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CATALYST
MARY POPPINS
EVENT POLICY pg.
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MARCH 11, 2015 VOLUME XXXVII, ISSUE IV
A student newspaper of New College of Florida
WHAT’S Administration oversees more than 80 judicials a semester INSIDE
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BY COLT DODD
AYAAN HIRSI ALI
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A ILL
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12 FAMILY AND FRIENDS
In an attempt to improve the community at large, Student Affairs has overseen more than 80 administrative and informal hearings each semester. Ranging from room violations during inspections to Title IX cases, Campus Life Coordinators Vanessa Van Dyke and Meghan Walde hope that these hearings will spark communication between Residential Life and students about how to address harmful behavior on campus. “Some goals that we try to do when working with students and our interactions is that we try to be consistent, we try to be reasonable, we try to be just and fair and develop through everything, and that’s really what me and [Vanessa Van Dyke] have been keyed in on,” Walde said. “We consider the whole student and try to make our sanctions educational. We try to take time to really get to know the student. We don’t just have a quick interaction and come to a conclusion based on that one interaction, we try to ask the right questions, we have followup meetings, and really try to make sure that we get to the root of the story of the case. We really have taken time to write that and have it be consistent in
Colt Dodd/Catalyst
Community board hearings, that is made up with a panel of faculty, student and staff, are held in the conference room of HCL 2 to ensure privacy during the meeting.
everything that we do.” Informal and administrative hearings are divided into three tiers based on the severity of the violation. The lower level (of which there are two types) consists of both informal and administrative hearings that serve only to gather information to see if the case will advance anywhere. The middle level entails a community board hearing to access the violation and determine whether or not a sanction should take place. Finally, the upper level, reserved usually for Title IX cases and the appeal process,
is handled by Dean of Students Tracy Murry and Associate Dean for Student Affairs Mark Stier. Walde and Van Dyke noted that drug and alcohol violations are one of the more common cases that make it past the lower level stage. The distinct difference between informal and administrative hearings is that an informal hearing is merely a conversation between the student and CLC to address a possible violation, whereas an administrative hearing only
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Sarasota sees record tourism; traffic increases BY SARA MINEO In 2014, Florida broke tourism records attracting more than 97.3 million tourists. Sarasota alone increased its tourism population to 929,000, 5.2 percent more than the year before. When tourism increases, the economy booms, jobs are created and businesses flourish. Unfortunately, there is a catch. With tourism comes a substantial increase in traffic congestion, slowing down residents’ daily commute, increasing the likelihood of an accident and posing a threat toward pedestrians. In order to combat these issues, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has partnered with the Sarasota county and city governments to give the green light to projects that can make Sarasota more efficient and safe for motorists and pedestrians alike. “The economy has gotten better, the weather up north has gotten worse and we typically have a season where our tourists come,” Paula Wiggins, transportation planning manager for Sarasota County, said. “The snowbirds start trickling in after Thanksgiving and
they typically stay through Easter and then they leave. This last year, because of the weather that is going on, people are coming down and they are staying a lot longer. The economy has gotten better and gas prices are considerably less than they have been in the past and when gas prices are low, people feel like they can travel by car again.” University Parkway is among some of the most traveled roads in the Sarasota area. With the addition of University Town Center mall (UTC), the area has only become busier. Many have cited that over the past few months, the duration of their usual commute has doubled. “I work in Lakewood Ranch and I have to go down University every day,” alum Ashley Frost (‘10) said. “At around 5:30 p.m. the traffic is bumper to bumper. It is so bad that it takes me 25 minutes just to go four lights down University. It is always congested and it causes a lot of frustration.” To alleviate these severe traffic jams, FDOT has partnered with Sarasota and Manatee County to install InSync and BlueTOAD equipment down
Photo courtesy of the Bradenton Herald Tribune
The DDI planned for the I75/University crossover will be the first interchange of its kind in Florida.
University Parkway. These devices will provide the public with real-time traffic information. Currently, Sarasota and Manatee counties’ traffic signals are time controlled. This new software will allow the lights to adapt to real-time traffic and adjust accordingly. This could help
when traffic buildup happens during a big event in the area, an accident and other impromptu occurrences that affect the typical traffic schedule.
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CATALYST
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BRIEFS
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briefs by Katelyn Grimmett
Body Worn Cameras for Police The Sarasota Police Department bought 24 new Taser AXON Flex body-worn cameras (BWCs) last year with a $36,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. A one-year trial period will begin this month with the hopes of accurately documenting what happens during an arrest. However, public access to these videos has proved to be complicated and expensive. Michael Barfield, vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, made a public records request for all of what was recorded by the cameras in a test period from February of last year. The cost turned out to be quite problematic. The Sarasota Police Department required a payment of up to $16,000 for a total of 84 hours of video, meaning a cost of $190 for each hour of film. “Due to ongoing litigation which was filed last Wednesday afternoon, we’ve been advised by the city attorney not to comment [on the costs] at this time,” Genevieve Judge, communications coordinator for the Sarasota Police, said. Training for the 24 officers who volunteered to use the cameras consisted of four hours of instruction by Taser International – future training is to be discussed. The policies for BWC are quite specific. Officers are to turn on the cameras at a call of duty and turn off the cameras once the call has been handled. They are required to inform subjects of the cameras and turn of the cameras when requested to do so. However, under suspicious circumstances, the officer may leave the camera on.
Mexico military forces capture drug lord Gomez Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, a Mexican drug lord who was the leader of the Knights Templar cartel, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 27. Gomez ran 50 of the most active methamphetamine labs in Mexico. Thanks to his girlfriend who delivered a cake to his hideout in the Mexican town of Morelia for his 49th birthday, authorities were able to discover Gomez’s location. While in hiding, Gomez rode horseback, lived in a cave, and did not use a cellphone, instead using a messenger to communicate with his cartel, a gang known for ceremonial human sacrifices and for attacking corrupt Mexican officials. “As a Colombian that had to flee her country because of the drug cartel violence, seeing a neighboring country go through the same problematic internal war is concerning and heartbreaking,” first-year political science student Paula Munera said. “Drug cartels are successful in retiring an entire nation to glorify easy money and achieving power through fear,” she added. “The people will show continuous support to these cartels because they receive more monetary benefits from them than their own government.” Gomez’s capture comes a year after the arrest of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman and right before the arrest of Alejandro TrevinoMorales, the leader of Mexico’s infamous
Zetas drug cartel, who was caught last Wednesday. Trevino Morales was wanted in Mexico on weapons and organized crime charges with a $2 million reward for his capture. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million. The Zetas cartel grew from a group of Mexican Special Forces deserters. “Capturing the leaders of the cartels doesn’t slow down the drug trade immediately, as they are quickly replaced by new ones,” Professor of Anthropology Anthony Andrews said. “It is like a game of Wack-A-Mole. The most productive aspect of capturing them is the intelligence they get out of them,” he added. “It is the army and Special Forces in the military who are doing the capturing,” Andrews explained. “The police sometimes provide the army with intelligence, but it is carefully vetted, as in most situations the army does not trust the police. The police forces are corrupt as ever, and some military personnel have been compromised as well.” Despite these hard truths, more than 1,500 people have been arrested since Guzman’s capture around this time last year and almost all of the top leaders have been arrested or killed. The capture of Gomez and Trevino-Morales are important developments in Mexico’s fight against the drug cartel.
(right) A Sarasota Police officer demonstrates proper use of body cameras.
Alaska legalizes recreational marijuana Alaska is the latest state to legalize marijuana use and, as of Feb. 24, is now the third state in the nation to allow recreational use of the drug. While editorial rules have been implemented, such as being 21 years of age and only possessing up to one ounce of marijuana with a limit of six plants (three flowering) in a secure location, details such as the federal law placing the plant as a schedule one narcotic still need to be straightened out. Legalizing marijuana is not an instant change and the transition takes time. The law is not yet fully implemented as the Alaska Alcohol Beverage Control Board is allowed nine months to enact regulations for the production, processing and sale of marijuana. The board will begin accepting applications from those interested in growing, processing or selling marijuana one year after the effective date of the law. As of now, public use of the drug and driving while under its influence are restricted. Selling marijuana remains illegal. Alaska enforces a $50 excise tax on every ounce of marijuana sold or transferred from a cultivation or production facility. There is now a focus on decriminalizing the use of marijuana. “I think that Alaska’s decision to legalize marijuana is great and a lot of people are going to benefit from it, not just from its properties but also from the economic stimulation,” second-year political science and international studies AOC Lena Nowak-Laird said.
CORRECTION: Allya Yourish’s nail polish company is called PAINTS by Allya, not Paints. We apologize for the error.
Photo courtesy of the Herald Tribune “May the bridges I have burned light my way back home.” © 2015, the Catalyst. All rights reserved. The Catalyst is available online at www.ncfcatalyst.com, facebook.com/NCFcatalyst, @ncfcatalyst The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Lab using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign and printed at Sun Coast Press with funds provided by the New College Student Alliance.
General Editor Managing Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Layout Editor Staff Writers & Photographers
Sara Mineo Pariesa Young Yadira Lopez Caitlyn Ralph Bianca Benedí Colt Dodd, Katelyn Grimmett, Giulia Heyward, Haley Jordan, Sydney Kruljac, Jasmine Respess, Ryan Paice; Kaylie Stokes, Adilyne Mckinlay
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.
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NEWS PAGE 3
‘One size fits all’ event policy questioned BY YADIRA LOPEZ The student event policy is an organizational tool that helps Student Affairs keep abreast of campus life, but many students see the current policy – with its murky definition of what constitutes an event – as overly rigid and not conducive to impromptu gatherings. “Once the student submits [an event request form] then I consider that an event,” Campus Life Coordinator Vanessa Van Dyke said. Currently, requests for any event that uses student space other than ACE lounge or student dorms must be made two weeks in advance. Events may include, for instance, a substance free movie showing. An event without proof of an approved request form is subject to being shut down by the NCF police. Other reasons why events may get shut down have to do with substance use and noise level. Drinking alcohol in public spaces is not legal in most Florida municipalities. Approved event requests serve the purpose of effectively turning outdoor public spaces into private spaces, therefore sidestepping this law. Campus police reserves
the right to step in and shut down any events for substances and noise complaints, regardless of an approved event request. Some argue that by treating all events equally, the current event policy creates unnecessary bureaucratic hoops. “I think a rigid event policy should only apply to things like Walls, concerts and Palm Court Parties (PCPs),” third-year and Vice President of Student Affairs McCalister Grant said. “Things where student funds or expensive student equipment is being used, where alcohol is potentially being consumed, where there is a large enough group of people to necessitate a police presence. Those are the kind of things I would personally advocate for being defined as events.” Grant supports greater flexibility in the event policy. “There needs to be a clearly defined policy of what is an event and what needs the event request form,” Grant said. “Should all events be treated equally? I think the one-size fits all model is not working. I think it’s causing problems.” He and police liaison, thesis student James Carillo, are working to produce a student-sourced revision to the current policy. “I’d like to see something written that allows students
to spontaneously congregate when they desire to,” Carillo said, adding that he has attended multiple impromptu events that have been shut down. Carillo noted that throughout his four years at the school, the policy has become increasingly unclear. As police liaison, Carillo is aware of the logistical concerns implicated in the event policy. With reduced overtime hours, campus police and administration are particularly cautious in making sure there is enough police on staff for larger events. Carillo recalled last year’s annual All Power to the Imagination conference (API), which got prematurely shut down despite having an approved request form filed months in advance. That night, alum and former NCSA president Micheal Long hosted a Wall for Ringling and NCF students. Long’s event, which was approved long after API, took precedence since it hosted more than 400 people. Thesis student Nova Jones ran into similar trouble when scheduling Woodstock Wall. Despite filing an approved event request form, Jones’ event had to be rescheduled multiple times due to scheduling conflicts with Valentine’s PCP. “I was told that in order to secure that day for Woodstock
Wall, I would need to provide hundreds of dollars of additional funding for security to keep my event on that day, even though I already had an approved event request form and PCP hadn't been on the calendar,” Jones said. “With so little time, it was impossible to navigate, so I rescheduled for a third time. I had a few performers I was really excited for who will be either unable or unwilling to come [now].” Van Dyke dismissed the notion of a supposed “no two events policy,” stating, “I think the only concern that we have is if there are two events that are not substance free that are happening at the same time.” The process for filing an event request form remains straightforward; students may access the request form through the portal. Questions on the form include anticipated attendance, dates, times and locations. All locations are subject to approval from Campus Space Scheduling. “I think it’s important for students to submit event requests as much as possible,” Van Dyke said, adding that the requests are useful for providing visibility to the events and any needed support to the event sponsors.
Record Tourism continued FROM PAGE 1
FDOT will purchase the equipment and both counties will be responsible for installing and maintaining it. According to Robin Stublen, communications specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation, the equipment will cost FDOT $161,000 for Manatee County and $500,000 for Sarasota County. Both counties will pick up the $80,000 installation and maintenance cost. BlueTOAD works by detecting anonymous MAC addresses through Bluetooth technology on mobile devices such as phones and music players. The software is able to detect the travel time through these devices and use the information it gathers to control the traffic lights accordingly. “Almost everybody has a smart phone now and that information is being signaled back to see where people are going,” Wiggins said. “Once you have a signal timing put in place you will be able to have the signals read real-time data more so than just having a plan that you have programmed to the lights. The program will actually be able to read the cars and know where the cars are so that the timings can work more efficiently.” All transportation improvements are a collective effort between FDOT and the city and county governments. Each branch collaborates with one another to discuss major concerns, potential solutions and funding. The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is comprised of representatives from both county governments who prioritize the projects that are needed the most and report these to FDOT. “Nothing ever happens overnight,
especially in construction,” Stublen said. “There is a lot of planning, there is a lot of regulations – there are just a tremendous amount of things you have to do leading up to the actual turning of dirt, so to speak. So all of those things are worked out in countless meetings with a lot of really good people in all branches of government.” Construction for another project on University Parkway will start between the end of July and the beginning of August. FDOT is implementing Florida’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI), an innovation in traffic design. FDOT’s I75/University proposal video describes a DDI as “a proven solution for improving safety and mobility at interchanges by shifting crossroad traffic to the left side of the roadway through the interchange. The DDI resembles a conventional diamond interchange but no matter what direction you are driving along the crossroad you will diverge or cross to the left side of the road through the interchange and then cross back to the right side of the road through the opposite side of the interchange.” The project has an expected completion date of September 2017 and is estimated to cost $82 million. “I don’t know if you can completely alleviate the problem,” Stublen said of the increase in traffic congestion. “The University, I-75 diverging diamond interchange project actually started years ago in what we call a ‘project development environment study’ (PD&E). That takes approximately two years to literally lay out everything involved that could affect the environment – from the noise level to protective species to wetlands
mitigation – all of those things plus the basic type of overlay of what you are going to do.” Another project underway is the addition of a series of roundabouts for 10th and 14th street in front of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall which sees high traffic volume after an event or during afternoon hours. “If you travel down U.S. 41 you know that we have some congestion,” Stublen said. “We get a lot of public involvement because for any of these projects that we do, we have meetings where we invite the public to voice their opinions. The public is very knowledgable about their particular areas; they’ll see things in their areas that we don't necessarily see every time and they can give us some good input so those are some of the things going forward.” The roundabouts are still in design and construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2017. The cost will be approximately $6 million. FDOT and the city transportation office do not just focus on motorists, but bicyclists and pedestrians too. “We look at it this way, bicycling and walking are modes of transportation,” Wiggins said. “It’s just that over the past few years that the department has been auto-centered. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is very important to us.” Stublen cited that FDOT plans to install wider bike lanes and pedestrian refuge islands, areas in the center of the road where pedestrians can exit the bus and safely cross traffic. “We do not have a dangerous intersection,” Stublen said. “ What we have is the behavior of the drivers that put themselves in situations – people
try to run red lights, they come to make a right turn and they don’t come to a complete stop, cars are making left turns into oncoming traffic. We have a tendency as we drive to seem to always be late, always be distracted and these contribute to the crashes that we have. Do we have some areas that have more crashes than others? Absolutely. Those areas tend to have more traffic, more congestion and more frustration among drivers. We don’t have dangerous intersections, we have people who really really need to take a breath, calm down and pay attention.” Information for this article taken from YouTube, www.us41roundabouts.com, www.i75manatee.com, www.trafficcast. com, www.bradenton.com, and www. tampbay.com
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NEWS PAGE 4
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, controversial ex-Muslim humanitarian, speaks at Van Wezel BY PARIESA YOUNG By the time Ayaan Hirsi Ali was 23 years old, she had lived in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Netherlands. On March 4, Katty Kay, BBC World News America anchor, asked Hirsi Ali about her journey for a sold-out event at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. “It’s not taking a plane, a train, or even walking,” Hirsi Ali said. “It’s making that transition from disappearing into the tapestry to finding your own voice, your own self.” The Ringling College Library Association invited Hirsi Ali to Sarasota for its 2015 Town Hall Lecture series. Instead of the usual Town Hall format, a lecture followed by audience question and answer, Kay interviewed Hirsi Ali in a conversational fashion using audience-generated questions. Kay, who grew up in the Middle East, is a guest correspondent on NBC’s Meet the Press and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Hirsi Ali is known for her critiques of Islam. In addition to her diplomatic and political work, she wrote the film “Submission,” which caused major controversy, including the death of its director, Theo van Gogh. Hirsi Ali herself has received numerous death threats since that event and is under constant supervision. She is a passionate advocate for women’s rights and a vocal critic of the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Muslim Brotherhood. Raised Muslim by devout, traditional parents, Hirsi Ali had her first taste of “radical” Islam when she was 15, receiving a Muslim education at a girl’s school in Nairobi, Kenya. “[Sister Aziza] opened a new atmosphere to me,” Hirsi Ali said of her teacher, who introduced the idea of hell and the afterlife to the students. Compelled by her teacher’s principles as a teenager, Hirsi Ali has a unique understanding of the “call to honor” in Islam, as she describes it. Only last week, it was reported that a 15-year-old British girl and her two friends boarded a plane to Turkey, allegedly to join ISIS.
all photos courtesy of flickr Creative Commons
Since the murder of Hirsi Ali’s partner in making the film “Submission” was murdered, she is under constant protection. The filmmaker, Theo Van Gogh was found dead with a death threat to Hirsi Ali left on his chest.
“If ISIS was appealing to me at 15 or 16, I would have joined them,” Hirsi Ali said to quiet gasps in the audience. “Ayaan Hirsi Ali represents her personal experience with Islam, which I am sure is very validated,” first-year and Daughters for Life scholar Leen Al Fatafta said. “But that in no way gives her the right to condemn a religion of millions. There has to be a distinction between the religion and the follower.” Al Fatafta is from Amman, Jordan. Now a radical opponent of Islam, Hirsi Ali has published four books, with her fifth “Heretic,” an outline of a reformed Islam, to be published at the end of the month. Without revealing the details of the book, Hirsi Ali mentioned the five aspects of reformation she believes to be essential in Islam. Total submission to the prophet, the emphasis on the afterlife, “demanding right and forbidding wrong,” Sharia law and the
Katty Kay grew up in the Middle East as the daughter of a British diplomat. She and Hirsi Ali realized that they lived in the same city in Saudi Arabia when they were young.
mix of church and state, and finally, the concept of jihad, or holy war, are among the facets of Islam Hirsi Ali said we can “throw out.” Al Fatafta told the Catalyst about a major misconception about Sharia law. “When talking of or about Islam, we need to recognize the necessity of making a distinction between Sharia and Fiqh,” she said. “Sharia is the totality of God’s will as revealed to the prophet Mohammad, while Fiqh is the process of human endeavor to discern and extract legal rules from the sacred sources of Islam, the Koran and the traditions of the prophet. Sharia is eternal, Fiqh is human and is subjective. We must be aware of the male-centric interpretations of Sharia law made by Fiqh scholars to further perpetuate the subordination of women, but in the process we mustn't confuse Sharia with its Fiqh interpretations. For instance, the claim that Islam has permitted wife beating is an example of Fiqh interpretation, it is subjective.” Hirsi Ali developed her opinion on women’s rights as a culmination of a lifetime of watching female submission. A victim of genital mutilation as a child, she decided at a young age that she did not want to be subservient to a man. When her family travelled to Saudi Arabia, a young Hirsi Ali thought that her own mother was “invisible” in its culture. As a teenager, Hirsi Ali had a secret boyfriend who was an imam and constantly preached that extramarital dating and relationships were an unpardonable sin. When they were together, she remembered him pressuring her to have sex. Hirsi Ali’s father abandoned the family for 10 years before returning to arrange marriages for his daughters. “I had developed the most furious velociraptor scales,” Hirsi Ali said about
that time. Before she was scheduled to marry, Hirsi Ali told her family she was visiting friends and boarded a train to the Netherlands, where she applied for asylum. Since then, Hirsi Ali has completely renounced Islam, losing contact with her family in the process. She is now considered an influential atheist scholar. “You can’t walk out of one cage and into another,” Ayaan Hirsi Ali said with a shrug when Katty Kay asked her if she ever sought out a new faith after leaving Islam. Although the audience at the Van Wezel cheered heartily, Hirsi Ali’s views have a whole different meaning to Al Fatafta. “Many women have found their voices within an Islamic paradigm, many have succeeded in engaging their activism within the parameters of their culture, and to condemn women who choose to find their feminism within Islamic teachings, is no different than condemning someone for being an ‘infidel,’” Al Fatafta said. “Both stem from a system based on negating and marginalizing the other. To say that Islam is perfect is far from the truth, but to say that there is no feminist potential in Islam is to sentence many women who identify as Muslims to exile from the feminist movement.” To end her lecture, Hirsi Ali said “I’m not afraid to say it. The Saudi regime is evil. The Iranian regime is evil. The Muslim Brotherhood is evil.” “A reform movement, in my personal opinion, is indeed desperately needed in Islam, but thinking of Islam as the antithesis of modernity and secularism is the wrong way to go about it,” Al Fatafta said. “It forecloses possible alliances between feminism, secularism and Islam that hold within its formation much potential in bridging the divide and shaping a consensus between the East and the West.”
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NEWS PAGE 5
Measles outbreak intensifies vaccine controversy BY ADILYNE MCKINLAY According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “from January 1 to February 27, 2015, 170 people from 17 states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles. Most of these cases are part of a large, ongoing multi-state outbreak linked to an amusement park in California.” The CDC reported 644 cases of measles in the United States in 2014, the highest number since the virus was declared no longer endemic in the country in 2000. According to the CDC, the increase in cases of measles is due to unvaccinated individuals. The newest outbreak of measles has pushed the vaccination controversy back into the public eye. The outbreak has been attributed to a lack of vaccination among the affected population. This controversy is not new. According to vaccines.procon.org, the Anti-Vaccination Society of America was founded in 1879. By this time, anti-vaccination publications had been established already. There are no federal laws that mandate vaccination, but every state has vaccination requirements for children entering public schools. The first such law was passed in 1855 in Massachusetts. During the mid-twentieth century, there was an acceleration of vaccine production and vaccination. Some of these vaccines, such as the measles vaccine and the polio vaccine, have resulted in the elimination of those diseases in the United States. The controversy was brought back into the public eye after the 1998 publication of Andrew Wakefield’s article in Lancet, in which he stated that the rubella virus and MMR vaccines were associated with autism spectrum disorder. His article has frequently been
cited as a rationale for not vaccinating children. Wakefield’s article was discredited by 2011. It was found that he had falsified some of his data. His medical license was revoked in May 2010. According to CNN, “Most of his coauthors withdrew their names from the study in 2004 after learning he had been paid by a law firm that intended to sue vaccine manufacturers.” Wakefield defended himself by saying that he did not imply that the MMR vaccine caused autism, but that the general public had made that assumption. After the article was published, the vaccination rate in Britain dropped. It fell to 80 percent by 2004. Studies since then have shown little evidence that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism. Part of the problem is that it is not clear what causes autism. It is thought to have genetic and environmental components, but the specifics are unknown. “Not only do I disagree completely with the people who think vaccines cause autism, using junk science, but I'm also concerned that these people would rather their children risk having a debilitating or life threatening disease than autism,” first-year Liliana Solomon said in an email interview. There are a number of reasons why individuals choose not to vaccinate their children. Certain vaccines may be ineffective or unsafe for individuals with an immunodeficiency. Some people do not get vaccinated because it is against their religion. Some believe that typically children have strong enough immune systems to fight most diseases and infections. Others believe that vaccinations have harmful side effects, such as seizures, or are associated with autism, ADHD and diabetes. “My mom was actually told by a doctor not to vaccinate any of us, so
photo courtesy of cdc.gov
In the first two months of 2015, the United States has already seen more reported cases of measles than ten of the past 14 years.
we have a religious exemption,” thesis student Angelica Alexander said in an email interview. “Personally, it's kind of annoying because it means a lot more thought if I want to go abroad. Also, I'm just more susceptible to things in general, but I seem to have a pretty good immune system.” Another side of the vaccination controversy is those individuals that believe that people should be vaccinated, but that the current schedule for vaccination needs to be altered. In a survey of 73 New College students, 10 percent said that most people should get vaccinated, but the CDC’s general vaccination schedule should be changed. “The current CDC schedule has a lot of vaccinations being given after the time they are most needed, particularly for babies,” Alexander said. “If nothing else, parents should be made aware
their child could still get sick from nonvaccinated individuals.” Within communities, vaccinations work by forming what is referred to as “herd” immunity. “When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak. Even those who are not eligible for certain vaccines – such as infants, pregnant women, or immunocompromised individuals – get some protection because the spread of contagious disease is contained,” the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) reports. Of the surveyed students, 92 percent said that vaccinations make communities healthier.
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Deadlock unlocked: Government avoids shutdown BY RYAN PAICE Over recent years, the US government has been at odds with itself, coming close to or even allowing the government to shut down as they bicker over the budget. Liberals and conservatives battle to get their way, playing a game of political chicken and holding the government itself hostage until one side cracks. This year, in retaliation for Obama’s executive actions on immigration, Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, and the Republicans of the House tried to hold up the funding of Homeland Security bill. Their refusal to pass the bill would keep the budget incomplete, and Homeland Security would face some loses. With the shutdown looming, and the Democrats showing no signs of giving in, the Republicans cracked and passed the budget, avoiding what might have been the second shutdown in three years. “The Republicans are pretty hot and bothered with the executive
actions on immigration, so the strategy for them was to hold up the Homeland Security funding unless there was capitulation,” Frank Alcock, Associate Professor of Political Science, said. “The Democrats and the President basically said ‘bring it on’ since they knew where this was going, which was if they didn’t fund Homeland Security, risks would increase, and the Republicans would ultimately get the blame.” “It is a continuation of the conservative wing of the Republican party trying to impose its will on the administration,” Alcock continued regarding the near shutdown. “Now the Republicans control both the Senate and the House, and their numbers are a bit bigger – which I think has emboldened some of the conservatives.” “When they were in the minority, they were basically in the position to block anything they wanted, so since 2010, not a lot has been done or come out of Congress,” Alcock said. While proactive legislation – where the government changes something from the status
quo – is optional for the government, spending and budget legislation are necessary for the government to run. If that spending and budget legislation isn’t passed, the government is forced to “shutdown”, closing national parks and other “nonessential” aspects of the government. “Spending and budgets are necessary for the government to run, and the tactics that you have seen over the past couple years is kind of like a hostage-taking style of politics,” Alcock said. “What has happened is that – in doing that – it has put the Republican Party in a pretty difficult position, and their leadership has often had to cave in at the eleventh hour.” With the 2016 elections coming up, leaving the presidency up for grabs as well as 34 seats in the Senate, the “hostage-taking” and lack of cooperation might have serious implications for the Republicans. “There are 34 Senate seats opening up again, and a lot of those seats are Republican seats,” Alcock said in regards
to the 2016 elections. “A lot of those Republicans are in blue [Democratic] states, so if they are perceived as unable to get something done, then it could be costly for them in the next election cycle.” In the meantime, with President Obama able to veto bills passed through the Republican-controlled Congress, and the Republicans unwilling to let Obama pursue the policies and changes that he aimed to bring about – addressing global warming, for example – the government is at a standstill. “I am not exactly hopeful for anything meaningful to come out of Congress for these last two years of the administration,” Alcock said. “If anything gets done I think it will be a small number of Republicans working with the minority Democrats to get something done – but we’ll see.” While the government may not be making much headway in making policies, at least the shutdown was avoided, and the politicians can continue to argue stubbornly.
Gasparilla Music Festival takes over Tampa BY SYDNEY KRULJAC It is in the heart of Tampa, Florida that couples were seen freely dancing, a woman frolicked from stage to stage with an unforgettable blue Mohawk, flower crowns dressed the heads of many and music flowed through the ears of anyone walking by. It is here that 10,000 people gathered as they geared up for the sold out Gasparilla Music Festival. On March 7, Tampa Bay witnessed a flood of people setting up camp at the Soulshine Stage in preparation for one of the most iconic indie rock bands of this generation: Modest Mouse. This, however, was only one of several notable headliners such as the Gaslight Anthem, Gogol Bordello, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Mutemath. Gasparilla Music Festival is a fairly
All photos Sara Mineo/Catalyst
LEFT PAGE: (top) 10,000 people attended the soldout festival. (middle left) Brian Fallon, lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem, sang Happy Birthday to a ten year old in the crowd. (middle right) The Gaslight Anthem was one of the headlining bands. (bottom) People dressed up like pirates are a staple for Gasparilla culture. RIGHT PAGE: (top left) Modest Mouse was the last band to play the festival. (top right) People of all ages dance to the music. (middle left) A modest mouse rabbit mascot. (middle right) A variety of vendors sell their wares. (bottom left) Thesis students Aric Smith and Alec Dugas attended the show. (bottom right) Roadkill Ghost Choir was a band that many people were excited to see.
young showcase of musical talent and is a not-for-profit organization. According to the festival executives, its purpose is to foster and support the cultural life of the Tampa Bay Area by exhibiting a stellar musical line-up, ranging from local Floridian bands to Grammy Award-winning bands. Not only is culture promoted through music, but through the eclectic Tampa Bay food that permeated the air and local vendors and artists that set-up shop throughout the festival grounds. “I really enjoyed the festival,” thesis student Aric Smith said. “The weather was perfect and the bands were outstanding, especially Modest Mouse. It was really cool getting to see them perform after they just released their first album since 2007 only a couple days prior to the festival.”
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New psychology club in works to become Psi Chi chapter BY GIULIA HEYWARD From yelling on the overpass to comprehensive information on the safe use of sex toys – clubs on campus have it all. The Psychology Club, a recent addition, seeks to build a space for likeminded individuals with an interest in the field. The Psychology Club was initiated by thesis-student Constantine Dhonau and is currently sponsored by Professor of Psychology Steven Graham. The original plan was to create a chapter of the prestigious Psi Chi Honor Society. Along with being internationally recognized, Psi Chi links students to grants and awards and is affiliated with other organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS). The requirements for starting a chapter at a university include being a fully accredited four-year institution and offering a degree in psychology. However, Psi Chi also requires that there be an organized group on campus
that has been in existence for at least a year. “What we decided to do was to start the Psychology Club that we view as both a combination of enriching the student understanding of psychology and related issues, and providing some contacts for social interaction with other people who are interested in psychology,” Graham said. The club plans to go on field trips, host speakers and show movies at Bon Seigneur Hall. They are also thinking of hosting a dinner for this year’s seniors graduating with a psychology area of concentration (AOC), and creating a panel of graduating seniors who would offer thesis advice to lower year students. Graham noted that the club would delve into topics not typically discussed in the psychology curriculum. “One of the first things that we’re doing is listening to a ‘This American Life’ podcast that talks about how homosexuality was removed from the DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders],” Graham said. “That is something that is unlikely to appear in any of our courses but it is something that is an important piece of history within psychology. And so it provides students an opportunity to talk about something like that.” One of the requirements for members of a Psi Chi chapter is a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA). New College’s written evaluation grading system could potentially pose a problem. However, club members are confident this technicality will be bypassed. “I’m pretty sure New College will qualify anyways, we just have to make an argument,” Dhonau said. “We are the honors college of Florida, so we should be fine. We have a higher workload and our academic program is a little bit more rigorous.” An additional setback has to do with funding – since the club was established in the second semester of the school year, its potential to receive allocations may be limited. Despite this,
the club is hopeful that it will remain a presence on campus with its primary goal being to establish a sense of community among psychology AOCs. “We don’t have an honor society, we also don’t have any extracurricular psychology anything,” Dhonau added. “We have a Psychology Senior Seminar, which is a class that all psych thesis students are required to take. So the entirety of your thesis year, you are in the room with as many as thirty other psych thesis students. And that is something that is unique to campus. [...] It’s definitely been very helpful going through the thesis and work shopping and staying on time and making deadlines and having other people around to kind of push you. So if we could kind of make that something that is not exclusive to thesis students, I’d think that’d be really good.” Information from this article was taken from www.psichi.org.
How New College campus culture has changed BY HALEY JORDAN Alum Lawrence Levine, Professor of Humanities Gordon “Mike” Michalson and Professor of Philosophy Aron Edidin, also an alum, talked to the Catalyst about changes in campus culture throughout their time here. “It was always a very accepting place, and so from that perspective I don’t see anything that’s changed other than certain social backgrounds have changed a little bit,” Levine said. He entered in 1992 and graduated in 2013 after a 16-year intermission, gifting him with a unique 21-year perspective. Levine came back “purely for education” as he already had not only a thriving company at the time, but a wife and child on the way. “In some ways I feel like [New College] was more open and accepting then than it is now,” Levine said. “Some of it’s understandable, some of it probably has to do with the culturally appropriate emboldening of groups of people that were otherwise really held back. There are lots of different groups of people not just one group of people, that have found their voice, and I think that’s great. Ultimately it’s nice to see that everybody feels comfortable having that voice on campus.” Levine added, “Some of the cultural shifts really don’t have to do with New College at all, they are much more societal.” He goes on to note that New College has always been “incredibly liberal” on the social spectrum, but that the meaning of liberal has changed since the 90s. “What it means to be Liberal in the early 90s, and what it means to be Liberal in 2015 are similar,” Levine commented. “But there’s also a lot of differences and there's been a lot of advancements in those agendas, and I’m glad because it means there’s
a lot more openness, and people are culturally – not always, but usually – more accepting of each other.” Professor of Humanities and previous dean, Warden and president Gordon (Mike) Michalson, also commented, via email interview, on a similar subject “Although we still have a lot of work to do to have a truly diverse campus, we seem to be more open about this problem than we were 20 years ago,” Michalson wrote. “Of course, there were only 490 students at New College when I got here, so increasing the size of the student body has helped.” Both also mentioned the huge change enacted by New College’s independence from the University of South Florida. “One other interesting facet, we were under the University of South Florida in the 90s, and it was like being under the thumb of a horrible oppressive regime,” Levine commented. “We have to fend for ourselves now, but on the other hand we’re able to chart our own course. I am really proud of us because this situation is much better for the students.” Michalson agreed, “The most significant cultural shift occurred when New College became independent in 2001, which meant that we would no longer share the campus with USFSM”.” The ‘weaning’ period that took several years, before USF-SM actually moved to its new location, was a very challenging and testy period, since both schools wanted to be identified with the historic campus. It’s much easier being neighbors than being roommates.” Edidin commented via email on his unique perspective on cultural changes as an alum as well as current professor. He said major changes have occurred in attitudes toward student retention and support. “Even when I was a student, there
Photo courtesy of NCF Digital Archives
One hundred New College students were surveyed over their feelings towards gun safety for Florida campuses.
was a sense that this was a ‘sink-or-swim’ sort of place, and that students who left probably shouldn't have been here in the first place,” Edidin wrote. “But we've come to realize that plenty of students who belong here don't automatically find what they need to thrive here, and that supporting them doesn't mean babying them but rather just keeping up our part of the bargain as educators and advisors.” Edidin credits, among others, Professor of Music Maribeth Clark as Associate Provost, and Dean of Studies Robert Zamsky. Levine ends by commenting that one specific relationship that has noticeably changed is interactions between students and the New College police. “I’ve seen a marked change in the student-police relationships.” Levine notes that the Cop Shop used to be located in HCL1 and so was more central to campus. “My sense of the
police force in the 90s was that they were perceived as a very altruistic force, people that you could really go to and count on their help in situations. It wasn’t about worrying about whether you were gonna get in trouble, it was worrying about if everyone was gonna be okay, make sure that everyone was in good shape, whatever the situation was.” Levine said there was even an officer who received an honorary degree. “Hugh Rorty was so beloved by the student body that when he retired everyone banded together to give him an honorary New College degree.” Levine believes that the current officers are no doubt doing their absolute best, but notes that the same sentiment is lacking. “That sort of closeness is something that I think was a real asset at the time, and I think that working toward that same closeness would be an asset now.”
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Mary Poppins wows audience in Venice BY BIANCA BENEDI She is famous for being practically perfect in every way, and the Venice Theatre production of her story is not far off. Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins,” on stage from Feb. 17 to March 15, is a well-rehearsed musical romp that closely follows the original musical with a handful of new songs and numbers to spice up this classic story. This is not the Disney movie brought to life, but the story will still be familiar to any child who grew up watching Julie Andrews in the 1964 film. This production stars Renee Cordonnier (and on a few select performances, Jessica Tasetano), a powerful soprano with a charming smile. Although most of the actors can carry their own voices, some fall a bit flat – Douglas Landin as George Banks sounds a bit like a child trying to imitate his father and never really comes off as an intimidating man for his children, nor does his voice ever carry through his demands for order and fastidiousness. However, Jane and Michael Banks are perfectly charming children, the latter a clever snarky child while Jane’s voice is perfectly sweet (if her character is not necessarily so kind at first). The ensemble cast is clearly not professional – many dance sequences feature a cast of dancers out of tune with each other, with varying degrees of
dancing ability. However, given that the production is based entirely on volunteer work, the show remains impressive, and several of the dancers are able to carry the sequences through. Their singing is better than their dancing, at any rate. And a few impressive dancing sequences – including a scene where Bert the chimney sweeper dances onto the ceiling – drew huge applause from the audience. The costuming for the show is also quite a sight – the bright colors, flowing dresses and neon makeup featured in the song “Supercalifragilisticexpealadocious” are a high point in the musical. Much of the magic of the show comes from the stage backgrounds, which are elaborate, beautiful, seamless and overwhelmingly glittery. The transition from scene to scene is made easy with sets being taken off stage even as characters speak, layers of background rising up and down from the rooftops and some clever lightwork to set the mood. The play ends with Mary Poppins flying away with her iconic umbrella (she is indeed actually lifted in the air) as the cast sings a reprise of “A Spoonful of Sugar.” It certainly is sweet. Venice Theatre offers discounted tickets for college students ($15); information about purchasing tickets and future shows can be found at venicestage.com
Photos courtesy of Venice Theatre
The dance sequence from “Supercalifragilisticexpealadocious” is among one of the most colorful sequences in the play.
Costume changes were quick and seamless, with a flexible ensemble.
Get your Netflix Fix: New College streaming habits BY CAITLYN RALPH
Alongside access to a content library larger than a petabyte – which is a million gigabytes – Netflix users spend about a billion hours a month streaming, totaling 5.1 billion hours in quarter two (spring) of 2014. The service has 57.4 million subscribers internationally, 39 million in the United States alone. With roots in 50 countries already, Netflix will launch in Australia and New Zealand on March 24 with its original hit drama series, “House of Cards.” After waiting more than a year, many students celebrated the premiere of the show’s third Season 2 weeks ago. “The night that ‘House of Cards’ Season 3 came out on Netflix, Kaylie [Stokes, third-year and Catalyst staff member], one of the RAs [Resident Advisor], showed it on Kat’s projector,” first-year and “House of Cards” fan Alexis Pujol said. “It was really big, and it was really cool.” New College students were not the only ones excited about the 13 new episodes. Upon the season’s release, shares for Netflix went up 40 percent and are trading at 140 times 2015’s earning estimates. One hundred million dollars was spent on the first two seasons. “The new season of ‘House of Cards’ came out at 3 a.m. eastern time and two of my friends, who had no classes that day, decided to marathon as much of the season as they could,” first-year Charlotte Redman said. “They started watching it as soon as it was released.” “I’m obsessed with ‘House of
Caitlyn Ralph/Catalyst
Based on a Catalyst poll, 32 percent of surveyed students watched 10+ hours a week.
Cards,’ and I have been waiting forever for the new season to come out,” Pujol said. “It’s a Netflix original, but it’s super good.” Founded in 1997, Netflix is an instant video streaming and mail-order DVD service that also hosts its own original productions such as “House of Cards,” “Orange is the New Black” and “Lilyhammer.” Netflix productions have received 45 Emmy, two Academy Award and 10 Golden Globe nominations. Kevin Spacey’s leading role as Frank Underwood in “House of Cards” just won him a Golden Globe for best actor in a drama television series. Other Netflix originals are popular on campus. Firstyear Wes Harper enjoys the thriller “Hemlock Grove.”
“I watched the first three episodes of Season 1 over the course of a few days,” Harper said. “I watched episodes four to 13 over the course of two nights. I watched Season 2 in a day.” The average Netflix user streams content 93 minutes a day, with 61 percent of users binge watching at least once a week. When applied to college campus, a new question surfaces: is Netflix the leading culprit for procrastination? First-year and professed Netflix addict Lukas Heath definitely thinks it is. “Netflix has been the root cause of my procrastination since the start of last semester, therefore, I’ve decided to exclude it from my daily routine for at least the duration of Lent,” he said. “I
had practically an endless amount of TV shows and movies to watch, and I could always find something that interested me.” Of the New College students surveyed via a Catalyst poll, 87 percent were Netflix subscribers, 65 percent mostly watched television shows, and 32 percent streamed 10 plus hours a week. Many respondents commented that they use family or friends’ accounts. “I love Netflix,” one survey responder commented. “I have such a strong brand loyalty towards Netflix that, even in the months when I don’t watch anything, I [am] still more than happy to give them money.” Students also mentioned that the amount of weekly Netflix time varies depending if, for example, they are binge watching a television show. “Some weeks it’s a marathon of two days straight, some nothing at all,” a student commented on the survey. “It is extremely variable,” another respondent echoed. “Most weeks, I don’t watch at all, but when I do, I watch in 10 plus hour spurts.” After living in Germany for most of his life, Heath sees the advantages of Netflix as well. “I rewatched all of “The Office,” “Breaking Bad” and other shows I wouldn’t have access to living in Germany,” he noted. “I have a Netflix account that I share with my family. I watch it every
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Wall previews BY GIULIA HEYWARD
Origins of the Four Winds
Friday, March 13: IRISH Wall Robert Manley (WC: 101) The Irish Wall is a long forgotten tradition that has been absent for the past few years. “I was saddened to see it did not happen my first year so I decided to bring it back in all of its glory,” Wall host and thesis student Robert Manley said. Plans for Friday night in Palm Court include loud Irish music such as the classic Flogging Molly and the Dubliners. As in previous years, the event will be a fusion of Irish culture and Wall festivities. Saturday, March 14: Love, Peace & Seoul Wall (K-Pop Inferno) - Cayli Caruso (WC: 101) “I’ve really wanted to do a K-pop themed Wall since I transferred here last year,” second-year and Wall host Cayli Caruso said. “The name of the Wall is a play on the tag line from Soul Train.” K-pop, or Korean pop music, is a multifaceted genre so Wall goers should expect music ranging from kitschy to hip hop-inspired. Caruso promises to throw in a few songs “from the West” in the playlist for those who might not be die-hard K-pop enthusiasts. “It’ll just be a fun Wall for dancing,” Caruso said. “K-pop is made to dance along to!”
BY BIANCA BENEDI The Four Winds has been an established feature on campus for more than a decade. Offering a variety of vegan and vegetarian options every Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. But there was a time before the Four Winds. The barn where the cafe is currently located has a long history stretching back to the time when John Ringling owned the land on campus. It has a past that includes housing elephants and serving as a boy’s dorm. It was in 1996 that planning for a cafe on campus was started. An ISP led by then-student and New College alum Darilyn Avery (‘97) spent January of that year creating plans for a cost-effective way of founding a self-sustaining, vegetarian cafe on campus. After they completed the ISP, they brought their proposal to the Capital Improvement Trust Allocations Committee to gain funding for the restaurant, and were granted $90,000. In April of 1997, Avery sent an announcement to the school. “Greetings!” the announcement reads. “We are in process of establishing a student-run, self-supporting coffeehouse!” Promising to be a quiet study space, a “meeting of the minds” and a space for student performances, the Four Winds was a new and exciting venture. Students, faculty and alumni would be guaranteed a 10 percent discount at all times, and plans to broadcast the New College Radio Station into the cafe were also announced. “Internet access
Photo courtesy of NCF Digital Archives
A photo of the inside of the Four Winds, 1999.
is definitely a possibility in the future!” the memo promised. The funding they received was restricted to campus improvements; their memo warned that it would “leave the project at a loss for funding for initial inventory of perishable goods, as well as capital to finance the first three weeks to three months of operations until the business begins to turn a profit. It will be self-supporting, it’s just a matter of time...” “Expected opening for the Four Winds cafe is fall of 1997. I hope all of you come by!” the memo finishes. Original Four Winds plans included weekend hours, Italian sodas, freshly squeezed juices, soft drinks and specialty drinks. The most expensive items on the planned menu, assorted healthy snacks, would have been $2.50, which would have earned them a projected profit of $1 for every one
sold. Gourmet coffee available in flavored and organic brews were to be offered, as well as biscottis and peanut butter that was promised to be freshly made at the coffeehouse. Today’s Four Winds menu is a bit different - special smoothies are a staple, the soup du jour has disappeared and vegan sushi rolls to go have become a regular staple. Bagels and croissants are still on the menu, as well as far more creative dishes. Instead of a set menu, the featured items change weekly. The prices of the items have increased as well. There is one promise the Four Winds has never been able to fulfill: the NCSA has had to pay a subsidy virtually every year since the cafe has opened. Nevertheless, it has lasted 18 years on this campus, and has become an iconic spot on the New College map.
EVENTS: MARCH 11 - 18
3/11
WRC Thesis Crunch 10 p.m. - 1 a.m. WRC
3/12
Artist Conversation 5 - 6 p.m. Sainer Fuzion Dance Artists’ 9th Annual Concert 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. FSU Theatre
3/13
3/14
3/15
3/16
3/17
3/18
Sarasota County Fair Robart's Arena Food Truck Fridays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Asolo
Pi Day By the Bay 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sail Club
Talent Show 6 - 8 p.m. HCL 8
St. Patrick’s Day “Main Street Live” performance 4 p.m. Historic Old Main Street
Irish Wall 10 p.m. Palm Court
K-Pop Inferno Wall 10 p.m. Palm Court
Downtown Sarasota Arts and Crafts Festival 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Main Street
STOP Meeting 9 - 10:30 p.m. GDC
Thesis Crunch 10 p.m. WRC
Want your event to be featured on our calendar? Email ncfcatalyst@gmail.com by the Friday prior to your event.
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PAGE 11
Administrative Hearings
Vaccines
Netflix
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According to the director of the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC), Anne Fisher Ph.D., vaccination requirements for registration at New College are the same as other State of Florida institutions. Proof of two MMR's is mandatory. Additionally, students must either be vaccinated against Hepatitis B and Meningitis or sign a waiver. “Mandatory MMR's can be waived if you have a religious exemption or a medical condition which does not let you have them, or if you are pregnant,” Fisher said in an email interview. Students that do waive vaccinations will not be allowed on campus in the event of an outbreak, and they are still responsible for health fees. “I agree with the medical community that vaccinations prevent diseases,” Fisher said. She noted that, in her opinion, students should get vaccinated.
night before I go to bed, not even to watch it, but to have it playing in the background,” Pujol explained. “I like falling asleep watching ‘Bob’s Burgers.’” Ideas for balancing Netflix and schoolwork include pacing: after getting a predetermined amount of work done, an episode can be a reward. “I wouldn’t say I’m addicted,” Redman said. “But I definitely watch it to relax and unwind after a busy day.”
takes place if there is proof that such an event has occurred. “It doesn’t mean that it will lead to sanctions – but it could – but that’s kind of why that’s there. Informal hearings are there for lower level violations, like candles, guest policy, leaving a key in the door, those kinds of smaller things,” Van Dyke explained. “Administrative hearings are for higher level violations and it basically means that we have a little bit more evidence like a police report or an information report which means that a student did X, Y and Z and that’s the difference between the two. Typically when we start hearings we start with an informal conversation like: ‘So Colt, how’s life? How’s living in B Dorm? How are you getting along with your roommates?’ The importance of that is to put the student at ease. We don’t want the student to be scared or freaking out when they come into our office. We want to establish a relationship with the student.” Sanctions vary per case. Students who are found responsible for a violation, depending on the circumstances, may find themselves having to do an educational project or, in extreme cases, may face probation or suspension from school. Van Dyke remarked that students having informal hearings following the hosting of events on campus is fairly common. “Also related to cleaning up the space, did you abide by the policy that’s set in place when it comes to an
event? If you said that it was going to be substance free and then it wasn’t, we probably need to have a conversation,” Van Dyke said. On March 16, two new features regarding judicials will be available online. Walde remarked that next Monday, students would be able to access information regarding the judicial process from the school website to help bring clarity to the process. Additionally, a new online reporting system will be available online to the entire student body. Previously limited only to staff members and resident advisers, students will be able to fill out a virtual form to report policy violations and crimes that may take place on campus. The program, called Maxient, will allow students to report instances of emotional issues, disruptive behavior, sexual assault, and drug and alcohol addiction in themselves or those around them. The intention is to give students more options when it comes to reporting troubling behavior and spark conversation between Novocollegians and Student Affairs. “It’s about making sure our campus is a safe and welcoming environment,” Van Dyke said. “I don’t think that bigger picture is seen by the students, and I can understand that. Judicials can come off as very scary, especially if you don’t understand our intention behind it, but we just want to make a safe and welcoming campus and make sure that students are learning and growing.”
Four Winds hosts show for Writer in Residence BY KATELYN GRIMMETT The Four Winds hosted a reading and reception for the Writer in Residence and Professor of Creative Writing Michael “Tod” Edgerton last Tuesday night, providing light refreshments of coffee, tea and cinnamon scones for the audience of New College students and professors. Edgerton read from his book of poems, “Vitreous Hide.” “I had a great time seeing my professor recite some of his works from his book,” Giulia Heyward, a first-year Catalyst staff writer and member of Edgerton’s creative writing class, said. “It’s so interesting being exposed to poetry that doesn’t take the traditional approach or subject.” Edgerton effortlessly read from his book and flowed through the intensity of each descriptive and extending poem, unfolding each line. His compelling performance kept a sure grip on the audience’s attention. The read-in was a great chance for the school to get to know the new member of faculty and gave way to a question and answer session. Director of Writing Jennifer Wells asked Edgerton what his opinion and
advice were on the lack of traditional writing programs available through the school. “It’s a matter of if you really want it you’re already doing it if you’re a writer,” Edgerton said. “Lots of people haven’t had the education so you don’t really need it but it helps of course, it gives you recommendations and feedback,” he added. “I think read, read, read what has been done and is being done. It will feed into your work and what you’re drawn to will guide you.” “This was a smaller reading than some (but larger than the smallest crowd I've read for, which was a group of about ten people stuffed into the tiny back room of the Brooklyn bar, Pete's Candystore) and, for both the reasons of size and familiarity (eight of the audience members were my students), felt more intimate and casual,” Edgerton said in an email interview. “A lot of the themes and styles that he chose [in his book] were what we had discussed in class,” Heyward said. “We are always looking at the conveying of a coherent narrative while also working with language and you could see that in his work.”
Information from this article was taken from money.cnn.com, expandedramblings. com, and www.theguardian.com.
Information for this article was taken from: vaccines.procon.org, www.cnn.com, www.niaid.nih.gov, www.cdc.gov
The Catalyst wishes you a happy St. Patrick's Day!
THE BACK PAGE CATALYST From Athens, Georgia to Tampa, Florida: Family and Friends WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
BY SYDNEY KRULJAC Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Family and Friends instantly captivates its audience with its energy and a twodrummer dynamic that pulses through the hearts of anyone within earshot. On Saturday, March 7, Family and Friends brought its spirited folk-rock 470 miles south to Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival to join many other great bands for a weekend event with notable headliners such as Modest Mouse and the Gaslight Anthem. It is no surprise that the sevenmember band, consisting of Mike MacDonald (guitar/vocals), Casey Harper (vocals), Jamie Rios (percussion), Ryan Houchens (percussion), JP McKenzie (guitar), David (Tuna) Fortuna (bass) and Maria Kindt (viola/ violin) was one of the handful of bands selected to attend. Normally playing in venues across the northeast, Florida was a new experience for the band after nearly two years of playing together. “We’ve always wanted to come to Florida,” drummer Ryan Houchens said. “We just got the offer to play here and we just couldn’t turn it down, you know? Plus two of our favorite bands are headlining the festival. So it’s kind of like a vacation for us, kind of like a win-win. We get to play, but we also get to see one of the best concerts.” The band got together in 2013 by mere chance, according to guitarist and
lead vocalist, Mike MacDonald. “It was more or less a web of fate really,” MacDonald said. “We were kind of connected by six degrees of separation whether we knew it or not.” Throughout each of the member’s lives, music was an important and powerful component. Some, such as Houchens and Fortuna, were heavily involved in projects throughout college before Family and Friends began, according to MacDonald. “Tuna was in a pretty rad band called Tumbleweed Stampede that used to put on a killer show,” MacDonald said. “Ryan is still in a handful of super talented bands around town including Waitress and Double Ferrari.” Family and Friends has big plans for the future. As relatively young and fresh faces to the indie rock music scene, the 20-somethings are beginning to increase their popularity by they expanding their repertoire of fan bases in different states. When asked where in the world they would perform if given the opportunity, MacDonald listed a few of his desired venues including Madison Square Garden, Overseas, Underseas, Kansas City, Missouri, The fifth Harry Potter Novella and of course, New College of Florida. For more information about Family and Friends visit familyandfriendsband.com or familyandfriends.bandcamp.com.
(below) Drummer Ryan Houchens laughs during the interview. (bottom right) Family and Friends (from left to right) JP McKenzie, David (Tuna) Fortuna, Mike MacDonald and Jamie Rios. (middle) Members of Family and Friends (from left to right) Mike MacDonald, Ryan Houchens, Jamie Rios and JP McKenzie perform at Gasparilla Music Festival. (top) Family and Friends (from left to right) David (Tuna) Fortuna, Mike MacDonald, Jamie Rios, Casey Harper. All photos Sara Mineo/Catalyst
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