Swatgasm

I know my last entry was all about how finals week has been monotonous and endless. Well, today I think I had multiple swatgasms that made me realise why I love it here. It was a good reminder.

After all of us turned in our spiritual autobiographies for my freshman religion seminar, we collectively decided to share them with each other even though they were all very personal. Some emailed them to the class, but I met two girls for lunch to share our “meaning of life”. It was two hours and twenty minutes of swatgasmic conversation about religious institutions, the history and culture of slavery explained through African dance, public education system, communities and individuals and how those relate to colonization and varying ideas of democracy, etc. And of course, the literal spiritual journey of our respective lives. Each of them brought many thought-provoking perspectives. It was interesting because Lisa sees the world through poli-sci lenses, Kaitlin through socanth, and I through economics. I don’t think we would have conversed like this if we were at some other school…it was a wonderful bonding time outside of class.

Yeah, Lisa! : )

…back to this paper, blergh.

Finals Week & First Collection Pictures

The reading period before final week is meant to be for us to study hard before the onslaught of testing begins. Reading week begins the day classes end (two Fridays ago) and go until the day before exams start (last Thursday: my econ exam at 9 am!!) To help us relax before, in-between and after our studying, the school gives us a weekend of fun events and various study breaks through the week.

Willets Carnival
There was a popcorn and cotton-candy machine, an inflatable obstacle course, a dunk tank, lots of food and happy people. That evening, they also showed movies on Parrish beach.

SAC Study Breaks
SAC, our Students Activities Committee, held daily study breaks with the left over money from the Fun Fund. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. They gave free pizza, donuts and muffins, sushi, fresh fruit, chocolate, cheese, and sparkling drinks, Coldstone ice cream and Rita’s water ice. (My friend adds “happiness and joy”.)

Entertainment
A few Swat bands played in Worth courtyard…all of Saturday. On Friday, a few of the dance classes preformed, and I think there were a few plays being preformed. On Monday and Tuesday there was Rhythm-n-Motion a performance as well as Jamboree. Graduating members of SASS (an Intercultural Group) held a grill party on Parrish beach. And people decided to sing folk songs for hours in Parrish Parlors. It was supposed to be relaxing?

There was something for everyone…really.

And then…

FINALS HIT

It’s been a long two weeks since we have nothing else to do but study and write papers. The days are endless without any study breaks. It’s been strange to lose the everyday structure that grounded us through the school year. On one hand, it’s liberating to wake up to your own schedule, but it’s hard to pull yourself into work-mode. Except when I do, I can’t stop. Yesterday, I edited my paper from 9 am to 5:30 pm (it was due at 6 pm); I was revising a revised draft! With papers you can always find more to add or revise. With studying for exams, you can never attain certainty that you have studied enough. It’s the universal trauma of academia.

I’m envious of those people who got to leave last week. But the seniors are leaving forever…so I’m glad I get to spend these last few days with them. Same goes for my Swatties.

I’ll update you on whether I am still alive by Friday.

Meanwhile, below are a few pictures from first collection.

Oh, Tiffany!

Class of ‘10 : )

Humanities vs. Sciences and Home

Although Swarthmore is a small, unified liberal arts college, humanities students (I’m grouping social science into this) gain a very different Swarthmore experience than natural science students. The academic buildings they live in (science center and martin), the people they associate with, the activities they participate in, the homework load, the goals they have in mind. My philosophy professor made a comment on philosophy that sparked deep reflection in me. He said that knowledge is intended to shape who we are as people. If that’s true, the people that humanities students become are entirely different than the people sciences shape students to be, even though both can intersect.

Another comment made my philosophy teacher helped us appreciate the value of the humanities. Although modern education is intended to foster progress, technological, moral, economic, political, the college experience helps us become better humans. Humanities courses force you to question and re-examine personal traditional beliefs. For example, in my religion class, we were given a reading assignment called the “religion of the market” which investigated the capitalistic market system by analogizing it to religion. It made a compelling argument that forced me to think about why I believe what I believe. No, we’re not communist anarchist at Swarthmore. Far from it. But I feel like these humanities classes help me think more intelligently in my every day life. It stretches my willingness to broaden my horizons, to borrow a cliche. While I have been growing personally or “spiritually” as we say in my religion class, I have managed to still be academic. Kierkegaard, Simone Weil, Martin Buber (in religion), Aristotle, Descartes, Dewey (in philosophy), are serious, challenging academic readings. These classes allow me to straddle both worlds of humanities (being a human) and academia.

For a science students, the focus of some sciences classes are far more concrete; especially engineering. Part of this may be that some students want to get pre-med requirements out of the way, early, so freshman and sophomores take more academically concrete natural sciences courses. It’s usually, Bio 1, Bio 2 and Orgo 1, Orgo 2 and so on. Each are lab courses, of course. It’s pretty intense. Another similar major is computer science, where classes, beginning classes at least, are very focused on developing skills and concrete knowledge. Thus, in these beginning years, my Swat experience diverges from other science students’ experience.

Even in religion, there are other courses that are more academic. Such courses focus on more political/historical contexts. And there are many science classes which focus on more human aspects, like Bioethics, Philosophy of Science…I’m sure there are more. I guess in the end you can get what you look for. Some people just don’t appreciate it enough.

Summary: TAKE HUMANITIES/SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASSES.

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I came back this morning from a family friend’s house, where I spent the night. It made me realise how much more relaxed I am away from Swat. I could eat “mindfully”, without worrying about finals at every moment. In college, no matter which one, you never get a break from being a student; it’s a 24/7 thing. Away, I felt more completely human. Now I am back, and I am carrying back that feeling with me to Swat.

Twin Passions

It seems that many Swarthmore students straddle the subject areas of humanities/social sciences and “hard” sciences. For example, one of my hallmates is a biology major who is deeply invested in political science. The liberal artsyness of this college allows students to involve both in their life; biology and religion, economics and math, physics and english/political science. Other than a double major, students can have a special major where they find a specific connection between the two subject areas. Then there are people like me who might have been interested in the natural sciences and then realised that we prefer the humanities. I’m still exploring.

With music, I realised that many students are at least interested in it even if they aren’t academically invested. There are numerous “academic” musical and dance groups. And then there are some bands, like Earl Grey and the Tea Bags. It’s often a surprise to discover that someone had a secret talent for music or/and dance. Other times, familiarity is welcoming. For example, I went to an orchestra concert last weekend and I knew almost every musician in it, either by sight/name or personally.

If musical/dance groups don’t appeal to you and you don’t want to work for a double major, there are more than enough non-academic opportunities to satisfy you. One of the members of the Phoenix staff is a biology major who is also a WA, writing associates. Interesting, no?

It’s nice to know that “conflicts” between intense interests don’t necessarily have to be resolved by choosing one or the other. Oh, lovely Swat in full bloom. (Literally too.)

Swat Fun

As the end of the year comes around (the end of my first year in college), events have been tripping over each other for space in the days. Lectures, panels, large-scale cultural group meetings, performance arts events, fun stuff, all in short spaces. Last weekend my friends and I went to Philadelphia for wonderful Thai food (non-sharples delight) and a concert. Unfortunately we missed
1 Dance classes putting on a performance
1 Play
1 Jazz Concert Recital
1 Party
at least.

This week is the last week of classes. My religion seminar was held outside near the President’s House (yes, he lives on campus) under a cherry blossom tree near a lilac tree. Aside from intense discussion, we ended the course by meditating for a while. The campus is celebrating by having a Willets carnival tomorrow, movies on Parrish beach complete with popcorn and cotton candy, music, food, parties, etc.

Seriously, we do work. I have 1 15 page spiritual autobiography to write, 1 3 hr english exam to prepare for, 1 3 hr stat exam and a philosophy paper or exam. It’s not as bad as my roommate who has 4 papers, 1 exam, 1 presentation and 1 lab report to write. Let the misery poker begin. Cheers to the end of the year!

Grave Matters: Professors

There is no doubt that Swarthmore chooses its professors wisely. Hundreds of candidates will apply for one or two positions, ensuring the highest quality of tutelage at this institution. Because of this, it is very likely to have mostly good experiences with professors, but it is also possible to have mediocre experiences.

The Professor is the most important factor in a course because they are the agent between the student and the readings/information. The readings can be dry, but the professor can illuminate them so that the student can make a relevant connection to their own experiences. For example, Kierkegaard isn’t the most compelling author, but Professor Wallace really helped us understand how to interpret his work in a modern day context. On the other hand, the readings can invite themselves to the understand of the students, but some professors can hinder the experience.

When I mean “good” teachers, I can say that all of them are insanely knowledgeable and always available to help you outside of class. But sometimes, professors are unable to communicate their knowledge effectively to help the students understand. This has only happened to me once, but it seems to be a rare occurrence. Another problem is that a student can have personality problems with the professors. Not that the professor are incapable or teaching or the students are dull, but both fail to communicate with each other. This hasn’t particularly been a problem for me, but it seems that it can be an issue in reading/discussion-heavy classes where the professor writes and judges the assignments.

But wait! There are several solutions to professor conundrums. Swat as a Student Rec book where students rate different courses offered. Some categories for a course are the teacher, the readings, the difficulty etc. and a comment box. It’s very helpful, especially to find out about the teaching style of the professor. A lot of times students will talk about how many assignments they are and what type. For example, knowing if a class has more papers or exams for assessments, if you have to do weekly presentations, if the professor prefers a lectures style. The possibilities are endless. Swat also allows students to shop classes for two weeks at the beginning of each semester. This is the best way to really experience the course before you decide to take it or drop it. Lastly, word of mouth is really helpful.

Summary: Professors are very very important.

How Swattie: Environment

Sarah has Beachwood bed-sheets because they are environmentally friendly and apparently far cozier than cotton. Maybe it’s because she’s from Berkley where environmental awareness is more prevalent, but she knows all the wiles and ways of how to live environmentally friendly and comfortably. Before I came to Swat, I admittedly was relatively apathetic towards living an environmentally friendly life. It had just seemed so inconvenient. And I really didn’t know enough. Now, I am bombarded with information.

In order to fulfill my science lab requirement, I took the class The Earth and Its Climate, which was my first exposure to these issues. Then my “screw” date (for screw your roommate where you set up your roommate for a blind date) turned out to be passionate about environmental science. In this blind date, you do end up spending hours with your screw (most of the time) so discussion about environmental issues was unavoidable.

The club Earthlust has spread its propaganda very well. They put pamphlets on every table at Sharples educating about more environmentally friendly living styles. Simple things like unplugging unused appliances, such as a cellphone charger when the cellphone isn’t being charged. By virtue of being plugged, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Over time, that solitary appliance from one person adds to the problem. Now imagine millions of people doing it.

Washing clothes in cold water instead of hot water is another example. I don’t remember the exact reasons, but I think it deals with the amount of energy used to warm the cold water. They have posters over the washers with the exact statistics as a constant reminder of our excess. (Or American’s flippancy with excess, as an interpretation Loos’s and Fitzgerald’s literary works might illustrate.) Okay, so the cold water does my jeans turn out slightly more wrinkly, but it’s worth the trade-off. There are clothes lines strung around the basement, as well, but I don’t think anyone really goes that far in avoiding the dryers completely.

I came here as a vegetarian for religious/tradition reasons but currently appreciate it for the numerous environmental/economic reasons reinforced by my peers.

Lastly, my professor in my religion seminar movingly reflected that animals don’t destroy their home (birds in nests, etc), yet we humans do. Admittedly, that could seem to be a contentious claim, but it’s certainly worth thinking about.

It is impossible to be unaffected by the awareness efforts on campus. Some people maybe annoyed, but I think it’s necessary for us to be jolted out of our comfort zone of apathy. Reading it about it in the newspapers just doesn’t make it real enough.

Hurrah for organic bananas in Sharples. Although there was an article a few weeks back in Time magazine disputing the organic craze and promoting a “locally-produced” philosophy. Hmmm.

How Swattie.

Everyday Swat and Admissions

Everything is beginning to bloom. Isabel, Katerina and I lay out on Parrish beach studying. A few other friends tossed the disc in the rose garden. It was a contrasting sight with mist trees barren of leaves yet the sun pretending it is summer. 80 degrees, really. We all agree that Swat is made for spring…it’s making every day more worthwhile.

It’s the everyday experience of college that makes it worthwhile, to me, more than the knowledge of the end result. You might go to college for the end result, but you stay and love it for the experience. I realize that I have taken it for granted, how accessible my teachers make themselves to us and how valuable are the classes. Well, I’d rather enjoy it than contemplate it. I’m meeting with my English professor to discuss Tender is the Night…hopefully I don’t get carried away again.

Admissions letters went out today, good luck and keep tight! I can’t wait to see y’all prospective students at Ride the Tide.

Small School: Perspective from Literary Magazines (And Misc.)

I love the small size of Swarthmore. It has innumerable benefits such as small classes, being able to maintain intimate friendships, and knowing about all the events and opportunities available. But for literary magazines, it’s a tight squeeze. Ourstory has been around for almost 10 years, I believe. Yet this year, we have been struggling to receive submissions. We’ve been creative and tried every marketing tactic possible, but it boils down to writing: we can’t force people to express themselves.

Small Craft Warnings hasn’t had much trouble, but they have broader category of submissions. The problem is that there is such a diversity of literary magazines: SCW (all-inclusive lit mag) Enie (ñ) (Spanish), Ourstory (Multicultural), Remappings (Asian-American), Mjumbe (African/Black community) Scarlet Letters (Women’s), Spike (Humor) but a small population of students willing to submit their work! Some editors noted that the dearth of submissions is unique to this year, but they just don’t know why. Coming from a small high school, our lit mag faced similar problems and it’s a bit frustrating to go through this again. Hopefully next year will be better.

Traveling here on Sunday was worse than usual. My flight was delayed and I decided to take the Septa from the Airport to Swat. That meant I switched trains from the R1 to the R 3 with luggage that did not fit in between the seats. I thought I had a rough time until I saw Arlys. He had come by bus from Boston to Philly and just missed the R3 at 9. On weekends, it comes every two hours after a certain time, so he came in all worn out around midnight. Oh, the adventurous lives of college students.

Monday was classes all day, Tuesday was Phoenix all day (don’t download illegally, the RIAA is watching YOU, check out the online version this week’s edition of the Phoenix), and by Wednesday everyone was exhausted. Happy Thursday, almost Friday!

Bathtub Debate: A Serious Academic Dialogue

Thursday night, the Kohlberg’s Scheur Room was flooded with students for Bathtub Debate event. (I came 10 minutes early and I still had to sit on the floor!) The debate was a dramatic dialogue between three professors who represented each of the three academic divisions at Swarthmore: Natural Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. This was the sci-fish scenario presented to them: all knowledge in the world has collapsed and there are only representatives from these three divisions left. They are stranded in the middle of the ocean and there’s a bathtub available for only one professor to make to Antarctica. Well, some place that apparently has penguins. Anyways, this was the debate for the academics to duke it out for THEIR LIFE!

Organized by Peaslee Debate Club, it was an amusing take on the value of each academic field. The natural sciences professor emphasized the value of indoor plumbing, the microphone and other useful technology in our modern world. Professor Kuperburg, the Economics professor representing Social Sciences, in his speech, decided to speak without the use of the microphone as a snub to natural sciences, haha.

My other favorite moment was Kuperburg’s point to Professor Tim Burke, the history professor representing humanities, about history. The same historian who is famous for the quote “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” also said, “History is a pack of lies about events that didn’t happen told by people who weren’t there.” Chew on those wise words from George Santyana.