The Miscellany News Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com
February 4, 2010
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CXLIII | Issue 13
College has no plans to name cut professors Ruby Cramer
A
Editor in Chief
“Because I dealt as a 20-year-old with College administrators, I learned how to express myself in the face of authority.” Rick Lazio ’80, Candidate for NY Governor
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lthough it was announced last December that a total of 19 non-tenuretrack faculty have not had their contracts renewed for the following year, questions remain among students and professors alike as to who those 19 professors are and in what department they teach. In fact, not one member of the campus community—save for top College officials—could outline information regarding the names and respective departments of professors who will be leaving their teaching posts at the College. As a result, many have been left confused about what “19
unrenewed non-tenure-track contracts” will actually mean for the curriculum, and about how that statistic will have an effect on individual departments. Chair of the Religion Department and Associate Professor of Religion Michael Walsh explained that, even as a chair of a major department, he “doesn’t have a full grasp of what’s happening in departments across the curriculum.” “All that I do know is solely by word of mouth and conversation,” he continued. “I’m unclear whether the Office of the Dean of the Faculty can even release names, but ideally I would love to know exactly who will be let go, See FACULTY on page 9
Lisa Kudrow ’85 is honored at the 2009 Streamy Awards for her work in Web Therapy, an online television series. Kudrow accepted President Hill’s invitation to deliver the Commencement address on May 23 at the 146th Commencement ceremony.
Kudrow to address graduates performances in Friends, The Comeback, Analyze This, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and The Opposite Sex. Known for her range in genre, Kudrow has infused her career with what The New York Times called “a perfect balance of drama and humor.” The invitation to speak this spring was made by President of the College Catharine Bond Hill after an extensive list of suggested speakers was generated this fall by a joint group of students, faculty
Ruby Cramer
Editor in Chief
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isa Kudrow ’85, winner of an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her work in the television phenomenon Friends, has accepted Vassar’s invitation to deliver the 2010 Commencement address. Now a trustee of the College, Kudrow graduated from Vassar with a degree in biology before going on to garner over 50 acting awards and nominations for
Vassar grad a top contender in NY gubernatorial race Public art vandalized Matthew Brock News Editor
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n Nov. 2, 2010, Vassar students may have the option to vote for Vassar alumnus Enrico “Rick” Lazio ’80 for New York State Governor. Lazio declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination on Sept. 21 and is running on a fiscally conservative platform. Despite the
fact that the Vassar campus is traditionally liberal and that, as a Republican, Lazio would seem to go against the grain of Vassar political norms, he sees himself as liberal in many social areas and did not come under fire for his ideals while at Vassar. In an exclusive interview with The Miscellany News, See LAZIO on page 5
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani endorses Republican Rick Lazio ’80 for N.Y. governor at a news conference on Dec. 22.
Inside this issue
10
OPINIONS
Students comment on recent cancelation of summer abroax`d
Carrie Hojnciki
A
Arts Editor
rt is everywhere at Vassar: in the classroom, in the practice rooms of Skinner Hall of Music, in Kenyon Hall’s dance studios and outdoors, dispersed amidst our idyllic campus landscape. With the destruction and vandalism of more than six outdoor student sculpture pieces over the past three semesters, it seems this artistic omnipresence has been hit with its fair share of animosity. Perhaps the most recent case of vandalism in the minds of students is the bunker sculpture that lined the path from Main Building to the Thompson Memorial Library during exam week. The sculpture, a collaborative piece by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art Tyler Rowland’s ’00 Sculpture I class, took the form of a bunker and housed a figure that was presumably the late, great Matthew Vassar, top hat and all. The piece featured an audio component, looped on an iPod that was padlocked within the bunker. For most, the sculpture was a wel-
comed diversion, a point of interest en route to and from the Library. However, for one person it meant a free iPod. Just days after its completion, the sculpture’s Plexiglas window was punched through, and the iPod was gone. “I was shocked,” recounted Sculpture I student Sierra Starr ’12 of her initial reaction. This was Starr’s first experience creating a public work. Meanwhile, Rowland, professor and veteran sculptor, had a more nonplussed opinion on the theft. “I guess I wasn’t surprised. On this campus, there are people from the town who come in. There are drunk students from Thursday through the weekend. It wasn’t a total surprise,” explained Rowland. Having observed the anonymous destruction of many public and interactive works, both his own and others’, Rowland presented his four perceived categories of destruction: vandalism, theft, censorship and complete annihilation. “To me, there are different types of See VANDALISM on page 15
“I don’t think people are aware that there is a lot of work that goes into these pieces. There is a lot of pride — Tyler Rowland when you make something.”
15 ARTS
English Professor Paul Russel’s novel adapted for stage
19 SPORTS
and administrators, including Class of 2010 President Selina Strasburger, Professor of History Rebecca Edwards, Associate Professor of Chemistry Christopher Smart, Associate Professor of Music Kathryn Libin, Assistant to the President John Feroe and Director of Campus Activities Teresa Quinn. “Lisa is a natural choice, and I’m thrilled she has agreed to be the speaker,” said Hill in an interview with The See KUDROW on page 5
Vassar receives unprecedented number of apps Xiaoyuan Ren
A
Guest Reporter
fter a final meeting of all Office of Admissions officials on Jan. 25, Early Decision (ED) II applications for the Vassar Class of 2014 went through a last round of scrutiny. The entire Early Decision enrollment of the Class of 2014 has finally been settled. A total of 639 students applied to Vassar College through ED; of those, 379 students applied ED I, and 260 applied ED II. The total is slightly higher than last year’s total count of 596 applicants. Of this year’s applicants, 265 students were accepted. This acceptance rate, 41.5 percent, is slightly lower than last year’s 44.1 percent. In general, the rate of acceptance for ED applicants is higher than the rate for the entire applicant pool. For example, the acceptance rate for the entire Class of 2013 was 25 percent. According to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid David Borus, “students who apply through Early Decision indicate that their first choice is Vassar, and the early dates also placed a harsher time constraint for them.” Borus thinks these reasons make it logical to accept a higher percentage of See ADMISSIONS on page 3
Sports columnist offers Super Bowl XLIV predictions