go-to people for the team,” Allison Bishop ’11 said.

Washington is the last dual meet for the Swarthmore men’s and women’s teams, and as it is also a Conference meet, the team was looking for a win. The tapering system is at its peak and the team is feeling rested and ready to swim as fast as they can. “[I expect] fast times and a big win. And I’m hoping people will drop times,” David Dulaney ’11 said.

“We’re steeling ourselves for a tough meet, but it could definitely be in our favor,” Bedolfe said. And this preparedness worked for the team, as Teng came out for the first win in the fourth event, with a 2:17.50 swim in the 200 IM. Hannah Gotwals won the 200 butterfly, with a time of 2:17.41. Further wins in the day came from Teng, in her second win, the 200 backstroke, touching at 2:15.90. Senior Stephanie Su took the win in the 200 breaststroke at 2:35.14. Following Su was Regan (2:37.38) and Rosalie Lawrence (2:40.82).

The men took top times in every event, using their depth to overwhelm the Shoremen. Tim Brevart ’12 took both the 50 and 100 free, with times of of 22.09 and 49.30 respectively. Daniel Duncan took the 200 free with a time of 1:48.34 and the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.88, a

February 10, 2011

Centennial Conference season-best time.

Sophomore Tyler Hanson won in the 1000 free, finishing in a time of 10:14.91.

Sophomore Josh Satre (10:19.92) and firstyear Brian Nadel (10:35.72) followed.

Jacob Benveniste ’13 won the 500 free (4:59.52) and finished second in the 200 free (1:50.66), followed by Satre (5:00.11) and Hanson (5:01. 71) in the 500.

In the 200 IM, Swarthmore took the top three spots, as sophomore Charlie Hepper (2:07.10), junior Dante Fuoco (2:07.67)and first-year Peter Ballen (2:08.56) made the sweep.

Starting and ending the meet were the Garnet’s relay teams. Sam Bullard-Sisken ’12, Reece Liang ’14, David Dulaney ’11 and Duncan opened the meet with a win in the 400 medley relay (3:45.81), and the squad of first-year John Flaherty, Benveniste, Dulaney and junior Lance Liu closed the meet with a win in the 400 freestyle medley (3:28.42) .

Reflecting on her Swat swim experience Bishop said, “[Everyone] is swimming for this thing called Swarthmore swimming. I would like to be able to come back and see that [the team] is working off of each other’s victories.” Bedolfe and Dulaney echoed these sentiments, saying that the program is looking strong for future seasons, with an enthusiastic firstyear class and great leadership from the junior captains and sophomore representatives.

Right now, the teams are searching for the events that people can swim the best, and trial and error has been the key so far, leading the team to some very strong victories. As the team heads for Championships, it’s a consensus that the team is “in it to win it,” according to Dulaney.

The Swarthmore men’s and women’s teams are two weeks away from the Championships, when they travel to Gettysburg for three days at the Centennial Championships that start February 18.

Daniel Duncan is a sports writer for The Phoenix. He had no role in the production of this article.

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Sports

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Stockbower breaks NCAA double-double record

BY ANA APOSTOLERIS aaposto1@swarthmore.edu When a student enrolls at Swarthmore, she is often all at once faced with the experience of no longer being exceptionally special, in a comparative sense — quite frequently it seems as though the campus is overrun with such a high level of excellence that the task of standing out is an honors seminar in and of itself.

Occasionally, though, there is an outlet for a rising star to play her way over the horizon of mass Swattie overachievement, and for the past four years, the women’s basketball team has provided just such an opportunity to Kathryn Stockbower.

On the cusp of completing her final season in Garnet red, the 6’0” forward’s oncourt career stands to go down as one of the finest Swarthmore has produced. With 1,274 career rebounds as of Feb. 5, she ranks first in Garnet history and currently stands fourth in career points, with 1,631. Last Saturday, she made national history, as she recorded her 80th career double-double, breaking the NCAA Division III record.

Director of Athletics Adam Hertz, who has been with the program since 2001, placed Stockbower among the best that Swarthmore has seen. “I've been fortunate to see some great Swarthmore players during my time here, from All-Americans, to a national Player of the Year,” he said.

“Kathryn can easily rank among those elite players … Kathryn is one of those special players who have the right combination of ability, commitment and humility.”

“Kathryn is without a doubt one of the most consistent players I’ve ever coached,” said head coach Renee DeVarney, who has been at Swarthmore’s helm for six seasons. “Kathryn has been one of the biggest building blocks of the team over the past four years. She’s been a great role model for others in that she just does her job. She’s never showy or flashy, she just gets it done.”

Stockbower, a biology and German studies major from Fort Washington, PA., said that her love of the game started at a young age and that the consistency that DeVarney praised so highly was evident even in her learning curve.

“I started playing basketball in second grade in my township league and have been playing ever since,” she said. “There was never any defining moment where I thought I was good at basketball ... It was more just a natural progression of gradual improvement, moving from one level to the next.”

Eventually, this natural progression led her to college, where Swarthmore’s academic reputation played in its favor.

“I was looking at many of the other schools in the Centennial Conference,” Stockbower said. “It was a tough decision but ultimately it came down to the fact that Swarthmore was the best school academically and seemed like a good fit for my personality — I liked the small classes and diverse student body.”

She also cited a strong team dynamic as one of the Garnet’s major selling points, and her pre-Swarthmore impressions have proven true throughout her Swarthmore experience.

“My favorite thing about being a student-athlete at Swat is the camaraderie

20

that I have developed with my teammates as well as the other student athletes,” she said. “I know this sounds cheesy, but the basketball team is truly like a family — we spend so much time together and always there to support one another.”

Family dynamic aside, there has been much cause for support. Stockbower has a laundry list of accolades which confirms her coach’s assessment of her talent and consistency — she has been “getting it done” since the day she first played at Swarthmore. As a junior, she was named an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and by D3Hoops.com, Academic All-America by ESPN the Magazine and All-Conference First Team for the third year in a row (in 2008, she was only the second first-year in Centennial Conference history to be named to the First Team). She was also recognized last year as the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic Performer of the Year.

She has been a Centennial Conference Academic All-Star in each of her first three seasons, an honor which recognizes outstanding athletic achievement in conjunction with a GPA over 3.4.

Hertz attributed Stockbower’s high level of performance on and off the court to an exceptional work ethic and devotion to the team community. “She knows that she is not bigger than the game and her team, and works within that framework everyday,” he said.

DeVarney said that she considers Stockbower’s perennial achievement and improvement to be even more impressive in light of her growing reputation in the Centennial Conference.

“During Kathryn’s freshman year, she averaged a double-double [per game] and was named … All-Conference,” she said.

“Since that time every team has been eying her — she gets double- and tripleteamed. Each year, teams try to get more and more physical with her. She has had to keep up her strength and mental toughness to match everything that other teams throw at her, and she does this better and better each year.”

It seems as though “better and better” has led to “best,” as Stockbower has spent her last year on a collegiate court in a whirlwind of milestones. “It's been a pleasure to watch Kathryn over her career and see her so successful,” Hertz said.

“I’ve come to expect [her accomplishments] now,” DeVarney said, “but I never take them for granted. As the [double-double] milestone was getting closer my thoughts were, ‘Holy cow, this is a record that could possibly stand for a very long time.’ That's what's most amazing about it.” The previous record-holder sat atop the books for 12 years. Twelve years from now, Kathryn Stockbower may be playing an entirely different role in life — she said that she is planning to apply to medical school following graduation, and that she may take some time in Germany to teach English.

Although she does not plan on giving up basketball, saying “I definitely plan on continuing to play basketball in summer leagues and playing pickup at the local park,” it would appear as though, once this season comes to an end, her days of intense rivalry and competition are a thing of the past.

Her achievements, however, will be

Eric Verhasselt Phoenix Staff

Kathryn Stockbower broke the NCAA Division III record for career double-doubles in Saturday’s game against Johns Hopkins. immortalized in the books. “She will certainly be a part of any conversation of Swarthmore's best players for years to come,” Hertz said. The future doctor, future teacher and current basketball star has certainly carved out her niche of excellence.

The team, at the moment, sports a 12-9 record (8-8 CC), which places them within a game and a half of playoff position.

Despite last week’s losses to Muhlenberg (76-63) and Johns Hopkins (62-50), Stockbower likes her team’s chances, say-

February 10, 2011

ing that she’s “confident that we are going to finish out the season on a high note.”

Four teams are battling for the last two spots, and Swarthmore’s final four opponents have a combined 23-39 record in Conference play. The Garnet women have not seen postseason action since 2001.

On Saturday, Feb. 12, the Garnet will host Franklin & Marshall, as Senior Day ceremonies honor Stockbower as well as guard Ceylan Bodur, center Summer Miller-Walfish and forward Sarah Brajtbord. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

THE PHOENIX