Apparently not everything was jolly jolly in the ICC today where the Tedisco/Murphy campaigns bumped heads a bit as a pool watcher from Tedisco’s camp challenged the validity of 20 student votes. All but 1 of the voters, challenged because they no longer live on campus and therefore cannot vote here, were finally allowed to vote.

In the end everything worked out okay and everyone was able to legally vote, but for for more information and some interesting comments check out this article in the Albany Times Union.

Film Appreciation Troupe (F.A.T) is hosting a series of Ingmar Bergman screenings over the next couple of weeks, culminating in discussion of the films with Prof. Martha Wiseman of the English Department.  Mark your calendars or join the group by emailing FatSkidrow@Gmail.com

Schedule:
Sunday 4/5 at 3pm in Davis is “Wild Strawberries”
Thursday 4/9 at 7pm in Davis is “Persona”
Sunday 4/19 at 3pm in Davis is “Fanny and Alexander”
Sunday 4/26 at 3pm in Davis is the film discussion

Candidates Tedisco-R and Murphy-D

Skidmore Democrats would like to remind students registered to vote in Saratoga County that tomorrow (March 31st) a special election will be held to choose a replacement for Kristin Gillibrand’s congressional seat. If you have a television then I’m sure you’ve seen the hilariously childish smear campaigns both candidates have both been running and I’m sure all of you are excited to vote. Students can practice their democratic right in the ICC from 6:00am to 9:00pm and must have a valid form of identification.

Dear Lucy,
This weekend I was at a party in Northwoods, sipping on some Natty, when I noticed a beautiful girl in the corner. I nervously went over to talk to her and we hit it off pretty quickly, but I noticed that she was completely obliterated. I decided to walk away, afraid that we would hook up and I would wake up the next morning feeling bad for taking advantage of her. Did I do the right thing by walking away?
- Lonely Chicken Choker, ‘11

Dear LCC,
Let me start off by congratulating you on your clever (albeit nauseating) pen name. You’re clearly a creative soul and a sensitive guy that any girl would be lucky to go back to Weicking with.

But in all seriousness, this is a moral issue, deeply intertwined with your social standards, views on intoxication, and level of testosterone. I’m concerned that you didn’t trust yourself not to make out with that drunken hottie. Here’s your homework: Go home. Get out that 40-ounce Budweiser you’ve had in your mini-fridge for three months. Drink it. All of it. Next, practice non-sexual social interactions with some imaginary friends (talk about common interests with Cheer the desk chair or tell jokes to Lola the lamp) until you can control your sloshed sex drive. Once you’ve mastered conversing with your home furnishings, you may freely approach female partygoers without fear of sexually harassing them.

The underlying question here is whether or not hooking up with Tipsy Tina is “taking advantage of her”. On one hand, it’s her choice to be standing alone and vulnerable in the corner. On the other hand, some of us have morals. So did you do the right thing? It’s hard to say. Although you saved yourself from any morning-after regrets (and/or sexually transmitted diseases), you may also have prevented yourself from developing a new connection.

I know it’s a crazy notion, folks, but I happen to think that attractive men and women should first build a friendship before any of that inappropriate touching. We can flirt with/talk to/laugh with the other sex at any time, but I suggest separating before anything escalates. Next time, Choker, get her digits, send a witty text later that night, and win over her heart before you consider winning over her body. There’s no need to rush it if one of you is drunk. Just let your guard down and keep your pants up. That way the worst thing that could happen is a conversation with a cute girl who won’t remember your name. No Plan-B required.
Xoxo,
Lucy

And this week’s unsolicited advice:

1. There’s roughly five weeks of school left. Use them wisely: sipping Burgess milkshakes and laying out on the Green.
2. Give blood on Thursday. It’s sexy to save lives, and you get a juice box.
3. It’s not too late if you haven’t figured out your summer plans. Many internships have application deadlines of April 1st, so get cracking on those cover letters and bulk up your resume before you’re stuck watching Pete & Pete reruns in your parents’ house for three months.
4. Look out for next week’s advice on how to entertain yourself during a boring class.

Questions for Dear Lucy should be sent to DearLucy@SkidmoreUnofficial.com.

The Speakers Bureau is proud to present David Sedaris tonight in Gannett Auditorium. Victors from last week’s ticket fracas should know that Gannett’s doors open at 7:30 but that only foolish people would think of showing up that late. Gannett fits something like 160 people and about 180 tickets were sold for the event meaning a few lazy ticket holders will find themselves standing in the back, legs silently cramping as Sedaris entertains a room full of seated fans. Folks who weren’t lucky/dedicated enough to snag a ticket last Monday should know that simulcasts will be broadcast in Emerson and Davis Auditoriums, as well as the Spa. The 8pm reading will be followed by a short Q&A and book signing; the Q&A will be open only to ticket holders but the book signing, held in Gannett Lobby, is free and open to the public.

And finally here are some tips to survive the night:

• • Students who find themselves without a sacred book to be hastily penned by Sedaris during the book signing should look no further than the SkidShop, which will be posted up outside Gannett looking to take your money.
  • Sedaris has a piece in last week’s New Yorker which I suggest checking out so you can make impressive small talk to the hot girl from English while waiting in line.
  • Gannett is known to be chilly, perhaps bring your Snuggie
  • Hydration is key but “making a deposit” in the middle of a book reading is disruptive and alerts everyone to your weak bladder and weaker will. Skip your requisite dinnertime cranberry juice and save yourself the embarrassment.
  • Be prepared to wait in line. If Monday’s ticket line was any indication people love Sedaris and the wait to get your book signed will probably be worse.
  • Turn off your cellphone Asshole.
  • Get there early (but not before me)–even if you have a ticket.

Skidmore was the subject of a recent feature in Time Magazine penned by Highed Ed. columnist Laura Fitzpatrick. The article (which you can read here) follows the application process and pays particular attention to the new demand for financial aid as more and more families are finding themselves yoked by financial insecurity–62% of the applicants for the class of 2013 requested financial aid, a new record.

Skidmore’s applications tumbled almost 14% this spring, in line with plunges at seven of the country’s top eight liberal-arts colleges and many others down the food chain. Skidmore’s projected $51,196-a-year price tag makes it one of the nation’s 10 most expensive schools, but its $223 million endowment–down 23% from its high about a year ago–is too small to bankroll financial aid for all who need it.

The article offers some interesting insight to the applications process and hints that this year’s waitlist is about 100 students long. Students who fail to show an intense interest in the college through visits and (pointless) website perusing can also expect their chances of acceptance to slide. Fitzpatrick ends the article on a fully deserved sour note pointing out that at a school like Skidmore financial aid unfortunately strangles diversity:

[S]tudents of color, who disproportionately applied for financial aid, made up a higher percentage of this year’s applicant pool than last year’s. But reflecting “the demands of financial aid,” says Bates, they make up only 24% of the admitted pool this year, in contrast to 28% last year. “You’ve always been in an advantaged position to be rich and smart,” says Morton Schapiro, a higher-education economist and the president of Williams College, which does not consider financial need in admissions. “Now you’re at an even greater advantage.” If so, then you can chalk up one more casualty of the financial crisis: diversity on campus.

Alex Dayan ’11 wrote in with a little spiel about the upcoming play Seventeen Missing Years. “We all know the story of Jesus’ birth and his later life, but what about the early years? Only Biff knows, and he will ‘enlighten’ us in JKB’s Studio A.” (fbook)

Starring:
Alex Greaves, Luke Santy, Trevor Martin, Jesse Wood, Liz DeVito, Isabelle Russo, Sara Jane Munford, Garett Weinstein, and Jaime Martínez-Rivera

Written By Alex Dayan ‘11
Directed by James Kiesel ‘09
Choreography by Lily Robinson ‘10
Dramaturgy by Sabrina Schnabel ‘11
Inspired by the novel “Lamb” by Christopher Moore

Showtimes:
Monday, March 30th at 8 pm
Tuesday, March 31st at 8 pm
Wednesday, April 1st at 8 pm
E-mail Elyssa Ackerman (eackerma@skid) for free tickets. (fbook)

The Daily Show’s senior producer Adam Lowitt and correspondent Wyatt Cenac will be doing stand up at Late Night at the Spa tonight. Students Chris Flemming ’09 and Willy Appelman ’09 are opening. Everyone should go and laugh heartedly.

Aurora Pinkey-Drobnis ’12 from the EAC wrote in to let us all know about Earth Hour on Saturday night…

Earth Hour is a global movement. The main purpose is to spread awareness about climate change and environmental issues. On this Saturday at 8:30, 2,848 cities, towns and municipalities in 84 countries have already committed to turning off their electricity for one hour. While we couldn’t get Skidmore to agree to shutting their buildings down, we were hoping that students at Skidmore would voluntarily shut off their lights. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

Like this but with tighter jeans and vegetarian food

Saturday SNAC is hosting “The Garden Party,” which is probably a lot like the garden parties from Great Gastby except everyone is broke and Gastby didn’t have local hardcore bands at his parties. The campus wide event runs from 1-4 on Case Green and features performances by local bands Buzzard and Skeleton’s in the Piano and a TBA Skidmore band. Free vegetarian food will be available. The poster also cryptically promises “SkidTV shout outs” which means that maybe someone will say your name on television. SICK.