Opinions Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds... page 9
Arts "I think it's more annoying than painful."
Features "The sound of the cicadas could lull me to sleep." page 8
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Scarlet & Black Volume 134, Issue 5
Union plans to represent all student workers
By Kate Irwin irwinkat@grinnell.edu
September 22, 2017 • Grinnell, Iowa
thesandb.com
Multiple bias incident reports lead to ACESS policy changes SGA sets new guidelines regarding threats to the student body By Vera Kahn kahnvera@grinnell.edu
This week, Student Government Association (SGA) mobilized to change policies regarding the reporting of bias-motivated incidents in light of a recent incident. The bias-motivated incident in question occurred in Gardner Lounge during a party when a group of white attendee’s sang the n-word, which threatened many students at the party. The incident was included in the student security chief’s report. From there, it made its way to the SGA cabinet’s agenda for their weekly meeting. In response to the incident, there will now be a clause in Gardner party host contracts specifically addressing bias-motivated incidents, according to co-All Campus Committee Chair Selah Mystic ’19. Reports of bias-motivated incidents that come to the attention of the student security chief can result in a phone call to the ACE chairs and a conversation with the host of the party. Reports can also result in the party being shut down, although Mystic emphasized that they would be careful not to set a precedent of “shutting every party down.” Grinnell College defines bias-motivated incidents as “expression[s] of hostility toward a person, group or property thereof because of such person’s … identifying or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, religion, disability or creed.” The Campus Life Policies guide notes that while
On the lawn of Nollen House on Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) announced their plan to unionize all student workers on campus. Until now, UGSDW has only included student dining workers. "We want to advocate for the rights of everyone on campus. We want to go beyond that and be more inclusive," said UGSDW Vice President Quinn Ercolani '20. To stand for all student workers, a majority of student workers must sign agreement cards that permit UGSDW to represent them. "We think elections are kind of unrepresentative, you're not able to make it to the voting place, you weren't told about it, just a majority of people who voted. So we think the better thing is getting a full majority of all workers," added UGSDW President Cory McCartan '20. UGSDW also sent President Kington a letter that explained their efforts and contained a neutrality agreement that UGSDW challenged him to sign. The neutrality agreement is essentially a promise that the College will not interfere with the unionization process or engage in policies that pose a threat to unionization. The other component of this neutrality agreement asks the College recognize the representation of all student workers if UGSDW collects a majority of signed cards. UGSDW wants to be transparent to all student workers during this campaign. In an effort to facilitate these conversations and answer questions, UGSDW has planned three town hall meetings. These townhalls are scheduled from 8 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1. Card signing began immediately after the announcement. UGSDW will collect cards until they hold a majority of cards from student workers. This process will extend beyond the fall if needed; the action will last as long as it takes to gather a majority of signed cards. After a majority is accumulated, the cards will be sent to a third party for a card check. This way students who signed the cards will remain confidential and the number of cards will be verified by someone who is not affiliated with either the College or UGSDW. "Hopefully this campaign is a success and we can represent all the student worker voices on campus," Ercolani said. UGSDW does not not plan to interfere with the relationship between student workers and supervisors, but to simply act as a voice if it is needed. "Plenty of jobs that's enough, you have a problem and you can talk to your supervisor and it's resolved. Sometimes there's deeper or structural broad problems where one person alone can't fix it, and we can really be that [solution]," McCartan said. If a majority of students sign on, UGSDW plans to create both an organizing committee and contract committee to represent students from every major department. Collective issues, such as the wage tiers, could be addressed by these committees. Department-specific issues would be left for those students to address.
By Caleb Forbes forbesca@grinnell.edu
Friday Gallery Talk: Indian Indigenous Arts Bucksbaum 131 - Faulconer Gallery, 4:00 p.m.
Friday Opening Reception: Many Visions Faulconer Gallery Rotunda, 5:00 p.m.
ALICE HERMAN
Multiple bias-motivated incidents recorded this year prompted SGA to revisit ACESS reporting processes. all hate crimes are bias-motivated incidents, not all bias-motivated incidents are hate crimes. There are multiple processes for reporting bias-motivated incidents. One process is an online form through which the reporter can remain anonymous. Another process is to call (641)269-3700. During business hours, this number puts the reporter in contact with the Response Team, comprised of Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Lakesia Johnson, Director of Intercultural Affairs Maure Smith-Benanti and “appointed additional staff as needed and appropriate,” according to the Campus Life Policies. Students reporting bias-motivated incidents are encouraged to document the incident. This includes writing down verbatim verbal interactions and
Climate Impact Task Force holds first dialogues The Fossil Fuels and Climate Impact Task Force, a committee that was formed in response to student activism around divestment last year, organized a series of events that took place this week in JRC 101. One of the dialogues facilitated by the task force, titled “Managing Grinnell’s Endowment, Trustee Stewardship and Investment Decisions,” represented the first of what will be three separate weeks discussing Grinnell’s investments in fossil fuels and more broadly, its impact on the climate. The primary purpose of this week’s events was to provide context regarding the school’s endowment and budget for further discussion of the College’s current fossil fuel investments. This week’s events represented the first ever open discussion of Grinnell’s endowment. The first day kicked off with an introduction to the roles of trustee members and task force members regarding the endowment and a number of open discussions with representative advisory and task force members over coffee. A more formal event elaborated on the process by which Grinnell College makes its investments, followed by a similar event which addressed the role of the College’s endowment in relation to its operating budget. Lucy Nelson ’20, a student member of the advisory committee as well as the current leader of the Divest campaign, summed up students’ expectations of the Fossil Fuels and Climate Impact Task Force dialogues. “The reaction from students has been a collective, ‘finally,’ so I think people
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taking photos of vandalism. Reporting an incident to the Response Team could result in many outcomes. Depending on the nature of the incident, the Response Team may pursue formal resolutions, such as a hearing with the College Hearing Board, or informal resolutions, such as mediated conversation between reporters and alleged perpetrators. Some factors in reaching a resolution include a person’s desire or reluctance to move forward with a more formal procedure, frequency of cases reported against a specific person, the existence and availability of relevant evidence and the severity of the allegations. Sometimes, Johnson pointed out, complainants are just looking for someone to mediate a conversation with the alleged
perpetrator. Johnson emphasized that all reports are evaluated on a highly contextualized case-by-case basis, and that there is no simple “throwing the book at somebody.” According to Johnson, there are times when a more formal process may be deemed necessary, even when it goes against the wishes of the reporter. These instances require careful consideration, creative solutions and “treading lightly,” she said. This is a part of the effort to balance the safety and wishes of the person who reports a bias-motivated incident with the safety of others on campus. The College Hearing Board is used here instead of the Judicial Council (JudCo). All bias-motivated incidents and hate crimes that are >> See Bias Incidents, page 2
Students led International Day of Peace on campus
are definitely hopeful that the trustees are listening,” Nelson said. Nelson described her experience during a meal with the task force and advisory committee members as a “beginning to forge relationships between the advisory committee and the task force itself because we have not had a lot of direct communication yet, but we are going to be working closely in the future.” Nelson hoped this week’s events would provide some clarity to the issue of divestment. “We’ve been told divestment would affect our endowment,” Nelson said, “which would in turn affect student financial aid, which has been stressed a lot by the administration … and I think it’s important that we get to the bottom of exactly how that is true.” Nelson mentioned this would be “a step in the right direction,” representing the first time the College would be transparent about the actual amount of money in its endowment invested in fossil fuels. “About Grinnell’s Endowment” was led by Interim Chief Investment Officer Andrew Choquette and Associate Director of Investments Angela Clement, in which they discussed the logistics of Grinnell College’s 1.87 billion dollar endowment. In their presentation, Choquette and Clement expressed concern about the College’s heavy reliance on the endowment, and emphasized the opinion that potential changes on investments should be approached cautiously. They referred frequently to the College’s reluctance to raise the payout on the endowment, citing concern about the future >> See Task Force page 2
The Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) Committee marked the International Day of Peace yesterday with a screening of Misha Gelnarova ’18 and Matt McCarthy ’17’s short film “Nilob’s Story.” Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, the International Day of Peace calls for a 24-hour ceasefire in conflict and war zones so that relief agencies may safely enter areas where violence usually prevents the distribution of vaccines, medical care, food and books. Additionally, PACS takes the opportunity of the Day of Peace to hold programming that relates global conflicts to Grinnell students. This year’s International Day of Peace was specifically dedicated to shedding light on the global refugee crisis. When considering what programming to hold, PACS found that Gelnarova and McCarthy’s documentary on Grinnell alumna and Afghanistani refugee Nilob Nahib ’13’s upbringing in the Czech
Friday Jazz Concert Herrick Chapel, 7:30 p.m.
Monday Herbert L. Quelle lecture JRC 101, 7:30 p.m.
CHARUN UPARA
Michaela Gelanova '18 led the PACS' hosted Rosenfield Talk this week. By Emma Friedlander friedlan@grinnell.edu
Republic was the obvious choice. “We thought this was pretty relevant, especially with the recent travel ban,” said Ala Akkad ’19, a member of the PACS committee who helped organize the event. “I think it’s something that will interest more Grinnell students because it’s something that’s more real when you think about the context of a student who’s gone through it.” Gelnarova and McCarthy received funding to produce “Nilob’s Story” in 2016 through Davis Projects for Peace, which awards $10,000 to projects that promote global peace. Gelnarova, who is from the Czech Republic, was inspired to document a story of the refugee crisis in Eastern Europe as a response to increasingly violent anti-refugee rhetoric on the Czech public and political stage. “Being so far away from home and reading the news was really scary, because there were several rallies against Islam, against immigration, against refugees,” Gelnarova said. “One of the most prominent speakers of this movement, literally called >> See PACS page 2 Wednesday Santiago Giralt Presentation Bucksbaum 152 - Lawson Lecture Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Arts 3 | Community 5 | Sports 6 | Features 7 | Opinions 9
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Multiple bias incidents prompt ACESS procedural changes Continued from Front Page not sex- or gender-based fall under the jurisdiction of the College Hearing Board. According to the Student Handbook, “typically [the College Hearing Board] hears cases that might result in possible suspension or dismissal from the College,” whereas JudCo does not have the power to recommend expulsion. JudCo also explicitly addresses incidents that happen on-campus or in campus-owned buildings. The Hearing Board, on the other hand, hears “any matter in which a student violates the rights of a student, faculty, staff member or College guest.” On Sept. 7, 2017, Grinnell students received an email from Johnson condemning acts of bias and intimidation. This was after two such acts had been reported in one week. There was no all-campus Clery Incident Report email; the incidents in question occurred off-campus in a private home, while the Clery Act only applies to incidents that happen on College property or on public property next to campus. Still, the
student accused of the threatening behavior had a hearing with the College, as the College Hearing Board has jurisdiction over incidents in which the President or Associate Vice President of Student Affairs deems that “a student violates the rights of a student.” The Clery Act requires colleges to report crime statistics, to inform students when crimes occur and compile those statistics into a report made available to anyone. The Student Handbook states that the school cannot use the legal term "hate crime," a crime that can only be tried in court, and instead uses the term "bias-motivated incident." However, the Clery Act appears to mark at least some bias-motivated incidents as worthy of report as a crime statistic. Johnson used the phrase “threatening behavior motivated by bias” to characterize the incident in the all-campus email. This seems to align with the Clery Act’s definition of intimidation, which includes “the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.”
Peace Day spotlights former refugee's story
Continued from Front Page
'We don’t want Islam in the Czech Republic' … And then he appeared on the same stage as the Czech president. There was no one really speaking against that, from the political arena.” Gelnarova met up with McCarthy while he was studying abroad in Prague, and together they decided to make a film revealing the true story of a refugee in the Czech Republic. Gelnarova knew Nahib, who worked in Grinnell College’s Intercultural Affairs office following graduation. She recognized that Nahib’s story, about an Afghanistani girl who moved with her family to the Czech Republic following the Taliban's rise to power in 1996 and then ended up at Grinnell College, would allow the global refugee crisis to resonate with a college audience. Although the documentary was originally intended to be entirely comprised of live action film, safety concerns brought Gelnarova and McCarthy to create an animated movie instead. “A month before we were supposed to meet up with Nilob in the Czech Republic, there was an attack on different businesses and coffee shops that are hate-free. [Domestic terrorists] destroyed one of the community centers that welcomed refugees. … It seemed like it was getting really violent, so we talked to Nilob about the safety. … If there was her face [in the documentary], it would put her in danger, and her family.” Gelnarova and McCarthy then sought out Czech university art students to animate the film. They collaborated with two Czech art students, who created watercolor-like animation for the final product. In “Nilob’s Story,” the voices of a narrator along with Nahib herself
relate the story of how Nahib and her family fled Afghanistan to escape Taliban rule and then made their home in the Czech Republic. Her story largely focuses on how her family did eventually feel at home in the Czech Republic, by finding a home after three years in a refugee camp and becoming fluent in Czech. Towards the end of the documentary, however, Nahib also relates anecdotes of how in recent years, anti-refugee and antiIslam rhetoric has intensified in the country, coming even from people she considered friends. Professor Todd Armstrong, Russian, introduced the event and facilitated discussion. Armstrong discussed the project in relation to his own interest in Central and Eastern European studies. The Czech Republic would benefit from Gelnarova and McCarthy's project “[g]iven [Eastern Eurpoe's] geographical location at the crossroads of East and West, North and South, and the burden that a mass of refugee population can bring to a small country" Armstrong said. Gelnarova also acknowledged the geographic significance of the refugee crisis in the Czech Republic, as many Czech people were once refugees themselves. “There’s this history of running away from the Czech Republic when were under the Iron Curtain. We were received in all parts of the world, we were refugees as well. Now it’s seen from a very different point of view.” In addition to its screening at Grinnell College, “Nilob’s Story” was distributed to over 70 Czech and Slovakian high schools for student lessons. The project was supported by a Czech organization that creates worksheets and lesson plans for high school students about global issues, and can be accessed at www.usou.cz.
Task Force meets students Continued from Front Page operations of the College. “The success of the endowment is highly correlated to the success of the school being able to operate and continue to operate for future generations,” Choquette said. Choquette and Clement explained how the Grinnell College investment team rigorously selects external investment managers based on their process of investing, and emphasized the team’s preference for managers that “share values with the College.” Specifics on College investments, and even the names of external investment managers, however, are often protected by non-disclosure agreements signed by the College at the point of partnership. In the meeting, Choquette and Clement discussed how, as of the June 30, 2017 portfolio, Grinnell College had 45 million dollars invested in fossil fuels, representing 2.4 percent of the endowment. “It’s just easier to think about the broader issue of climate impact when
you have a similar set of facts for everybody to work from,” Choquette said. Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the College Kate Walker led the event titled “Role of the Endowment in Budget.” Walker mentioned that the previous event explained how the College builds its endowment, while hers would explain how the College spends — and saves — its endowment. Walker said that a one to three percent change in endowment return would “have a trickle-down effect on the way we operate the institution.” “Every value decision you make, you want to make it in the most informed way,” Walker said at the event. “That’s what we’re trying to do is make sure that everyone’s got the information necessary to make a smart decision that’s also consistent with their values.” The next Fossil Fuels and Climate Impact Task Force dialogue will take place Oct. 3 to 4, and will explore “Arguments in support of and in opposition to fossil fuel divestment.”
News
Edited by hermanal17@grinnell.edu & mettleca@grinnell.edu
Constitution Day features debate over presidential pardons
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Brian Kalt, left, and Andy Grewal, right debated presidential pardons in JRC 101. By Ben Mikek mikekben@grinnell.edu On Sunday, Sept. 17, members of the Grinnell College community gathered to celebrate the 230th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. Complete with mock champagne, a campus event that day featured a legal debate over a pressing question in contemporary politics: can the president pardon himself? Professor Andy Grewal, Fellow of Law Joseph F. Rosenfield from the University of Iowa and Brian Kalt, professor of law and the Harold Norris Faculty Scholar at Michigan State University, engaged in a back-andforth conversation regarding the issue of presidential self-pardons. Kalt laid out his argument in three distinct sections. “The textual argument is that, if you pardon yourself, that’s not a pardon; the pardon is inherently bilateral. The Latin root of the verb to pardon, 'perdonare,' has two other verbs that are derived from it: to condone and to donate, and both of these too, I think you can say the same thing: … you can’t donate something to yourself, it doesn’t make sense.” Kalt also made arguments against the legality of a self-pardon based on two foundational legal principles: the rule of law, and the requirement that one may not judge one’s own case. He concluded with a historical argument. “If the president [abuses the
pardon power], he can be impeached and prosecuted. If anyone in that room, [the framers], had thought that the president could pardon himself, that argument would not have gone unanswered, let alone carried the day.” Grewal often took the role of devil’s advocate, pointing out potential holes in the case against self-pardons. For example, he asked, “How would you deal with the fact that the president is the chief prosecutor of this entire country, and he effectively does get to judge, at least sometimes, whether he should be prosecuted?” Even though the constitution day event was ostensibly a debate, both the speakers and the audience came to a near consensus that the pardon power may well not legally apply to self-pardons, but that the only remedy to an attempt to apply it in such a way is a political one. “There are just some things that the law doesn’t have an answer for,” Grewal said. Since the College receives federal funding, it is required by law to hold Constitution Day programming. “We’ve had really interesting Constitution Day events over the years, and I thought this year, since we just are always reminded of the way that the constitution is at play, … and is in some degree of contention, I thought it would be interesting to have some constitutional issue that was on the forefront of politics,” said Rosenfield Program director and professor of political science Barb Trish, the event organizer.
Constitution Day 2017 is just the most recent of a long-standing series of lectures and other events sponsored by the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations and Human Rights. In fact, the Rosenfield Program has sponsored more than 10 events each semester since the fall of 1988, almost 30 years ago. The headline Rosenfield Program events each year are two symposia. This year’s fall symposium, titled “Our Urban Future,” featured former Iowa Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, New York architect Mario Gandelsonas and Margarita Wells, an administrator of the City of Miami Beach. “The talk that she gave was about how the city of Miami Beach is trying to deal with sea level rise, in terms of designing streets. It was technical in a way that a lot of our speakers aren’t. It was very understandable for everyone, but I thought it was a really interesting approach that sometimes we don’t get in academic settings,” Trish said. Rosenfield program events are one of the College’s many cocurricular activities, and often serve to supplement and enrich the intellectual journeys of both students and faculty. “They [Rosenfield Program Events] do intersect in many different ways with courses and academic interests of students and faculty, and we really do try to match those [when picking events],” Trish said. According to Trish, the Rosenfield Program Committee selects topics for events from various inputs, including applications from students, faculty and academic departments. There are also several student members of the committee which vets, discusses and eventually votes on which events to pursue. On Monday, Sept. 25, Greg Thielmann ‘72 will give a talk entitled “Unleashing the Dogs of War: US Policy toward Iran and North Korea.” In February, the Rosenfield Program will host a symposium on the relationship between environmental degradation and conflict, and over spring break, the program will sponsor a “Spring Break Study Tour,” an opportunity for students to further explore “Our Urban Future.”
Campus tours shows off the Jewel of the Prairie
MAHIRA FARAN
This year, prospective student tours will explore the City of Grinnell. By Chloe Wray wraychlo@grinnell.edu
Each fall Grinnell College hosts two or three open houses for the Discover Grinnell Program. The program is geared toward high school seniors, and with each iteration of the event comes a more developed and enticing schedule to attract these students. For the first time ever, there will be a movie night in Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. The event will be hosted by senior interviewers in the admissions office, giving prospective students a chance to ask current students questions without the pressure of admission representatives present. The program will run Sept. 24 and 25, and again on Oct. 29 and 30. “These dates are before the early decision deadlines,” said Rachel Arseneault, coordinator of campus visits and events. “If they visit through a Discover Grinnell Program and find out ‘wow, this is a place I really think I could call home, it’s my number one that I’ve toured so far, I want to submit an application to Grinnell,’ … they can still apply early. This is a great program for students who haven’t been on campus yet, but also want to get a whole lot more out of a visit.” The program is appealing for
its many components and multitude of opportunities in which students can take part, including access to professors and a look at dorm life. Ninety-five prospective students have registered for this weekend’s program, and around 80 of them will be staying in dorms with current students. Upon arrival and check-in, they will take a tour and attend an open house of intercultural affairs and multicultural student group suites on the second floor of the JRC. Unlike admitted students weekends in which a catered meal is served in the Quad Dining Hall or the Harris Center, prospective students will dine in the Marketplace to allow them to gauge what they could potentially be eating for the next four years. “As you can imagine, on the tour that families go on Sunday afternoon, they sort of will be bombarded with a lot of unfamiliar construction equipment and will wonder what is going on. Dean [of the College Mike] Latham does a really good job emphasizing what this project is all about and what it could mean for students who end up here,” Arseneault said of the “welcome reception” Latham is scheduled to give on Monday morning to families and students. Also on Monday morning, prospective students will focus on the
duality of life as a Grinnell student, inside and outside the classroom. They will be able to attend a session on “life beyond Grinnell,” a panel on student life or to sit in on a class or two. “Students who visit for an individual visit during the summer months don’t have the option to sit in on a class, and then sometimes students schedule visits over fall break. We don’t offer classes then of course. So coming to a program like Discover Grinnell, they know they’ll at least get one opportunity to sit in on a class, and they get to choose the class.” The afternoon will offer an academic fair with representatives from every department and concentration along with an information session regarding admissions and financial aid. In addition to the new movie night this year, shuttles will take prospective students and their families downtown to the Pioneer Bookshop. While prospective students are welcome to take the shuttle back to campus, the three block walk back is an opportunity to see the storefronts downtown storefronts and get a feel for its atmosphere. “That part is a great way for them to realize the campus and the town are very close to one another, and they’ve heard that morning the ways the community members bring themselves to campus, but this might give them a better idea of really how wonderfully connected the campus and community is.” “Be on the lookout for prospective students, try to be a resource for them if needed. They’re really curious about what life is like here, so be as thoughtful and courteous as you can be,” Arsenault asks of current students. “Our job is to just showcase Grinnell, give them a bunch of different opportunities, and hopefully they’ll be able to walk away and determine if this is a good-fit institution for them, and if it is, we can ask nothing more from them than to submit an application.”
Arts
Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu
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Burling holds CBS exhibit By Saiham Sharif sharifsa@grinnell.edu
Madeleine Brand-LaBarge By Lily Bohlke bohlkeli@grinnell.edu “How much is this gonna hurt?” asked Manan Pradhan ’20 before Madeleine Brand-LaBarge ’18 began tattooing the words “Gimme Shelter” on his arm, his first tattoo. “People wouldn’t do it if it was unbearable. But you will go numb at a certain point,” Brand-LaBarge said. “You’ll feel the pain, and as fast as you realize it, it’s gone.” Brand-LaBarge has made a name for herself on campus as a stick-andpoke tattoo artist. She grew up doing art, starting in kindergarten with macaroni and glue, then onto high school and college with charcoal drawings and now, stick-and-poke tattoos. “The need arose for me to give myself tattoos for cheap. I have studio tattoos that I started getting when I was 19, but then I wanted little things and most studios have a minimum price of 50 dollars and I almost never have 50 dollars handy for me to spend on just getting a tattoo,” she said. When she began sticking and poking, she used sewing needles, which are much thicker than tattoo needles. She only used sewing needles on herself, until she perfected her craft and her materials enough to start tattooing friends. She uses double-sterilized needles and India ink, advising her friends on how to take care of their tattoos afterwards. “Aftercare for hand poke tattoos is basically the same as studio tattoos. Just wash them in the shower (or once a day) with antibacterial soap — I use Dial — and then after put a no frills lotion on, like Cetaphil or Lubriderm, and that keeps it clean and healing,” she wrote in an email to The S&B. Her recent stick-and-poke designs include flowers, words, a cactus and a construction crane, based on Grinnell’s very own campus crane. “That was the most geometrically
complex that I’ve done,” Brand-LaBarge said. “I really did love doing the crane because it was a funny Grinnell thing to do.” Although Brand-LaBarge enjoys designing her tattoos herself, she also enjoys when other people bring her designs they want done on themselves. “Stick-and-poke as a type of tattoo and not professional machine tattoos, you get silly doodle things you wouldn’t go to a studio for, and that’s what I’m doing. People come to me with things they want and because I feel confident in my ability to copy drawings that people give me, I can make it happen for them without having to pay a studio to do it,” she said. Before beginning a tattoo, she discusses the design with the friend whose body it’s being permanently drawn onto. She draws it in a sketchbook, then on their body and then she finally begins the stick and poking process. “See? It’s not that bad. It’s quick pain. You won’t notice it as much. I think it’s more annoying than painful,” Brand-LaBarge said to Pradhan. “It’s definitely more annoying than painful. Oh, that last one kind of stung,” Pradhan retorted. After the initial line of dots, Brand-LaBarge has to go over the tattoo again and again, making sure that the line is thick, even and without gaps. She goes over each tattoo so many times that she loses count. “I think that is an answer in itself,” she said. “If you think about trying to make a solid line with a tiny needle, you’re gonna have to go over it, fill it in, fill in gaps, so I stop when I feel like it looks like a solid line.” The preciseness of the stick-andpoke is what differentiates it from other types of art Brand-LaBarge has undertaken, like charcoal drawings. “At the base of it, charcoal drawing you’re not creating something by single dots, and that’s why stick and
pokes are a lot more focused — I have to put together thousands of tiny little needlepoint sized dots to make something. With charcoal it’s strokes of this, shading of this, and tattooing is a lot more … focus on every single point that I make, especially because it’s permanent, and with charcoaling there’s a certain margin of error you can make, erase and smudge, but that is absolutely not the case with tattooing,” she said. She finds that giving herself tattoos is much more relaxing than giving them to her friends because she trusts herself to fix any mistakes she might make. “It’s completely different from the way I have to be thinking in my classes because I’m not thinking analytically, but I’m still incredibly focused and
there’s an end goal, and it makes me feel very calm and zoned in for two hours,” she said. “I feel exhausted at the end, but it’s very rewarding.”
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
Brand-LaBarge began by giving herself tattoos (triangle pictured above), and once she gained confidence, she began tattooing her friends.
Baker and Tarpaga dance project perform and participate on campus
MAHIRA FARAN
The Baker and Tarpaga dance group has performed on campus, eaten at French table and practiced with Dance Ensemble. By Caryn McKechnie mchechni@grinnell.edu The lights dimmed, prompting the audience’s muttering and shuffling to cease. Among the audience, I awaited the start of “Declassified Memory Fragment,” suspended in the silence and the darkness. Three panels at the back of the Flanagan Theater were then illuminated, showing the silhouette of a man on his knees with a coat draped over his head. The performance consisted of a sequence of disparate scenes, from a motorcycle ride to a nightclub. Occasionally, the dancers spoke lines in French. I struggled to discern a clear cut narrative, as the dance presented itself in fragments. The performance pulled me in with its unique dance style and the questions it raised. I had the opportunity to talk with members of the Baker and Tarpaga Dance Project about the origins of their dance group and the symbolism in their performance. Many of the performers spoke only French, so the conversation consisted of a melee of French and English. The dancers are
all from Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa. “Everybody is a proficient musician, artist and choreographer here, and we know each other very well. We all come from same country, even state, so when Olivier was thinking about this project, he started making contact with each person to [bring us together]” said Aguibou Bougobali Sanou, a member of the group. They have danced together for the last five years, Sanou said. Sanou discussed the group’s utilization of symbolism in their pieces. “The pieces speak about the politics of Africa. … Many people do not accept the president because the president is not okay for this generation,” Sanou told me. Cyril Givort elaborated on this point, unpacking a scene in which two men fought over one coat. “At first, when we started this project, it was at the time of the presidential election in Kenya. There were two candidates, and one wins the elections, and he asked the other one to be his first minister. Then, there are two people trying to have the same
jacket, to have peace.” “Olivier used the jacket to show two persons sharing the power of the president’s chair, but it is not possible, only one person can have the power,” Sanou added, critiquing this model, which is a trend along the Ivory Coast. Aziz Derme chimed in, describing how the dance crew visualized their choreography. “We work with pictures. For example, in the beginning, we have three people on a motorcycle. This one is a picture to explain the road in the morning. You have the person with the motor who can take his wife, his children — many people — on the motor in the morning in Ouagadougou, for example,” he explained. The Baker and Tarpaga Dance Project not only performed in the Flanagan theater, but visited multiple dance classes, including Celeste Miller’s Movement for the Performer and Contemporary Dance in a Global Context. In an email to The S&B, Miller commented on the dance style and choreography, “Olivier expressed that it was a hybrid of the many trainings the dancers bring — West African traditional forms, ballet and contemporary as well as yoga and capoeira. [Olivier] talked about the difference between ‘fusion’ and his approach of building a ‘hybrid’ technique,” Miller wrote. Miller also commented on themes and structure. “I found myself transported to images from a part of the world I don't know, but the range of inhumanity to humanity is a tale told around the world. The work had a sequential narrative unfolding that began with a motorcycle ride through town,
to images of bullying and abuse of power, to the devastation of betrayal, and concluding with fellowship with one another,” she said. “I found the performance to be a rich example of what the excellence of political work can look like.” The dancers also made a special appearance in Professor Kathleen Hurley’s class, Introduction to Dance. Hurley remarked, “Nebie Adonis said the dance, for him, is about the politics and protests going on in Burkina Faso. He said he cannot do dance such as the USA television show ‘America's Got Talent’ or ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ — not because he lacks the talent — but because his dance is about life's deepest needs,” Hurley said. “He cannot do dance where you are entertaining or joking around. He dances like his life depends on it. Adonis and Aziz both said it is easier to get a Coca-Cola in their country than to have a clean drink of water and that is not right. Politicians drive big fancy cars, but there are not good roads for the average person to drive on. They use the art form of dance as a communicator for their social justice issues.” The Baker and Tarpaga Dance Project is currently on a five week tour of the U.S., having won a National Dance Project Production Grant. After Grinnell, they will perform at various colleges, including Princeton University and Middlebury College, before returning home. Baker and Tarpaga Dance Project showed us how dance can function as a political art form, as well as gave us a glimpse into their happiness and criticisms with the political and cultural climate of some African countries, such as Burkina Faso, their home.
The Concerned Black Students (CBS) exhibit curated by Erik Henderson ’19 is now on display by the Special Collections Archive in the basement of Burling Library. The exhibit features historical documents about Black student life at Grinnell, stretching as far back as the 1850s. One of the earliest documents is a letter from the College president in 1857 expressing his thoughts on the town of Grinnell driving a Black man out of town. Other documents highlight important figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Conney M. Kimbo, whom Grinnell College’s Black Cultural Center is named after. Kimbo pushed to bring more Black students and faculty to campus. The exhibit reveals much about institutional memory that can be easily forgotten, and the relevance of past struggles today. One of the pieces shows student demand for a Black Studies major, which did exist for sometime, before it was removed in 1997. “One of our goals now is to get a Black Studies concentration or the major back,” Henderson said. Popular knowledge holds that Hannibal Kershaw ’79 was the first Black student to graduate from Grinnell. Records, however, indicate that the first Black student was a female, who did not go on to graduate from the College. The exhibit also features Black Voices magazine, a Black student publication that began in 1988 and published for 15 years before fizzling out between 2002 and 2003. “[‘Black Voices’ was] made by Davis Simmons, a student from Chicago, who was tired of Black students being silenced on campus. He took it upon himself to create this publication called ‘Black Voices,’ where students can speak to what they feel,” Henderson said. “It’s close to my home and myself. It reminds me of my own role right now, bringing information to the forefront of conversation.” The exhibit acts not only as an important account of life at Grinnell for Black students, but also as a testament to the College’s tradition of social justice. For example, the bombing of the Black Panther Headquarters in 1971 was a pivotal moment for CBS. Various documents recall the effort of Black students to have power in on-campus policy decisions. Henderson began working on the exhibit in the middle of July, as a part of his summer research job, and finished by late August. “My day-to-day was so awesome. I was energetic and anxious to read and learn more,” Henderson said. “The first three to four weeks, I was probably reading. The last two weeks, I was doing my pamphlet, which is 16 pages. I want it to be something people can see and remember that this was here at one point.” The initial plan was for the exhibit to be composed of distinct sections, with one section focusing on activism, another on publications and so on. Chris Jones and Allison Haack, the Special Collections archivists, helped find interesting resources and lay out the exhibit. “As time went on, I found more stuff. It made it a little harder to be concise, but I feel like it worked out well because it all connects,” Henderson said.
MAHIRA FARAN
Erik Henderson '19 curated the Concerned Black Students exhibit as a culmination of summer research.
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Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu
MikeQ and Chynna to bang at Gardner By Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell This Saturday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. is the time to let your body move to the music and vogue. In Gardner Lounge, ballroom producer MikeQ and rapper Chynna Rogers will perform a show that can be deemed unique even by Grinnell Concerts standards. If you’ve ever seen the 1990 documentary “Paris is Burning,” you know a bit about the ballroom culture that MikeQ hails from. If you aren’t familiar with ballroom, picture this: an LGBTQ beauty pageant that features a dance style called voguing, where dancers alternate quickly between poses and acrobatic movements, battling on the dance floor for awards. Artists like Madonna and FKA Twigs have been inspired by voguing and incorporated the dance style from 1970s Harlem into their performances. Ballroom music is highly danceable, comparable to house music with its steady beats and energy. As MikeQ said in an interview with Noisey, “ballroom was danceable like Jersey club or house, but it was just gay!” After establishing himself by playing at ballroom events like Vogue Knights in New York, MikeQ formed Qween Beat, a record label featuring other ballroom artists. He has also DJed for the Boiler Room, collaborated with Missy Elliot and travelled around the world, bringing ballroom to places like London, Paris and Tokyo. At the show on Saturday one can expect loud beats, energy, samples from important people in LGBTQ culture and lots of dancing. Also playing on Saturday is musician and rapper Chynna Rogers. Rogers has been modeling since she was fourteen, but a few years later she began to pursue a career in music. Chynna began hanging out with the A$AP Mob as a teenager after tweeting at ASAP Yams, who took her on as a sort of mentee and encouraged her to rap.
Arts "Shelf Life" opens at Smith Gallery
She released the song “Selfie” four years ago, which got her attention on the Internet with its relentless flow and verses full of self-confidence. Her sound has evolved a lot since “Selfie” and the “Mean Girls”-inspired “Glen Coco,” which got her attention on the Internet a few years ago. Her mixtape “Ninety,” which she released last year, has an atmospheric, more reflective sound. It explores Chynna’s struggles with addiction and her journey to sobriety, the experience of falling in love and even being petty. More recently, her track “seasonal depression,” which she released three months ago, is a meditation on mental illness that unfolds into richly layered percussion and bass. Her song “Practice,” which dropped on Soundcloud two weeks ago, shows a side of Chynna that won’t let anyone mess with her, calmly commanding respect over gritty instrumentation. With plans to release a new mixtape in the near future, Chynna Rogers is definitely an artist on the rise. A pre-party for the concert hosted by Queer People of Color (QPOC) will take place on Cleve Beach (outside the entrance to Cleveland Hall) from 7:30 p.m. until the beginning of the show at 9. Make sure to show up for a night of energy, LGBT pride and some serious dancing.
CONTRIBUTED
Chynna headlines the set this Saturday.
By Mayo Sueta suetamay@grinnell
This week Smith Gallery is presenting “Shelf Life,” an exhibit by Charlotte Richardson-Deppe and Anne Rogers, both ’19. The gallery has been transformed into a grocery store-like space with handmade shelves and hooks that display 282 plastic objects, all wrapped up in handmade paper. The plastic objects range from prescriptions bottles to earphones to packets of condiments — plastic objects that they found or collected from different people. “What we did is we sort of took the damp pieces of paper and we put objects inside of them and just folded them over and kind of pressed it down gently in all the sides,” Rogers said when asked about the process of wrapping the plastic objects in wet paper. “This fiber that we use … has a really high shrinkage rate when it dries, which means it kind of got pulled taught around the object and sort of all the air came out. … The same way as something would be if it was actually wrapped in plastic.” When Rogers thought of the title “Shelf Life,” both her and Richardson-Deppe knew they had hit on something special. “We didn’t have a title at first,” Rogers said. “We were thinking more about the longevity of plastic … and the fact that [paper] will go away … [and] the life of all the things on the shelf and also using that phrase that is already employed as a phrase.” “The second she said it, we knew it was the right title,” Richardson-Deppe added. While both have shown art in Smith Gallery as part of a class, neither have done so individually. “It’s very different when you do a Smith show on your own because it is totally on your own to do this. You’re given the keys to this supply closet with drills and paint and ladders and … making your art, installing your art, exhibition design, curation and promotion is all up to you,” Richardson-Deppe said. “It’s a great learning opportunity. It’s amazing that Grinnell
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL
From top to bottom: Richardson-Deppe and Rogers '19 in their exhibit, one section of the exhibit features plastic pill bottles packaged in paper. has this for students to use.” Richardson-Deppe felt that the large conceptual nature of “Shelf Life” would take advantage of the gallery space. “We just felt like this is like a distinct and cohesive enough concept that could really fill the space,” Richardson-Deppe said. The two art majors admitted that this was a big undertaking. They devoted a lot of time and hard work to the show and said that people often underestimate the art major as being easy-going and not involving real work. “This is a research project,” Rich-
ardson-Deppe said. “This is presenting a visual argument for concepts that we are trying to present in a cohesive way.” The two best friends agreed that their fantastic teamwork was a vital part of getting through the process. “One thing that’s really great is that Anne and I work so well together,” Richardson-Deppe said. “We love being with each other. I don’t think I would have been able to do this process with anyone other than Anne.” “Shelf Life” will be showing in the Smith Gallery until Friday, Sept. 29.
Behind the scenes in the scene shop Visiting professor teaches By Hallela Hinton-Williams hintonwi@grinnell Director of the scene shop Erik Sanning '89 got his start with an Introduction to Design class. “When I was a student here, I took Introduction to Stage Craft, now Design. The staff and faculty of the scene shop needed help and were willing to pay us. At the end of the semester, they hired me. For the next three and a half years, I was a member of the staff,” Sanning said. “When I was trying to figure what to do next, a professor called and said there was an opening at the College. Twenty-six or seven years later, I’m still here.” With two very friendly dogs, Aiko and Bentli, keeping residence in the office, the staff of the scene shop collaborates with designers on plays and performances, implementing their vision and tweaking sets in order to adhere to safety regulations and practicality. Sanning and his assistant, Kate Baumgartner ’15, who also got her start in Introduction to Design, are well-versed in set building and design. Each performance presents unique difficulties, and they love to rise up to the challenge. “The professors are really creative, so we can’t rely on what we already know. We have to reinvent the wheel in some ways,” Baumgartner said. “Which is always a fun challenge. Well, sometimes a fun challenge.” “The shows I’ve enjoyed the most were the ones that were super involved and nearly killed us or were really unique,” Sanning added. One of their favorites, “Nobody Gets Hurt,” an amazingly unique and intimate work performed to one person at a time, had very tricky pieces to accomplish. The play “Cabaret” also required a labor-intensive, fully environmental set. These performances are some of the most memorable, but each show requires a lot of creativity and effort. “Fully environmental sets are very labor intensive, because they’re bigger, but often the simple stuff is just as hard. It has to be perfect because there is that one thing on stage,” Sanning said. “We did a show called ‘Constel-
lations,’ and we worked really hard in making sure that the floor was super smooth and glossy because seeing things reflected in the black floor was important to the design. It wasn’t huge and definitely not environmental, but was equally as complicated.” The diversity of the projects they complete is part of their daily lives, and a point of pride within the staff. “One day we’ll be doing heavy construction, like building house kind of stuff, and the next day we’ll be painting, and then the next day we’ll be hanging lights, and then the next day we’ll be soldering LEDs to the ends of wires a hundred times over, or we’ll be down in the costume studio sewing curtains or making a twelvefoot diameter inflatable balloon,” Sanning said. “That’s one of the things I like about the job; for the most part, it’s never the same job twice.” “A lot of what you’re doing in day to day college life is oh, another paper, oh, another math problem, oh another
lab. It’s checkboxes, this is more cumulative. You get to see and touch and interact with the things you’re working on,” Baumgartner said. While they are integral to the success of a show, the scene shop is only part of the full piece of production. The current show “Nice Fish” has a large number of people working on making sure the play is a success. “We have a costume designer, a sound designer, a scenic designer, who happens to be the light and video designer, the director, drama liturgical team, folks finding props for us, front of house team and stage management,” Sanning said. “We are one cog,” Baumgartner added. Indeed, the scene shop is a powerhouse in the development and implementation of sets for many different types of performances, but is reflective of an intensive production team that effectively accomplishes meaningful productions.
MAHIRA FARAN
From top to bottom: Baumgartner in the Roberts theater working on "Nice Fish" set, Sanning (far right) advising student workers in the Scene shop.
culture through film
By Amanda Weber weberama@grinnell This semester, the Grinnell College Russian department is running a course on the history of Russian film. The course is being co-taught by Department Chair Professor Todd Armstrong and Visiting Professor Galina Aksenova. Aksenova is a Russian film historian, theater critic and teacher. This is not her first time at Grinnell, as she was first invited to teach at the College twenty years ago and has returned sporadically since then to teach various courses. Her favorite course to teach has always been Russian film. Aksenova has directed several documentaries in the past about various actors or writers, including Alexander Dovzhenko, a prominent Russian director whose work is featured in the course. She attended the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinema, and has been passionate about film for many years. “I think it’s very important to teach film because film is an easy way to manipulate our perception of information. That’s why I try to teach not only the history of Russian film but also to teach students how to see film, how to perceive the visual information that came to us from the screen,” Aksenova said. Indeed, while Aksenova plans to deliver on her promise to teach students about the history of Russian film, she also has several other objectives. These include everything from helping students to fall in love with the silent film — an art form, said Aksenova, that has fallen by the wayside for contemporary viewers but remains as vital to the history of film as ever — to teaching students about Russian culture or giving them the ability to be able to analytically view films and news. According to Aksenova, the relationship between rational viewing of film and news is particularly relevant to students in today’s media-dominated climate. “I have a dream to teach [my students] … how to trust or not trust news,” Aksenova said. “When we deal
HELENA GRUENSTEIDL.
with film and when we deal with news, we always deal with some kind of falsification of reality.” In regard to the specific lesson plan, the course studies Russian films from all directors, genres and eras — including but not limited to noir films, silent films and classic films from directors such as Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. In doing so, Aksenova hopes for students to gain a better understanding of not just the films themselves, but the culture that created them. “When we study national film, we also study national history, national characters and national relations,” Aksenova said. “It’s very important, I think, today when we have a very politicized world.” According to Aksenova, it can be particularly valuable when lessons are taught by professors from other countries and with different backgrounds, as it adds another distinct layer to students’ educational experiences. “I think it’s very important to have people from different countries with different experiences —even with different mistakes in language — because it helps people to be more open to differences,” Aksenova said. Askenova is most looking forward to the engaged nature of Grinnell students in the classroom that she has experienced each time she returns to the campus. “I like Grinnell students — they are very, very motivated. It’s really exciting to see the development of their knowledge. You understand that you work not in vain, that your work has some reason when you see that people learn.”
Community
Edited by braneckm@grinnell.edu
Local artists featured in market at The Stew SEG to raise money with
SOFI MENDEZ
The Stew, home to a variety of community-based art events, will host a local artists market this Friday and Saturday. By Zoe Fruchter fruchter@grinnell.edu If you’re looking for somewhere to take your parents this weekend that exemplifies the charm and vitality of Grinnell, the Local Artists Market is the place to be. The Grinnell Area Arts Council is holding their second Local Artists Market this Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Stew, their newly opened studio space located at 927 Broad Street. The Market will feature a variety of goods including quilts, photography, woodworking and pottery. “What’s cool is everyone is within a 50-mile radius [of Grinnell] so there’s nobody from the Des Moines or Iowa City metro area in this market,” said Erik Jarvis ’12, the events and facilities manager for the Grinnell Area Arts Council. “Here, you may know the artist, which is
really neat — to see those people at the coffee shop. It’s like, ‘Oh! I have some of your pottery on my bookshelf.’”
“I hope customers get a sense of what is unique about our community and how the arts and making things fits in with ... a robust downtown economy."
Erik Jarvis '12, events and facilities manager for the Arts Holding the bi-monthly Local Artist Market is part of the Arts Council’s mission to improve opportunities for artists in Grinnell. The opening of The Stew art studios earlier this year similarly contributes to this goal. The Stew holds open hours for community members to create art, or just hang out, as well as hosts
events such as the Market. Jarvis hopes to use the space to establish regular retail opportunities for local artists. “Hopefully we’ll get to the point where we can have a permanent table of little things like zines,” Jarvis said. Jarvis, an alum, said that he would love to see college staff or students selling work at the next Market, which will be held in November to coincide with the Jingle Bell Holiday. The Jingle Bell Holiday is an annual event organized by the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce that aims to encourage community members to shop locally. Jarvis’ goals for the Market are similar. “I hope customers get a sense of what is unique about our community and how the arts and making things fits in with … a robust downtown economy.” There are plenty of events happening this weekend that exemplify this robust community. Visitors to the Market can also take part in a Raku pottery workshop led by potters Tom and Wanda Clarke. Community members can also participate in the College’s UNITY Project, a public art installation exploring the unique yet connected identities that make up Grinnell, taking place just a few steps away from the Market. “This whole stretch will be interactive art,” Jarvis said, gesturing to Broad Street. Stop by The Stew to check out the art and explore the rest of the activities downtown.
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weekend yard sale
By Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu
This weekend, the Social Entrepreneurs of Grinnell (SEG) is offering a way to help the community and help yourself: a fundraiser garage sale with proceeds going towards the organization. The sale will take place at 1204 Summer Street from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. “We’re selling furniture, clothes, toys, knick-knacks and probably some small appliances,” said SEG leader Jenn Latham. Apart from buying anything you could want from a garage sale, you can know that every dollar you spend will benefit Grinnell residents in times of crisis. The SEG, which grew from a Grinnell College microfinance club into a community-led nonprofit, is focused on helping Grinnell residents access funds to deal with emergencies in a way that will not cause them lasting financial damage. “We do small no-interest loans for people who typically would have to pay really high interest rates if they used a credit card or a payday loan where you borrow against your paycheck,” Latham said. “A lot of people do that because they’re desperate, but it ends up putting them in a situation where they can’t get out of debt.” Loans provided by the SEG often go into paying for transportation when someone’s car breaks down, or emer-
gency funding for illnesses. The SEG also helps people when they need to move to a new house. “In the rental market, before you move you usually need to pay two months’ rent and sometimes a security deposit,” Latham said. “I see a lot of people who are looking for a way to move who don’t have that type money in savings.” The SEG makes it possible for these people to relocate if they need to. Latham also is eager to point out how much even small contributions can help. “100 percent of all donations go straight into loans because everyone at the organization is a volunteer, and every little bit counts. I’ve given a loan for as little as 94 dollars.” The money that the SEG collects is loaned out as much as possible, with new loans being made as soon as previous ones are paid back. Every contribution has the potential to help countless local families deal with financial emergencies. You do not need to make purchases at the garage sale to help the SEG this weekend either. Students can donate unwanted but sellable items to the garage sale by bringing them to 1204 Summer Street before Friday night. It is also possible to make monetary donations at the garage sale without buying anything. This weekend, take advantage of a great opportunity to make a real positive impact on the city of Grinnell (and your dorm room).
Newly elected school board members discuss goals and concerns By Chloe Wray wraychlo@grinnell.edu On Sept. 12, the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District held elections for its school board. The results were announced unofficially on the Poweshiek county website — finalized results are still awaiting canvassing by the auditor’s office. Barbara Brown, who was reelected to the board and will hold a fouryear director-at-large position, looks forward to working with the district to focus on infrastructure. “I’m looking forward to another four years serving on the board and supporting the awesome work of our teachers,” Brown wrote in an email to The S&B. “Under our current superintendent, our district has developed a cohesiveness that allows us to focus more completely on delivering an exceptional education to our students. The board and district will be working now to form a comprehensive plan for our facilities, likely bringing a proposal for new or remodeled school buildings to a bond vote in the coming year.” Meg Jones Bair, who previously held the District 3 director position, moved out of the district and was elected to a four-year director-at-large position. Jones-Bair wants emphasis on a high quality of education and getting
Movies at the Strand
families involved in their children’s schooling. “School Board members have many responsibilities, but our primary one is to provide high quality education to the students in our district. It is critically important that we strive for equity throughout the district — all children deserve the same opportunities,” Jones Bair wrote in an email to The S&B. “In addition to our responsibilities as board members, personally I'm invested in exploring a single K-4 building, getting more families involved in areas of our schools that interest them most and in utilizing the resources/partnerships in our community that will enrich the education delivered in our classrooms.” Jones Bair is also looking forward to working with Dr. Janet Stutz, the superintendent of the district. “To me, one of the board's greatest responsibilities is placing the best superintendent in the role. The board is only responsible for that single position and it is critical to have the right person in that role,” Jones Bair wrote. “We are fortunate to have Dr. Janet Stutz, and the board will work with her to carry out the vision she and her team have created for the district. It is important for people to know that the board governs while the superintendent manages, and that's a line that we
IT
have to stay on the right side of, for the good of the district.” Stephen Sieck, who formerly held a director-at-large position, was elected to a two-year director-at-large position. He is interested in focusing on the budget and different technological changes. “I’m excited to serve on the board for the next two years as we continue finding ways to balance the district budget, support our highly qualified and passionate staff by providing them with the necessary resources to serve each individual student, as well as exploring how best to utilize our facilities as technology and pedagogy changes,” Sieck wrote in an email to The S&B. Helen Redmond was reelected to the District 2 director position. She too is interested in continuing to focus on the budget and reduce the deficit, as well as expanding programing at the schools. “We've begun to get a handle on our operating budget, reducing the deficit by about 500,000 dollars, while expanding our programming to include Spanish at the middle school and computer science at the high school,” Redmond wrote in an email to The S&B. “We need to continue to be mindful of our budget while providing support for teachers and the best education possible for students. We need
Showtimes: 3:50 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 9:30 p.m. So many memes were made about this movie — do you even need to see it?
to focus on facilities, and look toward one building for elementary students, and making sure we have equity for all of our students.” Laurel Tuggle ’13 and Emily Guenther were also elected for seats on the board. Tuggle will serve a four-year term as director for District 1 while Guenther will sit as District 3 director for a two-year term. In Tuggle’s opening statement at the school board forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, she cited her previous involvement with the district when she completed a mental health survey as a major reason for why she chose to run. “The focus on mental health is really important to me, especially at those younger ages when there’s not as much support currently,” she said. “Also improving resources for teachers and support for professional development and resources in the classroom.” Emily Guenther directly stated her
KINGSMAN: THE BODY GUARD
Showtimes: 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:50 p.m. The "Statesmen" — the American version of the Kingsmen — are all dressed as cowboys in the trailer.
reason for running for a board position during the forum. “The reason that I am running for the board is not for any particular issue or policy reason, it’s that I think that public education is really important and needs to be supported and maintained, and that it requires a great deal of effort to maintain at all times so that you don’t just enter at crisis moments or to enact change, you continually support public education. I also just think it’s time for me to be engaged civically in the community,” she said. “I think this is a good way for me to be involved because my specialty has been in education over the years.” Dustin Smith will also continue to serve on the board as director of District 4, finishing out his four-year term which expires in 2019.
THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE
Showtimes: 3:40 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:50 p.m. Kumail Nanjiani '01 voices a character in this. The trailer features a Taylor Swift song. Do with that what you will.
did n side, now. T ried print the e the w gave
T emula that is tirety
Sports
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Edited by schultej@grinnell.edu
Youth is an advantage for women's tennis this fall By Amanda Weber weberama@grinnell.edu This year, the Grinnell women’s tennis team welcomed three new players: Milica Cvrkota, Ali Hickey and Abby Nielsen, all ’21. Already, these new players have established themselves as valuable members of the team. According to Head Coach Paige Madara, two of the three players have won Midwest Conference Women’s Tennis Performer of the Week awards, and they have a combined 48-7 record in individual matches. “It is an exciting time for the women’s tennis program as these three individuals have really positively impacted the team with their oncourt performance and how they have meshed well into our team culture so quickly,” Madara said. Cvrkota affirmed the feeling of community and belonging. “[The team] is really nice. It’s like a family that I just got to know right now.”
However, tennis is not the only focus in the players’ lives. Cvrkota spends most of her time on math and computer science in the classroom, and tennis outside of it; Hickey is also interested in math — particularly statistics — and when not in class or playing tennis, she enjoys hanging out with friends. As for the rest of the season, the team is looking forward to the ITA Regional Event this weekend, and seeks to win the conference tournament at the end of the season. “As a team, we are looking to continue our success in the conference as we have four more conference matches to end the fall season,” Madara said. For their part, Hickey and Cvrkota certainly agree with the desire to continue to do well in matches, win conference and maintain the strong standing of the Grinnell women’s tennis team. However, they also demonstrated goals for personal improvement and for the betterment of the team.
MAHIRA FARAN
Women's tennis first years Ali Hickey, Milica Cvrkota, and Abby Nielson, all '21, are making an immediate impact.
“If I can contribute as much as I can to the team and to the overall wellbeing and success of the team, that would be good,” Hickey said.
With a tournament and conference still ahead of them, the women’s tennis team and their new additions seem set up for a good rest of the sea-
son. The ITA tournament takes place this weekend, and their next match will be against Cornell College on Sunday, Oct. 1 at noon.
Kaepernick is only a fraction of the NFL's problems By Jackson Schulte schultej@grinnell.edu Everything is wrong with the NFL in 2017. The issues start with Colin Kaepernick but expand to other issues that make evident a disgusting culture in NFL front offices — and especially Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office — that is fueled by racism, greed and the toleration of violence. The culmination of these ugly truths paints the NFL as a picture with which I don’t want to spend my time or money. It’s not a radical statement to say that Kaepernick should be on an NFL team right now. He’s better at playing quarterback than most quarterbacks currently holding a spot on NFL rosters. We could talk about his Quarterback Rating (QBR), the
time he led a team to the Super Bowl and beat Tom Brady along the way or the fact that loads of NFL players have spoken out in solidarity with him, proving that he would be no nuisance in an NFL locker room, as many have insinuated. Kaepernick’s “problem,” then, is that NFL owners feel he might hurt bottom lines, because racist fans might not pay to watch him play. The greedy culture of the NFL has fueled Kaepernick’s long unemployment, and is also a problem that affects other facets of the league that make it no fun to watch. The NFL has a goal of hitting 25 billion dollars in annual revenue by 2027. This goal is the root of almost all of the league’s problems. The NFL can’t reach 25 billion dollars if Colin Kaepernick’s employment means racists won’t watch foot-
ball, or if a star player physically or sexually abuses a woman and gets kicked off a team and, as a result, fans can’t buy his jersey or pay to watch him play. Likewise, the NFL surely won’t make 25 billion dollars in revenue 10 years from now if the truth about the severity of concussions is revealed to the general public. All of these issues are covered up with bogus efforts and remarks that are somehow enough to keep NFL games the holiest American event on Sundays. Please, don’t argue that Colin Kaepernick actually isn’t good enough to be on an NFL roster. And no, wearing pink breast cancer socks for a month every season doesn’t mean the NFL cares about women. Finally, slightly changing the rules for tackling standards isn’t
going to save the lives of numerous offensive linemen who are going to deal with brain damage and depression due to the repetitive hits to the head that they take for a living. Ultimately, though, these problems need to be addressed by consumers. People say they believe in greater punishments for players like Ezekiel Elliott, but Cowboys fans, for example, need to have the backbone not to watch or support the Cowboys this year if Elliott is playing. The NFL is ab-
surd this year, and it’s unclear how it could change for the better. In the meantime, pro sports fans: turn off the TV. We’ve got the World Series and the return of the NBA and NHL next month.
Check out the style Grinnellians bring to the gym Lots of Grinnellians go to the gym just to workout. Whether they mean to or not, though, people can sometimes be found sporting some eye-catching clothes or accessories. The S&B sent reporter Quan Tran and photographer Mai-Vu Phuong to the Bear Athletic Center to ask people about their gym style. Find out about the gloves, old school Chucks and Kindles that can be found in the gym.
What are the gloves for? [I often] bring my gloves. When I don’t wear gloves, my hands usually become really bad. Especially after going to the gym, the skin [on my hand] gets really hard. Do you make a point to come to the gym in style? No, just to get some workout. It doesn’t really have anything to do with style. Khoi Luu '19
What's special about these shoes? These are custom Chuck Taylor All-Stars. I don’t like normal sport shoes because they have a rubbery sole and set your foot forward, so when I’m doing squats I’m kind of leaning forward. Chuck Taylor [on the other hand] has a flat, hard sole so it’s easier to stay level.
Why do you have a Kindle with you at the gym? I like to multitask, so I don’t focus on my number so much as I get lost in my book. Usually when I’m reading, nobody bothers me. I work a fairly stressful job, and so [through the Kindle] I get to escape into somebody else’s life. For the most part, it helps distract me from being on the machine.
Why are your shoelaces tied that way? I just want to it to be a little more special so I decided to [make it] unconventional and fun. Mark Loftus '21
Do you make a point to come to the gym in style? I have to tell you this: If you’re over the age of 22 in this gym, you’re basically invisible. Unless you’re a professor. Caroline Saxton, Program Associate
Welcome all Super Heroes Put on your favorite super hero costume and join other caped crusaders at this unique and family friendly event for serious runners, families, and everyone in between. The race starts at the GRMC Healing Garden, circles around Arbor Lake, and heads back to the medical center.
Sunday, October 8 8 a.m. – 5k Starts GRMC Healing Garden bit.ly/GRMCSuperHero
210 4th Ave. • Grinnell, IA 50112 641-236-7511 • www.grmc.us
RACE FOR QUALITY HEALTHCARE AT GRMC’S SUPER HERO RUN. HEADLINE SPONSOR Grinnell College
SUPERMAN SPONSOR Grinnell Chamber of Commerce
THE INCREDIBLES SPONSORS Pathology Associates of Central Iowa Poweshiek Mutual Insurance Association
MILE MARKER SPONSORS Grinnell Eye Care Julin Printing Company, Inc.
Proceeds from this event will help purchase medical and fitness equipment at GRMC.
WONDER WOMAN SPONSOR University of Iowa Community Credit Union
FINISH LINE SPONSORS Ahrens Park Foundation Todd and Angela Linden Poweshiek Publications
Features
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Edited by mckechni@grinnell.edu
Your Senators Speak
Senators Henry Bolster '18 stands in the center. SGA Senators were recently elected. They ran campaigns, and some of us voted. So who are our senators, and what are they about? The S&B's Saiham Sharif and Carter Howe investigated. They talked to senators Henry Bolster, Warren Schweitzer and Jonathan Rebelsky. All photos by Mahira Faran. The S&B: What made you want to run for a senator position? Henry Bolster: I have hitherto taken for granted the flux of activity that constitutes a day at Grinnell. Who organizes the clubs that I participate in? Who decides how much money
goes toward events on campus? Who sets the tenor of student life? I was – blissfully perhaps – ignorant of the answers to these questions. Was it the invisible hand of the market? Was it the twinkle in Bob Noyce’s eye? The crane? Now though, I’m beginning to get answers. Since becoming a senator, it’s as if the curtain has been pulled back and I see the gears of the machine working in well-oiled concert. And as senator I hope to pull back that curtain for my constituents – together we can glimpse the clockwork system that keeps our school ticking, together we can become clockmakers ourselves. Do you have any key issues you hope to fix? HB: I want to us as students to realize our agency in creating the culture of this school. If you had a mascot or symbol for your cluster, what would it be? HB: The U.S.S. Friendship. How long have you lived in the cluster that you now represent? Do you have any particularly fond memories in your cluster? HB: I have lived off-campus for almost four months now. We had a party
JaMaLand Senator Warren Schweitzer poses on the right. at our house, 1008 High St., with all the alumni for their fifth year reunion. It was delightful to see current and former Grinnellians mingle so beautifully under the full Iowa moon. What's one unrealistic change that you wish you could implement, but don't have the resources for? HB: I’d like to put a big ol’ swimming hole right in the middle of campus. Give everyone three days off of work and worries in early May. Make it a few degrees warmer. Call it a Splasho-rama,. If you could change one thing about this College, what would it be? HB: All institutions, probably, could
benefit from a fair amount of change. For this one in particular, I’d like to see a reinvigoration of the notion that students can have an active say in the shaping of our College. What does it mean to you to be a senator? Warren Schweitzer: To me, being a senator means being a leader in the cluster community. I have the responsibility of taking the concerns of residents to Campus Council and to help foster a better cluster community through events. If you had a mascot or symbol for your cluster, what would it be? WS: If JaMaLand had a mascot or symbol, I'd probably think it to be a squirrel. How long have you lived in the cluster that you now represent? Do you have any particularly fond memories in your cluster? WS: I lived in James for a few months last year, and moved because of mental health issues that I had. I moved back this year and am very happy to be here. What's one unrealistic change that you wish you could implement? WS: An unrealistic change I'd imple-
Smounker Senator Jonathan Rebelsky smiles on the right. ment is air conditioning throughout campus. What does it mean to you to be a senator? Jonathan Rebelsky: To be a senator means to represent the cluster. My responsibilities are to help the residents of Smounker with whatever I can, and to keep SGA fiscally sound. What's something unique about your cluster? Something unique about my cluster is its close proximity to the construction. What's one unrealistic change that you wish you could implement? One unrealistic change I'd like would be the construction to be finished.
The Graduate(s): snapshots of post-grad life By Mayo Sueta suetamayl@grinnell.edu
of their annual Local Sightings Film Festival,” wrote Donlon in a message to The S&B. “After Local Sightings is over, I’ll be working on other film festivals in Seattle, including the Children’s Film Festival, which has screenings globally.”
After spending four fruitful years in the Jewel of the Prairie, Grinnell graduates find themselves in various parts of the world, putting the education that they received at the College to good use. Dhruv Mather Gupta '17 is in Delhi, India, working as a research assistant for the Brookings Institute. He described his transition from Grinnell to his job as being “pretty solid.”
"I miss having 1,200 hormonal, intelligent young adults in a four block radius." Dhruv Ghupta '17 “The 9-5 life is not mind numbingly boring if you are in a job that stimulates you daily,” he wrote in a message to The S&B. “I am excited for the research we are conducting. At Brookings I have access to government, and government data well out of bounds for the normal citizen. I
"I was able to find work I really like fairly quickly... " Sophie Donlon '17
Dhruv Ghupta '17.
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think this environment will allow me to make big discoveries and develop intellectual products that assist in [India’s] development.” While he is happy he graduated, he admitted to missing the people and community of Grinnell. “I miss having 1,200 hormonal, intelligent young adults in a four block radius,” wrote Gupta. Another graduate, Matthew Regis McCarthy '17, is in D.C., reminiscing about his life in college with
Sophie Donlon '16.
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his housemate, Jack Thornton ’17. “I’ll probably come back for a reunion or two,” wrote McCarthy in a message to The S&B when asked about the prospects of him visiting Grinnell. “It’s a little too soon to miss Grinnell, but I do miss my underclass friends. I miss the academic environment.” His transition from college was fairly smooth. “I’ve no complaints,” he wrote. “The most difficult part is transition-
Matt McCarthy '17.
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ing away from the support structure at Grinnell.” He is looking forward to a calligraphy class that he will start taking next week. Sophie Donlon ’16 moved from the familiar city of New York to Seattle after graduating and has lived there for almost a year now. After graduating, she has immersed herself in the film industry. “I’m working now at northwest Film Forum as the festival director
Take advantage of free, onsite TelePsych services
Her transition from college was not the easiest but she said that she was fortunate to find the work that she has now. “I was able to find work I really enjoy fairly quickly, and I’m fortunate enough to be working at an organization that trusts me and has given me a lot of responsibilities even though I’m so young.” She is putting the education she received at the College to good use. “I learned so much there, and I’m glad I could take those skills and apply them to a [life] outside of college,” she wrote. “I don’t really know what to expect from the future, but I’m excited to find out what it brings!”
Student Health and Counseling Services now offers students free, onsite telemedicine psychiatry through a partnership with University of Iowa Health Care. Virtual TelePsych visits with Physician Assistant Debra Poole of University of Iowa Health Care occur at SHACS, where you’ll be connected with Debra during a secure videoconferencing session. SHACS nurses and counselors are available to provide support during sessions. Grinnell College covers the cost of the sessions, and your insurance is not billed for the appointment. If medication is prescribed, your insurance will be utilized at that time to cover the cost of the medication. Debra, a native of Montana, has had a varied career as a professional musician, gifted education specialist, massage therapist, yoga teacher and physician assistant. She also: • holds a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Iowa; • completed the Physician Assistant Fellowship in Psychiatry at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; • works with adults in the university’s Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic; and • helps provide services to patients at a substance abuse treatment center.
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I thoroughly enjoy working with the bright and creative students at Grinnell College and am inspired by their insight, thoughtfulness, and motivation to learn. Debra Poole
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If you are in interested in TelePsych services or in need of mental health prescription medication management, please call SHACS at 641-269-3230.
Features
Edited by mckechni@grinnell.edu
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Fairgrounds: A Thoroughly Loved and Lived Home
GOVIND BRAHMANYAPURA
Nick Roberson, Josh Cottle, Michael Lee, Kahlil Epps and Maria Venneri, all '18, and all members of the swim team pose on the porch of their home, the infamous Fairgrounds. Jessica Kunzman kunzmanj@grinnell.edu “It’s become home,” Maria Venneri ’18 said right off the bat. Home to the running joke that it will only be cleaned if burned to the ground, Fairgrounds is a place with a lot of heart. ‘Heart’ is a euphemism
for the character of the house — it’s dirty, but it’s comfortable and holds a deluge of stories, the shared history and traditions of the swim team. The home’s residents are all too familiar with the double meaning: Kahlil Epps, Maria Venneri, Michael Lee, Nick Roberson, and Josh Cottle, all ‘18, have known each other since
their first-year swimming at Grinnell College. “For every swimmer or first-year that comes in during NSO weekend, there’s a party that’s thrown here, [and] that’s when I think most of us came into this house and met the people who lived here,” Epps described. While the house may seem like
nothing more than a party destination for many, the swim team calls Fairgrounds home. The kitchen wall has a space for recording heights, much like in a family home. The house bonding doesn’t end at parties; it continues into the cleanup afterwards. “I didn’t see this house in daylight until my second semester of my second year,” Lee reflected. The atmosphere of the house is not one of cleanliness, but it is an atmosphere of respect. According to Venneri, they are “trying to foster a culture so everyone feels really included while at Fairgrounds, so this is not just our space, but the swim team’s space.” For those on the swim and dive team, the house “is always open, metaphorically.” New house rules are created each year by the new tenants. The basement exists outside of this safe space. A few years back, it was discovered that a homeless person had been spending a few nights in the basement of the house. In reference to the basement, Roberson said, “it’s terrifying.” The house is furnished with a brown carpet which, surprising to those that have seen it, was originally white. The downside of the house comes from having a carpeted party area. “I wouldn’t want to lay down on this ground and sprawl,” Venneri said. Despite the cleanliness drawbacks,
the house boasts ownership of a washer, dryer, and air conditioning. “We’ve settled into the filth,” Lee announced. Each room holds memories of previous tenants, from photo collages, swim team memorabilia, trophies and record boards, to chairs and tables ‘borrowed’ from the school, a large teddy bear nicknamed Charles Benson Bear, and a firepit made of bricks with mysterious origins. One of the few items the residents are protective of is the children’s basketball hoop, purchased recently from Goodwill. Small additions are made, but the house doesn’t change. “Nothing really leaves this house, it’s kind of a final resting place,” Roberson said. The name of the house comes from a sign, reading Fairgrounds, that pointed directly towards the house. In the last couple years, it was changed to be less prominent. Since 2008, the house has been rented exclusively by swim team members. Over the summer, it was broken when a visitor attempted to climb onto the garage by jumping from the back-porch railing. According to Lee, the railing “gave way entirely” and had to be rebuilt from an old bed frame. More stories are sure to follow, as Lee said, “the year is young, so come Spring semester, that’s when all the crazy shit happens.”
Shedding light on the Darkroom By Kate Smith smithkat2@grinnell.edu In the age of texting and tweeting, the ability to capture a moment has become so simple. In those five or so seconds it takes for you to take a photo, maybe longer if there is a caption involved, your camera has made many small adjustments, focus, shutter speed, flash, contrast, so that your image can be viewed in optimum glory. And all you have to do is tap a screen. While most areas on campus have been infiltrated by the digital era, there is one place that 21st-century technology has yet to permeate: the Darkroom. Situated just outside the south campus loggia in the craft studio, the Darkroom doesn’t look like more than a closet on the outside. However, the scent of photo developing chemicals gives way to the true purpose of this space. Photography appliances line the walls, along with posters and signs detailing the photography process. Trays lie on the drying rack, ready for use. “I didn’t know it existed my first year, and I’m a third year,” said Keli Vitaioli '19, one of the student coordinators. This is understandable, given the room’s often overlooked location. “There are years where it only really gets used by a few people who know about it.” However, Vitaioli, along with
Ella Williams ’19, is trying to change this by making the Darkroom more known as a “student space.” While clubs like the Photography Club are recognized by SGA, the Darkroom is considered merely a “space.” It does not receive funding from the Student Activity Fund, which a small part of student tuition subsidizes.
"Darkroom photography is a lot more about patience, and as somone who's pretty antsy, it's a good way to remind yourself to slow down." Keli Vitaioli '20 Vitaioli explained that, while the Photography Club works more digitally, the Darkroom uses only film cameras. While the idea of needing a film camera and supplies seems daunting, students can use the Darkroom at no expense. All supplies, such as film, tools for processing both film and paper and even an expander, are complementary. “The only thing we don’t have are cameras,” Vitaioli informed. However, the AV center houses two film cameras that can be checked out for use. For the added expense of 25 dollars, you can gain P-Card access to the Darkroom outside the bounds of its operating hours. No
A student uses the Darkroom, a student space located in South Campus Loggia, inside the craft studio. previous photography experience is necessary, and anyone interested is encouraged to use this space.
"Everything has a set number of time, and if you speed it up, you're going to end up with a bad product. You give yourself this time." Keli Vitaioli '20 “Darkroom photography is a lot more about patience, and as someone who’s pretty antsy, it’s a good way
to remind yourself to slow down. Everything has a set amount of time, and if you speed it up, you’re going to end up with a bad product. You give yourself this time.” Vitaioli went on to explain that when photos are being developed, even the light of a smartphone screen can ruin an image. Instead of a photo taken on your phone, probably to never to manifest in print form, the steps for developing a photo in the Darkroom are tedious and demand close attention to detail. The procedure and conditions must be perfect. This laborious process contrasts the instant
ANDREW TUCKER
gratification offered by smart phone picture-taking. “I take a photo, and I might not develop that roll for a month or two, and I don’t even remember what’s on the role, and I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. It’s different.” In the rush of Grinnell College life, when you have more than a moment to spare, put down the technology and head to the Darkroom. The Darkroom's hours are Mondays 7-9 p.m., Tuesdays 4-5 p.m., and Saturdays 1-3 p.m. You can find it on Facebook by searching Grinnell Darkroom.
State Park Adventure: Rock Creek
Joel Katticaran '18 steers a motor boat while watching the sunset. By Arunima Fatehpuria fatehpur@grinnell.edu Call it freshman adrenaline, but when I was first offered the opportunity to visit Rock Creek, I jumped at it. Having spent the last few weeks huddled indoors, frantically trying to navigate my way through the mountains of homework, an afternoon spent boating was a welcome change. So, Caryn McKenchie ’18, Joel Katticaran ’18, Sriyash Prajval Kadiyala ’21 and I piled into a car and started on the seven mile journey to Rock Creek. The scenery outside changed quickly as we rattled down the road. It was a beautiful day and, within minutes, we were in the midst
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of rolling cornfields. I could hardly believe my eyes when we reached the creek. Surrounded by lush greenery on all sides, with birds chirping and flying over us, it seemed so different from Grinnell College’s campus. It was hard to comprehend that such a place existed so close to the College, where the Iowa topography appears nothing but flat. “I would not have believed a place like this existed in Grinnell,” Kadiyala confirmed. We rented a motorboat and set out on our adventure. The lake itself was circled with trees and wildflowers and, as we went deeper, we started to spot wildlife along the edges of the forested areas — we even caught a glimpse of some deer drinking from
the lake! Amidst the calm water, the only hubbub being the fish popping in and out and the birds flying over us, I felt at peace. Katticaran drove the boat to several of his favorite haunts, where the water was the most still. We spotted many different bird species and three deer on the bank. The deer gracefully ran when we approached, the sound of the motor giving away our presence. Not only did I enjoy an afternoon at Rock Creek, but I talked with Sue Thompson, the person who rented us our boat. For Thompson, Rock Creek has been her second home for twenty years. She has worked there since 1997, she told me, and has many fond memories. “My fondest memory of the lake is time spent with family and friends. I have my grandkids here with me most of the summer. They have the opportunity to fish, take out pedal boats and kayaks, enjoy the wildlife (frogs, crawdads, etc.). I have met so many wonderful people out here!” Thompson wrote in an email to The S&B. Additionally, Thompson once owned a horse. “One of my favorite things to do was to ride her around the lake. There is a multi-use trail, which is open to horses, bicycles and walking.” When asked what most attracted Thompson to the park, she commented, “I enjoy the wildlife. I like to take pictures of frogs and the many spe-
cies of birds which frequent our area. I also enjoy the sounds of the lake. The sound of the cicadas could lull me to sleep.” Thompson also told me about the many outdoor activities people can engage in at Rock Creek, including “the swimming beach, multi-use trails, camping, fishing, bird watching, picnicking and, of course, boat rentals.” One can also rent shelters and cook on the “grills scattered about the park for day users,” Thompson said. I also spoke with Katticaran about his penchant for boating at Rock Creek. For Joel Katticaran, Rock Creek has been a relaxing environment which offers some respite from the busy college atmosphere. He found out about Rock Creek when he went for a GORP canoeing activity there his first year. However, he says, “getting the equipment from GORP and transporting it there was quite a hassle.” Though he enjoyed
the trip, he did not make the journey out there very frequently, until this past summer, when he lived in Grinnell. He started going more often when he found out that one could rent boats there. When asked his favorite thing to do at Rock Creek, Katticaran said, “renting a boat and reading while listening to the birds and fish.” “I don’t think college students know how easy it is to rent stuff [at Rock Creek]. If I had known how easy it was to rent boats here, I would’ve done this every weekend for the last four years,” Katticaran stated. Rock Creek is a great place to go to unwind. With gorgeous landscapes and an array of activities, it offers something for everyone. On our way back to the pier, we caught the sunset. The sky was illuminated with shades of red and orange. I started planning my next trip to Rock Creek as soon as we got out of the boat.
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A Usually Unsuspected Plot Twist
Opinions
Edited by fentonma@grinnell.edu
IoWhat is Going on in Politics? School board makes progressive moves
by Austin Wadle On Tuesday, Sept. 12, voters across Iowa headed to the polls to vote for members of the local school board. Progressives won competitive races across the state, including here in Grinnell, in the first statewide election since last November. Ever since the staggering losses progressives faced in November, the Democratic Party has been trying to take every chance to make a positive impact. While the Democrats have experienced success in a series of special elections since December of 2016 in which Democrats could focus large efforts on turnout within a small geographic area, they had yet to face this challenge at the statewide level. At last week’s school board election, it was finally time for local progressives to turn out. Following the 2017 legislative session, Iowa progressives renewed their focus on the impact a school board can have. It was another year of conservative victories — slashed public education, rollbacks of workers’ rights and collective bargaining rights for public employees. Consequently, school boards have to worry about funding basic operations, and local school districts have significantly more power when it comes to determining benefits and contracts for their teachers. Another major issue at the
school level is transgender students gaining access to proper facilities. Despite Iowa state law’s clear stance on letting trans students use facilities that match their gender identity, a school board in Fairfield, Iowa still put this issue up for a vote. Progressive activists rightfully took this opportunity to create positive change, electing school board members who push for fair teacher contracts and prioritize educational accessibility funding. At home in Grinnell, the Democratic Party put forward a positive vision for the future of our school district. Democrats focused on ensuring that new facilities are accessible and conducive to learning, especially regarding facilities for vocational learning. Admittedly, the role of the school board is relatively limited. They cannot dictate curriculum, nor can they directly hire or fire teachers or staff. Formally, their duties are limited to hiring a superintendent and approving yearly budgets. All school board candidates were aware of those limitations, but sought to present more informal ways that they could improve the Grinnell school board. The elected candidates want to make sure transparency is expanded, by receiving feedback on projects the school district has undertaken. They also want to ensure there are many opportunities to offer feedback, not just during school board meetings. Grinnell’s elected school board members also want to promote partners in the community, like Iowa Valley Community College and Grinnell College. Each new board member has something unique to offer. Steve Sieck brings an agricultural perspec-
tive, having grown up in a farming community. He has seen the overall challenges the state faces by serving on the governor’s STEM Advisory Board. Although he ran unopposed, I am beyond excited to see the start of his tenure as an elected school board member. I feel similarly about Emily Guenther, who runs Grinnell College’s Liberal Arts in Prison Program. Guenther has been able to connect many institutions for the public good, and I know she’ll be able to accomplish similar things for the school district. Reelected members Meg Jones Bair, Barbara Brown and Helen Redmond’s experiences on the board and institutional knowledge will aid the school board in being as transparent as possible. I am especially excited for what Laurel Tuggle ’13 will bring to the table. Tuggle is a Grinnell alumna who completed the College’s education licensure program and then received an advanced degree in public health, where she focused her capstone on mental health among students at Grinnell Middle School. She is beyond equipped to set the tone for our school system, insisting that mental health should be important and valued for all students. In some ways, our school board is very different following last week’s election. We now have a majority women school board, and two millennials hold positions. But in many ways, it has maintained its same focus: the students and families in the Grinnell school system. Like progressive candidates across the state, the Grinnell school board will stand for accessible and outstanding public education for everyone.
Slice of Life by Seungyun Chong
The S&B is on the lookout for LETTERS TO THE EDITOR and RANTS AND RAVES • Letters to the editor are opinion pieces about a topic of your choice. • Rants and raves are 80 words or less, ranting and raving about anything! • Email [fentonma] for submissions.
Sexplanations: Abstinence and how to politely decline
just want to be friends without saying it outright? — Flustered Friend
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 Will I be limited in my relationships if I choose not to have sex? — Abstinent and Admiring This is an important question. Personal choices about our bodies, including sexual choices, can sometimes feel limiting in any relationship, so we’re glad you asked! Sex is just one of many ways to feel intimate with someone, and what’s most important in a relationship, regardless of whether or not you’re having sex, are boundaries, comfort, respect and consent. This should be true for every aspect of a relationship beyond sex, even in non-romantic relationships.
Ultimately, the story of sex as a defining component of any “true” relationship is bogus. Relationships take infinitely many beautiful and fulfilling forms where sex either has no place, or comes and goes. For some, having sex seems to be the absolute pinnacle of intimacy and release, romantic relationship or not. Others have no or little sexual desire or choose celibacy. Ultimately, the story of sex as a defining component of any “true” relationship is bogus. Relationships take infinitely many beautiful and fulfilling forms where sex either has no place, or comes and goes. You can always talk about this explicitly with your partner. “I’m not comfortable with [insert sexual act].” Or, “I don’t want to do [sexual act] right now.” Even if talking explicitly seems uncomfortable, it’ll be the best way to communicate and ensure your wishes are being accepted. It’s totally okay if you change your mind or feel differently about anything at any point in time — a good partner will respect that (and you should respect their boundaries and choices they make about their body too!)
Personal choices about our bodies, including sexual choices, can sometimes feel limiting in any relationship, so we’re glad you asked! A relationship without sex is not a denial of closeness or connection. It just means that you get to pursue intimacy in ways that go beyond popular understandings of what intimacy looks like, and that is some good shit! Ultimately, it is your body and your choice and those you hold the most valuable relationships with will respect that. How do you tell someone you
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 Video 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 Carter Howe Mayo Sueta Lica Ishida Jeff Li Helena Gruensteidl Riley Murphy Kate Irwin Divine
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Hi Flustered Friend! It can be hard to not feel the same way about someone! You want to respect the other person’s feelings and be true to your own — it’s an awkward situation and can be hard to handle.
But it’s important to remember that not everyone communicates in the same way, and if you’re interested in maintaining a friendship, communication is key … their communication style, personality, feelings, experiences, or a million other factors could further muddy their understanding of the situation. But it’s important to remember that not everyone communicates in the same way, and if you’re interested in maintaining a friendship, communication is key. You could avoid saying things that would convey interest (or alternatively, say or do things that would subtly communicate disinterest), but their communication style, personality, feelings, experiences or a million other factors could further muddy their understanding of the situation. If you want them to know you’re just interested in being friends, being direct might be the quickest and easiest way to do it. As your friend, they should appreciate that you’re being clear about your feelings and acknowledging theirs. Telling them doesn’t have to be a big thing! They may have already expressed their feelings to you — in that case, you can definitely just emphasize how much you value their friendship, but that you aren’t interested in any other type of relationship. If you’re just picking up vibes, or have heard rumors from other people, you could wait for your friend to bring it up (rumors aren’t always true!). Or, if you’re feeling like it’s hanging over your friendship, preemptively (but casually) bring it up. I’d try something like:
If you want them to know you’re just interested in being friends, being direct might be the quickest and easiest way to do it. As your friend, they should appreciate that you’re being clear about your feelings and acknowledging theirs. “Hey! I’ve heard/felt like you might be interested in something other than friendship (be straight up!) — I love A, B and C about you/our relationship (emphasize that friendship), and I could be totally off base here (1. give them an out and 2. you could actually be wrong!), but I wanted to let you know that I’m just interested in maintaining our friendship because I care about you, and don’t want things to be awkward between us (let them know why you’re bringing it up).” This week someone asked about fun on and off campus date ideas in Grinnell. We thought we should ask YOU! Submit your answers via the link provided in the column description, and a 40 dollar gift card to Prairie Canary will be given to the best or most creative idea the first week after fall break!
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.
the
Back Page Volume 134, Issue 5
Photo of the Week
Got a backpage-worthy photo? Submit it to [newspapr] and earn $5 for contributing a winner!
"The road to success is always under construction." — Lily Tomlin
Arbitrary Analysis Social Calendar
Piglets
JRC
The Signs as Twin Peaks Characters
Aries: Gordon Cole Taurus: Deputy Hawk Gemini: Laura Palmer
12:00 p.m. Family Weekend Trip to CERA @ JRC 7:30 p.m. Grinnell Symphony Orchestra performance @ Bucksbaum 104 - Sebring-Lewis Hall 9:00 p.m. Chynna/MikeQ @ Gardner Lounge
Cancer: Sarah Palmer Leo: Audrey Horne Virgo: Albert Rosenfield Libra: Donna Hayward Scorpio: BOB
ARH
Sagittarius: Nadine Hurley Capricorn: The Giant/Fireman
check us out:
Aquarius: The Log Lady Pisces: Dougie Jones
@thesandb /thescarletandblack thesandb.com @newspapr
Rants & Raves:
Larvae
Kittens
This week, Mira Berkson '20 and Gabriel Loewenson '21 polled students asking: Thicc Thighs or Apple Pies?
7:30 a.m. Start of Family Weekend events @ JRC 7:00 p.m. GUM Theme Release Party @ Main Lounge
Like what you see?
KELI VITAIOLI
Snedge
Friday
Saturday
thesandb.com
"The best thing since the front page!"
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]
Inaccessible Construction
Unpopular Opinion
Not a Noyce Feeling
A Man after my own Heart
Doing all your construction at the same time is inaccessible, and dare I say, kind of ableist. Also, all syllabi should be required to be online and self gov's been dead for 10 years. :3
Pugs are overrated. So are corgis.
Is it just me or has the Noyce air conditioner been shooting off more weird mist?
Shoutout to the S&B's charming new opinions editor for delivering quality content the campus deserves.
- [armstrop] '18
- Anonymous
- Nervous by Noyce
- Michael Cummings '18