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Visual Storytelling: Campus Response to Escalations in the Israel-Palestine Conflict (Part 3)

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This is Part 3. To read Part 2 of this developing photo essay series, click here.

To read What We Know: How Different Groups are Responding to Escalations in the Israel-Palestine Conflict, click here.

The following is a photo essay by The Quindecim’s Head of Design and Photographer, Mich Rouse ’24.

To see photos without captions, go to the bottom of the page.

*Note from the author: Student demonstrators expressed they could face disciplinary action from the following sit-in action, so blurring faces was necessary.

12.07.2023 – Chalk on Welsh handrail reads NEVER AGAIN.
12.07.2023 – Chalk on Van Meter Highway reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk on stone area reads GENOCIDE.
12.07.2023 – Chalk on stone area reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk on Van Meter Highway reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk writings outside of Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum. One reads Never Means Never Again.
12.07.2023 – Chalk on Van Meter Highway reads NEVER MEANS NEVER AGAIN
12.07.2023 – Chalk on side of stairs reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk on Van Meter Highway reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk on Van Meter Highway reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk in front of Mary Fisher Dining Hall reads Each Name | Each Life | Each Child
12.07.2023 – Chalk by bike rack reads EACH NAME | EACH LIFE | EACH CHILD
12.07.2023 – Chalk on side of bench reads NEVER AGAIN
12.07.2023 – Chalk on Van Meter Highway reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk in front of Haebler Memorial Chapel reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Chalk writings on Van Meter Highway towards academic buildings.
12.07.2023 – Chalk in front of Hoffberger Science Building reads Grieve Each Name | Outcry! | Conflict Isn’t Direct Enough
12.07.2023 – Sign reads SAY GENOCIDE
12.07.2023 – Students walk and carry signs on Van Meter Highway
12.07.2023 – Students walk to Dorsey College Center
12.07.2023 – Student holds sign that reads SAY GENOCIDE
12.07.2023 – Dean of Students Office
12.07.2023 – Signs
12.07.2023 – Dorsey Directory
12.07.2023 – Sign reads Geneation After Generation Until Total Liberation
12.07.2023 – Sign reads Bureaucracy Is Censorship | Palestine Can’t Wait For Your Approval
12.07.2023 – Students hold a Pro-Palestine sit-in at Dorsey Center
12.07.2023 – Campus Safety officer and Erik Thompson, Vice President of Campus Operations, oversee student demonstrators.
12.07.2023 – Students sit with signs.
12.07.2023 – Campus Safety Officer outside of Dorsey Center.
12.07.2023 – Entrance of The President’s Conference Room
12.07.2023 – Student gives a speech. Silhouette of person inside Dean of Students Office stands behind them.
12.07.2023 – Students sing songs at sit-in.
12.07.2023 – Campus Safety Officer outside of Dorsey Center where the sit-in takes place. One person enters.
12.07.2023 – Chalk reads Stop Silencing Student Voices
12.07.2023 – Chalk writings on stairs in front of Rhoda M Dorsey College Center
12.07.2023 – Students sit inside.
12.7.2023 – Student creates another poster. It reads “This did not start on Oct. 7…”
12.08.2023 – Van Meter Highway, next day. Water and salt cover the ground.
12.08.2023 – Mary Fisher Hall stairs, next day.

Below are photos without captions:

Photos #1-40 were taken with FujiFilm XT-200 with 15-45mm lens. PC: Mich Rouse ’24

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Going Solo

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How passionate students of the arts respond to class cancellations, part II

Sam Kosseff (they/he) is a junior triple majoring in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Integrative Arts Studies (IAS), and Dance. Rather than taking Composition III—a dance course that was due to be taught this semester—they are pursuing an independent study in dance film. They enjoyed the process of creating a dance for camera in their Composition II class last fall and were thus invigorated to sharpen their camera work and editing skills through this project. However, with two independent studies already running in a department of three faculty members, Sam is being advised by IAS professor Michael Curry.

His independent study consists primarily of two dance films. The first is a solo that explores, “the dichotomy of performing for yourself vs performing for someone else,” as a reflection on themes he grappled with in Rosie Herrera’s residency last spring but “with a trans twist.” The second is a group work set on eight dancers that juxtaposes two faces of loneliness: a resignation to being romantically single and the eventual, peaceful acceptance of it. “It’s sad,” he sums up the tone of the work. “I don’t think I make many choreographic pieces—especially group pieces—that aren’t.” Although his focus is in dance film, Sam didn’t want to miss out on the familiar experience of making something for the stage. Consequently, he is adapting his group piece to be both a film and live work.

With their group piece, Sam marvels at the relationship dynamics between pairings in their cast. Young love feels different from honeymoon bliss, which varies drastically from old love. Each of these distinct phases are represented by their own respective couples throughout the piece, in addition to a widow archetype who depicts a more mature outlook on solitude. They have been so excited to see the cultivation of tenderness between their cast members over the mere month they’ve gotten together. All of these energies create a contrast that emphasizes the protagonist’s persistent state of being alone.

Apart from Sam’s piece, this term there are two faculty works, a residency with guest artist Gabrielle Lamb, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Nalani Brown’s independent study. With so many rehearsal schedules, finding a slot in the week when his entire cast is available has proven difficult. Being emotionally and creatively invested in this process, he doesn’t bat an eye at working over his lunch periods or holding numerous small group rehearsals with one to four dancers scattered throughout his week. Nevertheless, he can’t shake an underlying feeling of worry that his dancers will feel exploited simply by the commitment he asks of them, especially when they aren’t promised a culminating performance of this piece. As someone heavily invested in the dance community at Goucher, he wants people to be taken care of.

Another challenge they’ve met this semester is the noticeable dip in guidance compared to what they’ve received in previous composition classes. While they’ve gotten a fresh perspective in their feedback from Michael Curry, they believe dance professors can leave criticism to be desired: “I’ve only heard good things; Goucher doesn’t rip you apart like it could sometimes.”

Sam’s dance film will be presented in the dance department concert Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18. Additionally, he will have his live work considered to be sent to the American College Dance Association conference series early next year.

By Tess Seibert ‘25

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Pieces of Human Life

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Content Warning: This fictional poem falls within the horror genre. It contains themes of gore, body horror and cannibalism. Please note that it is a fictional poem.

I contemplate on how long I am willing to keep this up.

It has been about 5 months, but it has evolved into 5 years. 

Ever since I adapted to this shameful, unholy diet.

I don’t recall the last time that I’ve used normal food,

Or go explore a normal grocery store like WalMart or Weis.

The past life has faded into the foggy mind.

I favor nibbling on baby carrots to numb the regrets.

But that is the only kind of normal food that doesn’t linger a foul taste.

My taste buds scowl at me and demand for more remains

My old lifestyle is nothing but a delicate, rotting corpse.

The brain and the muscles are my personal favorite.

With their tenderness and light fatness.

The juice that spurs from the meat lifted by the fork

Already gives me pure serotonin.

Just the scent of a sauteed liver  flirts with my nostrils.

 Deliver me into sensation.

How can I have these cravings and not throw up from the sins?

The blood on my hands and mouth cry,

“What the fuck have you done?”

Too afraid to let God embrace me with arms

For even They know too much.

I neglect the angel on my shoulder

Just to get that addicted, satisfying starvation again. 

Though, I have never committed homicide

The pressure would weigh on my shoulders.

Hunting for dealers willing to butcher is more suitable.

No blood will splatter on my twitchy hands.

Don’t analyze my confessions

With your eyes squinted and nose cringed!

I have not killed a single morsel

So why must you tsk in shame, hissing,

“Go to a madhouse!”

But you must puzzle yourself,

How far would you go to quench your forbidden desire?

The frozen hand buried deep in the freezer

Taunts me to have an early supper,

 Beckoning me to begin the feast.

My leg vibrates at the thought of continuing this pestering ritual

That soothes my spirit and woes.

Do you not comprehend the struggle it is to stop your mind yelling at you 

to end the horrific, addictive habit.

If you perceive me as a mad man, then you are no better 

if you have ever lifted a lit, tar-filled cigarette.

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Rocky Horror’s Queer Legacy

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Illustration by Sam Rose

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Dance Ensemble Performance Recap

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Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble held their fall concert on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18 to close out a successful semester of contemplative choreographic processes. 

The curated evening opened with a tap solo created and performed by individualized interdisciplinary major Tess Seibert ‘25 entitled rapt//wrapped in sonder. The piece began with an unexpected entrance from the lobby that captured the audience’s attention instantly, establishing a dramatic tone that was subsequently interrupted by Seibert’s comedic sense of timing. 

Next was One Ocean, the preliminary draft of a larger work set by guest artist Gabrielle Lamb on six students this past September. The movement quality was calm yet held tension—a delicious dichotomy with which to execute organic shapes that mimicked ocean waves. Complemented by the voice of naturalist and free-diver Craig Foster, iridescent costumes by Hannah Brill, and soft light washes, the work exuded a meditative ethereality.

Third, faculty member Linda Garofalo was represented by her original work What Lies Dormant. Set on a 13-person cast, this piece was a conflation of the natural cycles of life, death, and rebirth with the four seasons. These themes were accentuated with costumes hand painted by Carter Hinton-Ayodele ‘25 and the use of fake snow in the last segment of the work. Garofalo effortlessly manipulated simple movement vocabulary with her intriguing use of stage space, at one point crafting a geometric formation contained to the right of center, making stage left heavy with emptiness. 

After a brief pause in the program came Hands Passing by dance major Nalani Brown ‘26. Driven by the motif of intricate hand gestures, the work set on five dancers was an agonizing inquiry into how isolation affects our communal capacity to heal from it. Viewers were stirred by Brown’s impressive command of visceral empathy and the performers’ emotional commitment.

“Lady” Peaceful, “Lady” Happy was screened penultimately as the only dance film of the night. Triple major Sam Koseff ‘25 with cinematographic assistance from Amelia Lazzini ‘25 created a luxuriously theatric solo to Natasha Richardson’s rendition of Maybe This Time. The piece was recorded in Kraushaar Auditorium with the camera almost exclusively capturing Koseff’s back against the backdrop of row after row of empty seats. Not only did this create an eerie effect as audience members were confronted with the desolate venue they actively occupied, it clearly encapsulated Koseff’s vision of questioning what it means to perform for oneself versus others.

The show was concluded by ingrained…!, a dynamic scrapbook of everything faculty member Mustapha Braimah loves in performance art: movement, spoken word, live drumming, and singing. Backlighting kissed the dancers as they moved from multiple centers of their bodies, creating a strong silhouette of the group performing as one. Ending with the recitation of Mutabaruka’s Dis Poem, this finale challenged the apathy that is too commonly observed in the face of systemic oppression and socio-political injustice.

By Tess Seibert ’25

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Updates of Rocky Horror Picture Show: What Will Happen After 1 Year of Banlist Removal

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Content warning: Mentions of sexual assault and violations of Title IX

It has been a Halloween tradition for the Open Circle Theatre Club to present the hit musical, Rocky Horror Picture Show. Many students get excited every October to get dolled up and engage with the charming cast as they sing and dance Rocky’s memorable songs. The tradition is not only a fun event that’s filled with music, but it’s also known as a safe space for students, especially LGBTQ+ students to express their sexual and gender identities. The original Rocky musical is known to show strong representation to people that are far from the heteronormative, so Goucher students believe that this student-led event gives them a chance to be proud of their bodies and identities.

However, there has been an issue that has made a major impact on the cast and crew of Rocky Horror. It’s been officially a year since administrative offices have abolished the banlist. The banlist was established to request a ban by cast and crew members to prohibit anyone with sexual harassment allegations to come to the Roocky shows. People can no longer request a ban for people who have records of sexual assault and violated Title IX on campus. The reason given to the directors for the banlist’s removal was a concern that  some students have misused it by requesting to ban people from seeing the show for having petty arguments. However, according to Lele Hatcher ‘24, one of the student directors of the show, explains that from what she knows, there wasn’t any sighting of anyone misusing the banlist for that reason. According to the director of last year’s showing, this removal  followed the production of the year prior when someone who was on the banlist went to OSE to complain that they were not allowed into the show, and that this list was “unfair”.When the banlist was confirmed for the first time, it led everyone in shock and worry because of the last minute change by the offices. Lele states with confidence that this year will be different and prepared.

Lele confirms, “This year everyone was very understanding, and knew we were trying everything in our power to create a safe space for our cast.”
The directors of Rocky Horror had to attend meetings with the school to discuss how to ensure that the cast and crew members are safe from any audience members who will make them feel uncomfortable. The meetings came to a conclusion that if any Rocky member has a Title IX case, then they would need to report the school about the specific person who has previous, open, or investigated accusations. The members of Rocky also made tactics of making each other feel comfortable and safe while performing. 

Wiley ’27 answers that the directors have made it clear that safety is number one priority for everyone who is attending the show. One method of keeping the cast secure is making signals on stage if someone is uncomfortable or if someone is breaking any rules.

Wiley states another method. He says, “We also have a bouncer checking to make sure everyone who attends is a Goucher student, or has special permission.” Wiley is playing the role of Columbia. He and the rest of the cast agree that it’s a fair system. 

There is currently no new policy for the audience that makes sure that people will stay safe before, during, and after the show. The directors hope that the audience will hold each other accountable and respect the whole Rocky crew. The bouncers will keep the audience in check as they witness all Goucher students being respectful, since Rocky Horror is known to be a safe space for all queer identities. It should be notified for all attendees that dressing up in sexy attire is not consent, and there will be consequences from the school for people who make people uncomfortable. There are some limitations of who can attend, for the protection of all cast and audience members, while allowing them to feel sexy, comfortable, and hyped for Halloween. 

Despite the challenges from the removal of the banlist, the Rocky crew feel confident that the shows will be a success and will continue to satisfy Goucher’s Halloween tradition. From being excited to engage and interact with the audience, to dressing up and feeling confident with their bodies. The directors believe that the process of making the show is going great and the results will be a success.  

“Everyone has put in so much work and time,” Lele exclaims, “I hope that audiences will have just as much fun as we do. These changes have not kept our spirits down, and we will continue to come up with new ways to keep our audience and cast safe.”

The cast and crew members have made a welcoming community for each other. They made sure that they all felt like they were a part of the crew. The time and work it takes for them to prepare for the show made people develop a sense of security and confidence. 

Wiley expresses his love of the process of Rocky. “We’ve been working on the show for about a month and a half and have come so far. Personally, I’ve never done any dancing for a show before, but the choreography directors were super patient with me and made it very fun!”

The entire theatrical environment made itself a safe space by allowing the people to encourage each other. Everyone believes that the experience of Rocky is the highlight of October, showing that challenges will not make them break down.

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Going Solo

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How passionate students of the arts respond to class cancellations, part I 

Nalani Brown (any pronouns) is a sophomore dance student pursuing an independent study in choreography instead of taking Composition II, a course that didn’t run as planned this term due to insufficient enrollment. 

His group piece draws on an exploration of isolation he did while taking Composition I titled “A Study in Longing” as well as an innovative idea he was excited to flesh out in Composition II: a dance film about the sexualization of the Black body consisting almost exclusively of closeups on dancers’ hands with an occasional torso. He can’t execute his vision exactly as expected, but “it’s so interesting how dynamic hands can be,” he effuses. Though the dance is not restricted solely to hand gestures, the motif provides just enough of a limitation that it challenges Nalani to find new angles to familiar movement vocabulary.

To construct her work, Nalani devises phrases before getting into the studio with her cast. This enables her maximization of the 90-120 minutes per week she gets together with them. She recognizes that the most knowledgeable person about anyone’s body is the individual it belongs to, expressing that if there is a trick someone doesn’t know how to do yet, she invites them to figure it out on their own during rehearsal. She also acknowledges the gravity of pain, promising dancers that if something they attempt in practice hurts, it will not be in the final piece. While this seems like a logical approach to many, pain is often ignored in US concert dance culture. Nalani explains that this more human outlook means dancers are much more willing to try anything at least once without fear that it will be necessary for their participation.

In reflecting on the process, Nalani admits that the scholarly side of dance making demystifies the artform. Rather than being carried in any direction he may fancy, he has qualitative goals he intends to achieve. 

“Things have to continue to progress the way that I’ve planned them to a degree, and I think that’s made it easier for me to work as an artist because I also don’t have to live in that nebulous state that many artists live in where you go, ‘Maybe it’s never done.’ I know it’s done when my objective’s been reached and the piece reached the length that I said it would be. It sucks cause it’s adding capitalism into art, but it’s already there… and it may be effective.” 

He comments that while this attitude is not romantic, it creates a distance between himself and the work that is beneficial to his mental health; this independent study does not interrupt his sleep like past works have, nor will his soul be at stake when he submits the piece for grading.

Unlike Composition II students, Nalani is not guaranteed a final performance of their work—they are merely conducting research. They will submit their group piece for adjudication to hopefully be viewed in the fall concert this November, and will also contend to represent Goucher at the American College Dance Association conference series in 2024.

By Tess Seibert ’25

Image courtesy of Getty Images

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Food for Thought

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An illustration representing collected quotes from the Goucher student body regarding their dining experience.

By Sam Rose ’26

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Saturn

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CW: The following work contains graphic descriptions of cannibalism and body horror.

Oh father, what a

Corrupted God you are.

Picked me up like a toy,

And concealed my screams.

Oh father, such a

Hungry God you are.

You stare at my body

With your cold and dead eyes.

Oh father, what an

Ugly titan you are.

With your dry white hair 

Your exposed ribcage.

Oh father, don’t you hear 

My skull crack?

Blood drips on 

Your neck like red wine.

Oh father, you are

A God fueled with rage.

You want to have me as a snack.

All because I wanted to take your throne.

Oh father, what

A mad God you are.

Swallowed my limbless corpse,

I joined with my siblings inside your abyss.

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Remember?

The following is a poem by Xyn Evans Remember?  Of course I do. Everything looked so vibrant and exciting. It

A Lesson In Minding Your Business -Evil Dead Rise Review 

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Horror fans know that 2022 was a banner year for the genre, with successful titles like Pearl, Smile, X, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and my personal favorites: Speak No Evil and Incantation. If you’re like me, coming into 2023 the horror we’ve gotten is simply “ok”. While I believe that we still have months to improve for the genre, Evil Dead Rise is a good start.

The film is successful for a few reasons. One being that the performances are very effective, believable and just plain creepy. Part of that is definitely accredited to the writing and director Lee Cronin, but the actors provided stellar (and scary) performances without breaking the small bits of comedy and camp that the original Evil Dead movies are known for. 

Alyssa Sutherland kills (literally) in her role as the newly possessed mother Ellie. I will forever be scarred by the kitchen scene delivered by Gabrielle Echols as Bridgette. Also, I am forever appreciative of the casting team for giving us Nell Fisher as Cassie – child actors are always hit or miss in movies with this tone (looking at you, Sinister) but Fisher’s performance was realistic, tense and at times extremely heartwarming. 

The film is also successful because of its clever use of practical and VFX, the blend between the two is so seamless, that the gore looks almost too good. Some horror viewers may overlook the cinematography and score for Evil Dead Rise but both add to the eerie ambiance of the plot, the movie tells us exactly what to feel even when not much is going on. There’s a certain self awareness to Evil Dead Rise that a lot of fans will appreciate, aside from the overall “Sam Raiminess” of it all, the special nods to previous Evil Dead movies and even The Shining were a nice subtle touch. 

As far as plot, what I can appreciate about this movie is that it gives us someone flawed to root for. It also pushes the themes of daily relationships and motherhood in the relationships between Ellie and her children, and later Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Cassie when we find out that Beth is pregnant. This surprisingly doesn’t feel like a trope, and by the end we’re rooting for the final girls as a family. 

My biggest gripe is with Dani’s character, played by Morgan Davies. While I celebrate having queer coded characters do something other than exist to be queer in this movie, I wish Dani was just a more intelligent character. Dani’s discovery is the most trope-reliant part of the movie for me. This entire plot would cease to exist if Dani would have simply minded their business or practiced safe behaviors, which they are completely capable of making practical decisions later on in the film. 

Ultimately, Evil Dead Rise is a solid film. It’s short run time gives watchers the perfect afternoon scare while being thoroughly packed with action, kills, and emotion. It’s sitting at around a 3.5/5 on Letterboxd as of publishing, and an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, although these are respectable ratings from the theater audiences, you could stand to watch it at home if it hits streaming as well. 

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