25 20 5655 https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/1034a405408409c2199975159a850fe7.pdf c5dcb63bd7eccff8c20f97a5665f4cd6 PDF Text Text Annapol~Maryland The St John Js College Student Weekly August 22) 2001 Volume XXllI, Issue 1 W LCOME �tter fran the Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett Production Managers Martin Anderson Melissa Thomas Section Editors News: G. August Deimel Features: Laura Mangum Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent Sports: John Cooper Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s). The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St.John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Taxdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For display advertisement prices and information, call 410-263-2371, x2212. Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions will be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. 4 pm Tuesdays Barr Buchanun Lower Level 2 2 : Dear Freshmen, Welcome to St.John's. This may not be the first time you read or hear those words today, but I will add yet another voice to the litany, this time from the editor of your school's student newspaper, the Gadfly. The first question you might have is, "why's it called that?" To be honest, the name Gadfly is a rather ostentatious and perhaps frivolous program reference, a category of speech unique to St. John's. Why do we still call it that? Well, as you will discover (or may have already discovered) at Convocation, St.John's is a place with many traditions. Everyone thinks about the rage of Achilles, everyone signs the college's registry, although not everyone has worn a robe while doing so, and everyone wonders why Plato tried to befriend us all. Most traditions at St.John's have accounts that can be discovered and given, and although the name of this publication is mostly an instance of students creating tradition for tradition's sake, the Gadfly has an account of its purpose that, we think, makes it worthy of existence and which will appear, by necessity, in its first full issue. At a school where little changes, the need for a newspaper in the conventional sense is slight and so the Gadfly may appear strange in comparison with other standards you have seen. Depending upon what tutors and students want to write about, sometimes it closely resembles a newspaper, at others a magazine, and still others a literary or academic journal. Despite all this mutability, it remains what St. John's makes it, and you freshmen have a large part to play in what the Gadfly becomes. Take a look to your left. Those names you see arrayed along our masthead may seem unfamiliar right now and their titles might appear imposing, but you will soon learn who we are and how little arrogance lies behind our titles and our statement of purpose. The most important thing you should know about that list, however, is that you are no different, save a few year's experience at St.John's, from any of the people on it. Our editors are merely people who have promised to dedicate some serious effort to the paper, which means writing on a near-weekly basis and helping others who want to be published.Your contributions are just as welcome to the Gadfly's pages as the rest of you is to St. John's College. How can you make those contributions? Our weekly meetings are held on Tuesdays, at 4:00 PM, and in the classroom on the first basement of the Barr-Buchanan Center. The first one is on August 28 and, like all of them, is open to any member of the polity who wants to come. What form should your contributions take? You will have to decide on your own, but I will give you some idea of what the paper will look like. This year's Gadfly will resurrect the cover story, which will be an in-depth examination of a topic concerning St.John's. The centerpiece of each issue, these articles will be the somewhat lengthy-at least a two page spread-products of serious research and writing by their authors. Cover stories should include background, analysis, and student and faculty opinions on the events or issues about which they report. To give their authors enough time to write them, cover stories will be assigned several weeks in advance. The staff has ideas for upcoming topics but welcomes suggestions and volunteers. Accompanying each cover story will be a cover photo (or drawing), which brings up the topic of visual arts in the Gadfly. The College's dark room will be closed for the first semester while the Mellon addition is completed, so photographers who wish to be published herein will either have to develop their photos in town (we will help out with the cost) or use the Gadfly's digital camera (see the editors to get a hold if it). Photos related to specific articles are most needed, but sports coverage and any artistic photographs are encouraged as well. We will also take your drawings, paintings, cartoons, and any other submissions that fit into a scanner. Other regular parts of the Gadfly will include D.C. andS.C.I. Minutes, reports on the activities of the Delegate Council (St.John's student government) and the Student Committee on Instruction (whom you will meet), the Buzz from Student Activities guru Taylor Waters, and the self-explanatory Alumni Chat from Alumni Director Roberta Gable. The defining elements of the Gadfly, however, will be the four sections: News, Features, Ideas and Images (replacing the prosaic Arts and Entertainment), and Sports. These lines are not intended to separate one editor's domain from another's or to restrict contributors to particular topics, but instead serve to help us think better about the Gadfly and what goes into it. The crush of moving in, meeting new people, and adjusting to classes at St.John's will make your first two weeks here speed by but still seem filled with enough activity to last for an entire year. I hope that you will make it to our first meeting on Tuesday and that even if you cannot help out this semester, you will read and enjoy the Gadfly. Hayden Brockett, Editor-in-Chief Renova ti .Work Continues Dear Students, The renovation of Mellon Hall is on schedule and I thought it might be useful to have some clarification of what that means. The goal was to have the South (twostory) wing substantially complete-enough to allow us to have classes and make the offices on that wing at least partially available-by the beginning of this semester. This has been accomplished, but work will continue in that wind throughout most ofthe first semester. Most, if not all, of that work will be done at night and on the weekends. Crews will have access to all classrooms and offices at those times; the classrooms will not be open to students. In addition to the more obvious improvements in lighting, paint, and furnishings a lot of less visible work has been accomplished The new partition walls between rooms extend to the ceiling, which will reduce sound transmission from room to room. When the renovation is complete we will have a new heating and air conditioning system in both the South and West wings, fire suppression sprinklers, and upgraded electrical and plumbing systems. The central air conditioning will not be complete until next summer. The .duct noise that has been so irritating in the i:ius1c c~assrooms should be gone. Fire suppression sprinklers will be working later this semester. When classes start, the music classrooms will not have new tables or new blackboards: these will be arriving later in the semester. The old ''Music Listening Room" no longer exists; a larger classroom (Room 132) has been added on the other side of the hall. At the beginning of the ~emester this room will not have air conditionln? or good ventilation because the temporary window cannot be opened. We will have fans in the room and the permanent windows (which open) are scheduled to be installed in early September. The labs will be substantially complete when classes start. The color and number of the new showers are determined by building code. New restrooms are being added upstairs, near the Art Studio. They will not be complete when school starts, but should open within a few weeks. The restrooms near the pendulum pit will not be accessible until the addition opens in January. The Art Studio upstairs no longer includes pottery; a new pottery studio will open in J anuary in the basement of the addition. The new darkroom will also be located there, which means that no darkroom facilities will be available this summer. will be in use at all times. When the semester starts, the classrooms in use (101and103) will be in awful shape while the other two are renovated. Midway through the semester, classes will be moved into the renovated rooms and work will commence on the first n:o. Because we will be operating with two fewer classrooms in the first semester, Mrs. Craven has had to use some less desirable rooms for seminars. Crews will beworkingfull time ~n the additions to the building (m the courtyard and extending towards the heating plant) throughout the first semester. If noise reaches the disruptive level at any time during classes, someone from the class should come to my office and I will take care of the problem as quickly as possible. The:e are lots of small things to be completed or repaired near the end of a job. If you notice something that you think may have been overlooked by the contractor, please let me know about it in writing-either a note through campus mail or an e-mail would be appreciated. I will make sure it gets on the list. Sincerely, Anita L. Kronsberg, Assistant Dean x2512, a-kronsberg@sjca.edu Work will be in progress on the West wing throughout the first semester but two classrooms At the end of the hall nearest the auditorium on the first floor there is a small room for ensemble practice. This replaces the practice cubicles on the first floor· The basement of the existing South mg will not b e completely accessible to . b us efore the completion of the entire proJ· ect nextMaY· Th' means that the practice cubicles d IS rock room located there will also be closed or most or all of this academic year. w· ;1 THE GADFLY ................................................... . . . ... . . . . . . . . . ............... ' '' . 3 .... THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O.Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 by Anderson Tallent !&! Editor Many students returning to campus this fall may be surprised to find themselves assigned to rooms on-campus different from those which they selected last semester. Some freshman and unfortunate upperclassmen may be faced with the difficult necessity of adjusting to the idiosyncrasies of two roommates. All this comes as a result of the efforts taken by the administration to reduce an unprecedented housing shortage. Last year, more than forty of us returned home still uncertain of where they would live when school resumed, their only consultation the confident assurances given them by the housing office that "lots of people look for places to live off-campus during the summer," or "we always manage to find everyone a room." Unfortunately this was not the case. Due to circumstances that were entirely unforeseen as of last spring, the administration was forced to drastically re-arrange the housing roster in order to accommodate the large number of students who were for one reason or another left without a place to live. Some amount of shuffling is necessary every year to house the very few students who don't "melt" off the waiting list. This year however, the expected "melt" never materialized-for an anxious month of waiting, the housing office watched for students to move off-campus. They never did. Sources for the Gadfly inform us that a similar shortage of off-campus housing beset those students who wanted to live in town. Rental rates in Annapolis's historic district continue to increase, with newspaper-advertised rooms downtown going for as much as $800 a month; moreover, innovative leasing terms have reduced the number of houses available to renters seeking yearlong lodgings, mostly sophomores and juniors. The rumor is that King Properties and others find it more profitable to simply let houses for a week, ten days, even two weeks to tourists willing to pay $10003000 per week, rather than for long-term rentals. Unable to find housing off-campus, students turned to the College to provide housing. The Assistant Dean's office, responsive as always to the ever-changing needs of the polity, had no choice but to squeeze more students into fewer rooms. So what exactly do the changes look like? Most remarkable is the quad (i.e., fourperson room) in disgustingly1arge-fo r-j ust-two-people Humphreys 107, the only one of four Humphreys quads not to melt into a triple. In addition, all corner rooms in Campbell are triples, as well as several rooms in Chase-Stone. Randall hall is (as always) most shocking of all- home to last year's freshman Vikings, Randall will be occupied almost exclusively byupperclassmenu pperclassmen in double rooms. Shortly before press time, Mr. Ranson informed the Gadfly that the thaw continued even through Tuesday, welm thefinalquaddidat last melt. -Ed Andrew Ranson faces the grim responsibilites of his new position with a smile r--------------------------St. John's student weekly SUBSCRIPTION CARD D Yes, I want to stay abreast of College events by subscribing to the Cad.fly for the entire year (30 issues) for $30. D I' 11 give you a chance. I \A.Ol.lld like to to subscribe to the Cad.fly for the first sarester (15 issues) for $15. Name Home Address Send to the Gadfly in campus mail or mail to The Gadfly P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, fVlD 21404 L - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Abill will re sent to~.:- - - - - - - � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 4 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 1 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-08-22 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 1 of The Gadfly. Published August 22, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #1 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/39e03a711cdecca9f8af23cba893c657.pdf 48dd5a7e6bc86e047764bdf5c98b8ad3 PDF Text Text Ill 11 NI l00l '8l Jsngnv pu:ryMVJ!tl'syodvuuv l anss1 'JIIXX awn70A iCPfaaA11u:pms a'&JJOJ ~ uqo[ 7S aqI, �f Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett Production Managers Martin Anderson Melissa Thomas Section Editors News: G. August Deimel Features: Laura Mangum Ideas &Images: Anderson Tallent Sports: John Cooper Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s). The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St.John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30. 00. Taxdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For display advertisement prices and information, call 41 O· 263-2371, x2212. Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions will be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. Ind Opening Fesitivites The First Controversy.................... Pages 2& 3 Reportfrom Febbie Summer................. Page 4 Announcements.................................... Page 5 Inaugural Campus Profile ................ '."" Page 6 Housing Revisited ................................. Page 7 The First Film ........................................ Page 8 l&I Apologia.......................................... Page 9 TheFirst Lecture ................................. Page 1O The First SCI Report........................... Page 16 2 : The purpose of this publication is threefold. The first and most obvious task is to provide the college community with necessary information. Lofty intentions notwithstanding, it cannot escape its role as a dispenser of data that allow members of the polity to organize the practical concerns of their lives. Matters concerning the material and pragmatic aspects of our college are those of polis. Its second charge is a step above the quotidian and is to be a forum for writing and a spawning ground for thought about our life as a community. Its discussion of the matters of polity will follow the Socratic paradigm of political discourse: that of examination, search, and, when needed, a little sheer annoyance. Regardless of how well considered its name has been in years past, or how pure the motives of its founding editorial staff were, this publication takes seriously (and with as little arrogance as any imitation of Socrates can) the responsibility that implicitly accompanies such a name as the Gadfly. But gadflying is only a small portion of what Socrates does. Thus, this newspaper should remember that actions in the spirit of Anytus and Gorgias are rare at St. John's and that as Socrates does not need to sting Theaetetus, so the staff may treat most of its fellow students of the great books as honest companions in the pursuit of wisdom. The modest yet ardent love for wisdom is this publication's third and most delicate purpose, one that as students at St. John's no Gadfly staff can ever forget. The shy suitors who write in these pages should blush before making coarse passes at their object of desire and remember that the best homage one may pay her finds its easiest genesis in conversation and rarely in rhetoric. The Gtuffeywill subtly remind its readers and staff of wisdom and only sparingly point, for the books are the best indicators of her presence. The Gadfly does not intend to bring the most important things from the great outside world to your doorstep or to keep you abreast of the minutiae of campus policy as it unfolds in action. But instead we hope to select news stories that captivate our spirits or engage our intellects and in so doing to encourage limited participation in affairs of state and school. The Features section, we hope, will not become merely a disparate assortment of weekly articles on regular topics, but rather will offer a look at abiding aspects of St.John's life and provide a forum for analysis thereof. Nor will the (newly renamed) Ideas and Images section be simply synopses of performances for the benefit of those who weren't there, or reviews of books, music, and movies for the benefit of those who haven't studied them. Instead we intend it to be a secluded arbor outside the walls where we may gather for the purpose of trading fine speeches. And Sports-well, Sports will give people what they want: witty stories recounting the glorious deeds of our athletic heroes and the contests that pit them against one another. In short, the Gadfly is not an end in itself, but a means, a vehicle by which the community become more involved in the stated purpose and ultimate activity of St.John's: making the free out of children by means of books and a balance. The Gadfly Editors Ii Dear Polity, Was anyone else puzzled by the editor's letter to the freshmen in the first issue of this apparently frivolously named publication? I take it to be Mr. Brockett's opinion that at St. John's we allow an affinity for tradition to undermine practical endeavors like naming newspapers and registering new students. I find this idea, that the name of our weekly newspaper is obsolete, amusing when expressed by the current editor. Since I came to St.John's as a freshman, I have watched the Gadfly undergo some significant changes. In the days when I first knew this newspaper it was far less focused on getting scoops. It was more alcin to an ongoing dialogue. Submissions came from many different members of the community, instead of only the Gadfly staff, and articles and letters were often responded to by other members of the polity. When I was told-and then subsequently read-the story behind the paper's title, I thought it was very fitting. Plato's Socrates describes himself as a gadfly that buzzes in the THE GADFLY ................................................... . �faces of all the citizens. It annoys them, yes, but it also brings to their attention the kinds of questions that they ought to be concerned with, like the nature of justice or political life or the soul. I did not expect from every issue of the Gadfly a serious essay on one of the topics, but I enjoyed reading what members of the polity had to say about current events on campus and in the world. They were expressing their own thoughts, as well as reasons why other students and staff might-or shouldbe concerned about what they were writing. Last year, with the help of Mr. Brockett, the Gadfly received arather drastic facelift and frankly I think it ought to sue someone for malpractice. An immense amount of print room was given to articles on construction plans and security issues. Information on these fronts in certainly important to the community, but was not written about in a way interesting enough to justify the amount of space it was given. In general, articles were very long and had the flavor of being the pet projects of the staff. In all fairness to that staff, they simply might not have had submissions from many members of the school community, and thus felt pressured to fill the pages of the paper themselves. In that case, I would hope that in the future the editor will take it upon him- or herself to use the pages of the Gadfly to buzz in the faces of his or her peers and tutors and to generate interest in this public forum. At St.John's we are fond on the phrase "the conversation continues." The Gadfly can be a wonderful way to engender continuing discussion and debate and thus its title is not necessarily unfit or meaningless. But if its name is currently more ostentatious than appropriate, I think that is in great part the doing of the current editor and his staff. Sincerely, Megan Maxwell-Smith, '02 rom th di tor Here we are, barely into Issue 2, and already we have some controversy and a departure from the goals I set in Issue 1. I will respond to Miss Maxwell-Smith's letter in just a moment, but first should explain some things about the paper you hold in your hands. Since we haven't actually had our first meeting yet, this week's Gadfly contains almost entirely work done by the Gadfly editorial staff. You the readers and we the writers do not want this to become a trend, so please do not take this second aberrant issue as the beginning of one. Come to our meeting today at 4:00 in the first lower level of Barr Buchanan and get involved. The cover story, on which I spent a whole paragraph in my letter, is this week by necessity more of an amalgamation of articles than one coherent piece of writing. Again, I hope this will be seen for how atypical an event it really is. Look next week for a report on Assistants, as in Greek and Writing, who they are, what they look like, and just what they do. You will note that this issue does contain, as promised, an account of our existence, a sort of apology for the Gadfly. Such a statement is, to my knowledge, rather rare in the history of the Gadfly and was the product of much thought by our staff over the summer. It had its origin in the request Mr. Ranson, our faculty liaison, made of me in June when he asked for a list of goals I had for the upcoming year's publication. True to my habits of agonizingly slow thought, procrastination, and prolix, I took several months and ended up giving him several lengthy paragraphs instead .;if, of the concise list he had hoped for, but with the help of the section editors, the statement you see before you took shape. Unfortunately, space constraints and the need to consult with all the editors prevented us from publishing our final version last week, for doing so might have obviated Miss Maxwell-Smith's composition of her letter by fleshing out what I clumsily stated in my own letter last week. However, to avoid further confusion and to give Miss Maxwell-Smith her due, I shall make a more pointed reply than our statement alone can. The main thrust of Miss Maxwell-Smith's argument, contained mostly in her last two sentences, is very true and a just reminder to the Gadfly that we should strive to live up to the name tradition has handed us. I only wish that she had written in last year when the malpractice she wrote of was ongoing and when her words might have spawned the same thought process in me that Mr. Ranson's challenge did, for indeed I came to many of the same conclusions this summer that she apparently did last year. It took much digging through the Gadfly's old issues (available in the library's archives) and through my own soul to realize that the mentality I had had last year about the Gadfly was a juvenile one, inappropriate to St.John's and perhaps even harmful to it. I want to emphasize that I speak only for my thoughts and do not wish to impugn the intentions or dismiss the hard work done by my friend and last year~s Editor-in-Chief, Mr. IanMcCrackin. Clearly, as her letter and the statement of purpose evidence, Miss Maxwell-Smith and I agree that seriousness should pervade the Gadfly and that scooping our nonexistent competitors is not a serious activity. She and I disagree on several points, but the most important is the name of this newspaper. I stand by my contentions that the name Gadfly is flawed, since it tries to represent the newspaper's purpose as a name should not, and that we should preserve it nonetheless. As our statement of purpose says, being a gadfly is only part of our duty and therefore it is already slightly false and perhaps frivolous to call ourselves that. In addition, the mere name of Gadfly can aim us in the wrong direction. Indeed, much of the attempted scooping last year was the result of nai've freshmen such as myself trying to be gadflies to a community that we didn't understand. There is also the uncomfortable question of whether the editorial staff really has the right or the continued on page 5 :3 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �d h ck students and tutors, with at least one class, (a a1n: PhysU:s Seminar) cut short in deference to the 4th Su mm r by Laura Mangum, '04 Features Editor While most of the Student Body was at home this summer, brushing up on Greek or French, re-reading all of the books on the freshman curriculum, or producing their own translation of the Gospel of John, the St. John's campus was far from deserted. With Freshman Essays and all of Aristotle still left on their plates after everyone else had finished up their spring semester, the Febbies returned from their one-week retreats to begin their summer semester on May 21. "Febbie," as most know, is a term of endearment (most of the time) foraJanuary Freshman, a Johnny that starts his or her freshman year after Winter Break, when the other freshmen are starting their second semester. The Febbies attend school through the summer, and join the Sophomore class in the autumn. The ten weeks of Febbie Summer pass a little differently from how a normal semester. does Seminar starts half an hour earlier, tutorials are twenty minutes longer, and all the students live in one dorm together as one big happy (or just plain dysfunctional) family. Febbie Summer, with its close interaction and small group of people, was often related to a "Survivor" special in Campbell Hall. No one got kicked of the island though, for too long at least, and amazingly, the Febbie class did not lose a single member during the summer, ararething indeedinFebbiehistory. All are back now after a three week break, to begin their Sophomore year. The experience of living every day in the same place, with the same 20 or so people, while following a serious path of study can build bonds, and also send one running from the campus as soon as class ends. The experience, however, for most ofthe Febbies, was a good one. There were few conflicts, thanks in part to the diplomatic, peacemaking personality of Mr. Peter Roberts, the Febbie Dad, and also in part to the generally complacent attitude of most of the Febbies. This year's class was a single-parent family, for there was no FebbieMom. Luckily, Michele Paine, aJunior, and a past Febbie herself, stepped in as a kindofFebbie Step-Mom. The baby of the family was 'Guy,' aka 'Number One,' aka 'The Unit,' MissFinck's pet blue jay. 4 : The only truly scary act of aggression or angst came in midsummer, during a campus-wide power outage that lasted throughout an entire night. A team of assailants, completely swathed in black, ran wild through the halls of Campbell and around the eerily darkened campus, mercilesslysoalcingwith water guns and balloons any unsuspecting victim found wandering the sidewalks and passageways. The attacks brought on counter attacks and defensive maneuvers, and very soon Campbell Hall was transformed into a soggy marsh of soaked carpet and smeared shaving cream. The two instigators were traced to the room of a Febbie on Second Campbell, but no confession was ever procured. The other Febbies spent the evening congregated in the hall ofFirst Campbell, watching over their shoulders and laughing in the torch light at the thought of doing their Lab homework The Febbie fund provided for the care and handling of Febbies and allowed for several trips during the summer.WashingtonD.C., the Delaware coast, NewYork City, and a campsite in Pennsylvania all made weekend getaways for the fleeingJ ohnnies. The trek to New York, a welcome break after essays were due, was tainted only by the separation of three Febbies from the rest of the group, an event that left them wandering the streets of Lower Manhattan from Saturday night until Sunday morning, sleeping in ATM alcoves, being propositioned for drugs, and enjoying the after hours atmosphere of the city that never sleeps. The lost lambs met up again with their group the next day in Brooklyn, soaking wet from an early morning rain, but intact, and with some stories to share. The camping and rafting trip, started as a "roughing it" type getaway into the wilds of Pennsylvania. After a long van ride, ("Peter couldn't find his {bum} with both hands," says Meredith Licari) the Febbies found the campsite You like that, don'tcha PHOTO BY MARY RUFFIN to be a mowed grass field with nearby bathroom facilities and posters announcing Mary Poppins to be the Family Movie Night feature. "I feel a little underdressed," quipped Miss Licari She later added, "it was a good thing there was a grocery store nearby, because Bon Apetit forgot to pack food anyway. We only had a few kids on the rafts go overboard though, and[Jeremy] Stryer did let us throw rocks at him." Back at school, the nineteen little dears were awakened in the early morning hours by the sounds of jackhammers outside their windows and were accompanied to and in class by the steady clinking of the mason's hammer against the exterior of McDowell Hall. It was due to the limited facilities during the construction work of the Summer that the 2001 Febbie class was much smaller than usual. The renovation noise, combined with a Blue Angels airshow and other outside distractions was enough to frustrate both THE GADFLY .................................... ' ' . ' . ' ' ' ' ' ' .... . ofJuly fireworks celebration going on in the bay. During the summer, the school rents out facilities to different groups and conferences. This summer's guest list included the International Anthrax Convention, Women in International Security, and TheMeteorologicalSociety, andfor the most part, Johnnies and conventioneers coexisted peacefully. A noted exception was the Heifetz Institute, a group dedicated to improving and perfecting young string musicians' method. Most Febbies would agree that it was pleasant to have the campus filled with sweet sounds (a nice contrast to Febbie Chorus, which was enjoyed, but despite the valiant efforts of the talented Mr. Stoltzfus, never quite came together). The Heifetz group, however, perhaps because of their large size or their extended stay, did wear thin the collective Johnny nerve, with one GI even suggesting to the Febbies a joint strike to take back the campus from the invaders. After essays were turned in, the Febbies returned to relaxing on Saturdays, whether on land or sea (with many near-death sailing accidents). They finished off the year with a special treat to break the Febbie budget, a homemade, candlelit dinner at the waterfront, compliments of their Febbie Dad and Step-mom. There were summer romances, mud fights, bridge jumping (fully clothed, let it be lmown), and yes, all of the other Febbie summer stories that you may have been told were most likely true. It was an intense and sometimes trying time, and I'm sure most every Febbie, though endowed with good memories of it, is somewhat glad to be on this side of their not so normal Freshman year. From the Editor, from page 6 ability to spur our community on to virtue, and my humility before this task caused me to label the name" ostentatious" last issue. We are here, however, and someone must take the risk of hubris and failure if St.John's is to have a newspaper, as Miss Maxwell-Smith points out, so our name can at least goad us into goading you, thus starting us on our way to the fulfillment of the purposes set up on the facing page. In a pale imitation of the more formal and better planned ceremonies of our elders that I praised in my letter last week, at least this St.John's student tradition proves itself worthy of continuance only after being probed by the serious consideration of its participants. Hayden Brockett Editor-in-Chief An noun ........ m nts c~ia~.F~ll~ship ..... . Wednesday, 6pm-8pm, Christian Fellowship Cookout. Meet in the Chase Stone Basement at 6 pm. Barbeque and vegetarian foods will be available. Friday, 6:30pm, Christian Fellowship Meeting. All are welcome to attend. Creeping Terror Campbell Common Room, Thursday, after seminar, The SJC MST3KVC (SJC Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Viewing Club) is watching "The Creeping Terror." Feel free to bring refreshments. D. C Elections Delegate Council elections will be held within a few weeks. See Eric Thompson if you are interested in running. Sorry Freshmen, you can't run for office, but you can vote. From the Dean's Office Take a Tutor to Lunch The "Take a Tutor to Lunch" plan is in operation. It permits you to invite a tutor (or, for that matter, anyone who works for the college) to have lunch with you in the dining room now and then, for free.Just tell the person at the door. If you're not on the meal plan you can still do it, and you yourself get a free meal too (but not too often, I should say). Tutors will appreciate this occasion for conversing with you. Most of them are very pleased to be asked. You, on the other hand, get to play host in the easiest way, and to have the company of someone you may have wanted to get to know better. The Food Service and the Dean's office sponsor this plan, and I'd like to see it used often and well. (I say "well" because "often" by itself might suggest that it would be fine to invite the same tutor to lunch five times a week To keep the plan from becoming so expensive that we have to drip it, we set the following limit: no more than 4 times a month may a student be a host or a tutor be a guest.) On Prospectives Prospective students and tutors will soon begin to visit our campus. Please take the time to be welcoming, and to answer their questions. It may be a bit of trouble for you on a busy day, but it will be a great service to the visitors and to your college. S .J hn's Colle Im Society II 1 (9/1) WINGS OF DESIRE Directed by Wim Wenders (9/15) MIRROR Directed by Jafar Panahi (9 /22) NASHVILLE Directed by Robert Altman (9 /29) REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE Directed by Nicholas Ray (10/3) TOKYO STORY Directed by Ozu (10/27) MANHATIAN Directed by Woody Allen (11/10) THEDISCREETCHARMOF THE BOURGEOISIE Directed by Luis Brunel ( 12/l) BREATHLESS Directed by Jean-Luc Godard All films on Saturdays at FSK Auditorium. 8:00 p.m., shown with our 35mm projector. $2 Students, $4 Community, $10 season pass. Questions? Call 410 295 5542 We sell fresh pop-com with real butter, soda, and lots of candy. ...... '.'' '. ' ............ ''.' ' ............. ' ' ' ....... THE GADFLY ' ' 5 �s ro 1le: of St d He's more than the new Camilla by Hayden Brockett, '04 Editor-in-Chief When students departed the College last spring, they left behind several familiar parts of the St.John's experience, some of which, such as the dank halls of Mellon, they expected never to see again. A surprising change that many discovered over the summer, however, was the replacement of Ms Camilla Schwarz as Director of Student Services. Those undergraduate students who had worked with Project Politae knew him as "Andrew," as did those who had played intramurals with him, but for many the addition of Mr. Ranson to Assistant Dean's office was as novel as the transition to "Mr. Ranson" was for others. Certainly, his fellow Graduate Institute students and tutors were familiar with the honorific of the man in charge of disbursing rooms and selecting roommates, but the disconnect between Gis and undergraduates kept him largely unknown to the rest of the student polity. While many got to know his voice quite well via phone and came to appreciate his laid-back but efficient manner through email, few would have suspected his history and state of origin without seeing Mr. Ranson. But anyone who has laid eyes on him does not need the aid of some obvious photo-manipulation to guess that he grew up on the beaches of California. In an interview that spanned the two registration days, Mr. Ranson talked with the Gadfly about his early life, his new job, and his perspective on St.John's College and the books we read. (Full disclosure: Mr. Ranson is the St. John's staff member who reads the Gadfly and 6 : ns s ndr w vets it for legal problems. He also paid at least one reporter to work at registration, which would mal\:e this story pretty dam unethical if the Gadfly held to journalistic standards. Fortunately, we answer to a different authority from that of the New York Times.) Despite his looks, Mr. Ranson is not a surfer. "Surfing almost killed me once," he says. "That's why I don't do it anymore." He was 13, he explains, and all his friends surfed, which isn't too hard to imagine when his hometown was Leucadia, California, a little beach town near San Diego. "I was out on a day that was too big for me," goes the peculiar surfer parlance. "It was storm surf-10 to 11 foot waves repetitively, one right after another. I shouldn't have been out." Eschewing the details of the obviously harrowing experience, Mr. Ranson prefers to let the effects of his mishap speak for themselves: he stopped surfing a decade ago and hasn't taken in up since. Mr. Ranson' s looks and tastes still retain the flavor of "the surfer lifestyle." While he is not quite as into the sport as those "old-timers" who become, they think, "philosophical about it [and] live for the waves," each one of I r bl ms d by G.A. Deimel, '04 News Editor which, having "traveled 3,000 or 4,000 miles," is "a unique experience to be appreciated," he does spealc fondly of his youth. "Each morning I would wakeup, ride my bike to the beach, bodyboard, play volleyball, swim, that sort of thing. What else do you do," he asks, "when [your] father's house is a quarter mile from the beach?" Most of his high school summers were spent in such a manner and he still loves big waves-"the Atlantic," he avers, "is not an ocean" and he is reportedly" against" Eastern Seaboard beaches. He holds a special affinity for jams and the surf guitar as well. But the relaxed life he led growing up made Mr. Ranson unsure of what should come after high school. He might have attended St.John's as an undergraduate if he had known about it when he graduated, but "wouldn't have known how to read the books." Despite the assurances of former freshmen, he emphasizes that his particular inability would have been more drastic than that of every new student who comes to this school. "I went to junior college for a couple of years to figure out what I wanted to do and then transferred to Loyola Marymount," in Los Angeles, where he majored in history. Following the Graduate Institute commencement ceremonies earlier this month, he can now say that he has graduated from three schools, all of which were in direct view of the ocean. What's more, "at every graduation ceremony, I have worn a Hawaiian shirt," he says proudly. This month's graduation took place amidst a hectic move of his own and just as the duties of his job were perhaps at their most demanding. The Director of Student Services position changed with Mr. Ranson's assumption of the job and he now assists with more TttEGADFLY ................................................... . Housing continued on page 14 have a better chance of Desperate times call for desperate measures. finding at Faced with a housing situation that could only least one be described as abhorrent, Mr. Andrew Ranson roommate took steps never before taken by one in his with whom position. The fallout can be seen everywhere. they have Most prominent are the newly minted triple something rooms. By converting several palatial rooms in mcommon. Humphreys, Pacaand Chase-Stone, Randall has Few claim to been cleared of all but six lonely freshmen and be upset by packed with refugees from last year's room lot- their new livtery who were briefly faced with the unpleasant ing quarters, though prospect of finding no room at the inn. Some people have expressed surprise that freshman there have been no triples before this. After all, Blake Kiltoff they say, it's not as if we don't have the space told the Gadfor it. Anchorage native Stuart Bannan said fly that he the Alaska-sized room he lived in last year "was was "disRobert Abbott thinks lofty thoughts in bed. quite adequate." He continued to assert that mayedwhen there was "a gracious sufficiency of room for they sent me the letter" telling him that he "everybodywants one and there aren't enough three people." The people who actually live in would have twice as many roommates as origi- for everyone to have one; just because you want one, doesn't mean you're entitled to one; and these room tend to have a less certain view of nally promised. Although several are annoyed to be back in having one last year doesn't have anything to the availability of space. Minor problems ranging from a lack of storage space to competing the same dorm they lived in during freshman do with getting one this year. The room policy stereo systems have caused several headaches year, many sophomores who ended up in is that everybody who picks a room gets a Randall are about as sanguine about their digs room-the room selection is for preferences but no major problems have arisen yet. For the most part, the freshmen in triples as the freshmen are about the triples. Most only," and the choices are not set in stone. As are makingthe best of a potentially frustrating would rather be somewhere else and despite for the waiting list to get a single, he says situation. Several have noted how, since they one Randellian's bold assertion that "nobody "people have been on that list since April" and don't want to be in their rooms, they are spend- likes" being back in Randall, most of the com- that while "I still put people's names on the ing a great deal of time enjoying the great out- plaints heard from Randall veterans are related list when they ask me, I don't tell them their doors. Others point to the fact that they now to its conversion from a party dorm last year to chances," which are presumably slim. Of course, the Director of Student Services its current quieter atti- does want to help students, but the allegiance of his job, he explains, is to "the polity, not the tude. After hav- individual. "We are doing our best," he says, ing spent the referring to the Assistant Dean and himself. summer deal- "We are lenient and compassionate with people ing with stu- in tough circumstances and don't just flippantly dents and make life-changing decisions. We try to make parents lob- the best out of a hard situation." And no, he bying, jockey- says, they "don't have good lists and bad lists," ing for the but rather try to keep requested roommates 288 rooms together and to give singles to those who signed on campus, up for them first. For every housing horror story though there Mr. Ranson was ready for seems to be a tale of someone who has it far the Gadfly's better than they ever could have imagined. Take the instructional lesson given to us by questions with "a spiel Robert Abbott. Blessed with a lucky draw in on singles." last year's lottery he believed at the beginning The deal is of the summer that he would live out his days An unlucky upperclassmen triple continued on page 14 : 7 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �h irst ilm: The Third M The remainder of the film depicts Martins' struggle to decide whether his duties lay with his old pal Harry or with his own niive ideal of justice. He wavers back and forth, finally encountering Lime on aFerris wheel. Harry, who criticizes Holly's shallow notions of justice, comes across like a less great-souledJayGatsby, with his dandy pinstripe shirt, sharp black suit, relativistic morality, and the repeated catchphrase" old man." Unlike in the case of Gatsby, however, Lime's motivation is unclear to us. It is clear that he turned to crime in order to make money, but to what purpose? Certainly not to win love, friendship, or security, all of which he is forced to abandon. If he planned to fake his own death, why does he invite Holly to Vienna? Does he seek out Martins thinking that he can manipulate him to his own ends, as Gatsby does Nick Carroway? Does he view Holly as some semblance or double of himself through whom he can vicariously make love to Anna? Note the "Doppel-filter" sign that appears twice in the foreground during the antepenultimate scene, when Holly awaits Harry in the coffee shop. Does Lime have some deep psychological need to be discovered, to be recognized for once as what he is? Notice how many times he is "lit-up" in the short time he appears in the film. Is final complete recognition what passes between them after Harry's last glance to Holly in the sewer? Considering the way Anna ignores him as the film ends, one might almost think that Martins too has just been buried in the earth. The Film Society plans to show another film each week. Look for "Wings of Desire" next Saturday and a subsequent Gadfly review. by Anderson Tallent, '04 l&l Editor Approximately two hundred people gathered in the FSK lobby on Saturday evening with one pmpose in mind: to see the St.John's Story, a brief promotional video for the school, produced in the late fifties. Fifteen minutes later, with that objective at least partially accomplished, they proceeded into the auditorium and took their seats in anticipatory delight, almost as though they had come for a Dean's lecture. Why were they all there? To see 1he 1hirdMan. The Third Man, adapted from a novel by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed, was the St.John's College Film Society's first offering of the semester, and by all accounts the night was a huge success. Society Archon Andrew Hui, commenting on the larger-thanexpected crowd of viewers and the almost universally positive response to the film called the event "an auspicious beginning." The film, which takes places in ruinous post-World War II Vienna, examines the effects of crime and deceit on the relationship between two Americans, Holly Martins, a bumbling western writer, and the man whom he supposes his best friend, black marketer Harry Lime. Having received from Harry a job offer and plane ticket, Holly arrives in Vienna only to discover that his would-be employer and one-time companion is dead, having perished tragically in a car accident. The mysterious circumstances of the accident and half-hearted investigation of the crime by British officer Major Calloway send Holly on a search to discover the real story of Lime's death. Along the way he makes the acquaintance of some of Harry's associates, his mistress, and an affected philanthropist who believes Holly a serious novelist. In his examination of Lime's porter, Holly gets his first real clue that all is not as it seems, after the old man reveals that, contrary to the testimony given by others at the police inquest, there were three men, not two, who carried the lifeless body of Harry Lime out of the roadway. Holly, ever tactless and out of touch with others, cannot charm any more information out of the porter, nor can he convince him to testify to the police. "Harry is dead. Either in hell," says the porter, pointing toward the ceiling, "Or in heaven" and points downward 8 : Holly, alongwith the audience, is given no information about the identity of the third man, only a deep curiosity about him and profound sense that everyone is mistal\.en about everyone else. The heaven/hell confusion on the part of the porter is only the first manifestation of the misnaming/mistaken identity motif. Holly, who is mistaken for an artist and is often miscalled Harry by Lime's former lover Anna (an assumed name), persists in calling Major Calloway Callahan. "Ir>s Calloway. I'm English not Irish," the man repeats again and again. Callahan, meanwhile, thinks Lime is dead. One of Lime's partners arranges a rendezvous with Holly at the Moz:art Cafe, later it is discovered that he works nights at the Casanova Club. Holly cannot pronounce properly the name of Doctor Wingle, about whom there is some confusion. Basically, in the bombed out Austrian capitol, heaven is hell, the conqueror is the conquered, Amadeus has degenerated into Giacomo, and nobody knows who the doctor is. Looming amid all this confusion is the mysterious shadow of the third man, and the enigmatic persona of Harry Lime, about whom Holly and the audience continue to discover sinister things for the next hour. During one nighttime scene in which Holly sheepishly confesses his love for Anna, the camera pans outside to a dank Vienna street where, straddling a cat and half hidden in shadow, we see a pair of lustrous black wing-tip shoes and impeccably pressed pair of gabardine trousers. Holly leaves the apartment after being told that his request for a drink sounded like Harry and that his own name was silly, and discerns the outline of a man in a dark doorway across the street. He calls out to him, receiving no answer, but then, in a scene that recalls the unmasking of Ulysses after the archery contest in his hall, a bright shaft of light illuminates the classic brow and jaw line of Orson Wells. Lime is no hero, however, and upon being recognized by Martins, he flees down an alleyway and disappears into .the night. THE GADFLY ............... ' .. '.''.'.'''''''' .. ' ... '' .......... . Th hind ur Nam by Anderson Tallent, '04 l&l Editor It seems unlikely that any serious student would consider the responsibilities of section editor as benefits to his soul in her liberal education. No doubt any activity outside the Program detracts seriously from the time and attention that one has available to devote to the pursuit that defines us as members of the College. This is especially true at a post as demanding as editor of a weekly publication; one's motives for assuming such a position are all the more dubious when that form of distraction does not contribute to the fulfillment of necessary concerns, as other distractions may do-meals for example, contributing to sustenance, or intramural sports to the need for physical exercise. Aristotle says that there is nothing fine in simply fulfilling the necessaryat least, however, there is nothing silly in a newspaper informing students of shuttle times or housing shortages, there may even be some sort of justice at working in having some would-be philosophers forgo for a time their intellectual pursuits and look after practical affairs of the community. But certainly this is not the aim of an arts and entertainment section, and the question remains, with limited time and energy, the Great Books as our teacher, and the College with its New Program as the ideal place to learn, why ever distract ourselves with the production of necessarily inferior speeches? Why encourage dialogue about the number of fine student productions, when it only causes as to forget about those tangible eidh and organizing principles of the College, the books? Unless one considers factual announcements about upcoming concerts and plays to be so different in kind from announcements of world or campus happenings that they need their own section of the Gadfly, it looks as thought an Arts and Entertainment section has no place at St. John's. Perhaps, however, the soul is not unhealthy that delights in her own productions, perhaps we can learn by making, fashioning material external to us into a form that we recognize as born of our longing for divine order and knowledge, knowledge of ourselves and of the world. Perhaps, as Socrates suggests in the Phaedrus, the same man may be called both poet and philosopher, and the act of making need not distract us from truth and beauty, so long as we remember the true Beauty of which each opinably beautiful thingthat we make is but a reminder. It is with this in mind that we have renamed the Arts and Entertainment section Ideas and Images, hoping that our experiences of life, truth, and art are capable of engendering fine thoughts, and that those fine thoughts could be at least partially appreciated through our speechwriting in a more informal and accessible way than study of older speeches. It is, of course, a shorter and less challenging road to knowledge, but amoreleisurelyonewhose beautiful enjoyment we hope to have earned through our more sublime toils. 1 I~ Andrew Hui, Film Society Archon : 9 THE GADFLY .. :.' ... �VI w of th by Anderson Tallent, '04 !&I Editor LastFriday, theCollegegatheredinFSKfor the first lecture of the academic year, delivered, as always, by the Dean, Harvey Flaumenhaft. Its title was "History and the Liberal Arts: Hindrance or Help," an obvious departure from the Dean's erstwhile mode of presenting lectures on fairly technical mathematics topics. Not a few among us were disappointed by the change, having thought that last year's lecture "How We Learn: Taking Things Apart and Putting Them Together Again" was part of a series that intended to deliniate Desescartes departure from the Ancients. Others, however, were pleased by the prospect of a more easily understandable talk. Many veteran tutors showed up to learn something about the Liberal Arts, and everyone was poised to hear an affirmation of what we do at the College. Most delightful for those who suffered through a forced aestivation outside Annapolis, the lecture showed promise of holding up for criticism that most ill-examined and widespread of false opinions prevalent in the outside world, that of historical relativism. Divided into the characteristic sections and subsections so familiar to returning students, Mr. Flaumenhaft's lecture began with a most apt discussion of history-what it is, what it should be, etc, and managed to touch upon important questions regarding the extent and certainty of our knowledge about past human happenings. He presented to us the metaphor of written history as a map, and the historian 10 : an's t r as cartographer. The historiographer, like the an account of the so-called "philosophy of mapmaker, must exercise a great deal of pru- history," wherein the Dean explained the posidence while deciding what to include in his tion of modern thinkers who looked upon work. Too much detail, too many representa- their own age as one of ultimate enlightentions of particular facts in their unlimited mul- ment, and thus interpreted their predecessors' titude, and historical accounts like maps be- writings as a series of historically-biased ideas come so large as to be useless, swelling beyond made obsolete and invalid by time. Thence the scope and size of their subjects and, owing Mr. Flaumenhaft traced the origins of the histo an excess on raw information, supplying us torical attitude so prevalent today, that of hisno knowledge. The historian, so the Dean as- toricism, the idea that any idea is necessarily serts, must be something of a dialectician, in preconditioned by historical circumstances, and that his task involves a great deal of sorting can have no claim to Truth. The dubious qualiand arrangement, choosing what facts to record ties of such thinking were then exposed, and laboring to present them as symbols of opened the door for a discussion of philosophy, and an analysis of the St.John's Program. an ordered whole. Part II focused on the interplay between Mr. Flaumenhaft asserted, much like Mr. history and philosophy. It included a brief Zuckerman did in Prelude Two from his comoverview of the cultural circumstances in Greece mencement speech, that history, properly unthat paved the way for the Ancients' "radical derstood, is studied at St.John's. This was the and comprehensive" thinking. I got the im- part of the lecture that die-hard Johnnies came pression that Mr. Flaumenhaft's attempt to to hear, and while he was perhaps "preaching explain what happened in Athens twenty-five to the choir", I think it benefits the College to centuries ago as the result of historical events take devote one magnanimous moment to was somewhat half-hearted. The characteriza- self-appreciation. As one tutor was heard to tion of the Greeks as thinkers whose view of remark afterwards, "It was almost inspiring." The question period lasted until nearly midthemselves and the world was totally original and free from self-consciousness can some- night, and although it lacked some of the glotimes be misleading, especially when used as a ries of last years' (the Pythagorean maxim about refrain for various historicist deconstructions. the spectators being the most refined humans But, as Socrates says, it is a just thing even to at the Olympics failed, for once, to appear) it state the wolf's position, and this "history of was a somewhat fruitful discussion. I would philosophy" section did make dear the impor- have lacked to hear more about the act of tance of understanding efficient cause in the speechwriting itself, perhaps with an analysis world of human events. Following that came of what type of image a history presents. The Film Society Presents, WINGS OF DESIRE 9/1/01 One of the best films of the '80s, Wings of Desire is both a supernatural love story and valentine to Berlin. Bruno Ganz plays an angel who falls in love with a beautiful trapeze artist and decides to enter the mortal world of earthly delights. Cinematographer Henri Alekan blends rich black and white photography with bright bursts of color to contrast heaven with earth and the glum Berlin of yesterday with a new and vital city. · THE GADFLY ........................................... ''''' ... . Reprinted from the April 17, 200 l issue of the Gadfly at the request of Mrs. Kronsberg and for the benefit of the Freshman class w r f S off bout Mc owe II Plagiarizing the Bible By Anderson Tallent '04 Gadfly Staff Writer In the beginning, Govenor Bladen constructed McDowell Hall. And the building was without four walls, and incomplete; and laughter was upon theheadof Govenor Bladen. And then the Maryland State Legislature did give the building and surrounding campus to the College, and out of the ground the College made to grow other buildings. And the whole administration was of one mind, and had one purpose. And it came to pass, as they approached from the east, that they found a building named McDowell Hall; and they continued the Collegethere. Andtherethey observed that the building was old, and in need of repairs. And they said to the construction company, Go to, let us fix bricks, and fix them thoroughly. And they decided to have the bricks retouched, and to have their mortar reapplied. And they said, Go to, and build a giant scaffold, whose top may reach to the bell tower, and let us make it asturdy one, lest it topple onto our heads and we be buried into the face of the whole earth. And the construction company did come, and did erect that functional edifice. And when the ASSISTANT DEAN was sitting atthe tutor table in the coffee shop, there was a tutor there that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a drunken student climbed upon the scaffolding, and tumbled down over the host of support beams, and fell unto the ground, and was badly injured and the student lay flat. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the potential for a lawsuitand a threat to the College: for into the hands of lawyers could the school be delivered. And it was so, when the ASSISTANT DEAN heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that she worried. And the stru t d 11 A "New" Gadfly Low ASSISTANT DEAN came outside to see the scaffolding around McDowell Hall which the contractors builded. And the ASSISTANT DEAN said, behold, the students are irresponsible and drunkenly, and they all may climb upon the scaffold; and this they may begin to do: and then nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do when drinking at Prank. Go to, let us send out a mass mailing, and thereby confound their impulse to climb the scaffolding, and threaten them with severe fines so that they understand my speech. And then the ASSISTANT DEAN returned to the office in Mellon Hall, andsaid to the secretary, Arise;fortheASSISTANTDEANhath delivered into your inbox a letter, to be photocopied and carried to the mailroom and distributed to the students. And she photocopied the letter five hundred times, and said unto the mailroom staff, Look on me, and do likewise, and behold, put one letter into every student's mailbox, and say The Mass Mailing of the ASSISTANT DEAN from Her secretary. And the mailroom staff took one mass mailing and put it into every student's mailbox. So thus the ASSISTANT DEAN scattered the mass mailings from her office into the mailbox of every student: and the ASSISTANT DEAN'S mass mailing said: I am the ASSISTANT DEAN thy administrator, which have decided to forbid climbing on the scaffolding, Thou shalt not disobey this mass mailing. Thou may' st make a likeness of this mass mailing, or any mass mailing, or any likeness that is of any mass mailing from previous days, or one to come later, and say that I cancelled prank. Thou shalt not believe them, nor think the prank actually cancelled, for I the ASSISTANT DEAN your administrator am a fun-loving administrator, not visiting the iniquity of a few seniors onto the entire student body. Thou shalt not take this particular mass mailing in vain, for the fines will be severe for those caught playing on the scaffolding, and the ASSISTANT DEAN will not hold him or her guiltless that hath taken this mass mailing in vain. Remember, the day after prank, classes are cancelled. Four days shalt thou labor on the week of prank, and do all thy work. But the fifth day is the cancelled day of the week of prank: in it thou shalt not do any work, nor will there be tutorials, but lecture is on. Honor this mass mailing, obey it. Thou shalt not climb on the scaffolding. Thou shalt not commit thy person to the support of unstable metal beams. Thou shalt not fall. Thou shalt bear witness against thy neighbour who should climbeth the scaffolding. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's respect won by climbing the scaffolding. Thou shall not shake the scaffolding whilst thy neighbour climbs it. And the students received the mass mailing, and none did climb upon the scaffold when the prank did take place, and the weekend was called prankweekend, meaning, weekend ofthe prank. Newcomers who wish to leamabout the Great Senior Prank Cmcellation Scare of2001 should ask the nearest upperclassman. -Ed : 11 THE GADFLY .. : .. '.' �t t Su mm r's nd: lmpr h s Mc ow by Hayden Brockett, '04 Editor-in-Chief by Anderson Ta/lent, '04 !&I Editor Some guard against the weeds, and others, pain, this time of year. A waning moon is sad. The balustrades of night recall her eyes As daylight, her hair. IV "Time, you thief, who love to get Sweets into your list, put that in!" What do the leaves mean? Fireflies illumine the moths; those fat red cherries were for sale. Night falls late. Some men and towns are bet- I ter The jockey, just before the race begins, as an archer would draw back the bowstring, restrains his horse, but only to encourage later his swift flight. With the insubstantial hint of past enchantments or some half-realized hope of what's to come we spur ourselves, growing older all the time, and pile dreams on dreams. seen from far away. II "That suitor is my brother. He resembles me like a portrait would-more beautiful, less true, my image and unequal. When I was gone he thought of me. He sits upon my throne. Perhaps this arm has virtue still to vanquish him; or no; no matter, I will not attempt the proof nor shall I forgive. Let my finest wines be his. He knows what vintage is the most sweet-I taught him well to taste. Let merriment invade his hall, may dance and song, not I be his companions and friends. His be the Woman whom I have not touched these twenty years. May Ithaca proclaim him greater than me, for in him, I am saluted. cons ru 11 When does the summer season start to end? When love, in springtime winged, no longer bears hope on his arm, or pleasure, but instead steeps one in regret. As a child, I could smell my tears. I smell the summer ending. In this season, though Nature grasps her hardest after being, I feel little eros. v Envious Summer, ripe with fecund heat, now all the leaves are green, the sea-spray fresh. Time is dishonest with himself, sad hearts now know themselves. -You stab bed me in the front- I have seen all the seasons' tide-like pageant here, but you hold many secrets in the long lush days. The recollection of the lengthening shadows fills me with sadness. surer Bud Billups denies this as "absolutely untrue" and wishes to inform the polity that "we checked with everyone we were supposed to." When Pinkney underwent the exact same procedure a few years ago, the HPC classed the work as "maintenance," says Mr. Billups and was willing to do so with McDowell until con~ cerns were raised by third parties during the summer. These concerned individuals feared that the College was damaging McDowell as its contractor removed the old mortar and replaced it with more modem and therefore less historic materials. After much discussion with experts in the field of historic preservation (one, says Mr. Billups, filled with diverse opinions) and two appearance before the HPC, the issues were resolved to the satisfaction of both the College and the Commission. Sporadic visits were still being paid as late as Monday the 20th, however, by at least one person who climbed the scaffolding to look over workers' shoulders and observe their accordance with principles of his- Returning students and freshmen alike were surprised to see McDowell hall swathed in scaffolding and many have wondered why the bricks making up the exterior appear in many places to be hanging in thin air. The beleaguered Campus Planning Committee spent much of the summer wondering the same thing when the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC to the initiated) stopped work on McDowell twice with concerns about the manner in which the school was repointingthe Hall's brick. A whole month's worth of work was lost outright, eaten up by debates over using type "O" mortar as opposed to type "N," and the loss of momentum caused by these delays has magnified the amount by which the project is behind schedule. Currently, sources estimate that repairs will take until mid October. A rumor circulated around campus this summer that blamed the College's failure to check with the HPC for the stoppages, but Trea- te n toric masonry. Students and tutors worried about noise disrupting classes should be gladdened to learn that all cutting of the grout (with loud power saws) and nearly all chipping (with clanking chisels) will be completed before the semester begins. Assistant Dean Kronsberg and Mr. Billups assure the Gadfly that the only noise seeping into the classrooms will be the soft scraping of trowels and the muted steps of the masons as they complete their task of preservinglVIcDowell Hall for another 239 years. 3.60 .1.60 2 Zfl.oeon, this is my friend, Dok Dak, Zhaeon. {Hot or Cold) 2.89 3.00 3,SO l.00 .85 2.10 ib fJottl<; - Whether I remain at home and keep on wearing my disguise, or put to sea again, my spirit shall range over earth and heaven, my proud heart tame the world. I am the great original-Odysseus!" ,Juice~ Boz 3 Wow. YouhcNeoli wn.azlrigly big hf!'Jd. Seriously. !'hat's 4 Gourmet Coffee l.75 8oz 3.60 2.00 :2.9(1 JZoz 16oz tm.e tiefty mel¢1'1,. lS Suz 75 16oz III l6oz In the summer, thoughts are heavy like mud. This road is impassable. Old woes that we thought buried in the earth, like seeds, have sprouted again. "Unfair, unkind, untrue." I do not wear grand boots, nor easy socks, nor yet do carry the silly cups- and so I sail the summer. The sun looks like a whale. 12 .95 1.00 1,'.25 :uo I 2.SO _J"-.. - . Ye... ..- Uh... to1,1c he. C"9r:med Soda -- t (o_... S·"'-----~ --=-=r . , '\ r.::·I ~ v '-~- Yoplait i. THE GADFLY ............ ········································ Banana .70 1.50 .75 1.75 .50 .50 J.75 U35 :'..15 Soft shell Bet·f!C'.hicker1/V1ege1tar.i1fll1 Bean - Lard vi;gfa cheei,;e F'rn~ .75 : 13 THE GADFLY . ' : .. ' ' . �Ranson, from page 6 of the Assistant Dean's duties than did Ms Schwarz. He advises and aids the student publications, like the Gadfly, Energeia, and the Collegian, keeps track of class attendance, and assists Project Politae director Ann McShane. Mrs. Kronsberg still retains higher authority (and answers in turn to the Dean) in these matters. The biggest charge he has is obviously campus room management and that duty adds a large number of small challenges to his list. The ability to roll with the punches, or the surf in his case, came in part from his youth, but alargeformativeworkexperience for Mr. Ranson was when he was a tour guide for Trek America, a company that offers travel packages around America. "It's 99 percent foreign nationals," he reports, "and you just pack fifteen people and all your camping gear into a van and drive around on trips from 2 to 9 weeks." While he enjoyed the work, he says that the 55,000 miles he logged in two summers of driving were somewhat tiring. "The big thing it teaches you is patience.You couldn't get through one day of that job without patience,'' he says, and that quality was in great evidence over this past summer as Mr. Ranson dealt with a waiting list that would not melt. The job also added to his knowledge of American cities, specifically which are real cities and which aren't. "San Diego is not a city... no one's from there. It would be great if everybody had something different to offer but people just sit there and retain their develandness." San Francisco and San Antonio have real character, however, he says as he rattles off further names on a list too long for this reporter to catch. Another valuable collection amplified by his journeys with TrekAmericaisthat of his anecdotes. "What do you do when you've been hiking in the Grand Canyonallday,"heaskswithanimplacabledeadpan, "and come back to find your campsite under three feet of water?" Mundane suggestions such as "move your gear" are not correct. The proper answer? "Do the Macarena and have a mudfight." Mr. Ranson' s St.John's experience did its work,however,andhereportsthatheisachanged man having graduated, at least in the most im- portant ways. It took him until his third semester here to really understand how much this place and the books we read can really do to a person's soul. For those who might scoff at his "St. John's Lite" Graduate Institute education, he has a passionate response in order. But like atrue Johnny, he told this reporter to put his pen down when the discussion turned to Plato. Anyone who wishes to know the serious side of Mr. Ranson is welcome to talk with him, but this article will not communicate his thoughts on how to read a book (which are by no means as silly as is that phrase). Written words cannot take the place of true conversation, and Mr. Ranson knows this as well as any graduate of this school. mma I mystifi d: Why You're Sleeping with the People You're Sleeping With Stories of how roommates are selected have always been plentiful. Although the practice has always seemed to be shrouded in mystery from the students' perspective, it is really quite straightforward. Once your roommate selection questionnaires are collected, the information on them is input Housing, from page 7 into a computer program and the computer oras a sophomore in style kicking his feet up in a ganizes the list into likely matches. The person Chase-Stone double with Mr. Anton Barba- who runs housing (previously Camilla Schwarz, Kay. Fate had different plans for our plucky now Andrew Ranson) then reads through the hero though as he was swept from his prom- questionnaires and looks at the computer's sugised pad and informed that he had been sen- gested matches in light of those. People are tenced to a Randall double. Undeterred, he shifted around and each match is re-evaluated tried to work his way out of his predicament. several times before it is made final. Once again, God (and Mr. Andrew Ranson) The most important factor? What hours smiled favorably on Mr. Abbott, who was you're awake. If you like to sleep late and party granted a posh Paca single in a last minute shift. until four in the morning, you're almost certainly It is also worth noting that Mr. Abbott's single not going to be paired up with someone who (seen here) has won this year's Gadfly News goes jogging at six in the morning and keeps a Editor's Choice award for best dorm room ten o'clock bedtime. Other variables that seem decoration. to produce amiable matches according to Mr. And if advice on how to work the system is Ranson are musical and religious preferences. what you're after, look no further than MsKristi However with all the seemingly impersonal Meador. The sophomore managed to snag matching up of these sorts of answers human herself a single in Chase-Stone with what was intuition still often prevails. In an interview given reported to be a well-timed and well-written last year before she left, Ms. Schwartz talked of letter with several follow-up phone calls. No how she would often be reading one of the short word yet on the price for which she'll sell her essays that are a part of the roommate selection secret. forms and be reminded of something someFinally, the best attitude toward housing one else had written on their form. She would was demonstrated last weekend by Mr. then find the other form and read them side-byZackPerron. After being told repeatedly that side. At that point she would make a call on he would share a loft double with Wes Evans, instinct as to whether or not the two people on registration day Mr. Perron learned that he would mesh. had been suddenly moved to a Randall double Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. with a different roommate. When asked what It is interesting to note, however, how many he though of the situation he calmly shrugged freshmen roommates are still friends and how his shoulders and replied "S>r>r>r happens." many even are still living together. G.A. Deimel, '04 h An nap lis • fA.rts I W An ~Uteri · noPofis Ofure M Submit short fiction in any form. . . . . Commun?9ozine h Leave off submissions at The Smoke Shop at 56 Maryland · lfyj or fhe Avenue or at pheyrman@erols.com For more information, call 410-280-3521 or email at the a<;idress above 14 THE GADFLY ................................................... . �by Taylor Waters Director of Student Activities This is where you turn to read about upcoming event (plays, concerts, BWI shuttles) sponsored by the office of Student Activities. This is also where you find out if your name has been chosen as the winner of a gift certificate to a fabulous local restaurant. But, the lucky winner must wait until after business is discussed. Once again shuttle service will be provided to shopping spots around town. The van will hit Grauls Grocery Store and Rite Aide, swing Club Name Chamber Orchestra Chess Club Christian Fellowship Collegian Oew Croquet Delegate Council Dodge Ball (My Little Pony) Environmental Group Fencing Club (SJCFU) Film Society Gadfly Gamers Association Gardening Club German Club HW.Combat Johnny Rode King William Players Leif Erickson Club Mabel Madrigals Martial Arts Club Melee Photography Club Pink Triangle Premium Mobile Octet Project Politae Q.E.D. Productions Reality 2002 Saint John's Chorus Society for Anime Softball Storyteller's Guild Student Committee on Instruction Swim Club T apDance Club Waltz Committee Women's Interest Groups Woodshop Yearbook by the mall, and then head out to the two strip malls between Rt. 2 andRivaRoad. Each trip will vary depending upon the shopping desires of the passengers. There will be a time limit, so if you want to power shop or hit a movie, you will probably have to get back to campus on your own. The days and times have yet to be determined. Signs will be posted when the details are worked out. Below is a list of the club archons (and the clubs they represent) who signed up and spoke at Movers and Shakers. But before the list, the winner must be named. This week's contestant was randomly chosen by my lovely husband, Mr. Michael Potter. And the name is. Mr. Anderson Tallent!! Congratulations Mr. Tallent, you have won a gift certificate to Harry Browne's Restaurant. Andrew Hui DanMalkiel Sir Robert Burbridge Blakely Phillips Louis Kovacs Jonathan Polk Matthew Albanese Chuck Anderson & Wm. Whittaker Andrew Hunt Margaretta Tobias & Brian Sumner Andrew Hui Hayden Brockett Matt Buban Justin Naylor Erik Thompson (temporary archon) Matt Buban Will Fay MeganGraff B. Porter, L. Kovacs, & L. Ford Matt Buban Margaretta Tobias Nat Schwartz Erin Krasniewicz & Randy Pennell Katie Bush & Arthur Wendel Stout Cecily Martin &Andrew Hunt Mary Townsend Anne McShane GA.Deimel Justin Jones &Bobby O'Brien Laura Manion Tracy Cain DanMalkiel Katherine Sherman LauraStrache &Aaron MacLean Lauren Shofer & Baron Medenwald Laura Manion Hayden Brockett & Summer Star Christina Servetnick Hiram Powers Sarah Consbruck &LauraManion by Laura Strache, '02 SCI Co-Chair Welcome, Class of 2005 and welcome back to upperclassmen, tutors and other members of the community! The Student Commmitte on Instruction (SCI) has many activities and events planned for the upcomingyeaL Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings, make suggestions and take part in the activiites we sponsor. What is the SCI? The SCI is a student-run organization and is a subcommittee of the Delegate Council (DC). The SCI provides a forum for students to discuss matters of instruction and the academic life of the college. The SCI represents the academic concerns of the students to the Dean, the faculty Instruction Committee and the Board of Visitors and Governors. Members of the SCI meet weekly (Thursday 11:45-12:45 in the Randall Private Dining Room) and sponsor many activities on campus including: All College Seminars, Plato in the Springtime, Pre-Lecture Seminars, among others. Examples of last year's SCI projects include work on a Greek Review Manual for the summer between the freshman and sophomore years, discussions of the role of lecture, the role of Academic Assistants, and a Rock and Roll Panel Discussion led by tutors. If you are interested in finding out more about the SCI, please feel free to contact either of the Co-Chairs, Aaron MacLean and Laura Strache, or Secretary Robert Abbott. The All-College Seminar is a great opportunity to meet us, as well as other members of the community. Everyone is welcome to participate in these seminars, including Graduate Institute students, tutors, Senior Residents, and all students. There will be a reception following the seminar with refreshments. The All-College Seminar for this semester will be held Friday, September 14. If you have a suggestion for a reading for the seminar, please note it on the All-College Seminar Suggestion sheet posted on the SCI Bulletin Board in the Coffeeshop. Elections for Sophomore, Junior and Senior Class Representatives will be held shortly (as soon as the DC has its first meeting.) Freshmen are not eligible to run untilJanuary. Any upperclassman interested in running should submit a petition with the signature of 30 peers to the committee's secretary, Robert Abbott. If you are interested in being on the SCI mailing list and receiving notices about upcoming events as well as agendas for our weekly meetings, please send a note to Robert Abbott in campus mail. Watch the SCI Bulletin Board in the Coffeeshop for the date of our first meeting and other notices. : 15 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O.Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 This Week's Sports Schedule N t s by Leo Pickens Athletic Director To all those who have shoes stored in the shelves in the entrance to the gym: please come down to the gym and claim your shoes. Any shoes left in the shelves on September first will be taken to the Good Will. Athlete of the Week honors for the women goes to the wily M.J. Dokter, who snuck her way through the End1s defense, and then made a pretty deft shot to score in this past weekend1s All College Soccer Game. Athlete of the Week honors for the men goes to the frosh goalie playing for the ends in the same game. Dudes, has this guy got a good set of hands, or what? The first person to me with his name goes to Pizza Express on me. Speaking of Pizza Express ... that 1s right, You Make The Call is Back. So, here is this week's puzzler. With time running out, a defensive player on Team A commits a handball in the penalty box. The ref blows the whistle to cite the infraction as the gun sounds to end play. You1re the ref. What do you do? First one to me with the right call goes to Pizza Express on me. "1hosewho play, stay." Bryce DuvallJacobsen, TutorEmeritus andformer AthleticDirector Tuesday 6am - Crew Practice Begins for Grizzled Vets. 7pm - Fencing Practice Begins: Newcomers welcome. Wednesday 6:30am - Learn-to-Row program begins for Novices. 4pm - Men's Football Season Begins. Check roster to see what team you' re on, and the schedule to see when your team plays. Friday 4:15-Women 1 s Soccer Season Begins: Newcomers Welcome Saturday 2pm - Men 1 s Football Sunday 2pm - Men 1s Soccer Season Begins The Ends tied the Means at Saturday's All-College Soccor game, 1-1 . � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 16 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 2 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-08-28 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 2 of The Gadfly. Published August 28, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #2 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/e81f9ea5f21372ea40dabd2ccc444244.pdf d7820d50102bfe50ef6d310012db9eff PDF Text Text The St. John's College Student Weekly Annapolis, Maryland Volume XXIII, Issue 3 September 4, 2001 Assist nts �fly M ii Connect to Library Catalogue Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett Production Managers Martin Anderson Melissa Thomas Section Editors News: G. August Deimel Features: Laura Mangum Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent Sports: John Cooper Contributing to this Issue MayaAlapin Tracy Cain Cooper N. Gallimore Nick Garklavs Katherine Nehring Laura Strache Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s). The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Taxdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For display advertisement prices and information, call 410-263-2371, x2212. Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions will be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. Dear College community: The library catalogue is now available from a web browser with an Internet connection. You no longer need to be connected to the campus network, or use the old "Web Pac" version. The URL (web site address) for the new catalogue is http:/ I ipac2.epixasp.com/ipac _stj /ipac.exe. Please bookmark this on your web browser, or use the link provided on the Library's home page. (That link will be changed to the new URL as soon as possible.) The look of the catalogue has also changed. Currently, the look is the generic one that the Horizon company provided us. We are working on customizing it to make it look better. The new catalogue is already more functional-for example, you can do simultaneous author and title searching, and limit your searchingto specific collections within the Library (e.g. videos only). But until we get it fully set up, some of the indexes do not work properly. If you have any difficulty finding something on the catalogue, please ask a member of the staff to help you. ' Sincerely yours, Lisa Richmond College Librarian .......................... ' .. ' No Shirt! No Shoes! No Citizen! Dear Gadfly, Let it be known to the Polity that Sunday evening one Freshman saw fit both to enter and partake in the dining hall sans shirt, and, adding insult to injury, with an oversized, unbuttoned leather jacket, in a completely transparent attempt at nonchalance. All were as relieved as they had been appalled he buttoned said jacket at the request of a fellow diner. Those who do not choose to follow the small, everyday customs of a community may well be said to be Barbarians, rather than Citizens. True it is, that the Freshmen have yet read naught but little, so perhaps this distinction remains to be recollected. In any case, the following could well serve as a general rule: One should not go shirtless to the dining hall! (Nor shoe-less, neither!) Pray, dear Polity, let us be right vigilant. Party Persecution Proves Fatal Dear Editor: I think I speak for most of the student body when I say that this year's Seducers and Corrupters, traditionally one of the largest and most entertaining parties at St.John's, was an abject disappointment. This was in no way due to a low turnout or lack of enthusiasm by the students, nor was the party poorly planned; rather, the culprit was the deplorable, Naziesque tactics of certain Senior RAs. Throughout the evening they stealthily milled through the crowd, dispensing warnings and pouring out the beverages of resourceful students who had managed to procure alcohol without a wristband, needlessly wasting gallons of delicious beer and putting a damper on everyone's spirits. This persecution proved fatal for the soiree; without everyone's favorite social lubricant, few students danced and little seducing or corrupting took place. This must have been a particularlyunfriendlywelcomeforthefreshmen, who anticipated carousing at their first big St.John's party and instead found themselves subject to such relentless harassment. Such aggressive enforcement of the alcohol policy is unnecessary and unfair. Refusing to serve alcohol to underage students is sensible; so is disciplining students who are rowdy and indiscreet about their consumption. Actively seeking out and harassing students who are just trying to have a good time and not bothering anybody is not. The Senior Resident Assistants are paid by the student body; their job is to assist us, not police us. I sincerely hope they will not treat their employers this way in the future. Daniel Malkiel, '04 Words- a/Encouragement Dear Hayden and Gadfly Staff, I just read the August 28th issue, and! think you are doing a fine job. In my opinion, the "facelift" was very much needed. I wonder if many people remember the way the Gadfly used to be most of the time. Sometimes it was so sloppy and lacking in content that it was embarrassing to think that alumni were paying money to receive it. Anonymous 2 THE GADFLY'.'.'''.'.'' .. '''.''''''' .. '' .. '''.''''.' ... ' ... '' .. \! You have contributed to the Gadfly for over a year now, Hayden, and I think you've more than earned the right to stop justifying your e~ence to letter writers and stop writing your articles apologetically, and just get on with the business of reporting campus news. .Granted, the Gadfly doesn't always live up to its name, and yes, sometimes it is annoying to see a sports event go uncovered in favor of a page-long ode to Zephyr or something like that. But if there's someone out there who thinks the Gadfly is seriously lacking, maybe he should try to write an article himself. Unless he's too scared that someone might write an open letter to the polity saying that his article wasn't interesting enough. Sincerely, Erin Krasniewicz, '02 Febbie Trek Revisited Dear Polity, I was most concerned on your behalf after reading Ms. Mangum' s recent article about Febbie Summer, for she neglected to mention that during the Febbies' "trek to New York" they had the good fortune to encounter Mr. Dan O'Keefe, whom the Febbies just happened to see walking down Broadway with his girlfriend Louisa Miranda. Later, Febbie Steve also ran across Ted Hadzi-Antich in Greenwich "V_illage. It is disappointing that Mr. O'Keefe, himself a survivor of Febbie Summer '97, should have been snubbed by another of his kind; it is amazing that anyone would think it unwoi:hy of note that in one day three Johnmes were seen in a city of eight million people. I thought everyone should know about this. Sincerely, Anderson Tallent, '04 From the Editor . Although the excellent layout and pleasantly diverse content in this week's issue may make it seem that the Gadfly has settled into a steady routine as has the rest of the College, the fact that it is a day late indicates that the Gadfly is, as always, averitable cauldron of chaos. Of course, last-minute contributions and ridiculously late Sunday nights are nothing newto Gadfly editors so I'm not complaining (at least not yet). Rather, I want to assure any aspiring participants in the Gadfly who may not have made it to the meeting (or any of those who did and were intimidated by yet another debate on the Gadfly's purpose) that we are very interested in your contributions even if we're plunging ahead without really seeming to be. It's only my confusion, not the Gadfly's lack of interest in your works, that may cause this impr~ion. Everyone is welcome at our weekly meetmg, now at anew time: Tuesdays at 7:30 pm. This week's issue features a portion of the coverage I wanted to give student assistants, so look for more information next week on this topic. The editorial staff has several ideas in the works for cover stories in the coming weeks but is always looking for more, so feel free to send us ~otes in campus mail or to speak with one of us mperson. The following will be our last pronouncement on the Gadfly's purpose for at least a week. Promise. Apparently some people had trouble when reading the Gadfly's official statement last week, and thought that we wanted to turn this rag into a publisher of highbrow discourses on program books at the expense of outside news. Ironically, in defense of Miss Maxwell-Smith's contention that the Gadfly has become too newsoriented, a suggestion that we create a forum for the continuation of seminar discussions was aired at our Tuesday meeting. For those who love concision before beauty, let me be brief: the Ga4fywill solicit what it wants (namely, articles on polity, polis, and ideas in that order of preference) and print just about any unsolicited works it receives, at the restrained discretion of its editors. Currently, we are interested in printing a weekly world news update that would consist of a couple paragraphs on topics that interest its author. Anyone who would like to work on this should speak to me or come to our meetmg By Taylor Waters, Director of Student Activities Local Shuttle service begins this week. The polity van will depart from the Carroll Barrister House every Wednesday at 3:45pm and return by 6: 15pm and every Saturday at 10:30am and return by 1:30pm. Again, the general circuit will beGrauls/RiteAid > The.Ann.apolisMall > Festival at Riva> HarborCenter.Yourdriver Mr Mi?iaelEsterheld, does have a bit of wiggle~~ so if you want to hit, say, Sam's Club or Goodwill, you can probablyworkitout. There are three things you should know in advance about the Local Shuttle. A) The polity van can safely seat 13 people. This number cannot be increased. Therefore, seats are available on afirst come first serve basis. B) The Local Shuttle departs at the designated times and is normally out for the entire 2.5 or 3 hours. If you must return to campus before the end of this allotted time period, you'll have to do so on you own. C) Mr. Esterheld is the big Kahona. There may be times when there is not enough room for everyone wh~ has waited to board the shuttle. Hopefully this won't happen. But if it does and you are the 14th person to arrive, please accept Mr. ~erheld's limit and remember it's purpose- to mere~ the safety of travel on the polity van. . This Sunday, September 9th the polity van will depart from the Carroll Barrister House at 11:30am and head to the New Carrollton metro station. The metro goes right into D.C. and all y~u need is money for a metro ticket and maybe alittle chow. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Taylor Waters/Student Activities at ex 255~. Ifl don't answer the phone, leave a message with your name and phone number. I will only call back if there are no available seats remaining. This weeks meal ticket winner was chosen by the Registrar, Ms. Reenie Craven. Mr. Benjamin Kloch, you have won a gift certificate to Joss Cafe and Sushi Bar. Correction: Miss Eva T. H. Brann, a self-described" avid and attentive reader" of the Gadfly, was kind enough to point out a spelling error in last week's edition of Zhaeon. Sir Robert Burbridge inadvertently misspelled "weird," and his error escaped our notice. We challenge Miss Brann to spot the mistake in this week's cartoon! THE GADFLY.':' 3 �Ban kin r at rt f h nnap lis: How to Get a Good Deal on a Good Account Without Getting Ripped Off (Or Having to Walk too Far} By Cooper N. Gallimore, '05 by Laura Strache, '04 SCI Co-Chair At St. John's we often speak of a dialogue between the reader of a great book and its ideas or of the conversation between the books themselves. When applying to St. John's, I dreamed of sharing in this dialogue, of taking part in an effort to revive a book: to make it ~ve again. I thought (and still think) of books with a living spirit and of a particular life of a ~~ok that one can only experience through part1c1pation in a discussion between thoughtful individuals who have all just read (or reread) the same book. I treasure those seminars when this life of a book surfaces and almost seems to direct the conversation. But I don't know if everyone sees this the same way. In particular, I wonder about those students who are either silent or only speak occasionally in classes. What it means to participate in this Great Conversation is not entirely clear. This question is often raise~, in some f~rm ,or .another in the Instruction Committees first meet~gwith the freshman clas:' on the eve~g following Convocation. As is the case ':1th most of the questions raised, there are various 4 answers provided. There is agreement,.h?:"ever with the statement that the responsibility lies ~ith the student. Our classes are discussion-based and students are encouraged to speak up as soon as possible. They are warned that it becomes more difficult to do so the longer you wait. Some refer to _it as the gro~p dynamic forming around the quiet student, like a river flowing around a tree. But some students ignore this advice and continue to be silent. Even in my senior year there are students in each of my classes that do not_ speak unles_s called upon, or speak only occasionally. ObVlously, these students must be benefiting from our discussions even though they are not apparently talcing part in them. Th~nking ov~r this issue, I have come to question what 1t means to take part in a conversation. When this question is posed, the initial answer is ~hat you must speak and listen, to ~ake part m .a conversation. But when you thmk about this Great Conversation between reader, author, and ideas, such an answer is not sufficient. Close listening and attentive reading are just as essential to the conversation as sharing your ideas. We read many of the Platonic dialogues, THE GADFLY ............................ . '. ' but how often do we see Plato participating in the conversation? He clearly listened to the ideas and took note of them and we, and the Great Conversation, are greatly indebted to him for that. How are we to know that the quiet student is not participating in the same way as Plato did? It cannot be forgotten that this is a school where we are taking part in a joint endeavor. Students are often bothered by others who don't speak. One can't help feeling that a student is silent because they are judging us and think us unworthy of their insight. Furthermore, our effort depends upon the involvement of everyone. Some worry that they are missing out on valuable ideas that are not contributed by the quiet student. I myself am mo~e concerned with the outspoken student who 1s always speaking yet never seems to say anything. More troublesome yet is the student who hastily prepares for class and dominates the discussion without having thought out most of what is said. If an effort were made to make the conversation more egalitarian, ensuring that each member of the class was provided the same ........ ' .... ' .. continued on page 13 Aswe come into the second full week hereat the illustrious St. John's College things are finally beginning to settle down into a routine. Upperclassmen no longer wander around the campus, as though in a daze after the long summer of discovery, tranquility and sloth. Freshmen are finally getting to the point where they can refer to others by their given names, rather than the non-descriptive, "Hey you", which for the past week has been the predominate form of address. But there is still one question that many have dreaded to ask. The question concerning opening a checking account where students can store their meager funds has been on the minds of many who are new to Annapolis. While this article can't help those who have no money, it may be of use to those who need a good place to put it. As an entering freshman myself, I too have been in search of a bank that I don't have to walk a mile to get too, or pay outrageous fees to use. Fortunately for all of us, there are a number of very good banks just five minutes away at Church Circle. For purposes of convenience, the three banks closest to campus are those I have decided to focus on. The closest of these three banks is Farmers Bank of Maryland, being about five minutes from the edge of the GreenfieldLibrary. They offer a checking account exclusively for college students with no miniwww.firstvirginia.com mum balance requirements, unlimited check writing and teller transactions, automatic check safekeeping and no monthly service charge. I will repeat this last part for clarification, no monthly service charge. They also provide you with a check card and the option of online banking services. Just about the only downside I can attribute to this particular bank is that they have no branches outside of Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee. So if you intend to go to California and make use of your checking account, you could have a bit of a problem. Of course you always have the option of simply holding onto your current checking account thereby caus- ing the more gullible members of the Polity to think you are so wealthy you need two accounts to hold your vast spoils. If your goal is to open up an account with a bank that can offer you true nationwide service, then you might just www.bankofarnerica.com want to go another minute up the road and visit Bank of America. They also offer an account specifically for students which include many of the amenities as that ofFarmers, namely a check card, unlimited check writing, check safekeeping, and an online banlcing service. There are however, a few minor catches. Unless you are one of those extremely fortunate students who have the ability to maintain a daily account balance of $500, then you get stuck with a $5 service charge every month. On top of this you only receive one free teller transaction per month with a $3 service charge applied for each additional transaction. Needless to say, if you are planning on depositing more than one paycheck per month, this may not be the plan you're looking for. If, however, your employer provides your paychecks via direct deposit, then you can get a direct deposit checking account, which has no monthly fee so long as there is one such deposit per month. In other ways it is similar to the student account except that you get some extra teller transactions. Ifyou meet this qualification, this is a very good deal, but I fear many do not. MElCA\11lE ANNAPOLIS BANK AND TRUST www.mercantile.net/ab&t/ If neither of these banks appeals to you, just go another 30 seconds down the road to the comer of Church Circle and Main Street. You will come across another local bank of some distinction, the office of Annapolis Bank and Trust. They do not exactly offer an account for students, but their standard checking account does provide a check card, unlimited check writing, and as far as I know, they are not so preoccupied with limitingyourtellertransactions. The account does incur a steep $8 fee if you don't maintain the high monthly balance of $750. Just as with Bank of America however, they do provide an impressive offer for those among the Polity fortunate enough to receive their paychecks by direct deposit. It seems as though it might be worth petitioning the business office for direct-deposit paychecks so that those on the work-study program can take advantage of these deals. But of course I'm not suggesting anything. Another bankthatyoumayconsider looking into is SunTrust which is a little farther away on Main Street. I have not personally spoken with a representative of this institution. I do know SUNThUST that they do not offer www.suntrust.com student checlcing accounts, but that they will waive the monthly service fee on their Economy and Self-Service checking accounts if you ask. And of course, they also have limits on tellertransactions. Despite all my vast knowledge on the subject of banlcing, I don't feel as though I have the right to make any specific recommendations. All of the banks I visited had friendly and knowledgeable staffs that were eager and willing to answer all of my questions. I can only assume that they will treat all students equally. My only disappointment was that I was never offered a lollipop, or even a pen. If you are intimidated by the whole prospect of dealing with a bank, just remember that if they think they can get your money, they will be extremely nice to you. Just don't let this easygoing demeanor cause you to drop your guard Be assertive, look them in the eye, and ask knowledgeable questions. You must do your homework. You should know just about everything that bank has to offer before you walk through the door. In order to promote this kind of rational thought and good advice provided for you here are some links to websites that might prove helpful. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you find the account that it right for you. Students here at St. John's have enough to worry about, whether it is Greek or Ptolemy, without having to spend every moment dealingwith banks. Just do your best to make sure you don't have to take up marathon running to use your ATM. AUAnnapolis are.a banks. www.hometownannapolis.com : 5 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �as y n's t. by Maya Alapin '03 He isn't exactly what you'd expect of a St.John's tutor. His favorite band is U2, he wrote his doctoral thesis on Experimental Particle Physics, and he read the Fagles his first time through the Iliad. Dylan Casey, a newly hired tutor, comes to us from Michigan State University where he has been teaching.on what he describes as "sexy" subjects like quarks and leptons. Previous to this he studied the more traditionally Johnny political philosophy at James Madison College, a division of Michigan State. During his undergraduate years he was turned on to the idea of liberal education and ethical questions dealing with the relationship between science and liberal democracy. To explore this relationship required an in depth study of physics, and then the physics department at Michigan State "ate him up." He comes to us reinspired from his undergraduate years to reconcile the two spheres he has studied. Casey describes himself as "a husband and "likes where Euclid is coming from," he says, a father." His sons Simon andLiam are 5 and and claims that he can pretty easily picture Eu13 months old. But being a dad hasn't kept clidean lines, intuitively understanding them him from the fun stuff-Casey is an avid mo- as representations. As for the Iliad, he admits that the first torcyclist, owing a 1973 Honda CV 750. He time through was "kind of a grind." We agree says with a kid-like grin that this cycle is like the one in Zen and the A rt ofMotor Cycle Mainte- that there are a lot of names to follow. When I nance. He knows that the one in the book is a ask him what the book is about, he pleasantly '69 model, and had a motor held together with surprises me: "Isn't it about the rage of Achilles?," he asks with a look of genuine considerpop cans, like his own. After a while of discussing U2, cycles and ation in his eyes. A firm grasp of the subtle. A the "cool 600 million dollar machines used in tutor in the making. I wonder what it must feel like for Casey to modem physics," I begin to wonder how much ask opening questions opposite Eva T. H: like a freshman this freshman tutor really is. He goes on to tell me from behind his hip Brann. And then I remember meeting Ms. turtle framed glasses about his favorite movie, Brann for the first time at Febbie ConvocaBraveheart, and to list the dialogues of Plato tion, not knowing the extent her accomplishwith which he is familiar: Republic, Apology, ments. She asked me matter-of-factly ifl liked Phaedrus, Gorgias and Meno. He's also read Homer so far. I liked the part about the wrath, Aristotle's Politics. When I ask about his fa- I said. She replied with a look of awe-stricken vorite piece of classical music he conceded that curiosity that she couldn't wait for class behe doesn't really know that much, but of late cause for her it was like reading it again for the he's been charmed with Mozart's Rondo a la very first time. Suddenly I stop wondering what it takes to Turk. Beethoven's ninth ranks high as well, be a tutor and appreciate that Mr. Casey has but "for no good reason." ~ait till the St.Matthew Passion, I think, if that lovely quality of honest curiosity Ms.Brann reasons are what you are looking for.) made me learn to cherish from that very first When I ask him if he knows any day. It is no surprise to me that Casey posiGreek he tells me he knows the let- tively glows when he describes his read of the ters. I challenge him to recite the al- Iliad over the summer, "it made me feel like I phabet. He shoots me a bashful would get a lot more out of it if I talked about smile, leans back in his chair and says, it with other people ... but I am sure that is "well, not in order." A jokester too. true of all the books." He says with a smile, I begin to think that my ques- "that's why being here is like having being dead tions have been unfair and that I and going to heaven; a dream come true, really should just ask him the obvious adreamcometrue." one: why St.John's? As a physics professo r Casey began to feel like his To the scientifically inclined: main interest was in answering what Mr.Casey could start a study group with would traditionally be end-of-career interested students. If you are inclined to questions. On the advice of his menread the Feynemen lectures on Physics, tor at Michigan State, he looked us David Berlinski, Pulitzer prizewinner Jared up on the net. He loved what he Diamond or some other pertinent text:, saw and "sweated bullets" overwritcontact him. Also, Mr. Casey suggests that ing his statement of purpose for our students interested in careers in science hiring committee. should get in touch with him as he has Despite pressure to stay in physcontacts to the "science world," and may be ics he now finds himself teaching able to provide some opportunities for freshman seminar, lab and math. anyonewhowouldliketo do a little work When I ask him how class is going I related to particle physics and statistical analybegin to get a feel for the tutor-like sis right here at St.John's. · . qualities Casey clearly possesses. He n ry irl Ut no: v I n In ri a , Metaphysic I Story by Katherine Nehring '02 Unlike the famously erudite but undeni- Apart from Utena andAnthy (pronounced, incongruously enough, "Ahn-shee"; the mysanime series described by some Johnnies as terious Rose Bride) andAnthy's brother Akio, "Hegel with giant robots") Utena's plot from the most important characters are the five beginning to end is as tightly-woven as it is members of the Academy's Student Council. complex. The series is divided into four parts: Each Student Council meeting opens with the the "Student Council" arc, the "Black Rose" Hesse-esque incantation: 'We are the chick. The arc, the "Akio" arc, and the "Apocalypse" arc. world is our egg. Smash the world's shell! For Each brings a new series of changes on the the revolution of the world!" The Student relationships and characters of the show's main Council members themselves are each dueling for that mysterious power. No one seems to understand entirely what it symbolizes, but all have their own desires and ambitions, each reflecting a broken fragment of what it means to be a prince. But princeliness is by no means the only theme explored by the interweaving stories of the student council members. What it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, what it is to be a brother or a sister - each idea is played out in many aspects by the main and supporting character. Memory plays an extremely important role throughout, especially in the second story arc. Ultimately, our heroine must face the nature of the world itself, and come to understand what it really means to bring the world revolution. On a technical level, the art of the series may be somewhat off-putting at first. Although the animation is very well done, the art is highly stylized and elongated (after the manner called shoujo in Japan, shoujo being the term for "girl's comics"). It takes a bit of getting used to in order to appreciate, particularly for those who are not accustomed to animation-at least not to animation that undertakes to tell a complex, dramatic, figures, while advancing the story as a whole t?ward its surprising and devastating conclu- mature story. Revolutionary Girl Utena is a story of metas10n. phor and symbol, an archetypal heroic journey Beginning in a lighthearted, breezy tone, as the story unfolds, it grows deeper and darker. that manages to comment upon archetypes The progressive revelation of the truth behind themselves. Or, as the archon of the anime the world shows previous events in a new society put it: "It's like ashoujo Evangelion, exlights, and seemingly innocuous incidents near cept with sword fights instead of giant robots, the beginning of the series are revealed to have and Jung instead of Hegel. And you should come, because it's really good." surprising and sinister significance. ablyschizophrenicEvangelion (another acclaimed Starting this Tuesday night, the St. John's Anime Club will be showingRevolutionary Girl Utena. The 39-episode television series narrates the story of T enjou U tena, a girl resolved upon becoming a prince. The series opens with a fairy-tale. "Once upon a time, there was a princess grieving over the deaths of her mother and father," a child's voice begins. "Before this princess appeared a prince traveling on a white horse .... " The fable is acted out by simple, faceless figures, at once charming and eerily disturbing. The prince comforts the little princess, gives her a ring, and, with a promise that the ring will guide her to him one day, departs. "But because of the strength of her admiration for the prince," continues the narrator, "the princess decided to become a prince herself. But was that really such a good idea?" Then the story proper begins, picking up the tale of a fourteen-year-old girl at an exclusive private boarding school who is in trouble for refusing to wear the feminine, frilly girls' uniform, opting for a boy's uniform instead. But our heroine, U tena, is not merely a tomboy. All she wants to be is a prince. In the beginning, of course, she has very little idea what her own ambition means. She leads the life of an ordinary student until an accident leads her into the story that ends in revolution. When she enters the forbidden forest in the back of the campus she, in the classic manner of heroes, inadvertently and irrevocably steps into a larger and more dangerous world. A world where fairytale castles appear inverted in the sky, and where the members of the Student Council duel for th: possession of the Rose Bride, a strange, qmet girl said to be the key to the mysterious "power to revolutionize the world" The seven duels in the first story arc are all named: Amitie Choix,Raison, Amour, Adoration, Conviction: and Soi. The ultimate victor of the duels will be the one who mal{es it all the way to the duel named Revolution. ' 7 6 THE GADFLY ............................. ''''''.' '. ' ........... . THE GADFLY .. : .. ' .. �u s s nts by Geoff Deimel News Editor Although many of us do our work in groups, it has been noted that Johnnies can be fiercely independent when it comes to studying. Some of us feel that there is virtue in doing work alone, and there's probably an element of truth to that. But in those rare times when work gets too difficult for even the most dedicated, independent, hard-headed Johnnie to handle, the school has set up a sort of safety net: the assistants. · Everyone is aware of one kind of assistant. Lab assistants and in sophomore year, music assistants sit in classes with students set up equipment and facilitate discussion. There is no way to avoid lab and music assistants, as you will see them several times a week. However, fewer people see the other assistants the kind you see sitting in the coffee shop at seemingly random hours. It should be comforting to know that the hours only seem random, and that the Greek, French, math, writing, and music assistants are eager to help in any way they can. You don't need to schedule a time, and there's no pressure since any questions you have are just between you and the assistant. And, as writing assistant Blal~ely Phillips recently noted, it can be easier to talk to an assistant rather than a tutor because there isn't the thought, way in the back of your mind, that someday the conversation might come up in a don rag. This week we will introduce you to five of these loyal servants of the polity. Blakely Phillips, Writing Assistant someone from the lonely frozen northern land of Canada. Canada (specifically Halifax) also happens to be where French assistant Maya Alapin calls home. Ms. Alapin immersed herself in French for most of her schooling. Canadian schools offer a French-intensive program where students can take all their classes in the language through tenth grade. After that, class time is split between 60 percent of the class time that is conducted in French and the remaining 40 percent that is done in English. The program worked well for Ms. Alapin who, by the end of her Maya Alapin schooling, had read a good deal of relatively difficult French literature. Since leaving high Where do most people that you will meet school, she has continued to improve her lanaround here who speak native French come guage skills, a process that culminated in spendfrom? Ifyour answerwasFrance, you're wrong. ing last summer in Montreal. In this country your much more likely to meet Ms. Alapin believes that the biggest advantage her background can provide to the students who come to her is in pronunciation. As she is one of the few native French speakers in the entire college, her being available at French assistance provides a rare chance to make sure one's accent is up to par. 8 So far she has received few visitors at the French assistance desk. No seniors have yet seen fit to come by, but even the juniors haven't had many questions yet. Thus far her work has largely been limited to "drive-by assistance" where people have come along with one or two questions that they have already thought out ahead of time. She isn't surprised. After all, she notes "people still have their homework under control" and may not have many questions yet. She muses pseudo-hopefully that maybe people will soon have more questions as things become less under control. Before taking the job, Ms. Alapin told that people in the past have enjoyed it. She doesn't seem to doubt that her experience will be the same. Along with the obvious joy that comes from helping her fellow students, Ms. Alapin is thrilled at the prospect of getting paid to work with French. Why? "I get to work on something I choose to work on anyway." Blakely Phillips While she may never have been a writing assistant here before, Blakely Phillips knows what the job entails. Throughout her college career she has been helping people write better. For example, last winter she proofread mul- tiple seniors' essays though she says she only helped with grammar because they were at the "point where they didn't want to change" anything in their papers. More importantly, before coming to St.John's she attended a public university in Georgia where she had a job very much like what our writing assistants do here. Her experience has exposed her to the many types of assistance for which she expects to be asked. The help she has rendered in the past has depended "largely on the individual" involved. People have asked for advice on grammar, formulating an idea for a paper, organizing ideas that they already had, and a myriad of other things one does in writing a paper. Because of the nature of the work writing assistance deals with it is slightly different than other types of assistance. Whereas the kind of "drive by" help described by Ms. Alapin is common to every other type of assistance, writing assistance is much more in depth. Very few people come to a writing assistant with a quick question in mind but instead are looking for someone to give them detailed advice tailored to their particular needs. According to Ms. Phillips you'll get the most out of writing assistance if you know what those needs are before you come and talk to her or the other writing assistant, Ms. Cara (Gormally?). If you have trouble coming up with reasonable paper concepts, then see an assistant when coming up with ideas. If you need someone to proofread your paper, then can help you at that stage as well. As of this writing, despite sitting for hours in the coffee shop, Ms. Phillips has yet to be approached by someone looking for help on his or her writing. Which is not to say that she hasn't spent the time productively. She claims to have "read a lot of Hegel" while waiting for someone - anyone - to ask for some help. If you approach her soon your writing could be the first to be examined by this newly minted writing assistant. Even if she looks engrossed in her reading, don't feel guilty for asking her to look at your paper. After all, she can finish the Hegel some other time. Genetics clearly worked its magic on Ms. Dempsey as she went out of her way to take extra math classes in high school. Continuing in the family footsteps she, like her mother, has also put her skills to use in a teaching capacity. For years she has tutored people in mathematics, from third graders all the way up to people studying calculus. Ms. Dempsey is unsure what to expect from her new job, having only had two visitors thus far, including one who had some trouble determining which assignment she needed to work on. Her workload, like those of other assistants, is likely to vary greatly depending on what classes happen to be doing at the time. Traditionally math assistance becomes trendy at certain milestones such as the beginning of Newton or the end of Ptolemy. The biggest milestone that the math assistants will be intimately involved in, of course, is the dreaded algebra quiz. Not only do the assistants proctor the exam, but they also help sophomores cram in order to pass the quiz before the deadline. This has led to one of the mainstays of the math assistance program: group review sessions for calculus and algebra. These sessions, led by the math assistants will be conducted later this year (times to be posted) and are open to anyone regardless of whether the subject is immediately relevant to what they are currently doing in class or not. The plight of some math assistants in the past has been to fall into obscurity once the algebra quiz no longer looms over the heads of worried sophomores. Ms. Dempsey emphasizes that math assistance should not be reserved for that one aberrant time in the program, but should instead should be a resource that is utilized regu- minutes to remember that proof from Euclid's sixth book. In order for them to be as helpful as possible, they often need to look the problem over for a moment before they can help you. The wait will be well worth it. Justin Naylor For many people at St. John's,Justin Naylor is associated with music in the same way that Andrew Hui is associated with films. He has not spent one year here where his job on campus did not include something musical. Beginning with a stint in the music library as a freshmen, his tasks have ranged from playing the piano for freshman chorus to working as a classroom assistant for sophomore music. As well as sitting in on classes, the music assistants have another function that, according to Mr. Naylor, has been extraordinarily "under-utilized" in the past. In the same way that math or Greek assistants hang out in the coffee shop, at specified times during the week, music assistants await students seeking help in the library. Mostly people come to the assistants for help with the more technical side of music. If people can't remember the circle of fifths or if there is continued on page 16 hdy. Ari Dempsey Considering her immediate family, it would not be an unfair question to ask whether Ari Dempsey was destined to become a math assistant. Her mother is a math teacher at the high school level, and her brother (a Johnnie who graduated two years ago) is currently a mathematical engineer working for the government. One small request, suggested by Ms. Dempsey's colleague Tom J uskevich would be that students realize that often times the math assistants haven't looked at the assignment you'reworking on for several years and it may just take them a few Ari Dempsy, Math Assistant : 9 THE GADFLy ... ' ' ' ... ' .. ' ' .. ' ... ' ' . ' ' ' ...... ' ........... . THE GADFLY.':' .... I _J �!A r The Ace of Clubs returned to her dorm room Tuesday afternoon in quite a cheerful mood. Had her roommate been a more observant soul, this would have put her on guard, but had she been a more observant soul, she would never have agreed to share a living space with someone so thoroughly convinced she was an evil mastermind. However, the Ace's intricate plans for revealing her news to her roommate, the Jack of Clubs, plans which had incorporated a wonderful opportunity to display the maniacal laugh she'd spent half the summer perfecting, were spoiled only a few moments after she walked in the door. The Jack was perched on top of a chair, fashioning for herself what appeared to be a lance out of old pizza boxes and string. "'What are you doing?" demanded the Are "Fashioning for myself weapons of knightly combat!" replied the Jack. "For lo, I am that fabled knight Don Quijote de la Mancha! If you want, you can be my squire!" The Ace sat down heavily. Obviously the Program had turned her roommate's head a few weeks earlier than usual this year. "In case it has slipped your notice," she said acidly, "the age of knight errantry is passed. Dead. Kaput!" "Oh, I know that," replied the Jack promptly. "That'sexactlywhyitworks. You see, Don Quijote thought that he was a real knight errant. I, on the other hand, think that I am Don Quijote." "So ... " began the Ace, "you haven't decided to be a knight errant ... you've decided to be a man who thinks he's a knight errant?" "Exactly!" replied theJackhappily. "Oh, and I've decided that you' re Sancho. Sancho! My horse!" "I am NOTyour squire!" snapped the Ace. "Oh, of course not!" replied the Jack brightly. "If you were, where would be the point in that? The point is that I think you're my squire, and long experience adventuring with me through sun and rain, through cold and heat begins to convince you that we-" I "Well," said the Jack, striking a knightly attitude and looking thoughtful, "thus is it always. The hard work, the long and difficult tasks, the mighty trials and the barren vigils fall always to the knight errant, while the squire, as befits a faithful servant, takes his ease." "I am not your squire!" "But you're taking your ease," replied the Jack. "Very well. As follows: The Strange And Never-Before-Heard-Of Adventure of the Film Club, Together With Other Matters Worth Relating." "No it will not," the Ace growled. "I am not your squire. You are only a pawn in my evil plans! And right now, my plans are for the two of us to continue the series of articles on campus clubs we began last year!" She broke into a fit of sinister laughter, and if the Jack took no notice of the fact that the Ace was cackling like the villain in a cheap B-movie, well By Tracy Cain and Katherine Nehring, '03 10 : Film So 1n Ill Film Society "First of all," said Andrew Hui, "who- ever goes to the movie is part of the Film Club. Were you there for The Third Man? Two hundred people! Best attended club on campus!" "A pretty expensive club," someone put in, "charging two dollar dues every meeting!" The archon shrugged, smiling. But as he pointed out later, renting the movies is hardly cheap. For those accustomed to dollar-a-night Blockbuster rentals, the cost of renting the 35mm films comes as a shock. Each film, rented from distributors, costs 350 to 400 dollars with an extra hundred dollars for shipping. "Which comes out to somethinglike4dollarsaminute,"saidMr. Hui, doing some calculations in his head. "And so, in order to break even, if we have 250 people paying 2 dollars each....." Extensive as the membership of the Film Club may be, most of its motive power rests with its two archons, Andrew Hui and John Cottrell. Many Johnnies rememberthe Film Club, if at all, as a semi-defunct organization which, at random moments, seemed to pull itself together enough to show a movie maybe two or three times in a year. "Overthepreviousyears," saidMr.Hui, "the Film Club has been basicaµy dormant, and the films it showed, inaccessible. This year, we are trying to show classic films, critically acclaimed modern works that most people have heard about but not necessarily seen. If you look at our semester's schedule," he added, "more than half are in English. But we're not going to be showing just the sorts of things you can get at Andrew Hui, Film Society Archon no one ever claimed the Jack was too observant. At length the Ace recovered, and, seeingthat the Jack was again absorbed in her construction project, kicked over the chair she was sitting in. The Jack looked up quizzically from the floor. "The evil magicians-" she began. "Shut up. And go write your article." The Ace threw a piece of paper at her. "You've got the film dub.» "What are you doing, then?,, asked the Jack, heading obediently towards her computer. "I'm not doing anything; the chess club wants us to wait till next week, and the deadline's in a few hours, so there's not enough time to find someone else." yourlocalBlockbuster. We'renotgoingtoshow Basic Instinct, The Lion King, that sort-" "What about "Die Hard" queried someone hopefully. ''Well-" "Maybe Rambo," volunteered Mr. Cottrell. "Maybe," said his co-archon. "We resuscitated the film society, and hopefully, this semester will be a renaissance." "Re-NAI-ssance," concurred his co-archon. The Jack then turned to Ms. Rachel Seay, a frequenter of the Film Club and hence an authority. (Or as much of a frequenter as anyone can be, when only two films have so far been shown) ''It's better than classical music concert," said she, "because you can eat. And I want to say that I think that Andrew Hui and his co-archon-" "John Cottrell," supplied the man of that name. "They both do a sparklingly-" "How about spectacularly?" "Spectacularly," agreed:Ms. Seay, "And the rest of the crew-" A long list of names was rattled off, and although theJack's pencil flew, the resulting lines resembled some sort of complex hieroglyph than anything else. "Just 'all of the people involved with these films'," she said, "Just so I don't leave anybody out by forgetting their name." And no small amount of involvement is necessary to bring the films from their 40-pound metal canisters to a Saturday night Film Club production. For the two hours of viewing pleasure enjoyed by the public at large, fifteen hours of work go into the preliminaries -distribution, publicity, preparation. The film must be spliced between rolls, and the projector set up and properly focused "John is the Chief Projectionist," said Mr. Hui, indicating his co-archon. "We' re looking for members who are willing to help us, though. Although once the projector is properly focused, it stays focused throughout the movie, someone has to be up there to mal\.e sure that things don't catch fire. "Catch fire?" "Films aren't as flammable as they used to be," explained the archon. "They used to be made with silver nitrate, which could catch fire very easily. That's not the case any more, but the projector's light is extremely bright, you see. As we found out the other day, even with modem ~if you turn it on without running the film, 1t overheats. The light's 2000 watts, and a regular dorm light is maybe about a hundred, to give you some idea." 'Tve got a question," chimedinRachel Seay, "So if you look into the light bulb, would it blind you?" "Hangon,"saidMr.Hui, thinking. ''Well, in Aristotle's 'Metaphysics,', book gamma, he says 'As is lmowledge to our minds, so is the light of the sun to the eyes of a bat'." "That's Alpha minor," corrected Mr. Cottrell promptly. "Are you done?" inquired Mr. Hui, as the Jack began to fold up her notebook. "Is there anything else you want to say?" ''I just want to convey my enthusiasm and dedication," said Mr. Hui, looking enthusiastic and dedicated "It's one of the few occasions where the college comes together in a non-academic setting," he and his co-archon agreed. "It's not a Coffeeshop party, but it's not Friday Night Lecture." "Ordinarily, the intellectual life at the college is very logocentric-" "Logocentric, that's good" "But a film is a complete experience. It'sit's" began Mr. Cottrell, seeking for a method of putting words to the sublime. "What's good word for 'best'?" "Paragon?" "The paragon! That's it, it's the paragon of media-" "It's what the Germans call gesumkunstwerk," supplied Andrew Hui, wishing to clarify matters. "Films are better than books," concluded his co-archon. "And you can quote me on that." $1 .00 off any Potato for Johnnies! St.John's College Students, Faculty Staff ave an ICE Day At. .. 50 cents off any Med. 0 r Lg. G elati, Shake, Ice or C ustatd 911 Bay Ridge Rd 410/216-9458 Nowtillseason ends in October Open 7 days a Week. .. noon - 9 pm · : 11 THE GADFLY I' t' IO O o O o O t 0 I Io t Ito 0 o IO O • o' o 'o' o o 0 O 0 IO I 0 IO Ott Of O O O I THE GADFLY .. : ... '' �n By Roberta Gable, Alumni Director Welcome back, gentlepersons, to the haven of learning; and a special howdy-do to the freshmen. We all know why you' re here: to read, to talk, to listen, to learn, to revel in the intramural program. And I respect that. On the other hand, I hope there is pleasure and instruction in stories of what your predecessors have done once armed with a degree from this place; and to this end I will again be writing profiles of alumni, that while you read, talk, listen, learn, and revel, you might now and again muse about the life to come. (Oh, it was a happy day when I figured out how to turn off that Word thingie that objects to purportedly run-on sentencesQ Using a variety of research methods (gossip chief among them) I endeavor to find alumni whose exploits I hope will be of greatest interest; but if you find I haven't lately interrogated anyone in your chosen field, let me know (ext.6926,r-gable@sjca.edu) and I'll track one down. This semester: a doctor, a lawyer, an internet zillionaire, a music librarian, a linguist, a writer, a high school teacher, a professor of political philosophy, a family of winemakers, and an art conservator, among others. Stay tuned. Dan Schoos Dan Schoos A'86 alleges that there are two types of St.John's students: those who came here already having rebelled against traditional education methods (you know who you are, you high school malcontents and troublemaker~), and those who accepted the regular discipline of regular high school, exulted in their smarts and their abilities, hyper-achieved, and then found the courage to seek the Other in college. SchooswasTypeB. "ComingtoSt. John's was a real challenge. I had learned to play the traditional game. The question was, 'Can I stop playing the game and start taking education seriously?"' The answer was yes, and, in fact, Schoos learned to take education so seriously that he decided to become a teacher. During his senior year he registered with one of the educational placement services, got several interviews at private schools, but nothing panned out until 12 v lvin h s: haedrus n th he heard from the Placement Office that Key "People loved the hat-some of them offered School, a private pre-K through 12 school here me money for it." in Annapolis, was looking for someone to teach In the fall it was not yet time for Pitt, though-first he had to take care of that laneighth grade science. He got the gig. Eighth grade science! Don't you wish you guage thing, since the program he was headed had had an SJ C alum for your teacher in eighth for required some proficiency in the Big Two grade science? On the one hand, it was swell; ancient tongues. A year at the University of but on the other, Schoos had no classroom Pennsylvania got his Greek and Latin into gear. teaching experience (other than the sort you (His Greek was our Greek; his Latin had come pick up as a student here), so his first year had from a summer intensive course at Villanova.) some inevitability to it. "It was really hard. But Then it was off to Pittsburgh, where he had I had good role models." The students were for his first year a Provosts' Humanities Felaware of his inexperience, and were of course lowship, one of those deals where they pay at just the right age to delight in testing him. you to go to school. He also taught a section of seventh grade Now graduate school, sad to say, is somemath that first year, and then, for the next two times known to feature more pain than deyears, he taught a seventh grade civics course. light for the participants, but such was not the U n1ike ''Introductory Physical Science," the cur- case for Schoos. "It was a pleasure all the way riculum was not textbook-driven-it was ba- through." He found his colleagues congenial, sically up to the teacher. "That was double- the coursework fascinating, and the going edged," says Schoos. "I liked the freedom, but good. It was both a comfortable environment, when I ran into problems, there was no sup- and a fruitful one: he had, for example, two porting structure." He also ended up teaching papers accepted fot the national meeting of sixth grade social studies (is there nothing this the American Philological Association (one on man can't teach?), but counted that civics course Cicero's De re publica, and one on Plato's Timaeus), he had a review published in the Bryn his greatest success. Key could only hang onto him for three Mawr Classical Review, and he was an editorial years, however, because, like many a Johnnie assistant for several years for the journalAnbefore him, he heard the clarion call of gradu- cientPhilosophy. You see, friends, there's a way that aspiring ate school. He had thought all along that he'd go to graduate school, but (born a generalist) to a PhD can be la vita do lee, and Schoos found he hadn't settled on a discipline. Then he heard that path. In many doctoral programs they lean from his classmate John Newell, who was at on you to finish within a certain time, they the University of Pittsburgh in a PhD pro- effectively boot you out after x years, and they gram in classics, philosophy, and ancient sci- drive you mercilessly, in the apparent belief that ence. Newell gave Schoos the old "Come on it's for your own good (and because they were in! The water's fine!" and it worked. driven mercilessly when they were graduate stuBefore he plunged into further education, dents). Not so at Pitt. And Schoos settled down however, he had one of the coolest summer to the happy life of a guy who gets to study jobs I've ever heard of. Having retreated to his interesting things and spend his time with inancestral home in the Philadelphia environs, teresting people. After that first year on the he was thinking about finding something to dole he had to teach (and grade papers, which labor at when he heard an advertisement on isn't anybody's idea of a day at the beach) but the radio: the Park Service was looking for for the most part he got to be a scholar. (He park rangers. But this was not the Yogi Bear became locally famous for his great love for the kind of park-it was at Independence Hall in Phaedrus. "Everything's about the Phaedrus, Philadelphia, where he got to work up his own isn't it?" he inquired, and I hoped the quesspiel about the building. (Schoos's theme was tion was rhetorical.) "Independence Hall, a Building of ContradicDespite a Platonic heart, however, more tions.") Although it was an indoor gig, he was often than not he taught Latin, because the still outfitted in full Park Service Ranger regalia. faculty leaned toward the Hellenistic, and often THE GADFLY .. ' ... ' ' ..... ' ........ ' .. ' . ' ........... ' ' .. ' ' ... ' .. . left the Roman stuff to the graduate students. When the classics department began offering a summer intensive course in Latin, Sch~os taught it for the first two summers. He also taught in the "external studies program," an off-campus affair for "non-traditional" students (i.e. grown-ups), where he created a course on mythology. He stayed for eight years. He loved it. But one summer he got a fateful phone call from Key School back here in Annapolis. He had maintained ties with the school, returning every June to help out with the eighth grade camping trip. (Key has a big Outdoor Education Program, and the whole eighth grade goes on a one-week excursion right after classes are over.) So they knew what he had been doing, and they knew that they liked him. They called because they had a sudden opening for a teacher, up vvhat had become Schoos's main alley: Latin. Oh, was it ever Decision Time. He was ABD (and we all know what that means, right? He had completed coursework and his compre~ensive exams, that is, All But Dissertation), a tnne of soul-searching for many a doctoral candidate. He had a swell life there at Pitt. But he ended up taking the job. . One reason: there's one notoriously negative aspect to the sublime life of a graduate student who has lucked into a delightful situation, department-wise and discipline-wise and colleague-wise, and that's the sorry state of his wallet, money-wise. Schoos had been eking out a meager existence on $750 a month. His return to regular teaching, with a Master's degree and ten years of teaching experience under his belt, brought him a legitimate, non-poverty level salary, ;vith which he was able to buy a townhouse m Eastport, and furnish it with real furniture, and start buying foodstuffs other than pasta. This has a lot to be said for it. So in the fall of 1998 he came back to teach Latin in grades 9-12 and a ninth grade course called Ancient and Medieval Civilizations. I asked him about the Greek classes at Key, and was amazed to learn that Key is not offering Greek at this time. Shocked, really. Because Key was founded by St.John's folk back in 1958 ~d w_e have over the years maintained dos~ ties wi~h Key, through alumni teaching there, alumru, faculty and staff sending their children the:e; tutors sitting on their board, and tutors adVISmg them about the curriculum which as you m~ght imagine, is mighty St. john's-Ian ~or~ pnmary and secondary school. (So really, ~vmg a St.John's alum as your eighth grade sc1enceteach er is Just s1tuat10n normal there.) · · · · . I asked Schoos what he likes best about teaching. "I like the kids," he said, immediately. "At Key School it's a mostly privileged student body," (in fact, many more tutors would be sending their children there if tuition weren't astronomical), "but despite that, the students are diverse in other ways. For the most part, they have a real desire for learning, and they want to do well. The school environment encourages discussion and participation"-natch! And the atmosphere of the school is welcoming and inclusive: "I've gotten a lot of support from the head of the school-I'm currently the only out gay teacher. This hasn't always made all the parents comfortable." When a student wanted, a couple of years ago, to set up a Gay/Straight Alliance as a school club, the headmaster asked Schoos to be the faculty proctor. What Schoos doesn't like about teaching at Key is that he finds that there is less freedom in the classroom than there was when he started there. "The school is becoming more department-focussed, with more top-down organization." When he started back in '89 a typical graduating class had 15-25 seniors· n;w it's more like 45-55. "The school is stru~gling with managing the growth necessary for survival. We' re working to hold onto the ideals of the school while doing the logistics for the larger numbers." Let'~ see, that makes it a small, liberal artsy school m Annapolis that's bigger than it used to be, and finding some difficulties with its new largeness. I guess they don't fall far from the tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '. Great Conversation continued from page 4 amount of time to speal~, the result would be disastrous. A conversation must be natural, it cannot be controlled and finessed and be expected to produce the same fruits that the natural flowwould bear. We must all attempt to be a part of the effort, to share in reviving the book. . Mr. Verdi once shared a great story followmg our freshmen seminar on Plato's Phaedo. At the opening of this dialogue, Socrates is aw~ting. his execution, which is postponed until ash1p returns from Crete. The ship travels to a~d f~om Crete, commemorating Theseus slaymg of the Minotaur, which relieved Athens of its annual obligation to offer the Minotaur sacrificial youths. It was said that this ship was the same ship that Theseus sailed on approximately 700 years prior. The boards had been replaced, the sails and masts reproduced over the years as needed. Yet the Athenians thought of it as the same ship. We, the.St.John's polity are like this ship. There are different boards every year, sails have been replaced over and over again. The conver~atfon contin:ies and we are not wrong to think it ~s an ongomg conversation. Perhaps you thmk of it as continuing Socrates' discussion or a continuation of last year's thoughts. How~ ever, you see it, the ideas continue to be meaningful. I believe that we are all engaged in this conversation together, no matter what form your contribution may take. I write this as an open invitation to the polity. This article does not attempt to address all the arguments related to this matter but rather to plant the seed for further conversation. We are all interested in understanding the different ways in which people benefit from the program. If you are a quiet student in class, please use this opportunity to share your voice with all. On the other hand, if you think that quiet students are in some way hindering your education, here is a chance to express that opinion and invite others to voice themselves. The Ga~~y provides us with one of many opportumt1es to freely exchange opinions, and in so doing take part in the Great Conversation. : 13 THE GADFLY ' ' : .. ' ' . �~---- a t u lks um nhaf Win s f SI By Nick Garklavs, '04 October 19: "Socrates and Callicles: An in- the curriculum of the College; others want just By Anderson Tallent '04 terpretation of Plato's Gorgias" the opposite, and view Friday nights as an op!&I Editor portunity for students to be exposed to by Devin Stauffer, Kenyon ?llege Mr. Devin Stauffer received both under- branches of learning that they would not othBy tradition the year's first lecturer, and by graduate and graduate degrees at Kenyon Col- erwise encounter. Mr. Flaumenhaft stands his position the scheduler of~ lectures thence, lege, then came to St.John's whe7e he tutored somewhere in the middle, and aims at an eclecit is no accident that the Dean is also a wonderfor one year before returning to his alma mater tic mix of tutors and outsiders, program and ful source of information pertaining to the to teach there. He has written on Book One of non-program topics. It is best he says, to hear semester's upcoming lectures and lecturers. As Plato'sRepublic, and published a translation of a program-related lecture just ~er ha:rng read always, one can expect the Colleg~ to host a f~ the book· thus he is very considerate m regard mix of St.John's tutors and visitmg acade~i­ the dialogueMenexenus. to chron~logy. (It was probably no accident cians for the Fall Series, but the upcommg October 26: Steiner Lecture that Victor Davis Hanson delivered his lecture schedule contains much that is noteworthyHoplite WarfareinAncient Greece just afte~the . . including a lecture wherein two lecturers lecture by William Kenderman This year's Steiner Lecturer, Mr: W1l~1am freshman class had finished Thucydides at once, two lectures on Plato, two lectures by Kenderman is quite famous for his urnque Peloponnesian War last autum~.) ?ftenti~es, alumni, and two lectures by tutors whom I piano conceds. Apparently a great lov:r of logoi, scheduling conflicts make this 1mposs1ble. had last year. The Dean is happy to tal.k about Mr. Kenderman spends much of his perfor- (That is likely the reason that Dr. Leon Kass lecture with any interested student-its fo~m mances discussing the finer technical and philo- gaveu TheHumanistDream,Bahel ThenandN~ as an institution, his method for choosmg in January, long of the sophomores had their sophical aspects of the pieces he plays. whom to invite, and the professional backfinal Genesis seminar.) ground of outsiders whom he has inv~t~d. He Question period, so the Dean insists, November 16: "Circles of Sorrow: Dialecis, or so I imagined, probably less w1llmg to should not be viewed as a mere afterthought talk with students about tutors, so what fol- tic and Grief in "Go Down Moses" by Lael Gold, University of California, Ber- to the formal lectur~. Often a bad lecture prolows is a synopsis of the Dean's answers to my keley Ms. Lael Gold, an alumna vides the material for an excellent question pequestions about the unfamiliar faces t.hat we of St. John's, wrote her doctoral :hesis on riod sometimes there are doubtful points in shall soon see addressing us from behmd the William Faulkner's use of the Bible. Mr. need of clarification, thus making question podium on the FSK stage. Flaumenhaft encourages all to attend this lec- period quite instructive. The Dean recalls an ture-even those who have not read any extremely dull lecture once delivered on Homer, September 7: "Mehinaku: Sho~ng ~f ~ Faulkner, for Ms. Gold will be supplying need- it took the informal and (hopefully) relaxed Ethnographic Film, Followed by D1scuss1on attitude of the question period for the man to by Anthony Seeger, Depar:ment of ful passages herself. demonstrate his abiding love for, and rich Ethnomusicology, UCLA and Judith Seeger, Freshman attendance at both lecture and knowledge of the Iliad and Odyssey. At. the ve:r tutor, St.John's College least, one has the opportunity of seemg a visMr. Anthony Seeger, husband of tutor Mrs. question period has be~n acJn:irable so far this iting sophist confounded an~ ~on£:1sed.by the year. The first two F.nday ~ights of the year Judith Seeger, has worked .in~ va:iety ?f acahave witnessed question penods where fresh- gadflying of tutors partic1patmg m the demic capacities at different mst1tutlons, mcludman were well represented; after Mr. entelechus. i n g Folkways records, a part of t_he Schulman' s lecture, they formed a majority of Smithsonian. By training an anthropologist, those who stayed until the end. On the whole, Mr. Seeger has actually lived with a native tribe they seemed to be ready and willing no: only in Brazil; the film featured in their lecture deto listen, but also to participate. According to picts the life of a neighboring tribe. YOURSELF to the GADFLY the Dean, the upperclassman should follow such an example. While many of the lecture September 21: "Generosity, Truth and Toltopics may seem irrelevant or uninteresting, the 7:30 pm Tuesdays erance" by Neal Weiner, Marlboro College. Mr. Neal Weiner is an alumnus who received lectures are more often than not the fruits of Barr Buchanun Lower Level l labor that at least someone considers imporhis PHD from the University of Texas at Austant and worthy of our attention. Moreover, a tin. He currently works at St. Mary's of Notre great deal of thought goes i.nto the lect~r~ seDame. He has published a book entitled Ethilection process. The faculty is of course divided cal Dimensions ofMental Health and has done a into factions on the lecture issue; some want good deal of work in the two fields referred to lectures only by tutors about only program in its title. He is also the author of a book books, insisting that the lecture should reflect called The Interstate Gourmet. U MlT Please note TIM CHANG The listener, who listens in the snow, And, nothing himself, beholds Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is. -From "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens The Sky is the first image given. And then the eye opens, being "nothing" itself as well. This is the eye of ethos, the angel, our partner, and our guardian. In Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, we are confronted and invited into seeing the world through this eye that comes from the eternal, the eye reduced to only beholding the beginning and the end, and regarding as an alien all the seduction of the middle. The angel, Damiel, our main character, sees the world like all other angels, as a witness. The world seen through the eyes of this blank witness is a world of winter that our character wants to escape. This film is centered around Damiel's decision to become human. Yet before we can discuss that, we must understand what came before and after, the world he left and world he enters. These two worlds are the same and different. They are both the same physical place. The difference is the perception of it. Initially let us call them the world with color and the world without. The angels live in the world without color yet also without boundaries, for they regard the thoughts of all and see the cause of all things. They are the sky. They exist as a lasting and sustaining force among us, yet a force of subtlety and shadows. We exist in the violence of color that Damiel hungers for. We exist as creatures of the earth, intertwining with but nonetheless separate from the sky. Two verbs and their use in our language may be able to show the difference between these two worlds more clearly, to regard and to behold To regard is to look on something closely, yet to look on it with retrospect. Just as we normally look at nature with the complacent regard of our own anthropomorphic applications and never become Stevens's "Snow Man," the angels in this film are stuck with such a reduction. They cannot behold; they cannot possess the human experience. The majority of the time, Damiel can only regard the thoughts and images that he witnesses. It is only the pure simplicity of the end, or First Idea, that Darniel can comprehend. He sees Man's Fate, in all its fullness, and he observes it in the closing of an umbrella and the alls Into FSK answer to a question. But he wants to behold it and say "Now," instead of "Forever" and "Eternally." He wants to stretch his foot underneath the table instead of "hovering overhead". He comes from the sky and desires the earth. He wants to possess the pathos of a child. He longs for the new, the finite. Throughout this film, the narrator reads sections from a poem by Peter Handke, "Song of Childhood." "When the child was child/ It didn't know that it was a child, I everything was soulful/ and all souls were one." It seems to this writer that angels are lacking a child within them. Their First Idea is this raw understanding of life that is itself lacking life. Damiel's longing for love is a reimagining of the First Idea that he is trying to combine with theFatethat has always been and has always been with him. His face reflects the lack of color that is found in all angels, yet there is the seed of hope in it. Color eventually comes to him. Of course, as in any story of rebirth, there must be a mother. Marion, a trapeze artist becomes his earthly angel that will mal\:e Damiel reborn. The difference between her and others is that he becomes a child viewing her. And finally, for Damiel, Eros sprouts its first leaves. When the child was a child, It threw a stick like a lance against a tree, And it quivers there still today. "Song of Childhood" by Peter Handke Examining this first line closer, which has a pervading presence in this film, we could see the child as the naked "Everyman" whose perception of himself changes and therefore he himself changes; and yet the child stays. For Damiel, his first tastes of the human perception will pierce him just like the glance he has thrown. When he first sees her in her costwne, which ironically is an angel costume, he first sees color for an instant. As Damiel sits in the crowd of children, he becomes a child himself and can finally behold not only an idea about the thing but the thing itself. It is no coincidence that this film took place in Berlin, a city divided into two drastically different sides, one with freedom and one without. As well, it is appropriate that Damiel's fall occurs at the wall. Just as those fleeing communism saw escape as a one-way street, so does Damiel. He descends, with this in mind and wakes after the metaphysical bite of his own apple. Yet it should not be assumed that Damiel is Adam. He falls not just for the sake of falling but to rise eventually, as well. Embracing Marion, he experiences the moment that will last forever because it has become a part of him. He is not the "Nothing that is" for he has thrown the "stick like a lance" that will quiver always. By becoming a child, a part of himself has been opened that will not close. He has been in both worlds and inherited a sense of eternity not just from his previous existence outside of time but inside the constraints as well. The second can now become eternity when he beholds it as so. He does not lose his childlil\:e trust in God, or Fate, while still praising Life with theexclamatory"Now" of becoming.Yet, in a way it is still loneliness but only in the sense of the loneliness of the erotic beholder, between sky and earth still, and able to partal\:e in his own ascent of experience. He comes into the world made his own, and will leave it with part his own made in the world's image. : 15 14 ..................................................... THE GADFLY .. : ..... ' ' I ' THE GADFLY O 0 O 0 o o Io t I 0 O 0 o Io I I I 0 t 4 ' ' ' '' 0 0 o I 0' I I I'' o o o 0 o I 0 0 0 I �Assistants continued from page 9 supposed to be something in a score that they just can't find, all the music assistance have the nece But there are other reasons to seek out the help of a music assistant. Since nearly all of the music assistants are proficient at playing the piano, they can be a resource if you need to hear what something sounds like, be it a melody in Mozart or an exercise in Zuckerkandl. Although very few people have done so in the past, Mr. Naylor has said that he would like to see more people come to music assistants to become more musically literate. If no other trait unifies all the music assistants, a shared love for music and a working knowledge of many of its forms certainly does. The assistants are always eager to learn what people would like to hear more of and make suggestions about what would be good to listen to. Ben Truesdale Despite its being well over a year since he finished his Greek tutorials, senior Ben Truesdale has done everything he can to stay immersed in the Greek language. During his year in Sante Fe he joined several translation study groups and signed up for a Greek preceptorial. He uses the practice he's received to feed his interest in etymology and to read original texts. Freshmen and Sophomores will be glad he did it not for those reasons, but because he is now available to help with any Greek questions they may have .. Extreme confidence must be a trait of this year's sophomore class, because in all his time in thecoffeeshopthisyear Mr. Truesdalehasyetto be asked for help by a sophomore. On the other hand this year's freshmen are apparently already busy asking probing questions about accentuation and other elementary aspects of the Greek language. Most have specific questions, though some have simply had trouble starting an assignment, and in those cases Mr.Truesdale tends to sit with them as they work through the problems they have with the material. Both from his experience as an assistant thus far and his knowledge of when he was first learning the language, Mr. Truesdale has noticed that it is reassuring to go to someone who seems to know what they're doing. Before taking the job Mr. Truesdale heard a story of one Greek assistant in Sante Fe who was perpetually hounded with one nagging question: How does one learn a paradigm? To prevent his suffering the same fate, Mr. Truesdale emphatically declares that "I don't know how to learn a paradigm" and that you just sort of learn it. What is Mr. Truesdale's one piece of advice for all those taking Greek? "Tell them to show up." SSIS s nts' h dules Assistants can be found in the coffeeshop at the below listed times. Special appointments can also be made. Greek Assistance Ben Truesdale, Katherine Nehring, Laura Strache Sun. 2-5 pm, 8-11 pm Mon. after Seminar - 12 midnight Tues. 3:30-5:30 pm, 7-10 pm Thurs. after Seminar - 12 midnight French Maya Alapin, Emily Grayes Mon. Wed. Sat. Sun. Noon - 2 pm Noon - 2 pm 4-6pm 7-9 pm Math Ari Demsey, Tom Juskavich Tues. Wed. Fri. Noon - 1 pm, 2:30 - 4:30 pm 7 - 10 pm 10:30 am - l pm Writing Blakely Phillips (410) 295-3401 Cara Gormally (410) 295-0170 Tues. Wed. Thurs. Sat. Sun. 16 THE GADFLY 4-7pm 5-10 pm 10- l l :30 pm 11 am - 3 pm 5- 10 pm Thin s If In ntropy By Anderson Tallent '04 /&I Editor self to the question of "whether the motive The question period following the lecture power of heat is limited or whether it is boundwas a right lively one, with people asking for less." His great breakthrough involved a threeFriday's lecture, delivered by Mr. Adam fold discovery of the fall of heat, an engine in clarification about the functioning of a Carnot Schulman, was entitled "The Discovery of which that heat moved in a cycle, and the idea Cycle, and about general questions about the Entropy, 1824-1865," and had for its subject of a closed reversible process animating his cycle. nature of energy, heat, matter, etc. It ended at the great change in our attitude toward the What was most remarkable about Carnot was about eleven o'clock. Although for about an physical universe that took place between the fact that all his work was tainted by his hour after the question period closed I was Leibniz and the scientists of the nineteenth acceptance of a theory of heat that has now uncertain as to whether or not I still believed in century, specifically with regard to the former' s been abandoned, that of caloric (again, famil- the Platonic forms, the entire night was emiassertion that the material substance of the iar to three-fourths of the school, with the nently instructive and good. I still believe in cosmos was indeed improving with every pass- other fourth scheduled to learn of it next se- the forms. Apologies to Mr. Flaumenhafifor last weeks ing second, and the consensus among the later mester). The caloric theory of heat asserts that that the world was progressing slowly toward "heat is a subtle material substance that can review. I quotedthe titleofhis 2000 Deans lecture as a final collapse. The cause of that collapse is neither be created nor destroyed." Mr. "How We Learn: Taking Things Apart andPutentropy, that is, the degradation of the matter Schulman then explained in subtle detail the ting Them Back Together. In /act, the title was and energy in the universe to an ultimate state workings of a simple Carnot cycle, showing "How We Can Learn: Figuring Things Out by Loosof inert uniformity, a motionless stasis in how work was generated therein from heat and ening 7hem Up andPutting Them Back Together)~ which everything lacks the difference in heat vice versa. False theory of heat notwithstand- !think. necessary for movement. Most of the College, ing, most of Carnot's conclusions proved to so it seemed, was there to here Mr. Schulman, be valid. and those in attendance received a most inforMr. Schulman next explained the use made mative and clear account of the subject, which ofCamot'sworkbyafollowernarnedClausius, was by no means an easy one to present to a who was able to articulate better what entropy large crowd of laymen. Although Mr. Schulman is. His famous statement of the two laws of did administer some bitter medicine about the thermodynamics, that "the energy of the uninature the world, he also managed to spice the verse is constant, the entropy strives to a maxirim of the sup with some rather ingenious mum," showed itself the cause for all the melparodies of well-known poems at the conclu- ancholy about the universe, for it essentially sion of his lecture. predicts the end of motion. My understandThe talk began with a brief introduction in ing is that with each reaction that takes place, which Mr. Schulman dearly outlined the posi- the discrepancy between the temperatures of tion of Leibniz, and explained the etymology colliding bodies becomes less and less, until of the key words used in his lecture, energy finally the entire universe will reach the same {from Aristotle's energeia, a word with which temperature, and motion will stop, since somethree-fourths of the school is quite familiar, how a difference in heat is required to propel and the other fourth will be come second se- bodies through space. This all seems very termester) and entropy (derived from en trop~i). rible, and has serious philosophical implicaThence Mr. Schulman described some subse- tions, hence the pessimism among quent pronouncements on the change of the thermodynamicians of the previous two cenuniverse, which change was considered to be turies. one from good to bad. At that point it was announced that the lecture proper sought to answer the question "what happened?" The lecture's first section was described by the lecturer as a long (well, sort of long) discussion ofSadiCarnot, the French physicist, to be followed by a short (well, sort of short) section on Clausius. Carnot, it seems, was the first The Gadfly has recently learned that Georg Frederic Handel once person who attempted to extend the laws inset the text fragment i.All that is good" to music in one of his volved in a steam engine to a general theory oratorios. If you are the first person to send the name of that abo~t the usefulness of heat as a tool for genoratorio to the Gadfly via campus mail, the dual prizes of glory eratmg work, and in his book Reflexions [sic] and honor will be yours! on the Motive Power of Fire, addressed himJJ Trivi u sti n .... ' .. ' ............................ ' .. ' .. ' ...... ' .. . : 17 THE GADFLY .. : .... ' �conven s wi h S m M Maguire, andJonathan Cooper- have made it lead with a new Velcro-and-nylon blend. Whatby John Cooper par for the course for men and women to see ever the reason, in a game that featured nine Sports Editor and be seen along the sidelines of back cam- lead changes, ladder passes were hard to come The Men's Committee on Women'sAthpus or Iglehart Hall on Tuesday and Friday by, and there were so many dashes for gains of letics entered into its second full session Friday afternoons. With nearly 3000 blazer points over 50 yards back campus began to resemble afternoon with the commencement of the between them in three years, the members of the Serengeti. women's soccer season. The MCWA, whose The game, though, began slowly. It wasn't this prestigious group have been redefining origins can be traced to the winter of 1999standards of athletic achievement at the Col- until the beginning of the second half that the 2000, seeks to galvanize interest in women's lege since the last warm days of summer in game turned into the hyper-charged dogfight sports at St.John's College through positive 1998. Now, they focus their attention on re- 88 point's-worth of offense give you, when reinforcement of athletic principles and stratewriting the mores of gender roles in athletic the teams scored on the first seven possessions gies, constructive "in-game" advice, and aniof the half. In the matedhalf-time revelry. first quarter, ofMembers take an active fenses, like young role in timekeeping, people in a dark atscoring, and officiating tic, were tentative. to facilitate the games. Many freshmen This past Friday showed up for the was no different, as the game, and some MCWA and other spectime was needed for tators queued up along the veterans to the sideline of the first shake out their own gameoftheyear, anoffcobwebs before the-record scrimmage mentoring the pitting magenta against uninitiate. cyan in this year's AllBut who better Primary Color Classic. for the task than Ray The game ended in a 1"Soul Glow" Sears, 1 draw, but the true the mastermind of heroics began after the the Druids' offense game when members competition and spectatorship, afar more am- since time immemorial? Sears' short-yardage from both teams sat with the onlookers to bitious task than any of the ones placed before passing accuracy and knowledge of the game tal\.e care of the National Bohemian that has them. Support them, and more importantly, make him invaluable as a player and teacher. It become comfortingly conspicuous at these support Women's Athletics every Tuesday and was fitting, then, that he should figure in 44 of events since the M CWA's inception. The asFriday at 4:15. It's a little bit more than the the Druids' 45 points in the game. For those sembly was highlighted by the unexpected apof you who aren't so hot with numbers, that's least you could do. pearance of Kirk Duncan A'%, (who left no 97.7%. Sears got the Druid juggernaut rolling Flag Football just isn't what it used to be. trace of his tangential interaction with the group Old-timers along the sidelines were grum- with a textbook ladder pass that went from but for a skillfully-shotgunned beer can,) and bling this past Wednesday as a new era of flag- Sears to option Randy Pennell, and ahead to the concussion sustained by Ben "Econoline" football ushered itself in and took a seat front Jack Dobbyn, who dished to Stud and DirecPorter at the hands of Louis "K-to-the-izz-0, row, center. The 2001 campaign kicked off with tor of Student Services Andrew Ranson. V-to-the-izz-A" Kovacs. Mr. Duncan made it a rollicking 45-43 Druid victory over the Spar- Ranson steamrolled the final 30 yards into the known With no small amount of pride that he tans in a game with all the unpredictability of a end zone, and Sears lofted a pass to one of the had donned the Mediterranean olive of the 5-seed/12-seed matchup in the NCAA bas- game's better receivers, Michael "Milf" Malone Green Waves in his day, and we can safely asketball tournament. Purists of the game, re- for the two-point conversion, and the 8-0 lead. sume by his performance that those days must The Spartans responded with their own calling the 12-8 and 14-12 nail-biters that were have been Halcyon, indeed. No one's name so familiar to us last season and in years past, offensive scheme, built around the dangerous has been changed to protect anything. The dismissed this new brand of football as flashy speed and elusivity of Mike "Kingdome MCWA began as the dream of four young men and saccharine, the 0-Town of intramural ath- Come" Maguire. Kashiwa and freshman Dan seeking a legitimate platform for their presences letics. Some blame Ward Kashiwa and his Russell fit into this game plan nicely, and on atwomen'sgames. Nowseniors, the four men scooter. Others point to the recent changes in the Spartans second possession, Russell - Jonathan Polk, Louis Kovacs, Michael the flags that replaced the skirts of removable 18 : 0' THE GADFLY 0' I' I' o • 0 •'<Io I'• I 0 I It Io o o' ' • ' I • 0 o to I 0 I I I 0 o o o 0'' '0 slas~ed down the side for a gain of 40 yards, settmg up aJustinJones option to Maguire for a20-yard touchdown run. Kashiwa' s PAT was good, and the Spartans cut the Druid lead to one point and as per the rules of the game, elected to receive the ball. With the Druid attention focused on other players, the Spartans were ~ble to utilize some of the other players on therr remarkably deep roster. Tutor Michael Grenke took a short pass from Jones and turned it upfield to Dan Harmon. Harmon made a stellar grab, using just his fingertips even though God gave him a whole hand before passing to Nick "Incognito,, Garklavs. Garklavs rumbled, stumbled, and bumbled to the goal line before being brought down just short of a touchdown. After the Spartans lost yardage on the next two plays, Matt "Matt Calise" Calise saved the day with a ten-yard pass to Erik Thompson for the TD. Jones took the ball by himself into the comer of the end zone for two more, and the Spartans went up, 15-8. The Druids got the ball back, and the teams traded touchdowns and two-point conversions once more before the end of the half. Jesse W ar~en, a fr~shman for the Druids, figured pronunently m the drive that culminated in a short pass from Sears to Dobbyn, and Russell scored all eight points for the Spartans after a long, ridiculously drawn out run by Maguire that went 40 yards ahead and maybe 100 yards back and forth. The second half was jumping, so the offenses took a cue from Beyonce and left their defenses at home as the field was full of ballers ballers with pockets. The Druids struck on th~ second play of the quarter, with Sears combining with Pennell, Steve Travis, and sophomore Ethan Hall for the score. Sears rolled up into the comer for two more, and the Druids were on top 24-22. The Spartans, like a swarm of blue jays, vengeful and blue with wrath struck on the kickoff as Thompson galloped along to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. Jones went at the conversion like a professio?al, and lofted a beautiful pass to Harmon m the back of the end zone just out of reach of the secondary. But before the Spartar_is could even say "We're now ahead 31-24 in this ~las~ of titans,,, Ranson was rolling down the s1~eline with the ball all the way to the 15 yard-line. Malone, open in the end zone, pulled : a pas~ fr?m Sears on the next play, bringing em within one point as the third quarter drew to close. ~pfield for a touchdown and giving the Druids the lead for the first time since they were ahead 8-7. Ranson's run tacked on two more points, putting the Druids ahead 38-31. But that wasn't going to last long. No.t if Mike Maguire had anything to say about1t. No, sir. On the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans showed how effectively they could toast any team's ~efense, asMaguire brought the ball up to half-field before drawing the defense to him and pitching forward to Ward Kashiwa, who had nothing between him and six points but air and maybe a few grasshoppers. The Spartans attempt at two points failed, but they elected to receive now down 38-37. Unable to get into the end zone, they turned the ball over 20 yards from the goal line. However, on the s:cond play of the drive, Dan Harmon made like a hero and su?bed himself into the game, whereupo~ ~e picked up Sears' option pass and rocked it mto the end zone like it was second nat~re to him. But once again, the Druids held therr ground on the conversion attempts and they got the ball back, down 43-38. Afte; two misfires, Sears optioned to Pennell and the Druids put together a string of dishes and dashes that brought them to the goal line on fourth down. Unwilling to let the chance slip and nearly perfect in the red zone Sears rolled to his right and hit Whittier -whose fourthquarter performance was enormous -with a sho:r. pass fo: the touchdown. Whittier put the icmg on his own cake with the PAT for the 45-43 l~ad, and with just three plays left in the g~~· it was enough to ice the Spartans, in addit10n to the aforementioned cake. 1 2 1Cllw more, Mr.Sagm! I've Invited you all into my home to discuss a very lmporta.nt issue. As many of you may know, the ~un 1s very, very hot. It Is, in fact, a !"?ss of incandescent gasses burning at _ m1ll1ons of degrees. It is if you will a gigantic, nuclear furnac~. ' _ ..Q- Now, there are billions and billions of stars pretty much exactly like the sun. In fact the sun is essentially no different than ato/ other star. It's one of many. So we have a pretty clear picture that stars are, in fac t, all very hot. .=.. -g:- 4 tha.t·i.naJc.ei.. ff""'iJett40< .. The point Is, when you were young and your parents and teachers Said "reach for the stars," they didn't mean It literally. Trust me on this one. Don't learn the hard way like I did, - .,,,..._ '1111'\ 11.r The fourth quarter began with freshman .t.'IIckW'h' · turning the comer and busting ittier . 19 THE GADFLY .. : ... '. �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O.Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 N by Leo Pickens Athletic Director Bob Gibson took very good care of his body. He did not smoke, andhe hated those who did; he did not want any smokers around him. The night before a game he was always in his motel room early. He might have half a bottle of wine with dinner, but he got plenty of rest. He was tense and wired on game days, andhe rarely ate a full meal before a game. More than most men he needed to control his environment, in part, friends suspected, because he wanted nothing that would strip away his hard-won place in the world. Because of that need for control, he hated coming out of a game for a relief pitcher. It was not just a matter of pride to finish what he himself had started, it was a matter of control: he did not trust others to do for him what he felt he could do better for himself. Over one stunning tenyear period, starting in 1963, he completed at least twenty starts every season-a figure virtually unheard of in contemporary baseball. fromDavidHalherstam ~ 1964. Women's soccer is off to a great start. It is never too late to get involved, and no experience is necessary. We will scrimmage on Tuesday afternoon beginning at 4: 15, and then draft four teams and begin league play this Friday. If you have any questions, speak with one of the team captains: MaryJo Dokter, Rachel Seay, Tiffany Joly, Jess Alexander, Caroline Picard, LisaHabegger, Quinby Owen, &Johanna of last year's recipients of the prestigious golden woodie. For her most excellent dedication, Miss Meador is named this week 1s Athlete of the Week forthe women. Speaking of double threats: what about the frosh bonus baby Mr. Whittier? This guy has got wheels, good feet, a good set of hands, and some strength and smarts, which is to say the whole package. Mr. Whittier helped get the Druids football season off to a good start with two wins, and then scored more goals in the first Druids soccer game this year (four) than I think the Boyz in Maroon scored all last year. For his great debut week, Mr. Whittier is named Athlete of the Week for the men. You Make the Call. Last week's puzzler was won by Mr. Kovacik: the penalty kick is awarded, even though time has elapsed. And now for this week's question. In soccer, a member of team A is taking a penalty kick. The shot bounces off the goal post, and the player who took the penalty kick traps the rebounding ball, passes off to a fellow player who shoots and scores. Legal goal? First one to me with the right call goes to Pizza Express on me. s This Week's Sports Schedule Wednesday Noon - Yogain the gym 7pm - Weight Training Practicum with Mr. Grenke in the Weight Room , Thursday 4pm - Yoga in the FSK Dance Studio Tuesday, Thursday & Friday Noon - Stretch & Flex Exercise Class in the gym Specials Coffee Shop 263-2371 x2179 Wed.9/5 Thurs. 9/6 Fri. 9/7 Mon. 9/10 Tues. 9/12 Chicken & Cheese T aquitoes Chicken Fried Rice Fish Sticks Taco Salad Hot Italian Cold Cut Sub Each Special is accompanied by a small side order and a 20 oz . fountain soda for only 1 • pus tax $3 29 Thrall. One of our sophomore athletes is off to a great start too. Talking about Miss Meador is now a double threat, on land-with her soccer play, and on water-through her participation with the rowing club. Miss Meador was one At our Admiral Dr. location (in the center with Wawa) Delivery Drivers- $8-$15/hr. Inside Help - $6-$7 /hr. Flexible shedule. great Working Environment Come by the Coffee Shop and ask for Ray. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 20 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 3 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-09-04 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 3 of The Gadfly. Published September 04, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #3 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/d99ef00b5d0dedfc7ed3048a65bb8cd7.pdf 834644994654c480983983300995869b PDF Text Text 1he St John's College Student Weekly Volume XXIII, Issue 4 Ii Annapolis, Maryland September 11, 2001 s th Ils �adf/y M ii box Assistant Dean Responds alcohol. You should know this, as should all the freshmen. No one should have been sur: Dear Gadfly, Editor-in -Chief prised. In light of these facts, calling the dis: In Mr. Malkiel' s letter in the September 4 pensation of warnings 'Naziesque' is ridicuHayden Brockett : issue of the Gadfly there are a couple of state- lous. Further, this word-abuse destroys its : ments that may lead to some confusion. Mr. power. Serious words deserve serious usage. Production Managers Martin Anderson : Malkiel refers to "Senior Resident Assistants," Few authors you will read here will suggest Melissa Thomas : and says that their job is to assist, and not to the willy-nilly disobedience of community : police, students. The people he refers to are laws. Again, before you defend such disobediSection Editors : called Senior Residents, and while one reason ence, I suggest you exercise serious and careful News: G. August Deimel : for their being here is to assist students under consideration. Features: Laura Mangum : many circumstances, it is also their duty to A few words about parties: Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent : monitor parties periodically and to enforce our Sports: John Cooper Many parties here involve dancing and no : alcohol policy. Mr. Malkiel suggests that the alcohol. Nearly every swing dance is blue. : Senior Residents are in the employ of the stu- Doesn't seem to keep most from dancing. And Contributing to this Issue Tracy Cain : dents here; they are not. They are employees what SJC student has trouble talking? Is Aaron Collier : of the College. 'everybody's favorite social lubricant' really necJamesM Crotty . The preceding paragraph refers to matters essary for a good party? Don't misunderstand Cooper N. Gallimore : of fact, but I think Mr. Malkiel' s letter stems me: I understand the role alcohol plays at parKelly McCollum : more from concern about matters of judg- ties. But, as the law requires it, you will have to Katherine Nehring : ment. Enforcement of the alcohol policy is a find a way to enjoy a party and seduce the youth Summer Star '. legal obligation and a difficult task requiring without the aid of' delicious beer'. : the exercise of judgment. One of my duties is Finally, I hope that this does not damage or Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly : to provide the Senior Residents with guidance dominate my relationship with students, and distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and : in their role in the enforcement of our policystaff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors : this is the reason I amreplyingtoMr.Malkiel's that is why I also coordinate Project Politae. I understood as a student, as I think most do, emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and : letter. Their presence at parties makes it pos- that enforcement of the alcohol policy is not a Governors, and the offices at the St.John's Santa : sible for the College to allow alcohol to be served personal issue, nor is it anything that I can Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s). The Gad- : because it helps limit the risks to individual change. I bristle at 'Nazi', Mr. Malkiel, and fly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit : students as well as to the College. Our present before you address me as such I ask that you submissions in any way necessary to publish the : practices have evolved over the past decade with think first. most thoughtful, informative, and thought-pro- : the help of serious consideration by students, Sincerely, voking newspaper which circumstances at St. : senior residents, assistant deans, and other. I Anne McShane John's permit. : hope that students who are unhappy or conSenior Resident : cerned about this issue will continue to talk P.S. Another crucial tidbit from the StuLetters of 200 words or fewer have a better : with me, or with Mr. Ranson, as well as with dent Handbook: "Should you ask one of [the chance of being published than those longer than : Ms. Waters, Ms. McShane, and Mr. Baisch. senior residents] out to lunch, the Assistant this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for · Sincerely, Dean's Office will even pay for it." grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. Anita L. Kronsberg The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submisAssistant Dean sions and will not print anonymous submissions Film Society Apology {Known in some circles as a fun-loving except under special circumstances. assistant dean.) Dear Gadfly, On behalf of the St. John's College Film Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Taxdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Society, and all its associates, I would like to exSenior Resident Responds tend my personal and professional apologies to Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For display advertisement prices and information, call the audience members of the ill-fated showing : Dear Gadfly, 410-263-2371, x2212. · In response to Mr. Malkiel's letter, I say this: of "The Mirror" this past Saturday. We were Mr. Malkiel, you have clearly not familiar- plagued with technical difficulties, and even with Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission . ized yourself with the Student Handbook, in the heroic efforts of the crew-John Cottrell, for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions will be accepted as long as they are legibly writ- : which the alcohol policy is explained in detail. Sean Ross, and Alan Carlson, they proved insurten, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail sub- : Please check especially "Some Guidelines for mountable. Therefore, it was to my utmost shame and regret that we had to cancel the permissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail sub- : the Serving of Alcohol at Student Events." missions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. formance. Theonlywords which can adequately : The student handbook, in cooperation with : the law, provides for disciplinary action, includ- express my profound sorrows are the inimitable : ing fines and expulsion for minors caught with Oukast: "I am so sorry, Ms.Jackson./ I did not 2 THE GADFLY .................................. '.' ......... ' .... . mean to make your daughter cry.I I apologize a trillion times." However, I do wish to thank the audience their good-natured spiritedne.ss and empathyfrom Peter Hyenman'swittyanderuditejokes, Rachel Seay' s arms-and-legs flinging dance, to Ramey Kirk's stirring renditions of Broadway show tunes. It proved that the college community could civilly amuse themselves for 45 minutes with taste and humor and without resorting to crudeness and profanity. Evermore thanks. Many have expressed their enthusiasm for the revival of the old tradition of Saturday night movies on campus, and I would hate for that to be abetted by one ill-starred showing. Therefore, by the good will of the Film Society, I would like to invite the entire polity to aFREE "encore" presentation of 1heMinwthis Saturday, the 15th, at 8:00 p.m. inFSK. Sincerely yours, Andrew Hui Film Society Archon Great Conversation Dear Gadfly, In response to the article about the "Great Conversation" printed in last week's paper, I would like to submit the following thoughts for the consideration of the polity. I have no doubt that Ms. Strache's intentions were noble in writing this article. I believe her when she says that she is honestly trying to begin a discussion about the nature of conversation, and, in particular, how a silent person participates in aconversation. Unfortunately, however, while Ms. Strachedoes not use an acrusatorytone, her piece does seem to present the idea that people whoarequietinclassareaproblem. I worry that this "dialogue" will not only foster resentment, but also encourage us to pigeonhole each other. People are quiet in class for different reasons, and - I say this from experience - I believe that one of the most common reasons, if not the most common reason, is shyness or self-consciousness. As much as we love our Program, it can be frightening. It's easy to feel intimidated by the books, the classes, and even each other. Yes, it's true that we all knew before coming to the College that the program is discussion-based, but that doesn't guarantee that we all have the same expectations of it. The goals of the curriculum ~ere, according to our own program statement, ; ··••~necessarily the "most far-reaching of all hu~•1t.1..L ~~oais." Each of us arrives at the College n111~ 11~ thp-.,p. goals. •.•,trte nealrtv <lf tl,,,. P:rogran1, howeve:r. is bound may indeed fall short of them. This doesn't make what we do less important or less valuable, but it does necessitate an allowance for individual adjustment. Wemustrespecteachother'sright to findhisor herownnichein theProgram, and we must also respect each other's right to do this at his or her own pace. I think this process will be inhibited if, suddenly, people start taking sides in an argument about whether it is acceptable for a student here not to participate in class some or all of the time. In an environment where such a discussion is on-going and campus-wide, someone who speaks up little or not at all in class may feel as if he has been branded a Quiet Student and aProblem, which will increase the self-consciousness that made him quiet in the first place. This, I think, is unlikely to spur him on to change fresh E::i:n;~rnilJbmn enoreintirnidating for him to offer his opinion in class. I gather from the byline of Ms. Strache' s artide that she is voicing these concerns in her capacity as SCI co-chair. As she herself stated in her SCI Report in the August 28 issue of the Gadfly, the SCI "provides a forum for students to discuss matters of instruction and the academic life of the college" and "represents the academic concerns of the students to the Dean, the faculty Instruction Committee and the Board of Visitors and Governors." The SCI exists, therefore, to determine general academic issues of concern to the entire polity and to voice these concerns to people-who can do something about them. It is my understanding that these matters are usually related to program content - something that does affect every member of the College community. The issue that Ms. Strache brings up in her article, however, is something that should be addressed by the individual classes, not the polity at large. I think everyone here has experienced (or will experience) the changeability of individuals in different environments. The success of a class is not pre-determined by the past behavior of the students. People change from year to year and from class to class and even from day to day, and they should be allowed to do so without being subjected to the open scrutiny of their peers. Sincerely and respectfully yours, · Isabel Clark, '02 : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : '. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Dear Anonymous, Shall my response to such an auda- : cious letter as yours follow the same style that : you set? I think not. Rather, let me say simply, : "BARBAR,BARBARBARBARBARBAR: BAR BAR BAR BAR BAR BAR : BARBARBARBARBABAR!'' Sincerely, : The Naked Barbarian : By Taylor Waters Director of Student Activities Attention Female Dancers!! This information, written by Ms. Beth Schulman, Public Relations-Media Relations Manager, was forwarded to me on Friday: "Lt. Jason Stewart called me today. He's a training officer for the USNA, and is organizing ballroom dancing classes for the midshipmen" They've hired local instructors to teach waltz, tango, rumba, cha-cha, foxtrot, and swing. They wonder if any female St.John's students would like to attend dance practices on the following days: Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct.14or21. There will be two two-hour sessions on each day. Interested students should go to the Rotunda in Bancroft at 1:00 or 3:00 p.m. on these days. If they have questions, they can contact him by phone (410-293-7140) or email Gwstewar@gwmail.usna.edu). The practices are in preparation for a big dance in November. Corporal Vernon Johnson picked Brian Owen Sumner as this week's winner of the Student Activities Meal Ticket. Congratulations Mr. Sumner.You will dine at the Treaty of Paris. Errata In last week's "Dean Flaumenhaft Talks About Lecture," the last sentence in the next to last paragraph should have read "That is likely the reason that Dr. Leon Kass gave The Humanist Dream, Babel 1henandNow in January, long after the sophomores had their final Gene5is seminar." Also, bothMr.AnthonyandMrs. Judith Seeger lived with the Suya tribe in central Brazil, not just Mr. Seeger as was reported last issue. In "Things Fall Into Entropy," the otherwise fine Lucretius reference was marred by a small but crucial spelling error. We should have said, "Although Mr. Schulman did administe1 some bitter medicine ... he spiced the rim of the cup with some rather ingenious parodies of well-known poems at the conclusion of his lecture." And finally, in the second panel of "Zhaeon" the phrase "different than" was used where most usage snobs prefer "different from." The Gadfly regrets the errors. . . 3 ..................................................... THE GADFLY .. : .. ' .. �s us r file: M J. mi th By Kelly McCollum, '03 ebra fol/,ow Mr. Pickens's leadandinvite the campus to a swingparty afterwards. -Ed.] Among the new members of the polity this This summer he passed his time studying fall, we have the privilege of welcoming to the Greek with :Mrs. Kalkavage, hoping to prepare ranks of tutors :Mr.Jeffery Smith. for the freshman language tutorial. The fruits :Mr. Smith was first made aware of the mer- of his labors will be late in coming, however, its of a St. John's education while doing his as he was not assigned to a language class this graduate work at the university of Chicago. year. Instead he is leading math and lab tutoriThere he was a participant in the Committee als, as well as seminar along with Mrs. on Social Thought, a program which he de- Flaumenhaft. Sophomores of the future can scribes as being similar to that at St. John's, look forward to having :Mr. Smith as their music with emphasis on literature, philosophy, his- tutor; he is very interested in the study of music tory, and political science. The books which and is currently sitting in on :Mr. Kalkavage's the students read are self-chosen; :Mr. Smith tutorial. took a special interest in the study of political It seems as if :Mr. Smith is thoroughly enphilosophy, and wrote his dissertation on joying the St.John's community. He raves Rousseau. During his time there, :Mr. Smith about the students, is awed by the company became acquainted with several St. John's of tutors, and is generally happy to be here. alumni who had taken up his same course of He is, of course, still finding his place. He says study. He was impressed with them, citing a that he became a very good lecturer in his previ"rare mixture of intelligence and curiosity." ous positions, which, of course, will not serve After first spending some time at Carthage him well here. Along with the rest of us, he is College as a professor of philosophy, and then seeking the "balance between asking the right at Colgate University as a professor of political sorts of questions and staying silent." science, :Mr. Smith was unsatisfied with the prospects there. He saw that, given the modern trend of "over-specialization of knowledge/' the only place for someone who wants to be "more than an expert in their field" is our beloved community of learning, St.John's College. In June, he made the trek to Annapolis to embark on his tutorship. He came with his fiancee, a medical resident in psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, and lives with her and his grandmother in Baltimore. He likes Annapolis, but, more than the city itself, was struck by the beauty of our campus. In fact, he has decided to hold his wedding, scheduled for next June, in the Great Hall. [No wordyet on whetherhe will 4 THE GADFLY ................................................... . Exams The schedule of Algebra Exams for the first semester follows. The exams are given on Wednesday evenings at 7.30 and Saturday mornings at 10.00. Rooms will be posted before the week of the exam. All students are required to pass this exam by the end of the first semester of their sophomore year; anyone who does not pass it by that time will not be able to enroll in the second semester. Copies of old exams, as well as a review (with solutions) are available in my office. The exams are all very similar in content, so using these will provide you with a good diagnosis and useful practice. The math assistants are available to help you prepare for the exams, and your math tutor can advise or assist you as well. If you take the Wednesday evening exam you might not learn whether you passed before Saturday, though I try to return them by Friday if I can. If you take both exams and pass only one, you will have satisfied the requirement for entering the second semester of the sophomore year. If you have any questions about the Algebra Exam please stop by my office to talk. Anita L. Kronsberg Assistant Dean Wednesday, 9/26 Saturday, 9 /29 Wednesday, 10/10 Saturday, 10/13 Wednesday, l 0/24 Saturday, 10/27 Wednesday, 11 /7 Saturday, 11/10 Wednesday, 12/5 Saturday, 12/8 I Mi ut s unteer to temporarily monitor it and explore the possibilities for its use. :Mr. Naylor agreed By Robert Abbott, '04 to do so. SCI Secretary The fourth agenda item was briefly Present at the first meeting of the Student overviewed, seeing as the committee would Committee on Instruction, held Thursday 6, 2001, were Sophomore Class Representatives like to make it the subject of an entire meeting :Mr. Neil Turnquist and Ms. Summer Star, Jun- in the future: the Greek Review Manual. The ior Representatives Ms. Maya Alapin and Ms. manual still requires a great deal of work beMary Townsend, Senior Representatives Ms. fore it can be published, however, Mr. MacLean Megan Maxwell-Smith and :Mr.Justin Naylor, voiced confidence that the bulk of the work Secretary Mr. Robert Abbott and Co-Chairs Mr. can be completed in the first semester of this Aaron MacLean and Ms. Laura Strache. Also year. The committee expressed serious interattendingwere :Mr. Hayden Brockett and:Mr. est in this important project, and will be discussing it further in the coming weeks. Mr. Bryson Finklea. After introductions, Mr. MacLean opened MacLean urges any students or tutors who have discussion with the first item on the agenda, an interest in the manual to contact him, and the letter of introduction from the SCI to tu- those who have volunteered already, to subtors. After reading the proposed letter to the mit their articles as soon as possible. The fifth agenda item was the All-College committee :Mr. MacLean requested suggestions and emendations. Ms. Alapin proposed that Seminar, scheduledforSept.14, 2001, this Frithe letter's intent and questionnaire be made day. The reading this semester will be 1he First more specific. Ms. Strache reminded the com- andFourth Speeches Against C,ata/,ine by Cicero. mittee that in the past tutors usually only indi- The Secretary, Mr. Abbott volunteered to comcate a general interest in SCI activities, largely plete preparations forthe seminar, which will because their schedules make it difficult to vol- be held in the Great Hall from 8:00 to 9:30 PM. unteer for long-term projects, such as Plato in Afterwards, refreshments will be served; Ms. the Springtime. Ms. Alapin suggested that a Alapin volunteered to procure the food. The sixth agenda item was the role of an greater effort be made to schedule such events SCI representative. Mr. MacLean read the peras early as possible, attributing the singular lack of attendance at Pre-Lecture Seminars to the tinent section of the SO Charter and the entire committee voiced its opinions as to how the short notice given of their existence. :Mr. MacLean moved to the second item, a particular responsibilities were to be accompermanent office for the Delegate Council and plished. As has happened in the recent past Student Committee on Instruction. This idea much of the discussion focused on what seems has been in circulation for quite some time and to be opposed responsibilities: to both involve recently these two student governing bodies the community in instructional events, such as have begun discussing the feasibility of the the All-College Seminar, and also to discuss project. The proposed location of the office and contemplate instructional issues such as would be the former Switchboard, in the Fine Arts. This led to a discussion of the GadCampbell Foyer. Mr. MacLean read the com- fly and its role in relation to the polity, as permittee a letter he had written to Assistant Dean haps a means of fulfilling both responsibiliKronsberg, outlining the proposal. :Mr. Naylor ties. :Mr. Brockett expressed a desire for the voiced concerns about the purpose of the of- SCI to remain true to its interest in writing fice, as did most of the committee. One of the articles forthe Gadfly and Ms. Strache's recent purposes would be to provide a geographical article was examined as an example of maincenter for the two bodies in which they could taining both roles of an SCI representative. Lastly, Mr. MacLean asked for suggestions store files and surplus materials. It would also for this year's agenda. They are as follows: Fine area for small groups, such as those wor.1:ru1g c'n to meet Arts, Gadfly Articles, Sophomore Music, Sophomore Language, the transition from Sophomore to Junior Math, Freshman Lab, the role of Academic Assistants, Censorship in the Polity, the History of the Program, Clubs and Athletics vs. Academics, Admissions Policy, Forums, and of course, the French Revolution. Considering the great length and quality of the suggestions the committee decided to defer settingthe agendaforthe following weeks and is still open to suggestions both for additions and emendations to the current list. Mr. Brockett urged the committee to do a few things well and not become overwhelmed with too many agenda items. Ms. Amelia Adams' s comment during her recent speech to the Delegate Council was especially present: that the SCI never seems to have enough time. Undaunted, :Mr. MacLean urged the committee to consider the suggestions carefully and stated his confidence in the success of the coming year. The SO will continue to meet in the Private Dining Room at 11:45 every Thursday. Next week's agenda will focus on setting the long term goals of the committee and all members of the polity are urged to attend and give voice to their opinions. Butter 'lVith Cheddar $1 .00 off any Potato for Johnnies! : 5 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �ko th Muse: How the Freshman Oral Reading Groups Are Changing the Way We Read Homer "This made her reading more animated," returned Mr. Ingham. "It was to the benefit of all who were walking by. It drew them in. The Muse was working through her quite effectively. So a number of people started gathering around." "How many people would you say you had at that first meeting?" I cajoled. "Well there were two, and then I left," returned the saint. "Well there were three," said Mark, pondering, "and we just sort of sat around for awhile and began reading again. I guess eventually there were about five or six. Then word got out somehow and there were about twenty people next time.'' "So do you think that this is going to be a one time event for when we're reading Horner, or do you think this is going to carry on through some of the other readings?" "I think we'll have to discern as a group what we can get a lot out of reading aloud. I think the great poems will work. I think the dramas ... "You mean the dramas," I corrected him. You see he is one of our foreign students, from Canada. "Okay, the tragedies will work well, and maybe the comedy of Aristophanes." And thus ended the interview. Out of chaos comes harmony. These kinds of coffee shop gatherings, "rogue seminars" if you will, embody what is at the very soul of the St.John's program. I don't mean to brag about my own class, but if this is what the freshmen are accomplishing after just a few weeks here, just imagine the possibilities of what is yet to come! This class can become the greatest and most influential of classes to ever pass through the halls of St. John's. Of course I may have a somewhat biased opinion; however I do believe that many of the upperclassmen will come to follow this model of oral readings. Apparently, already some of the juniors are planning on reading Milton's, Paradise Lost out loud Never underestimate the power of the freshman class. As far as I can tell these oral study groups will continue to meet into the near future. With the completion of the Odyssey the oral storytelling will perhaps die, obviously Plato's Dialogues do not make for the most dramatic oral readings, and perhaps the Muse will no longer descend upon the coffee shop readers to bless them with the gift of speech. But perhaps she would be willing to return for the reading of the Greek plays. Regardless of what the future may hold for this form of study, those who participated in this experiment shall walk away with a deeper meaning of what it is to read Homer. And I can't speal{ for anyone else, but I feel that I have come to truly know of the Muse. ' . J hn's College Film Society II 2001 By Cooper N. Gallimore, '04 Wisdom Sing, Goddess, the freshman's wisdom Great and inevitable, that caused this Class Incalculable joy, and kept countless souls Of sturdy freshman from falling into The House of Academic Probation where many have gone before And kept their souls from rotting as feasts For seminar leaders, as The Dean's will was done. One of the greatest things about being a student here at St.John's College is the special bond that brings all students together. That bond is of course the academic program itself. Every student here, whether they be a freshman, a senior or a Santa Fe transfer student share this bond that comes with common academic experience. A new informal study group here on campus exemplifies this shared insight as perhaps nothing before it has. Created under the combined efforts of a freshman and an upperclassman, this gathering allows its par- 6 : ticipants to become more intimate with Homer through the oral reading of his epics. Every Wednesday and Sunday evening for the past two weeks a small group of students has gathered around the fireplace in the coffee shop to read aloud the timeless works of Homer. Not only does this provide them a chance to understand the social element which went hand in hand with the oral tradition of Homer's day, but it also gives them a chance to explore lines of reasoning that they would not have discovered reading it alone, and thus allowing for those students to then share this insight in their respective seminars. It is very informal and is often joined by individuals just passing by who hear Homer's bold poetry. Everyone is allowed to read who wants to, though none are forced, and there is no set structure as to how much you have to read, you are welcome to stop whenever you wish. Comments and profound witticisms are often aired between chapters but other than that discussion is kept to a minimum. Instead the group allows itself to be swept away by the story the poet weaves. Perhaps the most amazing element of this gathering was the means under which it was established. The creation of the group can be drawn back to two very special individuals, freshman Mark Ingham, and the group's "Patron Saint" Wm not sure where this title came from), junior Kelly McCollum. I had the distinct privilege and honor of interviewing these two fine individuals directly after their reading last Wednesday. I began by asking them how this study group came to be. Mr. Ingham was the first to reply. "I was out in the quad one Saturday evening, and was waylaid by a group of upperclassman refrained from asking him to elaborate on this point) while I was on my way to go and read the Iliad. And I said I have to go and read the Iliad, unless someone wants to read it to me. And Kelly said, well I'd like to read it to you. I didn't think she was serious, and she didn't think I was serious. And so I said are you serious and she said yeah, are you serious." And then the groups "patron saint" jumped in. "Bacchus had something of a hand in this." THE GADFLY ................................................... . Back by popular demand, a special "encore" presentation of directed by J Panahi afar A little girl's jourey through the streets of Teheran turns into a dazzling metafictional exercise in his ingenious and darlingly orginal commentary on the nature of documentary filmmaking. Panahi has wrapped a blunt political critique inside the layers of a deceptively simple film Iran; 1998. 95 mins. Color. In Farsi with English subtitles g . . . . . . .. .. .. . .. . . .. . . . . .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . THE GADFLY .. 7 �hi t f By Hayden Brockett, '04 Editor-in-Chief Returning students were already familiar with the yellow brochure-style notices that appeared in their mailboxes last week, and so one might have expected that the mostly mundane contents of the yearly security report would have passed without much comment from its intended audience. Freshmen almost certainly looked at the long string of zeros from the column listing last year's incidents (with the serious exceptions of one sexual assault and three off-campus robberies) and marveled at the seemingly low level of crime on campus, taking the statistics as yet another example of how insular a community St.John's appears to be. Sharp-eyed students and attentive readers of last year's Gadfly security coverage, however, immediately spotted what looked like severe omissions in the statistics and were soon heard to complain loudly about the several on-campus crimes that were not included in the numbers provided by the notice. Justin Pizzoferatto, who as a freshman last year possessed an uncanny knack for getting himself robbed, said "I have no idea why[security]wouldn't putthose in [the brochure]," referring to the two instances in which his room was burglarized last year. "I was even in the room for one of the times." He said that he could only assume that his two muggings were included in the three off-campus robberies, but "couldn't tell for sure." His erstwhile roommate said that he too "was surprised at how low the statistics were. I thought, 'That can't be right! What is that devious Mrs. Kronsberg up to, anyway?"' "What, indeed," aske~ this reporter (with, we should add, only the kindest admiration of the Assistant Dean's shrewdness), wondering along with several other former Humphreys residents how serious incidents in residence halls could go unreported. Assistant Dean Anita Kronsberg was unfamiliar with the particulars of the report and deferred to the knowledge of Security Chief 8 : aus s Suspici n, y Paul Mikesell before giving a response herself. Chief Mikesell, who wrote the notice a while ago and because of a bottleneck at the Print Shop hadn't seen it by last Monday, decided the check his accounts before giving a definite answer.By later in the week, however, theywere both able to mal~e statements to the Gadfly about the confusion. With one short sentence Chief Mikesell knocked the feet out from under the students' concerns. "The statistics in this report are from calendar year 2000," he said, "and therefore don't include incidents such as the dormitory burglaries, which, I think, happened in the spring." Recognizing the awkward position his succinct statement of what should have been obvious to any thoughtful reader put this reporter, he kindly continued: "[the statistics] are based on FBI definitions of the crimes listed and are reported each year" to a central government database. In the case of residence halls, whether a room's door is ajar doesn't matter, he explained, when one is deciding the severity of an incident. "If any ials force is necessary to enter, that makes it burglary." The one instance of burglary that was reported for the year 2000 took place in the kitchen area, said Chief Mikesell and was . ' quickly resolved. "We apprehended the suspect," he stated but both Mrs. Kronsberg and he refused to comment further. ~s. Kronsberg took the opportunity of haVIng a Gadfly reporter in her office to explain the College's attitude towards reporting crimes. "This yearly report must be done," she said, "it's_ prescribed by law," and the College is restramed by the federal government's definitions and categories. "We prefer to report but can't really fudge. We try to make it as accurate as possible." Nonetheless, some disturbances of note to the community do not appear on the report because they don't meet the exact criteria of the FBI. For instance, the definition of "public property" in the notice extends from college ground to the edge of the sidewalk across the street, meaning that a domestic dispute on St.John's Street was reported as an aggravated assault and that muggings of St. John's students along College Avenue are not included at all. "Regardless of lMPOltT:\NT SAFLlY whether it meets INFOlt\lATfO.N the definitions," FOR Mrs. Kronsberg ST.JOHN'S STliDENTS assured the polity, "I get notices out as soon as I can." Current security concerns include theft on the bike rack at the Campbell parking lot and from the vending machines in the coffee shop, both of which have been targets for vandalism and theft in recent months. Sophomore Stephen "Febbie Steve" Clark reported on Sunday night that last week he chased off several" 12 year-olds" who were attempting to steal bicycles in front ofFSK. "I noticed that several bikes had missing seats," he said "and basically anything else that was not chained down had been pilfered." Eyewitnesses from this summer also reported seeing children stealing from one of the vending THE GADFLY ................................................... . machines in the coffee shop and then being chased off by security guards or morally conscious students. The vending company has been alerted, Chief ~esell said, but so far has taken no action to safeguard their merchandise. Students worried about a great administrative cover-up, however, need not, say Mrs. Kronsberg and Chief~esell. The College has no interest in keeping students uninformed of security threats, unlike larger schools whose dependence on athletic programs fostered the lax reporting that spawned the Student Safety Act with which St. John's must comply. Crime does happen at St.John's, although most of it is visited upon students by outsiders, and the College wants to take every precaution it can, including dispensing accurate information. Students interested in viewing the crime log are invited to take a look in the security office. n unc m nts Godspell Auditions Tuesday Contact Kobe Erkenbrack for information. Gadfly Meeting Tuesday, 7:30 pm Barr-Buchanan Lower Level 1 ue,1e<la1re Council Meeting Wednesday, 11 :45 am Private Dining Room Guests are allowed to be present at the meeting but are not allowed to speak. All-College Seminar Friday, September 14 8-9:30 pm reading is "Speeches Cataline, I and IV" by A,, ............ " . sheet is posted on the Board in the Coffee The seminar is open to undergarduate and GI and other members of ws···················· By Aaron Collier, '04 Black Hole Sun, It Has Come Two years ago scientists at NASA pointed their most expensive X-ray telescope, named Chandra and currently orbiting the earth, at the center of our galaxy-the Milky Way for the uninformed-to investigate what was there. What they discovered was a powerful Xray flare that appeared to confirm theories that the galaxy is centered around a black hole. The relatively small hole presumably at our center contains 2.6 million times as much mass as our sun and sucks in all matter within a lightyear of it, allowing nothing, not even light, to escape. This fact has led to the difficulty in its study, which was allowed only by use of X-ray technology that can study the flares that are made when matter becomes bunched together at the edge of the hole just before it is sucked in. While there is no definite proof that this is an actual black hole, "Modem physics doesn't have a theory that could account for this object if it is not a black hole," said Fulvio Melia, an astrophysicist at the University of Arizona. We all know that if we have no other theory, the one closest at hand must be correct. The Flat Earth Society could not be reached for comment on these findings. Colombian President Andres Pastrana questions the effectiveness of the war on drugs. War on Drugs May Lose Support The United States may be losing one of its biggest supporters in the global war on drugs. Columbian President Andres Pastrana, whom the U.S. helped gain power, recentlycalledforareviewofthewarondrugs, questioning its effectiveness. With new markets opening in Europe and the former Soviet bloc and drug use on the rise in the U.S., especially among 18-25 year-olds, Pastrana says the fight against drugs has few bright spots. Efforts to fight drugs in Columbia, one of the world's centers for cocaine production, cost the U.S. $1.3 billion a year, and have focused mainly on the spraying of coca plants by U.S. crop-dusters. However, not only has this been labeled ineffective by some, but also there are new calls being made that these practices harm the environment and could be damaging to humans. Pastrana called for the U.S. to organize an international reevaluation of anti-drug strategies. "The conclusions are not good," he said. "The conclusions are that drugs are still the first- or second-biggest business of mankind." With so much support of the drug trade, the U.S. would seem to just be throwing money at a problem with no chance of success. Materialfrom theAssociated Press was used in these reports. : 9 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �COVER STORY "W " ct the corruption and dirty tricks, then at least poor more than five hours later, a quorum had been reached in that district as well and Mr. Thompsportsmanship. News Editor Very few people have yet complained about son officially closed the polls. Last week marked the short but active St. A side effect of this efficiency was to take John's election season. The two bodies which the elections this year. They have for the most part been described by the wind out of the sails of write-in candiact as the student governboth winning and losing dates. Generally, write-in candidates at St.John's ment on campus, the candidates as amicable. win by getting enough votes in the initial elecDelegate Council (D. c.) No reports of bad tion to be placed on the ballots in a run-off, as and the Student Comblood, resentment, or happened with both Gretchen Stiltner and Sam mittee on Instruction dissatisfaction with the Spalding in last year's officer elections. If there (SC~ elected their members and held meetings process have come is no quorum, a run-off becomes necessary through and Mr. and write-in candidates (assuming they received for the first time all in the Thompson's efforts enough votes to be among the top few candibrief span of time from last Monday, September have been universally dates in their race) get their name on the ballot and their chance for glory. However, if a quoJrd through Wednesday praised. Also distinguishing rum is reached and the election is valid a writethe 5th. Elections for the D.C. this year's election from in candidate must get the plurality of votes were conducted Monday both last year's elections just like a candidate whose name is on the balprimarily at lunchtime, for D.C. and those of its lot. With no run-offs, the chances of a write-in officers was the ease of candidate winning were severely curtailed. In though the polls did not officially close until about reaching a quorum. In the end, no write-in candidate won an election. As is usually the case, only a few votes deorder to be elected to any an hour before seminar. Polling stations were loD. C. position whether it cided nearly every election. A majority of races cated in Cafe Randall and be an officer post or a came down to fewerthan 10votes, and in many the coffee shop. regular delegate, 50% of cases fewer than five votes separated those who the eligible voters must won from those who didn't. Most winners According to Polity Martin Anderson, Paca-Carroll Attorney Eric Thompvote even if they only ab- end up with between twenty and thirty votes son, who is the D.C. officer in charge of (among stain. To reach a quorum in last year's election total. Here now is a summary of the D. C. elecother things) running elections, apathy toward for delegates, elections officials resorted to gotions by district: the D.C. and its elections ran as high as it nor- ing through dorms mally does. Elections in both Humphreys and door-to-door and Paca went officially uncontested due to a lack pleading with people to Randall of candidates and in one case Mr. Thompson fill out a voting card For Jack Dobbyn has was forced to recruit a candidate in order to the officer elections, had mixed success in have enough people to fill the slots from one then-Polity Attorney elections at St. John's~ of the dorms. Eric Rosenberg (A'01) In his bid for D.C. "It was tough" to find enough candidates refused to even attempt president last year he Mr. Thompson recently told the Gadfly, con- to reach a quorum, lost to Matt Albanase tinuing on to state that it was also "a little up- which ultimately afand just last W ednessetting" that more people didn't want to run. fected the outcome of day he failed to piece The D.C. elections on Monday stood in races for both D. C. Sectogether the votes to stark contrast to last year's election ofD.C. of- retary and Treasurer. become a member of ficers. Those elections were marred by numerThis year by 1:30 the Student Commitous minor problems that, when put together, Monday afternoon, tee on Instruction (see called into question whether the student body quorums had been sidebar). However, his is capable of running elections that are funda- reached in every election campaign for Randall mentally fair. Accusations of candidates tear- district (an election disrepresentative to the ing down each other's posters, creating posters trict is either a dorm or D. C. is being held up that purported to be from one candidate but a seat representing offby Mr. Thompson and were in fact from another, and sitting in front campus students) exothers as an example of the polling stations all had a hint of, if not cept for the off-campus of how to get oneself Anderson Tallent, Campbell representatives. Slightly on the Council. Mr. By G. Aaugust Deimel, '04 10 THE GADFLY ................................................. ' ' . Dobbyn talked to numerous people, introducing himself and generally making himself known by his constituency. Mr. Dobbyn's opponent, Brian Sumner, used last year's campaign for D. C. president to his advantage. Taking off Mr. Dobbyn's slogan of "A vote for Jack is a vote for beer," Mr. Sumner called himself the books and beer candidate. Although the appeal of the slogan is obvious, it was not enough. When the Gadfly asked Mr. Sumner about the election he asked that it print that he had no comment. Mr. Sumner had no comment. In a strange side note, Randall Sullivan apparently believing he should represent the dorm of the same name, staged a very half-hearted write-in campaign while waiting to vote. Several people, agreeing with his premise, wrote in his name. He, however, did not. Instead, he checked the word Randall at the top of the ballot. Humphreys Nowhere represented this year's dearth of candidates better than Humphreys. Two people, Lauren Shofer and Mary Joe Doktor, ran for seats and both were elected. Even the officially unopposed candidates in Paca had a write-in candidate to contend with. Ms. Doktor and Ms. Shofer so clearly won the election that once it had been concluded that Humphreys had a quorum, the two women were declared the winners without so much as a vote count. This year marked a new milestone for Humphreys on the D.C. For the first time Humphreys will be represented by two delegates instead of one, putting it into a class shared only by Paca and Campbell. Mr. Th- ornpson and Mr. Albanase explained the decision by noting that Randall, which traditionally has been populated almost exclusively by freshmen, is now an upperclassmen dorm and as such a representative that previously had mainly freshmen constituents currently represents sophomores and a scattering of people from other classes. The new representative from Humphreys will balance this out by providing one more person who represents mostly freshmen. Poca-Carroll Miscommunication led to the only blunder in this otherwise smooth election cycle. Kabe Erkenbrak, despite having told Mr. Thompson that he wanted to run for a seat from PacaCarroll never filled out the slip of paper required to become an official candidate. When Monday morning came around, Mr. Erkenbrak found to his surprise that his name did not appear on the ballot. Although he ran an effective last minute write-in campaign acquiring a fair number of votes for the amount of time he had to influence the election, in the end it was not enough to defeat the two people on the official ballot, MattinAnderson and G. August Deimel. Last year Mr. Deimel ran for D.C. treasurer and lost to write-in candidate Sam Spalding. Both he and Mr. Anderson are both first time Delegate Council members. West Pinkney An interesting phenomenon showed up in this year's election: tickets. In two dorms with multiple representatives, pairs of people ran together. Voters were not told of this at polling stations nor were they obligated to vote for both people, but the tickets were very noticeable since in both cases neither candidate had any signs beyond the sign for the ticket. The idea behind the scheme seems to have been to take the added popularity of the two candidates and convince voters who normally would not think of voting for a particular person to vote for them based on their association with the other candidate. However good an idea it appearsto be on paper, it produced questionable results. Trent Riney proved unable to Jack Dobbyn, Randall capitalize on Anderson Tallent's good name to win a spot from Campbell, and Justin Berrier (see below) couldn't pull off an upset in East Pinkney. For Blake Gregory though, the strategy worked. Running with Mr. Berrier as an East/West ticket, she managed to defeat Emily Baldwin in the contest for the seat from West Pinkney. Ms. Gregory is serving on the D.C. for the first time. East Pinkney It is essentially a truism in politics that incumbency has its advantages. Case in point: Sonia Wisniewski. A delegate from Paca last year, Ms. Wisniewski (the first person to correctly pronounce that will get a mention in the Gadfly next week. Call Ext. 2212 and leave a message) breezed through her campaign to win re-election to the D.C. Unique among every candidate in the school, Ms. Wisniewski brought forth a small army to win her threeway race. Included on her all-star campaign staff were her communications director Whitney Welsh, various lackeys who told people to vote for her, and the mysterious, unnamed "Spin Doctor." Ms.Welsh came up with the campaign slogan that has now become famous and is credited with her victory: "Beef (or vegetarian substitute) it's what's for dinner." Even with her people behind her, Ms. Wisniewski was never very certain of her victory. The weekend before the elections, she left town to attend a religious retreat. When she left, no opponents had appeared on the hori- continued on page 12 : 11 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �s and since Mr. Tallent and Mr. Riney are above reproach their word should betaken onthisone. Anycomments about this debate may be addressed in letters to the Gadfly and would be greatly appreciated. NeitherJvlr. Tallent nor Mr. Clarkhas previously run for office at St.John's. Cover Story continuedfrom page 17 zon, and East Pinkney seemed to be an easy race to win. However, on her return she found two people running against her, one of whom, Justin Berrier (running on a ticket with Blake Gregory), had already put up signs. It was then that Ms. Wisniewski rushed into action and pulled together her winning campaign. Campbell Mr. Thompson now claims to regret a deci- 1scuss1on • By Hayden Brockett, '04 Editor-in-Chief sion he made in putting together the ballots for ChaseCampbell. Rather than refer to Sophomore Febbie Steve by his familiar moniker, he wrote Stone down his decidedly unfamiliar real name of One of the three G. Aaugust Deimel, Paca-Carroll Steven Clark. As it was this error in judgment returning members did not prevent him from achieving a seat on the to this year's Delegate Council is John Cottrell of seven candidates Mr. Porter, Mr. Stout, Mr. council, but Mr. Thompson speculates that Mr. of Chase-Stone. Of all the elections this year, Cooper, Ms. Picard and Mr. Naylor are now Clark would have received many more votes had Chase-Stone's must be the least memorable. No members of the Delegate Council. he run underthe name Febbie Steve. signs, two candidates (tvlr. Cottrell and Katherine Every year the off-campus district presents Mr. Clark broke up one of the two tickets Nehring) and no controversy. a unique problem for elections officials b~use that formed in the final days of the campaign by Despite the election's status as a non-event, the primary polling station is located rn the defeating Trent Riney. Anderson T~entand~. Mr. Cottrell took the opportunity over dinner cafeteria and not all off-campus students eat Riney campaigned together by puttmg up signs on Sunday to give his much-anticipated victory there. Further compounding the problem this with a picture of them pointing from a window speech. He laid out broad themes, atte?:pted to year, the scheduled time of the electio~ did in Campbell with the words "We're Not Wear- score political points, and presented a vis1~n t~at not take into account the Labor Day holiday· ingAny Pants!" Speculation as to whether t~ey hefeelswill both inspire and inform. Beginning Students who would normally come in to were, contrary to their claims, actually w~g with a modification of the standard Oscar accep- work at on-campus jobs never showed up bepants is currently running high, with some claun- tance speech, Mr. Cottrell told the assembled cause they had the day off. Predictably, at the ing they can see pants at the bottom of the p~o­ masses that he "would like to thank my con- end of the normal voting period a quorum tograph and others just as vehemently denymg stituents." At this point, he moved on to the had been reached in every district except offthat any kind of pants are visible in the picture, big stuff: "The dream continues .. .I will lead this campus. Mr. Thompson spent several ho~rs yearintothe21stcentury."Etc.Etc. on the quad and in the coffee shop stoppmg Mr. Cottrell's opponent Ms. Nehring every person who lives off campus an~ maktook the electionresults gracefully. ing them vote. By 7:00 Monday evenmg he Off-Campus managed to reach the necessary 50% of the Far and away the largest election dis- off-campus student body and avoid the rather . · unpleasant prospect of running the entire electrict for the D.C. is for stu d ents 1 1vmg off-campus. Whereas the most represen- tion over again. . · th · The off-campus election produced this tatives a dorm can h ave is two, ere is an off-campus delegate for every 30 students year's very first political signs, placed by A. Wendell Stout IV (Slogan: Make Your D. C. not living in the dorms. This year t h at kabl translated to five seats for off-campus stu- Representative Extra Stout) which remar y went up more than one day before the elecdents. h The crowded field of candidates in- tion. They also produced the most co erent statement from a candidate about why he ran. duded Ben Porter, Loretta O'Connor, 'adlfl Arthur Wendell Stout IV, Jon Cooper, Justin Naylor in an interview with the G Y after the election stated that "several of us ran" Caroline Picard, Justin N ay lor an d ·h h Amanda Bell. Terrance Duvall signed up because of their" disappointment wit t e to be a candidate, butlater revealed that hehadspentthelastyearinFe,making him ineligible. Even though he wouldn't be able to take office if he won, several people still voted for him out of ent~usiasm for his candidacy. From that field Febbie Steve, Campbell h w ilm, Lead 41 attitude of the.~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ .'~ . . . . . . . . . . . . ··········· Note Two sports articles by Jon Cooper and Mike Maguirecameintoolatetobeincludedinthisi.ss~ 'flJeGadflyapologizes, butitcan'ta/fordtopnnt 24pages, andwillhavethearticlesnextweek.-Ed Last Friday's lecture spot featured a novelty for the college: while Francis Scott Key Auditorium has had many movies shown in it over the years, to the best of the presenters' knowledge and that produced by the Gadfly's limited research, the showing of an ethnographic film entitled Mehinaku was the first time a film has been shown at 8:15 on aFriday night. Mr. Anthony Seeger and his wife, tutor Mrs.Judith Seeger, began the evening by offering several prefatory remarks and inviting the audience to the Conversation Room for a discussion after the viewing. Two of those remarks were corrections of press coverage of the event, one a caption from the Capital and one, sadly, from our own pages. Apparently, contrary to the account given by I&I Editor Tallent, Mr. Seeger was accompanied "the whole time" during his many sojourns with the Suya tribe by his wife. In fact, Mr. Seeger later told the assembled students and tutors at question period that he wouldn't have been able to go to central Brazil at all, let alone study the Suya (neighbors to the film's subjects, the Mehinalrn) without his wife's presence. The signs advertisingMehinaku as an ethnographic film most likely seemed rather cryptic to the St.John's polity, even if we all were able to point out and decline the roots of" ethnographic." The Seegers offered some helpful suggestions to the assembled crowd on how to think about a video on naked Indians in the context of the Program, managing to do so with nary a Montaigne reference. The village of the Mehinalrn is "perhaps reminiscent of the ancient Greek polis," said Mrs. Seeger, in its leaving "public space for males and the periphery for homes." Its people may also represent what Rousseau would call "the youth of mankind," she added, and the Mehinaku pastime of nude wrestling should not be unfamiliar even to the freshmen. A doctor of anthropology, Mr. Seeger listed briefly some of the questions that had led him to the science and that he hoped his field could begin to answer, including "who are we," and "why do we do the things we do?" But the couple soon stepped ~ide to let the film begin as the lights were dimmed and the "Play" button pressed. . Hone were to have merely seen the opening montage of intentionally exotic faces all merging into the legend "Disappearing World" and the closing shot of the Mehinaku arrayed before their homes as a narrator described the impending peril to their way of life, one might have thought the film to be an impassioned defense of indigenous peoples' rights. And although anthropologist who made the film, Tom Gregor, did have a large role in preventing the construction of a highway that would have destroyed the Mehinaku' s fragile culture, both the film's contents and the Seegers' words in question period made it clear that ethnographic films are not made for the benefit of native populations; rather, they are made for the people who create and watch them. The vintage early 1970s Mehinaku is, according to Mr. Seeger, one of the better ethnographic films he has seen (indeed, one got the impression that he didn't really think much of the others) and audience members familiar with the genus agreed. A large part of the film's success is owed to its self-consciousness, born of its makers' knowledge that capturing the tribe "as it is" is impossible and that treating their subjects as animals would be as silly as taking themselves very seriously. The result is a film that presents what feels like an accurate portrayal of one aspect of Mehinalm life, without injecting too much interpretation or losing the playful and humorous character of the tribe it covers. Mehirzaku focused most broadly on the cycle of rituals loosely centered about the piq_ui tree and its harvesting, but it is apparently impossible to separate this crop's fecundity from that of its owners, so the theme of gender roles amongst the Mehinakulndians became the one most prominently displayed in the film. Occupying an important position in this cycle are the sacred flutes, instruments that hold great spiritual power for the tribe of Indians and can only be played and seen by males. The story of these flutes' origin (they were supposedly stolen from women in ancient times, thus ere- ating the modern gender roles of male dominance and female submission) and the punishment for a woman seeing them (gang rape by every man in the village) were given great import by the film's script and by several questioners in the discussion. Although a late 1990s lecture by Santa Fe tutors Gary Franks is high on the list along with a couple Mortimer Adler lecture pranks, Mehinaku has serious claims to drawing the most laughter from a lecture spot audience. Some of the more Monty Pythonesque rituals included the beating of a giant mock anteater and a game in which men, using only their naked bodies, try to cover as many women as possible with grease. The narrator intoned throughout many of the sequences, generally elucidating the symbolic meaning of the rituals while leaving the obvious sexual overtones unmentioned. Although some rituals were treated by the Mehinaku with the utmost seriousness, most served several purposes, such as education, initiation, the passing down of traditions, and most commonly plain amusement. But if ethnographic fihns are for our benefit, then we must ask just what they do for us. Mr. Seeger suggested in question period that this particular film could teach us about our own attitudes towards gender and ritual, but stopped short of making any statements about people in general. Several times he expressed his fear that all anthropologists "have asked the wrong ques- continued on page 14 : 13 12 THE GADFLY 0 I I 0 0 0 0 0 0 t 0 0 o o 0 0 0 o 0' 0' o o 0' t I' I ' ' ' It I' '''' .......... ' THE GADFLY.': .. ''. �Seegers, continuedfrompage n tion and missed the interesting things," indicating that to him positive statements about humans in general were inadvisable. He also said that while he remains interested in the larger questions about humanity, the particulars of anthropological study such as music, which is his focus, are so numerous as to make answering "what makes a man" exceedingly difficult. For the first ninety minutes of the discussion, questions were mainly concerned with the peculiarities of Suya life. Many people were interestedin applying the St.John's vocabulary to the Mehinaku or the Suya worldviews, but found that the "spirit" believed by these tribes to be endowed in humans did not quite map onto the "soul" we so often employ. It was also nearly impossible to avoid at least tacit comparisons to the city described in Book II of Republic, especially when the Seegers mentioned that much of the Suya's time is spent preparing food and singing songs, not to mention "hav[ing] sweet intercourse with one another," (in the words of Allan Bloom). Such comparisons led inevitably to Glaucon' s challenge but do so no less forcefully than did the knowledge that the Indian tribes have taken quickly to certain aspects of modern technology. Matches, guns, and even clothing have become large parts of Suya life in the past thirty years, as the tribe has selectively adapted certain technologies for its own uses. Does this imply that the Suya are not as happy as they were suggested in question period to be ? Do they have a desire for relish? If so, what does that say about their now-disappearing culture? So far, say the Seegers, who have not visited the Mehinaku since 1973 and thus cannot speak for them, the Suya use the free time produced by their new three- or four-hour workday mostly for gossip and music, but may not have had the time to develop any other uses for this time or the conditions to create true leisure. The point was made several times for the benefit of those who were uninformed of Brazil's vast poverty that the Suya were betteroff in the jungle than in the city, but the choice between industrial decay and verdant forest is not difficult. These two options appear rather extreme and perhaps, though it may be impolitic to say so, a better life remains in some mean position. It's certainly untrue that we have nothing to learn from the Mehinaku, but it seems an open question as to whether it is knowledge or wisdom that they offer. There is no doubt, however, that the film and discussion were honest successes which testified to the versatility of the lecture and question periods, not to mention the St. John's polity. 14 : s ss New DC Ch By G. August Deimel, '04 : News Editor Little more than a day had passed before the newly minted members of the Delegate Council faced one of the more momentous decisions they will make during their tenure. The D.C.'s first meeting was, as always, dedicated to selecting the members of the other governing body of the polity, the Student : Committee on Instruction (SC~. Unlike the D.C., SCI members are not : : elected by the student body at large but are : instead appointed to their posts by the D.C. : To help them make their decision, D .C. mem: bers listen to each candidate give a speech, ask : questions of the candidates, and then go into : closed session where they hear recommenda: tions on who should be elected from the SCI : co-chairs. No one will say who the SCI co: chairs recommended as secrecy and discretion : are highly prized in these proceedings, but SCI : secretary Robert Abbott noted that typically in : years past the D. C. has followed the the recom: mendations of the co-chairs. One quality that distinguishes the SCI is : : the openness of its meetings. Anyone who is : interested in participating in the discussions : conducted by the committee may do so. One student who is fond of attending recently observed that since the only restriction placed on non-members at SCI meetings is the inability to vote and most issues are decided by consensus rather than voting, one can participate as a : de facto member without ever being forced to : go through the election process. This particular quirk of the SCI led, either : : directly or indirectly, to the election of two of : its new members, Summer Star and Justin : Naylor. Both made a point of mentioning that : they attended SCI meetings faithfully in previ: ous years, with Ms. Star even going so far as to assert that she missed a mere two meetings last year. Although neither unheard of nor actively discouraged, it is highly unusual to serve on . both the D. C. and the SCI. Jess Reitz' s mem: bership in both organizations last year appears to have opened the door to its being much more commonplace. Her situation was presented as being connected with extenuating circumstances (nobody from Humphreys wanted to run), but this year two candidates, Jack Dobbyn and Justin Naylor turned around after having just won seats on the D.C. and attempted to be election to the SCI despite hav- ing no pressing reason why they needed to be on both. During the questioning period for SCI candidates neither was asked about any potential conflicts, and they both abstained from voting for any members of the SCI. Only two elections for the SCI were contested this year. Each class is given two spots on the SCI (freshmen will be elected in J anuary), and the Junior class only had two candidates. That left a field of three candidates for the Sophomore class and four candidates for the Senior. Summer Star, Stuart Bannan, and Neil Turnquist competed for the Sophomore slots. Mr. Turnquist, the only incumbent of the group, talked of his experiences last year and his eagerness to return to the committee. Ms. Star, one oflastyear's de facto members, discussed her commitment to the issues the SCI deals with, while Mr. Bannan presented the opportunity to inject new blood into the committee. In the end, the D.C. returned Mr. Turnquist to the committee while giving Ms. Star full membership. In the hotly contested but cordially conducted contest for the Senior slots, the D.C. was faced with choosing between an incumbent, AmeliaAdams, two energetic individuals who have been heavily involved in SCI activities previously in the form of Megan Maxwell-Smith and Justin Naylor, and aD.C. member presenting novel ideas, Jack Dobbyn. N either Mr. Dobbyn's vision of how he could help the SCI, nor Ms. Amelia Adams incumbency were enough to sway the council into voting for them, and Ms. Maxwell-Smith and Mr. Naylor found their way onto the committee. Ms. Adams is the only incumbent that ran for the SCI and lost her seat this year. Several people involved with the elections expressed surprise at the result, though Mr. Abbott put the situation into perspective best in explainingthat her failure to be re-elected had nothing to do with her previous performance but instead reflected both the abundance of qualified candidates in this year's Senior class and the peculiar whims of the Delegate Council. After the new committee had been chosen SCI co-chairman Aaron McLean, when asked about the elections, stated that although the "elections are out of [his] control," both he and Ms. Strache are extremely pleased with the new committee and look forward to the work it will do this year. TttEGADFLY ................................................... . IA 1~ ' on Clu 1ng: • h SS am1n By Tracy Cain and Katherine Nehring, '03 It was late Sunday evening, and the Ace of Clubs stalked about her dorm room glaring at all an_d sundry-particularly the Jack, sitting happily at her computer typing her half of the article and softly humming an elegant Spanish love poem between her teeth. "It's not fair!" she snapped at her oblivious roommate. "It's- it's-" she broke into a fit of incoherent snarling, which eventually provoked the Jack into turning around and looking at her quizzically. "Is there something wrong? A horde of giants besieging the college walls?! A host of evil sorcerers descending to work the their malevolent enchantments?! Fear not sweet lady, for I, by the strength of my arm and my steadfast soul will deliver you from any peril if God should grand me grace!" The Jack went down on one knee and made as if to kiss the Ace's hand. The Ace quickly snatched it out of range. "The college doesn't have walls, there's no such thing as magic, I am not sweet, and you are NOTDon Quijote!" She glared fiercely at her roommate, who blinked in a puzzled fashion. "I found the Chess Club. I tried to interview the Chess Club, but would they let me? Noooo. They've just gotten started, and they don't have anything to say. Do you realize what this means? Do you?! I have to make up all the content of the article myself! I have to do research! I have to do work!" "I think I'll go out and fight the g:i' ants anyway,. egan t heJackhopefully, looking out "b the Wllldow. "Those aren't giants," said the Ace from between gritted teeth "Th t' th And , ·. a s e croquet you ar:n t gomg anywhere till you ."Of course they're the croquet team," exp!ained the Jack patiently. "If they really were giants, where would be the point in that?" The Ace reminded herself that if she killed her roommate, she would then have to do her share of the writing, and the Jack's article wasn't done yet. Grumbling under her breath, she sat down at her computer. CHESS CLUB "Chess, "he A ce wrote, "' a game that t is originated in the ancient courts of the Huns." She might have to write the article but she didn't have to research it. ' "In its original form, two players would stand at the ends of a large, grassy field, and hurl the severed heads of past opponents at each other. The game soon developed into a cunning exercise of strategy, as players had to carefully select which heads to throw at what times, carefully storing reserves, and guarding useful pieces. "But soon players began to suggest that heads were not enough-surely true challenge, true strategy, true chess lay elsewhere. It only took a few generations for play of the game to change its face entirely; where once the two players had naught but severed heads in their arsenal, now they came to the field of glory with small bands of zombies to send against each other. "The walking dead proved to be a much more effective force than most had dreamed, and new levels of complexity to this favorite game were quickly revealed The player stood. among his zombies like a king, commandi~g all, the vital element to victory, and yet against even the weakest of his opponents shambli?g corpses, he was nigh-helpless. Some might have complained of the stench the zombies brought to the playing field, or of the mess of broken limbs they left scattered in their wake, but no true chess player would . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' ........... ' .... '' have dreamed of letting such inconsequentials hamper his game. "But there were still problems, of course; th~ dead, though versatile, were not very bn~t~and as their brain matter decayed, this condition only worsened. The inevitable side effe~t was that they became hard for their king to direct, and refereeing the chess games when the pieces did not always follow the commands of their rulers was difficult. "But by this time the Huns were settled and had, in fact, become the French aristocracy, though both are too embarrassed to admit the association. However, their settled lifestyle gave them access to a resource their ancestors had not possessed: serfs. "The substitution of serfs for zombies was in hindsight, inevitable. The peasants wer~ much better at following commands and carried.~th them :~e added benefit of b~ing able to diem entertaunngways, which the zombies were not so good at. · . "Soon, however, Franee's contmual warring with Germany for the possession of AlsaceLorraine took its toll, and all available serf resources had to be shifted to a province that had been ground into mud so many times that it had begun to resemble Poland. So, with great regret.' the playing pieces we know today were substituted. So the game has remained up to this day... ' "But the next stage in the evolution of chess comes upon us," the Ace concluded, "as the St.John's Chess Club of Annapolis prepares to engage their mortal enemies, the St.John's Chess Club of Santa Fe, in an electronic battle from which there can emerge only one survivor!" She broke into a fit of maniacal laughter. The Jack of Clubs, on the other side of the room, failed to notice entirely. THE GAMING CLUB The Jack arrived at Hiram Powers' apartment at around dinnertime. About six people were gathered in the living room, sprawled about on couches. "Make sure you mention that," added Matt Buban, co-archon of the Gaming Society, "how I'm lounging about in a degenerate manner." continued on page 16 .......... . : 15 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Clubbing continuedfrom page 15 He stretched himself out luxuriously on the couch. The members of the Society had various writing implements and sheets of paper and the occasional profusely illustrated manual. "What is all this?" began the Jack. "We are about to undertake gaming the Hiram Powers way," announced the gentleman of that name, appearing from the kitchen, "which means having really good food." He disappeared back into the kitchen, to the loud cheers of the assembled gamers. Delightful smells were already beginning to waft out into the living room. The gamers continued chatting and joking. "So, what is all this about?" the Jack queried. "It's secret Satanic rituals!" The players were obviously very resentful of accusations leveled against the roleplaying phenomenon, and very familiar with them. "Yes," added Nat, "and as the gamemaster, all the players have to do what I say, even in real life. They said that in a magazine, they really did say that," he added, to the derisive laughter of the group. "Once you get up to the Eighth Level," confided Matt, "your spells work in real life." The others hooted and jeered. "It has nothing to do with gaming," added Hiram Powers, appearing from the kitchen again, "but this rosemary is less than two hours old!'' He returned, gloating over his prize. "So, um, who are the co-archons?" The two co-archons revealed themselves to be Matt Buban and Nat Schwartz. "So when was the first time you roleplayed?" Mr. Buban asked Mr. Schwartz. "Third grade. And my first game of chess was in fifth. These things are important to gamers," Nat Schwartz added, "so note them." "Let's see," began his co-archon, before the Jack had even thought of a question, "The first time I played was in seventh grade-I came to it pretty late. And Spin the Bottle, in fourth grade. You can say sixth, to avoid kiddie porn in the Gadfly." The Gamer's Association was formed by Mr. Buban in his freshman year. "So, tell me about role-playing games -why those?" began the Jack, but Mr. Schwartz hastened to correct her. 16 : THE GADFLY "The Gaming Association is for all sorts of games-strategy, like Chess or Go, board games-" "Technically, chess and Go are both board games themselves," put in Mr. Buban. "-roleplaying and computer games, video games." "But what do you do at your meetings? I mean, suppose you have one person who like to play chess, two people who play Dungeons and Dragons, and someone who just wants to get on the computer and blow stuff up? What do you do then?" They clarified: the meetings are for organization, so that games can be set up between people who want to play. "The meetings are just for getting people together," said Mr. Buban, "We' re sort of like a dating service." "Except without the dating!" added his coarchon hastily, possibly seeing visions of the next meeting being besieged by desperate Johnnies. The Gaming Association has set up a number of games in the past-mostly roleplaying games, but not exclusively. In its freshman year, Go was popular, and last year it set up a game of Diplomacy. "I take it this particular meeting is a roleplaying game?" asked the Jack, looking around at the assembled company. "You've all gathered for Dungeons and Dragons?" "No," replied the sardonic Kyle Marquis, "I came here to get laid. AndBuban's looking sexier all the time." He favored the co-archon with an acerbic leer. "Role-playing is much akin to ad-lib acting," explained Nat Schwartz, ignoring the interruption, "but the actor describes his actions verbally rather physically. Oh, and I should explain the gamemaster. In order for there to be a universe for the players to interact in, someone needs to create it. The game-master is in charge of managing the terrain, the characters that aren't being acted by the other players, and the events of the game." "God," supplied Mr. Buban. "Not God, but Fate," said his co-archon. "And we use dice. That's fate." Nat conceded that this was probably an accurate description. He was himself running this particular game. "It's loosely based on a Chinese legend that I can't pronounce, somehow intertwined with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I got the idea, actually," he added, somewhat embarrassed, "from a video game-" "Don't admit it!" cried all present. "But it got me interested in the legend," Nat resumed, proceeding to describe his researching of the old story. Aroundhim, the other participants began game preparations, trading at lightning speed terms like "Plus two to attack" and "twink" and "munchkin." The Jack could have sworn, at one point, that she heard the phrase "a power got nerfed." When the Jack asked the two archons about why they enjoyed roleplaying games, they both gave the question some consideration before answenng. "It's a conduit," began Matt Buban, looking thoughtful, "for doing things and dealing with situations that have application in one's own life-" "Like killing trolls!" Kyle Marquis was not about to let the co-archon invest their game with undue philosophical significance. "Games can be total flights of fantasy, or they can be ve1y heavy allegory," continued Nat Schwartz. ''Most often it's entertainment, quite often escapism. It beats getting drunk to forget your problems; you can immerse yourself in the problems of someone else. Someone who doesn't really exist." Mr. Schwartz seemed to have struck upon a truth about the nature of all games in that remark, as anyone reading Pascal's remarks on man's propensity to divert himself could attest. "Bytheway," added Mr. Buban, "mention Gus." Transl ti n ru Test ment to By Summer Star, '04 more than ever I simply read the Russian and The tradition of reading Anna Karenina be done. I do not, of course, and so considerevery summer began when I received it at sixation of this version draws from the two teen. As with all good traditions, it was hardly sources I have otherwise: a knowledge of the expected to be one-even while secretly rootprevious translations and, more importantly, ing itself as I read-and every June since has what understanding I have of Anna Karenina been remembered and seen to grow as vigoritself; so, together, how the old translations ous as only such a work could ensure. get at the truth and how, I imagine, the new I readAnnaKareninaoutside that first sumone lives up to this meaning. mer. No book had been as complemented by Pevear and Volokhonsky themselves are the effects of open-air, and seeming distracnothing new. Having collaborated on and been tions of gnats and scratching grass somehow praised for their translations of works by made my experience of reading the Tolstoy's descriptions something richer. I've heard his characters called "robust" in nearly every conversation I've had about the book, and it would be difficult (as well as foolish) to argue. From the sumptuous living of Stepan Arkadyich to Levin's day of mowing with the muzhiks, Tolstoy plunges us into the physical-and holds us there. Never do a character's thoughts quite abstract from his body, but rather move him so that, even in their midst, realization of his own or another's body in the world is never far. And while many authors (if they give portraits at alQ may do some simple opening outline of form, of face, a few notes on particular features, and then leave these behind for the rest of the work, Tolstoy's never done with his description. Karenin's "swelled veins," his wife's "full body," and her own lover's broad, hard physique resurge throughout the novel's length-impressions that become almost like themes in a piece of music or epic, bringing the character with them each time that they return. I read Anna Karemna again this past June, on a lawn or creek-side when !could manage, feeling the warmth and blood in me as only afternoon sun and descriptions of ruddy-faced peasants could have made me but Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and other great Russian in truth I had begin my traditional reading authors, Anna Karenina received due notice at its debut, most particularly, of course, for the some time earlier-in bookstores. two aspects that so clearly Set it apart: the expla. The new translation of AnnaKarenina, by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, caught nation of patronymics and the bold rendering my attention last spring when I saw a group in of Tolstoy's original language. The importance of address quickly becomes the bookstore trying to decide just what the clear to anyone reading Russian literature of new book's jacket was depicting (and yes, those sweet-~eas, not hydrangea). From there I the period. Where formality itself has such a egan reading chapters in the bookstore any grand domain that intimacy becomes somebo0 k star~ w h en I had a moment, trying to thing precious and evocative when found, this ' crack out Just what was great in it and wishing must be expressed through the way people speak to one another. Just as, in the novel, :e .. .... . . . . . .. '' Is one's relations towards another are expressed through address, so the reader also has the plan of society laid before him when the variations of address are used and, likewise, reserved. At the out-set of Pevear and Volokhonsky's translation a brief explanation of the custom is made-of the different components of a full name, when it is used, and when the diminutive would be employed instead. Most of us can probably intuit what it means when Anna and V ronsky finally refer to each other with diminutives in public and how this signals the sort of relationship they, as an unwed pair, have with society-open about their intimacy, as opposed to the way in which, before, they would only use these names when all alone. The relationships that they signal between friend and acquaintance however, may be subtler to those not familiar with the culture and for this, completeness (even if it means complexity) is vital. Friendships and alliances such as those between Alexei Alexandrovich and Countess Lydia Ivanovna which changes into something more familiar when the former separates from his wife, are uncertain relations, not confirmed or laid open to society or the friends themselves, until the way they address one another is set. It is a simple guide to patronymics that the new translation gives us, but a helpful one, nonetheless, and combined with the careful adherence to the structure (in narration as well as dialogue), makes the dynamics of characters wonderfully complete as well as comprehensible. What is certainly most striking about this new translation however, and about what Pevear and Volokhonsky convey, is the depth, abruptness, and power of Tolstoy's own language. An example of Nabokov's is referred to in the translator's note emphasizing Tolstoy's "readiness to admit an; robust awkwardness if that is the shortest way to sense." In the passage he refers to, "extraordinary" is used in two consecutive sentences in the description of a panicked train station. As Nabokov notes, the two subjects (the color of the stationmaster's hat and the unknown cause of the panic), have nothing in common that the repetition would be significant at all; both were very simply "extraordinary" and so Tolstoy calls them just that. continued on page 19 .................................... '' : 17 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Anna; Karenina ch prah Ni Nietzsche: Well, I've developed this theory Oprah: And what do you think of our I call the uberwench. The modem woman who's President? Is he the new man you write about? transcended all worries about weight. Nietzsche: He is the last loafer. Actually, a Oprah: Wow, Fred, how is this possible? grotesque of the last loafer. The Loafer in Nietzsche: Well, she goes from being an Chief. The Uber Loafer. A manifestation of overweight soul to an oversoul. Simply by re- democracy's desire to sleep. A symbol of moving "weight." So, now, instead of saying stunted horizons and low expectations. 'Tm overweight," and feeling sad and defeated Oprah: Now where can we get your book, by theStunn undDrangof it all, today's woman Fred? can say "I'm oversoul!," and yearn to rush out Nietzsche: My book is on sale at and take back Alsace-Lorraine!, er, I mean her GiordanoBrunoisABigFatWimp.com. But for some reason nobody seems to go there. personal power. Oprah: Well, Fred, I've read your other Oprah: We have to take a break. But when books, "Twilight of the Rock Idols," "Beyond we come back, Fred Nietzsche is going to lead Beyond Good and Evil," and "Spinoza Is Still several audience members in a metaphysical Dead."Now,iflmayparaphrasewhatyou're makeover! Especially helpful if you have zero generally saying, the bourgeois mock-heroic self-esteem from listening to Laura Schlesinger shenanigans, as you call them, of bored rich every day. Stay tuned. We'll be right back with men floating around the world in hot air bal- Fred Nietzsche! loons, of our extreme interest in extreme James M. Crotty desires to rule...himself. He sports, our obsession with face-lifted, can be reachedatfim@Monk.com. liposucked, and tummy-tucked celebrities of mediocre talent, our deranged focus on the sexual peccadilloes of elected leaders, are all examples of the funneling of our will to power into trivial pursuits and away from genuine heroism, exemplified by the likes of Julius Caesar, Napoleon, andFredNietzsche. It seems you believe that we still have the instinctual yearning to dominate "nature," to win recognition for our domination, but in our free market posthistorical democracy the achievements of the dangerously great become defanged by mass media. The will to power at its highest, with its concomitant virtues of solitude, courage, intelligence, and a kind of species-enhancing tough love (as opposed to emasculatingJudeo-Christian pity), gets diverted into a vacuous will to fame, regardless of virtue. For example, Madonna's triumph is not one of incisive content, but of misdirected will. Not of genuine love for others, but of solipsistic love of self, with its mock transgressions leading to a destruction of species spirit. In fact, you argue that saccharine feel-good victim shows like my own are killingthehearty, courageous, and noble virtues humans reFred Niet:zsche's Book ofAphorisms For Today's vered before Judeo-Christian Women. Tell us a bit about your little book, "slave morality" appeared on ANNE8ETH BUNKER Fred. the world stage. Ovmer Nietzsche: Yo. By James M. Crotty, GI Friedrich Nietzsche was on Oprah last week. Maybe you caught him. Oprah: Today we have a very special guest, Fred Nietzsche, who's a philosopher, a philologist, and an insanely witty man, with a fascinating story to tell. Fred, I understand you were raised Lutheran? Nietzsche: Yes, all great Germans are raised in the clear blue-eyed spirit of Martin Luther, whose Bible is the only genuine German contribution to world literature. Lutherans are not as lazy as Roman Catholics, mind you, but still part of the Christian-ecclesiastical corruption unleashed on the world. Oprah: And what were your parents like? Nietzsche: The normal herd. Oprah: But those are your parents, Fred! Nietzsche: Ruminating cows. Oprah: Any women in your life? Nietzsche: Truth is a woman. Oprah: Any success in pursuing her? Nietzsche: She will not let herself be won! Oprah: And why not? Nietzsche: This question makes me feel sad and discouraged (Mr. Nietzsche pulls out a handkerchief and starts to cry). Oprah: Well, let's talk a little about growing up "Fred" in "the fatherland." How would you describe your spirit, Fred? You know, that core of you that says "this is Fred Nietzsche. This is what Fred wants today. This is how Fred likes to be taken care of." Fred: The geist (still sniveling). I did it all for the geist. Hegel had it all wrong. My geist, my geist, MY GEIST! Oprah: I see. Well, how do you get in touch with your "geist 1" Fred? Do you meditate? Do you pray? Do you do Yoga? How do you stay close to that deep centeredFred Nietzsche place? Nietzsche: Well, Oprah (stifling the sniveling), I find that writing nasty screeds against dutiful German do-gooders and soulless British atomizers centers me in that transvalued place I call Fred. Oprah: Now, you have a new book. Nietzsche: Yes, Frau Wmfrey. I would very much appreciate it if you could mention it. Oprah: Here it is-can we get a close-up?- 18 THE GADFLY 0 o Io to I! Io o Io o Io o' o o O gram that opens the novel, jealousy, revenge, ment to the power of expressive translation and even happiness remain as they are in any and bring us as close to the deeply felt lif~ The effect of this directness on the reader is other version. The deep physicality that Pevear Tolstoy wrote of as we can get. especially compelling when compared with the and Volokhonsky raise about us-of spring lighter way language is handled in other trans- air "filled with the vapors of the reviving earth" and the "springing muscle" in a rider's sore lations. calf- would be present with the barest of sugAn example could be taken from chapter five of part three, when Levin (Constantin gestion. Whether we would be as susceptible, Dmitrich) rejoins the line of his mowers after however, is quite a different matter. Although I would have been very much breakfast. The translation by O:mstance Garnett prepared to, I did not have to finish the novel opens thus "After lunch Levin was not in the same place in the string of mowers as before, on Bookstore benches all summer, and celbut stood between the old man who had ac- ebrated the third year of my tradition with a costed him jocosely ... and a young peasant." new copy of Anna Karenina. The vigorous The same opening in the Maude version (over- approach Pevear and Volokhonsky take to all the most archaic rendering) has the same Tolstoy's work, following his own robust and passage saying "After breakfast Levin got placed complex use of language has its effect. Withbetween a humorous old man who invited out reserve one is opened to the heart of him to be his neighbor and a young peasant Tolstoy's images and comes perhaps as close as ... " Garnett, in the former translation, certainly possible to realizing the same spirit of flesh gets at the jagged character of the peasant with and blood that one reads of in the novel. I her words, but, I don't think one could read would still probably enjoy a hay-field, if one them without feeling even more than this the were around to go read in-and wouldn't we awkwardness of her own language. It is diffi- all? But until there is one, Pevear and cult to read, and, in the end, gives one no defi- Volokhonsky will at least stand as a true testanite image of the man at all. The latter, translated by Maude, is still more blunted in its effect. Simply calling him humorous ignores the jabs he first deals Levin on arriving, and makes nothing of the development later on when This week we would like to reinaugurate an old feature of the Gadfly. In years past, editors they share their simple dinner by a willow. of the paper would post different forms of artwork around campus and solicit critical reIn contrast to both of these versions is the spon.ses fr?m. polity. members. D:pending upon ~ommunity interest and our ability to new translation, that "After breakfast Levin publish. with im~umty :-'hat may 1.ndeed be copynghted material, we would like to print landed not in his former place in line, but bemterestmg maten~s and mte~retat1ons thereof. We think that the works merit responses of tween an old joker who invited him to be his at le~t 500 w~rds m length; 1f you have something interesting to say, please do, and if you neighbor and a young muzhik ... "There is readihave information a~out any binding copyrights, feel free to tell no one. (Except maybe me so ness in this description. It is not awkward and that I can better devise a scheme to blame the infringement on my editor.) This week, a poem yet conveys the brusqueness of the old man and next week your thoughts. himself. We recognize him at once from when -Anderson Tallent, I&I Editor Levin spoke with him before, and will grow to like his coarseness even as Levin does when his As Kingfishers Catch Fire good nature is realized. continued fron"z page 17 o o o •' • o o o o o o • o o o o o 'o I' I I I' t 0 t 0 t Your Ideas Wanted for l&I By GerardManley Ho-pkins There is something to be said, of course f?r simp~e translations. The Maude may souncl st!ly at times, especially in dialogue, with its high-flown language (as when Levin later describes the same old man as "a fine old man" he"chummed up with" and "a charming fellow"). But the heart of Tolstoy's images and the content of a character's speech itself could not ~ewholly ruined by a less expressive word~01ce. In some ways it is true that saying less 15 tndeed saying more, and so perhaps broader tenns.could l~ave one to interpret more about what is described or being spoken. d' .Anna~are.nina does not become anything · ifferent m this new translation. Like the epi- •• As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame; As tumbled over rim in roundy wells Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's Bow sw:ung finds tongue to fling out broad its name; Each mortal thing does one thing and the same: Deals out that being indoors each one dwells; Selves - goes itself; myself it speaks and spells, Crying, What I do is me: for that I came. I say more: the just man justices; Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces; Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his To the Father through the features of men's faces. t •••••••••• ' ••• ' •••••• •' 'o' ' • ' ' ' ' I > I I 0 I 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 : 19 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O. Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 old saw goes) that they can't compete with the best of their eastern brethren. You Make the Call. Last week's puzzler was won by the frosh soccer standout, who plays for the Waves, Mr. Goldsmith. The correct answer is no goal, and restart play with an indirect free kick. And now for this week's question. In soccer, a player takes a direct free kick from 20 yards. The player passes the ball back to his or her goalkeeper who does not touch it, and the ball goes into the goal. What's the call? First one to me with the correct answer goes to Pizza Express on me. Not S "The best way to be a bum and make a living is to be a sportswriter." Damon Runyon The women's soccer season got underway with a superb game this past Friday, with the combined Green/Maroon team battlingto a tie with the combine Red/Blue team, 3-3. It is great to see Quinby Owen once again displaying her great soccer skills on the Annapolis campus soccer pitch after a two-year hiatus in SantaFe. She and fellow team captain Miss Gregory are a formidable pair and work the ball up the field together very beautifully. But the most beautiful shot in this high scoring game came off the foot of Miss Alexander, who scored from 20 yards out with very little angle to tie the game with timing running out. Athlete of the Week honors forthe women goes to the freshman Miss CaraLammey. Miss Lammey is not only making her presence known out on the soccer field, but she can also be seen bright and early down at the boathouse learning to row in the novice program. For her unabashed having a go, Miss Lammey is name Athlete of the Week. Shot of the Week in the men's soccer league has got to be Mean Lou Kovacs's blast from twenty five yards out with only two minutes left to help the Hustlers squeak by the Waves in this past weekend's hard fought contest. Mr. Dawson played a great game of goal for the Waves. Mr. Kovacs's goal simply could not have been stopped by any goalie anywhere, are you with me? Athlete of the Week honors forthe men goes to Waves hard working all around jock Mr. Okrent, atransferfromSantaFe. Mr. Okrent played one helluva football game this past Wednesday, and then played some tough dee in the Waves soccer match with the Hustlers. Apparently, not all SantaFe transfers are so mellow, and so laid back, and so totally burnt out (as the 20 : This Week's Sports Schedule WetbzeWy Noon-Yoga in the gym 7pm-Weight Training Practicum with Mr. Grenke in the Weight Room Thursday 4pm-Yoga in the FSK Dance Studio Tuesday, Thursday & Friday Noon-Stretch & Flex Exercise Class in the gym Specials Coffee Shop 263-2371 x2179 Wed. 9I12 Thurs. 9/13 Fri. 9/14 Mon. 9/17 Tues. 9/18 BBQ Chicken Sandwich Pepperoni or Veggie Calzone Tuna Melt on Bagel Stuffed Deep Dish Pesto Pizza Chili Cheese Dogs Each Special is accompanied by a small side order and a 20 oz. fountain soda for only 1 • pus tax $3 29 At our Admiral Dr. location (in the center with Wawa) Delivery Drivers- $8-$15/hr. Inside Help- $6-$7/hr. Flexible shedule. Great Working Environment Come by the Coffee Shop and ask for Ray. THE GADFLY ................................................... . � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 20 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 4 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-09-11 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 4 of The Gadfly. Published September 11, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #4 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/4c6ecacf451bcd4e4f3897325c3de607.pdf 1b7e7977ecc4bdb22626bdd8aad3fd69 PDF Text Text The St ]aim 's College Student Weekly Annapolis, Maryland Volume XXIII, Issue 5 September 12, 2001 ·························· s a IAL N • I ITI n N·························· risis Hits �"1 I A Note on this issue: Contributing to this Issue Martin Anderson G.AugustDeimel Elizabeth Laughlin Laura Mangum George Monroy Christopher Nelson Melissa Thomas Kristin Warner .... ....... .............. ' ....... ' ' ' Area hurches For those who would like to attend services or merely pray with other people, many area churches are holding services and prayer vigils over the coming week. This is an incomplete list of area churches, and we can't guarantee that every one of them will do something beyond their normal routine. Several people today will be checking to see what kinds of things are available, and the best advice we can give is simply to ask around. We apologize for having no list of synagogues or other houses of worship beyond churches. If you know of services being held somewhere other than these places, there are surely people who would want to know and it would be kind if you put up a notice somewhere or told the administration so that they can distribute information. Bay AreaBaptist Church St. Anne's Episcopal Church: 410-267-9335 St. Mary's Catholic Church: 410-263-2396 Anchor Baptist: 410-647 -9614 Evangelical.Presbyterian: 410-266-8090 First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis: 410-267-8705 Christ our Anchor Presbyterian Church: 410-974-1713 Temple Baptist Allstudentswishingtopraywithagroupare encouraged to come Wednesdayni?}tat 7:00pm to the Chase-Stone basement to pray with the Christian Fellowship. Prayer-requests can also be gi,ven to members ofthe Christian Fellowship in person or by phone or e-mail {christianfellowship@jca.edu). 2 : In this tiny four-page special issue of the Gadfly we have compiled as much information as we could in the span of little more than a few hours. Most of it was written last night and it was edited and laid out this morning. It includes information that we hope can be helpful in someway. We have statements from the administration, a summary of events for everyone who is still unclear as to what exactly happened, and some brief news of the college community and the larger community around us. Right now information is hard to come by. As we tried to find useful stories yesterday we constantly found ourselves being frustrated by conflicting or blatantly inaccurate reports. Unfortunately, we cannot make any guarantees about the accuracy of anything we present here except to say that to the best of our knowledge, at the time of its writing all the information that's here was true. I wanted to personally thank everyone who helped make this special edition of the Gadfly possible. Many people who have never worked on the paper before gave very generously of their time to produce something that would be useful to all of us. I hope that we have succeeded and this information helps you in some way. If not, the blame rests solely with me and no one else. The dust has not yet settled, figuratively or in some cases literally. During this crisis the Gadfly will do what you want it to do. If there is something you would like us to write about in our next regularly scheduled issue (next Tuesday), please tell us. If there is something you would like to say in these pages, we will support you. If, on the other hand, everyone would rather not see us write about this whole mess and move on with, so to speak, our regularly scheduled programming, that works as well. Wearen'tthe WashingtonPostandwearen't CNN. There are better outlets to find out about whatisgoingoninD.C.andNewYork Butwe have all been affected by this in one way or another. Our life as a community has been disrupted, and we can already see the effects of what has happened to our nation trickling down to us here in Annapolis. Perhaps we can't do anything to affect the situation nationally. However, we can pray, we can hope, and we can support each other and come together as a community to mourn, to rebuild and to move on. My hope is that the Gadfly will do everything it can to support this process. G. August Deimel News Editor Up at Presid nt Addresses N tion By The Gadfly Staff Blood Donations One of the single greatest sights available to witness yesterday was our local blood bank. People from all around had poured into the facility, which described the response as "overwhehning." A fact of which we can all be proud is that many of those who responded were Johnnies. At a little after two o'clock, several of us visited the blood center in order to donate. The facility was packed to well beyond capacity, and blood center officials turned away potential donors in droves. By most estimates the line at that point was anywhere from two to four hours long. As we looked around at who the people waiting to donate were, it occurred to us that nearly a third were from St.John's. Ifyou would like to donate, the blood center has told us that there will be an increased demand for blood over the next two weeks. Don't feel guilty for not going in immediately, as it's better for them if their supply is spread out over time. They are keeping extended hours for the time being and would appreciate people coming in both this week and next. The facility, which is associated with Anne Arundel Medical C.enter is at 51 Franklin St. on the fourth floor. Their hours are from Sam to 9pm Monday through Friday, but they may be extended. There are plans to open the blood bank on Saturday but we don't yet know what their hours will be. The phone number of the blood bank is 410-280-6564. By Laura Mangum, '04 "Today our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack." The statement from a solemn-faced man filled the visual airwaves and impacted the ears of the millions of Americans who tuned in to hear President Bush's address to the nation at 8:30 on Tuesday evening. The people of the nation, shocked by the unbelievable and outrageous terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington,D.C., tumedtotothatsomber man for answers, assurance, and action. The President, who, in accordance with security measures, had been aboard Air Force One most of the day, yoiced the obvious feelings of everyone in the country, that the attack was an "evil act of terror," and "mass murder." He then went on to assure his audience that the" country is strong, a great people," and that it would endure the situation. The President commended the actions of the city emergency workers and police, and the citizens around the country who clamored to donate blood as soon as they learned ofthe disaster. He then proceeded to assure the country of our military strength, saying that the military' s main mission was to "protect our citizens at home and around the world" The President then presented plainly, to any in the world who may have possibly doubted, the gravity of the situation and the consequences of standing in the way of justice. He stated that America would "make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." President Bush went on to recite a few lines from the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Psalms, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You arewith me." He closed in the same mannerthat many of his predecessors have in such times, when they called on a greater strength to strengthen the country and ahigher power to lift it up, saying simply, "God bless America." Roads Tiiis morning, road which had been blocked including State Circle and College Ave. were opened by the State Police. There are no other known road closing in the Annapolis area and neitherthe State Police nor the Governor have indicated that there will be any without further provoeation. Academy Confusion is clearly the order of the day across the street. Nearly every midshipman that people ~to yesterday described the scene as chaotic. As of late last night, the midshipmen had not ?~en briefed about their situation and had re. =their only news about the situation from ; .·. . h i •.• Th~ academy has been on strict lockdown. :;;;~~JI".atune midshipmen were confined to their decks (equivalent to adorm room floor). Nowordonwhetherthis is still the case, though with the threat condiction reduced to G:mdition Bravo this morning, that is unlikely. Civilian personnel are returning, and although last night every gate except gate 8was locked, other gates opened up this morning. Only people on official business carrying proper ID are currently being let onto the Academy grounds. Marines in fatigues bearing M-16 now stand at every gate looking decidedly grim. We have received too many conflicting reports of what is happening with the Mids to have any idea what is or is not true. While news reports have said that classes are cancelled indefinitely, several people inside the academy claim that classes will proceed as scheduled. Unconfirmed rumors have come in from people saying that the Mids have all been told to change into fatigues and prepare to move out, yet others adamantly maintain that not only isn't this true but that midshipmen do not deploy under any circumstances. One thing that is clearly unambiguous about the Academy is the mood. Many midshipmen have learned that they had family involved in the attacks and anger is running at afever pitch. Talkingto the Gadflyovertheintemet last night, one midshipman said that "we all want blood... we want to get revenge." The consensus of those who have talked to midshipmen is that they are lookingforwar. Oncethereisadearenemy, the men and women of the Naval Academy will be very disappointment if our response is anything less that a rapid annihilation of that group or nation. Our flag Many people have noted that our flags are not at half-mast. Normally, security receives a fax from the Governor's office telling them to lower the flags whenever there is a period of national mourning. They have not yet received such a fax, suggesting that the President has not yet given the order. We can only speculate as to if this means anything. One interesting note: traditionally flags are not lowered when your nation is under attack, as that is a sign of surrender. Student Reaction The reaction of students here has been extremely varied For those of us with friends and loved ones on the island of Manhattan or who work in the Pentagon it has been a period of nervous waiting. Few people have appeared unshaken and even morning classes held before the full story of what had happened came out have been said have had a different mood than is usual. One student, when it was announced in one of his Tuesday morning classes that the Pentagon had been hit rushed out of class to discover if his father (working only a few hundred yards from the crash) had been injured. Most people simply settled for swapping rumors. Accounts of afternoon classes are all over the map. Several attempted to continue with their work, encountering varyillg degrees of success. Many classes lacked tutors, and those that didn't lacked any significant number of students. Few classes failed to talk about it at all and many spent the whole class period talking about their feelings toward the situation. One music class is said to have put away the reading in favor of singing their favorite songs from the music manual. the Gadfly is told that they sang a great deal of chant among other things. Supposedly a French class came to an abrupt end when, after attempting to move forward with the work the class paused for several minutes not saying anything until one student said something along the lines of "I can't be here" and left. Both the phone banks and television have been in constant use. Mr. Nelson last night said that he has been gratified that students have been taking advantage of the services that the school has provided for this period. Nobody has yet, to the knowledge of anyone in either the administration or the Gadfly staff, reported a story of losing a friend or loved one. : 3 THE GADFLY ....... ' ..... ' ' ' ..... ' ' ' .. ' ...... ' ..... ' . ' ......... ' THE GADFLY .. : .. '.' �r m th September 12, 2001 To: The College Community From: Christopher B. Nelson We still await word from our families and loved ones, friends and associates, the news media and our leaders of government in the wake of the attacks on the United States in New York, WashingtonandPennsylvania Uncertainty breeds anxiety of all sorts. We at the college are a community, and we have available to us the benefits of community. I want to say afewwords about what this means and what we are doing while we wait to hear more from the outside. Security: Concern has been expressed about the safety of this campus from further terrorist attacks; you may have heard reports in the press that the Maryland State House, or perhaps the U.S. Naval Academy, have been secondary targets. We are in touch with the State House, the Naval Academy communications officers, the State Police and the Annapolis Police Department. We have no cause to be unduly alarmed that there is a present threat to Annapolis from what we learned. If we hear otherwise, you will know immediately. We have learned thatthe particular eleven-city bulletin referred to by our Governor, saying that Annapolis was a target, was a hoax. In the event of some emergency, we will gather in the FSK auditorium. Notice of developments, security issues, and college bulletins will be posted on the coffee shop doors, dining hall doors, and glass doors in Mellon Hall. Travel: All major forms of public transportation have been shut down or are on modified schedules: airports, railroads, ferries, metros, subways, etc. Highways outside of Washington are becoming less congested, but people are urged not to travel. College officials have cancelled all scheduled trips out of town this week and next. Some members of the community, including students, will need to return home to their families. We only ask that you check in with the Security Office to learn of any developments along the highway system, and please let Ms. Kronsberg or Mr. Ranson, both in the Assistant Dean's Office. know of your plans to be away from campus. Classes and Office Hours: As most of our students will be on campus, we at the college will be open for them. Those members of the staff andfacultywho need to be home with children 4 : THE GADFLY id n or others should take the time they require. We ask those who can be on campus to come and be there for others. Wewillremainopenandnotcloseouroperations. This is not because we think we can conduct "business as usual," but precisely because we know "business as usual" is no longer possible. We are open to minister to the needs ofourcommunity. Some structure will be helpful to some; to others it will not. In these first few days, we will deal with the things that come our way. While classes are not cancelled officially because we think this is unwise under these circumstances, neither are we requiring attendance. Each classwillfindits own way in decidingwhether to do the work of the class or to talk through the circumstances we face and the shock we all feel. Counseling: Our counseling office is open to all. Brenda Robertson is seeing students.We have other professional counselors, personal, emotional and spiritual, on call. Our college physician is on alert as well. Of course, members of the faculty and staff will be on campus and are available to talk with students. Communications: We have, in the first hours, directed all calls to the Mellon office wing (extensions 2511, 2512, 2513) so that messages can be taken and delivered. These are now being routed as well to dormitories and elsewhere. We have established a phone bank for your use in the Baldwin Room in the basement of Campbell Hall. We encourage you to please call home and let your families know how you are faring; call those you are worried about. The college will cover these charges. While e-mail is slow, it is still up and running. Phones are still extremely busy around the country. What can we do? How can you help? None of us have ever been through anything like this. We ask only that you please let us know if you see a need that you think should be addressed but is not. Please let us know how we can help each other and how you think we should be helping others too. There are no words for what is in our hearts; this may be a time instead to attend to the needs of others.We know the thoughts and prayers of the entire college community are with those suffering the greatest distress, and we are thus all the more grateful for the strength of community and spirit that we can findhere in each other. Christopher B. Nelson Su m f v n : By George Monroy The effects of : yesterday's terrorist '. attacks have yet to : settle and already gov'. ernment officals sus: pect Saudi renegade '. leader Osama Bin : Ladin.Earlyyesterday ; morning four hijacked jetliners traveled a deadly : path toward the World Trade Center, the Penta: gon, and Camp David. Preliminary numbers es: timate over 3,000 fatalities. The latter target was ; fortunately averted, as the Newark to San : Francisico flight crashed down in Pennsylvannia, ; though the pentagon and World Trade Center : were not allowed the same reprieve. : At approximately 8:45 am United Airlines : flight 175 collided with the north tower of the '. World Trade Center; the flight carried 65 passen: gers. Twenty-three minutes later at 9:08 am United '. Airlines flight 11, carrying 92 passengers hit the : south end of the World Trade Center. New York '. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani released an approximate : death and injury toll of 2,250 people, among '. those were 200 fire fighters. It is believe that the : final count will be significantly larger. : "Freedom itself was attacked this morning : and I assure you freedom will be defended," af'. firmed President Bush in an afternoon radio ad: dress. . A third hijacked jetliner destroyed the west : wing of the Pentagon and by offical estimates, '. killed and injured 100 people. Despite such a trag~ : edy, the Pentagon will continue to conduct op'. erations, as there are no plans to dose the build- : mg. : Government officials place the blame on Bin : Lad.in, citing evidence such as "significant indica; tors" and "communication intercepts," though : no further information has been released. . A third World Trade Center building collapsed : at approximately 5: 15 pm. The building had pre'. viously been evacuated. According to media sources, the Iraqi news : media has praised the terrorist attacks as the op: eration of the century. ; "We will find the people responsible for these : cowardly acts and justice will be done," retorted '. AttorneyGeneralJohnAshcroft. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 4 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 5 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-09-12 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 5 of The Gadfly. Published Septeber 12, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #5 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/802ac30497d5646eb25d2faf5127274c.pdf f4acf947be818a61c200caf563dab37d PDF Text Text 7he St John~ College Student Weekly Volume XXIII, Issue 6 Annapolis, Maryland September25,2001 h Min rity �Gadfly M ilb THE A ;vn I simply can't work out any ide~ o~ my 0 at all, and put words to them, m ui:ie w.ith the conversation. I am too busy pictunng Editor-in-Chief '. Dear Gadfly, . . the situation someone else presents to re: Mr. MacLean kindly raised the issues that Hayden Brockett spond immediately. In th~s way, !often fall '. have plagued my life here for the past th~ee back upon my own trams of thoughtProduction Managers : years. Although I cannot present anythmg which frequently enough are just o~tside the Martin Anderson : other than a personal case, the concerns stembounds of the discussion. What mterests Melissa Thomas : ming from it are general. me-what I would say-cannot be said in the '. Frankly and at the outset: I ai:1 a stud~nt context of the conversation. What I do say : with a notorious history of pamed qmetSection Editors is what I believe to be lacking i~ the p~ese~­ : ness. I can say only that other quiet stuNews: G. August Deimel tation on the table. Perhaps this reaction ts '. dents do not personally offend me, or seem Features: Laura Mangum grounded in a need to f~el some i.nte~rity : to threaten the life of any of my classes. Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent within myself in the midst of a ~1sonent­ Sports: John Cooper : What is of concern, I believe, is not any threat ing situation. This is a shortco~mg on my : to the community that might come directly part. In assuming my personal ideas to '. from quiet students, but whether students Contributing to this Issue of more importance to me than the exercise '. like myself are missing-and a~e perhaps George Monroy of conversation, I commit what may be a Jeff Armel : incapable of attaining-somet~mg cru~i~l Justin Naylor fundamental sin against the standpoint of TracyGUn : with regard to their own educations. This is Katherine Nehring Sarah Consbruck the College. . Cecily Martin (photos) : the sense I have from my intense awareness Aaron Collier I'm not sure I foresaw this effect: I had Comics '. of how my classes functi~n ~nd of how I Cooper N. Gallimore Sir Robert Burbridge : am, in respect to their functiomng that way, hoped, as a prospective, that r. would u~­ Rhonda Franklin dergo a miraculous transformatlo~ (there is Nate Eagle Mike Maguire : deficient. This is not a defense I feel the something rewarding about hol~mg forth '. need to give because I believe myself obje~in a group of pe 9 ple that I had, ~n fact, alFoundedin 1980, the Gadjlyisthestudentweekly : tionable; I am not objection~ble, but nei- ways dreamed of) from the environment distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and : ther am I wholly in accord with t.he operaalone. Perhaps my soul was not ~repared. t ff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors : tional standard. I give my case history bePerhaps it never will be. The ~act.is, others ::eriti, members of the Board of Visitors and : low. can and do spend less time thm.kmg about Governors, and the offices at the St. !o~'s Santa : Granted that St.John's belongs to stuthe readings yet naturally and, it seems, efFe campus. Op~n~~ns expressed w1thm are~;. '. dents who think out loud, I thin~'. mainly, the sole responsibility of the autho~(s). The G . : on a er The difficulty lies, specifically, m fortlessly send out the words they do. Somefly reserves the right to accept, reject, ~f,dhe:t : tht:o~ent of intuition (intuition in the thing prevents their rising.in m~ (though I submissions in any way necessary to pu is e : . 1 f D. . n of could write them with a little time). I see most tho\lgl.it.f\ll, iQ.fpp;n,a~i:v~, <1Ilq t;ho.ugh~-gr9- : Cartesian. sense, Ru es or irectlo others participating in this way-pretty vok·i~g ~ewspaper which circumstances at St. : Mind), which unf~rtunately for ~e d~es not much the way I do in orals, p~per ~onfer­ John's permit. '. retain its connection t? the logical cir~um,: ences, and one-on-one situat10ns i~ g~n­ : stances that produced it. As soon as I see eral-and cannot help feeling I am mis~mg Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better : something (a math proof, for example), I something, although I am fair~y reconciled chance of being publishe~ than t~ose lon~er than : lose accounts. A train of words does run that I must hold myself to a different stanthis limit. Letters ~ubilltted ~ill ~e edited for : through my head, but is generally detached dard. Whether or not such a different stangrammar, p~ctuat10:i, and spelli~t~:s:~::~ : from the real issue at hand either for my The Gadfly is not ob~1gated to pu s b s. . : . d or the discussion. Bringing the words dard exists coherently in the eyes of the sions and will not pnnt anonymous su rmss1ons . mm . College has caused me some un~asiness. 'al · tances · and the images together is a constant unexcept under spec1 crrcums . . h' b My tutors have accepted me, hitherto, be'. dertaking. Perhaps others have: is pro cause I am very alive intellectuall~ and cerYearly subscriptions are available for $30.00: Tax- : lem, too, and are simply stronger mtellect~­ tainly benefit from classes, bot~ m the dedeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. . ally and so overcome it ~ore qui~kly .. It is velopment of my thought, and m my relaPlease make checks payable to the Gadfly. For : true that, with some subJects and situation~, display advertisement prices and information, call : I experience this less. But, as it is, a link is tionship to conversation. (I have in fact grown in both respect~: the second type of 410-263-2371, x2212. '. missing that enables me to s~y what I ''.s~e" benefit I noticed by Christmas freshman ~ear. . . : and "see" what others say with the rapidity I could deal with strange ideas and viewDeadline· Saturday at 3p.m., un1 perrmss1on . ess . del~ is ranted in advance. Submissions : called for by most occas1o~s. . points more rapidly. I could relate to those ~~the ac~ept:d as long as they are legibly writIt is true that conversatl~~s mvolve c~m­ I could not have related to before.) Evert ten, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-ma~l sub- . mon ground between par:1c1~ants ..r thmk one one of my tutors once sa1 , has his 'd missions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail sub- '. I have grown capable of fmdt~g this along ow~ style and means of participation. Bearmissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. : with my classes, but often don t stay there. Apologia ?e 2 . . THE GADFLY I I I 0 0 o o o 0 o 0 o 0 0 I 0 I I 0 I 0 I I ' ' . t''.'.' ' •.... ........... ing this brought me immense relief. But I know others think differently. My own education is going just fine-unless, of COlirse, what matters to an individual student's education here lies not in what he learns, what new ideas he takes away, but somehow lies in the act of conversation itself, in which those with different styles may engage in different ways. On the one scale, students of my order are not even ideologically reprehensible; but on the other scale, there may be heights of development we (assuming there are others) are incapable of reaching that nevertheless are central to any student's task at the College. The centrality to the program of the virtues pertaining specifically to speaking persistently and at length is my concern. Although, as stated, I don't believe we are in danger as a community from quietness, the above question-whether the purpose of education lies in learning things and being involved with the ideas of the program and one's classmates, or instead lies somehow in the intellectual exercise of conversation-is a serious one. To this higher standard we may, I fear, be accountable: it consists, I imagine, in a still higher readiness to accommodate strange thoughts, place them, and work on them rationally; a more rapid and trained "seeing" of what one hears. These are virtues for me because they are my deficiencies. Whether these virtues are the primary purpose of our work here determines how far students such as myself should be accepted. Any quieter means of reaching for such virtues, should such means exist, would be the criteria of our acceptance. Sincerely, Blakely Phillips, '02 ................................ Conversation May Cause Se/f-C onsciousness Dear Gadfly, It is obvious from Mr. MacLean' s article in last week's Gadfly that my position on the issue of the discussion of quiet students needs to be clarified. I wrote my letter to the Gadfly ago because I was concerned that the polity, particuaddressed to people who [their] education," might be misconan opportunity to use the newspa- per as an outlet for complaining about parMr. MacLean and I agree that a discussion ticular individuals under the guise of blanket of the role of quiet students involves a postatements about quiet people in a conversa- tential risk of, as he puts it, "an increased sense tion, instead of dealing with individual prob- of self-awareness among shy, silent students." lems directly. We disagree on the question of whether the My concern would probably be unneces- risk is worth the potential benefits. I don't sary if "quiet students" constituted a huge ma- think the risk is appropriate because I don't jority of the polity, but that is simply not the see a strong enough possibility for taking that case (as Mr. MacLean says, "conversation is the risk to solve any problems; indeed, I think it is lifeblood of our Program"). The fact is that likely to cause more problems. Mr. MacLean even a general discussion in the Gadfly about feels that, since "the collective educational exthe role of quiet students would necessarily perience of every student at St.John's is very bedirectedatarelativelysmallgroupofpeople. much dependent upon the contributions of Between the two of us, Mr. MacLean and I every other student," quiet students are "inoffer several examples of even smaller sub- deed a major problem," and, for the good of groups of quiet students, each with a differ- the College as a whole, the risk must be taken ent reason for and degree of being quiet: those so that the problem can be solved. Our main who experience shyness or self-consciousness, conflict lies in this difference of opinion. those who are struggling to figure out how I believe that in all our dealings and interacthey fit into the Program and the College in tions with each other, not just as St.John's general, those who are usually quiet and "par- students, but as human beings in society, our ticipate only when they think they can be help- primary concerns should always be respect, ful," those who have become quiet tempo- courtesy, and tolerance. I also believe that we rarily "due to difficulty with the material, or are all adults here and should deal with problack of interest," and those who are "willfully lems as such, and I believe that as adults, w~ silent but intelligent and thoughtful" and who should trust each other to be able to make deliberately"[withhold their]insight from the important life decisions (such as, for example) class." I can say from my own experiences continuingordiscontinuingone'sstudieshere) with being quiet and from talking with my on our own. I don't want another student classmatesthat,inthefirstfourexamples, we're making such decisions for me, and I do not talking about extremely sensitive individuals presume to have the authority, experience, or here. It is these individuals for whom I am knowledge to dictate another's decisions. concerned. I admit that I am biased because I Quiet people are aware that they are quiet, and, have been and sometimes still am one of these in most cases, they are worlcing with their tuindi viduals. As for the last example, Mr. tors and doing what they can to improve the Maclean' s "willfully silent but intelligent and situation. In some cases, the Program really thoughtful student" who keeps his opinions does not work for someone, but, as a stuto himself because he thinks the class is un- dent, it is not my job to determine whether worthy of them, all I can say is that I don't another student should be here; on the conknow any of these people. I have been in traiy, I should let him come to that conclusion classes with almost every·other·senior, and I · ·on ·his own, if it is the right one for him. know of absolutely no one who fits that de- Sometimes there are extreme cases, but the scription. If my class is any indication, the burden for these is already on the Faculty in "willfully silent but intelligent and thought- the form of the enabling procedure. If I have ful" students, if there are any, must comprise a problem with another student's behavior in an extremely small portion of the student the classroom, the first step I should take is to body. Of the five examples mentioned above, speak with him myself. If speaking privately and every other category of quiet student I can with him does not resolve the situation to my imagine, the "willfully silent but intelligent and satisfaction, I should see the tutor. If that thoughtful" student group is the only one doesn't work either, my next steps might inwhose members I think might not be ex- elude seeing the Dean or the Assistant Dean) tremely sensitive individuals (although they and maybe even requesting a class transfer. could be). And, as I said in my first letter, I Since the reasons for quietness are so varied, a am worried that such sensitive individuals' direct approach to specific problems is the best problems with self-consciousness could be way to solve them exacerbated if a discussion of their worth as Sincerely, Isabel Clark, 'O/. members of the College community is conducted in a public forum like the Gadfly. ..................................... ' .............. . THE GADFLY .. : 3 ' :' ... �Less About Talk, More About Rudeness k' Dear Gadfly, .l Mr. MacLean, at the end of last wee s artic e, welcomed discussion of "students who talk too much,,, or, "blather-mouth(s) whose comments . "Mr lose in value what they gain m frequency. . MacLean, as much as or perhaps more so than anyone else recognizes that talk can be cheap. The greater ~roblem, however, is less about the amount of talk and more a ma~er of rudeness: a student aggressive in discus~1on, forcefully jumping into conversation witho~t regard to others, can keep some from speakmg beca~se they do not want to be rude th~mselves-m1 ding I suspect, some of the quieter students. cu Even ruder, though, is t h e "smarter than ' . . thou" attitude, which works just as ;-rell t~ silence and infuriate one's classmates. I m guil1! f 't d 01,an, if he examines himself closely, so is l th Mr.MacLean.Manyothersare.culp:ili e, too: e . promiseof further SO articles nnplies that some . SO members considerthemselv~ ~small measure worthy of impartingJohnrue vntue to the rest of us, which is laughable at ~est. B:fore t~e SCI considers further discussion of What s Wrong With Students," perhaps the~e ought to be red contemplation of the "plank m .thy o;vn eye. "Mr. MacLean's anecdotes about his reading . of the Physics are hardly senous. l Sincere y, Rhonda Franklin, '04 Personal Decisions · and Patriotism 'd ed In all honesty, I have never really consi er myself a patriotic American. Sure,,I.~ways enjoyedFourthofJulycookoutsand VlSltmg Wash. mgton, DC, but I have never been proud to be an allin . gterrorAmencan. This ended with theapp ist attack against our nation. I sincerely saw myself moving to England one day, becoming acitizen ofthat country, never b looking backat the United States, ex~pt may e to criticize her foreign courses of act10;11 ~r domestic policy. I wa<> going to migrai:e, clall111Ilg to be smarter than my fellow Arnencans who remained a part of what I thought to be the most intrusive and self-centered country on the map. Now all of that has changed. O~ the eleventh of September, a little before nine in the morning, America was united under horrible circumstances. At that moment, all Americans fell victim to a horrendous act ofterrorism. We as a nation have joined together, comDear Gadfly, 4 ing to the rescue of so many of our fall~n brethren. Withinhoursofthetragedy, the line at the blood bank in my town stretched ?u~ the door, and many were asked to come agam ma day or This paralleled Red Crosses all over. Houses :;;orship around the country quickly planned services in order to show sohdanty against this faceless foe. Prayers also rose from all corners of this land in our hour of need. Before last Tuesday, I possessed t~e perso~al decision that if ever the draft were remstated m the United States, I would flee to Canada or England. I would not serve.in t~e US Armed Forces I was not a pacifist; I Just sunply had ~o desire ~o join any branch of the military. I did not mind enjoying the bene~its o~ being free and holding the rights and l~bert~es so par~mount to my American life·' I Just did not feel it hal was my responsibility to protect them.Hows low and selfish I was. Now, in the light oft~~ senseless deaths of thousands of my fellow cltlzens and what might prove to be the catalyst f?r World War Ill, I would assist in the war e~ort m whatever way proved the most productive. If drafted, I will join with pride and the knowledge that I was spreading the ideals of democracy and freedom in the memory and honor of my fellow Americans who had their democracy, fre~ dom and life stolen from them so horribly. I~ fight in the remembrance of those 5,000 Amencan brothers and sisters who are able to fight no I will fight fro the flag of my fathers that more. has:flownoversomuchandendured. I will fight ~eld ~n­ forthernemoryofourFoun~gFathers:v~o had so much faith in our Amencan republic, m our American people. I will fi~ht .for our patrons-Liberty and Justice. I will fight .for. the . protection ofall future Americans. I will fight . will figh forfreedomandequalityandsecunty.I . t for my America; I will .fight for our Amenca. Sincerely yours, Eli Arnold, '05 DC RE-ELECTS Delegate Council re-elections will be held next Monday, October 1, 2001 for the and Off-Campus electorates in order to mclude Santa Fe transfer candidates. J:Undall Erik Thompson Polity Attorney Genuine Apology The Gadfly wishes to extend its most ~onest apologies to Freshman Elizabeth Laughlin. After staying up until the wee hours of the m01?ingwriting an article for our September. U special edition, her work was inadvertently ollllttedfrom not just that issue but the foll?wing i~s~e as 11 Her work will not be pnntedde itlis no as we . . longer timely' but her effort ~em~ ep yappreciated despite overwhelming evidence to the rontr.uy. The Gadfly News Staff I T s Directed by Nicholas Ray 9, The H ond-Harwo d us By Cooper N. Gallimore, '05 I know that students here at St.John's are so incredibly devoted to their studies that they never take a break, even for the most enlightening of social events or the most sophisticated forms of entertainment. But while studies may take up the vast majority of our time, this is no excuse for not getting out and exploring Annapolis. While this quaint seaport town may not have certain amenities such as a mall within easy walking distance, a suitable night dub, a movie theatre, any retail shops and restaurants open after 5:00 pm, or a wellpriced decent barber, it does have an amazingly diverse collection of historic sights and houses. Over the coming weeks and months, I intend to give information on these various sights and hopefully, inspire some of you to take a closer look (though I will not be held responsible if these short excursions cause any individual's academic work to suffer). In my endeavor to educate the historically place to inclined I decided that a logical The Hammond-Harwood House from the front. begin with would betheHammond-Haiwood Despite all this, the single thing I personHouse (HHH). Notonlyisitoneofthemost Constructed in Maryland's version of Palladio's accessible houses to our campus, being only five-part plan, the building consists of a main ally found most interesting was the houses past about a two-minute walk from the corner of house, two flanking wings, and connecting connection with the college. In researching this the Barr-Buchanan Center, but the house also passageways. It is a rather large house (in fact I article, I learned not only about the H.HH: but happens to have a strong link with St.John's. didn't feel the one hour tour to do it justice) also came to betterunderstand our beloved St. Namely, before the stock market crash, St. being about 11,500 sq. ft. on the outside, how- John's. The college originally purchased the John's College purchased the house with the ever, the walls are so thick that the interior is house in 1926. Though many reports are conintent of preserving its history, and using it as only approximately 9,300 sq. ft. The indi- flicting, the house is thought to have been a teaching museum. vidual rooms are well sculpted, and boast ev- purchased for the sum of $47,000. This was a The house itself was commissioned by one erything from utilitarian to ornate design ele- large sum of money at the time, but it was Mathias Hammond, a member of the Provin- ments, depending on the given room's func- considered necessary by the college. There are cial Assembly. He wanted a residence in An- tion. accounts that indicate that the grounds of St. If architecture for some odd reason doesn't John's were being sought after by the Naval napolis dose to the political center of the state. So, in 1773 he hired the architect William excite you that much, the house has much more Academy (perhaps in the hopes of converting Buckland to design and build him an elegant to offer. The rooms boast an impressive col- it into a football field or something). The coltownhouse befitting a man of his stature. lection of period pieces dating back to the time lege, under the guidance of the Commission Buckland, who was born and apprenticed in in which the house was originally built. Fur- for the Restoration and Enlargement of ColoEngland, was given full control over the build- nishings range from the expected collection of nial St. John's College, purchased the H.HH: as ing process, and thus was able to construct a beds, tables and desks, to more unusual (and well as three other houses in the area, in an true masterpiece of design. The real tragedy is in my opinion, more interesting) examples of attempt to establish their image as a college that he died before the house was completed china, upholstery, and general pieces of inter- with a definitive sense of history and a connec.and was never able to see his craftsmanship est. The game room upstairs, for example, is tion with colonial he1~tage. This seemed a very come to fruition, provided with a deck of cards specifically de- prudent course at the time, but then the stock The house was designed in the Georgian signed so as to be used by those who could market crashed, and the rest is history. At the which for the uninitiated means that it not read, which included the majority of the end of the depression, with the college facing it<\!.i a 1:ier11mte se:nse of symmetry and balance population of the time. The house also has an deep financial difficulties, they were forced to The front hallway, for example has impressive array of paintings portraying the sell the house at a loss, to the Hammond·,, .• ··~"·'<·ice:u doors leading off of it. In order to fonner residents of the estate and of the archi- Harwood Association who is still the acting ; . ~·;naintrutn tlus S:Vmlffietrv n the architect tect Buckland, and other individuals associated curator of the house. They sold the house in that leads nowhere. with the various families who had at one time 1940 for the sum of $42,500, at a loss of $4,500. or another taken up residence there. r\TlT"''·0 >" continued on page 22 THE GADFLY 0 , • , 0 0 o,,, • o Io o o o • •,, 0 'o o o I 0 o' o o o, o o O Io I• o o o I 0 I'' 0' o' : 5 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �S nn n M y: "I would hav I u he up volunteering a lot of hours there, doing zero to sixty immediately. Then we were doresearch, rights clearance, writing, whatever was ing ninety." She was working seven days a week, needed-including something called hypercard fourteen hours a day. "After a year, I was crisp. You could see Shannon May A'88 (no relation to the like- programming, which of course is now extinct. smoke coming off my hair." She left, and went named tutor) thought when she graduated that The internship turned into a job, and she stayed to Italy for a month. (Ever since working on she might want to become a teacher. She was at WGBH for four years. If you consume any public television at all, "Columbus and the Age of Discovery" she'd delighted to find that there were people who you've heard of WGBH, because so much had ahankering to go there.) She came back, would pay her to find out. and moved-where else?-to California. She got a no-holds-barred fellowship f~r good stuff is produced there. What May got She moved in with Ele Hamburger A'87, in an M.Ed at the University of Massachusetts m involved with was the whole idea of taking all fact the very classmate who had lent her the ohAmherst in MESTEP (the Math, Engineer- that good stuff and making it consumable in so-modern word processor for her senior esing Scie~ce and Technology Education Pro- non-television ways, by people interested in say back before she was techno-ready. Then gr~), afift~en-month curriculum for turning being less passive than a television-watcher. she took a job with a "garage start-up"-three out teachers in those disciplines. Now, math, Yes, it was User Interface (Ul), just at the time MBAs and May. "It was, here's the web, here's engineering, science, and technology weren't when the whole world was tingling with the Unix, here's HTML, we need a product for the necessarily her long suits (she had ty~ed her possibilities. May became a segment producer for inter- American Red Cross, GOt>' senior essay-on Job-on a classmates word I should point out that this CD and internet processor, but that was the closest she'd ever active video discs. Most of the people in the production work was significantly different gotten to a computer) but the people at group she worked with had backgrounds in fromherearlierworkon videodiscs. With the MESTEP were open-minded, and so was sh~. journalism or documentary film-making (al- newer media, the bandwidth available for conAnd she appreciated that the program was on- though her boss had been a city planner). "Al- tent had shrunk considerably. "HTML was ented towards classroom experience rather than most no one had a technology background. This was back when you could jump in, learn the theory of education. The real-life component of the degree con- some code, and start doing it." They took docusisted of two teaching venues, one in a tradi- mentary series, like "The Miracle of Life" and tional classroom and the other in a corporate "Columbus and the Age of Discovery," and setting. The fir~ had her re.aching English \a found ways to "give people choices without science?) back in her own high school, a cu:1- confusing them." They made it up as they went ous experience. She enjoyed the poetry umt, along, finding new ways to present "non-linand in fact is writing poetry these days. The ear content." It was marvelous fun, but four years is a second had her teaching a course called Introlifetime in the souped-up technological world. duction to the Personal Computer to whiteMeanwhile some friends from WGBH had collarworkers. In that ancient day, boys and girls, personal found work with Prodigy, and had gotten incomputers were far from ubiquitous, and those terested in the internet, which was showing who had them mostly labored in the world of signs of turning into something big. May, for DOS. (Think about doing what you do with- her part, went with Ledge Multimedia, a startout your handy dandy little mouse and you get up, where she was the only producer with a at least some of the picture.) May learned group of engineers with no content experienough about it all to teach the unwi~~dy rudi- ence. They had a commission for a CD on ments of command files to other naifs. And sports health. They had a bunch of clips from she herself was launched down the technology ESPN. They dove in. "It was really challenging. At WGBH the path, one which would take her far, far away production cycle was like a sine wave. At the from classroom teaching. So she finished the degree, but then, beginning, you're talking, you're designing, through friends, found out about an intern- you're having lunch; then graduallyyou're workship as a production assistant at WGBH, the ing long and hard to produce the product; then public television station in Boston. She ended it goes back down. At Ledge we went from By Roberta Gable Alumni Director like working with stick figures." She had gone from full-screen video playback, to CDs with quarter-screen playback and a seriously curtailed palette of colors. "A big part of my challenge was not only to craft a compelling 'story' or interactive experience, but to do it in a way that would deliver the best performance within the technological limits of the time. As more people get high bandwidth pipes into their homes and upgrade their computers to faster chips, the content will get richer and richer until eventually we'll all be getting TV quality video playing over the net. Don't know how many years out this will be, but I'd hazard a guess that this is seven to ten years out. Lots of smart people working on it." After a tour of duty in the garage with the MBAs (all right, all right, it wasn't a literal garage), she went with a different start-up, called Medior, but still producingCDs. Within three months Medior was acquired by a little company called America On-Line. Well, what an interesting moment to begin a relationship with AOL, which at that time (1994) hadfewerthanarnillionmembers. The biggest CD May produced for them was something called "AOL's Internet Adventure," which purported to make the internet interesting and accessible for common folks like you and me. She also got to work with Marvel Comics material: AOL paid a huge pile of cash to Marvel for rights, and then had to figure out how to let users interact with it. "We did things like have a Marvel writer begin a story, and then let the readers suggest what should happen. And then we had 'Do You Want to be in the Comics?' where users could send in their own art and see it inserted into the comic." I wanted to take a look at some of this stuff, and she said, "Oh, it's gone.>' She compared the content on the internet to a garden~-things come and go with the seasons. (And while the Marvel stuff was swell it was scarcely a money-maker, so the chief gardeners weren't likely to water it anymore after a point.) May's "career trajectory" eventually veered ~way from content production, and more mto production supervision and product design and strategy. She became a businessperson. "But I never wanted an MBA-I always Wanted an MF A." Turned out she had relevant skills from both worlds, and she began working with a business team as AOL tried to figure out how on earth they could make money on the internet. (There had to be some kind of revenue-producing bridge between the creative work and the business plan, a problem which vexes internetters to this day.) After AOL acquired Netscape, May worked in the international division briefly, and then joined the crew for "Daily Programming," the plan to cultivate in AOL users the always-on attitude of use, basically programming the internet like television. All in all, she stayed with AOL for an eon-five years. And she'd be there still, except that she started to feel that "somewhere along the line I'd gotten on the wrong bus." The joie de vivre of creating the future of the internet had gotten mired in corporate necessity of making money with it, and May decided to leave and recharge her creative batteries. "The last year and a half, the money was so compelling, but I had no creative satisfaction." So about a year and a half ago she retired. She now spends her time "writing bad poetry and tal<ing my dog for long walks on the beach." Or at least that's what she said at first, but when I pressed her about it, she admitted to gardening, too. "And I've taken a lot of classes-painting, yoga, screenwriting, meditation. It's California Lifestyle 101 ... .I love California. I've gone so native it's ridiculous. Let me tell you about my chakras." Oh, and she built herself a little production studio downstairs, and she's working on digital film, learning the software, maybe entering some competitions ... Okay, down to the crux of the matter: what did a St.John's education have to do with fabulous success in the glamorous world of technology? First, it's the get-thebig-picture thing-yes, Virginia, it's good to Nathanael be a generalist. "WGBH was a fertile, creative place. I found that my skills as a generalist made me able to understand things at the concept level, and grasp the broad strokes." Second, the can-do thing: "St; John's helped cultivate that-I got the courage to approach technical things. I would never have taken math or science after high school if I hadn't come to the college." Third, the listening thing: "When everybody's putting their heads together, you have to be able to hear what they're saying." But finally, friends, it's the thinking thing: "The main thing I've learned is the importance of flexibility, of having a nimble mind, I'm really a poster child for Learning How To Learn ... when you're at the college, you worry about mastering the material, but it's the process that's important. Now, when I think about the books, they're like some wonderful pastry I smelled .... What's important is not to be intimidated by what you don't know." And as for planning a career: "I never could have predicted this path. I would have laughed out loud if you had suggested it." . 7 6 THE GADFLY .. : ..... O THE GADFLY 0 0 o I I. Io, o o o o O o I• o •I' 0 0 I' 0 t' ' ' ' I ' o o o o o 'o I I' I I IO Of IO �' ' ' ' ' ' 0 0'' 0 o 0 0 0. 0 0 0 0 o''' 0 0 •' 0 0 0 0' I I 0 t COVER STORY nr llm 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 I' I I I I ' ' ' o o o o 'o 0 0 o 0' 0 f Io Io I tM tt r? Even though St. John's is lacking in the tion? The St. John's campus consists of 466 area of ethnic diversity, it may be quite an asstudents, an amount that, when compared t? sumption to say the low percentage of minorFor all its abundance of tradition, for all its other colleges, can seem laughably small. Is 1t ity turnout is detrimental to the Program. The abundance of intellectual wealth, for all its even realistic to expect a 30% minority enroll- Great Books that St.John's are founded upon abundance of contemplative thought and self- ment rate at St.John's College? know no limits or bounds, least of all those examination, the St.John's community is still The Gadfly spoke with several students of color. The intellectual community at the lacking in an important area-ethnic diversity. about the question. "I think St.John's is an college is not composed of separate ethnic While minority student enrollment has unusual college, and it is only known in certain groups, but of one body moving with harbeen booming nationally over that last five circles. Other minority students might not have mony and accord. It is manifestly true th~t years, St. John's seems to .have gone in. the been in the circle where they might have heard Johnnies are a unique breed, and have a cert~ opposite direction, droppmg from an eight of St. John's,'' a minority student commented. criterion to be considered as such, but never is percent minority enrollment in the 1997-98 "It's not like St. John's is excluding anyone. If this criterion based on ethnicity. Students sitschool year to a stagnant five percent over the the administration thinks it is a problem, they ting across the seminar table are not seen as last three years. During the 97-98 school year should advertise [the school differently]. Asian, Hispanic, or African-American, but 443 students were enrolled at St. John's col- America is growing, and[minority] communirather as a set of unique and lege, approximately 35 were individual minds in pursuit of of a minority heritage. The unadulterated knowledge. 2001-02 school year saw 466 ThefactthatSt.John'sfuncstudents enroll and approxitions in such a manner opens mately 23 were minority stuup the social atmosphere in a dents. way that even outside of class The lack of ethnic diverevery student is a first considsity in the student population ered aJohnnie, and any subseis magnified further by the quent categorization comes profusion of outside minorsecond. It may be naive to say ity maintenance workers emthat ethnic background is never ployed at St.John's College. noticed at St.John's, but most, To find any sizeable ethnic if not all minority students endiversity in the St. John's rolled at the college feel the community, one must look sense of unity and familial behind the counters rather pride in what goes on within than in the classroom. It is the heart of the College. disillusioning to see far more "If I weren't as outgoing a African-Americans cooking personality, ifl were self-confood and cleaning dorms at scious I might feel uncomfortties are getting bigger. But I think it would be able. I can imagine some people feeling unSt. John's than studying Greek. The fact that the minority help out- more damaging to the St.John's College way comfortable, but I don't," remarked Hui. numbers the minority students highlights a to specifically try to obtain certain minority "I can't believe that in terms of a class dysituation that some suggest should be dealt groups to improve an image. I have never namic, just being black or white can contribute viewed St.John's as a college that worries about to a better discussion," commented a sophowith in some form. Despite the startling statistics, it is quite dif- images." more. "I don't see how merely an ethnic backficult to change the phenomenon-one that According to statistics and studies con- ground can affect the focus of this school. But may be a problem-of a low minority enroll- ducted by CNN, the average minority college I think it is important to have people of other ment rate. For starters, who or what is respon- enrollment rate is expected to rise to approxi- backgrounds; it will help us destroy our selfsible for the lack of a minority turnout at St. mately 40% by the year 2015. At this point in contrived stereotypes." John's? Is it the college? Is it this city's demo- time St.John's College will most likely be no"The Asians are like the new Jews. In the graphics? Is it the educational mindset of mi- where near a double-digit minority enrollment 50s and 60s all the State and Ivy League schools nority students? Or is it St.John's lack of ex- rate, let alone 40%. stopped having a profile for accepting people "It's needless to say [that] St. John's is a from Protestant and Catholic prep schools and posure to the rest of the world? . It seems unfair to place the blame entirely special kind of school. [It] doesn't have the starting admitting}ewish people (into co~eges]. upon the St. John's admissions office. If mi- prestige with the [minority] comr;i~nity; .stu- Slowly in the 80s and 90s we were gettmg an nority students are not applying, can St.John's dents don't know about St.John s, said Juncontinued on page 23 be faulted for a low minority student popula- ior Andrew Hui. By George]. Monroy, '04 8 : THE GADFLY . ' ' ' '' . ' .... '' ...... '' ' .. ' '.'.' ..... ' ..... ' ...... ' '. n Int r Mr. W t ion of 's Lecture By Anderson Tallent, '02 I & I Editor Friday's lecture began in an unusual way. Ratherthan simply introducing the lecturer and listing his academic credentials, Mr. Flaumenhaft also delivered a brief speech. In it, he thoughtfully reminded us of the seriousness of the national situation, but also encouraged us to consider our work at the College as very serious as well, claiming that institutions such as St.John's enrich the country and the lives of its citizens, and hence make it worth defending. Then, it was the lecturer, Mr. Neal Weiner of Marlboro College, who spoke. He began his talk with an apology, dismissing his lecture as "merely concerned with truth." (It is doubtful that he meant "merely" in its older, respect. All present interpreted his use of the word as pejorative.) His speech was also partly an elegy for a student of his who perished in the attack. Though his words were heartfelt, I thought this apology quite unphilosophical and certainly insulting to liberal artists, for it suggested that the love of wisdom is something of an unserious game that one may play in soft, carefree times. Though he was to discuss the Republic at length that evening, Mr. Weiner did not appear to share Plato's view of philosophy as the most serious and important contest, whose participants are engaged in the ultimate struggle for the freedom of their souls and for justice. The title of the lecture was Generosity, Truth, and Tolerance. That the lecture proposed for its topic three abstract nouns is something unusual, most lectures restraining their field of inquiry to a certain aspect of a certain work that attempts to explain a certain aspect of something like generosity, or truth, or tolera:ic~. The ambitious title of the lecture (isn't it &~rme and blessed that some inspired human h.e:ngwou1d finally come to St. John's and in a single evening explain to all of us the truth!) and the provocative synopsis posted around campus last week had the assembled crowd primed for what Mr. Weiner had to say. His lecture, divided into two parts, concerned an ~pect of human discourse that Mr. Weiner . called the principle of generosity. He claimed tO have learned of this principle from the writ- ings of a man named Donald Davidson, to whom he referred numerous times during the question period. The principle of generosity, according to Mr. Weiner, is that particular honesty at work when someone interprets a simple sentence such as "he put the pig in the pen" to mean "he moved the porcine animal into the barnyard enclosure" rather than "he forced the derogatively named police officer into the writing implement." The obvious observation that such a principle is necessary whenever two people want to converse genuinely was not, however, Mr. Weiner's principal subject. Rather, it was a first principle by which, so he claimed, one might in one fell intellectual swoop both vindicate the existence of absolute truth in the cosmos and validate any human interpretation thereof, or in Mr. Weiner's words, to deny relativism and yet still preserve its consequences for political life. Apparently, because the use by a speaker of a word and its generous interpretation by another proves that the word's referent exists, and that, moreover, if one properly interprets the speech of others, it becomes obvious that all speech whatsoever becomes infallible, and that anyone who uses language is a divinely inspired poet. His support of this thesis was taken almost entirely from Plato. Though lecturers here oftentimes cite Plato as an authority for their arguments, Mr. Weiner's references to Plato were unusual in several respects-first, for the number of dialogues he mentioned, second, for the number of dialogues he interpreted to mean the same thing, and third, for the substance of his interpretation. Since his understanding of several dialogues that we read differs radically from the understandings that seem to be current among students and tutors, following is a list of the dialogues he interpreted in the order in which they were mentioned. (Many of these he did not discuss until the question period.) Republic: This was certainly Mr. Weiner's most unusual interpretation of any Platonic dialogue, and his discussion of Book I comprised most of the first part of his lecture. He was interested in the conversation that begins when Cephalus has told Socrates the best thing about being wealthy in old age and ends when Thrasymachus blushes. During this conversation, Simonides' definition of justice is inter- preted by different interlocutors, all of whom Socrates questions until must they abandon or alter their original statements. Mr. Weiner courageously chose to disagree with nearly all other opinion about the dialogue and interpret Socrates' frequent references to Simonides as divine, inspired or blessed-previously viewed by most as classic examples of so-called "Socratic irony"-as statements meant at face value. Socrates' insistence to each interlocutor that Simonides has been misunderstood is not some clever ploy that is used to involve everyone in the conversation, but rather an attempt to champion the work of an unappreciated older author. Hence, the discussion in Book I is not a battleground where opposing notions of justice and the best life are pitted against one another, with Socrates defending justice against the degenerate, ignorant, or thoughtless; rather it shows us that Socrates is something of a literary critic. Furthermore, rather than being an attempt to first discover and then implement the perfect celestial justice that brings happiness to man and to city, the whole Republic (excepting Books II, III, and parts of X) provides a type of critical theory whereby we may discern that everyone is correct in whatever they say so long as we interpret them correctly. Ion: Mr. Weiner reads this dialogue not as a witty attack on the truth and seriousness of poetry, but rather as a defense of the art whereby Socrates establishes that all poetic utterance is the revealed word of the god. Again, Mr. Weiner rejects the traditional notion of Socratic irony. Timaeus: Mr. Weiner's speculation on this dialogue, at least as he presented it to us, did not appear to extend very far. He was mainly interested in the Demi urge whose work of creation is described by Timaeus. Mr. Weiner has made the divine discovery that this demiurge is actually the same deity to whom Socrates and Ion refer in the Ion. Also, Mr. Weiner drew some novel conclusions from the similarities between the Greek words traditionally translated as "mind" and "world." Gorgias: Because this dialogue is filled with disagreement and refutation, Mr. Weiner chose to use it as an example of Socrates' "stingicontinued on page 15 : 9 THE GADFLY'.:' .... �• min VI w ulty, but not one you see around much these days, because he's been on leave, out making wine in California, among other things. Mr. Our quiet world will have its annual rock- Schoener will speak on "The Biology of the ing this weekend, when hundreds of alumni Fermentation Vessel," which sounds to me like return to pursue all the stuff they used to do not your average B-flat lecture. After lecture, the alumni trifurcate, some when they had your job. It's good to see them all again, just as it will be good to see you again repairing to the Conversation Room to interafter you've departed these shores; and while rogate Mr. Schoener, some heading over to the you probably can't picture yourself schlepping dining hall for a wine & cheese reception, to back to campus in a nostalgic haze, chances are which current seniors are invited, and some that you'll rememberthe college and your class- bopping down to the boathouse for a rock mates with some fondness, and it will turn party. Now, this Friday night boathouse party out that Homecoming is a swell way to revel in will be somewhat different, musically, from both again. The folks coming back to campus this year will fall into about two equal groups: those whose classes are celebrating reunions (1996, 1991, 1986 ... every fifth year going all the way back to the class of 1936) and those whose classes aren't celebrating reunions but who come anyway, including a healthy handful of SantaFe alumni. We expect some 400 alumni, and what with their spouses, children, and entourages, the crowd swells to something close to 600. Noteveryalumcomes to every event, but suffice it to say that you may find certain parties, etc., this weekend exceptionally crowded. First, both temporally and in importance (at least with respect to your futures) is the Career Panel other parties you may have experienced in these at 6:30pm Friday in the Conversation Room. parts. No music recorded later than 1976 will A stellar crew of alumni in law, medicine, teach- be played, and the vast majority of tunes will ing, journalism, investing, and technology stuff be from the early and mid seventies. And lest will tell all about what they do and how they you have some ill-begotten notions about what got to where they are. Details will be forthcom- that will include, let me point out that there will be no disco. Come on down and watch the ing shortly in your mailboxes. Next, of course, is lecture, at 8:15 Friday class of 1976 not act their age. Please bring ID night in FSK, this Friday night being like all if you hope to partake of the alumni beer, other Friday nights, at least like all other nor- because the alumni bartenders will be inquisimal Friday nights.You'll be there, of course, tive. On Saturday morning things get off to a and the place will be packed with alumni, because they wouldn't know what else to do with roaring start with a Memorial Service for themselves on Friday night in Annapolis any Mortimer Adler in the Great Hall at 9:00am. more than you do. The lecturer is Abraham Yes, I know that could be considered on the By Roberta Gable, Alumni Director early side, but it's important, and it's our privilege to honor Mr. Adler, so come if you can. At 10:00 the alumni all dash off to seminar, and yes, that's an odd time of the day to be dashing off to seminar, but they've got a lot of fun to cram into a single weekend, and that's when they have time for it. They've got a swell lineup to choose from this year: Mr. Allanbrook on Robert Frost, Miss Brann on Clifford Geertz, Mr. Kalkavage on Plato, Mr. Kuder on Plato, Mr. Maistrellis on Plato, Mrs. Maschler on Toni Morrison, Mr. Pastille on St. Augustine, Mr. Sarkissian on Shakespeare, Ms. Silver on Emerson, Mr. Wyatt on Flaubert, and Mr. Wilson on Plato. It's a big year for Plato. The children of alumni will in the meantime have a seminar on Harry Potter, led by two members of the class of The St. John's Co/Jege Waltz Committee · presents I Saturday, September 29 at 10:00 PM, Great Hall '76. So then they have a huge picnic on back campus, then after lunch there's a whole bunch of different things for them to do, chief among them the Special Meeting of the Alumni Association at 2:00pm in the Conversation Room. At the Special Meeting, the Dean and the President and the President of the Alumni Association will give reports, and the Association will make certain luminaries into Honorary Alumni: Nancy Lewis, who was Registrar for many years, John Moore, who has been the heart and soul of the Mitchell Gallery, and our own Beate Ruhm Von Oppen, faculty member extraordinaire (not to imply, of course, that any of our faculty members are ordinaire). Then there's much assorted frolicking, including the perennially crowd-pleasing Freshman Chorus Revisited in the Great Hall at 3:00pm. Yes, there are those who didn't get quite enough of freshman chorus when they were here, and under the direction of Mr. Zuckerman they will again render the Greatest Pianist and Tutor Emeritus Elliott uckerman The Y rbook etu s By Laura Mangum, '04 Features Editor Next semester, when the seniors graduate and everyone else heads home for the summer, all of them will have an opportunity to purchase a memento of the proceeding year's activities and exploits.Yes, the yearbook is back, and judging by the dedication of the 20012002 yearbook committee, it looks as if it will be a thoughtfully and creatively planned annual. The Yearbook co-archons Laura Manion and Sarah Consbruck are adamant that last year's yearbook fiasco, in which many people paid for a yearbook, only to have their checks returned to them when the entire project was lost to a crashed hard drive, not be repeated. Miss Consbruck, who was "devastated and crying" as she watched her computer crash, has taken precautions to make sure that this year's work is sufficiently backed up, stating with a sternly lowered voice, "we will not crash again." Another problem with the production of the yearbook in the past has been addressed this time around. Last year, Miss Consbruck carried almost the entire burden of organization and formatting upon her dainty shoulders. This year however, participation and excitement has been outstanding, and with greater involvement comes greater delegation of responsibility, which means less of a workload for everyone, not to mention more ideas and insights for a more interesting final product. Miss Consbruck and Miss Manion, who happen to be roommates, complement each other and the project well in their respective areas of expertise, layout and management. Miss Manion, always ready to encourage on her roommate, was quick to point out that Miss Consbruck received the Keystone Award for excellence in High School journalism for layout. The two attend weekly meetings with Mr. Ranson to discuss new ideas and issues for the annual. The Archons are very serious in their commitment to get more people involved with the project. They are welcome any and all pictures (and are very enthusiastic about digital shots) for submis- sion to the yearbook committee. They have even agreed to provide anyone interested in taking pictures on behalf of the yearbook with a camera and film, all that would then be required of one is attendance at an event of one's own choosing and a few clicks of the shutter button. The processing will then be left to the yearbook layout assistants. Miss Consbruck also expressed a great longing for new layout editors and any ideas or formatting suggestions. Seniors, as always, will be in charge of submitting their own photographs of themselves for the yearbook. All other students will be photographed in group Seminar shots, which will be taken later on in the Fall. The hardbound yearbooks, which will go on sale during Parents' Weekend, will be printed and distributed after the school year ends in order to include Croquet, Reality, and Commencement in the mix of other features. A title for the book has yet to be decided upon. The current leading contender is The Canvas, which has in the past few years become the standard alternative title, from Rat Tat, for the book. The yearbook was known, at least as far back as 100 years as Rat Tat.No one seems to be positive what Rat Tat means, but the general suspicion is that it is somehow related, in a drum-beating, m.rrching in formation sort of way, to the old military aspect of the college. [Alternate theories proliferate, the most likely being that Rat-Tat is an onomatopoeia for a rifle report. -Ed.] Anyone wishing to get involved, offer ideas, or submit pictures may drop a line in campus mail addressed to the Yearbook or speak directly with Misses Manion or Consbrook. continued on page 12 Schoener A'82, a member of our esteemed fac- 10 : : 11 THE GADFLY ................................................... . THE GADFLY .. : ..... �s HOMECOMING, continued from page 10 Hits to the best of their ability. The class of 1966 is behind this one, but it brings 'em in from across the decades. Another cross-generational delight is the Soccer Classic at 4:00pm. The current local champs (which Mr. Pickens tells me are the Hustlers and the Ho) take on the alumni in a battle of youth vs. experience. The alumni took a beating last year, and are out for blood. Semi-simultaneously you'll find the Autograph Party on the Quad at 4:30pm, where recentl_Y published alumni and faculty autograph their works. You don't have to buy a book to come and chat them up. The tutors signing will be Miss Brann (Ways ofNaysaying: No, Not, Nothing, and Nonbeing), Mr. Fisher (Faraday's Experi- one rs W nt For a Reconstruction of a Gen-yoo-ine Greek Chorus! Britannica Great Books set (54 vols) with bookshelf $300 OBO-.will deliver · Call (703) 765-0091 Confused o o t mental Researches in Electricity: Guide to a First Reading), Mr. Kalkavage (Plato's Timaeus), and Mr. Sachs (Aristotle: DeAnima); the alumni Elliott Zuckerman, whose musicality will be in great demand at Homecoming, has led Freshman Chorus in the past. books run the gamut from a psychiatric memoir to a treatise on organizational change to awaltz party. Early in the year of his archonship, western novels to a guitar playing guide to a Schoos conspired with the swing cartel and the young adult fantasy novel (which last one I film club to show a Fred Astaire movie the have myself read, and it kept me up well past night of a waltz party, and then they played the my bedtime, an amazing feat). . songs from the movie that night at the waltz. Then in the evening they have a Cocktail Something happened. All of a sudden everyParty (sorry, no students invited) extending one was out on the floor, and from that day throughout the first two floors of McD~we~, forward, SwingWasKing. Theyevenhadacouple and a Banquet in the Dining Hall (which, it of parties that year with just swing music, i:o should be noted, will displace the regular stu- token waltzes, and certainly not even the whlSdent dinner there, for which I beg your par- per of a polka. At Homecoming, of course, w_e don). After the banquet they will once again get alumni back on campus who remember difhave an event open to students, the ever-popu- ferent phases of the "waltz party." Some want lar Double Decker Party, whereby awaltz party only to waltz, and are horrified to learn of ~he in the Great Hall has as its contemporary a rock swing phenomenon; some :-rant o~yto ~g, party in the coffee shop. (Again, my ferocious andquicklywearyofwatchingtherrelderstwrrl alumni bartenders will require impressive docu- around the floor to the Blue Danube. Our gramentation of age.) This twofer party is my cious compromise position is 50% waltz, 50% annual effort to be all things to all alumni. And swing, and of course 2% polka. . it works, up to a point. But there wiH always So that's about it. On Sunday the alumm be tension surrounding the waltz party, to who are able to drag themselves out of bed in which alumni flock with widely varied expecta- time for an 11 :30 brunch out at the president's house do so, and then they all disperse back to tions. Waltz parties at the college began, strange their native habitats. I collapse with relief. The to tell, as parties at which the primary dance campusreturnsto, well, normal. ~itismy Carlie Butter with '-,.,nt;u•u,.:i1 form was the waltz, with the occasional polka perennial pleasure to point out, al~mru ~~do­ or tango providing some spice. The met~or­ ing all kinds of interesting things with their lives. phosis happened in the 1980's, when swmg Ifyou have a career in mind and questions you'd was introduced. In fact, Dan SchoosA'86, lately like to ask someone about it, please give me a call profiled in these pages, was the waltz archon (extension 6926) and I'll try to hook you. up (and known therefore as Dancin' Schoos) when with an alum in your field during Homecommg. it happened, and he told me the whole story. It rr ontheotherhand,you'reinterestedinmore seems there was a small cadre of students who ~ediate work, call Dolores Strissel (my assiswere interested in swing, but they had only tant, the real brains behind the event) at extenbeen able to get previous archons to play a sion 2531-we still have some jobs for students couple of swing numbers each time there was during the weekend available. t t $1 .00 off any Po a o I • who t r u St. John's College alumni here to help you . Come to a Career get-together on Friday evening, September 28 at 6:30 in the Conversation Room. Alumni in the fields of law, computers, education, neuroscience, philosophy, journalism and investment banking will be Th~~yourchanceto with Warren Spector, SJC of Bear, Stearns, or Dr. Mashour, Ph.D/ MD in Neuroscience, or Polillo, General Manager of WELL-TV in rm1acjel1ohiia and winner of three Emmys, among others. By Mr. David, Tutor I am happy to announce that once again choreographer Miriam Rother will be in residence at the College through the month of October. We shall be leading an intensive dance workshop, whose end will be a public performance of Ancient choral poetry, over the Parents' Weekend at the beginning of November. We need about fifteen people, with no necessary prior experience, who like to move, to work hard-expect nothing else extracurricular, especially in the last two weeks of practice-and who would be comfortable moving their bodies to Ancient words and rhythms in front of other people. There will be a performance for video cameras, and public performances on a Friday and Saturday afternoon in the Great Hall (Nov. 2-3). We hope to demonstrate, and to experience by direct participation, the Dance of the Muses, accompanied and energized by the chant of Homer's verses from the Iliad and the Odyssey. We shall recapitulate our last year's work, a lyric performance in a short solo work (monody) by Sappho, and the Ode to Man from Antigone (lines 332-75)-the rendering of a full tragic chorus by Sophocles. This chorus will dance and sing in Greek! This fall we shall add the chorus on Eros and Antigone's farewell aria, a fully choral (that is, danced and sung) exchange between the protagonist and the chorus (lines 781-882). Students interested in participating next month may do well to look at the lines ahead of time. A considerable portion of the effort for us involves learning Greek by heart. Ms. Rother has been studying visual depictions from the Ancient World as a prompt to attitude, posture, and gesture; she also brings a lifetime's experience in a variety of classical, modem, Eastern and Western styles of dance. I bring a theory of Greek metre and pronunciation. We shall have to learn and to habituate ourselves to an unfamiliar language of movement and song. And then perform! We promise a unique physical experience and perhaps a truly new way to learn an Ancient text. There is no paradigmatic age or physical type that we have in mind; in other words, everyone from freshman to tutors, male and female, are welcome and encouraged! Auditions will be held on Sunday, September 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the dance studio behind the FSK stage. While I must not underreport the commitment of time that will be involved, I can report that a number of last year's participants have said that their class work did not suffer, but in fact their preparedness improved. There is a general and sometimes an exultant sense of well-being that attends this moving as a chorus to Homer's and Sophocles' poetry, with a twist in one's spine and being led by the voice. Choreia belongs on the American curriculum, somewhere between Ancient Greek and basketball. Ms. Rother will again be offering dance classes to the community, at a level of skill to be determined by the participants. We also hope to schedule a session or two for members of the community who are not interested in performing in public, but are interested in seeing the process for themselves and trying out the movements(perhaps while reciting Greek!). So it would be worth coming to the audition to meet her for this purpose as well, or to contact her soon thereafter. She will be staying in the guest room at the Health Center and she will be eating in the Dining Hall &Wine : 13 12 : THE GADFLY'.:.'''' 'o THE GADFLY 0 I 0 0 0 0 t 0 Io' o o • 'o 0 o 0' I I I' I 0 o I I' o 0 I I. I I I I 0' 'o 0 o I .J �Th c of Dissent? By fttstin Naylor, '02 A nabstractnationalistpatriotism may bee.asy w arouse, ifthe times offera leadersujficiendy <§fiedin the manipulation ofcrowds, but it is hard tJJ sustain, andithastheseedofafoolishnessinitthatwillbecome its~ ... Towhatpoi:at. .. dowedefendfromfmrign enemiesacountry thatwearedestroyingoursdves? -Wendell Beny, Property, Patriotism, andNa- tionalDefense I was afortunate one. I knew no one killed or injured in the disaster of September 11. I have no family or friends in New York or Washington. Still, like most people, when I first heard the news between my Math and French classes, I felt ill. I somehow made it through French, though heavily distraaed, and afterward headed anxiously to the dining hall, where, however, to my surprise and disgust, I had to move more than once in response to some callous or crass comment, an indication that some at the college were too immature or vulgar to understand what was happening. The rest of the day, I, like most of us, found concentration impossible, being too shal\:en by the fact that what had happened had really happened. Although I had been paying attention for some time to the assertions by both the Clinton and Bush administrations that a terrorist attack on U.S. soil was more a matter of "when" than "if," it was impossible to be prepared for the feeling that came from knowing that we were under attack and that it wasn't clear when the attack would encl Still, though significantly shaken by the events, I knew that the situation was a complic..ated one. Although horrified by the barbarity of the terrorist acts, I was aware that U.S. foreign policy had made many enemies, some of whom had significant grievances. Most of all, I was concerned that this attack marked a new epoch for this country, a time during which such attacks would become more and more common, a reality which could prove devastating for the U.S. Thus I was surprised at the reaction by many Americans, both here at St.John's and in the country at large, which seemed to be one of total shock: "how could this happen to us, to our country, and why would anyone decide to do such a thing-it must have been pure hatred, a kind of unintelligible evil." The Bush administration was quick to affirm such an answer. We were told, and have been repeatedly told during 14 the past two weeks, that this was an attack of pure evil, motivated by a deep hatred of our values, where "our values" means democracy, equality, and freedom. We've been told that it was an attack on freedom itself and that the U.S. was the unfortunate recipient of an act that could have struck anywhere in the free world. Is such an answer the whole, or even partial, truth, however? Now,Iamno expert inMiddleEast affairs. As a result, any thoughts I might have on the subject might suffer from a simple lack of reliable information. Still, I am a citizen, and as such I have a responsibility to make the best, clearest judgment I can about what affects and concerns me, and I have been very concerned about how this situation has been handled thus far. In short, the official line that we've been offered, that this is a war in defense of democracy, equality, and openness, seems a gross oversimplification, meant to satisfy an ignorant populace but not to provide any answer to a thinking person. I've been paying attention to the news about Osama bin Laden since the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa. He's an interesting character. He gained his reputation largely during the Afghan Soviet war, when he was an ally of the U.S. and became famous, ironically, for his great humanitarianism (through such activities as visiting the wounded in hospitals, providing for widows after their husbands death, etc.). During the Gulf War, however, if not before, bin Laden began to focuson the U.S. The U 5. presenceinSaudiArabia has been one of his primary sources of outrage. He sees the U.S. presence and activity there as great sacrilege, both to the Holy Land of Saudi Arabia in general, and to Muslim holy sites there in particular. Of course, anti-Americanism in the area isn't limited to one man. A Wali StreetJournal, article from last week gave the best account that I have read so far about anti-Americanism in the region. If the article is right, the anger in many Muslim countries toward the U.S. is caused by precisely the opposite of what Bush has suggested. It's worth quoting at length: "... when Muslim countries such as Algeria, Jordan, and Egypt attempt to elect parliamentary representatives-often Islamic fundamentalists-who challenge the regimes' pro-U.S. stance, their rulers thwart democracy with hardly a protest by aU.S. government fearful of change.....That'swhythe U.S. arouses such passion and anger in the Muslim world, among all segments of society: The THE GADFLY ''.' '' '' '' '' '' '' ''.' ''.'.'''''''''''' '. '' '. '' '. '. ''. realpolitik of its diplomacy, particularly in the oil-soaked Middle-East, has seldom lived up to its cherished ideals. An oft heard lament from Arabs and Muslims is: Why, if equality and freedom are so important in the West, doesn't the U.S. stand up for them in the Muslim world?" The situation seems to be much more complicated than many of us previously thought. Far from being motivated by pure evil, it seems that many in the region might have legitimate gripes. And while the former explanation allows us to dismiss the terrorist acts out of hand as unintelligible, the latter makes us truly start thinking. This act-to think-is what really matters most. Again, I am no expert in Middle-East affairs, and much of what I've suggested or quoted might be oversimplified itself. My point here is that most of us do not know, with any degree of certainty, what makes others so critical of, and sometimes hateful toward America. What matters is that we seek such answers and not simply sit back blindly while the we mount a serious military offensive. Many still seem to be under the illusion that the U.S. always does the right thing, and thus, simply can't fathom why anyone would w~t to attack us. This mixture of ignorance and pride does no justice to our country and seems to be the very attitude which makes so many people in the world harbor antiAmerican views. All of this raises the question that has been preoccupying me the most during the past two weeks: what is the role of dissent at a time like this? Assuming for the moment that U.S. policy does deserve significant criticism, is this the time to shout such things from the rooftop, or is national unity and solidarity more important? Although I obviously didn't live through the Vietnam era, I know that a significant number of those who spent a great deal of time and energy on the protest efforts now regret their actions. They regret not giving greater support to U.S. troops abroad and see that that very lack of support had much influence on the War. At what point does one, living in a democracy, put aside his own objections to resolved policy for the sake of the good of the community as a whole? This is, of course, a very difficult question, and it is one that will plague us in the months and years to come. Although I have no definitive answer, I'll suggest the direction I feel pointed toward. Victor Hanson, among other defenders of the West, locates the greatness of the West not so much in democracy or equality or even reason : LECTURE REVIEW, contz'nued from per se, but in its great tradition of dissent. Al- '. though the history of the West is riddled with : page 9 injustice, it is also full of objection of dissent : "(h · · fromsuchinJ'ust1'ce Th hil l , h b : ness t epnnc1pleofgenerosity'sdefi.ciency) . us, w es avery as een . d h h h ful a feature of most of Western history and has : ~ s ow t. e arm effects on human relaonly recently left us the min 'ty . . f 1 : t10ns resultmg therefrom. He rejected the no' on cntique o s a- . tion th t S . d Calli l 'gh h a ocrates an c es lil1 t ave gone very is almost as old as slavery itself The abili : to dissent is thus a built in mech~ism on to ~ecome frien~ once the dialogue ended, provement. "While it is true that the West is slow : assummg that. C~hcles adi_nitted that he was to change, it is also true that outside of the West- : wr~ng about JUst1~e, despite the well-kown ern value of dissent change is impossible. Ac- : c?nJecture that ~allicles ;vas Plato's portrait of cordingly, dissent is cruc1'al to a healthy society . himselfh . : (. before his acquamtance with Socrates h. AndifwetaketheGreeks 1 disse · : smce t ere was no 1storical Callicles and asanexamp e, nt Pl t 0 , al A . 1 h within a crisis is both healthy and '. a s re name was nstoc es, w ich is a . . necessary . near synon mI (Ly.mtrata, to tal\:e Just one example, was written : y . /· . . duringthePeloponnesian War). In fact, it seems : Apology. Because all people are !~spired that it is during such crises that the question of ; ~oets ~h~ev~r they speak, Socrates refutadissent most naturally arises, for at time such : tlon o ot ers I~ the market~l.ace of Ath~ns times one must necessarily ask along with : was~ e~reme mstance of m1Slnterpretat10n Wendell Berry: to what extent is one's country : ~d s~mgmess, hence t~e city was acting justly . m trymg to exec_ute philos~phy. worth defending? We, at this time, face a harsh reality. Many '. Me~o.: Despite all the. dialogue' stalk about assert that the country is hardly defensible 'W< : false ?P1Illon, about apona, and about Socrates · · e, · · as a people, are ignorant, arrogant, andmorally : making others numb WI'th quest1onstheycan 't decadent. Wepolluteourair water andsoil ex- : for: '. answer, Mr. Weiner suggested that the most likely meaning of the myth of recollection is that anyone who uses a word is correct in some way about whatever they mean by it. JYir. Weiner's question period lasted until a quarter after midnight. There, he was forced to defend himself against the haranguing of a few ungenerous souls who could not underst:ind ~t what had been said. They criticized his ~nnciple of generosity as being the authonty ~ere~y for commonplace, fairly obvious predications that one would simply be rude for. not understanding. They wanted him to expl~ how ev~ryoi:e could be right even if some said opposite thmgs. Later, in one inspired moment, Mr. Weiner revealed to the a~dienc~ that in fact Homer and Christianity did not many way disagree in their accounts of God, because they meant different things by the word. Anyone who thinks that disagreement means meaning different things by the same word is obviously not very generous, and are only to be pitied for not having attended the lecture. al! ~~hlm~~M~~~~~~~h:r---------T------------------~ little introspection, and care for little besides our ; ease and comfort. To lookatAmericain2001 : com~ared~ainst~ericain 1776issurelyade- : pressmgthing. Still, this comparison also offers : us hope, because it reminds us of our promise '. and cherished principles (no matter howfarwe've : st:rayed from them). We are heirs to a legacy of ; dissent, the aim of which is the improvement : of o~r communities. Dissent is a duty which '. remmds us of our responsibility as free citizens. : S:irely such an activity is needed now. As Mr. : Bmeham suggested in his Gadfly letter from last : week, we must address the true issues that caused : this month's attacks and look at them carefully. ; If we are to defeat our enemies, we must first : look at them and ourselves honestly. This will : take courage, diligence, and hard thinking, but : :;~y have no choice as a free people. It is our ; 111 ""'-..1 n In the morning the king wrmt ro the lkmr;>' dc;ti. has your God kt:pt Y0ll ".>afdt' he f,lSkeil. King, my God protected rn:'.' from t.hr: lions!" 6 Sir <JW6ert <.Bur&ritfge Y [>ariiel f.H1!3:•WtweG1. Draw picture; of Otmit;I in the lions' <.fot1. <-1 A page from the annals of Zhaeon's "childhood" Sunday School class. Obviously he had an early advanced understanding of some of the finer points of theology. t . Of.course, dissent can go too far. I suppose : his lillght have been the case with the Vietnam ; from the Daniel the Lion's p~otest~rs I mentioned earlier. The danger of : Den. The story of originalinand all text image is dissent is to lose sight of its aim: the improve- '. has been enhanced for legibility. mhent of our communities. Its activity implies : For past (and other) issues of Zhaeon t please visit: ' · e presupposition that we are one people. '. http://sjca.edu/~sir/Zhaeon/ Thus' Weneed to find awaytovo1'ceourdissent : Donations may be sent to: . hil . Sir Rb ert Burbridge o W e.stillembracingwhatunitesus. This, I sup- : Campus Mail pose, 1S t~e challenge that those of us who feel a '. ~!:;:~.the dream alive. · . needtodissent now face. In the conung months · . . !t~~methingeachofuswillneedtoworkout ; To all good-humored jesters: Sir Robert Burbridge did in 1 1!l sownmind. : !act, subr:iit his cartoon to The Gadfly last week. It w;s not included 1n the issue for reasons of space. ......,-~-=---~--~----------------J . ............... . . . . . . ' ' .... ' ' 0 o o Io I Io o'' o o o' 0 0 0 I 0 0 < : 15 T HE GADFLY'':'''' . .l �• 01n Clu bing: Gar n W ' • n1ng sh P . · . . d "Last year I was m ev- t h e tenms cou rt s. This was a source of great . co1 umn. e mqm:e . " irritation to her; sunny days, she felt, were mery column, but this year'bl 'thh 'diom Buttherewasnoth"Therel Lookl There she-uh-he-um, compat1 ewi en · . . £ · ' l kin f P' ingtobedoneaboutit,andnotunetowait or By Tracy Cain and Katherine Nehring, '03 eah there's the person you were oo g or. h h· "You!" The Ace snapped her fingers at her ~e Ace having found a convenient victim, she a more suitably glooz:osp dere; ~: .eh,an so to y e roommate who was sitting at her computer ducked out of the way. The Jack meditatively the last day before her ' . Garden club must be met wit · with a withdrawn, meditative expression on surveyed the Images andldeased'itor. When shegottothegarden, located between her face. the tennis courts and the road, the Ace was met "You!" She shook the Jack by the shoulder. by Justin Naylor, thearchon There was still no response. of this illustrious club. The "Hey! You!" The Ace cast two had only been speaking a about briefly, and, finding one few minutes before the Ace of the Jack's pottery busts of found herself challenged to Dante ready to hand, broke it identify the various plants, over her abstracted and she is proud to report that roommate's head. she was entirely successful, The Jack turned to her with the sole exception of the thoughtfully, not seeming to Very Skinny Eggplants, -which notice the potsherds now covwere of avariety she had never ering her desk. "I have found before seen and which even out what I am missing," she Mr.Naylor admitted could announced. "I have discovnot be found in grocery eredin me that great lack, which stores, and the Moon and until I fill, prevents me from Stars melons, which the Ace stirring from this spot." defies anyone reading this to ''Yeah, Cafe Randall makes have even heard of me feel like that too. Have In fact, the Ace soon some noodles and get up." learned that much of her suc"And until I find it," concess had depended on her use tinued the Jack, "my soul is of rather general names for incomplete and my life holplants, rather than specific variet~es. She did recUm-think about the only person you ever low." "Yeah sophomore seminar has that effect loved! The inspiration of your heart and the ognize a marigold when she saw it, but, she confesses, without :Mr. Naylor to tell her, she wo~d on peopl~. Just convert and get it over with, strength of your existence-" . never have guessed that it was a French Stripe we've got an article to write." A look of dawning comprehension spread Marigold, acquired at Monticello, apparently a fa"I need something," continued the Jack overtheJack'sface. vorite of Jefferson's, and very hard to find an~­ dreamily, "without which I am not~ing, and "You mean-" where else. For lo, it is but one of several 'henthe addition of which will make me mto what "Yes!" cried the Ace, delighted that her ditage' plants that the Garde~ club is growing. I truly I am." version was succeeding. A heritage variety plant, m case you v:ondered, "Oh no-you're not saying!~" ,, . "Euclid!" cried the Jack, barely restraining is a strain that has fallen into general disuse, and "What is a knight without his lady? cned herself from swooning away. "The only joy of the Jack, leaping up from the chair and throw- my heart! The reason of the unrea;;o~ with consequentially is rather hard to fmd. An~ the reason these strains of plants have fallen mt? ing out her arms. which your reason comes near to afflictmg my "Oh no! No you don't! No way I am reason which was to have been demonstrated, disfavor is frequently far more related to their going to be Dulcineal" The Ace skipped back- Q.E.D.I Euclid! In yourname will I do greater shelf life than their actual merit or flavor.1_'1r· wards with a great deal of haste. "I'm not deeds than ever knight for fair lady! Onward!" NayloralsointroducedtheAcetothefourvanet· ies of tomatoes the garden contained, and of Sancho I'm not Rocinante, I'm certainly not She leaped out of the chair. . . them, she was only able to identify the che~ Dulcin~a-and I suppose it wouldn't be much The Ace quietly breathed a sigh of relief. tomatoes the plum tomatoes, and the standar help to mention at this point that you're not · . tomatoes.' To her shame, she entirelYrrussedthe The Gardening Club Don Quixote." . Brandywine tomatoes, which, she has smce At this point, Anderson Tallent poked his The sun was shining brightly as the Ace of learned, are considered my many to be the most nose into the room. "Can I be in this week's Clubs wandered past Temple Iglehart, towards 16 : THE GADFLY ~" h t;: . ................. . . . . . .... ..... ' ' ' .... ' ... ... .... ' ' flavorful and generally wonderful of all tomato varieties. Why, theAce then wondered, is it not more commonly found? Why had she never even heard of this variety? Because, Mr. Naylor replied, it bruises too easily, and is at its best when very fresh. This combination has made it unpopular with all but the more expensive lines of restaurants. Apparently, the Ace learned to her surprise, com is even worse regarding this problem-at least, it is in the opinion of Stringfellow Barr, who was an avid gardener. According to Mr. Naylor, in Mr. Barr's book 1heKitchen Garden Book, he advised that one should not actually pick com one intended to eat until the water was already boiling, and one should shuck it as one ran with the corn back towards the house and the boiling water. (Note: theAce is not making this book up. It's in the library.) This is why, the Garden dub Archon told the Ace, all com breeding in the past century has been targeted towards increasing its shelf life. An example of a growing trend, and one the Garden club fights with all its might. Towards this end, the club makes an effort to grow a lot of heritage plants, which, in addition to the marigolds, include Brown Dutch Lettuce, also obtained in Monticello, and apparently,]efferson's favorite salad green, as well as the aforementioned Very Thin Eggplants, whose name the Ace failed utterly to catch, but which are really very pretty, but way thinner than eggplants have any right to be, and the Moon and Star melons. These are the weirdest melon the Ace has ever seen, and she still thinks they look more like some kind of squash, but Mr. Naylor swears they're a melon, and he's probably not lying. But the club actually has another goal: to get Johnnies gardening. It is not, he wishes the Ace to assure the polity, a mysterious, special skill, or a particularly esoteric art, but a pleasant pastime that can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys playing with plants. And, asAnnapolis has arather mild winter, it seems that Mr.Naylor keeps the garden going year round, harvesting spinach, green onions, and salad greens all winter. "It's good to have clubs like this and the woodshop around," he said as the Ace was preparing to depart, "so people can get a chance to work with their hands, and create something." And before allowing this quote to segue neatly into the next section of the article, as it clearly does, the Ace adds that he really did say that, The Wood Shop of all," said archon Hiram Powers, '·'":... :u:ow11 rn•o- "thewoodshop'snotreallyaclub. I mean, we don't get funding from the DC, we get funded by the College. So you can't really call it a student organization." "That's quite all right," said the Jack. "I'll interviewyou anyway.All that matters isthat your name appeared on the Gadfly list of clubs." When she got to the woodshop, the lanky arch on was working on his latest project and listening to polyphony-the recording made last year of the Primum Mobile octet. "And the St. Matthew Passion," said the archon, when questioned, pointing to his stack of CDs. "But I'm listeningto polyphonyfirst. Because I want to." He got up from his seat and moved to the worktable on one side of the room. "I will say," he added, "that the woodshop is not acoustically perfect." But the imperfections of the woodshop were forgotten as he looked lovingly at his latest project, sitting on the table in polished mahogany beauty. "This is a desk," he said, running his fingers over the glass-smooth surface of the wood. "A small writing desk. I've just finished sanding and oiling it." Justly proud of his creation, he showed the Jack the way the as-yet-unpolished legs were to fit into the body of the desk, a joint of his own design. "Of course, people have been working with wood for a very longtime; I'm sure it's been done before sometime," he said, slipping the legs into a long dovetail running up into the body, "butl'veneverseenit." One of the legs seemed to be a bit sticky in its joint. "You fit before!" said the archon to his leg, encouragingly, "You can do it again!" "Yes, I talk to my project," he added to the Jack, with a defiant air of "You lookin' at me?" "I talk to my projects all the time," the Jack agreed. "Sometimes they talk back." "Look at this!" he continued, indicating the way the patterns in the mahogany ("Very environmentally unsound") shimmered. "This wood was going to be part of an organ soundboard! But it would be criminal to hide this. Therainforestwouldhavediedin vain." The writing desk was the latest in a series of projects since Mr. Powers had begun woodworking in eighth grade; At the beginning of last year, he became archon of the wood shop at St. John's, inheriting the duties fromJason Derleth of cello-building fame. Undertheworktablesofthewoodshopwere many signs of its use in building musical instruments. In addition to curved pieces of wood, and violin-shaped back pieces, there were a number of wood and metal constructions that the Jack could neither recognize nor conceive of a use for. "Those are for the musical instruments," explained Mr. Powers, "some are for making guitars. The guitar bits belong to Ben Frey, but I think that he's bequeathed them to the woodshop at large." No one has used the woodshop for making musical instruments since the departure of Mr. Derleth and his cello. "I wouldn't be much help myself with making musical instruments," said the current archon, "but if anyone wanted to, I could direct them into the correct channels, to the people who would be able to." Not very many people have been using the woodshop regularly. ''Not enough, really, in my opinion," said the archon. "I don't know that some people think they have time. There have been some people, but not a lot." This means that for the greater part of the time, the college'swoodworking equipment goes unused, except by the skillful archon. He gave the Jack a brief tour of the machinery in the woodshop: "We have, of course, a table saw, a thickness planer, a really bad joiner," he said, pointing to each of the tools in turn, "-a drill press that's on its last legs, a-Well, that might explain why NO cut on the handsaw is ever straight! Look at that!" He indicated the slight slant on the cutting board of the handsaw. Mumbling about the previous user of that instrument, he continued the tour. "And a cut-off saw, and some hand tools. Screwdrivers, hammers, saws, a router, a grindstone. And I have a bunch of my own tools that I occasionally willing to let people use." Although the college (and, perhaps, ifyou're very lucky, the archon) provides the tools, the wood is not paid for. All the wood that was currently stacked neatly under the table belongs to various other patrons of the wood shop, including a piece of the ill-fated Liberty Tree. All woodmust beobtainedbytheperson who wants to work with it, at his own expense. "That's another thing that discourages people," said Mr. Powers. "Anything but the cheapest, ugliest wood is just too damn expensive." He thought an instant, and modified himself. "Ash, for instance," he began. "There are inexpensive options. Ash is very heavy. But then most of our woods are." He turned back to his desk again, gloating over the perfectly rectilinear joints and the elegant grain of the wood. "I'm a wood and tools snob," he admitted, with a trace of pride, "but that's the way it is. I will yet build an organ! I don't know whether I'll do it at St.John's though... I've got still more projects after this one." : 17 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �N sh viii ut onfuses, Spawns Th ugh ts h 's By Aaron Collier, '04 "Cut your hair; you don't belong in Nashville." We hear these words at the end of the opening scene of the movie Nashville, as famed singer Haven Hamilton storms off from recording. As the movie progresses we are introduced to a wide variety of characters whose only connection seems to be that they are in Nashville at the same time. The question then appears, what does it mean to belonginNas~­ ville, and perhaps more broadly, what does it mean to belong anywhere? There are 24 main actors in Nashville, which means a lot of different stories on which to focus. The interchange between plotlines often becomes confusing, with sudden jumps between people making it hard to understand everything that is happening at once. The jumps in storyline are not merely changes of focus on characters, but also between themes and tones. There appear to be many different things that director Robert Altman is trying to say. Some scenes appear to be political commentary, some a satire of popular culture, some describe personal problems such as the continuation of marriage with two unfaithful parties, and some are just plain funny. Talking with some fellow moviegoers after the film, I discovered we shared a common interest in the film and an inability to describe the movie in a single thought. The movie seemed to end with more questions than answers, and we were left to decide for ourselves what it all means. This movie appeared to have three things that drew together all of its players: music, a political candidate named Hal Phili? Walke~, and the common location of Nashville. Music is almost always present in this film. Nearly everywhere we are taken, from seedy bars to the racetrack, has musicians performing, and almost every character is somehow interested in the work of musicians, with the possible exception of Tricycle Man. The songs, while well written (all by those who perform them) and award-winning (Academy Award© for 'Tm Easy"), seem to be mostly a backdrop for the goings on about town, and not the focus of attention. Every song seems to say something about the situation it is in, but 18 : THE GADFLY when collected together they don't tell a cohesive story that could bring together all the pieces of the story. Hal Philip Walker is an interesting character made even more so by the fact that we ne~er get to see him, although we hear him talk once from the inside of a limo. His van appears at many points in the movie, driving by, connecting together varies parts of .the movie with political messages. The culmu_iation of the story takes place at a rally for him involving numerous musicians who we have already come to know. As Andrew H_ui ma~e sure to note in his introduction, the time this film was released was one of great political significance and Altman is obviously a~are of this and has something to say about it. The views expressed by Walker are certainly radical and worth relating to the context, but do not seem unifying in scope. All of the characters make an appearance at the rally, but only one or two are there because of its political nature. Walker's assassination seems to be the climax of the film and its occurrence at the rally appears incid~ntal. The rally is the place to be in Nashville, and draws everyone in with the force of place rather than politics. Some of the characters in this movie seem really out of place at first, especially those from out of town, such as the reporter and Walker's manager. Somehow, by the end, everyone seems to have adapted and found a place in the town. What is it that creates this common bond? We should notice that it is through shared experiences that the people seem to join together. At first the reporter ~rom the B~<_= seems viewed as merely an outsider, not pnVIleged enough to join with those from the area. As she hangs around, her presence becomes accepted. Soon she is familiar to the people already there, and while perhaps not welcome, she is tolerated and part of the group. Through experiences such as constant attention seeking and sleeping with Tom Frank, the town finds a place for her. Still somewhat an outsider by her profession, as we see when she comes up at the very end pleading for anyone to tell her what's happened, she is still known in the town and she can sit down with the singers and their chauffer and not be seen as completely out of place. When Walker's manager first comes to town he is obviously not a part of it; he is completely reli~t on Reese to get anything done. As he begm~ to make his presence known through push1~g to get musicians at the rally, he starts to gam respect. Through his recognition of the town as a sort of entity with plays for fame, he begins to gain power within the c~m~unity. By the end, he is in control of the situation, as we see when Barbara Jean's husband Barnett attempts to gain Walker's sign taken down, but gets absolutely nowhere. The chairs are r~­ moved from the stage at his request, but this is a town that has now accepted Walker's place. This town has a place for everyone, even people with no talent, like Sueleen Gay, even if her place is merely an object to be tossed around. Everyone gathers together in the end, after the tragedy, singing in unison for a united Nashville. We can see in this film people from many different walks of life all coming together in one town and joi~ing together. Still, we are left with no definitive answer about what makes someone belong in a situation. As a sophomore, with strict scrutiny abo~t en:ID~~ coming up, this question has special sig~1fi­ cance. How are we to decide who exactly will fit in to this program and who may be out of place? By the time enabling comes ar?und, people will have decided for themselves if they want to remain or not; it is then up to others to decide if they think the students have chosen correctly. Is there something about the curriculum that makes it more difficult to belong? It also causes me to wonder about what makes people fit in to the community at large. In such a small school, most people get to know one another quickly. What makes some become a part of this community, and others stay on the outside? What cre~tes gro~ps of people who stick together while seemmg to exclude those around them? Is there anyway to ensure that everyone belongs to this place if they want to do so? While I don't pretend to have real answers to these questions, I do think there is something that binds us all to-·· gether. We all read the same books at the same · times, even though our discussions of them· t By Rhonda Franklin, '04, For the Gadfly Mo'bettah and Hgugh!! Exclaim, "Hgugh?" in 4-0 Shutout Providence, Foreknowledge, Will, and Fate fixedFate, Free Will, Foreknowledge absolute in a4-0 Blue shutout Tuesday. Both teams had excellent offensive drives, both teams played great defense, all goalkeepers had a great many magical saves, but, somehow, Chance, snickering, drove in four goals for one team and none for the other, prompting the question, "Hgugh?" from Red. Specifically: Red's JessicaAlexander, MaryCockey, TiffanyJolyatforwardhadgreatdrives up the field and bullet-fast shots, notably the double-whammy by Joly and Alexander in the second half that nearly knocked out goalkeeper Quinby Owens during one of her miraculous saves. Caroline Picard, Emily Graze, Anna Stry~r, and Lisa Habegger, most notably, kept sending the ball up the field for Red from the ~id to back field. Megan Maxwell-Smith had eight saves as Red's goalkeeper at halftime, and many more in the second. Marion Cook and ~nia Wisniewski were solid at defense, garnerIng them co-Athlete of the Week awards this week. So,. however it was that Red ssored, they cmsay, withoutbattingaprettyeyelash, "Itwa5n't OUrfault!" Blue's strong offensive sextet of Mary Jo Doktor, Blake Gregory, Quinby Owens, Cara ·· ·•} GOnruilly,JuliaStrickler andJohanna Thrall came '.i;, .. atlvfaxwell:Smith with a lot of thrust. (Remem··•;r bee those eight saves of Maxwell-Smith's at the half?) 'Three of four goals Blue scored, however, were the result of freak accident: a misplaced Red throw-in was hammered in by Owens for goal one, and the ball, deflecting like a pinball off the shin of a Red defender, scored goal two. Goal three would have been another Maxwell-Smith save, but, unaware and unintentionally, walked backward over the goal line with the ball. "Hgu gh~". 'ght. . isn Goal four, however, came by means of a fantastic shot off the foot of the amazing Ms. Thrall. One must give credit where credit is due. A great combination worth brief mention was Blue's Cara-Cara (Lammey and Gormally) duo at left defender and midfielder: they worked the ball up the field and to each other very well, and handled the Red's right side offensive players quite capably. Mr. Pickens, following the game, askeda "You Make the Call" question: "Next time Blue and Maroon play together, how does Red and Green stop them?" Ms. Alexander, considering the excellent play of her team, the fun that they had, and the rotten deal Chance dealt them, answered sweetly, "Obstruction." "Hello, my name is Quinby, and I like to score goals'' Red leads 5-0 at half before the Sleeping Blue Giant awakes TheMCWA made an appearance at Friday's game, bringingwith themrevehy and hops. The spirit overflowed onto the kunai playing field; the jocks were in a jocular mood. Most playful was Ms. Quinby Owens, who took extreme pleasure in either scoring goals or assisting them, helpingHgugh!! and the Maroon Platoon to a 50 lead at the half over Mo'bettah and Parsley. But then, she left, and Talley Scroggs joined Blue at center midfield, where she thought it would be fun not to have anyone guard herever. Nothing was the same after that. The game opened up with a quick run down the field by Blue, resulting in a Lisa Habegger shot saved by Blue's keeper. Red quickly turned the ball back down the field and responded with an Owens cross and a Rachel Seay shot, saved by Megan Maxwell-Smith. Quinby crossed again to Megan Umemoto, whose shot was saved by Maxwell-Smith.Jess Alexander stepped in, took another shot, Maxwell-Smith saves again. Maxwell-Smith wiped her brow, and tried to calm her beating heart while positioning her defense about her. No good: Owens drew a direct free kick for Red, takes it, scores big, the score is 1-0. (Meanwhile, Blue's first-half goalkeeper Miss Rhonda Colleen Franklin, reporterextraordinaire, was picking wildflowers, watching the clouds, doing headstands, and taking notes for the Gadfly while all this was happening...) Blake Gregory, Owens' partner-in-crime for the lvfaroonPlatoon, shoots wide, but never fear, Quinby is here! Owens scores, making it 2to1-ov-e, Red. Jess Alexander, who appears to have been attending Mr. Brockett's dance classes, waltzed her way past the Blue midfield line, fox trotted on bytheBluedefense, anddancedasultrytango ........ ' ......... ' .... ' .................... ' ...... . continued on page 23 : 19 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �color. But this week he had plenty of time to ers of the Chez Amis bed and breal<last. Why, acquire a shirt that wasn't maroon, but yet still by Mike Maguire, '02 oh why, would he leave his team in the lurch? netminded barechested. Who does this guy think But enough about Lou "No Show" Kovacs, let's talk about the real story of the game, the he's kidding? Where's Lou? game that I have tentatively dubbed Band of Nick Garklavs Opens Brothers. The story was that of two football During the first soccer game that was played wide receivers forced by circumstances beyond Kennel, Dogs Refuse To this Sunday afternoon, as time ran out and t~e Druids celebrated their 2-0 victory over the il- their control to play soccer. These two men ~e Let Themselves Out lustrious Hustlers, the question could be heard Steve Travis andMykuhl Malone. Steve Travis rippling through the capacity crowd of 34,076: scored the game's first goal about 15 n:inut~s Before the second game this past Sunday, a Where's Lou Kovacs? And here's why this ques- in on an unassisted effort which, I believe, is not very long awaited meeting between the Sparhis first ever goal in soccer. Mike l\11alone on the tion was being asked. The Hustlers arethe reigntans and Greenwaves, Nick Garklavs hit the dog ing and perennial soccer champs at St.John's, other hand made two amazing saves that kept show circuit and attempted to liberate the incarthe game in reach for the Druids, as well as thanks in great part to the trio of Jon Cooper, cerated canines. But they would not leave their Lou Kovacs and Alek Chance. But this Sunday dispensing wonderful jokes whi~h gave the game a lighthearted, Holly Go Lightly feel. cages. He was arrested and released, ~en~~ aponly two of the three were present and Alek, pearance at trial, on $20,000 bond, Just m time one of the two, had an injured ankle. The lacka- These two tall men were the reason that the . Druids won, that and a goal by Nick Whittier forthegame. daisical play of the Hustlers was ~efinitely ~ue This game was long and bonng, and the ball on an assist by Jack Dobbyn. So if you see to their midfield, a midfield lacking the reig~­ got kicked all over the place and people got shoved ing MVP, Lou Kovacs. It is a given fact that 1f Steve or Mike in the hallway tell him he had a and yellow cards were issued and when all was he had been there the Hustlers would have good game, tell him you saw his articl~ in the said and done the Spartans emerged victorious newspaper! And tell him "wash your hair once won245-0. 1-0. For those of y~u keeping track at home this So where was he? Well, he was ploughing every two weeks!" My final thought on this game also deals is the most boring score possible. The one goal through the briny waves of the Chesapeal~e was scored by Dan Russell who was ass~sted by Bay, with his boon companion Talley Scroggs with Mr. Malone: last week he didn't wear a Josh Hendrix, who was set up by a mce pass and local entrepeneurs Mickey and Don, own- shirt in goal. That was fine, he probably didn't from Bryson Finklea. This was the only pretty happen to bring one of a suitably different moment of the game. The rest of the game consisted of people shoving each other and lots of loose ball collisions. All told the list of injuries is staggering. Peter Heyneman put one of his c~eats clean through Adam "Greatest Receiver Ever" Dawson's hand Mike Maguire shattered his first metatarsal on Dawson's foot. Justin Jones poked himself in the eye by accident, and Erik Thompson's foot was severedbyabeartrap. In the end the Spartans won and took first place going into their 4th ~ame, Dan Russel scored his fifth goal, which no one seems to have noticed, and Jerry Januszewski made his 2~01 debu: in go.al. I told you it was bonng and 1f you re looking for laughs in the SportsWi:e section you should see either the DC mIDUte5 or that Zhaeon thing because sports reporting isn't here to make you la~gh, America, and if ESPN has got you t~ • ing otherwise you had better check yo before you wreck yourself. av s, I s By John Cooper, '02 Sports Editor Many a secessionist state cast an envious eye on the Guardians and the Green Waves last week after the two teams defeated the first-place Spartans and Druids, respectively andchronologically. The South, existing these past 140 years under the impression that a unified rising was inevitable, found it a bitter pill to swallow when news reached that both teams had risen successfully after only one year of oppression. Last year, the Green Waves finished at 2-6 on the season, barely beating out the 0-8 Guardians for fourth place. And now, here they are, beating the two teams tied for first place on the same day. Said North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms: "While I share in the joy that the victories have brought to Annapolis, I can't help but wonder when ourdaywill come. Nevertheless, is Adam Dawson a stud or what?" Upon hearing word of the upsets, Senator-Emeritus Strom Thurmond appeared surprised, and expressed interest in the upcoming game between the New York Highlmders and the Hustlers. Minority Whip Tom DeLay had a less charitable but more cogent reaction, saying "well, looks like it's just politics as usual in Annapolis." When asked to elaborate, DeLay quipped, "wherever you find a Kennedy in office you'll find socialist policies like HyperTime that don'tlet the rocks sink and the fish swim, but try to keep everybody'afloat.'" Tnfs Scandaleux! The first game was a fashion faux pas, looking like it was sponsored by Hudson Trail Outfitters. Dave Wilson was playing comerbackforthe Spartans (an irregularity in and of itself,) in a pair of Timberland boots, and Jonathan Polk appeared to have cut his shorts out of some sort of tent. However, the game •• .was exciting enough to divert the assembled · crowd's attention. The Spartans roared to the • fore?ght off the bat whenJustinJones' option ' · to Nick Garklavswound up in thehands of Dan : Harmon, who juked through some tacklers before firing upfield to Matt "Caprice" Calise for .the touchdown. The conversion failed, and the {i.~p~ took a 6-0 lead into the half, each team 11;~;>,avmggotten two good looks at the end zone. uar ns IS play, Drew O'Neill stre~ed out of nowhere to pick off the Jones pass and brought the ball to the 10 yard-line before being tackled by the beleaguered}ones. The Guardians, amazingly, were not able to convert on five tries, so the teams moved on to the fourth quarter tied at 6. Once again, the Spartans were kept at bay by a steady diet of strong tackling by the Guardians (Craven and Seth Hepner most notably) and dropped passes by the Spartans. After the Spartans took four before punting-an extreme rarity-the Guardians took over around midfield Collier passed to John Horton in the middle of the field, who looked ahead to Polk as he ran to the outside. Polk took the ball to the goal line before being brought down just inches away from excitement. An offsides call brought them out to the five, and after an incomplete pass attempt, it looked as if another chance was going to slip away. But Collier hit Steve Closs with a nifty buttonhook on the next play for the go-ahead touchdown with but seven plays left in the game. The Spartans were able to push forward on runs by1viikeMaguire and WardKashiwa, but nothing was able to come of it as two passes were dropped in the earthshattering game's final plays. Like, whoa. As the first game drew to a close, this reporter said to himself, "it does not look like the Druids are in any sort of position to lose today," and Nope, not afootball photo. It's anyone's guess as to why. that the matchup was shapingup to be "nothing short of a bludgeoning." Oh, how I wish I could t~e back those words of folly! For the next 96 minutes, I was treated to some ceiver then let the ball rock onwards to MVP seriously impressive football. Mail this issue of candidate George Deans for the touchdown. the Guffeytoyourfolks, becausethiswassomeDeans streaked the final 30 yards, getting hauled thingto write home about, and I've already done down just inside the end zone. If you want to the writing for you. With seven men on the field, (eight, if you see a righteous battle scar, check out his right elbow. Ifyoudon't,checkouttheleftone. The count the injured Will Fay on the sideline), the Spartans' next drive had the trappings of some- Green Waves took possession of the ball to start thing big, but they were deflated on third down the game, and came out looking like a fit fleet of whenHayd'n "Sir Speedy" Brockett put down fifteen footballers. On the first play of the game, the camera and picked up the pace with a quick QB of the Eon Alex Rinn got the offense rolltackle right off the line of scrimmage. He's not ingwith a20 yard-pass to John Gerard, and on just about book-learning anymore{ On the next continued on page 22 The second half started, and soon after it began the Guardians were able to tie the score on a delicious ladder pass. Aaron Collier looked over the middle to Polk, who turned outside before dishing to Logan Laubach. Laubach went another ten yards before flipping to James Gilmore, whose fear of being "tackled" prompted him to fire 15 yards ahead to Tom "New Nightmare" Craven; the penultimate re- . 21 THE GADFLY .. :. 20 THE GADFLY ................................................... . �HAMMOND-HAR,VOOD, yards upfield. And who was there to make the continued from page 5 FOOTBALL, continued from page 21 stellar grab? Oh, come on now. If you don't thefollo-wingplayalongrun by Kasimir B~jak know, you'dbetterasksomebody, because it was brought the Waves to the Druids' 40 yard-line. Adam "No Dizza" Dawson on the scene, reelOn the next play, the Druids got bU:Ued b}'.' A~ ing in the pass and making like a professional. "T00 Legit" Dawson as he hauled m the arr strike The drive went to the goal line before Dobbyn from Rinn for the touchdown. Rinn's keeper intercepted Rinn' s pass in the end zone, but .on brought the score to 8-0, after just six plays, for the very next play Rinn picked off an offermg . from Randy Pennell. The Green Waves we~e : an amazing average of 1.25 points per play! On the kickoff, MilfMalone brought down unable to score in the next five plays, but it : a pass from Steve Travis and traveled~ the wa~ brought the play count down to fi:Ve in the game : and severely handcuffed the Drwds. The Dn:- : to the 15 before getting caught by Dan 'Wease~ Weiland. Two plays later, QB Ray Sears hit ids needed some magic in a hurry, but Gallo s : Malone in the comer for the TD. Nick Wittier interception with three plays left 1:1ade sureth~re '. pAT was good, cutting the deficit to 8-7. After was no david copperfieldery gomg on, ending '. getting the ball back, the Druids moved to the the game at 22-7 After the game, I caught up wit~ the ~o-cap­ goal line following a penalty on th~ usually wellbehavedLee Goldsmith for roughing the passer. tains/ conspirators of such a stunmng victory' However, on fourth down, Dawson made a and asked them for their thoughts on the game. huge grab on Travis to deny him the touchdown, Printed below are some excerpts: SportsW.u:e: Dawson, we've gotto talk, m~. and the defense held firm on the next play to end the fourth quarter and the Druid threat. Three touchdown receptions, several tackl~ ~ Unfortunately, Rinn' s pass on the next posses- the backfield; you were all over the place, ubiquision was intercepted by Jack Dobbyn, and the tous. Omnipresesnt, if you will. What are your Despite this fact, the college's decision to Druids were in another position to gain the up- thoughts after such an ai;nazing game? : step in and purchase the house in the ~no: s per hand. Only the intense defens~ ?f Adam Adam Da:"son: I wish I was 'good enough : may have saved it as an integral ~art of histonc Dawson on fifth down kept Travis grubby to give a nice victory speech, but I m not but we : Annapolis. One of the other bidders for the meathooks off the Sears pass as he broke up a earned it. We' re the underdogs. Underdogs al- : house at that time was allegedly Henry Ford, play just yards in front of the end zone. ways come through. . '. who wished to move t.he house to a new locaOn the next two plays, Green Wave freshSW: Alex Rinn, why don't you bnng th~t : tion. Supposedly, he declined to bid upon urgman Tom Gallo got straight-up sexual with his over here for a bit? Now here's your partner In : ingfrom the college. This ~quisition also prebad self, taking short passes from Rinn an~r~p­ crime, Dawson. Were you guyso~ some sort of : vented the house from bemg purchased by a ing bountiful gains from them and Juking telepathic level today: w~atwas g~mg on? . : private individual, which would li~ely have Dobbyn out of his jock strnp on the second run. Alex Rinn: I don t think there s any surpnse : caused it to be dosed off to the pubhc. On the next play, with the efficien~ of a well- about it, we'vebeenbuildingeverygame. Every '. If you've read this far I c~ only assume oiled machine of football gods, Rinn shot a game's been close', . : that you are at least somew~at mterested and short pass to Dawson for his secon~ TD of ~he SW: Hey, that sagoodobservation. Do you : would like more information. Tours are ofgame. Weiland hauled down the Rinn offe~g guys think you'll turn it.around ~he second half : fered on the hour with the last tour being ofon the conversion play, and the Wave lead m- of the season? Prognosis, captams. . : fered at three. Tours last for an hour, and the creased to 16-7. The Druids weren't able to so AD: I think the second half's gomgto be : cost is five dollars (sorry, no student discounts). anything with the final four plays of the half, very different than the first. , '. After having visited the house myself I can tell d Adam "Upscale" Dawson brought down AR: We've got a young team, e;eryone s g~t- : you that it is staffed by many knowledgeable :; ravisin the backfield to put an exclamation paint ting to know the game, and there s no surpnse : individuals who are happy to answer all your on the end of the first half· in this one. We can do t~is. . : questions, and absolutely love it if !ou can find The Druids started things off on the wrong I also wish to make it kn?wn that m last . a question that stumps them. It is locate~ at foot at the start of the second half when ~ears week'sarticlelincorrectlyattn?utedoneofthe : the corner of Maryland Avenue and King fumbled the snap on fifth down and left it. for Hustler'stouchdownstoDwightKn~ll. Mr. '. GeorgeStreet. . Weiland to recover.Wasting no time, the Rinn- Knoll later informed me that he wasn tat the : If you find yourself in need of something Dawson project, now in full effect, hooked.up game. Later on, I realized that I should have '. constructive to do on a Sunday afternoon, ~ou for another long-distance touchdown, making given due credit to Nate Sheely for the touch- : can either go to melee or you might ~ry g~mg the score22-7. Upon receipt of his third to1:1ch- down,hisfirstasaHustler. Rockon,Nate. ~d : to an Annapolis historic house. Bemgn?~t down pass, Dawson was seen to h.ave a ra?-iant if you see Mr. Kn~ll, please remember to admire : here in a place so full of history, I fe~l it my c1VIC glow about him as a disembodied v01ce exclanned, him not for sconng a touchdown t~o we~ks : duty, both as a member of the Polity and as an "He'sonfire!" Ifyou'veeverplayedNBAJ~, ago, because it didn't happen: But I .di~ see him : American citizen to educate myself about my you know how big a deal that is. The Druids pulling infants out of flam~ng b~ildmgs and '. surroundings. I urge you, to do the same. took over, and unable to score from the ten-yard swimming out to save scared little kiU:ns trapped : For more information contact: line on fourth and fifth down, turned over the indementine boxes on the Severn River, so bear '. http://www.annapolis.net/ ball thethe Waves, who immediatelywent after thatinmind, too. '. hammondharwood/ or410-269-1714 the jugular as Rinn stepped back and fired forty 22 NASHVILLE, continued from page 18 : can go in radically different directions. Al~ though we may learn different things through our experiences, we have learned together and that means something. If you want to see this principle in action, we have Homecoming this weekend where alumni from all different years come back to share their own sense of this place. There is something to be learned about all of this from each of them. Perhaps we will never know the answers to any of these questions, or other ones such as whether virtue can be taught, but it don't worry me. KUNA!, continued from page 19 : : : : '. : : : : : : : while the ball, after contact with her dancing shoes, found sweet repose in Blue's net. Blue, defeated but not out, made an attempt toputnumbersontheboard:MaiyOx:key,new to the soccer field a.t'ter kicking serious boot-tay on the wooden floor as a freshman, faked left, faded out, went to the hole with a shot that barely caught air left of Red's goal. Blue soon recovered, passed sweetly back up the field, and Owens (again) sets up a Kathy Gwaltney goal. Gregory soon also scores, 5-0, Red. (Mr.Jonathan Cooper, my dear Sports EdiNext week's film during Home_coming is ~he '. tor and note taker for three-fourths of the game, Rebel Without A Cause, a classicfilm stanng : writes "Rachel Seay cheats called' offside ' also ]amesDean.IhopeyouwiUalicomeout.tosee~t,but; called'jerk"'Ireallydon't~owwhatthis~eans, you are urg~d to save ~our own rebellions, ifthey '. nor remember the incident, but he apparently should be violent, until after you leave FSK thought it impartant, and!, in journalistic integ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · .. · · · . MINORITIES, continued from page 8 man down and with a changed line-up, thought itwould be excellent strategy to leave Ms. Scroggs, Alumni Class of 2001, all by her little lonesome in the middle of the Blue offense, where she could set up quite afew opportunities for goals. Suddenly, it was a different ball game.Johanna Thrall, feeling inspired by a pretty setup from Scroggs, sent a bullet through the Red goal, saving Blue from the disgrace of a shutout, and causing Red's Seay and Alexander to get in a fist fight over "whose fault it was" that Blue scored. Mary Jo "No Pigtails Required" Doktor giggled with pleasure at this fight, and so crossed again to Thrall, who ever so dexterously put another ball into the hole, making it 5-2, Red. Red attempted a comeback, but with only two forwards, not much was done. Blue brought the ball back toward the Red goal, andScroggs smashed a goal in from a great many yards out . The game ended with aRed win of 5-3, but had Blue anothertwenty minutes, it may be certain that they would have found a way to even up the score even more. rity,passtheinformationalongtothePolity.) As was alluded to before, the second half brought many changes to the game. Owens left insurgence of Asian people into colleges, mainly : alongwithJuliaStrickler, and Talley Scroggs in the sciences," added Hui "Ever since the 60's : showed up to help out Blue. Red, now playing a there has been an increase in the number of : ~-------------~---------------~-----------,--~-----i Asian students. They still have this vision of : the American dream that leads to : prosperity... and the vehicle to that is education. : The way to accomplish that is to get technical : skill. To be part of the upper class you have to : go to the Ivy League." : If Hui's assessment is accurate and minori- : ties have a different outlook on education and : life than the typical Johnnie, the lack of minor- : ity students at St.John's is a situation that can- : not be amended until the prevalent mindset : : among minorities is amended. Most students would agree that St. John's : College would be better served to have a higher : minority student enrollment rate. Most stu- : 5 0 cents off any Med. 0 t Lg. dents would also agree that the Program is not : G elati, Shake, Ice ot C ustatd hurt seriously by its lack thereof. St. John's : 911 Bay Ridge Rd Now till seascin ends in October present itself as a school devoid of ethnic cat- : 410/216-9458 . Open 7 days a Week...noon - 9 pm egorizations, but one cannot help wonder if : St. John's College Students, Faculty&· Staff ICE SLJohn'sdoessobecauser~e~something: :======~~~~·~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ that students should not notice, or rather be- : cause there are no other races to notice? If St. : John's were to have a higher minority percent- : age would the social or intellectual landscape : change? Would class discussion take on a '1ew : liveliness? Would St.John's be presented with : a new outlook on a traditional set of ideas? '. Some people might think so, others might not, : but these questions will be difficult to answer : without serious thought and conversation on : : the topic. (The Gadfly's pages are open to thefruits of : suchdiscussions. -Ed] '. : 23 THE GADFLY'.:' .... THE GADFLY o o I' I' o I 0 0 I I 0' I' 0' Io o o 0' I' 0 Io' o'' t �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O.Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 in which the Druids defeated the Hustlers, last year 1s champs. Mr. Pennell's individual contributions aside, it was a great team victory for maroon. And now with the new and improved (he says he's quit smoking ...) Mr. Emery back in town, the Druids could continue to surprise. That being said, the Spartans still look pretty tough to beat in soccer. Women's soccer also saw some great performances this past week. I'm thinking of the great defense played by Hgugh!!'s Misses Wisniewski and Cook. For their great defensive efforts in the face of the fierce attack of the combined Parsley and Maroon Platoon offensive juggernaut (which includes the fearsome foursome of Misses Owen, Gregory, Thrall, & Dokter) the redoubtable defenders Miss Wisniewski and Cook are named Athlete of the Week among the women. t s "W'hen I think ofa race this way, I realize that those ofus in the rear are more to be commended than those upfront. 1he elite runners are excused after their relatively briefrun, while those ofus laggi,ng behindhave to fight the agonyfor an additional period oftime. Ifeffort is the measure ofa man, as Wzlliam James claimed, we 'also-rans' more than mr:asure up." from George Sheehan~ Running to Win What a difference a week makes. What a difference a year makes. Do I hear the gears of intramural karma turning? Thinking about a great series of upsets this week in the men's sports league. First it was a wacky Wednesday, which saw the Waves upset the Druids, and then the Guardians upset the Spartans in our weekly doubleheader. I could, of course, spread my kudos far and wide, but instead will pick out the efforts of two standouts: one, the continuing fine play of the Guardians Mr. Craven (never underestimate the importance of long arms in flag football) and the huge game played by Greenwave Grinch Mr~ Dawson, who went deep and scored two big touchdowns to upend the Druids. As good as Mr. Dawson's efforts were, they were barely eclipsed this week for Athlete of the Week honors by the surprising Mr. Pennell. Only last week, he meleed on the sidelines while the Druids were mauled by the Spartans. And this week, he came out to play soccer and belied his often repeated claim: "Man, I can 1t play soccer." It turns out that he's got some kinda game after all. For taking the daring chance to play a sport he claims he doesn't really like, Mr. Pennell is named Athlete of the Week for the men. Mr. Pennell was part of the huge upset this past weekend in the men's soccer league 24 : THE GADFLY Coffee Shop 263-2371 or x2179 Wed. 9/26 Tuna Wrap Thurs. 9/27 Pizza Rolls Fri. 9/28 Seafood Pizza Mon. 10/1 MD Crab Soup Tues. 10/2 Rueben Sandwich Each Special is accompanied by a small side order and a 20 oz. fountain soda for only $3.29 II 1heanswertolastweeHpuzderwastocaution the ojfendingplayer (for jumping up and downandwavinghisarmsinfomtofanopposing player takingathrow in.) Thewinnerwas thecocaptain ofMo'Bettah,MissHabbegger. And nowfor this week~ question. It is determined during an overtimeperiodthat aplayernotlisted onthegamerosterscoredagoalduringregu/ation play. First one to me with the right call goes to Pizz.aExpress on me. Announcem n Math/Science Reading Group A newly-formed science/ math reading group led by tutor Mr. Dylan Casey will have its first meeting on Monday, October 15, at 4 p.m. to discuss the essay "A Mathematician's Apology" by G.H. Hardy. All members of the college are invited to participate. The location of the discussion will be announced as soon as it is finalized. Updated information may be obtained from the following web page: . http.: I /.w:ww. .. s.j ca. ed.u/. ~ d.cas.ey I ReadingGroup.html Donation Box A box has been setup at Pizza and Taco Express in the coffee shop for donations for the Red Cross. Please give or if you rather call 1-800-HELP NOW. I am also accepting food and clothing. If you do donate them, remem~ her that they cost money to ship. I live in 303 Humphreys or you can send :l me something through campus mail. Please.) malce all checks out to the American Red Cross.·.·.·~ Tbank yoll\} Lauren M. Shofer,,~! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 24 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 6 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-09-25 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 6 of The Gadfly. Published September 25, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #6 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/93377e48746fb722b5ef361cded97ba0.pdf f78e9f54cdfc7797b212f19e2c9b3a6d PDF Text Text The St Jolm ~College Student Weekly Annapolis, Maryland Volume XX!!!, Issue 7 • I October 2, 2001 u n • om1n k • I �A In Response Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett : Dear Gadfly, I am rathertaken aback by Mr. Arnold's out: pouring of militant zealotry in his letter of Sept. Martin Anderson : 25. Certainly, it is afortunate experience to beMelissa Thomas : come aware of one's civic spirit, no matter how : dire the circumstances that bring about this revSpecial Guest Production Manager : elation. I must ask, however, what exactly this Rhonda Franklin : spiritconsistsof. Mr.Arnold, whatwasthecause : of this unification of Americans that you speak Section Editors News: G. August Deirnel : of, if not simple human compassion? To divert Features: Laura Mangum : such a spirit towards an agenda of vengeance is, Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent : I admit, instinctual, but in our more tranquil Sports: John Cooper : moments, reveals itself to be perverse. To see : this, one need only to direct his attention to the Contributing to this Issue : preparations for war in Afghanistan. Much of Tracy Cain G. IanMorochnick : the country is on the verge of famine, and as Aaron Collier Katherine Nehring '. foreign aid to the starving is suddenly cut short A. Wendel Stout RhondaFranklin : in anticipation of military action, innocents beCooper N. Gallimore Comics Sir Robert Burbridge : gin to suffer. The BBC's images of malnourNicholas Garklovs Nate Eagle AaronMacLean : ished and soon to be dying children have already '. touched me as a Human, rather than as a mere Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly : American, as much as those images from New distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and '. Yorkhave. Consequently, mythirstforvengeance staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors : has shamefully hid its face. To inflict senseless emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and : violence upon the innocent as a reprisal for as Governors, and the offices at the St.John's Santa : much is hardly Justice, even in the finite case. Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the : I am filled with sadness at many Americans' the sole responsibility of the author(s). The Gad: responses to the tragic incidents of September fly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit : 11. If anAmericansenseofunity, our spirit, is submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-pro- : only manifested in mindless retaliation, we must voking newspaper which circumstances at St. : seriously examine whether our flag is indeed in: variably attached to the notions of Justice and John's permit. : Liberty. To believe the rhetoric that asserts that Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better : the terrorist attacks this month were assaults on chance of being published than those longer than : Liberty and Goodness is to render our adversary this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for : inhuman, for no human despises Liberty or grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. : Goodness-yet those who may suffer the wrath The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submis: of the American people are certainly human. sions and will not print anonymous submissions : That Justice lies in war is seen as patently false except under special circumstances. : once one takes the step from the realm of the Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax- : national, to that of the human. To blindly asdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. : sume that the United States necessarily adhere to Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For : such lofty ideals, no matter what it does, is nothdisplay advertisement prices and information, call : ing other than to claim a divine right, a self-d~ 410-263-2371, x2212. : ception that only stands in the way of any inves: tigation into what is truly just. This arrogant Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions : stance is a denial of our humanity, as bonds of will be accepted as long as they are legibly writ- : equality give way to segregations between good ten, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail sub- '. and evil-the righteous and the sub-human. The flag of the United States deservedly missions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. : stands as a symbol ofJustice and Freedom, but Production Managers 2 S.CJ. Minut s adfly Mailbox we must understand that we earn such esteem at every moment. The moment, however, a child dies, paying for the sins of admittedly "faceless" enemies, we forfeit our claims to Justice and destroy the liberties of others in the same stroke. Please, Mr. Arnold, continue to stand up for Liberty andJustice, but make sure that your country does the same. We must be patriots, but most importantly, we must remain human. Sincerely, Alek Chance, '02 From the President To: Faculty and Staff From: Christopher B. Nelson Re: James Matthews Jim M:atthews, employed by the college from August 1963 to April 1999, andnowsuffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease, has entered the coronary care unit at the Anne Arundel Medical Center with pneumonia and other complications from the disease: He is not receiving visitors, and we do not know when he will be able to do so. However, I am sure that Doris, Jamie and Chelsea would love to hear from his friends and colleagues, and could pass along to Jim your words of comfort and your prayers. You may write to Doris at the following address: Post Office Box 30 Arnold, 11aryland21012 Cbristopher B. Nelson President A Rebuttal To Ms. Rbonda Franklin: I was personally offended by your letter to last week's Gadfly. Yourtonewasextremely rude, and yet you claimed to denounce rudeness. Your characterization of the members of the SCI sounded frivolous, even though telling people their intentions (or what you perceive to be such) are laughable is quite serious. As a member of the SCI I have no intention of" imparting virtue" to my peers. Rather, I would like to engage in fruitful discussion with them. Accusations and harshness, both present in yourletter, are not the seeds of such discussion. THE GADFLY .............................................. ' .... . Sincerely, Megan Maxwell-Smith, '02' By Robert Abbott, '04 SCI Secretary Present at the week before last's meeting, Sept. 20, 2001, were Sophomore Representatives Ms. SummerStarandMr.Neil Turnquist, Junior Representatives Ms. MayaAlapin and Ms. Mary Townsend, Senior Representatives Ms. Megan Maxwell-Smith and Mr. Justin Naylor, Secretary, Mr. Robert Abbott, and CoChairs Mr. Aaron MacLean and Ms. Laura Strache. Also attending were Mr. Brockett and Mr.Deimel. The first item on the SCI' s agenda was the imminent Freshmen Forum on Seminar. The committee discussed the importance of this annual event and its purpose. Discussion of purpose led to Stringfellow Barr's essay on conversation, appropriately titled, "Notes on Dialogue." The difficulty of choosing a reading for this forum, combined with the wide range of topics usually brought up by freshmen, led the committee to decide not to make any reading mandatory. The issue of authority in a seminar was raised and two positions were offered in varying degrees, that a seminar should be focused around an authoritative text, or the ideas of its participants. Someone pointed out that both were necessary components of a good seminar. Ms. Maxwell-Smith asked what the purpose of the forum was: to talk about St. John's and what we do here, or to talk about seminar practicalities, such as how to interrupt tactfully. The committee decided to move on seeing as the it had at least begun to think about the difficulties and advantages of the forum. Mr. Naylor reported to the committee on the status of the SCI computer account, UNIX and e-mail. Mr. MacLean said that he hoped the committee would never resort to e-mail communication when they could talk to each other on a regular basis. The committee sec. onded his bold anti-technology position but the.secretary is still pleased at the prospect of ) •; ~avmgall records, minutes, posters, and letters lij.one place. · ..·'.·' }he increasingly important discussion on ')•g;•·''0et S:Udents was continued at this point. The • :·2·~~~natn.ittee extends its standing invitation again ·. · ; ~Q<~ ent~e Polity, but especially to those who to discuss this topic. If you do, please •. the SCI meeting on the fourth of Octo1:45' RandallPnvate D'mmg Room. · · '~dments to the charter were taken, the cone being Secretarial s.. ~~ There UJ.U.c:tt;'-· is a general desire on the committee to examine the relationship between the SCI and DC, especially as presented in their respective charters. The review of the charter will be an ongoing process this semester, as you will see if you read next week's minutes, right below (or next to) these. Present at this week's meeting, Sept. 27, 2001, were Sophomore Representatives Ms. Summer Star and Mr. Neil Turnquist, Junior Representatives Ms. MayaAlapin and Ms.11ary Townsend, Senior Representatives Ms. Megan Maxwell-Smith and Mr. Justin Naylor, Secretary, Mr. Robert Abbott, and Co-Chairs Mr. Aaron Maclean and Ms. LauraStrache. The first item on the agenda was to answer College Librarian, Ms. Lisa Richmond's, request to select two students to stand on the Library Committee. Mr. MacLean asked if there were any students interested and Ms. Alapin and Mr. Abbott voiced theirwish to be on the committee. Mr. Maclean asked Mr. Naylor if he was still interested in the position and the latter said that he would be only if no one else was. The motion to recommend Ms. Alapin and Mr. Abbott was presented and carried. The SCI then discussed the nature of the forum it plans to hold sometime at the end of this semester, which will be along the lines of the Rock Forum of past year's fame. Mr. MacLean then updated the committee on the status of the Greek Review Manual and proposed it be assigned to a subcommittee. Mr. Turnquist volunteered to chair the subcommittee and lead the valiant campaign for meaningful deadlines. Mr. MacLean warned him to be prepared for anything, illustrating his point with an experience he had last year while trying to procure a promised article from a student. Since the committee was already on items of assignment and scheduling, it scheduled meetings to be held every Sunday night at eight o-clock for those who want to work on the Greek Review Manual in the coffeeshop with other participants. The discussion group for the Sophomore music tutorial, led by Mr. Naylor will be moved from that time to another, soon to be announced. The committee then discussed at length the nature of the discussion on quiet students. Although this began as a kind of exploration into the parameters and purposes of the specific conversation, because of the nature of the FO s L Britannica Great Books set (54 vols) with bookshelf $300 OBO-will deliver Call (703) 7 65-0091 topic, discussion itself and conversation were soon introduced as the focus of the committee's attention. Ms. Strache made clear th~ she had no interest in saying what is wrong with students. The committee ended the discussion by formulating a question to ask at next week's meeting, to be attended by various tutors and polity members interested in this important topic. The committee once again invites the polity to attend the SCI meeting, 11 :45, Thursday the fourth, Randall Private Dining Room. Mr. MacLeanrecommended that the charter be referred to a sub-committee, on which will be the entire SCI. It will meet at a different time than Thursday meetings and will hopefully provide the necessary time and focus to review the charter responsibly. TttEGADFLY 3 �Do You ow the Marlb' ro Man? By G. Ian Morochnick, '04 When I arrived as a prospective student, so many years ago, I noticed one thing that seemed to bind the St.John's student body closer than the books, the classes, or even the partying. Outside each dorm stood a small memorial to this underlying thread of Johhnie-dom: a small, unobtrusive can, filled to the brim with cigarette butts.Yes, when walking out of seminar, even the most heated debates being carried on from the past five minutes would be interrupted by the positioning of each student's choice tobacco product between their lips, and the merry spark of lighters. Being a bright-eyed, clean-lunged high schooler at the time, I wondered what would make these towering intellects (that's you, class of '02) choose to shorten their lives in such a wasteful manner. When, two years later, I arrived as a freshman, I expected to see more of the same behavior. Upon meeting my hallmates, however, only one of twelve of us regularly smoked cigarettes. The majority of my class, in fact, seemed to disdain inhaling burning dead leaves. I wondered if my class might not end up engage in the wholesale life-shortening practice I had observed years before. In the end, the small group of smokers sitting on the Randall stoop grew, and by the end of the year, I had counted at least two dozen new people from whom I could now bum a smoke. Yes, even I had fallen prey to the delicious postseminar habit. To those of my friends who have noticed that I can no longer run a mile without gasping like a fish out of water: I respond with my assurance that I will not, in any near-future time, need to run further than from my dorm-room to the far side of Mellon. To those who claim that they cause lung-cancer, to rebuff them I rely on one of my freshman dorm-mate's assertions: "By the time I get lung cancer, they'll have cured it, right?" So, my fellow Johnnies, the only thing standing in your way of joining the rest of the campus in the merry post-seminar smoke is that eternal question: what 4 that he has no cigarettes, even if he does have rolling papers and a pouch of tobacco. Premium Brands brand do I pick? In light of this, I will now present a small survey of the various types of cigarettes most commonly smoked by Johnnies, along with some others , easily purchased in the surrounding area, so that any proto-smoker might not descend into the circles of the nasty cigarette smokers. The author increasing the need for a cancer cure. Economic Brands These are easily acquired at Rite-Aid, the General Store on Main Street, or any gas station. Marlboro Reds Phillip Morris's flagship cigarette leads this list for no reason beyond the author's ownership of stock in PM. Reds, often associated with a tough-guy image, have lead many a cowboy into a oxygen tent. Thick and harsh, with enough nicotine to unsettle smokers of other "full-strength" brands, I would not recommend smoker a Red unless your girlfriend has dumped you, your truck has rolled over, and your dog just died. That, or there is someone smoking them nearby, and your pack consists of mere tobacco shakings and memories. Marlboro Lights An excellent compromise by Phillip Morris. Still the strong taste of good Virginia tobacco, the nicotine to keep most addicts from shaking uncontrollably until the break in Freshman Lab, plus the ability to know that you' re much less likely to cough up significant portions of your lungs the next morning. Camels RJ Reynold's answer to Marlboro Reds, though Joe has left the Camel box, is still reminiscent of grade school when I smoked one of these. "Why," might you ask. It's simply the overpowering taste of raisins inherent in the Turkish/American blend apparently favored by dromedaries. Though with a kick almost as strong as the Marlboro Man's horse, the Camel does offer a smoother ride. Camel Lights For the poor man, perhaps the best choice of a manufactured cigarette. Not a premium brand, but a remarkably !;!: smooth, complex fla~ vor. Similar to Camels ~ z g in taste, but with less ffi emphasis on the fruity Cl z <>:: flavor, a much lighter 1n ~ texture in the smoke, ::c n. and a much smaller chance of leaving a firsttime smoker unable to stand. Parliament Lights A fairly large number of J ohhnies seem to smoke this brand, a fact I cannot quite reconcile. Puffing on one of these cigarettes leaves smoke in your mouth, I suppose, but not enough to produce any sort of taste or feel beyond that ash-can dryness common to all inhaled tobacco. I won't even get into the weirdness of that recessed filter; I'm terrified that I'm going to get a paper-cut on my tongue from smoking these. I suspect the main ingredient is cardboard (sorry, OD). American Spirits This listing goes out to all you Fe transfers. American spirits, produced in the hometown of our sister campus, can be purchased pre-rolled, but only cowards and traitors would dare. American Spirit is the only tobacco with which a proper Johnnie should roll his own. Furthermore, with rising tuition, and a plummeting economy, the Promethean smoker should definitely consider picking up a bag. Even better on your pocketbook, a smoker of these cigarettes can tell cigarette bummers THE GADFLY ................................................... . All of these can be purchased at the Smoke Shop on Maryland Avenue Dunhills An English cigarette, produced by Dunhill International. Dunhills come in attractive, thin and broad cases which just scream class, and upper-class you must be, in order to afford these cigarettes (often priced at a dollar ortwo more per pack than other brands). The experience of smoking a Dunhill for the first time is as coming out the cave. Cigarettes do not need to taste like licking the ashtray on extinguishes them in. One needs not pack Dunhills as vigorously as the aforementioned brands, as the tobacco is already tightly compressed at the factory. Nat Sherman's Fantasia Brightly colored, poorly flavored waste of tobacco warehouse floor scrapings. They' re very cute if you want something to place in a cigarette holder, or if you' re going to some costume ball. Otherwise, just stick to the Parliament Lights and save a buck. Nat Sherman's Hint of Mints The veteran smoker may have noticed that I've been leaving off one important facet of the cigarette world: menthol cigarettes. Although I was once a great fan of Camel's Turkish Gold, or Marlboro's Milds, upon the first breath of a Hint of Mint, I soon changed my tune. Menthol cigarettes have a minty flavor, in my experience, useful only to hide the fact that you've been smoking from your parents, teachers or loved ones. There is a chilling problem with menthol cigarettes. For whatever reason, most likely being to enhance the flavor of the mentholate by micro-lacerating your lungs and mouth, fiberglass is one of the ingredients in all menthol cigarettes. The Nat Sherman Company, however, uses actual mint in their cigarettes. This provides a stronger, even better tasting flavor, without the health concerns of pulling house insulation into your internal organs (you' re still inhaling roofing materiele). Gauloises These French-made cigarettes prove that la France can produce something well other than cheese, wine and flags of surrender. Smoother taste than Dunhills, which is perhaps why it is so surprising when the massive quantity of nicotine in each one of these hits the smoker like a steel girder from the Eiffel Tower. The Light Gauloises tones this effect down, and is perhaps the best cigarette money can purchase. . ........ w ws···················· : By Aaron Collier, '04 Nation of Peace and Chocolate Surprised by Killing Switzerland, a land known for its peace and ; prosperity, wasshockedwhena57year-oldman : killed 14 regional parliament members on Sep: tember 27. His feud with government officials : apparently began two years ago when he got in ; a fight with a bus driver. This fight caused him "We were proud that until now politicians could move freely. That has been put into question by this attack." Security at all government buildings has now been increased, but the peace that once pervaded this isolated country has been shattered. British Kids Eat Too Much Lead Doctors in Britain recently asked that children with behavioral and learning problems have routine blood screemngs to test their blood for lead. Apparently, many children have been ingesting lead by chewing on toys and other objects. This can cause them to consume up to Res1'd en tsof Zug, Sw1'tzerl and mourn th e1r dead. . ; to insult all pubic transport workers, which led : to a complaint against him. He then proceeded : to file lawsuits in every possible venue, con: tending that the public systems were violating ; their civic duty, buteachonewasrejected.After : the most recent rejection, Friedrich Leibacher ; decided to take revenge on the members of his ; local parliament. Storming into a regular ses: sion dressed as a policeman, he opened fire on : the members killing 14 and injuring 10 others '. while setting off a grenade. The whole inci: dent lasted five minutes before he turned his : gun on himself. The most deadly shooting : ever in Switzerland had shocked the whole na: tion, which has prided itself on remaining out '. of conflicts. President Moritz Leuenberger said, three times as much lead as adults and potentially give them toxic levels of the substance. Through testing of children who had developmental or behavioral problems, researchers found a higher occurrence of high blood concentrations of lead than children who did not suffer from such problems. Saying that blood screenings could help identify and possibly prevent the problems from occurring, doctors asked that all children who might be identified with such problems go through the simple and cheap measure of having their blood tested. Of course, attempting to reduce the amount of lead in common children's toys or raising awareness to try to get kids to stop chewing on lead would be too much. : 5 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �w st ( rCome ast) Young M By Laura Mangum, '04 Features Editor "K.eepingwith the five year average, approximately thirty students from St. John's, Annapolis and twenty-three students from St. John's Santa Fe will soon be making a decision to transfer to the alternate campus for the upcoming year." So began an article from The Gadfly last year on the process of transferring. Those students are now experiencing life on the other side, finding the differences that 1800 miles and a whole separate attitude can make. The transfer process, which has been in place for as long as the alternate campus has, was an original stipulation of the plan to exp and the College's method of education to a larger number of students. That plan was first conceived of during a conversation that took place in our very own coffee shop back in 1959. The conversation was between then-president Richard D. Weigle and Milton Mayer, the publicist and also the father of a Johnny. Mr. Mayer, a Californian, expressed a great interest in starting a school on the Monterey Peninsula that shared the same philosophy of education as St.John's. Mr. Weigle, in keeping with the College's desire to spread the New Program, agreed to offer insight and counsel on the endeavor. When the polity found out about the idea, the President was burned in effigy before a Friday night Lecture by students who assumed that the Administration was simply looking for an excuse to expand the Annapolis campus. Nevertheless, 6 committees were formed, trips were taken, and though California was not chosen for the location of the next St.John's campus, the west was to see a new kind of school come their way. The parallels of the smallish, colonial capitol cities with insane street layouts seemed to endear Santa Fe to the planners, and the enthusiasm with which Santa Feans welcomed the school certainly contributed, along with do- Weigle Hall, Bell Tower nated land and a few dedicated people, to Santa Fe becoming the second campus. As you may know, the original idea in spreading "The Gospel of St.John's" was to plant several different campuses in the country, in places ranging from San Diego, California to New Preston, Connecticut. The absolute largest number of students at each campus was to be 300. Both schools have gone way over that limit, bringing questions of expansion back to the center-stage. The students who make the switch to the other campus seem to do it for that famous reason: because it's there. Whether they will like it or not seems to be the question, and in speaking with a few transfers and roundtrippers (Annapolis-Santa Fe-Annapolis) one can learn a lot, and raise some interesting questions about the tone and attitudes of each. The differences in the two campuses are easy for anyone familiar with both campuses to point out. In general, Santa Fe is reported to have a more laidback informal atmosphere. The 250 acre campus, with an elevation of 7,500 MSL is described as a "very spiritual" place, and Santa Fe itself as more Eastern minded, "even the Dali Lama hangs out there," says one transfer. The beauty of the place was commentedon by all of the.transfers, and is obviously deeply ingrained into their memories of Santa Fe. Transfer student Mark Carmia, gazing away as he spoke, recalled in particular one sunset on a stormy evening with great vividness, "The sky was lit with incredible oranges, green, and deep blue from the storm, I looked up and thought, [and here he covers his mouth in feigned wonder and disbelief] 'now, where amI going?"' When asked about the biggest difference between the two campuses, Mr. Carmia states immediately, "The chairs." He goes on to explain that the chairs are lighter in color in Santa Fe and seem to have an unfinished, natural quality about them. The Johnny chairs in Annapolis are generally darker and finished. "It's all about the chairs and the tables. The parallels between the light and the darkness tells you everything you need to know about the two campuses/' he quips, only half-jokingly. "One is good and one is evil." Although obviously not the biggest Annapolis fan, he does con- Annapolis. : The "Ark: Party," after : the Exodus : seminar, and '. "Cookie: Monster" : (ask the near- '. est transfer : about that : one) aretradi- : tions that set '. the campuses : apart.: "Snowquet," '. however,: started by : "The Lowers" Dorm Annapolis : cede that it is easier to get off campus and do transfers to Santa Fe, has made an entrance into : things in Annapolis than it is in Santa Fe. "Santa the high desert community. The familiar at- : Fe," he says, "is stifling and intimate in a strange mosphere, the claim goes, contributes to more : sort of way." Mr. Carmia, whose unenthusias- active and passionate seminars, and more risk '. tic attitude towards the location of the school in venturing opinions and impressions dur- : is tempered by his dedication to the program ingtutorials. Tutorials in Santa Fe are an hour : itself and his good-humored attitude toward and a half, but do not necessarily adhere to the : his unfortunate situation, plans, gleefully, to same standards of punctuality that tutorials '. here do. : return to Santa Fe or his junior year. The isolated nature of the western campus TheFebbies, arriving last spring, were greeted '. again came up in speaking with Lydia Frewen, with an enthusiastic welcome, making itveiy easy : an Annapolis junior who spent her sopho- for them to meet everyone and feel a part of the : more year in Fe. "The sky is so huge, your mind community. Santa Fe transfers, however, came : is always wandering. It can be very hard to con- without any fanfare and, in many cases, and un- : centrate. And here you can't help but run into consciously I am sure, without welcome. The : people; there you have to make an effort." Al- vision of a few of the great leaders of the school, : though Miss Frewen enjoyed her jaunt to Santa Mr. Klein, Miss Leonard, etc., (which is well pre- : Fe, she is inclined to think that it is actually sented in the concise 1he Colonization ofa Col- '. easier to seriously concentrate on the Program kge), was to have a seamless transfer of students : in Annapolis. from campus to campus. Time will certainly find : The coffee shop (for its central position to them a place in the Annapolis campus, but let's : campus activity quality and its pizza serving help that along by welcoming our fellow : capability) and active intramural sports teams Johnnies to the homeland. : were consistently brought up as advantages that Annapolis has over the Santa Fe campus. Traditions have been carried west· ' waltz parties, Reality (which is thrown by the sophomores in Fe), and Prank, are now institutes on both campuses. Of course Santa Fe has its own identity ~art (quite far apart tn some cases) from Blood Driv October 5th 2001 By Emily Schrick, '04 You've seen the signs; The big red parchment paper with a white cross.You know that now, more than ever, the American Red Cross needs your assistance in light of the September 11th disaster. In the first week of the World Trade Center bombing, the need for blood doubled that of the regular rate, depleting the blood banks, especially in the rare blood types. Now, during the aftermath and recuperation of the hospitalized victims, the need for blood still remains. Please help these victims, and the hundreds of other people who are hurt and injured everyday by donating blood this October 5ih at the St. John's Health Center. The American Red Cross welcome support from all blood types, but the need for 0 andB blood types are especially strong. Every blood donor donates one unit of blood, and for every unit donated, three lives can be saved. Please consider that blood donors must be in good health, over the age of 17, and over 110 pounds. If you are currently ill or are taking antibiotics for infection, or if you have donated blood in the last 56 days, please wait until this time has past before giving blood. Blood donations are always welcome at the local hospitals and blood banks. If you do plan to give blood, there are a few things you should consider. Minimize smoking prior to donations, and improve your iron count before and after giving blood by eating lots of dried fruits, meat, and beans. Be sure to drink extra water and fluids and eat a few large meals before donation, but avoid fatty foods like mayonnaise, cheese and greasy fast food. Allow about twenty minutes for recuperation afterwards and make sure your schedule is clear for a half hour for the process. For those who cannot donate blood and those who would like to help, volunteers are being requested through the health center on an hourly basis. Any further questions can be directed to Mrs. Buppert in the Health Center. :7 THE GADFLY THE GADFLY .. : ..... �COVER STORY • m 1: An Al mn1 dyssey By Cooper N. Gallimore, '05 If you were out and about the campus this weekend you probably noticed a number of strange, exotic creatures wandering about as though in a world unto themselves and gazing reflectively in the direction of College Creek Of course most of these individuals were just your average Johnnies still recovering from Thursday night'sseminar. Onthisweekendhowever, the mix was peppered with an older, more experienced lot who sauntered about campus with a beaming sense of pride and exultation as they thought back on the days when their feet trod these same halls, and when they stayed up all night in orderto complete the latest seminar reading. Of course this past weekend was Homecoming, and thus the grounds were teaming with alumni. Since I am but a lowly freshman, I can make no attempts to compare this year's homecoming with those of the past, but according to many that I have spoken too, this year's Homecoming was a modestly successful one. The first of the Alumni began trickling in Friday afternoon and evening. While the majority of the events didn't take place until Saturday, there were some events worth noting that occurredFriday. One of the earlier festivities was an activity designed for the current students, in which alumni from a variety of fields were encouraged The Saturday afternoon alumni picnic. tosharetheircareerstoriesandperhapsprovide aspiring professionals with a glimpse as to what they may wish to do with the remainder of their lives (for of course, the majority of us would like to leave St.John's eventually).fln saying "the majority ofus,"Mr. GaNimore naturally speaksfor Some alumni quickly reverted to the states they occupied as students. 8 THE GADFLY ............................. '' himself. -,Ed] The gamut ran from the usual assortment of lawyers, teachers and journalists, to programmers, investment bankers, and jacks-of-all-trades types. All the alumni were most willing to answer any questions that were asked by students, and provided excellent information about their respective fields. It was enough to stir hope in my veins that there may be life after St.John's. This was followed, as usual by a special lecture, and the standard question period as well as some rather discriminating refreshments for the alumni later in the evening. The late evening's festivities also included a rock party in the boathouse. The music was promised to be mostly vintage mid-seventies recordings, and the event delivered just that. There were a smattering of students and alumni in attendance and some were even dancing, which proved to be rather interesting. They gave out homecoming2001 cups as I understand is customary, though some students expressed their displeasure that the cups were not clearly labeled "Beer Cup," astheywere in years past. The said students were later consoled by the fact that this could simply be written on with a permanent marker. As Saturday morning rolled around the events began to pick up pace as more and more alumni streamed into our small campus. Apparently one deviation from the normal string of events was thatthe registration took place in the coffee shop and not in the FSK Lobby. While it was a little packed in most of the alumni I talked too seemed pleased by the change in that it was such a cozy environment and much more appropriate than the lobby. The alumni seminars took place on Saturday, and ranged from such diverse books as Plato's Ion to Robert Frost, and even Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. The children of alumni were also treated to a seminar on Harry Potter. While most current Johnny's did not begrudge the alumni their closed doors seminars, many did express their displeasure at not being allowed to participate in the Harry Potter discussion. While the day was rather windy and overcast the general array of picnics and outdoor fare continued to carry on. Later on in the afternoon events such as tours of the new exhibit in the Mitchell Gallery were given as well as another anticipated event, the Freshman Chorus revisited led by former freshman chorus director Elliot Zuckerman. The sounds of assorted hymns such as A Mighty Fortress and other classic :freshman chorus standards came wafting out of the great hall for the better part of an hour. It pains me to say it, but our current freshman chorus will have to work hard to meet the standards of those Johnny's who came before us. Later in the eveningthe alumni cocktail party was held in McDowell Hall and after that the banquet was held in Randall. According to my sources on the inside, the banquet was a real success. Other than the fact that I can now claim to have eaten dinner in the FSKLobby, I can't speak much on these events. What I can speak on however, are the Waltz and Rock parties that took place in McDowell Hall Saturday night. The waltz was by farthe greatest this year to date. Not only was it packed full of dancing students and alumni, but for the first hour the waltz music was provided by no~e other than Elliot Zuckerman to the delight of all. The crowds may have thinned sharply around 12:30 but the dancing continued until well after this. And, for the two minutes that I actually looked in on the party going on downstairs, it appeared as though people were equally enjoying themselves. With the dawning of Sunday morning, hoi:iecoming events began to decline and fizzle , · until by the end of the day, St.John's settled .~;) + ;cfown and things got back to as normal as they ··.. <f.·~~er do around here. I was personally touched at .\+~:'.·li6e many peo~le who had con:ie back to pay · ;·:~~mage to their college education. I c:m only .• ,, pethatweasastudent bodycancontrnuethe fr:aQition of alumni involvement in the years to by Taylor WTaters Director of Student Services Shuttle service will be provided to BWI for long weekend. Departure times are Friday, October 5 at 6am, Sam & 11am and pick-up times are Monday, October 8 at 1pm, 3pm &5pm. As always the van leaves from the Carroll Barrister House and collects in front of BWI Baggage Claim# 1. To malce a reservation, leave a message with Taylor Waters/Student Activities at ex 2554 and remember to allot two hours to check in with the airlines. I have 10 tickets to The Oedipus, The Shakespeare Theatres' adaptation of Sophocles' Theban trilogy. The tickets are $15.00 each and can be reserved by sending cash or a check (made out to St.John's College) to Taylor Waters/Student Activities via campus mail. The performance is Tuesday, October 9 and the polity van will depart from the Carroll Barrister House at 5:45pm. There are two Meal Ticket winners this week and both were chosen by me. Ms. Katrin Finck will dine at Middleton Tavern and Ms. Mariam Yazdani at Picolla Roma. Ad Manager for small weekly newspaper. Will train, materials provided. Pay is 10% of ads sold Responses to the Gadfly via campus mail or email The Student Committee on Instruction is hosting a ''Do you need to speak out loud to learn at S lhn '2" l.;O S. Thursday at lunch in the Private Dining Room ALL AR WELCOM . . . . . . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . .. .. .. . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . : 9 THE GADFLY .. :.' ... �• 1ng lubbing: ommitte I over to question them about their organization. "So," asked the Jack looking up from the "There's really only the five of us," replied ground, where she was attempting to induce a Hayden Brockett, indicating his compeers Sumcolony of ants to generate a commonwealth, mer Star, Mary Townsend, Anderson Tallent, "What are we doing this week?" and Jenny Windstrup. "Although you can be "The Waltz committee," replied the Ace, on the Waltz Committee too, if you doing her best to ignore the antics of want to. Do you want to? You're in! her roommate, "and the Waltz comOf course, it's up to the discretion of mittee." Summer and I," he added, perhaps The Jack paused. "Wait. What-" seeing visions of hordes of Johnnies "I know," snapped the Ace. "Just flooding the membership of the shut up." Waltz Committee, eager for the privilege of cleaning up after waltz parties WALTZ COMITTEE and packing up the stereo system. . "ONE two three, ONE two three, "So what form of government is ONE two three!" Words that stir the this?" inquired the Jack, who was soul and move the limbs. Words that reading her Hobbes at the time. "The waltz committee is a monepitomize an aspect of theology. Words at the foundation of learningarchy," pronounced Mr. Brockett, one after all, in Republic Socrates describes half of tht? quasi-mystical Waltz Comlearning as starting with "the simple mittee archonship. "A monarchy surmatter of the one, the two, and three." rounded by a natural aristocracy." To the students at the Dance Les"Where the public and private insons held at 6:30 on Saturday night, terest are most closely united, there is yet another significance was added to the public most advanced. Now in monarchy, the private interest is the these words. More than two dozen students all murmured them softly, in same with the public," volunteered unison, as they tried to maneuver about the Jack. The Waltz Committee, being for the room in the graceful forms of the the most part Platonists, paid no atwaltz. Of all the extracurricular activities ~ tention, even if it did agree. on campus, dancing is perhaps the one ~ The WaltzPartythateveningwas that combines the most aspects of the al the Homecoming Waltz, and was a ~ triumph of the Waltz Committee's Program in the most unexpected fon:1. Physics, geometry, astronomy, music, ;:: new leadership. The dance lessons (for moral and ethical philosophy-indeed, ~ a recent brief period run by a dubiof the liberal arts, the only ones un~ ous subset of the Waltz Committee, represented were grammar and rhetobut now brought back into the fold) Jenny Windstrup and Dan Ressler keep the Waltz parties running. have been training great quantities of ric. Even these were only debatably absent as one often needs persuasive new dancers in the arts of waltz and swing and rhet~ric to be able to obtain a partner in the ''Now, the most important thing to remem- tango. And for this waltz, at the request of Mr. ber," calledMissTownsendtothedancers, "is Anderson Tallent, Mr. Elliott Zuckerman was first place. . . "This foot describes an arc," said Miss Mary that you and your partner are a whole!" present to play waltzes and polkas on the piTownsend, demonstrating the step in quesano. For the first time since the Jack can re"Are we revolving as a point?" tion and whirling about in a neat circle. ''No, you're revolving about the same point. member the floor was completely filled with ''Youlove being able to say that, don't you," Right there." waltzer; as they danced to the melodious mumbled Hiram Powers, who was assisting The lessons were over at seven thirty, and strains of Mr. Zuckerman' s piano. the Waltz Committee in its dancing demon- the Waltz Committee stayed behind to pack "This was the best one this year! A real success!" declared Miss Townsend, as the Waltz strations. up the speali;;.er equipment, and the Jack went By Tracy Cain and Katherine Nehring, '03 10 : As there was to be a waltz party that night, there were a number of demonstrations to be gotten through. Accounts and explanations of the physics of each particular dance ~ove had to be truncated, asthe WaltzComrrutteedemonstrated in rapid succession swing, waltz, tango, and polka. THEGADFLY ······································ ....... ' ..... . Committee began the process of post-dance Windstrup, in charge of teaching the Waltz When the Ace knocked on Hayden clean-up. All the chairs had to be moved back Committee's dance lessons. Brockett's door the next day, in search of more into the Great Hall, the speakers taken down "We'd like to encourage upperclassmen to coherent information than the J ackhad manand put away, and the cups dropped by bibu- come," addedMiss Wmdstrup, "We're perfectly aged to procure, she was pleasantly surprised lous alumni properly disposed of. willing to give private lessons if the regular to find not one, but three members of the "Hey everyone!" she called to her fellow scheduled times are inconvenient. The lessons waltz committee. Anderson Tallent she had members of the waltz committee, "Slow down ai·e every Saturday at 6:30, in the dance studio." more or less expected, he being Mr. Bracket's on the cleanup! Because Anderson is coming Meanwhile, Anderson Tallent had returned roommate, but MS. Summer Star dropping by with my Patsy Cline CD in just a minute!" She with the Patsy Cline CD, and the cleanup began was entirely fortuitous. had sent him off on the errand a few minutes in earnest. All three were in extremely high spirits from ago, explaining to the Jack that it was somethe waltz party the previous night, and all thing of a tradijoined in proclaiming tion for the the party an unequivoWaltz Commitcal success. Mr. tee to dean up to Zuckerman's playing, in the accompaniparticular, they celment of Patsy ebrated as the highlight Cline played over of the evening. Another the speaker sysfactor, Mr. Tallent tem. noted, was the excellent "How did instruction of the you come to be Freshman class who he on the Waltz had observed at the Committee?" dance lessons, and who, the Jack queried he claimed, most reof Miss sembled the experience Townsend of "gazing on the Ptole"I was actumaic heavens". ally-I really "The alumni, said didn't want to Ms Townsend, "of be. But I was many different years appointed by were heard to say that the archon. I'm Waltz Archons Hayden Brockett and Summer Star take note of pianist Elliott Zuckerman during the Homecoming Waltz. this was the best waltz a conscript party to which they had member of the ''Where are the chairs? Where are the chairs?" been." Waltz Committee. I'm the archon-one of called Miss Windstrup, checking each of the "There were still a lot of them there when the archons- of the Dance Club, though. They surrounding rooms in tum. "I think they' re all we went over entirely to DJing," added Mr. ARE separate things. But there is no club, re- in here! There are so many chairs in here it's Tallent. ally, just the archons." terrifying!" "When people are dancing, and the dance "There is no Dance Club!" corrected her Hayden Brockett, the co-archon, came dash- finishes, everyone is going to dance the next so-called fellow arch on, Jenny Windstrup. ing down the stairs with a mop in his hand. one; they don't even consider not dancing," "There is no Dance Club. It's a subset of the "The Febbies are having a cheese fight! said Ms Townsend. "That feeling was in the Waltz Committee." AAAAAUGH!" air.You can tell whenever people are excited The Jack would have made a clever remark "Why did I join the Waltz Committee?" about dancing and really enjoying it. Exciteabout being and not-being at this point, but repeated the other co-arch on, Miss Star, in an- ment is too vague a term for it: the dancing is she was too confused to think of one. The co- swer to the Jack's question. "Well, I was reading them and they are the dancing." archon of the Waltz Committee, though, my Herodotus, and Hayden asked me if I "Their inwardness has stretched out and Hayden Brockett, is adamant about there be- wanted to join, and I said yes." encountered themselves outside," Mr.Tallent ing no such thing as the Dance Club, and that "Some call it fortune, some call it chance, concurred. the dance lessons are one of many functions others call it fate," declaimed Anderson Tallent Indeed, all agreed that the alumni seemed of the Waltz Committee, analogous to every- in response to the same query. '1 call it my search to fall into two categories at this waltz; those thing else they do. (Setting up the sound sys- for the Good. Nowturn up the Patsy Cline; I who had danced at St.John's, and those who tem, cleaning up afterwards, organizing the need to go upstairs." wishedtheyhad. "And,"saidMr. Tallent, "at dance, trying to provide champagne for sale. Miss Townsend, who together with the the waltz last night, those in the latter category (Which theywill be doing, this year, if they can other Waltz Committee members assists in DJ- looked infinitely sadder than those in the obtain the funds and approval)). ingwaltz parties, obligingly fiddled with afew former." In short, if the Ace were called upon "We' re always teaching the beginners," con- knobs, and Patsy Cline suddenly increased in to sum up the message of the waltz committinued Mary Townsend, who is, with Jenny volume. tee, it would be, "More people should dance more often". ' .... ' ... ' ... ' ' ... ' ' ... ' ' .... ' ' ' ' ' ... ' ... ' . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY ' . : 11 �mecoming Images From the Homecoming Waltz and the Rebel Without a Cause showing Hayden Brockett, doing a simul;an~ous . Frankenstein and David Lee A 01 impression, dances with Mary Townsend. Andrew Hunt and Dylan Wright-Fitzgerald enjoy Mr. Zuckerman's waltzes. Mrs. Judy Seeger performed at the Film Society's Saturday evening film ... ... and was followed by a James Dean Zook-alike contest, won by Lars Peterson (seated). VI W f bel Without a Caus By Nicholas Garklovs, '04 Near the end of "Rebel without a Cause," the three main characters, Jim, Judy and Plato, find themselves in a mansion and therein believe to have found, just for a moment, the ideal family. And to a point, we, the audience, are drawn into this myth and we want to believe it. We have already seen the dysfunctional families that they have fled. Jim tries as hard as he can to transcend the life of surrender that his father embodies. Judy desires the attention of, firstly, her father and if not that, any man. Plato just plainly desires a family. They find what they are looking for in each other. They have found the cause of their previous dissatisfaction: the fear of being alone. At this time, it can be seen as a pressing fear. By 1955, the year of this film's release, a duality of beliefs was being taught to the American youth that gave it a very good reason to rebel. An emphasis upon conformity was valued highly, while there existed an underlying pragmatic pessimism due to the previous decades of war and depression and the current conflict-the cold war. In other words, you were told to get a job and start but not any moral or virtuous purpose. "Living for living's sal~e" was becoming the motto. This is best displayed by the film in the scene during the presentation at the planetarium. It is just a basic lesson in the constellations until the conclusion, when the world is shown to combust in a nihilistic cloud of smoke and dying sparks. Plato responds to this by hiding and, referring to the observatory's professor, he says, "What does he know about a man alone?!" And he has a right to ask. Upon receiving his Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950, William Faulkner said it best: "Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only one question: When will I be blown up?" Yet Plato's solution is a dangerous one, and he finds that but while in the utopia of the mansion. He ~es up to find the local bullies standing over him and his "family" nowhere to be found. Immediately, anger takes over. Such dependence leads to a prideful egotism, as it does in Plato's case. He wants a family and will lie to himself to believe that such a delusion is easily possible. In a sense, he is agreeing with Aristophanes in "the Greek" Plato's Symposium, who says that we are not whole beings without a lover or beloved.Yet such a viewwill not relinquish this fear that Faulkner speal(s of in father helps Jim to stand up and quiets his his speech. Can fear be extinguished blindly? wife for the first time, but one may wonder All the characters in this film believe their spiri- why he has changed. Is it a tragedy for a father tual wounds can be healed by fleeing from to have to be taught by his son? There is defithem. Jim's mother is the most obvious ex- nitely something to laugh at in seeing Jim's ample. Every time her son gets in trouble, she parents smile at each other for the first time. has the family move. Jim's father is unable to Yet still, in the back of everyone's mind is stand up to his manipulative wife. We should the sudden ease to which this happens and not rely on others to find a salvation from this the distance at which Jim's mother had just physical and, at that time, ever-present fear. observed her son crying. Buzz, who dies in the chicky-run, believes, in This film wants to convince us that it some sense that fear can be drowned out by ends happily in some sense. Yet should we the complacency of being near death. In all be convinced? In trying to evade their parcases, fleeing heedlessly leads back to the origin ents and finding each other, Jim and Judyone has shunned. how appropriately trite for a couple's There is a thin line between tragedy and name-have come back to that which they comedy. Society at the time of this film was opposed.Jim's mother looks remarkably a tragedy. We are prone to believing that this like Judy while Judy's father resembles Jim. film, in paralleling the concurrent situation In trying to master their fates blindly, they of youthful angst and misconduct, is a trag- have committed the Oedipal sin, yet never edy as well. As we see the last shot pull out realize the tragedy that they are living within. to show the majesty of the observatory, the One must question the validity of their romanticist in us does not ask us Plato's present cause and whether the appropriate question of whether the world will end at action is to laugh or cry. night. Plato's death was fated in the stars.Yet the film itself is BY; SIR RC•BIRT BURBRIDGE more of a mirror of this Roadkill. Some eviscerated animal. Opossum, Eww, gross. Did you see that? I think. fear that we possessed at the time. For we have the capability, as a tragic actor does, of changing. James Dean wanted to cry see what? from the very first scene, An opossum? Maybe it was just playing dead. I blame the media. HAEO when he is playing with the toy. Plato's death is not a cathartic event. It is hardly even acknowledged after ten minutes. No one has really changed. Jim's Touche . : 13 12 THE GADFLY .... ' ... ' ... ... ... ' ... ' ' ' ... '' ............ . THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Mr. S ho en rCom s Hom stories that described the effect on wine that By Anderson Tallent, '04 various factors within the vessel may perhaps I & I Editor have. Mr. Schoener's three stories indicated that Appropriately, Friday's lecture began with wine represented a complete and somewhat an interpretation of Homer's epic poem of brutalhist01y in which vying organisms worked homecoming, the Odyssey. The lecturer, Mr. together to transform the juice's sugar into alAbraham Schoener, himself an alumnus and cohol. Returning to Homer, he then described tutor on leave, returned home to the Colthe interconnectedness of this history lege from California where he has gone with what is represented by the slaughto learn the art of winemaking. After a ter of animals for the purpose of eatbrief encomium on hospitality, Mr. ing. He observed that nowhere in Schoener described his motives both Homer does anyone drink wine withfor returning to St. John's and for out sacrificing and then eating the roast speaking about the Odyssey, namely meat, and that Noah, the first man to that he liked them. The Odyssey, he said, get drunk in the Bible, also provides to somewhat self-referentially, is a poem God the sacrifice of sweet-smelling aniin which one man "returns home and mal flesh. Polyphemus, who did not restores order by wreaking havoc." usually drink wine, was also a vegetar(This remark was followed by a brief ian, and Mr. Schoener offered the somepause for comic emphasis.) Particularly, what radical interpretation of his blindit was Odysseus' episode with ing by Odysseus as punishment not for Polyphemus the Cyclops that interested cannibalism, but for a "tee-totaling obhim, for it is in this story that wine plays ject to the slaughter of meat." a most prominent role. Mr. Schoener The lecture was followed by a said that when thinking about the savsomewhat brief but quite lively quesage acts committed in Polyphemus' cave, tion period, at which the College's he had hypothesized that an unfamiliaralumni made a fairly poor showing in ity with wine was responsible to the comparison to attendance at Mr. Kutler's drunken slumber that comes upon the homecoming lecture last year. Many Cyclops.Unfortunately, however, this inquestions involved technical details of terpretation could not withstand a rethe fermentation process that were left reading of the text, for in fact unclear, but others focused on the ethiPolyphemus' island is rich in grapevines, cal suggestions about wine consumpand Polyphemus himself seems to love tion and its partnership with the sacrifithe local vintage. In addition, he sleeps cial roasting and eating of meat. Mr. just as heavily after drinking milk as he Schoener displayed an unique form of does when drinking wine. Hence, it is precise thinking about Homer and the not that Polyphemus is over-susceptible commonplace activities he describes. His to the effects of alcohol because of his interpretations thereof brought to light lack of experience consuming it, but a great richness in Homer, for oftentimes rather he is a connoisseur. But as a conthe grand depictions of courageous and noisseur, said Mr. Schoener in segue to honorable action tend to obscure the the main part of his lecture, Polyphemus significance of less conspicuous details. is dull company, and one must abandon No, that's not Mr. Shoener but the god of wine profferring his gift .. People also questioned Mr. Schoener's him. Thence Mr. Schoener proceeded to a tech- punctuated by the humorous, again partially own microbial, scientifically oriented view nical discussion of how wine is made. First, self-referential observation that somehow a of winemaking, contrasting it with a more he discussed the activity of the vine and plant's choosing how best to prepare a seed to organic one such as might be encountered grape "in nature", that is, what would hap- be egested by an animal was similar to choos- in the Old World.Yet they did shy away from pen to grapes if they were not harvested ing a college for one's child. Mr. Schoener then asking potentially uncomfortable questions and tal~en to the winery. In Aristotelian fash- described the role that yeasts and other mi- about the philosophical justification or baion, he presented for analysis the common crobes play in the processes of rotting and fer- sis for become a winemaker. But, as Mrs. scientific hypotheses that explain the func- mentation. It is yeasts, he explained, that are Gable said in her Homecoming article last tion and purpose of the grape. One expla- responsible for grape juice becoming wine. To year, the Alumni weekend is devoted to pleanation is that the vine produces berries deli- explain further the biology of the fermenta- sure, and the Friday night festivities beck- . cious to animals, so that the animals may tion vessel, Mr. Schoener then crafted three likely on ed. eat them and later distribute seeds somewhere else. This theory is faulty, however, because birds that eat from the grapes devour the seeds, but instead nibble into the grape's skin and juice. Hence, the grapes do not help to spread seeds. Mr. Schoener's description of animals bearing seeds in their stomachs was 14 : THE GADFLY ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ...... ' .. ' . ' ' .. ' . ' ....... ' ..... ' ........... . v By Rhonda Franklin, '04 Oops, I Did It Again I wasn't aware that trades could be negotiated in the middle of a game, but apparently they can be in the kunai league. Blue was down a player, and Red up, so I was traded atthe half to the Blue team, which was up 1-0 instead of tied 1-1 as it should have been ifI hadn't missed a God-given opportunity. As a free agent, I'm not worth very much. Blue decided that goall(eeper, rather than forward, was the spot for me. And since someone else was put at forward for Red, their offense heated up considerably. Mr. Cooper, my note taker, wasn't so good as to record how many attempted shots Red had in the second half but to this goalkeeper it felt like a thousand. ' Jess Alexander had some strikes for Blue at the beginning of the second half, but no goals ~esulted from these strikes. Instead, Red, pushrng the ball back to the Blue goal, decided that it would be great fun for Julia Strickland, Tiffany Joly, Gregory, Molly I-can't-remember-her-lastname-but-she-looks-like-Caroline-Picard and Owen to shoot six feet away from me. Good Tuesday's game placed Parsley and Hgugh!! (Blue) against Mo'bettah and the Maroon Platoon (Red). It was a game in "Which I choked, got traded, and messed up again. This is areal test of journalistic integrity for me. How can a person report on a game that she herself was instrumental in screwing it up, for not just one team but both? How can thePolityseethetruth when t~e truth hurts to write? Should I simply say, "I did not have a detrimental effect concerning that game," a la Clinton, and let the bushwhackers hunt down and destroy me? No, I'll be brave, and face the consequences. There were newcomers to kunai soccer Tuesday, Sam Levy/Holiday and Lauren Sherman, freshmen, who played extraordinarily well for never having played soccer before (hint, hint, to those scare-de-cats not willing to come out). The teams were evenly pitted against each other. Blue had the ball in Red's half of the field fun. Owen had an attempted shot from ten feet considerably more than Red in Blue's, owing a great deal to the defensive play of Marion Cook that was just high of the goal, striking the crossandKristy Meador.Blue's Johanna Thrall had a bar, allo~g Blue to push the ball back up the goal fifteen minutes from the half, but not with- field, a feat It had trouble accomplishing the secout strong retaliating Blake Gregory-Quinby ond half. Sasha Robins, in the field after a proOwen pressure. Gregory came close with a shot longed absence, had a great shot for Blue, but saved by Megan Maxwell-Smith. just high of the goal. Red then stepped up its pressure once again And then, the trouble started. Right before the half Lisa Habegger wrestled the ball away and this is the second moment I got to mess up: from Blue's Rachel Seay, and passed to Owen. Owen, shooting once again from point-blank Owen yelled, "Rhonda, go, go, go!" and passed range, sent a ball between my outstretched and to me at left forward. I picked up the ball, moved properly-placed but spaghetti-like arms for Red's around the right defender and the sweeper so first goal. Right between them, darn it. The game that it was just me and the goalkeeper who ~as ended in a 1-1 tie. the previously-mentioned newcome; to soccer My ~oommate, Mr. Stout, says, "Since you Ms.levy/Holliday. evened It out at the end for one team, it is as This is, of course, the moment we all want though you made no mistakes at all!" Hmm I when we play a sport, and the moment when like this. But, my duty is done, the truth is told. th~ pressure is on, because if we bite the dust we When does basketball commence? nught as we~ be branded like Hester Prynne. . Head, bemg the mush of brain guts that it is, The Gruesome Foursome said to Left Foot, "Shoot, for the opposite corner!" left Foot, the epileptic red-haired stepchild Joins Again; Mr. Thompson Gets Whistle-Happy :myf~,said, "Dur, Okay!" and attempted to b 00t: Right Foot screamed, ''N000000!" as the . Mo'Bettah andHgugh!! performed many wi~iddled on its way past the back goal line, ntuals before they combined to form the Red of the goal. I dropped to my knees as I kunai soccer teamFriday. AfterwelcomingnewWatched it roll toward the boathouse, and as comer Rachel Hall and stretching, Rachel Seay lit so did I... acandle,JessicaAlexander inspired the group with a rousing rendition of 'We Are the Cham.......... . .. . .. . . . pions," Lisa Habegger cart-wheeled around the circle of girls, and TiffanyJoly built an alter sending sweet incense of burning animal fat ~o the nostrils of the Soccer Gods That Be. Whole lot of good it did, though: Parsley and the Maroon Platoon won 3-1. The problem isn't that Red lacked individually-good players-no, indeed It is that the combination ofBlue captains Owens, Gregory, Thrall andDokter, along with forwards and mid.fielders Sasha Robins (recently off the DL), Megan Um~moto, and Cara Gormally, had astrongoffens~ve front.' They didn't need a Trojan Horse to tnck Red mto letting them up the field they ' simply did it themselves. Red was first on the scoreboard with an early goal by Rachel Seay. Blue soon followed suit Robins scoring off an Owens assist; then Dokte; scored off a pretty assist from Humphreys hall mate Lauren Sherman. . Mid.fielders Emily Graze, Mary Cockey, and Lisa Habegger gave the Red offensive line of J?ly-Alexander-Seay a lot of scoring opportunities, but the Blue defense caught the aggressive go-go-go-ness of their offensive line. They were tough and solid, with good play by Kristy Meador, Gabrielle Pastenkos, and others. The second half brought confusion. Red's defense had difficulty positioning themselves in the swarm of Blue shirts, people were accidentally tripped, flipped, and hit in the face somewhere in there Blake Gregory scored the third goal for Blue (although I can't remember the circumstances under which it happened) and most shocking, I got called for a "bad throw-in'~ in which my foot "left the ground" (really' now) , doesn t everything have downward tendency?) by the whistle-happy power mogul Mr. Thompson, "referee." This "mistal(e" happens with great frequency in kunai soccer games, but usually gets the ~ention of a "play on!" or "try it again." In all fairness, U memoto was called later in the half for the same "mistake," but still, the rules were suddenly enforced. I can only attribute such a change in policy to a change in the weather or the aligning of the stars, or perhaps Mr. Tho~pson was woozy due to the lack of protein in the Cafe Randall diet. Other people may have answers; however I, the "rule breaker," shall not attempt one. Despite such wonderings, the game continued, and ended. The final score was 3-1 Blue wins, and Red devoured the extra meat l~ft on the altar of the Soccer Gods. : 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' ' ... THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 N t "1he Americanfetish for fitness has taken all thefun out ofexercise. It's now ajayless questfor immortality.'' 1he Boston Globe's Mark Muro This past week in the women's soccer league was another exciting one. The excitement was not just due to the games themselves, which saw a lot of fine play, but to the fact that every game brings out a new face or two. This past Friday saw the debut ofMiss Mlotkowski, who, it turns out, is quite the goalie. Her hands are good, ditto her goal kicks and punts. For demonstrating that it 1s never too late to get involved in the intramural program, Miss Mlotkowski is named athlete of the week among the women. Tai Chi classes are now underway. They will be held on Tuesday afternoons, beginning October 2, at 4pm in the boathouse. All levels are welcome. Athlete of the Week honors for the men goes to the Spartans Mr. Finklea. On Saturday, Mr. Finklea rowed in the Ariel Head of the Patapsco regattain the men's novice 4, and the men's novice 8 (a total of 12 miles), and then the following day was instrumental in the Spartans defeat of the Hustlers in soccer. Not bad for a weekend's work. You Make The Call. Last week's puzzler was won by the team of Misses Owen and Umemoto. The answer was to disallow the goal scored the by unregistered player and give the game to the other team. And now this week's question, posed by the Druids' Mr. Pennell: "Suppose our goalie Mike Malone is out of position, and the ball is rolling into the goal, and I dive after it and knock it away with my hand. What's the call?" First one to me with the right answer goes to Pizza Express on me. 16 : THE GADFLY ................................................... . Coffee Shop 263-2371 or x2179 Wed. 10/3 Seafood Salad on Croissant Thurs.10/4 HotTurkeyonGravy Sandwich Fri. 10/5 Egg Salad on Croissant Mon.10/8 ChickenFriedRice Tues. 10/9 Chili Cheese Dog Each Special is accompanied by a small side order and a 20 oz. fountain soda fo~ only $3.29 "God's got a problem with how litfle you've been .saying in seminar lately. So he's decided to help you out. When you slart to moke a point, God'll send his "Holy Sword of Bad-Ass Vengeance" m a divine aegis above your head. No excuses!'' ...so, sure enough, at our next seminar, the first lime I spoke the sword appeared. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 16 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 7 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-02 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 7 of The Gadfly. Published October 02, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #7 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/9a8e12a0a145af8b0fc5c33a1d2a2cbe.pdf c63d2b199f15eb78f1e8fa1d3956a910 PDF Text Text The St. Johns College Student Weekly Annapolis, Maryland October 9, 2001 Volume XX!!!, Issue 8 t h �adfly M ii A Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett COVER STORY Response '. Dear Gadfly, Ms. Maxwell-Smith found my letteron rude- : ness, rude itself, 'Which! oompletely understand: it was ill-written and composed when I was anProduction Managers : gry. For this, I apologize. However, it was not Martin Anderson : my intent to be hypocritical. I wish to explain my Melissa Thomas : reaction to the articles, and (this time) to give : reasons. Section Editors I thought that the SCI had overstepped its News: G. August Deimel : boundaries. Because the members of the SCI Features: Laura Mangum : are students themselves, it seemed presumptuIdeas &Images: Anderson Tallent : ous for them to initiate formal discussion (as Sports: John Cooper '. opposed to informal discussion that goes on all : the time) on the classroom performance of stuContributing to this Issue : dents that they had stereotypically lumped toComics '. gether. "Is not discussion and critiquing of stuRhonda Franklin Nate Eagle : dent performance done on an individual basis, '. by tutors, in Don Rag and through enablement?" : I asked myself. If tutors think that a particular : quiet student is beneficial to class and deserves : to be at St. John's, who am I or the SCI, stu'. dents with our own classroom imperfections, to Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly : say otherwise? Students are here or not here for distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and : uniquely different reasons. I had thought that staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors : the was saying otherwise, which was enough emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and '. to prompt me to feel they thought themselves Governors, and the offices at the St.John's Santa : "worthy of imparting}ohnnie virtue to the rest Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the : of us." the sole responsibility of the author(s). The GadAfter private discussion with Ms. Maxwellfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the : Smith, and after attending Thursday's forum on most thoughtful, informative, and thought-pro- : quiet students, it appears that the members of have differing intentions. Their general voking newspaper. which circumstances .at St. : the : question is, ''What is it to learn through oonverJohn's permit. : sation?" Fair enough. Ms. Maxwell-Smith, in Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better : Thursday's forum, stressed that students should chance of being published than those longer than '. be better aware of how seminar works and in this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for '. what ways they participate. This is also good, if grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. : redundant to students already given to thinking The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions : about it. The way the questions were initially : brought to the polity, however, was to leave the except under special circumstances. : philosophic generalities and focus on one group Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax- . of students, in not just one but two Gadfly deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. : articles that were lacking in empathy. This sugPlease make checks payable to the Gadfly. For : gests that they are less interested in the general display advertisement prices and information, call : question, "What is it to learn through oonversa410·263-2371, x2212. : tion?" and rather want to get particulars acoom: plished in regard to particular kinds of students. Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions '. For example, Mr. MacLean mentioned that the will be accepted as long as they are legibly writ- · admissions process never explicitly says, "You ten, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail sub- : are expected to talk," 'Which possibly needs changmissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail sub- . mg. missions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. . Therefore, I'm not sure what to think of the : SQ's intent now. Are they just wanting to shake sa people by means of offensive Gadfly articles to pose grander philosophic questions about conversation, as well as making students think more carefully about their actions in class? If so, the program itself encourages the former (Plato, for one, speaks of dialectic and learning), the Don Rag encourages the latter, and I'm still not entirely certain that the SCI is not presumptuous in their methods. Do they hope to propose specific changesininstmctional policy to the Instruction Committee concerning what "should be" the proper role of quiet/loud/rude/obtuse students? If so, what do they hope to say that hasn't been suggested about this uncertain topic in the last 60 years? What is it they look for that they want to act upon, if they look to act at all? I worrythattheSG'spersistenceinadi5cussion with unclear motives and objectives will alienate some and frustrate others. Sincerely, Rhonda Franklin, '04 sa sa 2 Coffee Shop 263-2371 or x2179 Wed. 10/10 Grilled Chicken Salad Thurs. 10/11 Chicken Caesar Burrito Fri. 10/12 Fish Patty Sandwich Mon. 10/15 BBQ Chicken Pizza Tues. 10/16 Imperial Crabbies Each Special is accompanied by a small side order and a 20 oz. fountain soda for only $3.29 B kst r ons1 ers M J r Chan s New Hours Are Only the Beginning By G. August Deimel, '04 News Editor ORLANDO, Florida-You know that sign on the front of the bookstore? The one that says its open until 4:30 Monday through Friday? It'swrong. Hopefullyitwilleventually be changed, but for the moment there is an ounce of truth in it. That's the result of a slow reaction to the first major change in the bookstore since cardboard Elvis retired to his luxury corner in the back room. For all of us who ever wanted to buy a book at five o'clock but found ourselves frustrated, our wildest fantasies are coming true before our eyes. You can now buy a book at five or even after dinner, as late as 6:30. The bookstore will even be open on Saturdays from twelve to five. But wait, there's more. Not only is the store expanding its hours, but the next time you buy your seminar reading you' re likely to see a new face. That face belongs to Christine Hardy, the bookstore's newest employee. Some of you may remember Ms. Hardy from her stint in the financial aid office. For those of you who don't, you'll quickly learn who she is because she will be around a lot. This week Ms. Hardy became one of only three full-time employees of the store, joining Elise Berg, Robin Dunn (the store's manager) and the always helpful student aides as a member of the elite team serving all your reading needs. These changes have been in the works for quite some time. The woefully inadequate hours the store held before now were, in the Words of Mr. Dunn "a little on the absurd side." Mr. Dunn proposed the idea of expanding the hours last year and received enthusiastic support from the administration as well as the Bookstore Committee, an advisory group composed of three faculty members and the school librarian. In order to handle the Workload associated with the extra hours, Mr. ~unn's only major request was that the store h.tre another full-time staff member hence the arrival of Ms. Hardy. ' As if all this weren't enough excitement, Mr. Dunn recently let the Gadfly in on his vision for the future of the bookstore. It revolves around his philosophy of what a college bookstore should be. "The first thing we give is service," Mr. Dunn told the Gadfly. He said that idea can be put front and center in a way that simply is not possible at most college bookstores. At many oolleges the bookstore is saddled with the pesky need to make a profit. However, the SJC bookstore is completely integrated into the school. New full-time employee, Christine Hardy Any profits or losses it makes go straight to the general operating funds of the college. The school has never aimed to make money with the bookstore, so the only financial constraint it has is that it can't breal~ the college. Beyond not losing money its only real objective is enhancing life for the members of our community. That probably leads to the "feeling of comradeship with our customers" Mr. Dunn reports bookstore employees regularly expenence. They may soon experience that in a larger store. Expanding the store physically has been a priority for some time and is now being seriously considered. The current store is big enough to fit a great deal of material but has become a little cramped. Shelf space is an increasingly precious commodity, and nothing else can be added to the store without removing something else. Unfortunately the only place to expand would be the pool room/ Humphreys common room. Of course, that presents a problem. Where, you may be tempted to ask, would Johnnies play pool? For months Mr. Dunn has been asking around to see if there is anywhere else on campus that could serve as a pool room. At the moment, no suitable alternatives have presented themselves. We have been assured that the takeover of the Humphreys common room won't happen until the pool table lands in whatever new home may be in store for it. If you have ideas where this home might be, contact Mr. Dunn or the Assistant Dean's office. Less problematic is a truly 21st century idea that has been floated in this school that has been dragged kicking and screaming into the 19th. Mr. Dunn would like to establish an online St. John's bookstore. Theconceptinanutshell: if you think about Plato, don't buy from Amazon, buy from St.John's. It would be a full-service bookstore, shipping books from our locations in Annapolis and Santa Fe. To make the idea work, it would have to be a joint project with the Santa Fe store. Mr. Dunn has discussed the idea with the store's manager but detailed plans have not yet been drawn up. Beyond these changes it's impossible to say what might come next. However we can rest assured that there will be no shortage of ideas. Mr. Dunn's enthusiasm for making the bookstore better has carried these improvements to their current stage and has the potential to do much more. "This is the best job I've ever hadin my life," he recently gushed. It is "serious, but not the sort of thing that gives you an ulcer." Last week represented the fast time the new hours went into effect. Unfortunately, they were underutilized last week, though it's thought that primarily stemmed from the fact that people aren't used to the store being open later. The Gadfly has been told that each successive day the new hours are in place more people visit during hours when the store used to be closed. . 3 THE GADFLY . ' '. ' ' . ' ' . ' ' .. ' ... ' .. ' ' ...... ' . ' ..... ' . '' . ' .. '. '. ' .. THE GADFLY .. :'' .. ' �by Rhonda Franklin, '04 and Mary Jo Dokter, '03 Mr.PickensleftthekunaialoneTuesdaywhile visiting the vampires lurking in the depths of FSK, which was a test of Hobbes' principle that democracyandmonarchyarereallythesame. For, the kunai left alone without their sovereign had to manage themselves, seek out volunteer referees, and prove to the world that Y-chromosomes were unnecessary in government. And they did it. Parsley and Mo'Bettah joined forces as Blue against the Maroon Platoon andHgugh!! as Red in the last game before the much-needed Long Weekend. The game was less than spectacular due to magnetic force Long Weekend had on people's attention and energies, however, it was worth being out there. Red won 2-1, although Ms. Dokter is of the opinion had the game lasted a half-hour longer, Blue would have succeeded. Ms. Franklin is not convinced. (As a result of this, you may be able to tell which author was on which team ...) Red dominated the first half, leaving the Red defense to themselves. Marion Cook wrote po- It's all so different. Yo~tr fights with your neighbor ju$t don't seem as important anymore. It's like the small details of life arE;1i't what It's rea11y about, anymore. I've started to wonde1 about what's re11lly at stake, because, hey, w1th all this craziness, w/10 knows when etry, Kate Cox (making her annual showing on the soccer field) got out her trusty metal detector and looked for loose change, Reilly Shannon finished her Seminar reading, Cara Lammey picked dandelions, and Rhonda Franklin stood there and complained. Meanwhile, way far away on the other side of the field, Megan Maxwell-Smith was getting a lot of action in goal, making a lot of saves. JessicaAlexander scored off a pretty Kathryn Gwaltney assist for Red's first goal, and Blake Gregory, lightning-fast and elusive as always, scored Red's second goal. Maxwell-Smith, tired of being shot at, and Franklin, tired of being bored, both decided to exchange ultimate defense for ultimate offense in the second half. Gwaltney and Lisa Habegger, a bit tired from giving blood, volunteered in goal. Blue, in their inspirational half-time huddle, decided to step up their level of play in the second Therefore, both Gwaltney and Habegger had a lot of play opportunities, and the play evened up between the teams. However, the second half was really boring until Maxwell-Smith surprised herself by scor- Yeah, !1ke, you start to feel like just living llfe for yourseff just. isn't the right thing anymore, Like maybe In the wake of all this tragedy and seMl!!less loss of human life, you should be worrying about living a life devoted to accomplishing good or something, you know? you're going to die! 'Cause, like, who would have cire<imed the world would suddenly be !Hied with so much death, pain, and suffering? You've got to adJust, man, change your plans. It's not all about living for yourself anymore. So, don't you find your self-indulgent study of Western 'Thought a bit irrelevant In the light of the new and Important quesUons to be asked ln the New World we've been thrust Into? ing a perfectly-placed but soft goal five minutes before the end of the half for Blue. Thanks goes out to local Chippendales Adam "Old Reliable" Dawson, John "Slick" Kovasik, andJon "Toothy"CooperforreferringTuesday's game. Gracias, sefiores. Many Features Underused By G. August Deimel, '04 News Editor With the new bookstore hours, you can use the extra time to try out some things you may not have known the bookstore can do. Many of us (myself included) have wondered what on earth that computer sitting in the middle of the bookstore could possible be doing there. The short answer is that it's multi-functional. Programs on the computer allowyou to search for books in print and out of print books. If you have ever wondered whether there is a hardback version of the Fitzgerald translation of the Aeneid, you can search for itwith the books in print program. In addition to this highly useful function, you can search the SJC library's catalogue on that computer. If the book you need for your next class is a bit too pricey for your budget, you can search the catalogue to figure out if the library has a copy on its shelves. Let's say you find a book you want that's in print but that the bookstore doesn't carry. No problem: the bookstore can special order it for you. Special orders are a top priority for the bookstore staff and are usually processed very quickly. Mainstream books generally oome in as little as one or two days which is asfast or faster than places like Amazon.com, or our local branch of the Barnes and Noble empire. An added benefit is that this helps the college. Since the bookstore is college run, any profits from that special order help defray costs otherwise covered by your tuition. If there is anything else you want to see in the bookstore, the staff is open to suggestions. Robin Dunn, the bookstore manager recently said that the bookstore is "only as good as our customers make [it]." He continued, saying that it can "never be what people want it to be'' if there isn't interaction with the customers. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 4 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 8 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-09 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 8 of The Gadfly. Published October 09, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #8 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/19ed8d2ce7d6974c08a9fae8c396a393.pdf c636554f970c2120846238617f1c64c8 PDF Text Text The St John's CoUege Student Weekly Annapolis, Maryland Volume XXIII, Issue 9 October 16, 2001 h • .T . St. J hn' �df/y Mailbox THE A New Dorm Forum Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett Production Managers Martin Anderson Melissa Thomas Section Editors News: G. August Deimel Features: Laura Mangum Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent Sports: Jonathan Cooper Contributing to this Issue Robert Abbott Eva Brann Tracy Cain Sarah Consbruck Roberta Gable Andrew Hui Katherine Nehring Rachel Seay Dear Gadfly, I would like to thank the students who came on Wednesday to talk about the advisability of building anew dorm on campus, as well as the students who organized the meeting. It was very helpful to me and to others on the Campus Planning Committee who were there. I hope that any student who was unable to ~t­ tend but would like to contribute to our deliberations will send me a note, either by Campus : Mail or by e-mail, or come by my office and talk : with me. I understand that the Delegate Coun: cil will also be providing further occasions for : discussing the question. Anita L. Kronsberg Assistant Dean Comics Nate Eagle Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St.John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility ofthe author(s). The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, ~d edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper. which circumstances .at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.in most cas~s. The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all s':1b?11ssions and will not print anonymous subnuss1ons except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00: Taxdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For display advertisement prices and inforrnation, call 410-263-2371, x2212. Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Su~missio-:is will be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-ma~l submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. 2 '. : : : : : : : : : Response to Silence : Dear Gadfly, : I am writing both in my capacity as one of : the junior representatives on the SCI ~~as a : frustrated reader of the Gadfly. The oplllions I : am about to ex.press may or may not be indica: tive of the feelings ofthe committee as a whole. : My concern is about two letters written by : Ms. Rhonda Franklin. I feel that both letters : contain accusations of the SCI for poking its : nose in business that it shouldn't be concerned : with, and of doing this with a high-falutin' air. : Though Ms. Franklin's most recent letter was : an attempt at an apology for the first one, I feel : more off-put by the latter one which suggests : a presumptuousness in the method of the SCI. : To support this point, Ms.Franklin asks, "what : do they [the SCI] hope to say that hasn't been '. suggested about this uncertain topic [quiet stu: dentsJin the last 60 years?" I am not sure what : kind of question this is supposed to be. I as: sume that we all understand that the purpose : of conversation is to explore topics, maybe '. even to hear innovative ideas or discover un: trammeled paths of thought. Really, do any '. of us hope to answer any of the questions of '. the past 2000 years of philosophical tho~ght : by undertaking this undergraduate edu~t1on? : Of course not-but we pursue them m an : attempt to engender ideas, and maybe even : changes in our choices or actions. To object to : the "intent of the SCI" seems to me to be an : overstating of the perceived problem. The College was given an opportunity to come together to discuss a topic that is certainly pertinent to the program, and that provoked consideration on more fundamental questions about our very role as learners. For example, Mr. Grenke and Mr. Tuck presented opposing views that allowed us all some insight into the tutors' perspective on the students' responsibilities. Ms. Von Oppen was especially helpful in her patient recounting of stories which she has accumulated over years of teaching. Students openly agreed and disagreed. It w:u' my understanding that Mr. MacLean mentioned the admissions process to highlight the possibility that the student's role in the classroom might not be as clear as it should or could be (which might be something you might think is unfair, if, say, you were disenabled for it.) It's my feeling that that the question of" acting" is really something that could eventually fall out of an SCI discussion, but it is secondary to exploring questions which perplex us. I am not sure what the value would be of saying exactly how we intend to react to any given conversation on any given question. I am fairly certain on the other hand, that there is inherent val~e to the conversation itself. If this is presumption, I suppose it to be the kind that is most in line with the College's raison d' &tre. To speal\: less from my frustrations as a fellow student and more from my perspective as an SCI committee member, I would also like to pose the following question to Ms. Franklin, and to the polity at large: where were you when we were setting the agenda for the semester? My sense is that the committee did not stir up annoying issues to devastate the student body. We try to put our ear to the ground, to hear what students are concerned about and to give those questions a formal time and place to be talked about. Please knowthat the people who sit on the committee do not just come to meetings to spout random opinions. I believe all of them have a real interest in the College and the development of the curriculum and, and more importantly, are concerned about getting the best education they can for themselves and their peers. Something very real and very apolitical is at stake. I do understand how this particular issue is delicate, and in retrospect, I wonder if it was braced in the best way. The best I can suggest is that we continue to try to work together to meddle through these spidery questions. To THE GADFLY ................................................... . be sure that an issue is or is not being discussed in a manner that is acceptable to you, please join the SCI Thursdays at 11:45 arh in the private dining room. Sincerely, Maya Alapin, '03 Self-Help for Silence Dear Gadfly, There has been much discussion in the Gadfly recently concerning the situation of the "silent student." I had always assumed that shyness would be a chief reason for this, andI have been quite surprised to hear through my informal research among the student body that this may not be a particularly accurate conclusion. Undeterred, however, I posit that shyness must be the cause of at least a few students' silence in classes, students for whom the phrase "express your opinions comfortably in a large group of your peers while everyone's staring at you," which is thrown about so cavalierly by the non-shy, sounds about as possible and as appealing as" scale a high, treacherous cliff using only your bare fingers and toes." In appreciation for and in solidarity with all such shy people, I offer the following except from Walker Percy's book Lost in the Cosmos: the Last Self-Help Book: "Question: If you are a shy person, is it better to accept your shyness, or to seek help from a psychotherapist in order to become an assertive outgoing person, or perhaps to read a book about overcoming shyness? (a) It is better to seek help from a psychotherapist because it is better not to suffer than to suffer. Psychiatrists and psychologists treat disorders. Shyness is a symptom of such a disorder. Therefore, it is reasonable to seek such help. (b) It is better to read a book about how to get over being shy, anxious,insecure, and so on, than not to read such a book, because one might learn a helpful thing or two, even from a book. (c) It is better not to read such a book because the effects of such books last only during the reading of the book and perhaps fifteen minutes after finishing it, and therefore your despair is only increased. (cl) It is better to listen to Leo Buscaglia, because he speaks of such things as love, hugging, and being open to people. (e) It is better not to listen to Leo Buscaglia, because though Leo is ente1taining, both you and Leo are going to feel worse afteiwards. (Q It is better not to seek help from a psychotherapist but to accept your shyness, pained though it is, because it is better to be your shy self than the sort of person the psychotherapist may want you to become, i.e. like the psychotherapist. (g) It is better to seek help from a psychotherapist if the psychotherapist knows what not many psychotherapists know, namely, that the shy person may lmow something the nonshy person does not know, that your self is indeed unformulable to yourself, that you are entitled to your shyness, that,indeed, varying degrees of idiocy are required not to be shy, that the very unformulability of your self is the only clue you have to the uniqueness of yourself, that otheiwise one will become yet another Ralph among a thousand Ralphs." Lisa Richmond Librarian Response to Minority Article Dear Gadfly, In response to Mr. Monroy's article in the Gadfly a few weeks ago about race at St.John's I would like to express my concern. The view that different cultures or races can't add to a discussion, the idea that an effort by St.John's to make the school more diverse could only be for our "image," and the assertion that somehow Johnnie discussions are completely immune to the prejudices that have plagued our country for hundreds of years each worry me. Even assuming that our school is so devoid of stereotypes that what is often considered a human inevitability somehow does not pertain to the student who comes to St.John's, I feel we still cannot avoid the issue. I had no idea that the percentage of minority enrollment is actually decreasing. I think it is a sign of a languishing community to have a movement towards homogeneity, and particularly in a school like St.John's we should consider it a real problem. I have heard over and over again from people of all different grades that the more differences in opinion brought to a discussion the more eye-opening, original, and engaging it is. We have probably all found it to be true-I certainly have-that often the most beneficial comment in a class is not necessarily a different idea, but a different take on that idea. I have also heard many people extol the diversity in thought at St.John's-that while we may not have different races or cultures represented in our school, we have a diversity that transcends such common distinctions. Yes, it is true that no matter how similar a group of people seems to be statistically, they may still have differing opinions on the Iliad. But are we really prepared to say that our upbringing has no bearing on the opinions we hold, the approaches we take, and the manners in which we learn? And are we then prepared to say that race or culture has no real stake in our upbringing? It is a sad justification of our school makeup to say that we have a different kind of diversity than a diversity of race. If everyone in a classroom is a rich white male born and raised in a small United States town there can only be a limited difference in opinion. There are many factors that contribute to differing perspectives: human individuality, gender, wealth, religion ... and race, which is not necessarily the most important. But it cannot be ignored. Because it is essential to create an environment in which differing perspectives are at the very least more likely, we cannot defend St. John's statistics as irrelevant to our learning style. It could be argued that two people of the exact same background will have the most different approaches to a text, the most different preferences for what a St.John's discussion should be like, but I refuse to accept that the more likely epiphany filled seminar or tutorial lies in such a group. And while it may be unpleasant to think that race can contribute at all to the mind of a person, it is naive to discard it completely. We should not bewillingto give up a pride in our differences for a pride in our similarities. Rather we should try to create a community filled with as many different people as possible. An image of St.John's as one selfsame planaria of a people is scary to me. Any difference someone has from me, however small, can lead to a beautiful conversation, and the more variety of differences the better. So I think the lack of diversity is a much bigger problem than many of us make it out to be. Furthermore, as such a closed society, I think it is dangerous socially for St.Johns to have a homogenous culture. As was brought up in the article, a lack of diversity it makes the stereotypes all of us hold easier to nurture unconsciously. I have heard the argument that discussions here are between minds, not bodies, and upon leaving the college we Johnnies will be more tolerant citizens because of this virtue. But I think a melting pot of different races and backgrounds is more likely to foster such an attitude. In such a diverse community we would become immune to our prejudices continued on page 4 : 3 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �and generalizations; we would fail to even realize what significance was once attached to different races, we might even fail to notice races, bodies, and skin and simply welcome more substantial differences, regardless of whether they emerge from race. Whereas in the St.Johns community we become wholly unprepared simply to feel at ease in a room with many cultures represented, let alone a room in which we are the only person of our respective race or background. It may be true that no Johnnie holds any prejudice. But how can a person developing her mind in an environment almost completely one race not later notice race acutely in a different environment? Can't she be expected at least to become especially aware of herself and her actions-to become more uncomfortable, let alone have prejudice foremost in her mind? Disregarding biases might simply make us hyper aware of our differences in a negative way-if only from the well-intentioned desire not to offend. Shouldn't we make ourselves accustomed to a group of people with drastically different backgrounds, and be forced to wonder about what kind of group presents, if only by chance, people of entirely one race? Shouldn't we strive to put ourselves in diverse groups of people, rather than come to feel at home in a society all one race? Isn't that mindset safer and more resistant to intolerance? I realize that it is difficult to make St. John's a diverse community, and there is no overnight solution. But discussing it is the closest solution we can come to, and for a school based on discussion it should be easy for Johnnies. So I commend Mr. Monroy for his thorough and thoughtful article that raises the issue of race relations, since a continuing discussion is important whatever the mal~eup of St. John's may be. is difficult to schedule a lecture after the reading has been done. Faulkner is generally agreed to be one of the greatest American writers. He is admired by some for the cleverness of his experiments with points of view and the bleakness of much that he depicts, by others for the power of his exploration of the human heart and the beauty that he finds in the unlikeliest places; all acknowledge the brilliance of his writing. Since some of his characters struggle to understand and come to terms with their complicated heritage as Americans, he is especially valuable for us to read, and that is one of the reasons for paying attention to "The Bear," a long story, of which one indispensable section is very demanding to read. For those who might want to start with something shorter, "Pantaloon in Black" is easily detachable from the rest of the book; it has a universality in its depiction of grief that places it among the greatest works of human literature. Another of the shorter stories, "Was," is easily separable because it comes first in the book; it is wildly comic, and makes prominent another side of Faulkner's range. Those of you who don't find the time to read any of the book will still find the lecture rewarding. Lael Gold was a student here in the class of 1989. She has done various kinds of teaching since then, and is now well along in the writing of a doctoral dissertation on Go Down, Moses at Berkeley. She is a very good reader, with an imagination equal to the many kinds of demands Faullmer makes on his readers. For one thing, she takes seriously the Biblical themes and allusions that run through the book. The opportunity to hear a lecture on Faullmer is a rare and welcome occasion for us, and I can assure you that this one will be a good one. The St. John's College Film Society Presents ... ii first in a series of John's (the Projectionist) "bad ass" movie picks. " ... the grandfather of all action m<;>Vies ... " --New Yorker Films itorium fill Delston, '04 Yours truly, Joe Sachs, tutor Preparation for Faulkner Lecture Dear Gadfly, I want to call the community's attention to the lecture scheduled for November 16, since some people may want to read part or all of the book it will discuss, WilliamFaullmer's Go Down, Moses. The book was called a novel by its author, but it is composed of intertwined stories which can be read independently. One of those stories, "The Bear," is read in our senior seminar, but so late in the spring that it 4: UBMIT yourself to the Gadfly 7 :30 pm Tuesdays Barr Buchanun Lower Level 3 THE GADFLY ................ '. '' ' ' ' ' ' '' '' '. '. '' ..... ' ... ' ' ..... ' S. J. Minut s September 13th Present at the Sept. 13, 2001 meeting were Sophomore Representatives Ms. Summer Star and Mr. Neil Turnquist, Junior Representatives Ms. MayaAlapin and Ms. Mary Townsend, Senior Representatives Ms. Megan Maxwell-Smith and Mr. Justin Naylor, Secretary Mr. Robert Abbott, and Co-Chairs Mr. Aaron Maclean and Ms. Laura Strache. Also attending were Mr. Brockett, Mr. Child and Mr. Deimel. The first item on the agenda was to address the problem of the recent Delegate Council elections, specifically the impact their validity would have on SCI appointments. Mr. Deimel outlined the three problems with the election: Santa Fetransferswerenot allowed to run, Humphreys Hall was given an additional and unconstitutional representative, and there was no election board Mr. Albanese will be sending a letter to the polity explaining the issues and offering to run the elections again if they are contested. The SCI discussed the probability of this happening and Mr.Naylor suggested it was unlikely. Mr. Abbott said that in light of the amount of work the SCI has to do, the committee should disregard the DC's current difficulties and continue operating until a direct order from an authentic Council should be issued. The Committee concurred. Continuing the discussion from last week on the role of an SCI Representative, Ms. Star offered that representatives, perhaps wrongly, talk more about themselves in relation to the program than the program itself. Charters were passed out. Ms. Clark's recent letter to the Gadfly was cited and Ms. Maxwell-Smith stated, in brief, one of her arguments: that the content of the class is inseparable from its context. Ms. Alapin suggested an article should be written to the Gadfly on the role of an SCI representative and Mr.Naylor suggested a letter would be more appropriate. Mr. MacLean and Ms. Strache were deemed the best candidates for this task. Mr. MacLean then read the proposed agenda items from last week and asked what seemed an appropriate amount of time to treat atopic fully. ~.Naylorsuggestedthreemeetings. Theagenda itself was opened for addition, and Ms. Townsend suggested that the standard of attire in seminar be addressed; Ms. Maxwell-Smith added that the topic be expanded to formality in seminar. The issue of how little time the SCI has arose again and Ms. Townsend reminded thecommitteethatmeetingswereat 11:45. Mr. NaylornominatedFineArts to be on the agenda Ms. Townsend said that because the preceptorial on Fine Arts will be later this semester, we should wait until then to discuss it. Mr. Maclean nominated the Quiet Student topic, which would hopefully lead to a discussion of what kind of student comes to St.John's. Ms. Strache suggested that we remember Ms. Adams's request to talk about the role of academic assistants. Freshman lab was also proposed. Ms. Strache suggested this be addressed next semester when the freshmen will be present on the committee (not that individual aren't welcome to attend now). Mr. Naylor suggested Music Tutorial. Mr. MacLean was forced to end this discussion in favor of the more pressing matter of refreshmentsfortheAll-College Seminar. Ms. Alapin informed thecommitteethat shewouldbe unableto procure the bagels and Ms. :Maxwell-Smith volunteered to do so. Ms.Strachesuggesteddessertmay be more appropriate, in light of the president's invitation to an all-college dinner beforehand. Ms. Townsendread&iidinvitation. On next week's agenda will be to finalize the long-term agenda of the SCI and to discuss revisions to the charter. The SCI wouldlike to thank all who attended the recent All-College Seminar and encourages students to participate in other SCI activities. October 11th Present at last week's meeting of the Student Committee on Instruction, held Thursday, Ocotber 11, 2001, were Sophomore Class Representatives Mr. Neil Turnquist and Ms. Summer Star, Junior Representatives Ms. MayaAlapin and Ms. Niaiy Townsend, Senior Representatives Ms. MeganMaxwell-SmithandMr.JustinNaylor, Secretary Mr. Robert Abbott and Co-Chairs Mr. Aaron MacLean and Ms. LauraStrache. Also attending were Mr. Peter Heyneman, Mr. Aaron Collier, and Mr. Hayden Brockett. The first item on the agenda was the case of the missing minutes. Mr. Abbott deferred this question to Mr. Brockett who, after being informed of how many minutes had not been published, promised to publish them all in the next Gadfly. Ms. Alapin then brought up Ms. Franklin's recent letter to the Gadfly. Ms. Alapin expressed interest in writing a response, but was concerned that it might be taken as an official position of the committee and not just her personal opinion. Mr. MacLean suggested that the committee rarely had an official opinion, and it was always appropriate for a member to do what they thought right, simply as polity members. Ms. Alapin then questioned whether it would be useful to respond and continue the line of conversation which included defending the SCI'sintent. Ms. Strache said that she thought that trying to determine the direction of the discussion was not helpful and that there should not be an agenda forthe conversation to follow. Mr. MacLean asked that the committee continue this particular discussion at the end of the meeting, after other agenda items had been addressed The first of these was Mr. Heyneman's position on the Student Advisory Council to the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The SCI will be selecting another student to replace Mr. Heyneman who graciously offered to speak with any one interested in the appointment. The qualifications are that the student be both aJunior and a Maryland resident. If you are interested in this position please speak with Mr. Heyneman, and either Mr. MacLean or Ms. Strache. After Mr. Heyneman departed, the committee scheduled its meeting for the Charter Committee. Then, Ms. Alapin presented the committee with the possible Pre-Lecture seminars and their dates. Fireciders, sponsored by the Dean and the SCI, were brought up, the first being Wed. 28. The SCI discussed the social difficulties of inviting tutors to this function and the idea was proposed by Ms. Alapin that for the first Fireciders, the SCI should invite all the new tutors. This was carried with general approval, with the warning of Ms. Townsend that any social gathering of this nature is difficult to pull off. The annual potluck dinner, another SCI sponsored social event, was tentatively scheduled for the tenth of November. Mr. MacLean then revealed the new SCI letterhead in all its official glory. Ms. Alapin promptly asked for a few sheets on which to write to the Pre-Lecture Seminar tutors. The SCI then discussed the agenda for next week and proposed the longterm topic of Academickistants. The committee briefly returned to the topic of Quiet Students and it was proposed that the discussion is now of Silent Students, or at least have been. Ms. Maxwell-Smith's notes on the week before last's discussion, held with a number of tutors and students, were unanimously praised. Mr. MacLean proposed that at this point the committee needed to begin thinking about writing a report for the Instruction Committee. Per Mr. Naylor's suggestion, Mr. MacLean also proposed that the report tal;:e the form of afewvery concise opinions and not a single "milquetoast" one. : 5 THE GADFLy ' . : ' . ' . ' �Going Clubbing: Storyteller's and Writin Club/Sophom re Seminar By Tracy Cain and Katherine Nehring, '03 "DaDUMdum,daDUMdum,daDUM dum, da DUM," said the Jack, with the air of one firmly drawing a conclusion. "Were you singing, making a pun, or deciding that you are a Program character?" inquired her roommate. "I was-" began the Jack. "Well, don't." "I was wondering what the name for that meter was." "Meter-oh, no! Don't tell me you're going off on poetry again?" groaned the Ace. "An iamb is 'daDUM'," recited the Jack to herself, "and a trochee is 'DUM dee'-" "If I hear one more 'dum' or other such nonsense syllable," snarled the Ace, "I will be forced to cut off your poetry supplies altogether. For that matter, why are you off about this particular meter all of a sudden?" "Because," said theJackhappily, with the air of one who had been just waiting to be asked, "that's the characteristic meter of the poetry of Dr. Seuss. Just as the Greek poets had dactylic hexameter, and the French have the Alexandrine, and the immortal Shakespeare had iambic pentameter, Dr. Seuss has the Seussian Couplet." "What are you TALKING about?" demanded the Ace. This was, from her standpoint, an unwise thing to do; as this was always one question the Jack was willing to answer. "For example!" continued the Jack, "consider his immortal lines from 'The Cat in the Hat': Look at me, look at me, look at me now It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how." "Or consider that great metaphysicomathematicohistoricologographical poem, 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish'," continued the Jack, "orthatlyricalessay on the nature of education and the possibilities of the mind 'Oh the Thinks You Can Think'." The light began to dawn upon the Ace. "Oh. This is because we went clubbing to the Storytellers Guild this Wednesday, isn't it." 6: "Dr. Seuss is clearly analogous to Shakespeare," said the Jack, in a happy dream, "and Beatrix Potter to Jane Austen. And "Are You My Mother?" is certainly analogous to the Oedipus Rex - or possibly even the Oresteia-" The Ace was left with no choice but to resort to drastic measures-she began to write the article. Storyteller's Guild The Ace walked into the Chase-Stone Basement Wednesday evening, and was greeted by a room full of people in a state of apparent chaos. Many fought for space on the limited chairs and couches, with the battle ranging into choice pieces of floor, or steps, while an even fiercer engagement was being waged across a table crowded-but not, it seemed, crowded enough-with cookies, chexmix, cups, milk, and numerous books. Mr. Ting, one of the two co-archons, sat against the wall, defending his chair by attacking all who came within range with a rather large stuffed dragon. The Ace blinked in confusion, and then secured for herself a chair by evicting her roommate from the one she had claimed. Just then, Ms. Sherman, the other co-archon began to attempt to call the meeting to order. For a while her efforts were in vain, but then, at some signal the Ace could not perceive, numerous other members of the club began screaming 'order' as well. Soon a reasonable facsimile of silence descended across the room. With a speed born of long practice, Ms. Sherman had soon organized all those who had brought some book, some story to read, sorting through selections ranging from Mr. Marks' "The Adventures ofJohnny Boy" to Mr. Ting's ''Wmnie the Pooh" to Ms. Nehring' s "The Light Princess" to Ms. Cain's "Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage". Other than the guild's militant stance against program books, the Ace could detect no theme to the selections, and said as much to the Jack, who sat on the floor near her. "Yes there is!" she exclaimed. "It's analogous to the harmonic progression one sees in that Mozart sonata! What's that one ... um ... 'Dum da dee'--" The Ace hit her on the head to silence her. Her roommate's bizarre opinions notwithstanding, clearly this club had grown since its humble beginnings, the Ace decided. As she recalled from her interview with former co-arch on Ms. Nehring, the club had been a farrly long-standing tradition, begun by Leslie Phipps and the formerly ubiquitous Chris Gillen, and originally held in a.) the Great Hall and b.) pajamas. It was formed for the purpose of reading and appreciating children's literature, and as everyone knows, the proper appreciation thereof involves milk (preferably chocolate) and cookies. The club's only rule: no program books. After all, if one is trying to relax after a long day of classes with a glass of milk, a double-stuff oreo or five, and a nice soothing dose of Pooh (andlet it here be known that Mr. Ting can do the uncanniest Eeyore voice), what could be more irritating than having Kant intrude? For students in an atmosphere of such academic intensity, particularly academic literary intensity, there is always the danger of forgetting the beauty and simplicity of children's stories, which are surely a benefit to anyone's soul. Of course, the Storyteller's Guild is only occasionally so moral in reasons for reading children's stories. Mostly, the fifteen to twentyfive attendees simply find it enjoyable to hear stories read aloud, and in some memorable cases, to hear uniquely ... humorous twists put on old favorites. None of the members, for instance, will ever look at the story of "Babar" the same way again, after hearing it heckled. But the Storyteller's Guild is not Mabel, and the laughter that attends most stories is more for delight than for derision. The rule on children's stories is not absolute, and anything from Oscar Wilde fairy tales to Dave Barry columns to Siberian folk tales. The co-archons have great plans for the future of their club. They plan to hold a storytelling contest at some point, and also to have a Storytellers sleepover similar to the one the club held last year. "We've got like sixty plans we're itching to try next time we can't make the club come to order in timely fashion, but given that you 're speaking to me in the capacity of a reporter, I'm afraid I can't disclose precisely what we've got in mind," said Ms. Sherman. "Oh, and mention the hat. And Fluffy. They'd each be terribly disappointed if they weren't remembered." When asked about the appeal of children's stories, Ms. Sherman denied her ability to give the sort of "overly thought-out philosophical lines that the Gaming Archons gave you." Being a Johnny, of course, she was completely incapable of sticking to this assertion. "More or less everyone, methinks, were they to look back at some of the books they were read or that they themselves read when they were little, would know why people come to Storytellers. At least with good children's stories, there's a sort of easy wonder and simple happiness that comes with reading. You laugh, you smile, you sigh at the princess being rescued, and despite all the cliche that you'd scoff at were you to see it elsewhere, you're happy. Children's stories bring out an innocence and the sort of happiness that could only accompany such innocence in people. It's a nice way to feel, particularly given the sorts of things that pass under our eyes here, sometimes. "Well," she added, "and then Hiram reads the bawdy translation of the Arabian Nights." But almost as much as children's stories, the guild loves stories written by its members, which leads us directly to: Writing Club/ Sophomore Seminar Except that we couldn't find it for all our searching so, as not to waste the space, we present an example of how the Jack wastes time better spent researching for her articles: For your delectation, we present a Sophomore Seminar Bestiary, including signs by which you may recognize the common pests of the sophomore seminar. I: The Sunday-Schoolers: These are those people brought up on modern Christian doctrine, who thereby assume that what they learned there is automatically true of any discussion involving God. They are unwilling to hear a word against him. This type will often skip the reading, figuring that they already know all that needs to be known about the subject. III: The Atheists Militant: These are brothers-under-the-skin to the SundaySchoolers, and have just as little interest in the actual text. They have already decided that discourse involving God is not only futile, but stupid, taking as their credo Ismene's "Wrong from the start, to chase what cannot be!" They will devote less of seminar to discussing God's actions than to insisting that no God could possibly exist to take them. III: The Greek Chorus: These are Freshman Year converts to Platonism or Aristotelianism, who assume their clearlyformed notions of the Good Itself, Virtue, the Divine, and the Prime Mover must apply to anyone named God, and will carry on discussions as such. SPECIFICALLY SOPHOMORE SUBGROUPS A: The Optimists:"Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was nice?" is all the creed of these vacantly smiling individuals. They always try to shed the nicest possible light on everyone's actions, including God's, with very little regard for the support of the text. B: The Tragedians: The counterpart to the Optimists. They are unwilling to believe anything good of anyone, especially God, hence they will stop looking for reasons very quickly. Both of these types before especially apparent in the Job seminar. C: The Mystics: These also stop looking for reasons very quickly, but for a different cause. They assume there are none to be found. There can be Atheist Mystics as well as Mystics Proper, but either will adamantly maintain the futility of discussing the Divine Nature. And of course, there's the usual seminar family.... The Weathercock: This one can never hold his ground against a counter-point; he will change his position upon the slightest hint of opposition. The Picador: This one enjoys throwing out, in a tone of great seriousness, a well-developed, well-presented, completely off-the-wall interpretation, for the sake of seeing some excitement The Picador Libidinous: A subclass of the Picador family, who is distinguished by the fact that his whacked-out interpretations always have to do with sex, no matter how far-fetched. The Synthesizer: This person seldom brings up original points; preferring rather to draw connections between previously presented ideas, be they between one person and another, one seminar and another, one reading and another, or one year and another. The Freshman: This person only becomes distinguishable when he appears in the Sophomore, Junior, or Senior seminars, where he is recognizable by his tendency to repeat the first week of Freshman seminar over and over again. The Answering Machine: This person has just one point. Sometimes it's a very good point, but they end up making it in every single semmar. The One-Man-Band:He will argue several points all in one speech, often against himself, with the result being that the argument is begun, presented, engaged in, and won all before he finishes tallcing. The Capulets: They don't care what point they make, as long as it disagrees with the one the Montagues are making. The Montagues: They don't care what point they make, as long as they disagree with the Capulets. AND, OF COURSE: Silent Bob. . 7 THE GADFLY ........................... " .. . THE GADFLY .. : ..... �h s St. J COVER STORY h ptitude T oil g By Eva Brann, tutor An address delivered in Charlottesville, VA, on October 13, 2001. You might perhaps be interested in the valuation and the fate of the Scholastic Aptitude Test at St.John's College. St.John's is a community of learning that goes its own way in most matters of educational policy because we march to a different drummer in curricular matters. I might say right now that what had for decades seemed to us a liability we had to bear with for the sake of the soul now turns out, against all sober expectation, to be a blessing even in the secular world. It seems to be the case that there is in education, as in commerce, what is so gracelessly referred to as a niche market and that distinctiveness is in style. We are, for reasons we can only make wild conjectures about, flooded with applications. What we can say in our own behalf is that this fact is, in this respect, an unintended consequence: we deviated from the academic norm for principled reasons long before it became an asset. We have had an all-required curriculum, based on great books and the arts known traditionally as liberal-the verbal and mathematical arts-since 1937. We have no departments and the tutors (as we are known to distinguish us from authoritative professors) teach in all parts of the program. I myself came to St.John's forty-four years ago trained in Classics and Greek Archaeology, and I stumbled, with the help of our students, through four years of mathematics and three years of science. Naturally we have always thought a lot about the kind of student who should attend this college, and now especially the upsurge in applications will re-raise the question of selection. Since we have never thought of ourselves as filling a particular niche in education, certainly not that of a refuge forthe intellectually gifted, but have considered rather as occupying the broad central premises, we have never been interested in choosing "the best and the bright- 8: st at sti est" by ordinary standards. We have thought that our kind of education is good for and accessible to any student, of any age, who wanted it. (In fact, I have often thought that it is a sort of self-indictment on the part of a school to select only the smartest applicants, '~ .. our ultimate question is not so much "Can this student be successful in our program?" as "Can this studentprofit and be ofprofit to others by being with us?" an admission that the faculty isn't very good at teaching.) In accordance with this sense-you might even call it a populist sense-of our exceedingly demanding program, we have stuck with rolling admissions. Applications are processed as they come in, without competitive bunching. Thus we begin as we mean to go on: we discourage competition in the students' intellectual life, and we avoid it in admitting them. We want them to come to us equipped with a great desire, the moderate preparation, and the ordinary intelligence to complete the curriculum, without reference to other applicants. The desire should outweigh all other criteria: we are and should be largely self-selected, and our ultimate question is not so much "Can this student be successful in our program?" as "Can this student profit and be of profit to others by being with us?" I hasten to add two modifications for candor's salce: 1. For years we didn't have so many applications as to malce our classes anything but self-selected and 2. the rolling admission are somewhat skewed by financial aid considerations; since aid is generous, we cannot survive without keeping a small percentage of places for full-paying students. Now the question has re-arisen for us in a very practical way: should we become what is called "selective" in the sense of choosing some students above others by "merit," and what would be our instruments of selection? This much is highly likely: the SAT won't play a regular role among them. Let me tell you briefly of its use and history with us. At the present we do ask for the scores to be reported, but we don't require them. The use to which we put the scores that we do get occurs primarily when there is a large discrepancy between them and the high school grades, the teacher recommendations, or the application essays. Our most important formal evidence comes from the fairly demanding essays. From them we hope to be able to tell not only what the student's expressive abilities are, butsince these essays represent something of an ordeal-how strong the student's resolve to study at St.John's really is. So when the verbal aptitude scores are, say, very low and the essays very accomplished we can think twice about the cause. Generally, however, the SAT scores THE GADFLY ...................... ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' .. ' . ' ' ...... ' . ' .... . are too much in line with other indices to be I think most of us who worried about the very helpful. As I said, we'll do without the basic principles of testing were ready to admit scores if the student doesn't want us to have that the test tested something, even that it tested them; it turns out that c. 85-90% of students something beyond a mere construct of the test do provide them, and that among those who itself-I am referring to the old argument that won't are a number of A students who are an aptitude test tests the aptitude for tiling simply testing us to see if we mean what we aptitude tests. After all, that's what made it say when we disdain a reliance on numbers. useless in the middle range-it fitted in too The history of this attitude is a long-stand- well. We just weren't very interested in what ing discussion, dating back to the sixties. It is our future charges could do under time conour custom at St.John's for the members of straints-after all, we were mindful of the fact the faculty to discuss all matters bearing on our that "school" is but the Greek word for "leistudents quite extensively with each other, and sure" and that we want our learning to be leito conduct the conversation on the most fun- surely, which is to say, truly attentive-focused damental level that is as it can only be if time is sensible for the subwithout end. We want, ject-and sometimes moreover, no ... why should we subject even not so sensible. unamplified answers Now our students our applicants to admisfrom our student; a reread, and we read with quirement for the conversionsprocedures that rest them, a good deal of sation in the great books on the very Descartes. Descartes's seminar, which is the cen- principles Rulesfor the Direction of the Mind, as many of you opposite ofthose we believe in as teachers? will remember, is the work that first made public a method for the quantification of natural, and mutates mutandis, psychic qualities. What the reading of such a text did and still does for us, teachers and our students alike, is to alert us to the transmogrifications required to turn any characteristic into a numerically countable and geometrically representable quantity. To make along story short-though this is perhaps the very story with which we here should be most concerned-the quantification of nature requires a sort of denaturing. For example, warmth turns into temperatures and fleetness into velocity and these are not quite the same thing. For you might feel the spring sun warm on your face but that is different from observing that the thermometer reads 80°, or Homer might tell you that Achilles was fleet-of-foot, but you would not expect to be told that he clocked a four-minute mile. He is fleet-of-foot even though in an emergency four-square Hector can outrun him for a while. So, analogously, to learn that a student scores Verbal 690 and Mathematical 630 on the SAT (these being our averages) is not the same as saying that this human being is sufficiently thoughtful or ready to get the good of a liberal ~ducation and to join a community of learning. A:id our admissions director agrees that very high scorers are occasionally royal pains in the neck, intellectually close and ungenerous. tral class of the program, is that assertions have to be asserted with reasons, at reasonable length if need be. So why should we subject our applicants to admissions procedures that rest on principles the very opposite of those we believe in as teachers? And this difficulty didn't begin to be met even by the newer, more explanation- and essay-directed, SATs. In short, if we had to make choices, we wanted to apply our own distinctive though perhaps not crisply formulable criteria. And for that purpose we needed to see a whole student. Hence the prospective student's campus visit, including an interview, is an expected part of admissions whenever possible. It has this additional advantage: not only do we get to see and talk to a live human being, but the prospective student gets to talk to current students and to visit classes, so that the elements crucial to informed self-selection are present. Why do schools use standardized tests to begin with? There are some fairly dark and dubious reasons and some clear and compelling ones. Among the former is an unwillingness to achieve some corporate expression of what learning at this particular institution is to mean and therefore what characteristic in a student is to be most valued. Oddly enough, institutions of higher education are tortuously explicit about the desirable make-up of their entering class as a whole, about the social features that contribute to that most discussed standard, "diversity." But having typed people by the currently popular categories, they are then . . . .. .. . .. . ' strangely inexplicit about the individual qualities their particular institution requires and strangely willing to tum that part of the selection over to external judgment, be it high school class standing or standard tests. The result is often an unintended and troubling sort of diversity-a student population some of whom have the gifts the SAT measures in the highest degree and others who don't. The apparently compelling reason for using such tests is that admissions offices are swamped by applications and don't have the resources to process them except, at least in part, by the numbers. That's particularly true, of course, for public universities that are almost free and for independent schools that are highly prestigious. Our director of admissions thinlcs we are plain lucky to be able, by reason of our size, to treat the SAT as it was originally conceivedby way of one of many instruments. But of course luck has nothing to do with it. Our small size is the result of deliberate choices: to open a second campus in Santa Fe and to cap our Annapolis student body at 450 (which truth to tell we have accidentally exceeded recently). Our principle has been that a community should not be so large that its corps of teachers and associate faculty cannot fit into a meeting room in which a conversation is possible. But now we are under pressure. We have lately received over four times as many applications as we can admit students. We continue to be largely self-selective, since about 80% of our applications are acceptable. We rely on luck to dissipate enough of these accepted students to the other campus, to our January entrance class and, of course, to other schools, to get an entering class of the right size. But our director of admissions, who is both a canny professional and a staunch upholder of the spirit of the college, says that if the applications continue to increase, the cherished principle of noncompetitive selection will no longer be practical, because our acceptance rate will make our yield (the students who will actually send deposits) simply too large for our intended ca- pacity. Will the SAT help? At the margins, but not in the broad middle, where help is most needed. But aside from their usefulness, the tests are just too alien to the spirit of liberal learning. Before composing this talk I naturally made it my business to look at the SAT shelves of a large book chain. These self-help books practically promised to improve a college applicant's ........................................ . continued on next page. : 9 THE GADFLY'.:.' ... �4. We don't want our students to be peering score substantially, and to that end they adat the question-asker and to clue out what andressed themselves heavily to strategies of test taking, including close calculation of the prob- swer is being looked for. That kind of shrewd abilities of adding points by random marking. calcuktion, however, which is extraneous to truth This is the very last frame of mind we want in seeking, is practically unavoidable in taking the test. It induces an approach to learning the very our students. I also read and pondered sample questions. opposite of that recommended by Heraclitus, The mathematical ones do undoubtedly mea- that contrary sage who was one of the two sure a competence-I doubt it should be called founders ofWestem philosophy. Heraclitus said: : By Sarah Consbruck, '04 an aptitude-that we need in our students who ''Listen not to me but to the articulated thought." This past week, amidst air strikes and anare committing themselves to four years of math- We have made this insistence that students atematics. In fact, our director of admissions tells tend not to extraneous voices but to the matter '. thrax rumors, the Nobel Committee awarded me that a very low math SAT score (together itself an institutional watchword, so here too : the Nobel Peace Prize and $943,000 jointly to with low mathematics grades) might cause us to the SAT is alien to our way. : the United Nations, and its Secretary-General Two test questions,foundat a glance, where set as a condition for later entrance that the stu: Kofi Annan. Annan has served the UN as secretary-gendent should take a course in elementary algebra, the desired answer is clear but seems not to be both because that is the minimum preparation the most interesting: . eralsince 1997. He was recently unanimously 1. Though he was a highly skilled computer : re-appointed to a second term in June. He is we need (since we'll do the rest ourselves) and to programmer, he had little or no in : currently trying to galvanize an international give us proof of an eagerness to come. But I was absolutely nonplussed by some of the ver- designing educational software. '. campaign under the U .N. umbrella to defeat A.emotion bal questions, especially the analogies. It seemed : terrorism. B. opportunity to be that the right answer depended on a cunNobel committee secretary Geir Lundestad C.exposure ning guess of what was wanted rather than on '. said the award "could be interpreted as a conD. competition imaginative construal of the metaphor-again a tribution to the United Nations as the most E. creativity way of answering we just don't want our stupowerful and efficient instrument in combatOne problem is that for finding the desired ing conflicts and also as a contribution to the dents to engage in. (Examples at end.) So here, to conclude, is a short list of reasons answer, evidently "creativity," I myself would rely secretary-general to operate more efficiently." why the SAT could never be a determinative tool heavily, but irrelevantly, on the preposition "in": . Thirty-four past laureates were expected in Oslo for us, even though we might find ourselves in one would say "emotion about," "opportunity : for centennial celebrations leading up to the for," "exposure to." Since "competition in" urgent need of help. : Dec.10awardsceremony. 1. The formulation and pursuit of questions doesn't make sense in the context," creativity" is · Other awardees announced earlier in the that have human weight is central to our educa- it. (One of the questions we want our students '. week included Leland H. Hartwell (United tion. We can't just drive our future students in to consider is what that mantra, creativity, means.) : States) and Tim Hunt and Paul Nurse (Britthrough a portal that so little matches the edifice But, preposition apart, that computer program- : ain) for cell research that may lead to new treatwe want them to inhabit. We want them to care mers don't put much passion into educational : ments for cancer. about the questions that arise in their studies. software or aren't given much opportunity to Americans Eric A. Cornell and Carl E. We also want them to understand that simple devise it, seems to me quite thinkable as well. : Wieman as well as German Wolfgang Ketterle 2.Buildinp; Omrr:h right answers are always suspect. The test ques: were awarded the Physics award for their ereA. dance-ballet tions, however, aren't meant as real questions : ation of a new state of matter called BoseB. poetry-sonnet that arise in genuine inquiry and matter to the '. Einstein condensate. C. museum-relic K. Barry Sharpless and William S. Knowles, student. In fact, they are fake questions that beD. song-hymn tray the questing aspect of true questions. More: both of the United States, shared the chemisE. morality-ethics over, as no test-taker can forget, there is behind '. try prize with Ryoji N oyori ofJ apan for showHere the point seems to be to go from gen- : ing how to better control chemical reactions each question on the test a predetermined correct answer. But that is just what we would like our eral to particular, except that there's an argument : used in producing medicines. students to reflect about: authoritative answers. to be made that "morality-ethics" are different · Finally, the economics prize went to George 2. We want our students to entertain imagi- approaches to human goodness but are on the : A. Akerlof, A. Michael Spence and Joseph E. native, perhaps offbeat, ways of thinking about same level of generality-morality being obedi- : Stiglitz, all from the United States, for <levellanguage, certainly to hold several possibilities ence to internalized law, ethics being action based : oping ways to measure the power of informaopen in intetpretingteA'tual expressions. The test on personal virtue. But except that in most : tion in a wide range of deals and investments. requires just the opposite: an eliminative frame churches hymns are sung, why is any one pair a · Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel formed of mind that disregards subtleties and chooses better analogy than the others? A building as a : the Nobel Prizes and left them in his will. The material composition might well be to a church : prizes are always presented on the anniversary the expedient answer. 3. As I said, we don't have much faith in whose nave leads up to the altar as is a poetic : of his death in 1896. knowledge that can be dredged up and displayed composition to a sonnet, whose body leads up within strict time constraints. The tests are in- to the couplet. We would want our students to be slowwith ducements to pressured, hurried thought, to and wrong on such questions. snap decisions. w 10 THE GADFLY .................... ' .................. ' .... ' ...... . Th Sp Keepin ws By Roberta Gable, Alumni Director Generally speaking, it is not necessary for me to go back to the American Revolution to explain what alumni are doing, but such is not th; case with P~ul SpeckA'89, Matthew Speck A 92, and Daniel SpeckA'96. So let's wander ba~k ~n time to the 1770s. Not everyone on this side of the Atlantic was 100% on board with the revolution, as you know, the dissenters be~ng known as Loyalists. (I come from Loyalist stock myself, and count it no shame to ha".'e had co~servative ancestors.) Some Loyalists stuck 1t out in the midst of the brouhaha, but others anticipated the Vietnam era exodus north and were rewarded with land gra~ts in Canada, and this is how the Speck family came by the land for their family farm ' about an hour outside of Toronto. Th~ farn_i stayed in the family through the centunes, nght up u~til the Specks' cousins, then the owners, decided to sell it in the early l980s, and Mr. Speck, father ofour heroic trio found himself buying it from them. He and Mrs. Speck were high school teachers in or~nto, and in fact had, after some years teachmg m the public system, founded their own private high ~ool.in the early 1970s. Mr. Speck thought that it might be good to get his sons out of the city for a little fresh air and exercise so he decided to start a winery. (Other fathe~ send their sons to camp. Mr. Speck was not a t~~e-t~e-easy-route guy.) The land was at the time kind of a hodgepodge of this'n'that including a mixture of farming, corn and wbatnot, sheep, an old concord vineyard, and other acres left utterly untended. Climate maps and soil maps from decadesold s~rveys showed that the land was good for ~me grape growing. And the wine indust~ In Canada was just at the beginning of a shift from regular basic B-flat winemaking to mo:e upscale French type wines. Mr. Speck tecid.ed they'd give it a shot, .he bought the a:mm 1982, andt~ey had theirfirst planting, :'11th one-year-old vmes flown in from Europe m 1984. ' ! rs: F mily And while they waited for the grapes to grow, there w~ the label to consider. They went back to the history of the farm: in the 1800s the ~arnily had had a tollbooth on Pelham Road, whic:h ~ent through their land, and they operate~ it nght next to their tavern. When Henry Smith, ~he patriarch of the day, went down and r~gistered for the family's first liquor license m 1842, he signed as "Henry of Pelham." The Henry of Pelham Winery office is now located in the building that housed that original tavern. There's a lot ~ou c~ do quickly in this day and age, but making wme grapes mature is not one of them. They harvested their first crop planted back in '84, in 1988, and then their~ bat~h of wine (2500 cases of it!) was ready to sellm 1989. Now, all this time, from 1982 on, the three Speck brothers were working weekends and summers in the vineyard, but meanwhile Paul, the eldest, came here to St.John,s, and he graduated in 1989,justin time to come home and stare at those 2500 cases and shouldert~e burden of selling it. He bought a couple ?f smts and a couple of ties and started hawkmg the product to liquor stores and restaurants. Winemakinghas three basic components: you have to grow the grapes, you have to make the wine, and then you have to market it. Mat~h~ SpeckA'92, my informant, says, "The sellmg is the aspect of the business that is often underestimated-there's a lot to do. It's probably the part we're best suited to with our St John's background, because it's centered around talking to people. Wine is a people business." :v11en ~tthe:V graduated in 1992 (having written his semor essay on that noted viticulturist Machiavelli), he came back to the winery and. split his tim~ between the vineyard and marketmg. By that time, they were making 12,000 cases a year, and had a full-time staff of fifteen, with at least another fifteen hired season~y. Now they're up to 75,000 cases a year, making them a "mid-sized" premium winery. . Matthew now works pretty much all of the time runningthevineyard. Wine grapes are not the kind of crop that you plant and then harvest-they take an amazing amount of "hand labor" in the meantime. There's prun- ~~' tying, cutting suckers off, leaf removal, trelhsmg-each vine gets between five and eight hand operations each season. And with 150 acres under vine, and 1300 vines to the acre you don't even have to do the math to reali~ we're tal~ing about some serious work here. Once a vmeyard is planted, each vine is there for the next fifty to sixty years. "You tend to get to know the vines almost by name," he says. O~ce the grapes are harvested (mostly by machme, but sometimes by hand, depending on a number of factors, including the kind of grapes and the kind of wine to be made from them).' :h.e winemaking begins. This is the one divlSlon of the business not held as his personal bailiwick by any of the Speck brothers. In 19~8, when their first crop was harvested, their father, wise to his own inexperi~nce, hired a winemaker. Now, a "winemaker" 1~ a guy wi~h, not uncommonly, something h~e a philosophy degree, although the v.:nemaker Mr. Speck found was your basic biologyI chemistry guy. But winemakin Matiliew pomts out, "has as much a non-scientific . ~ as~ect as scientific. The science isn't too complicated-our lab here is not as well stocked as the ~abs ~t St.John's. The most important qualifications for a winemaker are a fine palate to love what he's doing, and to be deeply con: n~cted to the process." In 1989 they hired the wmemaker :Vho is with them to this day. . So the ~em~er is in charge of the pressmg (for white ~me) or ~rushing (for red) of t~e grapes; the moculauon, in the fermentation tanks, of the juice with yeast; the aging in oak b~rels; and, the most important part, the ble~~ng, because each wine is a composite of the JU1Ce of a variety of grapes. Then there's settl~ng and filtering, and bottling, and then Darnel SpeckA'96, the sales director, takes over. ~aul A'89 has become the general manager and director of export sales; their father passed away in 1993.) "It took t~n years," says Matthew, "to get ~he whole thmg on track, and gain confidence m ~~at we were doing. Not having any formal tr:immg or pr~conceived notions, we've kept a fairly open nnnd about change and adaptation, continued on page 16 T HE GADFLY :11 ....... . ! j �---------~ ky St ry: "The Pere s • osm1 in the 411 I n of th omestic" By Andrew Hui, '02 This is to remind held on: u at first semester don rags will be Saturday, November 17 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday, November 19 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 20 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 12 9:00 a. m. - 6:00 p. m. Thursday, December 13 9:00 a.m ..... p.m. Please note the dates on your calendar and keep the tim.e fre~ for don rags. It would be wise not to make travel plans that conflict with any of these dates and times. Thanksgiving Vacation begins at 6:00 p.m. on Break begins after seminar on December 13. and Winter All freshmen must have their don rags before Thanksgiving break. We. will schedule some sophomore and juni_or don rags before the Thanksgiving break and the remainder before Winter break. Tutorials and laboratories will be cancelled on don rag days. However, tutors may schedule classes during this time. Seminars will continue to meet. Please note that Seminars will meet on Thursday, December 13. 12: The children pack them off to a noisy resort. ReTokyo Story is the Japanese King Lear withturning to Tokyo early, the out King Lear. I say this not lightly, fully aware parents cannot find place of all the dark connotations it implies. The to stay. Theywanderin the unstated king, wise fool, torment, rage, and outskirts of Tokyo and nihilism are replaced by an elegiac tone, stilljoke that they are "homeness, unease, and resignation. The film is lanless" now. The mother guidly paced, subtly poignant, and exquisitely finds a place to sleep on realized. Ozu is the poet of the family lifethe widow of a son killed nothing is too small to be insignificant, the in WWII, who is the true trivial becomes monumental. Tokyo Story and "Cordelia" of the film, King Lear occupy a central place in the canon, while the father gets drunk both East and West, for the crucial question with some old companthat they ask: how should we, as children, love ions, and ponders whether our parents? parents except too much The film begs us to be patient. from their children. An aging couple from the provincial town Soon, the visit comes of Onomichi travels to post-war reconstructed to an end. They return Tokyo to visit their grown-up children, who have little interest or time to be with them. home, and-ten days after seeing ancient imperial capital Tokyo turned into a sprawling and They served them meat but no fish (a staple urban metropolis, seeing all her uncaring chilof the Japanese diet) and the daughter comdren and equally indifferent grandchildrenplains to the husband that he shouldn't wasted soon after, as if her could tal~e the roar and din money buying them expensive cakes, "They're of the world anymore, the mother dies. Even used to eating crackers." The pediatrician son then, at the funeral, the children are demanding promises to take them sightseeing through and petty-they can't stand the Buddhist chantTokyo, only to be called away on emergency. ing, they have to go back to work, catch a baseThe daughter is too busy with her beauty saball match, and the same daughter that refused lon. The grandchildren want nothing to do to give them cake nowwants mother's nice linen with the grandparents. Their journey to Tosummer kimono as a mo men to. kyo is an exercise of frustration-uprooted The fihn is "uncinematic." There are no fancy from their simple way of life; they can do no lighting effects, zoom shots or camera tricks. more than fan themselves, mutter nice pleasThe camera is stationary except for one crucial antries and stare at the wall. scene. Yet the balance and symmetry of every shot is perfect, the actors never dominate the screen, they are surrounded by the cityscape, landscape, and the confines of the home. Throughout the film, there is also the pervasive sound of movement: ticking docks, churning steamboats, passing trains. The melody of the children's hymn at the final coda is disrupted by the roar of the express train speeding back to Tokyo. But the terseness of his camera and the rhythmic noise is combined with the lushness of the orchestral score: it pulls us along the drama like an intermezzo from an Italian opera. TttEGADFLY .......................... . ....................... . The anti-penultimate scene of the film captures perfectly the irony and bittersweet taste of post-funeral affairs. "It must be lonely, isn't it?" a neighbor asks. "Yes," the old man replies, "I should have been kinder to her while she was alive... Now the day pass by much longer then while she was here." Both feigns smilingly, the neighbor leaves to go about her business, and the old man is left, alone, fanning himself, patting his back, shoulders, belly-waiting for death. No other scene captures the poignant casualness and the truth of the situation. Yes, it is absolutely true that it is now lonely, that he should have been kinder to her while she was alive, and the day pass by much longerbut the fact is that these reverberations of human feeling are hardly unique-they happen to every father, mother, son and daughter. The simple proverb, uttered unknowingly by the youngest son, resonates throughout and serves as the unfulfilled motto of the film: "Be kind to your parents while they are alive. Filial piety cannot read beyond the grave." Along with King Lear, no work of art better expresses this fundamental love. Tokyo Story is an absolute masterpiece of world anema. ' ................ ' ................. ' ..... '' ... ' ...... . THE GADFLY .. : 13 �uar ion Soy Shake • 1m n In ff tiv u Habegger saves shot with butt; Joly receives the illustrious Blazer By Rachel Seay, '02 or "trying to fit an entire squirrel in their The aforementioned Dan Harmon was mouths." Truly it was uninspired fan interacBy Mike Maguire, '02 playing in his first game and despite the hubtion. Nobody even wantedPeter Heyneman's bub surrounding his long anticipated debut, autograph and only 0 people took advantage Weeks ago, back before long weekend, there he played alright. Sure, he scored a goal and were a couple of soccer games. I apologize for assisted another, but big deal. With all the of the Seth Hepner bobble-head doll givenot being able to report them in a timely man- heartache that everyone went through when it away. So if you are planning to attend the next ner but I was actually ennui' ed and could not was up in the air as to whether or not he'd ever intramural soccer game and aren't a soccer fan, make the N aziesque deadline imposed by play, anything less than ahat trick would have please step aside and allow the thousands of rabidly interested fanatics to attend. Hayden Brockett. been unacceptable, and it was. Also, don't miss the "Diary of Jon Polk" Anyway, the first game that I would like to An actually newsworthy performance, howreport was a contest between the Druids and ever, was turned in by Kenneth Erkenbrack. airing this Wednesday at 7pm on M1V. You think you know, and, in this case, you pretty Guardians which ended in a 1-1 tie. Early in He played extremely well and was able to steal the game Logan Laubach was able to shake the ball often as well as putting some bona- much do. Jean Shortz watch: new hairdo, sprained free for a run down the sidelines culminating fide pressure on the goal. ankle. Sighted post-game at Galway Bay with in a shot that snuck just in the far post to put A little more on Kenneth "Kabe" a couple of babes. Located at 61-63 Maryland the Guardians up 1-0. Erkenbrack. We first were introduced to him Avenue, Galway Bay serves up a little taste of This is how the score stood until eventuby a whimsical picture in the Gadfly in which, Ireland in a pleasant Fenian setting. Stop in ally Nick Whittier was able to collect a loose while he was posing, a fellow King William ball on the sidelines, 'meg himself, and get Player snuck up behind him and positioned a and trytheir Scrumptious potato cakes! free for a shot which went in and tied the game sword in such a way that, to the camera, it at 1-1. Lamiman gets lucky, appeared as if Kabe had been stabbed clean I would like to take this opportunity to through the head. Naturally everyone in the Chance scores with apologize to lvlichael Malone for insulting the campus community though that he had been fact that he doesn't wear a shirt in goal it was callously murdered and weren't we all surprised Kovacik wrong of me to do so when I should have and relieved when he turned out to be alive In the second game this past Sunday the insulted his white shorts which bequeath on and well. At first I was angry and put ants in Greenwaves were able to tie the Hustlers at 1all onlookers a free peep show of sorts. his dormitory bed and Vaseline on his door- 1. This is how it happened. Also I would like to point out that the Early in the first half Kovacik made a pass knob, but then I learned it had all taken place Guardians, despite having 11 players present, in the name of fun. Long story short, Kabe at Alek Chance, Chance received the pass and started and played the first ten minutes of the has been tickling our collective funnybones ever was able to score by poking it in between second half with only nine. Seriously, what Kovacik's two defenders and scoring. And this srnce. was Jon Polk thinking, he must have been is how it was until early in the second half ennui' ed himself. when Darrrin Lamiman was able to attempt a Spartans win by lot shot that some said was "way out of his surprisingly few care league." The shot was good and Lamiman was Dan Harmon finally In a game in which only the contestants able to score, whereupon he relaxed for the shows, plays had any emotional stake, the Spartans beat the rest of the game knowing that it was good for In the other game played way-back-when Guardians 8-0 this past Sunday. The eight him, if not so good for Hustler's keeper the Spartans defeated the Hustlers 3-1. This goals were scored by, in order, Erik Thomp- "Duke" Hughes. game saw many fantastic feats. The first goal The game also featured many attempts by son, Mike Maguire, Josh Hendrix, Dan was scored by Bryson Finklea off a cutesy asRussell, Bryson Finklea, Dan Russell, Ward Alex Rinn to score with Quinby Owen but his sist from Ward Kashiwa. This score stood for Kashiwa and Dan Russell again. The assists passes were continually intercepted or blocked a while until John Kovacik managed to cross a were by, respectively, Maguire, Bryson, Maguire, by Jon Cooper, the rest of his passes were ball to Bobby Ramsay, who knocked it in with Ward, Mr. Dugan, Maguire and the last two either over the top or way out of bounds. his knee, on purpose. Later in this same game But in the end the Greenwaves were able were unassisted. Dan Russell received a pass from Dan Harmon to eke out their first non-loss and get in the The surprising thing is that none of the and rolled a shot into the corner and finally crowd seemed to care, they were just a pack of "T" column.John Kovacik left the field sore Dan Harmon himself was able to exactly dudisinterested alumni too busy" catching up" and nursing some heavy bruising so we will plicate the same feat in the same style to cap with "old friends" and "reading a newspaper" have to wait and see if he and Chance will the scoring. hook up again anytime soon. a so-so Greetings all! I substitute this week for our regular Kunai correspondent Rhonda Franklin, so here goes. Last Tuesday's turnout was weak-especially the green team as usual (my team, HUGH! or whatever our name is-could you guys please show up? I would ar p~eciate it really a lot, please, thanks. I d h~e to take this opportunity to goad.one Mano~ Cook who invariably comes precisely 20 mmutes late to avoid running the lap. But at least she shows up "Captain" Jess.) ' Tuesday's game was Recessive Red with a whopping 8 players and Dominant Blue with 9, ir:icluding ~neaky P, who whupped it up makmg multiple runs of continuous lightning-fast give and goes with Dokter down their side of the field. Both teams s~owed an uncanny propensity for corner kicks, e.g. at least five consecutively (by yours truly-good practice I guess). Other game highlights included a mean NHL-style knockdown in which Graze and Franklin ma~e each other eat dirt-pretty awesome ladies. Dokter had a nice wipe out too. Mad props go to Pastenkos whose defense against. Gregory was duly noted, as was the defensive performance of striped-socks Meador. Lest we forget, the best part of the game was definitely Habbeger' s impressive use of her posterior to unleash her fury at having ~o play woman-down. The outcome: vague, ifI may take the liberty. Due to our lack of players, we played no-goalies, which means the goals must be below the knee So officially the score was 2-1, red, both scored b~ Gregory, assisted on one by the lovely Julia-Of-The-Short-Hair. But the real sco.re was 2-2, with blue's goals by Dokter a~sisted by Sneaky P and the second by p ~Imself, the latter being the goal of contentmn. So that was Tuesday. Fn'day was absurd. This ranged from Gregory scormg m t h e f'irst 30 seconds to · · Jess' s s. nny 1· ki u mle brother playing goalie for s durmg the second-half (thanks man) to dur.refs doing "The Worm" on,the field t:nng our game. (I would like to say here · at my-and others' - annoyance at that was mostly out of principle, i.e. our doing that would never ever be tolerated at a boys' game. Please don't get me wrong-I don't want to seem ungrateful because we all definitely appreciate the enthusiastic, loyal support of the Men's Committee for Women's Athletics, but it was just a tad bit frustrating to feel that our game was of no serious import, which is especially hard to swallow when you' re on the losing-by-a-lot team. So I apologize for my annoyance-please try to understand.) Once again deficient turn-out occasioned Mr· P playing for the winning team Blue and Maroon versus HUGH?!? and Red for an outcome of 3-0. On a positive note our be.loved Tiffany "T-Bone" Joly happiiy received her blazer' having earned 450 blazerpoints and reminding Mr. p that she in fact had not yet received her blazer. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the tradi- tion here at the college, points are received for participation in sports events and the accumulation of 400 points ear~s one a lunch with Mr. P, a fitting session at Johnson's, and finally a long-awaited navy blu~ blazer with the SJC seal on the breast. While the attractiveness of these blazers is some~imes questionable, especially for girls, especially for girls who can't button them corr~c~ly, the effort and valiance they represent is mdeed honorable. According to Ms. ~ate Cox, "Blazers are a sight of participat10n and enthusiasm more than anything else." Thanks to all who turned out for the celebration. Congratulations, celui-ci! ~adies:-d?n't forget, please bring your t-sh1rt design ideas on Friday. My offer still stands-refreshments are on me for the team who presents the voted-on design . Cheers, all. lfITP J /IJl'.JJ:i! •SJCR · fOU/flITTE/Oil, PNTillL . ............................... ' .... ' .... ' .... ' THE GADFLY .. 14 THE GADFLY ... ' .... ' ........... ' ............ '' .. '' ............ . ~.~?.. �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O.Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Standings N t : continued fromChat Alumni page 11 : Women's Soccer and are always incorporating new practices." : They have established a profile for their core : varieties, chardonnay and Riesling, but are : always experimenting with new grapes and : new ideas. "It's important to stay close to : the market, and keep current. The wine busi: ness changes a lot more slowly than other : things. If you're making beer, you can : change from stout to lager overnight, but : with wine, introducing something new takes : six years. You have to think way down the : line." . Their thinking has gone well rewarded. : Henry of Pelham wines have won numer: ous awards, the most recent being a silver : medal for their cabernet merlot at VinExpo : in Bordeaux, the biannual Olympics of : wine. Naturally as soon as I heard this I ran : right down to Mills to see if I could score a : bottle of the prize-winning wine, not to : mention sample some other Henry of : Pelham offerings, and the bad news is that '. Mills doesn't carry any Henry of Pelham : wine, because they don't carry any wine made '. in Canada, because by law they can only or: der wine carried by a Maryland distributor, : and no Maryland distributor carries Cana: dian wine. (It'snotevenlegalforaMaryland : resident to call up the Henry of Pelham Win: ery and arrange for a private shipment. Drat '. Maryland law!) So we'll have to sit tight here : and hope that Henry of Pelham export divi'. sion makes some headway with the :Wiaryland : distributors. Perhaps if the distributors knew '. about the big Annapolis connection... The Speck brothers are on a roll, powered '. in some ways by their St. John's degrees. "It's : a funny education," says Matthew. "It pre: pares you for nothing, and it prepares you for : everything." He thinks that it gave them a : "great foundation." Hey, if the liberal arts are : a great foundation for winemaking, more '. power to them! . And will the farm stay in the family? Paul '. is married (to Melissa Sawicki SpeckA'89), and : they have two children; Matthew was married : last year, no kids yet; Daniel got married this : June (also no kids yet!). The prospects look : good to me. w MoBettah Hgugh!! Parsely Maroo Platoon By Mr. Leo Pickens Athletic Director «Fitness also has a measurable effect on the qudity ofour life today, in the sense that when we are fit, we can, by definition, do more work The day does not endat noon or at 5pm. The day becomes filled withphysical, menudandemotional, activity. Because you arefit, you are able to do what must be do when you must do it Because I'm fit, I can now accept the Olympic ideal-farther,f aster, higheras part ofmy day.'' from George Sheehan~ '%Inning to Win" The rowing club participated in the annual Severn Chase this past weekend, an informal head race of 3.5 miles. The team fielded two mixed 8s, and raced against boats comprised of members of the Annapolis Rowing Club. One of the big oars on the team this fall is the awesome Miss Stickney, who not only raced this past weekend, but, two weeks before, won two first place medals in the women's 4 and women's 8 at the Ariel Head of the Patapsco. For her hard work and great enthusiasm, Miss Stickney is named Athlete of the Week for the women. Who woulda thunk it, huh? I mean, the Guardians atop the gridiron standings? The entire team is playing well, particularly on defense. This past week witnessed a huge performance by gold' sMr. Gilbreath, who completely nullified the potent Mr. Dawson as an offensive weapon in the Guardians victory over the Waves. For his great game this week, Mr. Gilbreath is named Athlete of the Week for the men. L T 1 2 3 6 5 3 3 3 3 4 3 0 Men's Football w L 6 1 5 4 3 3 Wa.ves Guardians Druids Hustlers Spartans 1 2 3 4 Men's Soccer w Wa.ves Guardians Druids Spartans Hustlers 0 1 L 4 5 3 1 0 2 2 2 T 1 1 1 0 1 Team A, while executing the kickoff, has more than two players within the center circle. First one to me with the right call goes to Pizza Express on me. Britannica Great Books set (54 vols) with bookshelf $300 OBO-will deliver � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 16 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 9 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-16 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 9 of The Gadfly. Published October 16, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #9 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/5b85ae5fa683299a6deb84b10c68273e.pdf 58245e00c4ac4ee5967bd2fc68e01fcd PDF Text Text The St Jolm 's College Student Weekly Annapolis, Maryland Volume XX/II, Issue 10 N w October 23, 2001 rm c m n �df/y Mailb x THE A Editor-in-Chief Hayden Brockett Editor-in-Training A. Wendel Stout, IV Production Managers Martin Anderson Melissa Thomas Section Editors News: G. August Deimel Features: Laura Mangum Ideas & Images: Anderson Tallent Sports: Jon Cooper Contributing to this Issue TracyCain Rhonda Franklin Cooper Gallimore Megan Maxwell-Smith Mike Maguire Michael Moore Katherine Nehring Bobby Ramsey Mary Irene Ruffin Lauren Shofer Comics Nate Eagle Founded in 1980, the Gadfly is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s). The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-pro· voking new.spaper. which circumstances .at St. John's permit. From the Editor : : : : : : : : : . : : : '. '. : : : '. : : : : : : : '. : : : '. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submis- . sions and will not print anonymous submissions : except under special circun1stances. '. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Taxdeductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to the Gadfly. For display advertisement prices and information, call 410-263-2371, x2212. Deadline: Saturday at 3p.m., unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions will be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to sjcgadfly@yahoo.com. 2 THE GADFLY : : : '. : : : '. : '. : Alum Offers Help Dear Polity, As of next issue, I will no longer be the editor of the Gadfly. Upon my request, junior Wendel Stout has agreed to assume the role from which I am resigning. I will remain a part of the Gadfly to help Mr. Stout with the transition and do intend to do some writing for the publication in the future. Some readers of the Gadfly will be glad to see me go, some will be disappointed, and most will probably be indifferent. Nonetheless, some explanation is in order and that I shall provide. My decision is admittedly selfish and bears the look of being made by an irresolute adolescent, but it is the right one. I am simply not strong enough to balance the needs of the student newspaper with the demands of my education. I love St. John's but, despite the ambivalence evidenced by my brief career as Gadfly editor, love its program more. Would that I might be capable of reading these books while still having time to make a public service to the community that has given me this great leisure. But not only am I unable to balance my time thusly, I have even found myself succumbing to pleasures instead of pursuing duty. The serious requirements of the St. John's education should not be pushed aside in favor of that particular flattery of soul that small communities so readily offer: notoriety. I fear that I might have done just this on a few occasions. Mr. Stout is a dedicated Gadfly contributor whose work has this year remained largely behind the scenes but who will, I have full confidence, put his competence and good humor to a more public use in the Gadfly's pages from now on. He promises that there will be few drastic changes in the coming weeks. I am grateful to him and to everyone who has contributed to the Gadfly during my tenure, as well as to the many kind readers who have offered support and criticism over the last two months. The entire experience and the self-knowledge derived therefrom have been invaluable. Hayden Brockett Dear Johnnies, After meeting many of you last weekend at homecoming, I felt compelled to express a few thoughts. I very much enjoyed sitting on the career panel as a representative of the field of medicine and neuroscience, as well as having the opportunity to speak with you afterwards. First, I would like to offer any help I can for those of you who are interested in pursuing an M.D., a Ph.D., or (for those of you as disturbed as I) both. I hope my brief presentation and discussion provided some guidance, and you can feel free to email me at the address below should you have further questions. As that Friday night progressed, and as I became the pathetic-30-something-d.runk-boathouse-"Rock party"-has-beenJohnny I swore I would never become, I realized that I had failed you. Many students who had heard my presentation were uninterested in the details of my (admittedly brilliant) academic career. Nor were my accon:~.plishments impressive enough to inspire a harem of adorable youngJohnny women to fawn all over me and anoint my balding head with exotic oils and spices, as I had initially hoped. No, the majority of questions that I received from multiple students regarded the apparent certainty of my career path-and this is when I realized I had failed. I suddenly felt like a fermentation vessel that could have yielded delicious wine, but whose yeasts of doom led to nothing but vinegar. I failed because while I did speak about the many steps of my career in the ten years since I graduated, I did not speak about the existential, experiential, and emotional conditions under which these steps were made. I presented my path as if I had been born with a neuroscience text in my hands and a stethoscope in my diapers. In fact, I have been continuously plagued with personal and professional uncertainty since my days at St.John's. The bad news: nothing seems to become clearer. The good news: uncertainty can be a positive force in disclosing your potential to yourself. I considered a number of career and academic paths while at St. John's, and continue to be embroiled in career choices. I studied business, worked in law, considered philosophy, finally chose medicine, and ultimately also engaged in science. After making one choice, another set of equally challenging questions arise. If medicine, what kind of medicine? If science, which branch of science? As one set of proble~s and questions recede, another set advances. No greater sense of security develops. What does develop, however, is a greater capacity to deal with uncertainty, and this is what I would like to comment on briefly. Allow me to give a few pieces of advice. 1. Develop a comfort with ambiguity. We typically run from uncertainty and ambiguity as a means of alleviating anxiety. We wish to clarify our thoughts, and therefore we close off potentials. When we make decisions based on the relief of anxiety rather than on optimal outcomes, we will encounter mediocre results. Comfort with ambiguity creates a condition for further viability of potentials and possibilities. Discomfort with ambiguity often leads us to a premature collapse of potentials. 2. An existentialist maxim: there are no answers, only decisions. Try as we might, we cannot develop an "a priori" knowledge of ourselves and our path. Life is elucidated through the act of living. We define ourselves and uncover our paths by malcing decisions, and we make decisions not only based on "what we are" but also on "what we would be." 3. Maintain the proper attitude about career experiences. Do not make judgments on the axis of "success" and "failure." Make judgments based on the degree to which an experience has either elucidated or obfuscated your path. This allows you to maintain an experimental spirit, and a good experiment relates to its design and its information yield: not its particular outcome. Taken together, I would urge you to develop a comfort with the multiple paths your career can take, which ultimately reflects the multiple paths your existence can take. This comfort with uncertainty will not lead to existential paralysis and impotence if you realize that no answer will present itself, but rather will be defined by your willing and acting. In the process of defining yourself through decision, however, all actions must be allowed to be tentative and experimental, allowing your 'bili' path flext ty. Somehow, it is all part of the bizarre process of what Nietzsche called becoming what you are. It is a strange interplay of the you that already and always seems to be, and the you that somehow must be brought into being. Unfortunately, there is no manual for determining when your actions are authentic, and when they are inauthentic; when they bring you closer to yourself, and when they take you farther away, There are, however, many works that you will encounter that may help you formulate your thoughts: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Heidegger, Gadamer, Merleau-Ponty, and others in the continental tradition of phenomenology and existentialism. Perhaps it is simply a matter of listening to our authentic self, a most difficult task. Perhaps we can have faith that, as Hesse said, "That which is within you and directs your life knows already. It's good to realize that within us there is someone who knows everything, wills everything, does everything better than we ourselves." I wish you the best of luck in your future, and urge you not to squander your youth worrying about your old age. You are a part of the most remarkable college in the country, and you are in the midst of an unparalleled intellectual experience. Be in that moment. Best wishes, George A. Mashour, A'01 built. Ms. Kronsberg said that both of these unlucky seminars will be moving into the finished section of Mellon in about three weeks. While periodically having seminars in Chase Stone's common room, or the private dining hall is nice on occasion, I'm really looking forward to the permanence of a newly refurbished, regular classroom. It would have been very easy to get upset or bitter with the school for the construction conditions. However, Ms. Kronsberg has totally eliminated that possibility with her unflagging support. Not an encounter with Ms. Kronsberg goes by that I'm not reminded of the faculty's awareness and dismay at our current conditions. Ms. Kronsberg is a powerful force keeping the faculty in touch with the seminar students of Mellon,andweareallveryfortunateforit. Three cheers for Ms. Kronsberg! From, A. Wendel Stout IV, '03 Three Cheers Dear Gadfly, While most students anxiously wait for the bell to ring for seminar on Monday and Thursday nights, some students somewhat dread the time. The students of Mellon rooms 101 and 103 have been coming to class lately with varying degrees of discomfort. First, the ceilings were removed from the rooms, causing powerful echoes. Then, the tops of the walls were removed, permitting conversation from the neighboring classrooms to be overheard. Around the same time, the weather started to get colder, but the heating system was still turned off. Buildings and Grounds provided small electrical heaters, but when I arrived early last Thursday night, I found them turned off and cold. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the power sockets along one wall were turned off. Just as I was plugging them into sockets along the opposite wall, Ms. Kronsberg came along to investigate the situation. Ms. Kronsberg was very distressed to see the situation, and set out immediately to help me rearrange the heaters. I was touched at the concern she expressed for our unfortunate seminar experience in this state of construction. In the past, Ms. Kronsberg has even helped wipe some of the thick dust off the table tops. Upon hearing of the crossover noise between classrooms, the school had drywall tacked up over the holes until the walls are re- Washington Opera Tickets By Taylor Waters Director of Stttdent Activities I have 12 tickets to attend The Washington Opera's production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. We will depart from the Carroll Barrister House at 6:30 pm on Tuesday October 30th. Tickets cost the ubelievebly low price of $20.00 and can be reserved by sending cash or a check (made out to St.John's College) to Taylor Waters via campus mail. There are three Student Activities Meal Ticket winners this week. Mr.Ward Kashiwa will dine at Sean Donlon, Mr. Fredrick Rockwell at Phillips and Ms. Rachel Pollack at Cafe Normandy. : 3 THE GADFLY . ' : ..... �nth u s By Megan Maxwell-Smith, '02 October 18, 2001 Present: Ms. S. Star, Mr. N. Turnquist, Ms. M. Townsend, Ms. M. Alapin, Ms. M. Maxwell-Smith, Mr.J. Naylor, Ms. L. Strache, Mr. A. MacLean, Ms.J. Delston, Mr. B. Ramsey, Mr. A. Hunt, Mr. H. Brockett. Ms. Delston made a request for, and was granted by unanimous vote, $32 for the Spanish Club's Xerox fees. A vote on the St.John's candidate to the Student Advisory Council to the Maryland Higher Education Commission was postponed, due to the eligible students not having received notification of the election or of their eligibility. The election was rescheduled for Thursday, October 25, 2001. Various subcommittees scheduled and rescheduled their meeting times. Mr.Naylor suggested December 9 as a possible date for the SCI to host a tutor form on liberal education. To Mr. Naylor's question of whetherthe SCI wanted to add to its agenda the discussion of the college possibly building a new dormitory, many people responded that our plate was very full for the semester, and that the Delegate Council has already taken up the issue and provided forums for its discussion. The bulk of the meeting was spent discussing the form that a report on student opinion about quietness, silence, and conversation would take on for prevention to the Instruction Committee. Silence, and Class and Conversation were the large headings for two separate reports to be prepared. Messrs. MacLean and Naylor took on the project of writing a report on silence, and Misses. Maxwell-Smith and Townsend that of a report on conversation and class. Presenting two reports on each topic was offered as a way to give voice to conflicting views on these issues, so as not to produce a single, overly dilute report. It remains to be seen if this will be necessary. At the end of the meeting next week's agenda issue of academic assistance was briefly treated. The main issues under this topic, as presented by Ms. Strache, were 1) the clarity and consistency of the job descriptions of the various; 2) how our assistants' roles differ from those of assistants in Santa Fe, with reference in particular to in-class assistance; 3) juniors being assistants in the junior laboratory. Agenda items for Thursday, October 25: election of student to advisory council of MHEC, academic assistance, follow-ups on report writing. Juniors who are Maryland residents are eligible to serve on the Student Advisory Council to the Maryland Higher Education Commission. If you fit those criteria and are interested in learning more about the position, inquiries may be addressed to Mr. Peter Heyneman, '02,Ms. LauraStrache, '02, or Mr. AaronMacLean, '03. The SCI will be meeting at 11 :45 a.m. In the Coffee Shop this Thursday, as the Private Dining Room is unavailable. All polity members are welcome. ation, Ms. Tobias cut $100 from the budget, which brings the request to $600. The last request came from Mr. Powers and the KWP. He requested $1,976 but lowered it to $1,526 after much consideration from his counterparts and Ms. Tobias. As we were discussing the set cost of The Glass Menagerie, Mr. Thompson made a funny and said "It's glass, can you see it?" All in all the total requests for the present agenda came to $6, 165.01. All of these adjusted requests were voted on and passed. The D.C. also had voting items from the previous meeting in the request of the Outdoors Club for $375 and the Environmental Club for $207.13. There was also some shifting with regard to the allotted delegate monies, which leaves the D.C. with the grand total of $224.70. The question on the table came from Mr. Cottrell "What is a glass menagerie?" If someone comes to me with the correct answer, they can give me $5. Mi nut s By Lauren Shofer D.C. Secretary Well, all the D. C. can say today is thank you Ms. Tobias. As our funds dwindle and the requests increase, the Delegate Council is put in the position of a penny pincher. The meeting opened up with $6,946.84 in the bank. The first request was from Ms. Krasnewicz fortheMelee club for $136.13. She agreed to reduce her request to $101.88. Ms. Sherman made the next request for the Storytellers Guild for $143.13. Mr. Dobbyn voiced his opinion and said that he didn't like the wording of part five of their fundraising plan. He suggested attacking people on the quad in an entirely casual manner to raise money. Mr. Jones made the next request for Reality for $4, 194. After price slashing that would make the WalMart happy face jealous and an expletive from our president we reduced Mr.Jones' request to $3,794. Mr.Jones is also sorry to say that there will be no more BBQ's but there will still be food at the coffeeshop parties. The next request was from Ms. Tobias who asked for $700.00 for the fencing union. After consider- 4: THE GADFLY UBMIT yourself to the Gadfly 7:30 pm Tuesdays Barr Buchanun Lower Level 3 f rm a ti n By Laura Mangum, '04 and Midshipman 3/c Michael Moore The past few weeks have brought much talk and much worry over possible biological warfare attacks on the United States. Anthrax scares have tied up 911 switchboards across the country, as people have come under the spell of hysteria and sensationalism. Indeed the biggest victim of the scares, with all due respect to the one actual victim, a 63 year-old Florida man, seems to be common sense and rational thought. Of course there is a place for caution, but perhaps it would do more good to understand what exactly it is everyone seems to be so frightened of, and whether or not it is worthy of that fear. Anthrax is a natural bacterial disease occurring in animals and livestock, much like hoof and mouth disease. The United States started developing the bacteria for research purposes and use in military applications in the cold war '50s, in direct response to a growing threat of biological weapons from the Soviet Union. The United States wanted to know how it operated and how to protect members of the Armed Services from its effects if used on the battlefield. They found that the bacteria was transferred to humans in the form of spores, and that there were three main ways of transmission: through ingestion, an abrasion, or inhalation. After the spores have developed into active bacteria, the bacteria begins to secrete a toxin that dissolves organs and surroundingtissue. ThemaJ'orthreatcomeswhen the body deploys cells from the lymph nodes to attack the infection. The cells kill a majority f h b · h o t e actena, t en return back to the lymph nodes. From the lymph nodes the . . ' disease 1s spread to the rest of the body through the bloodstream. It is deposited : Seen: . O Ch n camTpus , Sunday last 10:45pm · ar 1ene ay 1o B · r : th r u~ns, s~nn 1ng :a pc.cross eM9uad, in Satin : a1amas. 1ss Taylor B was · I t h' I · : c u. c ing a ?rge metal trash can · which contained Id · I : h d' a smo enng og : ass e isappeared into the night. throughout the body, continues to dissolve . d b tissue an even lood vessels, and death soon results. The trick to staving off the :S · een· · O 'd . u SI e Humpherys. infection is to catch it in time, for it is easily treatedwiththecommercialantibioticCipro, penicillin, or other common antibiotics. NBC, ABC, CBS and Senate Majority Leader Daschle' s Capitol office have all been confirmed targets of anthrax-bearing mail, much of it post-marked Trenton, NJ There have been seven infections and one death around the country to date, but none have been directly linked to Osama bin Laden or the al Qaeda organization. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, anthrax infects roughly 5000 people a year, world wide. The overwhelming majority of infections take place in poorer coun· · · t nes, from d'irect contact wit h an m fecte d animal. The pulmonary type infection, like the one responsible for the Florida man's death, is the rarest of all. The WorldHealth Organization.has stated that it believes the threat of anthrax can be destroyed simply through heightened standards of hygiene and veterinary medicine throughout the world. We have been warned to be vigilant by our leaders, and Americans, after having their security so shaken and safety so threatened, are indeed being careful. There is, however, a line drawn between common sense precaution and irrational frenzy, and once that line is crossed, when the attitude of the country becomes one of distrust and fear of the unknown, then whoever is responsible for these cheap acts gains a cheap victory. I know that the St. John's campus is not one prone to hysteria, but remember that it is not circumstances that dictate who we will be, but our reaction to those circumstances. t The Great Pumpkin . : : : : : : : Seen: . : .In t~e Coffee Shop on Saturday : .night .. Several uppercalassman, '. including Mr. Hyde and Mr. Devine, : tra~ped beneath? heap of : furniture after a failed attempt to '. build a "!art" from collected tables '. an? chairs. And what was that : residue all over the floor? : : Seen: '. : : : : : : : : : : : : : 5 THE GADFLY'.:''''' �s ph m h M Tutor Mr. Sinn f Myst ry By Cooper Gallimore, '05 Well, it has come to that time of year when the staff ofthe Gadfly has completely run out of freshman tutors to interview. In a panic over how to fill up this space, your lovable news staff calms after they remember that there were some new tutors from last year's batch who can still be interviewed. With a huge sigh of relief, the decision to interview Mr. Sinnett was made. I had a somewhat personal reason in being interested in this interview in that Mr. Sinnett is my freshman lab tutor, and I was honestly curious about him, and of course I was hoping to win points with him by requesting an interview. Mark Sinnett is a sophomore tutor here who is splitting his time between his freshman tutorials and his sophomore seminar. From my lab tutorial, I knew him to be a mild mannered individual, who never ceased to amaze us with his keen insights and obvious admiration for Aristotle. I had also heard rumors that he was something of a math buff. Since this was what I already knew of him, the question of his curiosity with math seemed like a logical place to start. Upon asking him about this he commences to say that, "I am fascinated by any math generated by quantum mechanics". Now this statement first caused a thrill in me, which quickly turned into dread. While I have long been extremely fascinated by quantum mechanics, its basic concepts have long eluded me due to my torturous history with all things mathematical. Hoping to turn the conversation into safer territory, I ask him if his degree is in mathematics. He almost makes me fall out of my seat when he tells me that he got his PhD in Theology. He claims to have gone all the way to Scotland for this degree, and apparently he's been all over the place doing some of his graduate work at The University of Texas and also lecturing there for awhile. Though not originally from Texas, he claims it as home. Considering how tall Mr. Sinnett is (of course as that I'm only 57" most people seem tall by my standards) and what a large state Texas is, this paring seems to make logical sense to me. But then I become a bit bemused when, referring 6 am u r. T m t, to St.John's College he states, "It's a joy to be here, because it fits". I can only assume that his mind is operating on a completely different line of thought then mine. When questioned further about his theological degree, I discover that he was aPresbyterian Minister for seven years. "I spent seven years slinging sermons at people", he says. This led us into a discussion on the dying craft of preaching. Theology is a topic I feel much more competent in discussing, and I soon learn that this man is capable of drawing rational relationships between such varied topics as theology and mathematics. Upon seeing him decisively connect the two topics I feel more comfortable returning to the realm of mathematics with the knowledge that I am now dealing with a not only skilled, but professionally taught orator. He surprises me yet again when he states that he has truly struggled with teaching math here. Though this is not his first experience teaching on the subject, he claims that it is sometimes frustrates him that he cannot draw on his other experiences and knowledge. I can only nod in agreement. When asked about his favorite reading in seminar, he emphatically states that he loves all of them. "I've really enjoyed the Aeneid" he states. "But we haven't had a reading I didn't enjoy". This seems reasonable enough when you can consider that this is a man who can linl~ god and quantum mechanics in a single sentence. Out of curiosity I ask him about some of his other hobbies. He goes into how he en- THE GADFLY ......................... . joys sitting down and mulling over economic and philosophical history. "I tend to like anybody whom it's hard to attach a label", he says. Somehow, this doesn't at all surpriseme. Wethensomehow get into the topic of waking and study habits. He causes me to give a small gasp when he goes into how he gets his best work done when he gets up at four in the morning. Being that I'm not much of a morning person, I have atremendous amount of respect for anyone who can drag themselves out of bed at this hour (and this is extended to all you crazy individuals who manage to get up for ~· Up till this point in the interview we were having a wonderful conversation. I then asked the question that I probably shouldn't have, but being a freshman I didn't know any better. I asked him, if he could change anything about this program, what would it be? He got very silent for a moment and looked as though he was in pain, and then he made the most beautiful statement concerning the St.John's program that I have yet heard. "If you had asked me that when I interviewed for the job I would have had an answer", he said. He explains to me that this program makes you ve1y aware of what you don't know. He then states, "I've changed already, maybe I need to change some more". As I leave this interview, I feel as though I may have just heard what it really means to be a tutor here. They all seem to share some kind of a willingness to ask and change as it becomes necessary, but at the same time to knowwhen to remain well-grounded. I only hope that as the rest of us complete our stay at this campus and throughout the rest of our lives, that we can better come to understand this premise. And I hope that Mr. Sinnett decides to stay here at St. John's for the foreseeable future. By Rhonda Franklin, '04 For the Gadfly Mr.John Tomarchio is enjoying his new role as St.John's tutor: "The part of teaching we do here is the fun part of teaching." Instead of the administrative work, the syllabi writing, and the politics of grades and student approval rating, St.John's provides a man who wants to teach with more than research; it lets him be a student himself. "I called my friends from Villanova and said, 'The first day of class I simply asked, "A point is that which has no part, what does that mean?" and they spoke for a half hour without my saying anything!"' His freshmen students will be glad to hear that their freshman tutor shares their excitement about what they are reading. Mr. Tomarchio has had some experience with "Great Books" programs-his undergraduate years were spent at Columbia University, which has a required literature and humanities course for all students. After obtaining his doctorate from Catholic University in the History of Philosophy, he had a fellowship at Boston University, where undergradu- • 0 d rip Tips ate area requirements can be fulfilled with a Great Books-esque program. At Villanova he : By Mary Irene Ruffin, '04 taught even his introductory classes with priALTOONA, Pa. - Since there has been the mary texts and used a discussion setting, alability to travel, there has been the desire to go. though he had to use different teaching methods, such as requiring discussion questions, No where is that more evident than in the etc., to encourage student discussion and dis- glazed eyes of the college student. Weighed courage passivity-not a problem he has here. down with essays and translations, he eagerly As a new tutor, he is teaching freshmen seeks an escape. That escape usually takes the classes: language and mathematics, and is form of the infamous road trip. There are many different reasons to grab paired with Mr. Eric Salem for freshman semi: yours, or someone else's keys and drive off nar. He has had experience with Greek in the past, but still spends time reviewing and read- into the sunset. Most road trips fall into one ing, but "I haven't had math since being a of three categories: the quick afternoon jaunt, sophomore in high school!" While he men- the longer day-trip, and the weekend journey. tions that there are students in his math tuto- Though most people setting out on one of rial that have better mathematical understand- these trips would like to think that they have ing than he does, his philosophic background control over their length, the trip will usually gives him the ability to guide his class by ask- decide on its own. I have included examples ing questions about Euclid despite the lack of of the three road trips, and several tips to help recent formal mathematics instruction. While make your trip a success ... or at least to avoid he calls the tutor's view of the class "privi- some of the standard pitfalls. leged" (meaning that he can see many things Afternoon Jaunt that students do not, especially his freshmen who may not understand why the conversaYou and a friend find yourselves with an tion might be guided away from one topic for afternoon of free time, and decide to take the the sake of half the class), he also is reminded trek to a somewhat local destination. Such was that tutors must try to remember what it is the case for two innocent but naive Febbies like to approach something for the first time. Febbie A: of blonde mind, and Febbie B: of Mr. T omarchio himself has such "freshness" rotten luck -who decided to kill an afternoon to the St. John's program: he is enthusiastic visiting Baltimore's Inner Harbor. After enabout class, his students, his role as a tutor, during a swarm of people, a freak monsoon, discussion, and the books, which reading from and a wait for a bus that never came, they felt morning to night leaves him "always ex- ready to offer these tips for travelers: hausted!" TIP #1: be aware of where and when you Mr. Tomarchio is a Thomist-onewho travel. A void driving during rush hour or gostudies St. Thomas Aquinas-yet is not up- ing to places on days that may draw an excesset that his research will have to wait for the sive crowd. Our two illustrious travelers made summers. Most schools, he says, require re- the mistake of going to Baltimore's ESPN search to be done year-round, while classes are Zone the day of the MLB All-Star game. Conbeing taught. He appreciates the focus on sequently they received no food, no fun, and a learning with students, rather than on pub- mosh-pit of baseball revelers. lishing. While research and specialization have TIP #2: Be aware of weather. As nice as it given him a greater base of knowledge with may seem when you leave, a lot can happen in which to lead class, he has great enthusiasm a few hours. While riding the water taxi across for learning new subjects right along with and the Chesapeake Bay, our two explorers were from his students. For example, "I under- struck by a freak summer storm that Poseidon stand some passages of Aristotle better, that himself would be jealous of. Not prepared had drawn from Euclid, but, of course, I had for the wet or the sudden drop in temperature, never. read Euclid before." The Great Books the two disembarked onto Ye Over-Priced Gift program is the "completion of my own edu- Shoppe, and indulged in a $30 sweatshirt. cation." continued on page 12 THE GADFLY . 7 .. : ..... �LEGEND COVER STORY • r v Pen 1ng on nstru tion of ew orm I' By G. August Deimel, '04 News Editor The tantalizing prospect of the first new dorm to be built on this campus since 1954 has come significantly closer to fruition in the past few weeks. A recent decision by the Campus Planning Committee to recommend a new dorm has kicked off a sequence of events including large meetings of students, and discussions in numerous circles about what such a project would look like. This will all culminate in a decision, ex:pectedin the next several weeks, by college President Christopher Nelson whether to build the new dorm or abandon the proposal. If President Nelson decides to build the new dorm, the Board of Visitors and Governors would have to approve that decision. The consensus seems to be that it is nearly inconceivable that the Board would deny the approval of the plan. "We need a decision pretty soon" Assistant DeanAnitaKronsberg recently told the Gadfly. In order for the dorm to be ready for students by its targeted date of Fall 2003, the details of the dorm'slocation, configuration, and construction have to be worked out in the very near future. Why Build Another Dorm? Since his arrival as president of the college, Mr.Nelsonhasseemedkeenontheideaofbuilding another dorm. He, as others have, has said that having a greater percentage of upperclassmen on campus would enhance college life. Stories of a St.John's of years past where a freshman was just as likely to talk to a senior about Plato as he was to talk to another freshmen occasionally reach near-mythical proportions. While certainly this was to some extent true at one point, and having more people living on campus would probably help recapture that dream a bit, the current justification for a new dorm is far more practical. Fearing another housing crisis like the one experienced this past year, several people within the college administration have said that the new dorm appears to be a necessity. As the housing market in Annapolis dries up and becomes more 8 : inhospitable to students every year, the need for more beds on campus looms large. U pperclassmen, who would normally be expected to move off campus in much larger numbers than they have been, have instead been opting to stay on campus and as a result, the college is filled beyond capacity. Freshmen triples are seen as an aberration that needs to be eliminated as soon as possible, and nobody ever wants to go through the chaos some people were put through in trying to get a room last year. Demand for rooms is unlikely to wane anytime soon. Many upperclassmen can't find housing elsewhere or when they do it is often miles away. Formanypeoplelivingfarawayfromour campus would be unacceptable and there is a sense that having students so disconnected from each other "damages our community" as Assistant DeanAnitaKronsberg recently said Where Will the New Dorm be Located? Three locations are considered likely spots for anew dorm. It could be placed beyond the gym where the tennis courts are currently located, beyond Mellon Hall, or in the space currently occupied by Chancellor Johnson House. Each spot has its own unique problems. The area next to Paca where Chancellor Johnson House now stands is fairly small and is, of course, currently occupied by ChancellorJohnson House. SincetheHouseishistoric(builtin 1720) and can not be tom down, it would have to be moved. Rough estimates obtained by the school of what such a procedure would cost range from about $75,000 to over $140,000. That cost along with the questionable desirability of the location in the abstract make this the least likely location according to members of the administration. On the other hand, that location would not change the center of campus. It has been said that if a dorm were ever built on back campus it would fundamentally change the dynamic of campus life by moving the center of activity away from the quad and the coffee shop. For some, this is a very serious concern while others shrug it off. Although movement toward back campus in the form of Mellon Hall and the gym has not yet diminished the role of the quad and the cof- THE GADFLY .... ' ... ' . ' .. ' ' . ' .. ' . ' . ' ... ' ' ' . ' ............. ' . ' . ' ' ' fee shop in student life, a new dorm would represent the most dramatic shift of focus toward back campus in recent memory and the effects of that would be unpredictable. The security problems on back campus also raise eyebrows when a dorm location behind Mellon or the Gym is suggested. Mrs. Kronsberg has expressed confidence that this can be overcome, but some concerns remain. Others actually believe the dorm could help the situation on back campus, "reclaiming" the area by making students a constant presence. What Will Be in the Dorm? Only the most basic consideration has been given to what a new dorm would actually look like on the inside. A ballpark figure of 30-40 beds has been tossed around for how many people the new.dorm would be built to house. That number is liable to change, as it is based upon how many people needed rooms after last year's room selection. Many people have spun wild fantasies about what the perfect new dorm would contain and this dorm presents the chance for somebody's fantasy to come true. At a recent meeting between about thirty students and members of the administration, numerous ideas of what people would like in a dorm came up. Some advocated small, self-contained apartments like the ones available on the Santa Fe campus. Others wanted small clusters of rooms, perhaps centered around a common room similar to the Paca loft. Still others wanted to see a dorm composed primarily of singles. Although every student has probably thought about his ideal dorm room, Mrs. Kronsberg has told the Gadfly that the actual configuration of the dorm has been given almost no thought at all yet. The Campus Planning Committee will begin seriously considering that question for the first time this week as theytour existing donns andreceive a report compiled by members of the Delegate Council on student opinion of what should be in the new dorm. A Entrance Commons B Garden Opening c Sitting Plaza D Car Park E Existing service drive to be removed and replaced with grass pave rs F Iglehart Hall entrance addition and sitting plaza G Great Commons H Proposed Fitness Center Proposed academic and dormitory facilities J Graduate student and student apartments K Hillside seating for 450 spectators L Planetarium relocated in order to restore campus views of College Creek M Tennis and basketball courts N Multiple use athletic field and track The map above was handed out at the new dorm discussion forum held by the DC. It displays proposed future plans for campus expansion over the next l 00 years. You can obtain more detailed information about campus expansion from Ms. Anita Kronsberg. : 9 THE GADFLY .. :'' ... �"T Wil Bun h" IS ally Wil directed by Sam Peckinpah, shot by Lucien Ballard By Bobby Ramsey, '03 Texas and northern Mexico are a desperate place these days, and somebody should have told the Temperance marchers. At least they could have been better prepared. There had always been a struggle to keep the peace in the area, but now it seems like all the power is in the hands of those who are out to get rich and enjoy themselves at others' expense, and everybody's caught in the crossfire. The force of law is corrupted and its goodies hijacked. The closest thing to a sheriff, Mr. Harrigan, is out to make bounty money, and the U.S. Army is portrayed as hopelessly incompetent. The first shootout, in fact, is between the bounty-hunters working for Mr. Harrigan, who, as we' re told, has the law behind him, and the "wild bunch" dressed in stolen Army uniforms and using Army weapons. The result is a bloody massacre of both sides and of innocent bystanders. At the very least we' re not shown the deaths of the mother and boys that a particularly unstable bounty hunter holds hostage, torments, and then murders in cold blood when they try to sneak away. At least in Texas, though, there's some fear of retribution for opening fire on the U.S. Army. In Mexico it seems that the Army has been not just looted from, but actually made the personal possession of a bandit who gets himself called "Generalissimo" Mapache, working in a kind of kooky tandem with German officers who want to harass the U.S. government. This whole situation will culminate in the movie's other bloody massacre, in Agua Verde, where both sides-the wild bunch and the Mexican bandit-army-are completely slaughtered. Between these two massacres, chronologically and geographically, is where we get to know the wild bunch. Led by Pike, a gunslinger with a bounty on his head, they' re a group of outlaws who it seems would like to get one big payoff and then move on, but we start to see that they wouldn't have anywhere to go and they don't really know any other way of life. As outlaws, they don't belong in the towns, but neither are they as ruthless as the railroad's Mr. Harrigan or as ruthless and amoral as Mapache and his band. For example, Pike decides only out of necessity not to bury the 10 : THE GADFLY man who probably should have died in the massacre but managed to make it to the edge of town. And later on, in a moment of dissension about whether or not to keep the sometimes inconvenient old man in the group, Pike says, "When you side with a man, you stay with him, and when you can't do that you're like some animal." Even if he's not exactly an example to his men, Pike is a competent leader who consistently responds to their needs and keeps them together in some kind of decent order. Their young Mexican partner Angel seems more tragic. The others of the wild bunch might get cheated out of gold, but Angel has his life stolen, or everything that matters to him. He is proud of his village and would defend it to the death, but we' re led to wonder if it's worth defending anymore. In hard times, a village elder explains, the people have given themselves over to the authority and lifestyle ofMapache; Angel's own fiancee has become Mapache' s closest concubine, other village girls his band's prostitutes. Angel gets himself into trouble with rash anger, including even murdering his fiancee, but it's understandable, given that the whole responsibility of standing up for his town and way of life has fallen on this one young man's shoulders. Here Pike and Dutch, another bandit, are infuriating - Dutch leaves Angel in Mapache's custody, and Pike actually goes to see, and even seriously cheats, one of the Mexican prostitutes before he gets it together to go and try to rescue Angel, by which time it's too late. (These prostitutes may have come from Angel's village, and Pike leaves them financially at the point of death, just like he left Angel physically the first time he came to get him.) So, in retrospect, the movie has a lot to do with the struggle of a group of bandits against destructive forces from whom it's not entirely dear how they' re different, but we' re left thinking that they are in some way different. This may be as far as the movie goes, in its thought. Because, at some point it seems like we have to accept a kind of directorial shrug of the shoulders about the seriousness of it all, if we're going to be asked to sit back and enjoy the well-crafted scenes of violence. The train hijacking is another story-it's marvelousand we can see something innocently cool in Pike's learning to handle the machine gun, and IA 1~ ' oing Clubbing: Pink Triangle So By Tracy Cain and Katherine Nehring, '03 something innocently funny in Mapache's learning how not to. But there really is a fundamental tension between the movie's seriousness about the' meaning of its violence - for example, the bounty hunter Dean Thornton himself decries the first massacre, calling it by that name - and the fact that some whole scenes of violence would have to be looked at "neutrally" (really thoughtlessly) in order to be enjoyed artistically. Wouldn't we have to do something like pretend that we' re just like those children watching animals burn, in order to be able to detach ourselves in the way that the movie would seem to require a couple of times? The music is strong, based around a kind of theme song for the wild bunch that seems to bring out the old-fashioned fun of running from the law together. But here again one wonders whether the music is appropriate to, or at least sufficient for, the more complicated tensions that arise in the events. Again, what makes the wild bunch, as opposed to, say, Mapache's band, deserving of a theme song? We think we know, we're pretty sure the director means to show why, and yet we're left hang- mg. The Texas landscapes are beautiful, and the personalities of the characters are rich indeed. Who would have thought of a steam bath scene with all the bandits together? The Ace was thinking, a circumstance unusual enough in itself. Even more unusual was the fact that she appeared to be pondering, as opposed to scheming, or even plotting. Eventually she appeared to come to some sort of conclusion; she raised her head "It seems to me," said the Ace at last, "that we do entirely too much work." The Jack made an interested noise. "Are you meaning to say that the true life of the philosopher is the contemplative one? Aristotle's position on this question, I have felt, is perhaps the best formulation of the dilemma at the heart of human intellectual existence in the world-" "No, no, that wasn't what I was thinking," continued the Ace, over the Jack's speculations. "What I was thinking was more about the Gadfly." "Ah! You mean the philosopher's function, to goad the city out of intellectual laziness? I see, you are approaching the problem from the other side -thattoo much work may, in fact, be a form of sloth." "No," declared the Ace firmly, "I mean our articles. Our articles in the Gadfly. We are doing entirely too much work on them; I think we should stop. Or at least cut back. I was thinking more like one club a week, instead of two." "I see!" said the Jack. The Ace heard what appeared to be an actual response to something she had said, and sat up in surprise. "I see!" the Jack repeated. "You have come at last the realization of the desire of P~ilosophy - seeking unity rather than duality- seeking to make one out of many seeking the One Itself-" "NO!" shouted the Ace, beginning to lose patience at last. "I AM TALKING ABOUTOURARTICLE!!" "Oh! Our article? What's this week's club?" inquired the Jack, always willing to be diverted. "Pink Triangle Society." "A society? For triangles?" exclaimed the Jack. "A whole society? For triangles! Dedicated to the study and appreciation of the glorious three-sided shapes at the founda- tion of mathematical and philosophical knowledge?" "Well, no, actually, dedicated to-" "Euclid, thou shoulds't be living at this hour!" continued the Jack. "Not Euclid, no-" "And think of the theological implications!" A new thought Struck the Jack. "We are doing one club - and what is that one club but the Pink Triangle society? The three in one!" The Ace considered briefly. She had intended to make her roommate do the interview for this week's club, but considering the Jack's weakness in that regard, had complete confidence in her roommate's ability to spend the interview talking about nothing but Euclid. So when the Ace walked into the Pinkney common room on Wednesday, seeking the Pink Triangle, she was met by a gathering of people much smaller than she had expected. "This is Pink Triangle, yes?" she asked. "The campus' stronghold of depravity and debauchery?" "That's us," said Cecily Martin, the archon, "but we're not really depraved or debauched... " "Oh!" Andrew Hunt, the treasurer exclaimed suddenly, "I forgot to bring the vegetables, hummus and whipped cream!" The Ace raised her eyebrows. "And what exactly was it you needed whipped cream for?" she wanted to know. Mr. Hunt was assuring the Ace that these were merely leftovers from last week's drag ball, and that no perverse purpose was intended for them, when the archon said, "Maybe that would get more people here ... Cecily will shave her legs and you can tie her down and eat whipped cream off her naked body!" There was silence from the room. "Not really interested," the Ace said at last. "But ... er ... thanks for offering?" "You don't want to eat whipped cream off my body?" Cecily asked plaintively. "No ... but you might ask my roommate," offered the Ace, who figured the heartless sacrifice of the Jack was a gesture any evil person should make at this juncture. In any case, the offer seemed to cheer Ms. Martin, and the meeting continued. Of course, when the Ace says 'continued' she means that the members became engrossed in a discussion of how irritating pants with a 'crotch line' that was too low were. As near as the Ace could tell, this came up in a discussion of why women didn't wear men's jeans- but the Ace would not be prepared to swear to this. This week's meeting, the Ace was told, was rather slow because the drag ball had T HE GADFLY . 11 ········ �~-----·-------·------------------------------------ just occurred. Nonetheless, the members did seem able to keep each other entertained, even if it was by means of one of the most surreal conversations the Ace had ever seen outside of the Storyteller's guild, a D&D game, or talking to Gus. (The Ace notes at this point that some freshmen won't know why Gus is so surreal. They should ask any upperclassman to explain, if they care.) And so it was that it was not until the meeting broke for dinner that the Ace was able to pin the club's archon down for an interview. Not much of one, as the Ace only asked two questions when her chronic laziness struck unexpectedly, rendering her helpless in its power, but as Ms. Martin's answers were utterly fascinating, the Ace felt two might just be enough. More would probably be more than she wanted to know, : Roadtrip Tips : continued from page 7 TIP #3: (most important according to . : Febbie B): Be aware of the time, especially when : riding mass transit. Febbie A was ignorant : enough to think that being a local gave better : knowledge of how to get from here to there, : and back. Unfortunately, this knowledge did : not contain the timetable of the busses. So it : was somewhat meaningless when the means '. to move aren't actually moving. Day Trip Again I fall back to my Febbie comrades for : the example of the standard day-trip gone awry. '. On a warm Saturday in June, the lot of Febbies : and one stray Guardian set off to Ocean City, : Maryland. The first mistake may have been to anyway. '. have Febbie A as navigator again, which brings The first question the Ace put to her pris: me to my next tip: oner was, "So why are you in the Pink Tri- · TIP #4: Make sure you know how to get angle Society, anyway?" : where you are going, or ensure that your com"Well," said Ms. Martin after a moment's : panions are up for some thought, "I thought it would be a good '. aimless driving. When a thing to do, as an empowered bisexual: 3-hour trip becomes 4 or which I am, despite breaking up with my '. 5,itcanmakeforacranky girlfriend for Kerne," she hastened to add. : carload. (to my compa"And I just sort of stayed ... And then I got : triots on that excursion, drunk, and I was interrupted in seducing : I apologize again ... the your roommate by Jam es, who took advan'. sign said east!) tage of my state -and it was the first time · TIP #5: Make sure I'd ever been drunk too- to ask me to be '. that your vehicle has the archon. And I was drunk, so I said yes." : enough gas, or that you The Ace nodded sagely. "You should '. are aware how much gas never drink anywhere near an arch on des: your vehicle guzzles. perately looking for a replacement; they have '. Running out of gas no scruples." : makes for an even Cecily nodded morosely. '. crankier carload. I credit our Febbie Dad, Pete "Alright," the Ace said then. "Do you : Roberts, with the ability to drive the polity van have any goals for the club?" : on fumes and to spot an Exxon a mile away. The archon thought. "Mmm ... No." Re- : For the next tip, I will refer to a different considering, "Yes." Reconsidering again, : summer excursion of the Febbies involving a "Maybe you should talk to Andrew." : drive to New York City. The Ace glared at her with a look she'd . TIP #6: make sure that when splitting up, found at least partially effective when em- : directions are understood. I speak of this withployed against the Jack- a look designed '. out personal experience, but an example of, to convey in no uncertain terms that the re- : say, searching for a Brooklyn address in downcipient was going to answer the question '. town Manhattan last summer comes to mind. better than that. "U m ... my goal is to make St.John's as Weekend Journey promiscuous as it was in the past?" she ofUsually these types of journeys have a spefered at last. "That's a joke," she added hastily as she observed the Ace recording her '. cific goal in mind. Be it a destination, the ac: quisition of someone or something, or the words. The Ace gave her a doubting look, but '. common booty call. These are the trips that driven by the inescapable force of laziness, : can result in mass chaos, and have been known '. to rival Odysseus' journey. let that one go. 12 : The first example of the weekend excursion is a recent trip to Pennsylvania that Ruffy the Philosopher took with TJ the Guardian. The idea wa5 simple: drive 4 hours to pick up a car TJ had just purchased, and then venture home. Total estimated time: 10 hours, including stops. Actual time: 35 hours. To sum up the trip in one sentence: whatever can go wrong, did. TIP# 7: when crossing state lines, be aware of simple laws of the new state ... such as speed limits. The only thing more annoying than getting a speeding ticket is getting one in a different state. Cops seem to love out-of-towners. TIP #8: when driving in unfamiliar areas, never take a "short cut". This is asking for the irony gods to swoop down and attack you. TIP #9: It is a great idea to have a cellular phone handy on any trip. It is an even greater idea to have the phone charged up before you leave. Nothing is more frustrating th~ standing next to a broken down car with a dead cell phone in your hand. Also, have a calling card in case you break down in one of the omnipresent "dead" areas of sell phone coverage that seem to follow you. TIP #10: Make sure that you have emergency money. Problems can and do arise, and most one way or another involves the necessity for money, so have either the cash or credit card just in case. Otherwise you may find yourself stranded in Altoona, PA with no means of departure. The last tip I have is from a trip to North Carolina undertaken by a group from the "Humph" last fall. TIP #11: make sure to get plenty of rest before long trips. I do not think I need to go into details over the problems that can result from tired, drowsy drivers. Also, please, please do not consume alcohol if you plan on driv- ing. Even with all of these nuggets of information, be ready for SOME1HINGto go wrong, as Murphy loves to go on trips with you. Things can and will pop up out of no where, and can affect your plans. Regardless of what happens, try not to despair. One day you will look back on it and laugh ... and if not, at least you will be a source of amusement for your peers. This is to remind on: u that first semester don rags will Saturday, November 17 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday, November 19 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 20 9:00 a.m ..... 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Thursday, 13 9:00 a.m ..... 5:00 p.m. Please note the dates on your calendar and keep the time free for don rags. It would be wise not to make travel plans that conflict with any of these dates and times. begins at 6:00 p.m. on November on December 13. and . must have their don rags before Thanksgiving break. We !"111 schedule some sophomore and junior don rags before the Thanksgiving break and the remainder before Winter break. Tutorials and laboratories will be cancelled on don rag days. However, tutors may schedule classes during this time. Seminars will continue to meet. Please note that Seminars will meet on Thursday, December 13. . 13 THEGADFLY ···················································· THE GADFLY ' . : ..... �ruid Infini Jus ic O'Neill Stunningly Nonchalant Gilbreath Best Ever; Druids Win Anyway By Jon Cooper and Mike Maguire, '02 You can have your "Rocky" and your "Rudy." Gordie Howe and Wendel Clarkas well, forthatmatter. TakeCarltonFisk, too. Whenever these famedwarriors competed, you could see every ounce of determination and gritstraining in their necks, carved into their faces, and soaking throughtheir clothes in a beastly display of power and ability. Tr gauche,gentlemen! In this day and age, what fan wishes to have foisted upon himthe grimacing visage and earthen musk of the athlete-in-the-trenches? I,for one, much prefer to these N eanderthalic shows of glory the aestheticachievements of the nonchalant athlete. How felicitous, then, to havesuch an example in the person of our own Drew O'Neill! Stealthily heroams the backfield, seemingly above the reproach of either failure orfriction. Effortlessly he breaks up most passes, intercepts the others,and tackles would-be scoring threats, often from a completestandstill. With neither facial expression, nor vocal projection, norwild gesticulation, O'Neill has consistently delivered in a most effectiveand refined manner, an athletic Surround-Sound in the form of a hushed andlethal "whatever." And let me say here and now that freshman Rob Gilbreath is theBest Ever at Football. The reigning Athlete of the Week- as of presstime -went all out in his re-election campaign last Wednesday,intercepting a pass and returning it 40 yards for the game's firsttouchdown. Gilbreath later pulled down along bomb from Aaron Collierover two defenders before gettingparallel to the ground while avoidingtackles and making a no-look flip pass to James Gilmore for thescore. When I saw such a feat, it was shown beyond the shadow of a doubtthat Gilbreath is one of those rare ath- 14 letes -who come along perhaps onceevery generation -who expresses victory in every action, no matter howsenseless it may seem. His pass to Gilmore looked like a signatureGuardian error: a well-intentioned, ill-advised, poorlyexecuted attemptat progress that would result in a Druid interception. But it turned outthat Gilbreath was operating on a higher athletointellectual plane, andthat the pass was a calculated and deliberate attempt to move the ballforward to a teammate standing in a determined location. Get hisautograph while he's still willing to give it out for free. Despite the best efforts of those profiled here, along with theinimitable George Deans, the Guardians fell to the Druids 18-12 in theyear's first game to feature overtime. The Guardians had the misfortuneof playing the Druids one day of the year the Druids crossed their ionbeams in the persons of Jason Emery, Andrew Ranson, and the now moreaerodynamic Mike Soejoto, who looks more like a bailiff than a lawyer tome. With the wind howling and the temperature dropping, cold hands losttheir handles on scoring opportunities early and often, with elevenfumbles and four interceptions. With such a lack of ball control, its no wonder the game's first touchdown was by the Guardian defense, and thatthree of the five touchdowns in the game were defensive. With the game tied at zero in the early moments of the second quarter, Gilbreath stepped in front of a pass from Ray Sears intended for MichaelMalone and ran it back 40 yards for the TD. The joy of winningwasquickly turned to the disappointment of not-winning when the wind wreakedhavoc on Gilmore's high snap and thrust it out of the reach ofJonathanPolk. Nick Whittier picked up the ball and returned it the length of thefield for the touchdown and the 6-6 tie. Towards the end of the quarter, Gilbreath again asserted his dominance over the second quarter with hisstunning catchand-fli p to Gilmore for the 12-6 lead. The drive began atmidfield, and moved forward 25 yards when Chris Warnagiris-whointercepted a pass from Randy Pennell inside the Guardian ten-yard line -made a fine reception on a pass from Collier on second down. The Druidswere unable to score in the final two plays of the half, and Hayden"Brains" Brockett's two sacks in the third quarter helped keep the Druidson the ropes going into the final period of play.The Guardians, however, lost their grip on the game early in the fourthquarter, when Ray Sears picked up a fumble near midfield. Sears dished toMalone (who nearly gave the ball back to the Guardians,) but Sears wasthere to recover that fumble as well. On the next play, Emery dropped theball just past the line of scrimmage, but Ranson, who brought the Druidsto the 15 yard-line on second down, recovered it. On third down Searssidearmed a pass up and over the defense to Steve Travis in the comer ofthe end zone for the touchdown, causing Travis to maturely put the balldown and congratulate his teammates on the success they were all a vitalpart of. With the score tied at twelve in the middle of the fourthquarter, Sears gave his team a chance to put the game out of reach with aninterception on the kickoff. George "Manimal" Deans recovered a fumble byEthan Hall just two plays later to save the Guardians from a dangeroussituation. The Guardians were unable to score, but held on to the ballfor the full five plays, advancing it far enough into Druid territory thatMaroon was unable to get into the end zone in the last three plays ofregulation.The Druids scored on the thirteenth play of the drive, and had possessionof the ball on every single one of those plays. After receiving thekickoff, the Druids were held at bay for five plays by the stalwartdefense of Deans and Gilmore, who, to his eternal credit, spent most ofhis day making impressive and important tackles. But on the Guardianfirst down, Whittier recovered a fumble and gained possession for theDruids on the Guardians' 35 yard-line. This brought on the most intensedefensive stand of the year. On first down, Brockett went after Emery attop speed, his hair parted by the wind lil~e the Red Sea to reveal his markof heroism. Emery was able to turn the corner on Brockett, who let loo sea fierce howl I haven't heard the likes of since my time in the ScottishHighlands, where banshees do that sort of thing all the time. THE GADFLY ... ' ....... ' ...... ' ' ' .... ' . ' ' ..... ' .. ' ' ....... ' ' ... . I • It's that time of year again! Every Wednesday 3:30 p.m. the Dean invites the students, tutors and staff to gather around the hearth in the Coffee Shop for refreshments, firegazing and conversation. Coffee Shop 263-2371 or x2179 Wed. 10/24 Thurs. 10/25 Fri. 10/25 Mon. 10/29 Tues. 10/30 Lasagna BBQ Pork Sandwich Chicken Nuggets Chilli Beef Portabello Each Special is accompanied by a small side order and a 20 oz. fountain soda for only $3.29 Emery gotto the 15 yard-line before being taken down by Gilmore. Gilmore came upbig on the next play with a tackle at the line of scrimmage onSears. Unable to make any progress in the next two plays> the Druids wentfor a field goal on fifth down. The Guardians stood, hands upraisedinprayer and feeble attempts to block the kick, and heaved a sigh of reliefwhen the attempt fell far short of the uprights.It is here that the story takes the cruelest of turns. On their firstplay, Gilmore's pass back to Polk was intercepted by Emery, who had endedthe game before most Guardians even lmewwhat had happened. The finalscore was 18-12, and brought both teams' records to 5-2. Interestinglyenough, both teams play the 3-3 Hustlers in their final games of theseason, who can still force a three-way tie for first if they win theirfinal two games. Look for more hot football action in the weeksahead. SportsWire...dare to dream, play to win! Erik Thompson =Scoring Machine In the Spartans' 6-0 win over the Druids last Sunday Erik Thompsonproved that he is a scoring machine. Fueled by high-end beer and strangeGermanic breads this dynamic midfielder refuses to score more, or less, than one goal per game. He is like some kind of space-age robot with apre-set scoring limit: 1. In this game, which propelled the Spartans to60, Thompson took a pass from Bryson Finklea and nestled a shot from the18 just under the crossbar, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead. After somecursing by Jack Dobbyn Mike Maguire was able to head a ball to Bryson whoshot past Druid goalkeeper Mike Malone for the Spartans' second goal. Atthis point I would like to reiterate a conversation held on field between Mr. Malone and Mr. Pickens. Mr. Pickens said, after Mike ran into the postmaking a save, "Mr. Malone, are you having fun?" Mr. Malone replied, "Yes,Mr. Pickens." But here's the thing, see Mike said it in this sort ofobligatory, monotonous way, thus rendering it funny. Among those wholaughed were, myself, Mr. Pickens, BaronMedenwald, Le Gark and others. Onthe whole I rate the joke at 84% my highest rating since Peter Speer'sjoke about the Lillehammer Olympics, 87%. Later in the game Bryson scored the third goal on an assist from Ward "Ragin' Cajun" Kashiwa. Dan Harmon then put home a chip pass from me,and then Mike Maguire stuck out his foot and let Harmon's pass bounce offof it and into the goal. The scoring was capped by an accidental own goalby the Druids which was really a fluke and in no way attributable to NealTurnquist. Also happening at this game was a jovial scenario in which SteveTravis just could not get that soccer ball up the hill. He threw it, hepunted it, he harnessed it to a dog sled pulled by squirrels and finallycarried it. But that crazy ball just would not get up that hill. Dude, itwas totally rad, for sure. George Deans & Seth Hepner, Better than Pippen&Jordan? Yes. They are better than Pippen and J ordan. Deans' ball handlingskills and ability to pass ibnto the post are more than a match for Jordanwhile Seth Hepner' s offensive rebounding and soft hands would eat Pippenup. George Deans grew up in Maine and hated every minute of it. Hehated the Moxie, he hated Mike Bordick and he sure hated lobster. Eversince he was a little tyke, the only son of rich, autocratic parents, helmew that his only ticket out of the Elm Tree State wasroundball. Dominating the class 3-A division while playing for the MountArreat Gunnin' Gorillas in high school. His 37 point, 22 rebound, 19assist, 21 blocked shot, 213 steal performance in the 1997 Maine statechampionship game caught the attention of one Mike Sheshevsky coach of theDuke Blue Devils. Deans was offered a full ride but had it taken away as aresult of handgun charges in the state of Nevada. So, he went toSt. John's. Seth Hepner grew up as one of 17 children born to a country musicmogul who had little time for his children. For companionship Hepnertumed to the mean streets of his hometown New Orleans where he honed hisbasketball skills in "pick up games" at local parks. It quickly becameapparent that the 7'9" Hepner was not just another center. He was soughtout by high school coach John Evans and placed on the team where he set aschool record for points in a quarter with 54 and 3point shooting at a79% clip. After high school he went straight to the pros. Then he left thepros and came here. Anyway, George assisted a goal by Hepner in this Sunday's Guardianvictory over the Greenwaves. The Guardians won 6-0 on the strength of twounassisted goals by Scottie Dunbar, two goals by Conboy, assisted by Drew"franticnonchalance" O'Neill, andBen Speakmon, and an own goal. Hey, do you guys remember Kevin Maas? Jerome Walton? GraigNettles? . 15 THE GADFLY'.:' .. '. �THE GADFLY St.John's College P.O.Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 ot s By Mr. Leo Pickens Athletic Director "Running,for me, is a kind ofmonastery-a retreat, aplace to commune with Godandmyself, aplaceforpsychologi,cal and spiritual renewal." from George Sheehan 's Running to Win This past Friday's women's soccer game was a close and exciting match pitting the Ends (seniors and frosh) versus the means (sophs and juniors). It was fun to see Misses Gregory and Owen having to square off against each other for a change, instead of combining, as usual, to wreak havoc on their opponents. Two women who played particularly well were Miss U memo to, who, if I'm not mistaken, scored her first goal of her career, and Miss Gwaltney, who played some really tough dee. For their great play, this twosome shares Athlete of the Week honors for the women. Hubris award of the week goes to Druids Mr. Dobbyn. I mean, gee, if you have Mr. Emery on your team, aren't you gonna accept your place in the cosmos and allow him to take the game deciding field goal? Mr. Dobbyn decided to take the shot for all the glory in the tense and exciting football game between the Druids and the Guardians last week, which came down to the sudden death overtime field goal in question. The unlucky (overweening?) Mr. Dobbyn shanked the potential game winning field goal, and Mr. Emery, not to be denied his true portion of honor, won the game on an interception and quick dash into the end zone. And I thought last year's Hustler soccer team was awesome ... what about this year's Spartan squad? The deepness of this team's depth is quite simply very profound. And now that Mr. Harmon has decided to come out, the number of offensive weapons the Spartans can throw at an opponent is staggering. For his great display of soccer skills this past weekend in the Spartans mauling of the Druids, Mr. Harmon is named Athlete of the Week for the men. For more on Mr. Harmon, see below. You Ma the Call Last week's puzzler was answered correctly by the Druids' Mr. Whittier. During a soccer kick off, there is no limit to the number of players the kicking team may have in the circle. Now for this week's question: The Druid goalie, Mr. Malone, has pinned the ball with his ring finger to the ground within his own penalty area, and the Spartans Mr. Harmon kicks the ball into the goal. Legal goal? First one to me with the right call goes to Pizza Express on me. L C~fWlE H~f CLRSSIC SHl5IBIUT't1 OF A i9Sll'S 5[!HlCH; ICT1Dlil R080T THE O''l'Fll1R:':d( R 1'3llJ,.5 STREET Plflifl. I 'IJE LOT A BRRf:O·flEl.lt � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 16 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 10 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-23 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 10 of The Gadfly. Published October 23, 2001. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #10 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/98959dd7dd5484ac830b7380febb0ba3.pdf ddd54dc9a1ebc73e567d43ad9432b9ed PDF Text Text Annapolis, Maryland Mqy 7, 2002 The St. John's College Student Weelefy Volume XXIII, Issue 26 j hnnie of th r �Gadfly's Farewell THE 'lrGADFLY :.WUI-:.WU:l Editors-in-Chief Hayden Brockett A. Wendell Stout N G. August Deimel Production Managers Martin Anderson Melissa Thomas Production Assistants Katie O'Neill Erwin Romero Jeff Armel Sarah Consbruck Section Editors Jon Cooper Elizabeth Laughlin Michael Malone Laura Mangum Anderson Tallent Print Shop Manager Chris Colby Administration Consultant Andrew Ranson Contributors this Year Maya.Alapin Tracy Cain Cooper Gallimore Nick Garklavs Katherine Nehring Laura Stmche Aaron Collier James Crotty Kelly McCollum Summer Starr George Monroy Kristin Warner .Mr. Christopher Nelson Rhonda Franklin Nate Eagle Sir Robert Burbridge Justin Naylor Kelly O'Donnell Mike Maguire DanMalkiel Aaron McLean Cecily Martin G. Ian Morochnik Rachel Seay Ms.EvaBmnn 2 Andrew Hunt Bobby Ramsey Isaac Smith Joshua P. Suich Michael Bridge M3!J Townsend Robm Dunn oseph Method ohanna Thrall saac Weiner Nicholas Whittier Kristi Meador Ms. Roberta Gable Erin Krasniewicz Rick Martell .Mr. Michael Grenke Jason Hinojosa .Mr. Daniel Harrell Andrew Hui Robert Abbott Mary Ruffin Lauren Shofer Megan Maxwell-Smith Michael Moore Josh Blistein Dan Wrestler Jon Braithwaite .Mr. Leo Pickens t Dear Polity, Well, the Gadfly survived. Somehow we managed to keep this sucker in print all year. That may not sound like much of an accomplishment. Maybe it's not. But we have gone through three editors, a budget crunch, arguments with people we should not have argued with, and the virtual collapse (through no fault of its own) of the Print Shop's ability to print this thing. All things considered, I think we did pretty well to put out 25 issues. Luck has been good to the Gadfly. What I have been struck by most in the semester that I have edited the 'Fly is just how many people it takes to put out a publication like this. Every week, upwards of a dozen people are involved in the production of this thing in one capacity or another. It is a long and often annoying process to put out even a small issue like this one. This past week I looked back at all the issues we published this year, and I couldn't believe how many different people had contributed material. You all deserve to be recognized for your work one last time. As you might have noticed, the masthead this week includes a list of everyone who contributed material to the paper this year. Take a look through the list. It includes members ofevery class, from febbies to seniors. It includes tutors and staffmembers. There are members ofnearlyeverysocialgroup and every organization on campus. The key to this paper is thatitis a chance forthe community to come together and have a dialogue that reaches everyone from prospective students to the members ofthe Board ofVtsitors and Governors. We are a unique community and I can only hope thatin the future the Gadfly can continue as an outlet for our peculiar brand ofdiscussion and creativity. Thisisyourpaper. Pleasedon'tforgetthat The Gadfly cannot make any claims to greatness, but if we could make any claims to adequacy this yearitis because we had a remarkable number of people sharing their time and their tremendous talentwith us. Itiscriticaltothesurvivalof theGadflythatthat trend continues. Of all the people on that list of names two deserve special mention Martin Anderson and Melissa Thomas have had one ofthe most thankless jobs on this campus for far too long now. Every Sunday night they come together with other members of the editorial staff at eight in the evening and lay out the entire Gadfly. They . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . have done this for three semesters under four editors. Although they have wanted to quit for months, they have stuck with it out of loyalty and some bizarre sense of duty that, frankly, I don't really understand. One of our section editors has told them repeatedly that they are the "heart and soul" of this publication. Both would deny it. They would say that they just come, do their job as quickly as possible and complain loudly. They're far too modest. Without Melissa's organization, the Gadfly would have fallen apart numerous times under my watch. Martin's skill in Photoshop provided some of the funniest and most clever images this publication has ever seen. Both of them do a fabulous job of laying out the paper. I will miss working with them. I have been delighted to call them colleagues and proud to call them friends. This is the last piece I will write for the Gadfly. Next year, I am transferring (enablement pending, of course) to Santa Fe. I did not seek to be the editor of this paper. I am not fond of being a public figure, and I was terrified for a longtime that the Gadflywould fall apart When I took over, I promised you in a letter that I would keep the Gadfly in print and seek out those rare articles that spark interest and debate. After four months, I think I almost got the hang of it. I can't believe I'm actually writing this, but I sort ofwish that I could keep editing this thing. And now I'm leaving. Funny how life works. Sincerely, G. August Deimel, Editor-in-Chief Announcement The editors in the fall will be Laura Mangum and Cooper Gallimore. Go easy on them. It's a tough spot to be in. By the Numbers Gadfly 2007-2002 3 - Editors-in Chief 20-Comics 25-Issues 40-50- Pizzas consumed by Gatff!y staff 69-Names on today's Masthead 71-Letters 107-Ads 215-Articles 218-Pictures 304-Pages Gadfly Mailbox Against the Anti-Homosexual Protest Dear Gadfly, A group of bigots converged upon my small town of Annapolis Monday. The quaint, generally tolerant atmosphere in which I live was shaken by the confused homophobes. Claiming Christianity as a platform, these hatemonger deserve more than my hate. I must show them the love they withhold from "fags." They do not understand the whole motive of the Father and Son whom they claim to follow. God sent his Son out of a love for mankind; Christ sacrificed himself out of a love just as strong. Love, not hate, was and continues to be the objective of Christ. Hate, hate of homosexuals, all hate, is the enemy of the God whom the "Christians" claim to honor. Christ is Love; love exists as one with God. Man created and perpetuates hate. Hate is a creation, an abomination, of man. Gad cannot hate. "God hates fags," or so they claim. God is love; he does not possess the ability to hate. "Matthew Shepard burns in Hell!" How can a group who has no idea to the status of a man's heart possibly pass judgment on him? Man is not given the right to judge one another in this way. Further, the selective reading of the Bible and practical ignorance of the message of Christ simply compounds the group's hatred. How is it possible for a group to render judgment on the souls of a whole group of people? How can they believe themselves to hold the divine right of judgment? The only thing for sure is that on Monday, May 26, God looked upon Annapolis and shed a tear for those professing a message of hate in his name. I too cried for those protesters. As hard as it is, I must cry and pray for . them. No one can honor the love of God without praying out hatred like we saw. ,Prayer exists as the sole method to stop and counteract their hate. Without this, they will ~ ti.ever be ceased from spreading their mes- COVER STORY Hui! Film Society Archon is First Johnnie of the Year By G. August Deimel '04 This year we begin a new tradition at the Gadfly, which we hope will last for some time to come. Surely all of you know about Time magazine's Person of the Year. For decades Time has declared the man or woman who has had the greatest impact on the world, for good or for ill, the person of the year. Their selections have run from U.S. Presidents, to AIDS researchers to Adolf Hitler and the computer (the only Machine of the Year). Originally, Time created the "honor" for Charles Lindberg, who it had snubbed several months before. That it became a tradition was almost an accident. Here at the Gadfly, we too would probably not have named a 'Johnnie of the Year" had their not been someone who was so obviously a candidate for the title. This year's honoree distinguished himself early in the year. He was a "household name," if there is such a thing on this campus, in the first few weeks of school and was no less prominent for the entire year. Although other candidates were considered, we have decided to go with our original instinct. After much deliberation the Gadfly has named Andrew Hui the first ever "Johnnie of the Year." Why Mr. Hui? One of the most prominent organizations this year has been the St. John's Film Society. Its posters are ubiquitous. Nearly every student has attended at least one of its movies. Although the freshmen won't remember this, most of us know that the film society has struggled for some time now. As Mr. Hui puts it, the organization was "in shambles" when he took over. Few people attended the films last year. They were obscure and poorly publicized. Mr. Hui turned the organization around. He went to the Dean to ask for the seed money to get the club off the ground. Money in hand, he publicized the first film extensively. Quickly, he became the public face of the club. Whether it was putting up well-designed, attractive posters or standing up at dinner to announce the next movie, Mr. Hui seemed willing to do anything necessary to bring people to Film Society events. Kicking off the year with a fabulously successful showing of The Third Man, Mr. Hui built on that success. People continued to turn out for the subsequent films. Numerous season tickets were sold. The films were review and debated in the Gadfly, and the DC fell over itself to give Mr. Hui all the money he needed. Eventually events were organized around the films that attracted people as well. Mrs. Seeger led a sing-along before one film. Another film was followed by a party involving 1000 pieces of sushi, and still another was followed by a seminar led by Ms. Brann. The Film Society's success is a model for other clubs at this school to work off of. Publicity and a sense that the club's events will b~ fun bring people to the film society. Mr. Hui found out, much as Nick Whittier did in his revitalization of the pool room, that there is money available for worthy projects if one simply looks for it. Perhaps most importantly, the Film Society will continue as a presence at St. John's because Mr. Hui has groomed a successor, Nick Garklavs, who is now fully capable of taking over next year. Perhaps most remarkable in the selection of the Johnnie of the Year this year is how many people could be considered for the title. As mentioned a moment ago, Mr. Whittier's improvements to the pool room are in many ways no less remarkable than Mr. Hui's achievement. Robert Abbott's leadership of the DC, including his recent actions related to th_e fining of students (including Mr. Hui) made him worthy of consideration for this honor. Aaron McLean's outspoken opinions on quiet students and the Polity Court defined much of this year's public debate. And Laura Strache quietly led the SCI through a successful year and lent her good sense to nearly every issue that arose in the student body. As a community, we should be proud of the remarkable year we have had. From a sense of solidarity after September 11th, to the active organizations and clubs we have been so fortunate to see, we can only hope that next year will be so successful. Sincerely, Eli Arnold, '05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 3 �Soph mor usic Tut Achieves More Than I Could Possibly Have Expected By Laura Strache, '02 When I thought about what I hoped to achieve as a recipient of a St. John's liberal education, I imagined seeing a life of a book that could only occur when being thoughtfully discussed. Although I now shudder to think of re-reading my application essay, I'm reminded of some of those thoughts. Over the last few months, I've been asked to 'sum up' my years at St. John's. What comes to mind is something I couldn't have expected at the time. 1bis article is not the answer to that question posed to me: what has St.John's meant to you? Rather, it is an attempt to bring many thoughts together. In part, I'm responding to conversations I've had with Justin Naylor and to his article in the 4 / 9 Gadfly. It is a sort of spontaneous outpouring of my many thoughts on the role of the music tutorial, but more broadly on the role of tutorials in general. Part of me wishes I would have given myself more time and energy to double-check this article and make sure it's what I really mean to say. But to tell you the truth, I don't have the energy at the moment. It's a really difficult thing to leave this place; and that struggle makes it hard to focus on saying goodbye in just right the way. So, I'll settle for what I can do. But, if by any chance the school does decide to institute a fifith year, I'll be the first in line. And not because I feel sophomore lab was shorted, nor because I want to take part in a Plato tutorial; but just because these four years have been so intense and so meaningful, it's difficult to imagine doing something else. But I know I will .. .I will go on to find my place in the world with a new freedom. I imagined that my experience of the living conversation, the special sort of a life of a book, would first occur in seminar. Although I really looked forward to my study of music at St. John's, I never expected that it would be music that first served to liberate me. The first time that I sat in the Great Hall and sang with all of my classmates, I felt a sort of liberating vitality. I often recall our freshman chorus director, Mr. Kalkavage, calling out "sing loud and hit wrong notes". Singing the perfect cadence in that hall, I felt transported to a different time and a different place. I realized that together we could all take part in something that was not available to us alone. I didn't quite understand at the time what the technical explanation was but I knew that it wasn't just a 'touchy-feely' sort of reac- 4 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . tion. There was something real in it that could be accounted for, and I looked forward to discussing this in sophomore music. In fact, it was something I had looked forward to for quite a while. Prior to coming to St. John's, I played in an experimental punk-rock/ machine band called the Motor Morons. The group had formed in 1979 as an effort to liberate themselves from the rules and forms of popular music and find music in things deemed unmusical (weed whackers, chainsaws, etc.) I had the pleasure of joining them in 199 5 and have played off -and-on with them since. I loved music and I loved my experience in the band but was always hesitant to give any sort of account of it to anybody who claimed to be a musician. The sophomore music tutorial helped me realize that I could trust my instincts with regard to music, and even more importantly, I could extend that sort of trust to other studies. "Singing loud and hittingwrongnotes" became a paradigm for my approach to many of my studies. Don't get me wrong: I'm not suggesting that everyone should just go out there singing without having first listened and prepared. What was important to me was the recognition that learning is not about holding back. It's not about worrying that what you'll say is wrong. How can you know if you're 'wrong' if you don't try? Sure, you could just accept what other people say is 'right' and avoid saying things that are contrary to that. But that's a very restrictive sort of approach to the world - one that prevents learning. I've been lucky, I've been allowed to repeat the music tutorial twice now as a music assistant. As a music assistant, I've often found myself giving advice t.hatwasn't especiallypa._rtio.tlar to music, but that revealed how music is a liberal art. When asked how to analyze a piece of music, I advise people to listen carefully and trust themselves. Rather than attempting to analyze every potential chord in the score, I suggest listening. Listen to the piece one time through without following the score; go back and listen again while following the score and circle all the places where you feel something. More than nine out of ten times that's a place where we have tools from the tutorial that can help us give an account for it. After my experience with music at St. John's, I can now say with all confidence that being in the Motor Morons truly was musical. When we agreed that I would go up and the other singer would go down following the "annh" moment, there was a logos to it. When the piece ended with a joke that made the whole audience think the song was over, but it wasn't, there was a reason for this too. I learned how to be a musical person without being bound by musical dogma. Before coming to St. John's, I described those moments as "annh" or an urge to move my body forward or to lean. Now I can replace those inarticulate forms of communication with terms such as the "tritone", a "cadence" or an "appoggiatura". Should every student be able to identify these points (and all other significant intervals, and forms of music) in every piece of music? Perhaps in an ideal world (the same world where the four-yearprogram becomes five-years, six-years, etc.) To tell you the truth, upon listening to a work of music, I can't distinguish between Baroque, Classical or Romantic. But I could tell you what forms they were relying on most heavily, what sort of motifs appear, what sort of rules seem to govern the composition. Similarly, I couldn't tell you right off the bat whether certain authors are classified as Enlightenment or Renaissance. But I could tell you what their main arguments were and what their biases are. And I feel liberated as a result. I don't have to worry about whether my answer is 'wrong', whether I don't know how to classify these authors. Instead I can 'sing' out and tell you what they're point is. In the St. John's tutorials, I've learned to trust myself to try, and try again, until I feel that I've begun to understand the work we're closely studying. This has happened in all my tutorials, and I think that the dissatisfaction Mr. Naylor speaks of is not unique to the music tutorial. I found myself similarly disappointed in the math tutori.91 when I re'lhzed that people had barely read a demonstration nor thought about its implications. But I learned to stop and think about many of the things that I'd taken for granted as a lover of math. Both of these subjects (math and music) can be incredibly intimidating to students. Whatever we can do to share our love with those who are of scared of the subject can only help them in realizing that they can be liberated through this education. Does that mean demanding that everyone should be able to distinguish intervals aurally or that they should be able to simplify a complex algebraic equation? The more you make those sorts of demands the more you encourage them to think that they shouldn't 'sing wrong notes', and l would hate to see that happen at this school. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 4 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brockett, Hayden (Editor in Chief) Stout, IV, A. Wendel (Editor in Chief) Deimel, G. August (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol XXIII Issue 26 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-05-7 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIII, Issue 26 of The Gadfly. Published May 07, 2002. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 23 #26 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/a1cc21e9d84f33a81d2c5e4a5d933177.mp3 35900ec8a1f75c6d062c2b453fea6a09 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. John's College Lecture Recordings—Santa Fe Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Meem Library Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Fe, NM Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data m4a Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 01:26:51 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource “‘Justice,’ or ‘Just’ Speech?: How Philosophy Conceives its Limit, from Plato through Kant, Hegel, and Arendt Description An account of the resource Audio recording of a lecture given by Claudia Brodsky on April 28, 2023 as part of the Dean's Lecture & Concert Series. The Dean's Office has provided this description of the event: "The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that, of all the abstract ideas that actively orient, ground (or upend) the practical lives and histories of human beings, the inherently relational notion of “justice” is perhaps the most difficult to define. “Justice” names a relation of equivalence between two otherwise unrelated actions or things. Necessarily comparing -- “weighing” or “taking the measure” – of one “side” of a relation it has itself to invent, the identity of “justice” remains two-sided or equivocal in more than one literal sense. As first demonstrated in Plato’s Republic, any attempt to define the identity of “justice” – most important of all “Ideas” according to the inventor of these, and with them, philosophy itself -- must engage not only separate identities but distinct semantic fields: the ideational or theoretical and the concrete or practical. The thesis of this paper is that, in posing the question of the definition of “justice,” Socrates not only opens up the semantic division within language between the abstract and the concrete, but transforms a dialectical dialogue that might have instead come to be entitled Δικαίoσύνη into the hypothetical account of a mechanically synched (or “ad-justed”) state. There will also be brief related discussions of Kant, Schiller, Hegel, Arendt and J. L. Austin." Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brodsky, Claudia, 1955- Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Fe, NM Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-04-28 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Meem Library has been given permission to make this item available online. Type The nature or genre of the resource sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Subject The topic of the resource Justice Plato. Republic Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SF_BrodskyC_Justice_Or_Just_Speech_2023-04-28 Friday night lecture Worrell lecture https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/a1a0d6791f0a66dd211473862ef59adf.pdf 24d9b5455bad0c8b120efa421480cab0 PDF Text Text Michael J. Brogan November 22, 2013 Dwelling in the Land of the Confessions It's surprising that a lover of wisdom should lavish as much attention on the particulars of his own life as Augustine does in the Confessions. While any number of philosophers before him had sought to live by the maxim inscribed in Apollo's temple at Delphi-yvm8t crcaU1:6v, know thyself-none known to me had taken this as a directive to reflect on the contingencies of his own biography, let alone publish his thoughts on such intimate matters as a vexed relationship with his mother, a childish loathing of school, a troubled sexual history, or an enduring tendency to overindulge at the dinner table. In the Phaedo, Plato does have Socrates recount how he lost his youthful enthusiasm for the study of nature (96a-1 OOa), but in their exclusive attention to the evolution of his philosophical orientation, these autobiographical remarks hardly compare with the astonishingly inclusive narrative of a sinner's wandering path to God that Augustine gives us in the Confessions. Socrates, his account of his "second sailing" notwithstanding, lives out the Delphic command not by brooding over his individual history or unique identity but by enlisting dialogue partners in a collaborative search for the truth of those experiences potentially shared by us all in virtue of our common humanity. To oversimplify a bit, he's interested not so much in who he is as in what he is, not in this individual man called Socrates but in what it means to be a human being in general. Even more pronounced is the contrast between Augustine and Plotinus, the thinker who perhaps exercised a greater influence on him than any other pagan writer. The Neoplatonist's disregard for merely individual selfhood is memorably captured in the testimony of his disciple Porphyry, who writes that "Plotinus, the philosopher our contemporary, seemed ashamed of being in the body. So deeply rooted was this feeling that he could never be induced to tell of his ancestry, his parentage, or 1 �his birthplace."1 No mere quirk of temperament, this reticence is governed by Plotinus's overriding ambition to identify completely with the incorporeal intellect in its capacity for timeless contemplation of the divine One. It's this aspiration that motivates his refusal to share even the bare facts surrounding his origins as an embodied self. For all that he owes to the self-effacing Platonic sage, however, Augustine himself has no qualms about directing his gaze and ours to the particular circumstances and events of his unique, unrepeatable, and still-unfolding life. Quite to the contrary, he writes in the confident hope, reiterated at several key points in the Cotifessions, that by reflecting on that life, seeking out the narrative threads that bind it into a unity, he and his readers might be drawn ever closer to the eternal, divine truth. But how does a lover of wisdom--one, moreover, as indebted to Neoplatonism as Augustine acknowledges himself to be-arrive at a hope like this one? How is it that he comes to see his embodied, time-bound existence as no mere image to be forgotten as quickly as possible in the ascent to its divine original but as something worthy of the most serious and sustained attention? Now, one approach to the question immediately comes to mind. As an orthodox Christian believer, the author of the Confessions fully accepts the doctrine of the Word made flesh. God himself, on this account, took on all the characteristic features of human finitude: he was born of a particular woman at a particular time and place, spoke a particular language, practiced a particular religion, lived in relationship to particular human others-we could extend forever this list of "accidents" that individuate the incarnate beings that we ourselves are and that Christians believe God in Jesus became. While some of these properties and relationships are undoubtedly less important than others, who are we to scorn the whole lot of them if God himself has deigned to take them on? Who are we to be "ashamed of being in the body" if the Creator of all things, of corporeal substances no less than of the spiritual, saw nothing shameful in becoming incarnate? If the humanity of Jesus Christ, indeed his very flesh and blood, is indispensable to our salvation, shouldn't we at least have second thoughts about 2 �renouncing our own humanity, or attempting to locate it exclusively in a disembodied intellect that manages to shed the burdens of finitude? But of course these are very big "ifs"- too big, I think, for a community like ours whose conversation appeals to no higher authority than natural reason. While Augustine believes he can find in the writings of the Neoplatonists themselves the doctrine of the Word that was with God and that was God, not even he claims to apprehend the incarnation of that Word on any basis other than faith. My ambition tonight is to see how far we can go toward making sense of the intensely personal approach of the Confessions without appealing to postulates drawn from sacred doctrine. While I suspect that Augustine's unprecedented way of applying the Delphic maxim becomes fully intelligible only against the background of his specifically Christian commitments, we might nevertheless begin to understand the peculiar strategy he employs in the Confessions by considering the deficiencies that come to light there of a philosophy conducted in a wholly impersonal key. However dazzling a glimpse it may afford of the eternal truth, Neoplatonic introspection, we shall see, fails to open out onto what Augustine calls "the way that leads not only to beholding our blessed fatherland but also to dwelling therein" (7.20.26). 2 PART I Before examining their limitations, however, I want to begin by briefly considering why the "books of the Platonists" (7.9.13 ) were attractive to Augustine in the first place. His study of them comes directly on the heels of his disillusionment with the Manicheism he had been espousing for the better part of a decade. Disheartened by the moral and intellectual bankruptcy he has found even among the elite members of that sect, he has also come to reject their sharply dualistic vision of good and evil as coeternal principles locked in cosmic combat. Such a view, he concludes, is irreconcilable with his dawning certainty that God must be beyond all change, corruption, or violation. Nothing can harm a divinity worthy of the name, and this means that God could have no compelling reason to engage in 3 �battle with eternal forces of darkness. In fact, such forces are no more than the figments of an overheated mythic imagination: for together with being immutable, God is by nature infinite; it makes no sense, therefore, to posit a reality that would constrain in any way his power to implement his perfectly good will. With his Manichean convictions thus in tatters, Augustine finds himself not so much freed as unmoored, drifting toward a radical skepticism that, for all its philosophical plausibility, can't possibly quiet the clamor of his restless heart. It is in this state that he becomes newly open to the possibility of reconciling with the Catholic Christianity in which his mother attempted to raise him, an orthodox faith which, largely due to Bishop Ambrose's brilliant preaching on the allegorical sense of the Old Testament, he has ceased to disdain as the bastion of simple-minded literalism. He realizes, for example, that our being in God's image need not entail that he be confmed to a body like ours, as the Manichees had mocked the Catholics for allegedly believing. At this stage, however, Augustine finds he can do no better than replace such anthropomorphism with a less crude but no less materialist notion of God, now imagined as a subtle body extended throughout infinite space, permeating and exceeding a created world conceived on the analogy of a sponge submerged in a vast sea (7.5.7). To think in this way, he realizes, commits him to the absurd view that an elephant, for example, must contain more of the divine presence than a sparrow, yet he remains frustratingly unable to understand God or anything else in nonmaterial terms. He writes: ''Whatever was not extended over, or diffused throughout, or compacted into, or projected up to definite measures of space, or did not or could not receive something of this kind, I thought to be completely non-existent" (7.1. 2). It's this crucial error that the books of the Platonists enable him to overcome, not simply by introducing him to an impressive theory of incorporeal being but by showing him a path leading to nothing less than a direct experience of the purely spiritual, first within his own soul and ultimately in the divine beingjtself. Taught to shun the external and direct his gaze inward, he eventually catches sight of what he calls the "unchangeable light" above the mind. After ascending beyond bodies and the power 4 �to perceive them and onto the soul's rational faculty of judgment, he says that in realizing its own mutability, this reasoning power raised itself up to its own understanding. It removed its thought from the tyranny of habit, and withdrew itself from the throngs of contradictory phantasms. In this way it might find that light by which it was sprinkled, when it cried out, that beyond all doubt the immutable must be preferred to the mutable. Hence it might come to know this immutable being, for unless it could know it in some way, it could no wise have set it with certainty above the mutable. Thus in a flash of its trembling sight it came to that which is. Then indeed I clearly saw your "invisible things, understood by the things which are made. " (7.17. 23) Many of you will no doubt recognize the final sentence here as a citation of Paul's Letter to the Romans (1: 20). By quoting Scripture, however, Augustine does not mean to imply any essential difference between the experience he is recounting and the one described by Plotinus and his disciples. As in the writings of those philosophers, the inward turn of Confessions 7 corresponds to a movement away from absorbed attention to the particularities of the material world and toward the timeless, intellectual contemplation of the "unchangeable light" at the source of all finite things. That eternal light is one and the same for Plotinus as for Paul, for Augustine as for you or me. If our highest good is indeed to gaze upon it, it's understandable that a thinker like Plotinus would regard attending to those things that differentiate us individuals, the temporal accidents of birth and biography, as at best a distraction from our true calling. In the famous treatise known as "On Beauty," Plotinus insists that what we ought to be doing is chipping away like sculptors at everything exterior to the eternal light within us. "Do you see yourself, abiding within yourself, in pure solitude?" he asks. Does nothing now remain to shatter that interior unity, nor anything external cling to your authentic self? Are you entirely that sole true light which is not contained by space, not confmed to any circumscribed form . . . ? Do you see yourself in this state? Then you have become vision itself. Be of good heart. Remaining here you have ascended aloft. You need a guide no longer. Strain and see. 3 But what if "straining" isn't enough? What if "remaining here" proves too difficult? For all the serene confidence that marks Plotinus's writings, even he and his disciples sometimes seem to acknowledge the impossibility of simply willing the soul to arrive at and persist in its transcendent 5 �vision. Porphyry, for instance, claims to have had the experience just once, in his sixty-eighth year,4 and while Plotinus says that for comes "suddenly" him "it has happened often,''5 he also characterizes it as something that (exaiphnes)6 upon a soul that is all too quickly sent back down into the comparative dullness of mere discursive reason.7 Now, I suppose it's possible (though personally I doubt it) that if Augustine had experienced nothing worse than this inevitable slide from nous to dianoia, from pure contemplating to the difficult labor of thinking things through, and if, moreover, he had found some way to reconcile the suddenness of the introspective vision with Plotinus's confidence in the sufficiency of effort ("straining'') to bring it about, he just might have remained content with what the books of the Platonists were able teach him . But as he recounts in such compelling detail in the Confessions, his rapturous and reassuring vision of the unchangeable light is followed almost immediately by a plunge back into currents of temptation that prove to be just as irresistible as they had been before. No transformation of his life ensues, no conversion or reorientation of his misbegotten aims and ambitions follows upon the ecstatic experience that liberates his mind. "I was borne up to you by your beauty," he confesses, "but soon I was borne down from you by my own weight, and with groaning, I plunged into the midst of lower things" (7.17.23). In other words, the tyranny of habit reasserts itself immediately, and he succumbs to old patterns of feeling and acting despite seeing them more clearly than ever as obstacles in the way of his deepest desire. The good he approves unreservedly in his mind he fails to pursue with an undivided heart; unable to do what he wants, he does the very things he hates. How depressing! Wouldn't we like to think that even a pale approximation of a 'vision like the one Augustine reports would have a profound effect on the way we live our lives? Wouldn't it be easy to love the truth and to do it if we were only certain what the truth was? But this is just the sort of comforting illusion that Augustine indulged in until his ecstatic vision deprived him of what he calls "that former excuse, in which I used to look upon myself as unable to despise the world and to serve you because knowledge of the truth was still uncertain to me" 6 (8.5.11). Now, approaching thirty years �of age, he has attained the certainty he's long been seeking, and yet he discovers that he is just as enthralled to his old, enervating habits as he ever was. Able to see the truth, he still cannot draw near enough to bask in its radiance. If we are at all persuaded of the authenticity of his testimony-influenced, perhaps, by an uncomfortable awareness of our own failures to translate insight into action, to do the truth we knowwe have reason to wonder whether any mere vision, however dazzling, can set us on the sure path to the good. Understanding alone is perhaps not enough to overturn long-settled habits of self-indulgence, indolence, and despair, no matter how irrefutable the evidence becomes that these are precisely what keeps us from the happiness we seek. To use one of Augustine's favorite images, it's as if we can become enchained to ways of life we know to be toxic to our souls. He writes: For in truth lust is made out of a perverse will and when lust is served, it becomes habit, and when habit is not resisted, it becomes necessity. By such links, joined one to another, as it were-for this reason I have called it a chain-a harsh bondage held me fast. A new will, which had begun within me, to wish freely to worship you and find joy in you, 0 God, the sole sure delight, was not yet able to overcome that prior will grown strong with age. (8. 5. 10) , , Now, we call "habits" those dispositions to feeling and action that come to be in us as a result of repetition. What we do habitually we do not because nature compels us or reason convinces us but simply because we have done likewise in similar situations time and again in the past. Here's a trivial example. I'm in the habit of drinking a cup of coffee first thing every morning. I don't remember making a deliberate choice to start doing this, butif ever I did, it must have been a long time ago: at this point in my life, it's only a slight exaggeration to say that deliberate choice of any kind becomes possible for me only after I've had that first cup. I suppose if I were to summon my inner resources I could manage to break a chain now thousands of links long by choosing to have tea tomorrow instead. After all, it's not my nature that determines me to drink coffee, as it is, say, the stone's nature that causes it to fall or the fire's that makes it rise, but merely my long-settled habit-a practice become second nature, so to speak. 7 �But might there be situations in which this is a distinction without any practical difference, occasions when second nature constrains no less than first and habit takes on the character of compulsion? For Augustine there were, and we need not have suffered from any of the conventionally recognized "addictions," I think, to identify with his experience of habit as an iron chain holding him back from goods he has to come to perceive with incontestable clarity. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle observes that, unlike those powers that are in us by nature (e.g., sense perception), the potencies for which precede our exercise of them, the virtues of character are like physical or technical abilities in that they come to be in us only after we have been engaged in the activities associated with them (1103a25f.) We become capable of courage, for example, only by repeatedly doing courageous things, meaning those things the already courageous person does, just as we become harpists by repeatedly practicing the harp under the tutelage of an accomplished player. As we grow more accustomed to being at work in them, these activities become easier for us, more pleasant, we could even say, more "natural" to us. Unfortunately, though, this is at least as true, and probably more so, of bad actions as it is of good: as Augustine knew all too well, a past defined by repeated indulgence in any kind of excess or deficiency can make a future characterized by strength of will or self-control, let alone full-fledged virtue, appear entirely out of reach. How I conduct myself today seems largely determined by what I did yesterday, even when the memory of this recent past fills me with shame and regret over having acted otherwise than I knew I should. I want to turn now to Augustine's analysis of time to see what light it might shed on this indebtedness or even enslavement of the present to the past, and also on the shape that a rehabilitated future might ultimately take. My hope is that doing this will bring us a step closer to our goal of understanding the significance of Augustine's autobiographical turn in the Confessions. 8 �PART II Though it would take all night (at least) to do justice to his fascinating and intricate meditation, the basic paradox of time Augustine identifies in Book 11 can be expressed in a few words. It seems, he observes, that the present is the only time that actually exists, since whatever the future is, it is not yet, and the past is no longer. Upon scrutiny, however, the present itself turns out to look like nothing more than an extension-less boundary between those two nonentities, the past and the future. "It flies with such speed from the future into the past," Augustine says, "that it cannot be extended by even a trifling amount" (11.15.20). Hemmed in as it is on both sides by nonbeing, the reality of the duration-less present itself falls under serious suspicion. Here is Augustine again: [I]f the present were always present, and would not pass into the past, it would no longer be time, but eternity. Therefore, if the present, so as to be time, must be so constituted that it passes into the past, how can we say that it is, since the cause of its being is the fact that it will cease to be? [11. 14.17, emphasis added] Thus it appears that neither the future, nor the past, nor even, now, the present has a sure hold on being: future and past are not, and the present is only in so far as it ceases to be. But Augustine is unwilling to conclude from this that time is mere illusion. Should we decide that it exists only in a secondary or derivative sense-a kind of moving image of eternity, as the Timaeus has it-it nevertheless remains too fundamental to our lived experience, and our ways of talking about that experience, simply to deny its reality altogether. The task is to try to understand what time is, if not in itself then at least as it is for us. What we can say for sure, Augustine thinks, is that the past and future depend for their being on the present; they "do not exist except as present things" (11.18.23), he says. It seems no less true, however, that the present itself cannot be apart from the past and the future, for what else could provide the present the "space" it needs to extend beyond the length-less and breadthless instant that exists, if it exists at all, only by rushing headlong into non-being? 9 �Characteristically, Augustine looks within himself for a way beyond the impasse. It's there, in the soul or the mind, that future and past things acquire a kind of presence (and therefore beinj), as correlates of the mind's acts of expectation and memory, respectively. It's also there that present things achieve stability by being held in attention, an act of the mind that articulates itself beyond the point­ like instant by looking back to a beginning and forward to an anticipated end. Whereas on initial reflection time had seemed to vanish into the nothingness of a not-yet-existent future, a no-longer­ existent past, and a perpetually self-destructing present, its claim to at least relative being can now be redeemed so long as we're willing to pay the price of acknowledging its dependence on the mind's own activity. The three times, Augustine says, "are in the soul ...the present of things past is in memory; the present of things present is in intuition; the present of things future is in expectation" (11.20.26). Taken as a whole, time can thus be described as a "distention of the mind" (distentio animz) (11.26.33) , a stretching or swelling of present consciousness backward into a remembered past and forward into an anticipated future. While it's certainly possible to distinguish memory, expectation, and intuition or attention as three separate acts of the mind, Augustine's analysis makes clear that to do this would be to engage in a kind of abstraction. For in our lived experience of things, memory, expectation, and attention form a single, continuous whole. The mind, he says, "looks forward, it considers, it remembers, so the reality to which it looks forward passes through what it considers into what it remembers" (11.28.37). To illustrate this dynamic, he reflects on the experience of reciting a psalm he knows by heart. Once he's formed the intention to recite and is about to carry it out, the psalm, or rather, his recitation of it, is one of the "things future," which is to say, it exists for the mind in the mode of expectation. The ray of consciousness is pointed forward, so to speak, casting its light over the whole psalm as something to be brought out into the open as an audible presence. As the recitation proceeds, the stock of expectation decreases in proportion to memory's increase, until, having reached his proposed end, the speaker falls silent and the psalm in its entirety exists by way of its resonance in the recollecting minds of its hearers. 10 �What happens between the beginning and the end of this process, namely, the ongoing transferal of expectation's funds into the account of memory, corresponds to present time in its more expansive, non-instantaneous conception. The act of the mind responsible for this making present Augustine variously calls "intuition" (contuitus), "attention" (attentio), and "intention" (intentio). Present consciousness, we come to understand, doesn't just passively register a now that arises only to perish (or, more accurately, arises only lry perishing); on the contrary, the attending or, better, the intending mind plays an active part in the unfolding of temporal events, as both Augustine's heavy reliance on words with tend(}--stretch out-at their root, as well as his pregnant choice of the recitation example powerfully suggest. About that recitation, Augustine writes: The life of this action of mine is distended into memory by reason of the part I have spoken and into forethought (expectatio) by reason of the part I am about to speak. But attention (attentio) is actually present and that which was to be is borne along by it so as to become past. (11. 28. 37, emphasis added). It's worth hearing that again: what was to be is "borne along" by attention into the past. The Latin verb here is traicitur, a passive form of traicio, which could also be rendered as "transports" or "conveys." It combines the preposition trans-"across" or "along"-with the root verb iacio, meaning "throw," so we might think of attention as the act of throwing an expected future into a recalled past. The sense of this would be to emphasize how time for Augustine is not merely something that we suffer but is also, perhaps even primarily, something that we ourselves do. It's hard to know how to say this: the mind constitutes, enacts, unfolds, or perhaps lives time, in the transitive sense of an expression like "living one's life." But whatever verb we finally settle on, the crucial thing to grasp is that the soul itself makes an indispensable contribution to the experience or even the very being of time in shouldering an expected future and bearing it along into a recalled past. If the full significance of this activity does not come fully to light in Augustine's psalm example, what he says toward the end of Book 11 leaves no doubt about the ultimately moral horizon of his 11 �analysis. After describing the temporal process by which the action of reciting the psalm reaches completion, he asserts that "[t]he same thing holds for a man's entire life, the parts of which are all the man's actions" (11.28.38). (In fact, the scope can be widened even further to take in all of history, the "whole age of the sons of men," though I'll keep our focus for now on the life of the individual.) Just as I look ahead in expectation to the psalm I am about to recite, so too do I project a practical or moral future for myself, setting about in the present on the task of converting into a happy memory what is now only an aspiration to act in accordance with my conception of the good. In this way, "that which was to be is borne along" into the past. Of course, there are many ways for our moral intentions to misfire. However completely he comes to rely on God's grace, Augustine remains sensitive to the constant vigilance, the intense daily effort required of him if he is to fulfill his divinely reordered aims. Readers of Book 10 of the Confessions know that his baptism did not render him immune to the temptation of taking it easy, of allowing himself to be swept up by the rushing current of the merely instantaneous now instead of rising to the challenge of actively living time, that is, of anticipating a virtuous future and then undertaking the arduous task of carrying it through the present and into the past. "I am a burden to myself' (10.28.39), he writes, vividly evoking his sense of this labor, the obligation imposed on us imperfect, temporal creatures not to while away the time but to strive, with God's help, to close the gap between what we are now and what we are called to be. The difficulty of that task, as our discussion of habit has prepared us to see, seems to be directly proportional to the distance separating what we will to become from what we have already been. In other words, the more radically the future we project for ourselves departs from the past we recall, the harder it is to bear that future successfully into the present. In the hopes of deepening our understanding of this phenomenon, let's return once more to Augustine's recitation example. Forming the intention to say the whole psalm from beginning to end involves calling it up to the forefront of his mind from out of what in Book 10 he had called "the great cave of memory" (10.8.13). Only because 12 �he has already learned it by heart at some point in the past can he now look forward to reciting it in the present. And this suggests, if the example is as paradigmatic of all temporal experience as I believe Augustine means it to be, that anticipation is itself grounded in recollection, in other words, that the projected future "borne along" by a present intention is first assembled by the soul from materials drawn from its past. Augustine makes the point more explicitly in Book 10. Within the memory, he says, I encounter myself and recall myself, and what, and when, and where I did some deed, and how I was affected when I did it. There are all those things which I remember either as experienced by me or as taken on trust from others. From that same abundant stock, also, I combine one and another of the likenesses of things, whether things actually known by experience or those believed in from those I have experienced, with things past, and from them I meditate uponfuture actions, events, and hopes, and all these again as though they were actually present. "I will do this or that," I say to myself within that vast recess of my mind, filled with images, so many and so great, and this deed or that then follows. (10.8. 14, emphasis added). What this passage allows us to see, I think, is that temporal life, or the activity of living time, is marked by a kind of circularity. In proposing a course of action to myself, I cannot but rely upon the "abundant stock" of past experiences, either my own or those attested by others and found credible to the extent that they are consistent with my own. In other words, before the anticipated future can be borne along into the remembered past, the past must first be launched forward into the future as the indispensable material out of which the soul shapes its expectation. Now, this is not to say that in acting in the world we only ever repeat ourselves, or that the wheel of lived time rotates around a fixed point. Augustine mentions here that as he deliberates he "combine[s] ...the likenesses of things" drawn up from memory, thereby suggesting that the soul enjoys at least some degree of creative freedom in its activity of conceiving for itself a future as something other than an exact replica of its past. But it's still no use pretending that a path of total novelty is ever open to us; the future is inescapably indebted to the past, expectation inevitably takes its stand on the ground of memory. It's not hard to grasp that this poses a grave threat to the possibility of the deep and abiding transformation the young Augustine came to recognize as his only hope for happiness. For if my 13 �memory teems with images of a life fundamentally inimical to the good; if the virtuous examples of others seem too remote from my experience to be plausible or even attractive models for me; and if the claims of the philosophers to offer an escape from time and all its woes have proved too good to be true, then my desire for the happy life, no matter how firmly rooted in a clear vision of its reality and goodness, seems fated to go unfulfilled. In their essentially timeless character, transcendent moments of insight, like those Augustine attains by way of Neoplatonic introspection, are essentially cut off from memory and expectation, mere interruptions of the circuit of lived temporality. As such, they remain no more than isolated points of light, like individual stars in a vast night sky-beautiful, to be sure, but virtually powerless to illuminate the ground beneath our feet as we stumble along in search of the way that leads not only to beholding but to dwelling in the land of our desire (7.20.26; 7.21.27). Augustine opens a window onto the potentially ruinous dependence of expectation on memory in recounting a conversation he had with himself a few years before his final decision to seek baptism. Approaching the age of thirty, he looks back with chagrin at all the time that has passed since his teenage reading of Cicero's Hortensius first set him on flre with the love of wisdom. The bitter anxieties and disappointments of those dozen years have left him more convinced than ever of the futility of a life given over to worldly ambition. His disillusionment with the rationalist pretensions of the Manichees and his deepening admiration for the philosophically sophisticated preaching of Ambrose have inclined him, as he puts it, to "fix my feet on that step where my parents placed me as a child" (6.11.18). He's going to do it, he really means it this time, he's going to put away what he calls his "vain and empty concerns" by committing himself fully once and for all to the Catholic Church. Just notyet. "[I]ime passed," he says, and still I delayed to be converted to the Lord . . I loved the happy life, but I feared to find it in your abode, and I fled from it, even as I sought it. I thought that I would be too wretched, if I were kept from a woman's arms. I did not believe that the cure for this disease lay in your mercy, for I had had no experience with that cure. I believed . 14 �that continence lay within a man's own powers, and such powers I was not conscious of within myself. (6. 11.20) Notice what's holding him back. Though he has long suspected that the cares imposed by married life are for him incompatible with the spiritual freedom he desperately desires, he also knows himself well enough to realize that he lacks the strength to live without the comforts afforded by sexual intimacy. In the terms of his metaphor, he suffers from a "disease" whose symptoms he knows how to treat but whose cure, he has learned, lies completely outside his own power to effect. Whether or not we think it makes sense to diagnose as an illness his inability to commit to celibacy, with a little imagination most of us will be able relate to Augustine's predicament here. He knows exactly what it would take for him to be happy, but bitter experience has convinced him that he's just not up to the task. Nothing he finds in the spacious caverns of his memory allows him to envision for himself a life of genuine health, and without the means to palliate the symptoms of his disease, he fears that taking up residence in "God's abode" would serve only to increase his misery. Thus he shrinks back from the decisive step, without, however, being able to resign himself to a future as fatalistically determined by the past as his own seems certain to be. Perhaps there is little we can reasonably say about the causes of Augustine's ultimate escape from this desperate situation, at least if we want to keep open the possibility that it was indeed God's grace that finally set him free. I think we can conclude, though, that whatever it was that finally lifted the terrible burden from his soul in that Milan garden, the experience he describes as "a peaceful light streaming into my heart" (8.12.29) would have been every bit as isolated and ineffectual as his Plotinian visions of the eternal truth turned out to be had it not become possible for him to discern the underlying continuity of his past life of unhappy wandering with the baptized future he was finally empowered to project for himself. For as his analysis of time has shown us, to the extent that the present remains divorced from the past that precedes it, it cannot but have the character of the instant that is only by ceasing to be, the point-like now that suddenly-exazphnes-emerges out of nothingness 15 �only to vanish again just as suddenly. From such an instant, however charged with divine presence it might be, nothing of lasting, practical significan�e is likely to follow-nothing more consequential, at any rate, than the sort of wistful memory and infinite, impotent yearning that threatened to consume Augustine in the wake of his disappointing experiments in Neoplatonic ascent. In concluding, then, I want to suggest that Augustine's passionately personal reflection on the events leading up to his fmal conversion is intended to recall and thereby reinforce the vital links between the future opened up to him on that momentous day in Milan and even the darkest periods of his youthful estrangement from himself and from his God. Though his conversion undoubtedly marks a new beginning, even a kind of rebirth, it succeeds in doing what impersonal introspection had failed to do because Augustine is enabled to see it as the culmination of a process that had begun in him long before. The call he finally answers in deciding to seek baptism is the very same call that had never ceased resounding in his heart, even when he was desperately trying to drown it out in the frantic pursuit of sensual pleasure, emotional and intellectual titillation, and worldly success. In looking back on his past, he comes to see that in the anxiety, disappointment, and doubt that marred his life of secular striving, God himself had been calling him home. You were always present to aid me, merciful in your anger, and charging with the greatest bitterness and disgust all my unlawful pleasures, so that I might seek after pleasure that was free from disgust, to the end that, when I could find it, it would be in none but you, Lord, in none but you. For you fashion sorrow into a lesson to us. You smite so that you may heal. You slay us, so that we may not die apart from you. (2.2.4) Augustine meditates on his past in the Confessions to learn again this lesson of sorrow, which is also, paradoxically, a lesson of great hope. From out of the caves of his memory he no longer draws up the despair-inducing confirmation of his own weakness that had paralyzed him as a young man, but the liberating assurance that God had always been with him, even in the depths of his sin. Recollections of events in which that divine presence now seems unmistakable nourish his expectations of future 16 �assistance, giving him the strength to stand firm against present temptation in the confidence that his conversion will turn out to have been the decisive event of his life, and not a mere prelude to another aborted attempt or humiliating failure to change his ways. But as his unsparing assessment of his present condition vividly demonstrates, he knows that nothing is guaranteed. To be sure, conversion to the truth for him comes as a gift, but that giftperhaps like all gifts-is profoundly difficult for a creature with a long history of proud self-assertion to receive. Ever present is the temptation to refuse or return it in the fatal conviction, born of pride and despair, that there is no genuine good beyond what we can obtain for ourselves. The books of the � Platonists did nothing to disabuse Augustine of this error. "Strain and see," they told him, at once puffmg him up by preaching the sufficiency of effort, and casting him down by showing him no more than the way to behold the blessed country when his heart's desire was to dwell therein. The way beyond beholding is a way of humility, and Augustine's searingly honest examination of his life is his attempt to walk it. Thank you. 1 Porphyry, "On the Life of Plotinus and the Arrangement of His Work," in Plotinus, The Enneads, trans. Stephen MacKenna (New York: Penguin, 1991), p. cii. 2 3 All Augustine quotations are from The Confessions of St. Augustine, trans. John K. Ryan (New York: Doubleday, 1960). Enneads 1.6.9, in The Essential Plotinus, trans. Elmer O'Brien (Indianapolis: Hackett , 1964 ), pp. 43-44. 4 "On the Life of Plotinus," p. cxxii. s 6 7 Enneads 4.8.1. Enneads 6.7.34. Enneads 4.8.6. 17 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>.  <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Title A name given to the resource St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context formallectureseriesannapolis Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document "While Augustine believes he can find in the writings of the Neoplatonists themselves the doctrine of the Word that was with God and that was God, not even he claims to apprehend the incarnation of that Word on any basis other than faith. My ambition tonight is to see how far we can go toward making sense of the intensely personal approach of the Confessions without appealing to postulates drawn from sacred doctrine. While I suspect that Augustine's unprecedented way of applying the Delphic maxim becomes fully intelligible only against the background of his specifically Christian commitments, we might nevertheless begin to understand the peculiar strategy he employs in the Confessions by considering the deficiencies that come to light there of a philosophy conducted in a wholly impersonal key. However dazzling a glimpse it may afford of the eternal truth, Neoplatonic introspection, we shall see, fails to open out onto what Augustine calls 'the way that leads not only to beholding our blessed fatherland but also to dwelling therein.'" - excerpt from lecture Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dwelling in the land of the Confessions Description An account of the resource Typescript of a lecture delivered on November 22, 2013 by Michael Brogan as part of the Formal Lecture Series. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brogan, Michael J. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-11-22 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource A signed permission form has been received stating, "I hereby grant St. John's College permission to: Make an audio recording of my lecture, and retain copies for circulation and archival preservation in the St. John's College Greenfield Library. Make an audio recording of my lecture available online. Make a typescript copy of my lecture available for circulation and archival preservation in the St. John's College Greenfield Library. Make a copy of my typescript available online." Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Subject The topic of the resource Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo. Confessiones. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Bib # 81125 Relation A related resource <a title="Audio recording" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/show/18">Audio recording</a> Friday night lecture Tutors https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/7060539b4319cc5b31a383b0ea88c34d.mp3 2b7a36e3c45c4c99e665093803f4c161 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>.  <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Title A name given to the resource St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context formallectureseriesannapolis Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:48:48 Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data wav Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brogan, Michael J. Title A name given to the resource Dwelling in the Land of the Confessions Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-11-22 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Description An account of the resource Audio recording of a lecture delivered on November 22, 2013, by Michael Brogan as part of the Formal Lecture Series. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource A signed permission form has been received stating, "I hereby grant St. John's College permission to: Make an audio recording of my lecture, and retain copies for circulation and archival preservation in the St. John's College Greenfield Library. Make an audio recording of my lecture available online. Make a typescript copy of my lecture available for circulation and archival preservation in the St. John's College Greenfield Library. Make a copy of my typescript available online." Subject The topic of the resource Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo. Confessiones. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LEC_Brogan_Michael_2013-11-22 Relation A related resource <a title="Typescript" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/show/13">Typescript</a> Friday night lecture Tutors https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/64fd011075e05a41d5e060290db3fbf9.mp3 4827689ab154720e4672ec00a06956cd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. John's College Lecture Recordings—Santa Fe Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Meem Library Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Fe, NM Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data CD Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:57:32 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Living well : Aristotle, on democracy, equality, and the politics of life Description An account of the resource Audio recording of a lecture given on April 10, 2015 by Walter Brogan as part of the Dean's Lecture and Concert Series. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brogan, Walter, 1945- Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Fe, NM Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-10 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Meem Library has been given permission to make this item available online. Type The nature or genre of the resource sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Subject The topic of the resource Aristotle -- contributions in ethics Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 20014224 Friday night lecture https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/477307439d8a9edfdcb85d35e9ab3b29.mp3 ab690596e3adf105c229546effea91bb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Speeches, presentations, and other lectures Description An account of the resource Speeches, presentations, and other lectures given at St. John's College. These include convocation addresses delivered in both Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Speeches, presentations, and other lectures" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=15">Items in the Speeches, presentations, and other lectures Collection</a></strong> to <span>view and sort all items in the collection.</span> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context speechespresentationsotherlectures Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data mp3 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 01:44:51 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource A Conversation with Tom Brokaw and Admiral Mike Mullen Description An account of the resource Audio recording of a conversation between Tom Brokaw and Admiral Mike Mullen held on February 19, 2017. This is part of the Great Conversations series. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brokaw, Tom Mullen, Mike Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-02-19 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College has been given permission to post this online. Type The nature or genre of the resource sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nelson, Christopher B. Wolf, Mary Relation A related resource <a title="Brokaw-Mullen" href="https://www.sjc.edu/annapolis/events/brokaw-and-mullen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Event information on SJC Website</a> Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Brokaw-Mullen Great Conversations https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/d774b7ff7a4cfbfb79b64e895ef58e56.mp3 650e981a18302581c7abdc0f7bf29648 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. John's College Lecture Recordings—Santa Fe Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Meem Library Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Fe, NM Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data wav Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:55:09 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Nietzsche's culture war : the unity of the Untimely Meditations Description An account of the resource Audio recording of a lecture given on December 8, 2017 by Shilo Brooks as part of the Dean's Lecture and Concert Series. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brooks, Shilo Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Fe, NM Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-12-08 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Meem Library has been given permission to make this item available online. Type The nature or genre of the resource sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Subject The topic of the resource Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900. Language A language of the resource English Friday night lecture https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/2e61882cfe5b6160f5bfc360c48fecb1.pdf 956c6f72b833e61ba862ad7b301d3595 PDF Text Text .-------------------------~ 16~~~~~~~-.~~~~~~~~-,-~~~~~~~~ see my friend Celia's house. Do you know her, I wonder? After the hurricane everyone on Everitt Street came out for a big cleanup, and a lot of tree branches were piled in front of the house. At Halloween we would Trick 'n' Treat with friends all up and down the street. And at Christmas we would go caroling along it in the snow. But where is the corner where almost every week I used to skin one or the other of my knees? Events have faded and melted in my mind, so that I can no longer be sure of what is true. I know I will visit this street again. It will seem even shorter, smaller, less pretty then. Now you live here, and for you the images of the past are different. Yet it will always be Everitt Street and the house will always be 134. Now I have relinquished my hold. I have honored my past in my way. I leave the present to you. They are your house and your street now. rtirough qlJ86tioning and arguing, the teacher compels the teamer as it were, something slumbering in him at all ~pull out of himself, VfTl8S· -- Jacob Klein, "On Liberal Education" The Collegian first est. 1888 Lecture: On Manners, Part I -- DEIRDRE ROUTT '91 Students who have contributed to the Production of The Collegian during the 1989 - 90 school year: Rachel Boyce '90 Tequila Brooks '91 Akiba Covitz '91 Elizabeth Didato '92 Vince Harriman '90 Molly Hinshaw '93 Robby Nease '92 Maureen Spectre '91 Vanessa Stratton '93 Kevin Young '92 The publishing policy of The Collegian is to treat all writers or a~ists and the pieces they submit with respect. A piece will not be accepted 1f the staff judges that it does not reflect the capabilities of the originator. . No revision will be adopted without the inform and consent of the wnt~r. Please address correspondence and criticism to Box 391 Campus Mail. An organizational meeting will be called at the beginning of the next term. Thursday, September 27, 1990 Volume II Issue 1 This is what I take the fundamental effect of manners to be: µ11 'tO OEtvOV 1tUV 1tOAECOO ~a.Af:tv "not to force what is terrible completelyfrom the city." Athena speaks this line at the end of the Oresteia of Aeschylus. The jury she has formed from Athenian citizens has just rendered its verdict in the case of Orestes' parricide and she has broken their deadlock to decide the case. She tells the citizens that they will always render justice in the future in just this way: by submitting decisions to a jury trial. Though this system is simple and straightforward, she warns the citizens that.fear must still play a part in righteousness. For this reason, she says, w OEtvov, what is strange and mighty, wonderful and dreadful, must retain a place in the city. Now I claim that Athena's warning points to the origin and end of all. manners -- whether they be Table Manners, Forms of Address, even what is ON MANNERS, PART I SONNET DRUG POLICY IN THE U.S. , PART I UNTITLED SKETCH LONGING TRAVELOGUE RUDE AWAKENING UNTITLED PHOTOGRAPH NOTES *THE EXPERIENCE OF TRAGEDY EDITORIAL... St. John's College Annapolis, MD 21404 called Proper Grooming. These exist in order that w. ouva. -- strange and awful things -- are not forced completely outside the community. They allow these things to be present among us--though at some distance. Manners, I claim, are chiefly concerned with maintaining this distance. In the course of this lecture I hope to make clear the relation of this claim to the most ordinary sorts of manners, which have nothing to do with 'ta. ottva.; its relation to the Miss Manners sort of manners. For now let me try to tell you about the origin of my interest in this topic. Last fall, people were always eating and drinking SCHOENER ROSS MUELLER KELLEY MADDEN POND COVEY PARK p. p. 5 p. 6 p. 8 p. 9 p. 10 p. 11 p. 12 p. 14 JOHNSON p. 15 �~·'---------------------~2~~~~~~~-.-~~~~~~~-,-~~~~~~~- push by 20 other people, coffee, tions "old-fashioned"? Then one day, while I and then, without any care Coke, cookies, chips. One day I felt like I had woken was still confused, a stu- to limit the obvious disturup in the midst of a Snack dent in Language Class -- bance they were causing, Foods Market Research without any hesitation or would clomp out of the Program. Then people furtiveness -- began clip- auditorium and bang a door were always getting up to ping his nails in the midstof as a sign of their "Au Releave class, sometimes, it a discussion. Out came voir" to their more docile seemed, two at a time, six the little instrument, its lever companions left inside. or seven an hour. I was was flipped into place, and Some of them even had astonished. No one ever then Snick! Snick! and the audacity to return, after I then that little "Tick" as the dispensing themselves a excused themselves. thought: Are these bad severed nail-detritus hitthe cup of refreshing coffee, manners, or am I just being floor. I was speechless. and then would create a cranky? I knew, as a youth, This, I thought, has gone ruckus seating themselves I was "brought up" not to do too far! I exploded and all over again. Here the conse these things -- but are my probably embarrassed present expectations due myself more than the of- quences of Bad Manners to my (premature) role as a fending student. But: was became crystal-clear, glar dinosaur in a changing, this not --1 ask you! -- Bad ing even, to me. The lee freer and more relaxed Manners? But still I wasn't turer is alone on stage society? Are my expecta- sure why I felt so strongly behind a podium whose aboutthese manners --was resemblance to a sacrifi r:::================~ it just custom or is there cial altar is not slight, and some better reason fortheir he is unstintingly telling us STAFF cultivation? about the things that are The answer came to dearest to him. He is re Ange Milnko '91 me Friday evening during vealing his insights, medi Robby Nease '92 Formal Lecture. The lee- tations and reasonings and Molly Hinshaw '93 ture was dense and dry -- offering them to us withou Vanessa Stratton '93 no mention of these per- disguise -- for our educa Kelly Rock '94 sonal vignettes which so tion, but also for our criti Scott Saxman '94 easily hold our attention. cism. He knows we may Dawn Beltz, GI Many people came late to challenge his offerings the lecture; without hesita- even scoff at them -- and Tequila Brooks, editor tion, they chose seats in this is precisely the source the middle of the audito- of the great and familia rium and raised, as you fear that Public Speaking might expect, no little may cause in us. "What if I The Collegian staff ruckus in reaching them. open my soul and its con would like to express its And then about 20 minutes tents are not well re gratitude to Bryan later, when it became clear ceived?" I cannot imagin Dorland '92 and Pat- that they would be enter- a greater terror for the soul rick Cho '91 for the use tained by no interesting So there is the lecturer of their computers. slidesormemorabiliaabout head poised on the altar the strange personal hab- offering these very persona its of famous philosophers, reflections, and people ar many people began leav- coming and going like it's ..__ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____. ing. They would get up, yard sale: Pickandchoose in my classes: ~---------.----------.--------~3 just leave if there's nothing interesting to you. This seemed to indicate to me the threat of Bad Manners: they make us so open and vulnerable to each other that communication is too difficult, too dangerous. If the audience at the lecture had had the good manners to sit still, no matter their level of interest, the lecturer would not have had to suffer the constant evidence of their displeasure. I am saying neither that they should not have been displeased (that is not my business) nor that they should not have revealed their displeasure: only that they should have had the good manners to do so personally, when the lecturer was finished. That would have taken some courage; it was not only impolite of them to leave in the middle, it was cowardly. The good manners they lacked would have protected the lecturer; as it was, he had to suffer the ejection of his ideas even he was offering them. the other hand, he owed very good manrs: after the sixth person stood up to clomp out, I been lecturing I would e started yelling and aring:"Sitdown! Where ell do you think you're g? You came here and down to learn thing from me -- now rre cw:;aoooii ntc:~d it's I'm not talking about justice here, I'm talking about manners. It might have been just to make this outburst, but it would have It been Bad Manners. would have called attention to the off ender and embarrassed him before the crowd. In fact, this display of passion would have embarrassed the crowd. It was very kind of the lecturer to spare us that -- no matter how much it would have been warranted. Now this politeness would have disguised his feelings -- just as I wished the people who left had disguised theirfeelings and sat quietly through the lecture. I confess that I think these disguises are the essence of Manners -- that good manners are all about projecting false appearances: false appearances of calm, friendliness, respect -- whatever. How then can I defend manners if they propagate falsehoods -- shouldn't we reveal our true feelings, repress nothing -- Be Ourselves? Why be nice to a person we despise -- why honor someone we disdain? Because of the distance good manners provide. This distance is a cushion and a barrier -- it protects us from d iff icu It and harmful things we would otherwise have to experience. When we are close to other people -- physi- cally, emotionally, when we are sharing personal things, as in Lecture or Seminar-these manners erect some kind of distance to protect us from the consequences of closeness. They let us deal closely with each other without continually exposing our souls. With manners, we may discuss and experience intimate, sensitive, important matters in each others' presence without thereby becoming intimate. They keep us, always, at a safe distance from each other. I suspect that this claim rests on grounds too narrow to be convincing. In fact, I was not convinced by these reflections -- until a discussion one day in my Freshman Lab Class. This discussion, based on a work by Erwin Strauss, made me feel more certain: the purpose of manners is to establish and maintain distance between ourselves and those around us. Let me read you a striking passage from Strauss: He is describing the three ways in which our upright posture removes us from our surroundings: [The young child) does not mind picking things up from the ground; but, growing older, he will learn to accept our table manners, which remove even food to a distance. We set the table; we serve the meal; we use spoon and fork. Our �5 4~~~~~~~-r~~~~~~~~.,--:-~~~~~~- feeding is regulated by a ritual, which we like to discard at apicnic. Artificiality and tools interfere with direct satisfaction of hunger. The mouth is kept from the plate. Table manners arefor him simply an instance of the way our upright posture puts us at a distance from the things around us: because of our posture, our relations with things are never immediate but always at a distance. Whetherwe agree with Strauss' general claims or not, it seems undeniable to me that all our table manners conspire to "remove food to adistance,"to "keep the mouth away from the plate." In fact, the best table manners give the appearance that we are not eating at all -- but why should they be desirable? The reason for this seems simple to me. The more we abide by what is called "proper etiquette," the less our action looks like the feeding of animals. The fork and spoon keep away part of our body from touching the food until it is carefully sealed in the mouth, behind the "barrier of our teeth." The knife frees us from tearing at the food with our incisors and canines. Instead, we need never handle the food ourselves -- it is always held at a distance until it suddenly -- and silently-- disappears down what my parents used to call "the hatch." Open the hatch, hide the food, closethe hatch--takesmall forkfuls, chew quietly: the net effect is: "who's eating?" Most animals, on the other hand, eat with their snouts in their food; they must push and tear at it to ingest it; even if they are ruminants, they must bury their faces in their meal of hay or grains. Carnivores or ruminants, when they lift their heads for a respite, they lick their chops in apparent relish. For animals, feeding is an act of intermingling, interpenetration, and intimacy with their meal. Our table manners spare us this intermingling, and mediate between our mouth and our food. The mediation is so effective that dinner-time is consid- ered a time for conversation as well as -- or more than--fordining. The more polished our manners, the more we will converse with ease while we dine; until it seems as if we weren't eating at all. The manners are thus a disguise; the small piece of steak on our forks give no sign of our carnivorous habits, of the hunt or the kill onwhichthemealdepends. It protects us from all the disquiet we would suffer if we had the cheetah's intimacywith her kill. We want to eat, but we don't want to consider the abattoir, the viscera, the blood. Nor do we want to consider the other side: the chewing, the saliva, the acids in the stomach, the unusable remainderpassingthrough our intestines. Our table Bm•••••••••••••••••lllll Tolstoy on Chauvenism Berg smiled with a sense of his superiority over a weak woman, and paused, reflecting that this dear wife of his was after all but a weak woman who could not understand all that constitues a man's dignity, what it was ein Mann zu sein. Vera at the same time was smiling with a sense of superiority over her good, conscientious husband, who all the same understood life wrongly as, according to Vera, all men did. Berg judging by his wife, thought all women weak and foolish. Vera, judging only by her husband and generalizing from that observation, supposed that all men, though they understood nothing and are conceited and selfish, ascribe common sense to themselves alone. lm••••••••••••illl•illll•• manners distance us from these awful regions by disguising our very act. They say: this meal is not my prey; I am not sitting here digesting, I am engaged in clever repartee or sensitive political debate. It is Bad Manners, plain and simple, to threaten these appearances. Now I would never claim that we consciously cultivate our Manners for this end. Rather, it seems to me that our sophisticated Table Manners, and other forms of Etiquette, are only instances of formalized or ritualized behavior. Such behavior includes acts specified by a clear code which demands performance of certain acts but no understanding of them. Thus they might acquire a pure form and be done, as we suppose most manners are purely for form's sake. Because their form, and not their intention or meaning, is what is most Sonnet If there be aught that I could do, my love, To fit these hands to find a home in yours, Rough, ill-used, and ungentle though they are, They ready stand, mute servants to their lord; If only, on your countenance, these eyes Might wait, as two attendant ministers, Forever kneeling near those two bright brands That keep the cherished shrine of their desires; To take this crude-carved vessel of my heart That unaccustomed brims with passion's spring, And make it fine, that you would wish to drink, This is my precious hope and dearest dream. I'd be a slave to you for whom I long, But servitude, near you, would make me strong. important, they are called FORMAL or FORMALIZED. Rituals are for instances of such FORMAL behavior; certain acts are said to be RITUALIZED when they are performed no longerfortheir meaning butonlyforthe sakeofform. Thus sacrifices are said to honorthegods, butthe participants rarely ask how or why they do. Sacrifices become ritualized when ..---------......ipeople stop wondering about the reason for their Because of the length of Mr. Sc hoener's lecture, act. W e may th en won d er it will be divided into three if all such ritual acts have the same effects as table manners have demonstrated? Do they all distance us from uncomfortable or awful objects, and thus afford a feeling of ...._,_ _ _ _ _ _......,.comfort? -- JOAN ROSS '91 In order to explore this questions, I want to offer you a series of observations on Ancient Greek views of Eating. I am going to relate to you some episodes in Homer and Hesiod which strike me as significant, and then I am going to propose a few general inferences which point to the "Problems of Eating." In fact I think we can discern in these episodes a sense that eating is in itself problematic. in --ABRAHAM SCHOENER Tutor �·-----------------------~~ situation from the view of to campaign in person in law enforcement, from· support of the initiative. which field I have some This referendum may excellent sources. Finally, become a watershed event Drug Policy I will focus entirely on mari- in drug policy. If the people juana, sharing plentiful in- of Alaska approve the iniin the formation about its medical tiative, a dismal message and industrial uses, and will be sent other United States: questioning its current considering to drug states policy status as an extremely reforms. A message of dangerous Schedule I approval will be sent to The Erosion substance under federal William Bennett concernlaw. Because of the some- ing his interference in state of what vague subject of this politics. Individual first installment, I try to limit Such interference is myself to the presentation commonplace, though. Rights of facts. I hope to promote Currently in Congress a bill discourse on current policy is alive which if passed will and its alternatives. deny federal highway funds In 1975 the Supreme to those states which do Recently I acquired a Court of Alaska ruled the not revoke the driver's Iigood deal of information use and cultivation of mari- censes of citizens conconcerning many aspects juana by adults legal. The victed of minor drug ofof the current drug policy in ruling was based on the tenses. Last month in two Calithe United States. The right to privacy guaranteed by that state's constitution. fomia counties, the DEA's sources of the information are credible and I wondered In 15 years of legalization "Operation Green Sweep" why this information was no deaths have been at- was set in motion. Two not receiving media atten- tributed to marijuana use, hundred DEA agents, Nation proportional to its sig- and surveys indicate that tional Guardsmen, and nificance in the theater of marijuana use has de- active duty Army personc reased, even in the nel, armed and in full gear "the drug war." and camouflage, moved In view of the very poor schools. Last year in Congress, through the counties job that the media in general have done in providing Alaska's House and Sen- searching for marijuana information and promoting ate delegations were fields. The otherwise calm discourse, I felt a need to threatened with the loss of counties were upset by long share what has been matching funds for drug convoys of trucks and cirshared with me and which rehabilitation if they did not cling helicopters while solhas helped form my opin- press the message for diers searched fields on ion of United States drug recriminalization. An initia- foot. tive was formulated, signaIn two weeks the operapolicy. In three installments I tures gathered, and this tion turned up 1200 plants, will share information rele- November Alaskan voters at a cost to taxpayers of vant to three aspects of will decide whether mari- $400,000.00. The operadrug policy. First, I will juana is to be recriminal- tion did great damage both explore the erosion of fun- ized after 15 years of sue- environmentally and politidamental individual rights. cessf ul policy. DEA Direc- cally in the region. The Next, I will approach the tor William Bennett plans residents filed a lawsuit. ~~~~~~~~-r-~~~~~~~-.,-~~~~~~~7 "Green Sweep" is planned to continue, with similar searches taking place in Missouri, Oregon, Kentucky, and Hawaii. The use of active-duty military personnel against U.S. citizens is one example of the increasing militarization of the war on drugs. "Green Sweep" certainly tests, if not vialates, the Posse Comitatus Act passed by Congress 100 years ago to codify the role of the military within the United States. Another sign of the erosion of fundamental rights is the suppression of select information relevant to drug policy, but not in line with the current program of thinking. For example, this year the California Attarney General, John Van de Camp, refused to publish the recommendations of the state's Research Advisory Panel. This panel, appointed annually by the Governor and state leg isure, has for the past 20 ars met to formulate ommendations to the gislatu re concerning g policy. Each year the rt has been published e taxpayers' cost and ly distributed to the ic. The reason that the ey General refused lish the panel's findtheir rec- crete recommendations below: First, the panel recommended immediate legalization of needle possession, tohelpcurbthespread of the HIV virus. Second, it recommended the immediate legalization of marijuana consumption and cultivation for personal use by adults. Third, it recommended that the legislature forbid the sale and consumption of alcohol in state-supported institutions devoted to patient care or educational activity. After several weeks of the Attorney General's refusal to print the report, the Vice Chairman of the panel, a pharmacology professor at the University of San Francisco, published the report at his personal expense. Indeed, many researchers have great difficulty getting their findings published when such findings conflict with the current line of thought. Politicians who speak out in favor of legalization are accused of surrendering to the enemy or of having morally scandalous ideas. Time and print are never given to those citizens --- and there must be millions of them --- who have had non-destructive drug experiences. The result is a total lack of social discourse. Such a condition not only inhibits the problems of substance use and abuse, but it also invites potential dangers to develop, dangers which our fundamental right to free speech seeks to avoid. The propagation of lies has emerged in conjunction with the supression of factual, relevant information. Myths common in the' late '60's and early '?O's whichweredispelledbythe Nixon Commission on Marijuana have returned with a vengeance. Today we hear again about the "amotivational syndrome" and geneticdamage resulting from marijuana use. We are told that all drugs are equally bad, and that all use should be equally punished, even though the public generally recognizes the differing effects and dangers of the different substances. A concrete example of a propagated lie: For months the Partnership for a Drug-Free America ran a television commercial showing two EEG monitors side by side. One EEG line was normal; the other showed severe aberrations. The commercial claimed that the abnormal line was that of a person high on marijuana. It is a medical factthat marijuana does not in any way affect EEG. After an FCC investigation recognized that fact, the commercial was pulled. Nonetheless, millions viewed the commercial during its life on the air. The list of bedrock free- �p---------------------------~~8 -- OWEN KELLEY '93 9 bus doms which suffer erosion ports, continues.. The right to stops, and Longing privacy, so precious two train stations decades ago, suffers from to subject ina very far-reaching phe- nocent people nomenon: urine testing. to searches A deep, dark, cold, Millions of productive, oth- and interrogaslushy puddle erwise law-abiding citizens tion, has a who choose to take drugs strong racial that you didn't see in the wet are being subjected to urine bias. lttargets December night testing by their employers. young, inner They risk the loss of their city people of and cursed as your foot livelihoods if they engage color. Another plunged into its icyness in such activity in the pri- example is vacy of their homes, on their the current turns out to have been full prosecution of own time. of what it's like to remember you. The right to due proc- women who ess, another fundamental take drugs freedom, is being chal- during preg-- THOMAS MADDEN '91 An lenged. The current asset nancy. forfeitures take property ACLU survey from citizens without due showed that process of law. For a while 85% of these in Seattle, police deliber- cases were against women Laws 20th annual conferately set up bust and buy of color, even though drug ence, said "Not since the operations in vehicles, in use cuts across racial McCarthy era in the 1950's has the public seemed to boundaries. order to seize them. All of these fundamen- be so willing to hand over Religious liberty has suffered a blow. Last term, tal rights are indivisible. fundamental freedoms in the United States Supreme Every U.S. citizen suffers a exchange for false promCourt ruled against two loss when one of these ises that victory over the Native Americans who rights is eroded. The prohi- enemy is at hand." I must sought unemployment bition of substances such credit Ms. Siegal. for the benefits after being fired as marijuana, which so bulk of my information in for their peyote use. Al- many people want to use, this first installment. In the though the plaintiffs' drug must entail such an ero- following installments, I use was legally recognized sion of rights. Current esti- hope to provide informaas part of their spiritual and mates place the number of tion which suggests that not religious lives, the Supreme marijuana users at 20 to only is victory over the enemy far from at hand, Court ruled that the state's 30 million citizens. A very frightening con- but that the enemy has not compelling interest in enrcing the drug laws took sideration is the willingness even been properly identiecedence over religious of the people of the United fied. States to give up such basic erty. The racial bias involved rights. Loren Siegal, Asthe drug war is truly a sistant Director of the ral outrage. Everyone ACLU, in an address to the -- LEE MUELLER '91 ws thatthe drug courier National Organization for file, used in air- the Reform of Marijuana �10 Travelogue: Six-day Journey from England to Denmark I had six days and one penny to get from London, England to Glyngore, Denmark. I was seventeen years old and ready to go. The land travel did not present a problem, but an expanse of water, the North Sea, was in my way. It was July 25, 1988, and I could not sit around any longer. My father had arranged for me to take part in an intensive sailing course in Denmark. Do not think that my father would have left me stranded in England penniless -- actually one-pennied. On my departure three weeks prior, he had supplied me with ample funds. Well, I had spent them. I am not usually so careless with money, but I had forgotten that I needed to save travel money. I had spent the last three weeks showing England to a good friend from home. I grew up in England and knew my way around, and she had never been to made ions. The problem was that everything she did, I did. We both started out with the same amount of money, but she stayed only for a short while. She left with no money, and I remained with no money. So there I was, one penny in my pocket, and on my way to Denmark. The first leg of my journey consisted of a roughly fifty-mile land-trip to Harwich from London. Harwich is a good-size town on the east coast of England. Ferries and ships in its harbors sail to and from Northern Europe. It was the only place where I could get a ferry to Denmark. A friend of mine drove me about half the way, to Colchester, but had to leave me there. I hitched the rest of the way. Hitch-hiking in England and in Europe is in no way as dangerous as it is in America. Of course there is a risk involved, but Europe is geared much more towards students travelling on limited funds. I found also that people tend to be much friendlier there. lwaslucky. Tworides and about half an hour of walking got me to Harwich. I was hot and I was dirty. I had one backpack of clothes and supplies so I had to conserve what I used. (Originally I had more stuff, but when I realized I would be walking a lot, I left many things with a friend in London.) I found a public restroom, cleaned myself up, and headed towards the dock area. At a ticket booth lfoundoutwhichferry was going to Denmark. The ferry was in a slip with docking on three sides. I walked all around it and tried to figure out how to get on. At the entranceway for pedestrian passengers, two ferry stewards were checking tickets and signing people in. Taking a deep breath, I approached the friendlier-looking of the I chose the blunt two. approach and told him my predicament. He explained that I couldn't sneak on, because every person on board was assigned aberth and there wasn't anywhere safe to hide. The only way on was a ticket or employment. Obviously, he had an idea about how to help me. I asked him if he could get me a job on board, and sure enough he hired me, or at least assigned me a berth as an official dishwasher. He explained that they always needed help in the kitchens, and although what he was doing wasn't exactly legal, he didn't think anyone would notice. I was so grateful that he was a bit taken aback my excitement and told me to calm down. He told me to report to the kitchen and explain who I was, and that they would instruct me on what to do. I and ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11 Where could I find this free of charge? The local The bells of the cathedral clang through the night library. I Like faces in nursing home windows made my And sink into the river way there Like black panthers into the green. with direcI crept by this music upon the waters, tions from Up the cool stone face of the steeple an informa(Where the rainwater had left stains running down), tion desk. Placed one worn shoe on the summit, Realizing And sprang open-armed into the night the likeliTo become a star shining in the water from which I came. hood of The bells of the cathedral clang the hours of my arc them lendLike a metronome for unpracticed hands ing a book And the green of the river to someone Flows on to fairer, quieter lands. of limited Danish cre-- JEFF COVEY '93 dentials, I decided to sneak it out began washing dishes. The visor who was in charge of in my bag. This was not a journey would last about the kitchen. Using sign problem, since the Danish 24 hours. I washed dishes language, he informed me library system does not yet for about 18 of them. When that it was time to go to have the electronic sensors Breakfas! atthedoors, as most Amerithe head of the kitchen fi- work again. nally let me go to bed that consisted of bread, cheese, can ones do. Having acnight, I was led to a berth and milk, which, I was to complished this, I ate some with a mattress of very hard learn throughout my jour- bread "borrowed" from my foam -- I mean, very hard. ney, are the Danish food ferry. My next step was to go It came complete with one staples. We landed in Esbjerg north. The town of Glynblanket and one pillow. I was so tired that it didn't later that afternoon. gore, where the yacht left atter. Falling asleep did Esbjerg is a large city on from, was about 150 miles otprove easy, however. I the west coast of Denmark. north of Esbjerg. I got a s surrounded by a troop I speak no Danish, and the ride out of the city and boy scouts on their way Danes who can speak began walking. I received a camping trip. They English are not overly fond a lot of help from travelling med intent on practic- of using it. This, of course, Danes, and especially from their camp songs, and caused some problems, but one farmer who carried me lding a campfire sing- the universal language of about 50 miles in the back ng (minus the fire) right pointing and gesturing of his truck. Although at the time this ride seemed helped a great deal. side my berth. It came to me that an useful, it was precisely what After roughly four s of sleep, I was awak- English-to-Danish phrase- caused a slight complicaby this Danish super- book might be useful. tion in my plans. Rude Awakening �-----------------------12 -- HEATHER PARK '91 ~~~~~~~~~.--~~~~~~~~......-~~~~~~~-13 Miscommunication, The fear of my father was I was and what I was doing. always a problem, proved enough to make me decide He understood most of what I said. He brought me disastrous in this case. I to give it my all. I spent the night in a breakfast, which, you thought I had communicated "north to Glyngore" barn, a sleeping arrange- guessed it, consisted of pretty well, but obviously ment I got used to on my bread, cheese and milk. He the farmer had other ideas. journey. The next morning then offered me his bike. His home was south, in the I made myself some break- At first I refused, but he villageofTonder, about five fast: bread, cheese and insisted. lpromisedtosend miles from the German milk. The cheese and milk him my bike when I got border, and that was where were given to me by the home. It seemed the least he was going to take me. owner of the barn where I I could do. I never sent the bike, and still feel guilty Since I slept for almost the was sleeping. The weather was not whenever I ride it. The bike whole journey, I didn't realize the problem until we conducive to walking; it was held out for about 20 miles reached Tonder. Had I not raining. I crossed my fin- (estimated from road signs noticed the signs on the gers and set out. Despite in kilometres). Then I got a road telling how many kilo- the rain, I was still lucky flat tire, and had to leave meters it was to Germany, with rides. There were, on the bike by the side of the and that it was quite a small thislegofthejourney,some road. For the next few days number, I would never have uncomfortable situations that I was able to extract the rides did not come as known where I was. Angry at myself, and myself from with no harm easily, and I did a lot more beginning to lose the feel- done. They just reinforced walking. I would walk for ings of excitement present how stupid I had been to about two to three hours atthe beginning of my jour- get myself into this situ- and then rest and eat some bread. I stopped at every ney, I thanked the farmer ation. Most of the lifts were farm I saw to see if I could and ate some bread. It was now late at night givenbyfarmersandtruck-· work for some food. Alon July 28. I was about to drivers. The truckdrivers most always, the people I give up and call my father. were the most interesting, asked gave me bread and I had three days to travel because they usually could cheese without requiring 200 miles. The urgency of speak a fair amount of work, although one farmer y arriving on time was English. I collected ad- made me collect the eggs ue to the fact that I was dresses throughout my from his chickens in return re that the leaders of the journey and sentthank-you for a bath and a hot meal. I iling program would cards when I got back to spent most nights in barns, tact my father if I did not Connecticut. I still receive except once when i slept w up. The fact that his letters and postcards from under a windmill. To keep ghter had disappeared a few of my Danish friends. myself occupied during the My most memorable day, I practised my Latin out a trace was likely to "lift" came from a ten-year- conjugations and declene him and the others ome some discomfort. old boy. His name was sions, and counted all the lly, he would proba- Christopher, and he was cows I saw. llost interest at 11 me if he found me, or the son of a farmer whose cow number 500. On August 3, 1988, I knew of the predica- barn I had spent a night in. 1 had gotten myself Christopher found me in the arrived, on foot, in Glyne does not know to morning while he was doing gore. Glyngore being a go to page 16 .Y about my journey. his chores. I explained who �14 Editorial Notes The Experience of Tragedy A tot of the plays that we read at St. John's are tragedies. In this piece I am not going to attempt to find out what it is that makes a play a tragedy, and I am not going to go any further than my gut feeling about what it means to appreciate tragedy. Tragedies make us sad. They are written to make us sad. They are written to make us beat our breasts with the victim of the tragedy, tear our hair and cry bitter tears. Tragedy is not about metre, it is not about symbology, it is not even about motive or character. It is about man being brought down by his own folly and by the limitless power of the gods. There is no moral lesson, because man is by nature foolish (or at least not infinitely wise). Take away the fool in man and you no longer have a man. There is no justice in tragedy, because the gods do whatever the hell they want with man. They did not earn their authority, they do not deserve it, and they use it with nothing except spite and injustice. In every Seminar I have participated in where the reading was a tragedy, I have found myself and those around me studying and microscoping the play or poem to find some evil in a character who meets a bad end, or some justice in the god who decides his fate. We spend so much time on this that we forget to cry! We destroy the beauty and sublime feeling of the tragedy with a twisted sense of justice, and an overly-brained (for lack of a real word) sense of humanity. I know it is hard to cry. It is hard because all we have is the text of the play or poem, not its performance. It is hard because we do not have (or refuse to find) the time to read the play soulfully. And it is hard because we do not find it pleasant to cry. We are afraid. But there is a reason for tragedy. There is a reason that the playwright wants us to grieve. Perhaps it is only that grief is a profoundly human experience, an event of such profundity that it throws our bodies into convulsions and tears. At any rate, we have the responsibility as students and human beings to go the way the playwright wants us to go, and then see, if we will, how we have been changed by the experience of tragedy, or what it has reminded us of. I hope that this little essay will only be the beginning of a long conversation about what it means to be human, and what it means to take part in the experience of tr(lgedy. -- KEVIN JOHNSON '93 As an introduction to spired their readers and not only in the Great Books the new school year and a were in turn blessed with we read, but in the advensecond volume of The Col- the fruits of this inspiration. tures we have and the legian, I would like to reOften it appears as if people we meet. While glancing mind readers of the formal this species of excitement beginning of the American is lacking in our lives today, through a book of Thoreau's women's movement in the and that our world is be- works the other day, I came 1830's. coming narrower and more across an essay begun with The women's move- limited. Motions in the a line of poetry by Ralph ment was linked closely Annapolis business com- Waldo Emerson, who was with the industrial revolu- munity reflect this. In the not only a contemporary of tion. Factories were in need past few years, three of the Thoreau's, but a friend of of a workforce, and young best bookstores in Anna- his. They celebrated themwomen, made conscious polis have closed down. selves, their excitement in of their own humanity by Businessesknownfortheir the world, and each other. national efforts to abolish historical value and unique- They recorded the poetry slavery, provided this work ness forget their heritage, of their lives as it occured. It is the hope of The force. At the time, factories and are less frequented Collegian that St. John's andthe communities which than trendy establishments sprung up around them which are slick, suave, and students will record the poetry of our life as it ocprovided women access to devoid of character. independence and freeThe inertia of the sur- curs, its struggles and dom. Gathered together in rounding city can be seen triumphs. It will be the fresh, new boarding- in the College. Classes duty of The Collegian to houses tended by matronly become dull and listless provide a place for this care-takers, the minds and because students are too expression. The staff will hearts of the women took timid to interrupt the flow of do its best to perform this flight. conversation or to express duty. We cannot publish The excitement and what they believe about a everything, but let· it be innovativeness of the pe- text or concept. Worst of understood that every reriod had no bounds. The all, many students, myself turned manuscript comes souls of those women, included, are afraid to con- with a tacit invitation for a naive and sipping the first frontthetexts and concepts new, different, improved draughts of freedom, took thoroughly enough to form expression. We will give old of newfound spiritual beliefs about them. The each piece as even-handed nd intellectual life with ideals of the College are a judgment as we are caor. This life gushed forth used as guises for personal pable. Sometimes in this poetry, scribblings, art- faults. Compromise and endeavor The Collegian rk, conversations -- and equivocal "open-minded- may offend, but maybe in nd expression in study- ness" are often thin dis- some cases it will inspire ups and publications. guises for mental flaccidity - and at the least, do some much-needed "stirring-up" These publications and lack of conviction. re chronicles of a spiriTimidity and confor- of the community. 1 movement as it oc- mity is unwarranted. We ed. Their abundance are young, and we come edacommunitythriv- into contact with new and ith ideas. They in- exciting ideas every day -- �16~~~~~~~~---.~~~~~~~~~--..~~~~~~~~~ small town, I had no problem finding the marina. I presented myself at the office of the school and was told I had missed my boat. I must have looked pretty scruffy, since at first the woman in charge did not believe that I was who I said I was. My passport cleared that up, and I proceeded to find out if there was anything she could do for me. Thre was a space on a boat leaving that day. The woman's only concern was that all the other stu- dents on the boat were Danish, and not likely to be fluent in English. I said that I would take the space and do the best I could with the language problem. I had learnedoneortwophrases in my travels, the most useful of which had been, to this point, "Tak for mad," which means, "Thank you very much for the very nice meal." · I boarded the yacht that I would spend the next four weeks on, sailing all over the Limfjorden, see- Jng much more of Denmark, and having more adventu res. But those stories will have to wait for another day. Oh, by the way, I still have the one penny that was in my pocket. I never had any need to spend it. -- MERRILL POND '93 The publishing policy of The Collegian is to treat all writers or artists and the pieces they submit with respect. It seeks to be an outlet for the intellectual and creative life of the community. Whether published or not, all material is welcome for review -- from students, faculty, alumni and friends of St. John's. No revision will be adopted without the inform and consent of the writer. Response is invited to any of the views expressed within these pages. Please address correspondence and criticism to Box 391 Campus Mail. NEXT DEADLINE: Thursday, October 11 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Collegian Description An account of the resource The Collegian began as a student newspaper; became a college community literary publication in 1952 and continued until 1969; became a student newspaper again in 1969; discontinued publication from 1980 until 1989 when it again became a student literary publication.<br /><br />Click on <a title="The Collegian" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=26">Items in The Collegian Collection</a> to view and sort all items in the collection. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 16 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The Collegian 27 September 1990 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-09-27 Title A name given to the resource The Collegian, September 27, 1990 Description An account of the resource Vol. II, Issue 1 of The Collegian. Published on September 27, 1990. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brooks, Tequila (Editor) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/8692ac653905bf644772bdbdc9a0e056.pdf ade259a62bce835cd21ea91034f92d31 PDF Text Text ; a time in every man's education when he arrives at tne :m that envy is ignorance; that imitaJion is suicide; that he himself for better, for worse, as his portion. ~e -- Ralph Waldo Emerson The Collegian first est. 1888 Friday, October 26, 1990 Volume II Issue 2 Sex and Violence: The Genius of Western Literature Lately when the urge to read something beyond the pale strikes, I open up Camille Paglia's Sexual Personaeto any page, and read. I fully expect to be engrossed, titillated, and arrested, as though I were embarking on a tour of the Times Square of Western literature. Ms. Paglia believes (1) that Man's achievements are a frenzied attempt to vanquish devouring Mother Nature, (2) that despite our revulsion to Nature, we are compulsively drawn back to her via sex, (3) that relations between the sexes always have and always will play out the drama between Man and Nature, and (4) the day we cease to be creatures chained to biology and sexuality art will die, because the imaginative interplay of sexual personae generates Western art and literature. That is the kernel of Ms. Paglia's philosophy. She has a conservative's prof o u nd disdain for Rousseau and nature sentimentalized; she has a libertine's disdain for American puritanism. She is a BOOK REVIEW: SEXUAL PERSONAE THE APPEAL OF TRAGEDY FOR YOU AND I LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DRUG POLICY PIONEERS MOVIE REVIEW: "DIVA" ON MANNERS, PART 2 GILDED VERSES: POEM TRANSLATION GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JUDAS UNTITLED SKETCH MAN LIES SLEEPING Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson by Camille Paglia New Haven: Yale University Press 00 $35 · ~-----------' consummate twentiethcentury pagan. I cannot do justice to a 700-page volume in this short space, but I can outline its premises and some of its conclusions with the same anticipatory glee its controversial author obviously feels. Sexual Personae launches itself from Nietzsche's axiom that all MLINKO NEWMAN ROBERTS MUELLER COVEY BROOKS SCHOENER de Nerval DOLAN NEASE KELLEY ACOSTA JOHNSON, GILLAN I St. John's College, Annapolis, MD 21404 p. 1 p. 4 p. 9 p. 10 p. 13 p. 14 p. 16 p. 18 p. 19 p.20 p. 22 p.24 p. 27 �2~~~~~~~~~,----~~~~~~~~~.-~~--~~~~~ art is Apollonian or Dionysian (here "chthonian"), and chiefly follows the Romantic/Decadent tradition of Western art in order to show that our origins, our darkness, our violence and slavery to sex are still with us despite Apollonian science and Christianity. Nature is our Mother, a cruel, viscous mother. Sex, being our direct link to Nature, is imbued with aggression whether we acknowledge it or not. Artists, from Euripides to Coleridge to Emily Dickinson, have married sex and violence in discreet and obvious ways. Apollonian art--from the severe, beautiful, ancient Nefertiti bust to sentimental Wordsworth-has tried to keep in place the veil of beauty by which we are allowed to endure existence. Chthonian art seeks to rend that veil. So does Camille Paglia. Beginning with expositions on the Venus of Willendorf and the Nefertiti bust as examples of the Chthonian and Apollonian, Ms. Paglia journeys down into the circles of art. The sexual personae of both artists and their work unlock the atomic energy that holds together the psyches of men and women. We have the "Beautiful Boy" of the Greeks and fin-de-siecle Decadents (the Kouros statues, Dorian Gray); the vampires of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and Les Fleurs du Mat, the incestuous siblings of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Shelley's "Epipsychidion." Other sexual conceptualizations like narcissism, rape, homosexuality, and . - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 sadomasochism appear everywhere in the Western STAFF canon. The exclusion of the Marquis de Sade from the canon, in Ms. Paglia's Ange Mlinko '91 opinion, is hypocritical; it is Robby Nease '92 just another instance of the Molly Hinshaw '93 Acad8my's puritanical or Vanessa Stratton '93 liberal squeamishness. Kelly Rock '94 (For t'1ose who would read Scott Saxman '94 de Sade on their own, she Dawn Beltz, GI offer~ this advice: Don't read iim before lunch.) Tequila Brooks, editor Even the authors of Western literature must Kevin Dungey, faculty attempt psychosexual readvisor combination of their own selves to achieve beauty of Printed at St. John's the first magnitude in their College Print Shop works. Men must feminize themselves; women must masculinize themselves. Clearly, in a world where Nature is a cruel Mother, and sex is a subset of Nature, the roles of the sexes and relations between them create a formidable force field, profoundly real, disturbing, and insurmountable. Woman is "Nature's proxy" in the minds of men. Even in her own mind, Woman is irrevocably chained to Nature's cycles; her body, round, fatty, liquidy, fastens her to childbirth even as it keeps hidden its processes in a 't£V£µocr, sacred place, where the eye cannot penetrate. Man, his mind and body shaped like an arrow, a phallus, protests against the mystery of Nature, the miasma of his origins, the inevitable return to those origins in death. Man's fear of Nature, which has driven him to create civilization, science, and aestheticism, drives him away from women and their archetype as well. Sex is power: men physically overpower women with it, but wome psychically overpowe men. The structure o drama (tension, climax, de nouement) imitates man sexuality, as does histo "Ironically, sexual succe always ends in saggingf tunes anyhow ... Men en in triumph but withdraw decrepitude. The sex cruelly m1m1cs history's decline and fall" (p.20). In Ms. Paglia's view, the state of affairs between men and women is essentially incapable of change. The myths that cast earth as female, sky as male, female as identification, male as objectification, are unshakable, much to modern feminism's discredit. Moreover, the great achievements of men as compared to women cannot be blamed on society but on woman's innate lack of desire to fight Nature. Sheistoomuchofarealist, too comfortable in her nature; she has nothing to prove (after all, she can bear children). We have no female Leonardo, Ms. Paglia states, because we have no female Jack the Ripper. Great art and great crime spring from the same source--rage against Nature. Many women today, yself included, do not t to accept such limita- hauvin, a soldier of lean I, who, in 1815, ired much notoriety bellicose attacho the lost imperial (Webster's). ~----~ tions. But to be a woman does not mean that one always identifies with female personae, just as men do not stick to male personae. All great women have been Apollonized women, objectifying their Chthonian natures. Emily Bronte does it in Wuthering Heights, Emily Dickinson in her poetry. The stylized bust of ruling Nefertiti pares femininity down to severe ApolIonian lines, and even Jane Austen's genteel Emma has its undercurrents of sexual ambivalence. Hence Ms. Paglia boldly reasserts ancient female archetypes while acknowledgingthatwomen do switch masks. She does what our society is afraid to do: allow women to reject Nature. Take, for example, society's sentimentalized view that normal women ought to desire motherhood. Ms. Paglia p Jints out: Everypregnantwoma11has bodyandselftakenoverby a chthonian force beyond her control. In the we/come pregnancy, this is a happy sacrifice. But in the unwanted one, initiated by rape or misadventure, it is a horror. Such unfortunate women look directly into nature's heart of darkness (p. 11 ). Thus do abortion and contraception stand among the achievements of sci- ence, art, and civilization as that which frees us from the anarchism and amorphism of Nature. Such a book as Sexua/ Personae, with its often stunning prose style, graphic treatment of sex and violence, and shocking stances toward cultural taboos, generates all kinds of excitement and dismay. It cannot be politically pigeonholed, a revelation for those of us who thought the modern American marketplace of ideas was dominated by Allan Blooms on the one hand and postmodern-feminist-marxiststructuralists on the other. This is a great book about the terrible dichotomy of mind and body. man and woman, and the art it gives birth to. In a society which seems to be moving, quite rapidly, toward an all-Apollonized state (from testtube babies to silicon man), this book seems almost an elegy. But for those of us who still live in the body, who idolize art, and who want to understand it and our own natures better, this book is important. Ruth1 less and painful, it reveals the truths and falsehoods embedded in our heart of contradictions. -- ANGE MLINKO '91 �111111----------------------~~The Appeal of Tragedy Why is it that men enjoy feeling sad at the sight of tragedy and suffering on the stage, although they would be most unhappy if they had to endure the same fate themselves? -- St Augustine ( Confessions, Ill, 2) Consider the following scenario. You are home after an exacting week of work, having finally earned a brief respite from the burden of being a productive memberof society. You have a quite understandable need for recreation, and you wish to be entertained. Perhaps you are with your spouse, lover, or friend, and you are trying to decide how most agreeably to spend the few hardwon hours of freedom allotted to you. This person you are with offers a suggestion: "Let's go watch the spectacle of an intelligent, conscientious, successful man who slowly and inexorably, through no fault of his own, brings a horrendous and irrevocable fate on himself, on the discov- ery of which he gouges out his own eyes in horror and grief, his wife hangs herself, and he becomes a shunned exile from his land." This sounds like a rewarding way to spend your evening, and so off you go to the theater. There is, I submit, something strange about this. What is the nature of our attraction to such a spectacle? St. Augustine seems to consider it a dangerous perversion of the natural, virtuous feeling of compassion. A virtuous man, when confronted with suffering, will feel pity for the poor wretch. Augustine observes that the sensation of pity is one which we find pleasurable, because ''friendly feelings well up in us like the waters of spring." He makes emphatically clear, however, that the only truly virtuous pity is one that wishes its object's suffering would end and takes steps to effect this. In other words, true pity wishes it had no object. Perhaps for Augustine the "friendly feelings" that we get out of this type of pity are the pleasurable sensations of virtuein-action. This is a morally slippery kind of pleasure, however. If you start to value it, you can easily find yourself in the reprehensible position of someone who wants others to suffer so that he can pity them. This is a feeling which, rather than responding to an object that it wishes did not exist, actively seeks an object, the more pitiable the better. Can this type of pity possibly arise from the same source as the first, "virtuous" kind? At first glance it does not seem so. Can it possibly be out of compassion that you wish to see someone else suffer? Perhaps it is the pleasure that Lucretius describes thus: It's sweet, when winds blow wild on open seas, to watch from land your neighbor's vast travail, not that men's miseries bring us dear delight but that to see what ills we're spared is sweet; This would be a good explanation were there not so many things which seem to point to the conclusion that men's miseries do bring us delights. Even Augustine, recalling his own theater-going days, says, However, in those unhappy days I enjoyed the pangs of sorrow. I always looked for things to wring my heart and the more tears an actor caused me to shed by his performance on the stage, even though he was portraying the imaginary. distress of others, the more delightfu/ and attractive found it (Contessions, II 2). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5 certain intuitively understood things that cannot be explained meaningfully to someone who hasn't experienced them. I bring this up merely in order to state that what follows is my own The word catharsis attempt at understanding (Ka8apma) has become tragic catharsis, and not possibly the most-widely- something that I can claim dropped and never-satis- to be quoting from Aristotle, factorily-explained literary though it may be in line with term that high school teach- what he tells us. At any rate, Aristotle's ers ever wrote on the board for students to take notes use of the word implies that on and later identify in a he somehow considered multiple choice quiz. As a the tragic experience to be Greek word, it has no such purging rather than conpretensions. It simply taminating. Since this efmeans cleansing or purifi- fect is presented as the end Was it any wonder that I, cation, usually from guilt or toward which tragic writing the unhappy sheep who defilement. As for Aris- is aimed, to understand the strayed from your flock, totle's widely touted "The- appeal of tragedy we must impatientof your shepherd- ory of Catharsis," I can find make an attempt to undering, became infected with only one place where the stand the nature of this a /oathesome mange? word is used in the whole of cleansing. There may be a Hence my Jove of things the Poetics, where Aristotle way of approaching this which made me sad. I did summarizes his definition which simultaneously planot seek the kind of sorrow of poetic tragedy and says cates Augustine. Remember that, for hich would wound me that it contains "incidents Augustine, pity is someeeply, for I had no wish to arousing pity and fear, dure the sufferings which wherewith to accomplish its thing you feel for the suffersaw on the stage; but I catharsis of such emotions" ing of others -- specific ifoyed the fables and fie- (1449b 27). The word is others suffering specific s, which could only used in passing. Nowhere pains. Pity is aroused in e the skin. But where does he expound on what it you for a certain person fingers scratch, the skin means, what it entails, or that you see, in real life or undergoing mes inflamed. It what it feels like. He ana- onstage, Ts and festers with lyzes in detail the literary trauma. Thus, if you enjoy devices which must be this pity, you are dependskillfully employed to make ent on suffering, real or ugustine believes it happen, but it seems that invented, to occasion your e feelings aroused in Aristotle assumes you enjoyment. It is dangerous know what he is talking .,.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ or activities do not themselves to about when he mentions Mr. Newman's essay was ivities -- they in- catharsis itself. Perhaps submitted in response to spread into your the Greeks did, and it is in Mr. Johnson's note in the ffect your actions character for Aristotle to last issue. ding your soul to recognize that there are ' - - - - - - - - - - - - lies· not in seeing your own good state in the favorable light of comparison with another's misfortune; it somehow lies in taking upon yourself vicariously the other's misfortune. It lies in being made to cry, in the experience of being possessed by a powerful emotion. Perhaps it enables us to experience some of the most powerful human emotions without suffering the circumstances that give rise to them in real life. Augustine maintains that this is not without danger, however: new depths of depravity. How can we reconcile his vividly repellent metaphor to Aristotle's apparent belief that tragedy does precisely the opposite? �6~~~~~~~~~.-~~~~~~~~-.~~~~~~~~~- because, if you enjoy it in a play, how long will it be before you enjoy it in real life and look for (or even manufacture) real suffering? An understandable fear perhaps, but one that is obviously not usually taken too seriously, except by the occasional criminal who tries to get off the hook by saying he was warped by cartoons during his childhood. Most people seem to believe (or to want to) that the line between fantasy and reality is firmly drawn in any mature mind, and that being moved by a well-played death scene does not make you want to kill your neighbors for extra enjoyment. At this point I would like to introduce a statement of Aristotle's. Hence poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are of the nature rather of universals, whereas those of history are singulars (Poetics 1451b5). Perhaps Augustine is worried about people becoming complacent about historical suffering while Aristotle is talking about recognizing and dealing with the universal suffering. The fact is that suffering is not simply an occasional phenomenon that virtuous men have to be prepared to deal with every once in a while. unavuidable part of human with which we, in our innoexistence. I do not say this cence, are infected. Nor is in ar·y fatalistic or pessi- it an unwholesome activity mistic way, nor do I think to which our otherwise that the fact of suffering healthy souls become means we should focus on addicted. It is something it as the central part of life. which we must embrace We must, however, recog- precisely because we are nize that though we are constantly seeking to deny capable of happiness, it is it. simply not within our power Aristotle spends a lot to extend it indefinitely. of time on the types of Even if we are flawless in characters and plots that our actions, there will al- make good tragedy. The ways be circumstances not poet must make his prounderourcontrolwhich are tagonist a man that we can capable of laying our lives identify with, an essentially waste. To admit anything good man, thought not less would be fooling our- "preeminently virtuous and selves. just," who makes a mistake How do we deal with that we could imagine ourthis? I don't think that one selves making. Obviously, can face life every day with watching a criminal get his these thoughts foremost in just desserts is not tragic. one's mind. We tend to ac- For Aristotle, neither is knowledge their truth, file watching a good man be them away somewhere, brought down by a Shakeand go on trying to be spearean "tragic flaw" -happy. We cannot leave such a man still chooses them filed away, however. and deserves his fate. They are too strong, too Rather, the essence of traginherent in everything we edy is when you are desee around us. They stroyed by an error of judgdemand recognition. Be- ment, by circumstances foretheywillleaveusalone, yol,J could not have been they must somehow be expected to foresee. The purged. Thus the need for horror of real tragedy is that tragedy is not something it can happen to anyone. It 1 1111•••••••••111••••••••.. It is exposure to ideas, instances of philosophical insight, that occasion the greatest and most longlasting excitement. But to stop at the point of reception, to simply receive the ideas of others, however valid or brilliant, quite misses the basic point, which is that exposure to the ideas of others properly ought to lead to the creation of one's own. It is a n • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • - is not reserved to mythological heroes and royal families. No matter who you are, you strive for happiness inyourown way, and no matter how virtuous you are, you are not omniscient. When you see Oedipus gouge his eyes out ~n despair, when you see his world annihilated by freak twists of circumstance and his virtue serving to accelerate his destruction, look a little higher. Floating just over his head there is an invisible neon sign which reads, "This means YOU." Perhaps the purging nature of tragedy lies in the act of surrender to it, in the total realization that it is us. When we experience that helplessness, that despair, as acutely and completely as is possible, perhaps there is nothing more it can do to us. Having forced us to experience the horror of pur essential vulnerability, • has done its worst. Havg done its worst, it must n dissipate. It will re' to be sure, but for now s been accepted, and gh that experience, tralized. Despair, like piness, is not infinitely ·nable. The tragic must utilize all his skill ake the tragedy the complete, compelling, ing example of hu'rcumstance imaginnce we have expethe worst, there are e tears to shed and nowhere to look We are inured temporarily to the spectres of what might happen to us because we have already surrendered to their apotheosis and emerged whole. This journey through the heart of the universal suffering actually gives us strength to fight against whatever historical suffering we may encounter. There must be another way to approach this effect. While the type of catharsis I have described may be necessary, I'm not sure that it is appealing. It sounds more like regular immunization shots than like something you do for entertainment. Nietzsche in his Birth of Tragedy seems to focus more on the level we are trying to understand -- the realization within man from Vlhich tragedy springs ano the kind of mentality that enjoys it. His metaphysics are a tad on the malevolent side compared to Aristotle's. To Aristotle, "All human happiness or misery takes the form of action; the end for which we live is a certain kind of activity, not a quality" (Poetics 1450a 16). Now we are given Silenus to deal with, and the assertion that it would be better for us not to live at all. Silenus and Nietzsche combine to. tell us that it is the very fact that we are individuals capable of action and of fooling ourselves that action is efficacious which causes misery. The Apollonians, with their dream images of gods whom they wish to become as far as possible, are accused of not facing up to reality. And what is reality? Nietzsche quotes Schopenhauer's image of the "stormy sea that, unbounded in all directions, raises and drops mountainous waves, howling ... " The problem is notthatthe world has certain destructive elements in it, the problem is that the world is a maelstrom of destruction. Or rather, it is inevitably such in relation to anything that tries to be independent of it. If we were not alive, if we were not individuated, if we were simply merged with the world, then we would simply take eternal part in its flux and there would be no conflict. The reason we are better off dead or unborn is that life is tied to the principium individuationis and so anything living is, by the very fact of its life, set against the world. Thus lite does not merely entail conflict, lite is conflict. If this is so, one might reasonably conclude that the most logical action of someone possessing the "wisdom of Silenus" would be suicide. In both the Attempt at Self-Criticism and the piece itself, Nietzsche toys with the idea that clinging to the principium individuationis and the Apollonian images it creates for itself is an act of �9 a~~~~~~~~~,--~~~~~~~~~.-~~~~~~~~~ cowardice, a decline of strength; that Socrates, in attempting to find (or impose) order in the world was shielding himself against truth. If the real act of courage is in recognizing the world as Nietzsche says it is and throwing away Apollonian pretension, is not death the ultimate merging with the world, the ultimate rejection of the principium? Yet Nietzsche does not advocate suicide. He wants to throw away Apollonian pretension, yes -- but not the life that it serves. Why is this? At first it leads me to suspect that he is not altogether convinced of his own theory, like a Socrates who can't drink the hemlock. Are we playing word games while still being unable to give up the life that we say is worthless? Or is life really worthless? What is itthat someone like Nietzsche values? Everywhere you glance, the answer comes back: strength, laughing courage, defiant vitality. Suicide would merely be a surrender of a different kind. Given the world as it has been described, there is a more courageous response to it. The real challenge is to recognize the hostility of reality and choose to live in spite of it. Yes, I will cling to my individuality, not in fear of reality but in defiance of it. I will face the fact that my Apollonian images are mere fac;ades, and continue to build them all the same. And as the perfect expression of my mode of existence, I have the tragedy. For Nietzsche the tragedy is at once a payment of homage to the maelstrom and a gauntlet flung in its face. It is a recognition of the fact that man is essentially helpless in the face of the powers that surround him, yet this recognition is expressed in the terms of one who has no intention of surrendering to it. Mere acceptance would make tragedy superfluous. One who surrenders to futility does not write plays about it -- or do anything else constructive, for that matter. Tragedy is the paradox of constructively depicting the ultimate futility of construction. To fully worship Dionysus you must be an individual to start with. You must willingly lay aside that individuality for a time, but you do so knowing that at some point you will pick it up again. When you do so you may find your son's head in your hands. This is part of the horror of the maelstrom and the courage of giving into it, letting it do its worst, then once again setting yourself as its adversary. We are talking of a tragedy, however, not Bacchic frenzy. Tragedy is a giving-in of a different nature, a synthesis of the maelstrom and the god. Just as the drama onstage is an Apollonian image of the negation of all images, you as a spectator are an individual allowing your individuality to be annihilated without ever really losing it. After the last chorus you will be yourself again, and you will return safely to the life you had before. The soul, while it can allow itself to take on the maelstrom and be lost in it, is irrevocably tied to the principium and thus will find its way back. Much like Odysseus who, trusting the bonds that keep him from losing himself forever in the sea, defiantly abandons himself to the power of the sirens, the tragic spectator lets universal terror into his soul while knowing that ultimately it cannot tear him away from his identity. Perhaps here is the true appeal of tragedy: the thrill of having it both ways; the passion of experiencing the most intense feelings known to man without being conquered by them; the rebellion of acknowledging the unassailability of Moira while hurling a spear at her; the exhilaration of taking upon yourself the suffering of all humanity and then seeing it melt around the flame of your individuality. '.for You and L rrrying to '.find ~nt Money Oh Moira, when we struggle with ourselves, when our typewriters live on our beds (mine is even electric) when we sell our visions, our dreams of "maybe if," and go to love in a closet, when we spend long days in a kitchen, chopping onions -- reading old copies of American Poetry Review and Rolling Stone (borrowed from friends who have subscriptions), when we learn what it means to work too long too hard waiting tables in some side-street, open 24 hours, reeking of coffee stains, restaurant -we will know the phone bill is past due and that there are better poets than we whose sacred words we cannot afford -I will not turn back to tunnel through these books, these minds of the great philosophers, which are so far less real than chopping onions in the kitchen, soaking in a bath full of tea after work, playing trashy, electro-Eurofag-dance music too loud on the stereo Sunday afternoons, forgetting to feed the cat his breakfast, walking to the laundromat with our arms full, clothes stuffed into two paper grocery bags, driving to Baltimore in the old, green jalopy to the Friday open reading at the Harvest Moon cafe and stealing salt packets from the Burger King in town for our generic popcorn cooked in an old, copper-bottomed pot that had two owners before us. We will not turn back from days such as these; is from days such as these at we learn to move forward. -- FRANCIE ROBERTS '93 -- CHRIS NEWMAN '91 �10 Drug Policy in the United States: Prohibition and f En orcement Twenty-four years ago the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice met in Washington, D.C. During the conference the fact came forth that one half of all arrests made annually in the U.S. was for public drunkenness. The Commission recommended that public drunkenness not be considered a crime, that it is a medical and social problem, and that, unless it is accompanied by the attempt to operate a motor vehicle, the threat of assault, or the destruction of property, the problem of public drunkenness is not a police problem. Since the time when these recommendations were made, police have widely adopted that approach. Not one police officer in the U.S. was laid off because he had nothing to do, although one half of all arrests had been eliminated. "Traditionally, all levels of government burden the police with medical, social, and political problems. The attitude is 'we have a problem. Let's pass a law, make something illegal, and let the cops handle it.' If you examine the selection process for police candidates, and if you examine the training of police officers, you will see that there is nothing which qualifies them to deal with medical, social, or political problems." Ralph Salerno, former Supervisorof Detectives for the New York City Police and former Chief lnvestigator for the Queens County New York D.A.'s office, spoke these words at the 20th annual conference of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Mr. Salerno has 42 years' experience com batting organized crime. "Consider the problem of the homeless, which up until recently was expected to be dealt with by police officers. Not recognized were the political problem of affordable housing, the medical problem of mental disabilities, and the social problem of substance abuse." Mr. Salerno beIi eves that current drug laws constitute a similar burden for police. Concerning the enforcement of drug laws, he said, "It is damaging and deleterious to the law enforcement community of the United States and to the people they serve." Mr. Salerno explained that40yearsago, New York City had Sunday Blue Laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol by delicatessen owners before one o'clock, but the law was on the books. Nobody enforced it, unless you wanted to be corrupt. Unless you wanted to make afiveortendollarbill. Then, if the owner didn't pay regularly, you could zap him ... I tell you, the problems of police corruption are far more severe, and far more dangerous to America, than anything that has resulted from the smoking of marijuana cigarettes." In the broad context, I say that although drug use may be a medical, social, or political problem, and may indicate a more basic social condition of which it is only a symptom, drug use by adults should not be a crime. Murder, overdoses, the spread of AIDS by needle, gang warfare, overcrowded prisons, and corruption result from dr prohibition, not from dr use. The popular opinion th violence, disease, a corruption result from dr use compels citizens demand that drug use eliminated. In fact, the v activity which law enfor ment seeks mainly to el' nate, i.e. violence, spread of disease, corruption, owes its existence to the environment created by drug prohibition. We would have avoided many front-page, drug related crimes, if we had in the past considered the use of substances to alter consciousness a social phenomenon which demands the attention not of police, but of qualified thinkers and healers. Instead, we have created an enormous, violent, complicated problem through prohibition. We must consider whether law enforcement can rid us of the problem. If law enforcement is to succeed, it must either eliminate the supply of drugs, or the demand for drugs. Let us first consider the supply, and how eff ectively our drug war has attacked it. The increasing disregard for civil rights and ilitarization employed in tercepting drugs coming to the country has had e success. Smuggling gs into the U.S. is more 'cult than ever before. increased difficulty has many unexpected etugglers in general no rbother trying to bring ana into the country. ave abandoned the smelly, relatively sive marijuana and eir activity on the • processed, eas• high profit marand opium com- As a result, two main trends have emerged. First, consumers in the U.S., particularly in cities, find that crack and heroin are obtained much more easily and less expensively than marijuana. Some analysts fear that like crack's popularity in the SO's, heroin may enjoy a massive resurgence in the 90's as an inexpensive, available drug. Second, the persistence of U.S. pot smokers to have their drug of choice has caused an enormous increase in home cultivation, much of it indoors. U.S. growers, employing advanced technology and breeding techniques, now produce marijuana widely considered superior to any that could be imported. Consider the nat Jre of the market created by prohibition, a market which has weathered every attempt to eliminate it. Coca and opium grow well in many countries. For most, the plants constitute the only source of the peasants' income. These peasants share no "moral obligation" with the U.S. citizen; the peasant's obligation is to 1 himself, his family, and his community. The people in producing countries have lived with coca or opium for thousands of years; they probably do not place the source of our drug problems in the plants they grow. Thus, all attempts to destroy crops lead to culti- vation in another area. The market is so lucrative for producers, smugglers, and dealers, that as long as the demand exists, someone will try to supply it. The more tightly the supply is squeezed, the more valuable the drugs become on U.S. streets. All kinds of criminals become involved, with so much money to gain. These are the crimes which make the headlines. Most overdoses result from the nature of the prohibition drug market. Because the value of small amounts like grams and half-grams is so high, most of the cocaine and heroin on the streets is cut a great deal. Not only does the junkie not know the purity of the doses he uses, but that purity can change tremendously from dose to dose. Any dose whose purity exceeds the range for which the junkie has developed a tolerance is an overdose. If the purity exceeds that range by too much, the overdose kills. Squeezing the supply produces many negative effects. The cost of eliminating the supply, if it is possible, must far, far exceed the great cost we pay now. It seems that policy would have a greater chance of success if it turned inward, concentrating on demand. In the first article of this series I reviewed the erosion of individual rights �~-:-~~~~~~.-~~~~~~~~.-~~~~~~~13 12~~~~~~~~.--~~~~~~~~-.-~~~~~~~~ resulting from increased efforts to eliminate the demand for drugs in the U.S. To concentrate effectively on the drug user and eliminate the demand, such infringements must become greater. The cost in rights is clear. On a more material level, the cost of the drug war within the country is already quite burdensome. In 1990 the total prison population in the U.S. passed the one million mark. This figure is twice the prison population of 10 years ago. It is three times that of 15 years ago. In federal prisons, 40% of inmates are there for violating drug laws. Drug law violators constitute 40%; this percentage does not include perpetrators of drug-related crimes. Jail cells currently cost from $15,000 to $40,000 apiece per year to maintain. The construction and maintenance of jails is thefastestgrowing item in many state budgets. To eliminate demand, across-the-board drug testing must become the rule in the United States. I can envision no other way, unless we develop a safer, cheaper, universally acceptable way for citizens to get high, and give it the fed era I government's blessing. Every drug ever introduced into our society has remained with us, to some degree. The highpowered hallucinogens of the 60's (LSD, STP, Ketamine, etc.) maintain a relatively small, low profile cult of citizens for whom these are the drugs of choi(.e. PCP, the highpow£-1red hallucinogen of the late 70's, still enjoys enormous popularity. Each subs~ance has its own story, but all have evaded extinction. The technology exists to test everyone who wants a job, a college education, welfare, unemployment benefits, a passport, you name it. If you want to register to vote, you have to pass a drug test. If you fail a drug test, you go to jail. I am certain that this approach will eliminate the demand for drugs. This approach will solve the problem. Of course, our prison population will grow explosively, at first, until citizens understand that we mean business. Can we afford this? We already spend in excess of $20 billion annually on the drug war. What will become of our mission when our economy shrinks, as is its nature to do periodically, and recession hits our pockets? Then we will certainly ask, "who benefits from this?" I think that the great majority of Americans receive no benefit from drug prohibition, for the simple reason that the great majority of Americans do not need drug laws to keep them from becoming ad- diets. I also think, however, that many Americans believe that they benefit from drug prohibition. Many Americans believe that an addict occupies every street corner, and a dealer every block. The media present such an illusion. Titillating cop shows depict a growing network of drug-crazed sociopaths arming themselves for massive warfare against the heart of the nation, preparing to rape daughters, enslave sons, and steal power lawnmowers. Many Americans also believe that drug laws prevent them from becoming addicts. If the substances are legally available, these citizens fear that somehow they will eventually try the drugs. Then, they think that they will kill someone or injure themselves while under the influence, or that they will become hopelessly addicted. Many Americans are so fearful and misinformed, that not only do they mistrust their own abilities to cope with these substances, but they think that no person could possibly use them without harm. Also, many Americans believe that a person who smokes pot is not as moral· as someone who does not How this is, I am uncertaini especially since there a 400,000 drugs available the U.S., of which ab 600 are illegal. Drugs everywhere. Without a moral evaluation, here are some figures for deaths directly caused by drugs (not drug-related), for the year 1988: A federal study estimates that from cigarettes, 350,000 died. Alcohol killed 150,000. Overdoses and complications caused by over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin claimed 250,000. Prescrip- tion drugs caused an estimated 750,000 deaths. All illegal drugs combined killed 5200 people. Marijuana killed no one. Who really benefits from drug policy? Politicians, to begin with, get a lot of mileage out of playing on people's fears. I need say no more about politicians an.d drug policy. Private drug testing firms benefit greatly from employers' beliefs that they profit from costly employee drug testing programs. Even if productivity and safety increases do not justify the cost of such programs, employers benefit from the increased control over employees' private lives. Every sort of moral entre- Pioneers Beneath the swaying white wagon top He walks, she rides through the tall grass That bends noiselessly beneath the wheels. He, beside the team, surveys a world Shut in by the brim of a hat, locked Into its place, each hill new and familiar As if waiting ten thousand years in the same place To surprise him with its rehearsed spontaneity. She, on the seat, sees less, her bonnet closed On three sides like blinders she has chosen To place on herself, locking out sky, wagon, And her husband, closing off all that tugs From behind her -- a fireplace and a garden, A stream and a stable and a Sunday morning drive -Watching the t~am that draws her as by a rope, Hand over hand, to an unfamiliar home. And falling a little behind is the boy who will sire men, The tired little child that will grow and marry and have children That will be free for a while because of the sacrifice He doesn't even know he makes. He, drooping his head, sees only the land that falls behind, The land that some less ambitious man will own For his own home lies far ahead. ' They move on together as if it were only a habit, A pose held for an artist that is not there to paint it; They sweep relentlessly towards the mountains And the father, walking stick in one hand, Stretches out the other as the land parts before them. -- JEFF COVEY '93 �11111---------------------~14~~~~~~~~~,---~~~~~~~~~,-~~~~~~~~~ preneur uses drug policy as an angle for increasing the authoritarian aspect of society. Increased enforcement of drug laws opens the door for all kinds of state control. When you teach school children nottotolerate drug use by others, when you rationalize the mistreatment of people who don't harm anyone else but who Convention and Chaos in "Diva" Beneix's "Diva" is a film about self-consciousness, intimacy and the different forms in which good and evil manifest themselves. "Diva" is a multi-layered film which takes conventional views of what is considered correct, proper and symmetrical in human life and turns them upside down, wrenches them inside-out and reveals them to be merely chimerae. Good comes in many different, sometimes bizarre and unrecognizable forms. What at first appears chaotic may be good and what appears orderly can be the most insidious, doublesided evil. The plot in the film is convoluted, consisting of multiple storylines taken from different aspects of the life of a French delivery are different because they smoke pot, it is very difficult not to rationalize other forms of intolerance of people who are different. We have a continuum of policy available to us. We are not imprisoned in a black or white choice of total prohibition or complete legalization. I find that, given the costs of current policy and its benefits, some fair amount of drug decriminalization is the best choice. I consider this choice necessary to maintain some notion of individual freedom and dignity in this country, and to avoid a country where social control and conformity are the greatest good. boy named Jules. One aspect is the romance between Jules and the American Diva Cynthia Hawkins, another is the mystery of an international prostitution and drug ring, and a third is the friendship between Jules, Alba -- a young Vietnamese woman -- and Gorodish, Alba's boyfriend. The romance addresses the concept of self-consciousness; the mystery addresses the nature of "The System" and how it perpetrates the evil it purports to combat; the friendship depicts a richer, more detailed form of human intimacy than is depicted in most American films. Throughout the film is a mix-up of two tapes -- one an illegal recording of a concert, and the other a tape containing incriminating evidence about the leader of the drug and prostitution ring. The film commences in an opera-house at the recital of a world-renowned songstress (Diva), Cynthia Hawkins. Miss Hawkins has never cut a record. She will not waver from the conviction that the performance depends directly upon interaction with the audience. Jules, who is in love with Miss Hawkins, makes a high-quality recording of the recital. Jules steals Miss Hawkins' gown, which he uses as a device to meet her in her home. Everything about the romance of Jules and the Diva is paradoxical and unconventional. Miss Hawkins is black; Jules is white. She is a woman with status, fame and money; he is an unknown delivery boy who rides his moped around Europe to attend herconcerts. Nonetheless, Jules pursues Miss Hawkins relentlessly. She is weakened and charmed by his total devotion to her. Because she is a Diva, and acts out of caprice, spontaneously and without pre conceived notions, Mis Hawkins is a free agent an accedes to spend an ev ning with Jules. She r sponds as herself to Jule -- LEE MUELLER '91 not as her social class to his. Both characters listen to their hearts, not to convention, which often serves to divide people along unnatural lines. Jules is the first, the only person to hear Miss Hawkins practice in her home. She grants him a view of herself which no other person has ever had. Because of this Jules is instrumental to Miss Hawkins' reaching self-consciousness. At the end of the film, Miss Hawkins stands alone on the stage facing the empty operahouse. Jules plays the recording of her recital; she is motionless. Finally, she says, "I've never heard myself sing before," and reaches for his hand. Miss Hawkins has become the udience of her own voice. he has become the gazof one self-consciouss into another. The Drug and Prostin Ring enters Jules' lite n a barefoot woman in nchcoat places the -- unbeknownst to -- in the saddle-bag moped. Two thugs a ineffectual cops duced. It becomes .ter in the film that d of the Ring is spector of Police both the thugs cops operate unme boss. Both tape, and they ilar methods to Jules -- they "ntimidate him. The mindless acts of the cops and the thugs are equally instrumental in destroying the fabric of Jules' life. Jules meets Alba while she is heisting a record in a Impressed music-store. by her wit and wanting to know her trick, Jules follows her. He questions her about her life and she retorts tartly, "Don't want to know much, do you?" The record turns out to be a gift for a boyfriend who is in his "cool" stage. Jules takes refuge from his pursuers with Alba and her boyfriend Gorodish. Gorodish sits crosslegged in the middle of the floor meditating in front of a pile of puzzle-pieces, while Alba rollerskates around the room. The main article of furniture in the room is a bathtub. Gorodish explains the Zen of buttering bread to Jules while wearing a diving mask and snorkel. Alba sits on the refrigerator. "There is no bread, no butter -- only a motion," Gorodish tells Jules. Caviar is provided by Alba -another gift. In this home-scene and others like it, Beneix gives the viewer a look into the interior lives of his characters, and shows them being themselves -or being weird, as the case may be. They are not trying to live up to anyone else's standards, or put forward a veneer of hospitality. "This is our home. 15 You may stay if you wish, but don't expect us to change our habits for your benefit." This kind of account of the interior lives of characters and show of friendly affection is almost non-existent in American films. The household presented is highly irregular, apparently unstable. It isn't clear whether Gorodish is a friend or part of one or all of the evil conspiracies. Yet in the end, it is Gorodish who saves Jules from his pursuers, solves the mystery of the Prostitution Ring, and foils the recordpirates. At the start of the film, the puzzle on Gorodish's floor is a pile of pieces. The puzzle becomes more and more complete as the film progresses. Finally, right before the culmination, before he acts, Gorodish places the last piece -- a seagull -- in place. Gorodish saves Jules and the day not by con.fronting his foes, but by arranging it so that they destroy each other. Evil concatenates; it is predictable. It has a ~elf-destruct mechanism which blinds its possessor. Not so the Good. -- TEQUILA BROOKS '91 �~··----------------------~ 16 ~~~~~~~~~-u-no_p_p_o_s_e_d_o_n-ly~b-e_c_a-us-e--y-o~f-t~h-e~ir_o_w_n--:-fo_o_d~co-=-=-ns=t~i- Poseidon is feasting with tutes the sacrifice. the distant Aithiopians. This This ritual beginning of On Manners, small sign indicates to what the meal is clearly opposed degree Odysseus' fate is to the Cyclops' own cusPart tied to the sharing of food. toms. When Polyphemus One of the many dan- prepares his own meal, he gers of the Odyssey is, of sets nothing aside for the course, that Odysseus and gods, nor does he slaughEating and his men will become the in- ter his victims according to 1 Ritual gredients of someone any ritual, but simply slaps else;s meal. This is clear- them against the ground Behavior est in the episode in the so that their brains break in Homer's Cyclops' cave, in which open. He then butchers several of Odysseus' com- them carefully, "dividing Odyssey pan ions are lost to Pol- them limb by limb." Homer yphemus' appetite. even tells us what he drinks Homer focuses the with his meal, not wine but The Odyssey unfolds whole episode on manners, milk. This is one of the teras a series of meals which eating, and ritual behavior. rible meals in the Odyssey, are either beautiful cele- When they enter the cave brations of generosity, or of Polyphemus, Odysseus probably the most terrible. terrible meals which fail and his companions see It seems to me that three utterly -- with dire conse- that it is full of sheeps' milk, elements of it are not acciquences for the partici- cheeses and lamb kids. His dental but essential to its pants. (The Iliad, on the companions urge him to terrible nature: other hand, features only take some of the cheeses 1) the absence of two meals, both with the and leave immediately, but Odysseus insists that they wine; same host.) The Odyssey 2) the absence of gives a sign of the impor- remain "to see if he would sacrifice; tance of meals at the very give me presents." These 3) the unhesitating beginning of the poem. "presents" are, in Greek, tEVta, the tokens of guest- cannibalism. After telling us that Poseidon alone among the gods f rie nd ship-hospitality. The absence of wine did not pity the wandering Odysseus, for some reaOdysseus, we hear that he son, wants to see if the from the Cyclops' meal is not striking until Homer is reclining at the feasts of Cyclops has manners. Odysseus and his says that Polyphemus was the Aitheopians. These feasts are a singular occa- companions sit down to "drinking down milk unsion in Greek myths: no wait. They build a fire and mixed with water." The other god shares a meal select some cheeses to eat, adjective is aKp8oa; it is but first Homer says they elsewhere used almost exwith mortals. They do not clusively with wine (mvoa) Next Homer tells us sacrifice. slaughter a sheep, but evi- to such an extent that th that all of the other gods are gathered at this time on dence from a later episode noun mvoa is sometim . Olympus, where Athena is in th'.~ poem suggests that ellipsed. Now this lexical relat1 pleading for Odysseus' safe they must have incinerated return, she wins a promise soma of the cheese in their will bring wine to mind he of this from Zeus and is fire. This offering of some moreover, for us it is h II: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~---.~~~~~~~~~17 to imagine why sheeps' milk would be too strong to drink pure. Wine, more than milk, requires dilution for the sake of moderation. This sets up an antithesis between the milk which is named and the wine which is suggested. I think that the antithesis stands for the opposition between a) that which flows freely from the earth, on the one hand; and b) that which requires the intervention and effort of human beings for its production. In Hesiod's Golden Age, as in Eden before the fall, the earth gave forth its bounty without toil; but now, in our fallen age, we must toil and struggle for our food. That struggle takes the form of Agriculture. Wine is only the product of careful and sophisticated agriculture; milk is not, it sometimes spurts without coaxing from full udders. out seed-sowing or cultivation." They have no need for agriculture because they have no possibility for want. As in the Age of Gold, all the earth will always satisfy their needs. The Cyclops' unmixed milk is a sign of this unending bounty; the absence of wine points to Polyphemus' distance from the arduous tasks of winemaking. I suspect that his failure to offer sacrifice is also a sign of his easy life. To understand this suspicion, I will have to tell you how I understand the function of sacrifice. It seems to me to be first of all a sign of gratitude, this is why Odysseus sacrifices some cheese in the Cyclops' cave, he is glad to have found some food. This is also why offerings of "First Fruit" are traditional at the end of harvest, at the beginning of a meal. At the beginning of another important, much more propitious, meal for Odysseus, the pious swineherd Eumaios burns some offerings for the gods in gratitude for their meal. The sacrifice seems to indicate even more than gratitude for food but also true reverence for the sacrificial offering. Thus the head of the cow is often decorated with braids, with dyed cloth, with woolen crowns; its horns are often gilded. It is led peacefully to the altar, never dragged; water is sometimes placed before it so that it will nod its head in assent. At the moment the animal is felled, the audience, especially the women, cry out - Aeschylus calls this scream to EA.A.TtVtKov voµtaµa, a Greek custom. There is some terror and shock in the death of the animal. This seems to me to be Ill••••••••••••••••••• This is a frequent image from the Bacchae: the Maenads, at one with na'To Jlutumn ture upon their mountain, need only strike the ground But although Summer is dead, and Golden Autumn and milk flows; their unity is will soon pass away, we shall not be left altogether further demonstrated by desolate, for we have still stored up in the pages of their giving suck to fawns our immortal poets Seasons that are ever green · nd cubs. There is no and golden, and flowery, and which can never die. riculturewith its divisions And these we have but to open their green pages d oppositions in this and look at, and all the land will again ring with Vel; only the irrepressible music, while the trees shake their leaves in the sun, nty of Nature. as before the "inward eye;" there comes a blinding shower of undying flowers; for Chaucer has shed a he Cyclops' island also rs this bounty. Odysglory over our old winding highways ... while s says: "The-Cyclopes Shakespeare the immortal has "Warbled his native wood-notes wild." her plow with their ps nor plant anything, Thomas Miller, English Country Life II grows forthem w i t h - • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • �·---.... -------------------~ 1a~~~~~~~~-.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ an appropriate reaction for people who must struggle for their food. Precisely because it does not flow from the earth like milk from a teat, these humans show reverence and gratitude for their food. It is dear to them because of its potential scarcity on the earth, and because of the toil they have invested in its cultivation and harvest. They sacrifice because the food is so dear to them. Thus the hungry Odysseus sacrifices some cheese before he eats any himself. But the Cyclops knows nothing of the terror of starvation or the toil of tilling and harvesting. His milk and cheese are the allotments he has come to expect. He has no reason for reverence or gratitude; thus he consumes the sailors without any ritual offering. Odysseus wondered if his host had manners; now we know he has none. Not only does Polyphemus eat his guests but he does not even sacrifice first. This is because they are all part of the irrepressible bounty of nature for him. They are one more gift of the hills: why should he not eat them, or even sacrifice before doing so? I think that such times of bounty are terrifying because of the feelings of unity they inspire. When you feel connected to all things, not different from any of them, then it is easy to consume whatever you want. When ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - (ji{ded 'Verses Ah what! everything is sentient! Pythagoras o/ers 'Dores Eh quoi! tout est sensible/ Pythagore Homme, libre penseur! te crois-tu seul pensant Dans ce monde ou la vie eclate en toute chose? Des forces qua tu tiens ta liberte dispose, Mais de taus tes conseils l'univers est absent. Respecte dans la bete un esprit agissant: Chaque fleur est une ame la Nature eclose; Un mystere d'amour dans la metal repose; <<Tout est sensible I>> Et tout surton etre est puissant. a Grains, dans le mur aveugle un regard qui t'epie: A la matiere meme un verbe est attache ... Ne la fais pas servir quelque usage impiel a Souvent dans l'etre obscur habite un Dieu cache; Et comme un oeil naissant couvert parses paupieres, Un pur esprit s'accroit sous l'ecorce des pierresl (jirara ae 'J&rval milk flows from rocks, there are no boundaries. Holding yourself apart or away from anything would seem like a rejection of nature's bounty; and then, in such wonderful worlds, everything must be tasted. Greek myths point to the consequences of this in two places: here, in the Cyclops who is an omnivore to the point of cannibalism, and in the revels of the Maenads. Just as in the Bacchae, their revels traditionally end in OMOPHAGY- the indiscriminate eating of raw flesh. Sacrifice, I think, works against both of these tendencies; it institutes differences rather than encouraging unity, it erects barriers, establishes distance. I said before that the point of the sacrifice was to show gratitude and reverence for the food at hand. Now I will try to explain how in the world a ritual slaughter can demonstrate rever ence and gratitude. We saw above how th sacrificial offering is ho ored by its attendants. Man, free thinker! do you imagine only yourself thinking In this world where life cries out in all things? Your freedom compels the powers you hold, But from all your advice, the universe is withdrawn. Respect in the beast an active spirit: Every flower is a soul blooming in Nature; In metal a mystery of love slumbers; "Everything is sentient!" And everything is powerful over your being. Dread, from the sightless wall, a stare that penetrates you: To the matter itself a Word is bound ... Don't make it serve some impious purpose! In the dark creature a hidden God often abides; And like an emerging eye covered by its lids, An innocent spirit thrives beneath the crust of rocks! Translated by GEORGE DOLAN '92 think it is not unfair to say that they even treat it with fondness. Its death is a shock to them. Yet clearly its death was rought by them I They ecorated it and led it to the ltar for precisely this purse -- the spilling of its ood is the end they have ermined for it. How then they recoil at the .ughter? Precisely base the offering is dear em. They have raised ey depend on it as a ht animal, or for its or for its milk, or for at it will provide. But if it is so dear to them, why do they slaughter it? As a sacrifice. They slaughter it not for themselves but for the gods. This is the message of all sacrificial ritual: this offering is for you, 'not us. The ritual thus distances its participants from the very act it performs; it turns the slaughter into an act of reverence. The slaughter of a useful animal like a lamb or bull is fraught with danger in the fallen world of scarcity. Moreover, the animal might have been raised in the 19 farmyard: it might be familiar. Last of all, its slaughter will inevitably be bloody and gruesome. It is hard to slaughter even a chicken without covering oneself with gore. These thoughts fill the mind of the hungry farmer with trepidation. The slaughter seems ugly and perhaps greedy -- killing a useful animal just for his plate. Yet the aroma of roast meat beckons him. The sacrifice is the solution; it celebrates the animal, treats it gently and most of all, proclaims: this is not for me, it is for the gods. The ritual of sacrifice puts a comfortable distance between the hungry farmer and his victim. The slaughter of an animal by carnivorous farmers, or hunters, is only the most obvious case of this kind of trepidation. It seems to me that it applies to the consumption of all food in this fallen age of toil, even vegetables and cheeses. Odysseus' sacrifice in the cave is a sign of this: any time that food is scarce and its production depends on human effort, consuming it is a problematic act. It is problematic because it means eliminating a resource, uprooting a plant, picking a fruit, and putting.it to your own most personal use. The previously growing thing (this is the word for vegetable in Greek, <j>mov, a growing thing) is now �~~~~~~~~-.~~~~~~~~--.-~~~~~~~~21 20~~~~~~~-.~~~~~~~~-r~~~~~~~~ interrupted and ingested, purely for our own sake. There is a strange and small sign of the Greek sensitivity to this problem in Homer. In the Iliad, he speaks of the Inm:µoA.')Qt, the horse-milkers, who eke out a miserable existence with mare's milk as their only food. Because they eat neither animals nor plants, they have no share in the problem we outlined above. The sign of Homer's sensitivity to this problem? He calls the starving horsemilkers "OtKCl\.O'ta'tot aveprnnrnv," the most just of men. Because all eating in the fallen age is affected by the problem of eliminating and ingesting a resource, it becomes tinged with danger and selfishness. The sacrifice resolves both the purely vegetarian worries of consuming a resource and the anxieties of the carnivore before his violence by instituting a differ---------"'111 ence between offering and Mr. Schoener's lecture slaughter, reverence and will be concluded in the hunger. The farmer becomes a priest and his sad next issue. cow a glorious hecatomb. The same structure holds even in fruit offerings: any sacrifice is a sign that I, the harvester, am not interrupting or cutting short the bounty of nature for my sake. Rather, it shows that this harvest, this slaughter, is performed by the community, for the god. --ABRAHAM SCHOENER Tutor 1.----------~ The Gospel According to Judas In this, the third month of the year 3821, I, Judas of the Sikarii, also known as Joseph lskereot, do hereby inscribe the true events of a day thirty years ago which others of my acquaintance have been altering so that what they consider a necessary fiction can be perpetuated. The conspirators in this affair include, but are not limited to, those known as Peter, John and James the sons of Zebedee, Paul of Tarsus, and Jerusha of Bethlehem. Although James is dead, he participated, as I refused to, in what will probably become knov m as the greatest conspiracy in history. Unfortu 1ately, the truth may not be revealed for another century, and certainly not during my lifetime, as the movement called "Christianity" has a certain stubbornness that does not lend itself to easy eradication. Peter, John, and Paul, the self-styled evangelists, are promoting this movement in order to establish Jesus of Nazareth as the one true Messiah. I had this notion once, but the subsequent actions of Jesus' followers rapidly disabused me of that idea. The manuscripts that have been distributed to further this conspiracy contain a number of inaccuracies, even though they are supposed to be the truth. For example, the account written by Mark states that I betrayed Jesus for the sum of thirty pieces of siH ver. Even had I been in.: dined to betray him I woul not have committed th deed for so small an amou of money. Nearly every ite contained in Mark's count, or in any of the v ing accounts I have he is false. Let me relate, what I suppose should called the gospel ace ing to Judas, what actually me because I was satisfied even dare to suggest that I happened on that day in that Jesus was the Mes- would have used the kiss 3791. siah. This would have made as my method of identificaThe events took barely me an unpromising pros- tion. That is a mark of friendtwenty-four hours. Later pect for conversion to their ship, not betrayal. Again, writers expanded these side. As soon as they real- the evangelists' tales and events to include a second ized who I was, they at- the truth are barely related; meeting with Pontius Pi- tempted to call for the guard in this instance, Peter, late and a completely ficti- to arrest me. I fled before James son of Zebedee, and tious visit to Herod Anti- they said anything, though, I happened to be converspas, all for the sake of pro- and escaped with little diffi- ing with Jesus when the moting Jesus as the Christ. culty. Romans arrested us. Peter I will narrate the truth about When I mentioned this and James would not have that when the time comes. incident to Jesus and the wanted themselves impliThe first thing I must rest of the disciples, they cated in his arrest, so when say is that Jesus was true applauded my quick think- they first related the story to his beliefs. I can attest to ing and then apparently they asserted that I was the that unequivocally, sincel forgot the matter. I did not one who betrayed him. have always felt that I am realize then that the evan- They placed themselves as able to see into men and gelists would change this farfromJesusastheycould determine their sincerity. At thankfully brief meeting into have conceivably gone no time, either preceding a planned encounter be- without actually leaving or following his short pe- tween me and the priests. Geth-Semane entirely. I riod in Roman custody, did However, Jesus be- suppose that's because Jesus doubt for more than came a little worried. If the leaving the garden would the briefest of instants that priests knew enough to not have enhanced their he was the Messiah. I arrest one of his followers images in their potential myself did not begin to on sight, then Jesus him- converts' eyes. They indisbelieve until after our self might also be subject tended, and I believe still release. to immediate arrest. There- intend, to make me appear The first misstatement fore, we retreated hastily to the foulest traitor that ever oncerning me in the sto- the Garden of Geth-Se- trod upon the face of the ies I have heard concerns mane to rest for the night. Earth. Again, I assert that y meeting with two priests We were planning to return their stories, which are discuss my betrayal of to Jerusalem the next day; inconsistent and in some sus. That contains only our plans were unneces- places contradictory, mismerest modicum of sary. Our orderly but hur- represent the truth almost h. I indeed met with the ried flight from the city had completely. priests. However, I met been noticed by an alert Our captors roughly them accidentally, on guard who knew who we escorted the twelve of us, blic road. Far from of- were and had followed us and Jesus, to a Roman g me money to betray to Geth-Semane. prison. I must say that it s, they were openly Now I must note an- took considerable courage · e, since they recog- otherdiscrepancybetween for the other disciples to me as a follower of a my story and the enthusi- relate in their stories that I and disruptive ele- astic proselytizers of Chris- they had eventually fled the in Judaean society, tianity. They state that I site of the arrest. I believe of Nazareth. They identified Jesus for our they did this, however, to ot have approached captors, and some of them show the faith they must �~~~~~~~~~--.-~~~~~~~~~--.-~~~~~~~~~23 22 ~\ ( r~\~ \'\I > ·.~ \ -- OWEN KELLEY '93 have had to return to their beliefs in Jesus' divinity. After the following events transpired, I lost that faith, and I suspect that is why I am made the villain of the story. We languished in jail for what seemed an immeasurable period of time; however, it could not have been more than half a day when some of the guards came to take us to Pilate's chambers. A note about Pontius Pilate: I never liked anyone the Romans appointed to oversee we "heathen," but even I, having once been a radical terrorist, am forced to admit that Pilate was one of the least oppressive and corrupt administrators selected. Nevertheless, I wanted to see the man removed from office. I felt no animosity towards him except for a natural antagonism arising from my former membership in the Sikarii, one of the many terrorist groups which believed that the Romans should be overthrown as soon and as violently as possible. I remained uncertain whether the peaceful methods advocated by Jesus would work. I still do not know tt they would have. The stories told assert that esus' methods worked, nd his means seem to be ective now, as Christiity continues to grow. I pe that it does not beme overly powerful. I Ve seen what the Ro- mans are willing to do for their religion, so I want none to dominate the rest. We waited in Pilate's chambers. There were at least a dozen heavily armed and armored guards in the room, there to prevent any of us from taking this opportunity to assassinate local administrators. Pilate entered the room,, approached us, and motioned for us to have a seat on the floor. He began, "Prophet of Nazareth, you have given me no end of trouble. Both my superiors and the Jewish priests have been influencing me to take care of the problems you have been causing." "Governor, I arri the Chosen, the Son of God, and I have a mission on this Earth. With the aid of my disciples I must spread God's word over the entire world. I believe you have little comprehension of your true role. If you try to hinder my mission, God will punish you, and history will name you the villain who tried -- and failed -- to oppose His will." This may sound divinely inspired. On the contrary, its origins are most undivine. We had realized our capture was imminent, and had readied ourselves. Only Jesus, Peter, the sons of Zebedee and I were aware of our preparations. We helped Jesus write a speech that he would make upon our apprehension, with some deviations, depending on who caught us. However unlikely it may sound, we did not intend to procure Jesus' release with this speech, but to assist him in becoming a martyr. Jesus had revealed a vision that he would die, and that with his death the word of God would spread throughout the world. It has always appeared that a martyr brings converts to a cause. Now that I recall those days when I believed Jesus so completely, I shudder to remember how foolish I was. Pilate responded to Jesus' provocative statements by saying, "Indeed. If you truly are the Christ, the one true Messiah, the son of God and the King of the Jews, it would undoubtedly seal my doom to hinder your mission." Here Pilate stopped and thought for a moment. We were all surprised at his next action. Pilate said, "Guards? Leave my chambers. You will be aware should any trouble ensue, and I think it unlikely that Jesus or his disciples would attack me, particularly when my room is surrounded by twelve armed men." I was tempted. My Sikarii training had not deserted me, and had I been unaware of Jesus' plans for martyrdom I would assuredly have strangled Pilate then andthere--even �• ~~~~~~~~-,-~~~~~~~~--.-~~~~~~~-25 2q---~~~~~---i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ though armed guards surrounded the chambers. The guards left the room. Pilate continued with A man lies sleeping on tasselled sheets. his speech. A desert island sprawls over seas "I am perplexed, JeQuieted after the storm. sus of Nazareth. You have Hi.> back rolls gently like the sands of a beach, broken no important laws, Fine, smooth and warm. and if I attempted to have you and your disciples ar1 I am drawn to the rising of sweet steam Fr9m a hot spring running deep. rested, tried, convicted, and My lips linger there, so near to his, punished on exaggerated Breathing his breath. I seek charges, the masses would That, by some miracle, his spirit probably rise up and deMight mingle with a sigh; molish the city with their A draught to quench this castaway rioting. We were barely able Parched for love on an arid night. to avoid that with the Baptist, and he was not quite so well-loved as you. I could -- MARTI ACOSTA '92 release you, but that would bring the anger of my superiors and the Jewish priests ~;;;;;;;:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;J upon me for not stopping remain long were I simply Simon the zealot and Matyou when I had the oppor- to have you executed. thew, simply wanted to die tunity. That leaves me but Therefore, this is what I am because they were that going to do. This will be the special breed of fanatic, one option." Here Pilate paused for . . . truth ... of the matter." willing to die for any cause . Jesus appeared to Peter and the sons of Zea moment. Jesus took advantage of Pilate's grow more and more wor- bedee had slightly higher momentary lapse to inter- ried with Pilate's revela- aspirations, but at the core ject, "Pontius Pilate, I have tions, as did all of the dis- of their souls were as fano fear of death. My God ciples except myself. I was natic as the remaining diswill protect me, and will prepared to martyr myself ciples. It seems that I was vindicate me in the end. for Jesus' sake if absolutely not so dedicated, though I necessary, but, like Pilate, had not fully realized it until The truth will come out." Pilate looked startled my lite was important to this moment. Pilate continued, igupon hearing Jesus' re- me. I was willing to allow marks. "Put you to death? Jesus to martyr himself -- noring everyone's discomNazarene, that is the last saw some necessity in it, fort, "I certainly cannot have thing I would do. Even if I actually -- and even I was you executed. Nor can I presented your death to the a little apprehensive at the release you to continue people as a deed already thought that he might not your work with the people done, there would be un- receive his wish. I kept my of Jerusalem. My only rest and dissension, and I misgivings to myself forthe choice, then, is to exile you simply cannot afford to moment, but resolved to from the city. Guards!" Here the guards reen have that happen. My life is converse with Jesus later. important to me, and so is The disciples who tered the room. "Escort the King oft my position as governor, were unaware of our elaboJews and his followers and I fear neitherone would rate preparations, such as JI. man fies s[eeping their garden to gather their belongings, and then make certain they leave Jerusalem's surroundings permanently. Prophet of Nazareth, if you, or any of these twelve followers of yours, are seen within the vicinity of Jerusalem again, you will be killed immediately. You will not be arrested. You will not be put on trial so you can martyr yourself. You will be slain on sight and your body thrown into the nearest well. Do you understand me?" This news stunned Jesus. He retained barely enough presence of mind to respond to Pilate's questions in the affirmative, but it was quite clear that this turn of events shocked him. While I also had not expected this particular outcome, I was not as overcome as were Jesus and the other disciples. This was but a temporary setback;Jesus could certainly go to other cities to die. Almost in complete silence, broken only by the rustle of boots and the utterings of the guards, e were marched quickly ck to Geth-Semane to rieve our belongings. I ained enough presence mind to ask if I could rn to Jerusalem to purse provisions, and was sed buttold that a guard Id do it for us. The other iples gathered their essions as if they were pletely lacking in voli- It was not until we made camp, about an hour after sunset, that anyone besides myself attempted conversation.Jesussilently motioned for us to gather in a circle, and said in a voice so low I could barely hear him, "It is over. My mission is finished." I asked him, "What do you mean? You did not achieve the death you desired here, but that does not mean you will not achieve it elsewhere. Did you need to die in Jerusalem?" Jesus answered, still in a very low voice, "Yes. In my vision, it was revealed that my death in Jerusalem would bring the message of God to the entire world. Nowlamdoomedtospend the rest of my life wandering, unable to carry his message. My purpose cannot be fulfilled. Judas, you could not possibly understand." DespiteJesus'patronizing statement, I understood. I understood more than I ever truly had. If Jesus' vision had been a message from God thatthe Messiah would die in Jerusalem, then Jesus, who was not dead, had not now and never had been the Messiah. The other possibility was that Jesus had seem a vision that had not originated with God. This would mean that his entir~ campaign had begun on a simple hallucination, or -- even worse -- a v1s1on provided by the Adversary. These thoughts seemed to me the only two alternatives, and casued enough doubt for me to question my belief that Jesus was the Son of God. Apparently, none of the other disciples arrived at the same conclusions. They continued to believe in Jesus without so much as a second's thought. How this was possible is something strange which has mystified me ever since. Just after sunrise the following morning I was awakened by Peter's cries of, "The Christ has vanished!" He sounded not so much frantic as enraptured, as though he were contemplating the possibility that God had come from Heaven and carried Jesus back with him. A more mundane explanation developed, however, when we investigated Jesus' bedroll and discovered a hastily scrawled letter. Since Simon had been the one who found it, he read it to the rest of us: "My friends, my vision was that I would die in Jerusalem to save mankind from its sins. I have gone to fulfill my vision. Therefore, I charge the twelve of you with this task: Tell the world that I died to save it. Only in this way will my vision become truth." After Simon finished, he and the rest of the disciples were all for packing their belongings and de- �26 number of Christians would parting to tell of Jesus' completely demoralized by Pilate's decision, Jesus' life be hostile to me because of death within the hour. I tried my purported betrayal. In to dissuade them, saying was as important to him as addition, I do not wish to be that we should examine the Pilate's was to Pilate. This associated with such calevidence and try to find determined for me that Jesus was not the Christ, umny. proof that Jesus was inIt is in this, the last deed dead. This was not and I gave up trailing him document of my life, that I well-taken by the other and turned back. Everything since then attempt to relate the truth. disciples. I was sharply is widely known. The sto- The fictions told by the informed that those who evangelists are becoming unquestionably believed ries invented by Jesus' immediate disciples and their more and more complex. Jesus was the Messiah had There will, I believe, come no need of such proof. I followers have become a day when the lies will not agreed with them, and popular far and wide. Something that I have no- be able to support themprepared to follow Jesus' selves, and will collapse footprints. Peter then told ticed about these stories is that, over thirty years, they because they are based not me that, if I departed, they would not be there when I have grown in complexity. on reality but on many difreturned. I responded that At first, what was told was ferent versions of the same story. The contradictions evidence that Jesus was roughly the truth, with me in varying degrees of vil- and inconsistencies will the Christ was far more come out. That day will important than their com- lainy depending on who had pany. John then curtly said originated that particular probably come after my death, since I am an old that, should I continue to account. It is only recently, for example, that I have man and do not espect to demonstrate my lack of faith in this manner, they would heard of Jesus' crucifixion. live much longer. In this document. I not mention me well when I cannot tell whether the have tried to appear certhey told Jesus' story. I said other eleven changed the no more to them, but si- story themselves as the tain of my story. However, there is still a slight possilently left and followed years went by, or whether it has grown beyond their bilitythatJesus turned back Jesus' trail. towards Jerusalem after I For three hours I control. Earlier in my narrative ceased tracking him. In this walked in Jesus' footsteps in the direction of Jerusa- I mentioned Jerusha of event, he may have been the Son of God. Some may lem. I was beginning to Bethlehem as one of the conspirators who had choose to believe this; I do believe th at Jesus had been not. The truth will one day killed and thrown down a spread the story proclaimbe brought to light. The truth well, as Pilate had threat- ing Jesus of Nazareth the ened, when I noticed the Son of God. I have heard shall set me free. May the Lord God trail veering from Jesus' tales of him, and there are those who believe him to have mercy on my soul. supposed destination. I Judas of the Sikarii continued in this direction be Jesus. If he is, then Joseph lskereot Christianity is certainly for two more hours, until I finally concluded that Je- false. If he is not, it proves sus had started towards nothing. Butl know that the Jerusalem, but somewhere one major town he has along the way had decided never visited is Jerusalem. I no longer use my real not to fulfill his vision. It -- ROBBY NEAS~' seemed that, after being name, since the growing 27 ~~Notes is not to meet an awful fate, he must stop being himOn the Chorus in self. What else can he be? Classical Tragedy Never in history has a single man acted against his nature. My recent essay on the This points to a fundaexperience of tragedy met mental difference between with one major objection the tragic hero and his from those who talked to audience, ourselves. The me about it. Theirobjection hero is a man on one way. was this: If the playwright is He expresses, especially not trying to moralize to his in classical tragedy, a sinaudience, why in classical gularity. Hippolytus = a tragedy is there so fre- chaste man. Oedipus = a quently a chorus which dynamic leader. Pentheus takes an extremely moral = a rational man. We, tone in the play? however, are men of many Let me make my con- ways. (noA.mportot). We cession first, and then fol- are sons, brothers, fathers, low with my defense. It's husbands, fighters, worktrue. The chorus wants us ers, all at once. We are to think about the tragic more complex beings than hero's mistake as one the hero, though the hero is which centers on morality. a man as well. We are susPerhaps, then, the play- ceptible to the virtue of wright wants us to learn a moderation in a way that lesson from the play some- the hero is not. how. The chorus never But take, for instance, comes to an understandAgamemnon. The mistake ing that the hero's very which he made was the nature is what brings him to sacrifice of his daughter, ruin. They are the public; nd he was grievously they are the masses; they epaid by his wife, are not interested in the lytaemnestra. How could tragic hero as an individe have avoided this awful ual, and there are no indicrifice? By not taking all viduals among them. They asures to ensure a fa- are interested in the good rable outcome in war. But of the town (as the playhing truer can be said wright is). Butthe playwright ut Agamemnon than and his audience see more he is a reasonable than they do. The audience ior -- not a good daddy, is asked to empathize inloving husband. He is stead of point fingers. It is rrior. So if Agamemnon asked to see itself in the hero, not in a near-god far from its nature. They are asked to look into the hero's private life, and see what they most fear and envy, an uncompromising man. Look you too, unflinchingly, and experience the awful joy of being for a moment only one aspect of humanity. Then watch the mighty tower of the man fall. Weep. Weep, and look into yourself. See a noA.mponov. Sigh. Be glad. -- KEVIN JOHNSON '93 *** A-ronov Ms. Suzanne Drake, or Suzy, if you wish, rushed to her air-conditioned dorm room. It was already 7:45 p.m. and Suzy was sure that she was going to be late for the Friday night lecture. "It's on life and death," someone had told her. Suzy, as beautiful as she was, had a minor health problem: coughs. "Oh, don't worry, it's just the spring flu," the nurse had explained to her. Relieved that she didn't have anything dangerous, Suzy had gone on with her life as usual. Afterf umbling through her closet, Suzy settled on a nicely cut evening suit -- �2s~~~~~~~~~-.--~~~~~~~~~-.--~~~~~~~~~ all black. It went well with her long., soft black hair. After applying some bright red lipstick, she coughed her way to FSK. "Aargh! the damn cough! I wish it would go away!" prophesized'Suzy. As Suzy entered the auditorium, she realized she was late for the grave lecture. She quietly slipped 1 into one of the cozy orange chairs of FSK. As the leetu re was on such a solemn issue, Suzy's cracking up with a cough every now and again was a great disturbance to Ms. Bios. Fed up with Suzy's loud convulsions, Ms. Bios reached over to Suzy and passed her a small bottle. "Drink it, and be quiet!" Ms. Bios snapped. Suzy did as she was told, and rested her small head on the comfortable orange chair. Peace and serenity entered the auditorium once again ... as it was before Suzy ever was. -- MALIK GILLAN I '92 The publishing policy of The Collegian is to treat all writers or artists and the pieces they submit with respect. It seeks to be an outlet for the intellectual and creative life of the community. Whether published or not, all material is welcome for review -- from students, staff, alumni and friends of St. John's. No revision will be adopted without the inform and consent of the writer. Response is invited to any of the views expressed within these pages. Views expressed are the responsibility of the author. Please address correspondence and criticism to Box 391 Campus Mail. NEXT DEADLINE: Thursday, November 29 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Collegian Description An account of the resource The Collegian began as a student newspaper; became a college community literary publication in 1952 and continued until 1969; became a student newspaper again in 1969; discontinued publication from 1980 until 1989 when it again became a student literary publication.<br /><br />Click on <a title="The Collegian" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=26">Items in The Collegian Collection</a> to view and sort all items in the collection. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 28 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The Collegian 26 October 1990 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-10-26 Title A name given to the resource The Collegian, October 26, 1990 Description An account of the resource Vol. II, Issue 2 of The Collegian. Published on October 26, 1990. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brooks, Tequila (Editor) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/5b165524fd2266630283f6500379b8c4.pdf 15babc7ecfa711f0a955517a1e18819b PDF Text Text e Red Queen's advice to Allee: i88k In French when you can't think of the English for a thing -11 out your 1086 as you walk -- and remember who you are. - Lewis Carroll The Collegian first est. 1888 Volume II, Issue 3 Friday, December 7, 1990 Reeboks Let U Beu C 0 NF 0 RM ING SUCKS, read the broad, black letters of the bumpersticker on the little green MGB with the crumpled front right fender and rust spots above the rear tire wells. Martin Nance flicked away his half-smoked ciga-. rette, kicked the crumpled fender like he always did when he did not feel like screwing around, and that told the car it better start. He climbed into his little convertible where it stood in the high school parking lot. He was cutting again. But he just had to get out of there. Sometimes school was unbearable. You could fit everyone into a category, everyone. Jocks, nerds, flaky guys, cheesy girls, even the "progressive cool" crowd that dressed in black: they werestereotypes,butitwas true. Besides it was his senior year, whatever that meant. The engine caught, black smoke belched out the muffler in short choppy clouds. Martin dropped his foot off the clutch so the tiressquealedashebacked up and swung around. --What to do, what to do? This town is dead ... Just drive, get outta here. Oh, man, I cannot believe it, everyone is just a label at Milner High. Everybody except Martin Nance. He was going to see to it that he stayed autonomous if it killed him. Martin was coming up onto the intersection at Gilford and Trenton, and the light was red. He'd ended up downtown. --Oh well, guess I could get a third hole in my ear. Then I could wear three crosses in them the next time I visit my Jewish grandmother. He was stopped at the light now, the MGB idling too fast, when he happened to look up at the big billboard on the side of the BRILLIANT REEBOKS LET U BE U MLINKO ENCOUNTERS WITH CONTEMPORARY POETRY SCHOENER ON MANNERS, Conclusion FORBIS DESERT PREY MELTON INTERPRETATION OF HOMER'S IL/AD SILKEY UNTITLED SKETCH MADDEN CHILDREN OF BAGHDAD MUELLER DRUG POLICY IN US, Conclusion VASERSTEIN UNTITLED SKETCH STRAITON SIN AND GUilTIN THE BIBLE HUNT UNTITLED POEM GRAHAM PHYSICS OF SCHROEDINGER AND HEISENBERG St. John's College, Annapolis, MD 21404 p. p. p. p. p. p. p. 1 3 6 7 9 10 11 p. 12 p. p. p. p. 14 15 17 18 �Club building. "Reeboks Let U Be U" it read in big, black and had three guys wearing Reeboks and swim to swim trunks across a stretch of blue concrete. --Clever bastards. wonder how many stupid shits fall for that line. He was mad now. --What could be more like """''""'"""'"'" and sat back, keeping a foot on the accelerator so that he had to hard to around Here and there a tree broke up the monotonous brown colorofthe fields of grass slowly drying up. The for the first time, seemed to settle in happily. -- She never does run until you her into fourth. to sell them as you different? Unbelievable. I am just ........,., ........ +... of lines of his own face. Luis Borges became airborne. It bounced and skidded into a thick black oak. hit the tree broad- green Hinshaw '93 Vanessa Stratton '93 Rock '94 Scott Saxman '94 Dawn GI Brooks Mlinko editors Kevin faculty advisor Printed at St. John's .__,..,,,..,,.,..., Print Shop was, bent into an ..................,~U, a last testament driver. curves at twice what still post and It's all such a goddamn lie. The little green MGB with its determined driver went into the curve hard and fast. It held to its side of the road, and then swung crazily, out of control. The car crossed the other lane, L::==============::::J went off the and Encounters with Contemporary Poetry: A Reading and a Review "Does this not look like an executioner's block?" High Mass and low comedy often meet in poetry readings. The tall ceilings and tiled floors of the Folger Shakespeare Library seemed to promote the one experience, the noisy throng of ogling literati the other, the night I went to hear poet Jorie Graham. When she .changed her pulpit into a ce of martyrdom she nged the weather: we had attended the inar and banquet behand simultaneously besil:ie axe and guilloCongressional panels, judges, and Jesse hus High Mass met comedy -- briefly. raham, author of oks and editor of American Poetry arly meant less ers to preside poetry. Though ls meditative and concerns aesher tone distand lengthir poems that and again a single scene from a Nazi criminal's trial. "Like what?" the poem asked, referring to the account of a 14-year-old girl ordered back into a gas chamber after surviving the first gassing. This happens to be a question for all contemporary poets: "like what" are the horrors that victims endure? "Likewhat" are the mechanics of quanta that describe our universe? Jorie Graham's poems were hard to hear aloud, for their technical difficulty as well as for their ethical dilemmas. Her devotion to craft, with "making it sound new," saved her poems from the rhetoric and sentimentality that dog politically concerned poetry. A shorter poem, "Kimono," (from an early book, Erosions) read particularly well, being brief and lyrical, the compressed accordion of early stanzas stretching into a blessed ending: 2 Sharing the spotlight with Ms. Graham that night was Toi Derracotte, a Maryland poet whose political explicitness and beat style made billboards of her poems. Certainly I could not credit the Folger's poetry coordinator with any subtlety or insight; if poets must be paired at all for a seminar and reading, they ought to be matched with some intelli ence. The "And yet, even now, a small spirit accurate as new ice is climbing into the gentle limbs of an evergreen, the scent rubbing off on his elbows and knees, his eyes a secret store of dares, to watch, as on the other side, just past the abstract branches, something most whole loosens her stays �·--------------------------~~4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the table where the star seminar "theme" this year 3 sat, sipping chablis, virtuat the Folger is Shelley's "Poets are the unacknowShe looked and ally alone. Conviviality took ledged legislators of the dressed like a hatless a chair, decorum forced our universe;" it led directly, and equestrienne, her blowsy conversation to the level of unfortunately, to debates hair, her boots and tight gracious inclusiveness. on censorship and subsidy. black pants and big jacket. Agitated as I was, I relinMs. Derracotte's belief that I had come alone to the quished her quietly, liscancelling government event, and found myself tened wrathfully, paid atgrants would stifle art having to enter a banquet tention. Before long she (economic freedom obvi- full of strangers whose stood up: "I have to go ously being the first condi- facile literary chatter filled .. .levitate or something." tion for genius, etc.) con- me with dread. Instead I Grabbed her purse. She flicted directly with Ms. turned around and ac- half turned as she went out Grah am's proclamation costed the poet. I pre- the door: "Bye ... it was good that "You can't stop artists sented myself as a student, talking to you." I grimaced. from creating." Ms. Derra- an urgent inquirer. I tagged The others had already cotte's approval for a kind her footsteps to the dining turned their attention to one of literary affirmative action room. When the ingratiat- another. silenced Ms. Graham's ing poetry coordinator 4 appeal to aesthetic stan- asked her where she dards. And so on. Both wanted to sit, she said, "By As for The Best Ameriauthors were gracious this person." We seated enough not to call attention ourselves at an empty table, can Poetry 1990, it is both to their differences, but where I proceeded to ask a pleasure and a puzzle. If close listening told the her about poetry, about you have a prejudice for story. precision in poetry. "I was Richard Wilbur, Seamus Later, across white surprised at the tum the Heaney, or Anthony Hecht, linen, water and wine conversation took back you will have to dig through the language poems of glasses, both authors there," I confessed. expressed polite disagree"It was horrible," she Michael Palmer and Gusment. Ms. Graham argued agreed. She flaunted her taf Sobin first. James Merrill eloquently: "I think it's too long hands when speak- and John Ashbery share space with unknowns like easy to divide people along ing. color lines. We dislike I didn't leave my chair Jendi Reiter and Anne people for so many rea- once, not even for a help- Carson. The generation of sons -- gays, Jews, even ing of the dinner that, alas, Philip Levine, Charles fat people or old people; others were bringing to our Simic, and Denise leverwe also identify with people corner. I hadn't eaten all tov bows to the generation for similar, idiosyncratic day, and yet physical hun- of laura Mullen and Chrisreasons .... There's some- ger went to sleep in my topher Davis. This eclectic thing in our souls that needs stomach; the rest of my list reflects Ms. Graham's todiscriminate. lthinkthat's body was burning up. attempt "to read as far ta what art is for: to show us There is a great deal to be the right and left of my own that the hate is not outside asked of an older poet of aesthetic as possible," as of us; it is within us." Her some eminence and au- she explained to me. (Sh also confessed she had hands made diagrams on thority. spend six months readi thetableclothasshespoke. Society, of course, infringed. Otherstoochose language poetry so sh could get a feel for what was good, what bad; "It all sounded alike to me at first.") Whether traditional or avant-garde, a common denominator of them all seems to be this: their determination to address their audience. Each poem raises its voice to say what must be said. Ms. Graham in her introduction states another common denominator: "precision remained the watershed criterion. A poem, however difficult in its overall strategy, needs to be, step by step, precise, accurate, clear." There is no dearth of beauty in this anthology. Some of the titles: "Dying in Your Garden of Death to Go Back into My Garden." "The Chessboard Is on Fire." "When One Has Lived a long Time Alone." No dearth of humor either: "Aurora Borealis and the Body Louse." "Barbie's errari." "On the Bearing Waitresses." Anne Carson writes in own of the Sound of a ig Breaking": Richard Wilbur's ending to" A Wall in the Woods: Cummington": "Of the plenum, charged With one life through all changes, And of how we are enlarged By what estranges." And John Ashbery's beginning to "Notes from the Air": "A yak is a prehistoric cabbage;" I cannot give any more of a critique than this. A sampling of authors, titles, lines; a report of the editor's intent; a description of its layout. The poems are arranged in alphabetical order according to author, each followed by the name of the magazine or book it is culled from. At the back of the anthology {comprising 41 pages) are by-lines, many of which include statements by the authors on their own poems, which some readers may feel ambivalent towards. I myself mistrusted the listing of X so many credentials: "A hunter is someone who listens. So hard to his prey it pulls the weapon. Out of his hand and impales. Itself." Wade's "Aurealis and the "contains: ese slender rivers of 1nnnc1nh,:>l'lt" noctilucent clouds and the vast desolation." received MFA at Y.U. Teaches at Z. State. Won such-and-such a grant and is currently a ---Fellow. 41 pages! Ms. Graham herself teaches at the tres prestigious University of Iowa workshops. Criticism of such workshops can also apply to anthologies such as these, by the reader who believes that the epithet "the best" cannot be bestowed upon the likes of John Hollander and Stephen Berg. Perhaps the only way to read this anthology is keeping in mind that you are being instructed. You are being instructed in contemporary who have worked their craft and about its meaning amongst themselves. And here I am reminded of Ms. Graham's of her first epiphany in front of a Jackson Pollack painting: "A As as this room. When I studied it up close, I could �6~~~~~~~~---.-~~~~~~~~~,.-~~~~~~~~- see the detail, the texture, the character, but could not see the meaning, the whole. So I backed up as far as I could to survey the painting, to 'get' the narrative, but then I couldn't see its meticulous detail. I went back and forth like this until I realized -- that this was what the painting was about. The going back and forth." The puzzle of art, Ms. Graham concluded, could never be solved with the conscious, mind, but only with the intuition. With that, lgobackto TheBestAmerican Poetry 1990 with only this remaining prejudice: let there always be such plea:;ure in these puzzles! claim is now that all ritual including all of our various manners, has the same effect: serve to distance us from some which is too close for comfort. The ritualized behavior it at a distance from us and so lets us breathe easier. as I have always this distance is an illusion. I cannot be sure that this is true of all ritual eveBut the more I more confident I is true of Greek ritual and Greek manners. In order to convince you of this me tell you of the ..,..,,.,,.,.,,.,.,..,,,,...,,.," which I felt contradicted my claim. From ... u,··~· the 7th .. u -- ANGE MLINKO '91 my hypothesis about distance? They only seem to bring sexuality closer -- not to distance it. The answer to this paradox is provided lucidly by a scholium to Aristophanes' Acharnians. It tells a version of the coming of Dionysos to Athens. A young man named Pegasos, who is already an initiate, tries to introduce the worship of Dionysos to Athens. He brings with him a statue of Dionysos and sets it up for the citizens to worship, but the Athenians are not receptive; they do not turn to the God. Dionysos exacts stiff revenge: he afflicted the entire male population of the city with what classicists call a "satyriasis" -- and left them in a painful swollen state which could alleviate. sent to for advice and were rewarded with a clear ,.,,.,....,,,.r1,.,. century B.C. onwards, Greek towns were full of incredible phallic process ions. These parades would occur during various festivals, the Lenaia and Thesmophoria in lar. Their was always associated with Dionysos, and it involved chiefly two of representations. Citizens would build phalloi, the size must build of an MX missile or someI suppose, and carry them prone in the center of their orc>ee,ss1ons: would build contraptions of a few feet in to themselves would then tion. This men and women, cially in the These d1s1:>la\1s and well-received -- and clearly are ritual. Yet how could to ~~~~~~-r~~~~~~--,-~~~~~~7 drive it away. I will adduce one other element of Greek ritual to support this hypothesis. This is the ritual of the scapegoat, the cj>a.pµa.Koa. The <1>a.pµa.Koo is an unfortunatecitizenwhoissingled out and then driven form the city in order to cleanse it of its ills. <l>a.pµa.Kot are selected especially during plagues or long wars; they may be exceptionally ugly or poor, or they may be chosen at random. They may even be kings. Oedipus begins the play searching for the cause of the plague to drive it from the city and ends up exiling himsetf. This expulsion is typical of the <!>a.pµa.Koo, but he may also be stoned or driven into a desert. Not only his expulsion but his death seems desired. ual. The distance between the farmer and his slaughtered cow is only apparent; they are soon reunited at the table. We must now see how ritual and manners not only distance things, but bring them togather-- at once. The clearest demonstration of this is John Wayne. Imagine the young John Wayne at the beginning of a cowboy movie. He is rough and tough and surly, but as soon as a lady steps into the picture, the "yes ma'am"s start to flow like honey. His politeness is not even forced or begrudged; it is sweet and sincere. To him, all women, nomatterhowdubioustheir reputations, are ladies. Then enters the slick and mustachioed Bad Guy. He too has eyes for the -r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~="I beautiful young woman, but he affronts her with his familiarity and impudence. He Loneliness feeds on my desolate soul; calls her by name, A pain, so deathly pure, it isolates or just calls her The passion bred in the desert that waits "Baby . . ." -- but Quietly for illusive Rain's drenching toll. his easy familiarThirsting for the succor of your eyes, ity neverwinsout. I take in the stones needed for moisture. John Wayne, who Words of hope, a threat'ning storm, often obscures began his courtThe arroyo from my view; until it dries. ship in the disFearful of the creatures that I shield tance of formal Below the surface, from the sun that kills· address, always assion, anger, lust, and a heart that reeis wins the girl. ou skirt out on the edge but never yield. ' This reflecultures are circling a prey forsaken tion -- let us call it desire was but ne'er tak~n. "The Duke Principle" -- helped -- BONNIE D. me to understand ~---;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~ the other side of 'Desert Prey This ritual too seems intended to put something at a distance -- this time, the terrible scapegoat. But, as I have always conceded, this distance is only an illusion. Manners -- all ritual - only give the comforting appearance of distance. As we all know, thefarmerwho has just uttered "this is not for me" with inimitable sincerity -- this farmer sits down to a meal of roast beef after the sacrifice.. No sacrifice is ever performed in the //iadorthe Odyssey which is not followed by a meal. And, as the Greeks have always generously conceded, this meal involves a laughable division: the gods get only the lovely aroma, while the man gets the meat. This is behind the illusion perpetrated by the rit- �9 a~~~~~~~---.~~~~~~~~-.~~~~~~~~ Manners and ritualized behavior. Quite simply, they bring people together in a way that is no longer terrifying. They allow intimacy to build on its own account, at its own pace, without suffering through the embarrassment and anxiety of sudden familiarity. Good manners would always prevent the horrible situation parodied in some movies: man and woman wake up nextto each other. "What's his name?" says one. "Where am I?" thinks the other. Good manners, I propose, keep people at a distance until they have developed a common ground -- a foundation for their intimacy. Bad manners, in one way or another, hurl people together into unwanted and unprepared familiarity. We can test this in the case of the farmer and his bull. Thesacrificeobviously does not ostracize him from the bull, but reunites him with it in a way not too terrible to take. The sacrifice provides the distance but also the possibility for a happy and comfortable reunion. By formalizing the act, it makes the slaughter and ensuing meal not only acceptable, but welcome. The distance it effects is only a means for the reunion. It is the condition for our enjoyment of the meal. The same is true of our table manners; despite all of the regulations about fish forks and small bites, the food makes its way to our palate, and from thence to the dark gullet -- all without reminding us that we are carnivores, or even vegetarians, dependent upon fertilizer and migrant labor for our meals. The distanceestablishedbythe manners is not erased or overcome, only gladly embraced as an element of our final intimacy with our food. The same is true of John Wayne's formality. It allows the characters to keep a sufficient distance from each other in order to get acquainted. The bad guy never wants to get acquainted -- only to smooch. The Duke Principle allows the protagonistssufficientdistancea time to develop a true understanding of each other -- and grants them sufficient detachment to withdraw should either one discover unseen flaws. This distanceobviatestheproblem which a myriad of modem movies milk for every dollar. What to do about unwanted intimacy? The "Duke Principle" is clearly at work in the Odyssey also -- not only in recent movies. It captures quickly and succinctly why Penelope's suitors are so odious. They foist their intimacy on her, in her home. They have none of the Duke's respect for her privacy --they have no sense of distance -- and so they fail. It also helps explain why Odysseus' revelation is so circuitous and drawnout: it preserves a distance between them until, after they have established a common ground, they may become intimate again. Had he revealed himself immediately, he would have become just another suitor -- too close for comfort -- in violation of the Duke Principle. ltseemstomethatthe Odyssey is all about this kind of distance, and its relation to intimacy, to the opening-up of souls. That is why it is full of so many meals. I would like to consider, in closing, one of the two meals in the Iliad, both of which are hosted by the most distant of warriors, Achilles. " In Book 24, when f'ciam comes to the camp of Achilles to claim Hector's body, Achilles has just finished eating. As we know, he receives Priam warmly, they cry together, Priam kisses the hands that slew his fifty sons. Achilles agrees to have the body returned without hesitation and has it washed, anointed, and oiled. Then he places it on a bier himself and places the bier on Priam's cart. He does this all out of Priam's eyesight, at a distance, so the old man need not see his son as Achilles has ravage him. Then, before he ~II~ Priam to leave, he rns1s that Priam sit and stay for meal; wv & µ11varoµEaa. ° An Interpretation of Homer's Iliad 0 5 P 1t u : The Seer's Speech-lines 93-100 "Now let us think about Unseemly ruin rains down upon us -supper." Not for a vow of ours deserted, Why at Nor for an offering abandoned, this moment But for the lovely dove that the holy man exchanged for a cloak should Achilof Dishonor. want les them to think The ransom of the priest Agamemnon scorned, about supNow the god scorns us. per? He will continue to thunder until the dove flies home again, This is Without ransom, without price, my guess. Avenged with gold and bull's blood. We know how much Achilles -- BONNIE MELTON '93 hated Hector, how hard he worked day after day to macy with the body lets him At the end of the meal destroy his body -- how he understand Priam's terrible Homer says that Priam even wished, in hisfurythat need for the body's return. marvelled at the form of he could eat Hector. But since Achilles Achilles and Achilles at the I take this as a sign understands how dear the form of Priam. They could that Achilles' hatred of body is to each of them -- do this only because of the Hector brought them so how much it is a part of distance, and the new, less close that Achilles would each -- he cannot simply awful intimacy which the not be satisfied until he had hand it over like a slave or meal had provided. ingested his enemy. In their a sword. The return cannot Achilles has the best mutual opposition they had be a transaction. manners. His insistence become so intimatethatthe The meal they share that Priam share a meal only fitting end was for one lets Achilles and Priam with him puts the terrible devour the other. become intimate on their object before them far Priam is equally inti- own. The roasted lamb enough away that they ate with Hector -- but for brings them together and could gaze at each other mpletely different rea- gives them a new common and see, not just Warrior or s. Both Achilles and ground. It replaces the Father, but wonderful am have special, unique awful -- ouvoo -- thing beings. s on the body -- both which really brought them That is the point of that it is almost a part of together. It takes the place manners. of the meal Achilles had Achilles can under- wanted to make of Hector's d this sense in Priam's body. -- not because AchilTheir meal of roast as any idea what it is lamb at once distances --ABRAHAM be a father, but be- them from their awful point SCHOENER he too feels so close of intimacy but also lets Tutor or. His terrible inti- them come together anew. l!;;===;;;;p.;;========;;;;;=======;;;;;;:J �11 10 'Ifie cfiiltfren of'Bagfufad (Mvent, 1990} a million children a time of fire The fire is powerful; It is our gift for them. See the special boxes We bought to put it in. It is our gift for them; Our way of life; A new world order. Maybe we can deliver In time for Christmas. A million children A violent fire The children are family. They are a gift to us, And their hands are reaching, Their eyes look up in trust. They are a gift to us; They want to know What they can't ask yet; Maybe we can give to them The peace of Christmas. A million children A shining fire --THOMAS MADDEN '91 rom On tfie Morning of Christ's !J\[gtivity This is the month, and this the happy morn, Wherein the Son of Heaven's eternal King, Of wedded maid and virgin mother born, Our great redemption from above did bring; For so the holy sages once did sing, That he our deadly forfeit should release, And with his Father work us a perpetual peace. John Milton, 1629 �................... -----------------~~--r- cation efforts, and other providing itfortheirpatients. NORML went to ~e government reports. The ree evaluation presents figures US Court of Appeal in terms of the estimated timesforcourtor ·rs which value of marijuana crops finally prodded t e federal making ittothe market. It is government into holding essential to recognize that hearings to consider currently one ounce of whether marijuana had any In 1987, commercial marijuana medical use. costs more than the aver- hearings were held before age monthly new car pay- Administrative Law Judge ment, and high-quality sin- Francis L. Young of the semilla (seedless, potent DEA. The hearings lasted Marijuana, in its natu- female flowers) commands almost two years, and testimony was provided by 60 ralform, isoneofthesafest twice that amount. therapeutically active subThe report states that witnesses from all sides of stances known to man. indoor marijuana cultivation the issue. On September Francis L. Young continues expanding un- 6, 1988, Judge Young preDEA Judge abated in the US. The total sented his opinion, which September 6, 1988 US crop for 1989 is esti- recommends that marimated at $50. 74 billion, up juana be removed from I had originally planned from $41.4 billion in 1988. Schedule I. The following to devote this final install- The DEA successfully are excerpted directly from ment entirely to the medi- eradicated about 15% of Judge Young's opinion. "Some cancer patients cal and industrial uses of the marijuana planted in marijuana, but a few recent 1989. The top five produc- ... accidentally found that marijuana] occurrences demand my ers in 1989 were Hawaii, [smoking Missouri, Oregon, Califor- helped reduce the emesis attention. First, "Drug Czar" William Bennett has re- nia, and Tennessee. These resulting from their chemosigned from his post at the figures provide still more therapy. They consistently head of the Drug Enforce- evidence that the increased indicated that they felt betment Agency. I am anx- enforcement of marijuana ter and got symptomatic relief from the intense ious to see who will replace laws is futile. In 1978, the New nausea and vomiting this great enemy of truth Mexico state legislature caused by the chemotherand liberty. Second, Alaska's vot- authorized the medical use apy ... this successful use ers overturned that state's of marijuana by some doc- of marijuana has given marijuana policy, making tors. Since then 33 other many cancer chemothercultivation and possession states have recognized the apy patients a much more illegal after fifteen years of therapeutic value of mari- positive outlook on their juana and have passed overall treatment... In man legalization. Finally, the National laws authorizing its pre- cases, in addition to su Organization forthe Reform scription. However, be- pressing nausea and vo of Marijuana Laws cause of the federal classi- iting, smoking marijuana (NORML) has released its fication of marijuana as a highly successful app 1989 crop evaluation re- Schedule I ("no accepted tite stimulant. The im port. The evaluation is medical use in the United tance of appetite stim based on a state-by-state States"), doctors in all tion in cancer therapy appraisal of DEA-led eradi- states are prohibited from not be overstated. Drug Policy in the United States: Medical and Industrial uses of Marijuana "A healthy, athletic young woman was stricken with multiple sclerosis while in her early twenties. Two years after first experiencing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, her active, productive life -- as an athlete, Navy officer's wife and mother -- was effectively over... To move around her home she had to sit on a skateboard and push herself around. Within five minutes of smoking part of a marijuana cigarette she stopped vom ning, no longer felt nauseous and noticed that the intensity of her spasms was significantly reduced... After three months of smoking marijuana she could walk unassisted, had regained all of her lost weight, and her seizures became almost nonexistent... She regained the ability to lead a normal life. "Large numbers of araplegic and quadripleic patients, particularly in eterans Hospitals, rouely smoke marijuana to uce spasticity. While mode of treatment is al, it is generally toler' if not openly encour' by physicians in e of such wards who t this practice as of benefit to their ts. annabis... and other cannabinoid ves lower intraressure when advarious red ch as inhalation ... Two highly qualified and experienced ophthalmologists have accepted marijuana as having a medical use in treatment of glaucoma." "Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented cannabis-induced fatality. "This is a remarkable statement. First, the record on marijuana encompasses 5,000 years of human experience. Second, marijuana is now used daily by enormous numbers of people throughout the world ... there are simply no credible medical reports to suggest that consuming marijuana has caused a single death." "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." The DEA has effectively ignored the opinion of its own judge. Marijuana remains Schedule I. There is evidence that marijuana reduces other symptoms, including those caused by epilepsy, anxiety, depression, asthma, and symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol and narcotics. An article in the November 20 Washington Post reported that AIDS patients find relief from the wasting syndrome by smoking marijuana, and 13 that doctors and patients now conspire in a large network to provide marijuana for AIDS sufferers. The inclusion of marijuana in the war on drugs has made casualties not only of truth and individual rights, but also of the weak and the ill. Only five people in the United States have won the privilege to receive marijuana to treat their illnesses. Each endured lengthy court battles in order to legally use this safe, natural medicine. The marijuana plant is one of the most useful plants known to man. In addition to denying the ill a safe, effective medicine, marijuana prohibition denies us access to a truly amazing natural resource. Prior to the twentieth century, the hemp plant provided more than half of the world's paper, textiles, and rope. Hemp fiber is one of the toughest fibers known. Canvas takes its name from cannabis. Levi's were originally made from hemp sailcloth. Hemp fiber is mixed with cotton for most garments made in China today. Henry VIII ordered every farmer to cultivate 1/ 4 acre of hemp for every 60 tilled acres. This was necessary for England's prowess on the sea; hemp was used for sails, riggings, ropes, nets, flags, thread, and more. Hemp was legal tender in America from 1631 �14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~15 -- ANNA VASERSTEIN '93 to the early 1SOO's. It was Kentucky's chief cash crop until the Civil War. Hemp is extremely hardy and grows almost anywhere. Old USDA reports show that hemp gives four to ten times the yield of cellulose per acre compared to corn. Modern methods of converting cellulose to methanol make a renewable source of clean fuel. One acre of hemp re1:>lac:es four acres of timand ber for paper hemp is renewable annually. Hemp seeds yield as much edible oil per acre as sunflowers. Pressed seed pulp is second in protein only to soybeans. Prior to 1937, hempseed oil was used as a base for paints and lacquers, and was also considered a fine lubricant. The hemp plant puts down a 1Oto 12 inch root compared to the one inch These root of rye roots can prevent soil erosion if em- ployed after forest fir or on fallow land. ch a method prote sheds. A 1936 Popular Mechanics introduced a new machine which processed hempfiber. Americanfarmers were promised a new billion-dollarcrop. Instead, Reefer Madness crept across the nation, and marijuana in any form was outlawed. Many of the functions performed by the hemp plant were replaced by petroleum products. Marijuana is a proven multi-purpose plant. It is a source of fiber, pulp, oil, cellulose, and, while growing, oxygen. It has proven medicinal properties and is Its psychoactive safe. powers have been explored and documented for millennia; these powers are desired by a great many people who reject other conscious-altering substances, legal or illegal. An enormous body of artistic, imaginative work has been influenced by it. These and other sober considerations which I have presented in this series undeniably suggest that marijuana's prohibition is irrational and deprives us of one of the most interesting and useful plants known. An Understanding of Sin and Guilt in the New and Old Testaments The Apostle Paul tells us the purpose of Mosaic law in his epistle to the Romans: "Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet"'[Romans 7:7, New International Version]. a means The law for sin. According to what Paul says, it to be obvious if a man is guilty. very little isobvious in the Bible. Even the of the Ten he gives the order for them to be killed. David may be guilty, as he says he is responsible for the priests' deaths. If David is guilty, his guilt begins with telling a lie. The act of telling a lie, in itself, does not bring David guilt of sin. Assuredly, the Ninth Commandment says "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor" [Deuteronomy 5:20). but nowhere is it written, 'Thou shalt not tell falsehoods.' We are left to decide for ourselves about lying in general. If we take the example set by patriarchs in the Old Testament, lying seems not to be a sin. Abraham and Isaac each lie to Abimelech, at different times, and say their wives are their sisters. They fear the actions of jealous men who may covet their wives, so they lie to save their lives. The lies come to light when God warns Abimelech he is about to sin and will be punished for adultery. As it turns out, no one is punished for the lies; in both Abraham and Isaac Nob, David is hungry with no great prospects of finding food. He lies to Ahimelech, the priest at Nob, and says he is on a secret mission from Saul. David asks for bread to feed himself and his men. The falsehood he tells has two consequences, both of which seem to point to David's guilt. The immediate result is that he eats the consecrated bread, which is reserved for priests according to Hebrew law. Though he breaks the ritual laws, David upholds the spirit of the Law: to "love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" [Deuteronomy6:5]. David never fails to ask God what his next step should be, and he never stops loving God. In eating the consecrated he only does what is necessary for survival. This is explained in the New Testament. In Matthew 12: 1-8, Jesus and his are walking through a grain-field on the Sabbath; are and start to some of the When some Pharisees see them tell Jesus what is unlawful on the Sabbath. Haven't read what David did when he and his COITIDC3nlCJnS were He entered the house of God and he and his com- �17 panions ate the consecrated bread -- which was not lawful for them to do. . /f you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. [Matthew, 12:3-7, NIV] accuses him of conspiring with David against him, 'But David told me he was working for you.' He def ends David, not himself: "Who of all your servants is as loyal as David?" Only after this does he say in defen'se of himself "Let not the king accuse your servant or any Jesus says the laws are of his father's family, for God is responsible for the not all-important. He your servant knows noth- deaths of Ahimelech's quotes here Hosea 6:6, ing about this whole affair" family, not David. That the deaths were which goes on to call for [1 Samue/22:14-15]. Had acknowledgement of God David gone to Ahimelech willed by God might imply rather than burnt offerings. with the truth, the results that Saul was only God's In Matthew, Jesus extends might well have been the tool, that he was no more For Ahimelech, responsible than David. the meaning of this quota- same. tion to speak not only of mercy for David came be- But there is a monumental difference between the sacrifice, but of all the ritual fore self-preservation. However, the respon- ways David and Saul facililaws. God provides laws for his people so that they sibility for these deaths tate God's will. While David may know when they sin, does not necessarily rest asks God before he takes and so they may make on David's shoulders. any action, Saul neither restitution in case they slip, When David says it does, seeks nor listens to such but He would prefer that he forgets two very impor- guidance. He does not do they need no such laws. tant elements: God's will, even what God, through Because David loves and and the evils God is pun- Samuel, explicitly instructs acknowledges God, he ishing. Ahimelech tells Saul [1 Samuel 13:7-14 and does not need to obey laws not to accuse him or his 15:1-19]. God is powerful about consecrated bread. fathers'family; it is interest- enough to use Sau Ito carry He is innocent of wrongdo- ing to note who his father's out the deaths of Eli's sons. family is. Ahimelech is the Saul need be neither a righting on that count. The strongest argu- tenth generation of the eous nor a guiltless man be ment for David's guilt is the son's of Eli. "Eli's sons for that; he need were wicked men;they had God's creation and under second result of his lie: Saul suspects the priests of no regard for the Lord" [ 1 his power. It is assumed it is helping David, and slaugh- Samuel, 2:2]. They treated that if anyone the death may: ters all of them but one. In sacrifices to God with con- God's 1 David says tempt and slept with the yet be murder. Unlike he is responsible for the prostitutes from the endeaths of Ahimelech's trance to the Tent of Meet- flatly forbidden whole family. If this is true, ing. Eli rebuked them, but law. Of course, there his guilt lies in his very act they did not listen. God men who kill other me the Old Testament but of to Nob. David's declares to Eli: not sin; in these cases being there endanis not gers the priests; the lie does The time is coming when I not kill them. Ahimelech will cut short your strength murdering. The law m does not say, when Saul and the strength of your dates a death penalty some sins; the priests who carry out this punishment The Old trestle bridge are not guilty of murder. Stands motionless over the flowing waters. The Israelites do not murder, though they kill the The waters flow and flash people of many nations in a In the abundant moonlight. war for the land God promised them. This warfare The moon is full seems like the killing at Nob And is radiant upon the trestle bridge. in a few ways. First, not one living creature is left The trestle bridge silhouettes itself standing in either Canaan Onto the riverbank. or Nob. Second, the deaths are a punishment for sins The riverbank against God. But there is a Is covered by driftwood. substantial difference. God physically comes to the The driftwood on the riverbank Israelites and orders them Gleams like bone in the moonlight. to kill the Canaanites. But though God wills the deaths The moonlight makes grids of Eli's sons, He gives Saul Of the trestle bridge's railroad tracks. no order. He makes Saul kill them, but Saul cannot The tarred railroad tracks and crossties be obeying God for he is Are firm under my feet. completely unaware of God's will. My feet for once are steady The New Testament As I hear the spring crickets. draws a parallel in the crucifixion of the Christ. Cruciixion is Jesus's goal on -- J. HUNT '94 arth and, ultimately, God's ill. If the Christ is to die on ~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;p;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,I e cross, He must be beyed into the hands of the Nob, Saul is the man even at Nob, acts accordests. Judas carries out through whom sin comes. ing to God and is rewarded d's will when he betrays As ..ludas pays for his guilt, by becoming the first great us, but he is guilty none- so does Saul: each takes king of the Israelites. ess. At the Last Sup- his own life. Jesus says: "The Son Finally, this is what an will go as it has points most to Saul's guilt decreed, but woe to and David's innocence. an who betrays him." From the time Saul first is a theme repeated in disobeys God by making a ew Testament. In burnt offering at Gilgal in 1 W's Jesus Samue/13:9, almost every f sins: "Such things step he takes buries him me, but woe to the deeper in guilt so that he rough whom they forfeits his kingdom and --VANESSA atthew 18:7]. At eventually his life. David, STRAITON '93 �I ~~~~~~~~~-,--~~~~~~~~--,-~~~~~~~~-19 Theoretical Dissatisfaction and Desire in the Atomic Physics of Schroedinger and Heisenberg Because in this case an inconvenience has arisen, namely, that we have been thrown too far into the other extreme, and do not yet recognize the conservation of anything absolute which might hold the place of the quantity of motion. But our mind looks for this, and it is for this reason that I remark that philosophers who do not enter into the profound discussions of mathematicians have difficulty in abandoning an axiom such as this of the quantity of conserved motion without giving themselves another to which they may hold. -- G.W. Leibniz, "Essay on Dynamics" I. With the work of Schroedinger and Heisenberg, atomic finds itself in what might not unjustly be called a crisis. Niels Bohr's 1922 paper "On the Spectrum of Hydrogen" had precipitated this crisis, showing that the bright line spectra of the elements require electrons to revolve about the nucleus only in a limited number of discrete orbits. Bohr could not explain how the electron moves between orbits withouttraversing the intervening space. Erwin Schroedinger and Werner Heisenberg, each dissatisfied with Bohr's inltial account, provided alternative derivations of the discrete electron orbits. offered a wave equation g1v1ng maximum charge densities at the radii of the discrete orbits. Heisenberg interpreted Schroedinger's wave as a graph of the probability of the electron being at a certain distance from the nucleus. Each of their accounts leaves us with a disappointingly incomplete understanding of atomic mechanics, but one clearly more satisfying than that which Bohr's early theory made possible. An examination of the desires, achievements, and disappointments of these two theories may shed light on science's general object of desire. II Erwin Schroedinger develops what comes to be called the wave mechanics of the atom from Hamilton's anal- ogy between the motion of a light signal and that of a mass point. Respectively, the paths of the light signal and the mass point are governed by the law of least action. These two motions may be mathematically equated under these laws if we arbitrarily set the group velocity of light equal to the mass point's velocity. The close likeness between the two motions suggests that, just as a light signal may be described approximately as a corpuscle if it is great enough, but must be considered as a wave in small-scale phenomena such as diffraction, just so might bodies be adequately described as corpuscular when they are large but require tation as waves in smallscale quantum phenomena, such as the regular reflection of an electron bean. If so, we could develop a wave mechanics which stands in the same relation to ordinary mechanics as undulatory optics stands to corpuscular optics. Schroedinger is cautious about the degree o truthfulness he claims fa the wave mechani Surely it offers an adequa correct description of su tomic phenomena. because when we gener ize our wave mechani treatment to a system several electrons, we to des matical times as many "dimensions" as there are oart1clE~s in the system. What say about the events tion gives rise to the principle of complementarity. In classical physics, we seek both exact mathematical laws which a definite nn\IC!ll'~I lnTOl'f'\11'0but a wave described in such need not r.cinrA~Ant a On'll'SICal at all. Wave does not tron with a wave, but offers a coherent mathematical ,...,... •. ,,. ...."tion of an atom in which geometric no,C!rr1nt1...... .,, those phenomena in space and time. As Bohr argues, no account of subatomic While the wave mQrh::anit"'c:: quantum can says nothing meet both of these requireabout the atom, its account ments at once. Precise of subatomic phenomena location in space and time is both hypothetical and on the one hand and exact rather bare. obedience to the laws of ....... ,ld ... Cl!llU' on the other are rn electron from one discrete orbit to another movewithout ment, cannot avoid selfcontradiction in !::ltt,,,_mntir\l'I This essay is from Volume I, Issue 2 for the benefit of seniors who are reading the papers of Schroedinger and Heisenberg in the lab Tutorial. �20~~~~~~~~--.~~~~~~~~~-.-~~~~~~~~~ to give a complete account of atomic mechanics. It is clearly unacceptable on these grounds; but in order to avoid assenting to it, Heisenberg deems it necessary to admit that the location of the electron and the necessity of its motions are mutually exclusive properties of it. We cannot speak definitely of both at the same time. It is better to admit indefiniteness into our accounts than contradictions, and Heisenberg argues that these two are our only present alternatives. IV The study of recent atomic mechanics is bewildering. While the bright line spectra clearly compel us to begin to abandon our postulates about the continuity of energy, we cannot agree with Bohr's early work that the electron may change position without movement, for this is ab- surd. We may find some satisfaction in Schroedingar's mathematical account of waves whose maxima f all at the Bohr radii, but there seems to be no sure way of making a physical' interpretation of those waves. Yet Heisenberg tells us that it is not possible for us to attain further theoretical satisfaction within the limits set by the uncertainty principle. We must now reflect on the nature and origins of our desires for theoretical satisfaction. Is our desire for a mathematical account of the motions of bodies according to exact laws and natural desire? Is it the highest form of our natural desire to know? Or do we incite this desire in ourselves by choice? If so, could we choose another object of theoretical desire, perhaps one involving less precision or certainty? Have we failed to properly access the limits ofour capacity to know? The crisis of quantum mechanics brings to light the long-buried presuppositions of Newtonian physics that every body admits of simultaneous, precise description, bothaccording to exact laws of causality and in relation to a spatial coordinate system. It has uncovered the nature of our theoretical desires, and has shown us that while indefiniteness and uncertainty are disappointing, selfcontradiction may be the only alternative in this field. It makes possible a complete re-evaluation of the beginnings of modern science in the work of Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, and Newton. And it may well be healthy for us. -- KEVIN GRAHAM '90 The publishing policy of The Collegian is to treat all writers or artists and the pieces they submit with respect. It seeks to be an outlet for the intellectual and creative life of the community. Whether published or not, all material is welcome for review -- from students, staff, alumni and friends of St. John's. No revision will be adopted without the consent of the writer. Response is invited to any of the views expressed within these pages. Please address correspondence and criticism to Box 391 Campus Mall. NEXT DEADLINE: Thursday, January 17, 1990 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Collegian Description An account of the resource The Collegian began as a student newspaper; became a college community literary publication in 1952 and continued until 1969; became a student newspaper again in 1969; discontinued publication from 1980 until 1989 when it again became a student literary publication.<br /><br />Click on <a title="The Collegian" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=26">Items in The Collegian Collection</a> to view and sort all items in the collection. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 20 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The Collegian 7 December 1990 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-12-07 Title A name given to the resource The Collegian, December 07, 1990 Description An account of the resource Vol. II, Issue 3 of The Collegian. Published on December 7, 1990. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brooks, Tequila (Editor) Mlinko, Ange (Editor) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Student publication