Lorde’s “Royals”: Racist or a stance on classism?

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFasFq4GJYM’]

The current number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 belongs to 16 year-old alternative artist Lorde who hails from New Zealand. Her song, “Royals,” can be heard on pretty much every top 40-radio station every hour on the hour. There has been some recent controversy about this song as some people are suggesting that it’s racist.

Veronica Bayetti Flores, of Feministing.org said, “While I love a good critique of wealth accumulation and inequity, this song is not one; in fact, it is deeply racist. Because we all know who she’s thinking when we’re talking gold teeth, Cristal and Maybachs. So why s**t on black folks? Why s**t on rappers? Why aren’t we critiquing wealth by taking hits at golf or polo or Central Park East? Why not take to task the bankers and old-money folks who actually have a hand in perpetuating and increasing wealth inequality? I’m gonna take a guess: racism.”

Complex Magazine writer Foster Kamer said that “Royals” is not racist but actually a stand against classism. I agree with this sentiment instead of the former. The specific lines that are in question are:

But every song’s like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin’ in the bathroom/
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room
/We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams/
But everybody’s like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
/We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair

Lorde is saying that most of the songs on the radio talk about having lots of money, drinking expensive alcohol and driving expensive cars; most people listening to these songs don’t have any of that. People still listen to these songs because they like them, but they can’t relate to the artist’s lifestyle. “Royals” on the other hand says just this. Lorde is also saying that the middle class most likely won’t be up to this status and that’s OK.

Although Flores is trying to take a stand against racism she is actually coming off as racist herself. When society talks about gold teeth and flashy jewelry, why does it automatically have to be associated with black people? Black people are not the only race who purchase those sorts of things.  Other races purchase these luxuries and love them just as much as black people do.

Flores is stereotyping black people while trying to make a point against racism.

Lorde has made a song that can be classified as the unofficial 2013 anthem of the middle class. She isn’t trying to offend anyone of any race; she’s just trying to make good music. She’s singing about the images that she’s exposed to on a daily basis and how she feels about them. Lorde is putting the wealth gap between music artists and their fans on display, and I applaud her for it.

Online dating the safe way

When I was a kid, I always wanted to have a family with kids and a great guy that loved me. I wanted to have a relationship like my parents who are now going on 28 years together, however, finding a boy wasn’t easy for me. I found my very first boyfriend my freshman year of high school at a cemetery, and we were together for over five years before we broke up.

It’s been a year since our breakup, and I really wanted to get back into the dating scene, but being at an all girls’ college doesn’t really help. So, I looked at my options and decided to give online dating a try.

One of my friends suggested www.datehookup.com. I also tried www.meetme.com, www.okcupid.com and www.zoosk.com. I personally liked www.datehookup.com because there are some guys who actually want a relationship. It is also completely free, you can create your own username without giving your real name and you decide what information you want to give out. The other sites have similar qualities, but I had some problems them. I did okay with Meetme, but the people on there were not serious enough for me. With Zoosk.com and Okcupid.com, I didn’t get much conversation. Plus in order to get some features on zoosk.com, you have to pay for a membership.

However, with online dating, there are some risks. You never know who the person truly is. They could be some impersonator, and you never know unless you meet. I never feel comfortable with this, so I set up a system for myself on getting to know the real guy before even meeting. I have 9 simple steps that have helped me along the way.

  1. I never send a message to a person even if they are cute. I will post statuses that fit my style like “I like to ride quads” or “my favorite sport is football.” Whatever you think will get them to message you first, but always stay honest and only post what you are comfortable with.
  2. Guys usually have the girls do most of the talking, but if they don’t contribute to the conversation and make it worth my time then I say goodbye in a polite way.
  3. I am the ultimate investigator. If they have photos of themselves on their profile, I go ahead and look through them and make sure they stay consistent with themselves and in different environments. If they have only one photo, that is fine, but I mark that as a red flag until they send me a different and appropriate picture. I snoop through their profiles as well to see what kind of person they are. That also helps with conversation.
  4. Every person I talk to I put them as friends. I do not have inappropriate conversations or anything I am not comfortable with. Sure I may flirt, but only after we have talked for a couple of days and I feel comfortable with them. I keep most of the conversation friendly, but if the conversation gets uncomfortable or out of hand, I say a polite goodbye.
  5. If they ask for photos of me, I send out photos that I am comfortable with them having. If they ask for my name, I only give my first name and never my last name. Always remember that once it’s on the Internet, it’s on there for good.
  6. If the conversation continues and is comfortable, and I feel like there is a potential, I will give them my KIK name so we can talk more. KIK is a messaging app for smartphones that allows you to text without giving out your phone number. I never give my phone number out until we meet.
  7. I will ask for different photos of them that are appropriate and it’s very important that they send a photo of them in a different environment.
  8. Before we even meet, I ask if they have Skype. If they do, I like to set up a Skype date first. This is the best opportunity to actually see who they really are before meeting face to face. If they don’t, then I can do a polite goodbye if I don’t feel comfortable. But if I do feel comfortable with them and I feel confident of who they are, then I’ll accept their offer to meet.
  9. When the meeting occurs, always choose a public place with lots of people. I also carry pepper spray just in case. My biggest thing about online dating is comfort. If I am not comfortable with something, then I won’t do it and find a way out of it. It’s important to stay honest and keep in mind that whatever you put on the Internet, it will stay on there forever.

Record number of exchange students at Chatham

Chatham is currently hosting 180 students from 31 countries, including two countries that partnered with Chatham for the first time, Finland and Laos. “International students help create a diverse and stimulating community at Chatham,” study abroad coordinator Karin Chipman said. “This fall, we welcomed about 60 new international students.”

International Student Services Coordinator Vivian Yamoah said this year has seen the largest number of international students, which has steadily grown in the last few years, both at Chatham and across the country. It is hard to know exactly why the sudden increase in exchange students and English Learning Program students, but it might have to do with Chatham’s recent offering of additional levels within the English Learning Program.

Midori Hasegawa, a Japanese Gateway student who settled in Pittsburgh, picked Chatham for its small size and central location. Communications student Karina Menezes commented about the size as well, comparing Chatham’s 2,000 undergraduate students to her university in Brazil with over 30,000 students.

“Chatham has science labs, good teachers, a dark room for photography class to develop film, great computers – and Brazil has old computers and not all the [software] programs we need,” Menezes said. In comparing Chatham to the University of Para in Brazil, she said even though students do not pay tuition, they pay out of pocket for amenities not covered by the university. Menezes appreciated that the cost of education at Chatham includes other campus services.

Gateway student Midori Hasegawa, a widow, lost her parents, but has plans to return to her native country, Japan. She had observed that many of her teachers in Japan would push their views on students. Hasegawa feels that many Japanese children do not know how to think critically, but she wants to help by changing the Japanese education structure.

Back in Cambodia, Chorlida Leng volunteered in schools and small villages to educate Cambodian citizens about human rights. A Cambodian student majoring in political science as part of a pre-law program, Leng expressed interest in Chatham’s volunteer opportunities such as “growing trees and cleaning schools.”

How easy is it to make new friends? “I made new friends here, mostly because the school is small,” Hasegawa said. She added that Chatham’s size makes it easier to communicate with teachers as well as fellow students. “Classmates are very helpful especially [with preparing] for tests,” she said. “[My American friend] helps me in statistics. Sometimes I tell her ‘last week’s test score was not so good.’ And she tells me, ‘Midori, it’s ok!’”

Leng found it difficult to make friends at first. When class ended, students left right away and Leng didn’t get a chance to strike up conversations until a few weeks into the semester. She has since made friends, and Leng enjoys getting together with them.

For Hasegawa, the most meaningful connection she made at Chatham was with the director of undergraduate admissions, Mary Scott. Scott left Chatham for a position at another university, but Hasegawa said that while at Chatham, Scott treated every email she sent with equal importance. Although she does not work at Chatham anymore, Hasegawa expressed gratitude for the sensitivity Scott showed and time spared in helping her get acclimated to school.

Some of the students discussed being homesick. Menezes said she was homesick for the first three months of her stay in Pittsburgh. “There is a river in Brazil outside my university and the rivers in Pittsburgh remind me of it. It’s comforting and familiar, when I got homesick I used to go downtown and walk near the rivers.”

Nao Miyoshi, a Japanese exchange student in the English Learning Program (ELP) at Chatham, said she misses Japanese food. She decided to make udon, Japanese noodles, for her Japanese and Korean friends. Leng said she skypes with her family every week.

The language barrier can be a problem. Leng mentioned that it’s hard to keep up with the pace of learning with an unfamiliar language. Menezes tries to avoid talking in Portuguese while studying abroad. “I really want the opportunity to improve my English. I feel better not talking Portuguese because I have the rest of my life to speak my own language.”

The Office of International Affairs helps international students settle in at Chatham. “They took us to bank and showed us around and they hold workshops for us.” Leng said Vivian Yamoah helped her get a cell phone, arrange a bank account, schedule classes, and adapt to life at Chatham.

Yamoah advises Menezes as well. “When I have problems or need to talk to someone I just contact her. She’s understanding, helpful,” Menezes said. The Office of International Affairs provided her with everything she needed even when she interned in Pittsburgh this past summer.

Chipman and Yamoah split advising responsibilities based on the type of program that students use. Yamoah advises government-sponsored exchange students, while Chipman advises students who arrive through the study abroad system, and Linh Phung, the ELP coordinator, advises exchange students who study English.

The Office of International Affairs provides opportunities to help students acclimate through programs such as a comprehensive orientation, workshops, and targeted activities. “The Office of International Affairs is here to support our international students by providing information, services and activities, ranging from English language tutoring to the Global Mixer,” said Chipman.

Miyoshi enjoyed the Global Mixer. “I made a lot of friends there,” she said. “I don’t have many opportunities back in Japan to interact or meet other students from different countries.”

“I think that Chatham tries to make a connection among students with all the different events they offer: outdoor activities, meetings,” Menezes said. “In Brazil the universities don’t support student activities, students have to make their own.”

New clubs on campus: General Geekery Club and Chess Club

Watching a favorite series doesn’t always mean staring at the computer screen in a dark room, on the bed next to your pet. Experiencing it with a group makes it more entertaining, especially when Chatham’s General Geekery Club is hosting it. The General Geekery Club is a new club that was founded by Liz Van Fleet, a second year graduate student in the counseling psychology program.

The General Geekery Club is mostly an anime club. Fleet said that though the club is mainly for watching anime, suggestions for video games, comics, series and movies are always welcome. Fleet started the club when she realized that Chatham lacks such clubs that can host fun things for students to watch.

“It’s still kind of getting off the ground. I see after this semester and after spreading the word out [that] we will be more organized and set up and ready to do more with the club,” Fleet said.

The General Geekery Club is also hosting the Chess Club. Neither club is official yet, but Dr. Vadas Gintautas said he expects them to become official once there is a critical mass. Dr. Gintautas, assistant professor of physics at Chatham, has also taken the initiative to open a club for Chatham’s students, this time a chess club. Dr. Gintautas used to play chess a long time ago and thought it would be nice having a presence of chess on campus.

Since the chess club is still growing like the General Geekery club, Dr. Gintautas and Fleet weighed consolidating the two together as a start, so they can get more people interested.

Dr. Gintautas is working on getting students’ attention for chess club, and that’s why chess boards can be seen at the JKM library right by the exit, as well as in Buhl Hall. “In the beginning of the semester we tried to have meetings where people could come and play, but it was not very well-attended because it’s difficult to find a time that works for everybody,”  Dr. Gintautas said. “We had a handful of people who were interested, but you do need a critical mass.”

Dr. Gintautas said that the goal is to sustain a small group of people that will play actively and go to tournaments. He said it’s interest is building slowly in chess and realistically, it’s a tough thing to take on.

Dr. Gintautas has also created a “chess ladder,” an online competition that can be found on moodle. Students can challenge somebody who’s up to two places above them. If they lose, nothing happens, but if they win, they switch places. Anyone who is interested in joining can email Dr. Gintautas or  Fleet.

The General Geekery Club and the chess club meet every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Beckwith located in Buhl Hall. This period is for watching anime and Korean dramas and everyone is invited.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story stated the Chess Club was not yet official. The General Geekery Club is also not yet official. Also, the article stated that Vadas Gintautas was a professor of photography and physics. He is the assistant professor of physics, but also teaches photography.

Foodie on the Half Shell: Happy birthday! Here’s some Shiro Wot.

By: Olivia Beals

On a Monday night on Baum Boulevard, the streets are quiet. Not much is going on, and maybe you’re hungry but not sure what to do about the issue. Well, look over to that blue and silver sign. Tana, it reads. The windows are glowing with a welcoming light and red spots of empty napkins are sitting atop the many tables inside. What does it all mean? I was wondering the same thing this week as I was guided blindly into the building.

My birthday was last weekend, and I enjoy special treatment and attention maybe more than the average soul. I love surprises and acts of kindness. My boyfriend was in charge of the day’s festivities, and I will tell you—that man can deliver. He knows my love for adventurous food, and he knows that it is such a big part of my life. I knew he had a special surprise for our dinner plans, and I was so excited when I discovered we had arrived at an Ethiopian restaurant. Some of the most interesting and spice filled goodies I have ever eaten! I knew as soon as I walked in, good or bad, I must write about my experience.

The restaurant is clean and quiet. I was concerned that we would be the only ones in the entire restaurant, but I was pleased to see three other couples dining out. If you have any kind of business on a Monday night, especially with international cuisine, then you’re probably in the green. The menu is small, but straight-forward.

They have an array of appetizers and lentil soups that looked extremely tasty, and they also have entrees and sample meals. I went for the sample meal. You can pick five of the entrees, vegetarian, or meat, and it will all come out on top of this fantastic spongy flat bread. The idea is to eat with your hands by scooping up the different sauces and lentils with the bread. As I said, the bread is nice and spongy, so that it does not get soggy with all of the juices of the wat (stew).

We ordered off of the vegetarian menu and ate some lentils, peas, collard greens, and ground chickpeas. We were a fan of almost all of them. My favorite was the Ye ater Kik Alicha, which was a mix of split peas and onion. It was so fragrant and soft. My boyfriend’s favorite was Shiro Wot, which was a stew of ground chick peas and spices.

They leave their spices a little vague, so I have been looking for answers to what they are. Mostly I have only found chili pepper and ginger. I know there is more to it, though. The taste is so complex and special. None of their dishes taste similar, so you have a nice diversity of tastes in front of you. To top it all off, this menu is so healthy. It has your veggies, protein, and meats. It’s so low in fat and just so wholesome. You really can’t go wrong when it comes to their entrees.

I recommend Tana to anyone for lunch or dinner. The service is nice, and they always keep your drinks full. They also have a liquor license with a full bar. I was really impressed with their stock. Come ready to dig in with your hands (no acrylics allowed), and to get a mouthful of zingy spices. International food is fun and broadens your taste. It also can lead you into new ideas for healthier and exciting cooking. Check it out! I can guarantee a great meal and an experience we all should take a bite of.

Representative Brian Sims speaks at Chatham

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

Harvey Milk said, “coming out is the most political thing you can do.” In honor of LGBT history month, Chatham University is celebrating those who came out before there was “Glee” and “The Ellen Degeneres Show” and accomplished great things. One of the many accomplished Queer people that Chatham had the privilege of hearing speak was Pennsylvania State Representative Brian Sims.

Cheering at the mention of LGBT history month and telling anecdotes anywhere from his being recruited to play football as an (in his own words) overweight teenager to leading the Philadelphia pride parade in a tiara, 35-year-old Brian Sims gave those who filled up Eddy Theatre to hear him speak a candid and unapologetic look as his life, his beliefs and ultimately his decision to run for office.

When the head of the Pennsylvania Center of Women in Politics Dana Brown Introduced Representative Sims, she noted that LGBT rights and women’s rights are linked. This statement took on a particular significance when the representative took the stage.

When the openly gay, self-proclaimed sparkly liberal from Philadelphia took the stage he jokingly said, “When your mother is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, you’re going to be a feminist whether you like it or not.”

Rep. Sims started studying for the bar exam at age of 15. He is a feminist who has always taken a very strong stance on women’s rights. In fact, he admits that before he chose to run for office, he had plans to spend his life working as a women’s rights attorney.  Notably last spring, Rep. Sims gave an impassioned speech against a bill that would have banned private insurance companies from covering abortions.

When asked why he, as Cisgender man, is fighting so hard for women’s access to legal, safe abortions, Rep. Sims simply said, “As a free citizen I have a constitutional right to get an abortion and if the person standing next to me is having their rights infringed upon, that affects me.”

There are some who may wonder, of all the directions his life could have gone, how Brian Sims became State Rep. Sims. Why does an army brat turned attorney throw his hat in the messy ring that is politics instead of joining a law firm? For Rep. Sims the answer is simple. He felt the job being done could be done better. And in spite of his position the Rep. does not consider himself a politician at all saying, “I’m not in politics, I am a civil rights advocate.”

Rep. Sims acknowledges the power of being an ally believing that, “In the fight for equality we all must stand together.” Pennsylvania can be a particularly hard state to fight for equality in. When it comes to rights for Queer people, the Keystone State offers very few.

Hate crime legislation was struck down on a technicality in 2008. There are no statewide laws against firing a person based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and the current Republican governor, Tom Corbett, is currently defending Pennsylvania’s version of DOMA. In spite of all that, Rep. Sims is optimistic and co-sponsoring a new bill that will extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in Pennsylvania.

Rep. Sims is certain that in spite the opposition of some that marriage equality will become the law of land and feels that there is hope for the more conservative members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. After being banned from speaking on the house floor in the aftermath of the Defense of Marriage Act being ruled unconstitutional on the charge of “violating God’s law,” Rep. Sims spoke of his conservative colleagues that expressed their support.

Although the representative feels that electing openly LGBT people will improve civil rights for everyone, LGBT rights are not the only thing Rep. Sims is passionate about. In addition to women’s reproductive rights and LGBT rights, Rep. Sims has taken a very strong stance of investing in education and is opposed to the $1 billion cuts made to education funding. Sims believes that every dollar put into education is money that won’t have to be used in building more prisons and that education is one of the few things that can help to eliminate inequalities.

When asked if the voters of Pennsylvania could ever expect a run for governor in his future, Rep. Sims quickly answered no. He said he would not subject himself or those who are close to him to a candidacy for Governor, however he is in favor of a progressive woman governor.

For the time being there is still much that needs to be done to improve the state of Pennsylvania and the country as a whole, and Brian Sims will continue his work as a civil rights advocate in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Ultimately Sims feels as he said to the crowd in Eddy Theatre, “The only way we’re going to get things done is if we realize we’re all in this together.”

Chatham databases running normally after government reopens

By: Kayla Copes

On Oct. 1, the United States government was shut down because a spending bill to fund the government wasn’t passed on time. While House Republicans insisted on a spending bill that included provisions to defund or derail Obamacare, Senate Democrats refused to accept a bill with those provisions.

President Obama signed a deal that reopened the government early October 17. According to Time Magazine, “The Senate voted 81-18 in favor of the measure, while the House voted 285-144 in favor.” The government has since reopened and things are getting back to normal up on Capitol Hill.  The government shutdown had an impact on a lot of people, from government workers to park rangers; even the panda cam at the National Zoo was a victim of the shutdown. The shutdown had a trickle down effect to Chatham University.

During the shutdown, some of the Jennie King Mellon Library’s databases that Chatham students use could not be accessed. According to an e-mail sent out by Library Director Jill Ausel, the databases that were affected were Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) and Medline.

Education majors primarily use ERIC.  Reference and Web Librarian Dana Mastroianni described ERIC as a government source. “Students could still search it but they couldn’t get any full text articles.” Mastroianni said.

Medline, according to the library’s website, is developed and maintained by the National Library of Medicine. The database covers all areas of medicine. Mastoianni said that with Medline students could still search the site, but that new content was not being updated daily during the shutdown.

Since full-text articles on ERIC couldn’t be accessed during the shutdown senior Rebecca Burris, an education major couldn’t work on her tutorial. Since she couldn’t access full articles, she had difficulty using the articles that she had previously selected for her tutorial. Worried that she wouldn’t be able to finish her tutorial in time, Burris began trying to petition for a tutorial extension just in case.

While some of the databases at Chatham had certain parts of their sites that were down, other sites were completely shut down. Those sites include NASA, National Park Service, and anything dealing with census information. “The big one that’s shocking to us was the Library of Congress, because there was a lot of digital initiatives that people used that weren’t accessible.” Mastroianni also mentioned the American Memory Project that she said that a lot of people use for history.

“There was a graduate student I was helping who was a landscape architecture major and she was looking for resources. She was looking for information on cultural landscapes. I told her that the National Park Service would be a good resource, but it wasn’t available,” Mastroianni said when asked if she had any encounters with students having issues with access to information during the shutdown.

Reference Librarian Kate Wenger also had an encounter with a student having issues during the shutdown. “I know I did warn one student who was working on an education research assignment that she might encounter trouble accessing full text in ERIC. I suggested she use Academic Search Premier as well, if she didn’t find enough articles.”

Although the government shutdown didn’t last long it sure had its effects on the Chatham community, but now students can fully access the databases that were affected.