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, November 5, 1998
Volume 3, Number 37
CORRECTION:
In the Tuesday, November 3 issue of the Daily Gazette, a world news roundup
article reported a military attack in Columbia. Actually, the attack
occured in Colombia.
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Diversity Coalition organizes walk-out at Sharples
2) Ex-Gross roommate speaks about new novel
3) Candidates campaigned for by college groups victorious
4) World news roundup
5) Campus events
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Field hockey wins in double overtime
2) Men’s soccer travels to Washington College
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Partly Cloudy. High of 50.
This is getting to be a bit much, don’t you think?
Tonight: Mostly Clear. Low in mid 30s.
Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy. High of 50.
That’s right – it’s not gonna change.
*****
NEWS REPORT
1) Diversity Coalition organizes walk-out at Sharples
Yesterday, Diversity Coalition staged a demonstration and walkout in
Sharples Dining Hall at 6:20 PM. According to Diversity Coalition
co-coordinator, Tina Gourd ’99, the purpose of the demonstration was to
raise student awareness concerning Affirmative Action. The Diversity
Coalition’s presentation addressed the history of Affirmative Action and
its impact on Swarthmore.
The demonstration began when Shirin Ali ’00 stood on a table in the center
of Sharples Dining Hall and began reading from a prepared statement. She
was interrupted when a Sharples employee asked her not to stand on the
table. The employee was greeted with loud boos which briefly disrupted the
speech. The clamor soon subsided with Ali remaining on the table and the
presentation continued to its conclusion without further interruption. Soon
after the presentation began, most of the minority students present left
their seats and departed from Sharples in several waves to demonstrate how
Swarthmore’s student body appeared before the commencement of affirmative
action in the 1960’s. Three other speakers followed Ali, each making
arguments in favor of affirmative action and explaining the history of
minority enrollment of Swarthmore. The demonstration ended with an open
invitation to attend an open dialogue on affirmative action tomorrow at the
Black Cultural Center from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Following the
demonstration, leaflets were distributed explaining its purpose.
The leaflet stated that the walkout and presentation “emphasized the
positive effects of Affirmative Action by demonstrating how Swarthmore’s
student body has changed since the implementation of Affirmative Action
policies at a national level” and showed “what could happen to our student
body” if affirmative action is discontinued. The leaflet noted that the
demonstrators were not arguing that the “students of color are present at
Swarthmore only because of their non-white status.” “We wanted to do
something to engage students directly,” said Gourd. She added that the
demonstration went smoothly, but that Diversity Coalition is “waiting for
campus reaction” before evaluating the success of the demonstration.
Reaction to the demonstration was generally favorable among diners
interviewed at Sharples following the walkout. “This was definitely one of
the more direct and to the point demonstrations during my time here” said
Meredith Hegg ’00. Jason Skonieczny ’02 believed the demonstration to be
“thought provoking.” He noted that he “saw a lot of people discussing
affirmative action” afterwards. Hegg remarked that she “can’t imagine
another forum where they would have gotten as much attention, particularly
from those who might not have attended had they held a meeting.” Others
noted the difficulty of hearing in the crowded large room of Sharples. Adam
McBeth ’99 was interested to see how many people walked out, but was
disappointed that he had difficulty hearing the speaker. Some viewers,
however, were unimpressed. Ben Zhuk ’01 believed that those who witnessed
the demonstration would remember it, but “wouldn’t attach any meaning to it.”
*****
2) Ex-Gross roommate speaks about new novel
Daniel Menaker ’63 appeared in the Scheuer Room last night to read excerpts
from his new novel, _The Treatment_. Sponsored by the Dean’s Office, the
English and Psychology Departments, and the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic
Society, Menaker’s talk was attended by Swarthmore students and faculty as
well as by clinicians from the Philadelphia area. After Menaker’s reading,
Susan Levine, MSS, of the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Society led a
discussion session with the author.
Menaker is a former Senior Editor at The New Yorker and is currently Senior
Literary Editor at Random House. He is also a former Swarthmore student, an
English major who shared a quint in Roberts Dormitory with Dean of the
College Bob Gross ’62 during the 1960-61 school year. He explained that
Swarthmore had a large impact on his life. He uses the standards of past
English professors when he edits novels; he was obsessive over work; and he
did not rest until he “got it right.” Menaker also revealed that Swarthmore
is indirectly represented in the novel. Menaker wanted a character to go to
a college with a Quaker name, so he placed the character at Bristol
College; Bristol was one of the founding towns of Quakerism.
Menaker’s book, _The Treatment_, is about the relationship between Jake
Singer, a high school English teacher, and Dr. Morales, Jake’s
“dictatorial” psychoanalyst. Menaker describes it as a “standard
coming-of-age novel with a psychoanalytic twist.” He found the book
difficult to write, he said. The author noted, “You don’t get laughter and
tears out of a reader unless you’ve put laughter and tears into it.”
Whatever he put into the book was worth it, though. When the book was
finished, he felt “a Hulk Hogan victorious surge.” The book also provided
an interesting evening last night for many Swarthmore students, and that
was not just because it includes phrases such as “preemptive self-castration.”
*****
3) Candidates campaigned for by college groups victorious
The nationwide elections for Senate, Congress, and Governor positions were
held two days ago, on November 3rd. Many politically inclined Swarthmore
students voted in the elections, mailing in their absentee ballots soon
after they were distributed on campus. Swarthmore being predominantly
liberal, most students voted Democratic, and thus were happy about the
results of the elections: while keeping the number of their seats in the
Senate, Democrats won several seats in the House of Representatives.
Both of the partisan college political groups, the College Democrats and
the College Republicans, got themselves involved in the campaign processes
of the local races: Democrat Martin D’Urso vs. Republican Curt Weldon in
Delaware County, and Democrat Joe Hoeffel vs. Republican John Fox in the
nearby Montgomery County. The College Democrats were especially active,
distributing pamphlets, calling voters in the two counties, and campaigning
for their candidates on campus. They were most interested in the outcome of
the Hoeffel vs. Fox campaign: two years ago, Fox won by the narrowest of
margins — by only 84 votes! But after a vigorous campaign conducted this
year, the Democrat Joe Hoeffel won, by a wide margin of 9%.
The College Republicans, on the other hand, helped distribute absentee
ballots on campus to increase Swarthmore students turnout in the elections.
They also helped out in the campaign of Curt Weldon, an incumbent
Republican running for reelection to the House of Representatives; Weldon
won by a landslide victory. The Democrats cite the
overall conservative nature of Delaware County, where Weldon ran as the
main reason for his victory. Republican Senator Arlen Specter also retained
his Pennsylvania seat against Democratic challenger Bill Lloyd, and
Republican incumbent Governor Tom Ridge defeated Democrat Ivan Itkin.
*****
4) World news roundup
BIN LADEN INDICTED WITH BOMBING CHARGES
Prosecutors and the FBI announced new Federal charges yesterday against
fugitive Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was charged with the
U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and of conspiring to kill Americans outside
the United States. Bin Laden had already been quickly named as the chief
suspect after the August 7 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
That blast and the resulting explosion at the embassy in Tanzania killed
224 and injured more than 5,000. The U.S. State Department has offered a
reward up to $5 million for the arrest and conviction of bin Laden.
IN OTHER NEWS…
Russia is suffering from its worst harvest in 45 years. The UN is planning
to provide millions of tons of food; much would be free, the rest would be
sold with long-term financing… The tropical storm Mitch plowed across
Gulf of Mexico towards Florida where it is expected to strike today with
heavy rain, wind and possibilities of flood and tornado… The Clinton
administration has received strong support from key
Persian Gulf countries in its quest for a unified front against Iraq’s
decision to halt cooperation with U.N. weapon inspectors.
*****
5) Campus events
Ruach Israeli Dancing
Bond, 9:00 p.m.
Dialogues
Mary Lyons Lounge, 8:00 p.m.
Open Session with VP Candidate Dan West
Kohlberg Scheuer Room, 11:00 a.m.
“Triangular Destiny, Different Desires: Homotextualizing Racine’s Berenice”
Ralph Heyndels, University of Miami
Ashton House, 4:30 p.m.
Student Chamber Music Concert
Lang Concert Hall, 4:30 p.m.
“Is it Rational for a Scientist to Search for Truth?”
Howard Sankey, University of Pittsburgh
Papazian 324, 4:30 p.m.
“Flowers of Winter”
Charles Cresson
LPAC Cinema, 7:30 p.m.
“The Challenge of American Illiberalism: Race and Civic Ideals”
Rogers Smith, Yale University
Kohlberg Scheuer Room, 7:30 p.m.
“El rol del intelectual latinoamericano ante el fin del milenio”
Mempo Giardinelli
Kohlberg 115, 7:30 p.m.
“Romeo and Juliet”
LPAC Pearson-Hall Theatre, 8:00 p.m.
Mark Manuscript Study
Trotter 215, 8:00 p.m.
Movie Joy Evening
Kohlberg 116, 10:00 p.m.
Greatest Movie Countdown: “It Happened One Night”
Mary Lyons Lounge, 11:00 p.m.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Field hockey wins in double overtime
The field hockey team traveled led to Muhlenberg yesterday for the
quarterfinals of the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championships. Holly Baker ’99 won
the game on a penalty stroke in the second overtime. Jen Hagan ’99 and Kim
Cariello ’02 also scored goals while goalie Jane Kendall ’00 turned away
five shots. The Garnet will take on Wesley College today in the semifinals.
*****
2) Men’s soccer travels to Washington College
Results arrived too late for publication in this issue
*****
3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
Field Hockey takes on Wesley in ECAC semifinals
TOMORROW
No contests are scheduled for tomorrow
*****
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The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Joseph Genereux
Jeff Heckelman
Lorrin Nelson
Cathy Polinsky
Jessica Salvatore
Ty Wilde
Staff Writers
Jack Borrebach
Ben Geller
Megan Haberle
Lindsay Herron
Ilya Leskov
Ira Lindsay
Alma Ortiz
Pete Schilla
Jaspal Singh
Nellie Tong
Weathercasters
Rachel Labush
Ben Hanani
Laurie Smith
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This concludes today’s report.
Copyright 1998 by The Daily Gazette. All rights reserved.
