Volume 135 Issue 16

“Abolition and Freedom” by Edouard Duval-Carrié, installed by students and faculty in the HSSC.

Arts page 3

“HomeTown Teams” featuring sports in American

History opens at Drake Library.

Community page 4

Spotlight on Sports Information Director Ted Schultz

Sports page 6

Scarlet & Black the

February 15, 2019 • Grinnell, Iowa

Volume 135, Issue 16

thesandb.com

College announces 2019-2020 comprehensive fee: 3.75 percent increase from 2018-2019

By Eva Hill hilleva@grinnell.edu On Jan. 24, Grinnell students received an email notifying them of the comprehensive fee increase for the 2019-2020 school year. The fee will for the upcoming school year will be $67,646 ($33,823 per semester), a 3.75 percent increase from the 20182019 cost of $65,202 (32,601 per semester).

According to the breakdown sent in the same email, this reflects a 3.75 percent increase in the categories of tuition, room, and board, and a three percent increase in the student activity fee as recommended by the Student Government Association and Student Publications and Radio Committee treasurers. Last year, the increase from the 2017-2018 to 2018-2019 school years was 3.31 percent.

According to Brad Lindberg, assistant vice president for enrollment at the College, this increase is on par with increases he has observed in previous years. He wrote in an email to The S&B, “Over the past five years, the comprehensive fee increase has remained relatively stable, between 3.1 [percent] and 4.0 [percent]. This year’s increase is very similar to those we have seen during my time at Grinnell.”

Lindberg also addressed the fact that the loan amount students are able take out has increased along with the comprehensive fee.

“At Grinnell, our financial aid

Hack Grinnell College promotes hacking as social justice

By Shabana Gupta guptasha@grinnell.edu This weekend, students are invited to join Hack GC’s social justice challenge. The challenge, a “hackathon”, is a student-run event sponsored by the Wilson Center that asks participants to brainstorm social justice issues and figure out ways to improve them using technology, as part of I Love Data week.

Hack GC will be taking place this week from Friday, Feb. 15 to Sunday, Feb. 17 in JRC 101. There will be speakers throughout the weekend to help students inspire and shape ideas.

“It’s the idea that we can use our technology and our ideas to [create] tools to better their goals” said Robert Ludwig, program coordinator for the Wilson Center.

Hack GC is looking to bring in

interested students outside of the computer science areas. “There’s still the computer science aspect to it,” Ludwig said, “but they can team up with someone who knows how to [code], they can get help build it though too if they need to.”

For Anushka Kulshreshtha ‘21, one of the student coordinators for Hack GC this year, the hope is that having non-tech judges will encourage students who generally wouldn’t participate in a hackathon to reconsider.

“We’re trying to market it more towards the humanities and people who generally wouldn’t be represented.”

She wants the focus for the event to stay on social justice. “Because we’re Grinnell we like ideas about >> See Grinnell page 2

program is specifically designed to respond to increases in the comprehensive fee. As the comprehensive fee increases, so too does the grant assistance offered to students with need

Sunday Debate: US Popular Referendums Noyce 1023, 2 p.m.

Grinnell ... Students may also choose to borrow a small amount of additional loan should they need those funds to help cover their education costs.” >> See Comprehensive page 2

Karen Tabb Dina highlights disparities in multiracial pregnancy research

By Zoe Fruchter fruchter@grinnell.edu On Tuesday Feb. 12, Karen Tabb Dina, associate professor of social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, spoke about disparities in pregnancy and birth outcomes among multiracial population groups at two events on campus, eliciting high turn-out and audience engagement from Grinnell students and professors alike. Both her 4 p.m. talk at Faulconer Gallery

and her 7:30 p.m. presentation in JRC 101 were organized by the Center for the Humanities.

Tabb Dina is the principal investigator of the Identifying Depression through Early Assessment (IDEA) Research Team as a part of University of Illinois’ School of Social Work. She and her team aim to improve maternal health through the early identification of risk factors during the perinatal period, the pregnancy and the postpartum period. This work includes hands-on

data collection, analysis, published reports and health provider education.

Tabb Dina also studies multiracial adults and children. The intersection between these two subjects formed the basis of her Center for the Humanities presentation.

“This group, even though it’s growing, isn’t included in research,” said Tabb Dina in reference to multiracial people. Researchers often recode respondents who report themselves as mixed race >> See Tabb Dina page 2

Dr. Hassard on “Living in a PostHydrocarbon World”

By Eva Hill hilleva@grinnell.edu The first Grinnell College Scholars’ Convocation of the Spring 2019 semester was presented by Dr. John Hassard, an expert in climate science. Hassard is the founding associate director of the Institute for Security, Science and Technology at Imperial College London and is a member of that institution’s faculty of natural sciences.

Hassard is the founder and nonexecutive chairman of the tidal power company HydroVenturi Ltd. and runs a solar thermal energy company.

The topic of the Feb. 14 convocation was “Living in a Post-

Saturday Women’s & Men’s Basketball v. Lake Forest Bear Darby Gym, 1 & 3 p.m.

based financial aid to help offset the increase in price,” Lindberg wrote.

“If a family’s financial circumstances remain consistent, a student should expect an increase in their grant aid at

Monday Journalism Ethics Workshop HSSC N3118, 4:15 p.m.

Follow us on Twitter @thesandb and on Instagram @grinnellsandb

Hydrocarbon World,” which focused

>> See Convocation page 2

SARINA LINCOLN

On Feb. 12, Dr. Hassard gave the first convocation speech of the spring semester on hydrocarbon fuels and climate science.

Tuesday 20 minutes @ 11: Celeste Miller Faulconer Gallery, 11 a.m.

Thursday Scholars Convocation: Kristina Koch '92 JRC 101, 11 a.m.

Arts 3 | Community 4 | Features 5 | Sports 6 | Opinions 7

News Comprehensive fee continues to climb in 2019-2020

2

Edited by schultej@grinnell.edu & vitaioli@grinnell.edu

Continued from Front Page

Although it was not mentioned in the special campus memo that announced the fee increase, total cost for each student may vary slightly due to meal plan preferences.

The amount in the “Board” category in the breakdown shown in the email is representative solely of the cost of the Full and Any 15 Meals Plus meal plans, which are required for first-years only. Other meal plans, which last year ranged from a yearly cost of $1,790 to $6,270, as opposed to last year’s Full and Any 15 Plus plans’ cost of $6,760. The Dining section of the Grinnell website has not yet been updated to reflect the 20192020 fee increase.

The all-campus email regarding the fee, which was signed by President Raymond Kington, said that “through the careful stewardship of our resources, including our endowment, and the generosity of our donors, we are able to keep our comprehensive fee significantly lower than our actual operating costs. No student pays the actual, full cost of their education.”

An email listed items the College

hopes to accomplish with the fee increase, with items such as the Grinnell “evolving student-centered liberal arts curriculum” as well as internships, externships, fellowships, and service opportunity. In addition, according to the list, the fee will support technology and databases available on campus, and it will also fund the continuing design “all spaces on the campus, to enhance the academic, social, and environmental success of the Grinnell College community.”

Regarding the above statement, Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Joe Bagnoli wrote in an email to the S&B, “Our comprehensive fee is set at more than $16,000 lower than the actual cost of education for each student at Grinnell. Even those who do not receive financial aid at Grinnell, therefore, receive a built-in scholarship (we call it a ‘Legacy Award’) since we don’t charge anyone the full cost of providing education.”

The email to students concluded, “We remain committed to our core mission: to provide a diverse, accessible, and outstanding education for our current and future students.”

Grinnell hacks social justice

Continued from Front Page

social innovation and giving back to the community,” she said.

I think that commitment to social justice is necessary in tech spaces and I’m really glad that the Grinnell community and the Grinnell tech community has decided to take that on as part of their mission.

Elise Bargman '21 Elise Bargman ’21 is a GWSS major who participated in Hack GC last year, on a team that earned third place. They designed an app called Soap Box that was meant to increase civil engagement within Grinnellians.

This app gave students information about different campus initiatives, students who are running for SGA positions, and who the senators are.

“I think that commitment to social justice is necessary in tech spaces and I’m really glad that the Grinnell community and the Grinnell tech community has decided to take that on as part of their mission,” she said.

Devansh Chandgothia ’21 participated last year in a group that designed the app Food Share, which connected Grinnell students who had extra meal plan credit for the week to those who needed food. Their goal was to reduce food waste and make sure students don’t go hungry.

“At dining hall, they create food based on a certain number of people irrespective if that many people eat it or not,” said Chandgothia.

He feels participating in Hack GC left a lasting effect on him. “It’s just a different setting where you’re under different pressures that you don’t see a lot. It’s sort of like a realworld example, like you’re learning things in class and here you can apply them.”

Convocation on climate change, hydrocarbons and politics

Continued from Front Page

carbon atoms, and are commonly found in fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum. When these fuels are burned, carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide equivalents are released into the atmosphere, contributing to the increasing greenhouse effect that traps heat from the sun below Earth’s atmosphere. This trapped heat causes the planet’s ice caps to melt, sea levels to rise, and global temperatures to become steadily hotter.

Dr. Hassard began the presentation by saying that due to the danger coal and fuel emissions pose, it is in the best interest of humanity and the planet in general to use science to develop safe ways to reduce emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Due to global warming (or, as Hassard referred to it, global heating), there will be an irreversible temperature increase of approximately 4-5 degrees Fahrenheit within the next generation, causing agricultural

Tabb Dina discusses IDEA research team’s work with prenatal mental health Continued from Front Page into the least-status group indicated, preventing accurate analysis of multiracial individuals. This practice is especially dangerous in light of IDEA’s research that Tabb Dina presented, showing adverse birth outcomes and mental health status among self-reported multiracial women as compared to those who reported themselves as of a single race, whether majority or minority.

This group, even though its growing, isn’t included in research. … Stop deleting them and start counting them.

Karen Tabb Dina “Stop deleting them and start counting them,” she said.

Tabb Dina spoke about the link between multiracial identity and higher rates of substance abuse, asthma, depression, lower self-rated health and perinatal depression when compared to monoracial, minority or majority groups.

Tabb Dina has been working in the health services field since 2006, studying population health and looking at patterns and discrepancies between racial and ethnic groups.

Thursday evening’s talk, as well as Tabb Dina’s current research, focused on perinatal depression.

This topic, despite a recent increase in media coverage due to celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and Serena Williams coming forward to speak of their experience with depression during and after pregnancy, is still broadly unaddressed in the United States, where maternal mortality rates are extremely elevated compared to the

rest of the developed world.

“We have to do something because the stakes are so high,” Tabb Dina said in an exchange with a physician about how to counsel or diagnose patients suffering from perinatal depression. She suggested medication when counselling is not possible, such as in states like Iowa, where mental health resources are few and far between.

Throughout her work with IDEA, Tabb Dina has prioritized advocating for perinatal women and mothers not only through the team’s research output but also through their research process. Tabb Dina has been in perinatal sphere for a decade. She noticed that in all of the research group she worked with there were no patients helping to design or conduct research.

Our research has become messier with patient voice, but it’s rich.

Karen Tabb Dina Now, thanks to a grant from the Obamacare-funded Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), IDEA has formed a patient advisory board, where women who have experienced perinatal depression can have input on how the team conducts their research and what practices they recommend to providers: How do real women respond to a screen? What do they do with the instructions doctors give?

These patients also join the IDEA research team, interviewing other patients in English, Chinese, Spanish and French.

“Our research has become messier with patient voice, but it’s

upheavals and making parts of the Middle East unlivable. This change will displace hundreds of millions of people northward.

Hassard made a point of saying that although the changes happening now are threatening, there is still time to make changes that can stop and even reverse some of the damage.

“It is no longer enough for us to stop putting CO2 in the atmosphere. … We have to actually start removing it,” he said. Hassard argued for an intervention at the global level, noting that carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by one country will rapidly become the issue of another, due to atmospheric circulation.

Professor Wayne Moyer, political science, mentioned difficulties scientists and politicians face.

“What [politicians] see their task as being is usually, at least in a democratic country, short-term benefits to their constituents, and that’s not the main concern of scientists.

Scientists are reluctant to get inside

the political process, because in some ways that contaminates their scientific objectivity,” Moyer said. “If you’re an advocate at the same time you’re trying to be an objective scientist, it’s hard. It’s not that scientists can’t contribute to the political debate, but I think they’re uncomfortable in it, and the questions that politicians are asking are different than the questions that [scientists] are asking.”

Asked about the importance of undergraduate climate research, Moyer said, “People of my generation haven’t been able to come to grips with the problem, and people in the generation younger than me haven’t been able to. Nobody’s paid much attention to it, and it often gets tied up with their vested interests. Your generation is going to feel this like my generation won’t.”

In response to the same question, Hassard said, “If you’re an undergraduate and you’re not angry … you’re not paying attention. I’d be really angry if I was your age.”

Professor Christensen awarded $484,000 for galactic research

rich,” Tabb Dina said.

We have to do something because the stakes are so high.

Karen Tabb Dina Tabb Dina’s work with IDEA is very specific to her field, but she is extremely adept at translating this work for practitioners, students interested in topics like policy, gender and race, as well as students with questions about their own racial identification, said Professor Vance Byrd, German, interim director of the Center for the Humanities. The Center for the Humanities aims to foster such interdisciplinary inquiry through their speakers, who often lead workshops for students and community members as well as give talks.

The many points of identification students had with her research was evident throughout the events. Tabb Dina categorized the questions she received from Grinnell students throughout her day of presentations as “the hard ones.” Students lined up after her presentation to speak with Tabb Dina on topics ranging from how to measure the prevalence of perinatal depression to the role of critical race theory in hospitals.

To several students asking questions about perinatal depression extending from her research findings, Tabb Dina responded “that’s your paper ... you’re next!”

Byrd emphasized Tabb Dina’s “simple but complicated” message in light of her findings on perinatal depression and adverse health selfreporting among multiracial youth — if you’re not feeling well, you should check in. The perinatal depression “warm-line” can be reached at 1-800944-4773.

LIZ PAIK

Assistant Professor Charlotte Christensen, physics, researches Milky Way galaxies and the formation of stars.

By Shuhan Yi yishuhan@grinnell.edu Assistant Professor Charlotte Christensen, physics, has recently been granted with a $484,300 career award by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her research on North Satellite Galaxies.

These low-mass galaxies which surround the Milky Way Galaxy have long remained as Professor Christensen's research interest.

“What I want to figure out is why these satellite galaxies are no longer forming stars. This is in contrast to other galaxies of similar masses that we see at greater distances, which often times are still forming stars. … My hope is to explore some of these mechanisms using computer simulations.” Christensen said.

On the other hand, the NSF has two major considerations before giving award to any scientific proposals. First, the NSF will examine the project's intellectual merit, which is its feasibility and underlined scientific interest. Secondly, they will assess the project's broader impact in the scientific field and society.

For Christensen, she believes her project will help Grinnell physics

department incorporate more programming into its curriculum and help her connect with more talented scientists and investigate her field of interest in a deeper level.

“I am very grateful because these grants are long shots, and I know there are a lot of really talented, worthy scientists who submitted grants, I just feel really fortunate to be awarded. And I am also extremely excited because this is a project I wanted to do for years, and now I have the opportunity to investigate it,” Christensen said.

Part of the funding will go towards Christensen’s travel to meet with collaborators on her project.

Additionally, part of the funding will go towards funding undergraduates to assist on Christensen’s research and present their research as well.

Christensen will launch her research project from this summer, starting by comparing galaxies' simulations with the environment and exploring their properties.

“I will be on campus for the research. Actually right here in this office and just down the hallway in my research lab,” Christensen said.

3

Iowa Flute Festival Comes to Bucksbaum

featuring flutist Ian Clarke

By Andy Pavey paveyand@grinnell.edu On Feb. 23, flutists from around the state will make their way to Grinnell College for a day of workshops, lectures, performances and competitions at the yearly Iowa Flute Festival. World-renowned guest artist Ian Clarke will join the festivities. For flute aficionados like Claudia Anderson, applied music associate and lecturer in music at the College, it’s a dream come true.

“All of these flutists … know Ian Clarke because he has created a whole area in our literature and repertoire in the last twenty years.

He uses what we call extended techniques and non-traditional flute sounds. … The styles are all over the map, but they can be pop- or jazzinfluenced; or they can be funk,” said Anderson.

She also expressed enthusiasm about the accessibility and pragmatism Clarke brings to the form, citing the broad appeal of his music and their “evocative” titles. “[Clarke] writes music very specifically for the effects that he wants, but he will be the first one to say … ‘try something else,’” she said, mimicking Clarke’s British accent. “A lot of his music is attractive because it has that improvisatory feel to it.”

Clarke’s original musical style is unique in the world of classical music, where there are a multitude of both rules and existing styles.

“To have the opportunity to develop your own musical style that includes this freedom of expression is really unique,” Anderson said.

Aside from two public performances at the end of the

festival, there will be a variety of exciting opportunities for festival attendees throughout the day.

Anderson said the festival’s theme of collaboration makes these offerings all the more dynamic. “... one colleague is doing yoga for musicians, one’s doing reading of flute choir materials, one’s doing warmup … It’s a real spirit of working together, and Ian falls into that too,” she said. “A lot of times the guest star can be a bit of a diva … But he’s flexible and down-toearth, so that’s pretty ideal.”

Particularly exciting to Anderson is a concert featuring over sixty-five Iowa flutists, including professors, and students. The artists will perform a piece authored by Clarke titled “Walk Like This.” It was originally written for elementary schoolaged players. Anderson notes that although it is an easy performance for the talented flutists who will perform at the festival, the spirit of the work is ageless.

According to Anderson, five Grinnell alumni are returning to campus just to participate in the festival. They will also perform alongside the Iowan flutists and Clarke himself.

“There’s a great sense of community ... this time around with the festival,” Anderson said.

Those interested in obtaining more information about the festival should contact Claudia Anderson.

Online registration is available on the Grinnell College website until Feb. 22.

Two events are free and open to the public, including a performance

by Iowan flutists at 3:45 p.m. in the Sebring-Lewis Hall; and a 5:15 p.m. gala recital featuring Ian Clarke.

Arts

Edited by fruchter@grinnell.edu

"nothing and done" opens at Smith Gallery

By Shabana Gupta guptasha@grinnell.edu

From Feb. 11 to Feb. 23, the Smith Gallery will host “nothing and done”

by Sophie Doddimeade '21 and Clara Dingle '21. The exhibit focuses on the medium of paper, unconventional uses of organic materials and metal sculpture-work, filling Smith Gallery with art in various neutral tones.

Suspended triangular sculptures that Doddimeade made out of metal rods greet visitors at the entrance to the gallery.

“I took sculpture last semester and I made those triangle things,” said Doddimeade. She has a larger display of the rods in the basement of art house. “I kind of like them because they take up space and you can do whatever you want to them and they take on something new.”

Farther into the gallery Dingle presents a series of inks that she made last semester.

“They’re all made of natural things and one is my blood since I injured myself,” Doddimeade said.

Dingle created inks out of foods from the Dining Hall.

“Spinach and onion are really disgusting [as inks],” she said. “They smell, and they’re sticky, also.”

Some of Dingle’s inks were easier to make than others.

“For most of them I just mushed things up, cooked them, strained them, then cooked them some more,” she said. “For the berries they were already pigmented enough so I didn’t have to cook them.”

There are paper towels on display along with Dingle’s inks. The paper towels were used in cleaning up the inks, and sometimes they dried in intricate patterns that Dingle hadn’t expected. This was one of the many unexpected results of the ink-making process, along with molding that

SHABANA GUPTA

Sophie Doddimeade and Clara Dingle, both '21, present their show "nothing and done" from Feb. 11 to Feb. 23 at the Smith Gallery.

Dingle tried to combat with white vinegar.

“I don’t quite know if it worked,” she said.

Doddimeade and Dingle collaborated in a few of the displays.

Doddimeade used Dingle’s inks to draw detailed representations of mushrooms.

The back wall of the gallery is covered in intricately folded paper, with sheets of different folding styles pinned next to each other to create a textured effect akin to egg crate foam.

“The paper is a fun fold that I learned in high school and I was like, ‘Sophie, I think this would be fun to do in the show,’” Dingle said.

Both artists worked on the paper folding for the back wall and the paper triangular pyramids hanging in the corner of the room while Doddimeade had the idea to create the pyramid sculptures.

“I like sculpture and I like 3D work and the folding paper,” she said.

“Doing that made me think of other things you can do with paper, so I was

like, ‘it would be cool if I could made weird shapes out of paper, because you know paper is so fun.’”

While studio art majors usually hold a solo show in Smith Gallery in their fourth year of Grinnell, Dingle and Doddimeade are getting a head start; Dingle is a declared studio art major while Doddimeade is an intended major.

“I didn’t want to wait until fourth year to do it,” Doddimeade said. “[But] I didn’t have enough to do a show alone.” Collaborating with Dingle to produce a joint show worked perfectly.

Hanging their work in the Gallery was a somewhat challenging experience for the two artists as students are required to complete their own installation.

“There were already hooks in the ceiling, thankfully,” Doddimeade said. The metal triangles are held up with the hooks, and everything else has pushpins. “They do not go in easy, I hammered them in, now my pushpins are all falling out. Slowly.”

"Abolition and Freedom" debuts on wall of HSSC

Unlike many of the College’s other academic buildings and study spaces, the recently opened Humanities and Social Sciences Complex, or HSSC, remains starkly bare. There is, however, an anomaly among the construction noise and often overwhelming new building smell. Tucked into a wall on the north side of the building, the newly installed “Abolition and Freedom” art piece brings color and history to the building’s empty walls.

“Abolition and Freedom” is the

mural-like multimedia art piece conceptualized by Miami-based Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié and created by a team Grinnellians under his direction and guidance.

The installation, consisting of 35 bright green tiles of hardened resin, takes up almost a full wall. Over the almost two year-long project, students, staff and the participants in short course entitled “Visualizing Freedom and Abolition in the New World — A Mixed Media Installation” all contributed to the work.

Drawing inspiration from many cultures and countries, Duval-Car-

rié wanted to use the project that he had been commissioned to tell a story. Specifically, the story of abolition, freedom, discrimination and all the gray areas that lie in-between these constructs in both the United States and Haiti.

“I’m from the Caribbean,” said Duval-Carrié, “and I wanted to know if plantation history had reached the north and the Midwest, but I had to change that and find a theme that would be interesting for both students and the school. The Midwest sometimes appears to be a nondescript area of the United States. I realized very quickly, though, that it’s not just farmland ... So, the students started to research the history of the region, the history of Grinnell.”

Of the connection between the Haitian Revolution of 1791 and Grinnell, contributor and a student leader of the project Amelia Geser '19 admitted that she was initially confused but discovered that "Grinnell has a really interesting abolitionist history ... you can draw connections between events that happened in Grinnell and events that happened in Haiti.”

“Abolition and Freedom” also embodies cultural inclusion, and the need for cultural inclusion, both in the arts at Grinnell College and at the College itself.

“Something that we’ve been

By Cait Mohr mohrcait@grinnell.edu A band goes to the doctor. They say they’re depressed. They say life is harsh and cruel, that they feel all alone in a threatening world. The doctor says, “Treatment is simple, the great pop-rock goofsters Karen Meat are in town tonight. Go see them — that should pick you up.” The band bursts into tears and says, “But doctor … we are the great pop-rock goofsters Karen Meat.”

Like the woeful Pagliacci, referenced famously in Alan Moore’s seminal “Watchmen” comic, Karen Meat makes evident the depressing banalities of modern life through their deadpan antics and penchant for ironic bits. Surrounded by a small crowd of Karen Meat-devotees (or Meatheads, as I prefer to call them), I was seduced into the pre-show hype through tales of flamboyant stage tricks and tasty, tasty guitar licks. Even before their opening performance of “Share a Dinner,” the spectral presence of the

two band members, Arin and Dana, quietly setting up their equipment in matching primary-colored circus smocks stirred something inside of me.

Karen Meat’s detached camp sensibility seems, to a certain extent, inextricable from their lyrical earnestness and familiarity. Even while sitting on Dana like he was an ottoman and artfully droning the words to “Sad Dog,” the emotional weight of Arin’s writing shone through. Who among us hasn’t plopped on the floor of our friend’s dorm room at the end of a shitty week and recounted our personal drama through stoned theatrics and strained laughter? In this sense, Karen Meat’s indie-rock sad-clowning feels like the physical manifestation of millennial social malaise, sugar-coated with irony, that makes the absurdity of coping with the pitfalls of human intimacy even more apparent.

Every time I thought the band was at their peak for the night,

they continued to prove me wrong.

A delightfully jangly opening performance of “Share a Dinner,” in all its Shangri-La-esque glory, was heightened by some friendly deadpan face-caressing between Dana and Arin and followed by the aforementioned human furniture-play during “Sad Dog.” At one point, in a moment that will forever be burned into my psyche as the beginning of my Meat-freak transformation, Arin spit a hearty stream of bottled water into Dana’s mouth, which he then regurgitated into a fine mist like goddamn Old Faithful. I felt a real sense of comradery when the entirety of the audience huddled around the band, who were stacked on top of each other like two small boys in a single trench coat, and shouted the lyrics to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in unison (kind of).

There is really no end to the comparisons you could make with this band. Attending a Karen Meat concert is like sitting in the splash zone at

CANDACE METTLE

"Abolition and Freedom" is currently on display in the HSSC.

By Ingrid Meulemans meuleman@grinnell.edu

hearing a lot from students is that they would like more representations of people of color on campus,” said Director of Faulconer Gallery Lesley Wright. “I think it’s fantastic that the first thing we put into the HSSC is not only about the history of abolition and freedom in both the United States and in Haiti, but also about how intersected those two truly are.”

In an effort to convey 35 separate yet thematically connected stories, Duval-Carrié, Geser and other student leaders and studio assistants worked to create a massive pool of collage material for the participating tutorials.

The collage material included room keys, office supplies, buttons, historical and scientific photos.

Geser said, “We would lay the objects on the table, then participants would come and sort through them.

Once they had their idea in mind, they would design their composition based on the objects they were drawn to in that pile.”

The collage process also helped students who did not necessarily consider themselves “artists” participate actively. Studio assistant Leina’ala Voss '19 said that the medium helped contributors “connect their work to the bigger visual theme."

The materiality of the piece itself also relates to the meaning of the work. Resembling amber in its uncol-

ored form, Duval-Carrié was drawn to resin because it would preserve these stories and artifacts the same way amber preserves nature. Resin is also semi-transparent and, when backlit, the piece has an undeniable life and energy despite its static components.

Wright credits the ingenious lighting and mounting of “Abolition and Freedom” to Grinnell’s Facility Management team and EYP Architects, the architecture company responsible for designing and building the HSSC. The most immediately arresting aspect of “Abolition and Freedom” is its color. A vivid mix between green and yellow, the piece has a scientific or futuristic quality that appears even from afar. Duval-Carrié credits this color choice to his first impression of the Midwest.

“I went to Grinnell for the first time in the summer,” Duval Carrié said. “It was miles and miles of corn.

It had this very peculiar color. It is very green, a yellowish green. So, I decided this was the color of the Midwest. The color of cornfields at their ripest.”

The fluorescent green unifies the composition and grounds the piece in Grinnell, Iowa.

“It’s definitely not the traditional outlook on prairie colors,” said Voss.

“But I think it works in a very surreal and beautiful way.”

Cait Reviews the Iowa Arts (ob)Scene: Karen Meat at Gardner

CONTRIBUTED

Karen Meat, the pop-rock project of Arin Eaton with Dana Telsrow, played to an enthusiastic crowd at Gardner Lounge on Friday, Feb. 8.

SeaWorld Orlando with a synth-pop cover of the Smiths playing in the background instead of the Shamu theme song. Attending a Karen Meat concert is like playing charades and having every answer be a relatable

depression meme you just saw on your Instagram feed. But, most of all, attending a Karen Meat concert is like watching the Great Clown Pagliacci, jamming through the pain with selfaware tricks and goofs.

Community

4

Edited by taylorse@grinnell.edu

Grinnell Police Department releases annual report

By Elizabeth Wong wongeliz@grinnell.edu

With 17 members, the Grinnell Police Department looks after a population of 9,027 people. As part of its obligation to the community, the police puts out an annual report on crime statistics in the Grinnell community.

According to the department’s 2018 Annual Report, there has been an overall decrease in calls for service, arrest, sexual abuse investigations, and traffic warnings and citations in Grinnell. There has, however, been an increase in cases investigated including controlled substances, assault and burglary cases, as well as police training and time spent in schools.

In general, the increase in calls for service and cases investigated since 2015 is “directly related to the robust records management system” that the police department switched to in 2015, according to the 2018 report. This system “automatically creates a case based on certain call for service types, in particular allegations of crimes against persons and property crimes.”

Each case has to be reviewed by an officer, so in 2017 the department started using a case screening process, following up on prioritized cases first.

These cases have a higher frequency of occurrence, witnesses, and suspectidentifying forensic evidence, which makes cases easier to solve.

“We had 1,300 investigations last year, with nine or 10 officers responsible for not only investigations but also covering the daily requirements of service. We need to focus on offenses that are serious in nature or ones that are a trend, like thefts,” said Dennis Reilly, Chief of the Grinnell Police Department. “And in Grinnell, one of the biggest criminal activities is petty or retail theft. The police department actively works to prevent and gain more information on crime density, to efficiently map out patrols and prevention strategies.”

In 2018, the police spent almost double the hours in schools as the years before. Reilly said officers want to make sure that the youth and public of Grinnell feel safe and comfortable talking to them, especially after the increase in recent years of school shootings and distrust of law enforcement.

“If there’s something going on, when an officer comes in, the [faculty, staff and students] feel comfortable speaking to the officer,” Reilly said.

Furthermore, the increased police presence at schools ensures that anyone planning questionable activity is aware of the police, and while the police are there, they assess the building and point out weak spots in security in the schools and help to implement plans to rectify those spots.

Another trend in 2018 was the increase of hours of police training.

HELENA GRUENSTEIDL

Dennis Reilly, pictured here, became the Chief of Police in Grinnell in 2012.

The officers are constantly updated on the state and federal law changes and the best practices via their Daily Training Bulletins.

In 2018, a peer support program that supplies 24/7 advice to officers that want to process an adverse event on the job or troubles at home started.

Reilly said, “We’ve got officers that are trained in individual and group therapy. Generally speaking, law enforcement across the country are facing an increase of suicide, and the divorce rate is always high.”

In 2019, the GPD would like to expand this peer support program as part of a statewide effort. They also

Drake Library to host Smithsonian exhibit "Hometown Teams"

By Sarach Licht lichtsar@grinnell.edu

Grinnell College has partnered with Drake Community Library and the Smithsonian Institution to bring the traveling exhibit “Hometown Teams” to Grinnell. For lovers of sports, American history, and interactive museums, this Friday, Feb. 15 should be marked down on the calendar.

“Hometown Teams” will be the first Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service exhibition to come to Grinnell this year. Capturing stories about how sports have impacted American popular culture, the exhibit will consist of “seven professionally designed, free-standing displays,” said Sarah Smith, Project Manager for Community Engagement and Enhancement at the College.

The displays will show stories of victory and defeat on both neighborhood and professional fields, and the sports shown go beyond traditional American sports. Surfing, snowboarding and even Quidditch will be displayed to show how newly introduced sports have influenced society. Among the themes shown

through the colorful displays will be the emotional connection people make with the sports they watch or play and the intersection of sports and popular culture.

“Whether it is professional sports … amateur sports or sports played by kids on the local playground, sports are everywhere in America,” said Smith.

The exhibition is being brought to Grinnell as a way to honor the College’s commitment to bring together and celebrate diverse perspectives through guest speakers, performances and many other SITES exhibits besides “Hometown Teams.”

Its location in Drake Community Library allows it to be accessible for students, residents, and visitors alike.

“We are thrilled to bring ‘Hometown Teams’ to Grinnell,” said Monica Chavez-Silva, assistant vice president for community enhancement at the College. “With the support of Drake Community Library, people in the area will have access to a history exhibit of Smithsonian caliber right in our own hometown. We also hope this exhibition will give people from surrounding areas yet another reason to visit Grinnell.”

The exhibit will also allow people who may not be knowledgeable about sports to learn something new.

“Enabling all of Iowa’s residents to have access to the cultural resources of our nation’s premiere museum is a priority for Grinnell College,” said Lesley Wright, director of the Faulconer Gallery at the College.

“We are pleased to be working with the local partners to help develop local exhibitions and public programs to complement the Smithsonian exhibition,” Wright said.

The choice to put “Hometown Teams” in Drake Community Library will allow the exhibit to be seen by as many people as possible, but it will also allow residents of and visitors to Grinnell to have access to the Smithsonian’s cultural resources.

Marilyn Kennett, the Director of Drake Library, was enthusiastic about what the exhibit will add.

“We don’t have a Smithsonian of our own here in little Grinnell. It really brings that type of experience to our users here. It’s just an added bonus for our library users to engage with history and a quality level exhibit,” said Kennett.

ANDREW TUCKER

The Smithsonian exhibit "Hometown Teams" will be on display at Drake Library from Feburary 15 to April 20.

hope to make a chaplain program available for officers to perform religious services or sensitive tasks, such as delivering a death notification to a family with a clergyman. It is an opportunity for those uncomfortable speaking to police officers but comfortable speaking to the clergy to inform the police of what is happening in the community.

Another focus is accountability, a response to rising distrust of police in recent years. “Hopefully within the next couple weeks, we will be installing a new in-car body-worn camera system. We have video [inside and outside] patrol cars. Our officers

wear body cameras, but they’re not integrated. This system will provide us with an integrated system.”

Another 2019 objective of the department is communication. The police is looking for volunteers to monitor the department Facebook page’s comments, in case there are inappropriate remarks on the posts.

The police want to communicate better with Grinnell students as well. If Grinnell College students, or others, are interested in learning more about the police department, they can apply for the Citizens' Police Academy through the Grinnell Police Department Facebook page or call the department and ask for Officer Doane. It runs from March to May, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, each week tackling a different simulated scenario the police might encounter. As of now, students can sign up for notifications when the City declares snow emergencies.

The police is constantly trying to keep up to date with training, new techniques, and outreach to the community. According to Reilly, the department wants to do the best job it can, whether that’s through operational efficiency, using data such as the case screening process and records management system to make decisions, or increased trust between the citizens of Grinnell and the police.

“I’m not ready to sit back and say, ‘We’ve reached a plateau.’ I don’t believe in plateaus,” Reilly said.

Bucket Course to be taught by Professor Erickson on robots in the workplace

By Julia Anderson anderson14@grinnell.edu

As part of Grinnell’s community education, Professor Karla Erickson, sociology, will teach a Bucket Course titled “Driverless Trucks and the Future of Work” at the Drake Community Library. The course will be on Wednesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Feb. 20 to Mar. 13, and interested parties can register online for a fee of $15.

Bucket Courses, presented through the Grinnell Community Education Council, provide an opportunity for members of the community to learn about specialized topics in a series of short lectures.

“As a sociologist, they’re super fun to teach because you get to offer something to kind of a friendly, educated, smart, lay audience. … It’s also been useful in the development of my projects because I’m trying to write basically public sociology that’s available to a wider audience, so I get to kind of try it out on them,” Erickson said.

Through this course, Erickson aims to explore the ways in which machines and rapidly-advancing technologies influence humans socially and in the workplace.

“I’m particularly interested in representation of what machine/ human relations ‘should’ be like; … what we’re afraid of when it comes to our relationship to machines.

And then I am a labor ethnographer, so I’m really interested in the consequences for labor of artificial intelligence,” she said.

The inspiration for this project came from driverless trucks, which Erickson was initially drawn to because of their potential impact

on Iowans. After looking into it further, she realized that the future of machine and human relations is even larger than she had first considered.

Erickson’s latest book project focuses on this topic, and she hopes to gain new perspectives through the students in this course.

Because Bucket Courses tend to attract people of all ages, their different experiences with changing technologies over each person’s lifetime will provide an interesting aspect to the class.

Over the course of four lectures, students will think about the technology that has already affected their lives, learn about the social life of machines and predict possible reactions to changes in labor and how humans earn an income. Erickson plans to discuss the balance between potential benefits and dangers that artificial intelligence may provide.

“We’re seeing robots that can do translation better than a human translator, they can win at Go, which is an incredibly hard game, they can win at chess, they can write basic stuff … A lot of the things that we tended to think of as very sacred work, work that really required humans, it’s very confusing where that line is,” she said.

At its core, the course will prompt students to consider what has already changed with technology, what is yet to evolve and how humans can socially address these developments.

“I don’t think that there’s a stopping this wave; I think there’s a navigating it. I’ll be interested to know what kinds of navigation seem more or less reasonable to participants,” Erickson said.

Student-athletes enjoy dinner and discussion at retirement communities

By Heather Park parkjung@grinnell.edu

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, residents at the local Mayflower Community, a retirement community for Grinnell’s senior citizens, and Grinnell’s track team sat down at round tables together.

Stranded in the dorms during winter break at a time when the Dining Hall wasn’t open, the sixty-plus students enjoyed feasting on warm meals like zucchini tofu with roasted veggies, regular and vegetarian lasagna and chicken parmigiana with the generous residents who invited them in for a family-like dinner.

With warm food and a few Mayflower residents at their tables, the sixty-plus student-athletes shared news of their hometowns and school life while listening to the many interesting

stories of those at the Mayflower. The student-athletes were accompanied

by Head Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Coach, Evelyn Freeman and Head Men’s Track & Field Coach, Will Freeman.

At separate times, the Grinnell Swim and Basketball teams also visited Mayflower to eat dinner with the residents, and the basketball team was also invited to St. Francis Manor for a similar dinner with the residents there.

“We want to facilitate intergenerational communication, relationships, and programs,” Kellie McGriff, associate director at Mayflower, and Steve Langerud, executive director at Mayflower, wrote in an email. “Helping students and residents appreciate the life and work of each other is important to us."

It’s not the first time Mayflower has hosted student-athletes from Grinnell, however. In the winter of 2007, McGriff and David Arsenault, coach of the men’s basketball team at the time, collaborated to have a team dinner at the Mayflower while the Dining Hall was closed at the College.

This continued off and on until 2018, so it was not a completely new idea when McGriff additionally contacted the swim and track and field coaches in 2018.

“Our residents love Grinnell College activities and regularly attend academic, social, arts, and athletic events,” McGriff and Langerud wrote.

“This is a good way to bring students who produce the on campus events face-to-face with their biggest fans.”

“I really enjoyed [the experience],” said Kai Vorhies '19, a member of the

swim team. “We usually do some kind of volunteering event like making cards for the Mayflower every year, and it was fun to actually go and talk with the people we’ve made cards for in the past. Overall, I’d say that it was fun to talk with residents of the Mayflower, and the team as a whole really enjoyed the experience.”

Overall, the coaches seem to be happy with the experience as well.

“It was a big hit,” said Erin Hurley, Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach. “It reminds the students that they are part of a large community.”

She said that the experience helped her team members create rewarding and engaging connections with older adults. Emails and phone numbers were exchanged after the dinner was over, and many student-athletes promised to keep in touch.

In addition, McGriff encouraged the athletes to consider volunteering at Mayflower in the “Adopt-AGrandparent” program where Grinnell College students work oneon-one with healthcare residents once a week. She also suggested that students interested in careers in allied health professions consider getting some of their 2,000 hours of grad school practical experience serving as Certified Nursing Aides.

“We are a living laboratory for students and faculty wishing to explore social, policy, health care, and business,” Langerud said. “The legacy of Grinnell College lives in our residents. From alumni to beloved professors [to] a former college president [George Drake], students can live the history of Grinnell College at the Mayflower.”

Features

Edited by anderson14@grinnell.edu

5

Grinnell Advocates provides All Things Grinnell podcast tells community confidential trauma response stories through a new medium

By Kate Irwin irwinkat@grinnell.edu Grinnell Advocates is a staff-supervised student group that serves as a resource for students who have been victims of trauma, including dating violence, sexual assault or sexual harassment. This group is different from other campus resources, such as Title IX, because it is completely confidential.

Aside from being a confidential source, Grinnell Advocates has a 24hour confidential hotline run by the students involved in the group. Additionally, the group provides support and can direct students to supplementary resources on and off campus.

“We try to tailor the resources to each person’s situation, so if people need something that we can’t provide, we try to refer them to whatever the best resource would be,” said Elizabeth Lane '19, a member of Grinnell Advocates.

Grinnell Advocates receive their training from Crisis Intervention Services, an organization based in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Crisis Intervention Services covers 14 counties, including Poweshiek County. Two state organizations, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, support the Crisis Intervention Services. “[Without Crisis Intervention Services] we would not have a campus advocates program that was confidential, because that umbrella comes from them,” said Deanna Shorb, dean of religious life, chaplain and staff leader of Grinnell Advocates.

The training sessions are extensive: they discuss a broad range of subjects such as prevention, phone call conduct and resource education, among others. These training sessions prepare the Advocates to both help victims of trauma and make them aware of their choices going forward.

“We don’t direct choices. It’s very important that the victim/survivor drives the bus for care. It’s really their first step in feeling less vulnerable and

taking control when they feel that control has been taking from them,” Shorb said.

Currently, the Grinnell Advocates are trying to think of new ways to be more accessible to students. The group is now working on creating a chat that students can use to communicate with the Advocates without needing a cellphone number.

Additionally, the Advocates have been making a conscious effort to become more visible on campus.

“We really hope that people would know more about Advocates, because it’s such a great resource and we’re there to help people,” Lane said. “I think a lot of people just don’t know about it, so they don’t reach out as much, so we’ve tried to be more noticeable on campus. … I think [the Advocates are] an underutilized resource.”

“Has it been intentional [to become more visible on campus]? You bet. We forget that people don’t know [about us],” added Shorb.

Another goal of the group is to be more involved on campus. The student participants want to increase overall visibility of Grinnell Advocates, and they want to become more involved with other organizations, such as by collaborating with other groups on campus or attending talks that may discuss more sensitive material.

Any student who is passionate about helping their peers can become an advocate. Nicole Mendez '21 joined Grinnell Advocates because she wanted to learn more about the issues of sexual violence in order to become more educated and help those around her, especially at home.

“When I go back home to Bolivia, these are things we don’t really talk about. Getting to learn more about [these issues would allow me] to help friends. … I thought it was really important for me to be exposed,” she said.

Students can contact Grinnell Advocates by emailing [advocates] or calling the on-call Advocate at 641260-1615.

SOFIA MENDEZ

Elizabeth Lane '19 works with Grinnell Advocates to offer confidential services to students affected by sexual harassment or assault.

CONTRIBUTED

Ben Binversie '17 hosts the podcast All Things Grinnell with the goal of creating a recorded oral history of the town, college and community.

By Julia Anderson anderson14@grinnell.edu This semester, Grinnell College premiered its first ever podcast, appropriately titled All Things Grinnell. It is created and hosted by Ben Binversie '17 of the College’s Office of Communications. Binversie noted the absence of a podcast as a form of distributing content and telling stories about Grinnell, and that, combined with his own interest in podcasts and a summer working with Milwaukee’s NPR station, inspired Binversie to begin devising a podcast for Grinnell.

“I look at Grinnell, both the college and the town, and all the people here, and there’s so much happening in such a concentrated space, and there are so many stories to tell,” Binversie said.

All Things Grinnell now has seven episodes ranging in length from around 40 to 50 minutes, available to listen and download on streaming platforms as well as the College’s website. Each episode has a general theme and features interviews with people connected to Grinnell, from students to community members to outside guest speakers.

“The name All Things Grinnell kind of encapsulates it, but it’s not just necessarily Grinnell people. … A big part of Grinnell is having people come from all over the place to our little corner of the world and getting to hear ideas from all around the world and interact with people from all over, both in terms of our student body and the speakers we bring to campus,” Binversie said.

The topics of episodes tend to vary in scope and content, though there is always a uniting thread.

Episode five, “An Abundance of Katherines,” for instance, features two speakers with different research

foci from last fall’s Scholars’ Convocation Series. As it happens, both interviewees happen to be named Katherine. Other episodes are a bit more straightforward with their theme, such as Episode two, “Saints Rest.” In it, Binversie interviews the director of the film “Saints Rest,” Noga Ashkenazi '09, as well as the former and current owners of the popular coffee shop.

I look at Grinnell, both the college and the town, and all the people here, and there’s so much happening in such a concentrated space, and there are so many stories to tell.

Ben Binversie '17 All Things Grinnell host The process of making a podcast can be arduous, especially for Binversie, who does each part of the planning, recording and editing by himself. The first step is always an idea, which is often sparked by the abundant events happening on campus. After that, Binversie arranges interviews with guests relevant to the episode’s topic. Finally, he edits the interviews, chooses music and puts the final touches on each episode.

Overall, the goal of the podcast is to connect everyone related to the Grinnell community, inside and out of the College.

“Being here again and coming back with fresh eyes and interacting with the place in a different way …

I’m appreciating it all more, I think, because I have the time and a little more perspective to be able to see that this is a special place,” Binversie said.

As the podcast continues, Bin-

versie hopes to involve the Grinnell community in additional ways, beyond being the interviewees and audience.

“I want people to feel like they’re contributing to it in some way, and another way in which I’m doing that is soliciting student music, so I’ve already had some student musicians send me their music … which for me, I’m super psyched about that,” he said.

Though the overall response to the podcast has been positive thus far, Binversie wants to hear feedback from the audience, regardless of opinion.

“Every student that listens to the podcast, I want them to talk to me about what they thought about it, even if they thought it was really bad, I want to know why they weren’t interested in it because that’s just as important as hearing from someone who really loved it,” he said.

For now, the future of All Things Grinnell remains somewhat murky. Binversie’s position with the Office of Communications ends in about a year, and it is unclear if someone else will take over the podcast following his departure. Still, he feels hopeful that students will become increasingly involved with the podcast and that it will persist in years to come, even if it undergoes some transformations with a change in leadership. The significance of the podcast and its ability to unity a wide community across the globe stems from a genuine appreciation for and desire to tell the stories of Grinnell.

“There’s so much here to be a part of and learn from, and I really appreciate the community that I see here and that I feel like I’m increasingly becoming a part of. It’s a place that feels like another home,” Binversie said.

Students reflect on masculinity in their personal lives and at Grinnell

By Esther Hwang hwangest@grinnell.edu Masculinity is a moving target, a goal that can be aimed towards in many ways in at least as many places. A liberal arts campus like Grinnell College is no exception. How masculinity is perceived is often context-dependent, and varies from person to person. The S&B asked a number of students and staff what their perception of masculinity is, and how it relates not only to everyday life, but also the social context of college life.

Thomas Zigo, a counselor at Student Health and Counseling Services (SHACS), leads a Defining Masculinity group on campus. The purpose of the group is to “allow an intentional space for folks who are man-identified (trans, cis, gender-fluid, etc.) to get together and speak about their identity-specific challenges in the university setting,” said Zigo. Defining Masculinity meets on Wednesdays from 4-5 p.m. in the SHACS center.

“My goal for the group is to challenge concepts of toxic masculinity while also allowing group members an opportunity to think critically about how they personally define and identify with masculinity. Ultimately, I would like group members to develop an understanding that masculinity should have no barriers or expectations, but rather it should be whatever feels natural and meaningful for each of us,”

Zigo said.

Defining masculinity is a tough task, and Grinnell College students have a wide perspective on what the term means and what tropes are associated with its performance.

“I guess I don’t see masculinity as being this toxic thing that’s exclusive to men. I haven’t thought about how, especially in the queer community, how masculinity might play out because I don’t think it’s this inherently oppressive thing,” said Caroline Loftus '21. “I don’t know. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about it,” they said.

Loftus also mentioned common associations with gender expression and behavioral structures that are associated with gender.

“Going back to what it’s like to be a queer woman or woman-aligning person who performs masculinity, I don’t think it’s the fact that women are feminine that makes them [do] more emotional labor, etc. … I guess it’s an interesting distinction between gender and gender presentation,” they said.

How masculinity plays out in behavior is affected by social spaces as well, given that many spaces of community life is performative. Gil Perez '21 spoke about the action of masculinity and how it plays out in classes at Grinnell College.

“I definitely, I see it take place in the classroom a lot, especially where discussions take place in most of the class time. Like a lot of the times when I see men using their

voice, like raise it and even like body posture, sometimes they’ll like over-speak other people and just talk for longer periods of time. I think, but also things that I’ve seen taken into place, are other things like race and class and just other constructs that give some people power and disempower others,” Perez said.

For Kaleb Shah '22, his mother taught masculinity. “I didn’t have really a strong masculine figure to look at for masculine traits, so it’s basically just seeing the people around me and what my mom would tell me was what a man was supposed to do. You know she told me once, a man never raises a hand on a woman, but you know, raising your hand on another guy is okay.

Stuff like that,” he said.

Ian Donaldson '20 spoke about the barriers around emotional expression surrounding masculinity.

“I tend to rely on the women in my family for emotional support. But it’s hard because I want to talk a little bit more to [my dad] about stuff in general. But we’ve had so long of a relationship of not like coldness, but when I talk to him I associate it with like we’re planning something.

Or he wants me to be safe or I’m asking to borrow something, you know? There’s not much emotion in our relationship, and it feels kind of shitty,” he said.

The concept of helping others arose often in Grinnell students’ discussions of masculinity. “Generally you have the superficial stuff

that you dress a certain way, you have like facial hair, but on a deeper level I feel it’s just being strong and helping others. For me that’s what being masculine would be, just being strong enough to rise above your problems and helping others,” Shah said.

For Tyler Williams '19, masculinity is about standing up for others in the right situations. “For me, I think masculinity means taking up for the people who have historically been disenfranchised. So I mean using your privilege, … and I’m not white myself, but I get into more spaces because I’m a black man. I mean more than like a black woman or gay people. … I’m still disenfranchised, but I mean helping out when you can because you’re a man,” he

said.

Still, there is a fine line between using your privilege to help others and continuing patriarchal norms like patronizing or mansplaining.

In regards to this fine line, Jonathan Rebelsky '20 brought up an interesting story about his high school experience. “If someone was bullying somebody I’d walk over, push them to the locker, and say, ‘Knock it off. Don’t do that.’ And that worked because I had all the social capital where the teachers would go, ‘Whatever. It’s Jonathan doing that.’

But that would be seen as toxic masculinity, right? Because I’m seen as aggressive, I’m being physically violent. At the same point, it stopped a bad situation so is it really a bad thing?” Rebelsky said.

SOFIA MENDEZ

Dominant ideas of masculinity tend to promote aggression while discouraging men from being emotional and vulnerable.

Sports

6

By Andrew Pavey paveyand@grinnell.edu

The man behind the camera: Ted Schultz

In a cozy corner of the Charles Benson Bear '39 Recreation and Athletic Center, Sports Information Director Ted Schultz hits the books, compiling and organizing sports statistics and reporting them for Pioneer fans around the world to enjoy.

For twelve years, Schultz has been the voice of Grinnell College athletics on social media, in the press and beyond.

“There’s a lot of interest in athletics. … A third of our students are also student athletes, so [sports reporting] really makes us visible to a lot of people,” said Schultz. “To be able to continually pump out the ath-

ANDREW TUCKER

Ted Schultz, Grinnell College’s sports information director for the last 12 years.

Grubb named MWC performer of the week

By Tommy O’Donnell odonnel@grinnell.edu

Last Saturday, Pioneer men’s swimmer Ben Grubb '19 received the Midwest Conference swim and dive performer of the week after a strong display at the Grinnell Mini-Invite.

“I didn’t think too much about it at first … I was surprised because it was a pretty small meet, so I didn’t think they would even cover it,” said Grubb.

This marked the second time this season that Grubb has received the honor of performer of the week. The award could not have come at a more perfect time, with the Midwest Conference meet taking place this weekend. “I guess it’s nice to be recognized before Conference, but … I’m mostly just focusing on Conference now though,” Grubb said.

With graduation looming, Grubb plans to continue swimming competitively, but in a completely different setting.

Grubb competes in a number of different races, but when asked for his favorite, it was a no brainer. “My favorite is the 200 freestyle … that’s also the one I am best at. I like it because it is a sort of challenge in that it is not quite a distance [race] but also not a sprint … it’s fun to work out a strategy.”

As a senior, this will be Grubb’s fi-

nal season competing for the Pioneers, and he is happy with the work that he has put in thus far.

“I think it’s going really well. I’ve been faster in season than my other in-season times have been … so I think that suggests that I will have a good final meet. Normally it’s hard to tell how you are going to do at the end … but I think my in-season times have been good.”

Looking back at his time with the team, Grubb was extremely pleased with his experience and the people he met. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I think I’ve improved a lot over the years and …

Coach Tim [Hammond] and Coach Erin [Hurley] are really good … so I’ve enjoyed having them as coaches.”

With graduation looming, Grubb plans to continue swimming competitively, but in a completely different setting.

“I think I’d like to go into other forms of swimming, like triathlon and just compete in events like that … I did the Grinnell College triathlon that the swim team hosts, last year, and really enjoyed that.”

Grubb is confident that he and the team will do well at this week’s Conference meet. “I think it should go well.

Training has been going really well …

I’ve been feeling good in practice.”

The Pioneer’s swim and dive team will take part in the Midwest Conference Tournament, running Friday, Feb. 15 to Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Russell K. Osgood Pool.

SOFIA MENDEZ

Ben Grubb '19, MWC men’s swim and dive performer of the week.

By Lily Seibert seibertl@grinnell.edu

Edited by odonnel@grinnell.edu

letics [content] is huge. We have a multi-tiered approach to that.”

It’s an approach that has evolved considerably over Schultz’s time at Grinnell. He began working at the College when Facebook and other forms of social media were in their infancy, and he was left to lug bulky computers to sports outings.

“That right there,” he said, pointing to a trolley filled with tangled wires and disorganized equipment, “contains webcasting equipment … it’s very disheveled … for both this weekend’s swim meet and basketball game. There’s no way, when I first started here, you could have fit all that equipment on that cart. I used to take two car loads of stuff out to soccer, and give myself a hernia just trying to lift that crap up.”

“I remember that when we first started, too, we’d be like ‘HD? We can’t stream in HD! We don’t have the power.’ … Then we started creating two streams, because not everybody could get an HD feed ... it would buffer. It was a nightmare.

Back then it was all we knew,” he said, laughing.

Schultz’s twelve-year tenure at the College is impressive, but he’s someone who is used to sticking around. An Iowa native, Schultz has lived in the state his entire life.

I think it's really a great way to get to know the students outside the classroom. I've really gotten to earn and maintain good relationships with them.

Ted Schultz

“When I first came here, I ended up being the third Sports Information Director in three years, so I think they were looking for a little stability,” he said. “Prior to this, I was in newspapers for a long time.

I’ve been a managing editor of a weekly paper in Wilton, Iowa; I was sports editor of a few papers, including the Clinton Herald-Register.”

Schultz cited the region’s simple warmth and down-to-earth character as his reason for remaining in Iowa

for his entire life.

“It’s really ‘down-home.’ … It’s a safe area to live. … The temperatures are, well, relatively good,” he said, glancing outside as snow began to drift down from the grey sky.

An avid bicyclist, he has completed thirteen Ragbrai bicycle races across the state of Iowa. Schultz’s wife also teaches and coaches volleyball and track at Grinnell High School.

Aside from a personal love of sports, Schultz’s favorite part of the job is developing relationships with student athletes and workers. “I think it’s really a great way to get to know the students outside the classroom. … I’ve really gotten to earn and maintain good relationships with them. I think it’s really exciting to be able to tell a different side of things than academics,” he said.

Schultz’s personal investment in Grinnell athletes is clear — take one look at the Pioneers website, littered with flashy headlines and his dramatic game day write-ups, and you will have all the evidence you need.

Psychologist discusses the role of men in preventing sexual violence

By Tommy O’Donnell odonnel@grinnell.edu

On Monday night, Dr. Trent Claypool, a licensed psychologist from Colorado Springs, visited campus to give a talk on the role of men in the age of ‘MeToo.’ The talk focused on exploring concepts of masculinity, discussing a man’s role in preventing sexual and domestic violence, and defining an authentic form of masculinity.

Claypool began the discussion by setting specific guidelines. As a white male, he said he recognized his privileged position in giving such a talk and said “everyone has the right to be suspicious of how I ended up here.” He even admitted to benefitting from the problem by having a good job, high salary and gaining the intrinsic reward of helping patients.

However, he was clear to state that he is using his privilege not for his own gain, but to completely destroy toxic forms of masculinity that exist in our culture.

The talk was organized by the athletics department as part of Sex Week, and all male student athletes were encouraged to attend. Tom Henehan '21, a member of the football team, attended the event and emphasized the importance of such discussions happening on campus.

“It’s a serious issue, and we need to combat it. I think toxic masculinity is a problem for everybody, and we need to stop it on our campus.”

Claypool discussed how athletes are more liable to use their position to exploit privileges and display forms of toxic masculinity. He referred to cases such as Kobe Bryant, a basketball star who was accused of sexual assault in 2003, and how he is still idolized as a role model to this day. As an athlete, characteristics such as achievement and risk-taking are highly valued, yet these are also traits of toxic forms of masculinity.

Trying to find a healthy balance between the two is vital for student athletes on our campus. “It gets toxic when you do it too much. Like he [Claypool] said in the talk we need

ELENA COPPELL-

Trent Claypool talks to students on the role of men in the age of ‘MeToo.’ to balance out our masculine side with our feminine side and once the masculine side rules over our lives that’s when it becomes toxic … as soon as it’s a harm to others you need to stop,” Henehan said.

Another important catalyst for toxic masculinity, according to Claypool, is the common social separation of student athletes from the rest of the campus. At Grinnell this is an increasingly common point of discussion, and students recognized that there are always degrees of separation. Theo Colaiace '22, a member of the Men's soccer team, said, “We had preseason … we couldn’t go to a lot of the NSO stuff, so I’ve been spending a lot of my time trying to make friends outside of the soccer team. It’s a good community to have but I definitely see somewhat of a divide.”

Henehan added, “Obviously anyone who walks in to D-Hall can see that some teams sit separately …

I’m not the biggest proponent of it.

In other ways, we all go to the same classes and such and I have friends outside of football … thank God … they keep me sane sometimes. I do Nerf at Noyce … and other stuff so I definitely feel like I’m involved on campus in other ways besides football.”

The discussion then turned to discuss how men can prevent sexual and domestic violence. Jen Jacob-

son, Director of Wellness and Prevention, was cited by both Henehan and Colaiace as an invaluable resource on campus who works closely with student athletes to prevent all forms of violence in the Grinnell community. “[She] does a great job with football. She hosts talks with us periodically … she discusses masculinity and how sometimes football can take it too far,” Henehan said.

Colaiace also spoke about the importance of senior team members in building a healthy team environment. “they [senior athletes] do a good job. I haven’t had to go to them for any particular reason but they’re definitely helpful in the meetings with Jen Jacobsen … being good role models … giving us examples of how to be respectful members of the community. ” As a team captain this semester, Henehan recognizes the role he has to play to prevent toxic masculinity from growing within the team. “It gives me the confidence boost that my actions do represent what the team wants and I do have a voice and a say on the team about what culture we want to implement. Even if I didn’t have that position, Grinnell is such an inclusive community and we do a great job recruiting great people to our program … a little criticism like ‘Hey, don’t go that far’ is really open here … you’re able to do it.”

Women’s Track and Field impress at home meet

The women’s track and field team had another impressive showing last weekend at the Darren Young Classic meet, during which multiple athletes scored personal bests and carved their way into the school record books. Several underclassmen led the charge for the Pioneers, with Paige Olowu '22, Madeline McCabe '22, Rebecca Villa '21, Tali Tesar '22 and Emma Schaefer '22 all claiming top spots in their events. Francesca Dalla Betta '22 and Agne Lukoseviciute '21 each broke school records for the 60-meter race and weight throw, respectively. As a whole, the team had its best finish in the Darren Young Classic since 2015.

“I’ve been intentional about my practices,” said Lukoseviciute, who broke her own record for the fourth time this season. “Before every practice, kind of having at least one thing

to focus on helps, so I don’t waste the practice time.”

Despite track and field garnering the reputation of being an individual sport, several of the athletes credit their achievements to the support of their teammates during training and competing. Dalla Betta, who also participated in the record-breaking 4x200 relay team with Lynn Nguyen '20, Jordan Maddaus '19 and Olowu, appreciates the balance between taking accountability for her own performance and relying on others to succeed.

“I love open events because you get your time and it’s fun to kind of try to get your time down, but I think relays are the funnest thing in track because you do have the team element of it,” said Dalla Betta. “So it’s a lot of fun to have, in a generally more individual sport, the team aspect of psyching each other up before a race and practicing together and stuff like that.”

In addition to encouragement between team members, both Lukoseviciute and Dalla Betta emphasized the importance of remaining mentally strong in a challenging sport such as track and field. For some athletes, achieving the right headspace means taking time alone before races to listen to music, while others gain confidence by reflecting on their performances and bouncing back from failure.

“Last week, Thursday was just a bad practice. On those kinds of days if you approach it in a negative way, it can really break you down,” Lukoseviciute said. “And it’s not going to be good on meet day if you beat yourself up about it. But if you kind of try and learn from it instead, and just clear your mind, then usually I can find something to fix it.”

Dalla Betta stressed that having fun and staying relaxed are some of the primary ways in which she finds success on the track. In between

warming up and listening to music with the team before races, she always makes time to energize herself for a strong performance.

“My number one thing I always have to do is a power pose,” Dalla Betta said. “A little bit before my race, I’ve been moving a lot, warm-

ing up, dancing around, and then I stop, pause, do a power pose for, like, five seconds. Then I’m ready to go.”

The Pioneers hope to build on their recent success in the Wartburg Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 16, as well as the conference meet the following week.

CONTRIBUTED

Paige Olowu '22 competing at the Darren Young Classic.

Opinions

Edited by irwinkat@grinnell.edu

Phoebe Schreckinger: Dear Cheryl

7

An Unsolicited Opinion: The morality of true crime entertainment

By Katherine Moody moodykat@grinnell.edu It would be hard to understate the popularity of true crime entertainment in 2018. While true crime has always been popular, the recent surge in the popularity of podcasts has increased the reach of the genre.

Ushered in by the wild and unprecedented success of the first season of Serial in 2014, which according to CNN averaged 3.4 million downloads per episode, a boom in new true crime podcasts has commanded the attention of millions of Americans. My Favorite Murder, a comedy podcast in which two friends, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, joke about their “favorite” murders — emerged out of this boom. The podcast averages 19 million listeners every month; it has been heralded by some as a feminist retooling of true crime, a genre notorious for its tendency to fetishize violence and enshrine violent criminals. After listening to several episodes, I can promise you, it is not. Instead, My Favorite Murder reveals the problems inherent in the true crime genre.

True crime often revels in violence against women, who make up most of the genre’s fan base. According to a 2010 study in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal, women are more likely to be drawn to true crime stories than men.

By Katherine Moody moodykat@grinnell.edu

EXPLORE YOUR PASSIONS. COMPLETE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS. Block A: May 30 - June 22, 2019 Block B: June 26 - July 20, 2019

Application and More Information at coloradocollege.edu/summer The Scarlet and Black Staff Editors-in-Chief News Editors Features Editor Sports Editor Arts Editor Community Editor Opinions Editor Copy Editors Photo Editor Graphics Editor Business Manager Honorary Editor

Maxwell Fenton Candace Mettle Jackson Schulte Keli Vitaioli Julia Anderson Tommy O’Donnell Zoe Fruchter Seth Taylor Kate Irwin Ben Mikek Eva Hill Andrew Tucker Ryuta Kure Anneliese Stattelman Ilhan Omar

However, My Favorite Murder reveals the problem inherent in the genre: it turns stories of horrific violence and trauma endured by real people, often recent enough that the victims’ families and surviving victims are still alive, into entertainment for audiences to consume.

Try to imagine your own death or trauma being laughed about by two women and the millions of people who laugh along with them.

Marni Feuerman, a licensed clinical social worker, attempted to explain this finding during a 2018 interview on INSIDER. According to Feuerman, “Women have to live in fear on a daily basis that they can easily become a crime victim.”

Feuerman also noted that true crime stories often end with the capture of the perpetrator, which can be comforting to women.

A 2017 Buzzfeed News article praising My Favorite Murder reflects much of what Feuerman said.

The piece asserts that the podcast “sets itself apart by helping female listeners gain a sense of protection, control, or at least reassurance.”

What the article fails to consider is that it does so at the expense of crime victims.

The episode “My Second Best Murder” begins with both Kilgariff and Hardstark introducing themselves and exclaiming, “We love murder!” Kilgariff explains that they, “love to talk about bad things that have happened to good people.”

Then Hardstark jumps in, playfully proclaiming, “Hopefully they won’t happen to us if we talk about it enough!” About eleven minutes into the episode, after a frolicsome back

and forth, Kilgariff agrees to talk about her favorite murder for this episode. Kilgariff recounts the case of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka and how, in the 1990s, Homolka helped Bernardo abduct, rape and murder young women, starting with Homolka’s own 14-year-old younger sister. Hardstark exclaims, “I love this one!” And Kilgariff continues, describing how they drugged Homolka’s younger sister before Bernardo raped her while Homolka videotaped it. “This was her younger sister,” says Kilgariff through laughter. My Favorite Murder is, after all, a comedy podcast.

According to a 2010 study in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal, women are more likely to be drawn to true crime stories than men. ... According to Feuerman, “Women have to live in fear on a daily basis that they can easily become a crime victim.”

It is true that not all true crime entertainment laughs openly at stories of rape and murder; some, like Serial, profess to draw attention to flaws in our criminal justice system and illuminate miscarriages of justice. However, My Favorite Murder reveals the problem inherent in the genre: it turns stories of horrific violence and trauma endured by real people, often recent enough that the victims’ families and surviving victims are still alive, into entertainment for audiences to consume.

Try to imagine your own death or trauma being laughed about by two women and the millions of people who laugh along with them. Imagine those two women monetizing the story of your death or trauma, selling merchandise and a $39.99 annual subscription to a “fan cult” which includes access to a “cult forum” where your murder or trauma will be a fascination.

True crime often revels in violence against women, who make up most of the genre’s fan base.

The Buzzfeed article about My Favorite Murder says that the podcast helps women “regain control of their own survival narratives” and quotes a woman using a pseudonym as saying her interest in true crime was precipitated by her own molestation as a child. Imagine women justifying their fascination with the public spectacle of your trauma as healing or educational, but refusing to use their real names when discussing their own traumas.

My Favorite Murder, along with the vast majority of true crime, frequently reduces victims, including survivors, to nothing more than props. Symbolically, a correction to the Buzzfeed article notes that a previous version had misidentified a murder victim. It might seem strange to think about the privacy and dignity of a dead person or someone we’ve deemed a “survivor” of crime, but given the ubiquity of true crime entertainment, it’s something our culture needs to grapple with.

SPARC Policy The Scarlet & Black is published on Fridays by students of Grinnell College and is printed by Times Republican of Marshalltown.

The newspaper is funded in part by the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC) and also relies on advertising revenue to cover operating costs. All publications funded by SPARC are copyright of SPARC and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without specific written consent from SPARC. Contributions The Scarlet & Black welcomes story ideas from students, faculty and other members of the town and college community. If there is any story that should be covered, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu or visit thesandb.com Send letters to the editor via email at newspapr@grinnell.edu or mail them to Box 5886. The author’s name must be included, but letters can be published anonymously in certain occasions. Letters will be printed at the discretion of the editor. The opinions expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff. The S&B reserves the right to edit any and all submissions.

Advertising Advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager, Anneliese Stattelman, who can be reached at sandbads@grinnell.edu or by mail at 1115 8th Avenue Grinnell College Box 5886, Grinnell, IA 50112.

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Volume 135, Issue 16

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Photo of the Week

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“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” — Aubrey Hepburn

Arbitrary Analysis

Samoa the Country

Samoa Cookies

Social Calendar

Friday

9:00 a.m. Swim and Dive Championship Meet @ BEAR Athletic Center 7:00 p.m. Zuzu African Acrobats @ Harris Center Concert Hall 10:00 p.m. Breakup Gardner @ Gardner Lounge

ANDREA BAUMGARTEL

Samoa Joe

The S&B Crossword

By Ned Watson '22

Saturday

9:30 a.m. Swim and Dive Championship Meet @ BEAR Athletic Center 1:00 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs. Lake Forest @ Darby Gym 3:00 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Lake Forest @ Darby Gym 7:00 p.m. Visiting Baroque Trio Concert @ Bucksbaum

Sunday

6:00 p.m. Lunar New Year Celebration @ Harris Center Concert Hall

Snedge

This week, Sarah Licht '22 and Elizabeth Wong '22 polled 100 students asking: King Kong or King Bong?

HSSC

JRC

Like what you see? check us out:

@thesandb /thescarletandblack thesandb.com @grinnellsandb

Across 1 Spit 5 Reg. agency for stocks and bonds 8 Your enemy 12 Ancient stone head carving Mexicans 13 Symbolizing death 15 Prefix to “horn” or “cod” 16 The Wasteland poet 17 The water equivalent of this puzzle’s theme 18 Equilibrium 19 Platte river First Nations

Rants & Raves: Stop taking people’s food in dorm fridges, don’t make messes that lead to community fines, and clean up after yourselves.

— Is self-gov even a thing anymore?

21 International conservative think tank 23 Compensation 24 Called (someone) 26 Spanish restaurant appetizer 29 Like some cheese, and some people 31 By way of 32 Old Norse bloodflood entity 33 British conservative 34 Tree-people 35 Geometric function 36 Grandmother, in British slang 38 Pennsylvania

canal city 39 The skin covering the head, excluding the face 42 TV personality Conan’s father?

43 Left behind 44 Tax form prepper, for short 45 What you win if you feel lucky 46 Bull-headed man nickname?

47 With “daisy,” a reassurance 48 Sound of dismissal 49 An East German, informally

Down 1 A personality disorder that makes a person behave in an antisocial manner 2 Antiseptic plant used in Metamucil 3 Boss 4 Cries of jubilation 6 Life preservers?

7 The way a moral punishment gets in?

8 Falsehood 9 Germanic tribe detailed by Caesar 10 Plato’s muse?

11 Group 14 Common division within uni.

20 A city in Iowa 22 A type of trade 25 The Downward Spiral artist, for short 27 The Western hemisphere 28 Common women’s short hairstyle 30 A noble house 37 Sunburn relieving herb 38 The lovely Muse 39 Soup (var.)

40 Like old televisions 41 Skies (var.)

42 The illness to be on the watch for

Students speak about what’s on their minds in 75 words or fewer, and you’re invited! If you have a rant or a rave, email it to [irwinkat].

I wish people would stop judging me for juuling. I’m just trying to live my life.

— Tired of the hate

Classical music is highly underrated.

— Bring

back the good old days