Tuesday, December 7, 2004

by Jonathan Ference
News Editor

Students will see an eight-dollar increase in the fourth line item on their College bill next year if the Board of Managers accepts the Student Budget Committee’s (SBC) recommendation on an increase in the Student Activities Fee. This charge, assessed to all students along with tuition and room and board, helps defray activity costs to students on campus. This year, SBC has recommended a 2.5% increase in the fee, the recognized benchmark for inflation. This translates to the fee moving from $312 to $320.

According to the Student Council (SC) Constitution Article III, SBC is charged to “allocate and administer the Student Activities Account (SAA) in accordance with [the] Constitution, the SAA rules, the needs of campus organizations, and a policy of fiscal prudence.” Each year SBC studies the usage of the SAA and recommends to SC the next year’s activities fee. Primary options include keeping the fee the same, increasing it by inflation, or increasing it by inflation plus 1.5%, which SBC Budget Manager Sonya Hoo ’05 explained to be the College benchmark for financial increases in comments at the November 30 Student Council meeting.

This year, SBC recommended the moderate option, keeping up with inflation. Hoo explained to Student Council that this decision was made “because we (SBC) did have sort of a high rollover from last year and we are in pretty good shape financially.” SC unanimously approved the recommendation, without much ado, meaning that the Board of Managers will have the final say, according to Hoo, who commented to SC that “the Board of Managers is going to take this number and do what they want to do with it.”

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by Jonathan Ference
News Editor

Swarthmore has always had a policy of allowing students to have input in picking the College’s developmental direction, and in a recent contest the College continued that tradition by permitting students to submit designs for the new Parrish Lounge space. The contest, administered by Parrish Project Manager Susan Sayer, sought to incorporate student input for a space that will become both a central social space and primary artery for pedestrians, who will be able to pass north-south through the lounge space when the construction is completed.

Students who wished to submit designs were enticed by three prizes of campus store gift certificates to be given to the top entries. Entries were originally due November 19th, but the deadline was subsequently extended to December 1st. The email giving contest rules noted that the new student lounge “needs an identity all its own” that “should not replicate current spaces in Clothier or the more formal Parrish Parlors.” Those architecturally inclined were provided with a bare-bones sketch of the space on the web, which shows the two new staircases and the new mailbox facilities that will complement the lounge.

Asked if she could provide a preview of some of the entries, Sayer said in an email that she would not be opening entries until her selection team, headed by Vice President Larry Schall, had them all and was prepared to review them. She expressed great hope for students’ creative abilities, noting that: “I know that Swarthmore students will put their creative energies towards some terrific ideas. After all, the lounge will be for students…they should have input into the design.”

The degree to which the winning design will be incorporated into the actual final construction will be revealed after the contest winner is announced, Sayer explained. The lounge will be open for student use in September of 2005. Look for an announcement of the winners of the lounge design contest to come from the Parrish Construction Team soon.

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by Micaela Baranello
Gazette Reporter

The end-of-the semester a cappella jamboree is here, and the Gazette checked in with all the campus groups for an exclusive preview.

Jazz group Oscar and Emily is hosting the event. The theme is kids’ music, which will be reflected in the traditional opening skits and introductory musical numbers. Oscar and Emily will be featuring new members in their set, and Amara Telleen ’06 dropped hints of a non-traditional Spanish jazz number.

The newest group on the a cappella scene is Lodge 2nes [Tunes], or Rounds. They take a broadly philosophical approach to their music. “This is, in many ways, a redefinition of a post-ironic threshold to enter this genre of a cappella,” says co-founder Ethan Ucker ’07. “The genre of a cappella is a blank canvas, and we are all artists. We bring our own paint, our own moves, our own harmonies…I am not Jackson Pollock. But I know Jackson Pollock.” Co-found Neal Dandade ’06 is more specific. “We sing a variety of traditional and modern rounds.” “It’s all very serious. We’ve all dropped three or four credits to take part in this group. It’s taking an enormous amount of intellectual effort and reflection,” says Ucker ’07.

Co-ed group Sticks and Stones promises another “rocking set of ’70s and 80s music,” according to member Matt Fiedler ’06. This will include numbers by the Eagles, Eddie Money, and most mysteriously, Michael Jackson, including a cameo by “Swarthmore’s most talented Jackson-style dancer.” They aren’t saying who it is.

Cantatrix member Nathaniel Peters ’07 calls his group “Swarthmore’s best medieval a cappella group.” They will doubtlessly live up to that title, performing early music including “If You Love Me,” in which “the Son of God is exchanged for a quilt” and “Il est Bel et Bon,” a French song Peters describes as being about a “hot hot husband.”

All female group Grapevine has four new members, three of them first-years. The first-years arranged two of the songs they will be performing, including “Coin-Operated Boy,” which, according to member Lee Paczulla ’05, is a “really off-the-wall song most people won’t know.”

Mixed Company will be welcoming two first-years to its ranks. According to member Ben Thuronyi ’07, their repertoire is quite eclectic, ranging from current pop and alternative to standards, and, in what is sure to be a big hit tonight (Mixed Company is performing tonight only), a fully choreographed take on “The Lonely Goatherd” from “The Sound of Music.”

Sixteen Feet, Essence of Soul and Chaverim will also be performing. This years’ Jamboree promises to be another exciting, if long, event. Or, in the words of Lodge 2nes, “To know and not to act is not to know.”

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by Maile Arvin
Gazette Reporter

Among the many culminating student arts performances of this week and next was last night’s poetry reading, by the twelve members of this semester’s Advanced Poetry workshop. Professor Natalie Anderson, who teaches the workshop, introduced the students by explaining the purpose of their class as helping students to shape and extend their collection of work, as well as hone personal styles. “These are strong voices, each unlike the other,” she said of her students before briefly and provocatively describing each poet’s tone and subject matter, drawing laughter from the packed Scheuer Room.

Each student read two to four of their poems, attending with gravity to the various emotions and intensities invoked in their writing. Many members of the audience listened intently with closed eyes, and the student poets exchanged many smiles among themselves, acknowledging each other’s work.

Alan Smith ’05 was first to read, and started off with a poem called “The Bus,” which marked off the sixteen hours of a European bus ride. Megan Mills ’06 read a series of poems entitled “Copper,” “Taking My Sister to Meet Mia Hamm,” and “Autopsy.” Tiana Pyer-Pereira ’07 included a poem for her mother, a Swarthmore alumna, describing her in the poem as a “silent witness to these my thus far best of times.” Cari Carlson ’06 amused the audience with her poem “Transmutation,” which began “I dropped a baby off a changing table.” Ariana Nash ’06 spoke of travels in Thailand and India in her poem “Autonomy,” saying “I do not know yet how not to be sad when Buddhists rip me off.”

“Sentimentally Speaking” and “She is Made in Me” were among the titles of John Beauregard’s (’05) poems. Emily Regier ’06 shared poems entitled “Heinous Lies of Water Droplets” and “Turning Yellow in the Rain.” The forceful poems of Tanya Aydelott ’05 were described by Professor Anderson as dealing with the “complex sexuality of the postcolonial feminist subject.” Katie Chamblee ’07 spoke of viewing Bottecelli paintings and harrying her stepmother in her poems “Bottecelli Burning” and “Thicker.” Sapphic love and massing feminist power were described in the poems of Anisha Chandra ’06. Soo Lee ’05 read two poems she said she had written for her friends, “An Excerpt” and “Mama I Ate One of Your Roses Today.” Chris White ’05 ended the night with a poem about “the world’s premiere concert typist” and the “Squirrel of Discord.”

Each student will be creating a book of their work, and Professor Anderson noted that they will hopefully be on display in McCabe next semester. Work by these students will also be found in soon-to-be-circulated literary magazines like Small Craft Warnings.

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by Roxanne Yaghoubi
World News Editor

Spreading around campus like wildfire since it expanded to include Swarthmore late last summer, thefacebook.com has become an instant success on Swarthmore’s campus. First started by a group of Harvard students last winter, and originally intended for use by Ivy League and other elite schools, the Facebook has now spread to colleges all over the country. From the University of Alabama to Yale and everything in between, students join the network by posting a picture and setting up a profile. They can then add other members as friends. By searching other members’ profiles students can add as friends people with whom they share a class, or a club/group interest, or even the same high school/hometown. Within the Swarthmore section of the website alone, there are almost 300 groups that a student can join. Some Swat students are reported to have added that many friends. But it gets more
complicated.

Students can remove friends (or reject potential friends) with just a click of the mouse. Or they can “poke” a fellow member-the exact definition of which the site refuses to reveal, but which seems to be mainly a way of letting another member know that you’ve noticed them. Within your profile page, there are sections to indicate whether you’re interested in men or women and whether you’re in a serious relationship or just out for “play”. Rumor has it you can even marry other members!

So is the Facebook simply a fad or here to stay? It is hard to tell, but its immense popularity at the moment is evident. Any time this reporter has walked into the McCabe computer lab during the past semester she has seen at least one or two people visiting the Facebook website.

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by Micaela Baranello
Gazette Reporter

Now that classes are over, it’s an excellent time to catch a movie as Oscar season approaches. Intrepid indie film fans should head to the Ritz in the Old City (not far from the Market East SEPTA station), where weekday evenings and some matinees are $5.50 with a student ID. They are currently playing “Closer,” an Oscar-bait film about domestic strife and adultery, adapted from the play by Patrick Marber. The film stars Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen and is directed by Mike Nichols (“The Graduate”). Music librarian George Huber recommends “Callas Forever,” a biography of the brilliant soprano Maria Callas, starring Fanny Ardant and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Starting this Friday, catch “Lightning in a Bottle,” a concert film focusing on the blues and featuring musicians such as B. B. King and Bonnie Raitt. Check http://www.ritzfillbill.com for
times.

Those who want to stay closer to Swarthmore, or more in the mainstream should go to Marple. The popular Pixar-animated feature “The Incredibles,” is still playing, as is “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.” “Ocean’s Twelve,” the sequel to the hit 2002 heist movie “Ocean’s Eleven” will open this Friday. The movie stars most of the original cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts (again), and adds Catherine Zeta-Jones. In this sequel, the gang takes on Europe, which is sure to provide pretty locations and lots of uses for gadgets. Also opening on Friday is the vampire action movie “Blade: Trinity,” the third movie in the series. Joining forces with a troupe of human vampires known as Nightstalkers, Blade fights the original vampire, none other than Dracula himself. Will he prevail? Are any of these movies worth seeing? (The critics would
advise you to select “Lightning in a Bottle” or “The Incredibles.”) Why don’t you put down that book and find out!

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In yesterday’s Gazette it was reported that, during the concerto at the orchestra concert on Saturday night, Oliver Hsu ’03 and Serena Le ’07 played without music. Piano player Colin Palmer ’06 also played without music.

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* A Saudi group calling itself the Qaeda al Jihad in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for an attack conducted on the US Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia yesterday morning. Five employees were killed and three attackers were killed in the attack. In the internet post claiming responsibility, the group wrote “this operation comes as part of several operations that are organized and planned by al Qaeda as part of the battle against the crusaders and the Jews, as well as part of the plan to force the unbelievers to leave the Arabian Peninsula.” The post continued by noting that the attackers were able to “enter the American consulate in Jeddah, in which they control and run the country”. The US State Department ordered all nonemergency employees and dependents of the embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran to leave the country last April. In addition, the
State Department encourages Americans to defer travel to the kingdom.

* Following detailed warnings from the Basque separatist group ETA, seven bombs exploded in seven cities on Monday in Spain. The explosions came only three days after a similar warning was issued about five bombs in Madrid. Five people were slightly wounded and nobody was killed in the blasts. The bombs exploded at 1:30 p.m. Monday in the cities of Ciudad Real, Santillana del Mar, Avila, Valladolid, Leon, Malaga, and Alacante. All of the cities are outside Basque Country, which consists of three provinces in northeastern Spain. Monday was Constitution Day in Spain, a national holiday to celebrate the 1978 constitution.

* Ohio election officials certified the state’s results on Monday, giving President George Bush the victory with 118,775 more votes than challenger Senator John Kerry. Bush won Ohio with 2.86 million votes. The 119,000 vote difference in the final count was smaller than the unofficial election night tally of 136,000, but clearly not sufficiently different to affect the outcome. While spokesmen for both major parties have said that they do not believe a recount will affect the results, candidates from both the Green and Libertarian parties were expected to file recount requests yesterday and today. Departing Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe did say Monday that his party will examine reports of voting problems and spend “whatever it takes” to study the details of voters’ complaints. McAuliffe also said that the party will establish a panel of nonpartisan experts
to conduct the study, one aspect of which will likely include an examination of the practice of allowing secretaries of state to serve as campaign officials. Ohio’s secretary of state in 2004, Kenneth Blackwell was a co-chair of Bush’s campaign in that state, as was Katherine Harris in Florida during the 2000 election.

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Tuesday:

Joseph Gangemi ’92 lectures: “A Swattie’s Guide to Screenwriting”
Bond Memorial Hall, 4:30 p.m.

A Capella Jamboree
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday:

Students Working Against Poverty Film Showing: “Dark Days”
Science Center 199, 4:30 p.m.

A Cappella Jamboree
Lang Concert Hall, 8:00 p.m.

Amnesty International Film Showing
Science Center 199, 7:30 p.m.

Terpsichore performance
Pearson-Hall Theater, 8:00 p.m.

Film society film screening: “Corpus Callosum”
Science Center 101, 9:00 p.m.

Thursday:

Tai Chi Class
Kohlberg 116, 5:30 p.m.

Swarthmore Follies: Night of Scenes
Frear Ensemble Theater, 8:00 p.m.

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

Vertigogo Improv
Scheuer Room, 10:00 p.m.

Friday:

Swarthmore Follies: Night of Scenes
Frear Ensemble Theater, 8:00 p.m.

Anime/Manga Club series choosing for next semester
Kohlberg 228, 8:00 p.m.
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SAVE R US
Empowering Youth Against Violence

A new anti-violence organization called SAVE R US (Students Against Violence Everywhere Are Us) has been approved by the Student Council Student Groups Committee. We will now be forming our executive board and would like all interested students to have the opportunity to be involved from our inception. In addition to regular on campus events, SAVE R US will also coordinate the Peacemakers program in which college students will be trained to mentor high school students and educate elementary students about bullying and violence. We will be meeting this Thursday at 3:00 p.m. For more details, please contact Brandon Wolff at bwolff1@swarthmore.edu.

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SPORTS UPDATE

by Alex Glick
Sports Editor

While classes are officially coming to an end today, Swarthmore’s athletes are primed for action that will take place over reading period and winter break. Conference play is just beginning for some squads, so contests coming up in the next couple of days and in early January are crucial.

Try coming out to a basketball game before the pressure of finals takes over. The women’s basketball team will host the Blue Jays from Johns Hopkins this evening at 7:00 p.m. in Tarble Pavilion. Swat is coming off of a second place finish at this weekend’s Seven Sisters Tournament; the team hopes to take a 2-1 conference record into 2005 with a win over the Blue Jays. Hopkins (6-1 overall, 3-0 in Centennial Conference play) will present a challenge, and an energetic crowd will make the game even more exciting.

The men’s basketball team will host Hopkins tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. The Blue Jays and the Garnet are each looking for their first conference win of the season (both teams are currently 0-1 in the Centennial). Swarthmore finished ahead 64-51 when these two schools met last February. Matt Gustafson ’05 scored 20 points, and center Jeff Maxim ’07 earned a double-double with 14 rebounds and 10 points in this game.

Exciting sports action will begin to pick up again shortly after the turn of the new year. The women’s basketball team will have five conference matches in January before classes start up. The team will travel to Washington on January 5 before squaring off against Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Bryn Mawr. With residence halls opening up again on Saturday, January 15, fans will surely flock to watch the Garnet face Gettysburg at 2:00 p.m.

Before playing in five early-January conference games of their own, the men’s basketball team will travel to Whittier College for the Poet Classic. Afterwards the Garnet will face conference foes Washington, Dickinson, McDaniel, and Franklin & Marshall. The men’s team will host the second half of a double header on January 15, hosting Gettysburg at 4:00 p.m.

The men’s and women’s swim teams, currently 3-0 and 2-1 in the Centennial Conference respectively, will take a break from competition as they will travel to Aruba for training. The men’s and women’s indoor track teams will travel to Yale and NYU for invitationals over break before heading to the Haverford open on January 23. The badminton team is not scheduled for matches during winter break but will host Haverford on January 25.

While many of us are away from Swat, the Garnet teams will be keeping busy by playing in and getting ready for some of the most important contests of the season. Come out and support our athletes if you can in the next couple of days and when we all return in January. The Daily Gazette will have a wrap up of all winter break action when we resume publication on January 17.

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Today:
Women’s Basketball hosts Johns Hopkins, 7:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Men’s Basketball hosts Johns Hopkins, 7:30 p.m.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning.”
–Hesiod

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