Highlights - Page 2

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

At the Intersection of Physics and Finance: Hydrostatic Equilibrium and the Highlights of Bank Tellering (Part 3)

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In the second part of this ongoing scientific, slice-of-life article, I got into the details of the problem I wanted to solve: What is the minimum difference in air pressure it takes to move bank canisters through a pneumatic tube system? Frustrated with how simple and straightforward of an introductory mechanics problem this actually should be, and wanting a justification to steal an extra five minutes of break time each shift, I put my astronomy degree to good use and decided to solve it with a more complicated equation I learned in my upper-level seminars: Hydrostatic Equilibrium. To make progress

SGO: A Refreshing Perspective

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As a person who was never involved in student government in high school, joining the Student Government Organization (SGO) at Swarthmore was something new for me. I knew I wanted to make a difference, particularly in the realm of student life on campus. I heard all the worries about little to no parties and a strong emphasis on studying. At Swarthmore, of course, studying can be expected; let’s be real — we live in a pressure cooker environment. But I wanted to break away from that norm — which I think other students (and even faculty!) want as well —

Breaking Boundaries: Women’s March Madness Shatters Records in Historic Tournament Run

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Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, Angel Reese, Dawn Staley, and many more. They all deserve their own story.  This year’s March Madness women’s basketball tournament was nothing short of exciting, record-breaking, uplifting, and empowering. Throughout late March and into early April, 68 college basketball teams competed in hopes of earning the national title. This year, the South Carolina Gamecocks won in an exhilarating game over the Iowa Hawkeyes; however, the excitement was not just contained in this game.  During the college basketball season, records upon records were broken, spearheaded by various players and coaches. In the Elite

Swarthmore Community Celebrates Third Annual Cherry Blossom Festival

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On April 6, students and local community members celebrated the third annual Cherry Blossom Festival as part of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month event series. Organized by the Swarthmore Pan-Asian Association (SPAA), and in collaboration with the APIDA Heritage Planning Committee, the festival showcased performances by SwatJeans, Drake Roth ’25, Gamelan Semara Santi, Mixed Company a capella group, Chinese Music Ensemble Trio, Kalā, and the Swarthmore Taiko Ensemble. SPAA Head of Outreach Min Fruman ’24, who also performed with the Swarthmore Taiko Ensemble, shared that the sense of community was the most fulfilling part of performing.

Campaigning at Swarthmore

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As a former member of both the Student Budgeting Committee (SBC) and the Student Government Organization (SGO), I’ve now run three campaigns for office here at Swarthmore. I have tabled each and every time. The very first time I campaigned, one of the seniors who stopped by remarked, “I’ve never seen someone tabling here!” That has been indicative of my general election experience: nobody else tables. We just got done with the SGO presidential election, and though the results aren’t out yet, I have to say I’m incredibly thankful for the huge outpouring of support we’ve received. Meeting people in

Sixers Blaze Past Raptors, 135-120, Cementing 8th Seed

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The short-handed Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors, 135-120, on Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena. As a result, the Sixers improved to a 40-35 record, retaining the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers had tough luck with both of their all-star players on the bench. Joel Embiid was out with a lingering left knee meniscus injury and Tyrese Maxey was out with left hip tightness. However, their teammates came through. Three Sixers players scored over twenty points. Kelly Oubre Jr. was the leading scorer with 32 points. He was a powerhouse on offense, going 6-11 from three and

Fascists in Strasbourg? Europe’s Far Right Faces a Significant Obstacle to Power: Bureaucratic Inertia

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Every five years, mainstream pundits and politicians raise alarms about an invasion of populists and radicals in the European Union’s largest legislative body, the European Parliament. This June, the latest iteration of warnings about a far-right takeover of parliament is set to reach a new crescendo as citizens across are poised to deliver a potential upset as multiple cost-of-living crises rock the continent. Polls show the anti-immigrant, anti-green, and euro-skeptic Identity & Democracy winning the third most seats. While the “super grand coalition” of the three centrist groups will most likely retain its majority in parliament, almost half of the

Robin Wall Kimmerer Speaks On The Honorable Harvest, Reciprocity and Sustainable Futures

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On April 1, 2024, renowned author and doctor of plant ecology Robin Wall Kimmerer came to Swarthmore to speak about Indigenous knowledge, ecology, and honorable harvest practices. Kimmerer, who is most well-known for her 2013 book “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,” spoke at length about her essential belief that true sustainability cannot be achieved without the deconstruction of widely-held beliefs of human exceptionalism. The event was sponsored by The William J. Cooper Foundation, the Environmental Studies Program, the Office of Sustainability, the Environmental Justice & Community Resilience Program, the Scott Arboretum, and Sigma Xi.

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