Spring 2020 - Issue 1

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CATALYST FEBRUARY 12, 2020 VOLUME XXXX ISSUE I

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New College of Florida's student-run newspaper

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"Plantation politics": Sarasota County dismisses redistricting lawsuit led by Newtown residents

BY KY MILLER In the first public response to a class action lawsuit filed by three Newtown residents opposing Sarasota County’s controversial redistricting effort, county officials are moving to dismiss it. The plaintiff filed the December 2019 lawsuit in response to the County Commission’s plans to redraw the lines of Northern Sarasota’s electoral District 1, which is up for election in 2020. The redistricting plan shifts the entirety of the predominantly Democratic, historically Black Newtown area into District 2, which does not vote until 2022 and removes a Black candidate and a significant number of Black voters from the district.

Former Sarasota Mayor and candidate Fredd Atkins and the two other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Mary Mack and Michael White—all of whom are Newtown residents—allege that they were deprived the

islative electoral district boundaries that occurs every 10 years following the completion of the U.S. census.

One of the reasons the redistricting plan has been so controversial is that redistricting normally takes place after the completion of the census, when new population information can be taken into account.

The final redistricting plan was approved by Commissioners Nancy Detert, Al Maio and Mike Moran on Nov.19, 2019, and will influence the Photo courtesy of Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections 2020 election.

When asked about the legalAbout 30 community members led a protest of redistricting at Phillippi Estate Park. ity of redistricting prior to a census, right to vote “on account of race or sioners of violating the Voting Rights Professor of Political Science Frank color” and that the move to redistrict Act of 1965 and the equal protection Alcock called the decision to redis“has deprived thousands of African clause of the Fourteenth Amendment trict “very unusual” and emphasized American voters living in the New- to the U.S. Constitution by altering that there was “no legal reason” to do town community of the right to vote the district’s boundaries. However, so.

Commissioners began pushing in the 2020 election for members of attorneys for the county argue that the Board of County Commission- “the facts are simply not there” to al- for redistricting after Sarasota County citizens voted to switch to singlelow the lawsuit to proceed. ers.”

Redistricting is the process of The lawsuit accuses Sarasota continued on p. 10 County and three county commis- drawing congressional and state leg-

Coronavirus causes uncertainty, affects students abroad

BY CHARLIE LEAVENGOOD

https://doc-0k-18-docs. googleusercontent.com/ docs/securesc/s7jurnmk912se8sp3mgg3hd8llrh0uos/obdpo7fpcdn719 co01n4qb7t57rv346b/1 506448800000/0533393 9401667025082/025783 83506865688437/0B4ze ECbsUTILVjVXY25YUU 52ZUk?e=download

Apprehension defines the beginning of 2020 with a new virus that dominated the front page of newspapers around the world. The coronavirus has caused quarantines, panic and a depletion of medical masks.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first reported outbreak was on Dec. 31, 2019 in Wuhan, China. It is too early to measure the global significance of this outbreak, but never early enough to educate and inform the public about what is known.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause symptoms similar to the flu and in some cases, death.

Two previously recognized diseases in this family are Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) which emerged in 2012 and 2014 and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

WHAT’S INSIDE

(SARS-CoV) in 2003. Unlike SARS, the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) can be spread even if a person with the infection does not show flu-like symptoms.

Wuhan is a city of 11 million people. The rate at which an epidemic spreads is based on how hard it is for an infection to be established, the modes of transmission, size of population at risk, treatment or lack thereof and population control.

Another way to measure the rate of the virus’s spread is calculated by using the reproductive number (R0).

Based on reporting rates from medical staff, the R0 in Wuhan is 2.24 to 3.58 which means that 2.24 to 3.58 infections would be caused by one infected person. The Spanish Influenza of 1918 had an R0 of 3.8. However, 2019-nCoV is a novel virus, as it has never been seen before and the R0 is an estimate.

6 Art Center SRQ

Coronaviruses are zoonotic: they initially are from animals to humans. According to the Wall Street Journal, the novel coronavirus is believed to have started in bats.

As of Feb. 9, there were 37, 251 confirmed cases in China and the virus has appeared in 24 other countries and four continents. The majority of cases are concentrated in the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is the capital. 27,100 cases were reported there.

“In the one month of the epidemic, there have been more cases than there were during the whole epidemic of SARS,” Professor of Epidemiology Kristopher Fennie said.

This virus is a global event, and some novocollegians abroad have already experienced disruption in their day-to-day lives because of it. Thirdyear Hailey McGleam, who is studying Chinese and Environmental

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Painting courtesy of Corinne Leavengood Medical masks has become a symbol of the coronavirus as the world watches the number of confirmed cases climb by the thousands this week.

Studies, was abroad for the spring semester in Shanghai, China before her program was cancelled on Jan. 28. As of Feb. 9, 292 cases of the virus have continued on p. 10

12 Sur La Bay

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BRIEFS BY CLAIRE NEWBERG

New semester brings new tutorials

BRIEFS

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Asolo Theater's Spring 2020 schedule "Murder on the Orient Express" Jan. 10 – March 8 "The Lifespan of a Fact" Jan. 24 – March 19

Photo courtesy of Nassima Neggaz The Arabic tutorial taught by Professor Neggaz aims to teach students the alphabet and how to string letters together into words.

Navigating the tutorials at New College can be a bit daunting, but they can be a great way to further explore topics not traditionally taught in classrooms. Three of these topics offered this semester are Mindfulness Meditation, Arabic and Substance Abuse & Harm Reduction.

The Mindfulness Meditation tutorial allows students to explore both the practice and the science behind meditation through a series of guided meditations.

Assistant Professor of Religion Manuel Lopez-Zafra sponsors the tutorial alongside meditation instructor Lynne Lockie.

“The objective of the tutorial is to offer students many ways to utilize mindfulness or awake awareness in their daily life as well as using ‘sitting on the custom’ (standard meditation practice),” Lockie said.

Students keep a journal throughout the semester to document their experiences and growth.

“I have been interested in meditation for a long time, mostly as part of my personal practice,” LopezZafra said. “Over the last few years, though, I have witnessed a growing interest in meditation in general and mindfulness in particular, and I have seen how some of my colleagues at other schools have successfully implemented mindfulness programs at their schools.”

The Arabic tutorial is new to the academic scene, as New College has not had the opportunity to offer Arabic before this semester. Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies Nassima Neggaz is running the tutorial.

“The idea [for the tutorial] came both as soon as I got hired (there

cannot be Islamic Studies without Arabic in the long run) and after being asked by students who wanted to learn Arabic, some of whom are applying to the Critical Language Scholarship,” Neggaz said. “The plan is to establish regular Arabic classes in the long run, i.e. to create an Arabic program on campus.”

This is a full-credit tutorial and can serve as a language credit.

The Substance Abuse & Harm Reduction tutorial presents students with methods to minimize the effects of substance abuse on a personal and communal level. The tutorial is being led by Professor Visiting Professor of Medical Humanities Tabea Cornel. Third-year Kendall Southworth is involved as well and helped with the conception of the tutorial.

Library switches to digital printing system The library printing system has recently undergone needed changes, namely the doing away with cash cards as payment in favor of an entirely virtual system.

The new printing system can be reached through a link listed on the Library Home Page or at print. ncf.edu. Both of these links lead to the PaperCutMF login. Students and faculty already have accounts on PaperCutMF; login information is the same as that of MyNCF. There is

also a screen at the printing station on which students may log into their PaperCutMF accounts if they do not have immediate access to a computer.

In contrast to this past semester, printing is no longer free of charge. Users now can add money to their accounts as they need it. Adding money to an account can be done easily online. The cost of printing remains at $0.10 per page.

On each account, users are able

"You can find 'NEWS' on a compass." © 2019 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 Division of Social Sciences.

"Into the Breeches!"

Feb. 14 – March 21 "Dead Man's Cell Phone" Feb. 18 – March 8 "The Great Leap" March 20 – April 11 "Romeo & Juliet" April 8 – 25 "Knoxville" April 10 – 25 "Hood: A Robin Hood Musical Adventure" May 15 – 31

to see their account balance, as well as accessing past print jobs and jobs in queue.

The library has provided a thorough list of instructions at the print station, and students can also consult the library staff for help. This new system strives to be more user friendly and efficient than previous printing setups.

Student rush tickets are available one hour before curtain for $10 with the presentation of a valid student ID at the ticket counter.

For more information, visit ncf.edu/library.

For more information, visit asolorep.org.

Editor in Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Layout Editors Social Media Editor Staff Writers

Jacob Wentz Anna Lynn Winfrey Claire Newberg Cait Matthews & Sergio Salinas Hayley Vanstrum Sophia Brown, John Cotter, Vianey Jaramillo, Charlie Leavengood, Izaya Garrett Miles, Ky Miller, Sofia Lombardi, & Willa Tinsley,

"Snow White" June 12 – 28

Direct submissions, letters, announcements and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5800 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, Florida 34243 catalyst@ncf.edu 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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NEWS PAGE 3

Mock trial team competes in first-ever tournament

BY IZAYA GARRETT MILES On Jan. 31 the New College Law Society (NCLS) sent a team of ten students to Orlando for the weekend to participate in a mock trial tournament. This was the first team from New College to compete in a mock trial tournament ever. They left at 2 p.m. that Friday in the New College van, in a vain attempt to beat the awful Orlando traffic, hoping that they would be able to hold their own against the more experienced teams.

After getting to the hotel, the team studied and prepared for their first matches until midnight.

Early Saturday morning they went to the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Orlando campus, and competed in the first two matches. At six p.m. they went back to the hotel to go over their notes and work through issues. Thanks to the match’s later starting time on Sunday, they went into the next stretch more well-rested. At the end of the competition, they finished 1-3, having scored better in every successive match. On that Sunday night (and, due to awful traffic, Monday morning) the team made its way back to New College, already talking about what they needed to do for next year, now that they had some experience under their belts.

“I was extremely impressed by how [the NCL] did,” David Fugett, General Counsel for NCF and NCL’s coach, said. “They showed a lot of guts; they were fearless. They went up against these schools that had been doing it for years that had all of this advanced preparation. None

Photo courtesy of David Fugett

The defense team preps for the last match of the tournament.

of our students had even done this in high school. This was their first time ever going up against another school, and they were going up some of the best in the country.”

The mock trial team is only one part of the NCLS. The NCLS is designed to coordinate smaller, more specifically focused law-centric clubs.

The sub-club that encompasses mock trial is the Novum Collegium Litigos (NCL), Latin for “New College Disputers.”

The NCL is focused around lawbased competitions, like mock trial or moot court. Mock trial, what the team competed in, is where two teams play the prosecution and defense of a fictional case. The evidence, witness affidavits, law statutes and stipulations are given ahead of time. Each team consists of three attorneys and three witnesses. The witnesses are drafted with the other team immediately before the match, so the teams must have some alternatives in mind

going into the match. The teams also need to be able to play either the prosecution or the defense, though they can appoint different attorneys for the prosecution and the defense.

The case during this competition was the fictional Midlands State v. Jordan Ryder, on the charges of manslaughter and child endangerment or murder, depending on how the prosecution proceeded. Jordan Ryder was the recently incarcerated parent of Parker Paige, a 12-year-old girl with brittle bone disease. Jordan took Parker out to Caulkins campground, where she would fall to her death. The case includes nine witnesses 29 pieces of evidence, ranging from a crumpled napkin to Parker Paige’s walking stick. The teams were charged with creating both a damning prosecution and a complete exoneration of Jordan Ryder using the evidence and legal statutes and being able to argue either side. Their judges included law students, lawyers and

actual judges. While most teams at the tournament had gotten the packet back in the Fall of 2019, NCL, due to their late conception, only got theirs in November.

“We didn’t get the money to pay for the material until the week of the deadline,” Rhys Shanahan, second year and president of NCLS, said. “We didn’t receive it in the mail until from [the American Mock Trial Association] until November. So, we didn’t start until very late.”

To make up for lost time, the NCL made use of the greater free time during ISP month to practice.

“The mock trial team, along with two other students [from the Advocacy and Persuasion ISP], practiced every single night,” Shanahan said.

“Two hours each night. Sometimes, we rounded up to three. Sometimes, four.”

Izaya Garrett Miles is a member of NCL and NCLS.

Students of color reflect on Black History Month

BY JOHN COTTER Black History Month is a celebration of the past, present and future of the Black community. For many students on campus, Black History Month is a period of reflection and acknowledgement of the history of prominent Black figures and their sacrifices.

Out of the students interviewed, each had a different relationship with Black History Month.

Third-year Co-president of the Black Student Union Jasmyne Prophet remembers their first introduction to Black History Month in grade school and how different it was compared to their experiences on campus.

“Throughout grade school when we would talk about Black History Month, we would learn the standards, talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech and it was all [simplified],”

Prophet said. “Black History Month at New College was really when that shift in understanding Black history and Black culture happened.”

Prophet also mentioned the Sur la Bay Festival and its importance to their understanding of Black Arts.

“It features predominantly Black and LatinX artists,” Prophet said. “Those styles of music and artistic expression were things I was raised around, even though I was raised by a Black mom. Still, that disconnect that I felt in the beginning isn't really as present now. If anything, I feel more connected to my heritage and feel more connected to things that I wish I had been exposed to earlier on.”

The experience of third-year Rolando Tate was, in his own words, unique. Born and raised in Carol City, a predominantly African populated county, Tate counted himself lucky.

“My parents are very, very ra-

cially conscious and educated, thankfully, but because of all that, I never really feel like I developed a sense of entitlement to my own races,” Tate said. “I feel like I really belong to any one thing, an almost part-time struggle with that a lot and that just becomes even more muddy when it comes to the celebration of life.”

Tate spent the majority of his grade school years in a magnet school.

“They always found different ways to appreciate people or at least make us socially conscious,” Tate said. “We had food festivals, where they would have our families come to school and have them cook and share food with everyone. They were intentional about informing us about not just our history but the importance of our identity.”

First-year Carl Dinang was born in Cameroon and later moved to the Virgin Islands before moving to Sara-

sota. The majority of Dinang’s experience with Black History Month took place in The Virgin Islands. There he experienced unabashed celebrations of Black History Month.

“On [each Island] we have Carnival, which is a representation of African cultures,” Dinang said. “We have a bunch of events all year. Music, bands, food and parties.”

Since coming to Sarasota, Dinang felt that the main message of Black History Month has been lost in the goal of trying to share the voices of prominent historical figures, not individuals in the Black community celebrating their own voice and culture.

Dinang said, “Our shared history, that's the past, we can't change it. The only thing we could do is move forward, move forward and share what makes us as a community great.”

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NEWS PAGE 4

Memorial honors Nan Freeman, the New College student who lost her life picketing for farm workers

BY JACOB WENTZ Forty-eight years after her death on the farm-labor picket lines in Belle Glade, Fla., New College student activist Nan Freeman (‘71) was celebrated in a recent on-campus memorial event. The panel discussion and memorial service brought together students, professors and members of United Farm Workers (UFW), the National Farm Worker Ministry and Young American Dreamers to honor Freeman’s contribution to human rights.

“This campus is rightly proud of activism,” UFW Spokesperson Marc Grossman remarked. “So New College students should know and be rightly proud of Nan Freeman, who gave her life for her activism.”

Ace academic, apt activist According to her sister, Freeman was always academically motivated and thorough with her research.

“She wrote poems, loved to read, loved watermelon and Bullwinkle cartoons,” Liz Freeman wrote in an email interview. “She won a $1,000 American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) state scholarship for an essay she wrote on the labor movement in twelfth grade. She wouldn’t tell us what she wrote, but my mom knew she had read everything she could find about the labor movement.”

Nan Freeman’s passion for hu-

Photo courtesy of Kennon Gilson

Attending the memorial were (left to right) UFW’s Marc Grossman; alum Pam Albright ('71); Nan’s older sister Liz Freeman; former UFW staff representative Kenny Snodgrass; Sam Trickey with the National Farm Worker Ministry; and Professor of Sociology and Latin American & Caribbean Studies Sarah Hernandez, who helped organize the event.

man rights grew at New College, where she wrote a 200-page paper about youth detention centers and prison systems for her first independent study project.

“The more I learn about Nan, the more I realize that even in her very short time at New College, she illustrates what can be described as a New College spirit, a person deeply committed to both academic engagement and social justice,” Professor of Sociology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies Sarah Hernandez wrote in an email interview. “While today we do not encourage students to write such extensive manuscripts for an ISP, to engage in such writing, Nan must have been fully embed-

ded in her research; a commendable spirit that may resonate with many students at NCF.” After taking the course “Project REAL” with Professor of Economics Marshall Barry, Freeman became interested in the struggles of farm workers in Florida. The course focused on using economic principles to work on improving the lives of poor communities in the local Sarasota area. Originally, Project REAL took a top-down approach to the work it was doing, but, as Albright explained, they began to find that approach was not working.

“Since it wasn’t working topdown, it felt like we had to figure out a way to do a bottoms-up approach

to dealing with poverty and discrimination in this community,” alum and close friend Pam Albright (‘71) said.

Project REAL became the informal research wing of the United Farmworkers Union in Florida, which was trying to gain a foothold in the state. Students conducted courthouse research for the union aimed at finding where land was being held, specifically land owned by Coca Cola Minute Maid.

“She and I and other students traveled to courthouses in different parts of Florida to search the land records to help the union pinpoint where the farms were that Coca Cola continued on p. 11

Senate Bill 404 imposes new restrictions on abortion

BY SOFIA LOMBARDI Thirty years ago, a rare win for abortion rights for Floridians was accomplished, as a parental consent law was deemed unconstitutional.

In 2020, the Florida state legislature has taken advantage of its Republican-heavy makeup to reinstate this bill. With a 23—17 vote along party lines, the Florida Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 404 on Thursday, Feb. 6. With an expected passage in the House and a promise from Gov. DeSantis to sign it into law later this month, Florida’s abortion rights are soon to be restricted.

Current Florida law requires that parents or guardians are notified if a minor receives an abortion.

Senate Bill 404 and its companion, House Bill 265, would require minors to receive explicit parental consent or a judicial waiver before receiving an abortion. This bill has been criticized by opponents such as Kara Gross, legislative director of the American Civil Liverties Union (ACLU) of Florida, claiming that “this bill is not about protecting minors, it’s about

banning access to safe and legal abortion, just as our southern neighboring states have done.”

In the age of a Trump presidency, a more right-leaning Supreme Court with the addition of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and a recent trend in conservative states challenging the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights are under attack more than ever. Despite the Florida state legislature’s push to continue this narrative and make this bill law once again, activists from across the state of Florida have spoken out against it recently in Tallahassee. On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Florida Senate had scheduled its vote on Senate Bill 404. Planned Parenthood, an outspoken opponent of the bill, decided to fight back.

Planned Parenthood organized buses from across the state to arrive at the Florida State Capitol and protest against a bill they call unconstitutional and claim “would require young people deemed too ‘immature’ to have an abortion to become parents instead.” Within hours of hundreds of activists donning bright

pink flooding the Capitol, the vote was quickly rescheduled for another day.

Meg Sunga, a podcast host and digital education creator for Presence, a campus engagement platform, was one of the hundreds of protesters in Tallahassee on Tuesday. While Sunga did not expect the outcome of Senate Bill 404 to be changed through the activists themselves, she thought the protest itself was critical.

“Even though I know that they’re [the politicians] probably going to do the thing that I don’t want them to do, at the very least, they might hopefully think first about what they saw today or what they heard today or how you know we presented today and occupy their minds in a little tiny way,” Sunga said. “And if that gives them pause, I feel like I did a little bit more than if I weren’t here today.”

Charlie Rowell, the Pinellas County Field Organizer for progressive organization NextGen America, also attended the protest in hopes of a future change. Despite his positiv-

ity, Rowell thought that “even with as much passionate effort that we had today at the end of the day if you don’t have the votes, you don’t have the votes.” Rowell pushed the idea that due to the presence of protesters at the Capitol, “the discussion was furthered on how this bill adversely affects our privacy in Florida and hope that the Supreme Court of Florida will recognize the fact that it is unconstitutional.”

While Senate Bill 404 is commonly known as an anti abortion bill, the sponsor of Senate Bill 404, Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), claims her legislation is “not a prochoice or pro-life bill.” Rather, she claims that the bill is intended to “have adults involved in difficult decisions with children.” Despite pushback from Democrats and organizations like Planned Parenthood, due to the Republican majority in the Florida House, this bill is expected to easily pass.

Information for this article was gathered from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

CATALYST

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

The Activist Newsletter

Giulia Heyward/Catalyst

Throughout this February, activists have the opportunity to participate in public talks, film screenings and workshops as a part of New College’s Black History Month (BHM) programming. Read on if you want to get involved in the community regarding Black literature, political movements and community-based art. For a full schedule of events past these upcoming two weeks, visit New College’s official Black History Month webpage at ncf.edu/black-history-month.

BY HAYLEY VANSTRUM Wednesday, Feb. 12 Communities in Transit @ 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

ACE Lounge - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL Join Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz Dr. Camille Hawthorne for a discussion on race, political activism and the refugee crisis in Europe. Hawthorne will present her research, which focuses on the political citizenship of Black Italians and examines the mobilization of Italian-born children of African immigrants who call for a reformation of the unjust Italian citizenship law. This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Feb. 18 Dialogue on Racialized Masculinities @ 12 – 1:30 p.m.

Gender and Diversity Center - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL

as a social epidemic. It seeks to be an access-ible work that can escape the bounds of academia and find its way into marginalized communities and households. This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, Feb. 20 Lost and Found: The Puzzles of Translating African Fiction @ 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Cook Hall Living Room - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL Open up a campus conversation surrounding translation with Professor of French and Gender Studies Amy Reid.

Professor Reid, who has been working with Cameroonian author Patrice Nganang since 2001, will be discussing her ongoing translation of “Empreintes de crabe,” the final volume in Nganang’s Cameroonian independence tri-logy. This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Feb. 25 Black Literature Read-in with Tyree C. Worthy @ 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

CEO Lounge - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL

Enter the dialogue on racialized masculinities and how they affect identity and community with filmmaker Bocafloja and Professors Hugo Viera Vargas and Nicholas Clarkson at this discussion-centric event. Bocafloja is a renowned rapper, poet and spoken word artist based in New York who focuses on topics including institutional racism, political opression, mental slavery and African diaspora. This event is free and open to the public.

Join notable writer, businessman and curator Tyree C. Worthy in reading and listening to the influential work of Black authors and poets during New College’s yearly Black literature read-in. This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Feb. 18 Bravado Magenta Film Screening @ 6:30–9:30 p.m.

Mildred Sainer Auditorium - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL

Tuesday, Feb. 25 Curator’s Workshop: Creating Space for Arts and Community @ 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Four Winds Cafe - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL

Gather around with classmates and community members for a screening of Bocafloja’s performative documentary. This film, described by Bocafloja as “a deep journey into body politics and colonized manhood,” explores the concept of patriarchal violence

Stop by the Four Winds to participate in a workshop about curation and community-engaged art led by Tyree C. Worthy, poet of “25 Sense” and New Orleans-based journalist. This event is free and open to the public.

PAGE 5

Voter registration: preparing for the Florida primaries

BY SOFIA LOMBARDI With primary season ramping up, so are voter registration efforts on campus.

The deadline for voter registration in Florida is Feb. 18 in order to maintain eligibility for participation in the primary election on Mar. 17.

President of New College Democrats, second-year Ellie Young has been registering students as often as possible to be able to participate in the primary election. Through voter registration drives, Young has registered over 100 students to vote—almost 15 percent of the New College student population.

Often, elections held in the U.S., particularly primaries, are determined by hundreds of votes.

New College has traditionally had a very strong voter turnout—even for primary elections, which commonly have an extremely low turnout across the United States. A little over 64 percent of the student body voted in the 2018 midterm election, more than twice the 29.3 percent that voted in the previous midterm election in 2014, earning New College several national awards for high student voter turnout.

The first primary of the season, the Iowa Caucus, was held on Monday, Feb. 3—and it was not off to a good start. Due to potential errors and inconsistencies, results of the caucuses were not released until nearly 24 hours after they typically are, and two candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have both claimed victory.

With all of this confusion so early on, it can be hard to decide who the best candidate is. A lack of knowledge about how to vote is a valid and thankfully preventable reason for a low voter turnout.

Young reminds students that “especially in these primary elections, there’s a lot of misinformation.” She warns against “getting all

your information from one source, especially if that source is social media.”

“Lots of things that are said on Twitter are not entirely true or not the whole truth, the best places you can go to find good information are candidate websites and reputable news sources like the New York Times and AP News,” Young said.

In the final weeks leading up to the Florida primary, Young has one major plea for voters: to register to vote by mail. According to the Florida Division of Elections, over 1.2 million Florida voters used the vote by mail option for the 2016 primary.

Young recommends mail ballots because they are “so much less stressful.”

“A lot of the times things will come up on election days or early voting days,” Young said. “You should really have that vote by mail thing even if you plan to go to the polls.”

As for Florida’s closed primary rule, President of Democracy Matters third-year Rory Renzy recommends students register for a party so they can participate in the democratic process.

“I think especially in Florida, where it's so restrictive, you might not want to register for a party, but if it's the system that you're given, I think it's probably useful to try to express your vote,” Renzy reminds students. “The best expression of your preferences is probably what’s going to be available in the primaries, especially when there’s so many candidates.”

Before Feb. 18, keep an eye out for New College Democrats’ upcoming voter registration drives at ACE or the Hamilton Center, or visit registertovoteflorida.com.

Information for this article was collected from the Florida Division of Elections.

Jacob Wentz/Catalyst Registering to vote by mail is an accessible alternative to in-person registration.

Telepresence and Effigy are two of Anderson’s largest and most eye-catching pieces, hanging side by side and inviting the viewer in upon entry to the gallery.

“This is based on an especially fortuitous estate sale find,” Anderson explained while discussing the story of Painting Painting. “The image came from a collection of stereoscopic slides. It condenses so much information and meaning into one small little Kodachrome slide–it is a beautifully complex image. For me it encapsulates the history of women as both subjects and practitioners of painting, while addressing concepts around the gaze.”

“I was focused on using light, itself, as a medium,” Buyssens explained regarding Chromactive. “I became interested in the pleasant shifts of pure hue as the motors gyrated the dichroic filters. The piece intends to compose these shifting lightscapes upon the wall and changes the intensity and pattern of their movements as people stand closer or further from the wall. It intends to invoke a meditative introspective state in its participants.”

All photos Hayley Vanstrum/Catalyst

“[Resistance] presents a host of contradictory relationships, from the graceful, pleasing motion of bird wings to the jarring immediacy in which they respond to those who get too close,” Buyssens said. “The wings, a symbol of freedom, are bound to the wall unable to escape.”

Both IBU and Promenade rely on the viewer’s touch, showcasing Buyssens dedication to motion and interactivity.

I N C A N D E S C E N C E , I N T E R P L AY

BY HAYLEY VANSTRUM

Art is at the center of every community, bringing people together in ways they may not have ever imagined and opening endless possibilities of creativity and collaboration for all involved. The members of Art Center Sarasota, a local organization which provides the Sarasota community with educational programs and free seasonal exhibitions, have always made this belief a key component of the center’s core mission statement.

“While the gallery is important to display the works of local artists, one-man shows and traveling exhibitions, there is a social aspect of the association that bears heavy fruit,” Art Center Sarasota’s website states, echoing the official philosophy of the center in the 1960s, around 40 years after the establishment of the organization in 1926. “It is a meeting place for all who are interested in

the many phases of art; it is a place to make friends and see what is going on in Sarasota.”

Incandescence, Interplay, and Black Muse, three of the center’s ongoing gallery exhibitions, all exemplify this social aspect of art perfectly. Incandescence and Interplay, by New College Professors of Art Kim Anderson and Ryan Busyessens, respectively, are interactive in nature, encouraging the viewer to play a direct role in the way the art appears in that very moment. Anderson’s Incandescence exhibition makes use of handcrafted stereo viewers, devices that allow the user to look at two separate but identical or nearidentical images and view them as one single three-dimensional image.

“They physically create a different viewing experience for the audience, while bringing the audience into the work as active participants,” Anderson said. “This becomes almost performative on a certain level, espe-

cially when you have a room full of participants. Despite being a centuries old technology, they also work to replicate a kind of screen experience that is so ubiquitous today.”

Along with highlighting performativity and modern screen obsessions, much of Anderson’s artwork, including pieces such as Painting Painting and Still Life in Stereo, makes use of found objects which she recontextualizes to impart new life and meaning. Even if she will never know the full histories of her thrift store finds, she uses the items and the feelings they evoke as starting points to construct her own narratives.

“For me found objects operate like archaeological relics of our time,” Anderson explained. “They say a lot about our social mores, codes and systems that we navigate daily. Even the most seemingly banal object is loaded with meaning.”

Buyssens’ work in Interplay,

which he tentatively describes as “an experimental approach to humancomputer interaction,” equally relies on the participation of the observer, each piece reacting to the movement and touch of the viewer in different and sometimes unexpected ways.

While the wings in Resistance flap faster as the viewer approaches, the true meaning of Outlook becomes obscured and eventually fully invisible as the observer walks away.

“What drove me to make the work interactive was a curiosity in how people would react when something reacted to them,” Buyssens said. “I believe that my work connects with people, it becomes alive when they're viewing it. It creates situations that allow people to respond and immerse themselves.

People become participants with my work–part of it. My art is incomplete without people.”

The beauty of Berrion’s work is in the details, shown by this close up of American Boy.

“I want to make women aware of how powerful they are,” Bristol said of her work, including the striking In the Company of My Ancestors #1.

“When I think of my work, I think of images that portray universal emotions,” Mason said. For him, capturing the image of Trustworthy was a moment that he immediately knew carried deep importance.

Hauling Laundry is full of the life and light that Pierre prioritizes in his artwork.

Black Muse, a group exhibition put on by member artists of the Association for the Study of AfricanAmerican Life and History (ASALH), does not center the same sort of direct, physical interaction with art.

The sociality of this exhibition lies instead in the shared history and identity of the artists along with the connection that these artists have to their community. The vision and mission of Black Muse, as explained by curator Michéle Des Verney Redwine during Art Center Sarasota’s artist talk event, is to bring art by African Americans to the forefront of the Sarasota art world. Along with the exhibition, ASALH has facilitated five of the Black Muse artists to visit and speak at local high schools, an act that will broaden the reach of these artists and help educate Sarasota’s youth during this ongoing Black History Month.

Although Black Muse artists all draw inspiration from different aspects of their lives and experiences, Black history and culture is always at the forefront. Joseph Pierre, who contributed two of his works (Hauling Laundry and Sowin the Right Seeds) to the exhibition, aims to depict the most difficult aspects of Black life.

“I wanted to show color and warmth… Sowing seeds of goodwill, strong backbone, honesty, sincerity,” Pierre said. “All of those qualities we do not see in our government today.”

Similarly, photographer Ron Mason uses his art to reflect some of the darkest days of his ancestors' lives. His piece from the same exhibition last year, Bridge of Sighs, captured the image of a small bridge, one which connected the mainland of Louisiana's Magnolia Plantation to a small island that served as an

& BLACK MUSE

“oasis” for slave masters.

“I started thinking about the ancestors who wondered, through sighs, about what was on the other side of that bridge,” Mason explained.

Trustworthy, one of Mason’s pieces that hangs in this year’s exhibition, directly contradicts Bridge of Sighs through its imagery of autonomy and reliability. For this work, Mason drew on the history of the seafaring Norwegians, a group who had to trust the sturdy build of the wooden vehicles that their livelihoods depended upon, but who also had freedom over their own actions and course of travel.

“Those ancestors wished they had that life of freedom,” Mason said.

Through Incandescence, Interplay and Black Muse, artists show the power of their work in creating new visual experiences, forging meaning-

ful connections between art and the viewer and strengthening local community. These exhibitions fulfill Art Center Sarasota’s mission statement by existing as locations in which people are able to communicate, learn and create unique shared experiences.

“If people want to say that art is dead, please educate them,” Redwine said, concluding the Black Muse artist talk. “When you look at this art, there is a life force within that work because the artist put it there.”

Incandescence, Interplay and Black Muse will be on display at Art Center Sarasota until Mar. 6. Admission to the center is free, but donations are appreciated.

Information for this article was gathered from artsarasota.org.

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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offers local communities free tax preparation services

BY VIANEY JARAMILLO As the Spring semester starts, so does another tax season. Every year billions of tax dollars go unclaimed and United Way Suncoast is on a mission to help low-to-moderate income households claim what is theirs. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, one of United Way’s programs, offers free annual tax preparation services to render financial stability into these households.

United Way was founded in 1887 in Denver, Colo. by five people—a Denver woman, a priest, two ministers and a rabbi—who wanted to make the city a more equitable place. This idea ultimately led to the nation’s first united campaign which benefited 10 local health and welfare agencies. They created an organization that would expand to collect funds for local charities, coordinate relief services, counsel and refer clients to cooperating agencies and make emergency assistance grants for cases that could not be referred.

That year, Denver raised $21,700 for the project, thereby creating a movement that would become United Way.

Today, United Way is a worldwide nonprofit organization that fights for health, education and financial stability. Nationally, United Way of America works with over 1,000 communities, including United Way Suncoast. Five counties are represented by United Way Suncoast: DeSoto, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota.

United Way Suncoast and United Way of America offer precise tax services. United Way of America has a 94 percent accuracy rate of all tax returns filed and the Suncoast branch boasts one of 96 percent.

Aside from aiming to break the cycle of generational poverty with the aid of a tax refund, United Way Suncoast has other programs that are geared more towards assisting with child development, creating education opportunities to the regions’ youth and offering aid to provide financial stability—all of which are part of their Five-Year Strategic Plan.

In 2014, United Way Suncoast announced its Five-Year Strategic Plan with a mission of stopping the recurrence of generational poverty through a variety of programs that target three priority areas: early literacy, youth success and financial

stability. However, in regards to financial stability, VITA is not the only program.

“Within our financial stability work, I'm proud to work on a financial coaching program,” Financial Stability Initiatives Specialist Nichole Pena stated in an email interview. “This program matches participants with trained volunteer coaches to help them improve their financial knowledge and capability. In the past, the program has helped individuals who were at risk of homelessness develop a plan and take actions to move from transitional housing into their own places.”

The financial coaching program helped these individuals by showing them how to take control of their finances, reduce their debt and develop emergency savings plans. These services can also be shown and offered at VITA sites as volunteers assist clients.

VITA’s high accuracy rates stem from the strict rules that volunteers follow to become certified tax preparers. There is also a policy to ensure that every tax return filed is quality reviewed.

“Every return completed is then rechecked by a quality reviewer, an

experienced volunteer who ensures that everything was done correctly,” Pena said. “Our 96 percent accuracy rate is higher than any other group, including paid preparers.”

To become certified, volunteers must attend an orientation and go through a two-day training program.

The rapid approach to training comes from the caution that some volunteers may have packed schedules so creating an advanced program would get more volunteers certified.

“The majority of our volunteers are students, and many are doing it for a college credit,” Senior Manager of United Way Suncoast Margarita Perez said. “A lot of the students we have are very intimidated with the fact that they’re going to be preparing a tax return to our clientele.”

However, Perez believes that feelings of jitteriness should not keep anyone, especially college students, from doing something that is meaningful for the community.

Several students from New College are currently involved, one of whom is third-year Agnes Bartha.

“I had people of all races and ethnicities come in so it was cool to continued on p. 11

Homelessness in Sarasota: the story of Steve Novia

BY WILLA TINSLEY Steve Novia’s first housewarming gift was a heart made out of Hot Tamales.

“Baby, You’re my Hot Tamale when we are together at ‘night!’” the accompanying card declared. He told me it’s from his girlfriend, Mona, and that he tried to hide it before I arrived. Novia’s brand new one-room apartment was mostly empty, falling apart a little at the edges. He was excited to start fixing it up himself. He gave me a tour, explaining how he’s going to smooth over the knuckle prints in the drywall and rebuild the door frame that had been kicked in a few too many times. He directed my attention to the shower’s egregious caulking job. Novia began working as a roofer when he was 16 years old. His tamale heart was on a chipped blue dresser in the corner, across from a toolbox with a hammer sneaking out the back like a tail. At this time last year, Novia clutched that hammer for protection as he slept in a patch of trees behind the Van Wezel.

“I would have a blanket and a pillow there and I would sleep down there. And it felt…. scary,” Novia told me. The word ‘scary’ came out with effort, a little muddled. “I didn’t want

nobody to know where I was. I wanted to be very secluded, I didn’t want nobody to come up on me. I always slept with a knife, or that hammer.”

Novia was homeless because he couldn’t afford rent. This is a typical hardship in Sarasota, where the rent is “more expensive than most large cities,” according to the HeraldTribune. The Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness’s (SPEH) 2019 one-night homeless census counted 1,135 individuals on the streets.

During the year Novia was homeless, he slept outside, in storage units, at dangerous halfway houses or at the Salvation Army. Harvest House, a celebrated Sarasota half-way house, purportedly denied his application on account of a 2006 DUI. He was kicked out of businesses, storage units, street corners, shelters. He returned. His applications were denied. He reapplied.

“You get into a cycle,” Novia said. “It grinds you down. At that point I didn’t really care whether I lived or died.”

Novia took any work he could find. He fainted after working for hours in the sun as a landscaper; he then accepted the job again and fainted again.

“I’m a roofer, so I’m used to hard

work,” he told me, shaking his head, “But I wasn’t expecting -- it was brutal. I’m a very skilled housing laborer, and them guys make good money.

They make 20, 22 dollars an hour.

But you can’t get that kind of job without a car. Me, they’re like ‘Hey, wanna go over here?’ and I’m like, ‘what’s it pay?’ They say 10 dollars an hour. So I’m like, ‘Alright, that’ll get me through the day.’”

I met Novia during an interview with Greg Cruz, one of the founders of Streets of Paradise (SOP). SOP is a grassroots coalition of local activists serving the homeless. They provide free meals three days a week along with hygiene and clothing services.

They have recently partnered with the SPEH to address a significant gap in Sarasota’s new Rapid Re-Housing Initiative: the program initially moved homeless individuals into completely unfurnished homes. According to SOP, homeless individuals are 87 percent more likely to remain housed if the unit they move into is furnished. Another volunteer introduced Novia to Cruz during our conversation, congratulating him on his imminent move-in. Cruz asked if he got it through the re-housing initiative.

“No, we never got into a pro-

gram,” Novia replied. “[We were involved with] the HOT team (Homeless Outreach Team of the Sarasota Police Department) before. … they said maybe you could help us with some supplies? The woman said I could stay there, cause I've been sleeping on the streets, but [my girlfriend’s] paycheck and my paycheck would be enough to cover it, but we don't have a bunch of extra money for anything.”

Normally there would be a process, Cruz said, involving a website and paperwork and a case manager.

But since they don’t have that, Cruz gave Novia his number, and the SOP move-in was set for the next day. When Cruz listed some of the items they’d be receiving (a couch, a bed, a microwave) Novia interjected: “What! Ah! Stop it!”

Novia and his girlfriend are now housed because they were finally able to save up enough money for a month’s rent while experiencing homelessness. Their house is now livable because of the goodwill and capability of an independent volunteer group made up of citizens of Sarasota who view the homeless as family rather than as outsiders. continued on p. 10

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Redefining Valentine’s Day culture on campus

BY SOPHIA BROWN As Valentine’s Day approaches, the student emailing list remains surprisingly lacking of holidayrelated reminders and events.

Perhaps this is not too surprising, as a generally liberal and progressive campus like New College is likely to have some qualms in regards to the commercial focus and heteronormativity of the holiday.

Even so, this silence begs the question: what does Valentine’s Day actually look like on campus?

A survey consisting of nine multiple choice questions and one optional text box for additional comments was sent out to students through the email list. Out of 57 total responses, the first 40 were compiled and analyzed. The first and most obvious critique that students have is of the holiday’s consumerist undertones.

When asked approximately how much money they spend for Valentine’s Day each year, 35 percent spent no money at all and 32.5 percent spent between $1 and $10. Only 12.5 percent spent $30 or more.

Along that same vein, 55 percent of students said that they would prefer to receive a handmade gift, while no one responded that a handmade gift would be their least favorite. There is both a refusal to play into the idea that celebrating Valentine’s Day means spending money on loved ones and a preference for inexpensive handmade gifts.

“I definitely think it’s a fake holiday designed to create profit, but it’s also kind of sweet if you let it be,” second-year Liv Wright wrote.

Outspoken rejection of Valentine’s Day commercialism is expected not only because of the average college student’s budget. It speaks against splurging on someone as an indicator of affection. Another facet of Valentine’s Day culture, the idea that the holiday is to be celebrated exclusively by couples, has also been met with dissatisfaction.

When asked with whom they would be celebrating Valentine’s Day with this year, 52.5 percent of respondents said they would celebrate with their significant other.

However, 27.5 percent said that they are not celebrating at all, more than those who said they were celebrating with friends (12.5 percent) and

individually (7.5 percent). When asked if they still celebrate Valentine’s Day without a significant other, 60 percent responded that they do not. The implication that the holiday is dedicated to couples only appears to stop many students from celebrating at all.

“Valentine’s Day is a weird day for me because I’ve never been in a romantic relationship or fallen in love,” first-year Kennon Gilson responded. “Oftentimes, Valentine’s Day feels like a holiday I can’t really participate in.”

On top of this, some students find the pressure to engage in a holiday structured around romance to be stifling. The social expectation of celebrating Valentine’s Day is doing so with a romantic partner.

Some students seem to reject this entirely.

“I dislike [Valentine’s Day] because I’m aromantic and it’s very symbolic of the culture of amatonormativity,” thesis student Aiden Juge commented.

Amatonormativity refers to societal assumptions about romance, such as the pressure to desire marriage or monogamy.

Valentine’s Day holds oppressive a matonor mat ive connotations for many people from a young age. It is easy to fall into the belief that Valentine’s Day is only for certain people. Even so, the holiday is still celebrated by many as a chance to show love towards friends or as a self-care opportunity.

When asked if they find that they become more affectionate towards friends or significant others during Valentine’s Day, 45 percent answered yes and 37.5 percent have bought a Valentine’s Day gift for themselves.

In dismissing and breaking down the harmful and exclusive elements of the holiday, some have taken it upon themselves to redefine the bounds of affection.

“It’s a good excuse to be extra kind to your friends and significant others,” concludes second-year Liv Wright. “Especially friends, though.”

Valentine’s Day may become the opportunity to spread love to others with no monetary or romantic obligations attached. New College students have shown a desire to opt out of the less than ideal aspects of Valentine’s Day, but with that comes the opportunity to reshape the holiday’s meaning into something all students can be a part of.

“I definitely think it’s a fake holiday designed to create profit, but it’s also kind of sweet if you let it be.”

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SONGS YOU SHOULD HEAR

Valentine's Day Edition

BY HAYLEY VANSTRUM As the holiday of love draws near, take some time out of your busy schedule to treat your mind, heart and ears to the Catalyst staff ’s handpicked Valentine’s Day playlist. This selection has something for everyone, Valentine’s Day lovers and haters alike, ranging from oldies you know by heart to newer romantic picks.

“Love You For A Long Time”

by Maggie Rogers “I wanted it to sound like the last days of summer,” Maggie Rogers wrote in an Instagram post regarding her first release since the breakout success of her debut album, Heard It In A Past Life. “I wanted it to sound as wild and alive as new love feels.” “Love You For A Long Time” is by all means a triumph on this account, with Rogers’ angelic, carefree vocals ringing out over catchy pop instrumentals. “Maggie is just a whole mood,” Copy Editor Claire Newberg said with her recommendation of this track.

“She’s happy and that makes me happy.”

“Seen My Aura”

by Helado Negro “I love this song because it reminds me of being in the pool here on a hot day with my best friend,” Staff Writer Ky Miller explained in reference to this dreamy track, reminding us that Valentine’s Day should be about sharing love with everyone important in our lives, not just romantic partners.

Helado Negro’s Florida roots make themselves known within “Seen My Aura,” with the song’s chill beat and Negro’s lyrical talent shining through.

“Time of the Season”

by The Zombies “What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? Is he rich like me?

Has he taken any time to show you what you need to live?” Editor in Chief Jacob Wentz recalls, drawing attention to some of the most iconic lyrics of the Zombies’ 1968 classic hit, “Time of the Season.” It is indeed the time of the season for loving, so throw it back with this

psychedelic, era-defining love song.

“February”

by Beach Bunny Spend some time this Valentine’s Day reflecting on lost love with Beach Bunny’s “February,” a song indicative of the group’s consistent dedication to the relatable themes of growing apart and growing up. “Any day's better than February,” lead singer and songwriter Lili Trifilio promises on this track, providing you with the perfect affirmation to get through the rest of this month and onto the next heartbreak.

“Pynk”

by Janelle Monae (feat. Grimes) Staff Writer Sophia Brown says she recommends “Pynk” because she is “gay and basic,” but Janelle Monae’s groundbreaking anthem of queer sexuality, controversial video included, deserves all of the attention it gets and then some.

This song encapsulates the feelgood energy that Valentine’s Day should always have, and if Monae’s lyrics “Let's count the ways we could make this last forever” fail to get you in the spirit, then you might just be out of luck.

“Under Your Spell”

by Desire Electronic pop trio Desire nails the often obsessive mood that comes along with an intense crush with “Under Your Spell,” a repetitive, emotionally draining hit popularized by the highly revered 2011 action drama film, Drive. “This song gives me a warm feeling,” Staff Writer Sergio Salinas said with his recommendation, calling on the track’s nostalgic background drone and spoken bridge, which sounds more like a conversation between friends than lyrics. “Do you think this feeling could last forever?” vocalist Megan Louise asks, evoking the state of bliss and eternity new love creates while also alluding to its potential, inevitable end.

Check out the Spotify playlist for this column at https://spoti.fi/37bFKSQ.

CATALYST Redistricting

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 member districts last year, citing the necessity to even out the district’s population to ensure that each had equal voting power. In a single-member district, only voters who live in the district can cast their ballot in a race, rather than voters countywide.

As a whole, Sarasota County leans heavily Republican, and under the former at-large voting system, Republicans have largely dominated commission races. Prior to the redistricting plan, incumbent Moran’s District 1 had more Democrats than Republicans, which raised the likelihood of a difficult run for re-election under the single-member district system.

Coronavirus

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 been confirmed in Shanghai.

McGleam said that she was treated differently because she was a foreigner.

“As an exchange student, I got much more lenient focus than people who looked like they belonged [in China]. There is a lot of social evaluation there and if you look foreign, they will treat you foreign.”

Some airlines such as Phillipine Airlines have reduced their number of flights to China. As of Jan. 31, American Airlines suspended flights from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai from Feb. 9 to Mar. 27, but it will continue flights to Hong Kong.

“At the airport they just had us fill something out on whether we had been to Wuhan or not, and if we felt sick,” McGleam said. “But again, anyone could have easily lied to get through.”

January is significant in Chinese culture because of the Lunar New Year, which occured on Jan. 25.

Steve Novia

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 “We call them our ‘street family,’” Cruz told me, and somehow it didn’t sound corny.

Novia and the countless people like him still on the streets do not so much “fall through the cracks” of social services; they filter through the intentional holes in Sarasota’s social services. The community — kind individuals and grassroots volunteer coalitions of Sarasotans like SOP and Food not Bombs, another group serving the homeless — does its best to keep the people on the streets afloat.

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Another issue for the plaintiff is that the redistricting map used by the county is based on one submitted by former Sarasota GOP Chairman Bob Waechter, not a county-hired consultant.

Under the new district map, incumbent Moran's most likely Republican primary opponent, Frank DiCicco, was drawn out of District 1 and into District 4, while District 1 appears to become heavily Republican. Atkins, a declared Democratic candidate who challenged Moran for the District 1 seat in 2020, will now be unable to continue his campaign.

Professor Alcock described the plan as “a blatant exercise in gerrymandering designed for the obvious purpose of protecting one particular incumbent,” referring to the underlying logic as being “inconsistent, if not comical.”

However, according to a December 2019 Herald Tribune article, the county’s attorneys countered allegations of gerrymandering by arguing that the facts at the foundation of the lawsuit are erroneous and emphasized that the commission is “entitled to a presumption of good faith.” In a phone interview, former President of the Sarasota Chapter of the NAACP Walter Gilbert III, who is also member of the community revitalization initiative Newtown Alive, called the redistricting effort “plantation politics” and described it as “a slap in the Black community’s face.”

Gilbert further decried the plan as “another attempt to act above and to marginalize voters exercising their constitutional rights.”

This is not the first instance of public outcry against what appears to plaintiffs as stacked odds. In 1979,

Gilbert and others participated in a federal lawsuit against the City of Sarasota. The lawsuit advocated for single-member district voting after countless losses illustrated that the then at-large voting system prevented Black candidates from being elected. That lawsuit, which also cited the 1965 Voting Rights Act, ultimately led to a court decision in favor of the plaintiffs and allowed candidate Atkins to become the first black city commissioner in 1985.

The county’s move to dismiss the lawsuit comes as a blow to voters and reopens questions concerning voting rights and partisanship in local government as the upcoming 2020 election nears.

People traveled across the country for the celebration, and the holiday was extended to prevent travel as the coronavirus cases mounted.

“The main difference between this year's spring festival and previous spring festivals is the presence of masks and the sense of uncertainty,” Sam Sanford (‘17) said. Sanford is attending graduate school in Shanghai and her spring semester had been postponed as of Jan. 30.

Samford described different global responses to the virus from the perspective of an American in China.

“A lot of well-meaning people have been messaging me, terrified that I'm in this 28 Days Later, black death hellscape, which is really not the situation,” Samford said. “People [in China] are more worried about when they're going to return to work and what the situation will be with overtime pay and things like that.”

According to the New York Times, the average age of coronavirus patients is between 49 and 56 years old. The WHO has stated that the most at-risk people are elderly people or people with a compromised

immune system. However, Samford described a sense of initial social panic because of all the unknowns about 2019-nCoV. This panic has eased slightly after a few weeks due to the mounting information and prevention methods. Samford acknowledged the role of expats living abroad in the spreading of alarmist misstatements amongst themselves and to the United States.

“The expat community was generally spreading a lot of misinformation as a result of the language barrier between official sources and the people reading,” Samford said.

Both McGleam and Samford mentioned fever checks in public spaces around China. A fever is one identifying factor of the virus. Multiple agencies, governments and experts recommend that healthy people wash their hands thoroughly and the New York Times suggests that healthy populations in low-risk areas avoid hoarding medical masks as they are needed in hospitals where chances of infection are significantly higher.

“One needs to be cautious, but also rational and keeping things in

perspective,” Fennie said. “As the epidemic progresses, concern and perspective may change.”

A message of respect for the humanity of individuals who are infected has been published by some media outlets, including National Public Radio (NPR).

There is a lot of uncertainty at this point around the severity of the virus, how many people are carrying the virus and what it could mean for the future of global health. These next weeks will provide a more comprehensive understanding of whether the virus has hit a spike in contamination, or if we are just getting started.

In 2013, the city and county commissioners of Sarasota contracted an outside expert, Dr. Robert Marbut, to address the homelessness crisis. Marbut is a nationally recognized homelessness expert and the engineer behind shelter projects like the Pinellas Safe Harbor in Clearwater, which has been credited with greatly reducing homeless jail populations through diversion programs. After Marbut delivered a keynote address at New College, the city and county commissions jointly chartered him for a ~$40,000 contract, anticipating a cost of $1 million total to realize his plans.

When it was publicized that Marbut planned for a “come-as-youare” shelter (open to those judged to be under the influence of drugs or

alcohol, who are banned from many shelters, including the Salvation Army), the project was killed amid concerns from city officials that it would attract homeless across the county to downtown Sarasota.

“The Salvation Army has tough restrictions,” Marbut explained.

“They take the ‘happy’ homeless, the easier people. If you want real relief in the streets, you take people as you are, not as you want them to be.”

In 2013, Marbut identified an unmet need of 1,000 shelter beds in Sarasota. The city of Sarasota’s current response to the need for immediate shelter beds, a part of the initiative led by police chief Kevin Stiff, who also leads the city’s homeless response service, is a contract with the SA for 25 beds per night. Stiff

also discourages direct giving to the homeless community, instead advocating for giving to charities like SA. “Don’t enable someone to remain homeless,” Stiff said. “If you want to end someone’s homelessness, give to a foundation that does that. Direct giving only sustains homelessness.”

A stroll past the downtown Salvation Army exemplifies that transporting all the homeless out of the heart of downtown isn’t enough to solve our housing crisis. But on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, at least when Food Not Bombs and SOP meet, they’ll be greeted with the full force of the Sarasota community’s capability for compassion. For them, the only rule is Come As You Are.

Information for this article was gathered from heraldtribune.com, wusfnews.wusf.edu, and yourobserver.com.

Keep track of the virus’s daily progression at https://www.who.int/emergencies/ diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/ Information for this article was gathered from www.nytimes.com, www.bbc.com/news, www.cdc.gov, www.who.int, www.wsj.com and www.dallasnews.com.

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Honoring Nan Freeman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Minute Maid owned or managed and under what names so that the union knew where all their farmlands were located,” Albright said. “This work contributed to the successful organizing of farmworkers in the citrus industry and a contract between Coca Cola Minute Maid and the UFW. This contract was life-altering for the farmworkers who benefited from improved working conditions and wages.”

Crossing the line In January 1972, students in the course learned about workers striking against the Talisman Sugar Corporation in Belle Glade, Fla. Most of the strikers were drivers from Little Havana—approximately 60 miles from the mill—who worked 12-hour shifts every day of the week, without breaks for meals or to use the bathroom.

“They weren’t even asking for higher wages or other improvements in their working conditions,” Albright said.

According to Albright and the UFW, workers who protested were immediately terminated and forced off the property. The estimated 200 fired drivers set up an around-theclock informational picket line on U.S. Hwy. 27, outside of the facility’s private property.

“An official of the United Farmworkers Union in Florida had been in the area on other business and had driven past the mill and noticed the drivers’ protest,” Albright said. “After investigating the situation, the UFW joined the strike in solidarity with them.”

Albright, Freeman, and three other students from New College joined the picket line in support of the strikers. They took turns standing at the entrance of the mill, flag-

Tax services

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 be able to get to know their stories and how I can help them,” Bartha said. “So far I’ve only [volunteered] once and I had a great experience.”

According to Pena, being a tax preparer for United Way Suncoast makes a difference for everyone.

“Volunteering as a tax preparer is a win-win,” Pena said. “When you participate in the VITA program, you help to bring millions of dollars back to the community in refunds and tax prep fees saved. [...] Not only are you helping the community, but you help yourself gain experience working with a diverse population of people, developing interpersonal communication, organizational, and problem-

Photo courtesy of United Farm Workers This family photo captures Nan's spirit in her family home before starting college.

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“To some, [Nan Freeman] is a young girl who lost her life in a tragic accident,” Cesar Chavez wrote in a statement after learning of her death. “To us she is a sister who picketed with farm workers in the middle of the night because of her love for justice. She is a young woman who fulfilled the commandments by loving her neighbors even to the point of sacrificing her own life. To us, Nan Freeman is Kadosha in the Hebrew tradition, a holy person to be honored and remembered for as long as farm workers struggle for justice.”

She is recognized by UFW as one of five martyrs who died during strikes.

“We know Nan would have been unhappy if we focused on her,” Grossman said to the crowd of students, professors and members of United Farm Workers, the National Farm Worker Ministry and Young American Dreamers at the memorial event. “She would have us focus on what the movement is doing today.”

Grossman proceeded to list off advancements in farm worker rights, including farm workers in California earning an average of $2.18 above the state minimum wage, the majority of California mushroom workers being unionized and 300 retired farm workers in Florida receiving monthly pension checks from UFW. “You, we, can honor Nan’s legacy by supporting the boycotts, the legislation, the community organizing of farm worker unions and organizations,” Sam Trickery, representing National Farm Worker Ministry, said. “Do that, being energized and motivated by her memory.”

ging down the trucks crossing the picket line to try to get them to stop and take informational leaflets.

Two deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department had been sitting in a car across from the entrance to the mill, approximately 100 feet from the gate. Picketers had complained to police about drivers speeding by the picket lines through stop signs at the plant gates to splash rain and mud on the workers.

At around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 25, 1972, 18-year-old Nan Freeman was hit by a double-trailer truck carrying 70,000 pounds of struck sugar cane.

“At this point my memory is not very clear, but basically a truck stopped at the entrance and accepted a flyer, and then another truck came up quickly behind the first one,” Albright said. “One of those trucks apparently turned too sharply onto the road to the mill and struck [Nan].”

Albright described the deputies approaching her to see what happened after a striker immediately ran to tell them what happened.

“One of the deputies said to me, ‘you kids had no business being

here,’” Albright said. “At a certain moment, while we were waiting for the ambulance to arrive, which seemed to take forever, [Nan] let out a deep breath and one of the deputies said ‘She’s gone home.’ I don’t remember them attempting any first aid.”

She was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead on arrival at 4:19 a.m. The death was ruled accidental and no charges were filed.

Author and New Yorker reporter Alec Wilkinson revisited the incident in his 1989 book, “Big Sugar,” in which Talisman and the Florida Highway Patrol suggested Freeman had been killed elsewhere and deposited at the front gate. Wilkinson dismissed the claim as “ghoulish and inexplicable.”

A martyr In March 2013, the Freeman family joined then-U.S. Secretary of Speaking on behalf of all of the event Labor Hilda Solis, UFW President organizers, Professor Hernandez would Arturo Rodriguez and Cesar Chavez like to thank thesis student Lindsay Foundation President Paul Chavez McElroy, the CEO staff, CEO Office for a ceremony at the department’s Manager Naomi Copeland, Digital ImWashington, D.C. headquarters. aging Technician Ana McGrath, AudioThere, Nan Freeman was inducted Visual Specialist Scott Swanson, Jono into the department’s prestigious Miller, Julie Morris, and everyone else Labor Hall of Honor. who helped make the event possible.

solving skills. These skills are readily transferable to any career you pursue.”

Originally, VITA was a program to be provided through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but because some people mistrust the IRS and government programs, the free tax preparation that the IRS offered was not being used by a large portion of communities.

“So what the IRS does is they look for a friendly partner, one that’s trusted by the community, and then they fund us to do their program,” Perez said.

Most of the clientele that come across the VITA program have unique and personal stories that show the need for the program. For instance, Debbie, a grandmother who is raising her granddaughter Sireinique

was invited to a year-end-event hosted by United Way Suncoast to share her story. Debbie has been raising Sireinique for 12 years due to the struggles she saw her daughter face as a young parent; however, with VITA, Debbie never has to worry about paying a $300 preparation fee, an amount other tax preparation services have asked for in the past.

Now, Debbie trusts the IRS-certified volunteers at VITA and has benefited from their services for the last six years.

“That money [from the tax refund] helps a parent pay for summer child care, a new college student pays for books for classes next semester and a young adult pays the security deposit for their own apartment,” Pena said.

In fact, over 60 percent of VI-

TA’s clientele are returning clients and according to Perez a lot of clients go to VITA to correct a return that was incorrectly done elsewhere.

“A lot of times [people] go to predatory lenders and their focus is on getting you the most schedules and forms on your behalf to get a better split,” Perez said. “So we want to make sure that it’s not the amount of tax refund you get it’s just to make sure that return is done accurately.”

United Way Suncoast is always welcoming volunteers into their programs and students interested in the VITA program. If you are interested in volunteering, contact them on their website or send an email to Perez (mperez@ uwsuncoast.org) or Pena (npena@ uwsuncoast.org) to learn more.

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PAGE 12

SUR LA BAY 2020 CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BY SERGIO SALINAS

On Saturday Feb. 1, College Hall welcomed a variety of artists to perform at Sur La Bay, a concert organized by the Black History Month Committee to celebrate Africana music, dance and culture. Students were treated to the electrifying violin of Undine Shorey, DJ Karim’s powerful speech on hip-hop and the powerful rhythmic drums of Totin Agosto Arara y la Liga Rumbera. With a warm sunset as the backdrop, Sur La Bay got students on their feet and moving in celebration of culture.

Local artist Undine Shorey started the event with an invigorating performance of original songs that demonstrated her talent as a songwriter, guitarist and violinist. Shorey played “Dreams,” “Going Back” and her own version of “Amazing Grace,” all from her Quality of Life EP. Students listened keenly, as Shorey blended R&B, jazz and soul seamlessly through the power of her electric violin.

DJ Karim took the stage afterwards to demonstrate his skills on the turntable, with a quick set before starting on his presentation. Karim, who also works as a teacher at Booker Middle and High School, introduced West African culture to the audience by comparing rappers with griots, West African historians, storytellers, poets and musicians. Karim argued that rappers act as storytellers and poets like griots, using music as a vehicle for Black cultural expression.

Totin Agosto Arara y la Liga Rumbera were invited by Professor of Caribbean and Latin American Studies Hugo Vierra-Vargas. Rumba originated in Cuba, but uses African styles and influences through a mixture of African drums and Latin American percussion that produces lively rhythmic music. Vierra joined the group on stage and played the güiro, a Latin American percussion instrument. It didn’t take long for students to take to the dance floor as cheers and applause combined with the music to create a pulsing ambi-

ence under the chandeliers of College Hall.

The group’s set was part of a larger effort to expand the discussion of Black expression outside of the U.S., as the African diaspora reaches all corners of the world.

“It’s the history of not only the music in general, but the people who made that music genre, so people of African descent; in particular in Cuba and Puerto Rico,” Vierra said.

“That music becomes a vehicle for a reaffirmation of an experience that has been marginalized not in the same way as the US, but also in a way marginalized in the Caribbean.

That had been used as a vehicle for reaffirmation of an African diasporic dimension of these places in the Caribbean.”

Black History Month serves as a time of remembrance and celebration of Black expression and identity.

Culture allows for a connection between people that transcends time and is constantly evolving to accommodate new voices coming to fruition, demanding visibility for those that are often left behind.

“Those that were before you, were,” Vierra said. “You are part of a tradition, you are part of a lineage, you are part of a people that were there before you and that’s important because it gives you a feeling of belonging to other human beings that are no longer here, but that were important for you to be here. Human beings that are no longer with us are fundamentally important in you being here today. It’s important to have an anchor, something you can hold.”

Sur La Bay once again brought an audience to College Hall’s music room, as students beamed with excitement, grabbing onto each other as colleagues and friends to celebrate the differences that make identity so unique. With many more Black History Month events planned students can look forward to a month long celebration of Black culture and expression, not in the U.S., but around the world.

Some attendees took to the Bayfront to let their custom paper airplanes fly.

All photos Sergio Salinas/Catalyst DJ Karim warms up the crowd with a stylistic DJ set.

La Liga Rumbera create rhythmic beats with the use of their Conga drums.

Thesis students Rosemary DeMarco and Cabrini Austin dance to the rhythm.

Undine Shorey plays her originally written song "Going Back".