The Phoenix March 29

MARCH 29, 2012 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 135, ISSUE 10

THE

PHOENIX

We Are All Trayvon

Inside: Dominic Tierney launches Iran War Clock Broadway star shares acting experiences Baseball defeats Haverford in rivalry match

p. 7, 15

The Phoenix

Thursday, March 29, 2012 Volume 135, Issue 10

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881.

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

The Garnet saw a thrilling match-up against opponent McDaniels, gaining a 13-12 win over the Green Terror.

News

acting

Prof. Tierney debuts Iran War Clock

In response to the recent flurry of speculation in the media on the prospect of war with Iran, Associate Professor of political science Dominic Tierney has created a “War Clock” that estimates the numerical probability of an armed conflict.

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As part of APIA month, this Monday students had a chance to talk with Hettienne Park, a Broadway actress who spoke about the challenge of persuing her interests in acting despite stereotypes.

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Concert series opens with chamber music show

Three chamber music groups performed this weekend and the intimate medium of chamber music exposed listeners to student compositions as well as a range of emotions.

Genderfuck organizers PAGE 8 tackle logistical concerns, Abundance of clichés mires cover safety precautions the potential of ‘Project X’ Genderfuck will be a safer affair this year with the addition of escorts to take revelers to and from their dorms and an army of sober volunteers trained to intervene in violent situations.

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Hill named Director Public Safety

Nate reviews “Project X,” a film that offers a new take on the party movie genre by using the found footage technique, but which ultimately fails to move past the clichés of the genre.

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of Is the Strategic Plan a competitive plea for rankings?

Public

Swarthmore has hired a new Safety Director in Michael Hill, who rose fom a position as a patrol officer at Bryn Mawr to being the Public Safety Director for the Bi-Co. PAGE 5

Recent spate of bigotry warrants all-campus collection

Recent instances of hate speech on campus have prompted an all-campus Collection to be scheduled in the Friends Meeting House for 4:30 tomorrow.

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Living & Arts

One way to look at Swarthmore’s new Strategic Plan is through the lens of the USnews rankings: do the decisions reflect a desire to take Swarthmore from third to first place in the liberal arts rankings?

Harshil shows how liberal arts institutions have a responsibility in instilling the correct attitude and education in order to solve the complex, ever-changing global issues of tomorrow.

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Sports Softball clears 2011 win total with Rutgers victory

CONTRIBUTORS Victor Brady, Amelia Possanza

It has been night and day so far for the softball team compared to last year, and they have already surpassed their win total from last season to prove it.

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Baseball routs Haverford to open conference play

The potent Swarthmore offense didn’t slow down once it got to conference play, as the team ran away with a 12-4 victory over rival Haverford on Tuesday afternoon.

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Corrections

FROM THE MARCH 22, 2012 ISSUE

Opinions The ACA mandate: limited government on trial Danielle explains how, if the Supreme Court upholds the ACA mandate, Madison’s notion of limited government may be unsalvageable.

Broadway star imparts her stories of family, identity, Liberal arts: the change we wish to see in the world 2

BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Paul Chung Circulation Manager Di Yan Circulation Manager Osazenoriuwa Ebose COVER DESIGN Amelia Kucic

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Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

STAFF Amanda Epstein News Writer Charles Hepper News Writer Yi-Wei Liu News Writer Sera Jeong Living & Arts Writer Samme Sheikh Living & Arts Writer Allison Shultes Living & Arts Writer Chi Zhang Living & Arts Writer Nate Blum Living & Arts Columnist Gabriela Campoverde Living & Arts Columnist Amelia Dornbush Living & Arts Columnist Dylan Jensen Living & Arts Columnist Vianca Masucci Living & Arts Columnist Lanie Schlessinger Living & Arts Columnist Renu Nadkarni Living & Arts Artist Naia Poyer Living & Arts Artist Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Danielle Charette Opinions Columnist Harshil Sahai Opinions Columnist Shiran Shen Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Political Cartoonist Roy Greim Sports Writer James Ivey Sports Columnist Axel Kodat Blogger Julia Carleton Photographer Cristina Matamoros Photographer Holly Smith Photographer Justin Toran-Burrell Photographer Sophie Diamond Copy Editor Taylor Hodges Copy Editor Jaimi Kim Copy Editor Axel Kodat Copy Editor Margaret Lawlace Copy Editor Vija Lietuvninkas Copy Editor

The article “Undocumented immigrants Lee and Chairez arrested” suggested that Haverford had implemented an admissions policy treating undocumented applicants as Americans instead of Internationals for financial aid purposes. In fact, the plenary resolution that was passed asks the administration to initiate a discussion on how to best provide fair financial to undocumented immigrants.

March 29, 2012

COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF: static.ebony.com and mosaically.com

OPINIONS BOARD Reem Abdou, Marcus Mello and Camila Ryder EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left) acecarspacecar.com fanpop.com sidewalklyrics.com TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Amelia Possanza. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change.

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

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All contents copyright © 2012 The Phoenix.

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Events Menu Today “We are ALL Trayvon Martin” March Members of the Swarthmore community will meet on the front steps of Parrish Hall at 4:30 PM to march around campus in protest and commemoration of the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The march will conclude with a group reflection in the Amphitheater.

Demonstrators are asked to wear a hoodies in commemoration of the hoodie Martin was wearing when he was shot.

Evelyne Trouillot: History and Fiction — Giving Voice to Ordinary People Award-winning Haitian poet and novelist Evelyne Trouillot will present her recent work in the lobby of McCabe at 7:00 p.m., paying particular attention to the interaction of history and fiction and how that “allows us to revisit history and to give voice to the invisible people history so often forgets.”

Reception to follow.

The Complexity of Language How do you measure the complexity of a language? Lise Menn, Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of Colorado Boulder, will answer this question from 7:30 to 9:30 in Scheuer room along with another, sure to assuage the bemusement of the not linguistically inclined: why does it matter?

Tomorrow Dance, Art, Soccer and Capoeira: The Afro-Brazilian Performance Fundamentals Brazil’s passions, Samba, Capoeira and Fútbol, are exhibitions of physical grace. Dr. Zeca Legéiro a Brazilian theater director and scholar, will examine the roots and performative aspects of his homeland’s pastimes from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Scheuer room.

Saturday, March 31 Honors Directing Thesis: Paula Vogel’s THE BALTIMORE WALTZ Starring Alexandra Izdebski, Ben Hattem, and Sam ‘Swift’ Shuker Haines, Michelle Fennell ‘12’s Directing Thesis is a sexy euro-trip farce that ribs its characters as it empathizes with the tragedies that have befallen them. The play will go from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in LPAC’s Frear Ensemble Theater *LSE Presents Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe has been confirmed as this year’s LSE performer. With LPAC set as the venue, this is sure to be an action-packed event not to missed. Swagger on down at 8:00 p.m. to come hear an amazing vocalist take the stage.

Want your event on the Phoenix Events Menu? Send submissions to news@swarthmorephoenix.com. *Happy Early April Fool’s Day!

Prof. Tierney debuts Iran War Clock

With help of students, professor launches clock to predict war with Iran

By charlie hepper chepper1@swarthmore.edu Drawing on the iconic imagery of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock, Associate Professor of Political Science Dominic Tierney’s Iran War Clock has placed the odds of war in the Middle East at essentially the flip of a coin, or approximately 48%.

The clock was launched on March 8 as a feature on TheAtlantic.com, set at 10 minutes to midnight. The clock’s main purpose is to combat public misconceptions about the likelihood of war with Iran.

The clock is periodically set based on the odds that the US or Israel will strike Iran within the next year, with increasing risk of war pushing the minute hand closer to midnight. For example, a zero percent chance of war would put the clock at 20 minutes to midnight, with every increasing five percent chance of war moving the hand one minute closer to midnight.

The clock will to be reset every four weeks, although the shifting nature of US/Israeli-Iran relations may alter the frequency of its update.

The project was described in The Atlantic as neither pro nor anti-war; rather, it was created with the intention of generating an informed debate on the issue of potential conflict with Iran by estimating the chances of conflict.

Tierney described the methodology behind the clock at its debut in The Atlantic. “We’ve assembled a highprofile panel of experts from the policy world, academia and journalism to periodically predict the odds of conflict,” Tierney said. “Each panelist makes an individual estimate about the percentage chance of war and we report the average score. Based on this number, we adjust the Iran War Clock so that the hand moves closer to, or further away from, midnight.”

The 22 panelists involved with the Iran War Clock include professor of international affairs at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Stephen Walt, military correspondent for Haaretz Amos Harel, Deputy Head of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv Ephraim Kam, and Senior Vice President at the Council on Foreign Relations James Lindsay.

Several Swarthmore Honors Political Science students, Jon Emont ’12, Lorand Laskai ’13 and James Mao ’12, provided research in the process of launching this project. Tierney elaborated on their contributions; “First, they helped identify potential candidates for the panel based on expertise about the Iranian crisis, and dug up contact info, etc. Second, they produced a list of key recent events in the crisis to help me provide a summary in the article.”

Tierney noted that the Iran War Clock’s prediction is consistent with the 40 percent chance of a US/Israeli strike estimated by betting market Intrade. com, stating that “when two different modes of prediction produce a similar

THE PHOENIX

Cristina Matamoros The Phoenix

The Atlantic, a Boston-based magazine, recently launched Associate of Political Science Dominic Tierney’s Iran War Clock, a project created to generate discussion about potential conflict with Iran.

result, it increases our confidence that the estimate is fairly accurate.”

Key factors affecting the panel’s prediction included Iran’s refusal to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, heightened Israeli rhetoric in favor of destroying Iran’s nuclear program through direct strike, President Obama’s support of an Israeli strike and an increasingly hawkish Republican stance towards Iran.

The limitations on the accuracy of the project’s predictions have been acknowledged, although its poten-

March 29, 2012

tial value remains unquestioned. The clock’s accessibility in communicating the average prediction of war and its ability to convey change over time have been cited as its main benefits.

“We’re humble about the accuracy of this prediction, which is really a collective “gut-check” feeling. But it may be closer to the truth than the alternative forecasts available,” Tierney said, before pointedly summarizing the project’s purpose; “When you approach the cliff edge, you need to know how far away the precipice is.”

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Genderfuck organizers tackle logistical concerns, cover safety precautions

Week in pictures

By koby levin jlevin1@swarthmore.edu

Pendle Marshall-Hallmark The Phoenix

Swarthmore’s very own Taiko drum ensemble performed this Saturday at the Faculty and Student Composers Concert in LPAC.

Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix

On Tuesday, Linda Ivanits, Professor of Russian Comparative Literature at Penn State, lectured on Folklore and National Identity in Kohlberg’s Scheuer room.

Raisa Reyes The Phoenix

The Faculty Panel: Reflections on Current Issues in Diversity in Higher Education featured panelists Sarah Willie-Breton, Allison Dorsey, and Garikai Campbell.

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When administrators, planners, PA coordinators and SMARTeam members involved in this weekend’s Genderfuck party — more than 10 people in total — met yesterday, they had much to discuss. The gathering, scheduled as a logistical review session for the party, had to cover a slew of safety precautions being taken to provide a safe atmosphere for the hundreds of expected attendees, from designated safe and dry spaces to coordinating the more than 40 volunteers from around campus who will drive the safety efforts.

Concerns about safety at past Genderfuck parties have led to this year’s thoroughly organized (and reviewed) safety plan. “Safety is definitely being stepped up,” MC Mazzochi ’12, one of the party organizers, said. “There is a history of sexual assault at Genderfuck.

Courtesy of facebook.com There is a history of physical fights at The above flyer, along with chalkings Genderfuck. These are our immediate around campus, have been used to concerns.” promote this year’s Genderfuck party and One of the measures planned to its new changes. combat violence is an escort program, which will provide two students, a man and a woman, to help revelers back to fuck training alongside the sober voltheir dorms upon request. By press unteers.

“Each PA working at the event will time, 21 members of the DU and Phi Psi fraternities had volunteered to be es- have to attend a 45-minute training sescorts alongside Not Yet Sisters, a group sion hosted by the party hosts, the PA supporting an incipient Swarthmore Coordinators, the DART team and the SMART team,” Ben Kapilow, a PA coorsorority.

“The difference for me will be the es- dinator, said. Patricia Fischette, a postcort program,” said Tom Elverson ’75, graduate counseling fellow with the Alcohol Education and Intervention C.A.P.S. Services, contributed to the Specialist and advisor to DU and Phi training, which will train volunteers to Psi, who has been involved in the plan- recognize sexual assault and step in.

Positive bystander interaction trainning process. “We have ‘dry brothers’ who will be escorting people back to ing, a technique that Dean of Students their rooms after the party, so if some- Liz Braun has discussed promoting in one’s heavily intoxicated, they will the wake of recent instances of hate speech, is also beknow they have ing taught at the somebody to take trainings. them back to their We really want everyone Much of the home.” campus — from A pair of Public to have a good time, the women’s frisSafety officers will just not have it at the bee and rugby also be patrolling teams working the area outside expense of fellow as ground patrol of Sharples, securto the escorts ing the area and students. to the RAs, who preventing people MC Mazzochi ’12 have agreed to from sneaking into the party. The Genderfuck organizer stay one sober per dorm — has chances of this added their suphappening are port to the safety somewhat higher this year, as the guest policy this year is precautions, but there has been some more stringent, limiting the number of resilience. A commenter on the Daily guests each student is allowed to bring Gazette’s website suggested that the to one. As in past years, only queer stu- heightened measures would act as the dents from the Bi-Co will be granted en- “fun police” and reduce partiers’ enjoytrance, with admission granted on the ment of the festivities.

In response, the party planners plan basis of trust.

Inside of Sharples, where the party to stencil “Fun Police” onto ground will be held, another band of volunteers control’s shirts. They emphasized that will form a sober ground control, which the volunteers will be there to defend will patrol the party for misdemeanors agianst sexual assault, not get in the and will be empowered to intervene. way of fun. “We want people to dance Ten party associates, their ranks mul- and enjoy the professional DJ,” said tiplied five-fold from the usual two, will Mazzocchi. “We really want everyone also be performing their usual duties, to have a good time, just not have it at but they will receive special Gender- the expense of fellow students.”

March 29, 2012

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NEWS IN BRIEF

“We Are All Trayvon Martin” March comes to campus

Members of the Swarthmore community will gather today at 4:30 p.m. on the steps of Parrish Hall for a “We Are All Trayvon Martin” march. The march is a response to the Feb. 26 shooting of unarmed Florida youth Trayvon Martin by the captain of a neighborhood watch association, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, who claims to have acted in self defense, has yet to be arrested — a fact that has disturbed the march’s organizers. “[Organizing the march] allows me to channel my energy,” Julio Alicea ’13, one of the organizers said. “The aftermath of his death has left me irate. His killer continues to walk freely through the streets.”

The march, which is expected to last about an hour, will move from the front steps of Parrish down Magill Walk and through the Ville, ending eventually in the Scott Amphitheater, where a collection will be held. “We decided to end the march in the amphitheater because it has often been used as a place of reflection and unity, which is exactly what we are aiming for,” Haydil Henriquez ’14, another organizer, said. Demonstrators are being asked to wear hoodies, echoing the calls of “Million Hoodie Marches” that have taken place around the country in recent weeks. Martin was wearing a hoodie when he was shot, which led Fox News pundit Geraldo Rivera to suggest that his sweatshirt was as much at fault as the shooter, stirring up a nationwide controversy.

“We are asking everyone to please wear hoodies to the march to show how outrageous it is that a mainstream article of clothing was perceived as a threat because it was worn by a young black man,” Maria Mejia ’15, an organizer, said. “In addition, we want to send the message that wearing a hoodie does not, in any way, justify the death of this young boy.”

BY KOBY LEVIN

Hill named Director of Public Safety By yi-wei liu yliu2@swarthmore.edu

Swarthmore College Vice President of Facilities Stu Hain announced last Wednesday that Michael Hill will become Swarthmore’s new director of public safety on April 9, 2012.

Hill has worked at Bryn Mawr College since 1988, starting off as a patrol officer and rising to his current position as Bi-College Director of Public Safety Operations. Hill has much experience in public safety: he was crucial to the development of in-service training programs for Bryn Mawr Public Safety officers, including crisis management, mediation, problem solving, diversity training and the use of technology.

Working with the Montgomery County Victim Services, he also provided training for students and officers in domestic violence hotline services, and received the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County 2011 Matty Muir Award for his work in victim support.

He served on the executive committee of the Campus Security Directors Association

of the Delaware Valley for five years, and is a member of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and the Northeast Colleges and Universities Security Association.

While serving at Bryn Mawr, Hill earned a B.A. in social science at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also served 20 years in the United States Army Reserve.

He says that he highly respects the values of a tolerant, intellectual liberal arts college, and that public safety is as much about maintaining order on campus as an appreciation for learning, teaching and service to the community.

Hill has had close connections to Swarthmore long before his appointment, as he is married to Alisa Giardinelli, the College’s director of web and media communications.

In view of the recent increase in disturbing incidents across campus such as the homophobic graffiti taggings and the Confederate-flag waving incident during one Pub Nite, Hill’s experience in developing and teaching programs tailored to the needs of an institution may prove

useful.

“I believe the Swarthmore community as a whole should not and does not accept such intolerant behavior,” Hill said in a phone interview.

One student had a different take on the matter.

“I hope our new Public Safety director and his experience will help, but fundamentally these incidents have to be solved by minimizing prejudice among the student body. Of course, almost all students aren’t prejudiced, but the “faggot” name-calling incident was clearly not a fault of Public Safety,” said Karan Bharadwaj ’12.

Hain said that Public Safety, along with the student body, needs new ideas to create a bias-free campus.

“We are always open to new ideas for ways to reduce incidents of incivility and intimidation. In addition to generating new ideas, incidents such as those in the past few weeks remind us that keeping the campus safe includes following procedures already in place to protect the community, including contacting Public Safety immediately when an incident occurs,” Hain said.

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March 29, 2012

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Recent spate of bigotry warrants all-campus collection By amanda epstein aepstei1@swarthmore.edu In light of the several instances of hate-speech that recently transpired on campus, the Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) has decided to host a Collection tomorrow. The event is intended to open dialogue between members of Swarthmore’s community about the incidents and tentative steps towards a safer and more welcome campus environment.

The hate speech was manifested through homophobic remarks directed towards students at a Swarthmore Queer Union party, the waving of a Confederate flag at Pub Nite and the spray-painting of homophobic slurs on David Kemp Hall.

The various episodes, which were reported to the student body through several emails, came about in the span of approximately a month.

While they were unrelated to one another, their proximity has justly raised concerns and desires to address the issues in a more proactive way, according to Dean Liz Braun.

“The Council felt that a Collection could provide a powerful and relatively quick way to bring members of the community together for dialogue, sharing of ideas and concerns and brainstorming for further action,” Dean Braun said in an e-mail.

“Swarthmore is a reflection of our broader society and while we consistently strive to be better, we do need to continue to think about dealing with these issues in a way that addresses both the immediate concerns and lifts up the deeper systemic issues.”

Campus Life Representative Ali Roseberry-Polier ’14, who sits in on DAC, was one of the people who came up with the idea of a Collection.

The council saw enough frustration among Swarthmore community members to decide that there needed to be an open forum for an exchange of ideas and sentiments.

“We want the discussion to be as open as possible, and be dictated by what students want to talk about. There will be a few of us facilitating, but there is not a very strict plan for what the conversation will look like,” Roseberry-Polier said.

Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA) president Ian Perkins-Taylor ’13 says that the group has been appalled by the string of incidents.

However, instead of getting “bogged down” by the upsetting nature of these, the group is trying to imagine ways in which the campus can move forward to change its culture.

“The collection is a starting point ... It’s not a concrete step towards actually changing the culture, but it seems like an important moment for people to come together as a group to say that this is not what we want our community to be,” Perkins-Taylor said.

Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix

The Deans Advisory Council will be hosting an all-campus collection at the Friends Meetinghouse tomorrow in order to address both student and faculty concerns regarding recent acts of hate speech at the college.

According to Braun, there have already been many ideas generated to help the community fight against hate, harassment, and prejudice.

“These include everything from ongoing workshops for students, a public art project, working on initiatives for improving town-gown relationships, bystander training and improving our communication protocols,” she said.

“DAC hopes that the Collection will be another opportunity to brainstorm ideas and then we hope to come up with an action plan for moving forward on implementing many of these ideas.”

The Collection will allow any and every member in the community to voice and make known their opinions for further contemplation.

The idea of “re-imagining Collection” was brought up by students, faculty and staff alike during the strategic planning process, and DAC has been considering how to move forward with it, according to Braun.

The Collection will take place in the Friend’s Meetinghouse at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.

WORK FOR ITS! Information Technology Services is now hiring student employees for Summer and/or Fall 2012 positions.

All academic majors and experience levels are encouraged to apply.

If you enjoy working with technology and helping others solve problems, please consider working with us.

Please visit the online job descriptions and applications: http://www.swarthmore.edu/itsjobs.xml 6

March 29, 2012

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Broadway star imparts her stories of family, identity, acting By allison shultes ashulte1@swarthmore.edu On Monday evening, students filed into Science Center 199 to hear Hettienne Park of Broadway’s recent debut “Seminar” discuss her experience as a minority in the acting world. Brought to campus as part of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Month, Park shared stories of familial conflicts and economic struggles related to her pursuit of acting following college.

“Seminar,” starring Alan Rickman, follows four aspiring novelists who enroll in a writing class with a notorious literary giant. Park’s character, Izzy, is unabashedly “ambitious and seductive,” according to Park, and comfortable in sleeping her way to the top. In addition to “Seminar,” Park has appeared in “Bride Wars” with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, the 2011 Diablo Cody-penned comedy “Young Adult,” and “Year of the Fish,” a variation on Cinderella which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and won multiple awards for best film at various festivals that same year.

An economics and religion double-major from the University of Rochester, Park realized she was not interested in pursuing a career in either field. Instead of securing a job after graduation, she stayed in Rochester and began acting at a local community theatre before deciding to head to New York City, hoping to gain experience and take some courses on acting. Once there, she enrolled in the William Esper Studio, a college for the performing arts in Manhattan, paying her own way by working up to three jobs at a time.

Her parents, who immigrated to the United States from Korea in their thirties, did not support Park’s decision to forgo a career. “My parents were really hard on me. They either wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer or wanted me to go into business, or marry a doctor or lawyer or someone going into business,” Park joked. “When I first told them I wasn’t going to pursue a job [after college] there was a lot of fighting, a lot of ‘this is the way it’s going to be.’ … it was really difficult because I felt so guilty. They had worked so hard to give me opportunities. So I gave myself a few years, [and said] I’m going to show them that this is what I’m meant to do.”

It wasn’t until her mother came to see her perform in the Tony Kushner play “The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures” that she started to understand — and support — Park’s lifestyle choices. Watching her daughter perform onstage with Alan Rickman in “Seminar”, Park’s mother recognized “that I was succeeding in my own way,” Park said. Distracted by an appearance by Diane Sawyer, Park’s mom even seemed forgiving of her daughter for flashing the audience in the middle of the first act.

Steven Gu ’15 thought Park’s description of her parents hit the nail on the head in addressing a common stereotype of Asian parents. “I think what really struck me is how she described why her parents disapproved,” Gu said. “It wasn’t that they thought acting was frivolous or not worth pursuing. As immigrants, they didn’t have job security or economic security in their new country. That definitely rang true for me and my parents … they pushed lawyer or doctor or business person, like hers did, because there is security in that. It was great that she explained that aspect of Asian parents, because it’s not about going into careers that make a lot of money, it’s about having that security, and I think that’s something that a lot of people with parents who are immigrants can relate to.”

Acting, a career that generates very little security for the majority of its pursuers, is

especially unprofitable for minorities. Citing a recent study, Park shared that Asian actors and actresses secure only 2% of available roles on New York’s main stages, compared to the 80% white performers land.

Because she cannot afford to be choosy as an actress, maintaining a sense of racial integrity and breaking down racial stereotypes is something she believes best handled not by rejecting casting opportunities, but in the choices she makes in portraying her characters.

However, she found herself going against her own advice and turning down an opportunity to appear in a sitcom early in her acting career, offended by a part that called for an Asian woman speaking in a thick accent while the stars of the show made fun of her.

“I don’t think any one actor is going to change people’s perceptions of races,” Park said. “I think you as an artist and as an individual have to decide how you’re going to portray a character. I’m grateful the stage roles I’ve done were written Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix for an Asian female and didn’t Hettienne Park spoke about her experience as a play into stereotypes.” minority in the acting world.

An already-enamored audience fell harder for Park after she offered to take interested theatre students backstage to meet the cast of “Seminar” as long as they phoned ahead. “I remember starting off and wishing I knew one person, one person who could answer my questions,” Park said.

Although the event centered on Park’s acting career, Gu felt she made her experiences accessible to all attending the conversation. “I think she went about and beyond what SAO brought her here for. Not only did she explain her experience as an Asian minority or what it’s like to act on Broadway, but she gave life advice that anyone can associate with. She used her lens of Broadway and could connect with everyone in the room in a candid and genuine way.”

living IN BRIEF

Flamenco artist Rosario Toledo teaches master flamenco class

Negotiating an intricate web of stomps, turns, jumps, arm movements and weight transfers, attendees of worldrenowned Flamenco artist Rosario Toledo’s Master Class this Tuesday in LPAC’s Boyer Dance Lab succeeded in stringing together a series of complex moves to master a coherent sequence of flamenco steps. This Master Class, which was free to the public, is a part of the larger twoweek “First Philadelphia Flamenco Festival,” held at Christ Church Neighborhood House in Philadelphia.

Flamenco baile, or dance, is thought to have originated in southern Spain. It is characterized by its emotional intensity, fast footwork, and focus on rhythm. Many different forms have emerged since it originated; some flamenco artists focus on more classical, “pure” forms of the dance, whereas others incorporate modern innovation and styles. It is a complex genre, with professionals training for many years to achieve the precision of movement demanded.

Elba Hevia y Vaca, executive and artistic director of the Philadelphia-based female flamenco troupe Pasión y Arte, began organizing the “First Philadelphia Flamenco Festival” two years ago. It is rooted in Hevia y Vaca’s vision of 21st century flamenco, which seeks to break down some of the stereotypes surrounding the dance form. One of the main events is Pasión y Arte’s performance of Toledo’s original piece, “Cómplices,” commissioned specifically for this dance troupe. Work on the piece began last summer, when Toledo traveled from her home in Spain to start setting the choreography with the dancers. It was completed over the course of a threeweek residency prior to the start of the festival this year.

“Cómplices,” which translates to “accomplices” in Eng-

lish, is described as “capturing the pulse that connects one woman/all women” on the festival’s website; Pasión y Arte works to portray both contemporary and feminist influences in its flamenco performances.

In addition to “Cómplices,” the performances include the US premiere of “Del Primer Paso” (“The First Step”), performed by Toledo and company. Master Classes at Temple University and Bryn Mawr, a free film screening featuring two documentaries, and a symposium with World Music Institute Founder, Robert Browning and former Artistic Director of the Colorado Dance Festival Michelle Heffner Hayes supplemented the performances, providing additional insight into the art of flamenco.

Danielle Greenberg ’15, who was introduced to flamenco through a course at Swarthmore, attended the Master Class with Toledo at Swarthmore. “I loved it,” Greenberg said of the class. “I wish more people would’ve taken it, especially guys, because we covered a lot of individual moves but there are also partner moves we didn’t get to cover.”

With a wide range of abilities and an almost all-female class, Toledo built from the ground up, with the first 45 minutes focused on arm, wrist, and torso movements, followed by an introduction to stomping and stepping.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, she threw in jumps and turns, and led the class in putting the different movements together. In addition to introducing the basic mechanics of flamenco, she encouraged dancers to “fill up” their movements, emphasizing “fuerte,” or strong, hips and torsos. Speaking mainly in Spanish, it was up to Hevia y Vaca to translate, although oral instruction took a backseat to modeling and mimicking.

THE PHOENIX

March 29, 2012

Raisa Reyes The Phoenix

Rosario Toledo taught a flamenco class as part of the Philadelphia Flamenco Festival.

Final performances of the festival will take place tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at the Christ Church Neighborhood House, although the shows are expected to sell out beforehand. For more information, visit their website: www.pasionyarteflamenco.org.

BY ALLISON SHULTES

7

Living & Arts Concert series opens with chamber music show

swarthmorephoenix.com

By chi zhang czhang2@swarthmore.edu It is usually difficult for performers in a group to play their own parts while every other member plays different notes. Chamber music concerts, consisting mainly of small-sized performance groups, emphasize the balance of sounds and dialogues between performers while allowing each performer to maintain his or her individuality. Last Friday evening at Lang Concert Hall, eleven students, in three different groups, performed five pieces from five different composers.

“I chose three pieces which would let us explore very different styles,” Professor Andrew Hauze, a music professor at Swarthmore and the coach of the concert’s third group, said. The third group with five cellists performed “Lacrimae Antiquae” by John Dowland, an English Renaissance composer, “Agnus Dei” by Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer who was born in 1933 and is still alive, and “Veronika, der Lenz ist da” by Walter Jurmann, an Austrian composer.

The first piece, whose English name is “Ancient Tears,” “is mournful, but has incredible elegance and a sense of dance to it,” according to Hauze. The idea depicted in this piece, “stylized grief,” is seldom a topic that people talk about culturally in the 21st century. Through this music, one should come away with a feeling of transcending grief itself. Hauze believes it is important for people in today’s society to try to understand this different type of music, which brings a sense of poise to grief that people don’t often get in its expression.

Following “Lacrimae Antiquae,” “Agnus Dei” is a sad piece as well. The composition contains many contrasts: “light and dark” or “consonance and dissonance,” Hauze described. If one was to pass by the performance and heard only a few isolated bars, they would not be able to appreciate the beauty of this piece in its entirety. Its beauty comes largely from Penderecki’s balance of these contrary elements. “This piece travels really far, from sort of inner sadness to immense anger and finally back to our world,” Hauze said.

The last piece, however, greatly challenged the mournful atmosphere established by the preceding pieces: “Veronika” is extremely joyful and carefree. Professor Hauze enjoys the flexibility of rhythm the piece provides.

Musicians will always incorporate their own thoughts and emotions into their performances. Alejandro Sills ’13, a cellist in the third group to perform, spoke about the history behind each piece. Understanding the stories behind the piece, such as the life of the composer or the time of its writing, can be a valuable way to interpret the music.

Sills mentioned that “the use of pieces contrasting vividly is a way to help the listener understand the times and contexts in which they were written.” He gave an example of the last piece, “Veronika,” the melody of which he believes to be happy at first, but contains in it “a striving for

Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix

Gabriel “Gabe” Starky, a Haverford senior, recites the lyrics to his piece with composer Ben Kapilow ’13.

optimism in the midst of personal or societal crisis,” a manifestation of the context of post-WWI Europe entering a worldwide Depression.

Sills believes, quoting American composer Leonard Bernstein, “A work of art does not answer questions: it provokes them,” which indicates that a piece has a meaning beyond the concert hall.

The special part of the chamber music concert is not how composers inject their own feelings into the piece, but how performers communicate with each other and interact with the audience through music. “The audience participation adds to the communication among the players,” Hauze said.

Andrew Dorrance ’15 attended the concert and said that “it is very cool to just have a different feel with just a couple players, instead of a giant orchestra. It’s more intimate.”

This characteristic intimacy is one of the most essential elements of chamber music. David Wilikovsky ’12, one of the concert Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix violinists, mentioned that playing Student musicians perform in a rehearsal for Ben Kapilow’s piece “Patience”. chamber music differs from playing in larger ensembles because, performance can hear a piece named “Patience”, comin the former, players are solely responsible for their own parts. “Because there are fewer posed by Kapilow. “I wanted to write this piece because I instruments and no conductor to lead the group, it also feel that contemporary classical music today has become requires that the group really communicate with one an- completely irrelevant to the rest of the world, kind of existing in a bubble,” he explained. With a feeling that most other,” he said.

That each performer plays differently makes the per- listeners may feel a lack of connection between the conformance more challenging. Cellist Sofia Gabriel ’15 men- temporary classical music and daily life, Kapilow wanted tioned that players are not allowed to make any mistakes; to write a piece in which he could use sounds that would in a larger ensemble where each instrument is part of a be familiar to everyone.

Kapilow wrote this piece specifically for this concert large section, “little mistakes and fumbles by individuals and says that writing for the chamber music concert is are not as noticeable in the context of the entire piece.”

The experience of performing chamber music provides different from writing a piece for large ensembles. Kapan exploration of music for the performers, as well as an ilow mentioned that for big ensembles, composers usually escape from the stress of college life. For cellist Ariel tend to “write thick walls of sounds for many instruments Hwang ’15, the performance helped her to learn different with a lot of octave doublings.” However, in a piece for a styles of music because the pieces she performed “are not small ensemble, “I am much more free to write virtuosic, ‘standard’ classical fare, and at least I (and I think most stylized parts for each instrument,” he said.

Kapilow’s piece is also written to be performed by a of us) had minimal to little experience with any of the genres we played,” she said. Violinist Thera Naiman ’14 rapper, Gabriel “Gabe” Starky, who gave the piece its title believes “engaging with music in a small, intimate setting and lyrics. Starky is a senior at Haverford and an emergwith talented and good-humoured peers is a great way to ing Philadelphia-based rapper. “Though I wrote for a rapescape from the daily stresses and concerns of Swarth- per, the musical content is entirely classical with only a small amount of influence of actual rap music,” Kapilow more life.”

The study and performance of chamber music is great- said. He wants the audience to feel that a given sound ly encouraged by the college’s Music and Dance Depart- does not necessarily go with a certain type of music. “I ment. The Elizabeth Pollard Fetter Fund provides funding want the audience to sense that in a classical context, the for coaching for these concerts, which provide students a sounds of a rapper can also work.”

The Chamber music concerts, a platform for students platform to pursue their passion toward music, no matter if the student is a music major or not. Jeremy Rapaport- to show their musical skills and their passion for music, Stein ’14, a cellist, said music means everything to him. welcomes the audience to walk in a diverse music world “As a music major, it often consumes my academic and filled with all the performers. intellectual energies. On a more visceral level, I love music because of the incredible emotional impact and connection that I get from composing, performing, studying and listening.”

Although Ted Goh ’14, another cellist, doesn’t plan to pursue music as a career, he considers music performance a way to express his thoughts, emotions, and ideas. “Like a poetry slam,” he said, “the ‘poem’s words’ are written on the sheet music. The cello is my second voice. I enjoy formulating my own interpretation of the pieces I play, and I hope that my performance may be thought-provoking to the audience so that they may understand my ideas that I try to express.”

There are three additional upcoming Fetter Chamber Music Program Concerts. Tomorrow’s performance at 8:00 pm will be a showcase of music by Dvorak, Mozart and Shostakovich. Saturday boasts two concerts, first with a presentation of works by Beethoven, Ligeti, Walckiers, Villa-Lobos, Ben Kapilow ’13 and Ravel at 3:00 Allegra Pocinki The Phoenix p.m.; at 8:00 pm, attendees can enjoy the works

by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Kodaly and Verosky. Junior Ben Kapilow performs his composition on the piano in the Those who attend the Saturday afternoon’s Lang Concert Hall.

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March 29, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Abundance of clichés mires the potential of “Project X” “Project X,” directed by Nima Nourizadeh and recently popularized by Judd Apatow films) usually comes augmented with moproduced by “The Hangover” director Todd Philips, ments of genuine sympathy and camaraderie, in “Project X,” all we are left with are is the newest installment in the long history of party three immature potty mouths in a new-age slapstick routine. Likewise, “Project X” movies. It comes with everything you expect: parents unflinchingly takes a stab at representing realistic teenage drinking, sexuality and gone for the weekend, unpopular kids trying to become drug-use. It was a breath of fresh air to see representations of people playing games popular, jocks, dweebs, heavy drinking, cops and, of of flip cup, casually passing around a joint and dancing to Kid Cudi, the course, the holy grail of every party movie: getting way that real young people do. However, all the consequences are either laid. The one stroke of originality (if you can call far too exaggerated to live beyond the realm of fantasy, or are completely it that) in this otherwise extremely derivative non-existent. The point of the movie is certainly not to provide any moral movie is to use the “found footage” formula about partying, but at least show someone with a hangover the next day. made so popular by horror movies like “The By now, everyone is familiar with the found footage aesthetic, but the Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield.” While in filmmakers do succeed in somewhat putting their own spin on it, even if Nate Blum the first half of the film this formula poses surthat originality is ultimately forsaken. Part of the premise of the film is prisingly interesting questions of authorship, it that the three main characters hire a peer, Dax. Dax is reticent, though the Movies Now! breaks down into fake news footage clichés, “cellother characters address him directly often, and a total creep. There is a phone” clips, and what can generously be called a distinct voyeuristic aspect to the otherwise run of the mill handheld half-assed parody of “Blair Witch”-style frightcinematography. Private conversations, phone calls, and even ened narration into the camera. I want to like “Project X,” because it sex are captured through cracked doors and windows. This shows a keen eye to detail, and could have proven to be an ambitious actually invites quite complex questions of authorship and contemporary take on the party movie. However, the plot is rice-paper the camera’s gaze, especially as an adult watching underthin, the characters are repellent, and the casual misogyny and hoage characters. This all falls apart at the end of the second mophobia are indefensible. act, when the films shifts to mostly news footage and cellWhile I could list the various films that “Project X” draws its hackphone footage aesthetics. This is where the film loses its neyed premises from, that would be beyond the scope of this piece. voice, Dax, and none of the questions feel satisfactorily Instead of a full plot summary, it suffices to list the clichés found in explored. Furthermore, an unreasonable amount of this the film in no particular order, because that is pretty much what the 87-minute-long movie consists of random party monfilm adds up to be, a record of clichés. Ostensibly we follow Thomtage that in no way moves the story forward. In short, as (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper), and JB (Jonathan Daniel “Project X” begins with a formal structure that was actuBrown), three high school nerds who have to throw the best party ever ally really thought-provoking, but in the end it takes the for Thomas’s birthday to become popular, or something. Along the way, easy way out. they encounter the cool older kid who can buy alcohol, the pretty popuI want to like “Project X.” I really do. It had so much polar girl Thomas has no chance with (wink wink), the best female friend tential to capture the current youth zeitgeist and even poswho Thomas really likes, the crazy drug dealer, etc., etc. You have seen sibly address universal human conflicts about relationships it before — you can put together the pieces. The problem is not so much and responsibility. The little details are all there: the clothes, the clichés themselves, rather that the found footage aesthetic leaves all the music, the drinking habits. But, where is the substance? relationships and plot points ephemeral and therefore valueless. Nothing Where is the growth? Where are the complex relationships? gets fleshed out to any satisfaction, and all that is left are hints and nods Renu Nadkarni The Phoenix The film does not take its audience seriously enough to give to older movies. them that depth. It pushes beer — and naked breasts — and iPhones “Project X” does take a lot of risks, and credit should be given for that. in your face and screams, “This is what you want, buy more tickets Though, again, the film does not live up to its potential. First of all, it does not please!” Perhaps a party movie needs the dream-like fantasy of traditional filmmakshy away from the rude, and perhaps foul way that teenage boys talk. The dia- ing. Perhaps it is too much to see the rudeness and hedonism of a realistic party, logue is carpeted with f-bombs, homophobia, and misogyny. This proves to be a even if the found footage aesthetic is merely a conceit. Ultimately, while “Project double-edged sword. On the one hand, this is the way that sixteen-year-old boys X” may seem like just another stupid high school party movie, the reality is far far talk amongst themselves, and this shows that the film knows its audience. On the worse. other hand, while the male-banter formula (codified by the 1982 film “Diner” and Nate is a junior. You can reach him at nblum1@swarthmore.edu.

Is the strategic plan a competitive plea for rankings?

At the Olympics, few athletes compete for the Bronze medal. There is no question that a Bronze medal is a high honor, and Olympians who return home can be justly proud of a third place finish. But the true goal has always been to achieve a gold medal, to be the best in the world Steven Hazel in a single discipline. AlSwat in Sync though taking first place in the US News rankings may not be quite the same as an Olympic medal, college and universities contend for higher rankings with similar competitiveness.

For almost a decade, Swarthmore has been a contender for the gold medal — the spot as the top ranked liberal arts college — and since 2002, Swarthmore has fallen short to either Amherst or Williams College. In the entire history of the rankings, only these three liberal arts colleges have been ranked in the top three, but lately Swarthmore seems to have been unable to rise in the rankings. You probably know that there are many problems with the “US News” rankings; their methodology has been frequently criticized and many college counselors suggest that the promotion of a single ranking system discourages high school students from exploring college environments that would be the best choice for them personally and instead leads to blindly relying on these rankings.

Despite the many reasons that the rankings should not matter, both to prospective students and to college administrators, they remain and are likely to remain a significant factor in the admissions process for both groups. A high ranking attracts more applications, par-

ticularly among international students who might not be able to personally visit US universities, and a rise in the rankings can even lead to increased alumni donations.

So, despite rhetoric from college presidents and deans of admissions, rankings matter. The more interesting question is whether a drive to increase Swarthmore’s rankings lies behind some choices in the new Strategic Plan.

Fortunately, US News publishes a detailed explanation of their methodology in terms of how they score these rankings, which are made up of: 22.5% national reputation as shown by surveys sent to college presidents, 20% retention of students, 20% faculty resources, which includes average class size and professor salaries, 15% student selectivity, including SAT scores and class ranks of the entering class, 10% financial resources, spending that does not include new dorms or spending on sports, and the remainder of the ranking is related to alumni giving rate.

Will any of the directives of the Strategic Directions change the rankings?

One of the most prominent features of the plan is the proposal for the Swarthmore community to create and fund an Institute for Liberal Arts, which would gather together scholars and thinkers to articulate the value of a liberal arts education in an era in which the liberal arts has been increasingly criticized for its cost per student as well as its failure to provide more directly practical vocational training. Aside from the irony of creating a new intellectually focused institution to defend another such institution, it is difficult to imagine how some aspects of this institute will improve the lives of current students, who, after all, have chosen to attend Swarthmore and so probably have bought into the idea of liberal arts as a valuable educational model.

But at least in terms of Swarthmore “national reputation” ranking, an Institute for Liberal Arts could do a world of good. Gathering conferences of scholars and

THE PHOENIX March 29, 2012

leaders of liberal arts college presidents would increase Swarthmore’s recognition when these leaders fill out “US News” surveys. This is not to say that the Institute for Liberal Arts would not fill a void in the rhetoric surrounding higher education — if fully funded and wellstaffed, it could. But it is worth considering whether the Institute may serve the less noble objective of rankings inflation as well.

Other significant efforts as part of the Strategic Plan include substantial renovations or redesigns of Hicks, Papazian, and Martin, aging academic buildings that lack facilities that professors and students now demand.

In terms of non-academic buildings, the plan points to the need for a new or expanded fitness center as well as a desire to “imaginatively repurpose” Sharples and the Tarble student center.

One way to look at this lopsided choice of development spending is through the lens of the rankings. Spending on academic buildings counts as part of the financial resources score, while spending on student centers and the fitness center does not.

Of course, it is difficult to imagine that any of these major decisions for Swarthmore’s future would be made based entirely on a wish to raise Swarthmore’s ranking. Clearly, many considerations led to the decision to build new academic buildings, including legitimate educational needs. Additionally, many of the programs that would be good for Swarthmore would also be good for Swarthmore’s US News ranking, making it difficult to differentiate between decisions motivated by student need and decisions motivated by rankings. However, the drive for rankings — beneficial or not — should not be discounted entirely in understandings of the strategic plan. For Swarthmore College as much as for Olympians, first place may be the most pressing goal.

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

9

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Swat Style Snapshot Name: Awjin Ahn Major and Year: Engineering, 2015 From: Boston, Massachusetts Current Residence: Dana His Current Outfit:

Ahn sports a green plaid shirt which he purchased from and left it untucked.

Over the shirt, he wears a navy J.Crew sweater with a small V-neck. Ahn idiosyncratically leaves the shirt buttoned up and keeps the collar within the neckline of his sweater. “I just think it looks better,” he said. Contrasting with the bold pattern of his shirt and dark hue of his sweater, Ahn’s basic, cream-colored khaki pants balance out his outfit. Ahn has lightly folded the hems of his chinos, revealing his grey socks, which are also printed plaid. He wears a pair of peach Generic Surplus shoes that cross over elements of desert boots and moccasins. Previously Ahn wore smaller glasses; and he recently made the switch to his current frames as “they suit my face better,” he said. The dark-grey colored glasses have a wood-grain finish. According to Ahn, “If people have bigger glasses you can see their eyes better.”

Personal Style:

When dressing himself, Ahn follows his instincts and refrains from over-formulating and overthinking his outfits. “I just kind of go by feel, I don’t really have a system,” he said. His perspective has been influenced by the “based philosophy” of Californian rapper Lil B. Ahn describes the “based philosophy” as “going with the flow … you’re in touch with your inner being and you let things go freely,” he said.

As a result, Ahn is skeptical of whether he has a cemented sense of personal style.

Rather, he strives to find a balance between aesthetics and comfort. In Ahn’s opinion, following trends and attaching greater meaning to clothing is “absurd” as he believes outward appearances are not reflective of people’s inner selves. “If you’re a douche bag and wear nice clothes, no one’s going to like you,” he said.

As for the formation of his style, he sees dressing as a form of expression, in a similar way with music and drawing, his other interests. Ahn also attributes his style to his Bostonian upbringing. According to Ahn, Bostonians from the Harvard area are known to dress preppy whilst those in the vicinity of the Berklee College of Music are more likely to dress hipster. Given the great diversity of style in Boston, he acknowledges that he reflects different aspects of the Bostonian aesthetic. “I guess no one’s going to be completely unique, unless you’re Lady Gaga,” he said.

5 1 ’ n h A n i j w A

Style at Swarthmore:

Ahn expresses neutrality towards the style students demonstrate on campus. “As long as it’s decent and you’re not exposing bits and pieces of yourself that people don’t want to see, it’s fine by me,“ he said. However, he doesn’t feel like he is in a positioned to judge as he admits to wearing his share of sweatpants to his classes, especially after late evenings writing papers.

For a small, liberal-arts campus, Ahn acknowledges the presence of a handful of well-dressed Swatties. “Walking around I see plenty of stylish people. Okay, maybe not plenty but here-and-there,” he said.

As for his style influences, he attributes his RA, Seth Udelson ’13, to fashioning his on-campus style. According to Ahn, Udelson’s positivity and preppiness contributes to the development of Ahn’s own style. Ahn’s greater hall life has contributed to his fashion style. “I don’t want to brag, but Dana basement is a pretty fashionable hall,” he said. Although he doesn’t feel pressured to dress a certain way, Ahn does attribute the commonality of exceptional style as cultivating a sense of camaraderie. “We share interests in shoes, as a hall,” Ahn said. A female hallmate, who wears the same sized shoes as Ahn, even occasionally borrows his shoes. “It doesn’t go both ways,” Ahn said, citing his difficulty walking in heels.

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

PHOTOS & TEXT BY SERA JEONG

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March 29, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Features of the Month

ABROAD(er) VIEW:

CAMPUS MIXTAPES The Phoenix’s Hip Tracks for Laying Out Pages The Phoenix is the official weekly print newspaper of Swarthmore College.

“

The Study Abroad Issue

___________ is a current junior living in the Ville.

We present __________’s top five delightful moments thus far and offer a glimpse into the dynamic abroad activities.

______’s Top 5 Moments in the Ville It’s so difficult to choose the top five moments of my time here. The Ville is such a beautiful and exciting place!

Number 5: Riding my Bike Catching the breeze in my bicycle is a magical experience. I ride my bike everywhere. I like doing this because it transports me back to old memories.

Since we are actually a print newspaper, we spend Wednesdays laying out pages. Music must simultaneously generate a graceful transcendence of the soul and pump us up with its innovative lyrics and inspiring rhythms.

Enjoy!

1. “Jam (Turn It Up)” — Kim Kardashian 2. “Ding Dong Song” — Gunther 3. “Boyfriend” — Justin Bieber 4. “Money Can’t Buy You Class” — Countess Luann 5. “Call Me Maybe” — Carly Rae Jepsen 6. “Alcohol” -— Millionaires 7. “All or Nothing” — O-Town 8. “Bath Rhymes” — Dick Figures 9. “Screwed” — Paris Hilton 10. “The Complete Collection” — My Chemical Romance

SENIORCAT SWATLIGHT

Number 4: Hanging out at the train station This is incredible. There are so many new people at the SEPTA station everyday and I learn so much from all the folks there. It is an enlightening, unbelievable place.

Willets Cat is a beautiful seductive cat. Known to many on campus as Hemingway, she is an Honors Interpretation Theory major, working on a thesis about the comparative Number 3: Shopping at Finlandia perspectives on Karl Marx’s abject body during the rise of the 20th-century British novel, and is currently on her seventh life. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to sit down It was my first time ever shopping at this place. The storefront evokes a worldly with one of my favorite cats. theme and it brings me back to Scandinavia. There is an amazing selection of art and jewelry here and it is so hard to decide what to buy. Choices, choices!

So where are you from?

You’re actually asking where “the Willets cat” is Number 2: Renato’s! from? Hallowell, clearly.

I took a trip to Renato’s with my friends to get a slice of pizza and a canoli. I enjoyed this trip because it exposed me to a variety of tastes and smells that brought back my favorite memories. I found myself lost in a land of nostalgia. The pizza here is by far my favorite and is my go-to place in the Ville.

Why is that?

I got evicted from my apartment in the VIlle for public intoxication. Sleeping with the landlord’s wife probably didn’t help, either.

Number 1: People watching at Dunkin’ Donuts

Impressive!

She said I was the best she ever had. too. Well, in the gentile division.

Swarthmore residents are my favorite people in the world. This is a lot of fun and a mix of beauty, seeing families walk past. Every time I come to DD, I learn new things from my numerous interactions and experiences.

That is so cool! What’s your favorite thing about Swarthmore?

Well, that’s all for today. You’ll have to wait another month until I find someone else Original question, Charlie Rose. You’re totally not wasting your parents’ money in to talk to. Catch you next time! those journalism classes. I’d have to say Ride the Tide. Gives me a chance to check out the incoming talent.

THE SWUBBLE SWAT + BUBBLE =

MARCH 28, 2012

Well, what are you doing right now?

You’re doing great for your first time ever talking to someone! Let’s see, after this titillating tete-a-tete is over, I was thinking of paying some bills, catching up on “Breaking Bad,” maybe banging out a few reps in the gym ... I’M A CAT, YOU IDIOT. I’M GOING TO LICK MYSELF FOR TWELVE HOURS AND GO TO SLEEP. So, where do you see yourself in the future?

My dad’s on my ass about law school, but I kind of like where I’m at now, you know?

Well, that’s all for today. You’ll have to wait another month until I find someone else who will talk to me. Catch you later!

DAILY GAZETTE MOVES TO ELIMINATE COLUMNS TO INCREASE FOCUS ON COMMENTS

I’m so so so happy that this decision was made. Honestly, I haven’t read a story in weeks, but I’m currently engaged in 13 distinct comment thread wars on a variety of social issues that I have VERY strong opinions on. Hopefully The Phoenix is next!

THE PHOENIX

March 29, 2012

11

Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

LIVING IN BRIEF

Ensemble’s “Ivona” blackens the traditional comedy of the court

Courtesy of Elena Ruyter

King, Queen and Chamberlain scheme together about the fate of a new princess to-be, “Ivona, Princess of Burgundia,” taken in the abstract, seems to be a fairly straightforward aristocratic tragedy that continues in the vein of Shakespeare’s own masterworks. There is a prince who, in an act of simple childhood rebellion, decides to marry a woman who displease his parents. There is arguing, fighting and hand wringing about his choice. Also, murder by fish.

Last weekend, Professor of Theater Elizabeth Stevens and her Production Ensemble class performed “Ivona,” a play originally written by Polish playwright Witold Gombrowicz, and was first published in the literary journal “Skamander” in 1938.

The class performed the story in translation with a script by Krystyna Griffith-Jones & Catherine Robins.

The story of “Ivona” follows a relatively simple trajectory, and those concerned about spoilers should be wary of what follows. Gombrowicz himself provided a summary of the play, with Swarthmore production information added in paratheticals: “Prince Philip (Josh McLucas ’15), heir to the throne, meets this charmless and unattractive girl as he goes for a walk: Ivona (Maddie Charne ’14/Sophia Naylor ’13) is awkward, apathetic, anaemic, shy, nervous and boring. From the start the prince cannot stand her; but at the same time, he cannot bear to see himself obliged to hate the wretched Ivona. He suddenly rebels against those laws of nature and gets engaged to Ivona.”

The two actresses that performed the eponymous maiden — alternating perfor-

mance nights — took on the admirable task of acting as the ill-fated princess-to-be. Ivona is almost entirely mute, with her script consisting of only one or two monosyllabic utterances. Moreover, conveying emotion through the body is challening when the character is utterly limp; she must be dragged across the stage at points. As passive of a character as she is, Ivona’s mere presence elicits murderous rage in both the Prince and the King (Sasha Rojavin ’15), revealing their own internal demons and dark pasts.

After some discussion, the King and Chamberlain (Patrick Ross ’15) decide on a devious method of eliminating Ivona based entirely on her passivity -- an subversively anticlimactic ending. They conclude that serving a bony fish, namely pike, will cause Ivona to choke, forever ending their moral turbidity and stress.

The production’s execution of this fateful dinner party is decidedly stunning. The entire cast squeezed into an open doorway located at the furthest end of the room, arranged around a table. Like a mock last supper, desirous faces gaze at the sprawled form of a seated Ivona, whose back remains turned toward the audience. One gets the impression of a tableau or oil painting from the immensity of empty space between the audience and the distant stage; the action is flattened into what seems inches deep.

The comedy of the concluding murder is set cunningly detached from the audience, separated by both space and morality.

Performed in the Pearson-Hall theatre, tucked around the back of LPAC’s more traditionally arranged mainstage, “Ivona” exchanged the visual and dramaturgical benefits of an elevated stage for simple black walls, flat floors and proximal seating.

Upon entering, the dimensions of “Ivona’s” scenery are striking. The set consisted of three high, wooden walls that tower above the audience, topped with dozens of mannequin heads. Like a courtroom constructed by Kafka, the featureless faces seem to stare down at the unfolding action on the set, passing judgment on entirely questionable and often despicable moral decisions. A closer look at the mennequins reveals the absurdity of “Ivona’s” black comedy — one of the mannequin’s wears a gas mask, the other a jester’s hat.

The genre of royal tragedies, which take their dramatic content from the machinations, scheming and gossip from an aristocrat’s court, drive the plot through acts of seeing and spying; think of Hamlet hiding behind an arras. The brilliance of “Ivona’s” space in Pearson-Hall is that is able to draw the audience into the dramatic action, spatially and emotionally, creating the unsettling feeling that they are complacent accomplices to a brutal crime. The walls are peppered with mirror-faced doors and when “Ivona’s” characters enter and exit, the audience is struck by an unsettling but extremely powerful sight — their own reflections watching back. Complicity is inescapable.

In the absence of an orchestra, “Ivona” manipulates expectations of traditional musical scores. Sound bridges, music played in the darkness of scene-changes, range from jazz to harsh and almost Gothic electronic selections. Upon the entrance of the King and Queen (Nina Serbedzija ’14), the royal flourish of trumpets erupts from an echoing and feedback-laden amplifier, held in the hands of the Lord Chamberlain.

Awkward laughter, the mark of excellent black humor dripping with subversion, is the sound that decidedly sets the score and serves best to describe the Ensemble’s performance.

BY BRAD LENOX

Meat isn’t all bad: smart thinking for conscious carnivores So, I have been looking forward to the carnivorous column.

While eating too much meat is not advisable (in Amelia Dornbush the words of food Swarthmore Locavore guru Michel Pollan: “Eat food.

Not too much. Mostly Plants.”), I must say that I truly do enjoy the food group of meat. Initially, I was hoping to go on trips to the Co-Op and/or Martindale’s to find delicious meats I could have without cooking, such as prosciutto or sausage. However, as a result of catching the wrong bus back to Swarthmore (travellers beware: the 118 is different than the 109), these plans had to be postponed.

The Trader Joe’s in Media, a place I ended up after my accidental adventure on the 118, had no local meat (though a very delicious free sample of macaroni), which was quite unfortunate. I was complaining about this to the kind friend who picked me up from my stranded

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location, only to find that she regularly cooks with local organic meat. Therefore, the carnivorous column will now be devoted to how to eat local organic meat without spending too much money, from the perspective of someone who lives off campus.

My friend Ashley Vogel ’13 buys meat approximately once every two weeks, usually from Martindale’s. This week, she bought a pound of ground beef for $6.49 a pound. Vogel also brings meat with her back from local farms from her home in New Jersey, since she has a car and it is easy to transport because the meat is frozen. Vogel added that during the late spring through the fall, when the farmer’s market is open, there are more local meats available that are easily accessible from Swarthmore.

Vogel has specific kinds of meat she tends to buy. “I generally purchase ground beef and ground turkey because they are quick and easy to cook,” Vogel said. “Sausage, again, is easy to prepare, and delicious and it freezes pretty well.” Because Vogel lives off campus, and, as a Swattie, inevitably has a dearth of free time, she tends to get frozen meat because it will go bad less quickly. “The main criteria for food is that it stays good for a while … if you have a lot of homework, and don’t have time to cook, you

want something that will stay good for a while,” she said. “When I do cook [meat], I eat it four times in a row … money and meat are precious resources.”

Vogel almost exclusively purchases local and organic meat. Her reasons are both ethical and based on taste.“The main thing for me is that the animals are treated humanely,” she said. She also believes that when you prepare things in such a way that the taste of the food does not get masked by other strong flavors, the difference in quality becomes much more readily apparent between local food and non-local food. “It definitely tastes better … depending on the type of meat you can really tell the difference.”

In the upcoming week, Vogel plans on cooking her “current favorite recipe’: Keema Beef Curry, a recipe from Food and Wine magazine. “It’s a dish with…

Indian inspired flavors, it’s extremely simple to prepare… it stores really well, so you can keep it in the fridge for a few days, it only gets better as time goes on.”

Vogel has cooked the dish multiple times before, and made it for her parents when she returned home for break.

Vogel said that living off campus and cooking her own food is more affordable than living on campus, although she expressed a wish that the college offered students the option to live on campus

March 29, 2012

without being on the meal plan. “The social aspect of living on campus is something I miss, but cooking is something I really enjoy and … it is is very hard for me to eat at Sharples because … eating local and organic meat is important … and those things just are not available, [and so] to me, living on campus is not really an option.”

For those who do live on campus and want to eat meat, planning meals in groups can be quite helpful. Most of Vogel’s meals serve four people, meaning that one can purchase a pound of meat for less than two dollars a person total.

While certainly not practical to do frequently on a meal plan, I think it is a nice idea to think about trying to occasionally cook a local organic meal. Contrary to popular belief, as Vogel shows, it can be done cheaply and with relative ease.

Next time I don’t take the wrong bus, I look forward to trying to cook myself a meal. I may try Vogel’s curry recipe, or perhaps I will simply rely on the flavor of the food to carry me through, with only some light seasoning with fresh (and local) ingredients. As well as having some prosciutto and sausage, of course.

Up Next: Paces.

Ameila is a first-year. She can be reached at adornb1@swarthmore.edu.

THE PHOENIX

Living & Arts Sex and the space age: Vianca talks phone, Skype-sex swarthmorephoenix.com

For some relationships, there comes a time for those involved to kick it long distance. Sustaining a 6,000 mile gap without 6,000 mile-long junk can be a bit of a hassle, if not a hustle to and fro. Some choose to open the relationship up for the sake of satisfying minimum physical needs while others decide to take the martyr route and stay monogamous.

Whether Vianca Masucci you are a victim of the first Missing Parts decision or the latter, the long-distance thing doesn’t need translate to intra-relationship bed-death. On the contrary, distance makes the cock grow harder. You and your boo-of-choice must begin a new chapter in your boning repertoire — sex from afar.

It can be a challenge to maintain a sexual relationship without physical contact. However, remaining sexually connected is a task easily conquered by some verbal loving and love-spot rubbing. Unless you’re still using Morse code as your primary mode of communication, there are a myriad of efficient ways to keep the verbal communication between you and your other(s) steamy. For this reason, plenty of permutations of long-distance relationships exist.

The Techie Solution: Phone and Skype When the possibility of oral sex is nil, aural sex is always an option. Yes, I’m referring to phone boning — the ol’ school remedy to these long-distance physical encounters. It can be hard to articulate how the state of wetness of your vag correlates to how nastily you want to get laid, but that comfort comes over time and exponentially increases with inebriating edibles consumed and/or level of horniness. Once started, I’m sure that you and your distant lover will fall into an eargasm-inducing routine in no time.

But how do you start?

Lots of people find that they are uncomfortable when it comes to starting this sexercise with their others. Don’t feel the pressure of producing a full-length $3.00 erotic pharmacy novel every time you speak. Start some basic naughty conversation that either sets the mood, or the thought, or the feeling, or the scene. Questions like “what are you wearing” or “what are position are you laying in” may seem really cheesy, but they’ve survived as the example of cliché phone-sex starters for a reason. They fucking work. Describing little aspects of the scene that one or both of you are in begins to create a setting where, if only in fantasy, you both exist. Once the setting is made, the story will follow. Another way of starting phone sex is sharing your favorite mutual sex memories or just plain talking about what things you like in bed. An open conversation about sex or memories of sex can lead to phone encounter of the more naughty variety … or not. Just articulating naughty thoughts to your partner is a great way to start on the phone sex trajectory.

Most people find it easy to keep the phone-sex going by making it a narrative co-written by both parties involved while others just like to share a free-flowing stream of naughty thoughts. No matter which way you go, just make sure that your partner is on board and that you are functioning together. This does not necessarily mean that you and your partner take turns kickin’ each other dirty thoughts. It just means that you’re keeping you and your partner on the same page, making a sexual connection.

Pay close attention to your partner’s cues — make sure that your partner is enjoying the phone sex and is comfortable. Because you cannot see or touch your other, this is something that is easy to lose sight of during phone sex.

You mustn’t! Remember that the primary reason that you are having sex via Samsung cellular (besides pleasure, of course) is to share and maintain intimacy and a sexual connection with your companion on the other side of the globe, country, state, city … campus. (Those ML/Roberts relationships must be crazy.) Losing sight of that will result in bad sex. (Cue: old movie drama score) Whether one of you prefers to talk or you spilt the talking 50/50, remember to engage each other. Asking questions like “What do you want to do to me”, “How do you like it”, “What do you want me to do”, “Are you touching yourself,” etc., function to both keep your partner engaged and the phone sex going.

The wonders of Skype face-to-face chat has made the reading of your partner’s cues much easier and sex glands a lot harder. Skype has aided the long-distance community by providing a means for Skype sex. The same idea as phone sex with the added pleasure and/or pressure of being able to see your partner as you go. This does not have to be an off off off off off off Broadway production of the “Vagina Monologues” or Candiiii’s live webcam unless you want it to be. Start by treating the skype chat as a opportunity to chat face to face about your fantasies. Once you’ve connected by means of this verbal love, advance to masturbating simultaneously, but not necessarily showing the each other your handiwork. When, and only when you feel comfortable, you can show your partner exactly how you’re playing the plush puppet. This establishment of comfort will result in an organic progression to more intricate performances and a better understanding of what your other likes/is comfortable with.

After the performances become routine, try to keep it exciting, literally. Have themed weeks, tell erotic stories (the Princess and the Penis?), do a lil’ dance, try something new, let your partner dicktate your actions, etc.

Play the voyeur aspect to your advantage.

One really obnoxious and boner-killing feature of skype is the dropped calls. Before you begin the midnight show, make sure that you have a steady and reliable connection. If not, you’ll leave (but not come) more frustrated than you arrived.

kill the moment.

Tools Want a bit more of a physical connection? Well, where there’s disposable income, there’s a way. Sex-positive (and most likely sex-deprived) geniuses have engineered electronics stimulate physical sexual experiences. The field is called teledildonics (seriously). Google-satisfy your curiosity, if you must.

Remote operated vibrators exist such that your partner can control the motion of movement of the shaft and speed of vibration. The more advanced, elder sister to the remote control vibe is the Sinulator/Fleshlight combination. A masturbation-sleeve that, when manipulated by the user (with any penetration tool of choice), affects action of the vibrator and motion of its shaft. These toys may seem like a fun solution to providing some mutual sexual activities for those separated, but the price-tags on products like these are pretty high.

The iPhone has a cheaper option in the form of an app.

A program turns the iPhone into a vibrator that can be externally controlled is on the market. No shit. The app, available on many 18+ websites, transforms your iPhone into a mini-vibe whose vibrations correspond to the beat of the song playing, the sound of a voice or external music, or a pattern made on the screen of the iPhone. This allows your partner to control the vibration of your pleasure wand by picking a playlist or speaking over a phone, loudspeaker-style.

Everyone always talks about how hard long-distance relationships are and how much they suck. They are hard-in the bad way. They do suck--in the worse way. One reason for that, more than lack of sex, is lack of sexual connection. Always put in as much effort in sex from afar as you would in any other sex act. Pay attention to your sex from afar technique, masturbate to your liking (see my column on masturbation on the Phoenix website), and treat your partner with respect.

With that, I wish all ye long-distance lovers the best of luck. And all ye iPhone-friend havers the most inappropriate of assumptions.

Excite your diction For some, the thought of voicing our erotic-nasty-borderline illegal brain-children to our partner may be a concept that we are not comfortable with. That’s totally okay.

Just as there are multiple ways to be physical, there are multiple ways to be verbal. Sexy emails and text messages are a good alternative to vocalizing your thoughts. What I love about these is that they give you a chance to fully articulate your lusty feeling while simultaneously showcasing a lust-inducing vocabulary. Furthermore, the inhibitions that we usually have when speaking directly to our partners are dulled in this medium of communication.

You may find that your partner opens up to you sexually Vianca is a junior. You can reach her at vmasucc1@ and communicates all their genuine sexual interests. swarthmore.edu.

The overall goal of this email should be to sustain sexual communication and express your sexual desires. However, don’t forget all these cartoon by naia poyer must be executed with the intent of exciting your partner. Create images for your partner’s mind that will create a mad sexual fury within them … you know, if you have the vocab for all of that.

This only works as a means of sexual communication if there is communication coming back and forth between you and your partner. If emails are flowing from one end and not the other, this sexercise is unhelpful. Building comfort and maintaining a sexual bond is something that both partners must contribute to.

For longer periods of time away, direct contact may be needed to keep the feeling of a sexual connection alive. The xmails and sexts are nice, but they do compromise feelings of intimacy. If your comfort is an issue, use these emails as a stepping stone to direct contact long distance-sex. Having phone or Skype sex every once and in while will keep that feeling of intimacy alive. *Note: This is a personal pet peeve/ turnoff, but I am sure a substantial amount of Swatties will support me on this — grammar. Use proper grammar and spellings of words in your naughty notes and erotic emails. If you must abbreviate words, plz (ugh) don’t butcher them. Additionally, some cellphones auto-correct spelling in texts which is a problem when most of the words you’re using probably won’t be listed in the dictionary. Nothing detracts from a hot email like an egregious spelling error that could have been avoided with simple revision. “I want to fuck your puppy”, I assure you, will

THE PHOENIX March 29, 2012

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Living & Arts

swarthmorephoenix.com

Sat., March 31 8 p.m.

Mephistos

One Act Play Festival!

Sunday, April 1 * 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. * SCI 101

Gigglefuck!

editor’s picks

V E R T I G O G O

By Brad Lenox

Friday, Village Education Project: 4th Annual SILENT AUCTION March 30 9 pm

XFINITY LIVE Opening @the Wells Fargo Center Ft. Third eye Blind & Victory Beer Hall

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Friday, March 30 Alice Paul 1st Longue 7:30 pm

March 29, 2012

THE PHOENIX

Opinions

swarthmorephoenix.com

Staff Editorial

Even at Swarthmore, we are all Trayvon Martin Race and politics have historically converged in the context of national tragedy. Joining the long list of lawful injustices is the Feb. 26 shooting of 17-year-old African-American male Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.

The elements of the case are simple yet nuanced, as American social issues customarily are: the unarmed Trayvon was shot and killed by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman.

Twenty-eight-year-old Zimmerman had described the boy to police as a suspicious “black male” wearing a hoodie and pursued him only to open fire on him in “self-defense.” Under Florida’s “stand your ground” law, people are allowed to use deadly force in cases of self-defense when they believe their life to be at risk.

President Obama, in response to the flood of protests calling for Zimmerman’s arrest, said that “if [he] had a son, he would look like Trayvon.” And thus the gravity of the incident weighed heavily on the national conscious, shining a harsh fluorescence on those issues that have long plagued American society — race, crime, and gun rights.

To anyone of color — particularly, black males — Trayvon’s death is a caustic reminder that racial injustice is still prevalent in 2012; the idea that we live in a “post-racial nation” is compromised time and time again. What’s more, it is a reminder that a certain image and context (in Trayvon’s case, being black and wearing a hooded sweatshirt on a dark street in central Florida) is enough to provoke that injustice.

But that reality doesn’t sit well with a society that prides itself on having abolished slavery and elected an African-American president. Yet it is these moments of brutal oppression that expose the rupture between our progressive discourses and scant expressions of racial reformation, and the ways in which we continue to behave towards one another.

The 2009 arrest of Henry Louis Skip Gates Jr., Harvard University’s most prominent black scholar, by a police sergeant who was looking for a burglar in Gates’ home, demonstrates just how ingrained black male stereotypes have become in our collective conscious.

Across the country, the prevailing sentiment is the fear that Martin’s killing has entrenched the precedent that, with the right excuse, it is acceptable to gun down black males.

Trayvon’s death also brings to mind the 1955 slaying of 14-year-old AfricanAmerican Chicago teen Emmett Till by white men for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Both fatalities have proven themselves galvanizing forces in an enduring civil rights movement. Across the country, the prevailing sentiment is the fear that Martin’s killing has entrenched the precedent that, with the right excuse, it is acceptable to gun down black males.

The renewed attention on race could perhaps not be better timed for that very reason. With the Republican primaries lobbing between Santorum and Romney and the general election looming on the horizon, the shooting of Trayvon has fermented dialogue around America’s gun-carry culture and what it means to be acting in “self-defense,” especially when that action is clouded by racialized understandings. It shouldn’t have to be mentioned that the unbridled right to bear arms in the South seemingly coincides with an abiding narrative of racism. How, then, do we reckon with both a multiplicity of racial attitudes and polar legislative gun measures in the United States — two positions that share a historical, political, and social nexus?

For us, the question of how to feel about the killing of Trayvon Martin should not be limited to just those issues. It should not be range-bound by our views on the legality or morality of carrying firearms, but rather our focus should fix on the rampancy of racism and, more generally, unwavering marginalization in the 21st century.

We should be mindful of the persistence of both symbolic and physical violence towards those who are somehow “different” in our society. We should be aware that both outside and within our lush campus and politically correct notions of the way the world operates, incidents of hate and prejudice are not isolated, but part of an inveterate conception of race and gender and sexuality.

To wave the Confederate flag or hurl a homophobic insult or sexually assault someone is not just to do those things. Our hateful actions are not simply hateful actions; they are only a few steps away from real tragedy. They are part and parcel of every incident of fatal racism, homophobia and sexism, providing the ammunition to bigoted and backward perceptions about anyone and everyone — gay, straight, black, white, male or female.

In this way, we are all Trayvon Martin.

To join students for a march in honor of Trayvon, you are invited to wear a hoodie and meet in front of Parrish today at 4:30 p.m.

THE PHOENIX

Emma Waitzman The Phoenix

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, opeds or comments from publication.

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

Letters are a minimum of 250 words and may not exceed 500 words. Opeds are a minimum of 500 words and may not exceed 750. Letters and 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.

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, although individ-

March 29, 2012

ual writers may request that their group affiliation be included.

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

An editorial represents the opinions of the members of the Opinions Board: Marcus Mello, Camila Ryder and Reem Abdou

Please submit letters to: letters@swarthmorephoenix.com or 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 The ACA mandate: limited government on trial swarthmorephoenix.com

Danielle Charette The Nascent Neoliberal

James Madison died in the summer of 1836.

Should the Supreme Court uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), I fear his spirit will officially perish in

the coming months.

It is far easier for the federal government to bolster its duties, rather than curb ever-larger temptations. Human nature being what it is, the Constitution marks a clear, concise restriction on the national government’s authority. In Federalist 45, Madison states, “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State government are numerous and indefinite.” I’m no fan of Massachusetts healthcare and its decree for private insurance contracts at the state level, but it’s the lesser of two governmental evils. Mitt Romney really ought to be quoting Federalist 45 on the campaign trail.

This week, the US Supreme Court has heard an amazing six hours of oral arguments concerning ACA, the most notorious of arguments being over the indi-

vidual mandate. Back in the WWII era, the federal government placed a series of wage and price controls on American employers. As a natural economic response, employers attached health care plans to compensation packages, in order to compete for skilled workers. This old model of linking insurance with employment, spurred by Uncle Sam himself, means that a sick employee who loses her job also loses her health care. Because no sane insurance company wants to take on a customer when he or she is sick, too many people are left in a desperate situation. A key selling-point for the ACA overhaul has been disallowing insurance companies from denying coverage to those with preexisting conditions. While this is praiseworthy, there’s no such thing as a free lunch — or in this case, a free checkup. Forcing insurance companies to take on the ill means counterbalancing with younger, healthier premium payers. Yet, once again, the government has fostered a perverse set of incentives. Why purchase insurance when you’re in good-shape when insurers will have to accept you when your health takes a downturn? Enter the individual mandate.

The magic words for the past 75 years of Constitutional law have been contained in the Commerce Clause, granting Congress the power to “regulate commerce among the several states.” These words have acted as the million-dollar-phrase since the New Deal Era, ushering in justification for broad regulations and the ratcheting-up of federal whims. Ironically, federal regulations prevent consumers from purchasing insurance across state

lines, but that’s besides the point when the insurance rulebook is being written not in doctor’s offices but on the Hill. The primary precedents in defending ACA are “Wickard v. Filburn” (1942) and “Gonzales v. Raich” (2005), which rule that activities like growing private wheat for cattle or harvesting medicinal marijuana have substantial enough effects on interstate commerce to warrant federal regulation. Don’t get me wrong; these precedents make me woozy, but at least these cases regulated the choice of consciously entering a market and not the non-action of simply living, breathing and not buying insurance.

I understand that healthcare is a mess in this country. So are obesity rates and television habits. Will Uncle Sam next issue an exercise mandate? Buy an elliptical or face a penalty? If the Big-Three auto companies are short on sales, is there anything to prevent purchasing Fords-by-fiat?

Regardless of the ruling, the nine members of the bench will surely be smeared as “activists” who are politically motivated.

Here’s one thing I wish we could dub the judges: textual. That is, they stick to the original words and meaning of our Founding document. The Constitution is not a crystal ball. Judges shouldn’t stare into it to see anything they wish.

A variety of groups camped outside the Supreme Court this week, urging the Court to have a heart and uphold the mandate. But as the third branch of our constitutional republic, the judiciary is not meant to ensure good social policy, efficiency, or charity. It’s meant to uphold the law. In fact, a shaky legal foundation may very well undermine good intentions.

The ACA set out to insure more Americans and lower cost, yet may be achieving just the opposite. Paradoxically, many express fear that the Supreme Court striking down the individual mandate will restrict access to healthcare. Actually, simply implementing the 2,700 page law has spiked premiums by up to 30 percent and encouraged young people to avoid full plans, all while recent college grads face glum job prospects.

On the road to the highest court in the land, a lower judge upholding the mandate wrote that electing not to participate in the insurance market is a “mental activity” and therefore subject to regulation.

Apparently the Constitution protects Free Speech but not free thought. Forget trains and steamships — interstate commerce is now regulating your neurons.

Perhaps this sounds drastic, but I worry that the Constitution will have lost all meaning if the Court sides with the mandate. I’d rather progressive lawyers scrap the Constitution all together than treat it as an endlessly pliable piece of putty.

When asked if the ACA might set a precedent for mandating broccoli-consumption during a back-and-forth in a lower court, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Beth Brinkmann answered, “it depends.” If our country has come so far as to legitimately contemplate salad bar dictums, the original American framework for limited government is all but lost. Sadly, I worry that when the Constitution “lives,” the careful experiment in checks-and-balances behind the document itself dies a sad death.

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

Liberal arts: the change we wish to see in the world The world today is not the same as it was yesterday. Of course, demographics have changed, livelihoods have flourished (or suffered) in quality, the entire globe has increased its greenhouse gas composition, the genetic makeup of the human race has evolved, and technologies have expanded to create new economies, marketplaces, jobs, and demands.

All this innovation (or diHarshil Sahai gression) is for better or for worse. Change, in theConservatively Liberal ory, should be a targeted Economics response to suffering, to oppression, to a real problem with the status quo.

Change should come from the effort of all, or at least under the approval of all, with all in mind. In recent years we have seen change from these avenues that “call for” and “need” change, but we have also seen other changes come about for less virtuous reasons — with grave consequences. These “negative” changes that have impacted society have noticeably one root cause: human nature. Humans are and always have been enticed by pleasure. Pleasure makes the strongest weak, the most intelligent senseless, the energized lazy and just as well vice-versa. The same facet that changes human behavior, likewise, changes the world. The pleasure that money brings creates monetary incentives that often ignore the real needs for change and replace them with selfish motives. The most upstanding government officials shrivel to lowly Wall Street lobbyists with the mere smell of potential money. Wall Street executives themselves exhibit profit-driven greed: Ivy-League graduates become oblivious animals hedging risky mortgage-backed securities with high chances of default. Countries invade, attack and destroy weaker nations in hopes of acquiring natural resources and black gold. Hell, even petty crime evidences the power of money to transform law-abiding citizens into criminals.

These ill-willed changes that have come about through monetary incentives create problems that call for more

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change. But without the proper attitude, the correct intent and a virtuous, adaptable mindset, it will be difficult to eradicate the most challenging issues of today and tomorrow. Although there is an inherent problem within the entire system, whereby all citizens are constantly exposed to, enticed by and act on avarice, there is something special to be said about those who have intellect and opportunity but fall in the spiraling circle of greed. Our education system in the US is primarily lauded for its high research activities at institutions like Harvard, Stanford, MIT and UC Berkeley. These large graduate institutions pump out academics that are the powerhouses to real policy-research and global change. However, undergraduate institutions are not as dedicated to such a purpose. The main attraction of attending prestigious undergraduate institutions is often prestigious employment opportunities.

This is true for a large portion of America’s tertiary education. The common career track seen in recent years is to work hard through high school, graduate college, get a job, get married and then retire. Each step in such a process is for the purpose of increasing “wealth” and “pleasure.” Harvard often lauds its “strength of job recruitment efforts” in its undergraduate brochure, while Stanford and UC Berkeley are known to produce the “CEOs of tomorrow.” In a deeper sense, perhaps the outcome for this unyielding greed is the undergraduate academic structure within these larger universities. Students at Ivy League institutions are more often than not exposed to only their major of study. Finance students at the University of Pennsylvania are less concerned with human trafficking in Nigeria, and more concerned with beefing up resumes and acquiring business acumen. Likewise, large university pre-med programs engross students in biology and chemistry, preparing them for medical schools. Many such students dedicate 15+ years of post-grad education, only to own plastic surgery private practices, making $600K a year from synthetically increasing women’s breast sizes.

Unfortunately, elite liberal arts students, like those of Swarthmore, do not make up the majority of America’s rising leaders. Our success in humanitarian, policy and law efforts are often overshadowed by the Ivy Leagues’ advertised placement into JP Morgan, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley. As the world is expanding and jobs are changing, having a one-sided mindset is becoming more and more a handicap. What is an actuarial science major to do if insurance firms are going bankrupt? A liberal arts student, however, is exposed to all avenues of education:

March 29, 2012

math, science, social science and the humanities. Such a student can problem-solve, think critically, communicate well and understand the world. Such a student has a mindset that is malleable enough to tackle the world’s most complex, ever-changing issues, yet specific enough to the learn the responsibilities of a nuanced trade. Swarthmore produces as many socially, politically and globally conscious investment bankers and consultants as it does activists and human rights lawyers. At the end of the day, liberal arts students not only have the ability to take up the most prestigious positions in business, but also the choice to turn them down. Our world needs more institutions like Swarthmore, where students are encouraged to change the world, not just their future savings accounts. Our world needs students whose incentives are increasing the livelihood of nations, eradicating problems of the lower class and caring for the majority — not material pleasures. So much talent and intelligence is brainwashed by the media and higher institutions into entering the for-profit workforce, instead of being used for the greater good. This, however, is not to say that such for-profit enterprises be shut down. Financial institutions, consulting firms, technology giants, and small businesses should all still exist — it is the just the nature of employees’ understanding, reasoning, and attitude that should be tweaked.

The solution is comprised of two parts. First, trace back the root of these incentives that are forced into students’ heads, and replace them with nobler virtues. Perhaps it is the way children are brought up in America; perhaps parents instill too much importance on material success. Perhaps internet and television media heightens the allure of money. Or perhaps higher-ed institutions offer academic programs that are too focused on job acquisition. Likely, all of these and more.

Secondly, after trying to eradicate such money-centered propaganda, we must make sure these students who do have nobler attitudes are best educated. Liberal arts institutions are often few and far between. Large public and private universities can be seen left and right. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and a handful of others, however, are the extent of high-quality liberal arts colleges.

The expansion and aggrandizement of these institutions, coupled with proper, virtuous incentives will best position America to create the “right” change that we hope to see in the world.

Harshil is a first-year. You can reach him at hsahai1@ swarthmore.edu.

THE PHOENIX

Sports Softball clears 2011 win total with Rutgers victory swarthmorephoenix.com

In the second game, there was no shortage of runs as Swarthmore jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning behind six of its sixteen hits in the game. Smayda led off Prior to Tuesday’s games against Muhlenberg, the the inning with a double and advanced to third base after Swarthmore softball team’s last home contest occurred a fielding error. A single from outfielder Nicole Aaron on Apr. 26, 2011 against rival Haverford. A split decision ’14 drove in Smayda and doubles by third baseman Rose in that doubleheader left the team at 3-13 in the Centen- Pitkin ’13 and shortstop Elizabeth Cushing ’12 brought in nial Conference and 7-23 overall. Since then, however, three more runs. things have gone very differently for the Garnet, which The Garnet scored one run each in the second and surpassed last season’s win total before entering confer- third innings and held a commanding 6-0 lead over Widence play after beating Rutgers-Newark 6-5 on Saturday ener going into the bottom of the third. A three-run triple in the second game of a doubleheader. from Widener’s Casey Hargardon cut the lead in half, but the Garnet responded in the fourth, scoring two runs on three hits.

Entering the sixth, Swarthmore led 8-4 and the game looked well in hand with O’Connor on the mound in relief of starting pitcher Sarina Lowe ’14. The Pride, however, had other ideas and evened the score behind a two-out grand slam from Hargardon, who finished the game with an impressive seven runs batted in.

After a scoreless seventh, the game went into extra innings with Swarthmore batting first. Per International Softball Federation rules, Aaron was placed on second base and advanced to third by a single from Pitkin. She was stranded, however, after outs by Cushing and Chelsea Matzko ’15 ended the inning.

In the bottom half, a leadoff double from Widener ended the game in a quick and disappointing fashion as the Garnet fell 8-9.

“The Widener games were both tough losses,” said O’Connor. “We came out strong in the start of the second game and put some runs on the board, but Widener wasn’t ready to lose. They put up a strong fight until the very end and unfortunately, Julia Carleton The Phoenix we weren’t able to come out on top.”

Outfielder Marley Spector at bat for the Garnet.

The team returned to action on Saturday, going on the road to face Rutgers-New“We had talent last year, but we were never able to ark in another doubleheader. pull it all together,” pitcher and outfielder Kate Smayda In the first game, the Garnet held a 1-0 lead into the ’13 explained. “Our chemistry on and off the field is in- fifth inning behind an RBI single from Danielle Seltzer credible and it is allowing us to communicate and trust ’13 and a strong performance from starting pitcher Matzeach other more. With this communication, we are able ko, who allowed only one hit in four innings. to make plays we never could last year and push each In the fifth, however, the tide turned as Matzko walked other harder than we have before.” two batters to start the inning and was replaced by Lowe.

This newfound ability, which was clearly on display A wild pitch and three-RBI double scored four runners in during 9-0 and 17-3 thrashings of Philadelphia Biblical on the inning and left the Garnet in a Mar. 20, kept the Garnet in close 4-1 deficit from which they did not games during its recent 1-3 stretch. recover. The teams traded runs in On Thursday, the team was the sixth and both left a runner in swept by the home-standing Widscoring position. Down by four in ener Pride, who won narrow 3-0 the final inning, Smayda hit a twoand 9-8 (8 innings) victories. out double, but a fly out by LamIn game one of the twin bill, merts ended any hopes for a rally the Pride managed only three hits and continued the team’s threeagainst starting pitcher Melissa game losing skid.

O’Connor ’14, who recorded seven The second game started unforstrikeouts in six innings. Widener, tunately for the Garnet, as it surhowever, mustered just enough ofrendered two unearned runs off of fense to win, scoring all of its runs two hits and a fielding error. Although the team found in the third, behind an RBI double by Jess Way and a itself in an early hole, it was able to refocus and battle two-run homer from Shelby Mackintosh. back to avoid a sweep at the hands of Rutgers-Newark.

On offense, the Garnet scattered five singles, three “As a team I think we focused on upping our intensity from infielder Jesslyn Lammerts ’14, throughout seven in the second game,” second baseman Laurie Sellers ’15 innings and left four runners on base. said. “We wanted Rutgers-Newark to feel like we were

BY ROY GREIM rgreim1@swarthmore.edu

coming at them hard because we were, so we all made a conscious effort to be louder and more talkative to keep everyone completely focused on the game.”

The Garnet lessened the deficit with a run in the third and then exploded in the fifth inning with a four-hit, fourrun outburst. A two-out single by Aaron scored Sellers and began a crucial rally that put the Garnet ahead.

After a single from Seltzer advanced Aaron to third, a timely triple from Pitkin and a throwing error from Rutgers-Newark, one of its six in the game, cleared the bases and earned the Garnet three more runs to close out the inning.

After holding the Scarlet Raiders scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, the Garnet added to its lead with another run from Sellers.

In the sixth, Rutgers-Newark showed signs of life, adding a run and cutting the lead to 6-3. Its rally continued in the seventh inning, after a walk and a single put two runners in scoring position with two outs.

A double to left-center drove in both runners and decreased the deficit to a tight 6-5, but the potential comeback was ended by an out on the next at-bat.

O’Connor picked up the complete-game win, her fourth of the season, behind four strike outs and three earned runs in seven innings.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Garnet opened Centennial Conference play against defending champion Muhlenberg. After dropping the first game by a score of 11-5, the Garnet lost 11-13 in the second.

The next games will be held on Mar. 29 at home against Cabrini.

The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

Our chemistry is incredible and it is allowing us to communicate and trust each other more.

Kate Smayda ’13

Julia Carleton The Phoenix

Rose Pitkin had a key triple against Rutgers-Newark.

GARNET IN ACTION SATURDAY, MAR. 31

THURSDAY, MAR. 29

Baseball at Gettysburg, 12:30 & 3:30 p.m.

Softball vs. Cabrini, 3:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.

Softball at Gettysburg, 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse at Immaculata, 6:00 p.m.

Men’s lacrosse at Gettysburg, 1:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAR. 30

TUESDAY, APR. 3

Track & field at Widener Danny Curran Invitational, 11:00 a.m.

Baseball at Washington College, 3:30 p.m.

Baseball vs. Haverford, 3:30 p.m.

THE PHOENIX

Softball vs. McDaniel, 3:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.

March 29, 2012

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Sports Inter Milan struggling in a post-Mourinho world swarthmorephoenix.com

Massimo Moratti, chairman of Inter Milan, fired Claudio Ranieri after a poor run that saw Inter win only one of their past 10 games. Ranieri is just another example of Moratti’s love affair with Jose Mourinho. Since Moratti fired Roberto Mancini, present manager of Manchester City and three-time winner of Serie A with Inter, in order to hire Mourinho, managers have come and gone quickly.

I remember watching Mourinho’s last game in charge of Inter while on holiday in Sorrento near Naples. The week before, the Italians were claiming that Mournho was the greatest manager in the world and that Italian football was better for having him. Inter went on to easily beat James Ivey Bayern Munich 2-0, both goals coming from Diego MiliOut of Left Field to, in a game that was incredibly one-sided and capped a very successful two-year period for Mourinho and Inter. Mourinho successfully completed the treble (League, Cup, Champions League) in the 2009-2010 season, which had never been done by an Italian team before and raised expectations even higher for Inter fans. However, the victory dampened some spirits of Inter fans across Italy as they realized that Mourinho was no longer going to want to manage in Italy now that he had won it all. Mourinho bid farewell to Milan so that he could take charge at Real Madrid to fulfill his destiny of getting revenge on Barcelona for all the taunting over the years.

Since Mourinho left, Inter has had four managers in two years. Each one was seen as the answer to the current problem facing the club but none of them has really managed to be successful in the Jose Mourinho fashion. Both Chelsea and Inter have suffered since they lost Mourinho, and it can’t really be a coincidence that these clubs’ most successful periods came with Mourinho. However, Mourinho does his job well by buying players in their prime, not ones who will grow over time, and he manages to get the best out of them through interpersonal relations and by fitting them into his system. When he signed for Chelsea, Mourinho said that he knew his formation and how he would play and so only needed 23 players to win the league. Twenty-three players meant two players for each position and a third goalkeeper. This meant that any manger that succeeded him had to deal with players bought to work in one formation and who don’t work quite as well any other way.

Players that prove this point at Inter are easy to come by. Mourinho brought in Lucio at his prime when Lucio was probably the best centre back in the world. His fellow defenders that provided such a good base for Mourinho are now all reaching the twilight years of their careers: Walter Samuel (age 34), Lucio (33), Maicon (30), Ivan Cordoba (35), Chivu (31) and Zanetti (38) were some of the best defenders under Mourinho, but are now

two years older and not as effective. Wesley Sneijder was the best player for Inter under Mourinho and played the role of playmaker better than anyone. His touch was sublime and his passing directed play set up chances that won tough games. Sneijder finally reached his potential that had been seen by Ajax, Real Madrid and a whole host of clubs that wanted to sign him in 2007. But since Mourinho left, Sneijder has not been playing as well as he did.

Even signings like Diego Forlan, Pazzini and Zarate have not helped maintain the success of Mancini and Mourinho. Forlan was incredibly successful in the 2010 World Cup and for Villarreal and Atletico Madrid before joining Inter and was seen as one of the major transfers of the year. He has scored two goals so far making him another Fernando Torres, only less boyish. Zarate was brought in on loan at the beginning of the season and is a quick, tricky winger that should have brought some width to Inter and instead has been a disappointment. Pazzini has been the best of the post-Mourinho strikers with 11 goals in his first half-season but only five goals so far this season. Pazzini has been an effective striker in Serie A for the past four years but in his first full season at Inter he has not been able to hit his stride. Players not playing to their best seems to be a constant theme in the new-look Inter team.

The problem that needs to be fixed right now is finding a manager for the long term.

Whether that is the caretaker manager or someone at the end of the season, there is a real necessity for someone to bring stability. The new manager needs to be given time to form a team and a strategy that are his own and not Mourinho’s. Moratti needs to realise that change is not going to bring instant success; the only way to move forward is to find a new manager and give it time. Ranieri, Gasperini, Leonardo and Benitez have all been fired in the past two years, but hopefully Stramaccioni will be given a chance.

James is a sophomore. You can reach him at jivey1@swarthmore.edu.

sports poll

Faculty Picks: NCAA title The Phoenix e-mailed a bunch of your professors and coaches asking them to predict the men’s NCAA Champion.

Here are their best guesses: Karen Borbee, Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach OHIO STATE. Liz Braun, Dean of Studies KANSAS. Kansas is really hitting their stride as a team, I have deep loyalties to the Kansas region because I spent many of my formative years living there, and their mascot the Jayhawk is just so fun. Don’t you think the Jayhawk and Phineas could be friends?

Joseph Culley, Men’s Basketball Head Coach OHIO STATE. Renee DeVarney, Women’s Basketball Head Coach OHIO STATE. Stan Exeter, Baseball Head Coach My pick is KENTUCKY. However, I may not be qualified since my 6 yearold son trounced me in our family bracket.

Ted Fernald, Lingiustics KENTUCKY. Scott Gilbert, Biology It’s a good Final Four for Civil War buffs. I’ll go for LOUISVILLE, if only

because I like their sluggers.”

Patrick Gress, Head Coach KENTUCKY.

Men’s

Lacrosse

Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

Since Jose Mourinho (right) left Inter Milan, the team has not found a long-term successor.

Garnet athlete of the week

Rachel Head, Assistant Dean for Residential Life I’m happy with any team winning so long as it is not Duke ... in picking the lesser of the evils, I’ve got to go with KANSAS!!”

Marie Mutryn

SR., WOMEN’S LACROSSE, REXFORD, N.Y.

WHAT SHE’S DONE: Mutryn was the Garnet’s top scorer in the team’s 24-8 blowout of Bryn Mawr on Saturday, scoring four goals to go along with two assists.

Karen Henry, Dean of First-Year Students My prediction would only be a guess, but let’s say OHIO STATE. Beth Kotarski, Worth Health Center Director “KENTUCKY was the home of my favorite nurse hero--Mary Breckinridge, the mother of modern nurse midwifery.

FAVORITE CAREER MOMENT: “So far, I’d have to say beating Washington College at home last year 13 to 12. ”

Jeremy Loomis, Women’s Tennis Head Coach Calipari gets his first championship.

– KENTUCKY.

WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO: “To win the Centennial Conference playofs.”

Andrew Ward, Chair of Psychology KANSAS (given that’s where our college president hails from).

Myrt Westphal, Associate Dean for Student Life I pick OHIO STATE; it contains the most letters in common with Swarthmore.

18

March 29, 2012

Holly Smith The Phoenix

MOVIES THE THREE SHE’D TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND: “Avatar, Orange County, and any of the Harry Potter movies.”

THE PHOENIX

Sports Baseball routs Fords to kick off conference play swarthmorephoenix.com

by timothy bernstein tbernst1@swarthmore.edu

2-for-5 on the day, driving in two runs.

Swarthmore got started early, as Montalbano’s leadThe Swarthmore baseball team continued to pile up off homer set the tone for a four-run first inning and the rest of the game. By the end of the third inning, Swarthvictories, improving to 15-4 with two wins over Keuka more lead 14-0 and the final three innings had become a College and conference rival Haverford. The 15-4 record formality.

Right-handed relief pitcher Ramsey Walker ‘13, in his gives Swarthmore second place in the Centennial confirst start of the year, picked up the win with six qualfernece.

On Monday, first baseman Mike Cameron ’12 lead ity innings of two-run ball. Walker allowed six hits and the Garnet to an absolute blowout, as Swarthmore de- also struck out six. Matt Bertuch ‘14, Colton Aho ’15 and feated upstate New York’s Keuka College 20-4. Cameron Samer Nashed ‘15 each pitched an inning in relief, with went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and a triple, Bertuch and Nashed allowing one run apiece.

For the visiting Keuka Storm, driving in five runs altogether. His starter Dale Rifenbark took the loss, two home runs gave him 12 in his KEUKA 4 recording just two outs while getting Garnet career, widening his lead for torched for seven runs on seven hits. most career home runs in program history.

Swarthmore 20 At the plate, utilityman Michael Hutchings provided the lone spark “It was one of those games where with a pair of triples in two at-bats. everything came together,” Camer“We felt we were the better team on said, referring both to himself as in, and we wanted to take care well as the performance of the entire Haverford 4 going of business,” outfielder Rory McTeteam. ar ’13 said.

“Everyone hit tremendously Swarthmore 12 “We have to act like these games well, and when one guy gets a hit, are conference games as well. We’ve and more fastballs come, it’s a lot got to score runs early so we don’t easier to get more hits.” have to worry about them clawing Cameron was one of six Garnet starters to enjoy a multi-hit game, with each starting back.”

Somewhat incredibly, the twenty runs scored and player recording at least one hit. Second baseman Anthony Montalbano continued to rake out of the leadoff the sixteen-run margin of victory were only team bests spot, going 3-for-4 with a home run, while right fielder since last season, when the Garnet enjoyed a 23-4 win Tim Kwilos ’13 upped his average to a team-leading .460 over Penn State-Harrisburg on March 10th.

Fresh off the rout of Keuka, the team had to come with three more hits and three more RBI to extend his right back and visit Haverford the next afternoon for conference lead in runs batted in.

“Every time you take every at-bat seriously, and take a much-anticipated rivalry matchup and the opener to every pitch seriously, it can be a really productive day,” conference play. This, as McTear described it, was the shortstop Danny McMahon ’15 said. McMahon went game that the team had put an ‘X’ on in the schedule.

Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

Ramsey Walker picked up the win against Keuka College, going six innings.

Keyed by a six-run rally in the third inning, Swarthmore defeated its conference rival 12-4 to win its first conference game and move to 15-4 on the year overall.

The Fords took an early lead when Justin Coulter doubled in first baseman Jake Chaplin in the bottom of the first, but it would prove to be Haverford’s only lead of the game. Swarthmore came back to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the second on a two-run shot by Waterhouse, and broke the game wide open in the top of the third.

The Garnet sent 11 men to the plate, scoring six runs on four hits. The team got a break along the way when Waterhouse reached on an error by shortstop Clay Bloszies that kept the inning going. By the time the side was finally retired, Swarthmore had opened up an 8-1 advantage that would prove to be a bigger cushion than they would need. “[In the Haverford game], the umpire was squeezing everything,” Cameron said. “That allowed us to take a few more pitches, and see more fastballs. Their pitcher [starter Jonny Williams] was mostly around the plate, and if you’re around the plate but not overpowering us, we’re going to hit you.”

Swarthmore’s powerful offense, ranked fourth in the conference in runs scored, continued to set the tone for the whole team. Five of the Garnet starters recorded multi-hit games, with the team getting 14 hits overall.

Lefty Ignacio Rodriguez ‘12 picked up his team-leading fifth win despite an uneven performance. Rodriguez allowed four runs on eight hits while walking six and striking out three. Zach Weiner ‘12 and Sean Mangus ‘13 combined for three scoreless frames in relief. Williams took the loss for the Fords, falling to 1-4 on the season.

Despite their defeat, Haverford will have a shot at redemption very soon. They play the Garnet here at Swarthmore this Friday at 3:30 p.m. The next day, Swarthmore will travel to Gettysburg for an afternoon doubleheader.

Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

Anthony Montalbano continued his hot hitting out of the leadoff spot.

sports IN BRIEF

Swimmer Davis is All-American twice over at NCAA championships

Representing the entire program on the national level, Supriya Davis continued to make Garnet swimming proud. Davis earned multiple All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming Championships, held this past week in the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. Davis, who earned six gold medals at February’s Conference Championships in her first year on the team, was the only female swimmer in the Centennial Conference to be selected to compete. For the first time all year, she did not have the support of her team during a competition.

“It takes a special type of athlete to be able to make that transition at nationals,” swimming coach Sue Davis said. “Supriya swam an almost perfect meet in Indianapolis.”

On Wednesday, March 21, Davis began her Championships slate by breaking the college record — as well as her own personal best — in the 500-yard freestyle preliminaries. Her time of 5:04.94 did not qualify her for the finals, but will be preserved

in the Swarthmore record books as the fastest-ever time for a member of the Garnet.

Things only got better for Davis on Thursday, March 22, as she became an AllAmerican with a 10th-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly. Davis’s time of 55.74 seconds set both Swarthmore and Centennial Conference records and made the firstyear the 38th female swimmer in Swarthmore history to achieve the All-America honor. Davis is the first since Anne Miller ’10 at the end of the 2010 season.

On Friday, March 23, Davis finished 14th in the 200-yard butterfly finals with a time of 2:05.00. Davis came in slightly under ten seconds behind winner Logan Todhunter from Williams College. Todhunter won the race with a time of 1:55.66. With that result, Davis earned her second All-America distinction of the competition to cap a sterling rookie season on the Garnet swim team.

BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN

THE PHOENIX March 29, 2012

19

Sports

swarthmorephoenix.com

Women’s lax outlasts McDaniel in thrilling match-up Those six minutes were all Paige Messersmith, as McDaniel’s talented two-sport midfielder recorded two goals and an asTuesday’s Centennial Conference match sist. Tied with less than five minutes to go, with McDaniel was certainly a litmus-test Penikis earned another free position and game for the Swarthmore women’s lacrosse the junior was true, finishing low to give team. The team had put together a pair of the Garnet the win as Swarthmore was wins against Cabrini and Bryn Mawr fol- able to hold onto possession for the final lowing their loss to Ursinus, but Tuesday two minutes.

“I didn’t have a good angle, so I was was an opportunity to match up against another team with playoff hopes. For the sec- pulling the ball out, and as I started back, I ond consecutive year, the Garnet came out saw the defense and goalie relax so I shot. on top, needing only regulation to improve I usually don’t shoot from that angle but I to 2-1 in Conference, as junior Annalise saw it and I took it,” Penikis said.

Martin was confident that the team Penikis’ fifth goal of the game proved the lucky winner in a 13-12 final. In addition would hold on. “I didn’t have any doubts to her five goals, Penikis had three helpers, that we were going to win the game when picked up four ground balls, and caused we took the late lead. I felt very sure in three turnovers for another All-America- our defense and we were able to come up type performance. Entering Tuesday, Peni- with the stops and turnovers when we kis was ninth in Division III averaging 6.71 needed them. We can always count on our points per game, 14th in assists per game, offense to score a clutch goal when we really need it and I think and 33rd in goals per that because everyone game. She leads the MCDANIEL 12 felt so confident with Conference in every possession, we were offensive category. able to hold onto the Swarthmore put Swarthmore 13 ball for the last couple up 24 on Tri-Co Rival minutes of the game Bryn Mawr on Saturto preserve the win,” day. Swarthmore built up an 8-1 lead in the first 10 minutes of the Martin added.

In goal, Michelle Ammerman ’14 had game and led 16-5 at halftime before cruising to victory. Eleven different players her best performance of the season, stopscored for the Garnet, led by Marie Mutryn ping seven of the 19 shots she faced. “I’ve ’12 with four and hat tricks from Penikis been working really strong on maintaining (who also added five assists), Corinne Som- my confidence throughout the entire game.

Coming out in each of the halves, I had a mi ’14, and Emma Sipperly ’14.

Tuesday was much closer from the start couple of saves and so that certainly helped as the Green Terror opened the scoring for the rest of the game,” Ammerman said. two minutes in before Penikis answered It was an all-but-must-win game for the with her first of the game just 14 seconds Garnet with road games at Gettysburg this later to bring the match level. McDaniel Saturday and Franklin & Marshall weekthen scored four consecutive goals over end upcoming on the Centennial schedule.

The Gettysburg Bullets are outscora four minute span to take early control before the Garnet responded with four of ing their opponents by 11 goals per game and have won each of their games, four their own.

Beth Martin ’13 and Nicole Vanchieri of which were against Top-20 teams, by at ’13 each scored from free-positions to begin least seven goals. The Diplomats’ two lossthe run before Penikis and Sipperly added es have come to No. 2 Salisbury and No. 3 tallies to again even the game. The teams Cortland St. “We have to beat teams like McDaniel exchanged goals in the final two minutes of the half, with Penikis scoring her third if we want to have any chance of making with just 19 seconds before the break to end the playoffs and I’m excited that we got it the first 30 minutes of play in stalemate. done,” Ammerman said. “We need to carry The Garnet looked the better team out of that momentum now into our non-conferintermission, taking a 9-6 lead in the first ence game with Immaculata on Thursday six minutes. After the team’s exchanged a and then Gettysburg on Saturday.”

The Garnet will visit the Mighty Macs pair of goals apiece, McDaniel scored four of the next five over a six minute span to on Thursday at 6 p.m. before Saturday’s match at Gettysburg. bring the game back to deadlock.

by VICTOR BRADY vbrady1@swarthmore.edu

Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

Beth Martin scored her fifth goal of the season against McDaniel.

Justin Toran-Burrell The Phoenix

The Garnet won their match against McDaniel, eking out a 13-12 victory.

NCAA FINAL four bracket contest The Phoenix announces:

The 2012 NCAA Final Four Bracket Contest

Courtesy of dialglobalsports.com

20

Please email sports@swarthmorephoenix.com with what you think the championship game will be. Include the names of the two teams, the winning team, and what you think the final score will be. One winner will be chosen and will receive a $40 Amazon gift card.

March 29, 2012

THE PHOENIX