oct. 16, 2008

FRIDAY, DecembeR 12, 2008 GeNeVA, NYVOLUme cXXX ISSUe 17

by and for the students of Hobart and William Smith colleges

The HeraldI n s i d e

CAMPUS HAPPENINGS

Best Ways to Relax During Exams

Mummy’s The Word

Stepping into Hyp~NotiQLand

Prescript ion Dr ugs Sur vey Results

OPINIONS

Sustainabi l i ty Experiment

Words from Abroad

AR TS AND ENTER TAINMENT

V ideo Game Review: Spore

Sudoku, Word Search, Crossword

T wil ight Review

SPOR TS

This Week In Spor ts

BACK PAGE

Top Ten Things Overheard on Campus

theHeraldBy Karissa Seeberger ’12

Opinions editor

Colleges Launch High Tech Alert System

Video Game Review: Spore

By Professor Alan FrishmanFaculty contributer

Obama’s Team Just Grows and Grows

Turn to Page 6

“Is this for real?” asked an unnamed Colleges professor after receiving an unclear e-mail from the new emergency notification system. It was the first trial of the newest security measure implemented in a very innovative way. In fact, reassuringly enough, it is the same manner that Virginia Tech University chose to heighten its security measures after the tragic shootings that occurred in 2007. After messages were received - whether it was via text, e-mail, or phone - a sentiment of confusion began to brew on campus. Students were perplexed as their cell phones simultaneously buzzed, beeped or vibrated in the middle of class. While this could have been interpreted as the end of the world, it was actually the beginning of a communicative system that would inform all students in case of an emergency. Kate McCaffrey, director of Residential Education, actually received a text, regardless of the fact that she was in Texas at the time, on Nov. 12, 2008. She was pleased with the effectiveness of the groundbreaking system stating that, “It gives us the capability to communicate clearly and concisely in a very efficient amount of time, and most importantly, gives members of the community information on what to do next.”

Those students who felt strangely left out of this mass text as they sat there in class quickly e-mailed Dean Montrose Streeter, who is in charge of the new system,

shortly after, asking him, “Is something wrong? Why didn’t I get one?” The system is so advanced that it can see if each person, of 2,944 on campus, answered and with what method. The system’s default setting is first to send a message to a student’s cellular phone, then the HWS e-mail, and finally the room phone, and wait for a confirmation that

the message has been received. Only 44 percent on campus responded within the allowed time span, and 12 percent responded late. According to the agency, 3N (National Notification Network), which was selected after investigating four representative companies, the results are fantastic for a first time. It is hoped that students and staff will realize the importance of submitting their contact information, as the system strives for better results for the next fire drill-like test.

Dean Streeter has high hopes for the next test that will be sent out - a lofty goal of an 85 percent response rate. With future meetings planned with

the “implementation team,” it is a work in progress. Though it is not a complex system, as it is very user-friendly, we will soon become familiar with it over time as we are more exposed to it. It does not require anyone who is particularly “technologically savvy.” While discussing this matter with Dean Streeter, he pointed to the fact that this generation of students religiously checks their phones, making them an ideal instrument of communicating urgencies to them.

Courtesy of http://elementaryteacher.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/text-messaging.jpg

It is clear that the global economy is in a recession and the magnitude of the world financial crisis is enormous. As I explained in The Herald on Oct. 31, in the United States, the unfettered financial markets, the rise in foreclosures, derivatives and credit default swaps, and the underestimation of risk have led to gigantic upheavals and losses.

The losses and bankruptcies have altered and will continue to alter the structure of the financial sector and many other industries in the U.S. Some banks have had such large losses that they have collapsed: Wachovia Bank lost $96.7 billion and was taken over by Wells Fargo; Washington Mutual Bank lost $45.6 billion and was taken over by JP Morgan Chase, and the Indy Bank in California closed. The five major investment banks on Wall Street have been transformed: Bear Stearns was sold to JP Morgan Chase; Merrill Lynch which lost $61.7 billion was bought by Bank of America; Lehman Brothers went

bankrupt and the leftover scraps were bought by Barclay’s Bank; and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are transforming themselves into bank holding companies. Citigroup lost $66 billion but has managed to survive so far; on the other hand, it holds $153.3 billion of credit card debt. Banks and institutions that are major credit card issuers (JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Capital One, American Express and Discover) are bracing themselves for the next wave of bad debt.

American International Group (AIG), which held a huge number of credit default swaps, has been given U>S> government loans in successive stages to the tune of $150 billion, and other insurance companies are also in trouble. Many hedge funds have folded and others are on shaky ground. As the losses spread and accumulate, the rest of the economy is suffering with cutbacks,

All are in agreement that it is time for Hobart and William Smith colleges to move forward. The administration is currently looking into new possibility of upgrading our keys for a sleek swipe card that will be the new way of entering all on-campus buildings. It will ideally consolidate all students’ necessities into one card. Other universities nationwide have been using this system for its convenience and as added security measure. Every time a student swipes his or her card the computer system will not only grant the student entry to the building, but register that fact that the student was there. This will make finding a missing person easier as they would have the ability to track where the student had been. This powerful little card could even be used to purchase food from pizza delivery businesses.

They hope to execute the card system within a year or two, so underclassmen can have their fingers crossed for this upgrade during their college years. Kate

McCaffrey, director of Residential Education, stated that, “The cards will give students more flexibility because the keys are inconvenient.” After the new emergency notification system has been thoroughly established, this is the next goal, towards a more progressive college. Many other universities have gone as far as to use a GPS system on their students and faculty, which may seem extreme,

but has proven to be very useful. For those who are easily paranoid, perhaps this is disheartening, and very big brother-esque, but all in the name of safety. However, there has been no talk of implementing a GPS system on our campus.

McCaffrey comically referred to campus communication when she said, “When I went to school we just yelled across the quad.” Whether it be a swipe card, a GPS system, or an

emergency notification system, one of the most effective forms of communication is still the old-fashioned word of mouth. Wide-spread discussion will never go out of style.

By Karissa Seeberger ’12Opinions editor

HWS Checks Out Keycards

By Andrew Donovan ’11Herald contributor

President-elect Barack Obama’s team is becoming clearer as he develops a group of people to bring to Washington with him in January. This complex process of naming staff members has held its current form since 1952. It was not until 1963 that the process became formal with The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 as it provided federal funding and logistics support to make the switch easier. This act was made better by President Bill Clinton in 2000 to update the very complex process. It is known that about 4,000 political appointments will be made and all of those have to be thought about and confirmed, with about 1,000 requiring confirmation by the Senate.

Obama’s most high-profile choice was seen last week in Senator

Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. She made her first visit to the State Department Tuesday since being named to the position and had planned to have dinner with current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. This is an interesting pick as Clinton was Obama’s chief rival in the Democratic Primary process, making this grouping of cabinet members being declared the “team of rivals.”

Once confirmed by the Senate, Clinton will become the United States’ third female secretary of state following Rice and Madeline Albright under the Bill Clinton Administration. Speculation also continues regarding Caroline Kennedy being named the replacement senator for Hillary

Road to Economic Recovery?

ObAmA continued on Page 2

RecOVeRY continued on Page 2

Kelsey BairCarrie Stevens

Christian KarayannidesTJ RadzwichCaitlin Lugar

Dealva Jade Down-HinkleBelinda LittlefieldKarissa Seeberger

Alex HaackSarah Amundson

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THE HERALD, FRIDAY, DecembeR 12, 2008

2

The Original Drink of the Week Since 2006A Spirited Review...

The Herald reminds you to enjoy the drink of the week safely and at the appropriate time and location, as long as you are of age…

Holiday Egg NogBy TJ Radzwich ’09

campus Happenings editor

bankruptcies and bleak futures. The auto industry is especially hard hit, and all three American car makers are hemorrhaging, while “Linens and Things” and “Circuit City” have declared bankruptcy.

The U.S. government has rightfully stepped in to stem the tide with massive programs and unprecedented policies. It is ironic that the Bush administration, which was an unrelenting advocate for market capitalism, has now become the most intrusive government in the market in the past 70 years. The government has completely taken over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the two quasi-government mortgage agencies), made loans in stages to AIG, administered the $700 billion Bank Rescue Program passed by Congress and forbid for some periods “short sales” of financial stocks. In addition, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has raised the coverage for bank accounts from $100,000 to $250,000.

The allocation of the $700 billion package has become controversial; originally the thought was to buy up the “bad” der ivat ives from the banks, but that has been ditched in favor of i n j e c t i n g money into the banks via stock ownership . So far, under the Troubled Asset Relief P r o g r a m ( T A R P ) , $125 billion has been allocated to nine large banks and others are eligible. Furthermore, many companies have been lining up to get loans and some have been allocated already (e.g. GE, which has a huge loan division, and GMAC, the division of GM for car loans). Government ownership of companies on this scale is unprecedented in U.S. history, but it preserves the possibility that taxpayer money will be retrieved in the future rather than lost completely. There is some concern that the nine banks are not using the U.S. government money to make loans (increase liquidity), but are holding it in order to buy other weak banks or to give out bonuses to executives, thus averting the purpose of the funds.

The Federal Reserve, the central bank of the U.S., has also thrown itself into the fray in an unprecedented manner. Interestingly, the chair for the Fed’s chairman, Ben Bernanke, over the course of his academic career, published articles and books focusing on monetary policy during the Great Depression. Hopefully, he knows what went wrong at that time and can guide the country on a better path this time. The Fed has lowered interest rates to 1% for the federal funds rate (the rate for inter-

bank loans) and to 1.25% for the discount rate (the rate at which banks borrow from the Fed), actions that have lowered interest rates to the public. It has guaranteed all Money Market Mutual Fund accounts until the end of 2009. It has made loans to primary dealers who sell U.S. Treasury bonds; it has guaranteed all commercial paper transactions (short term loans by companies for current expenses). The Fed has established a Short Term Lending Facility (TAF for 1 to 3 month loans) and helped to facilitate the sales of banks. Finally, the Fed has supplied U.S. dollars to central banks around the world to support the dollar as the dominant international currency.

What are the repercussions of all of this government activity? The federal government deficit and debt will grow enormously this year, with the deficit perhaps passing $1 trillion and the debt growing to $11 or $12 trillion. The size is unprecedented, and thus the new Obama presidency will face major budgetary problems. The good

news, in the short run, is that with everyone in the world looking for a safe haven for their money, U.S. T r e a s u r y bonds can be issued at very low interest rates. As for the Fed, it is creating h u g e amounts of money and i n j e c t i n g it into the s y s t e m . Some fear

that this will cause inflation, but in a world in recession that is unlikely in the short term; presumably, the Fed will withdraw the money as the global economy recovers in the future.

As recession, bank failures and bankruptcies occur everywhere, governments all over the world have been taking similar actions in an attempt to bolster their economies. Will this all work? Fiscal and monetary stimulus is the right thing to do in this situation so it probably will, but the U.S. and the world will experience a substantial recession before things improve. The regulatory system will also have to be overhauled and consolidated, and the free market parts of the financial sector will face many more regulations. There are no international agencies to regulate global finance and it is unrealistic to believe that that could be accomplished, so the regulation will have to remain on a country-by-country basis. There will be trying times ahead and a structural reorganization of companies in the U.S. and elsewhere, but it appears, at least, that the world economy will not collapse or experience a great depression.

Clinton’s vacancy in New York.Before his tenure as President of

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Mark Gearan worked directly with Hillary Clinton, the then-First Lady. Gearan was the Assistant to the President and Director of Communication as well as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Clinton administration. When asked about the Clinton decision, he said, “I believe Senator Clinton brings many strengths to her new role as secretary of state. She has traveled the globe and thought deeply about the issues facing our nation. She brings considerable experience in the Senate and extraordinary working relationships with governments worldwide.”

More recently, Obama chose New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to be the Secretary of Commerce. He also faced Obama in the Democratic Primary process. Richardson was once an ambassador of the United Nations and energy secretary under the Bill Clinton Administration.

Other proof of creating a “team of rivals” was the choice to keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the cabinet. He is the current Secretary of Defense, originally being chosen by George W. Bush. Obama said, “He restored accountability.

He won the confidence of military commanders and the trust of our brave men and women in uniform…” This is being declared a non-partisan choice due to Gates serving under a Republican administration and being in charge of the military at the time of a controversial war.

President-elect Obama continues to make more decisions that will finalize his team in the weeks to come. Those future picks along with the ones already made will face their confirmations in the months to come. We also asked President Gearan about his thoughts on the team as a whole. He responded, “President-elect Obama has put together a transition that demonstrates his many skills. He has carefully assembled an impressive economic team and national security team that will be responsive to the times in which we live.”

As of Wednesday, some positions yet to be filled include the leaders of the Department of the Interior, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor among some other more minor positions.

Stay tuned over the couple of months as the Inauguration approaches for more cabinet and staff placements along with the confirmation hearings.

OBAMA continued from Page 1

Obama’s Team Just Grows and Grows

RECOVERY continued from Page 1

Road to Economic Recovery?

On Wednesday morning a Hobart student gave residents of Sherrill Hall a rude wake-up call. At 9 AM Wednesday morning, a Hobart student went running down the halls on all three floors screaming at the top of his lungs, with slurred speech, that, “It’s time to wake up! Everybody out!”

Alarmed by the incessant yelling going on at such an early hour, a few residents of the third floor opened their doors to reprimand him, and ask him what exactly he was doing. One of the cleaning staff members was on

the verge of notifying security when a William Smith student on the second floor escorted him out of Sherrill.

One of the cleaning workers mentioned that, “He was shaking like he had taken too many caffeine pills or something.” He was later seen, but mostly heard on the sidewalk in between Smith and Stern Halls, as the William Smith student tried to control him. The situation caused much concern among those who were startled awake by his yells, and it has provoked concern from some students regarding security.

Raucous Hobart Student Rattles Sherrill Residents

By Karissa Seeberger ’12Opinions editor

Here’s a Holiday classic that everyone will enjoy! Happy Holidays from The Herald staff!

Ingredients: - 4 eggs - 1/2 cup sugar - 1/2 cup rum - 1 1/2 cups milk - 1/2 cups whiskey - 1 cup heavy cream

1. Separate eggs into yolks and whites in separate bowls (see below for a how-to). I put the whites into the mixer and the yolks into another bowl. 2. Beat egg-yolks with 1/2 of sugar, set aside. 3. Beat egg-whites until stiff, then mix in other 1/2 of sugar. 4. Pour the yolks into the whites and mix together slowly. 5. Stir in white rum slowly. I’ve tried dark rum and it works. 6. Stir in milk slowly (see below for dairy intolerance) 7. Stir in whiskey slowly (Bourbon, Canadian, Sour Mash. I use Jim Beam or Jack Daniels)

8. Stir in 1/2 of cream slowly 9.Whip rest (1/2) of cream and fold in carefully. 10. Serve at room temperature by ladling the eggnog into cups and sprinkle nutmeg on the top. Information on nutmeg grinders below. Try to get some of the foam and some of the liquid (if not fully mixed) in each cup.

33

Campus Happenings


THUMBS UP

THUMBS DOWN1. To crows

2. To winter

3. To finals

4. To crazed shoppers

5. To not getting enough sleep

1. To composting in the cafe

2. To trayless day in Saga

3. To winter break approaching

4. To eggnog

5. To Jennie Seidewand

Herald Survey:Prescription Drug Use

1. Do you have a prescription for a prescription drug such as Adderall or Ridalin (typically used for the treatment of ADD and ADHD)?

Yes 49 13%No 328 87%

* Respondents who answered “Yes” continued to question 2 and 3, respondents who answered “No” skipped to question 4

2. During your time at HWS have you ever been asked to share or sell your prescription medication by friends or peers?

Yes 33 67%No 16 33%

3. During your time at HWS have you ever shared or sold your prescription medication to a friend or peer?

Yes, I have sold it 9 18%Yes, I have shared it 15 31%No 25 51%

4. During your time at HWS have you ever taken such a prescription medication?Yes 85 26%No 243 74%

* Respondents who answered “Yes” continued to question 5, respondents who answered “No” skipped to question 6.

5. How many times have you taken such a prescription drug?1-3 23 27%4-10 14 17%11-20 18 21%20+ 29 35%

6. If you wanted to acquire such a prescription medication would you know where to get it?Yes 168 52%No 98 30%Unsure 59 18%

377 respondents total

Interested In Writing or Taking Pictures For The Herald?

Email us at [email protected]!We Are Looking Forward To Hearing From You!

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Mummy’s the Word

Lots of rumors have been circulating since the beginning of the semester pertaining to the mummy’s disappearance. A few include nefarious purposes while others guessed that the mummy had been in someway broken and was away for repair. According to the Warren Hunting Smith Library’s archives website, the mummy had been housed in the science building up until 1975. At that point, a Hobart student took the mummy to the Geneva General Hospital to have it x-rayed. It was discovered that the remains were that of a young woman that dated from 320 B.C.; no mystery here- she died from natural causes.

However, the first thing that students noticed upon their return this year was not the brand new doorway into the library or the flashy new circulation desk; instead, the absence of the mummy was what made the circulation of campus gossip. Now, the route of the mummy’s disappearance lies in the construction of that brand new door which now

allows six people to comfortably enter or exit at a time. The mummy was initially moved because it was

formerly housed under the old doorway in order to make room for the new doorway. She currently resides in the archives among old yearbooks as well as history

about both the Colleges and the Geneva history in relation to the Colleges. So while she, also a part of the history of the Colleges, takes a break from her spotlight viewing for all of the tour groups, her future isn’t known. She may remain in the archives but the possibility also remains that she may be put into a museum or eventually restored for our viewing pleasure. However, with the libraries new facilities, there’s no home that she can call her own. So, for now,

she’ll remain in the archives, the Colleges’ historical link to Egypt and the newly mentioned, but unseen, draw for prospective students.

Club Profile:Big Brothers, Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters -- We are a national, non-profit, non-denominational mentor program that uses one-on-one mentoring between a Big and a Little. The matches meet once a week for about 2-3 hours, for one year. It is about being a friend to a child and being another dependable person in their life. BBBS plans monthly events for the Bigs and Littles to come to that are free and this counts for their time together for that week. We will be having Trick or Treating at Odell’s for Halloween. Also, in February we will have Bowl

for Kids Sake our largest fundraiser that the HWS can be involved in! In the past we have gone to Darien Lake, the Rochester Science Museum, had “Big Fun Days” with

arts and crafts, tie-dyed and more! We do monthly monitoring of our Bigs and Littles to make sure everyone is happy.

For those of you who are first years, you probably have no clue that you are represented by Student Trustees. For those of you who aren’t first years, you still may not have any idea who your Student Trustee representatives are or what they do. That’s the purpose of this article. Since it’s our goal to represent ALL students, we thought it was about time that we introduced ourselves.

The Senior Student Trustees for William Smith and Hobart respectively are Shavonne Ward and Keegan Prue. The Junior Student Trustees for Hobart and William Smith are Dan DeNose and Regina Triplett. All four of us are here to act as liaisons between the student body and the Board of Trustees.

So, you may ask, why is this relevant to bring up now? Our answer is that the weekend of November 7th and 8th was our first Trustee Board Weekend of the school year, and our next meeting (in mid-January) is fast-approaching. Some highlights from the last board meeting include updates from the Wellness Task Force and the dedication of the Centennial Center for Leadership.

The Student Life Committee of the Board of Trustees formed a Wellness Task Force in April 2007 to “create a strategic plan to establish a culture and ethic of wellness at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.” Since its creation, the task force has conducted a comprehensive report on existing health services and future needs and made recommendations to the colleges. Improvements that have directly resulted include more staff at both Hubbs Health Center and the Counseling Center, a more efficient method of appointment scheduling at

Hubbs, more evening hours at Hubbs and the Counseling Center, expanded hours for the satellite clinic, and the annual administration of the National Collegiate Health Assessment.

Also since this summer, we have a new Counseling Center! It’s located at 91 St. Clair St., just a few houses down from its original location. The staff and the house are both welcoming and inviting. The center has been adding services including increasingly popular group therapy sessions. Stop by some time even just to say hi!

Another new building to check out is the Centennial Center for Leadership at 603 S. Main St. This newly renovated space includes a multi-purpose room for lectures and dinners and other classrooms and offices. In the future, it will host leadership workshops, guest speakers, visiting fellows, the Leadership Certification program, and much more!

Right now, the Student Trustees are working on compiling an “HWS Road Map”. We’re hoping that this will be an interactive tool to help students answer questions that they might have about life at the Colleges. Possible topics range from the Safe Ride schedule to how to get a summer internship. If you have any questions that you’d like to see addressed in this publication, please let us know.

If you see any of us around, feel free to say hi and offer feedback – on this article, on our ideas, or on other campus issues. Otherwise, you can send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Until next time, Keegan Prue ’09, Shavonne Ward ’09, Dan De Nose ’10, and Regina Triplett ’10.

Message from the Student Trustees

4THE HERALD, FRIDAY, DecembeR 12, 2008

Campus Happenings

Honors Profile: Bailey Meeker

What is your major?Mathematics

Who is your Honors advisor?Professor Forde

What inspired you to pursue an Honors project?I’ve done research in the past at an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) and last year in the HWS Summer Science program. Both of these programs are great for learning how to research. In many ways, I decided to do honors because I really enjoyed the research that I did prior to this project. However, I’ve actually wanted to do honors since I first heard about the program, which was when I was applying to William

Smith as a high school senior.

Can you describe your topic?I am attempting to create a mathematical model of

Celiac Disease. People with Celiac Disease, are unable to eat wheat, rye, or barley because these grains contain a protein called gluten. If a Celiac eats something containing gluten, they can damage their small intestine through an autoimmune disorder, leading to an inability to absorb nutrients. It is possible to recover completely by avoiding all gluten; however gluten is found in a majority of the food that we eat, especially processed food. Many companies are in the process of developing cures for this condition that would allow people with Celiac Disease to eat normally. A mathematical model of Celiac Disease could help evaluate the current theories about how this disease works and inform decisions about treatments. Since this is a common disorder, about 1/133 people in the US have it, and since it parallels many other autoimmune disorders, many people can benefit from

new understanding and treatment options.

What has been the most memorable or rewarding part of your project thus far?

I’m not actually very far in my research project since I had to learn some important mathematical tools prior to working on my model. However, I guess so far it would have to be finding a significant and well written piece of research that I can use for my model. There have been many new advances in understanding of Celiac Disease just recently, and reading about these advances has been

really fun.

Do you have any advice for students interested in pursuing their own Honors project? If you can, take advantage of research opportunities outside of the honors program before you decide to do honors. Many of these are more directed than honors projects and you might even be able to make some money over the summer. I would recommend REUs and the HWS Summer Science program to other math and science students that are looking for a way to get

into research.

Unacknowledged on Sunday, November 16, 2008 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm students from the Colleges celebrated their heritages, whether that mean being a woman, being Jewish, knitting, coming from a certain city or country, or being able to trace their familial roots back 300 years. The event is sponsored by the Laurel Society, the junior honor society for William Smith students, sponsored the event. Two members of the Laurel Society, Molly DiStefano and Allison Sperling were co-chairs for the event. In contrast to the Heritage Day that took place in 2006, Allison said that this year they

“achieved their goal to include more people on campus.” Rather than just celebrating their ethnic and religious heritage, hobbies, sex, and activism were also included. Specific Participants included the First Generation Initiative, LAO, Close Knit, International Students, Hillel, Hip~NotiQ’s, First Book, Rotaract Club, CSA, and Women’s Collective. There were also more individualized tables which were dedicated to activism, Senegal, the Zaidi family, and “Poems about Me!”

Although few students took advantage of the rich celebration of heritage that took place in the

Vandervort room, the participants were able to see what their peers were proud of about themselves and had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about unfamiliar cultures, ideas, and activities. When asked what Heritage Day meant to them, William Smith student Shanelle France said that it was “a lot of people coming together to celebrate where they come from and share dreams of where they want to go.” This was a very apt description because students were able to identify with different organizations and see how someone else’s definition of Heritage altered

their own. First year Hobart student Syed Zaidi poetically stated that it was a “day when I’m able to truly express not my culture or religion but the combination of the two and something I consider beautiful- my family.” One of the more apt descriptions of how Heritage can be redefined was made by Hobart student Roger Arnold who had studied abroad in Senegal; “I can say I’m Italian but I don’t know what that means [but] Senegal changed my life.” Heritage Day 2008 was about more than just celebrating what made people who they are; it was about redefining what that meant.


Heritage Day 2008

Hip~NotiQ’s lived up to its reputation as one of the “the most racially diverse performing groups on campus” as Katie Taylor previously stated. However, in this case, they went beyond this obvious reference to its members. The audience that attended the group’s annual show, aptly named Hip~NotiQLand, was composed of a variety of people. Hip~NotiQ’s alumni could be seen intermingling with current students of the Colleges, including current members of L.A.O. and Women’s Collective. Parents accompanied

elementary age students while high school and middle school students sat in clusters throughout the Geneva Middle School auditorium. Hip~NotiQ’s is a group that appeals to people of every background because it comes from a “powerful cultural heritage in which many of its members came into when they were in college where it became a big part of who [they] are” as Katie Taylor later stated. The show itself appealed to the younger members of the audience due to the use of books and quotes, primarily Alice in Wonderland as well as the bright blue and black tutu’s that each member sported. Titles such as “Flirty Alice”, “Lost Alice”, “Gangster Alice” and “Nerdy Alice” helped add comedy to the show.

There were eight “chapters” in the show, and each was introduced by an original storyboard painting done by Allison May, a William Smith student. The show started with each member reading an excerpt from Alice in Wonderland, which was the show’s inspiration. Then, like children, they lined up and proceeded across the stage in pursuit of the white rabbit. This chapter was appropriately titled, “Chasing the White Rabbit,” and was composed of a step that involved a wave of a single step move followed by the use of sticks while exiting the stage. During

“Falling Down the Rabbit Hole,” the group twitched their way off of eight-foot high ladders, while “Walrus and Dodo” was danced to the group’s own rhythm of stepping. The “Mad Tea Party” was the most startling of all of the chapters because although it was said to be a classic step, the members were all sitting around a table and using cups and hands to play a step rendition of “the cup game,” which involves taking a cup, turning it upside down, hitting it three times, and clapping and moving the cup to the person to the

right so that the process begins again. This game was played in time by the nine performing members with very hilarious results, due to cups being dropped and thrown with accompanying rolls of toilet paper being tossed to either side of the stage.

Throughout the entire two-hour performance, Hip~NotiQ’s glided and stepped its way to an overall amazing show. From dancing on eight-foot ladders to playing croquet with backbends and tumbling, Hip~NotiQ’s used their imagination so that the audience got a glimpse into Hip~NotiQLand. But what would a story be without an ending? Dancing to T-Pain and Chris Brown’s “Freeze,” the group played out “The Wake Up” scene until the curtain closed during the reading of some of the more poignant lines of Alice in Wonderland. The captain of Hip~NotiQ’s, Shanté Rogers, ended the show by telling the audience that it had been “a collective effort [for which she] wanted to thank [her] team,” which included Phylicia Robinson, Nina Franzino, Deja James, Morgan Hopkins, Katie Taylor, Meghan Ignatosky, Akilah Browne, and Jaheem Jamar Green. Anyone who missed the show missed an amazing and unique rendition of Alice in Wonderland as seen through the eyes of Hip~NotiQ’s.


Stepping into Hip~NotiQLandBest Ways to Relax DUring Exam week

Being that our shopping options are limited here in Geneva, a little online holiday shopping can be a quick distraction to get

us in the holiday spirit and thinking of others.

Taking one of the many exercise classes offered at Bristol Field House such as yoga or spinning are a great way to refocus and energize.

Grab a gingerbread latte from the pub or a steamy hot chocolate with a friend as a

speedy pick-me-up.

Go to the QUAAC performance of

“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”

at 7 pm on Friday, December 12th at Albright Auditorium

As we are approaching the end of the semester, surely, the majority of us are inundated with work, cramming in as much studying as possible, and nearly pushed to the limits of our mental capacities. With the only obstacle between HWS students and the appealing holiday break being a long, grueling week of exams, we should keep in mind that there is an assortment of relaxing activities available on and off campus to release ourselves from our academic leashes momentarily to kick-back and indulge. Rewards, breaks, and personal time are necessary and conducive to the studying mind, as it releases tension and leaves you refreshed and relaxed to gracefully push through the finish line that separates us from this semester and the next. Just some of the options for a much needed

escape are listed below:

On Friday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. in St.

John’s Chapel, the Colleges Brass

Ensemble will perform, under the

direction of Jim Trowbridge.

Dance the night away at La Milonga

de Navidad, Tango Dance Party, at

Smith Opera House Dance Studio,

on Friday Dec 12th at 8:00 pm.

Support fellow William Smith

students at St. Johns Chapel on

Saturday night, December 13th,

to listen to Three Miles Lost.

Spark your creativity by

attending the glamourous 2nd

Annual Winter Fashion Show

on Saturday in the Vandervort

Room.

By Leah Dittrick ’09Herald contributer

By TJ Radzwich ’09campus Happenings editor

55

Opinions


Sustainability Experiment:Sensing the Great Outdoors

Life After College Hiking to Enlightenment: Scaling Fansipan

By Caitlin Lugar ’10Herald contributor

Fair Fare: Think Global, Eat Local

By Dealva Jade Down-Hinkle ‘08Herald contributer

Being abroad makes you think about life and how you conduct yourself through it. From my trip in Vietnam, my greatest lessons were learned from the biggest challenges during my experience.

I climbed Fansipan, the tallest summit in Vietnam and all of Southeast Asia. It is 3,143 meters above sea-level! And I climbed it all by myself. However, I went with 5 other people from the trip: a Scottish pediatric neurologist who was both our coach, and a really great human being; and our Vietnamese guide who is an ethnic local to Sapa, the area we were in. Despite the company, I got to the top on my own. No one carries you; you do it yourself the whole way up. Just stop and think about it for a moment. This statement is true. You receive plenty of encouragement, which the slower hikers on this trip needed a lot of, but in the end each one of us reached the summit independently.

This is very much like life. Despite all the people in our life and the generosity that we receive, in all of life’s challenges, we overcome them on our own. Encouragement helps us get through it all, and it is nice to share the victory with friends and loved ones, but you got there on your own.

Building off of that, one needs to make sure to pass oneself. I know my strength. Fansipan is a tough trek! I know that I could have led our pack up the mountain, but I decided to stay in the back with the slower people. Something to understand about hiking is that the group is as fast as the slowest person on the hike. There is so much lost energy when one chases after the faster people, and those people are then annoyed with waiting. So, a compromise would entail that the slower hiker would be in the front, setting the pace, while the faster hikers are

in the back. This way, the slower hikers set the pace, and the faster hikers drive and encourage the slower to keep going. Understanding this, I stayed back because I would be able to set a good, gradual pace that would get me to the top with less stress, since it is impossible to avoid being tired after that kind of trek. And in taking my time, I got to

enjoy so much more of the scenery: the lush rainforest and bamboo groves. In life, one should slow down and take their time. There are so many Americans (yes, Americans are especially guilty of doing this) who are in a rush to go nowhere. Just going, going, gone! I learned that I want to pace myself through life and allow myself to savor the simple joys.

The last lesson that I learned took me more time and a lot of discussion with the hike’s coach and sensei, Andrew Curran, the Scottish neurologist. He was very enlightened and very in tune with who he was and is now. My idol! I am on my own journey to fully understand life and myself. He helped me put something in perspective: instead of living life one step

at a time in the same old circle, I should live in an onward and upward pattern. In order to climb a mountain, one does not go without gaining elevation. One treks a mountain one step in front of the other, but in an upward spiral around the mountain. Life throws the “same ‘shit’ but different situation” at us and we tend to deal with that problem in a similar way every time. However, instead of dealing with one’s problems the same way every time, why not evolve and build on top of how to deal with life and its dilemmas. Thus, one moves onward, but also gains height with each step forward. I have come back now, full of new insight and clarity. I look forward to applying my new found knowledge to use on my journey to self-enlightenment.

For my third sustainability experiment I decided to try something a bit different. I decided that I was going to try to spend some time just sitting or walking outside every day. This could involve just going out to a bench overlooking the lake, walking out to Houghton House, or just sitting out on my porch. Whatever I decided to do, it would have to be solely for the sake of enjoying time outside, no other purpose. So just walking or sitting, that’s it. With this time outside I was going to just sit and listen. I figured I could do this for 20 or 30 minutes each day, and if I found myself enjoying this time I would stay longer.

I started this experiment by going outside one day and sitting on a chair near Odell’s pond. A lot of things went through my head the first day while doing this. I initially had a hard time blocking out things that I didn’t want to think about, like school work I had to do, people walking by, and if I should go to Saga or not. It made me actually realize that most of the time I’m not even in control of my own thoughts and when I came to see this it kind of made me mad. We, as people, are usually so caught up in the flow of life and our day-to-day activities that we don’t really stop and have time for ourselves to just think what we want to. I am just speaking for myself right now, but I’m guessing that there are a lot of people who would feel this way,

too, if they took a moment to try this. The first day was the most eye

opening of them all, mainly because I was thinking about how this experiment would work and what I was supposed to get, what I wanted to get, and what I was going to get from it. Sitting and simply sensing things is actually a strange experience. I’m taking psychology of sensation and perception this semester and for how insanely complex the process of sensing things is, I don’t think

that we take enough time to use our senses and appreciate how nuts it is that everything works the way it does (It is amazing that we are able to distinguish one noise from all of the sound waves going in our ears; when driving in a car with a friend we are able to discern their voice from the sound of the tires squealing on the pavement, the passing cars, the rain outside, the windshield wipers going back and forth, and the music playing on the radio).

Anyway, I started to actually appreciate my senses more than I ever had before. It was interesting to listen and hear things that I never really listened to. And this wasn’t only with hearing. Sitting near the pond and watching closer than I ever had before, I caught some things that I

was surprised to see. One of the days I was outside I swore I saw a turtle near the pond; I had no idea that there were turtles in there. I also realized that there are way, way, way too many seagulls and crows in Geneva some days.

After about a week of taking time for this kind of activity each day I started to get annoyed by things that weren’t a part of nature. If a person would walk by while talking on their cell phone I would actually get angry

because I liked the quietness; it was relaxing for me and I didn’t like that being interrupted. Cars were also becoming

more annoying. I spent most of the days sitting around Odell’s pond for two reasons – it was close to where I lived and there were just too many cars while sitting by the lake. Slowly, I wanted to get farther away from people and the noise. Getting out into nature was just the thing I needed if I was having a stressful day because it had a calming effect.

This experiment was less challenging than the ones in past because I wasn’t giving something up. I do admit though, I didn’t make it outside every day, but I tried to. On the days I did get outside I enjoyed the time. It is definitely something I will try to continue doing on a regular basis.

“It appears to be a law that you cannot have a deep sympathy with both man and nature.”

~Henry David Thoreau

This article won’t help you get a job after college. It won’t help you find an internship, it won’t get you better pay, and it won’t introduce you to some great, new, unknown venue that gets you a fast track to the top. But if you’re anything like I was while I was still in school, it might make you feel a little bit better.

Let me start by saying, school was my life. For the past 18 out of 23 years I’ve been in school—as have most of you have been I would guess—school was my thing. I understood it. I was good at it, for the most part, I got how it worked. Once I hit college I thought it was the coolest thing ever that I got to pick my own courses, that I got to shape my own schedule, and in the end, create my own degree. That’s not to say I didn’t have a experience any difficult times or that I ever wanted to stop. But at least I knew how the world worked and I could navigate through it no problem.

Life after college… well… it’s different. Not bad. Just different. I think the weirdest part for me was I suddenly felt like a “youngin’” again. After four years of being perpetually 20, I suddenly found myself in a world where most people were twice my age, had children, homes, were married, and were pretty set in their lives. Suddenly the social network I had come to know was gone. Poof. No wandering around campus, following the sound of music and crowds of college students to the party, or finding a closet-sized dorm room packed with people playing Rockstar. Instead, I was surrounded by neighbors with two kids and two black labs, and an elderly couple down the street with red hearts on their shutters who spent all day watering their potted plants.

I’m not going to lie to you, at first it sucked. I’d get off of work at 5 p.m. and then come home and have nothing to do. I watched a lot of movies, cooked a lot of really good

food, and that’s about it. I totally loved the fact that I had no homework until I realized I had to fill that time with something else. Then I remembered something my mother had told me back when I was just starting college. She told me, “Treat every day like an adventure. There’s always something cool to see, you just haven’t looked for it yet.”

So I opened my eyes and started to really look at the town I lived in. I got to know the people in the local coffee shop so well that they had my order ready before I was in the door, I took photos of friends who made spare money by standing on the street corner in chicken suits advertising for Halloween, I fell in love with the enchiladas at the local Mexican restaurant, and I realized that I live on one of the coolest streets in town.

I guess the point that I’m trying to make is no matter where you end up after college, no matter what job or internship you get, it’s still just a job. There’s a lot of other stuff going on, and if you’re too wrapped up in your work, you’re going to miss a heck of a lot of the stuff that’s going on around you. I enjoyed college, I really did, and I’m planning on going back to graduate school to earn my masters next fall. But until then, I’m going to enjoy the fact that I’m young, practically broke, able to subsist on a ramen noodle diet, and start taking advantage of my spare time. My internship, which I utterly failed to talk about in this piece, ends at the end of October, and instead of hunting down the next addition to my résumé, I’m bookin’ it. I’m hoping on a non-stop flight to Hong Kong to see an old roommate. When I get back, I have no clue what I’m going to do—maybe I’ll find out what the big deal is about swimming across the lake, or maybe I’ll just see what it’s like to work in a locally owned store. But whatever it is, I promise you, I’m not just doing it for the paycheck.

One of the many Readers’ Colleges provided by HWS, Fair Fare is all about getting students involved in thinking globally by acting locally. As we gathered on our first meeting, everyone seemed to instantly bond over great food and a shared interest in helping to reduce our carbon footprint by taking local action. The course was designed and run by Professor Susanne McNally of the History Department and Chaplain Lesley Adams. On our first meeting they laid out their hopes for what they hoped the course would teach us, and created inventive and interactive ways to convey their e x p e c t a t i o n s . The class met e v e r y - o t h e r T h u r s d a y throughout the semester and each class was filled with different tasks. The main event was working together to make a meal that was entirely made of local food products. Dinners ranged from omelets, to pizza, to pasta, and included desserts such as cookies, ice cream, and pie – with everything made from locally grown goods! All the Fair Fare participants read Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry’s Grub; a book that includes both a “straight-to-the-point exposé about the fake food filling of our supermarkets and the compelling reasons for choosing organic, local, ‘fair’ food” as well as many “practical how-to’s for creating an affordable, easy-to-use organic kitchen and dozens of delectable recipes”. The authors stress the importance of eating sustainably produced, well prepared, healthy, and fresh foods – providing both reasons to move towards organic eating as well as recipes that utilize local and organic foods. In addition to reading Grub, we attempted to rewrite the menu section

of the book to develop recipes for sustainable meals specific to upstate New York and Geneva in particular. The recipe book was created with everyone’s favorite dishes and included references for where to find locally grown, organic and fair trade ingredients in or around Geneva. With the help of all the students and their favorite recipes, a collection was made and a recipe book was created that will appear in the colleges’ themed houses beginning next year. Furthermore, we participated in HWS’s ‘Sustainable Saturday’ events and researched

i n t e r e s t i n g environmental and agricultural issues and presented the topic to the class for discussion. Another big issue that we tackled throughout the

course as understanding what slow food is and why it should be brought to the HWS campus. Slow food is a grassroots movement that was first created in Italy as a way to fight back against fast food. Slow food forms and maintains seed banks that work in partnership with the local community and food system to preserve and promote local food products and traditions, as well as focus on healthy preparation and cooking; for more information visit slowfood.com. Fair Fare is a wonderful course that gets everyone thinking! No matter the level of previous knowledge in regards to the subject matter, everyone is bound to learn something from the course. The most important thing I learned this semester is that it is much easier to eat local than one would imagine and, not to mention, better for the environment! If this sounds at all interesting, which trust me it is, make sure to sign up for the next Fair Fare course by contacting

This year was the 23rd year that the Colleges has participated in the Oxfam America Fast campaign; 941 students signed up to give away their meals on Friday night, November 21st, and we raised $400.00 in cash donations. Sodexho (SAGA) will donate the value of the students’ meals to Oxfam America.

Oxfam America helps people in Africa, Asia and Latin America grow more food and it supplies food relief in times of need. The fast is held around Thanksgiving time each year, to raise funds and to increase awareness of poverty and the scarcity of food in many parts of the world.

Outcome of the “Oxfam Fast”

http://www.hopviettravel.com/upload/photo/sapa-fansipan.jpg

6 THE HERALD, FRIDAY, DecembeR 12, 2008

Arts and Entertainment

Ask Dr. Blackwell

Our Very Own HWS Sex Advice Columnist

Got a question about sex that you need answered?Can’t ask anyone else?

Don’t know you got that STD from last week-

end or what it is?Write me at

[email protected]

Dear Elizabeth Blackwell,I’ve read in gossip magazines

that most women have different sized breasts, and I can’t say that I’m an exception to this rule of thumb, one of my boobs is HUGE and the other fills my C-cup quite well. Not only does this present a problem when purchasing bras, but also I happen to look extremely awkward in any shirt that’s low-cut, even just a little bit. If I try buying the smaller sized bra, then one side of me is falling out, but if I buy bigger it’s quite noticeable on my smaller side. Do you have any suggestions about how to either increase/decrease one of my breasts or tricks to make the difference less noticeable?

Sincerely,Lop Sided

Dear Lop Sided,Although you might have a hard

time believing this, most women actually do have this problem! Since it is your body, you obviously find it more noticeable on yourself than on other women…since I assume you are not buying others their undergarments. If I were you, I would buy the smaller-sized bra, because, really, who doesn’t like a little cleavage, even if only on one side! You can use your dissimilar breast sizes as a pick up line (ex. Hey, Mr. Medberry, one of my boobs is bigger than the other, want to see?), or even use it as a conversation starter (ex. ‘Hey Lop Sided, what’s up?’ ‘Oh, nothing besides my left breast, man is it bigger than the right!’). See? There are many ways to make this problem easier to handle!

Back when I was attending med school at Geneva College, we were also taught a little technique to increase breast size, and you would only need only to perform this with one half of your body, as it pertains to only one of your sides. Simply form a right angle with your elbow and place your arms at the side of your body. Then bring your arms, remaining in that position, closer and then farther away from your body- it will kind of look like you are flying. We also had a little jingle to sing along with this exercise that went, “We must, we must, we must increase our bust. The bigger, the better, the tighter the sweater! The boys are counting on us!” While this might not be completely up to 21st century women’s empowerment standards, it is a strategy that could help you out!

Remember: shake what your mama gave you!

Love,Dr. Blackwell

Dear Dr. Blackwell,I have recently been becoming

more and more attached to a certain resident of Bartlett, and things between the two of us have really been heating up. We’ve progressed to the not-strictly-a-drunken-weekend-hook-up phase, and have moved on to actually texting and hanging out during the week. I really like him and he’s told me he really likes me too, but now winter break is approaching and I’m scared. I don’t want to lose communication with him for the four weeks we’re away, because not only could that ruin things and make it awkward between us when we come back, but I think I want a commitment from this man. How do I go about bringing this up with Bartlett boy and making this happen?

From,All I want for Christmas is You

Dear Miss. Christmas,Well it sounds like you and Bartlett

Boy definitely need to sit down and have a talk. Perhaps even bring a little mistletoe to lighten the mood and ensure some action! If I were you, I would not be scared. It sounds like the two of you are on the same page with your emotions, that is if everyone is being honest. Casually bring up the subject when you two are talking about the excitement of going home and seeing your friends and family. I am not saying you should lie to this young man, but just to make it more pertinent, make up an ex-boyfriend that wants to rekindle your past flame and then tell him how disgusted you are with this ex-boyfriend of yours. I am not advocating lying, but you can see the benefits that might become of this one! Just be upfront with him, get everything off of your chest, and remember the magic of the mistletoe!

Best of luck,The Love Doctor

Dear Dr. B,I have only been dating my

girlfriend for about a month and now that the holidays are approaching I really don’t know what to do about gifts. Do I get her some really cheesy, like flowers and a teddy bear, do girls actually like that? What do I get her that says, I like you a whole lot and love being with you, but isn’t as serious as fancy jewelry? Women are so difficult, they look into everything and get meaning out of it whether it’s there or not, and they already have everything I think to get them! I know she and her friends will look into the meaning of the gift I give her, and I want it to be perfect. Any suggestions, I mean you are a lady.

From,Santa Claus

Dear Santa Claus,Clearly you are not the real St.

Nick himself, because he would not be asking this question. Also, women are not difficult, just curious and caring beings with a lot of emotions, especially at a particular time once a month and they should be valued by their male companions!

Well, now that that’s out of me, as for your gift, why not jewelry? Jewelry does not mean a ring and a wedding cake, but there are a lot of different forms, which is why women are so easy to shop for! There are always jewelry sales during the holidays too, just to make this shopping experience all the easier during troublesome economic times. I would not suggest clothing, because I know your girlfriend would be VERY offended if you were to purchase the wrong size! If it’s too small, then they can’t wear it and they’ll feel that you’ll notice, and too big means that you think your main squeeze is a heifer. Neither option is good! Don’t go for kinky either, how awkward will that be for her when her grandparents ask her what this new college boyfriend of hers got her for Christmas. Imagine telling grandma you got her chocolate syrup and a glittered thong! I would go with either an inside joke that the two of you might have within your relationship, perfume, also an easy, yet not too overboard of a gift, or jewelry. You’ve been pursuing this girl for probably quite some time, and just remember this isn’t a stranger you’r e buying a gift for, it’s your girlfriend! Trust your instincts; I’ m sure she’ll love whatever you decide on just because it’s from you!

Good luck and Happy Holidays,The real Santa Claus

One of the most hyped games of recent memory, Spore, was heralded as a revolutionary non-linear game that provided open-ended game play and complete customization throughout a creature’s development. Spore was produced by Maxis and created by Will Wright, the acclaimed designer of SimCity and The Sims. Wright was also joined by Soren Johnson, the lead designer of Civilization IV. Spore originally garnered credibility and acclaim due to its renowned development team.

Spore covers many different gaming genres, but can be classified as a “god game.” Players control a creature’s fate through every level of evolution, from a single-celled organism to a star traveling explorer. Gameplay begins with the conception of a single-celled organism swimming around on the player’s planet of choice. As an herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore, the player’s creature must find food and evolve to add defensive or offensive improvements in order to survive. This section of the game uses a fun 2-D arcade perspective and has a “big fish eats little fish” mentality.

Once the player’s creature has evolved to a certain level, it develops a brain, climbs onto land and enters the creature stage. The creature stage uses a third person perspective, is fully 3-D, and is filled with other creatures with which the player can encounter. The goal of this stage involves survival, collecting DNA from other creatures, reproduction, and evolution. Similar to other popular games, Spore provides the character with two ways to interact with other creatures. They can either befriend them, through a “Simon Says” type mini game, or attack them using offensive additions they have added through evolution. The creature stage involves other fun features such as migration and the eventual development of a pack mentality.

The creature soon continues its development to the tribal and then civilization stage. These two stages use a real time strategy perspective, but seem rushed and are therefore not as enjoyable. Although clothes, armor,

buildings, and vehicles are customizable, the player’s choices do little more than alter the aesthetics of the game. It is clear that the charm of the creature stage creator is not only its intricacy, but its ability to affect gameplay.

The space stage represents the culmination of the player’s efforts as the character finally develops space travel and can interact with creatures of all levels on other planets in the universe. This stage has very fluid and intuitive controls as the player navigates a space ship from a third person perspective. The space stage includes a multitude of fun quests that involve the colonization of planets, abduction and collection of inferior alien species, trading “spice” with nearby alien planets, and universal conquest. Space battle only takes place within a planet’s atmosphere, but incorporates a notable array of possible weaponry. The scale of this stage is impressive though, being that it would be seemingly impossible to visit all of the planets that comprise the creature’s given universe.

Although the gameplay is very diverse with good replay value, the most enjoyable aspect of Spore is certainly the creature creator. Creatures can be formed by lengthening and manipulating the creatures spine and adding extremities where needed. The paint system allows for total customization or a choice among premade templates.

Originally promised to be a fully multiplayer game, Spore exists only as a single-player game. In order to appeal to the large multiplayer market, the game incorporates the ability to share creature designs through an integrated Spore network. Once downloaded, a new creature design can be randomly selected to appear as an AI controlled being in the player’s next game. Although this allows access to a possibly ever-changing environment, the multiplayer content represents a palatable tease begging one to wonder what the game would be like in a completely multiplayer environment.

Rating: 8.5

By Christian Karayannides ’09Herald contributor

Video Game Review: SPORE

The movie Twilight tells the story of Bella (Kristen Stewart) falling in with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a vampire that lives in the town of Forks, Washington with his family of “vegetarian” vampires. Their love follows the classic story line of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, deviating only in the concept that their very natures- -rather than their families-- keep them apart. Edward is drawn to Bella out of love, but also out of an insatiable thirst for her blood, which is “exactly his brand of heroin.”

The characterization of Edward in the film is both awkward and endearing because he is unable to act suave around Bella yet, at the same time, he is seen lurking at the edges of the scene with his eyes trained on her. The movie’s sequence fails to portray an accurate timeline, resulting in a story that is told too quickly and lacks believability in the romance aspect. The scenes depicting their budding relationship are irritatingly silent and set to music rather than providing insight into exactly why the two protagonists fall in love. Instead, the audience is left with the idea that they fall in love because it is forbidden.

The few truly romantic scenes in the movie are those in which Edward is protecting Bella, either from an outside vampire or himself. One very memorable scene shows Edward initiating a kiss after ordering Bella to stay still. The kiss progresses normally until she takes the initiative, at which point he growls and pushes her back onto the bed. Now, this may seem like a typical, hormonal thing to do but he then flies off of her so that his back hits the wall. His actions put the audience in mind of a fainting heroine that doesn’t dare break with social convection. It’s rather Victorian when he looks at her in fear, sending the message that sex is something to be feared or acted upon carefully. When he says something to the effect of his strength in resisting her, and she replies that she obviously didn’t have the same strength, it sends the social message that the male should always be in charge and its his obligation to stop before things go to far.

Departing from potential deeper meaning in the

movie, however, the beginning of the movie progresses slowly but gains momentum as it approaches the one-hour mark. At this point, the movie is action-oriented with car chases, tree-climbing, with a vampire fight as the movie’s climax. The scene in which the protagonists lay in a field is painful to watch because they literally just lay there and stare into each other’s eyes; this buys too much into the old Hollywood theory of love at first sight. It renders their love unrealistic and unobtainable to an audience composed mostly of the under-twenty set. One thing Summit Entertainment doesn’t take into account is the transferability of book lines to movies; while books are allowed to be poetic, movies sound pretentious and stupid when they try. So the lines about “the lion falling in love with the lamb” sound stupid when heard outside the context of a book.

Overall, the movie gives one of the most amazing book-to-movie adaptations that Hollywood has ever attempted and yet the movie stands alone from the book that inspires it. Kristen Steward gives an uncoordinated depiction of Bella while Rob Pattinson perfects the self-hating vampire with a few snarls and glares. Be prepared for laughter, catcalls from some of the more interactive audience members, and a relationship that makes one sigh in the hope that a love like that really could exist.

Twilight: Hilariously AwkwardBy Belinda Littlefield ’11

Layout editor

The Red Rush Morning benefit concert on Nov. 17 took place at Irene’s Coffee House in Geneva. The front part of Irene’s looks like a typical coffee shop with tiled floors, tables, and glass countertops. However, moving further on, the tiled floors give way to carpet, couches and a bar. The atmosphere is much cozier, and the small stage at the back of the establishment is perfectly situated for small musical performances.

The cost of admission to the concert was two dollars per person, but was worth the cover charge—proceeds will benefit Jumpstart, a non-profit organization that helps prepare young children to succeed in school. Brad Hester (Hobart 2009), lead singer of Annie in the Water, opened for Red Rush Morning. He performed a few acoustic songs including a cover of OutKast’s “Hey Ya!.” Upon the announcement of the impending Red Rush Morning performance, audience members rushed to the stage. The band seated themselves and proceeded to create a very informal listening atmosphere as they formed an intimate connection with the audience. The songs were mellow but had some audience members yelling out the names of band members while others took pictures.

The atmosphere created by the band was much like that of friends jamming together in a garage or basement, yet Irene’s provided a much more hospitable environment for the audience to enjoy the band. Overall, it was a very enjoyable listening experience. Leah Crohn (William Smith 2009), the volunteer coordinator for Jumpstart as well as one of the event planners said, “The turnout was pretty great, pretty much what they expected.” A similar event is planned for Jan. at the start of the spring 2009 semester.

Red Rush Morning Supports JumpstartBy Belinda Littlefield ’11

Layout editor


Arts and Entertainment

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Garfield Minus Garfield

Check out http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/ for more hilarious comics!

The Herald Word Search:Happy Holidays

7

Name ____________________ Date _____________________

Christmas is Here!

S C N N N N M S S S O G M T D E A L R S E J G T PL R I A N E E O N G L I K S C Y T A A L A K N R LA T W H D A O O S O S R A E C N T O M C H T E O TN S E S C A W E F T P N L A E N S N K S R S A O AE S R L M M S T L O O T N T A K P F H E E N S N AE E G E A T N E A O D D A S G L R N R N N E G A RG T H N S N T I N S Y E S H R O N T T S N E H T EA S H S N O N A P C E L O A S L D S E W L D H T TO L E T E S E A A S R K E T W A O A R S R S T I TT O D F A O O N R S L U N H Y N O N E R I T H F CR H N A A M E C E O T E A M T S N A S R S C E S OI S G T M S S O S T E N O C E R S C G C L T Y N EY T L R H S N C T E O E N E C C T H L E S O G R ES R N E I N S E K K T S R T N M J S R A T I N O NN S O K E N R C O S R T G L S O E U N O S S L N NW P E A T T C A A O S G O N U T D M T I E G O S ST Y S T A K O H L H S P N H I O R Y C A U E E S AT S A T D C H N S O Y C S I L K E D S N S S L C CH J P O O R N R A T E N S P C O C P S H S I C F DO T S C T L S G A L L S H T W N D O T S A L A S CL C T S G A N N S I T I S S N A S A T K O P C G DD O C A T D A A G T N L E T F S E G A S T R K O LH T T E E M E L C R D S S O C R T N O O M R M S CW D I Y O C E S E N J A S R W O L C A S A N D G TR C S H S M P S E R D H S A N R E D H C D C I O A

Santa Presents Rudolph Stockings

Candycanes Toys HotCocoa Wreaths

Mistletoe Trees JackFrost Snowman

Angels Grinch

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Yesonia SaysHello students of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. It is

with pleasure that I commence the first and last ‘Yesonia Says’ article of the fall semester. I had to take a break from my celeb gossip duties this semester but I think it is vital to this issue of the Herald to recap on this past semester. For many of us, this semester was a milestone in the crushing of our age-old long reputation as an “apathetic college”. I would like to note that for the most part, we might not be as politically active as other liberal arts colleges like Vassar or Sarah Lawrence, but within the hierarchy of student-run clubs and organizations on campus, it is easy to see those individuals who put their best effort forward to try and provoke political behavior on campus. The 2008 Presidential Election has allowed us to take off our coat of apathy and shed light to a new side of campus. I have seen countless amounts of students excited and energized about the election; making signs, t-shirts, and encouraging one another to vote immediately. This has definitely been a refreshing sight to see on campus. Also, while I have heard several students in the past say that the student body appears to be primarily conservative, this election has definitely painted the campus blue in more ways than one. The amount of students supporting Democrats and/or President Obama the night of the Election Party in November suggests a large population of the student body in favor of the Democratic Party. The amount of emotion expressed by students throughout the different Presidential Debates, the VP Debates, and Sarah Palin’s interviews alone, as well as SNL skits with Tina Fey imitating Sarah Palin, has been overwhelming.

Often times in Political Science classes Professors would ask, “Why is that students in today’s day and age are not as politically involved as they were during the times of the Vietnam War?” I’ve heard this numerous times and it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to smile and say, we are politically involved now. And alright, so maybe we don’t stand outside of major on-campus ‘monuments’ (ahem I’m alluding to the seventies when students stood outside of Columbia University’s library, protesting the war),but I have heard

numerous heated conversations and in depth reasons for why students have supported the candidates that they have. I must say it really is refreshing to notice this. On a small liberal arts campus like HWS, it’s been exciting to see people express themselves politically. Students for Barack Obama, for example, put forth vast rallying efforts to recruit temporary members, but as the club’s goals were pertinent to just this election, they were not officially an on-campus club, but their efforts are appreciated nonetheless.

Moving on, this semester, there were several moments I experienced while walking down the sidewalks by the library, and by Emerson Hall, that I’ve realized how astonishingly beautiful our campus is. Even under the powdery sheets of snow this campus just glistens and shines. I guess my sentiment is rooted in the fact that I will not be here next semester, but rather I will be cluttering the streets of Rome and studying with other HWS students, and will hopefully perfect and enhance my current half-hazard pronunciation of the Italian language. Knowing that I, in addition to many other students, will not be here to experience the weather here next semester, while it may be a harsh winter, gives me incentive to appreciate the nature up here in this frozen, but beautiful tundra.

Also, this semester seems to be extremely busy for everyone. I feel as though the amount of work professors have been giving out has increased, or I might just be experiencing Junior Year of college at its finest. Many clubs have been working rigorously to make this semester an eventful and productive one. HWS Media Club, LAO, CSA, CAB, NARAL, and Campus Greens, just to name a few, have successfully set up various engaging campus events, and to them we must be thankful. It’s important that more students join clubs like these because they work towards promoting a more diverse cultural campus experience, and it is vital that we keep their goals in mind. With this brief synopsis of the semester, from my point of view, I leave you all to enjoy the last few days of the semester, and think about how to make next semester just as enjoyable and productive. Signing off....

By Zinnia Gill ’10Herald contributor

8THE HERALD, FRIDAY, DecembeR 12, 2008

The Back Page

Sports

By Carrie Stevens ‘12Sports editorBy Carrie Stevens ‘12

Sports editor

Packed into the library’s Geneva Room on Friday the 5th, the dedicated fans of William Smith Soccer cheered the team on during the NCAA Division III Semifinal Game, held in Greensboro, North Carolina. Despite the chants from the supports back at home, the Herons were defeated by the Falcons of Messiah, 0-3.

Both teams were scoreless for the majority of the first half, but the Falcons scored their first goal six minutes before halftime. Messiah took a total of ten shots in the first period, while William Smith’s best look came from Sarah Tarantino, a first-year midfielder. On a breakaway twenty-six minutes into the game, Tarantino went one-on-one with Messiah’s goalie, but her shot was deflected.

In the second half, the Herons had another good look from Kate Redmond, a first-year forward, but were unable to convert. Messiah scored two goals in the second half, but first-year goalie Amanda Davis finished the game with seven saves. Although just barely missing a trip to the Finals, the future for the Herons is bright; look for William Smith to advance even further next year.

*Photo courtesy of HWS Athletics Website (taken by Kevin Colton and Justin Colton to the right).

Currently boasting an overall record of 9-4, Hobart’s Ice Hockey Team will play one more home game before Winter Recess. On Saturday the 13th, the Statesmen, ranked 11th in the nation, look to overthrow hockey powerhouse Oswego. The game begins at 4PM in The Cooler.

Off to a 3-2 start, the William Smith Basketball Team will compete two more times before traveling to Maine over Winter Break for the Bowdoin Classic Tournament. On Tuesday night, the Herons take on the Yellowjackets of the University of Rochester, who are currently ranked 4th in the nation. On Saturday the 13th, William Smith hosts

Cortland for their final home game of 2008.Bouncing back from a two-game losing

streak, Hobart’s Basketball Team defeated Wells College on the 6th, 74-62. Despite a large fan base for the Express, the Statesmen never trailed by more than one point during the course of the game. Back in action on Tuesday the 9th, Hobart squares off against the University of Rochester. Their last game of 2008 is away, against the Soaring Eagles of Elmira.

Traveling to Troy, NY for the annual Liberty League Championships, William Smith’s Swimming and Diving Team was paced by senior Lynn Cutter, who picked up a third place finish in the 500 yd. freestyle, as well as a sixth place finish in the 200 yd. freestyle. The Heron’s next meet is scheduled for January 20th, against the Tigers of RIT.

*Both pictures from HWS Athletics Website (both taken by Kevin Colton).

This Week in SportsHerons Come Up Short at Semifinal Match-Up

Senior forward Ali Art battles for possession of the ball during the NCAA Division III Semifinal Game.

Picking up one of his forty saves of the night, senior goalie Keith Longo stops a shot from a Manhattanville player.

Driving past her defender, senior guard Tasha Coney takes the ball to the hoop.

TOP

10funniestthingsheard

oncampus

2. Oh that’s going to be on Juicy Campus tomorrow!

1. Damn crows, I don’t want to be pooped on.

3. He’s got really bad hair. (Professor on Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich)

4. Wait, there’s a black man running for president? (Student days before the election.)

5. Lefties are just half a dead twin pair.

6. Why are these hippies taking away our trays?

7. Did you know that lefties live 7 years shorter than righties because power tools weren’t made for lefties?

8. We need poor people to do the crappy jobs.

9. Now you don’t see that in a middle school newspaper.

10. We were told that a Mandala houses deities-- no it really houses demons....of stress.

President Gearan reads The Herald...

Shouldn’t

YOU?

oct. 16, 2008

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