“Blow” Confronts Power, Flips Genders In
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— Middletown, Connecticut, since 1868 — FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014 VOLUME CLV, ISSUE 16 WESLEYANARGUS.COM Cardinal Spirit Pro-Fraternity Actions Escalate During Homecoming By Courtney Laermer ated a flier titled “Frats Not Fiction.” Assistant News Editor “The recent decision to require women to become full members of Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) Wesleyan’s fraternities, which is stren- alumni and undergraduate fraternity uously opposed by generations of sup- brothers organized various demonstra- portive alumni, active volunteers, do- tions during Homecoming this past nors and committed trustees, is based weekend to counter the University’s on numerous false premises,” the flier new coeducation policy, including reads. hanging pro-fraternity banners and Following that statement, a vari- distributing fliers around campus. ety of “facts” are provided, such as the Various DKE undergraduates and idea that a fraternity is at least as safe alumni have expressed disappointment as a dorm, that the University will lose at the new requirement that all resi- social space if the fraternities have to dential fraternities become coeduca- close, and that eliminating fraternities LIANNE YUN/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER tional. After sending letters to the ad- Members of the Middletown and campus communities came together for a festival during the ministration expressing disapproval, a Homecoming games against Amherst College. For more on this story, turn to page 3. group of alumni joined forces and cre- COED, page 3 In Homecoming Upset, Men’s “Blow” Confronts Soccer Ends Amherst’s Streak Power, Flips Genders By Hazem Fahmy submit it to Any Stage, Second Stage’s By Daniel Kim well as we should have.” Amherst in total shots, five each. Staff Writer platform for play development that Staff Writer A slew of other factors brought Defensively, the back line and veter- aims, along with other goals such as the game’s brew to a boil. In addition an goalkeeper Emmett McConnell While the Wesleyan arts scene workshopping, to assist playwrights In yet another game filled with to pitting Wesleyan against the Goliath ’15 kept it tight and didn’t allow is no stranger to feminist works that who do not seek to pursue full-length the suspense and drama that has come that was Amherst, Saturday’s match any shots into the net. The Lord creatively tackle contemporary issues productions. In search of a director, to characterize this year’s season, the against the Little Three rival held the Jeffs did the same, however, leaving of women’s rights and the patriarchy, Rosen reached out to a friend familiar men’s soccer team triumphed over the Cardinals’ position in the NESCAC both teams scoreless into the half. “Blow,” which premieres this weekend with the feminist theater scene on cam- previously undefeated Lord Jeffs, two tournament at stake. The weekend’s “Emmett came up really big in the Allbritton Penthouse, is set to pus, who then recommended Stovicek. goals to one, in overtime. The 10-0-2 crowd of alumni added to this all-or- in both the first half and the sec- kick things up a notch with its unique “I read it, and after talking to her overall, 6-0-2 in-conference Amherst nothing attitude. ond half, keeping us in the game,” take on a tale of sexual assault. Written for 30 minutes I was sold, and within squad came to Wes on Saturday, Oct. “It being Homecoming, the men- Lynch said. “We knew [after the by Raechel Rosen ’15 and directed by the next week we had a team,” Stovicek 18 to face the Cardinals in a high- tality was that a win would revitalize half] it was time for us to score. We Alexandra Stovicek ’17, the play aims said. stakes, high-attendance Homecoming our season [and] revitalize our chances needed that goal to keep us going to confront societal discourse on sexual “Blow” follows a group of girls match. in the playoffs,” said Adam Cowie- forward, to better our chances of assault by flipping the genders, and the and one boy at a sleepover smoking “This was the biggest game of Haskell ’18. “Offensively, we knew that winning. Coming into the second power dynamic, upside down. weed, taking whiskey shots, and listen- my life so far,” said Matt Lynch ’15. once we got an opportunity, we had to half, we knew we had to get things The script for “Blow” originated ing to Beyoncé. As they become more “Amherst had a 37-win, consecutive, finish. Against a team like Amherst, on frame, we knew we had to test as an assignment of Rosen’s in a play- “crossfaded,” the fun atmosphere de- unbeaten streak in the conference, those are extremely important oppor- the keeper, and we did just that.” writing class last semester. Because scends to become sexually charged and three whole seasons without losing a tunities that we’re going to get. So it Indeed, after a silent first pe- she originally went into the class with hostile toward the boy. game in the NESCAC. [They had] all was all-in, or nothing.” riod, Lynch stepped up to fire a shot the intention of working on an opera, The play has attracted attention these great statistics on their part. It The Cardinals’ choice was clear. which she is setting up next spring, for its somewhat comic take on an ex- was more motivation for us to play as In the first period, Wesleyan matched SOCCER, page 10 Rosen did not initially expect to make tremely difficult issue. Rosen explained it very far with her new script. that the point of “Blow” is to mix the “I really wasn’t expecting to take comedic and silly with the uncomfort- playwriting seriously,” she said. “It able and disturbing. For the Record: WESU Record came out of me real quick, like a little “It’s definitely a tragic comedy,” baby, ’cause it was kind of inside me Rosen said. “We’re looking at sexual for a while.” Fair Will Offer a Wide Selection After finishing it, she decided to BLOW, page 8 By Max Lee it seems fitting that WESU hosts the come from as far away as Maine Staff Writer Community Record Fair once a semes- [and] New York,” Berman said. ter. The latest iteration of this biannual The record fair strives to draw Shelves of thousands upon thou- sale is occurring this Sunday, Oct. 26 in a mixture of community mem- sands of LPs, categorized by genre in from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Beckham bers and students as customers. Sharpie and colored paper, cover the Hall. “It’s usually a great mix of stu- walls of WESU’s office from floor to Between one and two dozen dents and people from the commu- ceiling. Some of these records, from the vendors will be at the fair, primar- nity,” Michael said. “I grew up [in ’40s, are nearly as old as the radio sta- ily to sell LPs, but some vendors will Middletown], so I recognize people tion itself, which is celebrating its 75th also sell CDs. Two of the more promi- from the community who come in anniversary this year. Others have been nent vendors are Redscroll Records, year after year at this point.” purchased in the past year. from Wallingford, Conn., and Trash Berman said that though the WESU has turntables in each of American Style from Danbury, Conn. event primarily focuses on selling its two broadcasting studios, and, ac- Gallery Supervisor of the Davison music, it is not limited to record cording to WESU General Manager Art Center Lee Berman, a WESU staff sales. Benjamin Michael, the records filling member, cofounded the Community “We’ve had other people in the shelves of the office continue to be Record Fair in 2009 with Brian the past come and sell T-shirts or played to this day. Frenette, a former WESU staff mem- memorabilia,” Berman said, “And “[It’s not as if] the majority of DJs ber. Berman currently helps organize then some other things, too— at WESU are playing vinyl,” Michael the event. He said that although most books, DVDs.” said. “But it’s a substantial portion of of the vendors are from the area, some Michael said that the radio our staff.” past vendors haven’t even come from station itself will have a booth at LEX SPIRTES/PHOTO EDITOR Since records are such a large Connecticut. A group of 15-year-olds at a sleepover descend into hostility and aspect of WESU, past and present, “Some of the vendors we’ve had WESU, page 6 sexual assault in the student-written play “Blow.” Signing On World Food Day The Television Effect A memo of understanding 4 From small farms to global change 13 When popularity is only an appearance 15 2 THE WESLEYAN ARGUS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014 The Wesleyan Argus WESPEAKS established in 1868 Editors-in-Chief To Wesleyan Students and Alumni Gwendolyn Rosen Rebecca Seidel BY JACON MAYER This is Why campaign, is what it is; it’s the option. I hope) will fade, perhaps is already fad- Production Manager capped, both bureaucratically and liter- ing, and will be replaced by the charity- Eliza Loomis I initially wrote this letter to class of ally — which means that eliminating NB Names Matter as-liberal-guilt-assuager, which even now rings sickeningly in Wesleyan’s FA policy. Executive Editors 2014 on their graduation day, but never moves Wesleyan no closer to “sustainable A perverse pleasure of being a Lily Baggott managed to publish it. Perhaps it is for the affordability,” (whatever that means). Wesleyan alum: lots of people have never What did Wesleyan gain with this Claire Bradach best: graduation is a special day, a day to Need-blind admissions are not financial heard of it.