Spring 2020 - Issue 3

ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

CATALYST FEBRUARY 26, 2020 VOLUME XL ISSUE III

New College of Florida's student-run newspaper

ADRIANA DIAZ 2020 ELECTION pg.

4

pg.

3

ACTIVIST NEWS pg.

5

Jacob Wentz/Catalyst

Students gather in support of New College's independence

BY JACOB WENTZ & ANNA LYNN WINFREY “Who loves an independent New College?” thesis student Alex Barbat shouted as students erupted into cheers of support. On Thursday, Feb. 20, more than 150 students, faculty and staff gathered in Koski Plaza to demonstrate their opposition to House Bill (HB) 7087, which would merge New College and its assets with the University of Florida (UF).

The bill originally proposed merging New College with Florida State University and Florida Polytechnic with UF, but was amended on

Feb. 21 to merge Florida’s two smallest schools with its largest.

Proponents argue HB 7087, which was passed by the Florida House Education Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 12, would cut costs for taxpayers.

“We have an obligation to taxpayers to generate degrees at the lowest possible cost,” Randy Fine, a Republican from Brevard county, said to Florida Politics, which first reported the story. At the committee meeting, Fine also mentioned higher administrative costs and declining enrollment, despite the college receiving additional funds from the

legislature for growth.

But Barbat argued that the legislators’ narrow focus on taxpayer cost overlooks what makes New College unique.

“We are the only public liberal arts college in the state because cost per degree is not a correct way to understand how this college’s financial situation works, but it’s also not how you determine the value of an education,” Barbat told the crowd. “We are getting an education that is unique to the state of Florida. Our theses are incredible. We produce more Fulbright scholars per capita than Harvard and Yale, why would you try to

eliminate that?”

In addition to Barbat, the rally was organized by New College Student Alliance President Steven Keshishian, Vice President of Student Life Joey Daniels, Vice President of Relations and Financial Affairs Eshel Rosen, Secretary Daria Paulis, President of New College Democrats Ellie Young and Catalyst staff writer Sofia Lombardi.

Keshishian emphasized the history of New College’s involvement with the community.

“New College has changed lives,” continued on p. 6

Alumni reflect on college experiences at Reunion 2020

BY SOFIA LOMBARDI

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

Amidst informative talks, a networking event and socializing at the bayfront, alumni spanning from over half a century and around the world came together to share one certain commonality: a love for New College.

Many alumni shared deeply personal stories, only pausing for laughter with old friends, reminiscing in the unique memories that revolve around extravagant Palm Court Parties (PCPs), an odd choice in classes and a love for learning.

“I have only love for New College as an institution,” Eric Schickler (’87), a professor at UC Berkeley, said. He laughs as he says he remembers “the scene of some of those mornings” after PCP. “You know, doing these crazy creative things in the bright daylight and you have this image of yourself like we’re all so cool

WHAT’S INSIDE

College, it really was, in Palm Court,” Dwight Synan (’88) spoke fondly.

You know, New College did it in a special way.”

Valerie Mojeiko (’00), former staff writer on the Catalyst, “liked the idea of students being welcomed right afterwards into the alumni community, which starts when you’re a student, because you’re almost an alum,” and was confused as to why the student body did not reciprocate in a similar way.

Mojeiko called the decision to separate reunion weekend and PCP weekend “kind of concerning” and described the discussion surroundOn Saturday, Feb. 22, alumni gathered at the bay to celebrate 60 years of New College. ing the issue as “just some rumors that didn’t really make a lot of sense.”

Aside from fond memories of or artistic, or whatever, and then you weekend, which is typically lined up look at the pictures and you’re like, with the weekend of PCP, was inten- years of parties, New College’s educa‘Oh, my God, we look so disgusting.’” tionally moved to preserve exclusiv- tional layout as a uniquely-formatted Several alumni spoke of their ity to students and their guests. continued on p. 10 “It was a celebration of New sadness that the alumni reunion Jacob Wentz/Catalyst

6 Merger Cont'd

8 Living Tarot

12 Orlando Wetlands

CATALYST

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

BRIEFS

PAGE 2

BRIEFS BY SERGIO SALINAS

Appointment of Interim Dean of Student Affairs Randy Harrell extended until Spring 2021 Interim Dean of Student Affairs Randy Harrell has seen his interim appointment extended until the end of Spring semester 2021.

Harrell came out of retirement to fill the position and with his continuous expression of his love and support for New College and it’s students, he chose to stay on another year.

“I fell head over heels in love with New College, it was pretty quick,” Harrell, as he sat in his now decorated HCL 1 office, said. “The infatuation has not worn off. I continue to have an absolute passion to get up in the morning to get in here.

It is a real honor to be able to serve the students in the college.”

Harrell, who can often be found engaging with students in the Ham-

ilton Center, has expressed his excitement at the opportunity to continue to work with the student body.

Recent news of the potential merger with Florida State University has also called Harrell into action. He gave a rousing speech at the Save Our School Rally and continues to help students find their voice.

“I’m really, really pleased to have a full year to work and implement some change.” Harrell said.

Every New College student remembers the moment they decided New College would be the place to call home for four years. For Harrel, New College culture and it’s students were a big part of accepting the job and his time here has only served to reinforce his decision.

“I’ve always had some exceedingly talented students at every campus I’ve worked at,” Harrell said. “I’ve never worked at a campus where all the students are exceedingly talented."

Harrell is famously known for buying a used RV to travel around all 50 states. While traveling to all 50 states seems unlikely, Harrell looks forward to returning to retirement with his wife and spending more time with family.

“We can’t drive the RV to Hawaii and I’m not sure we’ll drive it to Alaska, but we still have 30 more states to get to and I also have my first grandchild on the way!” Harrell said with a warm grin.

Interim Dean of Enrollment

All photos Sergio Salinas/Catalyst Harrell proudly stands next to all of his New College memorabilia.

David Rhodes has also had his appointment extended until the end of Spring semester 2021, but could not be reached for comment.

Cook Library welcomes new librarian, Shelley Oakley The library has a new face in town with the addition of temporary librarian Shelley Oakley. Originally from Virgina, Oakley has a master of library and information sciences degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. With plenty of experience working with college students, Oakley will be a welcome addition at the Jane Bancroft Cook Library.

“Most people think working in a library is all about quietness and reading but it is not,” Oakley wrote in an email interview. “If you like people, you will enjoy working in a

library."

Having spent so much time in libraries, it is no wonder Oakley grew a love for reading. One of Oakley’s favorite books, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer, tells a beautiful story of human empathy in times of struggle. However, Oakley is not just limited to the confines of the library, she also has an eye for art.

“I also like to paint,” Oakley wrote. “Sarasota sunsets provide lots of inspiration. I also enjoy exploring Florida and all of its parks, museums, and cultural attractions.”

Caffeine driven late nights at the library are no strange occurance for the average college student, so the ultimate test of Oakley’s character boils down to one question. Coffee or tea?

“A little of both. Mornings and afternoons are made for a great cup of coffee. I generally reserve my cup of tea for really cold days which are much less since moving to Florida.”

Students can look forward to seeing Oakley hanging out in the Research and Information office and with the remaining Florida chill it’d

Oakley, like most librarians, is a bibliophile.

be a perfect time to share a cup of tea.

Librarians granted voting rights at faculty meetings Faculty meetings allow students and faculty to participate in the process, yet the faculty handbook limited voting at meetings to tenure-track professors and five student representatives.

In a vote at a recent faculty meeting, librarians were granted voting power. Thanks to the work of librarians Tamerra Rice, Helene Gold and Cal Murgu, the new voting rights will serve to further solidify librarian’s role as important members of the community.

“Our faculty librarians are serving in leadership roles in the devel-

opment of First Year Seminars, the implementation of new technologies, and the response to the Arts & Sciences recommendations,” Rice wrote in an email interview. “That participation is in addition to the tutorials and class sessions that we teach in partnership with faculty. A right to vote gives us a stronger voice in governance, and is in keeping with the contributions we are making.”

At New College the forum for governance differs from other colleges and universities, typically using a faculty senate with representation from the various departments, in-

"Lombardi 2020" © 2019 the Catalyst. All rights reserved.

The Catalyst is available online at www.ncfcatalyst.com, facebook.com/NCFcatalyst instagram.com/NCFcatalyst twitter.com/ncfcatalyst The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria D. Vesperi.

It is developed in the New College Publications Lab using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign and printed at Sun Coast Press with funds provided by the New College Division of Social Sciences.

cluding the library.

“While the NCF model is different and more tailored to our academic program, our experience was that the direct participation of librarians in governance was beneficial to the organization as a whole,” Rice said.

This situation is not unique to New College; across the country librarians have made efforts to extend faculty status to them. The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is a division of the American Library Association that develops programs, products and services to help those working in li-

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

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

braries better serve as leaders and innovators within their communities.

“Faculty status entails for librarians the same rights and responsibilities as for other members of the faculty,” the ACRL’s joint statement on faculty status of college and university librarians states. “They should have corresponding entitlement to rank, promotion, tenure, compensation, leaves, and research funds.”

With a new-found voice, librarians will be able to better advance initiatives and programs designed to assist students and improve the New College experience as a whole.

Direct submissions, letters, announcements and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5800 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, Florida 34243 catalyst@ncf.edu The Catalyst reserves the right to edit all submissions for grammar, space and style.

No anonymous submissions will be accepted.

Submissions must be received by 12:00 p.m.

Friday for consideration in the next issue.

CATALYST

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

NEWS PAGE 3

Adriana Diaz leaves New College to pursue social work

BY SOPHIA BROWN Campus Life Coordinator Adriana Diaz (‘12) is stepping down from her position after three years of serving the New College Community. In March, Diaz will begin working as a child welfare case manager under Lutheran Services Florida (LSF), a community-based care agency spanning across Florida that also works alongside the Safe Children Coalition, Inc. (SCC) in Bradenton.

As a student, Diaz studied sociology and was a Residential Advisor (RA) for two years. Once her thesis and baccalaureate were behind her, she needed to find the next big project while she decided what life after college would look like for her.

The opportunity presented itself in March 2017, when the position for Residence Hall Director (RHD) opened after the previous director left to pursue graduate school. Diaz’s background experience with resident life and student affairs made her perfect for the job and she was hired alongside alum Kaylie Stokes (‘12), who is now the Assistant Director of Student Success Programs.

“It was a really good opportunity for me, especially because I kind of already knew a lot of how the role was supposed to function from being an RA and from working so closely with my supervisor in the past,” Diaz

said. “I also felt like I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do straight out of college, so this was a really good opportunity that afforded me professional development while also earning good income.”

Within her first semester as Residence Hall Director, Diaz designed the current move-out process by streamlining a scheduling software.

After one year, Diaz, Stokes and Sean Brueggemann (‘14)—who had recently joined them—took to revamping the RA model. With the aid of the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC), they trained RAs on various safety protocol, mental health awareness and handling other serious situations. More than anything, Diaz feels that she transformed the position by putting RAs first.

“I would say that’s been one of the biggest changes that we brought to the RA model and the function of our job — [to be] more closely aligned with supporting the RAs as students,” Diaz said.

This student-focused approach continued to aid Diaz as she transitioned into the Campus Life Coordinator position last spring. She became more involved with the Living Learning Communities (LLCs) on campus, but a further evolution of the job’s responsibilities was well under way.

More than anything, Diaz says that her job is about placing her focus and dedication on New College students and RAs. “My primary job function, as I see it, is supervising the RA staff and providing support to them,” Diaz said. “Being on call, helping them with their programming efforts and doing all of the behind-the-scenes things that help them function.”

This drive to support others follows Diaz outside of New College as well. In Nov. 2019, she began volunteering at the 12th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), a program in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties which trains volunteers to advocate on behalf of abused or neglected children. With GAL, Diaz met children like these firsthand and was trained to represent their best interests in a court of law. She has participated in one case since she started with GAL and has since known that social work, and particularly child welfare, would be the next step in her career path.

Working in student affairs and higher education provided Diaz the time to form a plan for herself, and the necessary experience with individuals that a social worker needs, but it was never intended to be longlasting.

“Even though I love the people that I’m working with here, student

Photo courtesy of Adriana Diaz

Diaz, a true Novo, will be dearly missed around campus.

affairs isn’t my preferred career track,” Diaz said. “I wasn’t intending to stay in higher education long term and move up in this system.”

Even so, Diaz is confident that her time at New College has prepared her well to take on this new line of work. continued on p. 10

Booker Promise offers full-ride scholarship opportunities

BY VIANEY JARAMILLO Booker High School is most known for its Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) program, however, the college and career planning services offered to the student body, including the Booker Promise, make the school stand apart. This program, paired with the Guaranteed Admission Partnership developed by New College, will likely make the transition into college for academically driven students much easier.

The Booker Promise is a new scholarship program that begins in the students’ first year of high school.

Upon graduation, student recipients are offered a scholarship for a twoyear associate degree or technical certificate covering tuition and fees at a qualifying Florida public college or technical school, though students can use this scholarship for a private or out-of-state school if they desire.

The Booker Promise aims to fulfill the high school’s vision, created by Principal Rachel Shelley, states that 100 percent of Booker High School students will graduate college or career ready to become functioning members of society.

Starting this year, ninth-graders are implementing the various tools used by The Booker Way to prepare eligible students—those who are economically deprived and academically oriented—for the Booker Promise. Essentially, The Booker Way covers all aspects of the college and career initiatives that will guide and support them in receiving a Booker Promise scholarship. Ninth-graders are required to take career assessments, attend grade level assemblies, visit the school’s college and career room, join one school club, volunteer and participate in many other activities. As they advance through high school, the requirements change in order for students to better develop their post-secondary plans. For current ninth-graders who are interested in attending college, they will have the opportunity to attend State College of Florida to gain college credit while enrolled in high school by staying on track with The Booker Way. “When our students become seniors, the way we’ve created this schedule now for ninth-graders, they will only need two required classes,” Shelly said. “Then I went to state College of Florida and asked ‘will you

help me with transportation?’ and they said ‘yes, we will have a bus starting in August that will come to Booker High School during the day to take them to State College of Florida.’”

Shelley believes the hardest part of college is not academic rigor, but the financial cost. According to the Department of Education, student loan debt increased to $1.6 trillion in 2019, making student loans the second largest debt category in the U.S. behind mortgage debt.

Promise programs are not unique to Booker; there are numerous programs nationwide that help fund college education to high school students, and not all are exclusive to single high schools. Some programs extend district-wide, and even celebrities like Lebron James have their own promise schools.

“You have the Pittsburgh Promise, The Kalamazoo Promise and Texas Promise where their entire district is funded by big huge philanthropists and donors and foundations with what they call ‘old money’ and you can automatically, [economically deprived or not], get into one of their state schools with no cost of tuition

and fees,” Shelley said.

Inspired by other promise schools, Shelley was determined to create something similar for her students.

“Why not take a leap of faith?”

Shelley asked. “Instead of just hoping our students will leave with a post-secondary plan, why not come up with a way to help pay for some of their college? Hence, the Booker Promise.”

Shelley was persistent in asking a local philanthropist, Micheal Shealton, if he would be willing to help fund and create the Booker Promise, and on the fourth try he finally agreed and is currently the Chair of the Booker Promise Board of Directors.

“And the fourth conversation I’ll never forget, it was on my birthday in 2019, I asked him again and he said yes and I just knew it was a perfect fit,” Shelley recalled. “Within a four-month period he created and launched our very own 501(c)(3) called Booker Promise.”

Aside from the Booker Promise, continued on p. 10

CATALYST

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

PAGE 4

Candidates in the three commas club: how billionaire Democrats are changing the race

BY IZAYA GARRETT MILES Income inequality has become an important issue in the Democratic primary, with candidates such Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in particular lamenting the role and wealth of billionaires in American life. In sharp contrast to their denunciations, Michael Bloomberg, the twelfth richest man in the world and ninth richest in the United States with a net worth of $61.8 billion, has entered the race and taken a prominent position, neck-andneck with Vice President Joe Biden for second place. Also in the race is fellow billionaire Tom Steyer, with a net worth of $1.6 billion, who is currently polling seventh in the race with around two percent of the vote, behind Senator Amy Klobuchar and just ahead of Representative Tulsi Gabbard.

As of Feb. 21, Bloomberg has spent $409 million of his own means on his campaign since the start of 2020. Immediately, this differentiates his campaign from a traditional presidential bid, which relies on donations from individuals and political action committees (PACs) to sustain itself, with candidates typically using comparatively little of their own wealth to spread their message.

Bloomberg has not taken any donations, and has relied solely on his own resources. Bloomberg has spent by far the most money of any candidate, with Steyer spending the sec-

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Bloomberg speaking with attendees at the Presidential Gun Sense Forum hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action in Des Moines, Iowa.

ond most at $253 million and Sanders spending the third most at $117 million. Steyer’s funding has come from a mix of donations and his own wealth, while Sanders has relied on mostly small-dollar donations.

Steyer’s strategy has been fairly typical, though his campaign had focused even more on the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina than other campaigns. As of Feb. 21, Steyer has spent 68 percent of all the advertising money in South Carolina.

Bloomberg’s electoral strategy is as unorthodox as his finances.

Bloomberg has chosen to stay out of the first four primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Bloomberg will not appear on any ballot until March 3, on “Super Tuesday,” when Alabama, Ar-

kansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia will determine their delegates. A total of 1,357 out of the 3,979 pledged delegates will be assigned that day.

March 3 will be the make-it-or-breakit moment for Bloomberg; his campaign has targeted those states with an unprecedented barrage of advertising.

“Nobody’s done anything like what he’s doing,” Professor of Political Science Keith Fitzgerald said.

“Trying to do this primary through TV ads in so many states, nobody’s ever done that before. [His campaign staff ] is really good. And the way they sort of combined social media with the TV is really good. They’re hiring good people for the ground game.”

Bloomberg has faced strong resistance from the candidates currently in the race. At the Feb. 19 debate, the five other candidates on the stage (Biden, Warren, Sanders, Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg ) each took the time to press Bloomberg on a wide variety of subjects. From his policy of “stop-and-frisk” during his 12-year tenure as mayor of New York City, to alleging that he is trying to ‘buy’ the nomination, the very ethics of having $60 billion and addressing a problematic history with women, the established candidates struck back against the insurgent Bloomberg. Warren’s opening statement was particularly aggressive against him.

“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against—a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horsefaced lesbians, and no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg,” Warren said.

Warren would later press Bloomberg on his company’s use of nondisclosure agreements, “racist policies like red lining and stop-andfrisk” and his tax returns, though she would qualify in her opening statement that she would support Bloomberg if he won the nomination.

“I think that debate revealed clearly that he’s going to have a hard road in front of him,” Fitzgerald said.

“I think he gave the impression that continued on p. 10

Sanders leads in delegates following Nevada Caucus

BY JOHN COTTER Following the Nevada Caucus, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont gathered a considerable lead in delegates. Now ahead of 31 delegates leading into the South Carolina Primary, Senator Sanders sits at the top of the primary race.

Senator Sanders is followed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. who has amassed 21 delegates.

In the past two caucasus and one primary Mayor Buttigieg gained support from moderate Democrats.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, sitting at eight delegates, is battling for third place with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Vice President Joe Biden who have seven and eight delegates respectively.

The South Carolina Primary will be held on Saturday, Feb. 29. The candidates have been running ground campaigns in South Carolina following the surprise results of the Iowa caucus. Vice President Biden’s cam-

Sanders

31 21

Buttigeg Warren

8

Klobuchar

7 6

Biden Bloomberg 0 Steyer

0 Delegates

John Cotter/Catalyst

paign shifted their focus to the primary to recover and pull back donors that have grown wary of his chances of winning.

Senator Warren, previously a high polling candidate has dropped

significantly and is also looking to South Carolina to regain momentum. Senator Klobuchar’s campaign received a significant boost following her success in the New Hampshire Primary. Following her poor perfor-

mance in the Nevada Caucus, Klobuchar’s campaign needs to place well in the upcoming primary to secure funding or risks losing any positive movement gained in New Hampshire.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been hot on the tails of Senator Sanders since his surprising win in Iowa.

Mayor Buttigieg has garnered a large percentage of the moderate democrat vote. If his campaign is looking for a victory in South Carolina, however, the mayor has secure voters from other demographics, which is a goal he has failed to reach in the past four weeks.

This current election cycle has been a roller-coaster, with previously high-polling candidates sitting in lower seeds and candidates instrumenting new campaign strategies in order to secure votes from previously untapped demographics. Whatever South Carolina brings this upcoming weekend it is bound to bring new challenges to the remaining seven candidates.

CATALYST

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

The Activist Newsletter

Giulia Heyward/Catalyst

Throughout this week (2/26–3/4), activists have the opportunity to participate in film screenings, climate walks and student summits.

Read on if you want to get involved in the community regarding voter suppression, waste reduction and environmental efforts.

BY HAYLEY VANSTRUM Wednesday, Feb. 26– Saturday, Feb. 29 Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival @ 7 p.m. nightly Miller Auditorium - Eckerd College - 4200 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Fla. Join film scholars and environmental activists alike for Eckerd College’s 22nd annual Environmental Film Festival.

This festival features films created by both emerging and renowned filmmakers from the St. Petersburg area and beyond.

On Wednesday Honeyland will explore beekeeping in a Turkish community; on Thursday The Green Lie will question sustainable consumerism; on Friday River and the Wall will examine the ecology of building a border wall; on Saturday Anthropocene: The Human Epoch will explore a new world of humandriven change. All films are free and open to the public.

Friday, Feb. 28 Celery Fields Climate Walk @ 9:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Celery Fields - 999 Center Road, Sarasota, Fla. Learn the story behind one of Florida’s most popular birding destinations at Sarasota Audubon Society’s Celery Fields Climate Walk. The Celery Fields, a publicly owned 400+ acre nature site, is used for both recreation and public safety, functioning as Sarasota County’s primary flood mitigation zone. While the fields began as wetlands and still are wetlands to this day, this site has a long and complex environmental history that is worth uncovering.

Tickets to this event are $20 each and can be purchased at sarasotaaudobonsociety.org.

Friday, Feb. 28 Afro.Deutschland Screening and DiscussionDemocracy @ 6 p.m.

Sainer Auditorium - New College of Florida - 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Fla. Conclude this year’s Black History Month with Afro-

German filmmaker Jana Pareigis at New College’s Afro.Deutschland screening and following discussion.

Pareigis, who acts as the primary anchor of “Mittagsmagazin,” a German national news program, is a journalist whose work centers the lived experiences of Black people in Germany. With Afro.Deutschland, Paregeis seeks to break down the perception that Germany is an allwhite country through speaking openly about race, empowerment and social change. This event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, Feb. 29 South Coast Regional Beyond Waste Student Summit @ 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

University of South Florida St. Petersburg - 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Fla. Discover the systematic impacts of waste with fellow environmentally-minded students at the Post-Landfill Action Network’s annual South Coast Regional Beyond Waste Student Summit. Students of all experience levels are encouraged to collaborate on simulated zero-waste campaigns and discuss the best ways to implement waste reduction in their own communities. For those interested, visit postlandfill. org to fill out an interest form and get more information on buying tickets, coordinating travel and securing housing. This event is open to all students in the South Coast area.

Monday, Mar. 2 Suppressed, the Fight to Vote Screening @ 5:30–7 p.m.

Gulf Gate Library - 7112 Curtiss Avenue, Sarasota, Fla. Join Professor of Political Science Frank Alcock for a screening of Suppressed, the Fight to Vote, a 2019 documentary by Robert Greenwald regarding voter suppression in the 2018 Georgia midterm election. The film will be followed by a discussion on voter suppression efforts in Florida, both in the past and potentially the future. This event is free and open to the public.

PAGE 5

Sarasota-Manatee County rolls out Vote-by-Mail drop boxes

BY JOHN COTTER As the Florida Primary–set to take place on March 17–approaches, students question how and where their vote will be counted. Some students may not have their permanent addresses listed in Sarasota-Manatee County, preventing them from being able to cast their vote in SarasotaManatee voting locations. The current solution for this problem is the Vote-by-Mail (VBM) ballot system.

VBM has been a staple in Florida for those unable to reach their voting locations. Traditionally, the VBM system required the voter to send their ballot through U.S. postage. With this process, it was necessary for voters to purchase envelopes and stamps and trust on the reliability of U.S. postage to deliver their ballot in time. In response to concerns over the reliability of the VBM process, Sarasota-Manatee County has created VBM drop boxes.

Voters will be able to drop their ballot at designated locations in Sarasota, North Port and Venice. The ballots will be compiled at these drop box locations and directed to their respected counties for proper representation.

The drop boxes are a welcome addition to the voting process to en-

sure as many voters as possible are represented. Starting March 7, the new drop boxes will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Voters will be able to take advantage of the drop boxes until 7 p.m. on the night of the primary, March 17. To print and fill out the VBM forms, voters can visit SarasotaVotes.com.

In an interview with Patch, Jennifer Fett from the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office informed the public of this program's history.

“The boxes themselves are actually new," Fett said. "For all previous elections, they could always drop it off at our offices."

Voters will be able to track their ballot through SarasotaVotes.com to ensure it reaches the proper location.

These additions to the voting process are planned to be as efficient as possible, but as the drop boxes are part of a new system, mistakes may be made. The Elections Office strongly encourages voters planning to use VBM to contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 941-861-8600 or visit SarasotaVotes.com with any questions regarding the new process.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Ballot boxes help increase the efficiency and reliability of the Vote-by-Mail system.

CATALYST@NCF.EDU

#SAVENCF RALLY FOR INDEPENDENCE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Keshishian said. “When the state of Florida thought it was a good idea to close Booker, we were in churches teaching people, teaching students.

When it comes to environmental protections and environmental strikes, we are there. When it comes to moving the needle forward on progress, when it comes to academics and social movements, we are there.”

One of the reasons state representatives support the merger is because New College underperforms on the first performance-based funding metric set by the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s 12 public universities. The first metric deals with the percent of Bachelor’s graduates employed or continuing their education further one year after graduation.

“A lot of our students are not so focused on the next 12 months; they’re looking 10 years ahead at what they want to do and try to figure out and put together the various pieces of their lives,” President Donal O’Shea told the Catalyst in Dec. 2019. “We look better if we look 10 years out.”

Professor of Computer Science Matt Lepinski spoke to the skills New College students develop that make them competitive job applicants.

“When I worked in the tech industry, I got to see first-hand that the scientists who are really successful throughout their entire careers are scientists who are creative problem solvers; scientists who can analyze a question from multiple different perspectives; scientists who can communicate and explain their ideas and share them with their colleagues,” Lepinski said. “And that’s exactly the

kind of scientists that we are producing at New College.”

Owner of Stocking Savvy Environmental Consulting and alumni Sean Patton (‘11) agreed that New College students stand apart in the job market.

“I run a habitat restoration business in Sarasota and almost all of my interns are New College students,” Patton said. “I want to hire a wide range of people who come from interdisciplinary backgrounds, who get to work hands-on with some of the best faculty in the United States of America, and that’s something you can only really do at New College.”

In addition to skills that can be transferred to careers, Florida Young Democrats President and alumna Wesley Beggs (‘10) spoke about students’ ability to stand up for what they believe in.

“I was a candidate for the Sarasota County Commission in 2018 and I have been blown away at what these students have been able to organize with such little notice,” Beggs said. “It is not just us, it is Florida Polytechnic, but it is also students who cannot qualify for a Pell grant, but cannot afford education in this state. There is so much on the line with this bill. Every single line of it needs to be thrown out.”

In a post-protest interview, Barbat emphasized how the rally was a venue for students to voice their concerns about HB 7087.

“So far students have been left almost entirely out of this conversation,” Barbat said. “It's been wonderful to have top down leadership and guidance. But like, we also need to have a voice.”

What has happened so far and what is next?

Florida Politics broke the story about Proposed Committee Bill (PCB) 20-03, introduced in the Feb. 10 House Education Committee, which would merge New College with FSU and Florida Polytechnic with UF. PCB 20-03 passed the Education Committee 12-6 Feb. 12 and acquired a new name, HB 7087.

President Donal O’Shea held a news conference with Feb. 14 Congressman Vern Buchannan at New College.

A coalition of lawmakers from the area published a Feb. 18 joint editorial on yourobserver.com supporting the college’s independence.

Feb. 18- O’Shea visited Tallahassee, where he met with legis19 lators and hosted a press conference.

Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, publicly said that he thought the merger was an opportuFeb. 20 nity that should be explored and expressed concerns about the college’s struggle to grow enrollment.

The House amended HB 7087 to merge New College Feb. 21 with the University of Florida instead of Florida State University.

At the time that the Catalyst was sent to print on Feb. 25 Tuesday evening, the House was likely to approve HB 7087.

Some students bared the sun to catch a better view, but most congregated under the shady trees of Koski Plaza.

All photos Jacob Wentz and Anna Lynn Winfrey/Catalyst

“When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me you don’t go into other peoples’ houses and tell them how to clean their kitchens, so with all due respect Representative Fine, get out of our house,” Beggs said as the crowd cheered in support.

(Left to right) President Donal O'Shea, Florida Young Democrats President and alumna Wesley Beggs ('10), NCSA President Steven Keshishian and Professor of Computer Science Matt Lepinski all highlighted qualities that make New College great, including collaboration with faculty, community organizing and academic independence.

Milo the dog took a break from eating plants and going on walks to advocate for independence.

“New College is a community," third-year Cassidy Myers, left, said. "If we don’t all show up when it really matters then what are we telling our legislators about the strength of our community?”

CATALYST

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

PAGE 8

Living tarot show tells stories of past, present and future

BY KY MILLER Thesis students Erin Everdale, Julian Hunter and alumni Jules La Rosa’s create the beat for the Magician tarot card’s frenzied polyrhythm; their hands bang spoons and knives on metal cups in one of the 22 scenes that makes up Everdale’s haunting “living tarot” thesis production.

Thesis student Alexandra Barbat perches on the couch nearby, ready to jump to action at any moment. This interactive, experimental show took place over the course of Valentine’s Day weekend—a ripe time for tarot readings addressing questions of love and loss among the New College community.

Tarot reading is the practice of using tarot cards to gain insight into the past, present or future by asking a question and interpreting an answer based on the cards drawn.

The 22 scenes in this production were written to represent each of the cards from the Major Arcana tarot deck.

Audience members were led into the performance area alone by thesis students and High Priestesses Cait Matthews and Olivia Siegel, who provided the structure that facilitated the entire performance.

The High Priestess instructed audience members to draw three

and writing process Everdale wanted to facilitate.

Barbat, Everdale, Hunter and La Rosa wrote four to six scenes and each acted in some capacity in all 22.

La Rosa created the reverberating synth tones that set the mood for the performances, but neither he, Hunter nor Barbat had much experience in theater, although Barbat did improv with Comedy Friends. Barbat participated in the production despite her lack of experience with scripted theater to support Everdale, her friend since their first year.

A recurring theme among the Ky Miller/Catalyst performers was the importance of trusting the creative process Hunter lies horizontal, holding up a tiara during the Strength card scene. and maintaining an openness cards from the deck and announced Murdoch felt that she could apply all to experimentation. Barbat was each card to the performers one at three to her life at that moment. apprehensive during the days a time. One card represented the “Remembering that you can leading up to the performance but past, one the present and one the interpret the cards in so many elated once the group was in front of future. Following the drawing and different ways, and that they can an audience as everything fell into the dinging of a triangle, the actors be applicable to any moment in place. embodied the scenes written for life and being intentional in your Describing English, Theater each of the cards pulled, creating a interpretations is so important,” and Performance Studies Professor striking and intimate performance Murdoch reflected after her reading. Nova Myhill’s advice to them, unique to the individual audience Everdale’s motivation for Everdale reflected that “you can’t member being read. choosing tarot readings as the basis make somebody get ready for an Thesis student Evan Murdoch for their thesis, which was originally audience, they just have to feel what was astounded by the amount of about Joan of Arc, stemmed from it’s like to have an audience member effort and creativity put into each a fascination with myth and in the room, and that’s what changes scene. Her cards for past, present mysticism. Tarot fit that bill as well, everything.” and future were the Emperor, the providing the perfect foundation for continued on p. 10 Fool and Judgement, respectively. the collaborative, intuitive acting

Streets of Paradise completes 150 move-ins

BY WILLA TINSLEY My interview with founder of Sarasota’s grassroots antihomelessness coalition Streets of Paradise (SOP) Greg Cruz kept getting interrupted.

“Buenas noches,” a man called out as he passed by us on the sidewalk. “¿Oye, como estas?” Cruz responded warmly, then continued explaining SOP’s ethos— “The people on the streets, we call them our ‘street family’”—without missing a beat. It’s familiar rhetoric these days, when it seems the word “family” has crept into every employee onboarding video and underwear subscription ad to make up for the low church turnout. But somehow, coming from Cruz, it doesn’t sound hokey in the slightest.

SOP’s Wednesday foodshares really are like a giant family dinner, if your family were incredibly jovial, ethnically diverse, and dined on the sidewalk by the downtown Salvation Army (SA). Twice Cruz’s daughter came up during the interview, clad in a little apron with her name on it to battle for her dad’s attention against the flock of volunteers, every homeless person in the Rosemary District, and one overeager Catalyst

Willa TinsleyCatalyst

Cruz, Bryant, Packouz and Abel Gutierrez work to reduce the stigma around homelessness in Sarasota.

reporter. There are always some kids helping out and observing at SOP events, which Cruz says is a perfect example of their efforts to reduce the stigma around homelessness.

“My daughter, she's 12 years old, she's been doing community service work since she was five. The first picture I have is her holding a free hotdog sign at five years old. We just went and got hot dogs and bottled waters and set up on 41 to help people… that’s the perfect example of normalizing it, so people have compassion. These are our brothers, sisters, that’s somebody’s aunt.”

SOP’s legion of assiduous volunteers, mostly middle-aged women, mill about 9th and Lemon like honeybees with practical shoes on. Frequently they’ll stop to ask a question of Cruz or Cathy Bryant, SOP’s harried Director of Operations, or chat with a member of the family— including me, a new face in the crowd. My arrival was treated like an everyday sort of miracle.

Their eyes actually lit up when I said I was a first-timer (in short, it’s like the opposite of every New College party I went to my first year).

“So glad you make it out!” “It’s

great to meet you!” “Thank you so much for coming!”

The mood is hectic, convivial, seemingly impossibly joyful for a street where Sarasota’ untouchables sleep a few feet away from each other on cardboard sheets while the rest of us speed-walk past, clutching our handbags and averting our eyes.

Dozens of people cluster on 9th Street at night, and it is’s generally a muted scene of lifelessness.

There’s nothing funny or exciting or inspiring about it. It’s human beings in abject poverty. I’ve seen things on that street I wouldn’t be allowed to write about in the newspaper, and wouldn’t be able to anyway, and I’m not there very often at all. Mostly it’s just bleak. Mere blocks away, music and suntanned vacationers spill from the luxe restaurants onto the streets.

“If you look at the logo, you notice the word paradise is beat up and looks worn, and that was to show that depth of the have and havenots,” Cruz explained. “Cause if you pick up any brochure, for instance, if you go to the tourist spot and ask for a brochure, and you've never been to Sarasota, they're gonna show you the beaches, tell you about downtown, continued on p. 11

CATALYST

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

Radio reflections: 50th anniversary of New Radio coincides with Reunion

BY CHUCK LEAVENGOOD Not only was this past weekend the 50th reunion of the cohort of 1970, but it was also the 50-year anniversary of the name-changing and sometimes silent New Radio. On Saturday, Feb. 22, three alums met on a panel in Heiser to reminisce about their different radio eras. Speakers included Laurel Roth Patton (‘68), Stu Levitan (‘72) and David Bryant (‘91). One commonality among the speakers and past programmers who sat in the audience was whether or not anyone was listening to the station.

Patton, who sported spiky purple hair, hosted a Delta Blues show back in the day. Though she has worked in various career fields, music has always been a constant in her life. She continued to make playlists over the years and, on Thursday, Feb. 20, her playlist “My Bipolar Summer Playlist” was featured on WSLR. That playlist is currently available on Spotify.

Levitan was a late-night disc jockey (DJ) and pursued print and broadcast journalism after school.

He settled in Madison, Wis. to host public affairs programming, artist interviews and music features on 89.9 WORT. Bryant volunteers and works in nonprofit radio stations like 88.5 WMNF Tampa and has had a Monday night show called “Soul Kitchen” for the past four years. He was a founding board member of WSLR Radio in the early 2000s, a more recent development of New Radio.

The first programming of a radio station was mentioned in the school newspaper, Captain Jack, on

Feb. 9, 1970. Tim Snyder (‘67), who was present on the recent panel, was a co-founder of WNCR. At first, broadcasting was only available to the Palmer Campus because the radio was running through the New College electrical system on a “carrier current.” The station had a low enough frequency that it did not need an Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, meaning the original broadcasting environment had an ‘anything goes’ feel to it.

“Even though it was limited to the dorms, it was still a cool thing to be able to go down there late at night to program stuff and think that maybe someone was listening,” Levitan said.

After the introduction of each panelist, Snyder opened up the floor to other programmers. Another DJ in the audience from the 1970s, David Silverman, recalled his journey from music programming to professional communications law, providing another example of the balance alums found between their passions and their career interests. The seven oral histories shared in the room weaved together a patchwork timeline of the radio’s progression up through 1997.

There are gaps in the history of and growth of the station, especially in the 1980s, but current board member of WSLR and third-year Jenna Courtade’s love of history helped fill in some of the story.

“There are currently in the archives, these set lists from the late 70s and early 80s and then the late continued on p. 11

Chuck Leavengood/Catalyst Radio Daze panelists (left to right) David Bryant, Laurel Roth Patton, Stu Levitan and Timothy Snyder stand in front of newspaper archives that track the creation of New Radio through the decades. This visual aid is also available in the Hamilton Center.

PAGE 9

SONGS YOU SHOULD HEAR

PCP Preview Edition

BY HAYLEY VANSTRUM

When it comes to PCP, preparation is key. While the Catalyst is unfortunately unable to help you pick out a show-stopping outfit or solidify your somewhat shaky plans, this handpicked, highenergy playlist has your pregame soundtrack covered.

“The Cult of Dionysus” by the Orion Experience “It’s the ultimate PCP pregame song,” Staff Writer Sophia Brown emphasized with her recommendation of the Orion Experience’s 2007 indie pop track, “The Cult of Dionysus.” “Do not sleep on this!” Brown makes an undeniable point, as this appropriately themed, theatrical party anthem—recently repopularized by the social media application TikTok—could not be a more fitting pick for this year’s upcoming Dionysan PCP. “We are the life, we are the light, we are the envy of the Gods above,” lead singer Orion Simprini sings, providing some divine inspiration for the night of indulgence ahead.

“It Gets Funkier IV”

by Vulfpeck feat. Louis Cole “It Gets Funkier IV,” an ambitious musical crossover featuring both American funk band Vulfpeck and classically trained jazz musician Louis Cole, has to be one of the funkiest collaborations in existence. With Cole on drums and Vulfpeck founder Jack Stratton on the electronically amplified keyboard known as the clavinet, the song is a frantic yet measured mashup of enjoyable sounds. “It Gets Funkier IV” has a way of gradually building on itself, the track hyping itself up as the pre-PCP listener does the same.

“Gold”

by BROCKHAMPTON The members of BROCKHAMPTON, All-American boy band and California-based rap

collective, bring themes of style, individuality and self-love to the forefront with “GOLD,” one of many innovative and extremely successful singles off the collective’s 2017 album, SATURATION. “Keep a gold chain on my neck, fly as a jet, boy better treat me with respect,” 23-year-old queer rapper Kevin Abstract asserts over a chill yet distinctive beat, showcasing the group’s proficiency in creating an effortlessly cool party vibe.

“Screwed”

by Janelle Monae feat. Zoë Kravitz “You fucked the world up now, we'll fuck it all back down,” Janelle Monae sings in her 2018 feminist R&B-pop hit, “Screwed.” The song is lyrically dystopian yet musically fun, encapsulating the bright, futuristic tone Monae carries throughout her deeply personal 2018 album, Dirty Computer. Even in the face of hopelessness, Monae reminds the listener that it is okay to take a break and celebrate, even if only for a moment.

“I Don’t Want It At All”

by Kim Petras German-born and Los Angeles-based singer songwriter Kim Petras makes her copious worldly desires known with “I Don’t Want It At All,” a bubblegum, synthpop hit that flawlessly showcases both Petras’ impressive vocal range and unwavering dedication to her unique musical aesthetic. The song is is pure ultra-femme materialistic fantasy—think Paris Hilton circa 2001—demonstrating Petras’ ability to bring all the best aspects of early 2000s pop music into her own critically acclaimed style.

Know your worth this PCP season and ask yourself, in the words of Kim Petras, if you cannot have it right now, do you really want it at all?

Check out the Spotify playlist for this column at https://spoti.fi/37OG5v1.

CATALYST Reunion

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 liberal arts college is what initially drew many alumni in. While Mojeiko did not graduate from New College, she says that in her four years here she “learned some really important life lessons.”

Adriana Diaz CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

“I was very apprehensive at first, like, ‘Is social work going to be too difficult, or such heart-heavy work?

Can I handle it?’” Diaz said. “But I really think that a lot of what I’ve done here at New College has actually prepared me for that, to develop better internal boundaries, even, and how I

Booker

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 New College has recently developed a direct admission program with Booker High School called the Guaranteed Admission Partnership, which allows Booker students to be accepted if they apply and meet the academic requirements. There are also mentorship connections between the two schools.

General Counsel David Fugett has been a mentor to Booker Law Academy students for over a year and is involved in reoccurring collaborations between Booker and New College. Recently, both schools have assisted each other by providing a collaborative work space for their law programs. “[Booker’s] mock trial team came to practice at College Hall, and we actually invited the mock trial students at New College to come help,” Fugett said.

Booker’s Law Academy was also able to practice in the Jane Bancroft Cook Library over winter break while the Selby Library downtown was being renovated. As for the recent com-

Living tarot

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 “It was a great learning experience for how much faith you can really put in people’s abilities to create good art just by making the space and time to do it with each other,” Everdale said.

Since it was such a small production, each of the cast members did a little bit of everything, culminating in a unified yet distinct group production spearheaded by Everdale’s creative direction.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

CONT'D

PAGE 10

“I still use my skills from New College, just learning how to write and understand and synthesize information,” Mojeiko said. “That’s a skill that I’ve found you really take for granted at New College.”

Hazel Bradford (’75), reunion co-chair, still comes to all the board meetings.

“I think I’m on my third term,

and I’m as big a believer as when I was here,” Bradford said.

While her degree was in criminology, Bradford claims that her successful career in journalism would not have been possible without a New College education.

“At New College, you are it, you’re it,” she said. “You’re on your own to figure out getting answers or

finding out opportunities.”

Despite the current uncertainty stemming from the potential merger with the University of Florida and a change in PCP scheduling, New College alumni and students were able to come together on campus for a weekend, sharing their similarities and differences, all while making strong connections along the way.

view myself in relation to my work.”

As Diaz prepares to leave, plans are currently underway to find the next Campus Life Coordinator. Nicole Gelfert, current Director of Residential Education, will temporarily step in as her replacement for the rest of the spring semester, overseeing the RAs that Diaz currently supervises. To find a more permanent replacement, the college will begin looking for candidates to interview at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NAPSA)

2020 Annual Conference, which runs from March 28 to April 1 in Austin, Texas. Diaz says that RAs will play a big role in determining who will fill her position and speculates that the college may hire two Campus Life Coordinators, who would realistically start as Residence Hall Directors, for the upcoming year to better manage their responsibilities.

“It’s just hard to find people who are going to be a good fit for the staff that we currently have and the very unique needs of New College,” Diaz

said. “We’re hoping that it’s also possible that we may have some alums interested in applying for the summer.”

Until a new Campus Life Coordinator is found, Diaz offers two final bits of advice to whoever will be filling in her position: learn to listen to others and stay humble.

“It is super important to take the perspective of other people, especially when you’re working to serve the RA staff,” Diaz said.

petition in Orlando, the New College mock trial team went to the courtroom at Booker which, for some students, was the first time they practiced in that type of setting. New College students not only helped through mentorship, but donations as well.

“I’ve had one New College student donate a laptop,” Fugett said.

Fugett mentioned that several students from the Law Academy have approached him with interest in New College. For students at Booker interested in law and staying local, New College is an ideal match.

In fact, according to Fugett, law-prospective students from New College can go to any law school they want.

“Looking at the stats we’ve been putting New College students into the top law schools in the country,” Fugett said. “Just got one into Columbia this year, which is a fifth rank law school in the nation. Within the last six years they’ve gotten accepted into Stanford, University of Chicago, Duke, Michigan [basically] all top 14 schools.”

Fugett puts emphasis on New College’s educational system. “[Law schools are] going to see that you’ve done a thesis, which

tells [them] that you can read a lot, research and write while defending what you write which is exactly what they want,” Fugett said. “So they will see that in every single New College [student’s] resume but nowhere else [plus] the ISPs.” Collaboration between Booker and New College dates back to 1967 when the high school closed as part of desegregation. The predominantly Black student body was bused to other local high schools for a semester. However, desegregation was not a very welcoming process for the students from Booker.

“They had a terrible time, the white students at Sarasota [High] and Riverview [High] were very cruel and used the ‘N-word’ and threw things at them,” Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Bill Woodson said.

Though despite the harsh treatment, the then Booker students decided enough was enough when the Black middle and elementary schools were said to close as well.

“They were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we don’t want our little brothers and sisters going through the same kind of crap that we’re going through, we’re gonna do something,’” Woodson recalled.

As a result, the students boycotted for weeks and about 80 to 90 percent of students did not go to school.

This caused the school board to create a new plan and agreed to re-open Booker High the following year.

“You’ll see around the country that there were a lot of Black schools that were closed and forced busing of the Black students to white schools because that’s how they did desegregation, but Sarasota is the one place where students fought back,” Woodson said.

During the time of strike, the students went to what were known as freedom schools. They mostly consisted of churches or private homes and were taught by New College students and faculty.

“So even back in 1967 there was stuff going on between New College and Booker High School,” Woodson said.

Overall, the Booker Promise is a wonderful program and the school’s collaborations with New College will likely become a more prominent partnership to help students interested in higher education consider New College.

“Tarot is a really fun way to put yourself in conversation with a part of yourself that we often get disconnected from,” Everdale explained. “The same goes for acting, and for art—anything that bridges that gap between the conscious and unconscious.”

Everdale’s goal was for their audience to leave feeling hopeful and optimistic, able to pull their own meaning from each scene.

“You can’t force somebody to have a mystical experience, but you can build the container for one and let people come in.”

CATALYST SOP

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 all the great restaurants, and all those are amazing places, but this is what happens on the street level in paradise.”

But in just two years, SOP has gone far beyond raising awareness of Sarasota’s homeless population.

In addition to their Wednesday night foodshares, the photoseriesturned-501(3)(c) nonprofit now offers brunch on weekend mornings at Payne Park, clothes and hygiene services, and house furnishings to formerly homeless people rehoused by the Continuum of Care, the city’s homelessness response team. The program previously put the formerly homeless into entirely bare spaces.

“It was literally overlooked,” Cruz said, “like nobody thought up to that point. It's like ‘Oh shit, now what?’ We spent so much money and were so focused on getting them housed, and it was pretty much ‘now it's on you,’ and people were literally moving in with a bag worth of stuff and sleeping on the floor… they [the Continuum of Care] reached out to us, when they saw our grassroots thing building momentum. And we went from just feeding people and showering people and clothing people to being part of the process of getting permanent housing, which is just so amazing.”

Akiva Packouz, a third-year New College student who volunteered with

New Radio

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 80s and the early 90s,” Courtade said.

As part of her Independent Study Project (ISP) during her second year, Courtade digitized the set lists and published them to YouTube and the forum. The rediscovery of these melodic artifacts likely contributed to the organization of the Radio Daze event as part of this year’s reunion.

“Not to say that I am the cause of all this, but with my ISP, I think a lot of people were like, oh my gosh, I loved the radio station and it got a lot of people talking,” Courtade explained.

Local radio has changed significantly since the 1970s. After the radio’s absence in the early 1980s, students were interested in extending the radio’s signal beyond the Pei dorms and receiving better equipment so they were not crawling through the Pei tunnels attempting to connect wires.

In 2003, students applied for an FCC license and bidded for the lowpower frequency 96.5. Getting the license demanded better-informed media content and less New Collegespecific programming and cursing.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

CONT'D

PAGE 11

Streets of Paradise during the month of Independent Study Project (“If the CEO asks, it was an internship,” he reminds me), concurred. Although the professional obligation has passed, he delights in continuing to work with SOP. “You’re doing great work, fulfilling work,” Packouz said.

“You give a few hours on a Saturday, and because of that families will have beds to sleep on, and kitchenware to cook their food with. ‘Cause these people’s homes are completely bare. And it’s personally fulfilling, cause you’re hanging out with good people doing good things.

A lot of the volunteers were formerly homeless and got helped out by SOP. They had super interesting stories. I felt like I was being welcomed into a family.”

To Cathy Bryant, this is the vital magic of SOP. At its heart, it isn’t really about the food, or the furniture, or even the rehousing: its about the family. Bryant, who has been an activist all her life, who gave food to the homeless when it was illegal, who has three kids, one of whom has a degenerative brain condition, who lost everything, including her house, to the medical bills, who now invites strangers to her home and has given half of Sarasota her phone number and probably a really good hug, who surmounts impossibly tall and precarious towers of furniture in her sparkly Converse, understands the power of family.

“What I saw and what I loved was that it wasn't so much about ‘feeding

people’, you know, like we weren't ‘feeding the homeless’ — I really hate that term. We were creating community and we were creating a family. And it wasn't even exclusive to the people who live out here-- it was also the volunteers. They say that the most healthy people have five people they could call, if they needed something. And I don't think a lot of us have that.” Bryant has a soft Midwestern accent. She smiles quickly, speaks slowly, chooses her words with care.

“They may be aging out of foster care, they may have worked themselves off the streets, they may be coming out of the SA programs... but once they get into a house, we go in and furnish it top to bottom. Toilet paper to couches and linens and everything in between. I came from my background in domestic violence and addiction work, and I'd never heard an 87% statistic. But they said people were 87% more likely to never face homelessness again if they moved into a furnished home.

And for me, that was just… I wanna see why, I wanna know why. And again, I think it’s that same thing, it's creating that family. I get calls from people every day from people we've moved in before, saying ‘Hey I'm going through a hard time with this’, or I don’t have enough blankets, or my roof fell down, and we can step in and fill these needs which they may have otherwise had to spend their whole check on, and possibly have to face homelessness — or just, you know, loneliness. And that matters.

In 2003, students approached Dave Beaton and Arlene Sweeting, who were also bidding for the frequency, to collaborate and make the station both community and student-run while allowing the school to win the bid. The school gave the license to the community-programming side of WSLR in 2009 with specific bylaws that stated one student must be on the board of directors and there must be internships and time reserved for students to program.

The station moved to its current location at 525 Kumquat Court in 2011. However, the station still only has the wattage of a lightbulb, meaning the frequency only reaches a few miles from the satellite. As such, the station offers online access to the live programming through their website. Unlike the station in the 1970s, WSLR is also able to archive their programs in case a listener missed the scheduled program.

Archives were discussed at the panel because of how radio has changed due to rapid technological advancements in the past 50 years.

The atmosphere was one of admiration for the power of the archive, but also a tension over the future of print and radio journalism. The discussion closed with final remarks to current

students pursuing media and com- explain that to people so that they munication studies. can take the appropriate action.”

“Journalism is one of the highest callings you can have outside of New Radio at WSLR occurs every day the actual healing arts,” Levitan stat- except for Monday and Tuesday at difed. “You have the responsibility and ferent times between 11 p.m. opportunity to look behind the curand 3 a.m. tain and see what is happening and Information for this article was obunderstand what is happening and tained from wslr.org

to be able to have somebody to call, so that you feel important enough to value yourself to keep going.”

SOP is a grassroots, entirely volunteer-based organization, so volunteer opportunities are very flexible. There’s currently a need for administrative work — people making phone calls to confirm donation pick-ups and move-ins, check the group email, map routes and the ilk. They also need people for the “Muscle Team,” which handles the physical move-ins on Saturdays. (“That’s just what it’s called,” Cruz assured me, “You don’t actually need to have muscles.” I said that’s great news because 96% of the student body would be disqualified right there).

Or, as Bryant put it, “I think one of the reasons why streets of paradise has been so successful is the recognition that all of our gifts are worthy. And whatever that is, you know, if your gift is making macaroni and cheese, your gift is worthy. If your gift is logistics, helping get moves in order, your gift is worthy. I mean, the amount of time that’s spent returning calls, mapping the logistics… and maybe your gift is that you’re tired of school and you wanna work out, so you wanna come help with move. Whatever you could dream of, we could use, and we could do something really great together.

That’s how it’s grown to this.”

Check out SOP at streetsofparadise.org to volunteer and learn more.

Photo courtesy of NCSA Archives This poster from the original creation of WNCR in 1970 invited students to listen.

CATALYST

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

BACK PAGE

PAGE 12

O U T D O O R A DV E N T U R E L L C AT T E N D S

ORLANDO WETLANDS FESTIVAL Chuck Leavengood/Catalyst

BY CHUCK LEAVENGOOD

Feb. 15 marked the 19th annual Orlando Wetlands Festival in Christmas, Fla. Christmas is an unincorporated area in Orange County with less than 1,500 residents. The festival features live animals, wildlife education and tours of the wetlands.

The wetlands are one of two sites for the festival, the other being musical and environmental attractions at the Fort Christmas Historical Park.

The event is sponsored by the City of Orlando, Orange Audubon Society and Orange County Parks and RecreStudents travel down a path; hidden alligators sunbathe in the nearby water. ation. Second-year Tony Opio hosted an event that brought students from the Outdoor Adventure Living Learning Community (LLC) to this wet wonderland.

“The festival offered a lot of areas of education and in this day and age it's becoming more and more important to be aware of the ecosystems around us, how they function and what we can do to help maintain them,” Opio said.

In the initial email sent out to the forum about the event, Opio acknowledged that the festival took place on the unceded land of the Seminole people. A plaque in Fort Christmas Historical Park stated that white settlers “moved” into Florida in the early 1800s and hoped to “conChuck Leavengood/Catalyst vince” Seminole people to move to a reservation west of the Mississippi.

A bird tagging event served to help the public to better understand the wildlife The park is a replica of the fort built conservation efforts of the park. to house colonizers during the SecPhoto courtesy of the Orlando Wetlands ond Seminole War which lasted from 1835 to 1842. Osceola, a member of the Creek Nation who moved from Alabama to Florida after the Creek Wars, led the Seminole resistance.

Osceola County, just south of the celebration site of the festival, was named in his honor in 1887.

“We are on the ancestral homelands of the Seminole, Miccosukee and Calusa people,” Opio explained.

“It's exceedingly important to be aware of the land you're on, the people who have deep cultural connections to it and how you can actively participate in the fight to return land to native nations and people.”

Wetlands are ecosystems found on every continent except for Antarctica and vary in biodiversity and structure, but one unifying characteristic is that water covers the ground. Wetlands improve water quality, reduce storm and flood damage, control erosion and provide a habitat for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. They also recharge groundwater deposits, which Across the bank lies a sunbathing alligator as a staff member leads an exploration hike. is particularly important because

Florida sources much of its water from the Floridan aquifer.

“Wetlands festivals are significant because most people don’t know or care about wetlands and wetlands are one of the most important wildlife habitats there are,” CEO of Stocking Savvy Environmental Consulting and alum Sean Patton (‘11) said. “If you care about climate change, wetlands store 40 times more carbon than a traditional forest”.

Although wetlands are a natural part of Florida’s ecosystem, the Orlando Wetlands are 1,220 acres of man-made wetlands built-in 1987.

The Orlando Wetlands’ primary function is to treat 14 million gallons of reclaimed water daily before it is discharged into the St. Johns River through a 17-mile long pipe.

“Our wetlands were created at a cattle pasture,” Orlando Wetlands Manager Mark Sees said. “We planted over 2.2 million plants and 50 different native species and as those began to grow, they took up nutrients from the wastewater.”

Patton sold discounted native wetland plants along with free educational materials about how to grow native plants at a table in For Christmas. The students who attended the festival adopted a free Flatwoods Plum tree to plant in the food forest.

“I enjoy putting New College’s name out there with local groups and environmental organizations and going to events like this often opens up good opportunities for students,” Opio said.

Stocking Savvy Environmental Consulting is located in Sarasota and Patton encouraged students to reach out about internships.

“Wetlands have some untold diversity and Florida, being mostly wetlands, has 400 species endemic to the state meaning they are native nowhere else,” Patton said. “They are so poorly understood and so often not even talked about.”

Wetlands are threatened by drought, pollution, global warming and human development. Most of the human destruction of wetlands through draining and paving occurred between the 1950s and the 1970s until environmental conservation slowed the process. According to the National Park Service, more than half of the 221 million acres of wetlands that existed in the lower 48 states in the late 1700s have been destroyed.

Information for this article was obtained from www.nps.gov, www. neefusa.org, www.orlando.gov and science.howstuffworks.com.