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(04/08/09 12:00pm)
Spring has sprung, and some students spent one of the semester's first sunny days indoors at a Close Reading Series event last Thursday.
Associate Professor of English Felicia Steele discussed Henry Roth's "Call It Sleep," an author and text unfamiliar to many students.
"I chose this novel because it is the most underread novel in the American canon," Steele said.
The text is a Jewish-American novel about a Jewish immigrant boy, David Schearl, who finds himself in New York before World War I.
The plot is a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, in which Schearl deals with identity issues through experiencing physical abuse from his father, seeing his parents' destructive marriage, learning the rules of the street and understanding his immigrant peers.
As with every Close Reading Series event, the speaking professor chose a small section of text to closely analyze. A Gentile calender is one of the symbols in the text referenced in the passage chosen by Steele.
Every day, Schearl and his mother peel off a page of the "work-calendar" together. There are black days and red days; the black days are Monday to Saturday, and the red days are Sundays, illustrating the Catholic Sabbath. The red days are also the days when Schearl sees his father and is beaten.
Although these images seem powerful, Steele argues that "the plot is the least of (the text's) charms."
Steele argues it is the language with the ability of "capturing the darkest moments of human interaction" that has the most meaning in Roth's novel.
The passage Steele chose illustrates the chaos that ensues when Schearl drops the milk dipper onto the third rail on a train after a confrontation with his father. It incorporates dialogue as well as parenthetical passages in which the omniscient narrative voice of Schearl competes with voices of the crowd.
Steele defined this technique to unfamiliar students as "heteroglossia," multiple tongues, or many speakers and ambient noise combined.
(03/18/09 12:00pm)
Students didn't turn to hot chocolate to warm up after the snow day on Monday, March 2, but rather attended the following night's Burlesque Night at the Rathskeller sponsored by the College Union Board (CUB), where an evening of booty shakin' and tassel twirling entertainers heated students right up.
The main attraction, Lady Aye, acted as a professor for the night, educating attendees in courses such as "liberal arts," the "sciences," "music appreciation," "finishing school" and "culinary school." Students' responsibilities included "to hoot, holler and scream."
The risqué entertainment began with an over-sexed female construction worker, wearing Daisy Duke jean cut-offs, a flannel tank and a hard hat. However, when the female faced the audience and flashed a full-grown moustache, gender-roles constructed themselves in a whole new light.
Despite Lady Aye's assurance that the next act would be "subtler" it proved to be anything but.
Miss Weirde Girl seduced the crowd with more traditional burlesque, including tantalizing feather wands and emerald sequined negligee.
Miss Weirde Girl might have "came with two fans but left with many more," Lady Aye said.
After a few more acts and an intermission, a "new semester" began.
Audience members became students of culinary arts when Miss Kissy Wishes showed students just how creative you can be with Cool Whip, first covering herself and then the audience.
Science fiction class was sure to have "Star Trek" enthusiasts taken aback by Femme Appeal's act, including a violated cardboard cut-out of William Shatner.
These new takes on traditional classes were more fun than "cramming for calculus," Lady Aye said.
Little Miss Lixx showed the crowd just how fun foreign language could be with an act that included red and black lace, a shot of tequila, maracas and tassels. She had the whole audience fluent and shouting "Ole" by the end of her lesson.
Lady Aye's side show proved to be just as exotic and eye-opening as the burlesque.
"Down the hatch without a scratch," was how Lady Aye referred to her side show act of sword swallowing.
Lady Aye's math lesson informed students that the human body contains three gag reflexes. Despite these reflexes, Lady Aye proceeded to swallow an 18 inch stainless-steel sword.
Not only was this feat impressive, but Lady Aye entrusted her throat and life to Mike Lawrence, the CUB event coordinator, when he dislodged the sword from her throat.
"I've never seen anything like this," freshman biology major Mike Piazza said.
"We had a lively crowd, and it was a nicer environment than the typical late night bar scene," Raquel Flieg, the other CUB event coordinator, said.
(03/04/09 12:00pm)
Chairman of the College philosophy and religion department, human rights activist and Amnesty International member Mort Winston spoke to a packed house Feb. 19 in the Social Sciences atrium about the disappearance of human rights as one of the failings of former President George W. Bush's administration.
His lecture was titled "Why Human Rights Survived the War on Terror."
"This is a great turnout," Miriam Lowi, associate professor of political science and organizer of the politics forum, said.
Winston's thesis on human rights argued that the Bush Administration did not delegitimize human rights, but that the necessity of human rights delegitimized the policies of the Bush administration.
He said the United States lost its credibility as being the champion for human rights and failed in comparison to Europe's response to terrorism attacks.
"Europe did better because human rights were more deeply domesticated and institutionalized," Winston said.
He said Europe's identity is structured around a common commitment for human rights, while the United States is more focused on constitutional rights and laws.
"We have good laws but our laws are antiquated," Winston said.
Winston's enthusiasm for the subject matter continued as he said, "Shut up about human rights," in respect to the United States' hypocrisy for discussing human rights and doing nothing about it.
Despite all of the negativity surrounding the discussion, Winston ended on a good note.
"There was a moral slide and it was bad, but we stopped it," he said.
Winston sees the failings of the Bush Administration as positive. The pushback against the corrupt policies exposed the practices of the administration and turned public opinion around, showing strong domesticity in the United States.
He asked students to look at European laws and compare them to our own.
"We're behind," Winston said, "because we are wedded to the constitution."
Adam Morsy, freshman international studies major, agreed.
"We need to end (the war) and end it fast," he said.
(03/04/09 12:00pm)
What is the best way to spend a rainy Thursday? For English majors and Toni Morrison lovers alike it was delving into an analysis of "Beloved" for a quick pick-me-up.
Associate professor of English Lisa Ortiz-Vilarelle explored and analyzed the style and language of "Beloved" to a packed crowd last Thursday at one of the English Department's Close Readings.
"This is a passage about pasts . and memory," Ortiz said.
The setting for the passage involved the female protagonist, a slave woman named Sethe talking to God when her daughter, Denver, overhears her.
Ortiz deftly picked up on mechanics and patterns that might seem trite to a non-English major, but had all of the heads in the audience nodding in agreement at her findings.
Ortiz noted the simple sentence structures, declarative sentences and monosyllabic words as well as Morrison's ambiguous pattern in mentioning "things" six times, "places" six times, and "there" 11 times.
Ortiz commented that the repetitive use of these ambiguous words is a deliberate action by Morrison so as not to name places, things or people. This action is done to illustrate the slave woman's complex of identifying and remembering her past.
One's "rememory," as phrased in the passage, is a "physical manifestation of memory based on lived experience," Ortiz said.
Remembering the past but not placing or naming it is part of the irrepressible history of slavery.
"'Beloved' exists as someone or something neither here nor there," Ortiz said. She then quoted literary critic Marsha Darling: "'Beloved' is also those black slaves whom we don't know, who did not survive that passage (Middle Passage) . and didn't show up on the other shores."
After Ortiz's reading, many of the attending professors also chimed in with their thoughts on the novel.
The ambiguity regarding memory serves as a universal context and collective conscious for everyone. Therefore, the concept of rememory can act as a memorial for history and the past, argued assistant professor of English Cassandra Jackson.
Others noted that since memory is a place that is everywhere, "Beloved" focuses on how it is important to go to your past on your own terms rather than be pursued by it.
"I thought it was very interesting, although I have never read the book," junior English major Rachel Scupp, said.
Scupp now plans to read "Beloved" and see if her close reading of the text will decipher the same ideas shared at the reading.
(02/18/09 5:00pm)
The track and field team competed at the Rider/Lafayette Invitational at the famous 168th Street Armory in New York City on Friday and the Valentine's Invitational at Boston University Sunday. They once again shined at both meets, adding even more qualifying marks for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
At the Armory, it was the Lions' field athletes that truly excelled. Three of the College's men's weight throwers finished in the top 20. Junior Steve Liccketto threw 14.27 meters ranking him 16th, Zach Goldstein threw 13.88 meters placing him in 18th and sophomore Thomas Conroy's 13.84-meter throw landed him 19th place.
The long jump also proved to be a successful event for freshman Chris Medina with a distance of 6.68 meters.
Sophomore Tim Blashford claimed 15th in the pole vault with a height of 4.20 meters.
Field events for the women's team also proved exemplary. Sophomore Sarah Wehrhan and teammate Cristina D'Amato placed among the top of their Division III peers in weight throwing. Wehrhan tossed 12.86 meters receiving 12th place and D'Amato followed closely behind throwing 12.68 meters, ranking her 14th.
"I feel confident that I am finally becoming consistent with my technique," Wehrhan said. "I know there is a lot of room for improvement and hope that the hard work pays off."
The Armory also contributed to numerous ECAC qualifying marks for the men and womens' relay squads. The men qualified in the men's distance medley (10:17.95) and the men's 4x400 (3.23.79). The women received qualifying marks for three of their relays: the women's distance medley (12:16.79), women's 4x400 (4:05.02) and women's 4x800 (10:07.30).
Sophomore Dennis Waite and junior sprinter Jianna Spadaccini had a terrifc weekend. Waite took first in the mile with a qualifying mark of 4:16.62, and Spadaccini bagged the silver in the 500 meter with a time of 1:15.20.
Freshman Claire Johnson and junior Michelle Wallace also received qualifying marks in the mile.
Lion seniors Pasquale DiGioacchino and Katie Nestor qualified for the ECAC Championships in the 800 meter. DiGioacchino clocked in at 1:56.92 and Nestor ran a 2:18.76.
The 5,000 meter proved noteworthy and qualified three of the Lions for the ECAC, including Sophomore TJ Bocchino, senior Megan Donovan and senior Martine McGrath. McGrath placed 10th overall, receiving an NCAA provisional mark for her time of 17:33.03.
The Lions' grueling schedule continues next Monday at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships held at the Armory.
(02/11/09 5:00pm)
The Lions proved their infallible talent at both the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and Princeton Open this past weekend, earning several qualifying marks for the Eastern Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC).
At the New Balance meet held at New York City's track mecca, The Armory, it was sophomore Kyle Gilroy who led the Lions, placing fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with an ECAC qualifying time of 8.39 seconds. Gilroy not only came in fifth, but proved himself against top Division I runners from Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Gilroy was the only Division III runner in his heat.
"Qualifying to compete with some of the fastest kids in the nation is probably one of the most rewarding accomplishments of my track career," Gilroy said. "I wasn't used to running next to kids from Lousiana State University, Texas A&M or Syracuse, who are amazing athletes."
Senior Martine McGrath represented the Lions at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational, running the 5,000 meters in 17:25.96 and placing seventh.
The Lions continued to put athletes in place to compete at the ECACs during Saturday's Princeton Open.
Freshman Robert Jiggetts qualified for the ECAC by placing third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.10 seconds, and was followed by his teammate, senior Chris Medina, with a time of 7.12 seconds. Jiggetts also placed second in the 200 meters with a time of 22.96 seconds.
Lions junior Jianna Spadaccini also shined in two events. Spadaccini took first in the 400- meter dash with a qualifying time of 59.44 seconds, and she was on the winning 4x400 relay team along with sophomores Meryl Wimberley and Alexandra Tomaselli and junior Meghan Miller. The four ran a 4:09.77, qualifying them for the ECAC.
"We've been working hard to get to this point so it was nice to see some results," Spadaccini said. "By doing well at Princeton we can keep up the momentum and hopefully keep running faster."
The men's 4x400 relay, of senior Rob McGowan, freshman Brandon Leftridge, senior Pasquale DiGioacchino and freshman Salvatore Colangelo, took home a silver medal with a time of 3:26:92.
Two Lions also went home with silver medals: Junior Priscilla Senyah ran the 60-meter high hurdles in 9.20, and freshman Katie Nestor ran the 800-meter in 2:22.99, qualifying them both for the ECAC.
The men were also successful in the 400-meter dash. Sophomore Jule Brooks claimed the bronze in 51.46 while teammates DiGioacchino (fifth, 1:07.65) and McGowan (1:08.38) posted ECAC-qualifying times for the men's 400. Several distance runners posted qualifying times.
Junior Michelle Wallace finished the 3,000 meter in 10:35.04, and freshman Claire Johnson completed the 1,000-meter race in 3:02.07. Sophomore T.J. Bocchino led the men, clocking in at 4:21.01 in the mile, good for seventh.
Tim Blashford had a solid day, qualifying for the ECACs in the pole vault with a height of 4.35 meters, placing him in the top 10.
The Lions will be competing again this Friday and Saturday at the St. Valentine's Day Invite and at the Rider-Lafyette Invitational.