How do you feel about the spicy chicken patty no longer being a staple in the Grillin’ Out station?
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: I’m actually really devastated about it; I’m so glad you asked. When days were truly grim in the DCC, that spicy grilled chicken patty was what I reached for.
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’27: I’ve literally never eaten that. You know what I don’t like, though: no more hot dogs. Like, what? I used to have two to three hot dogs a week. I love a hot dog. Sorry, I said it! So I have noticed the scarcity at Grillin’ Out.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: Genuinely one of the worst decisions ever made. I’m trying to think of all-time bad Swat decisions, and it’s definitely up there. [Nasrin: top 5 or top 3?] I’d say top 3, and it definitely ain’t 3.
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief ) ’28: Did it taste like Chick-fil-A? [Nasrin: I don’t know, I’m a vegetarian] Well, I’m sad I didn’t get to try it.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: I’ve heard some outrage, and I think that’s valid. I wasn’t a frequenter, but I miss it for my every-once-in-a-while snack. Now it’s been replaced [Nasrin: with random ass shit].
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: Um… so I actually have celiac disease. I miss having Grillin’ Out.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: As many of my friends know, I have the same thing for dinner most of the time, and it’s the grilled chicken, and some salad, and some fruit, and none of those things have been taken away. And so I’m completely indifferent to anything that is not chicken, salad, or fruit.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: I haven’t really noticed it. But there’s been mozzarella cheese sticks now!
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: I used to do this thing where once a week I grab just some chicken patties and fries, so for that to be gone just hurts my soul. But I guess we do have other fried chicken options; they just don’t hit the same.
Sarah Cymrot (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’27: I did not know this. I never had one. I did see they had the mozzarella sticks. They have them every Thursday now; those are fun.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: I don’t think I ever had it — I just would get the regular chicken breast. But I’m sorry to all the people who are sad that it’s gone.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: I don’t know, I’m more like a grill girl. I prefer something grilled rather than fried, so it doesn’t matter to me.
If you could interview any professor or staff member, who would it be and why?
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’27: I would interview two of my professors who are engaged — we could do a joint interview [Nasrin: it could be a ‘When Harry Met Sally Moment’]. They teach my two hardest classes, and I’d ask them … why are they doing this to me?
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief ) ’28: I would interview Gary from dining, because he always has something to say.
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: I’m taking a class with [Professor of Anthropology] Farha Ghannam now. I love her. Learning about her food and culture through an anthropological perspective has been one of the joys of the year.
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: [William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Psychology] Andrew Ward, I think, and he’s been here for a really long time, and he’s also just really invested in getting to know a lot of people. He knows a lot of Swarthmore secrets. I’d love to hear about that.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: I recently had a class with [Associate Professor of Sociology] Nina Johnson, and I’d love to sit down with her and talk because she has some hot takes about Swat that I’d love to hear.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: My peace and conflict professor, Professor Smithey. I would interview him because I feel like his peace and conflict class was relevant to the trajectory of my studies, and interviewing someone who had such an impact in my major would be very interesting.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: There are a few professors who I know have been teaching at the college since the ’80s. Any of them, I would be interested in interviewing about the history of Swarthmore.
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: I would like to interview [Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy] Picascia. Her train of thought is just so rapid and constant. I had class with her last year, and sometimes she would think so fast that I think it would be interesting to just talk with her without her being restricted by the necessity to teach or write things down.
Sarah Cymrot (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’27: I really want us to interview our new English professor, Chris Cañete Rodriguez Kelly. I’m really excited they’re in the department. I just think it’s cool to have new people around, new faces.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: Maybe [Associate Professor of History] Shokr, because he really scared me at first, but now I’m in a class with him and the more he slowly reveals about his inner life as a real person, the more I’m interested.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: I want to interview all the theater professors on campus, especially the ones who have not been interviewed already. I would definitely say, [Associate Professor of Theater] Isaiah Wooden. I’m just curious about all the interesting projects he has going on. Another professor I would love to interview would be Elizabeth K. Stevens. She is my directing professor, and then we also did a devised piece during my freshman year, where we explored the subject of death. I would love to interview her about where she got the inspiration for doing the project, and also why and how she became so obsessed with death.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: I’d wanna interview Professor Atshan. Only because I think it would be an entertaining conversation and at the same time very profound.
Olivia Huang (Multimedia Editor) ’29: One million percent Professor Alexandra Gueydan-Turek. I took a Peace and Conflict Studies class with her last semester. I’d love to pick her brain about her life, what drew her to Peace and Conflict Studies and comic studies, and maybe also try and get at her real opinions on the Swarthmore administration. She seems like the person that if she were my age, I’d want to be friends with her.
What was the most cringe era of your life?
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief ) ’28: When I would wake up to straighten my hair every day in middle school. Just didn’t need to be done. It was awful.
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: I had a huge phase when I was super obsessed with Stranger Things and It and the whole Finn Wolfhard cinematic universe. 2017 was a year for everyone — it got so bad I went as Richie Tozier for Halloween.
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: I would say … It’s like seventh and eighth grade. That was pretty bad. That was tough, as they say.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: Gotta be fourth through seventh grade. [Nasrin: just continuously?] Well, maybe not continuously, but I think it was just era after era of cringe. I mean, it was middle school.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: My senior year of high school. I had these, like, blue and white pants that looked like clouds. I don’t know why I thought it was cool, but I used to wear them a lot. I also painted my nails different colors; that can be cute, but the way I painted them … I don’t even know why I thought it would look good.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: During COVID, my younger sister and I bonded by listening to Mitski. I still think she’s a really good musician. Just … you don’t want to be a guy who’s, like, so, so into Mitski, like, the way that I was.
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: Spring of my freshman year — that was when Pacsun had its whole phase. So I was wearing these skinny jeans and Nirvana sweatshirts to class with a mask. It was bad.
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’27: For a year and a half after I was 16, I should have had a driver’s license, but I just didn’t have one. But I really should’ve. I was chudding it up.
Sarah Cymrot (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’27: I was homeschooled in elementary school. Then again in ninth grade. I feel like I’ve never had the social pressures to be more normal, which can be bad and can be good. I feel like I was just very strongly myself in a way. In a way that I think I feel very lucky about, and that it resulted in a lot of cringiness.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: I’m sure everyone is saying the same thing — like ages 13-15. But I don’t think cringe is necessarily a bad thing; that’s what we should be saying. I look back on myself when I was 13-15, and I’m glad that happened.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: When I was in ninth grade, because that was during the COVID era. I think a lot of cringy things happened because of this.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: Shit, I hope it’s not now. No, probably middle school. I refused to wear anything other than those Nike shorts that were way too long.
Olivia Huang (Multimedia Editor) ’29: Eighth grade was a tough year. Dyed my hair the wrong color and did way too many Chloe Ting ab workouts.
How do you hope students view The Phoenix?
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief ) ’28: As approachable and accessible.
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’27: I hope the broader community views the Phoenix as an accessible source of news and also a place where their voices can be heard on campus. I’ve been on The Phoenix since Spring 2024, and over that time I think we’ve improved at making everyone feel represented, and I want to continue to do so.
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: I hope people find it helpful and relatable, but also informative. Even though Pub night really is a hell I put myself through, I love knowing there’s a place I can go where people are sharing their random musings on campus or discussing really serious news. I talked to an alum who said she uses the Phoenix as her news source for whatever is going on at Swarthmore, which was so reaffirming to me.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: I don’t think people necessarily see all the hard work that goes into it, but people on the ed board really do care about journalism and reporting, so I’d hope people see it as a labor of love.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: I guess somewhere that current students can turn to, to understand the real situation at Smathomore or as a place. But also a fun space, like features, where there are comics and shows students’ creativity.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: This is both what I hope about how The Phoenix is perceived, and the perception that I hope The Phoenix earns. I hope that The Phoenix is viewed as a resource for students and an advocate for students.
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: I hope they view it as an outlet or a source of conversation that maybe isn’t possible in day-to-day life. Ideally, The Phoenix would be a source of discussion and reflection on what people in the Swarthmore community think.
Sarah Cymrot (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’27: I hope students think about The Phoenix as another place to have a conversation, and to extend the conversation that we’re having in the dining hall, and walking between classes and in our dorms. There are also a lot of issues that Swarthmore is struggling with right now. I hope that The Phoenix can be a place where we’re thinking through that.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: As reliable. And not some stuffy mouthpiece of the administration.
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: A mouthpiece for everybody.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: I really want people to see The Phoenix as something that is first accessible to them. And second, a place for them to share with no constraints.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: I want people from all different corners of campus to write for every section and not just to think of The Phoenix as something they look at on a table in Sci. I want them to be a part of it.
Olivia Huang (Multimedia Editor) ’29: I hope students view The Phoenix as a reliable, one-stop-shop for all campus news, student opinion, and creative work. I hope that students know that we are not affiliated with the administration and want to be a channel for students’ voices.
ADVICE
How, in a community like Swarthmore, can students learn to work hard and play hard?
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: I think it’s easy to have the assumption that it’s all working hard at Swat, but that’s why you have to learn how to play hard. Getting out and being with my friends and putting an emphasis on my social life has made me a better student.
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief) ’28: By finding joy in their work. That’s the only way.
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’2730: I think a lot of students at Swat grinded really hard in high school and never got out of that mindset, and I think that people need to realize that once they get to college they can let their hair down a little bit. I feel like for the first year or so here I was trying really hard, and then I realized I can work hard and play hard. And I think I do better work when my social life is better.
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: Say yes to everything and make sure you feel too guilty to back out of anything.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: You need to expose yourself to as many types of people as possible, because there are so many ways to work and to have fun, and if you stay in your own little bubble you won’t know.
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: I think there’s a balance. You have to know what you want to prioritize, and be ready to adapt to anything that comes your way. I think working hard and playing hard build off each other.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: Well, I guess it’s something that everyone is still learning, so … I think you have to prioritize your grades and your education, but also remember to have fun and also make time for yourself.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: Life max is my advice. My philosophy since freshman year has been, ‘if I’m gonna be swamped with work, I might as well also be doing extracurriculars I like and having fun with my friends all the time’. Since adopting that philosophy, I have gone from feeling totally overwhelmed to having so much fun.
Sarah Cymrot (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’27: I think it’s been, it’s really incredible to be in a community where there isn’t a clear division between work hard and play hard, that people are passionate about what they’re learning and curious about each other and excited to sit down at dinner and talk about what you learned and what you were talking about in class today.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: This sounds super boring, but schedule your time. If you have periods of time when you know you need to lock in and be by yourself, you can slack off a lot more later. Studying with friends never works.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: It’s really important to have a calendar set up. I essentially block every minute of my time, so I know when to wrap it up and get to work. Make sure you turn on the alert.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: I feel like it’s less a learning thing and more a commitment to doing it. Get your work done and then go out and party on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday if you want to.
Olivia Huang (Multimedia Editor) ’29: Surround yourself with people who will both push you to be the best version of yourself but also force you to recognize when you need a break.
It’s almost cuffing season; what would you tell a person who is in a situationship right now? Can you escape the situationship, or is it similar to the Khia Asylum: once you’re in it, you cannot leave?
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief ) ’28: I think situationships are like a hot cup of tea; it’s good when you let it sit for 5-7 minutes, but any longer than that it just gets bitter.
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: You get yourself outta there! There is no point putting energy into something that is not gonna serve you. You need to find a way to make yourself whole as an individual and accept what you think you deserve to accept.
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: I am not qualified for that kind of advice. You could just say they’re stuck forever. Maybe the situation is the place to be. I don’t think you can get out of a situation. Once you’re established in that situation, you’re done for it. Embrace it, or if you don’t like it, leave it.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: Yeah, it’s still early; it’s week 3. If you really want to get out, now’s the time. I would say you have until Halloween; after that you’re locked in.
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’27: I think some things are forever…some things you can’t quite break away. I’m not gonna speak from personal experience, but…I think that it’s case by case [Nasrin: that’s deep]. But you better try. Especially ladies, you know what Malala said – lock in and get out of there.
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: Honestly, a situationship might be a good thing, because you have the freedom to exercise whatever the desires and passions of the night are. Once it gets boring, though, I think they should leave.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: I would say… Mm… I guess try to move on and find someone else. My motto is don’t chase but attract.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: I think that as long as a person is… emotionally honest… and vulnerable, and ensures there is equal agency, then regardless of whether they ‘escape’ or remain, both parties will end up happy.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: I think at a school like Swarthmore, the potential for a real relationship is easier because you’re in such close proximity. But that does mean if it doesn’t work out, you do see each other all the time. It’s definitely hard to drop a situationship, but you’ve gotta do what’s best for you.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: I think it really depends on what sort of channels you met the person; let’s say, if it’s Hinge, then you have the intention that you wanna have some kind of intimate relationship with the person. This can easily turn into a situationship. But if you met this person at school, and you happened to share similar interests, and you started talking, in that case, it’s more likely to get out of the situation and turn into an actual relationship.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: I feel like if you get past August, you’re really in the dog days there. We got Halloween, and you need cute couples costumes, Thanksgiving you meet the family, then Christmas. Once you’re stuck in a situationship after summer, that’s a good six-month commitment. It’s going until January.
Olivia Huang (Multimedia Editor) ’29: If it makes you feel better, stay in it. If it makes you feel worse, get out of it. Simple as that. You can always leave a relationship, and never let anyone try and manipulate you to feel otherwise!
As an editor, what would your advice be to people who are afraid of writing?
Erin Picken (Managing Editor) ’27: No matter what you write, I have written something that is worse.
Ella Walker (Editor-in-Chief ) ’28: Write how you think.
Alissa Lopes (Arts Editor) ’29: Just start. I know that sounds ridiculous, but after that first thing is published and you have one person tell you they really enjoyed reading it, it kind of becomes this high that you’re chasing.
Ellen Stewart (News Editor) ’27: Establish a good relationship with your editor, so you feel too guilty to back out.
Ava Gizzie (Photography Editor) ’27: So, I’ve actually never written anything for The Phoenix, but I would say just don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It can feel in a small place like Swarthmore that everyone’s watching, but that’s not true.
Megumi Jindo (Features Editor) ’28: I guess, when I submit to other places, like online journals, I feel like the number one worry that I had was the vulnerability, like, other people realizing that whatever creative nonfiction I wrote was really about me. I think what pushed me through is inspiring others and wanting to tell them that they’re not alone in their struggles. I feel like, if there’s a goal that you want to achieve, even if you’re afraid, just think about that.
Zephyr Weinreich (News Editor) ’28: Let the curiosity take you wherever it takes you. Maybe it’ll mean that you produce something less than perfect once in a while, but the act of writing will inherently make you a better writer over time.
Aimee Lee (Sports Editor) ’28: Just start. The one cure to fear is to just do it. It’s a lot less intimidating once you start forming structures and thoughts – being able to reflect on what you just wrote is one of the biggest steps.
Sarah Cymrot (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’27: If you’re thinking about writing for the Phoenix, and you have something that you want people to be talking about, you should write. No one is going to nitpick every word and make sure everything’s in the right order and perfectly written. They’re gonna be reading it because they want to understand what’s going on.
Melissa Nugent (Co-Chief Copy Editor) ’29: I think it’s easy to get intimidated by titles – like “Opinions Editor” – but you have to remember that everyone is just a student, and no one’s out to get you.
Jessica Qin (Arts Editor) ’28: I would say start by jotting down random ideas. Start by writing about the things that you can see in your surroundings. I think it’s helpful if you just speak to the phone, document a few thoughts, and then go back to it. And then probably develop a random idea that you found yourself interested in and then start from there.
Charlie Watson (Sports Editor) ’27: It was something I was nervous about at first, but it’s an exercise in putting yourself out there. We’re all at Swarthmore for a reason, and you should embrace that.
Olivia Huang (Multimedia Editor) ’29: Just write! Don’t let your own fear and expectations stop you from creating something. All writing is good writing, so find little ways to write each day, and I can assure you that you’ll end up feeling more confident. Try a mix of creative writing, journalistic writing, writing about your personal life, etc. If you never try, you’ll never know how great you could be!
