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MARCH 18 2015 VOLUME XXXVIII, ISSUE V
WHAT’S INSIDE
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MARS ONE FINALIST
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L A T YS R CRRIVE
12 FRIDAY THE 13TH TATTOOS
A student newspaper of New College of Florida
New changes to RA hiring process BY GIULIA HEYWARD In preparation for the next academic year, both new and returning students have signed up to endure the challenging process of becoming a resident advisor (RA). This year, however, administration has made several changes to the RA hiring process. Previously, becoming an RA involved a two-week period in which prospective RAs shadowed a current RA, including going on rounds and throwing a program. Residential Life opted to get Pariesa Young/Catalyst rid of this two-week process and the RA shadowing. B-Dorm RA and Catalyst staff member Colt Dodd opens a door for thesis student “This year we devoted a Saturday to Olive O’Meara. observing the first-time RA applicants “We had to fill out a pretty they are capable of,” Diaz said. “I feel complete certain tasks in group process extensive application. Then, based on that we got a well-rounded view of day,” third-year and current RA Adriana that, we were asked to participate in a applicants’ strengths and weaknesses Diaz said. “The other difference is that returning RAs had to give a presentation group day,” first-year and prospective from a variety of perspectives on group about how we helped build community RA Sara Gregory said. “The group day process day.” However, the changes have also in our interviews with no creative was full of team building or individual workshop activities where we were received criticism from those who feel limitations.” Prospective RAs are still observed by current RAs. Then, if we the shadowing aspect of the hiring evaluated based on academic, judicial made it past that, we had a formal process was essential. “The criticism I’ve heard has been and housing requirements. In order interview.” The new hiring process has been good criticism to hear,” Burr said. “What to qualify, students cannot be on academic probation or have a history praised for its efficiency and range of I’ve heard is one of the things that they liked about last year was having a of any behavioral problems with training activities. “I think both of these changes are mentor and having someone that they administration. Additionally, applicants must have lived on campus for at least useful because they allow applicants to could ask questions to. After being two semesters, allowing students to be assessed in a variety of ways that is continued on p. 11 not limited to one single facet of what qualify by the end of their first year.
Obamacare, still reviled by many, goes to Supreme Court again BY YADIRA LOPEZ The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed into law five years ago this month. Since then, it has been challenged in the House of Representatives more than 50 times and has already reached the Supreme Court once. Now the court is preparing to vote once again with King v. Burwell, a case that could cripple Obamacare through semantics alone. The plaintiffs have clung to a line in the bill – “[…] through an exchange established by the state” – to undermine the legitimacy of federally operated insurance exchanges and subsidies. The justices will decide whether the plaintiffs’ interpretation of the line is accurate. “[The challengers’] reading of the text makes no sense. It is taking words out of context versus reading it all taken together,” Elizabeth Wydra, chief counsel for the Constitutional Accountability Center, told U.S. News. A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs
would eliminate subsidies for Americans whose states did not set up their own exchange – that includes 34 states – while residents in the remaining states and the District of Columbia would remain unaffected. Pundits worry that a pro-plaintiff decision would only lead to a future “two-tiered society” brought on by the widening gap in coverage between both groups of states. According to a report by The New York Times, “If the court decides to limit federal tax credits the result could essentially be the creation of two American health care systems […] Americans could begin to have vastly different levels of access to care. It all depends on which America they happen to live in.” The division is roughly along party lines; a majority of the affected states are currently Republican-led, while those who opted to establish a state exchange are largely Democratic. Were the court to side with the
plaintiffs, millions of Americans would be left without subsidies, potentially rendering them unable to pay for insurance. The effect of a ruling against the federal government would not be limited to those who receive subsidies; individuals who buy their own insurance would also be affected. Health insurance premiums would likely soar since healthy individuals ineligible for subsidies would probably drop coverage, forcing insurance companies to increase rates in an effort to bring back revenue. Florida residents would be among those hit the hardest; an estimated 2 million people would lose subsidies by 2016. The state’s resistance to Obamacare was manifested earlier this month when Sarasota County was forced to shut down its primary care program by next year. State officials instructed the county to stop receiving annual federal funding that accounts for $1.9 million of the program’s budget. Without the
funding, and the “Federally Qualified Health Center” designation that comes with it, the program will be forced to dismantle itself after 35 years in operation. As many as 31,000 lowerincome residents will be affected. City Commissioner Christine Robinson called it a crisis. The Supreme Court’s decision on King v. Burwell is expected by late June. Supporters of Obamacare cite the justices’ siding with the federal government in a 2012 case as a positive sign, but skeptics point out that in that instance the votes were 5-4 – a slim margin. Experts say that the justices agreeing to hear the case in the first place is already an ominous sign. Information for this article was taken from www.kff.org, www.huffingtonpost. com, www.nytimes.com and heraldtribune.com
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briefs by Kaylie Stokes
Sail club gets students out for Pi Day This past Saturday New College celebrated the Pi Day of a century with $400 worth of pizza and pie down by the waterfront at Old Caples. The Sail Club used the celebratory occasion – which took place immediately after the regatta – to get students down to the waterfront and promote the many sailing opportunities available. The event, which was organized by thesis student and sailor Abigail Oakes, was incredibly successful with dozens of students making their way down to Old Caples for a slice of the pie. “The regatta had already been planned for this day, so we thought we’d make it a big thing,” Oakes said. Oakes received enough funding from the Student Allocations Committee (SAC) for 30 Hungry Howie’s pizzas and 30 Publix pies. After everyone ate, students were able to take to the seas and learn how to sail. “We have so much equipment, we really just want students to take advantage of it,” Oakes said. “This was a really great event,” third-year Destinee Aponte said, “I wouldn’t normally walk out here, but it’s actually really cool down here.” The Sail Club will be offering sailing lessons for beginners Tuesday through Saturday over spring break starting at noon each day. During the semester, students can learn to sail every Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Alex Dang and Clementine Bystander Intervention Von Radics fill BBT ISP turns into tutorial
The Black Box Theater (BBT) hosted a full house on Saturday for the performance of experienced slam poets Alex Dang and Clementine Von Radics. Dang is a two-time National Poetry Slam competitor, and Von Radics’ newly released book “Mouthful of Forevers” currently holds the spot as the number one release by a female poet on Amazon. Hailing from Portland, the two have been on the road for their “Love & Whiskey Tour” since January 9 and made a special stop at New College to perform, as well as host a writing workshop. Dang and Von Radics opened the show by performing a poem together and then took turns taking the stage for the rest of the night. Their poetry spanned topics of race, gender, class and love, and was crafted with the perfect mixture of humor and poignancy. At the beginning of the night Dang asked the audience to participate by snapping or stomping whenever a line specifically spoke to them, and throughout the performance the audience echoed back with snaps, claps and stomps. “It was a really supportive audience,” Von Radics said at the end of the show. “Yeah, it’s been a really wonderful experience performing here,”
Dang added. When asked about being on tour for so long Von Radics said, “It’s exhausting, but you can’t complain about it. We’re getting paid to travel the country and read poems. It’s such a gift.” “It’s been great! I eat like a monster and so this has been like a junk food tour for me,” Dang said. After the show Dang and Von Radics stuck around to sell their books and talk with students. Dang’s book is titled “You Can Do Better” after a Drake lyric. “I’m one of those people who love Drake un-ironically,” Dang said during the show before performing a poem about his love of hip-hop. After signing books and spending time talking to students, Dang and Von Radics led a writing workshop in the BBT. Dang and Von Radics were brought to New College by second-year Allya Yourish. “Alex and Clementine were absolutely incredible. It was so gratifying to see New College show up and enjoy their poetry,” Yourish said, “A large, engaged audience is literally the best thing I could’ve asked for, and I can’t wait to see who else will perform for us in the future!”
(right) Four hundred dollars worth of pie and pizza was bought in celebration of this year’s pi day.
CORRECTION: An article in last week’s issue incorrectly used “he” pronouns in reference to James Carillo. Carillo goes by “they” pronouns. We apologize for the error.
This past January nine students participated in the Bystander Intervention Independent Study Project (ISP) sponsored by Professor Amy Reid and facilitated by thesis student and former New College Student Alliance (NCSA) president Cassandra Corrado. Students were tasked to develop and implement a bystander intervention program for sexual assault prevention that met the specific needs of the New College community. Because of the enormity and importance of this undertaking, the ISP has been expanded into a tutorial running through this fall semester. “We wanted to have our own bystander intervention program that caters to the very specific New College population,” second-year and NCSA Co-President Shelby Statham, who helped with the ISP, said. “A lot of programs are geared toward frats and sports culture so we needed one that was more LGBTQIA friendly.” In order to do this, students split into three subgroups focused on logistics, curriculum development and content design. The groups have created a website and drafted preliminary posters and pamphlets to be used in the Sexual Health and Relationship Education (SHARE) room, as well as preliminary trainings, such as the upcoming workshop on April 16. All of this is gearing up to fully implement the designed programming next fall beginning with first year orientation. ISP and tutorial members were required to complete the Florida Coalition Against Sexual Violence’s (FCASV’s) core competency training for sexual assault victim advocates, as well as basic training in inclusive language and course readings provided for free by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).
Kaylie Stokes/Catalyst “Bianca, stop using Fall Out Boy quotes.” © 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
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
Sarasota man finalist for Mars One mission BY HALEY JORDAN If Lennart Lopin is chosen as one of the final 24 to be sent on a one-way trip to Mars, he may perish in 68 days, or he may spend the rest of his life watching a blue sunset from the surface of the Red Planet, 55 million kilometers from all other known life. Lopin, a Sarasota resident, has advanced to the third round of the selection process for Mars One, the first attempt to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Lopin is one of the final 100 candidates for this legendary oneway ticket, weeded from the original 200,000 worldwide responders. Lopin is a 32-year-old software engineer from Austria and a father of four. Mars One, a not-for-profit project being developed in the Netherlands, plans to send six crews of four, departing every two years, starting in 2024. The first unmanned mission, a seven-month journey, it set to launch in 2018. Mars One intends on sending a demonstration mission, communication satellites, two rovers and several cargo missions to build a reliable living unit in the coming years and only with existing technology. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have recently criticized the mission. They write, “The level of oxygen in the atmosphere would become a fire hazard as the colony’s first wheat crop reached maturity, and venting the oxygen would not solve the issue.” They predict the first crew fatality would ensue after a mere 68 days. Despite this, Mars One has garnered the support of Dutch 1999 Nobel laureate in physics Gerardus ‘t Hooft, as well as recent financial backing from a number of sponsors. The cost is currently projected at about $6 billion. “They were looking for 1 million people but they only got 200,000,” Lopin said. After the initial signup, detailed application forms were sent out asking about background, skills, incentive
and history of previous high stress and even life threatening situations. Each applicant was allotted exactly one minute for a video presentation. “After that, there were only 1,050 people left,” Lopin said. Next came a call for extensive medical examinations to be sent in, which reduced the number of potentials to 770. The next step was originally a call for film interviews, set to be conducted by a television production company, as it was believed that Mars One required extensive media coverage in order to be funded. When Mars One started to receive financial backing it made a new plan to produce a documentary film instead of its original idea: a reality television show. “Mars One is not as dependent on the media part which was always the most critical part of the plan because of financing; now the media is just going to be an extra benefit,” Lopin explained. “Obviously as humans, there is something in us that finds this very fascinating, so we can use that to actually get some money out of it down the road.” Lopin mentioned perhaps having Coca-Cola and Pepsi compete to have a sign on the Mars outpost, “Or Apple and Microsoft, Apple has billions just lying around doing nothing!” The interviewing step entailed four weeks of intensive study to prepare for all possible questions. Candidates were expected to answer questions about past missions, various countries’ success rates on missions, details about the Mars One mission, details about Mars itself and so on. Materials sent out to candidates included a printout the length of a novel, which provided information for the three technical and three psychological questions. There were also impromptu questions asked, some of which were later revealed to be critical for the next progression. Lopin had his interview on January 5. They asked him if he would return to Earth after three years given
SPACE NEWS: **NASA discovers massive ocean on Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede **Astronomers discover black hole with a mass of 12 billion suns **China working on new Long March rockets; likely to fly later this year **Arianespace signs first U.S. customer, planning to launch several Skybox Satellites in 2016 **Mars rover Curiosity regains use of arm, returns to research **NASA’s spacecraft Dawn completes its 7.5 year journey to dwarf planet Ceres; finds evidence of possible ice layer **Evidence of hydrothermal activity found on Saturn’s moon Enceladus **NASA test-fires largest motor measuring 177feet, a step towards deep-space exploration
Photo courtesy of Lennart Lopin
Sarasota resident Lennart Lopin is one of the one hundred finalists to Mars One,
the option, and he responded with a resounding no. “I’m not going to return [...] Why would I leave this all behind? I’d rather push in the other direction [...] push to the next boundary. That would be the way to go.” In the middle of February, the 100 finalists’ names were released, and Lopin had advanced. “It was pretty intense, but really other than that there were really no criteria,” Lopin said. “If you were a physically healthy person and four weeks of studying this material was enough for you, then you really had a good shot at getting through this interview.” Another hundred applicants disappeared leading up to the online interview. “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a constant flow of people who, in the middle the night realize ‘wait a second, this is getting real and I don’t really want to go to Mars,’” Lopin laughed. Lopin explained that Mars One is more likely to succeed than other missions, at least in its initial stages, because it is more financially realistic. “The main problem with Mars is that you can get there, but coming back makes the price ticket incredibly more expensive,” Lopin explained. “Because the problem is you have to take all the propellant over there, and that makes it very expensive.” Lopin detailed a plan configured in the 90s to ship the machinery first and then create rocket fuel on Mars itself for refueling. “NASA said they could do it for $10 [billion] or $20 billion, but once it looked serious everyone wanted to be a part of it and suddenly it was $500 billion.” Congress then rejected the proposal. “NASA was not talking about it so we always thought it was impossible [...] Always saying in 30 years, in 30 years, which meant never, really.” Lopin mentioned his unlikely hope finally manifesting in “The Case for Mars,” by American aerospace engineer and author Robert Zubrin, which contains a detailed plan for the first human landing on the Red Planet. It focuses on lowering the cost through
automated systems and manufacturing a return based on available Martian material; it also considers the possibility of terraforming. “If you read ‘The Case for Mars’ and then [read] about Mars One, the plan is very similar but it’s even cheaper than Dr. Zubrin’s because they cut out the return ticket. They say let’s just go there and try to survive and try to build all the necessary foundational things for mankind to live [...] That’s why when I saw it I didn’t think it too crazy, because of this book; otherwise I probably would’ve thought that this was insane and never going to work.” Lopin described his fascination for astronomy and science as a young child, stating he eventually became so captivated he wished to be abducted if only to explore further. “What I really wanted was to get away from this planet. I thought that everyone had already discovered everything already and thought ‘there’s nothing left for me.’ On the one hand you’ve got Star Trek and Star Wars and you read astronomy books so you know that those worlds are out there, and then you look at the only major spacefaring nation – the United States – and they had one space shuttle explode and basically stopped everything. It was really devastating, so I was thinking maybe there was another way into space.” Lopin then became enthralled, as was his tendency with most subjects, with the possibility of abduction. “I thought maybe I could communicate with them and they’d come and take me but instead of other abductions I would ask them to keep me.” With the guidance of science fiction, Lopin began experimenting as an 11-year-old with ideas surrounding telepathy, all in the hopes of fulfilling the grand plan: escape from Earth. “The whole motivation was so that I would somehow train my mind so I could communicate with aliens and get them to come,” Lopin explained.
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NEWS PAGE 4
ISIS destroys priceless ancient artwork BY RYAN PAICE The Islamic State – also known as ISIS or ISIL – has been making headlines with horrific beheadings and acts of war for several months, but has recently been making waves in another way: the destruction of artwork and historic creations. From the desecration of relics and churches, to the flattening of ancient ruins and the destruction of ancient artwork, ISIS has been on a rampage, leaving a barren path where culturally invaluable work once stood. Mosul was the focus of some of the extremists’ most horrible work; the Islamic State destroyed ancient artwork housed in the Mosul Museum and burned thousands of books and manuscripts from the Mosul Library. Several Islamic State thugs took sledgehammers to pieces of art created in the ancient times of Assyria, including turning a once mighty humanheaded winged bull sculpture, known as
a lamassu, into rubble. Artifacts that were thousands of years old and created during the birth of human civilization were destroyed because the Assyrians and Akkadians were polytheists. Mosul has not been the only victim of the Islamic State’s agenda. Jonah’s tomb, the holy site which was said to be the burial place of the prophet Jonah, was destroyed last year, along with the ruins of the ancient city of Hatra. The extremists have leveled incredibly important sites in cultural history, and recently ISIS has been continuing their cultural cleansing in Iraq with the destruction of Nimrud and Khorsabad. Khorsabad was the site of King Sargon II’s palace, which was created between 717 and 706 B.C. and served as one of the capitals during the Assyrian empire’s reign. It was abandoned in 705 B.C., after Sargon’s death, but stood until now as one of the prime examples of the land’s heritage.
Nimrud, the site of another Assyrian capital, was leveled as well. The ancient site was large and potentially somewhat undiscovered, and the frescoes and works found there were treasured and invaluable. The Islamic State destroyed what several thousands of years could not, bulldozing the site which was only recently nominated to be placed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. “It’s wrong. It’s disgusting. It is a violation of culture and history in itself,” first-year Sydney Rogalsky said. “I think something should be done by someone […] Maybe we do have a duty to do something.” “I think it shows that they don’t actually care about the history of their people,” first-year Emma Kervel said. “It illustrates how much they value power instead of traditional values. Any group that would target history obviously doesn’t have respect or understanding for the past.”
“It is obvious that they don’t reflect the majority of Muslims,” Kervel continued. “It is really sad that they have enough clout, and they have enough power to affect things so much when they obviously don’t represent what Islam is about. It is sad that they get conflated with the whole Muslim population when they don’t reflect the values and traditions and culture.” In Iraq, Syria and Libya the people are facing the imposition of an extremist group that has been terrorizing not only the population, but also the culture. Some of the first creations of human civilization are being destroyed by the Islamic State because – according to them – they were created in an “age of ignorance” before Islam was established. The Islamic State is erasing what remains from a vital part in human history, making it not only an assault on the area’s cultural history, but also the world’s.
Top winners announced at 73rd annual Intel Science Talent Search BY CAITLYN RALPH With awards totaling $1,612,500 and the motto “Tomorrow begins today,” the annual Intel Science Talent Search (STS) fuels the next generation of scientists. Held this year during the first week of March in Washington D.C., STS is the oldest and most esteemed high school science and math competition on the planet. This is not the typical science fair. STS gathers 40 of the top young scientists in the country who tackled society's most pressing problems by conducting their own graduate-level research, all while still in high school. Past alumni of the competition have gone on to become Nobel laureates, MacArthur fellows and Field Medal winners. Dating back to 1942, STS was the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, or “the Westinghouse,” for most of its existence. As of 1998, Intel Corporation is now the STS sponsor alongside Society for Science and the Public (SSP), a nonprofit whose vision is “to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement: to inform, educate and inspire.” SSP also sponsors STS’s middle school counterpart, Broadcom Masters, and sister competition, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is the world’s premier and largest pre-collegiate science competition. This year, the STS total award amount tripled, with the top projects in the categories Innovation, Global Good and Basic Research awarded $150,000. Second place winners in each category received $75,000, third place received $35,000, and every one of the 40 finalists received at least $7,500. Monetary awards were not the
only honors presented during the weeklong event in the nation’s capital. Finalists were also granted a meet-andgreet with President Obama. The president met each of the student researchers individually on March 7. He shook their hands, asked for their names and their hometowns, and spoke about the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. In a press release from SSP, Intel Corporation President Renee James echoed President Obama’s emphasis on STEM education with the quote, “A solid foundation in science, technology, engineering and math creates the critical talent corporations and startups need to drive their business and contribute to economic development.” “We hope this program will encourage other young people to become the next generation of scientists, inventors and engineers,” James continued. The 2015 top award in Innovation went to 18-year-old Michael Winer for his project titled “Interaction of Electrons and Phonons in a Crystal,” research that can be used in more complex atomic structures including superconductors. Second and third place winners were Saranesh Prembabu with “Coupled Electric and Magnetic Properties in Artificially-Layered Perovskite Thin Films” and Catherine Li from Orlando with “In-Fiber Emulsification of Biodegradable Polymers for Drug Delivery.” Prembabu’s research can be implemented in electrical and computing applications and Li’s research may be applied in cancer therapy. The Innovation category distinguished creative projects with high problemsolving design. In the Global Good category – which distinguishes passionate projects
Caitlyn Ralph/Catalyst
The Intel Science Talent Search was held in Washington, D.C.
that kept making a difference in mind – first place went to 17-year-old Andrew Jin for his project titled “Shedding Light on Human Evolution: Machine Learning Algorithms for Systematic Genomewide Discovery and Characterization of Adaptive Mutations.” Jin identified mutations relating to immune response, metabolism, brain development and schizophrenia in the human genome. Kalia Firester won second place in Global Good with “The Role of Fatty Acid and Retinol Binding Proteins (FARs) During Host Parasitism by RKN Meloidogyne spp,” research that addressed the repelling of pests that cost agriculture around the world. Anvita Gupta with “Computational Drug Discovery for Cancer, Tuberculosis, and Ebola by Targeting Intrinsically Disordered Proteins” won third place by identifying potential drugs for cancer, tuberculosis and Ebola. First place in the category of thorough and in-depth analysis driven projects – titled Basic Research – was awarded to 17-year-old Noah Golowich for his project “Resolving a Conjecture on Degree of Regularity,
with some Novel Structural Results.” He developed a mathematical proof in an area that finds structure types in large complicated systems. The second place award went to a project called “Monomization of Power Ideals and Generalized Parking Functions” by Brice Huang, who calculated the largest class of ideals for the power ideal’s series of dimension. Shashwat Kishore and “Multiplicity Space Signatures and Applications in Tensor Products of sl2 Representations,” which focused on abstract algebra, won third place. “We are honored to congratulate Noah, Andrew, Michael and the rest of the top winners of the Intel Science Talent Search 2015,” President and CEO of SSP Maya Ajmera said in a press release. “These students serve as shining examples of the incredible work being accomplished in STEM fields by young people, and we are proud to recognize and reward these stellar young researchers.” Information from this article was taken from societyforscience.org.
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NEWS PAGE 5
Community meeting addresses affordable housing BY PARIESA YOUNG With more than a thousand homeless people in Sarasota County according to the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, the community has rallied around a few buzzwords. “Enablement,” “come as you are” and “93 percent” are on the lips of everyone arguing for and against the various solutions for Sarasota’s street-sleepers. But a new phrase has emerged and seems to have civil servants and case managers excited: “housing first.” At a public meeting last Wednesday conducted by Professor of Sociology David Brain and Sarasota Area Commander of the Salvation Army Major Ethan Frizzell, a group of students in Brain’s Practicum in Community Building tutorial presented an analysis of national and local trends in affordable housing. After a brief presentation, attendees were welcomed to the “World Cafe” format of discussion, which requires guests of each table to travel to another group when a new question is asked. “The questions presented by the students for the ‘World Cafe’ conversation raised more questions than they answered,” Jaclyn Tredway
Pariesa Young/Catalyst
Jaclyn Tredway (center) regularly attends the public meetings. Participants are supplied with paper and markers to jot down ideas.
of Bay to Bay Services said. “The discussion of how quality of life would be apparent as an outcome of successful affordable housing, was agonizing.” Tredway has attended each one of the monthly community meetings. She was formerly homeless and now lives in a tiny house. Despite her positive experience with a tiny house, Tredway advocates for a “fallout shelter” which would consist of “little more than a structure that provides protection from weather, [provides] snacks and water [...] to accommodate many souls on few
mattresses.” While Robert Marbut condemned Sarasota from enabling the homeless by giving money to panhandlers – claiming that 93 percent of that money is spent on drugs and prostitution – he also suggested that a “come as you are” shelter would be the solution to the city’s woes. After the shelter plans were halted by a City Commission vote, homelessness advocates and lawmakers had to find a new solution. The discussion at the public
meeting spotlighted a few options that have cropped up around the country to alleviate housing crises. Tiny houses – homes which are sustainable, livable, minimal and yes, tiny – are a popular option with artistic communities like Sarasota. Neighborhoods of tiny homes such as Dignity Village in Portland, Ore. have proven to be successful in fostering community values in formerly homeless individuals. Subsidized public housing is another option. Currently, the Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA) offers subsidized rent to individuals whose income is less than 80 percent of the median area income – which, in Sarasota, is $57,300 as of 2014. SHA currently operates 407 units of public housing and is in the process of adding more. However, the Sarasota City Housing Support Document cites that there is a need for more than 2,000 new units over the next 10 years in order to accommodate low incomes. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Housing First is an approach which focuses on obtaining affordable housing as quickly as possible for
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Spring Break forever: A history BY SYDNEY KRULJAC The traffic has suddenly increased in Sarasota; the beaches are flooded with people; restaurants are packed to the brim with old and young alike. It all signals the arrival of spring – the season of fertility and awakening. A tradition that should be credited perhaps to Dionysus seems to actually fall in the hands of a swimming coach from Colgate University, Sam Ingram. In 1936, Ingram brought his swimming team south to Ft. Lauderdale to practice in the first Olympic-sized pool in Florida, the Casino Pool. By 1938, more than 300 swimmers were competing. The Florida migration of swimmers every spring carried well into the 1960s, when the first spring break movie was created, “Where The Boys Are At.” The movie highlighted men and women swimmers making the trek to Florida to find sunshine, fun and, of course, love. And the road to modern spring break madness was paved. By the 1970s, the once innocent destination of Ft. Lauderdale started to become raunchier in the ways the modern college student knows today. Students showed off their PDA, they drunkenly dove off of balconies and all the while, tenants wondered why they ever rented out a condo to these reckless kids in the first place. By 1985, roughly 370,000 students were descending on Ft. Lauderdale, (eventually cleverly coined “Ft. Liquordale”) which subsequently encouraged another movie to be made, “Spring Break,” starring Tom Cruise and Shelley Long. However, as the 1980s neared the end of the decade, Ft. Lauderdale officials began to notice the
photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Visitors of Siesta Key relax in the warm Florida weather while enjoying the beach.
reckless behavior and enforced stricter laws. In fact, the mayor at the time, Robert Dressler, went so far as to say students were no longer welcomed in Ft. Lauderdale at all. MTV saw this as a prime opportunity to begin its spring break special in Daytona Beach, FL where the crude and belligerent idea of spring break really took off. For first-year Lena Nowak-Laird, spring break is no other than an outlet for relaxation after a couple months of hard work and midterms. “I plan on going to the march for Immokalee workers in St. Pete,” Nowak-Laird said. “Then going home for a few days. I plan on going to New England to see family.” First-year, Annie Rosenblum could
not agree more. “I think both fall break and spring break give students much needed time to relax halfway through the semester,” Rosenblum said. “I’m just going home to cuddle with my dog and eat my mom’s spaghetti.” Sarasota and its surrounding cities also offer many options for students who do not intend to leave campus. With beaches such as Siesta Key and Lido beach only minutes away, students can relax and enjoy Florida’s spring weather for a cheap price. There are also options such as the Mote Marine Laboratory that is open seven days a week from 10:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening and tickets are only $19.75. Furthermore, St. Petersburg, only 45 minutes north, offers beaches, museums and nightlife for a cheap price.
On Thursday’s after 5 o’clock, tickets to the Dali Museum are at a discounted price of $10. Perhaps stories from this spring break will not be as boisterous and dangerous as the one portrayed by Harmony Korine’s 2012 flick, “Spring Breakers” or as raunchy as MTV. However, with spring in the air, James Franco’s infamous quote “spring break forever” seems to ring in the ears of every college student preparing for their anticipated spring break whether it means going home, or embarking on an adventure. Information for this article was taken from time.com.
Kayaking on crystal river: adventure’s just a paddle away! BY HALEY JORDAN With turquoise freshwater, abundant and friendly fish, and the famous Florida manatee, the town of Crystal River, and the Three Sisters Spring in particular, is a hidden gem not to be missed, and only two hours away from Sarasota. The Three Sisters Spring itself is a small 72-degree oasis of groundwater within the larger Crystal River, known for housing up to 200 Florida manatees at one time who choose the spring for its warmth on particularly cold winter days. The spring has three main vents that help feed Kings Bay, which is also host to the manatee, along with bayside restaurants that can be accessed via kayak or canoe. The Crystal River Kayak Company is only a short two-hour and 10-minute drive north of Sarasota, and is the best way to access the Three Sisters Spring or any other spring in Kings Bay. Located right off the main road, the company is friendly and affordable. One can rent a single, double, or triple kayak, or choose a canoe, and is provided with a map, an informational video, lifejackets and as many jokes as can be spat off before you are out of earshot. “The Three Sisters Springs were some of the most beautiful natural sites I’ve ever seen,” first-year Mimi Chenyao commented. “I’m so glad I got to have this experience.”
After a 10-minute paddle through a narrow and calm canal, one comes upon the spring, marked off so only kayaks, canoes or snorkelers can access it. For those who would not wish to float or swim, the boardwalk surrounding parts of the spring is open 10:30 a.m.3:30 p.m., Nov. 15 to March 31, with the option of a tour guide. “It was so clear I could watch the fish darting around below the kayak,” first-year Ryan Reams said. Once inside, it is clear why the spring has been named "an environmental jewel." Filled with mangroves, freshwater fish, crabs and, best of all, the peaceful and friendly “sea cows,” one is tempted to stay indefinitely, if not for the promise of food. A mere 15-minute paddle through Kings Bay in the same direction brings you to Crackers, a bayside restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, portions suited for two, and an array of gourmet seafood. “The route we took by kayak was beautiful and the food was definitely worth it,” first-year Gabriela Sanchez said. “Crystal River: aptly named,” Reams concluded. The Crystal River Kayak Company is located at 1332 SE US Highway 19, Crystal River, FL 34429 and can be contacted at (352)795-2255 or kayak@kayakcrystalriver.com for more information.
LEFT: (top left) Manatee breaches the river. (left) Manatee Watch Volunteer guides visitors through the river. (bottom) Kayaks are available to be rented to guests. RIGHT: (top left) A sign identifying the Crystal River kayaks. (top right) Crystal River is known for its crystal clear waters. (bottom) First year Mimi Chenyao laughs in the river. All photos Haley Jordan/Catalyst
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Spotify popular among NCF Students BY JASMINE RESPESS Companies big and small have been scrambling to get a leg up in a business where dealing with record labels, artists and piracy creates legitimate problems. Music streaming did not start or end with the Swedish company Spotify, but in recent years the company has taken over the music streaming market. Beginning with only a couple employees, 1,500 people are now employed at Spotify. The company currently boasts 45 million free users and 15 million paying customers who typically are charged $10 a month. Spotify often offers free trials and student discounts that lessen the cost to $4.99. Users have access to more than 30 million songs on the Spotify music database. At New College, students have largely shifted from torrenting music illegally due to the potential legal consequences and the slowing of the campus Internet. Spotify is as popular at New College as anywhere else in the country, with 23 out of 30 students randomly polled saying they used the service. Ten out of the 23 surveyed paid for the Spotify service with an average of $4.99 a month. Another service popular with New College students is YouTube, most commonly as a supplement to using an additional music-streaming provider. Along with YouTube, Pandora and 8tracks also offer ways to listen to music
Photo courtesy of Spotify
The browsing feature on Spotify allows users to explore their music interests and new music releases.
online for free, providing an alternative to paid options through companies such as Spotify and Amazon. “I have used Spotify for longer than I think a lot of people have,” third-year Daniel Anderson-Little said. “They now offer playlist and browsing features.” A few NCF users reported they have not been able to use Spotify due to incompatibility with their computer software. Others are not attracted by Spotify’s discounts since they usually require a sign-up process or a link to the user’s social media profiles. Last year, Apple acquired the streaming service Beats Music for $3
billion in an attempt to take the label of most popular streaming company away from Spotify. This was an important move for both Beats and Apple because Beats had become surprisingly influential in the music industry. Apple wanted to take acquisition of Beats to further their control of the music market. Apple has been able to get music rights from long-time popular holdouts such as the Beatles and Metallica. Beats creators Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine have stated that Apple’s business model greatly influenced their own company. Beats also benefited by being absorbed by one of the largest
companies to date and having access to the best technology thereby gaining precedent. According to The Associated Press, “The growing popularity of music streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify has been reducing sales of songs and albums, a business that iTunes has dominated for the past decade. U.S. sales of downloaded songs slipped one percent last year to $2.8 billion while streaming music revenue surged 39 percent to $1.4 billion.” The Apple streaming system is priced at $9.99 a month, although it had originally been advertised at $7.99 a month – a price that was supposed to be a more attractive selling point and make them more competitive. The main complaint is that iTunes users still have to pay for individual songs on iTunes, but even paying for individual albums is becoming less popular. “I do not think Apple will be able to convince people like me who do not use Apple products to use their streaming service,” thesis student Aaron Olinger said. “Even if it is Android compatible.” Information from this article was taken from www.npr.org, www. bangkokpost.com, www.forbes.com, www. wsj.com, www.forbes.com
“Kingsman”: A spy movie for every audience BY CAITLYN RALPH I tried to convince them to see “The Lazarus Effect.” The whole gentleman spy genre does not really appeal to me, so when my friends decided on “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” I was reluctant but willing to give it a go. I watched the trailer a few months back and did not remember anything special, just fighting, explosions and all the other typical action movie attributes. However, “Kingsman” wound up being a multifaceted film with potential to entertain all types of audiences. Originally formed by tailors who lost their heirs to World War I, “Kingsman” is a secret service/ gentleman spy troupe that silently triumphs over evil around the world. When one of their members is murdered, each of the agents must offer a possible replacement. The plot is framed when Harry “Galahad” Hart suggests Gary “Eggsy” Unwin a troubled, mischievous kid. Hart owes Eggsy and his mom a favor of their choosing, due to a certain circumstance that is revealed in the first scene of the movie. Eggsy is played by Taron Egerton. I never heard the name prior, and after looking him up on IMDb, expecting to find a long resume of British action movies, I soon realized that “Kingsman” was the young actor’s big breakthrough. However, with his performance in the role, you would not think so. Egerton’s finesse reminded of the ever-charming Douglas Booth, and I was quickly won
over by his endearing and engaging appeal along with, judging by their reaction, many other theatergoers as well. Egerton managed to balance the smug punk vibe with unsung hero potential, creating an incredibly charismatic, clever and likeable character to carry the audience through the movie. Colin Firth, in his role as Hart, complemented Egerton in a nice role model, father figure kind of way. Samuel L. Jackson was the quirky villain “Valentine,” stealing laughs even in the most intense of scenes. Based on a graphic novel by the same writer of “Kickass,” “Kingsman” is directed by Matthew Vaughn, also credited for “X-Men: First Class.” The goal of “Kingsman” was to reimagine the cliché spy flick. In many scenes, characters made direct reference to “what is supposed to happen here” based on these existing James Bond archetypes. However, the film also touches on deeper concepts, such as abusive relationships, the infiltration of technology into society, and, most prominently, the divide between the have and the have-nots. Commoner Eggsy is often placed among aristocratic competitors who tease his societal standing, thinking less of him and his skills. Even though, in classic blockbuster style, the underdog saves the day, “Kingsman” spits extensive commentary on the struggle to overcome lower class boundaries and the interaction
Photo courtesy of starscoops.com
Kingsman grossed $36 million in its opening weekend.
between the rich and the poor. “Being a Kingsman has nothing to do with the circumstances of one’s birth,” Hart says at one point. “If you’re prepared to adapt and learn, you can transform.” “Kingsman” proved to be unique by grouping awesome fight scenes (decently gory, my inner horror movie fan was happy), intriguing spy gadgets which include fancy umbrellas and posh pens as weapons, and humor appropriately drizzled from beginning to end. Visually, the film was well done (and, I will be honest, Egerton was nice on the eyes as well), and London as a
setting was the perfect backdrop. “I love the soundtrack, the action was spectacular, the effects were amazing, and it was funny,” first-year student and avid movie watcher Connie J. Miranda said right after seeing “Kingsman.” “I will see it again.” Overall, “Kingsman” successfully turned around the stereotyped gentleman spy plot to create a versatile and accessible movie that a variety of audiences can easily enjoy. Information from this article was taken from www.imdb.com
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Kentucky looks to dominate March Madness BY RYAN PAICE With NCAA basketball’s March Madness beginning its first round March 17, the competition looks to be dramatic. A year after Shabazz Napier set the tournament ablaze in leading the UConn Huskies to the championship, it looks like their challenger – the Kentucky Wildcats – will be at it again. While the Wildcats may have lost the championship game, they seem to be the unanimous team to beat, having occupied the spot of No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the entire year, steamrolling everyone in their way. The University of Kentucky Wildcats have been practically unstoppable this year, with its roster filled to the brim with NBA-quality talent. Almost every position is filled with a player who will be drafted, particularly at the center position, where freshman sensation Karl-Anthony Towns and defensive savant Willie Cauley-Stein hold down the paint. The duo is one of the main reasons the Wildcats are second in points allowed and blocks per game. Sophomore twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison join another freshman stud, sharpshooter Devin Booker, on the perimeter. Having won every single
game of their regular season and setting records along the way, the Wildcats are undoubtedly the team to beat. “They are basically an NBA team playing with college kids,” Jac Durr, a freshman at the State College of Florida, said about Kentucky. “They have the makeup of an NBA team in college, which is very impressive.” The No. 2 team on the AP Top 25, the Duke Blue Devils, figures to be the biggest challenger to the favored Wildcats. Led by the freshman freight train Jahlil Okafor – one of the Naismith Player of the Year Award semi-finalists and favorite to win – who brings unstoppable post offense to an already potent offense. Freshman Tyus Jones brings electrifying quickness from the point, while – another freshman – Justise Winslow provides the elite perimeter defense and aggression. Blue Devils fans hope their prized freshman trio can bring them the trophy, and if Jahlil Okafor can continue his post dominance, they just might have a chance. The Virginia Cavaliers are No. 3 on the AP Top 25 and are there because of their stifling defense. The best defensive team in the country, the Cavaliers are holding their opponents to a country-
leading 50.1 points allowed a game. Their junior leader, Justin Anderson, only recently returned from a series of unlucky injuries having recovered from surgery on his fractured finger before having to undergo an appendectomy. The bulldog defender and newly discovered sharpshooter will be back to wreak havoc as the key cog in coach Tony Bennett’s system. Another all-around team based on system instead of stars, Villanova ranks No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll, but often does not get the title contender status it deserves. While the Villanova Wildcats only have one player 6’11” or taller in junior Daniel Ochefu, Villanova has a terrific systematic offense based on ball movement and perimeter scoring. The Villanova Wildcats are 20th in the entire country in points scored per game at 76.9, with their ball movement displayed in their 16 assists per game, which would rank at 13th in the nation. While not exactly equipped with the personnel that you would expect in a championship-caliber team, their system has only seen two losses this year. “Their ability to score and shoot the three very well is impressive,” Durr said. “They don’t have great big men,
but they are dangerously good scorers.” The No. 5 team in the nation according to the AP Top 25, the Arizona Wildcats also look to be a threat to Kentucky’s crown. Ranking in the top 16 teams in the nation in both points allowed and rebounds per game, Arizona’s Wildcats hope that their dynamic duo of freshman Stanley Johnson – an elite perimeter defender and leading scorer – and sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson can lead them to the title. Hollis-Jefferson’s offense is often called into question, but as one of the most versatile defenders in the game, he could be the answer to shutting down any opposing player. With the Kentucky Wildcats dominating the regular season and heading into conference tournaments and March Madness with a gusto, they look to make up for their championship round loss last year with a win this year. However, Duke, Virginia, Villanova and Arizona stand in Kentucky’s way, along with several other impressive teams. With the tournament looking like it is going to be Kentucky vs. the world, March Madness has rarely looked more promising.
Sarasota sustains a thriving psychic scene BY KATELYN GRIMMETT Whether due to the artsy ambiance, tourist-attracting beaches or the underlying energy of Sarasota, the small city is host to a vast scene of psychics. In fact, the online Yellow Pages lists more than 60 psychics or mediums in the area and that accounts only for those registered. With such an unusually large number of clairvoyants, Sarasota provides a rich variety of services from psychics and mediums of all natures. Susan Moen, “head honcho” at the Crystal Cave, provided a potential explanation for the heavy number of psychics in Sarasota. “I would think it’s the vortex of Siesta Key, vortexes are magnetic pools underground that produce energy and can repel hurricanes,” Moen said. “A lot of Native Americans in Florida were drawn here. It might be the reason why psychics and mediums settle here as well.” A psychic is defined by the Free Dictionary as a person “capable of extraordinary mental processes such as telepathy and extrasensory perception.” This broad definition is useful in that it alludes to the basic element of all psychic work: the psyche. All levels of psychics, mediums and clairvoyants are deeply involved with matters of the mind; while most claim to be born with an extrasensory gift, the cultural popularization of the mystical has allowed for guidebooks and items such as tarot cards and Ouija boards to be widely available. Many psychics around Sarasota provide readings 24 hours a day for a varying price. Psychic Nancy Frank
has worked in the Sarasota area for more than 30 years and is a certified holistic health consultant. She provides services including palm and aura readings, extrasensory perception (ESP) and chakra, which deals with inner spirituality and the balance and flow of energy. “It’s a gift, something I was born with that I’ve been doing since,” Frank said. “It’s the only profession I’ve ever had, I never went to school, worked anywhere else, and I’ve been doing it since childhood.” “A lot of psychics work at homes or boutiques,” Frank said. “I don’t do things like that, I can’t tell you how accurate they are if they just give readings from manuals.” Nancy is currently attending a psychic convention in New York with a focus on healing services through medications to help people with their energy and cleansing. “I don’t think anybody has ever come in and not come back, they’re satisfied and the best advertisement is clientele. I have a great connection with them,” Frank said. “The age group varies, everyone is interested, and everybody has different energies at different times.” “Some bring in children – newborns – for auras and chakras to check that everything is okay,” she said. “Fifty percent of newborns get affected and can develop severe blockages in different areas of life – some people cannot absorb success.” Marykay Snell, a self-proclaimed born psychic who has done professional readings for about 25 years, offers services at the Crystal Cave on Fridays. “Marykay is an intuitive, medium
clairvoyant and can channel through deceased loved ones and spirit guides,” Moen said. “She sometimes uses cards but not tarot cards, it’s a normal deck of cards passed down from her grandmother and is generally used more for the comfort of the client, an important factor in the reading.” Faith “Fusha” Del Mar, a thesis student and psychology AOC with a slash in fine arts, identifies as a solitary witch. “I started doing research on my own,” Del Mar said. “I prepared myself for like a year, and then decided it was time to go to a professional medium psychic named Lori Marshal. It was so amazing, the specific details she gave me. I’ve had a lot of family pass, so there were a lot of spirits who wanted to talk. I have a lot of energy, so it’s usually easy for them to pick up.” Marshal is a medium and works through a place called Continuity of Life. “I will work with you to create a clearer understanding of the Continuity of Life, and deliver to you readings and sessions that are heart-filled and genuine,” Marshal’s website reads. “My personal understanding is that the consciousness of an individual lives on after the transition called death, and provide for you continuity, connection, comfort, clarity, and closure.” “Basically, it’s just about being a channel,” Del Mar said. “Everyone has different ways of working. They helped me understand what I already knew and to trust myself. It sounds simple, but it takes years to even start the process. Just like any other thing it takes practice and meditation and understanding of your spirit guides who act like gate
keepers in communication with other spirits.” Carolan Carey, a medium in Sarasota, explained that while all mediums are psychic, not all psychics are mediums. “A psychic reads auras for past, present and future but a medium is a direct spiritual communication,” Carey said. “Everyone has a spirit band, a bunch of helpers as well as those who have cared about you, and the way I work is when I look at someone, usually a stronger spirit will step forth if they have something to say,” Carey explained. “The way spirits communicate is different, it’s like its own language.” Carey is not a claimed born psychic but instead studied mediumship since 2007, reading books and taking classes on the subject. Five years ago, after learning and developing as a psychic, she started her actual medium work. “It is not my full-time job, although I wish it could be, I am a licensed masseuse and the associate pastor at Sarasota Center of Light which holds psychic fairs on the third Saturday of each month,” Carey said. In addition to these other jobs, Carey sees between 6 and 10 clients on a weekly average. “The pricing for my services depends on a variety of things,” Carey said. “I mostly work through the phone and my lowest rate is $30 to $50 for thirty minutes but in person it could be up to $70 with the exception of group readings which are much less.” “Everyone to me is a psychic and healer to some degree, it’s just the way you use it,” Carey said. “Sometimes even listening can be as powerful as a reading.”
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Wall previews BY GIULIA HEYWARD Friday, March 20: Equinox feat. Balloons - Qake Cooley Second-year and Wall host Jacob “Qake” Cooley plans to merge his love of balloons and the spring equinox in his appropriately titled Equinox feat. Balloons Wall. “[It] reminds me that there are processes bigger than us, and that they will continue on well after we are all gone,” Cooley said. “It’s just a nice moment to appreciate night and day together as two equal halves. Thus, there will be balloons.” Cooley plans on an eclectic playlist; highlights will include live scatting, free jazz, instrumental and balloon squeaking. Saturday, March 21: YouTube Wall - Julia True The inspiration for YouTube Wall came from one student’s love of “hand things” and Tara the Android. “I’m trying to throw this at the pool, with videos projected on the big wall by the deep end,” thesis student and Wall host Julia True said. True also plans on recruiting lifeguards with the permission of Fitness and Recreation Director Colin Jordan. “If it’s thrown at the pool the Wall will technically have to be substance free, which will be difficult to enforce and likely hurt attendance,” True said. “So I may give up on the pool idea.” Regardless of the location of the Wall, True plans on alternating between music and video playlists as well as taking requests from Wall attendees.
The pub that could have been BY BIANCA BENEDI Last September, thesis student Andrew Fiorillo brought a motion to the September Towne Meeting of the New College Student Alliance (NCSA). He proposed a motion to allocate $4000 to the potential of obtaining a liquor license for thr Four Winds cafe. Although the motion passed, the Four Winds has so far been unuccessful in obtaining a liquor license, and chances look slim that it will happen. This is not the first time that alcohol sales have been proposed on campus. In September 1979, students brought forth another proposal to the NCSA for the creation of a New College Pub. “One of the primary reasons for the establishment of this pub is to facilitate and foster casual social interactions between students, faculty and staff ... The benefits to the campus community of this social interaction can go a long way in helping to reestablish the lost sense of community on this campus,” reads the proposal in its opening lines. The proposal suggested that the pub be built in location of the mail room, in order to “develop Hamilton (Ham) Center as the student and focus of student activity on campus.” At the time, the proposal suggests, Ham had a poor reputation and image on campus. A pub would provide a muchneeded “facelift” for the center and encourage student activity (the mailboxes would then be moved to another location - some suggestions included HCL6 or the Pei dorms).
Photo courtesy of NCF Digital Archives
A photo of the maligned Hamilton Center, 1979.
According to the proposal, one suggestion for management was to allow SAGA to run the pub (although there are no records for what SAGA stands for, the proposal suggests that it is Student Affairs). An alternative proposal was for a student-run pub. This suggestion came with the acknowledged disadvantage of being unable to keep a consistent staff, licensing difficulties, and “potential losses to be absorbed by the student government” (as it happens, all problems faced by the Four Winds cafe which would be created roughly twenty years later). The proposal finishes with the
following suggestions: “That SAGA be allowed to manage the facility; That a Pub Control Advisory board be established ... ; That this same board should begin making recommendations as to the design ... ; That an agreement be negotiated and finalized concerning the amount and method of return to either Hamilton Center or Campus Council ... ; That agreements concerning responsibility for damages and extra custodial help be finalized with student government; That workshops and programs be established to aid ... in the assistance of students with alcohol problems.
EVENTS: MARCH 18 - 25
3/18 VOX Birth Control and Safer Sex workshop 6 - 9 p.m. GDC
3/19
Training: Active shooter/ Armed Intruder 9 - 10 a.m. Selby Auditorium All Power to the Imagination 7 - 8 p.m. GDC
3/20
iCoast Citizen Science 12 - 1 p.m. LBR 228 More Too Life 5 - 6:30 p.m. HCL 7
3/21
3/22
3/23
3/24
3/25
Spring Break Have a good break!
Happy Birthday Pei 4:30 - 7 p.m. HCL 8 Xerome 8 - 12 p.m. Four Winds
Want your event to be featured on our calendar? Email ncfcatalyst@gmail.com by the Friday prior to your event.
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RA Hiring Process
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hired, they still had someone who they felt they could go back to. [...] One thing that is very New College is our ability to learn from each other.” The duties and responsibilities of an RA are centered on creating a safe community for their assigned residents. In building these strong communities, RAs are able to enforce policy without the need for police interference. “The position of being an RA gives me so much more access to be helpful,” Diaz said. Diaz is applying to be a returning RA for next year. “I try to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible so that residents feel comfortable coming to me.” In exchange for these responsibilities, RAs receive benefits such as a $1,500 stipend each semester, which is broken down into $8 per hour with a required 10 hours of work each week. RAs also receive an optional apartment-style meal plan, as well as a housing fee that has been reduced by 75 percent regardless of where an RA resides on campus. The RA position is also beneficial post-graduation. “Being an RA is one of the strongest leadership and work positions that you can have on your resume when you leave college,” Residence Hall Director Lauren Burr said. “One of those reasons is that primarily most employers that you will encounter had an RA, they know what that job entails and they either were one or did not want to be one. They understand what that responsibility is and it automatically tells someone
that you are a responsible and caring person.” The RA hiring process is subject to change once again depending on the feedback it receives. Potential changes for next year could include bringing back RA mentors. “I think we will try to be intentional about getting feedback from our RAs before the hiring process begins,” Campus Life Coordinator for Student Involvement Vanessa Van Dyke said. “This feedback will help us make any necessary changes. In addition we will make an effort to tell the [New College Student Alliance] about our hiring process and how they can get involved more early on.” Regardless of the changes in the hiring process, the turnout for being an RA has been the same between this year and last. “We received 26 applications, and we extended group process applications to twenty of them,” Burr said. “A lot of our candidates thus far have been firstyears, which is not unusual for a college campus for that to be where your primary applicant pool is.” Overall, the feedback received about the RA hiring process has been positive, with many students excited at the prospect of making a difference. “It’s a good opportunity to be what you want to see changed in your own residential area,” first-year and prospective RA Miles Iton said. “You always have to be proactive in what you want to see done in your community.”
Affordable Housing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 homeless individuals, and then supplying case management and other services. In other words, the primary goal is placing people into housing, everything else – from rehabilitative services to child care – comes next. “I would rather be a part of a proactive consultation on the implementation of ‘Humane Housing’ and provision of ‘Homes First’ rather than ‘Housing (Houses) First,’ which can have unintended side effects of the giving of ‘too much, too soon,’ and aiming too low in goals and potential,” Tredway said. “Humane housing begins with meeting the most fundamental needs of all: safety, security, sense of well-being and a loving environment. The last comes from the unconditional love of the extended family of community, and forms the foundation for receptivity to the sequential education of the spirit that mines and refines the gems of self-discovery in talents, purpose and potential.” Housing First emerged out of the idea that many people who have become homeless for purely economic reasons are not well served by homeless shelters and other social services. For many, the only thing that is missing is affordable rent which does not provide a cost burden to the family. A cost-burden is defined by the
JUMPS
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a rent which exceeds 30 percent of a person’s monthly income. As of the most recent report by the City of Sarasota in 2008, 42 percent of renters are paying more than 30 percent of their income for rent. Housing First depends on the availability, diversity and affordability of housing in an affected area. Although public meetings initiated by New College and the Salvation Army have begun an unprecedented dialogue on homelessness and housing needs in Sarasota, their goal was not to create or suggest policy. “I would like to join other activists, non-profits, students, business owners, elected civic leaders, residents of directly affected neighborhoods and stakeholders to begin community engagement and consultation gatherings, similar to the ones initiated by the Salvation Army,” Tredway said. “Being a consultation as opposed to a dialogue, they would be looking more to proactive solutions than discussing problems. They would be very ‘just do it’ oriented.” Information for this article was taken from usich.gov, scgov.net, huduser.org.
“Never really worked out, but it got me more and more drawn into Eastern philosophy.” “The idea of training your mind and the possibilities of deepening your concentration, your insights, into how the mind operates and works; I got very fascinated.” This led Lopin to Buddhism as a teenager. Lopin’s parents, concerned with what they saw as an obsession, sought out a Buddhist monk in hopes of advice. They were told to gift their son a two-month trip to Sri Lanka, promising that he would swiftly return once he witnessed poverty. Lopin, disinterested in the modern manifestations of the religion, agreed for the sake of maximizing his allowance, traveling 5,000 miles in the hopes of finding cheap books. To everyone’s surprise, after two months, Lopin wrote to his parents informing them of his decision to stay. After much distress on the part of his parents, Lopin finally struck a deal, promising to return and finish school in exchange for the required permission to become a monk afterwards. They believed he would change his ideology. They were wrong. “I had a new goal, a new mission. I tried to learn the language, lived like a monk as a teenager in my room, went to the forest after school to meditate. I was totally dedicated and as soon as the high school exams were over, I took the ticket and was gone.” Lopin stayed for three years, before tiring of the organized aspect of the religion. He grew weary of the views and practices he saw as divergent from the original teachings, and left for Germany. “I went because of Buddhism and I left because of Buddhism.” Lopin earned a degree in computer science and linguistics, worked for a while in Hamburg at a software company, and then left his job in hopes of finding more individual and social freedom, as well as a common dedication to scientific inquiry that he believed Germany lacked. “People ask ‘why this obsession with Mars?’ and it’s not really that Mars is such a great thing, there are probably greater things out there, it’s just that we have to start somewhere.” Lopin is enthralled with the foundation-building aspect of the mission, what he calls “bootstrapping
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civilization,” above all else, but also detailed his excitement for the exploration of Mars’ terrain as well as the search for microbial life. “Underground cave systems, the highest mountain in the solar system, the deepest canyon in the solar system, all on Mars! So it’s probably not gonna get boring,” Lopin laughed. The remainder of the selection process entails physical and group challenges. After another intense three days of observation only 25 men and 25 women will remain. Then the group will be tested on ability to cope in isolation, among other things. In the end, the final 24 will be officially hired and will be trained over the next nine years in everything they will need for the mission, which will be for the most part repair, maintenance, research and construction. They will likely cycle the 24 through isolated, “Mars-like” outposts, which could mean being relocated to a desert or arctic environment, or an alteration of both. In light of the possibility of leaving anything and everything behind, Lopin’s motivation and reasoning are often questioned. It has been said on the topic of the Mars One candidates that one has to be insane or fundamentally flawed in some way to choose this life, but Lopin, a pioneer born in an age of relative stillness, sees only an opportunity for the advancement of mankind. “People ask ‘how can you leave your kids behind?’ and for me, I imagine all the sacrifices people made in the past just so that we can sit here right now just talking,” Lopin said. “For me this is something that is very close to my life, I can almost feel these people in the past […] this is something I feel like is almost a debt and not in a negative sense, but a positive sense. If my life just pushes this boundary a little bit then I have done my duty, if you will. I would have done the best thing that I could’ve ever done for my kids and for their children’s children.” Lopin concluded, “Even if this falls through, if it never becomes anything, a big part of this is just inspiring the next generation. It’s about looking forward.” Information for this article taken from www.mars-one.com, www.13wmaz.com, and www.news.com.au
Happy Spring Break
from the Catalyst staff!
CATALYST
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015 www.ncfcatalyst.com | @ncfcatalyst
THE BACK PAGE PAGE 12
Tattoo shops offer cheap ink on Friday the 13th BY CAITLYN RALPH Every Friday the 13th, many New College students have something other than bad luck on their minds: tattoos. For this classic tradition, tattoo parlors offer a $13 special, attracting massive crowds and waiting lists that stretch back hours. Attendees pick from a large set of predetermined designs, but artists are usually flexible enough to take individual requests as long as it does not require extensive drawing beforehand. By custom, tips are a bit more generous than usual, around 20 percent of the original tattoo price, in an attempt to compensate for the extreme discount. Local Sarasota shop, Southern Hellfire Electronic Tattoo, already had an estimated three-hour wait by 7 p.m. The small, cool space overflowed onto the street with people, some there for tattoos and some there to accompany friends. A group swarmed around a wall covered with design options, which ranged from sharks to skulls, and tickets
(headline) Southern Hellfire tattoo artists drew up ash sheets for Friday the 13th. (top left) A patron waits outside to get inked. (bottom left) The walls of Southern Hellfire are adorned with tattoo memorabilia. (top right) John Pidwell, a tattoo artist at Southern Hellfire, speaks with customers. (bottom right) Catalyst staff writer Katelyn Grimmett received a tattoo for Friday the 13th.
for beer were handed out to those of age. Co-owner and piercer Sean McCoy said the parlor receives about 100 to 200 people for events such as last Friday's special. Since February and March both possessed a Friday the 13th, the tattoo offer, which also included piercings, was available in two consecutive months. On February 13, McCoy got to work at 2 p.m. and did not leave until 8:30 a.m. Those with names on the waiting list were called early into the morning, even around 3 a.m., to claim their place in line and get inked. "They have been very patient [and a] variety of ages," Southern Hellfire tattoo artist and Ringling alum John Pidwell said of the evening's customers after finishing artwork that could have normally cost $300. He also told of a family who, every Friday the 13th, plans in advance to take off work and attend the event. Southern Hellfire has two locations, one in Sarasota on Superior Avenue and the other in Venice.