The Phoenix

Val Smith Announces Plan to End Presidency After 2026-27 Academic Year

February 26, 2026

News

Val Smith announces the upcoming end of her time as Swarthmore president, the community responds and prepares for a period of transition.

Student-Athletes on the Upcoming Cunningham Fields and Fieldhouse Renovations

Alex AvanesyanandLuca CampianiandEli CoganandEllie FermoandJada GreenandKatherine KermanandJames SheltonandThomas Shelton

February 26, 2026

Varsity and club athletes share their thoughts on how the recently proposed

Swarthmore Supports Harvard-Led Lawsuit Defending International Students

by Zephyr Weinreich

February 26, 2026

Swarthmore joins many other higher education institutions in support for Harvard's legal

Resilience in the Face of Oppression: Reflections on Black History Month

by Nasrin Ahmed

February 26, 2026

As BHM concludes, Nasrin Ahmed '28 discusses the importance of telling Black

A Conversation with John Alston: 32 Years of Music, Math, and Love with the Chester Children’s Chorus

by Dylan Herink

February 26, 2026

Chorus director John Alston discusses his time at the Chester Children's Chorus

Latest Stories

Swarthmore Accepts 231 Early Decision Applicants

by Ellen Stewart

February 26, 2026

McCabe Library: From Dirt to Dust

by Vivian Li

February 26, 2026

Embodying the Process: An Exploration of Gender and the Self in Swarthmore Theater’s ‘Orlando’

by Jasper Cober-Lake

February 26, 2026

Political Scientist Jonathan Kirshner Lectures on (Un)Realism in the Trump Age

by Marra Irons

February 26, 2026

Boston College's Jonathan Kirshner discusses Trump's "America First" doctrine from a classical realist perspective for the 2026 Gilbert Lecture.

Becca Rothfeld and Jonny Thakkar speaks at the Night Owls Event. Phoenix Photo/Xinto Xu

‘Making Yourself Beautiful’: Night Owls Event on The Philosophy of Mogging

by Xinto Xu

February 26, 2026

Night Owls lecture examines the meaning and implications of aesthetic expression through physical alteration and the looksmaxxing trend.

Longtime Dining Staff Member Severely Injured, Hospitalized After Dishwasher Accident

Ella WalkerandDaniel Perrin

February 19, 2026

The Phoenix reports on a devastating incident in which a Dining and Community Commons industrial dishwasher left a worker that was attending to it

The Rise, Fall, and Tentative Rebirth of Philadelphia’s ‘President’s House’ Memorial

by Zephyr Weinreich

February 19, 2026

News Editor Zephyr Weinreich '28 traces the history of America's first 'White House' through more than 200 years of turmoil and transformation.

Swarthmore Endowment Sees 9.5% Return in 2024-25 Fiscal Year

by Daniel Perrin

February 19, 2026

The college's endowment enjoyed stronger returns in 2024-25 than in the years before it. Chief Investment Officer Frank Grunseich contextualizes the numbers.

Opinions

Weekly Column: Swat Says

Rafi KarpowitzandNasrin AhmedandCorinne Lafont

February 26, 2026

In this edition of Swat Says, students share their on Swarthmore's party culture, Val Smith's recent announcement, and the renaming of Trotter Hall.

Students: Stand Up for Your Rights!

by Wyatt Brannon

February 19, 2026

Wyatt Brannon '26 argues that, if students want to have some control over how the college operates, they should use the historically radical power of student government.

The College and the CO-OP: An Interconnected History of Two Swarthmore Institutions

by Nathanael D. Brown

February 19, 2026

Former Opinions Editor Nathanael Brown takes a deep dive into the history of the Swarthmore CO-OP's intertwined, and sometime fraught, relationship with Swarthmore College.

Arts

Cirque Calder: Past and Future Present

by Alma Greenfield

February 26, 2026

A reflection on Alexander Calder's "Cirque Calder."

Corinne’s Connections Puzzle: Symposium, Sort-Of

by Corinne Lafont

February 26, 2026

Answers Below

Sports

The Best 60 Days of Sports?

by Charlie Watson

February 26, 2026

Charlie Watson '27 discusses exciting athletic events taking place in February and March.

Athlete of the Week: Jack McHenry ’27

by Katherine Kerman

February 26, 2026

Lacrosse player Jack McHenry '27 shares about his goals, routines, and experiences as a student-athlete at Swarthmore.

Swarthmore Women’s Lacrosse Seniors Anticipate Their Final Season

by Olivia Huang

February 19, 2026

Olivia Huang '29 interviews her graduating teammates about their reflections on strong college careers.

Features

The Ultimate Swarthmore College Quiz: Are You a Stereotypical Swattie?

by Megumi Jindo

February 19, 2026

Take the ultimate Swattie quiz and see — I bet you are a Swattie! Answers: If you mostly got 1), Yay, you belong at this school! You are the “Swattie” who wakes up right before class because you’ve worked your butt off

From My Dad to Yours

by Zoe Washington

February 12, 2026

Washington '29 shares a father-daughter playlist, the first of a monthly column.

Comic: Frosty Frenzy

by Paris Kampel

February 12, 2026

Letter to the Editor: your vote matters

by Mike Meeropol and Alumni

October 20, 2016

To the Editor of the Phoenix: Many of us from the classes of 1964 and ’65 were involved in the Civil Rights struggles to end second-class citizenship for African-Americans. Today as we contemplate the presidential election, we would like to urge all

Swatties may not be able to commit to more parties

by The Phoenix

October 20, 2016

Over fall break, several of the Phoenix editors travelled to other colleges and universities to visit our friends. Between the homecoming football games and extra thousands of students at each campus, we knew we weren’t at Swarthmore anymore. On University of Pennsylvania’s

Dance Studies goes “Off the Wall”

by Maral Gaeeni

October 20, 2016

Dr. Sherril Dodds, professor of dance at Temple University, has written a number of groundbreaking studies on the facial choreographies of dance performance, focusing on anywhere from heavy metal concerts to neo-burlesque striptease. The Thursday before fall break, Swarthmore welcomed her for

Should club athletes qualify as Athlete of the Week?

by Ricky Conti

October 20, 2016

The process of selecting the Athlete of the Week at the Phoenix every week is fairly simple, but that may change. Typically, the athlete who performed the best or had the biggest positive impact in their team’s game will get the weekly

Laughter is the best medicine during this election

by Alex Laser

October 20, 2016

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign scares me, and it has since it began in June of 2015. Trump’s beliefs are the opposite of mine in many ways, and the Southern Poverty Law Center has found that his populist rhetoric has resulted in an

Garnet men’s basketball prepares for season in Scandinavia

by Matthew Parker

October 20, 2016

Before the start of the semester, the Men’s Basketball team took a trip through Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, where they scrimmaged several local basketball teams. In addition to their games, the team also had the opportunity to explore Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki,

Team of the Week: Men’s Golf

by Ricky Conti

October 20, 2016

This past week the Swarthmore Golf team traveled to Bent Creek Country Club, home field of the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats, to participate in the F&M Fall Invitational. The event for the Garnet was historic to say the least. Nick DiMaio ’19

Women’s Health Rally Welcomes Planned Parenthood President

by Frank Kenny

October 20, 2016

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG. On Tuesday,