The Miscellany News Issue 22 [Volume CXLV]

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The Miscellany News Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

April 26, 2012

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Volume CXLV | Issue 22

Questioning Student election results are in, Veterans VC’s values, Rubin ’13 wins VSA presidency organize investments VC group Erik Lorenzsonn Senior Editor

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Jessica Tarantine Features editor

A Madeline Zappala/The Miscellany News

he moniker of “the Vassar 10” does not resonate today, but in the late 1970s the term was notorious. It referred to a group of 10 students who were arraigned by a College disciplinary committee in 1978 for their role in a student protest, during which students blocked the exits to a Board of Trustees meeting. The cause of the demonstration was to decry the College’s financial investment in companies affiliated with South Africa’s apartheid government. Although the ten received a fine—to the ire of the hundreds of students who had gathered at their hearing in solidarity—the Trustees decided to divest from five companies with ties to the apartheid government. The story of the Vassar 10 speaks to a long-standing financial concern at Vassar: socially responsible investment. The ethics of the College’s investments is still a salient issue, just as much as it was in the 1970s. Consider the Kick Coke campaign of 2008, which demanded divestment from Coca-Cola for its alleged involvement in the murder of Colombian union leaders. Another example is a Vassar Greens’ campaign in the early 2000s, which highlighted the College’s financial ties with pollutants See INVESTMENT on page 7

Above, current Vassar Student Association (VSA) Vice President for Fiance Jason Rubin ’13 embraces a friend after learning that he was elected next year’s VSA President.The results were announced a little after midnight on April 23. Leighton Suen News Editor

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little after midnight on Monday, April 23, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) representatives for the 2012-2013 academic year were unveiled. In an emotional and boisterous ceremony, members of the Vassar student body waited with baited breath as Board of Elections co-Chairs Matthew Wheeler ’12 and

Seth Warner ’14 announced the election results. Current Vice President (VP) for Finance Jason Rubin ’13 was elected next year’s VSA President with nearly 150 more votes than his opponent, Clayton Masterman ’13, who served as Jewett President this year. “I am very grateful to the student body for voting for me and for allowing me to hold this position. I hope I do them

proud,” said Rubin. When asked what he thought contributed to his victory, he replied, “I think I just laid...my ideas out there for the College. I went out there and tried to meet as many people as possible. I’ve gotten the chance to work with a lot of people this year, and I think people just saw what I stand for and what I want to do for the See ELECTIONS on page 3

s uniform-clad West Point cadets arrived on campus and mingled with Vassar students last Thursday, some students are still unaware that Vassar is home to about two dozen veterans. In fact, earlier that day, a group of veterans employed by Vassar—faculty, staff and even alumnae/i—held their first meeting in the to discuss issues pertaining to veterans campus, share stores and come together as a community. “[The meeting was made up of] a diverse group, but as the conversation revealed, it really wasn’t. There was a common shared experience,” said Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Mechanic Mark Peura, a veteran and one of the main organizers of the event. But while the group itself is brand new—it doesn’t yet have a name—the idea behind it isn’t. “[Peura] tried several years ago to start such a group, but scheduling meetings proved difficult and interest fell off,” said Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Music Jon Chenette. “When Mark read the Misc article [“VC, West Point forge relationship with Academy’s visit” 04.12.2012] two weeks ago on the Mel See CONSTITUTION on page 8

Mrlik, Bavosa voted Miscellany VC students intimately News 2012 Athletes of the Year involved with FLLAC

Andy Marmer and Tina Caso Sports editors

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s a two-sport star on the baseball and soccer teams, Zander Mrlik ’13 is no stranger to success. The junior economics and history double major is this year’s Miscellany News Male Athlete of the Year. Amy Bavosa ’12, an anthropology and sociology double major and three-year captain and hitter for the

women’s volleyball team claims the title of Miscellany News Female Athlete of the Year. Bavosa became captain as a sophomore after a difficult freshman year, a year in which the team went 11-23. However, she took the situation as a learning experience, citing co-captain Sarah Potts ’10 as a type of teacher for the new position. “It definitely helped me come to a

Inside this issue

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FEATURES

SayAnything moderator reveals identity in interview

16 ARTS

Students perform Checkov’s “Seagull” with a wild twist

Rachel Garbade/The Miscellany News

Katie De Heras and Tim Serkes/The Miscellany News

Zander Mrlik ’13, left, a member of the men’s soccer and baseball teams, and Amy Bavosa ’12, right, women’s volleyball captain, were voted a of the Year.

leadership role which is something that I’ve never really been in before. I had to negotiate a lot of personal relationships while still being able to manage the captain aspects as well,” said Bavosa. She noted, however, that managing the team wasn’t that difficult with the straightforward attitude of her teammates. “Our team is into being open and honest. We just lay it out on the table, which I found to be really helpful.” She continued her role as captain into her junior and senior year. During her junior year, her role became much more natural, and by her senior year, she explained, “I could do it without thinking. I was fine on my own.” In a very unique situation, Bavosa was the only senior on the team in 2011. Though she found it strange to not have one specific person on the team to turn to, she found her situation very helpful, in that she was able to find a balance between her own personal accomplishments and her outward focus. She added, “I got so much attention, and I didn’t know how to react.” With a team trip to Costa Rica and a career milestone under her belt, Bavosa calls her senior year one of her most memorable. This fall, she managed to reach 1,000 kills, the eighth player in Vassar history to do so. See ATHLETES on page 20

Above, three students tour the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC). FLAAC employs three branches of student workers, including docents and curatorial assistants. Nicole Wong Reporter

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ou may know that the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC) contains over 18,000 works, which include paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and glass and ceramic wares. But you may not know of the strong student presence behind the scenes. Many of the exhibitions on display, past and present, have been orga-

18 SPORTS

nized, prepared and set up by a select few Vassar students who work alongside the curators and artists from the FLLAC. Three branches of students work with the FLLAC: the Student Activity Committee (SAC), docents and curatorial assistants, each of whom plays a major role in organizing exhibits at different times during the year. The SAC plays an important role in bringing the See FLLAC on page 16

Polo captain Leung builds team from the ground up


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