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(03/15/12 5:00am)
This past week, Hopkins men's basketball attempted to stop a three-game skid, taking on Franklin & Marshall, hosting Muhlenberg and traveling to Gettysburg. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays could not prevent a further slide, losing games to the Diplomats and Mules to make it five consecutive losses. Late Wednesday night, however, the Jays beat Gettysburg, 57-45, ending their losing streak. Hopkins now stands at 11-9 and 7-6 in the Centennial Conference. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Jays traveled to Franklin & Marshall to enter the gym of the ninth-ranked Diplomats. From the onset, the game was lopsided, as Hopkins fell into an early 9-2 hole. They then deepened the deficit, falling behind 24-4 slightly before halftime. Salvaging another short run from F&M, the Blue Jays were able to score six unanswered points before the halftime whistle to cut the lead to 31-14 at the break. The Blue Jay offense struggled with the Diplomat defense, shooting just 27.5 percent from the field. They also had zero players score double-digit points on the night. Four Blue Jays scored four points and sophomore guard Kyle Mobbs led all Hopkins scorers with five points. Throughout the second half, the Diplomats' dominance continued. Early on in the second twenty, the Blue Jays cut the lead to 14 points, spreading the ball around and seemingly finding a rhythm. The good fortune did not last, however, as the home team suddenly exploded with another offensive attack, opening up a 26-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the game. The Centennial Conference leaders maintained their lead and closed out the game with a final score of 65-40, dominating on both sides of the ball and improving their overall record to 17-1 and 10-1 within the conference. Hopkins then attempted to rebound from their tough loss on Saturday, facing off with Muhlenberg. The game, named the Wall-O'Mahony Game, remembered the loss of two Hopkins men's basketball alumnae, Glen Wall and Matt O'Mahony. The former players died in the Sept, 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. In a tough, physical and well-fought game, Muhlenberg managed to edge out the Blue Jays, 58-54. Hopkins sophomore guard Daniel Corbett earned the Wall-O'Mahony MVP honors for the second consecutive year, this year posting a career high 17 points, three rebounds and one steal. In the back and forth affair, Corbett cut the lead to one point with a three pointer with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game. At that point, an offense attack from Muhlenberg ignited, and a 13-2 run from the Mules put a damper on the Jays' hopes of finally slashing their recent losing streak. After attempting to battle back, Hopkins ran out of time. The Mules fought off the Jays, improving to 6-6 in the conference, the same conference record as the Jays at the time. On Wednesday against the Bullets of Gettysburg, the Blue Jays got another solid performance from Corbett, who scored 10, while forwards George Bugarinovic, a freshman, and senior Tim McCarty posted 14 and 15 points, respectively. McCarty missed a double-double by one rebound. Hopkins will look to improve their play and make a statement in the conference over the remaining weeks of the season, ultimately looking to heat up as the regular season concludes and make a run deep into the playoffs.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
The Hopkins men's wresting team managed to clinch an important win last night, topping the Gettysburg Bullets 22-18. Although still only 4-11 overall, the Blue Jays have moved to 3-1 in the Centennial conference, while the Bullets have fallen to 1-4 in the Centennial. The team recently beat Washington & Lee and McDaniel and will hopefully be able to sustain this momentum over the next few weeks. Their next match will take place at Messiah, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3, while the next two home games will be against Stevens Tech and Kings Point on Feb. 12, the first of these two games taking place at 11 a.m. Although the team has sustained a few injuries for some key players, Hopkins had confidence going into Wednesday's match. "We did expect to win, although we knew it'd be a tough one," Head Coach Keith Norris said. Although Hopkins maintained the lead, it was at times by no more than six points; sufficiently close that a pin by the Bullets could have changed the match drastically. The Bullets' pin never came, though. "[Junior Michael Koren] did a great job not getting pinned," Norris said. "It's his first year, and it's a big jump into collegiate wresting. . .he fought hard." Koren has taken the place of the team's usual 133-lb wrestler, sophomore Ray Yagloski, as the result of Yagloski's injuries. A pin against Koren would have put the Bullets at six points, tying them to the Blue Jays before they had gained more of an advantage. In addition, Koren and junior Jody Gowen both faced talented opponents and helped Hopkins defend their lead by not getting pinned and playing hard to get points for the team according to Norris. Hopkins had moved to an early lead, which they held on to for the remainder of the match. It began with 125-lb freshman Paul Bewak, who started off the match on a strong note, pinning senior Abe Evans and giving Hopkins an early 6-0 lead. 141-lb sophomore Matt Fusaro fought for a 10-3 victory over opponent, junior Joe Fiore, missing a major by only one point. This would have given Hopkins two more points and a more comfortable lead going into the next match. Hopkins kept the momentum going, though, and, despite a few close losses, managed to stay ahead 19- 15 entering the 197-lb match between junior Reid Mosquera and the Bullets' junior Marshall Puls. Mosquera pulled Hopkins ahead in the end, winning the match 16-9, which put Hopkins at a comfortable 22-15 lead going into the heavyweight match. The usual heavyweight wrestler, 285-lb senior Rick Danilkowicz, is injured and will probably sit out for the season, according to Norris. Taking his place against Bullets' junior Kevin Poplaski in the 285-lb weight class was 174-lb freshman Evan Johnson, fighting hard for an impressive 1-0 loss. "[It'll be] up to Evan if he wants to continue wrestling in that class," Norris said. With Danilkowicz out for the season, the spot will be open indefinitely, leaving a 285-lb gap for the team to fill. It will be difficult and will put more pressure on the other nine wrestlers to perform.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
Hopkins men's basketball team is heating up the hardwood on the Homewood Campus at just the right time. They are poised to make a run into the postseason. After hitting a mid-season swoon that saw them drop five consecutive conference games, the Jays rallied for three consecutive wins against Centennial Conference rivals. The Jays' most recent road win came this past Saturday when the Blue Jays took a trip up north to battle the Garnet ofSwarthmore College. The first half was a back-andforth battle, as each team sustained runs to take the lead in the early going. It looked as if the Garnet would take the momentum into the locker room as they led by a score of 23-19 with 2:29 left in the opening half. However, in came junior guard Adam Spengler, who had been held scoreless the previous 17 minutes, to hit three consecutive threepoint shots to help the Jays storm into the locker room on a 9-0 run. "In the first half we really struggled offensively,"Spengler said, "Thankfully I was able to get some spacing and knock down a few threes. I was confident when I got an open look I would be able to capitalize." The Blue Jays expanded their lead in the second half only to see it shrink to a two point game midway through the second half. What happened next was the product of true teamwork as four Jays contributed to a 22-0 run to expand the lead to 60-36 and all but put the game out of reach. "The run in the second half against [Swarthmore] was a lot due to the fact that we crashed the boards defensively," Spengler, the six-foot-one, 180-pound junior from Colts Neck, N.J. recounted. "This allowed us to put ourselves in great position on offense where we ran some of our sets the best I've seen all year."Spengler finished the game with 12 points while freshman phenom GeorgeBugarinovic led all Blue Jay scorers with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore centerAleksandar Nikolic also poured in double digits as he added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Blue Jays benefited from some sharp shooting as they fin-ished the game shooting 48 percent from the field while shooting at a remarkable 59.1 percent clip over the course of the second half. The Blue Jay basketball team has benefitted this season from buying into Head coach Bill Nelson's game plan and performing as a team every time out. The Jays, at 13-9 and 9-6 in the Centennial, are tied for fourth place in the conference with four games remaining on the schedule. Remarkably, they have done so without having a single scorer averaging more than 10 points per game. Eight different Blue Jays have started a game this season, while ten players have seen action in every contest of the 2011-2012 campaign, exemplifying a depth not seen on any team in the Centennial Conference. Recent success this season by both the men's and women's basketball teams has seen an increase in school spirit and support at games in the Goldfarb Gymnasium. The Blue Jays recent home games have seen the stands packed with passionate supporters wearing colorful garb who cheer on their classmates with a fervor that concurrently strikes fear in the heart of opposing teams and adds the proverbial 'Sixth Man' to the Blue Jays squad. "The support at home games is the best I've seen in my three year career at Hopkins so far," Spengler happily noted. "I truly believe they play a part in our success at home, making it hard on the opponents. They're crazy and I love it." On Wednesday night, the Blue Jays got an opportunity to play in front of these fans, challenging the Green Terror of McDaniel in another Centennial Conference rivarly. McDaniel entered the game with a lowly 4-10 in-conference record, a perfect chance for Hopkins to extend their win streak. Once again, it was Hop-kins' youth, and more specificaly their young size, that stepped up for the black and blue. Bugarinovic paced the Jays with a double-double, coupling 18 points and 10 boards, while sophomore forward Connor Mc- Intyre added six rebounds and four blocks. The Jays will look for that support as they continue their home-stand this weekend against Conference rival Ursinus College at 3 PM following the women's basketball game at 1 PM. The Blue Jays move forward into the penultimate week of the season with high hopes and focused minds as they make a push towards the Centennial Conference playoffs. Spengler summed it up best when he said, "We are in a situation where we are able to control our own destiny, and that's all you can ask for." So come out and show some school spirit and join in the support and cheer on the Blue Jay men's basketball team as they make a last push toward the postseason.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
With the spring semester just beginning, the men's and women's track teams both jumped to a solid start in this past weekend's Seamus McElligot Invitation hosted by Haverford. Both teams dominated in their respective strengths: throwing for the men, distance and sprints for the women. Adding onto an already stellar season, freshman phenomenon HannahEckstein had a day and a half. She began her day in record-breaking fashion on the 5,000-meter run where she posted a time of 10:05.78. This toppled a highly coveted school record set by multi-all American, Laura Paulsen in 2009. It also blasted Paulsen's six-year old freshman indoor record by nearly 12 seconds. It is clear thatEckstein is getting better and progressing as the season goes on, and her opponents are well aware, as she is now ranked third in the nation in the 5,000-meter event. "She is a freak!" EmilyLavell, a junior jumper/ sprints specialist said of her teammate. "She is an absolute beast. I would like to think she got a lot of good insight from the upperclassmen on the team, but with her work ethic and determination, it is not difficult to figure out where her success is coming from." But the Lady Jays didn't end their dominance in distance as the team also took back some hardware in the sprinting, jumps and throwing departments. Senior co-captain Alison Smith finished in first in the 60, 200 and 400-meter dashes; freshman KelleyHussey finished right behind Smith in the 60, coming in second. On top of that, Smith's margins of victory in all three races were quite a show. She then went on to finish fifth in the long jump. Sophomore Emily Kashka, freshman Kelsey Bower and Junior Tracey Vill took the top three spots, respectively, in the pole vault to add another Blue Jay dominated event on the day. Junior Alana Merkow continued to hold onto the conference lead in throws and put up a winning toss of 12.29 (40'4"). Teammates sophomore Emily Swenson and seniorSteph Amalfe also placed in the shot put, finishing third and fourth. Junior Alexa Tzaferos rounded out the day with three second- place finishes: 60-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Lavell, who had a solid showing in both the long jump and triple jump, thought that the team had a great day as a whole but could certainly do bigger and better things in the future. "We are just starting to get in the right swing of things. Once we start clicking a little more through more practice and meets, it is going to be scary to see how far we can go." The men's team also flexed their muscle at the McElligot Invitational. Senior co-captain Luke Sand took control of the shot put events as he broke his own school record-both indoor and out-as he threw the ball 15.11 meters (49'7"). Sophomore Jon H i c k - man also placed in the shot put with a third p l a c e f i n i s h . Freshman Paul Vozzo also placed in the meet with a pole vault of 4.11 meters (13'5 ?"). This allowed Vozzo to continue his lead in the conference. Senior Jacob Kramer finished first in the 60-meter high hurdles (8.78 seconds), while freshman Ryan Walsh finished close behind in second. Walsh later went on to finish second in the high jump (1.87 meters). Sophomore Max Robinson continued to have a strong season, as he earned silver medal honors in the 3,000-meter run (8:46.71). Freshman Michael Spadaro also impressed, as he finished second in the triple jump, fourth in the high jump and fourth in the pole vault. To round out the weekend, both relay teams - the 4 X 400 meter and the distance medley - ran season bests. The 4 X 400 comprised of junior Robert Martin, sophomore Jared Beekman, Kramer and freshman Alex Naticchia. The distance medley comprised of sophomore Andrew Carey, Martin, junior Ben Press and sophomore Wes Butler. Both the men and women's team will look to continue to progress and show opponents what Blue Jay nation is made of. The women return to action this weekend at the Navy Multi-Sweetheart Invitational on Feb. 9th, then will team up with the men at the Boston University Valentine Invitational on Feb. 10th and 11th.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
Tracey Oliver and Issa Rae came to Hopkins last Friday to discuss their hit web series, "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl." Rae is the creator and star of the show and Oliver produces and acts in the show. The event, which consisted of a discussion, screening and Q&A session, was hosted by the Women's History Month Committee and co-sponsored by the Black Student Union, the Multicultural Student Volunteers and the Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theater Company. The event was opened to Hopkins students and the public. About 130 people were in attendance. "One really key thing was opening [the event] to the public," junior Kessie Alexandre, who is a member of the Women's History Month Committee and is the Community Relations Chair of the Black Student Union, said. Rae came up with "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl" because she wanted to create black comedy that depicted an awkward character. She was inspired by shows like The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm but wanted to include more diverse characters. Rae had the idea in her head for two years but decided to implement it when she read an article about what the black Liz Lemon would be like. "When I was reading this, I was like, oh my God, this is my idea, somebody's about to take it," Rae said during the discussion. "I wanted to show that we also can be quirky and mainstream just like The Office and also include color. Oliver, who went to Stanford with Rae and plays Nina on the show, wanted to produce because she liked the unique portrayal of black women, especially Rae's character, J. "The most notable aspect of the show for me is Issa. I think the reason why so many people respond to her is because she really embodies what a lot of us look like, [which] we don't see on television. The fact that she is dark and the fact that she does have short, natural hair is revolutionary. And it's something that reflects the changing times that we're in. Even looking around the room, I see so much natural hair," Oliver said. "You see a lot of women [on TV] that look a certain way, and here comes Issa, and she's awkward and black." Freshman Amanda Nwaopara liked hearing the actresses talk about the production of the show. "I really enjoyed their talk because you just see the show but . . . you never really knew what was intended, what wasn't intended," she said. "Now we have a lot of insight as to what went on behind the scenes." When Rae started the show, she had no budget. The first episode premiered on Feb. 3, 2011, with a new episode coming out every month. She had to quit her job after the first few episodes because she was constantly working on the show. This meant that the quality of the sound and the filming was not as perfect as they would have liked it to be. "I decided to shoot it guerilla style to just get my idea out there," Rae said. This also meant that they had to do their own hair and buy their own clothes for each episode because they did not have a professional hair stylist on set. However, by the sixth episode, the pair was broke. They were reluctant to send a direct email to their fans begging for money. They had heard about a website called Kickstarter where anyone could contribute money. They had to set a goal, and if that goal was reached in 30 days, they would receive the money. Since they were averaging 60,000 views per episode, Oliver and Rae decided to make their goal $10,000. They received over $36,000. Their goals for next year are to get picked up by a network like FX, where they would have creative control. They met with a major network producer, who they declined to name, who wanted to replace Rae with a celebrity like Lauren London. Both Oliver and Rae feel that this would completely take away the point of the show and the effort that Rae put into its conception. They also enjoy having the show online right now, as the screens can be filmed, edited and distributed in a short amount of time. "If you want to create your own opportunity, now's the time to do it because of the Web," Oliver said. "You don't have to be a millionaire; you don't have to be from LA; you can do it from anywhere you want." ?
(03/15/12 5:00am)
On Monday, Mar. 12, the Charles Village Video Americain held a candlelight vigil as it closed its doors for the final time. Approximately fifty supporters of the video store came to the vigil, held outside the St. Paul establishment.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
David M. Phillips, former Deputy Dean of Admissions for Strategic Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, has been appointed as the Vice Provost of Financial Aid and Admissions at Hopkins. As Vice Provost, Phillips will direct undergraduate recruitment, admissions and financial aid for both the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering. "Vice Provost Phillips is committed to pursuing a purposeful, strategic, coordinated approach to the critical work of enrolling a talented, motivated and diverse class of undergraduates. He believes in our philosophy of holistically evaluating students and taking into consideration more than just scores and grades, but he also has a wealth of experience in analyzing information for trends and patterns relevant to admissions and financial aid. " Lloyd B. Minor, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
Miss Representation, a documentary on the portrayal of women in media, was screened on Monday in the Charles Commons Ballroom as part of Women's History Month at Hopkins. The film, which argued against what it saw as the constricted, disparaging and frequently objectifying portrayal of women in the media, was hosted by a collaboration of the Hopkins Women's History Month Committee, Alpha Phi, the Counseling Center, the Office of the Dean of Student Life, Feminist Alliance, Panhellenic Council and Students Educating and Empowering for Diversity (SEED). A 2011 Sundance Film Festival Selection, written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation addresses the notion of femininity that is perpetuated in the media surrounding powerful women. The film asserted that it is this image that inhibits women from taking on high-powered roles.Newsom began the film by questioning how she was going to bring her daughter into a world that belittles or degrades women so acutely. She also questioned how it was possible for a woman to be fulfilled emotionally and professionally in a world that attacks successful women. The film sought to empower women against what it saw as the emphasis the media places on physical beauty rather than intellectual strength. The film addressed the insecurity that women feel about their bodies, starting at a young age. Some studies show that 53 percent of 13-year olds are unhappy with their bodies, and 65 percent of women and girls have an eating disorder. Miss Representation contained multiple montages of explicit, revealing images of women's bodies from television shows, movies, magazines, ad campaigns and video games as examples of the media exploiting women's bodies in order to appease advertisers and other capitalistic endeavors.Hypersexualization conditions young men to accustom to objectify women and assume the mindset that they must overpower women. Additionally, young girls are hypersexualized; women traditionally wear similar clothing, or lack thereof, in G-rated and R-rated movies. The film also argued that women in American culture have withdrawn into subordination; for example, women comprise 51 percent of the population and only 17 percent of Congress. "If people knew that Cuba, China, Iraq and Afghanistan have more women in government than the United States of America, then we'd get some people upset " Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California and former mayor of San Francisco, said in the film. If women do hold leadership positions, the media primarily observes and fixates on their physicality, not their credentials, the film stated. The film continued to argue that women hold only three percent of clout positions in mainstream media, so most of what is depicted in the media is from a male perspective. The film featured interviews with famous female politicians, entertainers, activists and academics about their experiences with misogyny. Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem, to name a few, gave interviews on their perspective of women's misrepresentation. The event drew a large crowd, filling the Charles Commons Ballroom with at least 100 students, both men and women. Following the documentary, a group of thirty students remained to discuss the movie. Many of the students discussed how some of the facts the film presented surprised and impacted them. "I think that what really shocked me was, it wasn't even a stat, but the fact that more women are represented in governments in places such as Iraq. . .that's sad," a member of the audience said. "Clips from music videos and commercials, just seeing people around me cringe was so interesting because we see that all the time but we never cringe," another member of the audience said. One of Hopkins's sororities, Alpha Phi, co-sponsored the event and brought a large crowd of sophomores to the event so that they would learn about becoming positive, empowered role models. "We had it as a requirement for the bigs. . .to try and raise awareness and get people to see the movie especially since the idea of the big is to mentor the new freshman," junior Alison Bellows, a member of Alpha Phi, said. The rivalry between women on campus was also a topic of discussion, illustrating the lack of empowerment among women and abundance of competition. "Women create a lot of the problems ourselves. We objectify each other and ourselves. To a large extent that is prevalent in the media and how we're portrayed in the media, and we internalize that and perpetuate it more than I think any of us would like and more than I've realized before because I do it myself. . .in sororities, how we sort of go against each other and disparage each other, and we shouldn't," Bellows said. "You know that our biggest fundraiser. . .is the penny wars. The way you win that is by putting the most amount of money, like dollar bills, in other people's jars. It's sororities versus sororities and fraternities versus sororities. We raised a ton of money, but it was because we were literally bringing each other down," a student said. Many students said that the film inspired them to evaluate the media more critically. "I'm going to try to be more critical of TV shows, movies, advertisements and try to bring up, if I'm with my friends, 'Hey, I can't believe they're actually saying that' or 'I can't believe that they're showing her wearing absolutely nothing'. . .people who saw the film will just naturally do because now we're more aware of things like that," Bellows said.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
For the last 40 years, heart transplantation has been the golden standard therapy for patients who suffer from end stage heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump the blood to the rest of the body sufficiently. A clinical study conducted by the Hopkins Division of Cardiac Surgery sets itself apart from other studies done on heart transplantation, as it observed long-term factors that impacted survival rates of patients. The Hopkins surgical division conducted a 10-year multivariate analysis on post-transplantation patients to identify factors that affected the long-term survival rate of these patients. Their study determined that recipient age, race, ischemic time, donor age and the center volume have significant impact on post-operative survival. The patient population included those who underwent heart transplantation between 1987 and 1999. There was a positive correlation of increased survival rates with later transplant years, an indication that heart transplantation conditions are gradually improving. In other words, those who underwent surgery in 1999 had a larger chance of surviving than those who underwent surgery in 1987. As other studies have consistently indicated, the donor recipient age is a principal factor of survival. As age increases, recipients have a larger chance for encountering adverse factors, such as infection or other organ failures. A great number of elder patients experience infections due to the decline in their immune system. They are also increasingly vulnerable to renal failure. Disparities in survival rates have also been demonstrated between races. White patients constituted a majority of those who survived more than 10 years. Whether this is rooted in biological or socioeconomic differences is not clear. Further research is warranted. The necessity of mechanical ventilation during the wait for receiving a donor decreased odds for 10-year survival as well. Mechanical ventilation is a method that assists spontaneous breathing. Frequently, patients with heart failure require mechanical ventilation to maintain sufficient oxygen supply. These patients typically must remain in the hospital for intensive care. This increases the risk for nosocomial infections - infections acquired within the hospital setting - nutritional depletion and generalized deconditioning. While the recipient's age significantly influences survival rates, the donor's age is also a major factor in predicting long-term survival. Mostly, this is because organ quality is observed declines with age. Older hearts are also more susceptible to longer ischemic time, which is the period of time when the heart is not supplied with oxygen, between its harvest and transplantation. Of course, ischemic time is another variable included in this study, as an increase in ischemic time could greatly affect donor organ quality. Another variable considered in this multivariate study was the center volume, or the frequency of heart transplantation surgeries in each hospital. With increasing surgical experience and resources, and better accommodations for heart transplantation patients, does hospital care have any effect in long-term survival rates? According to data, the threshold value of nine transplantations per year in a hospital seems to have a positive impact on the admitted patient. Although this was a very elaborate study, there were limitations inherent to any study that examines such multivariate subjects, especially in long-term cases. Limitations include the effect of ventricular assist devices. Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are devices implanted to directly facilitate the pumping of blood by the heart. Recently, VADs have been a very attractive option for patients who are waiting to be matched with a donor, which may take months. Other variables include the preservation methods of the donor hearts. This study examined patients who received heart transplantations between 1987 and 1999. Since then, surgical technologies and techniques have improved significantly, as well as our understanding of improving quality of life for patients. These are variables that can be included in future studies that investigate long-term post-transplantation survival rates.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Hopkins's history program is ranked within the top ten of the nation. The Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Professor of History, Franklin Knight, brings an already-prestigious program to another level. Full of passion, wit, sarcasm and humor, Knight has been educating Hopkins students on Latin American and Caribbean history for forty years. He specializes in the late colonial period in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although Knight has been teaching at Hopkins since 1973, he did not always know that this would be his future and entered college uncertain about his career. "I sort of backed into history and liked Latin America and the Caribbean," Knight said. "I am going to say, I hope it's not flippant, but by accident." As to what job he wanted, Knight was only certain of one thing. "[I knew that I wanted to] not work or work the least possible and not pay taxes, and I didn't quite succeed at that," Knight said. He was, however, successful in his education. After growing up in Jamaica, Knight moved to the United Kingdom for boarding school. "Most of my life was in British public-style boarding school," Knight said. Outside of academics, he played numerous sports. "I was quite an athlete as a kid. I ran pretty well, I played cricket, tennis for a little while, field hockey, all before I started drinking," Knight said. After boarding school, Knight went on to graduate from the University College of the West Indies-London. He then earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Knight enjoyed the University of Wisconsin but had little praises for the Wisconsin climate. "I hated the weather, the location was frightful, and I have still not caught on to Wisconsin people," Knight said. "I think they are peculiar." He does, on the other hand, share many praises for fine food and beverage, two of his other passions. "I eat a lot and drink a lot, far too much," Knight said. "I love to eat." Knight is passionate about good food and drink. He even teaches a seminar which covers various rums of the Americas. As an undergrad, Knight also pursued another one of his passions, Latin American culture. After accepting a paid trip from the British education system, Knight ended up in Mexico for a term. "The British undergrad system before Margaret Thatcher was different and allowed undergraduate students to travel around the world at the university's expense," Knight said. "They give you a round-trip ticket to anywhere in the world you could justify was relevant to your study," Knight said. "That's how I got to Mexico." Later, Knight joined the Hopkins faculty because of the culture he observed. "I was attracted to Hopkins because I think it really was an intellectual community," Knight said. "The serious students here are very serious and it's a pleasure to work with students who are prepared to think and really do so." Knight is a favorite among students and is currently a finalist for the 2011-2012 Excellence in Teaching Awards. His teaching style is unique in the history department. "I focus on ways to think clearly, logically and coherently rather than merely to memorize, store and reproduce information," Knight wrote in an email to The News-Letter. "I also try to communicate the excitement of learning." When it comes to learning, Knight believes undergrads should supplement their studies with better advising. He strongly believes in exploring relationships with professors and finding mentors at Hopkins. "Undergraduates could be much more proactive in getting better advising," Knight said. "It doesn't have to be just one formal advisor. . .I have had a great number of mentors throughout my professional life," Knight said. "I have a wonderful circle of close friends and confidants in my Ford Fellows associates." In addition to better advising, Knight believes Hopkins students should explore Baltimore and the D.C. area more extensively. His top must-see sites in Baltimore range from the Green Mount Cemetery to Fort McHenry. He also recommends the Railroad Museum and Fells Point. After forty years, it seems that Knight has seen and done it all, and soon he will be retiring from Hopkins and teaching as a whole. "I have way overspent my time," Knight said. "I see light at the end of the tunnel. I see my boat lifting anchor." ?
(03/14/12 5:00am)
As a freshman, coming to college was scary. Not because I was moderately far from my family, but because my willpower to not eat all the good tasting stuff would be tested. In high school, when college students came back to visit, the majority of them were out of shape. When we saw some that managed to be in better shape we were like, "Oh wow! That's possible!" Already almost halfway through my second semester, I'm seeing more and more people getting fit. At first, I thought with all this work and stress, it's no wonder people have no time to work out. But after talking to my friends, I realized that they want to get healthy because there are no parents around to force us. You'd be surprised to know how many people make the effort to get up early and trek to the Rec Center - and now in Wolman students need only stroll downstairs. Some have built-in exercise since many of them are involved in sports and dance teams that meet later on in the day. It's great that a lot of us are trying to live a healthy lifestyle because when we get older keeping our bodies right will not be so easy, as my mom likes to constantly remind me. Seeing as how my mom is no longer as young as we college students are, she joined a Weight Watcher's group at her job. Every two weeks, a Weight Watchers consultant comes to my mom's job, weighs everyone and jots down any progress that they're making. Lately, my mom has been seeing a noticeable change in her body. Well, when I called her up the other day, she exclaimed that she lost two pounds. I congratulated her, but she wasn't finished yet. She then started to tell me how the scale initially said that she only lost 1.6 pounds, but she knew she lost more so she stepped off the scale, took off her earrings and went back on to see 1.8 lbs difference. Her heavy earrings weighed .2 lbs! She was so shocked that it made such a difference, that she proceeded to go down the line of the rest of the ladies waiting to be weighed and ordered them to take their jewelry off if they wanted an accurate reading. So for all of you Hopkins students, if you're trying to get in shape, make sure you take off your jewelry. Better yet, weigh yourself naked so your numbers are very accurate.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Wednesday evening, author and political strategist Sophia Nelson spoke on the evolving nature of womanhood and being a woman of color for Women's History Month. The event was co-sponsored by Women's History Month Committee and the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA).
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October 14, 2011: a day that will live in infamy in Sonic Youth history. Lead-songwriter and guitarist, Thurston Moore, and bassist, Kim Gordon, decided to separate after 27 years of being together. Despite the rumors that persisted that new material would be recorded after, the future of Sonic Youth seems uncertain. In addition to the separation, Thurston is on tour after the release of his latest album, Demolished Thoughts; the other guitarist, Lee Ranaldo, is about to release his own solo album, Between the Tides and Times; the drummer, Steve Shelley, has joined, finished an album, and is now on tour with the krautrock influenced alternative rock band Disappears; lastly, Kim Gordon has developed a new fashion collection for the French brand, Surface to Air. While Lee has said in interviews that he remains optimistic about the future of Sonic Youth despite the "hiatus", there are rumors circulating that their last show may be this August at Lollapalooza, which takes place in Grant Park, Chicago. Through their thirty years of existence, Sonic Youth has had a tremendous impact on music. Their DIY ethic, their use of prepared and alternate tunings of instruments and their unique manipulation of consonant and dissonant guitar tones set them apart from most bands of their time. Their music was one of the main influences for the rise of the alternative rock movement of the 1990's. In addition, through their own manipulation of sound, they perfected the "anti-solo", in which the musician focuses more on the noise, distortion and dissonance they create rather than what notes or melody they play. As a fan, my tribute to them is to share their music; I'm going to write about each album within their extensive, yet consistently solid, discography and recommend the best tracks to listen to. Within their large music collection, there is bound to be something that most could appreciate and I hope to achieve that with this "eulogy."
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Let's talk about tattoos. People tend to have a lot of opinions about these things, and they generally fall into one of three categories. The first is the blank-faced, "I honestly don't understand what you're talking about" reaction that tends to grace the countenances of country club members and women who like to knot their sweaters around their shoulders. These people often consider people with tattoos to have undergone "body mutilation."
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Oftentimes, I get drowsy. . .very, very, drowsy. During these times of profound laziness and minimal productivity, I lose motivation to climb out of bed, let alone get dressed and jog three blocks to wherever my workout would be. I'd be lying if I said I never convinced myself five more minutes turned five more hours of sleep was the way to go. I'd also be lying if I said I never made it to the gym with one bloodshot eye, did some stretches and walked back home having accomplished nothing. Sometimes, you just don't feel up to it. Luckily, there exists a rotational system of laziness and on days you feel glued to the couch, there will be someone to pull you up. Such a person is there not to make you feel better about yourself but to make you be better. With the potential to be your mentor, spotter, coach and friend, a workout buddy is a valuable asset to have. Besides making an otherwise monotonous and tedious routine more enjoyable, the logistics of having a partner are undeniable.
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Before I launch into this week's rant, I want to send out a quick message to Miss Gauthier who wrote an article last week about "Sex and inanimate objects." I want to thank her for bringing up such an interesting topic as the intertwining of gender stereotypes and languages. The article was well-written, and now I want to respond to it. However, The News-Letter comes out closer to when my article is due next week than I would like, so this is a prep-note saying that I will be doing some research to continue the issue next week. I don't agree with everything Miss Gauthier said, but she said it in a way to which I want to respond, not to which I rolled my eyes and skipped the article. So thank you for that. A couple nights this week have been so strong that I decided to approach the issue of sleep; more directly, dreams. I make sure to get at least nine hours of sleep every night (yes, this includes school nights). I require a lot of sleep to function and less than seven hours can screw me up for a week. People think it's ridiculous that I sleep so much at night and still take two or three hour long naps when I get back to my dorm from class. There is a very simple explanation for this: I sleep like hell. I've had problems sleeping for as long as I can remember. It's not like I have insomnia or wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep. In actuality, I sleep horribly while I'm actually asleep. When I wake up, I'm more exhausted than the night before. Thank goodness I'm a morning person or else I would walk around like a zombie with arthritis. No, the reason I sleep so poorly is because my dreams are extravagant, intricate and, in various cases, absolutely terrifying. I have sub-divided them into three categories. There are dreams, which are the typical weird-as-all-get-out anxiety dreams. For example, two nights ago, I was sitting in a Wendy's trying to explain to a friend of mine that it was incredibly important that the Honey Bunches of Oats cereal in my bag was well-ordered. There are bad dreams, which are where I'm being hunted down by something or someone's holding a gun to my head. (Those are just brief examples; my brain is far more creative). There are nightmares, which are when the images and sounds and experiences are directly linked to the triggers that set off my anxiety. For the past week, each night I've had some flavor of these. It can make functioning kind of a pain when I'm sitting in class. When I blink, I can feel the panic rise through my chest because of memories my brain has constructed less than twelve hours ago that can sometimes feel as real as the notes that I'm taking. Fixing my sleep has been kind of like an Olympic sport for me. When my chemical tests were taken to see just how out-of-whack my head naturally was, my melatonin (the thing that increases throughout the day to make you sleepy) was higher when I first woke up in the morning than most people have when they go to bed at night. So I started taking sleep medication, which were worse. Whenever I feel into a bad dream or a nightmare, the medications kept me asleep because they are built to deal with insomnia. This meant that when I was terrified, I couldn't wake myself up. I stopped taking those very quickly; we tried about three or four varieties until they finally believed me when I explained that my problems were while I was asleep, not the being unable to sleep. In a couple weeks, I'll probably be going in for testing to see exactly where in my sleep cycle everything is going screwy. It's almost kind of cool. I'm like a mini-psychology test. Part of me likes this abnormality. It's validation that something in me intrinsically sets me apart. Of course, this also means that I don't want to do anything when I get up in the morning because, hey, if what's in my head is that mad and I "control" that, what on earth is waiting for me outside of my room? It's a give and take and a good excuse for naps.
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The News-Letter sat down with Tracy Oliver and Issa Rae after their presentation to talk more about their experiences in producing "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl." News-Letter (N-L): Is there anything that you would go back and change if you could?Issa Rae (IR): There were a lot of editing things that were rushed, and I would definitely change some of those things. I would've [liked] more time. . .to do things. And I would've taken advantage of social media way more. Tracy Oliver (TO): For me, it was sound. That's something that, with some of the voiceovers in the beginning, you miss them, because they're so low compared to the rest of it. Especially the line, "I don't hate Mexicans." It is so low that it's, like, not there. So when she says, "I hate Mexicans," it just leaves it at that, because people miss that line. So I think sound for sure, I'd go back and change it.
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The Class of 2015 assembled at the Ralph O'Connor Recreation Center Monday evening for the third annual High Table Dinner. The tradition, established in 2010, allows students to dine with prominent community members such as President Ronald Daniels and other University deans. "High Table dinner was the first time the entire class had gotten together since Orientation, and it was just a great chance to reconnect and unwind," freshman Payton Clover said. The Hopkins High Table is based on the British tradition of Formal Hall, which is a style of dining that has taken place at Oxford and Cambridge for centuries. The dining atmosphere is meant to be academic and the layout of the room includes an elevated table, labeled the High Table. "I thoroughly enjoyed the High Table event on Monday evening. This event truly emphasizes to our freshman class that they are a vital part of the larger academic and learning community of Johns Hopkins. It was wonderful to see the students engaged in conversation with the faculty and senior leaders and connecting on common areas of interest," Provost Sarah B. Steinberg said. At High Table professors and administrators are seated among the students to facilitate interaction and dialogue. Daniels, Provost Lloyd B. Minor, Dean Katherine Newman, Steinberg, Dean Susan Boswell and Dean Nicholas P. Jones were the ones seated at the High Table, along with the members of the Freshmen Class Council. "This being the third year of high table, I would argue that it was the most successful, in terms of getting so many faculty and administrators to attend. With traditions in the making such as High Table, a yearly concert or the President's Day of Service, the ability for alumni and future alumni to have something to talk about in common will bring the Hopkins community closer together," freshman SGA Representative Mahzi Martin said. "High Table has become such a wonderful Johns Hopkins tradition. Last night, I was delighted to see so many students and faculty engaged in lively discussion and debate, the hallmark of a true university community," said Minor. The night started with a speech by Freshman Class President, Joshua Goodstein. He started by reminiscing about how far we have come as a class since the beginning of the year, and what the ideas and innovations that are yet to come. Minor and Daniels also addressed the freshmen. Minor elaborated on what the High Table means for Hopkins in his speech at the dinner. "One of the differences between the High Table of Oxford and Cambridge and ours, is that at our High Table dinner we have faculty out with you, seated with you this evening to speak with you," Minor said to the crowd in the Recreation Center. "And here at the High table we have students with us. This reflects the underlying spirit and intent of Johns Hopkins University, and that is in every way, and with every activity, put you the students in contact with faculty and the other members of the Hopkins community, so that you can learn from us, and we can learn from you." "I was particularly pleased with the turn out for High Table and feel that this is fast becoming a very much looked forward to tradition for the freshmen class," Boswell said. The Recreation Center was transformed into a banquet with table clothes, sparkling apple cider, waiters and a three-course meal. "High Table was a great evening spent with friends. The atmosphere was fun and lively and the food was delicious. It was the perfect break from a hectic week of midterms and a great note to end on before Spring Break," Leah Barresi, a freshman, said. Although many deemed the event a success, some students noted there was room for improvement. "This was definitely a unique opportunity, and a pleasure to attend; however, I was expecting a bit more from the food. It was good, but I thought there may have been more of a difference between that and the FFC," freshman Ryan Schneider said. The unique aspect for many students at the High Table was that they were presented with an opportunity to converse with a professor outside of their major and try to learn about what they are interested in. Professor Daniel Deudney was one of the professors in attendance. Deudney is extremely well known within the International Studies community at Hopkins, but when placed with a group of biology majors, it was a learning opportunity for both Deudney and the students. "The High Table gave me an opportunity to say things, which I normally wouldn't say. It was a chance to discuss topics of interest to me that may not necessarily be part of the curriculum, and do so with a great group of students. This was also a great opportunity to bring together the Hopkins identity, especially with a majority of the freshmen class coming together with their class officers," Deudney said.
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(DMC) hosted artists David Reville and Lexie Mountiain in their Artist Talk event cosponsored by the High Zero foundation. The two spoke in the Mattin Center's SDS Room last Sunday about their use of technology in the arts. "Where does the future come from?" Reville said. "It comes from everywhere."Reville, who works as a composer and musicologist, also teaches music technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.Reville focused his talk on how the arts have tried to divine the future of technology through mediums, such as film and fashion, to varying levels of inaccuracy. Playing behind Reville during his talk were a collection of clips from various science-fiction films through the decades, including scenes from Minority Report. In many of these scene, Reville finds that the technology portrayed is not actually of the future, but may be a reflection of ourselves. "Sometimes, what we see depicted is not so much a guess about the future as it a mirror image of ourselves." One technology theme that Reville alluded to with respect to speculations on future technologies was an element of fear in the outlook individuals may have. "If we're afraid of the future because of the speed of technological change - I mean as a culture - that of course can result in a view that is apocalyptic," he said. Reville also shared his views on what has hindered technological advances, namely the trouble that people can have in embracing something new - they couldn't see the use of a new device. "When the telephone was first introduced, people didn't see the point," he said. "People would ask the question, 'Well why the heck would I want to speak to someone who isn't here.' As Reville told The News-Letter, his focus on the role of technology in the arts was recent within the past three or four years, but he has maintained a much longer-term interest in the subject. "It made me reflect on how those things fit together and how it's going to relate to the bigger things, the bigger questions in life in a way." While his teaching at UMBC focuses more on training students to utilize editing programs, occasionally he discusses some of the larger questions of the arts and technology with his students. "It's just something that is evident in the way we talk about things, maybe more than sitting a class down trying to have a philosophical discussion," Reville said. "Things come up naturally to the students. . .It's a bit of an osmosis approach to theorizing rather than something that's going to be build into a class." Alexandra Macchi, who goes by her stage name of Lexie Mountain, highlighted segments of her expansive portfolio of artwork in various mediums. In her musical work, Mountain has her own solo projects but highlighted a collaborative project with several other women entitled the Lexie Mountain Boys. The group utilized various vocalizations without any form of instrumental accompaniment or commonplace musical structure. "This is how we are reacting to each other; this is how we are reacting to the world and this is how we are navigating the social environment by turning it into these songs. We felt really strongly about bringing it into the world in a way that is semi-confrontational." Macchi also felt that the group confronted the usual conformations of music and the gender identities that society had usually ascribed to women. However, the challenge for her was to convey it through humor in a way that people would be able to understand it and appreciate it. "We, in a sense, wanted to intrude on people's space and at the same time let them be in on the joke, that these roles are put upon people and we have a choice," she said. "The way you transmit humor is really tangled and you can't always say 'guys this is the joke' because some will want to figure it out for themselves." The project had garnered significant reaction online, which excited Macchi regardless of what she would read from them. "One thing about Mountain Boys is that it always draws a reaction out of people, which is interesting to me because a purely sort of innocuous band or an innocuous painting is not enough to really enrage people," she said. "Mountain Boys really drew out some spectacular reactions from people and it was often people who could not stand what we were trying to do. We didn't have instruments or anything. . .so we would make up things on the fly." "People either really liked it or they really hated it, and my goodness they really hated it." Macchi has also worked on a number of installation projects, including a display at Baltimore's Transmodern festival. "I basically transformed this space into a rear projection-type cinema, and each night there were different featured performers." Recently, Macchi has been working on projects in the UMBC imaging and digital art graduate program, which include taking image stills from highly compressed files used in HD camcorders. "When you look at it in this open-source video program, it creates patterns and things that weren't there," she explained. "To my mind these are unique footprints, unique artifacts... This is a sort of an accidental discovery, but I have been making these. I would say that these are a sort of a new uniform that we have in art." According to Rose Burt, an audio specialist at the DMC, Artist Talk is not a formal series, but there is an overarching theme. "We're interested in technology and the arts, so a lot of these speakers tend to be artists who are using technology," Burt said.
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Hopkins hosted its annual bouldering competition this past Saturday, Mar. 10. As part of the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Climbing Competition Series, the bouldering competition attracted students from Hopkins, Slippery Rock University, Towson University and University of Maryland, College Park. The Mid Atlantic Collegiate Climbing Competition Series holds five competitions throughout the year, inviting climbers to qualify for larger competitions and earn championship titles. Hopkins's competition was held in the newly renovated bouldering cave at the Ralph S. O'Connor Recreation Center. Competitors were anxious to test out the revamped facility, which re-opened to the public on Feb. 14 of this year. Construction efforts were made possible largely due to the money raised through hosting climbing competitions. Hopkins replaced the old flooring, comprised of small rocks that absorbed force, with gymnastics-quality cushioning. In addition, all remnants of the old squash court walls were concealed with bright blue paint. The Outdoor Pursuits Climbing Wall Staff organized the bouldering competition this past Saturday in conjunction with several sponsors, including REI, Carma's Caf??, One World Caf?? and Cold Stone Creamery. The sponsors generously donated a range of great prizes, such as gift cards, titanium water bottles and a neon green portable camping chair. Between the awesome prizes, the newly refurbished cave and the promise of a day full of climbing, this year's bouldering contest attracted an unprecedented number of 26 competitors. Senior Anne Hobson, the General Manager of the Climbing Wall Staff, was pleased with the turnout of both competitors and spectators. "This year's bouldering comp was especially exciting because we had over three times the amount of competitors than last year. It was exciting to see all our efforts as Wall Staff pay off," Hobson said. What distinguished this competition from other athletic events at Hopkins was the inclusive atmosphere. The three different levels - beginner (V0-V2), intermediate (V3-V5) and advanced (V6 +) - made the competition accessible to any student with an interest in bouldering. A sense of energy captivated the bouldering cave, as spectators encouraged the competitors to stay strong and work through the problems set by the Wall Staff. It was nice to witness students from different schools coming together in such a supportive environment. "It had a great atmosphere, everyone cheering each other on and so forth," junior Kielan Crow, the winner of the men's beginner division, wrote to The News-Letter in an email. Crow discovered bouldering two years ago; however, he had prior experience top roping. Bouldering differs from top roping in that the climber cannot exceed 12 feet. Since climbers do not wear harnesses while bouldering, the climbers are forced to pay greater attention to their technique."Bouldering is good for me because I'm a horrible technical climber, and so it forces me to complete moves by myself without help from the rope," Crow wrote. Sophomore Miura Hawkins, who won the women's advanced division, appreciates bouldering for the freedom of movement that it allows. "I like top roping better, but bouldering is cool because there are interesting moves you can do because you're not constrained by a rope," Hawkins told The News-Letter. While some people, such as Hawkins, started climbing during their childhood, most of the competitors discovered bouldering and top roping at their respective universities. Hopkins's spring bouldering competition proved successful. Both competitors and spectators, alike, enjoyed themselves. Hopkins also raised proceeds from competition fees to go towards maintaining the climbing facilities in the Rec. Center. This semester, the Rec. Center has expanded the hours for the bouldering cave; the cave is open from 6-10 pm on Monday through Thursday. Students do not need to attend a class or take a test to start bouldering. Students are only required to sign a waiver to use the newly renovated bouldering cave.
