The Miscellany News
miscellanynews.org
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866
February 1, 2024
Volume 161 | Issue 2
Student travels Soul Glo concert excites amid winter blues to Pilsen, CZ Carina Cole
Features Editor
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Charlotte Robertson Managing Editor
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us and I are the only ones to show up for the Pilsen field trip. It is a Friday, no class, and our study abroad program offered an expense-paid tour of the city. “If you’re in, I’m in,” says my teacher to me and Gus. “This way, we get extra lunch.” The train takes an hour and a half. I sleep most of the way. I have this thing about vehicles and drowsiness. As we are pulling into the station, I wake gently and realize my mouth has been open. Embarrassing. Gus is telling our teacher about quadball. He is a national champion. She is fascinated. “I have a tournament tomorrow,” he is saying. He joined a team as soon as he moved abroad. I ask if he can understand his teammates and he says no, showing me texts in a group chat, all in Czech. Thank God for Google Translate. I am nearing the end of my semester in Prague and panic has settled within me. I have this list—museums and cafes and restaurants I want to see—and I am running out of days. I originally planned to spend the full academic year abroad, but I was See Pilsen on page 8
Igor Martiniouk/The Miscellany News.
lthough the snow on campus has nearly melted, people are still searching for ways to avoid the cold as winter marches on. What better way to warm up than attending a packed, energy-filled concert? Last Friday, Jan. 26, Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) hosted their winter concert featuring artists demahjiae and Soul Glo. The organization, co-headed by Dora Levite ’24 and Kwabena Adae ’26, tested the waters with an all-new theme: a snow globe-inspired affair held in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater. A sense of excitement and anticipation hung in the air the week prior to the concert, and for good reason. The main act, Soul Glo, creates music that is an exhilarating amalgam of hardcore punk and raprock. The group hails from Philadelphia and is composed of members Pierce Jordan, GG Guerra and TJ Stevenson, with Jordan primarily responsible for vocals while Guerra and Stevenson play a variety of instruments. Their lyrics deal with issues spanning from mental health to racism in America, all of which are layered over samples, crunchy guitar and booming drums back Jordan’s power-laced shouts. Demahjiae, the opening act, maintains a similar sense of charisma and command throughSee Soul Glo on page 7
Vassar fashion VSA, admin implement dining changes Emma Brown
Emma Lawrence
Guest Reporter
Assistant Arts Editor
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n a typical day at Vassar College, you might have to dart between “Movement for Actors” and “The Origins of Periodical Literature” with only 15 minutes to spare, and you have to dress accordingly. With such a vast array of classes, WorkStudy and extracurricular opportunities, Vassar students are forced to find the perfect “fit” that can check off every box. I interviewed three students with very distinct senses of style and got their opinions on the fashion landscape for 2024 at Vassar College. What fashion trends do you see around campus? CHARLOTTE TANNER-MORASH ’26: “I think Vassar definitely has its own microbiome, so to speak, when it comes to fashion. In an environment as busy as Times Square in December, I could identify a Vassar student with 86 percent accuracy. Currently, I am seeing a lot of knitwear, ‘your father’s’ leather jackets and identifiably thrifted sweaters with an off-the-rack American Eagle baggy jean. Overall, I think the goal of Vassar fashion at the moment is to look like you would be an amazing barista in See Fashion on page 6
Karen Mogami/The Miscellany News.
t the outset of the second semester, Vassar administrators and the Vassar Student Association (VSA) implemented changes to the college’s dining system, including adjustments to the meal options available at Vassar’s grab-and-go locations, Retreat and Express, the relocation of The Brew to the Bridge Cafe and the introduction of additional meal swipes in response to student feedback. The Retreat will reopen with previously unavailable hot food options on Feb. 7 after operating with only cold food choices since the start of the fall semester. Although hot food used to be standard at the Retreat, the facility’s cooking equipment could not be used last semester during the replacement of the exhaust system. The reintroduction of hot food also marks the start of Grill options being available at Retreat. “In addition to the Bowl serving window, we plan on opening a Grill breakfast and Grill lunch window,” said Dennis Macheska, the Associate Dean of Campus Activities. “The Bowl window will continue to serve students’ favorites for lunch until close.” After renovations have concluded, the Retreat will serve breakfast options, including See DINING on page 3
Inside this issue
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NEWS
News Editor Clara Alger reports on guest lecturer and author Dara Horn’s talk.
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HUMOR
Does New Hackensack building actually exist? Humor Editor Nicholas Tillinghast debunks the myth.
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SPORTS
As the race to the Super Bowl continues, Columnist Henry France reviews this Sunday’s NFL game.