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
Monday, February 16, 1998
Volume 2, Number 81
The Daily Gazette is pleased to announce that its number of subscribers has
surpassed the 1000 mark. The count stands presently at 1001.
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Early decision acceptance rate continues to fall
2) Stephenson convenes meeting on technology planning sub-group
3) World news roundup
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Wrestling places fifth at championship meet
2) Women’s basketball falls to Ursinus
3) Men’s basketball drops heartbreaker to Dickinson
4) Track and field closes out final home meet in style
5) Badminton at PAIAW tournament
6) Intramural results
7) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
WEATHER REPORT
Today: Sunny early, cloudy later; rain possible. High of 45.
Forget work, forget classes, focus on the _real_ stress . . .
Tonight: Rain — count on it. Low around 35.
Screw Your Roommate is less than TWO WEEKS away.
Tuesday: More rain. High close to 50.
NEWS REPORT
1) Early decision acceptance rate continues to fall
Between the Fall and the recently completed Winter Early Decision Plans,
the College has admitted 142 students to the class of 2002, six fewer than
last year. There were 372 applicants, producing an admission rate of 38%.
Swarthmore’s early decision plans are binding; students who apply commit to
attend.
Early decision programs across the country have expanded significantly in
recent years. Some top colleges and universities have admitted nearly
three-fourths of their classes of 2002 through early decision and early
action plans. “There is always a tension created by early decision; these
are the students who have already decided that Swarthmore is their first
choice college, and so it’s always a real joy to read their applications.
At the same time, for every student we take now, we will have fewer
openings later — and we know that in regular decision there will be far
more students we’d like to take than spaces available,” says Robin Mamlet,
Dean of Admissions.
The 38% admission rate is slightly lower than the 40% rate for the class of
2001 and the 41% rate for the class of 2000. For the class of 1999, the
early admission rate was 61%. Real numbers are more revealing. Whereas for
both the classes of 2002 and 2001 there were well over 300 applicants,
there were only 176 for the class of 2000 and 139 for the class of 1999.
The early decision statistics reflect Swarthmore admissions trends in
general. The college has received record numbers of applications for
admission in recent years. Over 4000 students applied last spring and at
least that many were expected to have applied this year.
*****
2) Stephenson convenes meeting on technology planning sub-group
Long-range planning sub-groups presented progress reports to the campus on
Friday, February 13th. Tom Stephenson, associate provost for information
services, convened the technology planning sub-group. Other groups that
presented were admissions, facilities, staff experience, student
experience, pro-active regional and local efforts, curriculum and faculty
experience, financial aid, student government, and visibility & leadership
in higher education.
The technology sub-group is looking at four main issues: purchase and
replacement policies, staff training, educational goals, and new
pedagogical uses of technology. Due to the lack of a centralized budget the
group is not even sure how much is currently being spent on technology.
Stephenson suggested a ball-park figure of about $1,000,000 per year. This
includes not only computers, but all technological items from classroom
display equipment to lighting in the Performing Arts Center. The group
feels the college ought to be spending about $2,000,000 a year on
technology to avoid serious budgeting problems in the future when large
parts of the infrastructure, such as the phone system, need to be replaced.
Whether or not the college should establish an educational goal of
preparing students to use technology in their discipline is also being
examined. Stephenson is “less concerned about trying to define a specific
set of skills” that students ought to have, but rather looking into whether
there are discipline-specific skills that are being looked over. Anecdotal
evidence from alumni suggests that students are well enough prepared, but
the group is planning on doing a more formal report. The group does not
feel that the college needs to “break new ground in the use of technology,”
since that is not feasible at an institution as small as Swarthmore
College, but does want to make sure the college remains abreast of new
pedagogical uses of technology.
*****
3) World news roundup
INDIA GEARS UP FOR ELECTIONS DESPITE POLITICAL VIOLENCE
India, the world’s largest democracy, is preparing for Monday’s general
elections with apprehension after a bloody weekend of bombs and riots in
the southern city of Coimbatore. A total of 17 bombs, some of which were
planted in a hospital, took at least 52 lives in Coimbatore Saturday after
weeks of rising tension between the Hindu majority and Moslem minority in
the area. The two front-running parties, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya
Janata Party and its rival, the Congress party, have blamed each other for
the attack. At least 19 people were killed in pre-election violence
elsewhere in India on Sunday. In response to these outbreaks of violence,
some 100,000 troopers will help police at election centers on Monday.
Officials in the eastern state of Bihar have ordered security forces to
shoot on sight anyone attempting to disrupt polling. Voting for the
545-seat parliament is staggered over five days between Monday and March 7,
except for two snowbound constituencies which vote in June.
NAGANO WEEKEND RESULTS
Medal results from February 15:
Women’s 7.5 Kilometer Biathlon:
Gold- Galina Koukleva of Russia
Silver- Ursula Disl of Germany
Bronze- Katrin Apel of Germany
Men’s Curling:
Gold- Switzerland
Silver- Canada
Bronze- Norway
Women’s Curling:
Gold- Canada
Silver- Denmark
Bronze- Sweden
120 Meter Hill Ski Jump (Men)
Gold- Kazuyoshi Funaki of Japan
Silver- Jani Soininen of Finland
Bronze- Masahiko Harada of Japan
Two-man Bobsled:
Gold- Lueders/MacEachern of Canada
Gold – Huber/Tartaglia of Italy
Bronze- Langen/Zimmermann of Germany
Men’s 1000 Meter Speedskating
Gold- Ids Postma of the Netherlands
Silver- Jan Bos of the Netherlands
Bronze- Hiroyasu Shimizu of Japan
Medal results from February 14:
Men’s Figure Skating:
Gold- Ilia Kulik of Russia
Silver- Elvis Stojko of Canada
Bronze- Philippe Candeloro of France
Individual Nordic Combined:
Gold- Bjarte Engen Vik of Norway
Silver- Samppa Lajunen of Finland
Bronze- Valerij Stoljarov of Russia
Women’s 500 Meter Speedskating:
Gold- Catriona Lemay-Doan of Canada
Silver- Susan Auch of Canada
Bronze- Tomomi Okazaki of Japan
Men’s 500 Kilometer Cross Country Skiing:
Gold- Thomas Alsgaard of Norway
Silver- Bjoern Daehlie of Norway
Bronze- Vladimir Smirnov of Kazakhstan
Medal results from February 13:
Men’s Combined Alpine Skiing:
Gold- Mario Reiter of Austria
Silver- Lasse Kjus of Norway
Bronze- Christian Mayer of Austria
Men’s Downhill:
Gold- Jean-Luc Cretier of France
Silver-Lasse Kjus of Norway
Bronze-Hannes Trinkl of Austria
Mens Luge Doubles:
Gold- Krausse/Behrendt of Germany
Silver- Thorpe/Sheer of the United States
Bronze- Grimmette/Martin of the United States
IN OTHER NEWS…
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which oversees Philadelphia
taxis, has been holding mandatory etiquette classes for Philadelphia’s cab
drivers, in which the cabbies are taught how to keep cars clean, dress
nicely, and respond politely to customers. … As a U.N. team and Iraqi
officials met in Baghdad on Sunday, United States National Security Adviser
Sandy Berger stated that the U.S. would strike Iraq militarily time and
again if necessary to deny Hussein his deadliest weapons. … The Northern
Irish peace talks, which bring together the British and Irish governments
and eight Catholic and Protestant parties, are moving to the Dublin for the
first time on Monday, but Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish
Republican army, may be forced to leave the talks after the IRA was linked
to two murders last week. … On Sunday federal agents searched western
North Carolina for Eric Robert Rudolph, the prime suspect in the fatal
January 29 bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic. … Four or
five of the suspects in last week’s assassination attempt on Georgian
President Eduard Shevardnadze have been arrested, and a nationwide manhunt
continues for two other suspects.
SPORTS REPORT
1) Wrestling places fifth at championship meet
Swarthmore College played host to the Centennial Conference wrestling
championship meet Saturday. The Garnet squad placed fifth in a competitive
meet, scoring 31.5 points overall. Western Maryland dominated the
competition with 104 points, followed by Ursinus’ 87, Gettysburg’s 78 and
Muhlenberg’s 38.5. Johns Hopkins finished sixth with 23.5 points.
Swarthmore’s top finishers were Pete Balvanz ’98 at 150 lbs. and Alec Stall
’98 at 190 lbs., each of whom placed second. Adrian Wilson ’99 placed third
at 134 lbs. The Garnet will next be in action on the 20th at the NCAA East
Regional meet at Ursinus.
*****
2) Women’s basketball falls to Ursinus
The women’s basketball team fell to visiting Ursinus 72-59 on Saturday.
Swarthmore trailed 36-33 at the half, but Ursinus went on a 20-4 run to
open the second half. Heather Marandola ’01 led the Garnet with a career
high 22 points while Leslie Young ’00 added a career best 12. The women’s
record now stands at 7-14 overall, 2-11 in the Centennial Conference.
*****
3) Men’s basketball drops heartbreaker to Dickinson
The men’s basketball came within 2 minutes of winning their first game of
the season. Their 3 point lead evaporated in the waning moments as they
lost to Dickinson 60-57. Tim Schofield ’99 led the Garnet with 24 points
and Cassidy Westbrook ’00 added 17. The men are 0-21 overall, 0-11 in the
Centennial Conference.
*****
4) Track and field closes out final home meet in style
The men’s and women’s track and field team hosted a five way meet on
Friday, finishing second and first respectively. The women’s team scored
84.5 points to defeat second place Gettysburg, which could amass only 72.
Widener was third with 22, Lebabon Valley College finished fourth with 18
and Ursinus rounded out the field with 5.5. Catherine Laine ’98 led the way
with victories in the long jump (16’5.5”), 55 meter dash (7.59) and the 55
meter hurdles (8.79), as well as a second place finish in the triple jump
(35″3.5″). Danielle Duffy ’98 won the 400 meter dash (62.40) and placed
second in the 200 meter dash (27.54). Desiree Peterkin ’00 won the triple
jump with an NCAA qualifying mark of 37’2.5”. Peterkin also placed second
in the long jump (16’5”) and third in the 55 meter dash (7.83). Danielle
Wall ’98 won the 1500 (5:04.07) and placed second in the 800 (2:31.59)
while Joko Agunloye ’01 won the 300 meter run (11:30.6). Annie Baumgartner
’01 placed third in the shot (36’1.5”) while Stephanie Herring ’99 placed
fourth in both the high jump (4’10”) and 55 hurdles (9.67). The 1600 meter
relay team of Duffy, Laine, Herring and Peterkin was victorious (4:13.52)
as was the 3200 meter relay of Jessica George ’00, Shalini Ayyagari ’00,
Sarah Jay ’01 and Sari Altschuler ’01 (10:58.21).
The men’s team placed second to Widener by a scant 2.5 points, but the
Garnet’s 56 points were enough to eclipse Lebanon Valley College’s 50 as
well as the 47 and 10 point efforts put out by Centennial Conference rivals
Gettysburg and Ursinus respectively. Steve Dawson ’00 provided the men’s
only victory with a win in the high jump with an NCAA qualifying mark of
6’8.25”. He also placed second in the triple jump (41’7”) and third in
the long jump (20’4”). Mason Tootell ’99 placed third in the 55 hurdles
(8.35), fourth in the long jump (20’2.5″) and fourth in the 400 (53.86),
while Julian Haffner finished second in the long jump (20’6″). Wyn
Strodtbeck ’98 finished third in the 1500 (4:10.65) while George Bealefeld
’99 placed third in the shot (40’7”). Dave Bruemmer ’98 took third in the
400 (52.90) with Keith Gilmore on his heels in fifth (53.86). Graham Lucks
’98 (2:03.11), Lorrin Nelson ’00 (2:07.27) and Gordon Roble ’99 (2:07.80)
took second, third, and fourth, respectively, in the 800 while Mark Jeuland
’01 (9:22.04) and Josh Bloom ’00 (9:39.17) rounded out the individual
scoring with second and fifth place finishes in the 3000. Both the 1600
(3:33.04) and 3200 (8:24.72) relay teams placed second.
*****
5) Badminton at PAIAW tournament
The results from the badminton team’s match were not available and will be
featured in tomorrow’s Gazette.
*****
6) Intramural results
INDOOR SOCCER:
Jimmy Z’s BBQ 7 Faculty/Staff 6
Jolie & the Pussycats 10 Devil’s Princesses 0
Mink’s Marauders 6 Willets Hoodlums 3
* PLAYOFFS START THURSDAY
INTRAMURAL VOLLEYBALL:
The Loogies 2 Secret Ninjas 0
Digging For All Their Worth 2 Forgettabout It 0
Hikers & Bikers 2 Pacific Rim 0
* PLAYOFFS START TUESDAY
NON-COMP BASKETBALL:
Skinny Awkward Tools 48 IC Loves Basketball 40
COMP BASKETBALL:
Has-Been’s 77 No Code 76
Amar’s Army 68 Broken Language 58
INTRAMURAL ULTIMATE FRISBEE:
Can-Openers of Whoop-Ass 14 The FUN Team 13
* PLAYOFFS START THURSDAY
*****
7) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
No contests are scheduled for today
TOMORROW
Badminton heads to Bryn Athen for a 7:00 p.m. match.
Women’s basketball travels to Muhlenberg for a 7:00 p.m. game.
Intramural volleyball playoffs begin at 7:00 p.m.
*****
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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
Jennifer Klein
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.
