Features
Community
Students organize to promote building a farm on campus
Arts
“Lots and lots of cockroaches. … Light fixtures were broken.”
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Abdiel Lopez '18 reviews Lady Gaga's new single "Perfect Illusion"
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the
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Scarlet & Black Volume 133, Issue 4
thesandb.com
September 16, 2016 • Grinnell, Iowa
SHACS tackles mental health on campus, brings in new counselors
Pads and tampons remain absent from non-female bathrooms
By Lily Bohlke bohlkeli@grinnell.edu
By Megan Tcheng tchengme@grinnell.edu Grinnell College’s Student Health and Counseling Services (SHACS) hosted a suicide prevention training course for a group of 30 students, professors and faculty members this past Tuesday, Sept. 13. Beth Gallegos, Mental Health Therapist and Assistant Director of SHACS, led the workshop. At the end of the session, attendees were provided with a certificate of completion. During the one hour session, attendees were trained in the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) ap-
proach to suicide prevention. Described as a universal method of intervention, QPR offers three steps for detecting and providing support to any individual entertaining suicidal thoughts or experiencing emotional distress. As outlined in the training, QPR can be expressed by first questioning a person about suicide, then persuading the individual to get help and finally by referring the individual to an appropriate resource. Together, these steps are designed to offer hope to the affected individual through provided support and positive action. The QPR workshop rep-
resents an extension of SHACS’s growing effort to increase outreach and community involvement within the student body, which has focused on the treatment of mental health on campus. Trailing National Suicide Prevention Week, which took place just last week (from Sept. 5 to Sept. 11), the QPR training course aims to build on student activism and encourage increased awareness on campus. “Our goal is to open up that conversation … and continue to build on [mental health awareness] here at Grinnell. We hope to be able to inform students and provide education regarding >> See SHACS, page 3
LEINA'ALA VOSS
SGA cabinet outlines upcoming actions
Although many students are excited about the new free menstrual products in women’s bathrooms this semester, the same products have not made an appearance in male-gendered and single-occupancy bathrooms. Last September, Rebekah Rennick ’18 picked the locks of many tampon and pad machines across campus to demonstrate her belief that every student who menstruates, not just those who identify as women, should have access to free menstrual products. “We have conversations about menstruation that are very womancentric and are alienating to people who menstruate who don’t identify as women,” Rennick said. “For a college as socially progressive as we are, to not be aware or concerned with making this conversation inclusive is a problem.” Last year’s Student Government Association (SGA) President, Dan Davis ’16, worked with both administration and Facilities Management (FM) to make free menstrual products available. Davis’ initiative called for the machines to be installed in female-gendered, male-gendered and single-occupancy bathrooms. FM verbally agreed to pay for the upkeep of the free machines if
SGA and the College would pay for the installation. When students returned to Grinnell in August, however, they found men’s bathrooms still absent of menstrual product machines. Pads and tampons also remain absent from singleoccupancy bathrooms. “Although we are open to providing such products in non-gendered, singleoccupancy restrooms, it is atypical to do so, given the lesser volume of patrons and expense of the vending units,” Rick Whitney, assistant vice president for FM wrote in an email to The S&B. For students with disabilities who may be more likely to use singleoccupancy bathrooms, the absence of menstrual products in these bathrooms can prove to be a real issue of accessibility. “We are so about accessibility,” said SGA President Anita DeWitt ’17. “Even making sure … that if you had a wheelchair you would still be able to reach up to grab that. Making sure that the thing you have to turn isn’t complex. Even if it just means baskets of tampons and pads.” Although SGA will likely not put funding toward additional menstrual product machines, they plan to support >> See MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS page 2
ACLU attorney and trans activist Chase Strangio '04 visits campus
Strangio talks trans rights and his role as Chelsea Manning's attorney
CONTRIBUTED
Anita Dewitt, Bailey Dann and Rachel Aaronson serve on this year's SGA executive cabinet. By Keli Vitaioli vitaioli@grinnell.edu This year’s Student Government Association (SGA) cabinet, headed by President Anita DeWitt ’17, is placing its emphasis on the support of all students. With the National College Health Assessment results reporting that around 30 percent of Grinnellians feel lonely, the cabinet will be finding ways to express to students the importance of their place at Grinnell. “We really believe in supporting students and making sure that they feel like they belong, and whether that’s telling them they you can create a student group, or getting funding for something, or
starting your own Harris tradition or something like that,” DeWitt said. “We’ve been talking about all these things constantly just to make sure that every student can feel appreciated, even the ones that aren’t reppin’ SGA. Like, the ones that are like, ‘fuck SGA,’ even them, we want them to feel like we support you and you do belong here.” Dewitt emphasizes representing a diverse group of students at the College. She is co-chairing a diversity working group within the cabinet with Toby Baratta ’17, diversity and outreach coordinator. The group addresses questions about policies for students with un-
derrepresented identities, such as non-binary students, those requiring accessibility accommodations and lower income students. “[We’re] making sure that when [the campus climate survey asks] you a question, it doesn’t just say male and female because that completely silences one community,” Dewitt said. Bailey Dann ’17, vice president of Student Affairs, focuses on advocating a student voice with the administration. While she brings student insight to administrators, Dann is also tasked with clarifying the work of the administration to >> See SGA page 2
Senator seats prove tough to fill
By Philip Keily keilyphi@grinnell.edu
The Student Government Association (SGA) held senator elections last week and announced the College’s 18 new senators on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Senators are elected every semester and hold an important position on campus, with duties ranging from budget approval to communication with administration. However, it can be difficult to get students to run for senator. Each cluster of residence halls has a certain number of seats that Friday Pioneer Bookshop Grand Opening Pioneer Bookshop, 9:30 a.m.
must be filled by student senators, a requirement that is not always easily met.
"The SGA can't give out money without the campus council and the senate." Michael Owusu '17 “Certain districts will be highly competitive, other places will have two applicants for three spots,” said Emmett Sandberg ’18, election board chair. This discrepancy in competition means that some candidates hold campaigns and don’t win, while Friday We Just Need to Pee: Situating Trans Bodies in Public and Legal Discourse JRC 101 7 p.m.
Follow us on twitter @thesandb
This Friday evening, ACLU staff attorney and Grinnell alum Chase Strangio '04 will present a talk called "We Just Need to Pee: Situating Trans Bodies in Public and Legal Discourse." Strangio fought for trans rights across the country, serving as legal reference for Chelsea Manning, a trans woman currently serving a 35-year jail term for leaking information to WikiLeaks. This week, The S&B's Abe Golden '20 conducted an email interview with Strangio to talk about his work fighting for trans rights. The S&B: What do you do for a living, and how does it make the world a better place? Chase Strangio: I work as a staff attorney at the national office of the American Civil Liberties Union in the LGBT & HIV Project. In that capacity, I litigate cases on behalf of LGBT people and people living with HIV and do legislative work and public education to expand legal protections for the LGBT community and end systemic violence and discrimination that most acutely impacts LGBT people of color. I have worked on cases related to the police profiling of trans women of color, bans on access to
others win with only a few votes or get appointed to the position. Although fall semester elections typically see lower turnout than spring semester elections, this year SGA saw increased challenges in getting people to run for senator, in part due to changes to PioneerWeb and its all-campus email function. “Email really shot us in the foot,” said Michael Owusu ’17, the administrative coordinator for SGA. SGA previously depended on PioneerWeb’s all campus function to get the word out about senator elec>> See SENATE page 2
Saturday Grinnell Symphony Orchestra Concert Sebring-Lewis Hall, 2 p.m,
CONTRIBUTED
Strangio '04 battles transphobia. Saturday "How to Survive a Plague" film screening ARH 302, 4 p.m.
healthcare for trans prisoners, bans on trans people using appropriate restroom and changing facilities, bans on marriage for same-sex couples and restrictions on trans people updating the gender marker on their identification, among other things. I also started a bail fund that provides direct cash bail and bond assistance to LGBT people facing criminal charges or removal proceedings.
"For years they have used fear of trans people to roll back protections for LGBT people at the local level." Chase Strangio '04 What brought the battle over trans bathroom rights to your attention? The attack over restroom access has long been a battleground and a focus of our opponents. For years they have used fear of trans people to roll back protections for LGBT people at the local level. In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality, opponents of LGBT people doubled down on their efforts to expel trans people from public life and to roll back all legal protections for people based on sexual orientation and trans status. In November of 2015, anti-LGBT organizations successfully mobilized fear of trans people to repeal a local ordinance, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance — HERO — that would have extended non-discrimination protections to many classes of people. Success at the ballot in Houston invigorated our opposition and they invested significant time and resources into moving anti-trans bills in state legislatures across the country. With the passage of North Carolina's antitrans law, House Bill 2 (HB2), we are seeing a deepening investment in attempts by state lawmakers to erode federal legal protections for trans >> See CHASE page 3
Wedneday "He Named Me Malala" film screening JRC 101, 7:30 p.m.
Features 4 | Community 5 | Sports 6 | Arts 7 | Opinions 9
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Edited by cummings@grinnell.edu & friedlan@grinnell.edu
SGA focusing on student support, mental health
Continued from Front Page
the students. She is working with administrators to address mental health issues on campus, the first generation and lower income student experiences and the system for reporting bias motivated incident policy. Dann is also creating a student-run Title IX response advisory committee. This year, Dann finds the goal of addressing loneliness a personal one as well, having felt isolated herself at times during her college experience. “I’m excited about having the opportunity to represent students, especially in closed spaces where students aren’t necessarily seen or heard all the time,” Dann said. “I think it’s very important that administrators realize who they’re affecting when they make policy change.” Rachel Aaronson ’17, Vice President for Academic Affairs, is responsible for working with college administrators on academics, specifically with Dean Michael Latham, vice president for Academic Affairs. Aaronson also relays concerns about academic programming. One such concern is the new alcohol policy. “In the conversations that I was witnessing last year about the Residential Life Task Force and their recommendations on student wellness and the alcohol policies, I think they are treating a lot of the symptoms of issues of students on campus,” Aaronson said. “They were talking about the data they collected and the way they wanted to minimize alcohol use. I think that nowhere in the conversation was this idea of academic stress and the way that Grinnellians internalize that academic stress and turn to a lot of these behaviors that the administration deems as ‘maladaptive’ in response to that stress … So, that’s my big project for the year — administering the survey that looks directly at the relationship between academic stress and student wellness and then students coping with stress. [I’m] trying to obtain something of an objective measure of how much students really are working relative to how much professors think they’re assigning, and trying to put those two things in concert and put back into the fold of the conversation on student wellness.” DeWitt was surprised at how quickly the alcohol policy was im-
plemented after the Residential Life Task Force issued its suggestion. She was expecting to have a much larger advising position with the task force. However, since changes to the alcohol policy were put in place before SGA arrived on campus this fall, Dewitt finds herself in a reactionary role. “It’s tricky, because when I came into this role, I didn’t think I would have to deal with stuff like the alcohol policy,” Dewitt said. “I knew that we would talk about the implementation and that I was a part of the Residence Life Task Force … and I thought for the most part I would be working with administrators in that life and just saying, like, ‘you know, that sounds stupid,’ or ‘where are we going to get the money for paid servers,’ that kind of stuff, but now it’s kind of a let me make sure students are safe because of what’s going on.’” Aaronson was the presiding officer over the 2015-2016 SGA cabinet. She finds that this year compared to past years, there is more of an emphasis on transparency in the cabinet’s work. “Something I think this cabinet is really stressing is being really accessible to students and embracing our student identity in the way we go about conversations and really working to represent the places of students in these conversations with administrators … is a pointed priority of this year’s cabinet,” Aaronson said. One new SGA non-cabinet position is the Green Fund co-chair, filled this year by Andrew Zdechlik ’19. The position was created to help SGA allocate the 30,000 dollars that was put aside for the Green Fund, which aims to reduce the College’s environmental impact. The fund is currently focused on a transition from fluorescent to LED bulbs on campus. “Fluorescent lights are bad for people with migraines, seizures or anyone that has oversensitivity problems, so we want to change those things out,” DeWitt said. “We want to make sure that every green thing is also accessible.” This year’s cabinet also includes Administrative Coordinator Michael Owusu ’17, Treasurer Summer White ’18, Assistant Treasurer Zach Steckel ’18, Services Coordinators Yesenia Ayala ’18 and Ajuna Kyaruzi ’17, All Campus Events Co-Chairs Claudia Handal ’17 and TJ Jones ’17 and Concerts Chair Corey Simmonds ’17.
Administration holds Q&A on new alcohol policy
XIAOXUAN YANG
Conner and Moschenross addressed student concerns about the new alcohol policy at a Q&A session Sunday. By Lily Seibert seibertl@grinnell.edu Marking the latest in a series of forums to discuss recent alcohol policy, Andrea Conner, Vice President of Student Affairs, and Sarah Moschenross, dean of students, held a Q&A wherein students could address remaining questions and concerns on Sept. 11. The administration announced the new alcohol policies on Aug. 1 and led a town hall on Aug. 30, in addition to the student-led town hall the same day. This most recent Q&A session aimed to address the anger and confusion that resulted from the earlier town halls. Students’ questions focused heavily on the implementation of regular dorm walkthroughs, which are conducted by Community Advisors (CAs), Resident Life Coordinators (RLCs) and Campus Safety officers. Many suggested that instead of having constant vigilance from all three levels of authority, only CAs should conduct the walkthroughs. Students argued that CAs are more attuned to the student culture than RLCs, who are still unknown to many of their residents. Joe Rolon, director of Residence Life, disagreed, defending the position and capacities of RLCs. “They have programming requirements as part of their job,” Rolon said. “They do three programs a semester, they send monthly newsletters out to their residents. So if the residents aren’t reading it, there’s no way we can enforce it, but they are there.
Senate elections held on campus
Continued from Front Page
tions. However, after PioneerWeb became an academics-only website over the summer, this function was removed. Without mass emails, SGA found difficulty informing students about senator elections and thus getting them to run. SGA instead recruited senators by postering, tabling and knocking on doors. “People with election board and SGA cabinet … covered the entire campus going door to door, saying first and foremost hey, how’s everyone doing, welcome back to campus … run for senator,” Owusu said. With these efforts, all 18 seats were filled, albeit sometimes by only a few votes. One new off campus senator, Takshil Sachdev ’19, won his position without even running. “This semester I decided that I wouldn’t run for senator but a few of my friends, thinking that it would be a
funny joke, wrote my name in,” Sachdev said. A provision in the SGA constitution permitted Sachdev to be elected to the senator position despite not officially running. Several candidates in off campus non-campus-owned houses received more votes, but one of the three off campus seats is required to be filled by a representative of off campus college-owned housing, winning Sachdev his seat.
"Certain districts will be highly competitive, other places will have two applicants for three spots." Emmet Sanderg '18 “I’m glad to have the position now, and I’m going to make the most of it,” Sachdev said. Although new hurdles arose in the election process this year, Sandberg explained that the low turnout is nothing new. “First semester elec
tions always have a lower total,” Sandberg said. First-year students are not allowed to run during their first semester. Since 25 percent of campus is thereby disqualified from running, both candidate numbers and voter participation are always lower in the fall. “This year was about average,” Sandberg said. This year’s election also continued the new voting system. Previously, there were two rounds of voting with a grievance period after each. However, the election board has recently switched to one round of preferential voting. The new system lets voters rank their favorite candidates. It then collects the results and runs them through a program written by Toby Baratta ’17, the Student Government Association Diversity and Outreach Coordinator. That software is essential to the change because organizations like SGA do not have easy access to preferential voting systems. Now that the election has finished, Campus Council can start to convene. In Campus Council, senators, SGA cabinet members and the student body meet to discuss issues and pass budgets. “Campus Council needs to get started as quick as possible,” Owusu said. “The SGA can’t give out money without the campus council and the senate.” In addition to participating in Campus Council, senators perform a variety of services for students. Owusu and Sandberg both encourage students to reach out to their senators. “They are resources that can make a big difference if you want to get something done,” Sandberg said.
They’re all qualified to be there.” The correlation between academic stress and alcohol abuse was also a central issue of the Q&A. Students took particular issue with the College’s lack of mental health resources to address this problem. “I think a lot of the substance abuse issues we have on campus are rooted in mental health problems,” said Olivia Queathem ’17. “One of the consistent issues I’ve seen in my almost-four years here is that faculty are assigning more work than their students can actually finish, and that professors are not always understanding of issues that come up. We can’t take our partners and friends to the hospital and sit with them in the emergency room without worrying that our professors are going to cut our grade on our paper that’s due the next day … it contributes to a really stressful environment.” Conner assured students that several faculty members are currently addressing mental healthcare on campus, a contrast with the administration’s language on the Aug. 30 town hall wherein students were encouraged to find alternate forms of stress-relief other than binge-drinking. “I just enlisted the help of the Dean, Mike Latham, to really raise these issues so that faculty will enter into the dialogue more consistently,” Conner said. “The more constructive we can be in actual projects and actual results that cannot be disproven by the generational talk around classifying you and your colleagues, the better.”
Conner and Moschenross asserted throughout the event that Grinnell currently ranks higher than other campuses in its execution of harm reduction and safety in a manner that appeals to students. A committee comprised of both students and faculty exists to combat such issues, and the process remains non-punitive, meaning students are never fined for alcohol related infractions. Additionally, Conner and Moschenross reaffirmed that Student Affairs is not opposed to campus-wide events such as 10/10 or routine lounge parties. Rather, they aim to make small adjustments in order to make these events safer.
"I think a lot of the substance abuse issues we have on campus are rooted in mental health problems." Olivia Queathem '17 Despite student criticism of the alcohol policies, Conner and Moschenross stressed that the administration will continue to implement the changes they see fit, while also communicating with the student body. “This change is something we can consult with you about, but we can’t wait for your approval,” Conner said. “We as an institution value that consultation. But when it comes to some of these alcohol related things in compliance with the law, it is not something that is up for public vote, and it’s not something that we can wait until most of the student body feels great about. We had to move.”
Free menstrual products raise question of trans rights Continued from Front Page any efforts to do so as best they can. “Our job is to advocate for students, and that’s what we’re going to do going forward, [but] the money towards those things should come from the school,” DeWitt said. Although Rennick is disappointed that free pad and tampons machines were not installed in all academic building bathrooms, she views the conversation around this issue as a sign of progress. “If [there is] anything I’m happy that has come out of this besides for the implementation of free products, it’s that there is a dialogue,” Rennick said. “There is a conversation and we are actively in a space where we’re able to break the stigma and give people more connection to their bodies.” According to Rennick, student support has also been very positive. However, after Rennick wrote an article for the Grinnell Underground Magazine, she did receive some backlash. She was told that fighting for such a small issue was “selfish or frivolous or silly.” “It’s pretty weird to be called selfish and a profit of suburban strife, because this isn’t just something that affects people coming from places of privilege who have the time to be concerned about this,” she said. “This is something that affects people who don’t necessarily have the money to afford menstrual products. These are a real expense.” DeWitt noted that although she thinks that menstrual products should have a comfortable space in all bathrooms, there are many logistics
HUNG VUONG
Men's bathrooms remain menstrual product-free.
to think about. She explained that there are potential instances in which openly displayed pads and tampons may not be accepted. For example, she brought up a hypothetical cisgender heterosexual male who is not familiar with Grinnell’s culture. A person could become upset about seeing menstrual products in his bathroom and write a slur on the machine. “That’s something we have to look for,” she said. “You have to think through every aspect of these things and how people are going to respond, and that’s where we are right now.” Some universities have begun the movement towards menstrual products in all bathrooms, including male-gendered bathrooms. Brown University is a recent example DeWitt cited. “I hope it can be moved forward and we can do more than what our peers institutions are doing,” Rennick said. “It’s more than just a women’s issue; it is a human issue.
Edited by cummings@grinnell.edu & friedlan@grinnell.edu
News
Third parties candidates: an alternative option or a wasted vote
By Graham Dodd doddhenr@grinnell.edu Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are potentially the most disliked presidential candidates in American history. While many voters feel forced to pick one of the two, others are searching for alternatives. Professor Barbara Trish, Political Science, says this has created a rare opportunity for third parties and independents, which are typically overshadowed in America's two-party system. “With unfavorable scores for both candidates this year, this would be the year to pull it off,” Trish said regarding the potential for third party candidates Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and independent Evan McMullin to broaden their support bases and garner significantly more votes than in the past. Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, is the presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. He is running on a platform based on reducing the size and reach of the government. Consistent with libertarian ideals, on most issues Johnson supports deregulation and emphasizes civil rights. Running
mate Bill Weld, former governor of Massachusetts, adds political credibility to Johnson’s campaign. Johnson is currently polling at around nine percent nationally and is on the presidential ballot in all 50 states.
"... you should vote for the person that most aligns with your values." Anna Schierenbeck '18 “I think Gary Johnson is a credible candidate, he has experience, notwithstanding the Aleppo thing,” Trish said in reference to a recent gaffe of Johnson’s wherein he did not know the name of a major hotspot in the Syrian war. “The message people took away from it was that he probably didn’t have the knowledge to engage in foreign affairs. But he is a credible third party candidate. He’s got a credible running mate, and by credible, I mean someone with experience in the political realm.” Dr. Jill Stein is the Green Party’s presidential candidate. Her platform is centered around a variety of left-wing policies. These
include extensive climate control reform, free college education and criminal justice reform. The Green Party hopes to greatly expand the role of the federal government in order to create universal standards of employment, health care and justice. Stein is currently polling at three percent nationally and is on the ballot in 45 states, with write-in status in another 3 states. Independent candidate Evan McMullin is the former Chief Policy Director for the House Republican Conference in the U.S. House of Representatives and a former CIA operations officer. His campaign strategy appeals to Republicans who cannot bring themselves to vote for Trump. McMullin, who has very little name recognition, is only taking one percent in the polls and is on the ballot in only 10 states.
"With unfavorable scores for both candidates this year, this would be the year to pull it off" Professor Barbara Trish In America’s two-party system, it can seem wasteful to vote for a third party candidate who has
Chase Strangio on trans activism Continued from Front Page people through legislation and litigation. How did you get involved? As a lawyer for trans rights and a trans person myself, it felt important to centrally engage in the conversations that were happening in state legislatures this past session. The heightening rhetoric that sought to demonize trans people and distort who we are compelled me to not only engage in advocacy but to use my personal voice and story in the work. In terms of litigation, this is absolutely one of the most critical fights happening in the LGBT legal space with implications for all our other work so our entire movement of litigators is engaged and fighting. What defeats and setbacks have you faced? Unfortunately there have been and there will continue to be setbacks. The passage of HB2 was devastating, particularly after we successfully defeated an anti-trans law in South Dakota. The law has devastated the trans community in North Carolina and across the country where bills like it continue to be proposed. The rhetoric surrounding trans people has also contributed to a climate of fear and violence against the community. We have also experienced some significant setbacks — hopefully only temporary — in court. A federal court in Texas issued a nationwide injunction attempting to put a stop to the Department of Education's enforcement of Title IX to protect trans students. The Supreme Court also issued an
emergency stay blocking our client, a boy in Virginia who has been fighting for years to use the boy’s restroom, from using the restroom that all other boys used after he successfully challenged his school's policy in court. What about victories you’ve won? I have witnessed and been a part of countless successes — large and small. I have worked with trans people in prison to successfully fight for their health care despite relentless and systemic obstacles. Most recently my client, Chelsea Manning, was approved to undergo surgery while serving her prison sentence after a long fight for her health care. There is still so much work to be done, but it is especially important to honor the advocacy and achievements of those fighting for justice behind bars. We successfully stopped almost 200 anti-LGBT bills proposed by state legislatures last session and greatly shifted the public conversation about and media representation of trans people. Two weeks ago, a court blocked key provisions of North Carolina's anti-trans law as they applied to our client, hopefully paving the way for the ultimate fall of that horrible law. I have worked to bail people out of jail and fight their criminal cases, seen organizers win incredible campaigns and watched the many caretakers in our community help each other survive. In the face of so much hostility and violence, our community is powerful and resilient, and we will continue to see many successes and victories in the coming days and months. Do you think that Congressional
action on trans rights is something we’ll see anytime soon? Congressional action seems far off, but there are administrative wins happening every day, and we continue to fight for comprehensive legal protections from Congress, state legislatures and the courts. Federal legislation is an important goal, but there are many other things that can and must be done to ensure the survival and legal protection of trans people.
"Our entire legal system was founded and organized around an investment in maintaining chattel slavery ..." Chase Strangio '04 What advice do you have for people who want to help fight for the causes you fight for? There is so much to be done to organize and challenge the powerful forces that have long worked to systemically disenfranchise and harm people of color, people living in poverty, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBT people and so many others. Our entire legal system was founded and organized around an investment in maintaining chattel slavery and the economy it supported. Working within that system can be compromising, but it can also be transformative, and there are ways to tear down these mechanisms of violence through legal work. But it is by no means the only way, and I just encourage folks to find their path that gives them joy and sustains them and work within that path to redistribute resources — financial, emotional, logistical — and work towards a more just world.
little chance of winning. Anna Schierenbeck ’18 is the co-chair of Campus Democrats, a student organization which encourages student political participation. She does not think voting for third parties is wasteful despite the likelihood that such votes will not result in their candidate winning. “I don’t think it is wasting your vote to vote for third party,” Schierenbeck said, “Just because you should vote for the person that most aligns with your values. What I will say is that I think that, when you recognize the dominance of the twoparty system in this country, it is important, especially in presidential elections where it is harder for candidates to gain more votes, that you have to recognize that your vote probably won’t result in a win.” Schierenbeck pointed out that Iowa voters may not be in the best position to send a message by voting third party because Iowa is a swing state. “In the case of a high stakes presidential election where the two opposing Republican and Democrat candidates are so ideologically different,” Schierenbeck said “I think that it makes the most sense to vote for one of the two major
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parties.” Trish noted additional concerns for voters considering candidates from outside the two major parties. “It is really hard for third parties to compete in the US system,” she said. “The decks are stacked against them. The rules work to their disadvantage. Not just in the obvious ways. They’ve got to demonstrate a pretty monumental threshold to be included in the debate, for example. It is harder to get onto the ballot for them in many states. Everything seems to work against them. We don’t have a great history in the United States of third party or independent candidate success.” Trish added she that she does not believe third party votes are not wasted votes, although their impact is limited. “Also there is a message that comes with significant support for a third party candidate. Either a message that says you don’t like either of the major party options, or that there may be a policy message you’d like to send with your support of the Libertarian or Green party.” Johnson, Stein and McMullin will be on the Iowa ballot come election day.
SHACS welcomes counselors from University of Iowa Continued from Front Page suicide prevention resources here on campus,” Gallegos said. While the event on Tuesday marked SHACS's first open-enrollment QPR workshop of the semester, additional training sessions have been held with a range of student groups on campus. Such groups include Community Advisors, Resident Life Coordinators, Community Advisor Mentors and Student Athlete Mentors. SHACS also offers additional suicide prevention workshops, which can be hosted in conjunction with student groups on campus. While QPR training sessions have been offered at Grinnell in the past, the increased availability of suicide prevention workshops during the current fall semester is largely due to SHACS’s recent increased staffing and improved mental health resources. Reflecting on SHACS’s continual effort to improve their services, Deb Shill, Director of SHACS Operations, commented on the program’s newest developments. “Access to mental health care on campus is steadily improving. We are currently expanding our services through our collaboration with the University of Iowa doctoral program. We have also increased providers, which means increased availability for students. Already, we are definitely seeing students reaching out for and utilizing those resources,” Shill said. Such changes, which were outlined in a recent campus memo compiled by Associate Vice President for
Student Affairs Andrea Conner and Shill, include an extended team of seven full-time and part-time counselors. A portion of these counselors will stem from a recently established collaboration with the University of Iowa. Shill explained the development of SHACS’s partnership with the University of Iowa Doctoral Program. “We are really excited about the University of Iowa doctoral program. It is going to bring a great, additional aspect to our services here, through
"Our goal is to open up that conversation ... and continue to build on [mental health awareness] here at Grinnell." Beth Gallegos the incorporation of younger professionals onto our campus,” Shill said. Currently, four members of the University of Iowa Doctoral Program hold part-time positions at SHACS. These representatives include Charles Bermingham, PhD., the newly named Doctoral Program Director at SHACS; Erin Cannella, MEd, a doctoral graduate assistant from the University of Iowa; and Alexander Rice and Soeun Park, both doctoral practicum from the University of Iowa. Such growing developments in the mental health services provided by SHACS will help to meet the demands voiced by students in the past calling for additional doctors. “We’re very excited about the direction that we’re going in terms of growth and being able to meet the needs of students,” Gallegos said.
Features
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Edited by bohlkeli@grinnell.edu
On campus farm initiated by Center for Prairie Studies
By Michael Cummings cummings@grinnell.edu Students passionate about local foods could soon be able to get their hands dirtier in the realm of food justice — literally. Grinnell College may become home to its very own on campus farm, as a proposal initiated by the Center for Prairie Studies may soon get the administrative green light. Many groups support the idea for the project, including the Center for Prairie Studies, Bob’s Underground Café and Food for Thought. It has long been tossed around in the College administration, but in its current iteration it started several years ago, thanks in part to Rabbi Rob Cabelli, a member of
the Center for Prairie Studies Advisory Board. “My involvement in the farm project … began with feeling soon after I arrived here that a farm associated with the College would be a tremendous asset to the college, to the students, to the social justice mission and frankly all the missions of the College,” Cabelli said. “So I associated myself with the Center for Prairie Studies soon after coming here … four years ago and then became involved in what became a renewal of attempts to create a College farm.” Cabelli added that the project gained steam after members of the Center for Prairie Studies met with the trustees to decide whether or not to
purchase and construct a wind turbine. Some trustrees were hesitant about the wind turbines, so Cabelli’s idea was a fine alternative. “I proposed a different thing, which was the College farm, and there were some trustees who saw that very very favorably,” Cabelli said. “That probably helped me, and maybe even the Center for Prairie Studies, in feeling that this is what we really need to take on, and use that interest as a springboard." The Center for Prairie Studies then spent time drafting and revising proposals to build a farm right on campus. The Center submitted a proposal for the farm to the Innovation Fund a year ago, but the project was rejected for be-
ing too costly. Instead, the Innovation Fund granted the Center 10,000 dollars to explore and revise their proposal. “Based on those visits and on further conversations, we decided to go ahead and submit this year — in effect, resubmit,” said Professor Jon Andelson, Director of the Center for Prairie Studies. “Rob [Cabelli], Molly [Schintler, Real Foods Coordinator] and I have drafted the new proposal, which is due on the twentieth of September to the Innovation Fund,” Andelson continued. “The main categories in the budget are farm manager, consultants, who will be area farmers, student workers, programming, infrastructure costs … and farm operating costs like seed and so on. The limit on Innovation Fund proposals is three years, with a maximum of 50,000 dollars per year, and that’s exactly where we are.” Andelson noted that he, Cabelli and Schintler will submit this proposal next week, and are hoping to hear back from the Innovation Fund as soon as possible. “If we get funding, we would really like to start right away,” he said. In addition to the Center for Prairie Studies, many student organizations have taken interest in the proposal to create a farm. The students at Bob’s, for example, see a College farm as a way to sell more locally produced food to the student body. “Right now, all of the food we have at Bob’s is sourced from Walmart, so we definitely want to work on getting real food into Bob’s,” said Alosha Southern ’17, who works at Bob’s.
“Rabbi Rob has this vision … of Bob’s becoming the College eatery, like a lot of liberal arts schools have that on campus where there’s a café or something that serves only foods that are grown locally.” Additionally, the student group Food for Thought has been doing their part to raise support for the farm project. “Our goal is to get what we qualify as ‘real food’ on the College campus,” said Julia Dornbusch ’17, a member of Food for Thought, “So the food that’s produced from the College farm, that’s going to the Dining Hall, would directly relate to that goal of getting 20 percent real food by 2020. So as a group, we’re just doing what we can to support them, writing statements of support. Having a farm on campus would be a really valuable educational tool for college students as well as for community members.” Cabelli agrees strongly with that sentiment. “I don’t believe that there’s a single program or project that would be more transformative of the College or do more to help the college fulfill its entire package of mission, values and goals than the farm,” Cabelli said. “The farm as we envision it would have curricular and co-curricular components. The experience of students working on the farm, working with a professional farm manager, the experience of students eating the produce from the farm, all will be of enormous value of students.” Students interested in helping the farm proposal get approved can sign a petition online.
Science Fiction Association celebrates Star Trek's 50th anniversary By Louise Carhart carhartl17@grinnell.edu
First-year bonding to four years of science fiction
The Grinnell Science Fiction Association celebrated exploring time and space last week as “Star Trek” celebrated its 50th anniversary. What started as a way to meet like-minded people in the first semester of their first year has turned into a recognized student organization with a significant following and weekly meetings. Every Friday, the Association meets for five hours in the JRC to watch a medley of science fiction TV shows. “I just posted on Facebook one day that I was gonna watch ‘Dr. Who’ in James lounge, and then 30 people showed up,” said Lily Galloway ’17, Science Fiction Association co-founder. Following the 50th anniversary of “Star Trek”, the Sci-Fi Association threw a party to celebrate the event. They prepared for the event by making food and compiling an episode list for the night. “Star Trek” has been an important part of the Association since its inception. “We did make some cakes that looked like space … that was awe-
some. We watched the best episodes of the original series of ‘Star Trek,’” Galloway said. “We have consistently always watched one of the ‘Star Treks’ at any given time in Sci-Fi club. It’s so fun, but it’s also such a historic show.” The group began formally when Galloway and other sci-fans chose a lineup of shows to watch for five hours on Friday nights in James lounge after Galloway’s first post about "Dr. Who." As more and more people kept coming back, the group realized they needed to reserve the lounge. “Eventually, we figured out that if we were going to watch sci-fi for six hours every Friday night, we probably shouldn’t do it in the lounge because other people wanted to use the TV. So then we became an official organization and started meeting in the JRC,” Galloway said. As an official presence on campus, the Sci-Fi Association has organized weekly sci-fi marathons since 2013. Galloway has only fond memories and feels that it has been an indispensable facet of her Grinnell experience. She rarely misses a meeting and overall sees the Association as a time that has consistently provided a break
from the college and allowed them to enjoy some good TV. “It has just been so much fun to do something so informal. It’s just like watching TV with your best friends, … and you can always feel free to yell at the screen,” Galloway said. Beyond just being a time to catch up on television and hang out with a good group of people, Galloway sees connections between her studies at Grinnell and some of the TV shows popular with the Sci-Fi Association. “I’m an [Anthropology] student and I just love seeing the ways people contemplate first contact between humans and alien species and the ways that American culture has had an influence on the way they portray what people from other planets would be like,” Galloway said. “I always joke with people that my career goals are to become a space archaeologist because I love learning about other cultures and their history, but it would be amazing to be one of the people who gets to make contact with extra-terrestrials, … but mostly I just like it cause it’s fun.” Although Galloway is graduating, she hopes that the result of her
SARAH RUIZ
Emma Traband '18 and Lily Galloway '17 spend five hours enjoying scifi, including "Dr. Who" and "Star Trek," on Friday nights. first year efforts to create a welcoming community on campus will last beyond her years at Grinnell. She encourages first-years to try and identify
something they feel is missing from their Grinnell experience and pursue it, even if it’s as simple watching a favorite show with good friends.
Art House bridges divide between art and students
GARRETT WANG
Radhika Malaviya '18, Anna Warm '19, Vivian Cheslack '19, Leina'ala Voss '18 and Jinlin He '18 sitting on the porch of Art House, a new residential art space for different artists to come together and share their work. By Candace Mettle mettleca@grinnell.edu Watch out, Bucksbaum, there’s a new Art House in town. Last year, Jinlin He ’18 and Qianxue “Sno” Zhao ’19 decided to bring a student residential art space to Grinnell to foster and increase recognition of abilities and interest. Thus, Art House on 1023 Park St. was born just a couple of days after the duo submitted their proposal. “We believe that all forms of art
are connected, and that is important for all different kinds of artist[s] to understand because that's how art works throughout any time in history,” said Zhao in an email to The S&B. “We tried to have different types of artists (visual, musicians, dancers, etc.) to live together and develop and support relationships between art communities on campus.” Currently, eight students including Zhao and He live in Art House: Anna Warm ’19, the house coordinator for
Fall 2016, Vivien Cheslack ’19, Anna Tuchin ’19, Leina’ala Voss ’18, Radhika Malaviya ’18 and Josephine Sloyan ’18. Kirsten Gillis ’18 will join them in Spring 2017 and serve as house coordinator after her semester abroad. Despite their common interests, these housemates have an unusual origin. “[Jinlin and Sno] pretty much found all of us on Free & For Sale,” Warm said. So far, this almost coincidental matching has worked well for them, as
all the housemates agree the best thing about the house is the people, though Warm also celebrated when she found out the house she’d be sharing came with air conditioning. “I think that most of us didn’t know each other before [moving in],” Tuchin added. “But for example, [Malaviya] is my roommate, and I pretty much met her this year, and it’s been pretty good so far.” All housemates bond over creative writing as a main artistic interest, but each brings a different art medium as well. “I like to kind of smash everything together into these like heaving ungodly masses,” Tuchin said. “A lot of it is verbal and visual because, for me, that divide doesn’t exist too strongly. To be human, the most important thing that you need are stories of various sorts.” Others, like Cheslack and Malaviya, have discovered new artistic interests thanks to a full and working kitchen in the house. “I like to bake, which is [an] awesome part of having a kitchen,” Cheslack said. “I really want to get into cake decorating but it hasn’t happened yet — it’s one of my goals for the semester.” Although the group has only had two dinners together — affectionately referred to as family dinners — they have all individually created some foods. So far, Malaviya’s eggplant yogurt, a recipe from her mother, has been a big hit. More than providing an art-cen-
tered space, the house has been able to provide for artists in a way the school cannot. “On this campus, there are art spaces, but it’s often difficult to find yourself in a space with like-minded art people all at once,” said Sloyan. Cheslack, Voss and Warm also added that not everyone in the house had the fortune to become studio art majors or to get fully involved in their specific art styles. Voss, for example, intended to major in studio art, but could not get into the right classes at the right time. Warm specializes in scenic design and performance. However, one of the main goals of Art House is to make it an art space for all artists, regardless if they live in the house or not. It doesn’t matter if they had become an artist on craft day in elementary school, or more recently. “We’re trying to bridge the divide between art and students,” Warm said. To help create the bridge, Art SEPC and Tiny Dorm Concerts have reached out to Art House to assist the house in achieving their main objective. An open show with the three of them is in the very near future. “[Art House is] another venue for student artists to showcase their work,” explained Voss. Tuchin also stresses how Art House can be accessible to all in that it can be a location to store art pieces. With people like these eight, it is quite easy to see Art House replacing Bucksbaum as the student-artist headquarters.
Edited by carhartl17@grinnell.edu
Middle School evacuated due to alleged bomb threat
Community Rental houses leave students in the dark
SARAH RUIZ
Grinnell Community Middle School was evacuated due to a bomb threat, By Mira Braneck braneckm@grinnell.edu bomb threats in the past, including The Grinnell Community Mid- two in May 2014. dle School was evacuated due to a bomb threat on Friday, Sept. 9 "Unfortunately, my concern is that around 11 a.m. The threat was when you get kids who obviously found in the school in the form of want some alarming activity to a small note. happen, [incidents like this] become “I think it said something like more frequent." bomb at 12,” said Superintendent Janet Stutz, Superintendent Janet Stutz. “It was a note that was “My understanding is that there found on a small piece of paper that was found by some students were some instances like this in the … [We were] trying to figure out past,” Stutz said. “I talked to the was it new, was it fresh, was it old police chief regarding all of this, … it wasn’t an actual threat, it was and I know that there were instances like this at the high school.” a note. … There’s a difference.” Stutz emphasized the imporSchool administrators called the police after seeing the note, and tance of taking these incidents seultimately, both made the decision riously, acting quickly and engaging the police. to evacuate the school. “Unfortunately, my concern is “Obviously, this was precauthat when you get kids who obvitionary.” ously want some alarming activity to happen, [incidents like this] Janet Stutz, Superintendent become more frequent. That’s why “You have to be sure to take you have to handle these very careevery threat seriously and at least fully and engage your local authorhave a precautionary measure and ities and make a determination as involve your local authorities to to evacuation or not,” she said. make a good decision,” Stutz said. “Obviously, this was precaution“You’re trying to figure out where ary.” Stutz plans to use the incident the note was found, who was out of the classroom at the time … trying as an opportunity for the school to to identify who it might have been, strengthen its response procedures trying to make sure that there’s for bomb threats as well as other safety, trying to contact the police. potential emergencies. “I talked to the police chief and There’s a variety of different decisions that happen in the first 17 the fire chief as well, as I’d like to do some tabletop scenarios to minutes.” Stutz is not currently anticipat- practice some certain things in the ing any punitive measures towards event of an emergency … not just this, but any emergency,” she said. a student. “I don’t know if the student “We’ll specifically talk about how had ever been identified. We’re we can improve our response, what still in the midst of that investiga- can we do differently, how can we learn from this experience, how tion,” she said. Although other schools in the can we make sure our procedures district are more common targets are tightened up. We’ll use this as for bomb threats, Grinnell Com- a learning experience moving formunity Middle School has received ward.”
By Keli Vitaioli vitaioli@grinnell.edu While Grinnell has not had a permanent Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) center for years, the satellite location in the Community Center, opened once a week for issuing drivers licenses, has served an essential service to the community. With Grinnell LLC’s purchase of the Community Center, the building will be renovated into a 45 room hotel, displacing the DMV indefinitely. The firm asked the DMV to be cleared out by Nov. 1, after which the closest DMV to Grinnell in Poweshiek County will be in Montezuma, 22 miles away. The Community Center currently houses the 10 city officials of the town, including Mayor Gordon Canfield. Extra offices in the three-story building were rented out to other institutions such as rehabilitation facilities, school district offices and the DMV. Built in 1923, the building was becoming more expensive to repair than it would be for the city officials to move to a new location — the site of the former Transportation Museum in town, which the city still owns after the museum closed in 2015. Though the closing of the DMV is an inconvenience for the members of the community, Canfield
5
By Zane Silk silkzane@grinnell.edu
In October 2013, when Duane Neff inspected 1217 Fifth Ave., he was met by a welcoming committee of cockroaches and leaky pipes had forced the water to be shut off for more than three days. The house ranks among the top five worst Neff has seen — even after 35 years of experience inspecting homes, and the house has not changed since. Because Grinnell tenants deal with problems like this and more, the City of Grinnell is attempting to propose a rental inspection program for the second time in five years. In 2011, the City’s Planning Committee first considered an inspection program, which would have required all rental properties to be inspected annually at a cost of 50 dollars to the landlord. “We proposed an ordinance, took it to committee. … it never went to council, because through the committee, landlords basically were the ones who were at the meetings, spoke against it, and so at the time, the council determined not to do anything,” said Neff, who serves as the Director of Building and Planning and authored the 2011 proposal. In Iowa, only municipalities with over 15,000 people must have a rental inspection program, exempting Grinnell despite the city’s housing stock being 36.8 percent rental properties, nearly 25 percent higher than the state as a whole. Currently, the City can only order inspections on the basis of a complaint from the tenants or owners, or in rare cases, by getting a search warrant, and either Neff or his assistant conducts them. “We usually get, I’d say an average of, it’s not very many, four or five [complaints from tenants annually], and usually it’s when college students’ parents come to either move them in or move them out and they see the condition of what their son or daughter has rented,” Neff said. Neff cites his October 2013 inspection of 1217 Fifth Ave. as the main motivation for re-launching the rental inspection initiative. “The day that we went in there, there were two tenants for the eight units in there. The water had been turned off for the three days prior to that because of so many leaks. There were electrical issues, they were having heating issues, cooling issues, rodent issues,” Neff said. “Lots and lots of cockroaches. … Light fixtures were broken. The plaster was all cracked and falling off.” Following the inspection and relocation of the tenants and a year and half of negotiations between lawyers, property owner Dave Seaba agreed that by the end of 2016 he would do one of three things: sell the house, fix all of the issues and get the house up to code or demolish
it. Currently, no action has been taken and the property remains as it has for the past three years, boarded up and empty. The long, drawn out case of 1217 Fifth Ave. eventually led to concrete steps towards a new proposal during the City Council’s annual retreat earlier this year. “At their meeting they decided they felt like rental inspection was on of the top priorities they wanted to look at,” Neff said. The idea caught on to convene an independent taskforce to review the 2011 proposal and to create a new proposal for the council to vote on. Most likely, the council will vote on Oct. 3 on whether to convene the taskforce, which would be composed of City staff, tenants, landlords and ordinary citizens. If approved, Neff thinks the taskforce will have a final proposal by March 2017, and he hopes the taskforce will help reduce opposition relative to 2011. Unfortunately for Neff, some of the old opposition is not budging, including Seth Rozendaal who, together with his parents Bill and Norma Rozendaal, owns and manages a number of rental properties in Grinnell. “This is kind of how the government works. When they don’t have the support to get something through, they’ll just try over and over and over until finally it passes,” Rozendaal said, who distrusts the City because of issues like the Iowa Museum of Transportation’s foreclosure last year. “You get a worse service at a higher cost whenever you do a government thing versus [private companies].” A major point of concern for Rozendaal is the cost of the program, especially given his view that the rental inspection program would require a new fulltime inspector. However, Neff is adamant that there would be no new hires. “It’s going to be tough, I understand that, it’s not like I don’t have anything else to do, but we’ll get through it,” Neff said.
Grinnell has approximately 1,300 rental housing units, according to The American Community Survey, meaning that inspecting the whole rental stock in a year would require roughly five inspections each business day. Neff conceded that, without any new staff, the first round of inspections might take more than a year. According to Rozendaal, landlords are not alone in their opposition as many of their tenants do not want to shoulder the burden of the costs either. “I think a lot of the tenants themselves are against it, just because of these costs that are associated with it, first of all they’ll never go away, they never go down and they always go up, and they always get pushed out on to the end user, which, in this case, is the tenant,” he said. One tenant who supports the program is Louis Engleman ’17, who lives with a few housemates in a house on High St. that has been occupied by Grinnell students going back several years. After moving in June 1, Engleman received a water bill for June 10 through Aug. 9 of 740 dollars, much of which he believes is due to a leaky toilet. “This problem supposedly started just about a week after our landlord did a walkthrough the house," Engleman said. "And if it started that soon after, … we think she didn’t do a good enough job examining the place." “I knew the tenants that lived here last year, and that toilet was an issue. … It had to be fixed multiple times,” said Rebekah Rennick ’18, a friend of Engleman’s who said that his landlord had a responsibility to inform him and his housemates of those issues so they could watch for it. At the time The S&B went to print, Engleman’s landlord agreed to pay 200 dollars of the bill. Engleman believes that City-recognized inspectors would likely have had the leaky toilet fixed, saving him and his housemates a hefty water bill.
Grinnell DMV outpost to close believes the new hotel can stimulate some much-needed economic growth. “The purpose for the hotel is to strengthen the downtown,” Canfield said. “The hotel will have a small bar and a breakfast room, but it will not have a restaurant. The idea is that the people who stay here will go to the other restaurants in town. … [The hotel’s event center] will be used for events, but if they want food for an event then they’ll cater in from these other restaurants and spark up business for these restaurants in town.” The benefits of the DMV reached thousands of miles beyond that of the Grinnell community — domestic and international students of the College would use the location to renew or receive a United States driver’s license. Nirabh Koirala ’17 never received his license at home in Nepal, and the one he got in Grinnell not only allows him to drive but also allows him to occasionally travel without his passport. Koirala chose to get his license in the States because he believes it is much easier to pass the driving test here than in Nepal. He passed his driving test after the second time he took it, and has since returned with other international students to provide support during their tests. Koirala may be one of few guests
Movies at the Strand
for which the DMV evokes pleasant memories. “There’s a little bit of sentiment attached to me getting my license, and failing it and then getting it with Louise [Carhart ‘17],” Koirala said. “And then I went back with a Nepali first-year, and he got it, and I was his mentor — so there’s a little bit of sentiment attached to that.” Mayor Canfield himself, however, has fond memories from before the building served as the community center. “We are sitting in my old junior high school,” Canfield said. “The school sold this building to the City of Grinnell for one dollar.” The DMV was paying no rent to use the space in the Community Center. At the time of the interview, Canfield was unsure whether there would be enough space in the new city building to continue that arrangement with the DMV. The responsibility for funding the DMV location falls on Poweshiek County. According to Mayor Canfield, though 60 percent of the population of Poweshiek resides in Grinnell, they are reluctant to fund a location in town due to there already being one in Newton. This puts the responsibility to find a location and pay for it on the DMV, and
NERVE
Showtimes: 4 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 8:50 p.m. Two teenagers think its a good idea to play a mass internet game of truth or dare. Surprisingly this goes poorly.
SARAH RUIZ
The DMV outpost in Grinnell previously provided a convenient option for acquiring driver's licenses. by extension, on the City of Grinnell. “We have not found a space for them at this point, not to say we won’t, but so far, we have not been fortunate,” Canfield said. “It’s an inconvenience.” Canfield is hopeful the City will find a space for a new satellite DMV location, but the search is hindered by special security and communications requirements for the satellite DMV to be able to communicate with the Iowa
DON'T BREATHE Showtimes: 4:10 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. A "found footage" movie that's probably not as good as the "Blair Witch Project."
Department of Transportation. “I think it will be a disservice to the international [students] to get either their state IDs or driver’s licenses,” Koirala remarked. “It was hard enough as it is, given that it would’ve only opened on Wednesday mornings, but now you need to go to Newton or Montezuma.” —Louise Carhart '17 is the Community Editor
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 3:50 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:40 p.m. Find out what a bunch of cute pets do when their owners away in a film that actually looks pretty funny.
6
Sports
Volleyball set for season success
By Louise Carhart carhartl17@grinnell.edu
The Grinnell women’s volleyball team is off to a promising start this season, as they extended their three game win streak this past Tuesday against Iowa Wesleyan. Handily winning the game 3-0, the team remains optimistic that the mental changes they’ve made this season will continue to guide them to favorable outcomes. “We all had a full day of class and a full day of Grinnell life and a night of the crazy Iowa storm,” said Christine Hood ’17, a defensive specialist (DS) Libero and starter for the team. “We came out swinging.” While still in the early stages, the team is readying for a tournament in Rock Island, Ill. that promises to give more insight into what the rest of the season will look like. As of right now, the team is impressed with the progress they’ve made over the summer and hopes their early success will continue as they begin to play conference matches. “I think there’s better chemistry, we seem to be more cooperative and more willing to work which has made a huge improvement,” said Emma Willhardt ’19, a middle blocker for the team. Over the summer, the team followed a summer lifting program that included running and agility workouts to help ease the transition from time off to preseason. These plans were especially valuable this year as preseason was
the team sees the majority of their success coming from a shift in mentality from past years. For Hood, time abroad changed how she viewed not only her place on the volleyball team, but also as a Grinnell student. “As a volleyball player, I’ve evolved a lot. When you take a break from the volleyball atmosphere and the Grinnell atmosphere, you realize how much you love it and how much more you appreciate it than you did before,” Hood said. This appreciation seems to have permeated the rest of the team, as they begin to prepare for their first conference game against Cornell College on Sept. 28 and look beyond to what will hopefully be a successful season. “There’s been a marked change from last year to this year already. We’ve already won more this year than we di last year so that’s fantastic, and I think that we’re set up much better to continue that momentum and to continue working hard,” Willhardt said. The team will play this coming weekend in Rock Island, Ill. and at home again on Oct. 1 against Ripon College.
shorter and the team was playing tournament games relatively early. Thankfully, the combination of summer workouts, preseason and a cohesive team has worked in their favor. “We’re all about the goal setting. Every day we go to practice, and we have to set individual goals and write them on a chalkboard so we’re held accountable to them,” said Deanna Taylor ’18, a DS for the team. “At the beginning of the year we set goals as a team, which we’re crushing honestly.” This adherence to goals and the understanding of the expectations put on every player has resulted in a team that feels confident in their ability to prepare and play to the best of their ability. Having graduated three players last year and starting four seniors this year, it is also a team that is experienced with each other. “We like to study our opponents through film, [and] through stats so we come in prepared knowing what’s going to work, what’s not,” Taylor said. The preparation before games is crucial to the team’s success and marks a change from previous years when it may not have been as emphasized. “That was part of why we started off slow [last year] I think, was that it took us so long to adapt that we spent the entire first set of a match learning what was happening on the other side of the court,” Willhardt said. “This year we’ve been able to come out and just know where we need to be set up on the court, exactly where we need to hit.” Despite these technical advantages,
Olivia Fromm '17 spikes the ball against Iowa Wesleyan University.
that seemed to be the catalyst for the Pioneers to tighten up their game. “We kinda got settled in, the defense really held each other accountable, I think that really helped,” said Regan Kasprak ’19, who is currently serving as the team’s temporary goalkeeper. Throughout the game, Kasprak had nine saves, despite being backup to Polly Carr ’18, who is currently nursing a concussion. This performance was also on the back of a shutout on Saturday at Buena Vista University. “I’ve never played goalkeeper, [but] I play on the basketball team here, so [Coach Kirsten Koester] kinda thought that athleticism wise I’d be OK,” said Kasprak. Offensively, for the first 20 minutes, Grinnell pursued a “long ball” strategy, having the defense punt it for strikers Carolyn Silverman ’17 and Valencia Alvarez ’20 to take the ball and run towards net. This style of play turned out to be largely ineffective, and oftentimes succeeded just at turning over possession to Coe. Later in the half, however, the Pioneers focused on bringing up their midfield into Coe’s side of the field, and that led to a multitude of chances on goal. Reacting to the new attack, Coe’s back line began to play rough. Several fouls gave Grinnell numerous chances right outside Coe’s box, yet the Pioneers never capitalized on the opportunities. Silverman took five shots on net throughout the game, and many of these were off these set plays. The momentum did bring new life to the Pioneers
though, and by halftime the team was optimistic that they could come back. Starting the second half, the Pioneers decided to take a more methodical, organized approach to the match. Co-Captain Nora Sahel ’17 shored up the midfield, taking a lot of back passes from the strikers as they set up an attacking structure around Coe’s box. This strategy led to a lot more organic chances by the Silverman and Alvarez, who attempted to capitalize on the plethora of crosses that were now coming in from Sahel, Lauren Hurley ’18 and LilyRose Weiss ’18. Eventually, the Pioneer's renewed energy was rewarded when a foul was called in Coe’s right corner, and Sahel stepped up to take the kick. She placed the ball high and in the center, and soon a tussle ensued in the box. Out of the chaos, Weiss was able to touch a foot to the ball and put a low shot into the net, tying up the score. With only 15 minutes left on the clock, Coe renewed their aggressive style. Fouls happened all over the field, and exasperated calls to the referee seemed to be the norm. Despite hard play on both sides of the field, the score was still tied at 90 minutes and overtime began. Until the last few minutes of second overtime, it seemed like a stalemate was going to ensue, but then a Coe player notched her first career goal to push her team to victory. Even though they put another “L” into their rivalry record, Grinnell is confident that they can bounce back against Nebraska Wesleyan this Saturday, Sept. 17 on Springer Field.
RAE KUHLMAN
Women's soccer remain valiant
By Jon Sundby sundbyj17@grinnell.edu
At the start of Wednesday’s game, the Grinnell women’s soccer team probably did not think they were going into overtime. Coe College’s aggressive strikers weren’t letting up, and it only took 13 minutes before one of them was able to take advantage of their forward play to tap in a goal. Yet as the match went on, the Pioneers were able to find their legs, and by the time the buzzer went off, the players could say they put on an admirable performance, even if it did register as a 2-1 loss on their schedule. In the first few minutes of the game, however, Coe was quick to establish dominance. Moving their midfielders into positions outside Grinnell’s box, Coe was able to sustain their momentum for a while, enabling quick runs towards the net that kept Grinnell’s defensive line reeling back on their toes. It was off one of these runs that Coe’s star striker was able to capitalize, threading through gaps in Grinnell’s defenders to put one in. It was this goal, however,
DENNIS CHAN
Forward Simona Bambi '20 fights for control against Coe College.
Edited by mettleca@grinnell.edu
Les Duke spirit
By Tommy Odonnel odonnel@grinnell.edu
On Saturday, the College hosted its annual Les Duke cross country meet. Teams from 17 colleges competed with over 400 individual runners taking part. This year, the Les Duke invitational was held at the Grinnell Country Club and saw a significant portion of the student body, as well as numerous faculty members, who came to support both men’s and women’s cross country teams. Emma Zimmerman ’18, who finished in eighth place on the six kilometer women’s course in 25 minutes, was well aware of the impact home advantage had on both teams. “It’s such an amazing energy, it’s really exciting. So many different teams come out, like the swim team are such a great group of supporters,” Zimmerman said. “They painted their bodies for us. The women’s soccer team also came out, and that energy is so amazing, and it drives us when we have so much support and hear all that cheering.” Anthony Mclean ’17, who finished in twelfth place in the eight kilometer men’s race with a time of 28 minutes and six seconds, also commented on the impact of competing at home. “It’s always a fun experience just because people who aren’t usually able to come and watch could, so it was fun for so many faculty and students to be involved,” Mclean said. Both the men’s and women’s teams were happy with the results, finishing fourth and fifth respectively in their competitions. “I was really happy with how we did. I think that we all worked together really well. We did a good job of this, especially in the first mile working off of our teammates, [by] not going out too hard,” Zimmerman said. Conditions for the meet were less than ideal, with many large patches of mud making times sig-
nificantly slower. Many of the competitors had never run such a slow course; however, this didn’t impair their overall team performance. “Our team is just really good at dealing with adversity, and we kind of use adverse conditions to our advantage because everyone has to deal with the same conditions,” Zimmerman said. “So it is a lot about who doesn’t let it get them down the most. Due to the bad weather, another meet in Iowa was cancelled which led to more teams joining the Les Duke invitational and making it an even more interesting and competitive race, Mclean added.
"It's such an amazing energy, it's really exciting. So many different teams come out, like the swim team are such a great group of supporters." Emma Zimmerman, student “We definitely had some pretty impressive competitors, but I think they are always surprised by how much we improve over the season and never know if we will come back and bite them — which is always the goal,” Zimmerman noted. Another positive outcome of the meet was the performance of the incoming freshman who have just joined the team, in particular Jackson Schulte ’20 who finished twenty-seventh in the men’s race with a time of 28 minutes and 55 seconds. “I think that it is really important to thank the student body for coming out and supporting us. I think that really helped the whole team. We all love this meet because of the support we get from faculty and the student body.” Both the men's and women's cross country teams are off until Sept. 23, when they will compete in the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational hosted by Augustana College.
TAKAHIRO OMURA
The men's cross country team successfully heads towards the finish line.
Spotlight: Brenda Guan '20 Hailing from Ankeny, Iowa, one of the main perks of the College for Brenda Guan '20 was the closeness to home. However, once she got to interact with the team, she realized how much more the College had to offer. Nora Coghan '17 interviewed Guan for The S&B to discuss her first year thus far.
The S&B: How long have you been playing tennis? Brenda Guan: I’ve played since I was in seventh grade, so this would be six years and counting.
that surrounds the team. You have a more invested coach — you have teammates that are just so incredible. I can’t really explain why, but the atmosphere of the team is a lot closer than anything that I experienced in high school. And also traveling is different. You travel for longer periods of time, and there is also the challenge of balancing schoolwork in college. In high school, there really wasn’t any homework to worry about. In college, it’s really about
that life of finding ‘when can I work on homework, and when can I not,’ and making sure you’re … satisfying those physical needs, like sleep, but also getting that work done. Finding that time even outside of tennis is such a big time commitment. The S&B: Given that tennis is big time commitment, are you involved in any other activities at Grinnell? BG: Not yet. It’s been a month
The S&B: What made you want to keep playing in college? BG: It was just a big goal of mine. Especially in high school, I knew I wanted to. I really just love the sport and the fact that you can never be too good for yourself. You can always get better. Personally, I play tennis because it’s [been important to] my character. It’s very good for my own personal development, I think. Mentally and emotionally, it’s very challenging and I always like a challenge, that kind of thing. The S&B: As this is your first year, how has it been different playing college tennis versus playing tennis in high school? BG: Just the community, I guess,
ELLEN SCHOENMAKER
Brenda Guan has been thrilled with her time as a Grinnell Student Athlete.
now since I moved on campus, and I think I’ve at least started to find my footing. I want to just get settled in first, fully, before I get myself involved in anything. I don’t want to over-commit myself too early. The S&B: What has been your favorite part of being on the team so far? BG: Just the friends I’ve been able to make. They really were amazing to me, especially in the first couple of weeks that I was here [during] that big adjustment. They’re all upper classmen, there’s only one other first-year, so they were just there for me, a stronger they’ve never met before. Now, we’re just a month in, and they are these amazing people that I consider friends now. The S&B: If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? BG: I would go to London. I visited this past summer, but it was only for a couple of days, and I just loved it there. The history of the United Kingdom and the city … was really just incredible. It’s on the River Thames, and I really have a soft spot for water. It’s a beautiful city, and if I could live anywhere in the world, or just
visit even, I would go back. The S&B: Since you’re from Iowa, did you always know you wanted to go to school close to home? BG: I did not actually. When it came down to picking Grinnell, I chose Grinnell over a school in Washington D.C., and the biggest reason was because it was so close to home for me. I don’t regret that decision at all. I’m an Iowan who thinks that Iowa is super boring and whatnot, but I love the culture here [at Grinnell] and the people here. It’s amazing to be able to experience it. It feels like a completely different world here, even though I’m so close to home still. I don’t regret it at all. It’s been an amazing experience. I’m still in Iowa, and I don’t mind it at all. The S&B: Do you have any pets? BG: No, I don’t, very boring answer. I had a hermit crab in like seventh or eighth grade, and it died on me. It was really creepy because it crawled out of its shell, and then it just died, and I didn’t notice it until a couple days later. It scared me out of my boots. It was terrible. I had my dad go bury it, and I don’t even know whether or not he did. [Hermit crabs] are so high maintenance and so boring.
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The Cultural Films Committee
September 18 presents “Viva” Sunday, 5:30pm JRC 101
VIVA presenta a Héctor Medina como Jesús, un joven estilista que trabaja en un club de espectáculos de transformistas en La Habana, que sueña con ser un artista. Animado por su consejero, Mama (Luis Alberto García), Jesús finalmente consigue su oportunidad de subir al escenario. Pero cuando su padre Ángel ( Jorge Perugorría ), de quien estaba separado, vuelve a entrar bruscamente a su vida, su mundo cambia. Como padre e hijo se enfrentan por sus expectativas opuestas entre ellos, VIVA se convierte en una historia de amor cuando los hombres luchan por comprender el uno al otro y reconciliarse como una familia. Cuba/Irlanda; 100 minutos.
VIVA stars Héctor Medina as Jesus, a young hairdresser working at a Havana drag club, who dreams of being a performer himself. Encouraged by his mentor, Mama (Luis Alberto García), Jesus finally gets his chance to take the stage. But when his estranged father Angel (Jorge Perugorría) abruptly reenters his life, his world is quickly turned upside down. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, VIVA becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and reconcile as a family. Cuba/Ireland; 100 min
Panel discussion following screening Prof Alfredo Rivera (Art History) Prof John Petrus (Spanish) Jaclyn Abing ‘17; Frank Barca ‘17 Armando Perez ‘17 Nelson Schicke ‘18
Cuban-themed dinner buffet included.
Come work for us earn some cash
writers meetings - 3 p.m. Photographers meetings - 3:30 p.m. Sundays in JRC 220
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Like to write? Got some thoughts? Well, you're in luck The S&B needs: • Rants • Raves • Letters to the Editor submit them online at thesandb.com or email them to [newspapr] and [sundbyjo17]
Arts
Edited by coghlann17@grinnell.edu
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Chen Yi talks merging East and West through music
Cassidy Hillburn hillburn@grinnell.edu
Grinnell College’s Center for Humanities sponsored one of the first events of this year’s speaker series entitled “Rethinking Global Cultures” earlier this week on Sept. 13. Dr. Chen Yi spoke with the goal of exploring cultures on a global scale. Yi is a professor at the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a composer who produces music blending East and West tradition, Born in Guangzhou, China in the early 1950s, Chen Yi describes music as a main focus of her life since she was a child. “[My parents] raised me to love music and be trained as a musician. I started piano lessons when I was three, and violin when I was four,” she said. Raised by medical doctors who were huge fans of Western music, Chen grew up aware of the cultural divide that existed in having music rooted in a background different from her own. “I didn’t realize at first that they were all dead white men,” she said, “I remember [when I realized], my dad and I were listening to recordings of Heifetz and Kreisler playing their own compositions, and my dad turned and said to me that it would be great if I
could one day play my own works like what they did.” In coming to Grinnell, Chen’s focus was to highlight music as an agent for sharing culture, specifically between Eastern and Western cultures. “The main thing is to introduce the cultures and blend the cultures through my own creation,” she said. Though she has worked with students for over 30 years, her aim has remained consistent: to further understanding of other cultures. She returned to China as a visiting professor several years ago and brought students with her to learn from and gain understanding of a culture different from their own. The result, she said, is the creation of a “same, shared generation of connection. [It becomes] not only about teaching but sharing the same understandings. That is why exchange is so important — and exchange programs.” Chen, seeing parallels between the knowledge Grinnell focuses on and her own interests of working towards a multicultural global future, was excited by the culture Grinnell teaches. “Grinnell College … is very visionable; you can see the long term goal, and this is very beneficial for the next generation,” she said. “When you graduate and think back, you will know the global
culture, you [will understand] why this education was so important.” Looking forward, Chen seeks to continue composing more exciting and meaningful works bridging the cultures of East and West and sharing ideas through her own musical creations. “I believe this [can] improve the understanding between people from different cultural back-
grounds, and work towards peace, of our world in the present time, and for the future.” She also encouraged others to engage with music and bring their personal cultural identity into music in new ways. She sees studying internationally as a key tool in this aim and enthusiastically encourages interested students around the world both to treasure their tradi-
XIAOXUAN YANG
Chen Yi spoke about her work as a composer this week.
Writers@Grinnell: Chris Martin
at poetry and bring real strength to it, but recognizing what it is about the fundamentals of poetry that lend themselves to autistic thought, and the really transformative possibilities of poetry. … And it’s great to find a way back into poetry as a group, and to find the ways in which it really changes lives.
ALICE HERMAN
Chris Martin fielded questions from students and staff in JRC 209 on Thursday.
Author Chris Martin continued the Writers @Grinnell series this week, sharing a few of his works at a poetry reading and leading a round table on Thursday. Martin has written three collections of poetry: “The Falling Down Dance,” “Becoming Weather,” and “American Music,” the last of which was selected for the Hayden Carruth Award. Additionally, he is a co-founder and writing teacher at Unrestricted Interest, a program dedicated to enriching the lives of unconventional learners and students on the autism spectrum through poetry. At his roundtable on Thursday, Martin gave students insight on his first forays into poetry, how he approaches the writing process and his love for rap.
The S&B: What does your writing process look like? Chris Martin: It looks really different for song, rap and poetry. With rap, one of the things that I’ve always done is walk around. So, when I’m writing raps, I’m really more like a Romantic poet, like Wordsworth walking around the Lake District. And especially when I lived in San Francisco and New York, I may have looked crazy because … I’d go around rapping, but it was the best way to work on it. And I think that’s true about poems, too; if you ever want to really nail a poem, memorize it because the parts that are wrong will drive you crazy. My process writing poetry has really changed over the years quite a bit. My favorite
tions and to explore new adventures. “We need to love people, love nature, love our society and work hard in our community. Everything coexisting in the world would be an inspiration for our innovative creation in our own voice.” “To all of our young students,” she said, “you are the hope of the future of our world.”
thing is to wake up, make a cup of coffee right away and then go read something that’s a little over my head, whether it’s something more abstract in poetry or philosophy, and I’ll read it until either misread something in a really interesting way or encounter something I disagree with or want to see it taken in a different way, and that’s where the poem starts. The S&B: I see you co-founded Unrestricted Interest to help bring poetry to unconventional learners and students on the autism spectrum. Can you tell me a little bit about your inspiration for this? CM: [My inspiration was] not only just seeing these writers who struggle in so many areas of their life excel
The S&B: Who are some of the first poets you were drawn to? CM: When I grew up, I had this nagging suspicion that, for some reason, I wanted to be a poet before I knew what that meant. And I bought into this idea of the poet as a way to be in the world, rather than just a way to write. Then that got hyperbolically extended by reading the Beats, as it does for a lot of teenagers. When I got to school and took my first class with a poet, which was this incredibly transformative moment, the poet who was teaching the class would tell me these little stories about the poets we were reading. He would have these great anecdotes about how they ate dinner or something. That’s when I knew you could be a poet in the world, that that was a real possibility. I remember [in college] we each had to choose a poet to do a presentation on and … I choose Robert Creeley and, lucky for me, Robert Creeley turned out to be connected to, like, every major poetry tradition starting in the middle of last century. So, by learning about Creeley, who I fell in love with right away, he was involved with things that were going on in San Francisco, he was a central figure for the Black Mountain School, he was involved with the New York poets. He just had this really capacious interest in poetic forms
The S&B: Do you have any advice for aspiring spoken word poets? CM: For me, the most important thing about reading a poem is finding a line of energy and following it because the performance of the poem taps into that entrainment, that rhythm that bonds people, when you enter the flow of it. And, to me, that’s interesting because there’s this long debate in rap between freestyle and rhythm rap. The S&B: Which works will you be reading [at the reading]? CM: I’ll mostly be reading from my new book The Falling Down Dance. I wanted to read these because there’s numerous poems in it that have songs embedded in them or references to songs. I’ll also be reading a poem from my first book that has a cascade of references right towards the end. The S&B: What writing are you working on now? CM: One of the things about the vitality of poetry right now and the way it has intertwined itself with cultural and political movements is that I’ve had to ask myself: does the world really need another book of poems by a white, cis, middle-class guy? And I don’t know. I’m not sure. I also want to enter into the conversation, so I’ve been writing a lot of poems about race and finding most of them to be terribly insufficient. It’s been a really immense challenge, but that’s the thing I’m most interested in: trying to figure it out. My wife and I and another artist in Minneapolis, we started a small press that’s going to be publishing a lot of writers of color and a lot of politically motivated works. The aim of the press is to bridge the gap between poetry and politics.
Robert Glasper Trio promises more than just jazz By Halley Freger fregerha17@grinnell.edu
The Robert Glasper Trio is playing a show at Grinnell tonight, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Unlike most shows hosted by Grinnell Concerts, this show will not be in Gardner Lounge, a dorm basement, but rather in the beautiful Sebring-Lewis Hall, a seemingly fitting location for a Grammy Award-winning artist. In fact, this show is unlike most Grinnell Concerts shows in a number of ways. "An innovator, Glasper is not afriad to explore different sounds and genres, as the Trio as shown by covering artists from Radiohead to John Legend. " Although Grinnell Concerts has hosted many artists with jazz influences — just last week we brought Xenia Rubinos, who is trained as a jazz vocalist — we have never had a classic jazz trio. A jazz trio is a group of three jazz musicians, often a pianist, a double bass player and a drummer. But this isn’t just any jazz trio
— this is the project of renowned jazz pianist and record producer Robert Glasper. Joined by drummer Damion Reid and bassist Vicente Archer, Glasper creates spellbinding jazz, driven by his skillful piano playing. An innovator, Glasper is not afraid to explore different sounds and genres, as the Trio has shown by covering artists from Radiohead to John Legend. With his other project The Robert Glasper Experiment, Glasper pushes the boundaries of jazz to an extreme, exploring aggressive sounds in a combination of neo-soul, hip-hop, gospel, rock and R&B. With music, we are constantly categorizing. We imagine a concert in a basement as being much different than a concert in a fancy performance hall. But what kind of music belongs in each space? By collaborating with, producing and covering popular music artists, Glasper troubles our understanding of strict genre divisions. Although he is a jazz pianist, he has worked with a number of artists within hip-hop and R&B, including Kanye West, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Mos Def and Q-Tip.
He was featured prominently on Kendrick Lamar’s highly acclaimed 2015 release “To Pimp A Butterfly.” "Jazz isn't just a genre our parents listen to -- it's part of our favorite hip-hop albums. Glasper plays a prominent role within hip-hop music.". Jazz isn’t just a genre our par-
ents listen to — it’s part of our favorite hip-hop albums. Glasper plays a prominent role within hiphop music, pulling hip-hop influence into his jazz music and jazz influence into the hip-hop music of the artists he collaborates with. Yes, this concert will be in a concert hall and feature a jazz trio, but it’s also
closely tied to music made in basements and clubs. You don’t want to miss this show. Come hear Glasper’s innovative jazz tonight. This is a ticketed event, so don’t forget to pick up a ticket at the Box Office in Bucksbaum, open from 12-5 p.m. on weekdays.
CONTRIBUTED
The Robert Glasper Trio will perform in Sebring- Lewis this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Arts
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Edited by coghlann17@grinnell.edu
Lady Gaga unveils our "Perfect Illusion" on “American Horror Story: Hotel.” "Whether you are, were or never were a Little Monster, Gaga's latest evolution as a singer-song-writer will have your feet aching to hit the dance floor and to #danceyourtruth."
CONTRIBUTED
Lady Gaga released her single, "Perfect Illusion" last week and recently announced her new album "Joanne" will be available on October 21. By Abdiel Lopez lopezabd@grinnell.edu I became a Little Monster when I first watched the iconic MTV VMA performance of “Paparazzi.” I was only 12 back then, but the theatrical performance left me shaken and gaga for Gaga. Since then, Gaga
released the anthem for my coming out story (“Born This Way”), a song about the many men we love but are toxic for us (“Judas”) and two records that unfortunately divided the fandom: “ARTPOP” and “Cheek to Cheek.” Despite breaking musical chart records across the world and proving her vocals to her haters with
her last two albums, “ARTPOP” was her lowest point of her pop musical career, and “Cheek to Cheek” was largely ignored by her millennial fans. Lady Gaga soon faded into the background and made the transition from the musical studio to the small screen with her award-winning performance of The Countess
Fast forward to a year later to Aug. 17, 2016 when Gaga awoke all the dormant Little Monsters — old and new — with the news that she, the Queen of Pop, would release her first single off her fifth studio album, “Perfect Illusion”, in September. I immediately logged on to gagadaily.com to confirm my source, but as soon as I saw the forum, it was inundated with Little Monsters around the world ready for the coming of our Savior’s newest single, album and possibly world tour. Somehow the days seemed to go by more slowly as I waited for September to come. Rumor had it that “Perfect Illusion” was slated to come out on Sept. 2, but the date came and went, and I was still left with listening to “The Fame Monster” on repeat. Six days later, I logged on to my Twitter account during a meeting with the Student Organization of Latinxs, and my entire timeline was full of gifs of people crying, fainting and dying. I knew my Queen had done it once again. After the meeting, I sped down the main stairs of the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center, sat down at the
Grill, bought the song and jammed in the middle of the Grill to the powerful voice of Lady Gaga. In my eight years as a Little Monster, I have lived through enough heartbreak and cut enough friends out of my circle to think that the lyrics of “Perfect Illusion” were written to fit my life perfectly. Gaga heartbreakingly sings: “My guessing game is strong / Way too real to be wrong / Caught up in your show / Yeah, at least now I know / It wasn’t love, it wasn’t love / It was a perfect illusion.” With guitars playing beautifully in the background and with a sonically-orgasmic key change towards the two-minute mark of the song, Gaga manages to critique society’s obsession with constructed perfection as illustrated through our various social media appearance(s). "I became a Little Monster when I first watched the iconic MTV VMA performance of "Paparazzi." I was only 12 back then, but the theatrical performance left me shaken and gaga for Gaga." Whether you are, were or never were a Little Monster, Gaga’s latest evolution as a singer-songwriter will have your feet aching to hit the dance floor and to #danceyourtruth. Gaga announced the release of her new album, “Joanne,” on Sept. 15. It will be available on Oct. 21, 2016.
River Tiber and Romo. fill Gardner with unique sound By Halley Freger fregerha17@grinnell.edu On Tuesday night, Grinnellians took a break from their homework and made their way to Gardner Lounge to watch a mesmerizing performance from Toronto’s River Tiber. Romo., the electronic music project of Jesse Romo ’16 , started off the night by playing some of his original beats. His music combines elements of various genres, including 90s hip hop, experimental electronic and even jazz. Romo kept us on our toes as he swiftly transitioned between jazzy, melodic sounds, and harsh, industrial ones. J’remi Barnes ’19 joined him to sing four original songs. Although his set opened with a lighthearted song about partying, he said that he was going to get some “social justice” in there as well. It is Grinnell, after all. He began to sing the words “kill ‘em with kindness,” exploring the issue of police brutality through an honest and emotional song. If you haven’t heard River Tiber — well, chances are you have. You just might not know it. The 24-year-old musician’s track “No Talk” was sampled on Drake’s “No Tellin,” off of his surprise mixtape “If You’re Reading This It’s Too
Late.” Tommy Paxton-Beesley, the man behind River Tiber, has landed himself numerous collaborations due to his skillful musicianship. You might have wondered, “Who is this beautiful voice singing on this Drake song?” It turns out it’s the same person playing cello on BADBADNOTGOOD’s standout track “CS60” — River Tiber. "He layers his haunting voice and guitar over pounding drum beats and synths. His music is full of juxtapositions " River Tiber seemed to fit well in our small basement in Grinnell. He’s one person, performing with only a computer, a guitar and a drum machine even though his debut album “Indigo” features a wide range of instruments — everything from cello, to violin to trombone. However, despite River Tiber being a single person with a relatively simple setup, he has a massive live sound. He layers his haunting voice and guitar over pounding drumbeats and synths. His music is full of juxtapositions — his smooth falsetto cuts through dissonant guitar chords, arrhythmic distortion cuts through clean drumbeats. His experimental, electro-R&B finds the perfect balance between moments of calm and chaos. At times, his
set was nearly a capella as he sang backed only by sporadic strums of his guitar. Then, he’d lead immediately into a noise section, twisting the nobs on his pedals, transporting the audience to another world with sounds reminiscent of UFOs. At one point in the set, River Tiber showed off his skill as he launched into a guitar solo full of fast picking and bends. Regardless of genre, River Tiber is a genuine rock star. He’s unafraid to throw in a wacky jazz chord, folky fingerpicking or a face melting guitar solo, combining them all into a style uniquely his own. As River Tiber got comfortable, he said he was going to play a song he never performs live. “I haven’t even rehearsed this one,” he said, as he moved his fingers along the neck of his guitar, clearly trying to remember the chords. He played a gorgeous version of “The City,” a song off of his 2013 release “Synapses.” In this reimagined version of the song, the catchy beat of the original was replaced by the rich sounds of his guitar. Although the performance was unplanned, there was an unmistakable confidence in his haunting quaver as he sang; “We could have had it all.” In a moment of spontaneity, River Tiber gave us the perfect glimpse into his eerie, emotive music.
LEINA'ALA VOSS
River Tiber performed in Gardner on Tuesday, September 13.
Cultural Films Committee to screen "Viva" By Megan Tcheng tchengme@grinnell.edu The Cultural Films Committee invites students, faculty and community members alike to participate in an evening of cinema this coming Sunday, Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in JRC 101. The two-part event, which marks the committee’s first event of the semester, will feature a fulllength screening of the critically-acclaimed Cuban film “Viva” (2015). The film will be followed by a short panel discussion with Professor Fredo Rivera ’06, Art History; Professor John Petrus, Spanish; Jackie Abing ’17; Frank Barca ’17; Armando Perez ’17 and Nelson Schicke ’18. A Cuban-themed meal will be provided following the film screening. "This film is aout how you find your voice, your power and your sense of self in an [unaccepting environment]. I think that is part of what is so magical about this film." Jackie Abing, student The event is part of a series of several film screenings hosted by the Cultural Films Committee every semester. The films, which are individually selected by professors and committee members, offer creative and intellectually-stimulating portrayals of cross-cultural issues. Through the film screenings and
interactive panel discussions, the Cultural Films Committee hopes to inspire new and thought-provoking dialogues between members of the campus community. “I believe that [these films] "We hope that this occasion will get people out [of their normal routine]. When you are invigorated intellectually, you will go back to your studies in a much more energized way." Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach have the potential to motivate wider, shared discussions on campus, not just about identity, but about our [personal experience],’ said Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach, chair of the Cultural Films Committee. “I hope that anyone who sees our movies will be able to witness the impact it can have on their own social experience.” “Viva,” the featured film for Sunday’s event, will provide an ideal platform for shared discussion. The Academy Award nominated coming-of-age story follows the exploits of a young, Cuban man as he pursues his dream of becoming a drag performer. Struggling to balance his developing identity with the expectations and norms of his Cuban culture, the character reconciles his personal expression with his cultural reality. Describing the cultural context of the film, panel speaker Rivera emphasized the film’s expansive
socio-political commentary. “The film does a really good job of portraying many of the realities of life in Cuba today, particularly the issues of ‘machismo’ [masculine pride], the developments within drag culture and the growing economic realities of life in Cuba,” Rivera said. Abing similarly attested to the film’s important message about cultural and personal acceptance.
“The film is about how you find your voice, your power and your sense of self in an [unaccepting environment]. I think that is part of what is so magical about this film — it shows you how you can bridge this unacceptance and shame, and turn it into something truly powerful,” she said. In preparation for the upcoming event, the Cultural Films Committee encourages participants to
take a break from their Sunday routines in order to attend the hour and 40 minute film screening. “I know that we are planning [this event] in an overscheduled calendar,” said Gibel Mevorach. “Nonetheless, we hope that this occasion will get people out [of their normal routine]. When you are invigorated intellectually, you will go back to your studies in a much more energized way.”
CONTRIBUTED
"Viva," the critically acclaimed Cuban film, will be screened in JRC 101 on Sunday, September 18.
Opinions
Edited by sundbyjo17@grinnell.edu
Letter to the Editor As many of you already know, the Administration is currently considering a proposal to establish a College farm. There are several reasons why a farm would help the student community. It would improve Dining Hall food, create new work and academic opportunities for students and facilitate meaningful engagement between College students and Grinnell community members. The most important benefit of the project, however, is the sense of place that a farm can help develop through all of these outcomes. Students will eat the fruits of their own community's collective labor, they will have work opportunities that get them outside and attentive to nature’s processes and through interactions with Grinnell community members, students will hopefully gain some new perspectives on their lives in the cornfield. The farm project could not be more timely as well. The administration is in the midst of implementing a whole slew of new policies designed to improve the student experience, with special attention paid to the role of binge drinking and drug use in student life. Such behaviors — especially destructive ones — result in part from a lack of connection to a place. Consider that binge drinking has, at its essence, disorientation as its goal — the very inability to be present in one’s place.
The College ought to support the farm, then, in addition to all the aforementioned reasons, because it is a constructive and creative way to improve students’ sense of place and thus the overall quality of student life. While thoughtful rules around alcohol use may have some role in improving student life, it’s important that the Administration doesn't over rely on reactionary measures to address issues that stem from an ultimately deeper issue. Rabbi Rob and several others have devoted countless hours towards considering the specific demands of this project and the best way to implement it in our community. Since the administration is nearing its decision regarding the future of the farm project, I want to urge students who see merit in this project to take a minute to communicate their support to Molly Schintler [schintle], who is the Real Foods Coordinator. The nature of Self Gov can be a contentious topic, but it seems to me that participation in a small community ought, at the very least, to involve individuals expressing their feelings. So if you agree that a farm would make this campus a better place to eat, work and live, please do make yourself heard.
-Jeremy Epstein
LU-
The Liberal
Republican Grinnell College is a place of great diversity and thought, and yet in some aspects, the campus could not be less so. Most everyone on campus is bound by the notion that only a certain political climate — mainly that of liberal democrats — is suitable for our great land. Though I do not disagree with the multitude that the Republican Party of today is not worthy of its moniker “Grand Old Party,” I am still firmly rooted in the belief that the ideals of the founders of this once-great institution had a thing or two to say that resonate at a greater level within me than the ideals of any liberal Democrat. I am a liberal Republican, a strange specimen of the modern era; a “creature of the black lagoon,” so to speak. Most people question whether I even understand politics. “Surely”, they say, “liberal Republicanism is a contradiction!” However, that could not be farther from the truth. So, with the hope of bringing to you a different viewpoint — one of a liberal Republican — over these coming months, I must first begin by defending my position as one. How could this not be a paradox?
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Access Grinnell talks studying and living with a disability
ages. It’s completely alright to not know what you need — it’s our job Dear EM, So I have these health prob- to help you figure that out! Hope that helps, lems, and they’re affecting my -EM ability to participate in my class es, but I’m not sure they’re “bad Dear EM, enough” for me to get accommoIt’s my first year. I feel like dations. I don’t have a diagnosis. And besides, I don’t even know everybody around me has evwhat I would want or need! What erything all figured out, how to study, what they want to study, do I do? how to manage their time. I feel Help! like I’m behind, and I don’t know -Very confused what to do. SOS Dear Very Confused, -First-Year First of all, your feelings are valid! If you feel like your health Dear First-Year, is interfering with your school work You are not behind! Or alone! I or daily life then, by all means, come talk to us. You should never guarantee you that majority of your feel like what you are experiencing classmates are feeling similarly. Peoisn’t worth getting help for. If you ple totally struggle with these kinds need help, you should never hesi- of feelings first year, and it’s great tate to ask. Please come talk with us that you’re acknowledging these in the Assistive Technologies Lab feelings. Your next step then should and Disability Resources Office! be to reach out to resources. Your We can explore your options and resources will vary depending on figure how to best meet your needs, which classes you’re in, but talking to your professors is a great place to whatever they may be. You are not alone in not know- start. However, there are some good ing what you want or need, many general resources such as organizastudents are in the exact same po- tional mentors, Academic Affairs, sition when they’re first introduced the Center for Religion, Spirituality, to our office. There are an infinite and Social Justice, Student Health number of reasons why someone and Counseling Services and the may not know what they need and Center for Career, Life, and Serthat’s OKAY — it’s our job to help vices. They can get you on the right you figure out exactly what’s go- track and pointed in the direction ing on and how to best accommo- of the Writing Lab, Reading Lab, date you. We’ll work together to Math Lab and bookstore (to buy a discuss what your particular needs planner). It just takes a little while to manifest as in each class and come figure out how to do you, and that’s up with creative solutions to meet totally okay. Give yourself some them. No two individuals needs space, buy a brownie cookie and get look the same, nor do their accom- to know the campus resources. I believe in you, modations. Even for students with -EM similar diagnoses, there aren’t often identical accommodations pack-
Dear EM, I feel like I’m the only student here with a disability, is that true? Where’s the rest of the community? Seeking Community! -Feeling Alone Dear Feeling Alone, First things first — you are NOT alone. The disability community at Grinnell is bigger than you think. It’s hard to find us at first because we’re pretty spread out — living in all parts of campus, involved in every activity and a part of many other campus communities. But I promise you we are here. Our community is less visible than others on campus, but it’s no less present. There are lots of Grinnellians that have disabilities, students, staff and faculty alike. A good way to start getting involved with the community is to come to some of the events hosted by the Access Assistants and Org Mentors! They hold events throughout the year meant to be fun and educational opportunities for community building. They could also help you find out about some of the various student groups on campus focusing on disability. You might also try Vantage Point, a student run publication that talks about issues of ability and disability on campus and in the wider world. You can also start your own club or support group around your disability like the Migraine Support Group hosted on Saturdays at 2 pm in the Chalutzim lounge. Hoping to see you soon, -EM (Emily Howe, Organizational Mentor, and Maddie O'Meara, Access Assistant.)
What happened to the Grand Ol' Party? Following its founding, the Republican Party closely resembled the Democratic Party of today. The Party supported increased federal powers, including, but not limited to: implementation of tariffs, funding of the transcontinental railroad, action to settle the west and the establishment of a state university system. On top of this, they supported expanded rights of African-Americans, and, during the Gilded Age, busted trusts and fought for fairer working standards and wages. During this period, in contrary view to the climate of today, Democrats favored states’ rights and laissez-faire economics. The real shift in the parties’ alignments began with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Many Republicans viewed his increased governmental powers as going too far. However, a strong wing of the liberal portion still supported the core safety net that Roosevelt had created. In fact, until the 1980s, the Republican Party had a large faction of liberals, mostly from the east coast, who collectively formed what was known as the “Eastern Establishment.” They were fiscally moderate and socially liberal, preferring less government intervention in the economy to stimulate business growth but more social programs to benefit the poor and disenfranchised. But by 1990, all of these politicians had been pushed out in favor of far right politics. In fact, during the presidential elections of 1996, Barry Goldwater, the famous leader of the “Conservative Old Guard,” remarked to then candidate Bob Dole, “We’re the
The Scarlet & Black Staff Editors-in-Chief
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Teresa Fleming Eva Lilienfeld Steve Yang Michael Cummings Emma Friedlander Lily Bohlke Candace Mettle Nora Coghlan Louise Carhart Jon Sundby Mira Braneck Keli Vitaioli Jeff Li Lica Ishida Jenny Dong Megan Tcheng Sexy Aliens
new liberals of the Republican Party. Can you imagine that?” So, as I have put before you my defense that indeed, history has included such oddities as a “liberal Republican Party” and that “liberal republican” is truly no paradoxical saying but merely a statement of history, I will defend the fact that I take that position today. Why am I not a Democrat? Because I look up to the great achievements of the Republican Party, and to their leaders and feel the virtues of their ideals emanating within me more than those of the Democratic Party. Sure, my party is
not one that accepts me or my ideas, but one must take two paths in life if he or she does not like something: 1. He or she must complain over the fact that the thing is bad, or 2. He or she must seek to change what they see as wrong. I am but a man of the latter variety — that is to say — I would like to change the Republican Party, not change parties. So, in this I say that I don’t agree completely with the Democratic Party of today — surely in future writings you shall see as much — I represent in fact, a bygone era; a time where “liberal Republican” was not as paradoxical. I
shall do my best in future writings to bring you a different viewpoint, for we need more political discourse and intrigue on this campus. I shall attempt to be that catalyst of political thought and idea, for, in my opinion, there is no better path for the people of today than the Republican Party of yesterday. -Collatinus
SPARC Policy The Scarlet & Black is published on Fridays by students of Grinnell College and is printed by Times Republican of Marshalltown. The newspaper is funded in part by the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC) and also relies on advertising revenue to cover operating costs. All publications funded by SPARC are copyright of SPARC and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without specific written consent from SPARC. Contributions The Scarlet & Black welcomes story ideas from students, faculty and other members of the town and college community. If there is any story that should be covered, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu or visit thesandb.com Send letters to the editor via email at newspapr@grinnell.edu or mail them to Box 5886. The author’s name must be included, but letters can be published anonymously in certain occasions upon request. Letters will be printed at the discretion of the editor. The deadline for publication in Friday's paper is Wednesday of the same week. The opinions expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff. The S&B reserves the right to edit any and all submissions. Advertising Advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager, Jenny Dong, who can be reached at sandbads@ grinnell.edu or by mail at 1115 8th Avenue Grinnell College Box 5886, Grinnell, IA 50112.
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Back Page
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Volume 133, Issue 4
Photo of the Week
Arbitrary Analysis Pub Quiz Winners
thesandb.com
Got a backpage-worthy photo? Submit it to [sundbyjo17] and earn $5 for contributing a winner!
LUCIA TONACHEL
A morning walk through the New Zealand clouds.
Monster Cookies
Snedge
1. Gender? I Hardly Know
Her! 2. The Fempire Strikes Back 3. Pubic Undercut
Like what you see?
Gooey Butter Cake
This week, Mira Berkson '20 and Lousie Carhart '17 polled students asking: Free Bobby Shmurda or Free Desiigner
JRC
This week's convocation highlighted an important issue rarely discussed on campus, our relationship to the Facilities and Management staff that help us through everyday. We as a campus could really improve on the relationship we have to the people who make our campus function. -Teresa Fleming '17
Friday
Saturday
7 a.m. Elephantitis @ Mac Field 1 p.m. Football vs. Beloit @ Rosenbloom Field 7:30 p.m. Grinnell Singers Concert @ Sebring Lewis Hall 8 p.m. Cupcake Wars @ JRC 101 9 p.m. Electric Party @ Gardner
ARH
Staff Shoutout
or
Shoutout to Spencer Pajk '17, for sustaining the S&B with a Hyvee cookie cake. We're all so thankful that "gift-giving" is his love language.
@thesandb /thescarletandblack thesandb.com @newspapr
Peter Magolda? More like Peter Magolden!
Social Calendar
7 p.m. Chase Strangio @ JRC 101 8 p.m. SOL Karaoke Night @ Lyle's Pub 7:30 p.m. Robert Glasper @ Sebring Lewis Hall
check us out:
Rants & Raves:
Applesauce Brownies
Students speak about what’s on their minds in 100 words or fewer, and you’re invited! If you have a rant or a rave, email it to [sundbyjo17].
Clouds I really like clouds. -Melissa Fandos '17
All I Need
Panino Problems
Today was a long day. Class, meetings with professors, work, appointments and papers I haven't written yet. However, I know that when I go home in an hour, they will be waiting for me. The last bit of Ben & Jerry's "Half-Baked" is waiting patiently in the freezer and I will savor the chocolate, vanilla, fudge and cookie-dough as it mixes with my salty stress tears. It's the only thing that keeps me going.
The new menu at the [grille] looks, uh, green and all, but it still has the same mistake - the plural of panini is not paninis! It goes 1 panino, 2 panini. Every time I look up there I see "sandwiches-es" and it doesn't make any sense.
-It's been a Weird Week '17
-Schwabeezy '17