Friday, November 12, 2004

by Jen Roth
Gazette Reporter

Daniel Hoffman gave a reading of some of his work at the McCabe Library last night to a crowd of roughly 40 people. Hoffman was Poet Laureate of the United States from 1973 to 1974, though the position was then called the Consultant in Poetry of the Library of Congress, and has received numerous other awards during his career. He taught at Swarthmore for ten years, and then moved on to teach twenty-seven more at University of Pennsylvania, where he is the Felix E. Schelling Professor of English Emeritus.

Hoffman was introduced by Professor Peter Schmidt, the Chair of the English Department. In his introduction, Schmidt expressed his admiration for Hoffman’s work, saying that his poetry contained a “lifetime of wisdom.” Hoffman read 15 poems from various periods of his career, including “The 20th Century,” “The Sonnet,” “Rats,” “The Center of Attention,” and “Princess Casamassima.” Some of the poems related to his time at Swarthmore, including “Princess Casamassima,” which is about his former student Cathy Wilkerson, a member of the radical group the Weather Underground.

In association with Hoffman’s reading, the Friends Historical Library put together a one-day only exhibit that tied into the historical sources that Hoffman used in writing his book-length poem “Brotherly Love.” The epic poem deals with William Penn, the Lenni Lenape Indians, and the founding of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1981.

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On November 6, the team of Chris White ’05, Wren Elhai ’08, Rachel Burrow ’08, and late addition Arthur Chu ’06 placed second overall at Princeton’s “Kickboxer” tournament, rallying from a slow 3-3 start to an 8-4 finish. Wren was the fourth highest scorer, and Chris took top individual honors, the first time since 2001 a Swarthmore player has done so.

On October 30th, two Swarthmore teams competed in the ACF Fall tournament at Rutgers-Newark. The A team, consisting of Chris White ’05, Emily Ullman ’06, Arthur Chu ’06, and Rachel Winer ’06, placed second overall with an 8-4 record, while the B team of Scott Blaha ’07, Anne Searcy ’08, and Rachel Burrow ’08 placed seventh with a 4-7 record. The B team’s record was good for first among all Division two teams, a category in which the team must include only freshmen and sophomores.

(Thanks to Chris White for providing the results)

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by Victoria Swisher
Living and Arts editor

If you don’t want to stick around for the Signs and Voices Conference or the parties on campus this weekend, take the R3 into Philly!

Chinatown, just a block away from Market East station, is a great place to spend the day walking aimlessly. In addition to the more well-known Asian restaurants like Penang, many authentic restaurants are waiting to be discovered. Try spending a day wandering around this part of Philadelphia, discover the Asian supermarkets, and visit the neat antique stores.

Also at Market East station is Reading Terminal Market. If you haven’t been here yet, you should go as soon as you can. It’s a bustling food heaven and can satisfy any food craving, from Southern and Greek to Sushi and Indian. After you’ve eaten, hop the train to Suburban station (or for the more athletically inclined, walk) and do some shopping at H&M and Daffy’s Department store. Both of these stores offer fun clothing at cheaper prices than Express or Ann Taylor, and they’re geared for the teenage/early twenties crowd. If you’re itching for some more traditional shopping at Express, there’s a mall across the street from H&M that can satisfy your desires.

So take that free Saturday or Sunday and put it to good use: go into Philly and wander around. The City has a lot to offer – don’t let it go to waste!

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* Even as Palestinians continued to mourn the death of Yasir Arafat on Thursday, the PLO moved quickly to establish its new leadership. Mahmoud Abbas will take over Mr. Arafat’s role, and many observers see that choice as a moderate one. Mr. Abbas has criticized the intifada and is a pragmatic negotiator. Meanwhile Mr. Arafat’s body was flown to Cairo in order to lie in state before a military funeral on Friday. Though his wish was to be buried in Jerusalem, Israel is unwilling to allow this, so the Palestinian leader will instead be buried on the site of his old compound-10 miles north of Jerusalem.

* Military officials said on Thursday they believe that many Iraqi insurgents fled Fallujah weeks ago. Back then, Iraqi civilians had been given the chance to flee the coming offensive, and it is likely that the insurgents joined the refugees in their flight. The news comes as a disappointment to military planners who had hoped to capture or kill a large number of guerrillas during the offensive. The coalition troops are successfully recapturing the city’s neighborhoods. To this point, 18 Americans have died during the battle.

* The New York Times reported on Friday that many gay rights groups, fearful of arousing hostility, are planning to limit the number of legal challenges they file related to the eleven state-level ballot initiatives banning gay marriage that were passed on November 2nd. The groups plan to focus their challenges on those amendments that threaten to impinge on civil unions or partner benefits. Matthew Coles, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that his group would avoid addressing the broader amendments because “the consequences–the risks–of losing are great.”

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Friday:

Photo Expo opening reception
Kohlberg Coffee Bar, 4:00 p.m.

Classics Lecture: “Archilochus and the Poetics of Comic Abjection in Classical Antiquity” by Ralph Rosen ’77
Kohlberg 115, 4:15 p.m.

“Deaf Communities the World Over: The Past, Present and Future of Deafness” by Prof. Carol Padden
Science Center 101, 4:30 p.m.

Rebecca Rutstein: “Canopy Adventures: The Crum Woods Through Time”
List Gallery, 5:00 p.m.

Free Culture Fest: Jessica Litman
Science Center 183, 6:00 p.m.

Movie showing: Chocolat
LPAC Cinema, 7:00 p.m.

SASA Fundraiser: Pay-per-plate dinner
Paces, 7:00 p.m.

Signs and Voices Panel: “Practical and Theoretical Issues of Educating Children with Hearing Loss”
Science Center 101, 7:30 p.m.

Movie showing: The Village
Science Center 199, 7:30 & 10:00 p.m.

College Wind Ensemble Concert
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.

You Are the DJ Party
Mary Lyon Breakfast Room, 9:00 p.m.

Sabroso! Afro-Latin Groove
Sharples, 10:00 p.m.

Saturday:

Movie showing: The Village
Science Center 199, 7:30 & 10:00 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble Concert
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.

Mixed Company featuring the Pennharmonics
Friends Meeting House, 9:00 p.m.

Carnivale Sexuale
Paces, 10:00 p.m.

Olde Club Show: Karate and Calla
Olde Club, 10:00 p.m.

Graffiti Party
Delta Upsilon, 10:00 p.m.

Sunday:

Signs and Voices: performances by students from The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, The Wild Zappers, and Joseph Ward
LPAC, 1:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

SPORTS UPDATE

Erica George ’07 was selected to the All-Centennial Conference volleyball team, earning honorable mention. Chloe Lewis ’06 was named to the second team for field hockey.

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Today:
Badminton in Mid-Atlantic Classic at Bryn Athen, 5:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Badminton in Mid-Atlantic Classic at Bryn Athen, 9:00 a.m.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country in NCAA Regionals at Allegheny, 11:00 a.m.
Men’s Soccer hosts Washington & Jefferson (ECAC Semifinals), 1:00 p.m.
Swimming hosts F&M, 2:00 p.m.

Sunday
ECAC Championship Soccer Game, 1:00
(Winner of 4-8 vs. 6-7)

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t.”
–Pete Seeger

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