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Scarlet & Black Volume 133, Issue 6
Union of students approves contract with College
By Steve Yang yangstev17@grinnell.edu
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) has voted to support a tentative agreement that would raise the hourly base wage from $8.50 to $9.25 for all student employees of the Marketplace Dining Hall and provide an additional 75 cents per hour based on hours of experience. The agreement will go into effect on Oct. 1, following President Kington’s official submission of approval. The agreement will provide 265 employees — both students and full time workers — with a 9 percent wage increase. “I am pleased that with this agreement, students will finally have an easier time contributing to their education,” wrote union President Cory McCartan '19 in a press release. He cited rising tuition and stagnant wages as “erod[ing] the relative value of workstudy wages by over 25 percent.” McCartan began investigating wages paid at Grinnell versus industry standards after he noticed that approximately one in six shifts were not covered at the dining hall and then decided to establish a union for students. The union was formed in March of this
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September 30, 2016 • Grinnell, Iowa
Actor 10/10 committee decides on new event Sean Astin campaigns for Clinton
By Louise Carhart carhartl17@grinnell.edu
Grinnell and Hobbiton converged this Thursday, Sept. 29 when Sean Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” movie franchise, visited Grinnell in support of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Speaking in the Grinnell Area Arts Council Stewart Gallery, the former Middle Earth resident implored students to realize the potential of Iowa’s electoral votes and to think consciously about the impact of their vote. His visit coincided with the first day of early voting in Iowa. “It’s actually kind of exciting to be in Iowa on the first day that you can vote, it’s electrifying,” Astin said. “Iowa is absolutely critical.” Astin remained objective about his role in the campaign, explaining that he understands some millennials’ desire to vote for third party candidates or abstain from voting altogether. He was adamant, however, that doing so would only contribute votes to republican candidate Donald Trump. “What’s important to you? What do you care about? This election could not be clearer,” Astin said. “It couldn’t be a more stark contrast. Our country stands on the precipice of making an extraordinarily horrible mistake. I wish
>> See Dining page 2
GARRETT WANG
The new 10/10 will end on the north end of campus, aiming to keep students away from High St. at night. By Zane Silk silkzane@grinnell.edu Big changes are coming to Grinnell’s annual 10/10 party, which takes place every year on the Saturday closest to Oct. 10. While the details of the changes remained a mystery following the announcement of a new alcohol policy in August, the new plans are now materializing. The revamped event is being planned by a 10/10 committee that consists of Committee Chair Andrea Conner, Vice President of Student Affairs; Michael Sims, director of
Campus Center Operations/Student Activities; the two Chairs of All Campus Events; the two Chairs of Weekend; one representative each from the men’s and women’s Ultimate Frisbee teams and a Community Advisor. “We knew that we wanted to enlist students to help us with those planning efforts, because I am not necessarily the best barometer of what college students will think is fun,” Conner said. The committee started meeting about five weeks before 10/10, which ACE Co-Chair TJ Jones '17 admits is a short timeframe to transform what is arguably the College’s biggest annual
event. “It’s a very short time. If it were up to me, we would have met way earlier,” Jones said. However, Conner believes that everything will come together in time and plans to release the event details on Monday, Oct. 3. General plans are already in place: the event kicks off with a used clothing drive over lunch, followed by a fair on Mac Field with bouncy castles, laser tag, free concession foods and other carnival activities. Afternoon activities include men’s and women’s soccer games and a football game, with activities for attendees >> See Sub-Free page 3
>> See Sean Astin page 2
ACE reconsiders Harris parties
Natalie Rothman: historic diplomacy and a same-sex
love affair
XIAOXUAN YANG
Weekly campus council meetings discuss issues such as the future of traditional ACE events. By Philip Kiely kielyphi@grinnell.edu Every weekend, hundreds of students gather for a party in Harris or Gardner sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA), All Campus Events Committee (ACE) or hosted by a student group. Although certain weekends are typically reserved for Harris parties, ACE has been required to make last-minute changes for scheduling reasons, bringing up questions of safety at college parties. For example, last weekend, due to the unavailability of Harris, the Beyoncé themed party was moved to the much smaller Gardner venue. “We tried to get Harris for that party, … but due to some scheduling conflicts SGA was not able to secure Harris instead of Gardner, so we had to come up with a new plan,” said Michelle Risacher ’17, director of ACE Student Safety (ACESS). When planning Harris parties, the SGA plans for a maximum of 300 people at a time. However, Gardner’s capacity is about half of that, which makes it a challenge. “Beyoncé Harris/Gardner was a challenge, and we’re still kind of dealing with that,” said Claudia Handal ’18, ACE Coordinator. Because of the smaller space, ACESS, a student staff that provides crowd control and event safety in a Friday "Theory and Practice of the Coalition" Spencer Grill, 3 p.m.
non-punitive manner, had to make some tough calls in the name of safety. “Even though we were turning people away, we were still over capacity,” Risacher said. Fortunately, the lines were short, and people were able to enter after a slight delay. “So we had to come up with an alternative plan or otherwise cancel the event itself and so while we’re aware that it was probably not a popular plan this was opposed to canceling the event altogether so that’s one of the tough decisions that we have to make,” said Risacher. Keeping events under capacity is integral to safety. “There was a lot of sweating … and so that’s a hazard because people can slip on that sweat … in case of an emergency where we would need to evacuate Gardner, there’s a danger that there could be a stampede which could result in injuries and even death,” Risacher said. Overfilled events also inhibit ACESS workers from effectively doing their jobs. The dense crowds make it difficult for them to access partygoers who may need help. Gardner does have some advantages over Harris as a location. “Gardner is a much smaller space, … it’s a more fluid space. … I think that the sound quality is much better at Gardner,” Handal said.
It is typically used for concerts, and is accessible to non-students while Harris is used for larger student-only gatherings. One thing that does not change between the two spaces is the commitment shared by SGA, ACE and ACESS to making parties safe and enjoyable. ACE provides each Harris or Gardner party with pizza and water, and a budget for anything that the party might need. “ACESS is there to keep the peace, help students stay safe and uphold selfgovernance,” Handal said. “We’re not the police, we’re not campus safety, we are students, we are your peers, so if you need something please let us know. … We’re not punitive, we’re not going to send them anywhere or give them a fine or anything” said Ayesha Mirzakhail ’17, Director of ACESS. ACE and ACESS are each trying new things to improve the Harris experience. This semester, there were no pre-determined Harris themes, so students groups chose their own. “Instead of having Halloween Harris on Halloween somebody could technically have done it in November,” Handal said. ACESS has just rolled out walkietalkies for their staff, and plans to add headsets as well. This improves communication, especially in Gardner, which has poor reception.
Friday Presentation by poet D. Allen
Friday Opening Reception: "Archipenko: A Modern Legacy Faulconer Gallery, 4:30 p.m.
Mears Living Room, 4 p.m.
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Natalie Rothman, associate professor of history at the University of Toronto, visited Grinnell last Monday night to share the story of a torrid love affair in early modern Istanbul. Rothman’s presentation analyzed a same-sex relationship between a dragoman, or Ottoman translator-diplomat, and Venetian barber in the sixteenth century Venetian embassy. By means of this microhistory, Rothman makes a case that the affair speaks to the role of domesticity and transimperialism in early modern diplomacy. The S&B’s Emma Friedlander sat down with Rothman to discuss her research, historical gender roles and the modern invention of East and West. The S&B: What is significant about this particular case study in early modern Istanbul? Natalie Rothman: The paper revolves around a case study or microhistory of a love affair between two young men working for the Venetian representative in Istanbul in 1588. It’s based on a transcript that I found of the Venetian representative — the bailo — interrogating 16 men who were current or previous resident employees of his house to testify about the nature of this love affair, what they had seen, what they knew. I was trying to use this case as a lens on broader questions about early modern
XIAOXUAN YANG
Rothman spoke last Monday.
Tuesday
Workshop: Study Spaces that Foster Productivity and Learning JRC 227, 11 a.m.
diplomacy, about interactions between local Ottoman subjects and people coming from Venice all living and working together in the house, about different perceptions of sexuality and tensions around authority. The S&B: You were trained as a historical anthropologist. What does that mean and how does it inform your approach to history? NR: The program I was trained in was trying to give us grounding both in social theory and anthropological approaches and methodologies. ... Most importantly, always thinking of questions of scale and the relationship between different units of analysis. ... To give an example related to my research, not to assume that because the case is taking place in Istanbul then everything we need to know only takes place in Istanbul. People are always connected in all sorts of ways to broader processes and also broader temporalities. ... We might identify as belonging to a certain religious community, to a certain gender, to a certain race, those kinds of things. What anthropology allows me to do as a historian is to always ask about the genealogies of these categories. The S&B: You stressed in your talk that when studying transnational history, it’s important to understand context as a multidirectional process rather than as a binary. Why is this especially important when looking at the early modern Middle East? NR: I think it’s especially important because you quickly realize that there is no such thing as the early modern Middle East. The Middle East is really an invention of modern imperial dynamics. What you have in the early modern period is an Ottoman empire that controls three-quarters of the Mediterranean and is very much integrated economically and culturally, I would argue, with its neighbors, whether it’s to the west, or what we now understand as the West >> See Rothman page 2
Tuesday Grinnell Prize Awards Ceremony JRC 101, 12 p.m., other events throughout the week.
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Edited by cummings@grinnell.edu & friedlan@grinnell.edu
Dining hall student workers union John Evans on what it agress to contract, raises wages means to be human
Continued from Front Page
year and received recognition from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after a month-long process. “The cards … authorize the union to represent [students],” McCartan said. “Thirty percent [of the student workers signing] is sufficient, and [we] got about 45 percent to sign. We went to the [NLRB] in mid-April, notified the College and board about gaining enough interest to get a certification and an election was held on May 5. With a 91 percent margin [in favor], the union was … recognized by the board seven days after the vote.” Student workers who were asked about representation in the union were initially hesitant to sign their name onto the union authorization cards, citing concerns about retaliation, unions
to organize them,” Bass said. “Some people were against the union because it wasn’t inclusive enough, but for legal reasons we can’t do that.” McCartan said that he felt students assuming the career staff also wanted to unionize would be presumptive, and that the union’s formal position was to avoid actively encouraging other staff to unionize, unless there was support and interest from those employees. He also criticized the notion that the students’ unionization process would be detrimental to any attempts by nonstudent workers to unionize should the latter group choose to do so. “Career staff and student staff wage raises are not zero sum. They have a different set up … and we didn’t feel it was our place to make a judgment on that,” McCartan said. “Also, our
workers reached an agreement through a vote on Sunday, Aug. 25. In addition to the new base wage being set at $9.25 an hour, students who commit 110 hours a semester will get back pay at the end of the semester for $0.25 per hour. A second semester working 110 hours will result in an additional $0.50 per hour of back pay and a third semester will result in $0.75 per hour, the upper limit. Student shift leaders will also enjoy bonus pay and make $10.00 an hour under the new policy. Bass added that the College was extremely cooperative with the union, even proposing the tiered bonus system without prompting. “Knowing we had support was really valuable,” Bass said. “I’m grateful to the school for not shutting us down when we were five or seven
CONTRIBUTED
The new contract is likely the first of its kind to be negotiated between a union of student workers and a private college. themselves, paying dues or spending time in meetings. McCartan and union Secretary Rachel Bass ’19 dispelled these notions, leading to a swift influx of new members. “People would say, ‘I don’t want to get fired, I like my job as it is,’ and that’s understandable. But union activity is protected by federal labor laws,” McCartan said. “Because Iowa is a right-to-work state, you can’t require people to pay dues or join unions. We’re entirely worker run, and there are no dues. Once we decided to go that direction, it was easy for people to see a lot of upside with minimal downside.” Another concern was fairness for career staff, as some students suggested the union was too student-focused and should allow for non-student workers as well. “It was hard to explain that career staff jobs and student jobs are in different units, and we can’t be the ones
unionizing now does not make it harder for them to unionize later. In fact, it could make it easier, as our own union shows cooperation from the College and would make it easier for others to follow.” Union members brought a bevy of different issues to the table, including better training, health safety and overall job security. After numerous calls with The College over the summer, negotiations sped up surrounding McCartan’s wage goal: students working an average of ten hours a week should make 5 percent of a school’s tuition in fees, a wage that comes out as $10.12 an hour. “The whole process was give and take, as negotiations usually are. Nobody walked in expecting $10.12, but we didn’t want to approach negotiations … with no overlap for cooperation,” McCartan said. Eventually, student dining hall
members.” She added that the union negotiations have made her feel less cynical about the power of groups working together to get things done and optimistic about extending the union’s achievements towards including the interests of Spencer Grill and catering workers as well. “We didn’t initially make it that way because it was difficult enough to get it started for the Marketplace,” Bass said. “I would like to see us include all three components of Grinnell dining.” McCartan remarked that the union will be in charge of re-negotiating the payment contract every year and that union representatives are being trained for the new negotiation process set to begin again next April. This article was originally published on Tuesday, Sept. 27. An update was published on Thursday, Sept. 29.
Rothman analyzes romantic microhistory
Continued from Front Page
or Europe and which is of course itself an invention of the precise same period, or in the East ... Of course, that’s part of the legacy of imperialism, that we find it very difficult to imagine a world where there is no such thing as East versus West. These categories simply are not useful for studying periods prior to the 18th century. It doesn’t work in any sense. The S&B: You’re not a historian of sexuality, but sexuality does of course play a significant role in this case study. What did the additional layer of sexuality and gender roles add to your greater study of transimperialism or diplomacy? NR: I started this detective work of finding the women in records that were always ostensibly about men. I found this particular transcript that talked about this love affair and immediately began to wonder, given everything we know about
diplomacy in this period and just how excluded women are from these spaces of diplomacy, how to think of homosociality, the gendered practices of living in segregated spaces, as something that is significant to this love affair. It’s not so much about causality or arguing that because there are no women, there is a love affair between men. I think that’s ridiculous. But it is about thinking of both the implications of the case and the kinds of understanding of the body and of the self in this homosocial space that might be relevant for how the protagonists understood themselves, how we can explain the fact that one of them is very strongly punished and sent to exile basically while the other one is sent home for a while and then brought back and goes on to have a wonderful long career in the service of the Venetians. Gender is very important there precisely because one of them is so plugged into this patronage network that is essentially about women, where women are very dominant in
the political and economic underpinnings of Venetian diplomacy. The S&B: Where’s your research headed from here? NR: This is one of the opening chapters of a book I’m hoping to finish very soon, which gives the history of dragomans, these diplomatic interpreter-translators, working for the Venetians as well as for other embassies in early modern Istanbul. The S&B: What draws you to the dragomans as a subject? NR: I think they do play an important role in the genealogy of orientalism ... but allow us to move away from a model of orientalism as something that hapless Europeans impose on the silent Middle East out of their own misunderstandings and misconceptions and malevolent will to power, and rather understands orientalism as something that emerges out of very intense interactions between political and intellectual elites from different places.
CONTRIBUTED
Evans spoke about humanity Thursday.
Everyone reading this article is (probably) a human. But what exactly does that mean? On Thursday, sociologist John Evans gave a talk on campus on what it means to be human. This week, the S&B's Cassidy Hilburn talked with Evans about his research. The S&B: How would you describe your presentation? What is your visit encapsulating? John Evans: So there’s this basic concept of human rights, freedom from torture, freedom from starvation, people have expanded this into broader ways — freedom of education, etc. but these are the basics. To think of a human as having human rights, you have to think of that person of having unlimited worth of some kind, some sacred status … Philosophers have long been looking for a reason as to why you would treat an individual as sacred. For the past hundred years, philosophers, social scientists and various humanists have been concerned that a lot of things like biomedical technology and the like are slowly making us think of a new definition of what a human is and moving away from definitions of the human that allow for the sacredness and into thinking of humans as more like objects. The S&B: What is your background? What led you to this topic of research? JE: I was an undergraduate at one of your rivals, Macalester College, and I was a political science and philosophy double major. I then went to graduate school and I have a PhD in sociology, but focusing on the sociology of religion. I’m a card-carrying sociologist of religion … My entire career has been dedicated to identifying the parts of those humanistic traditions that are actually, secretly, implicitly, social science questions and trying to examine them. So an earlier book I did was on what people think of reproductive technologies. Bioethicists would say religious people would be opposed to genetically modifying the human species, but the answer is that’s not correct: There are certain people who are completely against the destroying of embryos, but moving beyond that there are certain people, very limited population, who believe that any reproduction that happens outside of the body is wrong, but the majority of ordinary religious people in America aren’t opposed to genetic modification per se, but the difference between secular and religious people are that secular people say we should decide what these modifications should be and religious people say what would God want us to do? And typically, it’s that God would want us to cure these horrible diseases. So again, it’s taking these theological, bioethical debate and saying what can a social scientist contribute to this? And this book is in that same vein. The S&B: What do you gain from your interdisciplinary discipline — that is, applying a sociologist’s
lens to issues generally studied by philosophers, theologians or bioethicists? JE: I think it’s incredibly exciting be doing something that’s really novel and new, yet based upon existing ideas that have been around for a hundred years. For example, in theology — Christian theology, more than Judaism or Islam — they debate between ‘are we created by God’, ‘co-creators with God’, ‘cocreated creations with nature’ … That said, there’s a downside to this, which is that disciplines do not take timely to interlopers. There’s no way, no matter how prepared I am, that I have a PhD level understanding of philosophy, of theology, etc. I don’t. So someone will always say, ‘you aren’t characterizing the problem properly,’ or ‘you don’t understand what we mean by this.” And when I say, I totally accept that — I don’t have a PhD in philosophy but I’m doing my best. That interdisciplinary conversation, especially across what I would call a normative empirical divide is very difficult. But I think it’s of critical importance, it’s like all social science is only relevant if it’s at least implicitly connected to some humanistic concern. The S&B: What are the potential effects of the finding of your research on the changing perceptions of humans is on society? JE: A lot of the concern by bioethicists and sociologists and feminist critics of technology over the past 50 years has been about what is called ‘geneticization,’ which is thinking of the human as a sequence of genes that lead to certain capacities. The concern is that the more people who talk about human in genetic terms, the more you are teaching the public this genetic version of the human which is theorized to have pernicious effects on how you view regular, walking around humans you interact with. The genetics revolutions in reproduction is essentially accelerating, with all these new technologies like CRISPR-Cas9 and different ways of interfering with genetic sequences. People are going to be hearing more and more about ‘designer babies’ or things of that nature, and this is not a joke — you can already design a baby … at present I think most of the design we’re taking of, people would morally approve of. The S&B: What was the process of writing this book, and what came out of it that surprised you? JE: The process was that I conducted 90 in-depth interviews with Americans and a 3,000 person public opinion poll and matched that data together. A couple things surprised me. One is that I was frankly surprised that I did find evidence of this effect, that thinking of a human in particular ways would lead to thinking of humans like an object … Another was, I saw inductively in in-depth interviews the rise of type of perspective on the human that doesn’t exist in humanistic literature at all which is that humans are those we decide are humans. That has some potentially negative ramifications, so socially on the one hand that’s probably exactly how it work; we in a social group, collectively, have decided that dogs are not humans and are currently in the process of reevaluating chimpanzees and such, and we have decided that the people around us are humans. But to take that on as your normative position, that that’s the way it should be, raises issues like ‘what if we collectively decided that that person is not a human?’ … So, it worried me that there was a subset of the population that endorsed this view of ‘human,’ not that they’re going to go out and commit genocide but it seemed to me a very dangerous and touchy aspect of my research.
Sean Astin encourages early voting Continued from Front Page it were funny.” Staying true to his roots, Astin threw in some appropriate “Lord of the Rings” references to illustrate his points. Throughout the current election cycle, Astin has visited thirteen states to encourage Americans to vote for Clinton and take advantage of the democracy provided to us. “There’s some good left in the world. You can actually use all of the metaphors from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ or from ‘Goonies’ or from ‘Rudy’ on any side of the political argument, it’s not just a democrat or a Hillary thing. I try to be careful about using that,” Astin said. Despite throwing some humor into his speech, Astin made sure to drive
home the point he flew to Iowa to make. In the face of a possible Donald Trump presidency, the actor felt the need to pursue activism and campaigning as strongly as possible in order to voice his concerns and play a part in a Clinton victory. “The fact is that Donald Trump has absolutely no experience in government, zero experience in federal government,” Astin said. Organized by Hillary for Iowa and the Iowa Democratic Party’s Coordinated Campaign, the event aimed to bring attention to early voting. For Anna Schierenbeck ’18, co-chair of Grinnell Campus Democrats, the event was an opportunity to get students out and voting early. “I think the advantage of bringing a celebrity to campus is that it brings out
a different crowd — hopefully some people who may not have prioritized voting this Thursday will prioritize meeting Sean Astin, and then get out to vote,” Schierenbeck wrote in an email to The S&B. “It also helps to hear someone you admire speaking about the importance of voting early.” For some students, the event provided extra encouragement to vote for Clinton. “I love Sean Astin and I needed some kind of guidance in where and how to vote,” said Helen Lant ’18. Most students felt the celebrity draw was enough to bring them to the event and clarify the reasons why they should vote for Hillary. “I want to early vote, and I need some motivation for Hillary Clinton,” said Rachel Buckner ’18.
CONTRIBUTED
Astin poses with Louise Carhart '17 and Spencer Pajk '17.
News
STUDENTS SPEAK Presidential Debate
Edited by cummings@grinnell.edu & friedlan@grinnell.edu
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Students flocked to Lyle's Pub on Monday night to watch the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The S&B chatted with them about the debate's importance, their expectations and where the election is headed from here.
“I am appalled that it has gotten this far, and I’m hoping that this debate shows the world that ‘bigly’ is not a word and that Donald Trump should not be president.” -Ceci Bergman '19
“I’m excited to see Trump [not having a teleprompter] tested through 90 minutes of having to think on his feet. … I’m set where I’m at, but I’m interested academically, I guess you could say, with the debate.”
“Someone said earlier that ... this is gonna be the most 'something' debate, and I was like, ‘In terms of what? Hilarity?’ So I don’t know, I feel like I don’t take it as seriously as I should." -Sally Timko '18
-Alec Doss '19
“I am not a big fan of the two candidates. Like America can do better, you don’t have to choose between cancer and cholera.” -Tarik assistant
“I don’t think I’ve been this excited and this trepidatious about watching a debate in my entire life. I don’t trust Trump’s decorum whatsoever, and I think it’s going to be kind of brutal if they don’t rein him in with the rules. I read this article in The Atlantic about the way that American televised debates have been structured, and after reading that, I’m really not confident that this is going to go very well, considering how it bends to the parties. … I’m getting strongarmed into voting for Clinton, and I’m fine with it.” -Vincent Benlloch '18
Taghzouti, Arabic
language
“This is one of the few events that could actually sway voters. Traditionally debates haven’t caused a lot of voter change, but I think this one could, just because of how rare an occasion it is.” -Jackson Smith '18
“There’s so much pent-up aggression. I wasn’t going to watch it because I don’t usually like these things. They bring out a bad side of me that I try to keep down for other things. But it’s everywhere here, and I don’t know, it’s scary, it’s really scary. I wish this wasn’t real, I wish it was just entertainment, I wish it didn’t have any consequences, but it’s here, and someone is going to stay.” -Fintan Mason ’17
“I’m an international student and I don’t really have a lot of experience, but I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re going to talk about, what they want to talk about and hear Trump’s point of view. It might change my opinion in the respect that I might not support any one of them” -Anaan Ramay '20
Sub-free activities to replace traditional 10/10 event
Continued from Front Page
during the halftime shows. After dinner, there will be an open mic, a pub quiz and possibly another game show event, according to Conner. There will also likely be an event in Gardner with student DJs and bands. Finally, the new event will end with a Harris party hosted by the frisbee teams, the long-time organizers of previous 10/10s, and also a substance free Karaoke event in JRC, both going until 1 a.m.. Conner cited concerns about keeping staff late as preventing an extension of the Harris until 2 a.m., but said there will be pizza available between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. while things wind down. The 10/10 Harris will be the only event with alcohol served, with a strict wristband policy so that only those of legal age can drink. This will be the biggest test yet for the new student servers, who under the new alcohol policy, are required at all events with alcohol and more than 20 attendees.
Until now, the servers have only been employed at the comparatively subdued Wine and Cheese Club. The choice to have 10/10’s last official event in Harris is notable because of Harris’s location at the north end of campus, considering that previously 10/10 had progressed through the night towards South Campus, ending on High Street. “There’s something to be said for ending on the north end of campus versus at the south end. … In the reverse direction, we’re hopeful that folks choose to end their night together in Harris,” Conner said. “We’re very hopeful that it doesn’t continue [on to High St.] ... we tend to have arrests and citations … when they’re crossing Sixth Avenue.” Although community building was considered the biggest aspect of 10/10, this was contradictory to the fact that many of the College’s students avoided the festivities as much as possible, according Jen Jacobsen, assistant dean of students. “Seven years ago, I would probably have
guessed the number of attendees at 700 or 800,” And the best estimates last year were maybe 400,” Conner said. “As the attendance at 10/10 has decreased, the attendance at our alternatives has increased ... with more and more of our community members it is not sort of unifying and community building.” Conner recounted how in past years, the Division of Student Affairs would work with the hosts of 10/10 to improve student safety. “The leaders of the Frisbee team — we put them through the wringer as an institution, and it got a little bit better and a little bit better every year, but there was something about this event that was out of their control.” Talking to students, it is clear that a substantial number are frustrated by the way the changes were decided upon and implemented, which many see as a top-down approach by the administration which goes against the tenets of Self-Gov. However, other students believe that action on the administration’s
part was necessary. “If we’re making the wrong choices with our voice and that power, I think its appropriate for the administration to step in and say things aren’t right and you need to make a change,” Jones said. “The administration could have worked a little bit better with students on making the changes happen.” Conner, who plans to have a venue for postevent feedback, cautions against judging solely on the basis of turnout. “One measure of success is always level of participation. We’re prepared that there will be some [community] members that are disappointed by the change and will choose not to participate, but we’ve also heard from lots of members of our community who are excited,” Conner said. “This is a long game. This is a two or three year transition. I don’t have these really high expectations of 1,300 students [attending this year]. The biggest change for year two will be that we’ll have time to actually book a real live music act that people enjoy."
Sports
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Edited by mettleca@grinnell.edu
Social activism on the playing field By Julia Echikson echikson@grinnell.edu Activism has long been a part of professional sports. In 1968 Olympics, athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised a black, gloved fist during their medal ceremony, protesting the treatment of African-Americans. And in 2014, the L.A. Clippers basketball team wore their jerseys upside down after the owner of the team made racists comments.
"It’s painful to honor a country that does not honor its citizens"
may come as a surprise, but Pederson said people protest in different ways. “I don’t think you should judge folks who aren’t kneeling and say that they don’t care about these issue,” Pedersen said. “[It is] easier to be white in America than it is to be colored,” said one football player, Jack, who wishes to remain anonymous. “[People of color] have to fight a lot of stereotypes and have to work twice as hard, most people say.” Although he agrees with Kaepernick that the country needs change, he supports legislative reforms over political protests.
Jack "I don’t sit because I want to stand for my brothers and sisters that are Kaeperstruggling, fighting, and dying"
More recently, however, Colin nick, the backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, provoked an avalanche when he took to his knee during a rendition of the national anthem to protest police brutality against people of color. Critics have accused him of being a traitor, while others have lauded him for bringing more attention to a growing issue. Other professional athletes including Jeremy Lane, Megan Rapinoe and Brandon Marshall followed suit. From the first time Kaepernick took to his knee over a month ago, the conversation surrounding police brutally has not quieted with last week’s shootings in Charlotte and Tulsa. The S&B investigated how Grinnell’s own football team fits into the narrative. “Nobody’s talked about it,” said Head Coach Jeff Pedersen. No players have discussed Kaepernick’s action to Pedersen. But Pedersen said he would support a player exercising his first amendment right in protesting.
DJ Coleman '19 “It’s painful to honor a country that does not honor its citizens,” Jack said. “Colin Kaepernick’s ideas about America [are] the same way I have felt since the beginning of my college football career."
"If football wasn’t more than a game, then why [does the NFL] run all of these campaigns against domestic violence and kids getting outside, running 60 minutes a day" DJ Coleman '19 Given Grinnell College’s identity as a social justice-oriented school, the lack of discussion regarding Kaepernick’s action
"I support his stance and respect him for beginning the voice and motivation for black and colored people. Representation on a nation scale —like the NFL — is exactly what we need. In my opinion, we need more players to sit for this cause. It’s sad about how much flak he is getting for speaking on a nation crisis.”
"Colin Kaepernick’s ideas about America [are] the same way I have felt since the beginning of my college football career."
Jack But other Grinnell football players feel differently. Linebacker DJ Coleman ’19 protests in his own way each game: by raising his fist in the Black Power salute, not unlike Smith and Carlos in 1968. None of the Grinnell College coaches have approached Coleman about his protest. “I don’t sit because I want to stand for my brothers and sisters that are struggling, fighting, and dying,” Coleman said. “Maybe I do hate America for not supporting black lives during the national anthem, or maybe I’m just tired of turning the other cheek. So I will continue to raise my fist until football is not in my cards any more.” Because Grinnell’s football garners less media attention than NFL football, players feel less obligated to react publically than professional athletes. “There is a difference between the responsibility of a National Football League and a Division III college football team,” Jack explains. “Our games are not televised. They are livestreamed to our moms and dads. Our stage to make a difference is less, and because of that have we less of a reach.” Though many of criticized Kaepernick for politicizing the sports arena, Jack says the NFL was political long before Kaepernick started playing. “If football wasn’t more than a game, then why [does the NFL] run all of these campaigns against domestic violence and kids getting outside, running 60 minutes a day,” Jack said.
“If the NFL can freely use the stage that national football creates, shouldn’t Kaepernick take advantage of the same stage?”
"I don’t think you should judge folks who aren’t kneeling and say that they don’t care about these issue" Coach Jeff Pedersen Ultimately, Grinnell’s football team players have expressed their solidarity — either privately or in each game — but not to the dismay of their coaches, who feel politics and sports are inevitably intertwined. “Activism has a place in society, and sport is a reflection of society,” Pedersen said.
-The name of the player has been changed to maintain their privacy.
Pioneers break records at invite
By Teresa Fleming flemingt17@grinnell.edu
Last Friday’s Brissman-Lundeen Invitational proved rewarding for the women’s cross-country team, who finished eleventh out of 24 teams. For team members Anna Ahrens '19 and Mikayla Fujiwara '20, whose times set records for the program’s history, the meet was also a chance to meet personal goals. Ahrens, who finished with a time of 24:08.3, laid claim to the thirty-second fastest time in program history. She credits her improved time to the experience she has gained running in her second year on the team. As a first-year, she spent time adjusting to the 6 kilometer (6K) race length, a step up from the 5 kilometer race most athletes run in high school. “First year, I was adjusting to college, and trying to figure out how to run a 6K, and so just experience has helped,” Ahrens said. Fujiwara has also had to contend with the adjustment to a longer race as a
first-year runner. She’s optimistic about her prospects for improving her time over the course of the season. “I’ve never run it before. It was just trial and error. I ran in high school, but I’ve never run a 6k before,” Fujiwara said. “I think that since I’m still new to the season and running 6K’s, I just want to see if I can improve slowly, and just stay positive.” But some challenges the team faced at the meet were more difficult to anticipate. Ahrens credits part of her time to the conditions of the race, which were a significant improvement on the previous week’s meet. “Our meet the week before was extremely muddy because there was a huge storm the night before, so just having dry ground helped,” Ahrens said. But Ahrens noted that even sunny days can pose challenges for the team. “It was also 87 [degrees Fahrenheit] and no shade, which was not great for the team in general. It was rough. I would rather have mud and hills the next time, honestly.” Regardless of weather conditions,
Fukiwara said that a positive attitude is one of the most important tools for a cross country runner. “I think it’s also having the right attitude going into it. Because if you go in with the right attitude, you can actually run it. Because the more negative you think the harder it is on you, and then the harder it is to finish.” Ahrens added that adapting to unpredictable race conditions is one of the challenges that goes along with the sport, but the team has built-in rituals to prepare for challenging courses. “We have affirmations week, where we just focus on staying positive the week before this meet. Knowing that it’s out of control, the weather, the conditions, and just to do the best you can under the circumstances,” Ahrens said. “But it definitely plays a way bigger factor in crosscountry than in track. Every course is different. So it’s more about the place than the time.” Both runners acknowledged the challenges that go along with balancing coursework with a schedule full of practice, meets and team dinners. Ahrens
admitted that while her motivation often wanes at the end of the semester, the skills acquired on the team help her to stay on top of schoolwork. “It’s hard sometimes, because if we run a really hard workout I’m like, ‘shoot, I just did all that work, I don’t need to do homework. I’ve
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already accomplished something today,'” Ahrens said. “Athletics is something we do on top of academics. And especially distance running requires a lot of discipline, so it lends itself to discipline in academics to a certain extent, but it’s a struggle.”
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Features
Edited by bohlkeli@grinnell.edu
By Steve Yang yangstev17@grinnell.edu
5
Bugs bite back: watch out for insidious flower bugs The S&B investigates new campus insect infestation
Chances are, in the past few weeks you’ve had a really unpleasant experience with some tiny flying black insects: they show up out of nowhere, and any illusions of harmlessness are dispelled when they chomp down on your skin and leave a red welt. There were many misconceptions floating around campus, that they were sandflies, no-see-um’s or a new kind of mosquito and that bug spray is the best way to keep their painful bites away. The S&B conducted an investigation into what type of bugs these are, why they seem to be so prevalent this year and what can be done to try and avoid their painful bites. As it turns out, these bugs are insidious flower bugs, Orius insidiosus. A cousin of the minute pirate bug, the insidious flower bug is a carnivore that feeds on small insects and the eggs of other insects, which means they are an important form of pest control that helps protect the corn crop. But what about their bite? According to Laura C. Jesse, an ento-
mologist and specialist in integrated pest management at Iowa State University, the insidious flower bug’s bite may be painful, but is not harmful in the way that a bee sting or mosquito bite may be.
"The bugs are not quick to fly following biting, so the victim usually has the satisfaction of removing the offender from the ranks of the living." Laura C. Jesse, Entomologist “Their bite is surprisingly painful for such a small insect as they probe their short blunt beak into the skin,” Jesse wrote in an article for “Horticulture and Home Pest News” describing the bug’s habits. “Their name describes their small size and their habits … [and they] make their presence known in a very convincing manner by biting with an impact that is out of proportion with their size.” While insidious flower bugs seem like they’re small enough to crawl through any opening, Jesse ad-
vised that the best way to avoid their bite was not to rely on bug spray, but to wear dark-colored shirts that the bugs may be somewhat averse to. If students get bit, help can always be found at SHACS, in the form of different over-the-counter medicines. “[If] students are dealing with skin related issues related to these bugs, they can seek out support from SHACS in [the] way of free over-thecounter (sic) meds such as creams and anti-itch ointments,” wrote Director of SHACS operations Deb Shill in an email to the S&B. If prevention of the insidious flower bugs' bites hasn’t been going too well for you, fear not: the bugs will be gone as soon as the warm weather disappears. And don’t forget that there is an upside — they play a vital role in the environment, helping farmers with their crops. But what if you’re just looking for a little payback? “One consolation — the bugs are not quick to fly following biting, so the victim usually has the satisfaction of removing the offender from the ranks of the living,” Jesse wrote.
Julia Marquez-Utzman talks about Grinnell Advocates the face of that. We can direct you to resources, we can just listen, we can go with you to the hospital if you want to do that, we can go with you to court — although there will be more involvement at that level — we are here to offer support.
CONTRIBUTED
Julia Marquez-Utzman is an Advocate, a confidential resource.
Grinnell Advocates is a confidential campus support group for those who have experienced sexual misconduct, violence or assault. Students can come to Advocates in a variety of different ways for a variety of diferent reasons at any time of day. This week, The S&B’s Cassidy Hilburn sat down with Julia Marquez-Utzman ’17 to discuss Advocates and the role they play on campus.
The S&B: How would you explain Advocates to someone who has never heard of it before? Julia Marquez-Utzman: I would say that if you have experienced intimate partner violence, partner violence, sexual assault, harassment or stalking, and you need help in any way then you can call Advocates, you can text us, you can walk up to any of us who are Advocates. And it is our job to help you do whatever it is you want in
How does Advocates work on your end? We do a fair amount of awareness-raising events, and the people who work those are Advocates. It’s mostly a word-of-mouth thing. We are going to get a “Meet your Grinnell Advocates” posters up in the upcoming weeks with people’s pictures so that people know who we are. It’s important for people to know us, because if they call or text the hotline it’ll be one of us responding. Does it partner with anything else on-campus? We work with an organization called Crisis Intervention Services [CIS], who are not affiliated with Grinnell. They are a government agency that serves this county and several other counties. They provide advocacy for the same things we do — domestic violence, sexual assault. One arm of their program is college campus outreach, so they have a couple people whose job
it is to get an Advocates program going on campus, and they have other similar programs at Drake and other colleges. So they are the ones who train us, and they also oversee everything we do. But we are not connected to any other groups; we’re not an arm of the Title IX office. There are four people who are ‘real grownups’ who get notified every time we receive a call or work with a client which is Rob, Deanna and two workers from CIS. I think [Rob and Deanna] are good intermediaries because there’s us who are on the ground, and the CIS workers who don’t live here, and Rob and Deanna are both very connected with the community, but not students so it provides an important support structure.
First and foremost we want to help survivors with whatever they need Julia Marquez-Utzman '17 What role do Advocates play on campus? I would say we are primarily meant as support. We do a fair number of awareness events and things like that, to spread information about how you can call and text us
anytime day or night, but also about the dynamics of sexual assault and domestic abuse and how harmful they are. It’s really two-pronged, with support and awareness. But, first and foremost, we want to help survivors with whatever they need: if they don’t know what to do but know they want to pursue something, if they just want to talk to somewhere, or anywhere between. What are the biggest things you want to destigmatize about sexual cultural at Grinnell? There are a fair number of things. Even though we’re at Grinnell and we’re super progressive and all that, there is still too much … I don’t want to say ‘victim-blaming,’ but things in that vein. Things along the lines of, “well, you shouldn’t have gone to that party,” or that type of thing. And it’s not that that doesn’t get talked about, but it’s still something that is happening. Also, conversations and issues of domestic abuse and sexual assault get centered around women and that’s just not accurate. While it is a majority that women tend to be victim survivors, but there’s a not-insignificant amount of people who are not women who also go through things like this, and it becomes doubly hard for that population to seek support.
Bus-eum "A Home in the Heartland" TRACES brings Iowa's social history to students
XIAOXUAN YANG
The bus for "A Home in the Heartland: Forgotten Stories of how Iowa Got to Be 'Us'" is painted differently than the four exhibits TRACES has run previously. The organization has driven Iowa's social history around the Midwest. By Lily Bohlke bohlkeli@grinnell.edu If you’ve seen what looks like a school bus, but with the word Iowa along with an illustration of the Iowan landscape painted on it, you’ve seen the Bus-eum exhibit called “A Home in the Heartland: Forgotten Stories of how Iowa Got to Be ‘Us.’” Grinnell alum Amy Clampitt, renowned poet, in fact, worked for one of places featured in the exhibit. TRACES is an organization that drives bus exhibits about Iowa’s social history around the Midwest.
TRACES’ vision is to “[bring] people of different backgrounds and perspectives together to speak with each other, respectfully and expectantly, in order to exchange experiences and opinions. We tap the past for clues about what to avoid repeating in the future, as well as what worked well in the past that might serve us well now as we seek a better way forward towards a more peaceable world,” according to the organization’s website. “A Home in the Heartland” is the organization’s fifth exhibit, according to Michael Luick-Thrams, director of
TRACES. Over a third of a million people have been on the bus, learning about the history of Iowa — the first four exhibits focused on Iowa during World War II. The bus can fit a class of 25 students and a teacher, so people whose stories TRACES preserves have been able to speak to classes, creating an even more personal narrative than what is acquired from the exhibit itself. “The reason we’re shifting from Midwest World War II stories is because most of those people that used to come to our bus are now dead,” Luick-Thrams said. “We’ve had for-
mer refugees, we’ve had internees, POWs, other people.” “A Home in the Heartland” follows Iowa’s social history from the very beginning when Albert Lea and other pioneers “sought to build a new Canaan on the prairie,” to Iowa’s more modern history including a commitment to education and changing roles of Iowan families. Situated around the bus are posters, describing different themes and time periods. In the back of the bus, there is a video and speaker space. Three videos play during this exhibit. One of the videos recounts the story of Scattergood Hostel, a refugee camp for European Jews who were able to make it to Iowa. Scattergood was a Quaker hostel in West Branch, Iowa. The video described it as looking more like a family farm than a refugee camp. Quakers and Jews worked the fields and did chores side by side, the Quak-
"We want to bring the history to life — make it personal rather than abstract." Michael Luick-Thomas, Director of TRACES ers acting as supportive resources for those who narrowly escaped Hitler’s concentration camps. Not only were the staff at Scattergood willing to listen to stories and be compassionate, but Scattergood also provided healthcare, language classes and job trainings to the 163 European Jews who were helped at
the hostel. “[They] wanted these tattered and tired people to know they deserved respect,” the video said. “[It was a] place where people could regather themselves.”
"We want to make history accessible, and we want to make it personal." Michael Luick-Thomas, Director of TRACES One of the Scattergood Hostel staff members was Grinnell’s own Amy Clampitt, according to LuickThrams. In addition, some professors who weren’t able to continue doing work at Scattergood came to Grinnell instead. “A Home in the Heartland” features many more examples like Scattergood. TRACES has taken the bus to many different locations, including “Nebraska cow towns, Northern Minnesota logging camps [and] inner-city Chicago schools,” in order to share Iowa’s history that they have compiled over the years. “It’s been preservation and populization. We want to make history accessible, and we want to make it personal,” Luick-Thrams said. “When you read history, it’s distance. But when you hear [narratives like] ‘I was scared for my life as the Nazis came looking for all the Jews in our village,’ then you experience it differently. We want to bring the history to life — make it personal rather than abstract.”
Features
6
Edited by bohlkeli@grinnell.edu
KDIC resolves to get students invested in station by fixing tech problems
HUNG VUONG
Ceci Bergman '19 recites poetry and jokes on "The Mom Cave Show," a show hosted by Steven Duong '19 that's on its second year running. The era of KDIC being closely associated with nonexistent streams and crashing websites is coming to an end — or at least that’s the hope of its new co-station manager Jenkin Benson ’17, who also hosts “No Scene,” a college-rock show on Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.. “The station has always been plagued with tech issues — the stream always went down, the website would always be really finicky — and it would be hard to get people to listen. My first-year KDIC had a way bigger campus presence — people would really listen to it,” Benson said. Arriving on campus as a first-year, he found that upperclassmen were really invested in KDIC, but over the next couple years that sense of connection faded. “Once you go through a generational shift, and when during that generational shift [the station] stops working, the underclassmen don’t care, because it’s not a presence on campus anymore. So I’m wanting to make KDIC a thing that people are interested in again,” Benson added. Right off the bat, Benson and co-station manager Seth Hanson ’17 decided to move KDIC’s servers from the recording studio to ITS in an effort to solve the technical issues. “I don’t know why that wasn’t done two years ago. When you have the server in the space and people are accessing those computers, stuff happens,” Benson said. However, issues remain. Cur-
rently KDIC’s website is little more than a schedule and a link to the web stream, although Benson hopes to have a full site launched by mid-October. As for the stream, it only works for those on Grinnell’s internet network, but it should be available to all internet users soon.
"I think radio's just a cool format for experimenting with." Jacob Friedman '19, host of "Various Noises" Despite its technical challenges, KDIC does some have some very popular shows. “The Mom Cave” airs Sundays from 11 p.m. to 12 p.m. and is hosted by Steven Duong ’19. “The Mom Cave” eschews all recorded music in favor of live music, banter, poetry — basically anything Duong’s friends want to perform. Now in its second year, the idea for the show was to provide a venue for Duong’s friends and floor mates on the fourth floor of Main Hall — which was nicknamed Mom Cave last year — to perform. Duong is the official host, but he features a rotating cast of his friends and ex-floor mates. “Main was a very tight-knit community, and I think the rapport we have in the studio is largely dependent on the fact that we lived together and that we spent so much time together,” Duong said. Now that the residents of Mom
GET TO KNOW SEPCS: POLITICAL SCIENCE
XIAOXUAN YANG
Ashleigh Bull '17, Christine Hood '17, Phil Gemmel '17 and Nirabh Koirala '17 plan events for and offer advice to other Political Science majors. By Lily Seibert seibertl@grinnell.edu The political science SEPC consists of Christine Hood ’17, Phil Gemmel ’17, Ashleigh Bull ’17, Linda Oyolu ’17 and Nirabh Koirala ’17. Between managing double majors and extracurricular activities, the five fourth-years play a significant role in keeping the department running and maintaining communication between students and faculty. “Our primary role is to be representatives for the students in the major and to the faculty,” Gemmel said. The SEPC serves on informational panels for students considering the political science major, plans study breaks, interviews faculty for hiring and reviews professors applying for tenure positions. Students looking into where their major can take them both after college and in off campus study can communicate with the SEPC for advice and guidance. They also run programming throughout the year that can appeal to political science students and those studying in other areas alike. Political Lives, a program in which the SEPC brings Grinnell faculty and staff forward to speak about how policy
has shaped their careers, is one of their primary responsibilities. Through these events, faculty across disciplines have shared stories including participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis from the vantage point of a submarine, multiple arrests for civil disobedience and involvement in the Iowa State Legislature. Through these events, the students hope to inspire others looking at political science for a career path and provide an open level of understanding between students and faculty. The SEPC also aims to cover current events such as presidential debates and election night in their programming for the year. They expressed their beliefs on political science as a topic applicable for all students no matter their preferred academic realm. “Poli-sci really is for everybody,” said Gemmel. “Especially right now in current political times, it’s really important to understand the workings of politics.” With the constant turbulence in the worldwide political climate and the lives of Grinnell College students alike, the political science SEPC hopes to bring structure and clarity to those in their field of study.
Cave have dispersed across campus, Duong says that the show will always be tied to the people who hung out and performed on the show last year, even though it is open to other talented students as well. In the first broadcast of the year, Duong took inspiration from fellow KDIC show “Black Kids Do Radio” and posted a livestream on Facebook. Still viewable after the stream, the video currently has over 700 views. “Various Noises,” a KDIC show hosted by Jacob Friedman ’19 on Sundays from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., is new this year, different from “Juice Cleanse,” which he co-hosted with Phoebe Schreckinger ’19 last year. “I’m hoping this year my show’s going to be more formatted and a little more serious. I wanted to have more control,” Friedman said of the reasons for the change. “Working with another person to figure out what we both wanted, I think I wanted slightly more order than she did.” Friedman’s plan is for “Various Noises” to be a variety show, with a mix of recorded and live music, occasional guests and perhaps even some original radio plays. “I think radio’s just a really cool format for experimenting with, and since it’s a college rawdio station, I have a lot of space to wiggle around, so I want to take advantage of that,” Friedman said. While Friedman says the popularity of “The Mom Cave” has led him to consider following their lead of postering on campus to spread the word, he will not broadcast his show on Facebook Live. “I think it kind of takes away from the whole audio aspect of radio. I know that when I’m in the studio, it feels super intimate, and when I have a camera on me, I feel a little put off,” Friedman said. One definite advantage of live streaming shows on Facebook is allowing listening on demand, which KDIC currently doesn’t make possible. Recording and distributing shows as podcasts is a long-term goal for Benson, but right now he’s more focused on the basics. Getting the web stream available off campus is at the at the top of the list.
Ben Charette '17 24-Hour Theatre Director
LEINA'ALA VOSS
7:25 p.m.—Make my way to Bucksbaum (or Big Buck, as we say in the industry). 7:29 p.m.—Arrive fashionably on time. Notice some others passing through and strike up casual conversation about the prospect of writing for the 24-Hour Theatre Project. They are, in fact, not here for the 24-Hour Theatre Project. 7:30 p.m.—[boggessn] ‘19 arrives bearing many snacks. I have my eye on a ripe bag of Flamin’ Hots. 7:35 p.m.—The writers have all arrived; our snack bearer in the lead, we make our way to the prop closet to get some inspirational props. Become inspired. 7:45 p.m.—Head back to Loose, the now-open bag of Flamin’ Hots my only cargo. I think it was meant for the entire cast and crew of 24-Hour, but they can have whatever I don’t eat. 8:30 p.m.—Writing in my room. This one-act may not have a middle or an end, but it sure as hell has sort of a beginning. 9:00 p.m.—No one likes to write alone; make my way to [scottlyd17]’s house after a stop at the Grill(/e) for coffee and more snacks (Flamin’ Hots can’t fight this fight alone either). 10:00 p.m.—Haven’t made “progress on the novel,” so much as “progress on a friendship.” 10:30 p.m.—Lots of snacks are being consumed. The laptops are finally open. Jesus has the wheel in hand. 12:00 a.m.—Writing progresses as only writing can. Page gets added to page. Nothing can stop me now. 1:00 a.m.—“Hey [scottlyd17], wanna watch Movie 43?” 1:15 a.m.—Flamin’ Hots all gone. Oop. 1:30 a.m.—“Ben, can we skip ahead to the part with Johnny Knoxville, [From the acclaimed film series "Jackass"]?” 2:00 a.m.—Sent back to Loose to write more on home soil. 3:00 a.m.—Offered a shot from some floormates; I believe it was Hemingway who said “Write drunk, edit sober.” 4:00 a.m.—Kum & Go run, featuring a Tragic Lack of Tornados 5:30 a.m.—We’re in deep now. 6:30 a.m.—Wait, is this script actually good? [still no] 7:00 a.m.—Wait, is this script actually done? [actually yes] 7:10 a.m.—Hit send, close laptop, refresh with shower. 7:25 a.m.—Really there’s no reason I need to walk to Big Buck and see the actors/directors, since my job as a writer is now done. That said, I’m still gonna do it. 7:45 a.m.—And here we are. Finished. A job well done. Now I can reward myself with a solid sleep before the show tonight.
Eco House and FRN host "Just Eat It" Only food that has been or will be thrown out
By Michael Cummings cummings@grinnell.edu
Bob’s Underground Café hosted a screening of the documentary “Just Eat It” on Tuesday night, bringing the important issue of food waste to Grinnellians’ attention. The screening, sponsored by Eco House and Food Recovery Network (FRN), showcased the experiences of filmmakers Jenny Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin as they embarked on a six-month pledge to only eat food that had been or was going to be thrown away by others. While there are many documentaries that highlight America’s food waste problem, this one was chosen in particular for its storyline of two people actually cutting down waste in their own lives. “We wanted to show something that would have more visceral appeal, something that was really a story rather than just a documentary about how bad food waste is, and we also wanted to get a conversation going about food waste rather than just giving people facts, which is what we’ve done in the
past,” said Clare Magalaner ’18, a cochair of FRN. As the documentary showed, finding high quality food that has been thrown out proved to not be a very difficult task. The film’s protagonists started by searching grocery store dumpsters, before eventually moving up the supply chain to large regional suppliers. What they found was a veritable treasure trove of high quality food, thrown away for absurd reasons. In one particular case, Baldwin came home with a very large quantity of chocolate, thrown out because in Canada, where the documentary was filmed, it’s illegal to have food labels without a French translation. While quantity and quality of food were not problems, living this life can be restrictive. Searching for food often meant getting up before sunrise to get to dumpsters before trash collection. “It’s so cool what they were doing, but that was a full time job,” Magalaner said. “It sounds great how little they spent on groceries all year, that’s awesome, but they also were out at two in the morning.”
“A lot of the people we work with in the community, their main issue is that they don’t have time, they have so many other responsibilities,” Magalaner continued. FRN works with the Grinnell community, providing community members with food from the dining hall that would otherwise be thrown out. The time commitment issue means it may be difficult for viewers to know how to make change in their own lives. “That’s the downside you get from watching the movie: ‘Oh, they did this, what can I do on a smaller level?’ So I think that’s kind of hard to piece together after seeing such a major movement and lifestyle change,” said Mimi Sarai ’18, another co-chair of FRN. Sarai and Magalaner did have a few suggestions for how students can decrease food waste. “Be realistic about how much food you’re actually going to eat in the D-Hall every day,” Magalaner said. “And know that it’s always there to go and get more,” added Sarai.
CECI BERGMAN
"Just Eat It" is about spending six months eating only food that has been already disposed of or will be thrown away.
Arts
Edited by coghlann17@grinnell.edu
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Lynda Barry and Dan Chaon to host writer's workshop
CONTRIBUTED
Mira Braneck braneckm@grinnell.edu Dan Chaon and Lynda Barry will lead a creativity workshop, hosted by Writers@Grinnell with partnership from Artists@Grinnell and the Public Events Committee, this afternoon from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in JRC 101. The duo’s famed workshops will offer Grinnellians the opportunity to explore their creative selves in new ways. Barry, a famous graphic novelist, and Chaon, a critically acclaimed author, have been developing their work-
shop for several years, and are currently in the process of writing a collaborative book, “Workbook 52,” based on their work together. “Lynda is known as kind of a giant in her field, and Dan, among fiction writers, is known as one of the great writers’ writers,” said Professor Dean Bakopoulos, English. “They really are two of the best creative writing teachers in the country,” Bakopoulos said. “People pay a lot of money to go to conferences where these kinds of workshops are offered,
so it’s really exciting that we can offer a free community workshop, which is a taste of what they do in the classroom.” Though Barry and Chaon are well known in academic communities, Bakopoulos and Professor Alissa Nutting, English, both stressed that the workshop would be fun. “[Students who attend the workshop] can expect to laugh … but also to do stuff that feels very non-academic. You’ll be doing drawings, you’ll have to share memories. It’ll open you up in ways that a traditional classroom might be more reserved or more focused on the teaching element,” Bakopoulos said. “You have to be prepared to share some stuff and look silly.” The workshop will also help those in attendance to use memory as a creative outlet. “It looks a lot at the connection between memory and story, and we all have memories, right? And just the ways that you can kind of tap into the sort of exceptional moments that for one reason or another … have been burned into us, and how we have these narratives inside of us that we’re really not aware of. How we can cultivate those and get into a space where we can access the storytelling and creative aspects of our brains more easily,” Nutting said. Barry and Chaon are experts at working with writers at any stage in the process, and promise to draw out content in fun and unusual ways. “[The workshop] starts at autobiography and moves into fiction. It’s for people who are writing stories and are stuck on one or trying to fix one or make one better. It’s also for people who have always thought about writing
stories and are trying to figure out a way to get into it,” Bakopoulos said. “No matter what level you’re writing at, or what genre or what your practice is, they’re really useful in terms of thinking about creativity and creating art and creating stories,” Nutting said. The workshop is not for any one genre — Bakopoulos and Nutting encouraged any writers or artists who seek to add narratives to their work to attend. “Artists who have always thought about adding a narrative element to their work, fiction writers who are struggling with ideas — they think they want to write fiction, but don’t know how to get a story started — or people that want to write memoir but don’t think their life is interesting enough. I think all three of
CONTRIBUTED
Poet D. Allen visits campus
Poet D. Allen is currently pursuing an MFA at the University of Minnesota. Brought to campus by the Stonewall Resource Center, the queer poet will give a reading of their work tonight in Mears Cottage. The S&B's Mira Braneck sat down with them to discuss labels, process and inspiration. The S&B: You’re giving a talk tonight called “Embody Poetics: Queering the Lyric Essay.” Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re going to be reading or discussing? D. Allen: I’m an MFA grad student at the University of Minnesota, and I’m in my last year of the program here.
So I’m working on a book related to that degree. It is a hybrid manuscript of lyric essays primarily, and also visual art. … I’m going to be reading a few of the lyric essays from that project, and showing the images that go along with them, and just talking about what hybrid forms mean to me, and how that relates to queerness and the gender, body and disability. The S&B: You do a lot of writing about disability. What does that entail, what does that mean to you? DA: This project has been through several iterations; I’ve been working on it since before I came to this grad
program. It’s been evolving over the past … five years. It sort of emerged in response to my diagnosis with a connective tissue disorder about five years ago. That is a condition that is genetic, and I’ve had it since birth but didn’t start to notice symptoms until my early twenties and figure out what it was until my mid-twenties. When I was first diagnosed with that, being really interested in human language, one of the ways that I managed my grief over my illness and my changing body was by getting really curious about the disorder. … Not just the literal meaning of it — you know, connective tissue disorder is something that affects the stuff that holds us together — but also the metaphorical implications of that. I’m interested in not just exploring the condition literally in my texts, although that does happen, but also thinking about the balance between connections and connection that exists in my daily life, and by extension, I’ve been thinking about what holds us together. So looking at intimacy in all of its many forms, not just sex and sexuality but through human tenderness … and then disconnection in the form of illness or violence or an inability or unwillingness to understand how we bridge those gaps. The S&B: In addition to disability and all that entails for you, what
these are covered — fiction, nonfiction, the graphic novelist,” Bakopoulos said. “Comics,” Nutting added. While students can expect to work and get ideas, they should also look forward to an exciting and engaging Friday night. “A lot of workshops like this; you go to; and maybe you have a really good time, but it’s not ultimately that useful, or it’s really useful but it’s not that enjoyable … and it really feels like a class you’re taking and you have to force yourself to pay attention,” Nutting said. “This is one of the rare times where it’s so fun, but it’s so useful. Workshops of theirs that I’ve been to, I still use things that I learned. I’m excited to get more tricks.”
else would you say informs or inspires your work? DA: The world. … I’m always trying to pay attention to whatever’s around me. One of the major shifts in this project that happens is maybe a year and a half or two years ago I realized I wasn’t just writing about my body and disability, I was writing, gathering everything I noticed. … I live in a city now, this is the biggest city I’ve ever lived in. Growing up in a rural area, North Carolina, is pretty different from that environment, and I’ve learned how to approach the city the same way I used to approach a wilder landscape — which is walking and observing and collecting things … and I write about those things, because I think that the focus of our attention really matters. The S&B: Was there a moment where everything kind of clicked and you realized that you were a poet, or that you wanted to be writing poetry? DA: I think it’s been a succession of moments. I think that the very first moment was that moment by the creek when I realized that I had something to say. And I remember that really specifically — that feeling of being out there. … I think I was nine. … I just remember feeling like; “Oh God, I’m so far from my pen and my paper, and I have something to say.” And I sort of trucked back
home reciting it to myself in my head to make sure I wouldn’t forget. … But I think in my adult life … I identified as a poet in college, and was doing a lot of writing there to a degree, but when I graduated, I was coming out and figuring out queer stuff and gender stuff, and I sort of needed to take a break from this academic identity as a poet I had kind of cultivated. The S&B: How do sexuality and gender inform your work? DA: Partially through content — finding ways that feel right to me to write about gender and sexuality. It still doesn’t entirely feel comfortable to me. … I also think besides content, and something I want to talk about [today], is how to do that through form. For me, as a reader, the things that I really gravitate towards and love are things that resist definition and categorization. … I think that’s why the lyric essay has become really important to me. It’s sort of this malleable, shape-shifting container for all of the bits and pieces and fragments. … It’s sort of able to hold whatever I need it to. … Some of the work I’ll be showing tomorrow includes erasure poems that I make out of entries in the dictionary, and I think that is a really queer process, for me. It’s like taking definitions and making them for my own purposes.
"Gifts" explores privilege in Smith Gallery By Steve Yang yangstev17@grinnell.edu Hair: we all have it, most of us know how to take care of it and some of us even know how to make cool weaves and braids with it. But designing art installations with hair is another beast altogether, as Reba Brooks ’17, a Studio Art and French double major, learned while creating the four pieces that make up “Gifts,” an exhibition now at the Smith Gallery. “Something what might not come through really well is how difficult those materials are to work with,” Brooks said. “For the big installation, 'Angel,' there were eight-foot long chunks with about three feet of hair … and there was so much frustration and care and anxiety that went into detangling it. I wish that was visible … You don’t see the effort.” As a gallery exhibition, “Gifts” is a product and a reflection of Brooks’ various studies of the body, notably power symbolism. They noted the significance that the length and color of one’s hair has in performed gender roles in society, with regards to privilege and personality. “A lot of my work concerns intersections of privilege,” Brooks said, gesturing at their long, blond hair. “It’s a pretty personal sort of narrative, and I’m interested in the way that people read
me based on my hair, which I haven’t cut in four years, compared to me when I had a shaved head. … There was a lot less obligation to femininity when I was bald.” Brooks mentioned their self-examination of this long blond hair and what it means in society. “The gift of whiteness, the gift of coming off as ‘normal,’ cis and straight, as healthy.” The connotation of this hair can be far removed from the reality of the observed, however, as Brooks added. “It definitely hides my disability really well,” they said. “My hair has fallen out from being sick, which was an … obvious marker … on my body, although it’s grown back. Hair is really great at concealing things.” Not all the hair pieces that Brooks originally created made it into the installation. They described a “particularly nasty” chandelier made of “tangled resin icicles and hair covered in plastic, hung from 2 different circle shapes,” which was hard to interact with and was subsequently left out. The third crown in the set was also left out of the exhibition: made from a plaster mold of the hands of one of their friends, Brooks felt that the crown was too focused on masculinity for an exhibition dedicated to femininity. Upon entering, it is apparent that
the centerpiece of the installation is “Angel,” a halo of eight layers of plywood glued together, colored black with charcoal, supporting long strands of synthetic blond hair. Inside the halo, two footprints point towards the door, inviting the viewer to step inside and experience both the pressure and feeling of looking out under these wefts of hair, pausing to consider what societal expectations revolve around the hair on our heads.
Brooks wants people to touch this piece and to push past the grossness that we often associate with touching loose hair. “I want people to try on my body, my identity,” they said. “I would love to cut [my long hair] all off.” An open notebook nearby asking visitors to document their experience with "Angel" sits under a stylistically similar piece, “Icon.” Vivid with different hues of brown from mahogany,
sepia and burnt umber to softer tones, “Icon” enshrouds a self-portrait of Brooks wearing the hand-crown in a resin base. The piece harkens back to Brooks’ family history, which is intimately associated with Russian Eastern Orthodoxy, luminous gold paintings of Jesus and icons in the home. Don’t miss the chance to see “Icon” — it could very well be one of a kind. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to replicate it ever again,” Brooks said.
TAKAHIRO OMURA
Many of the pieces in Reba Brooks's Smith Gallery exhibit, "Gifts" are made out of hair.
Arts
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Edited by coghlann17@grinnell.edu
Archipenko to open in Faulconer Gallery stopped at Penn State and Jacksonville, Fl., and will soon be off to Denmark and Sweden. “We have a very active sculpture program here, and we haven’t shown a whole lot of it. We also don’t collect it … so I’m hoping that when students come in they’ll see things that they can’t see elsewhere on campus and they haven’t seen a whole lot in the 17 years we’ve been here,” Strong said. When students do come into the exhibit this Friday, they’ll be greeted by one of Archipenko’s most famous statues, “Dancers,” right as they pass through the doorway. Distinguishing itself from the rest of the artist’s work through its incorporation of movement, the thin forms are portrayed as if midway through
LEINA'ALA VOSS
Alexander Archipenko's work will be displayed in Faulconer Gallery until Dec. 11. By Jon Sundby sundbyjo17@grinnell.edu
T
hroughout his long career, the modern sculptor Alexander Archipenko, moved quite a bit — both physically and artistically. Born in Ukraine in 1887, Archipenko traveled to Paris and Berlin at the turn of the 20th century to discover cubism. Later, he found himself in New York, attempting to combine his modernist art with the new technology of the era. And as the years floated by, he
ended up in the woods of upstate New York, teaching art and working on a new wave of avant-garde sculptures. And now his work is on the move once again, this time settling in Grinnell for a semester long installation at Faulconer Gallery. "I think his legacy comes in all these other people being willing to experiment and take that into the future. He's not so influential by what he did, but rather than by who he was and how he taught." Daniel Strong
While still modern, Archipenko’s exhibit is a departure from past installations at Faulconer due to its age and style. Usually, the gallery hosts artists that are still in their artistic prime, and rarely do they bring in sculpture. Yet, Lesley Wright, Director of Faulconer Gallery, and Daniel Strong, Associate Director, were excited to change the usual lineup, and have been waiting on this show to come to Grinnell for three years now. Brought here by the Archipenko Foundation, the exhibit is on a long tour that has
"We have a very active sculpture program here, and we haven't shown a whole lot of it. We also don't collect it, so I'm hoping that when students come in they'll see things that they can't see elsewhere on campus" Daniel Strong a step, which leads to an illusion of the figures pushing themselves away from the pedestal. The rest of Archipenko’s collection, in contrast, is comprised of still, abstract figures that rest on a singular focus. “He [always] remains faithful to the subject matter, the female form” Strong said. Milton Severe, director of exhibition design, was a little blunter in this regard, “He liked girls,” Severe said with a laugh.
"He [always] remains faithful to the subject matter, the female form. He liked girls." Daniel Strong
While his muse stayed the same throughout his life, Archipenko rearranged his style often. He was always interested in the newest trends in the art world and would constantly experiment with materials and forms. As one walks through the exhibit, which is largely organized chronologically, it is easy to see how a new boldness infused with his work towards the end of his life. The artist that used to focus on rendering the body so accurately, eventually created statues that represented the human figure in metaphor only. This lifelong commitment to experimentation has won Archipenko the distinction of being a divisive artist whose work draws passionate responses from both admirers and critics. Yet, despite the mixed reactions to his art, Archipenko’s real legacy lies in his teaching ability and the characteristics and passion that he transmitted to his students. “I think his legacy comes in all these other people being willing to experiment and take that into the future,” said Wright. “He’s not so influential by what he did, but rather than by who he was and how he taught,” added Strong. “Archipenko: A Modern Legacy” opens today and will run until Dec. 11. An opening reception will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Faulconer Gallery.
Art SEPC hosts first pop-up show "Home Improvement" By Reed Essex essexree@grinnell.edu Although Grinnell boasts a number of attractive spaces to display art on campus, most of these spaces are only open to submissions from a select few. But thanks to this semester’s Art SEPC, the Grinnell art scene will start to expand its scope of inclusivity. This Saturday, Oct. 1, artwork from students of all disciplines will be on display in a pop-up show entitled “Home Improvement.” “One of the goals we had that we talked about in our first meeting was creating more community within the art department at Grinnell, but also within the wider community of people who are interested in art, whether they end up taking art classes here or not,” said Olivia Caro '17, one of the organizers working to put the show together. “We came up with the idea of doing the pop-up show as a way to hopefully reach out to students more.”
Members of the SEPC are working hard to make sure that the show itself is accessible to all students on campus. Located at Art House on Park Street, the show does not require students to be art majors and is accepting all types of submissions in the hopes that students can have a place to showcase their work. "One of the goals we had that we talked about in our first meeting was creating more community within the art department at Grinnell." Olivia Caro '17
about the art that their peers are making.” Going forward, Dooley, Caro and the other organizers want to create a more inclusive and collaborative art scene on campus that allows students who wouldn’t normally have the chance to display their work to come to the forefront.
“[We want to create] an art community that is accessible to anyone that wants to participate in it,” Dooley said. Over the next couple months, the SEPC plans to host several other pop up shows around campus. “We want this pop up show to be a continuing thing,” Caro said.
“People should come to the show, people should submit art for the next one. We need spaces for the shows [in the future] we need people to submit art, so as long as we have the support from the rest of the campus, I would really love to see another two or three by the end of the year.”
Since this is the first popup show hosted by the SEPC, the group is looking forward to seeing how the experience goes. “We all just want to do this thing and find out what we want it to be” said Tim Dooley '17, another member of the SEPC. “There’s a ton of art on campus, we have so many awesome publications, and we have the Smith Gallery, but what’s exciting about this is that it’s really the first place where people can come together and talk
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Community
Edited by carhartl17@grinnell.edu
Spaulding Lofts bring housing diversity
ELLEN SCHOENMAKER
The Spaulding Lofts will provide a new housing option previously absent in Grinnell. By Carter Howe howethom@grinnell.edu In the first building of the new Spaulding Lofts development, just four of its 38 apartments are vacant. A second building, which is still under renovation, in the complex will add 39 additional apartments and is expected to be completed sometime early this winter. In addition to trendy, small apartments with the original industrial features of the building, such as exposed brick, still intact, the development will also feature amenities such as a fitness center, business center with computers and a community room. Unsold Spaulding Lofts apartments at the old Spaulding factory in downtown Grinnell will go on sale this February, says Ryan Eaton, leasing manager of the lofts at west Des Moines based Hubble Realty, the project’s developer. Grinnell Mayor Gordon Canfield said the lofts will increase Grinnell’s housing stock and provide housing for younger people and workers that commute into Grinnell. “The target demographic is people aged about 20-38. That group is targeted because we really had no housing in Grinnell that suited them . … We knew that there were a lot
of people who worked in Grinnell who did not live in Grinnell, and so a … survey was taken, … and the question was why don’t you live in Grinnell?” Canfield said. “When we encountered these people, they said, ‘well, you know we couldn’t find the housing that we either could afford or like to live in.’” Both Canfield and Eaton also said that the Spaulding Lofts provide a new type of housing in Grinnell that was previously lacking. Ryan said the tenants seemed particularly excited about the architecture and the amenities included. “From what I’m hearing from people, there’s nothing like it within the city or even within the immediate area, so to have this kind of architecture, which is typically found in bigger cities is kind of a new concept for the area. Other things the tenants seem to be really excited about is the amenities that are included,” Eaton said. Canfield said that, though there are existing homes available, the Spaulding Lofts provide a good option for young people because of their compactness and low maintenance costs as opposed to existing housing. “They’re not too big. … The
existing housing is kind of interesting," Canfield said. "Young people today don’t really want to buy an older house that they have to work on and fix up … if you’re working full time or your spouse or partner is working full time, you just don’t have time to work on houses and it’s expensive." Attracting future workers to live in the city that would otherwise commute is another goal of the project, Canfield said. Local employers with open positions, like Jeld Wyn Windows, the Brownell company and Grinnell Regional Medical Center have had a hard time finding labor. Currently 26 percent of people that work in Grinnell do not live in Grinnell. “It was found out that a lot of young people didn’t move to Grinnell although they got a job here. …We didn’t want that to happen anymore, we’re not gonna get that 26 percent of those workers because they’re already established, but we don’t want the new 26 percent to go someplace. … So what we’re trying to do is make it easier to get the workers our town needs to grow,” Canfield said. In the end, Eaton said, this development is good for everybody involved: the City of Grinnell, Hubble Realty, the people of Grinnell and the historic Spaulding factory as well. “I think it’s just kind of a mutual benefit. The city came to us expressing a shortage in housing, and we’ve got the experience in renovating older buildings such as these and nobody really wanted to see the buildings go to waste, so it kind of turned into a win-win for everybody, as far as for the city and us,” Eaton said. “We’re able to renovate the buildings and employ people through construction, as well as, you know, provide some additional housing for Grinnell residents or even people that are moving into the city.”
Cedar Rapids Area towns evacuated due to flooding By Michael Cummings cummings@grinnell.edu While Grinnell students who live on the coast frequently complain about Iowa’s distinct lack of water, the state has just enough water to cause trouble. Over the past couple of weeks, heavy rainfall has led to severe flooding in the northeastern parts of the state, including Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city. Although many people have been displaced and much property has been destroyed, this is not the worst flood in Iowa history. Many across the state, particularly in eastern Iowa, remember the flood of 2008, which racked up over 60 billion dollars in damages.
“This really is a testament to how great this state is. We have people from all over, donating personnel, equipment, coming in to fill sandbags. We have four-year-olds filling sand bags.” Greg Buelow “The one in 2008 was 31.12 feet, which was the highest in recorded history,” said Greg Buelow, public safety spokesperson for the City of Cedar Rapids, before adding that the current flood is not as bad. “This one ranks number two. It topped out at right around 22 feet, so again, that would be the second largest crest in the history of the Cedar River since they started keeping track.” While there was some damage in Cedar Rapids, the toll was not nearly as bad as it was in 2008. Buelow attributes that to better planning and preparedness. “Back in 2008, we had 10 percent of the community that was impacted by actual floodwaters,” Buelow said before explaining their preparation techniques this time around. “We have a temporary flood protection system that consists of earthen berms, levees and
Hesco barriers … that were put in place, and it seems like it kept out the damage significantly.” Buelow noted that their efforts have paid off. “I mean we have hardly any homes that have been impacted by water other than a handful of businesses that were on the wet side of the temporary flood protection,” he said. “But the temporary flood protection measures held, and it was a remarkable achievement. They were built over the course of 48 to 72 hours with city employees, contractors and volunteers who just worked around the clock and built this temporary flood protection, and it was a remarkable achievement. It held the waters back.” Another mark of Cedar Rapids’ preparedness was the coordination of the city’s various emergency response crews. “Our police and fire departments more or less established an instant command post, and what it is is the equivalent of an emergency operations center where they coordinate all their responses,” Buelow said. “They get all the different departments that are going to be directly involved in responding to a potential flood, and what they do is they coordinate, they plan and then they prepare their response.” City departments weren’t the only ones responding to this flood. In Cedar Rapids and the other affected communities, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department (HSEMD), a state office responsible for responding to natural disasters, has been hard at work.
“We utilize state resources to supplement any response efforts that are going on down at the local level,” said John Benson, a spokesperson for HSEMD. “So if a county or city at the local end have a specific resource need that they don’t have available to themselves, or some type of expertise, we have resources at the state level that we can provide.” While much media attention has been given to the Cedar Rapids area, Buelow clarified that Cedar Rapids was far from the only area affected. “You need to focus on a couple of river basins. The first one’s obviously going to be the Cedar River basin, which runs all the way from Charles City [in northern Iowa] … into the Mississippi. We’re also interested in what’s going on in the Wapsipinicon [River] basin, which is in roughly that same type of area,” Buelow said. While the affected areas are relatively far from Grinnell, according to Buelow, there are plenty of opportunities for concerned Grinnellians to help. He encouraged anyone who wants to make a difference to visit the United Way of east central Iowa’s website at www.uweci.org. Above all else, Buelow expressed gratitude for the many volunteers who have stepped up to the plate. “This really is a testament to how great this state is,” Buelow said. “We have people from all over, donating personnel, equipment, coming in to fill sandbags. We have four-year-olds filling sand bags.”
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Veterans Memorial may be saved by State of Iowa: Central Park construction threatens building that honors Grinnell's veterans
LEINA'ALA VOSS
The Veterans' Memorial during the current construction in Central Park. State groups have gotten involved in efforts to preserve the building. By Mira Braneck braneckm@grinnell.edu As the Central Park renovations come to a close, one question concerning the park remains: what to do about the Veterans’ Memorial Building. The building, built in 1956, has stood empty for the past six years, after asbestos was discovered. “The City was responsible for calling in the entity that removed the asbestos,” said Teresa McCall, Chair of the Veterans’ Memorial Commission. “At that time, they pretty much gutted the building … and left it in such disrepair that it wasn’t able to be inhabited … and provided no budget for the repair to get it back up and running.” Before the asbestos was removed, the building was “a mini-community center of sorts,” McCall said. The main floor was rented out for functions and meetings, and the lower level was used by Mid-Iowa Community Action.
“You don’t have to be an engineer to figure out if a lot of rain happens at once, it will flood the building. So we immediately approached the City about adjustments that could be made to protect the building." Teresa McCall Now, there is controversy surrounding the building. While the Commission chose not to remove the building and is seeking funding to renovate the building, members feel that the town wants the building to be demolished and a different memorial constructed instead. The Commission views the absence of the building from the Central Park renovation plans as the City’s plan to eventually get rid of the building. “This spring sometime, when they started the project for Central Park, it came to our attention that … the main drainage for the entire park was to be placed two feet above the finished floor of the building,” McCall said. “You don’t have to be an engineer to figure out if a lot of rain happens at once, it will flood the building. So we immediately approached the City about adjustments that could be made to protect the building. At that time, … it came to our attention that the Central Park plan also eliminated [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessibility, or any accessibility, to the building. Basically, they were surrounding the building with the park plan but not providing any access to the doors. It appeared that the plan was to eventually get rid of the building, even though the Commission hadn’t decided that.”
“While the city would like to make the decisions about the building, they can’t. Legislatively, they can’t, legally, they can’t.” Teresa McCall The Commission legally has to approve all of the decisions made about the building. “While the City would like to make the decisions about the build-
ing, they can’t,” McCall said. “Legislatively, they can’t, legally, they can’t.”
“So then I think it causes hard feelings among the veterans’ groups because they view it as the City is anti-veteran. … I know personally that each one of them is not" Teresa McCall The Commission is struggling to secure funding to renovate the building. Renovations would cost between one and 1.5 million dollars, according to the Commission’s estimates. When the Commission requested money in their budget to support the renovations, the City essentially gave them the operating budget that they usually receive. “If we have the funds, we can start [the project],” McCall said. “I feel like there’s kind of a purposeful action of tying our hands in the sense of not providing a budget so we simply can’t do anything. It’s frustrating.” The Commission has been raising funds on their own. They have some donors and a fund open with the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation. There is also a tax levy that will be placed on the ballot in November 2017, which, if passed, would raise taxes 41 cents per 1,000 dollars. The petition to put the levy on the ballot had over 600 signatures, and needed only 67, according to McCall. “If we could just get the City’s cooperation, and kind of a go-ahead, we could make these things happen,” McCall said. “We have a lot of people who have done pledges, but won’t put money into our account at the Greater Poweshiek Community Fund, because of the uncertainty of it.” McCall said she is frustrated with the City’s inaction but acknowledges the Commission’s part in the current stalemate. “It’s been at a stand-still for six years. … I don’t want to place blame on either side. I think it was a combination of things — the City’s inaction to provide a budget for it but also the commission, at that point … I think there was a failure on both sides to do anything with it,” McCall said. “I just feel like communication between the two parties is so important, and that’s what’s been lacking the last several years. … When we do communicate, we get fair and open communication. But it feels like we have to seek out the information instead of being informed.” “I look at other projects the City has been behind, and the City has always been really good about helping other projects get off the ground and do some of these things that are required, the groundwork required to get things up and running. It just hasn’t happened that way with this,” McCall said. “So then I think it causes hard feelings among the veterans’ groups because they view it as the City is anti-veteran. … I know personally that each one of them is not — they’re not anti-veteran, that’s not what this is about. But I think that’s kind of the cloud that has been over this.” The City of Grinnell could not be reached for comment.
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Edited by carhartl17@grinnell.edu
Oktoberfest this weekend to celebrate German Heritage “The whole community puts this on. All of the different merchants around town have different things going on within their stores. There’s some demonstrations at the woolen mill and at the furniture shop. There’s live music at some of the restaurants. We have Iowa's only working woolen mill,” Collier stated.
CONTRIBUTED
Polka music and other traditional facets of German culture will be on full display at the Amana Colonies this weekend. By Graham Dodd doddgrah@grinnell.edu An hour east of Grinnell, over 30,000 people will come together this weekend to celebrate their German heritage with music, games, parades and beer. The Amana Colonies host the oldest, and one of the largest, Oktoberfest celebrations in Iowa. This year will be the unincorporated community’s 51st Oktoberfest. The festival's director, Savannah Collier, is optimistic about the event possibly drawing record numbers. “Every year it grows,” Collier said. “It just gets bigger and better every year. We typically get be-
tween 30,000 and 40,000 people over the weekend. I’m hoping that everything runs smooth and we have record breaking numbers.”
"Oktoberfest is a big German tradition, so it kind of came along with our heritage,” Savannah Collier Collier is not native to Amana, but under her leadership, the festival continues to grow every year. “I graduated from Iowa State [University] with a degree in hospitality management and event management,” she explained. “I run all of the events, all of the festivals that go on in the Amana Colonies.
I came here because I thought the community was really neat. It’s unincorporated, so there is no city government or anything like that. So it is just very different from other areas.” Part of the festival’s draw is its ability to tap into the German heritage many Iowans share. “The Amana Colonies were originally settled by German immigrants seeking refuge from Germany. They came over to America and created the Amana Colonies. Oktoberfest is a big German tradition, so it kind of came along with our heritage,” Collier suggested. The tradition involves the entirety of the Amana Colonies’ community.
“It's just a lot of fun celebrating German heritage. It is just a great kickoff to fall. We have food, music and beer, and all sorts of stuff that I think appeals to college students." Savannah Collier Traditional German music plays a central role at the festival. Many venues will feature live music all three days, from noon until late at night. “We have four main bands coming, they are mostly Polka type bands, but they play other stuff too towards the evening,” Collier said. Collier listed some of the events that she said might appeal especially to college students. “We have games on Saturday that are pretty fun,” she began.
“We have a keg toss and log sawing competition. We do a game called Naglehauen, which is like the Hammerschlagen game where you drive the nail into the stump. There’s both hammers and beer at this competition, so of course it's really safe,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “Then we have the Eisenmann competition where they have to hold two steins of beer out and extend their arms for however long they can, so I guess that is kind of appealing to a younger crowd.” Collier welcomed the idea of Grinnell students attending, saying she believed the festival to be a good environment for college students to spend their weekend.
"There’s both hammers and beer at this competition, so of course it's really safe,” Savannah Collier “It's just a lot of fun celebrating German heritage. It is just a great kickoff to fall. We have food, music and beer, and all sorts of stuff that I think appeals to college students. I mean, everybody likes to get out and listen to music.” Tickets are sold at the gate. Prices are 10 dollars for a single-day pass, 15 dollars for two-day passes.
Goat Pros go to work in State Parks By Mira Berkson berksonm@grinnell.edu McIntosh Woods State Park in Ventura, Iowa has temporarily added 40 furry, adorable and hard-working helpers to its ecosystem: goats. The goats are good for much more than their looks and charming demeanor; they were placed in the state park to graze and eat invasive species, which increase diversity of the plants in the park and allow for more native species to thrive. Aaron Steele, co-owner of Goats on the Go, the company that provides the goats, explained the goats' purpose. "The main benefits of using goats are that they offset the use of herbicides and mechanization,” Steele said. “The goats are very light-footed and don't cause much in the way of erosion, and they replace a lot of human labor working in dangerous conditions like steep slopes and thick woods and lots of poison ivy. Goats just thrive in those conditions." Tammy Domonoske, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) park ranger for McIntosh, elaborated on why she turned to goat labor.
"Since I had been working on my ecosystem management plan for many years and never being able to get ahead of the invasive species problem,” Domonoske wrote in an email to The S&B, “I decided I would try prescribed grazing to devour the nuisance vegetation faster and to see results quickly."
“The goats are very light-footed and don't cause much in the way of erosion, and they replace a lot of human labor working in dangerous conditions like steep slopes and thick woods and lots of poison ivy. Goats just thrive in those conditions." Aaron Steele
Goats on the Go isn't the company to pilot this innovative and environmentally-friendly way of combating problem vegetation. Steele spoke of how there are goat providers across the United States, especially in the west. "[Goats on the Go] saw very few providers in the Midwest, and none in Iowa,” Steele said. They kick started their Amesbased company by raising just a
few goats, and now they have about 300 goats, with plans to expand even further. "We use the goats for conservation land management, so for state parks, county conservation boards, managing brush and woodlands. That typically tends to be larger scale projects," Steele said. Bigger projects can use goats by the hundreds, so even the seemingly large project that's happening in McIntosh is considered small compared to other undertakings that the company has tackled. Forty goats can eat an acre in about three to five days, according to Steele. "Over the course of several grazing seasons and with other techniques along the way, my goals are to eliminate most of the invasive species such as common buckthorn, honeysuckle, autumn olive, Virginia creeper and grapevine that have taken over the woodlands," Steele said. "[The] long term goal would be to create an oak savanna forest and a much healthier, more diverse native woodland within McIntosh Woods State Park." In addition to all of the environmental benefits of the creatures, the goats are adorable and are likely to melt the hearts of any passerby, making for a great way to engage
CONTRIBUTED
Goats like this one provide a natural service to State Parks and other projects through natural landscape control. the public. "This project has been a rewarding, positive experience. It has drawn people outside into the state park and the great outdoors that wouldn’t necessarily visit, and from many miles, just to view the ‘working’ goats!” Domonoske wrote. “In the process, they discovered new elements that they did not know existed, whether that be the wildlife viewing blind in the wetland, a bridge over a small creek, the scenery or the yurt cabins. … They all have been eager to hear
and see the story about how the goats are assisting us with natural resource management.” McIntosh is a public park, so Grinnell students and community members can visit to see the goats in action, though these hooved and horned friends will only be at McIntosh for a couple more weeks before they are off on their next eating endeavor. However, anyone can scroll through the Iowa DNR’s Facebook page for a "GoatPro" video to get a goat's-eye-view of the park.
Historical landmark adds unique touch to Grinnell
By Louise Carhart carhartl17@grinnell.edu
Although rural Iowa may not seem like a center of architectural thought, there are examples of groundbreaking design right here in Grinnell. The Ricker House, located on Broad Street, is a prime example of the Prairie School (PS), a trend is characterized by long, horizontal lines and restraint in decoration. Often, Prairie School houses are open to nature and fea-
ture large windows that open the house to the outside. Professor Daniel Kaiser, History, blogs and talks about the Ricker House. Using the Ricker family, for whom the house was built, Kaiser traces the history of both the College and town. Built in 1912, The Ricker House was commissioned by B.J. Ricker, class of 1891, for his family. Designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin, the Ricker House is now owned by the College and
ELLEN SCHOENMAKER
The Ricker House on Broad Street is Grinnell's personal representative of the Prairie School of architecture.
Movies at the Strand
operated as a guesthouse for visitors. The Ricker House is unique in Grinnell, standing out among more traditional homes on Broad Street. “I don’t think Ricker House was ever intended to ‘fit in.’ The man who commissioned the house saw it as a statement of his importance, of his identification with a new, progressive era, and consequently saw his new home as not be just another house, but something altogether different, something distinctively American and new,” Kaiser wrote in an email to the S&B. “Built at what was then the north edge of town, Ricker House at the time really had no competitors — open fields lay to the north — and situated on three lots, Ricker House almost defied comparison.” Today, the Ricker House still stands out as a representative of an architectural movement that was mostly common in the Midwest during the first half of the twentieth century. Despite being one of the only examples of pure Prairie School architecture in Grinnell, there are buildings in the City that are clearly influenced by design
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Showtimes: 3:40 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m. Some men stomp around the Wild West and wear a lot of leather.
similar to the Ricker House. “Several two-story frame houses in Grinnell reflect the influence of the [Prairie School] architects, even if they also take their basic identity from older, borrowed traditions,” Kaiser wrote.
“I don’t think Ricker House was ever intended to ‘fit in.’ The man who commissioned the house saw it as a statement of his importance, of his identification with a new, progressive era," Professor Daniel Kaiser “A recent building that proudly leans on the principles of the PS architects is the Drake Community Library (2009), whose horizontal thrust and openness to the natural world echo the PS buildings.” In recent years, the home has transitioned from being a family residence to serving a more practical purpose for the College. “When the house was purchased, it was decided that it would not be preserved as a mu-
STORKS
Showtimes: 3:50 p.m. 6:45 p.m. 3D: 8:50 p.m. Traditionally carrying babies to new homes, late capitalism has commodified storks and now they work for Wal-Mart.
seum piece (the College is not in the business of running a house museum) but instead would be used in the manner for which it was built: as a residence, albeit not as a private family residence, but for short-term guests of the College,” wrote Daniel Strong, associate director and curator of exhibitions for Falconer Gallery in an email to The S&B. “Fortunately, the house was in reasonably good condition when the College purchased it in 2000, and work has been confined to maintaining the house in good condition. Most of our work has been mechanical.” Because the house is used as a residence, the process of preservation has been mainly to keep it fully functioning. There have been road blocks, such as when water pipes burst and ruined flooring a couple years ago. “I think ‘maintaining’ the house in the condition in which we found it is a better term for what we’re doing than ‘preserving.’ When something breaks, we fix it, but otherwise, we haven’t embarked on a concerted effort at preservation or restoration,” Strong said.
SULLY Showtimes: 4 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:10 p.m. Tom Hanks reprises his role as every hero ever in this telling of the Miracle on the Hudson.
Edited by sundbyjo17@grinnell.edu
Letter to the Editor Coming into this semester, I a fair wage. The federal and Iowa state minwas incredibly excited to start my new job with The S&B. I was cho- imum wage is currently $7.25 per sen to be the Sports Editor this se- hour. Student workers at the Colmester, but after realizing how little lege make a minimum of $8.50. I would make, I just couldn’t justify But, when it’s calculated out, a working for the newspaper. This Sports Editor on the staff for The decision was a hard one to make. S&B make about $4.16 an hour. I had worked on staff last fall as a The S&B staff are not technically Copy Editor, a position I had sort of paid by the hour, rather they are fallen into, but discovered just how paid in a stipend. The problem with much I enjoyed journalism through this stems from the unpredictable the job. Unfortunately, I needed to nature of the work: staffers often face the reality of my situation and end up working long hours over the course of the could not commit week, sometimes to working the of- [This disparity in pay] ten long and gruel- directly limits who is able putting upwards of 20 hours in. This is ing hours on Thursto work for The S&B no small commitday nights that The ment and the time S&B staff put in to Jack O'Malley '17 it takes up could publish the paper. be spent studying, Like many students at the College, I am constant- working another higher-paying job ly struggling to balance schoolwork or socializing. This disparity in pay has a with outside work, some semblance of a social life and, on top of all of number of consequences. First, it that, somehow squeeze in enough directly limits who is able to work sleep to keep me going. This Grin- for The S&B. By not paying at least nellian reality is compounded by the equivalent of a minimum wage, the fact that I am off-campus this SPARC is preventing students like year and now need to make enough myself, students who need to make money to pay rent and buy myself money to make ends meet while food. I realize I am not unique in they’re at school, from simply this situation. A good portion of the working for staff. SPARC should student body is struggling to make pay The S&B by the hour, and at ends meet in a lot of different ways, the minimum wage, in order to and they are often forced to take open up the opportunity to all stuout loans just to live. Fortunately, I dents to get journalism experience. was able to find other work besides -Jack O'Malley '16 working for The S&B that pays me
The Liberal
Republican I am a Liberal Republican, not an oxymoron, as one would think, but instead a pragmatic individual who feels such a mindset is the best for the American democratic system. This essay is the first of a two-part series: “The Role of Government in our Lives.” In this particular portion, we shall cover the role of government in the social structures of America. Past Republican thought held that a larger bureaucracy could help improve the lives of Americans, not adversely affect them. However, what can be said of Thomas Jefferson’s famous statement: “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and the government to gain ground?” The founders were very fearful of tyranny in America, as were the old and more liberal Republicans. Even though they supported increased bureaucratic action in areas of our lives such as education and civil rights, they were fearful of the massive extension of the federal bureaucracy under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal policies. This is not to say that providing citizens Social Security and Medicare, amongst other aspects of this expansion, is bad. In fact, I believe quite the opposite, but just exactly how much “ground” should we allow the government to “gain?” By today’s standards, some of the founders were quite extreme when it came to perceptions of freedom. “Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual,” Jefferson said. It was a time where the social
Managing Editor News Editors Features Editor Sports Editor Arts Editor Community Editor Opinions Editor Copy Editors Photo Editor Graphics Editor Business Manager Staff Writer Honorary Editor
Under the Radar
Tommy O'Donnell
“Stage Four,” the fourth full length release from the LA Post-Hardcore quintet Touché Amoré, is an album like no other experienced since the emergence of the Washington D.C.-based Hardcore movement. On this new album, Amoré transgress the boundaries of both genre and lyricism, creating an end product with the melodic satisfaction of artists like The Smiths intertwined with the unhinged passion of Jeremy Bolm’s vocal delivery. Bolm’s lyricism has been a major part of the group’s dynamic ever since their debut release, “To the Beat of a Dead Horse.” He is able to write with sentiment and raw emotion, similar to that of Sufjan Stevens on his beautiful 2015 release “Carrie and Lowell,” while also applying it to harsh post-hardcore instrumentation provided by guitarists Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt, bassist Tyler Kirby and drummer Elliot Babin. The group formed in 2007 and have consistently toured ever since, quickly becoming known for their hyper-energetic live sets as well as their introspective lyrics. On “Stage Four,” the dense lyrics compound to form a fitting eulogy to Bolm’s mother, Sandra, who passed away from cancer in 2014. The title
A Balanced Bureaucracy contracts were decided often within the aristocracy, one wealthy family to the next; a government built on property-owning white males deathly afraid of government intervention in any aspect of their lives. Luckily, these times have changed drastically. It wasn't until Roosevelt that the age of increased government intervention was ushered into our everyday lives. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and education reforms all worked to create a vastly enlarged bureaucracy. We saw great advances, and though we did not completely “move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society,” as Johnson noted, we did make important strides. This work is not done, but the question remains to what extent must it be continued? The founders were not wrong in their fear of tyranny in America, as so many countries have succumbed to such in the name of “progress.” Therefore, I find it imperative that we take heed of their warnings. We must continue the work to improve lives yes, but with great caution. Herein lies the rub: Jefferson was not wrong in his note “the natural progress
The Scarlet & Black Staff Editors-in-Chief
Opinions
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 GORP Grinnell
of things is for liberty to yield, and the government to gain ground,” but conversely, Johnson wasn’t wrong when he said America should move “upward towards the Great Society.” Therefore, I urge caution. A people completely dependent upon government are nothing but slaves to bureaucracy. The American way is to make a path for oneself, but we shall discuss that in earnest at a later date. As a Liberal Republican, following the footsteps of greats like Nelson Rockefeller, I feel it is a prerogative of the government to help sustain a healthy population in America. In this way, I agree with the multitude that the government’s increased involvement in our lives is mostly justified. However, I am very weary of the bureaucratic beast which the modern welfare state has created. I urge that we be careful of where it leads, lest we turn our backs and it morphs into something less than American. Indeed, “a dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of people than under the forbidding appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government,” as James Madison so eloquently expressed in Federalist One. -Collatinus
11
Hardcore Reflection of the album takes on a double meaning, reflecting both where the band is sonically (this is the band's fourth fulllength album) and also the stage of cancer Bolm’s mother suffered from. Often artists find it difficult to tackle such heavy subjects, preferring to use metaphors and impersonal, third person narratives to present ideas and emotions. However, this is not the case at all for Bolm, who gives us full access into the pain and anguish he had been suffering since his mother’s passing. The album begins with the song "Flowers and you", a sentimental apology from Bolm to his late mother for not taking better care of her through her illness. The song finishes with the line: "I've kept it bottled up and to myself in the cellar/ Kept for my ever changing mental health" Through these lyrics, Bolm demonstrates how suppressing emotions, especially grief and depression, is not the way to cope with loss. Instead, he has chosen to share his experience with the whole world as a better means of dealing with the pain he felt. The chords billowing within the intro of the next song, “New Halloween,” release an energy that’s reminiscent of an early The Story So Far with its mix of raw intensity and pure melody. As Bolm cries “Somehow it has already been a year,” the bright guitars and driving drum and bass crescendo, adding to the pace and intensity
Dear EM,
Dear EM, It’s my third year at Grinnell, but I sometimes I feel like nobody knows what it’s like to have my diagnosis. I was diagnosed with adult onset ADHD, and it’s a struggle: getting work done, doing friend things, extracurriculars, on top of “self-care” and trying to manage my symptoms. Where can I meet people who know what this feels like? There’s no way I’m only the only student on campus trying to be “the perfect Grinnellian” and manage myself. - ADHD & alone Hey ADHD & alone, You’re right. There are so many more Grinnellians who can empathize with you. Last year, 15 percent of the student body made contact with the disAbility Resource Office. (Hopefully, that also makes us think about our perceptions of “the perfect Grinnellian.” Shout out to the CRSSJ for leading a great panel on the many intersecting identities of Grinnellians this week.) Recently, someone suggested starting an online peer support community for students who self-identify as having disability, a chronic illness or a mental health condition. It’s now a reality, and it’s pretty cool. It is neither affiliated with the administration of Grinnell College nor any existing student groups. To respect everyone’s privacy, it is a secret group, so to join, you will have to message one of us or someone you may already know in the group. We won’t ask why you’re joining. We’re not very scary. We just take bad pictures. Hoping to share bad memes and rants with you soon, -EM (Emily Howe, Organizational Mentor, and Maddie O'Meara, Access Assistant.)
of the track. The contrast between the introspective lyrics and upbeat tempo demonstrates the chaos of a tumultuous year in which Bolm is trying to come to terms with his loss. On “Eight Seconds,” he sings passionately: “She passed away an hour ago while you were on stage living the dream.” This line perfectly encapsulates the forces at work throughout the whole album — Bolm’s constant search for redemption as a result of not being there for her throughout her illness. He explores his own selfishness and admits his own mistakes, an accomplishment very few artists can be recognized for. The album reaches its climax with the closing track “Skyscraper,” on which Julien Baker guests with her eloquent and heart-wrenching vocals, adding a layer of optimism against a backdrop of snarling pain. This song adds a sense of closure to the record, with Bolm finally coming to peace with himself while reminiscing about the time he spent with his mother wandering the streets of New York City. Bolm forces the listener to recognize that we mustn’t only focus on the negatives of a given situation, but rather remember the whole picture and ultimately allow ourselves to make mistakes and learn from them. Touché Amoré are currently on a US Tour and are set to play Des Moines, IA on Oct. 14. The album “Stage Four” is out now on Epitaph Records
You're Not Alone with A.D.H.D Dear EM, Why does my backpack keep getting moved when I leave it outside the D-hall? -Lost & Confused Dear Lost & Confused, Your backpack was probably in a spot that might make it hard for someone with a disability to get through. The racks outside the dining hall aren’t just there for decoration — we need people to not just toss their bags on the floor because it quickly becomes it creates an accessibility issue. A couple backpacks on the floor that are easy for you to walk around might look like a wall to someone with a mobility impairment. This is the same reason that bikes are often moved as well — to improve accessibility. We may not know what is and is not accessible to others, but we should always strive to make spaces as inclusive as possible for our fellow Grinnellians, whether they be peers, faculty, staff or administrators. Hope that clarifies things, -EM This week we’re making a departure from our typical format because this week is Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Invisible illnesses such as chronic illness, chronic pain, mental health conditions or other chronic conditions affect one in two people. Fifteen percent of students made contact with the disAbility Resource Office last year. It’s important to realize that although we might assume many things about someone’s identity, we can’t be certain we know everything about their situation. This is part of the reason it’s important to make sure your space, meeting, emails or whatever else you’re working on is and are accessible and inclusive.
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.
the
Back Page
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Volume 133, Issue 6
Photo of the Week
thesandb.com
Got a backpage-worthy photo? Submit it to [sundbyjo17] and earn $5 for contributing a winner!
GARRET WANG
An autumn sunset shines its last light through Grinnell's downtown
Arbitrary Analysis Pub Quiz Winners
Power Naps
Snedge This week, Mira Berkson '20 and Megan Tcheng '19 polled students asking: Kum n' Go or Stay n' Play
1. Cuck My Shit Up, Fam 2. Dick Wolf Preservation Society 3. Pubic Undercut/ Bill Clinton's Balloon Fetish
Like what you see?
Social Calendar
Friday
JRC
2:30 p.m. Coffee & Conversation with Prasenjit Duara @ JRC 202 4:30 p.m. Archipenko Opening Reception @ Faulconer Gallery 7:15 p.m. Movie Screening: Hocus Pocus (1993) @ Harris Cinema 8:30 p.m. Weekend Bingo @ JRC 101
Saturday
12 p.m. Volleyball vs. Ripon @ Darby Gym 2 p.m. Pots n' Plants @ Mac Field 10 p.m. ISO Rave @ Harris
ARH
or
check us out:
Staff Shoutout
Shoutout to President-to-be Hillary Rodham Clinton for dealing with that angry, little clementine's temper-tantrum Monday night.
@thesandb /thescarletandblack thesandb.com @newspapr
Rants & Raves:
Soul Cycle
Hot Yoga
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].
What the hecky is Scooper Hero?
Wandering Students Beware
What's the deal with 10/10?
All hail the marketplace
I'm just v curious to know what the HECK the D-hall Scooper Hero ice cream is. Seriously I got it today and taste-tested it next to vanilla and all I could detect was sugar. The flavor is sugar. Why is it colored? Colored to disguise that it is SUGAR?
8th Avenue between Park and East Streets should be a pedestrian mall, but unfortunately it isn't. So, instead of wandering in it like sheep in the mountains of Crete, please use the brick-paved crosswalks. Wherever you cross a street while fixated on your mobile device, I hope that the subject is such that you have a happy ending.
To the administration: You got rid of alcohol-based programming at 10/10 (frustrating on its own terms) and told us that you were working on creating non-alcohol centered events. Now 10/10 is two weeks away, yet there has been no information on what these events might be. As a result, what you’ve done is forced all celebration of a beloved Grinnell tradition off campus or into private on-campus spaces where there is less active bystanderism and no ACESS. You’ve essentially wiped your hands of 10/10, consequences be damned. And you wonder why students distrust you so deeply? [magargar]
Praise is due: the Dining Hall has been doing an absolutely amazing job this semester. Fried chicken tacos for breakfast, amazing new creations like cronuts that you would otherwise have to go to New York for, and the COOKIES AND CREAM ice cream?!?! Seriously, the D-Hall has totally stepped up this year. Thanks for making my fourth year that much better.
-Lily Bohlke '19
- El loco in loco parentis
-Steve Yang '17