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.
The Daily Gazette
Swarthmore College
Thursday, February 5, 1998
Volume 2, Number 74
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Meeting on morning shuttle reveals strong student support
2) Psychological services continues to see many students
3) Upcoming movies on campus
4) World news roundup
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Basketball results past deadlines
2) Intramural scoreboard
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s events
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Rain or sleet likely, very windy at times.
Fight the power — wear shorts.
Tonight: Cloudy, but clearing late. Low around 30.
Fight the power more — wear nothing.
Friday: Mostly clear and nice. High of 45.
NEWS REPORT
1) Meeting on morning shuttle reveals strong student support
In order to evaluate the morning shuttle program, Student Council hosted a
discussion session Wednesday night in Parrish Parlors. Led by Budget
Committee treasurer Vincent Jones ’98, and Student Council member Ashwin
Rao ’99, the meeting was attended by 30 students, which swelled to 40 when
pizza arrived.
The morning shuttle runs weekday mornings between Mary Lyons, Palmer,
Pittenger, Roberts and the Rose Garden. Although an overwhelming majority
of those present were in favor of maintaining the shuttle service, five
students were opposed to it. Those against argued that the approximately
$600 per semester which is spent on the morning shuttle could be put to
better use, citing the small portion of the college who use it and its lack
of relation to the original purpose for a shuttle: safety concerns. Those
in favor maintained that the shuttle was a necessity for handicapped
students, vital for students carrying heavy items such as musical
instruments, and a source of campus jobs. Many felt that the convenience
benefit alone justified the cost.
Students also voiced suggestions for improving the shuttle service.
Suggestions included increased safety, adjusting the departure times to
match class times, and reducing overcrowding. One student voiced concerns
about reliability. Jones assured the group that a driver who cancelled was
“one of the few people on campus who has felt the full wrath of my rage.”
Although Student Council has not yet decided on a formal procedure for
determining if shuttle service will continue, and there is no consensus yet
on its effectiveness, Jones said he was fully confident that there was
enough student support to maintain it.
*****
2) Psychological Services continues to see many students
The college’s Psychological Services, directed by David Ramirez, sees
approximately 250 students and a small number of faculty and administrators
each year. In addition to providing therapy and information, the department
serves as a resource for RAs, students, faculty, and administrators who are
concerned about fellow students and colleagues. “I like students to know
how many students visit because it de-stigmatizes coming to psych
services,” said Ramirez, “It’s very important to me for students to feel
safe coming to us. Reasons [for coming] range from not sleeping well, not
being able to get along with a roommate, not feeling anything and not
knowing why, feeling depressed, thoughts about suicide, not caring about
school anymore, trouble with food, trouble in relationships, to thoughts
about being gay or bisexual.”
Responding to rumors that Psychological Services is a merely a medicine
cabinet, Ramirez said, “we recommend therapy first unless someone is
really sure that they want drugs. Most often, people don’t want and don’t
need medication. Most conditions are very amenable to psychotherapy.”
Medication, generally anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs, is prescribed
to approximately one in ten students who visit.
Psychological Services takes confidentiality “quite seriously,” according
to its literature. Ramirez noted that information about student visits is
not released to parents. There is no fee for psychotherapy or psychiatric
consultation and the college does not charge insurance to recoup therapy
and consultation costs. Consequently, parents cannot become aware of a
student’s visit to psych services through insurance billings. When
medication is necessary, the health center staff can frequently provide
drugs at a substantially reduced cost. There is no limit to the amount of
therapy available.
Psychological Services has a web page at
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/health/pswwwindex.html which Ramirez
encourages students to use, noting that “it’s a big step to see a
therapist; the web is a way to provide information without pressure.”
*****
3) Upcoming movies on campus
ILLUSIONS Thursday, 2/5 10:00 DuPont
A woman working in WWII-era Hollywood experiences the politics of race and
gender. Directed by Julie Dash. (34 minutes, 1982)
CARMEN JONES Thursday, 2/5 (after Illusions) DuPont
Parachute maker Carmen Jones goes after a married army man, landing him in
the stockade. Trouble awaits in this modern retelling of the Bizet opera.
Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge (nominated for an Academy Award)
star, directed by Otto Preminger. (Musical, 104 minutes, 1954)
DIE HARD Friday, 2/6 7:30, 10:00 LPAC
An off-duty policeman is trapped in a high-rise with a band of murderous
terrorists and their crafty leader, and has to hunt them down one by one
while trading witty quips. One-against-many shootout prompted knockoff
films Under Siege, Passenger 57, et al. (Action, 131 minutes, 1988)
IN & OUT Saturday, 2/7 7:30, 10:00 LPAC
A high school English teacher tries to prove his heterosexuality after he
is “outed” by a former student. Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack co-star.
(Comedy, 90 minutes, 1997)
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Monday, 2/9 10:00 Kirby
A UFO, crewed by spaceman Klaatu and giant robot Gort, lands on earth to
protest nuclear tests. Best of the “classic” 50’s science fiction films.
Klaatu Barada Nikto! (Sci-fi, 92 minutes, 1951)
WHEN WE WERE KINGS Wednesday, 2/4 10:00 Kirby
An epic documentary on 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle”: an aging Muhammad Ali
versus George Foreman for the heavyweight championship, in Kinshasa, Zaire,
under the eye of Mobutu Sese Seko. Seko also brings in B.B. King and James
Brown, and Spike Lee, George Plimpton, and Norman Mailer all appear.
(Documentary, 87 minutes, 1996)
*****
4) World news roundup
WINTER STORM POUNDS EAST COAST
A strong winter storm brought flooding to rivers and the coastal plains of
the Atlantic, and more than a foot of snow to Tennessee and Kentucky.
Blamed for at least seven deaths, the storm battered the Southeast of the
country for the second straight day. It is expected to leave the Atlantic
seaboard Thursday evening. Meanwhile, another large storm is poised to
strike California. Predictably, climatologists blame both storms on El Niño
IRAQ’S OFFER INADEQUATE, U.N. OFFICIALS SAY; YELTSIN WARNS OF WORLD WAR
An Iraqi proposal to open eight new sites to arms inspectors is inadequate,
say U.N. and United States officials. President Bill Clinton said that he
continues to hold out hope for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, but
that an international consensus has emerged that Iraq must disarm. Russian
President Boris Yeltsin questioned Bill Clinton’s threat of air strikes,
saying it could start a world war. Later, Russian officials claimed that
Yeltsin was merely protesting the potential use of United States tactical
nuclear weapons in Iraq.
IN OTHER NEWS
The House and Senate each voted to rename the capital’s Washington National
Airport in honor of former president Ronald Reagan. … A Belgian prankster
hit Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in the face with a cream pie at a meeting
in Brussels, leading to the arrest of two people. … Federal health
officials said that deaths from flu and pneumonia were at epidemic levels,
and influenza outbreaks were occurring in 44 states, including widespread
flu activity in Pennsylvania. … Tens of thousands of residents of the
Somali capital of Mogadishu packed a soccer stadium to demonstrate their
support for a peace agreement.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Basketball results past deadlines
Results from the men’s and women’s basketball games were unavailable at
deadline. They will be posted in tomorrow’s Gazette.
2) Intramural scoreboard
Volleyball:
Hikers & Bikers 2 Over The Hill Gang 0
Forgettabout It 2 Bob- The Legend II 0
The Loogies 2 Pacific Rim 1
Non-Competitive Basketball:
Hultgren’s Halfwits a forfeit winner over IC Loves Basketball
Los Lobos 70 Al Roker 50
B A Barakus 44 Fetter’s Follies 42
Competitive Basketball:
No Code 70 Has-Been’s 64
Amar’s Army 53 Broken Language 48
*****
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
Badminton hosts Bryn Mawr in a 7:30 p.m. match.
Wrestling jets to Media for a 7:00 p.m. match against Albright.
TOMORROW
Men’s tennis travels to Columbia for a 3:00 p.m. match.
*****
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The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Mary Elizabeth Alvarez
Ross Bowling
Massey Burke
Fred Bush
Steve Dawson
Lorrin Nelson
Cathy Polinsky
Staff Writers
Elizabeth Weber
Aarti Iyer
Tamala Montgomery
Josh Bess
Nathanael Stulman
Weatherman
Rafi Dowty
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This concludes today’s report.
Copyright 1998 by The Daily Gazette. All rights reserved.