News
Dr. Chris Begley heads the Diving Control Board of the Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program.
The
Rambler
March 3, 2016 • VOL. 98, ISSUE 19
Transylvania University • Lexington, Ky. • transyrambler.com • (859) 233-8315
IVANA HUMPHREY
Greek Olympics promotes chapter pride
Delta Delta Delta Fraternity members Alexa Burke, Cayla Combs, Jessica Shotwell and Audrey Brown and Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity members Clay Church, Jake Cahill, Ty Alderman, Chris Moore, Cole Lancaster, Dalen Boyd, Wilson Martin, Chase Leonard, Rafael Jauregui, Tristan Thielmeier, Thomas Shellenberg and Jonathan Rase, participate in Greek Olympics, an activity involved with Greek Weekend to promote school spirit, chapter pride and to engage in friendly competition with fellow greeks on campus.
Covert Professor Chris Begley appointed head of Kara fills in as Vice of program to pursue underwater archeology President Advancement Kelsey Henry
mrcrader18@transy.edu
khenry18@transy.edu
Professor Begley is shown above with students Lauren Combs and Jessica Wise on the Ohio River at Owensboro. He is preparing equipment prior to going on a dive with students to look for steam boat wreckage.
work. We are now known in the underwater diving community, and one of my for-
COURTESY OF BEGLEY
Dr. Chris Begley of the anthropology department at Transylvania University was recently names the Chair of the Diving Control Board of the Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program. This program, an organization of scientists that study the coasts of Albania, Montenegro and Croatia, conducts research on underwater archeological projects and marine ecological projects and training scientific divers. “I am proud of this group and our accomplishments, including the first ever scientific diving program that is recognized by the North American, European and Australian organizations that oversee scientific diving certification,” said Begley. “I am glad that I have been able to associate Transylvania with our
COURTESY OF BEGELY
Madison Crader
Begley and student exploring a steam boat wreck in the Ohio River.
mer students, Annie Wright from the class of 2014, is doing great work in graduate school now.” Begley’s interest and involvement in this program has stemmed from over 25 years of work as a terrestrial archeologist, having conducted research in a variety of places ranging across North, Central and South America. “Much of my work was in areas which were relatively unknown and physically and logistically challenging,” said Begley. “My research was constantly evolving, from a focus on identity and political power to a focus on creating affordable, cutting-edge technology, which allows us to document sites and preserve archaeological data.” Begley’s interest in underwater archeology began when some of his colleagues from the Mediterranean asked him to work on some
underwater projects. “It was a steep learning curve, but fascinating, and I saw how much was still out there to be done in underwater archaeology,” said Begley. These efforts progressed to Begley and his colleagues opening underwater archeology field schools in Albania, Montenegro and Croatia. All of this work gave Begley the opportunity to work on similar ventures and led him to create the multidisciplinary Kentucky Waterways project. Begley and The Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program (ICEP) have certified over 25 divers from 14 different countries. The Diving Control Board, which Begley now heads, is in charge of keeping track of their certified divers, reviewing dive plans and ensuring that everything is up to the standards of the ICEP.
“I was honored to be asked to chair this board, and to be associated with colleagues at the top of their discipline,” said Begley, “I discovered that much of my experience as a terrestrial archaeologist translated to what we do underwater. The lessons learned from decades working in challenging environments are applicable, and much of the archaeological technical knowledge I use on dry land is useful underwater.” Begley’s hard work over the past six years studying and training in the underwater archeology field has prepared him well to head the board.
See Begley, Page 3
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Kara Covert will serve as interim Vice President for Advancement replacing Kirk Purdom who has accepted a new position offcampus. She will connect with Transy alumni to reveal the events and programs occurring on campus. “As Interim Vice President for Advancement, I oversee the Alumni and Development areas of campus operation,” said Covert in an email interview. “Transylvania has over 13,000 living alumni, many of whom participate in everything from Alumni Weekend to the 100 Doors mentoring program. We work to engage them in Transy’s future, and to ensure they know what is happening on campus now. The Development team raises funds for priority needs across campus, including student scholarships.” Noting the upcoming responsibilities of the office, she explains to donors the current vision of Transy’s many changes. “We are in the research and planning phase for an upcoming campaign,” said Covert. “Getting that process underway and educating our alumni and donors about the current campus vision is something on which our entire office remains focused.” Covert believes that she can continue the hard efforts in this new position with the help of her team. Purdom’s legacy also helps the office function. See Covert, Page 3
Campus Life
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March 3, 2016
Fraternities and sororities unite together during weekend events Raaziq El-Amin Greek students came together this past weekend to recognize achievements, provide service, and celebrate the uniqueness of fraternities and sororities. Beginning on Thursday Feb. 25, Greek Weekend consisted of Transy’s eight Greek chapters taking part in Greek Olympics, Family Feud, Service Day, and an award ceremony hosted by Order of Omega. Two seniors, Drew Cunningham and Laura Wooldridge, were Co-Chairs, overseeing committees arranged to coordinate events for each event. For the Greek Olympics, Danielle Evans took on the position of committee chair, working with Madison Jarvis, Alex Isaac, and Nathan McCullough. Committee Chair BayLeigh Routt and Elaine Bailey hosted Family Feud. Isa Alonso, Taylor Gilmore, Julia Johnson, and Amanda Wilburn worked with Committee Chair Lauren Hayes to organize the Service Day. Chi Omega was recognized as the Sorority Chapter of the Year. 2016 Chi Omega president, Junior Jamie Vescio shared her thoughts on behalf of the Chi Omega chapter, saying, “The sisters of Chi Omega are incredibly honored to receive the Sorority Chapter of the Year award. Each and every one of our members are truly grateful for this recognition, as it allows us to honor and continually strive towards our ideals of friendship, integrity, service, scholarship, campus involvement, and personal development.” Chi Omega had the highest GPA of all sororities on campus, with a 3.39. The chapter’s members take on a large amount of leadership positions on campus as student leaders in positions of August Term Scholars,
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHI OMEGA CHAPTER
rkelamin19@transy.edu
The Transylvania Chi Omega sorority achieved the Sorority Chapter of the Year award for factors including highest GPA and multiple leadership roles on campus.
Admissions Ambassadors, Residential Advisors, Writing Center consultants, tutors, and more. Factors such as these play a part in determining the awarding of Sorority Chapter of the Year. “Of course this award would not have been possible without the countless moments of encouragement and leadership provided by our 2015 president, Madison Jarvis, as well as the support and kindness extended towards us by the Transylvania and Greek community,” added Vescio. With participation in community service being a strong value of all chapters on our campus, the Special
Olympics offered participants a chance to come together for the good of the Lexington community. The event consisted of Greek members playing games with community members with intellectual disabilities. Activities such as playing soccer and basketball along with Nerf gun wars provided parties on both sides with excitement and fun. Many of those who participated in Greek Weekend events say they enjoyed the Special Olympics the most. “My favorite part of the weekend was the Greek Service event with the Special Olympics. While it took a great deal of planning
on the front end, it made the experience that much more rewarding,” said Senior Laura Wooldridge,a member of Chi Omega. The event was also popular among those newer to Transy Greek life, such as first year Phi Mu Adrianna Bowman, who stated “I like how each of the chapters worked together to cheer on the participants. Even though we were competing against each other, I still felt a sense of union between us.” This appreciation of unity also was seen within student sentiments of Greek week as a whole. Based on the numerous accounts of Greek students,
the weekend was about unifying chapters, and honoring the aspects that make each chapter unique. “I think Greek Weekend is one of the few times that we have to come together to celebrate all of our achievements and our shared values. Even though there is an element of competition, we’re really there to have fun and show the pride we have in our chapters and our community.” said Wooldridge. With fifty three percent of Transy students being members of Greek life, it is not surprising that the events of this past weekend were a big hit. Wooldridge, who has
been involved in the planning of Greek Weekend three out of her four years at Transy, shared her perspective on how this year went with, “While the newness of Greek Weekend combined with the nostalgia for my freshman year makes it hard to surpass, this year was also one for the books. As a committee member as well as a two-time cochair, I think this was my most successful year on the planning end and I couldn’t be more proud of my committee and the overall outcome of their hard work.”
Wright…Each student has assistantship in a different [also] been recommended country. Smith is applying by the U.S. Fulbright com- for the Slovak Republic, mittee to their respective Marek for Mongolia, Gearcountry committees.” heart for India and EasterSmith explained that ling for Macedonia. the process not only had a According to the Fullot of components, but took bright Program website, a great deal of time as well. “The age and academic “It was about a two to level of the students varies three month Living abroad for by country, process in ranging total from an extended period of from kinthe start of time forces you out of d erg ar ten my applicato univertion to final your comfort zone and sity level.” submission challenges you to find F u r t h e r and then a more, each three month out what you are really country has waiting pe- made of. a different riod to hear ber -Courtney Smith nofu mgrants back about semi-final- Fulbright Semi-Finalist a v a i l a b l e ist standranging ing,” said from 140 Smith. “Now I am waiting in Germany to only one in yet again and should find out Croatia. within the next few weeks Needless to say, the about my final standing. It student must consider many is a lot of work and a lot of factors before deciding waiting, but well worth it.” which country they wish A critical component of to apply to. For Smith, she the process was choosing a chose the Slovak Republic country to apply for. Each for both personal and educastudent is applying for an tional reasons.
“First, I had a really good friend in high school who had Slovak roots and I became extremely close with her great aunt, Tonka, who left Slovakia during the time of communism. She has told me so many stories about her home nation and ever since I met her I have always been interested in learning more about the country,” said Smith. “Second, I am thoroughly interested in Central and Eastern European history and I have studied World War II and Holocaust history both in Ukraine and Poland for an extended period of time. I hope to learn more about the history of the Slovak Republic while sharing about the United States with my Slovak students if I am fortunate enough to receive a grant.” If the seniors do receive the positions, it will greatly impact them individually. Not only do they have a great cultural experience, but there are many future benefits as well. “Fulbright recipients
have amazing experiences in their assigned countries, working with local teachers, students and local communities,” said Simon. “They also become part of the Fulbright alumni network which provides support for future endeavors such as graduate school and career opportunities.” Smith sees countless benefits if she receives the position. “Living abroad for an extended period of time forces you out of your comfort zone and challenges you to find out what you are really made of,” said Smith. “I would gain valuable language skills as well as improve my nonverbal skills as I charade my way around until I learn the language. I would also get to interact with the people of Slovakia and learn about life outside of the United States while expanding my personal network. I would gain a higher level of intercultural competence which in our ever globalizing world is ever important and something I
so strive to possess.” Even if the students are not selected, Smith explained that the application process itself has helped her tremendously. “Here in the bubble we are all so lucky and privileged to have the faculty we do,” said Smith. “If there is one piece of advice I have for both first year students to seniors graduating in just three short months, take the time to get to know your professors, your campus life staff, your career development staff and anyone else you can think of. Everyone here at Transy is rooting for your continued success.” The Fulbright award benefits not only the students, but the Transylvania community as well. Simon explained that this would give “great publicity for Transy as it reaffirms our reputation as an excellent liberal arts university that prepares our students well to compete for and receive prestigious postgraduate awards.”
Transylvania students reach semi-finals for Fulbright English teaching assistants Aaron Martin akmartin19@transy.edu
Four Transylvania students have been selected as semi-finalists for the Fulbright scholarship program. If selected as finalists, the students will go to their selected countries to participate in English teaching assistant positions. The four seniors selected, Courtney Smith, Erin Marek, McKenzie Gearheart and Samantha Easterling, have gone through a rigorous application process to reach the semi-finals. “Each student had to submit a personal statement, a proposed community engagement project, a transcript and recommendations from three professors or work supervisors,” said Kathy Simon, Director of Study Abroad and Fulbright Program Advisor. “Additionally, they were interviewed by a campus committee composed of myself, [Professors] Nancy Wolsk, Veronica Dean-Thacker, Paul Jones and James
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Matthew Thornton
Raging Bull
mmthornton17@transy.edu
At 10:14 a.m. a greyblue blur had smashed through the entry way to the Cloudy Avenue branch of the First Concord Trust Bank, filling the lobby with twisted shreds of metal door frame and shards of splintered glass. This had been accompanied by several cacophonous booms that had blown windows out, bowled over the people standing around the room, and reduced everyone’s hearing to a variety of muffled thuds and high pitched whines. The blur had continued throwing up scraps of shredded carpet and chunks of crushed tile and concrete, leaving a deep furrow of parallel crush marks. The blur had next cannoned into the teller’s desk, smashing into it like an enormous hammer blow. The teller’s desk had been reduced, for the most part, to splinters. Where the middle window had been there was only a jagged twisted mess, as if a giant hammer had swung through. The teller that had been working that window had been swept up in that hammer blow (again accompanied by a smear of grey and blue) and tossed into the wall behind it, before being pinned there by a splinter the size of a pool cue. He’d screamed for a full minute before he passed out. Seconds after the door way had exploded the teller’s window on the far right had burst outward, spraying more piney shrapnel about the room, as the blur sled to a stop in the middle of the lobby fountaining gravel and scraps of blue cloth. Where the blur had been stood a man in jeans, steel toed boots and a grey field jacket. His face was covered by a plastic party mask, a crude bulls head, complete with pierced nose and curved horns. I had been standing in the line for a teller when he’d careened through the door, and along with most of the others in line had been knocked to the ground. That heap of bodies had then been peppered with splinters and cement dust, a five inch splinter shattering on the floor next to my head. Muffled cries of pain told me that I’d gotten lucky. I clambered to my feet, just as the horse masked man was screaming for everyone’s attention. Only about half of the line was struggling up, the rest lying still with chunks of wood sticking from the more important bits of their bodies, staring at shrapnel wounds, or clutching at ears that oozed blood. Bankers peered out from broken windowed offices and the teller screamed. The man screamed again, a primal cry of fury that silenced all but the most badly injured. Confident that he was the center of attention, he spoke again. A combination of tinnitus haze and the masks lack of a mouth hole reduced his words to a barely intelligible mush. “ A l r i d b g g fuhhghghgrs!! Mmephas
agh rubbhbbreh! Wahhrs muh chiggquhnn wuuhhngs?!” Realizing he sounded like a garbled version of the teacher from a Charlie Brown special the man whipped off his equine disguise, revealing a face alive with muscle ticks and red with apoplectic rage. A security guard, a man twenty pounds too heavy and ten years too old to be an active duty cop, tried to take advantage of the horsey robber’s distraction and leapt at him. The man blurred again, appearing behind the guard in a cloud of yet more carpet scraps and grabbed his neck. The red-faced man screamed again, swung around like he was throwing a shot-put, and hurled the screaming security guard through the remained teller window and into the wall next to the impaled teller. Blood smeared the wall where he had hit and he came to rest in a broken and motionless heap. People screamed or ran in a panic. I just stood there, shocked, still trying to process everything that had happened in the last five minutes. The lobby had descended into panicky chaos around me. The man screeched and blurred into motion again, dashing through the mob rushing the doors and knocking people over like bowling pins, further booming blasts fading into whines and cotton muffled wumphs as the world settled back into deafness. I felt like I’d been stabbed in the ear, and felt hot liquid running down my neck. Sliding further into shock I realized that at least one of my eardrums must have been punctured. The man had become visible again, briefly, as he tossed the last of those that had tried to run back into the lobby. Most stayed where they lay, still or feebly struggling into fetal positions. The blur roared around the room dragging people out of their offices. Finally he paused, dragged an enormous dark wood desk from one of the offices and lifted it over his head, tossing it at the doorway. It stayed mostly intact when it landed, its still sturdy chunks blocking any escape. He looked up then, face the color of a fresh bruise, skin crawling, a persistent twitch in his cheek hiking the corner of his mouth into a sneer and then releasing it back into a flat emotionless line. He looked right at me. Blurring again, he appeared right in front of me before I could even react, spraying me with debris. A vice closed around my neck and suddenly I was heaved to my feet and further, until I was an inch or two of the floor gasping for air and feebly clawing at his arm. His mouth opened in what was clearly a yell and I could feel spittle hitting my face. He was even more unintelligible than before; the only sound reaching me through the thick whining haze sounded like someone tapping a microphone attached to a dying PA system. Desperately,
Etcetera
terrified, I tried to point to my bleeding ear. Darkness started to close in on the edges of my vision. Disgust painted the madman’s face and he let go. I collapsed, gasping, to the ground. Kneeling he brought his livid bruise of face level with mine. A pained look flashed momentarily in place of rage as he mouthed slowly and carefully, trying to make sure I caught every word. Entranced, I watched as slowly, carefully, he shaped his words. WHERE. ARE. MY. CHICKEN. WINGS. I stopped thinking, just gave up, and gave into the shock. I knew then that no matter what I did, what I said, I was going to die. Some superpowered freak had just reduced most of a bank to rubble in under ten minutes, and now he wanted chicken wings. I couldn’t do anything. If it was money he wanted, I could have at least tried to point him to the vault. But no, he wanted chicken wings. I started to cry as his face filled with fury again, muscles tensing, pulling his face into a deep red rictus of rage. Then through my tears I saw movement in the doorway. The desk was flying apart, scorched and burning chunks of wood flying into the lobby pushed by blinding streaks of light. More streaks shot through the splintering desk, chewing into the floor beyond, and sending up weirdly backlit clouds of dust. Then she stepped into the room. She couldn’t have been taller than five feet, but she stood with the confidence of a titanic statue, stepping through the dust and smoke that filled the entryway, Rhodes striding across Africa. I only caught impressions of short blond hair and a hard, hard face, of black cargo pants and a rust red shirt. But shining through the shocked haze and blurring tears was a bright white P taking up most of the front of her shirt, seeming to glow through the smoke like the streaks of light. Tiny scintillating specks swirled around her hands, a glittering cloud swirling around them like the electrons in an atom. The lunatic took his eyes off me and let loose a screech that was so loud that it pierced through the deafness, a shrill cry of animal wrath that shook me to my bone. He spun, and like an elemental embodiment of fury, let loose a cacophonous roar. She just raised her arms and struck at him with bursts of white fire, and leaping into the lobby, her hard face pulled into a chilling sneer, rushed towards my tormentor behind lashing whips of actinic fire. They collided in a flash of light and spray of debris, blinding me and washing the last shreds of sensation from my ears. Through squinted and watering eyes I looked up to see all hell breaking loose.
March 3, 2016
Begley
“Transy has helped greatly with our summer grant program and with the Byron Young Faculty development grants, which allowed me to do some of my training,” said Begley. “First and foremost, I look forward to being the connection between the ICEP and our scientific divers, who are working all over the world. I will be participating in an exciting project on the island of Sazan, off
Covert
program and his future endeavors. “As a professor, the most important thing we do is our work as an active producer of knowledge, our scholarly research,” said Begley, “It is not enough to report on what others do. I maintain a strong research agenda, which allows me to bring the perspective of an active scholar into the classroom.
address it and their campus memories from a place of personal experience. “Sometimes when I walk across campus I remember so clearly what it was like to be a student here, even though that was years ago,” Covert continued. “The friendships I gained are still some of my closest, and there are faculty mentors with whom I keep in touch--some of whom still teach here. I even got engaged on the front steps of Old Morrison to my husband, Dean of Students Michael Covert.” She is also inspired by the future potential of Transy students. Her work with alumni reveals that many Transy grads are successful. “I remind our staff that it could easily be a graduate from our college that goes on to cure cancer,” said Covert. “Or, a current Transy student could found a grassroots organization that saves thousands of lives. One of our alumni may serve as a Fortune 400 CEO who teaches others how to lead ethically since that is what she learned in our class-
rooms.” Covert enjoys her work because she believes in the power of a liberal arts education and the power of Transy’s lessons. “I fervently believe that higher education, and specifically liberal arts colleges like Transy, hold the key to making the world a better place,” said Covert. “That’s why I enjoy working with people and organizations that believe in financially supporting us.” Covert excitedly approaches her new position with an optimistic outlook on helping the Transy community become stronger for all students. “And, I know it could be a Transy student who brings peaceful resolution to some of the really difficult things going on in the world today--all based on the communication and critical thinking skills learned here,” said Covert. “To get to work in a position that helps enable these students to attend and excel at Transy is such an honor. I can’t imagine a better way to spend a work day.”
works through is work, “Scafolding Series”. Three plates from a dinnerware set from JC Penny are held and supported by miniature scaffolding. The set brags of its “timeless touch” but Harper points out that they in fact are obnoxiously generic in the supplementary text. “The hand-built miniature scaffolding elevates and physically supports, while at the same time being shaped by the very thing it is supporting. In this way,
an initial impression of the duality of the handmade and machine is refuted and the two are rendered as one.” In addition to the aforementioned artists, David Cushway, Zoe Strecker, and Tetsuya Yamada also have works showcased in “Dirt Poets”. The exhibition opened on Tuesday, March 1 and will run until the end of the month.
From Page 1
“We have a good team and we are very excited about the possibilities ahead,” said Covert. “I have challenged our staff that we must break everything we do down to its core and then build it back in better ways so that we serve our students and campus community most effectively. “I was very fortunate to have worked with Kirk for most of his time here and we approached the work in our area as a team,” continued Covert. “Because of that, I’m in a good place to move forward without much of a learning curve, which makes it much easier in the Interim role.” Covert finds that her experience as a Transy alumna is a great asset in her position. Some of her most touching personal memories occurred on this campus. “I was a scholarship recipient, and so I know the power of what private gifts can do to enable a student’s attendance,” said Covert. “It makes it very easy to relate to nearly any donor’s question or interest in supporting Transy; I can always
Clay
From Page 1
the coast of Albania, in a multidisciplinary program that partners marine ecologists with maritime archaeologists, to understand the ways in which humans have interacted with the sea from the pre-Roman Illyrians to modern populations.” Begley is an excellent example of the high quality faculty that teaches at Transylvania. The campus community expects great things from Begley with this
They look tattered, used and imprinted upon. Even up close they seem dirty but still simply pillows. However, once felt, it becomes obvious that these are not pillows meant for sleeping on. Both are astonishingly made from clay by Ashley Lyon. These beautiful and mind-bending pieces are reminders of how closely people and dirt interact. Brian Harper also wanted to highlight the intimacy that comes from handmade
From Page 5
The Puzzler Solution To Last Week’s Puzzle
Opinion
Bat honors tradition Letter to the Editor In 1819, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque became at a professor of Botany on our storied campus. Rafinesque was a strong supporter of the sciences and contributed greatly to several different fields of Biology. One of his most famous accomplishments was the discovery of a species of big eared bat which would later be named after him. This rare and unique species is indigenous to Kentucky and accurately represents the Pioneer Spirit. We here at Transy are also a rare and unique breed. Per the Rambler last week the administration described several different reasons why they were not considering a bat. That they would rather spend a few thousand dollars to have someone produce a logo that appears as if it could
Exploring off-campus good for growth Tyler Lega tjlega18@transy.edu
have been acquired from the clip-art on Microsoft Word 1998. The reasons that they provided included, “We will be a joke through social media” and that “we would become a meme.” First of all I would certainly make the argument that the laughable designs they provided as options for the Transy community have already made this entire process a joke on social media. Secondly I would argue that any publicity that doesn’t tarnish our academic record as a campus (which this very apparently wouldn’t) is good publicity. With the recent struggles in admissions and enrollments it certainly appears that it is time to try something new. President Seamus Carey said, “My staff is incredibly professional, they are thorough, they are open to conversation, take input from wherever we can get it.” I beg
you President Carey if this is actually the case than take the input that the students and the Transylvania community are providing to you and your staff. There is a change.com petition with almost 350 signatures as well as a plethora of students who have written strong rhetorically sound arguments on why Rafinesque’s Big Eared Bat makes for the most logical and fitting mascot at this institution. At a university that asks me to question everything I’d like to take the time to question the lack of rationale behind the proposed mascots and recommend the alternative, which best represents the storied tradition of our esteemed University. -Jody Robinson jmrobinson17@transy.edu
Many students on this campus are involved in multiple student organizations. Yet, it always seems that these organizations that students are involved in are all on campus. I do not think that anyone would disagree with me on the fact that Transylvania University is surrounded by a bubble. A bubble that keeps us safe from some of the harsh realities and experiences of the outside world. However, leaving the bubble is actually a wonderful thing. You get to explore new elements outside the everyday life you live at Transy. There are multiple things that one could be involved in off campus such as: internships, service opportunities, and off campus student led
We must not give into ‘our baser and meaner instincts’ in current election Tristan Reynolds tpreynolds19@transy.edu
Donald Trump is only the beginning. While his particular obscenities, vulgarities, and nonsensical pronouncements may be peculiar to him, the feelings he has stirred up in his base are not. Now, the next candidate to seek the support of the ‘Trump faction’ (as I think it is now safe to call them) might not openly call for the US military to commit war crimes (as Trump does with his endorsements of torture and the targeting of family members of terrorists and suspected terrorists), but they will express the same basic attitude. They will have a braggadocio, a bravado, a bravura style of swagger and surety. Why? Because that’s what the Trump faction wants to hear. One of the more recent trends in political science is the study of authoritarianism. This research indicates that preference or acceptance for authoritarian policy positions is largely a result of personal psychological factors—a belief in order, a preference for clearly defined hierarchy, and so on. However, people do have a ‘threshold’ for supporting authoritarian policies: very few people are usually going around advocating for the suspension of civil liberties. Acceptance of authoritarianism has to be preceded by events which threaten people’s sense of safety; only then will support for authoritarian policies grow. The most recent example in the US is 9/11 and the Patriot Act: a major crisis is responded to by popular support for policies which erode civil liberties. What does this have to do with Trump? As Amanda Traub at Vox reports, the strongest predictor for supporting Trump is whether any given voter has an authoritarian mindset. More than self-identified conservatism, any ethnic or religious group, or other
marker, it is support for and acceptance of authoritarian principles that predict whether someone is likely to support Trump. Trump himself has encouraged this connection by promising to forcefully combat these threats—whether those threats are perceived as ISIS/Muslims, Mexicans, the Chinese stealing our jobs, or whatever else. It’s important to remember that, while many of these threats line up with traditional racial lines, it is not racial animus that (primarily) drives Trump’s support. It is a fear that the world is a dangerous place and that we are not safe enough as it is. That fear won’t go away if Trump is defeated. Defeating Trump at the ballot box does not defeat ISIS in Raqqa, nor does it defeat the decline of American manufacturing. The same mindset that allowed Trump to rise will still exist within the American electorate; by demonstrating the power of this faction within the American electorate, Trump has all but guaranteed that future politicians will attempt to follow in his footsteps. If left unchecked these politicians may well further marginalize minorities, increase the power of the security state, and limit civil liberties. But why should anyone care about that? After all, there have existed before states where the government controlled daily and political life to a much larger degree than the American government does currently. Many of these states lasted for quite a long time—authoritarianism is a political model that’s proved quite popular, historically. So what if it’s popular here as well? Authoritarianism, though, is fundamentally Un-American. An authoritarian government bases its legitimacy on the use of force—ostensibly to keep the people safe, and often to keep the people in line. America, of course,
was founded by a group of men who did not want to get in line and fought a war over the topic. More than that, though, the American government is predicated on the consent of the governed—‘we the people,’ as the saying goes. Our governmental institutions, through a balance of powers and regular elections, maintains that consent. Authoritarian government does not care about consent. Any government that does not recognize the necessity of the people consent will see no use for the mechanism of that consent, in the long run. Thus, the forms and structures of American government— representatives selected through popular election— are incompatible with an authoritarian philosophy. Now there is a fundamental contradiction. A political philosophy which is fundamentally at odds with the structure of the US government are quite popular in the US. Electing authoritarians like Trump who will not respect the structure of the government with weaken the structure of said government. This, to put it mildly, might lead to some problems down the road. How can this conflict be solved? To solve this, either the US government must change or the authoritarian political philosophy must become less popular. Since I think it’s fair to say that major changes to the US governmental structure are unlikely to happen purely on a practical level, this leaves us with the question of how to marginalize authoritarianism as a political movement of the kind that’s supported Trump’s rise. If people accept authoritarian policies because they are afraid, as research suggests, then the obvious method to decrease the popularity of authoritarian policies and politicians is to make people feel less afraid. In
March 3, 2016
principle, this shouldn’t be hard. The average American is safer today than at any point in history. You’re less likely to die of a car crash, of smoking, radiation poisoning, disease, terrorist attack, Zika, Ebola, Polio, or Smallpox than ever before. However, these measures don’t fully capture the impetus of many Americans towards fearfulness. As the US becomes younger, more educated, and less white, the older, whiter, less educated population has become more fearful of the direction the country is heading; there is a distinct rebalancing of political power that is underway. While most of us can say that is not a development to fear, the fact of the matter is that a considerable block of Americans do feel fearful. So we need to demonstrate that there is nothing to fear. We must demonstrate this not by ceasing calls for racial, economic, or sexual equality. But in doing so, we must resist the urge to demonize our opponents; we cannot delegitimize them. We are all Americans, no matter how polarized and partisan we are. Whether we are authoritarian or libertarian or Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans first. That means a commitment to fair and representative government. It means a refusal to give in to our baser and meaner instincts to delegitimize our political opponents. This commitment may not always be reciprocated; that does not relieve us of the need to do so. Such displays of unity might fail. Trump may still triumph. Or perhaps it will be one of his spiritual successors twenty or thirty years down the road. Fear could always win out. But it doesn’t have to.
organizations. Each of these things provide you with more opportunity build up one’s resume. Yet, the catch is that you are gaining experiences outside of your university thus, making you marketable to employers or post grad institutions. For example, I am involved in a program called KUNA where I advise and prepare a group of middle school students for a three-day conference. The conference is centralized around a mock UN where students must represent a country in resolutions, native attire and an international stage. My involvement gives me the opportunity to be a mentor over students and help lead them to success. Not only is that self rewarding beyond a level that I can not explain, but it also provides me with
career experience before I graduate Transylvania. I challenge more of our students on this campus to join programs and organizations like this. You not only get to grow as a person, but you learn valuable tools on how to handle real life situations. It also helps you network and connect to a community outside of the one that you surround yourself in everyday. Giving you the chance for more recommendations and opportunities in your upcoming future. Plus, the impact that you may have on the local community is also self rewarding in the sense that one is working to help create a change in culture in the environment around them.
How many organizations are you involved in OFF campus?
0? 1-2? 3-4? 5+? Submit your answers at TransyRambler.com
Letters to the Editor Letters should be: No more than 400 words. The Rambler reserves the right to cut letters to the editor to fit our length requirements, and we may edit your letters to fix grammar or spelling mistakes. Signed, with contact information. Full name and telephone number or e-mail address is needed. Letters must be original. We will not accept form letters.
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Editor-in-Chief........................................................Megan Graft Managing Editor..........................................................David Neri News Editor........................................................Madison Crader Campus Life Editor...............................................Aaron Martin ETC Editor.....................................................Matthew Thornton OpinionEditor.................................................................Tyler Lega A&E Editor......................................................Natassja Woodrum Sports Editor.........................................................Lance Antoine Copy Editor...................................................................Isaac Batts Adviser..........................................................................Tyler Young
A&E
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nwoodrum18@transy.edu
See Clay, Page 3
Dr. Neil Lerner, left, watches sophomore Taylor Ragg, right, try playing the Theremin, a radio wave-based instrument used in early science-fiction films. Lerner, a Transy alum, visited music classes the morning of Friday, Feb. 26.
Megan Graft mjgraft18@transy.edu
Dr. Neil Lerner, a Transylvania graduate and professor of musicology at Davidson College in North Carolina, visited campus to share his research on video game and film music. Dr. Lerner gave a presentation titled “Video Games: What’s There to Study, and What Can We Learn From It?” in the afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 25 and visited music classes informally that Friday morning. “It’s not a very conventional field of study, but it’s very interesting,” said firstyear Megan Schandel, who attended Dr. Lerner’s Thursday presentation. “He drew a lot on his musicology experience.” Lerner focused his talk on early video game and arcade game music through the late 80’s, using Donkey Kong and Pong as examples. In classes, Lerner showed clips from The Avengers and demonstrated a radio-wave instrument called the Theremin. He also discussed his
NATASSJA WOODRUM
This week marks the opening for the newest showcase in Morlan Gallery, “Dirt Poets: Conceptual Clay.” It is the follow-up to an exhibition housed in the Gallery in March 2015 called “Works that Contain.” The collection from last year – curated by Mark Frasca – showcased works from multiple artists that have functionality. This year’s paired exhibition is focused on humanity’s relationship with dirt and clay. In the words of curator Zoe Strecker, “This show is all dirt and stories about our relationship with dirt. Dirt spun, dirt cast, dirt flung and poured and clawed and dropped and carried gently like the precious treasure it is. Dirt as a metaphor, dirt as shipping container, dirt as currency, as record-keeper, reminder dirt as filth, as intellectual puzzle, dirt as fertility, as gathering place, dirt as home.” On the left of the gallery entrance stood three rather unusual looking vases. These “Rough Vases” were the result of pushing wet clay into their molds and allowing them to be fired without trimming the edges. The vases looked sharp and dysfunctional. However, artist Sharan Elran wanted to display the rough edges. She believes that they provide a window into the steps it takes to create a ceramic vase. Normally, the molds are used the shape the clay and then the vase is trimmed, cleaned and perfected. “It’s a celebration,” states Elran’s side text, “of the gap between clean and pure mathematical form and the messy real world of material where friction and gravity and viscosity work in slightly chaotic ways.”
Although likely difficult to hold, the vessels remain what they are purposed as – vases – they are simply different than the average picture of perfection, and Elran wants viewers to know, that’s okay. Around the corner, Elran displays three examples of works from a rather large project she has taken on titled “Unlimited Edition – 1 of 6,227,020,800”. She hopes to make a unique art piece for every single human being on Earth – 6,227,020,800 to be exact. “I designed a mold comprised of 14 different pieces that can be re-arranged in a different sequence before each cast,” Elran explained. The total is over six billion distinctive moldings, roughly one for each person on the planet. Each piece will be identified with a special identification code which Elran will keep within a database. She refuses to outsource, pledging her commitment to making all, or as many of the pieces as she can until the day she dies. Near Elran’s vases is another highlight of the exhibition, her “Penroscape”. It is a three-dimensional design of prisms in all white against a dark background laid out on the floor. “With each unit added to the piece the pattern develops in a non-periodic way, causing the overall pattern to continue to change ad infinitum,” Elran explained in the accompanying description. It appears to the naked eye as an optical illusion, but once viewed from a different angle it is easy to see the dimensions and the infinite pattern Elran spoke of. Speaking of optical illusions, in the middle of the gallery floor sit two old pillows side by side.
scholarly work, including books on music in horror films and video games, as well as editing a volume on music and disability studies. He was drawn to the study of electronic music because of its relevance to the modern age. “I like to study it because it’s the kind of music that an awful lot of people encounter and hear, so it’s a place where there’s a very wide, vibrant music culture,” said Lerner. “It’s music that invariably ends up drawing on music of older traditions… even though we’re seeing it in the current day.” Lerner, a Lexington native, graduated from Transylvania in 1989. “I consider it a great honor to come back,” he said. “To actually come back and walk around, [to] see professors, some of whom were professors when I was here, and to walk into some of the same spaces… it can be a very powerful memory trigger.” Dr. Lerner said that he would never have considered his current career path
without guidance from some of his Transy professors. One of those professors was Dr. Tay Fizdale, an English professor who retired in 2012. Lerner got to visit with him on Thursday, which he said took him right back. “[He] taught a film class that just blew my mind,” said Lerner. “I’d never heard anyone lecture like Tay before, I’d never heard anyone even talk like Tay before… I still think about stuff he said decades ago.” Lerner uses Fizdale’s method of analyzing film in his own scholarly work. “His whole way of reading and interpreting film, and looking at it for its arguments, is completely the core of what I do,” said Lerner. “I think it’s vitally important that people be trained in how to make sense of film, and music is part of that.” Transylvania’s liberal arts education clearly left an impression on Dr. Lerner’s work. He cited one of his Davidson colleague’s ardor and insistence that one’s “life will not be complete” until they have read Areop-
agitica, John Milton’s anticensorship tract. “It’s a little bit psychotic to say that in 2016… There’s a lot of pressure in the culture away from that,” he said. “That basic model, going back to readings from Plato or something, [gives] you this really strong toolset that is not necessarily specific to one thing, but to train a young person that you can think well, and you can figure out evil from what is virtuous.” Lerner’s career path was also influenced by his summers working as an RA at the Governor’s Scholars Program, where he taught music as a faculty member throughout the 1990’s. “The sort of optimism that that program helped to give me, the ‘yeah, I could do this,’ even though the odds are really small that I could have a career,” said Lerner. “It was that, and it was Tay Fizdale.” Overall, Lerner described his vibrant series of talks and PowerPoints about electronic music as “just another day” in the life.
NATASSJA WOODRUM
Natassja Woodrum
Lerner shares film, video game music research at alma mater
MEGAN GRAFT
Dirt Poets talk with their hands in ‘Conceptual Clay’ showcase
March 3, 2016
Hyper-realistic art resembling pillows made from ceramics. Folds, creases and divuts are all sculpted with the clay. Art by Ashley Lyon.
JC Penney plate supported by hand-made scaffolding in foreground. “Rough vases” by Shana Elran made without trimming the edges of the molding before firing in the background.
ImprompTU performs feature-length skit Kiara Walker
kswalker17@transy.edu
Saturday night in the Campus Center Gym, students had the opportunity to see Transylvania’s improv team, ImprompTU, showcase a new form of comedy for the group called “Long Form.” The performance brought some much needed relief after midterms and was accompanied with “Uncle John’s Candies”— homemade fudge, turtles and bourbon balls created by the father of Professor and ImprompTU faculty sponsor Gary Deaton. Typically, ImprompTU
uses a short form model of improv comedy consisting of games that are led by audience input, but this performance featured a long form model of improv comedy by “making a movie.” Professor Deaton encountered this long form model of improv at a performance during the 2015 May Term trip to London. ImprompTU’s movie featured short scenes connected by a title, theme and motif chosen by the audience, with ImprompTU members as the directors of the movie and sophomore and ImprompTU member Brayden Bergman accom-
panying the movie scenes on keyboard. After the team warmed up, senior Taylor Deaton introduced the team and called upon the audience’s imagination to create a movie title, which resulted in the name “Dances with Pizza Bagels: Return of the Bacon.” The theme of existentialism and the motif of a musical was also derived from the audience as elements of the movie. For the first half of the performance, Deaton acted as the director, with the ability to pause and play the performance and to intersperse
acting advice, scene changes and dialogue to other ImprompTU members. The beginning of ImprompTU’s movie moved from the tale of an ashamed pizza bagel distressed by her wannabe-supermodel mother’s hatred of her to a land in which the subjects of a dictator could only consume meat. The performance picked up as the subjects, who begged in a manner akin to Oliver Twist for vegetables, overthrew their ruler and began to fight each other over who should own their land. Intermission followed with junior Mollie
LaFavers replacing Deaton as the director and calling upon the audience to add an extra element to the movie, which ended up being poorly dubbed kung fu. One of the highlights of the latter half of the show was a training montage between first-year Trevor Kassis acting as a toaster and Deaton acting as a piece of toast being whipped into shape for the final battle. Eventually the piece of toast that consistently begged to be put back into the toaster slot accomplished the flying toaster power and defeated his rivals for the land.
ImprompTU’s movie closed with a final musical number, after the cast was revived by Deaton through singing the line: “I’m a necromancer and pretty good dancer.” The first performance of ImprompTU’s long form movie definitely moved the crowd to laughter. The performance showcased the comedic abilities of the members and the improvisational and creative ability of ImprompTU member Bergman as he supported the cast on keyboard.
Sports
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March 3, 2016
Both basketball teams end season with players receiving high honors Lance Antoine
Both the men’s and women’s basketball team were not selected to be in the NCAA Tournament, therefore ending both seasons. In their last game of the season, the women’s team fell in the second round to the one seed, Bluffton, where the final score was 60-71. Bulletin came out very defensive-minded and used a heavy zone defense to hold the Pioneers to a mere 11 points in the first quarter. However, the Pioneers defense was nearly as strong, Bluffton only had a four point lead after the first. The second quarter brought forth very similar play as both teams scored less than 20 points. Going into the third both teams knew it was do or die. Bluffton played very smart basketball and somehow managed to draw multiple fouls, forcing some players for Transy to find a spot on the bench in fear of fouling out. Bluffton took full advantage of their situation by knocking down all eight of their free throws and went seven for twelve from the field. At the end of the third the score was 5346 in favor of Bluffton. Transy got their game plan together in the fourth when they started causing multiple turnovers, but they couldn’t seem to capitalize on them. With three minutes left on the clock, Transy would be within seven points thanks to a three pointer from Lindsay Hieronymus. The Pioneers would however not be able to catch up and would end their season on the road. Celia Kline led the team in points during the game
TRANSYLVANIA ATHLETICS
alantoine19@transy.edu
Parker Stansberry goes for three in one of his last shots as a Pioneer. Stansberry averaged 15.8 points per game this season and five rebounds per game.
with 17. Rachel Cox would finish with 12 rebounds, and Shawn Kolani would finish with five assists. The seniors on the team ended their careers with quite a rap sheet of accomplishments. Katelyn Smith would end on 1,986 points, the most in school history. Smith and the other seniors had two NCAA tournament appearances, one tournament win, and an undefeated regular season under their belts when it was all said and done. Not to mention as the season ends, that means
the conference season awards are in. Smith won HCAC Women’s Basketball MVP for the second year in a row. Smith and fellow senior Shawn Kolani were both named to the HCAC First Team. Hieronymus was named to the HCAC Sportsmanship Team. Lastly, Kristen Hayes was named to the HCAC All Freshman Team. The Pioneers ended their season with an overall record of 19-8 and a conference record of 14-4, and finished third in the conference. After defeating
Hanover in the conference quarter finals 77-67, thanks to Alex Jones’s 31 points, the Transy men would end their season on a 65-71 loss to the three seed, Mt. St. Joseph. The Pioneers found rhythms early, as four different starters would find their way to the bucket putting Transy off to an early 8-5 lead. After Mt. St. Joseph took back the lead, the Pioneers would go on an 11-2 run, only to be outdone from a rival 12-2 run. At the half the game was tied 25 all. The Lions would come out fast and furious
and go up 12 points right off the block in the third quarter. Parker Stansberry, Jones, and Cooper Theobald would all fight back for Transy to pull within five points with roughly 10 minutes left. Hines Jones would then knock down a three to pull the team within two. The Lions would then build another 8-0 run, but Transy would not stop the fight. With a minute left the Pioneers had pulled within two thanks to Cooper Theobald’s jumper. Sadly, that was the closet Transy could get. The
night would end despite Alex Jones’s 33 points and Parker Stansberry’s seven rebounds. On a positive note, Alex Jones was named to the HCAC Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team, and was the only underclassmen to receive this honor. Overall the men’s team ended with a 11-16 overall record and a conference record of 9-9 and graduated two seniors, Parker Stansberry and Lowell Gordon.
Baseball team finds early victories alantoine19@transy.edu
The Transylvania baseball team opened their season on the road in Alabama on Feb. 20. They played Greenville, leaving with a two to zero victory. Pitching in the first game seemed to be the most dominating defensive effort for the Pioneers, as they earned a two-hit shut-out. Trey Simpson started out on the mound and pitched the majority of the game (6.2 innings). He struck out four batters on opening day. Matt Birkenhauer would come in too close, allowing no hits, and received his first save of the season. The Pioneers only managed four hits from Rex Rogers, Jared Williams, Connor Blevins and Kody Ross, but they made them count. Blevins was batted in from second after Ross’s line drive. After Simpson was walked, Rogers too hit a line drive to bring home Simpson. Another impressive feat of the day was the fact that Transy had four double plays, something that comes easy to no team. In the second game of the day, the Pioneers faced off against the nationally
ranked (8) Birmingham Southern College (BSC). Adam Boone pitched the second game for Transy. Boone allowed one run in the first, he held BSC scoreless for three whole innings. The Pioneers would find themselves down three to nothing in the fifth, but BSC found some hot bats in the later innings tagging on three points in the sixth and two more points in the seventh. The Pioneers would take on BSC again the next game in a nail biter of a game that would be decided in the bottom of the ninth. Kameron Schwartz would start pitching, but Braden Johnson would relieve him and finish out the game. After an error in the bottom of the first inning, the Pioneers would find themselves in the hole by one. In the next inning, Transylvania would also capitalize off an error, thanks to an overthrown ball, and knot the game at one early on. Neither team would score from then on until BSC’s Taylor McCracken would sacrifice out on a pop fly, allowing the winning run to come in off of third. At the plate, Hunter Jones and Rex Rogers both found themselves with two hits
out of four and three at bats, respectively. Transy would next find themselves on the road on March 20 to take on archrival Centre. In a game with both fiery offensive and defensive displays, Transy would come out on top with the final score of
four to two. Tom Banahan would start on the dirt for the Pioneers pitching the first 4.2 innings earning nine strikeouts and only allowing one hit. Braden Johnson would come into the game to finish the night on the mound for Transy. Johnson allowed no
earned runs and tallied two walks and four strikeouts on the night. In the second inning, Blake Hart knocked a base hit to drive in Connor Blevins and Kody Ross. Hunter Jones would come up with the big hit when it counted as he drove in two runners in the ninth from a
smacked ball to right field. The Pioneers are two and two on the season, but will have an opportunity to improve to four and two when they travel to Berry this weekend to play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 5.
TRANSYLVANIA ATHLETICS
Lance Antoine
In a recent game against Birmingham Southern College, a Transylvania batter eyes down the ball mid stride after the pitch.