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ART FUNDING DEATH AT FRATERNITY
NOVEMBER 22, 2017 VOLUME XXXV ISSUE X
New College of Florida's student-run newspaper
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U.S. sees mass shooting nearly every day, no solution in sight BY COLE ZELZNAK “We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn’t a guns situation. I mean, we could go into it, but it’s a little bit soon to go into it,” President Donald Trump said in a press conference in the aftermath of gunman’s attack on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Even in the face of some of the most high profile shootings in American history, not even token legislation has been passed by the federal government. A deep cultural affection for firearms has left many Americans with the feeling that these deaths are simply the price to pay for a constitutionally guaranteed freedom. Little over a month before the Sutherland Baptist Church attack, a shooter opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, killing 58 and
photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Thousands marched through Washington, D.C. in 2013 to demand tougher gun control laws in response to frequent mass shootings which continue today.
wounding 546. Last Tuesday, an apparently unhinged shooter killed six in the small community of Rancho Tehama in Northern California, with police cutting his spree short after he failed to break into a school. After the Las Vegas shooting,
gun control advocates rallied around the shooter’s use of a “bump stock” and many calls were made to ban their sale. A bump stock harnesses a semi automatic rifle’s recoil in order to increase its rate of fire to levels that are comparable to fully au-
tomatic weapons. It appeared that, on this small issue, the gridlock had been broken. The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced in the wake of Las Vegas that it was open to supporting a ban on bump stocks. A month later, however, no meaningful progress has been made. Both the NRA and Congress have shifted the responsibility of regulating bump stocks to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). The ATF is currently reviewing whether bump stocks comply with the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA), which mandates strict regulation of fully automatic weapons. The last major development in federal gun laws was the result of a 2008 Supreme Court case, McDonald v. City of Chicago. That ruling established the sovereignty of the 2nd Amendment and its provision continued on p. 11
Sulfuric acid scare highlights safety concerning accessibility and federal regulations on chemicals BY GIULIA HEYWARD
https://doc-0k-18-docs. googleusercontent.com/ docs/securesc/s7jurnmk912se8sp3mgg3hd8llrh0uos/obdpo7fpcdn719 co01n4qb7t57rv346b/1 506448800000/0533393 9401667025082/025783 83506865688437/0B4ze ECbsUTILVjVXY25YUU 52ZUk?e=download
Sulfuric acid is a chemical capable of corroding paper, metal and human skin. It has the potential to cause blindness, and is unique in its ability to also cause thermal burns as a result of dehydration. This chemical can be found in household cleaning supplies, locked in the labs of the Heiser Natural Sciences building and, recently, unattended outside of Z Amphitheater. “It’s the same situation with drugs and guns,” Natural Sciences Division Chair and Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Katherine Walstrom, said. “There are tons of dangerous things that people can get their hands on and do bad stuff with-these chemicals are one example.” How it began Second-year transfer Yasmeen Wilson was one of two students in Associate Professor of Computer Sci-
WHAT’S INSIDE
on her bike instead--a chemical process that included using sulfuric acid. “She [Wilson] came to talk to me, and seemed pretty excited about anodizing,” Doucette said. “It’s a pretty common thing that happens to, at least mass produced, bikes.” Doucette states that he and Wilson had discussed the process of anodizing, using sulfuric acid. “We had this strange sequences of communications,” Doucette said. “I talked to Yasmeen [Wilson] about making the safety plan and then, the next thing I heard, was that there Giulia Heyward/Catalyst had been acid in the dorms.” Concentrate sulfuric acid (center) can be found in the chemistry storage room in the The sulfuric acid was reportedly Heiser Natural Sciences building. The room is double bolted and only a select amount left unattended in the bathrooms in of faculty have the key into the room. the Z Residential Building, closest to Z Amphitheatre. ence John Doucette’s Bike Building thing from scratch," Doucette said. Three emails were sent by Wiltutorial. Although Wilson had first conson to the [Forum], an optional List“They needed to completely dis- sidered paint, a thesising Bike Shopassemble the bikes, break them down pe Teaching Assistant (TA) and Cata- serv that students have the ability to to their basic components, take apart lyst reporter, Cole Zelznak, suggested continued on p. 11 the wheels and then rebuild every- that she could anodize the gear shift
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Keystone Pipeline Leaks in South Dakota BY MICHALA HEAD The heavily protested Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota has proven to be problematic in months following President Donald Trump’s approval of the project. This Thanksgiving, people and families living near the pipeline will be facing the ramifications of a 210,000 gallon oil spill from the pipeline, which is equivalent to 5,000 barrels of oil. The leak occurred a mere three miles south of the town of Amherst. The spill is the largest Keystone spill that has occurred in South Dakota to date. The pipeline was shut down on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 16, in order to investigate the
cause of the leak. Whether the spill has contaminated groundwater has not yet been determined. Discovery of the leak occurred the day before a decision on whether to move forward with the pipeline’s sister project, the Keystone XL, was scheduled to be made. Keystone XL would run through Hardisty to Steel City, Nebraska, completing the Keystone system. Trump approved of Keystone XL in May. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota protested the Keystone pipeline since it was proposed in 2014 because it travels under the Missouri River, their primary drinking water source and because it runs through a sacred burial ground. The
protests gained national attention in late 2016, with police brutality towards protesters providing extremely controversy. In spite of the glaring flaws and vehement disapproval of the pipeline, Trump green-lighted the project shortly following his inauguration. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reportedly aware of and monitoring the situation, receiving updates from the state of South Dakota. Americans ought to expect little to be done for future prevention of oil spills by this administration, given their general disdain towards environmental concerns and their ties to oil such as the head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, formerly hav-
ing close ties to Devon Energy and Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, being the former Chief Executive Officer of Exxon-Mobil. According to a 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Energy, there is about 1.3 million gallons of petroleum spilled into waters by U.S. vessels and pipelines every year, but that in itself has not been enough to see to the end of construction for new pipelines. The Keystone spill is drastic, but unfortunately just one on a list of many. Information gathered from cnn.com, nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com, time.com and livescience.com
Ireland Bans Wild Animals in the Circus BY MICHALA HEAD Clowns, contortionists and awestruck audiences will still be found at circuses across Ireland, but one will not be seeing wild animals in their circuses come 2018. Ireland has recently moved to ban the use of any wild animals for circus entertainment, including those that are presently a part of the circus. This decision will be enacted on Jan. 1 of the New Year.
The circus has a long history of exhibiting wild animals and an almost equally long history of being plagued with controversy surrounding animal cruelty. Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, made the decision to ban wild animals from circuses because it is no environment for them, even if they are well cared for. Ireland is the 42nd country in the world to legislate against animal cruelty by banning circus use. According to the Irish Times,
there are four traveling circuses in Ireland that still have animal performers and 16 total animal performers that will be relocated to more comfortable environments come 2018. United States Representatives Raul Grijavla and Ryan Costello introduced a similar bill in March of this year known as the Traveling Exotic Animals and Public Safety Protection Act (TEASPA), which called for the 19 U.S. traveling circuses
using animal performers to cease doing so or shut down. The bill was last referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture in April and has not been put to a vote. In both the United States and Ireland, this protection for animals is largely supported. Information gathered from irishtimes. com, nationalgeographic.com and congress.gov
The Political Upheaval in Zimbabwe BY MICHALA HEAD The Zimbabwean government is facing a military takeover, although the army refuses to call it such. Soldiers reportedly took control of the state broadcaster and blocked access to government offices on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The citizens of Zimbabwe will likely be under a transitional government in the days to come. Amidst the power struggle, 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is safe, but has been put under house arrest. Mugabe has held the office of the
presidency since 1987 and has had only one predecessor who served from 1980 to 1987, after Zimbabwe gained independence from the United Kingdom. During that seven-year span, Mugabe served as the Prime Minister. Following their 2013 election, when Mugabe was reelected to serve his seventh term, he had been clinging to power due to the unrest of his constituents surrounding electoral violence. On Nov. 6, Mugabe caused unrest by firing the Vice President so that his wife could succeed him. Mugabe is resisting pressure by Zimbabwe’s military to publicly
resign. According to the Financial Times, Mugabe has met with a South African envoy consisting of two South African ministers and with Constantine Chiwenga, the Zimbabwean army commander who led the coup. The Guardian reported that South Africa is appearing to back the Zimbabwean army and seeking to negotiate the terms of Mugabe’s resignation. The South African Development Community (SADC) urged against this unconstitutional change in government and held an emergency meeting in Botswana. President of South Africa and chair of the SADC,
Jacob Zuma, called for the meeting out of concern for what political turmoil in Zimbabwe would mean for the neighboring South Africa. In recent years, Zimbabweans have already fled to South Africa in thousands due to the economic instability, Zuma’s concern lies with what this political unrest will lead to. On Sunday, Nov. 19, Zimbabwe’s ruling party has given Mugabe until Monday to resign or face impeachment. Information gathered from aljazeera. com, bbc.com, theguardian.com and ft.com
In the "Remembering Glenn Cuomo" piece from Issue 8, a quote attributed to Amy Reid, Professor of French, was in fact said by Alina Wyman, Associate Professor of Russian. The Catalyst apologizes for this error. In honor of Trans Remembrance Day, which was observed November 20th, 2017, here are the names and ages of some of the transgender people who lost their lives to antitrans violence in the United States this year. Candace Towns, 30. Stephanie Montez, 47. Ally Lee Steinfeld, 17. Derricka Banner, 26. Kashmire Redd, 28. Kiwi Herring, 30. Gwynevere River Song, 26. TeeTee Dangerfield, 32. Ebony Morgan, 28. Ava Le'Ray Barrin, 17. Josie Berrios, 28. Kenne McFadden, 27. Sherrell Faulkner, 46. Brenda Bostick, 59. Chay Reed, 28. Alphonza Watson, 38. Jaquarrius Holland, 18. Ciara McElveen, 21. Chyna Gibson, 31. Keke Collier, 24. JoJo Striker, 23. Mesha Caldwell, 41. Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, 28. "Wait, do you listen to Charles Manson's music?" © 2017 the Catalyst. All rights reserved. The Catalyst is available online at www.ncfcatalyst.com, facebook.com/NCFcatalyst instagram.com/NCFcatalyst twitter.com/ncfcatalyst The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria D. 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.
General Editor Managing Editor Copy Editor & Writing Coach Online Editor Layout Editors Social Media Editor Staff Writers & Photographers
Giulia Heyward Magdalene Taylor Ryan Paice Jacob Wentz Anya María Contreras-García,
Jordi Gonzalez
Jason D'Amours Noah Baslaw, Miranda Gale Michala Head, Azia Keever, Tim Manning, Samantha Ramirez, Cole Zelznak
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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How arts funding can fill in gaps of institutional support BY GIULIA HEYWARD The following article is a continuation to the “Funding for art resources draws a blank” piece by Jacob Wentz. The previous article can be accessed online at ncfcatalyst.com. As hopeful faculty hires provide presentations on Chilean protests and science labs are built from the ground up, the liberal arts education offered here is expanding. With the NCF Growth Plan and Mellon Grant both underway, plans for the Natural and Social Sciences are being drawn up. However, when it comes to the Art Area of Concentration (AOC) offered here, once referred to as having “an embarassment of riches,” plans for faculty expansion are drawing a blank. Associate Professor of Art Kim Anderson submitted a rationale for a new hire in Digital Printmaking at the end of the 2016-7 school year. This new hire would have assisted the current two full-time faculty in the Art Program. The rationale was, unfortunately, not accepted. This year the line priorities did not include a faculty hire in studio art," Anderson said. “I think that that’s unfortunate because students are looking for art experiences when they apply to a liberal arts college. I
am hoping that next year, we might be able to revisit it. I think that we are really going to feel pressure during the Growth [Plan] if we don’t expand our base faculty.” “We are doing 15 [faculty] searches this year,” Provost Barbara Feldman said. “As long as funding comes as promised, it would be 15 the next year and then 10 the following year. We would grow by 40 faculty.” According to Feldman, all searches are underway. The school is currently hiring for a Digital Arts/ Media professor and a Sculpture professor. Anderson is one of two full-time art faculty at New College, along with Professor Samantha Burns. Anderson teaches Painting I, Drawing I, Drawing II and Painting II. Burns teaches Sculpture I and II. The institution financed an enhancement course allowing there to be one faculty per semester to teach courses such as Printmaking or Digital Photography. “It wasn’t enough,” Anderson said. “And so we kind of rely pretty heavily on that adjunct line to give students a feel of that fully fleshed out undergraduate art experience.” In comparison, the University of Florida (UF) has a total of 50 faculty in their joint Art and Art History
division, comprised of both adjunct and full time professors. Other liberal arts colleges such as Earlham, Pomona and Hampshire employ nine, seven and eight faculty respectively. “The only areas where I feel as if we could do better is the access to technology for students,” Anderson said. “We are slated to upgrade the computer lab during January. There are only about eight or nine computers for the entire Musics and Fine Arts program combined. Students are coming from high schools with better equipped computer labs and that’s a little bit of an embarrassment.” There is a technology-based arts course called Digital Arts for the Artists in which some students have had to bring their own laptops due to the lack of technology. “We are situated in Sarasota,” Anderson said. “We all need to work better with the Foundation to see if we can tap into donors or supporters of the arts in Sarasota.” This sentiment was shared by Feldman. “We are in Sarasota, which is an incredibly cultural city with a lot of performance and visual arts,” Feldman said. “It seems like a natural place for us to have a strong arts program.”
Cutting the Cost for Classes In order to obtain an Area of Concentration (AOC) in Art, students are required to take nine courses before their fifth contract. These includes Painting, Drawing and Sculpture at the beginning and intermediate levels, as well as two Art History courses and one Independent Study Project (ISP) involving Art. Upon finishing their fifth contract, Art students are expected to complete two upper-level art courses, one Art History course, one ISP involving Studio Art and a Critical Theory course, as well as a Senior Art Seminar, thesis tutorials and an undergraduate thesis. “There is generally a lab fee that’s assigned with any studio class that you are going to take,” Anderson said. “The lab fees do not cover all of the materials, there is no way that they could. When I was a student, they covered some mediums, some solvent when I was in undergrad. I think we’ve really come a long way as far as making the college accountable for what is spent.” The $50 Lab Fee for Painting I covers the cost of items that can be bulk ordered by professors for a cheaper price. Anderson estimates that the out-of-pocket cost for a stucontinued on p. 5
Congressional Affairs: Senator Al Franken facing two accusations, Roy Moore eight Photo courtesy of Politico
BY RYAN PAICE Another woman—33-year-old Lindsay Menz—has accused Sen. Al Franken D-Mn. of inappropriately touching her, this time in 2010, only hours after Leeann Tweeden levied the first accusation of sexual harassment on the senator. Meanwhile, eight women, many of whom were underage at the time of the incidents, have accused former Alabama judge Roy Moore of sexual harassment and misconduct over the past several weeks. Menz told CNN that Franken grabbed her buttocks while taking a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010, while he was in office. While her husband prepared to take a photo of Menz and Franken, Franken “pulled me in really close, like awkward close, and as my husband took the picture, he put his hand full-fledged on my rear,” Menz said. “It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek. “It wasn’t around my waist,” she continued. “It wasn’t around my hip or side. It was definitely on my butt. I was like, oh my God, what’s happening.” Tweeden, a radio news anchor
“There’s more I want to say, but the first and most important thing—and if it’s the only thing you care to hear, that’s fine--is: I’m sorry," Franken said in a Nov. 17 statement.
in California, said that Franken groped her—having released a nowviral image of the supposed joke as proof—and forcibly kissed her in 2006. The senator faces a potential ethics investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee. “The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women,”
Franken said in an issued statement on Nov. 17. “There’s more I want to say, but the first and most important thing—and if it’s the only thing you care to hear, that’s fine—is: I’m sorry.” President Donald Trump, having vehemently denied the 16 women who have accused him of sexual harassment and said nothing regarding the multiple Roy Moore accusations, decided to slam Franken over Twitter. “The Al Frankenstien picture is
really bad, speaks a thousand words,” Trump tweeted on Nov. 16. “Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 &6 while she sleeps?” Despite Trump having been silent on Moore, who is running for a seat in the Senate, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has severed all financial ties with the former judge and several Republicans have asked for Moore to drop out of the race. “Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside,” Mitt Romney tweeted on Nov. 10. Leigh Corfman was allegedly brought to Moore’s home in the woods and was made to take her clothes off in from of the former judge. “I wanted it over with—I wanted out,” Corfman said about the incident. “Please just get this over with. Whatever this is, just get it over.” Corfman is only one of eight women who have accused Roy Moore of sexual harassment. Gena Richardson said in an interview with the Post continued on p. 11
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Texas State University suspends all Greek life following the death of a pledge BY SAMANTHA RAMIREZ Texas State University (TSU) moved to halt all Greek life activities on Nov. 15, a day after a 20-year-old fraternity pledge, Matthew Ellis, died following an off-campus social event. San Marcos police reported being called on scene at 11:35 a.m. Monday in response to a person not breathing at an apartment complex. Matthew Ellis was a pledge for the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and was found unresponsive and declared dead less than an hour after being found. Police said he was discovered by a group of friends just after 11 a.m. An autopsy is being conducted, however in a preliminary investigation, alcohol was ruled as a factor in Ellis’ death. This incident is the latest in a string of similar episodes on campuses across the country. "It is imperative that our entire university community develop a culture that places the highest priority on the safety of its students, faculty
and staff,” TSU President Denise M. Trauth said. In a statement Trauth said she was "deeply saddened by the tragic death" and ordered a suspension on all activities of Greek fraternity and sorority chapters at the university. Trauth also ordered a thorough review of the Greek life on campus that would suggest recommendations for reinstating the chapters in the future. Trauth said in a statement that Greek organizations are “prohibited from holding newmember events, chapter meetings, social functions and philanthropic activities until a thorough review of the Greek Affairs system is completed.” The Texas State Interfraternity Council said it also voted to suspend chapters "as we must focus on substantive change in the culture and goals of our fraternity community." Matthew Ellis, 20, was a sophomore transfer student studying business at TSU. Ellis’s death and the suspension of Greek life and activities at Texas State follows a very recent case
of almost identical events. At Florida State University (FSU), when Andrew Coffey--20, a junior transfer student and Pi Kappa Phi pledge at FSU--was found dead in off-campus housing in Tallahassee, Florida, on Nov. 3 after a fraternity party the night before, the university suspended all Greek life chapters and activities there as well. These cases are among a lengthy list of incidents that highlight the chilling drug culture that is found within institutions and Greek life. Other deaths that have been added to the growing list of public universities where fraternity pledges have died of suspected alcohol-related incidents in recent years also include Tim Piazza, 19, a sophomore student at Penn State. Piazza died after his first night pledging for a fraternity in February. Surveillance footage and video recordings played in court have showed Piazza falling repeatedly, including down a set of stairs, following an event that involved heavy drink-
ing. After his fall, a dying Piazza was placed on a couch for hours as his fellow fraternity brothers searched on the internet about head injuries, hid evidence and pushed back against those who wanted to call for help. Authorities weren't called until the next morning, as fraternity members delayed calling for help and seeking real medical help for Piazza. More than 1,000 criminal counts were levied against 18 fraternity members in the case, along with the DA refiling for manslaughter against Penn State fraternity members. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 1,800 college students, ages ranging from 18 to 24, die each year as a result of drinking, including from alcohol-related car crashes. Information gathered from nytimes.com and cnn.com
Students petitions to give thousands the right to vote BY AZIA KEEVER “Can't we find it in our hearts to choose to forgive and not forever condemn?” Governor Charlie Crist asked Florida's Executive Clemency Board in 2007. He was attempting what Floridians are attempting to do still today: give a second chance to those who have paid their debts to society for their wrongdoings. In conjunction with Progressive Sarasota, New College students are at the forefront of the cause, having collected over 200 signatures for the Voting Restoration Amendment at the Sarasota Sandcastle Festival. With 10.42 percent of Florida’s population unable to vote, it is the top ranking state for disenfranchised voters. “It’s really easy to put the label ‘felon’ on someone and once that label is ascribed it’s so difficult for them to do anything, let alone vote,” second-year and Policy Chair Holder for Million Hoodies’ West Florida Chapter (MHWF), Kristen Patterson said in an interview with the Catalyst. Patterson and the three other students who participated in the petitioning at the Sandcastle Festival were all members of Million Hoodies’ West Florida Chapter (MHWF). Million Hoodies is a human rights membership organization whose goal is to end anti-black racism and systemic violence. Florida has one of the highest
photo courtesy of Davi Russo
Due in part to decisions made by Florida Governor Rick Scott, current floridians with past felony convictions are automatically unable to vote.
incarceration rates in the country, with over 100,000 people in prison right now. The felony disenfranchisement laws across the country are vestiges of laws barring suffrage on the grounds of race and class. At the time of Gov. Crist’s speech and still today, those with convictions must not only apply individually to the Office of Executive Clemency, but wait to apply until seven years after they have completed their sentence, probation and/or parole. Due to this being one of the most punitive disenfranchisement policies in the country, Gov. Crist’s speech was a plea to streamline the approval process for people with convictions for nonviolent felony offenses. The reform was passed. Only four years later, the reform
color in a loop of structural violence. According to National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), “though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately 32 percent of the U.S. population, they comprised 56 percent of all incarcerated people in 2015.” Because of selective enforcement, people of color are more likely to get in more trouble for a crime than people that are white doing the same crime. “They are who would know the most about police brutality,” Kwan said. Signing the petition does not automatically cast one’s vote for the amendment. It is only a petition to simply have the proposed amendment on the ballot in the 2018 general election. If Floridians for a Fair Democracy collect over 750,000 signatures, it will go on the ballot and has the potential to be amended to the Florida Constitution. Scribbled in the notes of Gov. Crist’s speech that day back in 2007 was a very important sentence: "We should not confuse punishment with revenge.”
was overturned by Gov. Rick Scott. Florida is now one of only three states, including Kentucky and Iowa, that continue to enforce the lifetime voting ban. Million Hoodie's West Florida Chapter's Communications Director, third-year Angelo Acebedo spoke to the Catalyst about the benefits of the amendment in preventing laws like this to continue to exist. “Ex-felons also happen to be the most intimate and knowledgeable with this country’s prison industrial complex, so their voices and votes Information for this article was gathare crucial for dismantling the prison ered from procon.org, floridamemory. industrial complex which operates com, http://www.naacp.org. on racism,” Acebedo said in an online interview. Acebedo is referencing the laws that continues to keep people of
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Australia to become 26th country to legalize same-sex unions BY JASON D'AMOURS The Australian Bureau of Statistics announced last week that the majority of voting-age Australians indicated support for same-sex marriage in a historic and voluntary postal survey. The results pave the way for the Parliament to consider a same-sex marriage bill. The postal survey garnered a 79.5 percent participation rate, a rate higher than the 72.2 percent achieved by the Brexit referendum and the mere 58.8 percent turnout for the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The high Australian turnout, according to The Guardian, indicates that the results are a credible reflection of Australian public opinion. 61.6 percent of respondents voted yes in support of same-sex marriage and 38.4 percent voted no. “The Australian people have spoken, and they have voted overwhelmingly ‘yes’ for marriage equality,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said at a press conference last Wednesday according to the New York Times. “They voted ‘yes’ for
fairness, they voted ‘yes’ for commitment, they voted ‘yes’ for love.” Australia will become the 26th country in the world to legalize same-sex unions once the bill passes in the Parliament. This, however, is the problem. According to The Atlantic, the debate has had less to do with whether to allow same-sex couples to marry, and more to do with how the government should go about the process of legalization. Currently, Turnbull, supporters in the Liberal-National party coalition, the Labor Opposition, Greens and other bipartisan parties have come to a consensus concerning a bipartisan bill that protects religious freedoms without legalizing discrimination by private service providers. Supporters hope to pass the parliamentary legislation by Christmas. Information for this article was obtained from theatlantic.com, nytimes.com and theguardian.com.
Pentagon pays for service members' gender transition surgery BY JASON D'AMOURS In a shocking turn of events, the Pentagon approved and paid for the gender transition surgery for a transgender active-duty service member—a move that comes just four months after Donald Trump announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military. “This afternoon, an active-duty military member received a sex-reassignment surgery,” the Pentagon said in a statement according to NBC News. “Military hospitals do not have the surgical expertise to perform this type of surgery, therefore it was conducted in a private hospital. “Because this service member had already begun a sex-reassignment course of treatment, and the treating doctor deemed this surgery medically necessary, a waiver was approved by the director of the Defense Health Agency. The Supplemental Health Care Program will cover this surgery,” the statement continued. In July, Trump posted on Twitter that the U.S. could not handle the financial burden and disruption of transgender service members’ medical needs. A 2016 report by the RAND Corporation—a nonprofit research corporation dedicated to developing public policy solutions to
make the world safer and more secure—found that allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military would only very minimally increase medical costs. According to the New York Times, the report predicted that health care costs would rise $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year, a mere 0.04 to 0.13 percent increase in spending. The predicted increase in costs to provide transgender service members with medical care is insignificant compared to the amount of money the military spends on purchasing erectile dysfunction medicines for service members. According to the Washington Post, the military spends $84 million annually on such medicine and $41.6 million of that on Viagra alone. Providing medical coverage to transgender service members is not the burden Trump thinks it is.
Information for this article was obtained from nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com, nbcnews.com and rand.org.
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Art funding
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 dent beyond the Lab Fee is $150 for this course. Anderson explains these out-of-pocket costs significantly decrease once a student has taken classes at the intermediate level, such as Painting II. Textbooks for courses in the Natural or Social Sciences can amount to hundreds of dollars per class. But faculty can chose to keep copies of textbooks on reserve so that a student may check them out at the library. Students can also rent or purchase books secondhand from various distributors. In comparison, the Introduction to Entomology course requires an Introduction to Biology and Insectology textbook that can be purchased for $128.20 used at the New College bookstore. The textbook for the Chemistry and Environment course requires a Chemistry in Context textbook that can be purchased used for $176.75. According to Anderson, books are not assigned to art classes due to the already present high cost of materials. Anderson recommends that students obtain materials either on sale or secondhand, as well as not to take more than two art classes per semester. External Funding The Council of Academic Affairs (CAA), the Student Research and Travel Grant (SRTG) and the Mellon Grant are sources for academic funding on campus. The Women Contemporary Artists organization (WCA) awards a 1,000 grant to a regional student from one of the four area colleges. The previous year, the organization awarded two New College students grants. Thesis student Rebecca “Becca” Miles started pursuing an area of concentration (AOC) in Art during her fourth semester. Miles has attended two Council of Academic Affairs (CAA) meetings this semester in order to apply for funding for technology equipment for her thesis. “I want to work with VR [Virtual Technology] to have virtual worlds that reflect the physical pieces that I am making,” Miles said. “It’s going to be an all-around immersion, making the viewer think about where they are, and how it relates to what’s around them.” Miles requested funding for items including a headset, a software program known as Tilt Brush by Google, a mobile headset, and a computer totalling more than $1,000. Miles said it was important to request funding for a computer so that the appropriate software for VR technology could specifically remain at the Isermann Gallery, where it could be used for other technology-related art pieces. She requested more than $2,000 in funding altogether. The
CAA allocated enough funds for a monitor, sensor and a mobile headset. Miles did not apply to any other external sources for funding. She opted to instead have an uncle who works for Google assist her with obtaining the rest of the materials. An Embarrassment of Riches “We’ve had external reviewers come in, look around and say, ‘you’ve got an embarrassment of riches,’” Anderson said. “We do have comparatively really beautiful facilities--and you can’t beat the location! You can’t ignore the support that you see in terms of facilities.” The nearby private arts institution, Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD), as well as the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art can be resources for art students here. “We are sharing visitings artists this year,” Anderson said. “Maybe they’re [RCAD] bringing someone down who is a high profile artist and, for a fraction of the cost, we can have them come a mile up the road to do individual studio visits with our thesis students.” According to RCAD’s website, the cost of attendance was $59,160 for the 2017-8 academic year. This amount covers tuition, fees and room and board. An additional Fine Arts Major Fee is $260. The Florida Resident Access Grant can cover up to $3,000 over that fee. In comparison, the cost of attendance for a Florida resident at New College of Florida is $16,180, a fraction of the cost at RCAD. And students with Florida Pre Paid or Bright Futures, for example, are eligible to have their tuition or housing covered at New College. Additionally, the Cross College Alliance allows New College students to take classes, such as those in the fine arts, at RCAD, the State College of Florida (SCF) or the University of South Florida in SarasotaManatee (USF-SM). This year, New College students can take courses at RCAD from Illustration to Sketchbook Drawing to Immersive Media Studio. Looking Forward “What a liberal arts education does is allows students to view problems, issues and situations from various perspectives,” Feldman said. “When you are creating a well-rounded or thoughtful person, the more ways that they can look at a problem, or take the perspective of another person, the more empowered they are to make other decisions. [...] It is important for all students, not just those with the AOC, to have an appreciation for the arts."
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Huzzah and Cheers!
Sarasota Medieval Fair wraps up fourteenth year BY JASON D'AMOURS The lingering smell of turkey legs and the distant sound of “cheers” and “huzzahs” signaled the return of the 14th annual Sarasota Medieval Fair. Hundreds of visitors, including several students, filed into the dusty parking lots of the Sarasota Fairgrounds throughout the month of November to time travel back to what some see as a simpler time. This year’s theme centered around the story and ancient British Legend of King Arthur who as a boy studied under a mysterious magician to prepare for a future “in which he would ally himself with the greatest knights, love a legendary queen and unite a country dedicated to chivalrous values,” according to the festival’s brochure. A variety of fan-favorite shows and events returned to the fair for the three weekends of November, including the full-contact and fullarmored jousting performance, human combat chess and the acrobatic group Acrobellum. The festival also recruited a handful of new events, like the wheel of death, an aerial contortion group Cirga Brava and an interactive comedian called the Renaissance Man. The fair offers a discounted admission fee to students so there is a history of students attending the Sarasota Medieval Fair. Thesis student Kira Thoenes attended the fair in past years and definitely recommends volunteering
there for anyone interested. “I did dress up in my own outfit, but they have costumes there that you can borrow if needed,” Thoenes said in an email interview. “I basically just helped set things up and entertained kids for a couple hours, and then I was free to walk around the festival. You get a little volunteer card and you can use it to get free admission every day of the festival, so it's a good deal if you have the time to volunteer!” Another student heard about the fair through a friend who used to volunteer there. “My friend had tons of costume parts so we and four others dressed up to go,” first-year Emily Schenck said in an email interview. “We brought a little picnic for lunch, and I brought my violin to play for people while we were there. The absolute best part was getting to pay $4 to learn how to throw knives. I wasn't any good at it but it did feel incredibly powerful, throwing real knives in full medieval garb. I think people should go if they like people-watching, playing dress-up, or just buying super weird things you can't get anywhere else (I ended up getting a replica cloth pirate map for $10).” Founded in 2005, the Sarasota Medieval Fair continues to bring the community together for an interactive and historical journey. Information for this article was obtained from sarasotamedievalfair.com.
Picket signs pointed towards all the fan favorites: jousting, human chess and the taverns (they had delicious elderberry mead).
(left) The fair isn't all about shows and theatrical performances. There were also many shops selling handmaid goods! (right) The fan-favorite Knights of Valour full-contact and full-armored jousting group returned to the fair and impressed hundreds each weekend with their un-choreographed talent.
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Ichabod Wainwright ran, jumped, flipped and more atop the worlds only wooden wheel of death.
Third-years Brianna Luis and Julia Scully shopped for hand-dipped incense at the Enchanted Forest Bathe and Body Shoppe which also sold DIY soaps, oils and lotions.
The Blue Skye Pipes and Drums musical group played an assortment of traditional and modern music and was by far my favorite part of the fair.
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Remodeling College Hall in virtual reality BY JORDI GONZALEZ Virtual reality technology has drawn the interest of Computer Science Area of Concentration (AOC) thesis student Hunter Osking, Professor of Anthropology, Uzi Baram, and a number of students who have joined the first ever “Virtual Reality Community Project” tutorial. A new VR Lab in the Jane Bancroft Cook Library was established only a month ago and will first be used in an effort to remodel the historical Charles Ringling Mansion, commonly referred to as College Hall. Alum Alexis Santos (‘12) thesis involved creating a smartphone app that allows the user to view what an archaeological landscape looked like in the past. “It does a neat thing where you look through the lens of your phone’s camera and you see the historical photo,” Baram, who worked with Santos on the project, said. Due to this thesis work, Baram began using the technology in his own research projects. He worked with a team recently to remodel Fort Gadsden near the Apalachicola River and was hardly heard of beforehand. “I was trying to get students to work with it [VR], but I wasn’t having much luck until Hunter contacted me,” Baram said.
Osking first encountered VR, at a VR booth at a music festival. Since then, Osking has been dead set on VR technology. However, with the funding available, VR is the greatest possibility for Osking and New College at the moment and a lot of work can be done with it. Baram, having studied the historic architecture of the Charles Ringling Mansion--built in the 1920’s--thought what better opportunity to work with VR than the historical building we have access to right on campus. “It’s [College Hall] on-campus, easy access, it’s a historic building… and it’s big. There’s actually a lot to do here,” Baram said. “I think once we have the VR people will actually be really interested. It has that wow factor to it.” The community project tutorial is currently underway as a second module tutorial. Each student is expected to practice the basics of VR and work on two renditions of College Hall by the end of the semester. “To kind of have a multi-year project, we’ll have lots of students get the opportunity to actually do the documentation of a place using the newest technologies,” Baram said. The remodeling will be based on
the earliest documents New College has access to, the archives from when the mansion was purchased back in 1960. The group hasn’t yet decided on exactly what version of the mansion will be replicated, but it will be of what College Hall may have looked like, as accurately as possible, when it was a library for the school. “We don’t have the original blueprints for the building. The earliest is from the 1960’s, but that’s something,” Baram said. The VR equipment was purchased thanks to funding from the College Art Association (CAA), which granted Osking $1,500 toward the end of the spring 2016 semester. Sitting in the VR Lab, now located by the Quantitative Resource Center (QRC) and the Media Lab, is the HTC Vive, which includes a headset that uses “room-scale” tracking technology and large motion-tracked handheld controllers. Osking is currently the only individual with full access to the VR Lab, but is eager to have anyone interested contact him for the space’s use. He has even purchased interesting VR games that will be available in the VR Lab, such as “Superhot” where time moves when the player physically moves. “For my thesis I’m making a game and I’ll be testing out the voice
recognition mechanic of it,” Osking said. Specifically, the player in “Flowers for Dan Dan,” Osking’s thesis game, would have to read dialogue options aloud for a more submersible experience. “Dandy” is the name of Osking’s actual pet dog that recently passed away and the game revolves around this tragedy in a regular house setting. The game would be created using the same technology used for remodeling College Hall virtually. “Ultimately, I think it’s [VR] both a good example of what New College students could do and it makes New College more appealing to people. So, I think it works in both directions,” Baram said. “I think it’s a real credit to the library that they willing to do that [allow space for VR Lab]. I’m really pleased with the students who signed up and I’m really happy with Hunter showing such great leadership.” VR is seemingly sweeping the world and endeavors such as these within our own community are showing the potential for further projects and opportunities. Students will increasingly start to include VR into their class assignments, Independent Study Projects (ISPs) and theses as time passes and as resources multiply in coming years.
The Dort door shitter, lube wrestling and other stories from New College alumni BY NOAH BASLAW “I talked to the roommate of the Dort door shitter. He said the Dort door shitter was Richard, and it was room 204,” third-year, Bianca Persechino said with a straight face to the Catalyst. “The alum who told me this also mentioned they came back to New College for years after graduating to keep the legend alive by telling people about Richard.” Listening to what alums have to share about their time at the school sustains institutional and generational memory. Spoiler alert: the past NCF was openly less reserved and more volatile than it is today. Persechino works for the New College Foundation, which acts as a conduit of private funds for New College. Student callers contact New College alumnae to check in on their activities and ask for a donation to the school. Persechino tells the Catalyst that she really likes to take the time to connect with alums on the phone. “‘Event Idol’--back when American Idol was a thing--was where New College students would congregate in Z amphitheater and propose their
ideas for RA events, instead of just RAs deciding,” Persechino said. “It was cool because they would have this panel, and they would get the community to judge it and give input. “There was this one time at an ‘Event Idol,’ where this guy kept on talking and it was so boring, and people were falling asleep,” Persechino continued. “And then all of a sudden these folks came out running from behind the hill in their underwear and masks with flares in the hands-they flipped over the panel’s table and then everyone started wrestling. “It was all a convoluted pitch for lube wrestling, and it got approved for funding! They bought the lube, they bought the kiddie pools, and they were going to do it, but then the current dean confiscated all of it-some unspecified unit of measurement said to be in the hundreds. It was confiscated for two months, but it was released after, and they ended up having the party as planned,” Persechino recalled. Apparently, during the two months of confiscated materials, there were rumors amongst the student body trying to explain for the Dean’s ardent stance on possess-
ing such large volumes of lube. “One women from the first class of ‘64 said a hurricane ruined the dorms and she had to live a hotel for three months,” Persechino said. “I also found out on Orientation day, the OLs and the RAs would streak together through the Pei courts that night as a sort of ‘welcome to New College,’” Persechino recalled. This was the case while nudity was still allowed on campus. “I also found out how nudity got banned at New College: a body art Wall gone wrong. It was during parents weekend,” Persechino explained. “A parent visited campus in the evening while the Wall was grooving out, and saw their child streaking--didn’t like what they saw--complained, then got everything canceled.” Persechino has also talked to alums from the early days of New College. One couple who met at New College recalled to the Foundation, “We used to smoke near and inside a 20-foot-tall steam roller by B dorm,” which Persechino admits is quite vague. The farther back in time alum stories come from, the harder it is to make rational sense of it. “There’s always a lot of alums
complaining about the changes to New College. There was this one guy who was all like, ‘what the heck, you guys should fight the administration, that would never had flown in my day,’” Persechino continued. “I have to let it go or else I get bitter.” “[Alums] were also complaining about how we do our forum wars. One person said, ‘you guys just make these statements and use this point system to provide support, leading to a majoritarian rule model,” Persechino said. “When we had forum wars we would write five page papers with citations. When you post on the forum, your reputation changes based on what you post on the forum, but that just how it goes. [...] People either respect that or they don’t.’” Listening to the past nurtures healthy consideration of the present. There are always going to be things about the past gladly seen as ‘nomore,’ but certain qualities and attitudes exemplified of these stunning examples have some spark of inspiration. There are more rules these days. Security is a priority, but alums’ recollections of their time at New College connotate honest, free and collaborative expression.
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On-campus food pantry gains 501.3 (c) status BY MIRANDA GALE From resident advisor (RA) events stocked with snacks, to the community Ham card present at the end of the semester, efforts to alleviate student hunger have often ran into complications. However, after a long process, a more permanent solution has been found: the food pantry, to be located in Searing “X” Residence Hall. An Ohio State University (OSU) study found that 70 percent of college students surveyed said they had concerns about finances, 60 percent worried about costs of tuition and 50 percent felt uncertain about their ability to cover day-to-day costs of living such as transportation and food. New College is far from an exception to this problem--surveys found that 88.7 percent of respondents had gone without food at least once in the previous semester and 95 out of 97 knew someone enrolled at New College who did not have enough food for themselves. 82 percent of the respondents agreed that the school needed a food pantry. For four years, students concerned for the welfare of their classmates have tried to create an on campus food pantry. Navigating the
hurdles of bureaucracy, funding distribution, health codes and gaining 501.3 (c) status made the task harder than it first appeared. In 2016, students attempts to create a food pantry came the closest to fruition they had ever been but due to administrative changes in Housing, the plans were shelved for a time of greater stability and less institutional change. New College Student Alliance (NCSA) president Ximena Pedroza led the most recent push to alleviate food scarcity on campus. In an interview, she discussed her efforts over the past months. “It was over five months of bureaucracy,” she said with a laugh. “The first thing is that no student organization has 501.3 (c) status.” One of the greatest challenges to the food pantry was gaining 501.3 (c) status, which is necessary to prove that an organization is not distributing donations for resale. Only the New College Foundation, the New College Child Center and the school itself as a not-for-profit organization actually have this status. Past approaches involved trying to partner with the New College Foundation, one of three on-campus institutions with 501.3 (c) status, in order to operate the food pantry under their umbrella. As an added ben-
efit to this approach, alumni interested in donating would have been able to make contributions through the Foundation. This partnership did not come to fruition due to legalities of shared accounts and the fact that the Foundation’s mission is focused on scholarship. When plans with the Foundation fell through, Pedroza contacted the Peace, Education and Action Center at Fogartyville, which responded immediately. An additional partnership with the Food Bank of Manatee allowed for joint efforts and distribution. Formal bureaucracy over 501.3 (c) aside, additional institutional hurdles remain, including passing health inspections and ensuring community support and participation. In the coming months, volunteers will be elemental to the success of the project--everyday cleaning in order to meet health code standards, inventory monitoring and weekly restocking runs to the Manatee Food Bank are a few activities that need student engagement for success. Additionally, the creation of a steering committee--including staff, faculty and student voices--adds roles for passionate students interested in getting involved. The food pantry is open to stu-
dents, faculty and staff, with the purpose of providing short-term relief to those under financial strain. After gaining entrance via an encoded identification card, those using the food pantry can anonymously sign out what they need, allowing volunteers to keep track of inventory and anticipate demand for more popular items. Student access is 24-7 and once a week, volunteers monitoring the space will open it up to the broader community. A proposed partnership with a local farmer’s market and the Newtown community garden would help stock the food pantry with fresh fruits and vegetables. The first food drive of last week brought in lots of items, engaging and informing students about the impending opening of the food pantry. With the NCSA’s donation of a refrigerator and the successful pest inspection of X dorm, the food pantry moves closer to offering assistance to not only students, but the broader New College and SarasotaManatee community. Information for this article was gathered from time.com and the New College of Florida Food Pantry Initiative document of July 2017.
2017 Trans Day of Rememberance mourns deadliest year on record for transgender Americans BY ANYA CONTRERAS-GARCÍA For nearly 20 years, Nov. 20 has marked the Transgender Day of Remembrance. What began as a way to memorialize the death of transwoman Rita Hester, who was murdered in 1998, has grown into a national movement to shine a light on the violence the transgender community still faces today. New College of Florida’s TParty, a student-driven club dedicated to trans issues, organized a candlelight vigil by the bayside of campus to honor the more than two dozen victims in the United States who were murdered for being transgender. ALSO Youth, a local LGBTQIA+ rights group, also held a candlelight vigil at their office located only three miles away from New College’s campus. “In 2017, advocates tracked at least 23 deaths of transgender people in the United States due to fatal violence, the most ever recorded,” the Human Rights Campaign’s website said. “Some of these cases involve clear anti-transgender bias. In others, the victim’s transgender status may have put them at risk in
other ways, such as forcing them into homelessness. On average, one to two have been killed somewhere in the U.S. every week, and experts say these numbers understate the problem. “We know transgender murders are underreported,” Nathan Bruemmer, Executive Director of ALSO Youth, said. “We know they’re harder to solve because often police departments or local communities misgender the victims. We know there are murders happening that we don’t know are of members of the transgender community because their families or police departments or communities don’t acknowledge it.” “Murder is the ultimate violence because it’s final,” Bruemmer said. “But there’s a lot of other violence that the transgender community faces on a day-to-day basis. As far as we know we have not lost someone due to murder for being transgender in this community, but I know we have transgender members who have been dehumanized, who have lost jobs and apartments. For our youth in the public school system it might be not being called by their name or
treated as their gender. Murder is the worst case scenario, the worst of the hatred, but there’s an array of violence and none of it is okay.” ALSO Youth’s candlelight vigil was preceded by a slideshow displaying the names of the victims as well as photos of them and some information about their lives. “We tried to find pictures that showed who they were with smiles and joy because when you’re young that’s what your face should be filled with,” Bruemmer said. “Each of the pictures showed us somebody who had a full life. Their smiles told us they had friends and family and happiness and that’s what we honor.” The New York City Anti-Violence Project recorded “a spike in incidents of hate violence” against the LGBTQ community since the 2016 presidential election. Organizations like ALSO Youth combat this culture of violence by providing “peer support services, educational programs, advocacy, and referrals for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning youth ages 13 to 21,” according to their website. What can you do to counteract
anti-trans violence? Bruemmer says the best thing you can do is become a committed ally. “Educate yourself,” Bruemmer said. “You can do it online. You can contact local organizations like ALSO Youth – we’d be happy to educate you. The next step is to realize you’re going to make mistakes and that’s okay. You might misgender somebody. You might use the wrong language. Just apologize and learn from your mistakes. That’s huge. You also need to make sure you are elevating the folks you are standing up for and not talking over them. There’s a difference. The trans community needs allies. We had a bunch of allies tonight, so I’m excited.” “It’s not about politics or religion. It’s not about a generational divide. It’s about our humanity and it’s the right thing to do. We have to keep fighting and moving the needle because lives are depending on it. Next year we’ll do this again, hopefully it will be a shorter list and we’ll have more members of the community here and we’ll keep doing it every year we need to do it.”
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New Music New College: Dis/Embodied BY ANYA CONTRERAS-GARCÍA Where can you watch musicians play laser harps or watch former Provost Stephen Miles smack himself under a spotlight? There is only one answer: a New Music New College (NMNC) concert. The concert series has long been a laboratory for avant-garde and experimental musical performance since it began in the 1998, extending to the most recent installment of the season, Dis/Embodied. The concert, which had three shows between Nov. 17 and 19, explored the process of making music in relation to the body. Former Provost Stephen Miles performed the first piece, ?Corporel by Vinko Globokar, which was written for a percussionist who performs on their own body. For each of the three shows, Miles sat shirtless on the stage of the intimate Black Box Theater slapping and pounding his body from his head to his feet creating a variety of percussive sounds which he matched with hisses, grunts, whispers and theatrical facial expressions. “All of these works are as concerned with bodily movement and facial expression as with vocal sound,” Miles wrote in ‘Notes on Dis/Embodied by Stephen Miles’ which was published in the program for the concert. “[The] piece is notated like a conventional percussion piece, though instead of a battery of drums, cymbals, and the like, the score indicates precisely where and how to strike specific parts of the body, and how to produce a variety of vocal sounds. […] Though ?Corporel is experienced as theater, its thorough going musical structure resists narrative interpretation.” The second piece was a solo dance performed by Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancigers, a contemporary dancer who has worked with Sarasota Contemporary Dance, the dance company of Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, who is a Professor of Dance and Artist in Residence at New College. Yang Dancigers is also connected to the campus community through her husband, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Mark Dancigers, who left last semester. The audio consisted of an experimental electronic music track by composer Luciano Berio entitled Thema which featured a distorted, disembodied voice reading passages from Ulysses. Yang Dancigers’ dance, entitled Signal, can be seen as an embodiment of this disjointed audio. “I spent about two months to choreograph these six minutes,” Yang Dancigers said. “Every time I listen to the music I hear more possibilities. Contemporary dance is
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Songs you should heAR Covers Edition BY TIM MANNING
Photo courtesy of Nancy Nassiff Thesis student Allie Stachura, first-year Lily Tanner, third-year Eugenia Titterington, third-year Jim DePriest and second-year Laila Kalantari perform original choreography at a Dis/Embodied concert.
about freeing your mind and giving yourself more space to create and put more of your imagination in it. My dance doesn’t just have one meaning. Art can have so many meanings and I give that back to the audience.” The third piece was a composition entitled Dum by Roger Marsh which was performed by New Music New College Producer Ron L. Silver. The performance was a torrent of percussive sounds including shouting and whispered phrases, banging on wood with a hammer, hitting a gong and throwing nails in a metal bucket. “The primary material of Dum is language, excerpts from a wide range of [literary] sources,” Miles wrote. “These texts are then fragmented and rearranged in a myriad of ways, resulting in a composite text that is at times fully understandable and at other times baffling in its phonemic combinations. Our human drive to hear meaning is confounded by a musical preference for sonic manipulation.” Between the three main pieces were performances by students. “Last spring I approached Mark Dancigers, who was teaching Electronic Music here, with the idea that maybe his students could create works that could be incorporated into this program,” Miles said during the pre-concert talk before Saturday’s concert. “At the same time I approached Leymis Bolaños Wilmott if she would be able to work with students to choreograph works for these pieces.” The student dancers, made up of thesis student Allie Stachura, firstyear Lily Tanner, third-year Eugenia Titterington, third-year Jim DePriest and second-year Laila Kalantari, who
worked with Bolaños Wilmott during her fall course “Awakening Your Dance Performance” were shown videos of previous performances of ?Corporel and Dum and encouraged to incorporate thematic material and gestures from those pieces into their dances. “I think that that requires enormous creativity,” Miles said. “I’m excited to see how this experience will affect them whether it’s late in another arts experience or something totally unrelated to the arts.” “The kind of experience these students had is one that we would want for all of New College students,” Miles said. “All the senses were involved which means that the learning was very deep. There is an honest that comes from embodied learning because it’s more than just an idea that you might be postulating.” Opportunities for this kind of embodied learning may be more common as the arts programs at New College grow. The Florida State University System Board of Governors unanimously approved New College’s growth plan last year, providing $5.4 million for the first phase of the plan. Some of this money will go towards hiring three new positions in the arts which will be filled next year–a Digital Media Artist, a Theater Director and a Dance Coordinator. “We really want to see the arts at New College spread, to give students more opportunities and because of the funding which we received from the State to grow by 50 percent in a fairly short period of time, we’re hiring new faculty,” Miles said. “I’d like you to consider tonight a foretaste of the kinds of things we’re going to be seeing at New College a lot.”
This week’s song blurbs are all covers, reimaginations of classics that throw them into different genres, fresh new takes that give new life to songs. "Seven Nation Army" by Anderson Paak A throwback to when Paak was more Breezy Lovejoy than Free National for a song off his album “Cover Art.” His funked up version of the White Stripes’ anthem is just one track on an EP that seamlessly shows up, in quick succession, Neil Young, the Beatles and Toto. "I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight" by Norah Jones Jones’s distinctive lilting piano and make-you-warm-and-fuzzy voice of an old Bob Dylan song liberates another gorgeous Dylan song from his harmonica and unfortunately nasal voice. Not much to be said about this one: it’s Dylan’s songwriting packaged and presented by Jones. "Liquid Love" by Snarky Puppy feat. Chris Turner From Snarky Puppy’s live album “Family Dinner Volume II,” the puppies’ rendition of “Liquid Love” is probably better classified as a collab but is too good and groovy to not include. For a chiller moment with Snarky Puppy’s brilliance, listen to their version of “Sing to the Moon” with Laura Mvula. "I Want You Back" by Lake Street Dive Boston-born indie/blues band Lake Street Dive takes on the Jackson Five classic with just a bass, trumpet, half a drum set and the impossibly rich voice of lead singer Rachael Price.
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Gun control
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to “keep and bear arms,” guaranteeing that gun ownership could not be prohibited by state and local governments. A Republican controlled federal government and a gun-friendly Supreme Court has gun control advocates turning to state and local legislation. Outside of New England and California, however, voters favor gun rights over gun control. Florida is well-known for its lax gun laws and thriving firearms industry, and is home to 1.7 million CCP holders. Anyone capable of passing an instant background check can walk out of a gun shop with a long gun in only a few minutes. The ATF’s 4473 Form, which licensed firearms dealers are required to fill out before a sale, asks the buyer a series of voluntary questions about their eligibility to own a firearm. Handguns are subject to the same federal background check, but require a three-day waiting period. There are no restrictions on magazine size or on rifle “features,” like California’s ban on pistol grip-equipped semi automatic rifles. Private sales, the so-called “gun show loophole,” are largely unregulated. Essentially, it’s a feature and not a loophole. The 2017 University of South Florida Nielsen Sunshine State Survey found 49 percent Floridians questioned believed that gun restrictiveness in Florida is “about right,” while another 40 percent thought that the laws were not strict enough. Eight percent responded that the laws were too restrictive. Sarasota’s very own, Senator Gregory “Greg” Steube, has been one of the 2nd Amendment’s most ardent defenders in the Florida leg-
islature. Steube sponsored 10 different gun-rights bills during the 2017 legislative session, including one that would allow concealed carry permit (CCP) holders to carry firearms on university campuses. Stuebe’s bills failed to pass in 2017. In August, Steube submitted two bills for the 2018 legislative session, one of which would allow firearms to be brought into courthouses and handed over to security. The other would allow CCP holders to sue in the event that they are attacked in a business that bans firearms and unable to defend themselves. It remains to be seen if Steube’s bills will gain traction in the Florida Senate. His campus carry bill drew strong criticism from university administrators and police departments, and that is unlikely to change in the coming legislative session. After the 2017 legislative session, Marion Hammer, a veteran lobbyist for the NRA and the United Sportsmen of Florida, sent an email to supporters pointing out that gun control bills didn’t even make it to committee. “Regardless of who defeated what, we'd say it was a great session for protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” Hammer wrote. “And the ‘victories’ claimed by [...] anti-gun groups will be short lived because bills to restore Second Amendment rights to lawabiding people will be back.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 the state on Tuesday, Dec. 12—providing he doesn’t drop out of the race by that point. His chances may have taken a hit from the accusations, as a JMC Analytics and Polling poll found Democrat Doug Jones leading Moore 46 to 42 percent on Nov. 12, but the chances are still realistic. Information gathered from washingtonpost.com, huffingtonpost.com, cnn. com, and thehill.com and time.com
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Sulfuric acid
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 join upon enrolling into the school, on Nov. 13 asking for a big pot, baking soda and a final one announcing that there was sulfuric acid. According to Wilson, the anodizing process occurred at the Bike Shoppe. The bucket of sulfuric acid was left by Wilson at 6:30 a.m. “I put it in the corner of Z Amp where nobody could see it,” Wilson said. “I woke up during class time, which was at 10:30. I had planned to go earlier to Ham to get the baking soda but had slept in because I was up all night with [the sulfuric acid].” “I took the baking soda [from Metz] to go neutralize it in Z and then it was gone,” Wilson said. “Everything was gone. I went upstairs to get my laptop and saw that I had an email from [Dean of Student Affairs] Mark Stier.” Stier had explained to Wilson that the acid had been confiscated. “After that, I read some of the forum stuff,” Wilson said. “It was just a bunch of nerdy ass Nat Sci kids jerkin’ themselves off.”
Understanding the Chemical “Sulfuric acid is a very common chemical, it’s used in a lot of different chemical reactions,” Walstrom said. “Anodizing metal is pretty common, especially aluminum. It’s usually done in an industrial setting." According to Walstrom, the diluted sulfuric acid that was collected was shown to be relatively harmless. While diluted sulfuric acid may not be volatile, the acid in concenInformation provided by the Orlando trated form has the ability to burn Sentinel, the Miami Herald, the New skin and can be volatile. York Times, Newsweek, and Time MagStudents who work in the chemazine. istry labs are instructed on the proper safety procedures for using and
Al Franken
published on Nov. 15 that she had met Moore at Gadsen Mall in 1977, was asked for her number by Moore and refused. She was later called at her school by Moore to ask her out, and when she gave in and went on a date with him, was forced into a “forceful” kiss. Moore has so far denied all accusations levied against him, and has continued to run for an Alabama Senate seat despite the growing controversy. “The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” Sen. John McCain R-Az. wrote on Twitter on Nov. 9. “He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.” Moore, who had long been the favorite to win Alabama’s Senate seat, might still win the election in
disposing chemicals. Professors go over a safety checklist with students including different waste containers in the lab or wearing gloves and goggles. For each experiment, students are instructed to research the chemicals they will be using for that day in lab, including any volatile chemicals that should avoid skin or could cause eyes to tear. Students also learn about neutralizing substances with sodium bicarbonate or baking soda. “I think there was a misunderstanding somewhere about the safety procedures for using the acid,” Walstrom said. “One reason sulfuric acid might be more easily obtainable is that it’s not a reactive chemical, it won’t blow up on you and it’s not poisonous. Things that are unstable or poisonous are regulated more carefully.” “You might harm yourself,” Walstrom said. “But it’s not going to harm you. It’s not as dangerous as some of the other things that are more controlled.” Prevention “We would like to help students do interesting projects,” Stier wrote in an email that same day. “However, for now we will not allow students to take any chemicals outside of Heiser. I’m sorry for the concern that this incident caused.” Doucette plans to offer the tutorial again in the spring, although he does plan to offer some restrictions. In the event that a student plans on anodizing their bike, Doucette says that he will make sure that he is present to supervise the process.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2017 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
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Experience New College: Prospective student events brings hundreds to campus BY GIULIA HEYWARD
Hurricane Irma had classes, work and businesses cancelled. While the roads were filled with Floridians leaving for nearby states, New College had to cancel its annual October Open House Event for prospective students. This is partly why Experience New College was able to see over 400 prospective students and their families arrive to campus, the largest admissions event that the school has ever seen. Prior to the event, an email was sent to the forum from President Donal O’Shea. “If you see new faces wandering about campus, please greet them and point them in the right direction,” O’Shea wrote. “Thank you in advance for welcoming these prospective students and their families and friends to New College, and for helping us put our best foot forward on this important day.” Experience New College took place on Nov. 18 at the Harry Sudakoff Center and the Academic Center of Excellence (ACE) Plaza. White and blue balloons covered ACE Plaza while white and blue collegiate shirts were passed out to prospective students. “I really enjoyed meeting all of the prospies!” Student Admissions Representative (STAR) and thirdyear student Eleni Spanolios said. “One of them told me that New College was their first-choice school and it was amazing to see how excited they were to interact with the community.”
STARs were in charge of giving tours, directing families to and from different sessions as well as hosting a panel. The panel took place at 1 p.m. in ACE and included STAR and NCSA Chief of Staff (CoS) Katie Thurson and Bible Club President Alex Botoroff. Some of the questions were about academics, the political climate of the campus and studyabroad options. During the event, faculty and students representing different Area of Concentrations (AOCS) held booths where students and families could ask questions. The event was catered by Metz Culinary Management, the food service provider for NCF. Afterwards, different clubs and organizations, such as the Black Student Union (BSU) or the Toastmasters Club, held booths where they encouraged prospective students to get involved with the school’s community. “I think that it’s good to have current students attend these events,” NCSA Vice President of Relations and Financial Affairs (VPRFA) and third-year student Riley Lewis said. “Before coming here, I went on a tour and it wasn’t what sold me on this school. I would have liked having something like this when I was considering going here.” Overall, the amount of prospective students is indicative of the size the school plans to grow with the New College Growth Plan underway. “We were expecting over 425 visitors, which is half our campus,” Spanolios said. “It was wild to see how big our school could grow.”
all photos Giulia Heyward/Catalyst
Residence Hall Director (RHD) and alum Kaylie Stokes ('12) and RA Sara Darancou donned dinosaur costumes to properly greet guests.
STAR and third-year Matthew Bocanumenth gave a speech at the beginning of the event welcoming prospective students to campus.
STAR, Catalyst Online Editor and second-year Jacob Wentz holds blue and white balloons representing New College's colors.
STARs and thesis students Eugenia Quintanilla and Alexis Pujol with third-year Paola Baez-Perez and second-year RA Elizabeth Ramsamooj.