February 13, 2009 Volume 125, Issue 16

The Scarlet and Black First College Newspaper West of the Mississippi

Grinnell College Grinnell, IA

RLC Rachel Meseke

to leave Grinnell
Takes job at Roosevelt University
BY PAT CALDWELL
On Feb 20, Residence Life will lose its second RLC this
year when Rachel Meseke leaves her position to work at an-
other college. Meseke has served as the RLC for Clangrala all
year, and has worked as the Smounker RLC this semester after
former RLC Jim McCarthy resigned over winter break.
“I feel bad up and leaving in the middle of the semester but
this is a great job, so I don’t want to chance that,” Meseke said.
Her new job will be an administrative position dealing with
housing at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
After Meseke informed Student Affairs of her intention to
leave during the middle of last week, the office acted quickly
to fill the open position. Marcia Purdy, who served as interim
director of Intercultural Affairs during the fall semester, will
step in as the RLC
for Smounker and
Clangrala for the re-
mainder of the year.
Purdy was unable to
be reached for com-
ment before the S&B
went to print.
“She loves work-
ing with college students, and really has a commitment to
Grinnell,” said Dean of Students Travis Greene. “She’s a non-
traditional person in that she’s had some really good life experi-
ence and probably older than a traditional RLC, but really does
a nice job of building relationships with students.”
Students who worked with Purdy during the fall said that
Meseke, see p. 2

SGA on campus climate

BY DAVID L OGAN
Before Wednesday’s regular Joint Board meeting, SGA
Cabinet executives delivered a 20-minute presentation on
the current campus climate. The presentation, similar to the
one given before Trustees last weekend, addressed concerns
over the current campus climate and perceptions of growing
Seniors kick off last 100 days with smooches
Seniors hold up honorary plastic mugs and chant “Four more beers” at the infamous party celebrating the near end of their college
distrust among faculty, students and administrators. experience. With only 100 days left to commencement, over 260 Grinnell seniors gathered at Jimbo’s Pizza Parlor for a night of
The subject and tone of the presentation, which was de- pizza and debauchery. For detailed kiss-and-tell from two attendees, see page 9. CONTRIBUTED
livered before an audience of approximately 60 students in

A Just Grinnell to host workshop

JRC 101, were sobering as Cabinet members described the
current state of the College and relations between its various
communities as a “crisis.”
“What’s the crisis?” asked SGA President Neo Morake
’09 at the beginning of the presentation. “We have a broken
community.”
Cabinet members sought to provide a comprehensive
overview of “the current campus climate,” Morake said dur-
ing the presentation. “We feel that it is necessary to confront
the very issues that are breaking down our sense of com-
munity.”
The presentation first turned to the ongoing dispute be-
tween some faculty members and members of the adminis-
tration which erupted following the contentious departure
of Sheree Andrews, former associate dean and director of
Residence Life. According to Morake, students had been
thrust into an uncomfortable position in navigating relations
between faculty and staff.
“Students are structurally placed in the middle of a dis-
pute between faculty and Student Affairs,” Morake said.
“SGA has heard many of their concerns, some including that
students have felt uncomfortable at the perception that they
were being used as pawns. And to us, perception is reality.”
In addition to students’ position relative to faculty and
staff, the presentation highlighted a perceived lack of trans-
parency and openness among both the College’s professors
and administrators.
“We feel like [students have] been sort of disenfran-
chised in a way and cut out of our role in Student Affairs
decision-making,” said SGA Vice President for Student Af-
Faculty, see p. 4
BY SARAH BLACK of 2008.
After nearly a year of organizing student activists and col- “Over the summer we were talking and felt that there need-
laborating with administrators, next month a new program will ed to be something that was institutionalized,” Krandel said.
take the first step toward creating a more just campus. “And that we shouldn’t just be talking about LBGT issues be-
During Spring Break, Mar 14 to 17, the student group A cause there are a lot of other ways that people are disadvantaged
Just Grinnell will hold a free workshop aimed at facilitating and privileged on this campus.”
discussions about oppression and privilege in Grinnell. Par- Perbix said that the organization saw a need on campus
ticipants will go on to develop a permanent program to enable for a common forum
such dialogue throughout the community on an ongoing basis. to present social justice
The workshop will feature three days with a workshop facil-
“Instead of relying on student concerns. “Instead of re-
itator from the Social Justice Training Institute, Kathy Obear. groups to fill [the] vacuum, this lying on student groups
According to organizer Leah Krandel’09, the first few days will
be spent defining social justice and its relevance to campus life,
is a picture where everyone has to fill that vacuum, this
is a picture where every-
along with training sessions. The final day will consist of “talk- experience of having dialogue.” one has experience of
ing about how we see a peer education program coming to- having dialogue,” Perbix
gether,” Krandel said. said. “We will probably
Feedback from the workshop and a Pioneerweb survey will Brian Perbix ‘09 eventually find a home
be used to create a pilot program this spring as a model for in Student Affairs.”
a permanent program to be instituted next fall. The ultimate A Just Grinnell’s
product is intended to be “a place where respectful dialogue can program was developed with advisement from the Student Af-
take place, but also where beliefs are challenged and new infor- fairs office. According to Dean of Students Travis Greene, sev-
mation is provided” said group co-founder Brian Perbix ’09. eral members of the administration, such as Vice President for
Along with Krandel and Perbix, students Dayna Hamann Diversity and Achievement Elena Bernal, and Vice President
’09, Latona Giwa ’10, and Julie Ross ’09 created A Just Grinnell for Student Affairs Houston Dougharty have been involved in
to expand the formal discussions organized by students in re- similar projects in the past.
sponse to the bias-motivated incidents committed in the spring “Elena, Houston and I have done work around social justice
Justice, see p. 3

Mysterious transatlan- An actor prepares: Campus Celebrity: Men’s tennis gets ready

Inside 1 tic crew with cameras

comes to campus, talks
about Noyce...........p. 5
2 new play written by
Jaysen Wright ’09 in its
early stages.............p. 8
3 The life of cool dude
and security employee
Pat Ritter ’08 ......p. 10
4 to win conference, go
to nationals, dominate
earth.....................p. 15
2 edited by Ari Anisfeld and J. Francis Buse
anisfeld@grinnell.edu; busejohn@grinnell.edu
SN&B EWS
Wellness fair to promote healthy living
February 13, 2009

World Headlines
• An inflammatory member of Dutch parliament who
has been accused of anti-Islamic statements was deport-
ed from Britain upon his arrival at Heathrow Interna-
tional airport. Geert Wilders, who was visiting Britain to
attend a screening of his controversial film “Fitna,” was
sent back to Holland almost immediately after arriving
in the country under orders of British Home Secretary
Jacqui Smith.
National Headlines
• Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was
impeached a little over a month ago, has been offerred
a contract by a minor-league baseball team. The Joliet
Jackhammers, a semi-professional team in the North-
ern League, have engaged Blagojevich in what the team
website calls a “pay-to-play” discussion.
Iowa Headlines
• Authorities are building a case against a Texas-based
turkey company after it was uncovered that 21 men-
tally disabled men were being housed in an abandoned
schoolhouse in Atalissa, Iowa and subject to what au-
thorities have described as work-camp like conditions.
The men were reportedly working for as little as 44 cents
an hour at Henry’s Turkey Service, and have been moved
into group homes after Fire Marshalls discovered and
condemned the building they were housed in.
—Compiled by J. Francis Buse
• The additional Substance-Free dorm will be in JaMaLand.
• A resolution was passed to require a community discussion
at least once a semester.
• The semester budget passed its first vote, and will be up for
its final round of voting next week.
—Compiled by Hugh Redford
BY M ANDO MONTANO rows ’10 said he believes the campus needs more wellness edu-
Despite February’s gloomy atmosphere, students will have a cation. “Often at times at Grinnell we get into contests of ‘who
chance to liven up at the upcoming Wellness Fair on Tuesday in can sleep the least’ or ‘who can drink the most on weekends’,”
various rooms throughout the JRC. Burrows said. “There needs to be a cultural shift that places
Wellness Coordinator Jen Jacobsen ’95 said she organized more emphasis on wellness, which can decrease stress on cam-
the fair in order to promote healthier habits on campus and pus.”
define wellness beyond typical issues such as alcohol and sleep. Even though alco-
The fair will include a variety of exhibits, ranging from a discus- “There needs to be a cultural hol-related hospital-
sion on the benefits of drinking tea to time for petting therapy shift that places more emphasis izations were high last
dogs. semester, Jacobsen said
“People have an initial reaction that wellness is exercising on wellness which can decrease the wellness fair was
and eating right, but really it’s much more holistic than that,” stress on campus.” not a direct response to
Jacobson said. “There’s a whole of bunch of areas in your life alcohol concerns. “The
John Burrows ‘10 wellness fair was already
where you can address wellness.”
According to Rebecca Gernes ’09, who will be leading a yoga
demonstration, awareness of wellness at Grinnell has increased SGA VP for Student Affairs in production before the
students came back in
since her first year. “I was really surprised when I came here August,” Jacobsen said.
three years ago and there wasn’t a yoga community,” Gernes “The students’ relationship with alcohol is only just a tiny piece
said. “But now it’s been thriving, with people coming every of the picture.”
week and regular attendance in the classes.” Beyond the Wellness Fair, Jacobsen hopes to promote
While wellness has slowly become a more visible part of healthy habits through new events such as spinning and yoga
campus life, SGA Vice President for Student Affairs John Bur- classes, as well as a square dancing Harris party later in the
semester.
Meseke she was a good fit for the College. “Her sucks for our staff, it’s really good for her, so I’m happy for her.”
nickname is Ma, and Greene noted that RLCs leaving during the middle of the
from p. 1 she’s very motherly, year poses a serious problem for Student Af-
and she’s a lot of fun,” “It’s unacceptable that people fairs. “I worry most about the Smounker staff.
said Leah Krandel leave mid-semester, but I under- They’ve gone through this twice now,” Greene
’09. “I think she’s a really great ally, and said. “That’s unacceptable in my mind. It’s un-
cares a lot about students.” stand the reality behind it, but acceptable that people leave mid-semester, but I
While most were positive about the that doesn’t mean I like it.” understand the reality behind it, but that doesn’t
choice of Purdy to fill the newly open mean I like it.”
slot, there is disappointment that an- Greene said that Student Affairs may con-
sider implementing changes to next year’s RLC
other change to RLCs is occurring mid- Travis Green
year. “I’m really upset because I had been program to encourage staff members to remain
talking to [Rachel] about the possibility Dean of Students for the full year. “I’m not opposed to looking at
of staying next year, because she was a ways for them to sign some agreement that says,
‘I pledge, or indicate, that I’ll be here for the re-
really strong RLC, and with new RLC’s
leaving she’d help out with that turnover,” said Kathleen Mur- mainder of at least a year,’” he said.
phy-Geiss ’11, a Student Advisor in Gates. “[But] as much as it —additional reporting by J. Francis Buse and David Logan

In the Feb 6 issue of the S&B, the article “Chris Hade me-
morial service Saturday,” mistakenly stated Hade passed
away Nov 14. In fact, he pased away Nov 21.
Also in that issue, the article “Admission sees increase in the
application rate,” incorrectly stated that Director of Finan-
cial Aid Arnold Woods said that the financial aid budget
would increase by 15 percent. Dean of Admissions Seth Al-
len, not Woods, said that.
TC Tech Tips!
Have you ever had any technology issues on
Help Desk campus, but you’re not sure who to ask?
ITS has a brand new system for reporting
any technology problems at help.grinnell.
edu (or simply “help” from on campus).
Anything from printer problems to technology questions is
fair game—if you have an issue, we can probably fix it!
And of course, feel free to call the Helpdesk at x4400 if you
ever need anything at all.
—The Technology Consultants

Feb. 13 - Feb. 19 Movie Times on Page 7

Friday 14
Saturday 15
Sunday 16
Monday 17
Tuesday 18
Wednesday 19
Thursday
GRANT PROGRAM & SWIMMING MIDWEST SWIMMING MID- DRESS TO IMPRESS: WRITING LAB IN- BLOOD DRIVE: JRC WRITING LAB THE-
ENDOWED INTERN- CONFERENCE TOUR- WEST CONFER- CDO 104, 1127 Park TRO & CONCLUSION 101, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. SIS WORKSHOP: JRC
SHIPS WORKSHOP: NEY: Obermiller Pool, ENCE TOURNEY: Street, 12:15 p.m. WORKSHOP: JRC 203, WRITING LAB SEN- 203, 10 a.m.
CDO 104, 1127 Park 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Obermiller Pool, 9 WRITING LAB CITA- 9 a.m. TENCES WORKSHOP: PROKOFIEV’S 7TH
Street, 12:15 p.m. WOMEN’S BASKET- a.m.-12:30 p.m. TION WORKSHOP: GRANT PROGRAM AND JRC 203, 11 a.m. PIANO SONATA:
ARTIST TALK: KOTA BALL VS. ILLINOIS SWIMMING MID- JRC 203, 2:15 p.m. ENDOWED INTERN- WRITING LAB CITA- Bucksbaum Sebring-
EZAWA: Bucksbaum COLLEGE: Darby WEST CONFERENCE GALLERY TALK: VIC- SHIP WORKSHOP: TION WORKSHOP: Lewis Hall, 11 a.m.
Faulconer Gallery, Gymnasium, 1 p.m. TOURNEY: Obermill- TORIA LU: Bucks- CDO 104, 1127 Park JRC 203, 1:15 p.m. WRITING LAB INTRO
4:15 p.m. MEN’S BASKETBALL er Pool, 4 p.m. baum Faulconer Street, 12:15 p.m. FALL ’09 INTERN- & CONCLUSION
SOL MOVIE NIGHT: VS. ILLINOIS COL- Gallery, 4:15 p.m. RESUME WRITING SHIPS WORKSHOP: WORKSHOP: JRC
JRC 225, 6 p.m. LEGE: Darby Gymna- AND COVER LETTER CDO 104, 1127 Park 203, 2:15 p.m.
SGA CONCERT: sium, 3 p.m. WORKSHOP: CDO Street, 4:15 p.m. GRANT PROGRAMS &
Main Hall Gardner SWIMMING MIDWEST 104, 1127 Park ENDOWED INTERN-
Lounge, 9 p.m. CONFERENCE TOUR- Street, 4:15 p.m. SHIPS WORKSHOP:
SWIMMING MIDWEST NEY: Obermiller Pool, COMMUNITY MEAL: CDO 104, 1127 Park
CONFERENCE TOUR- 6-8 p.m. Davis Elementary Street, 4:15 p.m.
NEY: Obermiller Pool, ROCKER’S BALL HAR- School, 818 Hamilton
6-8 p.m. RIS: Harris Center Avenue, 5:30 p.m.
Concert Hall, 10 p.m. STUDENT WELLNESS
FAIR: JRC, 5:30 p.m.
February 13, 2009
S B 3
College hiring continues, pay raises to decline
&
NEWS edited by Ari Anisfeld and J. Francis Buse
anisfeld@grinnell.edu; busejohn@grinnell.edu

BY NEIL F INNEGAN & CLAIRE R EEDER

While candidates from various academic fields flock to
Grinnell to give presentations in hopes of gaining employment
as professors at Grinnell, the College is working to figure out
how to hire in the face of a smaller endowment.
Rather than retracting job offers due to budget constraints,
Grinnell plans to continue with hiring all advertised tenure-
track positions. However, fewer proposals for term positions—
one- or two-year positions that serve as stopgaps in depart-
ments—will be approved.
Seventeen tenure positions will be filled for next year, in-
cluding five new positions, three of which are through the
Expanding Knowledge Initiative (EKI)—the College’s plan
for enhancing interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship. “We
don’t want to make decisions now and be overly cautious and
lose momentum on implementing things like the Strategic
Plan and the EKI,” said Associate Dean and Professor of Biol-
ogy Leslie Gregg-Jolly.
According to Chair of the Faculty Mark Schneider, Physics,
vacant positions are not automatically filled by term professors
and will be reevaluated to consider the current needs of stu-
dents and faculty. Every year departments submit more propos-
als for term positions than are actually filled. “This year there
might be one or two less positions filled,” Schneider said.
However, the College may need less term professors than
prior years. The reliance on term professors on the whole is less
than in past years due to the recent trend toward expansion of
tenure faculty, Gregg-Jolly said.
Faculty salaries are likely to be affected as well. “One of the
things that is happening is that the raises, both on the faculty
side and the administrative side, are going to be dramatically
lower than in past years,” Schneider said. “While in a typical
year a faculty member might get a raise of five percent ... we’ll
be looking … in the ballpark of one percent.”
Administrators and faculty alike stressed the fact that al-
though Grinnell is in a fortunate financial position in compari-
son to many institutions, there will still be academic cutbacks.
“It is important that we all recognize the severity of the situa-
tion,” said Victoria Brown, History department chair. “We are
very lucky, but we have to be careful.”
The issue of the reduced budget and both its short- and
long-term impact on academic positions are far from solved. Stella Chan presents “Sterilization by the People and Trade Liberalization” as part of her candidacy presentation on Thursday afternoon. Origi-
The Trustees have postponed approval of the budget until nally from Hong Kong, Chan graduated from University of California at Los Angeles and is applying for a macroeconomics professor position at
April in order to gain a clearer sense of the future of the market Grinnell. AARON BARKER
and how to navigate the financial waters.

Skylark Program assists incarcerated

Grinnell College students volunteer time to interview and help abused inmates in nearby Mitchellville decrease sentences
BY TESSA C HEEK for commutation. “Grinnell students will be helping with “Prisons are located in the middle of nowhere, it’s so easy for
Last weekend ten Grinnellians interviewed inmates in the second interview to create a profile for us about the of- us to look away, to not even think about them.”
Mitchellville’s Iowa Correctional Institution for Women, fender’s history of victimization,” Jares said. Student interviewers were trained to question inmates
asking detailed questions about their history of violence and According to Jares, the project’s effect on the surrounding about their histories of violence, and spent hours interview-
victimization. community and the student interviewers, is just as important ing candidates. “The actual interview process was very in-
Organized through Domestic Violence Alternatives/ as the legal and political processes Skylark is involved in. tense,” said Cecilia Darby ’12, who spent over two hours
Sexual Assault Center (DVA/SAC), stu- “One of the main goals of the project is to interviewing inmates last weekend. “It was like nothing I’ve
dent volunteers will continue to interview educate people about how women end up ever done before. …
potential candidates for commutation “These women are offenders in in this situation and just how ubiquitous “It was like nothing I’ve ever The whole experience
assistance—help towards reducing prison the eyes of the law but they are assault is in incarcerated women,” Jares was incredibly hu-
sentences— through the Skylark program, said. done before. The whole experi- manizing.”
an initiative of the Iowa Coalition Against also victims.
” The volunteers hope to exhibit the ence was incredibly humanizing.” Under the Skylark
Domestic Violence (ICADV ). strong influences that abuse and victimiza- umbrella, ICADV
Through the Skylark Project, 50 wom- tion can have on the inmates’ convictions. staff offers group ther-
en at Mitchellville will participate in a Noga Ashkenazi ‘09 “These women are offenders in the eyes of Cecilia Darby ‘12 apy classes addressing
three-tiered interview process to examine the law but they are also victims,” said in- trauma and abuse at
causal links between domestic violence or terviewer Noga Ashkenazi ’09. the Iowa Correctional
sexual assault and the crime for which they were convicted. Ashkenazi said she was drawn to the project by its Institute for Women,
Once a connection is established, ICADV helps strengthen uniqueness in scope and a target population that is often one-on-one pre-release counseling concerning healthy rela-
inmates’ arguments for decreasing their prison time. forgotten by service projects. tionships, pre-release classes on domestic violence resources,
According to Katie Jares ’07, the ICADV project coordi- “When you think of activism, or volunteering even, you along with commutation assistance.
nator, volunteers will help put together the prisoners’ cases rarely think of a population of inmates,” Ashkenazi said.
Justice issues for quite some time and past their time here at Grinnell.” point to the better remembered incidents on gram, Dougharty envisions the organization’s
from p. 1 Despite Student Affairs support of the pro- campus like the hate crime and the swastikas
have actually gone to other col- efforts extending beyond campus. “[It’s] not
leges and done some consulting gram, Krandel said students have not reached and defamation of posters. … For every person only having the chance to bring trainers here
in that area,” Greene said. “Given that many of a consensus on the program’s necessity, which who says we don’t need a program like this, to help us, but also having the opportunity
[the organizers] are graduating this year, they has sparked further conversation. there are four or five people who say ‘yeah, that to have folks from Grinnell go to work with
were hoping to try and find some way to insti- “Some people don’t see the need for this sounds really cool and really important.’” folks at SJTI or other sorts of organizations,”
tutionalize it in a way where it would live on program on campus,” Krandel said. “Often I’ll In addition to creating a permanent pro- Dougharty said.

THE HITS KEEP ON COMING ... AT THE S&B’S WEBSITE THAT IS...

WWW.THESANDB.COM
 4 SN&B
edited by Ari Anisfeld and J. Francis Buse
anisfeld@grinnell.edu; busejohn@grinnell.edu

Students help catalogue surrounding prairie

EWS February 13, 2009

Two Grinnell students and a professor are organizing a prairie cataloguing project in association with Iowa Valley Resource Conservation
and Development. The project will locate and iterate prairie remnants alongside roads in Poweshiek and neighboring Tama County. The
group will train students in late February for the spring project.
BY M ARCUS ZEITZ
After years of prairie deterioration due to commercial farming,
Grinnell College is taking part in a project to catalogue the last ves-
tiges of the prairie.
Grinnell students Eric Nost ’09 and Jacob Gjesdahl ’10 and
Professor Sandy Moffett, Theatre, are collaborating with Iowa Val-
ley Resource Conservation and Development (IVRCD) in order to
catalogue Iowa’s prairie remnants, which are often found along road-
sides. To do so, they plan to train volunteers for the spring catalogu-
ing project.
IVRCD works to promote conservation and local foods, assist
sustainable economic development, produce outdoor guidebooks, as
well as cataloguing and maintaining prairie remnants, according to
Peter Hoenhle, IVRCD’s project manager.
According to Nost, a coordinator with the project, Iowa’s natural
prairie resources are dwindling. “Iowa used to be 80 percent tall grass
prairie. Now it is just .1 percent,” Nost said.
Most of that remaining .1 percent of native prairie is scattered
alongside roads. While prairie remnants in many other counties have
been catalogued, Poweshiek and nearby Tama County have yet to be
surveyed.
According to Gjesdahl, who heads the Prairie subgroup of Free
the Planet, there are 1,000 miles of road in the area where prairie
remnants may be found. Student volunteers will work in pairs, one
driving and the other surveying.
Cataloguing native prairie remnants will give ecologists a better
picture of what ecosystems existed prior to the agricultural develop-
ment of Iowa, according to Gjesdahl. Additionly, local prairies in-
crease biodiversity. “Your average prairie will have 50 to 100 species
of plants, while your average cornfield will have only five,” Gjesdahl
said.
The project will allow for better management of the prairie rem-
nants, according to Hoenhle. Part of which entails prescribed burns,
which “revitalize prairie plants,” Hoenhle said. In addition, prescribed
burns may help rare native plants make a comeback.
Gjesdahl said he hopes that student volunteers will be able to play
an active role in upkeep activities such as prescribed burns. “There’s a
chance that the really rare stuff is there, struggling along for the past
MICHELLE FOURNIER hundred years,” Gjesdahl said. “If you burn [the prairie remnants], it
might come back.”

BBC to make documentary on Robert Noyce ’49

BY BRIAN SHERWIN
From Feb 7 to 9, a British Broadcasting
Company (BBC) film crew collected foot-
age of interviews with professors, science
experiments and farm animals for a docu-
mentary on Robert Noyce ’49.
The documentary, scheduled to air
sometime in the spring on BBC, will focus
on former Trustee Noyce, co-inventor of
the integrated circuit and the co-founder of
Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.
John Das, the documentary’s producer,
writer and director, said his interest in Noyce
is largely due to his unique figure as an in-
ventor and entrepreneur. “He was basically
the key pioneer of Silicon
SGA fairs John Burrows ’10 in
from p. 1 describing student percep-
tions about administrative
decision making. “We feel a
lot of these new administrators are coming
from places where … they have a rules-based
culture and they base their student affairs
profession on national models
… whereas at Grinnell we have a
values-based culture.”
Vice President for Academic
Affairs Julie Hoye ’09 echoed
similar concerns about transpar-
ency in faculty decisions. Hoye
recounted efforts to change the
Faculty Handbook policy on
class attendance during religious
holidays after a student had to
drop a course after being penal-
ized for missing class for a reli-
gious obligation.
Hoye said the response, a letter encour-
aging greater understanding of religious
obligations, seemed too tepid because there
was no policy change. “There was the per-
ception or the thought that because the
policy wasn’t changed, there wasn’t any way
to hold faculty accountable for this sort of
change,” Hoye said.
Valley because the companies he set up de-
fined what Silicon Valley actually became,”
Das said.
Das’ interest in Noyce’s early days brought
him to Grinnell, where he first began the
experiments that would lead him to invent-
ing the integrated circuit. During their time
in Grinnell, the BBC crew focused on how
Grinnell impacted Noyce’s life as an entre-
preneur.
“They [were] really looking at the
Grinnell portion of the Robert Noyce story
as Grinnell being the starting place of this
man’s incredible journey,” said Kate Worster
’87, director of Communication.
According to Das, Noyce’s years as a
Hoye also said she had been approached
by a number of students who serve on com-
mittees with faculty and felt that their power
in the groups was seriously limited.
Despite the topics addressed, Cabinet
members emphasized a need to move for-
ward. “Right now we’re sort of just going
through the process of
raising awareness and
consciousness of students
about the issues … and
how we need to do some-
thing tangible about the
lack of communication”
Burrows said in an inter-
view, “and how we need to
refocus on … what’s really
in the best interest of stu-
dents.”
After Cabinet mem-
bers had delivered their presentation to the
full Board of Trustees this past weekend,
some students learned of the subject matter
and were concerned that SGA had misrep-
resented student sentiment or irresponsibly
cast blame upon either the faculty or admin-
istrators.
In a post on the popular cyber-forum
GrinnellPlans, Sollie Flora ’07 expressed
physics student at Grinnell were especially
formative. “He tried to create an environ-
ment where everyone could talk to each
other, exchange ideas. … He liked to be in
the lab bouncing ideas off people. … He was
very non-hierarchical in that sense and he
encouraged scientists to think as freely as
possible,” Das said. “I think that is some-
thing that comes back to his Grinnell up-
bringing.”
For the documentary’s setting, the crew
captured the town, campus and Iowa’s ag-
ricultural landscapes. Das said they spe-
cifically filmed a Grinnell area pig farm to
help tell the infamous pig slaughter story, in
which Noyce stole an area hog and butch-
concern that the SGA presentation to the
Trustees had inappropriately charged faculty
without evidence and encouraged students
to keep SGA members “accountable.”
Parvoneh Shirgir ’09 who said she had
concerns about the presentation after read-
ing Flora’s Plans post, attended the Wednes-
day presentation to learn what SGA had told
the Trustees. While she said she generally
agreed with the presentation’s message about
the campus climate, she took issue with the
characterization of student opinion.
“I don’t think that it’s fair to say that stu-
dents feel this way because I wasn’t asked,”
Shirgir said. “I personally encourage faculty
interaction in current affairs even if [those
current affairs] are in the administration or
Student Affairs. So I don’t think it’s fair to
characterize students as saying that we don’t
feel comfortable with this because I would
actually want more of it.”
Trustee Laura Ferguson ’90, who serves
as chair of the Board’s Student Affairs Com-
mittee, said she thought the presentation es-
chewed casting blame or singling out groups.
“I didn’t think it was hostile,” she said. “They
were by no means saying that all the faculty
are doing this and I know this is a very iso-
lated problem. … It was a very even-handed
ered it in Clark Hall.
The crew filmed a lecture by William
Case, Physics, on Noyce’s innovations. “They
were looking for different ways to explain
exactly how the transistor and integrated
circuit work for someone who might not
have an idea about those things,” said An-
ders Ahlberg ‘10, who sat in on the lecture.
The documentarians interviewed former
president George Drake, History, and Char-
lie Duke, Physics about their experiences
with Noyce. “He was very open with his eye
on accomplishing things but not on status,”
said Drake, who was on the Board of Trust-
ees with Noyce. “In that way, I think he was
a very typical Grinnelian.”
approach.”
While highlighting recent tensions be-
tween the faculty and administration, the
presentation also touched on a number of
other student life issues. Hoye raised con-
cerns about student wellness, citing in-
creased property destruction and theft on
campus and a more than threefold increase
in hospitalizations compared to last year.
Among specific measures designed to
help alleviate tensions and build communi-
ty, Burrows included updating the Strategic
Plan to include an emphasis on student well-
ness and creating an orientation program to
introduce new faculty and administrators to
the College’s culture and values.
Ferguson said that while Trustees were
always concerned about student life and
that the Board is “concerned and taking this
matter very seriously,” the Trustees were not
necessarily the most appropriate avenue for
enacting change and instead encouraged
students to seek reform directly on campus.
“I think generally our goal is to help …
them go to the right place,” she said. “Go
through the usual channels because [the
people in] Student Affairs are the ones that
can help you with self-governance at the end
of the day, not the Trustees.”
February 13, 2009
S B 5
Sobel speaks on place-based learning at Grinnell
David Sobel, Philosophy professor and direc-
tor of Certificate Programs at Antioch University
New England in Keene, New Hampshire, is a
pioneer of Place-Based Learning, an educational
philosophy which connects school curriculum to
the surrounding environment. Sobel presented
“Global Climate Change Meets Ecophobia” on
Wednesday as a part of “Reconnecting with Na-
ture,” a symposium sponsored by Prairie Studies,
Department of Psychology, Department of Edu-
cation, and the Luce Program in Nations and the
Global Environment
What is Place-Based Learning and how
is it different from traditional learning?
Placed-Based Learning is simply con-
necting the curriculum and the school’s phi-
losophy with its setting. So what’s
happened over the last 50 years is
that schools have gradually become
disconnected from their places—
the curriculum is nationalized and
homogenized. There is alienation
between the school and the sur-
rounding natural environment and,
in a lot of places, the cultural and
social environment.
The idea is to get schools reconnected to
those local contexts so as to make [learning]
more relevant to kids and to also start using
schools as an engine for community develop-
ment and community improvement.
What skills do students get from Place-
Based Learning that they would not from
more traditional settings?
Placed-based learning is a better way to
get at all the traditional skills. In other words,
we are trying to improve the quality of the
&
NEWS edited by Ari Anisfeld and J. Francis Buse
anisfeld@grinnell.edu; busejohn@grinnell.edu
instruction by making it grounded and rel-
evant so that students are motivated. It is not
that there is going to be a different skill set.
It’s about kids becoming literate, numerically
sophisticated, good historians and scientists
because they’re using local historical societ-
ies and doing real historical research instead
of learning disconnected history. Or students
are doing real science and water quality testing
in the river behind the school, or dairy science
with the local dairy.
Can Place-Based Learning become too
narrow and ignore other important factors?
One of the assumed criticisms of Place-
Based Learning is that it is too parochial—and
potentially you’re using the local as the win-
dow to the wider world. For ex-
ample, there was a school in north
New Hampshire, with a candy store
downtown.
The business wanted to create
an on-line business, and so it be-
came a project for the marketing
class [at school] to create the on-
line business for the candy store. So Illustrating how parents have played a role in kids’ disconnection with nature through growing anxi-
the candy store is the vehicle, but ety, David Sobel contrasts a picture of kids playing in the woods with a photo of children being held on
how you design an internet business interface leashes by their parents. SOPHIE FAJARDO
and how you distribute product is the generic
skill you teach in marketing class, but this is a needs and local places is hard—it’s true for certainly this fits in with the mindset of the
chance to practice and a local opportunity to whatever grade level you’re operating at. Place- Obama administration. Moving away from
teach that skill. Based Learning means changing the mindset. the “No-Child-Left Behind” [approach]
which basically attempts to create a punitive
What are the challenges and obstacles to How do you see Placed-Based Learning and homogenizing mindset. I think the cur-
making Place-Based Learning more main- becoming integrated throughout the na- rent administration will try to open that up
stream? tion? a little bit.
Basically it is more work. It is easy to do I am attending a conference next week
stuff the way you’ve been doing it. Trying to with advocates of Place-Based Learning —Interview conducted by Heidi Conner
particularize what you’re doing to individual where we will develop a national agenda, and
ROSES ARE RED ...
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
...
WE’RE SCARLET &
BLACK...
AND YOU CAN TOO!
COME WRITE FOR US:
PUBLICATIONS OFFICE
2ND FLOOR JRC
SUNDAYS
AT9:30 P.M.
GOT ‘EM
 6 edited by Mark Japinga
japingam@grinnell.edu
Profs show off favorite flicks in new series
BY M ARK JAPINGA
With “Better Know Your Professors,” SGA Films and
Theresa Geller, English, have combined to present an oppor-
tunity to see a less academically intense side of revered profes-
sors outside the classroom. The three-week series, featuring
Erik Simpson, English, Victoria Brown, History, and Geller, is
Geller’s latest idea to inspire more intelligent discussion of film
among both faculty and students. The bigger problem, though,
might be getting Grinnell students to take advantage of that
opportunity and show up.
“As a rule, Wednesday night attendance is pretty low,” SGA
Films Director Jeff Sinick ’09 said, referencing past events.
Attendance followed lackluster form for Wednesday night’s
opener, where Simpson discussed Trading Places, the 1983 role-
reversal comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
What was initially designed as an interview between Simpson
and Courtney Sheehan ’10 became more of a small group dis-
cussion with free-flowing conversation.
Simpson focused in part on how Trading Places succeeds
because of its traditional structure. “It’s a fantastic movie about
what it takes to be successful in a comedy,” he said. “One, know
how to be funny, and two, have the right sexual desires.” The
main characters get it right while the bad guys “laugh at the
wrong things and show no sexual desires.”
The racial angle in the swap between Murphy and Aykroyd
adds another layer to the film—well, for most characters. “If
you want to look at how characters negotiate race, watch every-
one but Eddie Murphy,” Simpson said, citing Murphy’s ability
to get away with anything, the use of the Billie Holliday song
“Strange Fruit” and the racial overtones of shipping a group of
gorillas back to Africa.
But the conversation’s focus went beyond Trading Places
talk (one need not have seen the movie to enjoy the discussion).
By the end, the group had covered The Wire, Deadwood, realism
in film, commentary tracks (notably in This Is Spinal Tap), an-
notated novels, and graphic novels.
The film series will continue for two more weeks, with
Brown presenting the 1987 flick Adventures In Babysitting next
Wednesday and Geller showing the Chinese film Ashes of Time
Redux the week after. The discussion begins at 6:30 p.m. in
SA&B RTS
Starting off the ‘Meet Your Professor’ mini series, Erik Simpson
fostered discussion on the relevance of film studies as well as intro-
ducing Trading Places. LAWRENCE SUMULONG
Forum South Lounge, with the movie playing at 7 p.m. and a
second showing without the professor at 9 p.m.
While Geller’s selection is a bit more obscure, professors
were given no guidelines when picking their favorites.
“[The film] doesn’t represent you as an academic, it repre-
sents you as a person,” Geller said.
Brown hopes to have some fun discussing Adventures in
Babysitting, one of the many classic coming-of-age teen romps
to emerge from the 80’s. “I was being a little silly and a little
perverse, but then I had a couple of faculty come up to me and
say it was a really important movie to them, too,” she said.
“It takes the role of the babysitter and makes her competent
and clever,” Brown said. “It’s a pseudo-mother who’s very brave
and very creative in getting children out of the mess they’re in.”
But can she free Grinnellians from the burdens of Wednesday
night work and festivities?
Gardner meets its match
February 13, 2009
If past live performances are any indication, tonight’s con-
cert by hardcore punk band Fucked Up might cause things to
get, well, fucked up. In an appearance on MTV Live (Canada),
playing in the men’s bathroom, the band tore through ceiling
tiles with microphone stands and eventually triggered a stam-
pede of moshing fans. At last spring’s South by Southwest fes-
tival in Austin the band incited a near-riot when they played
on top of a bridge.
Thankfully, the band’s music matches their antics. Since
they began releasing full albums in 2006, they have slowly
gained a following among the indie community. Last year’s
Chemistry of Common Life showed up on many year-end lists—
for good reason.
Fucked Up manages to remain true to their hardcore roots
while expanding beyond the simple three-cord structure. The
opening track, “Sons of Life,” starts with a flute, but gets pushed
out by raging guitar riffs and lead singer Damian “Pink Eyes”
Abraham’s gruff voice. Even when their sound sticks closer to
their roots, they change the formula again by layering guitars
on top of one another.
But live performances truly define the band. Abraham
Fucked Up
Feb. 13, 9 p.m.
Gardner
alone puts on an amazing show—the 300 hundred pound
frontman can start a mosh pit like no other, and his nickname,
“Pink Eyes,” was earned because of the blood running down his
face due to self-inflicted injuries during shows.
The energy of the rest of the band—while not quite as
strong Abraham’s—turns shows into a frenetic night of de-
struction.
So even if you don’t worship at the altar of Henry Rollins or
frequent the hardcore scene, stop by Gardner tonight to check
out one of the best and most anarchic shows of the year.
--Pat Caldwell
February 13, 2009

A tween, old time, or Steve Martin romance? Take your pick

SB &
ARTS
edited by Mark Japinga
japingam@grinnell.edu 7

Twilight
(2008)

Vampires! Love! Robert Pattinson!

Remember all those Valentine’s days in
high school? You hoped for weeks that some
cutie would slip you a box of conversation
hearts and a smile, but at twilight of the 14th
each year, you found yourself sitting next to
your mom, sharing a carton of Chinese food
and watching a warm, fuzzy love story.
We’re in college now, folks, and with ma-
turity, warm and fuzzy must give way to the
dark and broody. Say what you will of its anti-
feminist undertones and trite teenage melo-
drama, any movie that can inspire a room full
of teenage girls and college ladies and gentle-
men to laugh, sigh, and cry (or at least mist)
is worth a view. A tweeny masterpiece of pop
culture, Twilight is everything you could want
in a Valentine’s Day viewing – pining, hero-
ism, frustration and the triumph of love over
common sense.
When withdrawn Bella Swan (Kristen
Stewart) moves in with her police captain fa-
ther in the rainforests of Forks, Washington,
she believes she is fated to live out her high
school days lonely and misunderstood.
But when a life-threatening car crash
throws Bella into the superhuman arms of
pale beauty Edward Cullen (Robert Pattin-
son), life in Forks becomes more than dodg-
ing proms. Edward and Bella become more
involved, drawn together by some inexplicable
force (which we could chalk up to puberty un-
der normal circumstances), and Bella uncov-
ers the secret known to each man, woman and
child not in complete social isolation for the
past two years: she has fallen in love with a
vampire.
For Twilight bookworms, the romantic re-
lationship in the film is a bit shallow, but for
the everyday lover of vampire romance, it fits
the genre. Whichever group you belong to, you
can forgive a somewhat humdrum portrayal of
author Stephanie Meyer’s intriguing plotline.
After all, the movie’s simplicity leaves much
more brain space for daydreaming of white
picket fences and sparkling bat babies.
As the hunky lead, Pattinson is more than
mouthwatering. An obvious study in the fine
art of toiling emotion, Pattinson leaves every
viewer wanting more in his portrayal of the
beleaguered bloodsucker. Meanwhile, his fe-
male opposite, Stewart, wants for, well, emo-
tion of any kind. Apart from the two leads,
Edward’s vampiric family is a delight, demon-
strating that casting based solely upon looks
doesn’t always go awry.
As with the lovers’ relationship, the movie
as a whole moves a bit quickly and condenses
more story than necessary for the overall plot
progression. While we could have done with-
out the various vampire-related deaths (which
were completely plot-unrelated), we can un-
derstand the sense of danger movie-makers
were attempting to portray.
Twilight is a delightful treat for anyone
looking to slip away from the greasy Chinese
food to fill up on angst-ridden teen love. But
be forewarned: it may leave you hungry for
more.
—Katie McMullen and Emily Wax
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson star in Twilight, the adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book about romance, lust, and some absurdly good-
looking vampries.
The Philadelphia
Story
(1940)
A classic Hollywood romance
Once upon a time in Hollywood, roman-
tic comedies were crafted with such wit and
charm that they won Academy Awards. In The
Philadelphia Story, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart
and Katherine Hepburn elevate a solid screen-
play about second chances and the discovery of
love to wonderfully charming heights.
It’s no coincidence that during the span
of their careers, the three leads racked up 19
Oscar nods and five wins between them—they
are three of the greatest actors of all time.
The movie is anchored by Hepburn’s de-
liciously haughty turn as Tracey Lord, a rich
socialite who will soon marry her second hus-
band, the blandly forgettable George Kittredge
( John Howard). Hepburn, who earned one of
her 12 Academy Award nominations for this
film, is a fiercely intelligent and strong actress.
It’s a pleasure to see her bring that quality into
her portrayal of the misunderstood Tracey.
Tracey is described by many of the people
in her life as “a queen”, “a statue”, or as “cool
and fine”. Really, she’s just an individual who
shields her softer, romantic side beneath a
fiercely aggressive exterior. She’s been burned
before—and who can’t relate to that? (Grant-
ed, most of us haven’t been burned by the likes
of Cary Grant.) Grant, playing his usual cool
and collected leading man, brings in subtle
shades of wry wit and an even fainter hint of
a wounded heart to humanize his character,
millionaire and former alcoholic C.K. Dexter
Howard. It’s obvious that he still loves Tracey
when he shows up to her family’s house for
her wedding.
Grant doesn’t show up to Hepburn’s wed-
ding alone, though. He brings the self-effac-
ing Stewart in tow, as the sardonic reporter
Macaulay Connor. Stewart won the Oscar for
Best Actor for his role, and it’s classic Stewart:
puppy-dog adorable, warm, and clever.
The film asks us how two people can re-
connect after a difficult break up, and it an-
swers the question in a simple but honest way.
There’s real pain and bitterness in this story,
but the delightful part is there is also real wit
and charm. The film falters towards the end,
growing slightly cliché and lagging, but the ac-
tors fire at all cylinders and propel the film to a
satisfying, though expected, conclusion.
—Jaysen Wright
Roxanne
(1987)
Big noses, big laughs
Perhaps the most memorable scene of
Roxanne occurs when Fire Department Chief
C.D. Bales (Steve Martin) finds himself be-
ing ridiculed at a bar by some Joe Schmo with
nothing better to do than take shots at our
lovable protagonist.
He calls Bales “Big Nose,” something
you’ll notice Bales possesses fairly quickly. But
instead of going to the stereotypical, excessive
bar fight, the scene becomes a celebration of
cleverness. Bales asks the man to throw a dart
at the dart board, and whatever number he
www.allmoviephotos.com
hits will be the number of insults Bales will
rattle off that the guy could have used. The
man scores 20, and Bales rifles off a slew of
insults—“it must be wonderful to wake up
and smell the coffee in Brazil!”—which set the
tone of the film and show Bales as something
of an endearing town outcast.
Aside from reminding us of Steve Mar-
tin’s remarkable talent (he had stopped doing
stand-up by this point), the bar scene also ex-
poses a critical theme of Roxanne: the triumph
of wit over muscle and smarts over looks. This
is the basis for the plot, a romantic comedy
chronicling the stalled love life of Roxanne
(Daryl Hannah). She wants an intelligent,
sensitive man (i.e. Bales) but can’t help being
attracted by handsome, dumb types like Chris
(Rick Rossovich), a new firefighter working
under Bales.
Roxanne makes it no secret to certain con-
nected members in the small town of Sun Val-
ley that she wants to date Chris. Except Chris
has the problem of not being able to talk to
women at all. Literally, he has to run away
and vomit if something slightly positive hap-
pens. Chris’s “lack of game” leads to the Chief
writing letters as if he were Chris, since he
only wants Roxanne to be happy, even if it’s
not with him. Consequently, Roxanne falls in
love with a hybrid of the two: Chris’s body and
the Chief ’s mind. With great one-liners and a
strong, if somewhat rare lead performance by
Martin, comedy ensues.
The movie also works for nostalgia, as ac-
tors like Fred Willard, Kevin Nealon and Da-
mon Wayans all excel in their bit parts. But
Martin remains the star, carrying a great ro-
mantic comedy with deeper issues than might
catch the eye… or even the nose.
—Ross Preston

The Phil- Twilight F Roxanne S Friday the Madagascar: Es- Gran Torino Taken The Tale
H
MOVIE adelphia O T 13th cape 2 Africa of Des-
Sat.- 7:30, & Fri. - 7:10 & 9:35 p.m. Fri./Sat. -7:20
A Fri. - 7:00 p.m.
R Story 10:30 p.m.
R Fri. - 4:40, 7 & 9 p.m. Fri. - 4:45, 7:10 & 9:10 p.m. Sat. - 2, 7:10 & 9:35 p.m. pereaux
Sun. - 1:30 p.m. R Sat. - 2:10, 4:40, 7 & 9 p.m. Sat. - 2, 4:45, 7:10 & 9:10 p.m. p.m. Sun.-Thurs. -

TIMES
Fri. - 4:30, 7:30 Fri.-Sun. - 4:45 p.m.
R A Sun. - 2:10, 4:40 & 7 p.m. Sun. - 2, 4:45 & 7:10 p.m. Sun. - 2 & 7:10 p.m. 4:35 p.m.
I & 10:30 p.m. U
Sat. - 1:30 p.m. N Mon.-Thurs. - 4:40 & 7 Mon.-Thurs. - 4:45 & 7:10 Mon.-Thurs. - 4:30 &
S M D p.m. p.m. 7:10 p.m.
 8 edited by Mark Japinga
japingam@grinnell.edu

The best art ever?

SA&B RTS February 13, 2009

Every artist wants people who view their

work to feel connected to it in some way.
There’s no denying it, really. Whether this
connection is negative or positive is irrelevant.
But what do people like to see in art—
specifically in painting? What constitutes
good painting to the average person? What
does it mean when artists begin to cater to
these needs, and how do artists figure out what
people want from art?
The answer? Polls.
Fifteen years ago, Russian artists Vitaly
Komar and Alex Melamid embarked on “The
People’s Choice Project” to discover what peo-
ple want to see when they look at art through
polls mirroring those in politics. Komar and

Kat York ‘09

ART CRUSH
Melamid then produced a series of paintings
for 14 different nations.
The paintings are, frankly, timelessly bor-
ing. Think I’m being snobby? Check them
out for yourself: http://www.diacenter.org/km/
index.html.
The website features paintings from coun-
tries all around the world. With a simple click
of the mouse, you can look at the “most want-
ed” paintings … and the “least wanted” paint-
ings from each country polled. The questions
range from how much money people believe
should be spent on art to what genres they like
to see.
All of the most wanted paintings are real-
istically rendered landscapes, except for Hol-
land, whose painting is smaller, featuring an
abstract blending of colors with no discrimi-
nate shapes. Amongst the landscapes, most of
the ideal paintings have a tree on the left side,
a big skyline and some sort of wildlife and a
human figure.
In a summary of the survey, Americans
preferred “traditional styles over more modern
designs; they also express a strong preference
for paintings that depict landscapes or similar
outdoor scenes”. More specifically, Americans
opted for a lake scene, with billowing clouds in
the background, deer at the edge of the water,
children in the right foreground and (hilari-
ously) George Washington in the mid-right
section of the painting. Apparently historical
figures were deemed a major component of
“good” or “wanted” art.
So where is the value in this Komar and
Melamid’s exercise? Why do they do what
they do what we want them to do? Nothing
is sacred in this postmodern world of ours and
they as artists, perhaps ironically, would be the
first to admit it.
In an interview with The Nation, Alex
Melamid said, “Artists now—I cannot speak
for all, but I have talked to many artists who
feel this way—we have lost even our belief that
we are the minority which knows. We believed
10 years ago, 20 years ago, that we knew the
secret. Now we have lost this belief. We are a
minority with no power and no belief, no faith.
I feel myself, as an artist and as a citizen, just
totally obsolete. I don’t know why I am here,
what I am doing …”
If art has lost its meaning … and the art
that is “most wanted” features deer, children
and dead presidents … what are we to do? Is
the only thing left to become a slave to the
polls? Perhaps the most interesting aspect of
Komar and Melamid’s work is the fact that the
audience has become complicit in creating the
art.
If the audience (or poll takers) controls
the artist, then how can we define the new
function of the artist? In creating these paint-
ings, the artists stultify both what art culture
has become and the culture that informs the
aesthetic sensibilities of the audience. Mind-
blowing and original, Komar and Melamid’s
ideas deserve our consideration and respect.
Co-directors Jaysen Wright ‘09 and Caitlin Davies ‘09 oversaw auditions for the mainstage production entitled Ties that Bind. Written as a result of
Wright’s MAP, the play focuses on issues of sexuality, shame and disease in the gay community between 1968 and the present. LAWRENCE SUMULONG
Wright’s long road from the page to the stage
BY JAMES A NTHOFER
At around 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night at the
Wall in Bucksbaum Greg Hudson ‘09 reads his
lines during the auditions for Jaysen Wright’s
’09 three-part play suite Ties that Bind (Hud-
son eventually got the part). His character is
talking about gays in America, and the mono-
logue, already prickling with tension, begins
to pick up steam. “San Francisco is a refugee
camp for homosexuals,” Hudson says. “We
have formed a ghetto out of self-protection. It
is a ghetto rather than a free territory because
it is theirs.”
“I really liked that snarky, sort of cynical
tone,” Wright says. Along with fellow director
Caitlin Davies ’09, Wright has been watching
hopeful actors and actresses at the Wall for two
hours already, and he and Davies face another
two hours there tomorrow. But this audition
process represents only a tiny part of the mas-
sive endeavor Wright began nearly a year ago
that culminates with the premiere, shown as
part of an April 23-26 show featuring works
from both dance and theatre.
But concrete, measurable steps in the evo-
lution of Wright’s project somehow don’t add
up to all the things it is, has been, and will
be—a part of one of only four main-stage the-
atre productions that happen every year (a first
for a student playwright), an attempt to make
sense of a movement and a disease, a remark-
able example of collaboration, and perhaps
most impressively, a piece of intensely personal
art.
Each play in Ties that Bind cycles, returns,
looks back, and looks to the future in three
plays, each between 10 and 15 minutes. They
focus on such diverse subjects as the politics of
homosexuality in society (“Voices in Time”),
the effects of HIV on friends and family
(“Summer Quartet”), and why gay men would
stay together if one of them is HIV positive
(Looking Back). It alternates between atmo-
spheric and realistic, joyous and tragic, chaotic
and structured.
The concept behind the plays emerged last
spring, when Elizabeth Bonjean, former pro-
fessor of Theatre, led Wright in guided read-
ings of important plays around the issues of
homosexuality. Through the project, Wright
began to get a sense of his personal style of
writing from plays like Tony Kushner’s Angels
in America, Larry Kramer’s A Normal Heart,
and Matt Crowley’s Boys in the Band, trans-
lating his appreciation for these works into
something tangible. “I wanted to write in a
way to essentialize the stories I was reading,”
said Wright.
His first efforts toward production began
last semester with the help of Lesley Del-
menico, Theatre, who helped him to get over
his initial fear of writing anything, and then
over the fear of what he had already written. “I
worked with Lesley because she’s such a nur-
turing presence,” said Wright. “The challenge
for me was just to keep writing…. I knew as
I wrote the first play, which would become
‘Summer Quartet,’ that it was horrible.”
“Horrible’s a tough word, but I would say
in comparison to what we have now, it’s an ap-
propriate one,” said Davies.
Davies and Wright have a unique work-
ing relationship, with Davies’ “strong sense of
stage composition” anchoring Wright’s admis-
sion that he is “definitely not a big picture per-
son”. The fact that Wright will be acting in two
of the plays, “Voices in Time” and “Looking
Back,” also made Davies’ presence required.
However, the emotional closeness that
Wright feels to the play and the compressed
timeframe of the entire project necessitated
his co-directing role, rather than just leaving
the entire production to Davies. “It’s Jaysen’s
baby, and just asking me to direct it would have
been unfair to him,” said Davies. “I’d only seen
the script two weeks ago.”
This process carries over into the script
even now, as Wright constantly tweaks the
play to match the sounds he wants to hear
onstage. “If the language doesn’t sound right
in my mouth, out their mouths, we change it,”
said Wright. He wants actors to “tell [him]
where you think your monologues peak, and
we’ll reintegrate what you think.”
Cast members have already found in the
limited time they’ve spent with Wright and
Davies that their viewpoints on the play’s di-
rection have been respected. “Jaysen’s letting
us take the characters where we want them to
go,” said Kelly Ryan ’09, who plays a conserva-
tive religious scholar in “Voices in Time.” “It’s
a really fun character for me to play, because
I’m from a place where people are actually like
that ... and Jaysen wants that character to be as
sympathetic as possible, he doesn’t want her to
be totally vitriolic.”
But the cast has limited time for changes.
Since half of the cast (including Wright) are
currently preparing for the third main-stage
production, Galileo, they only plan to meet
once a week to work on the play until Galileo
finishes in March. Afterwards the production
will proceed at high speed until the end.
In April, the play will be performed in
Flanagan Theatre directly before or after the
spring dance show in Roberts Theatre. Davies
and Wright plan to use all of the resources
available to a main-stage show (sound, light-
ing, etc.) for the play, though they anticipate
needing limited sets.
What they have seemed to want so far is
a unique project not just for Grinnell, but for
any theatre, anywhere. “I like how free of judg-
ment the entire process has been so far,” says
Rev Darragh ’12. “We’ve been talking about
respect and transcending stigma, transcending
viewpoints, and I’m working with only older
actors, and there’s always, or there seems to be
in many cases, discrimination against younger
actors, and I haven’t felt that at all yet.”
The auditions, which yielded only first-
year and seniors performers, allow the pat-
terns of the play and the process to emerge: to
grow, but to remain grounded in the emotional
power of theatre. It sums up four years for the
seniors, and shows the younger generation
how to push boundaries. It’s difficult, worry-
ing about authenticity and cliché and love and
sex. Its contradictions come out in the last line
of the play, which Wright, characteristically,
both loves and hates, but nonetheless delivered
with his usual panache during a recent read-
through.
“What are the ties that bind?”
February 13, 2009
Rachel Fields and Jeff Raderstrong share stories, saliva
Being the accomplished scientist I am, I
would like to engage in a discussion on an inter-
esting and highly academic phenomenon. Col-
loquially, it might be called “Everyone Thinks
They’re a Good Kisser but Some People Just
Aren’t and That is Scary.” I’ve met people who
acknowledge that they’re bad drivers, bad writers
and bad cooks—I personally am at least two of
those things—but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever
come across someone who wouldn’t call him- or
herself a decent kisser.
This isn’t only strange; it’s sort of terrifying.
“Right, there are bad kissers who don’t know it,”
you might be thinking while reading this article.
“But I’m not one of those people.” This might
provide temporary comfort, but realistically, if
everyone thinks they’re a good kisser and a good
number of people aren’t, how would you possi-
bly know which camp you were sitting in? This
is the sort of question that keeps me up nights
when other people are doing actual homework.
I’m not worried that I’m a bad kisser. On the
contrary, I’m more worried that I’m not worried.
Onto the stage of this important discussion,
enter 100 Days. I think the best thing about 100
Days, apart from the general feeling of camara-
derie, is that you get to kiss all the great kissers
you would have otherwise missed. Your friend’s
boyfriend, your very platonic coworker, that dude
from your Intro Soc class who talks in a vaguely
British accent when he makes comments in
class—they’re all generally off-limits. But 100
Days is the perfect opportunity to find out who’s
secretly got mad skills (and I guess, conversely,
who you shouldn’t bother pursuing).
Honestly, there are a few people in the senior
class that, when I see them now, I sort of want
to high-five. “Good job, you,” I want to say. “You
have risen above the masses! Perhaps you should
get a book deal or open a booth or become a
common prostitute.”
The problem is: how do I know whether that
&SB
FEATURES
edited by Chloe Moryl
morylchl@grinnell.edu 9
feeling is mutual? Is there an objective style of
“good kissing” anyway? And how do you know if
you’re doing it? And even if you know that you’re
not good, how do you learn to be better when
you didn’t even know you were doing anything
wrong in the first place? SO MANY QUES-
TIONS AND NO FORTHCOMING AN-
SWERS.
In an educational utopia, I guess we’d all get
together in a lounge and give constructive feed-
back and teach the kissing stragglers to rejoin the
hook-up-with-able flock. Just not in this world.
It’s okay, though, right? I’m not one of those
people.
—Rachel Fields
I tried to reduce my 100 Days experience
into one phrase for this article, but I couldn’t
decide between “shit show” and “a black hole
cutting through all space-time continua.” As I
crossed the threshold into Jimbo’s last Saturday
night, around 11 p.m., I felt as if I had fallen into
both.
I entered with a group of friends, but if
I saw them later that night, I don’t remember.
The sights and sounds of hundreds of people
very excited to see each other hit me and I stood Rebecca Gernes ’09 and Rachel Fields ’09 kiss at a 100 Days pre-party. CONTRIBUTED
dumfounded, taking it all in. I took off my coat,
got my Commencement Committee-approved The details can be assumed. I will say, We just spent a Saturday night breaking one
plastic beer mug, and set off into the night. though, that every time I saw a particular friend, of the few remaining boundaries set up for us.
As I like to do in new places and situations, he would be happily commenting about how We’ve taken classes together, drank together,
I first went exploring. I found my way past the “This is the Devil” or “We are the Devil,” with sometimes cried, sometimes laughed, sometimes
bar to the backroom, which seemed to be some everyone around him agreeing contentedly. I fought. But most definitely, we’ve grown to-
sort of leaking garage with a DJ booth in the can’t describe it any better. gether. We’ve built up these relationships. Now,
back. I danced for a while with some friends, But I think the real point of 100 Days is not after making out all night long, the only thing
then looked over my shoulder at a couple pas- the actual party, but the day after. Not because still hanging over our heads is that day in spring
sionately embraced in a long, long kiss. “Oh,” we get to laugh at the markings on each oth- when we have to part ways.
I thought. “It’s started.” Rumors were that the er’s necks or compare lists, but because we only At least we still have 94 days left and are no
party was normal up until a point, and after have 99 days left. While 100 Days isn’t built up longer shy about making out with whomever—
someone broke the ice, people got down to busi- as much as other important benchmarks—like, and wherever—we feel like. If we ever really
ness. I turned back to my group of friends and maybe graduation—it made me realize we se- were.
the night continued. niors, as a class, don’t have much left to lose. —Jeff Raderstrong
10 edited by Chloe Moryl
morylchl@grinnell.edu
SB
&
FEATURES February 13, 2009

Meredith
Nechitilo ’09

7:30 a.m. - Wake up. No class

until 10 a.m., but went to bed
early last night. Starting to
worry that I am turning into
an old person. Must avoid “Mary Worth” and “Ziggy” com-
ics at all cost.

7:35 a.m. - Brush teeth, wash face, grimace at hair. Still no

sign of mono or oral herpes from depraved 100 Days expe-
rience. Surely only a matter of time.

7:45 a.m. - Set about finishing all the reading I was too
tired to complete last night. Pathetic. Will soon be down-
Security Officer Pat Ritter ’08 on East Campus. L AWRENCE SUMULONG ing Red Bull/Metamucil cocktails to start my day.

There and back: one Grinnellian’s tale 10 a.m. - British history class. Still brain-dead from this
weekend’s double whammy of 100 Days and the LSAT.
Where is Britain, again?
BY TORREY M ACGREGOR of what we do is helping students.”
For many Grinnell students, the prospect of leaving the lib- Although he enjoys his job, Ritter said that it has been a 11 a.m. - Return to Loose with outtakes and Earl Grey. In
eral arts nest is daunting to say the least. Against the backdrop little strange being a security officer so soon after graduating. mysterious act of coordination, every poster in my room has
of a waning job market and economic instability, many may “The weirdest part about being here now is that I don’t know fallen off the walls. This is … troubling.
start to wonder, “This road to a place of endless possibilities – anybody from when I was a student … you realize how much
where exactly is it taking me?” For Pat Ritter ’08, the answer is of a dynamic thing it is, and how the only things that stay here 11:05 a.m. - Check e-mail. Mother reports that my six-
right back to Grinnell College. are the buildings,” Ritter said. “Students come and go so quick- year-old niece is puzzled by the nature of “college” and
Raised in Waterloo, Iowa, the current Safety and Security ly—a lot of the traditions stay the same and it’s still the same wants to know whether I have recess. In my dreams, kid.
Officer for the College served in the Marine Corps for four Grinnell—but with an entirely new set of faces.”
and a half years before enrolling at Grinnell as a While some students may be reluctant to 11:30 a.m. - Browse news sites. NYT running another story
first-year. An English-turned-political science approach a Security Officer, Ritter insists that about how hard it is for rich people to be slightly less rich.
major, and former Sports Editor of the S&B, “You realize how much of a his concerns are not focused on getting stu- Seriously consider sending letter bombs to everyone in-
Ritter always envisioned a career not far from dynamic thing it is, and how dents in trouble. “It’s tough in that, I mean, you volved with this article. (Note to FBI: This is a joke.)
his roots. “I’m from Iowa originally and my just want to take care of the students,” he said.
wife has a job in Des Moines, so we’re kind of the only things that stay here “I know that Student Affairs is really interested 2:15 p.m. - Seminar. Probably should not be this excited
anchored here,” Ritter said. are the buildings.” in keeping the students educated about helping about judicial review. Note to self: acquire hobbies.
After graduation last May, Ritter took some Pat Ritter ’08 each other.”
well-deserved time off before beginning his job Ritter’s presence has leant an air of youth 5:45 p.m. - Weekly dinner with handful of friends. Promise
hunt. “Everybody who leaves Grinnell should to the group of Safety and Security Officers on to leave after half hour, unlike last week’s 90 minutes.
take some time off,” Ritter said. “Grinnell is very demanding, campus, something that students and dispatchers alike point
obviously, and it can burn you out.” out as a positive way to facilitate communication between stu- 6:45 p.m. - Finally leave dining hall. Progress!
For Ritter, though, working in a familiar environment dents and the Security Office on campus. “It’s nice to have
proved to be a good fit. Having seen a listing on the Grinnell someone who actually has some perspective on being a student 7 p.m. - Intend to start tomorrow’s seminar reading. In-
College website, he felt that working for the Security Office or who knows what we’re going through,” said Maia Olsen ’11. stead, spend hours on idealist.org. Is it really too much to
would be a job he was both interested in and qualified for, with “It’s refreshing that there’s someone younger on the Security ask that I find an occupation that does not involve living in
his military background. staff because they’re closer in age to us and they don’t necessar- a cardboard box eating bugs for sustenance?
Another major influence on Ritter’s decision to return to ily have the same authoritarian role as maybe an older officer
work at Grinnell involved the character of the students. “I re- would, like a parent-child thing.” 10 p.m. - Survey says: yes.
member from when I was a student here that we had a pretty Ultimately, Ritter hopes that by being here, he will help stu-
good relationship between students and security relative to dents feel safe while doing what he loves—talking to people. “If 11 p.m. - Crawl into bed like the old lady I am. After all,
what goes on at a lot of colleges,” he said. I’m out here talking to students, I’m actually doing my job … tomorrow is another big, exhausting, hopefully mono-free
Ever the true Grinnellian, Ritter cited his desire to have a Just being seen, so people know that Security is around and that day.
positive impact on the way Security works here. “I felt that if I if they have problems they can talk to us,” Ritter said. “You’re
could make the transition, that it would be a good way to be in- like, wow, I get paid for this.”
volved in the community and help students,” Ritter said. “Most

Dorm cooking: two recipes you (probably) won’t mess up

Everyone knows that one of the first things to go after you or friends. That’s all you’ll need for these two recipes (plus the pot, and put the pot on the stove on high. Cook, cov-
get to college is nutrition. Sure, you mean well, but then the maybe a dishtowel or washcloth to use as potholder). ered, for about 7 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook until
homework piles up, and before you know it you’re living on There are all kinds of arguments about what constitutes a the carrots reach the tenderness you prefer (generally about 5
Snickers, Pop-Tarts and Red Bull (known as the Nora Coon healthy diet, and since I spent most of high school nutrition minutes). Drain and serve hot. Increase the sugar if you like
Finals Diet, perfected by yours truly during the fall 2008 se- class writing a spy novel, I’m not going to try to dictate the sweeter carrots.
mester). So, where can you find ideal diet. However, most people Recipe 2: Pan-Roasted Broccoli
those difficult nutrients without agree that vegetables are good for I know lots of people hate broccoli. Frankly, I’m not the
spending much money or time? Of you, and in light of that, I offer two biggest fan of steamed broccoli. This is different. You need a
course a nice ribeye and some grilled Nora Coon ‘10 easy vegetable recipes that require head of broccoli, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon of
baby bok choy at the Phoenix will
give you your protein and vegetables,
Ice Cream is Rich in Protein no specialized equipment or cook-
ing talent, just the aforementioned
salt, and 3 tablespoons of water. Cut the broccoli into bite-
sized florets, and then peel about ¼ inch off the stalk (it’s deli-
but most of us can only afford to eat sharp knife and pot with a lid. cious) and cut it into ½ inch slices. Heat the oil in a pot or
there when our parents come to visit Yes, these recipes make too much pan on medium until it shimmers and add the broccoli stalks
to ask why we haven’t started thinking about grad school yet. for a normal person to eat in a single sitting. You can invest in evenly. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes. Add the florets,
Options two and three: the Dining Hall and dorm cook- some Tupperware or eat with your friends. stir, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes more. Sprinkle
ing. I’ll assume that you can probably navigate the Dining Recipe 1: Glazed Carrots with salt and then add the water, covering immediately. Cook
Hall, since even the first-years managed to live through a se- If you don’t like glazed carrots, you clearly had some kind 2 minutes more. Uncover and cook until broccoli is crisp but
mester without dying of malnutrition (I’ll discuss it in a later of childhood trauma. These will help ease that pain. For this, tender, about 1 or 2 minutes. Serve with lemon or butter or
column anyway). Let’s skip to option three: cooking in your you’ll need: 3 cups water, 5 tablespoons butter, 3 teaspoons both.
dorm kitchen. Granted, the kitchens on campus are not ex- sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 pounds carrots. Peel the carrots Recipe for Pan-Roasted Broccoli is from Cooks Illustrated.
actly “Iron Chef America”-ready, but you can usually manage (knife or vegetable peeler) and slice them into 1-inch chunks.
to scrounge a sharp knife and a pot with a lid from your RLC That’s about the width of two fingers. Put everything into
February 13, 2009
SB&
OPINION edited by Morgan Horton
hortonmo@grinnell.edu 11
Plea and praise: on letters, the B&S, and activism
The staff of the S&B asks students to write letters, salutes the B&S, and acknowledges recent student involvement

Please write us letters
The letters to the editor sec-
tion of the S&B provides an open
forum for students to share their
opinions about issues concerning
the student body. Writing a let-
ter to the editor is a great way to
challenge the ideas of the S&B,
our peers and administrators, as
well as to show support for the
things that we already love about
Grinnell College.
Though we know it gets a
little old hearing that you should
“be the change you want to see” in
Grinnell, if you are looking for a
new and relatively simple way to
get involved in the Grinnell com-
munity, writing a letter to the edi-
tor is a productive way to do so.
Last week, the S&B received
a letter to the editor concerning a
controversial publication recently
distributed to students. This let-
ter has since spawned an open
debate about free expression and
misogynous language on campus.
This kind of debate is perfect
for a letter to the editor, and we
sues involving the state of the Col- Student activism high themselves. As students, we should
lege, why not form a coherent argu- use their examples as a kick in
ment and share your opinions with During the recent Trustee week- the butt to actually go out and do
everyone. end, several student groups made pre- something.
sentations on issues pertinent to the We as Grinnellians have many
B&S you made us laugh College. SEG talked about their ef- resources available for letting out The Snedge
forts to receive nonprofit organization our inner activist. Even in these
As a student publication, we take status, and A Just Grinnell will train tough economic times when bud-
joy in reading, watching, listening to students over spring break to educate get cuts are prevalent, community Noyce and ARH
and smell- Grinnell service budgets are increasing. One
ing other and the result of these increases has been go head-to-head
publications wider com- DVA/SAC’s ability to extend their
on campus. mu n i t y focus to female members of Mitch- On Monday, Jessica By-
So far this about social ellville Correctional Facility who
year, the justice is- are seeking parole. erly polled 50 people at
most pleas- sues. These We are all constantly straining Noyce and Brian Sherwin
ant sensory presenta- under mounds of homework, but polled 50 people at ARH,
data has tions were this should be no reason to shirk asking:
come from well re- our social responsibilities. If you
our negative ceived, and are passionate about an issue, fol-
image—the B&S. provided an opportunity for open low these students’ examples; stop Cease or Desist
The B&S is in the unique posi- debate and dialogue for the students just talking and do something
tion of being able to openly share and faculty alike. about it.
opinions on the state of the College Though Grinnell has a long his- Let’s finally give DVA/SAC, Noyce
in a satirical fashion, and we think tory of social activism, we are not SEG, the Social Justice Peer Edu-
that they have done a great job com-
menting on current events. While
consistently as active as we strive to
be. However, some student groups are
cation Group, and other student
groups the recognition that they 58%
they may make a mockery of our ar- leading a wave of involvement. deserve for holding up Grinnell’s
ticles, satirize our features and will These students are doing some- reputation for social activism in Cease
undoubtedly lampoon this editorial, thing that matters to a wide range ways just about everyone can get

hope that it inspires future discus-
sion. So rather than complaining
to your friends about current is-
we’ll still be laughing.
So here’s to you, Ross, Matt and
Adam—keep it up.
42%
of people. Rather than continuing to behind. And remember, do the
talk about what needs to be changed, right thing.
they have taken the initiative upon
Desist

Ch-ch-ch-changes hitting Grinnell College campus ARH

Carlos Lu ’10 ponders the effects of the changes, both physical and social, that are occuring all around us
Hey, do you guys remember a year face-change on many different levels. thing like this: “Dude, they should choir and that you probably knew
50%
ago when Obama had just won the As of this year, we have a new dean just block off this street and make it that already). It happens all the time. Cease
Iowa cau- of students into, like, a Greek courtyard.” “You Ask any alumnus about their time at
cuses and and a new mean, like, with benches and pillars?” this school and they’ll tell you the
was on a di-
rect path for
Carlos Lu ‘10 vice-presi-
dent of stu-
“Yeah dude!”
At times, it is easy to find the
numerous things that have changed
since then. But like how America is 50%
the White This School Has a Bad dent affairs things around us to be ridiculous. It currently undergoing a major cultural Desist
H o u s e ? (Oh, where can be ridiculous in a funny way or and social change, Grinnell is going
Remember Sleep Cycle have you ridiculous in an absurd way. through a similar one as well. The
those two gone, Tom In reality, this current face-lift has daily lifestyles of students are evolv-
key phrases that defined his campaign? Crady-O, our college turns its lonely been ongoing for almost 10 years now. ing with time.
Well, unless you’ve been sitting to the eyes to you, oh oh oh). And, our ath- The physical aesthetics of this cam- I suspect that as long as the en-
left of Cheech and Chong while on letic facilities will soon double the pus were completely different shortly dowment remains as big as John Bur-
their comeback standup tour—don’t size of our campus.
worry, they’re still touring—and can’t So, Grinnell, do we like all of
before any of us got here.
Once upon a time, Darby Gym
rows’ love for the students of this
campus, more buildings and more DID
remember the past 12 months, you these changes?
know exactly what I’m referring to: Recently, I was walking home one
was where the JRC is now, a majority
of students didn’t have a cell phone or
changes will come. I hope that as
long as Grinnell students know no YOU
“Yes We Can” and “Change.” Duh. night with a friend, and as we were Facebook, ashtrays were still situated limits, that change will be met with KNOW
Yes, I know that change is not a crossing 8th Ave, we stopped to dis-
phrase. It’s a word. But it’s this very cuss the newly paved, brick road (we’re
by p-card readers and public entranc-
es, the Forum was the campus center
openness and understanding, if not
opposition and uproar.
?
word that I want to talk about, and off to see the wizard … ), as well as and East campus didn’t exist. Heck, And by “know limits”, I mean in- There are more plas-
what it’s currently doing to our be- the medians that guard the entrances some of you out there still remember telligence and a knack for social jus- tic flamingos in the
loved Grinnell College. from Park and East St. I don’t re- when there were two dining halls! tice. Duh. U.S. than real ones.
There is no doubt in my mind member how the exact conversation For the most part, change is good (I
that Grinnell is in the midst of a went, but it pretty much went some- realize that I’m preaching to Obama’s w w w. s t ra n g e f a c t s . c o m

The Scarlet & Black welcomes story ideas from students, faculty and
other members of the town and college community. If there is any story that
should be covered, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu.
The Scarlet and Black February 13, 2009
Send letters to the editor via email at newspapr@grinnell.edu or mail
them to Box 5886. The author’s name must be included, but letters can be
published anonymously in certain occasions upon request. Letters will be
printed at the discretion of the editor. The S&B reserves the right to edit any
Editors-in-Chief Pat Caldwell Graphics Editor Mike Kleine and all submissions. The deadline for publication in Friday’s paper is Tuesday
and David Logan News Assistant J. Francis Buse of the same week. Please do not include footnotes in letters to the editor.
Ad Designer Karuna Giri News Editor Ari Anisfeld
Arts Editor Mark Japinga Opinion Editor Morgan Horton The opinions expressed in letters to the editor, opinion columns and
Business Manager Katie McMullen Photo Editor Ben Brewer advertising do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the S&B, SPARC or
Grinnell College.
Copy Editor Stephanie Nordstrom Sports Editor Jai Garg
Design Editor Margie Scribner Web Design Tony Pan Advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager, Katie
Features Editor Chloe Moryl Honorary Editor Loosehead Pond McMullen, who can be reached at sandbads@grinnell.edu or by mail at Box
5886, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112.
Subscriptions to the S&B within the United States cost $25 per semes-
The Scarlet & Black is published on Fridays by students of Grinnell College and is printed by Marengo Publishing Corporation. The ter. Subscriptions outside the U.S. are $55 for surface mail and $85 for air
newspaper is funded in part by the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC) and also relies on advertising revenue to cover mail per semester. Again, send all inquiries to Box 5886 or newspapr@grin-
operating costs. All publications funded by SPARC are copyright of SPARC and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without specific written nell.edu.
consent from SPARC.
12 edited by Morgan Horton
hortonmo@grinnell.edu
This Week in Grinnell
(Feb 13 – Feb 19)
Strand 3 Theatre. $5.00 Grinnell Col-
lege Discount Passes available at the Cam-
pus Bookstore and the Pioneer Bookshop.
Call 236-7600 or visit www.fridleytheatres.
com for show times. Showing Feb 13—19:
Friday the 13th (R)
Gran Torino (R)
He’s Just Not That Into You (PG-13)
Taken (PG-13)
The Tale of Despereaux (G)
Concurrent Nature and Art Activities
at CERA: Feb 14 this is the concluding
event of Grinnell College’s Reconnecting
with Nature Symposium
12:00 p.m.: Nature activities at the
Conrad Environmental Research Area
2:00 p.m.: “Outdoor Signs of Life in
Winter”, a presentation and nature walk
with Mark D. Wagner of the National
Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Ongoing: Art activity for kids (of all
ages)
For more information visit http://www.
grinnell.edu/ or the Center for Prairie Stud-
ies at http://web.grinnell.edu/cps/Index.html
“You Gotta Try This!”: Feb 14, 1 p.m.-
2 p.m. Part of the Saturday Spotlight pro-
gram, young scientists in grades K-6 are
invited to the 4th floor meeting room of
Stewart Library for hands-on science ex-
periments. To sign up call the library at
236-2664.
Intergenerational Art Activity: Val-
entines Feb 14, 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Volunteers are welcome to join Faulconer
Gallery Outreach Curator Tilly Wood-
ward in an intergenerational art activity
for children and the elderly at Mayflower
Homes Activity Room, 600 Park Street. If
you would like to sign up (space is limited),
please contact Tilly @ x4663 or wood-
ward@grinnell.edu
On-Going Exhibits:
Still/LIFE Jan 13 - May 22, Noyce
Science Center, northwest study lounge,
second floor. The exhibit by Tracy Hicks
based around specimen jars is intended to
provide a space for intellectual as well as
artistic reflection on the fate of species and
raises the question: what does it mean to
preserve? Visit www.grinnell.edu/faulcon-
ergallery/exhibitions for more information.
Animated Painting: Feb 6 - April 19.
This exhibit open to the public features
work by 12 international contemporary
artists who adapt animation concepts and
technologies in making their art, combin-
ing handwork, digital technology as well as
traditional art forms. For more informa-
tion visit http://www.grinnell.edu/index4.
shtm or http://www.grinnell.edu/faulconer-
gallery/
High School Art Exhibition: Feb 6,
2009- Mar 5, Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m.-
5:30 p.m. at the Grinnell Community Art
Gallery, Grinnell Community Center (2nd
Floor) 927 Fourth Avenue, Grinnell. Call
641-236-2620 for more information or
for weekend appointments or visit http://
www.grinnellarts.org/gallery/high.htm
&
OPINION SB
February 13, 2009
Conserve water and save baby polar bears
Sarah Casson ’11 shares different ways for students to live more environmentally-friendly lives
Treehugger, dirty hippie, you know the
like: the weird kid in the corner who hasn’t
bathed in a long time, eating tofu and wearing
hemp. Well apparently they think something
called global warming is happening—don’t
they know that Inhofe says it’s a myth? Damn
hippies—and something should be done about
it.
In light of the new presidency taking sci-
ence seriously and believing that this crazy
hippie theory might be true, maybe we should
do something about it.
You may not know it, but you are already
living relatively environmentally. You live in a
dorm (or a house with at least a couple people)
and share bathrooms, laundry and really (lets
be honest here) don’t have that much space
that you can call only your own. But what else
Defending The Writer’s Digress
A letter in last week’s S&B offered a scath-
ing critique of Writer’s Digress magazine, de-
scribing its “nearly every page” as “oppressive
and deeply offensive”— an attack against
women, AIDS victims, and the mentally
handicapped. As producers of this magazine,
we question the validity of this condemnation.
We agree with the authors in that “it is
neither appropriate nor responsible to distrib-
ute blatantly misogynistic, classist, and ableist
material.” But the content of Writer’s Digress
falls into none of these categories, and in fact,
occasionally pokes fun at those who hold such
ignorant views.
Indeed when taken out of context, some of
our material may appear offensive, most no-
tably the words of the fictional “DJ Koob$.”
But Writer’s Digress is a satirical publication.
Amidst a large amount of innocent, stupid hu-
mor, a few of its pieces employ irony to make
a point. Yes, the words of “Koob$” were osten-
sibly misogynistic, unlike the sentiment of au-
thor Gary Kahn. Kahn purposefully used this
over the top language as a means to poke fun
at male chauvinists, while also making light of
his own often misrepresented image on cam-
pus.
We regret if it took a close reading to in-
terpret the article, or any other piece in the
magazine. We assumed that the magazine’s
tagline—“Stories About Nothing, Advice You
Shouldn’t Take”— adequately contextualized
the message of our pieces. But for the tastes
of some students, perhaps we missed the mark.
Such is the risk of satire—whether found on
the cover of the New Yorker, or within the con-
fines of a goofy and fledgling campus maga-
zine (Come on … one of our best pieces was
a butt joke).
We can understand how Kahn’s piece may
have been misinterpreted. But the authors
of last week’s opinion continued their cri-
tique further labeling Writer’s Digress as both
“ableist” and “classist.” While we consider our
“ableist” title the result of another misinterpre-
tation—the mere mention of the cognitively
disabled does not inherently signify intoler-
ance—we simply cannot pinpoint any article
even brushing upon the concept of class, with
the exception of a fake petition calling for the
overthrow of the “capitalist bourgeoisie pigs”
(Isn’t that why we all chose to enroll here in
the first place?)
If our detractors wish to offer constructive
criticism and to form a meaningful dialogue,
we invite them once again to help us clear up
this confusion. Otherwise, we deem that activ-
ist energy may be better spent addressing more
relevant social problems both locally and na-
tionally. Let’s face it—women still lack equal
can I do as a poor college student you ask?
Simple steps can easily conserve water and
water-related
resources. Go
buy a re-useable
water bottle, like Sarah
a Nalgene, fill it
with water and Green Ideas
enjoy! Instead
of using (and
throwing out) multiple cheap water bottles,
you get one nice one without wasting lots of
plastic and money. Other simple processes
can save lots of water too. Turn off the faucet
when you are brushing your teeth, shaving in
the shower or washing the dishes.
In the shower turn the water on to get
wet; turn off to lather up; then turn back on to
pay in the workplace and we still use the clas-
sist term “townie” to describe some 9,000 of
our fellow Grinnellians.
If Writer’s Digress truly offended our out-
spoken critics, we appreciate their willingness
to address us, albeit in indirect fashion. We
hope that anyone with questions or concerns
about the publication will choose to send let-
ters to our editor, as repeatedly requested in
the magazine. This is the best way for us to
gauge campus opinion. If anyone wishes to sit
down with us to talk about these issues or the
freshness of Will Smith, please let us know.
— Jim Malewitz ’09, Marshall Chavez ’10,
Katie McMullen ’09 and Chris Wong ’09
(Writer’s Digress editors)
Response to Writer’s Digress
First of all, thanks to Jim Malewitz, Edi-
tor-in-Chief of Writer’s Digress, for contacting
us directly regarding our letter in the S&B last
week. We really appreciate the openness of this
back-and-forth and we value being part of a
community that can respectfully engage in this
kind of honest dialogue.
We received feedback that our initial let-
ter left people curious as to the specifics of our
grievances. We would like to take the oppor-
tunity to specify some of the comments with
which we took issue, and allegedly “so grossly
misconceived.”
We would like to begin by discussing some
of our “misinterpretations” from the advice
column on page 10. As a male with presum-
ably some amount of privilege, “Koob$” was
oppressive in his choice to make light of sexual
assault, objectification of women, and women
as inherently materialistic. While we can con-
cede that the publication as a whole seeks to
present a space in which one can be intention-
ally pejorative, the objectification of women
as merely a collection of orifices as well as the
graphic nature of “Koob$’” advice oversteps a
boundary. When talking about fucking every
hole, the joke is not that Koob$ is so misogy-
nistic, but rather the idea of objectifying wom-
en in this manner becomes something to joke
about. We don’t think it’s funny, and it makes
us incredibly uncomfortable.
Looking to the article on Forrest Gump,
we resent the assumptions presented about the
sexuality of people with cognitive disabilities,
as well the capabilities in general of people
with mental disabilities. Additionally, we
found the use of Jenny to draw a connection
between drug use, “gold digging,” and deviant
female sexuality to be extremely problematic.
While we appreciate the chronological flaws
pointed out by the author of this section, we
do not recognize a necessary inclusion of this
ableist and classist material.
rinse off. Or even store water in the refrigera-
tor for cold water and buy your Juicy-Juice in
concentrate form.
It’s the little things
that take the extra
Casson ‘11 second that eventu-
ally add up to big
differences in any
type of consump-
tion and waste.
But you may still be asking yourself why
should I really care? You should care because
baby polar bears are just so darn cute and the
thought of them drowning because of melting
ice from global warming makes me want to cry.
So think about the baby polar bears next time
you leave the water on. Or you could shower
with a friend and save water … just saying.
We would also like to highlight the prob-
lematic tone of the jokes section. We appreciate
the comedic effect of modeling this page after
those of Reader’s Digest, but we are incredibly
disappointed and unamused by this particular
selection of jokes. In this one page section,
Writer’s Digress makes light of learning dis-
abilities, physical disabilities, and pedophilia.
We feel that it is about time that we agree
to disagree. We recognize that we all have dif-
ferent ideas of what constitutes appropriate
language use and effective satire, and while it
is important that we be able to express our dis-
comfort, we leave Writer’s Digress to make their
own judgment calls. Thanks again to Writer’s
Digress for participating in this healthy debate,
and although this will end our hostile takeover
of the Opinion section, we hope that the writ-
ers and editors of Writer’s Digress will make a
concerted effort to self-evaluate in the future.
—Margie Scribner ’10 and Leah Krandel ’09
Students advocate for faculty
Considering recent events, we feel that it
is our responsibility as current students to ex-
press our solidarity with the faculty effort to
increase the transparency and accountability of
Grinnell’s administration.
We support an external review of the depar-
ture of Sheree Andrews, as proposed by some
members of the faculty. Andrews’ dismissal has
brought on an unhealthy atmosphere of suspi-
cion and distrust among students, faculty and
staff. We believe that this external review may
help restore the community’s confidence in
our institution.
We condemn the cease and desist letter de-
livered to Professor Ralph Savarese as an act of
intimidation designed to restrict student-fac-
ulty interaction. We believe that open dialogue
between faculty and students is necessary for a
healthy college community.
The issues that we have with the admin-
istration are community issues and cannot be
resolved on an individual level. Access to and
the involvement of all members of the com-
munity is imperative for the resolution of our
concerns.
—Bassil Alcheikh
‘12, Sarah Black ‘10, Periklis Chatzistavridis
‘12, Claire Comstock-Gay ‘09, Chris Davies ‘11,
Chris Davis ‘12, Liz Dreier ‘11, Chris Farstad
‘09, Elise Gallant ‘12, Mona Ghadiri ‘11, Soleil
Ho ‘09, Mallory Inman ‘09, Leigh Kunkel ‘09,
Emma Lawler ‘09, Lexy Leuszler ‘12, Bennett
Magnino ‘10, Molly McArdle ‘09, Christine Mc-
Cormick ‘09, Tim Miller ‘09, Alexander Rich-
Shea ‘12, Andrea Rissing ‘09, Alex Schechter ‘10,
Parvoneh Shirgir ‘09, Jessica Southard ‘10, Noah
Tetenbaum ‘12, Amanda Underwood ‘10, Rachel
Walberg ‘09, Asa Wilder ‘10
February 13, 2009

Peanut butter scare has people

l sticking
ti with jelly sandwiches
This salmonella thing is all over the news. sponsible haven’t gotten away with it. To get
SB
&
OPINION edited by Morgan Horton
hortonmo@grinnell.edu 13
strain of salmonella, their products get widely salmonella also makes it into our lives via rep-
Lots of people have died and hundreds of to the bottom (ha!) of all this, doctors take distributed, and all of a sudden hundreds of tiles, specifically pet turtles.
Americans are sick samples of the afore- pepper-eaters are feeling fiery at both ends. The “Four-inch rule” passed by the FDA
from poisoned pea- mentioned diarrhea For the most part, though, this isn’t that big in 1975 stated that pet stores can’t sell turtles
nut butter. Now, Darcy Ward ‘09 of people with salmo- of a deal. Thousands of people every year truck with shells shorter than four inches. This is be-
anthrax was a badass nella poisoning. These through the bloody diarrhea like champs. The cause several kids were stupid enough to shove
thing to be taken Hypothesize this sweet little specimens old, sick and very young are the people who turtles in their mouths and get salmonella poi-
down by. Peanut are sent off for genetic are in trouble here. Incidentally, they also hap- soning.
butter is kind of pa- fingerprinting. Since pen to be the type of people consuming peanut Personally, I think anyone who tries to eat
thetic. Prior to the there are over 2,300 paste from industrial-size vats of peanut prod- their pet turtle joins me in the “gross and de-
outbreak I would never have considered eating strains of salmonella bacteria, fecal investiga- uct, which is what the Blakely plant produced. serving of stomach problems” camp.
ants on a log a wild Friday night activity, but tors get excited when people from totally dif- Should you be hankering for some chancy My army of salmonella-infected children
I guess I’ll take my thrills wherever I can get ferent places have the same salmonella strains peanut product, the other place to get it en will be good test subjects for a sweet study
them. in their poop. masse is from FEMA. taking place. Microbiologist
In my time I have taken some calculated The dump doctors work backwards to fig- Having decided most di- Vince Fischetti of Rock-
risks, and ingested some things not recom- ure out what everybody ate, and then decide saster victims have moved My army of salmonella-infected efeller University is testing
mended by the FDA. For instance, last night I where it came from. This is how a plant in out of formaldehyde-in- to see whether booze kills
spent a significant amount of time surfing the little ol’ Blakely Georgia came to be shunned fested trailers, FEMA fig- children will be good test subjects salmonella in eggnog made
internet for pictures of the Obama family in for trying to kill grandma. ured it was time to strike for a sweet study taking place. with raw eggs. He isn’t sure
my underwear, eating French onion dip that To put it in perspective, though, the USDA again, and gave Kentuck- what the answer is yet, which
had been sitting out for four days. tells me about 1.4 million Americans get Sal- ian ice storm survivors is great, since I want to sign
If a person deserves to get a little stomach monella poisoning annually and so far only MREs chock full of the good stuff. FEMA up the turtle-eaters and I.
pain for anything, that was it. Karma is on the 575 have gotten sick from the peanut butter also recommends injured parties sprinkle a What could be more exciting than Russian
side of the diarrhea here. outbreak. little strychnine on their peanut butter, just in roulette with salmonella and alcohol? In fact, I
I would be an appropriate victim and I am Fear of salmonella is the reason people case their lives didn’t suck enough, you know, think we should all participate.
willing to sacrifice myself Jesus-style, because avoid eating raw eggs and chicken. It is a com- because of the disaster. This weekend, everyone buy some of your
I feel attacking Grandma on snack break at the mon bacteria that lives in the intestines of ani- Clearly something has to be done to protect favorite peanut paste product, gather some
nursing home is a low blow, salmonella. mals and on some fruits and vegetables. the children at risk. My research tells me this is friends, down some beverages, and let me
Thus far, eight old people have come to You guys remember the jalapeño and to- will not be the first time legislative action has know if you get horribly, horribly ill in 12-72
an unpleasant end, suffering stomach cramps, mato fiasco last summer? Same idea. A couple been taken to protect kids from salmonella. hours. How’s that for leadership, Teach for
fever, vomiting and diarrhea. But those re- of farms happen to have produce with a bad Aside from animal products and veggies, America?

If you are not addicted to shopping online, do not read

Over the summer, I developed a debilitating and decidedly un-
glamorous addiction to online shopping. For all my street wisdom,
I had somehow never realized that having a credit card means that
you can pretty much be buying things constantly, from many dif-
ferent locations. You can be simultaneously attacked by a bear, and
order something from Urban Outfitters, and dammit, that kind of
advanced multi-tasking is just too hard to resist.
My favorite thing about online shopping is that if you have a
bad memory, suddenly your life is full of surprises. “A package?”
you think on Wednesday, after ordering something on Friday.
“Who would send a present to little old me?”
Aside from the crushing disappointment of repeatedly realiz-
ing that your secret admirer is in fact you, this makes regular week-
days a lot more exciting. Who doesn’t love approaching the mail
room window, chest puffed out with pride, grasping that little slip
of paper? “That’s right,” you imagine it broadcasts to the world,
“I got a package. Behold the unknowable depth of my popularity
and influence.”
On top of that, let’s be honest: we are living in a material world,
and I am more easily excited by ordering a book called (not joking) think. “Now that I think about it, where’s my debit card?”
Listography: Your Life in Lists than by most major world events. For those of you who have yet to be sucked into the world of
This is not to say that online shopping doesn’t have its bad online purchases, you should probably immediately stop reading
side. A few months ago, I started noticing a depressing trend in my and forget what I’ve told you. Burn this paper. You already know
Amazon.com recommended purchases box. I think Amazon’s goal too much. There’s no going back. For everyone else, I take com-
is to tempt me into buying more things, but realistically it’s more fort in the automatic community that online shopping creates for
like receiving an unnerving psychiatric evaluation. us. If you’re a crazy person who orders two different Neil Patrick
No one ever wants to read Harris posters, there is undoubtedly a
the statement, “Customers who crazier person who ordered three.
bought this product also bought Obsession is relative, I think, and on
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s
Rachel Fields ‘09 a scale from I-am-not-yet-bankrupt to
Soul.” Suddenly you flash forward yep-totally-bankrupt, I’m rating a healthy
to the future and see yourself sit- Pro-Laugh three. The long-term future might not be
ting alone in an empty apartment, so bright, but online shopping is about
surrounded by nothing but jour- the immediate, tangible reward of ma-
nals with weird gimmicks and American Eagle tank tops. Most terialism, not the importance of “building stable finances” or
people would be disturbed and horrified by the bleakness of this “learning that fondue torches are not basic life necessities.” If you
vision, but the worst part is that it doesn’t even seem that bad to disagree, we can talk about it over a friendly game of Banana-
you. “I wonder if I’ll have bought travel Scrabble by then,” you grams—arriving in my mailbox on Monday.

Helen Lewandowski ’12

 14 edited by Jai Garg
Gargjai@grinnell.edu

Men’s basketball continues

SB
SPOO&
PORTS
P OR
ORT
RTS
R
RTTS
T February 13, 2009

winning streak, breaks records

BY CARLOS LU all performance during the two games. Roewe
This past week, the Grinnell men’s bas- scored 6 points on Saturday against Beloit, and
ketball team defeated three conference foes, started both games. “It wasn’t our best, but we
improved their record to 15-6 (11-3 in the got it done.”
Midwest Conference), and extended their win- Against Knox College, the team returned to
ning streak to six games. On Friday night, the form as Grotberg scored 33 points, and Long
team beat Ripon College 120-100, and gained added 30 as the team captured victory eas-
another 20-point victory over Beloit College on ily. Grotberg’s 12 steals in the game set a new
Saturday afternoon, beating them 117-97. On Grinnell single-game record, and his 33 points
Wednesday the team defeated Knox College put him third on the all-time list.
107-74. “It feels kind of weird to move up in the re-
During the game against Ripon, John cord books,” Grotberg said. “I’m still not sure it
Grotberg ’09 scored 43 points, Bobby Long ’09 has all sunk in yet. We try to focus on one game
scored 32 points, and David Arseneault ’09 had at a time since we have the possibility to host
9 assists. Grinnell led by six at halftime, but the tournament.”
would increase their lead at With the three wins
the start of the second half “It feels kind of weird to move up this past week, the Pioneers
and eventually never let Ri- clinched a spot in the four-
pon get within 11 points for in the record books, I’m still not team MWC Tournament.
the rest of the game. Grot- sure it has all sunk in yet. We try More importantly, however,
berg’s performance on Friday is the fact that there is still a
night placed him in the top to focus on one game at a time possibility for Grinnell to host
five all-time leading scorers since we have the possibility to the MWC Tournament. But
in NCAA Men’s Division III for that to happen, Grinnell
Basketball. host the tournament.” will need St. Norbert College
Grotberg then improved John Grotberg ’09 to lose to Lawrence and Car-
his rank during Saturday’s roll Universities.
game against Beloit. He “I think we got about a 50
scored 38 points, going 14-16 from the free- percent chance right now,” Roewe said. “The
throw line, moving up to fourth place on the league is messy and certain people have to lose
all-time Division III list with 2,702 points, just for us to be able to host it. So, we’re not in driv-
7 points shy of the third place spot. Grotberg er’s seat, but we still have a shot.”
also added 8 steals and 8 rebounds, while Long The team has only two games left on their
had 28 points and Arseneault had 19 points and regular season schedule. They will host Illinois
8 assists in Saturday afternoon’s game. College on Saturday at Darby Gymnasium be-
Despite the box score, the players felt that fore their final game the following Saturday at
their play was lacking and could have been bet- Monmouth College. The game this Saturday
ter, especially in the first half of Beloit’s game, against Illinois College is not only the final reg-
where the team was ice cold from the field. “We ular season home game, it is also Senior Day for
didn’t play as well as we wanted to this past the graduating seniors on the team, which in-
weekend, but despite that, we got a couple of clude Grotberg, Long, Arseneault, Roewe and
wins,” said R.J. Roewe ’09 on the team’s over- Ahmed Idrissa ’09.
David Arseneault ’09 scores during Saturday’s game against Beloit College. MICHELLE FOURNIER

MIDWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS! THIS WEEKEND @ OBERMILLER POOL

COME WATCH GRINNELL ROCK THE COMPETITION
FRIDAY @ 10 A.M., SATURDAY @ 9 A.M., and SUNDAY @ 9 A.M.
February 13, 2009
Men’s tennis Captain Dan LaFountaine ‘09 winds up for a powerful serve during Monday’s practice
in the PEC North Gym.
Tennis team ready to rock
BY M AX CALENBERG
Last season the Grinnell men’s tennis team
came in 13th in the NCAA Division III tour-
nament. This season, with a wide range of goals
including earning a national ranking, winning
conference, sending team captains Dan La-
Fountaine ’09 and Nate Fox ’09 to nationals as
doubles partners and Juan Carlos Perez ’11 in
singles, they expect to do much better.
In September, the team went to the ITA
(Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Midwest
Regional tournament, where Coach Andy
Hamilton ’85 was impressed by the play of Sam
Raife ’10 and Eric Ritter ’12, who both contin-
ued to improve their game to win matches.
But it was Perez who stood out as he
reached the quarterfinals, losing to Gustavus
Adolphus senior John Kauss, the eventual
ITA Division III National Singles Champion.
“That was [Perez] beginning to reach his po-
tential,” Hamilton said.
LaFountaine believes Perez’s performance
influenced the whole team to strive for more.
“Watching him was a blast, even though we
were all sitting on the sidelines by that point, ”
LaFountaine said. “It really inspired all of us.”
Coach Hamilton has intentionally ar-
ranged a challenging schedule of non-confer-
ence matches against nationally ranked teams,
including Gustavus Adolphus (#8), Washing-
ton University (#1) and Kalamazoo (#28).
“We will probably trade some wins for
losses by taking this schedule,” Hamilton said.
“But our players will be better prepared.”
SB&
SPORTS
Women’s Basketball on a skid
edited by Jai Garg
gargjai@grinnell.edu 15
Despite close games, team falls to 3-11 in Midwest Conference
BY M ICHAEL SCHOELZ Grinnell also suffered two more losses
The Grinnell women’s basketball team was over the weekend to conference opponents
handed another loss Feb 11 by Midwest Con- at home. The Pioneers fell to a strong Beloit
ference foe Knox College 69-71. The Pioneers team 74-58 on Feb 7 following a 75-40 loss to
have struggled this season, dropping to 2-12 in Ripon (9-4, 12-8) the day before.
the Midwest Conference and 3-18 overall. “Ripon and Beloit are two very differ-
“There were some moments of some really ent teams, and we match up better against
good stuff,” said Head Coach Kate Gluckman. Beloit,” Gluckman said. “But we’ve had two
“But the same things are still really good games against
holding us back in terms of “We want to show them that Beloit and in the second
turnovers and missed defen- we’re not the team that we were half against Beloit we played
sive opportunities.” them even. But they have
Grinnell had beaten a month ago.” some tremendous athletes
Knox 74-70 on Dec 10 at and they’re well-coached
home, so hopes were riding and they use their assets re-
high coming into the game. Mallory Scharf ’11 ally well.”
The Pioneers led by four at The Pioneers came out
the half but Knox (3-11 MWC, 6-15) rallied hard against Beloit (11-3, 14-7), leading 16-7
back in the second half and kept it close. With with 13:44 remaining in the first half. But Be-
five seconds left and the game tied at 69, Knox loit, which is currently second in the confer-
was able to make 2 free throws for the win. ence standings, came back and by the half, had
“We came in thinking that we could at taken the lead, 44-28.
least improve on what we did the last time “When we come out against Beloit like
and we were tied in the league,” said Mallory the way we did it should give us a lot of confi-
Scharf ’11. “But it was definitely more disap- dence,” Scharf said.
pointing when we lost because we thought we The Pioneers have lost six straight entering
had a better chance of winning this one.” this Saturday’s game against Illinois College.
Despite the loss, the team had a couple of However, it is the Pioneers’ last home game
excellent individual performances. Jess Shotts and they hope to end the season on a good
’10 scored 27 points to lead all scorers and note.
Meg Huey ’12 added a double-double with 11 “We want to see some improvement since
points and 10 rebounds. Also, after a weekend the last time we played these two teams,”
of what Gluckman described as a “horrific” re- Scharf said. “We want to show them that we’re
bounding performance, the Pioneers were able not the team that we were a month ago.”
to out-rebound Knox 46-34.
BEN BREWER
In Midwest Conference play, where
Grinnell is a five time repeating champion, the
most challenging foe appears to be Lake For-
est College, who finished second in the MWC
last year, and have all their starters returning.
The strong line-up of either LaFountaine or
Perez at number one singles, Fox at number
three, Ritter at number four and Raife playing
five should present a formidable opponent to
any adversary.
In preparing for the future, Hamilton is
placing two first-year players in key doubles
roles, as Dmitriy Glumov ’11 will pair with
Raife for the number three doubles and Mar-
tin Dluhos ’12 joins Perez for the number-two
team. The number one doubles will be filled by
the proven duo of Fox and LaFountaine, who
aspire to reach Nationals.
After reflecting on last season, Perez was
looking forward to watching the first-years
compete, knowing full well the benefits it
could have for their abilities.
“I matured so much,” Perez said. “When I
played back home I had the talent but I would
always have mental breakdowns in the middle
of matches that kept me from winning.”
Although the Pioneers have few home
matches this season, LaFountaine encourages
all to come out and watch.
“This season,” LaFountaine said, “we have
the best player to come through our program
in Perez, the best doubles player ever in Nate
[Fox], and I’ll give myself the title of best en-
tertainer.”
 The Back Page
The Best Thing Since The Front Page

This Week in
Grinnell H istory
February 9 , 1945

Spring vacation,
originally sched-
uled from March
28 to April 4, has
definitely been can-
celled, Dean Earl
Strong announced
Photo of the
this week.
Randy Brush (far left), husband of Loosehead RLC Kim Hinds-Brush, poses sometime in the glorious ‘80s with other Week
members of his band, T minus 1. Randy, known for his fierce drumming skills, personable demeanor, and piercing eyes,
still looks this good. Josh Weber ’09
The S&B can’t be everywhere! Submit your photo to us at [newspapr]. Earn $10 for contributing the winning
photo.

SWIMMING CONFERENCE: The most nearly naked people that you

can see for free. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday—be there.

BATHS: They are so relaxing, but we rarely enjoy them since none
of us really know how clean the tubs in the dorms are.

CHAINS: We made our decision. Not only was this event poorly
organized, but the entire list of accepted chains was left open in the
Norris computer lounge for all to see.

They’re called not-pants To the women of Grinnell: Words to the scandelmongers

random In response to the random rant published last It would’ve been much appreciated if some- Something I really looked forward to in college

rants
week, I would just like to put in a word for all of
the legging-wearing girls out there. As a strong
advocate for the leggings—or not-pants—I think
they are perfectly acceptable bottom-wear.
Students speak Did you stop to think that maybe these leg-
about what’s on gings are being worn for a more practical pur-
their minds in 142 pose rather than a fashion statement? I for one
words or fewer, choose to wear the not-pants as a comfortable
and you’re invited! alternative to regular pants. Does it make my ass
If you have a rant, look good? Probably not. But who cares, it’s the
e-mail it to most comfortable piece of clothing I own. So
[hortonmo]. Com- girls, if you have the positive self image to be able
to bear your booty like that, I say wear your not-
plaining in a public
pants with pride and let the “general public” deal
forum is always
with their own insecurities.
more fun than do-
ing it alone.
one could’ve explained to me that we couldn’t
wear spandex as pants without the permission
of Aaron Bisch BEFORE I rocked them in the
Dining Hall. At 6:30, too, so 75% of campus saw
them! Thanks again, for being sooo proactive
about including everyone in this whole “dressing
for comfort” travesty that has undoubtedly made
so many members of the student body uncom-
fortable. Mr. Bisch, tomorrow I will be wearing
a yellow top, material: satin. Also, a pair of grey
wash jeans, cut: straight leg. If you could provide
me with your number so I can give you a call, to
review my outfit before I leave my dorm, it would
be much appreciated as prevention of further hu-
miliation is essential from here on out.
was leaving behind stupid high school drama. I was
fed up with catty gossip after four years in a school
of 400 where everyone knows your business. I fig-
ured that Grinnell’s student body, concerned with
the world of academia and social justice, would be
mature enough to abstain from busy-bodying. But
boy was I wrong. It seems like every time I turn
my head someone is spewing the intimate details of
someone else’s life. As tempting as it is to announce
to the whole campus about so-and-so’s salacious
experience last night, you should keep in mind that
rumors spread quickly and escalate in the process.
As a result, feelings can get hurt and relationships
might be severed. I just ask that everyone be re-
spectful of other people’s privacy. PLEASE SELF-
GOVERN YOUR BIG MOUTH. Thanks.

—Lauren Horn ’12 —Brooke Yoder ’12 —Katherine Chung ’12

www.thesandb.com S&B on the Web thesandb.blogspot.com