The Sandspur Volume 123 Issue 16

Issue 16, Volume 123 Thursday, February 23, 2017

page 3

Page Page #2 •• SECTION OPINIONS

Established in 1894 with the following editorial:

EXECUTIVE STAFF Lauren Waymire Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Mariano Managing Editor Micah Bradley Production Manager

CONTENT STAFF Amanda Grace Head Copy Editor Minoska Hernandez Morgan McConnell Rebecca Candage Copy Editors Eric Hilton Kalli Joslin Section Editors Christina Fuleihan Ellie Rushing Staff Writer Kalli Joslin Nolan Brewer Web Editors

DESIGN DEPARTMENT Shaayann Khalid Head Designer Victoria Villavicencio Zoe Kim Maliha Qureshi Designer

BUSINESS & FACULTY Greg Golden

General Manager of Student Media

Dr. Bill Boles Faculty Advisor David Neitzel Business Manager Taylor McCormack Business Intern Jose Araneta Student Media Graduate Assistant

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Cover Art Designed By Kayla Powers ‘17

Thursday, September 11, 2017 2014 Thursday, February 23,

Violence drill intimidates, frustrates students Ellie Rushing ‘19 outlines why she thinks the Run-Hide-Fight drill last Thursday sent the wrong message about what we can expect from the future.

Ellie Rushing

Staff Writer

How can one measure the true cost of violence? Is it summed up in economic disadvantages, lives lost, or fear set within the community afterwards? No one is immune to life’s challenges.

One cannot expect ignorance to be bliss in every instance. Hell, today’s generation is trained to be disgusted by the idea of sitting by and letting what happens happen. Yet, modern-day society seems to allow the fear of possibility outweigh the advantages of living freely.

On Thursday, February 16, 2017 a portion of class was set aside for a “Run-Hide-Fight” discussion based drill to test the Rollins College R-ALERT Emergency Notification System. An email sent to the student body prior to Thursday gave detailed actions for how to handle specific situations, emphasizing

the importance of everyone’s participation to survive the ultimate nightmare.

Twenty minutes of my $1,780 class were dedicated to making me feel unsafe. I did not feel unsafe in the way that I awaited physical harm; I felt unsafe that such a recital should be deemed necessary in an American college in 2017 at all.

An informed society is a stronger society. Informed citizens are

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essential for the success of a democratic nation.

By keeping average citizens wellversed on their rights and responsibilities, the people will protect themselves and each other by acting according to the situation.

As I already mentioned, the drill was well-intended—we cannot ignore the fact that these situations are plausible threats. But to what extent does

We should not change our lifestyle in fear of what the future may hold.

Living in fear is equivalent to awaiting death.

attempting to prevent these violent situations from happening become overwhelming, and nearly hinder the freedom our Constitution ensures us to the pursuit of happiness?

We should not change our lifestyle in fear of what the future may hold. Living in fear is equivalent to awaiting death.

Terrorist attacks, school shootings, and other horrific crimes that appear to be norms here at home and across the world all have the immediate effect of ending lives, but the longterm goal of instilling crippling fear in societies afterwards.

Terrorists want to not only ruin lives but also force people to change the way they live, hoping they will always keep the person or group responsible in the back of their mind. This is true loss of freedom—the loss of peace of mind, control over one’s own consciousness.

People continue to say our country has never been so divided. How are we expected to come together and overcome these obstacles politically and socially when we cannot trust our neighbors?

We point fingers at religious beliefs, poor educational systems, and the media to explain the violence we are experiencing—and expecting—around the world. We walk through the streets scared to make conversation, to say something wrong, silenced by the fear of possibile misteps and projected enemies.

Do not take my class time to instill fear of the future. I embrace the future, and I embrace the potential it holds, both negative and positive. I would be a fool to ignore the negative things going on around me, and a liar if I said I did not fear for the future of our nation at times. But fear is beside the point.

I refuse to change my lifestyle because of the horrible people that live in this world. I will live my life to my standards, not to the standards of possible threats. I subscribe to the words of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh: “If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.”

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

Page 3 • FEATURES

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Wobbly Wi-Fi hinders campus-wide connectivity Nilly Kohzad ‘19 interviews students from all class years on their opinions about Rollins’ recent Wi-Fi outages.

Nilly Kohzad

Writer

In the world we live in today, it is pretty difficult not to be attached to technological devices. Everywhere we go, people can easily be seen with phones in their hands and laptops on their lap, especially within the walls of educational institutions. Some have even made the claim that we live in a time where everyone has become technology-dependent in one way or another—that finding an individual who does not fall this umbrella is nearly impossible.

Technology, whether good or bad, has become a necessity in our daily lives. With a constant demand for technology, one thing is essential, especially for students: Wi-Fi. The ability to connect to high-speed internet is a must for the Rollins community, and the school generally attempts to meet wireless demand.

In order to evaluate the suffi-

ciency of the Wi-Fi here on campus, it was necessary to talk to a few students who live on campus and have to deal with Rollins Wi-Fi on a day-to-day basis.

Various students from different grade levels and experiences were interviewed atrandom. Seher Atwal ’21 did not have any real complaints. She stated that “the Wi-Fi is good... and it works everywhere. I never had any problem with it... plus, it connects fast, which is what I mostly want.”

On the other hand, Logan Weyand ‘19 stated that “The WiFi is generally fine. However, lately it has been frustrating, I find myself constantly turning it off and back on. My friends have the same situation”. He continued on, saying that “Perhaps it has to do with the fact that too many people are on it at one time or there is a lag in the system.

There have even been various outrages occurring on campus, maybe this has to with the diffi-

culties as well”.

Talking to a senior who has spent four long years at Rollins was a necessity, as fourth-year students have the most experience working around internet connectivity issues on campus.

Julia Pereira ‘16 stated that “the only time I have internet problems is when I am walking between classes outside, which is understandable. Other than that, I have not witnessed anything extreme or out of the ordinary.”

It is clear the various students have different perspectives on this subject, but why is that?

Perhaps it has to do with their internet usage, the duration of their time spent at Rollins, and the different tasks they perform using the school’s Wi-Fi. That said, reccurring issues identify themselves in my interviews.

One can say that these issues are quite minor and any institution has connectivity problems of this magnitude, but the question is, “What can we do about it?'

In order to find some solution, it is crucial to accept the situation. Like Weyand proposed, there are hundreds of individuals using the internet at the same time here; our servers are forced to accommodate a large population. Don’t you think internet crashes and lags are inevitable?

I mean, technology is man-made and with that come flaws and mishaps.

Still, if students ever have any difficulties and need assistance, the IT Department is always there and ready to assist.

Rollins College does exceptionally well in providing a quality experience for its students, whether that involves resolving internet issues or any of the many other services provided on campus.

Overall, the various issues and outages that students have recently faced may be blamed on Rollins’ Cisco system. It is common knowledge that there have been many recent outages, including those on February 4 and

19; the first resulted in 3.5 hours of network failure and the latter a scheduled three-hour outage. It is also important to note that the most recent outage occured from 3 to 6 a.m., fortunately not giving students too much of an inconvience, as it was very early in the morning.

Altogether, these frequent issues are expected to happen at educational institutions because of the massive amount of data stored and exchanged from studens and professors alike. When I asked the average student about their feelings regarding internet connectivity on campus, they generally responded with contentment.

That being said, most believe it is vital that these power outages and network issues do not interfere with our education.

Students with questions or concerns should feel free to reach out. The Rollins IT Department will always be there to assist your needs!

WE’RE HIRING FREELANCE WRITERS STAFF WRITERS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS COPY EDITORS SECTION EDITORS PHOTOGRAPHERS ILLUSTRATORS AD REPRESENTATIVES APPLY AT: thesandspur.org/join-staff Open meetings are held every Monday at 6 p.m. on the 5th floor of the Mills Building.

Photo courtesy of Scott Cook

Page Page #2 NEWS 4 •• SECTION FEATURES

Thursday, September 11, 2014 Thursday, February 23, 2017

SWOT analysis leads to potential change in curriculum Following Rollins’ SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, the curriculum committee sets their sights on changing the way students declare majors in upcoming years.

Micah Bradley Production Manager Rollins recently underwent an evaluation commonly known as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to rethink the college’s future academic policies.

As part of this endeavor, the school came up with twelve strategic question, each of which was assigned a task force for discussion. The task force split into two parts: the first committee focused on specifying the college’s mission, while the second committee brainstormed new ways to handle what the SWOT documents refer to as an “imbalance” in majors. Although there is a wide variety of majors offered to Rollins students, the three business majors are currently being pursued by 657 students, a massive percentage of the student body, as of Fall 2016.

The committee has written a proposal that would change the way students declare their majors.

“The main change is that students would defer their declaration of a major until they have taken two courses in that major and two courses from other divisions. This will help the college better anticipate class need. It should have no impact on the students, as they will still be able to take courses that they want and start working toward a major as soon as they are ready,” explained Dr. Claire Strom, Director of General Education and member of the Curriculum Committee.

If future students show a strong preference for a major, their transcript would be marked “Exploring—Department.”

If a strong preference is not expressed, the student’s transcript would be marked “Exploring.”

Under the new system, students would likely declare majors at the beginning of their sophomore year or the end of their first semester, depending on how many courses they took in their first year and what majors these courses focused on.

If a student declares a major in one of the divisions of the liberal arts, the current proposal also mentions allowing students to not take a neighborhood class in that area—potentially lowering the number of general education courses required for liberal arts majors to graduate from Rollins.

To write this proposal, the committee underwent four steps: collecting data; gathering ideas and proposals with colloquies, forums, and a faculty survey; task force meetings and assessments; and establishing a consensus. If passed, the committee wants to have the changes in place for the students entering in Fall 2017.

“We’re hoping for the next class,” reported Dr. Mario D’Amato, Chair of the Curriculum Committee. “If something gets deferred too long, it’s going to fall to the wayside.”

To get this large a change to the academic policy of Rollins College passed, there is a threestep process that must be completed. The proposal needs to first go through the Curriculum Committee, then the Executive Committee (part of faculty governance), and finally be brought to the faculty floor.

Students also have input in the process—SGA held a discussion on Tuesday in Bush Auditorium for students to make comments on and learn about the potential alterations to the major declaration process.

“The Student Government Association has [played] and continues to play a vital role in the college’s strategic initiatives by having a seat at the table throughout the process and voicing the students’ concerns,” said Matthew Cassidy, SGA President.

“Members of SGA contribute a fresh student perspective to committees and task forces primarily comprised of faculty and staff.”

The Sandspur will continue to cover SWOT and the changes that might affect students in future issues.

The charts above were taken from “Strategic Planning Task Force Report, Task Force 1B: Curriculum (Majors)” from Dec. 1, 2016. For The Sandspur’s original reporting on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats exercise, scan the QR code to the right.

Page 5 • FEATURES

Thursday, February 23, 2017

REP gets “swanky” with new film selections REP has recently partnered with Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. to offer screenings of new releases like ‘Moana’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ to students free-of-charge.

Maura Leaden Writer Our campus has recently been blessed with a free movie program. Student organization Rollins Entertainment Programs (REP) has launched a weekly event that offers a chance for students to view popular, recently-released movies such as Moana and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at no out-of-pocket cost.

This is great for multiple reasons. Students now have the chance to see movies that are either still in theaters or that that they may have missed during hectic weeks. Aditionally, since the films are screened on campus, students don’t have to pay

money for an Uber or for gas.

REP also provides snacks.

“We have some type of food every weekend for these movie nights, whether it’s popcorn, pizza, candy,” or another option, said Nikita Patel ’18, Director of Rollins Entertainment Programs.

This opportunity comes from Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. The website allows colleges to rent recently released movies for the viewing pleasure of the student body, as long as the DVDs are returned within the week.

The first two movies selected were popular box office hits, but noticeably tame. Patel assures students that this was not an intentional PG restriction.

“There are 8 executive board

members in REP and each week we pick a movie that each of us wants to show!”

Some upcoming movies include Office Christmas Party and Passengers.

It seems that students are in for an expansion of their movie palates, which is never a bad thing.

However, REP’s programs don’t end with film screenings. REP enthusias-

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tically carries out multiple other opportunities for students on the Rollins campus.

On March 9, just in time for midterms, they “will be passing out goody bags filled with fun things and potentially handing out t-shirts,” shared Patel. Later in the month, on March 21, they will be hosting a Beach Bash outside of the Alfond Swimming

Students now have the chance to see movies that are either still in theaters or that they may have missed...

Pool.

Students can expect free food, giveaways, and Dippin’ Dots, which REP is most excited to provide. If students wish to get more involved with REP, they are a very approachable group.

Patel advises, “come to our rep events, talk to any one of our REP executive board members, and if you are really interested you can partake in our events by setting up, cleaning up, and helping us table at the campus center throughout the semester.”

For everyone who is interested in taking part in the fun of their events, follow Rollins Entertainment Programs on Instagram and Facebook to keep updated on their latest plans.

Page 6 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Bach Festival welcomes Organist Todd Esteban Mendes

Writer

The plangent and multihued sounds of Knowles Memorial Chapel’s pipe organ filled the air last Friday, controlled by the sure hands (and feet) of Todd Wilson. The head of the Organ Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Wilson is a consummate organist and—interestingly for a classically-trained musician—a fluent improviser.

Wilson, whose nephew is a Rollins College alumnus, radiated with a charismatic personality during his lengthy, yet lively, comments on the historical background of the program in between pieces and before taking to the four-manual movable console that operates the battalion of pipes (which date all the way back to 1932) at the Chapel.

Befitting of the Bach Festival, which co-presented the recital with Rollins’ Department of Music, the program opened with Bach’s Passacaglia in C mi-

nor. A somber theme opened on the pedals, followed by a set of variations. These took flight with switches to pipe ranks of woodwind tone. A pull of the stops in the console activated pipes in the back of the chapel; a final virtuosic climax in multiple layers erupted and rounded out the piece, over incessant repetitions of the main theme in C minor.

Wilson highlighted loud cadential progressions with subtle elongations, before landing on the tonic for closure.

Three chorale preludes, adapted from Bach’s cantatas, demonstrated the organ’s quieter, yet colorful side. BWV 649 had a nasal oboe tone, though a bit intrusive against a much quieter accompaniment, while BWV 650 was of a frolicking, winsome character in a jaunty triple meter.

The pipe rank that Wilson selected was toy-like in the high register and deftly juxtaposed against reedy pipes.

Marcel Dupré was popular in the United States in the

early 20th century, according to Wilson. He played the opening theme of the French organist’s Variations sur un Noel on a chimes pipe rank, the only percussion-like set in the organ.

Based on a Christmas melody, the piece is a delightful collection of canons and variations with a swirling kaleidoscopic feel. The most impressive moments were the canonic treatments, in which the organist plays an imitative melody that follows the original but starts a determined interval apart (such as a perfect fifth, an octave, or so on). When he pulled out the stops for loud fugal passages, Wilson achieved clarity in the individual voicings that make up the thicker textures.

Not exactly household names, Gerre Hancock and Julius Reubke completed Wilson’s diverse program. He referred to the late Hancock (1934-2012) as “one of the greatest improvisers of our time.” His Three Cincinnati Improvisations are Bachian but more venturesome in their

harmonic content, Wilson said.

“Grand Isle” is reminiscent of a marching band, whose victorious enthusiasm the organist evoked with his mixture of pipes. On “Ar Hyd y Nos,” based on a Welsh song, Wilson fluently added voices into a smoothly ascending crescendo.

Reubke (1834-1858)—a student of Franz Liszt—died of tuberculosis at age 24. The young German composer might otherwise have been “a great genius of the 19th century,” Wilson mused.

Liszt’s 23-minute Sonata on the 94th Psalm features a variety of sound color and a depth of harmonic content. Wilson plumbed the depths of the thickest pipes with chromatic descents in the left foot.

His transitions between the four keyboards of the console, alongside his juggling of the multiple stops, were swift and dexterous, allowing him to explore the full timbral palette of the pipes, with music in contrasting tempos. In the loudest

moments of the “Allegro con fuoco” (fast and fiery), Wilson rose to full-throated clusters with terrifying resonance, proper of the monstrous dynamic levels that the organ residing in Knowles Chapel can reach.

“Improvisation on a submitted theme” is not something one sees often in a concert program. Wilson stepped down and solicited a theme from the audience. “Perhaps something on your cell phones,” he said. A few hums around the pews generated a half-formed melody, which he completed at the keyboard and candidly extemporized on, smoothly piling layers upon layers of sound—an ingenious final quirk.

The 82nd Annual Bach Festival continues this Friday with Concertos by Candlelight: Duo Concertos, featuring music by Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart, among others. Rollins students are welcome for free with their Rollins ID. Visit bachfestivalflorida.org for all details.

Women’s sacrifices in Vietnam In Brief: showcased in “A Piece of my Heart” Cameron Ochse

Writer

I was present for the opening night of the current production of A Piece of My Heart, written

by Shirley Lauro and directed by Marianne Diquattro. The show runs in the Annie Russell from February 17-25. As always, Rollins students receive one free ticket to performances at the Annie.

Rather than telling the stories of soldiers in the Vietnam War, A Piece of My Heart provides a uniquely female perspective regarding the conflict, following the lives of six American women into Vietnam and back at home in the United States.

The beginning of the play reflects the optimistic attitude many Americans held at the beginning of the Vietnam War. Most of the characters were going to Vietnam to prove themselves by gaining experience in nursing, moving up in their military careers, or—as in one case— serving as an inspirational singer for the American troops.

A Piece of My Heart emphasizes the troubles women faced

while involved in the Vietnam War. The sexualization and assault of several of the main characters emphasize a concern that male soldiers did not have to worry over. In general, the characters find themselves trapped by the war in a foreign country, with restrictive rules and regulations. The entrapment of women combined with the sexual harassment that occurred throughout the war reminds the audience of the differences in how those who served during Vietnam War were treated.

The play also focused on horrors of war in general. An important theme throughout the show was the relationship between inexperience and age. The characters playing nurses all felt

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unprepared and terrified of what they had to handle while saving soldiers during the war. Often mentioned were the young ages of passing soldiers and victims, including an eighteen-year-old soldier who frantically calls out for his mother just before dying.

Relationships play a key role, showing how easily bonds were forged while fighting together in Vietnam. Relationships are built up, only to be dashed instantly as a land mine is triggered or a battle waged. As a result, the women take up drinking, smoking marijuana, and detaching themselves from the horrors around them as a way to escape.

The second act of the play follows the women as they return to the United States, eager and relieved to be heading home

Relationships play a key role, showing how easily bonds were forged while serving together

in one piece. Yet the mental trauma of the war lingers with the characters for the rest of their lives, making them incapable of returning to normal. After two decades of recovery, the play ends with the sense that the women are able to reflect on their time in Vietnam with less hatred and fear than originally.

While the themes and plot of the play were original and unique, I found the use of such a small cast to tell the stories of many to be extremely confusing.

I could not tell when one character was playing themselves or someone else. The play wasn’t as cohesive and flowing as it could have been, making it difficult to follow along.

However, the actors were able to change outfits and characters easily. Though the plot was sometimes muddled, I thought the play was unique in the overall perspective it took towards representation in the Vietnam War. I would recommend seeing the play if you have time, considering it gives the women of the Vietnam War a voice they haven’t often been afforded.

Tells the story of six women serving in the Vietnam War

Details their mental and emotional fatigue

Show-

Showcases heavy themes such as harassment and rape Provides commentary on the inexperience and age of individuals fighting in Vietnam Shows how bonds were forged and destroyed in the war Women’s struggle to adjust to life at home The ways women coped with the trauma of war

Page 7 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, February 23, 2017

2017’s Oscar Predictions Mason Fox

Columnist

The Oscars are just days away and Hollywood is divided.

It’s La La Land, a brilliantly-created musical about white lovers in Hollywood, versus Moonlight, a polarizing drama tacking racial and sexual barriers.

Over the past two years, not a single black actor or actress has been nominated for an Oscar.

This began calling into question the integrity and diversity of the Oscars as actors and directors started boycotting the awards, claiming they had been “whitewashed”. This year, seven actors of color were nominated, including: Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, Ruth Negga, Dev Patel, Octavia Spencer and Denzel Washington.

Now that the Academy has acknowledged the talent across the board in Hollywood, will they chose the “best” movie for each Oscar, or simply stick with the safest?

I believe Moonlight was the best film in 2016. It tackled social issues, told an amazing story, had an outstanding score, and featured an unbelievably talented cast. Despite being the amazing film it is, I think it will lose to La La Land. While La La Land was a great movie, highly regarded by critics and audiences around the world, it was not-hands down the best film of 2016.

Since the Academy switched to instant-runoff voting, it has a reputation of rewarding broadly-supported films, rather than the more daring and unique movies made during the year. I

think that will be made glaringly obvious this year, as bold, polarizing films like Moonlight and Fences will be pushed aside.

The nominees for Best Picture are Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester By the Sea, and Moonlight.

Prediction: La La Land Opinion: Moonlight The nominees for Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea; Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic; Denzel Washington; Fences

Prediction: Casey Affleck Opinion: Denzel Washington

The nominees for Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle; Ruth Negga, Loving; Natalie Portman, Jackie; Emma Stone, La La Land; Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Prediction: Emma Stone Opinion: Meryl Streep The nominees for Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali; Moonlight, Jeff Bridges; Hell or High Water, Lucas Hedges; Manchester By the Sea, Dev Patel; Lion,Michael Shannon; Nocturnal Animals

porting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences; Naomie Harris, Moonlight; Nicole Kidman, Lion; Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures; Michelle Williams, Manchester By the Sea

Prediction: Viola Davis Opinion: Viola Davis The nominees for Best Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land; Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge; Barry Jenkins, Moonlight; Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By the Sea; Denis Villeneuve; Arrival

Prediction: Damien Chazelle Opinion: Damien Chazelle

Prediction: Mahershala Ali Opinion: Mahershala Ali

The nominees for Best Sup-

Movies so bad...they’re good While directors and actors should never aim to create a bad movie, some movies end up being so comical that they develop their own cult following.

Nicolas Nagaoka Writer We have heard this statement many times before when talking about people’s favorite films. “It’s just so bad that it’s fun.” With the release of Fifty Shades: Darker, this statement stands the test of time.

I remember sitting at Sandspur Article Assignment meeting and having an overwhelming amount of people planning to go see this film.

To preface this, I have reviewed films in the past for The Sandspur. I was somewhat notorious for being a scathing reviewer. At one point, one of the other writers asked me if I even enjoyed movies with how much hatred went into my writing.

I love movies, watching them regularly has become a massive passion of mine. However, people forget how many

more movies a reviewer has to see than the average person. This means that reviewers see more of the same tropes in a lot more movies because of the massive amount that reviewers have to undertake.

In some way, it makes reviewers more cynical and more nitpicky about what movies they see than others.

This all comes back around to movies like Fifty Shades: Darker. While I was and still am a reviewer at heart, I would be lying if I said that I did not enjoy a movie in a similar

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vain to Fifty Shades: Darker. Films such as The Equalizer, The Expendables and The Expendables 2, almost every Nicolas Cage film, Sharknado, Death Race, and the list goes on. Why is it that we enjoy movies like this?

Movies that we know are written and acted so badly, and yet we watch them.

F r o m my experience, there is a sense of just mindless fun. For just an hour or two, you are allowed to forget all responsibilities and just turn the brain off.

We are living in a world where

However, I have also witnessed that there is a fine line between so bad it’s funny, and so bad it’s unwatchable.

there is so much information being thrown at us to digest, it is one of the most calming breaks to just watch that bad movie you love laughing at with some friends. Turn off the brain and just have fun.

However, I have also witnessed that there is a fine line between so bad it’s funny, and so bad its unwatchable. What determines this varies from person to person. I know that some fellow staff members at the illustrious Sandspur would not enjoy a film like The Expendables 2, but they are definitely aware that I would not enjoy a film like Fifty Shades: Darker.

There is also a danger of paying to see some of these films purely because they promote lazy filmmaking. With lazy filmmaking comes bad directors, horrid actors and worst of all, greedy producers. While I do not support certain films for having

content that is negative or promotes an innacuarte image of a group of people, I do understand that I support that system at times.

While I think Asian actors should be casted in other films besides kung-fu flicks, I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy them. It is a tricky system and it will be around for a very long time.

Just to conclude, go and watch those bad movies that make you laugh. There is always room for some mindless fun with a couple of your closest friends.

However, be aware of the industry that Hollywood crafts. Where the money goes is where Hollywood will follow.

That being said, I never get bored of Sylvester Stallone punching bad guys and saying classic one-liners.

Have fun with your movies, everyone!

Page 8 • SPORTS

Thursday, February 23, 2017

A bond on and off the field Two softball players discovered a friendship on the field so strong that they decided to live together.

Rebecca Candage

Copy Editor

Following one of the most histoRollins softball players Hailee Keisling ’17 and Chelsea Reed ’17 have much more in common than your average teammates.

Like many athletes at Rollins, their love for the sport started at a young age: Keisling’s after finding inspiration in her older sister and Reed’s after losing interest in gymnastics.

Meeting on the field as freshmen, the players became “throwing and hitting partners,” and “really good friends,” said Reed.

After rooming with other people for three years, these teammates decided to double as on-campus roommates last Fall.

These roommates also double as team captains, a rare dynamic to bring to the organization.

“You just become so familiar with that person that you start to learn how to handle certain situations better. It really does help with team chemistry,” said Keisling. Reed added, “…we are able to figure out things that could better help the team on and off the field.”

Both girls reported that their rooming situation only created a positive impact in their friend-

ship, as well. “Chelsea is usually the person I ride to practice with, eat most of my meals with, and do random stuff with… [including] hang[ing] out with other teammates,” said Keisling. In addition, on some weekends the two go to the beach or walk around downtown Tampa together.

However, do not mistake these two for mere imitators.

Though they have many other things in common, their academic interests differ greatly. Keisling is a part of the Communications department while Reed is a Business and Social Entrepreneurship major. “We’ve never had a class together while being at Rollins,” said Reed. Keisling also works at the recently relocated Rollins Bookstore.

Becoming roommates did not come without its hitches.

“Chelsea has woken me up in the middle of the night before because of bad dreams and to make sure that I was there,” pointed out Keisling. Reed remembered waking up to a bug in the room at 4 a.m.: “Both of us hate bugs so we both couldn’t go back to sleep until we found the bug.” The two searched for half an hour before Keisling successfully squashed the intruder. What they described as incidents came across as examples of their close bond. “Hailee

has always been my best friend, but from rooming with her this year she has become like my sister,” Reed said.

Overall, becoming roommates has only brought them and their team closer together. In fact, Reed remarked, “If we had roommates that weren’t teammates, our [softball] schedule would probably bother them.”

Team members sometimes

report to practice or workouts early in the morning, which was the case for the two of them last semester.

“For us it brings us closer because we vent to each other when we have problems and help each other when we need motivation,” Reed said, though she warned against teammates rooming together their freshman year in order to help create more new

friendships and “branch out.”

Keisling agreed, “establishing a friendship and relationship outside of the sport with that teammate is super important.” However, “After freshmen year I say ‘go for it,’ because it’s been one of my best decisions,” Reed reflected. Perhaps more teammate and even team captain rooming situations will be in the Rollins campus’ future.

Courtesy of Jim Hogue Photos

Tars bat away Bentley Christopher Stephenson

Writer

The Rollins Tars Baseball team started off the weekend strong with a decisive 7-0 win against Bentley Friday night. This Friday night shutout was the fifth win of the season and brings the Tars to a 5-2 record for the season as Bentley drops to 0-4 for the season. Brad Case’s (‘19) pitching and the Tars’ defense shut down the Bentley hitting line-up early on as the Bentley’s first two innings ended up being three-upthree-down. Offensively, the Tars started off strong as centerfielder, Peter Nicoletto ‘17 brought in two runs with a triple down leftfield. The Tars’ fielding kept Bentley struggling to get runs in the third inning with a quick

three outs. Meanwhile, junior infielder, Grant Ashline ‘18 kept the momentum going for the Tars as he popped off his first homer of the season at his second at-bat of the game, bringing the score to 3-0. The next two innings were tense as both Bentley and Rollins struggled to get men home, but Rollins got back into the swing of things in the sixth inning as Bentley’s fielding slipped and the Tars brought two more runs home. With a 5-0 lead the Tars didn’t let up as Nicoletto’s single to left-field in the seventh inning brought home Mike Purcell ‘17 for the sixth run of the game. Rollins’ pitcher Bret Scafidi ‘18 was brought in in the eighth inning to keep Bentley’s batting in check.

Meanwhile, the Tars continued to score as the bases were loaded

in the eighth inning and the final run was brought in, shoring up the score at 7-0. The Tars entered the ninth inning with a sure victory ahead of them and finished up the ninth like the eight innings before; without letting a single Bentley run cross home plate.

Starting of the weekend hot, with the Bentley shutout, the Tars went on to win their game against Southern Conn on Saturday with a final score of 4-3. On Sunday the Tars went on to bring another win home against Bentley with a final score of 7-6. With three consecutive wins in their pocket, the Tars are looking at a three-game series against Embry-Riddle for the last weekend in February. Come out to support the Rollins Tars at their next baseball game this Friday the 24th at 6pm.

Courtesy of Jim Hogue Photos