The Sandspur Volume 125 Issue 22

Issue 22 • Volume 125 Thursday, Apr. 11, 2019 www.thesandspur.org

Cru, InterVarsity become registered student groups

Medical marijuana is legal in Florida, but not on campus

Leadership selection processes abide by non-discrimination policy

Because Rollins receives federal funding, it is required to follow federal law

By Heather Borochaner

hborochaner@rollins.edu

M Curtis Shaffer

Orlando-based Cru is one of the largest Christian organizations in the U.S., with chapters on nearly 2,300 campuses.

By Ellie Rushing

T

erushing@rollins.edu

he two evangelical Christian organizations that were denied campus affiliation last fall are now officially registered as student organizations at Rollins.

Cru and InterVarsity, two national campus ministry organizations, changed their student leadership selection processes to abide by the College’s non-discrimination policy.

The organizations’ applications were initially denied because their statements of faith prohibited gay students from holding leadership positions, which violated Rollins’ non-discrimination policy. Both organizations have now agreed to abide by the policy and allow all students, if actively participating members, to run for those positions.

To the students eager to join the groups, their inclusion may reshape their Rollins experience.

“This is really pivotal to me,” said Papaa Kodzi (‘20), one of the student leaders of Rollins’ new Cru chapter. “My faith is one of the things that defines me the most. To have a space that is Rollins sponsored, and a group that enables me to strengthen my faith and be with others who are trying to walk the same path as I am, that’s crucial. That’s every-

thing to me.”

The change comes after nearly a year-long conversation between President Grant Cornwell and various leaders of the national organizations. Cornwell spent the fall semester talking to students, staff, and national constituents about whether he should make changes to the non-discrimination policy, because at the time, it did not technically allow religious organizations to practice freely on campus in the way the groups selected their leaders.

The ongoing debate left many people in an uproar. Students protested, signed petitions, and passed student government legislation; faculty voted on resolutions to uphold the policy.

“I remember reading the articles and seeing the protests and all last semester, and I felt sad,” said Kodzi. “I didn’t think it reflected what I believe my faith is and what I believe in myself. The things that people accused Cru of, or accused the members of Cru of, I just kept asking ‘is that actually true?’”

By December, Cornwell reaffirmed the college’s non-discrimination policy and chose not to add an exemption statement for the organizations.

Additionally, he added a new section to the policy that requires every student organization to clearly present and

explain its student leadership selection process as a way to verify that the non-discrimination policy is being followed and give the administration a clear understanding of why certain leaders are selected.

In the past, Cru and InterVarsity could deem certain members ineligible to stand for leadership positions based on how the student aligns with its statements of faith, which are sets of promises that range from believing there is one true God to not engaging in premarital sex. These statements of faith are what, in the past, prevented openly gay students from being able to run for leadership positions.

That was what happened in 2013, when InterVarsity was kicked off campus after prohibiting a gay member from holding a leadership position. Now, Cru’s inauguration and InterVarsity’s return represents the beginning of a new relationship with the campus.

“The issue at hand was never membership. Membership was always open in these organizations. The issue of dialogue was around leadership selection within the organizations and whether the non-discrimination policy applies to leadership selection versus membership,” said Mamta Accapadi, vice president of Student Affairs, who ‣ See CRU Page 4

edical marijuana is officially legal in Florida; however, students with a prescription are still not permitted to use it on campus.

Governor Ron DeSantis overturned former gov. Rick Scott’s ban on medical marijuana last month, making the medicinal drug legal in the Sunshine State. Because the drug is still not legal federally, though, Rollins cannot allow students to use it on campus.

Rollins is obligated to follow federal policy, which bans the

use of recreational and medical marijuana, because it receives federal funding, said Ken Miller, assistant vice president of public safety. “Any institution that receives federal funding has to follow federal guidelines on drugs.

It’s not just Rollins, it can be anywhere,” said Miller. “We can’t permit it, whether it’s legal in the state of Florida really doesn’t matter because we have to follow guidelines.”

Miller said he does not know what the consequences of breaking those federal guidelines to allow medical marijuana use on campus would be.

“Are we going to suspend ‣ See MARIJUANA Page 6

Curtis Shaffer

Students prescribed medical marijuana cannot use it on campus.

Inside today’s Sandspur

Courtesy of Isaac James

See Page 5 to learn more about Isaac James, the junior with a passion for public service who just became the first Rollins student to win the Truman Scholarship in 28 years.

2 Established in 1894 with the following editorial:

The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

Campus accessibility concerns ramp up

Construction projects, audit plans to go beyond ADA requirements

By Maura Leaden

EXECUTIVE STAFF Ellie Rushing Editor-in-Chief Christina Fuleihan Managing Editor

CONTENT STAFF Alex Candage Head Copy Editor Siobhan Nolet David Smith Hannah Butcher Copy Editors Maura Leaden Assigning Editor Alyssa Malto Headlines Kira Bernhard Photo Editor

DESIGN DEPARTMENT Lya Dominguez Head Designer Dana Wagenhauser Pat Murray Hannah Jahosky Designer Anastasia Rooke Designer / Illustrator

WEB STAFF Kalli Joslin Neny Lairet Katie McCree

Digital Content Editors

BUSINESS & FACULTY Greg Golden

Director of Student Media

Dr. Leslie Poole Faculty Advisor Luis Diego Student Media Graduate Assistant

ADVERTISING

Contact: studentmedia@rollins.edu

A

mleaden@rollins.edu

ccessibility is at the forefront of administrators’ minds when planning new campus construction as they take the opportunity to surpass ADA standards.

On a historic campus with century-old buildings, students with disabilities find it difficult to traverse campus, which is plagued by lots of stairs and few elevators within buildings. Students have demanded change, and now the College seems to be listening.

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards has become the bare minimum goal of upcoming projects. Now, administrators are seeking universal design, specifically in the construction of the new Lakeside Residential Complex and parking garage.

However, while there is a better future ahead for the ease of individuals of all mobilities, the current construction projects have led to blocked pathways and steep ramps that are still causing issues.

Lakeside Residence Hall and parking accessibility plans The new Lakeside Residence Hall will have an emphasis on accessibility within all rooms, not just the rooms designated for students with disabilities. Twenty-six out of 125 apartments will be designated “accessible,” and seven of those 26 will be designed specifically for students in non-transferable wheelchairs, according to Scott Bitikofer, assistant vice president of Facilities Services.

These rooms will include roll-in showers, a washer and dryer stacked side-by-side rather than over-under, and accessible kitchens. The seven wheelchair-accessible rooms will be dispersed on the first, second, or third floors, which can be exited without using any elevators due to the multi-tiered and graded design of the apartment. These rooms will be distributed among all apartment types.

“Five of them will be in [apartment] units where there’s one accessible room in the otherwise fully accessible apartment with the roll-in shower,” said Bitikofer. Therefore, five suites will have one wheelchair-accessible

room (with a roll-in shower) and several other dorm rooms that are not ADA compliant.

Two of the wheelchair-accessible dorm rooms (with rollin showers) will be in the same apartment in case two students who need the same accommodations want to live together.

Bitikofer said that the entire building will be accessible for entry and use, not just the rooms marked that way. He said that all of the apartment units will have clearances wide enough for wheelchair access.

The architects for the project are incorporating universal design, meaning that their goal is to make the entire space accessible for people of all abilities. One example is the decision to change the height of the table tops in all apartments, not just the ones with accommodations.

“Originally, in the dining room area we were going to have high-top tables,” said Bitikofer.

“Obviously that doesn’t work for someone in a wheelchair, so the decision was made to actually lower all of them... down to an accessible height.” That will be done in all apartment units.

Access to parking and dropping off items like groceries was also brought up as something that must have accessible design. The main parking for the new residence hall will be across campus in the new parking garage; however, it was noted that 15-minute load and unload spots have been requested for the Lakeside Residence Hall area, similar to the round-about circle

by Elizabeth Hall.

Besides the new residence hall, Bitikofer explained the concerns with accessibility in the new parking garage. There will be accessible spaces in the new garage; however, Bitikofer is aware that the garage is a long distance away from central parts of campus. Lack of proximity would make it hard for individuals who may not be using a wheelchair, but who have difficulty walking, to reach their destinations.

Bitikofer said that the internal parking on campus will see a rise in accessible options. He will try to move the accessible parking to parking lots like the Alfond Sports Center, which are closer to destination buildings.

a New York-based architectural firm, to perform a campus-wide audit of campus accessibility.

The company is familiar with the Rollins campus due to its work on the Bush Science Center and the new Mills building.

Rollins stressed the importance of knowledge of “true accessibility access according to both law and spirit, not just code compliance,” in the request for proposals. They also requested consultation on universal design principles.

The audit will be completed over the summer, but on May 1 students will be able share their concerns with EYP before the audit begins. The meeting’s location and time will be released as the event gets closer.

Other plans include improved universal design in the new Lakeside Residence Hall.

Disability Alliance, a new club that formed in response to accessibility issues on campus, had its second meeting with administration to discuss these plans.

During its meeting on Friday, April 5, Whitney Horton, director of accessibility services, updated club members on construction developments. After speaking with Campus Safety, Horton is in the process of getting ADA-compliant parking spaces marked on the campus maps. She is also collaborating with Scheduling and Event Services to provide warning notifications when groups book events in an inaccessible room.

Before diving into accessibility plans for the new residence hall, Horton confirmed that there will be push buttons added to the internal doors of Skillman Hall, the newly renovated dining hall. Push buttons are a feature that many buildings, including the newly renovated Rice Family Pavilion, lack.

A concrete pathway is also being designed between the areas of Sutton Place Apartments and the Cornell Social Sciences Building, which will be built once construction on the new parking garage is complete. For students with mobility aids, this is a more accessible option than brick, which many current campus pathways are made of.

Upcoming accessibility audit

The growing pains that all students and faculty have experienced during construction on

The College selected EYP,

Current construction ‘growing pains’

campus are only exaggerated for students and faculty with disabilities who find previously accessible pathways obstructed, more ramps that are too steep, and bumps that are used to cover electrical strips blocking the accessible walkways.

Horton feels the strain of the ongoing projects. “We have some very serious issues right now in the midst of construction, and so, the hope that I have to continue looking towards is what it’s going to be like once it’s completed,” she said.

“And that’s a hard tension to be in,” she said, “because the growing pains between that are so blatant that... sometimes I feel discouraged by some of the things that are currently an obvious barrier. And there’s no denying that that’s the case.”

Perhaps most striking right now is the lack of accessibility to the Sutton Place Apartments, which house a large population of upperclassmen students, faculty apartments, and the Center for Inclusion and Campus Involvement.

In the unexpected rapid construction of the new parking garage, a ramp had to be built before one of the city’s electric boxes could be moved. “That was a huge miss on the part of the contractor and unfortunate to say the very very least about it,” said Horton.

“But I think that in all of these cases, I have to look to the bigger picture and say sometimes there’s a miss, but at least there’s a plan in place that’s going to be fixing it. And so, it’s very hard,” she said.

Moving forward, she is in close conversation with the project managers. She said that at her most recent meetings, “we went piece by piece with all of the projects moving forward so they can talk me through all the things they’re doing to keep accessibility in mind.”

“I hate that we have to accept that things aren’t good right now... but they’re definitely thinking about it,” said Horton.

According to Bitikofer, the electric box that has prevented the end of the ramp from being completed in full ADA compliance will be moved, and the fixed ramp will be finalized before students move back to campus next semester.

3

The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

Rollins superficially supports women’s programs Changes to Lucy Cross Center’s structure sends hurtful message to all students

By Olivia Llanio

ollanio@rollins.edu

T

OPINION

here were a few things that drove me to choose Rollins over other potential colleges. Rollins promised me inclusivity and an equitable playing field for everyone attending. I was promised rainbows and diversity, with events to match. The reality I experience on campus, however, is very different.

I come from a small town in North Carolina where I am surrounded by dip cans and “smile, sweetheart.” I ran to Florida to find somewhere safe, where a second-generation Cuban American bisexual woman could be herself and could trust that it would not only be allowed, but embraced. It is my fourth semester on this campus, and I feel as though those things that had been promised to me are far from robust.

Here, the Lucy Cross Center, known fondly as the Lucy, is undergoing major changes that will negatively impact its effec-

tiveness. A previous article by The Sandspur found that despite recommendations to increase the Lucy’s size and scope, both were reduced. Key staff leaders of the program were cut, and the organization has no definitive director.

Almost all good work being done by the organization is being disrupted. Yes, the administration will argue that the Lucy is having “more events than ever before,” but there is a difference between quantity and quality.

I believe the word of the Lucy’s work-study students, who say their work feels undermined, more than the people who made the decision to cut the Lucy’s staff.

Hurting the Lucy hurts all students on campus. I do not know where I would be without the office; they give me a home to cry in and powerful women to help me stand up when I fall down. They put on programs that help to make this campus safer and more inclusive, and the Lucy is filled with people trying to make change.

We all know Rollins’ mission of global citizenship and

how important activism is said to be on campus. However, Rollins’ actions do not align with its words, and its recent decisions with the Lucy showed students what Rollins really thinks beyond its empty promises.

Rollins says it cares, but women are constantly receiving the short end of the stick in terms of funding and media coverage of events. I ask, what if the Black Student Union had been subjected to the same lack of concern?

Or Spectrum, an LGBTQ+ organization? What if the Pinehurst building were to be torn down in the middle of the school year?

Students would be rioting on Mills if these budget cuts and building changes happened to an “important” part of campus.

This slides under the radar because it is nothing but a place for women and gender-nonconforming people, and those spaces are trivialized and not treated with importance.

Rollins administrators are ignoring the fact that, whether they like it or not, women’s issues impact everyone. Men, women, and nonbinary people either know someone or are someone

who can benefit from the services and programs provided by the Lucy. What Rollins does not recognize, however, is that it is making a very specific statement by reducing Lucy staff.

Rollins is inadvertently telling students that it does not care about women’s issues, so how does it expect to have students take the issues seriously? Why should a fraternity brother care about Title IX training when resources meant to help minorities and underrepresented students are being appropriated and used elsewhere? They can tell that the school does not prioritize those students, so they need not worry about them either.

The reality is clear and one that Rollins needs to validate through its words and its actions: women’s issues are unavoidable.

We are the majority of the population (especially on campus), and we are fighting every day for a more equitable nation.

As much as Rollins wants to ignore its social shortcomings, the demolition of Chase Hall, and the Lucy with it, is unavoidably affecting every person on this campus who is not a man,

and we need to start acting like it.

I recognize that underfunding and a lack of attention is far from the end of the world, but that does not mean the ramifications are not serious. The impacts of this inaction are small, but when they become repetitive, they become erosive.

Rollins has already announced an audit concerning gender equity issues on campus.

However, this is far from needed, as there has already been an audit last year to deal with these issues (the advice of which was ignored by Rollins). Students, like myself, want to see action, not mysterious talks behind closed doors that do no actual good.

Rather than announcing another audit, action needs to be taken based on the previous audit. There have been enough delays already. The announcement of this new audit will only result in more delays, while the students who would benefit from a well-supported women’s center suffer.

Visiting professor wins international business award Dr. Justin Paul becomes latest fellow of the Indian Institute of Management

By Christina Oliveira

D

coliveira@rollins.edu

r. Justin Paul, a visiting professor of marketing and international business, received the Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Fellow award from the Indian Institute of Management, a prestigious business school in Kozhikode, India.

Visiting scholars host workshops and seminars at the university, mentoring and instructing students and junior colleagues for one month each year. Paul is planning on spending a month this summer at the university. He will mentor junior graduate students on marketing.

The award provides an opportunity for Rollins to increase its international connections.

Paul said that the offer will not only help him as a professor but help in terms of more collaborations, international activities, and exchanges. These collaborations may include co-authored research papers and student faculty exchange programs.

Paul said that “they select people with a lot of recognizable research track records and published articles.” Paul has developed several theoretical models, theories, and frameworks in marketing.

One of these is the Masstige model, which is taught at Rollins. According to Paul, the Mass-

tige Model states that companies and shops can keep their prices high and/or increase them by using certain strategies, such as marketing toward low-income consumers in their 20s instead of just high- and middle-income consumers.

Paul will receive an award of 140,400 rupees, or $2,028, return airfare from the U.S. to India, and rent-free executive accommodation.

The institute started giving the awards last year, when it selected three professors, one of whom is from Oxford University, England.

“Overall, it’s a good offer because it encourages international collaborations and it helps in

boosting the research output for the school,” said Paul. “For me, it’s also an opportunity to mentor more junior scholars and ju-

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandspur or Rollins College.

nior faculty members. It’s a recognition for my work and what I do now.”

4

The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

Curtis Shaffer

Cru’s headquarters are located in Orlando.

‣

CRU Continued from page 1 has played a key role alongside Cornwell in the conversation between Rollins and the national organizations.

“What has changed is the structural process of leadership selection,” said Cornwell. “The new constitutions make it clear that every student is welcome to be a member, and if they’re participating and are in good standing, every member is welcome to stand for election,” he said.

“That changes everything.”

Leadership selection Every student organization must have its constitution updated by the fall to abide by the new requirement. “Generally, we have about 150 student organizations,” said Abby Hollern, director for the Center of Inclusion & Campus Involvement. “So, we have gone through and met individually with any organization that is currently active, to go over their constitution.”

Last fall, Cornwell outlined guidelines for student organizations’ leadership selection process—specifically that they have to be democratic and transparent. “Everybody has to have the same process,” said Rev. Katrina Jenkins, dean of Religious Life.

“Hillel has to change over its constitution, because it appoints [leaders]... Right now, I’m working with the Muslim Student Union about updating its constitution.”

Now, both Cru and InterVarsity have laid out specific guidelines within their constitutions.

Any active member, regardless of their personal identity, is permitted to run for office as long as they are active members and in

good standing with the College.

Both organizations define an active member as a student who has attended at least 75 percent of the chapter’s meetings for at least one semester and at least one nationally sponsored retreat or conference.

According to Cru’s constitution, an active member must be nominated at least twice to be put on the ballot. From there, the person will write a personal statement and answer questions about “their knowledge of Cru’s teachings, about their experience leading and using Cru’s tools, and about their religious beliefs and values... Answers do not determine eligibility, but allow the voters to be better informed about the views and abilities of those on the ballot as they decide to cast their votes.”

InterVarsity’s constitution reads, “All active members are eligible to stand for election and to be placed on the ballot whether or not they meet the chapter’s religious expectations for leaders..., as required by Rollins’ non-discrimination policy.”

InterVarsity’s election process is similar to Cru’s: a student must be nominated, write a personal statement, and answer questions about their understanding of the organization’s religious practices.

Kodzi said that the national organization will not provide any required questions to ask candidates and that Jenkins provided the groups with outlined question restrictions to “make sure nobody feels trapped.” He said that questions will be built to let potential leaders tell the story of their faith. “The spirit behind that is to give the members a deeper understanding of who the person actually is and what they believe,” he said.

Accapadi said that the groups cannot ask candidates identity-based questions, but members could host debates with topics that relate to their religion, similar to the way all elections run; such as: What is your stance on abortion? What is your stance on same-sex marriage?

Then, the members can use their responses to decide if they want to vote for that person to lead the organization.

“I know that Katrina [Jenkins] will be fully present in any of these election conversations to make sure that we’re respecting the well-being of students,” said Accapadi. Jenkins will serve as the organizations’ faculty advisor. She will sit in on meetings, oversee elections, and make sure all constitutional processes are followed.

Student involvement Jenkins is currently organizing different ways for the groups to become easily integrated into the campus community, and she has been working closely with the students leading the charge.

Jakobi Bonner (’20) and Johanna Brown (’20) are the main students working with InterVarsity’s involvement, according to Accapadi, while Laura Tobin (’21) and Papaa Kodzi (’20) work with Cru. “I feel like we’re going to have a hard time kind of showing people what our true identity is, that we’re not a group that’s created to hate on anybody or exclude anybody, but rather we all want to live in harmony and community,” said Kodzi. “But, I think that’s going to be really hard because of the perception that’s been built up.”

It is unclear how many students plan to join these organizations; however, in the fall, a petition with approximately 120 student signatures in favor of the groups’ recognition was presented to Cornwell.

Kodzi said that not having a campus space that fit with his religious beliefs was one of the things that made him feel isolated when he first came to Rollins.

“There are a lot more reasons to feel isolated and to feel sad, but religion should not be one,” he said.

Cornwell looks forward to making sure students do not feel this way moving forward. “What I want to make sure is that students from all faith traditions feel like they can pursue a liberal education here, and also explore and deepen both their own faith traditions and others,” said Cornwell.

The groups joined all of Roll-

ins’ other religious groups for an interfaith retreat last weekend.

Rollins has many religious organizations on campus, including four other Christian groups: Exalt, Catholic Campus Ministries, Leaders United in Christ (LUX), and Every Nation Campus Ministry. Jenkins hoped this retreat will give the groups a sense of community and support.

Jenkins echoed the importance of students learning from one another’s beliefs: “If we can’t have conversations at a college level, if we can’t have hard discussions about differences in religion on a college campus, then where are we going to have them?”

“This is a training ground, a ground where we are all supposed to learn from each other,” Jenkins continued, “especially if you look at the world around us right now, people are not talking.

So, we are creating a level here where people can understand all kinds of diverse points of view.”

“Not every Christian is the same. Not all Catholics are the same. Not every faith is the same,” Jenkins said. “There is a spectrum across the board, and we need to understand and learn. I think that this provides an opportunity for groups to be able to come together.”

Accommodating all parties To some, the organizations’ integration into campus may come as a surprise. After a semester-long debate that ended with no changes made to the non-discrimination policy, many did not expect the organizations to willingly abide by the policy so quickly.

“I don’t think it was as black and white,” said Accapadi. “The general conversation looked more like, ‘We encourage you to reapply. We think that this new methodology is a pathway forward.’”

“I can’t speak for InterVarsity, but our stance through the whole thing was that we didn’t want to make enemies within the Rollins community,” said Kodzi. “We took a step back and let Rollins tell us what to do so that we could come be a part of the campus. We just waited for Dr. Cornwell to make the decision, and when he did, that’s when we revamped our constitution and included the new policies to make it fit within the Rollins community standards.”

Cornwell is not surprised that the groups reapplied. “At every forum, I said, ‘And I hope that they will [re]apply.’ We were doing this to try and seek an accommodation and a position that

all the organizations involved— Rollins, Cru, InterVarsity—can live with,” said Cornwell.

“Once I sent out our position, I didn’t know if they might say, ‘Well we just can’t live with that.’ But they did. They said, ‘We respect the campus’ process and policy, and we intend to work in accordance with it.’”

Cornwell worked closely with Mark Gauthier, Cru’s vice president. Gauthier did not respond to The Sandspur’s emails for comment.

The role of national organizations As one of the largest Christian organizations in the United States, Cru has active groups on 2,300 campuses. InterVarsity has more than 1,000 chapters across 650 campuses in the U.S. The national organizations serve as facilitative partners comparable to the way national organizations for fraternities and sororities oversee their chapters.

Jenkins will serve as a liaison between the students, the College, and the national organizations.

“The goal of student organizations is to represent the student body. So this isn’t an organization for people from off campus to come and change our campus,” said Hollern. “These are our students, staff, and faculty who want to be a part of these groups, and so it’s important that we have representation, and this was the best way to do that while holding true to Rollins’ values.”

As large organizations with thousands of chapters, it is not common for chapters to receive exemption from following the national policy.

“I think that in some cases, we are a novel case. It’s a trial, maybe, for both of us. This is a new resolution, and I think that we’re all going to be getting used to it,” said Cornwell.

Accapadi said, “I really think that the groups are genuinely trying to be a partnership and work with us. So, I sit in optimism around that... I think that they have a commitment to uphold [the non-discrimination policy].”

When asked whether the campus will trust that the groups will follow the non-discrimination policy, Cornwell said, “It doesn’t call for trust, actually.

The process, and transparency within the process, is what we will be holding everybody accountable to. So, it doesn’t actually call for trust. It calls for vigilance on both of our parts to make sure everybody is playing by our rules, and that we will do.”

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The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

From Sudanese refugee to Rollins’ latest Truman Scholar Student brings public service dreams to life with $30,000 scholarship

Curtis Shaffer

Isaac James hopes to “be the change” and influence policies that end poverty.

By Zoe Pearson

zpearson@rollins.edu

W

hen Isaac James (‘19) began preparing mentally and physically for his finalist interview for a prestigious scholarship, he realized a major setback: he did not have a suit to wear to it.

While James studied abroad in Morocco last semester and worked alongside migrants and refugees, he gave away his entire suitcase of clothes, including his only suit. He returned to the states with only the clothes on his back.

Public service is woven into James’ DNA, and now, the world has recognized it.

James was recently named the recipient of the Truman Scholarship, a $30,000 scholarship that supports public service-oriented graduate study. He is the first Rollins student in 28 years to receive this prestigious award.

His contributions to his community and beyond are extensive. From working with refugees in Tennessee, Uganda, and Morocco, to playing on his community college’s basketball team and serving as its SGA president

he has exemplified the characteristics that the Truman Scholarship values most.

James was born in a Kenyan refugee camp after his family fled Sudan during the country’s civil war. In 2001, they relocated to Memphis, Tenn. and lived in an impoverished area.

“Coming from Africa, you have this vision of America being a place that is sort of perfect in a sense, but coming here we understood that there are a lot of challenges America faces and we were put within those challenges from the get-go,” he said.

“I think that’s what makes me want to be a public servant, being in both of those contexts in different locations, and just understanding that the issue of poverty is global.”

James was pursuing a professional basketball career before he realized he wanted to become a public servant. He worked with refugees in Memphis and became Student Government Association president at Jackson State Community College in Jackson, Tenn. before he transferred to Rollins. It was in those roles that he discovered his passion for public service.

“I really understood the importance of community engage-

ment, being one as a community to the point where we’re taking care of each other,” he said.

The Truman Scholarship was created in 1975 for students pursuing graduate level education focused on public service, in honor of former president Harry S. Truman. The application process is rigorous and requires a five-page application with seven mini essay questions. This year, the scholarship had 840 candidates from 346 colleges and universities from which they chose 199 finalists. Out of the finalists, 62 students were awarded the scholarship.

Twelve days after the initial application is turned in, those who qualify for final interviews are notified. Institutions are given the chance to appeal on behalf of one student whose application was turned down. “We appealed on behalf of Isaac and it’s a very arcane process... but once the finalists are selected they are all on equal footing and they select at least one per state,” said Dr. Jayashree Shivamoggi, the director of the Office of Competitive and External Scholarship.

“Isaac is selfless, Isaac is charismatic, and Isaac is very driven to make a difference to the community he wants to provide a voice for, and that’s exactly the kind of candidate the Truman Scholarship was looking for, so I feel like our office was the instrument for connecting the right person to the right foundation,” said Shivamoggi.

During his semester abroad in Morocco last fall, he started a program called Friends of Migrants and Refugees at Al Akhawayn University (AAU) inspired by his experience as a refugee in the United States.

James said “recruiting volunteers for a program centered on a people group perceived as intruding and draining to Moroccan society was a huge task.”

Yet, once he educated and raised awareness about migrant and refugee issues, he was able to recruit students from the university to teach English and Darija, the national language of Morocco, to migrant youth. The program has now become absorbed by the university and its mission is being continued by students at AAU. In August 2018, he volunteered at Bidi Bidi refugee

camp in Uganda with his mother, where he helped 10 women, who, like his mother, needed to provide for their families but did not have the means to do so.

They were selling produce inside the camp as their main means of income.

James helped the women expand their individual businesses into one cooperative. “Standing in front of these women, I recognized that they had given me an awareness for empowering women in a community that treats them as second class citizens. They had the answers to their issues but not the space or opportunity to speak on those issues,” he said. He now hopes to build a water tank and create a community garden within the camp.

James hopes to attend graduate school to expand the community of like-minded people he has met over the years and influence policies that alleviate poverty. Additionally, he wants it to empower other refugees. “My

attainment of graduate school strengthens me but also shows other refugees the possibility of them entering graduate school as well,” said James. According to the United Nations, only about 1 percent of displaced people have access to higher education.

“Isaac lives and breathes public service,” said Shivamoggi. “In his own words, he is passionate about giving a voice to people who have no voice and making people visible, making people feel like they have a place in the society they are part of, whether it be students of color at Rollins, refugees in Memphis where he grew up, or refugees in Bidi Bidi camp in Uganda.”.

“I think Rollins College, with our mission for global citizenship and responsible leadership, I think that’s what we meant when we accepted a student like Isaac,” said Shivamoggi. “Nobody could define our Rollins mission better than Isaac could.”

Courtesy of Isaac James

James hopes to build a water tank and community garden for the Ugandan refugee camp that he worked with last year.

6

The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

Flawed registration creates anxious students Registration process has people nervously racing to get spots in coveted classes

Courtesy of Google Images

Issues with the new registration system had students panicking, creating an every-man-for-himself culture.

By Hannah Butcher

hbutcher@rollins.edu

OPINION

M

y first registration experience occurred in the safety of my RCC classroom. My professor had circled around our laptops, answering questions and adjusting students’ schedules as necessary. I remember everyone panicking, including myself; after all, we

‣

MARIJUANA Continued from page 1 or dismiss a student for medical marijuana? I don’t know. We’d have a lot of conversations and get student affairs involved, and we’d be hard pressed as the culture changes and Florida laws change.”

Rollins does not talk specifically about marijuana in its community standards code of conduct. It states that there can be “significant consequences” with substance abuse, which can include community probation, removal from campus housing, suspension, or dismissal.

“The College’s primary concern is for student safety and well-being,” it states. “Students are encouraged to seek help before Community Standards & Responsibility has to get involved.”

College administrators will meet in the summer to discuss the updated Florida legislation on medical marijuana use and

had all heard that registration was cutthroat. We were told that in a moment’s hesitation, you could lose your spot in a coveted class.

Despite the tension in the room, the process was easy enough, and we did not experience any major glitches in the system. It was a simple combination of inputting course reference numbers and clicking the submit button.

I thought this semester’s registration process would be similar, but I was wrong. The

introduction of last week’s newand-improved program—while modern, mobile-friendly, and equipped with a visual scheduling feature—brought challenges instead of ease.

When senior registration failed the opening day, I knew it was an omen. I felt anxious for the would-be seniors who were the guinea pigs for this experiment, falling between the folds of a program whose glitches had not yet been smoothed over.

After arriving at work at 8:45 a.m. a few days later, I opened

determine an appropriate response, according to Maeghan Rempala, director of community standards and responsibility.

In the state of Florida, the use of medical marijuana is legal with a license authorized by your doctor; however, it is not legal federally.

According to Rempala, the College works with students on an individual basis if they have medical marijuana documentation. “We discuss alternative spaces where they can use, but there is no space that the College has officially sanctioned as a place of use,” she said.

Miller said that the administration would be watching closely and waiting to see what happens as social change occurs in the state of Florida and nationally. He said that cases of marijuana use will be looked at case by case, but no official policy change can be made at this time.

“It’s not as if we’re drawing a hard line,” he said. “You’re trying to do the right thing. If

[marijuana] helps you, and it’s the only thing you’ve found, then okay. How do we deal with that?”

Rempala said that Rollins, “like many other college campuses, is navigating the contradictions between federal and state laws around the issue of cannabis. Our goal is always to work with our students to help them make choices that are safe, healthy, and in compliance with our policies.” Currently, if a student living on campus uses medical marijuana, they are asked to use it away from campus property.

Other colleges range on how strictly they follow and enforce federal policy. Nearby, the University of Central Florida is very detailed and strict in its drug free policy. It does not allow any type of drug on campus, and it does not differentiate between recreational and medical marijuana.

After a warning, one of the lightest punishments it offers is loss of good standing, which

my laptop and waited on Foxlink for my turn to register, biting my lip and glancing at the clock, my heart racing. Why did I feel this rush of crippling adrenaline?

Was it the fear of denial, of the possibility of losing a seat, of losing a plan? I felt as if my entire future depended on the outcome of my registration, and my whole body went into fight or flight mode.

As soon as I tried to open the registration page at 9 a.m., the loading wheel overtook my computer screen for 10 minutes straight. I stared at the monitor, begging for it to load, wondering if it was the WiFi or the overload of hundreds of students simultaneously registering.

Adding to the long and stressful wait time, the system also had issues detecting prerequisites, so students could not register for upper-level classes. In my case, the system did not recognize that I had taken a prerequisite class the semester before, and it barred me from entering a crucial class for my major. I quickly emailed Student Records, which, thankfully, responded promptly and corrected the error within minutes. I am not sure if other students experienced this same promptness from Student Records, but I can only hope they did.

In this new program, the entire registration screen split into thirds, which made it easy to gather all the information I needed at once. The bottom half of the screen was dedicated to scheduling—the feature I admired most about the program.

I had not previously realized that two of my classes overlapped until the system visually showed me on the blocked, color-coded schedule, which was laid out according to the days of the week. This feature allows students to realistically gauge what their next semester will be like and helps them determine the weight of their course load.

Overall, registration this semester was not ideal, although it is headed in the right direction in terms of catering to students’ needs. I merely wish there was a less stressful way to register for classes that did not feel like The Hunger Games; our registration process creates an every-manfor-himself culture, which is the opposite of what Rollins stands for.

While I know that offering online registration windows is the most feasible way to allow thousands of students to sign up for classes, I just wonder if, perhaps, there might be a healthier way to do it.

may be put on the student’s record. This can jeopardize a student’s ability to receive awards, scholarships, and leadership positions. Punishments go on to suspension or expulsion.

Eckerd College, a small, private institution like Rollins in St. Petersburg, Fla., follows federal policy as well, and specifically states that it does not allow medical marijuana on the campus in its community standards.

Federal law does not recognize the difference between medical and recreational marijuana as per the Controlled Substances Act. Marijuana is treated the same way as heroin or cocaine, and according to federal law, a person can go to prison for possession of it.

However, with medical marijuana laws and exceptions in 46 states, the use of federal law is generally reserved for people who possess, cultivate, or distribute large amounts of marijuana.

In 2013, the Department of Justice issued a memo that stat-

ed that “prosecuting state legal medical marijuana is not a priority,” and provided guidelines on when federal enforcement should be pursued. Some of these guidelines included the prevention of distribution of marijuana to minors, revenue going to criminal enterprises, and preventing drugged driving, but mentioned nothing about use on college campuses.

The Gonzalez v. Raich Supreme Court case of 2005 established that the federal government has the authority to prohibit all marijuana use, even if a state’s law is different.

However, it does not claim that marijuana laws in other states are unconstitutional, meaning that while state laws are valid, federal law can override it in any given case. While this has led to conflict between state and federal courts, no solution has been made.

7

The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

Students plagued by class registration issues Delayed course schedule and software issues left hundreds unable to register for classes

By Caroline Klouse

R

cklouse@rollins.edu

ollins students struggled to register for their fall semester courses as the College’s new registration software and disorganized schedule planning caused unprecedented problems that resulted in students losing the opportunity to take certain courses.

The issues specifically affected rising seniors, who choose their courses on the first day of registration. Additionally, there was a delay in the release of next semester’s course schedule, which did not come out until the weekend before advising appointments began, causing a rushed process for advising and course selection.

The course schedule that allows students to plan what classes they want to take was released late due to an issue with the manual input of available courses into the system. Jennifer Cavenaugh, dean of faculty, said that for both fall and spring semesters, about 1,500 courses need to be manually entered.

Each department and its administrative assistant is responsible for inputting courses into the course schedule. However, an error occurred, and faculty names and course prerequisites were not put into the schedule.

As a result, “the registrar and her staff had to enter all of the department information manually. This caused [a] delay in the schedule,” said Cavenaugh.

The English department experienced a particular inconvenience. “We have a cross-listed program, so we do a schedule for the day program and for the Holt program,” said Paul Reich, associate professor and head of the English department. Reich said that when the administrative assistant was adding the courses, she was unable to schedule any classes at 6:45 p.m., a prime course time for the English department, which has majors and minors in both the day and night schools.

Inconveniences like these caused the delay of the course schedule.

Then, once registration opened for seniors on Tuesday, April 2, more unexpected factors occured with the roll-out of an updated software system.

Stephanie Henning, Rollins’ registrar, explained that Rollins did not switch to a different software vendor. In reality, the current software vendor was transitioning out of the old registration system and introducing a new one.

“Our current vendor stopped supporting Banner 8, our previous registration software in December, so we did not go shopping for new software; we just implemented what our vendor provided us with,” said Henning.

Last fall, the Office of the Registrar and the Information Technology team began working on Banner 9, the new registration software. Although the office planned to introduce the new system in November, it felt rushed and decided to delay the implementation until this spring.

The Office of the Registrar tested the new system with Student Government Association students and Holt students, but the office could not predict how the program would operate under real conditions.

“Everything in the testing phase was just wonderful. What we could not test and didn’t find out was how the load would impact the servers,” said Henning.

With the issues on the first day of registration, “we did not know initially what the problem was. We made the quick decision to turn it off, so we could look at it properly and figure out what is going on here and what the problem was,” she said.

To clarify, the registration software did not fail; an overload of the system caused the registration issues.

“We were getting error messages that did not come up in the testings,” said Henning. Her office is now taking pictures of students’ screens and showing Rollins’ vendor these errors that they may not have encountered before.

When these issues occurred, the registrar’s office asked students to register the old-fashioned way and hand-write their course numbers on the registration form; the office would then manually put students into their classes.

Jade Grimes (‘19HH) tried to register, but she said that the new system wouldn’t submit her classes. “I had Banner errors

when I tried different methods... and it took four days to figure out what was wrong.”

CLA student Hannah Brake-

According to Henning, the new self-service registration is meant to offer a more intuitive registration process. There are other features of this registration software that the Office of the Registrar will disclose in the future. man (‘20) said, “After the first day failed, I still had trouble on the second day. It took me an hour and forty-five minutes to

get the classes I needed. It took two different computers, around fifteen attempts to enter the site, and a trip to student records.”

The change in programming and appearance is also what threw some students off. Nicky Lindenberg (‘20) said, “I didn’t know the system was going to be different at all. Since they also sent the tutorial after I tried to register, I didn’t know if my registration even worked.”

According to Henning, the new self-service registration is meant to offer a more intuitive registration process. There are other features of this registration software that the Office of the Registrar will disclose in the future.

“It allows for you to plan out your schedule two or three semesters in advance, at the least the courses that you think you want to take,” said Henning.

Regarding the training process, Henning considered the new registration software to be very intuitive and simple, just by watching the training video

that was sent out to students via email.

“We could have put out a 20 minute training video, but students from 18 to 25-year-olds don’t watch anything more than three minutes. If you made it to Foxlink, you are going to follow those steps,” said Henning.

Henning said she has never encountered an issue like this before in her 20 years of experience. “We definitely learned a lot in this process. We learned that communication is really important and acting swiftly to make sure that the process is not disrupted for any length in time.”

On the fourth day of registration, Henning said, “We did not have a single student come in with a registration issue. At 9:01 a.m., we were standing around going ‘wow.’ With other days, the students were lined up and the line was going through the hall.”

8

The Sandspur • April 11, 2019

Softball player knocks program records out of the park Record-breaking senior outfielder attributes personal success to team’s support

Kira Bernhard

Center-fielder Jordan Davis (‘19) recently broke the softball program’s 21-year-old record for having the most consecutive hits. The senior lefty slapper is hitting nearly .500 at this point in the season.

By Henri Balla

T

hballa@rollins.edu

hey say records are meant to be broken, and Jordan Davis (‘19) seems to have come to Rollins to prove just that. Davis, a senior on the softball team, recently broke a 21-year-old record when she had 12 hits in 12 consecutive at bats.

The 22-year-old from Winter Springs, Fla. solidified the record-breaking hits against Eckerd two weeks ago.

Despite the accolades, Davis does not seem to feel too much pressure. “As a senior, I am a little more carefree. This is my last year, so I want to make it a good one and a fun one.”

Like most top performing players, she attributes her success to the team. “The atmosphere is really good, really positive, full of confidence,” said Davis. “We are really confident in our ability

to perform, we know that everybody out there on the field is going to do their job.”

She says this season has been the most fun she has ever had playing softball, a sport she picked up at the age of 10. As a child, Davis would play on the same sports teams as her brother.

“We played football and that type of stuff. I also played on the same baseball team as him.

When it was time for me to do my own thing, I picked softball. I happened to be good at it, it was fun and I liked winning, so I just stuck with it.”

This year has been a positive one for the softball team as a whole. Not only did it receive a new locker room and travel to Hawaii for games at the beginning of the season, but it is ranked no. 24 in the nation with a 33-7 overall record.

Davis’ attitude is pretty relaxed. She takes every game as it is, not looking too much into

the past or the future. Yet, she remembers the difficulties associated with transferring her junior year after attending Seminole State College for two years.

“This is only my second year here and transitioning was very difficult for me. I came from a junior college, so the education side of things was definitely a step up here. I had to really be on my game and get it done in class as well as manage softball.”

In the most academically demanding conference in the nation, Davis secured a spot in the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the Spring 2018 Semester and the Spring Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Sportswise, it should perhaps serve as a measure of Davis’ grandeur that on a “transition season” she held the best batting average among the softball Tars, leading the team in hits and runs. With 33 stolen bases (6th most in a season in the histo-

ry of the program), Davis had the best mark in the Sunshine State Conference.

“My goal is to break the stolen base record that’s been here for a little while. I hope to continue to do well and have a really high batting average,” she said.

In her final season at Seminole State, Davis led the Raiders to its first ever conference title, recording a staggering .516 batting average, the seventh best in the country.

She was the 2017 Florida College System Activities Association Player of the Year and Conference Player of the Year.

With 66 runs in 64 games and a 21 game hitting streak, it is evident that Davis has always enjoyed dominating.

The idea that her final season will be over pretty soon is still foreign to her. “Every weekend that comes by, I’m like ‘Let’s kill this series’ and then off to the next one. To me, in my head

right now, it’s never going to end—I play every game; I do my best and take them one by one.”

According to Davis, the learning outcomes of the sport that she loves will accompany her beyond graduation. She said that she has learned how to work with others, communicate, emotionally invest herself, and recover after failure. “In softball, the odds are never in your favor,” she said.

Davis urges the incoming generations of Tars to look at the bigger picture and enjoy the moment: “I would tell them to not take anything too seriously.

Work hard, that’s everything.

Our coach admires and appreciates hard work, and if she sees you committing to it, she’s going to give you the playing time. Just have fun and enjoy it; you only get four years.”