Alexander Rolle

Students, staff weigh employee health care cuts

With the growing possibility of major budget cuts, some members of the staff and student body have identified potential changes to staff health benefits as an issue of serious concern. On Sunday, Apri…

Budget changes imminent, jobs safe, salaries frozen

On Tuesday evening, April 21, a fireside chat hosted in Kohlberg Coffee Bar introduced a set of proposed budget cuts that President Bloom had prepared for the upcoming meeting of the Board of Managers…

Candidates spar during StuCo Presidential debate

On Wednesday, April 15, two presidential hopefuls, Rachel Bell ’10 and Shaun Kelly ’10, met in Kohlberg Coffee Bar for a debate monitored by outgoing Student Council President Yongjun Heo ’09. The deb…

Sestak talks environment, students lobby legislation

On Monday, April 13, Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak, whose constituency includes Swarthmore College, led a town hall meeting in the Scheuer Room of Kohlberg Hall on environmental policy. The talk…

Student issued citation after Genderfuck

Early morning on Sunday, April 5, a Swarthmore student walking home from the Genderfuck Party was given a citation by the Borough Police for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. The student, ide…

Rooted in the sciences, two named Goldwater Scholars

Two Swarthmore juniors, Benjamin Good and Markus Kliegl, were recently named Goldwater scholars for the 2009-10 academic year, and another junior, Julia Berthet, received Honorable Mention. Named afte…

Seniors brave cold job market in frozen economy

Swarthmore seniors looking for employment after graduation are facing a job market much less friendly than those of years past, due to the economic downturn. According to Erin Massey, Associate Direct…

Bryn Mawr feels economic pinch

On Tuesday, March 24, the administration of Bryn Mawr College hosted an open forum with the community to discuss proposed budget cuts for next year. Due to the economic slump, Bryn Mawr expects that $…

Campus-wide collection responds to Iraq War

On Friday, March 20, Students for a Democratic Society and the President’s Office hosted a Collection to mark the passing of the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war. At 4:00 p.m., 40 to 50 members of th…

Applicant pool shrinks for Swarthmore, peers

Applications to Swarthmore for the class of 2013 dropped by approximately 10 percent from last year, according to Jim Bock, Dean of Admissions. This is part of a national trend among small liberal art…

Senator upholds value of a liberal arts education

The Phoenix’s Alexander Rolle recently conducted an e-mail interview with Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.). Levin is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and graduated from Swarthmore in…

Haverford dorm falls victim to graffiti, vandalism

Over the course of this year, a Haverford first year residence hall has seen five acts of serious vandalism, including four that involved human fecal matter. On four occasions in the fall semester, re…

Board delays budget, approves four aspects

In an unusual move, the Board of Managers decided to postpone a number of decisions regarding the 2009-10 budget until May instead of releasing a comprehensive budget after the February meeting. Accor…

Religion department announces new staff

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the religion department announced that Gwynn Kessler, an assistant professor of Jewish Studies, Rabbinic Literature, and Gender Studies at the University of Florida, Gainsville,…

Economy disrupts hiring

Correction Appended

Due to the economic downturn, several departments at Swarthmore have been forced to change their hiring plans for the upcoming year. While some searches for new faculty members are…

Presidential search proceeds in private

The Presidential Search Committee is “very much on track” in the process of selecting a new President of Swarthmore College, according to Vice President Maurice Eldridge ’61. The committee is currentl…

Mice infestation escalates

Areas of Swarthmore College, including many dormitories, are suffering from a greater than usual mice problem this year. According to Assistant Dean for Residential Life Rachel Head, Willets, Wharton,…

Inaugural activities on campus

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Swarthmore students watched as Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th President of the United States. The inauguration was shown at the Lang Performing Arts Center, Sharples Dining …

Gloria Evans leaves a legacy that crosses borders

Gloria Evans, Swarthmore’s International Student Advisor, passed away on Dec. 25, 2008. She was 81. Evans initially came to the college as an associate professor of psychology, serving as leave replac…

Administration addresses financial aid at open forum

On Tuesday, Nov. 25, President Al Bloom, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jim Bock and other members of the administration hosted a forum on Financial Aid. Approximately 30 students attended the e…

Alum mobilizes community in opposing Proposition 8

Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, was passed on Tuesday, November 4 by almost 500,000 votes: a margin of four percent. Th…

Annual Halloween party moved to Sharples

The annual Halloween party will be held in Sharples on Saturday night and will be the first party held in the dining hall since Fall 2005. The party, which was held for the last two years in Upper Ta…

New Pa. anti-smoking law spurs change in community, not campus

On Sept. 11, 2008, a new anti-smoking law went into effect in Pennsylvania amid ongoing discussions within the Swarthmore community concerning the presence of smoking on campus. The bill, called the C…

Bloom to bring liberal arts to NYU Abu Dhabi campus

At the beginning of the next school year, when Al Bloom steps down as president of Swarthmore College, he will have the opportunity to oversee the establishment of a school from its inception.

Board of Managers meet, IC/BCC group members discuss objectives for future

On Friday and Saturday, the Board of Managers convened for the first of the two meetings scheduled to take place this fall.

According to Vice President Maurice Eldridge ’61, the weekend included meeti…

MTV films and showcases new Harry Potter seminar

On Thursday, Sept. 18, Professor of English Literature Melinda Finberg’s first-year seminar “Battling Against Voldemort” was filmed by MTV as part of a segment on the phenomenon of Harry Potter …

Saxon conducts research at CERN lab

This fall, Jamie Saxon ’09 has taken leave of Swarthmore to work at the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, a world-leading laboratory for particle physics located in Geneva, Switzerland.…

Kidnapping charges dropped after missed court dates

The case against Tom T. Chiang, a Virginia dental student accused of attempting to kidnap a male Swarthmore student in May, was dismissed in the Media District Court after the victim neglected to appe…

Hate crime on campus illuminates need for renewed dialogue

An offensive message was left outside the dorm room of a Palestinian student on Monday. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that he discovered the slur written on the whiteboard outside …