The Sandspur Volume 124 Issue 17 by The Sandspur

Issue 17 • Volume 124 Thursday, March 8, 2018 www.thesandspur.org

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Third party contractor Monday’s R-Alert related to auto theft retests Gale’s air quality Despite notification of an “active Student also complains that he is not receiving the results of the air quality tests. By Kendall Clarke

kclarke1@rollins.edu

n March 6, a third party contractor retested Gale Hall for mold following student concerns about the air quality of their dorms possibly affecting their health. As was revealed in a recent Sandspur article, students complained that they suffer from cough, sinus and throat issues, and exacerbated asthma symptoms, and believe it is associated with mold growth in their residential buildings. Ken Miller, vice president of public safety, said having the third party test Gale Hall will allow them to definitively state whether there is an issue. “If there is, they will outline it and provide guidance on how to best address it. If there isn’t, it should lend confidence to what we have stated for some time,” he said. “We have asked them to look at anything relevant to [indoor air quality] issues inside of the building. This may include the HVAC system, windows, roofing, etc. but it will also highlight residents’ behavior inside of the building that continues to negatively impact their living space. Some of the items that we have seen recently, such as leaving windows open, altering the thermostats, and personal housekeeping will also be noted,” he said. Miller said that Campus Safety is willing to test the living space of any student upon request. When requesting a test, it is preferred for students to contact Residential Life. Students will then have to provide a reason for why they are requesting the test, such as high humidity, condensation, or staining. Residential Life will then contact Campus Safety to conduct the test.

Miller said, “It will usually take about 2-3 days to receive the results back from the lab. At that point, we send the actual lab results to Residential Life so they can have a conversation with the student. If there is additional explanation needed, we would be happy to attend a joint meeting.” However, a student claimed that he has not had these conversations with Residential Life. Ryan Tillotson ‘20, a resident of Gale Hall, said that when he first reported the stains on his walls, his House Manager, Collin Esquirol ‘18, submitted a report. From there, though, he said no one from Campus Safety or Residential Life ever contacted him. “I got to my room as they were leaving and they said it was taken care of cause I didn’t see any mold left, but there wasn’t any follow up or anyone asking if it actually got taken care of,” said Tillotson. “In addition, they came through and did air quality checks in all of our rooms but we were never contacted about that even happening and then, when it did, no one told us what the results were or what happened,” he said. Leon Hayner, senior director of residential life, stated that the test results were given to Esquirol and Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) Director Jazmine Rodriguez. Hayner stated, “I would assume that Collin shared these results with his residents.” Equirol confirmed he received the results. However, he said he “did not ask for permission to release them from FSL.” The Sandspur requested and received redacted copies of Gale Hall air quality test results, provided by Scott Rayburn of Campus Safety. When an air quality test is conducted, a sample is taken from outside the building, in-

side the general living space, and then inside the room. These three data points are used to compare and detect any problems. The air outside of Gale Hall had a total fungi count of 3,910 per cubic meter, while the air inside of the first floor hallway of Gale had 290 per cubic meter. One room had a fungi count of 2,450 per cubic meter. Within that room, the highest single spore found was the species Aspergillus and Penicillium. The count of these spores outside of Gale was 200 per cubic meter, and 100 per cubic meter in the first floor hallway. Exposure to Aspergillus and Penicillium can cause allergic reactions, lung infections, and infections in other organs. The Sandspur gave copies of these results to a local environmental air quality and moisture testing service, Air Quality Assessors, for analysis. One of their mold specialists, John Scarry, said that if the number of spores exceeds 1,000 per cubic meter, that is an unacceptable amount. Scarry also said that the difference in these spore counts between the air outside of Gale, the first floor hallway, and the room in question indicates that Aspergillus and Penicillium are growing within the living space. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a federal health protection agency, sampling to determine the type of mold present is unnecessary—if an individual is susceptible to mold and mold is seen or smelled, it is a potential health risk and should be removed. The residents of Gale Hall have requested a meeting with Residential Life, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Campus Safety, and Facilities to discuss ongoing questions and concerns. A date and time for this meeting has not been announced.

shooter,” the suspect was unarmed.

Photo by Ellie Rushing Winter Park police arrested man who fled to campus after burglary of black Lexus at Casselberry Walmart.

By Ellie Rushing

erushing@rollins.edu

n Monday at 3:27 p.m., an R-Alert notified students, faculty, and staff that an active shooter was on campus. However, it is now clear that the individual was not armed, no shots were fired, and no individuals were harmed. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the suspect fled to campus from a Casselberry Walmart in an apparent auto theft. The suspect was armed at first, but ditched the gun before he reached Rollins. The Winter Park Police and Casselberry Police were involved the entire time. Rollins sent out the R-Alert as soon as a problem was apparent. It was not confirmed that the suspect was unarmed until he was apprehended and arrested. Eight minutes after the initial “active shooter” alert was sent out, an “All clear,” message was released asking students to “Please resume normal activities.” The eight minutes before the “All clear,” message, though, left many students and faculty in a panic. Dior Mbengue ‘19 was in a marketing class when her classmate received the initial notification. At first, she said, the class thought the person who announced it was joking. Then,

she immediately pictured the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting and started to cry. “I was bawling,” she said. “I was just thinking about [the Parkland students] and that this is how they died.” Luckily, the incident did not escalate to the extent of the Parkland shooting; however, the feeling that it could happen at Rollins was a reality check for many students. “I was pretty panicked and the people around me were too,” said Emily Nomberg ‘21. Nomberg was on the patio of Dave’s Boathouse when she received the notification. She immediately went inside where she and the other people in Dave’s were taken into the food storage area of the C-Store. Some students barricaded the doors while others called their parents to tell them what was happening. “I thought Rollins did a great job getting out the message,” Nomberg noted. “Within 30 seconds, we got a text, phone call, and an email. They were efficient in getting us into a safe place and would not let us leave until they were sure it was resolved.” For those students who still have concerns or post-traumatic stress about the incident, the Wellness Center offers open walk-in hours for counseling between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m daily.

2 • MARCH 8, 2018 Established in 1894 with the following editorial:

FEATURES

Library finds new director Starting in June, Deborah Prosser will act as new Director of Olin. By Heather Borochaner

hborochaner@rollins.edu

EXECUTIVE STAFF Ellie Rushing Editor-in-Chief

Christina Fuleihan Managing Editor

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fter a long and careful deliberation, Rollins announced Deborah Prosser as the new Director of Olin Library. She will be coming to Rollins from the University of North Georgia on June 1. During the hiring process, Prosser spent weeks interviewing with everyone involved at Rollins, ranging from students, to professors, faculty, and President Cornwell himself. Many of the interviews were held over telephone or video conferences.

Prosser said, “The thoroughness of the interview and selection process indicates the importance the Rollins community places on the library. I enjoyed the process immensely.” She also had a two-day visit to campus where she had most of her interactions with the students and faculty. “It is clear that Rollins is a collegial environment where people enjoy working. I absolutely love that the students call the library ‘Club Olin.’ It shows how much they value it and that it is their space,” she said. Prosser was attracted to Rollins because of its reputation for

innovation and commitment to its students. She believes the library is an important part of both of those qualities. “It therefore is an incredibly attractive prospect to lead the library [of a] stellar institution such as Rollins College.” When she arrives in June, Prosser first wants to build relationships with her peers and learn about what the campus has and its needs. Her primary focus, above all else, is making the library an environment where students can thrive and find their full potential. She will need the help of the library department and the feed-

back of students to accomplish that. “I consider it critically important to receive specific feedback from students and faculty as to how library collections, programs and services can best support their work,” said Prosser. “I look forward to many productive discussions at Rollins as we move into the future.” Prosser would like everyone at Rollins to know that her door is always open, and she would love to meet the students and faculty that she will be working with throughout her time on campus.

Wide representation shown at Diversity Fair Fair showcases organizations and offices that foster community and social justice. By Kendall Clarke

kclarke1@rollins.edu

his semester, the Student Government Association (SGA) held the second annual Diversity Fair. Multiple student organizations and campus offices gathered on Bush Lawn to celebrate the diversity of the Rollins community. The student organizations present included the Caribbean Student Association, the Republican Club, Rollins Catholic Campus Ministry, and Spectrum, Rollins’ LGBTQ+ organization. Campus offices in attendance included the Office of Accessibility Services, the Office of International Student & Scholar Services, and the Lucy Cross Center. This wide representation of diversity at Rollins was exactly what SGA had in mind when they organized this event. Huda Awan ‘18, SGA diversity & inclusion chair, stated that the mission of the diversity fair was “to recognize and celebrate all types of diversity on our campus, be it racially, spiritually, culturally, sexually, ability, or politically based.” Awan expressed how SGA wanted to combat the view that Rollins is not a very diverse campus by showcasing all the work that students and faculty have done to cultivate an inclusive community both on campus and in the local community. Also, Awan stated that the fair was intended to be an op-

portunity for students to connect with offices and student organizations that they can identify with. Awan further explained how SGA organized the event to achieve these goals. In order to have an adequately diverse presence, SGA had to be inclusive and wide-reaching in its recruitment methods. Awan stated, “We reached out to the entire campus via e-mail for tabling. All organizations were welcome and encouraged to participate. The organizations that responded demonstrated their ties to diversity and mission for social jus-

tice.”

SGA also had to ensure that each organization had equitable means to present a table and engage students at the fair. To these ends, Awan explained that “SGA provided funds for each organization so that they could have games, activities, or information to share with the campus community.” Organizations took advantage of these funds in order to maximize their opportunities to demonstrate the contributions that they make towards campus diversity. Many tables offered snacks and games, and each organiza-

tion had an informational poster board outlining what their organization offers and the work that it has done toward promoting diversity. For instance, the Caribbean Student Association had students name a Caribbean country and its capital city in order to win a donut. In addition, Spectrum offered students the ability to leave a message for the LGBTQ+ community or to reflect on how they would react if a loved one came out as LGBTQ+.

OPINION

Mildew and silence continue to grow Gale resident explains experience with dorm room “mildew” and lack of response from officials. By Ryan Tillotson

rtillotson@rollins.edu

t was fall of 2017 when I first looked up at the ceiling of my room and noticed something strange. There were dots and clumps of a green-black substance beginning to grow. Immediately, I thought it had to be mold and that I needed to get out of my room. This was reported to my house manager and he put in a work order to Facilities Management. Within a week, someone came to my room, wiped off the ceiling, and left. I was never told what the substance was, but I was happy it was off my ceiling, so I did not care. Fast forward to this semester. Just a few weeks ago, I re-

ceived a message that air quality tests were being performed in my room to make sure everything was normal. I went back to my room, looked up at the ceiling for a second time, and noticed that the same substance was growing there again as in the previous semester. I was told that everywhere in the house was tested and the results for mold were negative. This was exciting, but it did not seem to explain what was still on my ceiling. I then took it into my own hands and got in touch with the Office of Residential Life & Explorations to explain my situation to them. They informed me that there was no mold growing on my ceiling and that it was just mildew. They said this like it was

nothing; like mildew does not make you sick or give you respiratory problems. It was as if this is not a big deal and that I will be just fine with it growing on my ceiling. I was annoyed by this and I pushed harder to express that this needed to be taken care of; I should not be living in conditions like this. The staff at Res Life told me that they understood and that I would be on the top of the list for Facilities to come clean it off and fix the problem. This was great news. I was expecting for this to be taken care of within the following two days. However, it has now been almost a week and I have heard nothing from Res Life or Facilities Management.

In addition, I asked my house manager if I could recieve the test results from when my room had the air quality tests performed. He responded that he did not know if that is information that can be shared with students, but he would find out for me. That was also a week ago and I have not yet received any information from him or the Office of Residential Life & Explorations. To sum up this whole experience, the Office of Residential Life & Explorations is not releasing the air quality test results to students, and they are also not taking this seriously. I feel that they are greatly risking the health of the students that live on campus at Rollins.

The fact that I have to wait this long for my room to be cleaned so that it can be a livable space is ridiculous. The school is continuing to push this down and claim that this is not a problem when it most definitely is. Students cannot be expected to stay on campus with conditions like this when the expense of room and board is nearly $15,000, according to the Rollins website. I am calling on Rollins College, Office of Residential Life & Explorations, and Facilities Management to address these issues and fix our on-campus living situation.

Reflecting on alerts of an “active shooter” No shots were fired and the suspect was unarmed, but the initial notification sent many students into a panic. By Emily Anness This incident was a wake-up call to many. When students received the “An armed person is on campus,” text, especially in class, professors and staff were either prepared, or were not. In light of other recent gun-related activities happening in our country, it is important to have a classroom plan if an active shooter actually was on campus. One professor told his students not to follow him as he left to go to his office. They determined that the room they were in was not safe, and that everyone can move to a safer place if they wanted to. He walked out into the hall with students trailing behind, until he turned around and told them to stop following him. They all exchanged blank stares in the open hallway, until he decided to lead them to a classroom the floor below. The professor emailed his class after the fact: “...I did not have a plan… I really feel dumb for not making sure I had everyone rounded up. That was a pretty big fail on my part. It’s a lesson to me to have a plan for situations like this in the future. Hopefully this won’t come up often, but I feel like I let you all down.”

I hope that in the future, professors have a plan in mind for each classroom that they are in. The classrooms vary in structure and layout and there should definitely be a clear plan set out for what students should do in each classroom, possibly stated in the syllabi in the beginning of each semester. We have heard a lot about plans being made for elementary, middle, and high schools if shooters were to enter, but not much about college campuses. Anyone can walk onto campuses at any time, and we should all take today as a lesson and learn from it so clear plans can be made in the future.

By Kendall Clarke

As soon as I saw the text message stating there was an armed person on campus, I could feel my stomach clench and my nerves freeze up. I was in class at the time and looked up to see my professor continue lecturing as though nothing was going on. I did not know what to do—should I say something or keep listening? Soon, three women entered our classroom. They stated that

they were guest speakers and were told to take shelter in the nearest building because there was an armed person on campus—that was how our professor was informed to take action. My class was in Sullivan House, a one-room building covered in windows and donned with a glass door that we had no idea how to lock. The best we could do was close the window blinds, turn off the lights and projector, and huddle against the wall in an attempt to stay out of the line of sight from the door. Anyone who walked up to the door would have been able to see us, though. I do not know what was more unnerving about the events of Monday—the fact that my professor did not receive the same R-Alert as the rest of us or the fact that I was forced to ‘take shelter’ in an unsafe location. No one should be forced to be in the situation that my classmates and myself found ourselves in.

By Diego Medrano

Once one of my classmates read the R-Alert out loud, there was a hanging moment in the air. No one really moved, and then

everything looked different. The open door looked menacing for once; I watched the windows as though they would be shattered at any moment. There was a chaos waiting to happen among us. People stood up and sat back down, not really knowing what to do, shushing each other, talking over one another. Thankfully, our professor reacted quickly. He asked all of us to move away from the windows, closed and locked the door, closed all the blinds, and turned off the lights. Had the danger been worse than it turned out to be, we would have been prepared thanks to his quick safety measures.

By Jojo Peloquin

I am the house manager for Pinehurst, and nothing I did in training prepared me for the text notifying the Rollins community of an active shooter. It is not that Residential Life and Explorations did not prepare us for this moment, because they should not have to. The immediate panic was fueled by horrific images of the Parkland tragedy. I was in the common room

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of ‘The Sandspur,’ its staff, or Rollins College.

of Pinehurst, watching a movie with one of my residents, when we both received the text. We jumped up, shut the blinds, and turned the TV off. I told her to go into her room or a bathroom. This was when I panicked. I knew that there were people on Mills lawn, but I was unsure if I should step outside and let them know or if I should take cover in the room. After peeking through the blinds and seeing students and faculty taking cover, I returned to panicking and making sure my residents were taken care of, just in case they did not get the text, phone call, and/or email. I posted in our house group for everyone to take cover until further notice by Rollins, and then I waited to see what would happen. I am a person who likes to take action, but thinking about a person with a gun possibly harming my peers left me unnerved and unsure of exactly what to do. I do not think these should be situations we should prepare for, but if we are unsure of how to protect ourselves in this recent increase of gun violence, then we should have the proper training to take care of each other.

FEATURES

Photos by Kira Bernhard Students delight in being covered in colors on Olin Lawn to celebrate a Hindu holiday.

Rollins welcomes spring with Holi Desi hosts Indian festival of colors to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. By Diego Medrano

dmedrano@rollins.edu

otwithstanding Florida’s erratic and demented weather, the time has come to usher in spring, and there are few ways more exciting to do so than by celebrating Holi. Holi is an ancient Hindu festival which celebrates the arrival of spring, as well as the triumph of good over evil. It is also wellknown throughout the world as the festival of colors; hence its most vibrant practice of Holi— goers spraying each other with

colored powder and water— making their targets into living canvasses of all hues. The festival has religious roots in India, but it has since become a beloved tradition across Pakistan, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, and the UK. Traditionally, Holi does not dictate holding puja, or prayer, and in many places across the world is held to celebrate spring, love, joy, and reparations. Holi encouraged partygoers to play and laugh, meet new people, mend damaged relationships with others, and forgive old grudges and close old

wounds. This is one way the festival’s spiritual origin still lives, as it encourages each person to triumph over their own inner evils. For several years, Desi has hosted Holi events on campus. The student organization promotes and celebrates Indian and Sri Lankan culture, among others. The name Desi roughly translates to “local,” as Desi is dedicated to creating community through culture. All interested students are welcome to become a part of Desi, regardless of religious or national back-

ground. The organization succeeded in bringing a joyous spirit to compus with Holi this year. Colors flew and mixed with the scent of spices wafting from the food. Desi also searched for the latest Bollywood music to fully celebrate Holi’s culture of origin. Those who enjoyed Holi should make room in November to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Light. As its name indicates, Diwali involves lighting dozens of candles and lamps around the home and outside. The tradition honors Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth;

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of ‘The Sandspur,’ its staff, or Rollins College.

it ushers in a year of good fortune. Diwali also involves creating intricate designs on floors out of colored rice, sand, or flower petals. Known as rangoli, these breathtaking designs are lit up using clay lamps or candles, and they are an unforgettable sight at night. The beauty of Holi, and other events organized by Desi, comes from their welcome to all. Holi asks us to promote joy, forgiveness, and goodwill towards others; what further reason would one need to attend?

FEATURES

Senior thesis spotlight: civic engagement Mariem Tabrez ‘18 investigates young adults’ involvement in politics. By Kendall Clarke

kclarke1@rollins.edu

ariem Tabrez ‘18 is one of many seniors working on her senior thesis this spring semester. Her double major in Political Science and Psychology led her to research youth civic engagement. Tabrez concentrated on three questions for her research. First, she considered how youth are redefining civic engagement. Secondly, she compared engagement in the Rollins community to national youth civic engagement. Finally, she measured the correlation between this engagement and votership. To accomplish these goals, Tabrez administered an online survey open to students in the College of Liberal Arts, Holt, and Crummer programs. Any students were eligible to participate as long as they were between 18 and 29 years old. Many students could recognize her name amongst the litany of emails in their inboxes asking students to fill out a survey. Tabrez then compared this data to data provided by the

Youth Participatory Politics Survey Project (YPPSP), which examines the relationship between new forms of media and youth civic engagement. YPPSP is actively exploring how technology and media platforms have allowed for the youth population to expand the definition of civic engagement. It partially served as an inspiration for Tabrez’s research project. Civic engagement is typically associated with activities such as volunteering, signing petitions, or voting, with Youth.gov as one source attesting this. This current definition of civic engagement does not include the online political activity that youth tend to participate in, such as sharing politically-oriented posts or following political figures on social media platforms. As such, it is believed that young people are not engaged with their local or national community, because they are not involved in the same way as traditional civic engagement. Tabrez was also interested in seeing if the programs Rollins puts into place to promote civic engagement and leadership are

effective. She hopes that at the conclusion of her research, the data she produces will be able to help guide administration in making improvements towards the realization of the Rollins mission in producing civically engaged students. The third and final question she focused on was measuring the correlation between youth civic engagement and its end goal, votership. This was meant to critically question whether the new forms of civic engagement that youth participate in actually gets them to the polls. Tabrez stated, “I think that the youth are not significantly less involved than the rest of the population, they’re just caring in a different way.” To Tabrez, civic engagement should be of a concern in every major at Rollins, not just Political Science. Through her research, she hoped that she will be able to shed light on the topic of youth civic engagement to the benefit of everyone at Rollins. Among being a double major, Tabrez is also in the Bonner Leaders Program and is Vice President of Student Govern-

Photo by Mariam Tabrez Mariem Tabrez ‘18 analyzes a Rollins and a national survey in hopes of benefiting all at the college.

ment Association. She desired to graduate with Honors in Political Science. However, she did not want to abandon her interests in political psychology. It seemed al-

most natural that her interests would culminate in a thesis that researched youth civic engagement.

New Rollins club fights negative stigmas Psychedelic club wants to alter opinions and enlighten students. By Alec Stanley

astanley@rollins.edu

he Psychedelic Club at Rollins attended the 20th annual Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) conference in Baltimore. While there, club officers heard keynote speeches from prominent activists such as Kassandra Frederique, underwent training to become peer educators, and worked in breakout sessions. These sessions included Policy Responses to the Opioid Crisis, Psychedelic Harm Reduction, and Activism at the UN: Influencing International Drug Policy as Young People. The conference spanned the weekend of March 2. As an official chapter of SSDP, the club neither condones nor condemns drug use. To the contrary, according to club founder, president, and Hamilton Holt Student Zechariah Hilles, the club is dedicated to

promoting research and wishes to “educate the community with scientifically valid and factual information about drugs and to destigmatize the word psychedelic, from its associations with the 1960s party culture to having it recognized as one of safest and strongest tools of perceptual change in therapy.” Far from wanting to promote any specific agenda, the club preaches self-empowerment and education when it comes to these substances, as Hilles explained: “We are not all-knowing about every type of drug, but we are experts at guiding people to resources about the substances that they want to investigate. We also have a safe space to talk about the non-ordinary states of consciousness that cause many students and community members psychological turmoil.” It was in a moment of elevated inspiration that Hilles felt the impetus of creating such a club at Rollins. “I had a strong

vision that I would start the Psychedelic Club at Rollins on Aug. 21 last year when I was hiking in the mountains of South Carolina. During the solar eclipse I had a strong voice, which I refer to as the Logos, tell me in my head that I needed to start a psychedelic club. The Logos told me of the struggles that I would face, but of the importance that it would have in my life, and that voice spoke truth.” Hilles and his fellow officers have worked tirelessly this school year to legitimize the club and to establish relationships with worldwide drug-policy organizers such as SSDP, Dance Safe, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Hilles wanted to clarify that “the club and the national organizations that we work with take a strong stance on not telling people what they should or shouldn’t put in their bodies.” However, he is also one of

the many young people who are beginning to question the efficacy of a hard just-say-no drug policy. He said, “Policy that has been taught in our public school systems is grossly ineffective,” Hilles stated. “We have learned that prohibition of a substance or action often makes them more desirable to impressionable youth. We can see this with the school systems that teach abstinence education, instead of teaching safer-sex policies, which has been proven to lead to higher rates of teenage pregnancy.” He continued, “Much like the abstinence approach to sex education, the just-say-no policy with drugs leaves teenagers with no useful knowledge for how to be safe around drugs in the real world, and many of my peers around the country are dying because of this lack of education.” To counteract this, the club adopted the motto, “Just Say Know” as an attempt to promote

understanding over ignorance and fear. However, according to Hilles, there has still been some push back from the community due to the nature of the club. “I face so much negative stigma on a daily basis about using the word psychedelic in my club, but I often find that to be the most important part of the club, because of the conversations that it invokes and the discussions with people that we are able to have. I think that if students are able to change the way that they view the word[s] drugs or psychedelics, then we would make tremendous progress on changing the way [we] deal with these substances,” he said. Students who wish to learn more about the club can contact Hilles at zhilles@rollins.edu, or attend a Sunday night club meeting from 6-7 p.m. in Knowles Memorial Chapel. Graphic by Gracie Street

OPINION

Is Rollins as diverse as it claims it is? Statistics show the homogeneousness of our student body. By Diego Medrano

jmedrano@rollins.edu

ollins recently held its second annual Diversity Fair, where students were offered a fresh glance at the wide range of cultures and people present on our campus. From Spectrum to the Muslim Student Union to the Latin American Student Association, the fair showed off most of Rollins’ cultural variety—I say “most of it” quite literally. I, a Honduran international student, can confirm that Rollins attracts students from all over the globe. I can also confirm that it does so in modest amounts, to say the least. The college’s own website agrees. As stated there, somewhat less than a fifth of Rollins students are Latino. This is the only race or ethnicity exceeding 10 percent—excluding white students, who make up a rather cozy 57 percent of the student body. This surely indicates that Rollins’ diversity must come from within the United States itself, a country that boasts fifty different subcultures at the bare minimum. Wanting to confirm that, I checked the statistics once again: Over half of all Rollins students graduated from Florida high schools. The college even seems to lack intellectual diversity. Despite the dozens of departments and majors offered, a majority of Rollins students appear to be part of the Department of Business, though this is based purely on personal observation. It is important to acknowl-

“

edge that Rollins is indeed welcoming of diversity when it does arrive. The campus is home to students of many genders, sexualities, nationalities, religions, and mindsets. Our Campus Center is even decorated with the flags of every international student’s home country. Why, then, do we lack the diversity in practice? I am no authority, but advertisement appears to be a culprit. Rollins has only a couple of international recruiters. They do their part beautifully in attracting students from abroad—I count myself among those—but they can, of course, only do so much. Furthermore, I know little of how Rollins advertises itself within the United States, but even other Floridians have often never heard of Rollins College when it is mentioned in conversation. This would explain the vast number of Floridians who attend Rollins— they know of it because they have lived nearby for years. Only those most likely to hear about Rollins due to proximity seem to truly know of it, and that only serves to attract an increasingly homogeneous demographic. The percentage of black students at Rollins has actually decreased in recent years. Rollins is a small, prestigious, private college, and I daresay it is not struggling financially; so there surely must be more in the way of advertising that can be done. After all, it is in the college’s own interests to further diversify the student body, because with diversity, quantity is quality.

... I know little of how Rollins advertises itself within the United States, but even other Floridians have often never heard of Rollins College....

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Changes to campus infrastructure and faculty positions announced President Cornwell's faculty meeting gave insight into campus By Alec Stanley

astanley@rollins.edu

fter the Board of Trustees visit, President Cornwell gave updates on strategic planning, the financial overview of the school, ongoing and upcoming capital projects, upcoming upheavals and displacements, and on recent major gifts to Rollins’ capital campaign. During the strategic initiative update, Dr. Toni Holbrook of Strategic Planning elaborated on the institution’s goals for the extended future: to deepen student engagement with the college’s mission, to deliver on the school’s promise of student success, and to steward the school’s strategic assets to strengthen its competitive advantage. Dr. Holbrook explained the dynamic nature of Rollins’ planning process and the effects that it has on ongoing projects. In May of 2017, Strategic Planning was involved in 65 initiatives. But, through the dynamic planning process, these initiatives have been revised and consolidated down to 51.

Since October, the school has undertaken two new initiatives. The first being to establish a Rollins proof project, which will demonstrate the extent to which the college fulfills its mission. The second new initiative is the construction of a new facility for the Department of Theatre and Dance, which will replace the existing Fred Stone theatre, dance studio, and costume shop. The new facility will also provide classroom space for the theatre and dance students. In addition, Dr. Holbrook gave an update on the school’s progress towards making the slogan, "making tomorrow happen," a reality. According to the planning office’s metrics and calculations, as of January 2018, it had completed 37 percent of its stretegic initatives. Of the 51 current initiatives, four are 100 percent complete; 18 are 50-80 percent complete, 23 have some action items completed, and six have yet to be started. An update on the 12 major capital projects currently under or awaiting construction was given by Head of Facilities Scott Bitikofer.

New among these capital projects are the mechanical renovation of Cornell Hall for the Social Sciences, the moving of Campus Security to the current costume studio, and the demolition of Chase Hall. In order to help the faculty during this hectic time of renovation and construction, Strategic Planning has put together a Logistics and Communications cabinet. Sitting on the cabinet are representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Facilities Management, Business Services, Marketing and Communication, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Strategic Planning. The cabinet also includes liaisons for every major building project. The liaisons are Micki Meyer for the Mills renovations; Meghan Weyant for the new residence hall; Dexter Boniface for the CSS renovation, and Jenny Cavenaugh for the theater projects. Newly tenured faculty were also announced at the meeting. In the College of Liberal Arts, these faculty members were Amy

Armenia, Kevin Griffin, Jonathan Harwell, Anne Murdaugh, Timothy Pett, Kasandra Riley, and Jie Yu; and in the Crummer Graduate School, Keenan Yoho received tenure. As well as gaining tenure, Amy Armenia of the Department of Sociology and Timothy Pett of the Department of Business were made chairs of their respective departments. In other faculty developments, Richard Lima, associate professor of French, and Craig McAllaster, professor in the Crummer Graduate School of Business, were both elevated to Emeritus Status. At the end of the meeting, President Cornwell expanded upon the relatively new concept of the innovation triangle at Rollins. Cornwell described this initiative as “a narrative wrapped around three projects.” These three projects are the expansion of the Alfond Inn, the expansion of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, and the expansion and modernization of the Crummer building. Scott Bitikofer was right— there are a “lot of things opening in 2019.”

Purim Carnival celebrates Jewish life on campus Hillel’s latest event attracted students of all backgrounds for a Jewish holiday. By Christina Oliveira

coliveira@rollins.edu

ollins College Hillel celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim with an on-campus carnival that features free food, bounce houses, and campus engagement in Jewish culture and life. Emily Block, the associate director of Jewish student life and member of Hillel at Rollins explained what this holiday, Purim, is about. It “is a historical holiday…and one of the commandments of the holiday is your supposed to celebrate. For children, it’s very common to have a carnival to celebrate.” With this in mind, Hillel hosted a larger version of a children’s carnival for Rollins students. Hillel is an international Jewish nonprofit organization that has branches at several col-

lege campuses. Their goal is to provide a place for Jewish students on-campus and to educate all students about Jewish holidays and events. Therefore, the event was open to students of all backgrounds. The Purim holiday extended two days. It began this year on the evening of February 28 and ended on the evening of March 1. The holiday commemorates the defeat of Haman, a prime minister of the Persian empire at the time, who planned to exterminate the Jewish people. Haman was executed through the efforts of Esther, a Jewish woman and wife of the king of Persia, and Mordechai, leader of the Jewish people. Purim is often associated with costumes, parties, and carnivals like the one hosted at Rollins. The carnival took place on

Mills Lawn. Popcorn and cotton candy were served for free and tables with a variety of games for students and other members of the community were set up. The biggest attractions, however, were the two bounce houses. The carnival not only provided students with fun activities to pass the afternoon, but also invited the Rollins campus to engage in Jewish culture and life. The event was a fitting introduction to Hillel and its goals. Rachel Wasserman, community engagement chair for Rollins Hillel, said that students of any background can become involved in the organization and take part in its events. Hillel “is a resource where students can not only discover their Jewish identity but [also] get to meet other students,” said Block. This goal is mainly accom-

plished through the celebration of Jewish culture and holidays. Rollins Hillel provides other opportunities for students to connect with Jewish life as well. Block said that Hillel hosts Latkes on the Lawn for Hanukkah and Shabbat every friday. For Shabbat, there is always a free dinner at 6:30 at the faculty club. The event is opened to all who are interested. Hillel also offers unique opportunities to Jewish students such as Birthright trips and study abroad opportunities to Israel. Block just took her post in October and the carnival is only one of the ways in which she wants to expand Jewish life on campus. In order to accomplish this goal, Block is seeking input from students. “If they want more or different experiences… we want to hear from them.”

Upcoming Campus Events March 8 ‣ Philosophy and Religions Club Faith and Physics, French House Lounge, 12:30 p.m. ‣ Correcting Ignorance: A Less on Haiti Politics, Culture, and Race Relations, Galloway Room, 6 p.m.

March 9 ‣ Service Excellence Staff Luncheon, Cornell Museum Patio, 11:30 a.m. ‣ Mr. Rogers Walking Tour, CFAM, 10 a.m.

March 10 ‣ SPRING BREAK BEGINS ‣ Mr. Rogers Walking Tour, CFAM, 12 p.m.

March 11 ‣ Piano Recital: Community School of Music, Tiedtke Concert Hall, 3 & 4:30 p.m.

March 12 March 13 ‣ Mr. Rogers Walking Tour, CFAM, 10 a.m.

March 14 ‣ Mr. Rogers Walking Tour, CFAM, 10 a.m.

SPORTS

Men’s basketball season ended by Barry

Upcoming Sports Events March 8 ‣ HOME: Baseball vs Assumption, 2 p.m. ‣ HOME: Softball vs SW Minnesota State, 5 & 7 p.m. March 9 ‣ HOME: Men’s tennis vs Wayne State, 10 a.m. ‣ HOME: Women’s lacrosse vs Seton Hill, 2 p.m. ‣ HOME: Baseball vs Concordia, 3 p.m. ‣ HOME: Women’s tennis vs Stonehill, 5 p.m. ‣ Softball at Fla. Southern, 7 p.m. March 10 ‣ Men’s and Women’s Rowing, Rollins Invitational ‣ HOME: Baseball vs Concordia, 12 p.m. ‣ Men’s lacrosse at Lake Erie, 12 p.m. ‣ Softball at Fla. Southern, 1 & 3 p.m. March 11 ‣ HOME: Men’s golf vs Southeastern Intercollegiate, round 1 ‣ HOME: Baseball vs Assumption, 12 p.m. ‣ Women’s tennis vs Hawaii Hilo, 2:30 p.m., Las Vegas, Nev. ‣ Men’s tennis vs Hawaii Pacific, 5 p.m., Las Vegas, Nev. March 12 ‣ Men’s golf vs Southeastern Intercollegiate, round 2 ‣ Women’s golf vs CBU Buccaneer Spring Classic, all day ‣ Women’s tennis vs Midwestern State, 5 p.m., Las Vegas, Nev. ‣ Men’s tennis vs Midwestern State, 5 p.m., Las vegas, Nev. ‣ HOME: Women’s lacrosse, 7 p.m. March 13 ‣ Men’s golf vs SE Intercollegiate, final round ‣ Women’s golf vs CBU Buc caneer Spring Classic

After first round victory, Barry knocks team out in semi-finals. By Paul Schattschneider

pschattschneider@rollins.edu

he men’s basketball team played their last game after a long and tough season. The Tars fell to the Barry Buccaneers in the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) tournament last weekend. Barry University was the top seeded team in the conference. The team fought hard to keep pace with their tough opponent by locking in on the defensive end of the floor. The Tars forced 23 turnovers, but could not make use of them offensively. They scored just 20 points off of those turnovers. Meanwhile, the Barry Buccaneers forced just 13 turnovers out of the Tars but converted the turnovers into 24 points. Combined with the poor shooting performance from Rollins, Barry pulled away in the second half for a 77 to 62 victory. The game was the last for many seniors on the Rollins team, including Deion Clark, Jack Fleming, Jeff Merton, and Sam Philpott. After his final game, Philpott commented on the atmosphere and mindset heading into the contest. “We were deter-

mined and knew it was win or go home so we had to play our hearts out. Unfortunately, we had an uncharacteristically off night shooting the ball and you won’t beat a team of Barry’s caliber like that.” Looking back at the season leading up to this point, the Tars started nationally ranked as 13th after their Cinderella run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last spring. An article posted in Oct. 2017 on the Rollins Sports website stated that the Tars were ranked 13th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Preseason Poll. However, the Tars did not live up to their preseason ranking as they struggled to maintain consistency throughout the season. Initially, injuries plagued the Tars throughout the year, but two winning streaks of five and six games kept the team’s hopes alive. After critical conference losses, the Tars were forced to rely on the conference tournament to receive a bid to the national tournament. With a conference title, the Tars would have received an automatic bid. The first game of the conference tournament was successful. The Tars faced off against the

Photo by Ellie Rushing Eric Castaneda ‘19 makes a shot against Nova Southeastern in the first round of the conference tournament.

Nova Southeastern Sharks, who proved to be a stubborn opponent. The Tars led by eight at the half, but a strong start by the Sharks in the second half had the Tars down by eight with nine minutes left in the game. The teams tussled for control for the entire rest of the match up, yet the Tars sealed the win after a steal and free throw by forward Jeffery Merton ‘18 and a pair of free throws from guard Connor McKim ‘20 in the final moments of the game. The Tars advanced to the semifinals with a 78-75 win. Despite the loss of their final game, Philpott was optimistic about the potential for next

year’s team, even with so many senior leaders graduating. Philpott said that the remaining teammates know that there are “big shoes to fill but we have enough talent and experience coming back anxious to fulfill larger roles. I am really excited to see everyone develop.” With key contributors like Connor McKim ‘20, Eric Castaneda ‘18, and Jakobi Bonner ‘20 returning, the Tars do have a lot of upside heading into next year’s season. With Philpott’s confidence in the team that he is leaving behind, it is fair to assume that the Tars are poised to be a contender again come next season.

Crew teams open season with loss to UCF Despite one boat’s comeback victory, men’s and women’s teams were trumped by cross-town rival. By Justin Driscoll

jdriscoll@rollins.edu

ollins’ Crew team faced off against the UCF Knights for their home season opener in the Metro Cup. During the 43rd annual event on Saturday, March 3, the teams squared off for multiple races on Lake Maitland. In a spectacular come-frombehind win, the Rollins Varsity Four defeated the Knights by six seconds with a 6:49.5 time. This team consisted of Cameron Boyd ‘20, Connor Stolp ‘21, Micheal Pakuris ‘21, Alyssa Rabade ‘19, and Mitchell Laughlin ‘20.

Unfortunately, the two other men’s teams, the JV 4 and Novice 4, both came up a little short in the expected outcome of a win. The Knights edged a victory over the Tars JV 4 with a two-second margin. The women’s teams were not as successful. The Knights defeated the Tars in all five events. The Tars did endure tough water conditions; nevertheless, this resulted in an easy victory for the Knights. Samantha Talucci ‘20 explained how the team must respond moving forward for the rest of the season. “Our race this past weekend against UCF was just a starting

point for the season. If we always race teams that we are equal to or better, we will never be able to improve,” she said. “Also, when we get to bigger races, we will be seeing all different levels so we have to be prepared for each. We still have two more home races to just keep improving our times and away races after that.” The Tars’ Head Coach Shawn Pistor spoke on Saturday’s Metro Cup: “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but nothing our team can’t handle and nothing we haven’t overcome in previous years.” The next regatta will be against the Stetson Hatters here

at Lake Maitland for the Rollins Invitational on Saturday, March 10. The Tars look to bounce back and continue to improve and pull off a victory on the water as they continue their 2018 season. Talucci said, “For this coming weekend, we have set a goal time to go down the course and that is what we are working towards and working on technical things. As a team and especially as a boat, we all want to achieve the goals we set out for but there are different mile markers we must hit each practice so we can make the goals.”