| Vassar College's student newspaper of record since 1866
Volume 162 | Issue 9 | November 14, 2024 | miscellanynews.org | | Welcome to the Miscellany News' weekly email newsletter! Each week's articles will be delivered right to your inbox. If you know of anyone who would be interested in receiving this service, please share it with them at this link. | | JULIAN BALSLEY | On Saturday, Nov. 9, 105 Vassar students and faculty participated in a charity 5K run for aid to Palestine and Lebanon, organized by RunVassar, a student running club. To participate, runners were required to donate a minimum of $5 to the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization supporting children and families in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. According to RunVassar President Pooja Huded ’25, the event raised a total of $667.55 as of Nov. 12. | | Image courtesy of Leo Kogan '28. | | SYDNEY MIZE | From Nov. 9 to Nov. 10, the New York State Department of Health issued an air quality alert for the Hudson Valley as several wildfires burned across the Northeast. These included a brush fire in Arlington, the Jennings Creek fire along the New York-New Jersey border and a brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. | | Image courtesy of Berk Meral '28. | | MADELEINE NICKS | I have to admit that once the weather starts to get a little colder, I tend to retreat back into the shows that are familiar and comfortable for me. It is easy to slip back into the world of “Gilmore Girls” or “Parks and Recreation”—shows that have always been there for me. This option seems even more appealing because of the distinct lack of great new TV recently. Netflix turns out a tired original every couple of months, but the true Emmy contenders are in their off-season. That was, until “English Teacher” entered the conversation. | | Image courtesy of Kacie Burns '28. | | ALYVIA DRAPEAU | Kristen Bell and Adam Brody take the spotlight in the latest hit romantic comedy series, “Nobody Wants This” as a couple whose newly-formed relationship is challenged by their very different careers and disapproving families. The 10-episode first season dropped on Netflix on Sept. 26, and it immediately became a viral, binge-worthy sensation. The chemistry between these beloved actors has captivated the attention and hearts of viewers. | | LORA JANCZEWSKI | I am certain that at some point this week, on your way out of the Deece, you noticed large black bins adjourned in cartoons of Vassar’s unofficial mascot—the womp-womp—asking you to donate your Halloween costumes instead of discarding them. If you are an upperclassman who is not living in one of the nine traditional dormitories, you may have been greeted by mysterious new composting bins in front of your door with directions on how to effectively compost and…another womp-womp (sticker) inside! Maybe as you scrolled through Instagram, you paused to watch a reel by EcoVC featuring womp-womps guiding you to the sustainability-free library followed by another video featuring Chappell Roan’s hit song, “Hot To Go” and a returning initiative on Vassar: Green 2 Go. | | AURELIA HARRISON | Sophie Lewis is one of those unique thinkers whose work seems to unilaterally enrage people—at least at first. Lewis, who currently holds a position as a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, and teaches online at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, describes herself on her website as a “writer, speaker, teacher, and recovering academic”. At this year’s first Philosopher’s Holiday Lecture, Lewis visitedVassar on November 6th to give a talk entitled “TERF Island Comes to America: Buried Histories of the Feminism of Cisness,” a dissection of trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERF) ideology and whether or not we should consider bigoted feminism feminism at all. This lecture comes as a preview for Lewis’s upcoming book, “Enemy Feminisms: TERFS, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation.” | | Image courtesy of Aurelia Harrison '28. | | EVAN SEKER | Socrates, the Ancient Greek philosopher, was a thinker in the true sense of the word: He thought a lot, yelled at people until they thought sort of like he did and then got himself killed when people got sick of his shtick. People like Donald Trump, however (according to my favorite source on these types of matters, Vassar’s one and only Fizz), are real actors: Having no troublesome thoughts to impede their mission, they relentlessly implement any idea that crosses their path, or at the very least, try to. Donald Trump’s last term had a lot of trying, but not very much succeeding: Here’s to hoping that occurs again. | WREN BUEHLER | We’ve all received some harrowing news these past few days. This is a difficult period. We’re all in a state of panic, except for those of us who voted for this, who are presumably having a party somewhere. Many of us may feel compelled to look to the future with resolve, determined to never let something like this happen again. But don’t let current issues cloud your judgment. In these trying times, just remember that we are all fucked. | Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News. | | JOSIE WENNER |Vassar College has announced plans to replace Noyes Circle with a big swimming pool. Noyes Circle, otherwise known as the Nircle, is a beloved locale of both Noyes residents and frisbee players. However, Vassar is planning on digging up all the grass and dirt and putting in a giant swimming pool.
“We’ve got so much grass,” said President Bradley when asked to comment. “Like, SOOOO much. Have you ever looked around this place? Grass as far as the eye can see. However, I think we only have one swimming pool, and it’s so far away. | Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News. | | OLIVER STEWART | Since July 2015, Vassar College has officially been a smoke-free campus, meaning that “consumption, inhaling, exhaling, or burning any type of matter or substance that contains tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation” is prohibited on the grounds of the College. Like any prohibition not backed by a dedicated enforcement infrastructure, the policy largely relies on an honor system; as the original announcement from 2015 states, “the success of this policy depends upon the thoughtfulness, respect, and cooperation of everyone,” and “all faculty members, staff members, and students share the responsibility of following and enforcing the policy.” | | Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News. | | IAN WATANABE | It is a bad time to be a Democrat. Donald Trump won both the Electoral College and the popular vote in a crushing victory many were not expecting. On social media and among the people I have talked to, there is a palpable sense not just of defeat, but of grief and exhaustion. This article is not an autopsy of the Harris-Walz campaign. I want to instead examine the unintended consequences that the media coverage of this election have wrought on Democrat voters. | | CATHERINE MCCARTHY | In the first few hours after the 2024 presidential election was called in favor of Donald Trump, millions of devastated Americans were asking themselves and each other the same question: How did this happen? Although the literal answer is there in the votes, that is not what we are actually asking. Approaching the election, so many were filled with hope that even a slim majority of the American people had been put off enough by Trump’s bigotry, criminal charges or just plain incoherence. The danger that would result from Trump returning to office seemed like a no-brainer, a prospect only those with a serious gap in their morals would be in favor of. Yet he received over 74 million votes, more than he did in 2020. | | MARYAM BACCHUS | For the first time in almost 20 years, Vassar men’s rugby saw an undefeated regular season. Across their 10 games, the team earned nine wins—three being shutouts—before a defeat by Hofstra University in an action-packed semifinal game of the Tri-State Conference Championship. Though I am a relative novice when it comes to all things sports, I found myself invested in the team’s season after attending their second game—a shutout against crosstown rivals Marist College. Most recently, I attended their 10th game at home against Hofstra University where both teams fought hard, yet the visiting team ultimately prevailed. Inspired by the home team’s grit and humble attitude following the semifinal game, I sat down with captains Matheo Dwyer ’25 and Jack Gibberd ’25 to recap their experiences and this season’s highlights. | | Image courtesy of Nina Fishman '25. | | Henry France/The Miscellany News. | | WILLEM DOHERTY | Halfway through the NFL season, it is hard to be wrong if you are in sports media. The battle lines are drawn, playoff spots are already clinched and breakout stars/unmitigated failures are pretty much set in stone. But, bravely, I am going to try and be wrong anyway. Here are five NFL takes you can taunt me with when the season ends. | | HENRY FRANCE, CASEY MCMENAMIN | In Poughkeepsie, the trees shed their leaves and the weather turns cold, but not before the Brewers capture their fair share of fall sports titles. Vassar sports have been on a well-earned tear this fall. Fall athletes arrived on campus weeks before the start of classes, and months later, they are reaping the benefits of this hard work. The Vassar Athletics department fields eight teams whose primary championship season is the fall, and of the eight, three earned championships in their respective conferences. | | | | |
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