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Photo credit: Stockton Photo, Inc. |
First Faculty-Student Basketball Game Draws Enthusiastic Crowd
Dreary winter weather did not stop droves of Vassarites from coming out on the night of February 25th to cheer on the students and faculty as they went head-to-head in the first ever Faculty-Student Basketball Game. More than 1,200 people packed into the Walker Field House, marking the event as one of the most well attended Vassar sporting events ever. The faculty, playing under the team name “Old School,” burst through a banner as they made their entrance onto the court, and the student team, or “The Brewers,” had the honor of receiving the Vassar slot on the scoreboard. Before the game, the Vassar Women’s Chorus led the National Anthem as well as a rousing rendition of the Vassar Fight Song, taken from a 1903 edition of the Vassar Song Book. Alumna and trustee Lisa Kudrow, ’85 and senior officers, including President Catharine Bond Hill and AAVC Executive Director Pat Duane Lichtenberg ’90, P’10, sported matching t-shirts and pom-poms to cheer the players. Within the first five minutes, Old School had taken an 8-0 lead, but with the help of juniors Zach Wasser ’11, Jake Berzoff-Cohen ’11, and Iain Gordon ’11, the score gap soon narrowed. The Brewers fought hard to come back, but in the end, Old School pulled out a close victory, the final score coming in at 66-65.
The idea for the event began last fall, when Brian Farkas ’10, vice president of operations for the Vassar Student Association, and Chris Roellke, dean of the college, joined forces to create an event that could kickoff the spring with a sense of unity after a difficult few months. Another goal was to support the efforts of the Class of 2010 Senior Class Gift, the 2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund. Proceeds from the $2 admission, combined with other donations made during the event, raised about $5,000 towards the gift. Senior Emma Carmichael ’10, who played for The Brewers, remarked on the sense of community she found during the game. “I can't think of another time when I've seen so many members of the Vassar community in one place to support one cause,” she said. “It reinforced the sense that I'll still feel committed to this school after I leave because of that closeness.”
Shown from top left, Dean of the College Chris Roellke takes it to the hoop; President Hill and alumna Lisa Kudrow '85 show team spirit.
Update: Link at right to video highlights of the game added on 3/17/10.