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CATALYST
STUDENT WORKERS METZ DELIVERY pg.
NOVEMBER 11, 2015 VOLUME XXXIII ISSUE IX
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A student newspaper of New College of Florida
Ben Carson
Progress and protest in downtown Sarasota BY GIULIA HEYWARD AND JASMINE RESPESS Ben Carson’s “Heal, inspire, revive” slogan struck a chord with the citizens of Sarasota as policemen shouted, a senior citizen fell to the floor, and news crews dove to the front of the room while Carson calmly entered a local independent bookstore. On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson arrived for a book signing of his latest work, “A More Perfect Union” at BookStore1. The downtown Sarasota bookstore buzzed with anticipation while across the street, members of the community gathered to protest. “I heard he was coming to Sarasota, I live close by and I’m a Republican,” University of South Florida (USF) student Nicole Hittel said. “I’m excited to meet a potential new president.” Fans had to purchase a book, which retails for $28.84 plus tax, in order to meet Carson. He sat at a podium at the back of the store ready to sign books and take photos. Carson described “A More Perfect Union” as a piece of literature that allows readers to become more familiar with the U.S. constitution’s history, how it can be used, and why it is important. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free… it expects what never was and never will be,” Carson cites Thomas Jefferson in the first chapter of his book. “I have admired Dr. Carson for many years,” Bradenton resident Susan Hittel, a former editor of Reader’s Digest said. “We did a story on him and all his accomplishments. There are so many candidates, but I know, as a person, he is very admirable. He is someone who is a role model to many people, so I am showing support for him.” Bodyguards and policemen littered the bookstore while customers waited outside. Shouting could be heard from inside as Carson’s campaign truck
WHAT’S INSIDE
arrived. During the hustle and bustle, an elderly man fell to the ground and had to be taken away on a stretcher. “I guess we are making progress,” Carson replied when a reporter cited a poll that claimed that 52 percent of Donald Trump supporters have their mind made up when it comes to voting for Trump, while 34 percent of Carson supporters are steadfast in their support for Carson. Carson saw that as an improvement, citing previous polls that put the number at 15 percent. Carson spoke exclusively with the press, which included reporters from CNN, ABC and local stations in the Sarasota area. He addressed his own policies, whether he would ever appear on Saturday Night Live like current president Barack Obama has in the past, and his thoughts on current political issues. When asked about the country’s heroin epidemic, Carson said: “As far as our policies and what to do with addicted people, there are all kinds of addictions in our country right now, heroin is just one of them. A lot of that goes to the underlying needs in our country and I think we are going to have to start addressing some of those underlying needs that people have.” Carson also spoke of the potential benefits of medical marijuana but he was adamant in his refusal to support marijuana for recreational use. A group of demonstrators marched across the street, protesting Carson’s presence in Sarasota. “I’m here because the things that he’s been saying are not okay,” Professor of Chemistry Steven Shipman said. “Gay people have rights, it’s perfectly fine for Muslim people to be president. There are just so many things that he’s been saying that are just ridiculous.” Shipman was one of several members of the New College community who arrived to protest the event. “I just came to protest Ben Carson’s harmful messages of hate that seem to
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Jasmine Respess/Catalyst
Policemen instructed hundreds of customers to remain orderly as Ben Carson’s campaign bus pulled up.
Giulia Heyward/Catalyst
Some of the protesters who gathered across from Bookstore1 included Professor of Chemistry Steven Shipman and first-year students James D’Amours and Emily Via.
Jasmine Respess/Catalyst
Customers approached Dr. Ben Carson in a single-file line to have their books signed and a photo taken.
be gaining traction,” first-year Jason D’Amours said. “I can’t wrap my head, I can’t understand how much popularity he has.” D’Amours found out about the protest through the Facebook page and posted a thread on the Forum to alert other students. “[Carson] has a lot of opinions that
negatively impact working families, that negatively impact minorities,” first-year Emily Via said. As protesters marched and shouted, customers waiting in line for the book signing yelled at them in retaliation. Tensions were high.
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CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
BRIEFS PAGE 2
briefs by Haley Jordan
MAVEN discovers setback to Mars’ terraformation The possible terraforming of Mars was found to be less feasible than NASA had predicted. The spacecraft MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) revealed on Nov. 7 that the red planet’s carbon dioxide, thought to be contained in the Martian crust, is gone entirely. One way to change Mars’ climate to make it more suitable for human colonization involves freeing mass amounts of heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the crust back into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, MAVEN results announced Thursday, Nov. 5 that after Mars’ global magnetic field shut down around 4.2 billion years
ago, solar wind and sun explosions stripped away and sent into space most of the planet’s atmosphere. “Quoting Bob Dylan: ‘The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,’” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters during the announcement. This does not mean that terraforming Mars is impossible or that the planet has no potential access to carbon dioxide, but it is a setback. Another possibility lies in Mars’ two polar caps, both composed primarily of frozen water, as they hold some carbon dioxide ice and Martian soils, which soak up carbon dioxide as well.
photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Above is a graphic depicting the transition of Mars before, during and after terraformation. Terraformation is the process of transforming a hostile environment into one suitable for human life.
The $671 million MAVEN mission aims to better understand how and why Mars lost its relative warmth and surface water and became blanketed with toxic soil and radiation. NASA intends to send astronauts to Mars in
Local favorite Coffee Loft continues community building The Coffee Loft is not just a local favorite for inexpensive food and drink. Customers also appreciate its dedication to community, charity, art and providing a safe and accepting space. The café, a not for profit coffee shop located on North Tamiami Trail, is partnering with Sarasota Mothercare in an effort to give meals to Sarasota residents in need. This project, a part of Coffee Loft’s Friendsgiving, is just the latest of many community projects the coffee shop undertakes on a regular basis. The Coffee Loft donates its profits
to charities in Sarasota such as the local Food Bank, and Selah Freedom, which helps women and girls who have been victims of the sex trade find jobs and housing as well as provides counseling services. Funds also got toward Charity Water, an organization that helps communities around the world gain access to safe drinking water. All of the Coffee Loft’s coffee and tea is locally sourced. The Coffee Loft is owned and operated by Woodland Community Church, a Christian church located in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Woodland
also provides the funding for The Canvas Community. Woodland Community Church, in partnership with the Canvas Community Team, also provides free meals for college students on Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m. Canvas is a community of college-age and young adults “committed to connect with God and others, amplify their lives by growing stronger in their faith, and express life-changing love through service and creativity,” and is for those of all denominations. The Canvas Community meets for worship every Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Coffee Loft.
Red tide reported in Sarasota and Manatee counties Recent reports of respiratory issues in the area have been linked to red tide, a harmful algal bloom. Researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are currently monitoring two red tide blooms in Florida’s Gulf Coast in the northwest and southwest region. Water samples collected on Oct. 26 along the shore in Pinellas County tested positive for red tide in two areas, while patchy blooms of algae were found in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Pinellas and Lee counties. Mote Marine Laboratory said in a press release that satellite images suggest a small patch of red
tide along the coastlines of Manatee and Sarasota counties. “We confirmed the presence of both blooms in September, and they have persisted since that time,” FWC research scientist Alina Corcoran told Naples Daily News. State wildlife officials noted the bloom off southwest Florida is less problematic than the one off the Panhandle, where reports of fish poisoning and respiratory irritations are more numerous. Red Tide is a harmful algal bloom (HAB) that can produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish and marine mammals. This stems from microscopic algae that
“Are there gonna be, like, frat boys here?” © 2015, the Catalyst. All rights reserved. The Catalyst is available online at www.ncfcatalyst.com, facebook.com/NCFcatalyst, @ncfcatalyst The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Lab using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign and printed at Sun Coast Press with funds provided by the New College Student Alliance.
grow too large and therefore pose risks to sea creatures and humans who eat contaminated seafood. Neurotoxic shellfish poisons are naturally occurring toxins excreted by microscopic algae. When shellfish are contaminated with these toxins they can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning in humans. Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, sensations like tingling, pricking or burning, lack of muscle control or paralysis, muscle pain, and in severe cases, a decrease in heart rate. Information for this article was taken from techtimes.com.
General Editor Managing Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Layout Editors Staff Writers & Photographers
Kaylie Stokes Pariesa Young Yadira Lopez Caitlyn Ralph Haley Jordan & Audrey Warne Bianca Benedí, Katelyn Grimmett, Giulia Heyward, Sydney Kruljac, Jasmine Respess, Ryan Paice, Dylan Pryor, Angela Duda
the 2030s regardless of terraformation setbacks. Information for this article was taken from cnn.com, space.com and mars.nsa. gov
Metz will soon deliver to dorms Metz is currently working to make on-campus food delivery an option for students. New College would be one of the first campuses to do offer in-house delivery. The deliveries will not only benefit Metz and students, they will also help fund various clubs and organizations on campus. Delivery, which can be paid for in Ham points, will operate from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Students need to order a pizza for delivery, but can add on other items as well. Students of various clubs and organizations within New College will make the deliveries and Metz will pay $2 per drop-off. “We figure it’s a win-win situation,” commented Bill Moore, general manager of Food Service. “It’s great for supporting the students and the things they enjoy doing... We are one of the first colleges starting to do delivery.” Moore predicts deliveries could start within a few weeks. For the students’ convenience, he wants to start before the week of final exams. Clubs interested in making deliveries should contact Moore.
Direct submissions, letters, announcements and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5800 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, Florida 34243 ncfcatalyst@gmail.com The Catalyst reserves the right to edit all submissions for grammar, space and style. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Submissions must be received by 12:00 p.m. Friday for consideration in the next issue.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
NEWS PAGE 3
Employed students juggle classes, work and social life BY KAYLIE STOKES Studies have consistently found that undergraduate students who have a job while attending school show higher retention rates than those who do not work at all. However, these studies also reveal that the benefits of working while still in school cap out when the student works between 10 and 15 hours per week, with retention rates declining among students who average more than 15 hours. As tuition and living expenses increase, working more than 15 hours a week has become a tiring but necessary reality for many New College students. In a poll conducted by the Catalyst, 75 percent of respondents had at least one job, with some also holding an internship. Of this sample, 52 percent of respondents worked more than 15 hours per week. “The bottom line is that the way that schools calculate credit hours – given that that’s a problematic way to count things – they usually think you should be spending about three hours outside of class for every hour in class,” Professor of English Literature Miriam Wallace said. “So if you’re doing four classes you’re looking at more than a 40-hour work week already. If you add a 20-hour job to that, something is going to happen. You’re not going to get your sleep, you’re not going to get your exercise, you’re not going to be prepared for class...I would say 10 is the absolute limit. When you get your hours over that something suffers.” Both Professor Wallace and Professor of Biology Sandra Gilchrist recognize that oftentimes the students 24.5%
working the most hours do not have the option to do otherwise. “Some students are working because they want to have something, but many others are working because they have to,” Gilchrist said. Thesis student Madeleine Yount works three on-campus jobs for 15 to 20 hours a week in order to pay rent and buy groceries. Of those who responded, 75 percent said at least one of their jobs was on campus. For Yount, the combination of living off campus and working on campus is a very helpful one. “Living off campus has really helped. I associate home with either ‘I’m going to study, I’m going to eat or I’m going to sleep here,’ and then I associate school with work or studying,” Yount said. “So having that split kind of makes me order my life more.” While Yount acknowledged that there are benefits to working, the bottom line is paying rent. “I think it’s good because I like to keep myself busy because then I can’t procrastinate, it’s like a way to check myself, but I get paid, so that’s nice,” Yount said. “But I need to work in order to pay my bills.” Third-year Cristina Harty works between 20 and 25 hours a week as a hostess at a restaurant. Similarly, Harty needs to work in order to stay at school. “I don’t get an allowance from my parents at all, so I have to work to pay rent and utilities,” Harty said. Working as student can sometimes be overwhelming. “My manager was having me work on Wednesdays, and on Thursdays I have three of my classes,” Harty said. “So on Wednesday I was getting done with my homework at like
24.5%
Answers to the question ‘How many hours a week do you work?’
14% 12.2% 10.5%
10.5%
3.5%
1-5
5-10
10-15
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Of the 57 employed students surveyed, 53 percent reported working more than 15 hours per week.
Answers to the question ‘Do you have a job?’ 44.7%
25%
17.1% 13.1%
Yes, I have 1 job
Yes, I have 2 jobs
Yes, I have 3 or more jobs
I don’t have a job
image courtesy of Survey Monkey
Of 77 students surveyed, nearly 75 percent reported that they have at least one job, not including paid or unpaid internships.
three and five in the morning because I was doing it after work.” Professors also see the effects that working more than a few hours a week can have on students’ performance. “I think that some of them are working way too much and working hours that are not conducive to helping them do the best they want to do,” Gilchrist said. “Students come in and they’re very tired, they can’t think well. You know they know the material but it comes out garbled.” Both Professor Wallace and Professor Gilchrist worked during college. Professor Wallace worked as a lifeguard through the work-study program and Professor Gilchrist worked a variety of jobs, including bartending. “I worked the whole way through college, so I can empathize,” Gilchrist said. This empathy leads to many professors being understanding of the stress and time constraints of those students who work. “I’m taking a fairly hard psychology class – Analyzing Conversation – and so I’ve been falling behind in that class because of the whole Wednesday situation,” Harty said. “So last week I emailed the professor at five o’clock in the morning after doing the assignment that was due the next day for class and I still hadn’t finished the makeup assignment from last week, because last week I had gone to bed instead of doing my homework. She was very understanding.” Professors are often seen as more understanding of students as workers than employers are understanding of employees as students. “Last semester I was continually scheduled at 3:30 and I had a class that ended at 3:20, and instead of telling my manager I just left class early because I couldn’t see my employer being understanding of that,” Harty explained. Professor Wallace explained
situations like this saying, “Immediate demands from someone who has authority over you is always going to feel more pressing, and professors are often more flexible. “And it’s very hard when you’re in the middle of it and you have a job that’s going to fire you if you don’t show up. That can feel more pressing than what you’re really here to do, and what you’re really here to do is go to college,” Wallace continued. While Harty recognizes that, at times, her academics suffer at the expense of working, she tries to keep things in perspective. “I’m trying not to let my academic life suffer, but I realize that my grades are just going to suffer,” Harty said. “And there’s a lot of students like me, who realize that our evaluations are not going to show our full potential because we’re super tired all of the time. And I’ve had to learn to forgive myself, like, it’s not my fault that I live in a society where I have to work in order to live and go to school.” Both professors encouraged students to communicate the amount that they are working with their professors and advisors. “It helps advisors a lot if students let us know how much they’re working. You don’t have to, but if on the contract in the other activities I know you’re working 15 hours a week that gives me a much better picture of how to think about what you’re able to do in your classes and what I see in your evaluations,” Wallace said. “The reason we do the contract, and that we don’t just have the registrar count your hours is precisely because we want to see that whole picture...The more you let your advisor know about the full picture of what you’re committed to, the more we can help you and the less we’ll be surprised when there’s a problem mid term.”
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Feminist Writing Collective presents: ‘Writing in the Margins Vol. 3’ BY SYDNEY KRULJAC The Feminist Writing Collective tutorial reached out to students, faculty and staff calling for submissions for FemZine. The zine will contribute to the tutorial’s project titled “Writing in the Margins, Vol. 3: Erotic Autonomy, Self Care, and Beauty.” The writing collective accepted submissions in various formats including poetry, artwork and prose on topics such as social justice, gender and race. Zines are self-published and often non-profit books, papers or websites. Oftentimes, zines are works that are too controversial for mainstream media and are presented in a crude manner with a unique design. Zines have been recognized as one of the most popular methods of independent publishing, especially in communities identifying as “underground.” Zines are each unique in their own way, with topics ranging from feminism to birds. The wide variety makes it hard to generalize these publications. Zine culture is often seen within some of the most enthusiastic movements such as punk, feminist and LGBTQ. “Admittedly, I had no idea what a zine was before this year,” said thesis student Lauren Dejesus-Glasgow, who is currently taking the tutorial. “But from my understanding, a zine is just an independent publication of community art, whether it’s visual art or creative writing. It’s creativity operating outside of traditional standards.” The Feminist Writing Collective is a collaborative tutorial started by Professor of Sociology Queen “Mecca” Zabriskie three years ago. The tutorial examines feminist thought, criticism and artistic production. It also looks at how racial capitalism, gender identity and class systems shade notions of beauty and self-care. Throughout the tutorial, students examined the mentioned
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Samuel Sinyangwe will come to Hamilton Classroom (HCL) 8 from 6-7 p.m. Sinyangwe is an activist known for his involvement in Campaign Zero, an organization dedicated to creating legislative and policy change to end police brutality. The event was organized by members of Students Targeting Oppressive Powers (STOP). After Sinyangwe spoke at the University of Central Florida (UCF), a member of STOP, second-year Alexandra Schelle,
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NCSA Weekly Updates BY CAITLYN RALPH
Photo Courtesy of Alex Wrekk
Zines are self-publications motivated by self-expression and with unique designs.
intersections and worked to understand the different ways they manifest in peoples’ identities. The ultimate goal of the tutorial is to emphasize the idea of beauty formalities as a practice of selfcare, and through that, self-care overall as a “revolutionary act of autonomy and reclamation of self.” “This year we decided to do a theme of erotic autonomy, self-care, and beauty to refine our topics,” Dejesus-Glasgow said. “Since those issues are something all the people in tutorial have in common, we thought it would be a really good thing to explore together.” On Dec. 5, the Feminist Writing Collective plans on having a zine launch at the Four Winds with drinks and catered food from the café. The launch will mimic an open mic night allowing those who submitted material to the FemZine to read and discuss their work
of art. “In light of the recent events with the posters, I feel like it will be really good for the community to come together with a powerful event,” DejesusGlasgow said. “It’s erotic autonomy! It’s self-care! It’s about maintaining your power outside of these people trying to take it away from you.” The FemZines will be printed and available for distribution at the zine launch, as well as distributed around campus. “Put your shit on paper! Put your shit on paper!” Dejesus-Glasgow yelled. “Sing about it, write about it, draw about it, anything! I just feel like having some kind of creative outlet is so important for your mental wellbeing. We get so bogged down in day-to-day things and we forget about taking care of ourselves.”
Activist Samuel Sinyangwe brings solutions for police brutality to New College BY GIULIA HEYWARD
NEWS
got in contact with Sinyangwe to invite him to New College. Co-Speakers of the Towne Meeting, thesis students McAlister Grant and Evann Soltys-Gilbert, have chosen to reschedule the Towne Meeting to 7:15 p.m. in order to encourage more students to attend the speaker event. Sinyangwe, who is originally from Orlando, graduated from Winter Park High School. He attended Stanford University where he studied political science and has published several publications, including, “Accelerating Results for Black Males: Ensuring Black Males are Successful Early Readers” and “The Significance of Mixed Race: Public
Perceptions of Barack Obama’s Race and its Effect on Favorability.” Sinyangwe works as a policy analyst and data scientist to find solutions for the effects of systemic racism in communities across the country. He has been featured in major media platforms such as MTV News and CNN. “This is a unique opportunity to meet and hear from someone closely involved with the Black Lives Matter movement,” Schelle said. “Make sure you come by!”
Today, Wednesday, Nov. 11, is the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) Late Fall Elections, a chance for students to get involved in one of the most influential bodies on campus. NCSA elections are held each academic year in the early fall, late fall and spring. Even though all currently enrolled New College students are NCSA members, there are 70 direct representatives, including everything from Social Sciences Representative, who serves on the Council of Academic Affairs (CAA), to the Landscape Representative, who serves on the Council of Green Affairs (CGA). These 70 positions are dispersed throughout the three elections. For the Late Fall, the petitioning period, in which potential candidates garner student interest by accumulating signatures to place their name on the ballot, begins the Monday after Halloween. The petitioning period lasts for seven days, bleeding into the Campaign Period, in which candidates who accumulated enough signatures present their platforms. Starting the same day as the Petitioning Period, the Campaigning Period lasts 10 days. The last day is the actual elections that occur on a Wednesday in Hamilton “Ham” Center from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. The positions up for grabs this election are as follows: Speaker(s) of the Towne Meeting; four Student Allocations Committee (SAC) Representatives, one from each class; three Student Court Justices and one counselor; a Green Affairs Representative who serves on the CGA; a Diversity Representative who serves on the Council of Diversity and Inclusion (CDI); and a Student Affairs Representative and a Residence Life Representative who serve on the Council of Student Life (CSL). The newly elected serve from Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2016. Not only do NCSA elections allow students to run for direct representative positions, they also allow students to submit ballot referenda and constitutional amendments. The results from Wednesday’s election will be posted the same evening after ballots are counted. There is also a Candidate Meet and Greet that occurs the night before the elections. The Supervisor of Elections oversees the elections, a paid NCSA position recently assumed by secondyear George Thurlow.
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NEWS PAGE 5
Urgent care centers and CWC options for medical services in college BY JASMINE RESPESS When students move away from home, they are faced with a lot of challenges and new experiences, such as doing laundry, feeding themselves, and taking care of themselves if they get sick. When parents are no longer readily available to dole out medicine, make appointments and check your temperature, what options do college students have? When students of New College fall ill they have several options such as going to the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) or going to urgent care centers. Counseling and Wellness Center The CWC is the place on campus where students can receive treatment. The treatment available is both acute and preventative. Students can make an appointment by calling the CWC. If the CWC cannot provide students with the treatment that they need then they can refer them to an outside office. Appointments are covered by tuition cost, and the medical professionals in the CWC can write prescriptions that can be filled at local pharmacies. If a student needs to fill a prescription, they will need to pay the price that an
Jasmine Respess/Catalyst
Bradenton Urgent Care Clinic is located at 4647 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34209.
outside pharmacy suggests. Urgent Care Centers Recently, fourth-year Daniel Anderson-Little was suffering from acute tonsillitis. He chose to go to an urgent care clinic, instead of the CWC. Anderson-Little explained that the first urgent care clinic he went to, Concierge Medhealth Clinic, was not a good choice for him, since they did
not take insurance and they wanted to charge him a flat rate of $45-$55 for the appointment alone. Although, for those who do not have insurance, this may be a good option. The next place that AndersonLittle went to was Doctor 4 U urgent care center in Bradenton. This center charged him a $25 co-pay after he presented his Anthem Blue Cross insurance. He
was seen after about a half hour, and was diagnosed with acute tonsillitis, given a shot, and written a prescription for antibiotics that could be filled at Walgreens. The antibiotics cost him $166 with insurance. They would have been $270 without insurance. Anderson-Little was still feeling sick, so he went to another urgent care center later in the week. The last urgent care center he went to was Bradenton Urgent Care walk-in clinic. “I went to [Bradenton Urgent Care Walk in Clinic], because it had the most reviews online, and they were very positive,” Anderson-Little said. The appointment cost $25 after using insurance. Anderson-Little explained it was successful, since he was able to get another shot, as well as a prescription for some steroids, so that his recovery would be much speedier. “The lobby at [Bradenton Urgent Care Walk in Clinic] was by far the nicest,” Anderson-Little said. The clinic was clean, well decorated, and had an area with toys to entertain children in the waiting room. “My only complaint was that TMZ was playing on one of the flat screen televisions,” Anderson-Little said.
Exxon under investigation for misleading information BY KATELYN GRIMMETT Exxon Mobile is facing an investigation by the New York attorney general for potentially misleading statements regarding the oil company’s research on the effects of fossil fuels. Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued an order for Exxon Mobile’s financial records, emails and other documents. The goal of the investigation is to determine whether statements released by Exxon misled the public and investors on the risks of climate change. Exxon, now Exxon Mobile, weakened and may have even denied research projections with the claim that their models were ineffective. InsideClimate News conducted an eight-month investigation into Exxon’s climate research and called for the company to be charged with corporate fraud. Using emails, reports and other files from the company, InsideClimate News revealed the path taken by Exxon as far back as 1989 to cloud the public’s understanding of climate change. Steve Knisely, an intern at Exxon Research and Engineering, projected that uncontrolled fossil fuel use would lead to “noticeable temperature changes” and 400 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere by 2010. That was in 1979. Today, climate science shows that Knisely’s predictions were eerily close to the truth: the atmosphere contains 398.55 parts per million in CO2 as of Nov. 6, 2015. “The potential problem is great and urgent,” Knisely wrote. One of his conclusions was that the fossil fuel
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Commons
Exxon, now Exxon Mobil, is under investigation for potentially misleading the public about the effects of fossil fuels on climate change.
industry would need to leave 80 percent of its reserves underground to avoid CO2 emissions. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel formally recognized this idea in 2013 as the “carbon budget.” The inquiry includes a period of time in the last decade when Exxon Mobile funded a number of other organizations that sought to undermine climate science. Meanwhile, Exxon’s climate researchers were in the midst of outlining various consequences of climate change. “When I arrived there, I was quite surprised to discover that people in the research lab were very aware of the increase in the growth rate of carbon
dioxide measurements in Hawaii [at the Mauna Loa observatory],” Morrel H. Cohen, a senior scientist at Exxon Research from 1981 to 1996, said in a recent interview with InsideClimate News. “They were very aware of the greenhouse effect.” Exxon’s former chairman and CEO is under great scrutiny for undermining the climate models during a speech before the World Petroleum Congress. InsideClimate News implied the reason for his aggressive disbelief was an attempt to prevent the Kyoto Protocol, an international attempt to reduce emissions. “Conceptually, it’s little different for me than the law suits against the
tobacco industry for covering up the health risks [of smoking],” Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies Frank Alcock said. The link between fossil fuels and climate change is unfortunately not as direct as the effect of a cigarette on a smoker’s lungs, there are levels of complications through which the effects occurs. Several presidential candidates stood up to support the investigation into Exxon. Hillary Clinton joined candidates such as Bernie Sanders in the call for inquiry shortly after Exxon stopped sponsoring the Clinton Global Initiative. “There is no doubt that from a public relation and political pressure standpoint these charges can have some impact,” Alcock said. “By calling for an investigation to force Exxon to disclose documents that suggest their levels of awareness is 180 degrees different than what they are proclaiming to the public will undercut heavily their credibility.” The investigation into Exxon’s potentially misleading presentation of information is unfolding on the eve of a major climate change global summit in December. “I am not as interested in the blame game as I am interested in the fight about climate change and the link between fossil fuels and climate change is still happening now,” Alcock said. Information for this article was taken from insideclimatenews.org and nytimes. com
How I survived
the
zombie
apocalypse
tuyztuyztuyztuyztuyztuyztuyztuy NCF Zombies 2015: A journal for the end of times By Dylan Pryor The game of Zombies is an annual, week-long game of tag in which the zombie horde tirelessly hunts the human resistance, whose only defense from joining the horde themselves are spray bottles and each other. As this reporter and other human players fought for their lives, campus was dead, and day by day, the zombie apocalypse wore on. Sunday, Nov. 1 The apocalypse began at 3 a.m., as human players began acting on their plans for survival. On the first night, groups of humans packed their things and relocated to their bases for the week. That night, six humans slept in a room in Z tower. After a day of hiding in their rooms, survivors met at the baseball field for the first checkpoint, “Field of Doom,” in which they met the game-masters: second-years Lorraine Cruz and MeiJing Bernard. They then had to defend a fort in the middle of the field from the oncoming horde. After completing the checkpoint by spraying the zombies with water to repel them, the surviving humans retreated to where their groups were based to begin planning for the next day.
First-year zombie Tim Manning attempts to catch a group of humans by surprise.
Monday, Nov. 2 The humans woke up early to go to their classes unnoticed by the horde. Throughout the day, travel in groups was crucial for humans to safely make it to everywhere they had to be. At 4:30 p.m., a large group mainly consisting of members from two human groups known as “Hannah Montana Kill Squad” and “Z-Squad” made their way to Z-green for the first feat, “RIP the game-master,” in which they successfully defended Bernard from the horde. At 6:30p.m., all surviving humans met at the Heiser parking lot for the “Everything or Nothing” checkpoint. The humans had to find both a box and a key containing a sign-up sheet in order to win. While a search party looked for the two objects by Heiser, a stationary group protected the rest of the humans from the horde in the parking lot.
Third-year Jack Cox embraces his role as a zombie.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 Tuesday was most notable for that night’s checkpoint, in which the humans had to split into three groups and each group had to defend one of the Pei Courts for 15 minutes. As thesis student and eventual winner Conor Zhang put it: “Pei, while being a cozy little home, becomes a deadly maze of corners, bushes and poor lighting in zombies.” The humans lost many more people that night, and the most difficult part was escaping from Pei once the checkpoint was over. Zhang’s group in Third Court hid in a Pei Room one of their members lived in, while zombies waited in the back, anticipating the humans escape from the room’s balcony. When it was time to leave, Zhang and two other humans exited the room and encountered a zombie, who quickly alerted the rest of the horde. Zhang and the rest of the humans charged to the overpass, one of the game’s safe zones. “A few zombies halfheartedly tried to stop us, but most of them seemed to have been waiting at the balcony,” Zhang recounted. “My companions were not so lucky though, neither of them made it to the overpass, and so I walked home alone.” Game-masters Mei-Jing Bernard(left) and Lorraine Cruz(right), both second-years, prepare to announce the first feat.
Wednesday, Nov. 4 Wednesday featured three feats as well as a checkpoint. Noon’s checkpoint was a game of chess at Dort and Goldstein where a human would have to win a game against a zombie, which the zombies won after no human showed up. At 2 p.m., a group of zombies played dodgeball in the tennis courts against lone human second-year Brendan Legel, who defeated them single-handedly after being given more chances to overcome his numbers disadvantage. At 4:30 p.m., the humans were required to defend Z-tower from the horde, and suffered their first feat casualty of the day: first-year Jack Belk. “I saw one of the humans just standing low on the staircase, and reached up and grabbed his leg. Turns out his name is also Jack, first human I got by myself, a little bit of a coincidence there,” third-year and veteran zombie Jack Cox mused. That night, humans returned to the baseball field for the fourth checkpoint, “Zig-Zag,” in which they had to defend the fort from Cox and the other zombies again, while also remaining aware of a new type of zombie that was immune to water but couldn’t travel in a straight line. “I really liked what the game masters did there, we hadn’t really had something like that in the game before. It’s nice to see new things as this game keeps changing over time, and it’s a lot of fun to play when it keeps becoming different,” Cox added. The humans stand guard against the zombies at the first feat.
Thursday, Nov. 5 At 1 p.m., no humans showed up that day’s feat, in which veteran human player and alum Casey Dodge returned and was instructed to travel to Four Winds while repelling zombies by himself. When he succeeded, he was able to pick five humans to link arms with at the next checkpoint. That night, tensions ran high at the checkpoint when the stress of the game led to three humans having panic attacks. The game was then called off for the night to give everyone a much-needed break. The humans held many group strategy sessions in ACE throughout the week.
Friday, November 7th The game did not resume until the final checkpoint at 7:30 p.m. The humans had to hold the bell tower in front of the library for 10 minutes, before walking to the chickee hit at the bay. The zombies elected to not tag the humans, due to disappointment in human gameplay, and instead met them at the hut. There were 14 human survivors of the game, and all players were congratulated for their efforts by the game-masters. “It definitely was a growing experience being part of the game and being involved with so many people. Everything I learned this year is something that I could apply in the future,” Cruz commented via email after the game. “Despite all of the hurdles that we overcame I learned a lot about myself and how to deal with a variety of difficult situations and scenarios,” Bernard agreed via email. “I met so many great people and gained so much from this experience, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Transfer student Kevin Wilborn holds a zombie at bay with his spray bottles at the week's second feat.
all photos courtesy of Sabrina Finn
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How to host a music show 101 BY CAITLYN RALPH With Nothing Arts Center founded by recent alums - blossoming down the road and a massively creative student body, New College is ideal for an active and exciting music culture. Mainstay events such as “Newstock” and “Woodstock Wall” coupled with regular Four Winds and Bike Shoppe shows reflect independent initiative taken by students to book a variety of musicians and host usually free concerts for the community. While it seems like a daunting task when first approached, bringing musicians to campus is fully feasible with a little planning in advance. Second-year Olivia Van Housen recently experienced this process when setting up a show by New York-based band This Is All Now. “They were a band who recently followed me on Twitter. There was this opportunity to have them do a house party,” Van Housen said. “I was like ‘where should they play?... Oh, I have this college where people can play at.’” This Is All Now played last Saturday during Hamilton “Ham” Center dining hours on the steps in front of Z-Green. “I’m very excited, mainly that it all actually came together,” Van Housen said. “It still stuns me that I pulled it off. Struggling through the process was a lot. There is nowhere at New College that says this is the process of how you do this. Definitely ask for help because you will need help.” Here’s a general step-by-step checklist for inviting musicians to campus. 1. Gauge interest Van Housen came across This Is All Now last September, and one of her first steps was gauging interest from the student body. Van Housen sent an email to the Forum introducing the
Fixing cars and (maybe) writing my thesis SUBMITTED BY JOY FEAGAN
Caitlyn Ralph/Catalyst
Second-year Olivia Van Housen put on a show by Long Island-based This Is All Now on Nov. 7.
band, including links to their music, and asking if anyone would like to see them play at New College. After receiving positive feedback, she started planning. Once interest is established, contact the band, get a monetary cost, and plan a general timeframe for the event. Emails for booking agents can usually be found on a musician’s Facebook page under the “About” section. 2. Submit an event request The event request form can be found on the myNCF portal. Navigate to “Campus Offices,” “Student Affairs,” and the form is on the left. Event requests go through Campus Life Coordinator Vanessa VanDyke. “Turn in an event request before you go to the SAC [Student Allocations Committee],” Van Housen said. “What I learned from
my experience was if you have even a rough day, a rough timeframe, and a rough estimate of cost, put it in [the event request form] because you could always retract it.” 3. Go to the SAC Music shows fall under the “events” category for the SAC since their bylaws don’t explicitly outline a section for concerts. Last year, the SAC allocated $18,000 for events, with $4,500 specifically going toward music shows. “We’re also very into allocating funds for music shows just in general because a lot of students show up for these and we want to fund events with a good turnout,” second-year and SAC Chairperson Racha Masara said in an
continued on p. 11
Which NFL team will be relocated to Los Angeles? BY RYAN PAICE With the second-biggest television market in the U.S. – only behind New York City – reestablishing a team in Los Angeles has been a goal for the National Football League for years now. As the football season heads into its 10th week, three teams are continuing their legal and financial maneuvering to attempt a relocation to LA when the season ends: the St. Louis Rams, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. The owners of the Rams and Chargers have each created their own plans for the construction of stadiums on their own property in LA, and there has even been talk of a partnership between the Chargers and the Raiders – like the partnership between the Jets and
Let's SWAlk About It
Giants in New York. The Rams hold what might be the most significant bid for relocation to the city, with their history as the Los Angeles Rams from
1946-1994 and the first major sports team in the state. Despite the Rams’ rich history in LA, some St. Louis fans feel like the team has become their own.
“I do feel it’s become a St. Louis team,” first-year State College of Florida student Matt Lansdowne said. “It’s been 20 years since they’ve been in LA and St. Louis is where they won the franchise’s only Super Bowl.” While the league and many of its owners are clamoring over the possibility of a team or two basking in the massive market that is LA, many of the city’s residents are opposed to the relocation of an NFL team to the city. Plans for stadiums in LA do not involve taxpayer money, but the plans are not set in stone and many of the city’s residents fear having to pay for the construction of a stadium for a team which many feel disinterested in.
This semester I started playing a lot of video games. I do not touch the cool classics that mean twelve-yearolds from my neighborhood liked. Instead, I play simulation games. Right now I am on a big “Car Mechanic Simulator” kick. Last month it was a baseball managing simulator (go Cubs!). I play for about an hour at a time until I get a headache and remember I should write my thesis. When this pattern began I was overcome with guilt. “Joy, you just wasted an hour trying to fix a virtual car’s engine!” I can never even figure out what is wrong with the engine. I do not know anything about cars. I get very little out of this game. But sometimes I just want to play it! Now, playing video games is part of my thesis policy of not forcing myself and instead working whenever, or wherever, I get the urge. When the semester began I had big dreams of an organized thesis schedule. “I will write ten pages a week,” I said. “It will be fine,” I said. No one replied. At this point, I have about three pages of rambling, disjointed paragraphs and thirty pages of notes. This work is a product of time spent in the library, Four Winds, my dorm, my partner’s house, friends’ houses, my parents’ house, and once at Growler’s. But, I have also gone to each of these places intending to work on my thesis and just ended up fixing fake cars. Thesising is a long process. In most cases, students spent the previous three years letting their impending thesis mythologize into something so terrifying that they are furious with themselves when, sometimes, they just do not want to work on it. For my benefit, I am still trying to unlearn the idea that thesising requires all of my time and energy; allowing myself to play video games without feeling guilty has made me happier and thus my bouts of productivity more fruitful. I am not saying that people should not make thesis schedules, or that everyone should play “Car Mechanic Simulator.” I am also not saying that it is wrong to get stressed or complain about one’s thesis. I still get panicked, I complain plenty, and I anticipate a few rough nights when I have to force myself to work. But, if for some reason you do not stick to your schedule, try to not be too hard on yourself. Do your best to listen to what your body and mind wants and needs. If you do need help making a timeline, want to talk at/to someone about writing, or require anything else thesis related, consider making a WRC appointment. We will give you some coffee and remind you that your thesis will get done, you will get through this, and I think you are cool (probably).
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An Aquarius, Libra and Sagittarius walk into the Bike Shoppe BY ANGELA DUDA As the oldest student-run organization on campus, the Bike Shoppe has discovered hundreds of wacky and unrecognizable bike frames in its time: a lime green, taller-thannormal bike currently sits in the far corner. The initiative to promote the maintenance and use of bikes on campus began way back in 1990 – the “Shoppe” was nothing more than a bike-ridden spot near the First Court water fountain – and has evolved into an opportunity students interested in building or repairing their bikes from the bottom-up. “Instead of fixing people’s bikes for them, it’s more so the students fix the bikes themselves and we’re the mentors,” said third-year Francisco Perez, Bike Shoppe TA of two years. When he isn’t working, he’s exploring his interest in tattooing or pursuing his AOC in art. He summed up his personality in three words: “I’m a Libra.” “We encourage students to pick [a bike up] and work on it,” added third-year James Montgomery, Bike Shoppe TA, Biology AOC and proud Sagittarius. In his spare time he practices with the New College Sailing Team. He has experience working on
photo courtesy of James Montgomery
First-year Kaithleen Conoepan repairing a faulty bike.
bikes since his first year at New College, but started hanging out at the Shoppe last semester. Now he and Perez work together to spread bike enthusiasm. The Bike Shoppe offers a bike rental program that was, initially, a big hit in the beginning of the semester.
With nothing more than an email and a student ID number, a student can borrow a bike for up to a week. Perhaps due to an increase in bike ownership on campus, largely attributed to the recent bike auction hosted by the campus police, use of the bike rental program
has declined. However, Perez estimates that the Shoppe sees about 12 people during a good week and 20 during a busy one. The Shoppe offers services for the atypical as well. “[We will do] anything that we can do,” Perez said. In the past, they aided students in repairing tricycles, rollerblades and skateboards. As long as it has wheels and no motor, they are equipped to help. “I’m also trying to get Wifi in [the Shoppe] so people can do homework while they’re here,” Montgomery said. Because students drop in to chat and unwind on the couches placed out front, Internet is essential. First-year Kaithleen Conoepan, an important asset to the Shoppe, volunteers to help Perez and Montgomery in her spare time. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida, has a passion for black-and-white film photography and is uniquely Aquarius. “I mostly came here because I wanted to know more about bikes. I needed one and always had an interest in them, but never really had the opportunity to pursue it in Miami. Now I’m building up a bike.”
Bike Shoppe Hours
Mondays and Tuesdays: 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Thursdays: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Comedy is tragedy: In a surprising shift, ‘You’re the Worst’ goes dark SUBMITTED BY DAVID CANFIELD By and large, today’s best television comedies slash through jokes, deftly balancing humor with thoughtful drama. There’s a melancholy undercurrent to the blistering satire of Netflix’s animated “BoJack Horseman,” while “Transparent,” Amazon’s family comedy of manners, finds texture through its complex engagement with trans* issues and Jewish culture. Even HBO’s cynical “Veep” takes a step back every now and then, documenting the consequences of political gridlock with ruthless omniscience. “You’re the Worst,” FXX’s excellent dating satire, is going in an even bolder direction in its currently airing second season. The series began as an antiromantic comedy of sorts, wherein two jaded 20-somethings fell in love and couldn’t stop complaining about it. In its first season, “Worst” grew into itself as an inventive, if still familiar, millennial comedy – the budding romance between Jimmy (Chris Geere), a low-level novelist, and Gretchen (Aya Cash), a snarky publicist, ranged from unconventionally sweet to outrageously funny. As it began its sophomore run, the series continued on that path: with Jimmy and Gretchen moving in together, new comedic angles and focuses were ripe for the picking. But with great sensitivity and
craft, creator Stephen Falk has bucked expectations. Gretchen’s emotional distance from Jimmy, initially a source of innocuous comedy, has fed into a startling and unwavering exploration of clinical depression. Though still witty and well observed, “You’re the Worst” is now tilting into an entirely new arena, exposing the selfishness of its characters from dark new perspectives and challenging them – and the audience in turn – to sacrifice throwaway comedy for the messiness of the real world. In its last three episodes, the series has undergone a tonal transformation. That said, “You’re the Worst” remains steeped in its cynicism, and this story shift is more of a natural evolution than an abrupt departure. Gretchen’s character development is impressive for precisely that reason: in no way does it contradict the way the series had previously sketched her out. The first season’s embracement of narcissism has transitioned into a meditation on its very limits. From that perspective, this new focus on Gretchen not only makes narrative sense, but it also deepens and enlivens the show’s broader purpose. Falk grew as a writer under the mentorship of Jenji Kohan, the mastermind behind “Weeds” and “Orange Is the New Black.” It’s hard not to consider her influence here. In both of Kohan’s groundbreaking series,
artifices of sunny institutional satire – suburbia in “Weeds,” and women’s prison in “Orange” – were steadily overtaken by the thornier issues of, respectively, widowhood and the cycle of poverty. Her shows turned bleaker, more pointed – they emerged out of comedic shells to reveal the deeper ideas that had always lurked within. The journey of “You’re the Worst” is certainly comparable: hiding inside its exterior of ha-ha nastiness were harshly humanistic themes. Falk and his team are dealing with these ideas head-on. The most recent episode of “You’re the Worst” extended further beyond its former self, following the mundane tribulations of a neohipster Los Angeles couple (with the husband played by “Weeds” standout Justin Kirk); viewers watched Gretchen fantasize about their life before inadvertently digging up its ugliness. Almost a metaphor for the show itself, the episode – titled “LCD Soundsystem” – presented an attractive image before forcing Gretchen to consider what was being covered up. In this new era of television specialization, the opportunity to explore more “difficult” topics is yielding remarkable artistic rewards. Along with “You’re the Worst,” the beautifully intimate Australian series “Please Like Me” is finding new, innovative and humane ways to talk about mental
illness. Its creator, the young comedian Josh Thomas, writes from a place of personal experience: his mother is bipolar and has attempted suicide, and in his show (in which he stars as himself), these details remain intact. But “Please Like Me” is not a sympathy project. Josh’s fictional mother, Rose (Debra Lawrence), is realized with dimensionality and flaws, a sense of humor no less biting or quirky than those around her. Rather than write around it, “Please Like Me” permits mental illness discourse to take place authentically, without judgment or pity. Despite its distinct takes on sexuality and coming-of-age, “Please Like Me” is, above all else, a nuanced depiction of familial love and imperfections. “You’re the Worst,” on the other hand, is still in limbo as it introduces a new side of itself. There’s no telling where the darkness will take it. Like many series out there right now, it’s insisting on placing comedy and tragedy side-by-side – on allowing its audience to recognize misrepresented populations as equally human. That’s a trend worth getting behind. Through “You’re the Worst” and the many series in its oeuvre, audiences are being offered new modes of laughter, sadness and – most important of all – feeling.
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Wall Previews BY GIULIA HEYWARD Nov. 13 Flow Wall Flow Wall will be hosted by thirdyear Orion Morton and thesis student Heath Hawkins. “We want to create a collective New College flow state. We love flow states. So does everybody else,” Hawkins said. Flow state, or flow zone, is a term used when an individual is completely immersed in an activity that they are doing. Individuals in a flow state are energized, joyful, and focused. According to Hawkins, Wall attendees should be prepared to get down. “Righteous music, ranging from entrancing to cosmic bangers,” Hawkins said when asked to describe the music. Although the Wall is scheduled for a Friday night, the hosts have decided that the Wall will be held in the Nook or in front of ACE.
Have your event featured on our calendar! Email ncfcatalyst@ gmail.com by the Friday prior to your event.
College Hall: Student space or administrative office? BY BIANCA BENEDI When New College first opened its doors in 1960, College Hall was the center of student life. Gatherings and meetings among the student body were held there, along with multiple classes. It was used as a library for an extended period of time before Jane Bancroft Cook Library was built. The former Ringling mansion was the most important building on campus. Today it’s an administrative building, with a handful of professor’s offices and classrooms available for a few members of the Social Sciences department. Its primary purpose is as home for Admissions, the first stop in tours for prospective students, and as a lavish gathering place for upscale events. Somewhere between 1960 and now that switch from student space to administrative space occurred, and the transition did not escape the attention of the student body. Notes from the Student Life Committee meeting of October 1984 include discussion on the use of the building. “P. Adema and M. Gottlieb wanted to discuss item 3 concerning the fate of College Hall in some detail,” the notes say. “Students were extremely concerned that the Hall not ‘fall into the hands of administrators’. Students suggested multiple uses for various floors including offices, art studios, meeting rooms, and lounges. They further suggested that unlike Cook Hall, College Hall should be open part of the night for social activities.” The notes continue, “B. Kline
Courtesy of the New College Digital Archives
College Hall, March 1964. In the College's early days, College Hall served as a gathering spot for students.
interjected that he had heard no plans radically different from what the students proposed ... It was suggested that the matter be deferred to the space committee.” Four years later, a 1988 list of Student Concerns documented yet more complains regarding access to College Hall. “Despite assurances from various administrators, the students still do not have access to the student lounge. Russ Sizemore wrote an essay in Salmugundi extolling the potential virtues of a College Hall open to both students and New College faculty,” the report states. “Many students favored
access to College Hall for parties during inclement weather. Some administrative and janitorial concern has been expressed about the condition of the building following parties. A solution would be for the NCSA to employ a student for the purpose of cleaning up the following day. This has worked well in Hamilton Center.” Sometime between 1984 and 1988, College Hall slipped further out of the grasp of students and into an administrative space. Students have been unsuccessful in reclaiming it ever since.
EVENTS: NOV. 11 - NOV. 17 On Campus
Wednesday, November 11 • 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. NCSA elections @ Ham • 6:00 p.m. Activist Samuel Sinyangwe talk @ HCL 8 • 7:15 p.m. Towne meeting Thursday, November 12 • 5:00 p.m. Artist Conversation: Miya Masaoka @ Sainer • 8:00 p.m. Documentaries from Palestine @ HCL 8 Friday, November 13 • 12:00 p.m. Feminist Fridays @ ACE Lounge • 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Yoga @ Fitness Center • 4:00 p.m. Natural Science Seminar @ Chae auditorium • 8:00 p.m. Double Feature Picture Show @HCL 7 • 8:00 p.m. Critics’ Film House
Off Campus
Saturday, November 14 • 12:00 p.m. Court Wars @ Z Green • 8:00 p.m. Miya Masaoka concert @ Sainer • 8:00 p.m. Double Feature Picture Show @ HCL 7 • 8:00 p.m. Critics’ Film House
Wednesday, November 11 • 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 6:00 p.m. Nokomis Beach Drum Circle @ Nokomis Beach on Casey Key • 7:00 p.m. Team Trivia @ Growler’s Pub
Monday. November 16 • 7:00 p.m. Quiz Bowl Prcatice
Thursday, November 12 • 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 5:00 p.m. Art After 5 @ Ringling Museum • 8:00 p.m. Music show @ Nothing Arts Center
Tuesday, November 17 • 7:00 p.m. Twelth Night @ BBT • 9:00 p.m. Astronomy Club Meeting @ the Bayfront
Friday, November 13 • 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach Saturday, November 14 • 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Dowtown
• • •
Farmer’s Market 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach 9:45 a.m. Sarasota Medieval Fair @ Sarasota County Fairgrounds 6:00 p.m. Nokomis Beach Drum Circle @ Nokomis Beach on Casey Key
Monday, November 16 • 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 9:00 p.m. Karaoke @ Growler’s Pub Tuesday, November 17 • Free meal for students @ Coffee Loft • 9:00 p.m. Open Mic @ Growler’s Pub
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REVIEWS
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‘Master of None’ proves Ansari to be a master of all BY SYDNEY KRULJAC Netflix’s newest comedy “Master of None” made its mark as one of the most groundbreaking shows this year, and possibly ever. What normally takes several seasons to build a TV show’s legacy; Aziz Ansari has managed to accomplish it in just 10 half-hour episodes. Released Nov. 6, the show follows a seemingly straightforward premise: Dev (Ansari) is a 30-something New York actor struggling with his career, love life, friends and his identity. But press play, and the show evolves into something much bigger than a cliché story line. “Master of None” is so thoughtful and poised that it never falls into the traditional sitcom trap, thanks to the genius and clear vision of Ansari and his co-writer Alan Yang. Each episode encompasses anything from Dev’s relationship with Rachel (Noël Wells), to family and to friendship. Due to every thoughtful detail within the individual story lines, it is an added bonus when you take a step back and understand the bigger picture the show has created. Within the first five minutes of the second episode, “Master of None” is something special. In the episode “Parents,” the show takes a look at immigration. The episode is based off of Ansari’s standup piece about his parent’s immigration from India into the United States, the incomprehensible struggles they faced as they created a home and how far removed he feels as a first-generation American kid. Additionally, it follows the father of Dev’s friend Peter (Kelvin Yu) who shares a similar story about the struggles of immigration. The rest of the episode places the spotlight on Dev and Peter’s parents (played by Ansari’s and Yu’s parents) as they tell their own stories. Much like their sons, the audience becomes captivated and wide-eyed as the true stories of immigration lend a sense of vulnerability and intimacy unlike any other TV show before. The TV show also focuses
photo courtesy of imdb
“Master of None” premiered on Netflix on Nov. 6, 2015.
on race in the fourth episode called “Indians on TV” and is a cutting look on how Hollywood behaves toward minority actors. Opening with an assortment of TV shows with Indian distortions and stereotypes, including actors in brownface, the show does not sugarcoat the ongoing problem in society. It follows Dev as he auditions for a role and is rejected because he refuses to mock an “Indian accent” for the sake of a cab driver role. Furthermore, he finds he was rejected from a potentially large role in a sitcom because the series already cast another Indian in it. Ansari unveils this unacceptable behavior to the audience with another underlying message: this is ridiculous and unacceptable, yet we keep accepting it. “Master of None” also steers clear of a traditional sitcom relationship and opens the eyes (and very realistic fears) of any serious and imperfect relationship. Just over half way through the season, Dev and Rachel make a commitment to each other and it is
Ben Carson
Music shows
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“It’s exhilarating,” Shipman said in regards to protesting. “Seeing other people who feel the same way you do is phenomenal. It’s really interesting to see the array of forces against progress [...] and so also knowing who you’re going up against can also be intimidating.” Although the store ran out of physical copies before Carson arrived, people were able to purchase the book and use a receipt to obtain a copy at the event. Bookstore1 sold 500 copies of the book, days before the actual event.
email interview. “We generally tend to allocate money for payment for the artists, but, as for travel expenses, our bylaws do specify that we can only fund 75 percent,” Masara said. Masara added that there have been fewer requests for concerts lately. Masara suspects this is due to Nothing Arts Center, which frequently hosts music shows, and because Bike Shoppe shows started getting shut down at the end of last year. Recently, the SAC allocated $500 for Newstock and funded a show at the Four Winds for singer-songwriter Mal Devisa. Before submitting a request for funds, Van Housen contacted a member of the SAC. After receiving confirmation
evident their relationship is flourishing. It looks like they could be the next Jim and Pam with their witty banter and radiating chemistry. The show manages to also depict the fact that relationships are hard, and take work once you get past the honeymoon stage. Episode nine focuses almost entirely on the progressing relationship between Dev and Rachel, from the charismatic beginning to realizing this seemingly perfect person is not flawless. Ansari and Wells sell this relationship from the moment their hearts ignite on the show, to when they encounter problems later on, and undoubtedly place the audience in a whirlwind of emotions. The best thing about “Master of None” is you can feel and see the effort put into every detail of the show. The overall range of the show acknowledges the big problems faced in today’s society and analyzes them in a serious manner. One of the most cleverly put together episodes is “Ladies and Gentleman” in which the episode
focuses on how differently men are treated from women. However, one of the most uplifting points of this episode is the work that went on behind it. The idea for the episode “Ladies and Gentleman” was inspired again by Ansari’s stand-up. While he easily could have written the episode based on his jokes, he decided to hand the writing over to two women, Sarah Peters and Zoe Jarman, who wrote the script based on their own lived experiences. All in all, Master of None is a revolutionary show that accentuates real societal problems and takes an assertive step forward. I look forward to the second season and cannot wait to see what else the talented cast and crew will pull out of their sleeves. If you have not yet binge watched this show, you need to. I give it a strong sat.
that the SAC does fund music events, Van Housen attended an SAC meeting. The meetings occur Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in the Old Mail Room. Van Housen requested $700: the cost to host a This Is All Now house show. Van Housen was funded $350 for the initial down payment. She was satisfied with the allocation. The remaining $350 came from Van Housen’s own pocket. However, she emphasized that with more planning, students could easily fundraise and prevent having to pay their own money. “Or you can be like me and be broke,” Van Housen joked. 4. Continue contacting and planning After getting an event request
approved and funding from the SAC, move forward with contacting relevant parties, such as the musicians and their booking agent and the campus’ Equipment Technical Assistants (TA). Ensure that the entire day is planned prior, including when and how the will arrive to campus, what equipment they are bringing and what will be needed. Plan when and where the event is occurring, and who is setting it up. If compensation is involved, contact Business Manager Dawn Shongood to receive information on payment. A W-9 form will be needed from the musician. “Don’t be afraid to keep contacting people,” Van Housen said. “Start early. If you’re going to do it, start early.”
Information for this article was taken from vox.com
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Something Wicked This Way Came BY AUDREY WARNE The Something Wicked this Way Comes Center of the Universe Party (COUP) took place on Nov. 7. The event was hosted by thesis students Garrett Murto, Lara Grauerholz-Fisher, Logan Starnes and Catalyst staff writer Bianca Benedi. From the lo-fi bedroom pop of the Old Mail Room to the bass-heavy beats in the BBT, there was music for everyone - including the hundreds of guests who
came to campus for the event. The night took a grim turn towards the beginning of the evening, with a whole section of dorms lacking air conditioning and a broken water system in Ham, but the event coordinators were quick to set up free beverage stands throughout campus. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) worked to set up a relaxing safe-space in the Prayer and Meditation Room for those in need of a less-stimulating environment.
Audrey Warne/Catalyst
(clockwise from top left) Palm Court was shrouded in black tarp to create a maze-like dance space. Secondyear Azia Keever and her brother Johnny Keever in their COUP costumes. The Black Box Theater was filled with raving students despite the lack of air conditioning. Ham Center was decorated to look like the Hogwarts Great Hall. all photos Caitlyn Ralph/Catalyst