Issue 10, Fall 2015

ISIS TERROR ATTACKS

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A student newspaper of New College of Florida

Students march in solidarity to combat threatening posters around campus

BY RYAN PAICE After a recent appearance of several inappropriate posters found around campus and threatening anonymous emails, Carlos Marcio Ramirez has taken responsibility for the actions, and has been given a No Trespass Order (NTO). Ramirez was a guest of first-year Jacqueline Lebouitz, who denies any involvement with his actions. Ramirez put the posters up and sent the emails for fun as a prank on the New College student body.

The posters, which contained

rape jokes, were first brought to the public eye via a Forum post by Emma Kervel, who found a poster near the bathrooms in Hamilton Center. Some of the students who responded to the post received anonymous emails with messages such as, “Your safe spaces are mine” and “I’ll be out tonight. Hope you got some fast legs.” The police were able to track the sender’s IP address.

“We investigated the incidents and attempted to get a subpoena to find an IP address,” Chief of Police Michael Kessie said via email. “Since the behavior did

photo courtesy of Carl Romer

The Solidarity March making its way to College Hall in response to the recent threatening posters and emails.

not rise to the level of a crime, we could not receive a subpoena.”

Ramirez spoke to Macy McFaddon, a USF student with friends at New College, via KiK about the posters and emails, and McFaddon came forward to show screenshots of their conversation, revealing Ramirez’s admitted involvement with the events.

“Ramirez was located in a residence

hall and initially denied the allegations.

After being at CPD, he [Carlos Ramirez] admitted to putting up the posters and sending the emails,” Kessie said. “He said that he has done all of it as a prank, as he enjoyed taunting the students.”

Students have unified and rallied against the threat the posters posed,

continued on p. 11

Racial tensions surge on University of Missouri campus

BY JASMINE RESPESS College campuses across the country have been facing racial tension.

But now the University of Missouri (Mizzou) is in the spotlight. This month, the school has seen a hunger strike from a black graduate student, multiple protests, and a boycott from the school’s football team. In response, Tim Wolfe, president of the Mizzou university system, as well as Mizzou’s chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, have both resigned.

In the last month Mizzou has experienced an onslaught of instances of racism. There have been a slew of racially charged events on Mizzou’s campuses, including feces being smeared on a wall in the form of a swastika. The inaction of the administration, staff and especially the president, led to the hunger strike of black graduate student Jonathan Butler, which catalyzed other reactions on campus. On Nov. 2, Butler decided that he would not eat until the president resigned. This led to the black members of the Mizzou football team refusing to play until Wolfe stepped down. These students appeared to be supported by their coaches. The Mizzou

WHAT’S INSIDE

head coach, Gary Pinkel, tweeted his support of the black football players actions. It came as no surprise that the players had this level of influence and received such extensive media attention; football is a multi-million dollar enterprise at Mizzou.

“The revolting acts that are occurring at Mizzou are a result of a poisonous infestation of apathy that has been spawning from University of Missouri system leadership,” Butler wrote in a letter to the university’s Board of Curators.

“He is a smart, calculated and compassionate man,” Symone Lenoir, a 23-year-old black senior in interdisciplinary studies at Mizzou said of Butler. “I feel awesome about what the football players did, because it exemplifies the true power of protest.”

Tension had already been brewing when Wolfe resigned on Nov. 9. Wolfe reportedly hit a protestor with his car during a homecoming parade on Oct. 10. The protestor was a member of the group, “#ConcernedStudent1950.”

The group, which is involved in addressing racism at Mizzou, was trying to get the attention of the president during the parade. They were voicing

6 ART FEST

their complaints over the handling of racial issues on campus. Wolfe did not respond, nor did he get out of his car.

“My behavior seemed like I did not care,” Wolfe later said in a statement on the school’s website. “That was not my intention.

“I was caught off guard in that moment. Nonetheless, had I gotten out of the car to acknowledge the students and talk with them perhaps we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

The #ConcernedStudent1950 name is a reference to the year when black students were first admitted to the University of Missouri. The first black faculty member was hired in 1969. #ConcernedStudent1950 released a list of demands on Oct. 20. The list called for an apology from Wolfe. It also called for his resignation. The letter stipulated that diversity, racial awareness and inclusion courses should be given to all students, faculty and staff, in addition to funding for mental health support programs, and professionals that would focus on people of color at the school. Wolfe met with the #ConcernedStudent1950 group on Oct. 26, but the group disclosed that he was not meeting their demands. The group

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reported in a statement that Wolfe claimed that although he cared for black students, he did not have a clear understanding of systemic racism.

In 2010, two white students, Zachary Tucker and Sean Fitzgerald, spread cotton balls across Mizzou’s Black Culture Center. The two students were arrested. “The students found responsible [for vandalizing the Black Culture Center with cotton balls] were barely punished.” Eisenberg said. “There have been several incidents like that on campus, including the recent threats and racist/anti-Semitic vandalism.”

On Sept. 12 of this year, Mizzou student body president and homecoming king, Payton Head, a black man, was walking with a friend when he was accosted by a group of white people in a pick-up truck. They yelled racial profanities at Head. Head reported that this was not an isolated incident. On a separate occasion, an inebriated white man called members of the Legion of Black Collegians a racial slur while they were practicing for their homecoming performance.

“There has always been racial

continued on p. 11

12 FIGHT FOR $15

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BRIEFS

briefs by Pariesa Young

NCSA Weekly Updates

BY CAITLYN RALPH On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) held their Late Fall Elections. Supervisor of Elections George Thurlow - who recently assumed the position late last month - set up the poll booth in its usual location, near the bathrooms in Hamilton “Ham” Center. A total of 156 votes were cast.

The vote count for two positions differed by only a few votes. Speaker of the Towne Meeting went to second-year Lara Herzog at a fourvote margin, and a Student Court Justice went to first-year Harrison Yates at a one-vote margin. The other elected Student Court Justices were first-year Jackie Scholl and thirdyear Dylan Pryor, who previously served on the Court. Student Court Counselor elect was returning firstyear Sage Ray. The Student Allocations Committee (SAC) also gained a new set of representatives. The new firstyear SAC representative is Volanta Peng, second-year representative is current SAC Chairperson Racha Masara, third-year representative is Jennifer Gierson, and thesis student representative is Sydnie Petteway.

Some NCSA Councils also gained new members. Student Affairs Representative and Residence Life Representative on the Council of Student Life (CSL) are now secondyears Mimi Chenyao and Kris Brzostek respectively. The Council of Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) has a new Diversity Representative – second-year Miles Iton – and the Council of Green Affairs (CGA) has a new Green Affairs Representative – first-year Rachel Pic. Votes were cast at the poll booth starting at 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. that night. Soon after, the Supervisor of Elections and a group of volunteers counted the ballots. When counting was finished and the numbers were confirmed, an email was sent out to the student body with the results.

Every ballot is counted twice and ballots for positions with a small margin – such as the Speaker and the Student Court Justice – are recounted for validity.

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Annual holiday Adopt-a- US Supreme Court to Family program kicks off hear first abortion case since 2007

Walkie-talkies, art supplies, legos and scooters are on the wishlist this season. For the 13th year in a row, New College is preparing to participate in the Manatee County Adopt-a-Family program, which provides holiday gifts to families and children in need in the Manatee area.

This year, New College has adopted two families with 12 children ranging from 20 months old to 13 years old.

The program, spearheaded by Michelle “Shelley” Wilbur, has been extremely successful since it began.

“We started participating because we wanted to do something collectively as a community,” Wilbur said in an email. “I think the first year we started out with one family, but we got such a huge response we kept adopting more families.”

Every year, Manatee Adopt-aFamily provides gifts to more than 1,500 families and 4,500 children. In the last 12 years, New College has given gifts to 47 families and 134 children.

“I think the main goal of Adopta-Family is to provide gifts to families

who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford presents for their children and New College wants to help with that goal,” Wilbur explained.

The children’s wishlist was sent in an email to the student body on Nov. 10. Items range from small toys to sports equipment to learning activities.

Families also listed clothing (with a gift receipt) as a item of need. Anyone may bring gifts, labeled with their recipient’s name and family number, to Cook Hall room 204 by Dec. 2. The gifts do not have to be wrapped, and if there is no time to shop, cash donations are also acceptable.

“One year someone went around the dorms collecting spare change from everyone and brought it over here to help purchase gifts we still needed,” Wilbur said. “It’s amazing how much you can collect when everyone is throwing in just a little change.”

Wilbur keeps track of everything that is donated and what is still needed, so it is important to notify her if you plan to purchase a gift on the wishlist.

The winners of Court Wars: Third-years Tessa Geier and Madison Smith and second-year Olivia Van Housen

“Dos Court Most Court”

“Don’t worry, you’ll find a husband one day.” © 2015, the Catalyst. All rights reserved.

The Catalyst is available online at www.ncfcatalyst.com, facebook.com/NCFcatalyst, @ncfcatalyst The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Lab using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign and printed at Sun Coast Press with funds provided by the New College Student Alliance.

General Editor Managing Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Layout Editors Staff Writers & Photographers

Kaylie Stokes Pariesa Young Yadira Lopez Caitlyn Ralph Haley Jordan & Audrey Warne Bianca Benedí, Katelyn Grimmett, Giulia Heyward, Sydney Kruljac, Jasmine Respess, Ryan Paice, Dylan Pryor, Angela Duda

The Supreme Court will hear an abortion case – the first to reach the court since 2007 – which may affect the constitutional right to abortion.

The case will decide how much states can regulate abortion without violating women’s constitutional rights.

The case comes from Texas, where women must receive counseling, undergo an ultrasound and wait 24 hours before receiving an abortion. A law passed in 2013 in Texas calls to reduce the state’s number of abortion clinics from 42 in 2013 to 10, if the law goes into full effect. Currently there are 18 abortion providers in Texas. Already, many women in Texas have trouble accessing clinics. In 2011, 93 percent of counties with 35 percent of the female population in Texas did not have a clinic.

The ruling would affect the future of state regulation of abortion. Some states have enacted specific and strict standards for abortion-providing clinics, and many more states have attempted to enact similar laws. If Texas wins the case, other states could follow suit and impose greater restrictions on abortion procedures.

This is the first case on abortion to reach the high court since 2007, and the most important decision since 1992, when the court preserved the right to abortion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

The decision is expected to be released in late June when the presidential race will be in full swing.

Abortion, a divisive issue between Democrats and Republicans, is one of the key moral issues affecting the presidential election.

The court will begin hearing arguments for the case in early March.

Information for this article was taken from guttmacher.org, nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com.

Direct submissions, letters, announcements and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5800 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, Florida 34243 ncfcatalyst@gmail.com

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Submissions must be received by 12:00 p.m.

Friday for consideration in the next issue.

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NEWS PAGE 3

Terror attacks in Beirut, Paris put world on watch

BY PARIESA YOUNG On Thursday, Nov. 12 two suicide bombs erupted outside a Shiite mosque and inside a local bakery in Beirut, Lebanon, killing at least 41 people.

Late Friday, Nov. 13, attacks in six locations across Paris killed more than 129 people. Since then, the Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for both attacks in unverified statements.

As the world reels from the attacks, people in France and Lebanon continue to mourn.

Last week’s bombing was the deadliest in Beirut since the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990. Three men wearing suicide vests carried out the attack on a busy street in a suburb of Beirut, Bourj al-Barajneh, wounding more than 200 people. The third bomber failed to detonate his vest and was found dead at the scene of the second attack.

As of Sunday, Lebanese security forces had arrested 11 people responsible for orchestrating the attacks. Lebanese security released information that the group had initially planned on targeting a hospital, but opted for the residential area because of strict security at the hospital site. Hezbollah, the militant Shiite organization opposing the Islamic State in Syria, maintains security over the targeted neighborhood.

The United States and Iran, an ally of Hezbollah and the Syrian government, have both condemned the attacks.

In Paris, six separate but coordinated attacks spread across the city.

Third-year Allya Yourish is currently residing in Paris at the bookstore Shakespeare and Company while she completes an off-campus study contract. When the first of the attacks occurred, Yourish was returning to the bookstore and was promptly pulled inside by a coworker.

“We made the decision to offer all of the customers and people passing by on the streets safe haven in the shop, so everyone ended up on the second floor of the building in the dark, too afraid that we’d become a target if we made it clear we were in here,” Yourish said in an email interview. “There were just over 20 people total, three people who work for the shop as regular employees, three tumbleweeds [those temporarily living in the shop], and then a collection of tourists and expats from around the world.

“For the first two hours, everyone was on the phone with their relatives and frantically updating the news. Someone was always making an announcement that The Guardian or CNN or BBC had updated the death toll, or that there was a new site of attack. We had realized the attacks were happening when there had only been one or two, so watching the events unfold as a half a dozen more were reported was truly horrifying.

One of the attacks was a 10-minute walk from the shop, we heard gunshots.

There were ambulances blaring past all night.”

photo courtesy of Allya Yourish

A wall of the bookstore Shakespeare and Company, where Allya Yourish took shelter with a group of coworkers and strangers on the night of the attacks.

The six sites of attacks were spread across the city of Paris, in locations including a concert hall, multiple restaurants and the Stade de France, where French and German soccer teams were playing a match when blasts could be clearly heard from the stadium.

French President François Hollande was at the match and promptly evacuated.

“It has been about 20 hours since the attacks began,” Yourish said on Saturday. “Paris is absolutely silent today, except for the sirens every few

minutes. There are a few people on the streets, but not many. I was here at the time of the Charlie Hebdo attack as well, and the show of solidarity then meant going outside despite possible danger.

Now everyone is still coming together as a larger community (through checking in on each other, through the hashtag “PorteOuverte,” etc.), but we’re doing so inside. There will probably be marches and public grieving soon, but

continued on p. 11

NCSA conference with student representatives from Ringling and USF-SM

BY KATELYN GRIMMETT The New College Student Alliance (NCSA) met with student representatives from Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) and the University of South Florida SarasotaManatee (USF-SM) on Monday, Nov. 9 to discuss future collaboration between the three schools. One of the meetings objectives was to brainstorm ideas for an event that would include students from all three schools.

“It’s kind of like our first introduction between the schools so we can get to know each other and try to instigate some more collaboration,” NCSA Chief of Staff and Catalyst editor Caitlyn Ralph said at the start of the meeting.

Some of the topics discussed were a Battle of the Bands event, the Relay for Life race, completion of the trail between USF-SM and the NCF bayfront and collaboration between USF-SM and the Jane Bancroft Cook library. NCSA President Paige Pellaton also suggested a dodgeball tournament that could expand to be a field day.

“The meeting with the three schools is something that we have been working on for a while,” Pellaton, who

was unable to attend the event, said in an email interview. “I met with USF-SM SGA President Alex B. in the middle of spring semester 2015 to discuss ways our colleges could work closer together.

Additionally, Caitlyn Ralph and I Skyped with Ringling SGA heads mid-summer to address the same thing. The natural progression was for this in-person meeting to take place to sit down and make sure we’re all on the same page.”

The NCF, USF-SM and RCAD event is anticipated to be a kick off between the three schools. One setting suggested for this event was the Ringling Museum, where Ringling Underground is held.

Some of the activities were local bands, arts, lots of food, booths, an open mic and other entertainment. The event is projected to take place next semester around April.

The Jane Bancroft Cook library is also hoping to develop stronger ties with USF-SM. The staff is eager to support students with any resources they need and already the paperwork necessary for USF-SM students to check out a book from the NCF collection has been cut down. One common goal is to try to extend the USF-SM campus hours past 10 p.m. so students can access the library, which is open until 1 am on

school nights.

One major point of connection between the three schools is the Cultural Consortium, an opportunity for students to attend classes at other institutions. While the crossregistration is open, it is still in its pilot phase and has not yet been promoted in order to figure out any kinks that come along. The first cross-registered NCF student took a course at RCAD last spring and a few students have taken RCAD classes this semester.

The “Cultural Coast” institutions involved in the consortium are RCAD, Eckerd, SEF, USF-SM and the FSU segment at the Ringling Museum.

However, so far cross-registration has been mostly between NCF and RCAD. The class options available for students to take at other schools is dependent upon faculty discretion. If an NCF student wants to cross-register they are directed to the registrar here. When a student from a foreign institution is interested in taking an NCF class their registrar will send them to Dean of Students Robert Zamsky.

“The first thing I do is ask that student what classes they might be interested in,” Zamsky said. “Then I contact the faculty of the classes and

ask them if they are willing to take in a cross-registration student in the class.

It’s entirely up to them, if the class is capped they are not likely to do it and they don’t have to if they don’t want to.”

The politics of cross-registration rest on a “home rule” basis. This means that the learning and evaluation process of the school which a student crossregisters at will apply to the class. For example, if an RCAD student attends classes at NCF they will receive a written evaluation from the professor and four credits for the class. On the other hand, NCF students who take classes at other institutions will receive a letter grade.

An exception to the “home rule” is NCF students who cross-register will still receive four credits on their contracts and retain the ability to drop the course without penalty before the appropriate deadline.

“We think that this is a great opportunity for students because it expands the resources that are available,” Provost Stephen Miles said. “I think everybody recognizes that the crossregistration piece [of the consortium] has the most transformative potential.”

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NEWS PAGE 4

Local activist Samuel Sinyangwe speaks on police brutality

BY GIULIA HEYWARD One of the largest hot button issues of the century made its way from the television screen and into Hamilton Classroom (HCL) 8. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m., activist Samuel Sinyangwe arrived to give a speech on police brutality and racism in America.

The event was organized by student-run organizations Students Targeting Oppressive Powers (STOP) and All Power to the Imagination (API).

The organizations advertised the event through Facebook, the Forum and fliers placed around campus. Nearly 70 students, faculty and alums were in attendance.

“I decided to come to this event because I am interested in police brutality because it affects me as a black person, and as a black male especially,” second-year Paul Loriston said.

Loriston described Sinyangwe as compelling, noting the importance of what he had to say. Others shared this sentiment.

“This isn’t far from home, it’s something that impacts our community,” third-year and API member Christina Harn said. “I think we all have the work

Giulia Heyward/Catalyst

Activist Samuel Sinyangwe educated the audience on statistical information about instances of police brutality and aggression toward people of color.

of educating ourselves to the reality of the situation.”

Sinyangwe specializes in policy analysis and data science and is affiliated with Campaign Zero, a national platform to end police violence in the U.S. through policy solutions.

Campaign Zero focuses on the trend of police brutality in conjunction with people of color.

“As young people, we have unique

skills to use technology in a way that is incredibly effective to raise awareness about what’s happening and to hold institutions accountable,” Sinyangwe said.

Sinyangwe presented statistical information about police brutality as well as past instances of police brutality in the deaths of young, black males.

This included an interactive map that marked locations where there had been

reported instances of these killings. He also explored the role that gender and mental illness play.

Despite the somber tone of the event, Sinyangwe was able to elicit laughter from the audience. He also spoke of actions taken by Campaign Zero to speak with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders about how this issue could be addressed in their platforms.

“What drew me into this work was when Trayvon Martin was killed and Zimmerman was acquitted, that happened about 15 minutes away from my house,” Sinyangwe said. “I went to soccer practice over there, I was like the kid who got dropped off by the bus and walked home and got a bag of Skittles and sweet tea every single day. That could have been me and so it made it very personal for me.”

“There were some insightful questions, and I could tell that there was an enthusiasm and people were looking for ways to get involved and different ways to be the change that they want to see in the world,” Sinyangwe said.

“I think that that is the spirit that we need to change the world.”

New College and FSU team up for Semester in Tallahassee

BY DYLAN PRYOR The Semester in Tallahassee program will offer nine New College students access to the state political process during the legislative session, in conjunction with FSU, for just the cost of New College admission and an apartment.

Semester in Tally is sponsored by Professors of Political Science Keith Fitzgerald and Frank Alcock, as well as Assistant Director of Internships Andrea Knies. It will place a major emphasis on students interning in the Capitol and gaining valuable experience to supplement their studies.

“Internships are available with a variety of organizations representing different vantage points in the legislative and policymaking process,” Alcock said in an email. “These include legislative staff, government agencies, NGOs and private firms. Some are issue or sector focused, others are more generalized.

Other internship opportunities that are distinct from the legislative session are also possible.”

Fitzgerald and Alcock are currently using their personal contacts and relationships to find the best internship for each student’s interests.

Students were able to choose from a list of internship possibilities with organizations the professors have connections with, and also have the option to seek opportunities on their

Dylan Pryor/Catalyst

Cohort members meet every Tuesday for a tutorial session.

From left to right: Second-years Jessica Brown, Aaron Pond, Chloe Kimball, Olivia VanHousen, and third-year Dylan Pryor. Not pictured are second-years Donnella Aldrich, Malcolm Wells and Carl Romer and third-year Allen Serrell

own.

“If students have specific target organizations for which we do not have current contacts, we can still assist them in approaching those organizations,” Alcock added.

Over the past few weeks, the nine student participants have been preparing for the program as part of a weekly tutorial led by Knies. Weekly assignments for the tutorial have included crafting professional resumes, applying to internships, and choosing FSU courses for the spring.

“Part of what we learned through our planning process is that there are a lot of moving pieces, and you’re not only

working with New College for all the off-campus study elements,” Knies said.

“You’re working with FSU if you want to take classes there, you’re working with some separate housing organizations to live in Tallahassee, and you have to find an internship. And so because there are so many elements, we decided that in order to make sure the students are well prepared to go to Tallahassee, we just think it makes sense for us to meet weekly to talk about what’s important and what needs to come next.”

The student participants encompass a wide range of AOCs including but not limited to economics, political science and anthropology. The

tutorial helps students use the Semester in Tallahassee program to create a unique experience that will satisfy each student’s diverse academic needs.

“The program is definitely going to give me the opportunity to fine-tune what I want to do with the rest of my life,” second-year general studies AOC Olivia Van Housen said.

Third-year political science AOC Allen Serrell hopes to use the program to further his knowledge of the political process as he works toward graduation.

“If there’s one thing I remember from my Florida Politics class, it’s that state governments are just as consequential, if not more consequential, to the citizens of the state as the federal government,” Serrell said. “And I’m told by multiple people that have been involved in the political process that there’s things you can learn by working in the legislature that you can’t necessarily learn in a classroom.”

When the spring semester begins, students will be able to take two courses at FSU. Students will also be able to participate in a seminar with an in-residence NCF faculty member. The off-campus contract of each participant will ultimately total four courses, plus an internship.

Throughout the semester, there will also be many opportunities for students to meet with New College

continued on p. 11

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NEWS PAGE 5

Sanders proposes a bill that could effectively end the federal marijuana prohibition

BY AUDREY WARNE Bernie Sanders introduced a bill on Nov. 4 that could potentially end the federal prohibition of marijuana in the United States. Titled the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2105,” the bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act by adding a subsection to allow for the shipping and transportation of cannabis across state lines without breaking federal laws. This subsection would also remove all penalties for the use, possession, distribution and sale of cannabis. The bill even goes so far as to completely remove any mention of “cannabis” or “marijuana” from the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Like heroin, marijuana is currently listed as a schedule I drug, meaning the federal government has declared there is a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a

lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

Removing marijuana from the list of schedule I substances would also allow for an increase in scientific research on weed, as it is currently a class 1 federal felony to conduct any otherwise legitimate scientific research of any kind on schedule I substance. The bill would also remove marijuana from the DEA’s list of the “most dangerous drugs,” reducing federal government expenditures on the prevention of growing and distributing marijuana.

“In my view, states should have the right to regulate marijuana the same way that state and local laws now govern sales of alcohol and tobacco,” Sanders said in a speech at George Washington University.

Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation similar to that used for alcoholic beverages would produce a combined

savings and tax revenue of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year, according to a June 2005 report by Dr. Jeffrey Miron, a visiting professor of economics at Harvard University.

The bill would also open up the marijuana industry, allowing dispensaries and grow operations to use the federal banking system, removing the threat of federal government intervention and DEA raids, and enabling interstate commerce.

A Gallup poll released last month found that 58 percent of Americans are in favor of marijuana legalization. Sanders’ bill would not legalize marijuana, but allow states to decide on an individual basis if they are interested in pursuing marijuana legalization, at both the medical and recreational level. With 10 states already considering marijuana legalization bills for the 2016 election, Sanders’ bill would allow for federal control that is an accurate representation of what a

majority of Americans already believe.

DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young said in 1988, “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man, by any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care. ... The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision.

It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.”

Information from this article was taken from nytimes.com, cnn.com, theatlantic. com, and prohibitoncosts.org

Mexico legalizes marijuana for four people

BY AUDREY WARNE On Nov. 4, the Mexican Supreme Court declared that individuals have the right to grow and possess marijuana for personal use. That is, for the four individuals who filed a suit against the federal government claiming the use of marijuana was a civil right based on the constitutional provision that ensures all Mexicans have the right to the “free development of personality.”

In 2009, Mexico quietly decriminalized the use of all drugs in small amounts for personal use, which allowed individuals to possess slightly more than five grams without fear of prosecution. The cannabis club that filed the suit, the Sociedad Mexicana de Autoconsumo Responsable y Tolerante (Mexican Society for Responsible and Tolerant Consumption of Marijuana), goes by the acronym SMART and consists of four members – one of which does not even smoke marijuana.

Driven by a desire to reduce Mexico’s rampant drug-related violence, SMART filed a legal petition demanding the right to grow, own and use marijuana in 2013. Four out of the five ministers of justice ruled in favor of legalization, potentially setting the precedent for future cases like this one. This 4 to 1 ruling granted the four plaintiffs an amparo, a kind of legal protection by the Mexican federal government that prevents the individuals from facing prosecution for the growing, possession and use of marijuana – which is still illegal in Mexico.

SMART’s case relied on the idea that using marijuana is just one way for individuals to differentiate themselves from the rest of society, under the Mexican constitutional protection of an individual’s right to be unique and independent.

“Our objective was always to RAND Corporation, marijuana accounts change drug policy in this country for more than one-fifth of cartel which is one of the main motors for the revenue, approximately $1.5 billion violence, corruption and the violation in revenue per year. Some estimates of human rights in Mexico,” Armando have marijuana accounting for upwards Santacruz, a member of SMART, told of one-third of Mexican drug cartel VICE News. “This is a tremendously profits, although recent increases in the powerful decision that could open the use of meth and heroin in the United way for real change. We’ve made history. States have also reduced the demand It’s a hole in the dike but it’s the first for Mexican marijuana. hole in the dike.”

The rate of marijuana use in Mexico This ruling lays the groundwork is quite low, one 2011 study estimated for a new wave of legal action that could that only 2 percent of Mexicans had move Mexico and other Latin American smoked marijuana in the past year, countries toward legalization. Under the compared to a 2013 survey that reported rules of Mexico’s 7.5 percent of legal system, if Americans had four similar cases Mexican cartels have the used weed in the are brought to the most to lose from U.S. previous month.

Supreme Court The majority legalization efforts. and the judges of Mexicans, rule in favor each approximately 77 time, all judges percent according in the country will have to follow to Fox News Latino, are against this precedent on all future cases – marijuana legalization after being effectively legalizing marijuana for forced to live with the destruction, all Mexican citizens. This same five- brutality and violence of the cartels and case process was used to legalize gay corrupt government officials. According marriage in Mexico earlier this year. to the Los Angeles Times, nearly 60 Mexico has some of the most percent of Mexican prisoners in federal conservative drug laws in Latin jail have been convicted of marijuanaAmerica, a result of the United States’ related offenses. Mexican President heavy-handed influence on Mexican Enrique Peña Nieto has said he opposes drug policy. Due to the legalization of marijuana legalization but that he will medical and recreational marijuana recognize and respect the Supreme in the United States, there has been Court ruling. an increase in the production of high Antonio Zaldivar, the Supreme quality marijuana in America, reducing Court justice who backed the case, the demand for Mexican imported released a press statement stating, weed and cutting into the drug cartels’ “The responsible decision taken to profits. Mexican cartels have the most experiment with the effects of this to lose from U.S. legalization efforts. substance – whatever personal harm it The United States government has might do – belongs within the autonomy disregarded this in its attempts to of the individual, protected by their enforce the draconian drug policies freedom to develop themselves.” currently in place.

This decision was based on According to a 2010 report by the the concept of fundamental human

rights, not on marijuana’s effects on public health, incarceration rates, or the cost to the government and the public. Several small drug-possession cases in Canada have hinged on this human-rights argument, and in 1994 a Colombian constitutional court case used the phrase “free-development” of personality in arguing against the criminalization of drug use. This case’s lack of a criminal-justice component makes it the first federal legalization of marijuana on this basis and a potentially precedent-setting case internationally.

Justice Olga Sanchez, who voted in favor of the ruling, told the Mexican public, “This court recognized the reach of personal freedom.”

Uruguay legalized marijuana in 2013, putting the government in charge of the majority of production and sale, although individuals can grow up to six plants and cannabis clubs up to 99.

Former president José Alberto “Pepe” Mujica Cordano told VICE News that the law’s main intention was to seize the market from illegal dealers – a health and public safety issue, not an issue of freedom or personal choice. Measures for marijuana reform are currently being debated in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica, and Justin Trudeau, the new prime minister of Canada, has pledged to legalize marijuana during his term. In the United States, legalization bills are on the 2016 ballots in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada.

Information for this article was taken from nyt.com, latino.foxnews.com, latimes.com, theatlantic.com, news.vice. com and smartclub.mx

27th Annual St.Armands

Art Festival

Luis Gonzalez, www.mamaluwood.com

Scot Buccina, www.scottbuccina.com

BY HALEY JORDAN The St. Armand’s Circle Art Festival hosts 150 artists annually and displays a variety of mediums including sculpture, photography, glass, paintings, ceramics, jewelry and mixed media. Hosting the festival for the 27th year on Nov. 14 and 15, the St. Armand’s festival allows patrons to meet with the artists, commission art and inquire about methods and inspiration.

“I’ve come twice previously and I like it more each time,” commented Sarasota resident Julie Vano. “Some artists I have seen in previous years, but there are also new ones.

I like that it’s the sort of place that everyone can find what they are looking for. And its free!” Vano has lived in Sarasota County for 6 years.

“There’s so much variety in not just the art but the people as well, I come just to look and talk to artists.”

For more information go to artfestival. com/festivals/st-armands-art-festivalsarasota-florida. all photos by Haley Jordan

Wendy Smith, www.wedness.com

Ilkin Deniz, www.ilkindeniz.com

Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand, PotteryBoys@earthlink.net

Guilloume, www.guilloume.com

Michael Vista

Mauro Pozzobonelli

Aaron Reed, www.ArtbyAaronReed.com

Ancizar Marin, www.artbyancizar.com

Bill Herb, bill@billherd.com

Luis Gonzalez, www.mamaluwood.com

Don and Christina Williams, www.DMWpottery.com

Tanya Leslie, beecre8tive2@yahoo.com

Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand, PotteryBoys@earthlink.net

CATALYST

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PAGE 8

Computer Science Club promotes collaboration among students

BY CAITLYN RALPH It’s an exciting time to study computer science at New College.

With a budding big data program and a strengthening area of concentration (AOC), the curriculum is developing a concrete structure while still maintaining flexibility, allowing students to explore an array of topics that fall under the broad computer science umbrella, such as bioinformatics, software development and security. As the college hires new faculty, the course catalogue for computer science is steadily growing.

Feeding off this energy, a group of eager students recently started a club to further connect the department. The initiative - Computer Science Club - has already garnered support from students inside and outside the AOC. “The New College Computer Science Club is our attempt at organizing that much-needed practice and experience as a group so that we can be better prepared to contribute meaningfully to the world,” secondyear Eric Voorhis, one of the main organizers, said in an email interview.

By regularly gathering those curious about computer science in a consistent, casual and welcoming setting, the club adds cohesion to the department while also providing an easy and interactive

way to gain computing practice. The primary interest is collaboration, a cornerstone in the computer science field.

“It’s gratifying as a professor to have students that are this into their education that they would want to go and make this happen,” Professor of Computer Science Matthew Lepinski said. “As someone who has been involved in interviewing and hiring Bachelors students in computer science, the types of projects the Computer Science Club is talking about are the types that look really good to potential employers.”

Currently, the main organizers are second-year Hunter Osking, thirdyear Ben Carothers, former student Skyler Kistler, and Voorhis. The idea originally came to Kistler late last year after he noticed the lack of unity among computer science students.

He approached second-year Dylan Purvis, Osking and Voorhis, who then met with Professor of Computational Science David Gilman and Professor of Computer Science Gary Kalmanovich about making the idea a reality.

“Students who take initiative and engage in these type of projects are the kind of students that employers want to hire,” Lepinski said.

Advertisement was the first step.

At the beginning of this academic year, to compensate for missing Club Fair, Computer Science Club organizers tried active advertisement. They spoke to more faculty, such as Lepinski and Professor of Computer Science Harvey Hyman, and received permission to give short presentations about the club at the end of some classes before circulating a sign-up sheet to interested students.

The Computer Science Club then held its first meeting in Chae over pizza, a general introduction and potential project sharing. Twenty-three students joined the discussion, in which ideas for software projects – a Computer Science Club website, a virtual card game – and hardware projects were exchanged.

Following the meeting, a small group of students – now the main organizers – congregated to create the club’s organization.

The conclusion of those organizational conversations was a general computer science “meetup,” which entails a low pressure, weekly gathering time. A space where students could engage in all different kinds of work related to computation, such as projects, homework, workshops and tutorials.

continued on p. 10

New club on campus defeats more than 30 teams in quiz bowl tournament

BY ANGELA DUDA Five NCF teams, each named after the five Spice Girls, attended a quiz bowl tournament last weekend at Valencia College in Orlando. While no team left unsuccessful, Team “Baby” earned a first place trophy, proving that even a new club on campus can take home a victory. Thirty-two teams across the state attended the Delta Burke tournament.

As co-leaders of the group, first-year transfer student Naimul Chowdhury and first-year Alexander Koutelias dedicate two days a week and countless hours teaching newbie quizbowlers how to play the game.

As the reader, lists off a trivia questions filled with a handful of clues, two teams compete to buzz in first with the correct answer. Those “tossup” questions can be answered by any individual. If the answer is correct, the entire team collaborates to answer more difficult, multipart “bonus” questions. The questions can cover an array of topics such as athletics, history, literature and science.

Additionally, a category known to quizbowlers as “TRASH” exists separately from the rest. TRASH, Total Recall About Strange Happenings, consist of wacky and obscure pop culture references.

“One time there was a TRASH question about football and it was dead silent until the last clue,” said first-year Adam Diaz, member of the team.

Chowdhury began his quiz bowl career two years ago at the State College of Florida (SCF), but brought his talents to NCF, founding the NCF Quiz Bowl Team (NCFQBT). “Competing while at SCF showed me that I can achieve my goals through hard work,” Chowdhury said. “Now I’m trying to act as a mentor because most of the members...this is their first time playing.”

He clarified that while the name NCFQBT contains a singular “team,” the club, which is comprised of more than 30 members, consists of multiple teams – each of which contain four to six people depending on the competition.

When asked for his fondest club memory thus far, he replied: “The unexpected and undefeated victory of our teams at our first competition.”

As one might expect of a pure mathematics AOC, Chowdhury spends much of his time completing math proofs; however, he is also a competitive videogame player. Koutelias, an international studies AOC, loves listening, watching and performing opera, a talent which earned NCFQBT 55 dollars at a recent fundraising event.

“Jesus Christ did not fight at

the battle of Actium,” Koutelias, said, recalling a practice in which he made that claim in response to a quiz bowl question.

NCFQBT sent teams to two previous competitions, the Academic Competition Federation (ACF) Fall Regional Tournament at the University of Florida and the VCU Novice Tournament at Florida Gateway College in Lake City. At the former, a team took second place, and at the latter (the first tournament the club ever attended), team Paper went undefeated.

All of these accomplishments were made possible by the dedication of the club members, preparation by the club

continued on p. 10

courtesy of Quiz Bowl Facebook

The Quiz Bowl Team gathers after a satisfying two days of competition Club attendee Wiley Corning sits with secondyear club organizer Eric Voorhis.

Let's SWAlk About It So you want to write a novel?

SUBMITTED BY EMILY POSSON “Nanowrimo” is a term that should be familiar to most creative writers. It is that painful thing that those obsessed with the wonders of fiction look forward to and dread with equal measure each year.

Nanowrimo is the writer’s dream for motivation, 1,667 words a day will put pressure on anyone. The relief and sense of accomplishment is real when you finish– and all you have to do is write 50,000 words.

Nanowrimo is difficult, I’m not going to lie, but it is doable, even with a full work schedule.

Perhaps you have heard of word wars. Word wars involve a person or peoples sitting down to write, either physically or through the internet.

They set a time limit (I am personally partial to the five minute limit) anywhere from one minute to a full half hour. Then they write. They write as quickly as they can, fingers flying over the keyboard. They do not stop for anything – proofreading?

Doesn’t exist in Nanowrimo, don’t kid yourself. While that timer is going there should be no distractions, don’t pause for anything, it is write or die. The latter attitude is perhaps not entirely necessary, however I find that if I can trick myself into feeling that desperation, I get a better results. Writer’s block is kept at bay when you’re not so focused on making every word perfect, every sentence a work of art. When working with other people, by adding this element of a time limit I have seen a drastic increase in word count.

Utilize the WRC. I’m not just saying that because I work there! The WRC can help you in more ways than just helping you proofread/structure your work. If you feel like you just need someone to talk to about your ideas, brainstorm some new ones, outline, or just have someone sit next to you while you write, we can do that!

Give yourself rewards, even little ones. Maybe it’s another cup of coffee (which we have in the WRC!), watching that episode you’ve been holding off on, even giving yourself a 20 minute power nap. All of these are viable options and setting them at benchmarks add encouragement and incentive to this writing ordeal.

After 20-30 minutes of work give yourself a break for 10 minutes, this helps with the ‘burning out’ phase.

Now, this is the time in November when those Nanoing start to really feel the pressure.

Maybe you’re behind, maybe the end of November seems too far away, maybe you’ve just go a lot on your plate!

You can do it! I believe in you!

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FEATURES

PAGE 9

WHO classifies processed meat a group1carcinogen

BY HALEY JORDAN Frenzy ensued after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared processed meats a cause of colorectal and conceivably stomach cancer. The WHO also said that red meats are probably also a cause of pancreatic and prostate cancer. “Processed Meats Rank Alongside Smoking as Cancer Causes” read a headline in The Guardian. “Bacon, Hot Dogs as Bad as Cigarettes” read another. These reports, although based on fact, distort the actual implications of the findings by ignoring the riskrating practices of WHO. “For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” commented Kurt Straif, an official with the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which came out with the report. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

According to figures cited by the panel, nearly 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide can be linked to diets high in processed meats. However, the incidence of colorectal cancer has been

declining for 20 years, in part because of colonoscopy screenings.

Processed meat was listed alongside cigarettes, alcohol, asbestos, plutonium, DDT and mustard gas.

WHO’s conclusions are consistent with recent findings and recommendations issued by the American Cancer Society and the World Cancer Research Fund.

Experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. However, the report, although approved by a majority of the 22 scientists from 10 countries who reviewed more than 800 studies, is not considered conclusive among experts.

Furthermore, the WHO’s riskranking system is based on the strength of the overall research, not on the risk level of specific products. To add, the link between meat and cancer is muddled by the practice of curing, smoking, fermentation and other methods of processing meat, as they generate chemicals that are carcinogens or suspected carcinogens. Any meat that has been cured, smoked, salted or otherwise changed to enhance flavor or improve preservation is considered processed meat. It is also worth noting that of the more than 900 potential

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. Featured above is 65 grams.

carcinogens tested by the WHO, only one, a nylon-manufacturing chemical found in water, was not deemed “probably not” a carcinogen.

Researchers are also asking if those who eat a lot of processed meat are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that are also cancer causing

and if non-meateaters are more likely to maintain healthier lifestyles. To this the American Cancer Society says, “It’s not exactly clear.”

Information for this article was taken from iarc.fr.

Small-scale indie ‘Tangerine’ is beautiful, thrilling and groundbreaking SUBMITTED BY DAVID CANFIELD On the surface, Sean Baker’s electric new movie “Tangerine” should predominantly appeal to the nichepreferring moviegoer.

The film centers on a pair of transgender* prostitutes, but favors a profanity-laced realism over something more erotic or suspenseful. It’s talky and contemplative and strange – staples of the micro-budget festival hit that usually comes recommended but rarely cashes in more than a couple million at the box office.

In this case, however, there’s more to it. “Tangerine” is alive. It possesses an energy that needs to be seen to be believed. Baker shoots his film entirely on an iPhone 5S, and you can feel the rawness of his vision. He’s frantically scuttling through alleys, quietly observing in the backseat of cabs, meticulously tracking along Los Angeles’ sparsely populated sidewalks.

His methods are right in front of you, as if he’s filming in real-time, creating a theatrical experience both intimately interactive and gorgeously operatic.

“Tangerine” opens in conversation, a place where its characters come to life and its vibrant perspective shines through. On a blindingly bright Los Angeles Christmas Eve morning, best friends and colleagues (of a sort) Alexandra and Sin-Dee (newcomers Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) chat while cozied up in a booth at

Donut Time. They’re talking about Sin-Dee’s (just ended) 30-day jail stint, but the loose rapport quickly tightens. Alexandra reveals that SinDee’s boyfriend/pimp Chester (Baker regular James Ransone) was unfaithful during her incarceration, and obsession over the details dominates the scene.

It’s all Sin-Dee can think or talk about; Alexandra, delighted to have her friend back, is meanwhile dreading the ensuing action. Now she’s got to deal with this all day.

Everything in “Tangerine” is rooted in human conflict, putting what’s essentially a buddy comedy into the hands of people who are typically, overwhelmingly avoided by popular artistic media. As the film splinters and floats in different directions, it comes together as a neo-mosaic of the city: while Sin-Dee is hell-bent on finding this code breaking homewrecker (Her name starts with a D; she amusingly refers to her as “Fish”), Alexandra sets off trying to convince colleagues and clients to attend her evening musical performance. And in interludes, we break into a day in the life of Razmik (Karren Karagulian), a mild-mannered cab driver with an undisclosed affinity for curbside sex.

The world of “Tangerine” is both excited and excitable, immersed in its grimy streets and underseen day-today. Baker’s work here is so fresh and assured that he never gives his audience a chance to catch their breath. Musically,

he’ll swivel from assaultive trap to smooth classical to abrupt silence and then play it back, on a loop, on shuffle – the soundtrack is active in a way that’s immersively disorienting. His saturated images capture stark beauty, playing like a dreamlike, tangerine-hued foray into the L.A. streets when stitched together.

The cumulative sensory experience is utterly exceptional. There’s always a tendency to seek out that film or series or book that challenges the form – that fits into that “groundbreaking” narrative – at the expense of grappling with the work’s actual quality. But sometimes, and most definitely in the case of “Tangerine,” difference is enthralling. Here, it’s a jolt, both for the film and the audience.

“Tangerine” fuses its photography, its sound and its narrative to convey deep emotional truths. At the film’s center is a friendship more intimate and meaningful than any romance that American cinema has provided in the past few years. There’s no backstory to these women, and yet they erupt authentically. Their dialogue is distinct, while individual moments luminously expose their vulnerabilities. Alexandra’s musical performance to a crowd of two is achingly sad but also strangely empowering; Sin-Dee ruthlessly dragging “Fish” around Los Angeles is as much of a riot as it is a harrowing expression of loneliness. There’s a nuance to every action and every word

that allows a fuller realization of their interior life.

A deep melancholy settles into “Tangerine,” rendering the bumbling structure and well-trodden conflicts totally appropriate to its chaotic sensibilities. In each of the film’s threads is a simultaneous despair and buoyancy.

There are lies told and secrets kept, with characters expressing a subdued, maybe even repressed desire to extend beyond their bleakly imperfect experience of the city.

But with it comes an exuberant, inexplicable beauty. It’s “a beautifully wrapped-up lie,” as one character calls it – of the kind that shines the sun over tragedies as mundanely significant as a cheating boyfriend, a broken family, a life that will never be. The kind that shines the sun over Christmas Eve. That description may aptly describe Baker’s vision of the City of Angels, but it only gets “Tangerine” half-right. The film is a beautifully wrapped-up package, to be sure. But a lie it is not. Unflinchingly genuine and startlingly humane, it’s the real deal – a vital discovery for the cinephiles and mainstream alike.

Strong Sat. “Tangerine” is now available across streaming and video-on-demand platforms.

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PAGE 10

Wall Previews

BY GIULIA HEYWARD Friday, Nov. 20-Awful Wall Awful Wall will be hosted by thesis student Nasib McIntosh and third-year Maximilian Mermell.

“Don’t expect a good time,” McIntosh said. The Wall will be hosted in the Nook and is inspired by “Father Rip-Off Wall.”

Saturday, Nov 21st- Twisty Wall Twisty Wall will be hosted by thesis student Kana Hummel.

“It’s what you expect from a Wall but with a twist,” Hummel said. “I plan to provide an alternative activity to play with during the night so everyone can have fun dancing, engaging in conversations, or playing Twister.”

The Wall will be held in the Nook where attendees are only told to expect Twister.

The Space Committee

BY BIANCA BENEDI The New College campus includes a surprisingly large sprawl of over 60 buildings scattered between east and west campus. How to best use these buildings has been a forefront in the minds of administrators for decades, with frequent changes as the needs of the campus have changed over the years. An end-of-the-year report from the Joint Space Committee published in June 1988 detailed a number of suggestions, issues and priorities regarding managing space on the New College campus and offer some insight into the decisions that led to the modern New College landscape.

“The specialized character of the

Computer Science CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 “It gives me a chance to focus on my work,” thesis student Sarah Russell said. “I have trouble focusing when I’m in my room.”

All levels of students from every AOC are encouraged to participate – the only prerequisite is an interest in computer science, whether that be for a career or a hobby. Many of the advanced students graciously offer their help to beginners, scheduling time inside and outside of the weekly meet-up time to mentor on a variety of concepts.

“It’s cool to see people who are just starting out with computer science and upper years who have been doing it for a while work together on projects

like this and coming together to learn,” thesis student Wiley Corning said.

For the club as a whole, the central initiative at the moment is designing and hosting websites for other clubs on campus. The organizers received a $200 Student Allocations Committee (SAC) club discretionary, most of which is slated for domain hosting on a server.

“This club is ‘Vim,’” Carothers joked in typical computer science kid fashion. ‘Vim’ is a free, open source and loved text editor program.

The weekly meet-ups occur on Sundays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Heiser Computer Lab (HNS 108 in the math hallway).

New College program, with its stress on individualized instruction and undergraduate research, requires more ample space and more sophisticated facilities than most undergraduate programs,” the report states in its introduction. “Moreover, we have a special responsibility to preserve and enhance an unusually attractive natural setting.”

A list of general principles follows the introduction which include such priorities as “The library will always be the natural center of the campus for both the university and college programs,” and “Classrooms, library, administrative and student-service offices will always be used jointly ... but each program should also have clearly defined centers on campus.”

Various principles address maintaining a certain aesthetic, such as a principle that states no building should be more than two, possibly three stories, in order to not mar the skyline, and buildings should be clustered together in order to maximize open spaces, and parking lots should be clustered at the borders of campus and avoid entering the spaces. The principles end with “students must have bicycle access to all parts of the campus, including Caples campus across the museum property.”

The report delineates a section called the New College Village, which stretches from the social science building to Hanson, the former Natural Sciences building. It lists a total of 24 classrooms according to the business office, of which “only 10 ... are good general classrooms without problems,

i.e. handicapped accessible and not scheduled for elimination.”

“There will be a classroom shortage,” the report warns, “especially since several rooms are scheduled and many are substandard. We are facing a significant shortage of classrooms within the next few years.” The struggle of accommodating 800 students, which the college had already grown to, drove much of the planning for the following decades.

The “serious planning” the committee proposed to “remedy the situation” included upgrading the five classrooms in College Hall to be soundproof, cancelling plans to convert Palmer C into a dorm so that it could be used for more classrooms, plans to convert Palmer B into classrooms and offices should be implemented as soon as possible, Palmer D and E should have classrooms added as soon as administration move out of the buildings, and plans to construct new buildings beside Hamilton should be implemented as soon as possible.

27 years later the college has managed to expand facilities, but very little of the expansion occurred according to 1988 plans. Palmer B is the one dormitory on the west side of campus and all the other Palmer buildings remain in administrative hands. The barn has since been converted into the Four Winds cafe, Hanson building was demolished and replaced with Heiser and Hamilton has almost completely been converted to administrative spaces for Student Affairs.

EVENTS: NOV. 18 - NOV. 24 On Campus

Wednesday, November 18 • 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Scholarship workshop @ Ham center lounge • 8:00 p.m - 10:00 p.m. Selena: The Movie showing @ Library Classroom 156 Thursday, November 19 • 5:00 p.m. Artist Conversation: Miya Masaoka @ Sainer • 7:00 p.m. Trans film showing @ GDC Friday, November 20 • 12:00 p.m. Feminist Fridays @ ACE Lounge • 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Yoga @ Fitness Center • 7:00 p.m. Campus police cookoff • 8:00 p.m. Double Feature Picture Show @HCL 7

•

8:00 p.m. Critics’ Film House

Saturday, November 21 • 10:00 p.m. Paris climate talk 2015 simulation @ HCL 8 • 1:30 p.m. International games day @ Library • 8:00 p.m. Double Feature Picture Show @ HCL 7 • 8:00 p.m. Critics’ Film House Monday. November 23 • 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.New topics: Peace Negotiations Taki @ 5313 Bay Shore Rd • 7:00 p.m. Quiz Bowl Prcatice Tuesday, November 24 • 7:00 p.m. Twelth Night @ BBT • 9:00 p.m. Astronomy Club Meeting @ the Bayfront

Off Campus

Wednesday, November 18 • 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 6:00 p.m. Nokomis Beach Drum Circle @ Nokomis Beach on Casey Key • 7:00 p.m. Team Trivia @ Growler’s Pub Thursday, November 19 • 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 5:00 p.m. Art After 5 @ Ringling Museum Friday, November 20 • 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach Saturday, November 21 • 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Dowtown Farmer’s Market • 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @

• •

Siesta Key Beach 9:45 a.m. Sarasota Medieval Fair @ Sarasota County Fairgrounds 6:00 p.m. Nokomis Beach Drum Circle @ Nokomis Beach on Casey Key

Monday, November 23 • 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 9:00 p.m. Karaoke @ Growler’s Pub Tuesday, November 24 • Free meal for students @ Coffee Loft • 9:00 p.m. Open Mic @ Growler’s Pub

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Posters

Mizzou

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

and organized events such as the solidarity march to the bay have taken place in response.

Almost 50 people gathered on Z Green on Nov. 6 before grabbing a candle, lighting it, and walking silently together as a group to College Hall after some meaningful words from thesis student Patricia Johnson and third-year Christina Harn. When the solidarity march reached College Hall, the group held an open safe space for survivors and those affected by sexual assault to share their experiences.

“I think [the march] went really well,” Harn said. “It wasn’t really about the numbers, it was about having an opportunity to make eye contact and really feel the community, and also there were a lot of people that have expressed that just knowing that the march happened made them feel safer and more supported on campus.”

Harn emphasized that the posters and emails were not an isolated event, but rather another event in an ongoing pattern of violence and aggression toward women on the New College campus – citing the various times that the Share Center in the Hamilton Center has been vandalized.

“In the spring of last school year, it was vandalized with a lot of menstrual pads that were going to be donated to SPARCC – which is a safe place for victims of domestic violence – they were ripped apart and thrown around and the carpet was ruined and there was liquid paint smeared on the walls,” Harn said.

The Share Center was again vandalized recently, when several rape jokes were written in chalk on the

board. In addition to gendered and ableist slurs being found written in the men and women’s restrooms in the Hamilton Center.

“Even if it is only one person who put up the flyers and sent the emails, it still doesn’t mean that it is just one person responsible for this,” Harn said.

“I think that there are a lot of people who make rape jokes to be edgy, and I think that those people obviously received messages that they think that they are not the ones responsible for creating the rape culture that we live in.”

Harn stressed that for change to take place, a critical eye must be placed upon ourselves as members of the campus community and as an institution.

“How do we counter that and change ourselves on a personal level to be more supportive of our friends and peers who have experienced violence?”

Harn said. “How do we change ourselves, as a student body, to support programming to prevent sexual assault and support survivors, and how do we change as an institution so that this violence is not allowed?”

Although Ramirez has been given a NTO and has been escorted off campus, Kessie urged students to continue the conversation.

“We all need to look out for each other as one, unified community,” Kessie said. “If there is someone who has been the victim/survivor of a crime, help them. Get them to the CWC, the Victim Advocate, or CPD. Make sure that they are not alone and there are people in place to help them.”

Terror attacks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 we’re all still too much in shock to start that yet.”

The response to these attacks has been compared to what happened following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in which members of Al Qaeda entered the headquarters of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and opened fire, killing 11.

“This was senseless violence,” Yourish said. “The meaning of Charlie Hebdo was clear immediately when it happened, no one yet can make heads or tails of the twisted logic that killed over one hundred people last night.

Everyone is talking about if it’s actually over, because we didn’t see it coming and don’t really know why it happened, we can’t trust that it’s finished.”

Shortly following the attacks, Hollande declared a state of emergency and increased border security. Hollande called the attacks an “act of war.” At time of publication, France had begun mobilizing fighter jets in attacks on ISIS strongholds.

The attacks in Paris and Beirut are only the latest in a number of attacks

JUMPS

directed by or inspired by ISIS in at least 26 countries in the last year. The Paris attacks represent a frightening development in the Islamic State’s reach, if the attacks were indeed carried out by members of ISIS. Contrary to many other attacks linked to ISIS in the west, those in Paris were complex and choreographed. The New York Times reported that this could be a new level of capability for ISIS to orchestrate attacks.

“Right now Paris needs the time and space to grieve,” Yourish said. “If there are political messages to make and lessons to learn about this, they need to wait until we’ve washed the blood off of our streets.

“It is unimaginably exhausting and frightening to be caught in the biggest peacetime attack Europe has seen in years,” Yourish continued. “There aren’t words for it. This city is resilient enough to recover, but the impact of [Friday night] will be felt for years.”

Information for this article was taken from cnn.com, bbc.com, nytimes.com.

PAGE 11

tension here at Mizzou,” Erica Eisenberg, a 22-year-old white Jewish student studying communications at the university said. “But I remember things really coming to a head after Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson, [Missouri]. Many students saw the campus as a necessary vehicle for positive change in the modern fight for civil rights and that movement became more visible on campus.

Eisenberg explained that this was a catalyst for action on the part of students of color as well as allies.

She said that a major problem was the inaction of the administration, so many members of the community felt they had to turn to drastic measures to be heard.

Months earlier, in reaction to what occurred in Ferguson, queer women of color at Mizzou created the group MU for Mike Brown. This group associates itself with the Black Lives Matter movement, but specifically focuses on what is going on at Mizzou.

“Without black women, especially black queer women, there would be no movement at Mizzou. Remember that,” Butler wrote on his Twitter on Nov. 8.

“The common thread is the university’s slow response and lack of leadership in these situations,” Eisenberg said. “This sends a message to students of color that their lives don’t matter here.”

Eisenberg said that although the football players’ actions were very important, that a lot of the work being done was by queer women of color on campus.

Wolfe was also encouraged to step down by members of the government.

Gov. Jay Nixon (D) said he supported the concerned students’ efforts and Rep. Steven Cookson (R), chairman of the Missouri House Committee on Higher Education, encouraged Wolfe to resign since he could no longer be an

effective leader.

“For more than half the school’s history people of color were not even welcome on campus,” Lenoir said. “And since the year that they were admitted, students of color have been routinely listing demands for change. It’s now 2015 and it seems they are just now hearing us.”

Since Wolfe resigned, the racism on campus has become more apparent.

There were threats to black peoples’ lives made over the anonymous media site Yik Yak. Mizzou is not the only college campus, or place in the U.S. dealing with racism, but the combination of a history of racism, as well as the school being late to desegregate has left the university in an awkward position. Also, the fact that Missouri is very rural, except for a couple urban centers – St. Louis and Kansas City – where most of the state’s black residents live, leads to tensions among people from different backgrounds.

Some solutions that were presented to deal with the problems included hiring more black faculty at the university. According to the New York Times, only 3.35 percent of the school’s tenured and tenure-track faculty are black, while only 8 percent of the school’s undergraduates are black. The hope is that with increased numbers of faculty of color, more students of color will attend Mizzou.

Steve Owens has been hired as chancellor for the time being, while Michael Middleton, a black man and graduate of Mizzou, as well as former deputy chancellor emeritus, has been hired as the interim president.

“There is still so much work to be done and we can’t afford to get caught up in this one moment and lose momentum,” Lenoir said. “The struggle continues.”

Tallahassee

Quiz Bowl

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alums in the area and form more connections.

“The Tallahassee alumni group is very interested in being involved, so we’ll be able to put together either receptions, or dinners, hopefully some volunteer events, that the students are able to participate in there and get to know the alumni as well,” Knies said.

Going forward, the Semester in Tallahassee program is scheduled to be an annual off-campus study opportunity for second and third-year students at New College.

“It’s going to be really fun,” Van Housen said. “I’m really excited to be hanging out with this group of people for a long time. And, I think it’s going to be a great learning opportunity. That’s what I’m going to take it as.”

leaders, and funding from inside and outside sources. The Student Allocations Committee provided $850 dollars for the club, with the rest of the funding coming from the dean’s office.

While some discovered quiz bowl at the semester’s club fair, others managed their way onto the team by more indirect methods. “I decided to join after my roommate was asked to,” said first-year Yonathan Stone. Some members, like Diaz, were even more casual. “I just kinda showed up.”

First-year Emlie Bianca Fazio shared one of her favorite quiz bowl memories: “There was this one time... [the reader] was talking about cyanide and it got to the point where they mentioned it smelled like almonds... and that’s when I answered. Everyone wanted to know how I knew that.”

The club practices formally on Mondays and Thursdays at 7 p.m..

CATALYST

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst

PAGE 12

LOCAL ACTIVISTS RALLY OUTSIDE OF SARASOTA’S CITY HALL JOINING THE FIGHT FOR $15

BY SYDNEY KRULJAC Imagine working 40 hours a week and only having a budget of $17 a day. After taxes, housing, utilities, car payments, credit card bills and childcare expenses are paid, this is the budget of a minimum wage worker who is currently paid $8.05 an hour in Florida. Strikes are happening in Sarasota and across the country as fast-food cooks and cashiers demand a $15 minimum wage.

On Nov. 10, local activists joined a rally of 500 protests nationwide as they marched outside of Sarasota’s City Hall in the Fight for $15 demonstration.

Since 2009, the unemployment rate has gone down and job opportunities have increased, indicating signs of an improving economy. However, for many working Americans, average pay has seen major decreases, specifically for minimum wage workers.

“Generally we just want to support a living wage for everybody,” secondyear Nathan Burnaman said at Tuesday’s protest. “We want to uplift the working class and have a redistribution of wealth that is better for everybody involved in the system.”

The Employment Policies Institute,

which is backed by the restaurant industry, had another thing to say about the Fight for $15 organization.

Releasing a full-page ad in the New York Post, it highlighted results from a survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. It concluded that three-fourths of economists say a $15 minimum wage would create fewer jobs and make it harder for younger people to obtain these jobs. “[Fight for $15] has been successful in many places already all over the country and we are very encouraged by that,” said Arlene Sweeting, Peace, Education and Action Center executive director, and director of the protest.

“We see New York and San Francisco and Seattle and Chicago and these big cities making moves. We think it’s time for Florida to join them.”

Congress last changed the federal minimum wage in 2009. Since its change, 29 states and Washington D.C. have permitted minimum wages above $7.25, while other state laws push for $8 or $9 an hour. However, cities including San Francisco and Seattle have gone much further and are on their way to achieving a $15 an hour minimum wage.

For years, President Obama has pushed for an increase in the minimum wage, but Congress, predominantly run

by Republicans, has been vehemently against the idea.

Now, within a year of the next presidential election, candidates are keeping an eye on their party’s positions and aligning themselves with them.

Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have both tweeted their support in the fight for $15.

In alignment with Congress, most Republican candidates have clearly demonstrated their opposition to federal involvement in increased wages.

In an interview with MSNBC’s program Morning Joe, Republican candidate Donald Trump was asked if he supported a higher minimum wage.

“It’s such a nasty question,” he said. “Because the answer has to be nasty.”

Trump backed his opposition by arguing that the United States must compete with other low-wage earning countries. Thus, according to Trump, having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for the United States.

Contrarily, in an interview with

CNBC last spring, the GOP’s current frontrunner, Ben Carson, admitted he believes the minimum wage should be higher than it currently is.

The National Employment Law Project conducted a recent poll of workers paid less than $15 an hour.

The poll concluded that 69 percent of unregistered voters would register to vote if there was a candidate who supported a $15 an hour minimum wage and a union for restaurant workers.

Furthermore, 65 percent of registered voters paid less than $15 an hour would be more likely to vote in the next election if a candidate supported $15 an hour and a union. Lastly, 76 percent of underpaid workers represented in the survey pledged to vote for candidates who support a $15 minimum wage and a union.

Within the next year, the Fight for $15 organization intends to involve this dormant voter group by getting them engaged with issues of higher pay, union rights, enhanced child and home care, racial justice and immigration reform. These topics outline the main issues recognized by underpaid workers and will thus determine their voter turnout.

all photos Sydney Kruljac/Catalyst

(Clockwise from top left) (from left to right) Secondyears Alex Schell, Nathan Burnaman and Sadé Holmes outside of City Hall.

A diverse group of people gathered to support the cause.

Activist Bryan Ellis leads a crowd in chants for the Fight for $15.