Tuesday, January 28, 2003

by Mary Harrison
Gazette Reporter

Swatties were cut down in droves last week when a particularly vicious
strain of virus hit the campus. Amidst a string of bitterly cold days, the
virus sent about 100 people to the Health Center and marooned several others
in their rooms, inauspiciously striking during the first week of the
semester.

According to Geri Cole, Worth Health Center nurse, the viral strain had all
the symptoms of the flu, such as fever, headache, sore throat, muscle aches
and cough, accompanied by violent vomiting and diarrhea. Dorms were the
epicenters of the outbreak, encouraging the spread of the virus through the
sharing of bathrooms as well as cups and spoons, and insufficient hand
washing.

During the height of the epidemic, the Health Center was continuously
overbooked. “We had patients in the doctors visiting
room, in the consulting rooms,” said Cole. “If I had to, I’d put them on
mattresses in the waiting area. I wouldn’t turn anyone away.”

Rachel Scott ’05, came down with the virus on Wednesday. “I was surprised
how quickly it came on,” said Rachel. “At dinner I felt fine, and by 11, I
was puking my brains out.  Took me a while to work back up to solid foods.”

The following students are running for one of the three open Student Council
positions.  Online voting begins today and will continue
through Wednesday, followed by Sharples balloting on Thursday and Friday.

C.M. Ciarleglio ’04
——————-

My name is Chris Ciarleglio, and over the past three years, I have been
actively observing the Swarthmore community and have constantly pondered
ways in which it could be improved.  I frequently debate the college’s
workings with my friends and tweak its events and programs in my head.  This
productive thinking has finally led me to apply for Appointments Chair
because I believe that I can bring a unique perspective to the position.  As
the Appointments Chair, my primary focus would be adding to and improving
certain protocols regarding the College’s Appointments Committee, including:

·        Giving more applicants the option of an interview where applicable.

·        Opening more committee selections to interview to allow for a
better impression than an application alone.

·        Improving the activity of committees under the College’s direction.

·        Continuing to improve on the clarity of application processes and
of committee descriptions/goals.

·        Shifting the application process from paper to a personal
assessment.

I understand that this position is very demanding, and entails the handling
of many applications for relatively few positions on any of the College’s
33-odd committees.  Making decisions on who will carry out an appointment
for a specific committee is a difficult job, but I embrace the challenge.  I
believe that in the execution of such a task, it is important to get to know
the person behind the application-a goal that I wish to fulfill if elected,
making the appointments procedure more personable.  Each applicant is worthy
of the best assessment of his or her character.

In regards to the Student Council, I hope to offer my expertise in
administration and organization, my knowledge of students on this campus and
their wishes, and a healthy amount of constructive criticism and enthusiasm.
I, Chris Ciarleglio, hope to show my fellow students that I am more than
capable of carrying out the duties of the Swarthmore College Appointments
Chair.  I thank you graciously for your time.

Doru Gavril ’05
—————
Transparency

Ever wondered why some things don’t get done? Why money are allocated
based on mysterious principles? Maybe the people YOU want should be on
those committees. Maybe you should know the reasons for their decisions.
Maybe it’s time to try something new.

Accountability

The Appointments Chair is a position that requires some accountability
mechanisms to be in place. We have done, right now. I will start
creating the resources to enable you to control your representatives.

Responsibility

I intend to stick to this job and attend to the duties you entrust to
me. I won’t abandon ship and I promise you won’t have to vote again in
two weeks. In general, I want to see things getting done and I also
believe that there is true potential in the Student Council. One of my
future jobs, if elected, is to make sure that committees works more
efficiently and get more things done, faster. I know that these are the
priorities of other members of the Council. I will support their efforts
and ensure that we work closely together to make the Council a more
efficient body.

Interaction

I will facilitate better and faster communication between the
Appointments Committee and our constituents. A reliable and informative
web site will keep us posted to what you want done. Appointments for the
Student Budget Committee will be open to the public and you will have
control over what we do.

A vote for me is a vote for transparency.

Patrick Hart ’06
—————-
Hi! My name is Patrick Hart. I am a member of the class of 2006 and I
am running for the position of Appointments Chair.

The Appointments Chair has to make appointments to a variety of
different student committees. I believe that being involved in the college
academically, athletically (as a member of cross-country and track), and through

student activity groups (as a member of SQU and the QSA) has given
me a broad perspective that will allow me to work well in a position that has to

deal with a broad variety of issues.

On the issues confronting Swat today, I would try to work to keep Willets
from becoming a first-year only dorm and instead work to solve any
problems there or in other dorms through less drastic measures. The
student council also took a role recently on another matter of importance
to many Swatties by making the student appointments to the living wage
committee. If more appointments to that or any other committee
involving a controversial campus issue comes up, I will try to support
appointments from broad areas of the ideological spectrum. It is
important, after all, for all views to be heard.

And that’s what I’ll do as Appointments Chair: I’ll hear your views and try
to implement them and make the campus better as a member of the
student council.

Christine Shin ’04
——————
Hiya, I’m Christine Shin ’04 and I’m running for Appointments Chair. As an
active member of many of the committees delegated by the Appointments
Committee, I’ve always wondered about the selection process, as well as the
accountability and communication post-selection. I plan to make the
selection methods transparent and dependent on more factors than an e-mail
application. In addition, many committees have trouble adjusting in the
beginning after new members are added, and I hope to implement a system of
attending a few meetings beforehand and having a guidebook with pointers
from former members that will ease the transition process as well as
efficiently manage everyone’s time. I am currently active with the WRC, SAO,
ADVICE and SAC, in addition to other SC appointed committees, and I have
five semesters’ experience as a treasurer. Due to these experiences, I have
a solid understanding of how things work at Swat, as well as understanding
where room for improvement lies. As a nocturnal vampire myself, my personal
goal would be to work out a way to extend hours at places important for the
survival of the everyday Swattie, such as McCabe, Beardsley, Sharples and
Tarble (study space, food and caffeine). Cheers and happy voting.

Anmol Tikoo ’06
—————–
As I get ready for my second semester at Swat, I intend to get more involved
in the daily functioning of Swat by running for the Appointments Chair in the

Student Council. I do not claim that I know it all and have it all to be the
perfect candidate for this position-to say the least, I am far from it. What
I can assure you of is my relentless enthusiasm to give back something to my
community and openness to other opinions and criticism. Drawing upon my
experiences as the President of High School Student Council, the Interact
Club and other student organizations, I look forward to providing an
organized, efficient and collective work-ethic within the Appointments
Committee. The Appointments committee would be made more accessible to the
student body so as to encourage and facilitate student entry into the council

and appointments shall be carried out in a joint, judicious and transparent
manner. I hope to make Appointments Committee work closely with the rest of
Student Council so as to better understand the needs of the Council and make
more informed decisions. I assure you that I understand the responsibilities
that this post entails and I hope to do my best, if elected.

Wee Chua ’06
————–
This is Wee Jhong Chua, and I am again running for Campus Relations
Representative, a position was won by the elected Mark Hanis, but once again
is open. In fulfilling the role of Campus Relations Representative, I will
ensure that Student Council is not just a group of students, instead a group
of students intent on helping the college community. Determined to serve, I
will unify the campus. In an attempt to further communication between
Student Council and the Swarthmore community, I will keep the public aware
of the actions taken by Student Council.  The Phoenix and the Daily Gazette
will also receive news on the proceedings.   Working as a liaison between
the people and the Student Council, I will bring the college back to the
people.

Thank you,
Wee Jhong Chua

Melinda Lee ’04
—————-
My name is Melinda Lee.  I am but one Lee out of 95 million Lees that grace
this planet.  I am but one junior of close to 400 other juniors at this
college.  I am sorry to inform you that I am not special.

Yet perhaps it is with this sympathy for commonality that I would be able not

only to represent, but to be actively present as the student member of the
Educational Policy Committee.  I ask you to grant me the privilege to listen
and learn in this context of how intricately our educations – our ways of
thinking, and therefore of being – are negotiated.  For who among us cannot
sympathize with what Robert Pirsig laments as a system of “years of carrot-
and-whip grading, a mule mentality which said, “If you don’t whip me, I won’t

work”?

You are not a mule!  I am not a mule!  (I am a Lee.)  Perhaps this is the
best message I can bring to the forum if called upon to debate PDCs, honors
requirements, or The Add/Drop Forgiveness Fallacy: WE ARE NOT MULES.  In that

opinion, I can be vocal on your behalf, I will be stubborn as a …

Vote for me

George Petel ’05
—————–
I am George Petel and I am asking for your vote for Educational Policy
Representative.  Why am I so special?  Well, for starters, I am wholly
committed to consistent, long-term improvement of this college. I firmly
believe that the only way for such improvement to happen is to have more
student involvement in the process.  I want to ensure that all students
have more input on such an important aspect of their lives.  I am also a
focused, responsible, and attentive person.  Not only would those traits
make me a good candidate for this position, but also for student council in
general.  I will carry all ideas, advice, and complaints to the
administration, whether someone speaks to me about academics or parties.

Education is why we are all here at Swarthmore.  At one time or another, we
all find something we dislike about the school’s academic policy.  One of
the major complaints many students have is about the PDC policy.  Like
former EPRs, I see the need for reform or outright removal of this program
of spoon-fed education.  More importantly, I want to present student ideas
on alternatives to this system so that future students do not yearn for the
days of the PDC.

George Petel
Delta Upsilon International Fraternity
Swarthmore Chapter

Autumn Quinn-Elmore ’04
————————–
My Fellow Students,

My name is Autumn Quinn-Elmore and I would like to be your Educational
Policy Rep. There are three things I want to do for you.

The first is to complete the on-going process of revising PDCs. I stand for
the standardization or elimination of PDCs. The current system has drifted
both in theory and in practice, from where it began and the value of PDCs
has declined. We need a new group of classes that introduces first years to
Swarthmore. We need a set of requirements diverse enough to allow students
to take classes in their areas of interest and to explore new areas. As a
community we must agree what these classes will consist of.

The second is that I will actively court student feedback regarding the
changes we are making in curriculum policy. In a school of 1400, and there
is no way that a small group of students and faculty members can hope to
represent the wishes of all unless there is active communication between the
committee and the student body. I will strive to foster that communication,
and I will gladly take your concerns to the committee.

The third thing is that I will not resign my post until my term is up. I am
a student here, just as you are, and I think it is irritating to have
unnecessary midterm elections.

Roxanne Yaghoubi ’05
———————–
I decided to run for Educational Policy representative because I want to
make sure that students have a say regarding curriculum decisions. If
elected, I will work to make sure that students of all disciplines and
interests have their needs met. Though most of my own personal interests
lie in the social sciences, I would make myself available to students,
professors,
and administrators from all areas and divisions of the college and try to
reconcile the diverse interests in a way that would benefit the greatest
amount of students, both present and future. One important issue right now
that emphasizes these interests is of course the elimination of PDCs. I
support the movement to replace PDCs with first-year seminars, as I think
that these seminars will provide the best academic experience for first-
years, as well as preparing them for picking a major and, possibly, taking
part in honors seminars.  However I also recognize that there are concerns
regarding students being lotteried out of these seminars, particularly in
the most popular departments. As your policy rep, I would try to work with each
deparment and division to come up with a plan to ensure that every student
who wanted to be in a seminar could be placed in one. Another issue I think
is important is advising. Many students’ advisors simply sign their
registration forms and never get to know their advisees. Why not fix this
problem by having the teacher of the first year seminar also act as the
students’ advisor? This way the advisor will have a better understanding of
the student’s work. These ideas are just preliminary as I understand other
issues may come up during my term. All in all, if elected I am committed to
finishing my term and serving the college to the best of my ability.

*****

The Social Affairs Committee allocated funding for the following all-campus
parties this weekend:

* Friday (1/31) – Engin Motivation Party in PACES, sponsored by Society of
Women Engineers
* Saturday (2/01) – Deuces Wild Party in DU, sponsored by Delta Upsilon
* Saturday (2/01) – Reggae Party in PACES, sponsored by WSRN

In addition:
* Saturday (2/01) – Dalek, Oddatee, King of Prussia perform in Olde Club

*****

* Bush administration officials said that they would likely declassify
sufficient intelligence information in the next few weeks to show that Iraq
has been working to hide weapons programs from the UN inspectors. The
information will likely include satellite photographs. The announcement came
after UN inspectors reported to the Security Council that Iraq was working
against their efforts. However, the inspectors requested a few more months
to continue their work, calling it an “investment in peace.” According to
Pentagon officials, they would be ready to go to war in mid-to-late
February. The announcement came only the day before President Bush’s State
of the Union address, which is scheduled for 9PM tonight. With recent polls
showing Bush’s popularity falling and increasing concerns about his handling
of domestic matters, Ari Fleischer said Monday that the speech would focus
on the economy and health care.

* A report from the state-run North Korean news agency derided the UN
International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday, calling its head, Mohamed
ElBaradei, a “poor servant and mouthpiece of the US,” according to CNN.com.
The report continued, “it is, therefore, an objective reality that the
secretariat of the IAEA is not in a position to discuss the [North Korea]
issue.” The IAEA had scheduled a meeting for February 3rd at which they
would discuss whether to refer the issue to the UN Security Council, but
indefinitely postponed the meeting when South Korea said that it could
undermine current efforts to address the situation.

* According to Pentagon sources, US and coalition forces engaged suspected
al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in an approximately six hour firefight on
Monday. The fighting occurred near the city of Spin Boldak, in southern
Afghanistan. It is believed that the US and coalition forces suffered no
casualties in the battle.

*****

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

German Film Series
Kohlberg 328, 7:00 p.m.

Tango Dance Lessons
Upper Tarble, 9:00 p.m.

State of the Union Address Viewing
Sponsored by SPAC
Parrish Parlors, 9:00 p.m.

————-
Professor Robert Pasternack, Professor of Chemistry, will present a faculty
lecture entitled “Assembly, Organization and Communication – a Chemistry
Lecture.” Porphyrin molecules can be buried in the interior of a DNA double
helix. Professor Pasternack and his research team have found a trigger that
brings the porphyrins out of their “hiding places” and induces them to
assemble at the surface of the DNA molecule. In this form they are curled
about the nucleic acid forming an extended superhelix – – the porphyrins all
communicating with one another through their electronic structures.
Professor Pasternack will discuss what they have learned about these arrays.

The lecture will begin at 4:15 on Wednesday, January 29 in Kohlberg 115 and
will be followed by a reception. All faculty, students, and staff are
welcome.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Katie Robinson ’04 literally stole the game for Swat last night as the
women’s basketball team rolled to an easy 64-47 victory over Eastern.  One
game after scoring her 1,000th career point, Robinson made an incredible
eight steals to become Swat’s all-time leading thief with 287 steals in
total.  She also drained 24 points, which, along with soph Kristin Lee’s
seven boards and senior Ali Furman’s eight points, was more than enough to
defeat their opponent.  In addition, Darcy Nelson ’06 notched a career-best
eight rebounds to go along with her four points.  The Garnet, who are now
12-4 on the season, are back in action tomorrow night against Haverford.

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
Women’s Basketball hosts Haverford, 6:00 p.m.
Men’s Basketball hosts Haverford, 8:00 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your thing.”
–Warren Miller

*****
.
Interested in reporting or writing for the Gazette?
Got a news or sports tip for us?
Just want to tell us what you think?