Swarthmore Phoenix, November 29, 2018

Today in OPINIONS: Laura Wilcox on the GOP tax plan A5, Daijung Xu on Swat’s liberal bubble A5, Giorgia Piantanida on mental health and study abroad A5

PHOENIX

THE

Athlete of the Week Meet Conor Harkins

of Men’s Basketball

VOL. 146, NO. 10

A8

The Cycle of Life: The Hidden Life of Bicycles

November 29, 2018

A3

The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881

JobX Data Reveals Low Job Acceptance Rate, Uneven Wage Distribution Veronica Yabloko News Writer

F

or the first time, the college has collected data on student employment, made possible by JobX. Among other things, the data show that the most positions on campus are at the highest pay grade and that fewer first-years are employed than upperclassmen. The Student Employment Committee, which initially conceive of JobX, is reflecting on this data and collecting student feedback about JobX to guide future changes to student employment.

The week ahead

JobX was intended to streamline the process of finding a job, applying for one, and receiving important information regarding the job. Before JobX was initially implemented in the spring of this year, The Phoenix reported that a goal of JobX was to prioritize work-study students and to make the job application process easier for freshman and international students.

Director of Services Kristen Moore and Vice President of Finance Greg Brown presented the JobX data at a Student Government Organization meeting in early November, and asked sena-

tors for feedback on JobX and student employment in general.

Senators voiced that a primary concern prior to JobX’s implementation was the accessibility of jobs to first-year students; yet, the aforementioned report illustrates that while 301 seniors are employed on campus, only 183 freshmen are employed on campus.

Another question the data highlights is the efficacy of JobX in helping work-aided students get jobs, as more non-work-aided seniors than work-aided seniors found jobs on campus. Moreover, a significantly smaller amount of

work-aided freshmen were hired compared to work-aided students of other years. While around 140 work-aided students were hired from sophomore, junior and senior classes each, only 116 workaided freshmen were hired.

Additionally, only 57 percent of students hired by the top six hiring departments, OSE, General Athletics, the Libraries, LPAC, the Admissions Office, and the Music Department, were workaided students. Some of the top six hiring departments also have a fairly low applicant hire rate, dipping as low as 21 percent by the libraries and 16 percent by

the admissions office. However, LPAC and the Music Department maintain over 98 percent hiring rates.

Senators were also concerned by the small wage difference among pay grades, a concern that both Moore and Brown shared.

The difference between the lowest pay grade and the highest pay grade is only 70 cents; yet some jobs require a much greater amount of labor or dedication.

For example, as reported in early October by The Phoenix, kitchen directors of The Crumb continued on page A2

Student Employment Data Broken Down by Work-Study Status, Wages, and Employer

Thursday Difficult Conversations Workshop 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A workshop on how to effectively communicate across deep differences Hormel/Nguyen Intercultural Center at Sproul Hall Kitchen 205 Friday Crazy Rich Asians Screening 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

WOCKA along with the Movie Committee will be hosting a Crazy Rich Asians Screening.

Sci 199 Monday From 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in SCI 183, the Engineering and Physics Colloquium will host a talk delivered by Daniel Bowring, a researcher at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The talk is entitled, “Accelerator Technology for Dark Matter Searches and Quantum Computing.”

Satuday Swarthmore College Orchestra with Amy Barston 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The Swarthmore College Orchestra, directed by Andrew Hauze, performs their fall concert with cellist Amy Barston as part of the Department of Music and Dance’s Featured Artist program.

Lang Music Concert Hall Sunday SBC Weekly Meeting 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m SBC Committee weekly meeting to discuss budget-related matters and consider supplemental funding requests for the week.

Sharples Room 209 Monday No Empires, No Dust Bowls: Lessons from the First Global Environmental Crisis 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Scheuer Room Tuesday Michael Rubin (AEI) at Swarthmore College 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Kohlberg 115 WEATHER Probably cold.

CONTENTS Campus news A1-A2 Arts news A3-A4 Opinions A5-A6 Sports A7-A8 Read more at swarthmorephoenix.com Copyright © 2018 The Phoenix

Six Swatties Arrested in Capitol Climate Change Protest Katie Pruitt News Editor Editor’s Note: This article was published online on November 16.

Over 150 members of Sunrise — including 14 Swatties — descended on the Capitol on Tues, Nov. 13 to demand that House Democrats create a “Green New Deal.” The Capitol Police eventually arrested six Swarthmore students, along with about 50 other protesters, for refusing to leave the office of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); the footage of them being escorted out of the building racked up thousands of views on Facebook. Their protest made national news when freshman progressive representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) arrived at Sunrise’s sit-in to deliver a speech.

On Tuesday, protesters streamed into Pelosi’s office, delivering handwritten letters about their personal connections to climate change and in favor of their proposed “Green New Deal.” Another group of Sunrise members then moved into Pelosi’s office and sat on the floor, refusing to leave.

Sunrise’s Facebook Live Stream shows protesters listening intently as members delivered passionate speeches about the group’s goals. At one point, Ocasio-Cortez worked her way through a group of cameras to speak in front of the sit-in.

“This is not about tearing each other down. This is not about dividing us apart,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the livestream. “This is not about the clickbait story of turning against one another … This is about unity. This is about solidarity. And this about the fact that we’re going to make a better future for our kids and we know that [Nancy Pelosi is] gocontinued on page A2

Avant-Garde Artist Terence Nance Discusses Black Identity and the Process of Filmmaking Larkin White Arts Writer

On Tuesday, November 20, Terence Nance, creator of the relatively new HBO show “Random Acts of Flyness,” came to Swarthmore to show and speak about some of his work and his life as an African-American filmmaker. He showed several clips of his older work, as well as two episodes of “Random Acts,” followed by a Q&A. Prior to “Ran-

dom Acts” he was known for his debut feature film, “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. He was also named a Guggenheim fellow in 2014. Nance’s appearance at Swarthmore and the screenings of his work are a part of a new Black film aesthetics series that will continue into the spring, so keep your eye out for similar events in the future.

Nance first showed a short film

with the provisional title “They Charge For the Sun,” an imagining of a dystopian Earth on which the ability to go outside during the daytime is regulated and charged. It focused on the economic racial disparities that would inhibit Black people from accessing the very thing that created their Black skin in the first place, a disturbing and beautiful piece. This was followed by a short documentary about Sanford Biggers, an experimental

African-American artist of many mediums, the form of the documentary reflecting the variety and unorthodox methods of the artist himself.

Finally, he showed the first two episodes of the first season of “Random Acts.” Every episode of the show is a collection of short scenes, both narrative and abstract, that touch on a number of themes under the umbrella of African-American identity.

For example, the first episode

contains a video captured on Nance’s phone of him being chased by an aggressive police officer while trying to introduce the show; a fake, though dark, sitcom titled “Everybody Dies;” a fake ad for a product labeled “White Be Gone,” that prevents “white thoughts;” and an interview with a bisexual Black man about the “sexual proclivities of the Black community.” It comes continued on page A3

College Announces Early Acceptance Medical Program with Jefferson University Jino Chough News Writer Swarthmore College is known for having a medical school acceptance rate well above the national average (48 percent above, according to the website)––yet the school is now offering an alternative route to those who wish to avoid the stress of applying to multiple schools.

For this academic school year, the Health Sciences Advisor Gigi Simeone announced a new program in association with Thomas Jefferson University on November 2 of this year.

This program was made as part of the university’s Medicine Plus initiative, which aims to customize medical education, and as a continuation of Swarthmore’s mission for social responsibility. Students who are accepted into this program

and keep in alignment with all of the requirements and expectations are guaranteed admission into the university’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC). The program is engineered more towards students who are interested in public health and applications are due this March for second-year students.

With an average acceptance rate of 7 percent based on 120 schools, according to US News & World Report, the SKMC program caters to those who wish to avoid the extremely competitve application process.

According to Simeone, the SKMC program had been in the process of development for over two years, with much of the initiative coming from Dr. Michael Stillman, an assistant dean of undergraduate medical education and academic affairs at Thomas Jefferson University.

Simeone, along with Professors Tom Stephenson, Ben Berger, and Christy Schuetze, spearheaded the planning of many details of the program on the Swarthmore side, aiming to ensure a future generation consisting of people in the medical field who are strongly oriented towards thinking of health in populations.

Students who are accepted can expect benefits, the first being that the program itself is completely free. These SKMC scholars, according to the college’s website, will be able to work alongside faculty from the university in local and global health issues. They will also work in a field of health of interest in the summer between their third and fourth years under a mentor, which will last 8 weeks. Scholars will receive continued on page A2

PAGE A2

THE PHOENIX NEWS

November 29, 2018

College Archives Unveil ML’s Storied History

Bess Markel News Writer

SWAT HISTORY Located a fifteen-minute walk away from campus, Mary Lyon dormitory does not even appear on the campus map. It’s located in a residential neighborhood, and many Swarthmore students who have not lived in Mary Lyon have no idea where it’s situated. To further add to its unusualness, it looks less like a traditional dorm and more like an old-fashioned English cottage. It has long been a Swarthmore dorm with a distinct reputation; however, most Swatties do not know the true history behind the dorm.

It’s clear from looking at the dorm just how old the building actually is. The building is over 100 years old and was built around the time the college was founded. The question remains to a lot of students: why did a brand new college build a dorm so far away from campus?

However, Isaiah Thomas, director of residential communities at Swarthmore, feels that ML’s location leads to a better sense of community within the dorm.

“Mary Lyon is one of my favorite dorms on campus for a variety of reasons,” said Thomas. “ In the four and a half years that I’ve been at Swarthmore, I have been always impressed by ML’s strong sense of community. As ML has a lot of first-year students, residents are eager to connect with each other ... Additionally, the residential peer leaders in the community provide excellent programmatic opportunities to help residents thrive both socially and academically.”

Some students feel similarly positive about ML. One resident, Janet Barkdoll ‘21, feels at home there because of family connections and its seclusion.

“I knew ML was going to be off campus and I knew that it had a reputation, but I was excited about it because my mom lived in ML when she went to Swarthmore,” said Barkdoll. “I really like living in a residential area because it means I get to leave campus. It feels like I get to go home and it’s nice to have that space and feel like I’m living in a house.”

Though most students would assume that ML stands for Mary Lyon, there is a stone sign outside the dorm that reads “Mary Leavitt”. When looking at the stickers that label the building’s front entrance, students can see the label “ML-4” implying other Mary Lyon buildings.

Mary Lyon was originally the name of a girls’ boarding school that consisted of five buildings.

Three of the buildings were converted from houses that the school purchased and the other two buildings were built new in 1917 for the founding of the Mary Lyon School, located near the intersection of Harvard Ave and Yale Ave. The buildings were each individually named Wildcliff, Hadley Miller Crist, Seven Gables, Mary Leavitt, and Hillcrest and were respectively known as ML-1, ML-2, ML-3, ML-4, and ML-5.

In addition to the buildings, Mary Lyon School also owned a golf course, a boathouse, and riding trails for its students to enjoy. However, the school later moved to a new location and rented out its buildings to the Navy, which used it as a rehabilitation center during WWII. In 1942, the school closed.

ML buildings remained empty for several years until Swarthmore College first leased them in 1946 and later purchased them in 1948.

Over the years the buildings have served as dormitories, classrooms, and administrative offices. ML-3 was a 30 member boys-only dormitory and in 1970, ML-4 became the first coed dorm on campus. Peter Svirsky ’56, who roomed in ML-4 his first year and in ML-3 when he was a sophomore, described ML-4 in 1952 as “being old and drab ... but with a friendly atmosphere.”

Svirsky goes on to describe the ML-4 politics as more liberal than other dorms and that getting to main campus was often difficult, particularly during the winter. Svirsky got a scooter to help make getting to campus easier.

“The dash to Parrish for breakfast took just a few minutes [with the scooter] — and further time could be shaved off by sneaking behind the old library and driving up the lawn,” wrote Svirsky.

However, most of these buildings do not remain on campus today. Hillcrest or ML-5 was torn down in 1970. Hadley Miller Crist or ML-2 burned down in a massive fire in 1982, and shortly thereafter ML-3 or Seven Gables was demolished. ML-4 remains today as the current “Mary Lyon” dorm and Wildcliff or ML-1, about 500 feet away, is used today as apartment style housing for faculty.

According to Sarah Solomon ’19, who has lived in Mary Lyon for three years and is a resident for ML first floor this year, did not learn much about Mary Lyon history during her time

living there.

“I don’t know much about the history, I believe it was a school at one point. It might have been a hospital. I know that it’s 101 years old, that’s it,” said Solomon.

Joe Scott ’22, another resident of Mary Lyon, believes that its history and the history of other buildings should be more accessible to students.

“I know a little about ML history, but I do wish I knew more.

The college could do a feature

each month of buildings on campus, especially dormitories,” said Scott.

According to Thomas, ML will remain an important part of student housing. He also stated that the college has no future plans to decommission any of its dorms or to build new ones.

“Juniors and seniors occupy the majority of singles in our residential communities. After the senior and junior housing lotteries, there exist some vacant singles in Mary Lyon,

which allows us to offer these spaces to rising sophomores who strongly prefer to live in a single,” said Thomas. He added,“there are no plans in the immediate future for any new halls to be created or taken offline.”

For more information on the history of Mary Lyon or to see pictures of what the other buildings look like, students can visit the Friends Historical Library located on the first floor of McCabe.

Omar Camps-Kamrin ’20 uses JobX for the two jobs that he has on campus. Kamrin is a tutor for two music classes, while also working as a clinician helping students struggling with music theory. Though Kamrin technically works three separate jobs, he could not find the JobX posting for one of the jobs for which he had already been hired.

He mentioned that, at first, he thought it was an issue with pa-

perwork, but even after filling out all the necessary papers, he still could not find his job listing. This resulted in Kamrin not being able to access his job via MySwat, and, therefore, not being able to log his hours.

Kamrin also expressed some confusion regarding the JobX interface, though it was not as big a concern as his missing position on JobX. “The interface itself is kind of

confusing … I definitely think the website itself could use some renovations … and the interface itself could be a little more userfriendly.”

Nonetheless, administrators, such as Moore, feel confident in JobX and its potential to improve in the future.

“Now that the JobX system is in place, we will broaden our focus to include a number of related issues, including a review

of wage and compensation structures, priority hiring for workaided students, and guidelines for work rules and hours. The Student Employment Working group, which includes two student members, has already met this semester, and in the spring semester, it will begin to [examine] the current wage and stipend structure.”

place. I think the biggest barrier for climate change most of the time is everyone is like ‘oh we have this massive problem, and there’s not a solution.’”

The Sunrise steering team, which includes Aru Shiney-Ajay ’20 and Swarthmore alumni Stephen O’Hanlon ’17 and Sara Blazevic ’14, collaborated with Ocasio-Cortez’s team to create a draft resolution that the representative-elect will introduce to House leadership. The draft resolution, which OcasioCortez released on her website soon after the protest, would establish a “Select Committee for a Green New Deal.” Pelosi had previously announced that she would revive the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which had been in place from 2007 to 2011 while Democrats held the House; however, she had not indicated that climate change legislation would be a top priority for House Democrats post-election.

“We’re saying the committee is not enough because [talking] about climate change is not enough to scale to the prob-

lem,” Emma Walker ’20, who was also at the protest, said.

“It’s urgent.”

The draft resolution grants the select committee authority to “develop a detailed, national, industrial, economic mobilization plan for the transition of the United States economy to become carbon neutral and to significantly draw down and capture greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and oceans and to promote economic and environmental justice and equality.” Among other things, Sunrise calls upon the committee to draft legislation that would expand green jobs, move the U.S. to 100% renewable energy, and lessen the impact of socioeconomic inequality brought about by climate change.

According to Sunrise, the arrests were a matter of showing politicians that they were willing to put themselves at risk for climate legislation.

“One, they wanted the arrests because it’s good for media coverage but two, because what matters to politicians is that ... a passionate minority will always be more important

to politicians than a tepid majority,” Slepyan said. “When we did campaign for all of them to get them elected or re-elected, and that we’re willing to do the same for their primary competitors if need be, is what’s gonna push them left and make them take us seriously.”

After the protest, Nancy Pelosi released a statement on Twitter: “Deeply inspired by the young activists & advocates leading the way on confronting climate change. The climate crisis threatens the futures of communities nationwide, and I strongly support reinstating the select committee to address the crisis.”

National media seized on the protest — and, in particular, Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance — as a symbol of intra-left conflict.

“A Left Flank Protest on Day 1 Signals A Democratic House Divided” read a New York Times headline. However, Sunrise members rejected this narrative.

“Are there bigger enemies to climate justice? Of course there are. But what we want is the people who can actually do

something about it and people who actually will … do something big,” Slepyan said. “We could move into [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) office for the next twenty years, and he wouldn’t do shit ... That’s why we’re focusing the efforts on Democratic leadership.”

In the coming weeks, Sunrise members will continue to lobby newly-elected legislators, attempting to get them to sign on to their “Green New Deal” resolution. Regardless of immediate outcome, though, they view the protest on Tuesday as a victory.

“We got so many people to take off time to do this and get arrested. It was really exciting for everyone who has been in Sunrise before to see the passion: how it’s grown to 200 people sitting around in Nancy Pelosi’s office, and how it’s grown at Swarthmore,” Walker said.

onstrated interest and commitment in this area [of public health], and who have taken coursework to support this, will be eligible to apply,” said Simeone on the program’s expressed preference for public health.

“The program was conceived as a way to educate physicians with a strong interest in the larger societal issues related to the practice of medicine.”

Besides the course requirements, students are expected to maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average. They must also have an SAT score equal to or above 1200, or an ACT score equal to or above 26, and must not have withdrawn from or repeated any course, with a few exceptions.

The scholars will be limited to

only five per year, which means that acceptance will certainly be competitive. The Swarthmore website states that applicants “will be evaluated based on academic performance, career goals, citizenship beyond the classroom, and communications skills.” Motivated and eligible students should still be encouraged to apply, as the possible reward of guaranteed matriculation certainly outweighs the worst-case scenario of having to apply to multiple medical schools as per usual.

For the students who don’t wish to place all of their eggs in one basket, scholars are not bound to SKMC. The university “hopes that accepted scholars will ultimately matriculate,” as stated by the program informa-

tion sheet.

Some Swarthmore students wish to keep their options open, instead of limiting themselves to a single area on the medical field.

“While a lot of my fellow premed students are interested in these programs, I don’t have any interest in them for two main reasons. First, I want to take a gap year or two. I know too many students who have burned out in med school. I’m hoping to take a break for at least a year. Second, there’s still the chance I’ll want to pursue other options, like research. While there’s a 90 percent chance I go to med school, I don’t want to close off other options,” said third-year Maya Smith on the SKMC program, as

well as other programs similar to it. “Even if I don’t have to commit to the school, I know if I’m accepted to a med school, it almost guarantees that I’ll choose medicine.”

But for those who are committed to the field of public health, the SKMC program appears to offer some of the opportunities that other pre-med students seek: summer research projects, field work, and so on. Because the program is in the early stages of implementation, the coordinators expect to make some changes in the coming years when it acquires more experience.

JobX, continued from A1 Cafe Adam Schauer ’19 and Henry Han ’20 logged 40+ hours each week at the beginning of the semester, personally training workers before the cafe’s opening.

Jobs at the library, on the other hand, require less physical labor.

Though nearly half of working students (48 percent) are in the highest pay grade ($10.40), both Moore and Brown agree that the small wage difference raises issues. In the future, they hope to

get job descriptions for all oncampus employment and to reevaluate job wages.

Students have also raised several concerns about the JobX platform. At the meeting, senators voiced concerns that some job postings remain on the platform even once the positions are filled. One stated that employers should send out an email or a notification when they reject a student’s application.

Sunrise, continued from A1 ing to be there with us.”

Nearly all the protesters who were sitting in on Pelosi’s office were arrested by the Capitol Police and were taken in for booking. They were released later that day, and the arrests did not go onto their records.

According to Sunrise member Anya Slepyan ’21, the group had prepared ahead of time for the arrest and had sought legal counsel. Cameras captured protesters exiting the building, guided by the Capitol Police, their shirts emblazoned with the phrase “12 Years” in reference to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warning that the climate could reach 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming by 2030.

Slepyan was among the protesters arrested in Pelosi’s office. “I was excited about it.

Honestly, getting arrested for civil disobedience is on my bucket list,” she said.

Sunrise, whose chapter at Swarthmore was previously known as Mountain Justice, is perhaps best known on campus for orchestrating a years-long campaign for fossil-fuel divest-

ment, which as of yet has been unsuccessful at Swarthmore, though several movements inspired by Mountain Justice have made headway at other institutions. Last year, the Swarthmore chapter affiliated itself with the national climate advocacy group Sunrise and began to focus their actions more nationally, holding voter registration and information drives leading up to the 2018 midterms.

This protest is part of Sunrise’s larger campaign to push newly elected and re-elected Democrats to enact much more expansive climate legislation.

Sunrise wants House Democrats to work on more ambitious climate legislation that could be enacted if Democrats regain control of the Senate or the presidency in the future.

“We’re not stupid. We know that a Green New Deal isn’t going to pass before 2020,” Slepyan said. “So the goal would be for Democrats to spend the next two years working toward building a solid plan about this, so that then hopefully when the government changes drastically in 2020, that that can be put in

Med School, continued from A1 an acceptance into the Sidney Kimmel Medical College, which is ranked by US News as 56th in research and 46th in primary care for 2019. At SKMC, students are expected to select the Jeff MD Population Health Scholarly Inquiry, a specific tract at the university for medical students inclined towards public health, in line with their goals. Upon enrollment, scholars will be mentored in a capstone project concerning health policy and population.

In terms of course requirements, the SKMC program is slightly less stringent in comparison to the normal prerequisites for pre-med studnets, consisting of 14 courses, that pre-med students can expect to take. By the time of appli-

cation, according to an information sheet concerning the program, students must have completed or have in progress four out of the following in order to be considered eligible: Biology 001 and 002; Chemistry 010 and 022; and Statistics 011. Along with those five classes, potential SKMC students are to have taken two courses at Swarthmore focusing on “Health & Sciences,” “Public Health,” or “Politics & Public Policy,” encompassing a diverse range of courses such as “Modern Addiction: Cigarette Smoking in the 20th Century,” “Disease, Culture, & Society in the Modern World,” and “Against the Norm: Im/perfect Bodies and Disabilities Studies.”

“Students who have a dem-

ARTS

November 29, 2018 PAGE A3

The Cycle of Life: The Hidden Life of Bicycles Ash Shukla Arts Writer

F

ew vehicles can claim the versatility of the bicycle. Since their invention in nineteenth-century Europe, they have come to serve as transportation, as a means of fitness, and as recreation, among other uses. I firmly believe that the bicycle is also the most photogenic of all modes of transportation, and whenever I take notice of an unattended bicycle, I stop to take photos. I find that bicycles, due to their nature as such a personal and intimate mode of transportation, tend to evoke my imagination as I envision where they have been and where they will travel in the future. These are the unattended bicycles that I have met, and the stories that they have shared with me as they have waited (oftentimes in vain) for their owners to return.

Two abandoned bicycles sit alone in the Tiber River in Rome, Italy. A depressing amount of litter ends up in the river every day, but bicycles aren’t as easy for the currents to carry away as are bottles and cans. They are doomed to spend eternity being reabsorbed into the earth, slowly becoming a part of the river’s ecosystem as grass begins to grow through the spokes and the rubber of the tires begins to disintegrate in the constant ebb and flow of the river.

A bicycle sits alone outside of Kohlberg Hall, chained to a wooden bench. It’s peak autumn, and the brilliant jade and gold of the leaves bring out the vermillion of the bicycle and its chain lock. Without any people nearby to disturb it, the bicycle waits patiently for its owner to return in this undisturbed haven of calm. When the owner returns, they will, without a doubt, set off and create new memories together.

Two broken bicycles exacerbate the already post-apocalyptic nature of the Parrish laundry room. It is indeterminate why they are here and how they came to be in this state, but they emit an aura of desolate loneliness. When I first saw these broken, lonely bicycles, I felt a stab of empathy for them. Their owners had left them behind them, and they had gone from sturdy vehicles to pitiful tangles of metal and rubber.

It’s often said that one never forgets how to ride a bike, but that’s only true to a certain extent; you only never forget how to ride your own bike. When you try to ride a bicycle that conforms to your height and your movements, pedaling comes naturally and without a second thought; however, if the bicycle is too large or too small, or if it has unfamiliar handlebars and gears, then riding will require relearning before it becomes second nature. To me, abandoned bicycles emanate feelings of anxiety and melancholy because they have been left without anyone who knows how to painlessly ride them. Of course, all bicycles will one day become abandoned; however, it remains my wish that all currently-operational bicycles remain well-maintained and with companionship as long as their tires can still spin.

Late at night, a bicycle leans against a bench outside of Pearson Hall. The striking yellowness and softness of the fallen leaves provides a sharp contrast to the electric blue, angular bicycle. At nighttime, gently illuminated by the light filtering through Pearson’s windows, the bicycle became mesmerizing. As I walked past it, I couldn’t help but wonder to whom it belonged and where they were going to ride it.

PAGE A4

THE PHOENIX ARTS

November 29, 2018

The Art of Keeping Swatties Warm Emmeline Wolf Arts Writer

A

s we zoom into December and temperatures drop, it is time to transition to a winter wardrobe. As a Southern Californian and someone who never lived anywhere below 60 degrees, I realized that I knew little about winter fashion. What is clear: the key article of clothing is a coat. After interviewing Swarthmore’s winter veterans, including friends in great frocks as well as students whose style I admire, I feel informed on coats in a way I never had.

To Gloria Kim ’19, the perfect winter coat is “cozy, warm, cute, and presentable,” which sums up why I am attracted to her style, as she looks dressy while remaining comfortable.

She has been sporting a beautiful caramel-tan leather coat with a cream wool inside. The nude-tan color of the coat is versatile, allowing it to be worn with almost anything and making her coat both a statement and an everyday piece. In addition, even though coats are generally toppers to any outfit, Kim’s coat makes each outfit feel complete instead of something she just tossed on to keep warm.

Kim says she enjoys dressing up because it allows her to feel ready for class with “mind and body.” She cites her fashion icons as Jenna Lyons, former creative director of J. Crew (now launching her own lifestyle brand), Environmental Economics Professor Jen Peck, and her mother. In Kim’s style, you can see the influence of J. Crew’s dressy, business-inspired, yet trendy and relaxed fashion vision and her coat totally fits this profile.

One of the most popular coats is the mid-length puffy jacket, which is like a contemporary trench coat. It keeps the wearer’s body both dry and toasty. This is a great length for mid-Atlantic winters because it does not swallow you up like a sleeping bag or swaddle you like a baby blanket. These coats are versatile and can be worn with denim and sneakers or velvet and heals.Both Tori Knox ‘21 and Kai Petkov ’22 have

been wearing mid-length puffy jackets with fur-lined hoods.

Hoods are great accessories because they keep the head warm and dry which keeps heat in the body. Further shout outs for hoods: they do wonders on bad hair days and can’t be easily lost, like a beanie. Fur trim gives coats a soft, warm accent.

Petkov and Knox’s coats differ in color. Petkov’s is a traditional black which he likes since it’s easy to pair with any outfit.

His look is cool and sophisticated. Knox’s is an army green.

She is still able to pair it with any outfit, showing that bolder colors can be fabulous in winter. Knox makes distinct colors fit together naturally – which is something I struggle with in my personal style. A bright coat against the bleak winter landscape is a great statement.

Knox draws fashion inspiration from movies, TV shows, catalogues, and Instagram, showing that you can gather inspiration anywhere. Currently, she is following Yara Shahidi and Zendaya on Instagram.

In class, it is nice to feel as if you are wrapped in a cozy blanket. The teddy coat, which has been trending on campus and in stores this season, is perfect for this. Li Dong ’22’s go-to coat has been a black trench coatstyle teddy coat from Uniqlo.

I admire Dong’s ability to look put together for class whether she is wearing a fancy blouse and trousers or sweatshirt and jeans. No matter the outfit, Dong sports her teddy coat on top. She explains, “I never feel like I have to take it off because I’m wearing something better underneath.” While most teddy coats have an oversized look, Dong’s has a fitted silhouette with a collar. Dong decided to get the coat in black because it felt sleeker and would not show dirt. Although the coat was a perfect weight for the fall, Dong now layers. A thin down coat underneath provides additional warmth without changing the coat’s clean lines. Dong often turns to the Olsen twins for style inspiration: “They wear a lot of oversized things that have a very flattering silhouette even though it does not hug their frame.” To Dong, being cozy in the winter months

is most important.

While it is great to have versatile coats, sometimes a sentimental statement piece is necessary. Daisy Lee ’22 wears a vintage Navy coat, which used to belong to her Professor Randall Exon, head of the Studio Art department. The coat is full-length, navy blue wool with real metal buttons. The wool makes it heavy and warm as well as waterproof, making it ideal for rain and snow. Lee adores this coat because of its durability - it feels bullet proof.

She says, “I could wear that thing in a blizzard and come out unscathed.” A large part of the coat’s appeal to Lee is its sentimental value, she describes that receiving this coat is “like a surrogate uncle lending me his hand-me-downs.” While the coat is a fantastic statement piece and great to layer under because of its size, it is hard to dress with because it is

so large. Lee expects to wear it with a black hoodie, jeans, and sneakers.

Before buying new winter coats, however, please consider the energy and expense that goes into fashion production. Embracing the pre-worn coat, this California Girl will be nabbing her mother’s old, hip length, black Patagonia coat and hunting through her grandmothers’ closets over the winter break. You may also stumble on the perfect winter coat at Worthmore or the upcoming Students for Zero Waste clothing swap.

Atziri Marquez / The Phoenix

“Long Day’s Journey” into a Surreal, Spellbinding Night Carrie Jiang Arts Writer

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (2018) by Chinese director Bi Gan vividly depicts subconsciousness and dreams by building a surreal atmosphere and using beautiful and unique cinematography.

The story revolves around a man named Luo Hongwu (Huang Jue) returning to his hometown Guizhou and trying to regain what has been lost in his deep memories. He comes across a mysterious woman called Wan Qiwen (Tang Wei), who triggers his hauntingly subconscious emotions, and leads him (as well as the audi-

ence) into a surreal dreamland.

The film does not put much focus on linearizing and clarifying the storyline, but on creating and developing the reverie-like atmosphere. The characters’ facial expressions are unfathomable; their conversations are sometimes unrelated contextually; some characters who earn a long-take close-up do not even have a name in the story. Yet the atmosphere is successfully established — Luo would walk into a leaking room within the architectural ruins, holding a broken watch, and contemplating on his past. Scenes like this show his confrontation with the subconscious in an indi-

rect way. Broadly speaking, the leaking room and the broken watch indicate how a person’s mental world can be ruined by time-passing; yet in the context of the film, it details how the regret and frustration of Luo’s mysterious past finally confronts Luo to face most of his suppressed emotions.

The last 60 minutes of the film unusually invite the audience to put on 3D glasses together with the protagonist, not to see any special effects or CGI that would greatly excite people, but to enter Luo’s fantasylike dream and truly experience the situation. With 3D glasses on, the audience dreams with Luo as he confronts his younger

Terence Nance, continued from A1 together with force, each episode forming a touching, provocative, and wholly unique experience.

The show also presents a brazen display of Nance’s distaste for “linear-Grecian narratives,” an opinion he expressed strongly at the beginning of the Q&A. Describing the process of creating the show and his other work, Nance stated that he mostly works with people he has been around his entire life, since his work requires that they “share the deepest part of themselves quickly.” When asked why he creates work in the form and subject matter that he does, Nance explained that he is trying to “channel more than make.”

His goal is not to produce for the sake of producing, but rather be “used by the community.” To Nance, it is the community that determines what he makes, not him.

Nance stated that in the creation of his show he didn’t pay attention to what would be more palatable for a broad, racially diverse audience, simply focusing

on achieving his vision and finishing the project. One student asked if he had worried about how consumable it would be as a result of this, since the majority of Americans are white. “I think of myself as a citizen of the world,” Nance replied, and he described his work as “hyper-consumable” in the context of the billions of Black people in the world. He further explained that some of the biggest resistance to the show had come from black women in reaction to a scene at the end of the second episode where two black men make out.

Resistance to the show “doesn’t have to be a white thing,” he concluded.

Conversely, Nance brought up a negative aspect of the celebration of his work. He explained that often among white people there is a subtext of exotification in their praise of the show.

Simply put, he said, a common reaction contains the sentiment, “that monkey can talk.”

In discussion of his show, Nance also acknowledged the

extent to which he has benefited from fellow Black filmmaking visionaries. He titled this benefit, “The Issa Rae, Donald Glover effect.” Just as important to Nance, however, are those visionaries whose name one does not know.

By no means does the existence of black filmmakers in the spotlight mean that the search and promotion of more is obsolete.

“It’s easy to get inflated into a false sense of having overcome,” he said, when “there is an alarm rung” for the minimal number of Black voices that have had commercial success.

“Random Acts” was recently renewed for a second season, though Nance will also be directing the upcoming Space Jam sequel, an honor he has been falsely claiming since 2009 to the extent that eventually he was given the job. He is hugely excited. “I think it’s a unique opportunity to talk to Black kids,” he said, “to all of them at once.”

self in a cave, then travels to a small town by the mountain, where he meets a lover from his past, and a person who resembles his mother. The camera, while following Luo’s slow walks around the town, forms a set of maze-like movement that leads us into his deepest emotions; at the same time, the camera also builds up a dreamy atmosphere. 3D effects make the surreal dream more realistic in a visual way. Therefore, we are led into a man’s deep subconscious, and for the last 60 minutes, we see an epic use of one single take without any cutting, which makes the dream more complete.

In order to create a wonder-

ful visual experience, Bi Gan puts the emphasis on artistic cinematography, setting, and color use. We see lots of scenes that pay homage to famous directors like Wong Kar-Wai and Andrei Tarkovsky, which further confirms Bi Gan’s preferred film style. The broken watch and its symbol of time is a commonly-seen signifier in Wong Kar-Wai’s films, who tries to express the intangibility of time itself. On the other hand, one scene in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” directly puts focus on a glass of water, which magically slides to the edge of the table by itself and inevitably falls down. Such surreal scene exactly corresponds to

the one with the same content in Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” (1979), which also builds up a poetic experience involving water, subconsciousness, and dreams.

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is far from being audience-friendly, and Bi Gan does not try to explain every single detail, which requires lots of effort from the audience to understand the work. The film is highly scattered, vague and complicated. Yet the visual experience that Bi Gan has created is nothing but a pure artistic journey that throws us into a stranger’s fantasy. After all, film is a form of art that creates and reverts our dreams.

OPINIONS

November 29, 2018 PAGE A5

LAURA WILCOX OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

PHOENIX

Ganesh Setty, Editor-in-Chief Laura Wagner, Managing Editor Keton Kakkar, Managing Editor NEWS Bayliss Wagner, Editor Katie Pruitt, Editor

W

hen Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and signed into law in December 2017, economists predicted that most of its benefits would accrue to the wealthiest taxpayers, with a negligible long-run effect on GDP. Major changes included cutting marginal income tax rates and slashing taxes on corporations. Higher income households would receive larger tax cuts as a percentage of after-tax income, firmly establishing the TCJA as a regressive tax plan. Even leaving aside the troubling distributional implications of the TCJA, the vast majority of economists agree that a massive fiscal stimulus while the economy is at or above full employment is irresponsible because of its potential to increase inflation.

Given its shaky economic justifications, it is clear that the law had political motivations to provide a short-term stimulus to the economy ahead of the midterms, allowing the Republicans running for re-election to reap the electoral benefits of a strong economy.

Now that the tax cuts have been in effect for almost a year and the midterms are over, it is a good time to look back over the past year and consider what the effects the TCJA has really had on the economy so

THE

The GOP Tax Plan is Worse Than You Think

w

ARTS Nicole Liu, Editor CAMPUS JOURNAL Naomi Park, Editor Dylan Clairmont, Editor OPINIONS Shelby Dolch, Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY Emma Ricci-De Lucca, Editor LAYOUT Trina Paul, Editor COPY Dan Siegelman, Chief Editor BUSINESS Peem Lerdputtipongporn SOCIAL MEDIA Abby Diebold, Editor DIGITAL OPERATIONS Navdeep Maini

SPORTS Jack Corkery, Editor Max Katz-Balmes, Editor

far, keeping in mind that it is probably too soon to see the TCJA’s full effects. Republicans claimed that the TCJA would expand business investment and boost economic growth.

Early evidence suggests that these claims haven’t come true, despite healthy GDP growth above three percent in the second and third quarters of 2018.

Right now, the economy is strong: GDP growth is relatively robust and the unemployment rate is very low. However, these signs of strength are characteristic of an economy during a historically long expansion and are not due to the TCJA. For example, GDP growth this year has primarily been driven by consumer spending, according to the Tax Policy Center. We

have not seen the large expansion in business investment Republicans claimed would result from the TCJA’s massive corporate income tax cuts. Analysis by the Tax Policy Center shows that the short-term stimulative effect of the tax cut may already be over, because whatever small effects the TCJA had have been nullified by rising interest rates. More importantly, the government should be engaging in countercyclical fiscal policy, but whatever small stimulative effect the TCJA had was procyclical because the economy is currently doing very well.

The most significant economic effect of the TCJA so far is likely its impact on government deficits, as the tax cuts have significantly lowered tax

revenue, particularly revenue from corporations. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the deficit will be over $1 trillion in fiscal year 2019, and deficits will remain above $1 trillion permanently if nothing is done to raise revenue or cut spending. Republicans claimed that tax cuts would pay for themselves, boosting economic growth by enough to bring in the same amount of revenue under a lower tax rate.

The expanding government deficit proves that this isn’t happening now, and certainly won’t happen in the future because the TCJA is projected to have a negligible long-run effect on GDP. The consequences of an unsustainably large government debt may be severe.

Many economists agree that government debt is a drag on economic growth. Purchasers of government bonds may lose confidence that the government will repay them without resorting to massive inflation.

Additionally, higher government debt constrains our ability to aggressively respond to a future recession with fiscal expansion. Since tax revenue will decrease if the economy slows down, deficits may increase by even more than the current projections should we enter a recession.

Economists warned about the lackluster positive effects and massive effect on the deficits of the TCJA, and they have been proven right. Policymakers should have listened to them,

but instead, future generations are saddled with more debt, a more unequal tax system, and no additional economic growth to speak of. One year after the TCJA became law, it’s clear that the only major legislation the Trump administration has passed so far has been a failure.

Not only did the TCJA have no economic justification, but the electoral benefits of a booming economy also didn’t even prevent the Republicans from losing their majority in the House of Representatives.

lead to deliberate political discussions?

Despite the fact that we, as a “liberal” school, have a general consensus on most polarizing national issues, there are still varying degrees to our political stances. As the fossil fuel divestment in the past, the recent Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction campaign, and other contentious issues have shown, we don’t necessarily agree on everything. Even when we agree on an issue, there are various point of views on a specific topic. Last week, Swarthmore Asian Organization hosted a discussion on affirmative action. While everyone in the room agreed that the implication of the recent lawsuit on Harvard’s admission was awful, we still had an informative and insightful discussion about some failures of affirmative action.

Despite that Swarthmore is a liberal bubble, it still can generate productive political dialogues.

I also want to clarify that there are still healthy discussions between

conservative and liberal students on campus — I have heard and participated in them. Regardless of political identities, all respectful opinions spoken in good nature should be welcome. I believe that

we can all gain something from Swarthmore’s liberal bubble, even if it’s a criticism of our beliefs, as we are challenged to become better people.

stability. A phone call or Facetime is simply not the same as having human bodies near you when you’re spiraling, and no one properly prepares you for it. So study abroad not only becomes a feat of learning how to be an adult, but it can also quickly become a feat of learning how to manage your mental health all on your own, without the help of a carefully curated system.

Studying abroad can initially be very painful, and can require a massive amount of moments in which you have to pick yourself back up and keep chugging along simply because there is no other alternative. Even if you just spent four days in bed. Even if tears have become one of your few constant partners. Despite it all, you are forced to learn to stand steady all on your own, without the comforting help of loved ones around you.

Perhaps, Off-Campus Study could do more to help us plan for it. Rather than quickly glossing over mental health and encouraging the search for therapists overseas, they could prepare us more appropriately and thoroughly for the more likely future that we are to encounter once we

leave U.S. soil. OCS can’t make us completely understand what we may be in for, but they could at least give us a reality check.

Personally, I wish Swarthmore did more to prepare us for this.

To prepare us for being sad when abroad and not having the luxury of constantly relying on other for support. To let us know it’s okay to not be magically cured of depression or anxiety once your abroad semester starts, and that finding a new support system in three short months will be extremely hard. Perhaps even just a pamphlet discussing or highlighting these facts would be enough to serve the purpose of teaching us this lesson. Because study abroad is unlikely to turn into a perfect semester, especially if mental health is already something you’re struggling with. But it can serve to make you stronger, and learn to rely on yourself more than the support system you may have woven around you. And being prepared for a task such as that is much better than walking in blind.

Don’t Pop the Bubble DAIJING XU OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

As an Early Decision applicant, I was determined to come to Swarthmore for many reasons, one of which is the diverse and liberal student body. Because of my previous experience in a rightwing, Republican high school, I view Swat as a sanctuary away from the xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, racist, and other hateful comments that my classmates have said to me or to others in the extremely toxic environment we grew up in. I often call my high school “an echo chamber of conservative ideas.” However, I often hear concerns regarding Swarthmore as “a liberal bubble” that has a lack of conservative voices, and therefore a lack of diversity in ideas. If Swarthmore is an echo chamber of liberal ideas, is it also a harmful environment to be in? Whether or not the Admissions Office would be able to admit students on the basis of political identity is beside the point.

Everyone can still disagree with

each other and create productive dialogues in this liberal bubble.

I disagree with the belief that Swarthmore has a lack of conservative voices since it implies that Swarthmore somehow should be looking for more right-leaning students. I highly doubt that the Admissions Office is looking for liberal or conservative people when viewing applicants’ profiles at all. Considering the application process, I believe that most of our applications do not have the ability to indicate our political leanings. After all, the last thing we want is an “affirmative action” for students based on their political identities. I believe Swarthmore students generally just happen to be left-leaning, which in turn brings in more liberal students.

As someone who applied to Swarthmore partly due to its liberal student body, I believe that the liberal bubble is beneficial, especially when we agree on hotly-contested, polarizing national issues. The proponents for more conservative voices on campus,

in general, often believe that the uniformity of liberal students in Swat results in a lack of ideas and debates, failing to challenge Swatties in the critical thinking of their political views.

It is true that I often agree with other Swatties when it comes to political opinions. At the beginning of the year, my friends and I were hoping to collaborate on a “Swat Takes” piece together. We struggled for hours to find a topic that we disagreed on; eventually, the topic ended up being whether Swatties should work hard in the pass/fail semester. However, the political polarization today has made productive discussions and debates across parties nearly impossible outside of Swarthmore. I often find it unhealthy for me to be stirred up and angry over, what seems to me to be basic human rights. When I have to defend my stance on polarizing issues like LGBTQ+and reproductive rights, immigration, to name a few, I do have to think critically, but are there no better circumstances that

Mental Health and Study Abroad

GIORGIA PIANTANIDA SWAT GLOBAL

Mental health is an extremely personal problem that many of us have some kind of connection to, whether it’s because we have a friend or family member who is effected, or are ourselves struggling with it. But for the most part, mental health is easier to deal with when you are surrounded by loving friends and family who do the utmost possible to reach out a helping hand when one is needed. For this reason, leaving home and studying abroad for any amount of time can be very difficult — leaving the safety net Swarthmore can provide, including Swat staff, CAPS, and friends and family, is even more challenging when that net is something that you may have come to rely upon for your mental health. There is a sudden and abrupt decrease in stability once you are abroad due to the completely new and often unfamiliar environment you may end up in. And although there is plenty of room for improvement within Swarthmore’s pre-departure planning, something that I truly believe needs to occur, the

change seems to be slow moving at best.

At Swarthmore, there is a tedious routine of homework, misery poker, and stress. It often makes the campus feel dark and gloomy and sometimes downright depressing, especially during the dark winter nights when the sun sets during the last part of afternoon seminars. As the days get shorter and the motivation to go outside decreases, I often feel like sadness and stress are the two most easily accessible emotions. And the year before study abroad, during the sophomore slump, I found the best way to escape that painful cycle was to spent hours daydreaming of what studying abroad would give me. I spent time hoping I’d be happy in a new country and environment, all the while forgetting the thoughts I carried in my head would be coming for the journey.

At the time, the allure was more about escaping Swarthmore and its apparent confines — its size often made me feel like I was running around in circles with my negative thoughts.

Studying abroad, then, seemed like the most logical escape the school could provide the student

body. However, upon closer inspection, many of us may discover that study abroad can actually become a detriment to our mental health if we do not prepare for it well enough.

At Swarthmore, there are options for therapy, however limited it may be. Although CAPS is arguably an inefficient and lacking program, it’s open to the student body and most people know it exists in case it’s ever needed.

Of course, the system is not perfect, but it does give people space to talk about what they’re feeling without feeling judged, something I find immensely important. However, when you go abroad, CAPS and Swat staff are no longer a five-minute walk from your dorm room. When you go abroad, you have to create a completely new net under yourself in case you ever fall, especially if you’re studying in a place where you don’t know anyone or have anything familiar around yourself. Leaving home and stepping into a completely new and unfamiliar environment is already daunting enough as an idea, but when put into practice can be much harder than originally imagined.

The Off-Campus Office at Swarthmore does give some insight into this bit of studying abroad. The OCS provides a 24hour hotline in case of emergencies and encourage you to make sure to create plans for how to effectively manage mental health when you finally get to your destination. But the brevity of this discussion does not allow you to fully understand the difficulty of what they’re about to do. Personally, I remember sitting in the office and discussing it for about three minutes before having my attention quickly diverted to the monetary side of the situation, which also mostly ignored my individual situation but highlighted the bill that I had to make sure to pay to Swarthmore for this experience. At the time I barely thought twice about it — I’ve been dealing with depression for about six years now, there was no way going abroad was going to be that difficult.

Spoiler alert: I was wrong and it was actually very difficult, and the one office that was supposed to prepare me for it failed.

Going abroad can be extremely difficult when you’re also juggling with mental health and

PAGE A6

THE PHOENIX OPINIONS

November 29, 2018

Thank You, Bartash EDITORIAL Every year at The Phoenix, editors and writers come and go, editorial policies get revised, and the general character of the paper changes. The one thing that has stayed the same over the past 10 years has been a company the vast majority of the campus has never heard of — our printer Bartash, Inc. Every Wednesday, Phoenix editors work from 6 p.m. until late in the night to ensure community members can pick up a physical copy of the paper.

Bartash’s employees are available 24 hours a day in order to ensure that the paper is uploaded to them correctly, helping us avoid mistakes in layout.

From inclement weather to patiently accepting 4 a.m. submissions despite our 12 a.m. deadline, Bartash delivered The Phoenix every week without fail.

Sadly, we received notice that this will be our last issue with Bartash, as the company will be closing effective November 30.

From every member of The Phoenix editorial board past and present, thank you, Bartash. Your hard work and patience have helped us publish a decade of journalism in print.

It’s certainly not news to anyone that the newspaper and magazine in-

dustry has rapidly declined in recent years. While many national publications have managed to stay afloat, local publications have suffered severe losses. It doesn’t just stop at publications, however. Printing companies like Bartash also get swept up in the ripple effect of local publications’ low readership. So what can community members like ourselves do to ensure that local publications and small businesses can survive? The answer is simple. Support your local publications.

Swat Graphics

Graphic by Emma Ricci-De Lucca

SPORTS

November 29, 2018 PAGE A7

Men’s Basketball Wins First Four Games in Strong Start James Sutton Sports Writer

A

fter Swarthmore men’s basketball strong start, senior captain and point guard Cam Wiley is happy with the results but expects more from the team as the season progresses: “Right now we have a strong foundation, but we’re not where we want to be … by the end of the season we want to be playing our best basketball.” The results of the first four games, however, could not be better: 4-0 with a pair of victories on the road.

The Garnet cruised in the first three games. In a road win at The College of New Jersey and home victories against Delaware Valley and Washington, they won by an average of 27 points and shot a blistering 49 percent from the field. The defense also clamped down on opponents, only giving up 65 points to TCNJ, 55 to Delaware Valley, and 51 to Washington.

Arcadia College, however, proved to be Swarthmore’s first real test of the young season. The Garnet had another strong offensive performance, scoring 82 points, but surrendered 77 in a game that was tight throughout.

Arcadia scored 48 points in the paint and shot 52 percent on field goals, consistently getting the ball inside Swarthmore’s defense.

But the Garnet managed to hold on in the second half and win, in no small part thanks to sophomore Connor Harkins’ seasonhigh 28 points on 8 of 14 threepoint shooting.

Harkins has been a standout player so far, one of many underclassmen playing heavy minutes on a young team. He’s been given the “green light” to shoot at will, says Wiley: “Connor definitely has that license … [he’s] one of the best shooters I’ve ever played with … no matter what, we want him to always shoot.” And he has shot, taking 45 three pointers, more than twice as many as anyone else on the team. The threes are falling at a 40 percent clip, excellent by any measure but especially impressive considering his high volume of shots. Harkins is averaging a team-leading 17 points per game.

Another underclassman playing at a high level is first-year guard George Visconti, playing 21.8 minutes per game, most of all first years and sixth-most on the team. Averaging 10.8 points, he scores like a savvy veteran, using an array of leaners, bank shots, and stop-and-pop jumpers.

Asked about Visconti and fellow first-year guard Colin Shaw, Wiley says the most important compo-

nent of their growth is their confidence: “they’re willing to learn but they’re also willing to fail … having such a great attitude at their age has been beneficial to them … that confidence comes from failure, in practice, before the season even started.”

A lack of timidity and nervousness has characterized not just the first years, but also this team as a whole. They rarely panic and force up tough shots, instead calmly swinging the ball around the court even if they use most of the shot clock. Missed defensive assignments were rare in the two home games (Delaware and Washington), and the composure of the Garnet in comparison to their opponents was marked. A young team playing with such level heads is a testament not only to the players, but also to the coaching and team-building of Landry Kosmalski and his assistants, who have recruited all but one player on the roster.

The team, of course, is not all underclassmen.

Swarthmore’s frontcourt duo of juniors, Nate Shafer and Zac O’Dell, have kept up their productivity from last year with Shafer averaging 7.3 points and 8 rebounds and O’Dell averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds. With 11 blocks each, they’ve anchored the defense and protected the rim, important jobs given that Kosmalski often features lineups with only one big man. They’ve also amassed 20 assists between them, finding shooters on the perimeter from their spots in the post.

But the team captain, Wiley, is the strongest force in making the Garnet’s offense go. Filling the stat sheet with 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 44 percent shooting, he pushes the pace, breaking defenders down off the dribble and finishing with acrobatic drives to the hoop.

Turnovers, however, have been a blemish through the first four games. He has almost as many of those (12) as assists (14).

Swarthmore’s schedule gets tougher in the coming weeks, with a visit to last year’s conference champions Johns Hopkins and home games against Franklin & Marshall and Ursinus approaching. The Garnet played the first two of those teams close last year, clinching the conference regular season title against F&M and losing in the playoffs to Johns Hopkins. Wiley insists the match against Hopkins won’t be a revenge game. Regardless of how he and the team feel, the game will certainly start to answer the season’s question: will the Garnet encounter further smooth sailing or rocky conference waters?

Photos courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics

New Rules Make NBA Shoe-Game Cool Again Christopher Licitra Sports Writer The National Basketball Association and its players certainly have no shortage of fashion ideas.

As players like Russell Westbrook or LeBron James have shown, sporting a new style or trying to make a statement through clothing has become a norm in the NBA. However, not only can the off-the-court attire make a statement, but the on-court attire also can. Yes, the NBA has come out with new jerseys, such as the “city jerseys,” but it’s more about what they aren’t doing that is allowing the players to bring their own fashion sense to the court.

This year, the NBA has loosened restrictions on the colors of shoes players must wear, helping to create an even more playerbased model.

For nearly the entire history of the NBA, the players have been required to wear shoes that are “51 percent white or black, plus a minimal team color accent.”

Then, Michael Jordan stepped onto the scene. During his rookie year, Jordan wore a plethora of shoes that complied with the NBA’s “dress code.” Then, during the 1985 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Jordan opted to wear a red and black model of what is now the Jordan 1. The NBA was unhappy with this decision and fined him. Nike, the shoe company that was sponsoring Jordan, paid the fine, and from that mo-

ment Jordan and Nike would start the process where the player and brand would make the NBA shoe rules. Because of this, the rules have progressed to a point where the players have been allowed to wear shoes that entirely match with the color of the team’s jersey, and shoes that match the “theme” of the NBA on a particular night, such as special Halloween or Christmas colored shoes.

This year, the NBA has decided to dismiss these restrictions and allow its players to wear sneakers of any color whenever they so choose.

Sneakers are, unsurprisingly, extremely important to the players. The sneakers must provide the right amount of support, comfort, style, etc. so that the players can perform at the highest level. Fans notice the most important piece of equipment a NBA player wears. Words like Jordans, LeBrons, Kobes have become household references to the players’ shoes. Billions of dollars are spent yearly on basketball shoes. Basketball sneakers help drive culture. Countless blogs dedicated strictly towards which player has the best “shoe game” in the NBA are starting to become very common. Nice Kicks, a company dedicated towards sneaker news, even has a “Kicks on Court” champion, where they crown the NBA player who they think wears the best shoes throughout the year. The unanimous champion for the past three years has been

PJ Tucker, guard/forward for the Houston Rockets.

Tucker has been at the forefront of pushing the limits on not only what color shoes to wear, but the style of shoes players wear. He has worn everything: from rare models of Jordans and Kobes to the Nike Air Yeezy 2s, shoes that are traditionally more for style than basketball performance. When asked by ESPN about the rule change, Tucker said, “Those [rules] never really applied to me. I’m the same no matter what. I’ve always worn whatever, and kinda pushed the envelope. I’ve never really cared [what the league thinks]. So I mean, I appreciate being able to do it without having to hear anything. But that rule has never really bothered me. That, to me, is like an announcement for everybody else.” If the rule changes aren’t having any impact on Tucker, they’re certainly having an impact on other players, such as Los Angeles Lakers guard Kyle Kuzma.

Kyle Kuzma is a second year player for the Lakers. He turned some heads this summer when he decided to sign a shoe contract with GOAT, the largest resale marketplace for sneakers. Kuzma is currently signed to Nike until 2019, but this move with GOAT certainly shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Because of the rule change and Kuzma’s new deal, Kuzma will be able to choose any rare Nike he wants to wear in games this year.

Kuzma was quoted in an ESPN interview, saying, “Now that the NBA has removed restrictions on the colorways we can wear on court, I can be as expensive as I want.” He has the freedom to choose any shoe he wants, and certainly plans to take full advantage of that.

With the NBA’s new rule change, fans can fully expect to see some serious “heat” worn by players this year. Players are going to start factoring in the style and rarity of the shoes they are wearing. In the future, it wouldn’t be surprising if players started to sign more deals like Kuzma’s. Recently, Puma basketball has made a resurgence through the signing of players like all-star Demarcus

Cousins, rookies Marvin Bagley and Deandre Ayton, and other widely known players. Bagley, the number two overall draft pick in this past year’s draft, had this to say about signing with Puma: “I had a vision when I first decided to sign, which is that someone has to start it off and build it up where people would want to buy their stuff and wear the shoes.

That’s what’s exciting to me is being able to help do that, be a part of that and build something special. I’m very excited.”

The new rule changes give players more freedom to stray away from the big brands like Nike and Adidas in order to start something new and fresh with another company. It gives them

the freedom to try and dethrone “NBA Sneaker Champion” PJ Tucker, and Tucker isn’t scared: “There’s no pressure, because nobody can beat me. They can’t.

It’s impossible.” Only time will tell if any player will take the crown away, but one thing is for sure. The NBA is doing a great thing by not regulating the colorways of its players sneakers.

It brings in more fans who may only watch to see what shoes players are wearing, but more importantly it gives the players another outlet to express themselves, and could be a reason why the NBA’s player-driven model has helped it become “America’s Sport.”

PAGE A8

THE PHOENIX SPORTS

November 29, 2018

The Match that Never Was Adam Schauer Sports Writer

M

uch of sports’ hallowed nostalgia derives from the great “mano y mano” showdowns between rivals. Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle; the Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS; Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor’s payper-view bout; the Boston Celtics versus the Los Angeles Lakers of the 2008 NBA Finals; and the Miracle on Ice are just the tip of the iceberg. The legacies of these great sporting events are all seared in our minds and inked into the annals of history.

But “The Match” between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson? Ultimately, both Woods’ and golf’s fans alike were disappointed in the outcome of the afternoon, as what was touted as a bout between two of golf’s greatest players proved to be no more than a mistake-ridden publicity stunt.

Theoretically, who would have been better to represent the entertainment value of golf than the ever-controversial Woods and the off-the-cuff humor of Mickelson? As both reached their prime at the turn of the century, they constantly battled in major after major to be crowned champion. Most notably, two of Mickelson’s three Masters victories in 2004 and 2006 sandwich Woods’ most recent Masters victory in 2005.

The two undoubtedly have history and are widely considered two of the most consistent and successful golfers of all time

(perhaps overlooking Woods’ troubling period of personal issues and injuries).

Add in the allowance of side betting throughout the course on top of the nine million dollars already promised to the winner, and each hole becomes a riveting back and forth battle.

Given that the match took place in Las Vegas and outside of PGA oversight, all betting became legal, in line with golf’s quiet but well-known history of gambling. However, after Mickelson lost a $200,000 bet to birdie the first hole on a putt and almost no one reacted, it became clear that the bets added little to the competitive edge. These golfers simply make so much money even when they do not win from the gorged tournament purses, sponsorships, and other engagements that the betting margins were insignificant, especially to two of golf’s most successful players. In the end, Mickelson won majority of the side betting, putting only a small dent in Woods’ massive pockets.

What this event also lacked relative to those legendary showdowns in the past was the fierce tenacity and animosity between rivals. Perhaps the civility of golf does not lend itself to such behavior, but that afternoon golf match simply lacked anything special quite like the brash smugness of Kevin Garnett in the 2008 Finals or the underlying political tension between the U.S. and Russia in the Olympics. Both sides remained quiet and calm, as though the match were on any other Sunday during the actual PGA tournaments, and the crowd in no way

resembled the expected Happy Gilmore-esque riots (except for a young woman who purportedly was caught on the livestream handing her phone number to Woods). In the end, the hype and drama mellowed out to be just another golf match between two old legends of the game.

What did not help was that the production itself ended up being a ridiculed failure in its own right, as Turner Sports, responsible for the pay-per-view facilitation of the “exclusive” match, failed to ensure its payment systems were properly in place. The result was that the match became publicly available and lacked that exclusivity appeal of the McGregor versus

Mayweather match. Sports websites hosted public livestreams, broadcasting it to anyone who wanted to watch, and in the process, Turner lost its money just as the match lost its edge.

Unfortunately, all of these shortcomings detracted from what was otherwise a competitive match. Woods and Mickelson went the distance and then had to play the playoff hole, a short creation from the putting green to the 18th green, four times before a winner was finally crowned. Even before then, Mickelson was leading going into the final two holes, before Woods knocked in one of his famous chip shots on 17 to even up the score. In the end, Mick-

elson managed to pull ahead on the 93 yard 19th hole, winning the pot and bragging rights in their rivalry.

Ironically enough, one of the most entertaining moments of the event came during that award ceremony, when Mickelson was given a diamond belt — that did not fit him. Mickelson joked that the designer thought that Woods was going to win all along as moderator Ernie Johnson. Woods and the crowd chuckled alongside.

“I know big picture your career is the greatest of all-time.

But just know that I will never let you live this one down. I will bring it up every time I see you,” said Mickelson during the award

ceremony.

While this match between two golf heavyweights may not make it into any history books, Woods and Mickelson will no doubt still be enshrined into the elite tier of golf’s greatest players, alongside Nicklaus, Palmer, Hogan, Jones, Watson, and company.

What the match lacked in edgy competition, it made up for as a feel-good finale for both players, as they seemed good-natured heading into the latter half of their respective careers. Golf simply may not be cut out for the high-intensity showdowns that common viewers crave, but Woods and Mickelson were no doubt cut out to be golf’s greatest.

Winter Sports is in Full Swing Jack Corkery Sports Editor

As the seasons change here at Swarthmore, so do the sports.

With the 2-0 defeat of the Garnet women’s soccer team in their Sweet 16 matchup against Middlebury, the sports calendar has turned fully towards winter. Men’s and women’s basketball and swimming have both started Centennial Conference competition, which marks the toughest part of the season for most of Swarthmore's teams.

Let’s take a look at the upcoming week for each team.

Women’s basketball currently sits at 1-4 on the year.

The Garnet had a blowout win against Goucher on November 16, but have lost all their contests since then. They recently opened up a three-game homestand with a loss to perennial powerhouse Johns Hopkins on Tuesday. Their next game is another Centennial Conference

matchup against Ursinus on Thursday. They wrap up their homestand on Saturday with a game against Franklin and Marshall. Both Ursinus and Franklin and Marshall are also 0-2 in Centennial play this season, leaving the Garnet with two great opportunities to pick up their first conference win this season. The Garnet then hit the road to meet fellow Tri-Co school Bryn Mawr on Wednesday. Last season, Bryn Mawr gave Swarthmore their only two conference wins of the year, so the Garnet hope to take care of business in this matchup. The Garnet have been led in scoring so far by Erin Cronin ’22, a Forward from Summit, NJ. Junior Elizabeth Stiles has directed the offensive attack, leading the team with assists on the year. Senior Audra Woodside has dominated on the boards, leading the team in rebounds.

Men’s basketball has continued their ascendence among

national Division III powerhouses. Coach Landry Kosmalski’s team is currently ranked eighth in the country in D3Hoops.com’s national poll.

The Garnet are currently 4-0 and have won their games by an average of nearly 22 points.

This Thursday marks the Garnet’s toughest matchup of the young season, as they travel to Baltimore to face defending Centennial Conference champions Johns Hopkins. They follow this rivalry game with another tough test against Franklin and Marshall, who also made a deep run into the Division III playoffs last year.

Wrapping up their week ahead is another Centennial Conference matchup against Ursinus.

Both the Franklin and Marshall and Ursinus contests are home games at Tarble Pavilion. Leading the team this year has been their All-American senior guard Cam Wiley. He has been helped on offense with the shooting

of their leading scorer, sophomore guard Conor Harkins. On defense and on the boards, the Garnet have been led by junior big-men Zac O’Dell and Nate Schafer.

Women’s swimming has also gotten off to a strong start this season. They currently have a 4-1 record, all against conference foes. The Garnet’s sole loss so far was against defending Centennial champion Ursinus, who has won 42 consecutive conference dual meets. The Garnet are also undefeated in home meets at Ware Pool this season. They head to the College of New Jersey this weekend for a three-day invitational meet. Along with TCNJ, the Garnet will face the US Merchant Marine Academy, SUNY New Paltz, and East Stroudsburg University.

Courtesy of Swarthmore Athletics

Athlete of the Week: Conor Harkins ’21 Jack Corkery: What is your major, and what led you to choose it?

Conor Harkins: I am planning on double majoring in economics and psychology. I will hopefully pursue a career in finance or business and also really loved the psychology courses and department here at Swarthmore.

So, I felt as if combining these together works perfectly.

JC: What led you to choose Swarthmore?

CH: On my visits here, I really loved the group of guys and coaching staff of the basketball program. It’s also obviously an amazing academic school so the package of a great athletic and academic experience was something I couldn’t turn down. Plus, my mom kept bugging me about how pretty the campus was, and it is a close enough distance where my family gets to come to a lot of the games.

Emma Ricci-De Lucca / The Phoenix

Jack Corkery Sports Writer On Sunday, the Swarthmore men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 on the year with a win against Arcadia. The 82-77 final tally was much closer than the Garnet’s previous three wins, with this game being the first on the year decided by single digits. Key in the victory was guard Conor Harkins ’21. The sophomore from Greenwich, CT sank eight three pointers on his way to a career-high 28 points. After averaging 8.8 points last season, Harkins has nearly doubled his return in 2018, leading the team in scoring with 17 points per game. Harkins and the eighth-ranked Garnet return to action Thursday with a road showdown against rival Johns Hopkins.

JC: What is one thing you would change about Swarthmore?

CH: I really like Swarthmore so this is tough, but I would love for there to be more food options on campus. Sometimes Sharples gets old or has a meal that isn’t too appealing, so more on campus options would be ideal. That being said, I can’t complain too much with having the Ville in walking distance.

JC: What has been your favorite class at Swarthmore so far?

CH: I really love my “War, Sport, and Masculinity” class taught by professor and former tennis coach Mike Mullan. The course goes in

depth about the history about athletics and some of the major wars in our past. It is a nice change of pace from the psychology and economics classes I have been taking.

JC: Talk about your big performance from 3-point range last week. What led you to shoot so well?

CH: Playing on this team is so much fun for me in particular, because everyone else is so talented. Opposing defenses have to choose how they are going to stop our playmakers like Cam Wiley, Nate Shafer, Zac O’Dell, and a bunch of others. I get to shoot a lot of open shots simply because my defender is worrying about what they are doing, and they are all unselfish and great passers. Last week was just an example of my teammates getting me open in great positions to score, making my job much easier. I started off the year missing some shots I felt that I should have made, so finally seeing the ball go through the net consistently against Arcadia was a really good feeling.

JC: Coach Landry Kosmalski just had his 100th career win. How does his coaching impact the team’s success?

CH: We were all very excited to be a part of Coach Landry’s 100th win. He would probably say that he doesn’t care much about the accomplishment, but it is cool for all of us players to be a part of that moment for him. This program has turned into a very successful contender in both the conference and the nation, and it all starts with Landry and the rest of the coaching staff. We all know how smart he is and we trust him to put us in situations to win every game. All of the team’s success

the past couple of years starts with the culture that Coach Landry has created.

JC: What do you think is the biggest difference between last year and this year’s team?

CH: The biggest difference between last year and this year is our experience. Last year we had three seniors who had all played meaningful minutes for all four years and were such great leaders that we could rely on them in times of adversity. Our biggest challenge this year is for younger guys to step up as leaders, and to get our talented freshman ready so they can help us win games. Only two out of our 15 guys are seniors, with 11 of those guys being freshmen and sophomores. So, it is certainly a challenge playing with a younger group of guys, but we feel as if we have the right personalities and players to make it work. Our freshmen have so much talent that once they fully understand the offense, they are going to really help us.

JC: Do you have any personal or team goals for the remainder of the season?

CH: Our team goals were set at the beginning of the year to win a conference championship and a national championship. We set these goals high. However, we feel that we have the potential to reach them with our group of guys. This being said, with the type of coach Landry is, he engrains in our brains a daily goal of getting just a little bit better each day. Rarely will we talk about these season long goals, as the coaching staff has emphasized staying in the moment and improving with the young team we have.