September 2012 Index

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Volume LXXIV, No. 1

September 2012

Haverford, Pennsylvania

Welcome Back!

Boyek with Congressman Meehan.

Congressman Meehan on CNN.

Leslie Poor

ytimg.com

Fords Golf Takes Aim at Historic Season

Congressman Meehan Speaks to The Index Congressman Pat Meehan, who represents Haverford’s congressional district and is a Haverford father, sat for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Fifth Former Greg Boyek.

Jack Henderson ‘15 profiles the fall golf season and explains why this is the year to watch the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the golf team will have this fall.

I sat down in early August with Congressman Patrick Meehan (R), who represents the 7th District of Pennsylvania.

As with all members of the House of Representatives, the Congressman is up for re-election this November. I opened the conversation by asking about the topic most critical to the elections this year: economic growth and job creation.

“President Obama has proposed to Congress that they take action to create jobs and create tax credits for small business,” I stated. “According to the President, the “to-do list” was not accomplished before the summer recess. In your opinion, has Congress been successful in promoting American jobs and bringing us back from the recession?”

“The House of Representatives has been very responsible in putting forward an agenda that has dealt with all of those issues,” Congressman Meehan responded.

“We have passed numerous bills out of the House of Representatives that work with both the issue of jobs and the economy. We are [only] one third of the process in the House of Representatives, and I think that the President has laid out his own agenda but has done very little to try to compel the Senate to take a responsible position in enacting legislation which would parallel that which is passed in the House. It’s a matter of record that the Senate has now gone three and half years without passing a budget.”

Meehan continued, “In my mind part of

As the school year kicks off, the golf team has already begun its season with tryouts and matches. An astounding thirty-four Haverfordians took to the links on the 27th and 28th of August at Merion West Golf Club and Gulph Mills Golf Club competing for 16 spots, which make up both the Varsity and JV teams.

The incredible number of players reveals that golf is certainly on the rise at Haverford. Many returning players were enthused about the interest of student body and the competition that is undoubtedly brewing among incoming players.

With the high quality and quantity of players competing for a small number of spots, the tryouts were a great way to bring out the best in all of the players because no golfer’s slot was secure. Every player had to earn his position. The very next day the newly formed Varsity team had an important match hosted

by Conestoga at Waynesborough Country Club. While it may seem as though the season started too soon with little practice time, the entire golf team has been refining its skills and preparing for these matches all summer, so it can perform their best for the school season.

Coming off last year’s solid season with a crush against Episcopal on EA Day to boot, the Fords look to improve upon last season as the young core of the team has yet another year under their belt. Fifth Former Ryan Tetrault says, “We expect to come out strong, assert our dominance, and defend our InterAc title. Even with our team captain from

Greg Boyek ‘14

Also inside the Issue...

the difficulty is that it’s one thing to articulate speaking points but the real bully pulpit of the Office of the President could have better influence if he genuinely used it to get the Senate to work responsibly as this is the way the system is set up.”

“There have been real attempts to do the kinds of things that are most important: to create an environment which will allow there to be genuine job creation…to give those who will create jobs a sense of certainty that they may make their investments knowing that the rules aren’t going to change on them down the road.”

“Could you give some specific examples of legislation you’ve backed?” I asked.

“We’ve been very active in trying to create incentives – particularly reformation of the tax system. One of the things I think is paramount is the non-competitiveness of our tax code…We are still paying a higher tax rate than virtually every other country oversees except for Japan…which is now planning on lowering their rates…I have been part of a group to simplify the tax code to make us more competitive. Ultimately, when I talk to business leaders from big businesses…to small entrepreneurs…there is an awful lot of capital sitting on the sidelines right now that they are not willing to commit until such times as there is certainty on the direction of the economy.”

“You’ve expressed you intention to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act. What aspects of the law do you cite as reason to repeal the law?”

Continued on Page 13

Jack Henderson ‘15

In early June, students in last year’s Chinese II and III classes spent three weeks in China and Taiwan. Read about their oncein-a-lifetime experiences on (From left to right) Sixth Formers Connor FairPages 4 and 5. man and Gerard Hoeltzel and Fifth Formers Terry Rossi and Beauchamp Zirnkilton.

Niticon Davis

last year graduating, we are comfortable that we can all step up and fill in the gap. There are a lot of great players at our school, and I am certain we can put together another Inter-Ac championship team.” There are high expectations since only two players from last year’s team are leaving while Sixth Former Scott Jaster, Fifth Former Cole Berman, and Sixth Former Timmy Brooks lead the way as this year’s captains. Haverford looks to notch their third straight Inter-Ac title this year and have high hopes for the PAISSA Championships and EA Day. The decision to switch golf to a fall sport was made partially for the large increase in competition as many local schools had been playing in the fall for years. As a spring sport, the season would often get cut short due to the weather, which would often affect the course conditions negatively. Most players are happy with the move because they now have the entire summer to prepare. However, with more competition comes less course access, which makes it difficult for the coaches to organize the team’s practices and matches. Because of the large number of competing schools, the Inter-Ac instituted a new match format last year, in which all teams play together at one course hosted by one of the teams at their home course.

Continued on Page 11 Check out more sports coverage on: haverfordindex.com

Haverford welcomes many new teachers this year! Read about who they are on Pages 6 and 7.

Article Eating with Sam Letter from the President The Downfall of AOL Summer Lab Research Artist of the Issue Season Previews Most Important Election Follow the News Outdex

Page 2 2 3 8 9 10-11 12 14 16

Page 2 The Index - Editorials

Editorials

September 2012

Letter from the President Letter from the Editors Student Body,

Dear Reader,

At the end of last school year, I wrote a letter asking all of you to think about ways in which you will improve yourselves and the school for this upcoming year. I hope everyone took this advice and enjoyed their summers.

This year is going to be different than past years. With many original ideas, the Student Council is looking forward to improving the school as well as accepting the students’ voices, ideas, and opinions. I, personally, am very excited about the many surprises and interesting events we have planned for this year, so I want everyone to expect the unexpected.

As I said in my campaign speech, I enjoy being different and weird because these qualities allow me to enjoy a life, where the only path I should follow is the one I create.

Index Staff Michael Green.

I’m contributing this statement to the theme I want everyone to answer by the end of this school year: What do you want written on your gravestone?

Yes, this is morbid and scary to think about. But, the underlying message of this theme is to have everyone think about how you want to remember and be remembered when leaving Haverford, a grade, a classroom, or anywhere else.

For me, this summer was eye opening and important. I persevered through many challenges and learned a lot of information about who I am now and who I am going to be. Because of my new knowledge, I want to put “he lived” on my gravestone. These two words describe a lifestyle I enjoy, in which I seize any opportunity life gives me to exceed my goals, accept changes in my character and surroundings, and keep an open mind.

2012-2013 is going to be an open-minded experiment. It’s going to be interesting, hard, rewarding, surprising, miserable, and glorious. We are going to challenge ourselves to reach our goals; we are going to persevere through problems and celebrate accomplishments. And at the end of the year, we will all be remembered the way we want to be.

Your President, Michael Green

Hopefully, you have had a relaxing summer.

Everyone mourns the loss of those warm, ever-fleeting summer days, but we hope you are now ready to get back to a busy school year.

The Index staff is excited to be back to work and able to provide you with a quality issue, welcoming you back on the first day - even if Index Staff Grayson Sessa (left) and Jonathan Paras (right). you are still not quite ready to be back.

As in years past, The Index has the same primary goal: to produce nine monthly issues this year in addition to the special edition EA Day issue. Our mission statement remains the same: “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.”

But in this issue, you should also begin to notice us making good on some of the promises we made to the student body last June. This issue will feature pieces that have been inspired by what you, the reader, have asked for. This year, we are formally debuting the “Columns” section. Also, with the election coming up, we will be devoting a few pages at the end of each issue to special political commentary. As always, the website is set to feature a more expanded role on reporting events that occur throughout the school.

Maybe the biggest change is that The Index is now accepting advertisements. If you have any interest in purchasing a spot to advertise a need or desire, please speak to either of us, the Editorsin-Chief, or the Business Manager, Fisher Pressman. Embracing advertisements will allow us to print longer papers and possibly in color.

We look forward to welcoming you back and serving you this year!

Sincerely, Grayson Sessa and Jonathan Paras, Editors-in-Chief

Eating with Sam Sam Bloch ‘13 As a dedicated junk foodie, I am always on the lookout for new cheap eats in the Philly area that I may not know about yet. One night this summer, I stumbled upon a gem while watching the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The show’s host, Guy Fieri, visited Honey’s Sit’n Eat, which is located on North 4th Street in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section. Honey’s may be one of the most unique restaurants in the city because it combines Southwestern food with Jewish food. This creative combo produces some great eats.

On my first visit to Honey’s I wanted to try everything. I sat down for my meal at around 11:00 AM, so both breakfast and lunch were fair game. To start, I had to try the chicken chili Frito pie. The dish was featured on DDD so I knew it would be pretty good, but it far exceeded my expectations. The pie is a spinoff of classic nachos. Frito chips are covered in the chicken chili and then smothered in

cheese. The entire creation is then baked until the cheese melts. I was shocked that the chips stayed nice and crisp even though the chili had been poured over them. I was also surprised that the chips tasted so good. I personally enjoy when restaurants make their own chips for nachos, but these Fritos complimented the dish in a way that no other chip could. They had the perfect crunch and saltiness for the chili. In fact, I am convinced that had the Frito been around when the nacho was invented, all nachos would be made using the chip.

The chicken chili is spectacular. It has just the right amount of spice; it is juicy, and it is flavorful. Any nacho aficionado like me hates it when a nacho topping is too heavy or moist and it ruins the chip. This chili has exactly the right weight and consistency to make the dish enjoyable. The pie is topped with fresh tomato, lettuce, jalapenos, and scallions. The produce that Honey’s uses is second to none and it all adds to the great flavor of the dish.

For my main dish, I decided to get some breakfast. I went with a breakfast burrito.

My main complaint about most breakfast

The Index

2012-2013 Staff Grayson Sessa, Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Paras, Editor-in-Chief Erich Prince, Head of Photography Fisher Pressman, Business Manager Peter Thompson, News and Features Editor James Shecter, Sports Editor Will Tackett, Columns Editor Amar Patel & Manav Khandelwal, Arts Editors Jake Pechet, Opinions Editor Sam Bloch, Outdex Editor Greg Boyek & Matt Larson, Politics Editors Manav Khandelwal, Graphics Editor Manav Khandelwal & Graham Gaddes, Website Managers 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

burritos is the fact that the tortillas always seem to be bad. This is a shame because the tortilla may be the most important part of the burrito experience. Honey’s is not like most places and the tortilla is fantastic. It is thick, durable, and soft at the same time. Enclosed in the wonderful tortilla is a massive quantity of eggs, spicy refried beans, and cheese. The eggs are light and fluffy which is perfect for the burrito. The beans are delicious. I enjoy a thicker, creamier refried bean and Honey’s fit that criteria. The dish is simple yet really good. The burrito is topped with a great fresh salsa and is also served with jalapenos and sour cream. The burrito is definitely worth getting if you go to Honey’s for any meal of the day but be warned that it is giant. Even I could not take down this beast.

To go along with my burrito, I decided to get a latke. The latke is unlike any other latke that I have had. I personally would not call it a latke, as it is more similar to a hash brown. It is a thick blend of potatoes, onions, and spices that is fried and then baked. It has the crisp outside of a latke but the inside in more potato

and less crisp than a latke. Also, the seasoning is not similar to that of a latke. Even though the latke is not similar to the one that my mother would make for Hanukah, it is still delicious.

I was so impressed with Honey’s that I had to make another visit.

To see what Sam thought of his second “research” trip, head to haverfordindex. com and read the rest.

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 OSX, using Adobe InDesign CS5. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. School Publications Company of Neptune, N.J., 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 LXXIV, No. 1 - September 5, 2012

Page 3

The Index - Columns

Columns

September 2012

Falling of a Giant: AOL and AIM’s Fall Into Irrelevance Columnist Chris Wong ‘14 writes, “If you really don’t care about the history of AOL, let me save you some time. They screwed up big, tried to fix it and failed. Go on to the 2nd paragraph.”

Chris Wong ‘14

In 1991, America Online was founded, immediately becoming a vanguard in the internet space. America Online, now known as AOL, soon became famous for its website greeting, “Welcome! You’ve got mail” sparking what many refer to as the beginning of the Information Age. Just 3 short years later, AOL, reaching one million members in 1994, became the first website to pull a majority of revenue from advertisements. From here, AOL expanded exponentially with the 1995 debut of AOL.com and following premiere of AIM 1.0, the Buddy List, and its Running Man logo. At its peak AOL’s services exceeded 35 million active members in 2002 just before a mass exodus from the company. After a merger between AOL and Time Warner, in addition to some questionable advertising deals, multiple senior executives left the company following criminal probes and investigations from the SEC and Justice Department. After inflating

Inc., created standalone clients built right into their computers, yielding to the birth of 7 generations of iChat. Seemingly adding to its major success, AIM along with iChat added support for multi-person video and audio calls.

AIM never lived without challengers, however, with the launches of Skype in 2003 and then $190 million in advertising deals and multiple Google Talk (gChat) in 2005. Furthermore, the missteps by the company’s leadership, a recent challenge from FaceTime, iMessage, revised direction for the AOL and its partners and Facebook have aimed to revive their business model. caused more issues However, this “new direction” never for the former king. got its chance. Since 2006, most of That brings us to AOL’s services have been free to March of 2012. AOL use including e-mail and AIM, and decided to lay off a majority of its web services are over 100 employees, ending future support beginning to fade into irrelevance. and development AOL Instant Messenger. A for AIM, essentially program synonymous with online killing their once communication and a breakthrough revolutionary in messaging technology allowing software. AOL and average people to communicate AIM leave behind for the first time in real time, a Check out chriswong.co with the above QR Code. a legacy with luxury many of us now take for no clear successor. Skype, after its recent granted. After its launch in May of 1997, AIM acquisition by Microsoft, charges for most of became the de facto standard for Internet its premium services. Google Talk (gChat), communications with applications built to run a fairly irritative piece of software, has one on a majority of operating systems including: major flaw: the requirement of a Gmail Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux, and others. account, which many do not have. Going on, Many companies, most prominently Apple we look at Facebook’s continued rise with its

mobile Messager app as a possible replacement for AIM; however, many forget its underlying videochat software is Skype. With more and more people beginning to question Facebook’s privacy policies, this alternative also falls short. Finally, we are left with iMessage.

(BlackBerry fans, yes, I know BBM came first.) iMessage is truly the best messaging platform I have tried: it has read receipts, indicators when the other person is typing, and delivery prompts on my Mac and iOS devices.

Yet, again we are faced with iMessage’s largest flaw: you have to own an Apple device. As we have seen with Research in Motion and its own BBM, the idea of a closed platform technology (iMessage/BBM/etc.) is one that will clearly fail in time.

As AOL and AIM go dark, we leave behind us the era of free and open internet. The cross-platform nature that brought the rise of this giant is the same element that ultimately caused its demise. Sadly, we wave goodbye to what once was AOL Instant Messenger as America goes offline.

RIP AOL 1995-2006 For the techies out there, check out my site (using the QR Code) for a more detailed explanation of the OSCAR IM protocol and TOC protocol if you want.

Mr. Kolade’s Recommendations: Listen to his Picks Here Mr. Luqman Kolade Tabi Bonney - “TOHL (Time of Her Life)” ft. Fat Trel: Two D.C. natives join forces on this futuristic summer ode to girls.

Known as a “happy” rapper, Tabi, the former teacher, never fails to deliver clever punchlines without feeling the need to fall into standard hip-hop tropes of braggadocio or drug dealing. Here he talks about how he hopes this unnamed lady will have the time of her life while they are together with the help of the much grittier Fat Trel. Fat Trel adds a more down-to-earth element to the song, and the combination is quite successful. As an outspoken “homer,” this song definitely connects to my D.C. roots just because of who made it, but it is truly a fun song for the summer in any city.

Tabi Bonney.

jayforce.com

Moon Boots - “Sugar”: What happens when you “disco-fy” a Janet Jackson song? You get smooth, danceable summer time fun. This is what Moon Boots, the awesomely named DJ/Producer, does when he tackles Jackson’s “If.” A great song on its own, Moon Boots adds another layer to the classic and completely transforms it into something that perfectly combines house and dance with old-school R&B in a funky way. I do not know much about Moon Boots, but he seems to really get what makes good, fun music, and that is something we can all enjoy.

Moon Boots - “Sugar”

niteversions.com

A$AP Rocky - “Ridin ft. Lana Del Rey”: This chill, smoothed out Kickdrums produced track comes with a bit of controversy.

My favorite new rapper, A$AP Rocky, decried the song as a reference track that should not have come out because he did not really deliver his best vocals on it. Despite that, the song fits the title perfectly and invokes images of riding around with the top down and just enjoying the summer. Sure the lyrics are not the best he has delivered, but the beat and his flow make you forget that. Both A$AP and (the love her or hate her) Lana Del Rey fit the track extremely well with their laid back, spacey styles, and give us something to look forward to in A$AP’s hopefully soon to be released LONGLIVEA$AP as a more polished version of this song was supposed to appear on it. Regardless, this is a win for any fan of the up and coming A$AP and well worth a listen.

taylorgang.co

De Libris: The House on Mango Street Niticon Davis ‘13 The House on Mango Street is a comingof-age novella written by Sandra Cisneros and published in 1984. Based loosely around Cisneros’ own life, it tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in a disadvantaged Chicago neighborhood. The novella is written in a series of vignettes, which are short descriptive scenes that reveal the larger significance of the elements contained within them. Each of these vignettes gives the reader a glimpse into the life and the community in which Esperanza grew up. They tell of her family, friends, neighbors, community, and her dream of finding a better life.

With her masterful use of subtlety and sparse prose, Cisneros tells a story far beyond what is written on the page. Each vignette works together to tell the full story of

Esperanza and her thoughts, feelings, fears, and memories, which makes for an expressive story with incredible character development and a transfixing tone. This book is generally recommended to a younger demographic, but Cisneros finds the perfectly accessible voice for the novella and thus gives the book a universal appeal to all ages and backgrounds.

Major themes in this book include sexism and the struggles of entering the adult world.

As readers watch Esperanza cope with these things, they cannot but help feel for her as she somehow overcomes these stifling societal constrictions. Another major theme is escapism; as Esperanza looks around at how many people are forced to live in this community, she is resolute in her desire to leave it. Cisneros uses this fact to successfully establish an emotional connection with her readers as they sincerely hope for Esperanza’s departure from Mango Street.

I loved this book from start to finish; at 110 pages in length, my only complaint was that it could have been longer. I would have liked to be able to read deeper into the narrative contained within the book and even some of the story of what happened after the story ends. The fact that the novel does not have a linear plot is one of its strengths. Cisneros draws a broad picture, gives the readers the general idea, and lets them fill in the rest for themselves. Moreover, it connects warmly with the reader and allows them to empathize with

Sixth Former Niticon Davis.

Index Staff

Esperanza’s struggles in a very engaging way.

By the end of the story, I felt almost connected to the main character. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging, direct, and incredibly well-written read.

Page 4 The Index - China Trip

September 2012

China Trip

Touring the Temples: The Island of PuTuoShan

RJ Meiers ‘14, a Chinese III student this year, discusses one of the trip’s focuses: Buddhism and how it has shaped China.

R. Meiers ‘14

China’s entire culture has been shaped by its exposure to Buddhism. One of the oldest and most important Chinese myths is the tale of a monk travelling to India to seek scriptures crucial to learning and spreading Buddhism.

Buddhism spread through China from the Silk Road and mixed with some of the ideas and teachings found in Daoism to create a truly unique culture. Eager to learn more about the unique teaching that is Chinese Buddhism, we traveled to one of the most important centers of Buddhism in mainland China, the Island of Putuoshan.

On the island of PuTuoShan, widely regarded as the most famous center of Buddhism in China, we were exposed to our first authentic taste of Chinese Buddhism.

As soon as we departed from the boat onto this remote island, we caught sight of a large golden statue, entangled in the mountains and hills like a jewel. We would begin our ascent to the statue later in the day, but first we explored the main Buddhist temple of the island along with some of the smaller Buddhist buildings that graced the coast, facing the Pacific Ocean.

After briefly stopping for some pictures at one of the former residences of Chiang Kai-Shek,

The giant statue in PuTuoShan.

wikimedia.org

we began our hike to the main temple complex of the island. In the mountainous terrain on the way to the temple, we saw many lamp-posts and statues with swastikas, a symbol central to Buddhism.

As we approached the temple, we were greeted by the smell of burning incense. The burning of incense in Buddhist culture is a sacred ritual, steeped with symbolism. The burning incense stick represents the negative qualities within us that we must do away with, while the pleasant permeating aroma represents how one’s good actions have a far-reaching and beneficial effect on all those around him/ her. We soon saw the origin of this wonderful smell. Several Chinese travelers, visiting the temple on PuTuoShan to pray, were burning incense inside the courtyard of the temple.

When we entered the threshold we saw monks performing their daily rituals. Personally, I found the their solemnity and commitment to their religion to be rather moving. After observing the prayers and daily rituals, our group left the temple with intentions of hiking to the golden statue we saw upon arrival. After noticing the mustering of dark rain clouds, we donned our rain ponchos and began the trek to the majestic gold statue.

Putting on our ponchos proved to be a wise decision as the weather did not hold out and our journey to the mysterious golden statue was met with a torrential downpour.

Nevertheless, we decided to continue onwards towards the statue. Drenched in both sweat and rainwater, after traversing what seemed like an infinite amount of steps, our labor was rewarded with sight of the statue. Our tour guide shared the story of the statue with us at this point.

The statue depicts a Bodhisattva named Guanyin, a Buddhist god of mercy.

It was moved to the island by a Japanese monk who wished to take it to Japan; however, he only got as far as the island of Putuoshan where he faced a rather dangerous tempest. This monk, while he waited and slept on the island, was visited in his dreams by Guanyin, who said that if he wished to leave the island, he must leave the statue behind. He did this and the storm cleared.

After our tour guide finished that brief anecdote, we stopped to take pictures of the 33 meter tall statue of Guanyin and the magnificent view of the sea behind it.

As we finished taking pictures, the rain that had so relentlessly fallen during our trek to the statue stopped. On the walk back to our hotel we pondered what we experienced, and I truly believe we all gained a greater understanding of Buddhism.

Gaining Fluency and Language Practice in China

Almost everyone on the China trip had studied Chinese for two to three years. Terry Rossi ‘14 discusses what the group got out of the trip in terms of language ability.

Terry Rossi ‘14

considerably faster than that employed in Lao Shi’s classroom. Between this speed, differences in pronunciation, and our limited vocabulary, comprehending what people said to us proved to be a very difficult task, especially in the earlier portion of the trip. Not only were we often confronted by vocabulary we had not yet learned, but we also frequently found ourselves trying to express an idea for which we did not know the vocabulary. In these situations, we would employ Lao Shi’s strategy of “getting around it” by simply expressing the idea with the limited words we knew. As the trip progressed, however, our listening ability, our ability to “get around it,” and our vocabulary improved dramatically due to our continued attempts to communicate with native Chinese speakers day in and day out.

One of the earliest tests of our speaking and listening ability came when we visited a large mall in Beijing. As many Chinese vendors delight in ripping off tourists, we were forced to negotiate the price for the vast majority of what we bought entirely in Chinese. In addition to strengthening our listening ability, our negotiation skills were also put to the test in our sometimes calm, sometimes hostile

deliberations with the shopkeepers. For instance, one of my negotiations with a vendor got to the point where she kept trying to peer into my wallet while yelling that I had more money to spend on a paper lantern.

Our ability to communicate in Chinese reached a level of critical importance when we arrived in Taipei, where we were permitted to go out on our own with a small group, relying entirely on ourselves to communicate effectively and get wherever we needed to go. We often had to ask for directions, hail taxis, and make purchases entirely in Chinese.

Towards the latter portion of the trip, the improvement in our communication ability was increasingly evident.

For me personally, one of the highlights of the trip was when another student and I had a conversation with a security guard working at one of the places we were staying for over an hour into the night about an incredibly random assortment of topics, such as driving, calligraphy, and various insects. This conversation eventually came to a point where Lao Shi, although very pleased with our attempts to converse with Niticon Davis the man, came out of her room to tell us it was time to go to bed.

Our struggles with the language were not solely limited to verbal communication, however. The use of Chinese characters adds an entirely different dimension to language learning and added a new level of difficulty to our language comprehension in China. As Mainland China employs simplified versions of the characters we learn in class, reading street signs, menus, and other writings proved to be considerably difficult. Although we were able to learn some characters from our knowledge of traditional characters, reading various writings in Mainland China remained difficult for the duration of the trip. Once we arrived in Taipei, however, many of us found it difficult to contain our excitement when we saw traditional characters on all of the signs. Even with traditional characters, however, reading was still substantially more difficult than in school due to the relatively small amount of characters we have learned in class so far and are able to recognize. Despite the difficulties we faced communicating throughout the trip, we are all able to look back and take great pride in the vast improvement we witnessed in our Chinese abilities.

The second school that we went to much later in the trip was a newly-made Ningbo charter school. As we pulled into the parking lot, the school’s gigantic LED screen on the front middle of the building greeted us with a proclamation: “Welcome delegates from Haverford!” in both English and Chinese.

Walking out of the bus, we passed a security checkpoint and gate and were met with a cloud of officials from the school, who mainly surrounded Lao Shi. We eventually made it into the school; in the first room there is a glass table containing a to-scale replica of the huge campus. Naturally, the guides made special effort to point this out to us.

Just as in the other school, we had a meeting before going to classes. This time, however, it was in a long conference room - quite similar to Room 100 or 200 in Wilson Hall - with a microphone system and water bottles for each person. Naturally, this meeting was much longer and spent

more time glorifying the school and all of its accomplishments.

That trend continued. In fact, the only time we had any contact with students was when a carefully-selected group of nine or ten showed us around the school’s “history room” with pictures of all the famous Chinese men and women associated with the school. In the one class we were allowed to attend, we had to sit in a glass “viewing room” at the back of the classroom specially made for this purpose, rather than sitting with students. Similarly, at lunch time we did not sit with kids our age: we were instead shuffled into a private dining area with a special serving staff.

So, although the Beijing school was so similar to American schools, the shiny Ningbo high school placed a higher emphasis on “showing-off.” Although that attitude feels offensive at first, it is impressive to see a public school principal value his job and his school enough to show it off.

Unsurprisingly, our command over the Chinese language was put to the test over the course of our stay in China and Taiwan.

Initially, the difference between speaking Chinese in the classroom with our fellow students and conversing with the local people was staggering. For starters, the pace at which the native speakers communicate is

Sixth Former Niticon Davis with a Chinese tourist.

Visiting Haverford-like High Schools in China Grayson Sessa ‘13 explains what the group saw and experienced as they toured two different Chinese high schools, both of which bore a striking resemblance to Haverford.

Grayson Sessa ‘13 In hopes of learning from the style of Chinese high schools, we went to two different ones. What was most surprising were not differences between Chinese and American high schools - they were actually quite similar - but the differences between the two Chinese schools. Despite getting into Beijing on the first night after midnight, we woke up early the next morning to visit Peking high school. After a quick introductory talk in a small, fairly rundown classroom that praised internationalism, we were paired up with Chinese students and went to a couple classes and lunch with them. The administrators apologized that

we had arrived on a day without science and math classes; in reality, this may have been a blessing because it allowed us to see the way a very serious, results-driven school taught the arts. I went to a music class; the students appeared pretty focused (the teacher seemed strict), but there were many times you could have mistook this for an American classroom (except for the picture of Mao next to the blackboard) when students would turn around in their chairs and chat. Haverford students who were in other classrooms reported Chinese students openly taking their phones out and texting in the middle of class. By the end of the first day, it seemed we were not that different after all.

Page 5 The Index - China Trip

China Trip

Connecting with China on an Artist Level

September 2012

Taiwan vs. China: How They Compare

Will Tackett ‘14 compares the “male” and “female” visual Because of the relative safety and ease of public transporart that the group observed in China and Taiwan and also tation, small groups were allowed to venture anywhere in discusses the performing art.

Taipei. Amar Patel ‘13 explains how it compared to the Will Tackett ‘14 months later had created an even larger statue. cities in China.

Having consistently existed in the same geographic location for over three millennia, the Chinese people have certainly had time to develop a sophisticated and complex artistic culture, and we saw evidence of such culture on our trip. A lot of Chinese art can be divided into traditionally male and traditionally female art. We had the opportunity to experience both styles ourselves; we tried our hand at Chinese character calligraphy, an art dominated by male scholars, and generally female folk-art, such as knot-making and fan-painting. We took part in both of these activities in Ci Cheng, a peaceful, historic, arts-focused town just outside the hustle and bustle of the more modern, industrial Ning Bo. We of course spent more time observing the work of masters than attempting our own pieces of art. In Ci Cheng, we visited a collection of galleries displaying feminine folk art. We saw a range of colorful quilts, including a flower, which was hidden when looked at closely but came to shape as one stepped farther back, and an elaborate robe for a young member of the Imperial family. Next, we saw the gallery of knot art. The intricacy of each piece of knot art was stunning and is even more mind-boggling when one considers that many started with only a single thread. To even begin such a venture would require much careful planning and brainpower.

We also viewed a gallery of art called LiuLiGongFang in Shanghai, the art crafted by one woman, Yang Hui-Shan (or Loretta Yang), a former Taiwanese actress who decided to leave her film career and virtually rediscover the art of glass sculpture in China, specifically the pâte-de-verre technique. Yang is heavily influenced by Buddhist scripture, and we saw a collection entitled “Formless, but Not Without Form” that made the influence clear.

It is difficult to describe as there is nothing quite like it, but the collection consisted of chunks of clearish-white glass molded into shapeless forms with Buddhist sculpture visible within the glass. They were similar to the tourist items sold in New York where a skyline is pictured inside a cube of crystal.

We also saw a version of Yang’s Thousand Arms, Thousand Eye’s Buddha, which she was inspired to make after seeing a mural depicting the same thing. After working for five months on the clay sculpture, a 7.6 degree earthquake hit Taiwan in September 1999 and caused it to topple, destroying it. Unfazed, Yang proceeded to work tirelessly on another one and eight

Much of the male art we saw was in two museums: Taiwan’s National Palace Museum and a museum in Shanghai. The National Palace Museum has a good deal of history involved with it: the original collection began when GuoMinDang (Nationalist Party) leader Chiang Kai-Shek relocated it from the mainland to Taiwan in 1933 in order to prevent its capture at the hands of Japanese troops. The museum holds 693,507 pieces of Chinese artwork with only a small fraction of that on display at any one time. One of the most popular pieces was a detailed jadeite cabbage, created in the Qing Dynasty by an unknown person. There were paintings on scrolls the length of rooms, such as a “Up the River on the QingMing Festival” (actually a remake) and “One Hundred Horses.”

There were also works of calligraphy of all types, including jia gu wen (calligraphy etched on the bones and shells of animals) and jin wen (inscribed in metal). The museum in Shanghai contained mostly bronze ware and ceramics from China’s earliest dynasties. These pieces were for practical purposes, forged and fired by blacksmiths and artisans, in contrast to the painting and calligraphy of China’s sophisticated scholars, yet both are still very much considered art.

Besides viewing visual art, we experienced some Niticon Davis Chinese acrobats. musical and performing art as well. In Beijing, we viewed a spectacular acrobatics performance on (or perhaps beyond) the level of Cirque du Soleil and a Jazz fusion concert featuring traditional Chinese instruments. Some of us spent our free time looking around music shops in both China and Taiwan, testing out instruments such as the Xun, an ancient Chinese earthen wind instrument.

One way of experiencing a culture is to immerse oneself in its art. We did just that, experiencing both sides - viewer and creator.

I believe that, with each piece of art we were exposed to, we attained a greater understanding of the Chinese people.

Amar Patel ‘13

people more friendly.

In one instance, a group of us was lost and needed directions to a restaurant. When we approached a lady on the sidewalk and asked for directions, she proceeded to use her iPhone to locate the restaurant and give us directions. Instead of simply replying that she did not know how to get to the destination, she went out of her way to help us with genuine concern.

Another difference between the two countries is economic hierarchy. In China, there seemed to be only two classes: those

Following the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the National Government of the Republic of China fled from Chairman Mao Zedong and his Communist Party of China to the island of Taiwan. The Chinese fugitives settled the island and since then have striven to become an independent power on the global stage.

Although it recognizes itself as its own country, Taiwan is still considered under Chinese sovereignty by the People’s Republic of China. Despite their sense of Taiwanese nationalism, the citizens continue to celebrate Chinese culture and history.

For example, in the center of the bustling metropolis of Taipei is the pagoda-like memorial to Chiang Kai-shek.

Nevertheless, Taiwan boasts some idiosyncrasies Niticon Davis Sixth Formers Niticon Davis and Mike Green decided to visit the zoo. which separate it from its who are extremely wealthy and those who are Chinese counterpart. rather poor. I began to notice this disparity by Firstly, before the Nationalists fled to just walking down the street. In one area, you Taiwan, the aboriginal natives who populated would be walking through a destitute complex the island spoke their own languages, which of crammed apartments, and on the next block, are still very prevalent today. Although the you would find a shopping mall filled with national language is Mandarin, most Taiwan Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The disparity is also natives are also fluent in their native language, present in restaurants. In Beijing, dinner would Japanese, and English. either cost a hundred yuan or less than ten.

In Taipei, we had the opportunity to explore In Taiwan, the disparity between the the city by ourselves, so we used public wealthy and poor is split by a middle class. In transportation to explore various sites in the addition to the crammed apartments, there are city. On the MRT, every stop is read in four also big houses and moderately priced homes. different languages, one of which is English.

And yet, there is a single, unifying thread There is also a noticeable difference in the use that ties both of these countries together: of language in the two countries. The Chinese culture. Both contain a multitude of places often use a rougher, more unrefined tone when of worship; Buddhist temples seem to be speaking. For example, while walking down ubiquitous. Both celebrate the triumphs the street you would be barraged by shouts and of Chinese emperors and dynasties and yells in Chinese. Even if you tried to begin have museums displaying artifacts of old. a conversation with a man on the street, he would often speak in a harsh manner. However, Ultimately, despite their differences, citizens from both countries share a history and a love in Taiwan, the people speak in a more reserved for ancient Chinese culture. manner. The streets are less noisy, and the

Experimenting with Authentic Chinese Food Noah Cutler ‘14, a self-proclaimed “foodie,” discusses some of his favorite dishes in China.

Noah Cutler ‘14

In China several Chinese II and III students, including myself, were exposed to new culture, customs, and other uniquenesses about life in China. Being a self-proclaimed “foodie,” I was extremely interested in true Chinese cuisine, and thanks to Mrs. Betty Fu and her sister, Ji Ping, I, along with the rest of my classmates, was able to fully experience such Chinese excellence. One of the first and easily most memorable meals of the trip was the “hot pot” meal we had in Beijing.

Hot pot is prepared from a wide variety of foods ranging from beef to noodles and vegetables and everywhere in between. A pot of boiling hot, seasoned water is placed on a table along with this array of different foods; one takes the raw food and dips it into the pot for a short period of time, allowing the meat, noodles, or vegetables to be cooked and

flavored in the process. Because the traditional style is very spicy, we were fortunate to have another type of seasoned boiling water that was a bit calmer. As we all enjoyed the meats and vegetables, steam blew into our faces, only adding to the spiciness that we were eating.

On the last day in Beijing, we had another memorable meal: peking duck. As with almost all of the Niticon Davis Dumplings at Ding Tai Fung, a famous inernational dumpling house whose owner meals the students met. we ate in China, it was served

family-style. Basically, the servers brought out a succulent dish of well-marinated duck in addition to a plate full of spring pancakes (the very thin ones you may see in a Chinese restaurant). The meal is eaten by placing the duck in the pancake, adding anything else that you want, and then rolling it up. Needless to say, the biggest complaint was that the duck ran out too quickly!

Although we mainly stuck to cuisines that were actually new to us, we were surprised by how many Western restaurants are in Taiwan: there were numerous KFC and Starbucks branches. So, even though we were eating with chopsticks and trying new foods practically everyday, we were often surrounded by the restaurants we might have seen back home.

Having the opportunity to go to so many special Chinese restaurants certainly helped us better understand the Chinese people and gave us a better grasp of what it means to live in China on a day-to-day basis. There is no doubt that everyone who came will remember many of the food-related experiences in China for many years.

Page 6

The Index - New Faculty

New Faculty

September 2012

Ms. Carmen Epstein Ms. Rachael Jennings Jack Henderson ‘15 Haverford welcomes its newest member of the community, Ms. Carmen Epstein, who will serve in the Language Department teaching Spanish II and Spanish III as well as an assistant coach to Track and Field. She will also help lead the Debate Team and would love to assist in the musical if possible.

Ms. Epstein holds a bachelor’s degree in Modern Dance from Rutgers University. She taught Spanish for a year to students at the Village Community School in New York and was the after-school coordinator at The Philadelphia School, where she aided the art, music, and Spanish departments. Carmen is a native Spanish speaker, whose family is originally from Argentina.

Ms. Epstein was the first person in her family to be born in the United States. Her older brother and sister, both Spanish teachers as well, were born in Argentina. Her parents fled the country during the military coup of the late 1970’s and early 80’s and settled in New York City, where Carmen was born, raised, and remained until last year when she moved to the City of Brotherly Love.

Ms. Epstein’s parents separated shortly after she was born and both remarried. She and her siblings lived “mostly with our mom, who, despite also being a Spanish teacher, spoke English at home, in part because she married a Brit, my stepdad. But when it came to things like packed lunches, my mom never made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We had things like ‘tortilla de papas’ in our lunchboxes, and other kids in my class would look at me with their faces scrunched up and say ‘what’s that?’”

Although her family did not practice Spanish in the United States, it is clear that her mother maintained a Spanish culture in the household. They even were able to travel back to Argentina quite often. “Our extended family was still there,” Ms. Epstein explains.

“Those members of my family don’t speak English, not well anyway, and so we always

spoke to our grandparents and cousins in Spanish. Along with these annual trips, I also studied Spanish starting in the 6th grade. I had an excellent teacher those first three years of language: my mom!”

Ms. Epstein chose Haverford because of

Ms. Epstein.

Will Tackett ‘14 Some people struggle with the search for

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Spanish teacher Mr. Andrew Poolman, who has been friends with Carmen for several years.

“He and my brother taught Spanish together at a boarding school.”

She has high hopes heading into the school year about what she would like to accomplish while teaching at Haverford. “I hope to get students excited about Spanish! I hope, also, to become a part of the students’ more comprehensive development; I believe that there is the opportunity to learn many things beyond Spanish within a Spanish class.”

Ms. Epstein is a true renaissance woman, who enjoys all kinds of activities. “I take dance classes and play soccer once a week; I have run the New York City marathon a few times but am currently not training for any in the near future; I used to be a cook and enjoy cooking quite a bit; I am currently learning a lot about renovating as my husband and I are still working on our home. Oh yeah! I got married last June.”

It is clear that Ms. Epstein is very active in her life and will be another diverse member to the already manifold community. Be sure to give her a warm welcome when you meet her this fall.

Ms. Jennings.

their passion well into their young adulthood, but not Ms. Rachael Jennings, who will be joining Haverford’s faculty as an English teacher this year. Ms. Jennings has known she wanted to be an English teacher as long as she can remember, even “dressing up as a teacher and parading around with books that [she] didn’t yet know how to read,” as a child.

She was also inspired by her high school English teachers, especially the enthralling conversations they had in class.

What initially drew Ms. Jennings to the subject of English and literature is its sense of “timelessness to feeling and the need to express and create...pages written centuries ago come alive in [such a] way that I felt invigorated by all of the life around me.” She also remembers being intrigued by mythology as a child, especially the influence it has had on culture and literature to this day.

Her favorite facet of literature is that it is essential to the human experience; in her eyes, it is needed to “see more in ourselves and more in others.” She added that “learning how to

express ourselves is one of the most important things--inside the classroom, and far beyond it, too.”

Her passion for both the written word and people kindled her desire to become an English teacher.

She studied American literature and education at Middlebury College and is now working to get a graduate degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Having grown up in West Chester, Ms. Jennings is happy to be back in the Philadelphia area and teaching at Haverford after previously living in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Brooklyn. Another factor that attracted Ms. Jennings to Haverford was its philosophy on learning. She wanted to teach at a school “where Index Staff people are developed, ideas are shared, and character is gained,” as opposed to merely knowledge being taught, and she felt this sort of atmosphere during her campus visit.

When she is not teaching, Ms. Jennings enjoys activities such as reading, cooking, going to concerts and other cultural events, spending time with friends and family, and working on publications and literary magazines. She spends her summers as director of the Girl’s Camp located in New Hampshire. She will also be contributing to Haverford’s extracurricular activities including leading Pegasus (alongside Mr. Keefe) and the Debate team, as well as coaching Ultimate Frisbee with Dr. Fenton in the spring.

Ms. Jennings has some goals she would like to accomplish in her first year at Haverford.

She is looking to become a part of the community and share her love of learning with everyone. She is also hoping “to challenge and be challenged by both texts and conversations that come from and to [her students]...to have experiences that challenge us to always see more in the classroom.”

Mr. Mark Hightower Michael Maggio ‘13 and George Hall ‘15 This year, Haverford welcomes a new face to guide the notable music program through its many coming, formative years.

Mr. Mark Hightower comes from the Sumter High School in South Carolina where he ran its successful music program as Director of Choral Activities. His roots are similar to those of former music teacher Mr. Michael Stairs: both studied music at the prestigious Westminster Choir College (which is a school of Rider College). Mr. Hightower graduated from the college with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching.

In small-world-fashion, he actually graduated from nearby Germantown Academy.

He has a great background in musical theory, the vocal arts, and musical theater; he has taught all three in the past. In fact, Mr. Hightower has had quite some success in these fields: the two groups he led (the Concert Choir and Chamber Choir) placed first in a state-wide competition in South Carolina.

Aside from teaching music classes, he will also take part in Haverford’s extracurricular life, directing the Notables and The Glee Club while assisting the winter musical. Along with those responsibilities, Mr. Hightower will have

an advisory for students in Forms IV, V, and VI. While some teachers wait a while before getting back into the routine of the school year, Mr. Hightower is already working to prepare for his new responsibilities.

Still deep in the summer, he is very busy and has met with the returning Notables to try to set a course for the next year. On the weekend of August 25-27, the Notables spent three days in Brigantine, NJ, learning music for the upcoming year.

While spending time singing together and relaxing on the beach, the Notables group bonded with each other as well as Mr. Hightower.

The retreat ended with a concert at the Wells Memorial Presbyterian Church in Ocean City. Mr. Hightower looks to improve and expand the music program while keeping the deep-rooted traditions that have stood since its formation.

Mr. Hightower is a young, ambitious, and fun guy who will surely liven up the music

The 2012-13 Notables. Mr. Hightower is standing on the far left.

program and take it in a great new direction.

He is relaxed but extremely focused when getting down to work. Mr. Hightower, always striving for perfection, says he can count on one hand how many concerts he has conducted or taken part in that were “perfect.” He told the Notables that the group has a lot to work for

Mr. Cohen

this year and that he is excited to create the best music possible.

Haverford students, whether interested in music or not, should make sure to welcome and meet Mr. Hightower, who will only add to Haverford’s already diverse and interesting faculty. Welcome to Haverford, Mr. Hightower.

Page 7

The Index - New Faculty

New Faculty

September 2012

Miss Tashia Conrad Ms. Hannah Turlish Grayson Sessa ‘13 Often some students will never have a chance to interact with a teacher if they are not in that teacher’s class or the clubs they advise, but at least one new face will have the chance to meet any students in a science class.

Miss Tashia Conrad comes to Haverford this year to teach Chemistry and act as the Lab Manager for all Upper School science classes.

Before teaching at Haverford, Miss Conrad, who graduated from Eastern University with degrees in Biology and Secondary Education, spent three years teaching at Berks Christian School, her alma mater.

There she taught a stunning variety of classes, including Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Algebra I, and Geometry.

She taught additional science classes in Berks County’s Reading School District at an alternative education program. Clearly she brings a great depth of skill that will undoubtedly touch all of the Haverford students that she teachers and interacts with.

Though a big fan of Chemistry, Miss Conrad has an additional passion for “the medical side of science.” In addition to feeding this passion by reading books and watching TV shows devoted to medical science, she calls herself “a huge Mütter Museum fan.”

For those who have yet to visit, the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia stores a wide collection of odd medical specimens and wax models in addition to a famous skull collection.

When not teaching, Miss Conrad loves to crochet and knit and describes herself as “an avid reader.” But her interests are as diverse as the classes she has taught: she also enjoys watching sports, pledging her allegiance with “Go Steelers!” Finally, as students will surely learn quickly, she likes to walk, and even admits that she tends “to ‘speed walk’ as a

Miss Conrad.

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natural pace.”

Miss Conrad is excited to be joining the Haverford community, and everyone who has the chance to meet her will benefit from her diverse interests and education. So, when you come in, make sure you introduce yourself to Miss Conrad. And maybe even visit the Mütter Museum sometime.

Henry Scales ‘13 Hannah Turlish has a very diverse background and seems well suited to replace Mr. Dacque Tirado. Ms. Turlish graduated from Germantown Academy before spending her undergraduate years at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where she studied political science. She spent her time watching “Tar Heels” basketball and swimming varsity; she knows first hand the struggle student athletes face, saying, “I know a bit about balancing athletics and academics,” which puts her closer with many Haverford students. After receiving her diploma she went on to get her masters at Boston University.

Ms. Turlish would like to spend her time at Haverford working with the swim team, but because she has a ten-month-old son she has settled for helping them out by being a timekeeper and doing other similar tasks.

Although she still swims, lately she has gotten into running and has finished six marathons, including four in Boston and two in Philadelphia. She also plans to run another half marathon in Philadelphia this November, and can be spotted on the Haverford College trail weekend mornings in preparation.

Besides sports, Ms. Turlish also likes to travel, and has been to such places as China, Hungary, and Cuba, just to name a few. One of the things she enjoys the most about traveling are the different foods. By spending a good amount of time in New York City she had

the chance to discover all types of different foods, and has now become a “foodie;” she is also a cook in training. Ms. Turlish is a very serious fan of Battlestar Galactica and Arrested Development, and says, “The Wire is the best show to ever be on television.” When not performing these activities she enjoys reading, watching sports, spending time with her family,

Ms. Turlish.

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and doing crossword puzzles.

As a teacher, Ms. Turlish enjoys the history and politics of all time periods, but especially enjoys the twentieth century. Another interesting fact about Ms. Turlish is that she is coming to Haverford after spending the last seven years at an all girls’ school; “I think it will be fascinating for me to compare the two experiences,” she comments. Ms. Turlish will be a new and exciting addition to the Haverford community, so make sure you introduce yourself to her when you see her in the halls.

Ms. Heather Stinson Mr. Peter Arthmire Connor Fairman ‘13

Few people have led a life completely dedicated to education like Ms. Heather Stinson, Haverford’s newest college counselor, has. Ms. Stinson went to Pembroke Hill school on the outskirts of her hometown Kansas City, Kansas, for grades 1 through 12. She says, “It isn’t dissimilar from Haverford...just co-ed!”

Next, she graduated from Kenyon College in ‘00 with a major in psychology and a minor in anthropology. At this early stage in her life, in both college and high school, Ms. Stinson was already heavily involved in college admissions: she was a tour guide, interviewer, and intern in the admissions office. Her early experience in this field guided her to college admissions as a career after graduation.

Since graduating from college, she has worked in admissions at St. Lawrence University and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Most recently, she was the Associate Dean of Admission and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment at Colgate.

Transitioning to working at Haverford for her will be easy. At both St. Lawrence and Colgate, she was the Haverford admissions representative, so she has “known Haverford well for many years!”

Since moving into her new office, Ms. Stinson has worked tirelessly to catch up with all of her college counseling advisees and has even met with many of them during the summer to get to know them.

Besides a devotion to higher education and educational success, Ms. Stinson also loves to travel; she has visited six continents.

Her favorite activity is SCUBA diving and she’s a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certified Advanced Open Water diver, which is no easy feat, especially for someone with such a busy career. In order to become Advanced Open Water certified, one must complete a long

Connor Atkins ‘15 The science department this year, after evaluating a number of different candidates, has added a new member to the teaching staff.

Mr. Peter Arthmire will join the Haverford community after having spent the last 5 years

Ms. Stinson.

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textbook course, earn three specialty certifications through the PADI diving organization, and be able to dive to deep depths and withstand the effects of nitrogen narcosis. Besides extreme sports and traveling to exotic lands, Ms. Stinson also loves baking and cooking with her husband Paul and son Sam. Paul coaches soccer at Haverford College and the Lower Merion Soccer Club.

Paul has also coached at Clarkson University, Colby-Saywer College, and Colgate. To top it all off, the Stinson family has a black lab named Maddy. The Haverford community is incredibly lucky to have such a devoted and well-rounded new addition to the college counseling office, and we wish her the best of luck come September.

Mr. Arthmire.

teaching at North Hunterdon Regional High School in Annandale, NJ. Before coming to Haverford, he received a Bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and took additional chemistry courses at Georgian Court

University.

When asked why he chose to come to Haverford, Mr. Arthmire responded, “I chose Haverford because I feel the teachers and administrators put what is best, and safe, for the students first, above anything else. During my campus visit I was very impressed with the tight community atmosphere that was displayed by teachers and students alike. This was a breath of fresh air.” His response is a real example of how the Haverford community truly affects people who come and visit us.

Although Mr. Arthmire will be teaching various areas of science, his favorite subject is Chemistry. “I like science because it always made sense to me,” he explains.

Outside of school, Mr. Arthmire enjoys participating in outdoor activities, such as motorcycle riding and traveling. Because of his love for the outdoors, Mr. Arthmire wants to work with the Upper School Head and Assistant Athletic Director to start up an Outdoor Education Program.

He is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys camping, hiking, Index Staff fishing, etc. He would like to get other students involved in these activities and possibly set up some environmental challenges for students to solve.

Mr. Arthmire will be a great addition to the Haverford faculty and will certainly have a great effect on the overall community.

Page 8

The Index - News

News

Scientific Research During Summer Break

Grayson Sessa ‘13, one of the students who worked at a UPenn lab this summer, explains the opportunities it offered.

Grayson Sessa ‘13

Summer is, of course, a time of relaxation, a short break from the hectic school year.

But as the students move through Upper School, they are more inclined to get a job to fill their now-empty weeks. This summer, as in years past, has several rising Sixth Formers working in a non-traditional setting: not mowing lawns nor working in a lawyer’s office, but rather doing research work in university labs throughout Philadelphia.

Eleven students took part in the program these past three months.

Each chose a lab of interest – ranging from biology to engineering – in the spring of Fifth Form year and spent six to eight weeks working there in the summer. The program is officially dubbed the “Advanced Lab Research Cooperative*” and counts as a class in Fifth Form spring and Sixth Form fall semesters. After working in the labs, students will complete a research paper and a poster (you may remember seeing these hung up outside of the 1st floor science classrooms) and will make a presentation to the doctor at his lab.

Haverford students taking the class this year were interested in it for a variety of reasons. Sixth Former Drew Field was motivated to find out whether his interest in classroom biology would translate into a passion for biology in a real-life research setting. Sixth Former Peter Thompson comments, “The program looked like an amazing experience when I first heard about it, and I was correct.” He specifically enjoyed the opportunity “to work in a lab all day surrounded by brilliant people.” Additionally, he is proud to have officially entered the workforce: “feeling the 9-5 vibe that I’ve never truly felt until now.” Sixth Former Austin Merritt relishes the chance to work on “new, cutting-edge science that could really help people.”

A great part of the program is its versatility. With so many labs willing to

as the ‘Coagulation Cascade’ that keeps us from bleeding continuously.” The research here is very important because Hemophilia B patients lack this protein, but through

The process of gel electrophoresis, used to separate differently-sized bands of DNA.

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gene therapy the gene for the protein can be inserted into people through viral vectors.

Thompson’s main role is to help construct “two types of vectors: Single-stranded and Self-complementary.” Although Thompson’s time at the lab was limited, “the end goal is to test the efficiency of the Single-stranded vector versus the Self-complementary vector in mice, before moving to clinical trials in humans” Merritt worked on tissue and cartilage engineering at Dr. Robert Mauck’s lab at UPenn. He was “testing different ways to measure the properties of Osteochondrosis [an orthopedic disease of the joints] in vivo.”

He ran the tests on disks of juvenile bovine cartilage on which the Osteochondrosis has been recreated.

A former participant can vouch for the program’s worth. This summer Nick Desatnick ’11 worked for UIC, a leading company in Taiwan dealing with pharmaceutical products.

During the first few weeks of the internship, Desatnick wrote a report based on data the investigative team for a drug had compiled.

The reason he began with this Index Staff Rows of supplies in Dr. Lazar’s lab, where Sixth Former Grayson Sessa worked. assignment? open their doors to Haverford students, each Because his employers had felt comfortable Sixth Former can actually choose a topic offering this task to someone who had spent that interests him. Both Field and Thompson weeks in a lab at Penn. Desatnick says, “My chose to work in Dr. James Wilson’s experience doing research in a lab at Penn “umbrella program,” which includes many and then following up with my data over the students from a few Main Line schools. course of an intensive 3-month paper-writing From there, they were assigned more specific period was simply invaluable…it also armed focuses in the field of biology. me with the applied knowledge I needed to Field worked in Dr. Frederick Kaplan’s understand the study and write an in-depth lab that studies Fibrodysplasia Ossificans report on it.” Because he has yet to take any Progressiva, which is a rare connective tissue science-focused courses at Dartmouth, he disorder (Orthoinfo). Field did histology notes that he has “only Mrs. Cleffi and the work; he said at the time, “I mainly work on Haverford science department to thank for my tissue sections by doing stains to look for success.” certain qualities of those cells. This is called Rising Fifth Formers interested in immunohistochemistry.” applying to the program must have taken both Thompson went to Dr. Lili Wang’s lab Chemistry* and Biology* and should ask to study a coagulation factor (Factor 9). their Biology teacher about the due date for This is “just one protein in what’s known the application essays.

September 2012

New Faculty Member: Dr. John Rutter Grayson Sessa ‘13

Joining Haverford’s science faculty team this year is Dr. John Rutter. It is hard to say what is best out of what Dr. Rutter brings to Haverford: he is simultaneously knowledgeable, excited, and articulate. He comes in this year to teach Biology as well as a Biology-oriented electives, such as Physiology and Environmental Science.

Before coming to Haverford, Dr. Rutter taught college biology. In the summers, he taught a neurobiology course at the Johns Hopkins program, the Center for Talented Youth, at Dickinson College.

Dr. Rutter says, “I just think the study of biology is really pretty fascinating.” In particular, he finds that “physiology and how the systems work” is especially interesting for both the students and him because it unlocks the answer to how the human body and our muscles actually work. He argues that the study of biology is becoming more and more important since it helps one “understand what it is the doctor is telling you, what the environmental scientist is telling you.”

Joining the community should be no problem for Dr. Rutter; in fact, he grew up around Haverford as a child, in Wynnewood.

For elementary school, he attended nearby St. Aloysius Academy and “used to ride on the bus with Haverford School kids.” He later went on to St. Joes Prep. Basically, he is “familiar with the school and the area.”

While walking the halls, Dr. Rutter

Dr. Rutter.

Index Staff

caught sight of an Open-Mic Night advertisement; as someone who plays the guitar and sings, he is very excited for gatherings like these. He mainly sticks to folk music, “but if there’s a blues band,” he adds, “I’ll stand up in front of them as well.” In his spare time Dr. Rutter also enjoys photography but admits that he has not “kept up much with the digital age.” A big fan of “being out on the water,” he considers himself an “aquarian.”

Dr. Rutter’s passion for science and art will certainly help develop the Haverford community in both an academic and extracurricular way.

Eye-opening: Philly to Perth Manav Khandelwal ‘15 When I first stepped off Qantas Link flight No. 1935 at Perth International Airport, one distinct thought crossed my mind: I may be 16,000-plus miles away from home, but it sure does not feel like it.

Perth, Western Australia: metro population of 1.74 million. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: metro population of 5.92 million. These are two cities that, by all geographic and natural parameters, are completely different. In Perth, the average temperature is nearly 13 degrees above what it is in Philadelphia. In Philly, we see an average of 22.8 inches of snow every winter. Lifetime residents of Western Australia, however, have likely never seen a single snowflake. The USA is a land of over 300 million people while Australia’s population barely eclipses 20 million.

Then there are the cultural differences of course. Australia, like many of the commonwealth countries, goes off the British system. They play rugby and Australian Rules football instead of “gridiron,” the term they use to refer to the NFL. They do not call their supreme leader a “president”; like in the U.K., he/she holds the title, “prime minister.”

Australians only have two divisions of school, primary (K-6) and secondary (7-12) unlike our three-tiered system. Instead of saying “buddy” or “guy,” they say “mate” and “bloke.”

In fact, the only obvious thing our two countries share is the language, and even that relationship is skewed by the creative use of slang on both sides.

So, how is it that Haverfordians would have no problem fitting in at Christ Church—the school I attended in Perth—and vice-versa?

Simple, really. Amiable people—“good blokes”—are easy to fit in with, no matter how few things you have in common.

If I had to choose only one adjective to describe the students at CCGS, it would be “diverse.” Like any school in any country, the varying types of people make for a very inclusive school culture that not only exudes friendliness but helps reveal cracks in cultural differences that one might not see with the naked eye. From Vandit Trivedi, the class braniac, to Cameron Moffat, the jokester and founder of the so-called “Aesthetics Crew,” to Peter Lewis, the rugby star and excellent physical specimen, Christ Church also has the type of diverse, intriguing community that

Haverford can boast of as well.

The students and the school, however, were just the beginning.

Describing the warmheartedness of my The West Australian host family using words is an injustice. Nevertheless, it seems I have no other alternative. First, there was Jack, my exchange student, and Riley and Ollie, his 12- and 9-year old younger brothers; these three lads made my experience as fun as possible.

Then there were Jack’s parents, Amanda and Justin, who made sure there were next-to-no moments when I felt like an outcast in their home.

From allowing me to play on Justin’s local basketball team—where I hit a surprising three-pointer (*audience applauds my luck and good fortune*)—to my mini-cricket Oliver Magraith sessions with Khandelwal (left) with his host father, Ollie in the Justin (right). hallway between our rooms, every second I spent in Perth was a second spent soaking up the Australian culture and vibe. They were willing to guide me through the falls of learning new things (cooking, cleaning, and playing AFL (Australian Football League), for example) and to steer me to places that only enriched my knowledge of the country and city around me (places like the Fremantle Prison, Perth Aquarium, and Rottnest Island).

If there is one thing I learned from my time in Australia, it is that generosity and friendliness are universal values. It may sound like another sanguine 15-year old preaching from the moral soapbox, but what I say goes much farther than the “essence of mankind.” There is so much that can be learned from the environment around you, no matter how different or similar.

Australia, and Perth specifically, is proof of that very idea.

Page 9

The Index - Arts

September 2012

Arts

Artist of the Issue: Fourth Former Paul Harryhill Brandon Vattima ‘15 profiles his classmate and up-andcoming artist, Paul Harryhill. Vattima discusses Harryhill’s artistic process and favorite art.

favorite piece of artwork was he answered: “It’s hard to say what my favorite piece of art is. Through studying the Yuan Dynasty period of China for my chinese powerpoint [project], I really discovered some amazing artwork. Some

Paul Harryhill, a Fourth Former this year, allowed his art abilities to blossom during his first year at Haverford as a Third Former.

Coming from the St. Aloysius Academy, Harryhill said that he was instantly intrigued

by Haverford because of the “opportunities and diversity that Haverford had to offer.”

Harryhill proceeded to add, “At St. Aloysius, we didn’t have as many mediums as there are at Haverford. I like to be able to work with so many different kinds of paints and other tools.”

An aspiring and driven young man, Harryhill decided to take an art class in his first year at Haverford and took full advantage of the techniques to explore. Under the direction and guidance of Mr. Chris Fox, Harryhill took his artwork and dedication to the next level. He spent multiple hours before and after school in the art rooms and also came in during his lunch period on some days. His fellow classmates would always rave about how diligent and precise his work was. Fourth Former and classmate James Greytok stated: “Paul is certainly dedicated, and it is apparent in all his work. Whether the task at hand is difficult or tedious, Harryhill consistently does his best work.” Although his classmates were impressed with all of his work, Harryhill seemed never to feel the same; being the perfectionist he is, every little detail had to be precise or Harryhill was not satisfied.

of my favorites are dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by good ol’ Huang Gongwang. I also like some of Wu-Zhen’s paintings such as Fishing Alone and Layered Wave-Like Peaks.

I like the simplicity of these paintings and just

Brandon Vattima ‘15

Harryhill’s Block Island Lighthouse.

Harryhill’s philosophy throughout the year was simple: if it’s not perfect, it’s not getting turned in.

In addition to his dedication to his own art, Harryhill also has a great appreciation for the artwork of others. When asked what his

the overall relaxing feel to them. I also like Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette by Georges-Pierre Seurat, better known as the painting in Ferris Bueller[‘s Day Off] at which Cameron intensely stares. I can really respect the unbelievable amount of work that had to be put into this masterpiece. Although I didn’t work nearly as hard, this shows me that even if I think the painting that I am doing is hard, its very possible to do it even harder.”

Despite school being off for three months, Harryhill has been working on a piece over his summer break; he has yet to reveal his idea or even a glimpse, but as always it will surely be fantastic. Mr. Fox along with all of Harryhill’s classmates sincerely hope that he keeps his love for art throughout his years as a Ford and continues to cultivate it even into his college years. Harryhill says, “I would love to Brandon Vattima continue my artistry past [my time at The] Haverford School because it’s something that I really enjoy doing. I don’t know if I would pursue it as a career, but if I can get good enough in practice throughout a potential college course, it is always a possibility.”

Arts in Germany: Boyek’s Monthly Art Column Greg Boyek ‘14: In this special edition of my monthly arts column I examine culture in Europe through architecture, fine arts performances, and an interview with a young musician from the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic.

Greg Boyek ‘14

Things are different across the pond.

In Europe, buildings are literally pockmarked with history and operas still attract a crowd.

Throughout Germany and Austria there are reminders of the tumultuous past ensconced in a modern vitality which embraces and develops on the region’s history. No one city exemplifies this kind of merging of old and new like Berlin.

Berlin, the modern capital city of Germany, is a microcosm for the modern history of its country. Decorated with the martial splendor of the Prussian Empire, Berlin then stood witness to the rise and fall of Nazism. Devastated

Boyek at the Brandenburg Gate.

by The Second World War, Berlin was divided into East and West like the German nation. Then, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany and Berlin have picked up an exuberance and forward thinking which has maintained Germany in the global forefront.

When I arrived in Berlin, my first sight of

the city proper was the green new government district, built only in the last fifteen years. But even in this section, I did not have to look hard to see the scars of the War and the nowdismantled Wall. The area itself was flattened by bombing and later became no-mans-land between the Soviet and American sectors of the city. The Brandenburg Gate (of Reagan’s “tear-down-this-wall” and Kennedy’s “ichbin-ein-Berliner” fame) is also located in this section. The Reichstag Building, which contains the German Parliament, is perhaps the city’s most brilliant fusion of old and new. The historic façade, gutted by Nazi fires, American bombs, and Russian bullets, has been filled with an amazing modern structure topped with a spectacular glass dome. For tourists, the Reichstag dome offers the best views outward to the city. But for German citizens, the view is inward, where they can see their government hard at work, transparent to the people.

Austria is the southern neighbor of Germany and is more relaxed and rural compared to urbanized Germany.

Although Austria is well known in modern times for The Sound of Music and the Alps, the city of Vienna has a long history as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Leslie Poor Empire. The six-hundredyear Hapsburg Dynasty built some of the most breathtaking palaces, museums, state buildings, and cultural venues in all of Europe. Although the monarchs are long gone, the people of Vienna have found themselves right at home in structures like the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera House).

The Opera is consistently sold out months

in advance and ticket prices are high. While serious…with Rattle I think he feels it’s his more traditional opera-goers purchase duty to improve the orchestra.” subscription tickets for the expensive seats, Monsieur Boevè also played bass under a large and much younger crowd packs the the direction of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s standing room sections. It was incredible to see 2012-13 Season Music Director Yannick a group of twenty-somethings cramming in to Nézet-Séguin, while the conductor was making see a performance of Don Carlo by Giuseppe his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. “It was Verdi as I witnessed in June. the second week when I started working [at With so many young Berlin] and the Orchestra Europeans interested in was really excited [about the fine arts, it comes Yannick]…the audience as no surprise that one likes him and he’s very might end up on the energetic…He actually 10:07 AM bullet train has quite a lot of fans.” from Cologne to Berlin “Fans?” I asked, sitting next a double somewhat puzzled with bass player for the the use of a term that Berlin Philharmonic. conjures up images of a The bass player in mob of teenagers. After question was named all, the Philadelphia Wies de Boevè, and Orchestra recently has he is a twenty-fourexperienced financial year-old member of the troubles from low Academy Orchestra Wies de Boevè audience turnout. In Wies de Boevè. program of the Berlin particular, it lacks Philharmonic, which is an attendance from internship program for future musicians of the younger generations.

Philharmonic. In a classic example of the open “Well it’s not quite like that,” Boevè borders of the European community, Wies was explained, “but you have it with many young born in Holland, raised in Belgium, trained in people in Europe that play music. I remember Switzerland, and now plays bass in Germany. myself when I was first getting started [playing He speaks French, Flemish, German as well as double bass] that it was really like ‘wow’ when perfect English.

I just got near the building…A few weeks It is quite an honor for such a young ago we played a ballet with this education musician to receive an appointment with program for the public schools in Berlin. So the Berlin Philharmonic. Monsieur Boevè the Berlin Philharmonic played, there was a explained, “After five years in Zurich I moved choreography director and professional dancers to Berlin for the two year academy, and now to coordinate the students dancing. There were it’s coming to an end so I’m getting pretty sad two hundred people on stage. This was the about that. But it’s a really great experience second time they did [this program]…A couple because I was playing with really great of years ago they made a documentary about conductors and had great repertoire. The chief the program and it was called Rhythm is It.” conductor is, of course, Simon Rattle…and by Like the modern dome of the Reichstag doing this sort of thing it opens a lot of doors and the college-age students packing into the to play really anywhere.” standing room area under the former emperor’s Sir Simon Rattle, a world-famous British box, Rhythm is It is another ingenious conductor, also has a longstanding relationship combination of a long and illustrious history as a guest conductor with the Philadelphia with modern vitality. Perhaps there are a few Orchestra and will be returning to conduct lessons that could be taken from the culture performances in the 2012-13 Season. Boevè of Germany and Austria, lessons which said that he “liked all the projects where would improve the well-being and intellectual Rattle conducts because the Orchestra is more development of American students.

Page 10

The Index - Sports

Sports

Despite Graduations, Football Fights To Stay On Top

Joe Solomon ‘13 and Stewart Denious ‘13 discuss the football team’s prospects this year and who will be stepping up to fill in the void left behind by the Class of 2012.

This year’s Haverford football team will have to replace many positions formerly held by the Class of 2012, but they still hope to capture an Inter-Ac crown. The team lost its entire starting offensive line, starting running back, starting quarterback, and multiple other positions: replacing and improving upon these will be key to capturing the Inter-Ac title.

The offensive line will likely start the season with two Sixth Formers, Joe Solomon and Tom Curry, and three Fourth Formers who have a combined four Varsity starts, yet the Fords seem confident as ever in the backbone of their offense. Sixth Former Steve Fitzgerald looks to be the starting quarterback out of camp as he hopes to match the production of James Chakey ‘12 both in the air and on the ground. However, he will be challenged by a host of younger players who had extremely strong summer performances, including Fifth Former Brendan Burke and new transfer student Fifth Former Christian Giubilato.

The Fords’ backfield will also look to replace Zach Rego ‘12 - a tough slot to fill - but with returning running backs Fourth Former Anthony Hill and Fourth Former Phil Poquie, who is returning from an injury, the Fords look to have a extremely athletic backfield if not an experienced one. In the passing game, the Fords number one target will once again be the star tight end Sixth Former Matt Galambos, with help from Sixth Form wide receivers Christopher Morgan, Kip Taviano, and second tight end Stewart

Head Coach Michael Murphy once again did not shy away from making a difficult out-of-league schedule as the Fords open the season with a game at the strong 4A Pennridge High School.

Practicing during preseason.

Denious.

Defense will once again be the strong point of this season’s team: the Fords have returning linebacker Galambos, who looks to improve upon his stellar past season. He will receive

Waterpolo Works toward Inter-Ac Championship

Jake Pechet ‘15, a player on the Waterpolo team, interviews his teammates and profiles the team’s prospects for this season.

Jake Pechet ‘15

Joe Solomon ‘13 and Stewart Denious ‘13

help from fellow linebackers Curry, Sixth Former Brandon Owens, and Fourth Former Niles Easley. The defensive line looks to be a particular area of strength as Sixth Formers Denious, Sema’j Reed, and Solomon are returning to the line off of strong Fifth Form years. Chris Morgan along with Sixth Former Hannibal Mathis and Fitzgerald also return, looking to increase production Kicker and Sixth Former Aron out of the Morgan.

Index Staff secondary.

Defensive Coach Brian Martin has again assembled a strong group of players to hold down the score and provide plenty of opportunities for the offense to score.

Head Coach Michael Murphy once again did not shy away from making a difficult out-of-league schedule as the Fords open the season with a game at the strong 4A Pennridge High School. The Fords then play perennial Catholic league contenders Cardinal O’Hara before playing two tough away games at Lawrenceville and Kennett High School. The Fords finish their out-of-league schedule with a home game against Penn Wood High School and a Friday night game under the lights at the Delaware powerhouse, Salesianum School.

The Fords then enter the league schedule, ending their season against rivals Malvern Prep and EA. The Fords’ season has the potential to be rewarding as the squad looks to capture its third Inter-Ac title in Index Staff recent years, but it must of course beat out annual contenders Malvern Prep and Chestnut Hill Academy. Despite the many players the Fords lost from last year, the Inter Ac looks to be wide open for the taking and the Fords see themselves as the best team to take the Championship.

September 2012

left Haverford to pursue his medical career, leaving Coach Kevin Van Such and Coach Sean Hansen to fill the void. Coaches Van Such and Hansen are no newcomers to Haverford Aquatics; both have spent years working with the players. This fall marks Coach Van Such’s fifth with Haverford as a water polo and

The last time most Haverfordians saw the varsity water polo team was in their decisive victory over Episcopal on EA Day last year.

The Sixth Formers dominated in their final game, led by Andrew Helber with 10 goals.

However, as another year has come and gone, so have the Sixth Form leaders of last year’s team. Six of the seven starters were members of the Class of 2012, and their departure has created and necessitated new opportunities for leadership roles.

The team looks to rising Sixth Formers Patrick Somers, Index Staff Colin Meehan, The waterpolo team practicing swimming during preseason.

Travis Chou, JJ House, Jimmy Jameson, Reilly Hupfeldt, and goalie swimming coach, and Coach Hansen’s name Harry Rosenberg to guide the team through the has been synonymous with the Haverford pool season. Comments Somers, “We have a pretty for years. balanced starting line. No starter is really that Notes Fifth Former John Zipf, “Both much better than another, and three of our coaches bring knowledge and expertise to the six starters are lefties.” This balance should game and we’re excited to improve under their foster a strong sense of communication and guidance.” Due to the familiarity the players teamwork, qualities last year’s team lacked at have with both coaches, the transition has been times. seamless thus far and will hopefully continue Sixth Form leadership is especially as the season begins. vital as the team goes through a period of transition. Former Head Coach Matt Deasey Continued on Page 11

Cross Country Poised for Record-Breaking Season

Lucas Elek ‘13, the Cross Country captain this fall, discusses the Fords’ prospects, which look very hopeful, in light of the team losing no Varsity Sixth Formers last year.

Lucas Elek ‘13

changes. The all-star lineup includes Fifth Former Eamon Glavin, Sixth Former Josh Collins, Sixth Former Lucas Elek, Fourth Former Alex Kim, and Sixth Former Grayson Sessa, who roundup the top five. The team was helped by a strong Third Form class last year and will look to Kim and others to have a serious impact on this year’s team. The team also looks to newcomers such as Fifth Former Gavin Adams, Fifth Former Colin Adams, and Sixth Former Ros McDermott to be varsity contributors as well.

Preseason was hugely successful and is a good indicator of a great season to come. After it ended, Index Staff Captain Lucas Elek leading the team in dynamic stretching with the Cross Country Head Coach hurdles.

Bryan Skelly said, “I think this team has a This coming Cross-Country Season the Fords lot of potential. This is a great group of guys. look to make history. Last year, unlike years If we can keep working hard, I think we will past, the team did not graduate a single varsity have a very successful season.” This team runner. Thus, the team is only going to be certainly has a lot of potential. They may go better than last year. In the 2011 season, the on to do some incredible things this year and Fords finished at a disappointing fourth place would welcome some fan support. The team at Inter-Ac Champs and loss on EA Day. will have three home meets this year, including This year they look to rewrite the books. The one against EA. It would be great see some Fords have not defeated their competition fans come out to support the guys because this on EA day in over a decade. This season that year they are going to make history.

Page 11

The Index - Sports

September 2012

Sports

Fords Golf Takes Aim at Historic Season (cont.)

Soccer Looks to Finally Conquer the Inter-Ac

Despite graduating some very strong soccer players, the team hopes to see more success on the national stage and finally to win the Inter-Ac.

Continued from the Front Page Regarding the new match format, Ryan Tetrault believes, “it is different not playing with someone on your team. I like making friends and having fun on the golf course, but playing in matches is totally different than your weekend round with some buddies. In years past, you had someone on your team playing with you, which was nice because if things went wrong, they were there to help out and talking to them could take your mind off the match for a little which is comforting, but not anymore. The people you are playing with are trying to beat you, so you have to stay on top of your game and focus. I think this system is more fair though because all of the teams are playing at the same time, so weather or course conditions can’t be considered a factor. You really do find out who the best teams and players are out there.”

Haverford will be playing at several championship courses, including Merion West, Gulph Mills, Sunnybrook, Waynesborough, and Philly Cricket.

Haverford Physics teacher and Golf Coach Mr. Gerard Rooney has put the most work in when it comes to orchestrating and managing the team; Fords golf would not run as smoothly or as effectively as it does without Mr. Rooney at the helm of Sixth Former Scott Jaster is one of this year’s golf captains. He is a the Fords ship. Along with Coach member of the 2011-2012 All-Delco golf team.

Rooney is Haverford alumnus and avid golfer, Mr. Gui Costin ‘85, who helps coach the team. His leadership and experience is extremely beneficial to the further development of the entire team. JD Hall ‘08 and Mr. Robert Upton are also coaches on the team. Four coaches may seem like overkill for just sixteen players. However, it is necessary due to the number of tryouts, which require supervision and organization, as well as the planning that is required to coordinate such a large group of players to play everyday at highly-esteemed courses, which are already busy enough and must attempt to please their members.

This will be the second year in which golf

James Shecter ‘13

Jim Roese

It will truly be a spectacle as Haverford and Episcopal Academy face off in a duel for the sweater at one of the best golf courses in the world.

Fifth Former Cole Berman is one of this year’s golf captains. He is a member of the 2011-2012 All-Delco golf team.

Jim Roese

has played the tiebreaker for the sweater on EA Day. However, Haverford is playing at home this year and a certain golf course has been so generous as to allow the two teams to play at their course on the Saturday morning of EA Day: the home of the 2013 U.S. Open, Merion East. It will truly be a spectacle as Haverford and Episcopal Academy face off in a duel for the sweater at one of the best golf courses in the world. All of the golfers on both teams are ecstatic about the opportunity to play at Merion East. Ryan Tetrault says, “It is amazing that we get to play such a fantastic course on such an important day. It will be an unforgettable day for sure, and we are very lucky that we get to play on such a highly regarded venue. I mean, you know it is a special course if they are hosting the 2013 U.S. Open there!”

All of the players for Haverford would agree with Ryan Tetrault; Haverford Golf is very fortunate to have this course virtually in their backyard. Do not pass on this opportunity to see Haverford play golf on EA Day at Merion East. It will be something that neither you, nor any players on the golf team, will soon forget.

three Third Formers, the two Bradley brothers and Connor Gregory, will be relied upon Last year the Haverford Soccer team heavily. Shane Bradley may be the Fords’ reached almost-unprecedented heights: starting center back, which is a their national ranking peaked at 16th, position that requires “intense and they won the state championship in leadership and communication” their division, but they were unable to (according to DeMarco) as well as claim the Inter-Ac title. This year, excellent soccer skills. although they must cope with the Sixth Former Jeff Green will again loss of soccer stalwarts Harrison be the Fords’ starting goal keeper, Kendall ‘12, Nate Aronson ‘12, coming off a lengthy shutout streak and nine other graduates, the last season. With a player like Green squad is optimistic that it can between the pipes and others like again have a successful season.

Sixth Former Dan Rubenstein in Sixth Former and four-year front of him, Haverford’s defense Varsity veteran Carlo DeMarco should once again be a brick wall. remarked, “I am confident that And the talent does not just lie on the we can beat any team in the defensive half: Pennsylvania Soccer country; we have the tools to Player of the Year Brett Campbell, a Sixth Form Georgetown commit, beat anyone.” plans to lead the Ford’s offense to Head Coach Mr. Bill new heights.

Brady has now settled into Taking their schedule “one game, his place in the Haverford one day at a time,” as DeMarco and community, and he is eager fellow Sixth Former Alex Dubow for his second year coaching put it, is imperative throughout the varsity team. DeMarco the long, tiring season. During the and other upperclassmen month of September, the Fords play have commented that Brady several non-league opponents in is an intelligent, articulate, Shipley, Conestoga, Gilman, and confident coach who Lawrenceville, and others. sets realistic goals and Although these games do not constantly maintains a count for the Inter Ac title chase, high level of optimism. several wins will surely move “We know there will be the Fords higher in the local and bumps in the road,” national rankings. The Inter-Ac said Demarco, “but we always Jeff season opens against Chestnut make sure to keep a steady Green Hill Academy at home on focus.”

Index September 28. Players agree, the Never before has there been Staff toughest league opponent lies in such an opportune moment for Penn Charter, who the Fords younger players to step up play on October 5. on the varsity soccer team.

Can the Fords reclaim a top-20 Having graduated 11 players last national ranking for a second year, the group undoubtedly has consecutive year? Can they a much younger look and feel. repeat as state The McBride twins and champions? Will Brandon Shima, all Fourth they finally attain Formers, are expected their ultimate to move into starting positions goal of winning the Inter-Ac? Grab your and, according to DeMarco, must have “huge vuvuzela’s and Fords spirit gear and come out seasons” to ensure success for the team. And to support the Fords soccer team.

Water Polo ChampionshipProspects (cont.)

Continued from Page 10 Of course, no season can commence without a preseason. The team has endured grueling swim sets and hours of treading to prepare for the first games of the season, against McDonough, Mount St. Joseph’s,

Following the Philmore Cup, the team begins working on its long term goal: an InterAc championship. As

usual, most Inter-Ac schools are fielding formidable teams.

and Loyola Blakefield in the annual Philmore Cup. While some members of the team have established themselves as potential clutch players, real games against unfamiliar

opponents should help provide a true sense of where the team stands.

Following the Philmore Cup, the team begins working on its long term goal: an InterAc championship. As usual, most Inter-Ac schools are fielding formidable teams. Looking ahead to the competition, Somers says, “Penn Charter and the Fords look neck and neck.

They have the best player in the Inter-Ac but severely lack depth.” He expects Malvern to be a force because of a strong senior class, and the early favorite to win it all.

But Coach Van Such remarks about the upcoming season, “The Fords are a bit of a mystery, especially after graduating many Sixth Formers and introducing a new head coach. The combination of balanced play and hard work look to make the Fords the dark horse of the Inter-Ac this year.”

And it goes without saying, Haverford should crush Episcopal again on EA day. Says Somers, “After beating them twice last year, they lost their two best players. Now, they really only have two big players who can play down low and aren’t fast.”

So, Haverford water polo fans, expect an exciting season culminating in yet another embarrassing defeat for EA at the hands of the Fords.

Page 12

The Index - Features

Features

September 2012

~Special Feature from the Khandyman Sports Blog~ Andy Reid’s Future: Is it With the eagles?

Khandyman Sports is a sports blog focusing on Philadelphia sports teams that is run by Fourth Former and Index contributor Manav Khandelwal. If you enjoyed this commentary, use the QR Code below to view Khandyman.com.

Manav Khandelwal ‘15

short season after season.

Lurie, who will retain ownership of his After Jeffrey Lurie’s scathing examination team even through a divorce, is in a fix whether of Andy Reid and the 2011 Philadelphia he likes it or not. After treating his longtime Eagles, many thought that the Eagles friend and coach in the harshest manner to date ownership would finally put pressure on its 14in last year’s end-of-season press conference, year coach to perform in the penultimate year he is stuck between a rock and hard place of his contract. In the eyes of unless Reid finally breaks fans, Lurie set the table for a through in 2012-2013: if “Super Bowl or bust” situation the Eagles go one-and-done for a franchise that has put once again in the playoffs together so many strong or, even worse, miss the seasons but failed to achieve playoffs, how can Lurie possibly denounce the the ultimate goal. team’s performance yet Reid’s agent, Bob LaMonte stick with a formula that has — visiting Lehigh for his not added up? annual check-up on his top This team is simply client — apparently thinks too talented to shift the otherwise (via Jeff McLane and blame away from Reid Zach Berman of philly.com): Check out the Khandyman Sports blog online. and the coaching staff. “[Lurie] has stated time Not only did the front office go out and plug and time again, any time that I’ve been with several of last year’s largest personnel holes him, that was as long as he’s the owner of the — adding depth at linebacker, safety, as well Philadelphia Eagles Andy Reid would be his as a red zone threat — but they finally used coach. And I’d say the proof of the pie is in the the draft wisely as a method of improving pudding. He’s been here 14 years.” the roster and creating a possible Super Bowl That may have been the case three years favorite. Reid has no excuse for a letdown this ago when Reid signed a three-year extension, season, and neither Lurie nor LaMonte can but two first-round playoff exits and an 8-8 deny the mounting frustration over the team’s disappointment later, Reid’s negotiating unwillingness to search for other answers at power has clearly taken more of a hit than head coach. Lurie made that somewhat clear LaMonte is willing to admit. He may be the in an interview with McLane, expressing his winningest regular season and playoff coach thoughts in a discernible yet vague response: in Eagles’ history, but there is one statistic that “Bob is a great agent who we have an he does not have the team record in: Super outstanding relationship with. As much respect Bowl championships. Like Dick Vermeil and as all of us have for Andy Reid, it is the nature Buddy Ryan before him, Reid has had a decent of the profession that all coaches, executives measure of regular season success but come up

Andy Reid. and players are evaluated each year. That’s the way we have always operated.

But our focus right now, and I know Andy feels the same way, is solely on the upcoming 2012 season.”

Yes, Andy Reid is one of the best NFL

wikimedia.org coaches of the last decade, but is firstround exit after first-round exit really going to be enough for an Eagles’ fanbase that breaths, bleeds, and thinks green? Another unsatisfactory season could go a long way to provoking the answer to that question.

From the Politics Section: Why 2012 Is the Most Important Election of the Modern Era Politics Editor Matt Larson ‘14 looks at past significant elections and argues that they all dwarf in comparison to the stakes of the 2012 presidential election.

Matt Larson ‘14

Kennedy vs. Nixon. Johnson vs. Goldwater.

Reagan vs. Carter.

This list includes some of the most

confident and charismatic. There is no doubt that Kennedy won these televised debates over Nixon; this helped him capture the presidency.

Johnson vs. Goldwater presented a different challenge – the first time that there was an

Mitt Romney (left) and Barack Obama (right) who will face off in the 2012 election.

Barry Goldwater (left) and Lyndon Baines Johnson (right) who faced off in the 1964 election.

important elections of the modern era. Why? The first televised debate was held during the 1960 presidential election. For the first time, viewers could see the candidates engage each other and make note of who seemed the most

businessweek.com

ultraconservative (Goldwater) running against an ultraliberal (Johnson). Voters roundly rejected the conservative, which impacted how Republicans would portray themselves for the next 16 years until 1980. That year,

conservatism (Reagan) won soundly over liberalism (Carter). From then on, the majority of presidential elections have been simply about which candidate can better keep the status quo. Until now.

There is a clear consensus that something must be done regarding the state of the government. Through years of ignorance and wasteful spending, the debt has piled up to almost $16 trillion, a number that most people cannot even fathom. Programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid need drastic overhauls. The defense budget has ballooned and is out of control. Something must be done.

On November 6, 2012, the United States

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Presidential and Congressional elections will be held. This upcoming election will be the most important of our time, certainly one of the most important ever. But this is not simply because of the state of our nation; it is because of the plans that the two presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, have for the United States.

Both Republicans and Democrats fear that if the other party’s candidate is selected, things will become worse than they ever have been.

The choice between big or small government is clearer than ever.

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The Index - Politics

Politics

September 2012

Congressman Meehan 2012 Is the Most Important Speaks to The Index (cont.) Election of the Modern Era (cont.)

Continued from the Front Page

“Principally, the Affordable Care Act has not delivered on the promises that were made.

Already the projection of the cost over ten years has more than doubled to $1.8 trillion.

We never accomplished what was most important in the minds of many which was to find a way to control the escalating costs of health care. It’s going to be $387 billion more this year than what was projected.”

“The fear that I have right now is this tremendous expansion of access to health care without controlling costs is that you will have access to health care but you will not have availability of health care…You will see longer and longer delays in the ability of people to actually receive quality health care and the quality of care itself…will not be sustained.”

When I asked Congressman Meehan what sort of replacement reforms he would support, he explained he would not suggest that “everything should go out the window” with regards to the Affordable Care Act. Indeed, he supports mandating coverage for preexisting conditions and filling in the “doughnut hole” for senior citizens on Medicare. He also supports allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines and helping small businesses group together in order to have greater consumer power to get access to affordable plans for their employees.

One of Congressman Meehan’s current committee assignments is the Homeland Security committee on cyber security. Over the past year or so, several proposals relating to this topic have been struck down in either the House or the Senate. I asked the Congressman on which solutions he has worked.

“Well, that’s a very complex question, and there is no best approach which means that

Continued from Page 12

Meehan in his Philadelphia office.

what is out there, to be able to move quickly to identify the nature of those intrusions…to find ways to protect against them. The second way is to encourage people to…develop early warning systems, so that the first person who sees that they are being accessed by something to report that to some entity, which doesn’t have to be a government entity.”

“So how’s the re-election shaping up? What are the most important issues facing you, and what would you like to see accomplished in your second term?”

“Well it’s all about jobs and the economy.

It’s about getting people back to work. We’ve seen a sustained 8%+ unemployment rate for over forty-three straight months. We’ve got to find a way to create the kind of economic environment that will put people back to work.

Meehan giving the weekly GOP jobs address.

we’ve got to work on this piecemeal, and it’s a continuing work in progress…The fact of the matter is there are very sophisticated efforts from foreign governments…and criminal enterprises to…not only access data but use it as a weapon of war.”

Congressman Meehan voted to pass the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which was blocked in the Senate for potentially giving the government broad and undefined powers to access personal data. Mr. Meehan responded that he does not “think you’re going to see the government getting into personal data. It was limited sharing [of data].” He added that “The important thing…with shared intelligence is…that it’s information that allows us to prevent things from happening in the first place. You’ve got to find this balance of protecting personal privacy interests against the reality that…if you are dealing with an issue as it’s occurring, it’s far too late.”

“What would be a bilateral approach to cyber security that would protect us from hackers while avoiding compromising individual rights to privacy,” I asked.

“First is to continue to have the best and the brightest work with us to be aware of

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What greatly concerns me is that we’ve seen an effort…to try to create villains to separate America. I’m frustrated by the leadership of the President at this point in time - the inability to create a meaningful path to economic recovery has led a determination to identify some people as part of the problem - instead of one America working on this together.”

“Now, on the eve on an election, you’re beginning to see an attempt to try to… create some concept that somehow there’s unfairness…that needs to be remedied. The fact of the matter is that I’ve seen there’s some 700,000 small businesses that are the job creators and are going to lose employment if we don’t focus on creating a fair tax system - that’s the essence of it. We’ve got to create an economic environment that gives them the confidence to use the capital that is sitting on the sidelines…We’ve got to find a way to get that back into the system. That will drive jobs, that will drive employment, [and] that will get opportunity. But they won’t do that as long as they continue to see an uncertain future - when they see policies the President is now talking about which contradict what he said a year ago.”

Another major point of concern for both parties is the military and defense. For the past few years, there has been concern that Obama The three most important parts of this has not been doing all in his power to stop election are healthcare, foreign policy, and the Iran and stand with Israel or be tough on China and Russia.

Essentially, Obama has tried to take an approach that essentially comes out as trying not to offend anyone.

Meanwhile, Romney claims that he will take more aggressive stances against countries like Iran, China, and reid.senate.gov Russia and will President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act in 2010. stand more strongly with economy.

The most important piece of legislation (and allies like Poland and Israel. Foreign policy is one of the most important of our nation’s no doubt the most controversial) that Obama priorities, so it is important that it is done has managed to push through Congress is correctly. If Obama’s policies continue, critics the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives have say, the U.S. will grow weaker militarily and criticized this legislation as a blatant power be continuously bullied by China and Russia; grab and expansion of government by the if Romney wins the election, critics say, it may president. On the other hand, liberals say that lead to Cold War-esque diplomacy and war. the law will grant healthcare to all who do Tensions between countries have not been this high since the end of the USSR; the president must be able to navigate the diplomatic scene very carefully if the U.S. will be able to escape unscathed.

The third main reason that this will be the most important election in the modern era is because of the healthreformexplained.com economy. The A comical interpretation of the coming fiscal cliff.

U.S. is heading not have off a fiscal cliff. Obama’s budgets have been it, saying that they passed the law to provide roundly rejected (his most recent one received care for those who cannot afford it. There no supporting votes in either the House or is no doubt that the majority of people have Senate), and it appears as though his only opinions one way or another on this subject. solution to the crisis and unemployment is If Romney wins, he will do his best to “repeal to raise taxes on the wealthy while keeping and replace” the bill, destroying countless government large. On the other hand, Romney years of work by the Democrats, but if Obama would lower taxes and try to make government wins, the law will stay in place. And only then smaller at the same time. Obviously, will we “find out what is in it,” according to conservatives favor a small government, Nancy Pelosi, whether that is good or bad. As for they say that government does not have shown by the recent Supreme Court decision, responsibility to care for its citizens; it simply the reaction to this legislation is polarizing. needs to keep order and provide national defense. They say that the wealthy deserve tax cuts because they are the ones that hire; without tax cuts, they would hire less people and let more go. Obama believes in big government because he says that it has a responsibility to care for its citizens. Tax increases for the wealthy are a necessity because everyone must pay their “fair share.”

The 2012 presidential election will not be won on attack ads but rather on ideas. It all comes down to whether one believes in big or small government and whether they feel that government has a responsibility to care for its citizens or simply take care of security threats and manage the affairs of the nation. Before, presidents were willing to simply stand by and let the situation unfold. Now, change is necessary because mydailyclarity.com Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been influenof the daunting situation the United States tial in shaping the Obama administration’s foreign policy. finds itself in. Voters must make their choice The time is now to decide whether voters stand between Obama and Romney, and whichever one is chosen, there is no going back. with the law or stand against it.

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The Index - Politics

Politics

September 2012

The Ever-Increasing Power of the Presidency Politics Editor Matt Larson ‘14 fears that as the citizenry has let down its guard, the executive branch now has inordinate power compared to the other branches of government.

Matt Larson ‘14

When one first learns about the United States government, two words often come to mind: “checks” and “balances.” There are three main parts of government, otherwise known as the separation of powers, that consist of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

These three branches are a large part of what makes America unique in that they were designed to make sure that one branch never becomes too powerful.

This has changed.

First, let me define what powers the president was given from the Constitution. The president is the head of state, is responsible for the federal budget, and can issue executive orders that ensure that the Acts of Congress are carried out. Also, the president is the commander-in-chief of the United States military but cannot formally declare war

Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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without congressional approval. The president can veto congressional legislation, grant clemency, and use executive privilege to withhold information.

The way in which presidents gain more

power is by taking it from the legislative branch. If a president faces a hostile Congress, what better way to further their agenda than to bypass it entirely? The easy way of doing this is to use executive orders. Although executive orders were never specifically mentioned in the Constitution, there was a somewhat ambiguous reference to make sure that “the Laws be faithfully executed.” Executive orders were simply meant to allow the president to regulate the federal government, but they could be turned into a way for the president to make laws that Congress did not pass.

Another way for the president to gain more power (or take it away from Congress) is by the appointment of high-level officials, known as czars, that do not need congressional approval. Lately, Congress has simply had to confirm high ranking officials in the president’s cabinet; but as government expanded, so did the number of presidential appointees to the executive office of the president.

By selecting these “czars” and bypassing congressional approval, less vetting needs to be done, but there is a greater opportunity for nepotism on behalf of the president that leads to incompetence and inefficiency.

Executive privilege can be easily twisted as well. The purpose of executive privilege is to protect information that should be kept secret; however, there are opportunities to protect against scandals or potentially embarrassing situations that the president does not want public.

Although there had been attempts by the presidents leading up to Franklin Delano Roosevelt to give the office of the presidency more power, none had succeeded in fundamentally changing the responsibilities – perhaps expanding government but not presidential power.

This soon changed when Roosevelt was elected to the office of the presidency under dire circumstances. The Great Depression was in full swing, with no end in sight. By the time he was sworn in, citizens were very desperate and wanted the government to step in to help the economy. Starting with

Nixon delivering his resignation speech.

the Emergency Banking Act of 1933 (which allowed FDR to regulate the banking system) and the National Industrial Recovery Act (which allowed the president to regulate industry but was later ruled unconstitutional), FDR’s New Deal granted the presidency new powers it had never enjoyed before. To keep up with all of his new programs, FDR signed the Reorganization Act, which allowed him to reorganize and expand his office to include more people. In addition, he issued 3,728 executive orders while in office, far more than any president has or ever had; perhaps that can be explained by his four term presidency which completely flew in the face of the precedent set by George Washington. The most egregious abuse of the presidency, however, came under an executive order (which was by no means constitutional) that put Japanese American citizens in internment camps.

The main abuse of power under Harry Truman was his attempt to nationalize the steel mills of the U.S. to prevent a strike. This was done under the guise of an executive order, and it was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Lyndon B. Johnson’s largest abuse of power came when he used the CIA to spy on his 1964 presidential opponent, Barry Goldwater, despite the fact that this was illegal.

But the president who abused his power the

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most was perhaps Richard Nixon.

These illicit activities began in 1970 when it was revealed that American planes were bombing neutral Cambodia as part of the Vietnam War, a fact that the American public had not been made aware of. Nixon ordered his men to wiretap the reporters who exposed this story. Then, a unit known as “Plumbers” was formed to gather damaging intelligence about political enemies; these activities eventually led to the break in at Watergate and one of the most infamous cover-ups in American history.

More recent examples of abuse have existed as well. Bill Clinton, while an effective president, had advisors openly brag about his use of executive orders to bypass Congress. George W. Bush increased the size of government and presidential power to levels unheard of. Barack Obama bypassed Congress for the “intervention” in Libya and continued the growth of the office of the president by appointing more czars.

While there are more examples of abuse, it is important to realize that these actions by the presidents to increase their office’s power have gone mostly unnoticed. It is the citizens’ job to hold the president accountable for his actions, for Congress is slowly losing its power to check him. The scales are being tipped, whether Americans realize it or not.

Why Citizens Should Follow the News: Commentary by Larson Politics Editor Matt Larson ‘14 argues that a well informed public that follows the news naturally leads to a stronger democracy.

Matt Larson ‘14 129,391,711.

This number represents the amount of people that voted in the 2008 presidential election. A little more than 63% of all eligible voters turned out to cast ballots to help their preferred candidate become president.

Shouldn’t that percentage be higher?

The United States is one of the freest countries in the world. Voters do not have to worry about tampering, and elections are proceeded with fairly. The other candidate accepts defeat when it is apparent he or she has lost, and life goes on. So why do 37% of voters not turn out?

A recent Los Angeles Times poll suggests that 59% of non-voters don’t pay attention to politics because “nothing ever gets done.”

While major issues like the debt ceiling or tax reform seem to never be resolved, there are plenty of matters that are taken care of every day that effect the average person. Citizens have to realize that they are affected by what happens in Washington, whether they know what is going on or not. What the president or Congress decides on today could result in a recession or depression in a few years. It is

well known that the U.S. is headed off a fiscal cliff, one that it may be hard to recover from.

One would think that it is time for voters to be more informed and more willing to vote than ever.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. If one simply thinks they are informed by reading the front page of a paper, they are entirely wrong. What about the small things, those not necessarily reported on? No one has heard anything recently about things like Operation Fast and Furious or Solyndra, for example.

Issues disappear too often, and it is up to the citizen to find out about it. There are many things, both good and bad, that are reported on and that a potential voter ought to know but never makes “front page news.”

More often than not, news can be depressing. Politics is not like pop culture, which is often meant to be happy and make people feel good. It presents the facts as they are, good or bad, but this realism does not mean that it should not be followed – quite the contrary. Instead, the bad news should fire people up to vote this November either to change things or keep them the way they are.

A major misconception is that politics is uninteresting. One would be surprised. There are always new developments; if not, why

are there so many news channels? What politicians do with the power they are given is a reason to be interested. There is much more that happens than simply long speeches on the House or Senate floor.

With the current tension between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, things are more interesting than ever. How the two sides will operate thenaturalsapphirecompany.com The CNN homepage.

Haverford community, and continue to work together it is the decisions by those in government. remains to be seen, and what goes on is Before anyone steps into the ballot box this certainly thought provoking.

November, they should take into consideration As a Haverford School student, you may this question: who are they voting for? If the wonder how this issue reaches you - well, it people are informed about the issues that is simple. Haverford students are positioned Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stand by, go through their time at this school to be the next ahead. But if not, then perhaps they should great leaders and innovators in our society. reconsider their vote or simply read more about Should students not attempt to learn about it, because there are no negatives to reading issues that will influence their future careers?

If there is one thing that affects everyone in the the news.

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The Index - Politics

Politics

September 2012

The Issues That Will Decide the 2012 Presidential Election In the first election coverage piece of the season, Greg Boyek ‘14 lays out the issues that will be most likely to determine whether Mitt Romney is elected or Barack Obama is re-elected.

Greg Boyek ‘14

President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney represent two distinct choices for voters between…what exactly?

The candidates’ stances on topics ranging from the economy to national security have been overshadowed by vindictive statements and reactionary comments that hold few answers to the questions which plague America.

Clearly, the economy is the issue with the most relevance to average voters. According to polls from CNN, ABC, CBS, Reuters, and FOX, jobs, the economy, and unemployment are foremost in the minds of voters. As of August, the economy is only weakly growing and has slowed in this quarter. Though the unemployment rate has dropped to around eight percent, compared to its peak at ten percent, weak consumer spending has kept many jobs from developing.

President Obama’s economic policy has been clearly demonstrated by his four years in office during the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Many Americans are quite angry with the handling of the economy.

Many who only a few years ago were talking about job satisfaction are now talking about job security. Many more are out of work entirely. Only FDR had been reelected with unemployment numbers as high as these.

Obama and Romney have two clearly different visions for how to improve the economy. However, neither campaign has focused on specific economic improvement plans for their talking points. If either candidate can prove his strategy to voters, he could potentially gain the lead.

The clearest route for President Obama is to state that, although he has worked hard in his first term, he has much more that is necessary to improve the economy and needs help from voters to accomplish his goals by way of a second term. Romney potentially has the easier argument here: he simply

needs to point out how he would rectify the failures of the President’s actions to help restore the economy.

The second major issue arises from the approaching fiscal cliff in the federal government. As of August, unless Congress acts, income tax cuts are set to expire by December 31 and automatic spending cuts of $1.2 trillion over 10 years will begin on January 2.

Voters are concerned with government debt with the European financial crises appearing to show the frightening consequences of outof-control spending. Mind-boggling numbers in debt and deficit have a great “scare factor” for average voters who might then look for a “fiscally responsible” candidate.

Many Americans worry about the fiscal status of their government, but many more Americans worry about their own fiscal status and taxes are always a good speaking point for non-incumbents. By pointing out how he could decrease taxes and government debt, Governor Romney can gain an advantage over the President who has allowed the debt to grow tremendously under his watch.

One major change President Obama did

initiate was the passing of the Affordable Care Act, another major deciding factor in the election. This law has sparked strong responses with some hailing the President for pressing such matters through Congress and others opposing the content, funding, or politics of the law.

Governor Romney is promoting the “repeal and replace” mantra which is often repeated among all Republicans running for elections this year. The biggest

Mitt Romney.

Barack Obama.

security successes, most notably the Bin Laden raid. However, as President he has reneged on promises to bring all our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and close the Guantanamo Bay military prison facility.

In

addition, the President supported the air intervention in Libya and recently signed an executive order to provide covert support to Syrian rebels.

Romney is an unknown in this regard. With a background in business, he has almost no experience in handling international diplomacy or armed conflicts. He states that he would take a harsher stance on Iran than President Obama, though both believe that economic and diplomatic measures must have failed before military action is taken. Romney has also promised to be tougher on Politico China and Russia, the latter of which he states is the United States “number one geopolitical foe,” according to an interview with CNN. The attempt by Romney’s campaign to demonstrate his foreign affairs abilities during a world tour became something of an embarrassment, however. Romney’s faux-pas both here and abroad are being given much more attention than the opinions he has voiced.

The ongoing quagmires regarding Romney’s work at Bain and his tax returns have hogged more media attention than any political issue. Attack ads from the Democrats focus on Romney’s estrangement from the American people, while ads from the Republican side slam Obama for statements such as his “you didn’t build that” speech.

Attack ads have gained such significance recently in part because of the huge amounts

question regarding “repeal and replace” is “replace.” Replace with what? It turns out that an individual-mandate based proposal was used by Republicans to counter the failed Clinton healthcare reform in 1994. This same idea was also used for the Massachusetts healthcare insurance reform law which was enacted under Romney’s supervision while governor.

According to Romney’s website, he supports “policies that give each state the power to craft a healthcare reform plan that is best for its own citizens.” Romney also stated on CNN that he desired to improve “portability...the ability to keep your insurance when you change jobs; improve consumer choice; and then expand healthcare by dealing fairly with those who have preexisting conditions.”

In order to gain voters based on his health care policy Romney must define what advantages reside in his state-by-state version of healthcare reform.

Healthcare will play an important role as the candidates face off this fall. However, those who previously voted for President Obama were well aware that he was promoting a major White House officials monitoring the Bin Laden raid as it unfolded. usatoday.net overhaul to health care and so will likely remain with him of funding which campaigns must procure this time around. Of course, there and effectively utilize to promote themselves. are those who were simply disgusted However, in a presidential election, the with the job that George Bush had capability of ads to change the minds of voters done and did not want another is dubious. In more local elections, such as Republican, so it will be interesting for governor or representative, ads can be to see if they will change their vote. effectively utilized to “inform” voters of the The last major policy issue which merits of a particular candidate. However, ought to be addressed in the election national elections are heavily covered by the is how each candidate is prepared media and therefore voters will develop their to deal with national security and opinions based on what they see, hear and read foreign policy. President Obama has in the news. It matters what people think about had a muddy record on both issues. the candidates, and, for better or worse, that is Politico He has overseen great national what democracy is all about.

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The Index - The Outdex

The Outdex

September 2012

Recently at The Haverford School...

Sam Bloch ‘13, Noah Cutler ‘14, James Tarte ‘13, and Jonathan Paras ‘14

The Cleveland Browns will try to beat the odds and win more than one game this season.

Mr. Trocano has already written 20 Star Trek quizzes for his honors chemistry students to take in the first semester in anticipation.

In light of the Robotics Team’s previous success, Dr. Cox has ordered the library to be converted into a members-only lounge for them.

Due to the change [once again] in midterms, Mr. Green stated, “It really just wasn’t hard enough for my liking.”

The Student Council released a statement that stated “Somewhere in the future we will release a statement......that will dictate another statement by which time we will have acknowledged the possibility of a student lounge.”

With the hiring of new headmaster Dr. John Nagl, Haverford has shown that it is dedicated to becoming a military academy. Dr. Nagl plans to implement, among other things, a required military training program at 6:00 AM on Wednesday mornings.

B.G. Lemmon will be attending Haverford this year as the schools first Form VII student.

The long awaited student lounge will be opened in the middle of September. The lounge will have the same rules as the library, so speaking at a loud volume will get you kicked out.

Index Staff

Wisdom from Josh Pau: “A penny saved is a penny earned.’”

Justin Chermol was recently named the voice of the Fords’ football team and will be announcing all home games this year. Let’s get fired up!

Neighbors have complained about a high-pitched voice hurting their ears during Haverford football games.

Sam Bowen was just named the “meatiest soccer player” in Delaware County by the Delco Times.

Students who drive but do not have parking spots on campus have been buying t-shirts from clothing designer and Sixth Former Darren Watson that say “The Struggle” on them. The phrase on the shirts resonates deeply with the students who must get to school before 7:15 AM to get a good parking Mr. Green has reported that 100% of students read Season of Life, the school-wide mandatory summer reading book.

Sam Bloch did two things all summer: eat meat and eat more meat.

Guyism.com

Dr. Nagl will be enforcing a new dress code.

Mr. Fifer has taken the summer to reflect on the amazing journey he encountered with Frodo Baggins in destroying the one ring to rule them all and has changed his name to Aragorn.

After learning of our new headmaster, we discovered that we must call him “Dr. Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes Scholar Nagl Sir!” Wow, that’s a bigger mouthful than the title of his book.

Recent graduate Chris Dibello ‘12 is wanted by authorities for stealing Joseph Solomon’s neck.

Where did Joe Solomon’s neck go?

Haverford FieldHouse Phanatic