Campus Conversation

Saturday night was characterized by unseasonably warm weather, drinks that ran out before 10:30 and one helluva drunken fight. Or so some believe.

There might have been anywhere from two to five fights, actually. It’s hard for witnesses to piece details together because Stone’s annual “Endless Summer” party seemed to leave all participants completely intoxicated, as Heidi Alexander ’03 can attest.

“I was standing right there next to the fight, but I don’t remember what happened,” she said.

It is safe to say, however, that the brouhaha took place sometime post-TAP outside of Davis. A few words and a small push escalated into an all-out brawl, aided mainly by the chemical reaction of alcohol and testosterone that makes for wasted idiots.

Nonetheless, the fight ended almost as quickly as it started, though rumor has it that some injuries were sustained.

John Frechette ’02, one of the RCs for Stone, commented on the excitement of the party and the ensuing brawls: “It was a nice change from our usual quiet lifestyle here at Stone,” he said. “But now we’re ready to buckle down and concentrate on our studies again.”

To The Moon

The full moon shone down on a group of around 50 people gathered on a mountaintop in celebration of the clear night’s lunar rays. No, it was not a pagan ritual. And although there were story-telling and snacks, it wasn’t summer camp either-not when the munchies were Chinese mooncakes instead of s’mores. Rather, the event was Friday night’s Full Moon Hike, sponsored by the Outing Club and the Asian Student Association.

“It was kind of scary at first because we were climbing up the mountainside in the dark,” said Gloria Yi ’04. “But when we got to the top, the view was awesome.”

Other participants also raved about the mountaintop vista. “It was extraordinarily beautiful,” said Lara Neel ’01. “There weren’t any other lights except for the moon, and there were all the shadows thrown by the moon.”

The storytelling portion of the night added to what Neel called “the surreal quality” of the experience. “There were over 50 people there and only three people in the middle reading,” she said. “They had kind of quiet voices, but it didn’t really matter because everyone was just quiet and concentrated. I kind of wish people would be like that in class.”

Othello, Indian-Style

Shakespeare without words may seem an anomaly, but to Arjun Raina, student and performer of Kathakali dance, it is a natural interpretation.

Kathakali is defined as dance drama; it uses hand and facial gestures to convey meaning. In his performance at Amherst on Friday night, Raina used Kathakali to convey the meaning of Shakespeare’s “Othello.”

Rob O’Hare ’01 described the performance as “interactive with the audience.” Raina read speeches from the play, then gestured as he spoke them and finally only gestured accompanied by recordings of the speeches played.

Kevin Riordan ’01 said that Raina allowed the students to “appreciate [the performance] on an aesthetic level” before he explained the sentiments behind his actions. “He had the right idea about our level of comprehension,” he said.

Raina’s performance transcended dancing and carried over to a unique version of acting. “He had two people he would do,” explained O’Hare. “P’lai had a very heavy Indian accent, and he would joke around. Peter was the guy who would do Shakespeare in a very pristine English accent.”

The theme of the complementary sides of Indian dance and English language manifested itself throughout the performance. “One can do things the other can’t,” said O’Hare.

Riordan agreed: “Using Shakespeare as a point of entrance, a way in, was really successful.”