Highlights

Live Updates: Students Occupy Parrish Lawn in Support of Palestine

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This is a live story, check back for updates. Older posts may not reflect current information. Read the main article here.Updated as of 4:51 p.m. 5/5/2024. ⟡Live 4:50 p.m. 5/5/2024 I’ve received reports that Worthstock’s second act was canceled due to the ongoing demonstration. Students could be seen marching back towards the encampment. —Melanie Zelle ⟡Live 4:23 p.m. 5/5/2024 Protesters have moved from the encampment to disrupt “Worthstock” events, chanting over the music and displaying flags. Members of Public Safety, private security Swarthmore has hired, as well as at least one member of Swarthmore Police are observing the ongoing demonstration

Swarthmore Faculty/Staff Response to April 23rd Letter from Acting Co-Presidents Sakomura & Goldberg

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Dear Members of the Swarthmore Community, We write to express our strong support for the right of our students to engage in peaceful protest. We were alarmed by the letter sent by Acting Co-Presidents Sakomura and Goldberg on April 23rd – “Protest Activity on Campus” – regarding the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on Parrish lawn. Written one day after the encampment began, the letter preemptively seeks to depict it as threatening and unsafe, in the absence of any evidence to support this characterization. By manufacturing a climate of hostility, the College promotes an interpretation of student activism as intrinsically violent and anti-educational,

It’s Time for the College to Listen

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It is not hyperbole to say that these are historic times. We are in the midst of the largest student protest movement since the Vietnam War. Institutions such as Swarthmore will be remembered for their actions in moments like these. We, therefore, urge the college to take serious stock of its values and reconsider its approach to what has been an entirely peaceful presence on Parrish Beach, contrasting harshly against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. While we might be inclined to give credit to the administration for not following in the footsteps of Columbia, NYU, and the University of Texas

Writer and Activist Naomi Klein Speaks at Swarthmore on Israel-Gaza and the “Doppelganger” Effect

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On Thursday, April 18, author, activist, and professor Naomi Klein visited Swarthmore for the final event in the “South Africa to Gaza: World History and the Politics of Accountability” series. The series is hosted by the Aydelotte Foundation, the President‘s Office, Swarthmore College Libraries, Arabic, art history, Black studies, educational studies, English literature, history, the InterCenter, Islamic studies, philosophy, and sociology and anthropology as “a timely response to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) hearings on genocide in Gaza that invites prominent academics, artists, and writers to advance a scholarly understanding of issues related to human rights and social justice

Everything You Need to Know as Men’s Lacrosse Concludes Their Regular Season

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The Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team will face Haverford College for their final game of the regular season this Saturday. With a 7-0 undefeated conference record, this conclusion is just the start of their postseason, where they have secured the No. 1 seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs.  Led by captains Von Mabbs ’24, Carter Strauch ’24, and Alex Strauch ’24, this team will embark on a competitive journey through the Centennial tournament and towards an NCAA qualification, an accomplishment the team has achieved only twice in program history. In 1984, the team reached the quarterfinals stage, and just last season

The Phoenix in Conversation with Author and Activist Naomi Klein

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After writer and activist Naomi Klein gave the last lecture in Swarthmore’s “South Africa to Gaza: World History and the Politics of Accountability” series, she spoke to The Phoenix about the Israel-Gaza violence, the media, academia, climate, economics, and politics. Below is an edited transcript: Daniel Perrin: Much of what you do as a thinker and a writer involves the media; there’s been a lot of talk about how the media in both America and Israel fits into the devastating violence that’s going on in the Middle East, and there’s been criticism of outlets from all sides of the conflict

Biden Should Be Removed from the Ballot

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A minor hullabaloo has been made about the fact that Biden might be removed from the Ohio ballot this year. In case you missed it: the Democratic Party scheduled their convention too late to meet a procedural deadline, and thus Biden may not meet the requirements to be on the ballot. This story has brought much attention to a series of obscure regulations known as “ballot access laws.” Many such regulations are draconian and anti-democratic; the fact that they may remove one of our major presidential candidates from the ballot should be taken as a red flag for our democracy.

Home Away From Home: Post-Housing Selection Reflections

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On Monday, April 8, Swarthmore opened pre-selection housing applications for students with accommodations, followed by the general selection process for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  This year’s room selection was marked by the addition — and return — of several important policies, such as blocking and the housing waitlist. The Phoenix spoke with students and the administration to hear their reflections on the process and changes.  Darby Creegan ’26, a member of the new Housing Advisory Council who wrote a report on housing for the Student Government Organization (SGO), shared that some rising seniors eligible for housing accommodations have been

Taylor and Gutow Win SGO Election, Pledge Improved Student Life and Communication

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On Wednesday, April 10, Student Government Organization (SGO) President Liv Mederios-Sakimoto ’24.5 and Vice President Danika Grieser ’26, shared the results of the 2024-25 Presidential Election through a school-wide email. Current Chair of Student Organizations Grace Taylor ’25 and current senator and member of the Student Life Committee Matt Gutow ’25 will serve as the next president and vice president of SGO, respectively. Taylor and Gutow received 70.6% while their opponents, Wyatt Brannon ’26 and Bradley Holland ’27, received 29.4% of the 289 votes.  In an interview with The Phoenix, Taylor explained her and Gutow’s motivations for running for SGO

PubSafe Officer on Leave, Accused of Racial Targeting and Illegal Searches

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Between approximately 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, a number of student organizations posted a series of infographicsslides on Instagram, alleging a wide array of instances of misconduct, including racist language and the targeting of students based on race, against Public Safety Officer Brendan Duke. The posts, which appeared on Instagram in quick succession, lay out nine actions described as “illegal/racist.” They paint a picture of widespread abuses of power and antagonism towards students of color.  In one alleged instance, after Officer Duke demanded entry to a student’s room and began searching it illegally, he said “Even

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