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Posted by Gabe Weintraub
The fall semester invariably presents returning students with a changed campus. Some are subtle: new window blinds in Scribner apartments, a new milkshake machine at the Burgess Café. Others require more of an adjustment.
This year, returning students accustomed to being shepherded home late at night by free rides from Saratoga Taxi, are forced to adjust to a revised policy that, from Thursday through Saturday, does away with the taxis in exchange for a bus service.
The new system does not abandon cabs completely. From Sunday through Wednesday, starting at midnight and running until 6:30 a.m., Saratoga Taxi provides free rides back to campus from the area traditionally defined "Downtown Saratoga." That area covers, from north to south, the college campus to Crescent Street, and from East Avenue to West Avenue. The program also includes the Wilton Mall and, during the day, provides rides to and from the college stables and boathouse for the riding and crew teams respectively.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, however, CDTA will provide a bus beginning at 9 p.m., running until 4:15 a.m. the next morning. The "Night Loop" bus follows a revised version of the 473 route, which departs outside Case Center every half-hour during the day. Affectionately dubbed "The Drunk Bus" by CDTA drivers, the bus follows essentially the same route as the daytime route, traveling down Clinton Street, Van Dam Street and onto Broadway, making a loop at Spring Street and Putnam Street before returning to campus. The bus eschews regular daytime stops at the Embury Apartments and Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.
The idea for the change originated two years ago when, facing a tumultuous economy, the college sought ways to reduce expenses. Mike Hall, the college's director of Financial Planning and Budgeting, Purchasing Services and Residential Life, audited the taxi program and began work on developing an alternative. "They felt they could come up with something that would be better and more cost-effective for the college, while still succeeding in providing safety for our students coming from downtown back to campus," Director of Campus Safety Dennis Conway said.
Before unveiling an alternative program, however, the college began by altering the existing taxi program. Starting in the fall of 2009, the program was reduced to covering only its current area.
"The intent, always, of [the taxi service], had a particular scope, mostly down North Broadway and into some of the neighborhoods," said Rochelle Calhoun, dean of Student Affairs. "But when we looked into where the taxi services were actually serving it was way beyond that. We really just reestablished what had been the contractual agreement with the taxi service about the areas we were serving.
"What we tried to do, in talking to CDTA, was to recreate those areas, the areas that the taxi had been servicing, in as close an approximation as we could, so that service would be similar to what the taxi service had been. That was our goal in working with CDTA. They came back to us with a proposal that seemed to address what we were asking for, so we decided to give it a try."
The college was also concerned about the safety of the taxi program. "We heard students talk about the fact that sometimes they did not feel like they were being treated well by the taxi drivers," Calhoun said. Last year a student went to authorities complaining of an assault by a taxi driver. The college has been unable to determine whether the driver was from Saratoga Taxi or another service. According to Calhoun, the college also received numerous reports from students of taxi drivers cramming as many as 15 students into a single car.
The hope is that the new program will be safer and more reliable. "It's important to say that we're piloting this," Calhoun said. "We'll be reviewing it and we'll be talking again with students and getting their opinions."
Some students have expressed dismay over the limitations of the bus system, particularly that it does not provide easy access to and from off-campus house parties. "Students need to take responsibility for thinking through how they're going to preserve their own safety and wellness when they are making choices about what they're going to do," Calhoun said. "So know the bus schedule, know what the route is.
"As I hear students and their concerns, it raises for me an additional concern about students' own relationship with alcohol and other drugs. I'm not naïve enough to believe that that's not going to happen, but I do want to encourage them to not rely on a cab or this kind of service to be the point at which they are making responsible decisions.
"Are students really saying to themselves, ‘I can go get blasted because I have a free cab ride home?' Is that how we're making choices about our own health and wellness? If it is, I think that's a huge question. I think part of what we also need to be thinking about, institutionally and collaboratively with students, is what was the cab service actually serving?
"Was it serving a population that was saying ‘It's important that I feel safe and well and can enjoy the downtown and be responsible and not have to drive' or is it serving a population that is being excessive in a way, and the cab service was a way to support that behavior. I don't know the answer to that, but I do think as a community we have to ask ourselves that question."
Posted by Tera Johnson
The Class of 2014 is the largest class in the college's history. Of the 731 first year students living on campus, 591 of them are living in triples.
Those students have received compensation from the Office of Residential Life. In addition to the newly refurbished resident halls, students living in triples will also receive 500 dollars per semester.
The admissions staff did not anticipate such a large first year class based on previous trends. For the past three years, the percentage of students who chose to attend Skidmore annually decreased by one percent.
"When you're thinking about enrolling a class, it's more art than science," said Rochelle Calhoun, dean of Student Affairs. "You are trying to admit students based on your history and way students have behaved in terms of enrollment. This year's yield went against the economic climate and the history of previous years" Calhoun said unexpectedly, the yield of student enrollment increased four percent.
The college is taking steps to minimize the effects of over enrollment. "We've been able to de-triple several students by offering upperclassmen incentives to move off campus. About 30 have taken up the offer. There have also been fewer triples through leave of absences and no shows," said Don Hastings. associate dean of Student Affairs.
The administration has also refurbished all of the study rooms in the residence halls to accommodate the larger student population. Additionally a game room has replaced the faculty lounge in Case Center to promote a sense community throughout the student body.
"In anticipating such a big class, we wanted to create gathering spaces both for quiet study and community outside of the residence halls. We really try to be attentive to making the in-residences as comfortable as possible," Calhoun said.
Although the college is adapting to the increase in population, it has no intention of changing its reputation of being a small liberal arts college. The college's intimacy has remained important to students and faculty alike.
"We tried hard to preserve the integrity of the educational experience in both academics and co-curricular activites. Academic Affairs did a great job in anticipating pressures in terms of enrolling classes, really working with departments and staff in such a way that students get the classes they want," Calhoun said.
The admissions office plans to be conservative when enrolling the next generation of students by acknowledging the fact that classes are in need of balancing. This year the maximum class enrollment has only increased by one student.
Despite the student population increase, many have yet to feel its effect.
"I think my class sizes are perfect. There are only 15 people in my Scribner Seminar and I am able to participate and feel comfortable" said Sam Cochrane '14'.
Furthermore, it is projected that once the Class of 2011 graduates there will be more room on campus for students. The Class of 2011 was the largest class before the Class of 2014. Recalibrating the housing situation will be much less demanding after graduation when space clears.
Until then, the majority of the Class of 2014 will remain in triples. Although the housing situation was not initially received well by most first year students, many have grown accustomed to the living arrangements.
"Initially, I didn't like the idea of being in a triple, but now that I've met my roommates I don't mind it. We all have similar habits and get along well. It's also nice to have an extra friend around," Elizabeth Cohen '14 said
"From this point forward you are going to find yourself living in community. You are going to find yourself negotiating how you live productively with other people for the rest of your life. It's simply one of life's lessons," Calhoun said.
Posted by Rebecca Stern
On a hazy Saratoga summer day, the students of the largest class in Skidmore's history scrambled onto campus. Excited and anxious, First Year Students and their parents poured into dorm rooms to be greeted not only by one roommate, but two.
An overwhelmin majority of the Class of 2014 is living in forced triples this semester—more than any other class in Skidmore history. Although this is not what first year students expected, Skidmore is attempting to ease the transition for the roughly 700 students forced to have awkward conversations about who gets the single bed.
Every student assigned to a forced triple received a 200 dollar compensation, available for use on his or her Skidmore ID, with a bonus to be added for those who remain in triples after October.
Associate Director of Residential Life Ann Marie Przywara said, "There are now around 180 triples on campus and it is tough to be overenrolled, but we consider this to be a good problem, seeing as the school has accommodated this unexpectedly large grade. We have hired more professors, rearranged freshmen seminars and added an extra person in health services."
In addition to the monetary reward, living in a triple allows first year students to socialize more easily.
"At first I was nervous about being in a triple – but now that I am here, I am thrilled. My roommates are two of my closest friends, and I probably never would have met them if we hadn't been placed together," Vicky Janczyk '14 said.
It's not just the students who are in triples who see it as a great social outlet. Some Residential Life staff members also find triples easier to manage, seeing as big groups usually congregate in one room.
"It's much easier for areas of hanging out. There is always someone to hang out with. The odds are better you'll make a friend," RA Carol Brown '13 said.
Although not every situation is as fortunate as Jancyzk's, there are many ways to make triples work. Posted on fliers throughout residence halls and in the student handbook are "Tips for Triples."
Dividing space and furniture equally is one way to make a cramped living situation more tolerable. If one roommate gets stuck on the top bunk, make sure they don't also get the small dresser.
Another way to ease tension is by making sure that each roommate has his or her own space. For example, one roommate may like to study in the window seat, while the other may like to work in his or her bed. By designating areas, roommates can then feel free make their own side of the room as messy or as clean as they want.
Abby Byers, ‘14, agrees, "Before we even arrived on campus, my roommates and I decided who got what – that way we avoided conflict upon arrival. And now that we're here, everything is great. We share everything from food to clothes, but we also have our own space. It's perfect!"
Roommates should also craft a "Dos and Don'ts" list for the room together. That way it is clearly outlined what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
Jay Dwyer, '14, did this with his roommates and has found it successful.
"We know we have to respect each other's space. For example, I don't care if people are on my bed, but some people do. Don't use anyone's stuff without asking – like if they want to borrow stuff, that's fine. Just be polite about it," Dwyer said.
Although it is pleasant to think that by following these guidelines life in a triple will be smooth sailing, that is simply not that case.
"Communication is key. Often times a person comes in here complaining about this or that - without mentioning it to his or her roommates ahead of time. Don't bottle it up – even if it's small. If it's still bothering you the next morning, then you should say something to your roommates immediately," Przywara.
"When stuff comes up during the year, don't complain about it to your third roommate. Talk about it openly with the entire room. And really make an effort to get to know each other," said Grace Harman '13, who lived in a triple last year
Roommates can make or break a school year, but don't be discouraged if things aren't going as planned.
"Hang out with your roommates friends. Throw tea parties and movie nights--my roommates and I did both. If you're all friends, or at least on good terms and all respect each other, life is going to be about three-million times easier," Harman said.
Posted by Kat Kullman
On Tuesday, Sept. 14, the Senate of the Student Government Association convened for its first meeting of the year with Alex Stark, Class of 2011, as the new president. The primary item on the agenda was a resolution to amend the election policies and procedures for student government candidates.
Vice President for Communications and Outreach Jenny Snow '10 introduced the topic of amending the election policies. At Skidmore's last election, only 17 percent of the student body cast a vote. Snow's resolution would establish tighter time frames for students to vote in the elections of their peers.
Snow feels that this shorter time period would encourage students to not delay in their voting. "Elections used to run over a very long period of time. I've just compacted it into a week. If elections were all in one day, students would be more likely to vote then and there," Snow said.
Snow also proposed several ideas to help get the student body excited about voting. "To hype up elections, we're thinking about a meet and greet after the election speeches so that everyone can have one-on-one conversations," Snow said. She also mentioned a raffle for gift cards to Saratoga shops and restaurants. To enter, students must forward the SGA confirmation email they receive after voting.
The resolution to condense the voting period into one day was passed unanimously among the Senate. Elections for SGA will be held in the upcoming weeks.
In other news:
Several students were appointed to various committees and vacant spots among the student government. Senator Aaron Shifreen '13 was appointed as both the Parking Court chair and Honor Code commissioner. Senators Lauria Chin '12 and Stacy Sullivan '13 were both appointed to the IPPC Subcommittee on Student Affairs. Senator Gabby Stern '13 was appointed to the Campus Environment Committee.
All students are welcome to attend the weekly Senate meetings. Senate meets at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays in Ladd 307.
Opponents of the new taxi program have an anthem, and it goes like this: it only takes one. A driver decides to save the $6 taxi fare by careening his way back from drinking at an off-campus party. A pedestrian impatient with an unfamiliar bus schedule decides to walk down the shoulder of a dark 3 a.m. road. It only takes one and, after that, the anthem goes, the money saved by the new taxi program would not have been enough.
The first weeks of this semester, these dangers seem more possible than ever before. Confused by a new program, frustrated by a decision made without substantive student input, unwilling to shell out the extra cash to call Saratoga Taxi, stranded students might make dangerous choices. But after students adjust to the new schedule and forget how things used to be, the changes to the program pose more of an inconvenience than a new threat.
Students venturing off campus will not always be safe, whether they cram into free cabs or lurch back on a free bus. Long before they were told to shuffle to a bus stop, some students would decide to drive drunk or walk home in the dark instead of competing for a cab. Saratoga Taxi will still answer late-night calls, and most students can save money that would have gone toward another beer, buying a ride home instead.
But the new schedule makes a larger statement about administrators' approach to student life. Free taxis showing up at the end of the night told students that administrators wanted us to come home safe, regardless of the financial investment required. It only takes one, the free taxi program said, and that chance is more of a cost than the college is willing to pay.
The free taxi program was a convenience and a symbol, but students didn't realize it at the time. It was as invisible as school-funded lunches with your favorite professor and limitless paper for printing in the library, as quietly reassuring as calls from Campus Safety reminding students their lights are on in the parking lot. It was there like all the other small pieces of campus that make the college our home.
Students miss the free taxi program, and hope members of the class of 2014 might just have a good story to tell in three years: "When I was a freshman…" But administrative attention could be better used in other places than tallying up taxis and buses.
When they heard about students falling out of cabs, too drunk to stand after binge-drinking in the "dry" dorms, hopefully they came to a different conclusion than just deciding cabs might not be a bad idea. Changes to students' drinking need to take place at home, with the examination of procedures based on hypocrisy and mutual disrespect.
Get students drinking responsibly on campus, rather than worrying about how to shuttle them off. Consider alterations to the "dry campus" policy and the red tape that keeps Falstaff's from returning as an on-campus bar. Question the assumption that students just don't know how to drink responsibly.
The free taxi program represented laudable concern and respect from administrators, a spirit students wish they could see reflecting in all aspects of the school's approach toward student life. It should have only taken one, Skidmore, and the drinking policy has hurt more than that.
Posted by Alex Brehm
The faculty and administration met on Friday, Sept. 10, to convene the first faculty meeting for the 2010-2011 academic year.
The agenda included a proposed approval of a new Faculty Handbook. The Faculty Handbook is updated regularly to describe college policies regarding the duties of professors and other faculty members.
The new edition proposes to make more accommodations for faculty members seeking tenure. Faculty may now be granted yearlong extensions in cases of illness, injury or maternity leave.
The agenda also included "Pedagogy Sessions," educational improvement seminars that would teach faculty about new practices in education and improve their teaching skills.
Proposed sessions include "Teaching in the Tang Galleries," a demonstration of using the space and resources of the Tang to teach classes, "Providing Rich Classroom Experiences via Videoconferencing," a session featuring guest speakers in classes electronically and "Active Learning in Larger Classes," an introduction to techniques that help engage a particularly large classroom.
President Philip Glotzbach began the meeting with a statement of thanks to the members of the faculty and staff who worked during the orientation events. Citing the enrollment of the largest class ever at Skidmore, he emphasized much gratitude.
Music Professor Gordon Thompson commented on the strain the excessively large freshman class places on professors.
The senior class is the college's second-largest class and these large "bookends" tax the abilities of all college personnel, especially Residential Life, Admissions, Facilities and professors who teach increasingly full classrooms.
"Will we send those students a post card saying, ‘Sorry, you can't come?'" Glotzbach asked. He said that the increased enrollment could not have been predicted and that once students have enrolled college staff members cannot reject them.
Others professors said that despite the difficulty of teaching and planning for a historically large student body, the situation stands as a challenge to be met, and as a chance for achievement.
Posted by Danielle Eagan & Elise Taverna
On any given weekend, about 15 Skidmore students leave campus behind to venture into the wild. Sometimes overnight, and other times just for the day, they kayak, canoe, raft, swim, rock-climb, backpack, ice climb, ski and snowshoe. These 15 students represent the biggest club on campus: The Outing Club.
There are about 50 active members of the club, a small number compared to the 700 students who sign up at the club fair each year.
What is the allure that has so many students signing up for the Outing Club? This year's club President Coco Loehr, '12, says that it is the total inclusivity of nature that keeps students signing up.
Loehr has always felt at home in the outdoors. She took a year off before college to backpack both in Patagonia through an outdoor program called NOLS and, afterwards, across the U.S.
Loehr lived in the Outing Club house last year and this year took on the role of president
Outing Club events create bonding opportunities because there are different standards in the outdoors.
The wild has a way of breaking deep-rooted boundaries. Conventional priorities are thrown away by club members at the bottom of the mountain.
The Outing Club welcomes a world of mud-covered legs where caring and helpful people are most appreciated.
Loehr describes the club as a group of great students, a mix of close friends and casual acquaintances. "It's a good way to meet people outside of the typical party scene," Loehr said.
The Outing Club is easy to be a part of. Supplies are available to rent for free and with easy access.
The deterrent for many people, however, is missing happenings on campus. With the Adirondacks, the club's main destination, a full 90 minute drive from campus, taking part in the Outing Club does pull one away from campus life.
Waking up at dawn can also keep some students from weekend events. "It's worth it, though," Loehr said.
Loehr, a passionate geology major, has plenty of new ideas for the coming year. She is working hard to make the club more inclusive for a close, community feel.
Loehr plans to have more trips this year, including some less advanced ones.
"A lot of things last year were advanced, and I want the club to be more beginner-friendly," she said.
As much as Loehr feels at home in the solitude of the outdoors, she loves bringing people into the wild for their first intense nature experience.
Making events available to beginners will give her and the beginners a shared opportunity to learn together.
Loehr also plans to create an Outing Club Facebook group, which will make it easier for all students to be involved.
"With a Facebook page, events won't have to be planned months in advance," Loehr said.
"Someone can post on the Facebook page, ‘Hey, anyone up for a hike today?'"
Another new plan is a climbing wall on campus, possibly in the new Scribner complex.
Loehr's personal favorite Outing Club activity is climbing. "The total trust one must have in the person belaying them creates a close community environment."
One of Loehr's most memorable Outing Club adventures was a four-day winter trip involving 10 students that took place last year.
They backpacked in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, lodging in mountain huts along the way. "I'm probably biased because I led it, but it was a great time," she said.
Though most outing club trips are memorable for the adventures and group bonding, there have been some dangerous situations in the past. Last year, a canoeing mishap led to a canoe becoming stuck under a tree.
This incident should not stop anyone from joining the Outing Club, however, as someone trained in first-aid is always on hand.
For more information on club events, contact Coco Loehr at cloehr@skidmore.edu
Posted by Alex Brehm
Ani DiFranco is Joan Baez, Joan Jett and Betty Freidan all rolled into one. The singer-songwriter has created a small indie recording empire, Righteous Babe, featuring talent such as Toshi Regan, Andrew Bird and Buddy Wakefield. She is famous as a deeply intelligent lyricist, talented musician and passionate political activist.
In a concert featured by Caffé Lena, DiFranco will play in Zankel Music Center on Sun., Sept. 26.
DiFranco writes poetic lyrics in an often punctuated, alliterative style. Her guitar work is similarly staccato and twangy, and her recording uses a wide range of instruments. Her arrangements often feature marimba, whistling, exotic percussion and dark, ambient recording effects. Her recent album "Red Letter Year" features clear electronica influences.
Skidmore student Fortunato De Sousa '11 praises DiFranco's "lyric" style. "It's very smooth, you know, from the heart," De Sousa said.
DiFranco writes confidently about political topics, advancing issues of gender and orientation bias in her songs, and describing rape, racism and war. More recently, she has written songs inspired by religion and by becoming a mother. "November 4th, 2008" is dedicated to President Barack Obama's election. DiFranco's personal history of challenging traditional gender roles and identification as bisexual made her a figure of the queer pride and rights movement.
Folk singer-songwriter Erin McKeown will open for DiFranco. In 1998 McKeown performed at Queerstock, a music festival that promoted LGBT musicians. McKeown's style is a swing-rock she says is influenced by, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." McKeown is known for her energetic stage presence and eccentric dress.
The historic Caffé Lena is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This is not the first time the café has featured a joint concert with Skidmore College. As part of anniversary celebrations at the beginning of the summer, Arlo Guthrie played in Zankel Music Center.
DiFranco will begin performing at 7 p.m. Students can buy tickets on brownpapertickets.com for $15.
Posted by Jenna Postler
The college community is preparing to welcome soul funkstress Janelle Monáe as this year's Big Show. At 8 p.m. on Oct. 1, the Student Entertainment Committee will host the artist in the Sports and Recreation Center.
Similar to last year's act, Grizzly Bear, Janelle Monáe may be an artist who is unfamiliar to many students. Although rising in popularity, she is still widely unknown.
Some may recognize her single "Tightrope" featuring Big Boi of Outkast and the even catchier "Wondaland" remix featuring B.o.B. Currently touring and promoting her new album, The "ArchAndroid," Monáe has been a standard opener for indie pop band Of Montreal.
"The ArchAndroid," Monáe's sophomore album, tells the story of Cindi Mayweather, the heroine of her first album "Metropolis." Through imaginative songs and orchestral arrangements, Monáe paints the picture of Cindi as the ArchAndroid, sent to free the citizens of Metropolis.
The openers for Monáe, Eli "Paperboy" Reed and The True Loves, are equally soulful and play Sam Cooke inspired tunes.
"SEC is really excited about booking Janelle because she is such a unique female performer who has her own aesthetic and sensibility. Also, we know she will put on a great energetic and very danceable show," SEC President Hannah Ronson '12 said.
Monáe will be sure to get students and community members alike moving to her soul, funk and afro-punk inspired music.
Tickets are $5 for students and $20 for the public. Tickets are available for sale in Case Center and online at brownpapertickets.com.
Posted by Jack Ferguson
I will wager that each of us has heard some version of this common, modern aphorism: the Internet is making your generation stupider. Occasionally, the adults wagging their fingers entertain a fair portion of humility, and includes themselves, or at least those of their age, in this blanket statement.
Unfortunately, the practice of blanketing the campus with posters that pronounce un-cited abbreviated factoids proves that the Internet, with its wealth of fun-size knowledge morsels, has spawned a culture of communication that makes us stupider.
Many of our leading intellectuals (most eloquently Steven Pinker in the New York Times) have very ably countered this claim. Many remain glumly unconvinced. Perhaps both camps have some credit to their argument.
Most of us students understand that computers are tools and, when used correctly, greatly expand our learning horizons; they increase our ability to interact with and grow in our knowledge.
Yet the laments of the pessimists – howling steadily, Viking-like from the depths of their armchairs – are not totally off base. Such irrational fear springs from real danger.
At root, the danger is this: a new trend in learning will arise, in which a multitude of sound bites accumulate in an individual's mind, and though many, all lack nuance and substance – and we will call this knowledge. Our culture risks substituting depth and comprehension for speed, ease and clarity.
Interestingly, we of the university system are perhaps the realest staging ground for the battle over the emerging direction of knowledge. We take part in proving ourselves every day. Too often, however, and with the most important issues, we take the easy, simple route of conveying information.
We live in an era of Twitter and pundits' chalkboards. Loud declamations of statistics are too, too familiar – in the way that the act of breathing is familiar, yet forgettable.
For the last four years, I have seen various bits of information, on posters and in chalk, that seem willfully intended to exist solely in themselves, outside or above conversation. Scrawled or typed snippets from un-cited studies dot our place of learning.
Such mass distribution of simple sentence facts – hate-crime statistics, trends of sexual assault on campuses, STI distribution – no doubt intends to educate, and perhaps give voice to, subjects often stifled in public discourse. Yet the effect is to usher information on important issues into our library of sound bites, of factoids. This is unipolar discussion; this is hardly information at all.
If one person stands up in a room and shouts into a megaphone, we will no doubt listen and incorporate the topic of his or her shouting into our separate conversations. If over a dozen people stand up throughout the year and shout into a megaphone, we will end up aggravated and rolling our eyes. This cannot happen to our gravest and most urgent issues.
For now, let us assume that the recipients of such campus-wide campaigning want very much to know and grow in knowledge (this seems fair given the price of tuition). Further, let us imagine that students care dearly about the community in which they daily exist, and want nothing more than to see it flourish.
Wouldn't such an environment, with such exciting people, be all but perfect for comprehensive publications with cited sources and suggestions for further reading?
We live in an era of Twitter and pundits' chalkboards. Loud declamations of statistics are too, too familiar – in the way that the act of breathing is familiar, yet forgettable.
Perhaps we ought to consider that distribution of disparate facts does not contribute to our education or a sense of support for urgent causes. Perhaps it is causing detriment.
I know that when I see a poster telling me about my community as a result of a survey conducted of Skidmore students, I want to know how many people responded, what that percentage means. I am uneasy being told a statistic about my living environment for which the background specifics are obscure.
If I am learning about hate crimes, I want to know where they most frequently occur, among what groups of people, whether they have been on the decline the past decade or on the rise.
We are the new generation of highly educated citizens, and we have a new, revolutionary tool. Right now, it is under-utilized as a resource and an adjunct to how we pursue our educations. Conversely, it can too easily be accessed to call up easy, micro-bits of information.
We are called to demonstrate just how much we are capable of, how much we understand, how hungrily we perceive.
We are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity; we ought to be able to ask that of those above us, advising us. Because making propaganda of very complicated urgent issues – that will certainly make us stupider.
Posted by Maxx Salat & Ethan Fisher
Among the many renovations undergone by the college over the summer was the conversion of the old faculty lounge into a new game room.
Located on the second floor of Case Center, the idea for a game room came from Campus Life Office and was funded and supported by the office of President Philip Glotzbach and by Rochelle Calhoun, dean of Student Affairs.
Operating on the same schedule as Burgess Café, from 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m., the game room is a place for students to take a break from their academic and extracurricular activities.
In order to access the game room equipment students need to submit their Skidmore IDs to an employee working at Burgess Café.
The administration decided to create a game room because of the tremendous first year class joining Skidmore. The Campus Life Office felt it necessary to create a place for people to retreat to for entertainment and bonding.
"With such a large first year class, the idea is to create more places for people to hang out. Case Center, we think, should function more as a proper student center and have a more vibrant atmosphere. The game room is a small step in that direction," said Robin Adams, assistant director of Leadership Activities.
Students contributed to the creation of the game room. The administration received constant feedback from students on a multitude of subjects ranging from decorations to the very games within.
While the game room is a good place for students to bond, it is not a completed project."For now, it's a trial run to see if it works. In many ways it, at the moment, looks like a former faculty or staff club with games in it. If it's as much a success as it currently is then I can see a lot more effort being put into the interior design. For now, we just wanted to get games in there," Adams said.
The administration, however, has high hopes for the game room.
"It could be a place for clubs to hold events, Scribner Seminars to meet...who knows? For me, the idea of doing more to make Case Center the central hub of student life is important," Adams said.
Posted by Isaac Baker
The first Battle of the Bands this year went down Friday Sept. 10 at Falstaff's and, like all Skidmore events, it rocked.
The Student Entertainment Committee pulled together four fantastic bands to compete for the grand prize of opening for the band Beach Fossils the following night.
After the audience filed out of the Falstaff's lounge, the host turned things over to the first band, Baliwick. This band's comfortable acoustic presence brought the audience to the floor where they sat peacefully and appreciated the intricate harmonies and diverse instrumentation. They were called back to the stage for an encore and laid down one final tune that was met with raucous applause.
The second band to take the stage was Sticky Friction. They kicked off their set with a Jackson Five cover that brought everyone quickly to their feet.
The funk and rock influences took the audience by storm and the dance floor was packed with students jumping and singing along to the music. They "were a tight band all around and certainly knew how to shake things up," Jesse Shayne '14 said.
The next band, Slim Charles, took things in a different direction. The house lighting went out and the black lights came on which gave the band a heightened psychedelic feeling. Each song featured multiple time changes and hypnotized the crowd with powerful bass playing and intricate riffs.
The final band, DTF, finished out the night with a few covers that grabbed the attention of the dwindling crowd. They covered a variety of bands ranging from MGMT to Old Crow Medicine Show and pulled it off with gusto. A few technical difficulties aside, this group rocked the house.
After a riveting night of music, judges from the SEC and WSPN struggled to choose a winner out of the four talented groups. The panel picked Slim Charles as the winner of the evening, but no one could deny that it was a close contest and certainly the best concert anyone had attended so far this academic year.
Posted by Kristin Travagline
Michael Kuch's exhibit of multiple mediums and brilliant colors appears too bold to be contained within the small Schick Art Gallery, where it is on display until Sept. 26.
Kuch will discuss his experiences as a printmaker and book artist when he delivers the 2010 Fox-Adler Lecture on Sept. 23 at 5:15 p.m. in Gannet Auditorium. The lecture is titled "The Annotated Image: When Picture Precedes Text—the Books of Michael Kuch."
A reception in the Schick Art Gallery will immediately follow the lecture. Admission to the gallery, lecture and reception is free.
Kuch's artistic skills are primarily grounded in solid pen and ink craftsmanship, He is also comfortable working in ink wash, watercolor, oils, pastels, etchings, lithography and bronze sculpture. He often incorporates woodcuts and etchings into his limited edition books.
Kuch's wide variety of expertise characterizes the exhibition with energy and vibrancy. "Kuch's various talents give his themes room to evolve according to the subtle, expressive strengths of each material," the catalogue accompanying the exhibit said.
The exhibit explores themes as weighty as imperialism, mortality and the human imagination, keeping the viewer's mind reeling. "Kuch's art does not focus on verisimilitude, nor does it dwell in aesthetic interpretation; rather, these qualities attend human experience as revealed from the inside: a world of psychological reflection," a description accompanying the exhibit said.
Kuch's piece "Fossil Dirigibles" is an etching on handmade paper that serves as a powerful reminder of human mortality. The etching displays a skeleton attached to a long-stem flower by thin, delicate threads. Bronze wires and clusters of string bind the pages and creatively mirror the composition of the image.
Another primary theme coursing through the exhibit is the relationship between reality and fantasy. "Kuch portrays a world both fantastic and familiar," the description said.
The monotype "Pegasus" is especially arresting and exemplifies this theme of the show. Monotyping is a type of printmaking. The artist draws or paints on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. The image is then transferred onto a sheet of paper.
"Pegasus" is the largest framed piece in the exhibition and Kuch's skillful use of bold primary colors gently provokes the attention of the viewer. Strong reds, blues, greens and yellows accent the arches of the broad wings that span the entire length of the canvas. Further traces of these colors add emphasis to the mythical creature's muscular chest and strong legs.
Yet, the piece maintains a soft, misty, ethereal quality appropriate to Pegasus' divine associations. The predominantly light gray background and white accents on Pegasus' body and wings help achieve this effect. "Patient tenderness suffuses his imagery," the description said.
The head, chest and front legs of the Pegasus command the central focus of the image, while the rear of the body and back legs recede into the background. This deliberate composition gives the impression of Pegasus emerging from the canvas, blazoning forth in a full gallop.
Kuch was born in 1965 and grew up in Northern VT. He was self-taught until he came under the wing of Leonard Baskin at Hampshire College.
In 1994 Kuch started his Double Elephant Press. In 2000, he produced the book "Falling to Earth," in response to the events of Sept. 11.
More of Kuch's artwork is on display on the first floor of the Lucy Scribner Library.
Many of Kuch's limited edition books are held in the artists' book collection in the Department of Special Collections in the Pondorff Room of the Lucy Scribner Library.
More information about Kuch can be found at http://cms.skidmore.edu/schick.
Posted by Caroline Smith
It has been 40 years since Professor Betty Balevic first began to teach in Skidmore's Department of Business. She has watched the college transform from an all female institution into what it is today. Her loyalty to the college, as not only a dedicated faculty member but also a proud parent of two alumnae, remains strong.
Skidmore News: Where is your family from? Where did you grow up?
Betty Balevic: I'm first generation American and my parents are Greek. My father started a little candy shop with his brothers in Amsterdam, N.Y. and eventually one of the brothers went to Canajoharie and opened a city store.
My father was fairly successful in Amsterdam until the time the town fathers decided to change the town drastically. In doing so they took out a lot of the properties and they bought my father's property. It was okay because he was ready to retire at that point and we had a wonderful childhood.
I had one brother who went to Duke Law School and ended up working for social security down in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a very small family. I married 35 years ago and now I have three children - two daughters and a son.
SN: Why did you decide to become a teacher rather than pursuing a career business?
BB: For a very selfish reason: I was very tired of working 12 months a year. Having a family, I needed to work because my husband got very ill. So I decided to finish my teaching degree.
I could get a job teaching in the school year and have the summer off and grow old with my children. It was a very selfish reason. I had to go back to school; I went to SUNY Albany.
I then got a job teaching at a business college down in Albany, N.Y. One day a friend of mine called me and said there was a business position open at Skidmore, so I came up and I was offered the position and I've been here for 40 years.
SN: How has your experience been so far?
BB: Skidmore has been a great trip for me. I've had a lot of wonderful colleagues and have had a lot of wonderful students, many of whom have kept in touch with me. In a little while a trustee will be visiting who was one of my students many years ago. Hopefully, if she comes to the trustee's meeting, she will be able to visit a class because she's in the retail industry now.
SN: You came to Skidmore just as it was transitioning from a single sex to co-ed school, what were some of the issues that arose during this time?
BB: How would the women react to having the guys around? How would this affect their studying?
A lot of the guys who came here originally were art majors because art was at that time, and still is, a very important part of the Skidmore fabric. Little by little some of those guys decided to take on other majors and a lot of them drifted into the business major.
When I came there were two people teaching in [the business] department and there were seven or nine majors a year graduating. That's changed a lot from where it was 40 years ago. It has taken a lot of changes, and a lot of efforts by the college and the faculty to be where we are now.
Skidmore was a very different kind of college 40 years ago and Saratoga was a very distressed community. It didn't have the affluence and the money spending and the housing market that we have today. The stores downtown were small; a lot of places downtown were closed."
Posted by Kristin Travagline
From Sept. 1 to Sept. 15 student art from the Tabula Rasa Art Installation Pre-Orientation Program for first year students was displayed in the Case Center Gallery.
This Pre-Orientation Program challenges first year students to harness their creative impulses and create artwork through teamwork.
Students do not need to be intended art majors to participate in the Tabula Rasa Pre-Orientation Program. Rather, the program emphasizes critical thinking and team building.
"The program teaches the first year students how to problem solve, deal with other peoples' opinions and get something accomplished. They bond with each other and forget that they're nervous," pre-orientation leader Cami Ledi '11 said.
During this pre-orientation session, the program leaders, Jon Sedor '11 and Ledi, assigned their first year students to groups and gave them the task of picking three random words from a hat.
The first word described the type of object that the students were to build. The second word was an emotion and the third word was a noun. These three words served as their artistic inspiration.
First year student Lauren Brown '14, picked the words "Bratwurst, stress and decorative." Based upon these words Brown's group crafted a sculpture of David Hasselhoff eating a sausage. The sculpture bore the inscription "don't hassel daf hoff." "We had a lot of fun," Brown said.
Another first year student, Becca Silverman '14, picked the words "easy cheese, temple and hope."
Inspired by these words, Silverman's group created a sculpture of a female figure looking toward the heavens with swirling pieces of yarn on top of her head that represent easy cheese.
"We tackled it with teamwork. We thought it would be difficult to make something so sturdy, but it was easier than we thought when everyone was involved," Silverman said.
Both Brown and Silverman confirmed that the Pre-Orientation Program served its purpose in making the first year students feel comfortable on the college campus.
"It's nice to build a foundation for the rest of the school year. It's kind of like we had an older brother and older sister relationship with Cami and Jon," Silverman said.
"Cami and Jon treated us like peers and, to this day, they are our best friends on campus," Silverman said.
Posted by Pat Babbitt and Gabe Weintraub
Men's soccer
9/15
Utica 2, Skidmore 1
A penalty kick in extra time dropped the Thoroughbreds to 3-2-1 on Wednesday, lifting Utica to a 2-1 victory. Skidmore led for most of the first half, then surrendered a tying goal in the 60th minute.
The score remained tied to the end of regulation. Six minutes into extra time the Thoroughbreds were called for a penalty in the box, and Utica was awarded and converted a penalty shot, giving them the win.
The team plays next on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., hosting SUNY Plattsburgh.
9/12/2010:
RIT 3, Skidmore 0
At home, the men's soccer team lost 3-0 to RIT in the last game of the 2010 Skidmore Alumni Invitational.
Skidmore battled back and forth with RIT throughout the majority of the first half. RIT did not score its first goal until the 40th minute. Shortly after half, in the 50th minute of play, RIT gained a commanding lead with a second goal, followed eventually by a third.
9/10/2010
Skidmore 0, St. Vincent 0
In the first game of the Skidmore Alumni Invitational, the Thoroughbreds finished against the Bearcats with a tie, though Skidmore outshot the Bearcats 28-4.
9/4/2010
Skidmore 4, Lehman 0
The Cardinal Classic
Senior Matt Kelsey bolstered the Thoroughbreds in a bid for their third straight win. With two goals and one assist, Kelsey would later be named tournament offensive MVP. The Thoroughbreds controlled the tempo, outshooting Lehman 47-1.
9/3/2010
Skidmore 3, Southern Maine 0
The Cardinal Classic
In the first game of the Cardinal Classic, junior Diego Reinero led the charge by scoring the first goal of three by the team, in the 70th minute. Skidmore outshot Southern Maine 11-9.
Women's soccer
9/12/2010
Skidmore 3, Kenyon 1
The Cortland Red Dragon Invitational
Skidmore outshot and outscored Kenyon 20-3 and 3-1, respectively, as the women's team improved to 2-1-1. First year Christine Bellotti led the Thoroughbreds with two goals, with first year Gab Lawrence and junior Meghan Sleezer splitting the time in the net. Neither allowed a goal and Sleezer received the win. The women's soccer team went 1-0-1 at the tournament.
Bellotti would later earn co-rookie of the week honors due to her performance at the tournament. Skidmore improves to 2-1-1, and Kenyon falls to 1-4.
The team will host Manhattanville College on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.
9/11/2010
Skidmore 2, Cortland 2
The Cortland Red Dragon Invitational
The Thoroughbreds team battled back against Cortland College, tying their hosts 2-2 and holding through double overtime. Both goalies, Lawrence and Sleezer recorded saves.
Skidmore outshot Cortland 20-15 in the contest.
9/4/2010
Skidmore 4, New Paltz 1
At home, Skidmore beat New Paltz 4-1, the effort spearheaded by junior Elena Stansky who scored two goals in the Skidmore Invitational Tournament.
9/2/2010
Plattsburgh 2, Skidmore 0
In their first game hosting the Skidmore Invitational Soccer Tournament, the women lost 2-0 to Plattsburgh, who scored both goals early in the first half. Both Thoroughbred goalies, Sleezer and Lawrence, made three saves. Although managing to outshoot their opponents 11-9, Skidmore was unable to beat the Plattsburgh goalie.
Field hockey
9/11/2010
Skidmore 5, New Paltz 1
Senior Christine Kemp and first year Kelly Blackhurst combined for five goals to lead the No. 10 ranked Thoroughbreds past New Paltz, 5-1. The win brought the team's record to 2-1.
Senior Thoroughbred goalie Liz Catinella allowed one goal and made one save.
The team next plays at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18 when they open league at home against Union College.
9/3/2010
Cortland 3, Skidmore 0
No. 5 ranked SUNY Cortland shut out Skidmore 3-0, improving their record to 2-0.
Catinella had 12 saves.
9/1/2010
Skidmore 8, Castleton State 1
The Thoroughbreds opened their season by rolling over Castleton State, 8-1. Sophomore Annie Rosencrans had two goals and two assists on the game.
Golf
9/14/2010
Golfweek Division III Fall Invitational
The Thoroughbreds shot a third-round 296 to finish third of 15 in the Golfweek Division III Fall Invitational played at the Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club in Haines City, Florida. The team finished ahead of defending NCAA champion Methodist College
First year Scott Pinder was Skidmore's top finisher, shooting a final round 71 to finish tied for 15th.
Skidmore is at the Middlebury Duke Nelson Invitational Saturday and Sunday.
Volleyball
9/12/10
Ithaca - Ithaca College Bomber Invitational
Skidmore volleyball went 3-1 at the tournament, improving upon their first two wins. The Thoroughbreds beat Geneseo, Union and Rutgers-Newark, but lost their second match to Baptist Bible.
In the first game, Skidmore beat Geneseo 3-1, with significant contributions by senior Meredith Palmer, junior Kelley Vershbow and sophomores Sam Friedman, Mallory Mendelsohn and Carolyn Botterlier.
Skidmore's only loss in the tournament was dealt by Baptist Bible. Vershbow, Palmer and Mendelsohn played well, offering a combined 31 kills, 11 digs and 18 assists.
Skidmore volleyball plays next on Friday, Sept. 17 at the Union College Invitational.
9/3/2010
Skidmore College beat both Union College and then Sage College 3-0, starting the season 2-0, recording match scores of 25-16, 25-15, 25-21 and then 25-14, 25-21, 25-15.
Men's tennis
9/13/2010
Skidmore's men's tennis team opened its 2010 fall season at the Middlebury Invitational after falling to the host school in the second round of the NCAA tournament in May.
Senior Yahia Imam and first year Oliver Loutsenko both reached the semifinals of the Singles C flight and freshman Danny Knight reached the semifinals of the Singles D flight.
The Thoroughbreds host Connecticut College at noon on Sept. 19.
Women's tennis
9/13/2010
Williams Invitational
First year Keirsten Sires represented the Skidmore women's tennis team in singles, and also in doubles, accompanied by classmate Sophia Bryan-Ajania.
Sires went 3-0 in singles, defeating Middlebury's Lauren Kelly 6-3, 6-2, Blake Harries 6-3, 6-1 and Whitney Hanson 6-0, 6-3.?Sires and Bryan-Ajania went 1-1 together, losing 8-2 to Williams' doubles team of Li/Shoemaker, but winning 8-6 over Middlebury's team of Paradies/Hanson.
The team next plays on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 3 p.m., hosting Connecticut College.
Posted by Tyler Reny
If you have been paying attention to the conservative echo chamber of talk radio and Fox News, and I certainly hope everyone does once in a while (it is good for a laugh, scream or an occasional cry), you should be aware that the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" is a serious issue (it isn't).
According to our fearless leaders, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, we have been informed that the mosque is being built by the shifty radical "Muslim Brotherhood operative" Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who harbors a nefarious "secret agenda." The mosque, we are told, is a victory for radical Islam and a slap in the face to the victims of the September 11th attacks.
Or, if you decide to use your brain, probe a little bit and examine the man for yourself, you will learn that Feisal Abdul Rauf has devoted much of his life to fostering better Islamic-U.S. relations. He authored the book, "What's Right With Islam Is What's Right With America," and is the vice-chair of the Interfaith Center of New York. According to Hendrik Hertzberg, who wrote a New Yorker piece on the mosque debate, Rauf has consistently denounced terrorism and the September 11th attacks and has been hired various times by the FBI to conduct sensitivity training for its agents.
Hertzberg also points out that Daisy Khan, Rauf's wife, runs the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which, according to the organization's Web site, "promotes cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration, youth and women's empowerment and arts and cultural exchange."
The center itself, Cordoba House, will also not be located at ground zero, as the media's name suggests, but two blocks north, and will be far more than a mosque. Hungry? Grab a bite to eat there, it will have a restaurant. Wandering around lower Manhattan enjoying the hundred-degree weather and the smell your shoes produce as the rubber melts into the pavement? Go for a swim, there will be a pool! The plans also include a gallery and a memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, and it will be open to all.
But with the November elections looming and an energized base of tea-partiers, the GOP has turned this non-issue into a serious issue. Armed with an extremely influential media arm and GOP wordsmith Frank Luntz, who conducts focus groups to see what the most effective language will be for framing the issue, the "Ground Zero Mosque" has become a hot topic of debate, a mobilization tactic and vote producer.
The jowly Conservative history professor and architect of the 1994 House Takeover, Newt Gingrich, has perhaps been the most vocal opponent of the center. According to Gingrich, the construction is part of an "Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization" by "replacing it with a radical imposition of Sharia." He refers to the construction as part of a larger "stealth jihad," harking back to memories of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's "fifth-column" scares of communists lurking around every corner during the Cold War.
While there is no factual evidence for any of Newt's rants, though plenty of speculation, it does scare people. And when people are scared, they tend to support the national security measures offered up by our Republican brethren. As Lisa Miller pointed out recently in her Newsweek column, terms like Jihad and Sharia freak people out and cause a general distrust of all Muslims. A few weeks ago, a New York City cab driver was stabbed when his passenger found out that he was a Muslim. The hysteria and paranoia clouding this event resemble the political climate that lead to past injustices and atrocities like the mass internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Words do matter and new media, especially conservative talk radio and news sources, have a huge amount of influence in this country. All of the sudden the percentage of Americans who believe President Barack Obama is a Muslim has risen from 11 percent in March to 18 percent in August. Public opposition to Cordoba House is booming and anti-mosque rallies have popped up in New York City to protest the project. While there is no way to accurately measure prejudice against Muslims, all indicators show that it is growing, and is being fueled by people like Limbaugh, Beck and Gingrich.
The real issue isn't a mosque, or the placement of a mosque or even Islam. The issue is that Republicans are telling blatant lies and using shameless fear tactics to trigger voter anxiety, gain political support and fuel prejudice. So next time you find your remote under a pile of dirty beer stained clothing and switch on that TV, put on Fox, see what they are saying about the mosque, scream at the TV and change the channel.
Tyler Reny is a senior government major who enjoys good food, politics, and jazz.
Posted by Gabe Weintraub
Not every Skidmore athlete plays on a varsity team. This week will see Skidmore's field hockey and women's soccer teams competing in NCAA championship tournaments, the start of the basketball and ice hockey seasons, and the continuation of the swimming and diving season, which has already begun. Those are the events that traditionally drive headlines and encompass "Skidmore athletics." Every day, however, students and faculty train and compete in activities their peers may never hear of. These are just a few examples.
Chris Lord '12
He might not be able to dunk like Michael Jordan, but Chris Lord '12 can still fly like His Airness.
Lord discovered skydiving the summer before his sophomore year and found himself immediately hooked. "It's as close to flying as you can get," he said. "You kind of feel like a superhero."
He completed his first jump, sharing a parachute with an instructor, while on vacation in North Carolina. "In a tandem jump you don't really have to do anything so you don't really have to worry about anything at all," said Lord. "I was nervous but at the same time I felt no pressure to perform at all. I knew that I would do it."
With his fledgling flight behind him, Lord moved on to an Accelerated Freefall program at Jumptown, a skydiving school in Orange, Mass., where he completed another eight jumps. The course began with jumps alongside two instructors who, while not attached to him, guided Lord through his descent. After three jumps with the instructors, he finally got the chance to fly on his own.
"It was pretty nerve wracking once I was actually in charge of myself," Lord said. "It's up to you, you have to pull the shoot. It's doable though, like learning to swim. It's like jumping into an ocean without knowing how to swim."
"I can hardly remember my first jump, it's all a blur," Lord said. "There's so much to take in, and that's why I've done it 12 more times since then. The more I do it, the more I can take in, the more I appreciate what's going on. Now I can swim, or, in this case, fly."
Back at school, Lord has taken it upon himself to teach others to fly as well, organizing trips to Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner. "I've taken 23 people for their first jumps," Lord said. "Everyone who's done it said that they loved it." He has an e-mail list of nearly 200 people and wants to start an official skydiving club at the college, although that has met some resistance. "I've talked to four people, including President Glotzbach, but they said we can't have the club because of insurance issues," he said. "Skidmore won't recognize that we have a skydiving 'club,' but we have a skydiving club."
A football player in high school and a rugby player at the college, Lord views skydiving as a fundamentally different athletic experience. "To me, this is just freedom," Lord said. "It's a sport, but it's not competitive. It's not about being the best, it's just about feeling. I had this one kid who was nearly crying the night before, saying he wasn't going to do it. I said just come, you'll be fine. He came down and the first thing he said to me was 'Chris, it was better than sex!'"
Part of the excitement comes from the anxiety before the jump. "I still get nervous going up," Lord said. "You're supposed to be nervous when you're jumping out of a plane because it's not exactly natural. People weren't necessarily meant to fly, but we do it anyways."
Hugh McAdam, assistant coach for Men's and Women's Crew
Rowing is unique among endurance sports because of the degree of violence it entails; not athlete against athlete but oar against water. A runner hitting the pavement with the force of a rower's stroke would have no knee tissue left in under a week. A sustained string of quick, explosive movements, rowing combines the prolonged elegance of distance running with the instantaneous destructive power of a single down of football.
That duality is what won Hugh McAdam's love for the sport. "It's a very soothing sport. If you're rowing well it's very rhythmic, it's like music," McAdam said. "On the other hand, it's also a way for me to release a lot of psychotic rage… It's very therapeutic to pull really really hard and go crazy for a little while."
McAdam is an assistant coach for Skidmore's men's and women's rowing teams. While he sees coaching as an eventual career move, at the moment it's more of an intermediate step. Coaching at Skidmore lets McAdam train with Head Coach Jim Tucci and further his chances of making the U.S. national team.
McAdam had never even seen a rowing shell before his first year at Washington College in 2004. "The assistant coach brought a boat up to campus and said to me, 'You're tall, skinny and athletic looking, you should try rowing,'" McAdam said. Originally from Nashua, N.H., he played a variety of sports in high school, ranging from football to snowboarding, but none of them ever took hold.
"My sophomore year our men's coach started pushing me to go to summer camps," McAdam said. He lacked the focus as a sophomore, but by the end of his junior year his times had improved enough to go to a camp at Penn A.C., the Pennsylvania Athletic Club Rowing Association.
"That's where I got my first real taste of high caliber rowing," McAdam said. "I was seven seat in a light 8+ and we won club nationals, which is the non-elite national championship. We also went to the Royal Canadian Henley in St. Catherine's, Canada, which is absolutely wild. They get 10 or 12 countries, 1,500 boats. It's an amazing regatta. After that summer, that's when I got really hooked."
After graduating as team captain, and with MVP honors to go along with a third place finish at the Knecht Cup on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J. and a fourth place finish at the Dad Vail Regatta on the Philadelphia's Schuylkill River, McAdam moved on to graduate school at St. Joseph's University. He also started training with the Undine Barge Club, a historic rowing club on Boathouse Row in Philadelphia. While training there he also switched from rowing sweep boats to sculling, placing his focus on the lightweight 2+.
Frustrated at grad school, McAdam met Tucci at the 2009 Masters National Championships in August. "We started chatting and he offered me this job. It was just too good of an opportunity to turn down," McAdam said.
Both believe McAdam can make the national team, but he has a long way to go. "I've only been at the top level of competition for maybe a year," McAdam said. He narrowly missed the top 12 at the 2009 Spring Speed Order, which the national team uses to scout recruits. The setback, however, doe not concern him. "The nature of the sport is it takes a long time," McAdam said. "You've got to lose 1,000 races to win one. I'm just starting that process of losing 1,000 races."
Peter Kabor, shop supervisor for the Theater Department and dance theater
Absence often makes the heart grow fonder, but one need not travel to far to find that separation. Peter Kobor just goes up.
Kobor, 36, works as the shop supervisor for the Theater Department and the dance theater, but spends his weekends atop the peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. On Oct. 18 Kobor summated Mount Marcy, completing his three-year quest to summit all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks, the mountains in the range taller than 4,000 feet.
He came to hiking late, summating his first mountain after college. "I found a friend who was actually pursuing climbing all 46 peaks, and at the time I thought that was crazy," Kobor said. "I thought that was crazy. I thought that was something I could never accomplish or even try to accomplish."
The birth of his two children put the mountains on the backburner, but after a few years Kobor decided to give the Adirondacks another shot. "It was after four or five High Peaks that I decided I really wanted to do all of them," he said. "In the last six years I've summated 73 High Peaks combined. I've done a lot of them more than once, some in the winter."
The final summit earns Kobor membership to the Adirondack 46ers, an organization that records individuals who summit all 46 High Peaks. By the end of 2008 there were more than 6,000 official 46ers, dating back to the club's founders who finished the task in 1925.
With the High Peaks under his belt, Kobor has started working on Colorado's 54 "fourteeners," peaks exceeding 14,000 feet. Thus far he has summated five. He also hopes to complete the High Peaks again in the winter, a feat that only only 445 individuals have accomplished
"I just think everybody should get outside and hike," Kobor said. "Going to Colorado made me really appreciate my own backyard. You don't need mountains… there's something about being outside and being in touch with that energy in nature that allows everyday life to be much easier."
Above all else, he values the opportunity the mountains afford him to step away from society, even if for just a few hours. "It's just very rewarding for me to not be in touch with the world and then come back to it," he said. "You appreciate everything more. That cup of coffee means more to you, that plate of food is suddenly so important to you… I can't tell you how many times I'm dreaming of a Big Mac on my way out of the woods. It's the worst thing in the world but all you're thinking of is how good that horrible sandwich is going to taste. And it does."
Posted by Katie Bennett At 7 p.m. on April 24 in the gym, the Student Entertainment Committee's "big show" will take place.
Rather than spending an extravagant sum of money on one high-profile band, as has been the case in past semesters, the SEC has opted to assemble three lesser-known bands for the sake of more musical diversity.
First, there's NYC's "The Postelles." Called a "Band to Watch" by Rolling Stone in 2009, the band members grew up pouring over their parents '50s and '60s rock albums including Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
Sporting tight black pants and flashy fedoras, they specialize in bouncy, upbeat alt-rock tunes. Listening to them, one is reminded of the days when The Strokes reigned supreme over indie rock.
Albert Hammond Jr. even produced their track "123 stop." Their latest EP, "White Night," serves up tons of catchy, danceable riffs.
Formed in 2000, The Walkmen have been gaining prominence in the rock press ever since, particularly for its use of vintage instruments such as the upright piano.
The Walkmen craft entertaining, listenable, pop-y songs ever your grandmother could nod her head to.
The dream-like quality of lead singer Hamilton Leitheauser's echoey, passionate vibrato differentiates the band from other alt-rock acts.
Finally, there's Toronto-based dance deity Jesse F. Keeler of MSTKRFT (pronounced master-craft) who, along with electro wiz Al P, dedicates his life to assembling the ultimate party playlist.
With computerized beats and drum machines, he creates unstoppable jams, remixing songs from groups like Justice, Bloc Party, The Kills and Wolfmother.