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THE SWARTHMORE phoenix Friday, December 3, I 999 | Vol. I 22, No. I I www.phoenix.swarthmore.edu I Swjirtb * hOfk%J & * *jL« Mural Room kree to students, faculty and staff. 50c" off-campus. In 1938, James Egleson'29 finished painting the walls of Hicks 312.Today, his work stands as a monument to Swarthmore's ideological and historical roots. 8-9 $6K projector stolen from Kohlberg room By Justin Kane Phoenix Staff Theft could cause tightened security The theft of an overhead video and computer projector from Kohlberg Hall may lead to tighter security measures for academic buildings, said Director of Public Safety Owen Redgrave and professor and Chair of the Modern Languages and Literature Department Thompson Bradley. Sometime between 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 and 9:10 a.m. on Nov. 24, a NEC MultiSync MTlO3O+ LCD projector was forcibly removed from a ceiling bracket in Room 302. The projector is valued at $5700 and is part of an installation that costs approximately $13,000. The theft, the third of its kind since May, has forced faculty and staff to consider limiting access to rooms and buildings when classes are not in session. "We may have to request that these rooms are always locked," Bradley said. "It's a real di[lemma. How do you square the circle between giving students access to places to study and maintaining security?" Redgrave agreed, saying the thefts have called into question how the college protects its assets and created a push for better security. "We've been investigating more substantial means of securing equipment, marking or alarming equipment and limiting access to certain rooms," Redgrave said. "It will probably end up being some combination of all three." This is the second time a projector has been stolen from Room 302, prompting Bradley and his department to consider closing the room to student use. "This more or less depends on trust," said Bradley. "We don't want to make draconian rules about who can use the room, but our inclination is to make sure the equipment isn't stolen." For the time being, other rooms with projectors or expensive audio/video equipment remain unlocked, said Redgrave. Public Safety is unsure if the room was locked at the time of the theft, but there were no signs of forced entry. The crime was discovered at 9:10 a.m. Nov. 24 by~ Brendan Karch 'O2 when he entered the unlocked room for class. Karch told professor Elke Paxton, who called Public Safety. The projector had been unbolted from the bracket and the security cable had been cut. The power cord and other cables had also been unplugged. The door, however, had been unlocked earlier that morning for cleaning by the janitorial staff. Redgrave said the investigation has yielded few "promising leads." The investigators dusted for fingerprints but were unable to find any, and there were no witnesses to the crime. "We're hoping the notice will Solidaridad protests School of the Americas By Marina Boevska Phoenix Staff For a second consecutive year, Swarthmore students joined protestors at Fort Benning, Georgia to protest against the School of the Americas (SOA). Last year, 36 Swarthmore students attended the protest and this year campus activist group Solidaridad brought 55 students down to Georgia. According to participants, the sixteen-hour trip, which required four rental vans, was worth the time and the exhaustion. Justin Capps 'O2 believes that by undertaking the trip, students were standing up for their beliefs. "I went to the protest because I don't think it is right to sponsor an institution that serves purposes such as the SOA," said Capps. "I am against the U.S. trying to control the rest of the world by any means and I have issues with the U.S. impe- DANN NASEEMULLAH | For The Phoenix Fifty-five Swatties joined the march in Fort Benning, Georgia last weekend. From left, Chela Delgado, Anna Staab and Pilar Mendoza carry white crosses lettered with the names of Latin Americans killed by military violence. College adds dance major, cognitive science program By David King Phoenix Staff A new major in dance and a concentration in cognitive science were approved by the Swarthmore faculty at a meeting on Nov. 5. The dance major can be pursued by this year's freshmen and sophomores, while the concentration is available to all students, assuming the requirements can be met. According to Sharon Friedler, Professor and Director of Dance, until now dance has been available to students only as a second major, Honors major, or Honors minor. Students pursuing the newly-formed major are advised to enter it with one and one-half credits in dance. They will have to fulfill a requirement of nine to eleven additional credits: two each in Dance composition, history, and theory; one and one-half or two in technique; and one-half or one in repertory.In their senior year, majors must do a one-credit project or write a one or two-credit thesis. Students in the cognitive science concentration must take Introduction to Cognitive Science and two courses in three of the following disciplines: computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy or psychology. They must also have a substantial background in another discipline related to cognitive science, such as a linguistics background for English majors, or work in computer science for math/statistics or engineering majors. The concentration will culminate in a one-credit senior thesis that may double as a psychology thesis (in which case, it would count for two credits). Both the major and concentration will draw from the current curriculum and faculty at Swarthmore (though two available dance classes are taught at Bryn Mawr). The dance program currently has nine full- and part-time faculty members, while the psychology department has 13 professors and lecturers. In order for a proposal for a new major or concentration to be implemented, according to English professor Craig Williamson, also chair of the Curriculum Committee, it must first be submitted to the provost. Subsequently, it is considered by the Curriculum Committee which is NATHAN ASHBY-KUHLMAN | Phoenix Staff Kim Arrow's Modern Dance I class can count to a major in tonce.A new cognitive science program was also approved. SeeTHEFT,pg.3 See PROTEST, pg. 2 See CURRICULUM, pg. 3 Sections IS* 2-3,10 .....4.7 '"Oepth „ 8»$ *l>°rts 14.,6 Jwtoiere Crime lw 2 trials... * 4 :or 4. 5 Charles Fbchette 5 Simon Kaufman 6 Dann Naseemuiiah 7 Himi Hauaoka 7 Student Council Platforms... 10 Hark lotto tl Suzanne Wu..,...._ 12 Entertainment Calendar...,. 12 Movie Review 15 Marpfe Home Guide 13 LIVING Music industry attacks MP3 culture Many students share music files over local area networks illegally. Recent crackdowns at college campuses across the country have focused on MP3 copyright violations.Will Swarthmore's illegal digital music culture be the next target? On 11. Blind Melon - No Rain.mp3 www.phoenix.swarthmore.edu SPORTS Badminton kicks off season by hosting tourney Coming off of a 6-2 record in 1999 but with the loss of their top singles and doubles players, the Garnet faces an uphill battle this season.The tournament is Saturday inTarble Pavilion. On 16. CONTACT US E-mail; phoemx@swartlwiore.«<ki ph<K»*[«! 0-328-8! 73 or voice be heard: tetters@swsrthmore.edu calendar iterns: atendarj§jswartrimore.etki For advertising: ads@swartiimors.echi phoen
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-rialistic policies." Mara Fortes 'O3 had similar reasons for attending the protest. "As a Mexican, I have experienced the negative impact of the U.S. foreign policy," she said. "I went to Georgia because I believe that the U.S. should change its attitude towards other nations. To this day this country's foreign policy is primarily imperialistic, camouflaged, of course, under the euphemism of global cooperation." The School of the Americas was originally founded in 1946 and, after several renamings and relocations, it was established in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is an official U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command School, funded by the American budget. It trains Latin American soldiers in subjects like military intelligence and anti-narcotic and commando operations. The Commandant of the SOA, Col. Glenn R. Weidner, claims that the school is vital for U.S. security because it seeks to enhance the cooperation between the US and the Latin American countries in preventing drug trafficking. There are protests against the SOA because many Latin American dictators have been graduates of the school. The School of the Americas Watch, established in 1990, organizes a protest at Fort Benning every year, demanding that the SOA be closed down. Swarthmore students joined this year's ninth annual protest on November 21st. More than 12,000 people attended the protest, compared to 7,000 last year. All Swarthmore vans were in Georgia by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and students attended the initial gathering of the protestors in front of the entrance to the campus of the SOA. Swarthmore students listened to the different speakers and found some old friends among the other protestors gathered at Fort Benning. Every year many protestors risk arrest and undertake the act of civil disobedience by crossing the property line of the SOA. On Saturday evening, Swarthmore students who wanted to participate in the civil disobedience act attendedattended a workshop that explained what could be the consequences of crossing the property line of the SOA. The real protest took place on Sunday, in front of the campus of the SOA. Swarthmore students had prepared banners and posters and they took them to the protest at around 10:00 a.m. Present at the vigil were actor Martin Sheen and Catholic priest Daniel Berrigan, who is a long-term community activist. At noon, they led the "funeral procession" of the 4,408 civil disobedients. They carried coffins or white crosses with the names of the numerous Latin American people who have fallen victim to military violence. As the names of the victims were called out, the crowd answered "Presente" to show that the victims were not forgotten. It took an hour for the entire procession, which included 20 Swarthmore students, to cross the line. Last year only 9 students crossed the line. Gabriel Hetland 'O2, who participated in the civil disobedience act both years, said that he feels that "as an US citizen I have the responsibility to make my voice heard that I am against the U.S. policies preventing people in Latin America from living their lives freely. That is what the SOA is doing." The protest continued after the procession had entered the SOA campus. Two of the Swarthmore vans left at 2:00 p.m. and two stayed to wait for the students who decided to cross the line. All students were back at school on Monday morning for their classes. Asked if Solidaridad plans to continue attending this protest, trip organizer Ben Schweigert 'O2 said that "we [Swarthmore students] will continue to go until the SOA is closed." "To this day this country's foreign policy is primarily imperialistic, camouflaged, of course, under the euphemism of global cooperation." Mara Fortes 'O3 DANN NASEEMULLAH | For The Phoenix Lindsey Newbold, Jeffrey Reiger, Clare DiSalvo and Emily Brown march to close the School of the Americas at the rally in Fort Benning, Ga. Pulitzer winner Browne speaks about career By Jessica Sonnenschein Phoenix Staff Pulitzer Prize winner, highly regarded war correspondent and science reporter Malcolm Browne '52 of The New York Times returned to his alma mater to speak about his career in journalism on Nov. 23. His visit was initiated by visiting associate professor of journalism Ben Yagoda. Browne openly admitted that 48 years ago, when he was a student at Swarthmore College, he had no intention of becoming a writer. Browne did not write for The Phoenix, he told his audience, which included a large number of current Phoenix staff members. "I never imagined myself as a journalist at all until I stumbled into the profession," he said. This stumbling followed a stint at a chemistry lab, where he created what he called "a new and more indestructable crust for frozen blintzes." The advent of the Korean War initiated a career shift after Browne joined the army and was assigned to write for Pacific Stars and Stripes instead of driving tanks. "Of course it was all lies, but the idea was to entertain the troops," Browne said of this early experience in journalism. Yet despite the dishonesty of the military newspaper, Browne returned from the war determined to pursue this new career path. He attributes his success to the negligence of the New York City subway system, as he had to learn how to type after catching his fingers in a manhole cover. "The main advantage of journalism," he told the aspiring reporters in the audience, "is that it's fun. Most of all, you get varieties of experience." Browne's long career has been full of these varieties of experience, including being deported from Cuba for photographing Castro supporters with their arms raised in what could have been interpreted as a Communist salute, riding helicopters into war zones in Vietnam and interviewing soldiers in the Gulf War. "The varieties of experience are not all pleasant," he said. "The perpetual injustice of war really makes you shrivel." After the Gulf War, he shifted his focus to science journalism, and now writes for the science section at The New York Times. An accomplished story-teller, Browne managed to express strong opinions about a wide range of topics in the course of relating this history. Computers,Computers, he proclaimed, can get you into bad habits; Castro's speeches were interminable; the New York Times is still the greatest newspaper in the world, and no institution "has given its student body a richer palate of goodies than Swarthmore College." He concluded his talk with advice to those who hope to join him in the journalism profession. "Journalists are not qualified to do anything except journalism and garbage collection," he said, a state of affairs that angers him. "Do the homework," he exhorted."Blend in like a chameleon." "Be fair, but not necessarily objective. This fanaticism with objectivity is all right-wing, by the way." As a final note, he admitted that mistakes in stories are a part of journalism and asked for sympathy for "the poor little messenger." After all, he said, "journalism is the first draft of history." "Be fair, but not necessarily objective.This fanaticism with objectivity is all right-wing, by the way." Malcolm Browne '52 DAVID KING | For The Phoenix New York Times science writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Malcolm Browne addresses student journalists Nov. 23 in the Scheuer Room. Phoenix* > *J> 3 dec. I999^H^ Swarthmore group attends protest From PROTEST, pg. I £*\Uf*% I/*FW% WV%4% §/*4% my Swarthmore College's Public Safety record for the weeks of Nov. 20-Dec. 2, compiled for The ww4M>m m*m Em m m%JrM%iO &% Phoenix by Assistant Director of Public Safety Leon Francis. Nov. 24, 1999 | Kohlberg Hall 9:28 a.m. Theft from an academic building Nov. 29,1999 | Worth Residence Hall 3:36 p.m. | Theft of a coat 2 the phoenix online, read it from your computer. www.phoenix.swarthmone.edu
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yield something unusual," said Redgrave. "We don't have a whole lot to go on at this point." Redgrave said the investigators are focusing on possible culprits within the college, but that they have yet to rule out an outsider. "Whoever stole the projector obviously knew about it and knew where it was," said Redgrave. Moreover, said Redgrave, the culprit also knows where to sell the item. "Usually people steal things that have street value stereos and computers," Redgrave said. "But what's a Person going to do with three of these things? You could put °ne in the basement for you and the guys, but there's not a real market for this kind of stuff." Regardless of whether the projector is recovered or not, Redgrave said he foresees changes in the way security is handled. "Students are typically allowed to stay in buildings when we lock them if they aren't making trouble, and we generally try to follow the wishes of whoever is using the space," Redgrave said. "But [increased security measures] would really help." Bradley also said he sees changes looming in the future."Expensive equipment and access to it are wonderful things to be able to have, so this is a real loss," Bradley said. "It's amazing how much this type of thing turns on trust." JUSTIN KANE | Phoenix Staff The ceiling of Kohlberg 302 contains the remains of a projector. made up of the committee chair, the three division chairs (humanities, social sciences and natural sciences and engineering), the registrar, and two students.Then, with the final approval of the provost, the faculty as a whole. The process of approving a new major or concentration can take a year or two from start to finish, said Williamson. Williamson said a proposal for a regular linguistics major (only a special major exists currently) will come before the faculty in the spring. Administration may hire new Multicultural Dean By Nick Goodness phoenix Staff To meet the needs of a diverse student body, Swarthmore's administration may be looking for someone to represent those multicultural voices. A national search could soon begin for a new dean of multicultural affairs. Having just completed tentative administrative approval, the search would garner a multicultural dean who will take on the responsibilities of building upon a diverse student body, according to Dean of the College Bob Gross. The new dean would focus on building an infrastructure through which the voices of minority students could be formally heard by faculty and administration. Currently, organizations housed in the Intercultural Center and Black Cultural Center have been structurally independent from one another, but the new dean would join these support groups through leadership. Elizabeth Lindsey 'O2, co-coordinator of the Diversity Coalition, said there would be increased concern for multicultural issues after the dean arrives. "[I hope that] the dean will work with faculty to more effectively address issues of diversity in the classroom and will assist in promoting a more diverse faculty body," she said. Previous searches for a multicultural dean have dissolved due to issues of funding and conflicting interests. However, these issues have been resolved for this search. Although Haverford and other schools have already installed multicultural deans, Gross argued that Swarthmore is in an entirely different position, noting that many other schools which have recently hired multicultural deans were lacking the strong support groups that are found at Swarthmore. "Our minority causes and the administration within the causes are very strong, but what we have lacked was someone to take on a leadership position for the entire entity," he said. The issue of having a multicultural dean was reintroduced last year during a student meeting with Gross. Advocates said the need for a multicultural dean has become clearer with last year's vandalism of the Intercultural Center, but Gross said that the incident was just one reason in a long list of why the position was justified. Architect offers DuPont renovation plans NATHAN ASHBY-KUHLMAN | Phoenix Staff Margaret Helfand, one of the architects working on the DuPont renovation planning process, pointed out features of one design to students at an open meeting in Kohlberg Coffee Bar Wednesday night The planners are focusing on two designs now and hope to make a final decision during the spring semester. SC clarifies meaning of 'abstain' By Nathan Ashby-Kuhlman Phoenix Staff Members also hope work on parking issue will continue After abstentions overwhelmed votes for all three candidates in an election for College Judiciary Committee positions two weeks ago, Student Council had decided to change the wording of its ballot to eliminate confusion.At its meeting Tuesday night, Student Council voted to add a "no preference" option and a description of the meaning of a vote to abstain. The ballot will now explain that a vote for abstain is a vote for "none of the above" that nullifies all other votes cast in that election. In elections where two or more positions are open, the ballot will say, "vote for up to two." The changes will take effect for next week's elections. Student Council is, however, considering more permanent amendments to its constitution, including eliminating the abstain option from the ballot. The council will present those suggestions to students at a forum at 8 p.m. Monday in Parrish Parlours. "The basic problem, I think, is people don't understand what abstain means," said Secretary Jordan Brackett 'Ol, who suggested rewording the ballot. "And the reason people don't understand what abstain means is we've defined it incorrectly." The changes were precipated by 390 abstentions that paralyzed the election for the two CJC positions, which were on the same ballot as the runoff for the Sharpies 111 proposals. Pat Hagan 'O2 had received a plurality of 282 votes while Adrienne Fowler 'O3 received 139 and Robyn Harshaw 'O3, 113. However, the Student Council constitution requires that a winning candidate receive more votes than the number of abstentions in that race, so the two CJC positions remain open. Members of the council noted Tuesday that, in the two-position race, many students voted for one candidate and "abstain," which effectively voided their votes. Outreach Chair Rodney Morris 'Ol suggested adding the explanation that a vote for abstain would nullify other votes cast in the election. Brackett then proposed that the ballot allow students to vote "for up to two" candidates, suggesting that voters who prefer only one candidate not check "abstain" as well. Co-chair Matt Schwartz 'Ol suggested that the council replace "abstain" with "none of the above," but the council's constitution requires that the word "abstain" appear on the ballot. The council also discussed, but rejected, an alternate proposal from Brackett that would have added the explanation "none of the above" to the abstain option on the ballot but directed voters to vote for either a candidate, abstain, or neither, without the "no preference" option. Curriculum Committee representative Mike Spiegel 'O3 said the prospect of losing to abstain was shrinking the field of potential candidates for positions on the council. "I think abstain's really scaring away some people from running," he said. In other business, as the semester wound down the council discussed a plan from Morris that would suggest a timetable on the issue of student parking for future members of the council to follow. He said he wanted to pass on the ideas and progress the council made on the issue this semester. "I think there are a certain set of core issues parking, wages that pretty much we address every semester, every year," he said. Schwartz said that the document should note that while the council believes increasing the availability of student parking is important, it has misgivings about adding asphalt to green space on campus. He also said that future members of the council would be under no obligation to follow the proposal. Fellow co-chair Jared Solomon 'Ol said that the council had made progress with the parking issue, especially after Vice President for Facilities and Services Larry Schall agreed to add pavement to and reline the DuPont lot to add spaces there. "I think we've been pretty successful with parking," Solomon said. "We said we would get students more spots and we did." But Morris noted that not all of the additional 30 spaces will go to students. Some will be for faculty or staff use. The council also discussed whether its Parking Committee should administer parking spots available in the Ville, charging all students with parking permits an equal fee to cover the costs of those spaces. Currently, students parking in the Ville must pay while the college's own student parking spaces are free. The council approved a fourpoint motion from Solomon to deal with the issue of parking. He suggested that the Parking Committee must allocate spaces in the spring for the following academic year and that it administer the Ville spots. In addition, he proposed that Student Council continue to investigate the issue of obtaining more student parking spaces and give the council's Facilities and Space Coordinator the mandate to work with the Parking Committee on the issue. "The basic problem, I think, is people don't understand what abstain means. And the reason people don't understand what abstain means is we've defined it incorrectly." Jordan Brackett ■IPho^WS, 1999 College adds 2 new programs From CURRICULUM, pg. I Theft may tighten security From THEFT, pg. I 3
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MP3s: a matter of caution Cruise Swarthmore's Macintosh and PC local area networks and you'll discover them. Accessible to anyone with a network password, they are stored in easy-to-find folders like "music" or "MP3." With a few clicks, they can be played immediately or downloaded to another computer. They are MP3 files, bootleg copies of copyrighted music, illegally available for quick, easy and free distribution. Students use simple software to convert tracks on their compact discs into MP3 files, a process that is not illegal. But it is illegal to copy and share them -*■ something so simple and natural to do with computer files that most students think nothing of it. Because copying MP3s is technically illegal, the college is taking steps to protect itself from the consequences of students' actions, just as its alcohol policy absolves it of responsibility for underage drinking. Likewise, students should be more careful about the flagrant violations that can get them caught. Making the illegal files freely available over the network through anonymous file sharing, as opposed to protecting them behind passwords that would allow friends to access them but prevent the copyright violation from being as detectable, is a poor judgment call. Students could also simply leave the files on their own hard drive, without turning on file sharing at all. The Recording Industry Association of America, acting out of obvious self-interest, is urging colleges and universities to crack down on distribution of MP3s over their networks. This is understandable, because higher education campuses, with lots of technology-savvy students and free highspeed network bandwidth, make it easy for the files to propagate. Of course, such a network also makes it easy to do library research, share documents easily with professors, or transfer The Phoenix to our printer. But while the RIAA has forced other schools to try to squelch the network trafficking and could do so here, preventing students or anyone else from making and sharing MP3s completely is impossible because the technology is too widely available. Further, the software that makes MP3s is not at all illegal, nor is the MP3 format itself. In fact, there are many studios and artists especially independent ones who actually encourage free distribution of their music in MP3 format. Consumer electronics manufacturers have finally started making portable MP3 players, at prices and quality comparable with portable CD players. One school has installed monitoring software to detect and stop the copyright violations that occur over its network. But that is an option we find unacceptable in the higher education environment of trust. Does that school also prevent its students from photocopying journal articles in the library? Does it install software on its network to detect plagiarism in students' papers? The answer is probably no, because in those cases there is no corporate interest with overpaid lawyers. It is the recording industry that stands to lose the most from the MP3 format, which would unclamp its control over distribution of music. Artists —especially independent ones would benefit from greater exposure and concomitant interest in expensive concert tickets. Consumers get the flexibility of computer software that allows them to play their favorite songs on demand and share those songs with others. But the industry is the loser, because the profits it makes, at the expense of the artists and consumers, are about to evaporate unless it cracks down on the illegal MP3 trade. So the RIAA is shifting its weight around to try to prevent an enormously popular medium from enjoying the use it deserves. The move will not work and is ultimately hypocritical because for years there has been a way to obtain free music that the recording industry has in fact supported. It's called the radio. The radio was a good invention. Someday, it will be apparent that the MP3 format was a much better invention. Until that day arrives, we think it is prudent to exercise caution in your use of MP3s. But we see no reason to limit the enjoyment of music or hinder technological progress to serve the interests of corporate fat cats who would rather you listened to the less user-friendly radio. What is a Poenis? You may be a bit startled by this strange creature called The Poenis that's been around campus. Because we believe in journalistic integrity, we're here to expose The Poenis. The Poenis is published by Spike. The Phoenix is published by The Phoenix. The Poenis is small, puny and flaccid. The Phoenix is large, lengthy and robust. The Poenis covers all the bases in about 30 seconds. The Phoenix provides hard news and stimulating coverage, week in and week out. Here's the thrust of it. The Poenis only comes once a semester. And The Phoenix? We're up all night, every night, baby. Apathy, not activism, is real threat To the Editor: The editorial by David Ellis and Jared Eisenstat in the last Phoenix (Nov. 19, Opinions, pg. 8) regarding activism on the Swarthmore campus was a flawed and uninformed portrayal of the movement to close the School of the Americas and of campus activism in general. It is not the activists who stand in the way of "a search for truth" as they so selfrighteously assert, but rather, the mentality of "smiling and walking past" that Mr. Ellis and Mr. Eisenstat advocate. Their demand for "intellectualism" is a thinly-veiled defense of complacency. If they had stopped to talk to us instead of "smiling and walking past," they would have seen that we were not asking people to sign a petition on the spot, but rather were signing up people for our e-mail list so that we could send out information on books and articles to read, upcoming teach-ins, and breaking legislative information. If they had read the newspaper instead of "smiling and walking past," they would never suggest, as they do in their editorial, that closing the School of the Americas could result "in a chaotic, widespread, hopelessly violent civil war whereby thousands of innocents are brutally murdered," because that civil war is taking place in Colombia right now, with report after report blaming the military (trained at the School of the Americas) for the majority of the atrocities. If they had gotten off campus more instead of "smiling and walking past," they likewise would not suggest that closing the School of the Americas could unleash a drug plague in America, because that drug plague is going on right now, with the School of the Americas itself implicated by a former instructor, Maj. Joseph Blair, who asserts, "It was common knowledge ... that the School of the Americas was the best place a Latin AmericanAmerican army officer could go to launder his drug money." All of this information is public knowledge for those who care to look instead of "smil ing and walking past," and more than hall of the U.S. House of Representatives recog nizes it. If either of the editorialists hac come to one of our three well-publicizec teach-ins they would not only have been pre sented with this information but they woulc have had a chance to stand and refute it il they desired. But they prefer to stand at i distance, refuse to engage the issue, ignore the reality of what we do, and criticize a cari cature of the "ignorant activist" to whict they attach our name. Ben Schweigert 'Oj Solaridad Steering Committe* CORRECTIONS Due to a printing deadline, The Phoenix was unable to print Student Council's corrected ballot totals for the College Judiciary Committee election two weeks ago (Nov. 19, pg. 1). The correct totals are: Abstain: 390 Patrick Hagan 'O2: 282 Adrienne Fowler 'O3: 139 Robyn Harshaw 'O3: 113 PHOENIX INFORMATION The Phoenix is published weekly by students of Swarthmore College, except during examination and vacation periods.The Phoenix is free to students, faculty and staff of Swarthmore College. Off-campus subscriptions are available at a per year or per semester rate. Direct subscription requests to Liz Derickson. For advertising rates or questions, contact Kate Fama. Offices: Parrish Hall, Rooms 470-472. E-mail: phoenix@swarthmore.edu. Mailing address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pa., 19081 The Phoenix is printed at The Reporter, Inc., Lansdale, Pa. Praise for Phoenix Online To the Editor: Wow! Your online newspaper is great! Wonderfully formated, kudos to he or she who puts this thing together. More Swatties should be aware of this online triumph. Daniel Schwartz 'Ol Brendan Karch 'O2 is the Online Editor. Our\ Web site is www.phoenix.swarthmore.edu. -Ed.\ For more letters, see pg.s QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Journalists are not qualified to do anything except journalism and garbage collection" Malcolm Browne '52, pg. 2 LETTERS POLICY Letters and opinions pieces represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix or its staff.The deadline for letters is Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Phoenix is a community forum, and as such, letters to the editor are welcome. All letters must be signed. Please limit letters to 400 words.The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all letters for content, length and clarity. Letters may be submitted via e-mail to phoenix_letters@swarthmore.edu or via mail to The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 19081. no^qpinions 3 dec. 1999 Serving Swarthmore College since 1881 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, Pa. 19081 Email: phoenix@swarthmore.edu Phone: 610.328.7362 Justin KaneEditor in Chief Nathan Ashby-KuhlmanManaging Editor Dan KorobkinOpinions Editor Deirdre Conner Living Editor Min Leein Depth Editor Patty BarrientosSports Editor Julie CohenHead Copy Editor Suzanne WuLayout Editor- Brendan KarchOnline Editor Kate FamaAdvertising Manager Kait HutchinsonAsstAdvertising Manager Liz DericksonCirculation Manager Nicole BouttenotTreasurer Jessica SalvatoreCopy Editor Unsigned editorials represent the views of a consensus of the 119 th Phoenix Editorial Board members. 4
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Daily Gazette lacks sensitivity, professionalism To the Editor: Two weeks ago, 12 young people died in a tragic bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University. The day after the accident, the Daily Gazette reported on it in the world news section. After reporting the factual information, the article concluded, "Well, that was a stupid tradition." The article then went on to the next news item. I have family and friends who have gone to Texas A&M, and I know other readers of The Daily Gazette know people there as well. Some readers may have known one of those injured or killed in the accident. What made the Gazette feel it had the right to mock the deaths of these students? Was the writer trying to be funny? The Gazette editorial board did not respond to my letter expressing my offense at this statement. By publishing such a tasteless comment in the first place, and further by failing to apologize to its readers for its poor judgment, the editorial board of the Gazette has sent a message to the community of readers that includes students, administrators, parents, and individuals outside of Swarthmore College. The message is that the Swarthmore community finds such ignorant statements, and such irresponsible journalism, to be acceptable. I do not believe that most members of the Swarthmore community would agree with that. This is not the first time the current members of the Gazette editorial board have shown the inability to exercise good judgment. Last spring, The Daily Gazette ran a news brief with the headline, "Lotsa death, with a little sex thrown in." The article included details about the dragging death of a black man in Jasper, Texas; an allegation of sexual assault; and a plane crash in China that killed 61 people. After receiving complaints, the Gazette issued an apology for publishing such an inappropriate headline. Since its promising beginning my freshman year, the Gazette has continually declined in quality and usefulness to its readersreaders each year. It originated with the goal of providing more timely and in-depth reporting to the Swarthmore community, particularly on campus events. However, those goals were soon lost, and the Gazette now only rarely covers campus stories. Most students admit they read it only for the weather and campus events. In addition, the level of journalistic merit in the stories it does have is low. Campus news articles are often highly subjective and poorly researched, and factual information is often inaccurately reported. It is one thing to have a campus institution that is merely tolerated for its mediocrity. It is quite another to overlook something that simply offends, especially when it is a student publication that effectively represents the Swarthmore community to the rest of the world. The commentary provided all too often in the Gazette's news reporting is not only bad journalism, it is tasteless and out of line with the values of this community. The members of the Gazette's editorial board have shown poor judgment too many times, and the consequences are great enough to warrant a serious review of the value of this publication. The current editors should apologize to the community for this most recent offense, and carefully reconsider their mission and responsibilities as editors of this publication. Amy E.White 'OO It is one thing to have a campus institution that is merely tolerated for its mediocrity. It is quite another to overlook something that simply offends, especially when it is a student publication that effectively represents the Swarthmore community to the rest of the world. Opinion writers wrong about School of Americas To the Editor: I am writing in response to the editorial written by David Ellis and Jared Eisenstat (Nov. 19, Opinions, pg. 8) aimed at discrediting the activities of Solidaridad regarding the School of the Americas. As a participant in the protest in Georgia that drew 12,000 people from many different ideologies and intellectual pursuits, I found this piece harsh, biased, and ignorant. My main contention comes with the examples given regarding the effects of closing the school. The authors bring up Colombia, saying that without the school, Colombia could be thrown into a "hopelessly violent civil war whereby thousands of innocents are brutally murdered." Perhaps they are unaware that this is already taking place with the aid of SOA graduates. They then remark on the possibility of problems in limiting domestic drug supply without SOA graduates regulating. I don't know where they have been for the past few decades, but I am not sure anything could make our drug policy worse than it already is. To give them a little credit and assume the SOA does help drug control, there is still no logical basis for supporting an institution with known military dictators as graduates just because it may curtail the drug trade by a small fraction. What we were protesting and trying to inform the student body about is an American-funded institution that is known to teach torture and whose graduates have killed leaders of grassroots organizations calling for equality in their countries. Many Catholic representatives attended the protest to show their disgust at the brutal slaying of Jesuit priest Oscar Romero in El Salvador by graduates of the SOA. By tabling, Solidaridad was simply trying to inform the student body, not brainwash. If the writers of this editorial have such little faith in the intelligence of the students here, perhaps they should table outside Sharpies calling for apathy and ignorance, which they obviously support. Jamie Rowen 'O3 Foreign debt is no simple issue, should be forgiven by U.S. To the Editor: In the last issue of The Phoenix, Dave Thomas, in his article "Foreign Debt is Taxpayer Money," (Nov. 19, Opinions, pg. 9) used a fairly common-sensical argument that debt relief is essentially giving away money that belongs to the American taxpayer. What I would like to stress about the entire issue of debt relief is that it is one of the most complex issues that can be encountered in political economy, and often cannot be boiled down into simple, straightforward analysis.One point sticks out in particular. The process of foreign loans in the last halfcentury is an issue of investment under uncertainty, and should certainly be treated as such. When looking at the issue in this way, we see that both creditor and debtor need to take responsibility for an adverse state-of-the-world outcome, just like in any investment. However, when the debt started becoming unsustainable in the 1980s, international creditors refused to acknowledge their part of the risk. In the mid-19705, certain events, the oil-stimulated stagflation chief among them, led to the failure of many develop*ng countries to be able to repay debts. Is Ghana really responsible for lack of revenue due to a decrease in the international, monopsonistic price of cocoa? Are countries who lend heavily to Ghana on the expectation of repayment based on cocoa exports really without responsibility? Many of these countries were expect*ng colonialism-like extractive windfalls from their loans in the third world. This just did not happen, as the risks of investment under uncertainty sometimes lead Moving on to simply bad neo-liberal economics, US-dominated international financial institutions, like the IMF, World Bank, and the newer World Trade Organization, have NOT facilitated a condition where repayment was possible. It's been a vicious circle: countries borrow from the Bretton-Woods Institutions, the BWIs institute neo-liberal conditionality that does not stimulate development, the debt increases and these countries go into debt service with the same conditionalities. While this is complex, the main point is that whiz kids at the Bank and the Fund often had no idea what they were doing. On the same note, many of the loans that the US gave out were linked to the Cold War and the fight against communism in the third world. These loans were nothing to do with development and as such, did not lead to a condition of easy repayment.Yes, foreign debt was the taxpayers' money, but someone at some point has to take responsibility for the risk and for the economic mismanagement involved.Dann Naseemullah 'O2 What I am thankful for this season CHARLES FtSCHETTE inherit wina First off, blues fans, the man's name is Pope John Paul 11, not Jean-Paul (if you haven't seen the übiquitous advertisements for the WSRN blues program, please ignore this reference). I don't understand the sudden switch into the f renchif ied version of John, but it's a little weird. I don't know what kind of latent anti-papism is being covertly expressed, but it's certainly not in the spirit of tolerance, so cut it out. If I'm not allowed to have any unpopular opinions, then you're not either. But on to less controversial things. Last week was Thanksgiving, where we celebrate the incredible lack of foresight of the Indians (or lack of reciprocity of the Pilgrims take your pick) in giving food to the first Americans so that they could survive the winter and eventually establish reservations in sundry isolated places in the American West. And so I thought that, although belatedly, I would offer a few things for which I am thankful this year, and you are welcome to add your own silently (that's a papist reference, too ask me later). First, I am thankful for the lack of sexually explicit chalking, or really any serious chalkings at all, this semester. I'm sure that nothing is more fun as a tour guide than trying to explain the level of intellectual sophistication at Swarthmore to a bunch of students and their starry-eyed parents, and then running across what can only be termed a graphic depiction of sexual congress: "Yes, so does Swarthmore allow double maj . . . Oh, my God, what is that? Do people really bend that way?" On second thought, is it too late to be a tour guide? I've never been inside Mertz or Lang, but I am very familiar with the reserve desk. I am also thankful for Abraham Lincoln, who, although responsible for the generally-abysmal state of ticket sales at Ford's Theater, is also responsible (I hope) for the institution of Thanksgiving, during which I am able to be in a car and not have to listen to National Public Radio. You know, they really do talk about mushrooms. I always thought it was an exaggeration. I guess there's a little truth in everything. Finally, I am thankful for the fact that this column has metamorphosed from a piece of political commentary to something generally devoid of rational thought, full of extremely prolix language and read more than ever before go figure. It's nice to see that, despite our academic facade, sometimes we just want to (attempt to be) entertained. The laughs Marx gets are just too dreary to pass the time, I suppose.So, I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings and have thought of many more things for which to be thankful, not the least of which is the refusal of English to end sentences with prepositions, thus causing the lovely first clause that began this paragraph. If you'll excuse me, I need to consult the Kama Sutra online and set my alarm for 6 a.m. Specs, hold on to your butts. Fewer chalkings, less NPR, Honest Abe and the Pope. And you, too, reader. j pnu opinions |BHm3dec. 1999 5 got an opinion? of course you do. write to us. phoenix_letters@swarthmore.edu BEN CHAN THE NEW DEVIL'S DICTIONARY levity, t its
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Video games glorify violence SIMON KAUFMAN siiggjfe Without a doubt, most video games glorify violence. Yes, there are a large number of games that have absolutely no violent content, but the average strategy, action-adventure, or simulation game has a generous dose of murder and mayhem. Recently, many have questioned whether video game violence is responsible for a decline in sensitivity to violence, and possibly to increased juvenile crime. While people can tell the difference between video games and real life, the glorification of violence in games does lead to more dayto-day violence. Unfortunately, it's difficult to tell whether video games are the instigators of violent acts, or merely byproducts of a society that promotes violence. Of course, video games do not exist outside of society. Programmers have the same set of morals as the rest of us, and use their morals to determine what should and what should not be included in video games. However, video games seem to lead popular culture in terms of acceptable violent content. Over time, game producers have realized that sensational games sell best, and as people acclimate to a certain level of gaming, they demand more sensational material. Nobody suggests that video game players are innately more bloodthirsty than others, but the media of video games allows players to foster their violent tendencies. The only question is whether these violent propensities would be more productively diverted in the absence of video games, or whether another (and possibly more destructive) alternative would pop up. Although video games may not convince players to commit violent acts, they become acclimated to the sight of violence through repeated exposure to violent images. As a result, players do not give the same consideration to the 50th death they see on screen as they did to the first. However, while players may not have a problem killing dozens of people in video games, they recognize the difference between video game violence and violence in real life. Games may glorify violence, they may create aggressive behavior, but at no point do players confuse the line between the game and real life. Just because people play violent video games does not necessarily mean they will act violently during the rest of their life. If the video game glorifies violence, however, the game essentially promotes it. In most games, both the hero and the villain use violence to accomplish their goals, though the hero's goals are noble while the villain's are evil. Nonviolent characters are seen as feeble, and are either taken advantage of or protected by people willing to fight for their goals. The obvious message conveyed is that violence is the method by which people accomplish great actions. Nonviolent people are sheep who are constantly pushed around by people with strength and willpower. No, people are not going to go on shooting sprees after playing Doom, but they will associate the violence in Doom with self-assertion and power. Some games, without a doubt, and possibly most games, glorify violence and propose violent solutions to problems. So is the answer to ban all violent video games? That certainly is one solution, albeit an uncreative and ineffectual one. Violence in video games is not the problem; people do not imitate violence for its own sake, they do it because violence is portrayed as the best way to solve problems. Instead, create games with contextual violence that have negative consequences for violent behavior and alternatives to fighting. Video games can be an excellent form of aggressive escapism as long as the games do not convey the message that violence is the best means to solve problems. Canceling minority weekend ignores history By Min Lee Phoenix Staff About a month ago the Admissions Office, in response to student complaints, decided to abolish minority pre-frosh weekend, a special program for prospective minority students that takes place before the regular pre-frosh weekend. The decision, surprisingly, did not cause an uproar. Phoenix coverage was spotty at best; the minority support groups, while somewhat indignant at first, felt reassured upon learning that a minority component would still be incorporated into the regular pre-frosh program. But all is not well. While reconfiguring the presentation of minority pre-frosh weekend may appear to most as a trivial move, both symbolically and substantively, it marks the beginning of a very dangerous trend. To understand what this trend is and what its potential impact may be, one must start with the story of immigration and race relations in the U.S. It is a more straightforward story than one would imagine one dominant pattern cuts across historical periods, repeating itself again and again. When the dominant group is faced with the onslaught of a culturally different newcomer, it becomes defensive and reactionary, and its mission becomes the maintenance of that position of domination, even at the cost of the complete subjugation of the newcomer. The preservation of power is the foremost goal. Granted, immigration is not just about living next to a person of a different skin color and someone who speaks an alien language. Jobs are lost; traditions are corroded. But the response is hardly proportional.One of the darker facets of human nature emerges when we perceive our authority and our way of life as being challenged the instinctive response is primal, one of obsessive, ruthless self-protection, often pre-emptive in nature. And thus were born slavery, scientific racism, exclusion acts, quotas, the Bell Curve argument all instances of extreme defensive mechanisms. The extremity of the reaction means that the dominant group will exhaust its ingenuity in trying to maintain its edge —every thinkable tool and strategy is employed. They vary in degrees of explicitness, and often, the least tangible are the most insidious. These strategies include exercising the leverage of dominance to decree standards that are to the advantage of the dominant, but otherwise are rather arbitrary. Who said standard American English is good English, but not Ebonics? It is not an objective fact, but rather a judgment effectively drilled into our consciousness over the years to the point where we simply accept it as fact. With every passing day, the validity of our meritocracy comes increasingly under fire. A recent economic study revealed that an Ivy League education is not the key to success. We have a presidential front-runner who scored a 1200 on the SATs. One of the greatest leaders of our time, Martin Luther King, Jr., bombed his GREs. The state of American society is a function of this larger pattern that has the uncanny tendency to revive itself year after year a hierarchical society structured to a large extent along racial lines, and most importantly, a structure that is rigid and self-perpetuating. A child born to poverty is destined to a life of poverty. It was not that long ago that a child born black was doomed to a life of indignity. But obviously we have come a long way, thanks to a liberal resurgence in the 1960s which was continued recently. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and affirmative action are just a few of the many initiatives that have successfully changed the structure of this country in a positive way. It is telling of the times that in the 1992 presidential election a poor Arkansas boy who clawed his way into the elite through public scholarships defeated the Andoverand Yale-educated son of a former senator.The journey, however, is not complete. But the tremendous progress that we have made often eclipses this fact. The beneficiaries of progress tend to forget or simply ignore the history of America as I have described above (read: Ward Connerly). This is especially dangerous because those who are prone to forget are often those who are most equipped to continue the journey. Finishing the journey of transformation is not just the right thing to do, it is absolutely crucial for two reasons. First, it signifies the triumph of better angels of human nature. Diversity is cool not just because diversity is interesting and homogeneity boring. The presence of diversity is important because it implies the acceptance of diversity the fact that we can not feel usurped or unsettled by the presence of elements alien to us, and respond to the challenges they pose with ingenuity, not violence. Second, diversity that shatters racial and class boundaries represents a new equality in a pure meritocracy, the end of structural power inequalities. It means that those who define the meritocracy are also those who live under it, and most importantly, that the meritocracy is truly a meritocracy of full consensus, not an imposed, strategic meritocracy used to keep one group or another at bay. On the Swarthmore front, canceling minority pre-frosh sends the message that the journey is over when in reality it is far from it. Targeting minorities in a visible way is not just a PR gimmickthey are targeted out of a recognition that their elevation in society is essential to achieving a completely just society. The decision is even more questionable because it was meant to pacify minority students who were displeased with their separation from non-minority pre-frosh, a move they believe unnecessarily highlights their differences. But they are different even if they themselves do not feel different and their peers do not perceive them as such because of the structural inequalities that persist in our society. Swarthmore, out of all schools, an institution that prides itself in its commitment to "social justice," should not be the first one to agree with them. On the Swarthmore front, canceling minority pre-frosh sends the message that the journey is over when it is far from it. SWARTHMORE WTO protestors should accept free trade By Ananda Gupta The Diamondback (U. Maryland) GUEST COLUMN (U-WIRE) COLLEGE PARK, Md. Seattle looks like a scene from the 19605. I wasn't there in the 19605, I mean but as they say, if you were there you wouldn't remember them. Anyway, the World Trade Organization is holding a week-long "ministerial conference" (whatever that means) in the Rainy City and the graybeard wackos of yore are out in force along with their soul children. In principle the protesters object to free trade. But there's something more to it; something uglier, if not more stupid. International economist Paul Krugman suggested that "the WTO has become to leftist mythology what the United Nations is to the militia movement: The center of a global conspiracy against all that is good and decent." The "theory" of free trade is like the theory of evolution it might not justify total, ironclad faith, but the body of knowledge and evidence behind it practically guarantee that every fundamental objection has already been answered, and no one seriously questions the basics. Only the specific details are at issue. We know as well as we know most anything that humans and present-day apes evolved from an ape-like common ancestor, and we know that free trade maximizes the wealth of nations, to the benefit of even the poorest. Think of it this way: No one on this campus is self-sufficient. We all purchase goods and services from a variety of stores, restaurants and other businesses. And that's a good thing! Imagine how hard it would be to learn anything or pursue your dreams if you had to be totally selfsufficient. You'd have to grow and prepare all your own food from seeds you stumbled upon in your backyard. Never mind learning anything. This world of self-sufficiency is the ideal world for anti-globalist forces. The only difference is that they approach the issue in terms of nations, not individuals, even though the logic is just the same. This strange and hellish world pops up in their rhetoric, whether it be in environmental groups' desire to extinguish commerce and plunge entire cultures into darkness for the sake of trees, or in rightwing groups' desire to wage "culture wars" by keeping out anything and everything that's not red, white and blue. The standard of living in countries that accept the West's offer of capital and jobs has universally improved. As Krugman writes, "The benefits of export-led economic growth to the mass of people in the newly industrializing economies are not a matter of conjecture ... no matter how base the motives of those involved, the result has been to move hundreds of millions of people from abject poverty to something still awful but nonetheless significantly better." At its base, the anti-WTO view is about denial of choice, with a healthy dose of xenophobia. Can't sleep at night because some Indonesians choose to work in conditions you couldn't bear for a day, just so their kids can eat? Ban it. Think foreign cars mean selling out to Japan? Tax 'em. In the end, opposition to globalization is about remaining in the past, about preserving a world and a culture wherein there are rich people and poor people and the self-righteousness of the former trumps the well-being of the latter. We need NEA subsidies because the average American can't tell kitsch from haute culture, and we need television censorship because Ally Mcßeal is eroding our traditional values. Or is she unduly reinforcing them with all those hallucinatory dancing babies? Who knows. No doubt many of the WTO's oh-so-enlightened critics really do care about poor people in faraway lands. But they live in a fairyland, wherein the Suhartos and Husseins of the world suddenly repent their sins and give away all of their illgotten gains, passing all sorts of wonderful social programs and taxing themselves dry. The economics of sweatshops are simple if you live in a very poor country, and Nike comes along and offers your kids a chance to eat, you take it. That, not "socially conscious" chin-pulling, is why the rate of malnutrition among Indonesian children has dropped by 20 percent since the 70s. And without Nike they'd be starving still. As the protests in Seattle turn violent, and the mobs start donning masks, the provincial spirit of anti-globalism in turn shows its face. Their chant, "Whose streets? Our streets!" reveals their unifying view we've got our riches, our cars and televisions and the high-wage jobs to pay for them, and the hell with Bangladesh. Our fastidiousness about where our shoes come from should not lead us to block their way or insult the nations who have already benefited from the spread of global capital by calling our obstructionism "progress." In the end, opposition to globalization is about remaining in the past. The anti-WTO view is about denial of choice, with a healthy dose of xenophobia. Pno^opinions 3 19998^m| 6
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School of Americas is Cold War relic whose time has passed DANN NASEEMULLAH !«$. The pine forests and rolling hills of southwestern Georgia contain a massive U.S. Army infantry base, Fort Benning, just outside the town of Columbus on the Alabama border. Fort Benning, in turn, contains the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA), a fifty-year-old military training school for Latin American military professionals, originally situated in Panama but relocated some years back. Many among the activist community, especially among the Catholic left, have come together and called for the closure of the School because of well-documented human rights abuses by some of the leading SOA graduates. These include the genocide and civilian terror campaigns in Guatemala during the 1980s, designed by Gen. Hector Gramajo, a '67 graduate and guest speaker at the SOA in 1991. Gramajo was found guilty of war crimes by a U.S. court some weeks after speaking at the SOA. There are accounts of many other such abuses, documented in U.N. Truth Commission hearings and Congressional memos. They tell tales of mass murder, rape, torture and terror committed by military men of Latin America trained by the SOA. Many of these stories can be found at the SOA Watch Web site, www.soaw.org. Why is there a School of the Americas? Why does the U.S. military need to train soldiers from Latin America? Arguments about helping in the drug war seem not to hold under the massive complexity of that issue. I'm no Latin Americanist, but it seems to me that since militaries all around the Third World, Pakistan's among them, actually traffic those drugs, the SOA can't be the be-all and end-all of America's war on drugs. No, the School of the Americas seems to be there to only to teach "democracy." Small problem here. The U.S. military is, on balance, a wonderful military: it is completely subordinate to the needs of the American people and the government that represents them. However, the set of institutions required for a non-political, subordinate and ascetic military just simply do not exist elsewhere in the world. The militaries we are talking about - in Guatemala, El Salvador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and many more countries - work under a different logic. It is a logic of power, a logic of extraction, of personal gain by repression and force. The nature of these militaries concern Mercedes Benz, opulent parades and other gestures of power, fortresses of warlords, the flogging of dissenters in the streets. These people cannot be taught democracy. Democracy cannot be taught; it must be created indigenously and along its own path, without "help" from foreign military training. Back when the fight against the Red menace was alive and well, the U.S. felt perfectly justified in training not just Latin American soldiers, but also Indonesians who would go out and massacre Timorese; South Africans who would repress the blacks and pummel the ANC; Israeli special forces who would torture and maim in the Occupied Territories; and Pakistanis who would perpetuate the misogynistic Islamic fundamentalism of the Zia ul Haq regime. Did the fight justify the outcomes back then? I would say probably not, but then again, I wasn't there. Now, however, as the smouldering embers of the Cold War are doused, we should be looking for a different paradigm, one apart from "anything in the name of myopic national security." The U.S. needs to realize that the weapons they used to fight that war cannot be just modified; they need to be thrown away in the name of a higher order. The U.S. Army's School of the Americas is a Cold War relic institution whose graduates are responsible for the deaths of millions. Other schools like it all over America produce similar results for all regions. Communism is gone. There is no longer any reason why the U.S. can't stop trying to control the world and start helping to beat the bloodstained swords of the last generation into the plough-shears of tomorrow. International freshmen review Swat to date By Feng He For The Phoenix The past three months have been an exciting and challenging experience for the 380 freshmen at Swarthmore, and even more so for the 40 or so international students, many of whom have never been to the States before. While the American students were adjusting to the academic aspect of college life and trying to make new friends, the international students all of a sudden found themselves in a foreign land and an alien culture. It is fair to say that, on average, the international students are slightly more open-minded and willing to experiment. (After all, how many of you ever thought of going to college in another country, apart from the study abroad programs?) And "cultural differences," I feel, is a term much over-used. My country China is probably as different from the U.S. as you could get, both geographically and culturally; yet, at least at the beginning, what struck me most were not the differences but the similarities between these two countries. This gave me some hope: if we are not so different, maybe one day the two countries really can become friends and trust each other. Most of the first-year international students shared my view, but there were exceptions. One, who did not wish to reveal her name, said that she was really bothered by the fact that Americans don't feel a need to apologize. In her country, she said, "you apologize if you do something that inconveniences someone else." Here, she found that Americans, girls especially, sometimes tried to explain their way out of a situation so as not to have to apologize. This had been the biggest obstacle for her to maintain close relationships with some students here. However, she was quick to add that Swarthmore students have a whole variety of beliefs and values, and that she was not attempting to make any generalization. This woman notwithstanding, most of the international students I have talked to find American students to be friendly polite. Many had not noticed a considerable cultural barrier. That should not he surprising; some of us have spent several years in the States before coming to Swarthmore. Even among those who had never been to the U.S. before, most speak aJ- least decent English and had learned about the culture through the language. Profound differences, however, took tone to surface. As the students gradu- settled down and found their niche, the international students started to feel the aspects of American culture that had escaped unnoticed at first glance. Many told me that, despite the apparent friendliness among the Americans, they did not seem to take genuine interests in other peoples' lives. Slowly we realized that, when people ask, "How ya doing?", they do not really expect you to answer. And when they say, "That's great!", they do not mean as much as their expressions and tones suggest. Compared to other cultures, Americans are individualistic. The times when I felt most strongly that I was in the U.S. were at parties: loud music, flashing lights, people twisting their bodies. That is very different from my idea of a meaningful social life. As Ani Silwal, an international student from Nepal, pointed out, "Others [are] more important in some cultures than in America." There were even occasions when I wondered if Americans feel lonely sometimes. But if anything, Swarthmore would probably be better than most other places. Youssef Soliman, an Egyptian student, really appreciated Swarthmore after a trip to George Washington University, where "nobody knew and talked to anybody." Some students were bothered by how little some Americans know about other cultures and countries. Anteneh Tesfaye, from Ethiopia, was asked questions like "Do you carry guns to scare off the lions?", "Do you have cars?" and "Do you have tap water?" On the other hand, the international students sometimes felt excluded when the conversation moved on to things that were quintessentially "American," most likely a TV show or sports. Queer issues are also disturbing to some international students. Swarthmore has a liberal reputation even among American colleges. But many of the international students came from places where one cannot talk openly about homosexuality. It is understandable that they are not entirely comfortable to find queer issues addressed so openly at Swarthmore. But what really disturbs me is that, although some international students were not comfortable with the way such issues have been addressed, they asked me not to reveal their names when expressing their opinions, fearing that they would be pressured because of it. I feel that one should not be stopped from expressing their feelings and doubts, if only so that we could help them better. Even among the upper classes, international students seem to hang out with each other a lot more than with Americans. One possible reason is that we got to know each other during the international student orientation, which began three days before the all-students orientation. Some suggested that maybe the foreign students could more easily make friends with American students without the international orientation. But Tesfaye points out that although international students have a working knowledge of American culture (you can't escape American pop culture anywhere you live), the knowledge doesn't really go the other way. For him, a conversation with an international student is more of a mutually enriching experience than a conversation with an American student.We, the international students of class of 'O3, have found it necessary to make some adjustments to our social life and thinking, and we are well on our way to implementing them. It is really a privilege to come to Swarthmore for a wonderful education as well as a different cultural experience. If not an inn, then the next best thing MIMI HANAOKA circus, fools Bland and tight-lipped was President Al Blooms' response three weeks ago when questioned about the possibility of an inn on campus: "I think accommodations of high quality for guests would be a real benefit for both the College and the town. But before a decision can be made, we need to explore the programmatic and financial implications of placing an inn on the recommended site, the extent to which a developer would assume the overall costs, and the longer-term likely financial viability of the project. We are in the midst of that analysis." President Bloom was referring to the Swarthmore Town Center Revitalization Strategy Task Force's proposal to build a 65-room inn that would lie at the edge of the south end of campus on what is now the softball field. While I would be delighted to have an inn on campus—l have even used this column as a diatribe expressing my frustration about the lack of an inn—it seems that this is an impossibility. The College or the town would have to lure a developer into Swarthmore to build this inn; to do this, it would have to make this business proposition seem highly profitable or guarantee a level of eco- j nomic stability by agreeing to subsidize the inn. It is not likely that the inn would be profitable; the Task Force released a report which indicated that based on what demand the College could generate for the inn, for 80 percent of the year the inn would be filled to less than half its capacity—a grim prospect. There are other sources of demand, but with 19 hotels within 30 minutes of Swarthmore providing a total of 4003 rooms, it seems illogical to believe that the Swarthmore inn could be filled to capacity very often. Though Swarthmore College could entirely fill the inn 56 nights of the year, that hardly makes for an economically viable establishment. In order to guarantee the developer that building an inn in Swarthmore would not be a financial disaster, the College would need to subsidize the inn, an action that would undoubtedly be condemned by the faculty and a proposition that would indubitably strike a note of terror with the Board of Managers. Some would object to subsidization on the grounds that it is wrong, in principle, for an academic institution to be financing a profit-making venture, and others would point to the practical ramifications. If the College had to guarantee to fill ten rooms per night, every night, at $l5O dollars each, that's well over half a million dollars a year. The opinions that faculty and staff have voiced range from fatigued indifference at best to adamant and vociferous opposition at worst; coupled with the gloomy financial implication subsidization, the inn seems like a pipe dream. The College, it seems, is now simply killing time and waiting for an opportune moment to pull the plug on the inn project. Given that the prospects of a campus inn are looking dimmer by the day, I would urge the College to support a bed and breakfast ordinance at Borough Council meetings. Such an ordinance, which would allow for bed and breakfasts in what is otherwise a residential zone, would create both more accommodations for guests of the College but would also contribute to the economy of the town. It is absurd that the closest lodgings are the shabby Media Inn and the airport hotels, six miles away. If we cannot have an inn, let us at least have the next best thing. ho€efeinions BJ^^H|3dec. 7
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Wonderwall Hicks Mural Room | By Sonia Scherr Phoenix Staff I If there were one Swarthmore work of art on campus, it would be the Hicks mural. For anyone who has seen it, the choice is obvious. The piece, an epic of sorts by Swarthmore standards, graces the expansive walls of the Hicks Mural Room on the third Floor of Hicks Hall. The themes are familiar. One theme envisions the engineer as the proletariat intellectual, literally, marching side-by-side with the hard-working men and women of the industrial class. In one scene, two impeccably dressed, compass- and book-clutching engineers stand alongside two jeans-clad workers carrying the tools of their trade. Another panel features a white hand and a brown hand clasped together tightly in a display of racial solidarity. The mural also tackles the role of technology in society. It questions the relentless pursuit of scientific research for political or other improper goals. One scene juxtaposes a research lab and an illustration of a women searching in a pile of rubble for potatoes. Taken as a whole, the painting represents a distinctly Swarthmorean view of the world. One of the engineering professors featured in the painting is even supposedly modeled on an actual Swarthmore engineering professor. But for a painting that is so reflective of Swarthmore's ideological and historical roots, surprisingly little is known. This week, The Phoenix's Sonia Scherr uncovers the story behind the Hicks Mural. She also talks to several students and faculty members about their reactions to this native Swarthmore masterpiece. As Scherr's reporting reveals, the history of the painting mirrors the turbulent history of modern Americaat-large.-Min Lee the In the mid-1930'5, James Egleson approached the CoSflgfclfeo Two years later, the mural was completed and opened to the pu Egleson, the Swarthmore administration, and a big-time Colleg paper written by Swarthmore student Lisa Silverman in 1981 v another source is indicated, t James Downey Egleson, painter of the Hicks mural, was bon Park, PA and attended Lafayette College before transferring to Sigma Pi fraternity as well as the Sigma Xi and Sigma Tau a College in 1929 with high honors in Engineering and went on t< neering from MIT. An eye problem soon compelled Egleson to give up engineerii York City Telephone Company and attending art school*afnig*ht Egleson and led to an apprenticeship with the artist in Mexico. Egleson first broached the subject of the mural to Professor / 1936. The College gave him permission to paint the first pane negative uses of technology. Soon after, he completed a second society, and the College subsequently commissioned Egleson t( Work on the mural proceeded smoothly in Hicks Hall until completed mural to his grandfather, who happened to be a milli Swarthmore. Outraged at what he deemed to be the mural's coi the College President to force Egleson to alter his mural. The Board of Managers investigated the issue and found not continued pressure from the student's grandfather, however, th the mural or else stop painting. Egleson chose to leave the Colh room containing Egleson's unfinished mural was promptly clos But Egleson eventually yielded to the College's demands, c administration involved and his need to complete the project images were painted out of the mural: a gold dollar in the moutl fists in the Peace panel. In fact, the assumption that these images were anti-capital paper, the depiction of a coin in the mouth of an eagle (the same likely represented a protest against Spain's fascist governmem After local newspapers publicized the story, College officials and denying allegations of censorship. Whatever the true symbolism of the censored images, the i mural. The realists believed that the unique function of mural b a society. They felt that their work should and especially toward the worker, with whom they identified. The mural also has a unique connection to the College—and i engineering professor Samuel Carpenter was a model for one c Professors Frederick Orthlieb and David Bowler, who is now r "On the front wall one of the figures is relatively tall and sle that appears to be circular in his right hand. That figure re; Bowler in a recent e-mail. Carpenter later served as chair of i years. Since the mural's completion in June of 1938, it has enjoyed a cannot recall any debate regarding the mural during the ragir ".. .[D]uring my years on the faculty it was there and we never { show it to prospective students and others but it was just anothe And yet, the mural still bears the evidence of its uneasy birtl Peace, no clenched fists pierce the sky. The quintessential Swarthm phc
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: r"Vfe%"t>r>,,t the possibility of painting a mural in Hicks Hall, led to the public, but not before a heated controversy involving -time College donor almost led to the project's abandonment. A lan in 1981 was the source for the following information unless ral, was born in Capelot, Quebec in 1907. He grew up in Ridley nsferring to Swarthmore, where he was a member of the Theta Sigma Tau academic honor societies. He graduated from the id went on to receive an advanced degree in aeronautical engiip engineering, however. In 1931, he began working for the New hoofaThifht. A visit to the Orozco mural at Dartmouth inspired t in Mexico. ) Professor Alfred Brooks, Chair of the Fine Arts department, in le first panel of the mural, which depicts both the positive and :ed a second panel showing the beneficial role of engineering in ;d Egleson to paint the rest of the mural. :s Hall until a student assistant sent a picture of the partially i to be a millionaire, a College alumnus, and a generous donor to 2 mural's communist message, the students' grandfather urged mural. id found nothing wrong with Egleson's project. In response to however, the College told Egleson that he would have to change ave the College rather than subject his work to censorship. The romptly closed to the public. demands, citing his respect for the Swarthmore faculty and the project in order to launch a career in art. Two offending in the mouth of an eagle in the War panel and a pair of clenched anti-capitalist was probably false. According to Silverman's le (the same bird that appears on the Spanish coat of arms) most government rather than a criticism of American capitalism, ege officials released three statements defending their actions mages, the ideals of social realism clearly pervade the Hicks mi of mural art was to express the values, history, and politics of of social responsibility toward their fellow men, identified. >llege—and not only because it was painted there. Swarthmore del for one of the engineers depicted in the mural, according to vho is now retired. r tall and slender and is carrying something [a surveyor's tape] at figure represents Professor Samuel T Carpenter..." wrote as chair of the Swarthmore engineering department for many as enjoyed a quiet existence in Hicks 312. Bowler states that he ing the raging anti-communist sentiment of the McCarthy era. id we never gave it another thought," writes Bowler. "We would s just another possibly interesting item on a tour of the College." uneasy birth. In War, the eagle's mouth remains empty, and in more work of art The response Egleson wrote in 1938 that his newly-completed work would "trace on the minds of people looking at [it] views as divergent as the antipodal opinions that men everywhere arrive at regarding the same reality." But Egleson also believed that the mural's merit lay precisely in its ability to evoke such responses from those who saw it. In his own words, "the degree to which it may cause people to ponder the realities of our times may lie the measure of its contribution to the real educational and cultural mission of the College." The following three responses to the Hicks mural, from two Swarthmore students and a professor, suggest that Egleson's creation continues to force people to think deeply—just as the artist had hoped nearly sixty years ago. Kwabena Adu 'Ol, an engineering major, first saw the Hicks Mural when he stepped into his introductory engineering class fall semester of freshman year. He summed up his initial reaction to the mural in one word: "Whoa." Adu recalls being disgusted by what he calls the "communist" aspects of the mural. "When I first came to Swarthmore I was quite conservative," Adu says. "I [regarded] the mural as communist propaganda." But in his two and a half years at Swarthmore, Adu's political leanings have shifted—and with them his attitude toward the mural. "I became more liberal," Adu concedes. He still doesn't agree with the mural's depiction of "communist ideals." But he says he is now "more open-minded" and has gained "a lot of respect for the mural." "I see the mural differently [than when I came to the College]," he says, "which shows how my views have progressed for the better." Despite this change, the mural has always raised more questions than answers for Adu. During the weeks following his first impression of the mural, Adu says he tried to "find out its secrets" during class. He remembers thinking that the image of a brown hand and a white hand clasped in brotherhood "didn't make sense," since blacks form a large majority in Adu's native Ghana. Adu admits that the mural still draws his attention during his frequent classes in Hicks. He wonders why the moods of the panels change so dramatically, from the bustling portrayal of men entering a factory on the south wall, to the "desolation" of war and the giant swastika on the rear wall, to the "happy" group of workers near the windows, and then to the images of unity and peace on the north wall. The absence of women in the mural also continues to puzzle Adu. Pointing to the panel entitled Science and Poverty, in which an old woman searches for food in a pile of discarded bones and weapons, Adu observes that women are present only in the "most troubling" scenes. "It would be great if the mural [depicted] more women," he says. Overall, however, Adu has a profound appreciation for the mural's artist and his creation. "Whoever did [the mural] put a lot of passion into it," Adu asserts. "They wanted to say something, and they did so brilliantly and well." "The mural reminds you that while you're studying something like ideal beam bending, there's a whole world out there," says Hannah Rakoff 'Ol, also an engineering major. "It gives you a sense of respect for the real world [outside of] classes." Like Adu, Rakoff finds the mural "interesting to ponder during class," though she confesses that Hicks 312 seems "hardly right for a grand mural." The images of a bomb plunging into an open book and of a gas mask lying on the ground are particularly disturbing in their depiction of twentieth century political themes, states Rakoff. And yet, Rakoff observes, the mural in its entirety is more impressive than any individual scene. She is awed by the wide thematic scope of the mural—including its portrayal of such major issues as science and technology, communism, hunger, war, and Nazism—as well as by the ways in which it combines these themes both within and across panels. "The mural is so big, [yet] the scenes seem to melt into each other," says Rakoff. The artistry of the mural contributes to the impact of its subject matter, asserts Rakoff. "The mural is amazing artistically. The painter has a great ability to paint muscle and clothing... There's so much detail and strength of color." The mural's juxtaposition of opposites also creates a dark and powerful effect, according to Rakoff. For example, "[ln the Science and Poverty panel] you see horrible things surrounding a room where people pursue genteel activities." "Overall, the mural seems very negative," concludes Rakoff. "I think there's some sort of hope in the mural," she adds, pointing to the image of a handclasp between people of different races, "but it's well-camouflaged." Nevertheless, Rakoff sees a lesson in the mural's depiction of evil, for "it reminds us... that people need to learn about horror to avoid repeating it." "I'm glad the mural is there because it... stimulates discussion of issues that at some places are never considered because they're beyond the scope of the undergraduate program," says Professor Frederick Orthlieb, who has taught in the Engineering Department for nearly 25 years. "The mural forces you to consider the sociopolitical context of technology." Orthlieb finds the mural particularly "intriguing" as a result of the year he spent working at the National Science Foundation's Office of Energy Research and Development before coming to Swarthmore. This experience gave him insight into the exploitive relationship between politics and technology portrayed in the mural. "The political process views technology as a means to an end. And that end is often political," says Orthlieb. "This point is brought home strongly in the mural." One scene that is particularly blatant in its criticism of government's abuse of technology shows a group of scientists working in a defense lab while a woman searches for potatoes in a pile of rubble. This scene points to the mural's overarching theme of technology's potential for both good and evil, says Orthlieb. "Technology is a tool that can be used for good purposes or ill. The mural shows both sides of the coin." Orthlieb believes that the darker themes of the mural may have resonated more strongly in the pre-World War II atmosphere in which it was painted. While emphasizing that "the engineering program [at Swarthmore] currently subscribes to humane uses of technology," he is not sure if this was true in the years following World War I. Although Orthlieb is quick to point out that the mural "must be understood in the context of its time," he acknowledges that it also speaks to more recent conflicts, including the Vietnam War, Kosovo, and the genocides in Africa. In addition, people's individual responses to the mural are profoundly affected by their backgrounds, according to Orthlieb. "People who have had military experience may bring a different view to the mural," says Orthlieb. "Experiences during one's formative years influence how one looks at the mural. The [increasing diversity] of students at Swarthmore brings more points of view to the mural and to its significance." While Orthlieb has seen works that depict similar social realist themes, he says that this mural has an "uncommon strength" and "a sharp edge." "It's powerful stuff if you let it be," says Orthlieb. NATHAN ASHBY-KUHLMAN | Phoenix Staff PholH'tieptl 3 dec. 1999 9
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Spring Student Council elections to be held Dec. 8-10 Xiao Chang 'O3 College Judiciary Committee Hello. My name is Xiao Chang, a member of the class of 2003.1 would be honored to serve fellow students on the College Judiciary Committee, where I will strive to uphold the integrity of our school by making careful evaluations of cases. For those to whom I can speak only in this forum, I hope to convince you of my passion and motivation. Each at our school of individuals is entrusted to pursue his or her own endeavor along our community's standard of honor. Though it is difficult to stand in judgement of one's peers, I hope and wish to join the CJC in its mission to affirm and validate our common value in truth and fairness. I can also be counted on to do a good job, especially in being fair and unbiased. Involved in our Peaslee Debate Society, I have learned to analyze an argument from different angles. Equally important, I have learned to make objective decisions in judging debate rounds even at times when I disagree with a basic viewpoint. Similar backgrounds in high school have also prepared me to be a responsible member of the CJC. I appreciate this opportunity. With your vote, I hope you will bring me a step closer to my goal of serving the college. Patrick Hagan 'O2 College Judiciary Committee Hello, my name is Patrick! I'm running for a position on the College Judiciary Committee, which convenes in a circumstance in which, for instance, you may be in danger of being expelled from Swarthmore (but only if you were caught doing something bad). To be honest, I have trouble imagining anybody I've met here guilty of anything that terrible, but I suppose that is the whole point. I don't indulge in any idyllic dreams about this place; I'm positive that Swarthmore is one of the most uniquely friendly and understanding places on the planet. I grew up in Ridley (right next door to Swarthmore) and have chilled here since I was a wee lad, before the whole skateboarding thing made even my non-threatening ambulatory visits occasionally uncomfortable. I've met, during my walks, throngs and herds of Swarthmore students past and present, and I've loved each one of them because they've all been super nice to me. I could not help but to form a deep attachment to this place and the love I feel surging through it. As a result, I hold the community of students, staff and local children here in the highest esteem and take the protecion of our environment more seriously than my 8:30 class, which is nonetheless dear to my heart. I promise, that, if elected, I will continue to love Swarthmore as much as I do now and channel those feelings of love towards a serious preservation of an open-minded, academically responsible and safe environment in which to grow, learn, and skateboard. Neil C. Cavanaugh 'O3 Outreach Chair As the Outreach Chair, my goal is to streamline an inefficient student council while encouraging more of the student body to take an active role in student council decisions. By publicizing current SC issues, I hope to allow the voice of the student body to be heard. In addition to increasing interaction between the SC and the student body, I will improve the aesthetic pleasantness of the SC board while helping to fairly and efficiently distribute board space in Parrish Hall. Tony Hillery'ol Charter Committee Chair Students here at Swarthmore need to have an active voice in as much campus activity as possible. The decisions made concerning our student body should not be determined by a few elected officers without the consultation of as many students as possible. If elected Charter Committee Chair, I will make student voices heard equally and forcefully. Also, as the Student Council liaison to the Budget Committee, I will see that our money is being spent in a way that benefits the greatest number of studejits to create an enjoyable campus atmosphere. Caitlin Engelhard 'O3 College Planning Committee Hi! I am Caitlin, and I am running for for the position of College Planning Commitee Representative. This means that I want to be the person who looks over the shoulders of those distant faculty and administrators to see what they are really up to. At this point, I dont have any specific aspirations or goals as a member of student council, but I believe that it is important to have student input on any committee that looks at "longrange planning" and college policy. I am organized and outspoken about what I think, and as a freshman, I still have my idealism intact and a fair amount of free time. Brandon Silverman 'O2 College Planning Committee My name is Brandon Silverman, and I was the CPC representative on Student Council this semester. Unfortunately, it was only a one-semester position (the previous CPC rep. resigned), but doing it for a semester made me sure of one thing: I want to do it again. I know exactly what the College Planning Committee has been discussing, what they are going to discuss, and the details of the issue on the table. I am also familiar with SC, and have a whole lot of things I want to do before I leave Swarthmore...not promises, but things I would like to see changed and would try to get changed: 1. A 24-hour computer lab. SCCS lost the referendum, but now the administration understands that we could use some kind of computer lab that is open 24 hours. It is something that can happen and would make a real difference if it did. 2. Continue to let the administration know that we have an inadequate amount of student space, and we would appreciate seeing some improvements before we all end up financing the changes with our alumni donations twenty years from now. 3. Card access to dorms and buildings. CBC is going to look at the issue, but it would help if it was encouraged as much as possible by Student Council. We have all had to wait outside Danawell, Willets, or even Parrish at some point because the door was locked, sometimes even if you had a key (i.e. the darn lock in Willets). 4. A wider variety of food at Tarble and the bookstore, i.e. items you can take back to your room...loaves of bread, peanut butter, jelly, gallons of milk, cereal and so on. Some of this stuff is going to show up during Finals, but the more the better. 5. Two-ply toilet paper in all the dorms. Cornell has it, Rice just got it, and there is no reason we shouldn't. Its the small things that make our lives just a little bit better. Among other things this semester, I've learned how important it is to balance idealistic, long-term goals with more practical everyday issues that affect the quality of students lives. I'll make sure that balance exists if I am elected. Chris Morello 'O3 Facilities and Space Coordinator The Swarthmore College community has fallen apart. It is almost a joke to consider ourselves a "community" at all. We have to change Bringing the Swarthmore community closer together starts with refurbishing the existing allstudent spaces and make the best possible use of all extra availible as places where Swarthmore students can go to unload after a long paper or an ass-whooping exam. We should move our game room to a more prominent location, where it can be more easily be taken advantage of. If that isn't a possible option then we should at least renovate the game room so that is a place that is more comfortable to hang out and unwind in, after all isnt that what games are all about, unwinding? I would like to see that all of the public lounges in the dorms have televisions that can at least get SOME reception, i think that we are def finatly deserving of having a televisiontelevision that we can actually get more than 2 channels on. But most importantly my job as facility& space coordinator would be to carry out what you, my fellow students want. I will do anything I can to make Swarthmore College a tight-knit community where ALL students can assocciate together. In a college with only 1300 students we should be able to walk around and hang out in public areas and know all of our fellow classmates not only the little cliques that many of us like to be around. I would like to make our college lives as worthwhile and unforgettable as possible and I know you all would like the same thing. It all will start with better useage of our existing facilities and creation of more for use by the entire student population at Swarthmore. Jennifer Pao 'Ol Appointments Chair Hello, my name is Jennifer Pao, class of 2001, and I would like to be your Appointments Chair. As a Student Council member, I want to ensure that the students have a voice in all the colleges affairs. In order to accomplish this, I want to develop a more efficient procedure of applying for and awarding committee positions that guarantees equal opportunity for all students who desire to serve on committees. I believe the first step to achieving this goal is strong communication between the appointment chair and the student body will enable a solid committee procedure. Strong communication can be built through advertising and meetings. All available positions will be greatly publicized to ensure that everyone has all the information available and has an equal opportunity to run for committees. I will employ the media of posters, flyers, emails, and whatever else, to get the information out to all members of the student body, I also plan to update the Student Council Appointments web page, making to present all committee information so that it is easily accessible and easy to understand. The web page will be up-to - date with instructions on how to apply for committees, what committees are open, and with detailed explanations about each committee. I would also like to establish meetings between the appointments chair and the committee appointees. Every so often, perhaps once a month, I would like to meet with at least one member from each appointed committee. This would allow student council to stay informed of any concerns any committee might have, as well as ensuring that students have a voice in non-elected positions. As for SC in general, I believe there are several important changes that need to be addressed. First, based on some of problems SC has been having this semester, it is possible something is wrong with the structure of the council. If elected, I will look into possible changes to the restructuring SC so as to ensure that members are more responsive to students, perhaps by making them responsible to smaller constituencies. This way, representatives would be more approachable, and more concerned with your specific concerns. With an efficient committee procedure that allows equal opportunity will guarantee a diverse set of students on the committees that will allow every member of the student body to be heard. Dave Choe 'Ol Treasurer There is a succinct and a wordy way to state a platform. I don't know what you or my competitors prefer, but I like the former: 1. As Treasurer and SC member, I will champion student council's involvement in expanding and increasing funding for the Career Planning & Placement Office. Specifically, the demand on the office to help seniors get jobs and admitted to graduate schools, while assisting underclasspersons procure internships, is too much to expect from the under-staffed office. The college needs to alleviate the pressure—of reviewing resumes, cover letters, and essays, organizing information sessions, interviews, workshops, and the like—by increasing the number of staff who can work with the students. I ultimately want to see an increase in the college's visibility with company employers, non-profit organizations, graduate schools, and to wherever else Swatties endeavor.2. I will help realize twenty-four hour public access to computing and to ensure that it accommodates all students who wish to utilize the service. 3.1 will continue to push for a student center. But seeing that it will probably takes years before it actually gets built, I think that in the interim, the college ought to improve the student lounges and generally the social life in the dorms. This goal might involve increasing the number of televisions in the dorms and offering cable service. If not cable, then we at least should purchase high-powered antennas that get better reception of the local stations. Improvements might also include supplying more microwaves to the dorms—for example, one for each hall in Willets. These are only two ideas for making dorm social lives more pleasurable, and I'm sure you all probably have many more. I want to be the one on student council responsible for representing. them. 4. On a more idealistic note, I strongly believe that the student council has the obligation to be proactive in informing the students of its proposals, even if the college appears to be indifferent to student council decisions. Being proactive is simply one of the criteria of serving on student council, and it should not be dismissed and neglected on the grounds that "the students just don't care." No doubt, such a goal would be extremely difficult to implement. But my sense is that on too many occasions recent student councils have taken the easy way out by just giving up trying. In reaction, a result has been an increasingly apathetic student body, and the pinball machine incident is indicative of this widening divergence between student council and student relations.The first move to bringing the two groups together is the responsibility of student council, and it ought to be persistent in its attempt. This means regularly posting proposals on the student council bulletin board, making efficient use of email to inform the college of its decisions, making members accessible, or quite simply, talking to students to see what they think. Devising efficient ways to realize this goal and to be persistent in the face of student apathy will not be easy, but serving on student council was never meant to be. As for the specific role of Treasurer, I will help ensure that student council is fiscally responsible, but more importantly, that the student body is aware in particular of proposals to make material expenditures. Should student council want to make purchases—and it ought to be proactive in such attempts—I want to ensure that the student body is aware of the proposals and able to offer feedback. Jobs, computers, student lounges, and a listening ear; these are what I offer. Hope to get your vote. What Student Council Elections When Dec. 8-10 Where Balloting in Sharpies and Parrish Parlours Why To elect Student Council representatives for the spring semester. What's New In order to clarify what abstain means, Student Council has added to the ballot an explanation stating that abstain is a vote for none of the above and voids any other votes in that race. Also on the ballot will be a nopreference choice. Platforms are unedited and printed as received by The Phoenix. ohoßiaix. >J 3 dec. 19991 10
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'X-Files' more about creativity than storyline MARK LOTTO t^tube Somebody somewhere once wrote that the old-style $2O bills portrayed America as a big green country full of politicians and weirdos. That's "The X-Files" nation, the bizarro America of alien abductions, serial killers, Bigfoot, circus freaks, blues guitar, Watergate, wiretaps, militia groups, cultists, black helicopters, alligators down sewers, informants in parking garages, and secret chatter on CB radio. Driving home over Thanksgiving break, I was passed on the highway by a big black eighteen-wheeler with a neon cross burning bright on its front grill and "Jesus is God" written on the cab and that's the sort of weird American moment that "The X-Files" sells every Sunday, reimagining that scary-ass trucker as a born-again Christian braineater munching cerebellum in truckstop bathrooms, or a horseman of the apocalypse, or a mutant who bears an eerie resemblance to Jon Voight but is in fact not Jon Voight and just some mutant lookalike. I figure "The X-Files" is the most overwritten-about show of the decade and the cliches of paranoia and platonic love are pretty firmly in place. Every columnist goes on about the spectre of sexual tension between Spooky Mulder and Scientific Scully, boiling down the whole thing to a "Will they? Won't they?" scenario, acting as if it was the first time opposites ever attracted. What? These people have never seen "Cheers"? Or "Moonlighting"? Or "Anything but Love" with Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis? Baby, it's television: that's what opposites do, they attract. And as for the show's "Lee Harvey Oswald didn't act alone" version of history and "The Truth Is Out There" conspiracy theories? Its paranoia is like a movie trailer, whose sole function is to whet your appetite and keep you coming back for more, week after week; it's serial rather than subversive. Whoa! Scully has an alien-engineered brain tumor! The Cigarette Smoking Man is really Mulder's father! The same shadowy syndicate is responsible for the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Jimmy Hoffa, John Denver, and the failure of the Buffalo Bills in numerous Superbowl attempts! Sign me up! Where can I find out more? *- In my opinion, the so-called mythology episodes, in which Mulder's search for truth is furthered in half-steps and frustrating ellipses, demonstrate the expansiveness of show creator Chris Carter's imagination but his poverty as a writer. This season has been especially bad, replete with numerous Mulder-as-messiah references and a UFO that holds the meaning of life, apparently common enough in alien circles for them to just write it on the side of the ship (just like "Honk if you're horny" bumper stickers people here on Earth have). I watch the show most every week and enjoy it more often than not. But I don't want to give it too much credit. What you realize after a while is that Carter doesn't make shows about anything except his memories of other shows not a crime if he didn't always seem to be on the verge of some great statement, didn't aspire toward some secret metaphysics, some "truth." I like the funny, self-parodying episodes, which feature the most inventive narrative structures and highlight the smirking irony that David Duchovny cultivated over a long career in soft porn, and the monster stand-alones, which really deliver the goods. Satanic cults, incestous freaks, worm men, evil fungus that's the good stuff. I don't care what the "truth" is or where it is. I want the weird out there. Industry cracks down on illegal MP3s By Brendan Karch Phoenix Staff If a random bust like Margaritaville was able to puncture Swarthmore's bubble, then a group of economically motivated corporations are sure to stamp on our parade. And if they have their way, Swarthmore students could soon be busted for a crime much more serious than underage drinking: copyright infringement. That Swatties are guilty is undoubtable. Illegal MP3s, movies and computer programs have become an expected privilege for most students, who capitalize on the high-speed campus network to transfer large files quickly. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is making colleges and universities ground zero for the fight against MP3s, and it is probably only a matter of time before the illegal MP3 trade is shut down. But just as students' guilt is clear-cut, the implications of the MP3 technology remain complex and uncertain. On the national level, digital music proponents are up in arms over MP3s and the RIAA's attempts to squash digital music, legal or illegal. And at Swarthmore, a committee is busily drafting new policies to inform students and limit the college's own liability. More than just an MP3 In just a few years, MP3s have revolutionized music. Because MP3 technology delivers near-CD quality sound, but only takes up about one-tenth of the file space, it has been embraced by computer users around the world. And with the recent introduction of portable MP3 players, the technology is no longer limited to computers. Listeners have not been the only ones to benefit. New bands have encoded MP3s and released them freely using nothing more than amateur digital sound equipment. The recording industry's economic stranglehold on modern-day music making is loosening. Technology enthusiasts and music lovers are proclaiming an audio renaissance. A whole Internet culture has emerged to examine, discuss, and worship MP3s. At Swarthmore, the effects of the digital music revolution have been equally profound. And illegal. Hundreds of students on campus make music available illegally to their PC or Macintosh brethren and many more encode their own MP3s. Thousands of songs covering all genres are available free of charge. Cracking down It is an inescapable fact that most MP3s at Swarthmore are illegal copies. Every student who makes MP3s available on the campus network is breaking the law. But not all MP3s are illegal. It is legal to make a personal MP3 copy of a copyrighted song and it is legal to distribute MP3s if the band allows it. But practically every popular band has strict copyright laws that prohibit the resale or redistribution of their creative material. The recording industry claims to have lost billions of dollars from illegal MP3s. In an effort to combat the pirated music, they are intimidating colleges into cracking down on MP3s. So far, the threats have worked. In August, the University of Oregon called the FBI after they noticed a large amount of traffic from 22-year-old Jeffrey Levy's computer. He was arrested, and was recently sentenced to two years' probation for pirating music, video, and software, and for marijuana possession. He escaped a possible $250,000 fine. Then, on Nov. 8, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh randomly searched 250 computers and took away the Internet access of everyone who made MP3s available to the public - 71 students in all. Less than a week later, the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg installed network-monitoring software that limits activity to and from any one computer. The move came after the RIAA contacted the university about an MP3 pirate. Staking out legal ground Admittedly, there have only been three notable incidents to date. But as the RIAA continues to crack down and the colleges and students have little defense, there is seemingly little that can be done. If the trend continues, the illegal MP3 culture will inevitably collapse. Meanwhile, others are walking a tightrope trying to save a wonderful technology that has gotten a bad rap. With the RIAA attacking not only illegal MP3s but also the infrastructure that promotes legal MP3s, digital music proponents are fighting an uphill battle. It looks like the battleground over MP3 technology is just heating up. Last week, the nation's largest independent music label announced that its entire collection will be available online for free in MP3 format. But at Swarthmore, any hoopla about MP3s is less of a battle and more of a dialogue. A committee of seven faculty and staff members, called the Copyright Policy Task Force, has been charged with the delicate task of formulating campus policies in the wake of new digital copyright issues. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 has been the definitive source for the Swarthmore committee and for policy-makers around the country. According to Tom Stephenson, director of the Task Force, the act essentially carves out a safe harbor for-* the college that prevents it from being liable for students' actions. But to escape liability, the college must set up policies that proactively prevent illegal activity. The committee has made a preliminary draft of new college policies and expects a final version to take effect jtiext semester. According to Stephenson, the policy changes will not emphasize drastic control measures, but rather education and awareness."Everyone's consciousness is going to be raised in ways that could very well change their behavior," he said. Judy Downing, Director of the Computing Center and a committee member, stated that the RIAA has not yet singled out Swarthmore that the college will stay away from policing content as long as it can. "We don't want to surprise students," Downing said. But she also made clear that the college would not have an option if the music business comes knocking on its door. "There is only so much we can do to protect students from getting into trouble," she said. 'There is only so much we can do to protect students from getting into trouble." Judy Downing NATHAN ASHBY-KUHLMAN | Phoenix Staff Thousands of illegal MP3s are available over the Swarthmore network, including this copyrighted music. Roadmark to highlight student playwrights By Suzanne Wu Phoenix Staff Roadmark's Night of Original Scenes will take place this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Roadmark, a group that sponsors student written and directed one-act plays, will present the three works in Paces. The one-acts are written by Jessica Nakamura 'O3, Elizabeth Nolte 'O3 and Andrew Bryce 'OO. Bryce is also the coordinator of Roadmark. However, he said that he considers himself "among equals" in the performance. Roadmark was got its start in the fall of 1996 as a forum for writers to share their material. According to Bryce, the Night of Original Scenes evolved as an "outlet." "Roadmark gives a person who writes plays a definite deadline and goal to prepare material for," said Nakamura. Roadmark is Nakamura's first time directing at Swarthmore. Her play, "Glue Gun," is about a glue gun inserted into the continuity of early 20th century Japan. In it, the actresses speak in broken English with heavy Japanese accents and have Kabuki face makeup. "Glue Gun" has been performed previously in Maui, Hawaii. "The Televison: Another Birth and Rebirth in One Act." Bryce's play is about a man "who is not happy with his life." The man seeks refuge in his television, which is possessed by an angel. The third play, written by Nolte, is a collection of monologues about a girl's experiences at camp. "Camp Cumulonimbus" was written in one day and chronicles the experiences of an 11-yearold girl at a sailing camp. The performance takes the form of letters performed as monologues. "It was written for a younger audience,"audience," Nolte said. "In years past we've been called immature. I'm really happy that we've moved away from that—'that' being pretentious theater," said Bryce. "We are not pretentious theater. I'm really pleased and really impressed with the quality [of the show] this year." Roadmark's Night of Original Scenes Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4 8 p.m., Paces Featuring original works by: • Elizabeth Nolte 'O3 • Andrew Bryce 'OO • Jessica Nakamura 'O3 Itf% JFI M^'wm& IVI fm¥ * 3 dec. 1999H8 11
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princess SUZANNE WU I have a round nose. Np big secret. My mom once compared it *** to a ripe strawberry in a failed attempt to make me feel better about its appearance. David Mack draws big round noses like mine. David Mack draws Asian girls that look like Asian girls. And I am willing to overlook his overt Asianophile tendencies for that very reasorr- David Mack's books feature fabulously rendered Asian women who don't look merely like big-breasted white women with straight black hair. The current "Kabuki" series is written, illustrated, lettered and designed by Mack. It is a definite departure from earlier work, both his own and anybody else's. History lesson: Kabuki's mother was a 'comfort woman' to a Japanese general during WWII. The general was impressed by the grace she exhibited while performing traditional Japanese Kabuki dramas and *-ended up marrying her. The general also had a son from a previous marriage who was angered by his father's decision to marry a woman who was not of Japanese descent. The son assualted Beautifully rendered 'Kabuki' visual poetry Kabuki's mother when she was pregnant, and only through great effort was Kabuki saved. Then, as if he hadn't made his unhappiness apparent enough by killing the mother, the son carved 'Kabuki' into Kabuki's face to remind her of her mother's lowly heritage. Kabuki then grew up to become one of eight assassins in a covert law enforcement ring. I found the earlier "Kabuki" story arcs a little forced, a little too melodramatic. Mack hadn't yet mastered understatement and his dialogue was about as sexy and mockable as a personal ad. Earlier Kabuki stories were also, despite their historical and cultural accuracy, a little trite. Female assassins? Been done. Female Asian assassins? Done even more. It seems like every other Asian girl who appears on the pages of a non-biographical comic book is an assassin or ninja, a possible exception being Jubilee of the X-Men, who is just dumb. At least Jubilee is drawn so badly that no one can tell she's Asian. In the new series Kabuki has been placed by a rival government agency in an institution that houses operatives that are deemed ineffective. Her former teammates are sent to kill her. While in the asylum she falls in love with another inmate, Akemi, who is then apparently killed. Their romance is beautiful, the women are beautiful, and Mack's art is especially beautiful. In fact, I might even venture to say that "Kabuki" is the most beautiful comic book ever. Half of Kabuki just seems like doodles or a scrapbook, the other half is ridiculously fluid watercolors or calligraphy. It has been called "visual poetry," and really, I can't think of a much better description than that. Mack also plans to write a mini-series on all of the agents who were on the original team with Kabuki, but after picking up Scarab, the most recent output in this effort, I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe I just love the ongoing Kabuki series so much that nothing else can compare in my mind, but Mack's more conventional work seems very infantile in comparison. It's just way too concerned with being cool, which, as we all know, is the surest way to fail. The plot of "Kabuki" doesn't move very quickly, which Mack justified on the letters page of the most recent issue as not following a formula that says "there have to be 2.5 fight scenes in every issue." Not only that, but a slow moving plot just means more issues until the story's close. And I have no problem with that. I might even venture to say that "Kabuki" is the most beautiful comic book ever. „ " ——- Courtesy David Mao A rendering from "Kabuki" of Akemi, who Kabuki falls in love with. Durang's satirical 'Beyond Therapy' wacky, entertaining By Catherine Osborne For The Phoenix Within thirty seconds of their first meeting, Bruce (Steve Salter 'O2) has complimented Prudence (Laura Wolfram 'O2) on her breasts and she has insulted his masculinity. Their first date only goes downhill (and the rest of the relationship can only go up) in this comedy of bad, bad manners by popular playwright Christopher Durang. Sophomore directors Karen Lange and Claire Phillips-Thoryn tackle "Beyond Therapy," a cautionary tale of New Yorkers gone awry, with the able ** assistance of six talented actors. Salter plays a bisexual lawyer whose lover (Matt Landreman 'O2) understandably objects to his desire to date women (that would be Prudence). But his oversexedoversexed and feather-headed therapist (Becca Lipstein 'O3), who has him mixed up with one or more of her other clients, keeps pushing him to express his true feelings and central to the plot place personal ads. Meanwhile, across town, shakily-credentialed psychiatrist Dr. Stuart Framingham (Sam Blair 'O2) is alternately browbeating and attempting to seduce his patient Prudence. Wolfram is the relatively calm center of this storm, but this position is dangerous: she is made a focus for their neuroses. She is, however, a welcome anchor for the audience to grasp in the sea of insanity that (along with more conventional liquids) floods the stage. Chief among her tormentors is Blair, who steps away from his boy-next-door persona and turns in a stylized performanceperformance of a dangerous man who belongs on the other side of the desk. Wanting her affections for himself, he is infuriated when he discovers Prudence is seeing Bruce. Salter is amusing as a New Yorker turned New-Ager, crying at every opportunity, offering to cook, and attempting to explore both his psyche and his sexuality, the last with the help of Landreman's suicidal Bob. Lipstein's charmingly over-the-top performance as his therapist, meanwhile, explains much about his more bizarre behavior. The final showdown, in a restaurant where the total lack of service is the fault of David Adler 'oo's absentee waiter, sets up as many problems as it solves for these people whose failure to face reality and desperate desire for human companionship are the targets of Durang's broad satire. We can be grateful when the lights go up that Prudence's nightmare world, entertaining as it is, is not ours. "Beyond Therapy" will be performed Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Olde Club. Seating is extremely limited; you are advised to arrive early. Beyond Therapy Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4 8 p.m., Olde Club Featuring Steve Salter, David Adler, Laura Wolfram, Matt Landreman, Sam Blair and Becca Lipstein, p entertainment calendar Want your event listed in the entertainment calendar? Send your calendar items to phoenix_calendar@swarthmore.edu or to Phoenix Calendar, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, Pa. 19081 .The calendar deadline is the Monday before the issue is printed. Friday, December 3 ""Kwanzaa Celebration. The whole campus is invited to share in the artistic component of Kwanzaa. 7 p.m., Black Cultural Center, Swarthmore College. Free. The Midnight Quintett. "Intrigue, Sushi and Brahms" features works by Brahms and Mozart, followed by a reception. 8 p.m., Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College. Free. The Philadelphia Orchestra. World premiere of Hannibal's "One Heart Beating." Concert also includes works by Still and Ives. 2 p.m. (also Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 8 p.m.), Academy of Music, Philadelphia. For tickets call 215.893.1999. Saturday, December 4 Postcard-making. Workshop combines art and text with collage. Paint, old photographs, paper, stamps, dictionaries, scissors, watercolors, music and food will be provided. 2 p.m., 3rd floor Beardsley, Swarthmore College. Free. Fall Formal '99. "Wishing for Winter" is the theme in the annual formal dance. 10 p.m., Upper Tarble, Swarthmore College. Free. Tom Stoppard. Hang with the famous playwright and discuss his newest play, "The Invention of Love." 11 a.m. WilmaTheater, Broad and Spruce Sts., Philadelphia. Tickets $25. Call 215.546.7824. Sunday, December 5 Gamelan Semara Santi. The Gemelan Semara Santi and the Dance and Drumming Ensemble presents music and dance from Indonesia and Africa. 3 p.m., Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College. Free. The Philadelphia Orchestra. The Chamber Music Series presents selections from Haydn, Rossini, Prokofiev and Baker. 3 p.m., Academy of Music, Philadelphia. For tickets call 215.893.1999. Monday, December 6 Rage Against the Machine. The group's new album debuted at#l on the Bilboard charts and it continues to cause controversy with its support of Mumia Abu-Jamal. 8 p.m., First Union Spectrum, Broad St. and Pattison Ave., Philadelphia.Tickets $25.215.336.2000. Thursday, December 9 Swarthmore College Dancers. The Dancers' Fall Concert includes ballet, improvisation, African, modern and tap styles of dance. 8 p.m., Pearson-Hall Theatre, Swarthmore College. Free. phO€|^|<|r&|j»t< 3 1999HH1H8 12
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Burton's 'Sleepy Hollow' a dark, well-acted manipulation By Morghan Holt Phoenix Staff Tim Burton's latest movie has been ripped to shreds, criticized for destroying the original tale from which he and Andrew Kevin Walker adapted their gory, ghoulish plot. The critics scorn Burton for transforming the well-known "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" into a drab, depressing tale, full of fantastical, fabricated events whose intrusions cause the story to stray enormously from the original by Washington Irving. In these critics' eyes, Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" will never exist as a separate entity. As long as they continue comparing it to the original, such critics can't appreciate Burton's manipulated version all they see is inconsistency, which, to me, was the primary source of the film's intrigue. Burton's version of the legend diverges from the original plot from the very beginning. When Johnny Depp's Ichabod first fills the speakers with his pompous, accented whisper and then the screen with his prissy character clad in officer garb, the audience should immediately expect a tale filled with quirks and twists, and not another simple rehashing of the same old story. Ichabod is different. He is played by Johnny Depp, an actor with the intrinsic ability to convincingly convey perplexing peculiarities in every character he assumes. Second, he is a constable, not a schoolteacher. These changes should inform the audience that Burton had not meant to recreate Irving's "Legend." Instead, he renders his own conception of Ichabod and plays up the eeriness of the Headless Horseman. Basically, Burton and Walker manipulate the tale to make it suitable for the screen, as, in its original form, it could not have been. Throughout the film, the plot adheres to the basic skel- Eton of Irving's story, but does so Burton-style. The set is drab, devoid of color, and the characters seem almost specter-like. This, however, only lends itself to the effect Burton was aiming for. Instead of dulling the film, as one might expect, the film's mere appearance ties the story together quite nicely. Dubious at first, I was impressed by the film's fluidity. Christina Ricci, who plays Ichabod's love interest (yes, another Burton/Walker addition), flourishes in her character, perhaps creating a new image for herself on screen. No longer restricted to the part of a disconnected adolescent girl, Ricci's success in her role proves her ability to portray more mature personas. Playing alongside Ricci, Johnny Depp delves into the new Ichabod, showering his viewers with a new, more complex understanding of the wimpy, goofy-looking man they all watched as children. "Sleepy Hollow" certainly has its cinematic weaknesses, but the film by no means deserves the trashed rep it has received from so many stodgy reviewers. Expect gore (the story is based on decapitation). Expect also a tale much darker than the original (dreariness and gloom are Burton's forte). However, do not expect "Sleepy Hollow" to follow exactly the baseline laid out by Irving. Accept it as an entertaining, imaginative show, full of Burton's characteristic caprice and the power of his invention. Christina Ricci flourishes as Ichabod Crane's love interest. p swartgnire movie guide "Smoke Signals" PG-13. 89 minutes. Starring Adam Beach, Evan Adams and Gary Farmer. "The Thin Red Line" R. 146 minutes. Starring Sean Penn, George Clooney and Ben Chaplin. "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" 100 minutes. Starring Sharon Taylor and David Miller. R. 121 minutes. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne and Robin Tunney. (■■■■■■■■■■■■■HmM^ "Anywhere But Here" PG-13. 113 minutes. Starring Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Hart Bochner and Shawn Hatosy. "Flawless" R. 109 minutes. Starring Robert DeNiro. "Sleepy Hollow" R. 109 minutes. Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and . "The Bone Collector'* R. 118 minutes. Starring Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, and Queen Lattfah. "Toy Story 2" G. 85 minutes. Starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards. HE "The Insider" R. 155 minutes. Starring Al Pacino, Russell Crowe and Diane Venora. "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace" PG. 132 minutes. Starring Liam Neeson.Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman. "The Sixth Sense" PG-13. 107 minutes. Starring Bruce Willis, Olivia Williams and Haley Joel Osment. Dupont 161 Friday 7:30, 10:00 .■■■■■' :':-:" ■■■■■.'■ . ' ■ ■■■■■■■■:■ :. LPAC Cinema Saturday 7:30, 10:00 io°ooay 7:40,10:15 7:50, 10:20 7:20, 9:35 7:30, 10:50 7:50, 10:35 8:45, I 1:45 Student Council vans leave from Parrish East circle for AMC Marple 10 every half-hour from 7-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.The last van trip returning to Swarthmore leaves the theatre at I a.m. For additional showtimes, call 610.328.5348. Compiled by Morghan Holt. Low-budget and low-key, "Smoke Signals" won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Based on "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven " it's a road movie with an acid sense of humor and a heritage-ridden theme that's as universal as it is speciffc.A quality film. "Thin" marked the long-awaited big-screen return of legendary director Terrence Malik. The film's breathtaking cinematography coupled with a spiritual soundtrack make for a refined movie-viewing experience. But its philosophical edge can be a turn-off— critics dubbed it "a thinking man's war movie." Mutant tomatoes are created by mad scientists. A renegade band of misfits tries to keep them from taking over the world. Wackiness ensues. The end of the millennium has the Prince of Darkness out hunting for his other half in New York City. The object of his unholy match is Robin Tunney. It's up to security agent Arnold Schwarzenegger to protect the unwilling bride from the devil himself. Kevin Pollak Fleeing small-town boredom, a restless mother drags her reluctant daughter to Beverly Hills. Adjusting to their new environs and ever-changing relationship, they finally reach an understanding as the daughter prepares to leave for college. Director Wayne Wang effectively brings credible, intelligent female characters to the screen. In 1429, a teenage girl from a remote village stood before the world and announced she would defeat the world's greatest army and liberate her country. This epic drama chronicles one of history's most awe-inspiring women, but has faced harsh criticism from historians. Harshly criticized for its deviance from the original "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" is actually quite fluid and best taken as an imaginative and entertaining, though flawed, movie. This thriller details the scheming of a serial killer, his crafty attempts to evade capture, and the sheer brilliance of American forensics in action. The intensity and fast pace of this show, in addition to the superior acting skills of the talented cast, should make it worth your while. According to critics, this sequel to Pixar's jovial "Toy Story" matches its predecessor in its wit and wizardry. The movie includes Woody, Buzz, 80-Peep, Mr. Potatohead and the whole gang for a good time. James Bond: it's a sequel. 'Nuff said. One hundred fifty-five minutes is an awful lot of time to dedicate to the story of a top news reporter trying to coerce an ex-tobacco producer into revealing the tricks of the trade. I'm interested in the logistics of plot development of it, but I don't know that I'm intrigued enough to devote that much time to a film that sounds slightly less than riveting.* Why is this movie back at Marple? We don't know. The much-anticipated movie is one of three prequels to the original 'Star Wars' series. If you haven't seen it already, you probably don't want to, but if you do, save your money and see it on campus next weekend for free. If you've heard about "The Sixth Sense," you already know the premise. If you haven't, suffice it to say, "I see dead people." If you go, you'll see more than just dead people; you'll see a tantalizing, confusing, intelligent, overloaded horror film with a killer ending. This one's been in theaters forever. pOO li\#iw%Ii\#iw% V*^€ 3 dec. 1999| 13
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Women's swimming cruises 3-0, men's team goes 1-2 against F&M, W&L and Widener By Becca Howes-Mischel For The Phoenix The intensity of the opening cheers in each of the swim teams' last three meets has left no doubt that other teams see Swarthmore as the team to beat. Franklin and Marshall, Washington and Lee, and Widener swim*mers all swam better than they had previously in the season in an effort to get to the wall faster than Garnet swimmers. When it was all said and done, the women's team came out with three wins and the men with one. The women's record now stands at 4-0 and the men's is 2-2. Regardless of the final scores, swimmers from both the men's and women's teams have had some extremely fast races in the recent meets. With only two more meets remaining in the fall semester season, the Swarthmore squads have proved that they can challengechallenge conference and nonconference foes. At the Franklin and Marshall (F&M) meet, the women won 119-86, while the men lost 132-69. Even after it was evident that F&M was simply a faster team, the Swarthmore men never gave up as they continued throughout the meet to swim some amazing races. Mike Dudley 'O3 was the sole male individual winner with a spectacular finish of 2:06.56 in the 200 backstroke. As the F&M men began their victory cheer, the men's 400 freestyle relay team of Paul Dickson 'OO, Jason Kerensky 'O3, Chris Bussard 'O3 and John Lillvis 'O3 rallied back in the last race to end the meet on a high note as they stroked the wall two seconds before the F&M team with the time of 3:25.93. On the women's side, Swarthmore began its domination with a first place in the 400 medley relay. The team of Becca Howes-Mischel 'Ol, Natalie Briones 'O3, Alice Bonarou 'O2 and Davita Burkhead-Weiner 'O3 finished at 4:09.23, six seconds before the F&M team. Continuing their command in the water, the Swarthmore women went on to win all but one individual event. Individual winners included Mari McCrann 'OO (1000 free, 500 free), Briones (50 free, 200 breast), Burkhead-Weiner (200 IM, 100 free), Bonarou (200 fly) and Amy Auerbach 'O2 (200 free). Bonarou (200 fly) and Briones (200 breast) both finished with national Bcut qualifying times, an amazing accomplishment so early in the season. A week later, Swarthmore swimmers went head-to-head against non-conference rival Washington and Lee (W&L). Swimming without some key athletes, the women managed to hold them off 113-92; the men faced a shaved and tapered Washington and Lee team and felll3o-69. The lone win in the men's individual events came from Ted Sherer 'Ol in the 200 breaststroke. Followed closely by Dudley, the two blew the W&L swimmers out of the water. Whitehead swam an incredibly fast 200 freestyle, finishing just after the W&L swimmer, and Bussard pulled off another great swim in the grueling 1000. The women started their meet with a win in the 400 medley relay (Howes- Mischel, Briones, Bonarou, and Brandyn White 'O3) and continued the winning trend throughout the meet, concluding with a win in the 400 free relay (White, McCrann, Bonarou, Burkhead- Weiner). Individual winners included Auerbach (1000 free), Burkhead- Weiner (200 free, 100 free), Briones (50 free), Bonarou (200 fly), and Howes- Mischel (200 back). Bonarou and Briones repeated their national B cuts. While everyone was leaving for Thanksgiving break, the swim teams traveled to Widener and returned with wins for both teams. The men's score was 117-84 while the women's was 110-79. Individual winners on the men's side were Whitehead (1000 free, 100 free), Kerensky (200 free), Lillvis (400 IM, 500 free), Brent Wasser 'OO (200 back) and Sherer (100 breast). The men who got through the 400 IM (Lillvis, Dudley, and Dickson) were truly amazing for their stamina and speed in a hard race. Alternating with the men's speed was the women's power which upset Widener, a team known for their speed, in the Tuesday night meet. Auerbach (200 free), Burkhead- Weiner (50 free, 100 fly), Bonarou (400 IM) and Briones (100 free) were the women's individual winners. McCrann was outstanding for her tough spirit in the 1000 free, an exhausting race she has swum well in every meet. Emily Marks 'O3 (1000,500 free) and Laura Fox 'O3 (50 free, 100 breast) have also had remarkable swims in the last meets. Overall, the past weeks have seen some fast swimming from both sides of the pool. As the semester comes to a close, leave your papers behind for a few hours to watch the home meet against NYU next Wednesday at 6pm. With only two more meets remaining in the fall semester season, the Swarthmore squads have proved that they can challenge conference and nonconference foes. Pholflßbrt: 3 dec. 19991 14 At these prices, it's too bad we don't sell cars. day we will sell cors, food ami 1 to 3 doys. 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Women's basketball impresses after season opener loss By Caitlin Ryland and Christina Ciambrieiio For The Phoenix Garnet rebound with wins against Wesleyan, WMC and Bryn Mawr It is not Sharpies' shrimp Creole that is hot and spicy this year—it is the Swarthmore women's basketball team. These ladies of the court have been burning up Tarble pavilion. Lately, many unfortunate opponents have fallen victim to Swarthmore's aggressive knock out punch. Adversaries, be forewarned: their hot offensive hand and saucy defense has deflated the last three teams they have faced, capping the winning momentum with an impressive 60- point win over Bryn Mawr. Next up: the Seven Sisters. Swarthmore fell short of capturing the tip-off title in their opening heartbreaker against Endicott College. In the losing effort, the Garnet fell 58-56. Great expectations and seasonopening jitters unnerved the young Swarthmore team, spurring a poor defensive showing and a low shooting percentage in the contest. Heather Kile 'O2 contributed 25 points and 16 rebounds; Heather Marandola'ol, another key contributor, added 10 points and 2 assists. It was a close game, determined only in the final minutes. Swarthmore did manage, however, to rebound from their defeat with a nail-biting game against Wesleyan University.The Garnet team turned the tide in the consolation game with a thrilling series of final plays. Despite early apprehension, the team mustered the poise and endurance to finish strong against a Wesleyan team that had controlled the score the entire game. Outstanding showings came from Kile, who had 19 points and muscled down 15 boards, and her partner in crime in the post, Sarah Tufano 'O3, who chipped in 17 points and 12 rebounds. Tufano also cashed in at the charity stripe, making nine of 11 crunch-time free throws to seal the victory. This marks the first collegiate double/double for the Cromwell, Connecticut standout. But the Swarthmore women were not finished. Building on the momentum from the great Wesleyan win, the tide rolled into their first Centennial Conference game against Western Maryland (WMC) with high hopes. Tension was high once again in the Pavilion as Swarthmore came out with the "W" in a barn-burning overtime battle. Going into halftime with the lead, these women decided to make things interesting, and allowed the Western Maryland Green Terror to creep into the lead. Midway through the second half, the Green Terror commanded a 13-point lead, but Swarthmore was not done. With a second wind coming late in the game, the Garnet rallied. Tricaptain Marandola tied the game with six seconds remaining. Sophomores Katie Tarr and Heather Kile also scored key baskets in the decisive comeback attack. Free-throw shooting was big down the line, with Kristin English 'Ol, Tufano, and Kile all stepping up to the line and sinking clutch shots. The Garnet assault was multifaceted: Marandola contributed 13 points and five assists; Kile added 17 points and 17 rebounds of her own; and Tufano came up big with 14 points, six boards, and three assists. The overall standout of the game, however, was tri-captain English. With a stellarls-point performance, including 4-6 from three-point land, English earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week accolades. Coach Adrienne Shibles agreed that "it was one of the best performances by a Swarthmore basketball team thus far." After a short Thanksgiving lay-off, the team looked to channel the positive energy from the win into their next competition against Bryn Mawr College. The team did not disappoint. In maintaining the consistently dominating standard set by the starting five, the bench polished off the dismantling of the shaken Mawrters to mount an impressive 78-18 victory in the books. "Initially I was worried that we would take Bryn Mawr lightly," said tri-captain Kira Cochran- Bond 'OO. "But the aggressive onslaught on both ends of the court in the first half set the precedent for the rest of the game." In the first half, the squad shot 47 percent from the field, connected on 75 percent of their free throws, and shot an outstanding 80 percent from down town. In addition to the solid set of 16 points each from Kile and Tufano down low, sophomores Emily Gray and Christina Ciambrieiio subordinated the unsuspecting adversary with nine points each. Ciambrieiio put on a defensive show, leading the team with six steals in the contest.contest.Where can you catch the next thrilling chapter of Garnet ball action? The team departed yesterday for their annual assault on opponents at the Seven Sisters Tournament at Vassar College, taking place through Sunday. Women's hoops action will return once again to the borough as Swarthmore hosts conference foe Washington College on Tuesday, December Bth at 7:00 p.m. This match-up's heated history promises an excitement-filled conclusion to this semester's play before the Winter Break hiatus for final exams. JUSTIN KANE | Phoenix Staff Caitlin Ryland, left, defends the paint as Heather Marandola, center, drives toward the basket. Pho€Sßforti. 13 dec. 1999 15 |;r*r*Ms*r,Y Zl springtiroalc 2 0 0 PART*;-. DAY/NIGHTS. LIFT/LODGING PARTIES/LIVE BANDS You most be 18 lo consume alcohol in Canada www.skitravel.com 1-800-899-SKI-9 Hey you, jerky. Stop studying. Write, photograph, edit for the Phoenix. phoenix@swarthmore.edu
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"For love of the game" SCOTT KUSHNER O.iljtr field Recently, while relating the difficulties of coordinating school with athletics, a friend of mine asked me, "Why do you still play?" I dismissed it at first, but it really is a good question. Why do I still play sports? Why does any Swarthmore student bother playing sports? It's not as though Swarthmore is our final steppingstone on our path to the NFL, NBA, Major Leagues, or Olympics. For most athletes here, Swarthmore will be the last place they participate in organized competitive sports. When we were younger, the answer was simple: "I'm gonna be a ballplayer when I grow up." In high school, many of us played in the hopes of getting a scholarship to college. Alas, reality eventually struck and all of us Little League all-stars and Pee Wee pro bowlers have discovered that we are mere mortals and not destined for fame and fortune (as an athlete, at least). And thus I'm back to my original question. In pondering why it is that we continue to participate in athletics here at Swarthmore, I have come up with some rather compelling reasons: Because I know I am going to drive the 3-2 pitch into gap to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Because I am going to head the corner kick right past the goalie's outstretched hands. Because I can smell the endzone on 4th and goal and that linebacker is going to wish he was not in my way. Because as soon as I release the ball from beyond the arc, I know it is hitting nothing but the bottom of the net. Because I am faster than anybody in the conference and I will be the first one to break the tape. Because I am going to pin my opponent before he can even say "Andre the Giant." Because the only thing that smells better than freshly applied pine tar is the aroma of burning wood as I line a ball back up the middle. Because I know the cornerback cannot cover me deep. Because I can beat him off the dribble every time. Because even Goldberg himself would be scared to step onto the same mat as me. Because really getting to third base feels much better than anything resembling warm apple pie. Because even if I strike out on the 3-2 pitch or get stuffed on the goalline, or throw up a brick, or shoot wide of the goal, I will at least feel alive. Because there is more to life at Swarthmore than dissecting postmodern literature and increasing your alcohol tolerance. Because when I look into the stands, I see people who wish they could do what I am doing. Because if my jersey is not dirty after the game, I have not done my job. Because I thrive on pain. Because the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and every other cliche of competition gives me an adrenaline rush like no other. Because I'm going to Disneyland. Badminton hosts doubles tournament to kick off season By Patty Barrientos Phoenix Staff Team lost key players, but hope to continue to challenge rivals While the rest of the Swarthmore's fall athletes play on the green fields, the badminton players were indoors, concentrating on dropping, smashing and shuffling. Although the season does not start until January, the team began forming before the trees start dropping their leaves. "Since badminton is not a sport everyone plays, we invite people to play in October," explained fifth-year coach Dan Sears. "Then those who want to play varsity ball make the time." After a 6-2 record in the 1998-1999 campaign, Sears, along with assistant coach Dan Hamilton and five returning players, was eager to begin the winter action. The Garnet team lost their top singles and doubles players, leaving the squad vulnerable if the current players do not step in to the challenge. Nonetheless, the team has had successful seasons in the last five years and Sears is optimistic that they will continue the winning tradition. "We've always finished second to Albright or Bryn Mawr in the six years we have been in the Conference, but this year it's an open question as to who will come up on top," he said. This year, like previous years, the Swarthmore rivals will be Bryn Mawr and Albright, who won 3-2 against the Garnet last year, but the teams have also lost some players and Albright graduated its top singles player. The Garnet will get a preview of what is to come this Saturday as they host the Harcum Tournament, where they will meet Bryn Mawr, among other schools. This early in the season, the strength of the competition is yet to be determined. What is known is that the Swarthmore returning players need to upgrade their game. "We're looking for our top players, Siobhan [Carty 'o2] and Karen [Lange 'o2], to step up, Jane Ng ['ol] to play number one in the singles, and some of our backup players need to move into starting positions," said Sears, acknowledging that his players have "pretty big shoes to fill." Currently, the team has ten players, but is still looking for motivated and committed additions. However, there are three male players who can sometimes play mixed doubles in tournaments. Often they serve to prepare the women players. They will be playing in the round-robin tournament in Tarble Pavilion this Saturday, which will start at 9 a.m. and end around 3 p.m. Although it is not an intercollegiate matchup, the Swarthmore team will face strong competition from badminton talent from around the area. According to Xiang Lan Zhuo 'Ol, the tournament will show the team what they are up against and provide valuable competition practice. "It will showcase good players that you would normally not play in varsity and see how the game is suppose to be played on a competitive level," said Zhuo. 1999-2000 Badminton Schedule DATE Dec. 4, 1999 Jan. 25,2000 Jan. 26,2000 Jan. 29,2000 Feb. 3,2000 Feb. 5,2000 Feb. 8,2000 ! Feb. 10,2000 Feb. 12,2000 Feb. 17,2000 Feb. 19-20,2000 Feb. 26-27,2000 March 4,2000 OPPONENT Swathmore Doubles Tournament Bryn Mawr ] Bryn Athyn 1 at Haverford at Albright | PAIAW Tournament at Bryn Mawr at Bryn Mawr at Bryn Athyn Haverford Albright North East Regional Mid-Atlantic Tournament at Bryn Mawr I FA State Tournament at Albright JUSTIN KANE I Phoenix Staff JUSTIN KANE | Phoenix Staff Above: Karen Lange, a second-year badminton player, looks to smash the high-flying shuttle. Lower left: Xiang Lan Zhuo lunges to intercept the birdie and drive it across the net. Jpho^Jbrtd 3 dec. 1999 I 16 SEX PAYS!!! Become a model in the exciting adult entertainment industry!!! 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