Issuu

CONTINENTAL

MAGAZINE

Spring 2020 1

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Letter from the Editor Well, for obvious reasons, this is not how I hoped to share nor celebrate the completion of the third and final issue of The Continental for the 2019-2020 academic year. I wanted nothing more than to hold my final copy as Editor-in-chief, and recognize all that our editorial team has invested in these three issues. Unfortunately, a lot of things have not gone as planned, and I feel lucky to say that we had the resources and opportunity to publicize our Spring issue regardless of COVID-19’s disruption. This issue is a result of last-minute article changes, some difficulty contacting writers, a lot of editing and writing from the comfort of our beds, and some extra prodding, but we completed it nonetheless. I’m very proud to be a part of such a persevering and dedicated team of students. In our Opinion section, we discuss the daily inundation of Hamilton emails, the lacking weekend food situation on campus, and, of course, address the elephant in the room: were we as a community -- as a country -properly prepared for the coronavirus pandemic? In On the Hill, we analyze a quarantine-favorite: Tik Tok, and explore the elaborate process of creating The Continental. In Features, we spotlight some students stuck on campus during these unprecedented times, as well as some unique post-graduation plans. In Travel, we hear from my dormant Co-Editor, Phil, about his abbreviated abroad experience, and talk about Jitney etiquette: what are the do’s and don’ts? Finally, in Lifestyle we explore some of the greatest spots to cry on campus for when things just aren’t going your way and offer some of the editorial staff ’s 2019-2020 greatest hits, a collaboration of songs that we associate with this wonderful, though truncated, academic year. Despite these unusual circumstances, we decided it was critical to finish and produce the final issue of The Continental through whatever means possible. Thank you to my fellow editors for bearing with me through endless nagging and glitchy Zoom meetings, to our writers for opening up to the Hamilton community, to our layout designers and photographers, and to Claire, the Creative Director whom I rely on endlessly. And finally, I want to give a personal thank you to The Continental, and the wonderful community it has provided me since my Sophomore year. Though the staff morphs each year, the heart of the magazine remains, and it continues to be a group I am inspired and motivated by. To our readers at home: I hope that this finds you all safe and well, and that you can find a little spark of joy in these colorful pages. And to the seniors: the hill will always be our home. Until next time,

Editor-in-Chief Catharine Pierce ‘20 Creative Director Claire Goldstein ‘22 Section Editors OPINION - Gabriela de Mendonca Gomes ‘23 Travel - Molly Tracey ‘20 FEATURES - Nicolette van Kesteren ‘23 On The Hill - Juliet Davidson ‘23 Lifestyle - Sammy Smock - ‘23 Director of Photography Alex Chalk ‘20 Layout Designers Claire Goldstein ‘22 (CD) Catharine Pierce ‘20 Graphics & Illustrations Claire Goldstein ‘22 Writers Ann Iosbidze ‘20 Catharine Pierce ‘20 Fiona XIANG ‘22 Gabriela de Mendonca Gomes ‘23 The Jitney Staff 1 Juliet Davidson ‘23 Krissi kim ‘21 Phil Marks ‘21 Sammy Smock ‘23 tiffany lopez ‘21

7 - THE COMMUNICATION CRISIS 9 - THE DISMAL WEEKEND FOOD SITUATION 11 - CORONAVIRUS

15 - THE PEACE CORPS IN MADAGASCAR 17 - CAMPUS QUARANTINE LIFE

21 - 2019-2020 TOP HITS 25 - THE BEST PLACES TO CRY

29 - TIK TOK: ARE YOU TOO OLD? 31 - ZIPCAR LOVE STORY 33 - CREATING THE CONTINENTAL

37 - JITNEY DO’S AND DON’TS 39 - A (HALF) SEMESTER ABROAD

n i p O

Edi

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itor: Gabriela De Mendoca Gomes

Snow, Bean boots, and emails. What do these things have in common? Well, Hamilton simply has too much of each of them. But especially emails. It began innocently, with an email here and there from HillFresh Laundry and Wellness at Hamilton in August, before I was even on campus. I thought it was a little strange that I was already receiving emails from organizations on and adjacent to campus just because I had enrolled, but I didnâ€™t give it much more thought than that. Little did I know the flood of emails that would inundate my inbox. Then came September, and I was on campus. As a freshman, I was already dazed by the novelty of College Life. Still, the number of emails began to climb: Gaming Club, The Office of Off-Campus Study, Dance Team, Hillel, Anime Club, WHCL, Hogwarts at Hamilton, Language Tables, Hamilton Christian Fellowship, Finance Club, Microfinance Club, Mail

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Post, Smash Bros! It was everything I never wanted. With each Gmail notification, I was thrown a different and singularly niche club. I slowly learned to filter my emails, but they were coming in faster and larger quantities than I could have ever imagined. None of which I had signed up for. I began asking my friends at other colleges, NESCAC and otherwise, and it seemed that they were not encountering the same steep climbing wall of emails that I was, and I absent-mindedly wondered why there was such a discrepancy. But the seismic wave that brought me to this article because of the noxious landfill it made of my inbox came on September 20th, just before the first climate strike. Every single club sent out the exact same email on the same day announcing the campus-wide protest. I could not tell you the number of emails I received, but for each one after the ones from relevant clubs, I wanted to spray an entire can of aerosol into the O-Zone.

It was everything I n ever wanted...

My outrage stemmed not only from the fact that getting too many emails is simply annoying, because also because I felt––and feel––that each club felt it was “doing something” by sending out a mass listserv. email copied verbatim from the original one; each club was so engrossed in itself that none cared about the apathy and disinterest that its email fostered for a legitimate cause. Dilution of meaning is a real phenomenon, and it is exactly what I feel happened then and will happen again in any similar instance. There are instances where clubs should send out school-wide emails: when something that they are doing deserves the entire campus’ attention. Like when The Continental (no bias here) publishes a new issue, when Yodapez is having a show, or when the Sunrise Movement announces that they are holding a climate strike. These are rare and relevant occasions that prompt campus-wide emails, and they are likely to be presently undercut in value and meaning by the fact that every student also receives club specific information regularly. So, do not get me wrong, each club emailing their respective members about something important makes sense, but when every student gets every email is when the problem transpires. Our campus is small, so posters in Commons and word of mouth do a great deal, and would reduce the number of emails. More broadly, there is an incredibly simple fix, and one that every other college than Hamilton seems to have adopted. At the beginning of each year or semester, students should receive one––one––email with a number of listservs to which they can subscribe. Thus, every student will only have to read messages meant for them. For now we are relegated to filter to mark as unread and delete and carry on, but I hope you will join me on my No Emails 2020-2021! Campaign.

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McEwen needs to be open on the weekends. There, I said it. Not all day, not even for more than a few hours, but I think that I speak for most of us who live on the dark side that the freedom to pop into McEwen for a hungover Saturday morning bagel and blue Powerade would be glorious. But no. Instead, we must trek halfway across campus to Commons in the dead of the 10 degree CNY winter in order to get… a bowl of rice and soy sauce, which might not even be there. After all, the entire campus is now relegated to one dining hall. As a senior, I have experienced all too many Saturday night Commons dinners, and even more Sunday morning brunches. All you want is something delicious. The weekend is the one time when I can say I enter the dining hall with all inhibitions knocked down: I have no intention of eating a healthy meal. I just want food. That being said, I don’t want the weird meatloaf, or the three-day old marinara sauce now attempting, and failing, to pass as Tomato Basil soup, located mere feet from where it was perched at Wednesday night’s dinner. I don’t just want a bowl of rice, and I certainly don’t want a bowl of spinach. As for breakfast, once the bagel supply has been depleted, the desserts have been picked over, and the omelette man has retired his spatula for the day, I try to avoid Commons on the weekends at all costs. I go off campus, I cook myself meals, and I attend opus brunch. Luckily these other options exist on and off campus, but meals over the weekend are the times when I want to relax with friends and enjoy good food more than any other day of the stressful work week. Plus, not everyone has the opportunity to cook their own food or venture off campus for a meal. So: what can the school do to improve the dismal weekend dining hall situation? Here are a few ideas.

Open McEwen on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9-to 12. I recognize that the

school must be mindful of workers and expenses, but opening McEwen for even three hours each day of the weekend would astronomically improve the food options over the weekend. A lot of people, myself included, would be thankful.

Shorten the brunch hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

When people come into Commons at 2pm, they are often no longer looking for waffles and scrambled eggs, but instead are hoping to see more lunch options. Sometimes this weird middle-ground between meal times creates disappointment in the dining hall food options. Brunch should not last past 1pm at the latest.

Provide more and healthier options.

On a Sunday afternoon, there is little available to students other than pizza, desserts, cereal, toast, oatmeal, and goldfish. In fact, there is not much of anything at all. Fresh fruit would drastically improve the dining hall scene, as well as avocadoes, and other small but significant additions to the dining options. Though these suggestions are minimal, and certainly do not solve every problem that faces our weekend dining situation, they would, in my opinion, certainly improve the now-dreadful prospect of stepping foot in Commons on a Sunday. That being said, we are grateful for the Bon Appetit workers who spend their weekends serving us food, and I will never complain about the weekend tater tots. Long live Commons’ tater tots.

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Bill Gates hosted a T.E.D. Talk about the next imminent global pandemic. Its title: “The next outbreak? We’re not ready.” Its date: April 3, 2015. It is one of the many warnings that preceded COVID-19. It is also one that, like almost all others, was ignored. Writing this article from the apartment which I have barely left since being dismissed from campus weeks ago, it is hard not to feel embittered by the fact that there were numerous warnings and effectively no proactive response, leading us to the state of death and panic that we are currently experiencing. The entire story of the Coronavirus was, and continues to be, one of a lack of preparation, on a national and global scale. The first case of COVID-19 was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in China on the 31st of December in 2019, a pneumonia of unknown cause detected in the city of Wuhan. Five days later the WHO reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in the same area. The virus was then identified as a novel coronavirus, in the same family as SARS and MURS. January 13, just over one week later, a case of the novel coronavirus was unexpectedly discovered in Thailand. The WHO then called for active monitoring and preparedness in other countries. But that never happened. The novel coronavirus continued to spread like sinister ink on an unfolding world map, finding its way into every creased country with irreparable damage. The numbers in China grew exponentially, and the country resorted to a lockdown of the Hubei province. Not surprisingly, only a short time after the initial spread, the first infections in the U.S.were beginning to emerge, first in Washington state, near Seattle, and in California. Health experts say the virus had been quietly contaminating communities in both states for weeks. And the Trump Administration made a deadly mistake by bolstering, against all evidence, that the virus was not going to be as bad here.

-ary, he claimed that “we have [the coronavirus] totally under control” (January 22), and that “the coronavirus is very much under control in the USA” (February 24), and even that “it’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear” (February 28). Even into the month of March, Trump proclaimed that tests were available to anyone who wanted one, and that holding rallies did not bother him. It is notable––although unfortunately not surprising––that every one of these statements was eventually contradicted by governors or even members of Trump’s own cabinet. The reasons for Trump’s complete and perpetual denial seem to be twofold. First, his reelection strategy still seems to rely entirely on the economy’s well-being, but the economy seems to be debilitated, laid up in an ICU, like so many other victims of the Coronavirus. Additionally, his original malfeasance essentially allowed the disease to rampantly permeate the country directly causing a devastating amount of deaths, so he had to continue to feign ignorance so as to not accept any kind of responsibility. Then, on March 31, Trump had to momentarily face the truth when he had to pronounce that a bestcase scenario for COVID-19 deaths were between 100,000-240,000, a catastrophic jump from the claim he made on February 26: “when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.” Even more distressing, experts criticized the figure for being too low. Nonetheless, his stance has not progressed. He has done virtually nothing except attempt to buy the companies developing vaccines, promote non-approved drugs for treatment, withhold funding from the WHO, and proclaim that states could begin reopening. So, to be blunt, he has done nothing of use. Trump’s hastiness and miscalculations have cost people their lives. I cannot help but think that if this conflict was of a human rather than a viral nature, the administration would be treating it as a real war. But it is, and we’re losing. We have no one but our Commander-in-Chief to blame for this defeat.

The Trump Administration never took the virus seriously. On numerous occasions during Trump’s daily press briefings throughout January and Febru-

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t a e F

s e r u t Editor: Nicolette Van Kesteren

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s p r o C e c a e P e r a Th c s a g a d a in M By Ann Iosbidze

For 17 of my 20 years, I lived in Georgia, one of the Peace Corps service countries. Most of the PC Georgia volunteers are placed in the education sector, and I know from first-hand experience that there is a reason for this concentration. Subjected to the faulty public education system myself, I have always felt passionate about guaranteeing equal access to quality education that everyone deserves. I was able to leave the deficient Georgian education system behind and continue my studies in the US, but the vast majority of my friends were not as fortunate - not because they are not as diligent or as gifted as I am, but simply because they could not afford to invest as much time and effort in self-education. Knowing this, I made it my goal to help provide quality education to youngsters who would otherwise not be granted such a privilege. Joining the Peace Corps would serve as one huge stepping stone in my dedication and lifetime goal of tackling unequal accessibility of education. I have taught English as a foreign language in two very contrasting environments: at a drug rehabilitation facility in Colombia and at summer camps in Italy. All of my Colombian students came from poor and challenged households, while the families of my Italian students were much better-off. As much as I enjoyed teaching bright and cheerful Italian kids, nothing compares to the knowledge that some of the vocabulary I taught a Colombian young woman might help make her more marketable for a decent job and keep her from resorting to drugs or prostitution. Having compared these two experiences, I realized that in the long term, I want to focus on educating underprivileged populations. Serving with the Peace Corps perfectly aligns with this interest. I chose to volunteer in Madagascar because as a French and Francophone studies major, I have always been drawn to the former French colonies in Africa. Besides, Madagascar prides itself on an extremely rich culture, as well as an unrivaled natural diversity. My departure date is set for this upcoming September, and I am eager to find out more details about my placement. Since each Peace Corps volunteer is placed alone in a city/town, I am looking forward to meeting the members of my community as they are going to, in a way, become my family for those 2 years. I hope to relate to my students on a personal level and establish strong connections with them. I also hope that Iâ€™ll be able to use my personal background to help my students see not only a teacher in me, but also a symbol of how far they could go if they kept up with their schoolwork.

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Three students currently living on Hamilton College’s campus during the COVID-19 pandemic share what life is like on an empty campus.

Krissi Kim ‘21 Campus is an interesting place to be during the pandemic. We always talk about how we’re in the middle of nowhere in Clinton, NY but really, people have no idea until they’ve been on campus with nothing open within a 10-mile radius. Around 50 people are still on campus and we’re all living in Bundy. All other facilities on campus are closed and locked, except for Bundy café, where we get all our meals to-go. You would think that if you put 50 college students in one dorm, someone’s bound to have a large gathering of a sort but surprisingly (and fortunately), people are taking social distancing seriously. I have yet to see any groups walking around with more than 4 people. Sometimes people are sent to Bristol Center for a 2-week quarantine, like that one time a few students were exposed to an employee that tested positive, or when someone had a fever and everyone who came in contact had to be quarantined (they ended up testing negative, though). Whenever that happens, there’s like a buzz of caution and some fear that goes around the dorm for a few days.

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I look forward to my daily evening walks around campus, when I can finally leave my Bundy room. During the day, I see a good number of community members walking around campus; but in the evening, I can only run into deer, raccoons, or an occasional skunk. Seeing all the campus buildings completely dark and empty is a bit depressing, but it also makes me look forward to when those places will be bright and filled with people again.

Fiona Xiang ‘22 As an international student who cannot go home, I am living with another 50 students in Bundy east. I have never seen the campus this empty, and there are literally more squirrels than humans when walking around the campus. During the first month, I am amazed by the amount of support I am getting: students receive “care packages” from the residential offices that include daily supplies and hygiene products, 2 staff/faculty liaisons are assigned to each student who check in with me on a weekly basis, and all residents have a weekly zoom meeting to discuss life on the hill and if there are any community issues. Overall, my experience on the hill is really peaceful, though there is the occasional dispute over whether residents should be social distancing and wearing masks.

Tiffany Lopez ‘21 While this sunny and warmer time of year brightens up the campus, the absence of students has left Hamilton feeling emptier than ever. For the past week, I’ve been going on walks/runs every day, and I regularly pass by Clinton residents strolling through the Glen. It’s interesting how notable visitors on campus are right now, which heightens my nostalgia for the end-of-semester routine we would normally be experiencing at this time. Even though the feeling of loneliness prevails as we social distance in Bundy East singles, the administration and staff have been exceptionally helpful and accomodating. The food we’ve been provided at Bundy Cafe is surprisingly good, and we’ve been given several resources to stay sane and well here on the Hill (the staff even organizes self-care packages with face masks!). Life here has been pretty routine, as it has for all of us, but being on campus has allowed me to explore parts of it I never ventured to before and appreciate its beauty.

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st e f i L

e l y st Editor: Sammy Smock

“Such a cheerful song, always played at parties and at the gym. Reminder of the warmer, better days on campus”

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“Reminiscent of Fall and acapella concerts!”

“The new Lil Uzi Vert album got me through March and the beginning of quarantine”

“Someone in our dorm played this song at least twice a week all through fall semester.”

“This song is getting its rebirth and it’s beautiful”

“A song that gets everyone excited, no matter what time or situation.”

“Leftover from Class and Charter day in Spring 2019, Galantis will always be a cheerful hit”

“A popular song starting around March, this hit is the perfect amount of Spring and cheery to keep the positivity up.”

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“Always played at the gym alongside ‘that Lizzo song’”

“Reminds me of my friends and a time when two of them wouldn’t stop singing it”

“Always on my jitney shift playlist”

24 23|lifestyle

“Hilarious. She took the world by storm with her humorous lyricism that “slaps,” if you will. Lest we forget the bar ‘Old MacDonald had a farm. I give him a titty tryna keep him calm.’ Poetry.”

“Had to include a song that, once in a 20 minutes uber ride, played at least 3 times. Also feel like everyone listened to this, by choice or not, and was also one of my most listened to songs of the year.”

“Fall c o Great ncert! so worko ng to ut to.”

“Everyone knows the first ten words to this song. It’s an anthem.”

“This song is played everywhere” “Dropped close to his documentary on making Astroworld. A truly versatile song.”

“The most cheerful song.”

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The Best Places to Cry on Campus CG

By Sammy Smock

North Hall Study Rooms:

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If you are a freshman or desperate enough to brave a freshman dorm for a secluded place to cry, this is a good room for you. With four wood-paneled walls, no windows, and a locking door, not a single person will be able to see you inside. Furniture amenities include a moderately padded bench (good for dramatically lying down on) and a solitary desk with a chair (good for banging your head on). You can turn off the light for a quick nap to recover your energy, too.

Walking Across Martin’s Way:

Need to cry? Also have class in 10 minutes? This is the perfect solution for you! Leave your dorm and immediately start crying as you walk for an efficient and dramatic crying session. If you walk quickly, no one will make eye contact and you can have a relatively peaceful stroll. (Pro tip: stop in the bathroom before you walk into class so you can put yourself back together.)

Library Entryway:

This is the ideal location to use when your group project is interrupted by your mom calling to tell you that your grandparent or childhood pet has died. You are trapped in this dilemma: you can’t go outside without your jacket, but you can’t walk back through the library sobbing. Instead, you have to settle for this true glass case of emotion and hope that you don’t know anyone who walks in during the next 15 minutes.

Science Center Study Room:

These light-filled cubicles are a great place to sit and stare out at the rest of the world as you cry. The scenery of trees and athletes jogging in the street provides a calming view as you recline in an oddly-placed lounge chair and think about the events in your life that led up to this moment. Make sure to turn your back to the door so that none of the 15 students/hour who are looking for an open room can see your tears.

Bathroom below McEwen:

There are enough stalls here for multiple people to cry at once, so this bathroom is usually accessible. The added bonus of seating (the toilet) and mirrors to check before you leave make this a practical option. McEwen’s close proximity means that you don’t need to make an extra trip out of your dorm or KJ study room--you can get two things done at once!

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Editor: Juliet Davidson 29

ou walk into your room after a seemingly eternal class, peeved at whomever wouldn’t stop asking questions (that were already answered) and are immediately welcomed home by your roommate, who says nothing as they lifelessly stare into their phone, scrolling through TikTok, muttering the occasional chuckle or “I don’t get it.” This story may seem familiar to you, as you either had that roommate or were that roommate. Or perhaps the notion of hearing Doja Cat’s “Say So” on a loop for the entire first half of the semester is completely foreign to you. Allow me to fill you in.

29 30 |”on” the hill

ikTok is what happens when Jojo Siwa gets an iPod touch: it’s cute for a second, laughable for another, and then completely shocking. TikTok is also what happens when the Chinese AI internet entertainment company ByteDance revamps its App musical.ly, a similar time-warper that allows users to upload videos of themselves lip-syncing to various Top 40 hits. TikTok is a more expansive version of this app, allowing TikTokers (as they’re referred to by the youth) to upload their own audio bytes, apply special effects to their videos, and create side-by-side videos with others. TikTok also differs from musical.ly in its wide-reaching social platform. The app hosts over 80 million users worldwide and has produced celebrities with tens of millions of followers like Charli D’Amelio, Chase Hudson (her former lover who goes by the alias “Lil Huddy”), and Addison Rae, whose fame on the app prompted the song “Addison Rae,” which has over 10 million listens on Spotify. To say that TikTok has infiltrated our social media landscape is an understatement. It’s a game-changer, honestly. It can birth celebrities, make songs go viral, and show meme trends to millions overnight. TikTok is sensational. But why should you care?

ikTok has found a home on Hamilton College’s campus and an even cozier one in quarantine. The more than 30 million active TikTokers in the United States average around 46 minutes a day on the app. One can imagine how these numbers have sky-rocketed in recent weeks, providing solace to the lonely and humor-deprived exiled students from colleges around the world. One first-year student reported spending 2 hours and 16 minutes daily on the app, saying it consumes most of her free time. While you may not be that student, there’s a strong likelihood you’ve met one like her on campus. According to this student, many college students download TikTok as a

joke, to be witness to this super hype and cutting-edge web community, but then find themselves glued to their phones, half-heartedly attempting the woah and crip walk when they pass any mirror or reflective surface. According to a leaked ad pitch deck from June 2019, 69% of TikTok’s users are members of “Generation Z,” or between the ages of 16 and 24. This statistic may not seem surprising, as most of the celebrities that have been produced on the app are in their late teens. Seeing its popularity with this demographic, TikTok launched a college ambassador program, hiring over 100 students across the country to create relatable, entertaining content to “make their fellow classmates’ day.” These ambassadors have uploaded a range of videos, from clips of football games to mini sketches about dorm struggles. These videos, along with the millions of other comedy bits, dances, challenges, and embarrassing exposés, provide mindless entertainment for college students, especially ones who claim that their intention is completely ironic.

hile collegiate humor has a strong-hold on TikTok, especially videos of students longing for their former lives as independent students, dancing trends are the most popular uploads and what the app is most well-known for. TikTokers upload a video of themselves trying choreography that has gone viral on the app, most of which is not by professionals but rather teenagers in suburban basements. “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion takes the cake with 9.3 million videos made to the tune with choreography done by Keara Wilson. While these dances foster great camaraderie across state-lines and even continents, the ease at which one can access these videos on TikTok poses a danger to younger, more vulnerable users. One first-year student commented on how the app does not show the age of the users who upload videos. This creates an “age masking” effect that puts teenagers at risk for being harassed with inappropriate comments, like ones that sexualize minors.

consent from an adult. This disregard for parental permission is what caused the FTC to file the suit. TikTok has since paid the fine and attempted to evade future violations by enacting several policies to prevent children under the age of thirteen from downloading the app and children under the age of 16 from sending and receiving private direct messages. One first-year college student I interviewed pointed out the potential danger of children using the app because, similar to when we were young, many children can’t conceptualize the “foreverness” of the internet or the potential ramifications of resurfaced TikToks. Regardless of the settlement and these newly-implemented preventative measures, preteens and young teenagers alike are equally riveted by the app and continue to boost its number of users.

he question of whether the internet is age-appropriate for children under sixteen did not originate from the TikTok sphere. A 2019 study conducted by Common Sense Media reported that over half of American children over the age of eleven have a smartphone. In 2015, this age was fourteen. As internet demographics get younger and younger, the popularity of multimedia, social networking apps like TikTok will only continue to grow. It’s common to wonder whether someday Generation Z, the predominant demographic of internet users, will outgrow these apps. No more are the simple days of Doodle Jump and iFunny. As children learn to tweet, post, snapchat, and TikTok, should we find a new outlet for communication (and nosiness) that won’t put them at risk? Is the internet like Benjamin Button? Are we getting too old for this?

his deep concern for younger users is not a new thing. Before TikTok emerged, its next of kin musical.ly paid a $5.7 million settlement to the Federal Trade Commission after facing allegations that musical.ly was actively violating internet child privacy rights. According to the New York Times, this was a “record fine for child privacy violation rights.” Children were asked to share the school they attend, their email address, and their personal phone number without requiring

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A ZipCar Love Story: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly By Juliet Davidson

tein Graphics by Claire Golds

31 |”on” 32 the hill

A survey conducted by ZipCar in 2015 found that nearly 1 in 10 adults have pulled over for a quickie while road tripping in their ZipCar. Perhaps this data makes you wonder why the ZipCar was returned fifteen minutes late that one time. Perhaps this data makes you question why you’ve never had a little afternoon delight in a ZipCar. Or perhaps this data makes you worry if everyone knows about that time you boned in a ZipCar. Regardless of whether your curiosity is driven by guilt or concern, the intrigue of the lewd tall tales remains. While a statistical analysis on the frequency and quality of hookups in the Hamilton ZipCar is unavailable (as nobody has or wants to have that information), there is intelligence on the popularity of the ZipCar for its intended purpose, which is– if you’ve forgotten– to drive. A few first-year students in particular can attest to the car’s profound input on their first-year experiences, as they were frequent fliers of the communal Honda CRV. I conferenced with him to discuss the benefits, drawbacks, accessibility, and mystery of the beloved ZipCar. With cars at over 600 campuses, ZipCar has given college students the ability to “drive on or off campus whenever, wherever.” “With fiscal leniency for a membership” doesn’t flow well with the rest of the tagline. The company offers discount prices for college students, which entail hourly rates from $8.50 an hour and a $25 annual payment. While further fees apply for late returns, a free gas card and insurance is included with each auto. Many see the fiduciary responsibilities as part of the deal, though, and understand the car has a balance of pros and cons. One student put his strained relationship with the beemer with great, reflective eloquence: “ZipCar is like life: sometimes you get the best thrill surrounded by your bestest friends, and sometimes you drive that sh*t into the brink of existence” Some students commented on how the car became a coveted resource for them given their carelessness on campus. Their story is familiar to some. The trips were sporadic, a little treat after a long week of hustling on the hill. However, the great convenience and optimal location in the Dunham parking lot escalated the regularity of rental; it quickly turned into an impassioned affair. However, the abrupt dismissal of the student body from campus has left these students with a less barren wallet and Clinton, New York with just that much lower carbon emissions. I’ve often pondered what rides through ZipCar’s conscious: “Whose aux chord is this? What’s with all the Cardi B? Why can’t first-years drive? I know I’m for hire, but that makes me feel cheap. Hard for me to negotiate. On the road, I am but one with the crowd. The Great Pretender. Like syphilis. Like the idiots that reclined the backseat all the way and failed to use a rubber. Anyways, I’m out of gas.”

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hat gorgeous magazine you see around KJ and the library? Sometimes in Opus? (And now, somewhere virtual…)The one you’re looking at right now? It looks sleek. Its design is refined. Hopefully (!) there are no typos. Ideally people know it as one of the iconic presences on campus. It is The Continental.

o, what goes on behind the scenes? What is involved in the making of The Continental?

STEP ONE

ecruitment! Role Assignment! With each new semester comes the issue of people arriving and leaving campus, thus positions open and refill periodically. The first step in building our magazine is crafting an editorial team, ideally a healthy mix of under- and upperclassmen, and filling the positions that we have open. We need Editors-in-chief, General Editors, 5 Section Editors, at least one Creative Director, a Director of Photography, Photographers, Layout Designers, and, of course, Writers. That’s a lot of positions to fill, and it is always a challenge. With Juniors going abroad and Seniors graduating out of their positions, each semester is a new challenge.

STEP TWO

rainstorming! Once the positions are filled, the team meets weekly to brainstorm for the issue. What message are we trying to send to campus? How can we bring a fresh perspective to the table? What is not talked about enough on campus? How can we make The Continental topical and relatable to the entire Hamilton community? The process of finalizing a vision and articles takes about two to three weeks.

STEP THREE

and solidify the Table of Contents and the list of contributors to make sure each person receives the credit they deserve.

STEP FIVE

ayout, Layout, Layout, Layout, Layout. This step takes the longest, and is arguably the most essential to the final product of The Continental. Even with the most captivating, thought-provoking articles, the design of the magazine is what compels a reader to pick it up off of a table or a bench and to flip through it. As such, the Creative Director and I hold the magazine to a very high aesthetic standard. We assign articles to our layout team, and one to two weeks later we finally compile the entire magazine, adding page numbers, ordering the articles, creating the section dividing pages, designing the cover, and carefully coordinating the interactions between colors and styles in the magazine.

STEP SIX

inal Edits. Once the layout design is done, I take a step back, put the magazine down for a day or two, and try to completely distract myself. Once I am ready to return to it, I flip through every single page– looking at every single word, color, title, page number, and photo– to make sure that everything is perfect and as it should be. This process takes hours, and I typically find nearly 30 errors to fix last minute no matter how many times the content has been vetted. Finally, I send the PDF off to press, approve the proofs, and wait.

STEP SEVEN

STEP FOUR

atching writers and writing the articles. While this step may sound simple, it proves to be one of the most challenging. There are so many people to coordinate, and it is important that editors hold their writers accountable, and that I hold all of the editors accountable. Time is a virtue, and the clock is ticking!

nce articles are sent in to the Section Editors, they all meticulously edit each article before handing it over to me for the final sweep. Once I receive all articles, I edit each of them, decide what I want the layout for the article to look like (What photographs do we need? What graphics would elevate the design?), and send them along to our layout team. During this stage, I write the Editor’s Note

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istribution! After lots of toil, the magazine finally arrives on campus in 8 small boxes that I lug up to the media office on the second floor of Sadove. I look through the magazine, excitedly send snapchats of it to my friends, and tell the team to help me distribute it across campus for everyone to see and read! hough the process is long and gruesome, it is one of the most rewarding projects in which I have invested my energy at Hamilton College. Seeing the magazine around campus brings me so much pride, and I know that without my entire team, the magazine would be nothing. Here’s to many more decades of distributing The Continental on Hamilton’s campus (& online)!

The Process of Creating THE CONTINENTAL By Catharine Pierce

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a r T

l e v a

Editor: Molly Tracey

Jitney do’s and don’ts Brought to you by the Jiitney Staff

- Say ‘hi’ to your driver! - Compliment your driver’s taste in music. - Be respectful to other riders. - Say thank you. - Bring your reusable shopping bags!!!! - Be on time.

- Offer to pick up Mitsuba for your driver - Your driver’s homework - Give your driver a big kiss on the mouth.

Graphics by Claire Goldstein

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DONâ€™T

- Forget to shut the door and make the driver get out to shut it - Request music/ask to be on aux - Scream to your friends about deeply personal issues - Poke the back of my neck - Breathe into my space - Chew your Panera with an open mouth - Forget something in the trunk - Get in the trunk - Request a stop not on the loop

- PDA - Sit shotgun - Groan loudly when the driver cuts a tight turn - Be dramatic. The light was yellow.

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When I left Hamilton and The Continental in December to prepare for my semester abroad, I could never have anticipated how incredible of an experience it would turn out to be, or how suddenly it would all come to an end. I was part of the Hamilton program in Madrid for all of eight weeks— albeit eight of the best weeks of my life. We arrived in Spain in early January and were forcibly ejected from the country in mid-March, along with almost every other student studying abroad in Europe at the time. During my stint in Madrid I learned some Spanish, travelled to some amazing places, and met some friends I’ll surely have for life. Coronavirus has undoubtedly affected every person around the world, some more than others. And while I would never claim to have it the hardest (seniors, you have my condolences), I will always hold a special kind of hate in my heart for this virus for robbing me of the next best eight weeks of my life.

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Our story of coronavirus displacement is perhaps the most unique out there. We went from having normal classes on Monday, to moving to online classes Tuesday, to Trump closing the borders on Wednesday, until finally being told on Thursday by our directors that we had to “abandon” the country by midnight on Friday. I’m not sure I could adequately put into words the carnage that message left on our group, given we were all enjoying a bit of wine and sun in Retiro Park when we got the news. After a long night of calling our parents, frantically trying to book a flight home, while also hastily saying goodbye to our friends and host families who we might well not see again, we were all off on separate flights back to the US. It was an emotional time, but also a slightly numbing one, as no one really had time to process what was happening. All too soon we were back in the US which is when it really hit—abroad was over.

(Dormant Co-Editor-in-Chief) The weirdest part, though, was that it wasn’t over. Our classes continued online with our Spanish professors and we’ve been zooming ever since. Yet, as you can probably guess, it’s just not the same. Imagine trying to learn the flamenco dance over zoom, or going on “virtual” museum tours. The professors have done their best and we’re all extremely grateful, but truthfully, it’s all more than a little depressing. We’re entering finals now as I write this, a week before all of the normal Hamilton students, and then abroad really will be over.

Of course, we’ve all talked about how we can’t wait to go back and visit Spain, but it just won’t be the same. We were hurled from the country just as we were hitting our stride and beginning to master our speech.

I heard recently from a friend that your first two months abroad are spent settling into the language and culture, while the second half is a blissful coast to the finish. Instead, I traded two months in the Spanish Sun for eight weeks of staring at my bedroom wall. And if that sounds like complaining, that’s because it is.

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