Friday, April 30, 2004

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, April 30, 2004
Volume 8, Number 135

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NEWS IN BRIEF

1) Fraternity cancels Margaritaville due to assault of Ville resident

2) Poll finds students less liberal than they are perceived to be

3) Spring Fling preview

4) Summer roundup

5) World news roundup

6) Campus events


SPORTS IN BRIEF

1) Upcoming contests


WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Partly sunny. High of 78.
Yet another end-of-the-semester Gazette haiku:

Tonight: Partly cloudy.  Low of 55.
Pei Pei gone far off.

Tomorrow: Partly cloudy.  High of 75.
Staff left to write weather jokes.

Sunday: Chance of t-storms.  High of 73.
Jokes still not funny.

TODAY'S SHARPLES MENU

Lunch: Crunchy cod, macaroni and cheese, El's black beans, chicken gumbo and navy bean soups, specialty salad bar, bar cookies.

Dinner: Sweet and sour chicken, basmati rice, pasta saute, stuffed peppers, taco bar, baker's choice.

NEWS REPORT

1) Fraternity cancels Margaritaville due to assault of Ville resident

By Jonathan Ference
Living and Arts Editor

Students looking forward to partying Jimmy Buffett-style during the first weekend after the end of classes will have to head to another venue besides the Delta Upsilon (DU) Lodge Saturday night.  Following an assault incident last weekend, the fraternity brothers made the decision--supported by the College's administration--to cancel their annual party.

In an email, DU president Chris Ciarleglio '04 explained that during the "Heaven and Hell" Phi Psi fraternity party and another DU party this past weekend, a teenager from the Swarthmore Ville was beaten up by the SEPTA train tracks.  According to Ciarleglio, "the administration, the police and the fraternity leaders have no idea who was involved," and the investigation is still underway.  The fraternity brothers felt that this incident would result in a potentially unsafe environment both for the fraternity and for partygoers, and thus made the decision to cancel the party.

The Swarthmore Police Report for this week included an account of the incident.  According to the report, the victim suffered blows to the "head, body, and arm" before losing consciousness.  The Ville resident was taken to Riddle Hospital for treatment.

Students were made aware of DU's decision Thursday morning by a reserved-students email that said the event was "canceled [sic] per request of the Administration."  Ciarleglio wished to clarify that the College simply advised the fraternity to cancel the party, one of the traditional highlights of the beginning of reading week.  He added that: "The assault is, of course, disturbing, and though I am confident that justice will prevail, I am saddened that this had to occur at a time when students should be celebrating the end of another year."

Dean of Student Life Tedd Goundie affirmed the decision made by the fraternity in the interest of campus safety this weekend and confirmed that he had advised Delta Upsilon that going ahead with the party was unwise. 

Delta Upsilon has no plans to replace Margaritaville with any other party at this time, but expects it to return next year.

*****

2) Poll finds students less liberal than they are perceived to be

by Greg Leiserson
News Editor

Preliminary results from the first annual Swarthmore College Student Poll, conducted by Matt Fiedler '06 and Colin Holtz-Eakin '07 from March 29 through April 20 and released earlier this week, show that while still overwhelmingly liberal, students are more moderate than their peers believe them to be. Additionally, the poll found that while a large plurality of students supports the living wage, a large minority, 29%, expressed no opinion. The no opinion category is thought to include students who generally do not feel informed enough to have a strong opinion as well as those for whom support is conditional on the exact proposal.

The student body remains liberal, with 22% categorizing themselves as extremely liberal and 53% as slightly liberal, and overwhelmingly Democratic, with 65% choosing that party affiliation, according to information provided to the Gazette by Fiedler and Holtz-Eakin.

A selection of the preliminary results is reproduced below.

Do you think it should be legal or illegal for homosexual couples to get married?

88% - Legal
6%   - Illegal
6%   - No Opinion

Question: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: "I feel comfortable expressing my political opinions on campus."

18% - Strongly Agree
58% - Agree
18% - Disagree
3%   - Strongly Disagree
3%   - Don't Know

Question: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: "I feel comfortable discussing my religious beliefs on campus."

23% - Strongly Agree
55% - Agree
13% - Disagree
5%   - Strongly Disagree
5%   - Don't Know

Question: When it comes to politics, do you usually think of yourself as extremely liberal, slightly liberal, middle of the road, slightly conservative, extremely conservative, or haven't you thought much about this?

22% - Extremely Liberal
53% - Slightly Liberal
12% - Middle of the Road
8%   - Slightly Conservative
1%   - Extremely Conservative
4%   - Haven't Thought Much About This

Question:  (Asked only of those who identified themselves as Democrats) Of the following ten Democrats (names rotated), who was your first choice to be the Democratic Party's presidential candidate this year?

3%   - Carol Mosley-Braun
28% - Howard Dean
1%   - Dick Gephardt
2%   - Joe Lieberman
11% - John Kerry
7%   - Dennis Kucinich
9%   - John Edwards
13% - Wesley Clark
2%   - Al Sharpton
23% - No Opinion

Question:  How important would you say religion is in your own life: very important, fairly important, or not very important?

19% - Very Important
25% - Fairly Important
52% - Not Very Important
4%   - No Opinion

*****

3) Spring Fling preview

by Anya Carrasco
Gazette Reporter

It's the last day of classes, and if you didn't party it up last night, have no fear Ôcause Spring Fling is here!  Promised to be the biggest and the best thus far by members of SAC, the Large Scale Events Committee, Student Council, and Willets RAs, this year's schedule of events offers lots of fun activities for everyone.

Spring Fling kicked off last night with the SASS/Enlace pajama jammie jam, and will continue today with the Willets Carnival to be held outside of Willets dorm from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  As the Spring Fling posters say, "Take off your shoesÉstrap on a harnessÉTake off your shirts."  But no worries.  You'll be shoeless only if you want to hop on inflatable objects such as a castle moon bounce like the one outside Sharples on Carnival Night and a Slip 'N Dip, a tunnel-like ride covered with water for running and sliding.  As for the harness, there will be an inflated mock rock-climbing wall, which "hasn't been used here at Swarthmore," according to Willets RA and Student Events Advisor Myra Vallianos '05.  She predicted, "I think that will be a big hit, and will be something totally new and exciting." There will also be Frisbees and music blasting, games of bocce, and possibly bowling.

As always, there will be a popcorn and cotton candy machine.  According to Vallianos, Emiliano Rodriguez '05 and Tevye Kelman '06 will also be smoking
their famous meat and veggie dishes including upscale meat, meat burgers, veggie burgers, and grilled vegetables, delicacies that were previously enjoyed at the Willets Superbowl party.

Deans Myrt Westphal and Tedd Goundie will also be a part of the carnival. Myrt will be telling fortunes, and Tedd Goundie will be painting faces.

After a long day of fun in the sun, Student Council will be hosting the annual Parrish Beach movie night as part of their Summer Extravaganza. Pirates of the Caribbean will begin the evening at 8:00 p.m. followed by Dazed and Confused at 10:30 p.m.  After the movies, you can "dance the night away" at the StuCo Paces party from 12:00 to 3:00 a.m.  Word has it that there will be a real-life fishnet at the party.

On Saturday, Worthstock will bring 12 hours of live music to campus, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and lasting till 1:00 a.m.  "This is going to be the best Worthstock that we've had everÑcertainly the best in my four years here," according to Jeff Traczynski '04, the chair of the Large Scale Event Committee.  This year Worthstock will include an unprecedented variety of acts, a professional tech and sound crew, and an accompanying Kielbasafest.

Coordinator of Student Activities Jenny Yim says that Worthstock got additional funding because the entirety of the large scale event budget was not needed to bring Mitch Hedberg to campus.  The larger budget means larger acts, including well-known names like Alo Brasil, El Guapo, Rainer Maria and some smaller, new bands like Jon Frederic.  The Committee tried to find a nice mix of genres to appeal to a variety of students. Up first will be Swarthmore's own Winner of the Battle of the Bands Rocktapus, followed by Dub Juice, Jon Frederik Band, Ian Thomas, Palomar, El Guapo, Cex, Rainer Maria, Alo Brasil, DJ MODA.  These will blend Ska, pop, reggae, rock, folk, electronica, hip-hop, Brazilian percussion, song and dance, trance fusion. Alo Brasil will have dancers and costume changes.

LSE Committee member Martyna Pospieszalska '06 says that Worthstock "should be a lot of fun.  If a lot of people go and really get into the music it should be a great party."  She said that the committee is looking to create a big party atmosphere, unlike the past years when people have just sat around on the lawn.

Kielbasafest, described by Student Council Campus Life Representative Wee Chua '06 as "a huge bash to accompany Worthstock," will provide the food for Worthstock beginning at 4:00 p.m. outside of Willets.  There will be 150 pounds of authentic Polish sausage for grilling on at least two big grills. Vegan and vegetarian options include lots of different fruits, strawberry, pineapple, and honeydew melon, and a variety of vegetables and tofu hotdogs for grilling too.  Skewers for kabobs will also be provided.

If in the middle of all this, you want to take a break and smell the flowers, Shakespeare in the Crum will be starting at 2:00 p.m. in the Fragrance Garden.  Dramaboard members will be performing scenes from Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Later in the night, Vertigo-go will put on their last show in Science Center 101 at 9:00 p.m.

On Sunday, there will be Field Day on Sharples lawn from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  You'll have a chance to be a kid again and participate in potato sack races, capture the flag, tug of war, a seven-element obstacle course and indulge in tons of ice cream at the end.  Later in the night, the Altuzarra Fashion Show will be held in Upper Tarble at 9:00 p.m. with a reception to follow with sushi and other goodies.

The grand finale to culmination to the weekend's fun will happen on Tuesday night, when comedian Mitch Hedberg is scheduled to perform at 8:00 p.m. in LPAC.  Tickets will be sold on a first-come first-serve basis at the door starting at 7:00 p.m.  Hedberg, who has appeared on Comedy Central numerous times, was in high demand when the LSEC tabled at Sharples.  Says Traczynski, "We are certainly rally happy to bring an act that a large amount of students had requested."

As Vallianos put it when referring to Willets Carnival, "there will really be something for everyoneÑeven if it's just good food!  It'll be a great day [and weekend] to relax after a long semester and to celebrate the last day of classes.  Plus, it's supposed to be beautiful!"

*****

4) Summer roundup

by Jonathan Ference
Living and Arts Editor

The summer roundup is, by itself, in sort of a precarious existential position.  How can it purport to cover potential activities for Swarthmore students who will be doing all manner of interesting things in all sorts of interesting places this summer?  Well, it purports to do just that without any further justification!  Here's a grab bag of things you might want to do to pass some time this summer:

1) Go home.  Seriously.  You may be in love with your Mary Lyons basement single with an economy of natural light, but it might do you good to get back to your hometown.  Your parents, relatives, and friends miss you, even if you don't really miss them all that much.  Give a little back and visit the folks and your old haunts.

2) Read a trashy novel/something you've always wanted to read.  If you're a natural sciences major, *gasp* you might want to dig into some of the canon of Shakespeare.  I highly recommend Bill Bryson's works to anyone, without regard for interests--he's a travel writer who writes hilarious, yet thoughtful, commentary on his voyages.  Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

3) Go sailing.  This is a shameless plug for the best sport on the face of the earth.

4) In Philly?  Go hang out at the Manet and the Sea exhibit at the Museum of Art.  It's a bit expensive, but Manet's expressive style is incredibly soothing and awe-inspiring.  It's mo-net well spent.

5) In Swarthmore?  Bike/run/walk the trail that parallels I-476.  You can get there by going down past the Strath Haven condos, past the waterfall, and taking a right onto the first street.  Follow that street up to the underpasses, and look for a wooden footbridge on your right.  This is an incredibly pretty trail that meanders past the last remnants of a long-forgotten building.  If you want to follow it through, take the road you end up on, follow it to a stop-sign, hang a right, and go up the hill, and you'll be back on the Baltimore Pike.  Take a right and you'll be right near campus.  You can also just reverse your route.

Those are my picks for the summer.  Stay safe, have fun, and think of all of your friends here at school.  See you next fall!

*****

5) World news roundup

* After fighting for nearly a month in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, the U.S. marines agreed yesterday to pull out. They will be leaving the town under the control of the Fallujah Protective Army, an all-Iraqi force led by General Salah, one of Saddam Hussein's former generals. The fighting in the town began earlier this month, when four American contractors were killed. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had previously warned that an attack by the US would "only make matters worse." He later continued, "It's definitely time, time now for those who prefer restraint and dialogue to make their voices heard." Although a few bombings were still going on as the announcement was made, they are expected to "cease shortly as the soldiers move out."

* Oncologists have recently discovered a gene mutation in some lung cancer patients that dramatically increases the successfulness of a certain drug. The drug, Iressa, was put on the market a year ago and has been a powerful tool in helping lung cancer patientsÑbut only in about 10% of those who took it. Scientists have now determined that this is due to special mutations in the tumors of those patients. Doctors are not sure why the mutations arise, but they are especially prevalent among the Japanese, women, and nonsmokers. These results are significant, as lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers, killing over 150,000 each year. This discovery is also exciting because it may lead the way to individually tailored cancer drugs.

* Following the discovery of SARS in at least 4 patients, the Chinese Health Ministry has ordered that the temperature of all travelers be checked at airports and train stations, as travel is expected to dramatically increase due to the upcoming May Day holiday. Thailand and Vietnam have also begun temperature checks on passengers entering from China. Besides the four diagnosed cases, five others are suspected to have the disease and one has already died from it. The World Health Organization has a team of 16 people in China to investigate the outbreak. The team has already determined the chain of transmission, and assures that the public health risk due to SARS is extremely minimal.

*****

6) Campus events

Friday:

Willets Carnival
Near Willets, 3:00 p.m.

Senior Thesis Exhibition Opening and Reception
Arpita Parikh
List Gallery, 4:00 p.m.

Terpsichore Performance
Troy Dance Lab, 4:00 p.m.

English Department Party
Kohlberg Courtyard, 4:00 p.m.

Swarthmore Christian Fellowship Meeting
Kohlberg 115, 7:00 p.m.

College Chorus Concert: "St. John Passion"
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.

SC Screening: Pirates of the Caribbean
Parrish Beach, 8:00 p.m.

Movie Screening: Apocalypse Now
SCI 101, 10:00 p.m.

SC Screening: Dazed and Confused
Parrish Beach, 10:30 p.m.

Student Council Summer Extravaganza
Paces, 11:59 p.m.

Saturday:
Shakespeare in the Crum
Fragrance Garden, 2:00 p.m.

"Tears of Myrrh," directed by Adrienne Mackey '04
LPAC Mainstage, 2:00 p.m.

Worthstock
Worth Courtyard, starting at 1:00 p.m.

Kielbasafest
Near Willets, 4:00 p.m.

Gunslinger Girl Marathon
Kohlberg 228, 6:00 p.m.

Gospel Choir Concert
Lang Concert Hall, 7:00 p.m.

Vertigogo Show
SCI 101, 9:00 p.m.

Sunday:
Catholic Mass
Bond, 11:00 a.m.

Jewish Food Festival
Parrish Beach, 1:00 p.m.

SC Field Day
Sharples Lawn, 2:00 p.m.

Celebration of the Life of Judy Lord
Scott Outdoor Amphitheatre, 3:00 p.m.

"Tears of Myrrh," directed by Adrienne Mackey '04
LPAC Mainstage, 8:00 p.m.

Living Wage Campaign Meeting
Trotter 303, 8:00 p.m.

Altuzarra Fashion Show
Upper Tarble, 9:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

1) Upcoming contests

Today:
Track & Field hosts the Centennial Conference Championships 1:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Track & Field hosts the Centennial Conference Championships 8:45 a.m.
Women's Tennis at NCAA Regional vs. Salisbury, 1:00 p.m. at Washington & Lee
Men's Tennis at NCAA Regional vs. Washington, 1:00 p.m. at Mary Washington
Men's Lacrosse hosts Haverford, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday:
Track & Field hosts the Centennial Conference Championships 11:00 a.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Rigging elections is harder than you think."
--Emiliano Rodriguez

Our world news roundup is compiled daily, using a variety of
sources,
most notably the Associated Press (www.ap.org),
Reuters (www.reuters.com), CNN (www.cnn.com), and The New York Times (www.nytimes.com). Our campus sports
summaries are derived from information provided by the Swat Athletics
Department (http://www.swarthmore.edu/athletics/).

To subscribe to the Gazette, free of charge, or to cancel a
subscription, go to our subscriptions page on the web at
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/subscribe.html.

Back issues are available on the web at:
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/archive.html

This concludes today’s report.