Thursday, November 7, 2002

by Jeremy Schifeling
Co-Managing Editor

As part of an ongoing project to increase campus security in non-dorm areas,
the Facilities and Services department has placed a callbox stand at the top
of the tunnel leading from Magill Walk to the SEPTA station.

Though the free-standing callbox is the first of its kind on campus, Larry
Schall, VP for Administration, says that the unique design, reminiscent of
the callbox columns that dot college landscapes across the country, is a
function of the location rather than a model for future units.

Nevertheless, students can expect another such phone to be in place on the
opposite side of the tracks come the summertime, according to Owen Redgrave,
Director of Public Safety.  Redgrave notes that this emphasis on the safety
of the station area comes after the “campus pedestrian railroad underpasses
had been determined to be of concern – both from previous incidents and
student input regarding where they felt vulnerable.”

The station, and particularly the tunnel leading under it, has long been
considered a dangerous area at night, especially following an armed robbery
there two years ago.

Other such vulnerable locations as the fieldhouse, the rear entrance of
Sharples, and the service building – all located on the lower half of
campus – have received callboxes recently.

Meanwhile, the station box is not quite operational yet, as Facilities
awaits the delivery of an analog converter to connect the phone to the
College’s digital network.  However, Mary Hasbrouck, the Technology
Coordinator for Facilities and Services, is confident that the box will be
up and running shortly: “Barring extensive delays in shipping, I’d hope to
have it working in the next few weeks.”

by Aude Scheuer
Gazette News Reporter

As the Daily Gazette continues its search for the true “Meaning of
Swarthmore,” Aude Scheuer sits down with Social Sciences Librarian Megan
Adams to get her take on Swat, squirrels, and the magical land called
Honalee.

Daily Gazette: How long have you been working here?
Megan Adams: A little over two years.

DG: What’s your favorite part of work?
MA: Just the general interaction with students.

DG: Anything about Swat that makes it different from other places you’ve
worked at?
MA: Yes, the students, faculty, and staff are intellectually curious in
refreshing ways.

DG: What’s the most interesting reference question a student has ever asked
you?
MA: At a previous job, a patron wanted to know how much weight a baby blue
whale gained in its first year of life.

DG: Any books you’d recommend?
MA: I’m reading a book now that I’m enjoying called “The Real World of
Technology” by Ursula Franklin.

DG: Any book that you think every college student should have read?
MA: Homer’s “The Odyssey.”

DG: What’s on your to-do list today?
MA: Get healthy (coughs). Work at the reference desk tonight, prepare for a
meeting tomorrow, and homework.

DG: You’re taking a class?
MA: Yes, “Feminism and Library Science” through the University of Alberta in
Canada.

DG: What is your favorite college memory?
MA: There’s so many of them. One night in late October, my friends and I
went stargazing. Way off in the woods. It was really cool. And one of the
kids that was with us was an astronomy major, so he showed us all the
constellations.

DG: What was the worst job you ever had?
MA: I was a cashier at a Fuddruckers in high school. It was horrid. There
were these little baseball caps.

DG: What’s your favorite ice cream/candy?
MA: Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt and Pearson’s Nut Goodies,
which you can only buy in Minnesota. It’s like a drug for me.

DG: What do you think of Swat squirrels?
MA: They’re cheeky and fearless.

DG: What’s your pet peeve?
MA: People who use the word “irregardless”?

DG: That’s a word?
MA: It’s not.

DG: What’s your favorite imaginary place?
MA: Honalee, from Puff the Magic Dragon!

DG: What do you want for Christmas?
MA: Gift Certificates from Home Depot and peace on earth.

DG: What’s your favorite metaphor/saying?
MA: My grandpa always used to say this to all of us: “I’m so proud of you,
honey.”  It’s something we all don’t hear often enough.

DG: If you could try out any job for just one day, what would it be?
MA: Rock star, in a heartbeat, and I’d be the bass player.

DG: Any question I forgot to ask?
MA: Yes, “how to pronounce my name?”

DG: How do you pronounce your name?
MA: It rhymes with ‘Vegan.’

*****

* As of Wednesday morning, it was official: The GOP had control of Congress.
Bucking historic trends that suggested it would be near-impossible for a
sitting President’s party to gain congressional seats in a midterm election,
the Republicans not only regained the Senate, but also increased their
margin in the House.  Some notable victories for the Party of Lincoln came
from Minnesota (Norm Coleman defeated Walter Mondale in the Senate), North
Carolina (Elizabeth Dole won a Senate seat), and Florida (Gov. Jeb Bush
succesfully defended his position) – with GOP leaders crediting much of the
success to the President’s cross-country campaigning.  However, the
Democrats were not completely shut-out, taking hotly-contested Senate seats
in New Jersey and Arkansas, and the governor’s chair in California,
Illinois, and Pennsylvania.  And even then, some races are not yet decided,
including a possible recount in Montana and a December run-off to be held in
Louisiana – both for Senate seats.

* U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt is scheduled to announce today that he will not
seek another term as the Democratic leader of the House, according to his
congressional aides.  Gephardt, of Missouri, had been the top Democrat in
the House since 1989, but has failed to return the body to party control
since losing it to the Republicans in 1994.  However, political analysts
believe that the Representative is not leaving politics, but is only
preparing for a bid for President in 2004, having been considered his
party’s front-runner for that position in recent months.

* The 16th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party meets in Beijing today to
pick a new generation of leaders for the world’s most populous nation.
Delegates from the party will elect a secretary-general to serve on the
Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s foremost governance body, while
the current roster of aging leaders, including President and party head
Jiang Zemin, is expected to step down.  Vice President Hu Jintao has been
seen as one of the most likely candidates to succeed the old regime.
However, this transition is not certain as Zemin may try to maintain his
power by stacking the Politburo with political allies and having his
political doctrine, the “Three Represents,” solidified in the party charter.

*****

College Bowl Meeting
Kohlberg 202, 7:00 p.m.

School District of Philadelphia Information Session
Bond Memorial Hall, 7:00 p.m.

Aikido Club Practice
Wrestling Room – Lamb-Miller Field House, 7:00 p.m.

“C.S. Lewis on Stage”
Upper Tarble, 7:30 p.m.

Latin American and Spanish Film Festival
Kohlberg 115, 7:30 p.m.

The Meanings of Blackface: Open Screening of Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled”
Followed by discussion
Black Cultural Center, 7:30 p.m.

Feminist Majority Meeting
Parrish Parlor – East, 9:00 p.m.

————
Coming this weekend: An afternoon’s concert of West African Music with
Kakraba Lobi (master xylophone player from Ghana), joined by U.S. musicians
Valerie Naranjo (on xylophone and marimba), and Barry Olsen (on piano and
drums).

The concert, sponsored by the African Studies Consortium and the Department
of Music and Dance, will be held Sunday, November 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Lang
Music Concert Hall and will last approximately one hour.  Families are
particularly encouraged to attend.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

There are no contests scheduled for today or tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn’t.”
–Unknown

*****
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