DykeLike! An Interview with Jennifer Camper

NEWS
FEATURES
As history starts to repeat itself, looking to the past – especially its political activists – becomes increasingly important. I was lucky enough to interview Jennifer Camper, a self-described, “ average half-Arab smart-ass dyke cartoonist”. Camper has been creating comics since the early 1980s about her experiences as a half-Lebanese American Lesbian, as well as the ever-changing political climate. Her most popular works include Camper for Rude Girls and Dangerous Women, subGURLZ, or her contributions to numerous anthologies. Her cartoons are witty, candid, and utterly relevant, from the first release to the current day.
At the beginning of the whirlwind of days leading up to the 2024-25 school year at Sarah Lawrence College, first-year students crowded into a newly-familiar Barbara Walters Campus Center for their first foray into orientation week: Title IX training. Via a dense Powerpoint presentation given by Kristin Collado, Sarah Lawrence’s Title IX coordinator, freshmen were inundated with everything they need to know about Title IX—including the role of mandated reporters, definitions of sexual harassment, misconduct and discrimination, and student’s rights under Title IX. Similar presentations are administered to mandated reporters—which include faculty and staff, as well as student leaders like Residential Advisors (RAs) and Gryphon Guides.
The Instagram account @slcanonymous has evolved over nearly a decade into a platform for everything from lost items to political debates, while raising questions about accountability and power dynamics of anonymous posting. This article reveals how the account impacts campus life both positively and negatively, from sparking friendships to potentially damaging reputations and escalating conflicts when online disputes spill into real life.
SPORTS
Luca also commented that Pete is leaving the team much better than he found it. In our interview, Pete described that there is an intangible element that every team needs to succeed: the men’s basketball team has it. Pete, in many ways, embodies that element. The type of energy, sportsmanship, and competitiveness he has are essential components to a winning team. For example, he eats a snickers bar before every game to remind himself of how much fun the hustle of college basketball is.
Ribbion-making and carrying giant pumpkins across campus are some of Maddie Thompson’s core memories from this year’s cross-country season. Thompson is the first Great Big Pumpkin winner for the women’s cross-country team. Following the Skyline Conference Championship 6k Race, Head Coach Tom Dilberto bequeathed an organic big orange pumpkin to Thompson for her drastic improvements throughout the season, staying determined and committed until the very end. Her personal best 5k performance was 31:31 minutes.
Finishing up the last race in the cross country season this year will be followed by another soon-to-be-completed race for Nat Skoczenski. College is often a slow and steady race, and Skoczenski’s is finally at the finish line. Their plans after graduating include “—pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology, but before then… who knows. Looking for jobs in research and patient care but maybe I’ll become a cheesemonger or kayaking instructor in the meantime.”
ARTS & CULTURE
For most of Sarah Lawrence, Friday night plans don’t involve hanging out in the art building for two and a half hours. However, on Feb. 7th, 2025, Heimbold was buzzing with excitement and bodies as Erda, a student-run art exhibit curated by senior Olivia Harrison, commenced.
On Nov. 1, English rock band The Cure released their first studio album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream. During the 16 years between the release of their previous album and this new one, titled “Songs of a Lost World”, it seemed as though the band had accepted their status as a legacy act, content to play the hits and release live albums, deluxe editions of past releases and even an ‘acoustic hits’ album in 2017. But with the release of Songs of a Lost World, it is obvious that The Cure still has plenty to say as it approaches its 50th year as a project.
If you’re at all attuned to chronically online music discourse like I am, you may have noticed that the definition of “emo” varies drastically depending on who you ask. When I was in middle school (in 2014-2015), the “emo trinity” was the bands My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco (Author’s note: I cannot confidently claim this is true among today’s emo middle schoolers, as I don’t know any I can ask — which is probably for the best). Now, try touting these bands as emo in front of the most annoying music guy you know and be prepared to get hit with a “well, actually,” and pointed in the direction of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, American Football and Modern Baseball (and if you try to argue with me about the examples I provide here, you may be that annoying music guy).
OPINIONS
THE ASHTRAY
Tiktok is dead and buried. Facebook is only relevant if you’re over the age of fifty. Instagram is on thin ice (and that’s only if you’re casual about it). Twitter is run by a literal Nazi. If you even try to bring up Snapchat, I’ll laugh in your face. So… What is the next big social media platform?
We received feedback directly from the community that Sarah Lawrence was feeling left out on these traditions. Sure, we have Sleazeball and 30x30, but we needed something fresh and new. Don’t worry, Gryphon Nation! We have come up with the perfect tradition, perfectly tailored to the lovely, lovely students of the college!
Apparently, we already have a few rivals. I say “apparently” because none of them are ‘real’ rivals. One of our so-called ‘college rivals’ is Vassar College, which is a joke. Every single student that I know was waitlisted from Vassar. I’ve also heard people say that our rival is NYU. I do not believe that in the slightest. I don’t think NYU even knows that we are their rival, which makes it kind of embarrassing. We need a rival who is going to actually know that we exist.
“Recently, the development office received a letter from an alumna in San Francisco who was distressed by the rumor that the campus is now 50 percent homosexual”, states Anne Rophie in her article for The New York Times.
Realistically, it is probably closer to 90 percent.
Most people on campus have read the article that Rophie dedicates to talking about one so-called ‘problem’: most of the Sarah Lawrence student body is queer. Honestly, that is a pretty accurate read. But is it a problem? No. But in the year 2025, there is an actual problem. A new trouble plaguing Sarah Lawrence . (No, it’s not another cult.)
Where are all of the emos at Sarah Lawrence College?
One of the main complaints I hear from my fellow Gryphons is that it is undeniably, excruciatingly difficult to date at Sarah Lawrence. Listen, I get it. And I’m here to help. A lot more goes into successfully finding a partner at Sarah Lawrence than it would at a bigger – or even small, but normal – school. I have put together a foolproof procedure to guide you all on how to conquer your fears and convince some of the scariest people on the planet (cool girls at Sarah Lawrence) to go out with you.
In a surprise announcement at this year’s athletic banquet, Sarah Lawrence College has announced that it will be starting a football team for the first time since a short-lived run a number of years ago. This announcement has come alongside some other surprising choices made by the newest addition to the athletic community: the first of which being that the team has decided to “own their own means of production” by immediately staging a coup d'etat and coaching themselves.
At a press conference on Oct. 27th—coincidentally held on Sylvia Plath’s birthday—Cristle Collins Judd’s speech ended with her noting that she is “aware that many of our students identify with the LGBTQ+ community, but as far as I’m concerned, you all fit under ‘G’: Gryphons.”
I sincerely hope your fall semester is going well. I know that conference week is coming up and none of you have started your papers. I am offering encouragement! You are all invited to the president's house for some apple cider and s’mores. I don't live there, but I hear it's nice. I live somewhere much more decadent where Dr. Martens® will never get a chance to tread.
The school aims to implement it in the next few years. While Sarah Lawrence College has prided itself on having been entirely test-optional since 2003 – meaning that prospective applicants do not have to submit SAT or ACT scores in order to be considered for admission – the new admissions structure is altering this policy, and other colleges may be soon to follow.
I offer you ghouls a glimpse into the future – a prediction, of sorts, with my crystal ball. The crystal ball knows all, and it thinks that this Halloweekend at SLC will be as messy as your communal kitchen.



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