Behind the Story: An Insider's Guide to Vassar for Prospective Students

Walkway Over the Hudson

2010-11-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

The Walkway Over the Hudson, the largest pedestrian bridge in the world, is one of many attractions in Vassar's backyard. Meet two friends of mine -- Ruby Cramer '12 and Tanay Tatum '12, both student government leaders -- as they take a stroll over the bridge. The Walkway opened at the beginning of my senior year in the fall of 2009; you couldn't imagine a more beautiful perch from which to see the rainbow of autumn leaves change color. In its first year alone, the bridge attracted nearly 500,000 visitors.

Alumni Profile: Tara O'Toole '74, Under Secretary for Science and Technology

2010-10-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

When looking at colleges, prospective students want to know about results. What can an education at College ABC prepare me for? What will University XYZ do for my future? Occasionally, this blog will profile just one (of more than 36,000 living) Vassar graduates, so that prospective families can glean the incredible launching power of a Vassar education.

Tara O'Toole, a member of the Vassar class of 1974, is one of many Vassar graduates serving in senior positions in Obama administration. Dr. O'Toole was appointed Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security in November 2009.

Like many Vassar graduates, Dr. O'Toole's academic resume is stellar. Raised in Norwood, Massachusetts, she came to Vassar with a strong interest in medicine, studying biology and chemistry. By 1981, she had earned her M.D. from George Washington University, and by 1988, she had received a Master's in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She completed an internal medicine residency at Yale and then a fellowship in occupational medicine at Johns Hopkins. And that isn't even the most impressive part!

Dr. O'Toole came to the Department of Homeland Security from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she was Director of the Center for Biosecurity. Throughout her career, she has written extensively on biodefense, response to biological attacks, and containment of contagious disease. She is a Coeditor-in-Chief of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science. She was a principal author and producer of Dark Winter, an influential exercise conducted in June 2001 to alert national leaders to the dangers of bioterrorist attacks. She was also a principal writer and producer of Atlantic Storm, an international ministerial-level biosecurity exercise held in January 2005.

Dr. O’Toole served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety and Health from 1993-1997, where she was principal adviser to the Secretary of Energy on environmental protection and oversaw health and safety for approximately 100,000 workers in government laboratories. In this position, Dr. O’Toole developed the first overall management and safety plan for dealing with waste left from nuclear weapons production.

A liberal arts education prepares you to solve incredibly broad, thorny problems. Read about some Vassar innovators, and learn about the kinds of world-changing thinkers, movers and shakers that Vassar produces.

Evolutionary biorobic research at Vassar

2010-10-14T02:38:00.000-07:00

Prospective students considering careers in science often hear about the importance of research during college. Research experience is key to admission to the most selective M.A., Ph.D and M.D. programs. Your undergraduate work really matters.

So, some ask, why choose a small liberal arts college rather than a humongous research university? Surely bigger labs must translate to better opportunities for research, right? Nope. As I wrote last month, Vassar is a national leader in producing science and engineering Ph.Ds. Our alumni gain admission to the most selective graduate programs in the country. Why? Simple: Access to faculty, both in the classroom and in the laboratory. Vassar science students are able to become research assistants to their professors, participating in cutting-edge projects and often getting co-published in national scientific journals.

To give just one example of this type of work, consider Professor of Biology John Long's evolutionary biorotics lab. Long is an internationally recognized researcher for his work on vertebrates, evolution, and robotics. Essentially, his lab consists of elaborate robotic fish that use sophisticated microprocessors to imitate the physical movement of real fish. With grants from the National Science Foundation and Office of Naval Research, Long studies the evolution of motion in current and prehistoric species. He also has extensive research collaborations with Duke University and the University of California.

Vassar science students are full participants in his world-changing research. Read some of the many projects and papers published by Long's laboratory that carry the names of his students. Not only is this an incredible résumé item for graduate school, but it's incredible hands-on experience. You would be hard-pressed to gain this kind of access to a faculty member at any large research university.

Interested? Come to Vassar, and take one of Long's many classes. In the Biology Department, he teaches courses on animal physiology, biomechanics, and evolutionary theory. In the Cognitive Science Program, he teaches brain architecture and perception. He also teaches an introduction to Neuroscience and Behavior.

Watch Paul Volcker's discussion at Vassar

2010-10-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, Vassar hosted two of the world's most important economists—Paul Volcker and Paul Krugman. Above, watch the special event with Paul Volcker. Volcker is Chairman of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and was Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. The event was hosted by Vassar alumnus Jeffrey Goldstein (Vassar class of 1977), current Under Secretary of the Treasury, as well as Vassar Economics professor Robert Rebelein, who served for the last two years on the Council of Economic Advisers.

Want to learn more about economics at Vassar (and careers in finance after Vassar)? Check out the Economics Department site and the Office of Career Development site.

Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, speaks at Vassar

2010-10-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last week was an incredible week for economics at Vassar! On Tuesday, the College hosted Paul Volcker, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. And on Thursday, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman spoke at the Vassar Bookstore.

Krugman, famed economist at Princeton and New York Times columnist, discussed his book The Return of Depression Economics. In addition to economics students and professors, Vassar invited local high school and middle school students studying economics.

Read more about the event in this article in The Miscellany News, Vassar’s student newspaper.

Jon Stewart Mentions Vassar on The Daily Show

2010-09-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

This week, Jon Stewart and the writers from The Daily Show did a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. I ran over right after my classes at Cardozo and met up with a Vassar friend from the Class of 2010, Emily Leimkuhler (who's working at the Barnes & Noble corporate office) . The place was packed. Hundreds of fans were there to get their books signed and hear from one of America's most famed cultural critics. I had a different goal. My friend and I plotted on how to convince him to mention our beloved college on the show.

As he signed my book, I told him that if he mentioned Vassar, we would attend his Rally To Restore Sanity -- and stop following Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive on Twitter. I think the second promise caught his attention. I passed him a letter (left) to the same effect. Jon and the writers may have laughed at our intense Vassar pride, but they kept up their end of the bargain! At the beginning of last night's show, Jon began: "My guest tonight, a professor at Vassar... no, it's Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post!" Well done, Mr. Stewart. Check it out:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Los Angeles Heat Wave

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Rally to Restore Sanity

Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, will speak at Vassar

2010-09-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Paul Volcker, internationally acclaimed economist and Chairman of the Federal Reserve under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, will speak at Vassar on September 28. Since February 2009, Volcker has served as Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board under President Barack Obama.

Volcker served as Fed Chair during one of the most turbulent periods in American history. Known as the "inflation fighter," he helped lower double-digit inflation rates in the early 1980s and is widely credited with ushering in an era of economic prosperity. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton in 1949, and then earned a graduate degree in political economy from Harvard. In 1952, he joined the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

I took many courses in Vassar's Economics Department, and I'm so jealous that current students will have the opportunity to speak with this leader in American macroeconomic policy. Hope they'll record the event for the Vassar YouTube Channel!

Volcker's discussion will take place on September 28 at 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Students' Building. Vassar Economics professor Robert Rebelein, who served for the last two years on the Council of Economic Advisors, will moderate. Jeffrey Goldstein (Vassar class of 1977) and current Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, will introduce the speakers. Read more about Volcker in a fascinating recent profile in The New Yorker.

Vassar leads in producing PhDs in science, engineering

2010-09-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Each year, the National Science Foundation compiles data on where engineering and science PhDs earned their undergraduate degrees. They then publish a list of the top 50 colleges and universities that produce the most PhDs in these fields, per capita. As always, Vassar is featured on the list. Prospective students might find this data helpful in analyzing career prospects in science and engineering from small liberal arts colleges.

Interested in science and engineering? Learn more about sciences at Vassar by looking at our ScienceWeb and reading about our first-rate science programs, including Astronomy, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science and Geography, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, and Psychology.

One of the primary advantages of studying science at a liberal arts college is the opportunity to conduct research with professors. Science students are able to become Research Assistants to faculty, participating in cutting-edge projects. Vassar's Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) gives students the option of doing even more intensive summer-long research with faculty, often publishing papers and building their resumes. At larger universities -- which might seem appealing on first glance because of larger faculties or labs -- students have a far more difficulty getting involved in hands-on research.

Plus, Vassar alumni have long been leaders in science. To see just a few examples, read about Sau Lan Wu '63 (PhD, physics, Harvard University), Jeff Sleight '88 (PhD, appled physics, Yale University), and John Carlstrom '81 (PhD, astronomy, University of California at Berkeley).

Vassar Wedding Proposal Goes Viral

2010-09-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you've seen one of last summer's most viral videos—the Madison Square Park proposal has gotten over two million views on YouTube. Woodrow Travers '09 proposed to his long-time girlfriend Claudine Sourour '08. But in typical Vassar fashion, Travers didn't simply get down on one knee. Nope. He choreographed an elaborate dance routine, complete with music, backflips and all sorts of acrobatics. Travers and dozens of his friends surprised Sourour on what she thought was a quiet walk through the park. Check it out.

Travers, an aspiring filmmaker who graduated from Vassar with a degree in Film, is currently in the Directors Guild of America's Assistant Director Trainee Program, working on major television shows and movies. Sourour is currently in law school.

Vassar English professor makes headlines

2010-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Amitava Kumar, professor of English at Vassar, has emerged as one of the preeminent cultural critics of the decade. Kumar has received plenty of press recently for his two recently published books, Nobody Does the Right Thing and A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb. In a lengthy and gushing review in August, The New York Times called Kumar's work "perceptive and soulful."

This summer, Kumar also wrote extensively about the toxic debate over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," publishing an incisive piece in Vanity Fair. Learn more about Kumar by reading his blog and by checking out his recent interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Miscellany News also profiled his work this week.

Prospective students considering writing, English, or International Studies at Vassar should keep a close eye on Professor Kumar. His courses include Narrative Writing, Journalism, Transnational Literature, and Literary Nonfiction. He also teaches Freshmen Writing Seminars.

Vassar leads in Fulbright Scholars

2010-09-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ten Vassar men and women have received 2010 Fulbright Fellowships -- one of the nation's most prestigious scholarly honors. Read about this year's winners, who will conduct research all around the world, in countries including Italy, Syria, South Korea, and Iceland.

Fulbright fellows undertake self-designed study programs in disciplines ranging from engineering to business to the social sciences and humanities. Vassar has consistently ranked in the top 10 among undergraduate institutions for producing Fulbright winners. (Indeed, Vassar usually blows past the competition at Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Wesleyan, to name a few).

You can also read about last year's Fulbright winners, and be sure to check out the Office of Fellowships and Pre-Health Advising. There you can learn about how Vassar alumni earn Rhodes Scholarships, Watsons, Fulbrights, and other prestigious awards.

Virginia Smith, Vassar president from 1977-1986, passes away at 87

2010-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Virginia Smith, Vassar's president from 1977-1986, passed away last week at 87. A leader in higher education, she worked to expand access to Vassar by recruiting heavily from community colleges and low-income students. She dramatically increased the College's endowment, leading a $100 million fundraising effort. The New York Times published her obituary this morning. Catharine Hill, the College's current president, said the following of Smith:

“Virginia Smith led Vassar College during important years of its development into an exceptional coeducational institution. Her leadership of an extraordinary fundraising program to strengthen the institution and her innovative support of expanded access to liberal arts education were among the important accomplishments of her presidency, on which Vassar continues to build today."

A great personal tidbit from the Times obituary was that Smith was chosen to lead Vassar from over 450 candidates. When asked why she had been selected, she replied matter-of-factly, “Because I was the best qualified.” Her confidence and leadership will surely be missed by all Brewers, past and present, as we move into Vassar's sesquicentennial year.

Vassar alumnus Justin Long stars in Going the Distance

2010-09-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Justin Long, a member of the Class of 2000, is staring opposite Drew Barrymore in Going the Distance. He and Barrymore have been dating on and off since 2007. In a strong review, The New York Times praised the movie as "insightful and charming."

Long studied in the Film Department at Vassar and did improv in the student comedy troupe LaughingStock. A rising Hollywood star, he's been in hits such as Galaxy Quest, Live Free or Die Hard, Funny People, Youth in Revolt, and He's Just Not that Into You. Long is also well-known for portraying the cool and youthful Mac in Apple's famed "Hello, I'm a Mac" ad campaign, opposite the stodgy PC John Hodgman (of The Daily Show).

Here's the official Going the Distance trailer in HD. Be sure to check out the movie with your friends and remind them that he's a Brewer!

Paintings of historic Vassar buildings arrive in All-Campus Dining Center

2010-09-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Next time you're grabbing dinner in the All-Campus Dining Center, be sure to check out ten stunning oil paintings of historic Vassar buildings. Vassar is renowned for having one of the world's most beautiful collegiate campuses, with architectural styles ranging from Georgian to Gothic Revival to Modern. These oil paintings, hung in honor of the College's 150th Anniversary in 2011, commemorate some of the campus's most magical places and spaces. Below, here's a glimpse of Rockefeller Hall and Skinner Hall:

View all of the paintings on Flickr.

Vassar men dominate New York politics

2010-08-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Two Vassar men are preparing to dominate New York politics—Rick Lazio '80 and Eric Dinallo '85, who are running for Governor and Attorney General respectively.

Here's a quick rundown of each Brewer:

Rick Lazio majored in Political Science at Vassar, before attending law school at American University in Washington, D.C.. Mr. Lazio has forged an incredibly successful career in both the public and private sectors. He served as Executive Vice President of J.P. Morgan (one of the world's largest financial institutions) and then served four terms in Congress from 1993-2001 representing New York's 2nd District. A Republican, his platform focuses on reducing government waste, controlling the State budget, and increasing Albany's efficiency. Albany has been notoriously gridlocked for the past two years, a trend Mr. Lazio hopes to reverse. During his time at Vassar, he was a reporter for The Miscellany News and Vice President of the student government.

Eric Dinallo majored in Philosophy at Vassar, and then earned his M.A. in public policy from Duke University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. A Democratic candidate, his campaign focuses on fighting corruption, particularly in the financial sector, on the heals of the recession and several Ponzi schemes. Coincidentally, Cardozo Law just hosted a debate of all the Democratic Attorney General candidates, where I got to see Mr. Dinallo in person. He was easily the most eloquent candidate, and presented a real vision for the justice system in New York. Mr. Dinallo faces a primary against several other Democrats, in advance of the November elections.

Good luck to both men this election season! Brewers play to win.

Class of 2014 is the most selective in Vassar's history

2010-08-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the 666 members of the entering Class of 2014, who will arrive on campus in just a couple days! 2014 is the most selective and academically elite class in Vassar's 150-year history. Their average GPA's range between an A- and A, and their SATs (Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing) average between 680 and 700.

It's a running joke that most alumni, if they applied to Vassar these days, couldn't get in. Indeed, nearly 80 percent of applicants are rejected, with more and more applying each year (nearly 8,000 this year). It's a scary time to be an applicant. But the reward is well worth it: the best, most enriching four years of your life at one of the country's greatest liberal arts colleges.

Read more about the astoundingly brilliant Class of 2014. And best of luck to the forthcoming Class of 2015... They'll need it!

Follow the Vassar Student Association (VSA) on Twitter!

2010-08-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Want to keep track of daily life at Vassar? Follow the Vassar Student Association (VSA) -- Vassar's student government -- on Twitter. This brand new Twitter page will keep you up-to-date on official Vassar happenings. The elected representatives on the VSA are responsible for virtually all student activities on campus, from lectures and conferences to concerts and movie screenings. Learn more about the student government on the VSA's Web site!

Craving more #Vassarsocialmedia? Here's a list of Vassar's many information sources, including newsletters, RSS feeds, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

Rankings fever

2010-08-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

At the end of every summer, dozens of magazines and Web sites launch their "authoritative" rankings of America's best colleges and universities. There are literally thousands of colleges in the United States, and ranking them consistently is no simple task. Fortunately, no matter where you look, Vassar appears towards the top of the list.

Here are some of the highlights:

U.S. News & World Report: 12th

U.S. News & World Report (High School Counselors Ranking): 6th

Forbes Magazine: 23rd (including both colleges & research universities)

Princeton Review: 10th Most Beautiful Campus

Princeton Review: 9th Best College Theater Program

How precise, reliable, and trustworthy are all these various rankings? Well, many critics point out that ranking colleges is sort of like ranking music -- one's experience is so subjective that 'ranking' them seems irrelevant. I know plenty of miserable, slow-witted people who attend the top 20 national universities on U.S. News, and I know many really brilliant, happy and driven people who attend schools with lower rankings. College rankings are not determinative of your experience. Any school will be entirely what you make of it.

That said, many of these rankings are based on important, objective data -- for example, graduation rates, student/faculty ratios, and endowment size. (For the record, Vassar has a very high graduation rate, nearly 300 faculty, and a very large endowment). To look at one number in depth, consider the freshmen retention rate. This number is the percentage of freshmen who return the following year -- it's a pretty good indicator of student satisfaction. Here, Vassar ranks 10th in the nation with 95.8% of our freshmen returning as sophomores. In this category, we crushed schools like Wesleyan, Haverford, Middlebury and Wellesley. Now consider what U.S. News calls the "Best Value" schools -- the colleges with the greatest percentage of discounted tuition through generous financial aid packages. Here, Vassar also ranks toward the top, again beating out Wesleyan, Haverford, Middlebury, Wellesley and Carleton, to name a few. Surely, these data are important facts to consider when selecting a college.

In short, rankings have many pros and cons. You should always take them with a grain of salt and look carefully at their methodology. But it's reassuring to know that -- across many years and across many methodologies -- Vassar is consistently leading the pack.

Incidentally, my friends and I are crossing our fingers that Vassar will break into the Top Ten on U.S. News next year for the College's 150th anniversary. We're so close. We know Vassar should be there. Next year, it will be.

New York Times profiles Rachel Simmons, Vassar Class of 1996

2010-08-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today's New York Times featured an extensive profile of Rachel Simmons, Vassar Class of 1996. Simmons, a Political Science major at Vassar, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and won a Rhodes Scholarship (one of only 32 Americans that year) to attend graduate school at Oxford University. She was also editor of The Miscellany News, Vassar's student newspaper since 1866.

The Times profile discusses her incredible career -- first as an Urban Fellow in Mayor Giuliani's administration in New York City, then as Deputy Finance Director to Senator (then Congressman) Charles Schumer. Since then, Simmons has achieved fame in educational circles for her books and workshops on adolescent development. The article focuses on her Girls Leadership Institute, a "camplike" program aimed at boosting confidence and leadership in young women.

Finance, politics, education, publishing -- quite the renaissance student. The epitome of Vassar.

Reader Question: "Do I REALLY need to do the Freshman Reading?"

2010-08-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

With Vassar just a couple weeks away for the Class of 2014, I've gotten a few e-mails asking about the freshman course reading. Do we really have to do it? Will everyone else have read it? When will we talk about it?

Each year, Vassar selects a book to be read by the entire incoming class. This year, it's Gerald Graff's acclaimed Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind (Yale University Press). After discussing the book with your fellow group and in your Freshman Writing Seminar, you will hear directly from the author at a large event known as the William Starr Freshmen Course Lecture.

How often do you get to read a book, discuss it in depth, and then engage the author in a dialogue? Pretty amazing.

My freshman year, the Class of 2010 read Shalimar the Clown, and then were treated to a lecture by the world-renowned author, Salman Rushdie. The next year, freshmen heard from Tim O'Brien, author of the famed Vietnam War-era memoirs The Things They Carried and In the Lake of the Woods. Then it was Elizabeth Kolbert (journalist for The New Yorker) who discussed her Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change. And last year (one of my favorites) the freshman class were treated to Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States.

My advice: you should absolutely read Clueless in Academe. No, you won't be tested on it. Vassar isn't like high school. But trust me, you'll be happy that you did. Not only do you get the obvious intellectual benefits of reading the book (it's supposed to be hysterical!), but the assignment gives you an instant bond with your future classmates. Just think: No matter how different you and your roommate might be, you'll be able to quickly break the ice by asking, "So, what'd you think of the book?" It's an instant conversation starter.

What's also cool is that when you arrive at campus, virtually everyone will have read the book over the summer -- the staff, the professors, the deans, and of course, your classmates. In a school filled with unique perspectives, the freshmen reading provides common ground for the whole community. So happy reading!

Watch President Obama give Presidential Citizens Medal to Vassar grad

2010-08-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

Obama awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to Class of 1955 Vassar graduate

2010-08-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Check it out on Vassar's InfoSite and on the White House Web site. The prize was awarded for the founding the Student Conservation Association (SCA).

On August 4 in a ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama awarded Student Conservation Association (SCA) founder and Vassar College alumna Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam ’55 the 2010 Presidential Citizens Medal for “performing exemplary deeds of service for her country and fellow citizens.”

The original idea for the SCA, for which the alum won the award, began as her senior thesis at Vassar. Putnam was a Geology major (a department we now call Earth Science & Geography). Congratulations!

Reader Question: "Which Freshman Writing Seminar should I take?!"

2010-07-30T03:08:00.000-07:00

Many incoming freshman are curious about Freshman Writing Seminars (FWS). These Seminars are open exclusively to first-year students, and allow new Brewers to focus on becoming superior analytical writers. These small classes are also perfect for making your first friends in the Class of 2014 outside of your dorm. Many of the students in my FWS stayed close friends for all four years.

Unlike many schools, which offer these classes exclusively through an watered-down English or writing program, virtually every Vassar department offers a FWS. (This sends the strong message that first-rate writing is required and taught regardless of your major). I had friends who took their writing-intensive courses in Biology, Physics, and even Math. I took Early British Literature in the English Department.

With pre-registration looming, many students have e-mailed asking for advice on which FWS to take. So many to choose from! There are almost five-dozen offered in the fall semester alone. Which to choose? With well over 200 faculty members at Vassar, I can't pretend to know all of the courses and professors. But that said, I'd definitely highlight the following teachers based on my own experiences:

Robert Brigham (History/International Studies)
Robert DeMaria (English)
Marc Epstein (Religion/Jewish Studies)
Hua Hsu (English/Asian Studies)
Kiese Laymon (English/Africana Studies)
Ken Livingston (Psychology/Neuroscience)

Of course, your selection should depend on your academic interests and intended major (if you have one yet). A couple incoming students have asked me which course I would pick. If I were choosing myself -- as a proud History major -- I would choose Bob Brigham's course on "The Kennedy Years." Mr. Brigham is unequivocally one of Vassar's best professors. He's often featured in major newspapers, scholarly journals, and on television programs as one of the world's foremost experts on American foreign policy, the Vietnam War and the current conflict in the Middle East. But beyond that, he's an incredibly inspiring professor. I took two courses with him during my time at Vassar and loved them both.

But that's just me! The good news is that there are very, very few 'bad' classes at Vassar. All of our professors are outstanding teachers (with an occasional exception), and FWS in particular are very well-constructed courses that allow tons of contact with faculty. If you're curious about other courses as you're signing up, feel free to e-mail me, and I'll put you in touch with a friend who knows that particular department. Good luck and happy choosing!

Reader Question: "What sorts of computers do students bring to campus? Do students bring laptops to class? What about accessories?"

2010-07-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

Alongside questions about packing and residential life, I've gotten half-a-dozen or so questions about computing at Vassar from incoming members of the Class of 2014. Here, I'll try to provide concise answers to some of the most common questions that 2014ers seem to have.

I would also encourage prospective/admitted students to check out Vassar's Computing and Information Services Web site, which has a special section for incoming students. Note also that the Computer Store at Vassar offers great student discounts on laptops; they are also able to advise students on low-cost solutions, if purchasing a new computer isn't an option. Here's my own take on some of the most common questions I've received from students and parents:

1. Laptops or Desktops?

Many high school students are accustomed to using desktops. But you'll quickly find that laptops are the predominant type of computer on most college campuses. Can you have a desktop in your dorm? Absolutely. But for a couple reasons, if you're buying a new computer for college, I'd suggest choosing a laptop. First, all dorms already provide about 6-8 desktops in their computer labs (located on the first floor of every residential house). Many more desktops are also available in the Library. Second, because Vassar's campus is 100% wireless, many students like to work outside or sit inside academic buildings with classmates. Laptops give them the ability to move around, studying and writing wherever they're most comfortable. Having only a desktop in your room forces you to stay in your dorm.

2. Mac or PC?

The inevitable question! Vassar supports both. It won't matter if you bring a Mac or a PC to campus, in terms of internet access or ability to use Vassar's internet applications/services. We have both types of computers available in the Library and in most academic buildings. With that being said, though, Macs are definitely more common. Most students I know have a MacBook or MacBook Pro. These are certainly the most common types of computers one sees in classrooms and around the dorms. Why? Well, in addition to being stylish (disclaimer: I've been a loyal Mac user and Steve Jobs groupie all my life), Vassar actually has a certified Apple Store and Apple technician on campus. This means that if you ever have a problem with your computer, getting it fixed is very easy. Our computer store also stocks all sorts of software and accessories for Macs.

Anything else to know about the Mac/PC culture? If you plan on studying Computer Science, Physics, or Earth Science & Geography, you're going to end up working with PC software fairly frequently. Academic programs like Biology, Film, and Media Studies make frequent use of Mac software. Outside of the classroom, if you plan on joining The Miscellany News (our student newspaper), The Vassarion (our yearbook), Contrast (our fashion magazine), or Helicon (our literary journal), you're going to end up working with design/layout software on Macs.

3. Computers in the Classroom?

Using a computer in class depends on the course and on the professor. Some classes really lend themselves to laptop use, but the vast majority don't. Vassar classrooms are very discussion-intensive. With very few exceptions, you'll be expected to speak, argue, and defend your opinions—not just passively type notes. You'll be expected to really engage in conversation, much more so than in high school. Vassar really tries to train its students to think on their feet. Laptops, some professors feel, can distract students from doing that. So before you whip out that laptop, check with the professor. Often, they'll explain their feelings on laptop use on the syllabus, which they distribute on the first day of class.

(As a side note, you may find that this changes dramatically when you get to graduate school. From my first day as a law student at Cardozo, I found the norms are very different. Everyone brings a laptop to every class, without exception. Exams are given online, and papers are submitted electronically. Many of the readings are online too. So enjoy that pad and pencil while you can!)

4. Printers? Scanners? CD Burners?

A few 2014ers have asked whether they should bring printers, scanners, external hard drives, and other accessories with them. My answer: most external gadgets aren't really necessary. Vassar provides large printer/copy machines in all dorms and in the Library (color and black and white available). Every student can wirelessly print to these machines. In my experience, having your own inkjet printer is costly and only takes up space in your room.

What about other equipment? In the Library, students also have access to the Media Cloisters. The Media Cloisters is an incredible resource. It's a large room that features computers with very large monitors, state-of-the-art software, high-resolution scanners, CD/DVD burners, and all sorts of video production equipment. (The room is often used by Film and Media Studies students, but all students have access). My suggestion would be to use these sorts of shared tech resources, rather than schlepping tons of computer accessories with you to Poughkeepsie.

That said, I would strongly encourage you to bring a backup hard drive with you. You can buy cheap ones online that can backup your files quickly via USB or Firewire. Every semester, some poor student inevitably forgets to save a term paper and suffers a horrible computer crash. Professors will have little sympathy for students who don't create backups of their work. Don't be that person!

And in general, remember that some crazy expensive/powerful laptop definitely isn't required. More often than not, you'll just be writing papers in Word and researching online. Incoming students shouldn't feel pressure to go out and try to buy a state-of-the-art machine before August. (And remember, student discounts on computers and hard drives).

Hope this helps! Feel free to e-mail me about any other tech questions—although if you have really specific computing questions, I'd suggest contacting helpdesk@vassar.edu.

Reader Question: "What exactly will my Vassar dorm come with?"

2010-07-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

I've been receiving quite a few e-mail questions lately from members of the Class of 2014, who will begin their incredible Vassar journeys this August (so jealous!). I'll try to post answers to some of the most common questions I've been hearing—starting with "what will my dorm come with?" and "what should I bring or not bring?":

I remember wondering the same things in the summer before Vassar. Hopefully I can take some of the mystery out of packing...

When you arrive in your dorm (regardless of which of the nine residence houses you're placed in), you'll find some basics: two single-sized bed with mattresses, two closets, two dressers, two desks, and two chairs. You'll also have two trash cans. Where I lived, Cushing, we also had a full-length mirror in every room.

Remember that these aren't your only resources. Each residence house has many other amenities that are shared by all the residents. These include common areas with couches and a beautiful flat screen television, a large kitchen (with an oven/stove/microwave/fridge/freezer), and a computer lab with about six-eight desktops and a printer. Most dorms have at least four vending machines, usually two with food/candy and two with water/soda. Thanks to the Sophomore Class Gift a couple years ago (an annual effort by the Sophomore Class to raise money for a gift to the Vassar community), most of these machines allow you to pay by simply swiping your student ID card.

Vassar's Residential Life Office (who will be in touch with all of you about half-way through the summer) publishes a suggested list of "what to bring." I would just add a couple pieces of advice to that list:

You shouldn't bring anything of great emotional value—family heirlooms, autographed baseballs, one-of-a-kind photographs, etc. Of course, almost all students bring valuables like laptops and iPods, and the dorms are very safe, but it's not the best idea to bring items that can't be replaced.
I would suggest getting an inexpensive mini-fridge. Residential Life works with a third-party company that allows students have their fridges installed before they even arrive on campus. (And they remove them after your final exams in the spring). Talk to your roommate about this when you receive his/her contact information—only one fridge is needed per room, so you want to make sure you're not both renting one!
Don't bring a television/video game system. Most of my friends who brought them regretted it, for a couple reasons. First, they're a pain to schlep back and forth. But more importantly, they ended up not using them very often. There's SO much to do during your four years at Vassar—bringing a television or video game system will tempt you to miss out on a really transformative experience. Vassar is all about getting out of your room, joining a Varsity team, writing for the award-winning campus newspaper, or getting involved with one of our 120+ student organizations. It's a school of active people. Don't waste your time by sitting in your room playing Mario while your classmates are figuring out how to start businesses, run governments, and solve the world's problems.
Do bring a laptop instead of a desktop, if possible. I've already gotten several questions about computing at Vassar from incoming students, so I'll write another post about this later in the week. But for now, here's my take-away advice: If you're going to buy a new computer for Vassar, I would strongly suggest a laptop. Our entire campus has wireless Internet, allowing students to study together anywhere—by Sunset Lake, outside the dorms, in the dorm's parlor areas, or in any of the academic buildings. If you have a desktop, you'll find yourself 'restricted' to working in your dorm room. Laptops are much better suited for the academic culture at Vassar.

Alright! Hope this helps incoming 2014 students as you begin to pack. If you have more questions, shoot me an e-mail at brfarkas@alum.vassar.edu. Happy Fourth of July!

Vassar's famed Powehouse Theater in Wall Street Journal

2010-06-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this article about Vassar's famous Powerhouse Theater in The Wall Street Journal! For more than 25 years, Vassar has collaborated with New York Stage and Film to create of America's best summer theater seasons. Every summer, we attract the most talented actors, directors and writers in the country. In years past, renowned talents like Steve Martin, Lewis Black, Meryl Streep, Edie Falco, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, have all come to Vassar to hone their craft. This summer, John Patrick Shanley is directing!

Read more about the Powerhouse, and if you're a prospective student (or an incoming member of the Class of 2014), contact the Office of Admissions to see if you can reserve a ticket.

Watch Vassar's 146th Commencement

2010-05-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Coming to Vassar next fall? See what you have to look forward to in four years! Watch Vassar's 146th Commencement! It was a really incredible ceremony—lots of tearful parents, proud brothers and sisters, and spirited faculty members to send off my class.

Among the highlights: Lisa Kudrow (Vassar Class of 1985, and Emmy Award-winning actress) gave a hysterical and inspiring speech. (Her speech begins around 81 minutes into the video). And, if that isn't enough for you, watch me and Rachel Gilmer present the INCREDIBLE results of the 2010 Senior Class Gift. Rachel and I were the chairs of the Senior Class Gift, a student created endowment to support financial aid. We raised $22,849 from 92% of our class! Not only did 2010 make history at Vassar, but our results also crushed the senior class gifts of virtually all of our peer institutions. Wesleyan should just give up now. (The results start at about 35 minutes into the ceremony).

Questions about Vassar? Are you starting in 2014, or thinking about applying? E-mail me (brfarkas@alum.vassar.edu) with questions over the summer!

Law School...

2010-05-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to say that after Vassar, I'll be attending Cardozo School of Law. Located in Greenwich Village just blocks from Union Square, I'll finally be back in my hometown of New York City! Cardozo is nationally known for its programs in alternative dispute resolution and intellectual property law. I'm especially interested in studying intellectual property law after taking a class on the subject last year in Vassar's Political Science Department. (The class was taught by Michael Bennett, who studies the intersection of nanotechnology and the law). Professor Bennett really inspired us to think critically about very difficult issues, ranging from fair use to gene patenting to the very notion of "owning" an idea. That course hooked me on these issues, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to study them in depth at Cardozo.

The thought of leaving Vassar certainly isn't easy for me. I love this place, and it's difficult to imagine leaving my beloved History Department, my housemates, or my work on the VSA. But I know that I'm prepared and excited for the challenges ahead!

Graduation is just a week away, and I'll be sure to update you on all the Senior Week happenings. Remember: E-mail any prospective student questions to brfarkas@vassar.edu.

Vassar to Google!

2010-05-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

My good friend Eric Estes '11, Design & Production Editor of The Miscellany News, just got a hugely exciting summer job offer from Google. Right after Commencement, he'll fly to their corporate headquarters (the famous "Googleplex") in Mountain View, California. He'll be working as a Web designer for their research and development team. As a Computer Science major at Vassar and avid computing geek, he should be perfect for the job. Everyone is very jealous of Eric though, not just because of the amazing job and salary, but because of the benefits. Google offers its employees free breakfast, lunch and dinner, free laundry, and free foosball, air hockey, and video games. Plus, employees are usually given 20% of their time "free" to work on independent development projects that interest them.

Good luck, Eric!

Watch the Attorney General's lecture at Vassar

2010-04-30T07:53:00.001-07:00

Attorney General Eric Holder lectures at Vassar

2010-04-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Vassar attracts countless big-name speakers. From Hillary Clinton to Salman Rushdie and from Gail Collins to Frank Rich, we've hosted some of the nation's most important politicians, writers, and intellectuals. But for a pre-law student like myself, there is perhaps no speaker more relevant or exciting than the United States Attorney General—the country's single most powerful lawyer.

Eric Holder, an old friend of Judge Richard Roberts (Vassar class of 1974), spent the day at Vassar last Thursday. The day concluded with a community-wide lecture in the sold-out Chapel.

Here is just the introduction to his speech, which described the incredible impact of Vassar graduates in bringing about social and political change. You can read the entire speech on the Department of Justice's Web site:

Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to be here and a privilege to join so many members and leaders of the Vassar community. I want to thank you all – especially President [Cappy] Hill – for inviting me to participate in this week of reflection and discussion about the power and importance of public service.

Let me also thank my good friend, Judge Richard Roberts, for welcoming me to his alma mater. This campus and this historic chapel are as beautiful as he described. As I look around at the hundreds of very young students gathered here, I realize that Ricky and I have been friends for more years than most of you have been alive. And I’ve always known him to be a proud Vassar alum. From him, I’ve had the chance to learn quite a bit about the traditions, achievements and contributions that are, and always have been, such a vital part of life on this campus.

On Saturday, I understand that many of you will come together to mark one of Vassar’s oldest traditions – Founder’s Day – when you’ll celebrate the extraordinary foresight, generosity and optimism that Matthew Vassar showed in establishing this college. As you all know, this institution welcomed its first class of students in 1861, during a time of unprecedented instability, impending war and deep, national division. Despite the challenges of the day, Matthew Vassar believed he could leverage his great fortune for the common good and the cause of equality. And he saw education as the country’s most powerful tool to ensure peace, prosperity and justice. What was true then remains true today. In creating this place of learning, Matthew Vassar believed that its students would, as he put it, “mold the character of [America’s] citizens, determine its institutions, and shape its destiny.” M any other students and professors who’ve worked to improve life on, and far beyond, this campus have proven that he was right. And the spirit of service he continues to inspire is, indeed, cause for celebration. It is my fervent hope that you will continue this great tradition.

But the truth is that the celebration of your founder’s legacy and vision has already begun. During the events and activities that you’ve participated in throughout this week – and, today, in commemorating Earth Day – all of you have honored and extended the commitment to public service that Matthew Vassar first established on this campus. For many of you, public service is not only a top priority but also a central part of your daily lives. You serve as mentors at nearby high schools; you teach elementary students about the environment at the Vassar Farm; you clean up the Hudson River; and, as part of the Green Haven Program, you tutor inmates at the maximum-security prison in Stormville. Your commitment to public service also goes far beyond this campus and the Poughkeepsie community. In fact, four of you here today were on the ground in Haiti a few months ago when the earthquake struck. In the wake of that disaster, you were among the first responders who worked to save and to protect lives.

In these and many other ways, all of you have strengthened Vassar’s tradition of service – a legacy that is remarkable... [Read more]...

Quite the Weekend

2010-04-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was an odd mixture of panic and fun.

My history thesis was due on Monday afternoon. The History Department, like many departments, requires a lengthy senior thesis as the culminating project for majors. My topic is on the arguments against sanitary reform in Victorian London. (The topic is way more interesting than it sounds, I promise!). The thesis is quite the project, involving more than a year of writing and research under the close supervision of a member of the Department. But after much stress, and many rewrites, it's finally complete! Definitely a weight off my shoulders.

Now for the fun part. Vassar hosted The Flaming Lips, the world-renowned band! The place was packed with about 3500 people—students, faculty, administrators, and Poughkeepsie residents. There was even a group of prospective students!

I went to the concert with the VSA Executive Board, stopping first at one of our favorite Chinese places downtown. After spending a year with these five incredible student leaders, I realize how much I'm going to miss them. As we ordered every spicy chicken dish on the menu, we looked around and realized how close graduation really was... More on my nostalgia in future posts!

Anyway, when we got to the concert, we met up with Ruby Cramer, the Editor in Chief of The Miscellany News (Vassar's student newspaper since 1866). Ruby and I have been close friends for nearly two years; she was Features Editor while I was Editor in Chief last year. She's absolutely brilliant—one of the most articulate writers, strategic thinkers, and accomplished people you can imagine. She knows how to get from Point A to Point Z. She's the quintessential New Yorker, and exactly the type of personality Vassar strives to graduate. It's a weird feeling, but I know deep down that the two of us will remain close for the rest of our lives.

And so, a typical Vassar weekend. A mix of hardcore academics, Library emersion, famous performers, and lifelong friends. For seniors, all of those events are mixed with a twist of nostalgia, a hint of loss, and a healthy dose of excitement for what's to come.

Healthy in Mind and Body... Apparently

2010-04-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

I promised my friend Caitlin Ly that I would craft a post around this hastily-taken iPhone picture of me. Ugh! The two of us went to the Fitness Center for a fun afternoon of ellipticals and bikes and stretches. As a varsity athlete three times over (volleyball, rowing, and squash), Caitlin adapts more easily to the gym than I do. Not exactly my home away from home. But many students do take daily walks up to the Fitness Center, which is located right next to the Terrace Apartments (one of the largest dorm areas for seniors). Caitlin promised to drag me there more often in the coming weeks, so perhaps I should just bring my iPod and get used to it...

Vassar goes to Washington

2010-03-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

As a graduating senior, looking at Vassar's long list of distinguished alumni can be intimidating. This morning, it became even more intimidating. President Barack Obama appointed Jeffrey Goldstein '77 as Under Secretary of Treasury Department. (This is the most recent of several Vassar graduates serving in the Obama administration). Goldstein will lead the domestic finance division, which is charged with "developing policies and guidance for the Treasury Department activities in the areas of financial institutions, federal debt finance, finance regulation, and capital markets."

These tasks sound demanding, if not Herculean, during the worst economic crisis since the great depression. But the Brewer in me has faith. And not just because of his stellar graduate degrees. (After Vassar, Goldstein earned his Ph.D, M.Phil, and M.A. in economics from Yale University).

I have faith because he began his intellectual life in the liberal arts. Now more than ever, we need public servants with a broad background in the liberal arts. Albert Einstein once said that "It is not so important for a person to learn facts; he can learn those from books." A liberal arts education, Einstein argued, "should train the mind to think outside of textbooks." Vassar gives its students a moral and historical compass. As the past 16 months have shown the American people, questions of finance cannot be so easily separated from questions of education, conceptions of justice, and notions of equal citizenship. They cannot be so easily separated from the intellectual queries posed by philosophy, history, and political science.

If Vassar does its job (which it does), its students will leave Poughkeepsie with more questions than answers, more paths than we can follow, more ladders than we can climb. We leave without physical or intellectual or disciplinary boundaries. We'll be able to apply those broad philosophical questions of justice and equality and democracy to the most difficult problems in American society.

In other words, Vassar grads think outside the box. They do it well, and we do it quickly. And that gives me faith. If any area of American society surely needs some innovative, thoughtful, out-of-the-box thinking, it's the financial sector.

I wish Mr. Goldstein the best of luck in the months and years ahead. He has his work cut out for him, to be sure. But Brewers play to win.

Senior Theses at Vassar

2010-03-20T02:58:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis."

— Raplh Waldo Emerson

It is Spring Break at Vassar, and the campus has fallen into a peaceful quiet. The only noises come in the form of gentle (if frantic) typing in the Library, as seniors busily put the finishing touches on their senior theses. For better or worse, I am one of the dozens of seniors scurrying around the Library's archives, digging for primary source material, and adjusting (and readjusting) my footnotes.

From the outset of our time at Vassar, students are encouraged and challenged to develop their scholarly interests and research skills. The culmination of this process is the senior thesis, an incredibly challenging capstone experience that gives each student the chance to create original scholarship in a field of their choosing, working very closely with a member of the faculty (usually of your choosing). At Vassar, most seniors write either a thesis or, in the case of some departments (like the Chemistry or Neuroscience), undertake another a substantial independent research project.

Faculty members are highly engaged in the theses of their students, usually advising on topics close to their own professional research interests. Many students develop their projects from ideas sparked in the classes they’ve taken, or simply on the basis of longstanding personal passions. Many ideas will begin junior year during study abroad experiences, or through Vassar's generous summer research grants. Other students use internships as a launching pad for their thesis. For some science projects, students stay on campus the summer before their senior year to get a head start on laboratory work, or peak their interests during URSI (the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute at Vassar). But what all thesis writers share is the intellectual twists and turns of any good research project, where the questions emerge as they proceed, often taking unexpected directions. "Research takes you down the rabbit hole of unending streams of human knowledge," as one of my advisers says.

Although the thesis process can be very, very challenging, I actually prefer these independent projects to standard classes. As a perpetual night-owl (it's currently 5:30 a.m.), I love being able to schedule my work entirely on my own time. I can then devote my weekday afternoons to my work on the Vassar Student Association (Vassar's student government), which often feels like a full-time job in and of itself. I know other students with heavy extracurricular demands feel the same way.

As a double major in History and Political Science, I'm writing two senior theses this year (one for each department). For my History thesis, I'm working with Rebecca Edwards and writing about the arguments for and against massive sewage reform in London in the 1850s. I spent my summer studying British history at Cambridge University, and came across some really interesting controversies on Victorian sanitary reform while poking around the British Library. For my Political Science thesis, I'm working with Richard Born and writing about the management of the press and public opinion during Franklin Roosevelt's 1937 Court-Packing Plan. As a former Miscellany News editor, I was really interested in shaping public opinion, and Roosevelt's press secretary Stephen Early was an early master at the science of public relations.

To the untrained eye, thesis topics like mine can seem arcane at best, and boring at worst. But I promise, they're not! Because each student is allowed to choose subjects of personal interest, you're almost guaranteed to be writing about something you find juicy, salacious or intriguing.

I encourage prospective students to poke around department and program Web sites in academic areas of interest. Often, these sites will describe the senior thesis process within their major, and even list some sample topics from recent years. (No problem if you're still not sure what your major will be; you can still check out some of the amazing research being done by students in all departments).

Vassar is known for producing some of the world's finest writers, researchers and academic pioneers, and is a national leader in producing doctoral candidates. I have no doubt that our incredibly strong senior thesis program contributes to the analytical and creative abilities of graduates -- even if, for now, it means spending some of my Spring Break locked away in the Library!

Faculty-Student Basketball Game!

2010-03-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

Check out these highlights from the Faculty-Student Basketball Game! The Vassar Student Association (Vassar's student government) organized the game in conjunction with Chris Roellke, Dean of the College. It was an amazing night that brought more than 1,200 students, faculty, alumni, trustees, and staff to the Athletics and Fitness Center. This event served as a fundraiser for the Senior Class Gift, of which I'm Co-Chair. (Our Gift is the 2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund -- the first student-generated endowment in Vassar's history!).

Read more about this incredible event in the Miscellany News, Vassar's student newspaper.

2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund

2010-02-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Why We Gave: The 2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund from Vassar Student Association on Vimeo.

Chinese food, friends, and Golden Globes

2010-01-18T10:42:00.001-08:00

Last night, a small group of friends and I got some Chinese food from Chan's Peking (a Vassar favorite) and gathered in our living room to watch the Golden Globes. A dorky night, admittedly, but it gave us a chance to catch up after a long Winter Break before the beginning of second semester classes on Wednesday.

As seniors, most Vassar students no longer live in the standard Vassar dormitories. Instead, they move into Senior Housing. Senior Housing is still on Vassar's campus, and only a short 5-minute walk from Main Building, the College Center, and the academic buildings. But located toward the peripheries of the campus, these housing areas allow students to feel more independence in their living situations. Students can choose three or four of their closest friends to live with, and then choose from one of three residential areas -- the Terrace Apartments (where I live), the Town Houses, or the South Commons. Each house has its own kitchen, bathroom, and common areas, and students have their own private, fully furnished room. During senior year, many students leave the traditional meal plan, which they enjoyed for their first three Vassar years, and do their own cooking in their houses. Of course you can always add money to your VCASH account on your VCARD and eat in the Retreat or ACDC if you don't have time to cook.

Senior Housing is an interesting shift from more traditional dormitory life -- a nice step between living in the 'real world' and living in a college dorm. One of the great things about it is the informality of getting together with friends. In dorms, you sometimes have to make a strong effort to see people out of their rooms. But in apartment-style housing, you're virtually guaranteed to run into friends at some point during the day, break into a conversation, and have an impromptu Chinese food and Golden Globes party. (Naturally I spent the entire Golden Globes cheering for the Vassar alumni celebrities in the audience, such as renowned director Noah Baumbach '91 and unbelievable actress Meryl Streep '71).

Anyway, at the very least, Senior Housing gives you a mini support group of close friends who are also going through the trials and tribulations of writing senior theses...

Final Exam Season

2009-12-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

Two exams in the next two days! Oh dear... Like most Vassar students, I'll be burrowing in the snow-covered Library for the foreseeable future.

And then once those exams are complete, I'll finish up my Constitutional Theory term paper on recent affirmative action cases involving undergraduate admissions offices. My teacher is Luke Charles Harris, a brilliant professor who is also the founder of the African American Policy Forum, a leading national think tank.

And after that, just some remaining student government work, some dorm cleaning, and then... freedom! Winter Break is almost here...

Albrecht Dürer: Impressions of the Renaissance

2009-11-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

Throughout my career as a student, I have been head-over-heals in love with history. I am a History major at Vassar, and basically live in Swift Hall, the Department's colonial-style home. But I have also had a secret affair, a clandestine crush, and secondary academic mistress. Her name? Art History. In high school, I took an amazing AP Art History course, and absolutely fell in love. As soon as my teacher turned on the projector and the slide image of the caves of Lascaux popped up, I was hooked.

Alas, a few too many people in the "real world" discouraged my passion. On the blogs, Art History routinely tops the list of the world's most "useless" and "worthless" majors. Sigh.

Fortunately, Vassar inspires students like myself to cultivate my passions. Although I am a major in History (and double in Political Science), I can also maintain my quirky, fun, and fascinating minor in Art History.

And Vassar's Art History Department is one of the best in the world. We have world-class art historians, famous in their areas of expertise. We also have one of the world's finest college art museums in the United States — The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. Our collections include more than 18,000 works of painting, drawing, sculpture and tapestry. It includes Picasso, Rembrandt, O'Keeffe, and Matisse.

And now, with the opening of Albrect Durer: Impressions of the Renaissance, we can see Vassar's incredible collection of Durer and his incomparable Northern Renaissance work.

Midterms!

2009-10-13T16:46:00.001-07:00

Midterms have taken hold of the Vassar campus... The usual hustle and bustle of the College has given way to the quiet noise of flipping textbook pages and rapidly typing fingers. The Library is overrun with students, busily writing and researching.

Right now, I'm studying for my Medieval Architecture midterm exam. The class is one of my favorites this semester. Our professor, Andrew Tallon, is one of the most dynamic teachers I've had during my Vassar career. He constructs 3D digital models of each building we study, and the class 'flies' through to view details of architectural features. While some architecture classes only show black-and-white plans of buildings, this class incorporates full color images, movies, and music to get the 'full' experience of an architectural space. For a tech geek like me, I love the use of technology in the classroom. Now it's just a matter of learning about Medieval monastic culture and Carolingian political life... Once this midterm is over, I'll begin working on other assignments due after October Break.

Which reminds me: only three days until Break!

Pete Seeger!

2009-10-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

Vassar attracts incredible performers, speakers and intellectuals. This weekend was no exception. Legendary singer Pete Seeger—leader of the American folk music revival and key player of the Civil Rights Movement—performed yesterday at Vassar. The concert was indescribable. The entire Vassar community sat around our beautiful College Chapel and sang along. Seeger has written some of the most well-known songs of the 1950s and 60s, including "If I Had a Hammer" and "Turn Turn Turn." He's also famous for his children's music, which he performed with his usual joyful energy.

Seeger, who has lived his life in the Hudson Valley, was here to celebrate our art museum's newest exhibit, Drawn By New York from the New York Historical Society. The weekend was incredible, and I am about to download some Pete Seeger on iTunes.

Exploring the Hudson Valley

2009-09-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

When prospective students consider colleges, countless factors weigh on their minds. Average class size? Depth and breadth of the curriculum? Employment/professional/graduate school prospects? Vassar has all these areas covered pretty well. Our student:faculty ration is 8:1, one of the best ratios of any of our peer schools. Our curriculum is broad and diverse; students choose among 29 departments, 6 interdisciplinary programs, 12 multidisciplinary programs, 51 majors, and 1,000 courses. And our employment prospects are excellent as well, as are our admission statistics to top law and medical schools.

But another topic lingers on the minds of prospective students: Location, location, location. Poughkeepsie? What’s that? Where’s that? Is it close to the city? Some prospectives that I’ve spoken to fear that it’s not enough of a “college town” and that there’s not enough to do in the area surrounding Vassar.

Current Vassar students can quickly dispel these rumors. They know that 1) there is more to do on campus than anyone can possibly imagine, and 2) the local area is teeming with activity. Walking right outside Vassar’s gates takes one to the center of the Arlington Business District—a quaint and artsy area with colorful boutiques, amazing restaurants, and all sorts of services (HSBC, Bank of America, a large post office, etc). Venturing beyond walking distance, students have the entire Hudson Valley at their disposal. Unbelievable historic, cultural, and natural attractions await visitors. Best of all: most museums and sites have major discounts for students.

To help students navigate the outstanding resources in the area, the Vassar Student Association launched Exploring the Hudson Valley. It’s a wonderful resource for prospectives as well, since it will disprove many of the myths that nothing goes on “upstate.”

Is Poughkeepsie like New York City? Take it from a native New Yorker; it’s certainly not. Will I be a life-ling Manhattanite? Naturally. But that definitely does not mean that the area around Vassar is boring. The Town of Poughkeepsie, along with the wider Hudson Valley, is a thriving community with all sorts of businesses and cultural sites just waiting to be explored.

Fall Convocation, take four

2009-09-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

(image courtesy of The Miscellany News)

The sense of community at Vassar is rarely stronger than Fall and Spring Convocation. Twice each year, the community gathers to mark the official beginning and end of the academic year. Faculty, alumni, and students come together to listen to beautiful choral music, see long academic processionals, and hear from the President of the College and the President of the Student Association.

Usually, the event is geared toward seniors and freshmen—two classes at opposite ends of their Vassar experience. But I'll admit it; I'm a dork. I've gone to every Convocation since my first year. I usually am successful in dragging my friends along, but truth be told, I'd be there anyway. I just love the sense of tradition and community.

This year, though, was unique. For the first time, my own class marched through the Chapel in our academic dress. Hard to believe. I've seen three other classes do it, and somehow never quite imagined that black gown on myself. But alongside my friends, we processed around campus in anticipation of Commencement.

The Miscellany News, our student newspaper since 1866, produced a wonderful video slideshow of Fall Convocation. If you're curious to see some images and hear segments of the speeches, check this out:

Audio slideshow!

What's on campus?

2009-09-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Vassar has a constant buzz. With 2450 students and nearly 130 student organizations, plus 40+ academic departments and programs, a world-class museum, and 27 varsity sports, there is always an incredible amount to do on campus. Every day of the week, there are dozens of activities to choose from. The hard part is deciding what to do.

Well, this year, that choice has become a little bit easier. Vassar's new InfoSite puts all of the information in one synthesized place. Though it's only been running for a week or so, everyone at the College is thrilled to have their news and calendars coordinated. If you're curious about Vassar events, make the InfoSite your homepage -- maybe something will catch your eye.

Cambridge University

2009-07-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Cambridge University! This summer, I made the leap from VC to the UK, studying British history at one of the world's oldest universities.

Although I miss my one true love — Vassar — it's so interesting to see how another school operates. Cambridge is celebrating it's 800th birthday in 2009. Hard to imagine that a single institution has survived and thrived for nearly a millennium. Walking around the campus, it's easy to see and feel that age. There is history everywhere. Across the street from one of my friend's dormitory is the first English church to break away from Catholicism and embrace Protestantism in the early 16th century. To the left of my other friend's dormitory is Charles Darwin's old apartment from when he was a Cambridge student. In the center of town is The Eagle, a small English pub where students drafted into the War in the 1940s would inscribe their names onto the wall. It's hard to take a walk through the quaint college town of Cambridge without finding some sort of national landmark or historic site. For a nerdy history major like me, it's hard to imagine a better place to spend the summer!

The experience of studying abroad is incredible, and certainly one I would recommend to incoming students. Because of my role as Editor of The Miscellany News this past year, I wasn't able to spend a semester of the academic year abroad. Thankfully, our International Programs Office gave me some excellent advice on places to study for the summer. For more information on Vassar's support for international programs, check out the study abroad Web site. Vassar students literally study across the globe, from Europe to Latin America to Sub-Saharan Africa. The College has a great support network of staff and alumnae/i to help ease any culture shock and give you a taste of home.

Beginnings and Ends

2009-05-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

The life of the Vassar campus goes in cycles. There's the normal buzz of the academic year, the migration to the Library around finals, and then the mass exodus shortly thereafter. There's the anticipatory hum of Senior Week, and then the explosion of sights and sounds of Commencement. Literally thousands of family members, friends and loved ones descend onto the Poughkeepsie campus, take their seats on the Outdoor Amphitheater, and watch their sons and daughters receive their Latin-inscribed diplomas.

But then, just hours after the eruption of graduation is over and President Hill hands out her final leather-clad degree, a sudden quiet falls over the campus once again. The crowds are gone, the tents are coming down, and the freshly-mowed lawns are empty; the campus is settling into the summer to await the next Vassar class.

I had the pleasure of meeting some members of the Class of 2013 at a gathering in New York City. As I watched them play frisbee in Central Park, eat their sandwiches on the Great Lawn, and discuss their intended majors and careers, I couldn't help but remember my own NYC meet-up just three years ago. And then my mind drifted the the pre-Vassar meetings that probably occurred 50 years ago, and the ones that will occur 50 years from now.

I've attended each graduation since I was a high school senior -- four in total so far. Next year I will graduate myself, which is hard to imagine. Vassar has become such a central part of my life, and I've gotten so accustomed to seeing others walk across that stage, shake the President's hand, and walk on with their diploma. The thought of doing that myself is unimaginable. Hopefully my attitude will change within the next year. Vassar students always say that they enjoy their senior year more than all of their other college years combined.

Life at Vassar -- which will turn 150 in 2011 -- is cyclical. The campus is filled with rich tradition and countless stories. Commencement always makes me look backward and forward on the school I love. The players change, but the game remains the same. Life at Vassar is cyclical.

Green Haven Prison Reunion brings together past and present participants from Vassar, prisons

2009-04-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Green Haven Reunion from The Miscellany News on Vimeo.

One of Vassar's many unique academic programs involves the Green Haven Prison. For three decades, the College's Africana Studies and Sociology programs have allowed students to study the prison system from all angles. Students are able to travel to local prisons, and talk to incarcerated individuals about their experiences. Check out this video about the program!

Keep them coming!

2009-04-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,

Thank you so much for all of the thoughtful questions about Vassar. I hope that my answers are helping to clarify your colleges choices this April.

I'm receiving dozens and dozens of e-mails from prospective students each day, so I might be falling a little behind! I will usually respond to your questions within 36 hours of receiving them (unless I need to do some additional research to get the answers). In the mean time, check out some of my "Reader questions" posted below. In this section, I post general answers to some of the more common or interesting questions that I receive.

Thanks for reading and for considering Vassar! It's an amazing place. Keep your terrific questions coming!

Brian

Reader question: How will Vassar prepare me for law school?

2009-04-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

"You're pre-law. How does that work at Vassar? Are many students there pre-law? What is that like in a liberal arts setting? Is there coursework at Vassar to prepare me for top-level law schools?"

Good question! I am indeed pre-law. When I entered Vassar, I knew for sure that there were two subjects I wanted to pursue: history and legal studies. But as a prospective student, I quickly realized that very few undergraduate institutions offer legal studies as a major (or even as a department). Even the idea of "pre-law" seemed very confusing; if there's no "law" department, how can one prepare oneself for law school?

As it turns out, law schools do not give priority to students with degrees in "Law and Society" or "Legal Studies." One admissions counselor that I spoke with even said that these types of pseudo-law majors were looked down upon by many top law schools. "You'll learn about the law in law school," he told me. "While you're still an undergraduate, law schools want you to focus on critical thinking, close reading and deep research." Translation: don't worry about seeking out a college that offers you tons of coursework in legal studies.

The way that pre-law works at Vassar (and at most other small liberal arts colleges) is that "pre-law" is not itself a major. "Pre-law" is nothing official; it simply means that you are a student interested in law school. Unlike pre-med, there are no specific courses that you must take in order to be considered. To be competitive, students hoping to attend medical school are required to take specific classes in biology, chemistry and mathematics. But students going for law school have much more open-ended options. A Vassar graduate last year who went to Georgetown Law was an Art History major; another alumnus who went to Yale Law was an Anthropology major; my friend Andrew is an Economics major who will be attending University of Maryland School of Law in the fall.

The bottom line: as you choose your undergraduate college this April, don't focus on which school has the most legal-sounding major. It won't make your application stand out; in fact, it may make you look single-minded or not well-rounded. Instead, find a subject that you really enjoy. Pre-law students tend to gravitate toward Economics, English, History, Political Science and Sociology—but you certainly don't have to limit yourself.

With that said, Vassar does offer many courses that explore the law and legal issues. Though these classes won't necessarily ensure that you're admitted to the top law schools, they will give you experience in asking legal questions, and they might help you decide whether law is right for you.

Here are just some examples of law-related courses that Vassar offers from the Catalogue:

Economics 238, Law and Economics: This course uses economics to analyze legal rules and institutions. The primary focus is on the classic areas of common law: property, contracts, and torts. Some time is also spent on criminal law and/or constitutional law (e.g., voting, public choice, and administration). Much attention is paid to developing formal models to analyze conflict and bargaining, and applying those models to specific cases. Topics include the allocation of rights, legal remedies, bargaining and transaction costs, regulation versus liability, uncertainty, and the litigation process. Time permitting, the course may also include discussion of gun control, the death penalty, federalism, and competition among jurisdictions.

Economics 275, Money and Banking: Money and Banking covers the structure of financial institutions, their role in the provision of money and credit, and the overall importance of these institutions in the economy. The course includes discussion of money, interest rates, financial market structure, bank operations and regulation, and the structure of the banking sector. The course also covers central banks, monetary policy, and international exchange as it relates to monetary policy and the banking sector. The ultimate goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the structure of financial markets, the reasons why it is optimal for these markets to be well functioning, and the key barriers to this optimal outcome.

Earth Science 111, Environmental Justice: Exploration of the roles that race, gender, and class play in contemporary environmental issues and the geology that underlies them. Examination of the power of governments, corporations and science to influence the physical and human environment. We critique the traditional environmental movement, study cases of environmental racism, and appreciate how basic geological knowledge can assist communities in creating healthful surroundings. Examples come from urban and rural settings in the United States and abroad and are informed by feminist analysis.

Political Science 242, Law, Justice and Politics: An analysis of the interrelationships between law and politics in civil and criminal spheres in the United States, focusing on the role of the police, courtroom participants, and prison officials. Special emphasis is given to decision making in criminal law at the local level—e.g., pretrial negotiations, bail, and sentencing.

Political Science 243, Constitutional Law: Leading decisions of the Supreme Court interpreting the Constitution of the United States, with special reference to the powers of government and the rights of individuals.

Political Science 314, The Politics of the Public and the Private: This course examines the political significance of public and private in the contemporary US. Theoretical arguments as well as specific issues and contexts within which debates about public and private unfold are analyzed. Of particular thematic concern is, the privatization of governmental responsibilities and the "public" and "private" rights claims of individuals and communities. Among the issues studied are privatization of the US military and prisons, gated and other "private" communities and their relationship to the larger political communities within which they exist, intellectual property and the public domain, and the "privacy" of personal decisions.

Political Science 343, Seminar on Constitutional Theory: This seminar focuses on some core problems pertaining to constitutional interpretation, examining questions of constitutional theory and interpretation as they relate to issues of equality and full citizenship. The course discusses the nature and function of the Constitution, explores theories about how the Constitution should be interpreted, and examines the methods that interpreters use to decipher the meanings of constitutional provisions. These concerns are addressed by focusing on various dimensions of constitutional theories and decisions pertaining to questions related to anti-discrimination law. Some of the issues covered include standards of judicial review, Supreme Court interpretations of equal protection, the constitutional protection of groups as well as individuals, and the appropriateness of constitutional protections rooted in color-blind and gender-blind principles.

Political Science 385, Families, Politics and the Law: This course examines emerging perspectives on family forms and state regulation of families that have appeared in response to such developments as same-sex marriage and parenting; multi-racial families created by intermarriage and by transracial and intercountry adoption; increasing numbers of single-parent households; and reproductive technologies that enable people to procreate by using donated eggs and sperm and/or hired gestational service (and in the future, perhaps, by cloning). The course explores these issues from the perspective of theories of social justice that put concerns of race, economic class, and gender at the center of their analysis.

Political Science 388, Intellectual Property Law: This course examines the legal and theoretical foundations of domestic, international and transnational intellectual property law regimes. In covering the areas of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and espionage law, as well as their intermingled legislative histories, students gain in-depth knowledge of the prevailing domestic doctrines, as well as an understanding of how contemporary national policy is woven into international treaties and structures of transnational governance.

Sociology 236, Imprisonment and the Prisoner: What is the history of the prisoner? Who becomes a prisoner and what does the prisoner become once incarcerated? What is the relationship between crime and punishment? Focusing on the (global) prison industrial complex, this course critically interrogates the massive and increasing numbers of people imprisoned in the United States and around the world. The primary focus of this course is the prisoner and on the movement to abolish imprisonment as we know it. Topics covered in this course include: racial and gender inequality, the relationship between imprisonment and slavery, social death, the prisoner of war (POW), migrant incarceration, as well as prisoner resistance and rebellion. Students also come away from the course with a complex understanding of penal abolition and alternative models of justice

Sociology 240, Law and Society: Law is analyzed in its social context focusing on the relationship between law and social control, and law and social change. Topics discussed include psychiatry and the law, Blacks and the law, and women and the law. The criminal justice system is examined in a comparative framework, emphasizing the role of judges, juries, and particularly lawyers, in society.

I know many Vassar students who plan on attending law school after graduation. And our applicants have shown to have about a 15 percent statistical advantage over the national average for admission. After nearly three years here, I'm confident that Vassar is teaching the intense critical thinking and writing skills demanded of law students.

Reader question: What are Vassar's "strongest" academic departments?

2009-04-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

"I was admitted to Vassar! But as I choose between the 'VC Brewers' and several other schools, I'm wondering which academic departments are strongest and weakest. Any insights?"

As perspective students make their college decisions throughout April, they consider each institution's strongest programs. One of the most common questions that I receive asks about Vassar's "best" departments.

The good news about Vassar: there are no weak departments. Each department (or multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary program) is comprised of numerous outstanding faculty members. Are some professors weaker than others? Of course. Have I regretted taking classes with a couple of tiresome or overly-difficult professors? You bet. And one student's inspirational teacher might be another student's worst nightmare. But it's important to remember that you would find these situations at any college, be it Swarthmore, Vassar or Brown. As my adviser in high school once told my friends, "Not every teacher is meant for every student."

What's great about Vassar, though, is that excellence in teaching is universally prized across departments; it's not simply "publish or perish" where the famous professors who write streams of books are automatically awarded tenure. Though we certainly have well-published and accomplished professors (my history professor Bob Brigham is one example), our faculty generally place their teaching above all else. Bob is a commanding lecturer and leads incisive class discussions -- in addition to being a prolific author on Vietnam and Iraq. Unlike at many larger universities, the two are not mutually exclusive. Teachers are evaluated by students at the end of each semester. Those evaluations contribute directly to tenure decisions.

Now of course, some departments at Vassar are especially well known, partly for their size and partly for the success of the graduates they produce. Anecdotally, the College is known for its programs in Art History, Astronomy, Biology, Economics, English, Drama, History, and Political Science. All of these are among the most popular disciplines at Vassar -- the more popular a major is, the larger the faculty will become, and the wider the breadth and depth of the curriculum. More broadly, we have one of the lowest student:faculty ratios in the country (9:1), which virtually guarantees one-on-one attention regardless of your choice of major.

The take-home message: I've never encountered a 'weak' department here. Whatever your chosen discipline, you'll be intellectually stimulated here at Vassar. I encourage prospective students curious for more detail to look through the 2009-10 Course Catalogue.

Reader Question: Student government at Vassar?

2009-03-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

"I'm really interested in student government, but at my high school, it's sort of a joke. My class council meets about once each month to plan a party and never really accomplishes anything. What is student government like at Vassar?"

It's the perennial story; a hopeful, energetic high school student runs for their school's government with the hope of making a difference, only to be rebuffed by their principal or their teachers. The student is discouraged, condemned to a political career of party planning and having discussions that never lead to policy changes.

When you come to Vassar, all of this will change.

The Vassar Student Association (VSA)—the College's student government—is a large, effective and powerful conduit for policy making. As editor of our school's newspaper, I am well-acquainted with both the public and behind-the-scenes work of VSA representatives, and can attest first-hand that they hold an important place in policy making at Vassar. Our College works on a system of joint governance. This means that most changes to the curriculum, to student life, or to Vassar in general will be vetted through faculty, staff, students, administrators, and sometimes alumnae/i. These constituencies all have a stake—and a say—in the decisions of the College.

So how does our student government work? Unlike in high school, it's a fairly complicated system. It's not just a president, secretary and treasurer; there are dozens of elected positions with specific responsibilities and constituencies. The central governing body is the VSA Council, comprised of about 25 representatives. Each student at Vassar is represented on that Council by their Class President (for example, the Class of 2010) and their House President (for example, the President of Jewett House). Students are also represented by the six members of the VSA Executive Board, who lead the Council in discussions and policy-making. Each of those six students has a particular area of focus—student life, academics, activities, etc. And then there is the VSA President (basically the student body president) who coordinated the Executive Board and Council. The Executive Board meets regularly with the President and Deans of Vassar, dealing with a host of issues.

Beyond the Council, students are elected at large to sit on joint committees. Students sit right beside faculty and administrators, with equal vote, and make really important policies. One recent example from the Master Planning Committee is their Landscape Master Plan Proposal. A landscape master plan is an plan that unfolds over decades, moving roadways and streamlining and unifying a geographic area. Students worked with the landscaping firm, made suggestions, and voted to adopt the plan. Now how often did your high school student government get the redesign the entire school's campus?

As you can see, our VSA is a dynamic and widespread group. It will not be like your experience in high school, I assure you. At Vassar, students are routinely empowered to make important decisions on behalf of the institution.

To learn more, watch this video about last year's VSA President, Sam Charner '08:

Sustainability and Composting at Vassar

2009-03-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

Vassar, Greenway work to improve sustainability.

When it comes to sustainability, composting is not a sexy issue. Futuristic wind turbines, shiny solar panels, and anything proceeded by the word "green" seem to take center stage in the national media. But many environmentalists agree that composting is another crucial activity to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Vassar is working hard to close its carbon footprint, and has an extremely strong composting program. Our student government is working to expand that program to the Retreat (one of the most popular dining facilities on campus). As you can see in the video, a company called Greenway, which currently manages Vassar's composting, did an "audit" there a few weeks ago to study how their system might work in that facility. Students and faculty are optimistic that our composting endeavors will successfully expand within a year.

To learn more about the College's efforts at sustainable food solutions, check out the Campus Dining site. And to learn more about Vassar's academic programs about the world around us, read about our popular Environmental Studies Program.

Reader Question: Double Majoring at Vassar?

2009-03-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

Every week, I field many e-mails from prospective students who want to learn more about Vassar. Those questions are always so well thought-out and incisive, that I think other perspective students might benefit from reading them. So, in addition to answering those questions individually, I'll start to post some of them here as well.

Last week, I received an e-mail from a prospective student asking me to explain the process of double majoring at Vassar. "There are two subjects I'm really interested in," he wrote, "Biology and Economics. I know those two are worlds apart, but is it possible to study both (and major in both) at Vassar?"

The short answer: absolutely! Will it be more difficult? Sure. Will you have slightly more work and less free time? Yup. But is it possible? Definitely. In fact, many Vassar students (myself included) are double majors.

On my tour of Vassar as a high school student, I remember vividly something that the student tour guide said: "Vassar is a place where everyone has countless, equally intense interests. It's a place where your friends will be pre-med with a major in Art History, or looking to earn an MBA but also take a dozen literature courses." He continued, "And that's the great thing about Vassar; you never have to limit yourself."

After nearly three years at Vassar, I couldn't agree with him more. Double majoring is fairly common here. Some people, like me, double major in subjects that are semi-related. Since my first week of my first year at the College, I knew that I wanted to major in both History and Political Science. The two disciplines have obvious overlaps in terms of writing style and subject matter. Often, I will learn more about history in a poli sci course, or more about politics in a history course. They complement one another. Similarly, I know students who are majoring in other related subjects, like Biology/Chemistry, Economics/Mathematics, or Film/Media Studies.

Other, more adventurous students, however, will major in seemingly unrelated disciplines—Economics/Music, Physics/French, Biology/Drama. On average, I would say that each major requires about 12 total courses over your four years (in which you will take a minimum of 32 courses). How you choose to allocate those courses is left to each student's discretion.

I would also add that disciplines that appear on first glance to be unrelated might actually complement each other in exciting ways. My freshmen year, I met a someone double majoring in History and Media Studies. Why? He wanted to work for the History Channel. Consider someone this year majoring in Economics and Chinese. Why? To give himself the option of doing business in Asian markets.

So, getting back to your original question, it is absolutely possible to major in Biology and Economics. Whether you're looking to combine those two disciplines (say, by pursuing a career in the bio-pharmaceuticals industry) or whether you're interested in studying them separately, you will have the option of doing both at Vassar. That said, I would encourage anyone interested in double majoring to review the specific requirements for each department. You might find, for example, that both disciplines require a senior thesis, and doing two theses in a single year might prove very difficult. Those are issues to think over and discuss with your academic advisor once you get here in the fall.

Keep e-mailing me those questions! (brfarkas@vassar.edu)

Watch an exclusive tour of the new Davison House construction

2009-03-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

Progress continues in the renovation of Davision House from The Miscellany News.

The Miscellany News is really making a concerted effort to produce multimedia each week to enhance our coverage of the Vassar campus.

Check out the video above, our second tour of Davison House this year. Davison, one of Vassar's nine primary dormitories, is undergoing a $19 million renovation. Walking through the construction site, I could really see a unique blend of old and new. In fact, the Project Manager showed us a fluted iron column (modeled after a Greek temple-style column) that had not been seen since Davison was first built in 1902. Interestingly, high-speed ethernet cables were being installed right behind this antique monument. How times have changed!

For an even longer look at what Vassar's newest dormitory will look like, check out the Miscellany's first video tour of Davison from November.

Watch Vassar's Men's Tennis team discuss recent success

2009-02-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

Men's tennis nets victory against Coast Guard from The Miscellany News.

"Vassar and Progressive Politics"

2009-02-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I attended a really amazing lecture by Robyn Muncy, a historian at the University of Maryland. The talk centered on Josephine Roche, Vassar Class of 1908, and the liberal politics and strong background in the social sciences that she acquired at Vassar. A tireless activist for rights of workers, Roche dedicated her life to proving that better living conditions were good business and that there were practical, effective ways to help people. According to the Vassar Encyclopedia:

Plunging into Vassar life, Roche debated with Qui Vive, visited slum settlements in Poughkeepsie, joined the basketball and track clubs and was a double major in Economics and Classics. Abigail Leach (Greek) and Herbert Mills (Economics) were among her teachers, and her yearbook quotation sums up her time at Vassar: she was “cheerful and happy in the prospect of having almost more to do that day than she could possibly accomplish.”

Despite a conservative, violently anti-union father, she embraced the liberal social and economic thought of the day – learning at Vassar about the benefits of trade unionism, minimum working and living standards and active involvement in the political process. Following commencement, Roche moved to New York City and entered Columbia University to pursue a Masters in Social Work (received in 1910). Between 1910-12, Roche investigated the conditions of working children and immigrants for the Russell Sage Foundation and Columbia and directed evening classes at the pioneering social service agency, Greenwich House.

Roche’s family moved to Denver in 1908, and in October 1912 Roche left New York to become Denver’s first policewoman. As Inspector of Amusements, she supervised public dance halls and cafes and cleaned up the Red Light district – taking girls home to their families. In a battle with entrenched business interests, Roche and her boss, Commissioner Creel, were fired in early 1913. Community pressure obtained her reinstatement but official non-cooperation led to her resignation in August 1913.

In 1915, President Hoover appointed Roche Special Agent of England and the United States for the Commission for Relief in Belgium. It was the first of many governmental appointments... On the death of her father, in January 1927, Roche inherited his 40% interest in the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company. At the time, the company and the United Mine Workers were engaged in a bitter strike over higher pay and better working conditions. By November, 90% of the mines in Colorado were on strike and 6 miners had died in the Columbine Massacre at a Rocky Mountain Fuel Company mine.

In 1934 Roche ran for governor of Colorado on the motto: “Roosevelt + Roche = Recovery.” She lost the Democratic primary to the incumbent governor by 10,000 votes. In Nov. 1934, she joined FDR in Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. “The baby member of the Brain Trust," Roche was in charge of the Public Health Service, Chair of the advisory board of the National Youth Administration and a participant in the committees formulating Social Security.

In 1937, Roche returned to the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company, commuting regularly, however, to Washington to chair the National Health Conference and the Interdepartmental Committee to Coordinate Health and Welfare Activities, groups that worked tirelessly for federal health subsidies and a broad government health plan for all US citizens.

The RMFC closed in 1944 and Roche, who had become President of the National Consumers League in 1940, joined John L. Lewis and the United Mine Workers in 1948 as Executive Director and neutral trustee of the United Mine Workers’ Welfare and Retirement Fund. Funded by the mining companies, the fund provided health care, disability pensions and pensions to miners’ widows. During the 24 years of her administration, the Fund collected $2.5 billion and paid out $1.2 billion in pensions and $900 million in medical care for miners and their families, via an extensive network of hospitals and clinics.

Muncy is one of those historians who can just command an audience, more of a storyteller than a stodgy academic. She came to my American Century class today, so we had the chance to meet her before the evening's lecture. Miriam Cohen, our professor, has been taking us through the politics of the Progressive Party, which was formed by Teddy Roosevelt in 1912. Muncy talked about her research on the Progressive Era, and the unique role that Vassar College played in producing social reformers in the late-19th and early 20th centuries.

Cambridge!

2009-02-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

I just found out that I was accepted to a wonderful summer program at Cambridge University! I'm really excited. The program allows me to study British legal history, along with other British history and political science courses. I'll work closely with a handful of professors (and British students!) and be able to do lots of independent research.

Research in the Cambridge library? A dream come true...

I'm still figuring out my thesis topic for next year. All history majors produce a lengthy senior thesis—a sort of capstone to each student's research experience at Vassar. Perhaps I'll find a topic this summer, buried in some ancient British library. Nothing like digging through ancient archives to put a smile on a history major's face!

2009-02-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

Augusten Burroughs is coming to lecture tonight! He's the author of the New York Times bestseller Running with Scissors. All the English majors—and many others—are abuzz, waiting for him to arrive. He has a strong following among college-aged readers.

Hopefully, I'll be able to sneak out of production night for the Miscellany News long enough to catch a glimpse of his speech. I've heard that he's even funnier in person.

This event is part of one of the best Vassar lecture series—the Alex Krieger ‘95 Memorial Lecture, which has previously featured humorists like John Irving, Tom Wolfe, Sarah Vowell, and David Sedaris. I saw David Sedaris when I was visiting Vassar as a high school senior. Last year, Gail Collins (former Editorial Page editor and current columnist for the New York Times) was the speaker. She was incredibly witty, and I got to meet her afterwards in person!

If you're on campus tonight, Burroughs will be in UpCDC at 8:00 pm. Check it out!

A visit to Vassar's Art Center

2009-02-14T02:51:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, I stopped by one of Vassar's greatest resources: the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. Founded in 1864, the museum includes more than 17,000 works of art—enormous compared to many other colleges' museums. The endless collection includes countless treasures: ancient Chinese manuscripts, an Egyptian sarcophagus, and the paintings of notables like Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch and Jackson Pollack, to name just a few recognizable names.

Last March, 80 of our paintings traveled for 10-months to Japan. The works were exhibited in five major Japanese museums in an acclaimed exhibition entitled Paris–New York: Modernist Painting in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: Masterworks from the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College. James Mundy, director of Vassar's museum, helped to organize the exhibition, and felt that it represented the increasing importance of globalization in Vassar's curriculum and in the art world. "A buzzword for the new millennium has been ‘globalization’ and among America’s most important exports is higher education,” said Mundy in an interview with On Campus. The Japanese exhibit coincides with the rapid growth of the Asian Studies program at the College, as well as a new exchange program with the Ochanomizu University in Toyko.

But last week, the 80-plus works happily returned to Poughkeepsie. After my afternoon classes were over, I ducked into the museum to see the returned art first-hand (we had already written about it in The Miscellany News). Just as I remembered them! I don't think I had seen them in person since the first week of my freshmen year, when I wandered over to the museum on a campus exploration. It reminded me that the Art Center is such a unique resource—not ever small liberal arts college also hosts a world-class museum.

Spring 2009 Schedule... At Long Last

2009-02-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned two posts ago, I absolutely love shopping period. Students add and drop classes like mad, finding their absolute favorite teachers and subjects to fit into their schedules. I think I probably take longer than most to determine my roster of courses; I've been at it for about two weeks. But finally, after much switching, I've settled on a really engaging set of classes:

(Art History) Architecture After Modernism: This course focuses on urban architecture in the period after 1920. I took AP Art History in high school, which covered some architecture, but it looked mostly at the history of painting and sculpture. I've always wanted to go back and spend some more time learning about the development of modern cities—especially since I'm from Manhattan. The professor is a professional architect from New York, which adds a level of practicality to the lectures and discussions.

(History/Urban Studies) The American Century, 1890-1945: Speaking of cities, this History course is cross-listed with Urban Studies, a multidisciplinary program at Vassar that looks at the rise and design of cities. In the first few weeks of classes, we've been looking at immigration patterns into New York and Chicago at the turn of the century. Professor Miriam Cohen teaches this class; she seems amazing at guiding discussions and balancing students' different points of view.

(History) Cold War America: Professor Bob Brigham is something of a legend in the History Department. He's one of those teachers everyone talks about and wants to take a course with. He specializes in post-WWII America, and is an expert on Vietnam. His recent book Is Iraq another Vietnam? was acclaimed by the media. And he's frequently on TV and radio, talking about the similarities between the conflict of the 1950s and current American presence in the Middle East. So far, this class is wonderful. High school curricula pretty much ignore events after 1945. All three of my AP history courses (American, World, and European) barely mentioned the Cold War except in passing during a single week in June. Whenever I leave this course at Vassar, I feel like I've learned so much that I really should have known before.

(Political Science) Democratic Theory: Looking at political theory from the 'margins' of modern political thought, this class introduces some interesting authors and follows their views of democracy. This week, we're reading the poet Walt Whitman. We will also look at authors like James Baldwin, who tried to balance democracy with racial injustice. So far, the class looks really interesting.

(Political Science/Science, Technology and Society) Intellectual Property Law: For those bound for law school, Vassar offers a number of excellent preparatory courses. Constitutional Law (Political Science), Law and Economics (Economics), Environmental Law (Environmental Studies), and Sociology and Law in Society (Sociology), to name a few, all introduce students to the basic ideas and debates that will follow them throughout their legal education. Intellectual Property Law (Political Science) is another such example. The class covers the law of patents, copyrights and trademarks. Our professor, Michael Bennett, is incredible -- he has experience in physics, biotechnology, and science, technology and society. He even has a law degree from Harvard. On top of his teaching, he consults on issues of intellectual property law, which means that he is fully aware of the ongoing debates and issues in the field.

Our first Podcast!

2009-02-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Miscellany News has been trying its best to enter the world of multimedia. In the fall, we launched a new Web site and began doing slide shows, high-resolution weekly photos of the community, and investigative videos.

Just yesterday, we launched our first Podcast, available here. This series, entitled Behind the Story, will feature interviews with our reporters about the stories that they have been covering. It will take readers into the lives of our journalists and make our newsroom more transparent.

We're one of only a handful of small liberal arts colleges using Podcasts. I'm so proud that our Miscellany editors have been so willing and anxious to jump into the world of multimedia.

YouTube Winner!

2009-02-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

Check out the winning video in the Vassar YouTube Contest:

Spring 2009 Schedule... Or Lack Thereof...

2009-01-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing excites me quite as much as perusing through Vassar's Catalogue and picking a set of courses each semester. The beginning of a semester is just so filled with possibilities! I know, I know, I'm a nerd.

I usually spend weeks finalizing my schedule, and this spring term will be no different. The problem is, there are just too many choices. Although I'm nearly finished with the requirements for my history major, I find myself drawn to half-a-dozen different history courses: Renaissance Europe, History of American Foreign Relations, Emergence of the Modern Middle East... my list stretches for pages in a Microsoft Word document on my desktop. And that's just one department! I'm also thinking of classes in Political Science, Art History and Economics.

All told, there are about 25 classes that I want to take, but I can only take five courses per term. Oy! What's a boy to do?

"The Era of Responsibility"

2009-01-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

What a bang to begin the semester. As soon as students returned from a quiet month of Winter Break, attention quickly turned to President-Elect Barack Obama. The Vassar campus was ecstatic over today's Presidential Inauguration. I met my friend in the morning for a light breakfast at the Retreat, then headed to the Villard Room (a large multi-purpose room in the College Center). Several Vassar departments sponsored a large inaugural party, complete with a huge screen blasting CNN, speakers and of course, lots of free pizza. Everyone was there. I saw history professors, Buildings and Grounds Employees, students, administrative assistants and Security officers.

Unfortunately, I should have gotten there earlier. By the time my friend and I got to the door, Villard was already standing room only. People were crouched down in window sills and huddled on the floor to get a seat. Thinking fast, we ran over to Jewett—one of Vassar's recently renovated dorms, which sports a large screen TV in their lobby. We quickly scampered onto the floor in front of the TV just in time to watch history unfold. Obama's words were stirring:

"Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans....

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

The whole room burst out clapping and cheering to chants of 'Yes We Can' and 'O-BA-MA'—it was such a unifying moment. I thought back to earlier in the year, when I met my friends in that same Jewett parlor to watch all three presidential debates between Obama and John McCain, and then watched the election results live from the Miscellany News office. How far we've come. The energized Vassar campus was the ideal place to experience this unique and historic presidential election, from beginning to end.

Is Obama the next FDR?

2008-12-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

One of the wonderful aspects of Vassar is its location—and not just because it's only 1.5 hours away from New York City. The Hudson Valley, designated a National Heritage Area by Congress in 1966, is full of historic and cultural attractions.

One of my favorites in the the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, on the same grounds as the FDR Museum and the president's former home. The Roosevelt estate is only 20 minutes from Vassar, and well worth the trip. Students will love the immaculately kept gardens and the spacious picnic grounds; history buffs will love just about everything else. You can read my full review of the estate on The Miscellany News Guide to Poughkeepsie.

Recently, the Museum opened its exhibit entitled, "Action and Action Now: FDR’s First 100 Days." The exhibit is fantastic, and details the foundations of the New Deal. Many analogies have been made between the nation inherited by FDR in the throes of the Great Depression and the nation that Barack Obama is about to inherit, struggling with a global financial crisis. Though this exhibit in Hyde Park doesn't draw the comparison directly, it certainly poses the question implicitly: is our situation today so different from the one faced 80 years ago? This question has recently been posed by many scholars and political pundits.

The exhibit has been generating rave reviews, and rightfully so. Go check it out the FDR estate when you visit Vassar!

Huffington Post

2008-12-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to have been offered the opportunity to write for the Huffington Post. The Post is one of the most widely viewed online newspapers in the country, and its blogs deal with political and cultural news of all sorts.

Check out my article, "Higher Education Will Struggle Through the Recession," here.

I wrote about the effects of the economic downturn on higher education. Like all businesses, institutions and individuals, colleges across the country are being hit by the recession. But with lots of discussion, creativity and ingenuity, I'm confident that Vassar—and maybe even a couple of its peer institutions—will make it through the crisis.

My Twenty-First!

2008-12-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my 21st birthday! I know what you're thinking—Sunday is a pretty awful day to have a 21st birthday party. I had classes the next morning, and two papers due that week. Fortunately, my friends made it a day to remember... About two years ago when we were freshmen, my closest group of friends promised that they would take me out for my first legal drink, since I would be the first among us to turn 21. But in return, they made me promise to choose a special drink - something festive.

Sure enough, I ended up getting a delicious piña colada from UNOs Chicago Grill, a great restaurant within walking distance of Vassar. We got some festive appetizers and some more delicious drinks, and had a grand old time. It might have been more fun if my birthday had been on a Friday or Saturday night, but I'll take what I can get!

Final Exam Season

2008-12-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

Remember how stressed I was about midterms? Multiply that by five. Vassar is a wonderful place, but the academic work is not for the faint of heart. I have more research papers than I can count due within the next few weeks. At the moment, it's about 6:30 in the morning and I'm getting all my books together to head over to the library, which opens at 8:30.

Today, my project is a research paper on an American businessman in Japan... I figure if I get there at 8:30, I could get a ton of writing and reading done, then leave the library in time to see my friends for dinner and hang out with them in the evening. Maybe even watch a movie? The last few weeks of a semester always bring a tornado of work. Let's hope I make it...

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

After a difficult week of papers, I'm finally free for Thanksgiving Break! I'll be heading home tonight on the train to Manhattan. Sometimes it's really nice to live just an hour and a half away from Vassar—some of my friends have to suffer through hours on busses and planes to get their turkey. But I just hop onto the free College train shuttle, spend an hour on MetroNorth, and I'm happily in Grand Central in no time.

Usually, I like to spend my train rides staring out my window at the scenic Hudson River. This afternoon, though, I won't be quite so lucky; I have about 450 pages of reading to do before Monday :-( Not to mention the four research papers I have due in the next couple weeks. Ack! Finals period can be really stressful, since everyone's major assignments are all due at the same time. It tends to put a crimp in Thanksgiving.

On the bright side, though, I will soon be with my parents, eating my favorite stuffing and sipping some apple cider! At least I'll have a couple hours free from schoolwork...

Thanksgiving, thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale!

2008-11-20T21:08:00.000-08:00

Last year around this time of November, I caught an interesting story in On Campus, one of Vassar's publications:

If it weren’t for Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the popular women’s journal of the 19th century, Vassar would be “Vassar Female College” and Thanksgiving Day wouldn’t exist. The College was originally incorporated in 1861 as “Vassar Female College.” Very much a supporter of Matthew Vassar’s plan, Hale appealed to the founder to dispense with “Female,” a word she considered “inelegant” and “absurd.” After much correspondence between the two and numerous editorials in Godey’s, the trustees eventually agreed to the name change, the New York State Legislature amended the college’s charter, and the marble slab engraved with the word “Female” was removed from the front of Main.

Furthermore, Hale is responsible for devising Thanksgiving. Although the holiday had been practiced since the settlers in Plymouth, its scheduling was never regularized.

It wasn’t until Hale took up the cause that what we call Thanksgiving evolved. She wrote editorials and lobbied “that the LAST THURSDAY IN NOVEMBER shall be the DAY OF NATIONAL THANKSGIVING for the American people.” Finally, in 1863 (just two years before the first class of Vassar students would arrive on campus) President Lincoln succumbed to her pressure and proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. Finally, in 1941, Congress made Thanksgiving a legal holiday.

The Day that was The Day

2008-11-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe Election Day was already a week ago. I've never felt so much energy on Vassar's campus. So much pent up anxiety, excitement and youthful engagement exploded on one glorious November evening. But while everyone was glued to their televisions in their dorms, attending parties organized by professors and student groups, myself and my fellow editors were stuck in the Miscellany News office putting together the weekly paper.

Editors tend to be very politically engaged, so there was a certain sense of sadness when Production Night began that Tuesday. Would we miss all the excitement? Would we be forced to struggle with formatting instead of watching history unfold? Everyone knew they had to type away at their articles and put their heart into layout--in spite of the excitement outside our doors. I found myself refreshing CNN.com every few seconds for the latest results. Indeed, our own Web site included live blogging of elections results from the second floor of the Students' Building, where hundreds of students were merrily gathered in front of a large projector.

But then, around 10:45, we all gave in to temptation. As the final states were being called, we all huddled around a laptop to watch the results. Ohio. Pennsylvania. Virginia. Then, at 11:01, Wolf Blitzer called it - Barack Obama had won the presidency.

By 11:02, the information was on miscellanynews.com, and we stood cheering and hugging one another. Our paper had endorsed Mr. Obama in late October, and we were happy to know that the nation had agreed with our choice. Many editors stuck around to watch his victory speak in Grant Park streaming online. Trying to inconspicuously wipe away our teary eyes, we saw the 44th president address the nation in one of the most inspiring acceptances my generation has witnessed.

For the rest of our lives, we'll remember sitting in the Miscellany News office, recording student reactions and putting together our newspaper on that truly historic American night.

An inside look...

2008-11-01T13:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was an exciting day for me and my fellow newsies. The Miscellany had a behind-the-scenes tour of Davison House, which is being gutted and renovated over the course of this year. Construction began early in the summer, and by next summer, it will be complete and ready for the Class of 2013 to move into in Fall 2009.

Vassar's residential life is really something special. Students feel true, Harry Potter-esque affinity to their houses on campus. Some of my closest friends freshmen year lived in Cushing, which I continue to call home. Each dorm has a house team—a group of people who create all sorts of interesting programming for residents. Each week, Cushing has CommuniTea, where we can all talk with our neighbors, get to know each other over a cup of tea, and take a break from the rigors of our academic work.

Most of the dorms themselves are very stately—many are collegiate red brick, tudor style buildings, others are Victorian, and other are more modern. Because of their age, however, some of the interiors are getting a little ratty. Many of these buildings were constructed in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and certainly could use some upkeep. Not that any of them are awful. But after so many years and so many residents, the ongoing renovations to residential life are certainly welcome.

In 2003, Jewett House was overhauled and is now a pristine, almost hotel-like building (my personal favorite!). It features big-screen televisions, several multi-purpose rooms, beautiful bathrooms, and spacious kitchens. The rooms are cozy, with nice wood flooring, brand new furniture, and bright lighting.

Davison House, one of the four Quad Dormitories, is now being redone as well—and The Miscellany News got the first peak! Learn about some of the building's new features in this exclusive video. No doubt, the members of the Class of 2013 assigned to the new Davison will be very lucky indeed.

Entering the World of Multimedia

2008-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Over break, an article that I wrote on the digital future of college newspapers was published by Inside Higher Ed, an online newspaper on issues facing higher education.

The article discusses some of the ways in which The Miscellany News has been trying to take advantage of the internet, in the same way that professional news organizations like CNN.com and The New York Times have been. For the first time, our staff has been experimenting with videos, slideshows and voiceovers. All of this content is posted on a special multimedia section of our Web site, here. Pretty nifty for a student paper.

As people are consuming media in so many different ways these days, it's important that the youngest journalists stay ahead of the curve as much as possible. Admittedly, our video skills still leave quite a bit to be desired, but we're getting there. The hardest part? Holding the camera steady...

Meet Me in Poughkeepsie!

2008-10-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

One of the stereotypes about Vassar is that the College has an awkward relationship with the Poughkeepsie community. Although this stereotype is not entirely accurate, there is a grain of truth to it—too many students never leave campus. Even many of my own friends often remain within Vassar's walls, rarely venturing into Poughkeepsie, except to catch the MetroNorth train to New York City. That is unfortunate, because Poughkeepsie and the Mid-Hudson Valley have so much to offer.

In an effort to get more students into the community, the Vassar Student Association (Vassar's student government) organized Meet Me in Poughkeepsie. MMIP got about 1,000 students—nearly half of the student body—off campus. Students participated in more than thirty events, which ranged from a trip to Eleanor Roosevelt's home, to apple picking, to hiking at Mohonk. Check out the Miscellany's coverage of the event: Meet Me in Poughkeepsie!

I was really proud of the VSA's efforts in organizing this event; afterwards, there was a renewed energy among the students whom I spoke with for engaging local attractions and patronizing local businesses. To learn more about the terrific resources that the community around Vassar has to offer, read the Miscellany News Guide to Poughkeepsie here: Guide. Poughkeepsie has so much to offer, and Vassar students are now taking advantage of those resources more than ever before.

Midterms

2008-10-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe we're already approaching the half-way point of the fall semester. On the bright side, that means bright crimson, orange, and golden leaves falling from Vassar's countless trees. On the not-so-bright side, that means papers, exams and stacks of reading. Midterm season is here in full force.

Unlike in high school, where work was evenly distributed over the course of the term, college students tend to have most of their work clumped in the middle and at the end of each semester. Right now, I'm up to my ears in work: 3 papers due this week alone, in addition to a political science midterm exam. Next week, I have four more papers, and a research proposal due. Ack!

And so I'm stuck in the library, unable to frolic through those falling leaves. Oh well. Thankfully, most of my work is pretty interesting. For example, today I'm working on a paper about a British woman named Harriet Tytler, who lived in India during the mid-19th century. She was the only woman to witness the 1857 Siege of Delhi. She was able to see first-hand the anger and resentment of Indian peoples against the British East India Company. Certainly good reading for a nerdy history major!

Politics

2008-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night on a college campus. One thinks of scenes from Animal House or The Greek Life: people partying, carousing, and misbehaving. But Friday night—tonight—at Vassar will be very different.

Literally all of my friends will have their eyes glued to the television for the Presidential Debate. Every dormitory has a large TV room with a huge flat-panel screen. Usually there are just a few quiet couches in front of the TV, where friends occasionally get together in the evening to watch the World Series or The Daily Show. But tonight, the television will be surrounded by rows of chairs, dozens of couches, love-seats, ottomans, tables, stools... you name it.

Vassar is a very political place. Though people often assume that the entire campus is "liberal," I've found a great deal of diversity of opinions here. Tonight will be an exciting opportunity to discuss those ideas with my friends and neighbors, as we sit down to watch Barack Obama and John McCain face off for the first time—assuming McCain actually shows up...

Course Selection

2008-09-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of any semester at Vassar is the first two weeks. This time, known as "Add/Drop" period, is when students can attend as many classes as they like and 'experiment' before settling down into a final schedule. No one takes advantage of this shopping period more than I do. In the past two weeks, I have visited more than 25 different classes, even though I knew I would only end up taking four or five. Some of my friends think I am little nuts for voluntarily sitting through so many seminars and lectures for two weeks, hour after hour, even for courses that I likely would never take.

So why do I do this? Why do I enjoy Add/Drop period so much? Going to those classes, even the ones that I know I will never take, I get dozens of perspectives on learning at Vassar. I get to see dozens of teachers in action. I get to see what goes on in a geography class, a classics class, a psychology class—even though my primary areas of studies are totally removed from these disciplines. Professors almost always distribute their syllabi on the first day, which means I get a free window onto entire courses that I would otherwise never see. In my room, I have a drawer full of syllabi, all from classes that I never have (and probably never will) take. But if I ever wanted to learn about Developmental Psychology or Dostoyevsky, I now have comprehensive lists of books and readings.

I'm not a very adventurous person when it comes to course selection. I know exactly the types of professors that I like and exactly the types of books I like to learn from. Many people are far riskier than I when it comes to course selection (one friend is taking a class on Creole Religions; another is taking a course on nanotechnology). I tend to stick to my favorite departments—history, political science and economics. But that doesn't mean that I'm not curious. At Vassar, students routinely audit courses without being enrolled in them. In other words, you are able to hear the lectures, do the readings and participate in the discussions, and not have to worry about stress and grades. Having the flexibility to fine-tune my course list really makes for an excellent semester. And this semester is no different. After much adding and dropping and experimenting, I enrolled in courses on Tokugawa Japan, Childhood in Modern England, the British Empire, the American Presidency, and Charles Dickens.

And now, I had better return to all of the homework I have for those classes...

Coming Home to Vassar, and to a new homepage, www.miscellanynews.com

2008-09-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

As I unloaded my car this year, I felt a twinge of deja vu. This was not the first, not the second, but the third time that I would be making those multiple voyages between the back of my trunk and my cozy Cushing room. I first moved into Cushing House as a freshman, and continue to live there now. But as I unloaded the boxes and bins, pillows and suitcases, clothing and computer equipment, a small feeling of sadness hit me; I don't have that many 'unloadings' left. College is a funny thing; you obsess about it throughout high school, you get there, and before you know it, you're half-way through. So, in the short span of being in school, it is important to make your mark on the institution.

Along with my fellow editors, that is exactly what we plan to do with the Miscellany News. This year will boast a number of major changes to the paper. Perhaps the most notable is our online presence:
www.miscellanynews.com — Over the summer, I pushed a major overhaul of our Web site. While our old site was clunky and outdated, our new site is sleek, user-friendly and flexible. Photos and articles can be quickly rearranged depending on the news of the day. For example, we were able to post our coverage of Fall Convocation within an hour, and soon afterwards posted a gallery of photos from the event. Very cool, considering last year, that same coverage would have taken a week to get into our print edition. The Miscellany can now be as flexible as a blog, as timely as a daily paper, but as creative as a weekly publication. This online overhaul has been incredibly difficult, but once we see it through, I believe it will revolutionize news at Vassar—and revitalize our almost 150-year-old publication.

Hopefully, my fellow editors and I will also have time to be students this semester. My full course roster is not yet decided. Thankfully, Vassar gives students several weeks to add and drop courses before having to commit. This is one of my favorite parts of academic life here, since it gives you time to find professors with whom you really click. I have, however, definitely settled on a few interesting gems. I'll be taking The American Presidency in the political science department, and then The British Empire in the history department. I'm also going to take Childhood in Modern England, a seven-person history seminar that looks really interesting. It will be a nice change to take a class on such a specific topic and develop a deeper mastery of the material. (In high school, we had to take classes spanning all of world history! No time for details.)

Overall, I'm looking forward to a fantastic year, both academically and on the Miscellany — now, which of those requires more of my time, I couldn't tell you!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

2008-05-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Eight papers and exams down, one more to go! These last few weeks have been incredibly busy, but now I can concentrate all of my energy on my final task: my Revolutionary America final exam. As I've said in previous posts, that class is one of the best that I've taken at Vassar, but also one of the most difficult. I had taken American history in high school, and thought I understood the Revolutionary period. Boy was I wrong. I always knew the baby version of the story: In the mid-eighteenth century, American colonists became increasingly uneasy with British control, and after getting taxed too heavily, they decided they'd be happier splitting ways. So, on July 4, 1776, they declared independence.

Well, after a semester in this Revolutionary America course, pretty much every part of that story-line has been broadened and complicated in my mind. Even the date of independence is different in my head - July 2, 1776 is the actual day that the Continental Congress voted for independence. John Adams, in his writings, even noted that July 2 would be remembered with "illuminations" (i.e. fireworks). Turns out, he was two days off, since (for reasons unclear to Adams) people decided to celebrate the day that the Declaration was voted on, rather than the day that independence was voted on.

Professor Merrell promised us on the first day of class that, at the end of the semester, we would be far more confused about the Revolution than were were at the beginning. He was right. I do love my American history, though, so studying for this exam will not be quite so onerous as my other tasks during finals period have been.

After all the stress of these past few weeks, I needed a little break. Last night, we went to dinner at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The CIA is conveniently only about 20 minutes from Vassar, and has the most delicious food you've ever tasted. They make buffalo Monterey Jack cheeseburgers that are out of this world. Plus brownie sundays for dessert. Even though the food at the CIA is gourmet-quality, the prices are pretty reasonable, because it's all made by student chefs. We even managed to sweet-talk the waitress into giving us free gazpacho and cookies - and *almost* into giving us free hats.

Alright, back to studying! I have another section of my notes to go through before bedtime...

Finals...

2008-05-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are. Those two weeks of the semester that everyone dreads - finals period. An ominous quiet falls over Vassar, as all the students seem to disappear and the campus becomes suddenly silent and completely still. Everyone packs into the Thompson Memorial Library, parking themselves at a computer, furiously trying to complete that last bit of research, read that one last chapter, write that one last paragraph. Vassar students are nothing if not studious, and nothing proves that more than the energy and vigor that everyone puts into their final exams and papers.

As for me, I'm juggling five different exams and term papers in the next couple weeks. Right now, I'm sitting in the Class of 1951 Reading Room of the Library (one of my favorite rooms because of its arched, imposing mahogany ceiling). My project for today is to make some headway on papers for each of my Political Science courses. For one class, "Congress," I'm writing about the ways in which the personal experiences and values of Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Spector and Rick Santorum have influenced their past decisions on roll call votes. For the other class, "Law, Justice and Politics," I'm writing about the shift from institutional to modern racism in sentencing decisions in the criminal justice process.

So I still have a lot of work ahead of me :( The good news is that yesterday, I handed in my enormous term paper for my Revolutionary America, 1750-1830 history course. That class - with Professor James Merrell - is definitely one of the best I've taken at Vassar, but it's also one of the most difficult. I spent hours and hours in the Library trying to find original diaries from the wives of congressmen between 1800 and 1820 in Washington D.C. Narrow topic, much? Oh yes. But it was so rewarding to finally hand in that paper, which I had been working on for months.

Clearly, final exam period can get really stressful. Thankfully, though, the atmosphere is not competitive, and once its over, everyone goes back to being normal and stress-free just in time for summer!

Founder's Day

2008-05-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Founder's Day! Founder's Day is one of our oldest and most exciting traditions, which began as a surprise birthday party for the College's Founder, Matthew Vassar. No blog post can quite do it justice, but I'll explain it as best as I can: On the first Saturday in May, the entire College becomes a gigantic carnival, complete with live music, dancing, rides, inflatables, free food, and prizes. People flock out of the Library, stop studying for finals, put down their unfinished theses, and just play for hours on end.

Professors and staff come too, and the entire College community gathers around to celebrate Vassar's past, present and future. Even alumni attend, often bringing their families. This afternoon, I met a man who had graduated from Vassar in the 1980s. While waiting for his wife and children to make their way through one of the bouncy castles, he told me about his own memories of Founder's Day. It's pretty cool how this one day can unite people from all different stages of the College's history.

The tradition began on April 29, 1866 (Matthew Vassar's 74th birthday), when then-President Raymond organized a day of surprise festivities. Students greeted the Founder with cheers and songs. After the excitement, Vassar, with tears of joy in his eyes, is thought to have said that "This one event has paid me for every cent I have spent for the College." Though Vassar passed away two years later, the event has lived on for nearly 150 years; by tradition, the President of the College leads a toast to the Founder to begin the day's events.

I had SUCH a great time. My friends and I went early and got free candy and balloon animals. We also went on this funky spinning ride. Then we listened to Lola Bluegrass, this crazy singer from Vermont, who kept dancing around and rolling down hills. She was a little nuts. She said she's going to the fireworks tonight (in just a couple hours!) so maybe I'll see her there. Anyway, Founder's Day 2008 was WONDERFUL!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

PS - Read about this year's Founder's Day in The Miscellany News here!
http://misc.vassar.edu/archives/2008/05/founders_day_pr.html

First Week On The Job

2008-04-25T19:30:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I was elected Editor in Chief of The Miscellany News through Fall 2008. For those of you that know me, you know how much I love The Misc. I started my first week freshman year as a Guest Writer, and worked my way up through the ranks. Working for the campus newspaper has been such an unbelievably rewarding experience. I've learned so much through my years on the paper, especially from those above me on the chain of command.

It's pretty scary, though, to think that now *I'm* the person at the top of the masthead. This past issue was my first as Editor in Chief; it was terrifying to say the least. I used to be responsible for only a single section - now I'm responsible for a 20-24 page paper every week. All of a sudden, writers and editors began coming up to me asking for my input and direction. There is SO much that goes into the creation of a newspaper that readers don't even think about. Even writers and editors don't always see the paper from all of its many angles - I certainly didn't until this past week. Thankfully I have two wonderfully organized Senior Editors to catch mistakes and aid in the production process. Plus, The Misc has unbelievably talented Editorial Board, who work tirelessly to make the paper as well-written as it is.

It's certainly a tremendous amount of work, but The Misc is an obsession of mine. This summer, I'll be working on redesigning our Web site and archiving old newspapers (dating back to the 1860s!) online. Incoming freshmen! If you're interested in working on The Miscellany News, I would love to get the Class of 2012 involved. Shoot me an e-mail at brfarkas@vassar.edu, and I'll tell you more about how to begin writing for Vassar's oldest publication.

Getting the Scoop

2008-04-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

There are few activities at Vassar that I've enjoyed more than my work on The Miscellany News. The Misc, as students call it, was founded in 1866 as The Vassar Miscellany, and has spanned the history of the College. Students here have a proud tradition of investigative journalism, a tradition which we continue into the present day.

Just last night, we 'scooped' the College in announcing some major upcoming changes to campus dining. We posted our story on our Web site http://misc.vassar.edu at 1 a.m. and administrators sent out their announcement at 10 a.m. today. It felt wonderful to inform the community and beat them to it! Next year, the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC for short) will be remodeled to allow for a lot more up-front food preparation. Vassar will also renovate the Kiosk, a coffee and snack stand in the College Center for people on the move during the day. There has also been some talk of adding another convenience store in ACDC, which would have small, a la cart items.

Pretty cool. I love student journalism here at Vassar, and would encourage all students - current and prospective - to get involved. The more voices we are able to represent, the stronger The Misc becomes, even 140 years after its founding.

April Days...

2008-04-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Looking around campus, I can see the buds beginning to form on the trees, the grass beginning to green, and of course, the ubiquitous squirrels beginning to emerge and make their presence known. But I see something else - hundreds of prospective students! Campus tours seem to be everywhere. April can be a difficult time for high school students; the decisions that they make among the often numerous schools to which they are admitted can be complex. Should you choose based on the buildings? Based on the class size? Based on the people you meet?

As I hear the guides talk about the Vassar's founding or the huge number of books in the library, I can't help but remember my days as a high school senior on that same tour. Though I'm already a sophomore, it seems like it was just yesterday that my dad and I came up to Poughkeepsie to see the campus. We had a wonderful trip up along the Hudson from New York City, where I live. After the info session and tour, we walked to Vassar's huge sports fields, where we had a catch and talked about all of my college choices. I later visited Vassar for a second time with one of my best friends on Admitted Students Weekend.

Honestly, the process of selecting Vassar as my clear first choice was not an easy one. I had numerous conversations with friends and parents, teachers and college counselors, all of whom seemed to give me different advice. I think there were two aspects of the College that sold me. The first is superficial: the Library. If you haven't been on a tour and walked inside the unbelievable Thompson Memorial Library, you're missing out. Not only is the building itself magnificent - complete with imposing spires and cathedral-like ceilings - but it contains over a million printed books, plus untold numbers of electronic journals, magazines and newspapers. As a history major, I love the process of research. Nothing has facilitated that research more than the Library, a building that I fell in love with from the moment I saw it.

Second, the people that I met when visiting Vassar struck me as some of the most thoughtful and ambitious that I have ever encountered. I met one guy who was working to raise money for schools in Haiti, another girl who was pre-med with a double major in biology and English with a minor in Math (!) and another guy who was on three varsity teams. Not only are the students here interested in so many different things, but they also excel at all of them. That first impression has wrung true with the people that I've met since I arrived as a freshman.

Coming to Vassar was one of the best decisions I've ever made. All of my gut feelings about the students and the campus proved correct. I'm always happy to answer any questions about Vassar from prospective students... just shoot me an e-mail at brfarkas@vassar.edu.