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March 6, 2019 VOLUME XXXVIII ISSUE 4
BY NOAH BASLAW When third-year Dylan Purvis was hanging out with their friend in Hamilton “Ham” Center in August 2016, they nor their peer would have guessed that lighting a piece of paper on fire inside would lead to Purvis’s arrest—right behind the same student center—almost three years later. In fact, Purvis and their friend wouldn’t find out that their irresponsible behavior earned them criminal charges outside New College jurisdiction until Purvis was arrested on campus at Scene Wall on Feb. 17, 2019 on a warrant that had been outstanding for two years. Purvis dropped their wallet at the Wall, and when it was returned to them by the New College Police Department (NCPD), instead of rejoining their peers, they were escorted to the back seat of a squad car and taken to jail. It was not until a recent Catalyst interview when Purvis found out more about their criminal charges. Between the time of the August 2016 incident and the
February 2019 arrest, their charges were reduced from felony Arson to Disorderly Conduct in February of 2017, according to Chief of NCPD Michael Kessie in an email interview. “The ashes from the paper were left scattered on some of the keys of the old pianos, and some NCPD officers found them the next morning,” Purvis said. When the NCPD checked the security footage inside the building, they identified the two students. “They first called me in and said that I could possibly have felony Arson charges, even though there was no property damage, because it was a state building,” Purvis recalled. All State University System (SUS) campuses must report fire incidents, according to Kessie. In 2016 the Marshal Investigator advised the NCPD and New College staff that the students could be charged with Arson. “The NCPD said that if I didn’t want to be bumped up to the state’s jurisdiction, I would have to cooperate with them,” Purvis said. “And I did. I answered
all their questions to the best of my knowledge. I thought it stayed within the school’s jurisdiction, but I guess at some point it got bumped up. I never got the memo. No one ever told me that I had a charge against me or the later warrant.” It was a surprise to Purvis that something with a seemingly definitive consequence, that happened so long ago, came back with such a vengeance. “It seemed so inconsequential at the time,” Purvis said. They now have a new court date for Mar. 11, 2019, which was made known to Purvis during their recent night in jail on Feb. 17. The NCPD did know by February 2017 that the State Attorney’s office was going to reduce the charge, and Kessie assumed Purvis only had a notice to appear in court. “I didn’t know it was a warrant,” Kessie said. “Purvis was probably on cam-
https://doc-0k-18-docs. googleusercontent.com/ docs/securesc/s7jurnmk912se8sp3mgg3hd8llrh0uos/obdpo7fpcdn719co01n4qb7
This January, the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) announced the Four Winds Café would be closing for the spring semester, due to a constricted NCSA budget that was no longer capable of paying the café’s debt. Almost two months later, a once unimaginable solution may be in sight. At the Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting on Feb. 26, at least two trustees offered to invest in the Four Winds, in the hopes of reopening the café in the fall. To bring the Four Winds issue to the attention of the Board, New College Student Alliance (NCSA) Co-president Selena Goods, Chief of Staff Eleni Spanolios and Vice President for Relations and Financial Affairs (VPRFA) Eva Ernst wrote and submitted the agenda item to the meeting. Although the NCSA Cabinet had included the board members on the emails dealing with the Four Winds’ closing, Goods wanted to make sure the Board was aware of the entire situation.
New College hosts workshop with Florida Immigrant Coalition BY EILEEN CALUB
portant enough, the Board of Trustees is able to mobilize certain people in administration,” Goods said. “Maybe like open up a separate account in the Foundation
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Cassie Manz/Catalyst
Trustees George Skestos and John Lilly offered $10,000 each at the BOT meeting on Feb. 26 to reopen the Four Winds.
Goods explained that the item was an informational item, not an action item (which would require the Board to vote on the proposal). According to Goods, submitting the agenda item was “mostly informational but partly strategic.” “If they felt that this issue was im-
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One in five Florida residents is an immigrant, according to the American Immigration Council. Yet, with the highest increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in 2017, governmental policies have strengthened the crackdown on Floridians without legal documentation. The consequences of deportation or detention include familial separation, emotional trauma, financial hardship and even death, either in ICE custody or due to violence in their home country. Non-profit advocacy groups like the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) fight for migrants’ rights and address the unique challenges of being an immigrant in Florida. FLIC conducts civic engagement, citizenship assistance and lobbying at the state level to support migrant rights. On Thursday, Feb. 28, as part of the “University without Walls” series, FLIC held a workshop on the Root Causes of Migration in the Academic Center (ACE) Lounge. Lead Organizer and Membership Director Isabel Sousa-Rodriguez and Tampa Bay Regional Organizer Pamela Gonzalez facilitated the workshop. Both have personal connections to the FLIC cause: Sousa-Rodriguez fled Colombia in 1996 due to political violence and Gonzalez emigrated from the Dominican Republic seeking greater opportunities. Having experienced the struggles which come with being an immigrant in Florida, the two FLIC representatives hope to secure the rights and fair treatment of
Trustees offer $10,000 at BOT meeting to reopen Four Winds BY CASSIE MANZ
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briefs by katrina carlin
PCP boycott protests NCPD
Thesis student Cesar Chavez sits on the Palmer B dorm porch in his “Proyecto Bioarqueologicó Andahuaylas” vest, conversing in his booming voice, punctuated by giggling fits—at least until he talks about what he did last Friday, Feb. 22. Chavez is a friendly, open conversationalist and speaks eloquently when asked about his decision to boycott Palm Court Party (PCP). The B dorm porch is where Chavez organized his “PCP boycott” protesting the New College Police Department (NCPD). In an email sent out to the Forum and Student’s List, Chavez included safety tips and advice for how to engage with the police. “I would like to make it clear that this boycott is NOT an attack on the PCP organizers who are doing everything they can to make sure everyone is safe,” Chavez wrote in his initial email. “It is my way of protesting the way the NCPD, who through their discriminatory actions have made public events and spaces unsafe for [people of color].” “Since my first year at New College, I’ve had very negative experiences with the NCPD,” Chavez said. “Many of them stem from racial profiling. As a result, it has made me feel unwanted by the community.” When asked about how he identified these incidents as racial profiling, Chavez told a story about how a police officer stopped him, and told Chavez that he didn’t know if Chavez belonged on campus or not. Chavez showed him his dorm key, but didn’t have his student ID. The police officer would not let Chavez go back into his Z dorm room to obtain his ID to show that he was a student. Chavez explained that upon further pressure about why the officer was stopping him, the officer stated that Chavez “didn’t look like he belonged on campus.” Campus Police Captain Kathleen Vacca was reached for comment on this issue.
“The student wrote a letter stating what he intended to do with the protest, it is true that he made a complaint at the previous PCP,” Vacca said. “It was taken seriously and investigated, seven pages of investigation I believe, we contacted several witnesses, they found that the discriminatory action [complaint] was unfounded. The investigation, now that it’s closed, is available online. His concern was that he was stopped without justification on the basis of color, and the officer explained to him that he just wanted to see his identification to determine that he was not the person the police were looking for.” Vacca also emphasized her awareness of racialized interactions between police officers and people of color, and her commitment to taking action of a situation was brought to her awareness.
“There have been some instances where people, students and faculty members, have experienced [discriminatory actions toward people of color] with police in a variety of places, other countries and some even around here, in this county,” Vacca said. “But during my tenure, a little over a year and a half, [Cesar’s complaint] is the only written complaint we have and after review we found that it was unfounded. If anyone has an issue I encourage them to notify me or any member of our police department.” Despite attempts to create a more inclusive campus, with moves like hiring Dean of Outreach, Engagement and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Bill Woodson, the PCP Boycott highlights the ways in which students of color continue to feel unsafe on campus. Katrina Carlin/Catalyst
A safe, inclusive environment: that’s the goal of T[rans] Party—an on-campus organization that is returning for the spring semester. According to an email TParty Co-president and thesis student Emily Via sent to the Student’s List, “TParty is a peer-led support group on campus for trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, gender non-conforming and questioning students to have a safe(r) space to talk about our experiences, the issues we face on campus and how transphobia affects us in our daily lives.” Via talked about the importance of TParty at New College. “It’s important because there aren’t many other trans-specific spaces around New College,” Via explained in a Facebook message. “It’s so important for us to be able to organize and talk to each other about transphobia.”
NCPD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chavez, who lives off campus, sits at B dorm with two residents.
Messages in a bottle at PCP Last Friday night, on Feb. 22, white canvas flapped in the winds over the S.S. O’Shea as music floated through the air. Thesis students Becca Caccavo and Myles Rodriguez and second-year Salua Rivera threw this February’s Palm Court Party (PCP) with the theme “SOS: Save our School.” As part of the decorations for this shipwreck-themed party, the sponsors solicited ‘messages in a bottle’ from New College alumnae/i. Over 30 stories were submitted, telling tales from the ‘60s to today. Subjects covered included various events, such as PCPs of past, and other stories that may be unfamiliar to
TParty returns to campus
some. One short undated message read: “One time, the party went until daybreak. At that point the cops shut us down, but there were too many people still awake for us to go to bed. We headed for the pool. Someone had thrown mardi gras necklaces in there. We stripped off our clothes and dove for the beads. Everyone was naked, bedazzled and alive. Also one of the cops was ogling us. So New College.” Caccavo solicited these stories on the NC(F) Daimon Facebook page. “For PCP, I wanted to reach out to
alumni and get some of their stories, because institutional memory, histories and tradition are integral in fostering a sense of strong community,” Caccavo explained in a Facebook message. “We can never go back to what New College once was, nor should we—but we can definitely create what we want to see our school look like, inspired by the limitless ecstatic wonder of audacious New College students of the past.” To see the full alumnae/i stories, look at Becca Caccavo’s ‘Post-PCP Statement’ email to the Forum.
© 2019 the Catalyst. All rights reserved. “My heart is a furnace full of love that is just and earnest.” 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.
Editor in Chief Audrey Warne Managing Editor Jacob Wentz Copy Editor Cassie Manz Assistant Copy Editor Eileen Calub Online Editor Bailey Tietsworth Advertising Manager Michala Head Social Media Editor Katrina Carlin Staff Writers Noah Baslaw, Haley Bryan, Emiliano Espinosa & Izaya Garrett Miles Harrison Angsten & Layout + Design Team Cait Matthews
pus a couple of times between the warrant issuance and their arrest, we didn’t even know the warrant existed.” The confusion centers around the question of whose responsibility it is to let students know when their criminal charges get bumped outside New College. As both Kessie and Dean of Student Affairs Robin Williamson told the Catalyst in separate email interviews, New College administrators can help students who have gotten into first time or low level legal trouble while on or off campus, by informing them about their charges. However, both the NCPD and Student Affairs explicitly said that students must ask them for help—students should wait for someone to inform them at their own risk. “I have more access to the Sarasota/Manatee clerk’s office than the general public and am able to tell if a warrant exists or not,” Kessie said. In Purvis’s case, if they would have come in and talked to the NCPD, the department could have cleared some things up, but still would have had to take the student to jail once the warrant was filed, according to Kessie. Only in cases when helping the student would interfere with other law enforcement offices’ investigations, or if the charge was too serious, would the NCPD or Student Affairs not be able to provide this service. 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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news PAGE 3
This semester brings changes for New College Admissions department BY MICHALA HEAD As anyone who has seen the Financial Aid trailer in the lot adjacent to the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport knows, the Admissions department has taken over Robertson Hall. This is not the only thing new with Admissions. The Catalyst reported in Sept. 2019 that the incoming cohort of 2018 had the smallest class size in eight years. The Admissions department is tasked with increasing that number for future cohorts. “We decided to move because College Hall, while a beautiful building, was not solely ours,” Joy Hamm, the dean of enrollment management, said. Information sessions would be interrupted by or cancelled due to events in the Music Room. There was also not a central space to accommodate everyone who works in Admissions. Robertson Hall also provides a central location for the Admissions team. But, as Hamm pointed out, College Hall is more aesthetically pleasing. The pink building, with an extravagant interior suitable for an early 20th century circus magnate, sits right on the Bayfront. Previously, prospective students were welcomed in the presence of looming archways and fine art along a beautiful, winding marble staircase. People do not easily forget College Hall. First-year transfer student Jacob Spence first toured New College in 2003. “Honestly the only thing I remember from my tour 15 years ago was Col-
lege Hall, that and a bunch of barefoot hippies (hell yeah),” Spence said in an email interview. Student Ambassador (STAR) and second-year Arantxa Prince thinks a certain “wow” factor was lost with the move. “I really liked College Hall as the center opening place for the new students,” Prince said. “It was just really beautiful to go into, as your first step.” Instead, College Hall is now the first stop on tours. According to STAR and thesis student Eleni Spanolios, the convenience is not worth the open environment that was lost. “Although it is nice that we have the whole Admissions family under one roof, Robertson Hall just isn’t as pretty,” Spanolios said in an email interview. “It feels a lot colder and cramped in the new space. The location of the new information session is staged like a lecture hall, and I think it is awkward, especially when we only have one family visiting. I would love for them to at least put a round table in the information session room.” Information sessions were previously held in College Hall’s dining room. While College Hall made awe-inspiring first impressions, it is not New College’s only draw. “One thing I like to prioritize [on tours] is the academic setting,” Prince said, emphasizing the importance of smaller classroom settings and opportu-
photo courtesy of Michala Head
College Hall originally belonged to Charles Ringling. nities to do hands-on research. According to Admissions Marketing Coordinator Marina Mangie, changes are being implemented on social media to attract new students. “We’re trying to expand into video content, especially Instagram is our big focus,” Mangie said. “We’re trying to do more Instagram stories, trying to open it up with Q&A sessions with territory managers and our student workers [and] trying to do video clips and hopefully tours on campus.” Admissions is currently working with a videographer to create a virtual tour of campus on their website. Hamm said the video will be released this fall.
The Admissions team is not the only one capable of drawing people to New College. “Satisfied students and alumni are our best marketing tool,” Hamm said. Students going home for breaks can talk to former guidance counselors or friends still in high school about their experiences. “Another way to help spread awareness is to just rep New College when you go out and do something cool, post photos at the school with #newcollegeofflorida or just something that marks it,” Spanolios said. “We have a really small social media presence and increasing that will help us with visibility.”
Democratic primary has thirteen confirmed candidates for presidency
BY IZAYA GARRETT MILES
For many Democrats, the Trump presidency has been less than satisfactory. The 2018 midterms clearly demonstrated a strong desire among Democrats to take back control of their government. This passion is reflected in the desire among many prominent—and many obscure— Democrats to replace President Trump. Currently, there are 13 candidates vying for the party’s nomination. While every candidate has the potential to win the candidacy, a few are already defining themselves as favorites. Kamala Harris Sen. Harris is one of the most popular candidates in the race, almost always coming third in the polls after Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, who is rumored to be considering a presidential bid. On her website, Harris declares herself a civil rights leader and advocate for the vulnerable. She proudly displays a record of support for tuition free college, a $15 minimum wage, protection of immigrants and refugees, Medicare for All and tax cuts for the middle class. She also touts her career as a prosecutor, highlighting her work against transnational gangs, corporations, for-profit colleges and challengers to the Affordable Care Act. Bernie Sanders
Sanders made shockwaves in the 2016 Democratic primary when he, an Independent democratic socialist, seemingly came out of nowhere to give Hillary Clinton a close contest for the nomination. While he lost that contest, his star became a permanent fixture of the Democratic Party. The most popular senator in America, Sanders’s decades-spanning consistency has garnered him a diehard following. “I support Bernie Sanders,” thesis student Leo Law said. “He supports Medicare for All, a single payer system, free college for all and will take on the corruption of the Washington system.” Sanders’s fans often cite him as more genuine than the average establishment politician. “[Sanders] is the candidate who I believe is the most genuine as well as the one who is presenting the best policies to the American people,” first-year Carlos Gonzalez said. “I never have a doubt that as a candidate and president he would back down on anything.” Elizabeth Warren Sen. Warren is seeking to differentiate herself from other progressive contenders by presenting herself as the wonk in the race. While many in her party are eager to display their bold ideas, few are going into the weeds like she is on the specifics. Warren was a Harvard Law
School professor before going into politics and it shows; she’s attempting to fuse the rally with the lecture. Cory Booker Sen. Booker was one of the first politicians to make good use of social media. As mayor of Newark, he used social media to connect with residents of his city, shoveling their snow-covered driveways on request and inviting them into his home during 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. He also has a great talent for making interesting headlines, whether declaring himself “Spartacus” for his actions during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings or chasing down bank robbers Kirsten Gillibrand Sen. Gillibrand is running first and foremost as a feminist. She’s proud of her denunciations of fellow Democrats like former New York Sen. Al Franken and former President Bill Clinton, who had been important allies for her in the past. As for her policy stances, she prioritizes affordable child care, equal pay and greater protections for plaintiffs in sexual assault cases.
Information for this article was gathered from cnn.com, kamalaharris.com, morningconsult.com, nytimes.com, realclearpolitics. com, rollingstone.com, thehill.com, vox.com and washingtonexaminer.com.
As of now, the following people have officially announced their candidacy.
Cory Booker: New Jersey senator and former Newark mayor Pete Buttigieg: South Bend mayor Julian Castro: former housing secretary in the Obama administration and former San Antonio mayor John Delaney: former Maryland congressman Tulsi Gabbard: Hawaii congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand: New York senator and former congresswoman Kamala Harris: California senator, former California attorney general and former San Francisco district attorney Amy Klobuchar: Minnesota senator and former Hennepin county district attorney Bernie Sanders: Vermont senator and former congressman Elizabeth Warren: senator from Massachusetts Marianne Williamson: motivational author and lecturer Andrew Yang: former executive and founder of non-profit Venture for America
the cream of the crop under the big top
Bauer’s parents came to Sarasota in 1954 with the Ringling Bros. Circus as After a minute of darkness, an array headlining acts. They specialized in highof blue and purple lights suddenly illu- wire and sway pole acts. When Bauer minate an intimidating white pendulum. was a student at Sarasota Junior High, he The intimate size of the arena makes the took circus education as an elective. However, Bauer is one of the only pendulum look particularly daunting. Out of the red velvet curtain steps Jo- performers who lives in Sarasota. This seph Bauer Jr., the ringmaster who had, year, the artists hail from Canada, Italy, up until this point, announced the entire Sweden, Portugal, Russia, Colombia and show with the larger-than-life charm the U.S. Though these are the performers’ one would expect from a ringmaster. He native countries, their professions often steps into the wheel at the end of the take them all around the world. Two of the youngest performers, pendulum and his daughter, Ambra Andrine, uses all of her weight to push the 18-year-old Nicole Kolev and 21-yearphysics contraption into motion. With- old Michelle Kolev, come from Italy. “But we didn’t work for long in Itain seconds, Bauer is more than 50 feet high, seemingly defying gravity with his ly,” Michelle Kolev said. “We stayed unmid-air jumps and rhythmic movements til I was 16 and then we started going to to The Incredibles theme song. He swiftly Spain, Germany, France, all over Europe.” The two started their hand-to-hand climbs from the center to the outside of the wheel, running on the exterior pe- acrobatic act in Paris, France and then rimeter as it continues to spin. The entire worked at a Christmas circus in Germaaudience gasps and looks up with aston- ny. Immediately after, they came to Sarasota to prepare for the Circus Sarasota ishment. This is Circus Sarasota. Circus Sarasota is a seasonal at- show. “When we arrived here, we felt so traction that runs from Feb. 15 to Mar. 10. Every year, new international circus bad because it’s very cold in Germany,” artists come to showcase their talents to Nicole Kolev said. “The weather is very the Sarasota community in the intimate different, it’s very humid, so for your body you need some time to get used to that— one-ring European style big top. “Some places are a little more re- we’re not machines, we can always fail, so served, but Sarasota audiences are fabu- we are always nervous before shows.” The sisters talked about how they lous because this is like ‘Circus City, USA’ on the map,” Bauer said. “People know use those nerves to motivate them when the Ringling Museum, the Circus Arts they perform. The act was one of the most Conservatory; it’s just a big circus town. well-received of the evening, as they perTo be able to see a big top show again in formed with ridiculous amounts of physSarasota, and a show like this, it’s bound ical strength, balance and grace. They are the first pair of female hand-to-hand acto be a hit.”
BY JACOB WENTZ
robats doing the tricks they are doing, as the base performer generally needs more strength to support their partner. “In the end, if you want to do something, and you keep fighting, you’re going to reach it,” Michelle Kolev said. “And here in Sarasota, they really seem to understand and appreciate what we are doing. They will ask about the elegance, about the costumes, about so many things that make you understand their support.” Because circus arts is such a unique field, many performers come from long-standing family dynasties. These descendants play an important role in keeping the art alive. “We started with our parents,” Nicole Kolev said. “They are circus performers and are still working on the trapeze, so we were born into the circus.” Others come from schools that specialize in circus arts, like Swedish teeterboard stars Einar Kling Odencrants and Anton Graaf. The pair met at the School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm. “There aren’t many people who do circus,” Graaf said. “It’s growing, but it is still a very small community of people all in all.” Coming from a gymnastic background, Odencrants was interested in the ability to do flips and tricks. “When I wanted to start upper secondary school, I wanted to continue with my gymnastic training, so I chose the teeterboard and circus path,” Odencrants said. From an audience perspective, the act looks thrilling, precise and dangerous. Using the teeterboard, the pair continu-
ously launches one another into the air to perform tricks. What makes the act exceptional is how perfectly the two stick their landings on the thin board and how quick, fluid and accurate the rhythm of their jumps becomes. “What we work for and why we train so much and so hard is that we want to minimize the actual risk,” Graaf said. “There are ways of saving yourself in case something doesn’t actually work out.” In addition to these acts, the 2019 Circus Sarasota lineup includes America’s Got Talent nominee Hans Klose with his adorable trained canines, Bauer’s daughter and aerial performer Ambra Andrine, Charlie Chaplin-inspired funny-man Cesar Dias, professional juggler Victor Krachinov, mesmerizing cyr wheel artist Valerie Inertie, charming hand-to-hand acrobats Giuseppe and Emanuel Curatola and the adrenaline-inducing high wire walkers, Pedro Carrillo and Luis D. Acosta. “I was amazed at how well put-together all of the acts are,” first-year Adriana Gavilanes said. “They all flowed and had artistic movement even in the parts where there weren’t explicit tricks being performed.” As Bauer—or any other ringmaster—would say: it’s a show you don’t want to miss. Circus Sarasota continues to showcase these exceptional performances until Sunday, Mar. 10. Tickets can be purchased online or at the big top in Nathan Benderson Park. For more information, visit circusarts.org.
Circus Sarasota continues to showcase these exceptional performances until Sunday, Mar. 10.
The intimate size of the stage allows the audience to see all of the emotion—and sweat—of the performers.
all photos courtesy of Rick Purdue
Nicole and Michelle Kolev, 18 and 21 respectively, are breaking barriers as the first pair of women to perform the caliber of tricks that they are performing, showing their strength, grace and determination.
“This apparatus that I’m working on is the original wheel,” Bauer said. “After this, there have been copies, but this one here is 68 years old—it was the first one ever built.”
Victor Krachinov combines music with his act to help combine “emotion, spirituality, imagination, energy and freedom of thought.”
“It’s always good to be a bit nervous,” Graaf said. “I always perform a little bit better when I’m on my toes.”
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Azia Keever/Catalyst
Throughout this week (3/6 - 3/13), activists have the opportunity to participate in public meetings, lectures and fundraisers. Read on if you want to get involved in the community regarding reproductive rights, prison reform and environmental protection.
BY EILEEN CALUB Thurs., Mar. 7, Planned Parenthood Fundraiser - Fighting for Truth and Care for All @ 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Hyatt Regency Sarasota - 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. Join Planned Parenthood for a night of cocktails, dinner and bidding on silent auction items, all benefiting Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. The featured speaker will be Irin Carmon, coauthor of Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and senior correspondent at New York Magazine. A Next Generation (under 30 years old) ticket costs $100. Tickets may be purchased online at plannedparenthood.org/plannedparenthood-southwest-central-florida/ special-events. Fri., Mar. 8, Project 180: An International Perspective @ 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Michael’s on East - 1212 S. East Avenue, Sarasota. Select Prisons in Norway, Iceland and beyond have made international news for being the best in the world. What philosophical foundations and social intent drive these institutions? What types of housing, programs and activities do they provide? Are they successful in preparing incarcerated citizens for reentry and reducing recidivism? The lecture will feature James M. Byree, Ph.D., associate chair and professor at the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Professor Byrne has researched the link between prison culture and community culture and is the recipient of both the Distinguished Scholar Award and the Marguerite Q. Warren and Ted B. Palmer Differential Intervention Award from the American Society of Criminology. Lecture tickets cost $35 and include the cost of lunch. Payment and registration can be sent to P.O. Box 25684, Sarasota, FL, 34234. Registration is also available on Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/2S29mOT.
Sun., Mar. 10, What is a Trauma Informed Community?: A Community Conversation @ 3 - 5 p.m. Selby Library Auditorium - 1331 1st Street, Sarasota. Begin exploring what a “Trauma-Informed Community” in Sarasota might look like and how to facilitate one. The featured speaker will be Robin Saenger, founder of Peace4Tarpon, a Trauma-Informed Community Initiative. A Healing Neen video will also be featured. There will be a facilitated discussion and brainstorming. Refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public. Mon., Mar. 11, Sierra Club Manatee Conservation Committee @ 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Central Library - 1301 Barcarrota Avenue, Bradenton. Help the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club contribute to sound environmental policy. Sierra Club’s mission is to enjoy and protect the natural places in the community, teach others to understand and respect the fragile environment and promote the responsible use of Florida’s ecosystems and resources. Contact Sandra Ripberger at 941794-3878 or sandrarip@yahoo.com for more information. Tues., Mar. 12, Political Trivia and Potluck @ 6 p.m. Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center - 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota. Test your knowledge of the United States Constitution and political system. Fun and educational! The trivia session and potluck will be hosted by Move to Amend, an organization seeking to blunt corporate power via a constitutional amendment that ends corporate personhood and states that money is not speech. This event is free and open to the public.
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Planning for Booze Cruise starts early BY BAILEY TIETSWORTH
The Activist Newsletter
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In the final few days of the 20182019 academic year, the cohort of 2015 and one faculty member will embark on a brief, scenic voyage, puttering along the Sarasota Bay. However, the cohort will face one small problem: the charter boat cannot fit the entire graduating class. The cohort of 2015 has around 200 graduating students, while the charter boat can only fit 110 people. This year, thesis students Eleni Spanolios, Evan Teal, Paola Baez-Perez and Riley Lewis have volunteered to organize the event. Instead of limiting the celebrations to just half of cohort, they came up with the idea to hold a pre-cruise celebration for the entire class. The Miami Vice-themed party will allow the entire graduating class the chance to celebrate together before Commencement. “The pre-party is just meant for our whole graduating class—because we have almost 200 people graduating— to be able to enjoy some sort of festivities during that final week,” Spanolios said. “We can only fit 110 people on the cruise. It does cut out about half of the people that our graduating class has.” The Graduation Sunset Cruise has provided graduating students the chance to celebrate their achievements for a little less than 20 years now. A charter boat takes the students out on the water in the
early evening, allowing them to purchase drinks, celebrate and watch the sun dip into the Gulf of Mexico. Last year, five faculty members were invited to join the students on the cruise. One of the invited faculty, Professor of Classics Carl Shaw, shared his experience last year at the event with the Catalyst in an email interview. “To be honest, this was one of my favorite New College experiences in recent years,” Shaw said. “I had a fantastic conversation with [Professor of French and Gender Studies Amy Reid], whom I don’t really get to just chat with very frequently; and a handful of students approached me to discuss their future plans or the experience of having me at their [baccalaureate] exam. But the highlight is the overall mood that the students bring to the cruise. Everyone just seems happy. The setting is beautiful. The music is loud, and people are dancing and singing. There is a tangible, infectious jubilation that I wish we all had more of in our lives.” This year, only one faculty member selected by thesis students will be invited to accompany them on the cruise. Without any passover documents or communication with previous organizers, Spanolios had no information about how the
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Retention rates on campus BY EMILIANO ESPINOSA Out of the 82 students who answered a recent Catalyst poll about student retention, 74.4 percent responded that they had considered dropping out at some point in their college careers. With the smallest incoming class in eight years, retention is on the minds of both faculty and administration—and crucial to the continued success of the growth plan. New College’s retention rate is only around 81 percent, according to a report released by U.S. News. This rate is substantially lower than that of other liberal schools around the nation. Why are so many students dropping out? The largest influencing factor for the students who responded to the poll was the social environment. The relationship between low retention rates and social atmosphere has been at the forefront of many recent administrative changes, including the hiring of Dean of Outreach, Engagement and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Bill Woodson, the rebranding of admissions strategies and a poll created by Art & Science Group, a national consulting firm, sent out to students last semester. “I thought about going back home, I was really homesick, and I missed my best friends and the comfort of having my family around,” first-year Angelica Velosa said. According to Associate Provost Suzanne Sherman, there are a lot of factors
that influence students in their decision to stay at New College, one of them being the sense of community and belonging. “I think what the whole community needs to work on is improving our interactions with one another so that students feel like they do belong,” Sherman said. According to the poll, some of the answers that were obtained state the difficulty of making friends and finding a crowd to fit into, the lack of respect between students’ opinions, a feeling of being attacked and not having a voice on campus and the feeling of being very isolated. Given this is a small campus and a majority of students are required to live on campus, any toxic environment can feel hard to escape. The school is taking strategic actions to prevent this situation and, according to President O’Shea, there will be a committee for social involvement. After one semester in school, Catherine Chapman (‘17) left New College because of a few reasons: “I could not live off campus because of the housing policy. I didn’t feel like I had a home and stability. My first year of college I had had a really bad experience with my roommate and I didn’t want to repeat it.” Though the administration has attempted to ameliorate the low retention rate in a number of ways, this is not only a concern for administration, but also for members of the student body who are invested in New College’s future.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 migrants today and ensure a safer environment for migrants in the future. “A Florida that treats immigrants better is a state that’s better for everyone,” Sousa-Rodriguez stated. Professor of Geography and International Studies Ilaria Giglioli invited FLIC to hold the workshop on campus in connection to her Global Migration course. “They’re doing really interesting and important work on questions of migrant rights in the state of Florida,” Giglioli said. “I wanted students to get to know their work and potentially get involved with them if they’re interested.” Complementary to the workshop’s focus on Latin American and Caribbean immigration to Florida, Mirna’s Cuban Cuisine catered the event, serving pollo a la isla, arroz congrí and maduros. To kick off the workshop, the facilitators distributed informational packets containing infographics, maps and statistics supplementary to the workshop activities, illustrating global refugee crises, world poverty, women’s rights and foreign military interventions by the United States, as well as a chart of temporary protected status (TPS) designations by the U.S. Attorney General for reference. FLIC also included graphics outlining the “Immigrant Path to Power,” which involves the targeted organizing of immigrants, naturalization of legal permanent residents (LPRs), voter registration and voter mobilization of naturalized im-
Four Winds CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 or things like that.” According to the New College website, the BOT “is vested with a broad range of authority and responsibilities for governing and managing New College. Its specific powers and duties include...authority and responsibility to do all things needed to administer New College.” Consisting of 13 members, six citizen members are appointed by Florida’s Governor and five citizen members are appointed by the Florida Board of Governors. The other two seats are held by the chair of the faculty, Professor of Political Science Keith Fitzgerald, and the president of the student body, in this case, Goods. According to Goods, the BOT has “the power to do basically anything, according to, of course, the Board of Governors’ rules.” This includes having the final vote in giving professors tenure, being able to audit certain departments in the school, holding authority over the New College Foundation, electing who is on the Foundation Board and overseeing the school’s expenditures. Any expenditures over $500,000 have to be approved by the BOT. “They can mobilize the president to do something,” Goods said. “They can mobilize certain departments, like admissions, to take certain actions because really everyone in administration is subject to the Board.” This “partly strategic” move to no-
Workshop attendees with facilitators Isabel Sousa-Rodriguez and Pamela Gomez.
migrants and U.S.-born children. Students and faculty candidly discussed their diverse backgrounds and experiences with migration. Prompted by a “Transnational Passport” provided by FLIC, participants traced their origin stories. Some students recounted their family’s journey to Florida from faraway ancestral homelands, like the Philippines and Peru, while others shared that their family had lived in the Tampa Bay area for generations. Despite differences in origin, attendees respectfully listened to each other and found commonalities in their tales of migration. Afterwards, the facilitators guided the group to a set of interactive maps. To challenge ideas of eurocentrism and Western hegemony, a world map was hung upside-down. Participants plotted colored dots on their home countries, signifying reasons for migrating. Posters offered common reasons for migration, such as family, political environments, violence, economic and climate change or environmental degradation. For the final activity, creating comics based on historical events, participants were divided into four groups: tify the Board of the NCSA’s constricted budget and the resulting closure of Four Winds paid off, when Trustee George Skestos offered to invest $10,000 as starting capital to reopen the café. After statements from Fitzgerald, Ernst, Vice President of Finance and Administration John Martin and other board members, Trustee John Lilly stated that he would join Skestos in investing in the business, but that he expected a return. “Which I think is a firetrap,” Lilly noted of Four Winds. “It’s a charming firetrap,” BOT Chair Felice Schulaner said. However, according to Goods, the trustees’ offer is contingent upon the NCSA presenting a business plan that the trustees would need to approve before investing into a new Four Winds business. Goods “got the sense from [the two trustees]” that they will follow through with their investment if the NCSA provides a solid business plan. However, even if that happened within a week, there would still be bureaucratic hoops to jump through. The money would have to go through the Foundation and would require a hefty amount of paperwork, extending the time it would take to get to the NCSA. In addition, if the NCSA were to follow through with the trustees’ suggestion of separating Four Winds from the NCSA, a host of other questions would arise, such as if Four Winds would have to pay rent to the New College and what their relationship with Metz Culinary Management would look like if they were separate from the school. “It’s definitely more complicated
colonialism and neocolonialism, imperialism and foreign intervention, slavery and genocide and war, militarization and violence. Students creatively filled the comic panels with brief explanations of key points in history contributing to modern day trends of migration, such as military coups and wars in Latin America and Africa. At the end of the workshop, students had the opportunity to give the facilitators feedback and reflect on the activities. “It’s all about removing the borders in our minds,” second-year Adam Johnson said. As a pressing final note, the facilitators informed attendees about Senate Bill 168: Federal Immigration Enforcement, which would prohibit sanctuary policies and require local law enforcement, including campus police officers, to collaborate with ICE. Despite efforts by FLIC and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to delay Senate hearings on the anti-immigrant bill, SB 168 has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 4-2 vote. According to the Orlando Sentinel, passing SB 168 is Florida Republican Chairman and Sen. Joe Gruters’ “top priority.” Sousa-Rodriguez and Gonzalez urged students to contact a list of senators to tell them “No On SB 168.” “Don’t give in to the violence that exists in this country,” Sousa-Rodriguez advised. “You matter, whether or not you have a Social Security Number.” Information for this article was gathered from americanimmigrationcouncil.org, floridaimmigrant.org, flsenate.gov, orlandosentinel.com and kff.org. than someone offering to donate $10,000 and we can open up Four Winds tomorrow,” Goods said. Ernst, Spanolios and Goods will work with the NCSA’s committee on Four Winds Improvement to come up with a viable business plan to present to the trustees. Although the exact nature of the business plan is still unclear, Goods noted that she spoke with several trustees who suggested that the café should have a full-time manager hired by Metz, as opposed to hiring a yearly alumna. Hiring a permanent manager would circumvent the learning curve that hiring a different manager each year often entailed. “I don’t know what the committee’s going to think,” Goods said. “But that is something that we discussed with a trustee, and I think at least the idea of having a permanent manager is something that’s feasible.” As it stands right now, without these trustees’ investment, the Four Winds would not be able to open in the fall, according to Goods. “The NCSA budget can’t feasibly support Four Winds in the near future because of the enrollment,” Goods said. “And the enrollment numbers for next year are not looking that good.” At the BOT meeting, President O’Shea stated that it is not expected the college will reach the goal enrollment number this coming fall of 860 undergrads. For now, the reopening of Four Winds rests on the entrepreneurial minds of a few students and two trustees willing to invest in a cornerstone of campus culture.
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Booze Cruise CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 event had been planned before. When made aware about last year’s five invited faculty members, Spanolios explained that since the space on the boat was already so slim, they would still stick with the one invitation this year. Baez-Perez, Lewis, Spanolios and Teal have the burden of planning this celebration on their own. The Student Activities and Campus Engagement (SA[u]CE) Office, the New College Foundation and Coordinator of Administrative Services Dawn Shongood are also lending their services to make the cruise and pre-party a reality. The funding for the cruise typically comes from the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) budget, but this year’s monetary support will come from the Student Allocations Committee (SAC). The four thesis students will ask the SAC to allocate $5,000 for the charter boat, two buses and the pre-party. “There’s a line on the [NCSA] budget that says Graduation Celebration, which we were told was just for the graduation food at the ceremony,” Spanolios said. “I think that that line also covered the cruise, but we cut it out of the budget for this year. That’s why we’re going through the SAC this time, but next year we’ll have it back in a line of the budget: to have at least $4,200 allocated for the Graduation Celebration Cruise.” The four thesis students will also meet with the Foundation and request that they help contribute money to provide food at the pre-party. “[We’re hoping to] maybe get some hot catered food [at the party], and then we’re going to try to get some Publix catering for the boat,” Spanolios said. Once the organizers obtain the money, then Shongood can make steps to reserve the key features for the cruise. “She pretty much does all of the specific logistics and books the cruise— the boat itself—as well as the buses,” Lewis said. In past years, the Foundation has held receptions for whoever attended the sunset cruise, but the current organizers wanted to relocate the pre-party to a more central area. “I know last year they had one at the Keating Center, and so the Foundation was in charge of that,” Spanolios said. “This year we want to have it in front of Hamilton [“Ham”] Center, maybe on Z-Green or outside the Sudakoff area, so that it’s more accessible for students to get there, but the Foundation will still be there. It’s a chance to have fun before going on the cruise and to meet the Foundation people, so that they introduce themselves to us and the Alumni Association.” The event is still far off in the distance, but time moves differently relative to those who thesis, so, in theory, the cruise is right around the corner. Graduating students should expect more information from the organizers about the pre-party and the cruise, to be released on Thursday, Mar. 7. “If other people want to help out as we get closer for decorating or for the pre-party, we’d be more than happy to take more people on,” Spanolios said.
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NewStock: Day of peace, music and student art
all photos Haley Eileen Bryan/Catalyst Calub/Catalyst
BY HALEY BRYAN
NewStock, New College’s annual music festival, took place this past Saturday, Mar. 2, in the Nook. Throughout the day, students spread out on blankets and danced to a variety of student and non-student bands. This year’s NewStock also included the new addition of student vendors selling things like original art, jewelry and clothing. The event’s music, student merchandise and food effectively provided students an opportunity to relax and enjoy. “This event has made me feel so relaxed and in touch with the community,” thesis student Cannzana StockWil said. “[NewStock has] reminded me how many friends I have here. Just seeing everyone perform and running into my friends, and seeing people selling cool things; there’s also food here—it’s amazing.” Bands were lined up throughout the day and the student vendors were active for a few hours. Along with a collection of yard games and food, the event aimed to entertain and connect students. Accordingly, NewStock’s setup required a lot of work. This year’s NewStock Resident Advisor (RA) organizers started coordinating the event in November, and include third-years Bri Hyvarinen and Jesus Olive and thesis students Alex Barbat and Hope Sparks. First-year and Student Activities and Campus Engagement (SAuCE) set assistant Daria Paulis also helped organize the event. “New College doesn’t have a lot of campus-wide events—there’s [Palm Court Party] PCP, but there’s a lot of
Students gather on the grassy area near NewStocks’ stage to enjoy the performances, crafts, and yard games.
added pressure of that to people,” Hyvarinen said. “NewStock is able to take that pressure off, and people can enjoy themselves. It’s another opportunity for the campus to come together, and it’s for all people with different levels of extraversion and interests. I hope [NewStock] contributes to community building on campus, and that people feel more connected and less isolated and separated; having more of a campus culture, and having that solidarity in being at New College. I also hope people have more of an appreciation of performers at New College and [are] able to better appreciate and support local artists.” Along with intentions to strengthen community ties, NewStock also aims to benefit students’ musical interests and expression. “NewStock offers a lot of culture, in terms of being introduced to new artists and new musicians,” Barbat said. “It
Thesis student Jordi Gonzalez performs original songs for the intimate atmosphere of NewStock.
Students enjoying NewStock’s music and student art.
also offers the opportunity for student musicians to come and perform, like NewCatz, Acapellago, Jordi, Myles Optimistic—there’s a lot to be gained, for both performers and for students.” Performers at NewStock played on a wooden stage tucked in front of the banyan tree and helped to provide the laid-back and welcoming tone for the event. “I’m glad [NewStock is] happening, and it’s good practice to play in public,” thesis student Jordi Gonzalez said before his performance. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking nonetheless, but it’s good to throw yourself into those experiences to grow in the future. Also, NewStock is a beautiful example of community gathering and community work and a way to learn how to share with each other.” Accompanying the traditional musical performances, students sold their crafts and goods, including original paintings, cookies, crystals, hand-woven clothes and more. “Jackie [Lebouitz] put on the craft fair at the end of [fall 2018],” Sparks said.
New College students enjoy NewStock with friends, hammocks and hula hoops.
“We all thought that was a cool opportunity we should get in on because we have cool students and they make cool stuff.” Like the music played by students, the spreads of student work carried its own message for NewStock. “I’m here the whole day [vending] and I’m performing at the end; it’s a good opportunity and I’m very thankful,” thesis student Myles “Optimistic” Rodriguez said behind their booth’s arrangement of crystal stones, jewelry, incense and more. “It feels very cool to vend,” Rodriguez said. “Having the stands here and having student art adds to NewStock and it shows different types of creative talents in addition to just music. I hope the community can take away inspiration knowing they can also express their creative talents if they haven’t felt like they wanted to yet, and knowing that for future events they can perform or sell, or just be inspired to keep creating for themselves. [My favorite part about NewStock is] having a nice little break that is all the stress from New College, [while putting a] spotlight on creativity and giving people a break to be themselves.” Some 10 stands at NewStock displayed crafts and goods for sale, and the students that weren’t able to act as vendors this year may have their chance in the future. “Starting off with the vending was a learning process, and we’ve kept it kind of small,” Paulis said. “But I can see it growing next year. Having the vendors being able to showcase their art and work is planting a seed for the coming years [of being] able to expose New College students to even more culture and art.”