Coly Christmas Is Culturally Sensitive by MICHAEL SIMMELINK It Was Just a Part of Him
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Volume 85 - Issue 11 November 30, 2012 Coly Christmas is culturally sensitive BY MICHAEL SIMMELINK It was just a part of him. We were all unaware that the SPORTS EDITOR whole ‘blackface’ thing could have racist connotations.” As the fall semester is on its last legs, the signs of A few resident directors and Multi-Ethnic Student Christmas break abound. Zwemer Hall tries it best Counselor Rahn Franklin were some of the first people to sound like h* Radio, Van Peursem Hall’s warmth through the dorm, and they made the decision to ask Rall becomes the closest thing to a tunnel on campus, and to wash the paint off his body. Colenbrander Hall begins preparation for its annual “The ‘blackface’ has been used in theater to depict Coly Christmas Bash. characteristics of blacks in humorous ways,” Franklin The Bash is popular throughout campus as said. “In short terms, it was a way to make fun of blacks the men of Coly decorate their wings in various and perpetuate a number of stereotypes.” Christmas themes and the spectators are led through Rall and the others on the wing were unaware of the the different worlds. At the end, attendees can vote negative history associated with whites painting their for their favorite wing over a cup of hot chocolate. faces to appear black. As time has passed, it has become “It’s funny to see everyone dressed up,” said junior clear the potentially offensive depiction of George was Gretchen Sutherland. “It’s fun to see the quiet, shy guys unintentional ignorance by the wing. act crazy.” The other talking point from last year came from Despite the good cheer intended, last year’s edition First East. The wing has long had the nickname of “The of the spectacle featured controversy from incidents on Ghetto” and has traditionally had a “Christmas in the two wings. Ghetto” theme for Coly Christmas. The first came on the east wing of second floor. Junior Micah Czirr was the resident assistant on the Second East’s theme was giving “prospective students” wing. According to him, he and his wing attempted a glimpse of what faculty and staff would be doing to make light of situations found in under-resourced over break. The impersonations included admissions neighborhoods. Participants were not asked to stop the counselors, professors and maintenance staff. What act during the performance time. caused a stir was the depiction of former business “A lot of people thought we were singling out the professor Ranjan George, who was being portrayed black people on the wing,” Czirr said. “That wasn’t the by sophomore Sam Rall. intention. We had a number of guys who had lived in or The men of Second East painted Rall’s face black near real-life ghettos before college. For some of them to more closely resemble George’s complexion. The the humor in it is a way to deal with that reality.” painting was done to make the act more believable; The line of what can and cannot be done in similarly, other actors on the wing cut their hair or good taste is subjective, but Franklin said the drug stuffed their shirts with pillows to better impersonate handouts and interracial violence can perpetuate the faculty and staff. harmful stereotypes and incidents such as the PHOTO SUBMITTED “I did it to make it more lifelike,” Rall said. “His skin Rodney King beatings. Senior Jacey Hoegh role plays as the tour guide through the themed halls of last year’s Coly Christmas Bash. color was neither a positive nor a negative thing to me. See “Coly” on Page 8 NW student playwright premieres original work BY SARAH WEDEL “If I got stuck writing this play I just had The great playwright William to think of something.” Shakespeare wrote his first play when he When writing a play, there is no right was roughly 25 years old. Senior Shelby answer. Vander Molen said she did a lot Vander Molen has outdone him by writing of experimenting with different types her first complete play at the young age of 21. of characters. The play is entitled “Some Five Women” “You can’t get too attached to any and follows the stories of five women as character or scene in your play because they live and learn about life. chances are you are going to change it,” Vander Molen started writing the play Vander Molen said. last spring for a theater class. She said Vander Molen followed a that she did it because she had to, and nontraditional writing process. She through the writing process the plot and didn’t write in chronological order. the characters were invented. Rather, she wrote many different “The thing that is so hard about scenes then put them in order to thread writing a play is that it’s not like a research everything together. PHOTO BY EMILEE BERRY paper where if you get stuck you can Freshman Jana Latchaw (center) rehearses alongside Orange City residents who have also been cast in do more research,” Vander Molen said. See “Students” on Page 4 “Some Five Women.” 2 Glitter and gore star on Stevens’ new album ALBUM REVIEWW so twisted they’re almost to celebrate the season with BY KATI HENG unrecognizable, such as his all its warm, fuzzy, dance- A&C EDITOR version of “Do You Hear around-the-tree-in-your-toe- If Sufjan Stevens isn’t What I Hear,” which is over socks moments. Other songs completely in love with nine minutes and sounds are just sad. And not just Christmas, he’s at the very like a conversation between sad as in beautiful, somber least infatuated with it. two teens experiencing pieces like “Coventry Carol” His latest album release, marijuana for the very first or “How Shall I Fitly Meet “Silver & Gold,” is a follow- time — “Dude… do you feel Thee?,” but sad as in songs up to 2006’s “Songs for the same things I feel?” with titles such as “Even the Christmas,” containing Then, the album has Earth Will Perish and the volumes six through 10 new songs written by Universe Give Way” and out of who knows how Stevens that should become lyrics (from songs such as many he’ll make of his Christmas classics; songs “Barcarola [You Must Be A signature Christmas songs. that have nothing to do with Christmas Tree]”) such as The collection, recorded Christmas, such as a cover “You said you needed me / between 2006 and 2011, of Prince’s “Alphabet St.;” But I know that you needed adds another 58 songs and and songs that are holiday yourself to be cleaned of me.” Sufjan Stevens (center) doesn’t sound certain on his feelings about Christmas on his newest album, but nearly three hours to Stevens’ themed, but just plain weird. Along with sadness and with friends helping him out, he brings a cheery time anyway. holiday catalog. T h r o u g h a l l t h e s e an almost give-up attitude and wish lists and anyone he’s become part of the my magical kite/People say As he did on “Songs for songs, it’s hard to tell how towards humanity as a expecting things out of life, celebrations, but as a deeply I don’t exist.” Eventually, Christmas,” Stevens presents Stevens really feels about whole, anti-consumerism is because we’ll never really analytical American, he we find the Unicorn to be a an array of tunes. There are the holiday. In many songs, a theme throughout the later get what we want anyway. doesn’t appear to even know metaphor for all we don’t traditional songs audiences he’s celebrating the birth of volumes. For example, in The second essay considers if that’s a good thing. believe to exist anymore, in will know and love as well Christ in the most traditional “Christmas In The Room,” the Christmas tree, its past Whatever the case, this case, an American who as some traditional songs manner and ringing the bells two people celebrate the as a pagan symbol and paints Stevens has again offered up can love Christmas and all holiday with “No travel it as a misplaced fertility a Christmas album. There’s its pagan traditions while bags, no shopping malls / symbol we celebrate each a mix of the traditional and still being somehow above No candy canes, no Santa year. Neither essay shows the Stevens’ originals in each the holiday itself. Claus.” Never mind that Christmas spirit or even any volume, and it’s in these I f y o u a r e f e e l i n g he’ll be singing “Up On hope for humanity, really. volumes that the differences conflicted about whether or The Housetop” shortly. The For those who shell out in sounds and styles really not to buy this album, that contradiction suggests he the big bucks and buy a hard come into play. Volumes is a far easier problem to knows that true Christmases copy of the CD (which retails range from the stripped down solve than the one Stevens is need no jolly old man, but at $30), there is even more sixth, the sporadic seventh attempting to tackle. For die- he’s still pretty fun. confusion inside. There and the weird and electronic hard fans of Sufjan Stevens, It gets more confusing are tattoos and stickers of final three. especially his “Age of Adz” when looking at the gore and snowmen wielding He ends this Christmas and “The BQE” albums, it’s p a c k a g i n g t h e s o n g s chainsaws.