Do You Know What I Mean? • 21st September 2025

The Summer I Ended Up in a Horror Movie

At the end of Black Christmas, there’s a moment when you think everything is going to be alright. You believe that Jess killed the monster lurking in her sorority house, and now she gets to go to sleep, safe in her bed. But as the camera pans through the house, you find that Jess is not alone – the killer is still there, up in the attic, surrounded by the bodies of the women he has murdered. And as the camera pulls away to see the house all lit up by Christmas lights and the police leaving, you...

The Phoenix • 8th December 2022

President Smith Joins PSEG’s Board of Directors

During her tenure as College President, Valerie Smith has helped lead Swarthmore’s multiphase plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. But in Spring 2022, Smith also quietly took on a role in the private energy sector, accepting a position on a major utility company’s board of directors.

On April 19, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) released a statement announcing Smith’s election to their Board of Directors. PSEG is an investor-owned utility company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

The Phoenix • 27th October 2022

SBC Announces Budget Reallocation Plans Amid High Projected Deficit

On Friday, Oct. 21, the Student Budgeting Committee (SBC) Board sent an email informing the Swarthmore community that the amount of money they have currently allocated to student clubs and organizations for the 2022-2023 academic year would put SBC into a deficit of $31,000. Therefore, SBC will be reallocating the Fall budget to 72 clubs and organizations under a new set of SBC guidelines.

SBC sought to clarify the situation in a town hall meeting on Monday, Oct. 24. In this meeting, SBC announ

The Phoenix • 15th September 2022

The Swim Team Plays Assassins

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the Swarthmore College Instagram posted an unusual picture. The photo captures two students walking across campus with, bizarrely enough, snorkels strapped to their heads. The photo is captioned “students found a creative solution to the heavy rain this morning.”

However, these students aren’t worried about the rain; instead they’re worried about being “killed” by a fellow Swattie. The snorkel-wearing students in this photo are swimmers on the Swarthmore varsity men’s and w

The Phoenix • 14th April 2022

SBC’s Capital Reserve Fund is at Stake: What Does This Mean?

This spring semester, the college administration notified the Student Budgeting Committee (SBC) that they are considering making changes to their ability to access the Capital Reserve Fund — essentially the backup funding source for SBC — which could impact SBC’s ability to circulate all the funds allocated for student activities. Uncertainty around how this policy change will impact funding for student activities moving forward is causing concern among some club members and representatives as t

9th March 2022

Playing for Peace: Afghan Musicians’ Perspectives on Taliban Rule – War News Radio

With the Taliban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan, musicians have been fearful of their safety. During the Taliban’s previous rule, music was completely banned, and musician’s lives were in danger, and now citizens are concerned again that music poses a risk.

In this episode of War News Radio, we spoke with Afghan pianist Arson Fahim, who has come to the United States to continue his studies, and Ariana Delawari, an Afghan American singer, filmmaker, and activist. They share their perspectives

The Phoenix • 16th September 2021

Players Reflect on Resignation of Former Women’s Basketball Head Coach Signor-Brown

Candice Signor-Brown, The former Head Coach of the Swarthmore’s Women’s Basketball team, resigned from Swarthmore in late August.

Prior to the resignation, students at Swarthmore and Vassar, where Signor-Brown had previously coached for ten years, had voiced allegations against her of favoritism, toxic and inappropriate behavior, and neglect towards injured players. In August 2020, Swarthmore began a three-month inquiry following an anonymous Instagram post on the @vassarsurvivors account detai

The Phoenix • 3rd April 2021

The High Price of Remote Learning

March marked one year of the pandemic. One year of “unprecedented times” and emails “hoping to find you well.” Unfortunately, not everyone has been well this year.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Eighty percent of students around the country say that COVID has negatively impacted their mental health, their spiritual health, and their career aspirations.”

This analysis aligns with students’ experiences on Swarthmore campus as they struggle to deal with the challenge