Fall 2018 - Issue 6

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October 24, 2018 VOLUME XXXVII ISSUE VI

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33 candidates apply to be the new Executive Director of Outreach, Engagement and Inclusion

BY ALEXANDRA CONTE A search committee has begun to review the resumes of applicants who have applied for the new position of Executive Director of Outreach, Engagement and Inclusion. On Oct. 8 the initial meeting for the search committee convened at 8 a.m. in Cook Hall to discuss possible candidates. The committee consisted of second-year and President of the Black Student Union (BSU) Angelica Altman, Professor of Sociology Queen Zabriskie, Special Assistant to the President Suzanne Janney, Executive Director of the New College Foundation MaryAnne Young, Assistant Program Director for the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) Duane Khan and Coordinator of Human Resources Darcy Wilson.

“Several students of color graduated last year and they mentioned when speaking at graduation that they graduated in spite of the institution, not because of the institution,” President Donal O’Shea said. These speeches appear to have been a large factor in O’Shea’s emphasis on finding the correct candidate to

Alexandra Conte/Catalyst The search committee adjourns their first meeting after looking at possible candidates.

fill the position, as he wants to see change on an institutional level.

The search seeks to create a new position that operates on a larger scale than the former position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion. The Director of Diversity and Inclusion position was left open after Autumn Harrell left the role

to take on the position of Assessment and Evaluation Coordinator in the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment at New College.

“We have tried a number of diversity positions at the college,” O’Shea said.

“We have had some success in pieces.

This time I want to put in a cabinet level

position for diversity.”

O’Shea wants this position to have the ability to handle both academic and student affairs and other offices if necessary. O’Shea is not part of the search committee, but attended the start of the meeting to explain what he values in a candidate, as well as what responsibilities the position will have.

“Don’t cross people off because of what they ask for pay,” O’Shea said to the committee. “I’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it. It isn’t ‘sky’s the limit,’ but I’ll negotiate it [with the candidates]. Just get me someone good.”

O’Shea is taking the hiring for the position seriously. He expects candidates to be academics with a wide breadth of experience. He wants at least three candidates to be brought on campus for interviews. O’Shea is willing to make time in his schedule to travel and interview candidates if need be.

Even though the applicant pool is comprised of 33 individuals, O’Shea be-

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Paper contracts to be phased out by spring 2019

BY MICHALA HEAD

https://doc-0k-18-docs. googleusercontent.com/ docs/securesc/s7jurnmk912se8sp3mgg3hd8llrh0uos/obdpo7fpcdn719co01n4qb7

New College’s students have known the way of paper contracts for years. Meeting with advisers, during office hours or at the last minute, to discuss courses and goals for the semester and then scrambling to the Registrar’s Office with the resulting signed contract has always been a part of the first two weeks of classes, until now. Seven professors and their 93 advisees piloted an automated system for contracts this fall semester, and the registrar plans to use these eContracts for the entire student body by Spring 2019.

“Going into building the eContract system, what we chose to do is mimic as much as we could the actual paper form so that students and faculty would see very little difference between what’s on paper and what’s electronic now,” Registrar Brian Scholten said.

The Registrar’s Office began to work with New College’s Internet Technology (IT) department to set this system up over the summer to make the process

of registering for the upcoming semesters clearer and more direct. Scholten opted to have professors volunteer for a test run rather than rolling it out to everyone right away this fall.

“I pushed to make it a pilot, not because I didn’t feel this was going to be effective and easy to use, but because I have been doing this long enough to know that you can’t think of everything, and with technology it is really important to test,” Scholten said.

According to Scholten and four of the seven professors who volunteered to participate in the pilot program, the process ran smoothly.

“The good thing is that this system really puts students in the driver’s seat,” Professor of English and Gender Studies Miriam Wallace said in an email interview, of her experience with eContracts this semester. “Students ini-

“this system really puts students in the driver’s seat.”

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tiate everything and do the bulk of the work filling out their academic plan. In some ways, that fits with New College’s founding principle that students are fundamentally responsible for their own education in negotiation with faculty who guide them.”

Wallace added that the process worked best when students brought their laptops, tablets or phones to her office to discuss and then finalize the contract together.

The eContract does not require a face-to-face meeting with an academic advisor, in spite of the fact that developing an individualized course of study with an advisor is a staple of New College’s academic program. According to Scholten, the implementation of eContracts will not impact professor availability or the traditionally small student-to-faculty ratio.

Pilot volunteers Aron Edidin, professor of philosophy, Carl Shaw, professor

of Greek language and literature, Katherine Walstrom, professor of biochemistry and Wallace each said that they would still require in-person meetings for eContract approval in their email interviews.

Wallace and Shaw also mentioned that eContracts will eradicate last minute dashes to faculty meetings that inevitably occur every semester.

“The nice thing about electronic contracts is that there is actually more time,” Scholten said, explaining that professors could work to approve contracts over the weekend, rather than requiring paper contracts to be turned into the Registrar’s Office by Friday at 5 p.m. “In some ways, there is flexibility that can be built into it,” Scholten added. “We are not constrained by when the office closes.”

The Catalyst did not speak directly with students involved in the pilot. However, each of the professors interviewed

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Wednesday, October 24, 2018 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

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briefs by bailey tietsworth

SCF ends dual enrollment for high schoolers State College of Florida (SCF) will no longer offer dual enrollment courses on the campuses of Sarasota and Manatee County schools. Instead, on July 1, 2019 students who wish to enroll in a dual enrollment course will need to take the class online or on an SCF campus. These changes, approved by the SCF Board of Trustees, occurred amid concerns of academic quality in offsite dual enrollment courses. Aside from questions of merit, SCF wished to align the prestige of their dual enrollment program with

the recently adopted policies by the accreditation agency, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). Soon after these adjustments, the Sarasota County School Board approved a new charter school for SCF in Venice. The charter school will service 11th-grade students starting in the Fall of 2019, and will gradually open up in the following years to accommodate for 9th, 10th and 12th-grade students.

Red tide spreads to Florida’s east coast Florida continues to deal with the presence of red tide, as the algae blooms spread to the Atlantic coast.

Beaches in Indian River County as well as the City of Vero Beach were closed to the public starting Oct. 16 until further notice. On Oct. 4, Governor Rick Scott announced that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) offered $3 million in grants for St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties to alleviate the effects of the red tide. The Atlantic coast seldom experiences red tide, with only nine documented reports of the algae bloom on the east coast since 1957. The Florida Fish

and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported increased red tide in Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Brevard counties from Oct. 13 through Oct. 19. Governor Scott also reported that the DEP and FWC continue to monitor for red tide along Florida’s coasts, and are prepared to deploy resources to Florida’s Panhandle, as well as additional resources to the east and southwest coasts, as needed.

2018 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad The Norwegian Nobel Committee (NNC) recognized Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad and their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict, and awarded them the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 5 in Oslo, Norway.

“Each of them in their own way has helped to give greater visibility to wartime sexual violence, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions,” the committee stated.

Mukwege worked as a physician and has helped victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aside from assisting thousands

© 2018 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.

Information for this article was gathered from www.nobelprize.org.

Netflix announces new Avatar: the Last Airbender live-action series

Information for this article was gathered from www.myfwc.com and www.flgov. com.

Image courtesy of Joe Raedle

of patients, Mukwege has criticised the insufficient attempts of the Congolese government and other governments to deter the use of sexual violence against women as a factor of war. Murad has spoken out as a victim of sexual violence, despite social norms which mandate that women remain silent about their experiences. The NNC lauded the works of Murad and Mukwege and recognized the courage of putting their own personal security at risk to combat sexual violence in war.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Avatar: The Last Airbender will once again receive a live-action remake, this time in the form of a series produced

by Netflix along with showrunners Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The announcement came through a tweet from one of Netflix’s accounts, “See What’s Next,” and was confirmed by “NX,” another side account of the streaming service. Production will begin in late 2019, so fans have plenty of time to contemplate whether the series will exceed the subterranean expectations set by the 2010 live-action movie from M. Night Shyamlyan. DiMartino and Konietzko hoped to quell any concerns fans might have and commented on their

General Editor Managing Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Layout Editors Staff Writers & Photographers

Audrey Warne Michala Head Cassie Manz Bailey Tietsworth Charlie Leavengood & Cait Matthews Eileen Calub, Alexandra Conte, Izaya Garrett Miles, Calvin Stumpfhauser

involvement in the series.

“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender,” DiMartino and Konietzko said in a joint statement on Konietzko’s Instagram. “We can’t wait to realize Aang’s world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone’s great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action and world-building. Netflix is wholly dedicated to manifesting our vision for this retelling, and we’re incredibly grateful to be partnering with them.”

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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The FL midterms could be decided by the youth

BY IZAYA MILES Traditional political wisdom has labeled midterms as gerontocratic. The elderly, even during primary cycles, are far more likely than the average young adult to vote. During the past midterm elections, from 1998 to 2014, age group participation rates were relatively stable, according to the Current Population Report. The elderly group, people 65 and older, had around a 60 percent participation rate. Compared to the young group, people 18 to 29, which had rate of under 25 percent, the phenomena of catheter commercials and campaign ads playing side-by-side begins to make quite a lot of sense.

According to data from a Spring Harvard Institute of Politics (HIP) study, 64 percent of young voters are politically aligned to the left. This explains why the last time Democrats had a successful midterm cycle was in 2006, a year when youth turnout was notably higher than average.

But 2018 may be an outlier year. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) has already released estimates that show that young people are going out to vote above suspected numbers. In the

2017 Alabama Senate special election, 23 percent of young people voted, as opposed to the 11 percent that voted during the 2014 midterms. Even more dramatic, during last year’s Virginia gubernatorial election, young people voted at a whopping 38 percent, compared to 2014’s turnout rate of 14 percent.

A dd it ion a l ly, CIRCLE found that 34 percent of 18-to-24 year olds claim they are “extremely likely” to vote in the midterm elections, an amount that CIRCLE notes is “close to the levels of engagement seen in the 2016 presidential election.”

This is not to say that young people alone are galvanized for this upcoming election. Michael McDonald, a University of Florida (UF) professor who specializes in voter participation, predicts that as much as 50 percent of the eligible population will be lining up at the voting

booths this November. But young voters, while still predicted to turn out less than the other groups, are expected to outperform the trend the most significantly.

New College, of course, has not been immune to this wave of excitement. No Novo Collegian was spared the efforts of Democracy Matters, whose volunteers went out bearing clipboards and pens with the hopes of registering everyone they could. Many of the first-years were especially ill-prepared for the upcoming election, either being registered in their home county or not registered at all.

Some students have especially been invigorated. Taking a look at The Catalyst’s own Activist Newsletter, it is plain to see that students have been mobilized in a number of ways. On Oct. 8, many young people advocated for Gillum’s

campaign by reaching out to potential voters via an organized series of phone calls. On Oct. 15, a forum was held to challenge the perceived brutality from the Bradenton Police Department. Generation Action held a rally on Oct. 13 to raise support against 11-year incumbent Rep. Vern Buchanan. “[The election of] 2016 was really, really awful for me, and it’s been really bad since then,” Alexandra Barbat, thirdyear and president of NCF’s chapter of Generation Action, said. This feeling of frustration is not unique to her, and Barbat believes that many young people are voting to insure that something like the 2016 election does not happen again. Her recounting of the Anti-Vern Buchanan rally goes on to support that notion, painting a picture of students, union workers, LGBTQIA+ activists and healthcare proponents all coming together in opposition to someone they feel is part of the problem.

Barbat closed with a message that she wanted everyone to hear: “I think it’s important that people go out and stop pretending elections are something we can ignore or don’t have a voice in.”

The midterm elections for Florida will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Third Liberation Breakfast honors indigenous peoples

BY CHARLIE LEAVENGOOD On Oct. 20 Answer Suncoast and The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) hosted their third Liberation Breakfast in Newtown Estates Park, focused on honoring indigenous peoples and discussing the history and current struggles faced by indigenous populations. The history of Indigenous People’s Day, both national and internationally, was discussed. Sal Serbin, a member of the Sioux Tribe, and Larry Knudsen, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, gave speeches about issues relating to the relationship between Native American reservations and the U.S. government. Knudsen is a descendant of Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American person to earn a medical degree in 1889. She was an advocate of public health and social reform.

Indigenous People’s Day is held every second October of the year, the same day as the nationally-recognized Columbus Day. In recent years, Columbus Day has faced rising criticism from social activists and social justice groups for promoting the celebration of the United States’ history of colonization and genocide. Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937 in response to Roman Catholic American-Italians’ movement to incorporate Italian history into celebrated American history and combat social stigma around Italian ethnicity.

According to Office Holidays, Columbus Day is no longer observed by cities in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tex-

Image courtesy of Ruth Beltran Photo of the Third Liberation Breakfast.

as, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Certain cities in these states have started celebrating Indigenous People’s Day instead. The first city to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day was Berkley, California on Oct. 12, 1992.

There are four states that have adopted the holiday statewide: Alaska, Minnesota, Vermont and South Dakota. However, activists argue that one day of acknowledgement does not fix the devastation of five hundred years of colonization.

“If you want to go to a third world country, you don’t even have to leave [the United States], just go to a reservation,” Serbin said. “There are people freezing to death each year.”

Serbin explained that these deaths can often be attributed to the housing on reservations. Most people live in trailers that are occupied by more than one family. Native American reservations face issues of poverty and laws designed to keep them out of power.

Environmental destruction caused

by pipelines and fracking on reservations pollutes land and water sources. Plans to mine for uranium in South Dakota have been postponed for another year because of an inadequate cultural resource survey of the land in regards to the Lakota Sioux Native Americans. Another battle to prevent uranium mining is happening with the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe has resisted uranium mining in the past with The Wounded Knee Incident in 1973. Not only does the mining destroy the land, but there is also a history of burial mound destruction to make way for private property, highways and pipelines.

Pipelines require fossil fuels in the form of crude oil. When these pipes leak, they ruin water sources.

“In reservations for the Navajo Nation, the water quality is worse than Flint’s,” Serbin said.

Ruth Beltran, a member of Answer Suncoast and PSL, finished her presentation at the breakfast stating that coloni-

alism still occurs in ways that are not as obvious. Voting policies prohibit people who only have a P.O. Box from voting, which includes every Native American living on a reservation.

“There aren’t any houses or roads on the reservations so the only way to get mail is through P.O. boxes,” Serbin said.

Beltran also spoke about the “myth of the vanishing Indian” in which people are taught that Native American culture and tribes are dying out. However, Serbins claims that on most reservations, children are taught their native language first, and English is not taught until fifth grade.

“Our languages are not dying,” Serbin said. “We’re still out there.”

Larry Knudsen is the Host/Producer of “Indigenous in Music with Larry K” which is distributed by Native Voice One - The Native American Radio Network, Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and Pacifica Audio Port. His program hosts musical guests that are featured in “SAY Magazine” a international Indigenous magazine. He is also the President/CEO of Two Buffalo Construction Supplies and President at Sarasota Manatee Business Alliance. Sal Serbin is the Executive Director of the American Indian Movement of Florida (AIM) and hosts Indigenous Sounds on WSLR Mondays from 9-11 p.m.

Information for this article was gathered from www.history.com, www.npr.org, www.washingtonpost.com, rapidcityjournal.com,news.nationalgeographic.com and www.officeholidays.com.

Sheryl Oring’s ‘agitype: changing the world one letter at a time’ at RCAD changed since the election of Donald Trump, Oring responded that she has The act of questioning is a central found “that the people who are the most aspect of Sheryl Oring’s artistic process. critical sometimes don’t want to particiQuestions—and their answers—serve as pate, like they’re throwing up their arms the inspiration for a number of the work and saying, ‘He’s not listening anyway.’ featured in Oring’s current exhibition Then people that are supportive [of Donat Ringling College of Art and Design ald Trump] are also maybe a little bit (RCAD). Entitled “Agitype: Changing hesitant. It’s been more people who are the World One Letter at a Time,” the in the middle who’ve been more likely to show is the largest and most compre- participate.”

Oring also created an interactive hensive retrospective of Oring’s work ever organized. A celebration of the last performance piece specifically for this 20 years of Oring’s artistic production, show. Entitled After the Dinner Party, the the show features sculptures, prints, art work is a commemoration of feminist books, drawings, videos and photographs, artist Judy Chicago’s sculpture Dinner as well as two interactive performance art Party from the 1970s. The piece consists pieces—one of which was commissioned of three typists from the Sarasota community seated at triangular-shaped desk specifically for the show.

For RCAD’s Director of the Gal- as they record the public’s response to the leries and Curator of Exhibitions Mark question: “If you could be seated next to Ormond, who organized the show, the any woman at a dinner party, who would act of questioning is also a central aspect it be and why?” Those responses are then typed onto dinner invitations printed at of his curation process.

“As a curator, before I think about the Ringling Letterpress and Book Arts Center and placed anything else, I ask, onto the gallery wall ‘How is the viewer as part of the retrogoing to engage with spective. the subject matter?’”

These perforOrmond said. “If the mances took place material the artist on Friday, Oct. 12 makes doesn’t provide as part of the show’s any room for engageopening and will take ment with an audiplace again on Frience, then I’m not goday, Dec. 7 as part ing to schedule that of the show’s closing exhibition.” reception in the Lois Oring’s work fit and David Stulberg into Ormond’s vision Gallery. The I Wish to for an educational, Say performance will engaging exhibition take place from 11 through her works’ reliance on the process of questioning a.m. until 1 p.m. and the After the Dinner to share the opinions and words of the Party performance will occur from 4 until 6 p.m. These performances will be folpublic.

“The whole show really is about the lowed by a panel discussion on Saturday, authentic voice of citizens everywhere in Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Writer’s Block and Agitype the world,” Ormond said. “I think it’s esThe oldest piece in the show, Writer’s pecially interesting in the moment we’re in where there’s so much conversation and Block, consists of 18 independent sculpdiscourse about what’s true and what’s tures. Each sculpture is a single rusty reauthentic and malfeasance and digital bar cage filled with typewriters from the malfeasance and computer hacking and 1920s and 1930s. Oring places sheets of all this stuff we’ve been bombarded with.” watercolor paper under the cages, capIn addition to asking himself how turing the abstract compositions created the public will engage with the material, by the interaction between the rust from Ormond also asks the artists how they view their own work. continued on page 7 “Mark asked me to think of a word that might describe the work in the show and I came up with the idea of ‘Agitype’ which I thought described everything really well, combining the word ‘agitate’ and the concept of ‘agitprop’ and of course the word ‘type’ and its many meanings,” Oring said.

I Wish to Say and After the Dinner Party I Wish to Say, an interactive performance art piece Oring has been doing around the country since 2004, is perhaps her most well-known work. Oring sets up a booth with typists and asks the public: “What do you wish to say to the president of the United States?” The typists then take dictations from the participants and type a postcard to the president. They make a copy of the postcard for Oring’s archive and give the participant the original with the hope that they’ll mail it to the president.

When asked about the way audience interaction with I Wish to Say has

BY AUDREY WARNE

“If you are going to be a contemporary artist and you want your work to resonate, it needs to talk about the condition of being human in the moment.”

Oring set up to perform her I Wish to Say piece.

Writer’s Block set up in Berlin, Germany. all photos courtesy of Tim Jaeger

Oring walking around Pittsburgh after a performance of I Wish to Say.

Selby Gardens embraces ‘endless forms’ in annual orchid show of orchids, including an infinity loop, a ribbon of orchids that stretches around As October winds down, fall is fi- the entire room and “vanbrellas,” a term nally here, bringing with it pumpkin the design team coined for the umbrellas patches, trick-or-treating and, just may- hanging from the ceiling covered in Vanbe, temperatures below 75 degrees. In da orchids.

“We had a lot of fun with shapes Sarasota, there’s one sure sign of the new season: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ and forms,” McLaughlin said.

Planning for the conservatory exannual Orchid Show, which opened Oct. hibit took a year in total, and six to eight 12 and runs till Nov. 25.

This year’s show “Endless Forms” months on paper. Brainstorming for each is based on Charles Darwin’s famous year’s theme is collaborative, but the horfinal line in his 1859 On the Origin of ticulture department is responsible for Species: “There is grandeur in this view “running with it” once the theme is deof life, with its several powers, having cided, according to McLaughlin. To get been originally breathed into a few forms ready for the exhibit, the team stripped or into one, and that...from so simple a everything out from the greenhouse, save beginning endless forms most beautiful for a few potted plants, and closed the and most wonderful have been, and be- conservatory for two weeks to set up the show. ing, evolved.”

The exhibit focuses on four ways Selby manifests this idea of the ‘endless forms’ of orchids, science and of representing and preserving orchids: art throughout the entire exhibit. In the herbarium, spirit, bibliographic and living.

Tropical Conservatory, specimens from These forms are showcased throughout Selby’s living plant collection are assem- the exhibit’s two components: the conbled in a variety of artistic arrangements. servatory and the galleries in the Payne In the Payne Mansion Museum of Bot- Mansion. A herbarium is a collection of any and the Arts, Selby showcases three pressed plant specimens. Spirit specimens scientific forms of evidence to illustrate are specimens that have been preserved in some of the ‘endless forms’ orchids have spirits and retain their three-dimensional shape. Bibliographic refers to scientific been represented in.

According to Senior Vice Presi- prints of orchids in books. And living, of dent Mike McLaughlin, who oversees course, refers to an actual living plant.

In the Museum of Botany and Art’s horticulture, collections and facilities at Selby, there are several themes in the North Gallery, there are seven trifectas, greenhouse exhibit, including plant size, another term coined by the exhibit team. leaf forms, flower forms and stems. The Each trifecta is a collection of a botanical many different types of orchids in the print, a herbarium specimen and a spirit greenhouse showcase these themes, and specimen of the same orchid, to further the beautiful diversity that exists in this illustrate the idea of the ‘endless forms’ of plant family. In this component of the exhibit, the museum has created several continued on page 7 sculptural elements to display thousands

BY CASSIE MANZ

A portion of the 2018 Orchid Show, “Endless Forms,” at the Selby Gardens.

all photos courtesy of Matt Holler A terrarium in the South Gallery of the Museum of Botany & the Arts.

“Vandbrellas:” Vanda Orchids in the shape of umbrellas.

Serenity Garden at the 2018 Orchid Show.

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Photos Courtesty of The Party for Socialism and Liberation-Floirda

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Expression and empowerment found through dance classes

The Activist Newsletter Throughout this week (10/24–10/31), activists have the opportunity to participate in phone bankings for gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, early voting drives and town halls, to name just a few! Read on if you want to get involved in the community regarding the midterm elections, gun reform and conflict resolution!

BY CASSIE MANZ Thurs., Oct. 25, Active Listening Techniques in Conflict, @ 6 p.m.

New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota.

Join New College’s Health Education Coordinator Robyn Manning-Samuels and Title IX Coordinator Becca Sarver in the final event of Free Speech Week, a workshop about interacting in conflict situations.

Free Speech Week, organized by the SA[u]CE office, NCF Democrats, the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC), Students Demand Action and Generation Action, offered students an educational week of activities, workshops and conversations.

Sat., Oct. 27, Neighborhood Canvassing @ 9:30 a.m.

Bethlehem Baptist Church - 1680 18th St., Sarasota.

Join forces with Progressive Sarasota to canvas Precincts 115 and 103 and help promote their upcoming Souls to the Polls event. Meet at the Bethlehem Baptist Church to pick up materials and receive instructions, then hit the road! First-time canvassers will be paired with an experienced canvasser.

Visit https://www.volunteersignup. org/H84EW to sign up.

Sun., Oct. 28, Souls to the Polls @ 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Want to vote early? Need a ride to the polls? Progressive Sarasota is offering free trolley service to the North Sarasota Public Library from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. If you’re interested in volunteering at the early voting tables at the library, visit https://www. volunteersignup.org/W4WLQ to sign up. Afterwards, join the Suncoast Women of Action, the North Sarasota Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Progressive Sarasota, with support from the Sarasota chapters of Black Lives Matter and Indivisible Northeast, for a celebration at Newtown Estates Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be free food,

refreshments and entertainment!

Free rides will be available to the polls for early voting, starting Oct. 22 till Nov. 3. Call 941-364-7530 to schedule a ride. Rides must be scheduled before 1 p.m., one day in advance.

Mon., Oct. 29, Tidal Town Hall: Candidate Forum @ 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota - 3975 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota.

This forum will host candidates running for office at all levels of government, including Congress, Florida’s state legislature and local municipal positions and address their ideas for solutions to problems like sea level rise and other related topics.

Candidates will be asked questions regarding their plans for action to protect Floridians from the risks inherent in climate change and rising sea levels. Don’t miss this chance to hear directly from candidates before you head to the polls on Nov. 6. This event is free and open to the public!

The pre-event reception begins at 5:30 p.m., where voters can meet the candidates and enjoy refreshments.

Mon., Oct. 29, Confronting Gun Violence in America @ 6:30 p.m.

Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center - 525 Kumquat Ct., Sarasota.

Dr. Thomas Gabor, noted Florida and international gun safety expert and author, will speak on “Gun Violence: Trends and Solutions” and answer questions after his talk. His recent book Confronting Gun Violence in America, which examines the link between gun ownership and homicide, suicide and unintentional death, will also be available for sale. There will be a food truck and refreshments available for purchase. This event is sponsored

by Bookstore1Sarasota, the Social Justice Committee at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota and WSLR Radio and is joined by the Sarasota Chapter of the Brady Coalition. Email rsvp@lwvsrq.org to reserve seats!

image courtesy of Chip Litherland Students dance around the bell tower outside the Jane Bancroft Cook Library.

BY CAIT MATTHEWS Engaging in dance academically can be thought of as an elite or intimidating experience. However, the options at New College—which have multiplied over the years—allow for approaches to movement that are far different from the stereotype of intense competition.

Whether you’re looking for a fun stress reliever, an Independent Study Project (ISP) that explores movement or an interdisciplinary Area of Concentration (AOC) that incorporates performance studies, there are resources available.

Leymis Wilmott, dance instructor and artist-in-residence at New College, became affiliated after Professor of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Programs April Flakne reached out to her around 13 or 14 years ago with the intent of integrating dance on campus. Before that, Dance Collective was the only official dance activity on campus, known then as Dance Tutorial. Student interest continued to grow, so Wilmott was hired as an adjunct and then eventually an instructor.

“We started bringing in a lot of different genres of dance, from Middle

Eastern to West African to physically integrated dance to contemporary,” shared Wilmott. “Then I started my company (Sarasota Contemporary Dance), which is a non-profit, and we started to be in residency here at NCF, which provided more classes on campus with company members and opportunities to watch rehearsals of a professional dance company.”

There are three dance classes available through the Humanities Division this fall: Dances in Many Spaces, Urban Dance Technique and Beginning/Intermediate Ballet.

“I think learning about movement is so important!” third-year Sofia Jimenez said in an email interview. “We live in our bodies every day but forget that we can create meaning with our four limbs and pelvis! Dance is everywhere. Tapping into that energy can be invigorating and empowering.”

Jimenez, who has a dance-oriented AOC, stated that she is able to do so through the support of Professor of

continued on page 7

image courtesy of Chip Litherland Students dancing outside the Jane Bancroft Cook Library.

CATALYST Executive Director CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 lieves it is better to have a failed search than to pick someone from the pool who is not right for the position.

The committee will reconvene at a later date to narrow down the applicants.

They plan to review their top 10 or fewer candidates in the next meeting. They expect to go over their top candidates for the job, and hope to see their individual candidate choices overlap. They will discuss their choices and vote on which applicants will be interviewed.

Candidates who make the cut will be interviewed through Skype. During this time the committee will ask the applicant questions to evaluate their potential for this position.

Sheryl Oring CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 the sculptures and the different environmental factors at play in each location the work occupies.

“These sculptures were first shown on Babelplaatz, which was the site of a Nazi book burning in Berlin,” Oring said. “In a way, they were the genesis of everything I’ve worked on since the time I created them in 1999.”

For Ormond, Writer’s Block is a work viewers can deconstruct for themselves through the process of questioning.

“If you come upon a wire cage in which there are dozens of typewriters – the typewriters are not accessible,” Ormond explained. “They’re no longer tools that can be used to communicate so just the very concept of the work, even upon first glance, is about how someone has silenced these typewriters, that they can’t be used to communicate.”

According to Ormond, the viewer is faced with a number of questions when interacting with Writer’s Block. “Because it’s outside the gallery and all the cars that go by or anyone that walks by can see it, that piece really engages with the public at large,” Ormond said. “The question for the viewer is: ‘How old are these typewriters?’ And some of them are in

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eContracts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 reported positive feedback from their advisees.

“For first-year students, there is of course no standard for comparison,” Edidin said. “Students who’ve done paper contracts found the eContracts to be more convenient. I’ve heard no complaints or nostalgia for the paper ones; responses have all been positive.”

According to the responses of the participating professors, the composition of their advisees contained a wide range of contract numbers.

“There was some reluctance at first,” Shaw said when asked about the reactions of his advisees, “but even the grumpy, dubious students like Anna Lynn Winfrey commented positively about eContracts by the end.” foreign languages, so then you arrive at: ‘How did they get here?’ ‘Where did they come from?’ ‘Who used them?’”

The most recent work in the show is Agitype, a series of drawings that Oring is working on in response to the #MeToo movement and the Kavanaugh hearings.

“There’s a quote from Dianne Feinstein that said: ‘The republican strategy is no longer attack the victim, it is also to ignore the victim,’” Oring said, describing one of the quotes she references in the series. “I took the words ‘ignore the victim’ and made them really large on a sheet of paper as a drawing – it looks a little like a newspaper headline.”

For Ormond, Oring’s work can be read as part of the larger trend of contemporary art and artists engaging with the issues of their time. “If you are going to be a contemporary artist and you want your work to resonate, it needs to talk about the condition of being human in the moment,” Ormond said. “To me, this subject matter and this material that’s been created from 1999 to the present is about engaging in a discourse.”

Orchids CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Agitype: Changing the World One Letter at a Time will be on display at RCAD’s Lois and David Stulberg Gallery until Friday, Dec. 7. Admission to RCAD shows are always free. For more information about the show, visit https://www.ringling.edu/ galleries.

orchids. But finding three different specimens of the same orchid was no easy feat.

To create these trifectas, the team pulled from 150,000 herbarium specimens, 2,500 botanical prints that date to more than 100 years old and 25,000 spirit specimens. The trifectas also present a playful twist on the traditional fields of art and science, with botanical prints, originally used for scientific study and research, functioning as forms of art.

The South Gallery—the more “experimental” gallery, according to the exhibit team—houses a 3D model of a Dendrobium orchid, the result of a partnership with the Institute for Digital

thing to be afraid of,” Wilmott expressed.

“That dance is something that will empower them, and be a tool for them to CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 get through school, in the sense of wellness. Also, in knowing how to express.

Sociology Queen Zabriskie, Flakne and We’re having to write all these papers, Wilmott. but can we communicate with our bodies “They’re the holy trinity basically,” and share? There are strong connections Jimenez said. “Each of them specializ- that happen within these classes, because es in some form of dance. I decided to we’re encouraging you to be vulnerable pursue dance (as an AOC) after my first and also challenging you in a mindISP. I forgot how much I loved the per- body-spirit way.” formance process and was uninspired in Fourth-year Eugenia Titterington my natural sciences classes.” is a current Teaching Assistant (TA) Wilmott is a strong advocate for for dance and has an AOC in Literadance’s ability to strengthen commu- ture with a slash in Performance Studnities and individual wellness. She en- ies. Since the resources have increased in courages students to try out at least one recent years, she now oversees TA work course before graduating. only for Wilmott’s classes.

“I wanted students here at New “When I initially came to New College to know that dance isn’t some- College I thought I would pack away my

dancing and take the one dance class that was offered, more as exercise than anything,” Titterington stated. “Then while watching Leymis’ company rehearse, I had this breakthrough moment of looking at these dancers with all different body shapes coming from all different genres of dance working together in a professional company and I thought, ‘Oh! I can do this. At least in some capacity I can still pursue this aspect of dance.’”

“My courses sometimes shift because I’m really interested in the creative process, and in developing movers and thinkers,” Wilmott explained. “I feel that’s where my strength is, to really nurture that in individuals. Then through my company I bring in other teachers that can teach technique and more of the fundamentals of dance.”

According to Titterington, students

Dance

CONTINUED

Exploration at University of South Florida-Tampa (USF).

“Having all the tools of botanical study dating back hundreds of years up to the modern day, [takes the exhibit to the] next level compared to last year’s show,” Vice President of Botany Bruce Holst said.

“Endless Forms” hopes to drive home the point that all these forms— living, pressed, prints and spirits—have different uses, scientific and artistic, and serve as valuable forms of scientific evidence.

The Orchid Show: Endless Forms will be on display daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Oct. 12 - Nov. 25 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota.

Tickets are free for members and $20 for adults. who feel inexperienced with dance or are intimidated by the notion of a dance class should know that it is a low-risk environment.

“What I love about dance on the New College campus is that almost nobody comes here thinking, ‘I am going to be a professional dancer,’ and therefore it really opens up a place for you to bring in whatever experiences you have into that movement space,” Titterington said.

Wilmott’s desire is for students to leave class feeling empowered, validated and connected to their bodies.

“Everyone has a voice and everyone’s body is made differently and we recognize, acknowledge and encourage that,” Wilmott asserted. “I’m fascinated by how everybody’s body moves differently. That’s intriguing and powerful to me.”

CATALYST

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Sarasota celebrates LgbtqA+ pride

BY EILEEN CALUB On a sunny Saturday afternoon, crowds of rainbow-clad Sarasotans gathered in J.D. Hamel Park to celebrate Pride Fest 2018.

A number of free activities were available to festival-goers. Flag-toting high school students and senior citizens alike lounged in lawn chairs and sat in the grass to enjoy musical entertainment. Live performances featured artists such as pop/rock band The Cheaters and acoustic singer-songwriter duo The Honey Vines.

Several food trucks and a tiki bar provided snacks and refreshments. Volunteers busily refilled drinks at the Bud Light truck. Hungry attendees lined up for a bite to eat from Filipino food truck Funky Fusion. Stage Sponsor Tropicana distributed free samples of orange juice to thirsty visitors.

Undeterred by the heat, several groups dutifully waited at tents and stands around the park, offering free goodies, like stickers and flags, or selling t-shirts and accessories. Vendors spanned from musical organizations like the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the Sarasota Orchestra to firms and banks, including Blackburn Law Firm PLLC and Wells Fargo. Representatives from other Southwest Florida Pride organizations, such as St. Petersburg Pride, Venice Pride and Tampa Pride, also advertised future Pride events. As expected with the upcoming midterm election, several political groups were present. Members of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Equality Florida and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) eagerly spoke with festival-goers and urged them to vote and volunteer.

In front of the Floridians for a Fair Shake tent, a “mysterious captain” asked passersby whether they were aware that Rep. Vern Buchanan purchased a yacht for himself on the same day that he voted for a $2.1 million tax break. New College alumna Mollie Saumier (‘14), an organizer at Floridians for a Fair Shake, advocated for Floridians to vote against Buchanan in the upcoming election.

“He has voted against protections for people with preexisting conditions for healthcare and he has voted against every piece of pro-LGBT legislation that came into the 114th Congress,” Saumier said.

Non-profits also informed attendees of various resources for their sexual health. CAN Community Health, an organization “serving the needs of the HIV/AIDS community in Sarasota,” offered free HIV Testing. NCF Alumna and Planned Parenthood organizer Annie Rosenblum (‘14) emphasized the importance of boosting awareness of the services provided by Planned Parenthood at Pride.

“We think it’s really important that the LGBTQ community knows that they have the same access to care that anyone else should have and that our services are LGBTQ-inclusive and LGBTQ-friendly,” Rosenblum said.

The Planned Parenthood table offered free bracelets, stickers, pens, condoms and informative pamphlets. Visitors could also spin a Trivia Wheel.

“It’s been a fun day so far. There’s a really great range of people, lots of di-

versity,” Rosenblum commented. “Overall it’s nice to see an event in this town just for the LGBTQ community, a place where people can feel free to be themselves and get access to great resources.”

Representatives of several local religious groups, including the Unitarian Universalist Church, Church of the Trinity, First Congregational Church of Christ and the Buddhist Kadampa Meditation Center were also present.

“We believe that Jesus stretches out his arms of love to everyone and we want to be here to express that love to everybody in Sarasota from St. Boniface Church,” Reverend Wayne Farrell, rector of the parish, said. “The Episcopal Church respects the dignity of every human being and we want everyone to know that they’re loved and respected.”

Pride Fest has been celebrated in Sarasota for nearly three decades. This year, the 29th annual Pride Fest was organized by Cindy Barnes, chairman of Sarasota Pride, Inc., a non-profit organization. Sarasota Pride Inc. aims to promote “visibility and self-esteem among gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons.” Sarasota Pride, Inc. also hopes to promote a positive image of the LGBTQIA+ community in Sarasota and throughout Florida.

As the sun set over the Sarasota Bay, vendors began wrapping up another successful Pride Fest. Hundreds of LGBTQIA+ community members and allies enjoyed a fun-filled day of Pride.

Rainbow flags at J.D. Hamel Park.

Sarasota Pride, Inc. selling official Pride Fest merchandise.

NCF Alumna Annie Rosenblum at the Planned Parenthood booth.

all photos by Eileen Calub

The crowd at the 2018 Sarasota Pride Fest.