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
Friday, December 11, 1998
Volume 3, Number 60
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Swarthmore honored in Black Enterprise magazine
2) Queer Peer Counselor program off to promising start
3) Student council election results
4) World news roundup
5) Campus events
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Mostly sunny, Highs in the upper 40s.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Low around 30.
Extended Weekend Forecast
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Sunday: Chance of early showers. Highs in the upper 40s.
NEWS REPORT
1) Swarthmore honored in Black Enterprise magazine
Swarthmore College received a new honor this past week, when Black
Enterprise magazine released rankings of the 50 institutions that it
identified as best for African-Americans. Swarthmore ranked 13th overall,
and 4th among colleges that are not traditionally oriented specifically
toward Black students. The three other colleges that ranked higher in this
category were Stanford, Georgetown, and Oberlin.
Associate Dean of Admissions and Coordinator of Student of Color
Recruitment Tracy Matthews ’89, stressed that in the past few years, the
college has sent recruiters to minority neighborhoods and schools to try to
increase awareness of Swarthmore within those communities. She pointed out
that the article, which stated that Swarthmore’s student body has a 6%
Black student population, was inaccurate. The actual number is 8%.
At the Student Council-sponsored Fireside Chat last night, President Al
Bloom said that at the time he came to Swarthmore College, the college was
not actively involved in increasing public awareness of its existence;
instead, it relied upon a largely white and largely affluent group of
applicants. He said that diversifying the student body has been one of his
major goals here. Since Bloom became president of the college, he said, the
student body has increased from 16% students of color to 34%, not including
foreign students. He said that a high percentage of students of color is
“vital for minority students to keep from feeling marginalized, or treated
as tokens,” and that “this is essential for a welcoming environment.”
Bloom also praised the Minority Scholars Program. Through this program,
promising students of color who are working on their PhDs are brought to
Swarthmore as visiting professors. Often, they choose to stay here. Current
Swarthmore professors who participated in this program include Associate
Professor of Music John Alston and Assistant Professor of Spanish Aurora
Camacho de Schmidt. Next year, Keith Reeves, who taught two classes in
Political Science last year under the program, will be joining the
Swarthmore faculty, despite offers from Stanford and the Kennedy School of
Government.
*****
2) Queer Peer Counselor program off to promising start
Last year, queer students on campus were excited about the idea of a
friendly, candid group designed to answer questions and concerns related to
queer issues. This semester, such enthusiasm has been realized through
Queer Peer Counselors (QPC). QPC is a group of nine students representing
different sexes, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds; they have
been trained as peer counselors and are a willing resource for individuals
who “want to talk about queer issues with students who know about them,”
said Tim Stewart-Winter ’01, one of the QPC organizers.
Training for counselors occurred during the first few months of this
semester. Stewart-Winter said that initial support for the concept came
from queer students who wanted to establish a network of support for
people questioning their sexualities. Today, under the guidance of
organizers Stewart-Winter, Will Mackintosh ’00, and Talia Young ’01,
the group has made its presence well-known. Stewart-Winter is pleased
with the advances made by the group this term. “We’ve only gotten one or
two calls/e-mails, but I think part of what we’re hoping to
accomplish is to reach students who don’t call, too; it’s important and
meaningful for the campus to know of our presence,” he explained.
The counselors are available to answer questions about a variety of issues,
as their posters indicate. “One of our hopes is that students who are
questioning their sexualities will see us as a safe, confidential resource
to turn to, but… we wanted to emphasize that we can help with lots of
other things, too. We can, for instance, help students strategize about how
to talk to a friend or roommate who is gay– or homophobic,” said
Stewart-Winter. QPC’s hours this semester are Tuesdays and Thursdays from
9pm to 11pm; people are welcome to call the counselors at x2054 during
these times or to leave a message any other time. Individuals can also
e-mail QPC at qpc@swarthmore.edu. The hours will probably change next
semester. Students interested in becoming counselors should contact QPC or
one of the coordinators.
*****
3) Student council election results
Appointments Chair
Ken Kim 467
Abstain 214
Mike Stanley 7
Jenny Yang 2
Peter 1
Larry Snow 1
Charter Chair
Jared Solomon 384
Abstain 314
Mike Stanley 9
Al Bloom 1
CPC (1 year)
Jenny Yang 260
Kimberly Harris 178
Gustavo Alberelli 101
Abstain 87
Nina Schichor 66
Simon Thomas 24
Mike Stanley 3
Rodney Morris 2
Pat Murray 1
Larry Snow 1
Facilities and Space Coordinator
Amber Adamson 367
Abstain 283
Mike Stanley 12
Jenny Yang 2
Dave Thomas 1
Larry Snow 1
Lord Byron 1
Tedd Goundie 1
Vertigo-go 1
Treasurer
Maureen Vernon 310
Abstain 249
Matt Trakimas 109
Mike Stanley 3
Gilligan 1
Bernie Saffran 1
Elections for the College Planning Committee (1 semester) position and
Outreach Chair will be held again at the beginning of next semester. This
is because both votes fell within the 17 vote margin of error, which is the
different between the number of collected ballots (771) and the number of
students crossed off as having voted (754).
*****
4) World news roundup
SPANISH JUDGE INDICTS PINOCHET
Judge Baltasar Garzon issued a 285-page indictment from Madrid on Thursday
that formally charges former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet of human
rights abuses committed while he held power from 1973 to 1990. The
document was released one day after Wednesday’s decision by Britain’s Home
Secretary, Jack Straw, that the process of extraditing Pinochet to Spain
could proceed in British courts, though that process is likely to last many
months. Pinochet’s lawyers also asked the House of Lords yesterday to
dismiss a ruling made by Britain’s highest court two weeks ago that
Pinochet was not entitled to sovereign immunity, asserting that one of the
deciding Lords had been biased.
CLINTON ENDORSES STOCK INVESTMENT FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
During the second day of a Congressional conference about Social Security
reform, White House economic advisor Gene Sperling said that President
Clinton has expressed the opinion that stock market investments could help
to bring more money into the program, which is believed to be in danger of
running out of funds around 2032. Clinton has not until now endorsed a
specific method of refinancing Social Security, and according to advisors
he has not yet decided whether investments should be made by individuals or
by the government.
IN OTHER NEWS…
An Iraqi official announced that U.N. inspection teams would be turned away
if they revisited the Baath Party building where inspectors were blocked on
Wednesday. The United States is taking no immediate action over the
matter… Around 10,000 Indonesians participated in street demonstrations
against President B.J. Habibie in Jakarta Thursday, sparking several
clashes with police… John Hume and David Trimble accepted the Nobel Peace
Prize in Oslo Thursday for their efforts to bring their respective Catholic
and Protestant sides of Northern Ireland’s long standing conflict towards
peace.
*****
5) Campus events
FRIDAY
Financial Aid Collection
LPAC cinema, 1:00 p.m.
Student Dance Concert
LPAC Pearson-Hall Theatre, 8:00 p.m.
“The Pageant of the End of the World” – Senior Company Performance
LPAC Frear Ensemble Theatre, 8:00 p.m.
6 Cents – comedy improv
Mephistos, 9:00 p.m.
Advanced Poetry Workshop reading
Olde Club, 10:00 p.m.
Movie: “The Negotiator”
DuPont Lecture Hall, 7:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m.
SATURDAY
Catholic Ministry Day of Reflection
Bond
Registration
Tarble All Campus, 10:00 a.m.
A Capella Jamboree
Lang Concert Hall, 1:00 p.m.
Jazz Ensemble Concert
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.
“The Pageant of the End of the World” – Senior Company Performance
LPAC Frear Ensemble Theatre, 8:00 p.m.
Movie: “The Wedding Singer”
DuPont Lecture Hall, 7:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m.
SUNDAY
“The Pageant of the End of the World” – Senior Company Performance
LPAC Frear Ensemble Theatre, 2:00 p.m.
A Capella Jamboree
Lang Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
Men’s and women’s indoor track and field competes at the Haverford Invite
at 5:00 p.m.
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
Claire Phillips-Thoryn
Pete Schilla
Jaspal Singh
Rhiana Swartz
Nellie Tong
Weathercasters
Rachel Labush
Ben Hanani
Laurie Smith
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This concludes today’s report.