The Mac Weekly: November 1, 2002 Headlines

McPherson announces plans to leave at year's end By DANIELLE LANGONE and LIZZIE TANNEN In a meeting called less than two hours prior, President Michael McPherson announced that he would resign from his position at the end of this academic year. He will head the Spencer Foundation, a group that funds educational research, in Chicago. {more}


Students protest war against Iraq By SHANE O'NEILL Thousands of protestors gathered in Washington, D.C. last Saturday in what is estimated to be the largest anti-war demonstration in the U.S. since Vietnam War demonstrations. According to internationalanswer.org, an estimated 200,000 people attended the peaceful protest. The crowd occupied 25 blocks of downtown Washington. {more}


Facilities task force addresses renovations By LAURA CESAFSKY President McPherson initiated a new strategic planning process in 1999. In 2001, the Strategic Directions Committee released "Strategic Directions for Macalester." The committee's recommendations were based on "Core Values" discussions from the 1999-2000 school year. The document identified 10 strategic directions for advancing the college's tradition of excellence while ensuring the college's future. In the beginning of the 2002 school year, McPherson appointed faculty and staff members to six strategic direction implementation task forces. The general purpose of these task forces is to take Strategic Directions and make them a reality. The six task forces are: Admissions and Financial Aid, Institutional Identity, Academic Program Quality and Structure, Student Learning Experience and Resource Use: Budgeting, Staffing and Organization, and Facilities. This is the fourth report of six. {more}


Strategic directions task force garners student opinion By REBECCA DEJARLAIS The Strategic Directions Task Force met on Wednesday, Oct. 16 in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom to collect student input on the criteria that the Educational Policy And Governance (EPAG) committee is using to make allocation decisions in the future. {more}

SENATOR PAUL WELLSTONE!: Wellstone's death stuns nation, but his legacy carries on By BRYANNA LONGLEY-POSTEMA and LIZZIE TANNEN The death of Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife Shiela has been deeply felt on Macalester's campus, as members of the community mourn the loss of a Senator, a friend, a mentor and for many, a hero. {more}


O'Brien ruminates on war, writing By DAVID W. McKENNA Tim O'Brien, renowned author and 1968 Macalester graduate, spoke to the Macalester community about his new book July, July and his experience as a writer. {more}


International journalists exhort free press, democracy By LIZZIE TANNEN Nine international journalists shared their observations on American culture and media in a public forum held by the World Press Institute (WPI) fellows on Oct. 17. It came at the end of their four-months of traveling around the U.S., speaking on issues ranging from the Demolition Derby to cultural understandings of race. {more}


Iraq War Referendum The full text of the Iraq War Referendum, passed October 30, 2002 {more}

A game room in the campus center...we like it The student center of University of California Los Angeles has a barbershop and a CD store. The University of Minnesota's student center has a bowling alley. Granted, Macalester is not nearly as large as either one of these schools but what does our Campus Center have to offer? {more}


The divine right of Minnesotans By ANDRE CARRINGTON Talk about dignity. There is very little that will get a Black person from the metropolitan East Coast to identify as a Minnesotan. There is even less that will get us here in the first place. I didn't come here for Paul Wellstone; he sort of came with the package. But I wouldn't have had it any other way for four years. {more}


'Origins of Food Day' a one-sided tribute to agribusiness By TARAH HEINZEN Imagine for a moment that you're back in middle school. Yeah, I don't really want to either, but humor me. Any signs of corporate influence decking the hallowed halls? Maybe an unobtrusive Fruitopia machine and a food pyramid poster in the cafeteria. Maybe some paid advertising on the walls, doubtlessly there only after some controversy and serious budget problems. Until last week, I certainly never thought I'd look on these as the good old days, but Farmington West Middle School's 'Origins of Food Day' changed my mind. {more}

More political parties: one way to "vote your conscience" By HANNAH CLARK "I'll go to my grave believing that what you believe in is important." —Paul Wellstone Something has been bothering me about the memorials to Paul Wellstone. {more}


Remembering Senator Wellstone: a just, true voice By DAN UREVICK-ACKELSBERG Do I know how my parents felt? I think I am beginning to grasp the feeling of having someone you could honestly, unabashedly and emotionally embrace as a true leader, and then watch as he is taken from you before his time. Is this what it felt like for them, when Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were taken out in a matter of months? Paul Wellstone was a hero, pure and simple. He was not murdered, we assume, like those hallowed 1960's leaders, but he came to his death too soon, nonetheless. He was a Senator and true politician for only 12 years. A political baby. {more}

MCSG decision limits student voice, representation By DANIEL UNGIER Usually, college government is supposed to be a joke, seen as unimportant, incapable of representing the student body and unable to enact significant policies or changes on the campus. Over the past several years, however, I have watched and admired how Macalester's own student government has struggled to become a powerful voice for the students, serving as a formal body which represents the opinions and the concerns of the student body for the college. Given MCSG's commitment to increased representation, I was deeply dismayed to see the tables of power turned the other way last week, when the action of the Legislative Body (LB) strongly suppressed students' desires to have their voices heard. {more}

Hypocrisy over Iraq: sorting through the arguments By ALEXIS GOFFE Within the U.S., the arguments against an Iraqi invasion are piling up. The public is ambivalent about it; the administration is reportedly deeply divided; the Pentagon is worrying about the prospect of American soldiers getting dragged into bloody urban warfare. It might destabilize the Middle East and turn the Muslim world against the U.S.; it could leave an anarchic mess in Iraq which U.S. troops would have to clean up. To top it all off, it still appears unlikely that the United Nations Security Council will give the White House the mandate for swift action. {more}

Scots fall to St. Olaf in final home game: After returning from tough loss in Oregon, Macalester loses 34–6 By EMILY ANDERSON After returning home from a tough loss on the road in Oregon against Lewis and Clark, the Scots were looking to put another game in the win column on their home turf as they played host to the Oles of St. Olaf on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Scots began the afternoon by honoring the seniors of the teams and their parents in a pre-game ceremony. Then the Scots made their way on the field to face the Olies, a long-time MIAC rival, in front of a crowd of faithful Macalester fans. {more}


Sports Roundup By MAURA SHRAMKO Women's soccer Men's cross-country Women's cross-country Swimming and diving {more}

Men's soccer beats Concordia-Moorhead to take over first place: The MIAC title will be on the line when the Scots host Gustavus tonight

By JORDAN BECKER

After trailing Gustavus Adolphus all season, men's soccer finally got the break it needed when the Gusties slipped to a 2–1 loss to Bethel last Tuesday. {more}

The Saga of a Dancer: Kevin Bacon got nothing on me By KATHERINE TYLEVICH Growing up on a hog ranch wasn't always a picnic. Pardon the pun, but I'm what you'd call the poor man's Kevin Bacon. Seeing as dancing was outlawed on the premises, I too wore fitted muscle shirts atop tight, tapered jeans and allowed my zeal for gymnastics to take flight whenever I fell into a fit of range. After all, an overflow of testosterone screams for an overflow of well-choreographed dance steps and high kicks, ne c'est pas? But bountiful testosterone wasn't my only problem. I loved the Reverend's daughter, and I loved the sweet, sweet jive of rock and roll music. But, amidst the tractor fights and farm-town shenanigans, I had little to no sense of my own true identity. Sure, I was popular. I was the biggest cowboy this side of Saskatoon. Hell, I was voted "Most Available Barn Bachelor 2002." But, if your heart aint loose, what does it matter if your feet are? {more}


11 p.m., Idaville, Florida By JORDAN BECKER —Have you ever read any of those Encyclopedia Brown books when you were a kid? {more}


The irony of eating Josh and a solid set of racquetball By JOSH NISSENBOIM To Nick Doro's, then to the East Bank, then to a stressed out parking spot search, then on foot past the whole 400 Bar stretch and across 94 and to the frat district, where the Jewel of India sticks out like a cuticle-ripped, mealy thumb. Nick and I had recently discovered that we are exactly the same size and weight except that his head's bigger. So, because we are both relatively not strong, we thought it would be nice to start fighting more often to get better at fighting in case we ever really needed to fight. This hasn't happened yet, but the kid is toast when it does. {more}

Lucy's Love Column: The tale of the unrequited crush By LUCY DINSMORE I would like to address sophomore Ashley Kile's '05 letter to the editor in last week's paper. Ashley, you sure do have a way with words. It seems that your letter was attacking me, rather than my column, and that was quite uncalled for. What exactly was your point? Listen up, kiddo: I am only 21 years old, and you are only 19. This is my time to play and experiment and experience everything I can. I am "testing the waters," if you will. I rather enjoy being ridiculous and absurd and a dreamer! I don't believe anyone—especially you—needs to shoot "some arrows of reality" into my head. I know all about reality, too. I am the real deal, baby. So piss off, eh? {more}


Queer for a night; QU and my body as spectacle-fantasy By GREGORY GESTNER If you go to the dance, the dance, this is what you will see. You will see yourself, magnified, multiplied and mapped onto collegiate bodies. You will stroll between pre-parties, saunter around campus in sexual glee, and present yourself at the door of Kagin. Guards will let you pass the entrance, you will be ushered up the stairs, you will dance, you will laugh, gather with your friends on the sidelines, get lost in the crowd, see the cute boy with his shirt off and want to touch him. You will smirk and flirt and hike up your skirt. {more}

Ultrabaroque puts Latin American art in a new context

By SARAH PETERSON

A turkey dressed in elaborate green feathers and bananas may not be included in one's typical definition of art, but then again, the Walker Art Center's exhibits often bend and break conventions. As different, new and innovative as exhibits at this museum tend to be, they all manage to make commentary on contemporary society and culture. {more}

Punch-Drunk Love: Thank you God for sending me an angel

By BEN SACHS

Though all of Paul Thomas Anderson's four features (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and now Punch-Drunk Love) are commendable for their audacious visuals and unexpected sincerity, what really bowls me over is the distinctly youthful vitality that his movies convey. With the notable exception of Richard Linklater, I can think of no other U.S. studio director who so consistently and eagerly expresses his love of life, love of cinema, and love of love—and, in the tradition of the passionate cinephilic directors whom Anderson cites as influences, his films often present these qualities as one in the same. {more}

Okkervil River: at work in uncharted musical waters

By ROB van ALSTYNE

The best records always reside on their own little planet, a few orbits away from the rest of the music in their midst. Okkervil River's stunning sophomore release, Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See, is no exception. It's a truly sprawling work that's never afraid to hyperextend itself in the hopes of attaining something better than the pedestrian indie-rock it will undoubtedly be filed beside in record store shelves. The Austin, Tex. based band covers a lot of stylistic ground on the albums nine tracks, shifting expertly between loping western style ballads ("Kansas City"), downcast folk dirges ("My Bad Days") and frantic horn fueled pop ("Lady Liberty"), with a good deal in between. {more}

Carley Bomstad '04 -- Volleyball (photo)

All-MIAC middle hitter Carley Bomstad carried Macalester to a 4-1 volleyball record through the past week. Macalester defeated St. Catherine 3-0 and then traveled to the UW-La Crosse Tournament, where the Scots finished second, beating Hamline (3-0), Coe (3-2) and UW-Eau Claire (3-0). Bomstad averaged 3.24 kills and hit at a .374 clip during the week.

Eric Olson '05 -- Men's Cross Country

Eric Olson has been the team's top runner in several meets this season and last Friday, Oct. 25, he led Macalester to a 23-32 men's cross country dual meet win over Gustavus in St. Peter. Olson placed first overall, completing the 4000-meter course in 12:49. Olson and the Scots run in the MIAC championships Nov. 1 at Como Park.

Local Music Links

Macalester Music Events Calendar
Twin Cities All Ages Shows List
Twin Cities Alternative Shows List
WMCN Macalester Radio
MN Jazz

Local Arts Links

Walker Art Museum
Minneapolis Institute of the Arts
Weisman Art Museum
Oak Street Cinema
ArTrujillo Studio Gallery
Intermedia Arts
Bryant Lake Bowl
Mixed Blood Theatre
Citypages Movie Clock and Reviews

The Mac Weekly is an entirely student-produced publication. The opinions expressed in this document are those of its authors and editors, not of Macalester College.

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