The Scarlet & Black The oldest college g newspaper p p West of the Mississippi pp
May 13, 2016
Hate speech found in Steiner
www.thesandb.com
Vol. 132, Issue 24
TIBATEMWA ’19 PREPARES FOR OLYMPICS
EMMA FRIEDLANDER, News Editor friedlan@grinnell.edu Two written messages of hate speech were found in Steiner Hall last Friday, May 6. A special all-campus memo sent by the College’s Chief Diversity Officer, Lakesia Johnson, explained that the messages referenced the KKK and white supremacy. Upon their discovery, the messages were immediately photographed and documented, reported to Johnson, Campus Safety and Security and Student Affairs and then removed. “These messages of hate are CONTRIBUTED unacceptable in our community, as this Joshua Tibatemwa is training at Grinnell, hoping to represent Uganda in the 50-meter freestyle this summer. creates a hostile environment and violates SAM CATANZARO, Sports Editor both our core values and our standards as But according to Tibatemwa and assistant swimming and diving coach catanzar@grinnell.edu an inclusive community,” Johnson wrote Tim Hammond, for all practical purposes Tibatemwa can expect to in the campus memo. She noted that the As the school year draws to an end, students around campus can participate in Rio as there are only a handful of qualified swimmers in the College’s response followed the procedures be overheard discussing their summer plans, which include lucrative country. outlined by Grinnell’s Hate Crimes and internships, entry-level jobs and soul searching trips. None of these “From my communication with the Ugandan Swimming Federation Bias-Motivated Incidents Policy. ventures, however, seem as exciting as what member of the swim team we, as well as they, expect Joshua to be competing at the Olympics. But This policy stresses the difference Joshua Tibatemwa ’19 has in store: an opportunity to represent Uganda understandably they want to take the time they are allowed before between a hate crime and a bias-motivated in the 2016 Olympics in Rio as a swimmer. finalizing any decisions,” Hammond said. incident; the incident in Steiner qualifies After the London 2012 Olympics, a friend told Tibatemwa that he “It’s been kind of my dream, really,” Tibatemwa said. as a bias-motivated incident. Hate crimes Tibatemwa will be competing in the 50-meter freestyle, a short race should spend the next four years training hard for a chance to compete are defined as criminal acts of hostility that that is over in a matter of seconds. Tibatemwa’s time of 25.54 seconds, in Rio this year. In a country where there are not that many competitive require identification by local police. A recorded at the 2014 World Championships in Russia, is the fastest in swimmers, Tibatemwa knew that this was feasible. After establishing bias-motivated incident, on the other Ugandan history. Just last week, Tibatemwa competed in a meet in Iowa himself as one of Uganda’s best swimmers in high school, Tibatemwa hand, is an expression of hostility targeted City and came within a half of a second of besting this time. chose to come to Grinnell, a place where he could continue competing towards a person or group on the basis Despite being the fastest swimmer in Uganda, Tibatemwa has not both athletically and academically. of their identity. The College is required officially been named to the Olympic team. The process of selecting Even though the swim season has ended, Tibatemwa has to inform the community about the swimmers to represent Uganda takes into consideration more than just continued to train with Hammond and head coach Erin Hurley. CONT. ON PAGE 9 occurrence with details such as the location time, but also a swimmer’s overall performance since the last Olympics. and bias of the messages. However, details about the content are not disclosed to the public. These messages in Steiner are not Bagnoli said. EVA LILIENFELD, Editor-in-Chief the first instances of hate speech to occur Beyond the diversity of the pool of lilienfe17@grinnell.edu at Grinnell this year. In December 2015, Although the class of 2020 is still subject admitted students, the class of 2020 also occupants of a truck near campus were to change, the Department of Admissions boasts academic prowess. Bagnoli estimates reported to shout racial slurs at passersby. believes it has welcomed the, arguably, that the average SAT will exceed 1400 for the In March 2016, Johnson reported that a greatest class yet. first time in Grinnell’s history. group of students on campus were verbally “There weren’t just more [applicants], “Every year we have a goal of enrolling assaulted due to their race. These racially a diverse group of students,” said Joe but there were many more of them who were based bias-motivated incidents occurred Bagnoli, Vice President for Enrollment. “At strongly qualified according to all the tradition among the release of a series of Clery the moment, we will have a robust entering measures,” Bagnoli said. reports related to sexual harassment and class of domestic students of color and … an Bagnoli believes that recently assault earlier this semester. increase in the percentage of students who implemented programs helped improve “In terms of future plans, Grinnell’s enter who are from other countries.” this year’s applicant pool. Unlike in previous Council on Diversity and Inclusion is Of the 7,368 students who applied, years, Grinnell College admissions officers working on an educational campaign approximately 20 percent — the lowest contacted individual applicants for interviews about the policy that will be rolled out in percentage in history — received good news rather than simply advertising their visits with the fall,” Johnson wrote in an email to the from Grinnell on acceptance day. Roughly high schools. Moreover, with the help of an S&B. 60 percent of accepted students come from outside company, Admissions developed new Although Johnson could not disclose outside the Midwest and half of domestic marketing materials for high school juniors what this campaign will entail, it is clear applicants were students of color. two years ago. that recent events have inspired Campus “More and more people are talking “In years past, we seemed to have Safety and Security to take further steps in enrolled a higher share of low-income about Grinnell,” Bagnoli said. “We’ve seen a properly responding to and deterring bias- students ... We provide full financial aid to tremendous growth in our applicant pool over motivated incidents on campus. meet their demonstrated financial need,” the last four years.”
[2020] SOARS IN DIVERSITY, ACADEMICS
OPINION
FEATURES ARTS “It’s either going to be a whole crowd Sam Curry ’16 undergoes a fashion of people, like you would see in a city transformation. ... or it’s going to be an orgy”
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“It has not been all rainbows and butt graphics”
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SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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Drake Library Hosts Democratic Senate Forum
MICHAEL CUMMINGS
Tom Fiegen spoke on issues concerning Iowans during Thursday’s forum.
MICHAEL CUMMINGS, News Editor cummings@grinnell.edu Grinnell students got well-accustomed to seeing presidential candidates in town and on campus last semester, but such events have been on the decline since the Iowa Caucus in February. That all changed Thursday night as three Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate stopped by Drake
Library for a candidate forum. The candidates included Rob Hogg, a current State Senator from Cedar Rapids, Bob Krause, a former State Representative and Tom Fiegen, a former State Senator. Absent from the forum was former Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge, a fourth candidate who has been endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign
BUCKSBAUM ’51 GIVES TO GLOBAL GRINNELL FUND MEGAN TCHENG, Staff Writer tchengme@grinnell.edu Carolyn “Kay” Bucksbaum ’51, member and former chair of the Grinnell College Board of Trustees, committed to the Global Grinnell program last week in a campus-wide memo. An alumna and life trustee, Bucksbaum pledged $5 million dollars to support the College’s international education program. “[Bucksbaum’s gift] really was an extension of her longstanding commitment to the college … By investing in and supporting Global Grinnell, [Bucksbaum] partnered with us to elevate the distinctiveness of our Global Grinnell program,” said Shane Jacobson, Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs. The Global Grinnell program began two years ago when President Kington commissioned a task force to address Grinnell’s international education policies. “We decided ... to think more comprehensively about what Grinnell’s strategy should be for international education,” said Michael Latham, Dean of College and member of the Task Force. Before the dissolution of the team at the end of the 2015-2016 fiscal year, members of the Global Grinnell Task Force will present President Kington with a set of recommendations, such as increasing the number of international career opportunities and study abroad experiences. With so many changes in store, Bucksbaum’s recent gift comes at an especially opportune time. Offering extensive support and flexibility, the partially endowed gift will help to fund the program’s long-term and short-term initiatives. As outlined in the campus memo, Bucksbaum’s gift directly establishes two endowments. First, it creates a chief global officer position to help run and expand the
Global Grinnell program. Second, it founds a Global Distinctiveness Fund, which increases student access to international education. “We want students to draw direct connections between what they learn in the classroom … and future careers — to make a compelling argument to prospective employers or graduate schools about why their international experience matters,” Latham said. David Cook-Martin, Director of the Center for International Studies, shares a similarly positive perspective on the future of the Global Grinnell program. “Grinnell has always been connected and engaged with the world beyond U.S. borders. Yet, it is an especially promising time to be a student and a faculty member [on campus] because of initiatives supported by gifts like [this],” Cook-Martin said.
Committee. The forum was kicked off by Austin Wadle ’18, the President of the College and Young Democrats of Iowa. After Wadle’s introduction, the forum was moderated by Maura Strassberg, a law professor at Drake University. Strassberg would ask a policy question and then allow each of the candidates two minutes to give their input. Topics ranged from the environment to abortion to foreign policy. While all three of the candidates landed in similar positions on most issues, each had a couple of moments of difference. “One of the fundamental reasons why I’m running for the United States Senate … is the need for our country to act on climate change and clean water and other issues of environmental sustainability,” Hogg said. “On climate change, the science is unequivocal that this problem will get significantly worse unless we take significant action.” An issue close to Krause’s heart is the disproportionate number of people of color imprisoned in Iowa. “My wife is a Maori, from New Zealand ... my stepson, Luke, came to the United States, all the way to Fairfield, Iowa, and did what little kids do – he was about 17, I think,” Krause explained. “He found the liquor
KINNIE HIRED AS INTERIM HEAD OF SECURITY
CONTRIBUTED
Scott Kinnie has been hired as the Interim Director of Campus Safety and Security.
MICHAEL CUMMINGS, News Editor cummings@grinnell.edu
CONTRIBUTED
Kay Bucksbaum has committed $5 million to the Global Grinnell program.
cabinet and he invited two little girls over, and one of their mothers complained, and the cops came.” Krause went on to explain how his son was arrested, implying that he was treated in a way that a white teen would not have been. “There are a lot of breaks in the system, and the breaks are taken away from people of color incrementally,” he said. Fiegen spoke strongly about the issue of support for veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. “My son-in-law did two tours in Iraq. My brother did a tour in Iraq. They know some people who have actually done three tours. You can’t do three tours in a combat zone without it messing you up,” Fiegen said. “The VA does not have enough capacity … I would like to give veterans the option of private care.” Hogg, Krause, Fiegen and Judge are running against each other in the Democratic Primary on June 7. The winner of that primary will go on to face longtime incumbent Republican Senator Chuck Grassley in the general election. Although the primary is after the end of semester, Grinnell students registered to vote in Iowa can participate in early voting today, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in JRC 101.
Scott Kinnie will be stepping in as Interim Director of Campus Safety and Security while Steve Briscoe is on medical leave, according to a College announcement issued Wednesday, May 12. Kinnie, who previously served on University Police for 36 years at Kean University in New Jersey, is hitting the ground running with multiple plans for security changes at Grinnell. “I have three primary goals,” Kinnie said. “Hiring more people, the training of the staff as well as faculty and staff on campus … and upgrading their technology. We’re looking to make things more efficient — to move away from
the actual paperwork that we have and computerizing the department.” Nonetheless, Kinnie recognizes that small liberal arts colleges come with their own unique crimes. In Grinnell’s case, Kinnie is especially concerned with the issue of theft. “I think the big problem is people leave doors unlocked and individuals can come into the room and take your property,” Kinnie said. “So I think it’s really important to do proactive crime prevention by making sure that people lock the doors. Part of what we’re going to start doing is having security officers walking around residence halls, different buildings on campus, and when we find a door unlocked and nobody there, slipping a little note … under the door, just to encourage them to keep the doors locked.” Kinnie says he plans to make Security more accessible to students, including adding improvements to the Clery warning system. “I think it’s such a serious issue, Clery compliance,” Kinnie said. “We’re hiring a full-time person that’s just going to be the … Clery Act Coordinator. That’s going to really be coordinating a lot of the messages that we do at the College as it relates to Clery.” While Kinnie recognizes that his proposed change will not be implemented immediately, he is excited to move forward with Grinnell’s safety. “It’s an ongoing process ... [improvements are] based on funding, [especially] technology improvements,” Kinnie said. “It just goes along with part of the process of making the campus safer and more secure for everybody.”
Edited by Nora Coghlan [coghlann17]
SCARLET AND BLACK, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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ARTS
Student produced “Spelling Bee” promises laughs GABE LEHMAN lehmanga@grinnell.edu
Producing a full-length musical is difficult under the best circumstances. Producing one while fulltime students with virtually no help from faculty would seem, for most, to be an impossible proposition. However, that is just what producers Jessica Daly ’18, Hannah Lundberg ’18 and Nolan Boggess ’19 have done this semester with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” which debuts today in Sebring-Lewis.
“It’s been a really long process, and, at times, it’s been really difficult and stressful — but it’s also been really rewarding and a whole lot of fun,” Daly wrote in an email to the S&B. The show starts out innocently enough — with fun songs and lines about the trials and triumphs of competing in a middle school spelling bee. However, as the show progresses, it gets more and more absurd, raunchy and hilarious. The longer the viewer watches, the more they realize that “Spelling Bee” is packed with innuendo extending even
SARAH RUIZ
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be playing in Sebring-Lewis Theatre this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
into the outright crude. “The whole concept is that it’s adults playing kids, or young adults playing kids. It’s supposed to be funny. I’ve seen a production of this were they had children playing children on stage, and it just didn’t work,” said Boggess, who also stars in the show as William Barfee. “Spelling Bee” also includes a great deal of audience participation, with patrons being invited onstage to compete in the spelling bee. This was quite fun and is highly recommended. Moreover, the cast employs a great deal of improvisation around the audience participation, and the show is best when the cast is coming up with jokes off the cuff. Still, Daly made clear that only enthusiastic audience members will be brought on stage. “We will ask people whether they want to volunteer to spell words onstage in the lobby before each show, so people shouldn’t be nervous about being pulled up onstage unless they want to,” wrote Daly. “Grinnellians are smart, so I suspect they’ll spell well!” The show is not all laughs though. Each character has to deal with immense pressure to excel — a phenomenon that Grinnell students will no doubt be able to relate to. “I do think this musical has something to tell us about the pressure we put on ourselves. This is particularly relevant to college students during the weekend before finals, I think! All of the spellers struggle with the pressure to
succeed, self-doubt and feeling like they don’t fit in,” wrote Daly. As is to be expected from a completely student run project, the show is not without its hitches. At the last minute, Daly and the creative team made the call to only use recorded tracks for accompaniment instead of an orchestra. This leads to some awkward transitions into the musical numbers. However, these minor details do not detract from a fun, witty and completely student-run production. The impressiveness of “Spelling Bee” being entirely student run came to a head for Boggess at the beginning of the show’s tech week. “It was right before our Monday run …and I just said, ‘look around right now, everyone in this room is a student. There is not one person of faculty. There was Sooji [Son ’18] and Lucid [Thomas ’19] doing lights, there was Julia [Dursztman ’19] and Maggie [Dambro ’19] our assistant stage managers, and our directors. It was amazing looking around the room and seeing that every single person was a student, that every part of this production has been student-made, student-run. It gave me chills, and I started to tear up right before the run.” Theatre lovers and supporters can see the all student produced “Spelling Bee” this Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m..
JAMES BLAKE’S “THE COLOUR IN ANYTHING” BRINGS OUT THE FEELS NADIRI SAUNDERS saunders17@grinnell.edu The first time I heard James Blake live I was eighteen, and I knew nothing. Instead of attending Fetish Harris, I, and five other first years, crammed ourselves into an acquaintance’s stick-shift sedan and made a semi-treacherous journey through the rain to Iowa City. We entered the Englert Theatre just as Blake began his performance. There weren’t many open seats left, but very soon after I’d overcome the anxiety of navigating a crowded theatre, I was entranced.
You can hear James Blake hearing James Blake when you hear James Blake I recall later trying to explain the performance to my Dad — I think I told him that it was like entering Dracula’s lair. I was intimidated by how immediately intimate the experience was, but I marveled at how Blake humbly revealed his soul as he hunched over a keyboard and expertly recreated ingenious harmonies on a loop. I knew the dude inside the music would destroy me, yet I took immense pleasure in being absorbed by the sounds. A few weeks later, I learned that one of my fellow attendees had been unimpressed by the show. I attribute this response to the
possibility that his ears and/or soul were not actually open during the performance. On May 5, 2016, after several years of anticipation, James Blake announced that his new album, “The Colour in Anything,” was available for streaming while I was sitting on the toilet at work. It required an incredible amount of self-control not to plug in my earphones so I could get a taste of this much anticipated gift. “No, Nadiri!” I thought. James Blake deserved my full attention, so I would wait until I was secluded in my room to listen to the album in its entirety. I could bore you with a somewhat inaccessible explanation of the various styles and genres that Blake integrates into his work (which is really important and expertly executed and totally worth a conversation). Instead, I want to use this space to attempt to describe what Nadiri feels when Nadiri hears James Blake. In a note on my laptop from around three a.m. (the hour when I decided I was prepared to listen to the album in its entirety), I wrote, “He finds the spaces between sounds and emotion and the words between time.” I am not entirely sure what I was trying to express in this moment of both deliriousness and spiritual cleansing, but somehow, it makes sense. Any review of Blake will note his tone of loneliness or longing in his music, but there is something more complex at play. Yes, there are points of desolation and loneliness. From the depth of these spaces, Blake emerges and provides a conduit for accessing emotions that lay dormant. He has an ability to seduce
his listeners by deconstructing sounds and genres then reassembling them with you at the core. I never know what to anticipate in his songs, but he somehow always manages to supply me with exactly what I need. Although I identify with so much of his music, I know that this intimacy doesn’t come at the expense of Blake being alienated from his own art. Another one of my notes from three a.m. stated “you can hear James Blake hearing James Blake when you hear James Blake”. I think I was trying to express how Blake remains at the center of his project. In listening, we are made privy to Blake’s surprising, #relatable aural landscape. Experiencing this album is kind of like
descending down a never ending well, but in the process you discover the well is your home and James Blake is calling out to you from the bottom. Spaces within you, which were previously uninhabited, are saturated by a sound that is radically honest in its discomfort. I mean, one of his tracks samples Bill Withers! How cool! Whether you’ve never heard of James Blake, you personally know him or you’re not generally interested in transformative listening experiences, I think his music has the potential to resonate with anyone who can take the time to open their ears/soul because this album is LIT! Favorite tracks: “Choose Me” and “Noise Above Our Heads.”
CONTRIBUTED
SCARLET AND BLACK, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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Lauren Roush mixes it up with many mediums
TELA EBERSOLE
Across a number of different media, Lauren Roush ’16 has created art that is beautiful, strange and everything wonderfully in between. This semester she has focused on portraits created with found fabrics and embroidering, and begun experimenting with monotypes — a form of printmaking typically done by transferring paintings or drawings from a smooth, nonabsorbent surface to paper — printed on fabric. The S&B: I know that you’ve done a lot of different kinds of projects — what have you been working on most recently? Roush: This year I am taking both a site-specific seminar and a MAP, so it kind of seems like a lot of them are merging, but for the MAP I’ve been focusing a lot on using fabric differently and embroidery differently to make portraiture, because before I was just doing portraits using embroidery. So, I’ve been
using a lot of found textiles, the same as I was doing with my embroidery portraits, but I had been layering found fabric on top of each other and then going in and embroidering. It’s been a lot of experimental stuff, just trying to understand processes, but right now I’m using stencils and the same layering fabric and embroidering and painting to try to create a portrait. … But I’ve also been working a lot with monotypes this semester. Almost all of the people represented in my portraits are close friends and family. I was interested in thinking about what develops around textiles, and I wanted to explore intimate relationships in my own personal life. So in response to the fabric portraits I’d been doing, I started doing the monotype portraits which are more expressive, and instead of the huge tedious process of embroidering, [they are] a moment in time or a suite of several different monotypes. I just finished my final projects — monotypes of my dad that are on china silk. They’re being displayed at Make/Shift right now so they’ll be in the senior showcase. … Usually the monotypes I work with are fairly small. These are three foot by three foot and there [are] four of them. But they’re on china silk, which is transparent, so you can see them from both ends and it looks the same, and they’re displayed kind of stacked up on top of each other and you move them [on a curtain rod]. Tell me about the teacups with teeth. I was working a lot in sculpture, and I was in an accident, so I’ve gone through a lot of oral surgeries. … For like fourteen years it’s been a series of surgeries with my teeth and stuff. I was kind of interested in the obsession we have with teeth and having good teeth, and I guess it was a way for me to deal with what was going on, thinking about fine china like teeth and then also thinking of how that’s such an intimate object to have to your mouth and what it would be like to have somebody else’s mouth. If you go to a restaurant, people drink from the same cups, and you hope it’s clean, but you don’t know. So, I was thinking of a few different things. One was in wax and one was in silicone, and it was really hard to do for both of them. It’s my
teeth and my tongue that are in the cups. What is it that draws you to different experiments or projects, or why do you like to try out different mediums? You get different meanings from different mediums. It’s refreshing to work in different mediums. It kind of gives your mind a break from difficult stuff. What has been one of your favorite projects? I am most interested in the embroidery portraits I have done and the monotype prints on china silk. Just because it was merging my two interests of monotype printing and also fabric. It’s something that’s so crisp and clean usually on printmaking paper, to have the fabric under it and the movement, with monotype prints you can usually just see what is printed on the paper, but having it on china silk and being able to see the print from multiple perspectives is just really interesting to me. Are there any new media you’re hoping to try out in the future? Yeah, there’s a lot, but I’m interested in continuing in printing on fabric and just seeing what comes of that, using different colors, using different fabric, exploring that. What artists have you been really into lately? I just watched an Art21 [documentary] on an artist I’ve been really into, Cai Guo-Qiang. He does drawings, these really beautiful drawings, using fire and gunpowder and stuff like that. He’ll put paper down and then pick it up and there will be stencils underneath. I also have been recently into Diane Victor’s work. She’s been to Grinnell and had work in Faulconer. She does these really beautiful smoke drawings where she’ll have a candle and paper and she’ll make these beautiful portraits — Grinnell has some — and she’ll do installations and they’re just these huge, huge portraits that are just so beautiful.
SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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FOUR GRINNELLIANS AWARDED GRIN CITY SUMMER RESIDENCY MIRA BRANECK, Copy Editor braneckm@grinnell.edu Four Grinnellians have been awarded residencies for this summer at the Grin City Collective. The four residents, Nadiri Saunders ’17, Hazel Batrezchavez ’17, Hannah Kelley ’16 and Ella Williams ’19 will each spend three weeks making art at the collective. Molly Rideout ’10, the co-director of Grin City, sees the residency as especially beneficial to college students. “One experience that we feel is important if you are just straight out of college or still in college is the experience of developing a studio practice independent of classroom obligations,” Rideout wrote in an email to the S&B. “In the real world, there are no teachers grading you and oftentimes no deadlines. It’s up to you to self-direct your work but also learn how your work fits into the larger world. We have found that our emerging artists benefit greatly from conversations with mid-career artists who are also in residence.”
important, such as police brutality.” Kelley plans to experiment more with sculpture, a form she has only been working with since last semester. She makes small wooden people that move, which she calls “twistables.” “I’m going to make this big wooden sheet of people that move so it’s interactive. You go up and move their limbs,” Kelley said. “It’s either going to be a whole crowd of people, like you would see in a city ... or it’s going to be an orgy. I haven’t decided.”
Its either going to be a whole crowd of people... or its going to be an orgy
I want to show the dreamlike qualities of the prairie Each resident had to fill out an application, which included a project proposal and a sample of their work. “They tell us why they are applying to the residency, and we’re interested in hearing specifics about Grin City not just the usual response of wanting ‘time and space’ to work on the project,” Rideout wrote. “Sometimes Grinnell students have an advantage because we look for genuine interest in connecting with the local community. That being said, we have also had past Grinnell College student applicants who have clearly not been interested in connecting with Grinnell as a town, and those applicants have been less successful.” Each resident will spend the time working on a specific project. The four Grinnellians are working on a wide range of projects in various media. For her time during the residency, Saunders wants to pursue film and audio. “The project that I proposed doing for the residency is something where I record people talking about their dreams. I want to pair that audio with footage of the prairie,” Saunders said. “I want to show the dreamlike qualities of the prairie.” Saunders wants to go to graduate school to study
CONTRIBUTED
Hannah Kelley’s “Help Eve Spank Adam’s Ass as They Walk Out of Eden.” Her work at Grin City during her residency this summer will be in the same style.
documentary media and sees her time at Grin City as a good opportunity to gain more hands-on experience. “Being at Grinnell, there aren’t many opportunities to do anything in production,” Saunders said. “The residency is a good opportunity to be in a space where people will support me in that.” Batrezchavez is hoping to tie the work she produces during the residency in with the MAP she will work on with Professor Jeremy Chen, Art, ths summer. Her MAP revolves around public presentational strategies. “Lately I’ve been interested in the intersection between sculpture and printmaking and how these two mediums can work together,” Batrezchavez wrote in an email to the S&B. “Hopefully this summer I will be making some prints and some metal sculptures that speak to issues that I feel are very
Williams is both a visual artist and a musician, and plans to use the residency to work in both media. In her visual art, Williams uses methods such as assemblage and three-dimensional collage. “I’ve been mostly making art lately about how physical objects, like cultural products, are inherently gendered,” Williams said. She hopes to continue this theme at the residency, as well as work on abstract oil painting. “I think I’m going to use [the time] less to work on specific skills and more to just play conceptually,” Williams said. Williams is also a musician, stage name Squirrel Flower, and will be recording her second album this summer before the residency starts. “I’m going to work on refining a lot of songs I have, writing new songs, writing arrangements,” Williams said. She is currently working with producers in New York City to record and finish the album and then plans to send it to different labels. While she ultimately hopes to go into touring and recording full-time someday, Williams sees her musical work, her visual artwork and her feminist education as intertwined, inter-influencing and equally important. The S&B’s Editorin-Chief Kelly Pyzik got the chance to sit down with Williams last week and talk more about her artistry. This interview is available in podcast form online at thesandb.com.
GoldLink takes over Harris
LUKE JARZYNA jarzynal@grinnell.edu Last Friday night, D.C. rapper GoldLink provided a packed audience at the Harris Center with a night of eclectic hip-hop music. Although he’s a notoriously reclusive individual offstage, GoldLink delivered a glowing set. His rapid-fire delivery took the audience through a broad sampling of styles and moods, many of them featuring a high bpm that provoked attendees to dance. Much of his set consisted of tracks from his debut 2015 album, “And After That We Didn’t Talk.” While the thematic
ALBERTO VAZQUEZ
GoldLink perfromed in Harris last Friday night, May 6, to an enthusiastic crowd.
content of the album concerns the events of a difficult break up, the energy in the Harris Center never waned throughout the night. Accommodating a larger crowd than the
Gardner concerts that happen throughout the year, GoldLink’s show incited feelings of celebration and mirth among the students in attendance. It felt like both a much-
deserved reward for what has been a trying semester for many and a necessary space to refuel for the final push through the end of the year.
SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13. 2016
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Edited by Lily Böhlke [bohlkeli]
FEATURES
YOU WON’T FEEL RUFF IF YOU MEET THESE PAW-SOME DOGS
KELI VITAIOLI, Copy Editor vitaioli@grinnell.edu Wandering through campus, one typically runs into a couple of dogs. The S&B’s Keli Vitaioli spoke to some campus dogs (and their owners) to find out a little more about them. Red — campus dog in training Usual hangout spot: On the athletic fields — he loves to play in the football field across from his house. Breed: Golden doodle. Age: Five months. Personality: Cuddly. Favorite Toy: People’s hands, Schlep the camel, Esther the wonder pig or stuffed hotdog. Favorite Treat: Peanut Butter — he comes running at the sound of the jar. What clique would he be in: Motivated stoners. “He spent a lot of time in the admissions offices and all of our senior interviewers got to know him,” said Tina Elfenbein, Admissions. “Then he started barking, and we didn’t want him to scare the potential students.”
RJ — @RJthedog on Twitter Usual hangout spot: Professor Trish’s office or RJ’s rock garden. Breed: Welsh terrier. Age: 12 years. Personality: Sweet & understated. Favorite Toy: Tennis balls or sticks. Favorite Treat: Nothing fancy — any kind of dog treat. Likes: Being held like a baby and digging out rocks from in front of the bushes. What clique would he be in: Band nerds. Worst thing he’s done: Something UNSPEAKABLE. “RJ has a lot of fun just playing fetch,” said Professor Barbara Trish, Political Science. “Sometimes I wonder how long he would go before he would collapse.”
Oliver — Jersey Pup Usual hangout spot: Roaming around Noyce third floor or helping with Professor Ursula Wolz’s computer science classes. Breed: Cockapoo. Age: Three years. Personality: Mellow & loving. Dislikes: Dogs that smell funny. Favorite Treat: Bully sticks. Cutest when: Sitting on someone’s lap and he becomes a blanket. Girlfriend: A labradoodle named Maggie back home in New Jersey. Special Tricks: Sit, down, high five and spin. “One of the worst things he ever did was eat and entire bag of Hershey Kisses,” said Wolz. “He spit out all the wrappers though — there was a tiny pile of tin foil next to him.”
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Skye — “Frisbee Dog” Usual hangout spot: Professor Liz Queathem’s, Biology, office or anywhere she can play with her Frisbee. Breed: Border collie. Age: Seven years — adopted from PALS a little over six years ago. Personality: Devoted & obsessive. Favorite Toy: Watermelon Frisbee. Favorite Treat: People food, but she is watching her figure right now because extra weight is bad for her joints. “Skye strongly believes all stuffing should be free so she just rips all the stuffing out of [dog beds] instantly,” said Queathem. “So she’s sleeping on a sheepskin since it’s the only soft thing she won’t tear apart.”
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Aiko (below) & Bentley (not pictured) — “Theater Dogs” Usual hangout spot: In the scene shop, running lights in the booth, Susan Sanning’s CLS office or anywhere they can get the most loving. Breed: Standard poodle (Aiko) and Yor-poopoo-shihtz (Bentley). Age: Three years (Aiko) and six years (Bentley) — adopted and trained as therapy dogs. Personality: Chill (Aiko) and snuggly (Bentley). Favorite toy: Each other — they are best buds and playmates. Likes: Lots of love — Aiko likes to chase chickens even though he is not allowed. Cutest when: Dreaming with their paws going or snuggling together. “They like to egg each other on, but Bentley is usually the instigator,” said Erik Sanning, Technical Director.
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Jack — “Physics Corgi” Usual hangout spot: Professor Breen’s office waiting for cuddles or Saints Rest waiting for treats. Breed: Corgi. Age: 10.5 years — his birthday is in November. Personality: Good & stubborn. Ears: One pointy and one floppy. Dislikes: Geese, had a run in at a farm last summer. Cutest when: Cuddling people because he loves to spoon. Favorite place on campus: The quad in the sun when he can shimmy on his back; it brings out his inner puppy. “We walked to Saints Rest every Saturday morning last year, and Sam, the owner, would always give him a treat,” said Professor Barbara Breen, Physics. “One Wednesday morning, he just walked out the door and took off on this hard trot … he was 20 feet in front of me the whole time, and he lead me right to Saints Rest … Jack had decided to go and get his treat.”
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SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
FROM STYROFOAM CUP TO MEN’S FASHION FORUM BEFORE
CONTRIBUTED
Sam Curry ’16, pre-makeover, dressed in his own clothes.
SAM CURRY currysam@grinnell.edu I dressed up in my Wednesday’s worst outfit of colorful clothes in my apartment to prepare for my makeover at “Wonderland.” The door was unlocked, as it always is, since it literally does not lock. My wardrobe: a party top evocative of a Styrofoam cup (I call it Jessitop), in which I had one of my best nights at Grinnell, gray and Highlighter-colored shorts, a tie-dye not-Neverland t-shirt, socks and sandals. I enter the room of SamCat [Sam Catanzaro ’19], the Stacy London of Grinnell College and member of “Mens’ Fashion Forum.” He welcomes me and begins to scour his closet for suitable options. Salmon shorts — too preppy. Sweater — too tight for my bulky frame. Bright orange Patagonia jacket — too L.A. on a 65 degree day. After taking a few long looks at myself in Sam’s four-way walk-in mirror (a wall mirror resting against the wall), we settle upon the perfect outfit: khaki shorts with the bottom fringe folded up (great idea), green and yellow plaid shirt, blue and white jacket and Ray-Ban sunglasses hung around the neck. We go outside for the photo shoot, and SamCat leans down to get some solid shots of me from the bottom up. I feel like a million dollars and also a bit like my firm is about to go under from selling large bundles of sub-prime loans. But mostly, I feel like Sam Catanzaro. Later, I go to the dining hall to debut my sexy look. Reactions range from “you look less like shit than normal” to “uhhhhhhh…,” but my stance is unchanging: I will respond to SamCat’s free and for sale post and buy lots of his clothing.
AFTER
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Curry, post-makeover, with his “sexy” look.
DON’T GET STUNG AT THE WASP’S NEST STEVE YANG, Community Editor yangstev17@grinnell.edu Welcome to the Wasp’s Nest, home of Editor-in-Chief Kelly Pyzik ’16. Located at 1205 Broad Street, the Wasp’s Nest is beautifully decorated, relatively elevated and carefully protected by the multitude of aggressive wasps that swarm around the covered staircase attached to the house. Yet, within its cozy interior, Pyzik has made this space truly her own — a fortress that she defends fearlessly from sting-happy intruders lurking outside. “It’s a constant battle of wits. … At night, I have to open the door, stick an arm out and spray the shit out of the whole staircase with wasp spray,” Pyzik described. “A bunch of them will come out buzzing,
fall to the ground … sort of seizing. Then I shut the door, I lock it and in the morning I sweep away the corpses.” Pyzik is the sole resident of the Wasp’s Nest, which makes it a play on words, as it is also arguably the elevated home of a white, anglo-saxon protestant. Pyzik explained that she always has company, even when she isn’t holding potlucks with friends, making use of her luxurious countertop square footage. “I never truly feel alone because there are so many bugs. Most of them hang out in the covered staircase, but sometimes they come inside for dinner,” she said. Bugs that wander in have the chance to enjoy the lovingly arranged artwork all over the walls, which imbues a sense of
ALBERTO VASQUEZ
Kelly Pyzik ’16 has various artwork in her apartment, inlucluding a surrealist drawing of a tree with blood vessels on a raft in the ocean, an hourglass, and a screaming moon by her and her best friend.
hominess and comfort. “The space that I live in is very important to me, so there’s been a lot of curation that has gone on,” Pyzik said. One piece sitting opposite the door, for example, is a surrealist drawing that depicts a tree and a raft adrift in the middle of the ocean — the middle of the tree is filled with blood vessels. Behind the tree is a sideways hourglass, and a screaming moon, behind the horizon of the ocean that looks to be shouting “Kill me, I want to die” or drinking in the ocean, as Pyzik described. “My best friend and I made it, and … I just really love how perfectly weird it turned out. Everybody sort of sees the same thing, but it creates a different story in everyone’s brain, and they’re all sort of equally frightening,” Pyzik recalled. “It’s tilted intentionally: the first thing was the tree in the corner, and we just decided that it was the way that made the most sense to orient it.” Opposite the drawing resides a somewhat torn poster of Halloween Hugo Sanchez, an advertisement for an event at a gay bar in Madrid, Spain. There is more to the bright green and purple poster with the oiled and muscular man than first meets the eye, however — Pyzik explained that it is the prize from an unforgettable night with Susanne Bushman ’16. “We were walking through downtown Madrid and we saw this poster on the outside of the building, and it was just incredible. We were absolutely amazed at its imagery, and I was like, ‘I have to have that poster,’” Pyzik said. “We had spent several hours at a tapas bar, and the promoter who had just put up the poster was on the other side of the street. We just ripped it down and just booked it. I carried it around for
the rest of the night and brought it home to the States.” Life at 1205 Broad was not always meant to be. Pyzik explained that a previous arrangement to live in apartment with friends did not work out, but this apartment fit both of her basic qualifications: big and clean. Although there is enough room for a king-sized mattress, sacrifices were made with the size of the stove, a source of puzzlement that forced Pyzik to buy smaller baking sheets to accommodate this oddity. “My stove isn’t a normal size. It’s absurdly six inches less wide than a normal stove, [but] there’s definitely room for another six inches,” she said. “It’s a really slender stove, a Stove Mini.” Behind the stove is a classic piece of Americana: yellowing wallpaper with apple branches creeping down its length, which led Meghan McDermott ’15 to nickname the apartment “Scary 1970’s Murder House.” Despite its weirdness, Pyzik says that she has slowly “grown to appreciate it and accept it for what it is.” But perhaps it is the apples that keep the doctor away. Pyzik credits the fact she hasn’t gotten sick for almost the entire year to living outside the dorms and limiting her germ exposure. In addition to her improved health, however, she adds that the Wasp’s Nest hosted one of the best nights of her last semester at Grinnell — pre-gaming for Disco. “I have all these crazy lights I slowly acquired, my stepdad lent me his really awesome speaker system for the year, and it finally all came to its peak the night of disco,” Pyzik said. “We just turned on all the cool lights, bumped the bass, and danced on my purple carpet. It was beautiful and everything I’d hoped and dreamed for.”
SCARLET AND BLACK, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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Edited by Steve Yang [yangstev17]
COMMUNITY GRINNELL FARMERS’ MARKET BLOOMS IN THE SPRING LILY BÖHLKE, Features Editor bohlkeli@grinnell.edu On Thursday, May 12, the Grinnell Farmers’ Market reopened for the season at 833 4th Avenue. The market is more than 40 years old and approximately twenty vendors were ready with new and fresh items to sell yesterday. The market will be open every Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. and every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. until October 22. Chamber Director Rachael Kinnick said that the farmers’ market is an opportunity for local vendors to highlight their products and for purchasers to both contribute to and gain from their community. “We really look at it as an opportunity to give back to local farmers and have the local community be able to have that farmto-table experience,” Kinnick said. “There’s also a quality of life component — to be able to have access to local foods and local produce is very important.” The Grinnell Farmers’ Market is a 100 percent producer market with all of its vendors selling specialized homemade and homegrown items. Yesterday, Grinnell residents had the chance to buy fresh produce, fragrant soaps, hand-knit oven mitts and other crafts, ceramic sports balls featuring Iowa sports teams, cookies and other baked goods, among other items. It was a cool and windy day, but all the vendors were out and ready sitting by their tables and under their tents ready to start
the market season strong despite the lessthan-ideal weather. Grinnellians flocked to tables looking for crafts and baked goods to bring home. This reporter couldn’t help but buy zucchini and banana nut bread — $2.75 for one and $5 for two. Kerri Olson, vendor and Saturday market manager, was inspired to begin gardening by her husband’s parents’ 150acre farm market. Yesterday, she was out selling tomato plants as well as other herb plants, a step in the journey from hobby to business. “One day I’m picking a lot of green beans and I’m thinking ‘is there anywhere we can sell these?’ The next year we were selling at the farmers market,” Olson said. “It has grown into an overgrown hobby, so now it’s a business and I do it full-time.” The Grinnell Farmers’ Market also has a partnership with Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), the local food pantry. Each week, MICA comes to the farmers market to collect any excess produce that vendors either don’t want to take home or don’t have time to use. Last year, vendors collectively donated 750 pounds of food throughout the season, and Kinnick expects about around 1,000 pounds for the coming season. “We sell most [of our produce] or eat them ourselves, or we do donate to … MICA if there are things that aren’t going to be utilized soon enough or able to be sold,” Olson said.
ELLEN SCHOENMAKER
Vendors at the first Grinnell Farmers’ Market of the season display their wares on 4th Avenue.
This year for the first time, the market is partnering with AmeriCorps to add a wellness component on every second Saturday and third Thursday of the month. The first one will take place tomorrow morning. Activities will include children’s book readings, a taste test scavenger hunt with a book prize and a bike kids can pedal to make their own smoothies, among other activities designed to make the farmers market more engaging and fun. “We’ll have pizza planting, so kids will come and plant different things they may
be able to then use on a pizza later — tomatoes, onions and basil,” Kinnick said. As well as serving kids’ needs in Grinnell, the farmers’ market has added on various aspects of community to better serve customers, students, townspeople and vendors. Olson described it as a reciprocity of ideas and learning, which the market has been instrumental in fostering. “People have given me recipes or ideas,” Olson said. “They ask advice from me, of course, I don’t know everything, so we just learn from each other.”
SOLAR PANELS SOAK UP GRINNELL SUNLIGHT, GIVE BACK SAM CURRY currysam@grinnell.edu The Democratic candidates that rolled through Iowa this February probably generated enough wind talking about climate change to power most of the windmills in the state, but long after those politicians are gone the need for more environmentally-conscious energy sources remains. A few individuals and companies in the town of Grinnell have answered the call and installed solar panels on their homes and businesses, including Professor Liz Queathem, Biology, and the Grinnell Veterinary Clinic. In both cases, outside support was integral to their decision to install solar panels. Queathem is currently the president of Imagine Grinnell, a local non-profit organization focused on sustainable development of the town, and representatives from Ideal Energy Solar of Fairfield, Iowa, reached out to the organization to see if they were aware of anyone who would be interested in installing solar panels. Queathem, in an act of happy circumstance, volunteered herself without really knowing what the installation process would be like.
[When] you add up the state taxes, federal taxes and the rebate ... the return on investment was good “They [said] they would donate a certain amount of money to our foundation [if we found people], and I was really excited because I wanted solar panels but I didn’t really know how to go about installing them,” Queathem said.
The Grinnell Veterinary Clinic was similarly aided by an outside organization, Alliant Energy, the practice’s energy service. Alliant was offering a rebate to any company that was interested in installing solar panels at their facilities, and Al Frischmeyer, a veterinarian who works at the clinic, thought these panels would be a perfect fit from an economic standpoint. “[When] you add up the state taxes, federal taxes and the rebate … the return on investment was good,” Frischmeyer said. Although Alliant Energy wanted their customers to take their offer to install and use solar panels, they did not intend for the panels to cover all of the veterinary clinic’s energy needs. Instead, they aimed for the panels to provide for up to 75 percent of the clinic’s energy costs because Alliant did not want the clinic to produce an overabundance of
energy which the company would then have to buy back. But ultimately, the vet clinic produces an overabundance of solar energy in the summer and uses this accumulated credit to receive energy in the winter. “We take back our credit in the winter months when we’re not making as much … We make excess during the peak months of the year and we take it back during the low points of the year,” Frischmeyer said. Similarly, solar panels cover 85 percent of Queathem’s energy needs, but she has no problems getting an adequate supply of energy from the panels at any point of the year because of the serendipity of Iowa weather. “In Iowa, because air conditioning uses so much electricity, our biggest electrical needs are actually in the summer, and fortunately that’s also when we have the most hours of sunlight,” Queathem said. Although the financial benefits of solar panels are sizable for those who can afford them or have sufficient assistance, their main draw is still the ethic of sustainability that they promote. Installing solar panels is only one part of Queathem’s plan to make her life more sustainable, she explained. “Depending on how we decide to retire, I would consider installing more … If our furnace heating needs to be replaced, [we would] put in electrical heat because natural gas burns really cleanly but fracking is releasing a lot of methane into the air … We’ve also talked about getting an electrical car that would run off of our own solar panels,” Queathem said. Frischmeyer also encourages businesses to try solar panels not only for financial but also for environmental reasons. “If it makes financial sense, if you’re able to get a satisfactory return on investment, I would encourage it … [but] there’s [also] a feeling of pride knowing that you’re producing a renewable resource,” Frischmeyer said.
Edited by Sam Catanzaro [catanzar]
SCARLET AND BLACK, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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SPORTS
Beer Die League Championship goes down on the Block SUSANNE BUSHMAN bushmans@grinnell.edu
While many students look forward to Block Party as the semester ends, the festivities carry extra appeal for members of the Beer Die League, as Block party also brings the final matches of a semester of fierce competition. Beer Die League begins at the start of the spring semester when anyone is welcome to join. The league commissioners then randomly assign different two player teams to compete each week, with the top eight teams competing in the playoffs. “We’re only doing the final match [on the block] because the previous years, semi-finals take place at Block Party, and that means the team that wins the semi-finals basically had to spend their entire Block Party doing nothing else and just playing die,” said Saw Min Maw ’16, one of the league commissioners. “For some, that might be taking way too much of their time to spend with family and friends. So this year, we’re doing only the final match at Block Party.” This change reflects the amount of time that a league die match can take up compared to a casual match among friends. Matches are best two out of three sets, and often have an intense, competitive atmosphere. “I like to watch league games,” said Tracy Johnson ’16. “It’s just really fun to watch because it’s a little different atmosphere. In
Tibatemwa prepares for Olympics
CONT. FROM FRONT PAGE “Since he is training for only the 50 freestyle, his training is quite different than what we do during our varsity season,” Hammond wrote. “The training sessions are shorter in distance and time than our varsity season practices. Now, as the Olympics draw closer, Tibatemwa has considered the prospect of making a splash in Rio. “I am kind of realistic so I am not thinking I will be the next Michael Phelps,” Tibatemwa said. Tibatemwa believes that he can still make a difference by swimming in the Olympics. In countries like the United States, there is quite an extensive swimming community in place and this facilitates high levels of competition and player development. Tibatemwa hopes that his participation in Rio can help kick start a similar community Uganda. “Swimming is relatively new in Uganda, so just to have a Ugandan go down there and do well, and well is subjective, but relative to what we have done before, will help start that community,” Tibatemwa said. “I think a lot of people are just afraid to try because we don’t have a longstanding community.” Regardless of what happens before, after and during the Olympics, Tibatemwa will no doubt have a summer that he will remember for the rest of his life, and that is something worthwhile itself.
MISHA GELNAROVA
Tracy Johnson ’16 (left) and Sam Catanzaro ’16 (right) are preparing for the die league playoffs.
fact, often games will bring people to come watch that aren’t even in the league because they know it’s going to be really competitive …You see a lot more closer calls, or heated points where people want to make sure they get the rules right. But, I think the rules always prevail in that the table [of players] always comes to a consensus of what the decision is regardless of the passion that you see.” Johnson and Saw Min Maw make up the team ‘Splashing to Bizantium’ and will be competing in the playoffs. These matches take place in many different locations worked out by the two teams. While some worry about ‘home table
advantage,’ players carry over the attitude of mutual respect to ensure fair play. “I wouldn’t have a problem if the other team doesn’t want to play on my home table, but I think I generally end up inviting people over to my place because we do play a lot of die in the house — it’s a die atmosphere,” Saw Min Maw said. Once Block Party rolls around, however, home table advantage becomes null as the tables used offer unique challenges. “The tables we play with on Block Party, so the tables used for the final, are actually very different from the ones that people play on during the season. They’re really long and
they’re also really wide, but mostly the surface is not very hard so the die doesn’t bounce as much,” Johnson said. This can extend the length of the game, according to Saw Min Maw, making stamina more important to the players. During the regular season, teams are allowed to stop matches and finish later if they take too long. This can also help to keep students in top shape for class or work the next day. With the semi-finals approaching, Saw Min Maw and Johnson are already scoping out their competition — particularly one team with an unorthodox style. “I feel like ‘The Cavemen’ are the most intense, competitive team that we’ve played against because they really take dominant catching seriously. One person literally moves out all the way out and one person is just catching,” Saw Min Maw said. “So far it plays to their advantage.” Another team to beat is ‘Splash Lagoon Indoor Waterpark,’ who are notable for their stamina in drinking and outlasting their opponents. There’s still some room for upset, though, as the semi-finals haven’t started. In the end, the most important thing for these players is the love of the game. “The nice thing is that whether you make the playoffs or whether you make it to Block Party or not, you can still play die at Block Party,” Johnson said.
CJ Ray Alongside the other men’s tennis captains, CJ Ray ’16 helped to lead the team to a glorious Conference victory this season. The S&B’s Editor-in-Chief Kelly Pyzik sat down with Ray this week to discuss his love of the lifelong sport and his unique ability to revere every minute life offers. The S&B: How has your experience been playing on the team at Grinnell? It’s been an incredible experience being on the team, not just on the court but more so off the court. We have a great group of guys. No matter what, hanging out with them is always a blast and we love encouraging each other and being around each other. That’s been really probably the best part of my experience at Grinnell. How has it been being a captain this season? It’s been nice. It’s not too stressful — the guys make it pretty easy on us. I’ve enjoyed time spent with the other captains. We make decisions when we have to, but it’s been a nice ride. What have been some highlights of the season? One, I think early on in the season, was a match we had against Wartburg. I was actually on a team that was playing away, but then we came back and watched some of the guys who were playing the match at home. We ended up actually losing that match, but it was so exciting
TIEN HUNG VUONG
CJ Ray plans to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps and play tennis for years to come.
and everyone got so into it. What are your plans for after graduation? I’m joining the Peace Corps, serving in Togo, West Africa. I’ll be working as, I think it’s called, an agricultural extension volunteer, if I’m not mistaken on the title, so basically I’ll be working on food insecurity issues. Do you plan on playing tennis at all after college? I mean, not during my Peace Corps service, I don’t think. But after that, yeah, if I have the opportunity, I’ll be playing tennis. It’s really great. It’s a life-long sport. My dad still plays to this day, and my grandpa played into his fifties, so I imagine I’ll be playing for a long time. I’ve been told that you take a very long time to do everything, what do you have to say
about that? Yeah, that’s funny. People joke about it a lot, but it’s fine. People have been making fun of me about that since I was as young as I can remember. I still haven’t figured out if it’s genetic or what part of my environment shaped that feature in my life, but, yeah, I just take twice as long as everyone else to do activities, get ready, go places. It’s just something I’ve gotten accustomed to, I guess. I just laugh about it. Do you think everyone, instead, should slow down a bit? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I see people on the team who come into the locker room and they’re out in three minutes and I just wonder how the hell they do that and whether sometimes maybe they aren’t enjoying all there is in life. But that’s probably just their own pace. I don’t know.
SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
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OPINION
Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
This past year, I’ve served as the Opinions/Opinion editor of the S&B, and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. To be honest, I was going into the position a little blindly, but I’ve come to love the perks of editing columns, working with some opinionated writers for letters to the editor and of course, working on the beloved Back Page. However, it has not been all rainbows and butt graphics. Working with contributing writers, particularly for letters to the editor, has been quite the roller coaster ride. Letters to the editor are meant to be opinionated pieces that address the audience of the S&B, usually on issues that are prevalent and important to the writer of the letter. Usually people will have an idea for an op-ed that they want published, email the [newspapr] account or myself, propose the idea or send in the letter, and then it’ll go through the editing process and be published. Simple enough, right? WRONG. Grinnell College has a distinct culture where being late and flaking on events/ meetings/friends is normalized. Yes, we are all college students struggling to balance academics, extra-curricular activities, work, wellness, social life — the list goes on. We are all busy people, it’s understandable. Missing things like a talk or a lunch date with a friend is not the worst thing to happen — Grinnellians are used to it, and it’s not a big deal. However, it is necessary for students, faculty and administration alike to recognize that there are certain responsibilities and commitments that should be prioritized, for which it is disrespectful and rude to abandon that task. For me, a commitment to submit and write a letter to the editor is one of these activities that merits prioritization. Put yourself in my shoes: when you have pages of a layout to fill, and when you’re working on deadlines, planning ahead is essential to the job. There have been a few cases this year where Grinnell College students or administrators have had timely, relevant topics for letters to the editor that they have simply
S&B STAFF
abandoned without any explanation. Most recently, President Raynard Kington approached the Editors-in-Chief and me about writing an op-ed piece concerning the recent golf club purchase. There were timely and respectful email correspondences in which we agreed to hold off on the piece for a week to allow edits. So far, smooth sailing. Fast forward a week and Kington wants to wait another week to publish it due to new information developing on the subject of his letter. The next week comes, and the day before deadline, Kington decides not to publish the letter at all — without any reason why. This is unacceptable. I work hard at my job and have a lot of patience working in this position, but in a situation like that one, it is not only disappointing but also terrifying to know that the president of our College would withhold information from the student body concerning one of his executive decisions after agreeing to publish a piece on the matter. This may seem like a unique instance that I am overreacting about, but in another recent instance, a campus organization did something very similar. First, they emailed me three weeks ahead of time about publishing a letter to the editor. The week of their deadline, their event was pushed and we agreed on publishing the following week. This is relatively common. But the following week, after not one, but two reminder emails of their deadlines, I received a response that they “forgot” and “spaced out” about letting me know that they will not be publishing anything. Interactions like these are offensive and make a mockery out of the newspaper, especially the Opinion section. I never asked or forced you to write these letters. I urge you, Grinnellians, to be aware that your actions have consequences and to have some decency when interacting with others. Here at Grinnell, we talk about how we have such a strong sense of community, and we take pride in the way we treat each other. In reality, our actions do not reflect those of a community that truly respects one another. Grinnellians, it is so easy to get swept up in your busy schedule and your own lives, but be conscious of how you telling me the night before the pages go to printing that you no longer want to write will have greater implications. Disclaimer: These opinions do not reflect the opinions of the Scarlet & Black staff and are based on individual experiences.
Yishi Liang, Eva Lilienfeld & Kelly Pyzik, Editors-in-Chief Michael Cummings & Emma Friedlander, News Editors Steve Yang, Community Editor Lily Böhlke, Features Editor Nora Coghlan, Arts Editor Sam Catanzaro, Sports Editor Prisca Kim, Opinion Editor Jeff Li, Photo Editor Lica Ishida, Graphics Editor Mira Braneck & Keli Vitaioli, Copy Editors Jenny Dong, Business Manager Megan Tcheng, Staff Writer A Child Called It, Honorary Editor
—Photo by Jeff Li
Edited by Prisca Kim [kimprisc]
INDECENT (ASIAN AMERICAN) EXPOSURE
Scarlett Johansson is not of Asian descent. But that didn’t stop her or Tilda Swinton from taking on roles of characters originally written as Asian in the upcoming films “Ghost in the Shell” and “Doctor Strange.” They came under fire earlier this month when the Twitter hashtag #whitewashedOUT brought to bear the film industry’s racist tendency to cast white actors in roles of Asian characters. Hollywood’s use of yellowface is nothing new — Emma Stone in “Aloha”, Mickey Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or most notably Polly Moran’s disgraceful imitation of Chinese-American trailblazer Anna May Wong — have all shown that the Asian face continues to be a replaceable commodity, if not a punchline. And yet, in a year where all this has been placed under the spotlight, there is reason for celebration. This year marks the 14th anniversary that Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month has existed since it was permanently designated in May of 1992. Since the 90s, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have made strides in representation on both the big and small screens, though #whitewashedOUT has emphasized that what progress has been made is still not enough. But regardless of your politics that may envision a world where varied histories are embraced yearround, rather than in the space of a few weeks, and despite the awful castings of Johansson and Swinton, there is still much to celebrate in the world of AAPIs: Aziz Ansari debuted his Netflix exclusive “Master of None” last November to great praise for its largely non-white cast, and just two months ago, ABC renewed author and foodie Eddie Huang’s comedy series “Fresh Off the Boat” for a third season. To be honest, though, I am glad that both shows have received accolades, I haven’t been a huge fan of either, in addition to shows like Ken Jeong’s “Dr. Ken” or YouTube stars Andrew and David Fung’s “What the Fung?” On one hand, knowing
the dearth of exposure that exists for AAPIs, I am quick to welcome these shows when the other option is yellowface. But simultaneously, I have wrestled with the question of whether or not ALL exposure is GOOD exposure. Ansari’s “Master of None” has faced criticism for anti-blackness despite its embrace of a non-white cast, while Huang once compared the plight of the emasculated Asian male to that of black women — and don’t get me started on the some-thousand word document resting on my computer dedicated to critiquing the Fung brothers’ near-entire body of work for its unabashed prejudice and misogyny.
when there are just a few shows about AAPIs, we want all of them to be perfect and without fault But my feelings are tempered when I think of the high standard of excellence we hold exclusively for people of color when they do make it onto the big stage — when there are just a few shows about AAPIs, we want all of them to be perfect and without fault. We fear that without success in every aspect of its being, the same figureheads that greenlighted these very shows will see little reason for them to stay on air. We want our favorite creative minds to say all the right things, be the best people and remain our idealized, perfect role models — an expectation that is both unrealistic and unfair. There are dozens — even hundreds — of movies and television shows with primarily white casts, directors, etc. that are not just mediocre, but downright awful. (Why is “Fuller House” a thing? How has “The Big Bang Theory” survived as long as it did?) This content is not only given a pass, but hardly faces the same scrutiny in the expectation to represent all creative work made by people of color. Ansari, Huang and the Fung Brothers should not go without critique, but the issue with their shows is not simply about their shows — it’s that their shows are the only option. When there are a hundred mediocre shows that feature diverse casting, problematic content can sink to the bottom of the ocean. But in the meantime, it’s important to situate the pedestal upon which we have placed our community’s work.
The Scarlet & Black welcomes story ideas from students, faculty and other members of the town and college community. If there is any story that should be covered, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu. Send letters to the editor via email at newspapr@grinnell.edu or mail them to Box 5886. The author’s name must be included, but letters can be published anonymously in certain occasions upon request. Letters will be printed at the discretion of the editor. The opinions expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff. The S&B reserves the right to edit any and all submissions. The deadline for publication in Friday’s paper is Wednesday of the same week. Advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager, Jenny Dong, who can be reached at sandbads@grinnell.edu or by mail at 1115 8th Avenue Grinnell College Box 5886, Grinnell, IA 50112. The Scarlet & Black is published on Fridays by students of Grinnell College and is printed by Times Republican of Marshalltown. The newspaper is funded in part by the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC) and also relies on advertising revenue to cover operating costs. All publications funded by SPARC are copyright of SPARC and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without specific written consent from SPARC.
SCARLET AND BLACK, MAY 13, 2016
“THE LAST BAD MAN”
Last summer, my mom coerced me into leading a book club at the local library at which she works. The idea was to try to draw in other young adults by having me lead the group and choose all the books. I wanted to choose only books that I hadn’t read yet (which was somewhat of a mistake, I must admit), so I skimmed lists of recently released books and was excited to see one of my favorite short story writers, Miranda July, had a new book out, entitled “The Last Bad Man.” While only my best friend of ten years came to the meeting where we discussed this book (and she didn’t like it), it was one my favorite books I read last summer. “The Last Bad Man” follows a very peculiar woman named Cheryl Glickman when she takes in her bosses’ daughter, Clee. She’s worked for years at Open Palm, a women’s ‘self-defense as excursive’ studio, despite having no clear use there. This makes for the perfect
situation for her boss to take advantage of her. It quickly becomes clear to the reader why Clee’s parents want her to live with someone else — she’s lazy, rude and, frankly, unsanitary. She completely messes up Cheryl’s life system, a carefully balanced method of living that only makes sense to her. It includes peeing in cups and eating off dirty dishes, both of which she finds completely rational. Clee is unappreciative and manipulative towards Cheryl, making me cringe at times. Over time Clee becomes so infuriated by Cheryl’s meek disposition that she begins to beat her up.
It includes peeing in cups and eating off dirty dishes, both of which she finds completely rational This is where the story, in classic Miranda July style, really begins to take a turn for the unexpected. These physical altercations become two sided, as Cheryl begins to fight back and, soon, the fights become erotic. Their relationship is strange, and ultimately short lived, but July makes the whole saga impossible to stop reading.
Intertwined with this narrative are other peculiar story lines, such as Cheryl’s crush on older gentleman Phil Bettelheim, and his subsequent relationship with a teenage girl and Cheryl’s belief that babies could be the incarnation of a baby she calls Kubelko Bondy, with whom she has a cosmic bond. These additional oddities join Cheryl and Clee’s relationship to create a compellingly bizarre story. Though this description might not draw you in, let me assure you that this kind of story deserves your consideration. July’s way of taking a conventional story arc and filling it with characters who are strange, offkilter and one-of-a-kind makes for a challenging but rewarding piece. Also present are thoughtful portrayals of mental health and sexuality that are perceived as deviant. They never take the center stage; instead, they dance around the edges of the story, present enough to impact the story, but never overwhelming. July crafts a well-balanced story that, while it might cause some raised eyebrows, presents real emotion in real characters. It’s a book that doesn’t flinch but presents life with all of its oddities. Though “The Last Bad Man” might have been a bit much for a suburban book club, I assure you that, for most Grinnellians, it’s a perfect way to keep your mind engaged all summer.
“Troll 2”... Wait, there was a “Troll 1”?
Have you ever had an itch that just kept coming back, no matter what you did to try and get rid it? Well if you have, then good news because I am that itch. And just like that itch that just fucking won’t go away, I am back with one more movie rant-review for the last, last time. I am going to review the most hated, most critically rejected and most fucking wasted use of my time in watching something besides “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” And no, I am not talking about “The Human Centipede,” because that movie is just disgusting and not something I recommend watching with your family – trust me, I’ve made that mistake. I’m actually talking about 1990’s “Troll 2.” Despite its title, this bullshit excuse of a movie does not actually serve as a sequel to “Troll.” Funnily enough, the studio behind this terrible movie did not have confidence in its success in the U.S., so it changed its title from “Goblins” to “Troll 2” in order to ride off the semi-successful reviews of a completely unrelated movie called “Troll.” Think about that — the studio had to change the name of its movie in order to make sure it wouldn’t seem too horrible. Well, sucks for them, because no one fell for that trick, and it’s deemed one of the worst movies ever made. Also, this movie contains no trolls whatsoever … It’s that stu-
pid. But let’s get to the actual story of it. This movie follows the life of Joshua, a punk little brat whose family goes on a camping trip and stops at a small farm-town called Nilbog. Keep in mind that this town’s name becomes the twist of the movie. If you can figure it out before I reach it in this review, give yourself a pat on the back. The citizens of this town are so friendly and kind that Joshua’s entire family (except for him) begin to feel at home. What they don’t know is that the people of this town are actually flesh-eating goblins. The only reason that Joshua knows about this town’s secret is because the ghost of his dead grandfather warned him. Oh yeah, this grandpa must have had some sort of ‘godly’ powers because he literally pauses the space-time continuum just so Joshua can pull his dick out and piss all over his family’s food on the dinner table (he thinks the food will poison his family). Let me just say that, although Joshua is right about all these goblins and his entire family are complete idiots, little Josh should have just said, “Fuck it, I’m out,” once he began to see that his family wouldn’t listen to him. Who cares!? Not Joshua obviously, since he hates his whole family. His family only begins to realize the “horror” that they are in once they begin to see the goblins eating each member of their family and Joshua looking directly at the camera and stating, “Here comes the twist everyone … hang on to your seatbelts … trust me it’s going to be a doozy … drumroll please … Nilbog (the name of the town) is goblin spelled backwards!” From then on, the cheesiness of this movie goes on full blast. This movie has so many “so bad it’s funnysad” moments. There’s even a scene in this movie that’s become a meme. It involves Joshua’s brother witnessing the death of his friend being eaten by goblins. During this scene he
yells (in the most terrible acting of the 1990s), “They’re eating her, and then they are going to eat me… OH MY GOD!” Dank memes, people. Another stand-out scene plays out like a poorly made, fetish-themed porno. A goblin, disguised as a “sexy” brunette, seduces a teen male with corn, but this horny kid prefers popcorn instead. But no biggie, because as the two start fucking in the kid’s RV, the corn starts popping and popcorn can be seen as it is thrown all over them just like fireworks. Oh yeah, and the kid dies from choking on popcorn. That’s how you go out people, that’s how you fucking go out like a boss. By the end, Joshua is able to defeat the queen goblin, or witch or female goblin, I don’t know – the point is that he survives and saves his mother by receiving a “secret weapon” from one of his dead family members. He’s given a paper bag containing the “secret weapon” to use against the goblins. As the goblins begin to reach him, Joshua opens the bag, revealing a “doubledecker Bologna sandwich.” He eats the sandwich, making his body poisonous to the goblins, then touches the Stonehenge Stone (the source of the goblins) and saves the day. While it may have a couple of cringeworthy laughs, it is just an awful excuse for cinema. Every aspect of this movie is just so bad! Beyond cringe-worthy, this movie just becomes laughably terrible and stupid. The writing, the acting, the directing, the special effects, the pacing and the music are just abysmal and god-awful. But if you’re in the mood for one of the most hilarious bad movies ever made, and you’re pretty fucked up with your friends, I suppose “Troll 2” is the perfect way to fall asleep. It’s just genuinely terrible. And with that, I leave you all with a heart-felt goodbye. But remember, “NILBOG IS GOBLIN SPELLED BACKWARDS!”
11
Letter to the Editor
PREPARING FOR BLOCK PARTY Block Party goers, As we all know, Block Party is a heavenly end of the year celebration honoring the conclusion of a successful academic year. It’s a day full of bliss, happiness and plenty, but it can also be a day of debauchery. In order to maximize your fun as well as your safety, please keep in mind the following when you’re basking in the glory of the 1000 block of High Street on Friday, May 20:
It’s a day full of bliss, happiness and plenty, but it can also be a day of debauchery 1. Do not cross 6th Avenue with an open container. This one’s a no-brainer. It’s the same rule as always, only this time there will be several cops patrolling the area. Trash cans will be hanging out around the northern end of the block. They are your friends. 2. Don’t urinate outside. There will be 12 porta-potties on the block for your usage. There is no way all 12 will be occupied at one time. Use them whenever you need to relieve yourself. 3. If you are of age, get your wristbands from the Block Party organizers tabling starting on May 12 outside of the Dining Hall. Also, buy a Blockstone Light T-shirt. They’re really cool. 4. Replenish your body. Whether or not you are boozing, being out in the sun (because it will be sunny) is taxing on your body. Drink water and enjoy a few cheeseburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts or slices of pizza. 5. Don’t give the police a reason to reprimand you. The cops are there to facilitate a good time and will not disturb your good time unless you deserve it.
Drink water and enjoy a few cheeseburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts or slices of pizza Most of all, have fun. As Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.” Dare to have fun. Dare to be smart. Dare to stay safe. Number 1 on the block and number 1 in your heart, Brent LeMoine 2016 Block Party Host
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SNEDGE This week, Lily Bohlke and Keli Vitaioli polled 100 people asking:
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NORTH jif 16% 8 gif
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JEFF’S SELF TIMER
HOT DAMN! [newspapr] looks GOOD! Shout out to everyone for #KILLINGIT this semester. S&Besties are forever! Seniors, you will be missed, but [newspapr] will always be here for you.
Analysis
Block Party
HOROSCOPE
Cancer
RANTS & RAVES Folks. Self-gov isn’t in jeopardy because of the administration. I see breakdowns in self-gov all the time, but they come from the students’ everyday actions and decisions. Don’t steal food out of dorm fridges. If you use a kitchen, clean up your mess. If you get puke all over a toilet, don’t just leave it there to sit and stink all weekend. We can do better, Grinnell. If we want self-gov to live on, we have to show we are responsible enough to handle it. —Meagan McKinstry ’16
Stand Up Comedy Bob’s, 8 p.m.
PUB QUIZ
The moon waits for you, Cancer. You are becoming more in touch with astrology and becoming nocturnal, and that’s when you’re most productive. Unfortunately, this causes trouble during the day, and you might miss a final. As the earth rotates, your heart will move, too... towards a new lover. It’s hard for you to open up your heart #ClassicCancer, but just LET. IT. HAPPEN.
Saving Self-Gov
K.C. BBQ
Results
1. Gooey Butter Cunt 2. Lawrence of My Labia/ Saint’s West 3. Erogenous Crones
Friday Prisca’s MAP Presentation JRC 224A, 12 p.m.
! w us Folloesandb @th
Freaknik BCC, 10 p.m. Saturday Holi Mac Field, 1 p.m.
CHECK OUT
ARBITRARY
Last Chance Harris @ Elk’s Lodge
Weekend Events
OUR APP
Sunday water(SLIDE) Mac Field, 3 p.m.
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 [kimprisc]. Complaining and rejoicing in a public forum is always more fun than doing it alone.
Missing my massages
It’s been a month since I saw you, but you cross my mind daily. Nothing has been the same since the night when you robbed me of the comfort I took for granted. Who are you? Why did you do it? WHY did you DEGENERATES have butt naked SEX IN THE WELLNESS LOUNGE MASSAGE CHAIR?? With this one sinful act you have dirtied something that I loved. You have tarnished last pure thing left in this godforsaken school. You depraved profligates have no shame. You know what else you licentious gutter rats fucked that night? SELF GOV. —Caleigh Ryan ’17
Need more reading
As I approach graduation, I’m still left with a pressing question about the end of the semester. Why is everyone so concerned with rebranding “Hell Week” as “Penultimate Week,” when they could, instead, work toward making this week less hellish. Many of our peer-insitutions have reading WEEK, while we just have reading DAY. Considering the push for wellness, this seems like an obvious change. That way no one would have to worry about finals while they’re still attending class and everyone could be happy. —Susanne Bushman ’16
Dear S&B,
A final note
The end is approaching, I can feel it whispering in the corners of my mind. I desperately cling to this page, but I know the forces of time are stronger than I. Each one of us is mortal, and every kingdom will someday fall. In the case of my departure from this realm, I leave to you a beautifully redesigned back page, two incredibly intelligent queens to lead you on/upward and nearly all the fucks I have ever given. With love, [pyzikkel]