The Index Eutαxia Swzein Dokei
Volume LXXV, No. 6
february 2014
Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com
Haverford’s New Facelift: Campus-Changing Construction In Store What will Haverford’s campus look like in a few years? Fifth Former Brendan Burns investigates the plans for the construction of a new middle school and other projects slated for the next couple years. Brendan Burns ‘15
In recent years, Inter-Ac schools have overseen what Philadelphia Magazine called a “billion-dollar building binge.” Besides the new gym, Lower School, and Upper School built at Haverford during the tenure of former headmaster Dr. Joseph T. Cox, new buildings were erected at Penn Charter, Baldwin, the Germantown Friends School, and Episcopal Academy. Episcopal was involved in an especially ambitious project, moving its campus from its longtime Merion location to a new 123-acre site in Newtown Square. The relocation to the new $212 million campus allowed Episcopal to build a dedicated science building and install fourteen tennis courts, ten squash courts, and nine dedicated athletic fields. This array of facilities is unattainable at Haverford’s centrally-located, but compact 33acre campus. How has Haverford managed this space, and how will it continue to improve it in the future? The Index spoke to several faculty to get a sneak peek into the school’s long-term development plans. As opposed to the decision made by the executive leadership at Episcopal Academy,
The Haverford School is not relocating from its 130 year-old campus any time soon. Assistant Headmaster Mark Thorburn elaborated that a “commitment was made to stay on the current campus” around fifteen years ago, after Dr. Cox became Headmaster. This decision, based on extensive investment in existing infrastructure, put two constraints on any future development. The first was an obvious factor – the size of the campus itself. Although Haverford did (and still does) own several schoolhouses on Panmure road that could theoretically be converted into usable space, Haverford’s campus was confined by retail space, Haverford College, and private residences. The second constraint, which first-year Headmaster Dr. John Nagl calls the “bane of his existence,” is a township limit on impervious surfaces. Haverford is permitted by the township to cover a certain percentage of its 33 acres with impenetrable materials (i.e. any surface that does not allow the percolation of water). The township imposes this limit out of environmental concerns – covering vast swaths of land with impermeable surfaces prevents groundwater recharge and creates a “heat island” effect, in which dense, manmade materials
Fords Focus: College Athletic Recruitment
In this edition of his monthly column, Editor-in-Chief Manav Khandelwal writes about the college process for Haverford’s top athletes. Manav Khandelwal
Many Sixth, Fifth, and even Fourth Formers might be pondering the college process right now; yes, it is important to live in the moment as a high school student, but students are invariably thinking about and planning for the four years after Haverford. For many of us, college thoughts revolve around grades, extra-curricular activities, and test scores solely. For the select few Haverford student-athletes, however, the process extends past the classroom and onto the athletic fields. Some of Haverford’s top-performing athletes earn the opportunity to solicit interest, or even receive scholarship offers, from this nation’s top institutions of higher learning. For example, 22 members of the Class of 2013 are now playing a sport in college, of which 20 are at the Division I level. College recruiting and athletic scholarships offer a unique opportunities for some studentathletes who might otherwise not be able to take advantage of them. Not only does it allow student-athletes to attend even more prestigious universities, but the scholarships make college very affordable. Haverford provides an excellent forum for its student-athletes to gain exposure from Division I scouts. “A benefit of a place like Haverford,” says Head basketball Coach Henry Fairfax, “where you have highvisibility players and credibility as a school and a program, you have the ability for more kids to be seen because you have those high-visibility
Also inside this Issue...
players. If a school comes in to see one player, they still see the rest of The Haverford School team.” That applies to many sports, including basketball, lacrosse, baseball, and swimming. But what exactly is the process like for student-athletes? For the majority of students, it involves meeting with college counselors, taking some standardized tests, writing a few essays, and then waiting for several months to hear about their college fates. While studentathletes with college aspirations must do the same, they also have additional responsibilities. They must play sports year-round, go to tournaments and showcases, and talk frequently with college coaches and recruiters. There are certain things that apply to all sports and all recruited athletes. Many start thinking about the recruiting process early on, because college coaches are quick to target certain prospects, even early on in their careers. Penn-bound Sixth Former Connor Keating (lacrosse) remarks, “I first started to think about the college recruiting sophomore year when it became a reality that college was approaching.” “I started hearing from schools,” confirms Yale-bound Sixth Former Eric Anderson (basketball), “at the beginning of my sophomore year.” Fifth Form wrestler LJ Barlow, yet to make a college decision, told The Index that he began receiving letters as a Third Former. Continued on Page 7
Jimmy Boyle ‘15 details the risks of sending pictures via the Snapchat app and how it could have effects far into the future on Page 3.
The proposed plans for new buildings.
absorb solar heat and warm the surrounding air, among other effects. Effectively, this limit prevents the Haverford campus from becoming an urban jungle of pavement, brick, and stone, but it also limits expansion of academic and athletic facilities. Haverford responded to this
Brendan Burns ‘15
limitation during Dr. Cox’s tenure by building upwards – as can be seen in the new Field House and Lower School. Continued on Page 4
Human Relationships: New Pilot Course For Seniors
Editor-in-Chief Will Tackett ‘14 investigates the origins of this new class and discusses the possible futures of Haverford’s first co-ed course. Will Tackett ‘14
By now, many of you have heard about the human relationships course that is being offered to Sixth Form students this spring. The course will be looking at human relationships—from platonic to romantic—through the lens of philosophy and literature. The class will meet weekly for nine weeks and consist of 12-16 students, half from Haverford and half from Baldwin and Agnes Irwin. The course is the brainchild of Dr. Nagl, who had the idea in the months before he officially assumed his role as headmaster. He came up with the course after reflecting on his time at an all-boys school, Creighton Prep, in Omaha, Nebraska. One course he took, called ‘Marriage and the Family’ (also a co-educational class), stood out to him, in hindsight, as “the most important class” he took during his high school career. Dr. Nagl is also influenced by the writings of David Brooks, a New York Times columnist—and Radnor High School graduate. Brooks writes on a variety of topics, one of which is the importance of human relationships. In his writings, he talks about how “the most important factor in determining a person’s happiness is the relationships they maintain, especially the relationships with their life partner, rather than their career or their material wealth.” Dr. Nagl has found that the focus of Haverford’s motto, “Preparing Boys for Life,” is on the “part of life that happens between nine
and five, and not the part that happens before nine and after five.” Given the importance of knowing how to have successful relationships, one may wonder if the course is enough, and Dr. Nagl would agree with you: “It’s nowhere near enough, but it’s a step in the right direction.” The course this year is a pilot course designed to test the waters. Depending on the feedback from the focus group sessions that will be held after the class is over, Dr. Nagl says he would ultimately love to see this course become a graduation requirement, or, even better, a course that everybody takes but is not required. He wants it to be recognized as so important that it is taken by all. He would also like the course to be a full-time class that is held during the day, but there are transportation and scheduling constraints that go along with that vision. For now, however, the course is small and is being taught by Dr. Mark Gottlieb and Ms. Rachael Jennings. They both volunteered to teach the course, or as Dr. Nagl puts it, “fell on the hand grenade for me.” Ms. Jennings volunteered to teach because “it is a great opportunity to connect some of my greatest academic interests with one of my greatest interests as an educator: inter-and-intrapersonal relationships and empathy. Academically, I’m fascinated with evolving portrayals of love, lust, jealousy, and forgiveness.” Continued on Page 4
Brendan Burns ‘15 sits down with Dr. Nagl to talk about current events in the Middle East. Page 15.
Article Letter fron the President Teacher of the Issue Senioritis Artist of the Issue Oscar Predictions Arts Column Sochi Olympics Minimum Wage Outdex
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The Index
Editorials
february 2014
Letter from the Editors Haverford students, faculty, and parents:
These past few months have to go down as one of the snowiest winters in recent history, and while the extra days off and time in the snow were certainly a nice reprieve from the grueling winter school weeks, the disruption in class curriculums and extra-curricular schedules has been felt school-wide. Many classes will be forced to go at a far more rapid pace than anticipated during the late winter and Spring months, and the strain on students to perform more efficiently will only increase as we plod on in February and March. Often considered the toughest time of the school year, with Spring Break a full month away and no breaks inbetween, students and teachers alike are in for an even more taxing second semester. With that in mind, we at The Index urge students to be mindful of fatigue and be ensure to manage their time carefully. The extra half an hour on Twitter or playing Xbox may provide immediate gratification, but on weeknights getting to bed early is key during the winter months. While it sounds cliche, nothing fights fatigue like a good night’s sleep. A great way to get excited over the next few months is the start of the Spring sports season. With the Fieldhouse Phanatic and other Fords supporters planning great events and gathering crowds for upcoming events, we prompt all members of the Haverford community to go out every so often and support their fellow Fords. For example, the baseball team has some intriguing out-of-league matchups at home against Strath Haven and Devon Prep on March 21 and 22 respectively. The varsity lacrosse team, ranked 2nd in national preseason polls, will be playing 10th-ranked McDonogh at home on March 8 and 21st-ranked Gilman on Sabol Field on March 21. The tennis team will look to extend its two-and-a-half year long winning streak well into the 50s as March rolls on. With a lot of exciting matchups to be found on Haverford’s campus, there are plenty of ways to help support fellow students. In addition, do
not forget to check out Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the musical, on March 6-8. Now that you have picked up an issue of The Index, we recommend certain pieces for you to read. First, Opinions & Politics Editor Brendan Burns ‘15 churned out two very compelling pieces for this issue. First, on the front page, he outlines Haverford’s ambitious building plans for the next few years, including a new middle school and a parking garage. In the Politics section, he lays out an interview he conducted with Headmaster Dr. John Nagl, who discusses his views on several lightning-rod issues in the Middle East. Manav Khandelwal ‘15 writes about a process that is Editors-in-Chief Manav Khandelwal ‘15 and William Tackett ‘14 with Faculty Advisor Mr. Kellen Graham. Grayson Sessa ‘13 prevalent but often seldom-discussed at Henderson ‘15 discusses the issue of senioritis, Haverford, the college recruiting process for which is nearly universal among Sixth Formers, Sincerely, student-athletes. Through interviews with and how the administration plans to deal with Manav Khandelwal ‘15 and Will Tackett ‘14 numerous athletes and administrators, he lays the issue moving forward. Editors-in-Chief of The Index down what the process is like for studentWe hope you enjoy this issue of The Index, athletes who, as teenagers, make important and always, feel free to submit comments, decisions and think critically about their future suggestions, or corrections to hsindex@gmail. while dealing with the rigors of their academic, com! athletic, and social lives. To round off some of this issue’s most interesting pieces, Jack
Letter from the President Dear Student Body, Through the relentless snow, we have begun to catch a taste of the Spring. I have witnessed tremendous growth together as a student body. There have been some
memories from this year that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. No assembly will ever beat Aditya Bhise of the Third Form singing “Hey Jude” to hundreds of flashing cameras. We all have come to understand, largely in part to Mr. Graham’s reflection this past
Student Body President Peter Blynn
I didn’t have a lock on my locker, and you could say that it is my fault that it was stolen and you might be right. But that is not the issue at hand. My wallet turned up a few days later under the cash register in the cafeteria, with no cash and no gift cards left in it. The troubling aspect of this issue is the fact that I am not alone. Many Haverford students have experienced their personal belongings being stolen or compromised by fellow students. As a representative of this community, I am extremely disappointed in these actions because stealing from one of your peers, one of your brothers, goes against everything Haverford stands for. The fact that I lost some money is not what is important here, it is the fact that this community still has a long way to go. These actions are clearly performed by a small group of students, and do not shed a greater light on this community. However, I worry that these actions detract from the trust that each of us have in one another. Keep supporting each other, and keep striving to create a better community. Sincerely, Peter Blynn ‘14
Sanjay Narayanan
The Index
month, that as a community we would be doing ourselves a disservice not to question and consider some of the shortcomings of our environment. Personally, one of my flaws this year has been the streakiness in my academic performance. Managing your time as a student has never been more challenging in an age where we are tempted by time-consuming alternatives. Consider your priorities, and live by them. This simple process has enabled me to be more consistent in all aspects of my life, which I think applies to the majority, if not, the entirety of the students at Haverford. The Student Council has been working towards a spring formal for underclassmen that will be held in late March or early April (date pending). I would like to thank the members of the Student Council for putting their time into making Haverford a more enjoyable place for its students. Let’s continue to support one another and continue to push this community forward. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your President. On another note, I recently was deeply disturbed by an action of a Haverford student. On Friday, February 21st, my wallet was stolen out of my locker in the lacrosse locker room.
2013-2014 Staff
Manav Khandelwal ‘15, Editor-in-Chief Will Tackett ‘14, Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Narayanan ‘14, Head of Photography Jack Henderson ‘15, News and Features Editor Brendan Burns ‘15, Opinions Editor Jackson Simon ‘15, Sports Editor Gregory Boyek ‘14, Arts Editor Noah Cutler ‘14, Outdex Editor Graham Gaddes ‘14, Senior Web Editor Kenny Fitzpatrick ‘16, Junior Web Editor Grant Yu ‘16, Junior Web Editor Brendan Burns ‘15, Graphics Editor Mr. Kellen Graham, 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 hsindex@gmail.com. The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OS X, using Adobe InDesign CS5.5. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. 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 1091 community members, consisting of 975 students and 116 faculty members. Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 hsindex@gmail.com http://www.haverfordindex.com/ (610) 642-3020 x. 1222 Volume LXXV, No. 1 - September 6, 2013
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The Index
News
february 2014
More Than Ten Seconds: The Dangers of Snapchat Fifth Former Jimmy Boyle discusses concerns regarding usage of the popular app Snapchat Jimmy Boyle ‘14
A quick laugh, a romantic digital selfportrait, or a low-quality mustache drawn with your index finger, these things are frequently captured by Snapchats. It can be seen for one to ten seconds, a picture or video of anything at all, but it must be taken using the Snapchat app and cannot be imported from your photo library*. The app founders created screenshotblocking software that quits if the user who receives the photo attempts to save it* and alerts the user who sent it. Snapchat, originally called Picaboo, was first launched in July of 2011. It was created by two Stanford students, originally designed only for iOS devices. It was not until May of 2012 when they started to build a stronger user base, sending about twenty-five “snaps” every second. The app was innovative, simple, and appealing: people loved the idea of sending a picture that their friends could not save for whatever reason. Six months later, twenty million snaps were being sent per day, videos and Snapchat stories were introduced, and the app swept across the nation. Everything seemed to go well for the company, which is comprised of very few full-time employees. However, on Christmas Eve of last year, a small Australian company of computer technicians, known as Gibson Security, reported a loophole in the software. They commented: “People could operate a service... where you could pay a few dollars and obtain the phone number and social media profiles of a person, just by their username.” Most users create their Snapchat account with their phone number, so that you can use your contact list to find friends on Snapchat. The most unfortunate part was that Snapchat could
have resolved this issue with just ten lines of code. Most people looked past this and figured a company as successful as Snapchat would resolve this quickly, and that they have nothing to worry about. But then, on New Years Eve, an anonymous group of hackers leaked 4.6 million Snapchat accounts. Each leaked account was linked to the phone number registered with it, with the last two digits hidden. The hackers wrote a small note with all of the accounts: “This information was acquired through the recently patched Snapchat exploit and is being shared with the public to raise awareness on the issue. The company was too reluctant at patching the exploit until they knew it was too late and companies that we trust with our information should be more careful when dealing with it.” The asterisks (*) referred to something that was supposed to be true. For example, anyone with a jailbroken iPhone (jailbreak software, though not supported by Apple, allows you to customize your iPhone and receive benefits that other iPhone users cannot have without the program) can tweak their iPhone to save any Snapchat received without the other party even knowing. They can also send pictures or videos saved from their photo library. And now, with apps like Snap Save and LaterPic (both can be downloaded for free on the app store), anyone can have these same features without ever jailbreaking their phone. So now, imagine this: you’ve worked hard and tirelessly through Haverford and whatever college or next step you choose to take, and you land the job you always wanted. But wait, remember that inappropriate Snapchat you sent to your friend back as a fourth former in high school? Well, another group of hackers has stolen all the pictures you (and all other
Ms. Lisa Snyder is one of Haverford’s most well known faculty members due to her outgoing and exuberant vibes along with her endless love for the school. While best known as a librarian, Ms. Snyder’s official position at Haverford is Head of Information Services. Before coming to Haverford, Ms. Snyder was a librarian at the Landon school, in Bethesda, Maryland. When asked about her past workplace, Ms. Snyder responded, “ It was a place a lot like Haverford - all boys, strong academics, arts, and athletics.” This is where Ms. Snyder gained much of her experience, as she was a middle school librarian. Years later, Ms. Snyder remains a librarian. Why? Because, in her eyes, “being a school librarian is the best of both worlds for me because it combines the teaching world with the library.” Now, if you’ve ever been in the library, you would have certainly felt the presence of Ms. Snyder, always having something positive, comical, or down-to-earth to say. This benevolent trait of hers came out, when instead of commenting on how she impacts the Haverford community with her attitude, she elaborated on how the community has impacted her: “I’m a natural extrovert, meaning I derive a lot of energy from those around me...But I think the reason that I’m like that is because, I am a really curious person. I’m interested in all kinds of things, and people interest me most of all. Every day, every encounter - with a student or colleague, online, or face-to-face, I learn something.” This point goes hand-in-hand with her previous comments that her role as a librarian gives her the opportunity to combine the teaching world with the library. When her fellow colleague, Ms. Kirk was asked about Ms. Snyder’s upbeat persona, she had the following to say: “As you personally know, Ms. Snyder has a very joyful, high-spirited personality that makes both adults and students entering the library feel welcome but don’t let that bubbly personality fool you. She is one of the brightest women I know! The community means a great deal to her and the vibe of the library shows that. “ In saying this, Ms. Snyder commented on the fact that her goal in acting this way is for her attitude to inspire other people. She hopes
Index Staff
Snapchat users) sent on your Snapchat account five years ago and posted it online, under your phone number and username. When your boss comes up to you and says, “What about the picture you sent Ron on October 1st, 2013?” You didn’t think twice about it because Ron would never show it to anyone or get you in trouble. Plus, this is Snapchat, he’ll see it for ten seconds and it’s gone forever... right? Well, you were wrong, and it is not even Ron’s fault. Here is the problem: every file, picture, video, or document transmitted over the internet in any fashion is retrievable. There are already websites such as archive.org which allow you to save and digitally freeze an Internet page, so that you could go back to it three years later and it would look and function the same way when you archived it. The website has over ten petabytes (10 petabytes is equivalent to 10,000,000 gigabytes) of storage, while most smartphones have sixteen gigabytes or less. A similar program could easily store all of the
Snapchat data, if it were leaked. I would hope that people finally see the lack of digital privacy. Resurfaced information from the Internet has destroyed the careers of politicians, revealed high-security secrets of our own country, and ruined many people’s lives. No, the Mayans did not put this on their calendar, and there is no meteor headed to the Snapchat database nor some cosmic black hole that extracts the information from a satellite. This is a possible situation where two Stanford kids cannot stop hackers from leaking the app’s data, yet again. Fortunately, if this ever were to happen, you would not be the only Snapchat user with issues. I am not suggesting that we all delete Snapchat from our phones and wait for our lives to collapse. We simply must have an understanding of the program and realize that no picture is “gone forever.” So, before you send another stupid picture to Ron, just remember he might not be the only one to ever see it.
students and faculty will stay curious and take Eli Wachs ‘16 opportunities to learn from one another. On a deeper level, she wants every person who Despite some belief that service only walks through the library to know that someone happens in the warmer months, the Haverford is paying attention and notices them. In other School community is about to complete a very words, Ms. Snyder truly believes that the library successful winter season. From Toys for Tots is about two things: supporting individual to sending letters to our troops, the service achievement and building the Haverford board tried to bring the warmth of the holiday community, and that is precisely what Ms. season to all. Additionally, one of our year long Snyder does every day of the year. projects, the St. James project, has produced When asked about Ms. Snyder and the fantastic results throughout the year. IV former impact he thinks she has on the community, Kenny Fitzpatrick, who leads the project, says Sixth Former Peter Blynn responded, “Ms. that the project“is going great so far this year; Snyder is one of the most passionate faculty we’ve had small groups of students head down members at Haverford. No matter the situation, to the school once every month and we basically she always is able to think of the issue at hand just help the school and the surrounding through the eyes of the student and not just as community with whatever they need.” An head of the library. Always there to talk about expanding project, Kenny is currently in the school or life in general, Ms. Snyder dedicates process of “connecting the two communities so her time everyday assisting and helping boys at Haverford. Ms. Snyder has improved my time at Haverford tremendously as her door is always open and I am able to know with full certainty that she is looking out for my best interests.” Ms. Snyder has been at Haverford for over 15 years. While many things have changed over the course of her tenure at the school, she commented that she was particularly fascinated in what has happened over the past couple of years, as we have started to gain the vocabulary of a true community. She explains, “This is a school. It’s a place for learning and growth, where mistakes can be more readily forgiven. And that’s the remarkable change I’ve seen at Haverford over the years, the growth haverford.org Head of Information Services Ms, Lisa Snyder of community, not necessarily defined by athletic that students at Haverford can interact with the success or college placement, but defined by children at St. James on a one to one basis. the strength that comes from deeper bonds of caring and understanding.”
Perhaps the pinnacle event of the winter season was an effort in collaboration with one of our sister schools, Baldwin, and run by the Stop Hunger Now Organization. On Martin Luther King Jr. day, students from each school prepared 20,000 meals for those affected by typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. More specifically, the meals will be disseminated by Stop Hunger Now to children at school to take home to their families.
Teacher of the Issue: Ms. Lisa Snyder Kenny Fitzpatrick ‘16
A student uses Snapchat on his iPhone.
Service at Haverford: Second Semester So Far
After poor attendance at some fall service projects, the Service Board is hoping to increase turnouts in the spring season. The soonest event will be held March 15th at the Haverford School gym. A new event, Haverford along with Agnes Irwin will host a fair to benefit both global and local education. Proceeds will be split between the two schools with AIS taking a local approach while Haverford will focus more so on a global scale. Though a final destination for proceeds has not been selected, possible ideas have included building a power playground in Africa or helping a destitute school in China. For those unaware, a power playground helps transfer the energy produced by activity on it back to villages to help with various electrical needs. The festival will host booths from many Haverford clubs and all booths will tie in their game or activity to education. Other upcoming events include a robotics tournament and in late April the Home Run Derby which proceeds go to the fight against male cancers. Students and faculty are also encouraged to participate in the 24th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer on Mother’s Day, May 11th. Please check our website, google calendar, and Mrs. Loos’s window for updates on upcoming spring events, and stay tuned in assemblies for weekly reminders. As we embark on the final three months of the school year, please voice any ideas you may have to Mrs. Loos or a service board member. We want to hear from the whole student body which projects they think are extraneous, which projects they love to do, and why. Also, stay tuned for a poll asking what the biggest roadblocks are for attending service projects (ie. transportation), why you think certain events are more successful than others (ie. co-ed, specific time), amongst other questions.
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The Index
News
february 2014
Human Relationships Course (Cont.) Will Tackett ‘14
Continued from the Front Page The course will examine aspects of human relationships through the fields of philosophy and literature. The class is employing the subject of literature to look at human relationships because, as Ms. Jennings says, “Literature helps us to ‘hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature,’ to borrow from Shakespeare (Act III of Hamlet). Literature helps us see into the mirror, and it also allows us to see the projected image of what we want to see about love, for instance.” Ms. Jennings elaborates, “Consider current texts: books, movies, TV shows, every song that’s about love ... What do we see and what do we want to see? Why? Literature shows us life, fiction shows us life how we wish it were and how we realize and wish it weren’t, and I’m looking forward to seeing students interact with the interpretations we bring.” Of course, there are other ways of tackling these issues. As Dr. Nagl says, “This is a way of looking at these questions, but certainly not the only one. It would be fun to talk to the science faculty or the history or arts department about how they would approach these questions.” The texts that the class will read include Plato’s Symposium, Carl Jung’s Marriage as a Psychological Relationship, and Carol Gilligan’s In a Different Voice. To determine which texts should be read in the class, Dr. Gottlieb and Ms. Jennings posed a few essential questions, including “What qualities do we seek in a friend and why?”, “What distinguishes love from lust?”, “How do we perceive monogamy and fidelity? Why?”, “What does gender socialization have to do with intimate discourse and political structure?” and went after the books that “would both inform and initiate conversation,” says Ms. Jennings. One of the distinguishing features of the course is that it is co-educational, containing
Haverford young men, as well as young women from Baldwin and Agnes Irwin. When considering the importance of having both boys and girls in the class, Ms. Jennings comments that it “is essential to its success for two seemingly contradictory reasons: this course is about something that transcends gender and, simultaneously, gender socialization colors the lenses through which many see and experience relationships. It makes sense that before you venture into a co-ed world and a co-ed academic world you have important, studentcentered, academic conversations together. Our Haverford students will bring their unique perspectives, and our Baldwin students will bring theirs, and our AIS students will bring theirs, and together--as is the case in life outside of the classroom, too--we will all see and consider things more deeply, colorfully, vibrantly, and perhaps realistically and hopefully, too.” Dr. Nagl also stressed the importance of having young women in the classroom in this particular scenario. While boys and girls “learn better when they are separated from each, in most subjects,” Haverford students will be
“competing with women, working under women, having women work for them, and very many will be in romantic relationships with women, and we do not provide them with as many opportunities as I would like to prepare for that part of life. This is intended to be a step in that direction.” One issue is that the incorporation of female students complicates the idea of having the class be a more regular occurrence and one that happens during the school day. This is where the transportation and scheduling issues come into play. One possible solution is to have the academic classroom portion during the day at
the respective single-sex schools and then have seminars in the evening where students from all the schools meet. The course is essentially experimental at the moment, but it could work its way to become one of the staples of a Haverford education in a few years. It certainly fills a gap that arguably persists in our education, that is, being prepared life outside the workplace, as well as life, work and otherwise, with women. Says Dr. Nagl,“It is an experiment, a great experiment, but something that I am pretty excited about and pretty hopeful about.”
brand-new four-story building in its place. The new Middle School follows the same formula of “building up” to avoid impervious cover limits – the building would be four stories tall, with arts space on the ground floor and 6th through 8th grade on the three upper floors. The steelframed, stone building would be connected to the Upper School by an elevated, glass walkway to facilitate use of the Severinghaus Library for Middle School students. This plan achieves multiple goals. First and
Centennial hall, the glass-and-metal Upper School extension, and the stone construction of the old Wilson Hall. The new Middle School in its planned form would alter this formula from brick–glass–stone to stone–glass–stone. The construction of the new Middle School building around Centennial has two very important implications. First, classes will not need to be held in temporary space while the new building is constructed, as was done during the construction of the new Wilson Hall. Second,
unfortunately took on debt to build the Upper School… I don’t want to increase the debt burden on the School, so I’d like to raise the money first.” When asked about a timeframe, the ninth Headmaster cited a three-year wait as an optimistic scenario, with four or five years before breaking ground “more realistic, depending on fundraising.” Dr. Nagl estimated that the new Middle School building will cost $20-25 million to build – very expensive, but far less than the $44 million it took to build the new Upper School. Dr. Nagl emphasized that the new Middle School is not a stand-alone project; instead, it is only one part of a long-term plan to improve the campus. Other items “on the longterm wishlist” include the conversion of the last remaining grass field to a turf field (turf fields are considered pervious surfaces by the township) and the construction of a parking garage akin to the one recently constructed at Shipley. Like Shipley’s garage, it would be topped with tennis courts to expand athletic space (potentially allowing both the Varsity and JV teams to practice on-campus, instead of using courts at Baldwin). However, Dr. Nagl hinted that Haverford’s garage would up the ante with multi-story construction, instead of the one-story edifice at Shipley. The garage’s parking capacity and location have not been determined yet, but Dr. Nagl estimates that it will cost another $5-7 million to be built. This garage would also serve to ease parking congestion on a compact campus. And although details have yet to be revealed, more squash courts are also called for by the executive plan. With Episcopal Academy now catering to a new clientele in Newtown Square, these improvements are set to solidify Haverford’s position as the premier school in the surrounding area. As its 33-acre site is used more and more efficiently, Haverford has become a model for taking advantage of limited space on an urban campus. Mr. Seits cites ADVIS (Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools) statistics, which show that Haverford has the lowest acceptance rate, highest retention, and highest yield of all Delaware Valley private schools, as proof of Haverford’s success. “We’re here to stay and we’re committed to boys’ education,” he says. It would seem that Dr. Nagl is wasting no time in pushing toward his goal of making Haverford the country’s best boys’ school, at least insofar as superior facilities are concerned.
New Building Plans (Cont.) Brendan Burns ‘15
Continued from the Front Page The decision to remain on the current campus also had implications for Haverford’s enrollment figures. Director of Enrollment Kevin Seits explained that Episcopal Academy’s move west to Newtown Square has actually had a “positive effect” on Haverford’s enrollment figures – as EA moved, more Episcopal students found it more convenient to attend Haverford than vice versa, and Haverford saw a “net gain” in students from the move. Haverford enrollment has gradually grown during the past 25 years: Mr. Seits puts enrollment when he arrived at Haverford in 1989 at 649 students. By 2005, that figure had grown to 957 boys, finally plateauing at around 1010 for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. This growth in enrollment has mandated more efficient use of the Haverford campus. This is the theme that characterizes the School’s future plans for campus development. What are the next items on the School’s to-do list? Try a new Middle School and a multi-story parking garage, with another turf field soon to follow and a massive expansion of existing dining space possibly in the works. The new Middle School will likely be the most important, ambitious, and expensive project that Dr. Nagl will take on as headmaster. The current Crosman Hall, he says, “is not a suitable facility for the best boys’ school in America.” In 2008, Dr. Cox said of the effort to build a new Upper School, “We knew we needed to do something about Wilson Hall. It was a building that served its purpose for 50 years, and was then past its prime for another 50 years.” The current Middle School building could be described in a similar way. In its place, an imposing building on par with the new Upper School will be constructed. To circumvent the limitations of a compact campus and a tight limit on impervious surfaces, Dr. Nagl and Haverford executive leadership devised an “elegant solution” of “building up around Centennial.” What does this mean? Dr. Nagl explains that the current arts building in Centennial Hall – which is around one and a half stories tall – is structurally separate from Centennial’s main auditorium; instead, it is “connected superficially by weather stripping.” The current plan calls for demolishing the existing arts building (Dr. Nagl explained that it would be “actually more expensive” to build on top of the existing structure) and building a
The teachers of the class: Dr. Gottlieb and Ms. Jennings
Bird’s eye view of current building layout.
foremost, it improves the cosmetic appearance of the Haverford campus. “The least attractive part of the Haverford School campus,” says Dr. Nagl, “is the Centennial ‘hump’ viewed from Lancaster Avenue. The new Middle School would eliminate this “extremely unattractive” feature: a tentative artist’s conception of the new building shows a cathedral roof atop its four stories – a stark departure from the modern, all-glass facade seen on the new Wilson Hall, but also a much more visually appealing design than the oblong, rectangular bulge that currently characterizes the Haverford skyline. (The architectural details of the building are far from being finalized; this is only an artist’s depiction.) The new Middle School would also add some continuity to this skyline. From Lancaster Avenue, the school currently projects three different architectural forms: a brick
Brendan Burns ‘15
the space where Crosman Hall currently sits will be freed up. Dr. Nagl, observing that the entire school’s schedule is “constrained by two lunches for the Upper School,” said that a likely move would be to use the free space to double Haverford’s dining capacity and make B lunch a thing of the past. The expansion of the Middle School would also allow for a slight increase in enrollment of 10-15 seats in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The downside to an expansion in Middle School enrollment, however, is that “it becomes harder to get into the Upper School,” says to Dr. Nagl. The school’s current enrollment capacity, which is between 980 and 1010 students according to Mr. Seits, will be increased to around 1050. The two limiting factors in this case are time and cost. Dr. Nagl explains: “the school
haverfird.org
Contact Brendan Burns at brenburn@haverfiord.org
Page 5
The Index
News/Arts
february 2014
Senioritis: How is the Administration Handling It? Jack Henderson ‘16
As this year’s spring semester rolls along, yet another generation of second semester seniors comes with it. Their applications are in, and whether they are into college or not, the only difference is the stress level at this point. Those into college have a more relaxing life right now, while those who are still not in to the college of their choice are in a difficult waiting game. There is not much they can do at this point to improve their chances, so for the first time in their academic career, the Sixth Formers do not see a clear reason to work. They have to learn for the love of learning. No more “transactional” experiences, it is finally up to the students themselves to pay attention in class and do their work. The administration does not even recognize the senior slide because, as Dean of Students Mr. Mark Fifer points out, “We try to talk with all of our students about maintaining the same level of commitment and dedication to their classes, and respect for the preparation that teachers put into their classes. In many ways this is a character issue, and we are confident
that our students have the character to maintain a high academic standard.” Assistant Director of College Counseling Ms. Heather Stinson agrees with Mr. Fifer, believing that “the best approach is to assume that they are going to continue working how they have always been working and performing at or above where they were in the first semester.” Students may think that once their transcript and applications are submitted to colleges, they can slack off, but Ms. Stinson explains that “they are still in high school, and grades still matter.” If a student gets wait-listed or deferred, colleges often consider all of his senior year grades. Furthermore, the college at which a student decides to matriculate asks for spring grades. If the student’s grades dropped significantly from his average performance, the college reserves the right to rescind its admittance letter. Ms. Stinson admits that the life of a second semester senior is something that students aspire to, in some respects, but will not acknowledge that there is a decline “because there should not be. It seems like there may be a problem because the seniors think there should be a decline.” Dr. Rebecca Joseph is a professor at California State University, Los Angeles and
Sixth Formers Dylan Pond (left) and Connor Keating sleeping in the library.
explains, “Colleges want students who take their academics to the next level. Senior year of high school should be a time for mastery, of exploration and of rigor.” It is on the students to make sure they maintain their work ethic because if they do not, they will be unprepared for the challenges of the the first semester of college. Ms. Stinson continued, “Students are aspiring to attend some of the most selective schools in the country and they do not want to start off their first semester at a wonderful institution having just spent their last four months of school on vacation. It does not bode well for their success in the first year program.” The Sixth Formers themselves have different feelings about how they should approach the second semester. Sixth Former John Zipf does not believe his work ethic has gone down this semester. Zipf explains, “Getting into college does not mean that you are done with high school. You still have to get your work done.” Sixth Former Jonathan Paras has not experienced a decline in work ethic, but does believe that “the pressure to excel has been taken off.” Paras views this as a positive because he can “learn for the sake of learning, rather than to please the ethereal college admission-board masters.”
Sanjay Narayanan
Glee Club Performs in Collaborative Concerts Glee Club President Gregory Boyek ‘14 talks about the Glee Club’s successful concerts with Agnes Irwin, Baldwin and The Brearley School in New York City. Gregory Boyek ‘14
While many activities at the school were bogged down with snowstorms and the resulting schedule changes, The Haverford School Glee Club, under the direction of Mr. Mark Hightower, was hard at work preparing for and performing two concerts within days of each other. Glee Club members dedicated Saturday mornings and weeknights to concerts with the Brearley School in New York City and with The Baldwin and Agnes Irwin Schools in the local area. These concerts represented some of the greatest challenges for the Glee Club this year. The repertoire was very difficult, a fact complicated by the circumstances of combining choirs which do not frequency rehearse together. For the New York City trip, the Glee Club worked through a marathon four-and-ahalf hour combined session with the Brearley School before the concert. The Haverford School Glee Club is one of the most exciting ways for any Haverford Upper Schooler, regardless of the extent of their musical background, to get involved in extracurricular arts. The school’s selective a cappella group, The Notables, presents more challenging repertoire and requires a higher level of commitment for its members. Both
groups offer an opportunity to develop vocal talents and represent the school. With the issue of single-sex education currently a topic of discussion at Haverford, the Glee Club should be noted for its presence in the forefront of school activities which integrate other schools into its events. The benefits of cooperating with sister schools are musically obvious: repertoires are no longer limited to including only male parts. Combined with the upper school choirs of Agnes Irwin and Baldwin, the number of singers onstage was doubled. The sound of 120 singers filling eightpart harmonies is vastly different than a few dozen filling only men’s parts. Bringing so many singers together onto the same stage can be difficult, especially due to the constrained rehearsal time. Yet Mr. Hightower has found the experience to be a valuable opportunity for the choir. “The most rewarding aspect of these concerts is to see our young men collaborate with these young women while undertaking some serious musical challenges,” Mr. Hightower says. “Despite our limited rehearsal time to put all of the pieces together and polish them, we still conquer some exquisitely complex music.” “I have found that moving quickly and efficiently is the way to bring choirs together. Rehearsing sections individually and then together, allowing the choirs to hear and imitate
each other before blending them together into one unified sound works well.” Asked about how well he felt the ensembles came together for the concert, Mr. Hightower responded that “the final product is outstanding
The larger problem is whether Sixth Formers believe it is their right to slack off. Paras sees it as the students’ decision for how they will close out their life as a high schooler. “In such a low risk environment,” Paras says, “if they are willing to allow a semester to destroy the success they have worked for the past four years, they should do so. Letting people figure things out for themselves can be an effective method of teaching.” Many seniors once they are into college will come to the College Counseling Office and ask if they can change their course schedule for the second semester. The counselors have told students to clear it with the college because the college considers the second semester courses the student is going to take when they review the application. The students need to commit to their second semester schedules (with the exception of their English seminars) before they submit a single application. While the students cannot switch into easier classes just because they are into college, the teachers also do what they can in their classes to keep students honest. English teacher Ms. Rachael Jennings sees the senior slide as a “cultural idea,” but does not see it in practice. Ms. Jennings explains, “We have had wonderful discussions second semester, and the students have been prepared for class... We have even had classes go over the designated time for class because the students have so much to say about the text.” Zipf would agree with Ms. Jennings, as he still has “very active” class discussions in the second semester. Teachers expect to teach their class with second semester seniors like every other class they have taught. Ms. Stinson continued, “It is spring for us too, but just because it is second semester, we are not taking our foot off the pedal, so the students should not either.” Paras offers his Advanced Physics* class with Mr. Rooney as an example of teachers who have chosen to “ramp up their repertoire.” Mr. Rooney has taken it “as their mission,” says Paras, “to deliver hot death in the form of ballbuster physics problems or even Mr. Trocano’s gaping-maw multiple choice.” The largest problem facing this situation is whether the Sixth Formers believe it is acceptable to have one foot out the door after everything the school, the teachers, and the other students have given them. The school does not acknowledge or address this issue because the administration does not think it should not be a fight between the school and the Sixth Formers. If the seniors are to graduate as true Haverfordians, they will have the character and integrity to finish out the year with the honor and respect for Haverford that it deserves. Contact Jack Henderson at jackhend@haverfiord.org
I enjoyed watching my classmates sing side by side with other schools. I never knew quite how much effort the Glee Club put into their performances until I saw that concert.” As the school and the music department
The Glee Club performing with several other schools.
and my only complaint is that there is too little time to celebrate our hard work when [the different schools] do come together!” VI Former Frank Bonini, along with other Haverford Upper Schoolers, supported their classmates at the concert with Agnes Irwin and Baldwin. Bonini said he “chose to attend the concert because I have seen performances from our school in the past, and they have always exceeded my expectations. Plus, it’s always fun to come out and support your friends and
Greg Boyek
emerge from the depths of winter, The Notables and Glee Club will be preparing new repertoire. After concluding two successful concerts, the singers will be looking to wrap up the year with a strong finish in the Spring Concert. All members of the Haverford community will be welcome and encouraged to attend the performance in Centennial Hall, which will also include the Jazz Band and Orchestra, April 29th at 7:30pm.
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The Index
february 2014
Arts
Artist of the Issue: Christman Henderer Sam Dyer ‘15 If you have gone to a Haverford concert in the past few years, you have probably noticed something: VI Former Christman Henderer spends a lot of time on stage. During his time in the Upper School, Henderer has been a member of the Orchestra, Glee Club, String Quintet, and the Notables, balancing his time between multiple vocal groups and the violin on a daily basis. He also creates electronic music as a hobby in his free time. Since first grade, Henderer has been a part of the music program at Haverford, when he first began to learn the violin with Haverford Orchestra director Mrs. Pulaski. He credits her with teaching him “everything I know about violin.” Henderer began playing because, as he puts it, “I guess I just saw some upperclassmen playing in the orchestra.” His musical endeavours expanded from there, joining the school orchestra in fifth grade and joining the school quintet his junior year. Currently, he is the concertmaster of the orchestra and is the second violin in the quintet. He also picked up singing in first grade, starting in the Lower School choir. As he progressed through Haverford, Henderer performed in the Middle School choir, the Celebrantes (the Middle
School a capella group), the Upper School Glee Club, and the Notables, where he is currently a baritone. Although Henderer spends large amounts of time in both groups, he says that he couldn’t choose his favorite between orchestra and Notables because “they’re both very important to me.” He admitted, however that “my Notables concerts have been the best part of my music experience in The Upper School.” In addition to his many music commitments, Henderer is the captain of the Ultimate Frisbee team. He is also head of the Music Production club, which is advised by Upper School music teacher Mr. Hightower. Henderer will attend Colby College in Maine next fall, where he will continue his musical pursuits. He plans on playing in the orchestra there, as well as producing more electronic music using Ableton Live 9, his preferred music producing program. He hopes to put out enough music to gain a record deal, either while in college or out of college. Henderer’s eventual goal is to become a professional producer, composing and mixing his own songs. For now, however, he is one of the most versatile performers in Haverford’s music program. He will be missed greatly by all four groups he is a member of next fall.
Henderer praticing before the Upper School-Middle School winter concert.
EliteDaily.com
The Tintinabulation of the Bells: Rachmaninoff and Edgar Allen Poe In this edition of his monthly arts column, Arts Editor Gregory Boyek ‘14 reviews the Philadelphia Orchestra’s yearly Rachmaninoff Celebration. Gregory Boyek ‘14 Few outside of the music world know of the close connection between the Philadelphia Orchestra and the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Many of the composer’s works were premiered in Philadelphia during the 1920s and 30s, and the Orchestra continues this legacy with a yearly all-Rachmaninoff celebration. This year’s concert featured the grand scale of the Westminster Choir and four soloists in addition to the Orchestra. The vocal pieces changed the tone of the concert with the human character of voice. This effect was increased by the guest conductor, Vladimir Jurowski. His style has the kind of melodrama expected from the titular detective of Sherlock Holmes or Loki from The Avengers. Every movement is exaggerated and abrupt, executed with great embellishment. The program’s highlight, Rachmaninoff’s Bells is a choral piece built around a Russian translation of Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “The Bells”. The poem features onomatopoeia, using alliteration to remind a listener of the sounds of bells. Before each movement, the English poem was read aloud by a voice actor prior to the Russian being sung. The effect of the poem is evident from this excerpt of the first stanza: Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells From the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells From the jingling and the tinkling of
the bells. Ideally for a symphony, the poem has four stanzas, and each one is given its own movement in the symphony. Rachmaninoff often has been described as a Hollywood-like: he likes to paint images with sound in a fashion similar to a movie soundtrack. Thus, a symphony named The Bells produces sounds like a bell chorus. Of course, there are bell like instruments in the orchestra, including a set of chimes brought in for this piece. But like the poem, which itself has a musical quality, the orchestra produces sounds of bells without the aid of a church steeple. The rhythmic Russian repetition of the choir adds to this effect. Former Upper School music teacher Mr. Michael Stairs, who is now the Philadelphia Orchestra’s organist, surprised the audience by filling the hall with the tones of the organ in the last few minutes of the piece. Rachmaninoff was a turn-of-the-century Russian composer who emigrated from his homeland as a result of two World Wars and revolutions. He believed that a composer’s music should be highly personal; it “should express the country of his birth, his love affairs, his religion”. Rachmaninoff expresses his Russian heritage in The Bells through its subject matter. For much of Russian history, the ringing of bells from the onion-domes of Orthodox churches was one of the most common sounds in daily life. Many traditional Russian pieces use similar effects as The Bells to produce sounds like church chimes. These include the religious piece Bogoroditse Devo, which Rachmaninoff adapted into his All Night Vigil. The Haverford School Glee Club recently performed this piece with choirs from The Baldwin School, The Agnes Irwin School and The Brearley School, as detailed in an
Boyek in front of Verizon Hall.
accompanying arts article. The Bells is one of the most unique and dramatic symphonic pieces I have ever witnessed. The piece’s significance was increased for me because of its connection to my Glee Club repertoire and because of the relationship to the Haverford community held by Mr. Stairs, the
JOSEPH & theAmazingTechnicolor
D R E A M C O AT
Greg Boyek ‘14
Philadelphia Orchestra organist. We cannot underestimate the value of our arts education at Haverford, for it allows Haverford gentlemen to make intellectual connections outside of the classroom that add greater meaning to cultural events.
The Haverford School Theatre & Music Departments present Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice March 6th @ 7pm March 7th & 8th at 7:30pm Centennial Hall Students & Seniors: $5, Adults: $10 http://the-haverford-school.ticketleap.com/josephand-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat/
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The Index
Arts/Sports
february 2014
Fords Focus: College Recruitment (Cont.) Manav Khandelwal ‘15 Continued from the Front Page These days, it is rare for top athletes to hear from colleges later than the summer between their Third Form and Fourth Form years. The process from initial contact to verbal commitment is a long and arduous one. While some athletes may have the ability to make a college decision as early as their Third Form year, like current Fourth Former Forry Smith, who is committed to play Division 1 lacrosse at Johns Hopkins, most must visit and speak with numerous schools over the span of several years. Harvard-bound Sixth Former Peter Blynn (lacrosse) told The Index, “My process was longer than most other lacrosse kids traditionally at Haverford because I wanted to take my time and see as many schools as I possibly could. I visited 9 schools and overnighted at 5 of them. I have visited Harvard 3 times and talked to the coaches at least once a month since then.” Anderson, who did not commit until early this year, the beginning of his Sixth Form year, took time to choose between Yale and several other Ivy League schools; he adds, “I probably answered at least 5 calls a week from the time coaches could call (summer of 2012) to the time I made a decision. It really wears you down and a lot of the time I didn’t want to talk but then I remembered that college coaches make a living off of recruiting teenagers like myself and so I could give them 10 minutes of my time.” Many student-athletes have these frequent talks with schools, texting or chatting with coaches over the phone, but a lot of contact also goes through their own coaches. “Out of 7 days of the week,” Coach Fairfax told The Index, “5 of them I’m on the phone managing coaches that are recruiting our boys, with player reference, student reference, and character reference.” Anderson, one of Haverford’s most-heavily recruited basketball prospects in recent history, attested to that fact, saying, “Once I could take calls and got more interest, [Coach Fairfax] was fielding as many calls as I was from coaches wanting to know everything about me.” It is not just basketball; Haverford School head coaches are the middle men in many scenarios. Mr. John Nostrant (lacrosse), Coach Bruce Kennett (wrestling), Coach Bob Castell (baseball), and Coach Mike Murphy (football) all field calls and letters regarding their highlytouted athletes. Keating, who committed to the University of Pennsylvania during the Fall of his Fifth Form year, remarks, “As far as contact with the
coaches is concerned I had both called, emailed, and reached out to the four coaches I was interested in pursuing through my parents and Coach Nostrant.” While the process is similar across the board, there are certainly nuances that apply differently to each sport. For example, the prime opportunities for exposure change from sport to sport. In lacrosse, playing well for school is key; as Keating puts it, “The most important part of getting noticed is school lacrosse. Play hard and well for Coach Nostrant and he in turn will talk highly of you to others.” Fifth Former Drew Supinski, committed to play at Johns Hopkins, adds, “Summer lacrosse is important but it’s imperative you play high school [lacrosse], as all contact was through Coach Nostrant.” While summer lacrosse camps and teams are certainly important, playing well for Haverford is key. Many of Haverford’s top players compete Mr. Tim Stay Three of Haverford’s committed athletes, Sixth Formers Cole Berman (golf), Peter Blynn (lacrosse), and Eric Anderson (Yale). for Mesa Fresh, the area’s top club lacrosse team, but it this philosophy. Alston and Stevens play for the the time everything is said and done, admits, is generally accepted that Coach Nostrant’s aforementioned Team Final, Anderson played “The toughest part about everything is just endorsement and solid play against against the in the summer for the Jersey Shore Warriors, simply making the decision; hardest decision of East Coast’s top lacrosse school can guarantee and Mountain is a member of Team Nelson. The my life.” With offers from schools like Penn, one’s Division 1 dreams coming true. AAU schedule offers players the opportunity Harvard, Saint Joseph’s, and Temple, it is no When it comes to basketball, however, it is to compete more often and against stiffer wonder he is struggling with this life-altering the AAU, or Amateur Athletic Union, scene that competition, allowing the standout athletes to decision. dominates the college recruiting process. “The gain rapid exposure on the national level. Perhaps Barlow puts it the best: “Choosing rise in AAU importance and the whole AAU For many Haverford student-athletes, where you will spend the next 4 years of your scene, how these guys perform in the summer, however, the toughest part of the recruiting life is no easy choice.” allows the light to be shed on them,” says Coach process is not the nonstop calls, the struggles of This decision, and the entire college recruiting Fairfax. “It’s key for exposure. It allows them getting exposure, or even the grind of waking process, is one of the toughest things to ask of to be seen by colleges, be ranked higher, and up every day and having to work for every inch. any high school-age student-athlete. In addition recruited at different levels.” Anderson has It is the decision process at the end of the road to their normal academic, athletic, artistic, and found the same to be true, saying, “AAU in the that many struggle with the most. social lives, they are forced to undergo the summer is a great opportunity for coaches to see Nearly everyone I spoke with for this article grueling affair of dealing with middle-aged guys nonstop.” agreed on this one point. Blynn, who ended up men, dozens of college visits, plenty of highFifth Former Shawn Alston, a two-time choosing Harvard from among his myriad of stakes games or matches, and that ultimate First-Team All-Inter Ac point guard, has been choices, says, “The toughest thing about the decision. “How do they get through it all?”, I recruited heavily by Division 1 programs process was the choosing where I wanted to asked Coach Fairfax as he stood on the sideline and holds at least eight scholarship offers. A go.” Supinski agrees wholeheartedly, saying, of McBride Court watching his team warm-up member of the AAU powerhouse Team Final, “The hardest thing is figuring out between the on a bright Monday afternoon. he remarks, “You get noticed more in AAU schools; they are all unreal, it’s just which one His answer came immediately: “Parents are season and then, if schools really like you, then fits you better.” HUGE in the process. Parents want their kid to they will come to your school.” Barlow and Alston, two Fifth Formers go to the right situation, to be happy, and they Haverford’s top stars, including Alston, currently mired in the decision-making stage, play a significant role in their child’s college Anderson, Fifth Former Derek Mountain, and also come to the same conclusion. Alston, process.” Fourth Former Lamar Stevens, have embraced who will likely have over a dozen offers by Contact Manav at manakhan@haverfiord.org
Oscars 2014: Riley’s Predictions for Who Will Win Ian Riley ‘15
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (for me at least), that’s right, it’s Oscar season! With one of the best cinematic years in recent history behind us it’s time for me to make my predictions for who will win.
Actress in a Supporting Role: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Nyong’o will hopefully have a wonderful career ahead of her, she’s certainly off to an
Actor in a Supporting Role: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club Jared Leto is a huge talent. Back from an acting hiatus while he toured with his Grammy
Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave is a beautifully written screenplay. All the characters feel real, even the slave owners earn sympathy at points. This is a perfect example of how to write a movie with a message like this. It isn’t preachy or leaden with significant historical events, it is simply a truthful and powerful recounting of one man’s story.
I was going to give this one to Sandra Bullock until I finally saw Blue Jasmine. Blanchett plays a formerly wealthy divorcee who pops xanax like candy, forced to move in with her blue collar sister and start anew. Blanchett plays Jasmine with a genuine sincerity. This is a character who comes to life on the screen. The audience can see every emotional scar on her, and wants her to bounce back.
McConaughey has proven to be one of Hollywood’s best. Appearing in two Oscar nominated films this year (as well as my new TV addiction, True Detective), he gives some of the best performances of his career. Playing Ron Woodruff in this true story, a Texas native who contracts HIV and AIDS, McConaughey vanishes into the character. His experience throughout the film is powerful and gripping.
Spike Jonze brought his A game this year with the allegorical Her. Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore Twombly is a beautifully complex character; he feels real. All the characters feel real, especially Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), the artificially intelligent operating system. The entire screenplay is wonderfully written, with a sympathetic and implicit message. Gravity was a technological feat. The level of attention and effort that had to go into every shot is mind boggling. This movie has been in production for the last 4 years at least, and it shows. The scale of every image is insane. The credit for that film goes to Cuarón, no doubt. So few directors would even attempt such a feat, and fewer still could produce a film like this one.
Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Original Screenplay: Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
near future.
Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave Her is up for a number of Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay
excellent start. Playing the hard working and sexually abused slave Patsey, she brings a grim depression to the role. The entire time she is on the brink, even in her brightest moments the audience can see a clear misery in her. Nyong’o draws the audience’s attention in every scene, dominating the screen with her presence.
filmdispenser.com
winning band 30 Seconds to Mars, he took the screen by storm. Playing the HIV positive, transgender woman Rayon who works with Woodruff to form the Buyers Club, he brings both a light and a defeated outlook to the film. He spends half the time playfully joking with Woodruff, and the other half in a drug induced stupor with moments of tragic acceptance of his fate sprinkled throughout. He is a marvel in the film, and I hope for more roles to come in the
There was little doubt that this would win when it came out, and while more recent films like American Hustle or Dallas Buyers Club are getting buzz, 12 Years a Slave is still the front runner. This movie conveys slavery in a gripping and real way. It feels almost like a documentary for how visceral and hard this film is to watch. There were moments where I had to close my eyes, it was just too heavy. That is why this is the best film of the year, it was beautifully acted, directed and written, and it didn’t pull any punches.
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The Index
february 2014
Sports
Fords Squash has One of Its Best Seasons Since 2009 Squash Team Captain Thomas Walker ‘14 reviews the 2013-2014 squash season. Thomas Walker ‘14
It was yet another great season for Fords Squash: a regular season record of 7-3, second place at the Mid-Atlantic Squash Association tournament, and fourth place out of 100+ teams at Division 1 Nationals, the team’s best finish since third in 2009. One cannot help but notice the team’s trend at nationals since Coach Poolman has taken over: 8th in 2010, 7th in 2011, 5th in 2012, and 4th in 2014 (2013 was cancelled). The captains are confident that, even with their absence next year, the team
will continue its winning trend with the players who occupied spots 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8 returning and the other spots being filled by maturing underclassmen that comprise the best B team in the country; in fact, the B team finished 18th overall at nationals. The A team’s only losses were to SCHA and Brunswick. Furthermore, this was the first season in which Haverford beat EA since 2003. In addition, both of the victories over EA, the four-time reigning national champions, were 9-0 sweeps. Unlike previous years, the team traveled
Justin Shah ‘16 in action for Fords squash.
to Fairmount Athletic Club in King of Prussia instead of Yale for Nationals. This change in location proved to be a bit more positive than the team had initially thought. The home field advantage definitely worked in the team’s favor because many of the team members practice at Fairmount. Entering the weekend as the fourth seed, the Fords had a relatively simple first round, decisively defeating Packer Collegiate from Brooklyn 6-1. The second round proved to be a bit more difficult. The Fords, however, were able to defeat Deerfield Academy 4-3 with wins coming from Sixth Form co-captains Ian Rothweiler and Dylan Henderson, Fourth Former Justin Shah, Third Former Duncan Joyce. Fourth Former Sean Hughes also managed to take a game from Osama Kali Khalifa, one of the world’s top juniors. In the Semifinals, the Fords drew the first seed, Avon Old Farms from Connecticut, unfortunately falling 4-3 after winning numbers 5, 6 and 7 but losing in the top four positions. Avon’s formidable top four consisted of three recently recruited world class Egyptians playing 1, 2, and 3 and the BU19 number 3 playing 4. They would go on to defeat Brunswick 4-3 in the final. The Fords would then fall once again to SCHA in the third place playoff, 6-1, with Rothweiler defeating his long time rival Philly Manilly in three games. At the number one spot, Fourth Former Sean Hughes lost only 2 matches all season, one of which was coming off an Jim Roese
injury. He also has achieved an impressive #1 BU17 national ranking. The team looks forward to his leadership and consistency at the top of the ladder in the coming years. Sixth Form cocaptain Thomas Walker played number 2 again this year. Jay Losty held down the number three spot with his ever so consistent and lanky play this year. We know he a will be a great leader next year as Haverford will yet again be a national powerhouse. Rothweiler played some inspiring squash at the end of the season after coming off of a concussion with a match-clinching win against Deerfield. We wish him the best of luck next year at Cornell and will dearly miss his all white T’s. Third Former Duncan Joyce played some clutch squash in his second season on Varsity. His victory 14-12 in the fifth set against Deerfield was probably the most exciting and important match of the year. Many consider him to be a younger version of Rothweiler. Fourth Former Justin Shah was definitely the most interesting player to watch this year. He must have hit thirty outright winners in his match against SCHA at MASA. During the season he was a pro at both hitting the targets on the court and being an easy one off the court. His experience and maturity will help him at the top of the ladder next year. Sixth Form co-captain Dylan Henderson held down the number 7 spot with a 3-1 record at nationals, ending his four year varsity career on a positive note. Fourth Former Jimmy Tricolli was able to make the top nine during his second season with the help of his explosive lower body strength. He played some of his best squash of the year at nationals. Sixth Former Henry Ortemeyer improved significantly from last year and was also able to crack the top nine. He had a big five-game win against SCHA in December as well as several match clinching wins during nationals while playing number 2 for varsity B. We wish him, his witty comments, and his hair the best of luck next year at Wesleyan. Once again, the Fords season was one of top national caliber.
Haverford Basketball: Season Ends In Disappointment But the Future Is Bright Fifth Former Austin Krell takes a look at the basketball team’s 2013-2014 season and looks to the future. Austin Krell ‘16 After a dominant first-round victory in the PAISAA tournament, the Fords were sent home after losing to The Hill School 48-45. A season with such high expectations ended in disappointment. Some of the team’s players will graduate, but new ones will also step up. Of the starting five lineup this year, only forward Eric Anderson will move on to college, where he will play Division One basketball at Yale. Other valuable players, including Benny Bagnell, Brendan Burke, Peter Blynn, and Hassan Morrison will also be missed next season. No matter what happens, there will always be an abundance of talent, heart, and athleticism on the roster. Levan Alston will, without a doubt, be ready to chase an elusive state championship in his senior year. If Lamar Stevens works on his jump shot and his decision-making skills, he will be an unstoppable nightmare for opposing teams. Lukas Rosenbohm, who will most likely return next year with his balanced attack of shooting, rebounding, and passing, will be a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Derek Mountain is a centerpiece to this team’s offensive game plan. His rapidly improving outside jump shot will keep defenders chasing him all over the court. His mere presence makes it so much easier for the Fords to score because opposing defenses cannot pack the paint out of fear that Derek will get open for a three. With the twin towers of Lukas and Lamar in the paint, a star point guard like Alston to run the offense, and one year of experience playing together, many teams will have problems competing with the Fords. We can’t forget that eighth grader Cameron Reddish still has four years of high school basketball to play. With one year of experience under his belt, and more playing time to come without Eric Anderson on the roster, the soon-to-be freshman should grow into a superstar. The success of next year’s team depends entirely on execution and smart play. There is
already enough balanced talent for this team to win, bu, winning the important games against the better teams has been an area that Haverford has recently struggled with. In the pivotal losses to Germantown Academy (home), Penn Charter (away), and Episcopal Academy (away), the Fords failed to execute and did not play intelligently. In these losses, Haverford struggled to make open shots and turned the ball over on several occasions. The Fords do not run a complicated offense. When the ball goes to Stevens in the paint, the four other players rotate to an open spot on the perimeter until he either attacks the basket himself or passes to whomever is open. At that point, it is the perimeter player’s decision to pass the ball to another perimeter player, pass it back to Lamar, shoot the ball, or attack the basket. In the three vital losses, the Fords missed open shots from the outside, and then could not manage to score in the paint. When they could not score, they put even more pressure on themselves to score from the free throw line. On several occasions, they missed important free throws that were critical to the outcome of the game. Another key factor in the losses was the team’s inability to maintain composure and play smart defense. Haverford racked up too many fouls and then down the stretch, the opposing teams shot free throws. This team will win games if they make their outside shots and their free throws. Now any shooter knows that sometimes they’re off and sometimes the ball does not go in the basket even if they think it will. Percentages do prove that players will miss shots a lot more than they will make them. Basketball players, especially high school players, cannot control whether or not the ball goes into the basket when they shoot it. All they can do is practice the shot and get the stroke down to a science. This team has a lot of potential, and with head coach Henry Fairfax constantly working to recruit and develop his players, there is always reason for optimism. The keys to this team’s success are making its open shots from
Lamar Stevens dunks against Penn Charter as Lukas Rosenbohm looks on.
the perimeter, making its free throws, and not committing stupid fouls on defense. If the Fords clean up the sloppy turnovers, make their free throws in end-of-game situations, make open
Mr. Jim Roese
shots from the perimeter and avoid committing stupid fouls on defense, they will win the 3-4 more games needed to seriously contend in the Inter-Ac. Let’s bring on next season!
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The Index
Opinions
The NCAA’s System of Contradictions Jack Henderson ‘15 discusses the unfair policies that cause universities to fail to educate their student-athletes properly. Jack Henderson ‘15
The NCAA is a commercial enterprise. Alongside universities with elite athletic programs, the NCAA is in the entertainment business. In fact, it is now a multi-billion dollar business. And yet, the only group involved in college sports that is restricted in any way when it comes to money is the athletes. That is not fair. When it comes to their athletic teams, universities are primarily concerned with the money they make. Most schools would also argue that they care about the education of their student-athletes as well, but that is coming into question after a recent discovery. Mary Willingham is a former academic advisor for the UNC Center for Student Success & Academic Counseling. It was her primary job to prepare incoming student-athletes for the academic challenges of the University of North Carolina. From 2004 to 2012, she researched the reading levels of 183 UNC student-athletes and found that “there were many young men in the ‘profit sports’, both on the football and basketball teams, that were woefully underprepared for the academic rigor at this place.” Her data reflect an astounding 60% of student-athletes who read between fourth- and eighth-grade levels. Readers below a third-grade level represent 8-10% of the students she researched. She sent her data up the chain of command at UNC for review, but admits, “We hire people who tend to whitewash anything that is negative against the university and against the brand.” The UNC Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham, issued a statement regarding the
our students enjoy.” Those “numerous reforms” do not seem to cut it, as UNC still lacks appropriate classes for student-athletes with third-grade reading levels who are expected to enroll in the same classes that regular UNC students take. The school’s solution to this problem for the last decade was to have “no-show” classes, for which student-athletes earned grades for simply handing in a single paper. One UNC professor was even charged with fraud two years ago after being paid for a class he did not teach. Ms. Willingham explains, “We as academic advisors directed athletes to these no-show, paper classes. We knew they existed. I believe that the administration knew they existed... That fact is still not reflected in the university report.” Why do universities accept students with such dismal chances of academic success? Bubba Cunningham and other athletic directors can claim they only admit students with promising intelligence and they can say, “This is about academics.” But it is not. This is about money. Universities are enrolling student-athletes for the sole purpose of wearing the school’s colors and bringing glory to the school’s name on the field and on the court. The academic prowess of these student-athletes are of no concern to the school because they are not students. They enroll in no-show classes where academic advisors help write their papers, while they are busy at practice or away at a game. This is already professional sports. There is no difference between the Super Bowl and the BCS National Championship, except the players in college must go to class the next day. College athletes are de facto employees. They
UNC basketball coach Roy Williams disputed Mary Willingham’s report.
whistleblower’s statistics: “The University of North Carolina only admits students whom it believes will be successful academically at this great university. Our student-athletes deserve to be at UNC... The university has examined these issues extensively over the last several years and has put in place numerous reforms that have strengthened the academic experience all
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have their work uniforms, charter planes for business trips, work 40-hour weeks, and are told where to be and when to be there. They are employees and they make money for their employer. I strongly believe that an employee should get paid for his or her work, and I see student-athletes as employees. People will say they are paid by getting a
scholarship for an excellent education. For one, they do not go to class. They can get a degree, but they are not getting an education. Secondly, the NCAA says the players get this wonderful experience and education, but they deserve more. The NCAA says they do not have enough money to give to the players, and yet the average salary for football coaches at major colleges is $1.64 million. It is wrong that the athletes are the only people who are not getting fair market value.
a contract as an employee. They cannot just show up at school and wear what they want to wear because in theory they are under contract. Colter confirmed this in his hearing in which he said that Northwestern coaches established a strict dress code on game days. Colter offered many rules of the Northwestern football team that suggest virtually total control of the players’ lives. Colter explained that coaches required players to obtain approval for any jobs they found or leases for off-campus
UNC whistleblower Mary Willingham
Ethan DeLehman ‘15 “Well I’m the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like [Michael] Crabtree, thats the result you’re gonna get. Don’t you ever talk about me...Don’t you open your mouth about the best, or I’m gonna shut it for you real quick.” It took less than fifty words to for a relatively well-known NFL cornerback, the Seahawks’
Richard Sherman, to become a household name among professional athletes. But more than that, those words seemed to bring the entire nation into a conversation that stretched from sportsmanship to reputation to race, all over the span of the two weeks between the NFC championship game and Super Bowl XLVIII. This brief comment that has become so thoroughly entangled with the public’s perception of Richard Sherman came mere minutes after he completed an extraordinary play
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If college athletes were to be paid eventually, there would need to be mandatory classes on personal finance and wealth management because a recent survey revealed that, after just 5 years of retirement, 70% of players in the NFL and NBA are bankrupt. These athletes come from challenging economic backgrounds, go to college for a few years, and then are suddenly drafted and are thrown millions. They have no idea how to spend the money wisely. Colleges and coaches must teach these players about manhood and life after the sport. There is also a growing dissatisfaction among college athletes with the system in which they play. This came to light last month when six football players from Northwestern took formal steps to be represented by a labor union and recognized as employees of their university. The President of the National College Players Association, Ramogi Huma, filed a petition to the regional office of the National Labor Relations Board which is currently in a hearing on the matter. The spokesperson for the players, Northwestern Quarterback Kain Colter, just finished his college eligibility and explained at one of the hearings, “The number one thing that I want to accomplish is to finally give athletes a true voice. They need to finally have a seat at the table when rules and regulations are determined. They need an entity in place that can negotiate on the players’ behalf and have their best interests in mind.” Whether a labor union is the right way to go or not, it does change the conversation. Qualified students at a respected university are finally saying this is enough, this is not right. Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated put it best, explaining that the school essentially says to its student-athletes, “You want the path to the pros? You must come and play for us and play for free.” Meanwhile, the universities are making millions and millions. These people are recruited as athletes that also happen to be students. They basically sign
living, and they even had to return to campus on Christmas Day to prepare for bowl games. Colter said players would commit to 40- and 50-hour work weeks, waking at 9 a.m. and finishing practice at 10 p.m. during August training days. If that does not sound like a job, I do not know what does. The bottom line is that college athletes deserve a voice and they deserve to be paid fair market value. Colter elaborates, “A lot of times players have to miss class to attend an athletic event, but what if a player wanted to miss the athletic event to attend class? The scholarship is not going to be there.” Suppose universities mandated amateurism for all students so they would be consistent. That means undergraduates cannot get jobs in the college bookstore. Graduate students cannot be paid as teaching assistants because they are amateurs. It would be outrageous to deny these people their rights. And yet, for one group of students, the athletes, colleges say, “It is not up to you how to live your life in college, it is up to us.” Players are tired of being hauled in to their coach’s office if they borrow a friend’s car or someone picks up their tab at a restaurant. If a student-athlete borrows a car, it triggers an NCAA investigation. If they steal a car, there is no NCAA investigation and the school decides if they can play. That is how messed up the system is. In fact, Oklahoma submitted several selfreported violations to the NCAA on May 10th, 2013. One violation read as follows: “Three current student-athletes received food in excess of NCAA regulation at a graduation banquet... The players were provided pasta in excess of the permissible amount allowed. Resolution: The three were required to donate $3.83 each (the cost of the pasta serving) to a charity of their choice in order to be reinstated.” Never change, NCAA. Never change.
in which he jumped in front of 49ers’ receiver Michael Crabtree and tipped Colin Kaepernick’s pass to another Seattle player, linebacker Malcolm Smith, whose interception effectively ended the game and sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. It was in the moments following this play that Sherman’s words crossed the line of acceptable sportsmanship and moved into the territory of blatant arrogance. Once we piece together a general understanding of the events and the state of mind that led to Sherman’s comments, we then have to look at the comments themselves and the backlash surrounding them in order to develop a full understanding. Within minutes of Sherman’s rant being aired, social media
erupted in a flurry of rapid and highly-varied reactions ranging from condoning Sherman’s behavior as understandable, acceptable, and, above all else, entertaining, to labeling Sherman with an epithet which would soon spark a debate of its own: that of a “thug.” Debate about an athlete who felt the need to proudly declare his dominance became a conversation concerning racial stereotypes. These conversations, sparked by the use of the word “thug” as well as words far less acceptable, were, as one might expect, not at all concerned with respect themselves. Instead, they essentially constituted a bloodbath.
Richard Sherman: “Best Corner in the Game” Lacks Maturity Seattle Seahawks cornerback sparked controversy with his charged interview with Erin Andrews after the play that sealed the Seahawks’ victory over the 49ers.
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Sports/Opinions
Richard Sherman (Cont.) Ethan DeLehman ‘16
As soon as several days after the initial incident, hordes of previous NFL players were coming out as either proponents or opponents of Sherman’s antics, but even news outlets went so far as to discuss Sherman in depth themselves, with interviews and press conferences following soon afterward as the Super Bowl approached. Sherman himself spoke out, stating that those who referred to him as a “thug” did so only because of his race, referring to the term as a “socially accepted version of the n-word.” It was this comment that acted as a sort of impetus for the entire nature of the controversy. Sherman’s rant started to take on a new, more raciallyfocused tone. Whether Sherman chose to make the comparison to the n-word for the sake of discussing a distorted use of the word “thug” bothered him or just to redirect the flow of conversation is up to interpretation. Regardless of his actual motives, Sherman’s decision to take the conversation into race-centered waters, as opposed to choosing to focus on his own behavior and the standards that he should be held to as a professional athlete, highlights the poorly-handled nature of this incident.
Seahawks CB Richard Sherman erupts at Fox Reporter Erin Andrews following the Seahawks’ win in the NFC Championship Game on January 19.
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february 2014
The media and the American public are often too eager to turn any conversation into a racial conflict. Choosing to participate in such a discussion about race accomplishes nothing besides cementing preconceived notions about race and creating racial strife when there was possibly none to begin with. Instead, the focus should have always on the behavior of professional athletes. In comparison to the controversies of recent years that have emerged within the NFL, NBA, etc, Sherman’s comments are hardly able to be criticized. He didn’t endanger the lives of others, nor did he do something illegal. His actions can only frowned upon. This isn’t the critical aspect of this controversy though. The element that should really be focused on at this point is how quickly various parties chose to refocus this conversation around race and how quickly all those remotely interested in discussing the controversy became enamored with the idea that the entire topic could have originated from racial undertones. We should use this Richard Sherman situation as a precedent for future conversation-pieces such as this one. We shouldn’t seek to report a situation in the way that will garner the most controversy and conflict.
Haverford Should Be Helping More With Standardized Testing Preparation Ryan Fuscaldo ‘15
The Fifth Form year of high school is thought by many to be the hardest year for students. When colleges begin to look at students’ applications, a student’s junior year grades play a key role in his chances for admission. In addition, the difficulty of each student’s course load and his involvement in extracurriculars is also weighed. However, as if these burdens were not enough, Fifth Formers also have the added enjoyment of taking the SAT and ACT tests. Standardized test results are the final piece of the puzzle for college admission. They can be the deciding factor in receiving the letter that sends students into excitement over being accepted to the college of their dreams. Both the SAT and ACT are long, grueling standardized tests that are commonly used to measure a student’s general aptitude. Both tests contain sections that are based on material that may have been taught years before for the junior year. Both tests’ math sections, for example, heavily emphasize geometry, which some Haverford students have had three years to forget by the time they see an SAT. It is because of this that many Haverford students choose to pay for preparatory tutoring at Inspirica and MJ Test Prep. Students who are tutored by these companies often see SAT scores improved by tens, if not hundreds of points. However, these programs can be too costly for many families who still want their sons to do very well on the tests.. Haverford’s motto is “preparing boys
for life.” As a college preparatory school, Haverford’s role is also to prepare boys for college. If students must take either the SAT or ACT as Fifth Formers, why does the school make no effort to offer test preparation services, even to those students who cannot afford private tutoring? Upper School Head Matt Green disagreed, responded by saying, “[...] you could make a case that our job is to prepare you to get into college. We prefer to prepare you for college.” While this may be the Haverford Administration’s view, it also may not be that of students and parents. If the School is looking to prepare boys for life and a more successful life, preparation for SAT and ACT testing is equally important as the other subjects being taught in school. Haverford has the opportunity to set itself apart from other schools by offering this type of tutoring for its students. It is n Haverford’s best interest to include test preparatory classes not only for the good of its students, but also for the School itself. As Haverford vies to be the best boys’ school in the nation, expenses-paid, in-house test preparation that helps students succeed on one of the most important single tests of their lives could go a long way. Haverford has many great courses to offer and is a rigorous school that will prepare its students for college and later for life. But Haverford must recognize its role as a college preparatory school. Whether the idea is glamorous or not, Haverford should prepare boys both for college, and to get into college. Not doing so would be ignoring the reality that every Haverford student faces.
American food chain. The reader’s introduction to the lifestyle that would quickly overcome Jordan Belfort is through his first boss while on Wall Street, Mark Hanna, and the conversation they have over lunch on Jordan’s first day. Within minutes, Hanna has consumed both heavy amounts of alcohol as well as cocaine in the middle of a work day. Jordan, meanwhile, sits across the table, dumbfounded by how a person could continue to function while under the influence of various substances – a view that would become comical in retrospect as Jordan becomes more aligned to Mr. Hanna as the story progresses. Throughout this conversation, the reader is given an introduction to the rules of Wall Street – how its lifeblood is illegal substances and illicit activities, how the entire business revolves around luck and convincing unsuspecting people to willingly transfer their money, and how an important goal in the business is attempting to “maintain just a small portion of your soul.” And this is all within just the first eleven pages. As the story progresses, Jordan’s lifestyle progresses as well, dragging the reader deeper
and deeper in the immoral abyss of the inner workings of Wall Street. Jordan recognize the aspects of the system that can be abused, and then abuse them in whichever way can benefit him the most. Belfort undergoes a simultaneous increase in wealth and success and decrease in morality and thoughtfulness. The first version of Jordan that we are introduced to is an ambitious, nervous, straight-shooter looking to make a living. By the sixth chapter, however, we find a man describing himself as dictator, as a fearless leader of a group of men seeking wealth and wealth alone, discussing the possibility of “bringing a midget in here and tossing him around the boardroom.” This complete moral U-turn allows us to see the endless ways in which a certain line of work can alter an individual’s personality, to such an extent that the individual is nothing more than an extension of his business. There are two possible takeaways from Jordan’s story. It can either be seen as a wary celebration of success and debauchery in a corrupt era and subsection of society. Or it can be used as an extravagant cautionary tale, highlighting the pitfalls that
De Libris: The Wolf of Wall Street Ethan DeLehman ‘15
My initial thinking after watching Martin Scorsese’s most recent film, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” consisted mainly of a single question: How much of that actually happened? This is a natural question to ask after sitting in a theater for three brief hours, watching the main character cheat people out of massive amounts of money and then proceeding to spend the vast majority of that money on drugs, “recreation,” and other hilariously unnecessary purchases, all of which lead up to the man’s spectacular collapse, akin to the collapse of some Macbethesque figure. It was a spectacular journey that never bored the viewer and always managed to be consistently engaging and enjoyable. One of the best outcomes of the film’s production was the increase in popularity that it brought its source material, a book of the same title by the Wolf himself: Jordan Belfort. Belfort narrates his life through throughout his time spent at what, by even the shallowest of definitions, appears to be the top of the
those who find great success sometimes fall into. The idea of reckless displays of wealth and status in the form of behaviors reliant on either single-mindedness or willing ignorance tends to spark varying reactions. These reactions extending from extreme disapproval to the desire to emulate. Regardless of where the reader falls on this spectrum, he or she will have a reaction. And that is the reason, above all else, to experience this book. Whether you are enamored with the idea of becoming a high-powered “king of the world,” or disgusted by the very concept, you will certainly have some reaction when you finish reading. It is an autobiography that naturally provokes discussion and thought that can lead to conversations or trains of thought that may never have occurred otherwise. Beyond the fact that it is fascinating, engaging, easy to read, and humorous, that is the reason above all else that I would recommend you read “The Wolf Of Wall Street.”
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february 2014
1:1 Computer Policy: The Future or Unnecessary PR Move? Yes, MISCONCEPTIONS ARE HURTING PUBLIC OPINION Rudy Miller ‘14
Haverford’s BYOD (bring your own device) initiative for the 2014 school year has raised many concerns from members of the Haverford community, particularly students. Many believe that this new teaching philosophy will deteriorate constructive learning in the classroom and lead to more distracted students. However, this is an instinctive negative reaction to change. Yes, this alteration to Haverford’s previous policies will require tweaks, but the BYOD project will not only strike a healthy balance between classroom freedom and supervision but also move Haverford into the future of learning. I must first debunk some myths surrounding the program and its effects. One major source of concern is that Haverford will not supply computers to those without the financial capability to purchase one. This would be unfair if true; however, Upper School Head Mr. Matt Green rejected this claim in an interview, stating that the school will “lease computers at a rate based on [the student’s] demonstrated need.” According to Director of Innovation Joseph Sweeney, Haverford possessed 866 computers as of June 2012, so there will be no shortage of computers for leasing. If a student forgets his computer at home, he can still borrow a laptop or use the school’s desktops, which Mr. Green says will “still be located in strategic places” such as the library. Another myth is that computers will be used in every class. Again, Mr. Green debunks this, asserting that “the emphasis will still be on the learning…[the computers] will only be used if they enhance the lesson that a teacher wants to teach.” So, not all classes will utilize them, making the computer more like a calculator and less like a “$1,000 pencil,” as Mr. Sweeney told The Index last month. Some also believe that the school will require purchasing either a PC or a Mac to eliminate compatibility issues. Mr. Green, however, claims that “most programs will be web-based, and will be compatible with most [operating] software,” based on his progressive belief that “the future will be platform-agnostic.” This helps eliminate the unnecessary element of conformity in regards to computer type. This idea of conformity, it seems, is at the heart of student discontent. Many worry that
this program will bring huge changes to the school that will greatly constrict the ability for students to learn. However, the changes proposed by the BYOD initiative are not at all drastic; rather, they will enhance a Haverford student’s learning experience. A poll taken last
notes on tablets, taking notes with paper, or not taking any notes is a challenge. With the introduction of BYOD, teachers will not worry about that needless hurdle: they can instruct the entire class to use or not use their laptops. This is not restrictive control, but a simple step
Laptop usage is already extremely common in class.
Sanjay Narayanan
year shows that a majority of Upper School students already bring a laptop or tablet to school daily, and that number has likely risen this year. I encourage students to look around their classroom the next time a teacher gives them a work period to notice how few students are using Chromebooks from a laptop cart. Nine times out of ten, only a couple of students will be utilizing these laptops from the school: everyone else is using their own. Requiring these remaining students to contribute their own laptops (or receive one from the school) is the logical move to gain some control over who does what in class. As the system stands right now, teachers have to moderate over two different types of students: those who have laptops and those who do not. Attempting to teach a lesson with a hodgepodge of students taking notes on computers, taking
to allow for some much-needed standardization in classes. Some say that this program will cause an undesired side effect: students will become easily distracted in class by utilizing their laptops to watch videos, check Facebook, play games, and the like. I respectfully disagree. As it stands right now, many students are already preoccupied with their laptops in class, since they cannot be easily regulated in the system we have currently. I encourage students to, in the same work period mentioned earlier, see what students are actually doing with said work period. Again, the average student will frequently be procrastinating and will not be working on anything. With the introduction of the BYOD initiative, teachers will know that every student, through his laptop, wields the capability to procrastinate in his or her class. If a teacher truly feels that the
say that computer use is necessary for their job. So, when Haverford requires all students to use laptops in class, we will theoretically be prepared for our future in the workforce. The issue is that virtually all Haverford students already use a computer to complete their homework at home on a daily basis. I must ask, what else is there to learn? Haverford students will unanimously agree that they find computers very easy to use, and the way that technology is evolving, computers are only becoming simpler and more user friendly. Therefore, I believe that the argument that we must all be trained in school to use computers for our future job opportunities has very little to stand on. I am quite adept with my MacBook Pro, but I don’t need to bring it in if I feel it will hinder my ability to perform in the classroom. Slowly but surely, textbooks are being replaced by downloadable e-books. Many Haverford classrooms already make use of e-textbooks for nightly reading and other assignments, meaning that students don’t have to lug around heavy and cumbersome textbooks. I can understand this, and having a computer in school would make things simpler in many ways. It seems like a sound argument indeed, but, the facts may show that hard copy textbooks are, in fact, a more powerful learning tool than their digital cousins. An article from Scientific American breaks down the science of reading on a screen as opposed to reading in a book, and the science tilts significantly in the favor of our old friend, the hard copy textbook. “Evidence from laboratory experiments, polls and consumer reports indicates that modern screens and e-readers fail to adequately recreate certain tactile experiences of reading on paper that many people miss and, more importantly, prevent people from navigating long texts in an intuitive and satisfying way. In turn, such navigational difficulties may subtly inhibit
reading comprehension….Whether they realize it or not, many people approach computers and tablets with a state of mind less conducive to learning than the one they bring to paper.” E-textbooks are fine and all and they’re probably better for my back, but using their benefits as a justification to potentially compromise my learning experience with a laptop, while e-textbooks, in of themselves, compromise one’s ability to read and comprehend, does not make a great deal of sense to me. Spoiler alert: Many Haverford students use their laptops to distract themselves during class. In my poll of 83 Haverford students, 24% said they do not use their computer during class to go on a social media site, or play a game, while a large majority – 76% – say that they use their computer browse on social media or play games in class. And I’m not saying checking Facebook
NO, PEN AND PAPER IS FINE Paul Harryhill ‘15
We live in a digital age. According to the US Census, 75.6% of households in the United States have a computer with an Internet connection, and 67.8% of people under the age of 25 are smartphone users. As a result, pen and paper are becoming obsolete in the business world and in education. Here at the Haverford School, the new one-to-one program has put the final nail in the coffin of conventional pen-andpaper learning, and shifting most of, if not all, of the things a student does in a workbook onto his laptop. This only seems to make sense. Most Haverford students already have computers, and the minority that do not should have no problem with making the shift. One-to-one classrooms will prepare Haverford students for their future in the workforce, where most work will be done on a screen. It is just what needs to happen. I disagree. Obviously, computers come with a long list of benefits that don’t need to be recited here, but the list of drawbacks is also long. I have tried working with laptops in front of me in class, but I always am drawn back to my notebook. I know for a fact that I am more efficient, attentive, and engaged in class with pen and paper in front of me. In a poll of 83 Haverford students that I conducted, 34% agree that they do better with the conventional supplies. I am not trying to say that laptops are an evil, but if I know that I learn better with a pen and paper in front of me, let me continue to do so instead of being forced to use a laptop in a “1:1 environment.” The first argument that will be made in support of a total laptop overhaul is that training with a laptop at school will prepare us for work that we will need to perform in the future. This is absolutely a true statement. A poll conducted by NPR found that 68% of Americans use a computer at work and 84% of those people
britannica.com
Like it or not, technology is taking over the classroom.
or playing games are disastrous. One will not fail a course if he checks Facebook a couple times or sends out a couple Tweets. There’s nothing wrong with using it in moderation, but the problems come in when people abuse it. Almost 40% of Haverford students feel that a laptop in front of them distracts them, and 51% feel distracted by what the person sitting next to
class as a whole is not paying attention, he or she has the option to utilize less computer-based lessons due to the flexibility of the program. Through this empowerment of teachers to regulate their classes efficiently, the number of distracted students will likely decrease. Most of all, many students are worried about change, especially change that happens while they are Upper School students. Haverford, however, does not change its learning approach for good PR or to gain gifts; they change it to best serve the boys they teach. Compare the BYOD initiative to another major change that occurred in the past few years: midterm assessments. The change in midterms was not done to please a third party, but because the introduction of these exams directly following winter break resulted in a punishing studying schedule for students and a hiatus in learning new material for almost a month. So, Haverford piloted an optional mid-year assessments program, with the classes staging assessments during double blocks. When this system was poorly received by most students, the school abolished the program. Rather than giving up, the next year the administration enacted a system endorsed by most students: midterm exams immediately before winter break. This worked, and after a second year of success, most say this was a good move on the part of Haverford. How is that any different from this initiative? Like any major change at Haverford, the BYOD initiative requires a bold first step, and that step is the program that will be tested next year. Will it be perfect? No. However, people are still so scared of this move that I had to spend several hundred words of this article debunking purely false beliefs. So, will it be as drastic or as terrible as everyone claims? This BYOD initiative is a forward-thinking move that allows Haverford to continue its streak of innovations in learning. Haverford is embracing the future, embracing the unsettling yet true belief of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus that “the only thing that is constant is change.” This change is not even that drastic, as most students have already embraced a computer as a learning tool. As with all change though, it may take a couple of years to craft the system into its most efficient form. But the end result will be a school with programs that give teachers a more balanced, more multifaceted, and more advanced approach to education.
him is doing on his computer. The argument can be made that this is a good way to teach students to be more responsible with their technology, and in many ways, I agree with this. However, I don’t even want to introduce myself to the slightest potential distraction in class, which is what a laptop would do for me. I’m not writing this article to get everyone else’s laptop taken away and force everybody to bring in their pen and paper and take notes the old-fashioned way. I’m writing this because I attend the Haverford School to learn at the highest level that I possibly can, and if I think that a computer holds me back from doing this (which I do), I don’t want to be forced to use it. I realize that computers are the present and the future, but I already know very well how to use them. There is very little additional instruction in school that will help me learn how to use computers for any future job that I may have because computers are ever-changing and efforts are constantly being made to make them as user-friendly as possible. The argument for e-textbooks just simply doesn’t make sense to me. Study after study shows that reading on a screen is less powerful than reading a piece of paper. So why is there this great push being made to make all textbooks digital? And in my case and many other Haverford students’ cases (39.02% of Haverford students’ cases, to be exact) feel that having a laptop in class is distracting. So, if I feel that I am in a better position to succeed without a laptop, I don’t want to be forced to use one. One thing that separates Haverford from other schools is the fact that our learning experience is individualized. We pay a considerable amount of money to attend Haverford so that we can receive the best opportunity to learn. So why change the rules so that 34% of Haverford students cannot do this? Contact Paul Harryhill at paulharr@haverfiord.org
Page 12
The Index
Politics/Opinions
february 2014
MLB Should Allow Accused PED Users into Hall Sam Dyer’15 explains why Major League Baseball should just accept its history and allow accused PED users into the Hall of Fame Sam Dyer ‘15
Major League Baseball has been stained by the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) for the past two decades. Icons such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez have faced scrutiny and disfavor in the press due to their alleged steroid use. Many baseball fans – and many of the sports writers that vote players into the Hall of Fame – believe that any player accused of using steroids should be banned from Hall of Fame eligibility. Unless a player admits to steroid use or is implicated by undeniable evidence, however, his chances at acceptance into Cooperstown should not be negatively affected. Many of the great baseball players that fans our age grew up watching should be eligible for the HOF for one reason: banned substance testing did not begin until 2003. Any player suspected of using PEDs before 2003 should not face any retribution unless they confessed to using PEDs or have some other incriminating evidence against them. Legends such as Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa never failed an official MLB drug test. Clemens was acquitted by a jury, since the evidence against him was not strong enough to show that he conclusively used PEDs. While Mark McGwire admitted to using a PED, the substance he used was allowed by MLB at the time of his confession. Sosa failed a survey test in 2003, but they were never able to identify which drug he failed for, so the evidence against him is not concrete. Other players, such as Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers, Matt
Williams of the Giants and Diamondbacks, and Chuck Finley of the Angels, have been pushed aside because of mere accusations, which are backed by no concrete evidence. In the American legal system, anyone who is accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty. This same principle should exist for MLB. While all of these players have been accused, none have been proven to be undeniably guilty. Players who have been convicted of using PEDs should not necessarily be dismissed, however. Some players, such as slugger Rafael Palmeiro, are only believed to have used PEDs at the twilight of their careers, long after they were HOF caliber players. Other players were so skilled that it is very likely that they would have made the HOF even without the use of PEDs, such as Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. While their numbers are certainly boosted by illegal drugs, the numbers speak for themselves: Barry Bonds is the single-season and all-time home run leader, while Alex Rodriguez is among the greatest shortstops of all time. Like any good museum, the MLB Hall of Fame should display both the good parts of its history and the less shiny parts. The HOF already honors many people who had less than stellar reputations. Tigers legend Ty Cobb was a known racist, who would intentionally cleat and attack other players. Gaylord Perry, a Hall of Fame player who played for nine different teams, was suspended for illegally throwing spitballs, but never faced the stigma of being labeled a cheater. Outfielder Willie Mays, considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time, is thought to have used
amphetamines, but is never put in the same category as today’s implicated cheaters. While there have been cheaters and second-rate citizens across the history of the sport, it seems that only the cheaters of the 1900s and 2000s are facing dishonor for their actions. If an American History museum can focus on a less-than-glorious issue such as slavery, why can’t a baseball museum accept its less-thanperfect history as well, instead of pretending that some of the game’s most prominent players
never existed? Refusing to recognize the great accomplishments of so many players because of mere accusations is a disservice to the history of MLB. No part of baseball’s history is perfect, and it is time that the voters on the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) recognize this about the Steroid Era. Until they do, the Hall of Fame will be an incomplete vision of what some want baseball to be. Contact Sam Dyer at samudyer@haverfiord.org
Ipinions Journal
Barry Bonds has been under heavy scrutiny regarding steroid use.
turner.com
Obama’s State of the Union Address: A Review Ethan DeLehman digs deep into President’s recent State of the Union address, critiquing the issues that President Obama left out and pointing out his dishonesties. Ethan DeLehman ‘16 At this point, The State of The Union seems to act as a medium for the President to respond to the concerns of the American public, and to attempt to quell the growing voice of disapproval towards the government’s actions. However, if President Obama’s speech is in any way meant to truthfully reflect the current state of the American people or the state of America as a whole, then it quite simply was not successful. Instead, it appeared to act as a self-congratulatory hour dedicated to lauding the Administration’s success and the successes that the President plans to achieve by the end of his term. The President began his speech by focusing on specific Americans that are helping the United States regain its greatness, with examples
including a teacher spending more time with students and thus helping to raise graduation rates, an entrepreneur starting a small business to lower unemployment and add jobs, and a rural doctor giving a prescription for asthma to a young child. And thus the tone for the sixtyfour minutes was set, as the President continued to utter little more than generalizations and onesided commentary on the state of the country. At no point did he speak on the realities of these topics, but rather focus on rhetoric and well puttogether phrases stated with the sole purpose of trying to appease rightfully unhappy American citizens. Following his opening on the coming positive changes to the way the nation is trending at the moment, the President then stated that he was there to offer concrete, practical proposals in order to help struggling Americans through
Obama delivering his State of the Union address
the expansion of economic opportunities to all social classes. So what concrete plans did the President offer to alter the downward slide of the suffering U.S. Middle class? It’s hard to say, as he then chose to touch on the strides that they have made on reducing childhood obesity, to partnering with 150 organizations to help provide assistance to those seeking higher education, to passing legislation on everything from “homelessness to marriage equality.” Outside of the oft-repeated concept that the United States’ fortunes were trending up once again and for the first time in years, I was unable to discern a common theme in his speech. Instead, he chose to present a smattering of small achievements that he has been able to reach during his time in office. Not once did the President address the increasingly critical issue of freedom of the press, nor did he mention the possibility of Americans being targeted by military operations on American soil. He did have the audacity, though, to state that his goals included restraint on the use of drone strikes – a promise that has been made time and time again for the past six
Associated Press
years, but with the exact opposite action being taken. He then went on to say that he would ensure that loss of privacy among the people would no longer be a problem, as he would work to reform and streamline American surveillance agencies stop foreign spying. If any single comment best encompasses the entire nature of the State of The Union address, it it that one. In front of the American people who put him into power in the first place, the President blatantly lied and misrepresented his administration’s actions. He has never had any intentions of altering surveillance programs, a fact that has become abundantly clear in recent months. And yet there he stood, acting as though it were true. Later in the speech, the President returned the the topics with which his speech began – the key strides that we must continue to make to return to a state of greatness. Unfortunately, his thoughts on these topics failed to elaborate sufficiently on his initial remarks. On the topic of education, the President elected to briefly touch upon the struggles that have faced public schools and higher education with optimism, acting as though the government had effectively worked to improve the unbalanced public education system or the amount of debt crippling college graduates. He harped on the fact that over half of the states within the US now offered high quality pre-K education for kindergarteners while not once mentioning a concrete plan that he would use to help restructure funds for the Department of Education. On the topic of unemployment, the President chose to focus on how Congress could reinstate unemployment insurance to provide money to those without work as opposed to focusing on proposing new opportunities to create American job development. The speech went on and the trend continued, with the President saying very little of substance during the duration of his sixty-five minute speech, while receiving countless rounds of applause and cheering. That is the State of the Union. To be fair, the annual address is rarely an honest declaration to the American people and instead takes the form of a PR statement. Obama promised change and an environment of transparency, but he failed to do so. His address was little more than a leader misleading his people to the sounds of cheers coming from his political allies.
Page 13
The Index
Opinion
february 2014
Issues at the Sochi Olympics; Corruption Marrs The 2014 Winter Games Despite the record amount of money spent on the games, athletes and journalists found the accomodations subpar. Alex Sanfilippo‘16 details the issues at the 2014 Olympics. Alex Sanfilippo ‘16
Corruption. Unfinished living accommodations. Temperatures in the mid-60s. These are all headlines pertaining to the 2014 Winter Olympics held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, in the southwestern corner of the country. These Olympic games have completely enraptured the Western media due to the unsettling details and images coming from the Olympic venues and environs. Twitter has been set ablaze by journalists’ complaints regarding the blatantly unfinished hotels allotted to the press. One journalist was quoted saying, “Almost every room is missing something: light bulbs, TVs, lamps, chairs, curtains, Wi-Fi, heat, hot water.” In Russia’s defense, it barely had five years to turn a semitropical resort of roughly 340,000 into a global focal point, while accommodating athletes, the press, and spectators. However, the fact that Russia spent a ludicrous $51 billion on this project, compared to the $6.4 billion spent on the 2010 Winter Games, makes it inexcusable that hotels are so unfinished. Russia’s bill even dwarfs the $44 billion spent by China in 2008, even given that the Chinese had to forcibly relocate millions of citizens in order to build the Olympic venues. The $40 billion in cost overruns in Sochi has led millions of people to speculate not only on why this bill got so high, but also where the money was actually spent if many hotel rooms do not even have shower curtains. Although there is widespread speculation over the true cost of the Olympics, it is certain that the 2014 Sochi games will cost more than any other previous Olympic games. So, the question that everyone is asking: How did Russia amass such a monumental bill? Many people believe that much of the money spent on the Olympics was lost in corruption. Russian political activist Alexei Navalny has claimed that, “Russia spent twice as much as necessary to build at least ten of the Olympic venues.” Navalny has even gone so far as to create an incredibly detailed website dedicated to showing the alleged overspending. Most people expected the Sochi games to cost much more than originally budgeted– after all, the Olympics had no business being held in a tropical vacation town, not known for its
snow, but rather its appeal to President Putin. To put this in perspective, Sochi and Orlando, Florida, have the same climate classification. Though it was to be assumed there would be cost overruns, $39 billion worth of added expenses only proves that at least some of that money had to be ending up in places other than construction projects. At its basic level, the Russian government’s motivation for hosting the Sochi Olympics can be stripped down to one thing: power. Power for the regime of President Vladimir Putin, and for Russia itself. Putin has been active in his quest for rebuilding Russia’s prestige, or, in other words, he wants to reestablish Russia’s
the greatest catastrophe of modern history and he has devoted himself to the resurrection and revival of Russia as a great power, an equal to the mighty U.S.” Hosting the Olympics in Sochi has allowed Vladimir Putin to amass power, within and outside of his country, and they have served to gain Putin the support of Russian people after seeing his popularity decline in 2013. Putin is able to retain his power by exploiting his people’s sentiments, and by hosting a successful Olympics games, a renewed sense of pride felt by the Russian people is an enormous win for Putin. Likewise, Putin was able to use anti-gay policies, which offend the West, to play to the sentiment attached to Russia’s conservative religious history and consolidate his grip on power. As long as the Olympics are successful in the sense that nothing catastrophic happens, and as long as the Russian athletes are relatively successful, the Sochi games will renew the
The government needs to choke off drugs at their source, not try and end the demand.
The official logo of the Sochi Olympics
New Yorker
status as a “world superpower,” a position that his country lost after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Mr. Putin has repeatedly showcased that Russia may in fact be much stronger than Americans realize through his continued interventions in Iran and Syria. Putin has used his position on the UN Security council to block American intervention in Syria, and has helped Iran fend off American inquiries regarding its nuclear programs. The Sochi Olympics are a way for Mr. Putin to demonstrate to the entire world that Russia is back with a vengeance and a clear goal, which is to regain the country’s former glory and stature. Putin has devoted himself to achieving this goal. Neil MacFarlane, Professor of International Relationships at the University of Oxford, notes that, “For Mr. Putin, the breakup of the Soviet Union was
Russians’ sense of national pride, as they will once again see their country as prestigious and powerful on the global stage. Thinking like this will seriously strengthen Putin’s government. These Olympics have Vladimir Putin written all over them: they are a personal project that he cares deeply about, which is why when the fifth Olympic ring did not function properly at the Opening Ceremony, jokes were made on the internet about how some unfortunate Russian worker was going to die. As comical as they are, the rationale behind the joke might be sound. Failure is not an option for Putin. Russia’s impact on global affairs have been more widely felt in the past months as Putin essentially forced the United States to allow Russia to mediate between the United States and Syria. A successful Olympics would only add to Russia’s
Sokolich expressed his concern that these traffic problems may have been “punitive.” As an investigation got underway, several people from the Port authority, including Wildstein, resigned and, as Christie found out about the incident, he fired his campaign manager Bill Stephen, who in one of his text messages called the Fort Lee Mayor an “idiot.” He also fired Bridget Ann Kelly for organizing the incident. Christie’s response to this new wave of evidence was a two hour press conference about the incident during which he was very apologetic. When asked if he knew about the scandal, he said, “I had no knowledge of this – of the planning, the execution or anything about it – and I first found out about it when it was over. And even then, I was told that it was a traffic study.” Wildstein’s lawyer, however said otherwise. In a letter to the Christie administration, he described the closings as “the Christie administration’s order,” and claimed that “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed.” No evidence was provided though. And this could very well have been an attempt from Wildstein’s lawyer to take him out of the spotlight, shift the blame and media attention to Christie, and get Wildstein more forgiving treatment from investigators. As for the 2016 election, Christie formerly lead the pack of potential 2016 Republican candidates by a wide margin, but his popularity has dropped in response to the incident. This should be particularly concerning to the Republican leadership as Christie has the potential to draw far more independent support than any other potential 2016 candidates. According to the January Washington PostABC News Poll, only 13 percent of Republicans said they would vote for Christie, behind Paul
Ryan with 20% and Jeb Bush with 18%. In addition, 33% of Republicans listed their view of Christie as unfavorable, versus 43% who said he was favorable. In the Democratic race the clear favorite is still Hillary Clinton. 73% of Democrats said they would vote for Hillary Clinton. In comparison to hers, Christie’s numbers don’t look very good at all. But Hillary Clinton has one incident on her books that is somewhat similar to Christie’s in that they are both part of the so-called “witch hunt.” That incident is the assassination of Ambassador Stevens in Benghazi following a terrorist attack on the US embassy in Libya. One key difference between Christie’s and Clinton’s respective “scandals” is that Christie’s administration deliberately closed down the George Washington bridge, as opposed to Benghazi, which involved lapses in judgment and decision-making instead of overt
expanding resumé of global success. This thinking explains why Putin has employed over 100,000 security officers to ensure that Sochi is safe for the duration of the games. A terrorist attack would bring six years of work crashing down on his head, and he would become a laughingstock among foreign politicians for his daring to host a worldwide competition less than 1,000 kilometers from Chechnya– one of the most dangerous and unstable regions in the world. To Putin, the 100,000 security personnel is an absolute necessity. Although Putin is trying to gain prestige and power for his country, at the same time journalists and social media have highlighted many of Russia’s shortcomings, and they also make his regime look almost farcical. Although Putin’s reputation outside of his country has suffered, what is more important to him is his personal power within Russia, and advancing his country’s position in the world. Not restricted by a Congress like in the United States, Putin can pay less attention to the moral aspect of political matters, and can focus more on what he wants to achieve, and how she can achieve it– by whatever means necessary. While these tactics may not earn him favor among Western journalists and politicians, his popularity within Russia is much more important to him than our opinion, and he will continue to work towards his vision for Russia. The 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, will continue to entertain people worldwide until the closing ceremonies on February 23rd. Other than the opening night debacle, no major catastrophes have marred the Olympics, and Russian athletes have been incredibly successful– leading the medal count at times throughout the competition. This is great news for Vladimir Putin, who has meticulously watched over his project of the past six years. Putin has been able to secure his position at the helm of Russia through not only his ability to funnel money to his powerful business leaders through the Games, but also the Russian success in the Olympics itself. The controversy within the Sochi Olympics has caused many people to question Russian tactics, but all things considered, the Games have enormous potential for Vladimir Putin, and for Russia itself. That is, if everything goes according to plan, but there is no doubt that Putin will do everything in his power to make sure the 2014 Winter Olympics bring nothing but prestige and power to his beloved Russia.
Is Christie’s Presidential Campaign Ruined? (Cont.) George Rubin ‘17
On September 9, 2013, in the New Jersey city of Fort Lee, the Port authorities of New York and New Jersey closed down two lanes of the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the world and one of the main access points to New York. The lanes were closed in a response to the mayor of Fort Lee, Mark Sokolich, endorsing New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s Democratic rival Barbara Buono instead of him. The debacle began with Matt Mowers, Christie’s campaign’s regional political director, requesting that Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor endorse Christie to which the mayor sarcastically responded, “Yes I’ll consider it, because I’ll consider anything.” The reason for this unusual request by Christie’s administration was that he wanted to have support from the state’s Democrats as well as Republicans for a historic landslide in the next election. Then, allegedly as a response to this incident, Chris Christie’s deputy chief of staff Bridget Ann Kelly emailed David Wildstein, the port authority official who personally oversaw the bridge closings, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” David Wildstein had the bridge manager carry out the closings. Soon after, the mayor called the Port Authority to ask what was happening. Their response was that they were testing traffic patterns. Among the people stuck in the gridlock on the bridge that day was a team of paramedics on their way to the home of a 91 year old woman. Instead of being able to meet the woman at her house they had to meet the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The woman later died of cardiac arrest. Her death was not attributed to the bridge closings but this was one of four such cases. After a couple of days of traffic, the mayor
political retaliation. The fact that Christie’s administration treated its power as a game and didn’t take it seriously is sure to discredit a possible Presidential run. While the Benghazi scandal put Clinton under fire temporarily, the “Bridgegate” scandal has brought Christie down to Earth and reinforced the image that his opponents will try to project – that of a bully who doesn’t play by the rules. It is possible that “Bridgegate” will blow over as Benghazi has. It may eventually just be a skeleton in Christie’s closet. But as of now, the horizon doesn’t look so bright for the Governor’s Presidential prospects. If investigators find out that Christie did know about the bridge closings as they were happening, he will likely not even be reelected as governor. If he did not know, then he will be accused of hiring incompetents and failing to manage his administration. Either way, he is in bad shape for a possible 2016 run.
Recent scandal has put Christie’s campaign at risk.
Bobby Cerventes
Page 14
The Index
Politics
february 2014
Politics Column: Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? YES, THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO Eric Petersen ‘15 It is clear that Americans need to unite to raise the minimum wage. There are several huge reasons why the minimum wage must be raised, but maybe the most compelling reason is the near lack of counterargument. The most that pro-business groups can cobble together consists of a thin platform railing against government intervention into the corporate world and fear-mongering about rising prices. The occasional Fox News reporter will also stoke fears of outsourcing. Conservatives love to warn about big government and a slow and calculative intrusion in American freedoms by the Washington elite. This is inherently wrong, as the minimum wage has been a staple of the American social safety net since the 1930s. The federal government has a legal obligation to continually raise the minimum wage as inflation decreases the value of that hourly pay. The other central belief of conservatives is that a higher minimum wage will increase prices to a level that American consumers cannot handle. One such theory proposed by many a Tea Party politician was that the price of the Big Mac, an American icon, would increase to a rate that few could digest. This, however, is incredibly misleading. In Japan, a nation with a slightly higher minimum wage, the price of a Big Mac is over fifty cents lower. The price of a Big Mac is nearing the same in Latin America as in the U.S, but the minimum wages are significantly lower. This is because the price of many products produced by low wage workers is not driven by production costs, but rather supply and demand. If Americans largely did not wish to purchase Big Macs, like in Japan, its cost would plummet. A cost hike of many products that could negatively impact the economy may exist in an alarmist, conservative version of the future, but it has no place in reality. Another conservative fear of raising the minimum wage is that it may lead to outsourcing. This is completely false and represents the desperation of the 1% to incite fear into the American electorate. You cannot outsource a McDonald’s worker, a custodian,
or a pizza delivery boy. Most factory jobs are unionized and the ones that are not certainly do not pay minimum wage. The ridiculous nature of conservative arguments to stall any rise in the minimum wage demonstrates the obvious choice to raise it. There are many reasons to raise the minimum wage, one of the chief reasons being the yearly inflation of the U.S. dollar. Every year, as more money is printed and more people use American currency, its value depreciates slightly. This means that if the government sets the wage at a certain amount, its real value will slowly lower over time. The minimum wage was last reset nearly five years ago, meaning that the real value of $7.25 an hour has declined since due to
In 1974, adjusted for inflation, the average low wage worker made $9.16 an hour. The poorest Americans now have less purchasing power in our economy and will continue unchecked if actions like raising the minimum wage are not done. Another frightening example of the urgency to raise the incomes of the lowest strata of workers the threat of a rising poverty level. Many economists have agreed that the average minimum wage needed to support a family of four is around $11 an hour. Anything less would lower the family below the poverty line. Again, the current minimum wage is $7.25 and President Obama hopes to increase it to $10.10. Some companies take advantage of the minimum wage by doing just that, offering
A minimum wage increase would allow people a living wage, argues Petersen.
inflation. The average worker making an entrylevel income now makes less than just a few years ago. If one investigates farther back, the loss of income of low-skilled workers is even starker.
Christian Science Monitor
the minimum. Many corporations actually cost taxpayers money in the process. With an inadequately paid labor force, thousands are forced to enroll in social programs to survive.
One such example of a heartless corporate employer is the shopping conglomerate Walmart. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce released a report recently about the cost Wal-Mart dumps onto the government because of a workforce largely below the poverty line. The report estimates “that one Wal-Mart supercenter employing 300 workers could cost taxpayers at least $904,000 annually.” This enforces the point that liberals make: raising the minimum wage might actually make the social security net more soluble and make social programs more sustainable. The government could decrease its yearly deficit without adding a single tax or slashing funding to any program. Many of the reasons may seem like a distribution of wealth, as the poor and government stand to benefit from this legislation. That is exactly what it is. Certain large corporations and ultra-wealthy “jobcreators” will make less of a profit, which could benefit everyone. Studies have shown that poorer people spend a much higher proportion of their income than the wealthy. A family of five that has a combined income of $60,000 will be forced to spend most of that in a year while saving a small amount for retirement or a rainy day. A family of five that makes $6,000,000 will only be forced to spend a fraction on necessities like food, clothing, and education. The majority of it will be for secondary luxury products, but most will end up being saved. The rich like to burrow their money in foreign bank accounts, not pay taxes on it or spend it. They may invest in it, but little will actually be distributed into the economy through products or jobs. That is how middle-class nations thrive, because most of the capital is in circulation, instead of being saved. What conservatives and the wealthy fear about raising the minimum wage is the fact that their enormous savings will be distributed into the economy and federal government, increasing growth at the expense of their bottom line. It is obvious that the United States should raise its minimum wage to stave off inflation, the poverty line, and a greedy upper class.
NO, better options to combat poverty Brendan Burns ‘15
In his State of the Union address on January 28, President Obama listed his administration’s goals for his sixth year in the White House. Among them were pushing an immigration bill through Congress, conducting a review of the federal job-training system, and establishing universal preschool for American children. At the top of his to-do list, however, was a 40% increase in the federal minimum wage, from $7.25, where it had been set since 2009, to $10.10 per hour. Polls show that a majority of Americans support raising the minimum wage, but economists are less optimistic. Raising the minimum wage, and thereby providing a stable wage floor, is an important part of the American safety net. However, research has shown that a minimum wage increase – even a 40% increase, as advocated by President Obama – is no silver bullet. Contrary to logic, it is not always the poorest Americans that reap the majority of the benefits. Raising the minimum wage is not by any means the knockout punch against poverty that it is touted as. A recent CBO study found that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would bring 900,000 Americans above the poverty line. This might seem like a tremendous accomplishment, but this gain isn’t even sufficient to reduce the poverty rate by 1 percent. The CBO also found that such an increase in the minimum cost of labor would likely result in as many as one million jobs lost, with 500,000 layoffs being the nonpartisan organization’s best estimate. These job loss figures are not to be taken lightly – research shows that minimum wage workers often receive promotions or pay raises soon after their initial minimum-wage employment, but this upward mobility no longer exists if poor workers cannot find jobs in the first place. Data also show that the key factor determining whether a family is in poverty is not wages, but employment itself. Only 7 percent of
impoverished families have a full-time worker. The entire bottom 20 percent of American earners – including many individuals above the poverty line – average only 0.42 workers per
higher pay may not be the poorest Americans and an increase could actually “harm the truly disadvantaged,” according to the New York Times’ Christina Romer.
Conservatives argue that an increased minimum wage will negatively affect the jobs market.
household. This seems to suggest an employment problem, not a problem of insufficient wages. The effects of an increase in the minimum wage are much more complicated than simplistic assessments by Obama and the Democratic caucus in Congress. A higher cost of labor is offset by an increase in the prices of goods produced with that labor. More expensive consumer necessities disproportionately hurt the poorest Americans. A higher minimum wage also attracts more efficient, skilled workers, meaning that those who actually earn the
aei-ideas.org
Forbes analyst Jeffrey Dorfman calculated that the initial net redistribution from employers and owners of capital to low-wage workers under a minimum wage increase to $10.10 would be about $100 billion. Based on this figure, it costs about $110,000 in redistributed capital to bring a single American out of poverty (compare this figure to the federal poverty line of $23,550 in annual income for a family of four). Why does it take $110,000 to accomplish this? The CBO found that “the increased earnings for low-wage workers resulting from the higher
[$10.10] minimum wage would total $31 billion,” however, “just 19 percent would accrue to families with earnings below the poverty threshold, whereas 29 percent would accrue to families earning more than three times the poverty threshold.” The correlation between minimum wage labor and poverty is clearly a weak one to begin with. Raising the minimum wage is clearly not effective antipoverty policy. It does make perfect sense to adjust the minimum wage with inflation to ensure that a stable wage floor doesn’t gradually drop off. A stable minimum wage provides economic opportunity especially for young Americans, who are typically not as wellemployed and nowhere near as wealthy as older Americans. However, that doesn’t mean that a 40% increase in the minimum wage should be in order, especially given its questionable antipoverty credentials. A much more effective option for combating poverty would be an expansion of the earned-income tax credit (EITC), a tax credit targeted specifically at poor households with children. This program specifically targets poor Americans and alleviates poverty through tax relief instead of direct intervention into the machinery of the American economy. The EITC increases poor Americans’ income directly via tax refunds, instead of indirectly (or not at all) through a higher minimum wage. The Census Bureau estimated that the Earned Income Tax Credit kept 5.4 million Americans out of poverty, at a cost of about $55 billion, or about $10,400 per individual. The Earned Income Tax Credit is more focused on helping poor households, does not cause job losses, and doesn’t deter employers from hiring. It also happens to be cheaper. If President Obama seriously wants to alleviate poverty in the United States, there are better places to start than a massive increase in the minimum wage.
Page 15
The Index
Opinion
february 2014
The Index Interviews Lt. Col. Dr. Nagl On Issues Plaguing the Middle East Fifth Former Brendan Burns sits down with Headmaster, retired Lieutenant Colonel, and counterinsurgency specialist Dr. John Nagl to discuss current events in the Middle East and developments in the War on Terror. Brendan Burns ‘16
BB: You Graduated from West Point in 1988, at which time the United States had not faced the terrorist threats that it has today and counterterrorism was not as emphasized in military education. What led you to pursue counterterrorism as your field of expertise? LTC NAGL: [In the Persian Gulf War] we cut through the Iraqi Army like a hot knife through butter and turned it from the fourth largest army in the world to the second largest army in Iraq in 100 hours. The Soviet Union had just collapsed. It was hard for me to imagine, when I thought about the experience I’d had of coming of age during the Cold War, patrolling the interGerman border with live rounds as a West Point cadet, shadowed by Soviet Patrols on the other side of the border, the Soviet Union collapsing while I was studying international relations at Oxford, getting a piece of the Berlin Wall in my hands, stuff that I never imagined that would happen….The Iraqi army was clearly not a match for us, and I couldn’t imagine any army fighting us conventionally given the extraordinary military superiority that the United States had shown in Operation Desert Storm. I became convinced that the future of conflict was going to look more like Vietnam than like Desert Storm, so I wrote my doctoral dissertation [Eating Soup with a Knife] on how the US army adapted to Vietnam and I compared it to how the British Army adapted to the insurgency in Malaya [from 1948 to 1960]. BB: Marine General Victor Krulak once said, “You have to win totally or you are not winning at all.” Obviously the United States entered into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with superior conventional military capability, but how well have we succeeded in winning the “war of the minds”? LTC NAGL: In an insurgency, the enemy determines that it can not or does not want to confront its enemy’s military forces in the field of battle and instead hides within the civilian population. Conventional military forces are not welldesigned to take on that challenge, and my argument in my doctoral dissertation is that they have to adapt and learn throughout the course of the conflict. I argue in Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife that the US military, and the US army in particular, did not adapt quickly enough in Vietnam. I also argue that it did not properly learn the lessons of Vietnam. When I published my doctoral dissertation in 2002, I argued then that we were not ready for the next kind of war. What you’re ultimately trying to do is create a state that can stand on its own so that its own security forces can confront these challenges. If you understand that as the end you are trying to achieve, you spend at least as much time building police forces and an army for that state as you do fighting the enemy directly. We did not do that successfully in either Iraq or Afghanistan. We were slow to that fight. Armies are designed to kill people and break things, but to win this kind of war, you have to help people and build things, but you have to do it in a conflict zone. So it’s an incredibly tough challenge. BB: Will we ever be able to win the “war of the minds” against Islamist organizations like al Qaeda? LTC NAGL: I am unusual in that I think that the war in Afghanistan is likely to turn out reasonably in accordance with US interests; I am pretty lonely in that belief. I am also rather lonely in the belief that we have already strategically defeated al-Qaeda central. Their leadership has been decimated, they are no longer effectively able to control their organization; they cannot mount strategic attacks. No President will say that – no one wants to say “Mission Accomplished.” There have been a number of splinter groups – al Qaeda has essentially metastasized. The brand name is still good, but those organizations [in Africa, Syria] have mostly local reach. They can kill people in the areas in which they
operate but other than the affiliate in Yemen, they don’t have much ability to reach out and touch us here and so my belief is that we will continue to battle al Qaeda affiliates for decades to come. It’s worth noting that deer kill more Americans every year than terrorists. BB: If the United States had not pulled out of Iraq as expeditiously as it did in 2011, if it had maintained a more constant presence, could we have avoided the al-Qaeda insurgency in Central Iraq and Fallujah that we are seeing today? LTC NAGL: The short answer is yes. I think we essentially pulled defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq by failing to sign a status of forces of agreement that would have allowed American forces to stay. The blame for that is probably split evenly between the George W. Bush Administration, which initially signed the agreement with the Iraqi government that we would withdraw all US troops by the end of 2011 and President Obama, who failed to negotiate hard enough
Gates has post-traumatic stress issues…he ends the book by noting that he has asked and been granted permission to be buried in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, which is where the kids who fell in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried. That tells you a lot about Bob Gates. There is criticism that he published during the administration of a president that he served for, which is traditionally verboten, not done. And I think that, in general, that should not be done. [But] I’m going to cut Bob Gates a break. He needed to let this out.
grandchildren will be paying for that mistake. Had we not invaded Iraq in March of 2003, had we focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, [Osama] bin Laden could have been dead much sooner…As early as 2002, we were diverting intelligence assets and time to a future war in Iraq rather than an ongoing war in Afghanistan. Those mistakes prolonged the Afghan war and made a positive outcome significantly less likely. [The invasion was] probably the biggest mistake in American history, on par with Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union.
BB: Your opinion on the war being waged on terrorism in Pakistan and Yemen with Drone Strikes. LTC NAGL: Drones have given us an extraordinary capability that we’ve never had before – to operate within the borders of a country with which we are not at war. [The strikes] have been particularly effective in Pakistan, because that is where ‘al Qaeda Central’ moved after it was chased out of Afghanistan. I’ve said this on the record before – if we did not have drones, we would have had to invade Pakistan, a country of 140 million people with nuclear weapons, and a current American ally. Drones have been a very important tool for us and, on balance, have prevented far more deaths than they have caused.
BB: What is the greatest terrorist threat to the United States today? LTC NAGL: Pakistan. BB: Why is that? LTC NAGL: Let me describe Pakistan to you. It is a country of 140 million people, en route to becoming a country of 300 million by 2050. It has the fastest growing nuclear stockpile in the world. It is the worst proliferator of nuclear technology in the world. It supported Syria’s unsuccessful attempts to gain nuclear weapons and North Korea’s successful attempts to develop nuclear weapons. It has a large stockpile of poorly guarded weapons that could easily fall into the hands of terrorists. It has a significant radical Islamist infiltration problem within its military, very possibly at the command and control level of nuclear weapons.
Left: Pakistani soldiers stand beside a Shaheen-II nuclear missile. Right: An American MQ-9 Reaper Drone flies over Afghanistan
with the Iraqi government to change that policy. BB: The Iraqi government was under popular pressure to end American presence? LTC NAGL: Yes. Barack Obama was also under popular pressure to pull American troops out; however, popular pressure does not necessarily produce good policy. It was not in Iraq’s interest, in my opinion, to hurry the departure of US troops. And Iraq is recognizing that. BB: Robert Gates recently retired and published his memoirs [entitled Duty] in which he was very candid about his views of both the Bush and Obama administrations. Was it proper for Gates to publish criticisms of a sitting President? LTC NAGL: I got to know Secretary Gates fairly well when I was in the military; he appointed me to the Defense Policy Board. Gates took the strains of office very seriously, and to give you a quick sense of the job – his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, had an autopen sign condolence letters to families. Gates didn’t just personally sign letters, he personally hand-wrote letters to every soldier, sailor, marine, that fell under his watch. He asked for a packet of pictures, each kid’s service record, hometown obituaries; [he] really got inside the head of each kid who had fallen. And he lived by himself in Foggy Bottom, Washington. His wife stayed outside Seattle. And every night he wasn’t traveling on the job he would come home, throw something frozen in the microwave, eat it, and write two, three, four letters to the families of fallen kids. He did that for four years, through two administrations. The book he wrote [Duty] is his almost primal scream of anger, frustration, loss and sadness. He did the best he could, but he really needed to get it out. I think Bob
BB: Does this trump the fact that we’re wading into a constitutional grey area on the use of drones against Americans? LTC NAGL: No, I’m not sure I agree with that. I believe that the President is entirely within the authority granted to him by the authorization for the use of force by the Congress after the attacks of September 11th, in terms of conducting the drone strikes inside Pakistan – that’s entirely constitutional. The only question is whether Obama is authorized to kill American citizens using that technique. I am no Constitutional scholar but I believe if people continue to engage in actions designed to kill American citizens and do not turn themselves in at a US consulate, I believe that those individuals surrender their constitutional rights and should be killed, but by no means is that a legally correct opinion. I think we have a fascinating discussion about that, I just think we should have that discussion after those people are dead. BB: If there is one thing you could have changed about US policy in the war on terror, what would it be? LTC NAGL: [Defense reporter and writer] Tom Ricks begins his book Fiasco with words to the effect of “The American invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 is likely to go down in history as the most profligate act committed by any nation in history. Very possibly the biggest mistake the United States ever made — that’s how bad the invasion of Iraq was. It was unnecessary, [and] we should have known that it was unnecessary. It was unbelievably expensive; it killed many of my friends, and future generations will pay for that mistake – generations on generations. Your
It has dismissed a brigadier general – which is fairly high up in the ranks – for Islamist tendencies. It faces a number of insurgencies within its borders, some of which it supports. It supported the Taliban and continues to support the Taliban’s attacks within Afghanistan. It has a misguided strategic conception of its own importance – which is unbelievably bad – and believes that India is focused on itself as an existential threat, whereas what India thinks about is – BB: China. LTC NAGL: Right. What India thinks about is China. So you have a perfect storm. I am far less concerned about Iran developing a nuclear weapon than I am about Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Islamists. Pakistan is the most dangerous nation to the United States. BB: When, if ever, will the United States see the end of these Islamist threats that have characterized the past 15 years? LTC NAGL: Not in my lifetime. The problem is not as much the United States as it is inside Islam. There are no automobiles produced in the entire Islamic world. There are more books produced in Denmark every year than in the entire Arabicspeaking world. Freedom of information doesn’t exist. There are fundamental problems within the Islamic world, starting at the social and economic level. When you prevent women from working, you have economic problems. We are graduating more women than men from college right now in this country. You can’t give up that kind of talent. The contradictions within the Islamic world need to resolve themselves. My feeling is that that will take a long time.
Page 16
The Index
february 2014
Outdex Recently at The Haverford School... Noah Cutler ‘14, RJ Meiers ‘14, Sanjay Narayanan ‘14, Ian Riley ‘15, Will Tackett ‘14, Will Solmssen ‘15, Brendan Burns ‘15, Jackson Simon ‘15, Otis Baker 15, Jack McAleese ‘15, Major Tepper ‘15
Due to the significant decrease in the number of chili in a bread bowl lunches this year, Mr. Murtha has decided to seek new employment somewhere where the meal is provided more frequently.
The tennis team has the GPA award on lockdown now that Sam Kendall is rejoining.
Confidential informant using the codename "Dirtbike Jax" successfully kept the student body aware of any updates regarding snow days last week.
Sodexo officially changes their lunch special “Chef Jon Wrapz” to “Chef Jon Raps,” featuring salad Bars For Days, lines still not as good as Chef Henry’s, and the fresh beets.
Dr. Reich has told the Class of 2015 many times how he saw Pitbull in the airport once. Big deal, we see him every day.a
Demanding an end to the recent spate of snowstorms, PECO is holding the Voodoo Doll hostage until Dr. Nagl hands Cheyse Johnson over. As it is the military's policy to not negotiate with terrorists, Dr. Nagl has not replied.
Lt. Col. Dr. John Nagl is to be the 9th headmaster of Haverford. Not the 7th, nor the 8th. The number of headmaster that Dr. Nagl is is 9. Neither 10, nor 12, nor 16. When the 8th headmaster is no longer headmaster, he is to be the 9th and following headmaster. Amen.