Vol. 139, Issue 13

Sthecarlet & Black

Is Grinnell College living up to its land acknowledgement?

By Cadence Chen chencade@grinnell.edu

In the five years leading up to the publication of Grinnell College’s land acknowledgment in 2021, zero students who self-identified as American Indian or Native Alaskan enrolled at the College, according to the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data Set (IPEDS). As Stephanie BadSoldier Snow `03 heard the statement read for the first time at the College’s Multicultural Alumni Reunion in November 2021 over Zoom, she heard a land acknowledgement with historical inaccuracies.

The College’s official land acknowledgement refers to the land the College resides on as the Meskwaki, Sauk and Ioway people’s “ancestral territory.”

“We’re woodland people from the eastern part of what is now the United States and Canada,” said Snow, who currently lives on the Meskwaki settlement with her family and is of

mixed Indigenous descent. “We’re not originally from Iowa.”

The Meskwaki people are displaced peoples and have been forcibly relocated from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. The Meskwaki Nation, formally known as the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, is the only federally recognized tribe in Iowa.

In 1857, the Meskwaki people purchased their first 80 acres of land in Iowa, which Snow said was to protect their land, culture and people. The Meskwaki people currently own around 7,000 acres of land. The Meskwaki Settlement is located in Tama County, less than 30 miles from the College.

Leslie Gregg-Jolly, senior faculty member in biology and interim chief diversity officer from 2018 to 2019, described the land acknowledgement as a “dynamic document,” which means the statement would be open to revisions as time goes on.

New campus safety measures fall short of addressing BSU demands

By Oliver Palmer palmerol@grinnell.edu

Following incidents of racist harassment and vandalism during the fall 2022 semester, Grinnell College is introducing new safety measures to better protect students on campus. Of the 10 demands the Black Student Union (BSU) put forth in October 2022, only three would be met by the current safety proposals.

In a January email sent to all students titled, “Community and Security at the Beginning of 2023,” Grinnell College President Anne Harris announced the safety and security measures that the College would be pursuing. Exact dates for when these measures will be implemented are unclear.

The S&B has compared the proposed safety measures put forth by campus administration to the BSU demands. The S&B will continue to report on these issues as new devel-

opments arise.

Cameras

The installation of cameras with amnesty was one of the demands made by the BSU in October 2022. The cameras have arrived, and they will be installed on campus in the coming weeks, according to Harris’ email, but specifics are unknown.

According to an email from Harris sent in October, the Division of Student Affairs and the Student Government Association are working “to put an amnesty policy in place for immediate implementation when cameras are installed.”

While the camera amnesty policy has not been released yet, Kenn Anderson `24, BSU events coordinator, said that the cameras should only be used to provide evidence of racist incidents, not to surveil students.

>> Continued on page 2

Op-Ed: It’s time to talk about eating disorders

By Millie Peck peckcami@grinnell.edu

CW: In this series, I will be discussing eating disorders and their devastating effects. As someone who has an eating disorder, I try my very best to never describe specific behaviors or numbers as that can be very damaging, but the material may be upsetting nonetheless. If you decide not to read, thank you for taking care of yourself.

Eating disorders aren’t uncommon, but in the throes of my relapse

Registrar issues firmer guidance on Incompletes

during my first year of college, they weren’t talked about by coaches, faculty, or really any of my teammates. The topic felt taboo. I was slowly killing myself (something I will get more into later), and felt deeply alone. When I finally reached the point of wanting help, I had trouble finding resources. I didn’t know who to talk to, and since no one talked about the issue, it felt far too daunting to bring it up myself.

>> Continued on page 6

By Nina Baker bakernin@grinnell.edu

The Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) issued firmer guidance on Grinnell College’s incomplete course work policies last semester, resulting in an earlier final deadline for Incomplete requests. By requesting an Incomplete, students with extenuating circumstances can take two weeks after the end of finals to turn in course work. The College is now reaffirming their stance on the appropriate circumstances for when Incompletes can be granted, a change from pandemic-era policy.

Between 2012 and 2020, the total number of Incompletes issued to students ranged between 30 and 70 each semester, according to minutes from the Dec. 1 faculty meeting. In the spring 2020 semester, after students were instructed to leave campus and attend courses remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Incompletes jumped to 176 per semester and maintained a similar rate until fall 2022.

Starting in spring 2020, the CAS

changed the final deadline to request an Incomplete multiple times. Initially the deadline was extended to the Monday before finals, and was extended farther to through the end of finals week in fall 2021. The current policy allows students to request an Incomplete by 5 p.m. on Reading Day, the Monday before finals begin.

In making the change, Joyce Stern `91, the dean for student success and academic advising, said that the committee sought to adjust from pandemic-era measures while still acknowledging that the pre-pandemic deadline may have been too fast.

“Those two years were actually exceptions to the rule of the deadline [being] on Friday at the end of classes. That part of the policy has been in place [since] I started in 2000,” Stern said.

The new deadline will allow for a greater degree of leniency than before the pandemic, according to Stern.

“The new deadline gives students an extra three days to kind of assess what their finals are looking like and be able to ask for extra time,” she said.

Stern said that the new guidelines in part stem from a push to get faculty, students and staff to understand the original intent for Incompletes.

“Students were taking an awful lot of work home with them. I kind of understand why it was happening,” Stern said. “But, that’s not really a

>> Continued on page 2 CORNELIA

MADDI SHINALL

The Grinnell Prairie, photographed here in June, features a sign with a land acknowledgement to the Meskwaki, Sauk and Ioway peoples.

>> Continued on page 3

OHANA SARVOTHAM

Photo illustrating a student using the InformaCast app, which features a Campus Alert button.

CORNELIA DI GIOIA

Tutorial group strikes back against bird strikes

By Eleanor Corbin corbinel@grinnell.edu

As the final project for their tutorial, a group of first-year Grinnell College students have created a form to report and track bird strikes across campus. The group, composed of Abby Fantz `26, Corinne Fox `26, Kevin Johanson `26 and Johanna Swanson `26, say that the goal of the project is to map areas and windows most dangerous for birds on the Grinnell College campus.

The Birds: Nature, Joy and Belonging tutorial, taught by professor of English Hai-Dang Phan, focused on birding — the practice of observing birds in their natural environment — and studying birds through the lens of environmental justice.

“The tutorial was mostly an excuse for professor Phan to have some people to go birding with,” Fox said jokingly. “It was a lot of fun.”

For their capstone project in the course, students split into groups, and Phan tasked them with creating a project that focused on community engagement with tangible effect.

Fox, Fantz, Johanson and Swanson decided to focus on an issue that had come up earlier in the semester. As members of the tutorial began paying more attention to the birds on campus, they began to notice numerous locations where birds frequently struck windows, according to Fox and Swanson.

“It started because we were all supposed to look for birds, and we saw a lot on the ground beneath [the] windows,” Fox said.

According to Fox, migratory birds are more likely to run into windows because they are less familiar with the campus layout. Subsequently, many of the birds who die from strikes are rare to see in this area.

“A lot of them [the bird strikes] were birds you don’t see very often,” Swanson said, “like warbler species and catbirds.”

Phan noted one particular instance when Fantz came to his office hours distraught after she had witnessed a gray catbird hit a Humanities and Social Studies Center (HSSC) window.

“Since there have been humans, we have been living with the land and among birds, and have drawn them, and have written about them and made songs about them,” said Phan, stressing the importance of preservation efforts. “They’re metaphors for freedom and companion-

ship … So, the fewer birds there are, the fewer metaphors, the less art.”

Fox then went on to create the first reporting form which would later transform into the group’s final project. She said that once birds migrate back through Iowa around March, the students hope to get sufficient data to suggest areas in need of attention. One common solution to bird strikes, explains Fantz, is the use of window decals to make large windows visible to birds.

Incomplete policy guidelines

Incompletes— Continued from Front Page

great way to learn.”

The new guidance addresses when Incompletes are generally appropriate for students. According to the guidance, Incompletes are allowed when unforeseen circumstances have emerged, only a single assessment remains in which the students can complete coursework within two weeks and the student has been regularly participating in class until that point.

An Incomplete is not appropriate when course policies do not permit late work, multiple assessments must be completed, the assignment cannot be completed independently or an extension has already been granted on the same assignment that the student has not met.

While granting Incompletes is under the discretion of the instructor, Stern said that academic advising typically becomes involved in the Incomplete process for students taking multiple Incompletes in one term or for students enrolled in 14 or less credits.

“I’d love to prevent them in all cases,” Stern said. “We’re always trying to help students pursue their semester in a way that’s sustainable, so they don’t have to take work home with them.”

Alex Sun `23 said that he took an Incomplete in a history seminar last fall because he wanted to prioritize

say that specimen keeping is an important way of retaining information about species for the future.

Fantz noted that the buildings on campus that pose the biggest danger to birds are those with large swaths of windows, like Burling Library, the HSSC and the Dining Hall.

“It’s very beautiful, but it is pretty dangerous to birds,” Fantz said Fox, Swanson and Fantz said that if someone comes across a bird strike, the most important thing they can do is not touch the bird because the stress of being touched can worsen the bird’s condition. If the bird appears to be alive, ensure that the bird is not in danger of being stepped on, and call a local wildlife center, like the Iowa Wildlife Center — (515) 233 -1379. If the bird is dead, the current protocol is to call Facilities Management.

Swanson has their own goals with the project. Having gained an interest in specimen preservation in high school, they say that they are working to get permission from the College to collect and preserve casualties from bird strikes. They

However, “the other best thing to do is preventing [the bird strike] in the first place,” Fox said.

As such, they request that students use this form (bit.ly/ GCbird) to report the location of encountered bird strikes.

Lack of COVID safety policy causes some students to feel unsafe in class

privileged position to have all three or four vaccines, but that’s just simply not the case.”

The current COVID policy states that “high risk individuals should mask as appropriate and can use the accommodation process if needed.”

“The disingenuous part about that is that masking works best when everyone does it. We can’t ‘respect each other’s choices’ because other people’s choices could very well lead to the death of other people,” said Lavan. “Many people are having to out themselves as compromised in a deeply ableist world.”

By Oliver Palmer palmerol@grinnell.edu

In the absence of a mask mandate at Grinnell College, English Professor Makeba Lavan was worried about her safety. After getting documentation from her doctor and going through the Office of Accessibility and Disability Resources, she was able to get accommodations to use a hybrid in-person and online approach to her classes.

Measures such as mandatory masking and regular testing are no longer in place at the College. With the reduction in COVID-related safety measures, The S&B interviewed professors and students who are concerned for their health, along with that of the campus community.

The Grinnell College COVID dashboard, which tracked positive cases on campus and in the town of Grinnell, is no longer available. Instead, the COVID case count is now tracked in the weekly campus memo, according to Director of Emergency Management and Risk Mitigation Heather Cox. In addition,

Cox said students are self-testing and self-reporting when they are COVID positive.

“The absence of surveillance testing and the prevalence of at-home testing makes it difficult to accurately track positivity rates as opposed to case counts alone,” said Cox.

Lu Johnston `24 said they used the COVID dashboard to gauge how safe they felt in different situations, and with its removal, they are not able to make as informed decisions.

“I would use the College’s numbers to kind of judge how safe I felt in different situations,” said Johnston, “how willing I was to go to the dining hall and eat there with a friend and stuff like that.”

Factors like high vaccination rates and fewer cases of COVID or any other respiratory illnesses on campus were considered when making the decision to make masks optional, said Cox.

According to Phil Tyne `24, “[the current policy] is a way to not upset anyone without accomplishing anything substantial. And so we just assume that everyone is in the

“I think that the hybrid approach gives us the community that everyone craves, but also the safety that makes it possible,” said Lavan. For the first two weeks of the semester, and the two after spring break, her classes will meet virtually. After the two weeks, classes will be held in person.

Professors can’t require masks be worn in class, but they can encourage their students to take a community health approach to masking in the classroom, according to Cox.

“I believe that the responsibility of our college community to each other begs us to proceed with caution and care for the whole community, even when it’s a little inconvenient or uncomfortable for those not immediately affected,” said Professor Jen Shook, theatre, dance and performance studies.

As of now, there are no plans to make a change to the current COVID policy, said Cox. “If vaccines continue to remain accessible and highly effective at protecting against serious health outcomes, I do not foresee any significant changes. As always, we will watch the trends and adjust based on the most current data available.”

graduate school applications, which were due at around the same time as the history seminar’s final.

While this reason for an Incomplete is not listed under the appropriate reasons for Incomplete included in the new guidance from CAS, Sun said he thinks access to Incompletes in general is very valuable.

Joyce

“I know more people are seeking out jobs and internships during the school year than before, so there are just a lot of factors to consider,” Sun said.

While the CAS issues guidance and directs policy, individual faculty have full discretion in granting Incompletes to students, Stern said.

Clark Lindgren, professor of neuroscience and 2022-23 chair of the faculty, did not respond to a request for comment about faculty perspectives on the new guidance.

Campus safety updates

Safety updates— Continued from Front Page

“If the cameras are gonna be there for us to actually have some valid proof … of stuff that we face on this campus, then I fully support it.” said Anderson. “But, if the cameras will be there just to monitor us and surveil everything we do, I don’t think they should be a thing. So, it really just depends on the intention.”

Personal Safety Trainings

The personal safety training classes open to students in February were planned in direct response to the BSU demands, according to Heather Cox. The classes are being taught by alumna Anne Stein `84 and Otis Velma of Zendou Martial Arts, based out of Illinois.

Sessions will be held during the evenings of Monday, Feb. 20 through Thursday, Feb. 23 in the Charles Benson Bear `39 Recreation and Athletic Center multipurpose dance studio. The sessions are open to students, but anyone can attend and observe.

Two ALICE active threat sessions were held on Feb. 16 in HSSC S1325, and a third session will be held on Monday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. in the Humanities and Social Studies Center room S1325. Future session dates will be announced in the campus memo, according to Heather Cox, director of emergency management and risk mitigation.

ALICE stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate — the components of a proactive, options-based strategy for active threat response,” per Grinnell College Emergency Management in an email sent in February. Sergeant Benjamin Smith, a member of the Grinnell Police Department, was the instructor for the sessions.

“The ALICE trainings are not in response to the racist incidents on campus or the BSU demands, but rather the culmination of a long-term effort to provide active threat training, which was fast-tracked by the recent false ‘active intruder’ alarm in the HSSC,” Cox said in an email to the S&B, referencing the alarm that was triggered in November 2022.

Lighting

The campus lighting committee has ordered new light poles for Park Street which will arrive in spring 2024, according to Harris. Additional lighting needs are under review.

Three temporary light poles were installed at the intersection of Park and 10th St., East and 8th St. and in the parking lot across from Main Hall following the racist vandalism in 2022, where they are still located.

“While we did say it’s dark around here, we did not mean one big light at the corner,” said Anderson. “We meant the campus. The campus is still pretty dark. We don’t get light until we get down there at the dorm, you know? The lights are performative,” said Anderson.

InformaCast App

In an email sent on Nov. 17, 2022, Grinnell College Emergency Management announced the avail-

ability of InformaCast, a mobile app that features a campus alert button. When the button is pressed, Campus Safety can view a user’s location and attempt to call or text you to gather more information. The user can then choose one of three follow-up responses — a need for medical assistance, feeling unsafe and needing help or to report harassment or vandalism occurring. If the button is pressed off campus or out of town, Campus Safety will attempt to contact the user, and if there is no response, will notify the authorities near their location.

“The alert button can immediately notify a Campus Safety dispatcher of the need for assistance or other issues of concern. The alert button does not replace or supplement 911 and will not notify the police when activated,” Harris wrote in the email sent on Jan. 23, 2023.

Mental Health Resources

Mental health resources at the College specific to minority students are not yet available in-person or on campus.

“SHAW and ODEI continue to seek out mental health resources tailored to the needs with minoritized identities,” Harris wrote. “The ideas generated by this workshop [Nov. 29 community dialogue] are being compiled, and next steps will be communicated in the spring [of 2023].”

BSU Demands Unanswered

In Oct. 2022, the BSU released 10 demands to Grinnell College. Seven of these demands — legal accountability for hate crimes, required recovery days, paid time off for Black student workers, required emergency town hall meetings with Grinnell residents after incidents of racist harassment or abuse, mentorship resources and a Know Your Rights training camp — have not been addressed by the College.

Kenn Anderson `24

“I won’t speak for the whole BSU, but I feel as if we are being heard, but nothing is being done about it,” Anderson said. “I just think they have this very big lack of urgency, and that bothers me because I’m Black, and it’s scary to walk back to my dorm from the JRC, and that’s the problem.”

Maure Smith-Benanti, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of inclusive initiatives, did not respond to a request for comment.

Ashley Adams, associate director of student involvement, redirected The S&B to Ellen de Graffenreid, vice president of communications and marketing, who then referred the newspaper to Cox.

OWEN BARBATO

Turkey vultures sit in a sycamore tree near the HSSC.

The fewer birds there are, the fewer metaphors, the less art.

Hai-Dang Phan Professor of English

We’re always trying to help students pursue their semester in a way that’s sustainable, so they don’t have to take work home with them.

Stern `91 Dean for Student Success

I feel as if we are being heard, but nothing is being done about it. And I just think they have this very big lack of urgency, and that bothers me.

SOFIIA ZARUCHENKO

From left: Sophia Ford `25, Aaron Peters `25 and Theo Hadley `25

She drafted pieces of the land acknowledgement as a part of her role as the interim chief diversity officer.

At that time, starting campus events with land acknowledgements became more frequent, but the College did not have an official one.

Land acknowledgements tend to follow the oftentimes short formula of first recognizing the Indigenous tribes who previously lived on typically an institution’s land and ending with an action step.

Gregg-Jolly said that she had done extensive research and consulted many professors, the Committee of Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) and land acknowledgements from peer institutions due to a desire to be careful when drafting the statement.

“I think doing harm is why we were playing so slow,” she said.

While they had the intent to reach out to tribe members, she said they did not get around to doing this during her service as interim chief diversity officer. She left her role before they concluded what to write for the action step and the initial publishing of the statement.

“When you do a land acknowledgement, it is a statement about ownership,” Snow said. “And, it is a statement about pushing someone out that was historically there ... to push those people out and make a state out of it.”

Following her realization of the current statement’s historical inaccuracies, Snow pointed them out to

President Anne Harris, to which Harris followed up with her to learn more.

According to Harris in an email to the S&B, the College is now working on correcting the current land acknowledgement and “go[ing] beyond it to acknowledge and deepen the partnerships between the College and the Nation.”

Snow’s partner Troy Brave Heart said that land acknowledgements are a “fad” belonging to academia.

“It’s easy to get on a microphone or email signature and say something, but then what? What are you doing?” he asked. “And, if the answer is nothing, then why bother?”

The College’s stated respect for Indigenous groups contrasts with the low number of enrolled self-identified Indigenous students. According to the IPEDS for 1990 to 2022, from 2017 to 2021, the College enrolled zero self-identified Native students, who were categorized under “American Indian/Alaska Native.” In 2022, for the first time in five years, two students enrolled identifying as Native.

When Snow attended the College over 20 years ago, she said she was one of the only Native students on campus and is unaware of any other Meskwaki people who have graduated from the College besides her aunt, who graduated in 1974.

Ellen de Graffenreid, vice president of communications and marketing, wrote over email that the office of admissions recruits Meskwaki students similarly to other students, including creating opportunities to connect with Grinnell and extending generous financial aid policies. She

said the College “regularly [reaches] out to the Meskwaki Nation.”

She also noted that Meskwaki students have the option of attending a tribal college, which allows people from federally recognized tribes to pursue higher education at a lower cost.

Nevertheless, Snow’s son is a sophomore in high school at the Settlement School, and he is interested in attending Grinnell. He said that many students are not aware of the College.

“You’re so close to this college, and you’re so close to the settlement,” he said. “There’s not really much going on.”

Clyde Tarrence, who has been principal of the Settlement School for the past five years, said that he does not recall any outreach from the office of admissions.

In the spring of 2016, the College decided to officially break ties with the Posse Foundation by fall 2017. The Posse Foundation connected underrepresented students from urban areas with colleges paid for with a Posse Scholarship, bringing down the cost of college dramatically. Snow, who worked for the College as interim assistant director of intercultural affairs around this time, said that she thinks a scholarship like the Posse Scholarship for Native students, specifically, would be beneficial.

One appeal of Posse scholars is that they come in cohorts each fall semester, allowing a sense of community to form among the group.

De Graffenreid wrote that according to Brad Lindberg, associate vice president of institutional initiatives

and enrollment, a donor would usually initiate the creation of an endowed scholarship program for attracting and retaining underrepresented students. Donors indicate their preference for which groups they would like their donation to benefit.

Snow also noted a distinction between the students and faculty of the College and the administration. Alongside some professors at the College, Snow has engaged in three talking circles surrounding the topic of indigeneity and said they are looking to host another one before this year’s spring graduation.

Brave Heart added, “They, the powers that be, the institution, are disconnected from what is really happening.”

During discussions over the drafting of the original land acknowledgement, the College consulted the CDI, which is composed of students and faculty.

“They were really into action items — not just lip service,” said Gregg-Jolly.

She also said that while the idea of recruiting more Indigenous students was brought up, many members of the CDI were more interested in what they could do to support the community.

In 2019, a group of students from the College expressed interest in working with the Settlement School. Ultimately, this plan did not come to fruition due to extensive background checks that come with working with Native children, according to the principal of the Settlement School.

With the identification of histori-

History Takeover: The first time graduation was cancelled, 1970

By Carter Ottele otteleca@grinnell.edu

On the path between the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts and Burling Library, a sweeping row of low-slung trees surrounds a hefty boulder. The rock bears a plaque that begins,

“The Peace Grove

A gift of the Class of 1970 June 1, 1991”

Compared to similar monuments across campus that commemorate individuals or enshrine the legacy of graduating classes, the Peace Grove’s plaque seems out of place. The Class of 1970 had left Grinnell 21 years before the Grove’s dedication in 1991. The vague inscription raises more questions than answers. The Peace Rock celebrates — or perhaps mourns — a crucial moment in Grinnell’s history.

Though 1968 is often remembered as a year of high societal tensions, 1970 might have represented the peak of unrest on American college campuses. As the Smithsonian Magazine recounts, many colleges had long opposed the Vietnam War. Especially at more liberal schools, students and faculty alike felt the war to be an unjustified, immoral endeavor. So, when President Nixon announced that the U.S. was launching “attacks … to clean out major enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia,” thus expanding the scope of operations in Southeast Asia, students revolted.

At Kent State University in Ohio, students reacted with particular force. After an unknown arsonist burned

down the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) building on campus, the National Guard arrived. On May 4, the National Guard opened fire on a crowd of students, killing four and wounding nine others.

Grinnell students responded to the shooting with rapid fury. Just a few days prior, on May 1, The S&B had made no mention of current events, even noting a “famine of news on campus.” The next edition, on May 8, ran the headline “Grinnell Closes Doors In Protest”.

Between the three articles that ran in the S&B that month, as well as a May 2020 piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education, a portrait emerges of students emboldened and enraged. The Chronicle wrote, “students knew that activism could create change on campus.” The Kent State shooting seemed to prove to students that the United States was sliding into authoritarianism and continuing to attend classes would signal complacency.

First, on May 5, students went to occupy the ROTC building on campus. The Grinnell Police Department, hoping to avoid violence, offered little resistance. Tensions escalated with “some rock throwing and a few smashed windows” on campus, according to Howard Hagen `70.

On May 8, the College faculty voted to cancel classes, final exams and commencement. As a way of explanation, College President Glenn Legett wrote, “the College [could not] continue to carry on its normal and traditional functions in the next two weeks” given the polarization on campus.

Heated debate and name-calling occurred throughout the process. In a speech, Andy Loewi, then president of the Student Government Association, claimed that Grinnell was “beginning to witness the same kind of irrational repression that occurred in Nazi Germany.” On the other hand, an unsigned letter in The S&B decried the protest’s leaders as “budding young fascists.”

In an interview with The S&B, Hagen said that he understood the Col-

lege’s decision to close its doors. He cited an atmosphere of “paranoia,” yet he, and most of his peers, felt disappointed.

“The class never got over it,” Hagen said. Likewise, his father “never forgave the College for not having a graduation.” Tensions dissipated and graduates moved on, but the sense of theft — that the ceremonial reward for four years of work had been stolen — never disappeared.

Nora Hoover expressed similar disappointment in an email, admitting that “it was disappointing.” However, she also stressed that commencement is symbolic. “The important thing,” she wrote, “is that I obtained the degree. Not having a graduation ceremony did not prevent me from following my path or being successful … Not having a degree would have.”

In some ways, the story ended as soon as it began. Grinnell’s campus emptied, students grew apart, separated by physical distance and the communication technology of the time. Classes resumed in the fall with little disruption.

In other ways, though, the impact has never disappeared. As Hagen put it, the Class of 1970 “can never go back.”

To this day, Grinnell’s website claims that “We’re known for our strong tradition of social responsibility and our commitment to justice for everyone” — a statement forever brought into question by the events of May 1970.

The Peace Grove may seem like nothing more than one of many dedications around campus, used for the occasional picnic or outdoor study session. Yet it captures a turbulent moment in history and symbolizes the weight of an unfulfilled promise.

cal inaccuracies, Harris said she hopes the revised land acknowledgement will be up “within a calendar year.”

“This is as much about relationships and respect as it is about words and research — it’s all deeply interconnected,” Harris wrote over email.

Despite Snow’s concerns with the College’s lack of action, she said that she continues to engage with the College by giving talks and helping to teach classes as one of the few visible Native faces on campus. She said that she is hopeful that her family’s legacy of attendance at the College will continue with her elder daughter and son. Snow’s daughter, who recently applied early decision, said, “It’s not just academics. It’s an all-around person that’s completely capable of being here.”

Dorm cats paw their way into students’s rooms and hearts

By Molly Wilcoxson wilcoxso2@grinnell.edu

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Grinnell College life, some students are turning to an unlikely source to find a sense of community and purpose. Tucked away under dorm beds are Grinnell’s resident “dorm cats,” who provide students with a refreshing break from their busy schedules.

These on-campus pets are mutually beneficial for both the cat and the pet owner, said cat owner Leia Sohn `23. Sohn took in her pregnant cat, Sawdust, after finding her shivering in the cold outside of the STEW Makerspace. “I scooped her up and brought her home,” said Sohn, “and she’s been with me ever since.”

Sohn takes care of Sawdust using the limited space in her dorm. Underneath her twin bed is a litter box as well as a space set aside for when Sawdust eventually births her kittens. Scattered throughout the dorm are miscellaneous toys and treats for when Sawdust emerges from her hiding spot under the bed.

Sawdust is not the only one helped, however; Sohn, living in a single dorm room, said that she appreciates the company. “It’s nice to not always be alone … to know that there’s someone else alive in the room with me. Even if it’s just a cat.”

Hope Harrington `24 and her cat, Clover, have a similar relationship. Harrington adopted Clover from the Poweshiek Animal League Shelter (PALS) after struggling with her mental health when returning from studying abroad.

“Coming out of abroad, I was in a pretty dark place,” said Harrington. “I would say a big motivation was probably the moral obligation [of caring for Clover]. If I have a cat, I need to take care of it, which gives me more reason to exist.”

Both Harrington and Sohn spoke about how their cats helped with their anxiety, particularly while in college. “Grinnell can be really, really stressful and take up so much time,” said Sohn. “It’s nice to have a little companion with you who can help you de-stress.”

Not only do campus pets help their owners, but they also help the wider Grinnell community. Grace Gilday `25 lets her cat, Bong, occasionally roam around the Loose Hall lounge, socializing with nearby floormates.

“[Bong] is like a communal emotional support animal,” said Gilday.

Last year, while living in

east-campus dorms, Gilday said that everyone on her floor would stop in at various times of the day to visit with Bong. In addition to providing cuddles for Grinnell residents, this interaction allowed Bong to become more comfortable with people and get the stimulation she otherwise would not have in a small dorm.

All three cat owners said that they believed that owning pets on campus allowed other students to connect with animals, especially while far away from their animal companions at home.

“A lot of people live so far from home,” said Gilday. “It’s not like I can go home very often and get to see my pet.”

Harrington said, “I’ve grown up with cats my whole life, so getting her has been very new but also familiar.”

Meet Sawdust, Clover and Bong in the S&B’s newest video: youtube.com/@GrinnellSandB

TAKEN BY GEORGE T. HENRY, CONTRIBUTED BY THE GRINNELL COLLEGE LIBRARY ARCHIVES

Students gather in the Forum for a senate meeting about the four students killed at Kent State University in May 1970.

PAUL HANSEN

Hope Harrington `24 adopted Clover from PALS.

PAUL HANSEN

Leia Sohn `23 found her pregnant cat Sawdust in town.

It was disappointing. The important thing is that I obtained the degree.

Nora Hoover `70

A Look Inside: Second Mile

Second Mile began to charge low prices for items to cover operating costs. As sales increased over time, Second Mile started to gain a profit, leaving them with more funds than they originally intended. Vogt said that the success of Second Mile has contributed to their ability to give to other nonprofits.

“The clothing store generated so much income that we couldn’t put all of our eggs in different baskets,” she said.

“So, instead of duplicating alreadyoffered services, we can give to them financially to help out through the revenue of our sales.”

In 2019 alone, Second Mile donated $40,000 to other Poweshiek County non-profit organizations, including MICA and the ministerial groups that helped found the thrift store.

college students. Vogt said that people shop at Second Mile for a variety of reasons, whether it be a financial necessity, sustainability purposes or just to save money on new clothing.

“It has a social impact of people making connections they otherwise might not,” said Vogt. “I think the most exciting thing for me is to see different interactions amongst all walks of life.”

Second Mile also provides a sense of solidarity between volunteers. At the moment, Vogt is the only person working full time to sustain Second Mile, with five additional paid parttime employees. All other donation sorting is completed by volunteers, many of whom serve as elder members of the Church Women United organization, with the oldest volunteer being 90 years old.

Second Mile, though disguised as a thrift store, is a vibrant community for members of Grinnell from all walks of life. Located just east of downtown, the non-profit organization has been making clothing and home goods accessible to Grinnell residents for over three decades.

Second Mile’s inventory includes a wide array of items. Clothing, accessories, books, dining sets, home decor, antiques and other miscellaneous trinkets can all be

purchased for low prices within the store’s walls. Deanna Vogt, director of Second Mile since 2009, said that donations are primarily sourced from Poweshiek County residents, though they also come from nonprofits throughout the entire state of Iowa.

Second Mile was born out of a vision from Bob Towner and Diane Wasson, members of the Grinnell Ministerial Association. The original concept was for Second Mile to be a community center serving underprivileged Grinnell residents, offering counseling, transient housing, food and clothing.

With this goal in mind, and with the support of several non-profit groups such as the ministerial association and Church Women United, Second Mile began to operate out of the basement of the Grinnell Veterans Memorial Building in 1987, sharing the space with the Mid Iowa Community Foundation (MICA).

Though originally offering a host of services, the most popular aspect of Second Mile quickly became the Clothing Closet, a program in which people could receive donated clothing at no cost.

Several years after opening,

In 2002, Second Mile moved to their current location on Third Ave., which has since undergone multiple renovations to accommodate their growing inventory. Following the success of the Clothing Closet, Second Mile expanded their focus from solely providing affordable clothing and household goods to supporting other community initiatives, such as MICA, for those who need further help.

Second Mile offers a sense of community for members of Grinnell who may otherwise not have one. “A lot of individuals that come here live alone,” said Vogt. “[Second Mile] may be their only source of interaction with other people.”

Furthermore, Second Mile is a point of unity for many members of the Grinnell community — elder members, low-income families and

The thrift store is always looking for volunteers, particularly college students. “We love our students,” said Vogt. For those interested in giving their time to Second Mile, they can reach Vogt at deanna@secondmile.org for more information.

Meet the Bartenders: Brewhouse Edition

By Ashley Baek baekashl@grinnell.edu

On any odd Friday night, you may find yourself tucked away at the Grinnell Craft Brewhouse with its plethora of craft beer, creative cocktails, charming climate and, of course, its bartenders.

It is a mostly agreed-upon fact that bartenders are the essence of a good bar, and Grinnell Craft Brewhouse is no exception. At the brewhouse, Abby Martin and Nick Leedom shape their customers’s experiences through craft beers, cocktails and charming conversation.

Leedom said, “The responsibilities vary from job to job. At Grinnell Craft, it's pretty chill. Largely, we pour beer and make cocktails, chat with customers, make sure they're of age and drinking responsibly, then we clean before and after. It's a nice, relaxing job with next to no issues.”

Leedom is from Ottumwa, Iowa and said that he started working at Grinnell Craft Brewhouse after The Peppertree at the Depot Crossing, where he previously worked, closed in 2020. He said, “I work here because I grew to love bartending.” Then,

he grew to love the people at the brewhouse.

“[At Grinnell Craft Brewhouse,] I have the opportunity to create a wide variety of cocktails, which is probably my favorite aspect. Being at a place that lets me be creative helps keep the job fresh and exciting,” said Leedom.

When prompted about stories from his time working at the brewhouse, Nick said, “there's not much to report outside of how badly I can butcher a song when we have karaoke.”

His favorite cocktail to make is called Blood on a Rose. It uses absinthe, cointreau noir, ice cubes made out of rose-hibiscus tea and a rose simple syrup and is garnished with a dried blood orange.

Another popular cocktail is called the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, which includes pineapple juice, vodka and a maraschino cherry. Leedom said that most customers order beer, and Grinnell Craft Brewhouse’s offerings include Easy Eddy, Kalona Classic, 1939 and the Blood Orange Wheat.

Martin grew up in Grinnell and moved back into town a couple of years ago. As she settled back into Grinnell’s rhythm, she decided to try

to go to all the bars in town. She said that she liked the brewhouse because it had both ciders on tap and liquor options.

As she discovered the bars around town, Martin said that she made friends with the bartenders, especially those at the brewhouse. After one had to give up his hours, she said that “I was a natural fit. I had already been working on event-night things [like trivia night].” Martin now runs the Pictionary and trivia nights at the brewhouse and has been working there for two years.

“I’ve always loved talking to people, and there’s a lot of truth behind the idea that bartenders are amateur therapists. It’s been really cool to get to know people I’ve seen in town most of my life in a different way,” Martin said. “I won’t reveal any embarrassing stories about them, otherwise they won’t come back!”

Martin said that she enjoys the challenges that come with the job. “Being a bartender is part alchemy, part talking to people and mostly a balancing act. You get a serious memory workout trying to get all of the recipes, people’s usuals and the different tabs every night.”

Grinnell Historical Museum plans for reopening and expansion

By Marcy Cassidy-Mapp cassidym@grinnell.edu

Plans for the reopening and expansion of the Grinnell Historical Museum are underway, with a tentative reopening date of April 2023.

After the Grinnell Historical Museum, located at 1125 Broad St., indefinitely closed the doors at its main building due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum’s board purchased the building which formerly housed the Uhlmann furniture store, at 703 First Ave., in November 2022.

The museum’s board decided to convert the former storefront into an additional space to showcase the museum’s exhibits, particularly the larger ones, like the 1893 voting machine, and newer pieces, like former Grinnell resident Isabella Beaton’s piano.

The museum board's decision to expand the museum out of its 18th-century Victorian home was made to improve its coverage of the town's broader history. As the museum receives most of its exhibit items through donations, a large portion of its collection comes from predominantly upper-class Grinnell residents, and changing spaces presented an opportunity to engage

the past with a different environment and perspective.

“Having a Victorian home, we weren't able to tell a much richer story about the town and different types of people that lived here, different diverse communities, different time periods,” said Michael Guenther, president of the board and professor of history at the College.

With a current estimated cost of 1.5 million dollars to renovate the space and official contracts yet to be signed, the board has yet to finalize a definite opening day for the new museum space, Guenther said. The board hopes to reach its financial goal through fundraising. The museum board has partnered with the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation to receive financial management support.

“There's a lot of fiscal, legal liability,” Guenther said. “It's one thing to accept $200 donations for the museum; it's another thing to get a $60,000 donation from a company.”

Guenther said he intends to temporarily house exhibits from Grinnell College's Smithsonian affiliate program at the new location on behalf of the College. The museum’s board hopes to continue its academic relationship with the College by offering to host interns and allowing

students to design exhibits.

“It allows students to get to know this place,” Guenther said. “A fair number of students come here and don't feel particularly welcomed or they just don't know anything about this place and don't develop much connections.”

The museum’s reduced activity

partially resulted from lower foot traffic in the wake of COVID-19, but despite setbacks to attendance and staffing, Guenther said this was a productive time as staff and board members used the opportunity to organize the museum's collection in anticipation of their new location. “COVID shut us down in those

ways, but we've been doing a lot of organizing and planning, and it's been more productive than some years,” Guenther said. "It's this mixed bag, and I think, ultimately, we'll know more of what I want to think of this period [of the museum’s history] depending on how successful the new museum is.”

By Molly Wilcoxson wilcoxso2@grinnell.edu

PAUL HANSEN

Deanna Vogt (right) said that Second Mile offers a sense of community for members of the Grinnell who feel like they do not have one.

PAUL HANSEN

Deanna Vogt is the only full-time employee at Second Mile, however, there are 5 part-time employees and volunteers to assist in running the operarions.

PAUL HANSEN

Nick Leedom (left) and Abby Martin (right) are two of Grinnell Craft Brewhouse's bartenders who give the Brewhouse its essence.

Arts

Museum acquires four pieces by artist Vian Sora for permanent collection

By Taylor Nunley nunleyta@grinnell.edu

Vian Sora’s process of creation begins on the ground. The floor of her studio, covered in splotches of bright, messy paint, is representative of the first stage of her work: chaos. From there, she adds the details to what becomes her finished pieces.

The Grinnell College Museum of Art (GCMoA) acquired four pieces of Sora’s last summer for the museum’s permanent collection — “River Bed,” “Thirst,” “Eden I” and “Eden II.” Abstract artworks with suggestive, gestural figures and dominating colors of blue, red and green, Sora’s pieces depict themes of both water and hope.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1976, Sora’s environment for the first three decades of her life has inevitably shaped her artwork. Witnessing multiple wars in her home country, Sora’s work commentates on destruction, decay and the rebirth that grows from it.

“I try to mimic an explosion scene,” said Sora, describing the act of starting a new piece. “This is what really informed at least the last five years of my life in Iraq and the thing that traumatized me most. And, I think the work over the years became

a process of reversing these explosion scenes … it’s like reversing death, reversing terror.”

Sora said the labor of stripping elements from her work and then adding others back in is, in a way, a metaphor for working through the events in her life. “As much as I don’t want the work to be about my trauma, it’s definitely there. It’s processing through it in this way. I don’t think I would be painting this way if I was raised in a safe, perfect environment,” she said.

Sora moved to Louisville, Kentucky with her husband 13 years ago. She expressed how she believes her art has a stronger activist influence in the Appalachian region than it could in other places. “I feel like instead of being in a big city, where my impact would be minute, I feel like I have a bigger impact here. I have a voice that I bring that wouldn’t necessarily be able to have the same power to it,” she said.

After moving to Louisville, Sora obtained her master’s of business administration in 2012. She had previously graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science while still living in Iraq 12 years prior. Apart from a brief study of printmaking in Istanbul for a year, Sora is an entirely self-taught artist.

“I was never interested in studying art,” she said. “So, when the opportunity presented itself to me to study computer science, I thought that was more timely and needed. I was one of four women in, like, 200 men in that year. It was a moment of activism for me to study something that not many women have access to.”

Along with using her art to work through her past and promote social change, Sora explores contemporary issues in many of her recent pieces. “River Bed,” a large oil painting spanning 72 by 96 inches, was the result of 18 months of labor. Started in tandem with a number of other pieces titled collectively as “Floodgates,” which was Sora’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, “River Bed” grew out of the prominent theme of water utilized in Sora’s work.

When she was halfway finished with the work, Sora spent three months in Berlin at an artist residency opportunity. On her way back to Kentucky, she witnessed the aftermath of the December 2021 tornado that ravaged the southern U.S. and Ohio River Valley. The contrast between Berlin, a city once decimated by war and bombings during World War II, and her new home, now plagued with destruction, reminded her of Iraq.

“Sadly, I learned how to finish

this work,” Sora said. “This is kind of combining my own memory of witnessing car explosions and seeing body parts on trees and buildings. But, in this case, there is a more hopeful outcome of growth after death.”

Daniel Strong, associate director and curator of exhibitions at GCMoA, emphasized how important it is for students to study works like Sora’s.

Sora’s work is a unique addition as the Museum has a limited amount of contemporary abstract pieces revolving around activism.

“I was kind of taken by it,” said Strong in reference to Sora’s work.

“One of the reasons being that our

collection is not historically strong in abstraction, particularly in women artists who work in abstraction … It’s something that we haven’t been able to teach very well from primary sources in the collection.”

Sora’s four pieces will join the vast body of work that composes the College’s permanent collection. Jocelyn Krueger, collections manager, estimates that in an average year the College acquires just under one hundred pieces for the collection, including portfolios or series counting as one piece. Vian Sora’s work will be on display in the permanent collection section of the museum until April 8.

Spotlight on Grinnell Jazz Ensemble

By Oliver Wolfe wolfeoli@grinnell.edu

63 years ago, jazz legend Herbie Hancock graduated from Grinnell College. Today, his legacy is continued by the Grinnell Jazz Ensemble.

The group, made up of 12 students, practices twice a week for a total of four hours. It is directed by Professor Mark Laver, music, who began his work with the ensemble in 2014.

However, Laver does not fit the stereotypical image of a band director, standing on a pedestal and waving his baton, nor does he mercilessly rule over his band like J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash”. Rather, Laver acts like a part of the gang — he jumps right in and plays his saxophone along with the students, he cheers and hollers after a sweet solo and once they conclude a number they have been working on, he opens the floor to discussion, asking everyone what they did well and what they could improve on.

I want to make space for people to make those mistakes and to feel safe taking risks.

Mark Laver Grinnell Jazz Ensemble Director and Associate Professor of Music

The Grinnell Jazz Ensemble takes a unique approach to learning their music — instead of reading sheet music, the group often opts to learn their music by ear. Laver said that

while this strategy is more difficult, it pays off in the long run.

He said that learning by ear gives the players a better understanding of the piece as a whole. “The students know all of each other’s parts, so we all know the bass part, and we all know what the piano player is playing.”

Laver believes that this improves the group’s musical capabilities, but it also strengthens their communication skills. “Whether we’re improvising together without structure or whether we’re playing an arrangement that

we’ve come up with together, we’re always trying to listen, listen for one another,” said Laver. “It’s a way of using music to practice empathy.”

This empathetic approach to learning music also translates to a welcoming and supportive environment among players. “I’ve been in playing situations where I feel very afraid of making mistakes,” said Laver. “I want to make space for people to make those mistakes and to feel safe in taking risks.”

The students agree — “It’s

really welcoming and open during rehearsal,” said Frannie Crego `25, newcomer to the group. “Everyone feels comfortable just shouting out a random idea, and that’s a nice space to be in.” This sentiment was echoed by a veteran member of the ensemble, electric bass player Kaitlin Michaels `23. “It’s a friendly energy,” said Michaels. “If you make a mistake, it’s not really a big deal because you’re learning and you’re trying to get better

as a musician and be creative.”

If you want to experience first hand the fast-paced, improvised and empathetic music of the Grinnell Jazz Ensemble, they are preparing an upcoming Mardi Gras-themed concert open to the public.

“It will have super fun energy,” Crego said, encouraging students to come and enjoy the music.

The concert will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Sebring-Lewis Hall in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts.

Student Ceramics Studio spins back into action for spring

By Krista Spies spieskri@grinnell.edu

After a semester of inactivity, the Student Ceramics Studio relaunched with an open house last Saturday, Feb. 18, resuming its role as a student-run space to learn, teach and create ceramic art.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., student monitors Emily Anderson `23.5, Lucy Suchomel `24, Zo Zentner `25 and Vivian Finch `26 familiarized new and returning visitors with the studio, hoping to get other students excited about using clay and understanding how the space functions.

Anderson is the only returning monitor who had previously worked at the Student Ceramics Studio, located in the middle of the South Campus loggia. She said that during the 2021-2022 school year, the studio was never open to its full capacity.

“We didn't have a ton of hours available, and we never fully got to deep clean or sort through things,” she said. “This year has actually been

really

nice to be able to clean everything out and actually feel like we have a good space to work out of,” said Anderson.

Anderson described the student monitors’s roles as introducing people to the studio and its materials, helping if anyone has questions and, above all, making sure the space is being used safely.

Suchomel emphasized the Student Ceramics Studio’s unique position as an accessible, no-cost space for student creativity. “There is that kind of financial barrier behind clay, and to have access to all of this, it is really nice,” she said.

With two kilns, five throwing wheels, a lot of clay and various other ceramics supplies, Suchomel said that a membership to a studio and buying the necessary materials is often quite expensive, but that the Student Ceramics Studio provides everything free of charge for students interested in exploring the world of clay.

Zentner, hired at the end of the fall semester, commented on the studio’s student-run community. “I

think that this is a great space for community and for everybody to be able to come together,” they said.

“Robin [Strangfeld], the ceramics professor, has this whole thing that’s like, ‘ceramics is community.’”

Zentner said that the space is completely student-run, adding to Grinnell’s culture of student-centered self-governance.

The monitors also spoke on the physicality of the ceramics medium and why that appeals to them. “I really like the ability to physically manipulate a piece of art, and I find that that’s a really fun way for me to connect with what I’m making,” said Zentner.

Suchomel said that after witnessing the process of an item’s formation, “it’s cool to be able to use what you make.”

The team of student monitors said that they are not only excited to work on their own pieces but also to help people learn about the medium. However, that excitement extends past just the studio’s employees.

“I really miss having access to

a wheel, but I think my mom's more excited than I am. She’s like, ‘I want this, I want this for my friend,’” said Suchomel. Whether it is to make a bowl for their mom, to de-stress or to try a new artistic hobby, the team of

student monitors are looking forward to inviting people to the Student Ceramics Studio and getting its community back up and running. The team of student monitors will establish the studio’s standard open hours this week.

OHANA SARVOTHAM

Jan Gloor `24, Jacob Heinrich `24 and Abigail Davison `26 work together on a tune in Jazz Ensemble.

SOFIIA ZARUCHENKO

Student Ceramics Studio monitor Zo Zentner `25 reaches for bisque, or fired, unglazed ceramic pieces, in the studio.

"River Bed" by Vian Sora. Oil on canvas, 2022.

Indoor track and field raises the ceiling with new records at Darren Young Invitational

of 15-4 3/4 and 31-7 1/4, respectively.

The women’s team placed third out of nine teams with 64 points. Central College won the meet with 177.5 points.

Solid performances for the men’s and women’s teams at the Darren Young Invitational reflect a productive and successful indoor season that has seen both teams develop and improve.

“Over the course of the season I feel like pretty much everyone on the team is seeing improvement,” Goodell said.

“It’s still just indoor season too, so there’s a lot of potential especially when outdoor comes around,” he added.

Goodell highlighted Miyamoto and Clawson specifically as standouts during the indoor season, but he stated that the entire team has performed very well.

“If you put our team this year up against our team last year, I think we definitely would win this year,” Goodell said.

Sarah Torrence `23, captain alongside Cantor, Frasca and Alex Hiser `23, attributes the program’s success this winter to added depth and a large crop of new athletes on the team.

Torrence said that she is looking forward to seeing how the team progresses over the next few weeks, adding that as long as people can stay healthy, she thinks the Conference meet will go well.

By

As the indoor season approaches its end, track and field teams tied and broke school records, earning multiple first place and podium finishes at the annual Darren Young Invitational. Hosted on Saturday, Feb. 11, both Grinnell teams’s performances highlighted a successful competition in the leadup to the Midwest Conference indoor championships.

For the men’s team, Ian Clawson `26 claimed first place in the weight throw, breaking his own school record with a mark of 53-5 3/4. He attributed his success to “following through on the work we put in in practice.” Clawson added, “I was able to stay calm through most of the meet, but also have that internal energy necessary to push for those kinds of records.”

Meanwhile, Lucas Fadden `26 tied his own school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.01 seconds, taking second place.

Micah Cantor `24 won the 800-meter race with a time of 1:59.54 while Brian Goodell `24 won the 5000-meter with a time of 15:18.68, missing out on Grinnell’s all-time top ten list by only .08 seconds.

Other standout performances include Connor Heagy `26 and Andy Chestovich `26, who took second and third in the 800 with times of 2:00.88 and 2:01.47, respectively The 4x200 relay team of Heagy, Xavier James `25, Noah Mendola `26 and Keaton Fitzgerald `26 took second in 1:38.00.

Luca Fornari `25 took second in the pole vault with a jump of 13-10 1/2 which placed him ninth on Grinnell’s all-time list, while Jack Novelle `26 was third in the high jump at 6-0.

Shot-clock ticks down for women’s basketball season

By Conrad Dahm dahmconr@grinnell.edu

The Grinnell women’s basketball team is approaching the end of their season, with just two games remaining on the schedule. So far, the team has had a season filled with growth and a strong team culture, according to head women’s basketball coach Dana Harrold. As the season currently stands, the Pioneers are 8-13 overall, while also being 5-9 in the Midwest Conference.

“This has been a great growth season for us,” said Sara Booher `25, center. Using the growth from this season, Booher said the team is looking forward to improving their record next year.

“We’re going to have a great core group coming in next year,” Booher said. “We want to win more games than we did this past year.”

This sentiment is echoed by Harrold, who said she is looking forward to coaching a more experienced team next season. Of the team’s 13 members, Sarah Toay `23, forward, is the only senior.

We’re going to have a great core group coming in next year.

Sara Booher `25

“We will return 12 players for next year that have all gained valuable game and practice experience as well as time together,” Harr-

old wrote in an email to the S&B. “That is exciting for our future.”

This young team is something that is different from past seasons for the Pioneers. In the past, the team had multiple seniors on the roster capable of providing leadership to younger players. Although that leadership is still present with Toay, the team had multiple “fantastic leaders” graduate, according to Booher.

“We’ve had to have new people step up [as leaders],” said Booher. “[Who] have done a great job of leading as a team.”

Harrold also explained how the team will use the experience from this year to have an improved next season. “Our consistency is the area that needs the most improvement looking towards the future.” Specifically, according to Harrold, the team is looking to improve by combining confidence on offense with “lockdown defense.”

Using consistent offense and defense, the team has specific goals for the future which they hope to achieve: “We want to make the Midwest Conference tournament. That’s been our goal the past few seasons, and I think next year we have a great shot,” Booher said.

Harrold also wrote that a goal of the team is to make it back into the top four of the league consistently. This year, according to Harrold, the team made it within one to two games of being in the top four and is hungry to do so next season.

The men’s track and field team placed fourth place at the meet with 94 points, behind winner William Penn University with 108.5 points.

On the women’s team, Keely Miyamoto `26 won the 5000-meter with 18:10.56, landing them in third place on Grinnell’s all-time list with the fastest time at Grinnell since 2008.

The team also had several second-place finishes: Morgan Karow `26 in the 300-meter race with a time of 11:20.53, as well as the 4x400 relay team of Sonia Edassery `23, Sadie Staker `24, Maile Crowe `25 and Athena Frasca `23, whose time of 4:13.40 ranks seventh in program history. Edassery, Crowe, Frasca and Ava Taylor `25 took third in the 4x200 relay with a time of 1:48:94, second all-time at Grinnell, while Melanie Oden `25 finished third in the long jump and triple jump with distances

“It’s pretty exciting,” she said. “I think it’s a combination of heavy recruiting and different levels of dedication and persistence that we’re seeing among athletes.”

According to Clawson, “It has been a lot of fun. I’ve seen improvement, I’m seeing growth, and that’s all I could really want.”

Now, the team looks forward to the remainder of the indoor track season. Allison Rabbani `25 said that the women’s team members are eagerly following the progress of Ripon College and Lawrence College, two of Grinnell’s biggest rivals, at their upcoming Conference championship meet. “It’ll be exciting to see what it’s like to actually race against Ripon,” she said. “It’s one thing to keep track of their progress [online], but it’ll be another to compete against them.”

“I think we’re all focused on Conference now, but also just moving forward and getting ready for the outdoor season to start afterward,” Goodell said. The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams head to the Wartburg Invitational on Friday, Feb. 18, before participating in the Midwest Conference indoor championships at Illinois College on Feb. 24 and 25.

Men’s tennis serves up a strong performance at UW-Whitewater

By Kailee Shermak shermak@grinnell.edu

A successful tournament at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-Whitewater) has the Grinnell men’s tennis team hopeful for the rest of the season. The Feb. 11-12 tournament brought impressive performances against nationally ranked teams as well as revitalized team energy and cheering, according to Zack Hasenyager, men’s tennis head coach.

Standout performances from the tournament include a doubles win for Leo Esztergomi `24 and Aiden Klass `25 as well as a doubles win for Karch Knoll `25 and Lucas Willett `26, both over the UW-Whitewater men’s tennis team, who are currently ranked seventh in the region.

Wilder Cooke `25, Willett, Klass and Deuce Daniel `26 also won their singles matches against Luther College.

Esztergomi, Cooke, Willet and Klass won their singles matches against Wheaton College.

With these doubles and singles wins, the team is in a much different place than last year at this same tournament. Hasenyager said the team underperformed against the same teams last year, but turned it around this year.

“I think we’re just more prepared to walk into that competitive

environment, and it really showed. It was fantastic,” Hasenyager said.

The players felt this shift as well, noting the difference in energy during matches compared to last season. According to Klass, that energy was evident through the support and cheering that the athletes offered each other from the sidelines.

“I think last year we weren’t as close as a team, and we didn’t come out in full force and energy like we did this weekend,” said Knoll.

The doubles team of Esztergomi and Klass went undefeated over the weekend. This partnership was the product of pairing rearranging at the practices leading up to the weekend.

“We kind of clicked and it turned out really well,” Esztergomi said.

win against UW-Whitewater. “It was really electric. There was a ton of energy and just a really happy moment. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life,” Klass said.

Both Klass and Esztergomi attributed their cohesion as a pair to their energy on the court and their ability to make big plays. This energy contributed to the moment Hasenyager said was his highlight of the weekend: the duo’s

Looking towards the rest of their season, Hasenyager said he is optimistic about defending their Midwest Conference championship titles from last season and becoming nationally ranked.

Hasenyager said he hopes to continue to play these high-caliber teams in order to move up in the regional rankings and edge their way into the national rankings. Last season, Grinnell was ranked seventh by the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III in Region VII. Knoll and Klass said they’re looking forward to the coming matches, specifically the home match against Northwestern College on Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. in the Fieldhouse.

George Kosinski kosinski@grinnell.edu

CONTRIBUTED BY TED SCHULTZ

Sadie Staker `24 came 13th in the 60m hurdles with a time of 10.71s at the Darren Young Invitational on Feb. 11.

CONTRIBUTED BY TED SCHULTZ Xavier James `25 (above), along with Noah Mendola `26, Moise Milenge `26 and Keaton Fitzgerald `26, came in second in the 4x200 relays with a time of 1:38.00.

If you put our team this year up against our team last year, I think we definitely would win this year.

Brian Goodell `24

Aiden Klass `25 (left) and Leo Esztergomi `24 (right) won 8-4 against a duo from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Feb. 12. Their opponents are ranked 15th nationally and 4th in the region.

I think we’re just more prepared to walk into that competitive environment, and it really showed. It was fantastic.

Zack Hasenyager Head men’s tennis coach

I think last year we weren’t as close as a team, and we didn’t come out in full force and energy like we did this weekend.

Karch Knoll `25

CONTRIBUTED BY TED SCHULTZ Skylar Thomas `26 , forward, reaches for the ball in the Feb. 14 game against Beloit College that Grinnell College won 80-68.

CONTRIBUTED BY TED SCHULTZ Nikki Ware `25, guard, dribbles the ball down court at the game against Beloit College on Feb. 14.

It’s time to talk about eating disorders

So, six months into my recovery, when I returned to campus, I vowed to be candid about my disorder and recovery journey because I knew the difference it would have made for me if others had talked about their experiences. I wanted others to know that recovery is possible because I didn’t used to think it was. For most of my life I felt deeply ashamed of my disorder, but in learning about my illness, I realized I didn’t have control over what happened to me. I wasn’t going to judge myself, and if others judged me, so be it.

When I was in residential treatment the fall of my second year, the staff of dieticians, therapists, psychiatrists and doctors agreed that it is impossible to recover from an eating disorder while still engaging in disordered behaviors, and unfortunately, excessive exercise was one of my biggest behaviors. Much to my chagrin, no one at my treatment program really cared about my cross country career — they were more concerned with keeping me alive. So, my new 20-minutestwice-a-week cap on exercise reduced my mileage to just 13% of my typical mileage while in season, and competition was off limits (competition is a huge part of exercise and something I will talk about in my next article).

When school resumed after the pandemic in fall 2021, I considered quitting. I couldn’t run and I didn’t know half my teammates, but being a cross country runner had been such a core part of my identity for so long — my team, my home — so I decided to stay. My coach offered me a managerial position, but I didn’t want that role. My situation felt more akin to an injury, so when people asked me if I was injured, I told them yes, I had an eating disorder. When they stared back at me blankly, I furthered my explanation: “my brain is very injured and it needs time to heal.”

In my pursuit to normalize recovery, I spoke more casually about my eating disorder, and found that I

was filling a void on campus — people both in and outside of the athletic department came to me for support.

“I’m worried my friend has an eating disorder. What should I do?” “I have an eating disorder, but I don’t want to leave school.” “You are the only one who understands. Can we talk?”

While I was always happy to chat and lend help where I could, I simply do not have the tools or resources to adequately support these individuals. In some cases, I was the only person who knew about their disorder. Time and time again, I have seen coaches, families and friends fail to provide resources, treatment and care to those who desperately need support.

I’ve written about mental health in my column Mental Musings published in the S&B for years, but I always struggled to talk about eating disorders. They are an extremely nuanced and often very misunderstood topic, and I am terrified of misrepresenting anyone’s individual experience. However, nothing in my life has ever felt so pressing or important, so over a year ago, I began interviewing dozens of athletes, coaches, trainers, Student Athlete Mentors and faculty to gain more knowledge about how eating disorders are addressed at Grinnell College. I do not pretend to be the only person on campus who is aware of or trying to do something about this issue — there are many people who deep-

ly care. One name that came up a lot in interviews was Carissa Tigges, the head athletic trainer and someone who many Grinnell teams use as a resource for eating disorder care. When I spoke with her last spring about writing this article, I told her about my experiences and impetus for interviewing her, and she responded, “We’ve had a handful of athletes that have gone to inpatient treatment, but you are the first one I’ve heard that would say it out loud.”

Tigges is one of many to comment on my candor. It is rare to hear someone talk about an eating disorder diagnosis, and many tell me I’m the first person they’ve heard talk about it openly. Our society has made leaps and bounds when it comes to discussing mental illness, yet eating disorders remain severely stigmatized.

The absence of substantive dialogue leaves both those with eating disorders and those trying to support people with eating disorders with an alarming dearth of information. This lack, combined with an utter scarcity of resources, has led me to believe that people with eating disorders may be one of the most under-supported groups on campus.

This disease is too common and too dangerous to ignore. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness; the National Eating Disorder Association has estimated that someone dies from eating disorder

Office Hours Sherif Abdelkarim, English

By Raffay Piracha piracha@grinnell.edu

In Office Hours, Raffay Piracha `25 sits down with professors to learn how their scholarship provides them with equipment for living.

We often think of academics as practitioners of “theory,” people who labor to analyze and develop abstract ideas inapplicable to the world we inhabit outside of the classroom. In this series, I aim to push the limits of scholarly knowledge to understand when faculty blur the line between personal and academic thinking — if they can be differentiated at all.

I’m probably not the only person wondering why I’m here, why I’m studying what I’m studying, what the point of my time in Grinnell is or what questions I’m missing out on answering because they seem too rudimentary. To ensure that I’m getting the greatest variety of expert advice, I’m meeting with as many Grinnell faculty members as I can to hear how they go about living and why.

This week, I’m thinking about reading. College moves fast. Within two years, we’re declaring majors and choosing course loads that will inevitably affect the rest of our lives. How often — when we show up here — do we stop to consider what it means to think? To write? To speak? To read? How many students miss out on studying language because they think they can’t speak to the reading the way that

The Scarlet

most talkative kids do in class?

I sometimes joke that I major in English to learn reading, but there’s truth to it. I’m constantly wondering what it feels like for someone else when they encounter the written word. What are they highlighting? What am I supposed to look for? We often read and serendipitously wind up with new evidence to prove things we already want to believe, whereas sometimes, reading brings us to new conclusions or ways of moving through the world; no two styles are the same.

So, with an excerpt from “A Recitation of Ifa, Oracle of the Yoruba” in hand (a passage unfamiliar to my first interviewee), I asked medievalist Sherif Abdelkarim, professor of English, to teach me how to read. ***

Hey, Sherif Abdelkarim, how do you read?

“First, speed reading does not apply to college-level reading. I’m not a big fan of the idea — I don’t really practice it myself. I’m a very, very, very, very slow reader. So, I wouldn’t read [a 100-line poem] once, I’d read it several times. You have to reread poetry if it’s real poetry, to reflect on it, right? I think there are levels of reading, so you could go through it once just to get a basic, literal level of understanding … I don’t read aloud, not even my own work.”

(Referring back to the text):

“Okay, so there’s a lot of information here that I’m not going to unpack on the fly. So, this concept of [proper noun

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from text], I would take notes. I love taking notes on the page itself. I take notes in ink. I’m not a huge fan of pencils, so I don’t mind scratching things out. I don’t mind having a messy book, I think it shows that it’s been used and worn. It’s a great way to create memory through longhand. I’m not a huge fan of using, like, external brains, like a laptop or something … I’m flagging major characters and actions. I like to think of all writing and all argument as storytelling, so instead of thinking about nouns and verbs, I think about characters and actions — something I learned from one of my professors.”

What if you don’t know a word?

“I make a mental note [during] the first run-through and then definitely look up words. I’m a huge dictionary guy. I love looking up words in a physical dictionary, online or both — these days it’s mainly online, but I have several physical dictionaries.

So, to go back to your question of reading, what is the text doing? Nonliterally, because we’re very used to reading text for information, but that information could be conveyed just as with body language, nonverbally, so the way the page is moving, the way that the text is moving … and then also the italics versus just standard type — the capitalization being used, which is not always done in contemporary poetry. So, I would spend a lot of time with this poem because it’s long and it’s a poem. I would probably spend at least half an hour with this, probably no more than an hour. Students need

complications every fifty-two minutes. Heart attacks, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and other physical complications often lead to death, but suicide rises to the top as the number one cause of death for those suffering with an eating disorder. The Center for Discovery states that having an eating disorder makes a person 32 times more likely to attempt suicide, and that up to 20% of all untreated cases of eating disorders end in suicide.

I use the term eating disorder a lot, so I feel that it would be good to discuss what that means. Most of us first conjure up an image of an extremely underweight individual who goes to extreme measures to reduce caloric intake. While not inherently wrong, this depiction is only true some of the time. Although the behavioral and physical aspects are the most talked about components of an eating disorder, in reality, that definition barely scratches the surface. Every health professional I interviewed said that eating disorders are first and foremost a psychological phenomena. In an article for ATTN, Dr. Rebecca Wagner, director of the Eating Recovery Center, argues that eating disorders completely take over people’s lives, affecting their relationships and ability to function at work or at school. In other words, over time, the disease deprives people of everything that is important to them.

That doesn’t mean that eating disorders aren’t or can’t be physical. From damage to eyesight and decreases in bone density to irregular heartbeats and lessened brain functioning, eating disorders indeed also pose very serious threats to our physical health.

Eating disorders, like most mental illnesses, exist on a spectrum. Many people have a fraught relationship with food and/or their bodies without having a diagnosable eating disorder. Given current diet culture and impossible beauty standards, it can be hard to tell when someone is in need of help. They can affect people of all ages and demographics, but the most common ages of onset are 14 and 18. Therefore, early intervention is crucial because eating disorders become more severe

and less receptive to treatment over time. I focused this series on athletes because athletes represent the population at the highest risk. Psychologists from the University of Utah and Tulsa University separately both estimated that one-third of female collegiate athletes suffer from some kind of disordered eating. While female endurance athletes top the charts for rates of disordered eating, all athletes are at higher risk for disordered behaviors. One particularly salient example from Newsweek reported that 40% of Cornell University’s football team participated in binging and purging.

Many people in the Grinnell athletics department and on campus are aware of this issue. When I spoke with Birant Akbay, a doctoral psychology student at the University of Iowa who sees students at Grinnell and hosts athlete support groups, he said, “We just don’t have that resource yet. But, it doesn’t mean that coaches aren’t aware that there’s a gap in those resources and SHAW isn’t aware. They are aware. I think they’re at least starting to push for change.”

The stigma surrounding eating disorders, coupled with a serious lack of resources, has left us in what I consider a crisis. During my interviews for this series, some of the people I talked to — the professionals and people in charge, the people a person struggling with an eating disorder might go to for support — began taking notes, asking me for resources or to share the research I had done or speak more about my experiences. Our conversation turned into more of a brainstorming session, as both of us tried to figure out how to help current students.

Change is possible. We can provide people who are struggling with eating disorders the support, but we first need to break down the stigma and misconceptions and prioritize creating more resources on campus. I talked with many individuals across campus who offered their stories and suggestions, and in future articles I hope to provide my insights on the next steps of how to get there.

to know that professors are very slow readers, and I have no problem speaking on behalf of every professor.

Reading should be like enjoying a good meal. You don’t want to speed eat through any meal that you have.You want to taste the nutrients that you’re absorbing, to ruminate over the various flavors as you, likewise, in a text want to ruminate over the ideas and enjoy the language, the metaphors. Again, just even the presentation on the page.”

What if you don’t have the time to read that exhaustively?

“Yes, you had this beautiful meal, and you couldn’t consume it. Or somebody took it away from you. As a student, the best advice I got was before I started undergrad. A teacher told me at orientation that if you can’t keep up with the work, that’s okay. You just want to make sure you show up to class. Then, read later, read after the semester even, but show up to class, because that’s really what the point of being in college is. It’s not about reading cov-

er to cover when you don’t have time. Hold onto those books. Invest in that library. Because those moments will come in life when you have the month, the two months, three months to read, maybe sometimes a whole year of reading. Then, my other advice: your time is only gonna get shorter as you keep going through life. So, you have to prioritize carving out time. Like, I’m gonna block out two hours just to read every single day right in the beginning of the day, at the end of the day, [and] the middle of the day, but you have to find and structure that time in advance. Maybe you’re not always going to do that, but if you have a stable job, a stable life at school, then that is in your hands to just make that time. Even if it means waking up, you know, extra early, staying up extra late just to read. There are just too many moving parts for you to do that perfectly with all these classes. I think the number one priority is to go to class. We don’t have to speed race through life.”

CORNELIA DI GIOIA

RAFFAY PIRACHA

Sherif Abdelkarim, professor of English, gives tips on how to read.

By Sage & Blunt

CORNELIA DI GIOIA

surprised.

Good luck, S&B

I’ve never orgasmed and don’t know how — how do I learn what I like?

Dear Sexually Frustrated, Honestly, schedule a full hour to masturbate. Like, put it on your calendar and show up to the appointment. And go really slow. It’s like introducing allergens into a baby’s diet — if you pile everything on at once, you won’t be able to track what’s going right and what’s going wrong. Also, orgasm is a word that describes the peak of arousal, and producing them is really only tangentially related to how you are touching your body. That’s why we sometimes don’t have them even when hands, mouths, etc. are doing all the right things. Focus on the excitement, not the technique.

Have fun, S&B

JRC

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