April 2022 Index

the index The student voice since 1888

The Haverford School · Haverford, PA 19041 · April 2022 · Volume 89, No. 7 · thsindex.org

Sixth form leaders are determined to keep baseball focused on winning MR. JIM ROESE

Jimmy Davey ’22 fields the ball in 10-0 win against Hill School, March 11, 2022 Ryan Rodack ’22

T

he annual spring break trip to Orlando is a Haverford School baseball tradition. The Fords compete in preseason games and work to increase their team chemistry by eating team dinners and partaking in team activities such as Top Golf from the sunny confines of Florida.

Although the team had a successful trip on the field this past March, an off-the-field

incident resulted in disciplinary measures for multiple Fords. While this incident would presume to be a distraction amongst the team, the Fords’ determined Sixth Form leaders have not let it disturb their season.

“As a fourth-year senior manager, I just keep reminding my team to stay focused on our goals. When we got back from Florida, we only had one week until the Inter-Ac season started, which is the most important part

of our season,” said Sixth Form manager Kai Jacobs.

“We’ve been able to talk to the coaches, communicate well, and recognize how the other kids on the team have reacted to the incident to find a solution that works for everyone,” Sixth Former Will Ferris said.

Sixth Former Jimmy Davey got right to the point.

“We’re just looking forward,” Davey

said.

The Fords have gotten off to a respectable 7-4 start, highlighted by an impressive 16-4 victory over Strat Haven High School and a 14-4 win against the Westtown School.

The Fords attribute their early-season success to hard work and attention to detail at practice. con’t on p. 16

452 South Roberts Road, “a generational opportunity” Joey Kauffman ’23

H

averford is defined by its compactness. Over a thousand lower, middle, and upper school students squeeze into the roughly 26-acre space between Lancaster Avenue, Panmure Road, and Buck Lane. The school has pushed this small space to its limits.

“We have maxed out what’s called our impervious square footage,” Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano said.

Haverford Township restricts the ratio of pervious land (where water can permeate into the ground) to impervious land (where material like concrete or pavement restricts water permeation) that Haverford can

Lacrosse, p. 16

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have on its property. Haverford School has reached the upper limit for impervious land.

“Every time that we want to build something, we have to take something away. And that creates huge limitations when you’re thinking about programming and the spaces that would deliver that program,” Mr. Castertano said. The black, rubber-like walkway in the quad that was installed last summer is technically pervious material. This, it seems, balanced out the expansion of impervious material from the new middle school.

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A screenshot from the video Mr. Casertano sent to the Haverford community announcing the property purchase

con’t on p. 3

Adamya Aggarwal, tennis co-captain, p. 15

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LLOYD DEGRANE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Judge Ketnaji Brown Jackson, p. 11

Wordle in Wilson Hall, p. 3

PIERCE LAVERAN ’24

the index · editorial

Page 2

the index 2021–2022 Staff Mitav Nayak ’22 Editor-in-Chief Ryan Rodack ’22 Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Yang ’22 Editor-in-Chief Austin Zhuang ’22 Senior Managing Editor Senior Design Editor Jingyuan Chen ’23 Managing Editor Joey Kauffman ’23 Managing Editor Connor Pinsk ’23 Managing Editor Quinn Luong ’22 Senior News Editor

April 2022

editorial

Finish strong, maintain support

A

s the sun shines brighter and the temperature increases, the virtue of the year, support, is more important than ever. The last two months of the year are the most challenging. We want to be outside shooting hoops, running around, and hanging out with friends.

Honestly, nobody is happy to be in the classroom taking a test or writing an in-class essay on an 80° and sunny May afternoon.

As the temptation to lose focus on school and shift our attention to our outdoor hobbies, we must hold each other accountable both inside and outside of the classroom. Support your classmate who is

struggling with his homework assignments.

Support a friend who feels overwhelmed and overworked. Support your teammate who is tempted to make a poor decision. Support your siblings and your family members in these last couple of months before summer break.

Although we have all done great work so far, we cannot give up just yet. As the late Kobe Bryant said when a reporter asked him if he’s happy that his Lakers team was leading their best of seven series 2-0, Kobe responded, “What’s there to be happy about?

The job’s not finished. Is the job finished?

No, I don’t think so?”

We as a faculty, staff, student body, and community must take Kobe’s attitude into the final stretch of the school year. Yes, we have successfully completed seven and a half months of this school year. We’ve excelled each in our own way: in the classroom, the robotics pit, the stage of Centennial Hall, the fields on EA Day, the squash courts, the crew boats, and most importantly, we have successfully fulfilled Mitav and Mr. Casertano’s day one goal of supporting one another so far.

But, “The job’s not finished. Is the job finished? No, I don’t think so.”

Ethan Lee ’24 Assistant News Editor Owen Yu ’23 Features Editor Adiyan Nayak ’24 Academics Editor Ethan Chan ’23 Neighborhood Editor Arsh Aggarwal ’24 Campus Opinions Editor Bowen Deng ’22 Off-Campus Opinions Editor Colin Stewart ’22 Off-Campus Opinions Editor Christopher Schwarting ’24 Arts Editor Jake LaRocca ’22 Sports Editor Pierce Laveran ‘24 Staff Photographer Mr. Thomas Stambaugh Faculty Advisor Ms. Emily Harnett Faculty Advisor

The Index is a student-run publication of the Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community. The Index also provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs.

The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change.

All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at index@haverford.org.

The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed using the applications of Google Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud. Its surveys are conducted via Google Forms and are advertised via email to current Haverford students. Graphic designs are created by Index staff via Canva. Southern Dutchess News prints 200-400 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the upper school on the day of release. The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1160 community members, consisting of 960 students and 200 faculty and staff members.

Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 thsindex.org index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index Instagram: @Haverford_Index Volume 89, No. 7 - April 22, 2021

2021-22 Editors-in-Chief (clockwise from the left) Ryan Rodack ’22, Mitav Nayak ’22, and Jeffrey Yang ’22

CONNOR PINSK ‘23

Letter from the student body president Mitav Nayak ‘22

D

ear Fords,

Over the past few weeks, my “second semester senior” excitement has faded a bit and has been replaced with a slight sense of sadness: sadness that our time at Haverford is coming to a close.

Yesterday, the charcoal gray pants we had to order to wear for graduation arrived at my house. Today, I got an email from Ms. Kenna about the “50 Days to Graduation Lunch.” The end of my time at Haverford is becoming a reality.

So to my fellow Sixth Formers, whom I am sure are feeling the same way, I would ask you to think about anything you feel you missed experiencing during your time here.

With our last days of classes, try to experience as much of that as you can. For example, a few weeks ago I went to my first ever peer counseling session at Haverford; this spring, I am spending my first season with Coach Rosko. Both of these experiences were what I felt were “staple Haverford experiences,” and with my final few weeks and months, I wanted to give them a try.

For the younger grades, it is a busy time of year. Still, I urge you to find time to try something new. After the Sixth Form steps out of the upper school in May, the Wilson Hall will feel emptier. It will be up to you to fill those shoes.

To all forms, finish the year strong. We

Mitav Nayak ’22 have had a wonderful year thus far, but one major slip-up could change that for any of us. Think through your actions, embrace every moment, and make this last month the

COURTESY OF MITAV NAYAK ’22

best.

Sincerely, Mitav Nayak

Page 3

the index · news

April 2022

news 452 South Roberts Road, “a generational opportunity”, cont. from front page But these small adjustments can only make minute differences. “There is a very real need for space on this campus,” finance and history teacher Mr. Brian Long said.

The Board of Trustees—the people who hold the real power over the school’s future—has been keenly aware of this problem for decades. Their solution to the problem, as stated in their strategic plan for 2020-2025, is “to develop a land acquisition strategy.”

“What [the land acquisition strategy] has looked like over the past few years is buying up properties that are contiguous to campus, so properties on Railroad Avenue, properties on Panmure Road,” Mr. Casertano said.

While buying these smaller properties close to campus, the Board kept an eye out for larger pieces of land that could fundamentally change the school’s programming. In January, a 43-acre property two miles away from campus—a seven-minute drive according to Google Maps—zoned for school use came on the market, and the Board took notice. The property was listed for $17.5 million, although this is not necessarily the price Haverford will pay for the property.

“After a few months of research and due diligence, [The Board] really felt like it was a generational opportunity for the school,” Mr. Casertano said.

Gemma Services, the seller of the property, 452 South Roberts Road, accepted the Board’s offer in early March. Haverford is currently involved in due diligence work, an investigation of the property itself, and the Board expects the offer to go through in late spring. The property currently consists of a large estate built in 1907, classrooms, a gym, and dormitories to fit the needs of Gemma, which provides education and support to atrisk children.

“We are delighted that the property will be used to continue our legacy of providing educational opportunities to youth,” Gemma wrote in an announcement on their website.

Haverford currently has no “predeter-

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A screenshot from the video announcing the property purchase mined use for the land,” but the Board and a cross country course. Because of the comadministrators have ideas about how they pact nature of Haverford, our current track will and will not use the property. is misshapen and not suitable for meets, and “One, we’re not going to move this Haverford has no cross country course. whole campus over there. This [450 Lancast“I think every track runner would love er Avenue] will still be the primary campus that, to have an official track that is up to of The Haverford School,” Mr. Casertano regulation that we can host meets on,” Fifth said. “Two, we’re not going to become a Form cross-country and track runner Colin boarding school. We’re not going to merge Kelly said. “It would make a very positive with another school or go coed; we are going impact on the track program as a whole. If to maintain our identity as a boys’ day school we could even have a cross country course, in suburban Pennsylvania that is at 450 Lan- then we would no longer have to scramble to caster Avenue.” make a new course every year for EA Day.” The South Roberts Road property would The fate of the grand 1907 mansion on help the 450 Lancaster property maintain its the property—the former home of Samuel impervious-to-pervious land ratio.

Robinson, the cofounder of Acme Mar“If we were to move certain things from kets—is unknown. Haverford is more conhere over there that are impervious, it would cerned with fulfilling its institutional needs then allow us to do certain things here that than preserving the old mansion. we currently can’t do because we’ve maxed “I would be getting ahead of myself to out the square footage,” Mr. Casertano said. speculate on whether or not we will or we The ways that the school realistically won’t, but based on the conversations I’ve could use the land are numerous. Some ways had, we’d really like to so long as we can find Mr. Casertano suggested the school could a use that is strategic,” Mr. Casertano said. use the South Roberts Road property are In coming years, the school will consult as a space for a new Dining Hall, a student with its community and decide how to use center, a track, a space for parking, and even the land. In the meantime, however, Haver-

ford still has to pay for the property. With an endowment of $114.7 million as of January 31st, 2022, a statistic Chief Financial Officer Mr. David Gold provided, a purchase in the ballpark of $17.5 million is not insignificant.

“We haven’t finalized the financing, but what I can say is that the finance committee spent a lot of time working through the best way to fund this so that it had minimal disruption to the endowment and to the operating budget. And then ultimately the way that we will fund it in the long term is through fundraising,” Mr. Casertano said.

With the combination of rising real estate prices in the suburbs and rising interest rates, if the school were to borrow money for the purchase, it could be expensive.

“The housing market has been pretty hot over the course of the past couple of years,” Mr. Long said. “Interest rates are rising. So that does make the cost of borrowing money a bit more expensive, but it still seems to be pretty reasonable in the marketplace.”

If the transaction continues as expected, the sheer size and capability of the property would provide a historic and sudden shift in the history of the school.

“One of the things that I love about this place is the togetherness, the sense of community, camaraderie, the amount that you all see of each other and bump into each other. And [the property purchase] introduces a degree of separateness that is different and new,” Mr. Casertano said.

Maintaining the camaraderie of the current campus with the expanded resources of the South Roberts Road campus may prove to be one of the biggest challenges of Mr. Casertano’s tenure.

“The last thing that we want to do is make any decision that will either be obsolete or unnecessary in five, ten years. We’re making decisions for 20, 30, 40, 50 years, which is really exciting, but also heavy. We’ve got to get it right,” Mr. Casertano said. “But again I think the only way for us to get it right is to do a lot of listening and have all of this process be rooted in engagement.”

Wordle fever runs wild in Wilson Hall Kevin Li ’25

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ordle has grown into a viral frenzy among students, teachers, and faculty. For those who still don’t understand the craze, you must be asking yourself: what exactly is the hype?

Wordle is a game that involves users guessing a five-letter word within six guesses.

Josh Wardle created it in October 2021, and gained popularity quickly throughout the country and throughout the school. Many students and faculty members participate in this game every single day. You cannot go through the entire school day without hearing the common phrase, “Did you complete the Wordle today?”

Third Form physics teacher Ms. Carol O’Brien, an avid user of Wordle, said, “Wordle doesn’t take that long to play—and it requires pattern recognition—so I think it’s a good brain exercise. You can’t be distracted for long.”

Wordle is a short game, like Ms. O’Brien said, so even if students were distracted it would not be for a long period of time. Furthermore, the game helps students build thinking skills.

Wordle is more than a game, but also a puzzle to exercise the brain and utilize it

in ways not used on a daily basis. It helps develop the way students think and their problem-solving skills, which is ultimately the purpose of school.

“It has been my observation that guys work on it between activities,” Ms. O’Brien said. “I’d rather them play Wordle than Tetris.”

Although students may play it during class, it seems to be at a reasonable time within the period when it does not distract their or their peers’ learning. Wordle also seems to be a better alternative than other games which may take longer and be less beneficial.

Third Form Wordle player Eli Leader said, “I am not distracted by Wordle in class, but I like to play it during my free time.”

The game is obviously popular throughout the school, but it does not seem students are necessarily distracted, especially not in the classroom.

Wordle is a game that students and teachers alike enjoy and can continue to enjoy. But like all cultural trends in life, will everyone get bored of it soon?

Brody Murphy ’24 does his best to beat the Wordle

PIERCE LAVERAN ’24

the index · features

Page 4

April 2022

features An inspiring reflection: Teacher Louie’s message on the body and masculinity Owen Yu ’23

INDEX STAFF

Louie Brown ‘15 performing New Zealand Poi during their reflection

H

aving watched reflections throughout their time in the upper school and having once given one as a Sixth Former, English teacher Louie Brown ’15 is no stranger to Haverford’s tradition of student and faculty-led talks. Many of Teacher Louie’s core school memories came from experiencing these reflections, and they only grew stronger during time away from the school. Thus, on the first day back from spring break, Teacher Louie looked to participate in this iconic tradition once more, now as a faculty member.

“I wanted to do a reflection again as a faculty member because I felt like it was one of the really special things that Haverford provided me when I was a student.”

TEACHER LOUIE ’15 “I wanted to do a reflection again as a faculty member because I felt like it was one of the really special things that Haverford provided me when I was a student,” Teacher Louie said. “Some of my most intense and standout memories are from when other kids and some of my friends or even people I didn’t know did reflections. I really wanted to do [a reflection] to pursue the opportunity and inspire some current students to do it.”

Teacher Louie began simply by doing some mental workshopping. Throughout the planning process, Teacher Louie refined multiple ideas of the Reflection’s primary subject.

“Initially, I wanted to do something much deeper and sort of emotional, and really focus in on the experience I had being a college student and then my dad getting cancer, but it felt a little heavy,” Teacher

Louie said. “Not that I think being heavy is bad—I think being heavy and deep is really good and important, but, just personally, I didn’t want to be spending a lot of time in that headspace with those memories.”

After finalizing the topic and completing the presentation, the reflection was ready to be shared with the community.

Ultimately, Teacher Louie hoped to give a personal perspective that focused on one’s connection with one’s body.

“The biggest message that I wanted to send was that there are really fascinating ways we can build our relationships with our bodies,” Teacher Louie said. “A lot of it was informed by my experience being a student-athlete and my experience being in a school full of student-athletes—people who pushed their bodies hard, but only in one specific way.”

In general, most people lack full knowledge of their body’s condition.

Teacher Louie believes that the core message of the Reflection—understanding and taking care of the body—is particularly beneficial to Haverford students.

“I think for a lot of Haverford kids, especially kids who are focused on their athletics, there’s a lot you can get out of the experience of being an athlete that we don’t focus on currently,” Teacher Louie said.

These valuable, unseen aspects of being an athlete include understanding the self and knowing how you interact with the surrounding world. Overall, Teacher Louie emphasizes that there is more to athletics than just competing.

“One of the biggest ideas I wanted to get across was: if you’re going to care about being an athlete and you’re going to spend all this time practicing and working out, then you should be thinking about how this work you’re doing for your sport also affects your life outside your sport.”

Unfortunately, rarely are these principles ever taught in high school. As young men, we must recognize necessary information that we haven’t been exposed to yet.

“I think there are big gaps in our education. Not only in our formal school education but also our at-home cultural education that people are missing out on.

For boys, especially, the overemphasis on strength is fine, but I find it a little harmful,” Teacher Louie said.

In particular, Teacher Louie identifies personal experiences while a part of a college men’s rugby team, in which the men focused too much on “making the big hits” and “lifting as much as possible” without taking proper rest, resulting in physical issues. When compared to the women’s rugby team, a 2x winning national championship team that engaged in after-practice stretching and took care of their bodies holistically, it was clear that resting made a difference.

“I think especially in boys’ environments, where people think that taking time off or focusing on the in-between phases [of sports] is weak or not manly or not masculine, those kinds of ideas circulate, and I want to counter those kinds of ideas,” Teacher Louie said.

In a broader sense, doing things that seem “unmanly” or “feminine,” especially at an all-boys school, often is looked down upon. To counter this, one of the key things Teacher Louie pushed through the reflection was the acceptance of things that broke traditional masculine stereotypes.

“Embracing your ‘femininity’ and do-

“Embracing your ‘femininity’ and doing things that aren’t ‘masculine’ is incredible.”

TEACHER LOUIE ’15 ing things that aren’t ‘masculine’ is incredible,” Teacher Louie said. “That is where, for me, I learned how to find the things I cared about. And they can be big things like telling your friends you love them or being willing to hug or cry or show ‘weakness’ in front of people you care about. Or they can be really small things like enjoying cooking, or enjoying cleaning, or enjoying

sewing and house work—‘domestic work.’”

“This stuff is important, and Haverford has never, in my experience, taught boys that part of their life should be the work that we systematically have put on women’s shoulders.”

Perhaps most importantly, Teacher Louie argues that we don’t need to subscribe to societal norms of masculinity just because that is what we’re used to.

“What we don’t understand about masculinity is that the things we call masculine, the behaviors, the interests, the way of being and interacting with each other, are all invented.”

TEACHER LOUIE ’15 “What we don’t understand about masculinity is that the things we call masculine, the behaviors, the interests, the way of being and interacting with each other, are all invented,” Teacher Louie said. “They are all created by people, and are all social ideas that have been reinforced over years and years.”

There is work to be done within Haverford, but hearing about these issues is a good first step. In the end, the community was able to grasp the overall message and responded positively to the reflection.

“Seeing the great response from the students and faculty—I’ve had tons of people tell me ‘that was awesome’ or that they’ve ‘been thinking about their movement in a different way—that makes me feel really good, not only about my presence here but also about the work I did,” Teacher Louie said. “I got a lot of affirmation from the school, from my community, which made me feel quite loved.”

the index · academics

Page 5

April 2022

academics

Chairs weigh percieved STEM-humanities divide Ian Rosenzweig ’25

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he Haverford School’s academic education provides students with myriad opportunities. By the time a student has graduated, he will have engaged in studies of literature, American and world history, physics, chemistry, biology, advanced math, foreign languages, and more. Despite this well-rounded compilation of subjects, questions arise whether students are exposed to each of these topics with equal emphasis.

Educational communities across the United States began to stress the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) early in the 21st century. In 2012, President Barack Obama expanded a government program to reward states for improvements in STEM education. But, as STEM has gained prominence, two separate yet equally important concerns have emerged: some teachers worry that the humanities, the discipline that studies human society and culture, has been deemphasized. Furthermore, mathematics and science teachers are concerned that a separation of STEM and the humanities suggests these are opposing disciplines, a perception that undermines the interdisciplinary approach.

Herein lies the debate: does this divide exist in a way that impacts Haverford’s academic philosophy? Or is it simply a fallacy created by a misconception among students?

Although STEM teachers emphasize the similarities between the two categories, some humanities teachers worry that their subjects have been deprioritized.

History Department Chair Ms. Hannah Turlish has observed a recent decline in historical studies, which she suggests has had a negative impact on the current state of the world. She believes that “the increasing trivialization of history and not looking at it as as valuable of a concentration as math or science” is a worrying trend. Ms. Turlish thinks that the world is in dire need of recognizing the importance of facts, a skill that “history teaches people to interpret and utilize.”

“I regularly say with my history colleagues that I expected—or hoped—nationwide or even worldwide, that once we got to a point a few years ago where people were making up things and calling them true, that there would be a sudden swing back to honoring history as something to emphasize and perhaps elevate,” Ms. Turlish said. “I would like the world to care more about facts and defending facts.”

One fundamental element of studying history and the humanities, which may con-

IAN ROSENZWEIG ’25

History Department Chair Ms. Hannah Turlish tribute to its declining popularity, is the need to embrace discomfort. The humanities, as a study of human nature through culture, inherently challenges an individual’s perception of the world. Ms. Turlish explained that when she was a teenager, no one forced her to lean into her discomfort, noting that her AP U.S. History course “was about memorizing battles,” not understanding the origins and consequences of crises. While Ms. Turlish said that she “want[s] kids to get uncomfortable,” she recognizes that “it’s hard” and can discourage people from continuing studies in her field.

Still, Ms. Turlish hopes that students will recognize what is valuable to study and pursue. She does not discourage lives in STEM, but rather encourages learning and “get[ting] to a more compassionate place in terms of what to do with one’s life and what’s valuable.” Ms. Turlish followed this

Math Department Chair Mr. Justin Gaudreau

IAN ROSENZWEIG ’25

statement with an important distinction: “It’s not [Haverford] systematically making [a split] between STEM and the humanities,” she said, expressing that societal standards frequently influence students’ choices about their futures and that there is little that Haverford can do about that.

Despite the school’s aim to promote disciplines equally, the student body may be more inclined to reject the humanities as a viable career option, particularly because of societal pressure for financial success. Although not exclusively a result of STEM, the belief that studies in the humanities do not lead to financially successful careers may be bleeding the humanities dry.

Ms. Turlish worries that there’s only so much the school can do to influence what kids see as important or not.

“We can’t control [...] societal forces, like the widespread pressure to major in finance and go work on Wall Street,” Ms. Turlish said.

She identifies shifts into the financial sector as one reason for declining interest in history on a national level.

English Department Chair Mr. Thomas Stambaugh said, “We do have a lot of students whose primary aim is to be what they would define as some sort of financial success. And so the marketability of someone’s skills is something that has to come into play.”

Students may distance themselves from the humanities not due to a rejection of the field or a lack of interest, but rather a need to build a viable portfolio of skills to enter the financial world.

But Mr. Stambaugh believes that the world is desperate for “people caring about the social problems in our country and working to fix them.”

“I don’t know if the world is calling out for more money managers right now,” Mr. Stambaugh said. “The Haverford School

may be supplying the world with something that it might not need.”

Although STEM teachers do not notice a significant shift in students’ academic priorities, the teachers do agree on one fundamental point: it is not necessarily Haverford decreasing the importance of the humanities or prioritizing STEM—it is society as a whole.

Science Department Chair Dr. Daniel Goduti said, “Some of [the perception of humanities opposing STEM] may be more of a global feeling. There’s historically been silos between disciplines, but I don’t know if we as The Haverford School attempt to maintain those bright lines between disciplines.

It’s more of just an artifact of the things that one needs to learn to graduate from school.”

Dr. Goduti thinks that the idea of a conflict between STEM and the humanities is a false narrative.

“I agree that students might perceive some sort of divide, but if there is it’s not intentional, and it’s not actually real,” Dr. Goduti said.

Generally, students view their science and math electives as separate disciplines from their English and history classes, and STEM teachers view this as a mistake, albeit a common one. Math Department Chair Mr. Justin Gaudreau noted that “perception can become reality, but reality isn’t always what is perceived.”

Mr. Gaudreau brings a unique perspective to this topic. A former history teacher, but current math teacher, with bachelor’s degrees in both topics, Mr. Gaudreau describes himself as “a walking contradiction” of a major difference between STEM and the humanities.

“I would argue that the skills I used in a math classroom and the skills I used in a history classroom were very similar,” Mr. Gaudcon’t on p. 6

the index · academics

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April 2022

STEM-humanities divide cont.

Science Department Chair Dr. Daniel Goduti reau said. “[One] may go about it different pathways but skill-wise, we’re marching toward the same point.”

Dr. Goduti described this relationship between disciplines as “trying to make sense of humanity but [doing] it in slightly different ways.”

Mr. Stambaugh concurred: “Critical thinking would unite all of these disciplines.”

Creating a well-rounded student who

can apply his skills from each discipline to another is a primary goal of Haverford’s liberal arts education. The school’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan contains a section titled “Essential Qualities of a Haverford Graduate.”

The excerpt describes each of its listed goals as representing a “background of superior liberal arts education.” The school strives to express the importance of each subject because, as Mr. Gaudreau stated, “The only

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IAN ROSENZWEIG ’25

place in the world where these subjects [are] siloed is in academia…in school [...] Globally, we are driving the school toward this idea of global citizenship.” He emphasized that he hopes students will see “the connective tissue that is across all of the disciplines.”

Mr. Stambaugh said that he “see[s] a world that is crying out for liberal arts graduates.”

As a school providing a full liberal arts

education, Haverford requires credits that both comply with state law and reflect a commitment to all fields of study. As such, Mr. Gaudreau believes that Haverford provides equal opportunity in each subject. “[Set course requirements are] done purposefully,” he said.

“Haverford has historically been a liberal arts school,” Mr. Stambaugh said. “We want to expose students to the widest range of possible expertise in lots of different subjects.”

He recognizes that each discipline is vital to shaping active and knowledgeable citizens.

“We need scientists, we need mathematics, we need to understand our history, we need American citizens who are informed about this country’s past, how the country works [...] we need people to know how to use language to know how to express themselves effectively,” Mr. Stambaugh said. “Art is the most powerful way for us to connect with the humanity of others.”

With a goal of providing a comprehensive liberal arts education to each of its students, Haverford’s programs in both STEM and the humanities are built to teach students to think, meet challenges, and become responsible citizens.

Despite any sense of division between disciplines, each class works to develop and hone the skills to prepare boys for life. But as Mr. Gaudreau stated, perception can become reality. Thus, a perception, particularly one amongst students, that STEM and the humanities are separate, at odds with each other, and even not of equal importance, can become a reality experienced by students and faculty alike.

Therefore, even without societal forces or forces in the school creating division, it still exists.

Despite challenges encountered, Mr. Stambaugh believes that the school is “still producing graduates who have an appreciation for a wide range of human experience,” he said. “It would be a sign of success for a liberal arts school if we had students going into a wide variety of fields.”

Page 7

the index · neighborhood

April 2022

neighborhood

Jay Wright announces his retirement after a decorated 21-year career at Villanova Colin Kelly ’23

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o new Wildcats fans, Villanova University’s men’s basketball program’s prestige may seem longstanding due to recent extreme success. In the last eight NCAA March Madness tournaments, Villanova’s men’s basketball team was a one-seed three times and a two-seed three times. Two of those seasons, 2016’s and 2018’s, resulted in National Championship victories.

Despite how well the team has performed recently, Villanova men’s basketball has historically not been nearly as successful as it is now. A graph compiled by The Washington Post depicts their results in the March Madness tournament from 1985 to 2020. Seasons before 1985 were not notable at all, only making the final four in a vacated 1971 season and in 1939.

Villanova’s men’s basketball program has changed drastically for the better in recent years. Many fans and experts alike are curious about the driving forces behind the team’s success.

Look no further than Villanova’s longest tenured head coach for the team, Jay Wright.

Coach Wright joined in 2001 during a period when the Wildcats were down on their luck and didn’t make the tournament for five years in a row—a streak unseen by the Nova Nation since 1972. He recently announced his retirement on April 20, 2022, Wright clearly faced a difficult task: devising a way to bring the team to glory from a place of complete failure.

He succeeded, for two main reasons.

One, he focused heavily on recruitment.

Villanova’s men’s basketball team is particularly famous for its point guards. Wright went out and found some of the best guards in the nation to bring aboard the team.

In an interview with The Herd in March 2022, Wright said, “We look for competitive

guys,” and “we look at that complete player at the guard spot that will get involved in every aspect of the game.”

Wright has taken a personal interest in finding the best players, notably recruiting Collin Gillespie, one of the team’s best players in this year’s season.

Recruiting has a cascading effect. Not only can better players benefit the team in the short-term season, but a better team increases the university’s prestige and popularity.

Fifth Former Ben Bodle, an avid Wildcats fan, admires Coach Wright’s work. Bodle attributes the majority of the team’s current success to the fact that “he’s a next-level coaching greatness.”

“Recruits started to see that, and people started wanting to be coached by Jay Wright.

Villanova became more of a place to be,” Bodle said. “It’s gotten to the point where we can consistently recruit really good players.”

The other way Wright increased the team’s success and popularity is through his implementation of positive team culture. As a coach, Wright grew famous for his blue wristbands that say Attitude and the other tricks he uses to change the way his players think both about basketball and life in general.

“The culture that Jay Wright himself has created is something that’s really notable,” Bodle said.

Wright’s book, titled Attitude: Develop a Winning Mindset on and off the Court, details all the ways he has changed Villanova’s program and pieces of his outlook on life. A key quote from the book reads, “An organization’s core values are its pillars. In troubled times, they are a beacon. In successful times, they are a rudder. Core values reflect what matters most to your program or organization.”

KEITH LOVETT VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Jay Wright, former head coach of the Villanova men’s basketball team This season, Wright’s team broke the record for the highest free-throw percentage in a season with a shocking 83.0%, one that had been held for 38 years. This record in

particular is exceptionally difficult to break because it requires consistency and rigor.

If there’s one thing Wright will always be known for, it’s consistency and rigor.

Merion Cricket Club’s path to Montgomery Avenue Tripp Ronon ’24

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short walk from school via Haverford Station Road lies Merion Cricket Club. The club’s iconic red brick structure facing a six-acre great lawn has had a role in Main Line lore since the Gilded Age. Today, this voluntary association of more than 2,000 members shares for mutual benefit including athletics, dining, and social activities.

The club’s eponymous sport, cricket, has been in the area since 1834. Haverford College founded its cricket team that same year. Decades later, cricket enthusiasts created the first iteration of the Merion Cricket Club in 1865 on the grounds of a private home in Wynnewood. Having no clubhouse at the time, cricket bats and equipment were stored in a box at the entrance of the adjacent public school, courtesy of the Lower Merion School District. In 1873, the club moved to a location of five acres on Cricket Avenue in nearby Ardmore.

Around this time, the medieval game of tennis experienced a resurgence in England.

The first tennis tournament at Wimbledon was held in 1876. Three years later in 1879, tennis was introduced at Merion Cricket Club on Cricket Avenue, triggering the need for larger grounds. In 1892, the club purchased 12.5 acres for its present and permanent home on Montgomery Avenue in Haverford. Four years later, in 1896, golf

was introduced through a lease of land located nearby at Fishers Road.

Over time, cricket receded in popularity and racquet sports rose in prominence at Merion Cricket Club. In particular, tennis and squash are the dominant sports at this club that has produced many national champions in squash and leading tennis players over the past 100 years.

Time has also witnessed existential threats to the club’s continued operation. In 1896, Merion’s clubhouse on Montgomery Avenue burned to the ground. The next year, a newly built grand clubhouse, designed by famed architect Frank Furness, was gutted by fire. The Depression of the 1930s and World War II had severe financial impacts on the club, too. Around the time of World War II, one club became two as the golf portion split and became the Merion Golf Club.

Proximity has facilitated a beneficial connection for racquet sports between The Haverford School and this nearby club. Generations of Fords have developed their skills in squash and tennis at Merion. “They compliment each other,” says Merion squash pro Alecia Rodriguez. “If you play at Merion, you’ll likely compete and train with fellow Haverford students.”

“It makes a big difference. Merion is a great place to develop your squash or tennis game,” Fourth Former Lucas Harrington

said. The benefits of this connection continue, as Haverford tennis is seeking its twelfth-straight Inter-Ac championship this

season, and the squash team finished third in the nation.

A Merion Cricket Club squash court

COURTESY OF MERION CRICKET CLUB

the index · art spread

Page 8

April 2022

art spread Featuring Chase Shatzman ’24 Hand-built ceramics

AUSTIN ZHUANG ’22

Chase Shatzman ’24

My heart is in your hands

CHASE SHATZMAN ’24

Broken

The rose I had in mind

CHASE SHATZMAN ’24

CHASE SHATZMAN ’24

Page 9

the index · art spread

CHASE SHATZMAN ’24

el limón

1940s quilt

venom

April 2022

CHASE SHATZMAN ’24

CHASE SHATZMAN ’24

the index · campus opinions

Page 10

April 2022

campus opinions How Haverford can counter sleep deprivation Owen yu ’23

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n weekdays, my after-school routine consists of homework, extracurriculars, and individual interests that usually results in a 1:30 a.m. bedtime. With a 6:45 a.m. wake-up time and a 45-60 minute long drive to school, I often walk into Wilson Hall with heavy eyes, a dazed look, and a half-functioning brain.

Late nights have become normalized in my daily routine—and I’m not alone.

Haverford’s relationship with sleep is already well documented within the community. In the November issue of The Index, Fifth Former Ethan Chan asked, “Do students get enough sleep?” The article covers multiple perspectives, some of which point to heaps of schoolwork or time management issues as the main culprit for sleep loss. Consensus emerged amongst the students interviewed: Haverford students lack sleep and something must be done to fix that.

It is well understood that teenagers need an adequate amount of sleep to maintain their health. The CDC, citing The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, states that “teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.” When these hours aren’t met, the CDC acknowledges that health issues may arise: “Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk for many health and behavior problems.” Fortunately, at least in my experience, Haverford teachers are fairly observant when it comes to noticing if a student is acting differently. On days where I’m especially drowsy, I find myself bombarded

by comments from teachers telling me that I should “sleep earlier” or “get some rest.” Still, while these remarks are greatly appreciated, they do little to help me gain more hours of sleep—in the end, I will likely still be awake at midnight finishing up my homework and studies.

Ultimately, Haverford lacks ways to support students combating sleep loss. The CDC recommends maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and limiting technology use at night to help teenagers get more sleep. But with varying amounts of online homework per day, these recommendations are both unreasonable and unachievable. For Haverford to support sleep deprived students, new initiatives must be implemented.

Most students would argue that unmanageable amounts of schoolwork are the primary cause of students’ lack of sleep.

In fact, in Chan’s article on sleep deprivation, Fifth Former Roch Parayre suggested increasing the amount of information learned in class in exchange for less homework, saying, “I think that Haverford should try to foster an academic workspace in which we learn the adequate amount of information in class and can explore our own interests outside of school without the burden of more schoolwork.”

While I, like many students, would love to receive less homework, the possibility of that happening seems slim. Especially with the new quarter schedule, teachers need to follow a strict schedule to ensure all of the material for the year gets covered. Decreas-

Austin Zhuang ’22

T

he conversation first started on a Tuesday afternoon. School had just come to a close, and a select few were unwinding in Severinghaus when someone remarked on neckwear. The innocent observation started confusion, and that confusion grew to open hostility as each person defended how they chose to wear the piece of fabric hanging around their neck.

Those who visit the library regularly have seen the four factions on the whiteboard next to the staircase. The half-Windsor, Windsor, and double Windsor duked it out for the best tie knot, while the bowtie sought to take them all down. Democracy

ing the amount of outside schoolwork would only make teachers’ jobs harder, which, obviously, does not seem like something Haverford would implement.

So, how can Haverford help students get more sleep?

If reducing the amount of homework can’t happen, then I suggest addressing Haverford’s cutthroat academic culture.

Haverford provides students with an array of distinct opportunities that many students believe they have to take advantage of. This creates a competitive and stressful environment where many students feel like they both can and have to do everything. But with outside commitments and responsibilities, students are pushed to their limits while they attempt to experience all that’s available to them, inevitably leading to sleepless nights.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that Haverford limits what students can do. In-

stead, the administration should be aware of the school’s academic environment and work to help students navigate it. More talk about time management should be the first priority. If students are already attempting to achieve all of their ambitions, then the school needs to ensure we have the proper knowledge to do so while also leaving enough time for sleep. Furthermore, students need more conversation on the acceptability of not doing everything. As ambitious teenagers, we often overlook our sleep as we work towards our goals. But we can’t keep our foot on the gas forever, so we need to know that it is ok to rest.

In the end, we’re all trying our best to complete the school year strong while also experiencing as much as we can—but we can’t do it all. With our sleep dwindling and workload increasing, we need Haverford’s support, and we need it fast.

Fifth Former Connor Pinsk lounges in the big room

JOEY KAUFFMAN ’23

Windsor, half-Windsor, four-in-hand: a clash between speed and style chose a tie with a half-Windsor knot as the best kind of neckwear for school, with countless students showing their support. But is it as great as the vote makes it seem?

Students practice different knots in Severinghaus library

MR. JOSH NEWMAN

Most would agree that when it comes to the dress code, function over form prevails.

And after further research, it turned out that the “half-Windsor” was mistaken for the four-in-hand knot, which is also known as the schoolboy knot due to its simplicity but lack of formality. Naturally, the four-in-hand knot had the most support in the community because it fulfills the dress code requirements most simply.

Subsequent research also showed that the Windsor knot is actually the halfWindsor, and the double Windsor is simply known as the full Windsor knot, though the name double Windsor is still correct. These (along with the bow tie, which had no support from students) were far less common than the four-in-hand because they require more time to tie, and the average Haverford student is willing to give up style for speed.

The answer seems clear; the simpler knot is the best knot for school.

But those who wear the more complicated knots, myself included, believe that our choices are more than justified. To start, tying the same knot day in and day out makes the few extra steps take little to no extra time. Once the knot’s complexity is not an issue, the benefits to wearing the half-Windsor or full Windsor knots outweigh the costs. Being more formal, they are acceptable in almost every context outside of school, whether it be a wedding or party.

The formality also conveys professionalism, making a first impression in job interviews just a bit better.

Most students do not have formal events or the job search at the forefront of their minds when they go to school every day. And anyone can learn a new tie knot without much effort. But practice makes perfect, and in a few years, tying a Windsor knot in high school might let you sleep just a little longer before work.

Page 11

the index · off-campus opinions

April 2022

off-campus opinions A reflection on 2022 college admissions Ethan Chan ’23

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fter years of hard work, the culmination of one’s academic and extracurricular efforts is hidden behind the click of a button. The ecstasy of college admissions reaches its pinnacle during these tense weeks. Emotions come as decision letters are opened and schools finalize their results in another historic year in admissions results.

Across the board, the number of applicants has increased exponentially relative to last year due to myriad factors, one of which is test-optional applications. According to FairTest, 75% of colleges and universities, more than 1600, went test-optional for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. For many students, the test-optional choice essentially eliminated the pressure of fulfilling the respective “requirements” for the colleges they wanted to apply to.

Consequently, it forced admissions officers to weigh factors such as GPA, extracurriculars, essays, etc. much more heavily.

For more selective institutions, many believe the test-optional was the primary reason for the record number of applicants. Harvard College received 42,749 applications this admissions cycle, according to IvyWise, and accepted 1,962 new students. The total number of applications increased 14.59% from 2019 when the test-optional policy was not in place. Harvard has extended this policy until 2030.

While the test-optional policies were initially made to accommodate the COVID-19 testing complications, it has caused the already low acceptance rate to decrease

substantially. For the next generation of Sixth Formers, the application process will only get harder.

Events in 2020 regarding social injustice and equality have been of great emphasis for many colleges. A push toward greater racial and gender equity is reflected in this year’s admissions cycle. Of the full pool of admitted students to Harvard’s Class of 2022, women outnumber men by 50.1% to 49.9%. This marks the first time in almost ten years at Harvard in which women outnumber men in the incoming class.

Similarly, first-generation students went up by 2.2%, 15.5% were African-American, 12.2% were Latino, and 22.7% of applicants were Asian-American. All of these percentages have gone up since the admissions cycle of 2021 for Harvard, and the trend looks to continue in the next couple of years. Harvard is also defending itself against allegations of racial discrimination against Asian-American applicants in Students For Fair Admissions v.

Harvard University. The duality of Harvard’s efforts is shown in this admissions cycle but many applicants still and other individuals strive to see a change in this issue for not just Harvard but other universities as well.

According to University Business, Tufts University reports that it has granted acceptances to a staggering 9% of its nearly 35,000 applicants, another all-time low in overall acceptance rates for the Class of 2022. Tufts also said acceptances went out to its most diverse group of students ever.

“We are thrilled that more students from more diverse backgrounds see them-

JOEY KAUFFMAN ’23

Undergraduate Admissions at Columbia University selves thriving at Tufts,” Dean of Admissions 2% more international students in this year’s J.T. Duck said in a statement. “Given last admissions cycle. year’s strong positive response to our offers All in all, the college admissions process of admission, we have made slightly fewer has seen unprecedented change over the past offers this year and hope to be able to admit two years. Statistics indicate a different apsome outstanding students from our waitlist proach that will likely continue through this in May.” decade. With all these percentages and numTufts officials say applications have not bers, it is important to consider the achieveonly shot up by 50% since 2020 but also the ment of every applicant in this process. A number of African-American students apply- percentage doesn’t define the predicted sucing has jumped by nearly 90% since 2019, a cess or worth of an individual and everyone demographic similar to that of Harvard and should be proud of the next step in their other colleges. journey. In an already hyper-competitive On a similar note, Columbia University environment, only exacerbated by some of officially stated on their website on March these factors, the quality of education doesn’t 31 of this year that there were 4% more correspond with a lower acceptance rate; the students of color, 3% more first-generation initiative a student takes is ultimately what students, 2% more Pell Grant eligible, and matters.

Judge Jackson’s nomination process continues to demonstrate partisan divides Casey Williams ‘24

“O

n this vote, the yays are 53.

The nays are 47 and this nomination is confirmed,” Vice President Kamala Harris said last Thursday, confirming the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated

by President Joe Biden on February 22, 2022, after Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer had announced his retirement. Jackson had plenty of experience and all the necessary qualifications for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice position: she served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with bipartisan support, as Vice-Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, as a Supreme Court clerk for Justice Breyer, and even as a public defender, the first formal federal public defender to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court.

With all the necessary qualifications, most would assume that Justice Jackson would have a relatively smooth court hearing, but that is nowhere near the case. Su-

preme Court Justice nominees are usually met with resistance from their opposing party, and throughout history, ugly nominations have not been uncommon. Louis D. Brandeis was appointed to Supreme Court Justice by President Woodrow Wilson, widely recognized as the most contested nomination in the history of the United States.

Brandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court nominee, sparking blatant anti-Semitism.

The nomination process took a total of four months, and Brandeis was constantly attacked by news outlets such as The Boston Globe that described him as “a radical, a theorist, impractical, with strong socialistic tendencies.”

Another memorable nomination process in recent memory was the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, nominated by Former President Donald J. Trump. Kavanaugh served on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as a clerk of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and was widely

recognized as highly qualified. During Kavanaugh’s nomination process, he was accused of sexual assault by Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, further intensifying the process and generating more conflict between both parties. Then-Senator Harris accused Kavanaugh of lying under oath and lying to the American people, and Senator Elizabeth Warren stated that Kavanaugh was nominated without a thorough investigation of the allegations. After a bitter hearing, Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed as Supreme Court Justice by a vote of 50-48, but the point stands that nomination processes have frequently been controversial and difficult.

During Judge Jackson’s nomination process, the most popular Republican lines of attack were on Jackson’s work as a judge, her sentencing of child pornography cases, and views on critical race theory and LGBTQ issues.

Still, one of the more memorable moments was when Jackson broke down into tears after being praised by Senator Cory

Booker. Booker praised Jackson for dealing with her nomination process, displaying an extraordinary demeanor.

This was one of the most conflicted nomination processes ih the recent history of nominations.

This was one of the most conflicted nomination processes in the recent history of nominations, and Kentanji Brown Jackson is now the first African-American woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.

Haverford students must understand that these current events and political opinions can create conflicts amongst one another, and we must look past it and instead towards building a better school community.

Page 12

the index · off-campus opinions

April 2022

Elon Musk should buy Twitter Colin Stewart ’22

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hen the pilgrims left Europe to escape the corrupt Church of England in the early 17th century in hopes of a better life in the New World, a few things were on their minds; most notably, the freedom to practice their religion as they saw fit. They wanted to practice and say what they believe; the latter, perhaps, has become the most important ideal in American history.

Enshrined in the First Amendment, the prohibition against the government’s “abridging the freedom of speech” is one of the most cherished by the American people.

Although the First Amendment is not an expansive protection across all of American society (it only constrains the government), the value it encapsulates is deeply embedded in American culture: the importance of one’s ability to speak his or her mind openly.

It’s a story as old as time: technological development outpacing all moral and legal constraints. With the hyper-development of the internet and subsequent creation of social media, the law has not been able to keep up.

In modern times, the American people stand at an important crossroads.

It’s a story as old as time: technological development outpacing all moral and legal constraints. With the hyper-development of the internet and subsequent creation of social media, the law has not been able to keep up; § 230 controls the restrictions social media platforms can make to user-generated content as well as defining liability for these

companies in regards to user-generated content. The law has done an inadequate job. (you can look to my article “Controversy surrounds Google Monolith” for a more indepth discussion on § 230).

Twitter, for example, although its substantive political discourse is virtually non-existent, does provide many with their daily dose of news.

The internet, specifically social media platforms, have become today’s town square.

No longer are the days of print newspapers or broadcast journalism where the likes of The New York Times and Walter Cronkite dominated with their, at the time, largely fair coverage.

Social media now dominates the information sphere.

Currently, freelance journalists and commentators control much of the mainstream political discussion. As of January 2021, Pew Research Center found that 86% of adult Americans received some or most of their news from social media, an even higher number for younger generations, our generation. And with politics growing increasingly polarizing, the ease of access to information on both sides of the political spectrum on social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook is becoming more important than ever before.

Twitter, for example, although its substantive political discourse is virtually non-existent, does provide many with their daily dose of news. Thus, Twitter has a moral obligation to provide equal access and platforms to users on both sides of the political spectrum by enforcing its rules in an evenhanded way, something Twitter has a shoddy track record with.

MARK WARNER VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Jack Dorsey testifies before the House Comittee on Energy and Commerce

DAN TAYLOR / HEISENBERG MEDIA VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Elon Musk at the Dublin Web Summit in 2013 ingly be called a threat of violence.

Here are some examples: Although there are many more examTwitter removed the both New York Post’s account and any post with a link to ples that could be given across many more New York Post’s article on Hunter Biden’s platforms, those two are, perhaps, the most laptop because it violated Twitter’s “Hacked demonstrative of the difference in treatment.

Frustrated, many conservatives moved Materials” policy (two points to mention here: first, the validity of what is said in the towards alternative platforms. Parler, alarticle does not matter in this argument, and though all its users were painted as QAnon two, Twitter would later admit that it did conspirators, was a largely normal social menot violate this policy). This was done dur- dia app with conservative users. It was quicking the height of election season and could ly taken off of the Apple App Store, Google App Store, and unfindable on Google or have had a real effect on the vote tally.

Bing.

The result is all of the mainstream soIf one can look past cial media platforms leaning left, silenchis smoking marijuaing—sometimes rightly, most of the time na on The Joe Rogan wrongly—conservative voices. Any attempt to start a more free-speech-friendly platform Experience podcast has been met with monopolistic practices— or his, quite frankly, something Google was getting prosecuted hilarious memes that for by the United States Attorney General he posts on his Twitand many state Attorneys General before the Biden Administration stopped the case. ter account, they will There is an easy solution to this probfind that Musk often lem: Elon Musk. As controversial a man as uses his monetary he is, Musk has consistently proven that success to support he values free speech and falls into the heterodox gray area of American politics, two causes he cares about. characteristics that lend themself to the acceptance of opposing ideas and unrestricted discussion.

If one can look past his smoking mariBut, when then-President Trump’s tax returns were leaked to the public after the juana on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast New York District Attorney acquired them or his, quite frankly, hilarious memes that during discovery in a lawsuit, Twitter refused he posts on his Twitter account, they will to remove it, even though it was definition- find that Musk often uses his monetary sucally protected by their “Private Information cess to support causes he cares about. That’s why it was no surprise when he announced Policy.”

Twitter removed Babylon Bee’s account his intentions to purchase Twitter outright for satirically naming Rachel Levine as their shortly after becoming the company’s majorMan of the Year because of hate speech, mis- ity shareholder.

Although Twitter has recently put in gendering, and inciting violence against her.

But when Comedian Kathy Griffin posted place institutional guards to discourage a picture of herself holding up a fake but Musk from purchasing Twitter, I still believe bloodied, severed head of former-President that should Musk purchase Twitter, he could Trump (look it up for yourself, it’s viscer- dramatically change the state of American ally disgusting), Twitter protected her, even political discourse for the better. though that post could much more convinc-

Page 13

the index · arts

April 2022

arts

2022 Grammys surprise fans Russell Yoh ’24

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or over 60 years, songwriters, producers, singers, composers, music engineers, and more of the biggest names in music have gathered together on what many consider to be the “biggest night in music,” the Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy gives out over 80 awards each year for singles, albums, collaborations, scores, production, music videos, music films, and more.

This year’s Grammys took place on April 3, 2022, after a two-month delay due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. Music has always been something that unites people, and especially in the years of the pandemic, music has been even more important. After last year’s ceremony took place with no audience at the Los Angeles Convention Center, everyone was excited to bring the Grammys back to the big stage. This year’s awards took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, hosted by comedian and actor Trevor Noah. It was an exciting night with tons of performances, red carpet outfits and interviews, and awards. Going into the ceremony, Jon Batiste had the most award nominations of any artist of the year (eleven nominations). Behind him were Justin Bieber, H.E.R., and Doja Cat with eight nominations, followed by Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, each with seven.

Of course, just like every year, there were some expected winners along with some snubs and surprises. The big four awards of the show are always “Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” and “Best New Artist.” This year, the number of nominees in the Big Four increased from eight to ten, so the competition was stronger than ever. The nominees for “Record of the Year,” an award given to the artist(s), producer(s), and engineer(s) of a song, did not come as a shock to most. Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” Doja Cat and SZA’s “Kiss Me More,” and Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s new duo Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open” seemed to be the frontrunners, and also the obvious choices to nominate in this category. The award ended up going to “Leave the Door Open,” a throwback-sounding 70s R&B track. While it was one of the bigger hits of the year, it was still surprising for many. What was even more shocking was that it also won the award for “Song of the Year,” an award given to the

Trevor Noah at the 2022 Grammys

The winner for “Best New Artist” seemed to be a pretty obvious choice from the start, with Olivia Rodrigo as one of the best artists of 2021. songwriters, against the similar frontrunners of Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat and SZA, Lil Nas X, along with H.E.R., Ed Sheeran, and more.

The winner for “Best New Artist” seemed to be a pretty obvious choice from the start, with Olivia Rodrigo one of the biggest artists of 2021. She did end up winning, beating out Baby Keem, FINNEAS, Glass Animals, The Kid LAROI, Saweetie, and more. While this wasn’t a huge shock, there was still a lot of good competition in the mix. Past winners of the award include The Beatles (1965), Mariah Carey (1991), Maroon 5 (2005), and the most recent winner Megan Thee Stallion (2021).

The final category of the Main Four is “Album of the Year,” which has always been the biggest award of the night. With ten nominees, it was anybody’s game. The albums

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

in the mix included Jon Batiste’s WE ARE, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s Love For Sale, Justin Bieber’s Justice, Doja Cat’s Planet Her, Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind, Lil Nas X’s MONTERO, Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR, Taylor Swift’s evermore, and Kanye West’s Donda. Most predictions from various news sources pinned Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, or even Doja Cat to end up taking the trophy home, but none of these artists won. Jon Batiste took the award home for his jazz and R&B-influenced eighth studio album WE ARE. This was an unexpected outcome, even for Jon himself, who appeared confused, as he slowly stood up once Lenny Kravitz announced his win. While this award may be considered an upset for many viewers, it was the first time a black artist won the award since 2008, when Herbie Hancock won for his album River: The Joni Letters.

The night went successfully overall, but there ended up being a few surprising snubs. Billie Eilish won none of her seven nominations, which came as a surprise for most considering she won all four of the Big Four categories just two years prior, and Record of the Year the year before. Lil Nas X also went home with no awards, even after his incredibly successful year with multiple number one hits and the release of his chart-

topping debut album. Justin Bieber was another snub, going home with zero Grammys after being one of the most nominated artists of the year. All three artists were nominated for three out of the main four categories, but snubs like these are bound to happen every year.

The night’s biggest winner was Jon Batiste, who won five of his eleven nominations, including Album of the Year, best American roots performance, and best American roots song for his track “CRY,” best score soundtrack for visual media for the movie Soul, and also best music video for his single “FREEDOM.” Silk Sonic was another big winner, winning four out of their four nominations, all for their hit single “Leave the Door Open” in an impressive Grammy feat called a “clean sweep.” Along with Record and Song of the Year, they also won Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.

Olivia Rodrigo was the next biggest winner, taking home Best New Artist, along with Best Pop Solo Performance for her hit “drivers license” and Best Pop Vocal Album for her breakout debut album SOUR. The Grammys this year were an exciting night as always, and next year’s is lining up to be just as good.

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new album: a masterpiece born from reconnection Ethan Lee ’24

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ll artists age, and with age, music evolves. The Californian band Red Hot Chili Peppers is no exception to this rule. With the return of John Frusciante as guitarist, their new album Unlimited Love nods at their past successes and combines the wisdom of the modern Red Hot Chili Peppers with the energy of the old Red Hot Chili Peppers.

At just over 70 minutes, Unlimited Love’s sound ranges from the funky bassdominated tone of older albums to the more melodic and blended sounds of more recent ones. Bassist Flea’s tone and moving riffs both juxtapose and blend with Fruistiante’s grungy but meticulous sound. With the tight backbeats of Chad Smith’s drumming,

the rhythm section of this album is powerful and innovative.

On first listen, some listeners might find the vast variety of genres disconcerting and strange, with the soft ballads of “Tangelo” contrasting the harsh punk rock of “The Heavy Wing.” But I believe that this is an era of experimentation for the Red Hot Chili Peppers as they explore old and new routes in their musical space.

The familiar rap-rock sound found in “Aquatic Mouth Dance” takes inspiration from older albums like Blood Sugar Sex Magik, while the smoother and melodic surf-rock of “White Braids & Pillow Chair” references the success of Californication. It is almost as if the Red Hot Chili Peppers wish

to make up for the 10+ years of Fruistiante’s absence in this album.

The commercial success of Unlimited Love is no mistake. The Red Hot Chili Peppers once again reproduced the controlled chaos that makes a successful rock album.

The commercial success of Unlimited Love is no mistake.

Its release symbolizes no ordinary creation: a rebirth of the connections between four band members.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

John Frusciante in a solo appearance, February 22, 2014

the index · arts

Page 14

April 2022

Turning Red brings visibility and comedic realness to adolesence Christopher Schwarting ‘24

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rowing up is tough, especially when puberty hits. It attacks the mind and the body with fury in ways you cannot quite fathom until it’s already upon you: the voice deepens, the pits sweat, the moods swing. I have never had any desire to revisit this stage of my life—or, if it is still upon me, I doubt I will have a desire to visit in the future. But in the case of Disney Pixar’s Turning Red, the film provides a pleasantly relatable and comedic take on this transitional stage of life, all while infused with the long under-appreciated cultural influence of the Sino Diaspora.

Mei is a thirteen-year-old girl with the traits that define the young: fascination with pop music, an accompaniment of technology in the form of a Tamagotchi watch, and a distinctly rebellious attitude towards her parents.

Where she differs, however, is in how her adolescence takes its roots: pandas. Whenever Mei changes in disposition, she transforms into a red panda which, as fascinating as it is for the viewer, terrorizes the young girl. To rid herself of this familial trait, which she learns is shared by her mother, Ming, and other relatives, must embark on an exploration of her heritage. When she learns to love her new trait and embrace her individuality, she must debate whether or not to rid herself of the panda as those have before her, thus resulting in conflict with her family.

In rendering the emerging teenage experience, Disney blends appropriate humor with provoking self-reflection. While not all experience their teenage years through the same lens, one begins to feel as if they know a Mei, maybe within themselves, where they must seriously consider the future version

of themselves. Or perhaps the viewer feels like they know one of Mei’s friends, who together create an outcast quartet that takes on the world with compassion and youthful optimism.

This striking realism within these ani-

By digging into certain tropes, the film wanes dangerously close to reinforcing stereotypes about Asian communities. mated personas lies in the genius of casting.

Rosalie Chiang (Mei) brings vibrance to the young girl that instantly gives off the impressionability of her age, while Sandra Oh’s (Ming) brilliance in character interpretation blurs the lines between sentimentality and rote dialogue.

What also weighs heavily on the film’s appeal to the teen audience is the soundtrack.

Ludwig Göransson—who has worked with the likes of Childish Gambino, HAIM, and Adele—brought a technically diverse array of compositions to the movie’s demanding variations in mood and style. With contributions from Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell, who wrote three pieces for the film’s K-Pop and boy-band-sounding group, 4*Town, the appeal of the music is simple: it’s catchy.

Via these influences, director Domee Shi, the architect of the Oscar-winning short film, “Bao,” takes the cliche of teenage self-

discovery and transforms it into something more valuable. Turning Red’s plotline is rooted in Asian heritage and representation.

To see North American-Asian representation in mainstream film is still a rarity, especially when it comes to youth-oriented media.

And while the protagonist Mei traces her roots to the Sino Diaspora, Shi is sure to draw influences from across the Asian community. The subtlety of Japanese anime referencing in the animation, the homage to Korean pop culture in the music, and the constant relationship drawn between Chinese spiritualism and contemporary culture give visibility to those often unrepresented in this sort of storyline.

At the same time, this is also where Turning Red shows its weaknesses as a film.

By digging into certain tropes, the film wanes dangerously close to reinforcing stereotypes about Asian communities. The plotline uses the traditional “tiger mom” dy-

namic as a form of childhood subjection but can do little to provide context for viewers as they watch a young Mei reject her mother’s pressure.

But perhaps there is a benefit in this movie’s design. By bringing forth myriad subjects, it delves into creating a larger picture of Asian-Canadian and Asian-American representation on movie screens. And while it does not get the chance to dive into some history surmounted by the plot, it does create the space for discussion and heightens its relatability to Asian youth.

It’s not often I spend time revisiting Pixar. But with Turning Red, I was pleasantly surprised. To encapsulate the essence of childhood’s yield to teenage years is so difficult, and to make it amusing for an audience of all ages is truly an accomplishment.

To also see so many parts of myself on display—whether it be through identity or experience—was a real treat.

Turning Red poster

DISNEY AND PIXAR STUDIOS

Moon Night raises the bar of Marvel’s acting connor pinsk ‘23

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arvel has come out with its sixth and most entertaining show. Moon Knight explores a new type of comedy for Marvel, while introducing characters with multiple layers and increased depth.

Moon Knight follows Steven Grant, played by Oscar Isacc, as he struggles with his own identity, as someone else lives inside of his head. The show dives into Egyptian mythology and lore, expertly introducing background information without directly telling the audience what is happening.

Egyptian gods play a major role. The antagonist is one of the gods’ devoted followers who has essentially gone crazy. With forty-minute episodes, the show tells everything at a slow pace instead of shoving the necessary information down our throats.

Moon Knight’s style of fighting is unique and so are his enemies’.

Oscar Isaac faces a difficult task: to play a collection of characters without changing his appearance. We quickly learn that Isaac’s character has multiple personalities, and watching Isaac seamlessly change from person to person is amazing—his acting is truly beyond what anyone would expect from a Marvel production. The company’s content clearly extends beyond fight scenes.

That being said, the fight scenes in the show are phenomenal. Moon Knight’s style of fighting is unique and so are his enemies’.

The show also draws attention to char-

acter detail, such as in the way that Moon Knight’s white costume both blends in with and contrasts the night sky.

The acting is magnificent, but much praise must go to the writers. In the first episode of the series, Marvel takes a new, comedic approach to their writing. While the production value is elevated, the actual humor is similar to that of comedies like The Office. Awkwardness makes things funny. It is refreshing to see this new approach from Marvel and a relief to watch them step away from their predictable witty commentary.

With six episodes set to come out, the show should only improve. Still, it begs the question: what direction is Marvel going?

Recently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced many new characters, including Moon Knight, the Eternals, and Shang-Chi, among others. With all of these new characters, the novelty of the Marvel Universe is starting to disappear. The thing that kept people coming back to every Marvel movie was that they were all connected. Things that happened in Thor affected things that happened in the Avengers movies. This was true of every character, and it gave a sense that everything mattered. This boom of new heroes is certainly incredible to watch, but if they don’t stop making new heroes and start connecting the existing ones, Marvel may be going downhill.

Moon Knight is certainly worth a watch.

You don’t need any prior knowledge of the Marvel Universe to enjoy it, and the acting is the best of the Marvel franchise. There is something for everyone in Moon Knight— but let’s hope that we will get to see him working with more of our favorite heroes.

Detail from Moon Knight poster

MARVEL STUDIOS

the index · sports

Page 15

April 2022

sports Adamya Aggarwal ’22 unites tennis Jeffrey Yang ’22

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leven-time Inter-Ac champions seeking their twelfth, the tennis team swings closer to their season goal with each match. They currently stand with a 4-0 record, having most recently defeated the Germantown Academy 4-3.

Among the veteran members of the team, co-captain Sixth Former Adamya Aggarwal is keen to lead Fords tennis to victory.

“Our team’s really young, and we have a pretty deep lineupmeaning that we’ve got really great players even in, say, lower double positions.

ADAMYA AGGARWAL ‘22

The team’s strong lineup has affirmed Aggarwal and his teammates’ vision for the season. In fact, Aggarwal believes that this year’s squad is the strongest that the tennis team has presented in a while.

“Our team’s really young, and we have a pretty deep lineup—meaning that we’ve got really great players even in, say, lower double

positions. That really helps us in matches because doubles [matches] are what win us matches, and, when we have good players, we win,” he said.

Specifically in his own games, Aggarwal also endeavors to maintain a perfect record.

“My personal goal is to go undefeated— personally, in my doubles games, and as a team in general. I’m hoping to go undefeated and improve,” he said.

But perhaps less significant than winning games is conditioning the team’s culture.

Aggarwal said, “The most important thing about leading a team is less about playing actual tennis, but more about hyping up those who are playing when you’re on the side. When your match is done, you’re watching other matches, and being as loud a s you possibly can being a teammate.”

The effect of this cheering brings the entire team into a match only involving up to two teammates. Hence, Aggarwal sees to it that his teammates are on their feet at the side of the fences.

“And that’s where our camaraderie, our teamwork, comes in because a lot of the time it’s not just those two guys playing on the court, it’s everyone who’s supporting them behind them. What I try to do as captain is make sure everyone is cheering,” Aggarwal

said.

The team has circled upcoming matches against Malvern, LaSalle, and a doubles tournament at the Episcopal Academy on Saturday. This last tournament will be a new experience for the current team—as it was canceled for multiple years due to the pan-

demic.

Aggarwal said, “Schools from across the state compete in [the tournament], not just schools from the Inter-Ac. I’ve actually never personally been to it. The general energy is that we’re excited, but it’s like uncharted territory.”

COMMUNICATIONS

Adamya Aggarwal ’22 returns a serve at a recent tennis match

the index · sports

Page 16

April 2022

Costin, Gillin point to lacrosse’s “earn everything” mentality Mitav Nayak ’22

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ords lacrosse heads into the latter stretch of the season, they are starting to figure out the strengths of their team, which they hope will propel them towards a successful Inter-Ac run.

After some tough games with Lawrenceville and Malvern, and some strong performances over Bullis and Penn Charter, the Fords are starting to come together.

Sixth Former Will Costin described how the team is approaching the season. “[We’re] just going out and competing every day with the team in hopes of winning an inter ac championship,” Costin said. “It’s not often you have a team where every player is super close with one another, so it makes for a really special environment.”

Sixth Former Pat Gillin reflected on this

final part of his final season for Haverford lacrosse.

“I’m looking forward to maximizing the little time we have left together as a group and competing every day,” Gillin said. “We all have the same end goal in mind, but it’s the process that is really special to us. Every practice and game is another opportunity to grow as a team so we can put our best product of lacrosse on the field come May.” With several unique traditions, the lacrosse team has built a special culture over the years.

“Many would cite the success and hard working culture of the program as what makes it special,” Costin said, “but I think if you asked any player past and present, they would say that the bonds they have made

COMMUNICATIONS

Pat Gillin ’22 bounces off an opposing player in a 10-5 loss against McDonogh School on March 25, 2022

Baseball,

COMMUNICATIONS

Will Costin ’22 in a 10-5 loss to McDonogh School on March 25, 2022 with their teammates and their continued friendships with past teammates is what makes Haverford lacrosse special.”

Gillin described the work ethic the players show every day, practicing in the mornings, training out of season, and watching film.

“The players who have come through the program before use still put time and energy into it years after graduating,” Gillin said. “The coaching staff has given us a platform to grow as players and people. Following our core values of passion, respect, and daily improvement has been the backbone of the way we approach each and every day.

Everyone puts their teammates’ needs above their own.”

This year’s team has tons of talent. With several Division-I commits on offense, defense, and midfield, they are one of the best teams in the Inter-Ac and the country Costin said, “This year’s team is super tough just like many others. But seeing the guys in really grind in the weight room and on the field this off-season really added to the toughness of the team and earn everything mentality we have.”

In addition to the toughness, the team is also collaborative.

“We have a great group of seniors who bring a lot of talent and experience to the field,” Gillin said. “We also have some young guys who have stepped up big this year and

are continuing to grow each and every day.

I think the strongest aspect of the team is the competitive mentality that we bring to practice. Most importantly we all really care about each other and compete to earn every day as a team.”

The captains and leaders have stepped up to help the younger players through the season.

“This year we have had a variety of all class years playing,” Costin said, “so a huge emphasis we have had as seniors is to make sure to let the younger guys know that they can play with anyone and make sure they are confident. As the season has progressed there have been younger guys that have definitely stepped up and it has helped us a lot.”

Gillin pointed to the player’s ability to hold each other accountable and keep building on the Haverford lacrosse legacy.

“Every leader brings something different to the table. Whether it’s a senior or a freshman, you are held to the same standard as a player and a person. We all just want each other to get better every day, but in order to do that, we need to hold each other accountable for mistakes and show praise for the good plays. The young guys have been great. They bring a lot of energy and talent to this team. As older guys, we look to help them carry on the traditions of this program.”

cont. from the front page

Ryan Rodack ’22

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“We always have good practices and good energy. I try to be at every practice I can to help out with drills and just to be there to support the team,” Jacobs said. “I try to make sure we have good music, good energy, and that we all have a good time. We want to win games, and the best way to do that is to be loose and have fun as opposed to being strict and uptight.”

“We’ve emphasized putting the ball in play and keeping it low to increase the chance for error by the opposing team.”

WILL FERRIS ’22 “We’ve emphasized putting the ball in play and keeping it low to increase the chance for error by the opposing team,” Ferris said. “We just want to be scrappy and get wins.”

“We need to do all the little things right to win games,” Davey said. “We’ve focused on bunt defense, our two-strike approach, and little things like that.”

In addition to off-the-field distractions, the Fords have also faced multiple injuries to Sixth Formers, including Ryan Reed and Aidan Welsh.

“Ryan and Aidan got hurt, and we’ve been missing them on the field, but they’ve been doing a good job commanding the huddle and leading during the game,” Ferris said.

“Obviously, we have a strong senior class. We’re just trying to get everyone involved and be inclusive and just go out there and lead by example,” Davey said.

The Fords have a grueling Inter-Ac schedule, highlighted by a game that was paused due to a weather delay but will be resumed in the coming weeks.

“We were tied 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth when our game against Penn Charter got postponed, so we’re really looking forward to finishing that game off strong when it resumes,” Davey said.

MR. JIM ROESE

Jake LaRocca ’22 awaits the pitch in a ball in a 10-0 win over Hill on March 11, 2022