March 2011 Index

The Index Eutxia Swzein Dokei

Volume LXXII, No. 5

March 2011

Haverford, Pennsylvania

SparkNotes: Fail or Foul?

Tadas Antanavicius ‘12 It’s 12:00 AM. You still have to do thirty pages of reading for English class. What should you do? Read them, get a few hours of sleep, and later regret the two hours you spent procrastinating on Facebook the next morning? Or should you simply spend five minutes reading chapter summaries on SparkNotes and leave your procrastination unpunished, encouraging you to do it all again the next day? Increasingly, many students are choosing the latter, opting to take a shortcut rather than taking the time to complete their assignments.

SparkNotes originally began as “TheSpark,” a prospective dating website created in 1999 by a few Harvard students. To raise more interest in their site, the students began to add a few literary study guides known as “SparkNotes.” Gradually, TheSpark’s popularity and amount of content grew as high school and college students began to discover this convenient tool; the owners soon realized that most of their suc-

cess was due to the study guides.

After gaining a significant amount of popularity, SparkNotes was sold to its current owner, Barnes and Noble,

for $3.5 million in 2001.

Today, SparkNotes remains best known for its tools in relation to literature, primarily book summaries and analyses, but also modern Eng-

lish translations of classic authors such as Shakespeare. Although it has expanded to provide aid in various other subjects such as standardized testing and college research, these features remain deep in the shadow of the actual “SparkNotes.”

The website’s estimated three million unique visitors per month places it among the most popular websites in the world.

The trend of greatly reduced traffic in the summer months suggests the majority of these users are students.

Barnes & Noble continues to keep the site free continued on page three...

Inside This Issue...

Pg. 3, Test Calendar Issue Pg. 4, Are Three-Sport Athletes Dying Out? Pg. 5, In-depth View on Sleep Deprivation Pg. 7-8, The Power of Social Media Pg. 9-10, Spring Sports Previews Pg. 12, Mr. Kolade and Mr. Ranzer’s Take on Music Pg. 13, Wikileaks Debate And much more...

Sexism at Haverford: Female Faculty Perspective Henri Mattila ‘13 The results are startling. Multiple female faculty members were interviewed on their feelings and experiences concerning sexism in the community, and the information garnered represented a multitude of different feelings.

Beginning with the positive, nearly all those interviewed describe the boys of Haverford as un-sexist.

Spanish teacher Ms. Danielle David describes her own students as “wonderful, sweet kids” and believes that as a whole the students of the school give her due respect.

English teacher Ms. Rebecca Smedley, among many others, considers the matter “not a big problem,” since she has experienced no disrespect because of her gender.

All female faculty members reported something similar; they have not felt discrimination by the students for being female.

However, a number of those interviewed also state that they regularly witness “crude” behavior, such as hearing boys say, “Don’t be such a girl,” “That girl was so hot” and even more sexually suggestive comments. Other common issues

witnessed are passing gas in class, drawing inappropriate pictures, and sticking hands down pants in class. One teacher notes that, “This would never happen in a co-ed school.”

Another common consensus is that a number of students will act “completely ridiculously” whenever there are girls around, whether “cat-calling” in an assembly with girls or “acting like idiots” when there are girls in the building. Whenever the girls from The Rock School come visit, a teacher says that, “It is like teaching a different class.” A faculty member remembers being “shocked” and “offended” when she first came to the school and saw an EA Day video depicting boys doing illicit things that made women seem like objects. She says, however, that the conditions have improved and “couldn’t imagine something like that” happening now. One faculty member explains the severity of this crudeness problem: “These boys need to learn how to behave around women because they will definitely need to mature by college.”

Not all problems, however, have been purely off-hand and indirect to the teachers themselves: as many are aware, last year an incident occurred when a student, through his inappropriate actions, led a female teacher to feel objectified. Years ago, a senior placed his hand over a female teacher’s shoulder as if she were a friend, showing a clear lack of respect. She looks back on some instances of boys thinking they could take advantage of her academically due to her gender, and recalls the anxieties she felt when her credibility as a teacher of an all-boys class was questioned by parents due to her being a woman.

The problem of sexism may not originate from the students, but reportedly from the administration of the school. A faculty member describes the school administration as showing signs of gendersuperiority. She, among other members of faculty, also notes that the school administration is largely male, and as another one puts it, “It is interesting how there is practically no female-representation in the administration.” Yes, as many

teachers agreed, Haverford is an all boys-school and it should make sense that men are the leaders, but some are startled that there is not even a “minority voice” for women in the higher administration.

However, it is important to take into account that there is some female presence in the higher levels of administration, such Ms. Nelson as the Middle School Dean of Students and Ms. Davis as Dean of Faculty.

Whether it is changing in the hallways or saying something inappropriate, the women of Haverford appear to deem that the reason for these behaviors is simply that they forget that there are women in this all-boys school.

Some consider the school itself to have some sexist aspects, while others recall worse things happening in the past. In the midst of all the diversity discussions in the school, one woman member of the community believes that the matter of gender-issues is now “our last frontier.”

Page 2

March 2011

News & Features A Letter from the President

Letter from the Editors-in-Chief

Dear Student Body, After a long and persistent winter that brought too much snow and not enough snow days, spring has finally rolled around. The days are much longer, the weather is much nicer, and everyone seems a bit happier for it. But weather isn’t the only indicator of spring.

At Haverford, we know spring is here when the quad is filled with benchball players, ripping tennis balls at opponents’ benches and occasionally at the library windows. We know spring is here when the Theater Department puts on a great production after months and months of rehearsals. We know spring is here when lacrosse coaches’ whistles are heard late into the afternoon, when baseballs bounce off metal bats, and when guns are fired to start a race.

For Fifth and Sixth formers, spring also means Prom. Whether you dread the inherent awkwardness of prom or if you feed off of it, that time is fast approaching. This year, however, the Third and Fourth Formers will be getting their own prom in the form of the first ever Spring Formal on Friday, April 8th. All Haverford Third and Fourth Formers are invited and encouraged to bring a date. In addition to your dates, Baldwin and Agnes Irwin are invited.

Third and Fourth Formers are also encouraged to bring in a check before hand so they do not have to pay at the door. We are hoping for and expecting a big turnout for this event, as everyone in the student body will reap the benefits of another successful dance.

But spring also marks the beginning of the end of yet another year at Haverford. Students are eagerly anticipating spring break, which serves as an oasis until summer arrives. Now is not the time to put the breaks on though.

So keep doing what you have been doing, and have a great spring!

Dear Index Readers, Today is the first day of spring, and as we approach our Spring Break, we realize this school year is going quickly… maybe a little too quickly. Every year we anxiously await our winter and spring breaks, and we count down the days until summer vacation. Let’s face it, we all do it. But now as we are nearing the end of our time here at Haverford, we can’t help but feel a little sentimental. Everyone tells you your senior year will go fast, but, truthfully, the last four years have gone incredibly fast. So our advice to all underclassmen is: don’t wish the time away, counting down the days before vacations. When all is said and done, we will actually miss this school, and everyone in it.

Now wipe your tears and read this edition of The Index.

We’ve loaded it with interesting articles about lacrosse player stereotyping, sexism at Haverford (from the female perspective), a review of Bobby’s Burger Palace, spring sports previews, and more.

So get reading!

Sincerely, Ryan Blake & Changhee Han Editors-In-Chief

Your President, Armen Melikian

community Service Update B.G. Lemmon ‘12

Thank you to everyone who came to Empty Bowls. It was a tremendous success; over 400 people attended and we raised nearly $10,000. Here are some events to look forward to in the future: -Checking for Cancer, April 16

Checking for Cancer is part of a Lacrosse tournament held at Haverford. The event raises money for prostate cancer, the #1 killer among men today.

-Home Run Derby, May 2 (During Community Period)

This event is a school event where members of the Sixth Form and faculty participate in a home run derby on our own field. The day includes beach balls, sunglasses, and hotdogs and hamburgers made by the Haverford School faculty. All donations go toward benefiting prostate cancer.

-Shane Victorino Foundation Family Fun Day, May 21

Fitz Tepper has brought the Shane Victorino foundation to Haverford this year. The Shane Victorino Foundation is dedicated to helping underprivileged youth in Hawaii and Philadelphia. If you have any questions, please see Fitz.

Thanks again, everyone. Let’s finish the year strong!

The Index 2010-2011 Staff

Ryan Blake, Editor-in-Chief

Changhee Han, Editor-in-Chief

Peter Thompson, News and Features Editor

Will Offit, Sports Editor

Taylor Mansmann, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Connell Kling, Staff Photographer

Mr. Thomas Stambaugh, Faculty Advisor

Submissions are welcomed at: hsindex@gmail.com The Index is a student-run publication of The Haverford School. All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. We welcome all articles and editorials as well as unsolicited material.

The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched.

Hardware: Apple Macbook Software: Adobe InDesign C3 Printing by School Publications Company. Neptune, N.J. Copyright 2011.

Page 3

march 2011

News & Features Does the Test Calendar Actually Work?

Grayson Sessa ‘13

Is the test calendar a dependable ally of students or simply a wellintentioned but unsuccessful attempt at managing students’ workload? The Haverford Upper School test calendar is supposed to detail the dates of all the tests and major projects assigned to students. In this way, teachers hope to ensure that students never have more than two major assessments due on the same day. However, students and teachers have differing opinions regarding the calendar’s actual effectiveness.

Fourth Former Sam Bloch does not see it as a useful tool because “not every teacher uses it.” The lack of uniformity among teachers’ use of the calendar appears to be a concern shared by numerous students. Sixth Former Abdul Sesay and Fifth Former Tadas Antanavicius expressed opinions similar to Bloch’s. Fifth Former Payton Cuddy called the test calendar “frustrating…just because it’s not on there or just because it’s not a test doesn’t mean it’s unimportant or irrelevant” as he noted that teachers rarely recognize that there are other tests not on the calendar.

But some faculty members hold differing opinions. Academic Dean Mr. Dan Slack says, “From looking at it, my sense is that most teachers do [make an effort to use the Test Calendar].”

Dean of Students Mr. Mark Fifer said it also makes teachers “aware of periods when students may have heightened levels of work.” Language Department Chair Ms. Sara Adkins believes that teachers do use the calendar for tests but should use it more for other assignments weighted similarly to or requiring the same amount of preparation as tests.

Head of Upper School Mr. Matthew Green agrees, “Ideally, all teachers would list major assessments on the test calendar,” noting its “user-friendly” aspects. Mr. Slack does see another flaw in the system, “A student could be overwhelmed with the two things that are due: one might be a lot larger than just a simple forty-minute test.” Mr. Green also says that “teachers do not always know which of their students are taking which class, so they are not

able to determine if their students are overbooked on a particular day.”

Bloch proposes a plan without a test calendar, advocating scheduling to be done on a student-by-student basis: “They should just take their students’ word when they come for an extension…because they have more than two assignments already scheduled for that day.” But some students acknowledge the success of the calendar. Fifth Former Jon Smith says, “Kids aren’t being overloaded completely.” Third Former R.J. Meiers agrees: “I haven’t had many tests that fall on the same day.” This approach is not unique to Haverford: in fact, multiple teachers referred to other area schools with a nearly identical calendar, including the Agnes Irwin School.

The test calendar, which can be accessed by all via a link on the Faculty/ Staff Community page of the Haverford site, also appears to be cloaked in mystery for both students and teachers. Mr. Slack and Ms. Adkins only recently learned that the calendar could be viewed by anyone. Several other students and faculty members were similarly unaware of this detail. Mr. Slack emphasized the importance of student awareness of the test calendar.

“Students can see in my class when a major event is coming up. Does that student look at the test calendar and see where the other tests are? I don’t know.” Awareness of the test calendar would then lead to more conversations between the teacher and student about workload, particularly, according to Ms. Adkins, during “the last two weeks of a marking period…and other crunch times that you don’t expect.” To increase awareness among students, Mr. Slack suggests making the calendar more visible on the school website and spending time in advisory to review it.

The test calendar has come a long way in recent memory. Mr. Green notes that it is a marked improvement from one of its previous forms, “the large paper desktop calendar posted in the faculty work room.” In the future, Mr. Slack is interested in learning if the test calendar can be integrated into the school’s new Google Apps system.

Sparknotes Continued

continued from page one... to the public in exchange for advertising rev-

enue.

Has SparkNotes found its way to Haverford? “[SparkNotes] is pretty prevalent,” says Fourth Former Evan Kuritzkes, “Some students use it only occasionally, but others read SparkNotes in place of their nightly reading.” English teacher Mr. Boham agrees, “I think students use it all the time either as a replacement or sometimes a complement to reading they’re doing in English class.”

The concept of SparkNotes - summarizing and providing analyses of books - seems to provide little more than a shortcut to nightly reading and interpreting, but can it be used in a positive way? “It can be used in a right way and a wrong way,” said English teacher Mr. Ranzer, “Some students do benefit from reviewing a summary after they’ve read, but others use it as a replacement for the actual book, and obviously that’s

The Truth Behind Lacrosse Stereotypes

Travis Chou ‘12 What comes to mind when you think of a Haverford School lacrosse player? An intellectual? Someone well-mannered? Or a “meathead” or “lax bro”? It seems that many in our school community think the latter, that these students are merely strong jocks whose sole focus is lacrosse. Many believe that lacrosse players consider themselves above everyone else and that teachers bend the rules for them, allowing lacrosse players to ignore the dress code and neglect their work.

Perhaps this stereotype is exacerbated by social media through videos on YouTube, such as “Ultimate Lax Bro” and “Con Bro Chill” which embellish the stereotypical lacrosse player. These videos depict lacrosse players as simple-minded people, who only care about partying and looking good while playing lacrosse. Although serious lacrosse players see these videos as humorous, many others attribute these negative traits to all lacrosse players thus creating a stereotype towards lacrosse.

At Haverford, where lacrosse receives high visibility, the lacrosse team strives to contradict these stereotypes. “I always try to tell our kids at practice to be in dress code and make sure they are acting right in school,” said Mr. Loving, Math teacher and Assistant Coach of Varsity Lacrosse. “I think a lot of these stereotypes come from what people say and write at school, just like what happened in the Outdex last month.” Last month in the Outdex, a joke was made asking teachers to please excuse lacrosse players from homework and the dress code since it is now lacrosse season. Although meant as a joke, comments like this contribute to the negative stereotype.

Sure, these jokes may be very funny, but at what cost? If people can get past the stereotype and get to know the Haverford lacrosse team and its players, they may be surprised at what they find.

“We are athletes just like other athletes, but maybe because we excel at our sport and there is so much hype about Haverford lacrosse, people just wait for us to fail and always try to find negative aspects of us,” says Gavin McBride, a current Fourth Former on the Varsity lacrosse team. “People think that all lacrosse players are dumb. Out of the seniors who are going to play Division 1 lacrosse, a lot of them are going to play at Ivy League schools like Princeton, Penn and Harvard. Some people use the excuse that the only reason they are going there is because of sports, but that is unfair. Students like Grove Stewart and Alex Beatty maintain high grades even though they have already gotten into college.”

Are there “lax bros” on the Haverford lacrosse team? Perhaps, but they probably would not last long because it takes a lot of dedication and perseverance to remain on the team. Not only are practices long and grueling, but also travel time for out-of-state games is significant. All players must work hard on their game outside of practice and in the offseason with many arriving at school regularly as early as 7 AM in order to work on their individual lacrosse skills.

Afterwards, they still have enough time to work on their academics.

Haverford Lacrosse players are not only dedicated to being a better lacrosse player, but also a better student.

not the correct way to use it.” Mr. Boham added, “If you’ve read the book and you just want to review for a comprehensive test or reading quiz, it can be very helpful in collecting your thoughts, finding out what the main points are, or recognizing major quotations.”

In regards to the students who use SparkNotes incorrectly, wherein lies the blame? Is SparkNotes itself making the information too accessible? Are teachers giving enough quizzes? Or should the students be policing themselves? “I don’t blame SparkNotes,” remarks Mr. Boham, “It can be used positively. If something can be used positively, it’s not inherently negative. I tend to err on the side of technology and not blame the tool; I put the onus on the person using it.” Fourth Former Grayson Sessa concurs, “It’s an issue of honor for students to read the assigned books. In this community, we should be able to trust students to do the reading for the sake of actually being interested in the book.”

Page 4

March 2011

News & Features

DECA: A Behind-TheScenes Look Nick Desatnick ‘11

What is DECA? What does it stand for? And why is everyone so excited about it all of a sudden? To most, it appears to be a rather amorphous organization, an obscure business club that seemingly came out of nowhere three years ago only to subsequently explode in popularity. All that is known is that every few months, its members run off to mysterious competitions in exotic locales and haul home treasure troves of trophies.

Despite all of the announcements and this fall’s Reflections assembly, very little is known about what its members are actually up to. As prominent as its recent success has been, its premise remains nebulous. So what exactly is DECA and what is it all about?

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is a business competition league with over two million students participating around the world. Just as the Mock Trial Team allows students to explore their interest in law, DECA exposes its members to the world of entrepreneurship, marketing, financial analysis, and management through competitive case studies and events. At the beginning of the year, members select a topic of interest from a list of events, which includes everything from “Business, Law, and Ethics,” to “Financial Services” to “Marketing Management.” Over the course of the school year, Haverford’s chapter allows its students to compete in their event of choice at the District, State, and International levels. At each step in this hierarchy, students square off against dozens of competitors and vie for a chance to advance to the next stage by completing two types of assessments. The first is a 100-question multiple choice test which gauges each person’s knowledge of key business concepts. The

second is a competitive case study exercise in which students take on the role of an executive, prepare a solution to a real-world problem, and then present their ideas to a panel of judges who work in the industry. At the end of the competition, the scores from these two sections are tallied and the top finishers are recognized with trophies and medals during elaborate closing sessions.

Though Haverford’s chapter is only three years old, it has had a remarkable season, most recently establishing itself as a preeminent team at the 60th annual State Conference. At the end of February, 26 aspiring businessmen schlepped out to Hershey where they faced over 1,500 competitors from around the State. Over the course of three days, each student vied with 50 other competitors in his respective event for a place in the top four. After the tests and the case studies were completed and the scores were added up, it was revealed that Haverford dominated the winner’s circle, placing sixteen of its students in the top four slots across fourteen categories. No other school in recent memory has come close to matching that level of success. With sixteen of its 26 competitors advancing, Haverford attained a yield of 61.5%, a percentage that is higher than that of the next best team by a factor of six.

With the International Competition in Orlando on the horizon, DECA’s year is far from over; nonetheless, Haverford’s chapter has already begun thinking about next year.

The team is always looking for new members, so if you have an interest in business or want to take part in a challenging and successful organization, look no further.

Above is a picture of the Haverford School three-sport athlete board in the gym

Decline of the Three-Sport Athlete lacrosse,” Joe said. “I basically go season to season except for Is the Iron Man enough to save lacrosse and football in the a new batch of multi-sport summer.” When asked about jocks? how he is able to take part in The level of competition in three varsity sports, he menvarsity sports has increased tioned, “I think that playing since past generations were en- three sports is actually a good rolled in high school. In order thing. For instance, basketball to keep up with fellow athletes, helps me get in better shape for many students have decided lacrosse. Different sports help to commit to only one or two you get in shape in different sports twelve months a year. ways.”

Depending on the sport and Some underclassmen are the skill level of the player, already noticing the tough there are certainly cases where grind of playing varsity sports, athletes excel in multiple athand therefore have decided to letic arenas. Switching sports commit only to one respecseason to season, however, has tive sport. Fourth Former never been harder due to the Kerry Kynett pointed out, “I’ve greater commitent levels. played winter track and soccer, According to Assistant but it is hard to really commit Athletic Director and founder to a sport other than lacrosse.” of the Iron Man Award MiA swing player in his freshman chael Murphy, “Playing sports season Kerry believes that in is harder today because of the order to be the best he can, he way society looks at it, saying has to play lacrosse “twelve that if you want to be good at months a year.” something you have to play it When Fourth Former Carlo year around.”

DeMarco was asked if he The Iron Man Award is an could fit in another sport on honor that graduating seniors his schedule besides soccer, he receive if they have competed responded, “I would not be able in all twelve of their high to do that because I play soccer school seasons. When asked all year around. There is only about why he came up with this enough time to play one sport award, Coach Murphy respond- for that long.” ed, “Times have changed a little While there are members with specialization of sports, of the Haverford Community and I felt like it was time to get who strive to compete in three back to focusing on our multidifferent sports and be acsport athletes by giving them knowledged with the Iron Man recognition for their accomAward, many athletes specialplishments.” ize in only one sport. Greater Sixth Former Joe McCalcompetition and dedication to lion is a student-athlete who high school sports has spurred will receive this acknowledgmany students to concentrate ment once he completes the on one or two sports in order to lacrosse season in the spring. keep up with their improving “I play football, basketball, and peers.

Drew Field ‘13

Page 5

March

2011

News & Features The Power of Social Media Changhee Han ‘11 In an era of exponential technological growth, the world has found itself increasingly relying on electronic media to advance social causes, especially in the field of politics. This relatively new trend, which traces its roots back in the early 2000s, has caught on in countries globally including the ubiquitous developments in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya that have proliferated in the media today. Authoritarian governments fear it. Oppressed populations thrive on it. While the cellphone or the radio or the Internet may be unremarkable in and of themselves, it is the ease with which ordinary civilians can access and propagate information over the media to people around the world that lends itself the incredible amount of power it holds. Whether we realize it or not, we are in the midst of incredible political change intensified by the advent of new media technology.

A clear distinction that needs to be made, however, is that social media cannot induce change by itself. It primarily serves as both a

catalyst and a medium for the one key ingredient that all political revolutions need: social discontent. If used appropriately and efficiently, social media can transform that discontent and anger into a fullblown political revolution.

All of this has been inevitable with the growing accessibility towards information. The world is changing as we speak. With a click of the mouse or a single text message, things that would never have achieved worldwide attention on their own are now being thrust into the world’s spotlight. Electronic media has assured us that the political playing field has now drastically changed whether for better or worse.Whether we realize it or not, we are in the midst of history - history on a far greater scale than any of us could have imagined.

The following timeline traces a small glimpse of how social media has affected us throughout history:

The Boston Massacre: March 5, 1770 British troops stationed in Boston to enforce the Townshend Acts fire on a angry crowd on King Street. The five people who were killed, including a mixed-race sailor named Crispus Attucks, were martyred in the newspapers, further infuriating the public against British suppression. Artists and reporters, interestingly enough, made sure to demonize the British troops and neglected to mention the violent manner in which the crowd was conducting itself. The very word “massacre” was, in and of itself, a very intentional and inflammatory device utilized by the press to incite greater action against the British.

2001: The Philippines Philippine President Joseph Estrada faced an impeachment trial for corruption charges. However, key evidence that exposed his illicit political activities was put aside by a loyalist jury, thus prompting a wave of outrage amongst millions of civilians watching the trial. In a matter of days, a mob of over a million people gathered within a plaza demanding his oust. According to NYU professor Clay Shirky, over seven million texts were exchanged between the collaborators of the movement. Estrada was eventually ousted.

2010: Tunisia Dictator Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, after 24 years in power, was toppled from his throne after a mass revolt was conducted by Tunisian youth on Twitter.

China: Surprisingly, China has so far been able to successfully quell any significant dissident movements including the recent Jasmine Movement based off the turmoil in the Middle East. Most notably, however, were during the earthquakes that had wracked China within the past decade. Public concern and doubt surrounding the poor construction of school buildings led to speculation that corruption within the architectural sector was responsible for the mass damage. The Chinese government, immediately sensing the danger, quickly disallowed journalists from covering the disaster.

Page 6

March 2011

A Tunisian vegetable seller named Mohamed Bouazizi lights himself on fire after his vegetable cart, which was his only means of income, was confiscated from him. To add insult to injury, a policewoman, conveniently representing the oppressive police government, slaps him across the face in public.

Photos and videos of the self-immolation rapidly intersperse throughout the Internet and suddenly, the Arab World has taken to flame.

Wael Ghonim, head of marketing for Google products in the Middle East, operated under the pseudonym The Martyr and organized a Facebook page that campaigned against the Egyptian government.

According to Newsweek, an invite he sent out to more than 350,000 people asking them to join him in a revolution received 50,000 responses - all saying yes.

The government later sent out undercover police to take him into custody, but this decision accidentally makes Ghonim into a martyrlike figure. Despite his suddenly being the symbolic front of the new revolution, he insisted that, “The real driving force behind the protest would be the people he was trying to empower.”

2011: Egypt Anti-Mubarak factions posted messages and published pamphlets that detailed where protesters should congregate, what to chant, and even what to wear. According to Time, examples of these include wearing sweatshirts, gloves, and sunglasses to protect against the burn of tear gas. Facebook and Twitter are the main medium of communication.

Baseball Looks for a repeat Ryan Blake ‘11

Photo courtesy of The Telegraph.

2011 : The World - Post-Japan Crisis Extensive news coverage on the earthquake crisis in Japan has spurred growing popularity for anti-nuclear energy activists across the world. Countries such as Germany, the UK, and China have either declared to suspend or dismantle nuclear reactors citing concerns that even Japan, a highly technological nation, could not safeguard its plants against natural disasters.

The greatest impact, however, was in Germany where the majority of population was already against nuclear power. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had actually opted for a 12-year extension of the country’s nuclear reactors, had to rescind her initial statements and declared eventual shutdown for the 17 plants remaining in Germany.

The Index would like to

congratulate Mr. Cloran, Mr. Stairs, and the entire cast of Urinetown on three exceptional performances!

After last year’s Inter-Ac win, expectations are high for this season.

The Haverford School Baseball Team will be making a trip to Orlando, Florida this spring to get some practices and games in before the crux of the season. Practices are looking good, and the team is off to a strong start with three wins and no losses.

The team is led by a group of Sixth Formers who have all experienced significant varsity playing time in past years. Vince Rondolone, Mike Washington, Scott Safford, Ryan Blake, Nick Craig, Tom Harper, and Dan Tornetta will all start this year - and all received playing time during last year’s Inter-Ac title run. In three games this season the team has already scored thirty-four runs, including home-runs from Sixth Formers Washington and Blake, and Fourth Former Sam Bloch. On the mound, the team returns Fifth Former Eric Close and Blake, who will be starting on the mound during Inter-Ac games. Fifth Former Vince Piccioni and Sixth Former Thomas Harper will likely be coming out of the bullpen in those games. Much is expected from Harper this season, as he will be both catching and pitching in Inter-Ac games.

The team has high hopes for a repeat title going into the season; said Sixth Former Thomas Harper, “Everyone on this team believes we can get another ring. The mentality of the team as a whole has changed. We go into games now and expect to win. We don’t just hope anymore. We have the attitude of professionals, now.” As the assistant coach P.J. Vanni always says, “all-business.”

The attitude of the team this year is different, it’s special, and it’s all about winning another title.

Page 7

march 2011

Sports Tennis Team to Fight to Retain Inter-Ac Championship Title James Shecter ‘13 This year’s tennis team is looking to dominate this season and maintain its hold on last year’s Inter-Ac title. Last year’s varsity team, coached by Mr. Antonio Fink and Dr. Mark Gottlieb, went undefeated (10-0) in league matches and had a 15-1 overall record. The junior varsity team is also seeking to defend their Inter-Ac title under coaches Mr. Justin Gaudreau and Ms. Danielle David.

The varsity coaches are both hopeful for another championship season, despite losing key leadership in Sixth Formers Nick Berrettini and John Shields. Dr. Gottlieb is very confident that “our many new, talented players are capable of stepping up to fill their positions.”

Sixth Form captain Dan Hawkins is also very optimistic even with the loss in talent. He said that Haverford “is definitely the team to beat this year in the Inter-Ac. With the new talent that we’ve received in Third Formers like John Zipf, Sam Kendall, and [Fourth Former] Connor Curry, we’re better than ever.”

Coaches Fink and Gottlieb have also noted that the team has already become much more unified and focused, even though the season has just begun. Fifth Former Dan Brennan agreed and said, “We are much younger than last year, but I think we bring more intensity and the team seems to have bonded strongly already. He and veteran Fourth Former Jordan Lieb, both representing Haverford in singles last year, are confident that “we’ll dominate the competition and repeat” as league champions.

However, while Dr. Gottlieb thinks the team has “an excellent chance of retaining the Inter-Ac

Title,” Mr. Fink is more circumspect, but still hopeful. He said, “I don’t see why we wouldn’t [repeat as champions], but I still think we should. If we play as hard as were practicing, it shouldn’t be too difficult. We also have so much young talent that the years to come look very bright as well.”

On another note, the Inter-Ac League decided to switch the format of the tennis matches. Rather than playing four singles and three doubles matches as in prior years, matches will now consist of three singles and four doubles. On this possibly controversial issue, Hawkins stated that the team “is much more adept in all areas of tennis compared to last year’s, and this new format shouldn’t be a problem, especially since Coach Fink is always drilling us on our net game.”

Lieb also thinks “the format change will benefit the team.”

The team is made up of Sixth Former Dan Hawkins, Fifth Formers Dan Brennan and Andrew Han, Fourth Formers Connor Curry, Jordan Lieb, Bradley Scherer, James Shecter, and James Tarte, and Third Formers Sam Kendall, Jabari Stafford, John Zipf, Faasel Khan, Naryan Rustigi. These thirteen will be vying for the eleven available starting slots.

Due to an insufficient number of courts on Haverford’s campus, home matches will be played at Haverford College, Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr College, or Paddock Park.

The student body should come out to support the winning tennis team whenever it can. A crowd would mean a lot to the players and to Coach Fink and Coach Gottlieb.

Haverford vaulter soaring to new heights.

Haverford’s vaulters prepare for action.

Golfers Look Forward to a Dominating Season Will Offit ‘11 Golf requires perfection. When a Haverford student wants to try out for the golf team, they must be well trained. Knowing this, the team still holds an eightround qualifying tournament to determine the top-eight spots on the team. Someone who has never played on the golf team before has the same chance as Sixth Former Ted Brennan to get the top spot. In this way, the players from previous years are shown no favoritism. The best must prove themselves to the coach each and every year.

It is this team-first mentality that has led the Golf team to great success over the years.

Since 2005, the Fords have a 50-16 record. Last season’s impressive 7-5 record, which most teams would savor, was Haverford’s worst in the half-decade.

Last season was considered a rebuilding year and yet the Fords still managed to find success.

Thus in the 2011 season, success is assumed. However, this is not over-confidence. As Brennan remarks, “We had workouts over the offseason and are practicing more than ever.”

How will the team improve?

Last year’s Sixth Formers will be replaced by Second Form

prospect Alex Fisher and EA transfer Jimmy Ryan. Some of these players stepping into new roles also include Third Formers and Fourth Formers Cole Berman, Jake Van Arkel and Ryan Tetrault. Scott Jaster is another young player who is expected to have a larger role on the team.

Along with Brennan, Fifth Former co-captain Mac Selverian will take over the leadership duties. They will most likely be playing in the 1 and 2 spots all year.

But most importantly, the team has named Haverford alumnus Gui Costin their new head coach.

In addition to being a great personality, Costin has leveled up the program by creating more workouts and extending tryouts.

As for competing in the Interac, Brennan remarks, “Every team in the Inter-Ac got worse this year and we got significantly better, so we expect big things, but Coach Costin has stressed that we need to take each match as seriously as the next and not get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Brennan expects that this humble, yet confident mentality will allow the Fords to become as successful as the 12-1 team from 2009.

page 8

Sports

march 2011

Strong Crew Team To Row for More Medals Fisher Pressman ‘13

The crew team is like a phalanx.

The boat, and by extension the team, is only as strong as the weakest link. If one rower has a problem, then the other rowers will be affected. Coach Jim Barker knows this best and has led a prestigious crew program over many decades for Haverford.

This year, the team is looking for national titles, wins in all of the Manny Flicks, and victories at the largest high school event in the world: the Stotesbury Regatta.

The season did not start in the early spring as most other spring sports do. It did not start in the winter or even the fall; the crew season never started because it never ended, it simply gained new rowers and lost some. If we wanted to put a date on the start of the season, then it began in the summer with camps such as Black Bear Rowing.

In the fall, the team had daily practices and races; in the winter the team practiced in the gym, using the “ergs,” or ergometer rowing machines, to practice. Finally, the team has entered the spring season, the most important part of the year, in which the team can show off its hard work and bring home as many medals as possible.

This spring, the crew is looking stronger than ever; the Sixth Form is full of varsity rowers, the Fifth and Fourth Formers make up a strong junior varsity team, and the Third Formers make up a large

and powerful novice class, ready to row.

Among the Sixth Formers, captains Chris Magnani, Alex Goodman, and George Pagano show their leadership every day. Chris Magnani commented, “This season is going to be a strong one.

We have a large senior class and a healthy sophomore class. This season we will have a really competitive program; we will have a great year with a large team and a large leading senior class to help us win.”

Along with the captains, Sixth Formers Heston Berkman, Kumar Bhattacharyya, Christian Hopkins, Alex Rhodes, Jes Sacharok, Kaess Smit, and Hunter van Adelsberg make this year’s senior class one of the largest in recent history.

Alex Goodman adds, “This season should be very solid as long as the team meshes well together, and we keep our conditioning up from the winter season.”

For the juniors and sophomores, the team has a healthy level of membership. With a combined twenty members of the junior varsity team, the team has a chance to win big at City Championships

and Stotesbury. Fourth Former John McMichael commented, “So far, the season is going well. Even though we are still early in the spring season, the boats and rowers have been training all winter and it looks like we will have a promising season.”

As for the Third Form, the numbers are astounding. A total of fourteen are now on the crew. They are the future of the team, and with these healthy numbers, the next four years look promising.

Third Former Chet Bickhart

said, “We are having a great start with a lot of freshmen, who are all having fun and performing well this far. We expect a great season and with the help of Coach Barker and Coach Huidekoper, we will win.”

Ultimately, the coaching staff makes the team what it is today.

Under head coach Jim Barker, a living legend who is in the Rowing Hall of Fame, the Haverford crew team has won countless national and international titles and races.

Coaches Jim Barker, Prescott Huidekoper, and trainer Bonnie Malumed all help the program with their daily coaching and years of experience.

Head coach Barker said, “We are going to win this year. We have a great team, a great number of coaches, and lots of dedication. We have a great team.”

Ms. Malumed also commented saying, “Barker is excited. We have a very strong senior class and we are looking forward to Cities, Stotes and on to Nationals. I hope to see a very strong younger class emerge and to have all of the boys get better at the sport; we want to win this year and in the years to come.”

As for the rest of the season, one thing is certain: the Haverford crew will be a strong force on the river.

With a large team of dedicated coaches and rowers, and a legacy to continue, the Fords will row to victory.

Ultimate Frisbee Holds High Expectations for Talented Team Will Offit ‘11 If you take the time to venture to the Polo field, you will notice a group of aspiring athletes jogging on some uncut grass. This is Ultimate Frisbee. While Ultimate doesn’t always select for the premium Haverford athletes, those who participate at least know how to throw a disc.

With that said, learning the art of the disc toss is not easy. Only the elite players have mastered throws such as “The Hammer” and “The Forearm.”

This year’s team has the biggest outpouring of Third Formers in the program’s history. 36 members of the Haverford school community can claim that they belong to

Haverford Ultimate Frisbee. This number is so large that head coach Stephen Kim has decided to create an ‘A’ team and a ‘B’ team, using the B team to develop young talent for the future.

After an above average regular season and second-place finish at the City Championships, the Fords are hungry for more.

As for the returning players, Sixth Former Nick Rhodes and Fifth Former Andrew Helber return as captains. Sixth Formers Chris Quigley and Andrew Webb are returning and hope to bring veteran experience. Quigley, voted as the most competitive student in the class, brings a fire and desire to win that is unmatched. Webb, a multi-sport athlete, brings the

athleticism required to chase down long passes.

With many new Third Formers trying out, there are also a plethora of Sixth Formers joining the team as a fun spring exercise that also serves as a sports credit. Sixth Former John Shields has played Frisbee all throughout his life, but has also played tennis in the spring all throughout high school. This year, he decided to take his talents from the tennis team to Ultimate.

Sixth Former Andrew Acker has taken his 6’ 7” frame from Crew to Ultimate. The team hopes to use his length in tight spaces in the end zone, much like they used Eric Malumed last season. Other Sixth Formers new to the team are Rob Solmssen and Will Nelligan, who

joined late last season.

Fourth Former Peter Thompson and Fifth Formers Frank Brown, Toby Blumberg, Jake Elkin, and Mostafa Seliem all return to the team and will help the team recover from the loss of its strong senior class last year.

Nick Rhodes, feeling the momentum growing for the team, believes that “this team should win everything.” According to Rhodes, “the talent on this team has raised the expectations from last year.

The seniors last year weren’t all that great to be honest with you.

I expect more commitment and harder work out of this younger team.”

Expect greatness from this team.

Page 9

Arts and Entertainment

march 2011

Eating with Sam: Bobby’s Burger Palace Sam Bloch ‘13

If you venture into the Philadelphia streets of 39th and Walnut, you may want to stop in at Bobby’s Burger Palace. Nestled between Chipotle and the soon to be opened Hummus, Bobby’s may just be the best burger place in town.

The burger joint that opened this summer has other stores between here and Connecticut. It is a Bobby Flay restaurant; Flay is one of the most highly regarded chefs in the world and is know as the “grill master.” Bobby’s Burger Palace may be the only place where you can have some of Flay’s great cuisine at an affordable price.

The restaurant is not just your typical burger joint. Bobby’s is all about the toppings. Many different regions of the United States are represented in each of the tenburger combos, which are named after different places. Philadelphia is fortunate enough to have its own burger on the menu.

Because I live in Philadelphia and pride myself in being a Philly boy, I decided to try the Philadelphia Burger on my first visit to the restaurant. The burger contains either provolone cheese or cheese whiz, with griddled onions and hot

peppers. I opted to get provolone on mine. But I didn’t just stop there. I got the burger “crunchified,” which meant the burger had potato chips added to the top.

Biting into the juicy burger was

by’s also has excellent fries and onion rings, among other things.

The fries are fried and salted to perfection. They are served with Flay’s signature fry sauce, which is one of seven sauces that you can

a delight. The juices flowed out and were absorbed by the perfectly steamed and seeded bun. The potato chips added just enough crunch to the cooked-to-perfection beef. The peppers were hot and the onions clearly fresh. Overall, this burger earned an A from me.

But at Bobby’s, the burger is only part of the experience. Bob-

use to accompany your food. The onion rings may be the best item on the menu, but they are also the heaviest. If you order these perfectly fried rings, then you may not have room to finish your burger.

So, only get these if you really want to eat a lot. The fries earned a B from me, while the onion rings received an A.

The restaurant also has a very fitting design. Although it may be hard to pick up on at first, Bobby’s is actually designed like a burger.

Well, at least the color scheme is. The floors are a light brown, similar to that of a burger bun, the tables are a darker, ground beef brown, and on the walls are pictures of various burger add-ons.

The décor in the restaurant adds to what will surely be one of your best burger experiences ever.

When I rave to my friends about Bobby’s, the most common question that they ask me is whether I prefer Bobby’s to the more wellknown and more accessible Five Guys. Although I will concede that the burger at Five Guys is slightly better than the burger at Bobby’s, I remain steadfast in my belief that Bobby’s is an overall better burger experience. Bobby’s isn’t quite as heavy as Five Guys (it is still by no means a light meal) and the atmosphere in the restaurant is more pleasing. So, next time you are craving a burger, head on over to Bobby’s Burger Palace where you will find great food and a great environment all for an affordable price.

Andrew Acker & Blair Pie did a musical?

Alex Goodman ‘11 “Time’s running out”; “It’s my last chance”; “I still don’t have an arts credit…” All are thoughts that may run through a Sixth Former’s mind as he thinks about what dozens, possibly hundreds, of past Sixth Formers have done before him since the birth of the Haverford theatre program: tryout for the spring theatrical production for the first time before the end of a chapter in his life.

Now, a first-time performance in the spring production is not a typical run-of-the-mill, last-ditch effort to impose one’s mark on Haverford before an otherwise inconspicuous exit amongst fellow graduates the first week of June.

We all remember certain examples of either vandalism or outrageous acts that past Sixth Formers have gotten away with, but it is assuredly nobler to endure a greater challenge: learning a whole new form of art in only a couple months.

While that may sound difficult and unlikely, it is the case for many Sixth Formers who were worried that they had not done enough at Haverford to provide and leave a significant mark on the school as a whole.

This year, Mr. Cloran and Mr. Stairs combined their choreo-

graphic and musical prowess to produce a show that has been called “truly memorable” from a cast that has been raved as “notably strong.” And no less than six out of the total sixteen Haverford seniors in the show found the musical to be an absolutely novel experience. Three of these so-called Sixth Form rookies, Blair Pié and Andrew Acker and Andrew Webb, were all prominently featured in the Cop Ensemble, a gang of brutes with surprisingly succinct and rhythmic dance moves.

For their talent and dramatic flare, they have led their ensemble to be selected as Haverford’s nomination for “best dance ensemble” in the local Cappie Awards.

On his experience in the play, Andrew Acker said, “I did it because it is my last opportunity to ever perform in a play. Honestly I did not want a major role. I just wanted to see what it was like to be in a play, and I’ve learned to have respect for what the actors and actresses do.” This further proves that ensemble members are just as important to a play or musical as those who have major roles (like that of Peter Rogers in Urinetown).

Andrew Webb added, “I’m a senior and was doing nothing. [I] have

Above are Sixth Formers Blair Pie, Andrew Webb, and Dan Hawkins. For Blair and Andrew, this musical was their first, always wanted to do [the musical] before, so why not? Now I wish I did it all four years.”

As the academic workload ebbs during second semester of senior year, there is suddenly time for activities like the musical. It is evident that Mr. Cloran and Mr. Stairs and their shows, as well as the new Sixth Formers who participate, benefit from this extra time. Most Sixth Formers feel that the Haverford productions are something special, a cut above the rest...simply put, people think Haverford productions are excellent. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that many Sixth Formers would like to partake in this excellence before leaving for college, and

never again having the oppourtunity to perform on stage. Some Sixth Formers also wanted to do the play because it is a great way to meet new people - both underclassmen from Haverford and girls from schools like Baldwin, AgnesIrwins, Shipley, and Merion Mercy Academy, to name a few. Whether it is simply a new way to meet girls, a new passion found late in a high school career, or just a chance to try something new, doing a Haverford School production in one’s Sixth Form year is a great choice to make, and one that no one could regret.

page 10

Arts and Entertainment

March 2011

Mr. Kolade’s Music Recommendations

Zion I & The Grouch - Rockit Man ft. Silk-E

Lil B The Based God - Base for Your Face ft. Jean Grae & Phonte (explicit)

These two West coast (Oakland to be exact) “underground” legends collaborated on the 2006 Heroes in the City of Dope and are back together with their first new single from their upcoming Heroes in the Healing of A Nation.

This is perfect West Coast hip-hop: laid back but not too chill, heavy bass, cruising music. The only difference between this and “standard” West Coast hip-hop is that they are still very lyric conscious and never let the message get lost to the beat.

The hook is sung by Silk-E and she definitely adds a nice touch of soul to this “future music” produced by Amp-Live.

Despite the fact that this song is by Lil B, who I have personally stayed away from partly because of his involvement in the group The Pack and his Tyler, The Creator-esque antics), it is produced by 9th Wonder (one of the best producers out), includes a chopped Flava-Flav sample, and two of my favorite rappers ever, and for those reasons I had to give it a chance.

Another West Coast act, Lil B does a solid job of not being out shined by the crazy talented Phonte (One half of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange) and the best female rapper in the game, Jean Grae. That being said, I think the beat takes top billing on this song though as 9th seems to have finally gotten away from the soul samples that made him famous and produces a chilled out track that emphasizes the style of all three rappers.

Mateo - Power ft. Pusha T & Ab-Liva By far my favorite song of the three. This remix/re-interpretation of Kanye’s “Power” by the new and upcoming R&B singer does an amazing job of re-inventing the song but still keeping somewhat true to the original.

While it is very ambitious to attempt to remix a Kanye song, Mateo completely delivers and puts together something that is both new and an homage.

The slowed up and more mournful track lends itself to his soulful singing, and Pusha and Ab-Live do a great job of complementing his vocals with their back and forth rapping.

Pusha (one half of The Clipse) has been on a tear lately and if nothing else, this song should be checked out for his verse. After a couple of listens, this song will probably go right up there with the original.

Mr. Ranzer: English Teacher by Day, Dr. Ranztron by Night Peter Thompson ‘13

Gtownradio.com. Gtownradio. track by listening in head phones to com is an internet radio show, make sure it will “make sense” (ie.

Ever since the song “That’s Boosh” which Mr. Ranzer believes is the Going from jazz to metal would was discovered by students, Mr. future of radio. not be palatRanzer has been suspected of being He stated that able). a DJ legend. He did in fact write radio has been If Mr. that song with a good friend and “off of the dial Ranzer is not even worked with the radio station and more on moving about WRUV in Vermont before coming the internet.” the studio, it to Pennsylvania. He eventually His show is is only for a found his way to Brooklyn, where called “Soul brief moment, he continued to DJ in clubs, speJunction,” and and that’s what cifically hosting “The Bus Stop,” he usually he loves about often staying up until 4 am. plays 20-25 it. Growing Mr. Ranzer’s arrival to the Hav- songs per up in radio erford School has limited his time session, all of allows him to focus on DJ’ing. But even with which are off to formulate a child taking up most of his time, vinyl records. his own style he has recently decided to use his Before leaving while derivskills in a radio show nearby. Mr. for the studio, ing aspects of Ranzer stated that radio shows Mr. Ranzer others’ to add provide more “autonomy” bechooses a into his own. cause he does not have to keep selection of He learned the crowd enthused, but rather can records from DJ Ranztron in his studio; photo courtesy about “talk over of Mr. Ranzer play whatever he feels like and not his collecmusic” from worry about letting a live crowd tion of 2,000. He enjoys records radio stations he listened to. Talk down. “It doesn’t matter if anyone more than mp3’s because they are over music is a piece of music, listens,” says Mr. Ranzer, “It has more tactile. Instead of choosusually instrumental, played below always been my passion.” ing the next song with the click of the voice of the host as he/she Every Wednesday night, Mr. a mouse, Mr. Ranzer has to spin gives a brief background on the Ranzer travels to a studio in Gerrecords and make sure the transipreviously played track. Although mantown where he occupies a tion is smooth. While one track is Mr. Ranzer could talk about each time slot from 8pm to 10pm on playing, he is also queuing the next of his 2,000 records for hours, he

simply supplies a small 30-second description, giving the bare minimum statistics about the tracks, and continues with his selections.

The music Mr. Ranzer plays is most likely nothing you have ever heard before. He visits record stores to add to his collection, and with the world focused on iTunes, most of the songs that are played on his station are “rare.” His show plays mainly jazz, soul, and hiphop. Thanks to the advanced technology involved with the studio he uses, all of Mr. Ranzer’s shows are recorded and then posted on his website: souljunctionradio.blogspot.com. Each track title goes up after the song ends, in case anyone listening missed Mr. Ranzer’s description. He receives no money from this extra-curricular activity but does not mind because he says “he loves to do it.” It appears as though DJ Ranztron has made his comeback.

Tune in to “Gtownradio.com” every Wednesday night from 8pm to 10pm to hear some great music.

And if you miss anything, the blog page is: souljunctionradio.blogspot.com

Page 11

Opinions

march 2011

Does Wikileaks pose a threat to U.S. National Security?

No, Wikileaks is Simply a Media Outlet, Not a Terrorist Organization Fisher Pressman ‘13

Yes, Wikileaks is a Threat to U.S. National Security

Wikileaks is not a threat to United States national The Wikileaks organization, founded by Grayson Sessa ‘13 security. If anything, the Internet is. Regardless of Julian Assange, is in possession of secret Wikileaks, the classified government information was put on the Internet. Wikileaks documents regarding the foreign policy and military maneuvers of the was simply acting as an intermediary between reporters and the source of the infor- United States. The release of these documents has put United States military mation. They are falsely being blamed for the potential threat the information poses personnel in grave jeopardy. The State Department said that the most recent to the United States, but that threat is not Wikileaks’. It is the Internet by which the leak will put military lives in danger. Representative Peter King, Chairman information travels through as well as the very sources of the information. of the House Homeland Security Committee, has declared it “worse than Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer of BT, commented, “The U.S.A. a military attack.” The Obama administration reported the leak puts “lives thinks they control and manage Internet access, but they don’t. We, the people, at risk” and “put[s] national interests at risk.” In fact, over half a million control and manage the Internet with our power.” Secretary of Defense Robert documents have been published and Wikileaks plans to release hundreds of Gates himself has said that the release of the cables, while embarrassing, does not thousands more. These documents reveal confidential military strategies and threaten U.S. national security. Therefore, Wikileaks is not to blame; they are not undermine the United States’ foreign policy. Many contained the names of responsible for how the news is used.

Afghans cooperating with the U.S. in the ongoing effort to stamp out terrorWikileaks is a media organization similar to The New York Times or The Guardism. ian. Wikileaks did not “steal” this information Richard Dalton, a former U.S. ambassador, said – it received it from another individual or group. that the leaks may make some statesmen from other Saying Wikileaks is a threat to national security countries altogether end their correspondence with the is tantamount to saying that The New York Times U.S. For example, Singapore is reducing its diplomatic is a threat to national security if it happened to ties with the United States out of fear that more of its publish confidential information. diplomats’ conversations will be released. Similarly, Government officials leak information all the the government of Yemen had been secretly helping time for different reasons. In the electronic age, it the United States government combat terrorism. Now is inevitable that more information will be leaked that documents proving this cooperation are public, accidentally or released maliciously. We also have Yemen has cut its close ties with the United States. Dr. to consider that the U.S. is a dominant global Jaro Bilocerkowycz, a political science professor at the military power, spending more than 26 times the University of Dayton, says, “It has embarrassed the total amount that the next top-ten countries spend U.S. There is a need for a certain amount of trust and on national defense. To claim that some leaked [candor] among diplomats.” Unfortunately, Assange’s documents threaten U.S. national security is actions are dissolving this very trust. ridiculous. In fact, the release of the document has In addition, it is not just the men and women servallowed for an overhaul of the governmental and ing in the armed forces that have been unnecessarily military transfer of information which only serves endangered; Wikileaks has also come after businesses. to better the protection of national security.

Assange, who was arrested in his youth for hacking into Wikileaks’ intentions were not to hurt the the computer systems of banks, has been taking advannational security of the United States. In fact, tage of his image as an omnipotent, mysterious man.

Wikileaks contacted the State Department to ask Knowing full well that no one is able to learn exactly if any of the leaks should not be released, inviting what is stored in Wikileaks’ cache, he has spread ruthem to “privately nominate any specific instances mors that he controls damning information regarding a (record numbers or names) where it considers Wikileaks logo courtesy of Wikileaks website. certain Bank of America executive. Assange continues the publication of information would put individual to use the situation as a personal game as he watches persons at significant risk of harm that has not the Bank of America’s stock crash. The material, if real, already been addressed.” Assange himself said, “You have chosen to respond in a could very well be harmless, but Assange is cruelly playing God with the lives manner which leads me to conclude that the supposed risks are entirely fanciful and of ordinary, innocent people. As Vice-President Joe Biden said, Assange is a you are instead concerned to suppress evidence of human rights abuse and other “hi-tech terrorist.” criminal behavior.” Wikileaks clearly states on its website that only about 1,000 Wikileaks is a threatening force of asymmetrical aggression. Asymmetriof the 250,000 diplomatic cables in its possession have been released. Nearly all cal threats, such as paramilitary forces and terrorists not based in a certain of those 1,000 documents were first released to mainstream news organizations, country, have caused the most trouble for the United States because there and Wikileaks published the ones the news outlets requested. On top of that, the is simply no way to respond. King argues that effectively responding to documents were redacted, as journalists deemed appropriate. If you want to blame Wikileaks is as difficult as responding to terrorists. Julian Assange is an AusWikileaks for “recklessly” releasing government secrets, blame the news organizatralian citizen and thus cannot be tried for treason in the U.S. Plus, leaking tions for “recklessly” deeming them newsworthy. In fact, a report by the Congressio- these documents may be labeled as “free speech,” further limiting the United nal Research Service, the independent investigative arm of Congress, has said that States’ damage-control ability. Moreover, by taking advantage of the internet any prosecution of Wikileaks would be illegal and politically unwise. Wikileaks was to help spread the leaks, Assange has achieved a level of world-wide visibilsimply trying to get out the news; they did not intend to hurt the United States. ity: the released documents can be seen by anyone anywhere. Finally, the The vast majority of the documents released by Wikileaks are nothing more than released documents cannot be traced back to their source in many cases. The cables from embassies that are, at most, potentially embarrassing for the United confluence of these aspects makes Wikileaks an undoubted asymmetrical States but nothing more. Dr. Jeannette Kavanagh, an Australian foreign policy threat and one to which the US has no way to respond. expert, says that even one of the most diplomatically charged documents concernWikileaks casts itself as a defender of transparency, but in reality it is a ing the U.S. and Australia did little to harm the relationship between the nations. mere extension of criminal organizations who hope to steal confidential docA United States internal governmental report has confirmed that Wikileaks’ docuuments. Everyone would consider an organization, whose sole purpose is to ments have “caused only limited damage to U.S. interests abroad.” That same steal and take advantage of confidential information, as a significant threat. review stated that the Obama administration and other governmental agencies only Assange is publishing documents that help these threatening organizations spoke out against Wikileaks in order to take legal action against the media and sus- such as the Taliban. Rather than these groups having to steal documents pected leakers. Even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that the cables themselves, Wikileaks is handing the information straight to them. Former were embarrassing, but did not threaten U.S. national security. The State DepartState Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, “The information could be ment agreed saying that any damage to U.S. foreign policy will be containable at used by foreign intelligence, insurgents or terrorists for planning attacks.” worst. Intelligence agencies agree. They announced that long-term damage to U.S. Finally, the harms to the United States far outweigh any benefits making intelligence and defense operations is unlikely to be serious. While the leak may be Wikileaks a decidedly negative organization. For example, journalist Suuncomfortable, analysts say that U.S. diplomats broke no national or international zannah Beiner of the Tampa Bay Online website says that the dissolving of laws in their dealings trust between governments is a harm that cannot be nullified by the goals In closing, Wikileaks is not the problem; the problem lies within the leakers, most of Assange’s civil disobedience. Many renowned politicians, whose careers notably Bradley Manning, who also released this information to other websites oth- are centered on issues of this sort, share that viewpoint. Secretary of State er than Wikileaks. The leaked documents were of no substantial risk to the national Hillary Clinton said, “There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent security of any country and even less to that of the U.S. As Benedict Brogan, Deputy people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations Editor of The Telegraph has said, “[Nothing unexpected was released] So the news between nations on which our common security depends.” In fact, Julian Asvalue of this story is the embarrassment it’s causing.” sange has described his actions as “an act of anarchy” some say are intended to bring about a form of chaos. As New American journalist Raven Clabough points out, “Very few people would describe anarchy as ‘beautiful.’” The same logic applies to Wikileaks’ malicious actions.

Charlie sheen was here. even when he wasn’t. that’s because he’s charlie sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

The Outdex Where Things Just Don’t Make Sense

A Special Investigative Report on the Real Honor Council

Head Honcho: Josh Barrett His eyes are always the same. Even when he laughs. Because deep down inside, he knows he’s just another Pablo Escobar. You may think he’s the nicest kid in the world...but that means he has you right where he wants you...

Head of Espionage and Propaganda: Zack Waldman

Director of Public Relations aka Keeping the Administration Happy and Unaware: Rob Solmssen

Threatened to have all the members of the Haliogoluk executed if they attempted to award him and Jared Khan the superlative “Best Couple.” We in the Outdex don’t heed his threats.

Recently named “Most Arrogant Man Alive” by The Main Line Times, Solmssen declared that it was an honor council infraction if anyone was as handsome as he was. 99% of the student population are now awaiting execution.

Leader of the Honor Council’s Secret Police: Beau Collins

Student Polls:

Our photographer who managed to snap this picture was never found again. The day after his disappearance, the cafeteria was served chili bowls and vegan nuggets. Mr. Murtha loves Chili Bowls.

WHO IS MOST LIKE Best Couple?

CHARLIE SHEEN? Rob Solmssen - 33 % Jared Kahn and Zach Charles Seltzer - 27% Jordan Langston - 25% Waldman - 98% Alex Dillman - 24% Mr. Patrylak - 1% Scotty and Rachel - 2%

Most Offensive Words a SecondSemester Senior Can Hear Test - 20% Homework - 50% Try - 20% Attend School - 20%

You may notice that these percentages do not add to 100. That is because we are second semester seniors...