Thursday, September 23, 2004

by Andrew Quinton
Gazette Reporter

The final report of the Ad Hoc Crum Woods Stewardship Committee was
recently released to the public. The report synthesizes the
recommendations of the December 2003 report of two local firms and the
input of faculty and students into 5 main recommendations for the
future of the Crum Woods.

Like friendly squirrels and long lines at Garnet Gourmet, the specter
of the Crum Woods is a Swarthmore mainstay. Along with serving as a
place for students to get down with their outdoorsy selves, the woods
serve as a place where biology and environmental sciences students can
conduct experiments in a natural setting. Wooded areas such as the Crum
are in high demand, so there are frequent requests from outside groups
to use the woods. In an effort to better maximize the natural and
productive value of the Crum, the Ad Hoc Crum Woods Stewardship
Committee was formed in September, 2000 by then-Provost Jennie Keith.
The committee issued its final report to Provost Hungerford in May and
was recently released to the public. It can be found at
crumwoods.swarthmore.edu.

The report contains five main recommendations, the first of which has
already been acted upon. A permanent committee, known as the Crum Woods
Stewardship Committee, has been created. Chairing the committee will be
Engineering Professor Arthur McGarity. McGarity previously chaired the
Ad Hoc committee. The committee already contains several faculty
members and will be augmented by student appointees. According to
McGarity, “We will be meeting this year to discuss implementation of
the report’s recommendations.”

These recommendations include the creation of the position of Crum
Woods Steward. The Steward would be able to devote the time necessary
to properly oversee the Crum. The committee will also discuss methods
to avoid the fragmentation of the Crum, which would diminish its
natural value and appeal to prospective students. To this end, the
College should strongly attempt to avoid any net loss of forested areas
and even try for a net gain. The committee stressed the need to make
the Crum a high priority, noting that conservation of the woods fits in
with the mission of the College. A good start towards this end would be
to create funding for the Steward position by making it a priority in
future fundraising efforts. The committee noted that many former
students have fond memories of the Crum, making the project an
attractive one for alumni donations.

Even though the local firms’ reports were issued last December,
McGarity noted that it would be unreasonable to expect any further
progress to have been made at this point, “because [the report] has
only just now been presented to the administration. One of the
recommendations [continuing the committee] was transmitted to the
Provost before completion of the report back in April, and it has
already been acted upon.” A resolution to the Crum Woods stewardship
issue may not be immediately forthcoming, but progress continues to be
made.

*****

by Jen Roth
Gazette Reporter

Here at Swarthmore we seem to have enough clubs to cover almost
everyone’s interests, whether they’re into knitting, anime, aikido, or
any other number of things. Still, every once in awhile someone has an
interest that falls outside of this collection of groups. I remember
being told as a spec that if this was the case, I should feel free to
try and start my own club. It seems that Eric Christiansen ’08 was
given the same advice and took it to heart. His passion? Dance Dance
Revolution, a popular dancing video game. The Gazette sat down with
Christiansen to discuss his interest in DDR.

Daily Gazette: Why are you trying to start a DDR club?

Eric Christiansen: As you might guess, I love DDR. I want other people
to experience the joy that is DDR, but it’s not feasible for lots of
people to play together unless there’s a club. See, there are four
things you need to play DDR: a TV, a game console like PlayStation 2 or
Xbox, one of the games, and a dance pad. I have access to TVs, I may be
able to borrow an Xbox or PS2, I have an Xbox game, and I have a pad.
The problem is that the pads wear out quickly (mine just fell victim to
a stomper), especially with a lot of people using them. Having a club
could provide the funding to buy more pads. I’d like to get two pads so
more people can play and so we can have tournaments. Funding would also
allow us to purchase additional games so that experienced players don’t
get bored, and ideally we would like to have either guaranteed access
to or ownership of an Xbox and a PS2.

DG: How long have you been playing DDR?

EC: Since the beginning of my senior year in high school, when I became
friends with a girl who was really good at it. I hung out with her and
her friends, who were all into it, and started doing it pretty
seriously.

DG: Other dance clubs, like swing and tango, offer gym credit. Do you
have any interest in pursuing that option?

EC: One can always dream…

DG: What’s your favorite DDR song?

EC: The Xbox version of “Candy” is really well choreographed; I like
dancing to that.

DG: Have many people expressed interest in joining the club?

EC: The past two weekends I’ve played in Mephistos, and people have
come by and joined in. About 75% of people are familiar with DDR and
90% of people understand it if you explain it a bit. There’s been a lot
of interest, and I think there would be a lot of involvement in the
club. Right now the ball is in the Student Council’s court – I’m
waiting for a reply. We probably couldn’t get funding until the new
budget in the spring, though. Still, if people are interested, I’d
encourage them to contact me.

If you are interested in DDR, you can reach Eric at
echrist1@swarthmore.edu.

*****

* Yaser Hamdi, an American citizen who has been held as an enemy
combatant for the past two years, will be released in the next few
days. In exchange, Mr. Hamdi must renounce his American citizenship,
stay in Saudi Arabia for a defined period of time, and report any
possible terrorist activity. The decision to free the Hamdi comes after
a Supreme Court ruling in June that allowed enemy combatants the chance
to challenge their imprisonment. Mr. Hamdi was captured on the Afghan
battlefield in late 2001. Since then he has been imprisoned, first at
Guatanamo Bay in Cuba and then in a navy brig in South Carolina.

* Kenneth Bigley, a British man currently held hostage in Iraq,
appeared in a video released on Wednesday. The video, which was posted
on an Islamist web site, shows Bigley pleading for help from British
prime minster Tony Blair. Bigley was captured with two other hostages,
both American, who were beheaded on Monday and Tuesday.

* Republican and Democratic leaders announced a plan to extend $145
billion worth of tax cuts on Wednesday, an idea that President Bush has
long endorsed. House members of both parties decided to extend the
credits without trying to pay for them, as Democrats abandoned their
effort to pay for them by imposing a surcharge on wealthy families or
closing corporate tax shelters. Republicans in the house also said on
Wednesday that they hope to vote soon on a proposed constitutional
amendment that would require the government to balance the budget by
2010, except if the country is at war.

*****

Study Abroad Informational Meeting: University of York, England
Sharples Room 5, 12:00 p.m.

Extern Orientation
Parrish 140, 2:00 p.m.

“Cultures of Defeat: Occupied Japan After World War Two”
Lecture by John Dower
Kohlberg Scheuer Room, 4:15 p.m.

JP Morgan Information Session
Kohlberg 115, 7:00 p.m.

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

French Film Festival: “Battle of Algiers”
Science Center 199, 7:00 p.m.

“The Greatest Slave Rebellion in Modern History”
Lecture by Steven Hahn
Kohlberg Scheuer Room, 7:30 p.m.

TOPSoccer Training Session
Kohlberg 236, 7:30 p.m.

Swarthmore Massage Sessions
Bond Memorial Hall, 10:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get
up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.”
–Robert Frost

*****

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