October 31, 2024 Issue

Vassar College's student newspaper of record since 1866




Volume 162 | Issue 7 | October 31, 2024 | miscellanynews.org

Welcome to the Miscellany News' weekly email newsletter! Each week's articles will be delivered right to your inbox. If you know of anyone who would be interested in receiving this service, please share it with them at this link.

Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  
Click here for a PDF copy (complete with games!) of this week's Miscellany News.
NEWS

Vassar launches Institute for the Liberal Arts

CHARLOTTE ROBERTSON, MARYAM BACCHUS, ALLISON LOWE | On the weekend of Oct. 25 through Oct. 27, the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts celebrated its launch with various events, including a ribbon cutting ceremony, keynote conversations, a review of this year’s Signature Programs and a panel with members of the Vassar and local communities. 

Maryam Bacchus/The Miscellany News.

VSA Amendment modifies the election appointment process

EMMA BROWN | The Vassar Student Association (VSA) passed a new amendment on Oct. 27 that will give the Senate and the VSA’s Internal Affairs Committee power to appoint students to officer positions. 


Previously, the Elections and Appointments Commission was in charge of appointing student applications to open VSA positions. However, in hopes of giving the student body a greater say in the appointment process, VSA Vice President Miles Harris ’25 introduced the Democratizing Appointments Amendment (DAA). 

Image courtesy of Berk Meral '28.

ARTS

Spiraling into the chaos and excitement of ‘Saturday Night’

MADELEINE NICKS | Before I begin breaking down Jason Reitman’s new movie “Saturday Night,” let me make one thing clear: I am a biased critic. I have, for as long as I can remember, watched “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) every week. Whether that means I stay up on Saturday and watch it live, get up on Sunday morning and tune in over breakfast or (the worst-case scenario) wait until the middle of the week, I never miss an episode. In fact, I have not missed an episode since my dad sat me and my brother down in front of the TV at an age one can only call “way too young” and made sure we were properly educated on the world of “SNL,” from Bill Hader’s Stefon to Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri’s Spartan Cheerleaders and back again.

Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.

Marcel Proust: Searching for particularity

ALLEN HALE | Over the summer, I read “Minima Moralia: Reflections from Damaged Life” by Theodor Adorno for my senior thesis. The first of 153 numbered passages is titled “For Marcel Proust.” A month after finishing “Minima Moralia,” I began volume one of Proust’s seven-part novel “In Search of Lost Time,” entitled “Swann’s Way.” I looked forward to absorbing some fiction which, even prior to thesis reading, had long been on my to-do list.

Allen Hale/The Miscellany News.

FEATURES

Students show off costumes in Halloweekend Tent

LUKE JENKINS | Santa rubbed elbows with a pack of Fred Flinstones. Mia Thermopolis ran by four Marios and Ice Spice. Frozone jousted with a knight as Clifford the Big Red Dog sniffed trampled grass. A monarch butterfly took flight as Jacob Elordi from “Saltburn” ran for a tiny water bottle. All of this (more or less) occurred in the depths of Noyes Circle’s Halloweekend Tent last Saturday, Oct. 26. The costumes inside showcased a range of student interests and, perhaps more importantly, a range of tailoring abilities.

Luke Jenkins/The Miscellany News.

Vassar hosts Chemistry Bowl trivia

CLAIRE BENNETT | On Tuesday night, eight teams of four, along with a number of spectators, converged in the Bridge atrium to compete at the annual Vassar Chemistry Bowl, held in conjunction with the American Chemical Society’s National Chemistry Week. Three teams were composed of Vassar students from a number of departments: Biochemistry, psychology, chemistry and biology majors all competed, in addition to five teams from other local schools. Team names were punny, including “Isomer? I Hardly Know Her” from Vassar and the “Holy Molars” from SUNY New Paltz. 

HUMOR

Naked goblins run rampant across Vassar

JOSIE WENNER | The Halloween spirit has endured, despite the tent party’s conclusion. Naked goblins have swarmed campus and are wreaking havoc all over. They’re leaving the doors of the Noyes elevator open. They’re going out the middle door of the Deece. They’re chanting goblin insults and sticking their tongues out at freshmen. It’s bedlam out there. Something must be done.

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

Brainstorming Halloween costume ideas for President Bradley

NICHOLAS TILLINGHAST | Picture this: You’re President Bradley. It’s October 27th. Halloweekened is just around the corner, and you’re still desperately seeking a costume idea. Never fear, ideas are here. This article won’t come out until Halloween, so I’m no help for her this year, but PB (President Bradley) can use this list for many Halloweekends to come when she’s truly lost in the costume sea.

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

This soothsayer’s priorities are really skewed: An interview

WREN BUEHLER | Excitement gripped the community late last week, after religion major Claire Voillant’s prediction of the future (“Strong fire alarm will go off, like, six times tonight”) was proven true. Finally taken seriously after years of mockery, Vouillant (whom readers may know as “Magic Douche” or “the stupendous psychic shithead”) was eager to share more of her prophecies with The Miscellany News.

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

~ Don't forget to check your HORRORSCOPE >:) ~

JORDAN ALCH

OPINIONS

The populism, mythmaking and success of Donald Trump

IAN WATANABE | Donald Trump embodies the American Dream. He was an underdog in a way that his more experienced opponent, Hillary Clinton, was not. The media criticized him relentlessly, but he still became President of the United States due to the support he cultivated. The American Dream is the idea that a person can achieve great things without having the same resources and connections that others might. When a political outsider wins our nation’s highest office, that is the American Dream in action.

SPORTS

New York Mets close storybook season

HENRY FRANCE | There really is no good place to start when telling the story of the 2024 New York Mets, a team with no expectations that ended up energizing a lost fan base. For the sake of timeliness, we will start in 1962 when the Mets were founded to replace the New York Giants and New York Dodgers, adopting the blue from the Dodgers and orange from the Giants. The Metropolitans would eventually, in 2009, situate themselves at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens.

Image courtesy of Natalie Sang '28.

Brewers Ballin’: Bouggess nets game winner

Henry France/The Miscellany News.

Men's soccer prepares for Liberty League playoffs

CASEY MCMENAMIN | This season, the Vassar men’s soccer team has emerged as a national contender, even soaring to a top ten ranking from the United Soccer Coach’s poll. But for this squad, success is not defined by what the pundits think or how the rankings end up; Instead, it is about unity and putting in the work to get better as a group every single day. Third-year coach Jonathan Hood has described his team’s resilient work ethic as one of their keys to success this year, noting that his team’s commitment, trust and belief off the field has directly translated to positive results on the pitch. 

Henry France/The Miscellany News.

Students discern NBA contenders and pretenders

HENRY FRANCE | Every year in the NBA, there are about eight teams that think they have what it takes to win it all. This level of delusion is unprecedented outside of sports: there is no other industry where such unearned confidence is commonplace. But when every team is all in and talking a big game, it is hard to separate the wheat from the Chicago Bulls. Who are the contenders, and who are the pretenders? This week, we take a look at eight high-tier NBA playoff teams and sort them based on one overriding criteria: how likely we think it is that they go all the way.

Commentaires

Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

Kid draws a hilarious family portrait, featuring his mother on her period

Chris Froome sends out strong message to his rivals as he storms back to win Criterium du Dauphine for the second time

This Is What Fish Oil Supplements Actually Do