Special Issue • Volume 124 Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 www.thesandspur.org
91ªF/32ªC Partly Cloudy Thunderstorms
Dear Rollins Class of 2021,
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A letter from your President 2
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Letter from the Editor
Winter Park Food Stops
Editor- in- Chief argues for students to voice their opinion throughout their Rollins careers.
There are many diverse eateries in the Rollins area to explore, from brunch to Turkish cuisine.
elcome to Rollins College! I am so pleased you have joined us. Never forget that Rollins exists for one reason, and that is your liberal education. Everything we offer, everything we do, everything we are, is designed to foster your education as a global citizen and responsible leader, empowered by your time at Rollins to live a meaningful life and have a productive career. Let me share the following brief excerpts from my remarks to you at the Convocation that will open the school year, in hopes that you will reflect on them as you consider your bold new beginning at Rollins. One of the biggest transitions you are going through right now is the change from living in a family to living in a community. There are some similarities between the two: there will be playfulness, a sense of belonging, loyalty, and, of course, conflicts. But the differences between the two are very significant. For almost all of you, whatever your background, this will be the most diverse community in which you have lived. You will be living, eating, playing, and studying with peers who have different backgrounds and identities… different races, different nationalities, different sexual orientations, different re-
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ligious beliefs, and about all of these, different conceptions and misconceptions. This diversity is sought and welcomed very intentionally as part of our mission. Liberal education happens when we learn to listen across differences, to listen to new ideas that challenge our own, learn to understand them, learn to discern common grounds and probe the meaning and rationale of the differences. All of this can work only if we treat our differences, and each other, with respect. I hope that Rollins can be a model of a campus community composed of a great diversity of voices and points of view in active, mutual, and respectful engagement. As you make your way in this community, I urge you to look for opportunities to listen, to spend time, ideally even to collaborate, with people who don’t think like you. Our culture is drifting the other way. In popular media and in politics, both national and global, I see an alarming gravitation of people into like-minded groups, at once isolated and self-affirming; blogs and social media groups can be a prime example of this phenomenon. There is a great deal of talk within these groups that can reach a fever pitch. The problem is that the only ones listening are others who agree. ▶ See WELCOME Page 2
Everything we offer, everything we do, everything we are, is designed to foster your education as a global citizen and responsible leader . . .
Inside
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Upperclassman Advice Christina Fuleihan ‘19 explains the importance of embracing new challenges and lessons while at Rollins..