Magician awes students with cards, tricks and hockey sticks

Rain or no rain, students celebrate Springfest

by Jonas Shellhammer

photos by Will Gold

Even in the face of weather marred by gray skies and the occasional rain drop, many people attended Earlham College’s annual Springfest last Saturday. However, many students expressed dismay over the fact that the majority of the event was held inside.

Sophomore Dylan Kyriacopoulos was the main staffer at the slip and slide, a position he took when Director of Student Activities Rich Dornberger asked the ultimate frisbee and rugby teams for staffing assistance. According to Kyriacopoulos, the worst-case scenario for Springfest was avoided. “The real disappointment was that the slip and slide was gonna be inside, but I guess they figured out a way to put it outside,” he said.

However, Kyriacopoulos still thought the event was a bit of a let-down. “It’s so much better when it’s outside,” he said. “It’s a bummer for everyone, especially the seniors. Now they have to come back for the next one.” Kyriacopoulos also mentioned that the original plan for Springfest had included a waterslide, but that it had been cancelled once the weather turned sour.

The other attractions, which included two bouncy castles, an inflatable obstacle course, a popcorn stand, corn hole, and several pedal cars, were housed inside Trueblood Fieldhouse. Attendance indoors was substantially less than in past years, when Springfest was outside. Sophomore Daniel Vidos offered his views on the indoor aspect. “It’s freaking inside, the whole point is that it’s outside. But they still showed resourcefulness,” he said in reference to what kinds of entertainment had been made available.

Senior Nadia Robinson also enjoyed most of the indoor attractions. “The little drive-y bikes seem really fun,” she said, but mentioned that her favorite part of Springfest was the tables in the lobby of the Athletics and Wellness Center. “The arts and crafts sale is great. I got a really cool pair of earrings from Mica Whitney,” she said.

One of the students with a table in the lobby was senior Samuel Wein. An eclectic array of trinkets including NERF guns of many shapes and sizes were for sale at his table. Wein explained that he decided to take Springfest as an opportunity to sell off some of the various things he had collected over his four years at Earlham. Wein said that he will be moving to California after graduation and did not have room to bring all of his stuff with him. “Hence,” he said, “I am selling them at greatly reduced prices.”

One student that did not attend any of the day-long event’s attractions was senior Christopher Meserve. When asked why, he said “I guess I didn’t go because it was inside, and it’s always more fun when it’s outside and there’s more people and they can have music.” Meserve added that, even though the weather was less than perfect, he would still rather spend a spring day outside. “It’s too dreary inside,” he said.

CCL to revise current smoking policy

By Sasha Benderly_Kraft

The Committee on Campus Life (CCL) is lighting up changes in Earlham’s smoking policy, which was up for renewal under its three-year review cycle this past fall.

Members of the committee felt strongly enough during the discussion of the policy to call for a change in the policy for its next cycle, according to CCL member and Earlham Student Government Co-President Cory Mathieu, senior.

The committee has decided upon no definitive version of the policy’s new form at this point, but Mathieu was willing to discuss the committee’s thinking and process on the matter. From her perspective, the two main issues at stake in this revision are enforcement and respect.

According to Mathieu, a focus on the language of the policy with an eye to respecting smokers is prominent among the committee’s priorities.

“We’re being careful not to make smokers feel marginalized,” she said. “As a whole, the committee isn’t concerned with stopping smoking on campus.”

Instead, the committee hopes to create a climate of mutual respect between smokers and non-smokers.

To Mathieu, second-hand smoke is the main issue when it comes to respect. While she said the committee acknowledges that smoking will happen and does not wish to make smokers change their habits, the health and comfort issues of secondhand smoke provide an impetus for a clearer and more respectoriented policy that will allow smokers and non-smokers alike to be comfortable, she said.

To her, a major part of this process is selecting more specific smoking spots and clearly labeling them, while attempting to change the phenomenon she refers to as “smoking in transit” — students lighting up immediately on departure from a class building on the way to another. Mathieu says the committee understands the reasons for this behavior, but would like to have specific smoking areas available for these times for the comfort of nonsmokers.

The main focus of the committee, however, is finding a balanced policy toward enforcement. According to Mathieu, the committee is concerned about a disconnect between the language and standards of the smoking policy and the manner in which it is currently enforced.

For instance, the fine for smoking in academic buildings or residences is $500, but enforcement is rather relaxed. Mathieu sees the high fine and the lack of enforcement as closely related.

“Most of the reporting falls to RAs,” Mathieu said, “and not many students want to impose a $500 fine on one another.”

In light of this disconnect, the committee hopes to form a revised policy that is both more respectful to smokers and more likely to be enforced.

Cathy Anthofer, Earlham’s director of Safety and Security, says that the issue of enforcement is primarily a question of responsibility.

“We expect that everyone should hold one another responsible, which is part of being a community,” she said. “But it can be uncomfortable to confront others over something like smoking.”

Currently, according to Anthofer, Security has no special place in smoking enforcement. Security officers simply file reports of major violations in academic spaces and hold community members accountable the same way anyone else at Earlham is expected to. However, she said the committee has talked of giving security a more significant place in enforcement.

“Security isn’t particularly vested in stopping smoking,” Anthofer said. “But we’re already working on policy enforcement in terms of parking, so some committee members saw it as a natural step to have Security be another layer of smoking enforcement.”

Anthofer stressed that Security would not be the sole authority on the matter.

“We want enforcement to be not authoritarian, but a matter of community concern,” she said. “We want to frame smoking enforcement as a teachable moment for community responsibility.”

Anthofer also mentioned that this educational aspect is important to Earlham’s smoking policy.

“I never think a fine alone will make a difference on a college campus,” she said.

Mathieu was unable to give many specifics on the new policy, as the committee has yet to approve specifics, but she noted that the committee will likely lower the current fine and establish specific smoking areas. She predicts that Security will assess the new fines.

Mathieu said she could not say quite what the new policy’s impact will be.

“It depends mostly on the community’s approach,” she said. “We’re not trying to actively change the culture, we just hope to create a climate of mutual respect that everyone is comfortable with.”

The success of this approach will be determined once the final policy is released and responded to.

Vice President and Dean of Student Development Cheryl Presley, for her part, sees smoking as a test of the Earlham community’s interest in looking at its own culture.

“In this kind of situation, everyone should be responsible for deciding where we want to go,” she said. “But that sometimes means that nobody is actually responsible.”

Since this is a multi-layered issue, involving questions of health, environment, weather and respect, Presley sees it as a focal point for a broader discussion.

“Once CCL makes its recommendations, we will need to look at the policy in broader context of our social responsibility and reality,” she said. “The entire community should be involved in figuring out where we go from there.”

New Principles document embraces simplicity

By Jonas Shellhammer

As the year winds down and both faculty and students look forward to the end of the academic year, so too is Earlham’s review of its Principles and Practices document nearing the final stages of its process.

The review process, which happens every four years, will be complete before the end of the semester. This time around, the committee in charge of the review has spent most of its time on two sections entitled “Simplicity” and “Community.”

In fact, a section on consensus governance was edited and merged with the community section, according to Professor of Classics Stephen Heiny, who served on the review committee.

The rationale behind this decision was to “make sure that Principles and Practices was faithful on how we make decisions,” said Heiny.

The section on simplicity commanded extra attention. According to Heiny, “simplicity is a call to discern the heart, the most important part of a thing.”

Part of the revision focused on the fact that the committee didn’t want to encumber Principles and Practices with verbiage.

“The goal was to say what was most important, rather than saying all that could be said,” Heiny said.

The process started last summer, when faculty members, students and the Board of Trustees began looking at the document. Since then, proposed changes have been drafted out and presented to the Committee on Campus Life and Earlham Student Government, among others.

Sophomore Kento Ichikawa was one of the student representatives involved in the process. Part of his role during last semester was to act as a liaison between students on campus and the committee. This semester, he has worked with Board of Trustees member Lavona Bane on specific sections to draft proposed changes.

“Students were the people who were most concerned about the accessibility of the document,” he said. “They weren’t as concerned with specific wording input. They were kind of apathetic about it, and wanted to know why they should care.”

However, Ichikawa also maintained that he felt positively about the revision process, saying, “I think the changes we’ve made have made it more active and engaging.”

The college’s Principles and Practices document has changed over the years. In the past, its title was the Community Code on Student Life. The copy of this document, available through the school archives in the 1984-1985 student handbook, has various sections ranging from detailing “social violations,” a provision against smoking “outdoors on front campus,” and a clause prohibiting “excessive noise.”

Other items include the “Recommended Minimum Responses for Specific Violations,” which states that a first-time incidence of drunk and disorderly conduct merits disciplinary probation, and that the second-time offense results in 10 days suspension from the college.

Senior Jay Zevin, a member of he Principles and Practices Review Committee, also had some thoughts on student involvement.

“I think that people identify deeply with the values of Principles and Practices more than they are actually familiar with the document,” said Zevin.

He then explained that he thinks students on campus are aware of the central tenets, but not so much of the document itself.

However, Zevin did express a difference he perceived between the freshman class and the rest of the student body. According to him, the freshmen had more knowledge about the document — a fact he attributes to the recently changed New Student Orientation (NSO) procedure as of this year.

The NSO organizers decided to scrap the years-old idea of performing skits to explain Principles and Practices and instead divided the first-year class into three groups and had student/faculty panel discussions about the document’s provisions.

In the end, Zevin thinks that the most important work done this time around was that on the simplicity section.

“That was probably the most rewarding work we did,” stated Zevin. “Personally, I feel like I came to a much better understanding of simplicity through our work on it.”

Cheers & Sneers

CHEERS to:

• Wendy Seligman, who listens and loves. And for illuminating to me the fact that college is our world right now, but we still need to breathe
• Faculty who share their lives with us, because it gives us perspectives on ours.
• The sandwich ladies at Saga, because never before has a tuna and Swiss made the day so much better.
• The cleaning staff, for dealing with our drunken messes.
• Washington, D.C., for unanimously approving medical marijuana on 4/20.
• People who bring baked goodies for others to enjoy.

SNEERS to:

• People who text or go online on their phone while at a concert, festival or talk at Goddard: it’s rude and distracting. If you don’t want to be there, why did you come?
• Those who mocked the Gospel Fest performers: just because YOU aren’t religious doesn’t mean you have to disrespect those who are. I thought we practiced tolerance here.
• Sunburns.
• Smokers and other drug addicts. Just because you can rationalize your problem does not mean that you do not have one.
• People who break the Adirondack chairs.
• End-of-semester stress.

Cheers & Sneers

CHEERS to:

• Waking up in the chimney and exiting out of the fireplace in Saga during brunch on Saturday. True Story.
• To everyone who has voted for Lukas and Madi to get the ultimate job in Ireland (and probably the world).
• The guy who woke up in the Saga chimney and emerged during brunch. That was amazing.
• Anna McCormally, for highlighting problems with a seemingly inconsequential article and engaging people with a convincing argument.
• Presenters at the Annual Research Conference on a job well done!
• Co-op Hall and its inhabitants.
• People sending opinions to the Word.
• That nice girl with glasses who has had to endure a pile of misinformation. You are still getting honors and Phi Beta Kappa. Don’t let them deceive you.
• Ex-love interests who are cordial and help you when you’re in need.

SNEERS to:

• The senior gift involving a bench. Seriously, how fast will that get vandalized?
• Whoever stole my umbrella from Lilly in the middle of a thunderstorm. Hope you stayed dry, ‘cause I sure didn’t.
• Principles and Practices … While they sound great, who on campus actually follows through with these things, including those that care about them?
• People re-inscribing oppression while acting like they decry it.
• Contagious stress.
• The people who litter on campus with beer cans and bottles on prospie days.
• People who don’t clean up after themselves in the ceramics studio.
• People who speak just to hear their own voice, especially in HDSR classes.

ESG supplies food, increases risk of Heart Attack

Former Jordan politician speaks on peace

By Alishba Zarmeen

A guest from a region of political controversy and social turmoil spoke at Earlham this week. Kamal Abu Jabar, former Foreign Minister of Jordan spoke to a group of students and faculty on Wednesday, April 13.

While he made the participants laugh with his political jokes, Abu Jabar mainly talked about peace-building efforts, the reasons some efforts don’t work and steps which individuals and governments should take to accelerate the solutions to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

About 50 participants attended Abu Jabar’s discussion, including Earlham faculty and staff. Abu Jabar later attended a dinner engagement with Director of International Admissions Musa Khalidi.

Abu Jabar touched on various historical concepts, including pre-Islamic Arabia. He explained that the enemy today is racially not any different than the other, and traced the biological heritage of the Muslims of Palestine and the Jews of Israel. This included how they are the descendents of one patriarchal ancestry.

Speaking about his dream for the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as Arabs and Jews in general, Abu Jabar said, “I’m dreaming that the traditional partnership between Arabs and Jews, between Muslims and Jews, will one day become reality.”

Abu Jabar also emphasized the fact that the misconception that Jews suddenly appeared in the Middle East needs to be corrected. According to Jabar’s presentation, Jews, in addition to other communities, have always maintained their presence in the region, which makes it more diverse.

Discussion about diversity characterized Abu Jabar’s talk.

“I don’t want to be tolerated. I want to be accepted for who I am,” he said.

According to Abu Jabar, acceptance requires a change of behavior and characteristics primarily on Israel’s part, so the world can see the actual side of a normal Jew and peace-building efforts from both the territories and their leaders.

The major responsibilities lie with the political leaders and the leaders of the Islamic world in particular, he said.

In response to a student’s question, Abu Jabar said that the only way young people can bring about a change is through education and awareness and by making educated decisions.

Senior Toivo Ashekee said, “The talk was interesting but the information was not particularly new. I was more looking forward to some talk about the revolutionary movements happening in the Middle East.”

But Elena Locker-Torres, a freshman, enjoyed the event.

“It was very informative and I ended up recommending a Broadway musical to Abu Jabar only to find out how much he loves NYC and Broadway,” she said. “[He is] a fun personality.”

Passover service brings together food and history

 

 

 

Music, from rockabilly to space viking metal

By Sasha Benderly-Kraft

In Richmond

Every Friday and Saturday:

Live busic at “E” Street Pub. The “E” Street Pub continues its tradition of shows every weekend. Fridays tend to be folk oriented, Saturdays are usually rock and/or metal. May 1 will be a special benefit show for education. 21+, free most Fridays, $3 most Saturdays. 9 p.m. most Fridays, 10 p.m. most Saturdays. 815 N E St.

Friday, April 16-Saturday, April 17: The Outlet’s two-day music event. Local music venue the Outlet continues to bring in new bands from nearby. This event will feature two days of hardcore and screamo music from the region, including bands like Dorian’s Decay and Your Best Friend. You may have already seen fliers on campus. All ages, 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m Saturday. $7 one night, $12 both. 315 National Rd. W.

Within 75 Miles

Thursday, April 15: Rocky Votolato at Southgate House. This former Waxwing member has been making solo albums since 1999. He is currently touring behind his latest Barsuk release, “True Devotion.” All ages, 9 p.m. $13. 21 E 3rd St., Newport, Ky.

Sunday, April 18: Ben Folds at University of Dayton Arena. The popular alternative-oriented rock pianist, now playing mostly solo dates, has recently become a viral video star as well, on the back of his improvised songs about strangers on Chatroulette. All ages, 7 p.m. $27. 1801 Edwin Moses Blvd., Dayton, Ohio.

Monday, April 19: Red Sparowes/Caspian/Fang Island at Radio Radio. This show brings together three related styles with rather different moods. First, Fang Island, a young Brooklyn band that has picked up a fair bit of press with their self-titled second album, play energetic but highly technical post-punk. Then, Caspian play serene, beautiful instrumental post-rock. Last, headliners Red Sparowes utilize their experience in bands like Isis and Halifax Pier to straddle the line between metal and postrock, creating vast and powerful soundscapes. 21+, 9 p.m. $8. 1119 E Prospect St., Indianapolis, Ind.

Tuesday, April 20: Titus Andronicus at Radio Radio. This rough-edged indie rock band just released their second album, a Civil War-themed rock opera entitled “The Monitor.” 21+, 9 p.m. $8. 1119 E Prospect St., Indianapolis, Ind.

Tuesday, April 20: Against Me!/Dead To Me/Moneybrother at Southgate House. Against Me!’s career has seen them go from avowed DIY evangelists recording themselves on an 8-track to a major-label act producing arena-ready albums like their latest, “White Crosses,” all without losing their punk roots, as evidenced by their choice of tour-mates. All ages, 9 p.m. $12. 21 E 3rd St., Newport, Ky.

Wednesday, April 21: Thrice/ Manchester Orchestra at Bogarts. These are two of the hardestworking bands in modern posthardcore music, despite the fact that their names may not be the most recognizable. Thrice released “Beggars” last year, while Manchester Orchestra (who are actually from Atlanta) are currently working on the follow-up to last year’s “Mean Everything to Nothing.” All ages, 8 p.m. $17. 2621 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio.

Thursday, April 22: Bleeding Through/Born Of Osiris at the Attic Club. Two of current technical metal’s best, playing a small, early show. Bleeding Through, from California, are releasing their self-titled album next week, while Born of Osiris, of Palatine, Ill., released “A Higher Place” last year. All ages, 5:30 p.m. $15. 2852 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, Ohio.

Friday, April 23: Clipse at Bogarts. This hip-hop duo is almost as well known for its mixtapes, especially those released in the several years their third album, “Hell Hath No Fury” was delayed. They have since released another LP, “Until The Casket Drops,” and are now touring in support of it. All ages, 9 p.m. $17.50. 2621 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio.

Tuesday, April 27: The Business at Southgate House. After a 30-year career, one of the originators of the Oi! Movement is still going strong, though they haven’t released a full-length album since 2003’s “Hardcore Hooligan.” All ages, 9 p.m. $10. 21 E 3rd St., Newport, Ky.

Wednesday, April 28: Minus The Bear at Madison Theater. This Seattle band, which features ex-members of Botch, focuses on guitar-driven, experimentalyet- danceable indie rock. Their newest album, “Omni,” is due out on May 4. All ages, 8 p.m. $16. 730 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky.

Thursday, April 29: Southern Culture on the Skids at Southgate House. This selfdescribed “countrypolitan” band melds country, rockabilly, surf, and blues rock, plus a raucous sense of humor. They have released 11 LPs, most recently “Countrypolitan Favorites.” 18+, 9 p.m. $12. 21 E 3rd St., Newport, Ky.

Friday, April 30: Mastodon at The Vogue. With Between the Buried and Me, Baroness, Valient Thorr. This show brings together a diverse cast of the best bands in metal today: Valient Thorr’s sarcastic space-viking thrash metal, Baroness’s sludgy, progressive style, Between the Buried and Me’s technical death metal-influenced metalcore, and of course Mastodon’s conceptual progressive epics. 21+, 7 p.m. $26. 6259 N College Ave, Indianapolis, Ind.

Friday, April 30: Quasi at Southgate House. Sam Coomes of Heatmiser and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney have been playing together in Quasi since 1993, and have been touring and making great records throughout. Their latest, “American Gong,” came out in February. All ages, 9:30 pm. $10. 21 E 3rd St., Newport,Ky.

Thursday, May 6: Frightened Rabbit/Maps and Atlases at Southgate House. Frightened Rabbit is one of several exciting new indie rock bands out of Scotland, and just released “The Winter of Mixed Drinks” on FatCat. Openers Maps and Atlases are a young Chicago math-rock band who have released two superb EPs and are gearing up to release their debut full-length on Barsuk this summer. All ages, 9 p.m. $13. 21 E 3rd St., Newport, Ky.

Friday, May 7: Pearl Jam with Band of Horses at Verizon Wireless Music Center. Pearl Jam have proven to be one of the most durable of the original cast of grunge bands. They have been touring since their inception in 1990, and released their latest album, “Backspacer” last year. For this tour, they are bringing along fellow Seattle natives Band of Horses, who are releasing “Infinite Arms” in mid-May. All ages, 8 p.m. $22. 12880 E 146th St., Indianapolis, Ind.

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