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WONDROUS (A FUTURE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED STORY)

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Gal Gadot in the 2017 film Wonder Woman. PC: Vox.com

At the CCXP Comic Con Brazil Festival that took place earlier this year, Wonder Woman 1984 film director Mrs. Patty Jenkins and Wonder Woman Mrs. Gal Gadot took center-stage to release and unveil the Wonder Woman 1984 film trailer globally. Joy and excitement filled Brazil’s CCXP theater arena space as the courageous Wonder Woman Mrs. Gal Gadot debuted the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer. “My life hasn’t been what you probably think it has. We all have our struggles,” Wonder Woman 1984 picks up where she left off from Wonder Woman 1, and spreads Wonder Woman’s timeless message of “we all can be the superheroes of our own life stories.” Superheroes go through struggles because struggle arms our humanity with the resilience and perseverance to triumph over evil. Gal Gadot, as Wonder Woman, through her W shaped crown and her lasso of truth teaches us, that no matter how daunting our obstacles can be, we can achieve any impossible dream and goal we have in our hearts and souls, no matter how many times our humanity gets counted out. Mrs. Gal Gadot’s main makeup artist Mrs. Sarah Brock has two older adult sons with High Functioning Autism, and they lead loving, kindhearted, empathy filled, and compassionate and gratitude led lives. Why should people with disabilities be judged for them loving themselves unapologetically? All we need to live the lives of our dreams and to direct the film stories of our souls is to be ourselves.

Mr. Pedro Pascal’s character in Wonder Woman 1984’s main trailer, Mr. Max Lord, shows us with the quote, “Life is good, but it can be better, so why should it not be. All you need is to want it. Think about having everything you always wanted,” that there is no goal humanity cannot achieve. Following Pascal’s words of hopefulness and faith, Mr. Steve Trevor as a resurrected and revived warrior spirit returns fully alive by telling Gal and Wonder Woman herself, “I can save today, but you can save the world.” Once Gal said Steve, and Gal embraced Steve with a loving hug and true tears of love, I cried as much as Gal cried because I myself reflected on where I was when I saw Wonder Woman 1 in Jerusalem in November 2017. In Jerusalem’s Cinema City Theater, during the premiere of Wonder Woman One in November 2017, I remembered Wonder Woman say, “I stand for love,” when finally defeating Ares The God of War. Not only do I believe in love, I believe we all have a place for everyone.

On November 28th, 2016, I earned my Israeli citizenship despite my High Functioning Autism. Today I daily save lives from car accidents for the Jerusalem and global safe driving startup Mobileye Intel as a computer algorithms Quality Assurance technician which is directly responsible for saving peoples’ lives from car accidents with safe running Mobileye car GPS systems.  As a 25-year old Israeli living in Jerusalem with High Functioning Autism and as a writer, I know that God has made our souls and hearts to achieve the impossible. Joaquin Phoenix, 2020 Oscar Academy Award winner for The Joker, eloquently quoted a beautiful message from his brother River: Joaquin’s words ring true: “Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.” In togetherness and love, the world will truly know hope.

Alumni Submission from Jonathan Trauner ’16

How Did I Lose My Bed Sheet? A Model UN Story

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In Model UN, we had a toga party for our first simulation. I had a dark blue polyester bedsheet. Luckily, it was my extra sheet, so I still have one. Our first simulation was that of the Roman era when the king had just been overthrown so at that point, we had to deal with forming a government. I was the slaver which, in my opinion, was the best role to have because I knew a lot more about the topic whereas I knew little to nothing about the other characters. 

 In the simulation, we had a slave rebellion. Now, that I think back to it, I am not sure what ended up happening in that regard. We wound up electing our chief executive as a military dictator for a rule of one year. I voiced that that would be too short. At the end, she was ruler for 40 years and it became a hereditary rule meaning that her children would become the next rulers. 

 Another interesting aspect was that we had two pretend crucifications at the end because some of the members were political enemies. We might have had three had one of them not left early for another meeting. I overheard someone saying, “that is what the gavel is actually for.”  

 Our second simulation was a simulation of the Trump 2020 reelection campaign. In that case, I was the Health Care Advisor. I found that I didn’t speak up as much because I knew little about that area. What made this simulation so much fun was that other delegates were using accents to play into character plus we had a graph up front to measure our progress. We wound up promising that we would declare war on Iran which dropped our ratings. However, eventually we regained our poll numbers and were successful in our goal of reelection but this came after we had a crisis update where we had a breach in the US-Mexico border wall. Our solution, as part of our final resolution, was to give guns to everyone who was, I believe, in a 50-mile radius of the border. If we had more time, a few of us planned on dissolving Congress and making him eternal dictator. I recognize that this can be a serious topic in real life, but we were having fun with the topic in our mock simulation. When the SI tutor walked in a few minutes before the end of the session, she was laughing when she saw what was going on. 

 I started my Model UN experience in my junior year of high school. I joined my school club which led to two years going to the John Hopkins Model UN conference also known as JHUMUNC, two weeks of the Best Delegate summer Model UN program at Georgetown University, and a semester long course on Model UN. Throughout, all of these experiences I realized that crisis committees were my favorite as you could do secret behind-the-scenes actions. You also got to see the consequences of what happened with the directives and had to deal with it. Another aspect I enjoyed was the midnight crisis which I thought I would hate at first, but I loved! The midnight crisis entails getting woken up late at night and having to go down to do a special committee session.

My first crisis committee, in my second year of JHUMUNC, was a joint crisis committee on India-Pakistan in 1999. Our crisis was that of the Indian side when our newly-elected fictional prime minister was assassinated during a cricket match. The Pakistanis had a few people assassinated as well. We wound up going to war with Pakistan that night. Despite it being rather late, others were being quite descriptive about the weapons being used. I wonder if war would have broken out had it not been the midnight crisis. Nevertheless, war makes the crisis more fun even if it isn’t the most logical step. 

 I have found that high school and college Model UN aren’t that different. Goucher Model UN is going to four conferences this year. They are Georgetown, Norfolk, Harvard, and Gettysburg. Crisis here at Goucher is different than my previous experiences because we do not have back room crisis notes. I fully recognize that this is impossible as we wouldn’t have enough people. I’m hoping that I will be lucky enough to make it into a crisis committee at one of the conferences. To be honest, it would be fun to be behind a delegate assassination. Depending on the simulation, it is likely that an assassination will occur in most crisis committees. 

 As I can still remember my JHUMUNC experience from last year, it is proof that it is a memorable experience. One thing I find ironic is that I tend to remember character names better than actual names. If I do remember their name, I will always think of them as that name and then their previous character or country names for a long time too come. I have no idea if that is the case for other participants.       

 Model UN is great for both those with or without previous experience. I would recommend giving it a try so that you don’t miss out on the fun. 

By: Meredith Schulhof 

Goucher Fit

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Before I got to Goucher, I was really excited that I would be able to take part in these wonderful exercise classes. So far, I have been to yoga, Zumba with Moe, and kickboxing.  

I find myself constantly returning to kickboxing because there is something about it that makes it my favorite class. First, I like that each session varies depending on the amount of people who attend. We usually start with light exercises such as jogging and sprinting. Some days, we will pair up or group up. If there are pairs of two, one will be punching the pads the other person is holding them. If we have groups of three, one person will be punching and/or kicking the bag, one will be using weights or other related activities, and one will do some running and other exercises. Second, although I have been the only female student in past exercise classes, I like that these tend to be more female dominated. It gives me the sense that we are as capable as others of doing what we can. Third, I appreciate that it is a do what you can, no judgement atmosphere because I’ve found myself being slower or not being able to do the same intensity as others. In the end, kickboxing has offered me the best workouts I have ever done, making me want to come back for more.  

 Another potential factor that I would enjoy kickboxing was that I had never taken a kickboxing class before I arrived at Goucher, whereas I had many previous yoga and Zumba experiences. For Zumba on Mondays, I wasn’t able to go back after the demo week because of my first-year experience, but hopefully will be able to attend once that’s over. 

For yoga, I preferred the stretch-based yoga to the other forms as it fit my style more partially because it didn’t require me to hold any poses too long. 

GoucherFit offers classes every day of the week, including weekends, except for Fridays. The classes offered are Abs with Adele, Athletics Yoga, GopherShred, GoucherPUMP, HIT, Kickboxing, Pilates, Spiritual Yoga, Yoga, Yoga Express, Zumba and Zumba with Moe. Look on the IMLeagues website or app for a full schedule of these wonderful classes. Don’t miss out! Come try it out and find your best fit!

By Meredith Schulhof

Seniors’ Memories of “Old Goucher”

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Goucher College Image Library

As I’m sure many of our readers know, Goucher College used to be slightly different than what it is now. This is before the First-Year Village and Mary Fisher Dining Hall. Gosh, this goes back to when Pearlstone existed. For all first-years, Pearlstone was the equivalent of the student market but with different food and different vibes. So, as we are coming to a close for this 2019 spring semester and as the seniors get ready to pack up their dorms for the last time and prepare to walk across the stage at graduation, we are going to take a walk down memory lane to the years before construction.

First things first, the food. Currently, we have Mary Fisher and the Student Market. However, back in 2012, when the seniors were mere first-years, they had Stimson, Huebeck, and Pearlstone. Yes, three dining halls! Pearlstone was the place to go for quesadillas and chicken fingers.

Senior Chris Elliott says the Huebeck dining hall was home to the healthier options, as well as the original stir-fry, Chris Mayhew states. Another senior says that Sunday Brunches in Stimson were the best because they would get the breakfast pizza while their friend would make waffles with ice cream and blueberries. Now it is hard to even find any sort of berry in Mary Fisher or The Student Market.

Do you remember the Gopher Hole? The tightly packed Thursday Nights for Open Mic, sweating because there was barely any room to walk? Moe de La Viez reminisces on her first open night in the Gopher Hole, saying it was “Packed to the edges of the room,  but it was so close and fun and everyone was sweating but having a great time”. The Gopher Hole was student-run cafe, being the place for students to go to for late-night snacks, as well as once-in-a-while pub nights for students who were 21+. Sure, the Go-Ho will be returning in fall of this year, but it definitely will not have the same atmosphere as it once did.

The equivalent of the first-year village for the seniors was Stimson, at least for most of them. Living in triples was quite an experience, for the most part. Having to decide who slept in which bunk and who had to share a dresser was great for bonding purposes. Especially when the mice decided to come out of their hiding spots as it got colder outside, making students fear for their life as they screamed and called Facility Management Services. Mayhew says that Stimson was packed and the place where everyone lived, making campus feel like a straight line from the academic quad and the residential quad. If you didn’t know this already, Frolicher, the three residential buildings by the first-year village, used to be where the first-year village is now, which is why the campus felt more direct four years ago versus now and how much more widespread it is.

And then there are just the little things in life that seniors miss. One is the area where Frolicher is currently. Back in the day, there used to be picnic tables and a seesaw where students could relax. Speaking of picnic tables, there used to be many more on the residential quad by the beach volleyball court. Seniors also miss the trees that used to be where the dining hall is now. Trees and benches were lined up along Van Meter, making it a perfect place for students to “people watch” as people filtered in and out of class and The Atheneum. And last but not least, is the old post office, which was located where our new dining hall is. Believe it or not, students had their own mini lockers that were just big enough to hold letter mail. There was never an email notifying students when they had received letter mail, so it was always a great surprise when they checked their locker and found something.

We hope these final few weeks for seniors is a blast, and that emotions don’t get the best of you. Enjoy the packing and the lack of students during senior week and remember that the friends you have met throughout your four years here at Goucher will be in your life for a long while.

Intersectionality through Cuisine: An Evening with Michael Twitty

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Michael Twitty. Photo Credit: Ryan Smith

The Hyman Forum is filled with the smell of chili powder and cumin. A small group of Goucher students on stage chop lemons and use a food processor to blend and churn ingredients into a delicious, gluten-free, Passover-ready dish: black eyed pea hummus. The audience is relaxed, jovial, and hanging on to every word of food writer and chef Michael Twitty, who sits in the center of the stage. Donned in a teal, Star of David covered African print top, he answers questions and instructs the students as part of a presentation on what he calls “Kosher/Soul.”

“Kosher/Soul” is not solely the title of his forthcoming book, out this December. It is also what Twitty describes on his blog, Afroculinaria, as “melding the histories, tastes, flavors, and Diasporic wisdom of being Black and being Jewish.”

Intersecting identities served as Twitty’s focal point during his talk, since identity, he said, is connected with food. According to Twitty, “[f]ood is a source of power and definition.”   

As a gay Jewish man who is black, Twitty has dealt with his share of identity gatekeepers. During his talk, he described a situation where a publisher would not publish his book The Cooking Gene because they wanted him to highlight his Black identity while downplaying his Jewish identity, saying that this would make him more palatable for a large audience.

“We don’t need gatekeepers to tell us…that we exist. You just need to assert your existence and not let someone else define it,” he said as audience members snapped their fingers in agreement.

Those gatekeepers were in the audience at last year’s James Beard Awards when Twitty won not one, but two awards for his book.

His interest in the power of food began as he began to explore histories, whether they were his own or those of his 7th grade Hebrew school students. Through DNA tests, he was able to reconnect with his African roots, and as a 7th grade Hebrew school teacher, he guided students while they discovered their own roots and family history. According to Twitty, these histories and identities are “express[ed] through how we eat,” and can tell people more about their own histories.

“[Food] is a way to teach people about who we are, where we come from, what we have in common, [and] what we need to resolve,” he explained.  

As Nicole J. Johnson, Assistant Dean of Students for Race, Equity, and Identity, said as she introduced Twitty, being Black and Jewish may seem like “a combination that many folks can’t wrap their heads around.” However, for Twitty, they are directly related, not only because he and many others hold both of those identities, but because of the similar and shared aspects of their histories. He referenced the painting “The King’s Fountain,” which depicts African and Jewish people living side by side in 16th-century Lisbon, interacting with each other daily, and undoubtedly eating each other’s food.

“We’ve been around for a really long time,” he said.

Ironically, the event (which took place on April 17, after being rescheduled from an earlier date in February because of inclement weather) took place days before Passover, Twitty’s favorite holiday. As he named foods that he makes during the holiday, the audience let out a series of “mmm”s. It wasn’t hard to see why; it’s hard to resist treats like matzo dough fried chicken, sweet matzo brei with peaches, and brisket with bell pepper, tomato, ginger, and spices.

With all that talk about food, it only seemed fair that Twitty would let the audience taste one of his favorite recipes: a filling and healthy black eyed pea hummus. The dish, he said, was symbolic; within the Jewish tradition, the black eyed pea symbolizes more good deeds, which will in turn bring more blessings, and in the African-American tradition, it is associated with good luck and change. The dish was also political, he said. On his blog, he says that food is inherently political, as “[i]t is a proving ground for racial reconciliation and healing and dialogue.”

At first, Twitty asked for four volunteers from the audience to help him mix together lemons, various herbs and spices, garlic (his favorite part of the recipe), hot sauce, and two cans of black eyed peas. As time went on, more and more audience members floated on and off the stage, helping slice, mix, and taste the hummus.

And how many Goucher community members does it take to start a food processor? Apparently, quite a few. After several minutes of food processor technical difficulties, Twitty decided to improvise, instructing students to blend ingredients by hand. Luckily, Twitty said the simple recipe was “very forgiving” (a staff member was eventually able to start the food processor; “a Passover miracle,” according to one student on stage).

It was also well worth the wait. Students and staff members passed around samples of the hummus when it was finished. It was slightly chunky and perfectly seasoned, served with carrots and pita chips, and absolutely perfect for any occasion.

“I feel very comfortable here,” Twitty said towards the end of his lecture, and it was obvious throughout. He reciprocated the energy he was getting from the audience, making eye contact with those who were nodding along and speaking directly and excitedly to those who shared his experiences. He connected with everyone in audience, pulling them in with effortless humor, easy vulnerability, and of course, delicious descriptions of his favorite foods.

And if the black eyed pea hummus was any indication, those foods may become others’ favorites, too.

This Week in 1980

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Miami Race Riots, Aug. 8, 1968. Picture Credit: Associated Press

Goucher News:

  • On April 28th, 1980, Goucher maintenance workers – which include maids, switchboard operators, groundskeepers, and post office personnel – go on strike for the first time in the institution’s history. Picketing the Goucher front gates, they demand a pay increase of $1.00 per hour or an increase of 87.5 cents and a prescription drug plan. Goucher maintains an offer of 75 cents per hour. A strike representative, Margaret Singleton, described how she needed to support herself and her three children on a $3.73 hourly wage. In May 1st edition of the Quindecim, Singleton stated: “I’ve given Goucher almost 12 years of what I call dedicated service…and they are telling me that I can’t have the 25 cents more that I need.”
  • It was reported in the May 1st edition of the Quindecim, that a new Health Center Advisory Board was created to oversee the operation and effectiveness of the Goucher Student Health Center. In addition, it was reported that a new sick bay was constructed in Bacon Hall for sick students to stay overnight away from others.

 

World News:

  • Siege of Iranian Embassy in UK ends as Special Air Service operatives and police storm the building (May 5th)
  • World Health Organization announces eradication of smallpox (May 8th)
  • Horror film “Friday the 13th ” is released (May 9th)
  • Race riot brakes out in Miami, Florida following the acquittal of four white police officers in the wrongful death of black salesman Arthur McDuffie. The riot ends with 18 dead and 300 injured (May 18th)

Phone Free Day Reflection

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Phone free day founder Reilly Musgrave, ‘20, unknowingly shakes hands with disgraced shirt-winner Cameron Stewart. Photo Credit: Dylan Margolis, ’19.

This year’s celebration of Phone Free Day had the largest turnout in all of Goucher’s history! A documented thirty-nine people wore stickers pledging their support that proclaimed them “phoneless” – a whopping 2.5% of students! While not everyone sported a sticker, it was clear that everyone on campus could feel a certain phoneless aura in the air that day.

No one felt that phoneless aura more so than the select few that vowed not to use their phone for the entire day. Only the bravest and most tactful dared embark on this journey from dawn to dusk without the warm embrace of a phone, and this measure did not go unrewarded; those few were allowed to put their name into a drawing to win a hand-embroidered shirt made by none other than Goucher’s Eliza Owen-Smith, ‘20.

During what seemed like a normal rambunctious Mary Fisher dinner, a hush fell over the crowd of attendees in anticipation of the announcement of the shirt-winner’s name. I had no idea that the next moments would go down in infamy. The hat chose Cameron Stewart, ‘19. The crowd erupted, as they thought they should. It was “the best day of his life,” according to Stewart, but others didn’t feel that same sense of elation, especially Sinaia Campora, ‘21 (also a registered entrant in the contest).

Campora, who herself went completely phone free for the entire day, alleged that Stewart had in fact used his cell phone on April 2nd. These allegations were not denied by Stewart, who insisted that he “used his phone less,” pointing to the sticker.

Phone Free Day staff members do not condone loopholes of any kind, so judicial action must be taken. While the shirt cannot be revoked and the picture cannot be un-taken, the title can be moved. So here, forever in print, Sinaia is named the phone freest of 2019. May next year’s celebration be a more just one.

BY REILLY MUSGRAVE

Correction:

April 22nd, 2019.

Minor grammatical edits were made.

This Week in…1981

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Staff listing in a 1981 issue of the Goucher Weekly, now known as The Quindecim. Picture Source: Goucher College Digital Library

Goucher College News:

  • Goucher receives a $1.25 million grant from the State of Maryland to renovate Van Meter Hall and Hoffberger Science Building. The receival of the grant capped several months of intense lobbying from Goucher President Rhoda Dorsey in the Maryland State Assembly. The total estimated cost of the renovation was $2.5 million with the state grant being matched by Goucher’s internal fundraising campaign. Money was also granted to Johns Hopkins University and the Capital Institute of Technology (renamed in 2014 as the Capital Technology University).
  • An Oral History Seminar is announced by Goucher. The project, known as “Generation to Generation: The Living Legacy of Older Persons,” attracted 16 Goucher students to participate in interviewing local elderly residents about their lives, experiences, and attitudes. The seminar concludes months of interviews and displayed the records to the public in various locations around Baltimore.

World News:

  • The song“Call Me” by Blondie tops the Hot 100 Billboard Songs from March 22 to April 12 in the US.
  • Zimbabwe gains independence from Great Britain on April 18; Robert Mugabe becomes Prime Minister of the newly-formed country. He goes on to rule Zimbabwe for 37 years before stepping down in 2017 as President.
  • The Iranian Embassy Siege begins on April 30 with six Arab terrorists seizing control of the Iranian Embassy in the UK and taking 26 hostages. The siege ends after six days, on May 5, with the recapture of the embassy by British Special Forces. The siege is viewed as an early premonition of the Iran-Iraq War that would break out later in the year.

To discover more Goucher history, visit the Goucher College Digital Library.

Correction:

April 22nd, 2019.

A picture was added to the article and a link to the Goucher College Digital Library included.

 

This Week in….1980

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Goucher College News
 Internationally acclaimed West Indian novelist and essayist George Lamming came to speak at Goucher College. An author whose works tackle issues of colonialism and imperialism in the Caribbean, Lamming gave a lecture and reading on “Politics and Fiction in Third World Literature in the Alumnae House. (Wednesday, April 9, 1980 at 8 p.m.)
 Distinguished pianist Peter Serkin performed in the Kraushaar Auditorium. His performed works included Bach’s “Prelude in G Major, BMV 920” Stravinsky’s “Sonate (1924),” Takemitsu’s “Les yeux clos (1979),” Chopin’s “Polonaise-Fantasy, Op. 61,” and Beethoven’s “33 variations on a Waltz of A. Diabelli, Op. 120.” (Sunday, April 13, 1980 at 8:30 p.m.)

World News
 On April 10 th , At the height of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, President Jimmy Carter
authorizes Operation “Eagle Claw” to rescue US hostages at the American Embassy in
Tehran, Iran. The ensuing rescue attempt (April 24 th ) resulted in disaster when a desert
sandstorm and faulty machinery caused a collision between a helicopter and a supporting aircraft. Eight US servicemen and one Iranian civilian were killed in the operation and President Carter was widely blamed for accident, likely resulting in his loss in the 1980 US Presidential Election.

Top Ten “Overheard at Goucher” Tweets

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Photo Credit: @overheardatgoucher on Twitter

The Twitter feed “Overheard at Goucher,” with almost 300 followers, posts cryptic messages of words overheard on campus. Accepting submissions, the anonymous student who runs this Twitter page updates fairly recently and has been active since November of 2017. The student, who prefers to keep their identity to themselves, stated to the Q, “Yeah I just think Goucher kids are really funny especially when you take snippets of a conversation out of context!!” So here are my favorite ten #overheardatgoucher tweets from over the years.

  1. “Consent is important whether we are sharing grapes or sharing tongues” – 27 November 2018
  2. “I’m still not clear what a gopher is” – 27 November 2018
  3. “I thought about being a sexy fox for Halloween, but I don’t want people thinking I’m a furry” – 31 October 2018
  4. “I’ve never seen a lightning bug in real life, only on Camp Rock” – 4 October 2018
  5. “I actually really like the presidential alert it felt like I was in a big group message with the whole country” – 4 October 2018
  6. “I’m a hoe for memory foam – 4 October 2018
  7. “Cleaning my diva cup in the Jeffrey bathroom was probably the most stressful part of my weekend” – 3 October 2018
  8. “It could’ve been a rom com but it was Jeffery Dahmer” – 20 September 2018
  9. “…and now he’s got a whole new scrotum” – 31 August 2018
  10. “I’m gonna need you to take an entire stadium worth of seats” – 15 May 2018

Honorable Mentions:

“All we do is Juul and Ju Ju on that beat” – 25 August 2018

“Knees are just leg knuckles” – 26 January 2018

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