The Sandspur Volume 125 Issue 6

Issue 6 • Volume 125 Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 www.thesandspur.org

@thesandspur facebook.com/ thesandspur

Hard rules on hard liquor Only beer, wine, malt beverages allowed at Chi Psi, SAE parties

By Heather Borochaner

hborochaner@rollins.edu

S

tarting Sept. 1, 2019, Rollins fraternities Chi Psi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) will no longer be allowed to serve hard liquor at their parties.

Due to the recent rush of reports on hazing deaths, the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) established a policy that bans hard liquor in the “common areas in fraternity houses and in the fraternity members’ private living spaces,” according to Heather Kirk, the chief communication officer for the NIC. This rule applies to both on-campus and off-campus parties associated with the fraternities, even if the members are over the legal drinking age of 21.

As the only NIC-affiliated

Graphic by Christopher Johnson

Rollins chapters, Chi Psi and SAE are required to abide by this policy starting next September.

However, SAE’s national headquarters took action in June.

James Cowan (’20), the president of SAE, said that his fraternity established similar policy updates in March that took effect in June, which reads: “at all SAE facilities and at all chapters events realm-wide, only beer and wine will be permitted.”

The president of Chi Psi, Ryan O’Donnell (‘20), said he is still waiting on the Conference’s response and directions for what to do and how to begin the steps to implement this new policy.

Although some organizations are taking initiative, Rollins will not enforce the policy.

“This policy is not a Rollins policy, Rollins is not responsible for enforcing it,” said Jazmine Rodriguez, director of Fraternity

and Sorority Life. The NIC is responsible for enforcing the policy; therefore, only the fraternities could be penalized if the rule is broken.

“The NIC is not the parents of Rollins, since they do not have oversight of Rollins directly, so Rollins cannot get in trouble with the NIC,” Rodriguez said. “The NIC has not yet shared what penalties member organizations who are not in compliance will receive.”

However, the fate of Rollins’ other fraternities lies in Chi Psi and SAE’s hands, since “in order for [Rollins] to have fraternities from the Interfraternity Council, then the college must have two NICs on its campus,” said Rodriguez.

‣ See DRINKING Page 6

Campus split over Cru Students debate Kavanaugh allegations

By Ellie Rushing

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erushing@rollins.edu

tudents and faculty are protesting the evangelical Christian organization Cru potentially becoming a registered student organization.

Over 230 people sent letters, accompanied by the hashtag #TarsDontDiscriminate, to President Grant Cornwell asking him to uphold the non-discrimination policy and say no to Cru. Moreover, the President also received a petition in support of Cru, which had 119 names attached. Both petitions can be found in their entirety on page 2 of this publication.

Controversy and debate surrounding the topic continues to swirl. On one hand, Cru’s values, which prevent gay students from holding leadership positions, violate the non-discrimination policy. At the same time, the policy prevents a large group of students from freely practicing their

religion, and therefore could also be interpreted as discriminatory.

The Student Government Association passed legislation in a 24-4 vote in their meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26 that their organization would support the non-discrimination policy and that SGA’s Diversity Council would form a letter to send to President Cornwell about their stance and the negative effects of allowing Cru onto our campus.

Greg Taicher, vice president of SGA, sent a campus-wide email on Monday affirming the association’s stance and reminding student organizations to follow the policy.

The legislation was proposed by Kalli Joslin (‘19), the LGBTQ senator for SGA and the co-creator of the system that students used to send the protest letters to Cornwell.

‣ See CRU Page 3

By Heather Borochaner

hborochaner@rollins.edu

T

he sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh are at the forefront of the nation’s conversation. As the three allegations all reference incidents involving partying and alcohol during Kavanaugh’s high school and college years, Rollins students are left to navigate the seemingly familiar, yet controversial, instances surrounding the topic.

“Sexual assault has always been such a touchy subject on college campuses, so having that as a talking point within campus can be tough,” said Jamie Hoffman (’19).

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations started a movement that prompted two other women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh.

Situations like the one Ford

alleges are not unfamiliar to college students, and similar instances often go unreported. According to a Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network study on campus sexual assault, only one in every five female student sexual assault survivors report their assault to law enforcement.

At last week’s hearing, Ford admitted that she did not tell her parents about the alleged assault because she was 15 years old and was ashamed that she went to a party. Often, the recollections of women who are under the influence at the time of their assault are discredited. The account of Kavanaugh’s second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, was challenged by President Donald Trump himself due to her state of impairment.

“The second accuser has nothing,” Trump stated emphatically at a United Nations General Assembly. “She admits that she was drunk. She admits time lapses.”

While defenders of Kavana-

ugh, who has denied the allegations, site the outdatedness of Ford’s accusations, many Rollins students shared disturbed reactions to the idea that timing invalidates a survivor’s experiences.

“I think it’s terrible that the message that is being sent [is] mostly that [sexual assault] is up for debate, that it can be a talking point and not just across the board wrong, especially for survivors on campus,” Hoffman said.

Brandon Garcia (‘22), an intern for Anna Eskamani, who is running for Florida State House District 47, said, “Do we want to appoint someone who has these allegations against them to an office that is supposed to be about justice? I would be more comfortable with a nominee that isn’t facing allegations of something that’s literally illegal.”

‣ See STUDENTS Page 6

2 • October 4, 2018

Petitions for and against Cru

Established in 1894 with the following editorial:

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

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

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

WEB STAFF Kalli Joslin Neny Lairet Katie McCree Digital Content Editors

BUSINESS & FACULTY Greg Golden

General Manager of Student Media

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

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Uphold the policy

resident Cornwell received over 230 letters via email, formatted and written as seen below, from people asking him to uphold the current non-discrimination policy and to not allow Cru or InterVarsity to become a student organization. The letters were sent via Action Network, an automated system, and the account was created by Kalli Joslin (‘19) and Sianna Boschetti (‘18).

Grant Cornwell, The current Rollins College non-discrimination policy was upheld by the Board of Trustees in 2013 when evangelical Christian organization InterVarsity was removed from campus for discriminating against an LGBTQ student faith leader.

Now, you are considering allowing Cru at Rollins despite the fact that they are unwilling to abide by the Rollins non-discrimination policy that every other organization at Rollins supports.

As in the InterVarsity case, allowing Cru on campus would directly threaten the rights of LGBTQ students who wish to practice their faith. Changing our non-discrimination policy also paves the way for future discrimination at Rollins—if you would allow an exemption for Cru, what other kinds of discrimination would follow?

In The Sandspur article published on September 20, 2018, you stated that “it does trouble me that we have groups of Christian students who want to identify as such and pursue the study of their faith but that they have to do so off-campus because we don’t formally recognize their organization.” That statement disregards the fact that three Christian organizations already exist at Rollins and follow the non-discrimination policy: Leaders United in Christ (LUX), Every Nation Campus Ministry, and Rollins Catholic Campus Ministry. If Cru is recognized as an official student organization despite this fact, Rollins College would be directly funding discrimination on its campus when these students already have a multitude of communities open to them.

As a member of the Rollins community and a concerned global citizen, I urge you to please support our nondiscrimination policy and our mission statement by directly encouraging “opportunities to explore diverse intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic traditions,” “responsible leadership,” “social responsibility,” and a “healthy, responsive, and inclusive environment.” Please say NO to Cru, and say NO to discrimination.

ADVERTISING

Contact: advertising@thesandspur.org

Religion remains at the center of campus debate. (Curtis Shaffer / Staff Photographer)

Encourage religious diversity

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he following petition in support of Cru and InterVarsity was sent to President Grant Cornwell on Sept. 25. The petition had 119 names attached representing people who stand with the statement. Student members of Cru would not disclose who started the petition.

Dear President Cornwell, For many, Rollins is a home, a safe haven chosen by a wonderfully diverse population of aspiring scholars. Students have adopted this community as a place to explore the world around them, while resting in knowledge that the College is committed to supporting them in those things around which they build their unique identities.

A crucial part of the College has been the allowance of students to express their full identity through organizations and outlets on campus. Regrettably, this has not been the case at Rollins. Many feel as if they have not been able to express themselves wholly, especially in the light of the dismissal and continued denial of several Christian ministries to have a place on campus. While Rollins has a host of student organizations that reflect a wide variety of identities, from ethnicities to athletics to academic interests and many more, the rejection of evangelical groups, specifically interVarsity Christian Fellowship and Cru, has made us feel that we cannot rightly call Rollins an all-inclusive campus.

In response to the heightened conversations around evangelical representation on campus, we the undersigned affirm: > That all persons, including the LGBTQ community and those of worldviews or faith traditions different from our own, are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) and are worthy of dignity, respect, love, and flourishing, and that the Christian community is bound

by Scripture to work to see the flourishing of all their neighbors (Luke 10:25-37, Jeremiah 29:4-7). > That evangelical groups such as InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Cru should have a place on campus to represent our evangelical population; to not have a place where students of faith can call home to Rollins

and express our identity to full capability, is to ultimately fail at our institutional mission of forming responsible leaders and global citizens. > That the current “all comers” policy of the college fails to accommodate religious organizations. We believe that any and all should be welcomed to actively participate in religious organizations, but that these organizations should rightfully be able to select leaders who align with their doctrines and practices of their particular faith tradition. > That, for students who align with theological tradition of ministries such as InterVarsity and Cru, the selection of leaders can only take place within the context of biblical criteria of candidacy (e.g. 1 Timothy 3).

As these criteria are sincerely believed to be authored under the divine inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16); these convictions regarding leadership are an inviolable cornerstone of evangelical belief and practice. > That religious groups, evangelical and otherwise, should be granted provisions that allow them to utilize religious/doctrinal/theological criteria in the selection and maintenance of leadership; this both preserves the mission of the group while maintaining integrity of the organization. Students can expect that leaders within particular faith tradition will actually represent that tradition. > That until such provisions are allowed, any evangelical Christian group, or any other religious group, is welcomed on campus in word only. Instating a religious group on campus with the conditions that they can be kicked off at any time for selecting leaders in line with their mission and doctrines if ultimately setting these groups up for failure.

In response to these affirmations, we the undersigned ask that the appropriate parties, be they yourself or the Board of Trustees, take action to grant the provisions described in order to create a campus that is truly inclusive of its religious populations. We thank you for your time and your consideration.

3

Adjunct professors excluded from lockdown alert

By Zoe Pearson

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zpearson@rollins.edu

ollins adjuncts were not informed of the shelterin-place put into effect on Sept. 17, as their information was sent to Human Resources late and then was never placed into the R-Alert system.

Scott Rayburn, Rollins’ safety and emergency planner, worked with the Office of Information Technology to locate the disconnect after many adjuncts alerted their respected departments.

It was discovered that per-

sonnel action forms for many of the adjunct professors were only submitted to Human Resources a week before the Sept. 17 incident.

They were “in the process of ensuring all of the information was appropriately entered into college systems,” said Ken Miller, vice president of public safety.

“Anytime we see members of the immediate campus community not receive our emergency messages, we have concerns about where the issue might be and if there are any commonalities. In this particular case...

much of the feedback we were receiving was from adjunct faculty,” Miller said.

Campus Safety is working out ways to expedite and improve the processing time for personnel action forms and believes that all adjunct professors have now been added to the system.

“The process is not flawed.

However, we do need various departments across campus to submit this information in a more timely manner,” said Miller.

Dr. Michelle Tichy, an adjunct professor in the Department

of Education, was in the middle of a class discussion when her students told her that the Rollins campus was on lockdown. Her students, following the instructions on their R-Alerts, quickly locked the doors, turned off the lights, and crouched against a windowless wall.

Without the attentiveness of her students, Tichy would never have known about the lockdown, because as an adjunct, her phone was not registered with the R-Alert system. She is just one of many adjuncts who did not receive the R-Alert on the day of the lockdown.

“A couple minutes later, my phone rang. That was the first time I got notified. Most of [my students] had been texted before then,” said Tichy.

Tichy said that she is now nervous about being in her office or walking around campus without students to notify her if a text alert goes out. Since the phone call came several minutes after the texts were first issued, Tichy would be at a disadvantage in an emergency situation on campus.

Athletics to receive mental health training Wellness Center works with athletes to identify specific needs

By Heather Borochaner

hborochaner@rollins.edu

M

onths after the tragic suicide of a baseball player, the Wellness Center is working with student athletes to gain a better understanding of their mental health needs and offer suicide prevention training.

The Wellness Center’s main priority is to work on suicide prevention through the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) program, a national suicide prevention training program that was started in 1999.

Starting this semester, the Wellness Center has begun training athletes and coaches in QPR. Their current goal is to have a quarter of the campus population trained in QPR over the next three years. The $305,848 Garrett

‣ CRU

Continued from page 1 Nagina Chaudhry (‘19), president of SGA, said that no members of Cru were at the meeting to present their side.

She said the senators’ votes were based off the information provided by Joslin and The Sandspur‘s article.

“We stand with the belief that discrimination has no place on our campus,” said Chaudhry.

The Sandspur contacted multiple members of Cru and InterVarsity, but they either declined

Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grant Rollins was awarded earlier this semester will also help in this mission.

This program involves training that can range from 90 minutes to two hours and teaches people how to properly ask if someone has been having suicidal thoughts or is currently suicidal, persuade them to seek help, and how to refer them to appropriate resources.

Prior to the suicide, QPR training was reserved for Residential Life staff, such as peer mentors, residential assistants, and house managers.

Connie Briscoe, director of the Wellness Center, also spoke of the Captain’s Council, a group of student athlete leaders who meet once a month at the Wellness Center with one of the counselors to talk about problems

their teams and peers are facing, as well as how best to address those issues and show their support. “They let us know what’s going on with our athletics community,” said Briscoe.

Briscoe said that the Wellness Center is primarily focusing on building a good gatekeeping community of peers who will be able to recognize when a student is struggling and properly offer them assistance.

“We want to make sure all coaches and athletes are aware of our services. We reach out in anyway that we can,” said Briscoe.

She also mentioned that while the Wellness Center has been investigating similar suicide prevention programs to implement, QPR is the only concrete program for now.

Meghan Harte Weyant, dean

of students and assistant vice president for student affairs, praised the work and openness the student athletes have shown amidst this struggle. “We’ve seen student athletes be really responsive to participating in QPR,” said Weyant.

“Rollins is incredibly lucky to have a center that is so responsive to our community needs and individual student needs,” said Weyant.

Weyant said that she is most grateful for how the Wellness Center does their best to make same-day appointments for struggling students. “As we experience campus crises or trends, the team always makes sure someone is available to be part of that response. They’re always willing and excited to talk about being preventative and proactive,” she said.

“We’ll be doing focus groups with different students across campus to know how to help that particular group. I’m learning better about the specific needs of particular groups and how we can best meet them,” said Briscoe.

“Following any death by suicide, we always reach out to support the community along with the groups who were most directly impacted. We arrange opportunities to meet with them or have them come to the Wellness Center and try to meet their needs wherever they’re at,” Briscoe said.

For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, students should call 407-628-6340 during Wellness Center regular hours.

In case of an emergency after-hours, call 833-848-1761 to be connected to a counselor.

to comment or could not be reached.

The Diversity Council, which is a group of people who promote cultural awareness and inclusiveness, and report directly to the President, held an executive meeting last Friday to discuss the policy. The council held an anonymous vote to see where the group stands on the topic but would not disclose the results.

“In our executive session, we strategized ways in which we might facilitate more dialogue around this topic on campus,” said Maridath Wilson, co-chair of the council.

These strategies include auditing peer institutions’ policies and hosting three seminars for staff and faculty, which will be faciliated by members of the Diversity Council on the following dates: Thursday, Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.; and Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 12:30 p.m.

tives, and he trusts that “critical, compassionate dialogue will take place in many quarters, as it should.”

Cornwell also said he will brief the board of trustees on the issues and that no decision will be made at this time. The trustees are scheduled to come to campus this week.

When asked if the decision was imminent, Cornwell said, “It is not. I know there seems to be a sense of urgency on campus for a decision. The only thing I am sure of right now is that this is not a matter to rush to judgment.

I think, as a campus, we have

more thinking and listening to do, and that, indeed, this difficult conversation is exactly what we are here to enable.”

When asked if a prominent alumnus or trustee is influencing his decision, he said: “I am being influenced by the principles alone and the voices on campus.

Trustees are engaged because they care deeply about this college, but in no sense are they trying to influence direction. My duty is first and foremost to the integrity of the mission, to the campus and its students, faculty, and staff.”

No imminent decision In terms of a decision-making process, President Grant Cornwell said he will continue to talk with people and student groups to hear their perspec-

4

Last week in photos

China Club celebrates Moon Festival

The Rollins China Club celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival last Wednesday and provided food, games, and different craft activities for the campus to engage in.

(Curtis Shaffer / Staff Photographer)

Students pie their professors

Last Thursday, a Communications class hosted an event where students could pay to pie their professor or coach to raise money for pediatric cancer research. President Cornwell participated and pied swim coach Kyle Berg (bottom).

(Kira Bernhard and Cami Delfino / Photographers)

“Twelve Angry Jurors” is still relevant today

By Annie Murray-Campbell

amurraycampbell@rollins.edu

T

he reliability of facts, impact of implicit biases, and necessity to question surface appearances are all confronted onstage by Annie Russell Theatre’s “Twelve Angry Jurors.”

Captivating, compelling, and tense, this production remains faithful to the tone and message of Reginald Rose’s 1954 television movie, while adding more nuanced layers through directors’ adaptations. Ultimately, the dynamic relationships within the ensemble of characters, the involved guidance of the directors, and the attention to detail of the crew let Rose’s timely and timeless story shine through.

In this play, anonymous jurors in a murder trial must compromise in order to determine

whether the given evidence requires them to acquit the young suspect or condemn him to the death penalty. What follows illustrates how ugly, yet deeply necessary, compromise is, especially in a democracy.

One of the most challenging aspects of this play is that the titular jurors are onstage for nearly the entire show, but not all are always the main focus. Although many cast members did not have speaking lines for extended amounts of time, the entirety of the cast remained engaged and present for the duration of the play.

Stand-outs include Jon Garcia (‘20) as the aged Juror 9, Allison Furlong (‘20) as the dogged and irritable Juror 3, Josh Scott (‘19) as the irreverent Juror 7, Ghina Fawaz (‘22) as the wise Juror 11, and Faith Artis (‘21) as the softly powerful Juror 5.

Garcia’s immersion into his grandfatherly character was consistent in posture, gait, and voice. Meanwhile, Furlong kept her longer lines from falling flat by varying her body language and tone in a way that felt natural for the character.

Scott’s character is written to be unlikable, but his dynamic performance proved that he does not have to be likable to be compelling and enjoyable. Fawaz delivered a well-rounded performance that showed her character develop like a well-executed crescendo, topped off by her consistent accent. Artis was keenly aware of how her energy affects the scene and uses it to her advantage.

Director Thomas Oullette and Assistant Director Fiona Campbell (‘19) adapted the 1954 screenplay to best fit their cast and stage. It is in the adaptation

that the Annie Russell Theatre’s personality shines through.

Traditionally an eastern European character, Juror 11 is Middle-Eastern in this version.

The lines that were changed because of this are seamless within the context of the production.

While some lines said by the women on stage did not feel fully adapted to the feminine roles, the direction and blocking flowed in tandem with the narrative.

In a play that is essentially one long scene, it is difficult for a technical crew to stand out.

However, the astounding attention to detail from the costumes, set, props, and stage management departments brought the play to new heights.

From a working clock that serves as a tool in the story, to artificial sweat-stains to show passage of time, to old-age makeup

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

visible in detail from the back of the theatre, the technical design and execution was outstanding.

Furthermore, with so many sound and light cues, including dimming daylight, music cues, and thunderclaps, electrics and stage management had their work cut out for them. However, their hard work paid off with a flowing final product.

The hard work that the cast, crew, and directors put into their three weeks of rehearsal was made obvious from the moment the lights slammed off at the sound of a gavel. By letting the text and personality of the Annie Russell shine in the spotlight, “Twelve Angry Jurors” was able to be memorable and impactful.

Upcoming showings: Thursday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

5

Rollins hosts concert catered to those with autism

Rollins is partnering up with an alumna and her non-profit to put on a performance designed for those on the spectrum.

By Christina Oliviera

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coliviera@rollins.edu

eople on the autism spectrum will have a chance to experience free, live music in a welcoming environment, as Rollins hosts its third annual concert with a local non-profit on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Teidtke Concert Hall.

The concert is hosted by Sharing Harmony and Raising Possibilities (SHARP), a non-profit that offers musical events for people on the spectrum, and will feature Rollins students and faculty, as well as a variety of other groups.

Rollins alumna Aloma Bratek founded the event and the SHARP organization after she adopted a young boy on the spectrum. She was inspired to use music as a way to assist him.

“I’m a children’s choir director, and I thought that if I could get a degree in music therapy than I could help him with communication,” said Bratek.

Bratek said that “many children with autism have communication deficits. Music is quite often a motivation for them. It’s also a link to everyone.” Music can also help those on the autism spectrum express themselves.

According to a video posted under the Department of Music’s Creative Collaborations page from a past concert, the atmosphere is informal and relaxed, which Bratek said is relieving to both the students and families.

The songs featured in the concert range from classical pieces to Disney songs to popular mainstream songs. The music is easily identified by the families and kids. One example of the featured songs is “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid.”

One of the most valued aspects of the concerts is the opportunity for families to enjoy live music without worrying about their family member with autism not being able to adapt to the social rules of a regular concert hall.

SHARP’s concerts give “[au-

tistic] individuals the opportunity…to be themselves without the judgement. So if there is a tick or a callout their not judged, because everybody in the room lives this,” said Bratek.

According to Bratek, those on the spectrum often express themselves verbally through the music. For example, when there is a build up or a crescendo, they verbalize how the music makes them feel through ticks or callouts. While this is helpful for them in learning to express themselves, it can prevent them from going to an average concert. The SHARP concerts provide a space where those with autism are not judged for expressing themselves.

Parents were also grateful to be in an environment where their kids could be themselves.

Dr. John Sinclair, chair, director, and John M. Tiedtke professor of music, said that after the first concert, he remembered, “a letter and a commentary from some of the families…that said [that] this is the first time [they] had ever been able to go to a concert with [their] child where [they] weren’t worried about what they did.”

The concerts not only allow people with autism to attend a live musical show, but also to practice social skills in a public area. Bratek said that the concerts can “increase communication by just saying ‘Welcome to the concert. How are You?’” thereby giving them a real-life opportunity to use [social skills] outside of therapy.” The concerts link real life to therapy.

Bratek started this tradition after she graduated from Rollins’ music program. She had to perform a recital, and she told Sinclair that she wanted to use her music degree for music therapy instead of performance. She asked him if her recital could be a concert for autism.

Bratek said she felt that this concert would be of great help to families that had children with autism, since she knows through personal experience how difficult taking a child with autism to certain events is. Sinclair agreed

to allow her recital.

The first concert had clear benefits for both performers and viewers. Bratek said that the college students who played in the concert found the experience to be rewarding, and that they were content at the opportunity to “give back into somebody who can’t [usually] come to such events.”

The success of the first concert encouraged Bratek set up another concert and to start the non-profit organization SHARP. It was only natural that Rollins and SHARP would form a partnership with one another.

Bratek said that the Rollins “faculty is supportive, they want to give their time and talents to this event.”

SHARP hosts other concerts in many other locations. The goal is to bring the concerts into as many areas of the community as possible. Bratek would especially like to have SHARP host a concert at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. She said that accomplishing that would be a dream.

This year’s concert will take place on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Tiedtke Concert Hall. Although mainly designed for people with autism and their families, everyone is welcome to come. Admission is free for all.

Historically black sorority joins recruitment

By Heather Borochaner

hborochaner@rollins.edu

While Rollins sororities are overwhelmingly white, Sigma Gamma Rho, which is a historically black sorority, is looking to diversify Greek life by engaging in January’s upcoming sorority recruitment.

Although Sigma Gamma Rho has been on campus for 20 years, this will be the first time in around about four years that the organization will engage in recruitment, which will run from January 9-13. Despite being a historically black sorority, they accept members of any race and will be present at recruitment for the last two days.

When asked why the sorority is choosing this year to become more active, Pilar Macias (‘21), president of Sigma Gamma Rho, said, “There has been a lot of growing interest in the sorority from seniors to current/incoming freshman, such as conversations we’ve had with students at the R-Community Fair and informal meet and greets we’ve hosted, along with personal conversations I’ve had with BSU [Black Student Union] and Embark,” which is a program that offers community and opportunities for incoming minority students.

According to data collected for diversity by the Office of Institutional Research, about 71 percent of Rollins sorority members were white in spring 2018.

African American students only made up approximately one percent of the sorority population, as did Asian students.

About 15 percent of students were Hispanic and four percent mixed race. The remaining percentages are divided between American Indian or Alaskan Native and what the office labeled as international students.

Sigma Gamma Rho current-

ly has two members at Rollins and 100,000 members nationwide. Originally founded at Butler University in 1922, the sorority was created due to the need for educators to form a network of women working to impact the black community through education. The Omicron Lambda chapter at Rollins was chartered in April of 1998.

The sorority is accustomed to having a smaller presence on campuses across the nation, but due to rising interest, Sigma Gamma Rho wants to become more active. “I want students at Rollins to know that Sigma Gamma Rho is a sorority who aligns themselves with educational values as well as being active in the community,” said Macias.

“Ideally we want to have strong independent women who seek more from a sorority,” said Macias. The organization wants to attract women who will connect with its values, which are tied into its motto: “Greater Service, Greater Progress.” Sigma Gamma Rho’s focus has consistently been on philanthropy and charity work.

To carry out that motto, the sorority works with nonprofits and other organizations such as the Hattie McDaniel Cancer Awareness and Health Program; Project Cradle Care, which educates pregnant mothers about the importance of prenatal care; and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

“Being a part of this sorority has given me the sisterhood that I always wanted,” said Sigma Gamma Rho member DeShaunda Bennett (‘19).

“This sisterhood has shown me how strong of a woman I am and how to be someone for others to lean on and it’s something I am proud to be a part of,” Bennett said.

6 ‣ DRINKING

Continued from page 1 This means that if Chi Psi or SAE violate the liquor ban, the other three fraternities, Lambda Chi Alpha, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and X-Club, could be in jeopardy.

All sororities and fraternities at Rollins report to the Interfraternity Council, which oversees all Rollins fraternities. Its constitution states that all recruitment activities and new member education activities are alcohol-free.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez said that “[Rollins] does not believe

‣ STUDENTS

Continued from page 1 Garcia was not the only student with these concerns, as Hoffman shared a similar view.

“You’re being nominated for this position where you are supposed to be a model for the rest of the nation. You’re supposed to be this authority on what is right and wrong, and if [your ability to do] that’s up for debate, there should be questions,” said Hoffman.

Defenders of Kavanaugh have also argued that the allegations come at a coincidental time and are a political ploy by the democrats. Victoria Scott (19’), chairwoman of the Rollins Republican club, shared that opinion and offered insight into how politics is playing a role.

“I personally feel bad for not only Kavanaugh, but the Republican party in general, because the Democratic party and other people, on both sides of the spectrum, believe that delay is their friend. The whole idea that you are innocent until proven guilty is completely gone through the window. They think they can automatically just come up with these accusations without hard evidence,” Scott said.

The evidence presented by Ford included a sworn statement verified by a polygraph test, which she passed with results not indicative of deception.

Kavanaugh’s defense published pages out of his calendar from summer of 1982, when the assault is believed to have happened 36 years ago, as evidence.

Ford also sent a letter to her senator on the recommendation of U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo of California. The contents of this letter line up with other written and oral accounts that Ford

in writing responsive policy.” As of now, she said, “Rollins does not need to establish a specific alcohol policy that specifically pertains to fraternities and sororities.”

“The campus alcohol policy and the student organization policy is effective in its application to fraternities and sororities and their events,” she said.

While Rollins is not introducing new alcohol policies of its own, both the University of Florida and Florida State University (FSU) have already taken matters into their own hands.

Amy Hecht, Florida State’s vice president for Student Af-

fairs, said that “14 of the 16 Interfraternity Council Chapters at FSU are members of the NIC.” Hecht said that this new policy is a “step toward a more hands-on oversight by national organizations,” especially in light of the death last November of a FSU Pi Kappa Phi pledge, Andrew Coffey. “[Florida State has] instituted strict policies for organizations that included mandatory risk-management training and a commitment from Greek organizations to adhere to strict policies on alcohol use,” said Hecht.

“Our student leaders are aware that a culture change is neces-

has given concerning her alleged assault, including the account used for the polygraph test.

Scott felt that the timing of the release of Ford’s letter

by Sen. Dianne Feinstein also played a critical role in the credibility of her story. She believed with great certainty that the release of the letter was strategically planned to delay Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Court, citing the time discrepancy between when Feinstein received Ford’s letter informing her of Kavanaugh’s alleged actions and when those accusations became public.

On Sept. 21, Trump tweeted, “I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”

Rollins students had differing reactions to the President’s remarks and his approach to the situation.

Hoffman was disgusted and said, “This rhetoric around not believing survivors because they waited ‘too long’ to report, and coming from the president, it is unacceptable.”

Scott passionately and respectfully argued in disagreement, stemming from her perception of the President’s duty as a member of the Republican party, rather than a moral obligation to believe survivors. “[Trump] is constantly put under scrutiny and pressure for doing a poor job as president, and he’s supporting Kavanaugh in every way possible, which I do give him credit for,” Scott said.

“I think Kavanaugh is a gem. I think he would be an incredible addition to the Supreme Court and I don’t see anything wrong

with what [Trump] did. Supporting his nominee is what he has to do, it’s what the Republican party needs to do, too, and I encourage Republicans to be more vocal,” she said.

“I do give [Ford] credit for writing a letter to her senator. I think she did the best she could taking that first step, so I don’t put the blame on her in this situation. I put the blame on Feinstein because if Feinstein had addressed this months ago, then none of this would really be circulating in the news the way it is now,” said Scott.

Following the hearing, Trump ordered a supplemental investigation of Kavanaugh. The investigation will be conducted within one week and will have much significance in the Senate’s decision on whether or not Kavanaugh should be appointed.

As this investigation unfolds, debate on Rollins campus is likely to intensify.

“It is a complicated issue, the time makes a difference, the fact that [Kavanaugh] has been nominated as a Supreme Court Justice makes a difference, and I think that having a discussion is okay, but making sure that discussion is polite, and that the discussion takes into account survivors’ feelings is vital,” Hoffman said.

sary, and that culture change needs to happen not just at FSU but across the country.”

Although Rollins’ Greek life has a history of suspensions on campus, there has still not been any change to the alcohol policy as it pertains to fraternities and sororities.

In 2013, the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity lost its campus house at Rollins due to violations of recruitment and alcohol policies.

More recently, Phi Delta Theta was banned until at least 2021 after being investigated for sexual harassment, disruptive behavior, hazing, and substance

abuse.

The communication between Florida State and the Council is stronger than that of Rollins and the Council.

The responsibility is now being placed on the shoulders of Chi Psi and SAE to not only enforce this policy, but hold their own fraternities accountable and report any progress or violations to the NIC.

Faculty members armed with signs joined the Sept. 24 walk out. ( Amy McClure / Courtesy)

Students and faculty gathered on Mills lawn in a walkout on Monday, Sept. 24. ( Amy McClure / Courtesy)

7

Graphic by Anastasia Rooke

Opinion: Journalism in the age of Trump By: Heather Borochaner

J

hborochaner@rollins.edu

ournalism is barely surviving in this post-apocalyptic media world. When President Trump called the media “the enemy of the people,” journalists’ credibility and achievements in revealing truth practically vanished into a wasteland of dust.

Now, all articles are questioned, and facts have lost their meaning. It is as if we are living in George Orwell’s “1984,” and truth is at the mercy of those who can fabricate it.

Journalists have always had the reputation of being hungry for information. They are relentless, heartless creatures looking for leads to stories, buttons to press, and people to prod. Today, many people lump paparazzi and journalists into a bag called “media” and think that they are equal. They are not.

Journalism should always be viewed as completely separate from the tabloids you glance at while you are in line at the grocery store. However, the age of fake news has heightened a sense of panic and distrust in reportings.

While I am saddened that we have reached this point, I am glad that people are now more inclined to check facts.

A few years ago, someone may read an article, accept it as truth, and absorb it into the cloud of opinions in their head. Today, we are more skeptical, for better or for worse. With the threat of fake news, it seems we are all thinking more on our own.

Since the invention of yellow journalism, which is journalism

based on extreme exaggeration, in the 1890s, certain news sources have built their brands around drama and hyperbole.

Some, like The Huffington Post, use “click-bait” titles in order to reel the reader into the story. Television news tends to be more sensationalized than text because its motive is to entertain the viewer. It is important to be wary of over-the-top scriptwriting and graphics.

Please, do not be my grandfather who strictly watches Fox News and nothing else for hours on end. I cannot stress enough the cruciality of comparing various news sources.

Throw some MSNBC into your mix; some CNN; some ABC. The more you inform yourself using different news sources, the better equipped you are for molding your own opinion. The goal of journalism is to inform you, the consumer, so that you can make your own educated decisions.

For example, this opinion piece you are reading is not meant to brainwash you into thinking what I think you should. It is meant to encourage your own thoughts and stimulate your own hunt for information.

So, how has Fake News affected student media? I think that it has made the student body more skeptical of the news they read, especially since the events they read about affect them on a personal level.

However, the student body is so hungry for information about what is going on at Rollins that they absorb any information they can—whether it be by word of mouth, social media, or The

Sandspur.

Students crave to know what is going on; they are hungry for the details behind things like investigations, construction, politics, sports, and entertainment.

Colleges are not like today’s media world in which several news sources can be cross-examined.

Student media, therefore, tends to be believed; otherwise,

students would not trust any information about the school. Journalism is incredibly important on campus as a result and should be taken seriously.

The solution to fake news is to be aware of sensationalism and to compare news sources.

The threat of factuality is not going to go away any time soon, so, for now, consumers have the

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

responsibility of gathering information for themselves.

I ask you to remember that the goals of journalism are to reveal information to the public and to provide facts for consumers to digest. Not all news sources will hold to these goals, so it is up to you to decide which ones do.

8

Women’s soccer remains undefeated at home

By Henri Balla

“

hballa@rollins.edu

We came out on a mission,” said Alicia Schuck, head coach of women’s soccer.

The scoreboard behind her confirmed it: mission accomplished.

The women’s soccer team defeated reigning conference champion Nova Southeastern University 3-1 to grab the third win in four conference games in last Saturday’s game. After a slow start, Rollins managed to take the lead through a penalty scored by Jill Richards (‘19), but the show had just begun.

Less than five minutes after being subbed in, Sarah Buckley (‘20) exhibited a stroke of genius, as she dispossessed an opponent outside the box, turned around, and unleashed a shot into the top far corner. “With my team around me, I knew anything would have happened. We’re bound to get a goal,” Buckley said. “Worked hard, got the goal—it was a team effort, definitely.”

In the second half, Kathryn O’Brien (‘20) produced a vertical pass that Chynna McGirt (‘21) converted into a powerful, yet accurate shot to seal the game for the Tars. The duo had been a running riot throughout the match, switching positions and alternat-

ing movements to create all kinds of space. Despite a late goal by the guest team, a disciplined Rollins backline avoided any trouble up to the final whistle.

“We knew it was going to be a competitive game because they’re a good team,” coach Schuck evaluated. “I thought our kids executed our game plan exactly the way we wanted them to. [Nova has] a few special kids that come alive and I think we did a really good job to nullify those girls.”

This win means that the Tars are still undefeated at home, their only loss of the season coming in overtime against No. 6 Barry University in Miami Shores. The Tars have already scored triple the amount of goals they managed to get during the entirety of last season.

Coach Schuck said, “We attack now. We had a problem last season with scoring goals and I feel like now we’re just getting our fuel and our fire to keep chasing after games and keep winning by scoring lots of goals. Three goals against Nova, that’s hard to do, so it’s awesome to get it.”

Last season’s difficulties serve as extra motivation for Buckley.

“Last year, our season didn’t go as well as we wanted it to and I think that brought us all together.

It humbled us a little bit, so coming in this year, we all wanted

something more,” Buckley said.

Both Buckley and O’Brien, key performers this year, had to sit out last season due to injuries.

“It feels amazing [to be back].

Sitting on the sidelines is always tough, but it gave me a different outlook on being a soccer player, because I got to coach my teammates a little bit more and interact with them,” said O’Brien.

Buckley is on the same page as her teammate and said, “I missed just being out with the team. Just being able to kick a ball around makes me so happy, especially with this group. Everyday at practice, everyone is happy, in a good mood. Even though we’re serious, it’s still a great environment. I’m excited.”

The pause helped develop the chemistry between the Rollins forwards. “I was able to see how Chynna [McGirt] works and how she plays. She’s very back-to-goal and I like to get in behind. Sarah [Buckley] is the same way. She likes to get the ball in her feet and lay it off and I like to get in behind, so we complement each-other very well,” O’Brien said.

Buckley has been a proven power-sub so far, scoring after coming off the bench on more than one occasion. “One of the things we do in this team is that you take your role and you just do it. I’m fine with it, helps the team

and as long as we win, I don’t care if I’m playing 100 minutes or 0 minutes: as long as we win, I’m fine,” said Buckley.

Coach Schuck added, “We’ve asked them to score goals, and if they’re not scoring them, they’re creating them. That’s a big plus for us....The team is so experienced now. Last year, a ton of new kids got lots of minutes. They played in games like this. They were in moments where, maybe with our older roster, they wouldn’t be getting those experienced minutes.

Our sophomores play like they’re juniors. Our juniors play like

they’re seniors. And our seniors are like, ‘We got this!’”

Yesterday, the Tars traveled to the University of Tampa, who are still undefeated in conference.

“It is important to us that we do well early. Especially when we’re on the road, we got to grind out results,” said Coach Schuck.

As for long-term goals, Buckley said, “As a team we want to win the conference. We want to make conference tournament, we want to make NCAA, that’s no question. Personally, I just want to do whatever helps us get there.”

Gianna Merigliano, no. 22, keeps the ball away from her opponent.

(Mike Watters / Courtesy)

Cross country makes great strides

By Henri Balla

I

hballa@rollins.edu

n Florida’s excruciating afternoon heat, the cross country teams took to the Lakeland course of the Flrunners.com Invitational race. Having raced in Lakeland at the beginning of the month, the Tars saw the perfect opportunity to measure their progress.

In the first evening race of the season, both Jack Gabriel (‘20) and Katie Rioux (‘19) emphasized the grueling conditions, as the heat index hovered around 100 degrees at start time. In spite of weather, everything turned out for the best.

“Most times we run early in the morning, so the sun is just rising and it’s not in the heat of the day,” said Rioux. “We were a little worried about that, but there was actually a lot of shade.”

Sinead McDonald (‘19) added, “The course was beautiful, so it wasn’t as bad as we were all expecting.”

After racing side by side for

the duration of the meet, Gabriel and Ryan King (‘21) suddenly decided to make matters entertaining with a sprint finish, and a last breath kick helped Gabriel edge King by less than a second.

“That’s always fun to do. His watch got us going at 19 mph, I clocked us at 20 mph for the final sprint,” said Gabriel.

Why would they sprint at the end of an 8km race? “Most likely because I said winner could choose where we stopped for dinner on the way home,” Coach Nate Weyant said.

Weyant was satisfied with the race meet. “Both guys [Gabriel and King] are doing fantastic this season. It was also good to see Eric [Grimm] (‘21) get his first action and have Aaron [Villanueva] (‘20) post a solid time,” he said.

Gabriel clocked 33:20.91, King 33:21, Grimm 40:47, and Aaron Villanueva 43:45. They placed 24th, 25th, 35th, and 36th, respectively.

The women’s team’s success was also cause for celebration.

“Sinead continues to lead us, and once we get race strategy figured

out, her times will come down immensely… I was also happy with Alex Lichtner’s (‘21) performance.

She was nearly six minutes faster this week than early September when we ran at the same place.

All in all, it was a great race,” said Weyant.

In the women’s race, McDonald led the way with 24:40, coming 37th; followed by Meg Bespolka (‘20) in 46th with 27:23, which just edged out Aby Wong (‘19) at 27:24. The times for the rest of the Rollins women were 28:57 for Lichtner, 29:30 for Rioux, and 29:36 for Anna Belle Warren (‘22).

These results are a sign of the training workload. “We are still in the high-miles, high-intensity portion of the training schedule so I don’t expect personal records every race,” said Weyant. “Hopefully the team continues to trust the training as we head into the last month of the season.”

“We do different things every week,” said Rioux, elaborating on a balance between speed and endurance training. “That’s kind of how cross-country is, there’s certain points of it where you have to

have a little more speed, but you also need to be able to keep your endurance up during the whole race.”

According to Gabriel, attending practice is something that can be improved upon: “For the most part, we do offer practices both in the morning and in the evening.”

After all, not everybody wants to get up at 5 a.m. to run, and Gabriel said that is “understandable,” yet he called for consistency. “I think that would help make everyone faster,” he said.

The men gave a great performance, but the absence of a fifth member meant they could not score as a team. Had there been a fifth runner, the men’s team would have scored its best ranking during Gabriel’s time in Rollins.

“As a common objective, I would like to see us get just more people on the team,” he said. On a personal level, Gabriel’s aim is to crack the top 10 list of fastest cross-country times in Rollins history: “I’ll need to do a lot of training for that.”

Another challenge is training

on the campus surroundings. McDonald speaks for all cross-country Tars when she said, “Everyone’s feet are pretty tired from consistent pounding on the concrete.”

With only two meets left before conference, she called for vigilance. “We should all be working to trim down our race pace and establish that muscle memory…

In addition to speeding up our times I think we will all need to be extra cautious of injury and making sure things are taken care of sooner rather than later,” said McDonald.

The Tars are marching on: “We’re keeping our team comradery. We spend a lot of time together, talk about runs, and have kept up the spirit of actually being a team,” said Rioux.

Coach Weyant was full of praise. “Everyone seems to be getting along very well and pushing each other in training. It is an absolute pleasure to coach this group.

They are all great representatives of Rollins Athletics both in and out of competition,” he said.