The S&Blog

GrinnellPlans Ceases and Desists

2008-12-17T02:53:00.003-06:00

by David Logan

At roughly 7:30 p.m. Monday evening, the popular cyber-forum site GrinnellPlans ceased operation and posted a notification citing a cease-and-desist notice as the reason for the suspension of service.

“GrinnellPlans, in accordance with a cease-and-desist notice, is suspended, effective Monday, December 15, 2008 at or around 7:30pm Central Time,” the posting read.

Plans Administrator Ian Atha ’09, who received the notice, would not comment on the source of the notice or the reasons behind it but in an e-mail to the S&B wrote that "The cause is not yet to be communicated, but it was not libel/slander.
Also, it was not about particular content, but about alleged
practices." He also said he is working with an attorney to resolve the issue and restore service to the site which he anticipated would be soon but said that, in the meantime, he is treading cautiously.

“My strategy is to be as careful as possible and make sure we don’t get into judicial legal trouble,” he said in an interview. “The homepage says we are complying with the [cease-and-desist] letter but that does not constitute admission of fact or practice.”

He cited a potential injunction and court fees as some of the more disruptive measures he hoped to avoid.

Atha said that he had received the notice because the site is hosted on a server he owns in Texas through The Planet, an information technology firm based in Houston, Tex.

Quickly following the suspension of service, rumors circulated among students on campus and on a discussion board hosted on the social networking site Facebook as to the source and motivation of the cease-and-desist notice. Posters speculated about whether or not a student submitted the notice while one alumnus even claimed responsibility, though there is no evidence to support any of the claims.

Many speculated that the cease-and-desist notice and the subsequent suspension of service might have come from members of the College administration. In the midst of recent student anxieties about recently hired Student Affairs employees, and the controversial departure of former Associate Dean and Director of Residence Life Sheree Andrews, the website had become a sounding board for student grievances about the administration. Without providing any specifics, Atha denied that the College administrators had sent the notice.

“It’s not Houston or Travis or RKO or anyone who works for the College,” he said. “I think the most important thing now is to not start groundless rumors. Plans will be back as soon as possible.”

While he said he could not provide a definite timeline for when the service might be restored, Atha said he did not expect the suspension to last beyond Saturday, when he would be leaving the country for the start of the College’s winter recess.

As a precaution, he said that he has signed over power of attorney to a lawyer in California who could then act on Atha’s behalf while he is out of the country.

The last time the site was shut down because of legal troubles was in 2005 when Paul Wainwright’07 posted statements that authorities said advocated violence against law enforcement officials. While the site had not been hosted by the College since 2003, College administrators asked Plans administrators to take down the cite pending an investigation.

--additional reporting by Ari Anisfeld

SOA funding uncertain

2008-11-14T16:23:00.000-06:00

by Ari Anisfeld, J. Francis Buse & David Logan

For the past month, Grinnell College student activists had been making plans to travel to Ft. Benning, Georgia and participate in the 16th annual “Vigil to Close the School of the Americas.” But after receiving pledges for funding from various College departments and student groups, organizers were later informed that their budget was under scrutiny by the College’s attorneys.

Though the students who planned to attend the vigil Nov 21-23 were not initially told about the funding decision, administrators have since said that they would not support the funding. The group leaders met with President Russell Osgood and other administrators at 4 p.m. this afternoon to discuss the decision.

The students had already received pledges to help cover the approximately $7000 transportation and other logistical costs. But still roughly $2000 short, organizers approached Student Affairs to cover the rest. Director of Campus Center Operations/Student Activities Michael Sims, concerned about the legal implications of funding a advocacy activity, contacted some of the College’s attorneys.

President Russell K. Osgood, who said he was approached for help by Vice President of Student Affairs Houston Dougharty, advised that the College not provide funding because of a combination of both financial and legal factors.

“One, we’re being careful about every expenditure, we’re not selling jobs and anything that looks largish I’m saying no to unless it’s in the budget,” Osgood said. “And that’s one level on which this exists.”

“Two, over the last few years … going on what I’ll call “advocacy trips” has been discussed a couple of times and in general because the College is a 501(c)(3) charity, we don’t fund advocacy trips, just like we don’t fund sending people to a lot of things that are worthy.”

Osgood was referring to the Internal Revenue Service’s prohibition against political lobbying activities by 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, which is meant to ensure that primarily political advocacy groups do not benefit from the tax-exempt status afforded by a 501(c)(3) designation.

According to the information on the website for the Internal Revenue Service, “In general, no organization may qualify for section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation…”

The IRS generally draws a distinction between attempting to influence legislative decisions as opposed to executive or administrative ones.
It does include some exceptions to the restrictions, noting that “organizations may conduct educational meetings, prepare and distribute educational materials, or otherwise consider public policy issues in an educational manner without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.”

Osgood also cited safety concerns and said that the activity was not “squarely within our educational purpose.”

“So if someone came to me and said we’re going to the U.N. and it’s part of an upper level course in political science, I’ll be honest, that has more of a cache for funding,” he said. “But right now, I wouldn’t even fund that because of the budget situation.”

The “vigil”, a three-day event, which commemorates the killing of eight Salvadorians by a graduate of SOA and includes social justice and activism workshop, has been attended by for the at least the past six years, and has received College funding for a bus for similar sized groups for the past couple of years, according to Dean of Religious Life Deanna Shorb.

Sheree Andrews on Leave

2008-09-05T16:32:00.004-05:00

The S&B can confirm that Associate Dean and Director of Residence Life Sheree Andrews has been placed on administrative leave as of yesterday morning. Andrews is still employed by the college, but it is unclear what, if any, role she will have while placed on leave. “I don’t know what the status is,” Andrews told the S&B in a phone interview this afternoon.

While Andrews said she could not speak in detail on the matter, she said that it might be resolved soon. “Hopefully next week [it will be resolved],” she said. “That’s my understanding.”

Andrews could also not say whether or not her change in status was voluntary, and said only that “There’s a bunch of us working on this.”

Responding to a request for comment, Dean of Students Travis Greene wrote in an e-mail that “due to College policy regarding the confidentiality of personnel-related matters, and out of respect for those involved, no College employees are able to comment regarding this or any other personnel matter.” Vice President for Student Affairs Houston Dougharty could not be reached for comment.

While the College’s Staff Handbook includes a section on Progressive Discipline and Termination, there is no formal policy for imposing disciplinary measures short of dismissal.

According to section 2.5 of the Grinnell College Staff Handbook, “Although one or more … steps may be taken in connection with a particular employee, no formal order or procedure is necessary for appropriate action.” Although there is no formal designation for Andrews' status, she said it could be best described as "administrative leave."

The S&B first learned that Andrews was placed on administrative leave from numerous Student Staff members and a member of SGA. Andrews later confirmed the information in the interview.

Andrews’ status at the school was first disseminated to Student Staff members last night, when some RLCs held meetings to inform their staffs. However they were given no further information about the circumstances beyond the fact that she was on leave.

This is a developing story, and we will be posting further information when it becomes available…

Correction: Missing word in column

2008-05-02T12:58:00.003-05:00

In Danny Haupt's opinion column in the May 2 issue of the S&B, the first word was missing. His opening paragraph should have read:

At Grinnell we have a tendency to bitch on a pretty regular basis about pretty much everything. Some of the loudest and most frequent complaints are often about the college, itself, and the perceived failures of administrators and trustees to listen to students. But when the trustees presented themselves last Thursday to talk to students, not too many showed up.

Relays postponed due to funding, disinterest, weather

2008-05-02T02:48:00.003-05:00

by Claire Reeder

Grinnell Relays, an annual party that combines all the fun of a middle school field day with the all the fun of a booze bash, was canceled at the eleventh hour last Saturday. While, as officials reported, weather did play into the final decision to postpone Relays, lack of campus interest and funding were primary factors, according to organizers SGA President Megan Goering ’08 and SGA Student Services Coordinator Kirby Ramstad ’08.

According to Ramstad, there was little initial interest in Relays. After the first application due date, only one team had signed up; the extended deadline yielded one more team. After a second extension, seven teams had signed up. “No one seemed interested until really close to the event,” said Ramstad. “It was like pulling teeth to get people to sign up and turn in their forms.”

Marissa Gillman ’09, captain of Team Rainbow Fight, said she felt that the amount of advertising may have affected campus interest. “I just put together a team because I thought it would be fun after I saw a flyer in the mailroom,” she said. “But I didn’t really see a ton of advertising for the event.”

Funding also limited the planners, as participating teams contributed $90. Appeals to Dining Services, the ACE budget and collecting around campus finally totaled around $500. Traditionally, Relays money pays for equipment, food and beer, and is invested in T-shirts.

The low initial funding impeded the purchasing of Relays T-shirts, which in the increased awareness and funding in the past, limited initial capital restricted the ability to buy T-shirt. However, with the postponement, organizers have decided to front the money to purchase T-Shirts that will be distributed during Relays.

Generally, Relays is officially organized by volunteers and is not necessarily associated with SGA or All-Campus Events. But when no volunteers came forward to organize this year’s event, Ramstad and Goering took over.

According to Ramstad, the responsibility of Relays coupled with those of SGA and graduation limited the ability of the organizers to fundraise and increase advertising. “Megan had the trustees on campus, and I had both FogFast and the Blood Drive to organize,” said Ramstad. “With such a busy week, we do take some of the responsibility, we just couldn’t get it all together.”

Saturday morning, however, it was the weather forecast that led to the cancellation. It was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Goering.

The campus response has been mixed. While some people expressed frustration at the postponement, others offered to help. According to Ramstad, the organizers received five emails, three of which were offers to help. “People’s frustration is justified, but we’re doing our best to respond,” said Ramstad.

With another week to organize, let funds trickling in, and increase awareness, Relays will take place this Saturday on Cleveland Beach from 1 to 5 p.m. Scheduled events include the typical picnic games—three-legged and sack races, water balloon toss and watermelon eating contests—capped off with the traditional keg toss and the crowning event: the lighting of the flaming toilet torch. New additions this year include real beer in the outdoor beer garden and trophies for winners. Randy Brush, husband of Loosehead RLC Kim Hinds-Brush, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Update on Plans Outage

2008-05-01T12:38:00.003-05:00

EDIT: Plans is once more online. Be sure to check out a full article in tomorrow's S&B.

Grinnellplans.com has been down since Sunday night, but might be back up as early as tonight or tomorrow.

The popular Grinnell site is hosted on a web server in Hawaii owned by Sechyi Laiu '04. On Sunday night, the server ran out of space and crashed.

Plans administrators are currently planning on moving Plans to a new server. This will probably involve reverting to a ten-day-old backup file, meaning that any Plans updates in the last ten days will be lost.

Danny Carroll to challenge State Rep. Palmer

2008-03-12T18:10:00.003-05:00

The Iowa Secretary of State has posted a list of candidates (PDF—scroll down to page 42) in primary elections, and as rumored, former Republican State Representative Danny Carroll will challenge the man who unseated him in 2006, State Rep. Eric Palmer (D). Palmer also challenged Carroll in 2004 and lost narrowly.

Carroll held the seat for years before losing to Palmer. Since leaving office, he co-chaired former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's statewide presidential campaign, which culminated in an unexpected and powerful victory in the 2008 Republican Iowa Caucuses.

Students receive anti-queer letters

2008-02-29T19:30:00.000-06:00

By: Ari Anisfeld and David Logan
Additional reporting by David H. Montgomery & Abby Rapoport

This story is an edited version of a previously-published story.

Sometime Thursday night 34 members of the Grinnell College queer community received anti-queer letters, according to Stephen Briscoe, director of Security. The letters come a day after a rally responding to a bias-motivated crime that occurred in a South Campus hall last Friday night.

Early this morning a student working at the post office received one of the letters and then notified security at around 8:15 a.m. Friday. “They were all the same type of letter, folded over and stapled together with the students’ name and mailbox typed on the outside,” Briscoe said.

Printed on the inside of each letter in large bold font were slurs and epithets, many including gender-specific anti-queer attacks matching the gender of the recipients. Among the slurs were “Fear God, not Fags” and “You can’t stop us fag—go and get some pussy.” Most of the students receiving the letters were part of the campus queer community, although some were not active on campus.

Security contacted the Grinnell Police Department as part of the investigation. Security is also working with ITS to find out if they can identify whether the letters were made on a campus computer or printer.

While Briscoe said that security cannot currently say with any confidence who may have sent the letters, he suspected the perpetrators are part of the college community. “I think it was someone on campus, to be honest,” Briscoe said.

Sheree Andrews, associate dean and director of Student Life, said whoever sent the letters, likely had information about the queer community. “It was clearly somebody who had access to a directory and it was somebody who was on campus or could come on campus,” said Andrews. “It was someone who knew who was associated the LGBTQ community.”

Briscoe said that security could not yet say whether the incident is connected to last weekend’s anti-queer vandalism.

According to Thomas Bateman ’10, who received one of the letters, recipients were contacted by Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Elena Bernal who then set up a meeting to discuss the mailings. “She wanted to make sure we were okay and find out what we wanted to do about it,” Bateman said.

Not all the students were completely comfortable with the meeting. Jose Segebre Salazar ’09 was somewhat disturbed that the names of the recipients had been distributed to individuals outside of security. “If you want to talk about it, that’s fine,” he said. “But just the fact that there’s a compiled list that’s gone outside of police record—it’s kind of scary.”

In an all-campus e-mail, President Russell K. Osgood expressed anger at the continued acts of intolerance. “We are very saddened and angered by what has happened. Those who engaged in these cowardly acts will find no solace in our community,” Osgood wrote.

Some classes were cancelled as students met in informal groups across campus to discuss how to respond to the latest anti-queer incident.

The centerpiece of the response was a second meeting in JRC 101 which appeared to have an attendance of well more than 200 students, faculty and staff. Bernal and Johanna Meehan, Philosophy, delivered opening remarks emphasizing that the message of the gathering was one of community and love, not one of hate. “[We’re] not here to talk about the negative aspects. We’re here to have a positive discussion,” Bernal said. “There’s comfort for people that are in this room tonight.”

After the opening discussion, organizers unveiled the gathering’s primary activity—love mail. Attendees took advantage of crates of paper and art supplies to make love letters for their friends and peers. “In response to the hate mail, the most beautiful thing we’ve come up with is love mail,” Bernal said.

Before this afternoon’s forum, a group of students were in the Spencer Grille creating t-shirts that emphasized community and tolerance. Jon Richardson ’10, who helped to organize the t-shirt making with Kelly Bosworth ’10, bought plain white t-shirts and colored markers for friends to use, but others quickly joined in.

“I thought some other people might join in, but this is amazing,” Richardson said. “It started with one table making shirts and there are five now.”

Jessica Issacharoff ’09, who made a shirt of her own, said she was particularly upset by the letters because she knew many of the recipients. “I have a lot of friends who got [the letters] and I was absolutely shocked,” said Issacharoff. “I would never have expected anything so aggressive. And so violent. It was just very violent language.”

Bateman, who participated in Thursday night’s march and rally, said he was not surprised that this happened after Thursday’s great show of support for the queer community and tolerance in general. “It makes sense that this happen[ed] after the rally because [the rally] was so effective and productive,” said Bateman. “This makes sense as a retaliation to that.”

Again emphasizing the positive responses to the anti-queer acts, Bernal also said that the letters revealed some sense of desperation. “Because last night was so powerful,” Bernal said, “the response back from folks who did not want to see that happen, who are living with this latent anger … had to come back just as hard as what happened the other night [with the rally and march].”

Some students, like Jose, felt that the magnitude of the response to both the vandalism and mailings incidents lent them too much legitimacy and impact. “We should not give them so much currency as to disrupt our personal lives and our lives as students,” he said.

While Andrews said she was upset by the mailings, she reiterated the importance of responding in a positive manner. “We want to go into a very positive vein with all of this,” she said. “Some of the fire we got going last night with the rally will keep on throughout the weekend.”

In addition to the community events that will unfold throughout the week, Bernal emphasized college services as a means of coping with the events. She urged students to take advantage of resources in the Mental Health Center, Student Services and their friends. “Everybody’s waiting to throw their arms around their brothers and sisters at Grinnell in support,” she said.

Bernal also categorically rejected the notion that the incidents mean that Grinnell College is not a tolerant community. “If this wasn’t an accepting community,” Bernal said, “you wouldn’t have the hundreds of people here last night and the hundreds of people here within a few hours of an e-mail.”

Bateman, while shaken, said he would not let the mailings significantly alter his perceptions of the Grinnell community. “I’m really happy with the Grinnell community in light of last night,” said Bateman. “It’s important not to view this as spoiling [the rally] and that the Grinnell community is not intolerant.”

Correction: On Editorials and Percentages

2008-02-25T12:25:00.005-06:00

In this week's staff editorial, "Stop getting us sick," we wrote the following:

Last Thursday, 90% students visited the health center complaining of sore throats and runny noses.

In fact, that was inaccurate by several orders of magnitude. The sentence should have read,

Last Thursday, 90 students visited the health center complaining of sore throats and runny noses.

Also, even if 90% were the accurate figure, the correct style would have been to write "90 percent."

Waitress

2008-02-13T19:02:00.000-06:00

by Julia Bottles

From the opening frames, director Adrienne Shelly's film Waitress walks a fine line between light comedy and over-the-top camp. Jenna (Keri Russell) holds a home pregnancy test in her hands awaiting the result as her fellow waitresses Dawn and Becky throw out emotionally exaggerated lines at her. It shouldn't work, but somehow it does, setting the tone for the rest of the film.

The film continues to follow Jenna through the early stages of her pregnancy, a lens into an unhappy life lightened only by her pie-making genius. As Jenna plots her escape from her hated husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto), she finds passion in the arms of her neurotic obstetrician Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion). Their affair grows into something more than mere physical attraction, and the miserable waitress gets a glimpse at happiness.

Waitress will be shown at the Forum this Thursday Feb. 14 for Valentine’s Day.

The Apartment

2008-02-12T20:29:00.000-06:00

by Joey Mandeville

It’s hard to find comedies like The Apartment anymore. While today what passes for comedy often offers up little more than sight gags and gross-out humor, The Apartment builds its laughs through genuine emotion and dilemma. That kind of comedy will always be funnier and more meaningful, because the story is involving and the laughs are real.

The story being told is of perennial nice-guy C.C. ‘Bud’ Baxter (Jack Lemmon), whose generosity at work leads him to loan out his apartment to bosses who are less than faithful to their wives. That is, until his boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) decides to use said apartment to start courting Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), Baxter’s secret office crush. This charming story, told in just over two hours, moves forward at a pleasant and engaging pace as we chart both characters’ eventual redemption.

One of the movie’s greatest assets is the combination of Lemmon’s naïve and bumbling Baxter with MacLaine’s cynical and impassioned Fran. This refreshing contrast switches the traditional gender roles of the day. Fran often seems so much older than Baxter, and her character is no worse for any lack of fidelity she displays. Often she sees truths in the world that Baxter could not fathom. “Some people take, and some people get took” she pessimistically states after being abandoned again by Sheldrake in the apartment.

Baxter’s frank and endearing innocence combats this outlook. Consider when, in reference to his love for Fran, he compares his life to that of Robinson Crusoe, “shipwrecked among 8 million people. And then one day I saw a footprint in the sand and there you were.”

The Apartment continues to be regarded as one of the greatest comedies, and indeed one of the greatest movies, of all time. The story is engaging, the characters fascinating, but describing them paints part of a picture that only seeing this classic movie can complete.

The Apartment is playing at the Forum this Wednesday, Feb. 13.

Alternative Break gets ready for Spring

2008-02-08T23:35:00.000-06:00

By Sarah Casson

With the February 9 deadline for AltBreak fast approaching student organizers have been working for a long while to plan everything from the trips’ mode of transportation to how to feed their student volunteers.

The student coordinators begin the process for AltBreak trips 2 to 3 months before trips, that they may or may not go on, occur. Together they get the planning process going, select leaders in an application process, facilitate transportation to the sites and more. This begins in December or January and in the fall the process starts about 2 weeks into the school year.

This spring break there will be three trips, all differing in the type of community service they provide. One will go to Milwaukee where the crew will work on a community garden. Another will go to Umay, Arizona to help at a veterans’ event where services such as health care will be provided to them. The last will go to Mananda County Forest, California to be part of a conservation program. All are opportunities to do good for communities around the country.

According the AltBreak leaders students with any level of experience are welcome to apply for the spring break trips. Students who have a service project that they would like to see done can easily apply to be a leader of a trip for next year. “You don’t have to have any previous experience, you don’t need to have gone on a previous trip,” says Zach Razavi ’08, one of this break’s coordinators. “All you need is a co-leader and a well written application.”

Of course, to put in all that effort, students must feel strongly for AltBreak. “I love AltBreak, it’s just a great way to give back, and to get out as well,” said Justin Erickson ’10, another trip coordinator.

Thin (playing at the Forum this Wednesday)

2008-02-05T11:59:00.000-06:00

by Christine Grummon

Five million Americans currently suffer from an eating disorder.

One in seven anorexic women will die from their disease.

It is with these grim statistics that the documentary Thin opens. Directed by Lauren Greenfield, the movie chronicles the lives of four women as they undergo treatment at the Renfrew Center, a recovery facility for people with eating disorders. The film introduces us to Shelly, Polly, Brittany and Alisa, women ranging in age from 15 to 30 with extensive histories of eating disorders.

Shifting focus from each of the patients’ stories, the film follows their victories, setbacks and the relationships each develops between the staff and other patients. We watch as the women struggle through seemingly mundane tasks like eating a birthday cupcake or finishing a slice of pizza.

Aside from the opening statistics and brief background descriptions of the four women, Thin makes almost no commentary on the events of the film. Through its intimate study of the four women, the film offers insight into the complicated psychology surrounding eating disorders. Pressure from family, peers, and society are all portrayed as culprits in the women’s suffering along with the failure of insurance companies to provide adequate coverage for treatment. The movie ends with the departure of each woman from the center, though not all of them leave because they’re physically or emotionally ready.

Thin presents an interesting and relevant study of those suffering from eating disorders, but it does leave something to be desired. Juggling the stories of four very different women, transitions between segments sometimes seem abrupt and each story doesn’t get equally thorough treatment. Follow-up interviews with the women after they had left treatment would also have been a worthwhile addition. But, on the whole, Thin presents an interesting portrait of what it means to have an eating disorder in America.

A message from Don Smith

2008-01-04T00:29:00.001-06:00

Poweshiek County Democratic Chair Don Smith just stopped by the gym and gave me a statement thanking all student Democratic caucus-goers:

"I just want to say thanks to all the Grinnell College students resident in Poweshiek County who came back from other places to take part in our caucuses. We look forward to electing a Democratic president and other Democratic public officials in November. Thanks again, happy New Year and good luck."

Remainders

2008-01-03T23:39:00.000-06:00

Dodd drops out.

Biden, too.

Final results: Edwards takes second--barely, by exactly seven delegates, or one more than mere viability in Ward 1 would have given her.

Obama won big--and with a heavily Democratic turnout (76% Democrats, 20% independents, 4% Republicans--scroll down, but plenty of interesting statistics there)

Everything turns now to New Hampshire.

Thanks for tuning in, everyone!

After the Caucus

2008-01-03T23:29:00.001-06:00

The PEC fieldhouse is almost empty now. Most of the hundred-plus students here are off at off-campus parties, notably a pretty wild Obama victory party.

We got kicked out of the Harris cinema before 11, ending the CNN-watching party shortly after Obama's victory speech. Students have to be out of the PEC by noon tomorrow; the Dems are providing breakfast of some sort.

Why Grinnell Matters

2008-01-03T22:54:00.000-06:00

Grinnell College mattered a lot in this election.

How? Just look at the vote for second place.

In Grinnell's precinct, the most powerful in the state, achieving bare viability is worth 6 delegates to the county convention. The state Democratic party reports results in terms of delegate counts.

John Edwards and Hillary Clinton are in a neck-and-neck battle for second place in Iowa. Being able to say that one didn't finish third--or last among the top three--is immensely valuable, particularly for Hillary Clinton, who needs to minimize the cost of her loss in Iowa.

How close is that race? Well, at the present time, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton trails Edwards by 7 delegates.

Clinton was non-viable in Ward 1 here in Grinnell, a mild surprise.

Had Clinton been merely viable in Ward 1, she would have received 6 delegates.

Clinton fell short of viability by 29 voters.

If THIRTY additional Clinton supporters had showed up to caucus for her, she would be in a virtual tie for second with Edwards--and perhaps ahead, if a viable Clinton group here might have attracted more support from the Richardson camp.

Alternately, if the Richardson camp had given most of their support to Clinton instead of Biden, Clinton would be viable.

Why wasn't Clinton viable in the most powerful Democratic precinct in the state? Well, for one, she didn't campaign here. She didn't even campaign in Poweshiek County. Surely an energizing visit by the potential first female president could have drummed up 30 supporters.

Also, on the subject of Grinnell's influence, let's not forget that it was a Grinnell student, Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff '10, who sparked a damaging scandal for Clinton by telling the S&B that her question to Senator Clinton at an event in Newton was planted by the campaign. That furor resulted in a week of bad headlines for Clinton and coincided with a newly aggressive Barack Obama and John Edwards and a fumble by Clinton at a debate. If Gallo-Chasanoff had stayed home that day, don't you think that Clinton would have at least been in second place tonight, if not first?

Thirty votes. One question. Grinnell matters.

(Hat tip to Doug Cutchins, who first pointed this out to me tonight.)

Update

2008-01-03T20:54:00.000-06:00

Almost everyone has gone. A few dozen people are gathered in the gym to conduct official business and ratify the delegates; another few dozen are in the cinema watching the network news.

UPDATE: Delegates and alternates have been approved without dissent.

Results called in

2008-01-03T20:45:00.001-06:00

Don Smith is calling in the results to state headquarters.

Obama wins Iowa

2008-01-03T20:43:00.000-06:00

The networks and the AP have called Iowa for Obama

With 1534 of 1781 precincts reporting, Obama has 36.84%, versus 30.15% for Edwards and 29.92% for Clinton.

UPDATE

2008-01-03T20:31:00.001-06:00

Biden still has 6 delegates

Edwards now has 10, down from 11

Obama now has 21, up from 20.

Now, preference groups will select delegates to the county convention. The Obama group is in the cinema, choosing 21 delegates, etc. The county convention is Saturday, March 15. Groups can select alternates as well.

The county conventions select state convention delegates, which select national convention delegates. Each election a number of Grinnell students manage to be delegates to the national Democratic convention--often all you have to do is be persistent (or just volunteer).

Other wards

2008-01-03T20:27:00.000-06:00

In Grinnell Ward 4 Democrats:

Obama 8 delegates

Edwards 7

Clinton 4

There were about 200 people there.

Grinnell Ward 1 GOP:

Huckabee 32.1%

McCain 14.2%

Paul: 7.1%

Romney: 26.2%

Thompson: 10.7%

Giuliani: 8.3%

Write-in: 1.2%

There were 85 people present.

Final results

2008-01-03T20:15:00.001-06:00

121 for Edwards.

78 for Biden.

263 for Obama.

That adds up to a bit less than 484.

Statewide, 1212/1781 precincts reporting, Obama has 34.96%, Edwards 31.26%, Clinton 30.96%.

DELEGATES

Biden: 6 delegates.

Edwards: 11 delegates

Obama: 20 delegates.

UPDATE:

Representatives from each of the three groups are being called up to certify the delegate counts.

Notable support

2008-01-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

Don Smith caucuses for Edwards in the first round.

Campus Democrats chair Alec Schierenbeck, previously neutral, has gone for Obama in the second.

Round 2 group preferences!

2008-01-03T20:08:00.001-06:00

The Biden people announce that they are viable. Formal sorting will now occur.

Obama supporters being sent to the Cinema. Biden on the left of the gym, Edwards on the right.

UPDATE: The Edwards group is a bit larger than the Biden group. Results coming imminently.

UPDATE 2: Edwards group is counting.

GOP, Precinct 2

2008-01-03T20:03:00.001-06:00

CNN calls Iowa for Huckabee

I'm told that Clinton isn't viable in the second precinct of Grinnell.

Biden Update

2008-01-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

The Biden people, 15 minutes before the time out, have requested to count themselves to determine if they are viable--they clearly think they're doing well. They're going off to the Harris Cinema to get a good count. The Richardson sign just walked out with the Biden people--have they joined forces?

UPDATE: There got the Dodd people, too. The smaller candidates seem to be aligning around Biden.

UPDATE 2: WOW. Big shock. There goes the Hillary sign off towards the Biden group in the cinema. Is Clinton done in ward 1?

UPDATE 3: The Clinton group may not be done--they may be getting their own count. It's unclear, some confusion.

UPDATE 4: Some clarification: There's three rough groups in the cinema, and they're "trying to make a deal." Clinton, Biden, and Dodd. Biden seems to be doing the best. The Dodd group, remember, intimated that they might support Biden if they weren't viable. 10 minutes left.

UPDATE 5: Obama and Edwards supporters are heading into the cinema to participate in the bargaining.

Errata

2008-01-03T19:41:00.000-06:00

Smith explanation: "We have 37 delegates for the country convention ... Once we have every viable group, our 37 delegates are divided up proportionally among those groups."

Smith reminder: Observers are not permitted to participate in discussions. Observers affiliated with campaigns are allowed to advise their own group but not attempt to convert others.

Live updated statewide results

AP story: “Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama vied for victory Thursday night in the Iowa caucuses, while Mike Huckabee battled Mitt Romney among Republicans. John Edwards lagged in a survey of voters entering the caucuses by The Associated Press and the television networks.”

Update

2008-01-03T19:33:00.000-06:00

Everyone is back in the same room following the first round.

Biden 51, small applause. "So far, not viable."

Clinton 44, mixture of small applause and smatterings of disapproval and surprise.

Edwards 102, big applause, viable.

Grave, 1. "I think we need to respect every candidate," Smith said.

Obama, 240, huge applause. Viable.

There will now be half an hour for people to rearrange themselves.

Biden needs 22.

Clinton needs 29.

Vote Counts

2008-01-03T19:25:00.000-06:00

240 Obama supporters-- just under half of the total attendees!

102 Edwards

51 Biden

26 Richardson
1 Gravel
13 Kucinich
No uncommitteds
44 Clinton
8 Dodd

484 total attendees, 485 in the sum of the groups. "I think that's pretty good for this number of people," said Smith.

Addendums

2008-01-03T19:18:00.001-06:00

Each group has the responsibility to count their own supporters.

Don Smith is leaving to join a preference group himself.

Visual metaphor?

2008-01-03T19:17:00.001-06:00

Don Smith: It seems that "the Biden and Richardson groups are merging together. Can I get a clear separation between them?"

Update

2008-01-03T19:16:00.001-06:00

There's a lot of Edwards supporters, too, though not close to the number of Obama supporters. None of the other candidates look like they've got the needed 73 people, though Clinton might be close.

UPDATE: There's also a fair number of Biden supporters, probably not quite viable. But with uncommitted and other candidate support, they may reach viability.

UPDATE 2: The Biden people just sent up a cheer, they may be viable.

Caucus separation

2008-01-03T19:07:00.001-06:00

Biden supporters are being sent to the Harris Cinema and told to sit in the center seats from the front.

Obama supporters are being sent to the Harris Cinema and told to sit in the center seats starting in the rear. The Obama supporters are moving and there's a LOT of them. Close to, if not more than, half. This could be over quickly, people. EDIT: The Obama people don't fit in the space alotted; the Biden people have been asked to come back into the gym.

Dodd people have been sent to the left side of the gym. There's a bare handful, maybe a dozen at most.

Richardson supporters are told to stay where they are and other people told to "get out of their way."

There are Kucinich supporters present--more than for Dodd. They've been sent into the back corner.

The Clinton supporters have been sent to the right side of the Cinema.

Edwards supporters have been sent to the left side of the Cinema (a cheer from the Edwards people at being given the left), but told to wait for the Biden people to leave before they come in.

There's one Gravel supporter in the center of the room.

UPDATE: The "uncommitted" people, almost forgotten, have been told to assemble in front of the stage. There's not that many.

Caucus count

2008-01-03T19:03:00.000-06:00

There are 484 people registered for this caucus. (Edited to reflect a late entrant)

Viability is 73 people.

Microphones are working again! a round of applause.

The separation into candidate groups has begun.

Doors Closed

2008-01-03T19:02:00.001-06:00

The doors have been closed, and observers are being separated out from the caucus-goers.

Due to technical difficulties, the microphones are not working, and so Don Smith is shouting to be heard over the crowd.

Ward One Expectations

2008-01-03T18:55:00.000-06:00

The Obama campaign is confident, they say they have 61 core student supporters and possibly more and are optimistic about their chances.

Matt Horowitz '10, an Edwards precinct captain, predicted a "close second" for Edwards in the ward but said that he was hopeful about Edwards winning.

A Clinton precinct captain said that she was confident that Hillary would be viable here.

The Biden, Dodd and Richardson groups are focused on achieving viability, which no one would predict with certainty. Sarah Adams, a Dodd precinct captain, said that if Dodd doesn't achieve viability they'll try to decide their second choice as a group and may work with the Biden supporters to choose a common candidate in later rounds.

Photos

2008-01-03T18:38:00.000-06:00

Update

2008-01-03T18:21:00.000-06:00

Don Smith, co-Chair of the County Democrats, has called the caucus to order in his role as temporary caucus chair. He has been nominated and confirmed by general acclamation as permanent chair. Elizabeth Dobbs was nominated and confirmed as permanent caucus secretary. There are hundreds of people in the room, and would seem to be at least two-thirds non-student. At 7 p.m. CT, the caucus will reconvene and break into candidate preference groups.

Precaucus Roundup

2008-01-03T17:28:00.000-06:00

I'm here in the PEC fieldhouse, along with around 50 other students. We're eating pizza (provided by the Campus Dems) and chatting about the caucus.

Here are the big questions going into tonight's Ward 1 caucus:

1. Who will win the ward? It will almost certainly come down to either Obama or Edwards, with perhaps an edge to Obama at the moment. There are a lot of Obama buttons being flashed in the fieldhouse right now--but remember that members of the town will be caucusing too, so whoever wins the student vote won't necessarily win the ward, though it helps.

UPDATE: I got rough estimates from Obama and Edwards student organizers; the Edwards people say they have about 30 committed students, the Obama people said that they more than double that. Take those numbers with a grain of salt, but in terms of general trends, they would match up with casual observation. Again, remember that non-students will compose the majority of those present.

2. Will Hillary Clinton be viable? Given that she might win the state, it seems a little shocking to be asking this question about the most powerful Democratic ward in the state with 37 delegates (23 percent larger than the next-largest precinct), but it's a real question. Hillary never campaigned on campus, and hadn't shown up in the county before the end of the semester. Former President Bill Clinton did come and was generally well-received, but Clinton doesn't have a very strong local organization, and has very little (though enthusiastic) support on campus. It's a very real possibility that Clinton won't reach the 15 percent threshold in this ward.

3. Will anyone else be viable? Chris Dodd has his partisans, and came twice this semester to decent crowds, but he doesn't look to have a real shot at viability here. Bill Richardson and Joe Biden are more likely candidates to do well, but don't look for both of them to succeed in the ward. There's not enough votes to go around for two candidates with similar (foreign policy-based) niches. Joe Biden in particular impressed a lot of people with his appearance earlier this semester and would seem to be the best bet for a second-tier candidate to reach viability. A lot could depend on what deals are being cut between campaigns; both Biden and Richardson are reported (and denied) to have arrangements with Obama to receive help getting viable in exchange for sending their non-viable supporters Obama's way.

I'm going over to the Harris Center, where the caucus will be held, right now. I will update more as time goes on. If you have any questions, post them in the comments.

-DM

Campaigning at Grinnell: A Recap

2008-01-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

Here is a list of the events, by campaign, that were held on campus and in the town of Grinnell this semester. (Note that a number of candidates visited the town of Grinnell or the college over the summer when most students were not present; those events are not included.) Individuals or events marked with an asterisk occurred on campus, while candidate visits are italicized.

We've tried to be as thorough as possible, but we may have missed someone. If you know of an event this semester that we missed, leave a comment and we'll add it.

EDIT: I've scoured the web for video of these events and linked to them where video exists. In most cases, video only exists in small excerpts or in poor quality, but it's what we've got. If you know of video of campaign visits to Grinnell that we don't have listed here, give a link in the comments.

Democrats

Biden
*Senator Joe Biden (12/3)

Clinton
Former DNC Chair Terence McAuliffe (8/30)
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (9/14) (newly added)

*Former Ambassador Joe Wilson (10/15)
*Former President Bill Clinton (12/10, three excerpts: out-of-state student caucusing, Sen. Clinton's role in health care, Sen. Clinton's early career)
Former Ambassador Richard Holbrooke (12/20)

Dodd
Senator Chris Dodd (10/6, *12/13)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (11/18)

Edwards
*Cate Edwards (daughter of John), James Denton (from "Desperate Housewives") (9/29)
Elizabeth Edwards (11/3)
*Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne (11/20)
Former Senator John Edwards (*11/20, 12/12, the video is a montage)
Actor Tim Robbins (12/12)

Obama
*Former South Carolina State Supt. of Education Inez Tenenbaum (8/30)
*Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes (10/17)
*Senator Barack Obama (12/4, an amateur video, see also part two)
Prof. Cornell West (12/13)
Michelle Obama (12/31)

Richardson
New Mexico Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia (12/1)
*New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (11/5)

Republicans

Brownback
Senator Sam Brownback (9/15)

Huckabee

Governor Mike Huckabee (1/3/08)

McCain
Senator John McCain (10/10, also parts two, three, four)

S&B Coverage of the Jan. 3 Caucuses

2008-01-01T16:13:00.001-06:00

Many students are planning to return to Grinnell to participate in the hugely important 2008 Iowa Caucus on Jan. 3. However, many others would like to return but can't, due to the distance and time commitment or other priorities like work or family.

For these students, their families and anyone else who is interested in the caucus process but can't be there, be sure to come to the S&Blog on the evening of Jan. 3. I'm going to be at the caucus in Grinnell's precinct as a reporter, working on stories for a special web-only edition of the S&B at our website.

During that evening, however, I'm going to be posting on this blog a live play-by-play of the evening's events. I'll be posting about what is said in the speeches, how many people show up, which candidates they support, and, above all, the results. As soon as each round of the caucus is complete, I'll post the results, so that you can track the caucus's progress throughout the evening. Or just check in at the end of the night to get the final result.

I'll also be posting pictures and video (which I'll be taking with a camera provided the S&B in partnership with the Des Moines Register and YouTube) throughout the evening.

Before and after the caucus, I'll try to also fill this blog with caucus-relevant material. Finally, a day or two after the caucus, be sure to visit our website for our web-only caucus edition with interviews, analysis, reaction and behind-the-scenes information.

-David H. Montgomery

co-Editor-in-Chief

The Scarlet & Black

Random Rant: Don't Touch That Dial

2007-12-15T14:19:00.000-06:00

The S&B won't publish another print issue until after winter break, but that doesn't mean we've completely closed up shop. Keep following the S&Blog for both news and content like this, Fiona M. Martin '08's random rant.

What the hell?
I was under the impression that TV in the Grille was to
A) only broadcast news
and
B) remain on MUTE.
Yet here I am, in the weekend before finals, and the Grille TV was on the USA network showing some mediocre action move, and now its on some MTV dance show. Even worse, its not on MUTE! I'm up on the second floor above the grill, with my back to the TV, and yet I can hear every word coming out of that machine (two supermodels are having an argument).
Regardless of what people want to watch, the TV needs to be on MUTE. Plus, the student initiative I voted for, said the TV would be on a news channel.
Who's in charge of the remote anyway?
Your distracted peer,
-Fiona M. Martin '08

Virgin: The Case Against Hillary Clinton

2007-11-16T13:39:00.001-06:00

by Sheahan Virgin
To the Barack Obama and John Edwards supporters out there, who had been adamantly and intently waiting for that time when Hillary Clinton would stumble, look no further, for your hopes have been realized. Or at least that was the general ‘spin’ coming out of the Democratic debate a few weeks ago when, towards the end, Clinton attempted to take two different positions on the same issue during the same answer. Edwards, Obama, and the press immediately pounced, and that night, Hillary Clinton was caught attempting to straddle the fence and looked like a fool.

And speaking of fools, it would be foolish of Democrats to nominate the New York senator, though there is, despite Clinton’s recent missteps, a very real chance that her machine of a campaign will continue to roll to victory. With Clinton being such a poor candidate and having developed the reputation of being insincere and overly polished (indeed, one need not look further than polls showing that most Americans believe Hillary will say anything to get elected and generally avoids answering difficult questions), some Democrats are beginning to seriously worry they’ve been backing the wrong horse.

The case against Clinton is strong: nominating Hillary, while it would make history by selecting a woman to head a major party ticket, is plane and simple, bad politics and poor strategy. Running for political office places a premium on money, organization, and name recognition, and while Clinton may have the money and resources to win a general election campaign, it is her name which, in the end, will bring her down no matter how many millions she spends.

Next to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton has the highest unfavorability ratings of any politician, with estimates ranging from forty to fifty percent depending on which poll one consults. Such numbers not only undermine Clinton’s claim that she will be a “uniter in a divided America,” they hit right at the heart of her electability and her ability, come November, to deliver the percentage of votes necessary to shape a mandate for which Democrats have long craved. If there is one rule in politics, it is that you never run a candidate whom a majority of the nation already detests.

The bottom line: too many Republicans came to loathe the Clintons in the 1990s and as a result, many (even ones considering voting Democratic in 2008) will refuse to vote for Hillary under any circumstances in November. They fear that by allowing another Clinton in the White House, Bill will (behind the scenes) privately influence American policy. And nothing makes conservatives balk more than the thought of another four years of Bill Clinton calling the shots in Washington.

Understandably, in the last debate, Clinton attempted to put a positive spin on the question as to why Republicans continually mention her on the campaign trail. Her answer: that Republicans are afraid of running against a woman who has already shown that she can “beat the right-wing attack machine.” Clinton’s spin is so absurd that it is almost laughable.

It is true that Republicans fear Hillary, but not because they worry that she would beat them, but because they fear the “debauchery and drama” to which a new Clinton administration would give rise. The last thing Democrats need, therefore, is a weak nominee capable of scaring a fractured Republican Party into uniting, which is exactly what Hillary, despite her massive amounts of campaign money and perfectly rehearsed debate responses, would do—energize and galvanize conservatives whose hatred of the Clintons is just as potent today as it was in the 1990s.

At a time in our nation’s history when elections are extremely close, a battle between “Red America” and “Blue America,” it is absolutely essential to nominate a candidate who will appeal to more than just the party faithful. Nothing scares Democrats more than the thought of swing-voters passing on their candidate. The Democratic nominee in 2008 must poll well among independents and disillusioned Republicans, something that Clinton would do remarkably poorly. Nominating Clinton is like starting a marathon with a broken leg. Sure, there is a chance that you could win the race—by luck or by the unlikely event that your competitors founder. But nevertheless, if I were a betting man, I would bet against the athlete hobbling down the track and whose very presence would make her opponent’s supporters turn out en masse.

Democrats have reached the fork-in-the-Y in the nomination process; one branch leads to the nomination of Senator Clinton—it means disingenuous answers, hollow rhetoric about change, and planted questions at public events. It means shame. It means Washington-politics-as-usual. It means a loss in the general election. The other branch leads to the nomination of another candidate, in whom, although he may certainly not have the resources of Clinton, we can honestly believe. It means hope and pride. It means a great discussion of the issues. It means renewal and a system that works again for Americans. Democrats have a choice in this primary campaign. Let us hope they take the right decision.

The Simpsons Movie

2007-11-08T18:18:00.000-06:00

by Kevin Marcou

I’m about as big of a Simpsons fan as you can get without memorizing production codes for each episode, so when The Simpsons Movie was finally announced, I was fairly excited, to say the least. I imagined it to be the sort of opus longtime fans like myself were hoping for, a movie full of callbacks to previous episodes, popular one-shot characters like Hank Scorpio and Sherry Bobbins and generally the same quality as the acknowledged golden age of the series back between seasons five and eight.
Here we have Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) creating a toxic nightmare out of Lake Springfield, spurring the head of the EPA Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks) to have the entire city of Springfield sealed in. Homer and his family escape to Alaska, but when they learn that Springfield has been slated to become the “new Grand Canyon” via high-powered explosives, the family rushes back to save their hometown.
The movie can be hilariously funny. Be it Homer rifling through a Bible while bemoaning the lack of answers it provides or a simple sight gag like a rat scurrying out of a donut shop, the jokes are great. And self-referential humor abounds, such as the location of Springfield in the U.S. (apparently it borders Maine, Kentucky, Ohio and Nevada). The first half hour of the movie finds the jokes coming in hot, heavy and funny. But then things start to get serious, and the humor—and the movie—begins to lag.
Now, any show that’s featured thousands of characters over its history is going to have a hard time fitting everyone in. That’s completely understandable, and it’s great fun to be on the lookout for past characters that don’t necessarily have a speaking role but are still hanging around in the background. But there was a lot of potential to bring back favorite one-shot-glory characters. Heck, the voice actor for Hank Scorpio (also Albert Brooks) was there, so why not at least give him some time on screen? It simply seems like a wasted opportunity.
On the plus side, the animation is gorgeous and a refreshing change of pace from the glut of CG cartoon movies we’ve been getting recently. The voice actors also have clearly stepped up in terms of the quality of their readings. One particular scene with Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner) elicits about as much emotion as you could conceivably get from a cartoon character with no chin and three-foot-tall blue hair.
It would be impossible to make a movie that fully and satisfactorily encompasses the universe that The Simpsons has created over the past 20 years, so I honestly can’t hold it against them for the things they didn’t include. The Simpsons Movie is not perfect, but it’s as good as you could ever get from the Simpsons. Woo-hoo!

Mental Health Coverage

2007-10-14T17:48:00.000-05:00

Grinnell's mental health policies have been much-discussed on campus over the past day.

The S&B has no issue coming out this coming Friday due to Fall Break and mid-semester exams, but we have writers working on a story about Grinnell's mental health policies and how they affect students. Our plan is currently to run a major article in our first issue after Fall Break.

With regards to particular circumstances, at this point the S&B will respect individual privacy and not discuss particular names or events until those names and events can be directly corroborated and approved for publication by those involved. If changing situations call for it, we will post an article on the S&Blog prior to our coming issue on Nov. 2.

Horoscopes

2007-10-12T11:58:00.000-05:00

Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22) –On Sunday, you will write a new hit pop song that will earn you millions of dollars. By Tuesday, you will have dropped out of Grinnell and embarked on a nationwide tour. On Thursday, you’ll become an out-of-control drug addict and forsake your fan base. n Friday, your career will fail miserably and you’ll be forced to go back home and enroll in community college. However, by next Tuesday, you will have a culinary degree and a dumb but reasonably attractive fiancée. Bit of a whirlwind week, no?

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) – I swear to God, if you poke me in the side and run away giggling one more time, I will punch you in the kidney. STOP IT.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) – This week, you will learn the true meaning of Christmas. However, your miserliness and materialism will be back with a vengeance by the time the holiday actually rolls around.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) – This week, you will lose your first postgraduate job opportunity due to awkward drunken crossdressing pictures on facebook. You will then curse your stupidity and make promises to yourself that you will change all of your privacy settings and untag incriminating photos. However, before you get around to it, you’ll get distracted by liquor and wind up with tagged photos of you running around campus accosting sculptures with your genitals, which will result in the loss of your second postgraduate job opportunity.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) – Having trouble planning your future career and life goals? Simply walk over to your bookshelf, select the 6th book from the left, turn to page 135, and read the last complete sentence. In my case, this results in, "I'm pregnant with his child and want him to leave his wife and three girlfriends because I am more of a woman than they are." Now that is an actionable goal that my liberal arts education has adequately prepared me for.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) – Don't forget to trim/pluck those unsightly nose hairs. You never know when you might spontaneously fall in love with someone much shorter than you.

Aries (Mar. 21- Apr. 19) – 95 percent of the time, horoscopes are stupid and wrong. That being said, the stars will align in your favor and you will meet your one true love if you send six candy bars and a check for $22.50 to box 3374.

Taurus (Apr. 20 - May. 20) – Despite being a natural-born citizen of the USA, you will be unexpectedly deported to Siberia later this week. Perhaps all those snarky letters you wrote to the president during your activist days in high school weren’t actually such a good idea.

Gemini (May. 21 - Jun. 20) – The next bottle of shampoo you buy at Wal-Mart will single-handedly cause the collapse of small business in America. Nice job, jerk.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) – This week, you will click on one of those obnoxious sidebar ads that purport to calculate the exact name of your soulmate, and you will actually find and fall in love with your soulmate. S/he will be the person who comes to rid your computer of the horrible virus you contracted by clicking on stupid sidebar ads.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) – The fact that you live in Iowa is no excuse for not planning for grizzly bear attacks. Don’t be foolish.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22) – Fact: every time you sit around gossiping with your friends about how strange or inept one of your professors is, s/he is sitting around saying the same thing about you with other professors.

Horoscopes

2007-10-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22) – Make or break: Your romantic partner is perfect in every way except that s/he is a vampire. This seemingly trivial question will become surprisingly relevant to your love life this upcoming week.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) – Your entire hallway can hear you having sex. I can hear you having sex. That’s just disrespectful.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) – This week, you will be confronted by no fewer than six wild possums. One of them will be carrying a small pouch full of $100 bills. Another will be rabid. Choose wisely.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) – Your 10/10 experience will be truly legendary. On Saturday, you feel like a king among men. On Sunday, you will learn, to your dismay, that nacho cheese damage is not covered by your laptop’s warrantee.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) – As it turns out, the recent tornado warning was actually an elaborate plot by Dining Services to establish a dictatorial regime in the JRC basement. Be on the lookout this week for more mildly suspect warnings, such as earthquake, volcano, and tsunami. Believe me, they are willing to do Whatever It Takes to rule over you with an iron fist.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) – This is a bad week to come forward about that secret Freemasons ceremony you stumbled upon in the cornfields last summer. The police already know about it, and are probably in on it. Oh, and don’t eat the carrot cake.

Aries (Mar. 21- Apr. 19) – Today is a good day to tell your crush how much you care. Preferably in an awkwardly public place, with gaudy flowers and overpriced chocolates. Because really, there hasn’t been a hold lot of entertaining gossip lately

Taurus (Apr. 20 - May. 20) – The bad news is you’ve recently developed a severe, life-threatening allergy to Cajun Shepherd’s Pie. The good news is that this will cause absolutely no change in your dietary decisions.

Gemini (May. 21 - Jun. 20) – Remember how your parents told you that they couldn’t make it out here for Parent’s Weekend? That was actually a lie. They came, but they just wanted to hang out with your ex instead of you. Perhaps if you bring those grades up or clean your room once in a while, they’ll stop by to say hi next time.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) – Don’t worry, that giant suspicious mole you spontaneously developed on your chest last week isn’t cancerous; it’s chocolate. Also, you should shower more.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) – On Tuesday, you will single-handedly overthrow the white patriarchal hegemony. Just kidding. Instead, some townies will shout homophobic remarks at you from their pickup truck.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22) – On your trip home for fall break, you may be surprised to learn that Snakes on a Plane is not just a whimsical action spectacular starring Samuel L. Jackson. Watch for the black mambas, they’re feisty.

Movie Review: The Namesake

2007-10-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

by Aru Singh

Based on the best-selling novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake is the story of the Ganguli family, who move from Calcutta to New York in the late 1970s. The touching story explores their inner turmoil in the U.S., especially as they try to raise their son with their own set of Indian traditions and run into conflicts between Eastern and Western mindsets.

The movie begins when Ashoke Ganguli (Irrfan Khan), an engineer in the U.S., goes back to his hometown Calcutta for an arranged marriage to his bride-to-be Ashima (Tabu). They return to the U.S., a new country of which they are very proud, but, like most first generation immigrants, at heart they still remain attached to their Bengali roots and culture. Ashima is slowly but surely falling in love with her “chosen” husband. It's in these scenes that the film shows it true charm—it's so beautifully and realistically handled.

But once they have children problems surface. They grow up full of New York attitude, and tend to have difficulty accepting Indian traditions and customs. The firstborn, rebellious son Gogol (Kal Penn) and his sister Sonia’s (Sahira Nair) dual identities cause them both conflict and even heartache. They endure racism, work and snobbery; meet potential partners; marry: the sad and joyful surprises of the 25-year life journey the movie encompasses.

The lead couple, noted Bollywood actors, give flawless performances. Kal Penn and Sahira Nair also put in decent performances, as does the remaining supporting cast. But what really stands out in the movie is the realism and dialogue. The movie, despite being poignant and serious, is not preachy.

But the movie is not without faults. The script drags at times, the camerawork is less than perfect and the characters of the two children are slightly under-developed.

Yet The Namesake remains a powerful and compelling drama. It is not as much about Indian culture (then and now) as it is about the power and pull of family—that one force that unites us all with love and misery in equal measure. In this era of globalization, immigration and free movement, The Namesake presents the often-ignored human perspective.

Horoscopes

2007-09-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

Aries (Mar. 21- Apr. 19) – An unexpected call from your parents will leave you sexually frustrated and unable to look at trees at least until Wednesday.

Taurus (Apr. 20 - May. 20) – After three weeks of constant drunkenness you will wake up to find that not only are you sober again, but that you don't really like the people you've been calling your friends all this time.

Gemini (May. 21 - Jun. 20) – If you've every thought about giving streaking a try, this week is not your week. The wind just won't be in your favor.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) – A sudden heart attack brought on by excessive steroid use won't stop you this week, Cancer. Keep shoving down those fried hot cakes and the ladies and the mens will be all up ons in no time.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) – No one likes a crying Leo. Suck it up.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22) – If you thought last week was bad Virgo, check out this week. After a brief interlude with a can of mace, you'll come face to face with a hoard of angry Iowa farmers that aren't too happy that you've been stealing away their sultry daughters.

Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22) – The world is in your hands, Libra. Don't make the same mistakes you did last time.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) – The intelligentsia is catching on to your schemes. Make plans to flee either early on Tuesday or late on Friday.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) – Beware of that sketchy person that sits in the back of your 8 a.m. class. He's not a student, and he really likes pocket protectors.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) – Congratulations. This is the dawning of the age of Capricorn.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Did you remember to wash your hands before dinner young lady?

Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) – Your stunning good looks and Cary Grant-like charm will be the cause of a four bike collision on North Campus.

Caution: crossword answers

2007-09-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

Answers for Sept. 21 puzzle
1. Steiner
2. Gerhardt
3. Hamilton
4. Corn
5. Exco
6. Fall break
7. Graffiti
8. Intel
9. Lyle
10. Tutorial
11. Burling Library
12. Brio
13. YGB
14. S and B, or B and S
15. GORP

Horoscopes

2007-09-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

Aries (Mar. 21- Apr. 19) - If there's one astrological sign no one wants to be this week, it's probably Aries. Try changing it up if you can ... have you ever thought about being more of a Scorpio?

Taurus (Apr. 20 - May. 20) – The Ford Taurus has to be the worst car ever made. End of story. And now that they switched from making mid-sized Tauruses to making full-sized Tauruses, they've made the car even worse. I mean, you must have skill to take the worst car ever, and make it worse. Taurus, stay out of a Taurus.

Gemini (May. 21 - Jun. 20) - You're really sweet, Gemini, but the mullet thing is getting really distracting. I know a good barber in town if you'd like his number. If you don't want his number, though, I know how to get in touch with a few Billy Ray Cyrus fans in town, too.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) - Get rid of all that baggage you've been carrying around! Nobody's really been listening since Tuesday anyway. Or, if you're really into baggage, try making something up to keep things interesting, and throw a little truth in here and there. Someone's bound to take the bait and give you some superficial advice!

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) - You made some bad decisions last week that are going to haunt you. If you feel like sharing, e-mail [newspapr].

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22) - You might be loose, but you are not ready. Stay in this weekend and make yourself useful. By the way, that person you've been making eyes at all week totally saw you walk into that pillar in front of the JRC. You might want to stop staring at the ground all the time. And get a new shirt. That one you've been wearing all week just isn't that ironic. Also, avoid all Libras ... they've got it out for you.

Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22) - Watch out for ladders this week, especially six-foot ladders being carried around by your advisor. Avoid confrontation as well, unless, of course, you enjoy having animal claws embedded in your medulla. Try seducing a Virgo on the evenings of odd-numbered days.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Your presidential ambitions will be dashed this week when you are caught snorting cocaine off an intern's stomach before your speech at the Harkin Steak Fry.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) - Wednesday is going to be the most awesome day you have ever had. Enjoy it while you can, because your professor is going to drop a bombshell on Thursday. Bring a helmet to class just in case.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - The votes are in. YOU are America's Next Top Model.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - The weather is not your friend this week. Try avoiding any sun, wind and rain. But if it snows, you've got it made. If it does snow, go out into the middle of Mac field and build the largest snowman possible. This is your fated way to attract your one true love. If it doesn't snow, that sucks for you. Settle in for a long period of lonely days and lonelier nights.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) - Yes, that cute editor from the S&B has been flirting with you after class every day. Try paying a visit to the Student Publications office next Tuesday after 4:15.

Penthouse Poverty

2007-09-14T14:27:00.000-05:00

The Cast:
Wyatt: The violent roommate
Tim: The elitist roommate
Mike: The roommate who still retains a (somewhat) functioning conscience

This week we join our heroes as they discuss the merits and drawbacks of their lair in the Cowles apartments. Tim, Mike, and Wyatt are sitting on the couch in their living room watching Wyatt play video games while sipping some beers. On a Monday afternoon.

Tim: Listen, guys, I’m sick of people telling us how nice our apartment is. All I hear is, “Oh, wow, you have air conditioning! How awesome!” Well, guess what: our air conditioning only goes down to a balmy 60 degrees, and it can’t even maintain that temperature with the windows open! That might be acceptable if we lived in Alaska, but after spending a day barefoot in the apartment with the air conditioning set as low as it can go, my toes STILL didn’t have frostbite. Now all my mittens and scarves are worthless … all I need is slippers and a blanket.
Wyatt: Did you see me just rip the head off that fiery Minotaur? Sweet!
Mike: Come on, now. We have it a lot better than most students. After all, the school gave us this TV.
Tim and Wyatt: Shut up, Mike!
Wyatt: Yeah, Mike, the school gave us this TV, and it sucks! First, it’s only, like, 30 inches. That is downright insulting. Plus, it’s not even HD! How am I supposed to watch Everybody Loves Raymond from this school-provided couch five feet away when I can’t see the pores on Ray Romano’s face?
Tim: On top of that, the cable the school gave us only has 60 channels. Just basic cable? Our peer institutions get HBO and SHOW-Time. If we want to stay competitive, we need to add some premium channels. The people demand CineMax!
Mike: Honestly, those things are just luxuries. We don’t need them to have a happy, fulfilling year together. After all, we have each other, and we have the joy of learning and expanding our friendships.
Tim and Wyatt: Shut up, Mike.
Mike: No, really, I think that living without all those things can bring us closer together!
Wyatt: Mike, if you continue to talk, you should seriously consider saying goodbye to those testicles.
Tim: How can this hellhole bring us together? We don’t even have a balcony!
Mike: We do have a loft, which is kinda like a balcony.
Wyatt: Yeah, but you see all those stairs going up to the loft? Stairs! Where is the elevator? Did Housing honestly think that after a hard day of playing video games I would have the energy to haul myself up 16 steps?
Tim: I thought this was America, not a third-world country!
Wyatt: And even though the school gave us a lot of free stuff, they didn’t deliver on some of their promises.
Tim: Yeah, they didn’t include a fireplace. That leaves me with almost no options for placing the Italian marble bust of myself that I commissioned last year. And where is the gold-plated fountain of champagne?
Wyatt: And no fireplace means I don’t have any place to burn things! Plus the walls are so thin that I can piss people off with my heavy metal without even trying. Where’s the challenge in that?
Tim: Really, Mike, we live like poor people here. And you know how much I hate poor people!
Mike: Tim, I think it’s time you rethought your attitude towards the less fortunate. They are people just like everyone else …
Tim and Wyatt: SHUT UP, MIKE!

Full spring archives posted

2007-08-30T23:12:00.001-05:00

After great trials and tribulations, the S&B finally has full spring PDF archives posted. Enjoy--just in time for a whole new semester of issues.

Grinnell and Study Abroad programs

2007-08-13T14:39:00.000-05:00

Grinnell Director of Off-Campus Study Richard Bright said in an e-mail that Grinnell does not have any financial arrangements with study abroad programs, such as those that were detailed in The New York Times today. The Times published an article on student loan programs and the "gifts and money" that sometimes flow the universities' way in those relationships. Some things mentioned:

At many campuses, study abroad programs are run by multiple companies and nonprofit institutes that offer colleges generous perks to sign up students: free and subsidized travel overseas for officials, back-office services to defray operating expenses, stipends to market the programs to students, unpaid membership on advisory councils and boards, and even cash bonuses and commissions on student-paid fees. This money generally goes directly to colleges, not always to the students who take the trips.

Colleges and universities cited in the article included the University of California (Berkeley), Fordham and Pace, Rice, and Columbia.

"I can say with confidence that Grinnell does not engage in the sorts of financial arrangements with study-abroad programs described in the article," Bright wrote in his e-mail after being asked about the Times article. "The college selects programs according to their academic relevance to the on-campus curriculum and would not accept monetary or non-monetary incentives in making these decisions. In fact, none of the programs to which Grinnell sends students has ever made such an offer."

Letter to the Editor: Commencement speaker a disappointing choice

2007-05-14T21:41:00.000-05:00

Editor's note: The following open letter to President Russell Osgood was submitted to the S&B this week. We're not printing any more issues this semester, so we've posted the letter here instead.

Dear President Osgood,

While making my travel plans to attend my daughter's upcoming graduation from Grinnell, I visited your website and was appalled to discover that the commencement address will be delivered by Angela Davis. I investigated on the Web to see if this could really be the Angela Davis of memory, whether she had undergone some type of inspirational change, and what she has been about since gaining notoriety. I listened to a recording made at one of her recent speeches.

I found that she's even worse than I had recalled. Hers was an appeal for an emotional response from those already convinced, certainly not a rational treatment aimed to educate or persuade.

Ms. Davis came to national attention decades ago because of lethal violence (murder, kidnapping at gunpoint) by associates all armed with weapons registered in her name. I find nothing from her indicating remorse over these acts, much less denial. Her legal acquittal is more sad commentary on our justice system than sign of her innocence. Since, she's apparently made a living as an academic professional victim, her trade racism, her scientific contribution nil. Her irrational rants masquerade as social science. Is this dishonest scholarship something Grinnell espouses? Why choose as speaker an unrepentant accessory to violence and pseudo-scholar? Why send off our graduating sons and daughters with a pep talk from a cartoon relic of 60's radicalism?

Colleges and universities surely should be places of unfettered free speech, of uninhibited airing of ideas. These should be subjected to withering but civil testing, cross examination, debate, and clarification. Blowing off the head of an intellectual opponent with a shotgun does not qualify.

Commencement addresses, on the other hand, should inspire, reassure, challenge, offer perspective, and admonish the graduates at a moment they're singularly receptive. I expect nothing positive in these areas from Angela Davis. I expect a call to emote in anger, resentment, and hate, not a call to think. While my daughter is sufficiently independent and critical of thought to escape damage from the sophomoric demagoguery of Angela Davis, it's sad her college graduation will not send her on her way with something other than sheepskin. I will attend commencement for the sake of my daughter, but I cannot sit through her address in quiet that might be mistaken for approval of Angela Davis.

I am offended at the choice of a commencement speaker. I resent having this unpleasantness imposed upon what's otherwise a happy occasion for my family. I am disappointed that Grinnell appears not to be the educational institution of integrity that I had been led to believe.

Sincerely,
Michael H. Denyer, MD

Bitterness of an (almost) senior

2007-04-26T14:23:00.000-05:00

I’m starting to get old. I’m not the spry, happy-go-lucky first year I once was. Well, perhaps calling myself ‘spry’ is a bit of revisionist history, but the fact remains that I am now an old and cynical (almost) senior. I am all too painfully reminded of this fact each time I or my friends get turned away from positions on campus in favor of younger students. We are seriously old.

Perhaps you think I’m exaggerating. I mean, I am only 21. I’ve got a few years yet before I have to start worrying about wrinkles, gray hair, and mysterious aches and pains that are not due to wacky drunken misadventures. But if we start talking about life in terms of time at Grinnell, I’m getting damn near close to being able to collect Social Security. I may even have to spend next spring sitting out on my loggia in a lawn chair, wearing black socks and Bermuda shorts and cursing at the young ‘uns to keep the volume down and stop throwing those campus bikes around. Damn kids never appreciate what they’re given. Anyway, you get my point. I fear the inevitable marginalization that comes from the ticking clock of seniordom. The administration knows that we’re getting jaded and antsy, so they’re trying to shuffle us out of the spotlight, especially when it comes to the all-important sphere of prospie relations.

I learned this year that the admissions office has an unofficial policy of trying as hard as possible to house prospies with first and second-year students. At first, I wondered if they did this because they know that upperclassmen tend to have a lot more work, and they don’t want prospies to know that Grinnell is the overwhelming stress factory that it is. However, the older I get, the more I begin to realize that this policy exists because upperclassmen are cynical bastards. Or, at least, I am.

Back when I was a first-year, and even when I was a second-year, the idea of hosting a prospie was really exciting because it was an opportunity to show the college off to someone who had a very real possibility of becoming a friend to me in the future. I didn’t give much thought to those who would have to leave before these prospies actually got to come to Grinnell. These days, I’m starting to feel actively threatened by these high school students who are here, essentially, to interview as replacements for our beloved senior class. I’m even more threatened by those who are interviewing to replace my own class. More than once, I have engaged in a half-assed introductory conversation with a prospy, only to find out that they intend to apply for the class of 2012, and I lose all interest in them. If you’re not going to be here until after I graduate, you are irrelevant to me. Any interest I do retain at that point is not so much based on a desire to encourage the prospy to come to Grinnell as it is on a desire to see something that is personally amusing to me. For example, few things amuse me as much as the face of a 17-year-old right after having been told about how certain colorful campus characters sometimes get wasted and piss in other people’s dorm rooms on accident.

I’m not a mean person, though. Really. The psychology major in me keeps telling me that all I’m doing is using antagonistic humor to project my fears of graduation and the real world onto some poor innocent high school students. And I know that I’ll eventually hit the point at which I will be able to accept that the end is coming, and start to consider the fact that Grinnell does still have to go on without me, and that it’s not my responsibility to make sure that it continues its legacy of awesomeness.

But, I’ve still got at least a good six months to be pissy and elitist about how everything was so much better back when we still used the Forum. And rest assured, Asia Sample, that I will continue to reminisce about the Forum until the day I die, and I encourage all members of the classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009 to do the same.

Letter from the Editors

2007-04-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

By Caitlin Carmody and Ben Weyl, Editors-in-Chief

This letter was first published today in the print edition of the S&B.

When trying to think of something meaningful to say to the campus community about the tragic events of this week, we were at a loss. It’s hard to make sense of things that seem so senseless. It’s difficult to find words to talk about what we cannot wrap our heads around. The sadness and grief over Paul’s death was compounded by the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Receiving such horrible news on such a beautiful spring day felt so surreal.

It’s natural to want answers and lessons from the tragedy of a fellow student’s suicide. We look for ways to understand it because dealing with such acute and collective pain can feel incredibly overwhelming.

We’ve talked to students who are experiencing guilt about Paul’s death. But the responsibility to make someone happy or to keep someone alive lies with no one person. We’ve talked to students who weren’t close to Paul and feel weird about being upset. The same applies to the heartbreak of Virginia Tech—why are some of us upset even though we may not have known anyone who died? But there is no hierarchy over claim to grief, nor a prescribed trajectory of emotional coping. Everyone responds differently to tragedy, and that’s OK.

Community is a strange creature. We are tied together by common experience, common surroundings, a common ethos. Whether or not you knew Paul, he was one of us, a Grinnellian, and the loss of a friend, peer, or community member affects us all.

This week’s coming-together, scheduled and impromptu, was a moving demonstration of how supportive this community can be. We are humbled and comforted to be surrounded by the people around us, and to live in the community we do. Ours is a campus of thoughtful, supportive, and wise individuals. We should turn to each other for comfort.

If you’re in pain, please talk to someone, be it a friend, RLC, chaplain, or walk-in counselor at the Health Center.

In the coming weeks, we encourage the community to use the S&B as a forum for thoughts, emotions and reflections about what has happened and where we can go from here.

As a community we should remember and mourn those we have lost. And we should continue to love and care for each other. It is all too easy to forget about that love and support, especially when things seem horrible, but it is there.

Friend, musician, athlete remembered for humor and passion

2007-04-20T13:44:00.000-05:00

By Caitlin Carmody

This article was first published today in the print edition of the S&B.

Last spring, for his tutorial’s “music happening,” Paul Shuman-Moore ’09 performed in the style of Jandek, an idiosyncratic blues-folk musician who was one of Paul’s favorite performers. Paul played a guitar and sang covers of Jandek tunes and nursery rhymes, never once breaking character.

Eric McIntyre, Music, Paul’s advisor and professor of last year’s “Weird Music” tutorial, said that even being confronted with the weirdest of weird performances couldn’t shake Paul. “I had a chicken in one hand and was yelling Dr. Phil excerpts at people…I went up to Paul and was reading these Dr. Phil excerpts, trying to maintain character furiously. I’ve got the camera on him, and I just started laughing, because he would not be shaken, he didn’t shake at all, and it was just this true performance,” McIntyre said. “There was Paul over there just completely in character, in the style of Jandek singing ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’.”

Music played a significant role in Paul’s life. “For him, music was just pure passion,” McIntyre said. “It’s hard to describe, it’s just pretty unique to be so completely wrapped in it.” McIntyre said Paul was a talented and creative student. “He had a real aptitude for the subject matter,” he said. “In our class he always had creative insights. He wasn’t afraid of things that were off-the-beaten-path views.”

Paul played the trombone in the orchestra, but much of his musical experiences were much less mainstream and more experimental. Daniel Furuta ’08, a friend and fellow tutorial member, said he and Paul, and occasionally other students, would play a show at least once a month. “What we played varied … electronics, toy instruments, non-music objects,” he said. “It sounds kind of ridiculous, toy instruments, but it was a serious pursuit [for him].”

Emily Iwuc ’08 was on the Concerts Committee with Paul, and often played with him and Furuta. She said that Paul taught her different aspects of experimental music, like how to circuit bend and solder. She said he thought about applying to be Concerts Chair and they joked about competing for the spot. “When he was playing music, he seemed to have a good time,” she said.

Paul was also very involved in Ultimate Frisbee. He starting playing on the Grinnell team at the beginning of his first year and excelled at the sport. “He was a really good thrower and really fast,” team member Brian Cavanagh-Strong ’09 said. “There was also kind of a running joke that he had the prettiest legs on the team. He wore really short shorts and these [leg] muscles would pop out.”

Cavanagh-Strong recalled Paul’s participation in the Frisbee team’s annual Good v. Evil tournament. “Paul was always on the Good team and he would come in long white underwear, white t-shirt and wear white briefs. He would make crosses out of sticks and parade around, and he also wore underwear on his head once,” he said. “He was always coming up with funny chants and cheers.”

Yet Paul’s sense of humor didn’t overshadow his kindness. “I don’t think he ever said a disparaging word about anyone, ever,” co-captain Noah Bindman ’07 said. “Even in a context where something like that might be acceptable, he never said anything bad about anybody,” Bindman said.

Paul’s intensity and humor also carried over to his passion for movies. He was a core member of the group “Movie Maddness” and according to his friend Soleil Ho ’09, Paul liked “terrible movies.” “I don’t think he ever missed a meeting of Movie Maddness,” she said. “Sometimes it would just be him and Andrew Cole [‘06] watching a movie together. He was really into movies, it was his favorite thing to do on the weekdays.”

One of Ho’s favorite memories of Paul was when they watched Dr. Seuss’ cult classic The 5000 Fingers of Dr T. “The voice sounded familiar,” she said. “And we were like, “Who the fuck is this guy?” and we were brainstorming while watching in agony, and then Paul whispers, ‘It’s Captain Hook,’ and we just had a collective orgasm, it was so good.”

McIntyre said that Paul exhibited a “humor matched with boldness.” He said one of his fondest memories of Paul was of an orchestra performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, during which Paul used a few bars of rest memorably. “At the climax of this work, after all this tumultuousness, comes this sort of triumphant theme. And Paul’s in the very back, and in the performance I look back there and he’s raised his fist in triumph and is waving it around,” he said. “It’s just something that I can’t get past,” McIntyre said. “Nobody would do that, but he did, and it made me smile.”

McIntyre said that this was a good example of Paul’s character. “I felt all along, even before he disappeared, that he was someone that I would be talking about to classes for generations,” he said. “The reasons I’m going to talk about him in the future are things that he did while he was here, because he did some things that were very memorable. George Carlin said, ‘Make someone’s life.’ It’s one thing to make someone’s day, but to do something that people for years from now on Thanksgiving, people will be saying, ‘Did I tell you about this guy who did this?’”

Many who were close to Paul recalled his sense of humor as a defining feature of his personality. “I remember his infectious laugh and smile,” Cavanagh-Strong said.
“If you looked at Paul and he was smiling, you were on your way to laughing with him,” he said.
Bindman agreed that Paul was “absolutely hilarious.” “It took me awhile to realize that what was hilarious about him was this gentle sarcasm that was really funny,” Bindman said. “His eyes were always laughing, no matter what was going on.”

McIntyre echoed these thoughts. “It seemed like to me there was a lot of joy,” he said.
“If there’s one sort of image that carries through all the images I have, it’s of him with this small, perhaps mischievous smile that says he doesn’t really want to let on that something’s funny, but he’s thinking something’s funny.

Investigators rule Shuman-Moore’s death a suicide by drowning; campus begins to cope with vigil and discussion

2007-04-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

By Abby Rapoport with additional reporting by Cid Standifer, Chris Neubert, Rebecca Park, and David Logan

This article was first published today in the print edition of the S&B.

After an almost seven month-long police investigation, the search for Paul Shuman-Moore ’09, came to an end Tuesday when police confirmed that the identity of a body found in the Grinnell Country Club pool was his. According to investigators, the cause of death was suicide by drowning.

Tuesday night, SGA held a candlelight vigil for both Shuman-Moore and the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. School administrators are offering a variety of resources to help students cope with the situation.

A country club employee found the body on Monday when he removed the cover of the outdoor pool to prepare for summer use. Upon the discovery, Grinnell police shut down the country club and called Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) mobile lab units and investigators, including many who were involved in the initial missing person case.

Police sent the body to DCI labs and on Tuesday, after conducting an autopsy and checking dental records, confirmed that the body was Shuman-Moore’s. On Wednesday, at a Des Moines press conference, police announced that the cause of death was suicide by drowning and that foul play was not involved in Shuman-Moore’s death.

“In this particular case, there is absolutely no indication of evidence that Mr. Shuman-Moore was the victim of a homicide,” said Jody Matherly, Grinnell Chief of Police. According to investigators, Shuman-Moore’s hands and feet were loosely bound with duct-tape, and those bindings were self-applied. Police recovered a knife at the scene and a slit had been cut in the pool cover where entry would have been possible.

Many have wondered how the police missed Shuman-Moore’s body as they combed the area surrounding Grinnell. Matherly said that on two rounds, search dogs converged on the country club, though the slit in the pool’s cover was not immediately visible.

“You folks have to understand that we had investigators, we had trained search parties, volunteers, fellow students, community members, airplanes, [and] dogs,” Matherly said. “Simply put, it was missed and we certainly don’t place blame on anybody for that being missed,” said Matherly. Tom Crady, Vice-President for Student Affairs, agreed, describing the search as “extremely well-organized.” “The pool cover itself is pulled very tight and so I can see why people would not think it would be a place to look,” he said.

Students responded quickly to the news. On Tuesday, when police announced the body was Shuman-Moore’s, SGA organized a candlelight vigil in honor of both Shuman-Moore and the victims at Virginia Tech. Student Services Coordinator Julie Edwards ’07 and Katie Jares ’07 worked together to plan the event, relying largely on Adam Brumer ’07 for logistics. The vigil took place in the JRC courtyard between the Grill and the Dining Hall. The Grinnell Singers performed three songs before students proceeded to the Forum where they signed posters to be sent to Virginia Tech. The next day, SGA provided posters outside the Dining Hall to be sent to Shuman-Moore’s family.

“We wanted everyone to come together as a community, and we wanted to give everyone time to grieve together,” said Jares. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else. These people are my family.” The vigil struck a cord with many of those who attended. “Not only were we trying to respect Paul, but at the same time the whole Virginia Tech thing,” said Lauren Bacon ’10, who went to the event. “This week has been … pretty heavy on everybody.” Edwards felt the vigil provided a comfortable space for students to mourn. “I was more proud of planning this event than anything else I’ve done in four years here,” she said.

In addition to the vigil, Student Affairs offered a community discussion on Tuesday night to further help students cope. “We invited the whole campus to come and just have a time to talk about Paul,” said Assistant Dean and Director of Residence Life Sheree Andrews. “Talk about the good things, the funny things, the sad things.” According to Andrews, about 50 students attended the discussion. The event also gave students an opportunity to join an e-mail list designed to let students share stories with the Shuman-Moore family. The Shuman-Moores came to Grinnell Wednesday and talked with students between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. The family has asked to grieve privately, but they have welcomed friends to visit and e-mail them.

Administrators have been frequently available since Monday, and left Student Affairs offices open Wednesday night from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. for students to come in, talk, and eat pizza. RLCs are available to meet with students, and Andrews said many students are taking advantage of the opportunity. Student Affairs also has worked to make sure students do not feel pressure from their classes. “We understand that this is a really stressful time for people and that it could affect their academics,” said Andrews. She told students worried about schoolwork to contact Joyce Stern, Dean for Academic Support.

A memorial for Shuman-Moore will be held tomorrow at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Chicago. Students who wish to attend the memorial can contact Dean for Student Life Jennifer Krohn about college-organized transportation by noon today. College administrators said a memorial would also be held in Grinnell but further details have not been released.

Officials confirm Shuman-Moore's death a suicide

2007-04-19T00:55:00.000-05:00

By Caitlin Carmody

At a press conference in Des Moines Wednesday, representatives from the Grinnell Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Grinnell student Paul Shuman-Moore ’09 committed suicide. The official cause of death was listed as drowning.

“In this particular case there is absolutely no indication of evidence that Mr. Shuman-Moore was the victim of a homicide,” Grinnell Chief of Police Jody Matherly said. “All indications are that he was a talented, well-liked yet troubled young man who took his own life.”

Matherly said that Shuman-Moore’s hands and feet were “loosely bound” with duct tape. and that examinations indicated the bindings were self-applied. Police recovered a knife at the scene and a slit had been cut in the pool cover where entry would have been possible.

Responding to inquiries about why the initial search in September had failed to locate Shuman-Moore’s body, Matherly said that the country club area had been searched twice and that search dogs had gone near the pool.

“Simply put, it was missed and we certainly don’t place blame on anybody for that being missed,” Matherly said. "It’s a fact of life that things can be missed, and in fact it appears it was."

A memorial for Shuman-Moore will be held this Saturday at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Chicago. College administrators said a memorial would also be held in Grinnell but further details have not been released.

Grinnell PD, Crady provide update

2007-04-18T02:25:00.000-05:00

By Cid Standifer

On Tuesday at approximately 3:45 p.m. the Grinnell Police Department issued a press release stating that the dental records of the body found in the Grinnell Country Club pool matched those of Paul Shuman-Moore '09. The release also states that there is "no compelling evidence to indicate foul play," and further information will be released as it becomes available.

Steve Moore and Betsy Shuman-Moore were quoted in the release: "For the past six months, we have hoped and prayed that our dear son Paul was alive. Now that he has been found, we are devastated." Paul's family thanked the media for their help in the search for Paul, but asked that now "they respect our need to grieve in private."

Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Crady spoke to the media shortly after the Police Department’s announcement. Crady talked about the reaction of the college and described steps that will be taken to support students as they work through this tragedy. Crady said that Student Affairs has been discussing ways to help the student body grieve if a body were found since Shuman-Moore disappeared in September, but they were still not prepared for the recent news.

"We weren't planning on a death response three days ago," Crady said. "What we were planning for was how to help Paul's family and figure out where he might have gone ... so we were very surprised."

Crady said he understands that many other members of the campus community are having trouble dealing with the news, even though some students have long believed that Shuman-Moore was no longer alive. "I think there's been a long time for people to mentally prepare for it, but how can you ever mentally prepare for a student death?" he said.

Crady also said he was discomfited by the fact that last fall's search failed to turn up Shuman-Moore's body when it was so close to campus. Crady personally helped in the search for a week, and described the process as "extraordinarily well-organized." He remembers that the search of the country club golf course and nearby railroad tracks was extremely thorough. However, he said that "the pool cover itself is pulled very tight, and so I can see why people would not think it would be a place to look."

Members of the media are allowed on campus in public places, and so were able to cover the candlelight vigil held Tuesday night at 9:30. However, they were not granted special passes to cover the student counseling and discussion session in Younker. According to Kate Worster, Director of Communications, the college does not allow the media into private residence halls and has no intention of doing so. "We asked everyone to please show us kindness and respect because we are grieving," she said.

"I think our students are extraordinarily mature and very thoughtful in the way they respond," Crady said. "Our students come together very well and are very resilient and we want students who are upset to know that we care about them."

An autopsy has been completed but members of the Police Department have not yet commented on the cause of death. Tuesday's press release stated that a press conference would most likely be held Wednesday afternoon to announce any further information.

Body Identified as Paul's

2007-04-17T17:01:00.000-05:00

According to Grinnell Police, the body found yesterday at the Grinnell Golf & Country Club swimming pool has been identified as Paul Shuman-Moore's '09. This Des Moines Register article currently has the most up to date information on the situation.

College administrators have announced that they will host a "Grinnell College Community Discussion" tonight at 7:00 p.m. in Younker Lounge, to be facilitated by student affairs staff and the Poweshiek County Mental Health Center.

SGA also intends to host a candlelight vigil tonight at 9:30pm in the courtyard of the Joe Rosenfield Center. The vigil will proceed to the Forum South Lounge at 10:00 p.m. where SGA will host a campus-wide study break "with food and other fun things to destress" according to an email sent out by the SGA cabinet. Additionally, the email said that students will be able to sign banners to be sent to Virginia Tech "letting them know that they are in our thoughts."

If students need to talk to someone, they are urged to go to the Residence Life Coordinators or Chaplains, or attend the Walk-In Mental Health Counseling Services at the Health Center or the Poweshiek County Mental Health Center which requires appointments.

Our thoughts go out to Paul's family and friends and to the entire campus community amidst this time of grief.

Body Found in a Grinnell Pool

2007-04-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

by Cid Standifer

Monday afternoon at 4 p.m., Jody Matherly from the Grinnell Police Department and Wade Kisner from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) held a press conference concerning a body found in the pool of the Grinnell Golf and Country Club. An employee of the country club found the body as he was taking the cover off of the outdoor pool to prepare it for the summer. The Grinnell Police Department shut down the country club and called in DCI mobile lab units and investigators, including all of the agents who were involved in the case of Paul Shuman-Moore ’09, who disappeared last September.

Matherly said it appeared that the body had been there “probably for weeks, if not months.” However, he had no information about its gender, clothing, or identification. Matherly said that the police may have to review the search process that was conducted last fall after Shuman-Moore’s disappearance if further investigation shows that the body has been there since September.

Approximately 10 to 20 Grinnell College students attended the press conference, including many of Shuman-Moore’s friends. Plans administrator Eryn O’Neil ’07 posted information about the press conference on the Plans front page about 45 minutes before the conference, and news about it also spread by word of mouth. Residence Life Coordinators were contacted by the college earlier this afternoon and excused from all meetings so that they can be available to help comfort students. Matherly said that Shuman-Moore’s parents have been contacted, but “we’re not much help to them right now because we don’t know enough to be of any help.”

As of Monday afternoon, the body was being sent to DCI labs. An autopsy will be performed by state medical examiners tomorrow morning to try and identify the body and determine the cause of death. Matherly hopes that they can determine the identity of the body within the next few days. He said that “Obviously, if this is somebody we have knowledge of that is missing…if we have something to compare to, that would naturally speed things up.” He intends to hold a press conference with updated information tomorrow afternoon.

The S&B will do its utmost to cover this matter as fully as possible.

Facebook research

2007-04-12T20:44:00.000-05:00

Like most Grinnellians, I am busy as shit. It takes a lot of time to read for four classes, write papers, carry out my senatorial duties, work at the dining hall, DJ at KDIC, write columns for the S&Blog, get KrUnKz0rZ!, and occasionally sleep. As such, I often find myself annoyed by facebook.com and its completely inane yet utterly fascinating array of time-wasting minutia. Of course it is far more important for me to know that my gun-toting pseudo-friend from high school has “crazy Christian” listed as his religious views than it is for me to know that Broca’s area of the cerebral cortex is integral to the production of speech. Obvi. This is why I spent two hours in the KDIC studio today, putting off important reading in favor of looking through myriad unintentionally hilarious facebook groups. It wasn’t completely a waste of time, however, since I managed to stumble across more than a few absolute gems that I will now share with you, my loyal readers.
One of the first quality groups I found was called “Damn, Bitach Why You Just Cant Give Me The Answer?” My assumption is that the second word is supposed to be “biatch.” The general theme of this group is that people who don’t let you copy answers from their tests are total assholes. Part of me is tempted to join, if just to inquire as to what these people believe the purpose of testing actually is. However, I am loath to disrupt the distinctive motif of the group’s wall, which contains comments such as “Hell Yea!! I mean damn I studied. I jus 4got a couple of answers ‘DAMN.’ I hate when mufukaz b cover'n they paper. They act like they gon die if u give a answer. ‘STINGY BASTARDS.’” Reading this made me seriously regret all those times in high school when I neglected to facilitate cheating amongst my peers. I was a serious bitch. Or bitach, as it were.
In this same vein of exalting vices, I also found a group by the name of “MO5T WANT3D/53XI35T ON FAC3BOOK.” First off, it is completely unacceptable to use numbers as letters. This is why we have letters! To be used as letters! Numbers are for counting! The essential premise of this group is that you join if you are a smokin’ hottie, and then you post an excessive number of vaguely flattering pictures of yourself. The implicit rules regarding these pictures are as follows: 1. At least one of these pictures must be taken on a camera-phone and show the reflection of your ass in your bedroom mirror. 2. At least one of these pictures should show off your ‘cool’ or ‘model’ look. 3. None of these pictures should be taken by another person or contain any other people, as this may serve to threaten the extreme vanity of this endeavor. This group has 1,527 members and serves no other purpose than to reward narcissistic behavior and waste untold hours of time.
But, by far, the best awful facebook group I’ve come across during my “research” is one entitled, “Stop, Drop, and Roll…Doesn’t Work in Hell!” Yes, this group was created by someone who legitimately believes that the most effective way to evangelize to people is to joke about the burning agony of the afterlife. One person posted very authoritatively on the message board that “Stop, drop, and roll doesn't work in hell. But this isn't some joke. Hell is a real place and if you don't accept Jesus Christ as your savior, you will go to hell. Hell is NOT a happy place and you do live in fire. My biggest fear in life is drowning. I think that would be the scariest way to die. Now, imagine your worst fear, and multiply it a billion times a billion and more. Thats how scary and horrible hell is.” Clearly, this girl knows where it’s at. I’m assuming she has a wealth of empirical evidence about this perpetual fire scenario.
Fortunately (for my faith in humanity), not everyone on this group takes its message quite so seriously. One young person posed the following question about the stop, drop, and roll process: “Seriously, if you’re on fire do you really need to stop? What if the bank closes at 5 and its 5 til 5 and you’re 4 minutes away and you happen to catch on fire...you gotta get to the bank!! You don't have time to stop!!” Somehow, even though I’m fairly certain this young woman is particularly vulnerable to fire-related injury, I would feel more comfortable trusting her than the previous young woman. But maybe that’s just me.

YouTube and Paul

2007-04-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

Paul Shuman-Moore '09 is still missing, but his family and friends are not giving up hope. In addition to their renamed website, comehomepaul.com, they've put up a compelling video message on YouTube to let him know that they love him and that he should let them know if he is ok. As of this post, the video, featuring Shuman-Moore's bandmates and friends, has been viewed over 18,000 times.

Great article by alum featured in The Advocate

2007-03-19T14:56:00.000-05:00

Check out the article "Chasing the duclod man" by Sarah Aswell '04 in the March 27 issue of The Advocate.

You can click on the title of this post to link to it.

It's a creepy, but excellent, read.

—Caitlin Carmody, Editor-in-chief

A "Constitutional Crisis" in SGA

2007-03-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

We at the S&B work hard to maintain a level of objectivity and detachment from our stories. When people are involved in a newsworthy situation, we do not let them write or edit the piece covering it. This is always difficult on a small campus, where it can feel like everyone knows everyone. The recent run-off election between Eric Olson ’08 and Caitlin Carmody ’08 shows just how hard this can be: Carmody is co-Editor-in-Chief of the S&B.

While we certainly would not have chosen this situation, the significance of this election and its aftermath is too great to ignore. Carmody has not been involved in any way in any part of this story—in fact, we purposely wrote and edited this piece when she was not present. We’ve done our best to make this piece fair to all parties, regardless of our personal affiliations. This story of an election and ensuing constitutional crisis deserves serious attention, through whatever lens you choose to view it.

— Ben Weyl, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Abby Rapoport, News Editor, David Logan, Assistant News Editor

by Abby Rapoport and David Logan

On Sunday, March 11, Joint Board held an emergency meeting to discuss the outcome of an election process that had started a week earlier but was still mired in uncertainty. On Friday, March 9, Election Board had held a run-off election between Eric Olson ’08 and Caitlin Carmody ’08 for Vice-President of Academic Affairs (VPAA). Soon after, an anonymous student filed a grievance with Election Board, questioning Olson’s campaign tactics, and leading Election Board to recommend a revote without Olson on the ballot. Olson appealed the decision, requiring an emergency Joint Board meeting; at that meeting, Joint Board elected to suspend the SGA Constitution, making Olson the VP-AA-elect.

THE CAMPAIGN
Upon hearing that he was in a runoff election Thursday, March 8, Olson decided to ask his friend and Loosehead senator Laura Lienemann ’08 to poster for him. Lienemann had already offered to help at least three times previously, according to Olson. “It was done on a friendly level,” he said.

Lienemann also sent an email out to fifteen friends, asking them to vote for Olson. The email, which was given to the S&B anonymously due to the fact that the source did not receive the original email, began by saying “I know for many of you, I’m not your senator anymore … but I’m sending this to you to tell you why I voted for Eric Olson.” Lienemann did not mention this email to Olson.

According to Election Board member and SGA Treasurer Brad Bishop ’08, Election Board decided that both Lienemann’s posters and e-mail violated Article III Section 1 of the SGA Bylaws which prohibits the sending of “…material promoting any candidate…through campus mail, or through unsolicited email” and “…candidates from soliciting SGA Senators to distribute any campaign materials.”

Olson’s run-off campaign also included posters with pictures of current SGA Vice-President Michael Billups ’07 and Olson, who have been friends since Olson’s first year. “I was just looking for some new, funny material [in my posters],” said Olson. The posters included sayings like “Stay the Course” and pictures of Billups knighting a kneeling Olson. Additionally, SGA Administrative Coordinator Nick Blencowe ’08 helped Carmody poster during the run-off campaign. While current Cabinet members are not prohibited from endorsing or helping candidates, the practice is considered atypical.

Olson received 55.8% of the 451 total votes cast in the run-off. But before he ever found out these results, Election Board received a grievance alleging that Lienemann’s aid constituted a violation of SGA bylaws. Election Board convened the next day to assess the validity of the charges.

ELECTION BOARD
According to Bishop, Lienemann’s violations of election policy would normally result in Olson forfeiting his status as an official candidate; he would still be able to participate in the election, but only as a write-in candidate.

But because the election was a runoff, according to SGA Bylaws, Election Board could not simply remove Olson from the ballot since doing so would have left Carmody as the only official candidate. Election Board also decided that it could not legitimately invalidate Olson’s candidacy or declare Carmody the winner. “We solicited assistance from past members of Election Board to see if this had happened before,” said Bishop. “It had not. We had a constitutional crisis.”

After much deliberation, members decided to resolve the crisis by holding a second runoff with Carmody and Lindsay Dennis ’08 as official candidates while allowing Olson to participate as a write-in. “The course of action was agreed upon by consensus,” said Bishop. “No one on Election Board disagreed with the decision.”

Upon hearing these results, Olson decided to appeal Election Board’s decision, which meant Joint Board had to convene an emergency meeting within 24 hours.

JOINT BOARD
As the meeting began, Joint Board voted to make it a closed session, but included Election Board members, as well as Carmody and Olson. According to the minutes of this session—which were given to the S&B by a source who wished to remain anonymous due to the closed nature of the session—Election Board offered senators four options based on whether or not they believed Olson to have violated the Constitution and whether they thought Election Board’s decision should stand.

Olson and Lienemann said they did not know about the rule, and further believed they had respected the intention of the rule, if not the rule itself. “If you’re going to do a technical reading of the Constitution, yes I violated it,” said Lienemann. “However, I don’t think I violated the spirit of the laws.”

According to the Constitution, Election Board must publicize the election rules, but what this means is up for interpretation. “I think it’s the duty of Election Board to make available the rules of elections,” said Bishop. “But I feel it’s the responsibility of candidates to inform themselves.”

Billups had a different take. “[Election Board] should offer a bullet point breakdown of the rules,” he said. “Technically, Election Board is to publicize the document.”
Furthermore, some took issue with the rule itself, believing it to limit speech. “On an individual level, we should never try to stop people from expressing preference,” said Olson. “There’s a line between the office and the individual holding the office.”

Many at the Joint Board meeting expressed their dislike of the rule, and hoped to later rewrite it in an SGA Constitutional Reform Committee.

After much debate, Joint Board senators unanimously voted for “Option D”, declaring that Olson had violated the Constitution, but that the rule he had violated was unfair. But “Option D” required use of the Elastic Clause, which allowed Joint Board to go around the Election Board decision and make a new one in its place. Only the President or Vice President could approve a motion to enact this clause, and since SGA President Chris Hall ’07 was out of town for the weekend, Billups was the only person who could do so.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Because of Billups’ endorsement of Olson, he was in a difficult position. “In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have gone that route,” said Billups. “I guess on principle [I shouldn’t have endorsed Olson].”

Vice President of Student Affairs-elect (VP-SA) Jan Koszewski ’08 agreed that the situation was complicated at best. “[Billups’] endorsement was, to be quite honest, out of place,” Koszewski said.  “He was well aware of the awkward place in which he was caught.”

Ultimately, Billups approved the motion for the Elastic Clause after taking several straw poll votes to gauge interest. While others were displeased by Billups’ situation, no one at the meeting felt the conflict of interest was significant enough to prevent the motion. “I think [the endorsement] was a conflict of interest and a double standard,” Lienemann said. “But I think he did what Chris [Hall] would have done.”

“I’ve said before and maintain that if it happened the other way around, I would have done the same thing,” said Billups. “I acted in the most principled manner I could as a member of SGA. I feel like my personal relationship…didn’t come into play.”

Billups was not the only one whose ability to participate was questioned. Before discussion began, Joint Board members agreed that due to potential conflicts of interest, senators Lienemann and Dennis as well as those senators serving on Election Board were barred from voting. Only two members of Cabinet, Michael Van Hulle ’07 and Karly Newton ’07 were considered far enough removed from the situation to vote.

The decision to enact the Elastic Clause also required a four-fifths majority, and while some members expressed reservations about enacting the clause, they believed it was the best option available. “We’d have gotten much more of an uproar if we’d have thrown out the results,” said Lindsay Dennis ’08, who abstained because she was a candidate in the initial election for VPAA. Joint Board ultimately voted unanimously to enact the Elastic Clause.

Some of those not voting did not think the clause should have been enacted. Blencowe, who had to abstain due to his candidacy for VP-SA, was vehement in his opposition to use of the Elastic Clause. “I don’t think it was appropriate for them to use the Elastic Clause to exonerate people that should have known better,” he said. “What we saw is essentially [SGA] doing favors and fucking with our constitution when we shouldn’t have.”

Blencowe also thought this use of the Elastic Clause set a bad precedent. “I understand the reasoning on [invoking the Elastic Clause],” he said. “But I think this is a bad time to start picking and choosing what rules we follow.”

Because so many people abstained, some took issue with Koszewski’s decision to vote in the matter. “As someone who had just been elected to be either Eric or my counterpart, for him to be making decisions to allow even the slightest advantage for one of us seems to be a huge conflict of interest,” said Carmody. Koszewski said in hindsight, he wished he had abstained. “I tried to keep my … participation at a minimum,” he said. “I felt I had a duty as an active senator [to vote].”

Billups said he would have abstained had he been in Koszewski’s situation “in light of the fact that you’ve got a whole other six weeks as vice-president elect to build relationships. This really sets the tone for your whole vice-presidency whether or not you’re going to act in a principled manner.”

Koszewski and Olson will join Megan Goering ’08 as next year’s SGA Executive members, but some are still pondering the election itself. “I still have doubts [about the decision],” said Billups. “I sort of feel for public officials who have to make those decisions that can be seen as overly political. You do the best you can at the time.”

Extended Q&A with jazz critic Gary Giddins '70

2007-03-09T16:38:00.000-06:00

This week’s Arts section features a Q&A with jazz critic Gary Giddins, who has been on campus for the past month as a guest lecturer teaching about jazz and writing. Here are further excerpts from his conversation with the S&B.

Interview by Pat Caldwell

(On his time as Concerts Chair)

My feeling was, as a general rule, jazz and blues and country … were so much less expensive than rock that we could have a concert every month or two instead of blowing it all at once. So we got B.B. King before he started playing really for white audiences. In fact in my new book Natural Selection I finally published the interview I did with King on the steps of Darby Gym with two or three other kids, him sweating, wearing his tuxedo after the gig and talking to us for about two hours.

(On his time at Grinnell)

I was a terrible student—that is my single biggest regret. I really regret the classes I didn’t pay any attention to. I was an English fanatic and I put all my time into the English courses.

I edited a literary magazine, Montage. We had 1.5 issues, because the second one, the school closed so we never published it; I still have the galleys in my closet, including an unpublished manuscript of Lenny Bruce that someone gave me. But the first issue was exciting. We printed it in Victor, Iowa because nobody in Grinnell would publish any Grinnell [College] publication because of obscenities. I wrote to the S&B, I produced the films, I produced the concerts.

I think almost entirely positively about the experience; it was just the right place for me. I came here as an accident because the idiot guidance counselor at my high school told me it had the best writing program in the country; of course he’s thinking of Iowa City … But it turned out to be a complete mistake—I would have hated Iowa City. Going to a big university and becoming a cog in that. I used to spend a lot of time visiting there, but I needed a small liberal arts school and there isn’t a better one.

(On how Grinnell has changed)

I think in a lot of ways the school is incredibly well-endowed now in a way that it wasn’t then. As an institution for education I think it has probably improved in many ways. On the other hand I’m very disappointed to see that the music department has no serious interest in jazz. They’re searching for somebody now, but I would have thought there’d be a department here.

And I’m a little surprised that there doesn’t seem to be the institutional memory here. We used to hear and tell Grinnell stories about Gary Cooper riding his horse into Gates and we knew about James Hall being here, and the whole Roosevelt brain trust and Hallie Flanagan and all those people. We had a sort of sense of the history, that from talking to people I don’t think is still there anymore.

I think it’s ultimately the same place. I do think you’re wasting the goddamn Forum. My God, that great building. We used to have dances in the North Lounge. The Jackson 5 was so little known that we didn’t even put them in Darby, we put them in North Lounge for a dance with little Michael.

We had Skip James perform in south lounge which is where Borges spoke as well. So those lounges were used a lot. There were jukeboxes in them. Cecil Taylor when he was here emptied his pocket of change into the jukebox and picked only the Aretha Franklin tracks, which there were at least a dozen, and there was a piano there as well, and he backed her for an hour. He just sat there accompanying Aretha Franklin. It was unbelievable.

After graduation, what did you do? Did you start right away in journalism?

I tried. I sent resumes to every newspaper in New York and collected more rejection slips than I care to remember, from just about every magazine that I could imagine myself writing for. I had a terrible first year, it was just unbearable. My father had been very ill, so he and my mother were in Texas being operated on. So I was virtually alone in a house in Long Island, writing and sending out stuff and getting rejection slips.

After about a year of that, the New York Post called, which was a liberal paper back then—a lousy paper, but a liberal paper. They must have run out of nieces and nephews because they had an opening for copyboy. So I got that job and things just started happening…For the next year I was writing movies reviews for the Hollywood Reporter at $5 a review and music reviews for Downbeat at $7, occasionally $15. I never had to pay taxes, that was the only good part. But the copyboy gig which I kept for a while was a pretty good salary, so I was keeping head above the water. And then I sent a piece into the [Village] Voice which they ran, and then they invited me to write every week, and after a year of that they gave me the column, and that’s what really made my reputation.

I wrote the column for 30 years. After I had been doing it for about 6 years, Oxford University published a collection of pieces I had done. That was my first book; I have 9 books altogether. I was also teaching. I taught a little bit at Pennsylvania for a semester, Rutgers for a semester, I taught criticism at Columbia for a couple of years. But for the most part I would write the column, and when I need the time to finish a book they were great about giving me whatever leave I needed…But things started to change there, and after 30 years I realized that you get to a point and you don’t know how much time you’ve got left and there are a bunch of books I really, really need to write, and I don’t want to go to my grave thinking that because I was afraid of not earning enough money to survive, I stayed at the Voice past my interest. My wife totally encouraged me. That was in ’03, exactly the 30th year [of working at the Voice]. I left and I’ve published two books since then, Weather Bird and Natural Selection, and I’m working on two now.

What do you think of the current [Village] Voice?

I’m appalled. I’m just appalled … I don’t know what to say. I still occasionally pick it up. It takes me about 10 minutes to read. The cover stories, with one exception that they did on landlords which was sort of throwback to the old Voice, they’ve been trivial … It’s not a New York paper anymore. Most of the critics are part of this national syndicate of Voice Media.

What do you think of the nationalization of alternative newspapers?

To me that’s antithetical to an alternative paper. What makes a paper an alternative paper is its very city-centric, specific to that area, because you want to wage the battles that concern you and your neighbor. If you’re a reporter, you want to talk about the bad judges and landlords in New York. You want to talk about corruption in New York. If you live in Des Moines, if you live in Los Angles, wherever you live, you want to deal with that city. When it becomes nationalized it becomes another rag that exists for one reason primarily, which is to get ads; to make a profit … Whatever it is, it’s not alternative—it is the establishment. It’s just the establishment by some guy in Arizona who’s in it as a business.

Movies, My Family and Sexuality

2007-03-09T09:33:00.000-06:00

By Lindsay Dennis

God bless the cinema. I’m so thankful for the fact that this country wholeheartedly supports a multi-billion dollar industry designed to allow us to spend quality time with our friends and loved ones without actually having to engage in that pesky business of conversation or looking at one another. This makes life so much easier for those of us stricken with debilitating cases of extreme social awkwardness. Or, at least, it used to.

Back in the day when they’d just come out with those new-fangled talkie films, cinema was much simpler. The storylines were classic and wholesome, so as to appeal to the whole family. But these days, all those heartwarming tales of angels getting their wings and whatnot have all been done to death, leaving filmmakers with no other option than to start pushing the envelope with crazy raunchy sex movies (because sex is the last thing that still really makes Americans uncomfortable).

There’s not anything inherently wrong with these movies, per se. They are often sincere, artistic, thought-provoking, or even just downright hilarious. The problem I have with these movies (which really hit home for me this weekend in Harris as I was sitting between my good friends watching the third or fourth orgy in scene in Short Bus) is that I never think through the implications of watching certain films with certain people. Surprisingly, as aware as I am of my own awkwardness, I never seem to think ahead about the content of a movie before sitting down to watch it with the family. This has led to me making the questionable life choice of watching American Pie, Kinsey, and the 40-Year-Old Virgin (uncut, no less) with my parents.

Granted, my parents were hippies. They are both alums of Reed College, and they have a history of liberal politics (marching through the streets of Portland shouting “Nixon eat shit!”, etc). However, this fact does not overcome our family’s uncomfortable WASPy tendency to completely ignore the reality of sex. For example, my primary experience with sexual education from my parents comes in the form of two succinct statements: “Herpes lasts forever” and “Don’t ever have sex…well, don’t ever have unprotected sex”. There was also a brief but exceedingly uncomfortable discussion about how diaphragms are no longer effective if you lose a lot of weight, a fact that is apparently proven by my existence on this planet. Still, despite these moments of mildly earnest sexual discussion, the general rule in the house is silence about sex.

As such, watching scenes of Jason Biggs humping a pie, an old lady masturbating, and Steve Carrell watching porn in a Circuit City was more than a little upsetting. Even though I never really got a clear impressive of what my parents expected normative sexual behavior to be, I was pretty certain that it wasn’t this. So I merely laughed awkwardly and tried to pretend not to understand the raunchier jokes. Those for which I couldn’t hide my knowledge, I simply played off as things I learned about in that one Bible class on what you should never do if you don’t want to burn in the fiery chasm of Hell. I assume that I was fairly convincing. But really, how would I know? We don’t talk about these things.

All in all, I like to think of these mildly traumatic experiences as opportunities to learn about the importance of considering consequences. I figure things have to normal out someday, and I will either find myself avoiding these situations entirely, or finally coming to terms with my sexual identity in a way that I feel comfortable sharing with my family. I’m thinking silence and avoidance is probably the more realistic option.

Debaters argue their way to top positions in Kansas tournament

2007-03-05T13:09:00.000-06:00

By Rebecca Park

While the basketball team may have gotten more attention last weekend, they were not the only ones representing Grinnell in a regional tournament. At the Capital City Classic Invitational, the Grinnell debate team scored eleven points overall, to tie for third with William Jewell College. Among the highlights, Megan Goering ’08 and Zach Razavi ’08 placed first in the team competition and Michael Billups ’07 was awarded second overall speaker.

The debates were conducted in parliamentary style, meaning teams had 20 minutes to prepare an argument either for or against a government policy. Subjects included “a ton of different current legislation in Congress and some metaphysical, philosophical kind of stuff as well,” Goering said.

According to Billups, the team usually at least “breaks”, meaning they proceed to the next round, at each tournament. But this tournament marked the team’s greatest success in recent years.

In addition to the team’s overall success, Walter Liszewski ’08, Danny Haupt ’09 and Ethan Struby ’10 placed individually. “It’s just gratuitous that we managed to have a team win,” Billups said.

Razavi and Goering, who occasionally writes for the S&B, attributed some of their success to a strong team dynamic they developed when debating together in high school. They also said they benefited from a familiarity with judges’ expectations since the tournament was held in their home state of Kansas. The team was able to perform to the judges’ preferred style of debate, which Razavi described as “very fast, very technical, very high-impact.”

The team also benefited from the relatively relaxed approach to the competition. Because their priorities were “speaking our best and just having a good time,” Goering said, “I think that’s part of the reason we were so successful.”

Despite the team’s success, it is not resting on its laurels. Recent practices have been focused on improving counterargument skills, which judges highlighted as an area for improvement.

The success will not, according to Billups, alter the team’s plans for the future. “As far as the big picture goes,” he said, “[tournament success] won’t encourage us to go to any more debates than we would normally go to, and it wouldn’t make us stop going to debates either.”

Upcoming tournaments include one this weekend at Stanford and the National Parliamentary Debate Association Nationals at Colorado College in the spring. Whether the team hopes to replicate its success is hardly debatable.

EXCO provides quirky classes, but participation has been low

2007-03-04T15:28:00.000-06:00

By Alisha Saville

To the majority of students on campus, Anne Geissinger is known as a dean of the college and coordinator of the Grinnell-in-London and Grinnell-in-Washington programs. To a select few, she is the “Permanent Belly Dance Member.” Thanks to the SGA-run Experimental College program (EXCO), Geissinger has been able to fuel her passion for dance over the past six years.

Historically, EXCO classes have always enjoyed a large participant base, but the past few years have seen a decline in both the number of classes offered and the level of participant interest, though it still attracts between 150 and 200 students. One reason for the decline could be the infamously busy schedules of Grinnellians. “It’s one of those things that Grinnell students are really intrigued with, but don’t really have time for,” said Ben Bowman ’08, one of three Belly Dance teachers.

Because the classes do not count for credit, EXCOs are often the first activities dropped from a busy schedule. Even so, Matt Johnson ’08 said that the low-stress nature of EXCO is generally what draws students to the classes. “It’s really chill, something students do for fun," he said.

Despite its previous popularity, EXCO nearly did not happen last semester, which some worry might hurt student participation in the future.

Suzanne Polivy ’08, coordinator of EXCO programming this semester along with Jackie Graves ’09, said that administrative difficulties last fall also played a large part in the program’s reduced presence on campus this year. “We’ve had fewer responses than in previous years [to teach classes], probably because of last semester,” said Polivy. But she and Graves said they are pleased with the eight classes that will be taught this semester.

The program was originally intended to bring students, college staff and community members together to share interests, skills and particular talents that are not normally part of the college curriculum. In recent years the program has veered away from this initial goal, catering mainly to students.

To increase the program’s presence in the entire community in the future, Polivy suggested inviting those from town to participate. “EXCO was designed to bring together students, professors and townspeople,” said Polivy. “It would be nice to open it up again, to foster more of a sense of community.”

With an operating budget of $2000 per semester, potential teachers do not need to spend their own money to share a skill or interest they feel could benefit others. “A lot of students have ideas and talents to share,” said Polivy. “EXCO gives them the resources to do so.”

Second Winter Storm Coming Through -- Grinnell preparing for possibility of 72 hour power loss

2007-02-28T13:06:00.000-06:00

icicles on bicycles after Saturday's storm (photo by Sidionie Straughn Morse '08)

I was sitting in a Younker dorm room yesterday when the phone rang. It definitely wasn't who I expected to be calling.

"This is a message from the Department of Homeland Security..." said a prerecorded voice on the other end of the line. Poweshiek County has been declared a disaster area and, the government voice urged, "If you are still without power, seek shelter immediately."

An ice storm ripped through campus these weekend, coating every blade of grass and abandoned bicycle with a solid layer of ice. The storm also downed trees and knocked out power to the campus and town for at least several hours.

While power has returned to all of campus, students, professors and college employees living in some parts of town -- and other cities -- are still in the dark. "Basically, living without power for five days, it feels like you haven't slept," says Mac Pohanka, of High Street, who has been sleeping on couches at friends houses and in lounges since the ice storm Saturday. His apartment still doesn't have heating or electricity. "Every day, you go to class and you're more tired and furious than the day before."

Even before Grinnell is entirely back on its feet, however, the town is bracing for another hit: a snow and ice storm rolling through tonight and Thursday. That means more ice and possibly more power outages.

Get prepared! If you're still without heat, find somewhere safe you can crash for a few days. Head out to the store while you still can -- it's not snowing here yet -- and stock up on supplies. Here's a shopping list, courtesy the Department of Homeland Security, of what you should have on hand:

matches
candles
canned food (week of tuna, anyone?)
extra water
blankets!!
extra hats, mittens and warm clothes
flashlights
extra batteries

also:
charge your cell phone and computer
park your car off the street

and
(for you nerdlings out there afraid you won't be able to finish your homework)
print off any Pioneerweb or e-reserve readings now

If anyone else has any preparation advice, feel free to add it in the comments. I'm from Southern California, I've got no experience with this "ice" thing.

We'll keep you updated here on the S&Blog, but check out major Iowa news sources for more info on the storm and where it's headed.

Song, dance and job interviews at ISO Cultural Evening

2007-02-23T16:28:00.000-06:00

by Lawrence Sumulong

For students who know International Student Organization (ISO) mainly through their popular food bazaar, it is high time to add another item to the calendar: the Cultural Evening, ISO’s other major annual event.

Cultural Evening, which will take place on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Harris, showcases the cultural cornucopia at Grinnell through various student performances. It also serves as a get-together for international and domestic students, especially graduating seniors and students returning from abroad, and enhances dialogue between social and cultural groups.

“It’s extremely important because on the most basic level it encourages American students to learn more about different culture and different ways of life outside of the United States,” said ISO treasurer Hamza Hasan ’09. “But it’s not just specific to the students of the college—we usually get a good number of people from the town as well.”

The longstanding Cultural Evening is an open forum for students and groups. According to Hasan, ISO sends out an invitation to the various cultural organizations asking for anyone who might be interested in representing their country, organization, and culture through various artistic mediums. Emphasizing diversity, ISO shapes the final list of participants by making a concerted effort to represent as many different countries as possible.

The evening profits from performances by a medley of different student organizations, like the African Students’ Union, the Korean P’ungmul Percussion Ensemble and the Latin American Ensemble. And in the vein of offering new avenues of cultural insight, this year’s program will include a new segment: a short skit showing four students from differing social backgrounds in the setting of a job interview. The addition of the skit represents ISO’s continuing effort to disarm stereotypes, entertain and educate the public about the world outside of what they consider familiar.

Hasan said Cultural Evening’s strength lies in its capacity to unite students and groups, and said, “It’s a collaborative event that serves to bring together people of all nations and countries.”

The rules of chains

2007-02-22T14:17:00.000-06:00

Everyone loves Harris parties. This is a documented scientific fact, supported by a wealth of empirical evidence. By which I mean, of course, that Harris has essentially no redeeming value. The loud music damages your hearing, any calories you burn off by dancing are immediately replaced by empty booze calories, and the all in-the-moment drunken excitement about hooking up with someone pales in comparison to the immense awkwardness of the day after. We all know this. Yet we all still go. Hell, you probably still have the stamp from the last Harris party on the back of your wrist, you dirty hippy. All of this irrational Harris-related excitement is quintessential to the atmosphere of Grinnell, and no party embodies the gratuitous sketchiness of Harris more than last weekend’s Chains of Love party.

The premise is simple. Pick two people you (for some reason) think need to spend more time together. E-mail these names to an account, see if they accept an anonymous chain, and if all goes well, they get handcuffed (“screwed”) together at the party. On the good end of the spectrum, this can lead to people being chained to their extra special super best friends and having adorable platonic dance parties, or to two individuals with tremendously obvious sexual tension finally getting over their insecurities and having a practice session for 100 days, as it were. On the more negative end, this leads to people being chained to their worst enemy or to some random person they may or may not have once had a History class with. These malicious chains tend to lead to excess drinking, or even worse, really awkward situations in which your chain is making out with someone else’s chain, leaving you unable to do anything but stand off to the side, making idle chit-chat with your chain’s make-out partner’s chain. And that connection is not nearly enough of a common bond to facilitate the creation of a real friendship. Seriously.

As such, perhaps it is time to make a series of rules of chaining etiquette, so as to save future generations the pain and humiliation of a really uncomfortable chain.

The first rule of proper chaining etiquette is to make sure you actually know who you are chaining together. Many people on campus have similar names. As such, it is never a bad idea to pull up Stalkernet to double-check your choices. Your friends will thank you when you manage to actually chain them to their crushes rather than to Rusty K or Darcy, the pizza lady.
The second rule is that unrequited affection is not sufficient grounds for a chain. Even if your friends are creepy people who don’t mind being exposed for the stalkers they are, it will still probably be really awkward if they get chained to that one guy who works in the dining hall who has really shiny hair. Not even the bounciest hair can substitute for a complete lack of conversational topics. Nor should you assume that, just because the girl down your hall is always talking about how hot a certain football player is, that they have any amount of common ground or basis for spending the evening together. Clues that such chains might be a bad idea often come in subtle signals, such as the fact that she only ever refers to the fellow by his jersey number or vaguely descriptive nicknames such as Buff-o or Sexy Rexy.

The third rule is that chains should not be a venue for proposing riddles to people. That is, do not chain people together who have never met simply because you happen to know of some really insignificant commonality they happen to have. No one wants to spend all night asking stupid questions in an effort to figure out whether they and their chain had a goldfish with the same name when they were seven, or whether their high schools had the same vaguely racist mascot.
And finally, the fourth, and most important, rule about chains etiquette is that these rules really only apply when you are considering chaining me to someone. Honestly, I would have a much better time at chains if I had the opportunity to see everyone else in really awkward situations.

Q&A with writer Stephen Kuusisto

2007-02-18T22:49:00.000-06:00

by Lawrence Sumulong

The S&B did an e-mail interview with writer and disability activist Stephen Kuusisto, who will be on campus Tuesday as part of the Writers @ Grinnell series and Disability Awareness Week. Kuusisto, who has been blind since birth, is the author of the memoir Planet of the Blind and the poetry collection Only Bread, Only Light. He will read from his latest work, Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening, on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. Learn more about Kuusisto from this week's S&B article (PDF), Kuusisto's Web site and his blog.

In regards to your poetry and your prose, who are some of the writers that have helped hone your voice and in what ways have they influenced you?

I began reading poetry when I was a high school student. A friend loaned me a copy of an anthology of contemporary American poetry edited by Stephen Berg and Robert Mezey, called Naked Poetry. I discovered Kenneth Rexroth's poetry in that book, along with work by Robert Bly, Adrienne Rich, W.S. Merwin and James Wright, just to name a few of the amazing poets who were becoming important in American letters in the sixties and seventies. I was absolutely infatuated by the beauty and intelligence of contemporary poetry and I think that this discovery helped to save my life. I was anorexic and very depressed about my circumstances as a blind teenager attending a mediocre rural high school. Poetry dazzled, affirmed, insinuated and was politically and intellectually risky. I wanted to join the dialogue.

You have appeared in numerous anthologies, publications, and T.V. shows; are you conveying the same message across different media? To clarify, does a poem of yours appearing in The New York Times Magazine differ from your personal appearance on a show such as Oprah in regards to the convictions you are conveying? Furthermore, are there any concerns when you decide to involve yourself in various modes of public perception?

This is an excellent question. I try to remain the same thinker in all the various forms of communication one uses. On Oprah I talked at some length about the history of people with disabilities in the U.S.; in poetry I also talk about this history, as in the poem "Learning Braille at 39" or "Only Bread, Only Light." I've found lately that blogging has allowed me space to write editorials about disability and contemporary culture in a timely way, and I value that new freedom.

I was talking to Professor Ralph Savarese about your work, and he mentioned how your exquisite attention to language seemingly transforms, like a work of alchemy, prose into something closer to poetry. With that in mind, how has your background in poetry spilled into the structure of the memoir and creative nonfiction?

I learned how to write nonfiction largely from the point of view of a poet. In general, poets love language—its compression, imagery, sweetness, muscularity, energy and musicality. While prose writers often admire these things as well, very often a fiction or nonfiction writer will be thinking ahead about the narrative arc of her or his story. Poets tend to think word by word, line by line, like the old children's song about watering the garden: inch by inch, row by row. So I simply began writing true stories by using the poet's love of language as my essential building block. I tend to find out where I'm going with the story only after I've enjoyed putting the images and sounds on the page. As the poet Theodore Roethke said, "I learn by going where I have to go."

Between the walking tour of Grinnell College's campus, your reading and class visitations, your upcoming Writers @ Grinnell appearance seems to be one of the most involved and invested presentations to date. Dovetailing with Disability Awareness Week, what is the message that you are bringing to the college? How do you plan to convey it through each individual event?

I think that having a message is sometimes really a matter of being open to hearing the people in the local community. I've long been fascinated by the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who as you know was a coast to coast mover and shaker in the civil rights movement in the ’50s and ’60s. He would never give a talk in a city or town until he'd heard the local people either in a church or a community center. I think that's crucial. You may have some pre-formed and seemingly important ideas, but they can't be useful unless you take the time to know what the people around you are thinking. So at Grinnell I will endeavor to learn from students, faculty and staff, and I'll try to shape what I have to say about disability and higher education in accordance with local needs. Obviously talking about poetry and literature can be more from the world of the writer, though it can be argued that poetry is also a community activity.

Urban Bush Women mesmerizes crowd

2007-02-16T08:20:00.000-06:00

by Sarah Mirk

Roberts Theatre is packed with people--students in the center rows and out toward the edges, where a few seats linger unfilled, older professors and trustee look-alikes sit talking and paging through programs. It’s a diverse crowd, and a rowdy one. Everyone is waiting, excited, for the Urban Bush Women dance troupe to raise the curtain for their one-night performance, Thursday, Feb. 8, at Grinnell. Right on schedule, the theater goes black. Slowly, the light fades up in a single circle onstage, where a dancer stands wearing a wide-brim hat. The audience cannot see her face, but from the light falling from above on the well-defined muscles of her arms and legs, it is obvious that she is incredibly strong. And sexy. These are recurring themes in the night’s performance.

Urban Bush Women hails from Brooklyn, but the women who make up the creative team are from all over and all use the theatrical style of modern dance to explore and express different ideas. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, the buff, grey-haired founding artistic director of the 22-year-old group (who also choreographed three of the four pieces performed on Thursday) was raised in Missouri. Her pieces ranged from the outrageous ode to butt-shaking, “Bati Moves” (Bati is a Caribbean word for buttocks), in which five dancers rapped about being proud of their large bodies and large attitudes, to the moving solo dance, “Give Your Hands to Struggle,” which mixed a slow traditional spiritual song with powerful body movements laden with overtones of African-American/female empowerment. In this latter piece, the dancer, the strikingly gorgeous Paloma McGregor, is dressed in flowing white. Her movements are smooth and fluid, but her every muscle – including her face – is tensed and she pushes through the air like it’s lead. Zollar, offstage, reads the names of influential African Americans, filling the theater with their sound. As she reads “Malcolm X,” Dénécy’s hand forms a fist, thrusting upwards into the light and then exploding into five fingers. The audience was silent, enraptured.

Each piece, in its own way, expressed the strength of the female body. In the opening piece of the night, where the first dancer wore that wide-brimmed hat, the dancers moved quickly through very difficult moves. Their costumes, which can only be described as safari-chic, revealed their rippling muscles as each body moved through arabesques, pirouettes and handsprings. When one dancer spun the entire length of the stage, sweat flew from her body across the light, reminding the audience just how rigorous the simple moves of modern dance can be.

The S&B Online

2007-02-14T21:19:00.000-06:00

We appreciate everyone's patience with the lack of S&B issues online. We're currently hiring a new web editor and will have the issues up as soon as possible. In the meantime, we're going to be uploading pdfs of each issue so you can view the issues that way. Last week's issue is available at http://web.grinnell.edu/sandb/. Thanks again for your patience!

Caitlin Carmody, Editor-in-chief

Rocking on Campus: Rehearsal Space in the Last 5 Years

2007-02-09T11:48:00.001-06:00

The article “Bands search for space,” on the front page of this week’s S&B, describes the recent efforts of students and faculty to find adequate practice space for campus musicians. But the campus has faced this issue before. Check out the links to the S&B archives to trace practice space history though the years.

by Ari Anisfeld & Justin Erickson

Campus bands have struggled for years to find a space that meets their requirements for “rockability,” which include acoustics, availability, equipment security and acceptability to neighbors. From 1999 to 2004, the off-campus college-owned house at 1128 High Street was designated as Music House (a.k.a. Musik Haus or Freesound House). At least 9 bands practiced in the wooden-floored living room during the 2003-2004 academic year, according to former SGA Concerts Chair Brendan Baker ’06. Music House treated residents to consistent practice space, safe storage of instruments and a community of like-minded musicians.

But Music House also had its downsides. According to Music major Ioannis Loukakis ’07, it was often difficult to fill the house because many students were not willing to live with the noise level. He cited the case of a college athlete, who had no connection to music but did not mind the noise, living in a Music House single.

In 2004, Music House lost its spot at 1128 High St. to the now-defunct International Gourmet House. John Chavez ’05 and other campus band advocates went to Vice President for Student Services Tom Crady, and they worked together to make an accessible practice space available in Norris Pit. The large, graffiti-covered room had been used as a practice space from the 1960s to the 1980s. Crady appropriated funds for foam to line the space, which Baker said "contained noise in the room" but did not soundproof it. With the foam, the acoustics were "as all right as a concrete room could sound,” said Baker, but the noise was still bothersome to Norris residents. Freesound received funding from SGA to buy basic equipment for the space, including a guitar and a bass.

In the 2005-2006 year, Music House experienced a brief revival as Art and Music House, but this lasted only a year. Currently, 1128 High St. is home to Dag House.

The search for alternatives has led bands to unconventional spaces, including off-campus houses, dorm lounges and dorm rooms.

Movie review: La Dolce Vita

2007-02-09T11:37:00.000-06:00

reviewed by Andrew Lippman

A masterpiece. Federico Fellini’s 1960 rumination on sex, love and miscommunication is as challenging and engrossing today as it was nearly fifty years ago. Seven days and nights in the life of playboy journalist Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastrianni) seem an unending parade of socialites, celebrities, exhibitionists and “intellectuals,” all of who contribute to the empty decadence of 1960s Rome. Caught in the whirlwind are Marcello’s clinging girlfriend Emma (Yvonne Furneaux), the married academic Steiner (Alain Cuny), and Marcello himself, who earnestly seems to love both everyone and no one. Acknowledging the frivolity of his existence, Marcello intends to settle down and do some “serious” work. However, he finds a life of meaning more elusive than he anticipated.

La Dolce Vita is three hours long, but Fellini keeps the film going at a good pace and chocks it full of hot cars, trendy nightclubs, beautiful women and, of course, the circus. The sets and costumes are tremendous (the film won an Academy Award for Costume Design), as is the soundtrack. Mastroianni and Anouk Aimee (who plays heiress love interest Maddalena) are newcomers in their first collaboration with Fellini (they come together again for 8 ½). Watch for “American film star” Anita Ekberg’s famous fountain scene, as well as Valeria Ciangottini as the ingénue waitress Paola.

Showtime: Friday Feb. 9, 8:00 p.m. ARH 302

photo courtesy http://www.ledoux.be

Why am I so awkward?

2007-02-08T19:17:00.000-06:00

Every time I leave the Grinnell campus for an extended period, I wind up being rudely slapped in the face with the realization that I have no idea how to conduct myself in the real world. I often spend several days confused by the prevalence of people not between the ages of 18 and 23, people who are offended by profanity and sexual references, and people who stare blankly at me when I use words like “opprobrium” in casual conversation. My tendency to dress like a hobo and my love-hate relationship with makeup and shaving suddenly qualify me as a weirdo, whereas my Grinnell self had always seemed so painfully mainstream. But one thing that really frightens me about my inability to pass as normal in actual American society is that I’m pretty sure I never actually learned how to legitimately flirt.

I know that sounds dreadfully shallow. Shouldn’t I be concerned about human rights, the destructiveness of capitalist consumer culture and the impending disaster of global warming? Sure, and I am. Really. My interests are many and varied. They just also happen to include occasionally hooking up with people.

Generally, this is less of a problem at Grinnell. Most people here are awkward enough to make me seem vaguely charismatic. As such, my stilted, bastardized version of flirtation actually seems to work. However, I often forget that the real world operates quite differently. This often leads to strange situations in which I give the impression of being mildly tweaked in the head.

One prime example of this occurred last week, when I was visiting a coffee shop in Des Moines with my good friend, Christy “not-awkward-enough-for-Grinnell” Boeckholt. I approached the counter first, hanging back briefly to decide what I wanted to order. As I was perusing the menu, the fellow behind the counter addressed me casually, trying to make conversation. At some point during this interaction, it dawned on me that this individual was flirting with me. This realization was bewildering for me. I specifically remember being agitated. I hadn’t entered the situation with the expectation that it would require any form of actual social skills, and as such I had not prepared myself. I had absolutely no idea what to say to this man. I made a half-assed effort to play along, not wanting to seem unfriendly.

The fellow seemed to have noticed my stilted mannerisms and attributed them to tiredness, saying, “Had a long day, huh?” I could easily have lied, pretended that I’d spent all day at some sort of legitimate job instead of sitting around reading Plans and crocheting earflap hats. But instead I decided to be unnecessarily honest, saying “No, not really. I’m actually just incredibly awkward.”

Had I made a similar comment to a Grinnellian, we probably could have shared a friendly laugh of commiseration at our mutual social ineptitude. However, outside of Grinnell, a statement such as this sends a pretty clear message of “I’m really freaking weird,” as evidenced by the relatively quiet manner in which the rest of our interaction panned out. I walked back to my table, confused and a bit embarrassed. Christy subsequently ordered, flirting casually and comfortably with the same man who had already written me off completely.

The encounter wasn’t a total loss, however. I got a delicious café mocha out of the transaction, and I managed not to trip while walking to or away from the counter. Also, I learned that flirting should not include blatant admissions of my own awkwardness. This just puts me one step closer to the day when I will finally be able to have comfortable social interactions with people I don’t really know. I’ve been making a lot of progress lately. At this rate, I should be pretty damn charismatic by the time I’m elderly.

Arseneault a finalist for Cousy Award

2007-02-01T21:56:00.000-06:00

Point guard David Arseneault '09 has been named a finalist for the Bob Cousy award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Arseneault is one of only two Division III guards named to the list of 17 total finalists. Last year, Illinois' Dee Brown won the award, which is presented by the Hartford Financial Services Group.

The Grinnell native is averaging 19.2 points per game (3rd in the MWC) to go along with a league-leading 8.39 assists. He averages over three assists more per game than second-place David McMullen of Ripon College.

E-Registration is a mixed blessing

2007-01-28T17:18:00.001-06:00

by Pat Caldwell
For the first time ever at Grinnell, students did not have to brave the frigid walk to the John Crystal Center or stand in the long lines at the Harris center to finalize their registration. Instead, students were able to confirm their registration status from the comfort of their own dorm rooms as the Registrar’s Office implemented a new system for students to confirm their registration online when they returned to campus.
Registrar of the College Gerald Adams said he instituted the change because the previous method took a lot of time on the first Sunday back from break for faculty and staff members. Adams said that the new method so far appeared to be a success, and many students seemed to agree.
Victor Colussi ’09 initially was unable to log in and register when he arrived, but later on Sunday completed the process: “I thought it was easier [than before],” he said.
Arunabh Singh ’09 agreed. “It is way more convenient and should be persisted,” he said.
But the new form of registration did cause problems for some students. According to Adams, many students will be fined for late registration. The school attempted to remind the students about the change in policy with repeated e-mails. But Adams lamented that campus-wide emails are not always effective at disseminating information. “It upsets me that the official form of communication at the college is ignored,” he said.
The online confirmation process also required students to be on campus in order to register. The system would only allow students to confirm their registration through Pioneerweb if they were on a computer connected to the college’s network.
One student, Kat York ‘09, did not realize that she needed to confirm her registration until she was interviewed for this article on Wednesday. “It was kind of in the background and I don’t read the e-mails from the school; they send a lot of stuff,” she said.
Students also potentially face difficulties coordinating with professors without the central location at the Harris Center. Julie Edwards ’07 takes Piano lessons at the college and had problems scheduling a time for lessons with her professor. Where previously she had been able to meet with the professor during registration, she had to try to coordinate with the professor through e-mail which proved more difficult. “I wish there was still the option to go to the Harris Center,” said Edwards.
Many students even questioned the necessity of what they thought was a trivial process. Said Edwards, “I thought it was kind of silly; you only had to click two buttons.” However the office of the registrar views the process as an important function for the school. Adams said the system is important, because “We [the college] need to know physically who’s returning.”
According to Adams, the Office of the Registrar considers this a test and has not decided whether or not the online confirmation will continue. But one aspect of new registration will not change: first-year registration at Harris will remain a part of the Grinnell tradition.

Black, White & Scarlet all over

2007-01-26T18:09:00.000-06:00

After a slow winter break here at the S&Blog, we've rolled out our new design, just in time for a new semester of great "blog-sclusive" content!

Enjoy!

(Of course, no design is ever really final. Got comments on the design? Leave them on this post and we'll do the best we can to fulfill all your requests.)

New Blog Features. Don't Panic!

2006-12-11T17:08:00.000-06:00

If you've come here only to be shocked by a blue banner don't turn around, you're at the same old S&Blog you've quickly come to love. Today, we upgraded the S&Blog to the new Blogger Beta with a few new features that we think will help you use the S&Blog much better.

On the sidebar to your right, you'll see a list of labels. From now on we'll tag each article with its section (Arts, Corrections, Editorial Posts - something from the editorial staff, like this-, Features, News, Opinions, Sports, and, maybe in the future, The Backpage). If you only want sports, only read sports. If you want opinions, read only opinions.

Furthermore, if you want to go back to articles in November, we've got a great archive section in our sidebar that allows you to browse through our previous articles in a very efficient manner.

As for the red, don't worry. It'll be back.

Swimmers finish seventh in Omaha, prepare for Florida trip

2006-12-07T19:05:00.000-06:00

by Eli Best

Grinnell’s swim teams each finished seventh in the Mutual of Omaha Invite last weekend out of nine men’s teams and 10 women’s teams. Those results may seem surprising coming from teams that are accustomed to holding up MWC championship trophies, but the swimmers felt good about their weekend performances because of the high level of competition they faced.

The Pioneers were up against a field of mostly Division II schools. Also, Grinnell did not bring divers and was not eligible to score points in some events. Considering they competed against DII schools, and could not score points in the diving events, the Pioneers were proud to not finish last.

Julia McHugh ‘07 highlighted yet another challenge of the meet: competing against academic pressures as well as good swim teams.

“It’s always tough … right before hell week,” she said. “We all have a lot on our minds on top of swimming.”

The Pioneer women received a strong performance from first-year Meghan McDoniel. She took seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:11.99, and she was also part of a relay team that finished 5th in the 200-yard medley.

A first-year on the men’s team also had a strong showing. Paul Gagne ’10 followed up his Midwest Conference Performer of the Week award with a third-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle (18:01.59) and was part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished 5th.

The Pioneers will spend the next couple of weeks preparing for their winter break trip to Florida, where they will both train and compete.

“Florida is where we are really challenged with our training,” McHugh said. She pointed out that the workouts in the pool and on dry land will both intensify.

The Pioneer swimmers compete next against Connecticut College.

Concert preview: Treologic returns this Friday

2006-12-07T17:02:00.000-06:00

by Alysia Vallas

With influences like Dr. Dre, Miles Davis, and Arrested Development you know that Treologic is here to redefine cool, again. This hip-hop group out of Chicago, whose visits to Grinnell have become a regular occurrence, mixes its rhymes with backbeats inspired by jazz, gospel and world music, as well as other rappers.
Treologic is comprised of Lance Loiselle, Mcbilla Camp, Justin Boyd, DJ Savage, Eric Koppa, Jordan Lopez and Anthony Massaro, whose mission is to blend genres of music while sending out positive lyrics to break down the stereotypes associated with the hip-hop culture. The winning combo typically leaves the audience with a taste of ingenuity and a euphoric grin.

The show was to be opened by The Coup and Mr. Lif, but their tour was cancelled after their tour bus was in an accident on Monday. Some passengers were injured but none were killed. Filling in for them will be another hip-hop group, the Doomtree Collective. Their website announcing their visit to Grinnell claims that “Kids get down in the middle of Iowa, man.” With an endorsement like that, let’s hope for a good showing at Gardner tonight. We wouldn’t want to let them down.

Cut to the Quick

2006-12-01T14:32:00.000-06:00

I don’t know how you live at home. Maybe you have a maid that cleans up after every little mess you make. Maybe you just live in squalor. Or maybe your neat-freak personality shines through. But here at Grinnell, you are not at home. On any given floor, you are living with 20 other people, and, like it or not, you are sharing a bathroom with them. Some of them may even be of the opposite gender. As such, there are rules that need to be followed. A code of etiquette,if you will. Sit at your computer in awe as I educate you.

First of all, close that stall door. Seriously. There is absolutely no way that you could be in such a rush that you don’t have three seconds to turn around and lock the door behind you. And while you’re at it, flush the toilet. There is no reason that you don’t have the three more seconds it takes to push the handle. Both of these activities extend your total bathroom experience by six seconds. I certainly hope you can spare the time.

While we’re at it—the bathroom sinks are not a place to dispose of food. There are kitchens for that. When you dump leftover whatever into the bathroom sinks, they get clogged, and the next person to run water in them gets all your little food particles floating up to greet them. In case you were wondering, there are not garbage disposals in the bathroom sinks. Those are … where again? That’s right. In the kitchen.

Finally, as you are sharing a bathroom with all of these people, it is inevitable that you will run into them from time to time while brushing your teeth, washing your face, et cetera. At this point in the semester, you should at least know the names of everyone on your floor. Say hello to whoever is standing next to you at the sink. Nothing is more awkward than the whole brushing-your-teeth-while-pretending-the-other-person-isn’t-there thing, except for maybe the wow-I-really-wish-that-kid-would-put-some-clothes-on-so-I’m-going-to-ignore-them thing. You don’t have to be best friends, or eat dinner together, or even like each other. Just acknowledge each other.

Yes, Grinnell is different from the real world. There are different standards of cleanliness and acceptable social interaction. Every one of us is going to have to leave here eventually though (except for the weird, creepy ones), and I’m pretty sure that these are basic skills you’ll need to be considered even marginally socially capable wherever you end up next. All you have to do is nod at the kid brushing his teeth in his underwear, then lock the door, and push that little lever. You can do it. I have faith.

Breaking: Friday basketball games postponed

2006-12-01T12:44:00.000-06:00

Due to inclement weather, both the men's and women's basketball road games at St. Norbert today have been postponed to Sunday. Sunday's tip-offs will be at noon for the women and 2 p.m. for the men. Saturday's game times of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Carroll College are unaffected.

Women's cross country finishes 7th in nation; two earn all-America honors

2006-11-30T19:50:00.000-06:00

By Chloe Moryl

As seven mud-covered Grinnellians crossed the finish line on Nov. 18, they came to the end of an unprecedented season. The women’s cross country team had sealed Grinnell’s place in history as the first team in the Midwest Conference to win an NCAA Regional title a week earlier, and their seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships established the program as one of the best in the country.

This year was the first time Sarah Spencer ’08 and Sara Brady ’07 competed at Nationals, and the two top Pioneer runners earned all-America honors. Spencer came in third place overall with a time of 22:52.00, while Brady came in 35th place with a time of 23:54.00.

Injuries had kept Spencer from competing at a top level in past seasons.

“I think the reason Nationals meant so much to me is because I’ve battled injuries for the past two and a half years, so I didn’t know if I’d be able to get back into running again,” Spencer said. “My biggest goal was to make it to the end of the season and to stay healthy, so to have done that and performed well was something that I didn’t know [would be possible].”

Brady joined the cross country team as a junior, and she has exceeded her own expectations by becoming one of the top runners in the country.

“This kind of represents … the time I’ve put into something, “ Brady said. “And [proves] that hard work really can pay off.”

But the Pioneers’ long hours of hard work couldn’t have prepared the runners for the soggy course in West Chester, Ohio.

“The conditions made it a lot more of an intense experience,” said Spencer. “The race was in a park, and it had rained a lot leading up to the meet. We were running through several inches of mud and water and runners’ feet were getting stuck and their shoes were being pulled off; some people were finishing with only one or no shoes.”

Spencer and Brady were supported by three other Pioneers who finished in the top 100 out of over 250 runners. Katie Ryan ’07 placed 83rd, Allison Louthan ’08 finished 92nd and Becky Bessinger ’09 crossed the finish line 93rd.

Grinnell is expecting to have a strong incoming first-year class next year to build on the team’s recent success, which has included three straight MWC titles.

“I think recruiting has gone well this year for [coach] Evelyn [Freeman],” said Spencer. “How this season went will make the recruiting easier because they will come to her instead of her having to seek them out.”

Although they are losing nine seniors before next season, the team looks forward to continued success.

“We’re losing a couple of the really crucial members of our team,” Spencer said. “But I would love to see the younger runners step up and be able to fill their shoes so we can have another exciting season like this one.”

Extended Q&A with one-act director Becky Mwase ’07

2006-11-30T18:52:00.000-06:00

The S&B sat down with Becky Mwase ’07, director of the one-act play Defusion. The one-acts festival is this Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

What sparked your interest in the play you chose to direct?
I went to this bookstore in Taiwan that had a lot of English-speaking books and I found The Best Short Plays of 2005 and I was like, “Sweet, I can find my one act.” So I read through about four and then got to Defusion, and thought it was amazing and decided that’s what I was going to do, even though I thought Chris [Connelly] might say no because there weren’t stage directions of any kind and no blocking, so basically I would have to come up with everything.

Describe your play.
It’s about a man and a woman. They don’t have names. My play is after the fact. The woman had a boyfriend and she started an e-mail affair with a guy that she’d met three years previously and then went to see him. And they had sex and everything went wrong, so she went home and her boyfriend broke up with her. But the story is being told after all of this has happened and she’s sort of trying to work her way through it.

Did you look for anything in particular during the auditions?
Can you act? I had no preconceived notions about what I needed or wanted. I basically went in and looked for people who I thought listened to direction well and then called those people back and looked at how they interpreted the parts I gave them to read. And I looked at how informed their choices were and how they varied.

Describe your directorial style.
Sexy. (laughs) It depends on what we’re working on. I take notes every run and if I’m working stuff I move around to view things from different angles, and it helps me think when I’m walking. During the actual performance I try not move because it distracts [the actors].

What are the challenges of being a student director?
Never knowing what you’re doing. No, it’s weird because the directing class mainly just consists of reading and discussing articles by other directors. They rarely help me because there are so many divergent views on how you should direct and it’s difficult to sift through that and find your own style and the way that you work the best.

Have you identified with any of the directors that you’ve read in class?
Not really. All of the directors that we read are professional directors and so they’re working with professional actors. They don’t have the issues that we have, such as working around schedule conflicts. You can’t force them [our actors] to do anything, so if they show up late, the most you can do is give them time fines or a stern look. (laughing) You don’t want to yell at them and make them hate you. Every minute that they’re late you can hold them a minute after.

How has your perception of the play changed?
I understand the play much more for what it is rather than what I was trying to make it. I was trying to make it like a love story—she fell in love and then she went [to meet her lover]—but that wasn’t what was happening. Instead, she wanted to have an affair and it blew up in her face. That’s what happens and it’s painful. But there are fun moments in it and I’d been missing those. Now there’s a balance and the stages of her development are more obvious.

Do you plan to continue to work in theatre?
I would like to. I really enjoy directing, surprisingly. There’s something fulfilling about shaping and creating this thing. Initially, the play ran at 17 minutes, and now the actors have truly relaxed and are able to give a more nuanced performance that runs at 21 minutes. So that’s a tangible difference.

Extended Q&A with Grinnell Monologues leaders

2006-11-30T18:35:00.000-06:00

The S&B sat down with Amanda Slatus ’07 and Stephanie Rosenbaum ’08, co-leaders of this year’s Grinnell Monologues. The Monologues will be performed tonight at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. in Loose Lounge.

How long have the Grinnell Monologues been going on?
AS: This is the third year.
SR: The idea is based on the Vagina Monologues, but what we did was decided to take the idea of the Vagina Monologues and make it our own. So it’s actually all written by the Grinnellians who are in it.
AS: Grinnell Monologues is a brainchild of Sarah Millhouse, who came to Feminist Action Coalition three years ago and said, “Listen, every year when we do the Vagina Monologues we invite Grinnellians to write their own and we always get fantastic ones. I think we have enough interest to do a show all of our own and not even do Vagina Monologues.” And so she and a few other people, including myself, created the Grinnell Monologues out of Feminist Action Coalition.

So is it still about vaginas?
SR: Some of it. Not all of it.
AS: The subject matter has certainly expanded. We’ve gotten monologues about everything from body image to smelly vaginas to …
SR: Gender identity, sexual orientation, fetishes …
AS: Being awkward …
SR: Dating at Grinnell. Because it’s such an open forum, you get so many different responses to what we aim to talk about.

How many pieces are there?
AS: There are 16, and three choral pieces.

What’s the boy-girl ratio?
AS: This year we have three boys.

What do you think makes this special for Grinnell?
SR: I think a really nice part about it is that it’s a very honest way of expressing how people feel about certain issues that may be more uncomfortable to talk about. So when you have a group of people that are willing to share their own experiences about sex, sexuality, body images, all of these above topics, which are sometimes taboo to talk about, which are sometimes very uncomfortable to talk about, and you have these people that are being very honest about their own experiences, it opens it up for other people to say what they think about it.
AS: For me, it’s really cheesy, but you start off at the beginning of the process with a group of strangers, and by rehearsal week, not only do we know each other’s monologues and each other’s names, but we know each other’s feelings about a variety of things, and we’ve become friends.

Thanksgiving in Grinnell

2006-11-30T14:51:00.000-06:00

A belated post is better than no post, right?

by Merrick Meyers
This coming Wednesday, most Grinnell students will scatter to their homes or other destinations for Thanksgiving break, the briefest of all Grinnell vacations, returning in time for classes to resume the following Monday. Some Grinnellians, however, will be staying put, enjoying the holiday right here on campus.

Vice President of Student Services Tom Crady estimates the number of students who stay at around thirty percent of the student body. Most of these students simply live too far away from Grinnell for it to make sense to spend time and money returning home for a mere half a week before coming back to campus. Others live nearer by but do not desire to leave, or at least not enough to go through the trouble, preferring to hang out on campus with their fellow students.

Thanksgiving break generally passes without incident, though legends are still told of the break several years in ago during which some students stored a full turkey in the ceiling of a dorm hallway, and then completely forgot about it, not remembering it was there even after the smell of rotting turkey flesh became overpowering. The turkey was not discovered by Facilities Managements until two weeks later.

Many of those remaining on campus are international students, for whom returning home for such a short break is obviously impractical. While some vacation with fellow Grinellians or other American friends, or stay with a host family, a good portion simply stay where they are.

In a few cases, however, there were more somber reasons for staying at Grinnell. Last year, friends of Thomas Alexander '05, who had died in a car accident during Thanksgiving break the previous year, stayed on campus in order to be with one another.

The Thanksgiving and Fall breaks are the only vacations during which all students are allowed to stay in the dorms. Lingering during other breaks requires special permission, which is given to international students and others who require it. Of the two, the campus is significantly more populous during Thanksgiving break, as Fall break is much longer, making it more worthwhile to make travel plans.

At this critical point in the semester, some stay focused on their studies, working on papers and other projects. Others take the time to relax. "It's toward the end of the semester, so there are a lot of projects that people have been working on, so Thanksgiving, people say, 'I'm not gonna worry about it,'" said Jon Ohliger '07. "There's definitely a large amount of time dedicated to just hanging out." Many students select one day to devote to schoolwork, and treat most of the rest of the break like a vacation.

Some partake of dining hall food for their Thanksgiving feast, but the service is limited so that the dining staff can be with their families. Similarly, most alternatives in the town are closed for the holiday, leaving students largely to their own devices. Several Thanksgiving dinners are thrown on campus each year, with at least one open to all comers.

For the most part, these culinary efforts are well-planned and tend to go smoothly, although the residents of DAG House recall with amusement last year's attempt at mashed potatoes gone horribly wrong, which they say went through several color changes before being declared inedible. "None of us knew how to make mashed potatoes," admitted otherwise successful cook Christina Gargiullo '08, "so I made it up."

Of course, many of the international students on campus have no particular attachment to the Thanksgiving holiday or its traditions. "For me it was just a long weekend," pointed out Yue Hou '09, a Chinese student.

Reducing the population of the college to a fraction of what it usually is during the school year can do a lot to change the atmosphere of the place. "It was really quiet, and I kind of liked the feeling that there's not so many people around," said Hou, "but also when you saw people coming back it was really really nice cause it's a really small place and when it's really quiet there's nothing going on."

Others are more impressed with the change. Janaki Sullivan '07 describes life on campus during the break as "a lot more relaxed, a lot less frenetic, more peaceful, so you can actually feel like you can take time to stroll around campus, if there are any fall colors still left look at fall colors, or the snow, go to a movie in town, just hang out in the lounge somewhere, spend time with friends without feeling like you have to go rush off and go to class or an activity or homework or what have you." It's the kind time, she said, "which honestly I wish there were more of at Grinnell."

Game of the Century? No Question.

2006-11-17T11:23:00.000-06:00

Over the past few weeks, many football fan friends of mine have entered my room and glanced puzzlingly at my computer wallpaper, which depicts Michigan RB Mike Hart and Ohio State QB Troy Smith in action poses with “Game of the Century” written on the bottom half. “Really?” they ask inquisitively. "This Saturday’s #2 Michigan vs. #1 Ohio State clash is the 'Game of the Century?'"

The unconvinced looks proved to me that few outside of Michigan and Ohio truly understand the magnitude of the greatest rivalry in sports. Other great rivalries give each team multiple chances to beat the opposing foe each year. The Red Sox and Yankees played 19 times last year, while Duke and North Carolina battle two or three times per year in basketball. For Michigan-Ohio State, each team’s shot at glory—and usually the Big Ten title—comes once a year, on the third Saturday in November.

No game has shattered more national title hopes than Michigan-Ohio State, and this Saturday, the game is even bigger. The two teams are playing each other as the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the nation for the first time ever, and both teams enter the game undefeated for the first time in 33 years. The winner goes on to play for the national championship, no questions asked.

Wait a minute. Enough objectivity. The best way to communicate the scale of this rivalry is to throw out journalistic integrity altogether. So let me put it bluntly:

I hate Ohio State. I despise them with every ounce of my blood. I rate entire seasons based primarily on whether Michigan beats Ohio State. I think that any Michigan coach who cannot win more than 50 percent of his games against Ohio State after five seasons should be fired on the spot, regardless of his record in every other game. I think OSU coach Jim Tressel’s sweater-vests are a sign of the anti-Christ.

My level of fanaticism at best equals that of any fan making the trek to Columbus this weekend. Tensions are running so high that the Michigan Dean of Students e-mailed everyone on campus traveling to the game, warning them of the Buckeye hooligans that roam the streets of Columbus.

The memo told Michigan fans, “If possible, drive a car with non-Michigan license plates, … stay with a group … [and] avoid High Street in Columbus,” referring to OSU’s main campus thoroughfare. One Ohio State student said, “There will probably be some rioting [if OSU loses] ... but I don’t think it will be too bad.”

Wow, that’s reassuring. But that’s Michigan-Ohio State, where calling in the National Guard is just another item on the Columbus to-do list. No #1 vs. #2 game has packed this much loathing into one epic Saturday. The result will either completely ruin my November or make me the happiest fan at Grinnell, with no in-between.

Such is the life of a Michigan fan, living and dying by the 3rd Saturday in November and always remembering the words of former Michigan broadcaster Bob Ufer, who once said, “Never forget that Ohio is a four-letter word.”

Go Blue.

Columnist Mark Japinga is a second year student. He invites all of those who are not Ohio State fans to enjoy the game with him in Read Lounge at 2:30 on Saturday.

Concert Preview: Mucca Pazza, Low Skies and Vegetable Medley

2006-11-16T20:59:00.000-06:00

by Alysia Vallas

This weekend’s concert combination will be like nothing you’ve heard before. Mucca Pazza and Low Skies, both from Chicago, break all sorts of musical barriers and do it in style.

Mucca Pazza does not fit your conjured image of a typical punk group, unless, of course, you generally picture a 27-piece circus marching band. They parade the stage with their big band, surf and punk sound, sporting all sorts of instruments: trumpets, trombones, accordions, and more percussion than you can handle. Running amok in their snazzy costumes fit for a football team marching band, the group is bound to keep you entertained. Believe it or not, cheerleaders come included. The band’s MySpace describes them as, “Oompah-oompah-oompah-pah! Toot-toot! Doo-doo-doodoo-doo! Honk! Boom-bap boom-boom-bap.”

Low Skies may be a little less flashy, but they rock a mean, nerdy look. They push the limits with unique vocals and an atypical sound, a fun fusion of indie, soul and blues with a twinge of electronica. The band leaves you singing its tunes thanks to the soulful yet twangy vocals of Christopher Salveter and misty atmosphere the rest of Low Skies produces. While the music has lots of potential to be mopey and sad, it actually leaves a happy-go-lucky aftertaste. The overall affect is music that you can thoughtfully bob your head to while pondering your exes and the world at large.

Mucca Puzza and Low Skies will perform with campus band Vegetable Medley this Friday night in Gardener Lounge at 9 p.m.

UPDATED: Power problem closes Noyce

2006-11-15T17:34:00.000-06:00

The Noyce Science Center closed at 6 p.m. tonight. Workers are attempting to fix a cut power line and are trying to finish before classes start tomorrow, but there are no guarantees.

A subcontractor working on the Noyce construction accidently cut the power line. In order to fix the line, workers have to cut off power to the building, pull up the old line and lay a new one.

Cut to the Quick

2006-11-10T14:11:00.000-06:00

Okay, admit it. If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably on Facebook, too. I don’t care if you “almost never go on,” or if you think it’s “totally lame.” You’re on it. Period. Now that we’ve established that, we can get to the heart of the problem: profile pictures. Pictures of you smiling, or you with a friend or dressed up in some ridiculous (note: “ridiculous” and “slutty” are not the same thing) outfit … those pictures are okay. But there are certain types of pictures that aren’t.

The “Oh-My-God-I’m-So-Effing-Hottt” Pictures
You want to bring sexy back? I suggest you put it away again. I have no interest in pictures of you in your underwear, pictures of you giving any sort of “come hither” look to the camera or pictures of you taken by a professional photographer. Facebook isn’t a beauty contest, especially not here at Grinnell.If you put up some picture of you looking “sexy,” chances are everyone who sees it knows that you don’t look like that on a regular basis because they see you in the dining hall in your pajama pants eating stir fry and ice cream.

The “Look-Look-Look!-I-Have-a-Significant-Other!” Pictures
It’s wonderful that you have someone who thinks you’re special. Someone who likes you so much that they don’t tell you how creepy it is that you’re using a picture of the two of you kissing for your profile picture. Truly, I’m happy that the two of you have found each other. But I am not so happy for you that I have to be confronted with pictures of the two of you making out every time I turn on my computer, especially if the caption is something like, “Aren’t we soooo cute?” and you’ve listed their name as one of your interests. If you’re dating them, I’m going to assume that you find them interesting. (Although if you do this, I’m not sure that I can say what they see in you.) You do not need to inform the Facebook world of your relationship. It just makes it more entertaining when the status suddenly goes from “In A Relationship” to “It’s Complicated” and finally to “Single,” and the profile picture goes from the happy couple to you with your cat.

The “My-Soul-Is-On-Fire” Pictures
I’m sorry that you feel so much more existential angst than the rest of us. I realize that as an artiste, your emotions run deeper than those of the average person. You alone recognize the injustices in the world, and thankfully, you’ve found a medium to express this to the world: your Facebook picture. That black-and-white picture of you looking morosely off into the distance, or of just your eye, caked in black eyeliner, really makes the rest of the world take a closer look at itself and realize its inadequacies. The very fact that you can put down your poetry journal or guitar long enough to participate in something so pedestrian as Facebook astounds me, and I commend you for it.

Yes, Facebook may be a little ridiculous, and it is kind of embarrassing to admit that you use it. But don’t make it worse than it already is. Don’t be one of these people.

Iowa Election Results

2006-11-08T11:00:00.000-06:00

It was a big day for Democrats in the state of Iowa, as in most other places around the country. Democrat Eric Palmer beat longtime Republican state representative Danny Carroll 5,697 to 5,021, with 53.15 percent of the vote.

This helped Democrats take control of the state legislature after years in the minority. Several seats are still very close and not yet decided, but the Des Moines Register predicts 54 out of the 100 House seats and 30 of 50 Senate seats in Democratic hands. Before the election Republicans held a 50-49 edge in the House, and the parties each had 25 Senate seats.

Democrat Chet Culver, the Iowa Secretary of State, won election as governor with 563,538 to Republican Jim Nussle's 464,228. Culver took 54.03 percent of the vote.

U.S. Representative Leonard Boswell (D) beat back a determined challenge from Republican Jeff Lamberti, taking 114,558 votes to Lamberti's 103,182. Boswell had a 51.76 percent majority.

Democrats Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack won the 1st and 2nd House Districts for the Democrats over Republicans Mike Whalen and Jim Leach. The GOP held on the 4th and 5th districts, with Tom Latham and Steve King handily winning reelection.

Michael Mauro (D) beat Mary Ann Hanusa (R) for Secretary of State with 53.63 percent.

Republican Bill Northey defeated Democrat Denise O'Brien for Secretary of Agriculture with 51.42 percent of the vote.

For more results and reactions, be sure to see this Friday's S&B.

East Hall Dedication

2006-11-07T11:14:00.000-06:00

This Thursday, the college will dedicate East Hall in honor of Frank Rathje Jr. '50. Rathje is the former president of Illinois Regional Bank and former chair of Illinois Valley Bancshares Inc. He has also been active in charity, chairing the Glenwood School for Boys. The dedication ceremony will be Thursday at 8 p.m. in the new Rathje Hall's first floor lounge.

For more on Rathje and the decision to name a hall after him, be sure to see this Friday's S&B.

Election Day

2006-11-07T08:50:00.000-06:00

Well it's been a wild ride this election season. And it all ends tonight.

In our pages, we've mostly focused on the local race for IA House District #75 between Danny Carroll (R) and Eric Palmer (D) because that is closest to home and Grinnell College students can have the most impact on the outcome of that race (they're also the candidates who are easiest to get a hold of for interviews!). That being said, David's recent post reminds us that there are other races to watch tonight as well.

We plan on doing some final analysis of the election and Grinnellians' role in it after we see tonight's results, so stay tuned. Other than that, go out and vote (if you feel comfortable doing so, as our latest staff ed would be sure to remind you). Polls are open until 9 pm tonight at the community center located on Park Street between 4th and 5th Ave.