OBSERVER Vol. 8 No. 3 October 20, 1997 Page 1 Hospital Merger Opponents Speak to Community Save Our Services representatives address impact on women’s healthcare Michael Haggerty Dario Fo, Political Satirist and “Jester,” Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature Meredith Schafer Page 2 Hey Yooo Guys… [Observer Policy Statement] Meredith Yayanos Page 3 Just Desserts at Rhinebeck’s Quaint Calico Stephanie Schneider You Go Grrrl: Zine Library Runs Riot in Root Cellar Elissa Nelson and Lauren Martin Page 4 Post-Post Björk Album Release is oh so Quiet Meredith Yayanos L.A. Confidential Entertains But is the Cost Too Great? Nate Schwartz Page 5 Upcoming Events The Legendary Band Max Dube Crosses the Street Bard band gets gig at townie staple Jeremy Dillahunt Page 6 Drag Race V Abigail Rosenberg Reggae Legend Cliff Still Smokes in The Harder They Come Basil Bouris Page 8 Ye Olde Bitchin’ Post The Nothing at Bard, Witness a New Lifestyle: Simplied, Easy, Boring Seasoned veterans of the social scene sing a lamentation Seth Gillim and Jen Colasuonno Letters to the Editors Page 9 The Case Files Reduce, Abuse, Recycle David Case Page 10 Classifieds Observer Editorial Policy Page 11 By the Skin of the Scrum Ruggers’ chance to put one on board slips through fingers Jeremy Dillahunt Scores and Schedules Women’s Soccer Bulls not ready for pasture Paige Taylor Hockey Schedules Near-Perfect Women’s Tennis Approached Finale Vena Williams "News is whatever sells newspapers; the Observer is free." The Bar~ Observer ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY, 12504 OCTOBER 20, 1997 ISSUE 3, VOLUME 8 Hospital Merger Opponents Speak To Community Save Our Services representatives address impact on women's healthcare By MICHAEL HAGGERTY, StaffWriter Gail Wolfe, Mernie Dempster, and Barbara Harrison, rhe founding members of Save Our Services, spoke to Bard studenrs in Olin on Thursday evening, October 9. The purpose of their visit was to raise awareness at Bard of the hospital merger taking place between North Dutchess, Kingston, and Benedictine hospitals. The merger has recently caused controversy among the citizens of the mid-Hudson Valley because certain terms of the agreement threaten to impose serious cutbacks in women's healthcare. Because Benedictine is affil­ iateqwith the Catholic church, North Dutchess and Kingston, both . · ·· cotp~m~n~ty ho.spirals, would be subject to Benedictine's regulations. MAKING A RACKET ... 10·1 Womens' Tennis has a lot to smile about. In conference play they boast a 9-o record. :Ac~p.fdi_~g to Wolfe, the merger has essentially become a feminist ~SS\J:~ for three reasons: it is "another way we have to fight for control ~~~r ~u~ o;~ bodies, the people making rhe decisions [abour rhe ;nerger] are men," and "all women's healthcare has been lumped into abortion." Many students voiced their own concerns over the merger, especially in view of the Tivoli Bays rape rhis summer. Most concurred that the terms under the merger were unreasonable and ~h_at the hospitals should explore other options. Those students will be happ.y to know that Bard's president also shares their concerns. President Botstcin recently disclosed to the Oburvrr a letter addressed co Michael Mazzarella, CEO of Northern Dutchess. Dated June 3, 1997, the letter states that the restrictions on repro­ ductive health care, "if they are imposed, constitute a breach of the proper division in a secular democracy between church and state." 1 Tp.e J.et~.er proceeds to srate that it is the responsibility of the college 02~~p~o~et'J?irio Fo w3s awarded the Nobel ·· His.criticil and subversive attitudes ~o ass~r~ that necessary medical services are available to students, and then appeals ro Mazzarella ro find a way around imposing religious ;~~~J~~~~~fi~1~h~t~~~~~f1~vi~~' ~~~~~n/~: s~~m;:rs <=;t~~~~ P~~::c:ci restrictions on medical care. Borsrein also informed Mazzarella in ~~~ · religious, social and politiCal institu- the Wltcll" (1989), i11 whkh the Pope. dur­ the letter that "if a satisfactory resolution of this matter is nor pro­ )?'?Uoils~-&three'<Iecades. " His""sdecdon : ing a news CC>I1ference, confuses a children's vided, the college will have no recourse bur to consider actions it can ::lii:i[g~i']t~.iL~tfrr~ ·~p ·i~<Yv.~ _r!d .. o( rb~~j···j;~cher~rig ·in Pe~e~ _Square wich an abortion take co ensure rhc preservation of the proper separation of church . ··· artsJ espeCirulyinltal.y and Europe, where he l rights rally, are no doubt what has brought and stare in the provision of medical care." No response was ever ';;;;gl.i::~}r~~ aijd .fQntiovci-siaf artist~ . t . abour "rhe guru-ded ama-zement of Italy's lie~ received from Mazzarella. ~ur~-ru,~s':Ua(~ts ·in the .. Ealiat}Studi~ • erary establishment and the ourrighr dis~ Alan DeForest, president or CrossRiver Healrhcare, which repre­ ~:pri;!gt~~t;~ ~~~ave· alsoe'xpressed ;, ·may . of the Vatican" at Fo being the sents both North Dutchess and Kingston, said that he "absolutely 2:Tiirp1-i'sf ~d sci:ptidsm over Po's sdection . .=.· .. recipient of the distinguished prize. (Nrw believes in the separation of church and state" and that "the direc­ J5:t~l!ili.¥i[.If':[)'t1~~"nad~ble :i'iienxlon io · .. }{>l-.f 7'im~i. Ocr ... Io; 1997) tives are not a good idea." Yet, their situation is complicated because S::Jl.:iliaP: ' qij.t~re AA4Jit~~~~l:l.f~>-Jor ~htch they His plays and one-man performances Cardinal O 'Connor, who has ultimate jurisdiction over Catholic ;t::Jitt~pleased, Fo's obscurity makes him a involve such elements a.s Grammdot, a hospitals in New York State, is the most_ conservative archdiocese in ;;,;;,;p~'bT~n:{~ti~ ... 'cFolce'"'Tor'' 'a'' 'figure who double-talk language which Fo invented, the county. "What is possible in the other places is jusr not possible =:·.·.lnl\Y,J1ah!y ··~presenis' acountrY, it:s•Tf"rmttlte, -:and a humor and wit likened to tha~ of the here," DeForest said. ifit~~ it$' sensibilities. There were many other traveling players of the Middle ages. His At the discussion on Thursday, Wolfe commented, "Our hospitals ~"""¢pp~et~}e ~dictates frotn Italy, yet it was best known play, ''Accidental Death of an arc telling us there are no other ways [around the religious issue]." ·~~:'~f9~"i w~9s~ ' ~orks' political conteit is often . Anarchist" {1970), was very suc;cessful in However, DeForest said chat rhe hospitals have explored alternatives. ..:. .;~.~1if~~ ~iphe~able to :l~~iences unfamiliar with Iraly and England, though ic failed on Six years ago, Kingston and Benedictine entered into a joim venture ~~f~R~Tianj:ioli.ti~ and culture, who has become . CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ::~ . ::.·s;.;:~::~~~.;.. -~~;:~:- :Q;.;~-;.=~-~- - ~-- ~~- :·-- ·. --~:·:::·. .:~- -:~---~ - -£.:~.-:·:.. ::.::: .. :.~~--~-- ~ --- - _- ·- · ____:_: · :;:;.~.. -- ------ CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2 THE BARD OBSERVER NEWS MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1997 CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE ger's ramificatiqns. As for what sort of action called KBH (Kingsron-Benedictine Health­ the hospitals can expect_from Bard College care), in which none of the directive were itself, President Botstein said that "the college impo-sed except in matters in which both hos­ will participate in a legal rest," in other words, pitals participated. Then, three years ago, a take part in a trial, and "will use every legal project named "North Valley" attempted ro means possible." Botstein also plans to write a pm the administrations of both hospitals letter to the editor of the New York Times in together, answering to a joint board. DeForest response to an article about the merger in that added that many other options have been paper on October 14. explored. Hospital officials have still claimed that oppo­ KnecCoal Wallen brock, coJhead of Brave and nents of the merger are roo emotionally founder of the Womyn's Alliance, said, "I hope involved. They say that the implicit changes are the campus gets involved in this." At the SOS not that drastic. DeForest said he wished peo­ meeting on October 9, students talked about ple would "look a little deeper into these things canvassing Red Hook and planning an action and [he thinks) they will find they are not as on campus to raise awareness about the mer- bad as they have been told or they feel they are." was :::··::rdev.iSiO'Ii;:. His one--man theater piece "Mistero BuffaM (1 969), a · · a)mkffi}rstety~premiered in the Unired States in 1986. A tdevision Hey Yooo Guys ... .. was de(.:lared "the most blasphe· ~~oc.q[t~Jlm:i~:~'lfl. :" by_. the Va~ka.o.. By MEREDITH YAYANOS, Co-.&fitor-in-Chief sonally embarrassing. That being said, we urge ou·r associates (both at present and in !~~~r~:;h~i~m~- -- $1. c~o~ .millionn~sid~rable dollar. mixed Nobel anemion, prize. Pardon me for waxing colloquial for a sec. [ haven't had the the distant future), to keep this document _a9:. i~ last weeR.s N11<1 >0rk opportunity to do so since abandoning my Notebook col- dose at hand--upholding and improving ~ umn from last year, which, beyond granting me the oppor- upon our current standards. this mean? Everything tunity ro prinf large human turd in bold type in the news section of a periodical fur no apparent reason, served no STAFF POLICY purpose whatsoever and was consequently flushed. Gerring Although the Obsrrvrrwelcomes contriburor to my point: lately, I've noticed quite a lot 0 f you reading submissions, its nudeus is the staff. Positions through the paper and exclaiming in amazement, "Hey, the range from Editor-in-Chief to Advertising Observer doesn't suck!" Some of you have even gone out of Manager to the indispensable beat-reporting your way to tell me personally.