Skidmore Democrats host Meet-the-Candidates night for Democrats running in local elections: Students and Saratoga community meet with candidates to discuss local issues

Posted by Michael DuPr??

Six Democrats running for various positions in New York introduced themselves to students on Tuesday night to share their platforms and connect with the student body.

About 20 Skidmore students and Saratoga Springs residents attended the meeting.

John Silvestri, running for the supreme Court of New York's Fourth Judicial District, touted his 30 years of litigation experience in the Fourth District. If elected, he will strive to be an impartial justice who grants all constituents equal standing before their government.

Brent Wilkes, a candidate running for mayor of Saratoga Springs, spoke to audience members about his life working in public administration. If elected, he promises to make the city's government more transparent and to negotiate new contracts with the police and firefighters unions.

When asked about considering a citywide ban on hydrofracking, Wilkes said he had concerns about the practice and had yet to see evidence of any positive aspects of it.

Wilkes also stressed the need to consider all forms of transportation when new road construction occurs, and insisted that he is committed to sustainability, as part of the Cool Cities Initiative.

Chris Mathiesen is vying for public safety commissioner on the Saratoga Springs City Council and expressed his desire to keep Saratoga Springs a vibrant and safe community. One of his biggest tenets involves moving the last call in Saratoga Springs drinking establishments from 4 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Mathiesen said he believes Downtown Saratoga Springs becomes dangerous in the early morning, and making the last call earlier would reduce the cost of policing the area. He also supports defraying the policing costs by raising revenue from bars that choose to stay open late.

Michele Madigan, who is running for commissioner of finance, pledged a commitment to an accurate budget. If elected, she promises to properly manage the city's budget and to reduce the number of line transfers in the budget and create a three- to five-year budget plan. 

Joanne Yepsen is running for re-election for her fourth term as the Saratoga County supervisor. She thanked students for their collaboration with sustainability groups and encouraged them to vote for all of the Democratic candidates present at the meeting.

Students responded positively to the efforts candidates made to address issues important to the student body. "I think that it is important that the candidates acknowledge that Skidmore is part of Saratoga Springs," Roz Freeman '12 said. "I appreciated Joanne Yepsen's openness and how much she clearly wanted to work with Skidmore students."

Emma Kurs '12 was also appreciative of the chance to hear the candidates' personal stories and plans. "I like that some of the candidates proposed holding office hours and informal conversations with constituents, and generally increasing transparency in the governing process. It was great to meet the candidates in person and hear directly from them because there is not much information online," Kurs said.

"It can be difficult at times to interest students in local politics," said Bryn Schockmel '12, president of Skidmore Democrats, "so it was really nice to have so many students come, and ask the political candidates important questions about the environment and other issues."

Students who are registered to vote in Saratoga Springs can participate in the next general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Registered voters will be able to vote at the Case Center polling from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Registrations must be completed by this Friday, Oct. 14, in order to vote this November. Vote registration booths can be found in the Atrium. 

Lollie Abramson: new coordinator of Jewish student life

Posted by Katherine Cavanaugh

Lollie Abramson has just taken up her seat as the new coordinator of Jewish Student Life and Interfaith Programming at Skidmore. Abramson is still in the process of navigating her position, but she hopes "to try to put into place any activity, educational or religious experience that the students want."

The conflict over this year's Big Show falling on Yom Kippur added to the hectic nature of her first couple of months on the job. "The point of Yom Kippur is to re-examine the self and ask for forgiveness," Abramson said. Rather than dwell on the hurt feelings over the date of TV on the Radio's performance, Abramson chooses to see this event as an opportunity for dialogue, and increased understanding and awareness among all different groups on campus.

Abramson is focused on creating and sustaining an environment of mutual respect and tolerance, and she complimented the way that the student body chose to respectfully discuss the issue with the help of Fight Club. "Talking is good, but listening is even better," Abramson said.

Abramson is impressed by Hillel and Shabbat dinners on campus, but she does hope to make changes to Jewish life on campus. Two specific ideas since her arrival include a birthright trip to Israel for Skidmore students and a program for Skidmore students to study abroad in Israel. "The interest is there," said Abramson, "it will take some time." There are budgeting and organization issues at this time, but there are already some ideas in the planning phase.

Before arriving at Skidmore, Abramson worked for 32 years as a public educator for the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. When she started there in the ‘70s, there was a great deal of resistance in society to the idea of mainstreaming, or integrating, people with disabilities into the community. Through a variety of education programs, such as skits, puppet shows and presentations for students of all ages, Abramson strove to help people better understand different disabilities and overcome stigma.

Abramson was tempted from retirement by the opportunity to combine her passion for increasing acceptance, her love of her Jewish heritage and the prospect of working in an "invigorating" college environment. Although she loves college students and living near a college town, you aren't likely to run into Abramson at a restaurant in downtown Saratoga Springs. It's not because she doesn't support her local economy (she frequently attends concerts at SPAC), but simply because she's a very good cook.

Abramson's other interests include gardening in the summer, quilt making in the winter and reading all year round. As a resident of Schuylerville and a member of the greater Saratoga community, Abramson appreciates Skidmore's presence. She's attended many lectures on campus and worked part time in admissions. When she used to interview potential Skidmore applicants, Abramson would ask them the names of their three favorite books. "It's come full circle," she said, "I'm asking Skidmore students for book recommendations again."

Abramson is interested in any ideas about enhancing Jewish life on campus, or a book recommendation. " I am here and available," Abramson said. Her office is located in Case 309. 

Restaurant Review: Little India: Try a little spice and sizzle off the beaten path

Posted by Tegan O'Neill

Although Little India is certainly not the most magical Indian restaurant I've ever been to, it does have its charms. In order to reach its door, you have to walk off the beaten path and into a dreamy part of Saratoga. It looks exactly how you would picture a restaurant called "Little India" to look. The small building nestled on Court Street is emblazoned with the unimaginative yet certainly informative name.

The interior decor is cozy in its gloominess. The dining room's ceiling is spangled with random decorations hanging from the light sockets that make no real sense. The sound level is so quiet that it is practically mute. At the table two away from ours, I could hear the chicken tandoori sizzling on its bed of foil..

As soon as I sit down I think of all the things I would do for a bottomless glass of mango lassi. This yogurt-based drink is mostly dominated by the sweet taste of dairy. It is splashed (not drowned) with the flavor of mango. Little India served their version over ice which was a somewhat unusual approach. It was certainly effective in keeping the drink cold, but the ice made the drink thinner and waterier than one might enjoy.

Placing my order turned into a drawn-out ordeal because I had to ensure a range of ingredients that exhibited a swath of flavors. Our waitress didn't raise an eyebrow as we probed her for advice about what to order from the menu. Upon her recommendation, we decided upon one chicken, one lamb, and one vegetable dish plus two orders of naan. (Obviously, we would have to get naan.) We also ordered a specialty naan just to spice things up a bit.

Our three entrees were served in three little silver pots that did not appear to hold very much. With Indian food, though, looks can be deceiving. The spread looked small, but what was in those pots went a long way when portioned over rice. Looks are also deceiving when it comes to presentation. The entrees all looked fairly similar; they were all portioned into bowls of the same size and their colors were all variations on a theme. The glory of Indian cuisine, however, lies in the spice and the sauce not in the way it has been propped and positioned on the plate.

The naan was so warm that it sizzled in my fingers as I pulled it apart. Its finest attribute certainly was its chewiness. It was fantastic on its own, but it also worked quite well to mop up any remnants of sauce. The Peshawari Naan (leavened bread stuffed with nuts, raisins, and coconut) was deliciously sweet but slightly disappointing because I couldn't spot any of the advertised nuts or raisins. I did enjoy the generous covering of coconut, though as it paired well with the spices in the rest of the meal. I usually rely heavily on tamarind sauce to offset the spiciness of an Indian meal but sadly, Little India didn't supply our table with any.

Hands down, my favorite of the three entrees was the Chicken Tikka Masala (boneless roasted chicken in a creamed tomato sauce). It boasts a creamy, rich tomato-based sauce that explodes with magnificent flavors. What's not to love? Little India's masala hit the spot.

Granted, the sauce of the Lamb Jalfrezi (lamb cooked with vegetables and Indian spices) was pretty unappealing to the eye. Again, don't be fooled. The taste was actually quite delicate. The dish offered a medley of flavors that I found vaguely reminiscent of Korean food. It was mildly sweet and felt as though it was laced with chili. All things considered, it was unlike most other Indian dishes I have tried.

The Mutter Paneer (flavorful blend of homemade cheese and green peas lightly seasoned with fresh herbs) was neither rich nor spectacularly flavorful like the masala but it was satisfyingly hearty. The eating experience was dominated by the sensation of popping peas. The peas dominated the dish but being frozen peas, their domination was not all too tasty. As for the paneer cheese, it can only be described as looking like and tasting like tofu. Essentially, it lacks its own flavor and thus soaks up the other flavors in the dish.

Dessert at Little India was a laughable proposition. After the meal, I was positively filled to the brim. Then again, I didn't stop eating until I had literally polished every last speck of food off my plate.

Read more of Tegan O'Neill's outings at her blog.

One month later relief efforts continue

Posted by Elizabeth Hopkins

On Sept. 28 and Sept. 29 Skidmore hosted a two-day donation drive for Hurricane Irene flood relief efforts in the surrounding areas. By early Wednesday night many donations were already being made in the lobby of JKB Theatre. The drive was planned for Rosh Hashanah as a way to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

Bernhard Theatre was filled with plastic bags and cardboard boxes sitting in stacks of various sizes and crowded around a whiteboard that read: IRENE FLOOD DONATIONS HERE. Within the bags were various items: foodstuffs, toiletries, cleansers, water and countless other necessities, all waiting to be carted to Cobleskill, a town located one hour and 15 minutes away from the college.

The rabbis leading the service, both from Temple Sinai, are half of the team running this charity, working in partnership with the Giving Circle, an international organization dedicated to providing aid to those in need. In addition, Skidmore Hillel (the Jewish student organization on campus), the Office of Community Service and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life sponsored the drive.

The small charity is just one of many recent efforts made to counteract the devastation of the flood, which damanged many small towns in upstate New York.

"Cobleskill was one of the worst-hit towns in the area," said Lollie Abramson, one of the organizers of the drive.

Schoharie County, where Cobleskill is located, was severely damaged by the flood, and many houses and businesses suffered severe water damage. Major roadways that were washed away in the storm are still in need of repair.

In the town of Schoharie, the floodwaters left layers of mud covering everything, from people's houses to backyards and farms. Fields of corn were destroyed and harvests were too waterlogged to produce profit.

The efforts of local organizations such as the Giving Circle have helped to ameliorate the effects of the hurricane. Even massive corporations such as Dunkin' Donuts have initiatives to help. The branch in Albany, NY announced on September 20 that it would be collecting charity throughout the region to help the aid efforts through Oct. 2.

The Red Cross has been continually active in helping those in need throughout the area over the past month. In the upstate region alone, 180 people remain homeless even a month after the storm, and the Red Cross continues to support thousands of individuals in need of food and other supplies.

Last week, Proctors Theater of Schenectady hosted a benefit concert, the proceeds of which were sent to the Red Cross to help relief efforts.

Here on campus, the charitable goods will travel to Cobleskill. There, the Schoharie County Committee Action Program will disperse the goods amongst those in need..

Lollie Abramson will still collect donations in room 309 in Case Center for students who are interested in contributing to the relief efforts.

"Anything you can give, whether it be $5 or a gift card, especially to any grocery stores or places like Home Depot or Lowe's, would be greatly appreciated," Abramson said.

Harvest Dinner features the best of locally grown food: The Skidmore student garden hosts dinner to promote local eating

Posted by Michael DuPr??

On Sunday Oct. 6, Skidmore's student garden and the Environmental Action Club hosted its annual Harvest Dinner to promote food grown locally in the Saratoga area and in Skidmore's student garden. Falstaff's was transformed into a dining hall for an evening of locally grown cuisine.

Tables were garnished with locally grown squashes and greens. The recipes were also festive and inspired by the harvest from Skidmore's student garden. The variety of flavors, colors and textures made the meal enjoyable  Student volunteers served their peers and were knowledgeable about the origins of every part of the meal. Falstaffs had a warm, communal atmosphere, and more than 200 students attended. 

The Harvest Dinner was free, but a $5 dollar donation was suggested for those attending.

"The purpose of the suggested donation is twofold. We would like students to recognize that eating locally is worth a few dollars and also to support locally grown food," said Gabby Stern '13 manager of the Skidmore student garden.

The donation did not deter student participation. "It is encouraging to see how many students came," Stern said.

The intention of the dinner was to make students more aware of where their food is coming from. A few students cited the expensive cost as a reason why they do not eat more local foods. After the dinner many students interviewed expressed a desire to eat more locally grown food.

Angela Cascone'12 said she appreciated the wider variety of dishes offered at this year's Harvest Dinner compared to those of years past. "I cannot say that I know the origins of every part of my meal, but I'm mindful to include locally grown food whenever possible. If you know where your food is coming from, you are more aware of what it is that you are eating," Cascone said. 

 The dinner included dozens of tasty dishes, such as roasted acorn squash with beets and carrots, eggplant tomato bake and focaccia with basil spread. For dessert, the guests were treated to apple crisp, spiced with nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice. 

"I would like the garden to grow to the point where it could meet the demands that Skidmore students have for locally grown food," Orli Handmaker '13 said.

Several student bands, including Beard-O, Mugsy Boges and Artifacts played at the dinner. "We are playing for a great cause and our organic rooty sound really lends itself well to the Harvest Dinner," said Josh Speers '14, bassist for Beard-O.  

Talia Arnow ‘13, a leader of the Waste Working Group, informed the diners that all food waste, including that from the preparation, would be placed in the Northwoods compost unit to be reused in the Skidmore student garden. The Waste Working Group is a branch of EAC working to reduce waste through composting and other projects.

Members of Environmental Action Club (EAC) and the Skidmore student gardeners went to great lengths  to make the evening possible. Students spared no effort to make the evening a success from planting, tending the garden, harvesting the vegetables, cooperating with local farmers and preparing the meal. "I am impressed with how multitalented our students are," Stern said. "I want people to get involved!"

Stern, on behalf of the Skidmore student garden and the Environmental Action Club extended  a special thanks to Skidmore's Dining Services. Its concrete support for this dinner and local eating in general continues to be invaluable. 

At one point during the dinner, when it became clear that everything had come together as planned, Stern was moved to tears. "This is a very happy moment," she said. 

A look at study abroad in Christchurch New Zealand: The aftermath of the earthquake for Skidmore students in New Zealand

Posted by Kelsey Nichols

The devastating effects of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 65 people in Christchurch, New Zealand in February 2011 were featured on news programs across the globe. The effects of this disaster reached closer to home than many imagined, as some of Skidmore's own students were only minutes from the epicenter of the quake.

Ellie Nichols, '13 an International Affairs major, was sitting in her New Zealand politics class when the quake suddenly hit. "The ground started shaking and I heard a deep rumbling. Papers were falling and tables were shifting. The girl next to me dove underneath her desk and then I did the same thing," Nichols said. 

Nichols had been a student at the University of Canterbury through the Institute for the International Education of Students program, or IES, for only one day before life in New Zealand was disrupted. After the quake, aftershocks continued to rattle the town with enough strength to make cars sway on their axles.

Approximately 90 percent of Canterbury's campus infrastructure was completely or at least partially destroyed. There was no clean drinking water, and students were not able to use ATMs, which contributed to a growing sense of chaos on campus.

Nichols was lucky enough to have been traveling through New Zealand for a month before classes started and she had made some friends in Nelson, a city about four hours from Christchurch.

Her friends were kind enough to come pick her up as well as some of her friends. She was brought to an area away from the aftershocks and "housed in a school bus that was filled with mattresses and surfboards," Nichols said.

The IES program was not created to deal with situations of such huge proportions and three days after the earthquake, the University sent out an announcement that there would be no more classes for the semester.

"I was lucky to have an exit strategy with one of my local friends, however I think IES abroad should have handled the situation better. Those who didn't have an immediate exit strategy had to spend one, maybe two nights in Christchurch while the aftershocks continued. Eventually IES organized an escape to a dude ranch retreat center in the South, but this was quite delayed," Nichols said. 

Some students were given the opportunity to transfer to the University of Auckland, but there were limited  options besides making the trip home. Skidmore's insurance policy for abroad studies is comprehensive and Skidmore students were fully reimbursed. Other IES students were not so lucky and have not been reimbursed at all.

Jon Reeves '12 was also in Christchurch and faced changes to his abroad experience. "I transferred from Christchurch to Wellington. The curriculum was basically the same, I just had to change a few classes. I had more amenities in Christchurch, whereas I lived in a dorm in Wellington, but the main difference was that I was living with Americans before the move," Reeves said. 

"I had to get used to a city where I was starting out later in the semester and only had a few months to be there," said Reeves of the move. "It was difficult networking in a foreign country, finding rides and friends with similar interests." "Because I wasn't with Americans after the move it turned out to be much more a test of putting myself out there and facing rejection. It was definitely more of a challenge, but also more of an adventure," Reeves said.

The semester did not go to waste for Nichols, but she decided not to stay in New Zealand. Nichols went back home to Denver, CO and did some freelance fashion work, which culminated in her securing an internship in Paris for a fashion photo production company, Brachfeld-Paris, which was founded by a Skidmore Alumnus.

The natural disaster in NZ has not deterred Nichols from going abroad. She plans on heading to Florence in the spring of 2012.

"Paris was an incredible experience. Although I was bummed to lose my semester in Christchurch, I wouldn't have been able to seize the Paris opportunity if I was still abroad," Nichols said.  

Nichols still encourages people to study in New Zealand. "It's just so incredibly beautiful. I mean, it's where the Lord of the Rings is filmed which is pretty awesome."

"One thing to watch is how Christchurch will rebuild its beautiful city center. Some say this might be the opportunity to see what real, sustainable development looks like. It is a rare occasion to be able to rebuild a city with the technological developments of the 21st century and Christchurch may become an example of this high tech development," Nichols said. 

Nichols hopes to return to New Zealand someday. "Part of me hopes to plan a fantastic destination wedding there." Evidently, the appeal of New Zealand can outlast even an earthquake.  

Cornell scholar to lecture on campus

Posted by Sarah Barry

Bernadette A. Meyler, Professor of English and Law at Cornell University, will give the Ronald J. Fiscus Lecture on Constitutional Law on Thursday, Oct. 6. Her lecture, titled "Common Law Originalism: Constructing Constitutional Meaning from Transatlantic Legal Contexts," starts at 8 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium, located in Palamountain hall.

Meyler's articles have been published in several journals and law reviews. She is also currently working on two books, "Common Law Originalism" and "Theatres of Pardoning: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty from Shakespeare to Hobbes." Meyler received a Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic studies, as well as a Chancellor Fellowship to complete a doctorate in English at the University of California, Irvine. She also clerked for the Hon. Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit following law school.

The Fiscus Lecture was established in 1991 by the Government Department to honor Ronald J. Fiscus, a member of Skidmore's faculty from 1980 until his death in 1990. Fiscus was instrumental in the development of the law and society minor at Skidmore and was a specialist in constitutional law.

A Friday full of folk and funk with the Ryan Montbleau Band at Putnam Den: Ryan Montbleau band embraces different styles at Putnam Den

Posted by Dale Obbie

On Sept. 23, the Ryan Montbleau Band returned to Putnam Den, filling the venue with its faithful fans. The band members have played at this venue a handful of times over the past few years, so the full house was not a surprise. Their last show in Saratoga Springs was in late April. Montbleau—on top of a stool and grinning with his acoustic guitar under his arm— radiated just as much warmth as he did last spring.

But this time around the band featured its new lead guitarist, Lyle Brewer, who joined last spring, replacing longtime viola player Laurence Scudder. Since then, the band's music has taken on a slightly different character, leaning more toward rock and funk than the rootsy Americana that showcased Scudder's viola playing so well.

But it's hard to pigeonhole Montbleau's music—he embraces styles ranging from jangly Delta blues to reggae. For the most part, his music bounces back and forth between feel-good folksiness and foot-stomping funk, and sometimes it lands somewhere in between the two. But no matter what you want to call it, it's always soulful.

Unsurprisingly, Montbleau drew from a variety of genres, beginning with the song "Inspired by No One", which featured a bouncy solo from organist Jason Cohen accompanied by Montbleau's funky acoustic guitar chords. Bassist Matt Giannaros plunked a head-bobbing riff on his sleek electric upright bass, giving the song the playful vibe of a Jackson 5 song. The soul-tinged popiness of it then gave way to a danceable Americana swing that verged on bluegrass.

The next song was equally lively and sounded like a fusion of funk and rock, thanks to Brewer's gritty guitar playing. This gave way to "Songbird," a thumping reggae tune that brought the crowd closer to the stage. Giannaros switched to his bass guitar, shaking the building with its low notes, while Montbleau's cheerfully lilting voice made the song's title seem appropriate.

Having gained the crowd's attention, Montbleau sang a few folk songs to his rapt audience, accompanied by no more than his own acoustic guitar. He seemed to be just as confident alone on stage as he was with the support of his band and, despite the bluesiness of his songs, he still gave off the same joyful aura.

After returning with beers, Montbleau's band mates jumped into some full-force funk. Ryan set his guitar down, stood up and belted out some far-reaching vocals, sounding more like a '70s soul singer than a young singer-songwriter.

Montbleau brought something for everybody that night, from the people up front dancing to the irresistibly funky bass lines, to those in the back of the crowd, bobbing their heads quietly to his contemplative folk songs. Hopefully he will return soon and once again spread his love for all types of music.

Kiki Smith photography show intrigues and surprises at the Tang: The travelling show is Smith's first photography exhibit

Posted by Rebecca Workman

For the first time, the photographs of sculptor Kiki Smith take center stage in "I Myself Have Seen It," an exhibition at the Tang Teaching Museum that will run until Dec. 30. The travelling exhibition, currently at its third of four venues, signifies Smith's focus on the body and displays her spin-offs on stories such as "Little Red Riding Hood."

Smith, the daughter of minimalist sculptor Tony Smith, is most acclaimed for her sculptures. While this is Smith's first photography exhibit, the artist has been taking photographs her entire career. Rachel Seligman, associate curator of the Tang Museum, said that photographs are tools in Smith's artistic practice. These photographs act as portals into Smith's complex thought process. Elizabeth Brown, chief curator of University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery, said that they "flow seamlessly into the next, just as Smith's work itself meanders from one focus to the next."

During a curator's tour at the Tang on Sept. 21, Seligman said, "[Smith] is not interested in making what is traditionally a good photograph." Starting with the layout of the exhibition itself, Smith has thousands of 4x6 photographs lining the bottom of the walls, forming a border to the exhibit. These 4x6 photos not only relate to each other, but also correspond to the works displayed above. In each cluster of the larger photographs, which are displayed in different forms, you may find that a piece of art has strayed toward the ceiling from its cluster (don't forget to look up.)

Many of Smith's photographs display her earlier work in other mediums. However, they are not used as a form of documentation. These photographs show Smith's work in a different light. They force viewers to look at her creations from different angles or by focusing on only a certain part of a sculpture. Smith skillfully uses light, angle, color and borders to capture the attention of the viewer and to express certain moods and messages. She has also mastered the use of foreground and background, as well as focus, in her photographs to convey specific points of view.

Although she has been generally recognized as a feminist artist, Seligman notes that, "while a lot of her work speaks to feminist issues, it is unfair to classify her as a feminist artist."

There will be curator's tour at noon both Oct. 25 and Nov. 15. Kiki Smith will be appearing at the Tang to speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 3. The exhibition will next move to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Scottsdale, AZ.

Celebration of the New' collaborative performance Oct. 2 at Zankel Music Center: Artists-in-Residence collaborate on flute and piano program

Posted by Julia Leef

A free public "Celebration of the New" concert featuring Senior Artist in-Residence Jan Vinci, flute, and Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Pola Baytelman, piano, is scheduled at 3 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Arthur Zankel Music Center.

This concert will feature works by such American composers as Jennifer Higdon's "Flute Poetic," which was commissioned by Vinci and Baytelman for the opening of Zankel and premiered last fall.

Also to be performed are George Crumb's "Little Suite for Christmas," Lowell Liebermann's "Gargoyles," Mark Vinci's "Crow's Nest," Joseph Fennimore's "Old Soft Shoe," Katherine Hoover's "Medieval Suite" and Jennifer Higdon's "Flute Poetic," a three-movement sonata that attributes equal importance to the flute and to the piano. Its first movement was written expressly for Vinci and Baytelman.

Higdon taught herself to play the flute when she was 15 before beginning her formal musical studies at 18. She did not begin to compose music until 21, and since then she has become a major figure in contemporary classical music with a range of genres from orchestral to chamber and from choral and vocal to wind ensemble. She specializes in commissions and won the Pulitzer Prize for her work in 2010.

Vinci is a soloist as well as a member of the ensemble, most recently in the flute and harp duo Iridescence and for 10 years with Tritonis, a trio composed of a flute, guitar and cello. She has commissioned more than 20 words of new music since 1988.

The second performer, Baytelman, debuted with the Chilean Symphony Orchestra at 17, and has played with other orchestras since, such as the Chilean Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Pops.

For advanced reservations for the concert, visit www.skidmore.edu/zankel or call the box office at (518) 580-8381 for more information.

Arabists address students before big move to Middle East: Expert opinion on the Arab Spring from Sumita Pahwa and Steve Negus

Posted by Brendan James

On Sept. 27 in Davis Auditorium, former Skidmore professor Sumita Pahwa and her husband, journalist Steve Negus, delivered a special lecture on the recent revolutions in the Arab world.

The couple shares an expertise in Arab politics, Pahwa through her academic research and Negus through his field reporting. Both are preparing to move to Egypt this year in order to follow the Arab Spring, the moniker for the wave of political changes sweeping the Middle East and North Africa.

Negus, a reporter who has spent 13 years in the region, focused much of his talk on the unlikely realization of the Libyan revolution that began this February. Having covered the events in Libya on the ground for different publications including "The Economist" Negus offered students both analysis and personal testimony on the delicate success of the revolution.

"Libya defied a lot of expectations," Negus said. He reminded the audience that many experts argued only soft dictatorships like Mubarak's Egypt could undergo such an upheaval, not a more repressive regime such as Col. Qaddafi's. Negus also stressed the anticipation for a country as large as Libya to quickly descend into tribal conflict, an outcome that it has still, if tentatively, avoided.

But Negus is still as cautious as anyone when it comes to the permanent stability of the new regime. "Right now the main danger would be if enough people with enough guns did not recognize the new centralized government," he said.

Next Pahwa took to the podium and shifted focus to the heart of the Arab world, Egypt. With her background in studying the country's main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, she addressed the Islamists' status following the revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak in February.

After providing a background of Egypt's religious and political history and the Brotherhood's place within it, Pahwa addressed the question of the group's involvement in the Revolution. According to Pahwa, generational and political divides within the group itself caused it to lag behind most of the secular protestors despite the Brotherhood's long reputation as Egypt's only political opposition.

During the question-and-answer session, topics included the new media climate in Egypt, the timing of NATO's intervention in Libya, and new approaches toward Islamism in the Arab world – some of which borrow from trends quite familiar to those attending Skidmore.

"You have these new sorts of Salafi [traditionalist] preachers, young ones, who are called ‘Salafi hipsters.' They hang out in coffee shops and try to connect to youth through that kind of fashion and lifestyle."

The thing to watch for now, Pahwa says, is what the Islamists try to do during Egypt's transition to democracy.

"Whenever someone is writing a new set of rules for a country after a revolution, everyone stands to gain a lot and lose a lot," she said. Liberal and secular groups are just as wary of the Brotherhood as they are of the army that has currently taken the reins of the nation. Completing her thesis at Johns Hopkins University on the Brotherhood, Pahwa has more than enough to research in Egypt's new political climate.

In a time of great change, uncertainty and potential chaos, Pahwa and Negus will be settling in to their new home in Cairo, ready for it all. "We will hopefully be there to catch some of the fun," Pahwa said.

EAC hosts event for Moving Planet: Skidmore's Archimedean enviromental group attempts to 'Move the Planet'

Posted by Michael DuPr??

The relative silence that usually marks a weekend afternoon on the Case Green was interrupted this Saturday by music, dance and students organizing for climate action.

The goal of the day was to support a transition from fossil fuels to other forms of energy.  "Today, Moving Planet, is an international day of climate action.  We are urging leaders to sign legislation to fund clean energy," said Gabby Stern '13, EAC member and steward of the Skidmore Student Garden. 

Several scores of Skidmore students took part in the festivities. The day's events included a clothing swap, music, petitions for a statewide ban hydrofracking on and the aerial picture to send to the international organization 350.org. The event also provided food and drink from Saratoga Apple, postcards to send to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and information about what action Skidmore was taking for clean energy and water equality.

Opposition to the natural gas extraction method called hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, was a major motif of Saturday's rally.  Hydrofracking is a process in which water and other chemicals are pressurized and injected into the ground to release pockets of natural gas that are trapped in shale. 

"This is a water equality issue," said Eliza Sherpa '12, the vice president of the EAC.  "The Watersheds of New York City and Syracuse are protected against hydrofracking.  All New Yorkers deserve the same rights," Sherpa said.    

Students, some of whom were being exposed to the issue for the first time, held signs that read "Ban Hydrofracking," "I Vote for Clean Water" and, of course,  "Get the Frack Out."

Event organizers encouraged participants to sign a petition to be presented to Governor Cuomo.  The position cited health concerns and other potential damages and advised the governor to enact a permanent ban on all hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in New York State. 

Sherpa spoke with conviction and optimism about the EAC's changing focus. "This year, we are becoming more campaign oriented.  We are mobilizing Skidmore to be part of this political movement.   Hopefully we are building up the youth movement in New York and the country," Sherpa said. "Show that we are going to fight," Sherpa added.

Not everyone felt called to action by Saturday's gathering on the Case Green. "Students like these pledge to be changing the world, but are really just conforming to politicized movements that they know little about," said Michael Kraines '12.  "I hate to see my friends joining," he added.

As the event drew to a close, interested students continued to arrive.  "As a latecomer, I am a little disappointed by the turnout.  The event is for a great cause and I am fully supportive.  I hope that people will be convinced to act," Ripley Sager '12 said.

What's all the Fracking Fuss?: Lois Gibbs Encourages Action Against Hydrofracking

Posted by Roz Freeman

On Monday, Sept. 19 in Gannet Auditorium, Lois Gibbs spoke on hydrofracking, community organizing and the importance of holding the government accountable for issues of environmental injustice. It was a talk that left the majority of the audience deeply moved and inspired to act.

Professor Eric Morser of the history department introduced Gibbs. He started off the talk with an activist tone, encouraging students to live through deeds and not only words. "Think of yourselves as citizens of the community," Morser said.

Lois Gibbs spoke to the audience directly, drawing them in as she told her personal, heart-wrenching story of how, in 1978, she became involved in fighting for environmental justice with the infamous Love Canal chemical and health disaster in Niagara Falls.

After the catastrophe, Gibbs' young children became sick with illnesses such as epilepsy, asthma and urinary track infections. After Niagara Falls Gazette reporter Michael Brown wrote an article about the toxic waste dump site in town, Gibbs realized that the chemicals in the water were to blame. In 1953, a piece of land with 20,000 tons of toxic waist was sold to the Niagara Falls School Board for $1 and was disregarded.

"How dare they! How dare they made a decision about my little girl or boy living or dying!" Gibbs yelled. The current trends in hydrofracking mirror the serious reality of water poisoning in Niagara Falls.

"These close-to-home painful situations are the ways we will find out about fracking. They knew they were being poisoned," Gibbs said.

Lois went on to explain the finer points of hydrofracking. To extract natural gas from shale below the earth's surface, companies drill a vertical well that turns horizontal as it hits the shale. A mixture of water and chemicals (companies are not obligated and therefore do not disclose all information about which chemicals are used) is pumped down the well to break out the methane bubbles from the shale. The gas companies do not remove all of the water and chemicals — at least 30 percent is left in the ground, poisoning the water and the land.

"Hydrofracking is supposed to be the solution to climate change, but methane is the second most potent greenhouse gas," Gibbs said. She also explains that fracking does not help the U.S. with energy independence, as we are sending most of the hydrofracked natural gas abroad, often to Asia.

Gibbs did not shy away from calling this a political battle. "New York City, Syracuse and Buffalo's watersheds are frack free. That's where the New York State votes are, that's where they decide not to poison," Gibbs said.

Gibbs encouraged the audience to continually ask New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo about fracking. "Make it politically right for the politician to do the right thing." Gibbs ended by crying out, "Let's go out an kick some butt, because that is what it takes."

During the Q&A period, Gibbs gave some tips on organizing and getting people to care about the issue. She told the audience to ask others what they cared about, and then use it toward the environmental organization. She emphasized the power of youth, campus movements and the importance of supporting each other's initiatives.

Students reacted to the talk with both criticism and sympathy. "I was hoping the lecture would have had a little more information on the specifics of hydrofracking, but that information is pretty accessible online, so I see where she's coming from," said Andrew Lloyd '12. "I think it's awesome that the school was able to bring a speaker with such an impressive resume. If nothing else, this lecture inspired me to go out and find out more about the hydrofracking question."

Organizations that are currently fighting against fracking include Frack Action, Capital District Against Fracking, Water Equality and Environmental Advocates of New York. Anyone can become part of the anti-fracking movement. "Once fracking poisons the water, it is a disaster," Gibbs said.  

Racing in the streets: Skidmore's women's tennis team joins the Saratoga Palio Half Marathon

Posted by Sarah Barry

On Saturday morning at 6:20 a.m. the Skidmore women's tennis team assembled to join other volunteers for the Saratoga Springs Palio Half Marathon. The 13.1 mile race traveled through campus and ended with the final stretch down Broadway.

Natally Mendoza '13, the tennis team co-captain, was pleased with the turnout for the event."It was great to see the range of ages, from 12 to the oldest runner. There was a lot of determination, people were pushing each other and although it was individual, people were also supportive," she said.

The half marathon is titled the Saratoga Palio Melanie Merola O'Donnell Memorial Race. It honors a local resident who spent her life volunteering. The day also included a 5K, which began just after the official start of the half marathon. The races serve to honor Melanie and the causes she supported.

"I was at the water station around the 12 mile mark, so it was an intense part of the race. Everyone was really grateful for the volunteers, and it made me feel great," said Tory Engros '12, tennis team co-captain.

Thomas O'Grady age 26, of Latham, NY won the half marathon with a time of 1:11:29, and Shaun Donegan, age 25, of Saratoga Springs won the 5K with a time of 16:30. There were 830 finishers in the half marathon and 429 in the 5K. Ages ranged from 12 to 70 for the participants of the half marathon.

"The race was well run and well organized with good fan support, but it still had a small town feel," said Ben Shanks, another half marathon runner.

"It was nice running through Skidmore and seeing my friends cheering me on - that's really important for a runner," Carly Sacks '12 said.

Saturday morning offered cool but clear weather for the race and there were many families and spectators waiting in downtown Saratoga. "It was great to see so many people out there giving it their all, and to see so many people running in teams for causes," Hannah Brechka '12 said.

Food for thought: Veganism isn't only a personal pursuit?it just might save the planet

Posted by Eva Hagan

"You ask people why they have deer heads on the wall. They always say, ‘because it's such a beautiful animal.' There you go. I think my mother's attractive, but I have photographs of her." –Ellen DeGeneres

It seems like these days we're plagued by a thousand different environmental calamities in our backyard, each asking for its own solution. And who are we to pick and choose which matter and which don't? At times I find myself so overwhelmed that all I want to do is go hide in a tent in the North Woods.

But I don't. I've decided to take a step forward in reducing my carbon footprint, one bigger than canvas shopping bags or shutting the lights off (though these are important, too!). I've chosen to reject the meat, egg, dairy, leather and wool industries and instead invest my consumer dollars elsewhere. I've chosen veganism.

In 2006, the U.N. found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all of the transportation industry combined. Cattle are, in fact, the largest source of methane emissions, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide — something certainly not helped by the largely corn-based diet we insist on feeding cows in this country.

Beyond greenhouse gases, the runoff from livestock yards and other industries presents a large problem for water quality. Manure from meat and dairy cows contains nitrates, phosphates, antibiotics and other unpleasant things, which affects water quality in a variety of different ways such as algal blooms, which can cause eutrophication and essentially kill a particular ecosystem.

It's also paramount to move our food system back to one that is locally based. Rather than letting the things on your plate travel thousands of miles, buying vegetables from farmers' markets and growing your own make a significant difference by reducing the fossil fuels necessary to transport them. Who's to say you can't be local AND vegan? Simultaneously rejecting the resource-intensive processes of dairy and egg farming and the travel of one's tomatoes from South America is an important choice.

This article is only a brief introduction to veganism with some food for thought. And even if such an abstemious diet isn't for you, being equipped to make informed decisions and reducing your consumption of factory-farmed meat, eggs, dairy, wool and leather are important as well.

For more information please check out:

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm

A new era for the Skidmore News: The campus authority transitions to an online-only format

Posted by the Editorial Board

On this Friday evening it seems timely to use both this space and this time of the week to publicly address the changes in The Skidmore News effective this semester.

Up until this academic year, every Friday would see the distribution of a fresh printed edition of our newspaper on campus. Now, however, our editorial board is pursuing a new direction for the publication, the most noticeable consequence being the transition to an online-only format.

On a provisional basis for this semester, we have set out to retire the weekly print edition and produce this online-only publication, with new content posted five days a week. Should we fail miserably, the print edition may return next semester, but we have high hopes for our new model.

The industry of print journalism has been struggling for years, competing with the proliferation of 24-hour cable news, the Internet and the resulting accelerated news cycle. Collegiate journalism has remained something of a stronghold for printed news – we have no cable networks to compete with, and no obligation to be profitable.

Nonetheless, we believe we can deliver something better. Publishing weekly has put us perpetually behind the eight ball with regard to the timeliness of our news. Far too often we have been late to the proverbial party, or have missed it entirely. Furthermore, every week we would pour an enormous amount of time and resources into designing our print issue, time that could be better spent generating content.

No one is sadder to see the print edition fall by the wayside than we are. The future, however, is bright. We are going to be able to be able to publish more content in a timelier manner. We will be a more involved presence on campus. By not publishing a print edition, we will also be saving a few hundred pounds of paper each week. (We apologize to any papier-mâché enthusiasts who feel slighted by our environmental responsibility.)

Our website, www.skidmorenews.com, will see new content posted at least five days a week. You can also receive Twitter updates from @TheSkidmoreNews, or find us on Facebook. Additionally, in the coming weeks we will be launching a dedicated mobile reader, available in both the Apple App Store and the Android Market. Finally, even though there will not be a new paper to read every Friday, we will send out emails featuring the biggest stories of the week.

The loss of our print product is a sad moment, but it is also a stirring one. We have the opportunity to do something exciting, something beneficial to the college community as a whole, and something that we hope will ultimately improve The Skidmore News as an organization and as a news source. We appreciate your feedback and your continued readership.

Lost in the Farmers' Market

Posted by Margaret Myers

Each Saturday morning at 103 High Rock Ave, vendors at the Saratoga Farmers' Market sell a variety of fruits, vegetables, plants and crafts. The Market is in its 33rd year and this summer was voted one of the top five farmers' markets in the country for 2010. The market includes over 50 vendors and is a short drive, walk or bus ride from campus.

Within minutes of arriving, it becomes clear why the Saratoga Farmers' Market has earned acclaim. This Saturday, my friends and I wandered among the tables: we stopped to pick up cups of freshly brewed iced tea; to listen to live acoustic guitar; and to admire the colorful heirloom tomatoes, tall cacti and freshly baked bread.

The Saratoga market is distinctive in that everything is entirely local – produced in Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Washington counties, the only exception being freshly caught fish from Long Island.

Each vendor we encountered was friendly and offered unsolicited but helpful advice about proper care and handling of purchases.

The products themselves are a reason to check out the market, but the experience delivers more than the makings of a locally grown meal. "It makes me feel like a connected person," said Carmel Gordon '13, of the market. "It's nice to be a part of the community in town."

Attending the market is not the only way to feel like part of the community: Roz Freeman '12 works at the vegetable stand for Pleasant Valley Farm.

"I see a wide variety of people at the markets... There are many families that come to the market, often with young children. There is a wide age demographic, from Skidmore students to young couples to elderly people," Freeman said.

The Skidmore demographic that visits the market also ranges within itself.

"I think the market definitely benefits Skidmore students, particularly those that have houses or apartments with kitchens," Freeman said. "I have also seen many underclassmen who come to check out the bustling, beautiful scene and hang out downtown."

The Farmers' Market is positive both environmentally and economically. Many of the products are organic and profit from each purchase goes directly to the farms and farmers, which boosts the local economy.

Given Skidmore's sometimes-shaky relationship with the Saratoga Springs community, a chance to meet on common, environmentally friendly ground seems an entirely good thing.

The Saratoga Farmers' Market summer (May-October) hours are Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3-to-6 p.m. at 103 High Rock Avenue. The Winter Market runs from November to April on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Division Street Elementary.

For more information about the Saratoga Farmers' Market visit

http://www.saratogafarmersmarket.org

Maxim Gorky recounts bitter childhood in a lazy country: Stranger than Fiction

Posted by Hunter Prichard

Maxim Gorky was a great figure in 20th century Russian literature. He was a friend to fascist leader Joseph Stalin and sat with Tolstoy, Andreev and Chekhov until their last days, writing the clever Reminisces... in memory of them.

A writer of drama, poetry and prose, he is famous for his political views — he was supposedly murdered by Russian secret agents — and his audacious characters, who are often found in ruins at the close of the book.

My favorite is "The Man Who Was Afraid," which can be found in our library and concerns a character who is born into wealth but ends up a drunk living on the streets.

He is commonly known as a great Russian who rose up from the peasants. The victim of a hard life, it is easy to see why he changed his named from Aleksey Peshkov to simply Gorky, a word that can be translated to "bitter."

Since his novels were so interesting, I was eager to read of his past, of which he wrote extensively. His three-volume autobiography follows his life from birth until he finished schooling and entered the writing world.

I read the first book of the volume, "My Childhood": it is a frightening depiction of a young boy's life.

Gorky's first memories are the funeral of his father when he was three years old. His brother also died. His mother took him to live with her parents, two angry elders who constantly fight and scream at each other.

Not only is Gorky beaten many times — not an uncommon occurrence during his time period — but his grandmother is also horrendously abused by his grandfather. As a young boy, Gorky is greatly disturbed by this violence.

The writing is rich with violence, abuse and drunkenness. Young Gorky is an intellectual loner, shunned by most of the boys in his neighborhood. When he is allowed to play, his grandfather yells at him and tells him to get to work; his overbearing direction is similar to Hank's father is Bukowski's "Ham on Rye," for those who remember my previous article.

His mother seems to float in and out of his life. She takes long trips where she travels about and stays with relatives who have enough money to support her. She is rarely present in Gorky's life, but her death closes the book. Immediately following her funeral, he is told by his grandmother to leave home to travel.

There are some very interesting comments that young Gorky makes in terms of the Russian people. The most fascinating concern is "the Russian laziness," a disease that he finds inflicting everybody in the country.

This laziness is Gorky's excuse for all of his life's hardships: his family's poverty, his father's death, his grandfather's anger, his grandmother's submission. He finds this laziness disgusting.

Laziness is one of the main motives to why Gorky worked so hard in his life, produced so much writing and struggled so hard in his political sphere.

Hunter Prichard is an English major from Portland, Maine, or "Vacationland."

Combat stress by baking bagels: A Sprinkle in Time

Posted by Katie Lane

When you are sitting up late at night writing a paper or studying for a test, do you ever dream about being a bread baker? I do.

I would happily go to sleep at 8 p.m. and wake up before the sun to head into my friendly, little bakery to start preparing fresh, delicious breads for my amazing local customers. Spending dark quiet mornings surrounded by rising dough and the smell of yeast…

What? You do not have that fantasy? Hmm…

You obviously have never made bagels.

I am telling you, the magical experience of creating your own homemade bagels is enough to make you want to put down your pen and put on an apron.

I have to say, as graduation inches — flies really — toward me, I am feeling more and more burned out by all the time spent on my computer, analyzing and fact checking and researching.

I have not baked in weeks., and I just want to get my hands covered in flour and heat up my oven.

There is something so grounding about the process of bread-making, and let me tell you, I am craving some solid ground right now. And while I do not have control over the type of security that might come with, say, a job prospect for the future, I do have control over my hands and the ingredients in my kitchen.

And really, if all it takes is a little kneading, shaping, boiling and baking to make me feel like I have got my feet on solid ground, I am a pretty lucky girl.

These bagels, well, they were just bagels. But I made them with my own two hands, and I will take pride in that, thank you very much.

For my farewell article to my beloved Skidmore readers, I am choosing to share with you something that brings me comfort in a stressful time. I hope that when your classes are over and your exams are finished, you can find a Saturday morning to give these a try.

Take your time. Get messy. Knead until your arms hurt. Be patient. Savor the taste. These are the things baking is really about.

For more adventures in baking, visit Katie's blog at asprinkleintime.wordpress.com.

---

Bagels

Ingredients:

Sponge:

1 teaspoon instant yeast

4 cups bread flour

2½ cups water

Dough:

½ teaspoon instant yeast

3¾ cups bread flour

2¾ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons brown sugar

To Finish:

1 tablespoon baking soda for

the water

Cornmeal for dusting the pan

Toppings

Day 1: Stir the yeast into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and stir until all ingredients are blended. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for two hours.

Remove the plastic wrap and stir the additional yeast into the sponge. Add three cups of the flour, the brown sugar, and the salt into the bowl and mix until all of the ingredients form a ball. You need to work in the additional 3/4 cups of flour to stiffen the dough, either while still mixing in the bowl or while kneading. The dough should be stiffer and drier than normal bread dough, but moist enough that all of the ingredients are well blended.

Pour the dough out of the bowl onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes.

Immediately after kneading, split the dough into a dozen small pieces around 4 ½ ounces each. Roll each piece into a ball and set it aside. When you have all 12 pieces made, cover them with a damp towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.

Shape the bagels by punching a hole in the middle and then widening it as evenly as possible. Place the shaped bagels on an oiled sheet pan, with an inch or so of space between one another and cover the pan with plastic. Let rise for about 20 minutes. Test if they are ready: the bagels should float within 10 seconds of being placed in a bowl of water.

Day 2: Preheat the oven to 500. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Adding one tablespoon of baking soda to the pot to alkalize the water is suggested to replicate traditional bagel shop flavor. I went ahead and did this, though I have no idea if it made any difference.

When the pot is boiling, drop a few of the bagels into the pot one at a time and let them boil for a minute. Use a large, slotted spoon or spatula to gently flip them over and boil them on the other side.

Before removing them from the pot, sprinkle corn meal onto the sheet pan. Remove them one at a time, set them back onto the sheet pan and top them right away, while they are still slightly moist. Repeat this process until all of the bagels have been boiled and topped.

Once they have, place the sheet pan into the preheated oven and bake for five minutes. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees, rotate the pan and bake for another five minutes until the bagels begin to brown.

Recipe adapted from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart

The faces of Skidmore Unofficial: With graduation looming, anonymous bloggers expose themselves

Posted by Julia Leef

It was September 2008, and Alex Mendelsohn '11 had just come up with an idea for a website. A friend at Trinity College had started a successful Anonymous Confession Board, called TrinTalk, and Mendelsohn wanted to create one for Skidmore. Unable to do it himself, he approached his roommate, Jeremiah Budin '11, and good friend Kevin Sweeting '11 about building the site. Together, the three started a forum and a blog, where they could comment on campus news and events, and with that the infamous www.SkidmoreUnofficial.com was born.

For the past two and half years, Skidmore Unofficial promoted various campus events and provided commentary on what is going on around the school. Dissatisfied with the college's online publications — which were aimed almost exclusively at alumni — and the sporadic coverage of college events by local newspapers, the founders saw a need for an online student-run news source unaffiliated with the college that would alert students to campus happenings.

"If you're paying $50,000 dollars a year and you're not exploiting every opportunity the college gives you," said Sweeting, "you're messing up, because you should be exploiting the college for all it's worth."

Sweeting, the site's executive editor, Mendelsohn, the site's editor-in-chief and publisher and Budin, the site's only staff writer, began writing several snarky posts a week, mostly about beer, concerts, lectures and the absurdity of campus-wide e-mails. Toward the end of his sophomore year, Sweeting took over the primary writing responsibilities and has remained the site's primary contributor ever since. He now writes around 800 words a day and looks through about 75 e-mails a week concerning suggestions for articles and events to promote.

"Running the website essentially demands that I know everything going on campus, which I is guess is kind of cool" Sweeting said. "I don't get bored."

In the past few years, Mendelsohn has relinquished writing and editing duties, but still acts as the site's publisher, working with a whopping budget of $45 dollars each year. He also works to promote the website around campus.

Budin, the grammarian of the group, writes comedy pieces on the website and is the only person who has his name publicly attached to Skidmore Unofficial.

"I wanted fame. I was hoping to get laid," he joked. Budin writes an average of two articles a week and first started writing when Mendelsohn gave him a piece to edit, and he thought he could rewrite it with his humor. His pieces contribute to the satirical tone of the website.

"The blog is fun and it makes us more into the school and what's going on," Budin said.

Sweeting said that at first he chose to remain anonymous out of embarrassment, but now mostly does it to avoid talking to people about the site. Sweeting says that even now he isn't sure how to response to feedback about the site, positive or negative.

"Once it started to become successful, I thought the anonymous thing was more fun," he said, adding that he "isn't exactly comfortable being known as the kid who blogs about Skidmore all the time."

Some of their favorite accomplishments, the founders said, were the print edition guides they wrote, particularly their Freshman Orientation Guide, which they wrote to generate new interest after temporarily shutting down the website while Sweeting went abroad to Copenhagen in the spring of 2010. The guide, which features an alphabetical, five-part list of everything a freshman would ostensibly need to know about the college, was followed the next semester by the site's Guide to Binge Drinking, a publication that nearly got the founders into trouble after a deluge of drinking-related controversies began to surround the college shortly after the guide's release in early January.

Several weeks after the Guide To Binge Drinking's debut, Sweeting received an email on his personal Skidmore.edu account from Rochelle Calhoun, dean of student affairs, requesting a meeting concerning the recently published guide. Although she was at first worried that the guide have been insensitively released to mock the circumstances surrounding Alexander Grant's death, after a quick explanation by Sweeting, Calhoun withdrew her worry. She even offered some suggestions on how to improve the humor on the website.

"We were a little scared of her, but we're not anymore," Budin said.

"Her job is really, really rough, especially this year . . . but she's doing a pretty good job running stuff" Sweeting said.

Calhoun was not the first college administrator to contact Unofficial's editors. In February 2009, Sweeting and Mendelsohn met with Dan Forbush, executive director of communications, for lunch regarding an article they wrote about the college's shrinking endowment.

"We met him in The Spa and he didn't buy us lunch, which was a bummer," Sweeting joked, saying that while Forbush did correct two of their calculations, he felt that the meeting was more about the college telling the founders that "we know who you are."

One of the website's early controversial aspects was the Anonymous Confession Board, which was discontinued spring 2011. Originally intended as a place for students to post confessions about relationships or themselves under the safety of anonymity, the Anonymous Confession Board devolved into a forum students used to insult other students. The founders characterized the anonymous postings as "generally really stupid, vapid stuff."

According to Budin, there had been trepidation about the ACB from the beginning. "You can be completely honest if you're anonymous," he said, "but also not accountable."

Mendelsohn said that it was difficult to maintain the rules of the ACB, and so they eventually decided to shut it down, despite the fact that it brought a lot of traffic to the website.

But it seems that Skidmore Unofficial doesn't need the ACB to get a lot of traffic. The website has gone from an average of 200-300 views a day in its first few months to anywhere between 1000 to 1200 hits on a weekday and 650-750 on the weekends. The website received the most traffic, about 1700 hits a day, when AOL news mentioned the website's Freshman Orientation Guide in a news article.

"It is miraculous that actual news sources read our website," Sweeting said. "We've gotten mentions from the Albany Times Union, The Glens Falls Post Star and countless Capital Region news blogs. I'm always surprised when Pulitzer Prize winning newspapers source us."

Sweeting said that one of his favorite things to do is to go to parties, stand in the kitchen and try to get strangers to badmouth Skidmore Unofficial. He also mentioned that when the ACB was still running, he could "pretty easily" recognize when people would respond to their own posts and have conversations with themselves.

"I saw a lot of people argue back and forth with themselves about whether someone was hot or not, stuff that is pretty disheartening," Sweeting said.

Budin added that they used to do a lot of "good detective work" to figure out who posted what.

With all three of the founders graduating this year the future of the site is unknown. None of the students will continue writing for the site after they graduate, and although they have been considering handing over the virtual reins to someone else, they aren't exactly sure about how they feel about doing that.

"I don't think people really understand what running the site involves," Sweeting said. "I spend a lot of time staring at screens." He continued cautiously, saying that someone else writing Skidmore Unofficial would feel different. "It's essentially my website, a kind of weird cult of personality thing," he said.

All three students encourage other students to start their own school-related website or blog, adding that they are surprised more students haven't already. "If people have thoughts, they should start blogs," Budin said. "Blogging is fun."

When asked if they would do any blogging in the future, the founders responded that they would like to. "Anyone would want to do what we do professionally, Sweeting said. "I bang around on my keyboard in my underwear and make jokes all day."

Regardless of their impending retirement, the founders will continue to keep Skidmore Unofficial running until their graduation in May. Students will probably spot Sweeting, who recently spilled a mug of coffee on his laptop, updating the website in the library. He expects that the next couple of articles will reflect upon his past four years at Skidmore.

"We kid because we care," he said.