Posted by Tegan O'Neill
There really is something comforting about Comfort Kitchen. The menu is easy to read and easy to choose from, the staff is friendly, and the food coming out of the kitchen is characterized by an unpretentious goodness that makes eating there all around agreeable. Besides, what is not to love about the checkered floors?
Comfort Kitchen can be found nestled underneath stores with twinkling lights in Saratoga Marketplace. Its decor pays tribute to retro fast food joints while still managing to achieve a 21st century hipster appeal. The menu board at the cash register makes paper menus an unnecessary part of the ordering equation, but also makes the experience feel fast-foody. Likewise, the time between point A: placing order, and point B: eating order, is on par with the fast food empire. It's enough to make you think maybe the fast food model isn't so bad after all.
? But then, you bite into a juicy truffle burger and you see why Comfort Kitchen is playing in a different league than fast food. The black and white checkered paper lining the plastic wicker basket deceives the eyes. This might be the best burger you have had in a while. It is a landmine of truffle bombs. There can be no telling where the lines are between the beef and the Gruyere and the truffle aioli. The three bleed together in one decadently rich vein. The burger's bun does not get in the way it just serves to pave the way for burger glory.
? In comparison, the chicken taco and the carnitas seem staunchly uptight all wrapped up in their corn tortillas. The contrast in taste feels like we were vacationing in Las Vegas with the truffle burger and on our way back, our plane crashed in a decidedly less flashy place. Both the taco and the carnita are blandly rule abiding; the chicken taco has all that you would expect of a chicken taco--you'll find your chicken, your avocado, your red onion, and your cilantro. Likewise, the carnita has all the necessities: slow roasted pork, cabbage slaw,
I know what you may be thinking. You either love, hate, or have no clue what dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is all about, right? Many of you probably fall into that third category...but I have recently learned some very useful things from a self-help book on DBT that I purchased over the summer. With that said, I'm not going to try and make you a believer in DBT skills, but I am going to point out why everyone should at least consider the impact that these skills can have if you choose to incorporate them into your life. And if you are aware of what DBT skills are and you think you don't need or use them...think again. DBT skills are extremely powerful for anyone to utilize, and no one handles situations perfectly every minute of every day. So, let us start with a brief overview of the history of DBT and what it is all about, as well as specific skills that are taught. For starters, let's give a brief overview of how DBT was first developed. Marsha Linehan (who has since become a well-known psychologist) created DBT as a treatment for individuals suffering with chronic suicidality. It has since been shown to be effective in treating sufferers of borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is a mental illness in which individuals suffer with controlling intense emotions, have interpersonal difficulties, have a low sense of self, are impulsive, describe themselves as feeling "empty" and take part in self-destructive behaviors. In 2012, Marsha Linehan contributed to the fight to end the stigma of mental illness by having an article published in the New York Times about her own struggles with BPD. In the article, she tells readers how her illness ended up helping her create the foundation of what has since become known as BPD. For anyone interested in reading this article (which I highly recommend), here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/health/23lives.html. Alright, so now you have a little more insight as to how DBT came to be. Now, let's get down to business. What exactly is DBT? It is a skills-based treatment approach that has two guiding principles: acceptance and change. In essence, individuals learning DBT skills have to learn to accept the situations they are in or how they are feeling at the moment, while simultaneously seeking to change or improve their behaviors and abilities to control intense emotions. This sounds simple enough, but if you take a second to think of a specific example, you'll quickly realize that it can be a lot harder to do than you might think. But it is doable, and with the right amount of support and tenacity, anyone can achieve this way of thinking. Once this is accomplished, you can begin to learn about and practice the four main skills taught in DBT: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. I could go on for another two pages about each one of the four skills taught in DBT, but in the interest of space, I'll have to cut my explanations short as to how they are useful to everyone. First, mindfulness is all about being aware of-well everything, including your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and actions. But the key to being truly mindful is to be aware without being judgmental. Some mindfulness exercises that many people find useful include mindful breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Once you learn to master the basics of mindfulness, you can move on to more advanced mindfulness skills such as the concept of wise-mind (my personal favorite). Wise-mind is all about being able to be aware of both your emotional thinking and reasonable difference, and then making decisions that are most appropriate and effective (which usually involve meeting someplace in between your emotion and reasonable mind). The second skill that is essential to DBT is distress tolerance. The point of this skill is to essentially find ways to cope with current stressors or emotions through the use of distraction. For instance, some people find it helpful to go on a walk when they are feeling upset. Others find it helpful to distract themselves by cooking, cleaning, taking a shower, getting work done, or even just talking to a friend on the phone. There is no end to this list, as there are endless ways you can distract yourself from your present situation. Though this doesn't necessarily solve your problems, it can help you calm down so that you can more rationally solve the issue later. The third DBT skill is emotion regulation. Emotion regulation involves several steps, including being able to recognize your emotions, being mindful of your emotions and recognizing when your emotions are negative and how to change them into positive ones. This skill is a bit more difficult to explain but I do know that a good way to start regulating your emotions is really to just stop every once in awhile and ask yourself "How am I feeling at this moment?" The final skill taught in DBT is interpersonal effectiveness. This skill revolves around improving your relationship with others. One of the key ways of doing this is to learn what it is that you want from the relationship. You also need to learn to ask for what you want, solve conflicts in a nonviolent way (both verbally and physically), and to treat others according to your personal values. What you may have realized by now, is that all four of these skills revolve around one another. You really can't be good at one, without being good at the others. Thus, DBT is a process, but one that is worth sticking to. And for those who feel that you don't need DBT because your life is already what you want it to be, keep in mind that you are likely implementing various aspects of DBT skills without even realizing it. Conversely if you do realize it, keep in mind that you then have the knowledge and ability to pass these valuable skills on to others who may not have them down. Just some food for thought...Oh and by the way here is the source for the self-help book that helped to teach me some of these skills: McKay M, Jeffrey C. Wood J. C. Brantley J (2007). The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc. "The Future of Privacy and Free Speech: Translating the Constitution in the Age of Google Glass and Wikileaks" is the title of the 2013 Ronald J. Fiscus Lecture at Skidmore College, to be presented Friday, Nov. 1, by Jeffrey Rosen, president and chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center. Free and open to the public, the talk begins at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 in Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. The National Constitution Center is the first and only non-profit, non-partisan institution devoted to what it calls "the most powerful vision of freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution." Located across from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the center is an interactive museum, national town hall, and headquarters for civic education that engages millions of citizens. Rosen was named to the center's top post in May. He was an adviser to the center during its early planning phases and was a visiting scholar during the summer of 2003. He is also a professor at the George Washington University Law School, where he has taught since 1977, and is the legal affairs editor of The New Republic. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he explores issues involving the future of technology and the Constitution. A highly regarded journalist, Rosen has contributed essays and commentaries to The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, on National Public Radio, and The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer. The Chicago Tribune named him one of the 10 best magazine journalists in America and a reviewer for The Los Angeles Times called him "the nation's most widely read and influential legal commentator." He received the 2012 Golden Pen Award from the Legal Writing Institute for his "extraordinary contribution to the cause of better legal writing." His books include The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries that Defined America; The Most Democratic Branch: How the courts Serve America; The Naked Crowd: Reclaiming Security and Freedom in an Anxious Age; and The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America. Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School. Skidmore's Fiscus Lecture was inaugurated in 1991 by the College's Department of Government to honor the late Ronald J. Fiscus, a Skidmore faculty member from 1980 to his death in 1990. Professor Fiscus was a constitutional law specialist and a key contributor to the development of a minor in law and society at Skidmore. Posted by Andrew Shi The season finally starts next Tuesday. Here are my predictions for the final Western Conference rankings: 1. The Los Angeles Clippers: They ended last season in fourth and had a productive offseason, adding some fire power with J.J Redick , Jared Dudley and Antawn Jamison. Byron Mullens will be an effective backup for Deandre Jordan, and rookie Reggie Bullock showed some real potential during the Las Vegas Summer League. The loss of Eric Bledsoe will take a toll on the bench but will be mostly mitigated with the addition of Darren Collison. Overall the bench is much better than last year's. The real x factor for this team will be the starting front court, namely if Jordan and Blake Griffin can toughen up their defensive and put up some points instead of just making the highlight reel. Having Doc Rivers as coach will undoubtedly help, and Jordan is already putting up brilliant stats in preseason games. But this ranking is just as much because of their improvement as it is the unimpressive off-seasons of their closest competitors. 2. The Oklahoma City Thunder They were the best team last year and were projected to reach the finals until they lost Russell Westbrook to injury in the first round. They had a quiet offseason, but letting go Kevin Martin will exact a noticeable toll on their bench and scoring. Too much now rides on sophomore Jeremy Lamb to pick up that slack. The Thunder still have a very good bench and two of the top five players, assuming Westbrook returns to full prowess. Serge Ibaka also looks like he made a huge jump in productivity over the summer. The Thunder could easily reclaim their slot at No.1 if Westbrook returns soon enough. 3. The San Antonio Spurs Another team with a quiet offseason. They lost Gary Neal who proved himself as a dangerous shooter during the playoffs, but the addition of Marco Belinelli offsets that loss for the most part. Overall, the same team, but another year older. Yet the rise of Kawhi Leonard and the inexplicable phenomena that this team is ageless may just leave this team better this year than last year. 4. The Golden State Warriors They lost some valuable players but added even more valuable ones. The absence of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry will take a toll on the bench, but the addition of all-star Andre Iguodala alone compensates for that. A player that can put up points, Iguodala's real value comes from his tenacious defense. Adding Toney Douglas, Marreese Speights and Jermaine O'Neal helps keep the bench healthy. Harrison Barnes will only get better but much rides on the ability of Andrew Bogut to stay healthy. When he is, he's arguably a top five center and a second-chance producing machine with his offensive rebounds. 5. The Houston Rockets: Dwight Howard-- that's all that really needs to be said. So far the pairing of James Harden and Howard appears to be a match made in heaven. Their bench also looks championship ready with Ronnie Brewer, Omri Casspi, Patrick Beverley and Marcus Camby. The only deficiencies this team faces are having two centers start in a league that has shifted to smaller, nimbler lineups and having a decent, but turnover-prone point guard Jeremy Lin. 6. The Memphis Grizzlies: Adding Mike Miller and Kosta Koufas empowers their reserves and Miller and Josh Akognon should alleviate the team's lack of shooters, but overall not too many large moves except for a new coach. They were in fifth last year and with other teams making big moves, they moved back a little by standing still. However, they're still a title contender 7. The Denver Nuggets After the Grizzlies, the next two slots are truly open. Despite an awful offseason, this team is still good enough to make the playoffs. The loss of Andre Iguodala is devastating as he was the keystone to their defense. The absence of Kosta Koufas and Corey Brewer, while they were key reserves, are a smaller distraction. Adding J.J Hickson and Nate Robinson brings some scoring power to their bench, but Randy Foye, who is expected to replace Andre Iguodala is a glaring downgrade. Giving JaVale McGee more minutes should improve the Nugget's game and once Danilo Gallinari returns and Wilson Chandler returns to coming off the bench, this team will still be a dominate force, possibly moving up a slot. But losing Coach of the Year George Karl could have been too large of a step back. 8. The Portland Trailblazers This slot was even harder to fill out than the last, and there are five teams that could easily take its place. However, the addition of Robin Lopez gives the team the center it needs, even if Lopez is far from a premier center. This team is still far from being a title contender but the additions of Mo Williams and Dorell Wright help improve one the worst benches last year. Once C.J McCollum returns he should be able to find plenty of playing minutes and fill out the bench further. 9. The Minnesota Timberwolves: Finally seeing Kevin Love, Rudy Gay and Nikola Pekovic play together should propel this team forward in the rankings and into the playoffs. The addition of Kevin Martin may add the firepower they need, and newcomers Corey Brewer and Ronny Turief should compensate for the loss of Greg Stiesma and Luke Ridnour, although losing Andrei Kirilenko will bite and the re-injury of Chase Budinger leaves them needing to find someone to start the three. Rookies Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng have so far proven little but could surprise as the season progresses. Still, this team will be that much better with Kevin Love in the rotation again. 10. New Orleans Pelicans: New name, new era. They added rising star Jrue Holiday and 2009-10 Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. Anthony Davis has shown in the first few preseason games that he's on the cusp of bona-fide all-stardom but a lot of this team's success will depend on the health of Eric Gordon. Austin Rivers has also shown drastic improvement and will make a good back-up point guard. 11. Dallas Mavericks: They lost Darren Collison, O.J Mayo, Elton Brand, Chris Kaman and decent reserves and added Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis, Samuel Dalembert and a few decent reserves. Calderon is probably an upgrade at point guard and Monta Ellis has so far looked drastically improved and is taking better shots. Still this team lacks one too many stars to compete with the aforementioned teams, although a full season with Dirk on board may prove that assessment wrong. 12. Los Angeles Lakers. Gone are Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison, Metta World Peace and Earl Clark. Losing Howard is probably worth mentioning twice, even if his clashing with Kobe last season cost the team something. Speaking of Kobe, he's still out with an injury and who knows how much longer Nash can last. Chris Kaman and Nick Young are good additions, but on a true contending team they would be coming off the bench. 13. Utah Jazz Another team that is somewhat tanking. They lost their starting front court to make room for their budding stars. They also lost their starting point guard, Mo Williams, to make room for their rookie Trey Burke. This is a very young team with a lot of draft picks looking to reenter the playoffs in another few years, but no sooner. 14. The Sacramento Kings They traded away Tyreke Evans to be replaced by rookie Ben McLemore who has so far been a disappointment. Additions Greivis Vasquez, who led the NBA in assists last year, and Carl Landry will create better shots but it's all about Demarcus Cousins and his own personal improvement. Still far removed from the playoffs 15. The Phoenix Suns: Posted by Josh Lauren When I first arrived in Gallup, N.M., I knew I was a long way from Skidmore but that I'd found a new home. I was starting my first year as a Teach For America corps member as a middle school history and language arts teacher at Thoreau Middle School. Working with students like Aaron, Izzy, and Shelby on World History and Geography, or helping Raymond move from a third grade reading level to a sixth grade reading level-the days were long and hard, but incredibly rewarding. Whether it was in the classroom or on the basketball court with my team of sixth and seventh graders, I was inspired by their ability to overcome the challenges of poverty that stood in their way and the limitless potential I saw in them just waiting to be realized. Incidents of Note: Further Incidents: Friday, Oct. 11: Saturday, Oct. 12: Sunday, Oct. 13: Monday, Oct. 14: Tuesday, Oct. 15: Wednesday, Oct. 16: Thursday, Oct. 17: Posted by Katie Peverada Skidmore College isn't exactly known for producing professional athletes. But believe it or not, Skidmore has a rich athletic tradition. With the help of Professor Mary C. Lynn, her book about the history of Skidmore College (Make No Small Plans), and other Skidmore College faculty, I aim to piece together this history for you. Skidmore's athletic teams are often the victim of the student body's apathy towards anything not artsy and avant-garde. However, sports at Skidmore College have been around just as long as the college has, and Lucy Scribner herself was behind them. Sports were a huge part of the early Skidmore education and co-curricular life. Posted by Katie Peverada
The fall sports season is winding down, but Skidmore athletes are still putting their all on the field. This past week, two female Thoroughbreds were recognized by the Liberty League for their achievements in helping their teams win playoff-implicating games. Christine Bellotti '14 - Women's Soccer - Honor Roll Kelly Blackhurst '14 - Field Hockey - Offensive Performer of the Week Posted by Elizabeth Hopkins '15 Case Center may be undergoing construction within the next ten years and the architectural planning process has begun as Skidmore College starts to envision what the new space might look like. In 2008, the Case-Ladd Task Force initiated the conversation by presenting the community with the question: "How do we want to enliven this building?" Based on the feedback received and their own brainstorming sessions, the group produced a report with recommendations to the President's Cabinet and Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC). Their report suggested the formation of Case Council, a group comprising students and the faculty and staff that work in Case. The second suggestion was to hire an architect to review Case Center and Ladd and develop a design plan for Skidmore to consider. In Spring 2013, Case Council initiated a conversation with Will Spears of the architectural firm Miller Dyer Spears Inc. Spears began meeting with the Student Government Association (SGA), student-led clubs, and faculty and staff to formulate some "conceptual ideas about the building," says Rochelle Calhoun, Dean of Student Affairs. In September, Spears produced an updated series of floor plans for the building, including designs with and without an addition. Spears considered various possibilities, including revising the dining area, adding a multipurpose room and including a rehearsal or auditorium space. One particular idea that Calhoun advocates is the expansion of the dining space next to Burgess Caf?? into a patio that would extend over the Skidmore Shop. "It would make the building sing a bit," Calhoun said. "We want to use all of the vital elements here to create a more vibrant space." But the plan for renovation is still very much in the works. Skidmore College is currently prioritizing the Dana Science Center as the next large renovation. Ultimately, the College envisions all of the science and related departments-including Anthropology, Exercise Science, and the Natural Sciences-to occupy the same building. Currently an estimated $100 million of renovations are needed to complete the desired renovations to Dana. A capital campaign will soon be launched to fundraise for the project. Once the College has acquired half of the needed finances through the campaign, work on the science center will begin. Additional long-term projects in the works, or at least in consideration, include renovations to the athletic facilities and moving the Admissions Center back on campus. Posted by Contributing Writer Moorebid Ball, the annual campus-wide Halloween event is sold-out, according to the Student Government Association. Moorebid will be held in the Spa for the first time since 2010, when the Campus Safety Department ended the dance 45 minutes early, after eleven students went to Saratoga Hospital, apparently suffering from alcohol poisoning. The eleven students requiring hospitalization also caused a shortage of ambulances in the town. In 2012, SGA decided to make the event ticketed-only. The decision came after the 2011 dance was also shutdown early, marking the third successive year that Moorebid was cut short due to safety concerns. "They usually get shutdown because they're above fire capacity, not because of a lack of ambulances," said Hannah DeGraaf, Chair of the Committee on Student Life, the committee responsible for planning the event.
Though many students have expressed their aggravation with SGA's 500-ticket maximum, the limit is not set by SGA. "It's because that's fire capacity for the space," DeGraaf said.
SGA members are surprised that the event has sold out so early. DeGraaf told The Skidmore News, "I thought we'd at least make it to Friday [before the event sold out]."
Last year 800 tickets were available, and though tickets were not sold out before the dance, SGA did sell out tickets at the door. Moorebid will be held on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 26 and will run from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. "If the Spa isn't at fire capacity by midnight, we'll let students in for five dollars," DeGraaf said, but admitted, "even if you do get there, there's a slim chance that you'll be able to get in." At approximately 6:40, a small kitchen fire started in Hillside A10, when a resident left his pot on the stove unattended. After the fire alarm went off, Skidmore Campus Safety, Skidmore EMS, and the Saratoga Springs Fire Department responded to the incident. A10 has suffered heavy flooding as a result of the sprinkler system and there is substantial flooding to the apartment below it as well as minimal flooding to neighboring apartments. By 7 p.m. students in Hillside were allowed to return to their apartments. Skidmore EMS confirmed that no students were hurt in the fire. Posted by Daniele Guest Posted by Julia Mahony
This weekend, the Saratoga Film Forum will be screening "20 Feet from Stardom." The documentary, directed by Morgan Neville, follows the lives of some of the most underappreciated people of the music business; backup singers. However, the film does not focus on just any random backup singers. These women--Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer and Judith Hill have all worked with music legends and are all icons in their own right. Posted by Alex Hodor-Lee As congress moves towards a vote on a new budget deal, effectively ending the government shutdown, President Barack Obama plans to tackle the nation's broken immigration policies. Following reelection, the President announced that immigration reform would be one of the administration's top legislative priorities. However, assiduous efforts from determined House Republicans to deny funding to the Affordable Care Act--President Obama's signature achievement--have stalled any talks of immigration reform. Once Capitol Hill sources revealed that Senate Democrats and Republicans struck a deal to end the shutdown, the President declared that White House efforts will shift to focusing on immigration reform. Hours after the Senate's announcement, President Obama told Latino media outlet, Univision, "Once [the budget deal] is done, you know, the day after, I'm going to be pushing to say, call a vote on immigration reform." Washington's top immigration advocates believe that the government shutdown may have created an opening to advance the discussion on immigration reform and push forward on expansive immigration policies. Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice--one of the District's top advocacy groups--told Buzzfeed, "It's at least possible with sinking poll numbers for the Republicans, with a brand that is badly damaged as the party that can't govern responsibly and is reckless that they're going to say, 'All right, what can we do that will be in our political interest and also do tough things?' That's where immigration could fill the bill." Sharry is one of the Districts's most active immigration reform advocates. He still has scars from the 2007 immigration reform efforts, when the Senate voted down a bipartisan bill that would have provided legal status and a path to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants residing in the United States. This time around, advocates are hoping for comprehensive reform. They have found support from unlikely corners, including moderate House Republicans, business and tech interests, such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg--who has already contributed $50 million dollars to the cause-- and Evangelical groups outraged at US deportation policies that have, in many cases, torn families apart. In May, a group of eight bipartisan Senators--known as "the gang of eight"--put forth the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) bill. The bill was written by an unlikely coalition, including John McCain (R-AZ), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Some of the bill's key provisions include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, expansion of a temporary worker program and a focus on fast tracking a system that distributes work visas to highly-skilled tech workers. The bill also contains provisions to reunite family members separated by the Obama Administration's robust deportation practices. Despite a recent history of missed chances, President Obama and advocates--including Frank Sharry--are poised to make a vigorous push for immigration, relying on unlikely sources of support to grind the issue through Congress. On Wednesday, Sharry addressed a Skidmore College government class to discuss the changing landscape of immigration in the United States. "We're an immigrant nation that's lost its way," Sharry told the students. "But I'm confident that we'll find our way again." Posted by Alex Hodor-Lee A recent article in Cosmopolitan Magazine listed Skidmore College as one of the ten worst schools to find single men. The article is disturbing on several levels. It reinforces our pervasive hetero-normative culture (in the course of researching for this article I learned what "cisgender" means). This type of hetero-normativeness often means that there is no room in the discussion for those with other preferences--a cultural bias that runs rampant in our society. It's also clear there's very little science or even research involved in crafting the article (but then again this is Cosmo). The article, written by Jennifer Grose, is unrelentingly anecdotal, citing several women who lamented their woe-is-me single-life plight in New York City, among others. It's clear that the research done for this article (though calling it "research" feels like a violation of my academic sensibilities) was lazy and proximal. A research design that can be likened to a drunk guy looking for his lost car keys under a street light. Cosmopolitan offers up a cautionary tale of young women who went to college to meet single men and (drumroll!) failed. Their repugnant solution? Reevaluate what's important to you (casual things like your career path, major or even what city you live in) in hopes of meeting more single men. Much like your aunt who grew up in the 1950's, Cosmo warns against the career-oriented woman. Another of Grose's scholarly endeavors entails the creation of a fake J-date profile. Her "experiment" revealed that men don't like women who write more than 500 words in their profile descriptions, or women who mention their careers (admittedly, both a little true: most men are generally intimidated by career-oriented women; and we are too lazy to read more than 500 words). But Jennifer Grose--known for her musings about how women should speak in the workplace--also cited an interview with an "18-year-old freshman" Skidmore student. It turns out that "18-year-old freshman," Brianna Barros, is actually a 19-year-old sophomore. She met her boyfriend while touring Skidmore College. Cosmo paints an evergreen account of their relationship. Antithetical to Cosmo's theory about men at Skidmore, her boyfriend was unwavering in his courtship. They met during a tour before freshman year. "He just kept pursuing. He wouldn't leave me alone." said Barros in an interview with SN. "Then he inboxed me over the summer and I was like 'you know what? I don't want to start off Skidmore being a jerk.' So I was nice, but limited." "Then I got to school and I really wanted to enter the business competition and I saw him talking to my marketing professor. I overheard [their conversation] and I was like, 'he really knows what he's talking about.'" said Barros, whose tune begin to change with the raising stakes of the business competition, "I thought, 'I really don't like this kid, but I need a partner...we ended up working together...and he actually ended up being a pretty cool kid." Barros told SN. The Cosmo article also warns, "You might want to brush up on your coding if you want to go to a school that's majority-male--many of the universities with a predominately male student body tend to have strong engineering, math and computer-science programs." Or, women should learn to brush up on coding because they want to. At a time when female representation in STEM fields is scarce, we shouldn't impel women to pursue the hard science because men are there. We should ask them to pursue the field because women aren't there. The author's advice wreaks of the dirty, dangerous and inhibitive scent of phallocentricism. Just like Brianna Barros, other young women might find dating success if they don't chase men, but instead their dreams. "I think the [Cosmo] article is sort of saying to girls 'reconsider these choices...If you go to a school you really need to learn these skills if you want to pick up new men'--because God forbid the ratio's off! I think what should be said is that girls need to be more confident." Barros, who never spoke to the Cosmopolitan writer directly, told SN. "You have to be outspoken and pursue what you love and if you meet a guy on the way that's awesome." The truth is that ambition is sexy. It's why Brianna and her boyfriend have what they have and why many couples are...couples. Unfortunately, writers of Cosmopolitan Magazine are adept at drawing in their audience, luring out their sexual instincts while simultaneously poking and prodding at their insecurities. All the while they maintain rigid gender binaries and reinforce unhealthy cultural norms. Posted by Andrew Shi Correction: In an earlier version, I erroneously claimed that this was the first year that the administration sent an email out to students to solicit nominations. This email is sent out to the junior class and to faculty members every year. I also insinuated that the school pays commencement speakers. This too is not factual although the College may pay for travel expenses and accommodations. Apologies. During last semester's controversy over the College's selection of Cynthia Carroll as a commencement speaker, this newspaper advocated for the administration to grant the graduating classes a more involved role in choosing their commencement speakers for the future. Two weeks ago, students of the class of 2015 received an email from the Office of the President, soliciting nominations for their commencement speaker. The process of selecting a commencement speaker can take up to a year and a half, which is why the Class of 2014 has been foregone. The email came attached with a form in which a student can fill out their nominee's name, occupation, achievements and affiliation with the College. The form is not limited to commencement speaker, but the email insinuated that the main function of this outreach was to select a commencement speaker. While I laud the administration for taking the steps to offer students the opportunity to select their own commencement speaker, I find these efforts wanting. The largest issue is that students can, quite literally, nominate anyone. As such, a consensus for a nomination will be nearly impossible to achieve unless the class coalesces to nominate the same person. Instead, the Office of Trustee Affairs which is vetting these forms will likely receive a bunch of names that have one vote each. But if by some miraculous effort students did unite behind a single nominee there would be the next obvious problem. These students would never have thought of nominating Cynthia Carroll or David Brooks (last year's commencement speakers), nor would the students nominating unilaterally in their rooms. They're writing down the big names. And as cool as it would be to have President Barack Obama deliver my class's commencement speech, it just won't happen. A third problem with this system is that there are no guidelines as to how the nominations of students will affect the final decision by the Board of Trustees or the preliminary review by the Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT). Will CAPT take one look at a nomination, realize it was by a student and then toss it out? Does a certain consensus need to be achieved in order for one name proposed by students to pass through CAPT? How much weight is afforded to us, the students? The process is rudimentary, and needs to be revised. The first step to improving the process would be to increase transparency. If student voices are going to land on deaf ears, they're not going to bother and, unfortunately, President Glotzbach may find himself facing another 40-student protest in the future. My personal recommendation is to offer students their choice of commencement speaker. Historically, Skidmore has had three commencement speakers; designate one of the speakers to be chosen solely by the students as long as the nominee meets certain qualifications. These qualifications will be approved by the administration and this leads to my next suggestion. There is no way that a class is going to arrive at one person and agree on him or her. Not enough people are going to randomly select the same respectable yet affordable person. Instead, they should be provided a list of potential candidates. Conveniently, the administration is in possession of a list of 40-odd candidates for an honorary degree. This list should be updated and disclosed to the student body every year. Let the class president than open the list up to a vote with a possible run-off until a majority decide on one name. This way, the qualifications of the candidate are already affirmed. This, I suppose, also creates its own problems. There is undoubtedly a reason the list is kept secret. The administration understandably doesn't wish to offend any candidate by not selecting them, but doesn't a speaker realize that this isn't the first year they were considered and that they have been snubbed before in previous years? None of this addresses the potential non-response rate of students, which at Skidmore is notoriously low; but in this past fall's SGA election there was an uplifting turnout (about one quarter of the student body). Students will vote, and even if the number is diminutive, the students' votes should still be valid. Assume the students that passed on voting are just deferring to their classmates, just as rightly them as the administration. My proposal indubitably requires revision of its own, likely there are better ideas altogether on how to fix the current nomination system. But at the moment, the email sent out by the Office of the President delivers little more than an empty offer. The students don't want that, and I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt to the administration and say they're genuinely interested in our opinion. That last remark will have to be justified by action, though. I'll concede it is at this point to late for my class of 2015, but what will be done for next year? Posted by Julia Martin
Skidmore College was recently ranked in Cosmopolitan Magazine as the 10th worst US college to meet single guys, just behind the University of South Dakota and Connecticut College. - Any men's bathroom - Any men's locker room - Deep within Northwoods, especially if you're off any sort of marked trail - While getting a deep-rooted plantar wart removed at health services - Inside your single room in Kimball Hall - At the bottom of Haupt Pond Best of luck. Posted by Nora Grubb Two weekends ago, Skidmore's Entertainment Company (SEC) answered your Facebook pleas and delivered: Danny Brown and Action Bronson graced us with their presence at Big Show. We didn't want the downright depressing Dirty Projectors serenading the dirty hippies again, did we? Skid kids came from all circles, bobbing their heads and singing to the music - granted, most of these kids were on some sort of illicit drug and alcohol combination but hey, I don't judge. The turn out alone proved that these artists were talented musicians with formidable stage presence. Yet their misogynistic portrayal of women kept me from fully enjoying the show. Bronson's fondness for the word "bitch" and Brown's lyrics like, "like a cue ball in a pool hall: we all hitten!" and, "these bitches suck my dick like it's a moral incentive!" left me questioning why I was supporting these artists by attending the show in the first place. Don't get me wrong - I listen to rap. I even like rap. I appreciate the charisma, the cleverness, the rhyme, the meter, what have you. Yet, two weeks after their performance, I still wonder if it was okay for Skidmore to host artists with such a misogynist agenda. Voicing this concern to my friends, most of them wrote Danny Brown and Action Bronson's women-hating lyrics off as purely "entertainment," much more likely to question Danny Brown's hairstyle and than his lyrics. I empathized with my friends. I knew they weren't misogynists themselves, they just wanted to enjoy the music for what they thought it was: entertainment. But by writing it off as entertainment, was Skidmore as an institution (one that educated young women before American women could vote) complying with misogyny? By hosting these artists, what is Skidmore subconsciously saying to female students who have been abused, sexually assaulted, raped, used, and degraded? In an interview with Interview Magazine, Danny Brown said he is "not misogynistic" but was entertained by misogynistic lyrics when he was growing up; therefore, he makes music for his younger self, or the "12-year-old kid in front of my boom box." Action Bronson has not personally commented on the matter, yet his vile album artwork for "Saaab Stories" suggests he promotes and is aroused by the objectivity of women (the cover has Bronson looking carnivorously at the um, assets, of a scantily clad Asian woman while another stands watching in the bathtub). Even if rappers do not embrace misogynistic attitudes in real life, it doesn't mean their lyrics are any less devoid of meaning. They have truth to them. The truth is that the music industry and society itself complies - even profits - with misogyny. I'm not looking to condemn SEC - with several less popular Big Shows before them and looming financial interests, Danny Brown and Action Bronson could be considered SEC's saving grace. And I'm not saying to stop listening to Danny Brown or Action Bronson or any other rapper for that matter. Yet I urge Skidmore - a population of (I hope) curious, intelligent, and egalitarian minded students- to ask themselves what it says about Skidmore as an institution when we invite and attend the performances of artists that profit at the expense of women. Hopefully, by doing so, an open dialogue will be encouraged and we will reconsider inviting like-minded musicians to our campus in the future. The Skidmore College Orchestra will present a program of music by Russian masters when during its first concert of the academic year at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, in the college's Arthur Zankel Music Center. The program highlight will be Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, which has helped introduce generations of children to the instruments of the orchestra and the concept of telling a story through music, fulfilling the goal Prokofiev set for himself in 1936. Featured Skidmore student performers include Hannah Emmery'14 (clarinet) as "the cat," Katie Murphy'14 (flute) as the "heroically brave bird," Jared Herman '15 (bassoon) as "the grandfather" and student horn players Liz Estey '14, Brendan Sullivan '14, and Natalie Linton '14 representing the "dangerous wolf." Timpanist David Slitzky '14 will dramatically announce the sounds of the forest hunters. Guest narrator will be Lary Opitz, professor and chair of Skidmore Theater Department and artistic director of Saratoga Shakespeare Company. Other selections to be performed include Stravinsky's Circus Polka for a Young Elephant, originally composed for the Ringling Brothers circus in 1942 as a ballet for elephants, and Shostakovich's dramatic Symphony No. 5 (Movements I and II). Symphony No. 5 features dramatic changes of mood and a pattern of assertive statements with apprehensive retractions. The second movement has been described as homage to waltzes and draws from whimsical themes and raucous material. The Skidmore College Orchestra is a semi-professional orchestra whose members include of students and top players from several regional professional orchestras, including the Albany Symphony, Berkshire Symphony, Schenectady Symphony and Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra. Skidmore's unique orchestral program emphasizes students in the most important orchestral positions and features students in the most important solos. The combination of professional and student players creates an exciting synergy and a concert atmosphere for players and audience members alike. Anthony G. Holland, associate professor of music, directs the orchestra. Admission for the Oct. 26, concert is free for Skidmore students, $8 adults, and $5 seniors. For advance reservations visit www.skidmore.edu/zankel for more information. The Zankel Music Center is wheelchair accessible and offers listening devices for the hearing impaired. For more information, please visit www.skidmore.edu/zankel. Posted by Andrew Shi
Following a spate of poor national rankings that presages poorly for Skidmore College, The Wall Street Journal just released their annual survey "Schools with Transforming Infections" (STIs), a list of colleges with the worst zombie outbreaks, and ranked Skidmore at No.2 behind BYU. This score follows Skidmore's recent rankings as No.1 on the Princeton Review's "Reefer Madness" list and No. 10 on Cosmopolitan's "Working the Ratio" part of which ranks colleges based on how difficult it is to find a single lad. But Professor Linda Grimes of the Gender Studies Department says that Cosmopolitan's recent ranking doesn't say much else that couldn't be extrapolated from the other two surveys. "Based on my research, a woman simply does not desire the undead as a partner, but with the living male population at Skidmore rapidly decreasing, the pickings are even slimmer than usual. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that it's already difficult at times to distinguish between zombies and pot-heads, and with about 100 percent of the remaining male student body using marijuana, give or take nothing, girls are becoming extra wary about who they flirt with lest that male lethargic lump that smells like skunk is an undead lethargic lump that still smells like skunk. And compounding the problem at hand is that the zombies are now smoking pot too, making it even harder to differentiate the two groups as they basically share behavioral patterns." Dr. Edward Jenner, a virologist at the CDC, says that Skidmore's case is especially acute due to the exposure of marijuana to zombies. "It's a vicious cycle. The zombies smoke the marijuana which releases the active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, a stimulator of the canniboid receptor, CB1,a part of the hippocampus that regulates appetite. Basically the zombies get the munchies, start chomping away at the living and in the process infecting them, which just creates more zombies who then get high and, well, you can see where I'm going with this." Women are not the only demographic upset with the zombie epidemic that is cutting down the number of available men. The outbreak of zombies on the Skidmore campus has induced several students to take it upon themselves to form a small brigade that call themselves "The Resistance." But these armed students have in turn raised eyebrows and come under the scrutiny of several different campus groups. "A bunch of students running around with guns and grenades...yeah, it's distracting," Samuel Miller '16 said. "It's hard to concentrate on class which the kid next to me is constantly tapping the trigger." The Resistance came under further criticism when it was revealed that their munitions had little effect on the zombies. "We were told that they were effective against zombies, but when we fired at them the Nerf bullets just bounced off. I tossed a sock grenade at an oncoming horde, but it was a dud," Marissa Holdman' 17 said. "I know many other members are having the same issue." Meanwhile, another group of students, upset with The Resistance's actions and the negative perception of the zombies, have formed a coalition designed to ensure the fair treatment and rights of the minority group. Their de facto leader, Kelly Michaels '14, has demanded that the administration recognize and sign a bill that compensates the zombies for their discriminatory mistreatment at the hands of The Resistance and promises equity in the future. "This isn't the twentieth century, and this isn't Alabama, we respect all people regardless of the beat of their heart," Michaels said in a recent speech to her supporters. In an interview last week with President Philip Glotzbach, the question was raised asking how he would address not only zombie rights, but the lack of available men for the female student body and the endemic abuse of weed. Glotzbach did not directly answer the question, but could be heard muttering under his breath "WTF." A moment later he assured all three issues were a top priority of the administration. But clearly action did not arrive soon enough as the recent faculty meeting was interrupted by approximately forty students with sundry demands. Among the cries from the students were demands for respect for the zombies, for "The Resistance" to be banned and for boyfriends to be included in the student bill of rights. One student asked for a gram. In an email sent out last night, Dean of Student Affairs Rochelle Calhoun set up a time for a dialogue in which any and all issues would be addressed. "The College takes very seriously the abuse that the zombies have experienced at the hands of our very own students and the lack of available men, partially caused by the burgeoning zombie populace. It's a difficult balance to strike but we have complete faith in the agency of our community," the email read. When asked if she thought the dialogue would achieve anything, Junior Leslie Simpson said, "I really don't care about marijuana or zombie rights or Nerf guns. I just want a boyfriend. It's just all so ridiculous."
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: everybody got time for that!
Future of privacy and free speech to be Skidmore Fiscus topic: Author/scholar Jeffrey Rosen to give Nov. 1 talk
NBA Talk: Western Conference Predictions
The 76ers' Western counterpart. They too are making no pretenses of anything but tanking. They booted Jared Dudley, Luis Scola, Jermaine O'Neal and Michael Beasley but did pick up Eric Bledsoe, who looks like the material needed for future stardom (he is called mini-Lebron). They have a lot of young players currently under development, but it's all about the 2014 draft for the Suns.
More to consider about Teach For America
As an American Studies major at Skidmore College in the Class of 2007, I didn't see myself building a career in education. But after attending a Teach For America information session, I knew that in the classroom I could make a meaningful impact right away. And six years later, I'm still working alongside fellow educators, families and community members to ensure that students growing up in poverty have the same educational opportunity as their more affluent peers.
Today I work for Achievement First, a network of charter public schools serving families in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, building strong teaching teams for our middle schools. We look for teachers who possess content mastery and excellent classroom management skills, as well as mindsets like persistence, grit, reflectiveness, and a desire to constantly learn and improve.
Because many of these characteristics are aligned with what Teach For America looks for in their candidates, we consider corps members for open positions and hire a number each year. I'm consistently impressed with their firm belief that our students can achieve anything with the right support, which echoes Achievement First's mission to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all of America's children.
As I read Olivia Frank's recent article about Teach For America, I was struck by two things. First, she shares my deep commitment to ending educational inequity. Second, she has a narrow view of the work that many members of the Teach For America network do. With a network of 11,000 corps members reaching more than 750,000 students and 32,000 alumni, it's a group with a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives. But, informed by our corps experience, we're united in our commitment to ensure that every child, regardless of his or her zip code or family income, has a shot at a great education. Two-thirds of Teach For America alums work full-time in education like me. One-third are classroom teachers. Others are tackling issues that impact low-income communities from a range of other sectors.
No doubt, teaching is one of the hardest things that I've ever done, but I had many resources to draw on while I developed as a classroom leader. With intensive, hands-on pre-service training, the support of my Teach For America instructional coach throughout my two years in the corps and the guidance of my colleagues at Thoreau, I was able to lead my students to over two years of reading growth. Many other corps members share that experience. A recent independent study by Mathematica Policy Research found that corps members in their first and second year of teaching do as well or better than other teachers. On average, students taught by Teach For America teachers show an additional 2.6 months of learning in math over the course of a year.
In Gallup, like many other rural communities across America, my school district struggled to attract and retain effective teachers. Teach For America provided one critical pipeline of candidates. In other places, the teacher job market is much tighter, but many districts must continue to make new hires for open positions. Teach For America provides one critical source of diverse teaching talent, and school and district officials decide whom to hire for their open positions.
At Skidmore, every first-year learns that creative thought matters. I've taken that charge to the wider world, knowing that it will take fresh, innovative thinking to solve the massive problem of educational inequity, which can seem like an intractable problem. My students showed me every day that, by thinking outside the box and giving just a little more of yourself, you can change the future for our next generation of leaders. All of us in this fight for educational equity must come together in innovative ways, not tear one another down. Let's give kids our best creative thinking.
Josh Lauren is a 2007 graduate of Skidmore College and a 2007 New Mexico Teach For America corps member. He serves as a talent recruiter for Achievement First.
Campus Safety Reports: October 11 to 17
Who is the most influential athlete in Skidmore College history?
This week, I examine the origins of athletics at Skidmore College, which of course would not have been possible without Skidmore's most influential athlete: Lucy Scribner.
In the early 20th century, the ideal physical health was achieved by daily cold showers, as recommended by Dean Sarah Gridley Ross and the physical education faculty. Skidmore, though, started physical activities back when it was known as the Young Women's Industrial Club and not even a fully-accredited college. These activities? Clogging, folk dancing and calisthenics.
According to Professor Mary C. Lynn's book on the history of Skidmore, Make No Small Plans, all these activities were "aimed at making students graceful ornaments to society." In fact, individual competition was discouraged because it didn't make the students "graceful ornaments," it made them "unfeminine."
Lucy Scribner, Skidmore's founder, was very in touch with the school after its founding, staying involved in social activities and club meetings, and continuing to implement progressive changes. Scribner, who herself exercised daily, always stressed the physical health of students, and the mission of Skidmore College reflected that from the beginning.
Scribner wanted to instill a healthy life-style mantra within the curriculum of Skidmore as well. A physical education major began to be offered in 1918. According to Professor Lynn, Skidmore was known for educating a very large percentage of the physical education teachers in the Northeast.
In 1920, Skidmore even began to offer a Physical Education camp, in which two teams of students, the Pis and the Pics, competed against each other in soccer, tennis, field hockey, lacrosse, archery, canoeing, riding, hiking and camp craft.
Despite having to compete with societal norms, like becoming graceful ornaments, the female students were able to start competing on some teams, just not with other schools.
Instead, Skidmore's women were deeply involved in interclass and club sports. The women often spent the falls playing field hockey and the winters playing basketball. And instead of playing against other schools, class teams played each other in basketball, soccer, swimming, volleyball and field hockey. Often times, the best individual players from these class teams formed one "varsity" team and competed against local club teams.
By 1976, Skidmore had varsity sports for both men and women. Tennis, basketball, swimming, and field hockey were played by women, and tennis, soccer and basketball were played by men.
Of course these teams needed a new mascot, as "Wombats" just wasn't cutting it. In 1981, the Skidmore College Wombats became the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds, and the school colors became yellow, white and dark green.
Today, there are 19 varsity athletic teams that compete on various fields and in various buildings. However, those teams and facilities weren't always there, and some are relatively new in Skidmore's sporting history. And, of course, none of this would have been possible without Skidmore's most influential athlete, Lucy Scribner.
Skidmore has a rich tradition that is, unfortunately, relatively unknown. Do you know when the first athletic field was purchased? Or that Skidmore is undefeated in football? How did Title IX affect Skidmore compared to other schools?
My goal with these reports is to inform you about the athletic history of Skidmore College athletics, Because yes, we have one.
Bellotti, Blackhurst take home Liberty League honors
Bellotti netted two goals in Skidmore's win against the Tigers of RIT, both coming in the final 10 minutes of play. The Thoroughbreds were down 1-0 with 10 minutes to go when Bellotti was able to run onto a service from Kelly O'Donnell. Eight minutes later, and with less than a minute to go in regulation, Bellotti broke the tie when she corralled a loose ball in the 18 and found the back of the net.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, Bellotti and her fellow seniors take on St. Lawrence in their Senior Game.
In Skidmore's 5-2 victory over Williams College, Blackhurst netted three goals and added two assists. Those eight points, which were a season-high for Blackhurst, bring her season total and team-leading point total to 48 points (19 G, 10 A). Blackhurst now has six goals in her last two games and ranks ninth nationally in goals per game with 1.36, and seventh nationally in points per game with 3.43.
Blackhurst and the Thoroughbreds take on the University of Rochester at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, and William Smith College at p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 .
Skidmore College considers renovation plans for Case Center
Moorebid Ball Sold Out: Alex Hodor-Lee
Hillside kitchen fire causes flooding; no students hurt: An unattended pot on a stove in Hillside A10 results in the flooding of the surrounding apartments.
Bruce and Hailey: "Monday Morning": A weekly comic series
Film Forum: 20 Feet from Stardom: Morgan Neville's documentary follow music's lesser-credited talent.
In the earlier days of pop, backup singers were usually white. Darlene Love was one of the first black women to break the racial barrier. Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley are just a few of the artists that she worked with. Merry Clayton, who started singing around the same time as Love also sang backup for many top-notch artists. These include, but are not limited to, Neil Young, Carol King, and Joe Cocker. One of her most iconic performances was her duet with Mick Jagger on The Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter". Despite her impressive credentials, Love was not always treated fairly. Some of her most quintessential work was performed on a single produced by Phil Spector, who frequently credited her voice to other artists.
In this group of accomplished female singers the one that has probably gotten the most recognition for her career thus far is Lisa Fischer. Fischer won a Grammy for one of her own songs but did not think she had the ego for a solo career. She has sung backup for Roberta Flack and Tina Turner, among others. She has also toured with The Rolling Stones. Judith Hill is the youngest of the group, just 39 years old. Hill was chosen to be Michael Jackson's duet partner for his "This Is It" tour. Due to his demise, she never got to go on tour with him, but she did garner worldwide attention when she sang "Heal the World" at his memorial service.
Though this documentary has a star studded cast, including the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Mick Jagger, the real stars are the women who have spent their lives just a few steps away from the spotlight. Showings are Thursday October 17th, Friday October 18th, and Sunday October 20th at 7:30. Tickets are $5 with valid Skidmore ID.
With Fiscal Crisis End in Sight, White House, Advocates Gear Up for Renewed Immigration Battle
Cosmopolitan: Dear Ladies, Ambition is a Turn-off!
Nominating Commencement Speakers: An empty offer?: The administration offered us a voice, but was it just to be ignored?
The six worst places to meet single college women: The data may shock you
But Cosmo left out any advice for college guys! Wanting to contribute to this hard-hitting and meaningful reporting, the Skidmore News has carefully compiled a list of the (surprisingly) worst places on the Skidmore campus to meet single women:
It's kind of a big deal: Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Misogyny at Big Show
Skidmore Orchestra presents Russian Masters for Children and Adults Program features "Peter and the
Skidmore braces itself after another poor national ranking