Wednesday, April 24, 2002

by Mary Harrison and Evelyn Khoo
Gazette Reporters

Monday’s Student Council meeting was a scene of vigorous debate and hotly
contested proposals and counterproposals. Most of the three and a half hour
long meeting revolved around a dispute between the Movie Committee and Film
Society in which Student Budget Committee also played a central role.

Movie Committee treasurer Kai Xu ’03 appealed to Student Council because he
said that SBC had taken a sum of $1,000, which had initially been part of
Movie Committee’s funding allocation at spring budgeting, and given it to
the Film Society after that group appealed its original budget allotment
for next year. Xu explained that he was objecting to SBC’s actions not so
much because of the money itself but because Movie Committee felt that they
set dangerous precedents for future years.

SC co-president Matt Rubin clarified the situation by explaining that there
are “never individual transfers ever. What’s important to remember is that
money is not necessarily taken away from one group to another group.”
Instead, as SC appointments chair Chirag Chotalia ’04 elaborated, at the
start of the Spring budget process a fixed amount of $350,000 is earmarked
for student organizations, and if appeals are made after that funding pool
has been exhausted and SBC agrees to meet the appealing group’s demands,
then the necessary funds are taken from student clubs whose budgets
constitute more than 1% of the total activities budget. According to
Chotalia, it is simply more practical that the funds for an organization
dealing with movies come out of one with a similar function.

Student Council and SBC contended that the Film Society had already
suffered from big budget cuts in the past and that $1,000 added to an
annual budget of $3,035 would make a huge difference for Film Society.
They added that more funding for the
small organization was needed to
help them become more visible on campus
and provide more
diversity among movies shown at Swat. However, the Student Council Charter
Committee brought up the point that Film society had done little to
increase membership, asserting that they have not advertised their events
well and that attendance for each event is still extremely low.

Student Council proposed to split the disputed sum equally between the two
groups. The SBC returned with a counter proposal  to give the thousand
dollars to the Student
Council under a new sub-code, where the SC would act
as a mediator for a
joint event by the two groups. However, this counter-proposal
was rejected due to a lack of unanimous consensus among all the parties involved, and the
eventual decision reached was to adopt Student Council’s original proposal
of splitting the
sum evenly.

However, this resolution did not sit well with either the Movie Committee
or the Film Society. Said Xu: ” I personally regret the final decision.
We’re losing a total of $3,200, which translates into a loss of nine movies
which means one movie less every weekend for the whole of the fall
semester.” While she was glad that a compromise was eventually reached,
Chirag Chotalia felt that the Movie committee’s concerns were legitimate.
“It is unfair to take money away from a group that’s well established, that
shows movies that a hundred people come to, and give it to a club that
shows movies where ten people show up”, said Chotalia, pointing
out that the Film society “has done a pretty bad job publicizing their events.”

Christine Smallwood ’03, the treasurer of the Film Society, said: “During
my appeals process, we asked the SBC for $1000 on the deal that we show a movie
in LPAC two weekends a year. I think this had nothing to do with Student
Council, who was trying to micromanage and acted very inappropriately. It felt
like Student Council was trying to set up a play date for us, but Film
Society doesn’t want to play.”

*****

by Alexis Reedy
Gazette Reporter

After news that it took over a month for the rape of a Swarthmore student
on campus to be reported to the police, questions have arisen regarding the
administration’s
response to sexual assaults on campus.

As the policy stands now, students that are assaulted on campus are given
several conduits to report the incident. The majority of these lead to
Karen Henry, Dean of Gender Education. Henry meets with victims to discuss
their options and to take care of their physical needs.

In this case, the student that was raped ended up going to Worth Health
Center, where she was advised to meet with Henry. Henry asked the student
whether
she would like to go to the hospital for a rape kit, but the student
refused, opting to stay on school grounds and at Worth. Henry also advised
the student
about reporting the incident to the police, along with several other
options. The student decided that she was not up to reporting the incident
to the police yet and opted to wait.

Henry is a certified psychologist, but the student was also referred to
psychological services and other support services like the Survivors of
Sexual Misconduct
group on campus.

“We have talked at length about what happened. This is a very difficult
time for her but she is hanging in there,” said Henry. “My role is to
support her
to the best of my ability. It was very hard for her to go in to see the
police even then. It’s very difficult and embarrassing to repeat what happened
over and over again for the police.”

Swarthmore’s policy of confidentiality with regards to sexual assault
victims is not uncommon. In fact, it is considered standard practice within
most schools,
rape centers and other offices like Henry’s.

“Our policy is not extraordinary,” Henry said. “Sexual assault is about
women feeling victimized. My office helps empower the survivors by allowing
them
to make decision for themselves.”

Henry also wants to remind students that “sexual assaults happen
everywhere. Although there are not more cases at Swarthmore than anywhere
else, we do not have
walls here. It does occur at Swarthmore.” However, she added,
“We do have a very supportive environment for survivors here.”

by Jeremy Schifeling
Gazette Section Editor

Aviva Aron-Dine ’05 took third-place novice honors at this past weekend’s
National Debate Championships, held at the University of Maryland –
Baltimore County.

Swat’s Amos J. Peaslee Debate Society sent three teams to the tournament,
which featured the top squads in the American Parliamentary Debate
Association.

Aron-Dine and partner Sonya Hoo ’05 qualified for the tourney by winning the
Franklin & Marshall Invitational last November.  They also fared well as a
team at the championship, going 4-2 over the two days of competition.

Aron-Dine and Hoo were ranked as the 18th and 22nd top novices in the
country, respectively, heading into the weekend.

The teams of Robert Peterson ’03 & Phil Hoefs ’02 and David Bing ’03 & Sarah
Drescher ’03 also represented Swat at the tournament.

*****

* Israel has demanded changes to the composition of a United Nations
fact-finding team before it allows the group to investigate the Jenin
refugee camp.  Although Israeli officials had consented to the mission last
Friday, they are now asking that the UN add military and counter-terrorism
experts to the group’s roster so that it can examine the Palestinian
terrorism network alleged to be operating out of the camp.  Meanwhile,
negotiations to end an Israeli-Palestinian standoff at the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem failed on Tuesday, although both sides promised to
resume talks today.  Dozens of Palestinian gunmen have been holed up in the
church since March 29th, when Israel began its West Bank campaign.

* Over 100 airport workers in the Washington-Baltimore area were charged
with fraud and falsifying application information.  The wave of arrests came
as the Justice Department is cracking down on aviation security breaches
highlighted by the terrorist attacks of 9/11.  Although Dulles was the
departure point for the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, none of those
arrested have connections to terrorist groups or the events of September,
according to government officials.

* Just five days after a horrific train wreck in northern Florida, another
rail tragedy, involving a freight train colliding with a commuter train,
occurred 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles yesterday.  Two passengers on the
Metrolink commuter train were killed and 265 were injured when the freight
train, moving at just 10 mph, rammed into the stopped Metrolink.  The
freight train attempted to brake but the force of the massive tonnage drove
the vehicle head-on into the commuter train, crushing the first car and
launching passengers from their seats.
 

*****

“Rediscovering Lucretia Coffin Mott: A Fearless Feminist”
Presentation by Beverly Wilson Palmer, Pomona College, editor of Selected
Letters of Lucretia Coffin Mott
Bond Memorial Hall, 3:30 p.m.

Faculty Lecture by Gerty Dambury
Scheuer Room, 4:15 p.m.

HIV/AIDS Crisis
Film screening: “Nkosi: A Voice of Africa’s AIDS Orphans”
Speaker: Mary Partlow, Global Health
LPAC Cinema, 4:30 p.m.

MST3K Showing
Trotter 203, 7:00 p.m.

Film Showing: Smoke Signals
Kohlberg 226, 7:00 p.m.

Summer Housing Lottery
Parrish Parlor West, 7:00 p.m.

Class of 2005 Housing Lottery
Lamb-Miller Field House, 7:30 p.m.

College Democrats Meeting
Parrish Parlor East, 8:00 p.m.

Film Society Film Screening
Kirby Lecture Hall, 10:00 p.m.

———-
The Ring III: Israel/ Palestine
Student panelists will discuss the Israel/ Palestine conflict. Come to
learn. Come to talk.

Thursday, April 25th
8:00 to 10:00 pm
Mephistos

Pizza will be provided!

———-
Artists: Want a Gallery Show?

It was a sweet day in Swat athletics all around, but especially savory for
the softball team as they snapped a 24-game losing streak to notch their
first two victories of the season in their final contest. The Garnet swept
a doubleheader at Haverford, 3-2 in the first game and 6-5 in the second.

In the first game, the Garnet jumped to an early 2-0 lead as Pam Lavallee
’03 and Val Marone ’05 each hit RBI singles. Lavallee went 1-for-2 with the
game-winning RBI, driving in Katherine Athanasiades ’05 with a sac fly in
the top of the fifth inning after the Fords had tied the game with single
runs in the third and fourth innings. Athanasiades finished the day with
two runs scored. Maryann Chambers ’04 pitched a three-hitter for the victory.

In the nightcap, the Garnet again had an early lead, with Lavallee and
Marone again knocking in runs and the entire team taking advantage of some
fielding mishaps by the opposing team. The Fords returned the favor,
however, by scoring four unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth. But the
Garnet managed to hang on, with Lavallee again in the thick of things,
scoring the game-winner in the top of the seventh when Ariana Lindermayer
’03 produced a clutch two-out RBI single.

Lavallee finished the second game 2-for-3 with two RBI’s, extending her
hitting streak to 13 games. Several other players’ bats also came alive in
the second game: Mary Mintel ’05 went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and
two stolen bases. Sam Brody ’05 was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and
Marone had two RBI’s while also picking up the win. She scattered six hits
and gave up no earned runs in a strong effort to close the Garnet’s season.
The team finishes with a record of 2-24 overall, 2-12 in the Conference.

*****

The women’s lacrosse team also beat Haverford yesterday, 17-12. Katie Tarr
’02 continued to tear up the Centennial with seven goals and two assists.
Jackie Kahn ’04 and Liz Brainard ’03 contributed three goals and an assist
each, while Mavis Biss ’02 and Kim Cariello ’02 both scored twice, with
Biss also contributing two assists. Jenn Hart ’03 made 15 saves in goal,
giving head coach Karen Borbee her 100th career lacrosse victory. The
Garnet’s record now stands at 9-5 overall, 4-4 in the Conference.

*****

Not to be outdone, the men’s tennis team joined the Swat sweep of Haverford
by defeating the Fords 6-1. John Thomas ’02, Justin Singer ’03, Jayson Yost
’03, Frank Visciano ’04, and Ben Rae ’04 were all singles winners in
straight sets, while the doubles teams of Visciano/Thomas, Yost/Singer, and
Rae/Mike Noreika ’04 were also victorious. The team’s record improves to
9-7 overall. They are currently in eighth place in the South Atlantic
region and are awaiting a bid to the NCAA Regionals.

*****

* In NHL playoff action, the New Jersey Devils defeated the Carolina
Hurricanes 3-1, evening the playoff series at two games each. Bobby Holik,
Brian Gionta, and Brian Rafalski each scored for the Devils, while
Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward got a goal past Martin Brodeur to dash
hopes for Brodeur’s 14th postseason shutout. In Los Angeles, the defending
Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 1-0
as Patrick Roy made 32 saves and recorded his 20th career playoff shutout.
Steven Reinprecht scored the only goal needed for the Avalanche in the
second period, giving Colorado a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff
series. In other play, the St. Louis Blues also went up three games to one
as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 1-0, the Montreal Canadiens beat the
Boston Bruins 5-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series, and the New York
Islanders routed the Toronto Mapleleafs 6-1 for their first win in the series.

* The NBA playoffs continued as Tracy McGrady scored 31 points to lead the
Orlando Magic to a 111-103 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
McGrady has been bothered by a lower back strain, an injury that showed in
his fourth quarter shooting, when he missed all his free throws and the
potential game-winner at the buzzer. His teammates picked him up in the
extra period, though, with Pat Garrity and Troy Hudson leading the way.
Hudson finished with 26 points with 10-for-18 shooting, while Garrity
finished with 18 points. The Magic will return home on Saturday for Game 3
of the playoff series.

* Barry Bonds said in an interview yesterday that he will not be able to
break Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. Bonds, who is off to another
torrid start this year, holds the single-season record of 73 and has 575
career homeruns, 180 shy of Aaron’s 755, but he is turning 38 this year and
predicts he will have only four or five years left in the game, and that
his opportunities in these years will be shortened by intentional walks.
The San Francisco Giants slugger suggested instead that Sammy Sosa or Alex
Rodriguez had the better shot at the record and that he himself had more
interest in a World Series ring than a place in the history books.

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
Baseball versus St. Joseph’s, 4:00 p.m.
Women’s lacrosse at Western Maryland, 4:30 p.m.
Men’s and women’s track and field at U-Penn (Penn Relays), 4:30 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Dancing: The vertical expression of a horizontal desire legalized by music.”
–George Bernard Shaw

*****
.
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