The Fairgrounds residents fairly grounded By Yishi Liang & Antonia Androski [email protected] [email protected] Just across the street from Main residence hall is the clearly labeled and always lively house of Grinnell’s swimming and diving team, also known as the Fairgrounds. The house is the home to swimmers Emmanuel Spooner ’13, Beck Ringdahl-Mayland ’13, Richard “Tricky Dick Bigs” Bigler ’13, Alex Staff ’13 and diver Allison Miller ’13. For most Grinnellians, their first impression of Fairgrounds is likely to be the dark, sweaty attic, which has become an infamous tradition in the house. But recently, the members have invested their time and Spooner’s Lion King bedsheets to create a new spot that has quickly become the focus of the entire house: a blanket fort. The housemates unanimously agree that the fort is now one of their favorite things about the house. It also received rave reviews from honorary house member and fellow swimmer Pun Winichakul ’13. “I’m just so happy right now,” Winichakul said when he first experienced the euphoric atmosphere of the blanket fort. A more permanent but lesser known feature of Fairgrounds is the Jacuzzi tub in the second floor bathroom. “I used it once. Kind of cool. Elegant,” Ringdahl-Mayland said, the only person brave enough to have used the tub. As if having all of these amenities was not enough, every member also has his or her own room. Four housemates live on the second floor while Spooner lives on the first. And though he is the lone occupant of the floor, his housemates try to ensure that he never feels too left out. “I always hear them having dance competitions or stomping around or whatever they’re doing,” Spooner said. Part of the reason that the group is so close is that every house member is a captain. Ringdahl-Mayland, Spooner and Staff are all swimming captains, while Miller is a diving captain. Bigler has been appointed party captain of the house. But outside of the pool and the fort, their interests diverge and occasionally clash. Ringdahl-Mayland has been accused by several of his housemates as having questionable taste in television programs, which include “Amish Mafia” and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” “It was once, and I immediately regretted it,” Ringdahl- Mayland claimed. These television shows are perhaps too mainstream for resident hipster, Miller. Her status as the most hipster of the bunch is unchallenged, but the rankings of the rest are hotly disputed. “I don’t understand how I’m less hipster than Beck,” Staff protested when being placed last behind Ringdahl-Mayland. “I’m a philosophy major!” Miller quickly came to Ringdahl-Mayland’s defense, “But he can grow that creepy hipster mustache.” Despite the great hipster debate, there are some things that the group can unanimously agree on. When asked what their favorite place in the house was prior to the blanket fort, all (except Bigler himself) quickly responded with “Rick’s bed!” The residents of the Fairgrounds, clockwise, Ringdahl-Mayland, Staff, Miller, Bigler and Spooner snuggle up against the winter chills. No specific reason was given for why the bed was so beloved. Fairgrounds is not only home to this group of fun-loving swimmers, though. The place also holds a great deal of history and memorabilia. Throughout the years, the house has accumulated many unique items, which have included old swimming banners, authentic street signs, boxing gloves, a light saber and a swimming trophy from the 1940s. “It’s just a thrift shop here,” Rigler said. All of items were warmly welcomed. However, something warm but not quite as welcome was found during a routine attic cleanup. “One fateful day, I went up there and I called Beck over and I said ‘Beck, is this what I think it is? Is this human feces?’” Spooner recalls. And indeed it was. Through the ups and downs, the five fairly grounded members of the house have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the tradition of Grinnell’s swimming and diving team. D-Halal’s new venue and ice cream at the Grill By Lily Jamaludin [email protected] This spring semester, Dining Services has introduced several new changes to the Marketplace and the Spencer Grill. The Marketplace—or, D-Hall, as it is more commonly called—added a new halal venue and updated its previous gluten-free venue. The Spencer Grill introduced products from the 2nd Street Creamery, an Iowa-based ice cream company. The halal section was set up for Grinnell’s Muslim students, motivated by efforts from the Muslim Students Association (MSA), the Center for Religion, Spirituality and Social Justice (CRSSJ) and the Office of the President. “My MSA group members and I began to make an effort to make changes in the dining hall as early as last year, when we first noticed the surprising number of food items containing pork and alcohol that were not labeled as such. This is problematic for students following both the Muslim and Jewish faith,” said Lana Mahgoub ’14, a member of the MSA. Halal meat must be prepared according to Islamic dietary guidelines. Grinnell’s halal meat will be supplied by the Midamar Corporation and prepared separately in the Marketplace. “The food…would be prepared in a manner that is acceptable for halal foods. We would rinse our ovens before we prepare that food, to make sure that there isn’t cross-contamination,” said Jeanette Moser, Associate Director of Marketplace Operations. Other than separate preparation in a clean oven, the halal station will generally follow the same menu as other parts of the Marketplace. Dining Services hopes that students who do not follow halal restrictions will choose other options. “There is quite an expense to the Halal meat program. So if you bring everybody to that venue for halal cooked meats, that would touch our budget fairly significantly,” Moser said. This week, the Halal venue has served samosas with ground beef and Moroccan vegetable stew. For Muslim students, the new changes are a great relief. “I’m very thankful that Grinnell has decided to accommodate us with the halal station. Now when I go to the dining hall, I don’t need to wander around anymore—straight to the halal station,” said Uzma Daraman ’15. The gluten-free station in the Marketplace was also upgraded. The new changes to the gluten-free station include a sneeze guard and an under-counter mounted heating system. “We had a gluten-free station that didn’t meet the needs of the health code of Iowa,” Moser said. “[Now] it’s high-tech, it’s safe, and it does a better job of keeping food hot than the system we were [previously] using. We’ve also made it so that the food won’t get so dried out, because we had problems with that also.” The new heating system uses induction-heating technology. A magnetic contact made through the granite keeps the cooking surface cool, yet heats the serving pans. Last but not least, the Spencer Grill has introduced ice cream into its menu. The ice cream comes from 2nd St. Creamery, a company based in northwest Iowa. The residents of the Fairgrounds, clockwise, Ringdahl-Mayland, Staff, Miller, Bigler and Spooner snuggle up against the winter chills. The fun flavors include Truck Stop Fudge, Blackhills Strawberry Rhubarb, Copper Kettle Caramel, Cannoli di Nonni, Almond Butter Hazelnut Fudge, and Mint Chocolate Victory. Each container costs $5.50. “[If we sold] Ben and Jerry’s, I’d have to sell it for $7.00. This was definitely a better choice for the same quality,” said Mary Kirk, Assistant Director of Retail and Vending. The prospects for sales look good. According to Kirk, students are already buying, despite the winter cold. “They are so wonderful, I just want to eat them all myself,” she said with a laugh. Gardner prepares for punk invasion By Geo Gomez [email protected] The Orwells bring a nostalgic, adolescent-angst infused punk to Gardner this Friday, January 25. The five-member, all-male band from Elmhurst, Illinois will wail Grinnellians into a classic punk mosh pit euphoria. The Orwells, a five-man band, will be playing Gardner this Friday, January 25 at 9 p.m. In their song “MallRat (LaLaLa),” the band opens with the quote “I believe with all my heart that rock n’roll is a contributing factor in delinquency,” from a reverend preaching against the sin of rock n’roll. As if responding directly to this lament, the song begins with a drawn out cry from the guitars, quickly followed by a rapid drumroll: at the same time an introduction but also a homage to the bands punk music. The song is carried by a sharp guitar riff, repeating until it drills its way into your head. It is instantly an appealing song, lively and youthful, with a drumbeat that bangs along with guitar. It sounds like it was recorded in a garage, which contributes to its frenetic, packed feel. Adding to this quick pace is the staccato delivery of the lyrics: singer Mario Cuomo wails “she get’s it a-a-a-a-all” and “we’re gonna show them a-a-a-a-all.” The Orwell’s classic approach to punk, especially with the chorus of “la la la”, is meant to get a crowd wailing and jumping. In their music video for “Mallrats,” the band cruises around a mall with skateboards and jean jackets. My first thought was that they looked like they had just robbed a Hot Topic. But as they ate pizza, played arcade games for tickets and exchanged the tickets for a pink stuffed bear which they lit in a bonfire ritual in a backyard, I realized that these kids are just that: kids.