The Muhlenberg Weekly – Mar. 2nd, 2017

Serving the Muhlenberg College Community Since 1883

The Muhlenberg Weekly THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

VOLUME CXXXIX, ISSUE 15

Planning campus space:

Dear Muhlenberg Parents: I write to provide you advance information about the comprehensive fee for next year, and to thank you once again for entrusting the education of your sons and daughters to Muhlenberg College.

By Melissa Reph News Editor On Feb. 22, in an email sent out to the student body, President Williams announced that Muhlenberg will be increasing comprehensive student charges by 4.8 percent.

“As we strive to maintain and enhance the Muhlenberg experience, the Board of Trustees has approved total student charges for next year of $62,130,” said Williams in the email. “Muhlenberg sets an increase in student charges only after extensive analysis of the College’s budget and of resources that we need to strengthen the educational experience we offer.”

The “student charges” include tuition, fees and room and board. According to US News and World Report, student charges for the 2016-17 academic year totaled $59,400. As such, this is the first time that expected fees have crossed the $60,000 threshold.

However, the letter attached to the email sent by President Williams left many questions still unanswered.

Mainly, where is the extra money going?

“The problem with President Williams’s email, I thought, was that it was very unspecific and vague as

OpEd 2-3

With the popularity of Lego Batman, Melissa Reph recommends learning more about Batman’s supporting characters. 2

Strategic planning round three

By Chloe Gravereaux Asst. Managing Editor

Haris Bhatti/The Muhlenberg Weekly

to where the money was going,” said Daniel Lester ‘18. “It was very general but we can handle specifics.”

Rosemary Corcoran ‘20 had similar questions, “I understand that we have to raise the price but I’d like to see where my money is going.”

“I really think it’s dumb,” said Katherine Nichols ‘18. “I just feel like it’s so unnecessary. If it’s not going to go to the science building then hard pass, Trumbower needs help.”

Some students were more resigned, Stephanie Brown ‘20 said “my view would be obviously it’s not something I’m happy about but it is something I expected. I think it’s something that’s common for most colleges across the years.”

“I definitely think it’s coming from a place where the college administration knows they can increase the price and still maintain the foundation of the student population,” said Lauren McGinty ‘18.

“When I first heard about it I thought it might be from our theater program being ranked number one by the Princeton review and the school capitalizing on that.”

According to President Williams, the 4.8 percent adds up to roughly $6.6 million more coming in than last year.

News 4-6

Israeli and Middle Eastern politics expert Neil Lazarus addresses a crowd at Hillel to discuss Trump’s stance on foreign policy with Israel. 5

“The College is investing in a number of areas that make Muhlenberg stronger for the ultimate benefit of our students,” he explained.

Some of these programs include increases to financial aid, expanding support services that could potentially result in new Campus Safety officers and additional Counseling Center staff, new faculty hires, expanding the Neuroscience department and centers on campus and partnerships with other colleges and universities on undergraduate programs as well as graduate and professional programs including some not yet announced. The funds will also help support new technology, including the switch to a new system called Workday that will be replacing Capstone.

“The tuition and fees at Muhlenberg compare quite favorably with most of the colleges that overlap with Muhlenberg in admissions, both this year and next year,” said Williams. For comparison, Muhlenberg’s tuition would still come in below Franklin and Marshall College, Bucknell University, Lafayette College, and Lehigh University.

The College is attempting to reduce costs by working with other LVAIC

Arts&Culture 7-9 The world is dying, and all we have left are words and syllables. Brooke Weber looks back on ‘Berg’s latest mainstage Listen to Me. 7

see

Tuition| page 4

Over 100 students, faculty, and staff gathered to discuss the fate of the college over dinner in Seegers Great Room the evening of Feb. 23.

This event was the February community Strategic Planning meeting. Strategic Planning is a longterm planning process stemming from college and community identified goals, strengths, and weaknesses. The overall goal of Strategic Planning is to give the college a competitive advantage in an ever-changing world, and as every speaker at the event stressed, feedback from the entire community is incredibly important.

After warm welcomes from President Williams, Interim Provost and Vice President and Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning Kathy Harring reminded everyone of the Strategic Plan’s two main goals: Strengthening Engaged Liberal Arts Learning and Scholarship, and Developing an Increasingly Vibrant Residential Life. She then broke down the two goals into four or five subgoals before reviewing the timeline of the project. The Strategic Planning Group, the 20 individual faculty, staff and students who oversee the whole process, hope to have a draft to present at the board of trustees meeting in April.

A major focus of the night was space, as Harring stated, referencing the results of a college-wide analysis system called SWOT, where individuals and groups alike provided a list of what they perceived to be the College’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

“Across almost all the 63 SWOT analyses we got from student, faculty,and staff groups, space was mentioned as an area that needed to be addressed,” said Harring.

To help identify and solve these problems of space, the Muhlenberg community was joined by four see

Planning| page 6

Sports 10-12

What does it take to hire a new coach? After men’s basketball coach resigns, Athletics is on the hunt for a replacement. 10

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THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY OP/ED THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Editorial Why students need to care about strategic planning This past week, Muhlenberg’s Strategic Planning Group (SPG) held its third community engagement event. According to Dr. Kathy Harring, about 90 students were registered to come, along with the 20 members of the SPG. Everyone there was impressed with the turnout, but in all honesty more students should have been there, especially considering how heavily the system relies on feedback from the students.

Knowing the changes suggested and fostered by the system won’t be put in place until maybe five to ten years from now may seem discouraging to students, as they won’t be able to see progress made before they graduate, but helping future generations of Mules and seeing your alma mater improve should count for something, right?

Strategic planning is not, as both Harring and President Williams have emphasized, a laundry list or a wish list. It is a list of goals the College wants to achieve to better fit a competitive, ever-changing world. For example, in a previous article on strategic planning published by The Weekly, Ken Butler explained that the New Science Building came out of the last strategic plan under President Helm: “As I understand it, that planning group...gathered from our peer institutions that our science facilities were out of date compared to our peers, and needed to be modernized so that our outstanding science faculty would have labs and work spaces that would allow them to teach more effectively and carry out their research.”

In other words, these meetings don’t just lead to a dead end. The results of this committee and the impact of the students who offer their input will affect countless future generations of Mules.

Editorial Board Gregory Kantor

Chloe Gravereaux

Editor-in-Chief

Asst. Managing Editor

Batfam versus Batman

By Melissa Reph News Editor When most people think of Batman they think of Christian Bale and a deep gravelly “I’m Batman” from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. In this, Bruce Wayne is incredibly self-sufficient, denying help and support from his trusted friends. The “I work alone” mentality is the furthest interpretation from comic canon as possible. Sadly, it’s also the one most commonly associated with this 78-year-old character.

Many who have picked up a Batman comic over the past couple decades have been surprised to find characters that don’t readily exist in the public consciousness. When it comes to his allies, his family (yes, one of the world’s most famous orphans has a family), you likely have never heard of anyone outside of Robin and maybe Batgirl and Alfred.

These characters are just as, if not more, important in the grand scheme of things. They add diversity to titles dominated by men with black hair and blue eyes.

For instance, the first appearance of Robin the Boy Wonder was in April 1940, just a year after Batman’s first appearance. Dick Grayson was a circus acrobat who witnessed his parents’ death in an eerie reflection of Batman’s own origin. The writers of the comic found the addition of a second character allowed for better storytelling, in particular explaining the details of the mysteries the two solved in their title aptly named Detective Comics.

Over the years, Grayson’s character has grown and evolved. He has partnered with various heroes and teams to become the lynchpin of the DC universe, becoming a hero known as Nightwing while Robin has become a legacy. In the past few years Dick Grayson has donned the mantle of Batman himself, been an international spy a la James Bond, and been confirmed as having Romani heritage.

The most recent Robin, Damian Wayne, is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. Damian is not only Bruce’s only blood son, he is also half Arabic and was raised with English as

EDITORS & STAFF Gregory Kantor, Editor-in-Chief Chloe Gravereaux, Asst. Managing Editor Melissa Reph, News Editor Ian Adler, Asst. News Editor Emily Davidson, Op/Ed Editor Brooke Weber, Co-Arts & Culture Editor Sara Gottlieb, Co-Arts & Culture Editor Kaitlin Errickson, Sports Editor Jack Pennington, Layout Editor Shayna Jast, Copy Editor Haris Bhatti, Photography Editor Amanda Foote, Business Manager Ashley Amodeo, Marketing Manager Holden Walter-Warner, Editor Emeritus Sara Vigneri, Faculty Advisor Lynne Septon, Publisher, Images

a second language. His mother helps to run the villain group the League of Assassins, and she raised Damian in a compound in the Middle East until he was eight and first introduced to Gotham.

The Batgirls each offer a sense of diversity as well. The third Batgirl, Stephanie Brown, was originally the vigilante Spoiler before being given the role of Robin by her then boyfriend Tim Drake.

This makes her the only female Robin as Carrie Kelley’s Robin is not a part of the canonical timeline.

The original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, is the daughter of the police commissioner, and thanks to that she was shot through the spine by the Joker. This paralyzed her from the waist down. The character then expressed symptoms of PTSD during and after her recovery but never let being confined to a wheelchair limit her. She used her photographic memory and computer skills to become the information broker Oracle. As Oracle she continued to train and was recognized as a highly skilled fighter.

Her successor to the Batgirl mantle was Cassandra Cain; a temporarily mute, illiterate, east-Asian girl. Cass was raised without any form of language but that of body language by an abusive father. His goal was to create the perfect assassin but her empathy outweighed her training and she ran away. Upon her introduction she was mute and could not understand spoken words, though that was eventually changed. Throughout her time as Batgirl she was illiterate and staunchly refused offers’ offers to teach her how to read.

Another amazing female character is Kate Kane, Batwoman, who is Bruce’s estranged cousin. She was kicked out of West Point for admitting she was a lesbian, but upon returning to Gotham she took up the vigilante identity and began dating GCPD detective Renee Montoya. Additionally, Kate is Jewish and is shown celebrating Hanukkah in the 2016 DC Holiday Special and kicking Nazi butt in the exceptionally pro-LGBT+ DC Comics Bombshells.

A more recent addition to both the main Detective Comics title and the Bombshells is Dr. Victoria October, a trans woman. Also featuring in both

Bombshells and the current Batgirl title is another trans woman, Alysia Yeoh, who talks about her transition in the early 2011 issues as well as being misgendered in the most recent issue.

Other more recent additions to the “batfam” include Harper Row and Bluebird. Harper is an ardent supporter of LGBT+ rights, as her younger brother Cullen is gay and it was revealed last fall that she is bisexual. It has been hinted in recent issues that she may soon be in a relationship with Cassandra.

Like Harper, Duke Thomas is another character created in the controversial reboot New 52. Duke is an AfricanAmerican teen who led a group of other teenaged vigilantes known as the Robins during Damian’s short-lived death. Following an attack by the Joker that left his parents in the hospital, Bruce took Duke in as a ward and offered him the ability to train and fight beside Batman as well as wear a suit of his own. Though he doesn’t have an official hero name at this time, many readers have taken to calling him Lark.

Some pre-boot characters who are still an essential part to Batman’s success are the Fox Family. Lucius Fox is played by Morgan Freeman in the Christopher Nolan movies and is the most canonical element of the entire trilogy. Lucius is the backbone of Wayne Enterprises while the owners gallivant across the globe and galaxy. Two of his daughters also help keep the company running and one, Tam, helped Tim Drake in his search for Batman in the pre-New 52 Red Robin run. Lucius’s son Luke went one step farther and built a robotic suit to become the hero Batwing, on top of running his own company.

Other allies worth a google include Jason Todd/Red Hood, Tim Drake/Red Robin, Alfred Pennyworth, Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael, Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and Police Comissioner James Gordon.

Also worth your time is the new Lego Batman movie.

The supporting characters of the Batman comics provide intricate familial relationships, representation, and just good stories.

This is why when anyone asks me what I like about Batman, I say his kids.

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY Serving the Muhlenberg College Community Since 1883

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Muhlenberg. The Muhlenberg Weekly reserves the right to edit all pieces for grammatical, spacing, and legal purposes.

All letters and articles submitted to The Muhlenberg Weekly must be signed by respective writer(s). The Editor-in-Chief has final jurisdiction on whether a Letter to the Editor or article is printed. Deadline for submission is Monday preceding publication by 7:00 p.m.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Any and all views expressed in The Muhlenberg Weekly are those solely of the writers and/or editors and do not reflect those of Muhlenberg College. Material appearing without a byline represents the majority opinion of the Editorial Board. The Muhlenberg Weekly views itself as an open forum for students to voice ONE-COPY RULE: Because of the high production costs, their opinions on all relevant topics. members of the College Community are permitted one copy per issue.

OP/ED POLICY: Opinions expressed in the Op/Ed section of this paper are solely those of the The Muhlenberg Weekly is a member of author. Members of the College Com- the Associated Collegiate Press. munity are encouraged to submit Letters to the Editor on any topic of interest to Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY OP/ED THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Fake news isn’t fake, it’s manipulative

By Molly Majewicz Guest Writer We’ve heard over and over again from our new president that the liberal media is atrocious and that fake news runs rampant. Like many educated Americans, I was skeptical of these claims, hesitant to believe much of anything that President Trump says. Over this past weekend, I drove down to Washington D.C. with the Muhlenberg College Republicans for the Conservative Political Action Conference, better known as CPAC. While we were at the conference on Friday, Feb. 24, we had the opportunity to see President Trump speak in the morning. As he walked up to the podium, I suddenly found in my hands a bundle of flags with Trump’s name on them, so I took one and passed them to my friend sitting next to me. As he began, the energy in the room was electric; I watched him intently, hoping to hear something different from his vague campaign promises. Trump made a striking comment—something about the bias of the media, how we would never hear a conservative perspective in the mainstream—and at that point, we all raised the Trump flags, waving in support of his statement. Just as quickly as we received the flags, they were being pulled from our hands and collected.

While Trump was still speaking, a tweet from Peter Hamby, Head of News at Snapchat, surfaced saying, “Crowd at CPAC waving these little pro-Trump flags look exactly like the Russian flag. Staffers quickly come around to confiscate them,” paired with pictures of my fellow College Republicans. As it turns out, a man named Ryan Clayton from the well-known, liberal news website The Huffington Post, had purposefully planted these flags in the crowd at CPAC to manufacture a false report of the event. He was dressed like a CPAC volunteer to deceive audience members into taking the flags. CPAC staffers had realized that these flags looked exactly like the Russian flag, an obvious dig at Trump’s relationship with Putin.

Clayton admitted to the falsity of his report, asserting that it was his way of protesting Trump’s presidency.

While Trump is divisive among Americans, I can’t help but feel like this is something we should all agree upon: fake news isn’t fake; Trump wasn’t exaggerating when he said that the liberal media are manipulative. I consider myself an educated young woman and having experienced such a dishonest demonstration from the media, and especially as a media and communication major here at Muhlenberg, I am disgusted and disappointed. Talk about despicable. I’m sure like many other CPAC attendees, I wasn’t paying attention to the paraphernalia being passed around, but rather, the headlining speaker of the day. In a moment of great anticipation and excitement, no one thought to question the flags. From where I was sitting, I felt used and betrayed by an industry that I have been studying since freshmen year. I want students on campus to be wary of all media sources, as the truth is not their priority.

For more, read The Atlantic’s article: An Actual FalseFlag Operation at CPAC.

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My McElroy, my McElroy, my McElroy and me

By Will Wamser Op/Ed Writer There are three good good boys that warrant your attention and they are the McElroy brothers. The McElroy brothers are three real life brothers who host a podcast together, but they are so much more than that. The podcast they host is called My Brother, My Brother and Me and it is a comedy advice show for the modern era where they take questions from their listeners and from Yahoo Answers and give out advice. The show comes out on a weekly basis and consists of questions and various segments like Munch Squad, where they read fast food company’s press releases for whatever their newest abomination is.

The show has been going on for seven years and has developed a devoted and loving fan-base, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is a die-hard fan. Horses, Scott Bakula, Animorphs, Reginald VelJohnson, Slimer, Shrek, vaping, Olive Garden, Jimmy Buffet, sweet kush, Tim Curry, Shaq, Space Jam, and dunking—if any of those are things you love or have a love-hate relationship with, then the McElroy brothers are for you.

My Brother, My Brother and Me is hilarious and genuine in a way that is difficult to portray in most mediums.

Let’s get more specific, who are the McElroys?

There are three McElroy brothers, your oldest brother Justin, your middle brother Travis, and your sweet baby brother Griffin. Justin McElroy is a podcaster and the Editor-At-Large for the gaming website Polygon.com. Travis McElroy is a podcaster, an actor, and a carpenter. Griffin McElroy is a podcaster, writer, music maker, the Deputy News Editor for Polygon.com, and one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 in 2017 under media.

Now you may be thinking that these sweet boys interest you, but if you’re not one to take or listen to advice, that’s okay—they do so many other things as well. All three and their dad create a Dungeons and Dragons podcast called the Adventure Zone and they do a yearly podcast called Till Death Do Us Blart where they watch and review Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 on Thanksgiving. Justin has a podcast with Dr. Sydnee McElroy, his wife, about the history of medical practices. Travis has a podcast called Shmanners with his wife Teresa McElroy where they talk about manners in the modern day, a podcast called Interrobang with Tybee Diskin talking about things that upset and confuse them, and a

podcast called Bunker Buddies with Andie Bolt talking about the apocalypse, to name a few. Griffin has a podcast called Rose Buddies with his wife Rachel McElroy about The Bachelor family of products and a podcast called Coolgames Inc. with Nick Robinson about fun game ideas. For any interest, there is a McElroy show for you.

But what if you don’t like podcasts? You can check out the spectacular My Brother, My Brother and Me TV show that just came out on Seeso, and if you don’t have Seeso you can watch an episode for free on YouTube. You can also find the many funny YouTube series Justin and Griffin make on Polygon’s YouTube channel with shows like Monster Factory, where they create hideously funny characters in video games, or Touch the Skyrim where Griffin and Nick Robinson destroy Skyrim from the inside out.

Even though the McElroy brothers have their fingers in a lot of pies, there is something special about My Brother, My Brother and Me, and I think it comes down to is that the podcast is three brothers talking.

They aren’t three comedian friends; they aren’t even comedians, but just very funny people. Because they aren’t comedians, they aren’t using their podcast to further their career or for notability. The podcast is for them and their fans. It was started because they all lived in different places and Justin wanted an excuse to talk to his brothers more so they wouldn’t grow apart. The sweetness and love of that starting sentiment really comes through, but not explicitly. It comes through in their chemistry because they aren’t just good friends, they are brothers and that is an important distinction. It’s clear when you listen to them, they know each other so well that every goof on the show is a product of all of them working together and heightening in a way that will put you in tears. There is something really special about a brotherly relationship: it is equally loving, antagonistic, encouraging, annoying, and mocking, and the McElroys bring their audience into that relationship tenfold. Their show doesn’t feel like a podcast, it feels like you are listening to three brothers having fun and bonding, and you are laughing because even if you aren’t participating in it, their attitude makes you a part of it.

My Brother, My Brother and Me is hilarious and genuine in a way that is difficult to portray in most mediums, but these boys interact so naturally that it is effortless. The McElroys are good people and are so much fun to listen to and to watch them do pretty much anything. I can’t remember the last time I went 24 hours without hearing one of their voices. If there are any other McElroy fans out there, hit me up - I own Space Jam on DVD and am always down for some dunks. For those of you who don’t know them, listen to their podcast or watch an episode of their show on YouTube, you won’t regret it. Oh, and one last thing, kiss your dad square on the lips.

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THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY NEWS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Campus Safety Notes Monday, February 20 Drug Possession - 3:39 p.m.

In East Hall, first floor, there was a report of alcohol and drug paraphernalia violations. Alcohol was disposed of by Campus Safety and items were brought by Campus Safety to evidence locker.

Residential Services was notified.

Disorderly Conduct - 12:18 p.m.

There was a report of harassment on Prosser’s first floor. Residential Services was notified.

Tuesday, February 21 Found Property - 3:04 a.m.

In Seegers Union, there was a report of a found wallet. The item was later claimed by the owner.

Drug Paraphernalia - 10:21 p.m.

In East Hall, there was a report of a found marijuana pipe. The item was disposed of by Campus Safety and it is unknown whom it belongs to.

Wednesday, February 22 Found Property - 9:49 a.m.

A lost phone was recovered and attempts to contact the owner were made.

Sick Student - 1:40 p.m.

In Moyer Hall, first floor, there was a report of a sick student. The student was transported to the Health Center by Campus Safety.

Friday, February 24 Hit and Run - 1:29 p.m.

There was a report of a hit and run to vehicle which caused damage to the driver’s side quarter panel. An investigation will continue.

Vandalism to Vehicle - 6:49 p.m.

In the Benfer Hall parking lot, there was a report of vandalism to a vehicle tire. The investigation will continue.

Saturday, February 25 Fire Alarm Sounding - 3:27 a.m.

In Prosser Annex, first floor, there was a report of a fire alarm sounding. No cause of what set the alarm off was found and the system was reset without incident.

Sick Student - 4:09 a.m.

In Seegers Union, there was a report of a sick student. Muhlenberg College EMS responded, Student Health Services was notified, and the student was transported to the hospital by a Campus Safety Officer.

Trashing/Excessive Clean up - 11:39 a.m.

On 22nd St., there was a report of excessive trashing in the yard. Attempts to speak to the residents were made, Plant Operations was notified and an investigation will continue.

Assist Outside Agency - 5:26 p.m.

On Liberty St., there was a report to assist Allentown Police with a minor motor vehicle accident.

Larceny/Theft - 1:10 p.m.

In the Life Sports Center, there was a report of car keys, money, and clothing stolen from a locker room. An investigation will continue.

Thursday, February 23 Harassment by Intimidation - 7:30 p.m.

In Ettinger, second floor, there was a report of harassment. Individuals were identified and spoken to, Student Health Services was notified, and there was no further incident.

Sunday, February 26 Drug Possession - Marijuana - 12:12 a.m.

In Martin Luther Hall, third floor, there was a report of a smell of marijuana. Campus Safety Officers checked the area but no source of the smell could be found.

Sick Student - 8:59 p.m.

In Walz Hall, first floor, there was a report of a sick student. The student refused further treatment or transport.

Hit and Run - 12:13 p.m.

On Chew St., there was a report of a hit and run causing damage to multiple pedestrian crosswalk signs. Allentown Police also responded and took report. An investigation will continue.

The Weekly Staff wishes everyone a safe and happy weekend! from

Tuition

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schools for joint purchases, investing in energy saving equipment and more health insurance coverage at a lower cost.

“The increase in tuition and fees for next year is in line with the College’s history of such increases,” said Williams.

Price increases from 2001-2002 to now have varied anywhere from 3.11 percent to 7.43 percent. This year’s 4.8 percent is consistent with the last year’s which was 4.87 percent although it was a jump from 2015-2016 which was a 3.75 percent increase.

The price increase also raises the questions of affordability and financial aid.

“The College is raising additional funds from alumni and parent donors and others in order to be able to provide more financial aid for students with need,” said Williams.

The College has pulled $11 million from the quasi-endowment to create the “Muhlenberg Match Challenge” program in order to match all newly established endowed scholarships or educational enrichment funds from $25,000 to $250,000. Currently, over $7.1 million of those funds are being utilized for scholarships.

Students must reapply for financial aid every year and the financial aid office makes adjustments for each individual student based on current costs. “Students with need-based financial aid packages should inquire of the financial aid office whether their aid is eligible for adjustment due to a change in their financial need,” said Williams.

For many students, the upset regarding the price increase is obvious. For seniors like Shoshana Fishbein, the increase will ultimately be inconsequential.

“I’m glad I’m getting out when I am,” said Fishbein.

By Gregory Kantor Editor-in-Chief As part of The Weekly’s renewed commitment to improving transparency between the Muhlenberg College community and the bodies that govern it, a short recap of all Student Government Association meetings will be printed the week following the meeting.

On Feb. 22, SGA met in the Seegers Union Great Room for a one-hour meeting.

The meeting began with constituency comments from Kash Calderon ‘19, who introduced his plan to have the Pre-Health Club host Michael Salzhauer, also known as “Dr. Miami.” The General Assembly suggested that Calderon speak to the Career Center about a potential co-sponsorship of the talk. Ultimately, the Assembly decided that more details are needed prior to deciding whether to provide additional funding.

Next, Chief Information Officer Allan Chen and Dr. Keri Colabroy represented the College Committee on Information Technology and Digital Learning fielded questions on the revised privacy policy. The policy was crafted based on best practices from neighboring schools, and replaces an outdated policy, said Chen.

The General Assembly agreed to send information to students once the policy is finalized and approved.

The president, treasurer and finance committee reports were unremarkable. The motion to allocate $648 to the Muhlenberg Dance Association for their American College Dance Association conference was approved unanimously.

The Clash of the Classes Committee gave a report that updated the Assembly on the status of the event, which will take place on Mar. 25. The plan is to generate maximum student participation by sending out interest emails and allowing the students to decide which events will comprise the event. To that end, an email was sent out to all students on Feb. 27 soliciting feedback.

Lastly, the General Assembly discussed amendments to the SGA Bylaws, specifically regarding office hours and attendance policies. According to the change, all representatives will be required to hold five office hours per month. The changes passed unanimously.

The meeting adjourned without incident at 6:00 p.m.

The overall breakdown for next year’s costs will be: Tuition $50,095 Room $6,205 Board $5,095 Technology Fee $250 Health and Wellness Fee $200 Activity Fee $285 Total $62,130

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY NEWS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

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Has Israel been Trumped? A talk with Neil Lazarus Guest Speaker addresses concerns over Trump’s current foreign policy in regards to Israel

Haris Bhatti/The Muhlenberg Weekly

Lazarus spoke to several dozen students in an engaging lecture that addressed the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the United States’ new role with the Trump Administration.

By Marin Stumpf News Writer “The world changes every ten years,” said Neil Lazarus, an expert on political science and Israeli and Middle Eastern politics. “9/11 was the last game-changer.

President Trump is the next.”

Last Thursday, Lazarus, an acclaimed public speaker, visited Muhlenberg. He held a talk at Hillel, sponsored

by Hillel International, Zionist Organization of America, and Stand With Us, on the new presidential administration and its potential effects on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. His goal was to answer the question, “Has Israel been Trumped?”

As he explained in his talk, the answer may very well be yes.

“With the election of President Trump,” Lazarus said, “the world is reshaping itself.” Lazarus explained that Trump’s rise to power is not an isolated incident. It’s part of a massive multinational resurgence of far-right political parties, from Trump’s election last November, to Brexit and UKIP in the UK, to nationalist, racist, anti-immigrant parties gaining power in mainland Europe.

“This is a backlash against Obama and liberal ideology,” Lazarus said, “It’s also a question of Obama’s legacy.” A legacy which, according to Lazarus, includes increased Iranian and Russian strength, and the development of non-state fundamentalist terrorist organizations that blur national boundaries like ISIS, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

To Lazarus, this legacy, particularly concerning last year’s Iranian nuclear deal, reveals both a fundamental difference between how Americans and Israelis approach political deals, and potential common ground between Israel and the Trump administration.

“America went to the Persian Bazaar and got ripped off because it took the opening price,” Lazarus said of the U.S,’s approach to negotiating the Iranian deal.

Israelis, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are generally opposed to the deal because it doesn’t completely end Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran is still allowed to enrich uranium, but only for civilian uses like power plants. Even though the deal dramatically reduces Iran’s ability to enrich uranium,

and its stockpile, it’s still viewed by many to be a bad deal.

“America is a contractual society that’s willing to take a bad deal,” Lazarus said. “In the Middle East, if it’s a bad deal, you walk out.”

Trump is among those who view the nuclear deal as inadequate. His vocal opposition to the deal and desire for harsh enforcement or complete renegotiation creates common ground with Israel, which is already anti-Iran due to the emergence of the Iranian-affiliated terrorist organization Hezbollah, and threats against Israel.

Israel has not been exempt from the rise of far-right political parties. The far-right party in Israel is gaining ground, and is placing pressure on Netanyahu to annex Gaza and the West Bank, as they believe Israel should have control over the entire region and no separate Palestinian state should exist.

Supporters of annexation also succeeded in passing a law in the Israeli parliament that retroactively legalizes Israeli settlements built on private Palestinian land. To Lazarus, the law shows blatant disregard for Palestinian national sovereignty. Lazarus argues the law is a dramatic step towards expanding Israeli law over Palestinian land—an essential component of annexation.

Lazarus views Palestinian national sovereignty, and the creation of an independent Palestinian state, to be vital to preserving the rights and safety of Palestinian people. “Palestinians, particularly refugees, are treated as third-class citizens,” Lazarus said. “The only way to prevent that is to create an independent Palestinian state.”

However, the West Bank and Gaza may be annexed, or at least brought under greater Israeli control, before that goal of Palestinian statehood can be realized.

“Trump is the only president not committed to a twostate solution,” Lazarus says. The lack of U.S. support for the two-state solution, combined with the rise of the pro-annexation far-right party in Israel, could spell disaster for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

In Lazarus’s opinion, the two-state solution is the only good solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We should be building Gaza,” he says, “not continuing cycles of war.” Contrary to Trump’s assertion that the issue should be worked out between Israel and Palestine, Lazarus is in favor of a regional deal that involves their neighbors.

Lazarus also pointed out that by aligning itself with Trump, Israel puts itself at the risk of not only losing support from Jewish Americans, the majority of whom vote Democratic and are strongly opposed to Trump, but international condemnation for any potential actions against Palestine.

When I asked him what Muhlenberg students could do in response to this crisis, Lazarus said political involvement is crucial. “Be interested in Israel, in the crisis in Syria,” he said. “Be socially conscious and try to make a difference.” He also strongly encouraged Jewish students to register for Birthright trips to Israel, in order to explore Israeli and Jewish culture and heritage.

“Remember this,” Lazarus told us. “The people who most shout against Muslims are no friends of the Jewish people.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Mr. Lazarus and his work, visit his website at www. awesomeseminars.com.

Haris Bhatti/The Muhlenberg Weekly

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THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY NEWS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Language and Culture Commons renovations aim to form collaboration and international communication

By Ian Adler Asst. News Editor Students finding themselves on the first floor of Ettinger may have stumbled across an open-concept blue room, adorned with projectors, computers, a TV, couches, chairs, and hanging white lights. No, this isn’t the lounge aboard the Starship Enterprise; it’s the newly renovated (and renamed) Language and Culture Commons.

Renovations to the “Language Lab” as it was formerly called took place beginning in May of 2016, with the project wrapping up in September of that same year. However, the call for change was inspired by more than just a desire for a new, aesthetically pleasing space.

“Everything around us has changed,” said Dr. Luba Iskold, Professor of Russian and Director of the LC Commons. “Our students have changed, our teaching methodology has changed and our needs have changed.”

The former space, built in 1985,

centered around “audio-lingual” learning, in which students would don a pair of headphones and practice their languages in a private, cubicle-like cell.

As time went on, the teaching style of language professors shifted toward a group-centered, collective practicing effort, displaying the need for a space to match.

“It’s been a trend recently, at least in higher-ed, to go from rigid, stagnant and uninviting spaces to something flexible, appealing, and very inviting to people,” added Dr. Iskold. “So that was our goal.”

The new facility’s features have been utilized not only by the Foreign Language Department, but also the Office of Admissions, the Academic Resource Center, as well as various clubs and organizations.

“We really want people to know that this space is available,” said Dr. Eileen McEwan, Associate Professor of French and Department Chair. “If there are professors that want to do some kind of project with a university in India, or

(top right, bottom left) Haris Bhatti/The Muhlenberg Weekly

Renovations to the space included a mix of aesthetic and practical improvements. from

Planning

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representatives from Wallace Roberts and Todd (WRT) Urban Design, Principal, Architect and Urban Designer Maarten Pesch, Senior Associate and Urban Designer Yogesh Saoji, Campus Planner and Landscape Architect Donna Zalecky and Dixi Wang.

WRT’s goal for the night was to locate upcoming problems they would need to fix. To do that, the room was divided up into four categories: Student Life, Residential Life and Space, Campus Setting and Academic Facilities and Space. Each table was topped with one of four different colored cards, a map of campus and a stack of paper with the same color header on the top. Each paper contained two major questions related to that specific table’s topic. At almost every table was one of the 19 members of the SPG. Attendees were presented with the prompts and discussion ensued. After

some time, each table went up to one of the large sheets of paper stuck around the room and recorded their findings. The four representatives from WRT floated between tables of the same category and read the pads of paper, which they summarized at the end.

The Campus Setting groups identified a lack of consistent wifi on campus as well as a shortage of parking spaces, and the distance to the nearest baseball/ softball field. They also mentioned the College’s mixture of old and new architecture.

The Academic Facility groups discussed the use of interdisciplinary and collaborative spaces, making note of how those spaces are the methods of future learning. They also suggested all-around upgrading of classrooms in general, and the line between having Muhlenberg space and a department’s own space. They also suggested more spaces for the Wescoe School and better room scheduling.

Wang discussed the need brought

Spanish Club meeting in the new, renovated Language and Culture Commons.

Portugal, or wherever, they can use this space to hold their classes and have their conversations and work on collaborative projects in a way that we haven’t had the space to do before.”

The revisions, which began May of 2015, were preceded by extensive planning, coordination, and the input of student and faculty focus groups.

“All the students that work here on a daily basis were part of those focus groups, as well as other students that joined in,” said Dr. McEwan. “And as we were modelling, those students that work here were putting in ideas, so the students were very heavily involved in the process from the beginning.”

According to McEwan, the Language and Culture Commons serves as a “showcase of the latest technology available to campus,” as coordinated with the Director of OIT, Allan Chen.

“The idea is this place can also grow,” added Dr. McEwan. “Technology is easily changeable and it can adapt.”

From Friday, Mar. 3 to Sunday, Mar. 5, the Language and Culture Commons will host the NEALLT

(Northeast Association for Language and Learning Technology) Conference, which will feature presentations from Professors from West Point, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Mellon, among others.

While many students will be home for break, students and staff still have the opportunity to attend and experience workshops, discussions, and presentations. To register, students and staff should contact Dr. Iskold at lubaiskold@muhlenberg.edu.

Ultimately, Dr. Iskold, Dr. McEwan, and Technician of the LC Commons, Fulvia Alderiso, hope to offer any student or faculty member the space to conduct collaborative work that utilizes the features the LC Commons has to offer.

“The way you build your space, you can anticipate an outcome,” said Dr. Iskold. “You really need to understand your objective and what it is that you want; to create a flexible, inviting space that allows for collaborative exploration and learning, as opposed to individual stations.”

up by the Student Life and Space groups for more collaborative spaces around campus, similar to those in GQ, along with the suggestion for more whiteboards, colorful rooms and natural lighting.

Pesch brought up the idea from Residential Life and Space that not all dorms have air conditioning, which is something that is needed to draw in more prospective students. He also mentioned how the Multicultural Center should have a more central location on campus.

Pesch shared the idea of moving more leisure spaces to the edge of campus so members of the surrounding community could use them, as well as the lack of parking and lack of access to study spaces.

Harring was overall impressed with the turnout.

“I was thrilled with the number of faculty, staff, and students who participated in the event and provided excellent feedback on campus spaces,” said Harring, “I learned a great deal from

students about the things they would like to see in residence halls, as well as much needed study and social space. What was even more exciting was how students, faculty and staff at the individual tables were able to build on each other’s ideas.

This is the value of community planning events.”

Justin Frankl, ‘18, wanted to do what he could.

“I wanted to attend the meeting to find out how I could make Muhlenberg a better place,” said Frankl.

The last community Strategic Planning event was held the beginning of November. The SWOT were collected at the end of September from over 60 different student organizations.

A finished copy of the Strategic plan is set to be presented at the Board of Trustees meeting in April.

Students can check out the Strategic Planning Website at muhlenberg.edu/ strategicplan/ or e-mail Capital Projects Manager David Rabold with any questions.

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY ARTS & CULTURE THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

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Arts & Culture

“Let me listen to me and not to them.”

-Gertrude Stein

Listening

By Brooke Weber Arts & Culture Editor

One syllable, infinite meanings: Listen to Me What does it mean to mean?

What does it mean to not mean?

Words of so much thought, so much weight, so much to muse on—words of one syllable.

This nebulous navigation of significance, this mind maze full of disconnected words that somehow scrambled over each other to frantically join hands, only to be broken apart at the last second and firmly put back in their place (if such a place ever existed at all, that is) was at the core of Professor Jim Peck’s production of Gertrude Stein’s Listen to Me, a play that explodes the form of all plays and a story that actively seeks not to tell a story. As her biography and background in the Listen to Me program states, Stein was a postwar modernist whose talents branched into many different facets of writing, including poetry, novels, and plays; through each, she attempted to part from tradition. This can be seen even in Listen to Me’s raw script, which Rachel Brudner ’19, who played the Eighth Character, remembers as both a difficult challenge and a ripe opportunity.

“Gertrude Stein did not specify in most places which characters say which lines, so we as a cast had to decide for ourselves not only how we would interpret the text, but who would say what in the script,” Brudner said. “It was challenging and took a long time, but it was so rewarding. We would sit around in a circle for a portion of each rehearsal and discuss our interpretations of each scene, then assign lines, and put it on its feet! We focused a lot on stage pictures and creating images that would evoke emotion.

I loved how collaborative Jim [Peck] made this process—that was definitely my favorite part of the creation of this show!”

This painstaking assignment of lines and roles led to an extremely intriguing setup in terms of the show’s established hierarchy. Besides the two named characters, Sweet William and Lillian, there were three ranks of characters, each differently dressed and playing a different role in social order of the piece: the “threes,” the “fours,” and the “sixes” (though the “threes” and “fours” would often group together to make the “sevens”). Jessica Orelus ’19 brought to life the Ninth Character, a member of the “sixes” who was often overlooked by those higher on the social ladder.

“There is the earth and it is dying. There are the six who are hyper aware of it and there are the seven who can afford to not be,” said Orelus. “The seven erase us in the beginning, following a trend Sweet William later gives voice to in the show, that everything that is is one syllable and everything that is not are two. Two sylla-

bles or more are complicated, and the seven try to keep themselves as unaware of the complicated as possible, so much so that often it is as if they cannot hear the six at all… [My character] was desperate to be counted and resented when the seven chose not to. The world was dying and though it did not affect the seven (the suited characters) quite so immediately, it certainly was affecting the six in real time.”

Though this was an agreed-upon backdrop for the cast and crew’s interpretation of the show, part of the beauty of this show is that it is so subjective—because there is no story, no implicit meaning to try and grapple with, each audience member’s feelings are valid, a point emphasized by Becca Canziani ’17, who played the Fifth Character in her second and final mainstage production.

tandem with the cast and crew, only furthers the idea that, despite all of our human differences, the one thing we all strive for is connectedness. Immediately after the show was over, revealing that none of the characters had ever even “met,” I was simply confused: what had I been watching the whole time, if these characters had never known each other? Who were they, and why had they been speaking as different collectives, their tones ranging from comedic to hopeful to just disappointed?

What did any of it mean?

Talking to my friends as I exited the theater, I tried to gauge what they thought had occurred—was Sweet William a God-like figure? Was Lillian trying to make or break her relationship with him? Did any of the characters even exist? It was hard to face the fact that none of these questions could be answered, hard to comprehend that the play couldn’t be fit into some kind of pieced-together rhythm or flowing rhyme. If analysis wasn’t the answer, then what was?

“Something that helped us [the actors and those working on the project] a great deal in the beginning of the process was arresting our desire of ‘getting’ it and making peace with the fact that it was more about opening ourselves to the experience of the text rather than trying to understand it.” advised Orelus. “…There is a freedom to be found in suspending the desire or need ‘to get it,’ because there was nothing to be gotten…As Jim Peck, our director, once eloquently wrote or quoted, Gertrude Stein’s Listen to Me is a ‘cerebral frolic,’ and I could not say it any better than that.”

Listen to Me certainly provided an Photo Courtesy of Ken Ek audience experience like no other— a physical manifestation of a mind “The goal was to create a place in which the audi- space in which, for an hour and a half, everyone was ence is stimulated and is aware that they’re having a re- so intimately connected, yet so deeply separated by our action to what’s going on, but that they might not nec- outside-ness, our lack of certainty about what was goessarily know why they’re having that reaction or how ing on in front of our eyes. Despite having watched the they came to feel how they feel,” Canziani said. “One same story unfold, we as audience members had “not of the most common interpretations that I’ve heard but met”—not yet, that is, until we exited the theater and not thought about myself is that Sweet William and Lil- shared our thoughts with each other, melding theories, lian represented Adam and Eve or some kind of first thoughts, and minds in collective collaboration. man and first woman on the earth. I hadn’t thought of Maybe the future isn’t so lonely after all. that, but I can totally see how that’s there…The thing that the play is most about for me is human interac- C tion and connection. It’s about how we group ourselves U and are a part of different groups, and who gets to have R a place in what group, and who matters in a certain T group. Who gets to decide who matters and who gets A their place taken away? Who do we listen to and who I do we ignore?”

N Who indeed? This manifold collection of meanings, which many audience members attempted to collect in

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THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY ARTS & CULTURE THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Chicken soup for the college soul: Chris Fleming’s comedy

By Evan Mester Arts & Culture Writer Let’s face it; everyone loves comedy in some shape or form. While everyone’s sense of humor differs from one another, there is something unifying about being able to have a good laugh with a group of people. From this notion, I think it begins to make a lot of sense that comedy events on campuses, such as ours, are so popular. They give us the opportunity to get together and escape the stress and pressure of our daily routine that we take so seriously and lets us not only relax but also see a silly side of others that we would otherwise not see.

If I am being totally honest, my attendance of Chris Fleming’s performance was something I did pretty much on a whim. Despite my almost unhealthy level of YouTube viewing, I’ve had no idea about Fleming’s endeavors as a stand up comedian or of his hilarious online content, including his Gayle series and other utterly bizarre videos like Gigi the Christmas Snake (which I highly implore you to check out if you have a knack for unorthodox comedy). A couple of my friends attempting to convince me to go managed to win me over after showing me some of Fleming’s online content, which I got a good kick out of. While waiting for the event to

commence, I started to build up this sense of anticipation, though I can’t exactly pinpoint why. Remember, I have seldom seen anything that Fleming has done beforehand, but for some reason I was beyond excited to see him perform.

While Fleming’s performance took up the majority of the time spent whilst in the Great Room, several members of the student group SIT performed their own comedic bits as a preface to the main event. While each of the rotating acts was brief in duration, I did find myself getting invested and having a good laugh at the student performances. Whether it was precision timing on certain puns and punch lines or just plain wit, these performances were a wonderful way not only to prepare the crowd for the main event, but also to exhibit the otherwise shrouded comedic talent of my fellow members of the student body.

After several of the warm-up acts, Fleming finally took the stage and began his performance. It wasn’t even about five seconds into the routine when the audience began to burst into echoing laughter from Fleming’s sheer wit. Incorporating audience interaction with an impeccable degree of stage presence, Fleming absolutely dominated his performance, leaving the entire Great Room in a state of almost constant laughter. What ac-

tually surprised me about Fleming’s routine was his usage of visual and musical comedic gags via screen projection. While the projections themselves were indeed funny, they caught myself and the rest of the audience off-guard to the point where it elicited more laughs than any of us could anticipate.

Throughout my time at the show, I would periodically turn to my friends only to see them writhing in the sheer hilarity that was ensuing onstage. Honestly, their reactions alone made me hysterical with laughter, making the already funny show that Fleming was putting on even more hilarious.

During one of those times when I turned to them, a thought popped into my head that didn’t just make me think further about how much fun I was having, but also how comedy shows, like the one Fleming was performing, are so important to the college experience.

They give us a moment to refrain from the demanding and stressful routine that is our course loads and commitments and allow us to take time to sit back and laugh with our peers.

Honestly, you really do have to appreciate how the medium of comedy can join everyone together in a college setting. For that, Fleming, I thank you so much for putting on such a wonderful show.

Language department celebrates spring in style

By Sara Gottlieb Arts & Culture Editor It may be February (despite the weather these days), but the Muhlenberg Language Department is already ringing in spring with celebrations of the Russian Maslenitsa Festival and Mardi Gras and Carnaval. The events focused on bringing students together to learn about cultures all over the world, raise awareness about people in need, and, more than anything, have fun and share cool experiences.

The Maslenitsa festival was held in the Language Center last Thursday. The holiday, also known as “butter and pancake week,” is the Russian celebration of the coming of springtime, and it is traditionally practiced with the eating of a lot of—you guessed it—butter and pancakes. “Maslenitsa is seven days of celebration.

Each day is a sign for a particular activity,” said Russian professor Liliana Judge, who was responsible for the event. “Since we celebrated [last] Thursday, it was the day to paint the town red, as we say; go have fun, play with snowballs, go riding on horses.” The holiday is meant to, as Judge puts it, “say goodbye to winter.”

Part of the celebration includes the building of a large hay effigy representing winter; the effigy is burned to symbolize the end of winter and the coming of spring.

Those who celebrate Maslenitsa, which is translated from the Russian word for “butter,” are free to partake in eating as much milk, butter and blini (pancakes that symbolize the sun) as they like.

Soon afterward, the Christian tradition of Lent, the fast leading up to Easter, is observed, and dairy products are not eaten during the fast. At the celebration held at school, students were given the opportunity to dress in traditional Russian clothes, build a miniature effigy of their own (burning optional), and learn about the cultural significance of the holiday. Maslenitsa is not only about the eager approach of springtime, but is also about friendship and community. “[The event] was very successful, even more than we anticipated,” Judge said. “It was fun to have students who [do] not necessarily study languages show up because of their curiosity, and I feel like it was a success for me as a Russian teacher to present a longstanding tradition of Russia and have fun, you know? See that Russians have fun, too!”

In Seegers Union this past Tuesday, the Spanish, Italian and French clubs got together to celebrate Mardi Gras and Carnaval, more examples of “one last hurrah” holidays before the Lenten fast begins. “We started this

Photo Courtesy of Liliana Judge

Diego Rojo ‘20 and Katrina Voorman ‘20 display their traditional Russian garb at Maslenitsa.

event originally as a mask-making event for the French Mardi Gras,” said French Club president Dylan Ashton ’18, “and upon hearing further interest from other clubs that also celebrate similar holidays around this time… the whole language and culture departments decided to have multiple groups come together…and bring different aspects of different cultures into one event.”

Each club contributed to the mask decorating offered at the event, along with maraca-painting and a bake sale set up by the Italian Club. “We’re selling bugie, which is a traditional Italian Carnaval snack; it’s a fried dough, and it’s called that because in Italy that means ‘lies’ because they look bigger than they are,” said Catherine Barrow ’18, president of the Italian Club. “They’re eaten during Carnaval, which is very similar to Mardi Gras where you eat whatever you would like before the Lenten fast, and every donation we make is going to the Italian American Relief Fund.”

The fund was set up to help people after the recent

earthquakes in Italy. “We want people to know that there are a lot of other people hurting around the world…this is something that’s been going on and a lot of people aren’t aware that there have been earthquakes in Italy.” The earthquakes hit the country in August, October, and most recently in January. Barrow is happy the club was invited to participate in the event. “It was something fun to do, but [it was also an opportunity] to bring awareness to people aren’t quite aware of, and what brings people together better than food?”

Mardi Gras is a pre-Lent celebration, but over the years it has gained a reputation for being a chance to get drunk and party. “It used to have religious roots,” said Spanish Professor Mirna Trauger. “People would clean out their cupboards and clean out their homes of all the things that they were going to fast from, so they would get rid of all the eggs and all the meat and all the fat that they were going to be giving up for the next 40 days for Lent before the celebration of Easter.” Rather than throw away the food, people would have big parties and eat the food while they could before Lent began—that’s how the holiday earned the nickname “Fat Tuesday.”

This is very reminiscent of the Jewish tradition of Passover, during which time the eating of leavened bread and yeast is not allowed. To prepare, the family cleans out every piece of bread and every crumb from their homes before the holiday begins; rather than eating them, however, the bread and crumbs are burned.

Mardi Gras has become “more humanistic, more hedonistic” as time has passed, according to Trauger.

“The most important Carnavals are those of Brazil, of course, Rio, and Trinidad in the Caribbean. But there are Carnavals all over [the world], from Europe all the way to Latin America.”

“This event [is meant to] unite all languages and celebrate the Carnaval or Mardi Gras,” said Spanish Professor and Spanish Club advisor Amelia Moreno. “In Spanish-speaking countries, Carnaval is all about fiestas and parties…the idea is to have this Carnaval, where all people of different nationalities celebrate the same thing and stay together. It’s very fun, especially in these times that we’re living [in].”

The students of the participating clubs submitted ideas for how to best demonstrate the ways in which each culture celebrates the same holiday. “Mexico has one of the largest Carnavals in the world,” Moreno said. “It is in Veracruz, Mexico, and people get together with costumes, there are big parades, and they pretty much dance and drink the whole night! It brings happiness to people.”

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY ARTS & CULTURE THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

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Feast or bloodbath?

Lehigh three-peats at Battle of the Chefs

By Melissa Reph News Editor On Wednesday, Feb. 22, a war took place in the Wood Dining Commons. The Battle of the Chefs saw five Lehigh Valley schools go head-to-head as record numbers of Muhlenberg students decided the winner. Muhlenberg fought it out against DeSales University, Lehigh University, Northampton Community College and Moravian College.

Each school was asked to make their best Comic Cuisine. Muhlenberg’s hero of choice was Popeye the Sailor Man, with a menu of Wimpy’s Burger, Sweet Pea’s Vegan Burger, I Yam What I Yam Fries and Olive Oyl’s Cake. During the meal it was looking like Muhlenberg might secure the win, although Ellen Shephard ‘18 said “Muhlenberg’s only doing well out of loyalty.”

Despite this, other students had Muhlenberg as their top pick. Mike Dziuba ‘17 said that his favorite option was “the pork sandwiches they had, one hundred percent.” While he added “my least favorite dish was the jerk chicken [from Lehigh], it was offensively dry and underseasoned.”

“The pork sandwich they had at the Muhlenberg station was awesome,” said David Raccio ‘18.

“My favorite would have to be the Muhlenberg station because they had vegetarian and vegan options and I couldn’t find anything else to eat,” agreed Cameron Silliman ‘18.

Drew Maidment ‘18 liked Muhlenberg for a reason other than the food. “They did the theme really well.

They took Popeye and really ran with it.”

“We didn’t get to try everything at every station but we did get to try everything at Moravian and it was re-

Melissa Reph/Muhlenberg Weekly

ally good,” said Cat Ward ‘18. She and her friends also expressed their love for the cookie dough pops from DeSales.

“DeSales and Lehigh really stole the show with their strong desserts,” Santina Zouras ‘20 said mentioning that she liked the cookie dough pops and dessert nachos. These treats were also favorites of Alyssa Curtis ‘20, who said, “both changed my life.”

Moravian was Team Cap with their dishes being defined by Marvel’s Captain America. Other Marvel characters represented were Spider-Man by Northampton Community College and the Incredible Hulk by Lehigh. DeSales featured the only DC Comics character with their “Bulldog Squad” as a twist on the Academy Award winning Suicide Squad.

Lehigh University won with 299 votes and Muhlenberg came in second with 203.

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THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY SPORTS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

After McClary’s resignation, the national search for a new men’s basketball coach is underway

By Kaitlin Errickson Sports Editor Scott McClary has been the head coach for the Muhenberg men’s basketball team since 2009. On Thursday Feb. 23, Coach McClary announced his resignation to spend time with his family and to focus on his health.

McClary graduated from Muhlenberg in 1994, and spent the following seven years after graduating as an assistant coach with the basketball team. While he was an assistant, the Mules won the Centennial Conference Championship in 1995 and 1998. He was later hired as the head coach for the Marymount team, where he and his team had a successful six years. McClary led the Marymount Saints to the Capital Athletic Conference Championship (CAC) in his last year with the team, and McClary was named the CAC coach of the year.

Upon his return to Muhlenberg as the head coach in 2009, the team ended an almost decade long play-off win drought. Throughout his eight years, McClary accumulated a record of 11294. The team experienced early success under his leadership, reaching the Centennial Playoffs in each of his first four seasons (from 2009-10 to 2013-14).

Athletic Director Corey Goff is very appreciative of McClary’s commitment to the school and athletes.

“Coach McClary is a tireless worker who has tremendous passion for Muhlenberg College and our basketball program. We are thankful for his years of dedicated service to the college and our student athletes. I wish him all the

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my work ethic has set a good example for my teammates. Going into the NCAAs, the team has a lot of energy. After winning the conference, the team is on a bit of a high and I hope that the excitement we have, especially being on the younger side, will carry through and spark us in the tournament. I’ve had a pretty incredible experience so far playing for Muhlenberg, so no matter how or when it ends, I will look back and know that the past four years have exceeded my expectations,” said Zerbe.

Sara Dilly ‘19, who averaged 7.4 points and 2.0 steals on the season, echoed similar sentiments to those of her head coach and of Zerbe. Specifically, she spoke on the success of this season, all while exhibiting immense exhilaration for the forthcoming tournament.

“The most memorable part of the season was cutting down the net at Haverford after winning our third straight Centennial Conference Championship,” said Dilly. “The morale of the team is very high, and we’re all focused on winning one game at a time by playing the best we can one possession at a time. Last year we got to host [the NCAA tourna-

Courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletics

Men’s basketball head coach, Scott McClary, resigned Thursday Feb. 23.

best in his future endeavors,” said Goff.

Shortly after hearing about McClary’s resignation, the athletics department began its search for a new men’s basketball head coach.

“Ultimately we hope to find a great fit for Muhlenberg College but do not have an ideal candidate profile in mind,” stated Goff.

Goff aims to recruit from a diverse pool of qualified and viable candidates from all over the country. The athletics department immediately sent out advertisements on the NCAA job board, and they also hope to spread the news by word of mouth to alumni, family, and ment game], which was cool. But we’re looking forward to traveling this year.

This was a great season with some ups and downs but we peaked at the right moment, and when it counted, we really played well and deserved to win the conference.”

Both Dilly and Zerbe displayed an immense amount of confidence in the team’s ability to continue playing well during the national tournament. Such a high level of composure is vital for any team to have if they hope to play well against tougher competition. This poise is radiant on the team in part because of the advice preached by Coach Rohn.

As head coach, it is imperative for him to encourage his players to maintain a winning mindset. Rohn’s biggest piece of advice to the team is simple: “To keep going about our business day to day and not get to caught up in the hoopla and sideshows. Approach practice and games like we have all year. At the same time, we want to enjoy the experience, as not everyone gets to do this.”

This year’s Muhlenberg women’s basketball team ranks among the most elite in school history. Coach Rohn and his players are clearly aware of the team’s success in the college basketball world, so much so that Rohn went as far to

friends of the program. Candidates for the position must have a bachelor’s degree, coaching experience, commitment to Division III sports, and great communication and organizational skills.

As of Feb. 27, the department has already received well over 100 applications for the position.

“I would estimate the total number in our applicant pool will exceed 200,” said Goff.

The goal is to find someone that fits into the Muhlenberg community and who is willing to work with the current athletic personnel and athletes.

In regards to replacing McClary, it re-

ally comes down to “active recruitment of current head and assistant coaches with proven records of success at other schools like Muhlenberg,” said Goff.

In addition to advertisements, the department established a search committee, including one faculty member, two head coaches from other sports (one male one female), two current members of the men’s basketball team, one member of the sports medicine staff and Associate Director of Athletics Megan Patruno.

Goff will serve as the committee chair.

The application review will begin on Mar. 17.

“Patruno and I will screen candidates initially to determine whether or not they meet minimum qualifications and labeling each candidate ‘no’ or ‘recommended for committee review,’” said Goff.

After the initial assessment, the committee will begin to go through the candidates to narrow down the best eight to 15 applicants. Goff will interview each of the candidates over the phone and the committee will conduct interview via Skype.

The top three to five candidates will go through reference checks and oncampus interviews. Once the top candidate is chosen and offered the position, the candidate will have to pass extensive background checks.

Goff did not mention how long the entire process would take, but they hope to hire the best and most qualified candidate as soon as possible.

Ultimately, when November rolls around and the 2017-18 season tips off, there will be a new head coach out on the court.

Courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletics

The women’s basketball team lifts up the championship trophy.

make a comparison to the University of Connecticut, a program that is by far and wide the most dominant in Division I women’s college hoops.

“Well, we haven’t won 100 games in a row or won any national championships yet, but we want to chase excellence in the same way that UConn does. On a national basis we are not at that level yet.

But with eight Centennial Conference Championships in the past 12 seasons we have become the dominant team in

our league, and we can compete with teams nationally. And I have always believed that you should dream big; that your reach should always exceed your grasp. So from that point of view we are never going to stop trying to achieve that kind of greatness.”

With a three-peat championship and placement in the NCAA Division III Tournament, it is safe to say that the team has made history, and will continue to do just that.

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY SPORTS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

11

Men’s and women’s lacrosse lose season openers

By Matt Riebesell Sports Writer In the past week, Muhlenberg’s men’s and women’s lacrosse teams opened their seasons. Unfortunately, both squads are winless through the first few games, but there were certainly positive points in each game the teams look to build on to get rolling in the right direction.

The men’s roster faced the Susquehanna University River Hawks on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Scotty Wood Stadium.

The Mules led 2-1 after the first quarter, in a game that looked like it was going to be a low scoring affair. Captain Brad D’Alessandro ‘17 scored both of the first two goals, which were unassisted. The River Hawks took a 3-2 lead into half time, as they netted two goals of their own and held the Mules scoreless during the second quarter. After halftime,

Susquehanna took a convincing lead in the third, making the score 9-3. The lone Muhlenberg goal of the quarter was strung together by a pair of freshman.

Declan Moylan ‘20 was credited with the assist and Paul Krueger ‘20 put the ball in the back of the net for the Mules.

The final score was 12-4, as Joey Hess ‘18 was also able to score an unassisted goal in the fourth quarter. The Mules recorded more penalties than the River Hawks 9-2, including six in the third quarter, which is something the team needs to improve.

The men also faced off against Scranton three days later and came up short again. The Mules jumped out to a quick lead after scoring the first two goals of the game, one by Niko Del Moro ‘18 and the other by Moylan. Soon thereafter, Scranton scored the next five goals before Moylan scored his second

of the game. Also scoring goals were D’Alessandro and Brandon Miller ‘19 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Frankie Feaster ‘20 had a 68 percent faceoff percentage, winning 15 of the 22 he saw. Feaster took all of the faceoffs for the Mules against Scranton. The Mules only were charged with two penalties this game, improving from their Susquehanna matchup. The final score of the Scranton game was 14-5.

The women have only played their season opener, requiring them to travel to Grantham, Pa. to take on Messiah.

Despite the loss by the score of 17-9, two Mules ended the game with hat-tricks.

Captain Kelsey Nagle ‘17 and Jordy Bonvini ‘18 both scored three goals. The Mules scored about a minute and a half into the game to take the early advantage, but Messiah went on a seven goal tear.

At halftime, the Mules were down 10-2.

The second half was a lot more competitive, as the teams both scored seven goals each. Stephanie D’Ascoli ‘17 added two goals for the Mules and Amanda Tullo ‘19 netted one goal. Captain Sara Allison ‘17 played all 60 minutes in goal for the Mules.

Both teams look to improve upon their opening efforts in their next few games.

Ater their home opener, the team will hit the road and travel to Hilton Head, South Carolina to play Emmanuel during spring break. Conference play for the women starts up on Mar. 25th against Bryn Mawr. The men will host Fairleigh Dickinson University on Friday Mar. 3 and then head to Newport News, Virginia over Muhlenberg’s spring recess to play Matte Cup rival Moravian on Wednesday, Mar. 8. The men’s conference play begins Mar. 29 against Haverford.

Mules’ athletics community: “22 Sports, One Team”

By Josh Lederman Sports Writer Muhlenberg athletics not only works to win on the field, but it also strives to work in the community and impact the lives of others. The slogan “22 Sports, One Team” was established a few years ago and really embraces Muhlenberg athletics’ focus on bettering the community by working together. As per the athletics department’s vision statement, “Our programs will motivate and empower students to develop leadership, well-being, sportsmanship and interpersonal skills while nurturing a sense of civic responsibility.” It aims to create strong, responsible, and caring individuals both on and off the field.

Each team and athlete is responsible to participate in various sorts of volunteer and community work throughout their time at Muhlenberg. “Although we have 22 varsity athletic teams, every team works together to impact the community, both in Allentown and beyond,” said Associate Athletic Director Megan Patruno. “In order to work in the community, we must establish a sense of community and by coming together as one team. We are a community.”

Each team impacts the community in a variety of ways, whether it is playing games to fundraise for certain charities, running athletic clinics for individuals with disabilities, working with elementary school students or raising money for several charities. The teams decide how they will impact the community and which charities and organizations they will work with through collaboration between the coaches and the players. In Patruno’s previous six years as the Assistant Athletic Director, she has seen both “consistency and growth” in the community engagement programs.

Assistant men’s basketball coach Dawud Abdur-Rahkman is the coordinator for diversity, inclusion and leadership. Abdur-Rahkman encourages athlete participation in community engagement programs. “It gives athletes

a sense of value and makes them want to give back to the community in the future,” said Abdur-Rahkman. According to Abdur-Rahkman, when the men’s and women’s basketball teams participate in the Dream to Read program at Jefferson Elementary School in Allentown, both the athletes and the elementary school students benefit tremendously.

The basketball players read books to elementary school students in the Dream to Read program. The students are then asked to draw their understandings of the books, and the athletes help them design placemats that are sent to Meals on Wheels. “Jefferson Elementary school is a racially diverse school and many of the students’ parents have not had the opportunity to attend college,” said Abdur-Rahkman. “When visiting Jefferson Elementary, the athletes are given an opportunity to be part of a diverse lifestyle, while the elementary school students feel the sense that they can attend college and also make a difference. The students feel that they are part of the team.” AbdurRahkman is able to relate to this program because he was the first member of his family to attend college. Programs such as Dream to Read create a bigger, more important impact than just teaching a kid how to read; they instill hope and care within both the student and athlete.

With the spring athletic season beginning, the Muhlenberg athletic programs will continue to participate in community engagement both on and off the field. The baseball team will participate in Vs. Cancer, a fundraising program that helps fund cancer research. The entire team will shave their heads in support of the organization. Matt Riebesell ‘19 looks forward to participating in this event and was thrilled to find out that the Muhlenberg baseball team was one of the program’s top athletic donors. “Every year the founder of the organization visits Muhlenberg and usually comes to one of our practices and explains where the money we raise goes and how we directly impact the recipients of our fundraising efforts” said Riebesell. “We are

one of the best teams in the country at raising money for Vs. Cancer and usually raise more than many big Division I programs.”

The donations to Vs. Cancer do not just come from the members of the team.

“All of the players’ friends and families get involved with raising money for this organization which makes the experience of Vs. Cancer even more special,” said Riebesell. He also notes that working together as a team helps accomplish many of their community engagement goals and betters their relationship off of the field. “I really like going out into the community with the guys on my team.

I think a lot can be accomplished when big groups can go into the community together,” he said. “The guys on the team will be my friends for life.”

Riebesell has also observed other varsity teams participating in similar community engagement work and believes it is very motivating to see fellow Muhlenberg teams working in the community. “I am glad that I see and hear of other teams doing great things too,” said Riebesell. “It kind of pushes all of the other teams to get involved and do things for a lot of great causes.”

Currently, the women’s lacrosse team is partnering with Relay for Life, One Love Foundation, Yards for Yeardley, and Operations Gratitude. “Our team is very involved in the community and we make sure to give back every year,” said Kelsey Nagle ‘17, the team’s captain. With four years of volunteer experience in community engagement, Nagle remarks, “My favorite part of volunteering is knowing that my contribution can make a difference. It’s so easy to give a few hours of your time to help such a good cause and knowing that I am helping is a very rewarding feeling.” Nagle and her teammates have donated money to Relay for Life and the team is currently selling camo hats, and all of the proceeds will go to the organization.

Karissa Astrella ‘18 is a part of the Mules softball team, and she loves being a member of the unique sports com-

munity on campus. “The Muhlenberg athletic community is supportive, lively, and a true family,” said Astrella. “Being an athlete here is so much more than just playing your sport. It is about growing as a human being and becoming a better, overall, person.” Astrella’s favorite organization to work with is Student Athlete Mentors (SAM), as she is an executive board member. SAM trains student athletes to communicate with one another when they are in need of help.

One of the most anticipated events is Mercy Field Day. Members from all twenty-two varsity athletic programs have the opportunity to participate in the Mercy Field Day in April, a community engagement event that started in 2016.

Muhlenberg athletics partnered with the Mercy School of Special Learning in Allentown, a school for students with special needs.

During this event, students from the school are able to participate in a wide range of athletic programs ranging from relay races and soccer drills to softball games with the help of over 60 Muhlenberg athletes and coaches. The event takes place at Scotty Wood Stadium and students from the Mercy School are able to get a glimpse of what it is like to play on a collegiate athletic field. This event is incredibly meaningful to Patruno because her daughter, Caroline, is a Mercy School student. Last year, around fifty Mercy School students and 60 Muhlenberg athletes participated in the field day, and even more are expected for this year’s field day.

Members of Muhlenberg athletic teams believe participating in community engagement programs is incredibly fulfilling. Working within the community has increased the sense of awareness of each athlete, as it continues to challenge them to consider how to keep impacting the community in the future.

You can find out about various community engagement programs that Muhlenberg teams participate in by visiting the student athlete development page on the athletics’ website.

THE MUHLENBERG WEEKLY

SPORTS Thursday, March 2, 2017

CHAMPIONS Courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletics

By Alex Horowitz Sports Writer This past weekend at Haverford College, the Muhlenberg women’s basketball team added another milestone to its already-stacked record books. With their 56-51 win over Dickinson College, followed by a 74-61 win over Gettysburg College a day later, the Mules are Centennial Conference Champions three years running and guaranteed an automatic bid to this year’s NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The triumphant couple of victories in Haverford, Pa. gave the team its third consecutive championship. Head coach Ron Rohn, who has held that same position with the Mules since the 2001-02 season, is used to achieving success at Muhlenberg, but he is especially excited about the accomplishments of this year’s squad. “I am very happy for our team and players,” said Rohn. “It was a season where they battled and worked for everything they got. It seemed nothing came easy this year—injuries, illness, integrating nine new players into our program— but they stuck with it and were rewarded with a championship.”

Perhaps what most separated this year’s team from teams Rohn has previWomen’s Lacrosse

VS Sunday Mar. 5 at 11:00 Hilton Head, S.C.

ously coached at Muhlenberg is the bit of conference history that was made for the first time ever this year. Rohn understood what was at stake since the beginning of the season, and made sure to let his players know the significance of what they could accomplish together. “The motto on our practice shirts said ‘Make History’ because we knew that no team in the league had ever won three straight titles, and it was a goal for this team to do that,” said the most successful coach in Centennial Conference women’s basketball history. “I know they are very proud of having that honor.”

In a season that saw Muhlenberg women’s basketball compile an impressive 20-7 overall record and a 15-5 conference record—the latter placing at second best among Centennial Conference teams—there was much to be proud of.

However, when asked about what the most memorable highlight from this season has been, the answer was quite obvious to Rohn. “Of course this weekend [was the most memorable], as it was the culmination of everything this season.

When we were struggling in January, we stayed focused on getting better everyday, on being the best team at the end of February, and not worrying about who was the best team in the middle of Janu-

Softball

VS Sunday Mar. 5 at 10:30 Clermont, Fl.

ary. To see a team not panic, keep working towards that goal, and believe in each other the whole way was extraordinary.

And it really paid off this weekend.”

Rohn also showed appreciation for a number of other moments throughout the season that may have been overlooked. “Besides that [conference championship], the several come from behind wins in the second half of the season [were memorable] because they molded and hardened our team for the post season. Seeing so many players step forward in big spots and produce, those who are not the obvious names—such as Eva Sodaitis ‘19, Ashley Polera ‘20, Amanda Morello ‘19, and Caroline Hogg ‘20— that was exciting. It made this a total team effort.”

Although the successful regular season has reached its conclusion, the most important contests of the season still remain. The NCAA Tournament will commence Friday Mar. 3, as the Mules take on Geneseo in the first round. Regardless, the team is thoroughly excited for another opportunity to play beyond the February schedule.

One team member who is particularly ready for this imminent postseason test is Maggie Zerbe ‘17, a soon-to-be-graduating senior; this year’s NCAA tourna-

Women’s Tennis

Track and Field

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Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship Friday Mar. 3 at 1:00 Ithaca, N.Y.

Thursday Mar. 23 at 4:00 Kern Field Courts

Men’s Tennis

VS

ment will be the last time that she will have the privilege of representing the Mules on the basketball court. As team captain, Zerbe has constantly been one of the Mules’ most important players.

She had much to say about this season, in addition to reminiscing on her overall career as a Muhlenberg student-athlete.

“The most memorable part of this season had to be standing by the bench after we won the championship, right before I received the trophy. At that moment, it truly hit me that we won and that we were the first in team history to win three in a row. Knowing the rich history the women’s basketball program has, it was a really incredible feeling to know we achieved something so great.

Looking back on my past four years, I have to say that being a part of this team has really shaped my experience. I met some of my best friends and have had so many incredible opportunities as a result of playing basketball, and I wouldn’t change a thing. It was definitely a bit difficult to be the lone senior on a team of twenty girls, but throughout the season I have embraced the title. I am not the loudest girl on the team but I like to think I Iead more by example and hope that see

Baseball

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Championship | page 10 Men’s Lacrosse

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Abington

Thursday Mar. 16 at 4:00 Kern Field Courts

Saturday Mar. 4 at 10:00 Myrtle Beach. S.C.

Friday Mar. 3 at 7:00 Scotty Wood Stadium