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Just before 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 9, nearly 100 Skidmore students left classrooms all over campus crowded in front of Case Student Center to take part in a demonstration in support of Palestine. The urgency of the walkout was undoubtedly prompted by Israel’s siege on Gaza following Hamas’ capturing of about 240 Israeli hostages on October 7.
Nestled amidst the busyness of Broadway Street resided a small oasis for Saratoga coffee lovers. In 2006, a coffee shop by the name of Saratoga Coffee Traders opened on 447 Broadway Street in Saratoga Springs, New York. On September 30th 2023, owner Scott Swedish announced with great sadness that the branch would be closing after seventeen years of operation and later relocating to nearby Schenectady. While Swedish wanted to keep the shop open until December to allow his employees to explore other employment opportunities, the lease had expired sooner than expected. He relayed to the local news outlet, NEWS10, that the circumstances were unfortunately beyond anyone’s control.
Photographs by Yunghi Kim/Contact Press Images/CNN
In September of 2023, it was recorded that more than 118,000 migrants had arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022. This statistic prompted Mayor Eric Adams to declare a state of emergency in the city. Mayor Adams has been adamant about putting a stop to this crisis by begging the federal government, even going to Washington himself, to obtain sufficient funding and hasten work authorizations for the incoming migrants, which would allow them to be self-sufficient. Adams relayed his frustration by claiming that President Biden has “failed” the city by not attempting to do more. During this time, Adams has also been dissuading migrants from seeking shelter in New York City.
When discussing the 2024 Republican primary, we must keep one thing in mind — former president Donald Trump will in all likelihood be renominated. Polls show Trump maintaining a substantial lead over every challenger.
As of May 10, it was announced by Adrian Bautista, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, that “the RAs and CAs voted in favor of being represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).” The Union won with a unanimous vote of 37 to 0 in favor of being represented by the SEIU. The next steps will include the Skidmore administration bargaining with SEIU towards “mutually agreeable terms” regarding fair pay and equitable treatment for student workers.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, February 5, causing destruction throughout the region. The epicenter of the quake was in the city of Gaziantep and radiated outward through Southern Turkey and Northern Syria. However, due to the strength of the event, its effects were felt as far as Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.
Republican George Santos is the House Representative for the 3rd District of New York. After a failed run for office in 2020, Santos defeated his Democratic opponent in the November 2022 election. In late December 2022, news broke that Santos had lied about his resume. On December 26, Santos conceded that he had embellished his resume and apologized, but stressed that he did not break any laws. Just two days later, however, the Nassau County District Attorney opened an investigation into Santos's questionable background. Since then, Santos has been accused of a plethora of lies, from lying about working for Goldman Sachs, to misusing campaign funds, to stealing money from a GoFundMe for a veteran's sick dog.
Since I became the Student Government Association (SGA) President earlier this year, I have consistently met with students who are frustrated with the laundry services provided on our campus. The cost of the cycles, the frequently broken machines, and the lengthy repair times are some of the most prominent recurring issues experienced by the Skidmore students I have spoken with. On November 21, 2022, SGA released a survey to the student body to collect data on these concerns, asking students to identify the top laundry problems they have experienced at Skidmore. The survey received 387 responses.
When eight p.m. rolled around on November 18 and 19, the house lights dimmed in the Arthur Zankel Music Center’s Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall. The chattery hum of the audience fizzled to a pregnant near-silence of anticipation. Written in this silence was a mutual understanding: this moment was special. And throughout the next two hours, the audience was musically transported fifty years into the past.
At the beginning of every new school year, Skidmore College students relish in the last of Saratoga’s summer warmth. Returning students reunite with friends and spend their Saturday nights at well-loved local venues. Many first-years attend college parties for the first time. This fall, however, those blissful weekends were interrupted on September 25, when Skidmore students awoke — many of them after a night out — to an alarming message in their inbox. The email, sent by the College’s Office of Campus Safety, reported a suspected drink drugging at a downtown establishment.
On October 30th, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential election. The election was very close, with Lula winning by only 1.8 percent of votes. Lula is a leftist politician who previously served as Brazil’s President from 2003-2010, leaving office with an 87 percent approval rating. Lula will fight for liberal values, but, like in the U.S., Brazil's economy is suffering from inflation. Before he can jump into his liberal agenda, Lula must rebuild a struggling country with many people in poverty and going hungry. As Lula pointed out during his campaign, Bolsonaro was pro-torture and pro-dictatorship. Lula’s goal is to return Brazil to a stable democracy. Along with his promises to enforce laws preventing deforestation, Lula also pledged to increase the minimum wage and social welfare, and support civil rights.
In Saratoga Springs, residents can expect the sun to rise and set each morning and evening without fail. A recent celestial event, however, interrupted this normal routine, capturing the attention and excitement of the town and its college students alike.