Vol. 139, Issue 7

Scarlet & Black the

Volume 139, Issue 7

thesandb.com

November 7, 2022 • Grinnell, Iowa

CONTRIBUTED BY LUKE STEFAN

Community mourns death of Davis Cooper `26

By Nadia Langley langleyn@grinnell.edu This story was originally published online on Nov. 2.

It has since been updated to include new information.

The Grinnell College

community is coming together to mourn the death of Davis Cooper `26. Cooper, a first year and football player at the College, died late in the evening of Monday, Oct. 31 after being struck by a tractortrailer on Interstate 80 near

College and city respond to racist attacks

By Jandry Perez Garcia perezgar@grinnell.edu Following recent racist harassment and vandalism on campus, Grinnell College is offering a $2,000 cash reward for any information leading to charges being filed against those responsible, adding external on-campus lighting, installing outdoor cameras, expanding transportation services available to students, providing whistles and flashlights for students and employees and reaffirming the availability of support for Black students, students of color and any other affected students.

On Nov. 3, Anne Harris,

the president of the College, announced in an all-campus email that the College is partnering with the city of Grinnell and the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office to offer a $2,000 reward.

The reward is for any information leading to charges being filed against those responsible for harassing Black students and vandalizing on-campus property. There are currently two ongoing racist harassment investigations being conducted by the Grinnell Police Department.

“What’s going on is horrible and we here at the police department are doing everything we can to stop >> Continued on page 2

Altoona, 40 miles west of Grinnell, according to Iowa State Patrol.

As of now, the driver of the tractor-trailer has not been charged and the Technical Collision Investigation Unit of the Iowa State Patrol is currently

investigating the case, according to Sergeant Alex Dinkla.

“This is a very painful and sad time and the shock of losing a team member and friend is still very fresh,” wrote Brent Barnes, Grinnell College’s Head Football Coach, in an

UGSDW Bargaining

Negotiations stall

By Ellianna Cierpiot cierpiot@grinnell.edu The College and the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) struggled to find common ground at the most recent contract bargaining session.

During the session on Thursday, Oct. 27, the bargaining teams from UGSDW and the College discussed information release, Just Cause and grievances, and a past practices clause that the UGSDW proposed.

The College and UGSDW continued the discussion about the release of FERPA-protected student infor-

mation to the Union. The College proposed an opt-in waiver for workers to fill out during employee onboarding.

UGSDW’s bargaining team and the College representatives agreed to consider optout waivers instead and will return to this discussion at the next bargaining meeting.

UGSDW presented a past practices clause that proposed that no changes to the terms and conditions of a workplace could occur without the Union being notified and mutual consent between the College and UGSDW. The College’s bargaining team >> Continued on page 2

email to the S&B on Nov. 2.

President Anne Harris wrote in an email sent to students early Tuesday morning, “Our profound sympathy is with his parents, Beverly and Darin Cooper and his younger brother, Elliott, his teammates

and friends.”

Approximately 300 Grinnell College students, faculty and staff members gathered in the Joe Rosenfield Center >> Continued on page 2

GrinTECH exhibition showcases student projects

By Jane Hoffman hoffmanj@grinnell.edu For the second year in a row, students wrapped around the perimeter of the Harris Center, sharing projects, ideas and portfolios with visitors during the annual GrinTECH exhibition.

GrinTECH, the only tech-centered student organization on Grinnell College’s campus, extended an open invitation to students to share a technology-aligned project, of any kind, in the exhibition held on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The event featured a wide range of projects where students showcased their

talents in digital art, programming and presenting.

At Chloe Kelly’s `26 table, visitors could play “Stolen Reality: The Thieves’ Oasis,” a point-and-click video game based on a series of puzzles. Kelly began working on the project in January of 2022 and presented the first chapter of the game, replete with her own artwork, at the exhibition.

“Between the art and the puzzle building and the coding, I really can’t choose a favorite part of the process,” said Kelly.

Youssef Khalil `25 built >> Continued on page 2

See inside

Community: Beauty in decay; urban exploration Features 3 Community 4 Arts 5 Sports 6 Opinions 7

Features: Celebrating the Day of the Dead

Follow us:

Arts: “Ripe and Rotting”

@thesandb

@grinnellsandb

Opinions: Sage & Blunt: Sex Shamed

The Scarlet & Black

Scan for a digital copy of the S&B!

News

2

Edited by igbariam@grinnell.edu & elhajjni@grinnell.edu

College and city mobilize in response to racist attacks Response to racist attacks — Continued from Front Page this from happening where we’re actively engaged with the College,” said Chief of Police Michael McClelland.

“Our job is to hold those that are doing it accountable,” McClelland said.

Additionally, the college is planning to install 10 cameras throughout 8th and 10th Avenue according to Vice President for student affairs Sarah Moschenross in an email to the S&B. Moschenross wrote that the cameras will not be monitored. Should an incident occur, the camera footage will be checked to look at the details of the incident. She also said that

the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) and the Student Government Association (SGA) are working together to develop an amnesty policy for students.

The details of the amnesty policy are not yet available as of Nov. 3, as the policy is currently under review and pending approval, according to Moschenross.

The College is also increasing its available transportation services for students so that the evening shuttles stop at the Conney M. Kimbo Black Cultural Center. The College is also providing after-hours safe rides by campus safety and the dean on-call, according to Heather Cox, director of emergency management and risk mitigation.

Cox also said the College is eliminating the $5 fee for shuttles to Iowa City and Des Moines.

Students and employees have whistles and flashlights available for pick-up at the Joe Rosenfield Center information desk or at campus safety in Mears Cottage. The College has also set up temporary lighting units where harassment has been reported on the corner of East Street and 8th Avenue and the corner of 10th Avenue and Park Street.

Assistant Vice President for facilities management Richard Whitney wrote in an email to the S&B that improving exterior lighting on campus is an ongoing effort and the task of the Outdoor

Safety & Lighting Committee.

Moschenross said the Neighborhood Watch program was discontinued, as it was deemed unsustainable because it required 36 volunteers per night and the temperatures dropped. Instead, on-call staff in DSA will be patrolling campus, wrote Moschenross.

The College is also enacting long-term measures to address the issues, said Cox. Cox wrote that the College is planning on offering bystander training for faculty, staff, students and community members. She wrote that the College would be “expanding access to Black counselors and Black-centered wellness options.” Cox also wrote that the College is

“A very painful and sad time,” Community grieves the loss of Davis Cooper `26

assessing the most appropriate and effective self-defense training options for students.

The College is also working with community members to find solutions, wrote Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning Monica Chavez-Silva in an email to the S&B. “President Harris invited several community leaders to join with College leadership for a conversation to raise awareness and begin seeking solutions,” she wrote.

According to Chavez-Silva, the group has now convened twice and included representatives from local government, the police department, the chamber of commerce, schools, Drake Community Li-

brary and local clergy. “Ideas so far are developing along the themes of solidarity, accountability and training,” she said.

Moschenross said that the harassed have been contacted by the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and DSA and have been given the support they need in whatever form, such as access to counselors, chaplaincy services and academic advising.

There are different ways to report harassment on and off campus including the Poweshiek County Sherriff’s Department tip line at 641623-5602, Campus Safety at 641-269-5602 or campussafety@grinnell.edu and the Bias Incident Reporting Team’s Bias Incident Report Form.

UGSDW Bargaining Negotiations Harden — Continued from Front Page responded by saying that it was difficult to discern what those past practices would have been due to the large number of distinct workplaces at the College.

In the College’s academic freedom proposal, course assistants, lab assistants, teaching assistants, mentors and research assistants would be excluded from both Just Cause and grievance protections. When asked to define academic freedom, the College’s bargaining team deferred to the definition provided by the American Association of University Professors which states that “Academic freedom is the indispensable requisite for unfettered teaching and research in institutions of higher education.”

The College’s reasoning for this proposal is that, in cases where student academic workers are unable to fulfill their employment requirements, supervisors should be able to reassign them to positions that they would be fully qualified for, not fire them.

The UGSDW bargaining team countered by saying that since academic workers also voted to elect the Union, they should also be covered by the full Just Cause and grievance protections. The College’s team offered to consider a streamlined Just Cause process that addresses the reassignment of academic workers and potential termination that could be bargained over at a later date.

The next collective bargaining session will take place on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in the Joe Rosenfield Center 101.

Students present work in GrinTECH Exhibition GrinTECH Exhibition — Continued from Front Page CONTRIBUTED BY TED SCHULTZ

Davis Cooper `26, pictured above during the Sept. 10 game against Monmouth College, was a linebacker on the Grinnell College football team.

Davis Cooper `26 —

Continued from Front Page

(JRC) room 101 at 4 p.m. on Tuesday for a communal space of grief and support. Deanna Shorb, Dean of Religious Life and Chaplain at the College, began by acknowledging the gravity of Cooper’s loss and how deeply it impacted many in the campus community.

Terry Mason, Dean of Health and Wellness, spoke to the crowd and explained that grief can manifest itself in many different ways, including being invisible. He encouraged students to give each other room to experience their grief in any way it might present itself.

More than two dozen of Cooper’s teammates and friends took the opportunity to share their personal stories and memories of Cooper.

The event continued for two and a half hours until it concluded when Mason reminded students of the College’s support resources which have also been shared in an email from the Office of the President early Tuesday morning. Resources include counseling through Student Health and Wellness and the Center for Religion, Spirituality and Social Justice, as well as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which can be reached at 988.

Of the core crowd of around fifty people who stayed until the end of the event in JRC 101, the majority were Cooper’s teammates. Cooper was a linebacker on the

Grinnell College football team.

The team was scheduled to play against Illinois College at home on Saturday, Nov. 5, but Grinnell Athletics announced on Nov. 2 that the game would not take place and that both colleges are looking into the possibility of rescheduling.

In a press release announcing the delay, Barnes is quoted as saying, “[e]veryone in the football program and Grinnell College Athletics is devastated. It has been a very hard two days for our team. We appreciate Illinois College and their understanding as our student-athletes and coaches take some time to mourn their teammate and spend time together.”

A GoFundMe has been organized on behalf of Cooper’s family and has raised more than $50,000 within a day of being posted. The organizer wrote in the fund’s description, “give generously to this family as you feel led, as the need is great.” In the fundraiser’s description, Cooper is described as “a warrior in life as he passionately pursued the joys of football and academics at Grinnell College.”

Cooper’s family could not be reached for comment at this time.

The S&B will be publishing a piece commemorating Davis Cooper’s life. If you have any memories, stories, or photos of Davis that you would like to share, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu.

a video game controller that contained a series of other consoles within it, allowing one to seamlessly switch between Nintendo, Atari, Gameboy and Sega Genesis systems while using just one controller. Khalil developed the project in the downtown Stew Makerspace, often working and experimenting with the tools in the space until closing time. “Sometimes it [the Makerspace monitor] gets angry at me and kicks me out,” said Khalil, laughing as he recalled how much time he had spent in the Makerspace during his time at Grinnell.

GrinTECH is open to all students regardless of major or previous experience with technology, according to Nandika Jhunjhunwala `24, one of the organization’s co-leaders. It also offers biweekly programming: organizing workshops, talks and crash courses in programming languages like Python.

Jemzy Alabi `24, the other co-leader of GrinTECH, stressed the organization’s interest in making tech accessible and applicable to students with various ranges of prior experience and interests. “Tech is

not just for CS majors,” said Alabi.

“We don’t want people to be scared of technology or computer science, and we want everybody on campus to be comfortable with using the technical side of their skills,” said Jhunjhunwala, adding that familiarity with technology can inform research, daily work and exploration across every field of work.

At the culmination of the exhibition, three students received awards for their projects. Khalil and Kelly were both named as winners, alongside Mikey O’Connor `23, who designed a tap-and-point game using Unity code that visitors could play.

CONTRIBUTED BY NANDIKA JHUNJHUNWALA

Michael Andrzejewski `23 presents his virtual reality project at the GrinTECH exhibition.

Diwali lights up Harris Concert Hall

By George Kosinski kosinski@grinnell.edu Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, returned to Grinnell College with a vibrant and long-time traditional campus celebration hosted by the South Asian Student Organization (SASO).

The holiday was celebrated on Oct. 28 in the Harris Center. Diwali, an important Hindu festival also shared by several other South Asian religions, celebrates the end of the god Rama’s fourteen-year exile.

“It marks the day he came back and lit the entire city, and that’s why they call it the Festival of Light,” said

CONTRIBUTED BY HAMID SIDI

Students celebrated Diwali with lively dances, traditional food and vibrant lights in the Harris Concert Hall.

SASO cabinet member Dev Sethia `25.

In India and other South Asian countries, Diwali is traditionally celebrated with food, fireworks, festivities, ceremonies and prayers called “pujas.” “Traditionally, we clean our houses and make sure that everything is in order and clean, because when Lord Rama returned, the entire city was cleaned just for him.

Cleaning marks the entry of a good spirit or a good soul into your house,” Sethia said.

SASO cabinet member Ayu Tuladhar `25 noted that Diwali is celebrated in many ways depending on the region you are from. “There are different forms of it. Even though Nepal is a Hindu majority country, we don’t celebrate Diwali, but we have something like it called ‘Tihar.’

It’s pretty similar, but there are some smaller cultural differences such as the food,” she said.

Tuladhar said that SASO aimed to bring a focus on entertainment to the

celebration. “Usually you do Pujas to honor the god in a more direct way by either going to the temple or hosting something at your home and lighting candles, incense or the lights called ‘diyas.’ The way every household celebrates is different, but it’s very communal and that’s what we tried to do here. Big religious festivals bring people together, and we thought the best way to do that was by bringing in good food and music to create cultural awareness.”

SASO provided an array of Indian and other South Asian foods and drinks, while a variety of performances ranging from modern Bollywood to more traditional dance forms took the stage. Both Sethia and Tuladhar said they thought the event was a success, though they did highlight some difficulties coordinating with student affairs over fall break and being forced to source most of the food from Des Moines, over an hour away from Grinnell.

After proposing the idea of a more formal religious ceremony, Sethia concluded, “I want to make it feel a lot more like home so other people who aren’t necessarily from our culture know what home is like for us and so that we as South Asian students have something to fall back on whenever we feel far from home.”

Though the celebration was intended to attract everyone on campus, Sethia noted that it especially had special meaning for South Asian and international students who are far away from their families back home.

“There’s always something that you feel like you’re missing because you don’t have your family over here,” he said.

“But over time, the people you hang out with, not just South Asians but Americans and people from all over the world, become your family in a way. Getting to spend a special occasion for you with them is also really important,” added Sethia.

Edited by chengluc@grinnell.edu

Vandalized international monument returns to campus

OWEN BARBATO

The international student monument has been reinstated after it was vandalized and repaired.

By Ashley Baek baekashl@grinnell.edu The Middle of Everywhere Pole located between Younker Hall and the Joe Rosenfield Center (JRC) has finally returned to campus almost a year after it was first vandalized and taken down to be repaired in November 2021.

“The damage was similar to if someone had reached up and pulled off the spokes, which bent them and even pulled one off completely,” said Karen Edwards, dean of the office of international student affairs.

The pole was originally erected in December 2020, through a gift from the 2019-2020 International Student Organization (ISO) cabinet, and consisted of a pole with signs pointing in several directions to different cities across the world, showing the distance to them in kilometers.

“We think of this as ‘The Middle of Everywhere Pole' because it's saying people are coming and going from all over the world. Home is partially here, home is also very far away. The pole gives us a sense of place and celebration of direction,” said Edwards.

Calvin Tang `20, former vice president of the 2019-2020 ISO cabinet, expressed his disappointment in the vandalism, saying “It came as a surprise for me. As an international student, it didn’t feel good at all.”

“It does hurt a bit, not knowing the significance as people thought it

was a random street sign. I’m more frustrated that the significance was lost to the vandalizers. I’m not very happy about it,” Tang added.

Edwards echoed this disappointment and said, “The vandalism is tragic and sad for this campus. We have no idea exactly when or how it happened and whether it was malicious. I just remember feeling really bugged about it. But it felt more important to us to just turn it around, and get it back up and move forward.”

She said that replacing the sign took longer than expected due to supply chain challenges and that ASI Signage Innovations was tasked with the repairs. “They do all the College’s signage, so they were involved with the new manufacturing of this one.”

The pole has now returned with slight changes: it is taller, has stronger prongs and welds and has more vertical spacing from the ground to the signs to make them harder to reach and therefore prevent future vandalism, according to Edwards.

As for the signs, they now respectively include the native language of each country and represent the home countries of former ISO presidents.

“We wanted to pick countries that felt representative as opposed [to] just picking random places.”

Jivyaa Vaidya `23, current president of ISO, expressed her contentment in seeing the Middle of Everywhere Pole back on campus. “Seeing that the pole was back was really nice. I don't know a single person who wasn't happy to see it,” she said

Home is partially here, home is also very far away.

The pole gives us a sense of place and celebration of direction.

Karen Edwards Dean of OISA “I hope everybody feels impacted by it in a positive way so that it helps them think about the sense of belonging and space in this new home and place,” said Edwards.

“The Middle of Everywhere sign is more permanent than the gallery of flags in the Spencer Grill, or any other place, for the international students to the campus. To have something more built into the architecture of the College, for us international students, that’s a nice gesture,” said Tang.

Features

3

Two Grinnell students certified to offer bystander training

By Ella Labarre labarree@grinnell.edu Dean Mazlish `23 and Lexi Mueldener `23 have recently been receiving training to provide active bystander training to students on campus, marking the first time active bystander training can be administered by fellow students instead of through the Title IX office, which currently offers the training.

OWEN BARBATO

Dean Mazlish `23 can now offer bystander training to fellow students.

Active bystander training is mandatory for all student-athletes, and all students get a brief insight into it during New Student Orientation ahead of their first year at the College. As presidents of Grinnell’s Student-Athletes Leading Social Change Committee (SALSCC), Mazlish and Mueldener now seek to make this training more in-depth and widely available on campus.

Mueldener defines active bystanding as “students in situations where they need to assume responsibility for someone else in a potentially harmful situation.”

“Say you’re at a party and you notice your friend is overly intoxicated. You, as an active bystander, can step in and say, ‘hey let’s go get a snack’ in order to diffuse the tension in the situation and avoid having it escalate further,” she said.

Mazlish also said being an active bystander can “just mean something as simple as helping a prospective student that doesn't know where

they're going.”

The idea for increased active bystander training came to the attention of Mazlish and Mueldener last year.

SALSCC puts on an event each year for sexual assault awareness that ends with a town hall meeting.

“Last year we had around 300 people come out to this meeting.

Anyone can share their thoughts, especially regarding concrete ideas about things they want to see change.

Something that came up was this idea of active bystander training, and it was brought to their attention that this was something students really wanted,” Mazlish said.

To be able to have a campus that's entirely aware of the importance of bystanderism and is willing to assume responsibility to help protect one another is extremely important.

will initially be just preliminary ones to help us get our groundings on how to facilitate a training.”

They said they hope it would allow them to get a proper assessment of the merits of the training they offer in comparison with the training offered by the Title IX office.

“From there, we’d move on to training for different organizations, including our own, and then finally, I think the end goal would be that we have open meetings where people can sign up and you can come in and get trained,” Mueldener said.

Mueldener and Mazlish both said they hope to make the training personalized to each organization and provide learning scenarios that would pertain to possible issues that arise in each organization.

“To be able to have a campus that’s entirely aware of the importance of bystanderism and is willing to assume responsibility to help protect one another is extremely important,” Mueldener said. “Active bystander training can be a great aid in reducing the risk of harmful incidents occurring on campus.”

Lexi Mueldener `23

From this, both Mazlish and Mueldener realized the importance of the training and started working closely with Jennifer Jacobsen, a previous Grinnell faculty member and current director of sexual violence prevention at Macalester College.

Mazlish also noted that Paige Oluwu, a deputy in Grinnell College’s Title IX office, has been working closely with them. Oluwu currently provides active bystander training that is mandatory for student-athletes.

The hope is that the Title IX office will continue to do the training they offer and that the training offered by the students will be supplementary for any additional groups that would like it, according to Mazlish.

Mazlish and Mueldener said they plan on starting their training with athletes who have already received the training from the Title IX office.

According to Mueldener, “The training processes we’ll be offering

Eventually, they “hope to give students the opportunity to learn an arrangement of different tools that they can employ and feel comfortable using to assess the situation, their own safety, and how their identity might play into the situation,” said Mueldener.

has been happy with the student and faculty interaction with the altar and was excited to see many traditional elements like fruit, flowers, pictures of loved ones and lights.

For Romero, the Day of the Dead is “a time to be able to express grief in perhaps ways that aren't very common.”

“The altar is a way of honoring these people that leave,” said Perez.

As an immigrant from Honduras, Perez said she has been unable to return home to celebrate the holiday with her family. She said she misses the Day of the Dead traditions in her country of going to mass, gathering with loved ones and visiting the cemetery to clean and adorn tombstones. Because many immigrants have to move around the country, Perez said, “they also can’t go back to visit their ancestors, to honor their ancestors or to be in company of relatives at these times.”

The dead “don't leave,” Perez

said. “The altar becomes almost like a metaphorical visit to the cemetery … it is also a place for others to recognize those important things in our lives.”

Romero said that she also misses home “because there are a lot of people I do want to commemorate.”

Romero also expressed her gratitude for the altar and the dedication to celebrating her culture. “It's one of the reasons why a lot of students of color are able to keep going on this campus — having faculty of color guide them and create a space where perhaps there wasn't space for them before.”

Perez said that she wants to continue this project in the future and is especially hopeful because this year the project became a larger collaboration. “I could not do this alone,” said Perez. “I think this has been the most successful iteration because more people are helping us and are collaborating. And I thank them very much for this.”

OWEN BARBATO

Lexi Mueldener `23 hopes to expand training to incorporate open meetings.

Celebrating the Day of the Dead in Grinnell

OHANA SARVOTHAM

The altar is a way to honor the people that leave us, said Dr. Mirzam Perez, Professor of Spanish.

By Allison Moore mooreall2@grinnell.edu The Day of the Dead altar shines through the glass windows, vibrant colored paper lit by strings of Christmas lights. Framed photos of loved ones sit atop the altar, surrounded by mementos and trinkets dedicated to the souls of the dead. This year for Día de los Muertos, a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, Dr. Mirzam Perez, Professor of Spanish, led the organization of an altar located in the Global Living Room.

“Death is the one thing that connects all humans,” said Perez.

With the help of the Spanish House coordinator and the Institute for Global Engagement, Perez organized the construction of the altar, complete with the traditional three tiers to represent

the sky, the earth and the underworld.

The Grinnell Arts Council also provided a donation to cover the costs of the paper and craft supplies. Additionally, Perez asked students, faculty and staff to bring her any photos, mementos or other supplies that they would like to be placed on the altar. She said that she was both honored and worried when she received images of lost loved ones from various people on campus.

“There’s a responsibility we have,” said Perez. “I think it's a testament of the trust they have in us as a community that we will honor them and respect them. And they feel safe.”

Today, Day of the Dead is celebrated across the globe. The holiday has changed in many ways and in different contexts. The holiday originated thousands of years ago with indigenous peoples such as the Toltecs

and the Aztecs. Ancient Mexicans celebrated and honored the lives of the deceased, and they believed that on these days the dead were able to leave the spirit realm to visit their loved ones on Earth.

In the years before the pandemic, Perez constructed similar altars with her students, which she said was always a beautiful experience. “I do think that because of the pandemic and the toll that it's had on our families and our friends, there was more of a concern about honoring [the dead],” said Perez. “After a very rough first half of the semester, I thought we needed something to build community.”

Giovanna Romero `24 is one of the co-presidents of the Student Organization of Latines (SOL). When Perez asked her to advertise participation in the construction of the altar to SOL members, Romero did not hesitate to say yes. To Romero, the opportunity presented “a good way to remember where we, Mexico, came from culturally.”

With the help of volunteers from SOL and from her Reggaeton class, Perez chose to place the altar in the Global Living Room, which sits on the north side of the atrium in the Humanities and Social Studies Center.

For Perez, the Global Living Room was the perfect space both logistically and symbolically, especially because the altar is easily visible to passing students.

Romero, originally from San Antonio, Texas and whose parents are from Mexico, said, “sometimes it’s scary to put your culture on display.”

Ultimately though, Romero said she

OHANA SARVOTHAM

Giovanna Romero `24 expresses gratitude for the altar as a visible space to celebrate her culture.

Community

4

Edited by corbinel@grinnell.edu

Beauty in decay: Grinnell student urban explorer photographs abandoned spaces

GEORGE KOSINSKI

Matt Wedzina (pictured above) explores dilapidated spaces, like this old restaurant.

By George Kosinski kosinski@grinnell.edu After a short drive west on Interstate 80 towards Montezuma, Matt Wedzina `24 and I pulled into the dirt driveway of an abandoned truck stop. A faded plastic sign listed ancient gas prices that seemed too good to be true, clumps of weeds emerged from the crumbling surface of an asphalt parking lot and the afternoon sun gleamed on windows spiderwebbed with cracks. All of this was entirely new to me — Wedzina had agreed to let me join him as he explored so that I could see for myself what his hobby was all about.

Urban exploration is the investigation of manmade structures: primarily ruins, abandoned buildings or hidden spaces. Since they are not in regular use, these places are often relatively accessible. Their deterioration has also become a sought-after aesthetic. Many urban explorers use photography to document the dust and decay which they encounter — Wedzina uses his father’s old digital camera.

Wedzina said that he has been exploring abandoned places for years, and that he first got into it when he was in high school. “I’ve always liked being spooked, and this certainly checks that box. I just think it’s really cool, and it also gives me an opportunity to bring the camera out which I always appreciate.”

As a quick search on YouTube or Reddit will reveal, there is a vast online urban exploration community.

Countless videos document people walking through abandoned malls or factories, often promising jumpscares or paranormal activity. This community has helped Wedzina learn about the hobby and find places to explore.

“Online forums or googling abandoned places near me usually gets some good results,” he said.

“I also like to use Google Maps.

Sometimes they have the locations come up and it will say ‘permanently

By Ella Labarre labarree@grinnell.edu

closed,’ and then you know it’s abandoned.”

Wedzina did warn that, in many cases, urban exploration is technically illegal, but he seemed keen regardless. “It’s technically trespassing,” he said. “Most ruins or abandoned structures are on private land, still owned by the people who either chose not to or were unable to maintain it.”

Wedzina said he is always sure to make as small an impact as possible on these spaces. “I don’t graffiti or anything like that, I’m just there to document and observe,” he said, before noting that he has never physically broken into an abandoned building (although that is a practice which some urban explorers engage in).

“I have no incriminating evidence on any social media,” he added with a laugh. “I don’t think the police would really care about this, but it’s still better to be safe.”

Besides keeping abreast of the law, urban explorers must also be cognizant of their own personal safety. Abandoned buildings were often abandoned for good reason, some due to contamination from toxic chemicals or materials such as asbestos. It is the responsibility of urban explorers to protect themselves in these situations.

Wedzina highlighted asbestos as one of the most important things to watch out for, especially since some abandoned structures in Grinnell and the surrounding area were built at a time when it was commonly used.

“I think it’s definitely something you should keep in the back of your mind,” he said.

“From looking online, I think a respirator is something people always like to bring no matter where they’re going. You should always wash your clothes afterward in case you came in contact with asbestos or something else harmful.” He said that he plans to purchase a P100 rated respirator and use it whenever he explores in the future.

We had initially planned to explore the truck stop and gas station off of Interstate 80, which Wedzina had already visited, but when we arrived there was a car parked on the property and we thought it would be best not to enter. Instead, we walked across a nearby road to a dilapidated building which appeared to be an abandoned restaurant.

Weeds sprang up haphazardly outside, paint chipped off the walls and the concrete structure looked like it had collapsed in several areas. Inside, a thin film of dust clung to everything. Pipes and wires protruded at odd angles, rubbish was strewn across the floor, travel brochures somehow remained neatly stacked in a case and — possibly confirming Wedzina’s fears about asbestos — insulation spilled out from the ceiling and rested in heaps on the ground.

We quickly agreed to spend only a few minutes in the building.

He snapped photographs of graffiti, the ruined kitchen, an old landline telephone and then we emerged from the gloom back into the bright afternoon sun.

As we drove away, Wedzina talked about other places he’d like to explore nearby. He said that he has not been able to find many spots in the town of Grinnell itself, but that there are several places a few hours drive away in Iowa that he would like to visit.

“There are definitely still places in Iowa, just a bit of a drive from Grinnell,” he said. “There’s an abandoned brick factory a couple of hours away and an abandoned greyhound racing track in Waterloo.”

He said that one of his favorite places to explore is not far from Grinnell. “There’s an abandoned school a couple of towns over that’s really great,” he said. “There’s some funny graffiti in there, and it’s honestly beautiful. Plants have started to grow inside, and it’s amazing to see bright green grass sprouting from these concrete ruins.”

GEORGE KOSINSKI

Matt Wedzina photographs and documents abandoned spaces around Grinnell.

Food cupboard opens at Drake Library

The Grinnell Food Coalition partnered with Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) to create a new food cupboard located in the Drake Community Library at 930 Park St. On Monday, Oct. 31, the cupboard, largely funded by the Claude W. and

Dolly Ahrens Foundation, opened for the first time.

The newly established Grinnell Food Cupboard supplies basic, nonperishable food items as well as basic hygiene and personal products for families in need, serving as a supplement to the MICA food cabinet.

Karen Neal, Drake Library director and a board member of the

ELEANOR HEDGES DUROY

The food cupboard located at Drake Community Library opened on Monday, Oct. 31.

Grinnell Food Coalition discussed the purpose of the Cupboard, saying, “The food covered here is not intended to replace your families going to MICA. The idea is it's a supplement and we have a ton of information here about MICA.” The Grinnell Food Cupboard is meant to fill in the gaps between times where families may not be able to go to MICA due to closures or other circumstances.

For now, Grinnell’s new food cupboard will only provide items such as cans of soup, but Neal says that she hopes in the future to have a refrigerator and be able to provide a greater selection.

Neal says that the project was a community effort led by many organizations and individuals working together with the Grinnell Food Coalition to address food insecurity in Grinnell. She noted, in particular, The Ahrens Foundation, Ryan Solomon from Career, Life and Services (CLS) at Grinnell and Mindy Clayton, a director at MICA. Both Solomon and Neal said that board members recognized the need to help families that are struggling due to

high inflation rates, leading to a timely decision to establish this supplemental cupboard. Additionally, Neal said that the food cupboard became particularly necessary after the Montezuma Food Pantry began limiting their hours and days of operation last June.

“We wanted to make sure we could still meet the needs of the people in our city,” said Neal.

The Drake Library was chosen for its centralized location and accessibility, said Ryan Solomon, a Grinnell Food Coalition Board member.

“Ultimately the value that the library offers is that it's widely used by the community and has extended hours,” said Solomon. “So, because it's put in the foyer, people can access it as late as 8:00 at night during the week.”

Neal also spoke to the reason for selecting Drake Library. “We thought we could meet needs better because people could just come in when they can and they can get the food right then. There wasn't an extra step to go through” said Neal.

Neal additionally noted that the library has previously been a location

for food vouchers, saying, “it was thought that if we had an option for food on this side of 146 that that might serve our community in a different, possibly better, way than the vouchers.”

We wanted to make sure we could still meet the needs of the people in our city.

Karen Neal Drake Library Director In addition to his work with the Grinnell Food Coalition, Solomon works as a facilitator for student involvement on campus. He says that student volunteers are always an asset to making sure the cupboard runs smoothly and at its best capacity.

Students can work to stock shelves, collect food and help facilitate the logistics of the food cupboard.

Solomon encouraged students to reach out to him to figure out more ways to get involved in helping Grinnell tackle food insecurity amidst difficult times.

Arts

Edited by morrishl@grinnell.edu

5

“Ripe and Rotting” is cute, colorful and a little bit creepy

By Jane Hoffman hoffmanj@grinnell.edu

Smith Gallery’s most recent exhibit is a riot of lush, whimsical textures and colors, but beneath its vivid and playful exterior lies traces of something sinister.

“Ripe and Rotting” is the crown jewel of Stella Lowery’s `24 semesterlong printmaking independent study under the advisory of Matthew Kluber, professor of studio art. Lowery took a printmaking course during her second year at Grinnell, and when she could not fit art seminars into her schedule, she applied for the independent study opportunity.

The works displayed in “Ripe and Rotting” are monotypes, a unique subfield of printmaking with a singularity that defies the signature replicability of techniques like stencil and relief printing, in which an artist can reprint a design multiple times.

In contrast, monotypes result in just one print and its ‘ghost,’ a fainter impression left by residual material applied to the printing surface.

The pieces in “Ripe and Rotting” were created through water-based printmaking processes using transfer, stencil and chine collé techniques.

Lowery studied chine collé and stencil monotype techniques during her internship at the Manhattanbased Robert Blackburn Printmaking Institute during the summer of 2022.

During her time at the institute, she studied under Karen Lederer, a

Brooklyn-based artist who taught a class on stencil-based printmaking.

“I started asking her, ‘what other stuff can I do with this?’” said Lowery.

From there, Lowery moved toward exploring transfer monotypes.

“I was constantly making stuff.

Even if I wasn’t trying to make a new piece and was hitting a wall, I was changing gears and trying to make a new project every week.”

“I would try and run with an idea until I was running dry, and never stopping, to be honest,” said Lowery.

Her commitment to near-constant innovation and creation is evident in the show — hands and mouths, recurring themes in the exhibit, are two of the motifs that Lowery began working with during this time.

Lowery’s bright and spunky pieces are effortlessly eye-catching.

Upon further inspection, a viewer may realize that not all is as it seems.

In “Welcome to the Party” and “Fruits of Our Labor,” beady watermelon seeds spiral out into a trail of ants.

A measure of double entendre and surrealism extends throughout the entire exhibition. While all of the works share a juicy vibrancy, first appearances are deceiving.

In “Welcome to the Party ” and “Fruits of our Labor,” slender purple hands (one of Lowery’s signature motifs) reach out for and pinch rubyred grapefruits — are those artfully manicured nails or talons?

“I really like to focus on traditionally feminine imagery in the

Lowery's exhibit consists primarily of monotypes, or unique, non-reproducible prints. art I make. Work that is very cutelooking but then also has this vulgar imagery, if I’m being honest,” said Lowery.

Lowery holds the theme of “fleeting femininity” at the core of her works. Ripe fruit is evanescent, reveled in, sunk into, indulged in one moment before being discarded moments after its prime.

“Friends at the Party,” a monotype

and chine collé piece surrounded by delicately pressed baby-pink tissue paper flowers, recalls bright mornings, tea parties and the youthful sweetness of freshly pressed orange juice.

In “Glass Half Full,” pearly teeth open for a crush of purple grapes, unaware of the wine about to splatter down from a clinking pair of glasses above.

The woman at the center of

CONTRIBUTED BY STELLA LOWERY

"Nesting and Hatching” looks out in resigned horror as spiders weave out of a web and into her hair, an inevitable evolution that will soon catch her, too — a chapter in the everpresent cycle of beauty and decay that “Ripe and Rotting” so masterfully encapsulates.

“Ripe and Rotting” opened in the Smith Gallery in the Joe Rosenfield Center on Friday, Oct. 28.

Professor Emeritus Sandy Moffett releases debut novel “The Ghost of Craven Snuggs”

By Taylor Nunley nunleyta@grinnell.edu

OWEN BARBATO

Moffett's novel is a murder mystery set in a fictionalized Iowan county.

Grinnell College’s Professor Emeritus Sandy Moffett is no stranger to the creative process.

Before retiring, Moffet taught in the theatre, dance and performance studies department, directing a number of plays and working with students on their writing and performing. Coming out of the pandemic in 2020, he took on the endeavor of crafting his first novel: “The Ghost of Craven Snuggs ­— A Midwestern Murder Mystery.”

Set in the fictional county of Nachawinga, Iowa, this debut book tackles big issues. The story opens with the death of Craven Snuggs, a farmer who seemingly perished when his house and barn were set on fire. Turning to the story’s main conflict, Moffett introduces the three dead bodies of executives of large meat-processing plants, each found in a hog lot they own. The linking piece? All of them had their portraits go missing before their gruesome death — and the governor’s has just gone missing, too.

Terrified, the governor calls all law enforcement to personally protect him, sending the investigation of the hog-lot murders to a halt — until Patrick Kavanaugh, sheriff of a small three-person police department,

takes action himself.

Shawn Gallagher, a leading animal studies professor at the state university who opposes large-scale meat production, and Amie Greene, his former student, volunteer as deputies. But, as the three of them investigate this seemingly hopeless case, they realize the connection between the murders: Snuggs’ old, decrepit pick-up truck has shown up at the scene of all of them. Can Craven Snuggs, the irritable farmer who detested largescale agricultural farms and died years earlier, be involved somehow?

Moffett’s novel uses satire to address pressing issues affecting Iowa today, like the prevalence of big companies taking over the agricultural industry and pushing out small farmers, a phenomenon dubbed “Big Ag.” Although Moffett holds these issues close and hopes to make a point through his story, he insists that “The Ghost of Craven Snuggs” is a novel first. “The main point was to write a book,” he said. “I’ve never written a novel before. I'm just gonna see if I can put some of these ideas together and write a novel.”

Moffett said he had never committed to writing until after his retirement. He started out with short stories, testing the waters, before the pandemic came along and obliterated any previous sense of normalcy. “It kind of limited what we could do,”

he said.

However, Moffett adapted. He participated in sharing his work with other writers through technology.

“We had a kind of pandemic Zoom.

We would write something and read it to someone else. I had this idea, this novel, and I thought there might be some short stories in it. I really started out by just writing some chapters,” he said. These chapters were the starting point for the finished novel today.

Moffett emphasized how much he enjoyed the process of writing his novel. “The characters really do take off on their own.” In fact, they took off so much that he has a second novel in the works. “It's in the same location and has some of the same characters. It’s not a sequel, but it’s very concerned with conservation and what we’re doing to our land in Iowa.”

With a topic as controversial as “Big Ag.,” Moffett expects some to disagree with his sentiments. “I think probably there will be a fair number of people who don't like what I'm saying about Big Ag. But that's the breaks,” he said.

“The Ghost of Craven Snuggs — A Midwestern Murder Mystery” was released on Oct. 1, 2022. Copies are available for purchase at the Pioneer Bookshop on 933 Main St. in Grinnell.

Writers@Grinnell: Amy Silverberg

By Ashley Baek baekashl@grinnell.edu

Amy Silverberg doesn’t believe that success has a “best by” date.

“You can work day jobs nine-to-five, like assistants, or baristas or even, I don’t know, insurance agents,” Silverberg said at her Writers@ Grinnell roundtable on Nov. 1. “If you’re going to give yourself this time limit of ‘I have to make it in five or 10 years,’ I just think ‘Oh, that sounds so stressful!’”

Silverberg knows a thing or two about juggling a variety of careers.

She holds a PhD in creative writing and literature from the University of Southern California, where she is currently a professor. She is also a screenwriter, author and standup comedian, and her debut novel "First Time, Long Time '' will be published

by Grand Central Publishing in the winter of 2024. Silverberg says of her novel, “I sold it on only fifty pages. The most fun month of my

life was after I sold it before I started working on it.”

Silverberg said her book is about “a young aspiring writer and her relationship with a famous, aging radio host; exploring women’s ambition, the weight of expectations and the effects difficult men have on the lives around them.”

Her work in the classroom directly influences her work on the page. “I love writing about people your age,” Silverberg said.

“Everybody knows they should be doing something but don’t really know what that is or know exactly what they want to do but have no idea how to get there.”

Her own trajectory as a young person led her into comedy right after college, where she “met somebody who was a comedian who wanted to learn how to write better, and I wanted to learn how to do stand-up. So we decided we would exchange skills; she would take me to open nights and I told her I would

read some of her writing.”

Silverberg said she finds inspiration in both areas of the field from different people. For writing, Silverberg listed “all the women that write fiction and are funny” as influences, including Amy Bender, Lorrie Moore, Danielle Evans and Roxane Gay, whom she considers a personal friend.

In the world of stand-up, Silverberg said, “I think Wanda Sykes is probably my favorite ever.

I like Sarah Silverman, and a lot of women, although when I was growing up, I loved Chris Rock.”

Silverberg noted that being a woman in comedy comes with its own structural challenges. “I've heard women get to headline a lot less in random cities unless they're super famous. If it's a male comedian or a female comedian, people, especially in the middle of America, will go to see the male comedian and not the female comedian just because they assume they'll be funnier,”

OWEN BARBATO

Silverberg's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Paris Review, among others.

Silverberg said. “But I think things are getting a lot better. There of course is still some misogyny. But definitely, in the last five years, ten years, a lot got better and I think the

Me Too movement helped out a lot with Harvey Weinstein going down.”

Silverberg’s debut novel, “First Time, Long Time,” is scheduled to be released in 2024.

Sports

6

Edited by gutmanis@grinnell.edu

An investigation into a social divide on campus: Talking with athletes

By Carter Ottelle ottelleca@grinnell.edu This week, as part of my ongoing project on Grinnell’s social divide between athletes and non-athletes, I shifted my focus toward student experiences. I spoke with four current student-athletes and asked for their thoughts on school culture, cliques, New Student Orientation (NSO), the term “sporto” and more.

In my conversations, no one disputed the existence of a social divide.

Even though some viewed it more favorably than others, all people I interviewed agreed that athletes generally form friend groups with other athletes.

John Riley O’Toole `24, of the men’s soccer team, explained how this dynamic continually reinforces itself: from team practices to team dinners, team study sessions to team parties, student-athletes identify as part of a group. “Most of my friends are from soccer,” O’Toole said. At the same time, he warned me against absolutism. “I have lots of non-athlete friends,” he said.

In fact, each person I talked to gave a similar qualifier: even if their closest friends are athletes, they still counted non-athletes among their companions. As if on cue, when I was chatting with O’Toole in the Grill, a couple of his friends (all non-athletes) ambled over to say hello. He explained that he was participating in an interview about sports culture, and they turned to me.

“This man right here,” one of them joked, pointing to O’Toole, “is everything that’s wrong with sportos.”

As for the word “sporto,” nobody had strong feelings. “I’m not offended by it,” Sadie Staker `24, a member of the women’s track team, said with

a shrug. “I think it’s funny.”

Similarly, Sara Meneses `26 focused on the social value of the women’s golf team. She framed it as a tool for bonding, especially with those whom she wouldn’t otherwise grow close to, rather than an impediment to meeting other people. “The golf team, we take pride in the fact that we have other friends,” she told me.

She described her athletic friends as a “safety net,” rather than an exclusive clique.

I’m busy all the time.

Sara Meneses `26 Meneses, who hails from Colombia, discussed her status as an international student in the athletics department. Stereotypically, she said, “international students usually are friends with international students, and domestic students with domestic students. But my golf team has helped me get out of that.”

Interviewees offered two processes that may drive the disconnect between athletes and non-athletes: time commitment and the start of freshman year. “Sometimes I feel like people don’t understand the time commitment,” admitted Erin Jarvis `25, a member of the women’s tennis team. Varsity sports typically require two hours of practice every weekday, with weekends devoted to tournaments. That doesn’t include conditioning outside of practice, which teams encourage, or other related events.

Though my questions largely elicited positive responses, the topic of busy schedules evoked frustration.

“I’m busy all the time,” Meneses said, echoing a common sentiment among

Upcoming Home Games Women’s basketball vs. Buena Vista University

CORNELIA DI GIOIA

those I interviewed. O’Toole ascribed his athlete-heavy circle of friends to the hours he spends on soccer. Jarvis regretted the difficulty of attending events such as mentor sessions, which often overlap with practices.

Maintaining deep, meaningful friendships with non-athletes requires an active endeavor, a rejection of the path of least resistance.

Alongside the time commitment, Staker depicted NSO as a key part of the divide between athletes and non-athletes. Most athletes arrive on campus early. Before most students have met anyone except their room-

mates, sports teams have coalesced into social units.

Staker, however, had an abnormal experience because of COVID-19.

Instead of the traditional NSO, she first met people at Grinnell by living with housemates in the fall of 2020. “In some ways,” she said, these housemates are “some of the people that I’m closest to now,” regardless of athletic participation.

Staker’s experience suggests that sports aren’t inherently different from other activities. It’s really about who athletes first meet and spend time with, which usually correlates with sports. For example, basketball players gravitate toward some of the first people they met at Grinnell, to the people they’d established friendships with before starting their classes, and those people tend to be other basketball players.

As the semesters pass, these ties

grow thicker and the divide grows sharper. Athletes study, party and eat meals on a shared schedule. When other students are interacting at afternoon clubs and Harrises, athletes are often running sprints in the fieldhouse or taking four-hour bus rides across the Midwest. Maintaining deep, meaningful friendships with non-athletes requires an active endeavor, a rejection of the path of least resistance.

That may sound ominous. But the students I talked with were less likely to express resentment or antipathy than acceptance or contentment.

Jarvis said that even though most of her friends are athletes, the rest of the school is “pretty accepting.” Everyone seemed happy with their sport and the safety net it provided. This week, I couldn’t help but wonder if the concerns over tension and exclusion were overblown.

Season Preview: Grinnell swimming and diving

7:00 p.m. on Nov. 8 Darby Gymnasium

Men’s basketball vs. Luther College 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 Darby Gymnasium

EVAN HEIN

The Grinnell swimming and diving team is eager to start their season. “We are always looking for continual improvement,” said Head Coach Erin Hurley.

Swimming and diving teams vs. Loras College

By Conrad Dahm dahmconr@grinnell.edu

1:00 p.m. on Nov. 19 Osgood Natatorium

EVAN HEIN

Andre Wright `25, number 23 and a guard on the Grinnell men’s basketball team, pictured playing in a scrimmage on Oct. 26.

The Grinnell swimming and diving team had their first meet of the season on Oct. 28, during which the women’s team won 15965 against Coe College. The team secured another win the next day against Iowa Central Community College with a score of 192-81. As they look forward to future meets, the currently undefeated team is back in full force.

In preparation for the season, the S&B spoke with the team about their hopes for the season.

The reigning Midwest Conference champions are ready: they are looking to have an even better season this year. Although they have tough competition, the team is indeed ready. Practices are underway and team members from every class year are excited. First years on the team are eager to learn.

For the fourth-years, the success of last season is pushing them to go even further in their final year

swimming for Grinnell.

“We’re excited being the defending champions,” said Spencer Clark `23. Clark is a fourth-year swimmer and one of the captains for this school year. Clark explained how being a successful swim team takes time and dedication.

“It starts with captain practices at the beginning of the year and carries through the conference meet,” said Clark. Captain practices are a prime example of the dedication of the team. These practices are optional and run by students but are attended by most of the team. Even with their success, the team does not stop working hard and trying to get better.

“We are always looking for continual improvement,” said Head Coach Erin Hurley. Hurley has been the head coach of the swim team for 27 years and has been voted both Men’s and Women’s Midwest Conference Coach of the Year a total of 16 times. Hurley has achieved this by building a culture of acceptance and teamwork.

“We have a supportive group and

EVAN HEIN

Tate McLean `23 on the offense against Northern Iowa Area Community College.

EVAN HEIN

The team faced off against Luther College on Saturday, Nov. 5.

everyone shows up to cheer everyone on,” said Clark. Another aspect of the team’s culture is mentorship from older swimmers to younger swimmers, especially to first-year swimmers.

“They [first years] always get good mentorship from upperclassmen. They acclimate well.

They are cohesive,” said Hurley.

First-year swimmers on the team confirmed this as well.

“The team culture is really fun. It’s really welcoming and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them,” said Sarah LopezGonzalez `26. Lopez-Gonzalez is a first-year swimmer at Grinnell but is not new to the sport of swimming.

“The upperclassmen always emphasize giving their best effort.

If you swim your heart out you will do well,” Lopez-Gonzalez said. This team culture has been established for years. Clark fondly remembered when he was a first year and the guidance the captains gave him.

According to Clark, another way for the team’s energy to be boosted is to have spectators at the meet.

“Seeing people in the stands is a big boost for morale,” Clark said.

Hurley said, “We love spectator supporters. You can watch some great swimming and diving. It’s free.

There are people with a variety of experiences.”

Although the season has just begun, the Grinnell swimming and diving teams are staying focused on constant improvement. With this mindset, the team is hoping to set itself up for an impressive season.

They have been practicing hard, and according to Clark, “I have confidence that we’re going to crush it.”

Opinions On the same Paige: sexplanations and other equity tips

7

Edited by peckcami@grinnell.edu

By Paige Olowu olowupaig@grinnell.edu Sexplanations and Other Equity Tips is an anonymous Q&A column centering on all things related to sex, gender and healthy relationships. It serves as an educational resource aimed at increasing access to information, normalizing healthy behaviors and promoting a culture of sexual respect on campus.

Questions will be answered by Post Baccalaureate Prevention and Outreach Coordinator, Paige Olowu `22, in collaboration with the Title IX office.

“I understand that bystander intervention can go a long way towards preventing misconduct on campus, but I don’t always feel comfortable stepping in and intervening when I’m not sure what is going on.”

I’m so glad you sent in this question because I think that aspect of active bystanderism can be so nuanced.

The feeling of wanting to help but not exactly knowing how is something that really plagued me during my time as a community adviser and as an all campus events student safety worker. When I was presented with a situation in which I didn’t know what to do, I really leaned on my resources and tried to practice the steps I learned in active bystander training.

It’s understandable that you may not always feel 100% comfortable diffusing an ambiguous situation, or as though you’re “doing the right thing.” When being an active bystander, there is no universal way to respond. Each situation is different, therefore each response will most likely be different. When teaching how to be an active bystander, our office consciously uses the term “active by-

standerism” rather than “bystander intervention.” Intervention often implies that every approach must be direct, confrontational or involving some aspect of combative action when that isn’t the case. Thinking of active bystanderism as an intervention creates a set of barriers that limit the range of strategies available for bystanders. I hope through the sharing of these following steps you feel more comfortable engaging in active bystanderism on campus and in your everyday life.

An engaged and active bystander is someone who steps up before, during or after a situation when they see or hear harmful actions taking place in order to promote a safer and more respectful community. When dealing with unclear situations, we like to break active bystanderism down into six steps: 1. Noticing the event — always try to be aware of your surroundings and attempt to anticipate any problems or red flags that may arise.

2. Interpret scenarios as possible problems — this could mean gathering more information regarding ambiguous events and conferring with others if needed.

3. Check your bias — be cognizant of how your identity may be a benefit or a barrier to handling a situation.

4. Assume responsibility — don’t assume someone else will act. Support other active bystanders and take it upon yourself to act.

5. Know what to do — depending on the situation, rely on developed strategies, and practice these skills when possible.

6. Do something — if it is safe and you are willing to help, implement the skills you’ve learned to act.

I don’t want to pretend as though memorizing these six steps will make you an expert in conflict resolution or in the prevention of misconduct, but keeping these tips in mind can help increase your self-efficacy skills and promote a positive culture of active bystander behavior. A few things I try to remember as I practice everyday active bystanderism is that the identities that we carry and the context of the situation will always influence what feels available and safe to us. Factors such as race, gender expression, language and socioeconomic class carry weight in these situations. Your relationship with the person wronged or the wrongdoer may cause you to hesitate before acting. But as long as you recognize this and, if needed, find someone who is more comfortable acting (a friend, a student leader, a trusted resource), you are still engaging in active bystanderism. I think that by simply asking this question, you’re practicing the fourth step of active bystanderism — you’ve taken the onus to further educate yourself and better your community. It’s not always going to be OHANA SARVOTHAM at an off-campus party or in the midst of Paige Olowu `22 is offering active bystander training to all students. a physical altercation that you will need active bystanderism — small everyday Reach out! The QR code will moments matter too. Remember, like with all things, we get better with practake you to an anonymous form tice. in which you can ask quesIf you have questions regarding tions, raise concerns or conactive bystanderism, please do not hesitate to reach out. I, along with memtact Paige directly. The form bers of Student Athletes Leading Social also provides confidential and Change leadership, have been educated non-confidential resources if on bystander training as a comprehensive prevention framework. We would more immediate help is needed. be more than willing to host a training session.

Sa ge & B l u n t Advi ce : Se x Shame d

By Sage & Blunt Dear Sage & Blunt, Last weekend my housemate cornered me and told me that I have really loud sex and that it kind of bothers them because sometimes they are trying to sleep. They were really nice about it, but they also didn’t offer a solution. My partner and I aren’t having sex during crazy times of the day or anything like, we aren’t breaking quiet hour rules. I guess I’m just bothered because my other housemates play loud music and have people over late into the night, so I can’t help but feel like it’s not about the noise itself but the kind of noise.

I feel sex shamed. I can’t always control my volume when being pleasured, but I also don’t want to be a disrespectful housemate. Now I’m scared to have sex in the house, and I feel really awkward around my housemate. There’s still a lot of the year left — what should I do?

Signed, Sex Shamed Dear Sex Shamed, First of all, congrats on the sex.

(We were all thinking it! I just want it in print.) It sounds like you’re having

fun, which is wonderful, and you deserve to feel comfortable getting down in your own house. And you’re right, it does seem like your housemate is taking issue with one particular kind of noise … but I might be with them on this one.

I want to make one thing clear: I do not think sex and shame should go together. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having loud pleasurable sex with your partner in the comfort and safety of your own bed — in fact, there are many things that are very right with doing so, as you may be aware! But, I’d argue that your right to vocalize has limits when it comes to the people you live with.

Call me sex-negative, but I think your housemate is allowed to object to this Would you sit down on the couch next to your housemate and start talking to them about the sex you plan to have later in your shared house?

Would you come up to them in the kitchen and start to imitate the noises you make in bed at full volume?

There’s no analogy I can find that perfectly captures the circumstances of overhearing a private act, but it’s easy to understand that there are contexts in which being made aware of the particulars of someone’s sexual deeds

CORNELIA DI GIOIA

can be uncomfortable, whereas being made aware of their loud music is just irritating.

Call me sex-negative, but I think your housemate is allowed to object to this kind of noise. I also think it’s possible they were offering the excuse of trying to get sleep as a white lie to cover the real issue, which is that they just don’t want to listen to you have sex. A college house is a delicate ecosystem where, with a basic awareness of the

Drawn a doodle you think could be a comic?

Thought of a SNEDGE-worthy question? Have an opinion about literally anything? You too can be published in the S&B! Contact the Opinions section editor [peckcami].

schedules and moods of those around you — and a little bit of coordination — you can achieve equilibrium. Don’t ruin it by using up your loud sex karma all at once! It’s just (and this is the worst insult I can possibly think of) not tasteful.

I doubt your housemate wants to talk about this any more than they have to, so I don’t think you need to bring it up with them again, as long as you do them some favors. Tone it down a little

Feel like you too could use some advice? Contact Sage and Blunt using this QR code!

when you’re at home, go to your partner’s place more often, have sex when the housemate in question isn’t around, etc. Then, on the very rare days when you really can’t help but let out totally uninhibited moans of ecstasy, your housemate will hopefully be much more understanding. Remember: delicate ecosystem. Oh, and have fun!

Yours, Sage & Blunt

The Scarlet & Black Staff Fall 2022 Editors-in-Chief News Editor Features Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Community Editor Opinions Editor Copy Editors Visual Editor Graphic Designers Honorary Editor

Nadia Langley Allison Moore Mohammad Igbaria Nick El Hajj Lucia Cheng Lilli Morrish Isaiah Gutman Eleanor Corbin Millie Peck Samuel Bates Emme Perencevich Maddi Shinall Cornelia Di Gioia Qingshuo Du Chief (chief/chief)

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

The newspaper is funded by the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC). 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.

Back Page The

“The best thing since the front page!”

Volume 139, Issue 7

thesandb.com

Horoscopes: How Each Sign Spends Parents Weekend

By Ms Constellation Prize

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

Friday night, they bring parents to a High Street party and make them dance until 1 a.m. (the parents beg to go in by 10 p.m. — they’re not trying to relive their own college days). The parents wake up super hungover, but their student is fine, and begs them to take a spontaneous day trip to Iowa City.

Drags their parents to every single “Parent Weekend” event, including their full schedule of classes. Also makes their parents pay for their shopping spree at Second Mile, a bunch of new merchandise from Pioneer Bookstore and a tab for their friends at Spencer Grill.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

Lets their parents walk themselves around campus while they make sure to hit all the weekend’s parties on campus. They somehow magically charm the hostess at Prairie Canary for a table during the dinner rush and a round of free drinks.

Aries makes sure all of their friends meet their parents, so their friends and the parents can talk about all of Aries’ accomplishments. They also meet as many of their friends’s parents to establish themselves as the alpha on campus and so everyone knows who their competition is.

Puts on their best outfit to maintain their reputation of being the best-dressed person on campus. It also gives their parents the illusion that they are super stable and have their life together. But the truth is their life is in shambles just like everyone else during this mid-semester lull. The only thing they are sure of is that they are the hottest student.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) Takes their parents to every corner of campus but won’t explain what any of the acronyms mean or any of the lore around campus.

They keep saying HSSC (husk) and parents think they’re making a reference to corn. Their parents know better than to ask questions and are just happy to be there.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20) Introduces their parents to every single person they run into on campus and introduces themselves to anyone they have yet to meet themselves.

They seem to keep running into some unsavory people (their ex-fling from spring semester, their former CA who caught them smoking and a random first-year they met during Halloweekend), but surprisingly play it off.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

They already sent their parents a full itinerary of events in August, made sure they got the nicest room at Hotel Grinnell and the perfect reservation slot at Prairie Canary.

This schedule must be followed to a T, otherwise the whole weekend is shot — what’s the point if not?

Arbitrary Analysis

No plans or arrangements have been made for Cancer’s family this weekend. They’ll grab a last-minute reservation at a hotel off the interstate and focus on having the goofiest weekend possible. They’ll attend tons of events with a totally nonchalant at-

titude and giggle in the back row with their parents. They’ll have an emotional goodbye at the end of the weekend.

Leo

(July

23

-

Aug.

22)

Takes their parents to the High Street party and loses to them at rage cage, pong and die. They’ll insist for the rest of the weekend that “I let my parents win” so they could relive the college experience and never admit that their parents bested them.

To remind everyone how cool they are, they invite their parents out to the loggia for a drunk cigarette.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) Shows their parents all their favorite study spots by making the parents sit in those study spots and wait while

they finish up their assignments. They rotate through Burling, the HSSC Atrium, the Grill and their dorm’s lounge.

It’s a productive weekend for their schoolwork, all things considered!

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) Spends the whole weekend showing their parents the coziest spots around campus (Burling beanbags, Spencer Grill couches, the Pubs office, their own bed with the world’s best mattress topper, the SHIC couches). They sit in these spots and reminisce on their favorite memories at their childhood home and then regale their favorite college memories to their parents (even the unsavory and embarrassing ones).

Pumkin spice candle

Pumpkin spice latte

Pumkin spice bathbomb

The S&B Mini

The Snedge This week, Jane Hoffman `25 and Ashley Baek `25 polled 100 students, asking the difficult question: Get Ghosted or Be Roasted?

CORNELIA DI GIOIA

By Allison Moore `24

JRC 37%

Get Ghosted

63%

Be

Roasted

QINGSHUO DU

HSSC

ACROSS: 1. Common household pest 4. Ring up 6. What “gesundheit ” might follow 8. Long, long spans of time 9. Vowels in the name of the Buckeye State

DOWN: 1. Protector of public health, abbr.

2. Reason to be sent home in elementary school 3. Alternative to Bing 5. ___ Love, comedian and actres 7. Bear, in Madrid

ANSWER KEY 10/31/22

31%

Get Ghosted

Like what you see?

69% Be

Roasted

We’re in the market for a COMIC. If you have artistic skills you’d like to share, contact the Opinions section editor [peckcami].

Rants & Raves:

Students & community members 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 [peckcami].

check us out: The Scarlet & Black thesandb

I always wanted a water bed... but this wasn’t what I had in mind.

/thescarletandblack thesandb.com @grinnellsandb

- Displaced Main Hall Resident

So I can take an icecream cone but not a cookie?

- Begrudged Food Waster

Grunt.

- Concerned student