Daniel Martinez
Everything Real. Everything Rollins.
ASTRO TURF CALLS TO ALIENS
Thursday, March 26 | Volume 121, Issue 20
GEORGE LUCAS FUNDS NEW COLLEGE
Wikipedia
- Rollins to open College of Astronomical Studies
L
APRIL 1, 2015 VOLUME 121 ISSUE 20
Fire Marshall shuts Sodexo down for serving students:
-Also-
Interfaith Space to be used for Satan worship Rollins.edu
Page 2 • NEWS News
Thursday, Thursday, October March 26, 2, 2015 2014
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Compiled by Lauren Waymire Jerusalem, Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reelected as the head of the country Likud party. Netanyahu won with a comfortable margin, to the surprise of many, after staying fairly even with his challengers in the poll during the weeks leading up to elections. This marks Netanyahu’s third consecutive term in office since 2009 and his fourth term overall, as he served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999. Elections were originally scheduled to take place in late 2017, but the PM brought them forward after the collapse of his coalition. New Orleans, Louisiana A man attempted to storm a security checkpoint with a machete at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Air-
port. The suspect, 63-year-old Richard White, began to spray TSA agents with insecticide and
“
A man attempted to storm a security checkpoint with a machete at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.. then pulled out the weapon; he was quickly subdued after being shot three times and passed
away the following day. Police say the man was also armed with Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs and that mental illness played a role in the incident. The only other person hurt during the ordeal was TSA Officer Carol Richel, who was hit by one of the rounds meant for White. Tunis, Tunisia Three gunmen went off on a shooting spree at the Bardo Museum in the Tunisian capital. The attack killed 23, including 19 of who were foreigners. One of the three shooters escaped, and the police are currently searching for him. A total of 15 people have already been arrested in connection with the shooting—primarily those who had aided the shooters—and they are said to have trained at terrorist camps in next-door Libya along with the
museum shooters. The attacks come at a time when the Tunisian police are making headway with slowly dismantling local terror cells. Leicester, England After being discovered beneath a parking lot 100 miles north of London in 2012, the remains of King Richard III are being laid to rest once more. The last English king to die in battle, King Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and buried in a shallow grave in what was once a friary but was later demolished. His final resting place is now within Leicester Cathedral. Also interesting to note is the recent discovery of the remains of Cervantes—the famed Spanish author of Don Quixote—and his family in Madrid, Spain.
Page 3 • FEATURES
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Vigilante fights Orlando street crime Stewart Spears
Writer
On any given Saturday night, Downtown Orlando is best characterized as a melting pot. Folks of all varieties barhop between Washington and Church Street—and Wall Street, the party central of all downtown streets. Wandering drunkards stumble on and off sidewalks, bumping and mumbling, asking for cigarettes. Shiny shoes Rollins.edu and eccentric hairstyles make way. Street-side performers jam Claire Strom, Director of General Education, speaks at an event behind open guitar cases hoping for the new neighborhood system, also known as rFLA. for a quick buck, and the homeless find familiar nooks and crannies to make home for the night. Downtown is always a good time. There is a man who patrols this district. You may have heard of him. Downtown knows him well. His name is Master Legend, and he is Orlando’s real-life suhad a four million dollar deficit perhero—secret identity and all. Micah Bradley and every department was asked If there is one thing you Staff Writer to make cuts, the questions of need to know about real-life sustainability and funding for superheroes, it is that they are Rollins recently launched the the neighborhoods are obviously people with a bone to pick. They new general education system, important. are the ones who don a mask (or called rFLA. This new system “The sustainability is hard not), coin themselves a super is proving to be more expensive to assess, because if it does what name, and hit the streets of their than the old gen ed program. it is meant to do, we will see inrespective cities to make a better Dr. Claire Strom, the College creased retention, presumably place. Director of General Education, that will offset the costs,” said “For a long time people stated, “Because it is a more de- Strom. laughed at me, but now they liberate curriculum, and because “We have funded [the neighknow who I am and what I’m doit involved more co-curricular borhoods] going forwards,” said ing. Now they respect me,” said activities, it is certainly a more Jeffrey Eisenbarth, Vice PresiMaster Legend. expensive program than the pre- dent for Business and Finance At 48 years old, Master Legvious gen ed,” in regards to the Treasurer. He added, “It’s susend is hard to miss in his black rising cost of the program. tainable.” combat helmet and half-faced Neighborhood classes are Despite the varied costs that mask. He wears modified soccer more time consuming for in- the old general education system and motocross gear as make-do structors, which is why profes- did not have, the neighborhoods armor and has spray painted the sors are receiving an additional system was launched at a relapieces silver. He has protection stipend as an incentive to teach tively low cost this year. Strom’s on his arms, legs, and torso. His these courses. By the time the budget to start the program was outfit is complete with a gray neighborhoods are in effect for $12,000. cape and gray and black tights. the entire college, each professor “The neighborhoods aren’t He is often armed with somewill be teaching an average of wealthy,” said Strom. thing like a green reusable Publix one neighborhood or RCC class The neighborhoods are grocery bag full of granola bars. per year. named after the popular TV As seen in the HBO docuThe neighborhood system show starring Rollins Alumnus mentary Superheroes, these sualso emphasizes community Mr. Fred Rogers. His wife atper-civilians are sprouting up events and speakers, which are tended the launch for Innovate all over the country. Real-life an added expense that the old Create Elevate (ICE) and helped superheroes come in a variety general education system did not hand out T-shirts. A grant from of forms, each with their own entail. Each neighborhood has the McFeely-Rogers Foundation, motives. While some confront 122 students and its own small supported by the Rogers amicriminals head on, others hit the budget to host events. ly, paid for the shirts that were streets with bags of toiletries and “At the end of the day, if it’s handed out later to all students food for the homeless. Some do a better for us, if it’s better for the at the rFLA launch. bit of both. students, it’s money well spent,” Strom said, “We’ve really Legend, one of the first, has commented Interim President launched it at very low expense, done it all. He claims to have Craig McAllaster, who claims so I am hoping as we move forbeen in countless fist fights, that he would want to be in the ward and get a better idea of to have shut down numerous Mysteries and Marvels neighbor- what it needs each year, we’ll be criminals (drug dealers, purse hood. able to devote more budget to snatchers, bully thugs) and to Since last year the college it.”
Rollins’ budget accomadates rFLA
have been beaten bloody by the enemy, only to return for more the next night. He claims to have helped many people. “I’ve always been a target. Back in my younger days I had asthma and was small, an easy target,” Legend said. “But the bullies didn’t realize the badly abused family I came from. I was already used to dealing with pain and suffering, so I put up a good fight.” Like many superheroes, Legend spawned from a dark past. His superhero backstory includes parents who were involved with the KKK and neglected and abused him, often by whipping his back bloody from shoulders to heels and forcing him to fist fight. This all went down in New Orleans, many years before Orlando. “Battling those bullies paid off in the long run, because then I walked the streets pretty much unafraid,” he said. “And when you can do that, one of the secrets is, the people that stay on the streets will have respect for you. I’m not out to rat on people. Word’s around and they know I’m out to help. That’s my main objective.” As a middle-school boy with admiration for superheroes, Master Legend dedicated himself to “fighting off the evil in the world.” He had realized he could mask his identity from enemy bullies. But his fighting powers do not only come from sheer will and suit and armor. Legend is the only real-life superhero who claims to have actual superpowers. He claims to have received such “metaphysical powers” from two deathly experiences. The first experience was a fight for his life at birth. He was born with a veil (a thin membrane over the face) and nearly suffocated before he could take his first breath. “I had a chosen destiny,” he said. And he has been fighting ever since. The second event occurred when he was 13 and adamantly searching for powers to combat his father. He went to the grave of Marie Laveau, a renowned Voodoo practitioner in New Orleans during the 19th century. “I made a wish on her grave for superpowers. To fight my evil daddy mainly is what it was. And that I wanted super pow-
ers,” said Legend. He marked a hex on her grave by drawing an “X” and tried to lift a car to determine if the Voodoo witch had given him powers. But nothing had changed, not until he found himself inside a nearby mausoleum and the iron-door entrance slammed shut. “I got trapped inside—the door shut but there was no wind.” In pitch black darkness he declared aloud, “If there’s a time for power, it is now, Marie Laveau!” And Legend kicked the iron door off its iron hinges with super strength. With his new strength he defeated his father. By the time Legend was 16, his father drank himself to death and his mother emancipated him. His life on the streets began, and over the years he experienced firsthand the victimizing of the homeless. He made the move to Orlando about 20 years ago and is not satisfied with the conditions here either, especially when it comes to homeless veterans. “I’m always trying to bring awareness to homeless vets,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any excuses for homeless disabled veterans, people missing legs and arms.” One Saturday night, I joined Master Legend on patrol, bag of granola bars in hand. It was maybe 30 seconds before we came across a homeless man on a stoop using his jacket as a blanket. As we approached, instincts glared in the man’s eyes—he wasn’t sure what this masked stranger and I were up to. Not until we handed him several granola bars. Then he seemed to almost cry. We made a circuit covering everywhere between Amway and Lake Eola. People hungry, people dirty, people partying. Many times it became difficult to move down the street because many people wanted pictures. “A lot of this is about awareness,” Legend said. “People know what I’m doing is good. But they won’t come out here and do it themselves.” Master Legend explained to me that, “Just having something in their bellies helps the homeless sleep through the night.” But that night it was not food comforting them. That night I saw people eased into their street-side slumbers by the super-compassion of a man whose identity remains a secret.
Page 4 • FEATURES
Sodexo Food Causes Bowel Distress
Ariana Simpson
Writer
They’re moaning, they’re groaning, they’re incessantly loaning their tissue. What’s the deal with these fetal-position-walking-pupils of yours? Sodexo, that’s the deal! Pictures have been anonymously released revealing mixed meat, mystery meat, intestinal residue, guck, and much more behind the scenes of Sodexo. Faced with the flight of innocent employees and an ever-growing scandal, Sodexo has been forced to shut down. Phyllis Goatley Ph.D. exclaimed, “How? I mean how? You have students erupting with anal leakage from the sulfur water that they are unknowingly consuming! They are emptying their bowels faster than the United States government issues propagan-
da!”
One Elizabeth Hall resident and senior at Rollins, who chose to remain anonymous, shared with us that, “The whole third floor girls bathroom is caked in stench! We’re low on tissue, there’s not enough ventilation to relieve us, and quite frankly, it just smells like the dying squirrels and cats in the Orlando Hall vents.” Many have had their lives disrupted as a result of Sodexo’s “food.” Partners can no longer lay intimately, and sharting has become as annoyingly and unnaturally frequent as pastels and Lily Pulitzer on this campus. Things like “I wish I was constipated” have become casual and recurring conversations amongst campus students, while back pains and Midol are necessary for a normal day.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
George Lucas opens Astronomy College Danielle Del Pico Staff Writer Rollins College is proud to announce the development of a new astronomy college: Lucas College of Astronomy and Engineering, open for student enrollment in Fall 2016. World-renowned filmmaker George Lucas, Hollywood movie director and creator of the Star Wars films, has taken a philanthropic move and funded the school to revitalize the Florida space program. The curriculum will have a strong focus on the traditional academic fields of mathematics and science, but will also offer students an opportunity to engage with their professors on a variety of different platforms, including at the Ken-
nedy Space Center itself. There, students will be working primarily on the academic database sTARs, which is a hybrid online classroom environment, the first of its kind at Rollins. In their senior capstone, students will be participating in an internship at Kennedy Space Center in the specialization of their choice, with mentors who will propel them into the myriad amount of opportunities this field has. The curriculum offers students not only the opportunity to specialize in the logistical side of space exploration, but also the chance to train as an astronaut in the space program. Program Coordinator Dr. Zinnie Grantshire has worked for NASA for the past 25 years,
New President
ELIMINATES Micah Bradley
Staff Writer
Though the faculty, administrators, and students of Rollins College were originally supportive of the decision of Grant Cornwell as the next president, his recently announced plans have made many reconsider. Most shock-
ingly, Cornwell plans to get rid of Fox Day to save the campus money. “Fox Day is the best. I cannot believe he wants to take it away. Like, I was looking forward to going to the beach with my friends. Now, I guess I’ll have to go on the weekend or something. Ugh,” said Daisy Lou, who graduates in 2019
(hopefully). Cornwell thinks that Fox Day is an added expense that gives the students too much joy, when they could be spending their day working. Instead of Fox Day, Cornwell plans to implement a new holiday, tentatively called “Study Hard Day!” This will also be a random day in the spring semes-
ter, but instead of taking the day off, all students will be required to attend extra classes and spend all free time working in the library. The library café will offer half-priced coffee as an incentive to work hard. “I’ll need half-priced alcohol to cope with no Fox Day,” joked Dill Pickle ’16.
and calls the new college a triumph for Liberal Arts colleges around the country. “It doesn’t limit the potential that all our educational institutions inherently have by Rollins broadening what it means to get an education. This will allow professors and students alike to create and build a whole new world here in Central Florida that is unprecedented. We have an opportunity as a community to work together and rebuild an industry that is based on the pursuit of knowledge and thirst for adventure and discovery,” Grantshire said. Enrollment begins early next year and is expected to be a popular choice for incoming freshman. This news is out of this world, to say the least.
Page 5 • FEATURES
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Satanists use Interfaith Space Peter Ruiz
pointed leader of this group Writer of Satanists said, “We hope to be successful soon and bring An interesting group of about the retribution of manstudents recently won the kind as Satan would want.” right to an Interfaith Space If you notice an increase in Knowles Chapel as part in the amount of lamb being of Rollins’ fulfilment of their served at the campus center mission of diversity and inclu- thank your nearest Satanist. sion. Lamb’s blood is paramount While the space is going to these ceremonies but these to be used for student prayer Satanists do not believe in as well as a myriad of other waste, so after the blood is things, the growing popula- drained the dead lambs are tion of Satanists on campus shipped over to the campus will be using this space at center to be used in our meals. Midnights on Saturdays as Your complaints about the they continue Oliver Crom- loud “baas” being bleated out well’s long standing quest to by these fuzzy little creatures bring about the Apocalypse will be assuaged by the juicy, and summon Satan. tender, fresh lamb we will be Dan Strider, the self-ap- eating in the near future.
Astroturf attacks aliens
Peter Ruiz
Writer
As I am sure many of you have noticed, there are two odd patches of grass on Mills Lawn in front of the Mills Building. Although these may seem like just regular, discolored bits of astro turf, it turns out these ugly patches of grass are serving a greater purpose. Recently, Dr. John Melina in the astrological studies department received notice that this distasteful fauxgrass is actually a government subsidized attempt to make extraterrestrial contact. In a recent interview he was quoted as saying “They’re out there, man, and we have to make sure that we’re prepared.” His plan is to use the unsightly and discolored patches of grass to signal to the alien species from above that this is a landing spot and then capture these Aliens for further study. using them as bargaining chips when the Alien invasion begins. April is a month that has historically been known for higher rates of Alien sightings, so please be prepared for some interesting celestial sights. If you start to see UFOs—Unidentified Flying Objects, for those of you who are not used to the lingo—please do not panic.
Page 4 • FEATURES
Sodexo Food Causes Bowel Distress
Ariana Simpson
Writer
They’re moaning, they’re groaning, they’re incessantly loaning their tissue. What’s the deal with these fetal-position-walking-pupils of yours? Sodexo, that’s the deal! Pictures have been anonymously released revealing mixed meat, mystery meat, intestinal residue, guck, and much more behind the scenes of Sodexo. Faced with the flight of innocent employees and an ever-growing scandal, Sodexo has been forced to shut down. Phyllis Goatley Ph.D. exclaimed, “How? I mean how? You have students erupting with anal leakage from the sulfur water that they are unknowingly consuming! They are emptying their bowels faster than the United States government issues propagan-
da!”
One Elizabeth Hall resident and senior at Rollins, who chose to remain anonymous, shared with us that, “The whole third floor girls bathroom is caked in stench! We’re low on tissue, there’s not enough ventilation to relieve us, and quite frankly, it just smells like the dying squirrels and cats in the Orlando Hall vents.” Many have had their lives disrupted as a result of Sodexo’s “food.” Partners can no longer lay intimately, and sharting has become as annoyingly and unnaturally frequent as pastels and Lily Pulitzer on this campus. Things like “I wish I was constipated” have become casual and recurring conversations amongst campus students, while back pains and Midol are necessary for a normal day.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
George Lucas opens Astronomy College Danielle Del Pico Staff Writer Rollins College is proud to announce the development of a new astronomy college: Lucas College of Astronomy and Engineering, open for student enrollment in Fall 2016. World-renowned filmmaker George Lucas, Hollywood movie director and creator of the Star Wars films, has taken a philanthropic move and funded the school to revitalize the Florida space program. The curriculum will have a strong focus on the traditional academic fields of mathematics and science, but will also offer students an opportunity to engage with their professors on a variety of different platforms, including at the Ken-
nedy Space Center itself. There, students will be working primarily on the academic database sTARs, which is a hybrid online classroom environment, the first of its kind at Rollins. In their senior capstone, students will be participating in an internship at Kennedy Space Center in the specialization of their choice, with mentors who will propel them into the myriad amount of opportunities this field has. The curriculum offers students not only the opportunity to specialize in the logistical side of space exploration, but also the chance to train as an astronaut in the space program. Program Coordinator Dr. Zinnie Grantshire has worked for NASA for the past 25 years,
New President
ELIMINATES Micah Bradley
Staff Writer
Though the faculty, administrators, and students of Rollins College were originally supportive of the decision of Grant Cornwell as the next president, his recently announced plans have made many reconsider. Most shock-
ingly, Cornwell plans to get rid of Fox Day to save the campus money. “Fox Day is the best. I cannot believe he wants to take it away. Like, I was looking forward to going to the beach with my friends. Now, I guess I’ll have to go on the weekend or something. Ugh,” said Daisy Lou, who graduates in 2019
(hopefully). Cornwell thinks that Fox Day is an added expense that gives the students too much joy, when they could be spending their day working. Instead of Fox Day, Cornwell plans to implement a new holiday, tentatively called “Study Hard Day!” This will also be a random day in the spring semes-
ter, but instead of taking the day off, all students will be required to attend extra classes and spend all free time working in the library. The library café will offer half-priced coffee as an incentive to work hard. “I’ll need half-priced alcohol to cope with no Fox Day,” joked Dill Pickle ’16.
and calls the new college a triumph for Liberal Arts colleges around the country. “It doesn’t limit the potential that all our educational institutions inherently have by Rollins broadening what it means to get an education. This will allow professors and students alike to create and build a whole new world here in Central Florida that is unprecedented. We have an opportunity as a community to work together and rebuild an industry that is based on the pursuit of knowledge and thirst for adventure and discovery,” Grantshire said. Enrollment begins early next year and is expected to be a popular choice for incoming freshman. This news is out of this world, to say the least.
Page 5 • FEATURES
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Satanists use Interfaith Space Peter Ruiz
pointed leader of this group Writer of Satanists said, “We hope to be successful soon and bring An interesting group of about the retribution of manstudents recently won the kind as Satan would want.” right to an Interfaith Space If you notice an increase in Knowles Chapel as part in the amount of lamb being of Rollins’ fulfilment of their served at the campus center mission of diversity and inclu- thank your nearest Satanist. sion. Lamb’s blood is paramount While the space is going to these ceremonies but these to be used for student prayer Satanists do not believe in as well as a myriad of other waste, so after the blood is things, the growing popula- drained the dead lambs are tion of Satanists on campus shipped over to the campus will be using this space at center to be used in our meals. Midnights on Saturdays as Your complaints about the they continue Oliver Crom- loud “baas” being bleated out well’s long standing quest to by these fuzzy little creatures bring about the Apocalypse will be assuaged by the juicy, and summon Satan. tender, fresh lamb we will be Dan Strider, the self-ap- eating in the near future.
Astroturf attacks aliens
Peter Ruiz
Writer
As I am sure many of you have noticed, there are two odd patches of grass on Mills Lawn in front of the Mills Building. Although these may seem like just regular, discolored bits of astro turf, it turns out these ugly patches of grass are serving a greater purpose. Recently, Dr. John Melina in the astrological studies department received notice that this distasteful fauxgrass is actually a government subsidized attempt to make extraterrestrial contact. In a recent interview he was quoted as saying “They’re out there, man, and we have to make sure that we’re prepared.” His plan is to use the unsightly and discolored patches of grass to signal to the alien species from above that this is a landing spot and then capture these Aliens for further study. using them as bargaining chips when the Alien invasion begins. April is a month that has historically been known for higher rates of Alien sightings, so please be prepared for some interesting celestial sights. If you start to see UFOs—Unidentified Flying Objects, for those of you who are not used to the lingo—please do not panic.
Page 6 • FEATURES
Thursday, March 26, 2015
CMC Professor talks social justice Dr. Tillmann discusses her new book and her goals for Rollins’ campus. Danielle Del Pico
Staff Writer
Dr. Lisa M.Tillmann, Professor of Critical Media and Cultural Studies at Rollins College, has penned a new book: In Solidarity; Friendship, Family and Activism Beyond Gay and Straight. To celebrate her book release, there will be a reading, signing, and reflection today, March 26, from 4-5:30 p.m.. On the book’s website, the book is described as, “Deep, committed, and loving relationships across lines such as class, nation, sex, race, religion, ideology, ability, age, gender, and sexual orientation can help light the way toward a more equitable and just society. It shows what being an ally requires, means, and does.” Dr. Tillmann would like her book to reach a wide audience: “One of my goals, and it’s a diffi-
cult tightrope to walk, is wanting the book to be something that could be effectively used in undergraduate and graduate classrooms, everything from research methods, narrative writing to LGBTQ+ studies—then also having the book be an engaging and accessible way to have somebody in a non-academic environment find it appealing. My Uncle Steve told me of my first book, Between Gay and Straight, that it was literally the only book he had ever read cover to cover. So I want to bridge what is sometimes a gap between an academic and a lay audience. For some academic readers, it maybe won’t have the theoretical sophistication that they want; its purpose is not to advance theory. It’s meant to be engaging.” Dr. Tillmann explained how her beginnings inspired her literary and academic work: “When I was doing my PhD field work, at
the time I began I was a relatively naïve 23 year old graduate student, having grown up in a small town in Minnesota with conventional ideas about sexuality and sexual orientation. Then falling into this network of gay male friends, becoming attached to them personally, and then writing my PhD dissertation about them. What I got out of that was a very different way of looking at the world: a raised consciousness. When I got my job here and I met Kathryn Norsworthy in Graduate Studies and Counseling, Kathryn and I were part of the first standing committee on diversity at Rollins. She and I helped bring to campus a number of social action trainers and policy initiative changes such as adding Gender Identity and Expression to our Equal Opportunity policy.” Dr. Tillmann has been working diligently on an initiative
that could potentially change the face of Rollins College and their social justice endeavors. She said, “I’ve been working with a group of faculty, most closely with Kathryn Norsworthy. She and I are co-coordinating a group of faculty that we’re calling ‘the Rollins Action Network.’ We are also supporting staff and student constituencies to form, the thinking would be that this would be a group of people interested in social justice initiatives on-campus, but predominantly off-campus, local, state, national, and global issues. The constituencies would meet on a monthly basis and then subcommittees would form on particular initiatives.” How can Rollins students get more involved in these issues? Dr. Tillman reflected, “Most of us occupy at least one dominant or privileged group, and
most of us have a status that is historically marginalized. I think for a lot of us, our own work begins with our own oppressed status, and that’s definitely true for me: being exposed in college to feminism, sexism, and issues of misogyny, seeing the world through that lens. It’s not ethically responsible to stop our analysis there; I want to encourage people to do their own work and also to take that next step and assess how we mobilize that raised consciousness into concrete policy and social change.” Be sure to sign up for her Critical Media & Culture Studies class in Fall 2015: Incarceration & Inequality. This class focuses on how class, race, nationality, and sex work within the cogs of the justice system and the repercussions that ensue. Also, visit the website for the book at http://www.insolidaritybook.com/ for more information.
Urban farm to grow organic produce A new urban farm, organized by students, promises to provide the campus with organic produce. Marcela Oliveira
Production Manager
More than 30 students, faculty, and staff members attended the preparations of the Rollins Urban Farm this Saturday afternoon. A project started by Andrew Lesmes ’14 and heavily supported by EcoRollins, the urban farm will provide 11 raised beds for people who are interested in growing their own organic food. This is not the first raised beds initiative at Rollins College. Elizabeth Hall, where the EcoHouse is currently located, has one bed for the use of EcoRollins members. Prior to this current initiative, the Mowbray Sustainability House was a precursor for the idea, having hosted four beds during the house’s tenure. The space had to be demolished two years ago to host temporary classrooms during the construc-
tion of the new Bush Science Center and, later, to provide a new parking lot by the Sutton Apartments. Lesmes’ project, however, takes on an entirely new challenge as it aims to involve several different groups of the community. Oriana Reilly ’17, is an active supporter of the project. As a sustainability coordinator and executive staff of EcoRollins, she helps take care of the raised bed behind Elizabeth. She also appreciates the scope of Lesmes’ project. “Those raised beds are going to be open to the whole community. A person, a class, a professor, anyone can come to the coordinator of the garden and participate in the project,” said Reilly. Lesmes used the opportunity of his senior project to develop the urban farm idea. With the help of one of his professors, Dr.
Lee Lines from the Environmental Studies department, Lesmes created a comprehensive proposal that was quickly approved by the college. The inspiration for his project came from an off-campus endeavor. “Over the summer I started interning with East End Market and I worked at the farm there. At that point, I started developing ideas for an urban farm for the Rollins campus,” said Lesmes. His internship provided him with the guidance to set up the project, and the support of faculty and colleagues within Rollins helped him put his plan into action. Saturday’s event showed that his efforts were not in vain. With the help of a $4,000 grant provided by Rollins, the construction of the urban farm began with the assistance of students, staff, faculty, and their children.
The event, that was supposed to last from 12 to 3 p.m., ended early because of the efficiency of the volunteers. Under the warm Florida sun, volunteers from the community helped lay down compost to fill the raised beds and planted the first crops of lettuce and peppers. The Sustainability House was unlocked to provide volunteers access to the bathroom and cold water. Tea and bruschetta were also offered by EcoRollins volunteers. “I picked the tomatoes and basil fresh yesterday. We used them for the bruschetta,” said Heather Schleiffer ’15, EcoRollins’ current president. The urban farm project, and efforts such as the EcoRollins raised bed, shows the growing interest that Rollins has on organic farming and healthy eating. Sodexo has also identified itself as a supportive partner of
the project, and some of the harvest will be sold back to the company to be served in the campus center. The next big event for those involved with the new urban farm is the late spring harvest, which will take place at the end of the semester. Lesmes and the members of EcoRollins hope that their urban farm efforts will influence the development of new raised beds in the future— not just at Rollins, but at other schools as well. But Lesmes’ goal is not only to provide the campus with organic and healthy produce. He sees the urban farm as an educational tool “founded on the Hamilton Holt liberal arts model that will provide the Rollins community with hands on learning opportunities.” Hopefully the college community will make the best out of this lucrative resource.
Page 7 • FEATURES
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Orchestra shines under new conductor A finalist in a series of concerts at the Bob Carr Perfoming Arts Centre, conductor Leslie B. Dunner led a stunning performance by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. Esteban Meneses
Copy Editor
The series of concerts at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, featuring each of the finalists for the new Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic, concluded on Saturday night with a marvelous program, a supreme conductor, a soulful solo performance by Rimma Bergeron-Langlois, and an accomplished ensemble. If any of the five candidates for the orchestra’s top artistic position—the person will be in charge of programming and leading the technical and artistic prowess of the orchestra—truly deserves the distinction of ‘maestro,’ it is Leslie Dunner. An extremely accomplished conductor, Dunner, age 59, displayed the poise, control, and allure of a true orchestral leader. His impressive credits include Music Director of Canada’s Symphony Nova Scotia, Music Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and, more recently, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. He was also Kurt
Masur’s assistant conductor with the New York Philharmonic and has stellar credentials in the operatic world. The program was loosely based on the theme of war and the perseverance of life. Dunner took the podium for a powerful rendition of Samuel Barber’s “Second Essay for Orchestra.” With World War II as its backdrop, the piece features bold and brash figures, accomplished by virtuosic orchestration. Dunner’s style, befitting of a seasoned master, shows a cool composure with relaxed torso motions, left-hand gestures, and refined sweeping gesticulations. The warm tones from the solo flute and other woodwinds were offset by the forceful brass section. Trombones had never been as raucous, imbuing all three pieces with blood-pumping excitement, and also depicting the ugliness of warfare and strife in the face of adversity. With a very recent performance of Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” and his violin concerto two years ago, it has been a thrill to hear our top local orchestra pay its respects to this
phenomenal American composer, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. Ukrainian violinist Rimma Bergeron-Langlois, the wonderful concertmaster of the Orlando Philharmonic, performed a soulful rendition of Sibelius’ “Violin Concerto in D minor.” With its intricacies and peculiarities in structure, demanding virtuoso lines, and memorable lyricism, the concerto was a great vehicle for the violinist’s skills. The subdued opening introduces a somber theme, echoed by clarinets. The thematic progress eventually works its way to the lyrical second theme, which Bergeron-Langlois played with élan and emotion. The development of the first movement is mostly carried out by a violin cadenza; Bergeron-Langlois exerted control over her attack, subtly fluctuating dynamic levels. The technical demand was met with elegance—double stops and swift broken chords carefully articulated to dazzling effect. A change of pace in the second movement showed another side of the violinist, with a slower, penetrating theme, supported by mellow French horns. The
bouncy romp of the finale, with full orchestral forces masterfully controlled by Dunner, had the soloist sizzling over an infectious, percussion-driven rhythm. Bergeron-Langlois had a delightful season, including performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons last December and this charming rendition of Sibelius’ indelible stable of the repertoire. The orchestra reached new heights with Carl Nielsen’s remarkable “Symphony No. 4”— or “The Inextinguishable.” The four movements, played without breaks, progress through an almost cinematic orchestral battlefield, characterized by exquisite orchestration. The brass section was as bold and emphatic as ever—along with the second half of the Barber essay, this might have been the loudest the Orlando Philharmonic has ever played —and just about overpowered the strings, but Dunner’s steady hand and superb control of the development of the instrumental groups kept the ensemble tight. The result was a high-strung outpouring, which had cautious listeners near the edge of their seats in the edgiest moments.
The second movement’s mellifluous woodwinds, over pizzicato strings were effective as a foil for the raucous trombones and tuba of the other movements. Finally, the dueling timpani section of the fourth movement —the symphony’s single most distinctive feature—was performed with explosive power. Principal Carl Rendek and John Patton were pitted on either side of the stage. They battled against each other with support from a crunching brass section. Dunner’s skills as a superior conductor are unquestionable. It is unfortunate that the concert could only be presented once. If Dunner shares the same passion for contemporary and world-music pieces as Eric Jacobsen does (also a finalist for the music director position), the orchestra may very well have their new man. The Orlando Philharmonic continues their season on April 11, with two performances of The Barbra Streisand Songbook, featuring Ann Hampton Callaway. Visit orlandophil.org for more details.
Live action Cinderella exceeds expectations Nicholas D’Alessandro
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Walt Disney Pictures is, quite simply, a cash cow. Not only do they have their Animation Studio films and a partnership with Pixar, they also control two of the biggest franchises in cinema: Marvel and Star Wars. On top of it all, they have slated a series of live action movies. These films are adaptations of a few of Disney’s classic animated films. Following Maleficent last summer, and Cinderella this month, Disney is planning on live-action versions of Beauty and The Beast, Dumbo, and The Jungle Book While I loved Maleficent, I was skeptical of Cinderella. What is the point of remaking it in live action if the story has already been told? She goes to the ball, she loses her slipper, the prince finds her, and happily ever after.
Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, however, is full of color and joy. It takes the story you know so well and adds another level of depth. Cinderella is more than just a pretty girl who talks to mice; she is now full of kindness and courage. The villainous stepmother is no longer a one-dimensional antagonist, but a woman who was dealt a poor hand in life and reacts in a bitter and cruel way. The prince is not just a handsome monarch anymore; he is a young and brave man, still finding his place in the world. Truthfully, it is a great movie for a new generation of children. Cinderella is an actual role model here. I would say that this movie stands apart from the cartoon. I was pleasantly surprised by Cinderella. I recommend it if you are interested in a simple, joyful story of whimsy and color.
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Chris Sarafian
ed off with writing poetry and prose. Most of the tracks incorpoWith their latest album Dope rate the band’s signature instruMachines, The Airborne Toxic ment—the viola, played by backEvent sheds its alterna-rock skin ing vocalist/keyboardist Anna and undergoes a musical meta- Bullbrook. Like past works, the morphosis, resulting in a sur- grittiness of Jollett’s voice comprising and exquisite synth-pop plements the suave sounds of sound. the instruments—from viola to Upon first listen, the album piano. may taste bitter to fans and faThe supplement of the synmiliars of the band’s traditional thesizer does anything but break work. Machines, however, still up the perfect pairing. Although manages to succeed as a synth- machine-made sounds dominate pop record, despite veering from the tracks, the effects still fit with past works, such as 2013’s Such the lyrics and vocals. In “One Hot Blood, or their 2008 self-titled Time Thing,” Jollett croons, debut. “Feels like my head is made of Almost a decade since the moonshine and cheap-ass wine” release of Airborne Toxic Event, to the silvery pangs of synths, the band has moved with the wa- implementing a gruff, yet crisp ters of musical trends and sailed flavor that remains throughout into unfamiliar territories. the song. Of course, O t h e r one may quesstandouts intion whether clude “Time to The Airborne be a Man,” one Toxic Event is of the album’s True, Airborne ‘selling out’ by strongest tracks. crossing into The song comhas changed the category of mences with a a more ‘popusince 2008, but carnival-esque lar’ genre. ringing, remiso has music. True, Airniscent of the borne has electronic tone With time’s changed since pools heard passing, a band in boardwalk 2008, but so has music. With penny arcades. has to tweak its time’s passing, Starting off sound or face a band has to childlike and tweak its sound the the possibility of nostalgic, or face the possong winds into sibility of bebecoming stale a mature rush of coming stale electric guitars, and predictable. synth notes, and and predictable. Dope Machines drumbeats. showcases The The elecAirborne Toxic tricity of sound Event’s musical is accompanied versatility while by lyrics such still managing to boast their as, “It’s time to be a man. Tell me, unique, signature strengths. how does that go? What the hell Like past albums, Dope Ma- are you waiting for? The world’s chines’ lyrical content functions an open door?” like poetry, projecting vivid stoThrough its combination of rylines and imagery through the music and lyrics, the track strives words, music, and vocal emo- to find sense and happiness in tion–not surprising, taking into adulthood. account that lead singer and While most of Dope Machines band founder Mikel Jollett start- succeeds in its incorporation of
Columnist
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Thursday, March 26, 2015
The Airborne Toxic Event introduces new sound With their third major studio release, ‘Dope Machines,’ The Airborne Toxic Event succeeds in making the transition from alterna-rock to synth-pop. pop sound, some tracks, such as the lead single “Wrong,” seem to overwhelm vocals with their electronic effects. Overall, however, The Airborne Toxic Event succeeds in their attempt at a more pop-
based album. Dope Machines is strong in composition and manages to incorporate the band’s standout traits into a world of synthesizer and electronics. Rating the record, Machines would garner a 3/5. It is
a stellar first attempt at an unfamiliar genre—and for those fans unhappy with Airborne’s new style, the band released an all-acoustic sequel one day after Machine’s debut to balance the musical scales.
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