Volume 134, Issue 2.

Opinions The S&B womyn take a girls trip to see the critically acclaimed film, Girls Trip. page 9

Community Who let the dogs out?

Arts "Imagine the sounds you would hear in the bathroom at a gay club at 4 in the morning." page 8

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the

Scarlet & Black Volume 134, Issue 2

September 1, 2017 • Grinnell, Iowa

OCR administratively closes the College's Title IX investigations

thesandb.com

2021 brings demographic shift

By Ben Mikek mikekben@grinnell.edu The Department of Admissions has welcomed a new noteworthy class to Grinnell’s campus. Census day, when official statistics will become available, is still half a week away, but the Admissions Department was able to preview the Class of 2021’s achievements.

The new class in many ways represents a continuation of longterm trends in the Grinnell College’s enrollment. The Class of 2021 currently consists of 449 new students, in addition to the three transfer students arriving on campus this year. Joe Bagnoli, vice president for enrollment, said that the most important attributes of the incoming class fall into one

The Office for Civil Rights has administratively closed its investigation into Grinnell College.

By Alice Herman hermanal17@grinnell.edu In a special campus memo released Wednesday, Aug. 30, President Raynard Kington addressed the closure of a twoyear long investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) into allegations of “discrimination on the basis of sex and also retaliation” against students by Grinnell College. “[The College] will continue to broaden our efforts to reduce the incidence of sexual misconduct while expanding our work to address other forms of discrimination,” Kington wrote.

Leah Barr ’18, co-leader of campus advocacy group Dissenting Voices, talked with The S&B about the organization’s concerns regarding the closure of the investigation.

“The school settled with the survivors, which would lead me to believe that that’s why they withdrew that complaint. It could’ve been a condition of the settlement,” Barr said.

The specific terms of the settlement, however, are confidential. Whether or not the withdrawal of the complaint was a condition of the settlement cannot be determined. Still, Barr plans to look into the records of the 2015 Grinnell College Title IX

ELLEN SCHOENMAKER

investigation by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

“Mostly what I’m looking for is correspondence between OCR and Grinnell, and OCR and the complainants, any documentation and interviews from the complainants and any documentation or interviews from the respondent, which in this case is Grinnell College,” Barr said.

The timing of the closure follows recent procedural and administrative changes within the OCR. The Trump administration’s new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and Outreach in the OCR, Candice Jackson, issued a memo this summer to the >> See Title IX, page 2

Fitness Center introduces new policies

By Julia Echikson echikson@grinnell.edu

The Grinnell College Athletic Department and student-athlete group Queer Athletes and Allies (QAA) are launching an initiative to

hall meeting about the Bear Athletic Center.

“Over the years, people from the queer community felt very uncomfortable going to the Bear,” said Polly Carr ‘18, co-leader of QAA. “We wanted to bring the Grinnell community together to

The Fitness Center of the Bear faces some operational changes this year.

make the Bear Athletic Center more accessible for students.

“A lot of things in the Bear [Athletic Center] needed to be improved, in general. But also more importantly, we [Grinnell College Athletic Department] needed to be better communicators about what’s available and resources that are there” said Ben Cooprider, assistant athletic director. Cooprider oversees the facilities of the College’s athletic department.

Last semester, QAA held a town

talk about the ways that we could improve the Bear for everyone.”

Sunday Alumni Game Jane Gunderson Springer 50' (Soccer Complex), 9:00 a.m.

Tuesday Our Urban Future Symposium

"It evolved from issues about inclusivity in the Fitness Center" Ben Cooprider, assistant athletic director Though the meeting was initially about inclusivity in the Center, Carr and Cooprider noticed

JRC 101, 4:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

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of “three primary institutional commitments: academic excellence, diversity and social responsibility.”

The Admissions Department is at the frontline of fulfilling these institutional commitments, as they have the responsibility of first translating the concepts into numbers and then into physical students. Numerically, the most recent admissions cycle was a return to normal. The acceptance rate for applicants to the Class of 2021 rose to 28.8 percent, which, although significantly higher than last year, remains in line with the longer-term downward trend. Of those admitted, about 27 percent paid the admissions deposit, and the “melt” — students who pay the deposit but do not enroll — consisted of roughly 40 students.

“There is a slight downward >> See 2021, page 2

that the issues students raised were just as much about inclusivity as they were about the lack of access to information about the building.

“It evolved from issues about inclusivity in the Fitness Center to broader picture,” Cooprider said.

Cooprider admits that many

MAHIRA FARAN

of the Center’s policies have not changed. He and Holly Roepke, the assistant athletic director/ coordinator for diversity and inclusion and student programming, focused more on improving communication.

In addition to creating a Facebook page and Twitter account for the Center, they produced information guides, outlining the dress code, the types of locker rooms available, location and rules >> See Fitness Update, page 2 Thursday Fall Poster Sale North Campus Grove/Between Younker and JRC, 10:00 a.m.

Community Hour to bring campus together

By Caleb Forbes forbesca@grinnell.edu The creation of a new campus event, Community Hour, was announced last Friday, Aug. 25 in a special campus memo. This new series will bring the campus together at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays, when no classes or meetings are held. Although this time slot has previous been used for lectures held in Joe Rosenfield Center (JRC) 101, Community Hour intends to provide predictable, organized events that students can schedule into their weekly calendars. Not only will SGA President Summer White ’18, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Connor and Vice President of Communications Debra Lukehart plan events for this time, but so will members of the Grinnell College community.

To inaugurate the Community Hour series, Connor, Lukehart and Erica Erickson, sociology, held an event called “Healing from Hate.” The discussion focused on the tensions that have arisen in the wake of the summer incidents in Charlottesville. Attendees spoke intimately in small groups about identities and how the campus can cope with hate. The discussion explored how each College community member can effectively respond to hate. The community event provided new perspectives of individuals in the context of racism, anti-Semitism and LGBTQ-phobia, hoping to inspire attendees with the confidence to take steps towards recognizing hate and appropriately encounter hate.

Students, faculty and staff will soon have the opportunity to submit a formal request to organize a Community Hour event. This process is supposed to increase Thursday Faure Violin Sonata Sebring-Lewis Hall, 7:00 p.m.

community engagement, as well as encourage diverse topics that are “relevant and timely,” according to White.

“The intent of the Community Hour is to provide our community a platform for having important conversations … and maybe even inspire people to act upon something they feel passionate about,” White explained.

The diversity of perspectives intends to fulfill student expectations about these events.

“Some people prefer an administrator and some people prefer small groups tackling a problem, and some prefer hearing updates from campus committees,” Connor said. “We realized there wasn't necessarily a way to meet all preferences all the time. Instead, what was more important was to do a variety of things and publicize what’s going to happen at them, so people can make a decision about what they want to attend.”

Community Hour intends to facilitate student engagement by providing members of the community with a say in the organization of these events.

“Hopefully one day we’ll get other people organizing it. … It would be great if the community embraced it in a way that they want to be involved more with the planning and the organization,” Lukehart said.

“Our hope is that Community Hour becomes a tradition, something people look forward to and participate in,” White said.

“I expect the Community Hour events to create a stronger sense of belonging for members of the community.”

Connor also described how Community Hour intends to “create >> See Community Hour, page 2 Thursday Writers@Grinnell: Roy Scranton JRC 209, 4:15 p.m.; Burling First Floor, 8:00 p.m.

Community 3 | Features 5 | Sports 6 | Arts 7 | Opinions 9

News

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SGA pushes for College's values

By Clara Larson larsoncl@grinnell.edu This semester, Student Goverment Association (SGA) has one primary goal — to foster Grinnell College’s core values. These values include social justice, respect, academics, equity and belonging.

“We all came here for something, and we just want to make sure that something is still here,” said SGA Vice President of Student Affairs Kahlil Epps ’18.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Misha Gelnarova ’18 has ambitious academic plans for Grinnellians this semester, especially first- and second-years. She hopes to actualize a sort of tutorial unification, in which all first-years complete their tutorials having learned the same skills, ready to begin the rest of their education at Grinnell at the same starting line.

“Two of the basic values of Grinnell are the academics and social justice,” Gelnarova said. She believes

and are considering the possibility of bringing an accessible STD testing resource to campus. The potential campaign would involve sexual education and providing information about the proper usage of various methods of birth control, among other things. At the heart of this campaign lies the notion of sexual respect, which, as Epps said, “is not just about your partner, but also about yourself and how you respect yourself as well.”

In addition, SGA hopes to expand their efforts to develop programs that

MAHIRA FARAN

Summer White, Kahlil Epps and Misha Gelnarova are excited to implement their new goals for the College Community .

In the spirit of equity, SGA advocates a policy of proactive representation this semester.

“I don’t think it’s enough to wait for students to come forward to the student government,” said SGA President Summer White ’18. “Just because you’re not coming into our office or not stopping by our office hours doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be heard.”

This semester, SGA will rotate the location of their office hours to make them more accessible to larger portions of the student body, and go door-to-door to address the concerns of students who may not otherwise come forward. They also plan on visiting student organizations to discuss their organizational needs, and to encourage groups to register delegates for the Campus Council. Through these efforts, SGA hopes to implement a policy of proactive representation that allows them to represent even more of the student body.

that this tutorial unification program will emulate these values by creating a sense of academic equity among students. For second-years, she hopes to help them feel more comfortable in reaching out to advisors, especially in deciding their majors, recalling that over the course of her second year, advisors were more readily available to declared majors than to potential majors. For the student body as a whole, Gelnarova wishes to compile a comprehensive resource that lists all of the opportunities available to Grinnell students, whether that be research or travel opportunities.

“Grinnell keeps on talking about how you can do this and that and that, but then we don’t actually have one place where you could go to see what is actually going on this semester,” Gelnarova said.

SGA would also like to spearhead a sexual respect campaign this semester. They are interested in working with SHIC and SHACS,

OCR closes Title IX investigation

Continued from Front Page

OCR regional directors, mandating that “the OCR will only apply a ‘systemic’ or ‘class-action’ approach where the individual complaint allegations themselves raise systemic or class-wide issues or the investigative team determines a systemic approach is warranted through conversations with the complainant.” This suggests that when a complaint regarding an individual case of Title IX infringement is filed, such as the complaint filed against the College, the ensuing investigation may not attempt address recurring or systemic Title IX violations by the college or university.

The Jackson Memo was issued on June 8, 2017. On July 28, the College was notified by OCR that it had closed its Title IX investigation.

The College responded to the closure of the investigation in a Campus Memo: “The [OCR] notice stated: ‘OCR has determined that there are no systemic issues pending that warrant continuing the investigation.’" The abandonment of the investigation, however, may be the result of the abrupt OCR mandate rather than simply a lack of systemic Title IX abuses by the College.

Title IX Coordinator Angela Voos emphasized the importance of Title IX in not only preventing sexual misconduct, but for the Grinnell College community at large.

“Our work needs to continue to be broad. It’s not Title IX, it’s the whole community,” Voos said.

“The more we can do in terms of educating people on consent and helping people understand healthy relationships and healthy sexuality, the closer we can get to preventing issues that are happening.”

Looking forward, Voos said, “we want to continue to build ways that are trauma-informed to

respond — confidential ways — like through Grinnell Advocates.”

While upcoming policy changes have not been concretized, Voos suggested that policy governing the ways in which the College determines disciplinary measures will not include the implementation of standardized disciplinary measures for a given form of misconduct.

“Our work needs to continue to be broad, it’s not Title IX, it’s the whole community...the more we can do in terms of educating people on consent and helping people understand healthy relationships and healthy sexuality, the closer we can get to preventing issues that are happening."

Angela Voos, Title IX Coordinator “That’s not actually best practice, to do mandatory minimums. What is best practice is to have ‘typical outcomes,’ which is what we have, which is dismissal or suspension depending. In the next policy iteration — we do it every year — we are going to change the language to be ‘typical’ in response to that concern, but we won’t have mandatory minimums.”

As the current presidential administration threatens to erode mechanisms for enforcing Title IX regulations, colleges and universities may face an increasing independence that had previously been curtailed under the Obama administration. Any changes to the College policy will be noted in this year’s upcoming Annual Title IX Report which will be published online.

foster a sense of belonging among campus members. Such programs may include helping students, especially students’ parents, receive accommodations from the school and from their professors, and implementing pronoun programs to help professors feel more comfortable addressing the use of pronouns in classrooms. One location SGA noticed a prominent sense of loneliness was the Dining Hall. SGA plans to make the Dining Hall a place of belonging, where relationships between students can be more easily formed through the use of conversation cards placed on tables and new table arrangements.

SGA believes it serves more than a link between the student body and administration. SGA is eager to listen to the concerns of students and to make the campus a better place for everyone. They hopes that their goals this semester reflects their dedication to upholding the values that makes Grinnell such a unique school.

Edited by hermanal17@grinnell.edu & mettleca@grinnell.edu

Fitness Center update Continued from Front Page of all the facilities. The guide can be found in the Bear Athletic Center and on the Grinnell College Athletic Department website.

The biggest change is adding Pioneer card access to the second floor of the Fitness Center, allowing people to have access to cardio machines without having to walk through the lower floor lifting section.

Other changes, as outlined in a campus-wide email from the Student Government Association (SGA), include the “use [of the] doorway at east end of West Corridor for access to the saunas and pool deck without requiring walk-through of gendered locker space, highlight[ing] the ‘Family Locker Room’ on the Pool Deck as an option for a gender inclusive locker room, post[ing] etiquette signs around the Fitness Center to help improve the safety and sanitary condition of the weights and squat racks.”

"Inclusivity is a core value of the College. ...

I am pleased that in this particular case, there was a dialogue and there were some positive changes toward that end."

Andy Hamilton, director of athletics and recreation The first email sent out about the changes had one error as it claimed that, “no coach-organized team lifts will happen during the peak hours in the Fitness Center (4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays).”

Cooprider clarifies that only “testing sessions”, which are mandatory lifting sessions for some sports teams that occur only about twice a semester, will no longer occur during between the busy hours of 4 p.m and 7 p.m. on weekdays.

“We [the Athletic Department] are not telling our varsity athletes that they cannot lift on their own.

Because as coaches at NCAA Division III level, we have no oversight with our student athletes

during the off season,” Cooprider said. “If an influx of them comes in at four o’clock on a Tuesday, just as any student would, there’s nothing we’re going to do about that.”

Carr and Cooprider think that these measures are a “step in right direction.” Both want feedback from students to further improve the space.

“If the changes are counterproductive or not helpful, we [QAA] have our ears open,” said Whitney Teagle ’18, another coleader of QAA.

"If the changes are counterproductive or not helpful we have our ears open."

Whitney Teagle '18, Co-Leader of Queer Athlete Alliance Cooprider also admitted that some suggestions are not feasible.

One of the most popular proposals at the town hall meeting was to make trainers available for non-student athletes. Because of liability and monetary reasons, such a request is not possible.

Well before the town hall meeting, Andy Hamilton ’85, director of athletics and recreation, began his search for a new assistant athletic director for diversity and inclusion, elevating the position from its previous coordinator status to a director role.

“The professionals we hired were staying about a year to a yearand-a-half and moving onto higher level positions. I was looking to create better continuity,” Hamilton said. During spring 2017, he hired Roepke.

“Inclusivity is a core value of the college,” Hamilton concluded.

“I am pleased that in this particular case, there was a dialogue and there were some positive changes toward that end.”

The leaders of QAA can be reached through the group’s email, qaa@grinnell.edu.

Cooprider encourages students to make an appointment with him or Holly Roepke to discuss any remaining issues with the Bear Athletic Center.

Community Hour aims to heal hate Continued from Front Page an avenue for issues of importance for our community to discuss.”

According to her, topics will likely include climate, diversity and inclusion, personal storytelling narratives about identity and subjects on student life such as mental health and policing, as well as whatever else students may choose to present in Community Hour.

“There’s a good mix here of not just conversations but events that promote institutional values,” Lukehart said.

“Presentations, stimulating conversation and reinforcing service are all good things for us to be doing as a community.”

There are plenty of open time slots after fall break, and Community Hours will be more successful if members of the community take the initiative to

hold events and use this time as a stage to communicate topics with the rest of the community.

“We see it as an experiment.

Right now it’s just some of us who wanted to make it happen. If it succeeds, we’ll probably make some kind of committee and regular work flow,” Connor said.

Please contact SGA President Summer White at sgaprez@grinnell. edu to submit a request to hold or suggest a Community Hour event,

2021 represents the College's future Continued from Front Page trend in enrollment yield on offers of admission,” Bagnoli said. “I attribute that to the increasing qualifications of admitted students.” Stronger applicants are more likely to have offers of admission at other institutions, and are thus less likely to enroll at Grinnell.

In consideration of the institutional commitments on which assessments of enrollment are based, the Class of 2021 reflects academic excellence.

“Where student qualification is concerned, we believe that our students are highly-qualified,” Bagnoli said.

This assessment is certainly borne out by the numbers, including an average high SAT score of 1438 for the Class of 2021, the highest in the history of the College.

In terms of diversity, the new arrivals hail from almost 30 countries and about 30 U.S states, meaning that the College now includes students from over 50 countries and all 50 U.S states. Bagnoli is particularly proud that 62 percent of the Class of 2021 comes from outside the Midwest, but the class also consists of 24.5 percent domestic students of color and 21 percent international students, just above the target of 20 percent for international students.

“Equally important where international students are concerned is that we have no more than one third of international students coming to us from any one particular country,”

Bagnoli said.

Other measures of diversity also make a difference. 13 percent of the Class of 2021 consists of first generation college students, and approximately 52 percent of new enrollees identify as women, and 48 percent as men.

“It is as close to fifty-fifty as we’ve been in the last six years,” Bagnoli said.

To help students make it to Grinnell, the College awarded $13 million of financial aid. Eighty-four percent of students receive at least some of those funds. Of these students, about 15 percent receive merit aid, and 85 percent receive need-based aid.

This breakdown, according to Bagnoli, is fairly typical.

“The amount of aid is increasing because our comprehensive costs continue to increase,” Bagnoli explained. “The amount of financial aid we award is in some ways viewed as a decision about investment in financial aid that can over time come at the expense of other institutional investments, so while we anticipate a continued increase in the amount of financial aid we award, we … how would I say this … we are mindful of investments in financial aid … that would serve to compromise other institutional investments, that are equally important.”

Bagnoli went on to mention SHACS, Campus Security, CLS and “diversity and inclusion” as other institutional investments.

Now that the Class of 2021 is sitting in a classroom and not in an admissions lounge, it is time for the admissions staff to reflect on the most recent cycle.

“Frankly, what we aim to do is continue to bring classes that look like the class that we just brought,” Bagnoli said.

It would seem, then, that the Class of 2021 is a portal to the future of the College.

One potential challenge for the admissions staff is the current political climate, and the fact that Grinnell tends to be a fairly liberal college in a state that voted for Donald Trump by a margin of almost ten percentage points.

“Several progressive colleges in red political zones in the U.S. reported application losses,” Bagnoli said. “I don’t know of an empirical study that would connect the two. They’re correlated, but causation is much more difficult to demonstrate.”

Is this likely to become a problem for Grinnell? Bagnoli did not think so, noting that though the application pool may have shrunk after the 2016 presidential election, it mainly shrank at the bottom: the College was still able to enroll a well-qualified class.

In summary, the Class of 2021 represents both the past and the future.

It is a return to normalcy after a rather unusual application cycle last year, and the class numerically reflects the future enrollment goals of the College. It would seem that the future has arrived.

Community

Edited by braneckm@grinnell.edu

3

Democratic candidates speak at annual picnic

CONTRIBUTED

Constitutents listen to candidates speak at the Poweshiek County Democratic Party's annual picnic.

By Emma Friedlander friedlan@grinnell.edu The Poweshiek County Democratic Party held their annual picnic in Merrill Park last Sunday, Aug. 27, featuring special appearances and speeches by the wide array of Democratic candidates seeking political office in Iowa in 2018. Present at the event were three candidates to represent Iowa’s first district in the U.S. House, including Thomas Heckroth, George Ramsey and Courtney Rowe, as well as a representative from the Abby Finkenauer campaign. There were also five Iowa gubernatorial candidates in attendance, including Fred Hubbell, Andy McGuire, Jon Niederbach, John Norris and Ross Wilburn, as well as representatives from the Nate Boulton and Cathy Glasson campaigns. Despite a rain shower an hour into the event, the picnic was well-attended and provided community members with the opportunity to meet and size up the candidates.

Rob Hogg, a state senator for Cedar Rapids and leader of the Iowa Senate Democrats, emceed the event, introducing each speaker and beginning the picnic by emphasizing the importance of electing Democrats to the state legislature. Hogg recalled recent upsets in the Iowa political system under a Republican-run government, especially tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts to healthcare, education, social services and environmental protection programs, which remained a constant theme throughout the evening.

“I'm running for Congress because we need an economy that values work more than wealth.”

Thomas Heckroth “This year was worse than my worst nightmare, with a tax on workers, a tax on healthcare, a tax on public safety, a tax on the environment, a tax on students and

teachers,” Hogg said. “It’s really not what Iowa is all about.”

Hogg’s introduction was followed by another preliminary speech

by Blair Lawton, the organizing director of the Iowa Democratic Party.

Lawton summarized the five chief goals for the Party, which include assessing opportunities for growth, working with county Party officers across the state to write county specific plans, ensuring political action in 2017, establishing a communication infrastructure and reaching out to allies across the state. Lastly, Lawton reemphasized the importance of electing a Democrat to replace Republican Sen. Rod Blum in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.

“No one running now, or running during the time I've been in Iowa, really has a more thorough knowledge of Iowa government than I do."

Jon Neiderback '78 “This is a district that should be represented by a Democrat. We see Congressman Blum over and over go the wrong way on issues, and at the same time he continues to hide from his constituents,” Lawton said.

“We have a really good opportunity here to turn this district blue in 2018 as well as take back the governor’s mansion, but that means we’re all going to be working together. That works starts today.”

The congressional candidates then spoke in alphabetical order by last name. Abby Finkenauer, a state House representative for Iowa’s 99th District, was spoken for by Joe Zahorik, the political coordinator for the Iron Workers Local 89 union in Cedar Rapids. In an unprecedented move this year, Local 89 publicly endorsed Finkenauer for Congress because of her commitment to union rights.

“She grew up in a union household, her dad was a welder, so she

already knew the benefits and values that come along with organized labor,” Zahorik said. “We fully endorse her, the first time that we’ve done that as a local [union].”

Candidate Thomas Heckroth followed, a former staffer for Sen. Tom Harkin, who shares a focus on workers and unions. Heckroth recounted his experience fighting for agriculture, education and labor issues under Harkin and for the Obama administration. His platform involves quality public schools, affordable college education, fair wages, research into new technologies, a reformed farm bill and modern infrastructure.

“I’m running for Congress because we need an economy that values work more than wealth,” Heckroth said. “Iowans are working harder and harder and not getting ahead because we haven’t made the investments necessary to spur innovation, growth and higher paying jobs.”

Next up was George Ramsey III, who served 23 years in the U.S. Army and now works at a human services agency. He pulled upon his experience as a soldier to explain why he will be able to accomplish reform in Washington. His campaign emphasizes action over promises and the fight for civil liberties.

“We’ve got to do something to make sure that the person who is chosen to represent us is going to be able to go to Washington D.C. and get things done,” Ramsey said. “As a soldier, someone who has dedicated most of his life to being able to accomplish his mission, I will go to Washington D.C. and I will not stop until the work is done.”

The last congressional candidate to speak was Courtney Rowe, a Cedar Rapids engineer, who has spent her adult life volunteering for local political organizations. She referred heavily to the first time she volunteered for a campaign in Phoenix, AZ, fighting against a proposition that attempted to ban domestic partnerships. Rowe highlighted this

success as the first time the LGBTQ community defeated a constitutional ban at the ballot box. She pointed to this example of a midterm Democratic Party success as reason to push in the midterms again.

“Democrats aren’t known for our midterm turnout. That’s why Republicans promote these hateful bills [during midterms], because they think it will drive up turn out for their party,” Rowe said. “Whatever candidate you’re passionate about, whatever issue you’re passionate about, please take the time to volunteer.”

Rowe added that her campaign will not accept any PAC or super PAC money. Her campaign platform emphasizes anti-PAC policies, Medicare for all, a 15 dollar minimum wage, free education and clean water.

The gubernatorial candidates were up next. The first speaker was Andrea Boulton, who spoke on behalf of her husband and candidate Nate Boulton. Boulton is a representative for the Iowa Senate’s 16th district, and has actively worked over the summer to fight for collective bargaining despite the obstacles imposed by the Branstad-Reynolds administration. Boulton also co-sponsored a bill for all four-year-olds to attend preschool and a water bill that attempted to activate Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy Trust Fund, which was voted for with overwhelming approval in 2010 yet remains unfunded today.

“Nate was at the Capitol, often late into the night, leading the charge against the very hurtful and divisive Republican agenda,” Andrea Boulton said. “They were on the Senate floor for 26 hours, pushing back to ensure that working class families have a voice.”

Next up was Fred Hubbell, a retired Des Moines business executive. Hubbell emphasized his business and philanthropic background as a skillset that will allow him to tackle the Iowa state budget, which stood at a $927 million surplus in 2012 and could drop to as low as a $350 million deficit for the fiscal year. In his business practices, Hubbell has also helped open Planned Parenthood facilities in Iowa and funded social services and education.

“This year was worse than my worst nightmare..."

Rob Hogg, state senator and leader of the Iowa Senate Democrats Hubbell was followed by Andy McGuire, the former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party who oversaw the 2015-2016 Iowa caucuses campaign. Drawing upon her background as a physician, McGuire emphasized healthcare and mental health in her speech.

“We are 50th in mental health beds, 47th in providers,” McGuire

said of Iowa’s mental health resources. “We actually have made the police be our first line mental health providers. … I want to take that money and put it into counseling, so that we can take care of our citizens before those crises happen.”

“This is a district that should be represented by a Democrat."

Blair Lawton, organizing director of the Iowa Democratic Party Grinnell alumnus Jon Neiderbach ’78 spoke next. Neiderbach’s speech differed from the other candidates’ in that he emphasized his qualifications over his competitors rather than their shared Democratic values.

“No one running now, or running during the time I’ve been in Iowa, really has a more thorough knowledge of Iowa government than I do. I’ve been in law, I’ve been involved in government, I’ve been in nonprofits,” Neiderbach said. “I don’t think voting for Democrats automatically solves anything.”

Candidate John Norris then spoke about his extensive political resume and the dire fiscal situation in the Iowa state government. Norris also previously worked for Sen. Tom Harkin, served as state director of the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition, chaired the Iowa Democratic Party during Gov. Vilsack’s historic win and worked for the Obama administration’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. After Norris was Ross Wilburn, the former mayor of Iowa City, whose campaign also emphasizes equality in education, healthcare and fighting against corporate tax breaks.

The last of the gubernatorial speeches was from Kate Revoe, the political coordinator and representative for Cathy Glasson’s campaign.

Revoe spoke of Glasson’s experience as a nurse for over 20 years and as president of Iowa’s SEIU 99, which represents many workers in healthcare and other service-sector jobs. Revoe spoke to Glasson’s personal understanding of workers’ and union issues.

After the 1st District and gubernatorial candidates had all spoken, two more candidates running for political office in Iowa spoke. First was Deidre Dejear, who is running for Iowa Secretary of State, followed by Grinnell alumnus Austin Frerick ’12 who seeks to represent Iowa’s 3rd District in the U.S. Congress.

Although the picnic lasted nearly two hours, the audience remained engaged in the candidates’ speeches and the issues they represented.

Though the primary for the gubernatorial, congressional and state legislative races is not until June 2018, party-organized events early on help to increase voter turnout and provide time for voters to consider their options.

Puppy pool party brings pets to the Aquatic Center

Check out these pups taking a quick dip before the folks at the Grinnell Mutual Family Aquatic Center drain the pool for the season.

By Kate Irwin irwinkat@grinnell.edu A dog pool party may seem too good to be true, but on Wednesday, Aug. 30, Grinnell Mutual Family Aquatic Center hosted its fifth annual Dog Swim. This year all the proceeds went to the Poweshiek Animal League Shelter (PALS) Dog Park. "[The Dog Swim has] been a very popular fundraising event for other facilities, and after enough years of talking to quite a few other directors, we decided to give it a try ourselves," said Kelly Rose, aquatic director of the Grinnell Mutual Family Aquatic Center and Parks and Recreation di-

rector.

Each year, the proceeds from the Dog Swim have gone to a different charity that focuses on dogs.

“Leo loves it.”

Steve Poole "It could be from dog drinking fountains in our parks to the PALS Dog Park," Rose said.

The Dog Swim is a very popular event in the community, with roughly 30 dogs in attendance each year. The cost of admission is $10 per dog, but humans are allowed in for free, making for a bustling community event.

Dodi Reilly, a resident of Grin-

nell, attended the Dog Swim for the first time this year with her dog Smokey.

"I think it's terrific," she said.

“This is the first time our dog has been in the water."

Laura and Steve Poole, also Grinnell residents, are Dog Swim veterans.

The Pooles utilize the event as a way to teach their dog, Leo, how to swim.

"Leo loves it," Steve Poole laughed.

"It's just a lot of fun to watch the dogs having fun," Laura Poole added.

The Dog Park will be located on PALS property. It will feature agility training obstacles and space for the dogs to roam and play.

The biggest cost for the Dog Park is the fencing. According to the PALS website, fencing alone will cost approximately 25,000 dollars, making this fundraiser crucial for the Dog Park.

Dianna Townsend, PALS Shelter Operation Manager, hopes to have the Dog Park open as soon as possible.

"We're hoping to have it open by the middle of September, but it wouldn't be until next year that everything is completely finished, such as getting a dog fountain, and park benches," she said.

Townsend has been coordinating an event with Elizabeth Hill from the Conard Enviromental Research Area,

HELENA GRUENSTEIDL

in which students would come to the Dog Park and plant native plants.

"By the time they're done we're hoping to have an oak savannah," Townsend said.

“It's just a lot of fun to watch the dogs having fun.”

Laura Poole Townsend stresses volunteer work as critical to the continuation of PALS. It is very easy for students to get involved with this organization, as student group Pals of PALS volunteers at the shelter weekly.

Community

4

Edited by braneckm@grinnell.edu

GRMC hosts annual Blue Jean Ball, Unions announce school social event of the year board election endorsements

By Seth Taylor taylorse@grinnell.edu

The 2018 midterms are still more than a year away, but local elections for offices such as mayor, city council and school board are just around the corner. Candidates for these positions are seeking endorsements from organizations with local influence. Recently the Iowa branch of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) — made up of 50,000 members and 520 separate unions — released their endorsements for the 2017 School Board Elections. While the AFLCIO did not endorse a candidate for the Grinnell School Board, they did endorse 31 candidates for other school boards across Western and South Central Iowa.

Scott Punteney is the field coordinator for the Western Iowa Labor Federation and an affiliate of the Iowa AFL-CIO located in Sioux City, including Fort Dodge and Council Bluffs. Punteney organizes both within and outside of the union, runs political programs and community outreach and works to recruit and evaluate candidates.

“Pretty much everything our organization does, I have a role in,” Punteney said.

The first step for candidates who wish to be endorsed by the Western Iowa AFL-CIO is to meet with Punteney. They will then fill out a thorough questionnaire evaluating their stance on everything from election reform to labor laws, and meet with each of the three chapters of the Western Iowa Labor Federation. The Western Iowa Labor Federation is comprised of approximately 40 labor unions, each of which appoints between two and seven delegates who have a chance to review the questionnaire and ask the candidate questions themselves.

“They support us, and so they have a voice at our table,” Punteney said. “Our delegates decide if it’s a candidate worthy of endorsement

or not.” If the delegates approve the candidate, the AFL-CIO branch will officially endorse them.

Mark Cooper is the president of the South Central Iowa Area Federation of Labor, encompassing 23 counties in total.

“By combining the talent, energy, activism and sense of justice of all of our affiliates, the Central Labor Council seeks to promote legislation that will enable the government to be responsive to the needs of working people and their families,” Cooper wrote in an email to The S&B. “One of the main reasons we are involved in School Board elections is to assure that workers have a voice at the table of the school board.”

The importance of the school board to the Iowa AFL-CIO has increased dramatically since the passage of House File 291 in 2017 by the Iowa Legislature, a controversial bill that limits collective bargaining rights by changing many subjects from mandatory to permissive.

“There were a lot of things that both sides had to talk about, and now the legislature removed almost all those items and made it where wages are basically the only thing that can be negotiated anymore,” Punteney said. Wages are the only mandatory subjects for every profession, except for public safety, in the state of Iowa.

However, there are still subjects, called permissive subjects, which employers may choose to discuss with their employees’ unions.

“It’s important to have people on those city councils, those school boards, that will talk about permissive subjects,” Punteney said.

Both Punteney and Cooper agreed that school boards are more important now than ever before.

“We’re looking for people who have the same values as working people do,” Punteney said. “Support workers rights and support good education for everybody.”

Grinnell’s own school board will hold its elections on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

CONTRIBUTED

Molly Campe, Jordan Esbrook, Nikki Laug and Mary Lindberg enjoyed a night out at GRMC’s 50th Anniversary Blue Jean Ball celebration.

By Andrea Baumgartel baumgart1@grinnell.edu Last Saturday, Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) celebrated its 50th anniversary in style.

For the fourth time since 2011, the local hospital threw an appropriately-named Blue Jean Ball fundraiser. About 225 adult attendees swapped out their dusty gowns, tuxes and glass slippers in favor of funky (and much more dance-friendly) denim. Once there, they moved and grooved to a live band featuring everything from 80s hits to hip-hop and beyond, all night long until the clock struck 12 a.m.

“It couldn't have been more of a perfect summer evening.”

Heidi Pearson, GRMC's communication and development specialist Although the highly-anticipated community event has traditionally been held every other year, this year brought in a new element — its first time outdoors. GRMC took ad-

Demolition at Old McNally's site begins; project proposals pending

By Lily Hamilton hamiltol@grinnell.edu

The demolition of the old McNally’s property on Main Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues began last Monday, Aug. 29. The construction is part of Grinnell College’s efforts to bridge the gap between campus and downtown Grinnell under the auspices of the Zone of Confluence project.

While many are under the impression that the College will erect a mixeduse building combining an apartment and retail spaces in the old property’s place, final plans for the project have yet to be determined. In spite of the project’s uncertain future, Rachel Kinnick, the director of the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce, believes a new mixed-use space has the potential to bring together the College and the community.

“Not every day do projects like these come together in small towns,” Kinnick said, referencing the rumored mixed-use building. Kinnick stressed that the Chamber has nothing to do with the development of the project

or bringing businesses into the spaces.

However, she said that the she hopes the developers bring in a mix of businesses that will not compete with established businesses in Grinnell. Instead, these businesses would provide a new draw for community members and students alike.

“My goal, and certainly I think the College's goal, is to find things that would help with the rationale behind the zone.”

Rachael Kinnick, director of Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce “My goal, and certainly I think the College’s goal, is to find things that would help with the whole rationale behind the zone. That would include things that would help get students, faculty and staff better integrated into the community and help get the community better integrated into the College arena,” Kinnick said. “The

HELENA GRUENSTEIDL

Demolition at the old McNally's site started this week, though it is currently unclear what exactly will occupy the space.

Movies at the Strand

WIND RIVER

Showtimes: 3:40 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9:00 p.m.

Murder mystery with music by Nick Cave.

more interaction and integration that you can have between the College and community circles, the better.”

The Grinnell Herald Register started the buzz about the new property in an article in its Thursday, Aug. 24 issue. However, Kinnick questioned the information in the article.

“What you read in the paper is far from coming to fruition. It made it seem, I’ll say, as though there are some done deals and some signed contracts, and I don’t believe that’s actually the case. The project is very early on in development still.”

Lisa Lacher, the College director of media relations, confirmed Kinnick’s hunch.

“Grinnell College has not made any final decisions regarding the selection of an architect or a developer to partner with on this site,” Lacher wrote in an email to The S&B. “[The College will] conduct a formal request for proposals this fall.”

Although a new mixed-use building may not be in the cards for downtown Grinnell, the community can expect some updates as the College continues pursuing its Zone of Confluence project. Lacher wrote that the College has purchased ten properties totaling 3.19 acres in the area between campus and Grinnell’s main downtown business district. The College is in the process of preparing all of the properties for development, and in the meantime, it is considering the best ways to revitalize the zone in order to “expand and complement what residents, faculty, staff, students and visitors already enjoy in the community.”

“The College will proceed with due diligence to ensure that the final project selected for the former McNally’s site will best increase the vitality of downtown and meet community needs,” Lacher wrote.

CARS 3

Showtimes: 7:00 p.m.

A poignant depiction of the exclusionary aspects of technology.

vantage of the large, open outdoor space at the Fairgrounds.

“Everybody seemed to enjoy the change in location and the really great weather. … It couldn’t have been more of a perfect summer evening,” said Heidi Pearson, GRMC’s Communication and Development Specialist, who helped organize and execute the event.

In addition to the cost of admission, an auction was set up at the Ball.

“We had final auction items for people to bid on, live auction items, [including local artwork and donations from local restaurants and businesses] and raffles,” Pearson said. “All those efforts went to raise money to purchase new medical wellness equipment, such as vital sign machines, telemedicine equipment, exercise equipment and other wellness equipment.”

Pearson attributed much of the night’s success to the plethora of enthusiastic and welltrained volunteers and partner organizations alike that helped make the event possible.

“Celebrating our 50th anni-

versary really is a collaborative effort. …We have so many volunteers, mostly people who have been a huge part of GRMC over the years,” Pearson said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

Student band to play at the Stew

CONTRIBUTED

Listeing Party will be joined by p.morrow, a band comprised of Grinnellians..

By Ahon Gooptu gooptuah@grinnell.edu The Grinnell Area Arts Council has been busy booking shows for fall, with the inaugural showcase just around the corner. This Saturday, Sept.

2 at Stew Art Studios, Milwaukee trio Listening Party and Grinnell College band p. morrow will take the stage.

Erik Jarvis ’12, events manager for the Arts Council, hopes that the pair of folk groups will resonate well with the Grinnell community. While Listening Party’s music is known for its introspective lyrics and practiced yet passionate unexpected rhythmic turns, p. morrow’s music instead deals with themes of connection, landscape and belonging.

Listening Party, comprised of Weston Mueller (guitar and vocals), Joshua Hester (guitar, mandolin and bass) and Jacob Wood (piano and vocals), was going to be in Iowa City for a concert this weekend. Grinnell turned out to be another convenient stop on their tour.

“Touring acts can very easily be lost in the ‘Big City’ scene, so it’s always a pleasure to find smaller communities that support the arts in a major

DESPICABLE ME 3

Showtimes: 4:00 p.m., 9:20 p.m.

Did you know Miranda Cosgrove voices a character in these movies?

I didn't.

way, making us feel more at home and building lasting relationships,” Mueller said.

Jarvis said that when he studied at Grinnell College, there was no off-campus venue like The Stew to showcase student groups. He believes that it is important for young musicians to get their music out to people who are not their everyday peers.

“It’s also important for the Arts Council, and to the artists we bring in, that the audience is a diverse and accurate cross section of our community, and showcasing student talent will help achieve that,” he said.

For Justin Leuba ’18 the event is of special importance, as their band p. morrow will be performing their original compositions in the band’s off-campus debut. While juggling guitar and vocals, Leuba will be supported

by Sylvie Bindas ’18 on vocals, Jacob Getzoff ’18 on percussion and Ian Donaldson ’20 on keyboard. The four met through school and other musical connections.

The show will begin with p. morrow at 8 p.m. at The Stew on 927 Broad Street, followed by Listening Party. Admission is free and open to the public.

LOGAN LUCKY

Showtimes: 3:50 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 9:10 p.m.

If you're looking for your Community or Arts Editors, you can find us at the Strand watching this.

Features

Edited by mckechni@grinnell.edu

5

New club RATS aims to provide support for survivors

CONTRIBUTED

By Molly Nelson nelsonmo@grinnell.edu

Narz Diane ’20 lies across a large, pancake-shaped beanbag in the Stonewall Resource Center (SRC).

We are surrounded by vivid colors and pillows adorned with gender and sexuality puns. Secluded, but surrounded by warm ambience.

The R_pe And Trauma Support group, or RATS, is a new group on campus. As of now, the group is not official through the College, but will be soon once the paperwork is submitted. Narz, one of this year’s SRC staff members, founded RATS at the beginning of the school year.

By Sam Rueter ruetersa@grinnell.edu

The fall 2017 semester marks the launch of "Career Communities," a new initiative from the Center for Careers, Life, and Services (CLS) at Grinnell.

The program, spearheaded by Mark Peltz, dean of the Center for Careers, Life and Services, aims to connect students with alumni and professionals in their chosen field of study, as well as offer assistance and guidance throughout the application process for graduate and professional school programs.

"These [Career Communities] are an important dimension of our overall program as we seek to support the personal, professional and civic development for every Grinnell student," Peltz wrote in an email to The S&B. "The CLS’s model and approach to working with students in such a holistic and comprehensive way is a rarity across the higher education landscape."

The level of experience and expertise that the Career Communities directors themselves possess is similarly rare.

Sarah Barks, director of STEM Career Community and Health Professions Adviser, received a PhD in biological anthropology from Emory University and spent three years as a post-doctoral scientist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., doing research focused on great ape social cognition and neuroanatomy.

“As soon as I got back to campus, I made the Facebook page,” they said. “I didn’t even tell anyone about it [beforehand]. So, I think people were kind of surprised … but I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback since I started it.”

Already, RATS has 61 Facebook members, 49 of which are active Grinnell students. The goal of the group is to provide a community of support and love.

“When people identify as a survivor, it’s not something that’s readily talked about with pride,” Narz said.

Narz’s reason for creating the group is largely personal as they are themselves a survivor of trauma.

“I’m starting RATS because I

feel like I need a support system and I wasn’t finding that on campus,” they said. “I figured if it wasn’t already there, I might as well just make my own.”

This speaks to the insufficient resources and support available to survivors at Grinnell College.

“I know that the College has not done all that it could to protect survivors. … In regards to rape being at the forefront, the College is more focused on prevention, rather than the aftermath,” they said. “So, if I can create some sort of safe, student-run space where students … talk without fear of lawsuits of slander or an appeal on a Title IX case, or being worried that the administration might hear something. … If I can provide that sort of safety, that sanctuary for them, I’m all for that. And it’s just kind of [a] bonus that I get to benefit from that as well.”

"If someone brings [up a traumatic experience from the past], just listen. Don't ask a bunch of questions. Don't question whether they're making it up or exaggerating.

Just accept what they're saying as truth."

Narz Diane '20

The group’s meetings are publicly displayed on its Facebook page, facebook.com/RapeAndTraumaSupport, and are open to both trauma survivors and allies.

“An ally of a survivor is anyone who wants to open themselves up and be cognizant of people’s triggers,” Narz said. “An ally doesn’t even have to know what happened to their friend to be supportive. If their friend is like ‘Hey, I don't like this’, or ‘I have a fear of this,’ an ally would just readily say ‘Okay’ and help them avoid those triggering things rather than questioning them or discrediting them.”

Narz also emphasized the importance of believing a friend when they tell you they have experienced trauma.

“If someone brings [up a traumatic experience from the past], just listen. Don’t ask a bunch of questions.

Don’t question whether they're making it up or exaggerating. Just accept what they’re saying as truth. … I have yet to meet someone who would actively lie about something like that.”

According to Narz, survivors are often unable to supply the amount of evidence required for the College to take action against the perpetrator.

Narz described how, if the evidence is determined to be insufficient, it can be devastating for the survivor who does not receive justice and can also be further traumatized by seeing their attacker on campus, despite filing for no-contact orders.

Narz hopes the advent of RATS will create a non-invasive and supportive space for survivors to cope with trauma in non-triggering ways.

“The main focus is having fun, coloring pages, card games, playing Jackbox games,” they said. As the owner of five rats, Narz promises to

bring furry friends to the meetings as well. “We’re going to stay away from most support groups in the sense that we’re not going to be delving into [traumatic] events. It’s not so much as a distraction from trauma, but a way to cope healthily.”

"It's always good to feel like you have a community and people who can support you, whether or not you want to share your story."

Narz Diane '20

Narz stressed that every survivor’s recovery is different, but the group will be there for those who need it. Survivors and allies can attend any public meeting as well as confidentially contact the group’s Facebook page for resources, support or to set up a private meeting with RATS staff. Narz is currently in contact with SHACS, so that if a confidential meeting is requested, a certified therapist can be present. Narz also plans to craft pamphlets to help survivors and allies find appropriate resources for their needs.

Regardless of how open or private one wishes to be about past experiences, survivors and allies are welcome at RATS. “It’s always good to feel like you have a community and people who can support you, whether or not you want to share your story,” Narz said.

Coming soon: your Career Community Michael Lawrence, director of Business & Finance Career Community, spent over two decades as a corporate executive, including executive roles at Exxon Mobil Corp. and BP, before he founded a company that does assessment and development for college and university students.

"These Career Communities are led by individuals who spent a portion of their work life in a professional field connected to their particular Career Community," wrote Peltz. "Drawing from their extensive and distinctive professional experiences allows the Career Community directors to provide a level of coaching and advising uncommon on most college campuses."

"You'll be hard pressed to find a more passionate and student-centered group of professionals than those who work in Grinnell's Center for Career, Life, and Service."

Mark Peltz This new initiative, which Peltz referred to as "the most expansive" launched during his six-year tenure at Grinnell, involves five teams: the advising and exploration team, the career communities team, the employer engagement team, the global fellowships and awards team and the service and social innovation team. Working together, these teams complement one another in their

MAHIRA FARAN

The Career, Life, and Service Center (CLS), a resource to support students in their professional development. attempts to give every graduating Grinnellian high-impact career experiences to draw from, as well as a network of resources to help them as they journey out into the world.

Although operating as the face of the Career Communities initiative, Peltz was quick to note that this CLS creation was only made possible because of the generosity

and hard work of other members of the Grinnell family.

"It’s incredibly important to note that the Career Communities initiative would not exist today without the support of President Kington, the Grinnell College Board of Trustees and several alumni who have given generously to support the work and vision of the CLS. And converting a vision into reality requires a lot of hard work and dedication, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a more passionate and student-centered group of professionals than those who work in Grinnell’s Center for Careers, Life and Services.

6:45 a.m. — Another Monday. First alarm goes off. Accursed 8 a.m. classes, forcing me to wake up with the sun.

7:00 a.m. — Scroll through today's menu on G-Licious. I hope there will be greek yogurt for breakfast.

7:15 a.m. ­— Excitedly shuffle to the greek yogurt station. Realize it's actually vanilla yogurt day. Swear silently. Eat the vanilla yogurt anyway, because breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

8:00 a.m. — French class. Why is the end of nearly every word in this language silent?

9:00 a.m. — Chinese class. Accidentally use the word for "terrible" when describing my Chinese professor rather than the word for "great."

10:00 a.m. — Computer Science. Is this really how computers talk?

11:30 a.m. — Lunch time, woo. Is the deli open?

11:35 a.m. — Crap, not open. Join the shortest line instead.

12:00 p.m. — Time for a nap. Return

to dorm.

12:05 p.m. — Remove clothing and play on phone with room fan on highest setting. Don't actually fall asleep.

1:50 p.m. — Crap, I should've taken a nap. Speed-walk to Steiner Hall.

2:00 p.m. — Linguistics class. We're almost done, phew.

3:00 p.m. — Plan to jump rope and shadow box outside of Younker.

Take nap instead.

4:40 p.m. — Wake up. Hmm, I should still try to exercise.

4:45 p.m. — Do some jumping jacks and punch at my own shadow. It's supposed to be good exercise, I hear.

5:00 p.m. — Now I'm exhausted. At least it's time to eat again! Take a shower to get rid of my smell.

5:30 p.m. — Oh, so NOW the deli's open?

6:00 p.m. — Loiter in the Dining Hall with Jemuel Santos '19.

6:15 p.m. — Loiter in the Dining Hall with Jemuel Santos '19.

6:40 p.m. — Loiter in the ­— alright,

"We seek to support the personal, professional and civic development for every Grinnell student."

Mark Peltz

"The CLS's model and approach to working with students in such a holistic and comprehensive way is a rarity across the higher education landscape."

Mark Peltz For those interested in learning more about the Career Communities program, the CLS is hosting a Fall Kick Off on North Campus Grove, between Younker and the JRC, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Day in the life: Kevin Nguyen

By Lily Bohlke bohlkeli@grinnell.edu

MAHIRA FARAN

I should probably get some homework done. Head to Burling.

7:00 p.m. — Set up shop in writing mentor area. Hope I don't get kicked out by an actual writing mentor.

7:30 p.m. — Haven't been kicked out yet. Guess I can start my homework now.

8:00 p.m. — Actually an earnest effort to get my work done.

10:00 p.m. — This is where I cut off my work. If I'm only three pages into the 20 page reading, it's because the universe was trying to tell me to get some rest. Listen to the universe.

Plan to finish reading during tomorrow's lunch instead.

11:00 p.m. — I'm back in my dorm now. I wonder if people can hear me singing Ne-yo's music over the fan.

11:35 p.m. — Visualize my mom yelling at me to brush my teeth. Do exactly that.

11:45 p.m. — My teeth are clean.

Remove clothes and set four alarms for tomorrow. My first class tomorrow starts at 3 p.m.

6

By Jackson Schulte schultej@grinnell.edu The Grinnell women’s soccer team is entering fall 2017 with elevated expectations following their spectacular run in the 2016 Conference Tournament. The team has a

Sports Fall into sports 2017 Women's soccer

balanced mix of returning players spanning every position on the field.

It seems likely that they will continue to compete for a top spot in the Midwest Conference in 2017.

Last season the Pioneers lost a heartbreaker in the Midwest Conference final, after making a dark horse

By Quan Tran tranminh2@grinnell.edu For the past two weeks, the men’s soccer team has practiced twice a day in preparation for their upcoming season. On the team this year, along with returning players, are several new faces. Joining the Pioneers are eight key additions spread across all positions, adding more depth and versatility to

the team. According to head men’s soccer coach Brian Jaworski, some new players have already made an impact on and off the field.

“Michael Spicer, a goalkeeper from South Carolina, shows he can really play at the college level. We have Jasper Yang, [who is] athletic, quick and he picks things up really quickly in practice and seems to fit in

By Kate Irwin irwinkat@grinnell.edu

season for the team.

"A big goal for our team is to continue to learn and progress with their training, and just their overall growth, whether that's athletic growth, leadership, time management," Freeman said. “We want to continue a growth mindset, we want to keep progressing."

The women's cross country team is ready for another strong season.

Last year the women placed third at the Midwest Conference Championships. Coach Evelyn Freeman has her sights set on another strong

run into the title game. With returners at nearly every position, it seems likely that they should put together another solid season.

Despite losing All-MWC first teamers in Carolyn Silverman ‘17 and Nora Sahel ‘17, the returners are ambitious and the first-years are

expected to step up.

“Our opponents were familiar with [last year’s seniors’] tendencies,” said coach Kirsten Coester.

Furthermore, returning second year Valencia Alvarez '20 praised her first-year teammates for showing up “mentally, physically, emo-

tionally.”

“I think that they will … make our team better than we were last year,” Alvarez said.

Catch the women’s soccer team at their home game against Simpson College on Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. on Springer Field.

well with the other players,” Jaworski said.

Additionally, assistant coach Jake O’Polka is joining the coaching staff this year, bringing a new dynamic to the team’s leadership. Jaworski praises O’Polka for being “a good communicator who just needs to trust himself to speak up and grow as a coach.”

“Jake is somebody that I have a

good relationship with … so there’s a lot of trust there.”

The first game of the season is at home this Friday against Coe College, and Jaworski has clear expectations and objectives. ”[Our goal is to] not let 15 minutes go by before we start playing well,” Jaworski said.

Jarowski knows that communica-

tion is one area in which the team can always improve, especially considering the diversity of the College.

“We get our kids from everywhere, and so it makes the communication part even more important.”

Nevertheless, with the season’s opening match coming quickly, Jaworski and the whole roster feel ready to take on every challenge.

The top runners from last year are back for another season. Key athletes include Emma Luhmann '18, Emma Zimmerman '18, Whitney Teagle '18, Anna Ahrens '19, Tori LaVerdiere '20 and Mikayla Fujiwara '20.

There are nine first-years on the team. Athletes to watch include Ally

Cottrell '21, Cara Keleher '21 and Rebecca Villa '21.

The women were predicted to come in second at Conference, but Freeman views this ranking as an opportunity for success.

"Right now we're picked to be a close second, but we kind of like being the underdog," Freeman said.

Freeman sees the bond the women have as a team as the key to their success. "The team culture and how supportive and caring they are of each other. They help each other achieve great things, athletically, academically, personally."

The women have their first home meet Sept. 9.

Men's soccer

Women's cross country

CONTRIBUTED

Simo Bambi '20 is a key returner to a women's soccer team with high expectations.

CONTRIBUTED

Women's volleyball players attacking the net last season.

CONTRIBUTED

CONTRIBUTED

Tony Bergida '18 watching Erik Henderson '19 haul in a catch during a game last season.

By Kate Irwin irwinkat@grinnell.edu Last year the men’s cross country team won their 19th Midwest Conference title in the last 20 years, and Coach Will Freeman anticipates another Conference title this season.

Sydney Banach '18 and the other fourth-year women's tennis players are ready to show firstyears the ropes on a team that is a consistent force in the Midwest Conference.

Men's cross country

"Our primary focus is always the Conference meet. We've had a lot of success there, and we'd like to see that continue," Freeman said.

Improvement is one of Freeman’s primary goals for the team this season.

"It's all about improvement, getting better, both collectively and individu-

Edited by schultej@grinnell.edu

ally."

The top returners are a handful of All-Conference runners from last season. Key athletes include John Lennon '19, Gray Krewson '19, Pieter Hansen '19 and Jackson Schulte '20.

There are seven new first-years on the team. Newcomers to watch include

Matt Lieberman '21 and Lucas Chamberland '21.

"I think we've got potential for depth and really high quality up top," Freeman said.

Freeman notes the men's dedication as the key to their success.

"They're all engaged fully in this

process, they all want to see how good they can be and they're all really committed to each other and the team."

The men have their first home meet Sept. 9 on the Grinnell College Golf Course.

Editor’s Note: Jackson Schulte is sports editor for The S&B.

would have to adapt to the new leadership.

“It’s really important for the team to all come together and bond under our new coach, so I’d say our goals are to play our best and adapt as needed,” Smith wrote in an email to The S&B. When asked about the goals for the season, Ragan expressed his hope

to qualify for the conference tournament again.

“The goals for this season are to be competitive within the conference and qualify for the conference tournament again,” he wrote. “Our team has been working hard the last two weeks to improve and are playing at a high level — our goal is to continue this trend as the season continues.”

Some key offensive players are quarterback Tony Bergida ’18, running back Carson Dunn ’18 and wide receiver David Taylor ’20. Meanwhile, some standout players on the defensive side of the ball are lineman Jeff Keele ’19, linebackers Hassan Thompson ’19 and Ryan Slager ’19.

Slager led NCAA Division III in tack-

les last season and was an All-Midwest Conference second-team selection. This year, he was named a HERO Sports Preseason All-America First-Team selection.

The football team opens their season on Sept. 2 at St. Olaf College.

Their first home game is on Sept. 23 against St. Norbert College.

Volleyball

By Mayo Sueta suetamay@grinnell.edu Last season, the College’s volleyball team finished third in their conference with a record of 14-11, the best finish they had in five years. The team is determined to keep up the momentum of their success and have been training hard for the new season.

Despite losing several great play-

By William Telingator telingat@grinnell.edu The football team is looking to rebound from a tough season last year, when they failed to win a game.

Head coach Jeff Pedersen thinks that this year’s team has a chance to establish themselves as conference con-

ers from the Class of 2017, the team is ready to tackle the competition with their new set up, especially the returning players.

“Returners are stepping up and taking on new roles,” wrote Coach Ragan in an email to The S&B. The team has gained five new first-years this year. According to Coach Ragan, they seem to be a good

fit for the team. “[They] are fitting right in with our culture by working hard and being great teammates,” he wrote.

The first years are not the only new faces on the volleyball team. It is also Ragan’s first time coaching at Grinnell.

Madison Smith ’20, defensive specialist, admitted that the team

Football tenders and prove how far they have come.

“The returning players put in a lot of great work in the off-season, and we bolstered the roster through our recruiting. We’ve got a bigger roster this year, with significantly more depth in a few key positions, so we’re counting on that translating to

improved play on the field,” Pedersen wrote in an email to The S&B. The team is hoping that a strong recruiting class will lead to more wins this season. The new players have been working hard in pre-season practices to learn the system, and they will continue to improve as the season progresses.

Women's tennis

By Jessica Kunzman kunzmanj@grinnell.edu The women’s tennis team returns this year to defend their Midwest Conference title and continue the momentum of last year’s phenomenal season. Last year, the team went 15-7

overall and 9-0 in the regular season conference play.

This year’s team has seven returning letter winners as well as three first-year players. The team consists of players from every class year. “[New players have been] chal-

lenging the returning players,” wrote Paige Madara, head coach of men’s and women’s tennis, in an email to The S&B. One key player, Amelia Cogan ’19, is a Midwest Conference individual champion and set the Col-

lege’s doubles record last season with a total of 27 doubles wins. Despite the previous year’s success, the team is focused on growth.

“We have a lot of room for growth and are focusing on improving each day in practices and matches

to be our best at the end of season,” Madara said.

The tennis season has already begun, with the Pioneers sitting at 1-1.

The first home match for the tennis team is on Sept. 8 and 9 at the Grinnell High School tennis courts.

Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu

Arts Writers@Grinnell: Benjamin Percy for ecological reasons. The novel before that, which is called “Red Moon” — it’s a werewolf novel but really it is a novel about xenophobia, it’s about the other, the fear of the other. And it’s a reflection of cultural divisions at work in this country. Sometimes there’s something about speculative fiction where it’s more digestible for people to wrestle with the issues of the day through a cracked mirror version of our world instead of a direct representation of our world.

SARAH RUIZ

Benjamin Percy spoke about his writing at a round table event on Thursday afternoon.

Benjamin Percy is the author of four novels, two books of short stories, a book of essays and nonficiton work that has been published in GQ, Esquire, Time, Men's Journal, the New York Times and the Paris Review. He writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series for DC Comics and James Bond for Dynamite Entertainment. Percy sat down with The S&B's Amanda Weber '21 to discuss his recent work and how to master a variety of mediums.

The S&B: How would you describe your most recent novel, The Dark Net? Benjamin Percy: Well, it’s a cyber-thriller that has a supernatural twist to it. The backstory is that about two years ago, five things happened in one week, one fateful week, that made me want to write about the Internet and our nakedness and vulnerability online. My sister’s email got hacked, my friend’s Facebook feed got hacked and my inbox and social media feed filled up with spam. My neighbor filed his taxes and discovered that someone

had already done so and collected the refund. My credit card information was stolen and used by someone in Spain. And then my father clicked on the wrong email attachment and his laptop froze and a message popped up. It was ransomware, and they demanded a certain amount of bitcoins be paid their way in order to free up his hard drive, otherwise it would be erased. All these things happened simultaneously. I also picked up an article at the same time, one by Lev Grossman, the author of “The Magicians.” It was published in Time Magazine, all about Silk Road, about the Deep Web, about the Dark Net. I was in a really kind of technophobic place back then — some people accused me of being a bit of a Luddite.

So I knew I had a lot of research to do to authenticate this whole digital realm. I spent the next few years on the Google campus, talking to people at Apple, talking to people at Verizon, talking to digital security experts about this world and trying to create a credible platform for what eventually

became a supernatural story, in order to ground the fantastic.

You’ve written a lot of other supernatural novels — where did you get your inspiration for those?

I’ve always been interested in channeling cultural unease and taking a knife to the nerve of the moment. And if you look at some of my favorite speculative stories, they’re often doing the same thing. If you look at “Frankenstein,” say, it’s all about the Industrial Revolution. It’s all about the fear of science and technology, of man playing god. If you look at “Godzilla,” it’s all about post-atomic anxieties. If you look at, say, the slew of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives that rose up after 9/11 and during this time of climate crisis, you know, there’s a reason these stories are as resonant as they are. It’s because they reflect the zeitgeist. I wrote “The Dark Net” for that same reason. We have so many things to fear right now, but I think cybercrime is chief among them. ... I was motivated for political reasons,

KAMAU and Lucien Parker to impress this Friday

By Emma Heikkinen heikkine@grinnell.edu

Distinctly different rappers KAMAU and Lucien Parker will be performing in Gardner Lounge tonight, Friday, Sep. 1, with Djay Mando, in Grinnell Concerts’ second show of the semester.

KAMAU is a singer-songwriter hiphop and rap artist from Washington D.C., now residing in Brooklyn, where he recently performed at the Afropunk Festival. On his website, KAMAU states his desire to “consciously contribute something as great and beautiful as our existence to the world and ‘to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community [and world] more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.’”

KAMAU identifies the importance of balance, culture and family. He was raised in an indigenous and Black environment with a great appreciation for sound of all forms — in nature, among many cultures and of the past and present. As a film graduate of Pratt Institute, KAMAU’s music videos are story-heavy and expressive.

KAMAU’s music is an abstract yet cohesive mix, featuring influences such as African instrumentals from his time at the Ujamaa Schule, a self-described “independent Afrikan private school” in D.C., Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Andre 3000, Tupac Shakur, Mystic Warriors, Vieux Diop, Lauryn Hill and Sade.

His single “Jusfayu” ft. No Wyld from “A Gorgeous Fortune” EP — featured on soccer videogame FIFA 17 — is an energetic soundscape of layered vocalizations, jazz influence and emotion.

Another recent single, “Mint” ft. Talibah Safiya, is more muted, with heavier R&B overtones in an intimate melody.

The charged song “PohLease” from “A Gorgeous Fortune” opens with the march of military boots against pavement. On this track, KAMAU sings of the continued legacy of racist police brutality — and of anti-Black violence in general — in America, from Emmett Till to Michael Brown.

Lucien Parker is a singer-songwriter and rapper from South Minneapolis.

He began in the spoken-word and poetry world of Minneapolis, travelling to Brave New Voices and earning the hip-hop and spoken-word First Wave Program scholarship at The University of Wisconsin Madison. In 2016, he released his debut LP “Black Sheep,” an expression of self-knowledge, peace and being an outsider. Speaking from a South Minneapolitan Black middle-class family background, Parker relates deeply to the concept of being a “black sheep.” On his website, he describes his experiences as making him “aware of the stereotypes imposed on African American people as portrayed by the media today.”

Parker, on his website, describes his belief that artistry can help dismantle systems of oppression.

“Music is a tool that can be used to change the world. It can be used as a platform to help eradicate a system that is hell bent on trapping people of color. I may only be a piece of the puzzle, but I will continue to make music that will continue to

uplift my children, and their children after them transcending the boundaries of time and place.”

His 2017 single “Impossible” concerns individuality and self-becoming in a difficult environment, at one point rapping; “Made a peace wit it / I originated from the impossible / That’s a rocky road.” The song invokes a sense of hope and community. “Good Side” from “Black Sheep” describes the intimacy of a relationship over a syrupy, slower beat, showing another facet of Parker’s musical expression. “After Recess” describes the role of rap in Parker’s life: a link to community, a savior from college debt and a way to support his family.

This Friday, audiences can expect an ener-

Speaking of “Red Moon,” you’re currently adapting “Red Moon” and “The Wilding” for the screen.

What is it like to translate your work across media?

Frustrating. You know, I’ve already told the story in its ideal form. And it’s always exciting to be writing for TV or writing for film, but I’ve learned over the years — having been involved in dozens of projects now — things don’t usually work out. Managing expectations is a big part of that and understanding that there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen in Hollywood.

There is the production team and there’s usually a network or a studio team. There’s the director, there are the actors. They all have different sets of notes that are sometimes contradictory. So you’re rewriting and you’re rewriting and you’re rewriting, sometimes in circles, which is occasionally maddening, and sometimes what you end up with in the end is not at all the film that was playing in the reel of your own mind. I would say that I’ll keep chasing that carrot whenever it’s dangled in front of me — whenever Hollywood comes calling, I’ll always answer — but I’ve never had a great experience.

How does your writing style and process differ for different media —

By Andrew Zdechlik zdechlik17@grinnell.edu

KAMAU's music is inspired by his desire to bring something beautiful to the world.

psychoanalytic sample that recounts the dream of a patient. The patient’s voice, masked by static and warped effects, is accompanied by an ominous sway of stringed instruments.

The omnipresence of overproduction and electronic synthesizers in the introductory track might lead a devout Brand New fan to be nervous right off the bat, but it all makes sense as soon as Jesse Lacey’s voice creeps in.

It could be argued that all of the band’s previous albums begin in a captivating way, but “Science Fiction” certainly makes use of a new approach: a lengthy and somber tune that leads the listener to expect some experimentation.

That being said, Brand New jumps right back into their iconic sound for the meat of the album with

as the point of the genre. Lacey notes that his music serves as a release for himself in addition to being a soothing source of release for his listeners that may be experiencing something similar. At one point he sings, “Were you one of the cured kids? My shins burn for the replica youth.”

This album is a must-listen for people who enjoy hard-hitting lyrics that are accompanied by well-polished punk backing tracks.

Brand New has constantly been evolving since their first release, and their progression has shaped and transformed a genre in monumental steps — “Science Fiction” is the latest edition to this progress, and has the honors of achieving the band’s premier accolade of a Billboard No. 1. Seriously, go listen to this and reevaluate your life. It is healthy.

CONTRIBUTED

novels, comics, nonfiction, screenwriting, etc.?

Novels are a marathon. You’re working on them for years, and you’re alone in the dark for most of that time. You have help from your agents and you have help from your editor, but that’s a very small crew of people compared to the work you do in comics and screenwriting. Those are collaborative mediums. They’re also fast mediums, especially comics. If you’re writing comics, instead of a marathon, you’re writing at a sprint. You can write a script and edit it up and approve of the art and two weeks later it’s on the racks at your local comic book shop.

As a result of this, there’s an incredible immediacy that can be exciting — you produce something and get that instant fan response. That’s energizing, that’s infectious. You can also write about headline news and oftentimes you’re charged with doing that. Like with the “Green Arrow” series, which is supposed to be a political series. I write about whatever is in today’s headlines and then channel it onto the page and it’s right there in front of people. But the collaborative element is maybe the most exciting part of writing comics, in that you have the artist and you have the editorial community and you have a colorist and a letterer and you’re all trying to tell the best story possible.

Being able to compromise and being able to sort of poke each other and come up with the best storyline possible has been good and humbling.

Is there any advice you would like to give to aspiring writers at Grinnell?

Read your brains out and write your brains out is the best advice out there.

I would say that there is a lot to be learned from rereading. ... I’ve since then become a very deliberate reader, a very slow reader.

"Horizon" opens at Stewart Gallery

On Saturday Aug. 26, members from the Grinnell community gathered at the Stewart Gallery to celebrate the opening of the new exhibit “Horizon.” Although all pieces in the show follow the theme of horizons, each artist explored the theme using different mediums and styles. Therefore, this exhibit is particularly interesting because the pieces range from paper making and screen printing to photography and cartoon art.

While some pieces take on a political message, depicting the horizon of global warming at the hands of big oil companies, others take a more subtle approach simply adding a dotted line to the piece in order to draw viewers’ attention to a particular focal point. As one of the artist commented, “The theme was extremely open, so you could include any of your pieces [in the exhibit] that used lines, which meant that I could really include any of my pieces.” With such a broad theme, artists were truly at liberty to explore their imaginations and share their creativity.

"Home on the Range" by John Engelbrecht is a digital media piece that uses black and white photography to create a horizon between an urban and western nature scene.

Placing mirrored copies of the photos next to each other, the artist angles the horizon between the two scenes to draw the focal point toward the center, almost creating the illusion of them being one large scene.

The piece cleverly uses shopping carts in a parking lot in the urban scene to mimic the scene of bison

geti c s h o w, and will leave Gardner with a greater understanding of community and individuality.

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grazing in a field of grass. In the adjacent nature scene with the bison, a hand comes into the lower plane, pointing at the bison like most would probably do upon seeing a wild herd.

In the upper urban scene, however, human form is completely absent, leaving the shopping carts as the only inhabitants in the parking lot.

Through the use of the horizon line, the artist creates a strong juxtaposition between the urban and nature scene and the role that humans play in it. Perhaps, the artist is making a powerful statement about the destruction of nature and all of its awes resulting from human expansion and development.

Moreover, although there are the urban bison — the shopping carts — they do not instill the same fascination as the living bison. The artist may have created the contrast between these two scenes to demonstrate that humans are taking land from creatures that could be making better use of it, and as a result, we are destroying our own wonderment.

Unless we suddenly become content and enamored by gazing at abandoned shopping carts, perhaps we should take time to reflect on our expansion and consider how important shopping centers and large sporting arenas truly are to our happiness in the grand scheme of things. We should consider the impact we have on our environment and all of the other inhabitants that “co-exist” with us.

The “Horizon” exhibit is inspiring and a sight for art and nature lovers alike. Take an hour out of the day to go and enjoy the pieces that these artists have chosen to share.

Brand New's brand new "Science Fiction" worth the eight-year wait

By Jack Marchesi marchesi@grinnell.edu Brand New are back from their typical between-album slumber with their new album, “Science Fiction.”

This marks the band’s first release in eight years, the longest they have waited yet to put out a project, and it is safe to say this was a highly anticipated album.

Though not particularly creative, the title, “Science Fiction,” adequately matches the tone that the album sets. Brand New often does well creating a project that contains a few straightforward pop-structured bangers interspersed with songs that appear to be more experimental for emo music. The new album certainly delivers with this formula.

The album opens with an eerie

songs like “Can’t Get It Out,” “Same Logic/Teeth” and “Out of Mana.”

Brand New have been known for their emotional and poetic lyrics in the past, but “Science Fiction” seems to explore these traits further.

For example, on “Can’t Get It Out,” Lacey sings “Not just a manic depressive, toting around my own cloud, I’ve got a positive message, sometimes I can’t get it out.”

Lacey’s lyrics from the third chorus seem almost apologetic for the extensive catalog of dismal music that he has produced, but also acknowledges the brutal power of mental illness — a prominent theme throughout “Science Fiction.”

Throughout its history, emo music has been accused of being whiny and gloomy, and Brand New seems to address this by acknowledging that

CONTRIBUTED

Lacey performing in Toronto, 2006.

Arts

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Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu

Concerts lineup released

By Saiham Sharif sharifsa@grinnell.edu

Cait Mohr

By Hallela Hinton-Williams hintonwi@grinnell.edu Cait Mohr is more than they appear to be.

They’re an artist who likes to portray goofy masochistic scenarios.

They’re someone who draws inspiration from the work of 20th century feminist artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, as well as Tom of Finland and Jesse Kanda — those considered “avant-garde queers” that give them daily inspiration because they themselves are an “avant-garde queer.” They’re a citizen who finds themselves in a strange political climate that gleams strength from the “Daily Affirmations for the Revolutionary Proletarian Militant” calendar by Stephanie McMillan.

They’re an advocate of everyone listening to Carly Rae Jepsen’s album “Emotion,” but whose art more similarly reflects the aesthetics of “The Money Store” by Death Grips.

Cait Mohr surprises and impresses even more in what they do with their art.

By showing pictures out of their sketchbook, impressive drawings and cartoons born out of pen and ink, Mohr reveals the aesthetic they want to achieve.

“Imagine the sounds you would hear in the bathroom at a gay club at four in the morning. I want to encapsulate that kind of grime,” Mohr said. “Even when I was younger, my art tended to show latent transgender tendencies that reflect who I am today.”

"I have a really big academic fascination with masochism as a philosophy major. It’s a lot more theatrical than sadism."

Cait Mohr '19

CONTRIBUTED, HELENA GRUENSTEIDL

Mohr's art uses strong lines and cartoonish depictions of "gross" topics like masochism, dildos and drugs, and also their own experiences.

Their art, creates a grimy yet startling sterile picture of fetishes and fantasies. It is through this style that Mohr feels best represented by their art.

“I do a lot of weird cartoonish masochist stuff. I have a really big academic fascination with masochism as a philosophy major. It’s a lot more theatrical than sadism,” Mohr said. “It’s this law that forbids the satisfaction of pleasure through the coercion of pain, but through this state of masochism. This pain and punishment orders the subsequent pleasure after that. I find something funny about that. I’m like a gross philosophy boy.”

Their art brings out strong feelings in those that see it.

“At my first show, I was walking around looking at all the art, and my friend comes up to me and tells me that my piece was, like, turning her on. I was like, oh my god. I was really proud of myself in that moment. I was really high in that moment, like get out of town.”

Mohr’s art allows them to work out their own emotions as well.

“Over the summer, I was figuring out how to relate to people and my relationship to my body. It made me feel alienated and weird. And I was like, oh, when I feel alienated and weird it reminds me of these semi-sensory deprivation bondage scenarios.”

Mohr doesn’t think about if their art conveys anything whilst they are creating it.

"Imagine the sounds you would hear in the bathroom at a gay club at four in the morning. I want to encapsulate that kind of grime."

Cait Mohr '19 “After [creating a piece], I try to imbue meaning into it. … [It’s] a weird exercise in trying to psychoanalyze myself,” Mohr said. “I just to put down weird aesthetic things floating around in my brain.”

Their love of art started during their childhood in Florida.

“There were a lot of hurricanes, so I usually spent the time locked in a closet drawing fan art for Neopets and Pokémon,” Mohr said. “I like to think that if I didn’t suffer through all those hurricanes, I wouldn’t be the artist I am today.”

Mohr is an artist who draws in beautiful black ink and watches pencil art of men “with balloon-like legs wearing jeans.” An artist who has ventured into “weird internet communities” but has stayed because they remain interested in the aesthetic. An artist who can be viewed at shows around campus and in the new SHIC coloring book and will most likely continue to showcase their art on campus.

"I like to think that if I didn’t suffer through all those hurricanes, I wouldn’t be the artist I am today."

Cait Mohr '19 Cait Mohr is an artist who ventures towards the “gross” but displays their technique and passion for art in every piece.

Lil Uzi "Luv is Rage 2" emits fresh sound

By Reina Matsuura matsuura@grinnell.edu Two Snapchats chirped at me during the illegal hour of 3 a.m. on Aug. 25. I had been alerted of my responsibility to listen to Lil Uzi Vert’s “Luv Is Rage 2” and report back with opinions ASAP. Officially rising out of the ashes in 2015, Uzi has already produced four complete albums, each one amplifying his cartoon personality and tattoo count through music.

If he spat bars on “The Perfect Luv Tape” (2016), then I suppose this new tape might be more of a snot rocket — slick, sick and confident. Yes, snot rockets are gross, but I expect no less of a reaction from non-Uzi-enthusiasts. Who can hate a man who can cross dress and rap? To quote (read: accused rapist) Kodak Black, “I don’t even listen to Uzi,” because he considers Uzi along with some other rappers “dick in the booty, they confusing

the community.” Not only does Uzi shrug this off, he respects sexual consent laws from the very first track, “Two” (“I can’t fuck her, she’s a minor”). He also evokes links between insurance and birth control in a political climate where both are severely at stake. What a nice guy.

If that’s not enough, Uzi’s small 5 foot 4 inch body bubbles with love for his momma (and grandmama) in “Dark Queen.” As a woman of color and fellow rap lover, it’s nice to be celebrated and not feel as though those two things are mutually exclusive.

Personally, my favorite moments of the album are when Uzi tears up other men. In a society where womxn are taught to treat other womxn with hostility, few things are better than dancing with your gal pals while belting, “Heard you fucked her, she embarrassed” (From “For Real” track). “That guy, to me, he a has-been.” Thank you, Uzi, for using your influential platform to speak my words that would

otherwise go unheard.

While he may have swept me away from some “has-been” man I’m definitely embarrassed about going home from Gardner with, Uzi is also capable of channeling his inner sad-boy, music we Grinnellians love. “I know it hurts sometimes,” a phrase eerily reminiscent of Spencer Grill conversations during the Grinnell grind, are Uzi’s words of wisdom, ringing truer than ever, especially when he concludes, “but you’ll get over it;” just like we do every weekend.

“Luv Is Rage 2” is different enough to be fresh but still the stable cartoon Uzi persona I admire. In their ode to a successful life, Pharrell and Uzi comment on the alienation of labor, sure to please some of our Marxist listeners. As an album project, it rings like Chance’s Coloring Book, a capstone riddled with political praxis but also a sense of gratefulness for how far each has come with intentions to keep going strong. “Yeah, my life’s a mess, but

I’m blessed” — the perfect message for Grinnellians, almost as if Uzi wrote these lyrics for us personally.

Obscure words to look for in Luv Is Rage 2: Squirtle, Cheerios, Darth Vader, Sprite, Leonardo DiCaprio, red slugs.

CONTRIBUTED

Lil Uzi's music reflects his own continuously surprising style.

The fall semester concerts lineup features 11 acts from various genres, many of which fall under indie rock or hip-hop, two genres which have typically been the mainstays of music taste at Grinnell for the past few years. Bringing artists that can fulfill everyone’s tastes can be a challenge.

This year, the organization used a survey to directly attain student input. According to Luke Jarzyna ’18, the chair of the concerts committee, the survey yielded nearly 600 responses overall, and close to 300 in the first hour.

Concerts Committee has worked to make Gardner a better musical space for shows, learning about the production that goes into each artists’ performance.

“We’re replacing our analog soundboard with a digital soundboard that is a lot more powerful and easier to learn,” said Nate Williams ’20, a sound engineer for the concerts committee.

Dwynell Roland and Trapo, two young rappers, started off the semester last Friday, Aug. 25.

“I thought [the show] went great. We had a really good turnout and it was nice to see new faces,” Williams said. “It seemed like there were a lot of first years there.”

The show ended with a dance party, a serendipitous element of the concert.

Ric Tennenbaum ’18, outreach coordinator for the concerts committee, has new promotion strategies in store. In the past, Concerts has tabled during lunch the day of a concert, advertised with posters across campus and used social media to spread word of upcoming shows.

Student support is essential to the success of concerts. Artists Steven Duong ’19 and Judith Tong ’20 have helped design posters for this semester’s shows. Although there were 15 concerts last fall, there are only 11 concerts this fall with the hope that fewer shows will encourage more to attend.

From now until the end of the semester, students can expect to enjoy some stellar performances. One act to watch out for is Lavender Country on Sept. 30, an openly gay singer. He is 70 years old and could likely be the oldest performer to ever play at Grinnell.

“I connected with a Grinnell alum, who is the manager of Lavender Country, and she said let’s make a Grinnell date happen,” Jarzyna said. “We’re hoping to do a kind of queer history/queer folk tradition programmatic event surrounding this queer country music.”

This particular show will hold another Grinnell connection: former GWSS professor AJ Lewis will do a banjo act with Lavender.

Meklit Hadero, an Ethiopian-American artist, sings in multiple languages and is also coming to Grinnell for a concert as well as an event with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which will be held the day of her performance, Sept. 27.

Jarzyna has been working with Freesound liaison Vera Kahn ’19 to cultivate a stronger relationship between the concerts committee and student performers on campus.

“We have a lot of talented musicians on campus and I hope to include more students acts and openers,” Jarzyna said.

Squirrel Flower, the performance name of Ella Williams ’19, will open on Nov. 6 for Lucy Dacus, an indie-rock musician from Virginia. These shows provide a unique opportunity for students to play with big artists.

As the winter begins, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, a multi-instrumentalist musician from Chicago, will play the final show of the semester on Dec. 1. His vibrant but experimental style of music will likely resonate with many students.

“Ultimately, I really do think that Concerts provides a unique space for Grinnell students to experience live music as a community and it’s my goal and intention to foster that community through any means that I can — not only by bringing the artist, but also making sure that everyone feels invited,” Jarzyna said. “And I think that the additional programming will give people a better reason to go.”

Opinions

Edited by fentonma@grinnell.edu

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Film Review: "Girls Trip" offers laughs, femme power This past Tuesday, four dedicated S&Baddies took a trip to the local cinema to see “Girls Trip.” The movie centers around a group of college friends reuniting 20 years later for a weekend trip to New Orleans, where one of the women has been invited to give the keynote speech at the Essence magazine festival for her success as a marriage expert.

Some might say we took a Girls Trip to see “Girls Trip.”

Setting: The Strand. Time: 9:33 p.m. (the film started at 9:10 p.m., but of course we were fashionably late). The crew: myself, Keli “I can’t wait to start a ‘Girls Trip’ themed Instagram” Vitaioli ’19, Mira “I’m from Jersey” Braneck ’19, Candace “Candy Cane Peppermint Ice Cream” Mettle ’19 and Kate “I don’t know what I got myself into” Irwin

’20.

As we settled in as the only occupants of the theater that Wednesday night with our more than reasonably priced concessions, we prepared for a wild ride. We were not disappointed.

Within minutes, “Girls Trip” draws you into the world of the Flossy Posse, which consists of Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish, each with their own unique personality.

As Braneck would say, this was a silly film. Without spoiling it, here are a few comments the Girls Trip watching “Girls Trip” had in the theater: Mira Braneck: Have you ever wanted to MO [make out] with a bald man and touch his tender, tender head?

Don't you wish your Girls Trip was hot like me?

EMMA FRIEDLANDER

The Scarlet & Black Staff Editors-in-Chief News Editors Features Editor Sports Editor Arts Editor Community Editor Opinions Editor Copy Editors Graphics Editor Photo Editor Business Manager Staff Writer Honorary Editor

Lily Bohlke Emma Friedlander Alice Herman Candace Mettle Caryn McKechnie Jackson Schulte Keli Vitaioli Mira Braneck Maxwell Fenton Mayo Sueta Carter Howe Lica Ishida Jeff Li Riley Murphy Kate Irwin my best friend hank

Candace Mettle: Sure, objectify the Black man (in response to the white agent grabbing one of the main characters’ husband’s butt).

Keli Vitaioli: This is how I feel when I read Candace’s Twitter about white women. Like I know I am one and honestly thank you for putting me in my place.

MB: I love to watch bad ass bitches get together as friends. Does his shirt say CROC? (as in the perfect shoe) (his shirt said Ciroc) Kate Irwin: Men are trash.

CM: I don’t like him (onscreen man states he “hasn’t met his equal yet”). Oh OKAY, so all the women he knows are lesser.

MB: I don’t wanna touch his bald head anymore.

Candace also “mmmmhmmm”ed literally at the same time as the women on screen. If that isn’t Black girl magic, I don’t know what is.

“Girls Trip” successfully levels the playing field between expectations placed upon those identifying as men and those identifying as women in film. We were able to see women being hilariously gross with each other and having a good time, without worrying about needing to please the men in the theater or on screen.

This was a film written by and for women, and that means they understand that women can effortlessly shift between releasing their bladder at an inopportune time, humping a lamp and later giving a keynote speech to a room full of other excellent women. Women cannot be reduced to just a two-dimensional pretty face, and “Girls Trip” will leave you angry anyone ever tried.

When the film came out, it was

received as the “Black version” of “Rough Night,” another film in the women’s buddy comedy tradition that came out this year featuring a cast of white women. It would be dismissive to place “Girls Trip” in a category of “separate yet equal to.”

This classification also highlights Hollywood’s propensity towards placing women in competition with each other. We must celebrate “Girls Trip” for the rarity that it is, a comedy celebrating friendship between Black women and their complexity without denying them their Blackness. “Girls Trip” should not be placed in competition with other films in already too sparse of a genre: women enjoying being with other women.

While the film celebrates female friendships, there are also moments it falls back onto misogyny. While Regina Hall’s husband is cheating on her, they describe the woman he is sleeping with as an “Instagram Ho” and her butt injections become a joke throughout the rest of the film.

They portray this “enchantress” as a cruel woman, with less emphasis on the wrongdoings of the husband than feels necessary. While a good danceoff is essential to any film, I would have preferred if the competition between women didn’t escalate beyond that letter.

As a woman watching, it was striking to see women being celebrated for not being perfect and for looking to each other for help. “Girls Trip” emphasizes that it is fine to turn to your posse for help — after all, what are the matching gold necklaces for? There are moments where Hall has to chant to herself that she is “strong, powerful and beautiful.”

No one is perfectly confident on

their own, and it is easy to feel like when you fall you won’t be able to get back up. That is what the women around you are for, and in "Girls Trip" we saw a celebration of platonic female friendships as worthy of attention and value.

FINAL THOUGHTS KATE: It had its moments that really made me laugh, but there were parts that were just so terrible that it was almost funny. The whole peeing thing was just awful, but I loved it.

It was just really funny. I wouldn’t see it with my mom, but I would definitely see it again. I really liked going with the girls from the paper because I felt it was a really good newspaper bonding experience.

MIRA: “Girls Trip” gives you a wild hallucination scene followed by neon colored wigs followed by a dance-off followed by a bar fight.

And a girl gang complete with bad a$$ b*tches is the most central aspect of this movie? Depiction of women having fun with each other? Bodily functions?? Um yes please. Give me more female friendship like this on the screen. Highly recommend.

CANDACE: I don't think I will see this movie again. It was very predictable but I laughed. Rather, I'm inspired to go on my own Girls' Trip and surround myself with femme power. I do hate though that in order for a movie to show raw women, it still used harmful tropes. The dark-skinned woman was the homewrecker and malicious, and looking out for other femmes only applied to "good women," the ones who don't put themselves in messy situations. I guess it's asking too much to have a film that portrays all women as worthy of respect.

- Keli Vitaoli '19

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Back Page Volume 134, Issue 2

thesandb.com

"The best thing since the front page!"

Photo of the Week

Got a backpage-worthy photo? Submit it to [newspapr] and earn $5 for contributing a winner!

"All the really good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow." — Grant Wood

Arbitrary Analysis Social Calendar

Filth

MIRA BRANECK

Trash

Snedge

This week, Mira Berkson '19 and Andrea Baumgartel '19 polled students asking: 420 Blaze It or 420 Blade It?

Friday

7:15 p.m. / 9:30 p.m. The Big Sick @ Harris Cinema 9:00 p.m. Kamau, Lucien Parker, DJay Mando @ Gardner Lounge

JRC

The Signs as Harris Themes

Aries: Mary B. James Gemini: Soccer Ball

Cancer: Staying home instead

11:00 a.m. Gallery Exhibition @ Faulconer Gallery 10:00 p.m. SGA Harris @ Harris Center Concert Hall

Leo: 80s Virgo: Beyoncé Libra: Disco Scorpio: Fetish Sagittarius: ISO Rave

ARH

Capricorn: Fall Fest

check us out:

Aquarius: Beach Pisces: Halloween

@thesandb /thescarletandblack thesandb.com @newspapr

Rants & Raves:

Horoscope: Taurus: SGA

Saturday​

Like what you see?

Smut

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 [newspapr] or [fentonma]

Hotel Grinnell

Word Choice

Unpopular Opinion

Collection

The logo on that swanky "Hotel Grinnell" they're building is basically a rip-off of the Guardian logo. You can't rip off the Guardian in Grinnell! Ben Jacobs, that Guardian reporter who Greg Gianforte body-slammed, went here!

If there is one thing that we, as human beings, have learned over the course of history, it's that our language and words are our most powerful weapons. I don't understand why people don't put enough emphasis on the importance of your word choice when you speak about sensitive issues and you know you are capable of offending someone. As though speaking without thoroughly thinking through what you're about to say is such an abstract concept. Words are, without hesitation, everything.

Really disappointed with the poor turnout of students at the first Community Hour. Your professors, religious leaders and coaches turned out because they wanted to dicuss how to heal from hate. The least you could have done to fight injutice would be to show up.

Is it weird that I collect rocks? Please advise!!

- Carter Howe '20

- Syamala Gumidyala '21

- Candace Mettle '19

- Sleepless in South Campus