Volume 4

Issue 2

November 2015

College of Charlestonâ€™s student-run feature magazine

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Celebrities On Campus Page 18 Page 34 - Making the Cut: Budget Shortages at the College Page 28 - Racing to Rio: College of Charleston Sets Sail for the Olympics

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Inside the Yard

Volume 4 Issue 2 November 2015

Letter from the Editor

Winter Events

Students of Silicon Harbor

Pray Together, Stay Together

Charlestonâ€™s Pop-up Art Scene

Bottom Dollar in the Top Economy

Celebrities of the College

Turkey Alternatives

Bringing Awareness to Hunger and Homelessness

24 28

Behind the Lens: Photographer Dorian Warneck Racing to Rio

32 34 36 38

Hey, Ms. Judy The College Cuts Back Knock Knock: You Found Me 12 Days of Nothing Special, Really

28 Editor-in-Chief OLIVIA COHEN Managing Editor COURTNEY EKER Creative Director WESLEY VANCE News Editor JUSTINE HALL Sports Editor SAM OLEKSAK Feature Editor KATE POWER Satire & Opinion Editor JOSHUA MULVANEY Blog Editor CHELSEA ANDERSON Design Assistant MADELINE LITTLE

Contributors CHELSEA ANDERSON, MADELINE LITTLE, KATE POWER, JUSTINE HALL, MICHAEL WISER, HANNAH WOOD, OLIVIA COHEN, JOSHUA MULVANEY, WESLEY VANCE, SIGRID JOHANNES, SCOTT HARVIN, COURTNEY EKER, MACKENZIE HOISINGTON, MADELINE EDWARDS, CARSON SCHAFER

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Letter from the Editor As I sit in the newsroom during the final hours of the magazine process, operating on little sleep and lots of caffeine, I can best describe my emotions as bittersweet. Sweet for the joy of doing work that I love and for a job well done. Bitter knowing that this is my last issue of The Yard as Editor-in-Chief. I distinctly remember walking into the newsroom four years ago, knowing little about journalism save for the fact that I wanted to know more. Fast forward to the present, and I consider journalism not only one of my greatest skills, but one of my greatest joys. I may be leaving CisternYard News, but I am not leaving alone. I am leaving with the thrill of a breaking news story bundled up inside my adrenal glands. I am leaving with the fleeting connections formed over interviews, as complete strangers share stories of their lives, work, opinions and emotions. I am leaving with a culture and community that I have defined as much as it has defined me. I am leaving knowing that CisternYard News is in good hands â€“ the hands of College of Charleston students looking to share their voices. And if I could share one piece of advice with my fellow students, it would be this: Find something you love and pursue it passionately. Everything else will fall into place. Thank you for all the love and support you have shown The Yard over the years, and the continued meaning you will give us in the years to come.

Olivia Cohen Editor-in-Chief

Fall Events by Courtney Eker

Arts Nov. 28 Laugh for a Lincoln Theatre 99 10 - 11 p.m. 3 acts of improv comedy for $5 theatre99.com Dec. 4 French Quarter Art Walk Charleston French Quarter 5 - 8 p.m. charlestongalleryassociation. com

Music Dec. 2 BORNS & Phases The Pour House 8:30 p.m. Doors, 9:30 p.m. Show $12 Advance, $15 Day of Show charlestonpourhouse.com Dec. 5 Stoplight Observations Music Farm 8:00 p.m. Doors, 9:00 p.m. Show $17 Advance, $20 Day of Show

Food Nov. 7 - Dec. 26 Treat Yourself Saturdays Persimmon Cafe Saturdays from 4 - 9 p.m. Get a sandwich and a beer/ wine for $10 facebook.com/persimmoncafe Nov. 21 Mac n Cheese Off Tin Roof 2 p.m. $7 charlestontinroof.com

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Activities Nov. 26 38th Annual Turkey Day Run & Gobble Wobble 5K Marion Square 9 a.m. Race Day Registration: $45 with t-shirt, quantity limited turkeydayrun.com

students of

SILICON HARBOR The 21st century has set the speed for technological advancements, weaseling its way into every aspect of modern society. We are in a millennium in which technology is vital to life and ignoring it is no longer a viable option. Our lives are glued to a screen of glass as we fiddle with our phones trying to manage our busy schedules. We donâ€™t even have time to get the inevitable crack on our iPhone before the next one comes out. Everything is moving at a faster and faster pace and Charleston has finally caught up. No longer is the Holy City stuck in the 17th century. Although there are still horse drawn carriages fumbling down cobblestone streets, old, historic Charleston is now racing ahead of 21st century technology. Recently dubbed Silicon Harbor, the East Coast equivalent of San Franciscoâ€™s Silicon Valley, Charleston is on the rise as a thriving tech and innovation hub - and current College of Charleston students are taking advantage of all its resources. Senior computer science major Sarah Mackey jumped on the tech train early and is now reaping the benefits. She has a job awaiting her in New York City, but that is not much of a surprise considering the success she has achieved through the computer science department. Mackey co-founded Women in Computing (WIC) her freshman year. WIC focuses on bringing together women from the computer science department while working with local schools to get more girls interested in computer science from a young age.

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by MARY PUMPER photos by MADELINE LITTLE

Now in its fourth year, the club has grown from six members to almost thirty. When asked about the surge of growth, Mackey said, “Part of it is the expansion of the computer science department. There are just more women and people in general. My freshman year, there used to be less than 10 percent of women in the department. Now, we have over 25 percent.” Either Rainbow Row is losing its luster or the view from Harbor Walk is just too good, but hightech opportunities in Charleston are becoming a magnet for the computer science department. “Being in Charleston has helped promote [computer science] a lot,” Mackey said. “There are people who come into college who know they want to be a computer science major, and then there are people who come in and don’t know what they want to do. Having all of this around us probably helps influence them because they see it on a daily basis.” Even though Mackey may be heading north to New York, she still comments on how desirable of a place Charleston is for tech. Though not as large as the big tech empires of Seattle or New York City, Mackey refers to Charleston as “a little tech hub that is on the rise.” The location and interest has allowed WIC to bring in live speakers and has given them more

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because of the accessibility of local contacts and resources - resources that ICAT, a new program at the College, has flourished from. If there is one person who knows how to recognize and capitalize on a growing and essential industry, Dr. Chris Starr is the guy. Starr paved the stepping stones that led to the Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Technology (ICAT), now one of the College’s most prestigious and innovative programs. In Fall 2006, the computer science department was barely hanging on with a mere 68 students. Starr quickly founded the Software and Innovations Lab - an experiment to see if teams of computer science students could solve problems with technology for external clients to earn money that would in turn support the lab. The lab provided a platform for students to get involved in research and projects that were commercializable. It was a huge success as more students flocked to the department, but Starr wanted to keep moving forward and continue to better the program. He realized that just having computer science students on a team was not enough. “The ICAT accelerator idea came as an epiphany when we realized that a team should contain a creative person from the liberal arts, a business student and a technical student - generally from computer science,” Starr said. “The business student helps to figure out what problem to solve when there potentially are customers, the computer science student would execute those ideas - that is, write the software - and the liberal arts students would help to market and do graphic design.” A unique, mentorbased, and all-inclusive program, ICAT got off the ground running in spring 2015 and has already measured success. Barely seven months after ICAT’s first cohort ended, student-run companies have begun to blossom. Of the eight teams from spring 2015, six of those incorporated and of those six, two are still viable businesses, “one being valued at $300,000,” Starr adds. Led by alum Ben Hintz ‘15, Yawper, an app for real time buzz on local nightlife, has launched in 10 cities and has 12 employees. “And the other team we have rocking,” Starr smiles, “is JYVE” -- an app for local musicians led by senior Brandon Brooks, set for winter release this year. The fact that these companies have gained almost instant success probably explains why Starr is experiencing the bittersweet predicament of turning mentors away. Mentors from Boeing, Blue Acorn and tech startups in

“

town have been lining up to advise ICAT students. With two mentors per team, there are not enough available spots for the accumulating interest, but Starr lets everyone participate by inviting professionals to give special talks and grooming them for future mentoring. “We want to be the mechanism which crosses the university-community boundary. We bridge that gap,” he said. Now in the third cohort, the fall of 2015 ICAT class has 21 students and seven teams, and Starr is enthusiastic to see a similar level of excitement and and success from both the students and the Charleston community. Entrepreneurial applications, proficiency in technology and suited-for-real-life creative problem solving all give college students an edge to a powerful resume - something Starr recognizes. He has watched ICAT students find success at companies including Pandora, Google and Facebook - just to name a few. But Starr is quick to comment that passion is what drives the ICAT students, not money. He stresses the importance of providing students with the tools, time and resources to let them explore, build and create their passions. “[ICAT] carves out a piece of their day to be serious about what they’re doing. Otherwise, they would be trying to squeeze this in on Saturday mornings, and that just isn’t enough time to start a company,” he said. And with the support and accomplishments that ICAT has shown over the past year, it will continue to be a once in a lifetime student experience that attracts and cultivates the College’s most innovative, ambitious and creative minds.

We want to be the mechanism which crosses the university-community boundary. We bridge that gap.

“

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While most college students spend their time watching Netflix or catching up with friends for coffee, senior Brandon Brooks spent his last year running a company. A former student of ICAT, Brooks used this platform to not only develop a quickly growing company, but identify a problem and take the initiative to solve it. A music major and local drummer, Brooks ran into an issue that every performing musician has faced at one point or another: a band member dropping out at the last minute. Having no resources to find someone new, he would just have to cancel the show - something that hurts the musician’s wallet as well as the venue’s. With the influx of social media, Brooks found it baffling that there was not a simple way to contact local musicians. “There’s so many scenes around Charleston and they don’t even know each other,” Brooks said. “That’s crazy to have the same goal but not be on the same team.” Seven months later, just like Yawper, Brooks’s JYVE, “the one-stop app for local music,” is flourishing - and Brooks cannot give enough gratitude to his teammates, ICAT and

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the city. With Charleston’s diverse music scene, the large number of musicians, and the local interest in startups, “[Charleston] is the best place to start a company like this,” Brooks said. “And if it wasn’t for ICAT, we wouldn’t have the resources, at least readily available at the time. We had social media, programmers and graphic design all in one group. We didn’t have to outsource anything. It worked out perfectly.” However, Brooks points out that just being in ICAT does not solve everything, and flocks of people do not just start coming your way. But with over 64 musicians in 11 cities on JYVE’s beta version, it still is incredible to understand how the JYVE team became so successful, a question Brooks answers with ease, attributing it to the efforts of his diverse team. “We all bring something separate to the table,” Brooks said. “And we have been extremely blessed with having a great mentor, Christopher O’Rourke. He’s helped us out along the way and given us a good office space to work in.” Planning to launch late this semester after adding the finishing touches, Brooks and JYVE are a stellar example of why College of Charleston students are becoming so successful. Students here at the College are beginning to take action when problems arise, especially issues concerning their own interests. But it is the College’s and the community’s growing support that is providing the tools and resources to give college students the opportunities to solve problems. “I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the ICAT program,” Brooks reiterated. “It literally has changed my world ... it’s rocked my world and helped me out a ton.” Starr refers to them as “evangelists for [the ICAT program].” The JYVE team continues to be a perfect example of why ICAT works so well. “It’s a great process,” Brooks said, giving a final thought to ICAT. “I never thought at 22 I would be making these kinds of decisions and now I’m making a company. It’s definitely humbling, for sure.”

Students who Pray Together, Stay Together by JESSICA WILKINSON Charleston is notorious for its skyline. It is a glorious sight. From a distance the city is magnificent: the breathtaking buildings contrast against the backdrop of the indigostained harbor as the illustrious church steeples protrude from the shadows of the city they have guarded for hundreds of years. These churches and temples define the city, creating an identity we cherish the Holy City. Zoom into this picture, though, and it becomes clear that religion is a broad subject in this city and at the College of Charleston, it has the sensational power of binding students together, regardless of personal religious identity. The Power of Religious Life Exchange Andrew Spector, class of 2015, recognized the miscellany of religions at the College and in his junior year, formed a group of supportive students who believe in the power of diversity. The Religious Life Exchange seeks to assemble students from a sundry of religions and initiate Interfaith Service Days, through which various religious groups can worship together and serve the Charleston community. Charli Mims, the current president of the organization, said their goal is to foster a new kind of community where different types of people are able to work together toward a common goal. “It works in a triangle,” Mims said, “where positive attitudes, relationships and knowledge all work together to create a solid interfaith foundation in order to act on social issues or a certain common good everyone can agree to aim for.” The projects are useful in creating a spirit of religious acceptance on campus. Finding Acceptance Acceptance, however, does not always come so easily. Heba Abdin (pictured above) is a Muslim student whose family comes from Syria. “It saddens me,” she said, “that when I step out of campus, there are some who are not as open-minded about diversity, and say or do disrespectful

photos by WESLEY VANCE

things.” Abdin explained that much of the prejudice she encounters happens offcampus, and that the College community is notably accepting and respects the fact that she wears her faith for the world to see. The Religious Life Exchange is ushering in this kind of acceptance on campus everyday. Spector said they achieve this by, “opening our hearts and minds to others, entering all conversations with an unwavering respect for all people, seeking to understand, appreciate and love, rather than reject, distort and judge.” Interfaith acceptance starts with personal respect toward others’ beliefs. Joining Religious Groups Spector and the various religious groups on campus realize that in order for students at the College to embark on a true and wholesome religious journey, they must immerse themselves in communities that include people who share their beliefs as well as communities that include people with differing beliefs. “It is critical,” Spector said, “to provide space for religious pluralism to emerge from the promise of religious diversity.” By deeply and meaningfully engaging with each other’s religious and philosophical backgrounds, we can create a student body prepared to be effective leaders in a diverse global society. The Foundation of Faith Religious Life Exchange breaks the barriers of cultural stereotypes by uniting different religions under one theme: faith. Faith is expounded in many different ways. “It is one thing to defend your own faith,” Mims said, “but it is something entirely more beautiful to stand up for the rights of other faiths.” To Spector, this faith is something that unites us all. He said, “My faith is the meaningful experiences in my life that empower me to help create a world that honors our interconnectedness through the yard

peaceful, loving and understanding relationships.” Some students might fear that attending interfaith events will hinder their relationship with their God, exposing themselves to opposing creeds. Spector is certain that interfaith cooperation does not dilute a person’s faith and believes that it actually strengthens spirituality. “Effective interfaith organizations,” he said, “facilitate positive, meaningful relationships between people from different backgrounds and increase appreciative knowledge of other traditions.” By working together on interfaith service days, those involved in the Religious Life Exchange can find commonalities in each other. The Lasting Effect of Interfaith Service During an interfaith service day last year, a student from a Muslim tradition and one from a Jewish tradition found in common with each other something very small but very meaningful. It was a word that meant service in both Hebrew and in Arabic that sounded exactly the same. Mims said, “Both of them were my friends and one came to me after the project was over for the day and expressed that it really surprised her to hear this and made her rethink how she viewed these other people as a whole community.

It was something beautiful to see how something so small can reach into a person’s prejudices - which we all have and make the person aware of how wrong it is.” By working together to help the Charleston community, two people with opposing faiths found something even more powerful than faith in God - faith in each other. Above all, Spector, Mims and the Religious Life Exchange team hope to build a community of students who recognize and respect the common roots that connect all of the world’s religions. “Don’t feel a need to critique the nuances of each religious tradition,” he said. “Instead, feel obligated to deeply understand and empathize with everyone’s story - compassionately seek to find wisdom and inspiration from their narrative.” Common convictions unite people, and through the Religious Life Exchange, each individual religious organization becomes unified under the overarching idea that at the core of each of us is exuberance in knowing that we are loved by something greater - whether it is a greater God, a greater protective power or, most paramount, a greater appreciation of the commonalities that bring us together.

Charli Mims speaks at an Interfaith Service Day.

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m o o R g n i t i a artists d e t n e s e The W r p e r r e d n g Char leston’s u

highlightin

by JOZIE KONCZAL photos by HANNAH WOOD

On the Waiting Room Facebook page, Charleston’s popup art gallery is described simply as “an informal pop up gallery for local visual art to thrive and be appreciated.” Despite the simplicity of its online description, the Waiting Room serves as a prime example of what Charleston artists can pull off with the right amount of follow through. Popup concerts have developed significantly among the young people of Charleston. It is only logical that a pop-up art gallery would follow with equal success. Charleston has become a breeding ground for artistic culture. Recently, the people interested in art in Charleston have embraced pop-ups, especially college students interested in artistic expression. Pop-up Charleston, a community of people who promote house music shows, is an example of this. The Waiting Room is similar to Pop-up Charleston in that it takes place in a roaming location and includes the homes of individuals. The Waiting Room was brought to life by Leigh Sabisch, a junior at the College of Charleston. Sabisch studies Arts

piece by W es Israel

piece by

Heather

Thorton

Management and Art History, with a minor in sculpture. She wants to open her own gallery in the future. “I hope to grow the Waiting Room into a permanent establishment that is fully dedicated to the growth and development of underrepresented contemporary art,” Sabisch said. The Waiting Room serves as good practice for Sabisch, but also opens doors for artists in Charleston, which is more of what she is attempting to accomplish. One of the primary objectives of the Waiting Room is to allow for the young artists, both local and throughout the country, to have others engage with their work outside of the studio. Sabisch draws attention to the importance of exposure for the young artist. “I believe that it is important to get their work out of the studio and into the public eye,” she said. Sabisch argues that part of being an artist is exposing the artist’s work. Sabisch believes that the true test of a work of art is for it to speak for itself in an exhibition setting, and she wants her event to “push artists to never stop creating and challenging themselves to break through their comfort zones.” Though about thirty percent of the artwork on display

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Attendees at The Waiting Room exhibition

comes from artists outside of Charleston, Sabisch wants the shows to mainly focus on local artists’ creations. “There is a slew of unrepresented artists in Charleston with extraordinary and largely unseen talent, and there needs to be an outlet for their creations as well,” Sabisch said. She saw artists with so much potential in her classes and wanted those she saw as well as those she’d never met to have an opportunity to showcase their talent. While many of the ideas behind the Waiting Room were influenced by Sabisch’s desire to exemplify the underrepresentation of talented artists, she has also been influenced by the public perception of art. “Art is often put on a pedestal that sometimes makes it unaccessible,” Sabisch said. She believes that art should be available for everyone to appreciate, just like so many artists should have the opportunity to showcase themselves. “One of the major goals for the Waiting Room is to engage the public in art, regardless of financial or societal status,” Sabisch said. There have been two openings at the Waiting Room so far. The gallery’s location is subject to change due to the nature of a pop up. The first opening took place in March and featured artists such as College of Charleston drawing professor Joshua Lynn, Paisley Addams, as well as a performance art piece by Dumpster Cookies, a local Charleston performance duo who has also performed at King

Dusko. This show also featured work by talented students such as Emma Dingler, who when asked about what the Waiting Room exposure meant to her, said, “Exposure is important, because as an art student, you want the community and your peers to see your work.” The second Waiting Room was held in August and featured an even larger variety of artists. The second opening featured local artists such as Reese, in addition to out of town artists such as Andy Heck Boyd. This opening also featured an acoustic performance by M. Malarkey. The exact date of the next opening has yet to be announced, but Sabisch said it can be expected within the semester. She also indicated that the setting of this opening will be different from the previous settings. She says we can expect this gallery to take place in a new venue, likely not a house or apartment, where the previous two were held. Some of the artists to be featured in the upcoming opening include: Holden Curran, a photographer, Heather Thorton, a painter and student at College of Charleston, Emily Clark (whose remarkable sense of form “would make Michelangelo cry”), Lexi Mathis, a Clemson artist, and Wes Israel - whose work Sabisch calls “tastefully off-putting.” The Waiting Room is currently calling for more submissions to be displayed in the next opening. The gallery accepts submissions through Facebook and email (leighsabisch@gmail.com).

clockwise from top, pieces by wes isreal, heather thorton and holden curran

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Bottom Dollar in the Top Economy Minimum Wage in the United States by SIGRID JOHANNES photo by MICHAEL WISER

If you don’t live on it, you probably don’t think about it. But during this election cycle, Americans from all economic walks of life are debating the federal minimum wage of $7.25. The American Dream has never been cheap, but some argue with today’s rising cost of living and stagnant wages, those ambitions are all a myth. Originally established in 1938 under President Roosevelt, the minimum wage has sat at $7.25 an hour since 2009, working out to $15,080 annually for a person working 40 hours a week, every week of the year. The Politics of Paychecks Minimum wage surfaces in political discussions ranging from income inequality to immigration. Policymakers seek to balance the concerns of businesses, which favor keeping costs as low as possible, with workers, who favor a more liveable income. “Liberals justify the minimum wage on the moral grounds that a just society should pay workers enough to provide for life’s basic necessities,” explained Jordan Ragusa, Assistant Professor of Political Science at

the College. Many liberals also believe that higher wages increase the spending power of the lower class and thus stimulate the economy. “Conservatives don’t support either of these views,” Ragusa said. The conservative view posits that mandating a higher wage forces employers to cut back on employee hours and new hires. “A number of Republican state legislatures have passed so-called ‘Right to Work’ laws,” Ragusa added, which “seek to limit the power of unions.” This legislation, effective in 25 states (including South Carolina), legalizes employees to work without joining a union. In 2014, President Obama signed an executive order enacting a $10.10 minimum wage for federal contractors. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would raise wages to $12, according to Business Insider. Fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders advocates for $15, more than double the current rate. Across the aisle, Republican candidates have expressed ranging views. Candidate Donald Trump told NBC he would maintain the minimum wage because an increase could harm the

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United States’ global competitiveness. Sen. Marco Rubio opposes raising the wage. Dr. Ben Carson has called for a dual standard, one “starting” wage for young people and another “sustaining” one for older workers, according to The Wall Street Journal. This attempt at compromise reflects another challenge of the issue: Not only does the rate have to satisfy both businesses and workers, it has to provide for a range of workers. Minimum wage jobs, primarily found in service industries, go to everyone from high school kids making extra spending money to adults working multiple jobs to support a family. “Whether you think minimum wage laws are good or bad,” Ragusa said, they “primarily affect young people, non-whites, and those with less than a college degree ... people we typically think of belonging to the ‘working class.’”

a $15 an hour minimum wage. The national group Fight for 15 joined local workers in arguing that $7.25 was an unlivable wage and perpetuated a cycle of exploitation, forcing workers to rely on government assistance. The organization was joined by Black Lives Matter protesters in North Carolina in April of this year, again calling for $15 an hour. The protesters later travelled to Atlanta to join similar demonstrations. The Southeast is home to all five of the states which do not have state minimum wages: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Washington has the highest state minimum wage at $9.47. The District of Columbia has a minimum wage of $10.50. Most states hover around $7.50-$8.00, with some exceptions and worker exemptions going as low as $4.00 or $5.00.

But this isn’t an issue in Charleston ... right? In Charleston, wage-protests have caught public Making the Minimum at College of Charleston attention in recent years. Fast-food workers blocked At the College of Charleston, wages are a hot topic for traffic on Spring Street in September 2014 to advocate for students, faculty and employees alike. According to the

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Office of Research and Grants Administration, the minimum wage for student employees and temporary employees is $7.25. For full-time employees, working a minimum of 37.5 hours per week, it rises to $7.93. The academic year is 39 weeks (or 18 pay periods) long. The numbers can be confusing, but Courtney Bradley, Student Employment Coordinator at the Career Center, juggles them all the time. “About 12-15 percent of student employees make the minimum,” Bradley said. “Most of my employers are paying more than $7.25.” Students may seek on-campus employment for a variety of reasons. Some are simply making extra spending money while others may rely on the job for rent, tuition and other major expenses. “There’s not one average situation,” Bradley explained. “Some are working just to gain experience and get supplemental income. But the vast majority are relying on these funds, so we’re always trying to place them with more than minimum wage.” Bradley believes stigma surrounds minimum wage jobs and hurt students’ chances of success. People assume “that if you’re making minimum wage then you may not have had any additional schooling,” she said. The biggest myth she tries to bust as Student Employment Coordinator is that students who are just starting out in the workforce are not deserving of higher pay. “You’re starting out with a lot of skill.” Personally, Bradley favors raising the federal minimum wage to a happy medium, less than $15 but more than $7.25, to reflect the qualifications and skills of someone with a bachelor’s degree. The most vocal workers in minimum wage issues nationwide are typically fast food workers; but what about the workers who feed the College community? For perspective on the non-student side of employment at the College, CisternYard approached Jan Brewton, Director of Business and Auxiliary Services. “None of the food service employees at the College are paid minimum wage,” Brewton asserted. “The lowest wage offered is $8.00 an hour.” Seventy five cents above the minimum, the relationship between the College’s lowest offered wage for food service employees and their turnover rate is difficult to assess. “We have employees who stay a semester and some who have worked for Aramark for over 35 years,” Brewton said. “There are over 27 employees 16

Minimum Wage Worker

Full Time Professor

Instructor

President

Average Annual Salaries of University Employees 2013-2014, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the American Association of University Professors

who have been with us ten or more years and 38 employees who have between five and ten years of service at the College.” Employees in food service can be as young as high school aged, if they are eligible for employment. There is no maximum age limit. “We value diversity and inclusion,” Brewton claimed, “and many ethnicities are represented on the dining services team.” Similar Situations, Opposite Opinions Where does student opinion come down on this issue? Daniel Lange and Ethan Knight are both male, sophomore students from South Carolina who work during the summers. Despite these similarities, they give very different accounts and opinions on minimum wage jobs. Knight has worked a minimum wage job at a local fast food restaurant. He was also working a second job at the time which paid higher, but more infrequent, wages. His earnings went to gasoline, food, clothes, entertainment and cell phone bills. Other workers at his job were typically in their teens and twenties, fairly even split between male and female and almost entirely white. Knight’s mental associations with minimum wage jobs include dealing with rude customers in service jobs, dealing with distasteful materials like trash, and doing tasks no one else will do. He favors raising the minimum wage moderately, “because it is very hard to spend and save the way you should being limited to the after-tax income.” Lange, in contrast, has consciously never worked for minimum wage. He picked jobs with the highest possible salary. Earnings were spent primarily on gasoline and college tuition. He worked with high school and college students, both male and female. Like Knight, his coworkers were almost all white. His mental associations with minimum wage jobs are that they are usually held by uneducated people closer to the poverty line. That said, Lange does not favor raising the wage. “Fifteen dollars is too much,” he explained. “Obviously, it needs to be raised a bit to account for inflation. However, if it’s raised too high, there’ll be no motivation.” He explained that minimum wage jobs should be stepping stones, leading to higher income. “If you can sustain yourself on that stepping stone, you’ll never the yard

leave.” Lange acknowledged that his theory works best in an idealized world, and that many workers are forced to work for minimum wage due to lack of opportunity. “I do feel bad for people with no opportunities,” who are making minimum wage, he said. Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better ... According to the College’s Groundskeeper Supervisor Paty Spearmen Cowden, the mentality of keeping wages low hurts women more than it does men. When Cowden started in landscaping about three decades ago, she was one of the only women in the business in the Charleston area. The College hired her in 1996 with a salary of $19,000; a man in the same position (who is still Cowden’s coworker today) made $34,000. Lower wages aren’t the only problem. Women frequently experience more opposition while climbing the career ladder, as the evolution of the Grounds Department over the time of Cowden’s career illustrates. When Cowden began, the Grounds workers were also responsible for the athletics facilities at Remley’s Point and the Grice Marine Laboratory. Athletics was then moved to Patriot’s Point and Cowden went to her boss in Physical Plant and made the case for higher wages. Much bigger facilities required more personnel and better wages, she reasoned. Grounds was ultimately split into an Athletics division and a Campus division. Cowden was told not to apply for the newly created Athletics position, supposedly because her expertise would be missed so much downtown. Cowden protested again when the man who took the position was given a much larger salary. A 10 percent raise was tossed her way. That was the largest raise she had ever received up to that point.

and experience and should be compensated accordingly. She firmly believes that wages should be based on experience, not pay brackets. A recent job applicant came to Charleston with 15 years of experience as a crew leader in Florida. Cowden could only offer him $12 an hour, and he took a job elsewhere. “You’ve got to train your people and if they come in already trained you should pay them for their knowledge,” she said. Grounds and campus appearance are a big selling point for schools, especially the College, and Cowden argues that Grounds employees deserve higher wages to reflect their important role in bringing in revenue. Cowden also noted a common concern among minimum wage activists: Wages often rise too slowly to reflect actual changes in cost of living. During the 15 years she spent living in a townhouse on the Isle of Palms, rent rose from $375 a month to $1,175. Clearly, Cowden argues, people cannot go for ten years between minimum wage changes, or they risk being priced out of housing, food and basic services. Raises ought to be more frequent and based on a comprehensive list of factors, she said. Clearly, the issue is a complex one. Minimum wage policies at the College and beyond must reflect cost-efficiency on the part of employers as well as livability for the workers. Wages sustain a wide range of demographics, from white high school students to recent adult immigrants. Many workers come to these positions with extensive experience and qualifications, but still many others come to it as a first job, or with limited education. Balancing all of these factors are crucial for the American workforce to not only survive, but to thrive in the years to come.

Putting a Price on Experience Employers often default to minimum wage when making Percentage of Workers in U.S. Making Minimum Wage a new hire, but this can misrepresent people’s experience 2013, Bureau of Labor Statistics and skills. “I worked for three or four different companies over ten or fifteen years,” Cowden recounted, “and it seemed like every time I moved I had to prove myself again. They would say, ‘Let’s start you out on this [wage],’ but I had more experience.” This repetitive, low pay is perplexing considering Cowden’s work experience prior to arriving at the College. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1980, she worked as a crisis intervention counselor in a drug and alcohol detox center. She then went to work for a friend as the office manager of a landscaping company. “I didn’t mind starting at the bottom then because I was new,” noted Cowden. “I didn’t know as much.” The experience of a Grounds worker at the College today has changed since 1996 in many ways, but in others it has stayed the same. Cowden is proud to say that none of her employees make the minimum wage of $7.25. Even before the law was adjusted, Cowden was relentless in pushing for higher wages. “I start everyone out at $10, and even that to me is not a living wage. If we want to recruit skilled workers, we have to raise that wage.” Cowden also changed all of the Grounds position descriptions to require at least a high school education or equivalent. Grounds workers operate gas-powered equipment and sharp blades. “There’s an inherent risk to the operator and to bystanders,” Cowden explained, arguing that the job does require training, skill

November 19

Characters of the

College by SCOTT HARVIN

photos by WESLEY VANCE Going to school with 10,000 other people can make it difficult to stand out. Many of us shuffle down the narrow sidewalks of the College, passing right by each other without a second glance. Despite this, even the College of Charleston is home to those characters whom we cannot help but notice, those intriguing few whom we look for every day just to say we saw them. What makes these people so special? Why do we admire them as much as we do? Well, perhaps we simply cannot look away from their bold fashion statements or find it difficult to ignore their unique customs. Or maybe we notice them for a deeper reason. Perhaps we notice them due to our inward admiration of their ability to so boldly be themselves, without showing concern for societal norms. Whatever our answers may be, many times we never stop to take a closer look in order to uncover the person behind the celebrity. Many of us know the aliases “Barefoot Scooter Guy” and “Tiger Backpack Girl,” but have no idea what their names are, where they come from or anything about who they are as people. To set the record straight, CisternYard News interviewed these street celebrities of the College in order to bring you all the personal stories behind the people we love to Yak about.

Charlie Jackson, aka “Barefoot Scooter Guy” Charlie Jackson is a junior Biology major at the College of Charleston from Hilton Head, South Carolina, but many of us know him affectionately as “Barefoot Scooter Guy,” as he scoots around our campus day in and day out, almost always sans footwear. His nickname appears on Yik Yak daily, as students never miss a chance to post a sighting. How, then, did Charlie Jackson become the “Barefoot Scooter Guy” we all know and love today? According to Jackson, he started using his famous scooter on his fourth birthday when he received it as a gift.. After a few years of scooting around barefoot, however, he 18

lost touch with his scooter. “High school was when I started scooting again,” Jackson recalled. “I worked at a pizza place and we’d mop up the floor, and I would slide across the wet floors out to the stairs out front and mess around doing that before closing.” After reigniting the flame of love for his scooter, Jackson took his scooter with him when he moved around, staying in Asheville and Columbia before ending up in Charleston, where he finally became known as “Barefoot Scooter Guy.” Jackson first noticed others were watching him one day after scooting to the hot dog stand on Glebe Street. When he got home, his roommate showed him that someone had posted about him on Yik Yak. “He showed me this app that he had on his phone and he started scrolling through it,” Jackson said, “and there was a post that said, ‘Barefoot Scooter kid looks like he moves weight.’” Although unsure of how he feels about this sort of press, Jackson says he enjoys meeting some of his fans that stop him to ask questions as he passes by. “I’ve met a lot of cool people who stop me and talk to me basically asking questions like, ‘What are you doing?’ and ‘Why are you doing it?’” Jackson said. “It’s flattering in a sense, but I just like to go under the radar and do my own thing.” Despite his street cred at the College, all Jackson really wants after graduating is to lead a simple life. “Honestly, I just want a big plot of land and just live, grow anything I need, and raise animals. I just want to be secluded honestly, and live with close people, I think that would be cool,” he concluded. Finally, for those who remain curious, Jackson has confirmed that he does, in fact, wear shoes.“I’m in genetics right now, so I have genetics lab and I have to wear shoes in there, and I wear them in some stores and restaurants. If it gets too cold, I wear them, too, but I usually don’t.” And the burning question - why? “It just feels weird, if I put shoes on my feet, they just get too hot.” the yard

Tessa Torgovicsky, aka “Tiger Backpack Girl” In addition to its old legends, the College of Charleston is also home to new ones. Tessa Torgovicsky is a freshman women’s and gender studies and psychology double major from Washington, D.C., but many know her as “Tiger Backpack Girl,” a name that speaks for itself. But just who is this newcomer who is appearing on Yik Yak alongside the likes of “Barefoot Scooter Guy,” and how did she acquire this tiger backpack? Torgovicsky, an anime fan, said that she acquired the bag from a Baltimore anime convention called Otakon. “My brother told me: ‘Tessa, you need to get this so we will talk to you in college.’ So, he was joking, but I kinda looked at it as something useful and big so I was like, ‘This could be something fun!’” Although Torgovicsky remembers many of the convention attendees donning similar backpacks, the College of Charleston was a different story; Torgovicsky began to notice people noticing her. Suddenly, her friends reported to her that she was being posted about on Yik Yak and Snapchat alike. “I noticed people were really paying attention to me was when there was a Yik Yak about me and ‘Barefoot Scooter Guy,’ Torgovicsky recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh my god they put us in the same Yik Yak, I’ve made it.’”

“It’s flattering in a sense, but I just like to go under the radar and do my own thing.” CHARLIE JACKSON, “BAREFOOT SCOOTER GUY” Although she never anticipated the attention, Torgovicsky welcomes it gladly, as it has caused her to feel as though she belongs to the community of students at the College. Though many have come to know her from her backpack, Torgovicsky is much more than her bold accessory. In her spare time, Torgovicsky started a small business with one of her friends, called Xanoss Clothing. Together, the two of them design their own t-shirts to sell. She takes Hebrew for her foreign language, enjoys watching anime and works hard to keep up with her family in D.C. and her friends in the city. However, more than all of that, Torgovicsky says that her newest favorite pastime is simply taking in the beauty of her new home here in Charleston. “I take really long walks just meandering around the city. It’s nice because now I have a real feel for the area besides campus so I feel more like I live in Charleston than just going to the College of Charleston.” After college, Torgovicsky hopes to make a real difference in the world, as her women’s and gender studies major has opened her eyes to important causes and issues of which she desires to take part and have a voice, believing in the importance of being an active member of her community as well as a voice for positive change in the world. Although she has had many dreams and aspirations in her lifetime, Torgovicsky has one longstanding dream: to become an FBI agent, where she hopes to find the true potential to be an active voice of positive change in the world. Citing one of her favorite quotations, Torgovicsky appropriately concluded, “I’m not causing a commotion, I AM the commotion.” For those who wonder, Torgovicsky HAS named her backpack; she fittingly calls her tiger head “Crookshanks.” 19

s e v i t a n r e t l Turkey A by CHELSEA ANDERSON

Every year it’s the same routine. For most of us, we crowd around a table decked out with a Butterball turkey, pillowy mountains of mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce and maybe some lightly sautéed (or microwaved) green beans. While these traditional spreads may hit the spot and satisfy your hunger, they can become dull year after year. Holding the superlative of the largest day for food intake in the nation, Thanksgiving is the most opportune time for families to get creative, use imagination and tread uncharted recipes. Students around the country have dropped the wishbones and picked up some unique and slightly strange holiday cuisine. We asked around -- what nontraditional dishes are featured on your Thanksgiving table?

Stuffed Acorn Squash 1 acorn squash 1⁄2 c quinoa 11⁄4 c vegetable broth 1⁄4 tsp mild curry powder about 1⁄8 tsp ground cinnamon 1⁄4 c raisins 1 c spinach, finely chopped

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. Cut acorn squash in half, place cut side down on a cookie sheet, and bake for 30–35 minutes until fork-tender. 3. Meanwhile, combine quinoa, vegetable broth, curry powder, a few dashes of cinnamon and raisins in a pot. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes, or until liquid evaporates. If quinoa is not fluffy after 15 minutes, add more vegetable broth and cook longer. (Sometimes the raisins will absorb the liquid also, so more broth may be needed to cook the quinoa). 4. After quinoa is done, stir in spinach, add another dash or two of cinnamon, plus salt if desired, then cover and set aside, away from heat. 5. Once acorn squash is done, flip it over and scoop out seeds. Then use a sharp knife to cut the point off each base so the acorn bowls sit upright and don’t fall over. 6. Spoon quinoa mixture into squash and serve warm.

California: A Vegetar

Alaska: Brie Cheese While real Brie may be technically illegal in the United States because of its raw ingredients, it’s not a crime to nibble the French cheese on Thanksgiving. Brie cheese made with pasteurized milk can be bought just about anywhere in the United States and even though it is reportedly less tasty than the “real” French version - this versatile cheese can be dressed up and paired with several dishes.

You may have never heard of rutabaga, much less expected it to appear on a Thanksgiving table. But it exists and it does in fact appear on some tables during Thanksgiving.

“Is Brie, jam, and crackers strange? My family is all about some Brie on holidays.” - Marissa Myhill

ian dinner

“Our family always has yellow turnips, also known as rutabaga, but our family seems to be the only people who like it. Even our extended family rarely goes anywhere near it.” - Sam Oleksak

•

y can key, so what exactl onymous with tur Thanksgiving is syn nt-lovers eat? vegetarians and pla ed g with lots of extend lly big Thanksgivin a e hav do l stil we “My family has a rea n, so ryone is a vegetaria e family and not eve n options! We hav e tons of vegetaria hav o als we t Bu . ns. My mom also bea turkey en gre and shed potatoes de the traditional ma g that has homema d vegetarian stuffin ooms. We also shr mu makes a really goo and s ing pine nuts, season We have croutons, spinach, fresh cranberries. eet potatoes with salad and a ino qu r, have yams and sw ega vin outs with balsamic roasted brussels spr cranberry bread.” - Justine Hall

• • •

New Mexico: (New) Mexican

Massachusetts: Rutabaga

food

Turn the conventional Tur key Day dinner into an ent icing and tantalizing feast that can be easily mistaken for a gra nd fiesta. Nothing breaks tradition like giving your Thanksgivi ng menu an ethnic flair. A nice way to spice up your Thanksgiving table is to throw in some exotic and festive dishes that are bol d, flavorful and eye-catching.

•

Myrtle Beach, SC: Oyster Pie

Necks & W

ings Often neglected, people don’t pay much mind to the appendages of the turkey. But turkey nec ks and wings alone can be inexpensive and are quite flavorful. Smothered in gravy or even fried, show some love to the necks and wings by making them the main dish on Thank sgiving. “Turkey necks look abs olutely gross, and not at all appetizing, but I can‘t explain how good it tas tes. It’s almost a skill to kn ow how to eat a turkey neck properly.” - Lydia Brown

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Buns

Whethe r for bre akfast or be filled dessert, with cin sticky bu namon, topping ns can glazed w and load ith a stic ed with foodies h ky sugar pecans. ave gone y Adve as far as by addin to remix nturous g pumpk in, cranb the swee swiss ch erries or t eese. even ham treat and “For my family w e do stic an Ohio ky buns. thing or N just a fa super de mily trad ot sure if it’s licious.” ition, bu t they’re - Katie K ajfez

• •

Greenville, SC: Turkey

“We have Enchiladas with red and green chile (which is very specific to New Mexican foo d). Our entire meals on Chr istmas and Thanksgiving are pre dominantly Mexican. We have papas and frijoles, and sopapillas for dessert! That’s pretty much standard for New Mexican s on both holidays - which is weird. Everyone eats enchiladas instead of turkeys. We also just infuse the Mexican aspect of it into normal things. Like Red Chi le Gravy!” - Courtney Eker

Ohio: Stic ky

November 19

Known to few No sugar is required for this pie! ally a casserole actu pie people on the coast, oyster of course, and, m crea er, butt , kers - combines crac ry dish will savo This ter). oysters (and sometimes lobs ur. oisse conn ood titillate any seaf g without oyster “Put simply - it is not Thanksgivin and only calls for e pie! The dish is so simple to mak with fresh oysters it e mak can You a few ingredients. way, oyster pie er or even opt for canned ones. Eith g favorite - at ivin nksg Tha and ser is definitely a plea least in my family!” - Chelsea Anderson

e m o H e k i L No Place bringing awareness to hunger & homelessness

’Tis the beginning of that magical time of the year: the holiday season. The season of spending time with loved ones, giving gifts and, who are we kidding, eating pie. It is a magical time of year; however, it is important to stop and appreciate it all. Recognizing privilege is not a check point to invoke feelings of guilt or shame. Understanding advantages is a starting step to becoming an empathetic and active citizen. The first, most vital step in active citizenship is education. Education is the key to unlocking the doors of understanding and fostering empathy over sympathy. Those experiencing homelessness in Charleston and across America are not monsters. They are our neighbors. They are our aunts and uncles. They are graduates and veterans. They are you and me. To better understand the circumstances surrounding the homeless, Jameson Marsh, the AmeriCorps VISTA in the Center for Civic Engagement, recommends watching documentaries such as “When I Came Home” and “A Place at the Table.” Marsh is one of the team members who hosts Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week at the College, an annual event that occurs the week before Thanksgiving. While this week is a great opportunity to raise awareness and volunteer, Marsh highlights that these issues live on year round. Because no student can singlehandedly eradicate homelessness and because this systemic problem will take more than a week in November to cure, it is unclear what college students can actually do to help people experiencing homelessness in their community.

by Mackenzie Hoisington

The Lowcountry Food Bank is one of many facilities that emphasizes education before service work. Once fully educated on the issues, Holly Shinn, the Communications & Special Events Manager at the Lowcountry Food Bank in North Charleston, and Marsh express that volunteering is the next step. Marsh says students are surrounded by volunteer opportunities. The Lowcountry Food Bank, or LCFB, has distributed over 24 million meals to ten coastal counties in South Carolina. They regularly distribute food that would have otherwise been wasted to 631,300 children, families and seniors. Shinn reports that the LCFB relies heavily on its thousands of volunteers to achieve all that they have, stating, “We couldn’t function without them.” Shinn describes that volunteering is a never ending cycle of learning. Students interested can apply quickly on their website, LowcountryFoodBank.org, after attending a short orientation covering the many opportunities offered. With flexible hours and countless options, Shinn said that volunteering is “the most critical way to help.” In addition to volunteering, she said that becoming an advocate for the cause is an extremely successful way to increase awareness. “With everyone so connected nowadays, spreading the word is simple,” Shinn said. Marsh also recommended volunteering at East Cooper River Meals on Wheels. East Cooper Meals on Wheels, or ECMOW, serves nutritious meals to those east of the Cooper who are unable to leave their home. The areas covered include Mount Pleasant, Wando, Cainhoy, Daniel Island, Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. ECMOW does

the The Realities of those helped by Lowcountry Food Bank

78% purchase inexpensive, unhealthy food as a coping strategy 22

57% report desire for more produce

70% 75% choose between food and medical care

of households have at least one member with high blood pressure

42% of households have at least one member with diabetes the yard

Jameson Marsh, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the Center for Civic Engagment, helps students connect with volunteer opportunities in the community. (Photo by Michael Wiser) not discriminate by age or income. Volunteers are in high demand due to the nonprofit’s multitude of projects. Through ECMOW, you assist in meal packaging, delivering meals, preparing for special events and answering phones. The nonprofit puts an emphasis on an individual’s own creativity, so they are extremely accepting to volunteers’ special skills and project ideas. To apply to be a volunteer, head to ECMOW.org/volunteer. Another great way to hop on the path toward active citizenship is through Fields to Families. Fields to Families is a three step process working to make nutritious food affordable and obtainable, otherwise known as eliminating food deserts. The nonprofit forms relationships with local farmers so they are able to receive what the farmers either have a surplus of or cannot use. They then mobilize the produce to end up in organizations in the Lowcountry that feed the hungry, such as soup kitchens and food pantries. The process allows those in food deserts to obtain the healthy food they would have not been able to otherwise. The program, however, is only made possible by its volunteers. According to Fields to Families, volunteers have assisted in distributing enough produce to translate to 66,000 meals. Tasks while working with Fields to Families range from

helping with the distribution process to hitting the fields to help harvest the produce. To become a volunteer, you can apply online at FieldsToFamilies.org/volunteer/. Marsh also discussed Habitat for Humanity as a great place not only to volunteer, but to get educated and build relationships with those are you helping. The Charleston Habitat for Humanity welcomes groups and individuals regardless of skill level to get involved. Whether volunteers can offer their whole day or even just half, Jon Hull, Site Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator, refers to volunteers as “our oil and gas in the engine.” Potential volunteers can click over to charlestonhabitat.org/volunteer/ to find available schedules of upcoming builds as well as sign up. Though Charleston offers a multitude of opportunities to help first hand those in need, it is crucial to remember that, to be an active citizen, you must be sure to understand fully what you are doing as a volunteer. All too often, volunteers are involuntarily closed-minded to the fact that they can get just as much out of a volunteer experience as those they are helping. The education and volunteer processes walk hand in hand, but they can only take place if you are willing to challenge yourself to take action against the institutional problems in your community.

get involved

contact the Center for Civic Engagement on the second floor of the Lightsey Center! November 19

d n i h e B ring u t p a C

s n e L the

November 15

of D t r A e th

harleston has a certain self-promoting image, of Rainbow Row and horse drawn carriages, of winning award after award, of being the “Friendliest City in the U.S.,” “Best Destination in the U.S.” and even “Best PostCollege Town.” But there is more to this city than a list of accolades: there are people. Charlestonians lay claim to every corner of the peninsula - not just South of Broad. People are born here. People raise families here. People work here. People hate and love it and live and die here. And Dorian Warneck sees and photographs them all. Warneck believes “a lot of people end up missing out on observing the world around them because they’re worried about it being impolite to stare.” For Warneck, photography aids in solving the problem of rudeness that’s associated with staring. “One of the powerful things about a photograph is that it can give the person the opportunity to stare,” he said. “It gives people an opportunity to learn about the world and by shooting I get that same opportunity.” If you find yourself walking around downtown and happen to notice someone on a bike taking a photo of you, not to worry, it might just be Warneck, an avid Charleston street photographer. In the past year, Warneck, a self described “obsessive documenter,” has taken over 10,000 photographs with his 35 millimeter film camera of the people and places he sees everyday in Charleston. A mix between the style of Dorothea Lange and Brandon Stanton, (the eyes behind Humans of New York), Warneck takes to documenting the streets from Broad to Line. After spending the first two years of his

neck r a W rian

by JUSTINE HALL photos courtesy of DORIAN WARNECK life in Berlin, Warneck moved with his parents to Columbia S.C., where he spent most of his childhood. He made the move to Charleston about five years ago, following the relocation of film production company Lunch and Recess, where he is a producer and editor. With a dad who was enamoured with photography, Warneck quickly picked up the habit and by the time he was a teenager he took a camera with him every time he would go out skateboarding and eventually began taking pictures of friends. His habit quickly turned into a passion. Warneck dropped out of high school and didn’t attend college; he “was already always doing what [he] wanted.’’ But his obsession of taking portraits didn’t really start until last year. One day Warneck saw “this dude pushing a car across a flood after a storm wearing a bright yellow rain jacket.” Warneck asked to take the man’s portrait, and the rest is history. “I didn’t really think much of it but then when I got the scans back I felt like something spoke to me about it and then I just got obsessed and started taking portraits of everybody.” Warneck isn’t aspiring to be the next Humans of New York, though. “I don’t strive too hard to categorize myself as doing anything new or different,” he said. “I just enjoy it and I think there’s infinite interest in the world and in the things that happen every day.” For Warneck, it’s all about documenting a place and those who inhabit it. Street photography allows him to capture a single moment as it’s happening. “There’s always going to be a new moment, even if somebody walked down the same block as you five minutes before, something’s going to happen that didn’t happen before.” 25

That is not to say taking pictures of everyone who Warneck passes is an easy feat. “The hardest thing about it is just feeling confident enough,” he said. “In a way approaching people for portraits requires less confidence than it does to shoot people without permission.” For Warneck, there is a level of privacy he tries to respect and maintain between himself and his subject. While it is legal for him to sell any of his photographs as an art medium, Warneck recognizes that for some people having their photo taken by a complete stranger can feel like a bit of an invasion. He is constantly challenged “to make sure what [he’s] doing is a good thing, especially when people get

bothered by it.” When this happens Warneck has to take a step back. “I hate the idea of being out here and making other people’s day worse and that’s not my intention.” Warnek has also received responses from people after he has taken their photograph who want him to send copies of the image, a request with which he happily complies. “You can tell that sometimes it just makes people’s day better, just being noticed.” Warneck sees a certain intrinsic value to documenting life - a value that he has to keep in mind when faced with his own doubts about the nature of his photography. Although he aims to be as objective

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as possible, he hopes that his good intentions translate to his viewers and subjects. “Sometimes you shoot someone who seems to be living in a state of poverty and you can’t help to feel like you’re just exploiting someone in in a less fortunate situation,” he said. “And I think it’s important to always be considerate of that.” “I don’t live South of Broad. I live north of the Crosstown in neighborhoods where the people next to me are 25-year-old white people who just had their first three babies and then the people on the other side of me are an African American family who have lived in Charleston their whole life, who was born in the hospital, came home and never left.” The amount of diversity in such a small space intrigues and interests Warneck. He wants to “hold on to what culture there is,” and not just the culture of people similar to him. That’s not to say Warneck doesn’t also enjoy capturing the lives of those who live and visit areas South of Broad. “I work on Broad Street right near the four corners of law, so I see a lot of the tourists, I see a lot of the people who live South of Broad and drive Jaguars two blocks to get from their house to their office.” Warneck loves to document it all. Though he will never ask anyone he photographs specific questions, “creating a portrait without adding all the personal info Humans of New York style leaves their story up for interpretation.” If someone wants to talk to Warneck, he will gladly spend as much with them as they want to give him, but he doesn’t ask. “I like the photo to speak for itself.” Warneck does not usually go out with the intention of only taking photos, though he enjoys it when he has the time, most of his images come from his daily bike commute to work. “There will be times when I pass somebody on my bike and I go three

blocks and then I turn around and I’m like I gotta do it and go back.” When Warneck does find a free Saturday in his schedule, one of his favorite routines consists of grabbing a coffee at Kudu and just walking around town. “The intersection here on Calhoun and Meeting is really interesting just because there are so many people; it’s the busiest intersection of Charleston.” Once Warneck realized he had accumulated thousands of film photos, a medium which appeals to him immensely, with its realness both in the “look of the photos and the fact that [film] has been around for so long,” he was inspired to share them with the rest of the Charleston community - and not just on Instagram. To do so he compiled his favorite shots into a self-produced and self-funded zine called “Neighbors.” So far, he has created three issues and printed about 150 copies of each. “The Neighbors title came when I first started taking photos,” he said. “It was literally just of my neighbors like in my neighborhood and I would post them on Instagram and hashtag ‘neighbors’ just to see what happens.” He distributes the zines to shops downtown including Blue Bicycle Books, City Lights Coffee and Art & Craftsman Supply. He plans to publish his fourth issue in mid-December. Although Warneck never went to college, he has some advice for College of Charleston students: “Whether it’s with photography or art or music or journalism or business whatever you’re interested in, I think there’s no way that not just being observant and curious about the world couldn’t make you a better person...Always consider the alternatives to your beliefs and what you think and what your little reality is. You know it’s easy for all of us to be isolated in our little bubble and I think it’s important to come out of that.”

Charleston photographer Dorian Warneck at his favorite coffee shop, Kudu. (Photo by Michael Wiser)

follow Dorian on Instagram at @dorianwarneck October 15

Racing to Story by SAMUEL OLEKSAK Photos by MICHAEL WISER 28

Rio

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Sailors suit up for the summer games The College of Charleston sailing team has a storied history of success than spans the globe. In 2014-15, the College won the Leonard B. Fowle Trophy awarded to the best team at the national championships for the sixth time in school history. With six titles, the College trails only the U.S. Naval Academy (10) and Tufts University (8) in the number of times it has won the award. However, the success of College of Charleston sailors has extended beyond our borders. For the seventh consecutive Summer Olympic Games, the team will be represented at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two current members of the team, Stefano Peschiera from Peru and Enrique Arathoon from El Salvador, excelled in international competitions to earn spots in Rio 2016. Each of them are the first men to qualify as individual sailors from either of their respective countries. Both will sail lasers in the games. Lasers are a class of sailboat with one standard size: a bit shorter than 14 feet weighing just 130 pounds. Due to their light weight, racing lasers comes with a unique set of challenges that require an advanced level of physical fitness in order to endure techniques necessary to get upwind quickly. As the fleet with the most competitors on the Olympic circuit, it is the toughest regatta of the games. With their berths, they join Jim Brady (1992), John Llovell (1996, ’00, ’04 and ’08) and Juan Maegli (2008, ‘12, ’16) as the only sailors from the College to compete in the Summer Games. Maegli has blazed the trail for international success for this current crop of skilled sailors. The 2013 graduate, Maegli has already been the flag bearer for Guatemala in the 2012 opening ceremony, the 2013 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association sailor of the year, and a gold medal winner in the 2015 Pan-American games as a laser sailor. In a recent interview, Arathoon credited Maegli as the biggest reason he ended up at the College. “Juan was my former teammate. He came here and told me it was a very good school and the sailing program is one of the best in the country. I got accepted to other schools here (in the United States) but Charleston was in the top of my list because Juan was here so we could train together; so I was excited to come here.” Though Maegli was instrumental in getting him to the College, Peschiera has been the biggest source of competition. The two spend a lot of time together and push each other to be their best. “I go cycling with Enrique a bunch,” Peschiera said. “We sail with the team Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, then Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays it’s lasers. So we sail together six days a week and we work out the same six days, then Monday is our rest day. So between that and school, we don’t do anything else.” This drive for success helped Peschiera become the sixth sailor from the College to win the ICSA men’s singlehanded

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national title last November - an especially remarkable feat considering it was the first semester of his freshman year. For many, this would be the achievement of a lifetime. However, when asked about his greatest moments as a sailor, the achievement was merely an afterthought. Peschiera’s Pursuit: Born in Lima, Peru, Peschiera learned English while attending a British boarding school. Though sailing professionally after high school was an option for him, his father, who attended Berkeley and Stanford, stressed to him the importance of higher education. “I did my first semester in Peru. It was an engineering semester. But they were not going to be able to help me with catching up after missing so many classes for events. So I had to come abroad to keep the level to qualify for the games.” So how does someone become an Olympic level sailor? For Peschiera, it all began on optimists, also known as optis - a fleet of fiberglass singlehanded dinghies, no larger than eight feet in length. “I sailed optis for about eight years until I was 15. My last two years were pretty hard for me because the other people were a lot lighter than I was, so I had to stick to my head, with tactics and strategy to compensate for the difference in weight.” Because optis are so small, people who reach the weight limit before they reach the age limit often switch to a bigger boat. Not Peschiera. “Since it’s a boat that is so small, a difference in 10 or 20 pounds, or in my case 30, would make a huge difference in the performance and speed of the boat. It’s like running with a parachute behind you. But once you get to the bigger boat, where everyone weighs the same, you will be faster because you will take advantage of every opportunity.” The focus on nautical stratagem has paid off. Once he moved up to the larger boats, he excelled, winning national and South American titles sailing the laser. His success caught the attention of world class coach Airam Rodrigues when the two met at a sailing clinic in Peru three years ago. Previously the coach of a Spanish Olympian who reached number three in the world rankings, Rodrigues moved on after coming up short on a medal in Beijing and London. “He came to me and said ‘I believe in you. You have the potential to win a medal in Tokyo in 2020. So this will be an 8 year project.’ So our main goal was to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games. Then once I’m done with school, prepare to try to win a medal in Tokyo, which is pretty probable.” When asked to choose which achievements beyond qualifying for the Olympics stood out to him as his best, Peschiera said: “Finishing third at the under 21 worlds last year in France, because that’s the generation that I will go into the

2020 Olympic games with… It really opened my eyes to see that I can be third in the world.” With such potential for greatness, he hopes to make an impact on the sailing culture of Peru. “I am really proud to represent my country,” he said. “I feel like it’s a big responsibility, especially coming from a country like mine, where the main sport is soccer. So it is really tough to make some other sport highlight in the news. So we have been trying to make other sports more common in the country, so it is not all soccer.” His sense of national pride manifested itself in his choice of which country to represent in the games. “I have a double nationality; I have an Italian passport as well, since my dad is from Italy, so I could represent either Peru or Italy. I decided Peru because I want to be the anomalous result and make an impression.” Peschiera is one of seven qualifiers for Peru for the summer games. His choice to stick to his birth country has paid off in more ways than one. “I’m the highest paid athlete in Peru, but it’s all to cover my expenses. I get almost 100 percent coverage on everything. At the beginning it was just my family, but since we have been getting results and working seriously the government has put us at the highest level where almost everything is paid for.” Peschiera is not alone in his pursuit of an Olympic medal. In addition to the government funding and the coaching from Rodrigues, he has his health is monitored by Health & Sport of the Canary Islands. “They help me physically, psychologically and they help with nutrition. While I am here in Charleston, I have to send them all of my heart rate belt things so they can analyze them. So they can be like, tomorrow you’re going to do less work because you are too tired, or you’re going to do more work because you’re not that tired.” This team approach gives Peschiera very little say in his

day to day activities. “I have an Excel spreadsheet with every single day what I have to do until I head to Rio. So it’s kind of like, I can’t decide much about it. If we want to make any changes we have to talk to the team.” With such close attention paid to his every move, he will take extra precautions when he arrives to Rio. “At the PanAm games, at the village, everything was crazy since many people have competitions that last just one day,” he said. “Nearly the whole Olympic Games is our regatta, so we need to rest every single day, we can’t party, we can’t do anything. So having people screaming around your room isn’t the best thing, so a lot of people decide to just stay in their own homes.” With so much put upon him, it is only natural to feel nervous. “The butterflies in my stomach happen all the time, especially before a regatta. But what helps with that is when you have been training a bunch and you know what you are doing.” But Peschiera is just one part of this dynamic Olympic duo. These two champions of the sport are close friends who can be seen on any given day biking around Charleston together. In fact, Peschiera served as a translator for the interview with Arathoon. Aranthoon’s Ambitions Arathoon, like Peschiera, had a choice for where he wanted to represent in the Summer Games. “I am from Guatemala City, and have lived there all my life. My mom is from El Salvador so I have double citizenship and chose to represent El Salvador for sailing.” He, like so many others began his sailing career in optis. Though unlike Peschiera, he did not begin racing in

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competitions until moving up to larger boats. “I started sailing seriously in 2009, when I competed on the Volvo youth worlds in Brazil,” he said. “There is no high school sailing in Guatemala, the only sailing club is the National Sailing Federation.” After graduating from high school, he took a two year break from his education to campaign for the London Olympics. “I had a big debate whether to start school or just go into full time sailing,” he said. “I chose to go to college, but I still want to become a pro after I graduate.” Thanks to this break in his studies, Arathoon, 23, is only a junior. Though what he lacks in course credits, he makes up for with top level results. Last year he claimed the Bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games. To him, it is his greatest achievement aside from qualifying for Rio because it was the first time El Salvador medaled in sailing at the games. He carried that success over to this year, when he earned his spot in the Summer Games. “You have 4 chances to end up qualifying. I ended up qualifying at the Pan-Am games for being the best South American not qualified yet in the previous two.” With such positive results, the Salvadoran’s future looks bright.

more excited than nervous, but, I am sure I will be nervous. I get nervous even for a normal weekend regatta. It is part of competing; I think it’s a good thing.” Arathoon is one of just two Olympic qualifiers from El Salvador for Rio 2016, the other being a shooter in the women’s pistol events. “Sailing is not very popular in El Salvador; it hasn’t had a huge sailing history… So far! It will be an honor to be the first time a Salvadorian sailor has qualified for the games.” In anticipation of the games, Arathoon will take next semester off to get fully prepared. Peschiera on the other hand, will head to Rio as soon as classes let out in May. As the games approach, one of the biggest factors that been closely monitored is the water quality. Peschiera, having raced many South American competitions in his career, he knows what he is doing racing in Rio. “I’ve sailed on the course six times between 2007 and 2010. In one of the events, as a country, we finished in No. 2 in the world,” Peschiera said. “I really like it because it is really unpredictable conditions, and I like to deal with whatever I get without being able to predict it.” Unpredictable is a grand understatement. “In 2010, you could see things like couches floating in the

“It is really special knowing that you are walking the right track toward achieving the dreams; it’s just one step more of the process.” Keeping a level head sounds difficult at such a high level of competition, but he is determined to do so. “My goal is to take the games as a normal weekend race. At the end of the day it is just one more race, the same format I have been doing the whole time. I want to take full advantage of the opportunity and enjoy it. Right now, I am

water. I don’t think the waters were in the best conditions. But now that they got the games, they have put up barriers and they are controlling everything. Everything is way cleaner.” Whatever the outcome is in Brazil, it’s clear that Arathoon and Peschiera are already writing new chapters in the history of College of Charleston sailing. We wish them all the best as they continue to chase national titles and Olympic medals.

November 19

JUDY!

hey by COURTNEY EKER

Judith Riser sits at the front desk of Liberty Dining Hall every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. She sits quietly swiping Cougar Cards as College of Charleston students come and go, grabbing lunch between classes and dinner before the library. She always offers a smile. Always offers a “Hi, baby.” And is always quick to joke around. “Bye, Ms. Judy!” a student said as she walked out the door. “Bye, baby,” Judy replied. “Behave yourself, now.” “I won’t.” “Yeah, I know you won’t,” Judy joked back. Judy, known as “Ms. Judy” to college students and faculty, is a Charleston native - born and bred. Charleston is and always has been her home. “I love Charleston; it’s my favorite place,” she said. She has spent all 74 years of her life right here on the peninsula, moving around from King Street to Logan to East Bay. Judy and her three brothers were raised and homeschooled by their single mother, who used to work at the Ft. Sumter Hotel down by the Battery. “But that hotel is condos, now,” she said. Growing up, Judy was always passionate about one thing in particular: Elvis. “Oh I loved him,” she said. “My mother couldn’t stand him, she didn’t like the way he moved.” But you did? I asked.

Judy had polio when she was a child and could not walk until age 7. (photo courtesy of Ms. Judy)

Ms. Judy has been working at the College since 1974. (Photo by Michael Wiser)

“Oh, yes.” Judy has Elvis everything. Elvis plates in her kitchen, Elvis hand towels in her bathroom, Elvis albums, movies and scrapbooks. The College even brought in an Elvis impersonator to have breakfast with Ms. Judy this past January. After she graduated from high school, Judy worked in the kitchen at a Catholic school on Broad Street for three years before getting a job working at the College of Charleston cafeteria, which at the time was located in Craig Residence Hall, in 1974. Coincidentally, Arthur Chisolm, one of the cooks who still works in Liberty with Judy, walked through College of Charleston’s doors that same day. According to Judy, they’ve been best friends ever since. In Craig, Ms. Judy served meals, made the coffee, mopped the floors, cleaned the bathrooms and cracked the pepper. “They told my boss I was the only one who could do the pepper and not sneeze,” she said. “So I did that for five years.” In 2007, Aramark Catering (and Ms. Judy) moved from the Craig cafeteria to Liberty Dining Hall. She’s been greeting every student and faculty member who walks through those doors ever since. “She is strictly by the book,” said Dedra Randolph, who has been working with Judy in Liberty for the past five years. “She knows her stuff, after all these years, she still knows her stuff. And that’s the truth.” The same year that Ms. Judy started working in Craig, the yard

Barney Holt crossed the Cistern as a College of Charleston graduate, only to return in 2000 as the Director of Property Management. Since coming back to the College, Holt and Ms. Judy have become increasingly better “buddies.” “Judy is just one of the gentle souls,” said Holt ‘74, Director of Property Management. “There’s an expression, ‘one of the more gentle angels among us,’ and Judy is one of them. And there’s not many of them.” Holt talked about the ongoing banter between the two as he came in and out of Liberty’s glass doors. “I eat there a lot, so Judy and I got to know each other pretty well and soon enough just started teasing each other about things,” he said. “I’m a dog guy, and she’s a big cat person, so I always give her the business about cats and why they’re worthless.” So much so that Judy named one of her three cats after him. Barney’s response? “I told her that was the biggest mistake she would ever make.” Barney, the cat, was a rescue with half of an ear missing who - according to Holt - bites and hisses until he is treated like a king. But Ms. Judy says he’s the “sweetest thing in the world,” and proceeds to feed him steak or salmon dinners on a regular basis. Judy’s other two cats are named Precious - “she’s the wild one” - and Zoe, who weighs in at 30 pounds. If not the students themselves, Ms. Judy’s favorite part of the College is basketball. She loves going to the boys’ games and loves the boys themselves even more. “I’ve been going to the basketball games ever since I’ve been here,” she said. “I just love it.” Up until this past year, Ms. Judy boasted front row seats. Judy remains optimistic about the team’s performance this year. “I just hope it’s better than last year,” she said. Judy wears a black rubber wristband on her right hand that has “#thechadeffect” written on it in memory of one of her favorite players. When the College lost Chad Cooke, a basketball player, to an unexpected death last winter, Judy was at the memorial. “His mother thanked me for feeding her child,” Judy said. “He didn’t have a meal plan, so I sometimes brought money and bought him lunch. He was a good kid. He was such a sweetheart.” Things change in Charleston. Buildings come and go, companies get bought and sold, babies are born and loved ones pass away. The one thing that seems to be a constant for Ms. Judy over the course of her 41 years at the College is that the students are what get her out of bed in the morning. “I never married,” she said. “So I never had children. These are my children, all of them. And they come back

“

and bring me their children to go to school here, too.” Holt recalls leaving the dining hall one day only to see a woman standing in front of Judy’s desk with her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “The woman said to her, ‘Now Judy, I wanted my daughter to come here and I wanted to introduce her to you because I want her to know who you are. You took such good care of me when I was a student here and you kept me fed and you were such a good friend to me - so I want you to take care of my baby like you took care of me,’” Holt recalled. There was a recurring theme among interviewees, many of whom spoke to Ms. Judy’s role as both a caretaker and a friend. Rebecca Wiser, class of 1987, remembers Ms. Judy as someone who seemed to always remember everyone’s names. “She seems like she was always there with something good to say,” she said. “[She was] always happy to be there.” Wiser’s son Michael now attends the College and has a chat with Ms. Judy whenever he stops by the dining hall. Ms. Judy said that the kids and faculty are her very favorite part of the job. “They make my life,” she said. “I mean, that’s what I’m here for. I have a blast here.” And she doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. To some, she’s a longtime employee of the College. To others, she’s a friend. To others, yet, she’s a maternal figure - providing warmth and care to all of those who take the time to get to know her. So do. Take the time to get to know her. Stop and say “Good morning” the next time you swipe your Cougar Card at the front desk of Liberty. As Holt said, “There’s a real diamond sittin’ there.” “It seems like everyone knows you,” I said at the end of our interview, after countless students and faculty made the extra effort to say hello or good morning as they walked by her desk. “Yeah, that’s what they say,” said Ms. Judy.

These are my children, all of them. And they come back and bring me their children to go to school here, too.

“

Judy at 33 years old.

November 19

the college CUTS BACK

by Carson Schafer

In a late October meeting, the College of Charleston Board of Trustees approved a budget readjustment that will resolve a $1.25 million shortage caused by low registration numbers from students paying out-of-state tuition. “While our incoming freshman class represents the most South Carolina students in school history and our total number of undergraduate students is stable, our current mix of resident and nonresident students presents some financial challenges,” said President Glenn McConnell in a statement after the meeting. The shortfall, which represents almost half of one percent of the College’s $263 million budget for this year, was resolved mainly by eliminating positions that were already vacant and reducing the operating budgets of auxiliary services, including college stores and health services. “Every single division of the College was asked to look internally to see if there were any funds that could more easily be cut,” said Susan Payment, Director of Student Life. Despite the cuts, the amount is so small that services whose operating budgets were cut will barely notice the damage. “We’re really unique in that we’re an auxiliary service,” said Jane Reno-Munro, Director of Health Services. “All the fees that are earmarked for student health come to us; we use all of those fees to provide services to the students. We don’t get any money from the College. We only get that fee to operate with.” McConnell’s statement said cuts to services only represent a third of the adjustments. The other two thirds of the shortfall were covered by eliminating three faculty positions and 13 staff positions, all of which were already vacant. For example, one staff position cut from the budget was the Assistant Director for Student Life Marketing and Media, which was vactaed in August. “No one was fired, or terminated or laid off, but the decision was made to not fill the position at that time so that those funds could be absorbed,” Payment explained. According to Mike Roberton, Senior Director of Media Relations for the College, students are not expected to

suffer because of the cuts. Departments made cuts, Payment said, “with the understanding that we were trying to minimize the impact on programs and services to students.” The reason for the $1.25 million shortfall stems from low enrollment numbers of students paying out-of-state tuition. “We had about 100 fewer out-of-state students this year than expected,” Robertson said. “We still had the same amount of students attending the College, just a different mix of in-state and out-of-state students.” Of the 10,373 undergraduate students attending the College, 34.7 percent are from out of state. This only represents a 1.5 percent drop from last fall, but having 100 fewer students paying out-of state tuition means a loss of $2.8 million in income. Every year enrollment management in the Office of Admissions makes predictions about how many students will enroll and from where. “That’s something enrollment management looks at every year as far as the number of out-of-state students they’d like to attract, and the number of international students they’d like to attract,” said Payment, “but first and foremost as a state institution, the College is here to serve students from South Carolina.” What could have caused the drop in out-of state enrollment? In his statement to students, President McConnell asserted, “Let me be clear, the College – unlike many universities across the country – does not have an enrollment problem. In fact, our number of applications remains strong.” He did not mention any specific reasons why the number of out-of-state students failed to meet expectations. Data from this year’s freshmen applications are not available from the College yet, but previous data going back to 2010 states the school typically receives between 11,000 and 11,500 applications. About 2,000 of those, or 25 percent, usually end up enrolling. In years past, most out-of-state students have come from New Jersey, North Carolina, New York and

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Maryland, each state sending over 300 students every year. Students choose to migrate south (or not) for a variety of reasons. Julie DiMarco, a graduate student from New Jersey, said, “I really mostly chose Charleston for the weather. I hate the cold up North. I also do water sports, so coming here was great for that.” A study from Niche, a school ranking company, states that students in the United States prefer to stay close to home for college. More than half of high school graduates, 58 percent to be exact, choose to stay no farther than 100 miles from their hometown. In South Carolina, according to the study, only 18 percent of graduates decide to leave the state for college. “Out-of-state enrollment is impacted across the board nationally because people of are being very cautious about the money they’re investing in their education, as they should be,” Payment said. “The target wasn’t necessarily hit for our out-of-state enrollment and it did impact our bottom line.” Another important outcome of the Board of Trustees’ meeting was the new $50 security fee that will be charged to all students starting this spring semester. - Susan The new fee is not in response to the gap in the budget, but rather to concerns about security at the College and increased state and federal regulations for both personal safety and cyber security. “Given that there are limited resources in the College’s budget to comply with these new regulations and to make the campus safety and security upgrades we need, it is essential to establish a security fee,” said President McConnell in an email to students following the board meeting. Charging $50 a head to a population of 10,984 undergraduate and graduate students at the College will leave administration with an additional $550,000 in the Public Safety budget. The money will primarily go toward adding and replacing security cameras around campus and installing a card access system for all buildings on campus. Robert Reese, Deputy Chief of Police and Public Safety, said the cost of these projects together will amount to around $2.3 million. According to Reese, plans for new cameras have been in motion since July 2014, and money has already been set aside from an operating budget of $2.1 million. The first phase of Public Safety’s

five year plan for security camera upgrades was completed in August. Public Safety is now in the process of selecting the cameras that need replacing and looking at bids from security camera vendors. A lot of the cost of upgrading and replacing cameras will go into making sure the College’s old infrastructure will support the new technology. “What the general public doesn’t know,” he said, “is that it’s not just cameras. It’s the wiring, the switches, the power.” According to Reese and the Director of Physical Security Services, Larry Duncan, most of the security cameras on campus are six to 11 years old, when they should ideally be replaced every three to four years. Reese says the bulk of the money will go toward installing a card access system in all buildings on campus, starting with a pilot program to test the system in residence halls on campus. Public Safety is currently working with Cougar Card Services to create a plan for the program. Any money that remains after the access system is installed will go toward personnel. Despite the additional security the fee will bring to campus, most students were not expecting to be charged Payment more next semester. “I think it’s silly because college tuition is too high anyway,” said freshman Aly Lain, a secondary English education major. “We pay so much in tuition already, I don’t understand why the money isn’t already there.” Her sister, Emily Lain, a junior middle grade education major, feels differently. “We’re already taking out loans; what’s an extra $50? If that’s going to keep us safer, it’s a cost I’m willing to accept.” “At the end of the day, you would like campus to be safe, and so would I,” Reese said. “How valuable is that safety to you?” With the exception of the Feb. 10 bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax, the College has not experienced any major threats to security. However, the administration’s actions show their commitment to preventive measures like the ones made possible by the fee. “Although the College is safe, no campus in America is completely crime-free,” said President McConnell in his email to students about the fee. “Thus, we always have to be vigilant and proactive in upgrading and expanding our security services.” “Campuses obviously don’t like to raise tuition and fees, but sometimes it’s impossible not to,” Payment said. “Unfortunately, depending upon enrollment, depending upon other related costs that are needed to keep the institution running as far as maintenance and upkeep and replacement, sometimes difficult choices have to be made.”

“Campuses obviously don’t like to raise tuition and fees, but sometimes it’ s impossible not to.”

Knock-Knock ... You found me! by MADELINE EDWARDS photos by MADELINE LITTLE and MADELINE EDWARDS It’s something quintessentially Charleston – turning the knob of an antique wooden door to step onto an elongated veranda, shielded from the public eye of the streets. Charleston’s doorways and entrances are unique treasures, vestigial artifacts of the “Southern hospitality” tradition, small but vibrant pieces of the historic beauty of South Carolina’s Holy City. Can you find these doorways from around town?

1: A symbol of Charleston’s elegant architectural decay, I’m still standing strong after all these years. Inhale the scent of freshly-toasted sandwiches as you take in the fiery reds and burnt oranges of my gracefully aging bricks. 2: If you grow weary of rows of Greek letters, take a more refined turn down a quiet side street, and find yourself amongst the stately homes of Charleston’s finest. It’s here that I live, nestled amongst the private gardens and authentic Charleston-style verandas of the city’s historic houses. 3: I’ll be the first to admit – I’m one of the Holy City’s plainer-looking houses. But if Greek-style debauchery is what you desire, look no further and come pay a visit. 4: Though its skyline of steeples makes this city holy, within my doors you won’t find any priests. Scroll through your memory, light a candle (or eight) to guide your way, and find yourself beneath my Doric columns. 5: They say beauty lies within – and the checkered black and white tiles of my doorway only hint at the

1 antique elegance within my walls. As tall Greek letters look onward from around me, here I sit quietly in my subdued Charlestonian beauty. 6: Before you make your munchies-induced way to King Street’s pizza joint of a similar name, walk through my doors and indulge your inner peace-loving, all-natural hippie.

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November 19

ANSWERS: 1: 89 Wentworth Street 2: 12 Montagu Street 3: Pi Kappa Phi House, 43 Coming Street 4: Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, 90 Hasell Street 5: 21 Coming Street 6: Mellow Mood, 87 Hasell Street

5 4

SF The 12 Days of Nothing Special, Really as celebrated by The Swamp Fox by MADELINE LITTLE

The holidays are approaching again and every year they seem to come earlier. Christmas decorations emerge before Halloween even rears its ghoulish head, and Thanksgiving is almost glossed over in the rush to Dec. 25. This year, though, intrepid Swamp Fox reporters asked themselves, “What do people who don’t celebrate Christmas do during the holiday season?” We traveled across the College’s campus asking non-Christian students how they celebrate over winter break. Are you doing any of these fun winter activities?

AGNES MATTHEWS “Well, I suppose I’m not a Christian, but my family just really doesn’t observe any sort of holidays in general, ever. Whenever my sister and I brought home flyers from grade school about the holiday parties our classes were throwing, my dad threw the papers in the fireplace and yelled about how holidays were frivolity made up by Communists to stop us hard-working citizens from achieving our best, most productive lives. After my dad was arrested for assaulting a man in public for wearing an Easter Bunny costume, my mother said we were allowed to celebrate holidays however we wanted, but it’s just never really been my thing. Instead, I visit my college friends’ houses over break and observe their holiday activities. I don’t think they’re evil, I just want to know more.” ACTIVITY: STARING

know, people are always going on about how humans are descended from primates because we share 99 percent of our DNA, but humans and Pirates share over 99 percent of our DNA. Isn’t that fascinating? Anyway, it’s not traditional, but my friends and I usually rig a keg up to a mini paper-mache volcano and put up cardboard cutouts of almost-naked ladies in celebration of what awaits us in heaven: The Beer Volcano and the Stripper Factory. We are all touched by His noodly appendage!” ACTIVITY: BOOZE

EMILY (JUST EMILY)

“Oh, I don’t do anything special, really. I haven’t believed in holidays since my hamster died on Christmas morning when I was eight. I usually spend most of winter break catching up on making tiny panoramic dioramas of fictional locations, since all the work I’m doing to get my degree in biochemistry eats up most of my time during the semester. It really is true that you have to hate people to major in biochem. Then, I knit hamster sweaters for the local animal shelter. No one really accounts for how cold hamsters can get during the winter, especially in a drafty concrete building. On Christmas, I just spend the morning in deep contemplation on the lifespans of hamsters, and in the evening, go out to dinner with my STEWART GOMEZ “My Pastafarians mingle at a holiday celebration. Jewish friends at the Panda friends and I are all devout Express. Sometimes, we Pastafarians. We still decorate even splurge and go to the nice Chinese restaurant. Winter a tree, but we hang a Flying Spaghetti Monster at the top break is good.” and dress as pirates. Our female friends are especially ACTIVITIES: ARTS, CRAFTS, AND TAKEOUT WITH JEWS scantily clad pirate wenches, as the scripture dictates. You

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HANK JACKSON “Aw man, my roommates and I have the best winter vacation. The guys on the atheist forums we’re on gave us this radical idea: We go around with eggs, silly string and anything gross and rotten we have on hand, and trash houses with Christmas decorations. It’s pretty easy to get the rotten things, because we pretty much never clean our apartment, and I drive us out to the middle of the state to my upper-middle class neighborhood so there are plenty of nice-looking, Christian homes to wreck. My roommate Jacob usually tries to think of witty burns to silly string onto the sides of the houses as fast as possible, while Zach and I egg all the Christmas trees and angels. What do you mean, that’s illegal? Can you change our names? Wait, no, come back. Hey!” ACTIVITY: PROBABLY GETTING ARRESTED JONATHAN FRYER “ T h a t ’ s a g r e a t question! As the Emotion Lord will foretell, far Teenage athiests vandalize a house. in the future on Mars, the entirety of existence will be absorbed into one Wanker-Being as the great and kind Wankershim expands across the universe. BUCK HOLLINGSWORTH “Well, every year around While the Dawning of Wankershim is still far off, we Thanksgiving my family and I head out in our truck to a gather together in the winter and sit in deep thought about plant farm and knock a tree (like, a really specific tree) over how we humans can be more tender and emotionally with a sharp object, then pull it back home. Then we put close to one another. The winter is always the best time it up inside and slap some shiny pieces of metal and plastic to contemplate kindness given its icy embrace. Until the onto it, and let it slowly rot for at least two months. Then, day when we are absorbed into His divine wanker-being, toward the end of December, we take a bunch of really long after Wankershim escapes the Holo John and begins fuzzy, impractically sized socks labeled with our names to expand, we will sit, we will wait, and we will be kind. on them and tack them up onto the wall behind the tree. Everything’s always been Wankershim.” An old, wrinkly dude breaks into our home and puts stuff ACTIVITY: EVERYTHING’S ALWAYS BEEN WANKERSHIM under the tree, and steals all our cookies and milk on his way out, and his caribou get hoofprints and deer poop all over our roof. The stuff he leaves is usually pretty good, though, and after we figure out what it is, we head out to a big building where we listen to a pretty intense speech about a really nice dude who was technically a zombie. Wait, no, that is a religion, sorry; you asked about nonreligious stuff ? Usually, it’s warm enough to go muddin’.” ACTIVITY: MUDDIN’

Muddin’.

A native of the Underworld and spawn of a European Red Fox and an encyclopedia of Dark Arts, the Swamp Fox enjoys consuming the souls of the righteous, stealing pizza from the CisternYard office, and listening to trap music that always shakes the foundation of our building.

October 15

*All words from His Excellency The Swamp Fox are to be taken in jest. (Plain English: This is satire.)

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CisternYard Media

Published on Nov 1, 2015

The Yard: Volume 4 Issue 2

Published on Nov 1, 2015

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