Volume 135, Issue 10

Flanagan Theater is full of Love and Information

Arts page 3

Swim team dives head-first into a new season

Sports page 5

Students successfully celebrate Diwali

Features page 7

Scarlet & Black the

Volume 135, Issue 10

thesandb.com

November 15, 2018 • Grinnell, Iowa

President Kington to Social Class Awareness go on sabbatical Week prompts discussion of socioeconomic differences

By Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu

Grinnell College Questbridge addressed the significance of students’ social class at the College with the third annual Social Class Awareness Week at Grinnell (or SCAW, an acronym that its founder Tim Burnette '19 hoped would catch on).

The events began on Tuesday, Nov. 13 and will continue through Saturday, Nov. 17. On Friday night, Questbridge will host a game of Monopoly with modified rules to facilitate discussion about class

differences from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Joe Rosenfield Center (JRC) 227. On Saturday, they will host a roundtable discussion from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in ARH 318, followed by a game of Jeopardy, with prizes, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in JRC 209 that evening. Earlier in the week, the group also planned a clothing drive and talk delivered by Burnette about the intersection of social class and belonging at a liberal arts college.

Burnette began SCAW their second year at the College, mainly to raise awareness about the presence and distinct experience of low-income

students on campus.

“So many people didn’t realize how many students on campus were low-income, so many people didn’t understand what the experiences were like, people didn’t realize that the faculty could be someone they could look to,” said Burnette.

Burnette also wanted to strengthen solidarity among lowincome students on campus and provide a sense of community to those feeling isolated. “[SCAW] was founded on the idea that I could >> See Questbridge holds page 2

CONTRIBUTED

President Raynard Kington prepares to embark on an eight-week sabbatical.

By Shuhan Yi yishuhan@grinnell.edu

LIZ PAIK

Mitch McCloskey '21, Carina Wilson '19, and Cinthia Romo '19 provide information about SCAW events.

President of the College Raynard Kington recently announced his plans to take an eight-week sabbatical, which he intends to start on the Monday after Thanksgiving and end in the third week of January 2019. During Kington’s absence, Dean of the College Mike Latham will take over in his stead.

Scheduling his sabbatical presented its fair share of difficulties, as Kington said he wanted to remain at the College for certain events this semester. Furthermore, much of the time off will take place during winter break, before the College is once again in full swing.

“I now understand better why faculty are so careful about knowing as far in advance as possible, because it is hard to

sort of clean your schedule,” said Kington. “So I didn’t want to leave before our Reaccreditation Visit, which happened last week, I think, and there are lots of other things happening. This is the only real time when I could do it.”

During his sabbatical, Kington will be engaged in a number of writing projects that he has been putting off, one of which is related to the College and the others regarding his general interests.

In his absence, Kington has no doubt that Latham will keep the College running smoothly. “[Latham] is incredibly accomplished and knowledgeable …

I anticipate there won’t be issues,” Kington said. “We’ve tried to go over the key issues and what things are in play, but Mike is very involved in decision-making here, most of >> See Mike Latham page 2

International students attempt to stay politically active

By Charun Upara uparacha@grinnell.edu

While the midterm elections recently took place and captured the nation’s attention, a large subset of the College population was not able to participate in the process: international students, who comprise about a fifth of the student body at Grinnell.

However, a number of them still make the effort to participate and stay informed about American politics, while simultaneously following public affairs from their home countries.

“It’s hard to keep up with both worlds,” said Anais Levin '19, an international student from Brazil.

“Usually, I don’t keep up with politics as much as I should, but I’ve been really trying this year to be more active, because I never really was back home, and now I’m feeling kind of bad about it. I should’ve been when I had the opportunity to.”

Levin tried to cast an absentee ballot in the Brazilian General Election, which happened in October. However, the process for voting while abroad proved to be extremely complicated and timeconsuming.

“I couldn’t vote, because you have to get a complicated permit to justify your absence, and you have to Friday Faculty Friday: Lunch for Faculty Joe Rosenfield '25 Center 101, 12 p.m.

go to Chicago,” Levin said. She also noted that other Brazilian students at Grinnell had the same issues, and therefore were not granted a chance to cast their vote.

Kosuke Yo '20, from Japan, faced a similar problem when he attempted to vote in elections back home.

Similarly to Levin, Yo felt caught between two realities. He felt like he generally struggles to have a say in issues, since he cannot fully participate in either countries’ politics.

“I feel disconnected from both American and Japanese politics because I can’t vote [in America], and I spend most of my time in America,” Yo said.

Yo also pointed out that countries such as the U.S. and Japan maintain diplomatic relationships.

Therefore, a country’s political decisions will ultimately affect the country on the other end of the relationship, making it important to be informed of the current affairs of both countries’ circumstances.

Though voting is one way of participating in American politics, international students have found other ways to make their voices heard. Several are involved with local and national politics by joining on-campus activist groups, volunteering and engaging in

conversations about issues that affect everyone, whether they are American citizens or not.

“I try to encourage all my friends to vote in this [midterm] election, and I try to stay tuned to the news and try my best to know what’s happening in the U.S,” Levin said, stressing the importance of

Sunday Avalon Quartet Master Class Bucksbaum 102, 8 a.m.

Monday Frontier Group Info Session w/ Alumnus Noyce 1023, 7 p.m.

participation in the political process while being an international student.

“If they have an opportunity to have their voice[s] heard, [they should] take it.”

International students might not be able to officially have a say in the direction that the country is heading towards, but they still have

the capacity to engage in other ways and make effective change.

“What we [international students] should do is try to engage with the political process here. Even though we can’t vote, I think we can still do a lot, like talk about the issues. And it’s super important that we do that,” Levin said.

LIZ PAIK

ISO gives international students an sense of solidarity as they navigate politics in America and back at home.

Follow us on Twitter @thesandb and on Instagram @grinnellsandb

.Tuesday Conversation in the Humanities Joe Rosenfield '25 Center 101, 4:15 p.m.

Wednesday Theater and Dance Dept Meeting Bucksbaum 269, 12 p.m

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

News

2

Questbridge holds events for Social Class Awareness Week

Mike Latham to act as President for eight weeks

Continued from Front Page things he knows pretty well.”

Kington also ensured that his chief staff will still be available during his sabbatical, and Angela Voos, chief of staff and president of planning, will stay in her role to ensure continuity of their work.

Latham expressed excitement about temporarily taking over the duties of the President.

“I am honored to support Grinnell’s community by acting as President during Dr. Kington’s leave,” wrote Latham in an email to The S&B. “This is an outstanding college, and I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students, and alumni during this period. I am also fortunate to have several

Edited by seibertl@grinnell.edu & suetamay@grinnell.edu

Continued from Front Page

talented and hardworking associate deans who will take on some of my usual responsibilities to allow me to work in this role. The college’s Senior Staff are also great partners, and we have always worked collaboratively.”

Concerning possible changes taking place during his presidency, Latham wrote, “This is a short period of sabbatical leave, part of which will take place during the holiday break. I expect that we will continue the college’s existing direction and plans during this time.”

Latham wrote that he will “aim to collaborate with colleagues and remain accessible to faculty and students as I have during my previous four years at Grinnell.”

help people realize that there were others around them and they were not alone,” they said.

At the time, they were the president of Questbridge, and the organization still continues to organize SCAW two years later. Its current president, Carina Wilson '19, hopes to foster more constructive dialogue at SCAW events this year than in years past. Part of this change involves removing the usual panel presentation in favor of the roundtable discussions on Saturday.

“We’ve always done a panel in the past, where basically students share their experiences and then there’s just general questions and answers, but nothing was really resulting from that.

It always just felt awkward from both ends, and so it’s different this year.

We want to create a space where there can be active engagement from every aspect and every different social class,” Wilson said.

“Questbridge is kind of the only group affiliated somewhat with lowincome students. There’s not really a group on campus or an organization that’s specifically helping firstgeneration or low-income students, so just realizing that there’s not anything there support-wise, like just a student group or like a faculty-sponsored group, I think it just really inhibits people from their full potential and feeling like they have community here,” she said.

In the past week, Wilson aimed for Questbridge to provide that sense of community to both members of campus as well as those outside

CONTRIBUTED

Dean Mike Latham will serve as President during Kington's sabbatical.

of it. The group hosted a clothing drive for the Grinnell High School Invisible closet, where low-income students can receive clothing, and a National Quest Day event, where upperclassmen and underclassmen shared their stories with one another.

Additionally, Burnette presented their research regarding social class and belonging at Grinnell.

Burnette began this research project during their second year after taking a Sociology Methods course with Professor Sharon Quinsaat. The next year, they pursued a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) about social class and belonging, which has since been published in the International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities. At first, Burnette was surprised to find that, on paper, it is not apparent that economically-disadvantaged students have a harder time at Grinnell than wealthier peers. Retention rates and GPAs at Grinnell are, on average, the same across socioeconomic backgrounds.

“At first I was like, wow, maybe class doesn’t have a big impact on your Grinnell experience,” they said.

“But after being here two years I knew it did, and that was just my own lived experience.”

After interviewing various students, they found that there were major differences in the narratives surrounding students’ lives depending on their socioeconomic background: what Burnette calls “narratives of difference.” For example, many interviewees pointed out the difference between being economically disadvantaged and

“college poor,” which Burnette wrote a Letter to the Editor about in August.

Some recommendations that Burnette has made in light of their research are requiring all textbooks for all courses to be in the campus library, instituting economic diversity training for faculty and staff, creating food assistance and support for students on campus during breaks and having intersectionally diverse faculty.

SCAW has grown and improved on past iterations since Burnette created it, and its future is ripe with possibility. Wilson is excited about potentially branching out through the Multicultural Leadership Council (MLC) to focus more on different cultural perspectives and how they interact with social class during SCAW. “We finally became a part of MLC last year and so we’re hoping to maybe in the future collaborate with other groups on campus because there are connections there,” she said. “We’ve been going to the MLC meetings and people have voiced interest in that, so that could be really cool to have the event become something that’s not just Questbridge, but something that a lot of groups can partake in. And it’s hard because it’s like just started and everything, but that’s the goal is to have many groups contribute and be interested in it.”

While SCAW cannot immediately fix the deeply-rooted ignorance surrounding economic diversity on college campuses, the members of Questbridge hope to continue the conversation and provide a network of support to students in the meantime.

Thanksgiving dinners offered to students staying in Grinnell

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By Esther Hwang hwangest@grinnell.edu As students prepare to make the trip home for Thanksgiving break, many others prepare to spend the holiday on campus. Whether due to long and expensive travel arrangements or poor relationships with family members, going home presents difficulty for many at the College.

Fortunately, many organizations around Grinnell are thinking of these students and want to include them in their holiday celebrations. Three events in particular promise companionship and fresh meals for those who find themselves alone on Thanksgiving: Hotel Grinnell’s Thanksgiving dinner, the BCC Thanksgiving, and Local Foods Thanksgiving.

First on the list is Hotel Grinnell’s free Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner is on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd from 4-8pm and is free for students. Non-students are welcome to join for $28. To RSVP, all guests must text Dinner to 641-352-6288.

While Hotel Grinnell offered a dinner last Thanksgiving, the meal came with a fee. This year, owners Angela Harrington and her partner Steve Holtze ’67 aimed to make the event more financially accessible for students. They care deeply about creating a pseudo-family in the town for students who are not able to spend time with loved ones over the holiday.

As of now, they have received 140 RSVPs and are open to several more.

They hope that this event will open up the hotel as a community space for students.

“I want students to be comfortable to use the hotel’s lobby, the Periodic Table, the lounge, and the event center,” said Harrington.

Another strong motivation to make the event free and support students this year was because the most frequent guests of Hotel Grinnell are families coming to visit their children.

Therefore, a free Thanksgiving meal is a way to express their gratitude.

Another option for those seeking

company on Thanksgiving day is dinner at the Black Cultural Center on campus from 4-8pm. This dinner caters to students of the black diaspora in the dishes they’ll be serving. Those who would like to help shop and cook for the dinner can email Rayyon Robinson '19 at robinson5@grinnell. edu. However, those lacking culinary skills are welcome to eat regardless.

“If you want to help and you are aware of how to cook, obviously then we want those people. But also if you say your seasonings are salt and pepper, then stay at home and come to eat later,” said Selah Mystic ’19.

Those seeking a slightly less traditional option might consider the Local Foods Thanksgiving, which will occur on Sunday, November 18th at Main Quad. The dinner is at 6:00pm, and it is open to students, faculty, staff, and community members. It is free and but attendees must RSVP at brunetch@ grinnell.edu or sign up at their table in front of the dining hall. Since it is not on Thanksgiving Day, it is an opportunity to have a festive dinner with friends before break comes to an end. Local Foods Thanksgiving is student led, with Josh Jensen, Nathaniel Crail and Christopher Brunet, all ’19 as the coleaders. The group anticipates 150-200 people at the event.

This particular event runs on student volunteers and community power. In addition to the students leading the program, Kamal Hammouda from Relish will cook the turkeys. All of the vegetables and meat are from Grinnell Heritage Farm, Middleway Farm, and Olson farms in Iowa. Local Foods Thanksgiving will have an optional donation jar for Mid-Iowa Community Action, a nonprofit that helps families with food insecurity. The student leaders promise several vegan options, including kale, stuffing, roasted vegetables, bread, and apple crisps.

While Thanksgiving is traditionally a family holiday, multiple organizations around Grinnell will attempt to bring people together through food to create a new kind of fellowship.

Edited by schultej@grinnell.edu

Arts

Photos from Fall Drag Show: queens and kings perform at Harris to raise money for LGBTQ sexual assault victims in Iowa

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The S&B sent photographer Sofia Mendez '19 to photograph the performances at this semester's drag show. All proceeds from the show go toward Transformative Healing, an Iowa City-based organization that provides resources to LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence in the state of Iowa. A wide variety of acts took the stage, and this year's performances did not disappoint.

Arts

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Royce Wolf

By Lily Seibert seibertl@grinnell.edu One of the most rewarding aspects of mastering a particular discipline is earning the right to break the rules.

This was exactly what Professor Royce Wolf, mathematics, attempted in his piano recital, entitled “How Not to Play Bach on the Modern Grand Piano” on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in the Faulconer Gallery. Despite playing sections of “Well-Tempered Clavier,” one of Bach’s most renowned compositions, Wolf took multiple creative liberties in his rendition. He opted to read from sheet music, a practice usually denounced in the recitation of Bach and only played the piece’s preludes, which usually come paired with complementary fugues.

Most importantly, Wolf played his recital using the pedal, a generally disputed custom, as Bach himself composed in a time period before the pedal was invented.

“Bach is God for musicians, for pianists and keyboard players in particular, but musicians in general,” said Wolf. “He was an unbelievable figure in terms of summing up the Baroque era and preparing the for-

mal structures of music for the future generations.”

Wolf’s decision to stray from the accepted standards of performing Bach came from the fact that he “had a lot of fun playing with the pedal” and wanted to accomplish what others claimed he shouldn’t.

“My piano teachers told me I wasn’t going to use the pedal, so it was a bit of a cathartic experience on my part, to finally get out and play a recital,” Wolf said.

Despite drawing enjoyment from subverting the piano world’s norms, Wolf also finds pleasure in exploring the formal elements of a piece of music. Composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms adhere to a strict structure that Wolf appreciates. Beethoven, in particular, understood that “you had to do a Sonata in a certain way … [He] accepted that entirely and then took these formal rules and stretched them to the limit. That process of breaking through that very rigid mold into something else just made him one of the pivotal great figures.”

Part of the reason that Wolf enjoys a formal structure so strongly is his background as a mathematician.

Wolf often draws on his aptitude for

logic and problem-solving to master a piece.

“Piano is just like, well, look, that note right there says to play that note right there. Okay, well, I’ll just do a lot of that,” Wolf said. “That’s not a musical ability, that’s kind of a more mathematical ability. When I look at a piece of classical music and I try to understand how it’s put together, I feel like I’m using my math brain.”

The process of connecting notes written on a page to keys on a piano is not the only aspect of music that strikes Wolf as mathematical. He also referenced the science of tuning a piano, as well as the act of creating harmony.

“Mathematics can be defined as the organization of abstract principles, very loosely, and that’s what you’re doing with harmony,” Wolf said. “You’re taking these abstract sounds and triads and putting them all together, making sense of them.”

While Wolf tried his hand at composing while working towards his undergraduate degree in music, he claims that the skill never came naturally to him. Instead, he prefers to dive into the history and style of classical music and see where it takes him.

SARINA LINCOLN

Professor Royce Wolf, mathematics, has been playing the piano since he was a teenager. His show this past week, "How Not to Play Bach on the Modern Grand Piano," bent the conventional rules for playing Bach.

Photography course added for first time in years

By Julia Anderson anderson8@grinnell.edu In the upcoming spring semester, Visiting Professor Ally Christmas, art, will teach a special topic course, Contemporary Photography.

The studio art department has not offered a photography course in recent history, but Christmas’ arrival to the College this fall as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow has provided opportunities for students to explore visual and digital arts. This semester, Christmas taught Digital Image and Video Production, which will be offered again next fall.

Contemporary Photography will be open to all students regardless of prior experience, with registration priority given to studio art and art history majors. The course, which counts towards the studio art major, delves into many aspects of photography and editing, as well as photography’s interdisciplinary abilities and potential.

“Really, a large part of the class is hopefully focused on sort of breaking apart students’ preconceived notions of what photography is and can do today.

I think that maybe photography has a bad rap sometimes of its limitations, but there’s some really incredible and groundbreaking work being done in contemporary photography today,” said Christmas.

The beginning of the course will focus on learning the basics of technical skills involved in photography, such as using a camera. Students will also work with basic Adobe editing software including Bridge for file management and workflow, Camera Raw, Lightroom and Photoshop. These skills from the first part of the class will carry on through the entire semester in students’ photography work.

From there, students will focus on developing a body of work through a

series of images and learn to present work both digitally and in print form.

They will discuss and practice documentary and straight photography before moving on to the constructed image and photo as illusion. Christmas highlights the importance of storytelling through images that students will create and those that they will analyze.

The semester will end by delving into performance for the camera before students create a final portfolio of their best work.

A crucial aspect of the course involves developing the ability to analyze images, beyond simply making them.

“Knowing how to read and interpret an image critically, I think is so vital today, even when we’re just scrolling through social media or looking at the news. Picking up on different visual cues and photographs and being able to understand what they mean is really important, and that’s something I’ll be emphasizing in the class,” Christmas said.

The course will also highlight the interdisciplinary potential of photography with other mediums of art, such as papermaking and sculpture. This will provide students with expanded room for creativity by bridging their work in photography with other artistic interests. Christmas also acknowledges the capacity for photography to portray deeper messages.

“Overall I want students to know that photography is a critical medium.

I think not just as makers, as artists, but also just as humans who have to interact with other humans in society.

I think it can be used to talk about a lot of really important issues like politics or identity or representation,” she said.

The course will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 until 3:50 p.m.

Edited by schultej@grinnell.edu

Theatre department premiers "Love and Information"

SARINA LINCOLN

Addison Marsh ' 22 Gemma Yang '21 at a rehearsal leading up to this weekend's production. This is a rehearsal of the scene called "Secret."

By Madelyn Matsubara matsubar@grinnell.edu Caryl Churchill’s “Love and Information” has come to the College, and, as the director, Professor Lesley Delmenico, theater and dance, expressed, the play reaches “out to people for … intimacy, for connection, for understanding at a time we are not getting a whole lot of any of those.”

Described as a true pioneer in contemporary theatre, Churchill works with non-realism.

Delmenico’s interpretation of “Love and Information” sets the play in a metropolitan train station that includes pieces of dialogue from various commuters. This performance relies on the lack of plot structure and disjointed connections to present the desire of intimacy in contemporary society. The fractionated bits of interaction between the various characters present at the train station serve to emphasize miscommunication and missed connections that plague daily life.

Delmenico asserts that political conditions made this particular production especially relevant, not only providing a much-needed laugh and escape from current tensions, but also to create a sense of connection and togetherness that modern technology potentially disrupts. Drawing upon recent controversy in the media, “Love and Information” inquires about the effects of having information constantly thrown at people. The question of credibility is also a major theme in the play, prompting the au-

dience to contemplate the truth behind the information that people consistently receive.

Delmenico said that the lighting designer has contributed immensely to the portrayal of the connections and missed connections that define the play. The script itself has no line numbers, character assignments, or stage directions, just bare dialogue that provides fluidity in the direction it is taken.

In the original script, there are 57 scenes in seven sections. Delmenico condensed it, and the play will be roughly an hour and fifteen minutes long.

The cast contains many firstyears, and Delmenico expressed that it was her goal to include them to bring new faces to Grinnell College theatre.

She is quite impressed with the new talent she discovered. “[The cast] just sort of jumped in with the first cold reading and … have been deepening their characters ever since,” said Delmenico. The versatility of the performers in her play are crucial, as their ability to play multiple characters are necessary for the production.

The coupling of abstract realism with bits of humorous absurdity will make this play not only enlightening, but a pleasure to witness.

“John McGrath really got it right when he wrote that theatre needs to provide a good night out for people,” Delmenico said. “What Churchill is doing with this play is providing a good night out.”

The S&B reviews Kero Kero Bonito's show in Gardner Lounge

By Cait Mohr mohrcait@grinnell.edu

Post-show, as my tired eyes were seared by the sudden advent of Gardner’s fluorescent lights switching on, a friend mentioned to me, “Y’know, I heard that fights have broken out at their concerts before.” This is, in retrospect, unsurprising. Kero Kero Bonito’s manic energy and infectious beats whipped up such a fervor in Tuesday’s crowd that I was engulfed in not one, but three half-formed mosh-pits in the second row.

Kero Kero Bonito’s saccharine, PC-music-esque discography translates extremely well into the grizzly aesthetic terrain of punk. Classic Kero Kero Bonito singles like Flamingo and Sick Beat seemed to draw a mysterious energy from the fuzzy chorus of electric guitar and drum, rendering themselves more immediately and forcefully danceable than their electropop counterparts. Even an encore performance of “Trampoline,” from their 2016 album "Bonito Generation" was punctuated by a hunched-over Sarah Midori Perry growling the interlude like a stand-in vocalist for Skinny Puppy. It, quite frankly, made me lose my mind.

These playful subversions of genre certainly aren’t new to KKB whose most recent album "Time n’ Place" collages Sarah Midori Perry’s well-established bubblegum vocal stylings against a lo-fi landscape of pop-punk instrumentals. Similarly, KKB's performance oozed a kind of confident self-awareness that masterfully mediated between the sugary and the angsty. Dissociative indie ballads like “Make Believe” were often followed by the childlike wholesomeness of songs like “Pocket Crocodile,” with Perry often wielding stuffed versions

SARINA LINCOLN

Kero Kero Bonito played in Gardner Lounge on Tuesday night. Their show wrapped up the concerts lineup for the fall semester. of the titular animals like an amateur puppeteer at a kid’s birthday party. In this sense, the band seamlessly preserved the disjunction between the childlike fantasy and the crushing ennui of daily life inherent throughout their discography.

During “Sick Beat” and “Lipslap,” I found myself holding my friend’s hands and gleefully hopping around like I was peaking at a rave, feeling as if the lightness of Midori Perry’s conscious theatrics could somehow grant me the weightlessness to float onto the stage. Depressive indie jams from their album "Time 'n' Place," released in October, often punctured these moments of escapism, with the subsequent washes of melancholy blue stage lighting often making me feel hyperaware of the reality that I was, in fact, in a basement in Iowa during the most emotionally draining season of the year. To quote "Intro Bonito"’s “Rather Sleep,” “Now I know what’s real, what’s fake / Rather sleep than stay awake / Just to be a kid again.”

Of course, any account of the show would be incomplete without mentioning the impenetrable wall of amateur hype-beasts in the front row.

These men, hailing loudly from an unnamed Iowa university, reeked of a particular strain of frat house masculinity that was poorly masked by their penchant for JNCO pants and ironic designer accessories. One of them, who clearly missed the memo in "Sick Beat" about Midori Perry’s lack of interest in “eating / bitching / submitting,” took it upon himself to loudly proclaim, in gruesome detail, the ways in which he would sexually conquer the women performing, eliciting a kind of toothless male bravado more at-home in some of the more unsavory anime boards of 4chan than in the basement of Main Hall.

Indeed, it seemed that these men appreciated the music of KKB more as suitable background noise to fuel a ketamine high than anything else. This became evident by their dazed expressions when the band played anything more obscure than the widely meme’d “Flamingo.” During “Only Acting,” I swore I could see a glint of disgust in a band member’s eye when some took it upon themselves to aggressively pseudo-mosh like they were at an Aviicii show (RIP). However, I’m sure this was just a projection on my part.

Edited by fruchter@grinnell.edu

5

First-years propell football team to end-of-season win

By Will Telingator telingat@grinnell.edu On Nov. 10, the Grinnell College men’s football team ended their season on a high note with a stunning 41-31 victory over conference rival Beloit College. In addition to giving the squad their second win of the season, the victory also ended Grinnell’s 24-game losing streak in the Midwest

Conference and marked the College’s first win against Beloit since 2013.

While breaking a significant conference losing streak is certainly a momentous occasion, several players noted that they were motivated by a more important matter: sending off the senior players the right way. After dropping seven straight conference games this season, players were determined to give their Class of 2019

CONTRIBUTED

Dustin Saia '22 carries the ball against Ripon College. Saia is one of the firstyear player stand-outs this season.

Basketball works the system

By Candace Mettle mettleca@grinnell.edu The Grinnell College men’s basketball team started off their preseason with a 144-90 loss to Nebraska Wesleyan College, the number-one ranked Division III team in the country. However, with a 131-108 and 161-107 wins at home against, respectively, Eureka Bible and Emmaus, the Pioneers hold their sights on a successful season. “[I’m] really excited to see what this group can achieve; the energy throughout the preseason has been just really positive,” said Head Coach David Arseneault Jr., '09. Considering the strength of Nebraska Wesleyan, Arseneault hoped that the team would at least score high. Though the results did not meet his expectations, Tuesday night’s win showed that they still have a chance to prove their strengths.

Preseason games are an opportunity to reintroduce returning players to college play and get first-years adjusted to college play. Scores received in preseason contribute to overall Division III rankings. This year, the Pioneer men’s basketball roster has 27 players. First-years and second-years primarily make up the team.

According to Arseneault, the firstyears have gotten the hang of college play, even when having to learn The System. For the uninitiated, The System is a style of play developed by David Arseneault Sr., former head coach of the team, which utilizes hockey-style plays, frequent substitutions, constant full-court presses, sprints and lots of three-pointers, ideally every 12 seconds. In short, lots of running is

required, which can seem daunting for new and returning players alike.

“It’s a matter of getting into game shape and finding this synergy with your teammates, finding … the conditioning level, adjusting to the speed of play,” Arseneault Jr. said.

In Tuesday’s game, the Pioneers played strong with the first two quarters, ending the first quarter at 77-47, and the second at 97-67. They lessened the intensity of their presses in the last two quarters, which allowed Eureka to gain more points, but not enough to snatch the win.

Will Dubow '21, a safety of the team, is one of the returning players.

“Being safety is the most fun I’ve had playing basketball,” said Dubow.

“You’re at the back of the press, basically everything falls on your shoulders to stop the other team from scoring.”

Dubow heard of The System when looking at colleges to attend and play basketball at and was intrigued by it, but quickly acclimated to the nature of the play. He hopes to provide support to the newcomers as the season continues.

With The System, the men’s basketball team hopes to win the Midwest Conference title, and become the top scorers in the country. On Thursday, Nov. 15, The System enable the team to break the NCAA record for three pointers in a game with 42 completed three-point shots.

Hannes Kogelnik '21 also broke the College's record for free-throw completions in Tuesday's game. He could not be reached for comment on this article.

CONTRIBUTED

Hannes Kogelnik '21 tips in a shot against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 9.

teammates a win in the final game of their college careers.

“We [the football team] really consider ourselves close and wanted to send them [the graduating seniors] off the right way, because what better way to do that than with a win,” said first-year defensive back Sal Kargbo '22, who finished the game with two interceptions. “Going in, the game plan was the same, just trying to execute everything you can and give it all you got because it’s the last time you’re going to do it for the seniors.”

The team certainly succeeded in sending the seniors off “the right way.” In an impressive offensive display, they racked up 481 total yards en route to a total of 41 points, nearly matching their season-high of 46.

The defense did their part as well, holding Beloit to seven points in the second half and ensuring a Pioneer victory.

“The main focus points were just playing as a team and focusing on the little things,” wrote Dustin Saia '22, in an email to The S&B. “Many of our close games this year had come

down to us not doing a lot of the little fundamental things right and Saturday we were finally able to put a lot of those things together.”

Kargbo identified accountability as a key part of the team’s successes this season. He explained that the team was able to persevere through its mid-season struggles in large part due to strong leadership and their ability to hold each other accountable.

“Instead of pointing fingers and blaming each other, we asked ourselves, ‘Is there something more we can be doing?’ And I think our win on Saturday was a great example of us taking it to that next level and pulling a little bit extra out of ourselves … and it’s something that’s really promising moving forward,” Kargbo said.

In keeping with this forward momentum, the Class of 2022 stepped up in a big way on Saturday. In addition to Kargbo’s two picks on the defensive side of the ball, Jake Kaplinski '22, Daniel Carter '22 and Saia put up huge offensive numbers. Quarterback Kaplinski led the way with 230

total passing yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Carter scored four touchdowns and running back Saia finished the game with an historic 301 all-purpose yards.

With such an arsenal of young talent, the team has high expectations heading into the offseason. The team hopes to capitalize on their potential through hard work and a continued emphasis on strong leadership and accountability.

In an email to The S&B, Kaplinski wrote, “We need to take this offseason very seriously. We don’t have a lot of guys, which means we need to be in great shape. Everyone has areas to improve on and needs to get stronger and faster. This offseason is essential to having a good season next year.”

Although this win certainly gives the team a boost of confidence heading into the offseason, the players are very clear that they are far from satisfied. Carter wrote, “I don’t think anyone is happy with two wins, and we hope to win a lot more games next year.”

Inside Practice: The S&B dives in with the swim team

By Mira Tellegen tellegen@grinnell.edu As other students flock to D-Hall on a Wednesday evening, the members of the swim team stand shivering on the pool deck, waiting for their turn to dive in the water.

“Hupph,” dictates Associate Men's & Women's Swim Coach, Tim Hammond, mimicking the sound of a diver entering the water. “You know it's a good start if there’s a 'hupph.’”

As the room fills with splashes and the heavy scent of chlorine, all that can be seen is arms cutting across the lanes.

The team practices Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and occasionally practices on Saturdays, according Eve Galen '19, one of the captains of the women’s team. Students who have no afternoon classes can attend the earlier practice.

In addition to practices in the pool, team members are expected to do dry-land conditioning.

Since the start of the season in October, the swimming and diving team has competed in three meets.

The women’s team, led by women’s captains Galen, Anastasia Pulak and Rebecca Teske, both '19, won their Nov. 2 meet against Coe College 18356, their Nov. 3 meet against Luther College 188-95 and came first out of four teams in the Monmouth College Mini-Invite on Nov. 10.

Men’s captains Kai Vorhies, Joshua Tibatemwa and Brody Mikuta, all '19, led the men’s team to win the Coe College meet 165-72, win the Luther College meet 185-87 and come second out of four teams in the Monmouth College Mini-Invite.

Vorhies said that the first-years on the team have been a standout.

“A lot of the first-years this year are very fast, I’m excited to see what they can do,” said Vorhies.

The Monmouth College meet was particularly mentally and physically challenging, but encouraged the team to step up their game in the coming weeks.

“We’ve been coming off of really

ELENA COPELL

The swim team practices at least five days a week in the Russell K. Osgood Pool, in addition to their dry-land workouts. hard practices and challenging sets in the weight room, and an away meet which also can be mentally difficult because you’re in a different pool,” Galen said.

At a typical swim practice, the team warms up, then does a “pre-set,” a “main set,” and a “cool down” in the pool. “[The pre-set] sort of mimics what the main set will be in making sure they get to the intensity or almost the intensity they will see in the main set,” Hammond said. “Then we get into the main set, which is where we typically think of the majority of the anaerobic and threshold work being done.”

Then the team often works on technique, kick sets, and hypoxic sets.

As they prepare to swim warmup laps, the swimmers perform dynamic exercises like the arm swinging before each practice to stretch on the deck before they enter the water.

“One thing that’s different here at Grinnell that doesn't happen everywhere is we encourage them to start getting warmed up on deck before they get in the water,” Hammond said. “We have them do dynamic movements in order to set a base level of range of motion that's appropriate to the movements we will have them do in the water.”

Another unique element of practice is that the men and women practice together, which is rare in Pioneer

athletics.

“I think the fact that there’s no real delineation between the two teams other than that we score points separately brings a different atmosphere to the way that we practice, the way that we approach competition and the way that we interact with each other,” Galen said. “We have a lot of respect and appreciation for the people not just on our team, but on the men’s team, because it feels like we’re one cohesive group.”

This cohesive attitude gets results. Hammond said that the team always aims to win the Midwest Conference title in February, but that the swimmers themselves have varied goals.

“They want to do well in class, they’re always looking to be an academic All-American team, and they’re looking to make Grinnell a more inclusive place generally,” Hammond said.

In addition to bonding at practices, the swimming and diving team also volunteer together. The team recently participated in "Hour of Power," a relay fundraiser for sarcoma research founded in honor of a deceased Carleton College swimmer.

“We like to have a good time but we also like working hard,” Vorhies said. “I guess the general dynamic is supporting each other and pushing each other to do the best we can do ...

I really love the people I swim with.”

John Shawver: the Pro Shop's Pro of the Year

By Lily Seibert seibertl@grinnell.edu Assistant Men’s Golf Coach John Shawver recently received the honor of PGA Professional of the Year for his work at the Grinnell College Golf Course (GCGC). Each year, the Iowa Golf Association gives this award to someone who has gone above and beyond to foster enjoyment and participation for the game of golf.

Shane Hart, manager of the GCGC and Shawver’s former golf student, nominated him for the award.

In his nomination form, Hart highlighted some of the qualities that made Shawver an exceptional coach and teacher: “You’ll be greeted by a genuinely caring individual who goes out of his way to make you feel truly welcome …Yes, John can discuss green speeds, grass blends, clubface thickness, swing planes, and spin rates. He would be the first to tell you that none of these

things matter unless you are having fun, playing, and willing to get a little bit better.”

Despite his impressive resume, Shawver retains a high level of modesty regarding his role at the GCGC and the overall institution of golf.

“It was a surprise that [Hart] nominated me, so that was really nice,” said Shawver. “It was kind and I really appreciated that ‘cause at least it feels like my efforts here are doing something. But as far as actually getting it, that was kind of a shock. I don't really fit the mold, I guess. It was a really nice surprise, and pretty humbling for me.”

While Shawver brings over 30 years of experience to the GCGC, anyone who frequents the golf course’s pro shop immediately recognizes the way that he prioritizes respect and kindness in the interpersonal relationships he develops through the sport.

Shawver spends the majority of his time and energy instructing golfers of all ages.

“There's a different approach to actually every individual,” Shawver said. “I think that's maybe my philosophy or strength. I try to get to know the actual individual that I'm working with, and that seems to help people learn faster.”

Shawver maintained that there is always remains room for his students to grow.

“When you start, you feel like everybody's good and you're terrible, which is not the case at all. The reality is that everybody is just somewhere down that line, and it has to do with how much they've put into it, or how much time,” he said.

Despite Shawver’s aptitude in teaching a variety of levels, his primary interest lies with instructing children. Their enthusiasm for the game bolsters his own passion for golf.

“Kids will hit ten bad shots and one good one and they will remember that good one,” Shawver said. “They'll come and tell me about the good one.

And adults, they'll hit nine good ones and one bad one and they'll come and tell me about that bad one. It's just because, you know, kids aren't afraid to miss.”

Much of Shawver’s aptitude for teaching comes from his own experience as a professional golfer. After turning pro in 1991, he competed in

three PGA tours and a number of PGA Championship events. He constantly works on improving his own skills and learning more about the game.

“I feel pretty blessed,” Shawver said. “My faith is a big part of what I do, and I think that it’s just really a gift that God gave me, to be able to share what I love to do.”

LILY SEIBERT

John Shawver was named Pro of the Year by the Iowa Golf Assocation for his services to the sport.

Community "Hate corny church signs? Amen"

6

Edited by taylorse@grinnell.edu

The S&B sits down with United Methodist staff as they write their newest sign

By Andy Pavey paveyand@grinnell.edu At the corner of Fifth Avenue and Park Street, Grinnell United Methodist Church dominates the skyline as it boasts a stone exterior adorned with hundred-year-old stained glass windows. But onlookers may notice something out of the ordinary about this local landmark: a small black marquee with eye-catching messages.

“I have seen the truth and it does not make sense,” “What if doing the hokey pokey is what it’s all about?”

“Hate corny church signs? Amen.”

— these are just a few of the messages released by the church over the last year and a half. The procedure for choosing each week’s message is a little more intense — and time-consuming — than you might imagine.

When asked if they were the ones responsible for changing the sign each week, pastoral assistant Zach Bey said, “Responsible?

[Maybe]. Irresponsible? Yes.” Inside a small conference room lined with theological texts, church staff munch on snacks and pitch message ideas to one another like big-shot comedians writing for Saturday Night Live. Their ideas often

lead to fits of uproarious laughter.

“It usually takes us about an hour. Or two. Depends on how much fun we’re having,” Bey said.

And not everything leaves the writers’ room; Bey noted that “there are some things we get great enjoyment from here that we know will never make it to the curb.”

“We start out with the theme of Sunday,” explained Ashley Risting, the Youth Educator at the church.

She laughed and corrected herself, saying “We start out with what the Sunday message is going to focus on, but from there … we find other stuff that’s just funny or has to do with life that’s more interesting to put out there. But that’s where it starts, and it just branches out from there.”

“It’s a pretty haphazard process,” said Pastor David Crow.

Why go through all this trouble for a simple church sign? Crow said, “The purpose of the sign is to generate interest, and from interest possibly curiosity about what this place is about, and also to invite folk to follow up on that curiosity. And if it ties in with the Sunday [message], great. If it doesn’t, well, the latter is the higher priority.”

The church’s decision to feature witty, self-deprecating messages

tinged with Christian undertones instead of relying on quotes derived directly from scripture is a deliberate one. “I think [the sign] brings some normalcy and [us] down-toearth into this big, imposing structure,” Risting said. “We are just people.”

Crow added, “If what’s up there catches their attention, people are bright enough to build their own bridges to where they need to be.”

Although the staff claims their main audience is prospective churchgoers, one only has to sit in on a hectic brainstorming session to know that in some small part, they’re playing to one another, too.

The sign has been in place for just over a year, but it’s something the Church staff intend to continue well into the future. “We do this because it’s fun … It’s cool that people pay attention and look at it every week,” Risting said. “Some people even stand outside and watch me change it and wait until I’m done.

And I’m like, ‘You can help! It’s cold out here!’”

Just a few hours after The S&B’s interview, the words on the little black marquee had been changed to read, “When something goes wrong in your life, just yell, ‘plot twist!’ and move on.”

SARINA LINCOLN

Several staff members at the Grinnell United Methodist Church work together to create the rotating messages for this marquee, located on 5th Street.

Iowa People's PAC discusses plans for the future at post-election gathering

GEORGIA RAWHOUSER-MYLET

Members of the Iowa People's PAC gathered at Solera Wine Bar on Monday night to discuss the midterm elections and plans for the future.

By Georgia Rawhouser-Mylet rawhouse@grinnell.edu Six days after the midterm elections, 15 members of the grassroots political organization Iowa People’s PAC gathered at Solera Wine Bar in downtown Grinnell to reflect and evaluate their plans as 2020 approaches.

“The question tonight is where do we go? What do we do next?” said the group’s treasurer Professor Emeritus Kent McClelland, sociology, at the event.

Iowa People’s PAC is a progressive group formed in January 2017 in the wake of the 2016 election. Their goal is to help elect progressive candidates through grassroots fundraising focused on local elections. The group’s founding members were motivated by what they see as problems with Iowa’s campaign contribution system, in which donors from outside the state can give unlimited amounts of money to their favored candidates. The group argues that this leads to politicians who are responsive to their sources of money rather than the voters in their own district.

“The only way you’re going to

fight that,” McClelland said, “is to start at the local level and start raising small donations from people and put them together into a political action committee.”

Iowa People’s PAC does this by collecting monthly donations of $20 from between 50 and 60 contributors, each of whom becomes a member of the PAC. Members then choose local candidates to support, offering to match the funds raised by the candidates as long as the money is raised through small contributions. In this month’s election, they supported Jason Roudabush for County Supervisor and Dave VanCampernolle for County Attorney, as well as Kayla Koether '12 and Ann Egley for House Districts 55 and 76, respectively. Roudabush won his race and votes in Koether’s race are being recounted. In total, the PAC gave $14,605 in support of these candidates.

Monday’s meeting began with a conversation with Koether, who called in from her car as she continued to organize her drawn-out campaign. Koether told the group she was down by just eight votes and was in

the process of talking to people who had requested absentee ballots but did not have a record of their vote being counted. These people could have abstained from voting, or their ballots may have been lost in the mail.

Koether said that because she is running against a Republican incumbent with “credible name recognition,” raising her profile was key in making the election competitive. The PAC’s contribution made it possible for Koether to buy radio and television ads and helped motivate others to donate.

Roudabush also described how crucial grassroots funding was in his race, as it allowed him to purchase print and radio ads. He said the key to his campaign was talking to as many voters as possible, regardless of party.

“I focused majorly on the rural areas because that’s where we lose elections as Democrats,” he said.

Roudabush recounted stories of Independents and Republicans who warmed up to him after a conversation.

Targeting all voters, not just Democrats, became a major takeaway from the 2018 campaigns for organizers.

Patrick Hansen, chair of the Iowa People’s PAC, said it’s important to “look beyond the data” when determining which voters to contact. He adds that looking forward, the ideal Democratic candidate in Poweshiek county “needs to be a candidate who connects with rural voters.”

Looking forward to 2020, the PAC will reassess and choose one of four plans: disband entirely and donate the remaining money, operate at the same level, grow to the level at which they could impact a State Senate race, or partner with people in another Iowa county who would use the same funding model. The group hopes to decide between these options by the end of 2018.

Christmas comes to Central Park

By Charun Upara uparacha@grinnell.edu As the holiday season approaches, the Chamber of Commerce is refashioning Central Park with engaging decorations meant to make the park a delightful winter attraction, just in time for Jingle Bell Holiday.

The event is free and open to the public and will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.

“We held a couple of meetings back in August inviting community members to come and join us and really start to brainstorm what something might look like. We’ve been meeting as a group of volunteers and starting to pull together some of the details in Central Park,” said Rachael Kinnick, director of the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce and one of the organizers of the decorations.

Historically, the park has not been the center of the city’s annual holiday celebrations. The effort to redecorate the park this year marks a shift in focus to Central Park as the hub for festivals. Kinnick hopes that the overhaul this year will open up the opportunity for community members to enjoy and be engaged in organizing bigger and better celebrations in the future. The organizers wanted Central Park to be a space that residents and visitors to Grinnell could enjoy all year long.

“One of the things with parks in Iowa is that they’re really well-used from about March to October, when the weather is nice, so this is really an opportunity for us to get people back in that space in the less desirable weather and condition,” Kinnick said.

The new decorations divide the park into seven zones.

“You’ll see different lighted dis-

plays. We’ll have a candy cane village area with different candy canes and different photo ops. We’ll have the gazebo decorated [with a] traditional Christmas theme. We’ve got a North Pole area. The shelter house will be hosting Santa the four Saturdays in December,” Kinnick said.

Apart from Central Park, other parts of the city are also getting new decorations. Most notably, the nearly 30-year-old wreaths on the light poles that are usually seen downtown in the winter will be replaced with new banners and lighted snowflakes.

“Those are kind of two separate projects; they just happen to be taking place at the same time,” Kinnick said. “It’s meant to bring people downtown just to enjoy the space here.”

With about 155 light poles in the downtown area, the project is currently in the fundraising stages to fund displays for about 125 of those pole decorations.

The organizers plan to debut the new layout and decorations of Central Park at the annual Jingle Bell Holiday event on Friday, Nov. 16. This year’s celebration features more than 30 shops, activities and performances for the community to enjoy as the cold settles in. Highlights include a meet-and-greet with Santa at 5:00 p.m., the Tree Lighting in Central Park at 5:15 p.m. and the Grinnell Children’s Choir’s performance 5:30 p.m. The Grinnell Farmer’s Market is also making a return at the event, with various local crafts and baked goods vendors at the former St. Mary’s Education Center on Broad Street. And new this year at Jingle Bell Holiday is Handmade for the Holidays, a popup store south of Bikes to You that will feature handmade crafts.

As Thanksgiving approaches, The S&B’s Sarach Licht '22 and photographer Liz Paik '22 spoke to community members and students over a seasonal cup of coffee at Saints Rest to ask the question, "What are you thankful for?"

“I’m thankful that the semester is about to end, and that I’m on the other side of midsems.” -Carrie '19

"I’m thankful that the teachers are adamant about helping the students. They are interested in what you’re doing and how you are." -Ayrian (left) "I'm thankful for my mom." -Gabbi (right)

I’m thankful for my friends and family." -Megan (left) "I’m thankful for the teachers at my school who take their time out of their day to teach us." -Sophia (center) "I’m thankful that I have enough food to eat." -Jenna (right)

Features

Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu

7

Safer streets in Grinnell:

The S&B examines potential improvements to campus lighting

By Zoe Fruchter & Chloe Wray wraychlo@grinnell.edu fruchter@grinnell.edu A picture of paths on campus, or of the streets bordering the College at night, is unlikely to pick up much detail besides the faint glow of a light in the distance. For those who walk off-campus frequently, this pitchblack scene has come to be familiar.

“I usually walk home after dark and there are no streetlights and very few people around,” said one respondent to a Sept. 30, 2018 survey administered by The S&B on the experiences of students walking home at night. The respondent indicated that they “often” felt unsafe walking at night.

Per the survey, administered over Facebook, approximately 50 of the 150 respondents indicated a relationship between the lack of adequate lighting and feeling unsafe walking home.

On a scale ranging from “never” to “always” feeling unsafe walking at night, other respondents who indicated that they “often” or “always” felt unsafe explicitly stated lack of lighting on High Street and Park Street as a factor contributing to this feeling of unease. Both streets, along with Broad Street and East Street, are heavily populated by students living within two blocks of campus.

In an email to The S&B, Russ Behrens, Grinnell City Manager, added an infrastructural perspective to the question of streetlights in Grinnell. “Adding or improving street lights can be a relatively easy step,” wrote Behrens.

Behrens suggests that those wishing to improve lighting on a specific street write a letter to the mayor, who currently is Dan Agnew, explaining their reasoning and propose a solution to the problem.

From there, the city council will decide whether to implement the solution.

While improving lighting offcampus involves appealing to the city government, Student Government Association (SGA) President Myles Becker '19 and Vice President for

Student Affairs Kadiata Tombou '19 have been working with other SGA cabinet members to lobby the College administration to improve lighting on-campus.

Becker said that improving lighting on campus is a SGA priority this year. He pointed to the multiple student initiatives surrounding this topic, as well as recent stories from students of harassment at night, as evidence of the urgency and relevancy of better lighting on campus.

The weird thing about this issue is that it really only impacts the community at night, which you know is typically after administration has left so its something they don’t see unless it’s brought to them Myles Becker '19 Following a student’s account of harassment at night on social media, Becker brought the issue of lighting to the Office of Student Affairs, who discussed the issue with Rick Whitney, Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management.

“The weird thing about this issue is that it really only impacts the community at night, which you know is typically after administration has left so its something they don’t see unless it’s brought to them,” said Becker.

Following Fall Break, Becker, Tombou and other members of SGA met with Whitney about reconnecting lights disturbed by the construction of the Humanities and Social Studies Complex (HSSC) and new admissions building. Whitney is currently working with contractors to reconnect the lines which were cut to lights in these areas, as well as retrofitting existing lamp posts across campus with LED bulbs.

Becker hopes that student voices will help bolster SGA’s work on lighting, signaling to administration that the issue is one which students care about. This year, a student initiative proposed there be more lights on campus, especially on Broad St.

and in front of the Alumni Recitation Hall (ARH). The background for the proposal stated “Apart from areas around Burling, JRC and Noyce, the campus is too dark at night,” and “well-lighted streets” was listed as the desired outcome of the initiative.

Becker predicts the initiative will pass but says that even if it doesn’t, SGA will still work on the issue.

Concerns precede this SGA initiative, as evidenced by a 2017 survey administered by Kara Nielsen '17, Zach Steckel '18, Carson Peters '20, and Madison Wardlaw '20, conducted “to gauge students’ feelings about lighting and safety on campus.” They received 230 distinct respondents, analyzed the data and made recommendations based on their analysis. The students found that 83 percent of survey participants identified at least one area of campus as having inadequate lighting, on the grounds of either safety or convenience. The group submitted their report to former head of Student Affairs, Andrea Conner.

The report recommended that 11 pathways on campus required increased lighting. The students also reported that the most common technical issue students identified were lights that turned off when approached. Though the report was filed in 2017, Becker confirmed that such lights are still an issue today.

Nielsen, Steckel, Peters and Wardlaw found that, even though the survey did not mention the blue light system, seven percent of survey participants called for more blue lights and emergency lights.

Becker expressed confidence in both the student body and government’s ability to take action to increase lighting on campus, making the connection between change and student involvement explicit to affecting this issue.

The College technically has a blue light system installed on campus to assure student safety.

A blue light system consists of a network of emergency phones, which automatically call campus safety when picked up, and which are identified by a bright blue light. In theory, if a student were being pursued, they

SASO celebrates Diwali in Grinnell

PAUL CHAN

Anaan Ramay '20 and Mithila Iyer '19 perform in SASO’s Diwali celbration.

By Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu Diwali celebrations at the College lit up many lives with chicken biryani, dancing, and connections formed around South Asian culture. Students have celebrated Diwali at Grinnell since the eighties when groups of South Asian Grinnellians started gathering every November for a small party. Since then, Diwali at the College has grown to include a jam-packed 200-person Harris event and, this year for the first time, a smaller, more intimate event in the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center where students could perform Diwali rituals as a community.

Manan Pradhan '20 explained the religious and cultural importance that Diwali has for many South Asian students.

“It’s kind of the most important festival of the year for Hindus. It’s celebrated mainly on the Indian subcontinent, so in India and Nepal ... basically what it celebrates is the triumph of good over evil. We light a lot of lights and it’s a whole week-long kind of thing ... You hang out with your family, there’s a lot of gifting that goes on and good parties, good food, good times. You can compare it to Christmas in that it’s the most important holiday and it’s a holiday season, in that sense,” said Pradhan.

Pradhan, Anaan Ramay '20, Mahira Faran '20, all cabinet members of the South Asian Student

Organization, put together this year’s Diwali celebrations. On Friday, Nov. 10, they hosted the annual celebration in the Harris Center. Most attendees ate Indian food like daal and palak paneer from a restaurant in Des Moines. Additionally, around 30 students performed a dance and invited the audience to join them onstage.

Afterward, several students and alumnus Sanjay Khanna '85, all from different parts of South Asia, went on stage to talk about what Diwali means to them.

Faran says that having this large celebration is an important way for students not already familiar with South Asian culture to learn more about it.

“We want other students on campus to kind of become familiar with, like, what our food tastes like, what our music sounds like, what kind of energy South Asian students bring to campus,” she said.

In addition to the Harris event, Diwali celebrations continued into the night of Saturday, Nov. 10, where students drank chai, ate samosas gifted

by Dining Hall Dishroom Supervisor Hamid Sidi, gave each other henna tattoos and made rangoli, designs created with colored powder which, a student explained, are traditionally intended as offerings to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity and wealth.

Faran said, “We always do a big dinner, but we never do a small,

intimate event, which we did this year.

The purpose of that was to let people actually participate in the process and the ritual rather than watching us do stuff.”

Ramay added, “When we invite everyone for the dinner and celebration, it’s a really broad community thing and it’s not really heavy on Diwali actually, it’s more like eating good South Asian food and having a celebration, basically.”

One traditional part of Diwali celebrations that was impossible for Grinnellians this year was the lighting of oil lamps, which Pradhan says symbolize the legendary lamps said to have been lit to guide a Hindu hero home after a lengthy exile. Saturday night was simply too windy for these lamps, but regardless, the planners of Grinnell College’s Diwali celebration considered it an overall success.

Diwali at Grinnell can provide a sense of a home away from home to what Faran, Ramay and Pradhan estimate are 30-40 Grinnell students who celebrate Diwali in their native countries.

Ramay said, “People are away from home, they miss being home for that one week, so it really brings everyone together.”

Faran and Ramay are both from Pakistan, where Diwali is not generally celebrated, but they also are both heavily involved in the event at College.

“It becomes an excuse for us to celebrate something with other people from the same area. Even though it doesn’t have a lot of religious value for us, it has a lot of community value,” Ramay said.

Some of the biggest challenges for the event coordinators came from the limitations associated with hosting in the Harris Center. Harris has limited space, so they were not able to accommodate many attendees.

Faran said, “There was so much going on that it felt like this might not happen at one point, but it ended up turning out really well.”

could quickly pick up and then drop the receiver on multiple blue light phones as a signal to security and a record of their path across campus.

Grinnell College, however, only has three visible blue lights: one between the Joe Rosenfield Center (JRC) and Younker Hall, one next to the tennis courts and a third on the west side of the Forum, calling into question the efficacy of the system.

“I think that one of the big flaws with blue lights on campus currently is that we have many of them that students don’t know about,” said Riley Murphy '19, SGA Vice President of Academic Affairs. “The little phones inside of the loggias, they all have the same function as blue lights.”

Murphy, who first inquired into the blue light system during his second year at College as a campus senator, stated that the blue light system is seen largely as a hassle by administration and campus safety who worry that the implementation of more lights may cause an increase in unnecessary use of the lights as a prank. Murphy proposes, however, that blue lights be placed atop phones around campus such as those in the loggia so that they are more readily accessible.

Additionally, the Division of Student Affairs is working with the Harm Reduction Committee, SGA and Information Technology Services (ITS) to look into a potential app that

would work like a blue light, allowing students to share their location with campus safety and the Grinnell Police Department. Murphy stated that the timeline for this app is still in flux as these organizations seek the proper platform.

“It’s really nice when we’re able to work in collaboration with [the Division of Student Affairs] and have something that a student concern is made into action items. That’s one of those situations here, where with campus blue lights, its something we’ve been talking about for a long time and we’re finally starting to make tangible plans … creating a better system, that’s what we’re going for,” said Murphy.

The S&B’s investigation into student safety at night will focus on institutional forces and responsibilities. The investigation will evaluate the role of both Grinnell College and the town of Grinnell.

Future pieces will include but are not limited to discussing the role of zoning laws in lighting distribution, the office of campus security and avenues of recourse available for students who have experienced harassment or assault off-campus.

This series is open and evolving.

Please contact [fruchter] or [wraychlo] if you would like to share your story or give your input to this investigation.

LIZ PAIK

The view of a path through campus that students take from Burling to Park Street, notably lacking in light.

First-year, first semester in reveiew

By Kelly Page pagekell@grinnell.edu As the fall semester dwindles to its end, first-year students reflect on their first semester at Grinnell College. Members of the class of 2022 come from all over the country and the world, bringing their different experiences with them to Grinnell.

For many first-years, becoming involved with the community at the College and the town has been one of the most important aspects of their first semester.

“I come from a really big high school that’s like twice the size of Grinnell, so one thing that I’ve been getting used to is seeing people and them not being strangers, and recognizing faces. You can talk to someone and pretty much bond with them over anything. That was something that I didn’t really expect.

Everyone here is pretty warm and friendly,” said Emma Thran '22.

Moving in to college is often the first time students have experienced living with a roommate. For Sofie Hokanson '22, adjusting to a shared space was fairly easy.

“I used to share a room with my sister, so I’m not that weirded out by having a roommate, and my roommate and I get along very well. We have the same messy style, and it all works out,” she said.

For others, the greater levels of

independence offered by college life have resulted in some new experiences.

“Living on my own has been fun.

My roommate and I got a rabbit, and that’s been a lot of fun because I’ve never had to care for another mammal before, but that’s cool, you can just get a rabbit! My parents aren’t here to tell me I can’t have a rabbit!” Thran said.

In terms of adjusting to the College’s workload, first-year students have varying opinions. Some have found classes to be more challenging than they were used to.

“Classes are little harder than I expected in that I did not expect and do not really like how much outsideof-the-classroom learning I have to do without any direction. That’s been a real adjustment. It’s been different,” said Annie Kratz '22.

Other students, like Maho Nozaki '22, were surprised with the flexibility of managing college classes and extracurriculars.

“It was more balanced than I expected it to be, and I was allowed to do ensembles I didn’t think I was able to time-wise, so I was really glad that happened,” she said.

Though most students appear to be adjusting nicely to life at Grinnell College, there are always some improvements that could be made, especially when it comes to self-care.

“Sometimes your body just tells you to eat a vegetable. Sometimes you just don’t listen,” said Kratz.

LIZ PAIK

From left to right: Annie Kratz and Emma Thram, both '22, occatsionally remembering to eat a vegetable in dining hall.

Features

8

Little Creek Movement transitions to GUAC

By Eva Hill hilleva@grinnell.edu The organization previously known as th Little Creek Movement has undergone significant changes in the past year. Originally founded as a resistance force against the Dakota Access Pipeline, the group took its name from Little C r e e k

Camp, an I o w a b a s e d center for opposition to the pipeline. This year, they’ve rebranded as the Grinnell United Activism Coalition, or GUAC for short.

GUAC co-chairs Rebecca Villa '21 and Daniella Butler '20 have lead the group’s recent changes. Villa is the group’s racial justice campaign leader, while Butler is in charge of event coordination. The other two co-chairs, Oscar Buchanan '21 and Sam Walker '21, are responsible for the group’s logistical and art-related needs, respectively. Dylan Bremner '20, the original founder, has stepped back from leadership and is now involved with Student Action.

In addition to the leadership changes, the group now has a designated dorm floor, Cleveland first, which means the group recieves funding from Residence Life. GUAC is currently planning to get some new furnishings for their lounge, where they hold meetings, to make it into a more inviting space. Both Villa and Butler agree that GUAC’s mission to create an open, welcoming community is well-aligned with the goals of Residence Life, and that alignment has facilitated goodwill between the two organizations.

As of now, Villa says, the group’s focus is on activism for racial justice on campus: “We want to host events to get people talking about racial justice in an attempt to change campus culture around the topic, as well as striving for administrative changes to make the campus more diverse and inclusive.”

This is a new campaign for the group which they began this year, in response to multiple raciallymotivated incidents that occurred last semester. Butler listed a few of these incidents, which include the harassment of a Black professor, the harassment of a Black student, racist vandalism of a poster, a Gardner that was halted due to students chanting the n-word, and the more recent events on the Facebook group Grinnell Thumbs Down, which involved the blocking of many Black members of the page with little to no reason, resulting in a leadership change within the group.

In addition to the racial justice campaign, GUAC also wants to create spaces where students can meet each other and make new friends. The organization created Friendos Table, an event that occurs in the dining hall every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., where students who feel isolated or want to meet new people can find a welcoming space to eat dinner. The group’s weekly meetings, which are focused around planning for the ongoing racial justice campaign, are also open to all students; those meetings are at 2 p.m. on Saturdays in the Cleveland first lounge.

Another goal for the group this semester is to make their voices heard in response to decisions they deem unfair or unreasonable. Asked whether the group had concerns that speaking out against the administration could lower the funding they currently receive, Butler said, “We existed last year with almost no funding from the administration. The funding that we’re getting now is great, but it’s certainly not needed for us to exist.”

“The demands we’re making can only benefit the college,” Butler added.

Edited by vitaioli@grinnell.edu

Ignite community engagement continues, Brownell gift not renewed

By Eva Hill hilleva@grinnell.edu This Saturday, young students from the local community will come to campus to take courses taught by students at the College, an opportunity provided by the Ignite program. The program, founded in the fall of 2014, allows Grinnell College students to teach one-day classes on a variety of subjects to children from the community.

In the past, the program has faced criticisms and concerns due to receiving part of its funding from a grant from the Brownell family: Helen Redmond and her husband Pete Brownell, owner of Brownell’s Inc. and former National Rifle Association (NRA) president.

This year, 43 students will teach 13 classes aimed at students aged from kindergarten to fourth grade.

Students teaching in the once-persemester program, which is free for students from the community, design their own lesson plans and apply to have them become Ignite courses.

The program is open to students from all over Iowa, though the majority come from Poweshiek county. According to Ignite director Sarah Smith, the program provides enriching experiences for all who participate, including giving college students the opportunity to interact with children from the local community, as well as allowing local kids to meet college students from a variety of backgrounds and explore new subject areas.

Elyse Salpekar and Moya Roarty, both '19, are the student directors for this year’s program.

As first-years, Salpekar and Roarty taught a cooking class together through Ignite. The next year, both worked as student coordinators for the program with then student director Mollie Jo Blahunka '17, becoming directors the following year.

The role of a student director, according to both, is to help the student-teachers get ready in time

for the big day, as well as making sure that everything runs smoothly during the event itself.

“We work with them to finetune their lesson plans, work out the supplies, stuff like that,” said Salpekar.

With the event coming up, she said, much of the work involved preparations that will ensure that everything goes as planned, including packing up supplies and checking in with student-teachers.

Roarty added that, although directors don’t teach classes, they do have an on-call status during the event, so that student-teachers have a resource to call if they run into an issue.

Roarty explained that there have been a few changes in how the program has been run since its founding. Although the education department used to be in charge of Ignite, they have handed it over to the Office of Community Enhancement

and Engagement. “I think that led to a sort of loss of momentum, just with the organizational switch, and I think we’re starting to regain that,” said Roarty.

She also mentioned that being able to work with another student director had facilitated the process this year. “Elyse and I were both abroad, opposite semesters, last year, and worked on it ourselves … with [two coordinators], we’ve been able to garner some more enthusiasm about Ignite this semester, and have a really diverse array of classes – we’re offering a lot of classes, and college student involvement with it has gone up.”

An additional change to the program this year is in its funding: the grant from the Brownell family, which had previously provided money for the program, has run out, and the program leaders do not plan to use them as donors any longer.

Roarty said that the increased

number of classes this semester will allow more local kids to get involved, since each class has an enrollment cap and most fill up fairly quickly. In addition, she said, having a wider variety of classes available appeals to a greater number of children, increasing the program’s overall engagement with the community.

Salpekar also commented on the diversity of classes available this year. “Topics range from science to mythology … It’s a fun day.”

She added that in feedback surveys given to parents after the program, responses were overwhelmingly positive.

Salpekar noted that though many students who participate are interested in a career in education, not all of them are. “We put it out as a good opportunity to have teaching experience and have fun with kids from the community, and to connect with the community.”

CONTRIBUTED

Two local children participating in Grinnell’s biannual Ignite program, in which College students design and teach their own curriculum in a day of community engagement.

S&B Cribs: All thumbs on deck at Thumb Thumb House

By Mira Tellegen tellegen@grinnell.edu At 1030 East Street, Esther Hwang, Anh Thu Pham, Kyle Lindsey and Caelin Bryant, all '19, and Judith Tong '20, reside in Thumb Thumbs House, which, according to Hwang, is named after the Thumb Thumbs from “Spy Kids.”

At 6 p.m. on Monday Nov. 11, the five gathered around their dinner table eat homemade mac and cheese with fried scallions and tea leaf salad made by their friend Paul Chan Htoo Sang '21.

“Sometimes I come home and Esther’s making food and she’s like, 'You want some?’” and I’m like, 'Of course I do!’” said Tong.

The five have scattered various decorations around their house, such as the 3D vegetable stickers in the kitchen, the chicken wire earring hanger on the wall, and two plants hanging about the kitchen sink.

“I’m really into plants,” Tong said. “This guy is a water plant, so you’ll never overwater it.”

Tong said that modifying the space she lives in is important to her, which is why she prefers living off campus to a project house.

“Project houses and project floors are a bunch of strangers trying to come together, but we’re all familiar and friends with each other,” said Lindsey.

Between the kitchen and the living room, the residents have hung a movie screen, and behind the house, they converted a chicken coop into an enclosed porch.

Hwang and Bryant began looking at houses last November, and saw 1030 East Street first.

“It was this one or the one next door, and the one next door had a kitchen upstairs and a kitchen downstairs,” said Hwang. “That’s just too much kitchens.”

Bryant said the house at 1030 seemed right for them immediately.

“The living room really sold it for me, because when it’s sunny out, the rays come in, there’s rainbows everywhere,” said Bryant.

As to the reasoning behind the house’s name?

“The joke is we’re five thumbs, like we’re five very capable people," said Pham. “No fingers in here, just a handful of thumbs.”

Tong suggested that the group dress up as thumbs for Halloween, and although that did not happen, Tong believes the name still stands.

“We’re still thumbs, we’re thumbs at heart,” Tong said.

Tong said that she can be whoever she wants while living with the other four.

“I think a large part of all of our experiences in Grinnell has been community and making our own community,” Bryant said. “These people are my family.”

Hwang said that she and Bryant only had two requirements in looking for roommates: the people had to be nice and clean.

We're still thumbs, we're thumbs at heart.

Judith Tong '20 “Our kitchen sink is usually empty,” Pham said. “We do each others’ dishes, and it’s very nice to know that I can clean up after someone and not be salty about if they're going to do the same for me, because I know that they will.”

Tong said that the five share everything.

“We wear each other's clothes,” Pham said. “Kyle doesn’t. If he wanted to, he could, but he hasn’t expressed interest.”

Tong said that she's less stressed while living with her friends than she was living on campus.

“This year is so much better for me, physically and also mentally,” Tong said. “I come home and I don’t have to be stressed out about everything.”

Initially, Tong worried that she would lose alone time from living in a house with her friends, but has loved living in Thumb Thumbs House this year.

“I'm not a loner, but I really enjoy and value alone time, and I was wondering if I would have an issue living here, living in a room with all my best friends, but I have

not had an issue at all,” Tong said.

“It’s always good, with everyone.”

Lindsey said that living together has brought him closer to the other four, and Pham says that living with friends helps her relax.

“Whenever I go home, being around people that I love helps me decompress. I don’t have to decompress by myself,” Pham said.

Pham also said that because their house is not a party house, not a lot of people know about it.

“This is definitely one of the best off-campus houses to live in, but it’s like low key,” Tong said.

Pham said that the five have created rules to help them live together.

“We have rules? What are the rules?” Lindsey said.

One rule is that nobody can sit in the melon chair according to Pham. The melon chair is a chair in which the five store fruit, usually melons.

“There’s no more melons because we ate them all,” Pham said.

They also keep a mannequin in the living room, although the mannequin's upper half is currently on loan to Art House. As a second

rule, someone must touch the mannequin once a day, Hwang said.

“It needs physical love and affection,” Hwang said.

The house also boasts a stripper pole and a “floor bed,” which Tong and Pham created out of mattresses.

I think a large part of all of our experiences in Grinnell has been community and making our own community. ... These people are my family.

Caelin Bryant '19 They gathered unwanted mattresses and blankets to cover the floor of their room with bedding.

Tong said, “Whenever someone had a mattress they didn’t need, or whenever we go to someone’s house and see a mattress, we’re like, 'Hey, are you using that mattress?’ and they’re like, 'No, do you want it?’ A lot of energy was put into the compilation of all these things.”

The sixth member of Thumb Thumbs house is their stuffed seal, Platson-Finton Round '19.

“Platson is our son,” Hwang said.

LIZ PAIK

From left to right: Esther Hwang '19, Judith Tong '20, Caelin Bryant '19, Kyle Lindsey '19 and Anh Thu Pham '19 gathered around the Thumb Thumb table.

Edited by bohlkeli@grinnell.edu

This Week in Wellness: Self-care

Opinions

Ultimately, it’s up to you to choose which activities make you feel the best and give you the most effective break from your daily routine. If you’re not sure what works for you yet, though, try something fairly general, like a simple meditation or a visit to the JRC’s Wellness Lounge, as a place to start.

By Eva Hill hilleva@grinnell.edu It shows up in countless self-help books, infinitely many YouTube videos and a seemingly endless number of articles on health-and-wellness sites. There’s even a whole event at New Student Orientation (NSO) dedicated to it. But what exactly is selfcare, why is it important and how can students make time for it when between schoolwork, on-campus jobs and everything else while many barely have time to get adequate sleep?

Wikipedia introduces it as “the maintenance of one's personal well-being and health,” and the Oxford English Dictionary defines gives its more common definition as “the activity of taking care of one’s own health, appearance, or well-being.” A common thread through these definitions is that self-care is personal and as a result must be customized to the habits and preferences of the person practicing it.

So, how can students fit self-care into their daily schedules? One strategy that I like to use is to schedule 15 to 20 minute blocks of time into my day that are not to be used for any kind of schoolwork. During those blocks, I hang out in a quiet spot, maybe watch my favorite TV show and work on a knitting project. This is a more effective way to relax than procrastinating in my opinion, because the designated non-work status of these breaks removes the guilt that comes from pushing off an assignment. Also, 20 minutes is the ideal amount of time for a brief, refreshing nap. As I wrote a few weeks ago, any nap between 20 and 90 minutes will likely cause you to wake up in a deep stage of sleep, which may cause you to feel more tired than you were before you fell asleep.

Another easy way to take time for yourself is mindfulness meditation. There are many meditations available online well under 20 minutes; it’s not at all difficult to find a wide selection that take less than five. Getting into a regular meditation schedule can give you something to look forward to each day if you prefer to do it towards the evening, or a pleasant way to wake up if you prefer morning meditation.

This week’s book: Set in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Elise Blackwell’s “The Lower Quarter” is a beautifully-written novel that falls somewhere between being a neonoir mystery set in the art world and a slightly more old-fashioned, hardboiled thriller with plenty of twists.

The story is told between the shifting perspectives of four main characters, whose lives intersect in varying degrees of depth throughout the book.

This week’s music: Recorded in early 1960, “Ella in Berlin” captures Ella Fitzgerald’s positive and enthusiastic spirit, perhaps better than any other live album from her career. Two of the songs on this album have risen to legendary significance in the history of vocal jazz: “Mack the Knife,” from which she forgot several verses while on stage and made up new words, with correct rhyme scheme and rhythm, on the spot, and “How High the Moon,” which is considered by some to contain one of the best scat solos of all time.

This week’s recipe: Roasted carrots This recipe takes very little preparation, and it’s fairly difficult to mess up; just make sure not to overcook the carrots.

Ingredients: - Whole carrots (the amount is not particularly important; you can get a medium-sized bag for about a dollar at Hy-Vee).

- Salt - Olive oil (I recommend extra-virgin) - Other spices, if desired 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.

Wash the carrots (do not peel) and slice lengthwise. Cut into one-inch chunks.

3.

Toss carrots with olive oil and salt.

4.

Arrange carrots in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

5.

Roast in oven for 40 minutes, or until tender.

9

Rueter’s Digest: should we pay Divison I players?

NCAA scandals bring debate

By Sam Rueter ruetersa@grinnell.edu The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is in the midst of a legal drama, the size of which has never before been seen in the history of collegiate athletics.

Coaches from Division I schools, including Kansas, Louisville, Miami and North Carolina State, have been accused of numerous recruiting violations, including offering to pay prospective players thousands of dollars to commit to their team. These accusations come on the heels of the trial of Adidas officials charged with conspiring to funnel high school prospects to “Adidas” schools.

These latest allegations of corruption have only amplified the call to “pay players,” something which, my tens of readers will remember, I advocated for in a column from October 2017.

But the urgency of reform is stronger in 2018 than it ever has been before. The NCAA is almost universally ridiculed, with grassroots fans, all the way up to professional athletes and celebrities, declaring it a broken system.

Just this fall, Ryan Swanson, a history professor in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico, wrote a blistering opinion piece for the Washington Post, in which he hammered the NCAA and called on proponents of paying players to step up their game. He wrote,“Allowing athletes to control and profit from their names, likenesses and athletic abilities seems reasonable.”

While calls for compensations are long overdue, the notion that “paying players” can be implemented easily, and, more importantly, will actually address the systemic issues associated with college athletics, needs interrogation.

To state the obvious: the NCAA system is messed up. High-level colleges are making millions of dollars off of the labor and likenesses of players who sometimes cannot even

afford to buy food or school supplies. While most of the players are compensated in the sense that they have full-ride scholarships, their educations often take a backseat to the commitments related to their sports teams. In other words, while college athletes get a free education, they are discouraged to actually learn and go to class, as seen in the recent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill cheating scandal.

However, insisting that we pay players what they are worth brings in complicated issues of wage and gender discrimination. Men’s sports are typically watched and consumed more often and generate more money than women’s sports, so lesser male athletes would be paid more than better female athletes, even though the time commitment and lifestyle is roughly the same. Thus, if we “pay players what they deserve,” we are really paying them what they would make in a market that skews unfairly towards male athletes.

While most of the players are compensated in the sense that they have full-ride scholarships, their educations often take a backseat to the commitments related to their sports teams.

In this same vein, college football and college basketball generate most of the money that the NCAA makes, and thus a mid-level college football player is responsible for generating way more money than the best collegiate volleyball player in the nation. Is it fair to pay for performance when performance is more about consumption than actual talent?

This problem is real, and it is also important to acknowledge that most high-profile examples of athletes done wrong by the education system are black, thus necessitating further conversations about the role of race in the NCAA enterprise.

However, is paying players really going to help them get something out of their college degree?

Making an extra $20,000 a year will certainly help an athlete have a more comfortable lifestyle, but why would that make them any more likely to attend class? It wouldn’t, and thus we would still be churning

out 95 percent of athletes who, while they may have some extra cash in their pocket come graduation, would be no better equipped to succeed in the job market than their current peers.

However, the issue that is least talked about in the “paying players” debate is probably the most responsible for the current situation: early schooling and childhood experiences.

Research continues to show that issues of inequality start early, and that there are too many public schools that are content to keep passing along struggling, often athletically-inclined students who just become another cog in the NCAA machine. In some ways then, it is too late to try and save the struggling “student” in the “student-athlete” package. These interventions need to come earlier and much more often; paying kids in college will do very little to help make up for the poor education some students may have received in elementary school.

Finally, it is important to acknowledge the oxygen that college sports take up at large academic institutions, as well as the toxic atmosphere often associated with these programs. There have been numerous allegations that certain athletic programs foster climates of sexual disrespect (at best). In this sense, I can see how problematic and invalidating it might be for students to realize that their abusers are being paid money not to show up to class and not to be held accountable for their actions.

In closing, I want to try and dispel a few of the broad-brush statements made about college athletics.

Do all college athletes want to get paid? No. Do all college athletes feel victimized by the NCAA? Certainly not: in fact many would probably espouse the many virtues associated with playing a team sport.

However, it is important to acknowledge the inherent flaws in the current system, as well as the new flaws which would reveal themselves if player payment plans are initiated.

Now, do all these complications associated with paying players mean we shouldn’t do it? No, I don’t think so. But it does mean that we need to be mindful of what exactly we mean, and who we are leaving out, when we argue for player compensation, especially when it is framed as a social justice issue.

Isabel Lieb: The Big Mood

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

Maxwell Fenton Candace Mettle Lily Seibert Mayo Sueta Keli Vitaioli Zoe Fruchter Jackson Schulte Seth Taylor Lily Bohlke Kelly Page Ben Mikek Andrew Tucker Nana Okamoto Ryuta Kure Julia Anderson Prez Latham

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, Julia Anderson, 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 135, Issue 10

thesandb.com

"The best thing since the front page!"

Photo of the Week

Arbitrary Analysis

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

SARINA LINCOLN

“The top of one mountain is always the bottom of another.” — Marianne

Cranberry sauce

Stuffing

Social Calendar Friday

6:15 p.m. Shabbat Table @ JRC 209 7:30 p.m. Love & Information @ Flanagan Theater 8 p.m. Almost Always Open Improv Show @ Loose Hall Lounge

The S&B Crossword

7 p.m. Social Class Awareness Jeopardy @ JRC 209 7:30 p.m. Love & Information @ Flanagan Theater 7:30 p.m. Social Class Awareness Walk @ JRC 2nd Lobby

Snedge

This week, Sarah Licht '22 and Lily Bohlke '19 polled 100 students asking: Bass guitar or Reservoir?

ARH

Like what you see? check us out:

@thesandb /thescarletandblack thesandb.com @grinnellsandb

By Ned Watson '22 Down

Saturday

JRC

Brussels sprouts

Across

2. Cocaine addict (arch.)

11. Span. language 13. The beginning of something 14. ‘Obamacare’ abbrev.

16. Nobel laureate poet Billy B. 17. Throws, as dice 19. Intelligence psychometric (abbrev.)

21. Two-headed cattle-guarding dog killed by Heracles 22. United Academy of Interna-

Rants & Raves:

tional Karate abbrev.

25. 1 down with the 35 across in the 23 down, and what you’re staring at a whole bunch of 26. A halo 27. First UC Berkeley chair Clark 28. Floating silver pillows or Campbell’s soup cans, e.g.

29. Univ. Florida 31. Early Impressionist, Surrealist and film theorist Germaine

1. An animal described by Darwin, and 12 down’s mother in this puzzle’s theme 3. Overpowered abbrev.

4. What to do if you need help at sea?

5. A spell that hits mult. targets, in gaming 6. One of King David’s chief warriors 7. Knots for storytelling?

8. IBM consulting firm 9. Substitute or super user abbrev.

10. Typesetting software widely used in academic publishing 12. A color, or a person involved in this puzzle’s theme 15. A goshawk 20. A room where books are kept; far left middle in this puzzle’s theme 23. One of a pair of alleged wolf-girls in India 24. A room where food is cooked; bottom right in this 33. A sharp object related to puzzle’s theme this puzzle’s theme 26. Sign of ineffective bug 35. Grinnell building undergo- spray? ing renovations, abbrev.

30. Pre-Renaissance Irish poet 36. A firearm related to this and philosopher puzzle’s theme 32. A vase for Grandma’s ashes 39. ‘The,’ at Renaissance 33. Long-running Soviet gamefestivals show abbrev.

40. Something that lets any34. Factor V mutation abbrev. thing through, related to coffee 37. Executive order abbrev. (as served by dining services) 38. Subject of a memo abbrev. and photography

Students speak about what’s on their minds in 75 words or fewer, and you’re invited! If you have a rant or a rave, email it to [bohlkeli]

Sustainable, cute, & colorful

Disrespectful Neighbors

Pre-Thanksgiving Chaos

Kudos to the Grill for starting the reusable mug program! Students, we should take advantage of this program to show that we care about sustainability! Even though capitalism and corporations are really what are killing this planet and not our small individual choices. The mugs are cute & colorful though.

Whoever took my finished laundry out of the dryer and tossed it unceremoniously into a dusty and gross puddle: I hope your favorite sweater shrinks. That, or you close your hand in a car door.

Shout out to professors who understand that we are under a lot of stress right now.

Special shout out to professors who are struggling along with us, with our too much work and our sick, sad, laziness.

-coffee kid '19

- The Detergent Douchebag '19

- Aspiring healthy and happy