ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
CATALYST
WALL PREVIEWS GROUP THERAPY pg.
3
pg.
10
ZOMBIES pg.
OCTOBER 7, 2015 VOLUME XXXIII ISSUE V
8
A student newspaper of New College of Florida
Prof.Shipman spearheads initiative to raise TA wage to $15 First-year student Chloe Baron watches as Music Theory I TA, second-year Sadé Holmes, leads a TA session.
BY GIULIA HEYWARD Chemistry students who are teaching assistants (TAs) are making $15 per hour this semester – almost double the amount of any other TA for any other discipline. All thanks to one professor and some paperwork. “The wages for TAs haven’t changed since I’ve been a faculty
member here,” Professor of Chemistry Steve Shipman said. Shipman is a Gender Studies Program advisor and has been a faculty member since 2008. “At the same time though, minimum wage has gone up, gas prices have gone up, all of this other stuff has gone up. So now basically the TAs are earning a little bit more than minimum wage but, at the same time, the state cut back
Giulia Heyward/Catalyst
support for Bright Futures and their tuition has gone up. What’s happening is that our students are going to work more and more hours just to get by. I wanted to make a bold step to try to address that.” Shipman filled out an application to receive funding from the Faculty Development Fund in order to increase the salary for chemistry TAs from
$8.25, the standard for all other TAs, to $15 per hour. Shipman said he did not expect to receive funding, but wanted to apply in order to make a statement. Once he received news that his request had been approved, he sent out a copy of his application to the rest of the faculty in the Division of Natural Sciences to
continued on p. 11
Volkswagen defeat devices resulted in emissions levels 40 times greater than EPA regulations allowed Cars affected by the Volkswagen scandal:
BY AUDREY WARNE Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer and largest producer of cars in the world, has been found guilty of fitting more than 11 million cars with devices designed to outsmart environmental regulations on diesel emissions standards. The company denied any involvement in the development or implementation of so called “defeat devices” for more than a year, until last week, when the CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned. Approximately one third of Volskwagen’s market value has been wiped out since the news broke, and stock prices have steadily declined. For a company that marketed itself in the United States as “clean diesel” with a low environmental impact, the scandal was a significant blow to Volkswagen’s public image. Since 2009, diesel vehicles have made up approximately 15 percent of VW and Audi U.S. sales, although they represent less than 1 percent of cars on the road
WHAT’S INSIDE
VW Jetta, Beetle and Golf from years 2009-2015, the Passat from years 20142015, and the Audi A3 from years 2009-2015.
Kaylie Stokes/Catalyst
11 million cars were recalled potentially costing Volkswagon over $18 billion in the United States. Volkswagen is facing heavy fines as a result of the deception, from both United States and international institutions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could, in
5 HILLEL SUKKAH
theory, charge Volkswagen $37,500 for each vehicle sold not in compliance with U.S. emissions standards. With at least 482,000 VW and Audi cars sold in the United States involved in the allegations, Volkswagen could be
6 NOTHING ARTS
looking at more than $18 billion in fines. The number does not include the cost of fixing the engines in order to make them comply with emissions standards, a cost which Volkswagen has agreed to cover. “I think regulators everywhere will learn some lessons from this, in terms of how they monitor and how they do testing on vehicles,” said Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies Frank Alcock. “I think the industry will watch what happens to Volkswagen and not want that to happen to them. However, people and
continued on p. 11
12 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
BRIEFS
briefs by Sydney Kruljac
NASA confirms water on Mars For decades, people have questioned whether Mars can support life. Now, new research seems to confirm the existence of liquid water on the neighboring planet’s surface. “The discovery we’re going to talk about today is exciting because it suggests that it would be possible for there to be life on Mars today,” John Grunsfeld, an astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington said in a press release on Sept. 28. The findings come from discoveries found on the planet’s surface. Referred to as recurring slope lineae (RSL), these are dark streaks formed in late spring, that enlarge in summer and disappear by fall. The patterns were first discovered in 2010. Scientists are still unable to explain the growing and shrinking of the streaks. According to Nature Geoscience, scientists recounted evidence of hydrated salts on the slopes of the RSL in four areas. Salt deposits were only found where the RSL streaks were biggest, confirming the culprit of the molecular water observed was connected to the RSL streaks themselves, or to its development. Water is an essential element for the creation and sustainability of life. These findings could lead to potential habitable conditions on Mars earthlings have only fantasized about. “We’ve known for a while that
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Evidence of water on Mars has been confirmed by NASA.
water is there, but we always assumed it was frozen,” Madison Smith, a thirdyear astronomy teaching assistant (TA), said. “Now that we know there’s liquid water, there’s a much higher chance that there’s life as well.” The announcement of water on Mars came just a few days before the release of “The Martian,” a movie starring Matt Damon, and based off the novel by Andy Weir. The film depicts an astronaut as he tries to survive on the planet after he is left for dead during a mission to Mars. The movie and major findings go hand-in-hand as NASA
begins to focus on its “Journey to Mars” plan, intended to launch humans to the red planet by 2030. “There’s been a lot of attention to exoplanets in the news recently, as they’re looking for life in other solar systems,” Smith said. “But hearing that we might not have to look that far away from home is one of the coolest discoveries in astronomy in the past several years.” Information for this article was taken from newsweek.com, nytimes.com and nature.com.
Task Force Updates Donal O’Shea and members of the Task Force met with a group of about 70 students to discuss Task Force recommendations and the next steps to see them through. Student feedback at the meeting, held on Sept. 21, called for different specialized groups within the Task Force. “It was clear from the discussion and from the open meeting that [Provost] Steve Miles and I had the week before that there is much grief, mistrust and hurt among students and other community members,” O’Shea said in an email to the New College community. “So, in addition, my staff and I will work with the [New College Student Alliance (NCSA)] and others to repair relations among various groups in our community.” Four working groups were established at the meeting: Student Code of Conduct, Community Board, Wellness and Outdoor Spaces. The
four groups will consist of students, faculty and staff. “I think these groups look promising,” second-year and Task Force member Lorraine Cruz said. “However, I feel like we can’t be too quick to judge how effective it will be because this is a new process for all of us and we’re just learning.” The Student Code of Conduct group will model the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) policies in the New College student code of conduct after the policies at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. The group will include General Counsel Mark St. Louis and Dean of Students Tracy Murry. The Community Board group will look at the role the community board plays. The community board serves as a court structure that evaluates students who have violated the student code of conduct. This group will observe past community board procedures and
“This revolution has gotten out of hand.” © 2015, the Catalyst. All rights reserved. The Catalyst is available online at www.ncfcatalyst.com, facebook.com/NCFcatalyst, @ncfcatalyst The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Lab using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign and printed at Sun Coast Press with funds provided by the New College Student Alliance.
discuss how it enforces community standards. The Wellness group will work on finding “positive programming options” while working alongside Health Educator Amanda “Mandy” Parente on other future plans. The final group, Outdoor Spaces, will establish new ways to improve the campus aesthetically. This includes recommending areas in which smoking is or is not permitted, and providing students with spaces for relaxation, wellness and fitness. “I think this process of implementing the task force recommendations has a more important focus which is to restore our sense of community and to regard each other with respect and create a communication flow between faculty, administration and the student body,” Cruz said.
General Editor Managing Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Layout Editors Staff Writers & Photographers
Kaylie Stokes Pariesa Young Yadira Lopez Caitlyn Ralph Haley Jordan & Audrey Warne Bianca Benedí, Katelyn Grimmett, Giulia Heyward, Sydney Kruljac, Jasmine Respess, Ryan Paice, Dylan Pryor, Angela Duda
PAGE 2
KY and NC fail to handle rape cases properly Among many other states, Kentucky and North Carolina have placed themselves in the spotlight for failing to handle examinations in rape cases. More than 3,000 rape kits were never tested in Kentucky, and 333 rape kits were destroyed in North Carolina to make room for evidence. DNA from rape kits can be used to determine suspects, strengthen criminal cases or clear those who were falsely accused. North Carolina’s destroyed kits were accumulated between the years 1995 and 2008. According to Billy West, North Carolina’s Cumberland County prosecutor, no one within the police department will face any charges for destroying the kits. By some estimates, there are at least 400,000 rape kits still sitting untested in labs around the United States. An investment of $41 million by the federal government was sanctioned to help minimize the amount of kits that go untested. In Kentucky, the average time allowed to analyze a kit is eight months and is only rising. “This is unacceptable,” state auditor Adam Edelen said in an interview with CNN. “Far too many rapists are walking the streets while the evidence needed to put them behind bars is collecting dust.” Recently, apprehensions about how seriously rape kits have been handled have surfaced. In an article published by USA Today in July, it was reported that there were tens of thousands of rape kits that remain untested in states such as Indiana, California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Many of the law enforcement agencies have never counted or kept inventory of the rape kits in their evidence rooms. “It’s important for a moment to get beyond just the number, and to understand that these really do represent the most fragile of human lives,” Edelen told CNN. Correction: In Issue 3, we incorrectly stated that the CEO received a grant. The money was actually reinstated by the Board of Governors to the College as a whole through collaborative efforts that the CEO was one part of. Direct submissions, letters, announcements and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5800 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, Florida 34243 ncfcatalyst@gmail.com The Catalyst reserves the right to edit all submissions for grammar, space and style. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Submissions must be received by 12:00 p.m. Friday for consideration in the next issue.
CATALYST
ON CAMPUS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
PAGE 3
Pei court deals with vandalism BY JASMINE RESPESS Pei community areas have recently been facing issues with vandalism. Although vandalism has always been accounted for with a small fee that is charged to the student body as a whole, this fee has been increased from a couple cents to $3. If those responsible for the damage come forward or are otherwise identified, the culprits will be charged individually. If the vandalism is found to be a serious issue, those found responsible are referred to a judicial board. Housing and the student government are working to establish a process and policy to address the vandalism. “Most of our vandalism has been restricted to the PEI II community areas,” Mark Stier, associate dean of student life, said in an email. “Typically when vandalism occurs housing will send out an announcement to the impacted community. If the person(s) responsible come forward we then ask them to make restitution. If this does
Kaylie Stokes/Catalyst
Vandalism in the Second Court lounge bathroom was found within the first three weeks of this school year.
not occur then we would normally charge the entire community a set fee.” Whatever surplus remains from the fee will be put in a fund to keep the standard fee for vandalism at $3. The
fund can also be used in cases where the amount of money needed to cover the cost of vandalism can be taken out of the fund without the student body being charged at all.
“Recently there has been a lot of graphic graffiti in second court lounge,” second-year and residence life representative Donnella Aldrich said. Reports of shattered glass in Pei have also increased. “In third court, there have also been instances of the kitchen area being wrecked,” Aldrich said. Although, all unsanctioned writing on buildings as well as other modifications that are not pre-approved are not permitted. Some acts of vandalism are viewed differently than others. “There was some writing in second court that was actually an inspirational quote,” RA and second-year Maria Simmerling said. Simmerling was of the opinion that vandalism has actually decreased in the years that she has attended New College. “It is hard to know who is responsible for the vandalism,” Aldrich said.
CWC normalizes mental illness and identity struggles with three group therapy sessions BY ANGELA DUDA The Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) will offer three groupcounseling sessions this semester: Understanding Self and Others, Effectiveness for Everyday Living (EFEDL), and Voices in Process (VIP). Each group is geared towards a different facet of mental and emotional health. Among these facets are the management of mental illness, strengthening of interpersonal relationships and support for marginalized racial and ethnic identities. Associate Program Director Dr. Eric Rosmith and Visiting Counseling Specialists Keith Kokseng and Duane Khan will facilitate the three groups respectively. These services are free for students and are open to those attending either New College or the University of South Florida Sarasota–Manatee (USFSM). In order to become a group member, a student must first contact the CWC at (941)487-4254 and schedule a group screening. While the process appears intimidating, a large portion of the screening is meant to engage the student and discuss the rules and guidelines for group counseling. A CWC staff member will also talk with the student to make sure the group is appropriate for the student’s needs. “During the screening, we might discover that [the student] may be more suited to individual therapy, and so we’ll suggest that instead,” Rosmith explained. If more convenient, one may also visit in person to schedule an appointment. Students in the group therapy sessions will never be pressured to speak. “These sessions all derive from the three basic forms of group therapy:
interpersonal, skill-learning and support-based discussion,” Rosmith said. Rosmith encouraged newcomers to the CWC. “[The groups] are very important not only for someone currently in individual treatment, but for those who are not. It sounds kind of scary to do group counseling, but once the students experience it, [the fear] will ease.” The first group, Understanding Self and Others, focuses on treating self-harm, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts through discussion. Rosmith emphasized the importance of students supporting and guiding one another out of isolation. Students will also learn coping and interpersonal skills while attending the group. “I envision us having a rotating schedule of groups,” Rosmith said. “I would like this to be an option every semester.” Interested students will meet weekly on Fridays from 10:30 a.m.-11:45a.m. “This form of group therapy, a mixture of skill-learning and interpersonal relationship building, is very important. Very powerful,” Rosmith said. To determine one’s values and goals, or manage and regulate one’s emotions and interpersonal relations, attend Kokseng’s Effectiveness for Everyday Living. “[EFEDL] is a chance for people to learn more about how they interact with others and how others interact with them,” Kokseng said. The session will be co-facilitated by Catherine Tallent and occurs weekly on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Over the next few weeks, the group will remain open to newcomers but will be capped at around 8-10 people. EFEDL is mainly an interpersonal
photo courtesy of Keith Kokseng
“An identity is questioned only when it is menaced, as when the mighty begin to fall, or when the wretched begin to rise, or when the stranger enters the gates, never, thereafter, to be a stranger. Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self: in which case, it is best that the garment be loose, a little like the robes of the desert, through which one’s nakedness can always be felt, and sometimes, discerned. This trust in one’s nakedness is all that gives one the power to change one’s robes. “ - James Baldwin
process group. “’I’ve had the most impactful experiences with [interpersonal process] groups. It’s one of my favorite things to do in counseling,” Kokseng said. “I believe there is not a good outlet for racial and ethnic marginalized identities on campus,” Khan said. His perspective led to the creation of Voices in Process, a non-evaluative, validating group where people aren’t obligated to be politically correct. “Social justice is alive and well on campus. What’s not talked about enough...is other parts of marginalized identities. That makes identity development very difficult.” VIP will serve as a safe space
for students who identify with a marginalized racial or ethnic identity and process the difficulties of using a voice they’re not often allowed to use. Participants will meet weekly on Thursday’s from 3:30 p.m-4:45 p.m. VIP is a hybrid support group based on interpersonal interactions within a multicultural framework. “This new group is being tried out on different campuses across the country,” Khan said. “Because there’s a writing component – I’m not going to make it
continued on p. 11
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
Clash between local governments pauses homelessness meeting BY PARIESA YOUNG A pattern of disagreement between the city and county of Sarasota has led to a series of stalemates on serious local issues. Since County commissioners voted not to renew funding to the Downtown Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), they have clashed with the City of Sarasota on multiple fronts, leading the city to consider reneging on a joint meeting on homelessness. The Sarasota CRA provided nearly $100 million in funds to blighted areas using tax-increment financing revenue – an amount of property tax revenue collected from the downtown area dedicated to redevelopment. The funds are split between downtown and Newtown to fund community projects credited with revitalizing Sarasota’s cultural center such as Five Points Park, the Downtown Whole Foods and Bayfront Park. After nearly three decades, the CRA will end on Sept. 2016. On Sept. 21, the County Commission voted unanimously to end the CRA and no members of the public spoke at the open meeting held to discuss the decision. Commissioner Paul Caragiulo praised the CRA but said that it was time to start something
new. According to the Herald-Tribune, Caragiulo said he doesn’t see the blight in the downtown area, which receives half of CRA funding. However, this decision also halts funding to Newtown, which officials agree is in need of redevelopment and targeted community projects. Although there is another CRA dedicated to Newtown which does not expire for more than 40 years, the tax revenue collected from the locality is not great enough to fund at the same caliber as the downtown CRA. The county recently renewed its Community Reinvestment Program which may replace funding for some projects the CRA would have . The city met on Oct. 1 to discuss continuing to invest a portion of their tax revenues into community projects. “If the county isn’t going to participate, we would still have an economic development tool in place,” City Manager Tom Barwin said to the Observer. “The resources could still be shared along the lines of the current policy.” Many city officials felt blindsided by the county’s decision and reported that this may affect the city’s decision to attend a meeting on homelessness with the county scheduled for Nov. 6. “What are we going to benefit
unless everybody just wants a picture-taking session with county commissioners to say how well we get along,” Mayor Willie Shaw said, according to the Herald-Tribune. “What are we going to walk away with?” The city and county have been at odds over how to handle Sarasota’s rising homeless population for more than two years, since the city stood in opposition to a county recommendation to build a shelter within city limits, near Newtown. City commissioners argue that solving problems of blight, crime and unemployment – which occur at higher rates in Newtown than downtown – may lie in redevelopment, not a shelter. The city has also supported a Housing First approach to divert resources to find permanent, stable housing for houseless people rather than a temporary shelter. For now, city and county rest in gridlock over key social issues affecting low-income populations in Sarasota. Cooperation between these governing bodies has major implications for the welfare of Sarasota’s residents and future community development. Information for this article was taken from scgov.com and sarasotagov.com
2015-2016 NBA season preview BY RYAN PAICE While the Golden State Warriors were the 2014-2015 NBA champions, and Kevin Durant is looking to be fully healthy to join last year MVP candidate Russell Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs were the undisputed winners of the offseason and look to take the Western Conference back after losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs. After acquiring LaMarcus Aldridge as an unrestricted free agent from the Portland Trailblazers and signing unrestricted free agent David West away from the Indiana Pacers, the Spurs now have a young star in Aldridge to play next to living legend Tim Duncan before he retires, and a starting caliber power forward coming off of the bench in West. San Antonio did lose a couple of decent role players in paying for Aldridge and West, but the value that those two bring is incomparable to the leaving value of players such as Cory Joseph and Marco Bellineli. Having sat out large chunks of last season – leaving Russell Westbrook to carry the Thunder on his back only to fail to make the playoffs – Kevin Durant is reportedly back and looking to return to his 2013-2014 MVP form. Last season, when Durant and Westbrook both played, Oklahoma City dominated with an unstoppable offense led by the two. If Durant can return to being one of the best two players in the world as he was before, and rejoin Westbrook and a
surprisingly effective Enes Kanter, the Thunder could challenge any team in the league. Along with the Spurs and the Warriors, the Thunder are one of the three truly elite teams in the Western Conference. While the Spurs, Warriors and Thunder make up the best of the best of the West, the conference is overloaded with talented teams, and the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers have both made significant changes over the offseason. The Rockets, led by offensive juggernaut James Harden and elite rim protector Dwight Howard, traded for the troubled Ty Lawson after a DUI and other drama forced his departure from the Denver Nuggets. Lawson, a fringe all-star caliber player, gives Houston another star to share the load that Harden has been carrying almost singlehandedly. The Clippers, on the other hand, dramatically re-signed Deandre Jordan out of the Mark Cuban-led Dallas Mavericks, and also signed aging but still effective free agents Paul Pierce and Josh Smith. With Jordan, the Clippers retained their seemingly championshipworthy core of he, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. With Pierce and Smith the Clippers acquired gritty veteran players that provide excellent depth for the Clippers, and the freshly-traded-for Lance Stephenson puts the cherry on top. The array of personalities might be intimidating to deal with and cause some skepticism over their potential, but general manager Doc Rivers has
done an impressive job bolstering the team with talent that might have had the team in true contention last season. In the Eastern Conference talent is not nearly as abundant as in the West, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only real championship contender. On the heels of their 4-2 series loss to the golden State Warriors in the 20142015 NBA Finals – where both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were injured and sitting out – LeBron James and his now-healthy teammates should be able to dominate the East. Despite the ongoing Tristan Thompson’s contract drama, the Cavaliers’ best players have returned and the depth of role players has been mostly kept intact. Unless another team in the East can catch up, the Cavs should be right back in the Finals. There are very few legitimate challengers in the East, but the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat seem to have their hopes the highest. The Bulls have been attempting to edge LeBron out of the playoffs for years now – only for their hopes to break with the tumultuous health of Derrick Rose. With Rose’s knee injuries already in midseason form, Chicago will have to rely on a vastly improved and budding star in Jimmy Butler, and the grisly veteran Pau Gasol. Evidenced by last season’s results, Butler and Gasol have a ways to go until they can seriously
continued on p. 11
NEWS PAGE 4
NCSA Weekly Updates BY CAITLYN RALPH The NCSA Executive Cabinet released its updates from August and September to inform the student body of what has been accomplished in the past two months. Updates from the vice president of green affairs (VPGA), second-year Adilyne McKinlay, included a meeting with the Bike Shoppe and Physical Plant. The Council of Green Affairs (CGA) and McKinlay also conducted intermittent Hamilton Center plate collections around the dorms. Vice president of academic affairs (VPAA), thesis student Kira Rib, attended faculty meetings, held the first Council of Academic Affairs (CAA) Allocation Session, and appointed thesis student James Esposito as the writing program representative and second-year Lizabelt Avila as the international studies representative. The first Council of Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) meeting was held by the vice president of diversity and inclusion (VPDI), thesis student Raina Senae. Senae also addressed broken overpass railings and the Four Winds Cafe automatic door opener, met with President O’Shea’s Diversity Committee, and drafted the duties and expectations for the new accessibility rep position. The position is up for approval at tonight’s Towne Meeting, which will be held in Palm Court at 6:00 p.m. Vice President of Student Life (VPSL) and thesis student Taylor Toro helped appoint the two new Police Liaisons, the Resident Advisor (RA) Representative, and the Residential Life Representative. Vice President of Relations and Financial Affairs (VPRFA) and thesis student Daniella “Dannie” Benedi attended the Florida Student Government District retreat and Florida Student Association’s Polithon and had numerous meetings, including with Associate Dean of Student Affairs Mark Stier, Vice President of Finance and Administration John Martin, and Assistant Director of Alumni Association Glen Van Der Molen. Executive Secretary and thesis student Bianca Benedi updated the website with all new NCSA employees and representatives, obtained a scanner for the Archive room, and sent out a survey for NCSA information. All Cabinet members also attended many Orientation events, monthly Towne Meetings, and weekly Cabinet Meetings, and also held weekly office hours.
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
Nurse Practioner Erin Comerford joins CWC staff get that feeling, you have to follow it.” Although Comerford and Nurse In August, the Counseling and Practitioner Michele Lipman are Wellness Center (CWC) welcomed new limited in what medications they can prescribe, as well as the physical nurse practitioner Erin Comerford. Comerford became a registered exams they can perform, Comerford nurse in 1990 and later returned to is confident that between Lipman and school for her Master’s degree, becoming her they can diagnose and remedy any a nurse practitioner in 2000. “I mostly problem. Comerford said that most of the patients she has work with elderly I just felt like I needed seen so far have come people,” Comerford said, adding that to keep going in my to the CWC for colds, minor accidents or ant she was intrigued education and career bites. by the prospect “They don’t of working with a so I became a nurse have them in cooler younger crowd. practitioner. If you climates,” Comerford Comerford was raised ever get that feeling, said. “But these ants, if you are just standing in Scranton, you have to follow it. in the lawn, they will Pennsylvania , crawl up you while you attended college at Virgina Commonwealth University, don’t even realize they’re on you, and and has been in Sarasota for the past then all of a sudden they decide to bite 10 years. Comerford has been resolute you all at once! They should offer some about her career since she was young. “I kind of introduction to Florida course.” Lipman knew Comerford previous always knew I was going to be a nurse, I don’t know why,” Comerford said. “And to their new positions. Lipman then I just felt like I needed to keep contacted Comerford about coming to going in my education and career so I New College. “She was really excited became a nurse practitioner. If you ever about it and so was I,” she said. “I love
BY HALEY JORDAN
Hillel shares sukkah with NCF
the people here, we have a good time. The students are really great, and I’m learning from them.” When Comerford is not frequenting the beach or bike riding, she is working at other facilities. “I love old people, and I’m in a good place for it,” she laughed. Comerford fills in for friends at various nursing homes. “I’m a substitute nurse practitioner,” she said. “That’s what I tell people.” Comerford currently plans on staying in Sarasota. “I love the community, there’s always stuff going on,” she said. “I haven’t even done half of it yet, and I’ve been here for 10 years!” Comerford said that she has yet to see much of campus, and has not been to the College Hall or the bay front. “I was kind of worried they’d be like ‘who’s this strange women, let’s call the police.’” Comerford said she is looking forward to learning from a new and diverse group of people and getting to know campus. “I guess I have to step out of the clinic first,” she said. “But I just take it day by day, and learn something new each day.”
BY SYDNEY KRULJAC
Hillel is known on campus for its events promoting a stronger sense of community through various Jewish traditions and values. Three weeks ago, the club held its first event this year, a barbeque near Dort and Goldstein to celebrate the beginning of Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year. Hillel’s celebration of one of the first holidays of the New Year was marked by the appearance of what many students have referred to as a “white tent in the middle of Z green.” The white tent was a structure known as a sukkah, and is a tradition of the holiday Sukkot. In contrast with the previous holiday, the solemn Yom Kippur, Sukkot is one of the most joyous holidays of the year and commemorates the 40-year period during which the people of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters called sukkahs. In an agricultural context, Sukkot functions as a harvest festival. Sukkah literally means “booth.” A sukkah is typically built for the duration of the 7-day period of Sukkot. A few activities done by Hillel over the course of Sukkot included a decorating session, a Lunch and Learn with Professor Susan Marks, and an evening Havdallah ceremony. The sukkah was also open for use by all students throughout the week, and in a forum email, club Co-President Kira Rib invited students to “feel free to eat, read a book, or take a nap under the sukkah this weekend.”
If one were to turn on the radio and listen to WSLR 96.5 Sarasota Community Radio on Saturday nights, one might hear anything from surfer punk to electronic music. The nighttime slot dedicated to New Radio New College can be described as none other than eclectic. “That’s probably true,” thesis student and New Radio show host Zane Plattor said. “When I bring people in it’s very eclectic. What I end up playing is house music, because that’s what I would want to hear if I was driving on a Saturday night. The only thing you can’t do on WSLR is you can’t play anything you might hear on a commercial radio station.” Plattor and thesis student Kay Saffe, both hailing from Miami, were inspired by the University of Miami’s college radio station and decided to explore the history of New College radio stations through an Independent Study Project (ISP) two years ago. They found that the NCSA owned the license to WSLR until 2009, creating a connection between the radio station and the college. “We kind of realized that we have a contractual association with WSLR,”
Submit to the Catalyst! Send your opinion pieces, poems, short fiction, complaints, letters, photos and more to ncfcatalyst@ gmail.com by Sunday to be published in the following week’s issue. We look forward to having your work featured in the paper.
Plattor said. “WSLR started on our campus and we kind of realized we have a radio station already. They have to have a student on the board, a student on the programming committee, and they have to give preference to student programmers.” The ISP led to the first show of what is now New Radio New College in May 2013, hosted by Plattor and Saffe. “Ideally what New Radio New College is, it’s just like a slot for New College kids that can kind of be rotating,” Plattor said. “It can be anybody that can go in and program as long as they’re a student and they’re trained.” Due to lack of student involvement New Radio has only been given a time slot once a week. “If we had actual student involvement, it could be a large part of student programming,” Plattor said. “I feel like students want to get involved, but get intimidated because they don’t really understand or they kind of ask me how to get involved and they don’t really have any idea how they want to get involved.” Today, WSLR is nestled in downtown Sarasota within close proximity of its New College roots, and continues to grant student internships and provide a community space.
“The only thing you can’t do on WSLR is you can’t play anything you might hear on a commercial radio station.”
Hillel decorated the sukkah on Sept. 28.
Hillel will continue to share Jewish tradition and holidays with the rest of New College in the weeks to follow, and all interested students are encouraged to participate. Information for this article was taken from www.jewfaq.org
PAGE 5
New Radio New College on the airwaves
BY DYLAN PRYOR
image courtesy of Hillel
NEWS
Nothing Arts Center is organized in such a way that the major seating areas face the main stage, focusing attention on the act playing.
Nothing Arts Recent alums establish art center in Sarasota all photos Caitlyn Ralph/Catalyst
Thesis student Kamron Scruggs performs with his project River Mulraney at Nothing’s songwriter showcase last Thursday.
BY GIULIA HEYWARD AND CAITLYN RALPH
While waiting for the show to start, many visitors populated the welcoming living set situated at the entrance, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere. The decorations within Nothing’s warehouse set-up add a unique charm to the intricately designed space.
Aiming to be more than just a music venue, Nothing contains a zine library to dispense information that empowers local youth.
A “capitalism” tombstone greets guests as they enter Nothing representing one of the Art Center’s ideologies.
Thesis student Bradley Baker plays songs under the title “Obvious Objects.”
Nothing sets itself apart from other art centers No wall is left uncovered physically through its at Nothing; the arts center unique decorations and displays posters amongst metaphorically through its the other decorations. empowering messages. If New College were to grow legs and walk several miles away onto University and make its way to a warehouse on Goodrich Avenue, it would be called Nothing Arts Center. This is the older, more liberated and safer New College: a place where musicians and the audience crack jokes between each other in between songs. Where attendees stop to pose in some of the eclectic artwork around the warehouse, and the atmosphere feels as if everyone is sharing an inside joke with each other. Nothing Arts Center aims to be an inclusive, safe community gathering space that simultaneously entertains through art performances and educates through information exchange. Already making a name for itself with regular concerts that bring acts from around the state and even country, the center also hosts a zine library. Contained within the “Radical Resource Center,” Nothing’s zine library provides content on topics ranging from feminism to LGBTQ to politics to mental health. The breadth of information reflects Nothing’s initiative to empower local youth. Housed in a warehouse on Goodrich Avenue, Nothing’s welcoming atmosphere is contagious. A living room set complete with a cozy lamp is situated next to the entrance. Upon entering, guests are greeted by sensory explosions of color, eye-catchingly unique decorations, a large projector
screen, the zine library, and fluffy cloud figures hanging from the ceiling. “I hated shows until I came to New College,” alum Dyl Robitaille (‘10) said. Robitaille is affectionately referred to as the “brainchild” of Nothing Arts Center. “New College has really been awesome because I feel safe and comfortable being up front watching people perform and being able to see their equipment and what pedals they were using.” The concept of a “safe(r) space” is something Nothing takes very seriously. Adorned with a New College inspired “don’t be that asshole” motto, Nothing’s no-tolerance policy wishes to “fight discrimination, stigmatization and oppression on a community scale” by banning “racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, classist, ableist or ageist speech/action.” Many events are allages and substance-free. “Running a very small venue, you don’t have that leeway to really allow people to drink,” thesis student Hedda Cooper said. Cooper is a co-founder of the center. “That’s a really important part of what we do.” “It also factors into safer spaces,” Robitaille said. “There aren’t very many places where you can go to where social drinking isn’t a part of the social setting that you are in. [...] When you are trying to go and see new people, or go out to see the band, or do these things, there are not many spaces where you can do that without the social setting being tied into alcohol consumption.”
Advertising a DIT - “do it together” - ethos, Nothing is run by volunteers, mostly New College students and alums. Alongside live music, Nothing presents movies and displays local art. Their Void Membership includes full access to the space for art creation at $50 a month. Nothing also accepts donations that help keep the center running. Last Thursday, Oct. 1, Nothing Arts Center held a songwriting showcase featuring acts such as thesis student Bradley “Brad” Baker’s “Obvious Objects” and thesis student Kamron Scruggs and recent alum Nathan Benjamin’s project “River Mulraney.” Other musicians included Dis Missive from Sarasota, Brogan from Tampa, and Jon E. Erkkilä from New Jersey. Acknowledging their ideal location, next to New College, Ringling College and downtown, Nothing wants to become a community center that showcases performance art and circulates ideas. The center has volunteer applications on their website, where individuals can sign up to volunteer and become a part of the team. “I am really passionate about creativity and community,” Cooper said. “I was looking for somewhere that really had inclusivity and active inclusivity in mind in its construction.” Volunteer applications, future events, and more can be found on the Nothing Arts Facebook page, tumblr and Instagram account.
First-year and Nothing Arts Volunteer Eli Weiss manages the projection on a large screen opposite from the stage.
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
PAGE 8
An exclusive look at this year’s Zombies BY GIULIA HEYWARD This year’s Humans vs. Zombies promises to be bigger, better and, surprisingly, safer. Humans vs. Zombies is an event in which “human” players, in order to survive, must avoid getting tagged by the infected population – a mix of designated zombies or “Zombie Primes” – for an entire week. Last year was one of the few times in which three first-year students, Jace Johnson, Ida Pettersson and Lorraine Cruz, were the sole survivors. Cruz, this year’s Game Master of Humans vs. Zombies, has already begun working on the game in conjunction with secondyear student Meijing Bernard and thesis student Wesley Thorp, who is in charge of the game’s storyline. The team is currently unsure of when the game will actually take place. Traditionally, Humans vs. Zombies occurs on the week leading up to Halloween weekend, which has been the same week leading up to Halloween’s Center of the Universe Party (COUP), formerly known as Palm Court Party (PCP). This year, Halloween COUP will take place the week following Halloween weekend due to scheduling issues with the Black Box Theatre (BBT). “We are really trying to take students’ schedules into account,” Cruz said. “We need to pay attention to students’ workloads, so we are trying to see which week will be less intensive.” Cruz said that several students in the Natural Sciences department have already contacted her about upcoming exams that will make playing the game stressful depending on what week the game falls on. Cruz plans on sending a survey to the [forum] prior to the event in order to get more student feedback. Currently, the team is unsure of what feats and challenges – events where humans can receive extra points and zombies can tag more humans – will occur this year. However, Cruz is already certain of the storyline she wants Thorp to plan. “We are really trying to create a
image courtesy of Adilyne McKinlay
(from left to right) Thesis student Wesley Thorp, second-years Jace Johnson, Lorraine Cruz, Jewel Morrison and Ida Pettersson at last year’s Zombies. Cruz was one of three first-year students who survived last year’s Zombies. She returns this year as Game Master.
story that encompasses a lot of New College,” Cruz said. “We want to include the history of Humans vs. Zombies, the past Zombie Primes, and the winners from last year to come together. But that’s just only one of the ideas that we are thinking of right now.” The team’s main focus is the implementation of safety procedures and protocol in order to ensure that this year’s game will be much safer than it has been in years past. “The rules and regulations of the game are really vague and need to be made explicit,” Cruz said. “I think the Game Master should be involved such that they are in charge of the game, but they shouldn’t consistently be answering questions because there should be valid, reliable rules. [...] We are going to try to change the contestation system and organize the rules so that we can have a more consistent system that can continued to be used for later
on.”
would plan what we would do during an With this year’s large incoming apocalypse and [last year] felt as if my class, this creates an opportunity dreams were finally coming true,” Cruz for this year’s game to feature a said. “It was really awesome. We would disproportionate amount of first-year wake up really early, go to the building students in comparison to everyone of our class, try to pay attention in else. Cruz recalls what the experience class, wait until you get leave with a was like both playing, and winning, the different group of people or you would game last year when she was a first-year have to go on your own. I definitely did student. things on my own “In high school, my friends and “It was a but I definitely also very stressful I would plan what we would do utilized everyone game,” Cruz during an apocalypse and [last else’s help.” said. “I lived it in Cruz recalls year] felt as if my dreams were every single way. a particularly finally coming true.” I did not sleep in stressful moment my room until where she had to the last day when I was finally able to trek from the residential side of campus make it back. I don’t know how I did it, all the way to Bonseigneur “Bon” House honestly.” by herself. Cruz credits her victory to a strong “It’s a really stimulating game,” background in competitive sports and Cruz said. “And I had a really great her love of the zombies genre. time.” “In high school, my friends and I
Radical Acts of Kindness returns BY HALEY JORDAN Radical Acts of Kindness is returning to New College with a new name but an old mission: to be, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “the change you wish to see in the world.” “When I was a student, the club was huge on campus,” said club creator and alum Maria Fidelibus. Fidelibus graduated in 2004, and currently works at New College as executive assistant for the dean. “I chose to name it ‘Radical Acts of Kindness,‘ because the original title is protected, being a non-profit, and because I believe radical change is needed on campus if we are going to foster a more positive atmosphere.” The club currently meets on Fridays at 7 p.m. in the Gender and Diversity Center for about an hour at a time. Newcomers are always welcome.
“The club is about paying it forward,” Fidelibus said. “It’s about doing something and expecting nothing in return.” Current members are brainstorming how to best serve the students and ways to surprise various campus departments with kindness. “When they used to do it in the past, for Valentine’s Day week they got flowers for the entire campus, they put one in everyone’s door, of course we were a lot smaller back then, there was only Pei, B Dorm, Dort and Goldstein. It fostered a positive energy on campus,” Fidelibus said. Radical Acts plans to focus on a different department on campus each month, as well as host a weeks worth of events for students. “Eight different departments are going to be treated in some way, and in addition to that we will be doing some
off-campus charity work,” Fidelibus said. Students voted on each department as well as chose four charities: Children First, the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, Community Haven and Mothers Helping Mothers. Volunteers also receive community service hours for their time. Children First offers an array of early childhood services. It serves more than 600 of Sarasota’s most vulnerable children – birth to 5 years old – and their families, with the ultimate goal of kindergarten readiness. Community Haven serves children, teenagers and adults with disabilities by providing therapy, education, socialization, housing, fitness, vocational training, job placement and recreation. A community anchor for more than 60 years, the Robert L. Taylor
Community Complex is a public facility dedicated to providing residents with a safe, clean, affordable and modern recreational facility for all ages. Mothers Helping Mothers has been providing basic necessities such as clothing and baby items to families in need since its establishment in 1990 and currently helps more than 6,000 families each year. “I was kind of test piloting this before I had the first club meeting,” Fidelibus said. “I made some strawberry lemonade and brownies and handed them out to students in front of Ham Center, and they were asking ‘why? What do you want?’ We are so conditioned to think that everyone has a motive, that we don’t trust good deeds, and it is just unfortunate. In light of recent events on campus, this campus is in dire need of some positivity, and I think everyone can agree that doing something nice for
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
FEATURES
Philosophy is dead SUBMITTED BY MILES ITON AND GIULIA HEYWARD When Stephen Hawking told the world that philosophy was dead five years ago, there was an outcry. Hundreds of thousands of people came out in defense of a body of work that questions phenomena in a way that no other discipline can do. Philosophy represents the ability to define all the phenomena we perceive in the world of being, and with that, creating an entire structure for the processes and ethical guidelines of human life. Philosophy is a discipline that questions why we exist. The first time we flipped open a page of Nietzsche or Kant that was assigned to us, it felt like reading a discussion we had always wanted to have. Philosophy made us better thinkers, made us more inquisitive. But for a discipline that tries to answer questions that pertain to all of us, why is all of the literature from the perspective of people with only one way of looking at the world, a perspective that is white and male? It’s a fact we all
know and yet we never address it. Not our professors, not our classmates, and apparently not its critics either. Historically, philosophy has been exclusionary. The fact that two black kids can even sit in a class and talk about Nietzsche is a product of the last hundred years and people forget it. Spoken Word artist Propaganda, in his song “Precious Puritans”, threw a simple yet deadly barb at the intellectuals of our time when he unabashedly told them it must be nice to have time to contemplate the stars. In a sense, every young philosopher has probably felt this sentiment at one point or another during their tenure in the field. . Our entire lives are a philosophy on our existences as the Other in society. The questions we ask are just a little more concerned with why our sphere of understanding is so vastly different from the people that we are assigned to read. So it is understandable why we feel somewhat perturbed as to how our philosophical prowess is determined by how deeply we can dissect the musings of white men in quite literally every
category of thought. We can smell the dead every time Immanuel Kant’s theories on moral categorical imperatives determine our professor’s perception of our philosophical aptitude. Kant never even left his hometown often enough (or at all, for that matter) to have the nerve to be the sole moral magistrate telling us the facticities of our being. That’s not to say that their ideas are immediately invalid because of their relation to us. We as people can have different lived experiences and still fall under a universal law. We can still be tied by universal experiences. But, in order to do this, we need an inclusive philosophical discourse. One where we can look at W.E.B. Dubois, Angela Davis, Marcus Garvey, Tupac Shakur, Audre Lorde, Cornel West, or bell hooks as pillars of philosophical discourse equal to Socrates and Plato. We can acknowledge our differences in a way that collectively allows ourselves to question existence together, even if we have to redefine a chunk of academia to find it. Philosophy may be dead, but our philosophy is on its way to being born.
Bizarro World: ‘Review’ tests life out in morbidly funny fashion SUBMITTED BY DAVID CANFIELD Andy Daly’s ruthless critical satire “Review” is the latest to join Comedy Central’s niche half-hour lineup. In its two years on-air, the series has delivered inconsequential ratings and an enthusiastic cult following, and might be less mainstream than anything we’ve seen from the network over the last decade. Its second season is uncompromising, bleak, strange and compulsively nasty – but also, at times, wildly funny. “Review” situates challenging but fascinating moral dilemmas within an appropriately meta context: the production of television. The opening credits find Forrest MacNeil (Daly) giddily introducing himself, explaining with pride that “rather than review food or books or movies,” he reviews “life itself.” He is, for all intents and purposes, a reviewer of life – a distinction he considers with curious importance. He evaluates various tasks on a five-star scale, and he works within comically strict critical parameters. In reality, of course, “Review” doesn’t present anything resembling “authentic” to Forrest. Participants’ questions, asked via email, video and Twitter, reflect aspects of life far removed from such minutiae. Instead, they push Forrest further and further: “What’s it like to join a cult?” “What’s it like to get a divorce?” “What’s it liked to kill somebody?” Disturbingly, he follows through – every time. Each episode begins in the “Review” studio. The space is flashy but also overtly artificial, dominated by deep shades of blue. Forrest is always accompanied by cheery assistant A.J. Gibbs (Megan Stevenson), a
woman who observes every terrible thing that happens to him with some combination of displaced eagerness and understandable concern. There’s also producer Grant (James Urbaniak), whose smarmy grin and sinister silence – especially when it comes down to whether Forrest will actually kill a person – invokes a startling degree of evil. Once Forrest gets his assignment, he exits the studio with the determination to carry it out. As realized by principal director Jeffrey Blitz, the aesthetic of the series fundamentally shifts from poorly-produced game show to humaninterest reality show. The artificiality of the production gives way to surprising realism. That, in essence, is “Review’s” critical focus. There’s clearly very little value to the fictional “Review” – or at least, it’s antithetical to Forrest’s conception of it – but once its “host” goes out into the world with a mission to accomplish, the absurdity of the conceit works in tandem with its actual effect on Forrest. Through his unconscionable commitment to the show, he gets deeper in the process of destroying his life, one episode at a time. Through this construct, “Review” touches on many themes. It subversively wrestles with TV as a commercial product, and criticism as valuable discourse, while also digging into some timely social issues such as “curing homosexuality.” (That one doesn’t go too well.) “Review” elicits an unavoidable sense of complicity for the viewer to contend with. Despite its many specific merits, the series chiefly succeeds by sucking its audience deeper and deeper into its abyss of ratings-grabbing, life-
destroying mania. By the end of the second season, Forrest is reduced to a prison inmate with only an imaginary friend by his side. Said friend is “stabbed” by a group of convicts, and Forrest is brought to tears, crumpled on the floor – the moment would be flat-out depressing, were it not so uncomfortably, brilliantly funny. The show edges closer to solving its mysteries in the second season finale, but only by having Forrest begin to question them himself (as in, going meta within meta). Tasked to evaluate “believing a conspiracy theory,” he asks legitimate and provocative questions that have long existed in the real “Review” audience’s mind: are Forrest’s tasks randomly decided, or does someone like Grant intentionally choose them? Why has Forrest nearly died 11 times? And what is “Review,” anyway? Forrest returns to his ex-wife, Suzanne (the great Jessica St. Clair) – whom he abruptly divorced after the show forced him to, and whose father he accidentally killed during the show’s mandated trip to outer space – to solve the dilemma. Equipped with a scruffy beard and crippling feelings of loneliness, he lays out his conspiracy theory. But Suzanne simply looks at him, tired, and explains that he’s to blame. Everything Forrest did he made the choice to do. And thus, his own decisions are why he’s left with nothing but a potential 12th near-death experience and a deceased imaginary friend. That journey of self-desecration is what makes “Review” such great,
continued on p. 11
PAGE 9
SWAlk About It SUBMITTED BY LARA GRAUERHOLZ-FISHER
Getting started on any kind of written assignment can be hard, but midterm and final papers are especially daunting. I’ve heard the phrase, “now I just need to write it,” countless times over the years, both from myself and others. While many first-years are intimidated by the length and organization expected from midterm papers, paper writing anxiety doesn’t just go away after your first paper is turned in. Writing a thesis is so notoriously scary in part because it’s unclear how you’re supposed to get started on such a massive project. For people who are hesitant to start writing because of the scale of the task, breaking it down into smaller chunks can help make it seem more feasible. Look at the prompt and identify which points need to be addressed. Make an outline if you haven’t already. Instead of sitting down to write an entire paper, plan to write it in smaller, more manageable chunks. For a midterm, that could mean writing a page. For a thesis, it could be the first three pages of your literature review. Set your own realistic goals for yourself based on what you know about your personal writing process. While starting papers can be difficult because it’s unclear how to start, it’s also hard to figure out where to start. It’s easy to fixate on the introduction, but you don’t necessarily have to write a paper in order. Start writing about the part of the paper in which you’re most interested. The hardest part about writing is often getting the first words down on paper. Once you’ve reminded yourself that you can do it, returning to the earlier paragraphs will be much easier. If you are struggling to start writing anything at all, try writing yourself a pep talk at the beginning. I like to be as colloquial as possible to ease myself into the writing process, but you can write whatever you want as long as it’s going to hype you up. Just be sure to mark it off clearly so you remember to delete it before turning the paper in. If nothing seems to be working, you can always come into the Writing Resource Center (WRC) for help in any stage of the process. It’s easy to get caught up in your head during midterms and sometimes just talking to another human can help. SWAlk About It is a weekly column written by a Student Writing Assistant and submitted to the Catalyst courtesy of the Writing Resource Center.
CATALYST
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
PAGE 10
Wall previews BY GIULIA HEYWARD Friday, Oct.9-Little Wall of Horrors Little Wall of Horrors will be hosted by third-year Shelly Lehman. The Wall is an homage to the 1960 horror film directed by Roger Corman. In the cult classic, a florist raises a plant that feeds on human flesh and, to no one’s surprise, the whole thing ends disastrously. Lehman promises to stream horror films from the 50s and 60s. The Wall will also feature hammocks and Halloween snacks as a preholiday event!
Want your event to be featured on our calendar? Email ncfcatalyst@ gmail.com by the Friday prior to your event.
Ecstatic wonder through the years BY BIANCA BENEDI The New College Student Alliance holds the NCSA constitution to be the primary text of the NCSA; it delineates the entire structure and attitude of our student alliance. Modern versions of the constitution contain plenty of funny quips of their own, but a November 1987 copy of the constitution shows how the NCSA has evolved over the past few decades. The jokes have remained as terrible as ever. According to a copy of the five-page 1987 constitution that was stored in the NCSA archives, the constitution has six founding fathers: alums Peter Tepley, Henry Smyth, Larry Lewack, Robert Lincoln, Don Thieme and Terry Hallman (modern copies of the constitution have since shed the heading denoting the founding fathers). Article I, “The President,” lists that the President will also be known as “‘The Grand Poo-Bah,” “Captain Kirk,” a reference to the captain of the USS Enterprise and main character of the 1960s show “Star Trek.” A subsection of Article I identifies the Secretary/ Treasurer, who is also known as “‘Uhuru’” [sic], the communications officer from the same show. Evidently the writers of this version of the constitution were total nerds. Article III, “The Student Affairs Council,” a precursor to both the modern Student Allocations Committee (SAC) and Committee of Student Life (CSL), has a subheading of “Bread
and Circuses,” whatever that means. Composed of six voting members, two students each from first years, second years, and third years or older, as well as several non-voting members such as Resident Advisors (RAs), the food committee, etc. Student Court in this era held more power than the modern version of this group. Along with all the duties they carry today, the court (“a.k.a. The Tribunal”, the constitution reads), the Student Court also held hearings for cases referred to them by Student Affairs and the police, similar to what the present-day Community Board looks like. The Towne Meeting (at the time officially titled the Student Assembly) was held every other week in 1987, as opposed to its current once-a-month schedule, and was chaired by the President of the NCSA rather than a Speaker, whose position is devoted entirely to running and chairing the Towne Meeting. The election codes of 1987, interestingly, have remained virtually unchanged, including the requirements for petitioning to appear on the ballot. Despite a fairly significant growth in student population, the number of signatures required to apply for a position in the NCSA remains now, as it was in 1987, 25 signatures for most positions and 50 signatures for a presidential nominee. However, the President would, according to the timeline laid out in Article VI,
assume their role the Monday after Thanksgiving, immediately after being elected. Article VII of the constitution lists the “Bill of Student Rights,” including the right to know all rights granted to students and the right to express their views freely. Not listed in this version of the constitution is a right clearly established in the modern version of the document, clearly stating that students are permitted to own dinosaurs, “however, any student wishing to raise velociraptors must reside either off campus or in B Dorm.” Apparently in 1987, students were denied the right to keep their own extinct reptilian friend. The final article of the 1987 constitution states the following in section 8.6: “The New College Student Alliance shall embrace the following symbols: A, Brownie the Dog as Mascot. B, Palm Court as the Center of the Universe. C, the old Sculpture and Ceramics Studio as School Slum. D, Our motto: ‘There’s more to running a starship than answering a bunch of damn fool questions!’ (This motto makes more sense when the President is labeled Captain Kirk). D, Our Mission: ‘That the natural state of man is ecstatic wonder! That we should not settle for les!!’” Our mascot has since changed to ‘[ ]’ and we no longer have an official School Slum, but the spirit more or less remains the same, and we still do demand no less than ecstatic wonder.
EVENTS: OCT. 7- OCT. 14 On Campus Wednesday, October 7 • 7-8:30 p.m. Yoga @ Fitness Center • 3:30 p.m. Chinese Culture Club @ LRC • 6:00 p.m. Towne Meeting • 7:00 p.m. Middle East Interest Club @ Old Mail Room
• 10:00 p.m. Little Wall of Horros
Thursday, October 8 • 5:00 p.m. League of Legends championship viewing party @ HCL 8 • 5:00 p.m. Council of Green Affairs meeting @ HCL7 • 11:00 a.m. Study Abraod Information Session @ Hamilton Center Cafeteria and Cook Library 141
• 10:00 p.m. Night of Fake Funksters
Friday, October 9
• 12:00 p.m. Feminist Fridays @ ACE Lounge
• 3:00-4:30 p.m. Yoga @ Fitness Center
• 6:00 p.m. Jesus Club @GDC • 8:00 p.m. Double Feature Picture Show @HCL 7
Saturday, October 10
• 2:00-3:30 p.m. Yoga @ Fitness Center
• 5:00 p.m. LARPing club @ Z Green • 8:00 p.m. Double Feature Picture Show @X Game Room
Wall
Off Campus Wednesday, October 7 • 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 7:00 p.m. Team Trivia @ Growler’s Pub • 8:00 p.m. free karaoke at Last Call Bar • 7:00 p.m. $6 International Folk Dances @ John Chidsey Bayfront Community Center
Sunday, October 11 • 7:00 p.m. VOX meeting @ GDC • &:30 p.m. Catholic Mass @ X game room
Thursday, October 8 • 5:00 p.m. Art after 5 @ Ringling Museum
Tuesday, October 13 • 4:30 p.m. Yoga @ Fitness Center • 6:00 p.m. Animal interest club @ GDC • 8:00 p.m. Latin X club @ old mail room
• 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta
Friday, October 9
Key Beach • 8:00 p.m. & 9:45 p.m. Ghost Tour @ Downtown Bradenton- $15 Saturday, October 10 • 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Dowtown Farmer’s Market • 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach • 9:00 p.m. Live music @ Growler’s
Pub • 8:00 p.m. & 9:45 p.m. Ghost Tour @ Downtown Bradenton- $15 Sunday, October 11 • 8:00 p.m. Game night @ Growler’s Pub • 10:00 a.m. Pumpkin Festival @ Fruitville Grove • 7:30 p.m. Multimedia showcase and live music @ Nothing Arts Center- $5 Monday, October 12
• 8:00-9:30 a.m. Free Yoga @ Siesta Key Beach
• 9:00 p.m. Karaoke @ Growler’s Pub
Tuesday, October 13 • 9:00 p.m. Open Mic @ Growler’s Pub
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
JUMPS
TA Salaries
PAGE 11
Volkswagen
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
encourage them to apply as well. “To the best of my knowledge, I am the only one who did,” Shipman said. “And that is why it’s only the chemistry people who are seeing the reward.” Chemistry TAs work roughly five to six hours per week. They help faculty members by often becoming co-authors to the research professors conduct. TAs also grade exams, tutor students and hold TA sessions. “It feels better working as an organic chemistry TA knowing that I make $15 an hour,” thesis student Zachary Decker said. Decker also works two other on-campus jobs in the Quantitative Research Center and the Writing Research Center. “It most certainly should extend to other TAs because I see no reason as to why Chemistry TAs should get special treatment over other TAs. It doesn’t make any sense.” Other TAs share this sentiment. “It would be nice to have the hourly pay be standard across the board, seeing as the high level of responsibility and commitment extends to all TAs,” second-year and Music Theory I TA Sadé Holmes said. Holmes holds TA sessions twice a week, conducts aural exams, and helps students with singing exercises and instrument training. Whether or not this could ever extend to other TAs is unclear. It’s also uncertain whether the $15 per hour rate for chemistry TAs will continue in the future “We’re definitely interested in finding ways to increase TA salaries,” Professor of Biochemistry and Natural Sciences Division Chair Katherine Walstrom said. “The problem is there are budgetary constraints. Last year, we went through and made sure that all of the TAs in the different divisions were making the same amount of money
because there were some differentials there.” Walstrom said that TA salaries have been an ongoing discussion topic for the past couple of weeks at the Academic Administrative Council (AAC), which includes all three division chairs. “The chairs are sort of reviewing what the TAs are doing and thinking about whether there is a way to adjust the salaries,” Walstrom said. “But it’s still really early.” According to Walstrom, the $1,500 Shipman received from the Faculty Development Fund was a onetime grant. Currently, approximately $500 since the beginning of the school year have already been spent on the chemistry thesis TAs salaries. Once this grant runs out, funds from a grant Shipman received will finance this for the rest of the school year. Others feel as if this is an issue that should be addressed immediately. “Fifteen dollars is around the bare minimum when it comes to any sort of minimum-wage worker,” thesis student and Anthropology Lab TA Anna Rodriguez said. Rodriguez works three part time jobs all while working on her thesis. “I don’t think people should look at $15 and think that ‘oh, this is so much for minimum wage.’” Shipman is a supporter of Fight for $15, a national campaign that aims to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. “The thing I want to avoid is people thinking that there is only one pot of money and that we have to default pit groups against each other,” Shipman said. “What I want to see is everybody do better.” Information on Fight for $15 can be found on their Facebook page while minutes from the AAC meetings are available online.
NBA
CWC
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
challenge the Cavaliers. The Heat – despite having to play against LeBron now – seem to have an honest chance at taking the Eastern Conference for themselves. After resigning star guard Goran Dragic, picking who might be the steal of the NBA draft in Justise Winslow at 10th overall, and having a healthy Chris Bosh return to the lineup, the Heat have the on-paper talent to compete. With a starting lineup of Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh and Whiteside, Miami has one of the most intimidating starting lineups in the entire league. As NBA training camp and preseason ramp up, the movement of the offseason is finally settling into place, and excitement for the upcoming season is immense.
an assignment – there’s stuff to be done outside of the group...so I’d rather not put a time limit [on joining]. I’m going to run it through to spring and close it in December.” Unfortunately, there is no flexibility in the time and date of meetings due to Khan and co-facilitator Sophia Penã’s schedule. Understanding Self and Others, EFEDL, and VIP normalize the occurrences of mental illnesses and identity struggles within NCF’s student population. Gathering as a group, one will learn that others have similar struggles and experiences, and, according to Khan, be validated that they are not alone. “Because we have such a small school, where everyone knows one another, people are nervous about getting in a group...But it doesn’t have to be awkward. We can work through it.”
firms, especially, when money is to be made, will find ways to cheat.” A West Virginia company first uncovered the issue when it was commissioned by a clean air advocacy group to look into diesel vehicle emissions levels. When tested to meet U.S. pollution standards, the defeat devices allowed the Volkswagen diesel cars to reduce the level of emissions produced in order to meet environmental standards. However, when out on the road, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times the allowed level of nitrogen oxide. “Diesel fuel holds a lot more energy than standard fuel,” Alcock said. “It is much more energy efficient and it also releases less in terms of greenhouse gases. It’s a potentially attractive option. Diesel engines, however, cost a little more up front. Maintenance is a little trickier, because it’s a heavier fuel. Normally, the combustion of diesel fuel produces a lot of NOx.” Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, have been linked to various respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. A byproduct of burning fossil fuels at high temperatures, the chemicals are harmful to human and animal health and can turn into smog in warm, sunny conditions (such as Florida). NOx can irritate the lungs, increasing airway inflammation, wheezing, and coughing, and can also cause lowered resistance to respiratory illnesses, especially among those with preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma. The elderly and children are particularly susceptible to the effects of NOx. “I don’t think that you will see a point where [Volkswagen] will be legally accountable for specific damages and injuries that people have [as a result of NOx emissions],” Alcock said. “But the federal government and the EPA have left themselves considerable latitude – if you cheat and get caught there will be fines.” Vehicle emissions contain varying amounts of pollutants. These pollutants contribute to environmental degradation. A number of factors determine the composition of emissions, including the vehicle’s fuel type, the engine’s technology, the vehicle’s exhaust system, and how the vehicle operates. Emissions are also produced by fuel evaporation during fueling or even when vehicles are parked. Carbon dioxide is a major
‘Review’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 visceral television. The process is laid out for Forrest’s audience, episode by episode – the very moral (and physical) deconstruction of a man. It’s an odd thing to so enjoyably check-in on weekly, but nothing about this show is sane. Quite the opposite, “Review” turns reality on its head – or, more specifically, it turns reality into television. Strong sat Both seasons of “Review” are streaming for free on www.cc.com
contributor to global climate change, with transportation contributing about a third of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions. Significant long-term exposure to the chemicals emitted from vehicle exhaust can even potentially lead to cancer, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The impact of air pollution on global environmental conditions and human health is an indirect result of the emissions scandal, and the ambiguity of such effects makes it extremely difficult to determine how much damage has actually been done. In a recent paper released by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, it was estimated that air pollution caused three million premature deaths per year, and that the number of deaths could more than double by the year 2050. The American Lung Association estimates that almost 41 percent of Americans are living in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone, and that’s after almost 40 years of attempts to reduce air pollution by the EPA through the Clean Air Act of 1971. Estimates by the EPA put nitrogen levels in 2014 at more than half of what they were in the 1980’s. The Obama administration made a point to increase emissions regulations and emphasized the importance of reduced pollution in all policy areas. As a result of the Volkswagen scandal the EPA is expected to come out with stricter standards for car companies this month and is making plans to more carefully test all other car companies that sell vehicles in the United States, to ensure no one else is capitalizing off of defeat devices. In Florida, there have been no emissions tests required for original or renewed registrations since 2000, when Governor Jeb Bush got rid of the program. “The leadership in Florida, right now, the prevailing powers, are pretty recalcitrant when it comes to being progressive when it comes to environmental regulations,” Alcock said. “We’re on the laggard side, and there’s a risk to being too much of a laggard at some point. I would like to see stronger regulations here in the state of Florida.” Information for this article was taken from reuters.com, nytimes.com, money. cnn.com, usatoday.com, wsj.com and energy.gov.
Have a happy fall break and good luck with midterms!
from the Catalyst staff
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
THE BACK PAGE PAGE 12
Hispanic Heritage Festival held by the latinx club
BY KATELYN GRIMMETT The Hispanic Heritage Festival provided delicious dishes from a number of Latin American countries, a playlist of traditional and modern songs in Spanish, and lessons in salsa, bachata and tango last Wednesday, Sept. 30. Students gathered in Hamilton “Ham” Center by the dozens to celebrate with the LatinX Club and get a little taste of culture. “I tried my best to advertise for the event, my goal is to hold this festival in honor of the Hispanic students at New College,” club president and second-year Jennyfer Gonzalez said. Second-year and the club’s vice president Lorraine Cruz researched some traditional Hispanic dishes to make for the event. Other members of the club shared and prepared recipes from their particular country of origin. Among the food offered was mangú, arroz con pollo, flan, fresh Cuban bread, yucca and arepas. First-year and member of the club Paola Baez-Perez also brewed Cuban coffee at the event. The event’s success was shown most clearly by the transformation of
the tables. Initially covered in mounds of food, all that remained were empty platters. While the club was allocated $250 for the event, the mothers of several members also contributed donations. Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 every year to recognize the anniversaries of independence for five Latin American countries. Its beginnings date back to 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson initiated the observation to celebrate the presence of Hispanic people and cultures in the United States. Four Winds also celebrated this month by putting together an “especiales de la semana” menu comprised of various Spanish recipes and plates such as tortilla española con una ensalada, arroz con gandules, and sándwich Cubano. The Sarasota-Manatee area will be holding its own 10th annual Hispanic Heritage festival on Saturday, Oct. 17. There will be ethnic foods available for purchase, dance performances, and live music from Latin bands. Admission to the festival is free.
(top/bottom) Students dance to a variety of Spanish songs. (middle left) After taking a short quiz about Hispanic culture, students filled their plates with a wide range of foods. (middle right) Second-year and vice president of the club Lorraine Cruz serves food at the event. all photos Katelyn Grimmett/Catalyst