Thursday, April 24, 2003

by Jeremy Schifeling
Co-Managing Editor

In the first-ever Student Council candidate debate, Co-Presidential
candidates Robert Berman ’04 and Emiliano Rodriguez ’05 squared off last
night in Sharples, with current Council Co-Prez Ryan Budish ’04 moderating.

Debating in front of the fireplace and with a small audience gathered
around the condiment bar, Berman and Rodriguez discussed their ideas for
making Swarthmore a better place – from improving the Large Scale Events
selection process to making Council a more effective institution. A few
students asked questions of the debaters, including queries about club
sports spending and even how they would have improved the debate, which was
sometimes difficult to hear over the familiar din of Sharples.

However, as Budish noted, the concept of a Council debate is still in the
early stages of development and might be enhanced and expanded before the
next election.

———
Check out the platforms of candidates running for Student Council positions
online:

* ROBERT BERMAN ’04

In speaking with various Swarthmore students, I have noticed a few common
concerns. These can best be addressed by a Co-President who is willing to
devote a great deal of time to working closely with not only SC, but all
other campus organizations to resolve these issues. I believe I am an ideal
candidate to tackle this daunting feat while perpetuating the progress made
by the current council.

LARGE SCALE EVENT
Quite simply, this year’s LSE fiasco should not have happened. The first
steps need to begin significantly earlier in the year (at least September)
so that an acceptable event can be negotiated. The process should also be
made less intimidating for those who propose events.

CLUB SPORTS
I feel that the club sports funding dilemma has not been sufficiently
addressed. Currently, over 100 students participate in club sports without
the benefit of Athletic Department funds, meaning most expenses are paid
from your Student Activities Fee or the athlete’s own pocket. Something
about this equation does not sit well with me.

CABLE TV
Why don’t we have a cable connection in every dorm lounge on campus? Living
in Mertz, I can say with confidence that more cable TVs would reduce bitter
fighting by at least 90%. We already pay for the service, why not take
advantage of it?

COUNCIL AVAILABILITY
Since many students find it difficult to attend its meetings, SC, along with
every other political organization at Swarthmore (SBC, SAC, FFFP, etc.)
should release its minutes in a single location online for public viewing.

I am thrilled about the prospect of serving as your SC Co-President and I
hope to earn your vote.

* EMILIANO RODRIGUEZ ’05

Ever since I was a little boy, I have dreamed of one day being president of
the international federation of planets.  When I grew up and realized that
the lego people that made up this federation did not exist, and that
international democracy, much less interstellar was in shambles, I realized
I would never be able to live my dream.  As such, I had a new dream.  The
only thing left to do was to rule planet earth with an iron fist.  If I am
elected student council co-president, I will be one step closer to my dream
of eventual world domination.  However, do not fear, the events that will
eventually drive me to becoming a ruthless dictator are not predicted to
occur until I am 27 years and 2 months old.  As your student council
co-president, I would work hard to improve the lives of every student at
Swarthmore College, even the ugly ones.

I have relevant past experience that will no doubt improve my facilities as
the co-president of student council.  Early in life, I ruled over a kingdom
of legos spanning 10 square feet.  My ability to deal with both space legos,
pirate legos, and city legos is evidence of my diverse background.
Eventually however, all my legos were lost or eaten.  When I was ten, I put
on a play with my cousins.  IT was about a space monkey that ate our little
cousin.  We lowered an x-wing from a fishing rod while my cousin played the
imperial march on his guitar.  My brother used the flashlight to emphasize
the impending danger of the x-wing.  This was a serious production but has
little relevance to my future in student government.  However, my success in
my eighth grade student council election is relevant.  The actual work done
as president has little relevance at all.  I quickly realized that at the
ripe old age of 13, no one really gives a shit about what you think is
important and to be quite honest, you don’t really no shit about what is
really important.

During High School I developed skills that will enhance my ability to better
serve you as student council co-president.  I participated in high school
debate for four years and developed a talent for lying and bullshitting,
both of which are no doubt important when dealing with administrators at
Swarthmore.  I was the captain of my swimteam, but really, that has nothing
to do with anything.  I was the president of the orchestra, nuf said.  I was
also the student body manager so I got to read the announcements in the
morning and I got a whole page in the year book to myself.  It also meant I
got to be late to history every morning which totally rocked.  I wish I
could be more specific, but for the most part, high school is a bit of a
blur.a little too much chlorine if you know what I mean (note the rhyming).
I also coach a swim team over the summer.  Some say it is because I like
children, others because I get paid for hanging out at the pool, but really,
it is because I don’t have very much job experience or training.  Swarthmore
definitely doesn’t help with this problem.  IF anything you should vote for
me because you feel sorry for me.  For all I know, losing this election
could mean coaching swim teams for the rest of my life.

At Swarthmore, I have also participated in stuff that also gives me more
relevant experience.  I am a political science major which of course means
that I am pre-law and have aspirations to go into politics.  There is also a
good chance that I want to be an ambassador for some country.  While in
reality, none of my political science courses have taught me anything about
being a leader, the general impression of political science courses is that
they teaches you how to be a politician so if this idea floats your boat,
vote Rodriguez in 2003.

I am also currently on student council, serving as the Student Groups
Advisor.  As SGA, I hold a seat on SAC.  This year, I have worked with SAC
to make this a very drunken year.  By being fiscally sound, we have saved up
enough money to buy some big inflatable rubber things for willets carnival,
get milk and cookies for the school, and even have enough left over to give
DU lots of extra money for extra kegs for margarita village.  Outside of
SAC, I also worked hard for students.  I presented a C/NC option to council
and one that was eventually passed and will hopefully go into effect next
year. The new option allows students to change back to grade mode after
seeing their grades in a class that they had originally registered for as
pass/fail.  While it was marketed as a measure to improve student
performance and motivation in pass/fail classes, we all know it is a safety
net in case you get lucky and some how pull an A in intro econ that you can
get the grade boost you need.  I have also been organizing movie night which
should go off successfully.  This year, we have upgraded to a bigger screen
(18 x 24 ft as opposed to 11 x 15 from last year) and are now using a 10
speaker surround sound system.  While it was proposed to hold movie night in
the ampitheatre, the Arboretum staff opposed.  However, we did after much
careful deliberation, some vicious arguing, and just a little to many mom
jokes, it was decided that students would indeed have an easier time
watching the movie if it was at the bottom as opposed to the top of the
hill.  The movies that will be shown are a surprise but your mom said they
were a good choice.  Student council this year brought you donuts.  I
personally took an extra personal step and made my down into sharples for
some donut distribution.  A brief aside though.  While we were handing out
donuts, some people seemed a bit scared.  They thought they would have to
agree to save the rain forest or something if they ate the donuts.  One
person asked if these were the old donuts like the ones vertigo go were
handing out that they got from a dumpster that they claim they never went
to.  Well, for those of you who passed, they were totally free, and now you
will never have the chance to get a free student council lard ring again,
unless, I am elected president because then we will have krispy kremes
again.

I could go into more detail about the little things I did, but I will sum it
up for the sake of clarity and brevity.  I went to a lot of meetings.  I had
a pretty good attendance record with student council, and I had a fantastic
dinner at Al Bloom’s house.

Enough about the past though, it is time to discuss some of the future
initiatives that I hope to pursue in my time as co-president.  First,
everything that anyone on council has promised and not done, I promise to
finish.  Walkway to PPR, points in McCabe, lowered tuition, all kinds of
cool new housing options, online syllabi, self-scheduled exams, shuttles
from your room to sharples, a Swarthmore monorail, a Swarthmore subway
system, transparency, accountability, hard work, booze, more booze, no
exams, and breaks for national holidays.  You name it, and I will do it for
the sake of getting an extra vote.  I mean, lets face it, the only reason I
won last year was because I ran unopposed.  God only knows what will happen
now that I have some opponents.

Okay, so now time for some real initiatives.  Its about time we get an
outdoor basketball court.  While we met with the athletics department a lot,
little actual ground was made for club sports.  Hopefully, next year will
see some improvements and club sports might have preferential field status
over intramurals.  The chartering process needs to be reformed so that the
SAA can be used more effectively for the benefit of the students.  It is
time for a real large scale event that lots of students can enjoy, and this
time, its gotta rock, and its gotta rock hard.  Council needs to be more
proactive instead of just reactive.  Something has got to be done to stop
all this ridiculous Vandalism (nO geTting rid of thE rugby team is not the
solution).  We need a small Five meal plan fOR off campus studEnts who May
want to grad lunch everyday at Swarthmore.  SomethIng needs to be done to
increase the visibiLIty of SwArthmore iN the jOb market.  Efforts need to be
made to cut down the size of some intermediate courses at Swat, like it said
in the view book.  We need to have some dorm Olympics, we need to have a
school mascot, even if it’s a bad one.  More Krispy Kremes.  We need to show
lock, stock and two smoking barrels, snatch, and/or similar genre movie at
movie night.  It’s time for a frequent buyer program at Kohlberg, something
like every 9th cup of coffee is free.  If there is anything else you think
needs to be done, feel free to email me, as your president I promise to be
accessible.

This platform is evidence of my commitment to you, to Swarthmore, and to
procrastination.  I could have been reading of sleeping but instead I chose
to waste my time doing this.  Wow, what a huge waste of time.

In conclusion it is time Swarthmore had a missile defense system.  I will
work with the engineering, economics, and political science departments to
examine the technical, economic, and geopolitical feasibility of SSDI, the
Swarthmore Strategic Defense Initiative.  A truly effective system must be
based on a multifaceted approach.  The system must include a land based, sea
based, and space based counter to ICBMs.  Vote for Emiliano because he cares
about the u in student council.

* CHARLIE SUSSMAN ’05

As financial policy representative on Student Council, there are a few
things I would like to see change.  In my past two years here at Swarthmore,
there have not been many highly successful large scale events.  I would like
to see the college sponsor more speakers and also more well known bands.  I
think that the budget committee could also reserve more of its funds each
week to the social affairs committee.  SAC funded parties are the main
events each weekend, and I feel we can give more money to groups hosting the
parties to help.  These two ideas are just some of the small steps we can
take towards improving the overall quality of campus life and increase
attendance for school sponsored events which would be my goal as financial
policy representative.

* JENNA ADELBERG ’06

As Campus Life Representative, I would ensure that the entire campus would
and could be involved in any activities they desire.  I feel that strong
communication between the students and the Council which represents them is
incredibly important to the well-being and social success of the school.
Working closely with SAC and the Administration, it would be my goal to make
Swarthmore more fun and more exciting than it is now (I know, it seems
impossible, doesn’t it?).  My goal is to establish and keep up all the
potential interesting activities that the Student Council and Swarthmore as
an institution have to offer.  I can’t promise miracles, but I’m sure going
to try.  Thank you for your time.

* WEE CHUA ’06

Dear Fellow Students,

This is Wee Jhong Chua, and I am running for Campus Life Representative. In
fulfilling the role of Campus Life Representative, I will ensure that
Student Council is not just a group of students, instead a group of students
intent on helping college life. To further communication between the
administration and the Swarthmore community, I will ensure that student
concerns be heard.  College life consists of many factors: academics,
parties, plays, and concerts among other things.  I am a man of the people,
and I will get us what Wee want.

Thank you,

Wee Jhong Chua

* NICOLE BRUNDA ’04

I am running for Educational Policy Representative because I feel the
College’s educational policy is an important area where reform is necessary,
and an area in which my passion and dedication can make a difference.

Distributional requirements are an important facet of liberal arts
education, however the current PDC system’s limited scope seriously
restricts students’ choice and ability to pursue non-major courses of
interest.  PDC courses should be eliminated and the system replaced with
distributional requirements that enable the student to choose which courses
to take in each of the three divisions.

The advising system is another area that requires reform.  While there are
certainly some exceptions, many advisors lack knowledge of courses and
requirements outside their department and are thus unable to provide
effective and appropriate academic guidance.  Professors should be trained
to be more knowledgeable in these areas and given clear indication of their
advising responsibilities.

As the faculty-student liaison in educational policy, it is also important
that I receive the student body’s comments and suggestions.  Please feel
free to contact me nbrunda1 or x3586.

* DAVE MAJUMDAR ’05

To my fellow Swatties:

My name is Dave Majumdar, and I will be running for the position of
Education Policy Representative. I have seen how educational policy affects
students through such avenues as PDC requirements and the class recommendation
book
in past years. If elected, I would work to create more educational avenues
to benefit Swatties. Along with helping to keep the class recommendation books
updated, I will put my energy into creating a hybrid exam schedule which
would give professors a much greater opportunity to offer self-scheduled
exams. This may also help alleviate some of the stress suffered by Swatties
who find themselves taking many exams over a short time. Also, I’d create
stronger relations with Bryn Mawr and Haverford to see if we can offer
courses at different times, so that students who cannot take a required
course here could take it elsewhere in Tri-Co.

So in conclusion, when you vote for Education Policy Representative, I hope
you strongly consider my candidacy. I will work hard to make your academic
experience at Swat as user-friendly as possible. Thank you.

* CHRISTOPHER ROSE ’05

I have numerous ideas to present to the Council on Educational Policy if I
were to be elected the Educational Policy Representative.  Among my ideas
are possible changes to the Credit/No Credit grading system which will allow
students more flexibility when opting for this method of grading.  I also
wish to investigate the possibility of changing the number of credits that
certain courses carry, primarily language and science courses.  These
courses occupy classroom time equal to that of two “normal” courses when you
count the required lab sessions.  I believe that more credit should be
awarded for completion of such classes.  Although I have limited experience
with a student government system, I do sit on several committees here and
have learned a great deal from them.  I feel that my committee experience
will prove valuable if I were to be elected to the Student Council.

* DORU GAVRIL ’05

The most recent result of the current chartering process was the
breaking of CIVIC, a major component to our campus life, into a dozen
smaller organizations. It looked to me it was the right time to start
building something, for a change.

As Student Groups Advisor I will implement the following plan in the
first 30 days of my term and report back to you on the thirty-first:

1. Simplify chartering and make it less time-consuming and adversarial.
2. Create a panel of faculty and staff experts to advise on the merits
of organizations seeking charters.
3. Provide full information to all my constituents under a “sunshine”
policy, through an informative web presence.
4. Enable groups to engage in joint projects and communicate via an
online secure directory.
5. Enact transparent standards and rules for the Chartering Committee
based on a straightforward mission statement.

Aside from the 30 day plan above, a long term concern for me will be to
address the specific needs of community service, cultural and ethnic
organizations. Leadership training will be available to all groups,
chartered or not, together with assistance with recruitment,
organization and publicity. And funding.

* DAVID GENTRY ’05

As student groups advisor, I plan on restructuring the current charter
system, so that different groups can have more individualized charters.  I
believe that this is better than the current system of just one charter for
all groups because it differentiates between student groups based on their
personal goals.

Furthermore, I want to do lots of other cool stuff, like create a bowling
league so that everyone can acheive the ultimate glory of the 200+ score,
and advocate for the construction of an outdoor basketball court because its
terrible playing in the stuffy fieldhouse when you would much rather be
outside.

Finally, I plan to advocate for an increase in tuition to $45000 a year
(plus tax) to pay for, I don’t know, maybe a petting zoo (with goats and llamas
and maybe a little monkey who we’d all call ‘curious george’.  Just kidding (I
would actually send the money to the awesome stuff for Strong Bad fund).

* MELINDA LEE ’04

No gimmickry this time!

I am still a Lee of many Lees, and I still oppose the practice of student
mule-hood.  I am, however, more still.  Having agonized to the
administration in my current role as Educational Policy Representative over the
complexities of our requirements, I have observed contrarily the vision of
students
striving to forage a better Swarthmore community regardless by having served
on the Student Groups, or Charter Committee.  I believe I am now equipped to
take on the position of Student Groups Advisor that chairs that committee.
I have learned that to invest myself in the slow process of reforming our
independent practices is just as valuable, if not more urgent, than simply
voicing fervent ideology.  It is only with an efficient and clear
administration of our own organizations that we can best stress the import
of our opinions to the campus as a whole.  Please allow me, Melinda Lee ’04, to
continue helping the Charter Committee towards that purpose.

* CHRISTINE SHIN ’04

Hi, I’m Christine Shin ’04 and I’m running for the position of Student
Groups Advisor. I am interested in working with student groups and the SBC
because as a student active in a variety of organizations, I understand the
importance of communication and readily available resources. I would like to
create a booklet for every group including information about charters,
budgeting, alternate funding sources and how to throw parties. I believe
that many groups go through similar processes and this information would
assist students groups greatly, especially those that have not undergone the
process before. I am also eager to have dialogue with other student group
leaders so that the entire campus can work together, as our goals are not
mutually exclusive. I am currently active in groups such as the WRC, SAO,
ADVICE, SAC, as well as having five semesters experience as a treasurer.
Happy voting!

* QUINCEY WINSTON, JR. ’06

Let me tiptoe my way throughout this campus. Let me meet all the group
leaders you have come to know. I am sure we can talk our
way to new heights. Let me ignite visions into the hearts of all the groups
you have proudly, reluctantly, assiduously spent hours in.
Passion you see is more than meets the eye. And it’s what comes when you are
like me and you spend your time in SQU on the board
conjuring up another idea for a meeting. Or it comes when you are just
lounging around in another one of those discussions on all the
“isms.” Or it comes when you’re running around and you inquisitively wonder:
Why does that girl go to SWIL meetings? Its human, its
simple, and I want to dabble in it all. Let me take you to a new stage. Let
me be your Student Groups Adviser.

Student Council elections begin today!  Vote online Thursday through
Sunday, or vote at Sharples at lunch or dinner Monday and Tuesday, or at
lunch on Wednesday.

*****

by Charlie Buffie
Gazette Reporter

After some slight construction delays earlier this semester, the new
200-seat lecture hall and Commons facilities in the new Science Center are
nearing completion. According to Biology Professor Rachel Merz, a chief
faculty consultant in the Science Center construction project, “The 200
seat lecture hall is virtually done construction-wise, [and] the room will
be in use at the end of the semester and for finals.”

However, while the lecture hall is near-complete in terms of construction,
the facility still must be cleaned and inspected by college crews. Merz
also remarked that programming the A/V systems has been unexpectedly
complicated. Consequently, the lecture hall, while open later in the
semester, may lack full A/V functionality.

Similarly, the Commons space adjacent to the new lecture hall will likely
be open before the end of the semester, albeit at a reduced capacity.
According to Merz, construction of the Commons is nearing completion, and
requires cleaning, inspection, and installation of furniture before it can
be opened to the public. However, the opening date of the sushi bar in the
Commons area will not be as prompt. Merz explained that due to “Some last
minute rearrangements within the space and the late delivery of the grill
that covers the top of [the bar] and supports the light fixtures,” the
specific opening date of the sushi bar is still uncertain.

The lecture hall and commons areas were originally slated to open shortly
after spring break. These delays resulted from the closing of a quarry (due
to the unusually harsh winter), which limited the construction team’s
access to the stone and glass raw materials necessary for the completion of
the lecture hall and Commons facilities.

*****

by Sanggee Kim
Gazette Reporter

The Fall 2003 Orientation Committee will be headed by Brandon Carver ’04,
with help from fellow committee members George Petel ’05,  Patrice Berry
’06, Margarita Fermin ’04, Aja Peters-Mason ’04, and Kenny Oh ’04. The
group was originated from Kenny and Brandon, who wanted to create an
exciting and memorable introduction to Swarthmore for the new freshmen
through Orientation week. Together with a group of griends, they aimed to
reflect a face of diversity at Swarthmore.

Tentatively, the committee has plans to base their theme for the week on
the movie, “A Wet Hot American Summer,” with a slip ‘n’ slide, movie night,
Capture The Flag, and other activities. In addition, the committee will be
responsible for choosing the 70 CA’s who will be facilitating the intro
groups during Orientation week. As of Tuesday night, they had 40 applicants
with many more expected to come in on Wednesday night, the deadline for
applying.

The committee is meeting with Dean Tedd Goundie early next week to discuss
the budget and to set ground rules for Orientation week, among which will
assuredly be the enforcement of a dry Orientation week. In addition, the
committee plans to install a new diversity workshop into the program along
with introductions to other key resources at Swarthmore, including Worth
Health Center, SAM’s, and the RA’s.

If you applied to be a CA, decisions will be mailed out early next week, so
best of luck for what will assuredly be a great and exciting Orientation week!

*****

* Officials in the Bush administration warned Iran not to interfere with
Iraq during its transformation into a new democratic society on Wednesday.
According to CNN, Pentagon officials have recently received intelligence
reports that indicate agents of the Iranian government are working in
Southern Iraq to promote Shiite and Iranian interests. The reports state
that the agents are working near the cities of Najaf, Karbala, and Basra.
The majority of Iraq’s population is made up of Shiite Muslims and recently
they have been involved in demonstrations calling for the creation of an
Islamic state and the departure of US forces from Iraq.

* Four US soldiers and one civilian are currently being held on theft
charges stemming from the war in Iraq. Benjamin Johnson, who was working in
Iraq as an engineer for Fox News, was charged with smuggling paintings and
bonds into the US which were subsequently impounded at Dulles International
Airport near Washington. The four soldiers are charged with stealing
hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from the residences of senior
members of Hussein’s government.

* Palestinian President Yasser Arafat agreed to a deal brokered by Egyptian
intelligence chief Omar Suleiman on Wednesday allowing Abu Mazen to assume
the post of prime minister. Arafat had previously said he would not allow
Mazen to do so until the powers of the post were more clearly defined.
Mazen also called for a special session of the Palestinian legislature to
confirm a new cabinet. In a written statement, Mazen said, “I am very
pleased that my cabinet has received the support of President Arafat. The
agreement on the Cabinet marks a victory for the people, as it demonstrates
our commitment to democracy, even as we live under Israeli occupation.”
Mazen has promised that he will create a government that will improve the
lives of all Palestinians and end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
territories.

*****

Admitted Student Days
Sponsored by the Office of Admissions
Parrish Parlor – West, 8:00 a.m.

Special Faculty Lectures for Admitted Students
Sponsored by the Office of Admissions
Kohlberg 328, 202, 230, and Trotter 215 & 315, 11:30 a.m.

Upward Bound Tutoring
Sponsored by Upward Bound
Kohlberg 202, 226, & 228, 4:00 p.m.

Passover Dinner
Sponsored by Ruach
Bond Memorial Hall, 5:00 p.m.

Admitted Student Day Barbecue
Sponsored by the Office of Admissions
Scott Amphitheatre, 6:00 p.m.

Biology 2 Study Sessions
Sponsored by the Department of Biology
Martin 213, 6:00 p.m.

Russian Novel film screening: “Love and Death”
Kohlberg 228, 7:00 p.m.

Asian Film Festival: “What Time is it There” (2001, Taiwan) by Tsai Ming-liang
Sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
LPAC Cinema, 7:00 p.m.

Live Iraqi music and poetry reading
by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore
Kohlberg: Scheuer Room, 7:00 p.m.

Fall Housing Lottery
Sponsored by the Deans’ Office
Field House Pavillion, 7:30 p.m.

Admitted Students Poetry Slam
Sponsored by the Office of Admissions
Upper Tarble, 8:00 p.m.

Concert: Califone and Brokeback
Goodhart Hall Common Room, Bryn Mawr College, 10:00 p.m.

———–
Swarthmore Public Library’s Annual Book Sale!
Thursday 24th April – 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday     25th April – 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday (Half Price Day) – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

———–
On Friday, April 25, Astronomy Senior Research Thesis Talks will take place
at 4:30 PM in Dupont 133. All students are invited to attend. Snacks will
be provided at the talks.
Roban Kramer: Modelling O-Star X-Ray Emission Line Profiles
Stephanie Tonnesen: X-Ray Emission Line Profiles from the Magnetically
Confined Wind Shock Model
Rabi Whittaker: Detection and Characterization of Nearby Pre-Main-Sequence
Stars

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Today:
Softball hosts Baptist Bible (DH), 3:30 p.m.
Track at Penn Relays
Baseball hosts Ursinus 4:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Track at Penn Relays
Baseball at Ursinus, 3:30 p.m.
Golf at Centennial Conference Championships: Eagles Landing Golf Course,
Berlin, MD
Women’s Tennis at Centennial Conference Championships, Haverford

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You’ll live and learn. At any rate, you’ll live.”
–Douglas Adams

*****
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