How the Garden Grows

Emily Sawaked ‘24

Students lounge and study on the lawn in front of the Barbara Walters Campus Center

Photo courtesy of Dana Maxson

The midmorning sun warmed the students’ skin as they lay on the grass, eyes closed, arms outstretched, lips curved into smiles. A little across the way, a landscaper worked in the garden, perspiration gathering on his forehead. It was the perfect day –– a more than adequate facade for the poison running deep through the roots of this campus.

Herbicide Free Campus, or HFC, a student-led organization, has been fighting for an alternative method to herbicides since their founding in March. Spearheaded by Leia Pfeffer ’23 and Kate Sabiston ’23, the group has been working as a subset of Green Rights Organization for the World, or GROW, to advocate for better climate education and sustainability on campus.

Though the new semester has been strenuous due to the pandemic preventing HFC members from being on campus to rally students and active participants , that has not stopped them or their movement toward a campus free from toxic herbicides.

“We actually had our first team meeting which was amazing because it produced so many different ideas,” Sabiston said. One such idea is an event on  Oct 29, in partnership with several other organizations on campus, as well as the Black Institute, a Black-led policy and organizing institution dedicated to aiding the local community and Black and immigrant families.

Like many other organizations at Sarah Lawrence adapting to new pandemic norms, HFC has had to take to the Internet to connect with peers. Virtual education has played a vital role in their movement, and their message for students who are concerned is clear: There is no cause for students to be overly concerned for their own health and safety with the use of herbicides on the lawn.

“You’re probably going to be okay,” Pfeffer assured.  “To our groundskeepers’ credit, they spray when students aren’t here. Students should be safe on the lawn.”

The threat of herbicides, however, lies in its dangers to the groundskeepers themselves and to the natural environment. According to Assistant Vice President of Facilities, Mo Gallagher, FLORA, the landscaping company contracted with the school, uses three main chemscaping technologies: Dimension, Speedzone, and glyphosate. Glyphosate in particular contributes to and affects hormone-dependent breast cancer and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that starts in the circulatory and immune systems. Dimension has also been known to damage organs  and can be connected to risk for cancer, as reported by TurfCare’s Safety Data Sheet. 

Gallagher explained that Dimension and Speedzone are only used on the lawn once, the day after Thanksgiving, while the more noxious chemical, glyphosate, is applied to the pavement twice a year in the summertime, amounting to 30 ounces total per year. 

Gallagher also said that the groundskeepers use proper personal protective equipment while working, though Ani Adishian, the founder of FLORA, declined to comment.

Students themselves rarely come in contact with the products directly. But while the amounts of chemicals used may not be an issue, the long term effects of the repeated use are concerning.

Herbicides,which  kill off weeds at the root, soak into the soil. They also kill bacteria, fungus and macroinvertebrates, organisms lacking a spine visible to the naked eye, which suppresses plants’ ability to grow and take in nutrients. 

In addition to the harmful attacks of the plants themselves, poisoning the soil endangers insects , according to Managing Director of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Anne Jaffe Holmes. 

“When you poison insects and soil, you poison everything up the chain,” Holmes explained. “That's why we’re seeing a dramatic decline in the population of birds and insects, and cats too, wild cats and strays.” 

Though the problem of herbicides does not solely rest in Sarah Lawrence’s hands, the sheer size of the campus in comparison to the surrounding properties is striking. . Even though the college being small relative to other colleges and universities, its 42 acres far exceeds the 0.3 acres of an average Bronxville house. Furthermore, rainfall creates runoff with these hazardous chemicals.

“Herbicides and pesticides,especially in small bodies of water, will create algae blooms, which then will cause die offs [in aquatic life] because of the amount of phosphorus in them,” said Lukas Gates ’24, a first-year passionate about environmental sustainability. 

Because Sarah Lawrence College and the municipalities of Yonkers and Bronxville are on a hill, runoff courses down either side, affecting the local water systems, and, in the long run, the two larger bodies of water near the school — the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, as Gates stated. 

“We have to stop poisoning nature because we’re poisoning ourselves and our children,” said Holmes. “We’re trading our future survival for present convenience and aesthetic.” 

There is, though, a population far more at risk. Environmental racism, which increases the likelihood of racial minorities  to live in and be affected by pollution, is a prevalent issue in America. It is particularly prevalent in more urban areas where the majority of citizens tend to be lower income and racially diverse, according to the National Conference for Community and Justice, who reported that three out five African-Americans live in communities with uncontrolled toxic waste sites and that, “11.2% of African American children and 4% of Mexican-American children are poisoned by lead, compared with 2.3% of white children.” Sarah Lawrence, between Yonkers and Bronxville, lies between a wealthier neighborhood and lower income households, one of which is more likely to be negatively impacted by the chemicals. This, as Jasmine Joga ’24 puts it, is also a cause for outrage.

“We are directly responsible if they do a study and find out that people are getting sick [from the herbicide polluted water],” Joga said.  “And it worries me because if people don’t have money, don’t have access to healthcare, they are disproportionately being affected by this contamination of the water.”

Pfeffer and Sabiston give a number of ways to organically and safely remove weeds. They suggest steam, hot foam, and flame weeders, which Dr. Joe Neal, a professor in association with NC State Extension, reports effectively kill the weed seedlings, as well as organic substances, which, for some, Sabiston admits, is more of a preemptive measure. Their main solutions are hand weeding and natural biodiversity. 

“We want to plant native plants because that would help soil health,” Sabiston remarked. “By planting native plants that are well adapted to the climate, you would negate the need to spray.” 

As for the hand weeding, the pair have been pushing for a Weeding Day, where students would help groundskeepers do the job. Though there is no word on the day coming into fruition, the HFC team is hopeful. The Facilities and Operations staff, after talking with Pfeffer and Sabiston, is willing to listen. 

“I am open to hearing suggestions. FLORA is constantly reviewing what works best for our campus,” said Gallagher.

At a time that is so uncertain –– and with climate change intensifying at an increasingly distressing rate –– it is of many students’ opinions,  like Gates and Joga, that Sarah Lawrence, along with the rest of the county, must do its part to help the planet. As Holmes points out, appearances mean nothing in the face of survival.

“If the administration has the same ideals and goals as their student body,” Joga said, “I think it’s important for them to approach this in a timely manner.”

For students who are interested, Herbicide Free Campus are on Instagram at @hfcsarahlawrence. The moment to save the planet is now, and every small movement and initiative matters!

Get to Know Joe

If you’re a student-athlete at Sarah Lawrence College, you know Joe. “That man is an icon,” says Bismillah Bath, a sophomore on the basketball team. Members of the Campbell Sports Center faculty have come and gone; new coaches, new directors, new building managers. But, Joe remains. In fact, he’s been here longer than the sports center itself. In 1982 armed with his bachelors from Lehman, his masters from the College of New Rochelle and years of hands-on experience, Joe Ianotti applied for the physical education position at SLC. He describes his interview with former Dean of the College Barbara Kaplan as “laid-back.” She sat with her feet up on a chair, casually smoking a cigarette in her Westlands office. Mr. Ianotti understood athletics were unique at a small liberal arts school, and that year he was hired as a ‘part-time’ employee. Almost forty years later holds this same title, although his responsibilities have varied.

Today, he sits, legs crossed on a couch in the downstairs lounge of the campus sports center. He’s dressed in his customary attire: a gryphon green 1/4 zip sweatshirt, his well-worn SLC duffle bag almost always slung across his left shoulder sits deflated, looking virtually empty by his feet. When asked about the beginning role of SLC athletics, without pause he answered: “there was always this concern about Sarah Lawrence students being too cerebral, not getting out and interacting with each other,” Joe admits, “we weren’t trying to create stellar athletes, we were trying to make them total students.” The focus was on building self-esteem, and encouraging socialization. But, the space within which to do so was limited. The half-court-length room that is now used for faculty dining once functioned as the campus’s sole gymnasium. Here, Joe worked with fellow educators as well as college students, spreading his knowledge on the benefits of exercise. In summer, local elementary teachers came to learn about movement and body awareness by collectively contemplating questions such as, “can you have three points of your body touching the floor? Can you hop backward?”

SLC P.E classes didn’t feature typical ball sports, but instead a variety of simpler games. Mr.Ianotti explains, “we knew we had to do something different, it was low level with a high interest.” Two more factors contribute to making athletics distinctive at Sarah Lawrence, are that most of the student population comes in with negative experiences of phys-ed, and that being so bookish, many are perfectionists. Within the classroom shortcomings are often not visible, but in sports weaknesses are explicitly apparent. Therefore, it was a question of finding one’s comfort level, it was providing consistent reinforcement on Mr.Ianotti’s side, and trying to accept that one cannot be perfect at everything. His early career working with at-risk, emotionally disturbed children at Leake and Watts in Yonkers, and Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, gave him the knowledge of how to mitigate emotionally vulnerable situations. This work requires a special personality, and Joe’s calming presence proves he was in the right profession.

He recollects the joy his young students reaped from gym class, saying matter-of-factly “they just loved to play.” Mr.Ianotti wanted his college student to experience this simple delight, and found city playground games, four-square and red light green light, did the trick. These games permitted participants to enjoy the moment, while making conversation and connections with peers. Both bocce and croquet were beloved units, and the contests took place right on the main lawn of campus. The six-week block concluded with a celebration, Italian food and tea with student’s dressed in all white, traditional croquet attire.

Bowling was another favorite. During ‘bowling season,’ Mr.Ianotti would submit the scores each week to the school newspaper, and in a little blurb dubbed “From the Alleys” the top 3 hurlers were spotlighted. He struck a deal with the owner of the alley, and bought out-of- commission bowling pins to repurpose as awards. Mr.Ianotti recognized the social importance of exercise, and reflected “it’s been a journey, and I’ve got to know a lot of people.”

On September 11th 1998, the Campbell Sports Center opened for business. The 480,000 square foot, $7.5 million building gave the Gryphons a home, and an “extramural” athletic program blossomed. What began as mere games of pick-up transformed into organized play, and games between other non-NCAA schools became more and more frequent. Mr. Ianotti coached the men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and cross-country teams, as well as P.E. His eyes lit up, and he sat up a little straighter when talking about his basketball guys, who he called a “bunch of characters.” Mr. Ianotti laughed to himself, lost in his own reminiscing, and “the important thing is, we talk about the memories, not the wins or loses.” A 2002 New York Times article entitled “College Basketball: Colleges like Sarah Lawrence are Putting Poets in Motion” concludes with a quote from Tommy Yaps, the team captain: “I think the team’s attractive to kids who read Kerouac and Ginsberg, but still have a jump shot” which captures the Gryphon mindset. Joe coached the basketball team from 2000-2007, and each player got the chance to play in every game. He preached hard work, and felt it hypocritical if a player wasn’t given a chance for this work to pay off. In a 2003 SLC article titled “Basketball Team Had a Good Year,” Mr. Ianotti maintains “practice is really where the work is. The game is the reward.” When asked what his coaching motto was there was no hesitation: “we play all, but fear none. We play hard, we play smart, we play together.”

Macombs Dam Park, Bronx New York (1950’s)

Mr. Ianotti grew up in the Bronx playing baseball, basketball, and later football; he developed a love for sports at an early age. The home field was Macombs Park next to Yankee Stadium, and he describes the thrill of scouts watching a baseball game of his in the tenth grade. But, when asked who his all-time favorite athlete was, Joe paused a moment and smiled: “My dad. Other kids dream of meeting their hero, I lived with mine,” his pointed proudly to his chest. His father was a professional boxer, who immigrated from San Prisco, Italy to New Haven at the age of fourteen. ‘Joey Ianotti’ earned the title of Featherweight Champion of Connecticut in 1938. He went the distance with the legendary Willie Pep, and boasted a professional career of 41-17-4 with 26 KO’s. His father was a family man and instilled the importance of “doing the best you can” in everything you do. Even though Mr.Ianotti didn’t fulfill the childhood dream of becoming a pro athlete, he believes teaching/coaching was his calling. Confucius once said, “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,”and it seems Joe did just that.

To this day, he is still an active member of the Campbell Sports Center staff, and works as the game-day administrator for home events. Mr. Ianotti expresses both pride and surprise that athletics have begun to outgrow the Campbell Sports Center, something many argued wouldn’t take root at Sarah Lawrence. Some may contend that the gryphons outgrew Mr.Ianotti, because the coaching staff has seen a shift in their demographics. Someone with no collegiate athletic career would now struggle to obtain a coaching position at SLC, in fact a few coaches played at a whole other level, and had successful careers at division I institutions. This does not seem to be a reflection on Mr.Ianotti, but rather an inevitable response to the changing times, the progress of the program. Even so, Matt Torres, the college’s sports information director, views Joe as an asset, “he brings an abundance of historical context to the department that is invaluable for the future of the school’s fifteen varsity programs.”

He’s respected by both faculty and students, not only for the work he does, but for the support he brings by merely being himself. Kenzie Mindish, a four-year starter on the softball team, says she looks forward to chatting with Mr. Ianotti “he’s always asking us how games went and how the team is looking for the season, I feel like he truly cares about each and every team on this campus.” His impact goes beyond the court. Just as his love for sports goes beyond the play: it is ultimately about the people. His philosophies, his stories, his mentality are things that 5 speak directly to D3 athletics. He cleared his throat once, then twice, a hint of tears in his eyes, and closed the interview, saying: “I just can’t leave here, I wish I could do it all again.”

Karissa McAuley ‘20

Women's History Month Profile: SLC Alum Lesley Gore

Women’s History Month is particularly special for a school like Sarah Lawrence that for the first forty years of its existence was an all-women institution. To celebrate, here’s a quick look at the life of Grammy award nominated singer/songwriter Lesley Gore, class of ‘68.

Have you ever found yourself falling apart in public and feel the urge to sing: “it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to?” If you have, you were quoting one of our SLC alumna. Lesley was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. According to her biography, “You Don’t Own Me” by Trevor Tolliver, Lesley loves music from an early age, eventually enrolling in private schools in New Jersey with excellent music programs and taking private lessons in Manhattan. In 1963 when she was sixteen she was discovered by the famous music producer Quincy Jones. Her single “It’s My Party” charted at number one almost immediately after it was released, hurtling the teen into doo-wop stardom. Her second chart-topper, “You Don’t Own Me,” came out right before she got to college. Though her family was Jewish and working class, the image her producers and the media constructed of the young girl was one of secular wealth and aloofness. Paired with her innate shyness, this image caused Lesley’s peers at school and in show business to give her a cold shoulder.

Like many students before and after her, Lesley found the Sarah Lawrence liberal arts approach appealing and matriculated in 1964. Her first don was Harold Wiener and her second don was Curtis Harnack, both literature professors, and she mostly studied music and theater. Like for many freshmen, her first year was a chaotic one. According to her biography, her star status and stiff public persona made some students wary of her. Even so, in the October 1964 edition of the Sarah Lawrence student newspaper, The Establishment, Lesley was named the “Janet Auchincloss Modest Celebrity,” a joke award named for the half-sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis who was in the same graduating class.

In the same year, Lesley joined with other first years to perform a skit in the Freshman Follies that poked fun at her celebrity. According to her biography, “her character was a clumsy ballerina who, after a disastrous rehearsal akin to a scene in I Love Lucy, is thrown out of the dance studio, only to have the others onstage, including the ballet instructor, drop their own formal airs and start dancing around to a recording of ‘It’s My Party.’” The skit helped break the ice with other students. Lesley directed at least two shows while she was at SLC. In her junior year she co-directed “The Way You Like It,” a charity vaudeville performance staged in Reisinger Auditorium in her junior year that featured a humorous cameo from SLC president Esther Raushenbush. In her senior year, she created a stage show satirizing late-night television called the “Lesley Nite-Nite Show.” Both events were covered in the SLC student newspaper that succeeded The Establishment called Emanon.

Lesley continued to do concerts and record music throughout her college career, causing her major stress and anxiety. On top of homework, public events, and record production, Lesley was exploring her sexuality. A year after graduation, Lesley met jewelry designer Lois Sasson who would eventually become her life partner. Lesley was not open about her sexuality until the early 2000s when she hosted some episodes of In the Life, a PBS show on LGBT issues, and when she came out officially in an After Ellen interview. Lesley’s songs have continued to have cultural relevance, mostly as nostalgic examples of post-war Golden Years. Her defiant, hopeful song, “You Don’t Own Me,” went on to become a feminist anthem. Lesley Gore died on February 16, 2015.

For more information on Lesley Gore, check out “You Don’t Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore” by Trevor Tolliver. Special thanks to the Sarah Lawrence College Archives for information on Gore’s dons. For more information on Sarah Lawrence College Student Newspapers, please refer to the Sarah Lawrence College Archives website.

Ceylan Swenson ‘20

For the Humans of Sarah Lawrence: A Student-Curated Instagram Portfolio

Taking inspiration from the social media phenomenon, Humans of New York, an initiative to photograph anyone and everyone and get a sense for who they are through meaningful conversation, sophomore Oliver Jin decided to start a similar account on instagram strictly for the streets of SLC: @thesarahlawrenceportfolio.

“Obviously Humans of New York is kind of the pop culture icon of this type of work, but I feel like there is a lot of work that is built on conversations,” said Jin. 

Jin feels that an account like this holds the potential to be a catalyst for a more community-centered culture here on campus through highlighting some of the students and their interests. Not only does he hope for this to aid the student body, but him personally as well, considering he feels that running the instagram has already forced him to step outside of his comfort zone.  

“I feel like this is my way of sharing human stories in this community. I run into too many people that I’m too shy to talk to, so this is my excuse to meet people and do it through media,” explained Jin, who concentrates in photography at Sarah Lawrence. 

Oliver is someone who likes his space and his boundaries, but when he has his camera, he feels he is more inclined to approach new people and broaden his horizons. 

“It is so much easier to meet new people when you have something to do, and I have been using my camera to start conversations. I kind of feel naked without my camera,” joked Jin. 

The project is currently focused on fellow Resident Assistants, since Jin himself is an RA. The primary goal is to promote the position as a whole, and also to showcase friendly faces that are here to aid you around campus as well. 

When speaking of the process of profiling a new person on the page, Jin said his primary concern is creating an organic conversation—the casual yet intentional toneis the biggest tool he uses to capture the essence of a person in their portraits. 

“It’s kind of a lengthy process. I try to have about a 45-minute conversation that leads to a somewhat personal place, because the pictures are really led by the conversation,” spoke Jin. 

In the future, Jin hopes to not only shine a light on the people being photographed, but also utilize other photographers on campus and use the account as a space to highlight their portrait work. 

“As of right now, I am limited in my capacity as a photographer since portraits are not my expertise,” admits Jin. 

As someone who wants to continue to focus on photography as a career path, Jin feels like this account is the perfect stepping stone to the kind of work he hopes to pursue. 

“I really want to go into photography as a career—maybe photo essays or a documentary street photographer—but whatever I do, I want it to focus on humanity,” explained Jin.

As the year progresses, Jin hopes to find a more steady posting schedule consisting of about 1–2 portraits a week. To follow along on his journey, make sure to give him a follow on instagram at @thesarahlawrenceportfolio.  

Zoe Kuhlkin, ‘23

From Titsworth to Twitter: Silicon Valley Exec and Sarah Lawrence Alum Endorses Alma Mater

It seems like there is an app for everything nowadays — finding the best taco place, taking professional-looking and rose-tinted photos and even making friends or finding a date. There is no app, however, to teach skills that are deeply important in the professional world and that many modern adults lack such as how to write articulately, formulate an argument, or problem-solve with ease — skills that are taught by an education such as the one provided at Sarah Lawrence College.

As technology continues to take a stronghold in our lives, there are more ways than ever to communicate digitally. However, humans seem to be less able to hold conversations and deliberate face to face, stuck behind the screen. 

Many young people are vouching to study specialized skills such as engineering and business in college, missing out on the liberal arts education that is imperative for the workforce. According to data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, students who earn degrees in STEM-oriented careers have increased from 64 percent in 1970 to 77 percent in 2016, and degrees in humanities majors decreased from 36 percent to 23 percent. 

However, the skills taught by a liberal arts education are essential for success in the professional world, according to Brandon Borrman, the Vice President of Global Communications at Twitter. Borrman attributes his vast and impressive accomplishments in the single-minded technology capital of the world to his liberal arts education at Sarah Lawrence. 

“For a long time Silicon Valley believed that technology could solve everything and if there was a problem all you needed was a better technical solution to fix it,” Borrman says. “I think in the last several years, it’s become clear that tech isn’t the sole answer to all these problems.”

And as a liberal arts education continues to decline in popularity, the problems Borrman mentions become less easy to solve, as people lose the communication and problem solving skills taught at institutions like Sarah Lawrence.

“The de-emphasis of a liberal arts education in the United States has been unfortunate,” Borrman says. “It opens your mind in a way that is not common in more focused and technical educations typically.”

Borrman, who speaks with evident eloquence and charm, was born in Colorado, spent his childhood in Ohio and New York, attended high school in Connecticut, and landed on the Sarah Lawrence campus with the class of 1999, bright-eyed and unaware of the immense success his future would hold. When he speaks about his college years, he lights up, remembering a time filled with intellectual stimulation.

“It [Sarah Lawrence] was one of only a couple of schools I was looking at,” Borrman says. “Ultimately, I wanted an institution with smaller classes because I appreciated the debate and conversation aspect of education more than learning for the test and I really wanted a place that was going to challenge me to hone my writing skills and my logic skills. And certainly, its location close to New York City helped.”

Borrman had a passion for the arts and humanities and savored his education at Sarah Lawrence, studying everything from science to history, with a focus in music.

“I spent a lot of my time there studying music doing piano lessons, and composition, and conducting and theory, and then another chunk of my time on literature,” Borrrman says. “A very liberal arts education.”

He remembers some of the larger projects he completed with fondness, his favorites combining his passions, a predominant aspect of the Sarah Lawrence education. 

“My junior year, I did a project that was looking at a Chzech composer and how his music interacted with and was based on various pieces of Russian literature,” Borrman explains. 

Although Borrman spent much of his time studying music, after interning with a record company and a music agent, he realized he did not want to pursue it as a career.  

“After I spent time seeing the business side of it [music], it became clear to me pretty quickly that I was more interested in doing this for myself, and not necessarily trying to make money off of it,” Borrman says. 

He soon found an aptitude for public relations when he took an internship at GCI group in Grey Advertising. 

“I thought it was at an advertising agency but turns out it was at a PR agency,” Borrrman remembers. “I literally had to Google what PR meant. But it turns out a lot of what PR is about writing and speaking and helping people understand a point of view and so I just sort of stuck with it.”

From there, his career public relations bloomed, working first with United Airlines in Chicago and later with Starbucks in Seattle, whereby he was offered a transfer to California.

“A former colleague of mine called me and said they were opening an office in San Francisco so I came here about twelve years ago,” Borrman says. “Naturally being in San Francisco, this is a technology town, so I just naturally fell into the industry.”

About a year and a half ago, Borrman was given an opportunity to work at Twitter, and he accepted with pride. 

“It was an opportunity to work at a company whose overall mission of providing a service where anybody can have a voice is something I really believe in,” Borrman says.

Borrman now runs the Global Communications team at Twitter, where he works with reporters and regulators to present Twitter to the world. 

“We are basically the team that is like the public interface for the company and the world around us,” Borrman says. “Our job is trying to tell the Twitter story externally effectively and bringing external perspectives into the company.”

Borrman realizes Twitter’s impact on the public, given the ever-growing presence of consumption of media on platforms like Twitter and Instagram replacing reputable news. Twitter is a new public sphere, where anyone and everyone — from politicians and celebrities to activists holding government accountable  — can have a voice. 

“One of the things we do is provide a platform that leaders around the world use and we think it’s important that people see what they [world leaders] have to say and understand how they’re thinking,” Borrman says. “We also provide a way that is pretty unique for people around the world to respond and engage with their world leaders and contradict what they say.”

Twitter’s stance on free speech has been a point of contention, especially in the current divisive political climate.

“Twitter being Twitter, we’re in the news around the world every day,” Borrrman says. “Especially this past year and a half, it’s been questions around our impact on elections around the world, questions of how we are dealing with abuse and trolling on the platform, and more broadly, how technology as a whole impacts society and whether it’s a good impact or a negative impact.”

In dealing with the public, Borrman must handle those who protest or question Twitter’s role in spreading free speech that might be considered hateful or deceitful.

“It’s certainly controversial and there are definitely people who have opinions that very strongly differ from ours and I think all that we can do is try to be consistent in our perspective,” Borrman says. Borman cites his education for teaching him how to accept a variety of viewpoints, a skill that is imperative in working at such a controversial company — one that values free speech even if it comes at a cost. 

“What a liberal arts education did for me was it helped me understand that there are lots of different points of view and you have to be able to somehow be empathetic to different points of view and find points of commonality,” Borrman says. “The understanding you can develop especially at a place like Sarah Lawrence where the classes are smaller and you know all the people in your class, that human aspect is really important and can absolutely set you apart. Your ability to empathize with somebody else, to understand where they’re coming from is incredibly important.”

Borrman says empathy is especially important in a corporate setting because it shuts down close-mindedness and advocates healthy discussion and problem-solving.

“As corporate America wakes up to the fact that it has responsibilities beyond just making money, that ability to understand someone else’s perspective is really important.” Borrman adds.

Borrman admits that being the face of Twitter can be difficult, especially with issues surrounding political leaders, namely one in particular, using the platform to spread unpopular, and generally unfounded, opinions. However, he affirms his commitment to upholding their mission of providing a place where anybody can state their ideas publicly and others can involve themselves in debate and conversation. 

“The early promise of the internet was a promise of equality and egalitarianism that it doesn’t matter who you were, you could go online and get access to the same things everyone else could get access to,” Borrman says. “We think that that’s a really important, critical idea for society and that we have a big role to play in continuing to keep that promise.”

Whether it’s talking to reporters, writing engaging tweets to uphold his public persona or presenting the latest Twitter feature, Borrman values his writing savvy and talent for civic speaking.

“I think having a grounding in the arts and humanities makes me helpful because I can work side by side with someone who’s got more of a technical focus,” Borrman says. “I can’t do coding, I don’t understand the mechanics of machine learning or AI but I can help them [engineers] understand how other people will react to those things, how they [the public] will respond to the impact on their lives and understand how what their doing will impact the world outside.”

Borrman explains that as the world is shifting toward technological dependency and people begin losing important verbal and artistic skills and others are put out of work by machines, the role of writers and artists only becomes more crucial.

“There are consequences and we have to start thinking about our responsibility to deal with the consequences,” Borrman says. “People who have a grounding in arts and humanities, their role and responsibility has become bigger, not smaller.”

In his free time outside of work, Borrman still pursues his passion for art in the midst of his logical minded employees and colleagues, enjoying photography. As for his future plans, Borrman intends to stay at Twitter for a while and continue advocating for the platform, combating any setbacks with his masterful argumentative and creative skills taught by the professors at Sarah Lawrence, his beloved alma mater. 

“I really truly enjoy this job,” Borrman says. “I believe in what the company is trying to do so for the foreseeable future I plan to be here and try and help accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Zoe Stanton-Savitz, ‘23

Gryphon Capital Shows the Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Finance

Gryphon Capital is Sarah Lawrence’s only student-run investment firm at Sarah Lawrence that serves as a unique opportunity for students who are interested in the world of finance. The club, established in 2014, had been founded by three students who were unsatisfied with the lack of business classes and resources offered on campus. 

Gryphon Capital consists of three different branches: the Economic Review, the institution's only student-run Economics-focused journal, Gryphon Capital Management, a student-run club focusing on education and investment, and Gryphon Capital Outreach, an outlet for the club to utilize returns from their investments and reinvest them back into the community. Outside donations are given from people who believe in the club’s promise and potential. To achieve this, they have managed to organize economic competitions, such as an essay contest judged by a panel of alumni and invest in student-produced films. 

The two current heads of Gryphon Capital: Sam Johnson, President, and Omelebele Edeoga, Vice-President, assure that the club’s mission of “building important financial skills, developing research skills to find high-value companies, and then, investing in those companies” has remained the same. They hope, however, under their leadership, that there will be an “emphasis on teaching such financial literacy to the club’s members.” 

They plan to present half-hour lessons about a variety of financial topics and afterwards, splitting members into small discussion groups for explorative dialogue. This year, they also hope to reach out more to the community to get the message across that despite being a finance-focused club, students of all concentrations can learn how to properly invest and budget money. 

The club has undoubtedly proven its success. Post-graduation, members of Gryphon Capital have gone on to successful careers in business, from Credit Suisse, a multinational investment bank, to an international bank in Brazil.

Contrary to popular belief, a number of Sarah Lawrence alumni work in the financial world. To utilize the prosperous yet close-knit network of alumni, Gryphon Capital reaches out to get them to share where they work, how their Sarah Lawrence education has helped them, and advice on breaking into the financial sector. In addition, students are made aware of career-building opportunities like fellowships at financial companies and even reminded about deadlines for applications. 

The club takes pride in LinkedIn Day, one of its many activities over the semester. A photographer is brought in to take professional headshots of the students, and a workshop on how to effectively create effective a Linkedin profile is offered. This career-building activity has been a helpful way for students to both simultaneously organize their respective resumes and search for jobs. 

Edeoga attributes her success in job searching to her active participation in the club. “I never saw myself as a financial person before joining the club in my sophomore year. As a senior, I can confidently say that the skills I have learned are what recruiters desire. I probably would not have stood out to interviewers if it wasn’t for the experience gained from this club.”   

The liberal arts education at Sarah Lawrence has been an invaluable asset to alumni in finance. The tools needed to thrive, whether it is problem-solving or researching, are skills that many Sarah Lawrence students hold. “It is unfortunate that people feel that by attending Sarah Lawrence, there’s a barrier with the financial word. At this point, finance has become an open marketplace,” Johnson said.

“Couple of years ago, there was an influx of quantitative jobs on Wall Street focusing on making data-driven models. Now that computers are able to calculate most Math and create models, the sought after skills are personability, networking, critical and creative problem-solving. Mathematical models simply cannot conceptualize alternative data,” he explained. 

Social responsibility is at the forefront of Gryphon Capital’s endeavors. For example, the club has focused on investing in environmentally sustainable firms like SeaBridge, a Canadian gold mining company that upholds environmentally-friendly regulations. The club has also invested in having inspirational speakers speak about business ethics.  

Both leaders affirm that Gryphon Capital aims to push for inclusivity and diversity in the financial world. “There is a preconceived notion that finance is white men sitting in Wall Street. We’re trying to expose students to a world where anyone can immerse themselves in finance,” Edeoga explained. 

Johnson believes that the most effective way to change the inclusivity of the financial world is through education before they head into the field, “So that once they work in finance, they can make a positive impact.”

Palden Lhamo, ‘22

The Past and Present of the Teahaus Guestbook

Images from the Teahaus guestbooks

When a Sarah Lawrence student enters the little building on the North Lawn, they are entering a home — a cozy, carpeted, herbal-scented room where students sit, sip tea, and create art. The Teahaus has been a staple of the campus since it was transformed from an office building into a community space in the mid-1980s. One long standing feature of the space is a guestbook that students fill with art and writing for future students to peruse and study. 

There are only four guestbooks held in the Sarah Lawrence archives, each from a different school year: 2000–2001, 2001–2002, 2003–2004, and 2010–2011. It is unclear whether there were any created between 2004 and 2010 or if there have been any since. This year, Teahaus manager Myles Lowrie-Otter (‘21) has reinstated the guestbook, bringing back a custom that spreads love, support, and some dynamic and thoughtful art. 

Lowrie-Otter decided to start a guestbook for the Teahaus after finding the 2001–2002 book on a tiny bookshelf at the back of the room. “I didn’t even know what this was when I first found it and thought it was so cute and funny, and so I wanted to get one for this year,” Lowrie-Otter says. “I hope that it continues to be a tradition.”

In the books, you can find a tangible record of the Sarah Lawrence student psyche through illustrated and written expressions of their thoughts and feelings. A reader can clearly make out what Sarah Lawrence culture used to be, which is not dissimilar to what it is now. “I will not let sex ruin my life,” vows one student, while another has a dilemma: “I have a crush but he’s a cokehead.” 

Some highlights are uncredited written phrases brimming with snarky personality or meditative reflection or simply amusing nuggets of thought. 

One such student remarked: “I eat peaches because I don’t like them and I want to be sure” and another wrote, “Men suck! Tea is good. Have a nice day!”

Other students write about universal themes of love and loss that many college students can relate to. For example, one student posed a philosophical question: “Is it wrong to yourself to give love but not take it in return?”

The art is varied in theme and quality. Pencil drawings of mystical beings and more abstract drawings using vibrant colors grace the pages of these books. Although the books span a period of almost twenty years, the issues that students think about remain consistent. Gender and sexuality, glitter, and an expansive appreciation for Teahaus remain common themes throughout the years.

Each student who has contributed to the guestbooks has created something both unique and timeless. 

“It really is just anything anyone wants it to be,” Lowrie-Otter says. 

The guestbook also provides students with an outlet for their voices during their time at Sarah Lawrence.

“I really like Teahaus because you can’t be invisible here,” Lowrie-Otter says. “I like that Sarah Lawrence has a space like this to counteract the somewhat isolating feeling that can come with being a college student in general, but also on this campus.”

With the new guestbook, Lowrie-Otter hopes students will contribute freely to create a time-capsule of Sarah Lawrence students now.  

“I’m excited to see how this one fills up because there really is no boundary surrounding what you can put in it,” they say. “I like that because this is a student space, we have a space for everyone to leave something if they want to.”

The guestbook serves to maintain Sarah Lawrence’s history through the perspective of the students. Seeing the culture through the eyes of the students themselves provides a rare insight into the thoughts and feelings of those students during that respective time. 

Part of the reason Lowrie-Otter promotes the guestbook tradition is because of their interest in history. 

“I love archivists and history and all sorts of historical collections,” Lowrie-Otter says. “I think preserving things is important.”

The guestbook serves as a catharsis for students who find solace in writing and art, provides a way for students to be remembered, and makes use of art as an archive of the ever-changing culture of Sarah Lawrence.

Though whether the legacy of the Teahaus guestbook will continue remains to be seen, this welcoming space has been and remains a respite on campus for students. As one student aptly wrote in the 2000–2001 guestbook: “There is never for me such a peaceful moment at Sarah Lawrence as, at five o’clock, when I sit in Teahaus drinking darjeeling and, if I’m lucky listening to Bob Dylan. Thank you.”

Zoe Stanton-Savitz, ‘23