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Scarlet & Black Volume 134, Issue 3
thesandb.com
September 8, 2017 • Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell College responds to the termination of Obama-era DACA program Students, faculty, staff and alum grapple with an uncertain future for community members locally and nationally
Student Union pushes for wage
By Alice Herman hermanal@grinnell.edu
By Julia Echikson echikson@grinnell.edu
This Tuesday, the Trump Administration called to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an immigration policy set in place through an executive order that protected young people who had entered the U.S. before the age of 16 from imminent deportation. Trump Administration officials said that the program would be “phased out,” meaning that work permits, driver’s licenses and state IDs would remain functional until they expire, and for the next six months any individuals enrolled in the DACA program will remain protected from deportation. In a special campus memo addressed to the Grinnell community, President Kington acknowledged the termination of DACA and wrote that “the College is dedicated to unequivocally CANDACE METTLE supporting our students who might Concerned students wrote "DACA Lives Here" in chalk in front of Noyce Science Center. feel vulnerable for themselves or family and friends as a result Edwards emphasized that DACA Edwards referenced the DACA have to think not just budgetarily but of the termination of the DACA protects other people in addition to protection that grants work permits from a fairness and a social justice program.” The memo encouraged students. to recipients, and noted that while, perspective,” Edwards said. This students with concerns or questions “I think it’s fairly common that according to the most recent measure has not been taken, but, for themselves or others to contact we think about DACA impacting announcements, this protection according to Edwards, it represents the offices of International Student college student-aged [people], would disappear as individuals’ one of many ways in which college Affairs, Intercultural Affairs, the but many DACA recipients are permits expired, the College could campuses can provide support to Center for Center for Religion, recent graduates and they’re in the potentially replace work-study with community members vulnerable to Spirituality, and Social Justice workforce, so we could easily have individual grants. the termination of DACA. (CRSSJ) or Student Health and employees here, service providers in “An institution could say … ‘if Edwards recommended that Counseling Services (SHACS). our local community. DACA could you lose financial aid, we’ll as a students with questions regarding Associate Dean and Director of impact currently enrolled [students] private institution have the ability to International Student Affairs Karen but it is so much broader.” meet that gap with grant aid.’ You >> See DACA page 2
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) is fighting to increase the hourly wages of Dining Hall student workers to $9.25 from $9.60. “Wage increase should be tied to tuition increase,” said Sam Xu '20, the Union’s treasurer. The Union wants wages to reflect the 3.9 percent tuition increase. “Work study wages are part of the financial aid package,” added Cory McCartan ’19, the president of the Union. “You get paid for your college education. If the price of your education goes up, your work study should match that.”
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies professor Leah Allen gains tenure track position
PHOTO BY MAI VU
Now-assistant professor Leah Allen is the only tenure track professor in the GWSS department. By Clara Larson larsoncl@grinnell.edu Professor Leah Allen has been given a tenure track position within the Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) department. Often, students do not notice changes in faculty’s tenure status, and as Allen noted, “these distinctions are not obvious to students, but they’re pretty meaningful.” Before receiving this promotion, Professor Allen served two years as a visiting assistant professor. Her new position has shortened her title to “assistant professor,” lengthened her contract and has put her on track to possibly becoming a full tenured professor in six years. Allen expects her tenure track to significantly impact the GWSS department. Although Allen is not the first professor in the department to be put Saturday GWSS Advising Workship Mears Cottage Living Room, 9 a.m.
on a tenure track, as Professors Astrid Henry and Lakesia Johnson both served as tenured professors within the department, no tenured or tenure track professor has taught GWSS in over two years. Two years ago, almost simultaneously, Professor Johnson took the position of associate dean of the College and Professor Henry went on medical leave. And so, for the past two years, “their teaching has been covered by term faculty members, who are here as visiting assistant professors” said Professor Carolyn Lewis, chair of the GWSS department. Because visiting assistant professors have shorter contracts and hence teach for shorter periods of time, often no longer than two or three years, faculty and students alike became concerned about instability within the department and decided to take action. Saturday Grinnell College Student Dining Workers Special Meeting JRC 101, 3:00 p.m.
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For the faculty, this meant working to secure Allen her new position. “Since we know that Astrid Henry is not going to be coming back to the classroom at the moment, we got permission to do a targeted search so that we could hire her as a regular tenure track assistant professor,” Professor Lewis said. “The students in GWSS and on the GWSS [Student Educational Policy Committee] worked really hard last year to advocate for themselves,” Allen said. “They met with Dean Latham, they created a petition, they’ve really been advocating for more faculty in GWSS, more tenure track faculty in GWSS, and I hope that they feel pleased and proud of the work that they did last year.”
"The students in GWSS and on the GWSS SEPC worked really hard last year to advocate for themselves." Professor Leah Allen, GWSS Although Allen’s new position may not have been a direct result of their advocacy, it was the sort of change they were advocating for. “I think that the SEPC’s activities definitely helped to raise awareness on campus and beyond that GWSS was in a really unusually precarious position, just because of circumstances,” Lewis said. “Whether or not it actually made a difference, I don’t know, but I think it was definitely appreciated.” Both Allen and Lewis expect Allen’s new position to bring stability to the department. “This is a step towards stability and continuity that really helps to send the message that Sunday Local Activism with Mayor Pete Buttigieg JRC 209 (B&C), 11 a.m.
the program is as strong and vibrant as ever,” Lewis said. They hope that this stability will manifest itself as more opportunities and a more cohesive experience overall for GWSS students.
"In the long term, GWSS wants to continue to be one of the important places on campus where students learn about race, class, gender and sexuality through our core courses" Professor Leah Allen, GWSS “Having someone on a tenure track means more stability for GWSS students,” Allen said. “It means that students have more options for advising, more opportunities to do research projects and more certainty in knowing that there will be the same faculty to teach their courses as they progress through the years in the program.” The students and faculty of the GWSS department perceive Allen’s new position as a tenure track professor as a positive development for the department, but their dedication to the department does not end there. “In the long term, GWSS wants to continue to be one of the important places on campus where students learn about race, class, gender and sexuality through our core courses as well as through being able to offer students opportunities for individual research projects in the field,” Allen said. “Everyone wants to see GWSS be sustainable and eventually grow in the future.” Monday Poetry Readings by Mohja Kahf JRC, 7:30 p.m.
"Wage increase should be tied to tuition increase." Sam Xu '20 The Grinnell College administration disagrees. “The comprehensive fee is established using many more factors than wages and would not be appropriate to treat the two as being directly proportionate,” wrote Mary Greiner, Grinnell College’s assistant VP of human resources, in an email to The S&B. Last year, after seven years of no hourly wage increase, the administration agreed to raise wages by 8.8 percent, going to $9.25 from $8.50 an hour. Both the Union and administration agree that the Dining Hall is understaffed, but disagree on how to resolve the issue. The Union thinks that by increasing the hourly wages more student will sign up for shifts, while the administration believes that other incentivising measures are more effective to retain staff. “Raising wages did not eliminate our work shift shortage and based on the research and analysis we have gathered it appears the work labor shortage is attributed to scheduling as a relates to students class schedules,” Greiner wrote. The 2016-2017 contract granted a 0.25 cent per an hour premium to students who worked 110 hours in a semester and picked up two shifts during finals' week. This year, the Union proposed measures include increasing “the number of semesters the $.25 per hour incentive is granted from 3 to 4 semesters” and “offer $.75 per hour premium for those difficult to fill shifts,” which tend to be during Monday, Wednesday, Friday lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. As recent as Tuesday, the administration offered the hourly wages be raised by an amount “comparable to the increases the regular staff received this July,” Greiner wrote. The administration is waiting for response from the Union. To allow a testing period and because of the high student worker turnover, the employment contract is drafted and brought to negotiation every year. The administration is thinking about making contracts on a two-year basis in the future. Before the end of the 2017 Spring semester, the College proposed that wages increase to $9.35 in the 2018 Spring semester, and the Union rejected the offer. Over the summer, administrators drafted another proposal, offering wages increase to $9.40 starting in the 2017 Fall >> See UGSDW, page 3
Thursday
Writers at Grinnell: Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor Rosenfield Center 101, 8:00 p.m.
Community 4,5 | Features 6,7 | Sports 8 | Arts 9,10 | Opinions 11,12
News Activist summit inaugurates year
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Edited by hermanal@grinnell.edu & mettleca@grinnell.edu
DACA termination prompts the College to discuss protection of Dreamers Continued from Front Page
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Students discuss campus activism during the Grinnell Student Resistance's first meeting of the year. By Seth Taylor taylorse@grinnell.edu On Monday night, an activist summit hosted by Morgane Garnier ’19 and Evan Feldberg-Bannatyne ’20 brought together activists representing various interests, backgrounds and issues to form a coalition of Grinnell College students implementing change. It marked the year’s first meeting of Grinnell Student Resistance. Those in attendance heard from Austin Frerick ’12, a Democratic congressional candidate for Iowa’s third district before sharing their own thoughts on activism in Grinnell and helping to shape some guiding principles for the Grinnell Student Resistance. “[The activist community] has been very elusive at Grinnell and just kind of fluctuates based on who’s here and what issues people care about,” Garnier said, as one of the leaders of the group Occupy 8th. “So I think [Grinnell Student Resistance] is striving for institutional memory, and it’s also partially striving for being more effective together.” The coalition consists of activists from well-established groups on campus as well as individuals with specific interests, broad social justice goals and varying degrees of
experience. Narz Diane ’20, a member of the new activist group Rape And Trauma Support (RATS), attended the meeting on a whim but came away enthusiastic. “There are so many more people who really care and who are willing to be open-minded and discuss different options and opinions with you,” said Diane. “The coalition is really important because it shows us that even though we may be activists within our identity-based groups we can extend those beliefs…so we can connect with other people and sort of strengthen… bonds between communities.” Feldberg-Bannatyne is the caretaker for the Voicebox, an activist center at the College, and a host of the summit. “You don’t need to join a group, get on board with the group’s agenda, get on board with their theories of activism…[to] then be able to, as an upperclassman, be an established activist,” Feldberg-Bannatyne said. “You get to care about what you want to care about, and then you’re going to have people who have experience who are going to help you manifest what you want to do,” Garnier added. Both Garnier and FeldbergBannatyne identified similar goals for this year’s activists, citing the divide
between Grinnell the College and Grinnell the City. “My goal is to push beyond this community and to think about the real people that live here every day that aren’t here for just four years and that are going to be affected by the work that we don’t do,” Garnier said. While Garnier recognizes the unique stresses of the Grinnell environment, she has a message for students. “Show up,” she said, “Manage your time so you can make space for this.”
"Show up. Manage your time so you can make space for this," Feldberg-Bannatyne '20 Narz had some advice for beginning activists as well. “Activism can be as much as printing a poster and putting it on your dorm door. It can be signing a petition. It doesn’t have to be radical,” Diane said. “Activism shouldn’t be called activism. It should just be called common sense.” The next meeting of the Grinnell Student Resistance will be held on Sept. 16.
the end of the DACA program connect with one of the resources noted in this week’s Special Campus Memo, and indicated that the College could direct people previously protected by DACA to legal counsel. “Having good referral mechanisms for students to get legal advice from attorneys is very important. We hope that students feel confident coming here. I’m subject to FERPA and I practice privacy, and I do a lot of referrals,” Edwards said. President Kington also affirmed the College’s support for individuals threatened by the Trump administration’s termination of the DACA program in an interview with The S&B.
"Having good referral mechanisms for students to get legal advice from attorneys is very important. We hope students feel comfortable coming here." Karen Edwards, Associate Dean and Director of International Student Affairs “If students, for example, are not eligible for financial aid based on their status, we’ll provide that support. So our apparatus of support has not changed and won’t change,” Kington said. He emphasized that while the College will work to meet the needs of individuals through, for example, the use of grant money to cover work-study, the College does not anticipate any major policy changes following the federal announcement this week. “I think most schools like
Our Urban Future gives Grinnell College "something to talk about"
Grinnell really had supportive policies and it’s the public schools, really the large public schools where this is a much bigger issue. … We have, for example, private resources that can make up for public resources and because the numbers, too, are just different in our institution. All that’s to say, I don’t think we’ve had to change any policy or practice because we were already committed to supporting these students, and we will continue to support these students,” Kington said.
"I think most schools like Grinnell really had supportive policies." Raynard Kington, President of the College One recent alum, Channel Turbides ’17 who now works at a nonprofit organization addressing systemic barriers to low-income students’ graduation from college, said that she considered the College’s response to the DACA announcement inadequate. In a message to The S&B, Turbides wrote that she “cannot live with the thought of Grinnell not doing its best to serve students in need.… Last year, a friend shared with me their struggles on the road to finding support at Grinnell as a DACAmented student, and I was heartbroken to hear they had such little help available to them on campus at the time.” Turbides took her concern to an online network of Grinnell alumni. “With the help of other alums who reacted to my post, we will edit the original statement put out by Grinnell to include our perspectives.”
Garden brings local vegetables to the Dining Hall By Caleb Forbes forbesca@grinnell.edu
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Photographer and author Jason Reblando gave a talk on "New Deal Utopias" this Wednesday. By Amanda Weber weberama@grinnell.edu This week, the College hosted the symposium “Our Urban Future.” Talks were free and open to the public and took place Sept. 5 to 7 in Grinnell’s own Joe Rosenfield Center. The symposium sponsored by the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations and Human Rights was an event designed to inspire awareness and conversation about relevant topics, and brought a lineup of speakers to campus, from artists and academics to scientists and politicians. According to Professor Barbara Trish, political science, director of the Rosenfield Program, the concept for this year’s symposium was inspired by the experience of a group of faculty exploring demographic change, the environment and urbanism in East Asia. Trish noted that while compiling a list of the fields of interest that might be incorporated into the theme, the environment, interaction among people in urban areas and artistic
expression in city life were all topics that received particular consideration. “[The concept] brought together in an interdisciplinary way the various people or ideas that really animate the college,” Trish said. Visiting speakers were chosen for their compelling essays and art, involvement in non-profits, previous government work or other outstanding achievements that demonstrated skill in their particular field and were relevant to the theme. The main goal was for a diverse and balanced set of voices to fit the interdisciplinary theme of the symposium and to draw an audience of students — and members of the greater Grinnell community — from all majors and walks of life. “We were really interested in people who tackled different topics and who came from different settings — academia, government, nonprofits,” Trish said. However varied their backgrounds, the speakers present at the symposium had a common purpose: to discuss our urban future,
but also to encourage thoughtfulness and inquiry regarding our world and its future. “The future of urbanism is something that is hard for us to contemplate,” said Martin Murray, professor of urban planning at the University of Michigan, in his address. “Rethinking conventional urban paradigms in contemporary urban studies requires us to challenge and at least partially dismantle if not completely discard the foundational pillars which have guided theorymaking for quite some time.” Topics spanned from the utopias of F.D.R.’s New Deal to global urbanism in the modern world to democracy in the future, and from locations such as Des Moines to Miami Beach to Taiwan. Throughout the symposium, students were invited to study metropolitan and international patterns from the heart of the prairie and to study the implications of the past and present to attempt to predict our future. By pursuing this line of broader inquiry, the foreign voices and
viewpoints present at the symposium encouraged students and community members to think outside of the Grinnell bubble to take on a fresh perspective. “I think it’s really important for us, especially since we are all very much occupied with our lives here and the work that we do, to bring in outside views,” Trish said. “In some ways it seems odd to have an ‘Our Urban Future’ symposium when we’re sort of in the middle of rural America, but … our futures are all intertwined in a way that you just can’t ignore what’s going to go on in the bigger world.” The symposium gave a collection of differing perspectives, a reason to come together and discuss an issue that is universally relevant, and challenged attendees to consider the question from outside of their comfort zones. “Scholarly research and writing never takes place in a vacuum,” Murray noted in his address. Fortunately, the symposium and the conversations it inspires ensure that a vacuum is the last thing students should have to fear.
The new Grinnell College Garden displays the efforts of countless volunteers, in the form of giant, vibrant, leafy goodness. An extensive collection of individuals have contributed to a community effort to make sustainable gardening happen, and the fruits of their labor have been provided to the Dining Hall as well as to Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. (MICA). Expanding across 80 square feet behind Food House on East St., the garden is now ADA compliant, utilizes a drip irrigation system and contains over 90 varieties of plants. While the space was originally intended for a new college farm, it is instead home to 20 raised garden beds, a Hugelkultur mound, a hoop house, benches and tables, as well as a shed and with room for more. Already, the garden has supplied at least 150 pounds of fresh produce to the Dining Hall as well as 50 pounds to MICA. The fresh produce that grows out of the garden is delivered to the Dining Hall about an hour after harvest. “As it comes in, we try and find the best fit for it and get the most exposure for the students so that they can enjoy it the most,” said executive chef Scott Turley. The Dining Hall puts the weekly deliveries of fresh food where they can as quickly as possible, oftentimes in the salad bar, but also in Catering Services dishes, the sauté bar, and other dishes. “If they were looking at substantial production,” Turley said, “I’d like to talk to them about what that might look like… it’d be nice to >> See GARDEN page 3
News
Edited by hermanal@grinnell.edu & mettleca@grinnell.edu
UGSDW rejects Garden sends vegetables to Dining Hall contract proposals during negotiations Continued from Page 2
work on something like that down the road.” Originally, Professor of anthropology and Director of the Center for Prairie Studies (CPS) Jon Andelson thought the Dining Hall might purchase the vegetables; however, arrangements have been made for the vegetables to be given freely to the Dining Hall instead. “We have entered into an agreement with Dining Services that they will take almost anything we want to bring them,” Andelson said. “I contacted the treasurer’s office and they said they really didn’t want us to sell the food to Dining…they are trying to reduce the amount of fund transfers on campus.” Since then, Andelson has found this decision allows them to give some of the fresh produce to MICA, which is also a valuable endeavor. Over the summer, three students were hired by Grinnell Area Local Foods Alliance (GALFA), also a facet of the CPS, which entailed working in the Grinnell College
Continued from Front Page
Garden this summer as well as working with local foods in Grinnell. Part of their work was to address food insecurity in Grinnell. “The GALFA folks this summer … actually made a number of publications related to food insecurity and distributed a guide to food access in the Grinnell community,” said CPS board member Jane Jordan ’18. One of the GALFA workers, Isabella Kugel ’20, was in charge of making permaculture and a fouryear plan for the garden, as well as building the garden beds, shoveling wood chips and watering, among other shared tasks. Along with GALFA workers, volunteers played a vital role in the formation of the garden this summer. “In addition to all of the labor that’s been volunteered, a lot of the material things have been volunteered as well, and that I think is a really phenomenal part of the story,” Andelson said. Besides volunteer involvement, supporters of the garden hope to see the community connect with the space in other ways.
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“Getting anybody who’s interested and involved to be in the space is a really big aspect of the garden.” Kugel said. “If you haven’t actually seen it and been in the space,
"Getting anybody who's interested and involved in this space is a really big aspect of the garden." -Isabella Kugel '20 it doesn’t mean as much.” “We invite people to come here just to hang out. It could be a place of meditation, it could be a place where somebody did homework in good weather,” Andelson said. A central purpose of the Grinnell College Garden, as Andelson sees it, is “to help educate people on sustainable methods of food production….So we want the Garden not only to provide sustenance but also to be a place where people can learn about gardening.”
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Dining Services student employees work at the Eggs to Order station. Continued from Front Page semester. The members again rejected the offer. The Union has since launched since campaigns in support of the higher wage. On Labour Day, the Union distributed flyers in the Dining Hall and all over campus “to communicate our point, our rational behind our demand,” said Xu. In addition to flyers, the Union also silently protested through their "Workto-Rule Campaign,” whereby student followed all workplace regulations as deliberately as possible in order to slow down service. “The point we [UGSDW] wanted to communicate is that the membership is going to take things very seriously and is willing to act as it sees appropriate,” said Xu. Xu insists that there is “no animosity” between the Union and the administration. Greiner adds, “We [administration] respect the students
rights to voice their concerns and requests as long as it is done in a respectful and non-violent manner and is not disruptive to other students learning and living environment.” “We have our disagreements. Beside the wage, we have reached agreements of many other issues,” Xu admits. Despite no contract having been signed, other terms and conditioned are in the process or have been implemented. Xu points to health and safety meetings. Every month, there will be meetings, in which workers can discuss health and safety concerns. The UGSDW is the first independent union for undergraduate students; it is entirely run by students and is not part of a larger professional labour union, unlike other undergraduate unions. The Union receives no professional help or legal guidance. The ‘bargaining team,’ only comprised of student workers, negotiates with the administration.
Vegetables from the Grinnell College Garden may end up in your Dining Hall sauté.
WE'VE RAISED THE BAR ON ACADEMICS FOR INCOMING STUDENT-ATHLETES
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MAYU SAKAE
Community
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Edited by braneckm@grinnell.edu
Candidate forum held for SJAG wins Ahrens Foundation Award school board elections
By Chloe Wray wraychlo@grinnell.edu
The League of Women Voters and the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a community forum on Thursday, Aug. 3 at the Drake Community Library in anticipation of the upcoming school board elections. The biennial Grinnell-Newburg Community District school board elections will be held on Sept. 12. All eight candidates for the five open board seats spoke at the forum. The League of Women Voters is a national nonpartisan group, and the main goals of Grinnell’s chapter as expressed by League President Terese Grant are providing access to voting and awareness of the candidates’ stances. “Making sure people are educated,” she said, “which is why we hold candidate forums, to make sure that people have an opportunity to ask questions directly to candidates.” Five of the seven seats on the board are up for election this season. The forum served as an opportunity for candidates to introduce themselves and their platforms. The forum, especially the question and answer segment, offered insight into many of the issues currently facing the Grinnell public schools and the community at large as the candidates fielded questions from attendees. In Grant’s opinion, for most voters, the candidate’s personal background becomes more important than politics in these elections. “The person’s background — were they educated themselves? Do they know about education? Do they have children who are in the school? Can they relate to what is going on in the school district? Are they a respected person in the community? Can I trust them?” There will be elections for Districts 1, 2 and 3, as well as for two director-at-large positions. While one of these director-at-large positions has a four-year term, the other has a twoyear term. The representative for District 4 is not up for re-election. Every voter is allowed to cast a vote in each district representative race, including districts other than their own, as well as in the races for directors-at-large. District 1 covers the greatest area, circling Grinnell’s city’s limits and extending to the school district’s edges. Dennis Phelps and Laurel Tuggle ’13 are running for election to replace Jeff Smith. Phelps was approached just over a month ago to consider running for the position by fellow community members. He has served a myriad of positions, including teacher, coach, principal and superintendent, and has been dedicated to service. He hopes to continue that theme as a member of the school board. Tuggle majored in history and completed the College’s education licensure program, student-teaching at Grinnell High School in the process. She recently went through the Ambassadors of Public Health program at the University of Iowa during which she conducted her capstone project at Grinnell Middle School, which centered on a mental health survey, a focus that is key to her platform of improving mental health within the school district. Running uncontested for re-election in District 2 is Helen Redmond. She initially ran for the board at a time when transparency between the board and community was not encouraged, an improvement she has seen with the hiring of Dr. Janet Stutz to fill the position of superintendent. Redmond’s focuses lie in community communications and re-
Movies at the Strand
By Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu
modeling of the school’s budget to simultaneously reduce costs while providing more course offerings. Running uncontested for the District 3 director seat is Emily Guenther ’07. She currently runs the Liberal Arts in Prison program at the College and is looking to apply her experience in non-public education to the board and become more civically engaged in the community. Former District 3 representative Meg Jones-Bair will be running for the four-year term at-large seat after moving outside of District 3. She is running against Barbara Brown, the incumbent, and Andy Stewart. Jones-Bair, like Redmond, became involved with the board when she was dissatisfied with the district’s former leadership. Currently, her biggest agenda item for the board is to push for the consolidation of the elementary schools into a single K-12 building that would improve efficiency and coherence within the district. Brown has held a position on the board of education for eight years and is currently the board president. As a staff member at the College and the mother of students in the district, she wants to continue being an active community member, keeping the district on the upward trend it has been experiencing. This is Stewart’s first campaign for election to the board of education. He was out of town for the forum, but the statement that he submitted stressed that too many career-based classes have been cut and it is essential that students have options for technical and life skills classes. Stephen Sieck has been acting as an interim director at-large. He is running uncontested for the two year at-large position. Sieck has been involved in the governor’s STEM advisory board, his main goals centering around giving students the necessary options for the future through improved facilities, technology and continued staff engagement. Grant offered insight into some of the board’s most pressing issues, including the bond-issue vote that the former superintendent attempted to push but which ended up falling through. This vote will determine what the district should do with their property and how they should consolidate most efficiently. Stutz, the current superintendent, will likely push this vote as soon as the new board comes into session. The main concerns touched on by audience members in the question portion of the forum revolved greatly around the budget. As state legislature continues with budget cuts, the school district is likely to see the effects. Community members were concerned with determining how to most efficiently use the district’s property, offering more options for courses that will better prepare students for the workplace or college and collective bargaining increasing the threat of losing teachers. Next year’s board will be focused on staying ahead despite tax breaks for companies and low-revenue agricultural seasons that have contributed to the state’s deepening recession. Grant says that she rarely sees Grinnell College students at forums or polling places for local elections. For the community though, school board and other local elections have the power to be incredibly influential. For students eager to engage with the community and put their vote to use, the school board election will be held on Sept. 12 at The Elks Lodge. The League will be tabling at the College in the JRC on Sept. 26, National Voter Registration Day, to fulfill these goals and provide Grinnell students with a chance to register in preparation for state wide elections in November.
IT
In 1993, Claude Ahrens, a playground manufacturer turned benefactor of the Ahrens Park Foundation, gave a speech to the National Recreation and Parks Association in which he told his listeners to “leave the world a better place than you found it.” Now every year on Aug. 18 in honor of his birthday, the Ahrens Family Foundation gives the “Leave It Better Than You Found It” award to a local nonprofit organization that helps the Grinnell community. This year, the award went to Grinnell College’s Social Justice Action Group (SJAG) for their involvement in the Grinnell Community Meal. The meal was started in 2000 by a group of Grinnell students along with the Rev. Deanna Shorb, dean of religious life and chaplain of Grinnell College. Since then, students have passed the tradition down, along with the responsibility of coordinating and serving t h e meal. Every Tuesday night at the Davis Elementary School cafeteria, student volunteers gather to chop up vegetables, cook casseroles and serve dinner to community members with food sponsored by a local organization. Nina Galanter ’18, who has coordinated the meal for multiple semesters, out-
CONTRIBUTED
Reverend Deanna Shorb, dean of religious life, and Nina Galanter '18 accept the "Leave It Better Than You Found It" Award for their work involving the community meal. lined some of the goals and impacts of the community meal. “It helps fight food insecurity, and it also provides a great community,” she said. “It also provides a bridge between Grinnell students and the community, which is really important.” Going to the meal is a good reminder that there is a life outside of the College, as well as an opportunity to share food with others. Having a freshly cooked meal that you helped prepare can also be a good change from campus dining. Galanter wants students to know that they are welcome at the meal regardless of whether they have time to volunteer. “It’s about a 20-minute walk from campus so it would be really great to see Grinnell students, especially if they can’t volunteer,
just come and sit down with the Grinnell community and have a meal.” The benefits of the meal extend to the wider Grinnell community, building bonds between people who might not have previously gotten to know each other. “People come to the meal to connect with others who may be people they don’t see so often,” Galanter said. Throughout the meal, you can hear warm greetings and chatter about the week. It feels almost like a big family dinner. The community meal is a place where anyone can make connections with others over casserole and cookies. In the 17 years since the community meal was founded, it has undoubtedly impacted the lives of many Grinnellians. Claude W. Ahrens would be glad to know that his birthday was commemorated by honoring a group unambiguously leaving Grinnell a better place than they found it.
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Showtimes: 3:50 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 9:30 p.m. I don't know, something about a clown, couldn't sit through the whole trailer, too spooky for me.
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THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD
Showtimes: 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:20 p.m. Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds shooting at other guys.
THE GLASS CASTLE
Showtimes: 3:40 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9:00 p.m. Our Arts Editor cried when she watched the trailer #indicative??
Community
Edited by braneckm@grinnell.edu
True Grinnellian: Joe Bagnoli
Matchstick museum proves to be a marvel
By Lily Bohlke bohlkeli@grinnell.edu
CONTRIBUTED
Joe Bagnoli and his four children are all very involved in the Grinnell community. By Ahon Gooptu gooptuah@grinnell.edu Six months after Joe Bagnoli’s daughter, Lilianna Bagnoli ’15, enrolled at Grinnell College, she wrote back to her father, “At Grinnell, you can be who you are without being judged.” Thus, when he was offered the position of the College’s vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid, he didn’t think twice before accepting it. Since then Grinnell has been home to the Bagnoli family, who have become an integral part of the city’s community. Bagnoli admits that he was a bit nervous about how his children would adapt to a new setting, but those fears were allayed within a week of their arrival. Bagnoli noted that the people of Grinnell have been remarkably generous to his family, who have been consistently awestruck by the range of opportunities available in the local school system and the people of Grinnell’s commitment to the youth. “We have terrific neighbors and have enjoyed getting to know the Iowa landscape, lakes, trails and eateries. We frequent various restaurants in Grinnell and always enjoy grilling at Rube’s in Montour,” Bagnoli wrote in an email to The S&B. Besides his positon in the college’s administration, Bagnoli is well known for spreading joy through pancakes. This started simply as a way to help his children forge friendships with students at their schools by inviting them over for pancakes after a home football game. Not knowing how Twitter functioned at the time, he suggested to his son that he invite as many people as he wanted. By the time he got home from the game, there was a line of kids out the front door! That began a multi-year tradition of serving pancakes to high school students after home football games. “Last Friday was the first home football game of the year and we had around 80 students and made about
175 pancakes. My kids insist that students show up because they like the pancakes (we make them from scratch) but I suspect they're looking for a fun way to spend time with friends outside of school and that's what I hope we offer.” Even his neighbors have played a role in the pancake gathering, many helping with ingredients and serving over the years. They’ve also been understanding of the crowd, the parked cars up and down the street and the tunes that reverberate into the night air when the door opens and closes to accommodate pancake eaters. Outside of pancakes and in spite of his busy schedule, Bagnoli tries to make it to every one of his children’s athletic and extracurricular events. His youngest, Cecelia, was a sixth grader when they arrived and is currently a senior at Grinnell High School. She actively volunteers for efforts related to cancer research, youth mentoring and even politics, working to raise awareness and support in the school community regarding diversity and appreciation of differences in the student body. Philip, a junior at Luther College, is currently in Rochester, MN for a year of classes and clinicals at the Mayo Clinic. He is following the footsteps of his sister Mariana, a recent graduate from Beloit College, who is currently pursuing a master’s in nursing at Marquette University. Meanwhile, Lilianna is serving as a field manager for Dimagi, a Boston-based software company, in New Delhi, where she trains frontline community healthcare workers to use technology to assist with diagnosis and treatment of illness in remote parts of India and Myanmar. “I must be the luckiest father on earth and I am profoundly grateful for every school, college, person and resource that has ever contributed to the young adults my children have become,” Bagnoli wrote. Until recently, much of Bagnoli’s free time went to completing a Ph.D., which he finished last year. Now he tries to play some golf from every
so often, spend time with his kids — whenever they're home — and his best friend, Julie. He also enjoys photography and music. In terms of his work at the College, Bagnoli finds the mission and work of Grinnell compelling and deeply satisfying, often being reminded of his own undergraduate experience as a student at Berea College in Kentucky. “I can't think of three commitments that more closely align with my professional aspirations than those espoused by Grinnell College — academic excellence, diversity and social responsibility,” he wrote. Bagnoli believes that the trustees, faculty, staff, administration and students are co-conspirators in a significant educational enterprise that inspires one and all to open themselves to the world they encounter and make it a better, more socially just place. “Although every school has something valuable to offer, I have never encountered any place like Grinnell College,” Bagnoli wrote. “What this College has made available to generations of Grinnellians and what they have contributed to the world is astounding. I feel lucky to come to work every day with people who want to have this kind of impact on the world.” “Nothing excites me more than meeting prospective students and their families,” Bagnoli wrote of his favorite part of his job. “Introducing them to the life-changing possibilities inherent in a Grinnell education never gets old.” Many years ago, the late Dr. William Parker, vice chancellor emeritus of minority affairs at the University of Kentucky advised Bagnoli to “be good for nothing,” as in, do good in the world without expecting a payoff. “The more I consider his counsel, the more convinced I become that it represents a certain path to social justice. So, that’s my pledge to the Grinnell community and my advice to Grinnellians everywhere — let’s be good for nothing!”
Nestled right next to the Gladbrook Theater, just 45 minutes north of Grinnell, is a museum housing marvelous sculptures no match for any competing art. In fact, this museum contains millions of matches, which serve as the primary material of the works displayed. Pat Acton, longtime resident of Gladbrook, Iowa, began building models out of matchsticks over 30 years ago. His sculptures range from just a few feet long to over eight feet tall. “It’s pretty amazing to take a pile of 30,000 matchsticks and actually get it glued together so that it resembles something as close as it does,” Acton said in an interview with Iowa Public Television (IPTV). His models, composed entirely of matchsticks, include replicas of the Millennium Falcon (910,000 matchsticks), the International Space Station (282,000 matchsticks), the Notre Dame Cathedral (298,000 matchsticks), Terrace Hill — the Iowa Governor’s Mansion — (193,000 matchsticks), the battleship USS Iowa (137,000 matchsticks) and, for all you Iowans out there, the Iowa Hawkeye’s logo (3,000 matchsticks). When Acton first began making models out of matchsticks, he did not make curves or shapes. Upon his daughter’s persistence, however, he eventually made Pinocchio, realizing that he could use pliers to curve the sticks. Since then, he’s started many projects, many of them standing in the Matchstick Marvels Museum in Gladbrook. Other models, some of which have been temporarily displayed in the Matchstick Marvels Museum, he has sold to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museums across the world. Now, since retiring from his job as a professional career counselor, he builds matchstick models full time. “I love working with my hands. I [used to be in a] job where I don’t use my hands or build or really see
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what I’ve done at the end of the day,” Acton told IPTV. “But my personality, I’m one that likes to see what I’ve done at the end of the day. And I get a great deal of satisfaction out of that and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that.” His first creation was a small, high-steepled church. When he began, he bought regular matches from the supermarket, cutting the sulfur tip off of each one. His only tools were a razor blade, a piece of sandpaper, a bottle of Elmer’s glue and, of course, the matches. “I just continued from there and got more and more intricate and detailed. And the scale of the model went from inches into feet, and from hundreds of matchsticks into thousands of matchsticks, and just continued to evolve,” Acton told IPTV. “Before I’d get one model done, I’d have four or five ideas for other things I wanted to see if I could make.” Although matchsticks are being sold in fewer and fewer stores, it has not stopped Acton. His model Steampunk “Plane Loco” is his biggest by far, using over a million matches — 1,029,000 to be exact. “I tell people that I’m going to have to learn how to make things out of BIC lighters because [matches] pretty much are a thing of the past,” Acton said in the interview with IPTV. Acton has received lots of praise and attention for his models, but he said that his family keeps him humble. Sometimes, when someone calls attention to the patience it takes to glue thousands and thousands of matches together, his wife “reminds people there’s all kinds of patience.” “When you get in closely and you look and you start seeing the number of matchsticks, and people start imagining the hours it would take to glue those thousands of matchsticks together, they’re just fascinated by it,” Acton told IPTV. “It gives a person a very big head. I think I’m just pretty neat when I walk away from those shows, but I come home and my family lets me know right away that I’m just dad.”
CONTRIBUTED
Pat Acton makes wildly detailed models out of matchsticks, like the model of Notre Dame above.
Grand opening of Hotel Grinnell
After nine years of construction, Hotel Grinnell had its grand opening to the public Thursday Sept. 7, featuring tours for the public. The S&B’s Kate Irwin attended the event and spoke to the owner and operator of the hotel. The outside of Hotel Grinnell emulates the modern, industrial look that is a feature throughout the entirety of the building. Even the logo of the hotel displayed near the front doors encapsulates this aesthetic.
Once I entered the hotel I was struck by a backlit, 10-foot-tall version of the Hotel Grinnell logo. If I did not know which hotel I was inside, there was no way I could forget now.
ANDREW TUCKER
At the grand opening of Hotel Grinnell, the public was given tours of the entire establishment, from rooms to the lobby.
The modern, industrial look carried over to the lobby. Large canvas prints that could only be described as the epitome of modern art decorated the walls alongside light fixtures that gave off the perfect degree of ambient lighting. The lobby spoke to the high-end aesthetic that radiated from the building. Once inside, I noticed exposed pipes on the ceiling, giving a classy warehouse vibe — rather Costco-esque, if you ask me. Next, I followed along a black and white tiled hall to the gym. Even the gym had class. A basketball court was illuminated by small lights dotting metal strips hanging along the ceiling. After leaving the gym, I walked down the hallway in search of the rooms. The color scheme inside Hotel Grinnell is a tasteful gray and black. I did not think it was possible, but the rooms at Hotel Grinnell took the class factor that runs through the hotel to a whole new level. The rooms were slightly smaller than I would have preferred, but for what they lacked in width they made up for in height. Each room had a high ceiling and large windows that made the space feel open and inviting. Marble sinks and open shelving units greeted me as I walked in. A large chalkboard hung near the bed, maybe placed there just in case a guest thought of an important thing as they drifted to sleep. More modern art
hung in the rooms. Artsy, multi-colored prints added color to the primarily white and black design of the room. Comfortable seating was readily available. A stool with a faux cow hide design accompanied the desk. A plush chair perfect for reading was nestled in the corner, with a light positioned at the perfect angle for reading a book. Hotel Grinnell also features bar and restaurant The Periodic Table. The space doubles as a common room, with games and comfortable seating throughout the space. The Periodic Table offers reasonably-priced food of a wide variety, along with a long list of adult beverages. The bar area contains high tables with mismatched bar stools, giving the space a classy, eccentric vibe. Succulents were not a rarity at Hotel Grinnell. The space as a whole had a Pinterest-like feeling, like the tasteful aesthetic one sees while perusing Pinterest but can never quite attain. The space that Hotel Grinnell occupies is perfect for the vibe. This building is close to all the hallmarks of Grinnell, making the space ideal for a downtown hotel. “This site really drove the project,” said Angela Harrington, owner and operator. Harrington hopes that Hotel Grinnell will not only be a space for visitors, but for the community as well. The hotel offers space for
events, a patio area perfect for casual dining, and a lounge area perfect for studying. Harrington wants Hotel Grinnell to be a place for college students to frequent. “This patio is open twenty-four hours, so at two in the morning, you can get a cup of coffee,” Harrington added. Not only does Hotel Grinnell offer the much-needed cup of coffee, but Harrington has also strategically placed outlets throughout the space to foster the perfect environment for the studious college student. The modern, industrial look was also something that Harrington desired. “I wanted it to look like Grinnell, but also to be very sexy and sophisticated and feel like you’re in downtown Chicago,” Harrington said. The iron furniture displayed throughout the entirety of the hotel has more than just functionality purposes. “The iron furniture kind of gives you a sense of the industry of the town’s past,” Harrington said. Harrington wants Hotel Grinnell to be able to give back to the city of Grinnell. All the iron furniture in the hotel was produced in Iowa. Hotel Grinnell uses local businesses in Grinnell for items such as rentals, printed materials and even art. “All that revenue [from people staying at Hotel Grinnell] is able to come into Grinnell. And that’s a really important part,” Harrington said.
Features
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Edited by mckechni@grinnell.edu
Meet the new professors on the block
MAI-VU PHUONG
From left to right, we meet Professors Maisha Kamunde-Devonish, Ryan Dawkins, John Garrison, and Yujing Chen. Each one of them is new to Grinnell this year. By Saiham Sharif and Quan Minh Tran sharifsa@grinnell.edu & tranminh2@grinnell.edu Each year, Grinnell welcomes not only new students, but also new professors. This week, Saiham Sharif and Quan Minh Tran took the chance to ask the new professors on campus about their path to Grinnell, their experience here so far and their plans for this new academic year.
Maisha Kamunde-Devonish, Chemistry
The S&B: Tell me about where you’re from? MK: I was born and raised in Long Beach, Calif. Go Jackrabbits! That’s my high school mascot. I think of it as a rather nondescript place, but apparently it has a lot of attractions, and people know where it is on a map, which, to me, is impressive. What do you think of Grinnell so far? When did you get here? MK: I got here actually, at the very end of June, the 29th. So, I’ve been here as faculty were coming in, and before any faculty got in here. So far, I’m really enjoying it. I came from a relatively fast place, but I’m much more of a small town person at heart. I like the fact that there’s no traffic. I like the fact that I can walk to work, and you know, if I leave anything at home, I can just dart back and come around. Everybody’s really nice, which I’m not used to, not being from the Midwest. But yeah, so far it’s been good. I’m a little nervous and petrified about winter, but I’ll think about that when it comes. I’m really enjoying my colleagues. What are you most excited for this year? MK: I’m actually really excited to see where my classes end up, how my students do, see how teaching goes and the progress we all make in the class, and I’m really excited for fall break. I’ve never had the experience of a week off just during the middle of the fall, and for the really long winter break. I’m also excited to teach the Advanced Inorganic class in the spring and design my own class, so to speak, and incorporate my own research into the things we do. What got you into your research? MK: I really sort of just stumbled into it. I had a lot of professors who said, “You should just do your own research,” and I found that, while doing my bachelor’s degree, I really enjoyed inorganic chemistry, general chemistry and physical chemistry, but not too much of organic. I liked inorganic chemistry because of the
fact that we worked with metals and were able to see colors. I did more material stuff when I was a grad student and then I stumbled into a bio inorganic lab, as a postdoc, and I realized that there’s so much more to inorganic chemistry than just putting metals together, non-carbon and non-hydrogen things. I really fell in love with the idea of combining some aspects of organic synthesis with inorganic chemistry, and then I ended up doing inorganic synthesis chemistry. I guess I did like organic chemistry after all since I do use some of it in my research. For me, it was really just serendipitous where people had these great projects, trying to look at enzymes and all that sort of stuff, being able to take nature and distill it into a lab or trying to do laboratory synthesis. I thought this is the coolest thing. My goal in life is to be as good as nature, which I don’t know if I’ll ever get to.
"I'm actually really excited to see where my classes end up, how my students do...and the progress we all make." Professor Kamunde -Devonish, Chemistry What is your favorite element? MK: My favorite element is Tungsten because it is the toughest metal.
Ryan Dawkins, Political Science
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? RD: I was born and raised in Colorado. Before coming to Grinnell, I taught at CU Boulder. This year at Grinnell, I will be teaching in the political science department. This semester, particularly, I will teach Political Psychology and Intro to Political Science. How did you end up in Grinnell? RD: Honestly, this is my dream job. [Grinnell is] like a dream school for me. When I first saw the job posting on the website, I dropped everything I was doing and applied instantly that morning. What are your highlights from your first full week at Grinnell? RD: So far, I couldn’t be happier. The students here are great, the degree of intellectual engagement from you guys has just been unparalleled. Every day in class, I can feel that students are really tearing apart the reading assignments. It just gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Does anything in the Grinnell bubble stand out to you?
RD: I really like the high-caliber student body and the small intimate liberal arts environment here. Grinnell offers a very interesting dynamic — a small town but with many interesting goings-on all around campus. What are you most excited for this year? RD: Waking up every morning, teaching. I’m doing exactly what I want to do. I get to wake up every morning, and talk about cool shit with kids that really care. What are your passions and hobbies? RD: I like working out. I’m a big fan of fantasy football, basketball. I’m also a big movie and TV person. I love film and love talking about it, especially in the Oscars season. Did you have any expectations when you came to Grinnell? RD: Not really. I found out pretty early in life that the more expectations about life you have, the less fulfilled you’re going to be. Therefore, I always try to approach the next chapter of my life with as few expectations as possible. This makes my transition easier.
"Honestly, this is my dream job. [Grinnell is] like a dream school for me. When I first saw the job posting I dropped everything I was doing and applied instantly that morning." Professor Dawkins, Political Science John Garrison, English
Coming to Grinnell, what did you expect? JG: I knew it was going to be a small town and I was looking forward to living in a small town. I realized you could get basically anything you want in Grinnell. There’s no Indian food, there’s no Thai food, but Grinnell has more than I expected. Where are you from? JG: I grew up in Lafayette, CA, which is right near Berkeley. What is your favorite course to teach? JG: I love teaching my Shakespeare course. Right now, I’m teaching two sections of the 100-level course on Shakespeare. It’s mostly first-year students and it’s really fun to open up the puzzle of Shakespeare. There are so many levels of meaning to Shakespeare that it’s great to have someone who can take you in and out all of the different levels. What are some of your favorite hobbies and passions? JG: I like ballroom dancing a bit.
I used to compete in ballroom and swing dance. We have an aging golden retriever, who is about sixteen years old, and I’ll take him for walks. I spent the summer swimming in the town pool, and now I’m swimming in the rec center. What are some of your favorite books? JG: I love “Hamlet” by Shakespeare, which I find just every time I came back to it, I see something absolutely new. I love this book “Youth” by James Coutiere, a South African writer, who writes incredibly beautiful prose. It’s a story of him moving from South Africa to London, and trying to decide if he wants to become a computer programmer or poet. I’ve always loved Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse.” It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful novel. I’ve always loved James Baldwin’s “Above my Head.” It’s a book that I come back to and reread for the gorgeousness of its sentences. How did you get into your research? JG: When I was an undergraduate, it was sort of the very early period of Queer Theory. It was when folks like Judith Butler were beginning to write and a lot of people were turning to the work of people like Michel Foucault, and really were thinking about how it could help them do new work in their disciplines. I came of age during a really exciting time when these new tools were emerging and also for me, when I was a teenager, in my early 20s, I was really very about sexuality and how it changed across history and cultures. When I came back to do my graduate work, it was a topic I returned to as I wanted to find out what the latest thing was, and how can literature to think about how gender and sexuality have been formed, based on their cultural contexts. What is your favorite quote from literature? JG: Hamlet says to his friend, Horatio, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” What’s appealing to me about that quote is that there’s always more to learn and there are always ways in which encountering new disciplines can help us dream of new ideas about how the world works.
Yujing Chen, Religious Studies Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? YC: This semester, as an assistant professor for religious studies at Grinnell, I will teach East Asian traditions and Buddhist traditions. For the next semester, I will teach
Religion in Modern China, East Asia religion and Zen Buddhism. How did you end up in Grinnell? YC: Before coming to Grinnell, I was a Ph.D. candidate at University of Florida. However, my major is in the humanities division so I have always preferred the liberal arts college environment, which places more emphasis on humanities majors than big universities do. I also enjoy teaching in small classes, which is one thing Grinnell never lacks. What are your highlights from your first full week at Grinnell? YC: So far, I’m very excited to be at Grinnell. No matter where I am on campus, I can always see my colleagues, my friends and my students. Does anything in the Grinnell bubble stand out to you? YC: I think Grinnell offers really strong networks and builds very close relationships among faculties. I’m very impressed with the numerous faculty meetings here. I didn’t have that many meetings back in University of Florida. What are you most excited for this year? YC: I’m planning to publish my article that I have been working on. Also, I will conduct a new research topic related to the connections between Taoism and Buddhism. Most of all, I hope to take a break to go visit my friends and parents.
"So far, I'm very excited to be at Grinnell. No matter where I am on campus, I can always see my colleagues, my friends and my students. " Professor Chen, religious studies What are your passions & hobbies? YC: I like yoga very much, it helps me relax. I also do meditation. Is there anything you’d like the Grinnell community to know about? YC: People at Grinnell will be able to recognize me very easily no matter where I am. Even though most people may not understand I’m a Buddhist nun, it’s very obvious for them to tell I’m different from others. Did you have any expectations when you came to Grinnell? YC: I actually didn’t have any expectations. When I first visited the College in May, I learned that students here are very active in class and discussion. Therefore, I’m not that surprised when classes started. I actually feel very happy about that.
Day in the life abroad in Ghana: Noah Segal '19
CONTRIBUTED
2:30 a.m.—"First Awakening" Wake up and check phone, engage in 15 minute conversation with someone back home (Midwest is 5 hours behind). Maybe pee? 2:45 a.m.—Back to sleep because this habit is unhealthy. 7:15 a.m.—"Second Awakening" Wake up, hit snooze, sleep again. 7:24 a.m.—"Third (and final) Awakening" Wake up, throw on clothes. 7:25 a.m.—Take antimalarial. Can't forget that sh*t. 7:26 a.m.—Greet my host mother and sit at dining room table. 7:30 a.m.—Breakfast is served. My host mother is an excellent cook and often over estimates my ability to eat large quantities. Breakfast of 3 egg omelet, avocado toast, sausage, and pineapple. My host siblings, Naa Dromo and Joel join me. 8:00 a.m.—SO FULL. Dress in business casual because everyone here dresses very nice. 8:10 a.m.—Begin walk to Ecomog Laststop and say good morning to construction workers across the street. Listen to Chance's Acid Rap because it is one of the few playlists I have downloaded from Spotify. 8:15 a.m.—Cram into packed trotro
(Ghanaian minibus) towards Haatcho. Practice my Twi with people sitting around me. 8:25 a.m.—Arrive at West Africa Aids Foundation for internship. Do a lot of sitting around and maybe some work? Take advantage of the Wi-Fi. On Wednesdays, I travel with a local nurse to do outreach about family planning. 12:30 p.m.—Walk to Haatso. Grab trotro headed towards Accra central. 12:50 p.m.—Get off early because I think I found a shortcut. Rarely is it actually a shortcut. Grab lunch of jollof rice and chicken along the way. 1:30 p.m.—Arrive at Twi class extremely sweaty and winded. Lie and say I spilled water on myself, and that's why I am dripping. Eat lunch in class and learn Twi with Ceci Bergman '19, Raayon Robinson '19, and Tyler Williamson '19. 3:00 p.m.Kill time and search for air conditioning and Wi-Fi. 5:30 p.m.—International Conflict, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights. Professor uses America for 95 percent of his examples of international conflicts. Interesting. 7:20 p.m.—Walk to main gate of
campus and take trotro towards Madina Market. Get off at Atomic Junction and catch a shared taxi towards Ecomog last stop. Get off at Cedars Medical Center and say good evening to construction workers across the street. 7:45p.m.—Dinner is served. Almost always contains yams, i.e. Yam balls, yam fries, boiled yam soup, yam meatballs, yam and stew, etc. I <3 yams 8:00 p.m.—Take cold shower. It's feels extremely refreshing after a long and hot day. 8:10 p.m.—Watch "Ghana's Most Beautiful" with host mom and sister. Discuss who we think will be kicked off in the weeks to come. 9:00 p.m.—Go back to my room and watch whatever show my host brother was able to acquire through questionable practices and download onto a flash drive. I'm not picky. I love television in all its forms. 10:30 p.m.—Sadly, run out of television to watch. Close laptop, get under my sheet, and pop in my headphones to listen to yesterday's episode of "This American Life." Fall asleep halfway through and have sweet, sweet, dreams.
Features
Edited by mckechni@grinnell.
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The great off-campus baking show
By Carter Howe howethom@grinnell.edu Many of the Grinnellians who live off campus no longer patronize the Dining Hall. These individuals have forgone the meal plan in favor of finding sustenance elsewhere. So what exactly do these people eat? The S&B’s Carter Howe checked it out. He talked with Irene Gilbert, Erhaan Ahmad, and Abdiel Lopez. The S&B: What’s the best dish you’ve cooked for yourself? IG: Probably salmon. That was just kind of a night where I wanted to do something fun … Pretty much anytime I cook meat is a very exciting night. I haven’t done anything too
complicated. It’s mostly just lemon. What’s the worst thing you’ve cooked?? IG: Twice I’ve like started to boil water for pasta, and then forgotten about it, and then remembered because, half an hour later, I’m really hungry, and I’m like, ‘didn’t I start to make dinner a while ago?’ and then I realize. I’ve ruined two pots now. They get like a nice brown powder on the bottom when all the water evaporates. Any sage cooking advice? IG: Never underestimate the value of eggs. What’s the best dish you’ve cooked for yourself? EA: I cooked up some fried chicken, but it was using almond flour
instead of like [regular flour], so paleo friendly breading without all those extra carbs and stuff. We used almond flour and I had some chili flakes and rosemary in the breading.
"Never Underestimate the value of eggs." Irene Gilbert '18 What’s the worst thing you’ve cooked? EA: I made a soup once. I have a juicer, so I made vegetable juice in the morning sometimes last semester. I was doing it every day, and I guess there’s a way you can use the remains, because they’re still good, so you can use them to make soup.
So I tried to make a soup out of that. But I guess I didn’t do it right. It didn’t taste very good, so that was probably the least successful experiment. Any advice for budding chefs? EA: Do your dishes as you cook 100 percent. Don’t ever get lazy, because then you’ll just get home, and you’ll be like, ‘ah the kitchen’s a mess.’ Any additional comments? EA: There’s lots of free food on this campus. So take advantage of all those talks and events and dinners. You’ll have so much variety, and that way, every time you go to the D-Hall, it’s actually like interesting. The S&B: What’s the best dish you’ve cooked for yourself? AL: Scrambled eggs with Cholula.
It’s super basic. I think it’s the most luxurious meal I’ve cooked for myself. What’s the worst thing? AL: Like raw vegetables, honestly. Do you have a staple dish? AL: Just like beans, avocados, tortilla, and that sh*t was good. Any last pieces of advice? AL: Meal prep is important. My friend does it, and I’ve been meaning to do it, but I really haven’t. It’s supposed to be really efficient and effective to plan out your week. And food stamps. Applying for food stamps and actually being proactive about getting them…And don’t be scared of the kitchen. Because I am and look at me, now. But hopefully I’ll be successful later on.
Food House: Get the Good Grub with a Great Group By Chloe Wray wraychlo@grinnell.edu
Crossing the street from behind Cleveland Hall, I found Food House, located on East Street in front of the student garden, its porch full of residents, eager to greet their dinner guests. One of Grinnell’s three Project Houses, and home to twelve students, the house is an intentional community committed to healthy and creative eating. Four nights a week, Food House opens its doors for a community meal. By RSVP-ing in advance, any student is welcome to partake in the meal. I was brought into the house and introduced to Charlotte Richardson-Deppe '19. This is her second year living in the house. Amidst the dinner atmosphere, she was able to give me an idea of just what Food House is, how it works, and the purpose it serves. Without any subsidizing from the College, Food House is completely self-operated. Each member cooks one meal, does dishes one night, completes one chore every week, and contributes $25 for food costs. The food budget is supplemented by the $3 guests are asked to pay for a meal.
“There are people who haven’t had much cooking experience and are dedicated to wanting to know how to cook. … It’s a good blend with people who are really gourmet,” Richardson-Deppe said. When asked about the meals typically eaten, in addition to them being fresh and vegetarian with a vegan option, Richardson-Deppe said, “I would say we do a lot of bowl meals. We had chili last night, we’re having couscous and a bean dish tonight. Emphasis on chickpeas.”
"I think our biggest act of hopefully radical social justice is creating a space for people to come together, take the time out of their day and actually eat together." Charlotte Richardson-Deppe '19 On any given Monday through Thursday, the members of Food House and five or six guests sit down in the house’s living room to a relaxed round of introductions and checkins. After eating, the group slowly
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Food house residents and guests share a communal meal. broke apart to do homework or clean up, while some hung back, taking a chance to chat a bit longer as a break in their days. “I think our biggest act of hopefully radical social justice is creating a space for people to come together, take the time out of their day and actually eat dinner together. I feel like in D-Hall, you may be sitting with friends, or you may not actually be sitting together, everyone’s overlapping and it’s kind of crazy. This is every day, at 6:15, these twelve people
and a rotating cast of guests sit down, eat dinner together, talk to each other.” This past week, both Facebook and bulletin boards have been plastered with posters and announcements encouraging students to sign up to receive a weekly emailing of Food House’s menu. “We really want to expand our outreach, because I think a lot of people don’t know about Food House, so we have been trying to revamp and make our email list really broad. I think widening our appeal and mak-
ing it ever more inclusive and known by the community as a resource is a good thing.” In addition to open community meals, Food House hosts dinners on behalf of the college for events like Writers@Grinnell. Last year, guests and faculty ate dinner at Food House for events like this. Historically, Food House has baked cookies for students studying at Burling, and hosted a Tiny Dorm Concert and an art show. They are hoping this year to host small events like scones and tea, or a pancake breakfast.
Laughter House 5: A Place of Love and Mystery and welcoming. The living areas host two undecorated Christmas trees, a reasonably functional antique 8-Ball and a set of decorative, non-functioning scales. The aesthetic is unique and developing, and the group of friends plan to acquire other decorations as they move in further. Their wish list includes speakers, light strings and a food processor. All of the beds are comfortable and the new residents received furniture and decorations from the previous residents.
It is a place of "pure women love and good vibes." Helen Lant'18 CONTRIBUTED
Bea Herce-Hagiwara, Helen Lant, Irene Gilbert, Maddi Danks and Rachel Buckner pose outside their home. By Jessica Kunzman kunzmanj@grinnell.edu The historic home at 1018 East Street has many names. To seasoned Grinnellians, it is the Garden House. To partygoers, it is the Basement House. But to Bea Herce-Hagiwara, Helen Lant, Irene Gilbert, Maddi Danks and Rachel Buckner, all ’18, it is Laughter House 5. These women live at 1018, a
self-proclaimed coven that fosters an atmosphere of love, friendship and mystery. According to Lant, the house “holds a feminine legacy.” The five friends came together through fate. While Herce-Hagiwara and Gilbert’s friendship predates Grinnell, the additional members came together in their early years at the College. When asked what makes the house special, Lant said “true love.” It is a place of
“pure women love and good vibes.” “There’s already drama in a lot of other houses,” Gilbert said. She explained that Laughter House 5 is not a home to drama, but to a cozy, warm group dynamic. This is not a place of passive-aggressive Post-it notes. Problems are dealt with head on and early on so there are no unaddressed issues. But the social climate in 1018 is not the only thing that is comfy
For all of its character, the Laughter House is not without its baggage. Last year, a resident fell in a hole in the backyard (which has since been covered). According to residents, the house is moderately haunted. There exist some mysterious cupboards and closets that they refuse to open. The upstairs closet hides a “F.R.I.E.N.D.S” poster that the residents unanimously agree is creepy. The basement bathroom is home to shower amenities with unknown owners. Adding to the supernatural aesthetic, Irene is a self-pro-
claimed ice cube demon. “Sometimes, someone comes running through the living room, holding two ice cube trays, yelling, ‘who didn’t refill these?’” Herce-Hagiwara said.
"Sometimes, someone comes running through the living room, holding two ice cube trays, yelling, 'who didn't refill these?'" Bea Herce-Hagiwara '18
Even with its mysteries, this house is among the best. “Having been to a party at pretty much every off-campus house in my four years, I can say this is probably one of the nicest. … It’s the perfect house,” Gilbert said. The house features a porch and seasonal areas. The upstairs is a winter area, ready for the holiday season. The summers are made bearable by central AC that keeps the temperature comfortable. Laughter House 5 is currently accepting applications for an experienced party planner looking to round out their portfolio who could plan a formal murder mystery dinner.
Sports
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Edited by schultej@grinnell.edu
Women's cross country Emmas reflect on their Grinnell experience as they gear up for a final season
JACKSON SCHULTE
Emma Luhmann '18 and Emma Zimmerman '18 smile outside their colorful house. Luhmann and Zimmerman are looking to lead the Grinnell women's cross country team to new personal and team heights this fall. By Jackson Schulte schultej@grinnell.edu Hanging out at their polka-dotted East Street house, Emma Zimmerman ’18 and Emma Luhmann ’18, also known as The Emmas, are doing homework with their friends on a gorgeous September evening. I’m welcomed through the back door, and we opt to sit outside on their picnic bench to talk cross country, Grinnell, life abroad and the special bond between the two Emmas. Emma Zimmerman and Emma Luhmann are in their fourth year at Grinnell, co-captains of the women’s cross country team, and are living together in the longtime women’s cross country house on East Street. The two have been friends since the middle of their first semester at Grinnell, and despite their different approach-
es to life at Grinnell and running, they seem to gel perfectly. At the annual cross country picnic on their first day of their first year, Zimmerman approached Luhmann and asked, “You’re the other Emma, right?” Luhmann gave a blank stare, until finally her father chimed in that yes, indeed, she is. Also named Emma, little did Zimmerman know, the two were approaching their first days at Grinnell quite differently. “[Grinnell] was just a really big transition from my high school,” Luhmann said. “I’m from a really small town [Dayton, Iowa], and a really small high school, so I guess coming to Grinnell’s campus where it’s so big and so diverse, with people from everywhere, it was a big shock
for me.” Zimmerman, on the other hand, felt like she’d found her place at Grinnell before she even arrived. “I was excited. It felt very much like my place more so than my high school. I’m from the east coast … no one from my town knew what Grinnell was.” Once settled into life at Grinnell though, the Emmas became close and never looked back. “By the time we went on fall break, we were pretty close. And a lot of that was facilitated by the team being like ‘oh, Emma and Emma,’ and just putting us together.” Now that they are fourth-years reflecting on their time at Grinnell, both Emmas noted the impact the women’s cross country team has had on their Grinnell experience. “I did things that I never would have tried, aside from running,” Luhmann said. “I really love how inclusive and supportive our team is,” Zimmerman added. “You don’t have to be a scoring runner. You can play just as significant a role by boosting team morale, and I think that’s important.” On the cross country course, Luhmann and Zimmerman have shared plenty of successes as well. They won a conference championship their first year, and last year they finished third in the conference and Luhmann and Zimmerman were the sole all-region honorees on their team. When asked about conference this year, both Emmas paused and smiled. “I love conference,” Luhmann
finally said. “We won conference my first year and it was one of my favorite experiences at Grinnell. I was crying. I think everyone was crying. We all work so hard and spend so much time together. … I think winning together is an amazing feeling and I hope that happens this year.” However, Luhmann does not want to define her final season by whether or not the team wins conference. “I think winning conference would be great, but I feel like it’d be added. I don’t think losing would mean we had a bad or wasted season,” she said. Zimmerman nodded in agreement, and added, “This season we’ve talked a lot about how different people have different goals and relationships with running, and respecting everyone’s reason why they do it and who they are. I also think what will make this a formative season is just a team that clicks. Creating a strong, cohesive team environment feels like success.” As Luhmann and Zimmerman gear up for a new season, they also seem to have a different mindset about running and Grinnell after their time abroad. Luhmann spent the spring semester in Copenhagen while Zimmerman was in Costa Rica. Each used their time abroad as a way to evaluate their personal relationship with running. “I really looked at my time abroad as a time to explore different parts of myself because I know this part of me. I know this person who runs all the time and focuses on staying fit,” Luhmann said. “So I ran when I wanted to, and if I went weeks
without running at all, it didn’t really phase me. It allowed me to develop a healthy, less obsessive relationship with running, and I’ve brought that back with me. It’s already made this season so much more enjoyable for me.” Zimmerman’s relationship with running is different. “For me, running is a love of mine. Even before it was competitive, when I was little, I’d just run because I love it,” she said. “I kind of woke up every morning wanting to run. But it was also good to realize that ‘yeah, I really do still do this because I love it.’” Now that The Emmas are back on campus, have practiced for a few weeks and are moved into their polka-dotted house, they both seem relieved to be back. “I think going abroad made us appreciate what we have at Grinnell so much more,” Luhmann said. The final unifying part of their Grinnell experience, they said, is going to be living in their house on East Street. There have been generations of women’s cross country runners living in their colorful home. “It feels more meaningful. We aren’t just living in an off-campus house, we’re living in ‘the house,’” Luhmann said. Needless to say, Emma L and Emma Z, as they are affectionately called by their teammates, are ready to start their season. The women’s team runs in their only home meet of the season, Les Duke Invitational, on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Grinnell College Golf Course, with the men’s race following.
Meet Elaine Marzluff, Faculty Athletics Representative By Kate Irwin irwinkat@grinnell.edu Elaine Marzluff does more for campus than teach chemistry — she also now works as the faculty athletics representative (FAR). Her role is to serve both academic and athletic interests by working closely with student athletes, coaches and faculty. There are two components of the role of the FAR. The first is to serve as the chair of the Physical Education Committee. On this committee, she and other committee members work with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) legislation and think about policies, procedures and rules for the Midwest Conference. In addition to Marzluff, members of the committee include Associate Athletic Director Erin Hurley, a male and female student athlete, Director of Athletics Andy Hamilton, and another faculty member for voting purposes. Together, the Physical Education Committee examines sports schedules and policies that pertain to the influence of athletics on a student's academics, such as missing
classes for sporting events. Marzluff and the Physical Education Committee work to find a balance between academics and athletics. "How do we minimize [a student missing class] but still allow the athletes to have their appropriate experience that we want them to have?" Marzluff presented as a question that the Physical Education Committee works to resolve. Marzluff also serves on committees for the Midwest Conference and for the NCAA. For both groups, she discusses legislative business and listens to faculty and students to decide Grinnell's institutional position in regard to athletics. Marzluff's second role as the FAR is to collaborate with student athletes, coaches and faculty to avoid and resolve conflicts. This facilitation is integral to student athletes’ college experience. Her job ensures that dissensions stemming from conflict between academics and sports are resolved in a manner that ensures both parties come to a fair resolution. "For most students I should hopefully be in the background. But sometimes coaches will refer students to me, particularly if they're
having a struggle in a class. I also work with faculty. If they feel like they're having an issue with an athletic schedule or student athlete, they might call me," Marzluff said. Recent student surveys have revealed that some students feel they needed to hide the fact they are an athlete because they feel like that could influence how their professor perceives them. This feeling is something that Marzluff is working to eliminate. "To me that's very troubling," Marzluff said. "That any student athlete would feel the need to hide their identity as an athlete from their faculty member." Another role of the FAR is to support the development of relations between faculty members and sports teams through the Faculty Athletic Mentoring Program. Each sports team is assigned a faculty member to serve as a resource for students and to support the team at competitions. This program not only supports students in their athletics, but also shows faculty what student athlete life is really like for Grinnell students. Serving as a mentor allows a faculty member to see the dedication and time that students are putting
into their sport and then develop a clearer understanding of what practices and competitions are like. "We want to minimize the tension, if there is a tension, between those [groups]," Marzluff said. Justin Thomas is currently the FAR for Grinnell, but Marzluff is covering for Thomas while he is abroad for the Grinnell-in-London program. Marzluff does have previous experience with this role, as she served as the FAR for Grinnell before Thomas took this position.
Marzluff's interest in the FAR position stems from her love of athletics. "I've been a long-time supporter of athletics, I go to a lot of athletic events, and when they had an opening I came in,” Marzluff said. Although Marzluff supports all Grinnell athletics, her favorite sports to watch here are basketball, baseball and swimming. "Those are probably my favorite sports, but I try to get out to see contests for all sports.”
MAI VU PHUONG
Elaine Marzluff is the Faculty Athletic Representative for the 2017-2018 school year. She's a long-time athletics supporter and advocate for athletes.
New coach Eric Ragan brings new approach to volleyball By Amelia Johnson-Post johnsonp@grinnell.edu New Pioneer volleyball coach Eric Ragan ’12 is bringing a new energy to the Pioneer volleyball team. Ragan's system emphasizes communication, inclusivity and non-punitive instruction during practice. After qualifying for the conference tournament last year, the team is hoping to achieve back-to-back winning seasons, something the team has not done since 2001. Going forward this season, team members Margaret Giles ’18 and Sydney Vrecenar ’18 say that Ragan's coaching will catalyze this effort to repeat last season's success. Team building is stronger than ever under Ragan’s guidance, and behind every successful team is open communication. "I think communication played a huge role in our team's culture shift,” Giles said. “Creating an atmosphere where everyone felt that their voice could be heard was vital. In the day to day, the most obvious shift [since Ragan's arrival] was the increased positivity in our interactions.” Coach Ragan's influence has tangibly changed results from practice to gameday. "Coach has implemented things
SARAH RUIZ
in all sorts of areas of our practices that encourage this new environment. For example, Coach has made us all change the way we serve so all of us are trying to learn to jump float,” Vrecenar said. “To encourage us to aggressively give it a shot, there's a rule that
when we play in most drills, a missed serve doesn't count as a point for the other team. As a result, we served incredibly well this past weekend.” Ragan's culture shift has trickled down to impact the way the team interacts with one another.
“Right before we start warming up for a match, we have what we call a ‘psych up,’” Giles said. “Someone on the team puts together an activity, anything from a game to a playlist to dance to, that gets everyone into the same mental space. Everyone person-
alizes their psych up to make it their own, so it's fun to see what people come up with.” Wins and losses aside, the women's volleyball team seems to be in the right mindset for whatever comes their way.
Arts
Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu
Spotlight on Grinnell's student-run dance groups Salseros de Grinnell
Swing Society
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Grinnell Bollywood Dhamaka
Aru Fatehpuria fatehpur@grinnell.edu
Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu
Keli Vitaioli vitaioli@grinnell.edu
Salseros de Grinnell is more than one may think. Some people think it is a club where you learn salsa dance. Others think it’s a place to eat chips and salsa. But for Katherine Ackerman ’18, it is much more than that. Before joining the club in her first year at Grinnell, Ackerman was the kind of person to “stand in the corner at a dance." Salsa changed it all. Now she pulls out moves from her repertoire at a Harris and even goes social dancing back home in Boise, Idaho and occasionally in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. The club, which meets every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., holds introductory lessons for Salsa and Bachata and builds up to more complex moves and additional styles. Its main goal is to get people dancing. The club also puts on a few performances a year with a showcase in the spring. Salseros de Grinnell plans to perform at the Latin American Festival this year, as well as possibly hold a second multi-group dance performance at the end of the fall semester. The pieces range from solos to group partner work and are all self-choreographed. As of now, the club is led by Rachel Ward ’18, Emily Gold ’19 and Katherine Ackerman ’18 and has 10 members. Ackerman says that Salsa not only gave her confidence, but also it has also served as a great opportunity to meet new and different people from all walks of life. It is an incredible transitional activity as almost every city has social dancing. Salseros de Grinnell is currently planning on at least one performance this semester, maybe two, but they’re easy to spot — you just need to follow the blasting Latin music.
“If you’ve ever seen Dirty Dancing it’s like that, but not quite,” says Swing Club student leader John Zbaracki ’20. Grinnell’s swing dancers focus on East Coast Swing and the closely related Lindy Hop, partner dances set to music from the 40s and 50s. “The thing I love about swing is there’s so much room for individualism and really making the dance between you and your partner special,” Zbaracki said. “You really control every aspect of it.” The countless possibilities make swing a fun dance to watch and take part in. It might not be exactly like Dirty Dancing, but you could definitely have the time of your life. Similarly to Contra, the Swing Society heads to Ames on an almost monthly basis to dance with Iowa State students. They meet every Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Bucksbaum Dance Studio. To get involved email swing@grinnell.edu or reach out to the leaders of the society, John Zbaracki ‘20 and Miriam Tibbetts ’19.
The Grinnell Bollywood Dhamaka group, begun in 2015 by Krishna Mudwari ’18 and Aditi Munshi ’19, is gearing up for a comeback this year at Grinnell. After lying dormant last year, Bollywood Dhamaka hopes to expand its activity on campus with bi-monthly workshops. They feel this will be more beneficial to both the group members who are balancing other on-campus commitments and also to participants who will ideally be able to walk away from each workshop with a minute of choreography mastered. The group also hopes to perform at the ISO Cultural Evening again, as they did in 2015. The dance style places an emphasis on facial expressions, something not emphasized in other groups on campus. “What’s interesting about [Bollywood dance] is that in a lot of other dance styles you use a lot of your body to express something and it’s very interpretive,” said member Nandita Banik ’20. “Bollywood is interpretive but you use a lot of your face and expressions in comparison to a lot of other dance styles that makes it more unique. … In Bollywood dance it is very common when you’re dancing that you lip-sync the lyrics, which is not something you do in other dance styles.” For Banik, the group is an accessible way to unwind, as the only necessity is a desire to learn about Bollywood dance and culture. “I love how fun it is, how you can have a really stressful day and just relax and have fun and just go for it. Not to take away from the skill, because it is a skillful art form for sure, but also it is something that any could do if they wanted to enter into it, so I think that makes it more accessible to people,” Banik said. “That’s why it’s more fun to do it in a group because everyone can participate in it.”
Contra Dance
KGY: Koreagraphy
Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu
Hallela Hinton-Williams hintonwi@grinnell.edu
Contra dance, an American dance style derived from English folk dancing, requires a caller who announces moves, which the dancers then carry out to the tune of fiddle music. It is similar to square dancing, except that you dance with a partner. “We say if you walk you can Contra dance, because it’s very easy to learn and it’s very easy to teach,” said Contra Club student leader John Zbaracki ’20, At the beginning of each weekly meeting, the Grinnell Contra Club walks through the steps of their first dance. Then the music starts and so do the steps announced by the caller. The dancers get through six songs for each hour-long meeting, with the option to either follow simple steps or add their own individual flourishes. In Contra, dancers do not remain with the same partner the entire time but instead interact with everyone in the room, making it a highly social dance style. The Contra Club takes a trip to Ames once a month to dance with Iowa State. It will also hold a dance in Grinnell this November, featuring a live band and open to the public. As Zbaracki said, “You can come anytime and you don’t have to know anything—we’ll teach you.” Contra meets from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Bucksbaum Dance Studio and is currently co-led by John Zbaracki ’20, Cameron Chen ’19 and Miriam Tibbetts ’19. To get involved, e-mail contradance@ grinnell.edu or check out the website, https://grinnellcontra.wordpress.com/
Grinnell’s Koreagraphy dance group (KGY) has been an institution at the College for many years. The group teaches and performs hip-hop and K-Pop style dance and choreography. Kat Su ’18, one of KGY’s co-leaders, says it is a friendly environment and a place where students should feel free to move their body in the way they want to. The club is tight-knit with 15 to 20 members and three co-leaders. “[At ISO] the dance I taught was only four members, and the choreography was really, really special. Each person had their own solo, so it was nice to rotate around and give everyone the opportunity to be at the front of the stage and have the spotlight,” Su said. “We also did the stunt where we threw Bangjie [Wang ’20] over someone’s head, that got the crowd really loud. It was so much fun, we were really happy about it.” The choreography is chosen by the co-leaders, who gather their material from K-Pop music videos and Korean choreographers. They then choose a mirrored version on YouTube and determine the dance’s alignment according to the club’s themes, level of difficulty and fun. This year, they are trying to implement new dances inspired by SM Entertainment’s “Spectrum” and various Korean choreographers. “One thing that makes Koreagraphy Koreagraphy is just within the name. We don’t necessarily teach technique as much. Korean dancing usually specializes in the synchronization of everyone because it is a very collective dance. Everyone has to be very detailed every single second,” Su said. “For us, we don’t concentrate on synchronization, we concentrate more on getting the moves down, getting to point A to point B.” Anyone who is interested can join KGY at their twice-weekly practices. You can see them perform at the Mid-Autumn Festival in collaboration with the Chinese Student Association, at International Student Orientation, at one of the semester’s drag shows and at the dance showcase.
ALL PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED
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Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu
Charlotte Richardson-Deppe
“I think art is the most radical thing you can do in a capitalistic society. Art disrupts everything." Molly Nelson nelsonmo@grinnell.edu In high school, Charlotte Richardson-Deppe ’19 swung from the trapeze in circus shows and performed in musical productions. Now at Grinnell, Richardson-Deppe lives in Food House and is a studio art and gender, women and sexuality studies double major. Her art here looks a little different. Soap infused with pieces of raw meat. Plastic pill bottles and toothbrushes wrapped in translucent handmade paper. Three drawings of prairie grass, all five feet in height. A dance involving a sculpture of a pair of horns made out of plywood and glue. Richardson-Deppe is now intent on taking two studio art classes per semester and making art her career. But while Richardson-Deppe had extensive experience in the performing arts coming into college, it was only during her first year at Grinnell that she discovered her passion for creating visual art. “I think I had really internalized at a young age that if you aren’t good at [realistic life drawing], then you can’t do art,” Richardson-Deppe said. “And I think a lot of people internalize that and don’t realize that you have to practice drawing to be good at it, and you don’t have to be a good drawer to be an artist.” During her first studio art class, Richardson-Deppe realized her own misconceptions about drawing. Her love for art was solidified in her second year under the mentorship of Professor Lee Running, whose class “rocked her world.”
“I think a lot of people internalize that and don’t realize that you have to practice drawing to be good at it, and you don’t have to be a good drawer to be an artist..” Charlotte Richardson-Deppe '19 Now in her third year, Richardson-Deppe refuses to be confined to one medium. She choreographs and performs dances, is president of the Grinnell Singers, draws and sculpts. Richardson-Deppe often combines
multiple forms of media, like in her piece “Horns,” a dance involving a sculpture of horns she created out of wood and her original choreography. During the creative process, Richardson-Deppe allows the material she is working with to inspire her art. For the final project for her Chemistry of Artists’ Materials class, Richardson-Deppe and her friend Anne Rogers ’19 were inspired by the contrast of how society views plastic versus handmade paper. “Like with the handmade paper, we were thinking about the materiality of it, thinking about since it’s handmade people treat it so carefully … because so much labor went into it and it’s so intensive and it’s so elevated, and then we think about mass-produced plastic.” The resulting sculptural installation, “Shelf Life,” comprises around 150 plastic objects packaged in thin handmade paper.
“I just love to lift things and I love to climb ladders and I love to work really big." Charlotte Richardson-Deppe '19 “It looks like packaging, like plastic packaging, but it’s flipped. It’s plastic objects inside a handmade thing.” Richardson-Deppe points out that while plastic is cheap and pervasively used in society, it will outlive its creators in landfills and the environment. Handmade paper, however, is biodegradable. “Shelf Life” will run in Smith Gallery in the JRC from September 18 to 29. While Richardson-Deppe purposefully tries to avoid putting specific themes in her work, she admits to enjoying art that has a component of athleticism. “I think I do tend to make art that has to do with bodies, at least when I do sculptures or performances or dances, just because I like putting my body in the work a lot. I love dancing,” she said. “And I think when I’m working on things, I just love to lift things and I love to climb ladders and I love to work really big, like with those big prai-
rie drawings where I’m just lying on the floor, drawing on the floor.” Over the summer, Richardson-Deppe worked with Professor Celeste Miller, dance, to research how technology can be used in dance-based collaborative projects in comparison to face-to-face collaboration. The project was called Digital Bridges to Dance and was funded by Digital Bridges for Humanistic Inquiry, a collaboration between Grinnell College and the University of Iowa.
“Food and community and art are the staples of everything.” Charlotte Richardson-Deppe '19 The project often involved a “choreographic exchange” wherein Richardson-Deppe and Miller would send videos back and forth, sharing small pieces of dance. Richardson-Deppe also sometimes reacted to dance videos by making zines that interpreted the message of a dance. While art is generally not thought of as research intensive, Richardson-Deppe is sure that creating art is research in and of itself. “The way I like to do research and make my academic arguments is in these art projects where you make someone think of something new, like when you read a paper and think ‘ah, I hadn’t thought of that before.’” Richardson-Deppe wants to encourage everyone to create art, whether that be through visual or performance arts, or anything from writing poetry to cooking beautiful desserts. “Food and community and art are the staples of everything,” she said. Richardson-Deppe described how art was especially important in bringing the community together at Grinnell during election week. Professor Running helped organize “sew-ins” in order to create a banner for the Standing Rock protesters. “I think art is the most radical thing you can do in a capitalistic society,” Richardson-Deppe said. “Art disrupts everything.”
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Richardson-Deppe's art refuses to be pinned to one medium. She utilizes sculpture, zine-making and dance, just to name a few.
Writers @ Grinnell: Roy Scranton
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Roy Scranton answered questions at a roundtable in JRC 209 on Thursday afternoon, and read from "Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization" that evening. Roy Scranton is the author of "Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization" and the novel "War Porn." His essays, journalism, short fiction, and reviews have appeared widely. The S&B's Saiham Sharif '20 sat down with him to discuss his writing process, hurricanes and climate change. How would you describe your writing process? Well, it depends on the project. The simplest way to describe the writing process is I gather the materials and sit down every morning and write. But really, it’s dependent on whether I’m working on a novel or a piece of journalism with a deadline or the scholarly monograph I’m working
on right now or conceptual work like “Learning to Die in the Anthropocene.” But the broad outlines are pretty straightforward. I just pile a bunch of things together and work through it slowly day by day. You mention these different genres. You’ve written poetry, journalism and fiction in the past. Do you find yourself attracted to any of these labels? How did you find your medium of expression? Well, one has to, I suppose, negotiate with these labels and sort of the readerly expectations that come along with them. As you mentioned and as I mentioned, I write nonfiction and fiction. I have written poetry, though I don’t regularly anymore. The main
thing I’m interested in is prose and I guess the reason that I favor working in prose, over say working with poetry … is that [prose] is the mode by which you can do certain kinds of non-fiction — journalism, essays and so on, for a broader audience. You can’t do that with poetry, but also, the main distinction for me between poetry and prose is one that Gertrude Stein makes: The unit of composition for poetry is the line and the unit of composition for prose is the paragraph. I think more in paragraphs than I do in lines, which is part of why I’m bad at Twitter. That’s the nut of it there. You’ve written about hurricanes in Texas before. What are your thoughts on hurricane Harvey?
Hurricane Harvey was a terrible disaster and it’s going to be worse the next time. The thing with Harvey is that it flooded Houston, but they don’t have to address, or, deal with the problem of storm surge, as we’re seeing in Irma. A strong storm can knock things over and blow water over it. You know, that piece in The Times that was a short version of a more extended piece that got published in a finished art magazine. … It was trying to bring attention to some of the problems in Houston and places like Houston, where our cities and the people who live there and the government institutions aren't ready for the disasters that are coming and are increasing. It was a warning, but at the same time, it was trying to think through the fact that we’re not prepared and it looks like we’re never going to be. This is something I address at length in “Learning to Die in the Anthropocene.” It’s not that people have their head in the sand. It’s more of a case that people are working in the institutions that exist, with the governmental bodies that exist within city councils, country organizations, state legislatures and federal government. There are competing interests and economic interests. There are competing plans. All of it works marvelously to create a logjam, where nothing happens, without some cataclysmic motivation. And that seems to be what we’re stuck with, you know. The kind of governmental institutions that have been built around a carbon fuel economy and they’re not going to be adequate in speech or scope to deal with the world we live in now — the world of
Harvey, Irma, Katrina and Sandy. We have these two competing paths of predicting climate change — the science fiction novel and non-fiction. Would you say one of them is more effective than the other? “Effective at what?” is the question I want to ask. Science fiction is not just about imagining the future. What science fiction is mostly about is the present. It’s a fantasy place where we can work out the ethical dilemmas, the moral problems, the anxieties and the hopes that we live with today. We project them onto the future. And so, it’s very effective for that. … A lot of people see climate change as an economic opportunity, a political activity. Science fiction is effective in those ways. Non-fiction is effective in different ways. In “Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene,” the point isn’t to freak people out. The point, my hope, with that book is that people who are freaked are able to read it and come to a more judicious, less alarmed relationship with understanding climate change. … After a certain point, most people have their worldviews formed and they’re no longer amenable to information that goes against their world and they’re more often looking for information that confirms their world. For better or for worse, most climate change nonfiction gets listed as evidence for an argument. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the time or the inclination to understand the world from a better, fresh perspective every time they think about something. Being a student is a full-time job.
Opinions
Edited by fentonma@grinnell.edu
IoWhat is Going on in Politics? Why local politics matter by Austin Wadle
A common mantra post-Trump is that Democrats need to focus their efforts on building a bench. Our two major candidates in the 2016 election, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, both served many decades in the public eye and in elected service. Further down the ballot, however, were state and local candidates who received paltry media coverage and representation. In some ways, our perception of the rising stars in politics is built by the media we consume, who our friends are and where we might live. Being isolated from local politics is symptomatic of a failure to recognize its importance.
Here in Poweshiek County, through the work of Supervisor Diana Dawley, our board has been able to supplement mental health by expanding the county services at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. Before the race for Democratic National Convention Chair, Pete Buttigieg was as obscure as his name is hard to pronounce. The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg had a small following in some parts of the LGBTQ+ community as the first openly gay mayor of his city. After being reelected as mayor by a wide margin, he saw the DNC Chair race as an opportunity to share his experience uniting his town around unapologetically progressive policies. Granted, this didn’t pan out — on the day of the vote, he pulled his candidacy and left the race between Representative Ellison and Secretary Perez. But now, a whole host of activists, donors and party leaders know him by name even if they can’t pronounce it. When people discuss the Democratic bench, they often think in terms of the future statewide and federal offices that candidates could fill. This is certainly not the worst frame of reference to have. We need good experienced candidates to run in all of these positions. The best part about getting progressives elected to those offices is that they can do good work right now and not wait to hold state or federal office.
County governments in Iowa have led progressive change, while our state government has been controlled by Republicans for the past few years. It was three Democratically controlled counties (Polk, Linn, and Johnson) that raised their minimum wages. Johnson County has started issuing county IDs for those that need documentation, given that traditional routes may not meet the specific needs of undocumented people. Here in Poweshiek County, through the work of Supervisor Diana Dawley, our board has been able to supplement mental health by expanding the county services at Grinnell Regional Medical Center.
When people discuss the Democratic bench, they often think in terms of the future statewide and federal offices that candidates could fill. This is certainly not the worst frame of reference to have. The way that Johnson County raised its minimum wage underscores the vital importance of municipal and local elections. Each municipality in Johnson County had to individually approve the minimum wage increases. For some of the city governments this was a no brainer. Iowa City passed the increase easily. In the case of the City of Solon, the wage raise failed. City councils that mainly focus on mundane policies like trash collection really can have an important say in many issues but many times choose not to. Solon chose to stick to the statewide minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. In the end, the progress on minimum wage made by these local governments was made null by the state government through pre-emption. All of this progress points to something that I have been telling as many people I can: vote in local elections, find local candidates you like and fight for what you want to see. There are already some very exciting candidates here in Iowa. After being held by one of the most prolific Republican fundraisers in the state of Iowa, Des Moines City Council Ward 3 is now a race between an environmental lawyer, Joshua Mandel, and President of the Iowa chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, Abshir Omar. This is just one example of the progress that can happen on the local level right now. And as a reminder, this election, and all other municipal elections in Iowa, is Nov. 7, 2017. Grinnell will have an open mayor’s seat, an at-large city council race and first and third wards up for election this November. These are non-partisan races, so it’s up to us as voters to make sure we’re up to speed. I know I’ll be keeping an eye on The S&B and the local community to make sure I’m as educated as possible — I hope you’ll join me.
Letter to the editor: American studies on unamerican policies The American Studies Concentration hereby expresses our support and concern for students impacted by the recent rescinding of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Dreamers are a part of the complex American experience and a valuable part of the Grinnell College community. While the American Studies Concentration at Grinnell College cannot change this decision, we urge every Grinnellian and every American to support individuals previously protected by DACA. We urge the administration and our colleagues to advocate for legislation to protect Dreamers. We strongly
urge Grinnell College to take a proactive position and provide legal support to students affected by the executive decision ending the DACA program. In this context, we urge everyone to become very well informed on the laws, policies and guidelines that are currently in place and under debate. Dreamers are now in an even more vulnerable and difficult position. Those of us who can speak out, protest, educate, support and fight with laws and words should get to work. - American Studies Concentration
Sexplanations: Condom Conundrums
Sexplanations is an anonymous Q&A column to increase access to information regarding sex, sexual health, sexuality, relationships and the promotion of sexual respect at Grinnell College. Questions are answered collaboratively by the Sexual Health Information Center (SHIC), the Stonewall Resource Center (SRC) and the Office of Wellness and Prevention. Submit questions at https://goo.gl/ forms/buyQ1aZWhdcDspUx2 Where can I get condoms on campus? How many can I get? How do I use them? Thanks for the help, Condom Conundrum Hi Condom Conundrum, Using condoms and dental dams is the best way to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and demonstrate that you care about both your health and the health of your partner, so we’re glad you asked! There are many places on campus where you can get condoms and dental dams. Most community advisors (CA) will have a bag of condoms and dental dams on the bulletin boards outside their door. Student Health and Counseling Service (SHACS), located in the forum, also has condoms, dental dams and lube available. Sexual Health Information Center (SHIC), located in the lobby of Main Hall also has a wide variety of condoms and dental dams available for free. Most of these places request that you only take a few items each time you visit. Before you use a condom or dental dam and even while you’re using them, it’s necessary that you and your partner are both clearly and enthusiastically consenting to sexual activity. It’s then important to check the expiration date and feel for an air bubble inside the package to ensure that the protection you’re using isn’t damaged. To use a condom with a consenting partner, remove the condom from its packaging, making sure to carefully tear open the wrapper — never use your teeth or scissors. If the condom looks old, brittle or damaged — even if the expiration date is good, get a new condom. Next, place the condom on the tip of the penis making sure it is placed so that it can roll down. Then, with one hand, pinch the tip of the condom so that it extends a little past the tip of the penis. With your other hand, roll the condom down the shaft of the penis until it is secure. Make sure to hold the condom at the base of the penis when inserting it into your partner,
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pulling out of your partner, immediately after ejaculation and when changing positions. If varying between oral and penetrative sex or if the condom has slipped off or looks damaged during intercourse, use a new condom. Always throw used or damaged condoms in the trash. If you still have questions, feel free to stop by SHIC or SHACS, or check out reliable online resources such as Bedsider, Planned Parenthood and Go Ask Alice. How do you start a conversation with your friends about sexuality? Thanks for all the advice, Looking for support Hey Looking for Support, We’re glad you felt comfortable to ask us, and just like you jumped right in with this question, we recommend you take a breath and plunge into the gritty of it with your friends. Sometimes hints and subtle suggestions to signal queer sexuality will get reactions from friends that can serve as entry points to conversation, but there’s also a big potential that they’ll be swept to the wayside and leave you feeling like dust. Being vague or non-self-referential (like, hey, how about that new legislation that’s ironically fucking all the gays out here?) can definitely be helpful for figuring out where your friend’s queer sexuality awareness is at, but again it can lead to misunderstandings or nasty political debates. This isn’t a knock against using these tools — they are survival strategies after all. I prefer bluntness in these matters. “So, um, I think I’ve been feeling some attraction to guys.” Such directness lays out my respect for my friend. If they say they’re my friend and they support me, then I’m trusting them to follow through with their support whether it’s for my mental health or because I want to spoon the cute boi in anthro. In my experience, one of three things happen here. One, they get weird and defensive and act incredulous. Two, they politely nod but keep a measured distance. Sometimes they just need some time to process and work through stigma and discomfort before fully engaging. Or three, they perk up, lean in and the discussion really gets cooking. It’s a mixed bag, but for me it’s better than having to play games. If you need some quality queers to talk this out with, come by the Stonewall Resource Center (SRC) located in Younker Pit! For more structured and guaranteed interactions, get involved with: Asexuality/Aromantic Spectrum Support Network [ASN] on Wednesdays at 9 p.m.; Queer People of Color [QPOC] on Tuesdays at 9 p.m.; or Queer Mentorship Program by emailing [QMP].
Slice of Life by Seungyun Chong
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 Michel Foucault
SPARC Policy The Scarlet & Black is published on Fridays by students of Grinnell College and is printed by Times Republican of Marshalltown. The newspaper is funded in part by the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC) and also relies on advertising revenue to cover operating costs. All publications funded by SPARC are copyright of SPARC and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without specific written consent from SPARC. Contributions The Scarlet & Black welcomes story ideas from students, faculty and other members of the town and college community. If there is any story that should be covered, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu or visit thesandb.com Send letters to the editor via email at newspapr@grinnell.edu or mail them to Box 5886. The author’s name must be included, but letters can be published anonymously in certain occasions. 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. Advertising Advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager, Riley Murphy, who can be reached at sandbads@ grinnell.edu or by mail at 1115 8th Avenue Grinnell College Box 5886, Grinnell, IA 50112.
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Back Page Volume 134, Issue 3
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"My cow is not pretty, but it is pretty to me." — David Lynch
Arbitrary Analysis Social Calendar
Witches
Wizards
Snedge
This week, Mira Berkson '20 and Amanda Weber '21 polled students asking: Natural Musk or Lilac Perfume?
Friday
8:00 p.m. SAMs Campout @ Bonfire Pit 9:30 p.m. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 @ Harris Cinema
Saturday
CANDACE METTLE
North Loggia
9:00 a.m. Women's Tennis vs. Beloit/Lake Forest @ ATHL Fieldhouse 10:00 a.m. Les Duke Cross Country Meet @ Grinnell College Golf Course 10:00 p.m. Beach Harris @ Harris Center Concert Hall
Like what you see?
Curse you, bacteria! Bless you, NyQuil!
- EVERYBODY
The Signs as D-Hall Desserts
Aries: Chocolate whoopie cake Taurus: Apple pie Cancer: Anything vegan Leo: Orange Dreamsicle cake Virgo: Grasshopper bars
South Loggia
Libra: Nutella/strawberry cream puffs Scorpio: Gooey butter cake Sagittarius: Surprise cake Capricorn: Sugar cookies
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Stressed and sleepy and sick
Horoscope:
Gemini: Pumpkin pie
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Rants & Raves:
Warlocks
Aquarius: Chocolate lasagna Pisces: Orange poppy seed cookies 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]
Police Presence
On the DACA Debacle
Minaj Musings
Friendly reminder that if someone is brutalized by the police it is NEVER the fault of the victim's actions.
Let's stop Trump from repealing DACA: text RESIST to 50409 and a bot will help you write a letter to your senators. It's so quick and easy, there's no reason you shouldn't do this. Let's flood their inboxes in support of our Dreamers.
What does it even mean to "Beez in the Trap?" Please help me, my family is dying.
- Student against police brutality
- Katie Parrish '18
- Sleepless in South Campus
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