Issue 12 • Volume 125 Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 www.thesandspur.org
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Cru decision imminent: Here’s what you need to know After months of deliberation, Cornwell will make a decision. Use this timeline to catch up on the issue. By Ellie Rushing
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erushing@rollins.edu
resident Grant Cornwell will announce his decision on whether or not Cru can become a registered student organization at the faculty meeting on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 29. Cornwell said that after he announces his decision, he will host an all-campus open forum during common hour on Dec. 4. If you have not been following along throughout this long, tumultuous conversation relating to Cru, here is a breakdown of the issue and a timeline of how it has unfolded thus far. So, what’s the problem here? Cru, an evangelical Christian organization, applied to become a registered student organization. However, it has a set of organizational values that could prohibit gay students from be-
coming leaders within the organization. Such a prohibition is a violation of Rollins’ non-discrimination policy, which all campus organizations must uphold. When Cru’s application was denied, Cru took it to President Cornwell, who has been deliberating whether it can join campus. What is Cru and what is its position? Cru is one of the largest Christian organizations in the United States and has active groups on over 2,300 campuses. The organization has a statement of faith, which is a list of 17 values that members and student leaders are required to uphold. Rollins students involved in Cru believe that the non-discrimination policy prevents them from freely practicing their religion on campus and that the policy fails to accommodate religious organizations as a whole. According to the petition that Cru students gave to Cornwell,
they “believe that any and all should be welcomed to actively participate in religious organizations, but that these organizations should rightfully be able to select leaders who align with the doctrines and practices of their particular faith tradition.” Their petition also states that “the selection of leaders can only take place within the context of biblical criteria of candidacy.” Now, this is where it gets tricky, as biblical criteria are open to many interpretations. With Cru, LGBTQ students are welcome to join. However, they cannot hold leadership positions, because that would violate the organization’s statement of faith and does not fit within the organization’s interpretation of “biblical criteria of candidacy.” What is the President making a decision about? Cornwell ‣ See CRU Page 6
Construction forces greenhouse to relocate to Bush rooftop by May
The move will faciliate research at the expense of some plants By Heather Borochaner
hborochaner@rollins.edu
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he Rollins greenhouse will relocate to the rooftop of the Archibald Granville Bush Science Center’s third floor to make way for the construction of the new lakeside residential hall. A completely new greenhouse will be constructed starting in April 2019. It will reduce the size of the greenhouse from 2,700 square feet to 2,500 square feet. Alan Chryst, the greenhouse manager, said that he believes the move will be completed before May. This was confirmed by Scott Bitikofer, assistant vice president of facilities services. According to Chryst, the greenhouse atop Bush will be split into three zones: faculty research, student research, and teaching collection, which in-
cludes the plants that are out on display. There will also be a headhouse with the potting and storage area. Because of the faculty and student research zones taking up so much space in the greenhouse, the teaching collection will have to be greatly reduced. At the moment, Chryst does not know what will become of the plants
that can no longer be housed, but he said that he is currently working on a solution. Dr. Paul Stephenson, associate professor of biology, is glad that the greenhouse will now be so close. He said that its increased accessibility will make conducting plant experiments easier for students. He was also ‣ See GREENHOUSE Page 2
Curtis Shaffer
Mia Brady ‘22 waters the plants that decorate the outside of the greenhouse.
Ellie Rushing
Analise Cutter ‘22 and around 15 other students protested against centrism on the Cru-LGBTQ debate and against changing the non-discrimination policy.
Pool, fitness center among new dorm hall’s amenities
Construction of lakeside dorm, which will have over 500 rooms for upperclassmen, will begin in April 2019 By Caroline Klouse
cklouse@rollins.edu
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cKean’s days are numbered; Rollins is to begin construction on a new residence hall in April 2019. The residence hall will be located on the shore of Lake Virginia next to McKean and will house upperclassmen, specifically juniors and seniors. It is projected to have over 500 rooms. The building will feature a large swimming pool and outdoor lounge area—similar to Sutton’s pool area—as well as a fitness center and bathrooms. There will also be an indoor lounge area where students can hang out with one another and study. The residence hall will also feature a designated pick-up and drop-off spot at the side of
the building, where students can easily catch an Uber or grab a togo bag from UberEats. The team behind the project, which includes Scott Bitikofer, assistant vice president of Facilities Services; Leon Hayner, senior director of Residential Life & Explorations; and Meghan Harte Weyant, dean of students, hopes to turn the building into a new campus hub for everyone to enjoy. Bitikofer said that the four-story building will feature a similar room design to Sutton, but with a twist of including more singles and more washers and dryers within each apartment. Instead of having the standard apartment of two double rooms with twin XL beds, the students will have the option of ‣ See HOUSING Page 2
2 Established in 1894 with the following editorial:
The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
Sexual assault reports decreased by 42% in 2017 Lack of official Title IX coordinator and prevention efforts raise concerns
EXECUTIVE STAFF Ellie Rushing Editor-in-Chief Christina Fuleihan Managing Editor
CONTENT STAFF Alex Candage Head Copy Editor Siobhan Nolet David Smith Hannah Butcher Copy Editors Maura Leaden Assigning Editor Alyssa Malto Headlines Kira Bernhard Photo Editor
DESIGN DEPARTMENT Lya Dominguez Head Designer Dana Wagenhauser Pat Murray Hannah Jahosky Designer Anastasia Rooke Designer / Illustrator
WEB STAFF Kalli Joslin Neny Lairet Katie McCree
Digital Content Editors
BUSINESS & FACULTY Greg Golden
By Caroline Klouse and Zoe Pearson
cklouse@rollins.edu zpearson@rollins.edu
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recent report from Campus Safety showed a 42 percent decrease in reports of sexual offenses from 2016 to 2017. While official numbers for 2018 have not been published yet, the lack of an official director of the Office of Title IX, which oversees gender discrimination and sexual assault, has created cause for concern. This year, four timely warning notifications regarding non-consensual sexual contact have been sent campus-wide. Following the resignation of Rollins’ Title IX coordinator at the end of the 2017-18 school year, six staff members have been trained to be the first contact for Title IX-related reports, as reported by The Sandspur in
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HOUSING Continued from Page 1 choosing an apartment with a kitchen, dining space, living room, and four single rooms featuring full-sized beds. When the new residence hall
September 2018. Furthermore, the search for a new coordinator has been underway since the start of this semester. For now, Dean of Students Meghan Harte Weyant has taken on the role of Title IX coordinator. Dr. Margaret McLaren, coordinator of the Sexuality, Women’s, and Gender Studies (SWAG) program at Rollins, offered some insight into the decrease in reports of sexual offenses from 2016 to 2017. She stated that Rollins has improved the enforcement of Title IX policies once incidents are reported. However, she believed that it is necessary to have a more proactive environment on campus when it comes to preventing sexual assault. McLaren believed that Rollins needs to institutionalize education and awareness efforts, so that the school’s methods, rather than the faculty, are the primary focus of Title IX. She believed
that Title IX training at orientation should just be the starting point of more events throughout students’ schooling. “I don’t think there is any place on campus when those issues are systematically addressed. In fact, I think there has been an institutional scale back on these issues and attention to these issues,” Mclaren said. Seemingly, there has been less focus placed on sex- and gender-based issues this semester. McLaren said the faculty director position in the Lucy Cross Center was eliminated this year, and the Title IX coordinator position has been left open for months as Rollins goes through the hiring process. McLaren said she is concerned about the conflicting external influences of America’s current political climate and the ever-growing #MeToo movement that have created a more complex environment for people experiencing sex- and gen-
der-based violence, harassment, and discrimination. Additionally, each incoming class carries its own characteristics that have an affect on the offenses and reports. Ken Miller, assistant vice president of Public Safety at Rollins, explained that “while Title IX training might be conducted in a similar manner from one year to another, students are individuals with their own experiences, identities, and behaviors.” “Ultimately, we would hope that with increased training and a more informed campus, it would be more difficult for perpetrators to commit these violations and easier for survivors to come forward, thereby seeing a decrease in reports,” Miller said. Until this final goal is reached, faculty and students alike wait to see what the future reveals for the Office of Title IX.
is finally constructed, McKean Hall will be demolished. Since McKean is currently a first-year hall, the first-years will be displaced to other residence halls on campus. “Aren’t you excited to say goodbye to McKean?” exclaimed
Weyant. According to Bitikofer, the project is set to begin around April 2019 and is expected to be completed by August 2020, but because of Florida’s unexpected weather, this date is tentative. Bitikofer compared the proj-
ect more to a luxury resort than a residence hall: “We want this to be a place where students can truly feel comfortable and both hang out with students at the pool and lounge areas and be able to have a private space in their own apartments.”
Director of Student Media
Dr. Leslie Poole Faculty Advisor Luis Diego Student Media Graduate Assistant
ADVERTISING
Contact: studentmedia@rollins.edu
Courtesy of Alan Chryst
Tentative plans show a new greenhouse being built on the rooftop of the third floor of Bush.
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GREENHOUSE Continued from Page 1 excited that different rooms can be adjusted for light, temperature, and humidity, which would allow for designing experiments that require those
kinds of changes. Bitikofer said that many research greenhouses have this feature, so it is great that Rollins now has it, too. Even though Chryst will miss the view from the greenhouse’s current location by Lake Virginia, as well as many of his
plants from the teaching collection, he said, “It will be nice to have state of the art equipment in a brand-new greenhouse and be part of the science building.” Although Stephenson is excited about these developments, he expressed concern about how many plants the greenhouse will
lose as a result of the move. He also expressed concern over whether having it on the roof will cause water leaks on the lower levels of the building. Bitikofer believed the leaking concern is valid, but it is an issue that can be easily managed. In its current state, Bush has much of the mechanical equipment already on the third floor roof, and there has not yet been an issue. Stephenson claimed that construction may make the building a little noisy at times and that the west entrance of the Bush building may be affected, but he does not anticipate any serious classroom interruptions during the move. Bitikofer responded by saying that all construction has the potential to create these kinds of disruptions, but that they will try to curtail the noise as much as possible.
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The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
College education should reflect changing climate It’s on us: We must change our habits and live more sustainably, or a grim future awaits
Graphic by Anastasia Rooke
By Alec Stanley
astanley@rollins.edu
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OPINION
hings are getting worse quickly. Though it does not have to be that way, we cannot make it better by ignoring it all—and it kind of feels like we are. All around us are signs that our current way of life is unsustainable, and educating ourselves to fit that way of life feels irresponsible. It feels as though we are being prepared for a non-existent future. If Rollins’ mission is to educate students for global citizenship and responsible leadership, there must be a concerted effort in our curriculum to turn students into leaders of adaptation and mitigation—even in the arts and humanities, and especially in business. A global ecological crisis is here, and it has been for a long time. The egrets, anghingas, and squirrels that dart around Rollins’ campus are more survivors of a continuing apocalypse than they are signs of a flourishing ecosystem. Insect populations are declining dramatically, with
bird populations following. Fish stocks, and aquatic ecosystems at large, are in peril from ruthless overfishing, rising ocean temperatures, plastic and chemical pollutants, and acidification. Experts project that the we might run out of topsoil in less than a century if current practices continue. Everyone’s food and poop is full of plastic. The Gulf of Mexico is a shadow of its former self. The Everglades are on their last leg. The list goes on. Much of the devastation can be traced back to the structure of our society. Change must come soon. It must come from us. Not to mention the elephant in the room: the climate. The Camp Fire earlier this month is a grim reminder that climate-change-related catastrophes are already upon us—a sad fact admitted in the National Climate Assessment released on Black Friday. As survivors flee from their burned out homes and face disease and desperation in the tent cities that have popped up in parking lots of Chico, Calif., we see Climate Refugees in one of the richest countries in the world—a glimpse into the cha-
otic future that we are barreling toward. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report gave humanity 12 years to slash emissions to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which would still expose 132.5 million people to severe drought, displace eight percent of plants from half of their climatic range, and negatively impact most crops. This past July, the National Highway Travel Safety Administration predicted a 7 degrees Cel-
sius rise in global temperatures by 2100, which would be—and this can’t be stressed enough— absolutely catastrophic. When the United States Government is warning about continued growth, you know things are bad. Rather than waiting around for, as of yet, non-existent technologies to mitigate our current crisis, we ought to devote the bulk of our focus to changing our collective habits and systems of production, and that starts with
education. I am not sure exactly how the Rollins experience should change to reflect whatever radically different future we are heading for; I just want to express that I am worried and I hope I am not the only one. Continuing on like normal is beginning to feel insane to me. It is up to our generation to adapt for and to mitigate our climate crisis, and that must be reflected in our education.
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The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
Hillel’s holiday events: Lakkahs, candles, bagels
Festival of Light illuminates Mills with dance and culture DESI shows Rollins’ South Asian culture with Diwali festival
Jewish organization’s presence grows with student outreach By Caroline Klouse
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kclouse@rollins.edu
ollins Hillel, the college’s Jewish organization, will be hosting various events in the coming weeks that showcase a growing religious life on campus and include lakkahs, candle lighting, and pre-finals bagels. Members of Hillel have been planning many exciting religious events that focus on Hanukkah. This year is one of the few times in which Hanukkah actually falls during the semester. Rollins Hillel is taking full advantage of this timing and is providing the community with opportunities to celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah together. Emily Block, the associate director of Jewish student life, is looking forward to Hillel’s celebration of Lakkahs on the Lawn for Hanukkah on Dec. 4. Lakkahs (or latkes) are potato pancakes and will be provided with different toppings. There will also be dreidel games and Hanukkah gelt chocolate coins. Hillel will provide candle lighting in the Campus Center when Hanukkah is celebrated from Dec. 2 until Dec. 10. “This will be an opportunity for people to come and say the blessings over the candles, where the traditional jelly doughnuts and lakkahs will also be supplied,” said Block. Hillel will also host its semesterly pre-finals Bagel Brunch on Dec. 10 to wish students good luck on their finals and over break. Hillel has continued to make its presence on campus stronger this semester. During International Education Week at Rollins, which ran from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16, Hillel partnered with Leaders United in Christ, the Roman Catholic Campus Ministry Club, and the Muslim Student Union for an interfaith activity to provide more insight on the different religious organizations and their praying methods on campus.
Curtis Shaffer
Dr. Jayarashee Shivamoggi hands out illuminating candles.
By Caroline Klouse
cklouse@rollins.edu
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ills lawn transformed into a decorated and dancefilled festival on Tuesday night in celebration of Diwali, a South Asian holiday that celebrates the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. The event was hosted by DESI, a student organization at Rollins that celebrates South Asian culture, as the final event of Rollins’ International Education Week. The festival featured LED and candle lighting, imitating a popular Hindu festival of lights that is celebrated throughout India and South Asia. The festival highlights the story of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, an evil scholar who wanted to overpower the other deities, according to Hindu belief. As a result, the whole city was lit in his honor. During Diwali, just about every house in India celebrates with fireworks. The gods Ganesha and Lakshmi are prayed to for wealth and good fortune. For over ten years, DESI has been hosting and celebrating Diwali. Diwali has offered the whole Rollins community an opportunity to partake in the festival’s traditions since 2004. “Diwali at Rollins is always popular and the Rollins commu-
nity can enjoy dance and music performances, beautiful lighting and decorations, a small prayer ceremony, and of course, amazing Indian food catered especially to us,” said Ansh Jain (‘19), the former president and current advisor to the president of DESI. Siddhant Jain (’20), the current president of DESI, provided an overview of this year’s festival. It began with puja, a traditional Hindu prayer. DESI catered a wide variety of Indian food, such as curry and samosas, and featured a variety of dance performances. A group of University of Central Florida Indian-style dancers, who were ranked as the number one Indian dancers in Florida, danced at the festival along with additional performances from members of DESI, such as Siddhant, himself. Additionally, the festival included professional photographers and backdrops that featured firework scenery. As the evening progressed, the “Ball of a Night” began, where students and the Rollins community were encouraged to join the others on the floor and dance to both Indian and American music. “It is a great place to not only see people you know dressed in traditional Indian clothing, but it is also a great place to get a better sense of South Asian culture,” said Siddhant.
Curtis Shaffer
Students and community members gathered on Mills lawn to enjoy food, music, and dance.
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The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
Six senior art students showcase powerful pieces The multimedia exhibition shined a light on marginalization in society and culture
Dawn Roe
Alicia Sales ‘19 produced digital prints that combined classically-styled images, like Venus and ouroborus, with bright colors from the 2000s and 1960s.
By Zoe Pearson
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zpearson@rollins.edu
ix studio art seniors presented a multimedia exhibition that, while diverse, addressed marginalized elements of society and culture. The exhibition, titled Et Cetera, took place in a wing of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum that was filled with peers and professors enjoying each piece. The students will use comments gathered from the show to prepare for their final exhibition at Rollins in April 2019. Alicia “Friday” Sales (‘19) gained her subject material from her research of Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, and the medieval practice of alchemy. Sales said she is interested in the classical style because of its philosophical roots and because it allows her to take old concepts and make them unique. “I like acknowledging that nothing is ever truly original, but yet we can make it our own,” she explained. On display were three prints of digital art that mix classically-styled images of figures, such as Venus and ouroborus, with bright colors inspired by the 2000’s vaporwave and 1960’s psychedelic movements. Distorted patterns in the
background paired with transparent geometric patterns created a dizzying effect on the viewer and an illusion of depth. There was a trend of pentagonal shapes, which was possibly the artist’s nod to the number five as a symbol for human life. Ari Schubot (‘19) is an environmental studies and studio art double major. In her work, she focused mainly on the perseverance of nature in a man-made world. “I like to focus on the little life coming through all the cracks where it shouldn’t be able to grow,” she said. Her photography sprouted from the bottom of the wall, expanding and spreading upwards in a vine-like manner, connecting through lines or shadows. The photographs were primarily in grayscale with heavily saturated greenery sprouting in unlikely urban areas. Next to the display was a small table with cartoon thought-bubble stickers and markers. Viewers of the exhibit could write internal dialogue for the plants and place the sticker onto a photograph. The sayings written by viewers will be printed onto new stickers and placed beside unlikely plant life for what will become a public art project on Park
Dawn Roe
Zinnia Upson ‘19 addressed Colony Collpase Disorder, a disease wiping out bee populations, through a call-to-action project filled with puns.
Avenue. Schubot hoped that people who attended the exhibition and contributed to the artwork will be able to appreciate the inclusion of their commentary in the final show in April. At first glance, the art of Elizabeth Shugart (‘19) appeared to be nothing more than a screenshot of the satellite view of Google Maps. However, upon closer inspection, the viewer began to see the complexities of a false color digital collage of archival, satellite, and personal photography. Her interest was in human manipulation of the Everglades and how the landscape has been exploited. “I have always been interested in how the economy takes precedence over the environment and natural systems,” she said. Shugart originally planned to focus on oil drilling in Big Cypress National Preserve, but she discovered the much larger underlying issue of the disruption of Florida ecosystems, especially those in and around the Everglades. The aesthetic approach to the topic was inspired by an airplane view, because the control of the land by humans is more evident from above. She used supersaturated false color to mimic figures used in the sciences to represent ecological data. She also took inspiration from the work of Maya Lin and wanted to use her art to encourage viewers to alter their behaviors to preserve natural landscapes. Zinnia Upson (‘19) learned about Colony Collapse Disorder before she arrived at Rollins. This is a phenomenon in which a colony of bees abandons its hive. An oversized pair of paper bee wings are the first thing one saw
when they entered Upson’s gallery space. She used the massive wings to represent the huge nature of the problem. On the adjacent wall, beneath save-the-bees inking of what Upson calls “a call to action in puns,” stood a small table littered with vials of seeds. Inside, thick, honey-like liquid seemed to float. “One-third of our produce is pollinated by the bees, so if bees go extinct, a large part of our diet goes with them,” she said. She used the vials as a foreshadowing of how post-bee generations will have to learn about what the world was like in a time when bees existed. Anastasia Rooke (‘19) created a commentary on the fast fashion industry and the compromise of human safety for Western comfort. A digital art video featuring a faceless woman flashed between scenes of garment factories, buildings collapsing, and modern Western runways. An ambiguous drawing of a woman was also centered on a photographic background. “I use an unidentifiable figure to represent a universal body,” Rooke said. The drawing’s clothing constantly changed between styles commonly worn by garment workers in places like Bangladesh and that of fashion models. Dark sunglasses and a dust filtration mask occasionally appeared on the face of the figure. Rooke explained the glasses are symbols of Western “blindness” to the issue, and the mask is a representation of the silencing of women who work in the garment industry. Meredith Ewen (‘19) stood beside a wall covered in ladies’ undergarments, hand stitched with quotes from survivors of
sexual violence throughout history and the globe. The garments were collected last semester on campus, either from survivors of sexual assault or friends of survivors. “I myself am a survivor, my cousin is a survivor, and she commited suicide my freshman year of college. Since then, my work has really been focused on understanding how rape culture interacts with us from a historic lens and how we can change it now and question that,” Ewen said. She exposed the viewer to the similarities and differences of the treatment of women during the 19th century, when rape survivors were often institutionalized as a result of their trauma, and the treatment of survivors today. The women quoted in the exhibition include Linda Jones, a blind woman from Seattle, Seo Ji-Hyun of #MeToo South Korea, and Anita Hill. “I wanted to represent the diversity of the issue and not just represent it as the white, cisgender, female issue we know it from the #MeToo movement as, because it is a whitewashed movement,” she explained. Ewen broke down the barriers of time to establish consistency between the accounts of survivors then and the accounts of survivors now. The exhibition featured only six artists, but their messages were presented in meaningful and thoughtful ways. Student artists will now use the feedback they received in Et Cetera to prepare for their final show in April 2019.
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Cast’s chemistry breathes life into ‘Avenue Q’ Don’t miss out on this funny, award-winning musical
Courtesy of J.D. Casto
The Annie Russell Theatre will show its latest play, “Avenue Q,” until Dec. 1.
By Annie Murray-Campbell
amurraycampbell@rollins.edu
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REVIEW
he Annie Russell Theater’s “Avenue Q” opened with a bang as the powerhouse cast and crew synergistically came together to put on a hilarious and heartfelt satire. With the arrival of recent college grad Princeton, played by Colin Flaumenhaft ‘22, Avenue Q and its motley crew of residents struggle to get along and fulfill their purposes. The show directly confronts and deconstructs sensitive issues like racism, unemployment, homelessness, and sexuality with humor and puppets. It opens up conversations about these subjects without the heaviness associated with them. The cast’s chemistry is a stand-out factor. Numbers like “If You Were Gay,” “You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want,” and “The More You Ruv Someone” show off how well this cast works together. Pairs such as Kate, played by Analise Cutter ‘22, and Princeton, as well as Rod, played by Chase Walker ‘20,
and Nicky, by Andrew Stewart ‘21, radiate energy in their songs and fully develop their storylines and characters. Cast members also shine individually. Each character has at least one moment to themselves that they take full advantage of. Kristen Edwards (‘21) as Lucy the Slut, for example, embraces her character’s extreme personality with strong, sultry vocals in her solo “Special.” Cutter also displays incredible vocal control and skill in “There’s a Fine, Fine Line,” which highlights the most emotionally vulnerable part of the show. To address the Snuffaluffagus in the room, the puppet-wielding actors all learned puppeteering skills in their limited rehearsal time. Onstage, everyone puppeteered effortlessly; throughout the whole show, not a single actor showed fatigue from holding their puppets up for hours on end. The actors’ cheery character voices were consistent as well. Evan Munger (‘22) as Trekkie holds his growly monster voice without faltering, and he projects and sings in a challenging voice with complete confidence. What makes this show
stand out is the professionalism among the cast. They were all able to master new skills, like puppeteering, on top of the performance cocktail that is musical theatre. Any moments when performances fell flat were remedied by the blended harmonies and seamless choreography by Parker King (‘20). While the actors’ professionalism is their own achievement, directors Timothy Williams (‘20) and Annabelle Cutino (‘20) deserve a share of that credit for instructing the cast, emphasizing little moments, and creating an environment where the cast can shine. “Avenue Q” has a Tony Award-winning script and score, but what brings soul into any show is the cast and crew that make it possible. The pure spirit of collaboration and the characters in the story make the show vibrantly irresistible. If you haven’t already, go see “Avenue Q.” After all, their run is only “For Now.” Remaining Shows: Thursday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m
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The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
CRU Continued from page 1 will make a decision to either uphold the college’s non-discrimination policy in its current form (which would not allow Cru to become a registered student organization) or adjust the policy and create a separate clause within it that would allow faithbased organizations to select leaders based on their tenets of faith. If Cornwell decides to adjust the policy, Cru and InterVarsity (explained in the next blurb) could become registered student organizations. What happened in 2013? Some of the college’s hesitation stems from an incident in 2013 when InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, another national evangelical organization, was kicked off campus after prohibiting a gay member from holding a leadership position. This was a decision upheld by Rollins’ board of trustees. InterVarsity is still at Rollins, but not as a registered organization. Members can be found tabling across the street on move-in day or conducting bible studies in their dorm rooms. They just cannot reserve campus rooms or receive funding. Does Rollins have Christian organizations on campus? Yes, Rollins currently has three Christian student organizations, including an evangelical one. The groups are: Catholic Campus Ministry, Leaders United in Christ (LUX), and Every Nation Campus Ministry, which is evangelical. Timeline of events: Mid-spring 2018: The Center for Inclusion and Campus Involvement, the office that oversees all student organizations, received an application from a Rollins student for Cru to become a registered student organization. The student met with Abby Hollern, director of the Center, and Rev. Katrina Jenkins, dean of Religious and Spiritual Life. The application was denied because when the student was asked if a gay person could be a campus leader, they said no. April 2018: The student from Cru took their application to President Cornwell to ask for an exemption from the policy. Cornwell started meeting with members of Cru; members of Spectrum, an LGBTQ organization; faculty; and administrators to discuss bringing the group to campus and listening to their points of view. Sept. 19, 2018: The Sandspur published its first article on the matter. Sept.-Oct. 2018: Over 280 people sent letters, accompanied by the hashtag #TarsDontDiscriminate, to Cornwell asking
him to uphold the non-discrimination policy and say no to Cru. The President also received a petition in support of Cru, which had 119 names attached. Both petitions can be read in their entirety at TheSandspur.org. Sept. 11, 2018: Cornwell and Mamta Accapadi, vice president for Student Affairs, received a letter from Cru’s lawyers. The letter, which was signed by Cru’s staff attorney and InterVarsity’s director of executive office communications, listed reasons why allowing Cru and InterVarsity on campus would make Rollins a “truly inclusive campus.” Sept. 26, 2018: Rollins’ Student Government Association passed a legislation, in a 24-4 vote, to uphold the non-discrimination policy. Oct. 11, 2018: Cornwell met with Marc Gauthier, the vice president of Cru and the executive director of Cru’s U.S. campus ministries. Cornwell said it was a meeting to learn more about the organization and that no agreements or conclusions were made. Oct. 25-29, 2018: The Diversity Council hosted an open forum for faculty members to express their feelings on the matter. Those in attendance showed overwhelming support to uphold the non-discrimination policy. Nov. 2018: The Diversity Council voted to uphold the policy and recommended to Cornwell that he do the same. The Council created a task force that looked at how institutions similar to Rollins accommodate religious organizations. It showed that of the 29 schools they contacted, 20 do not give exemptions to faith-based organizations. Only one school, Roanoke College in Virginia, allowed such organizations to reserve campus spaces. The other eight did not return the Council’s phone calls. Nov. 15, 2018: A group of approximately 15 students protested any potential changes to the non-discrimination policy on Bush Lawn outside of the President’s office. They hoisted signs with the hashtag #TarsDontDiscriminate and handed out informational flyers about the issue. Nov. 29, 2018: The faculty will vote on upholding the non-discrimination policy during a faculty meeting at 12:30 p.m. This vote will show the faculty’s position on the matter and act as a final recommendation to Cornwell; however, it will likely have little to no influence on his decision, which he will announce immediately following the vote, according to the meeting’s agenda.
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The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
Media fixates on zombie philosophy class
Dr. Eric Smaw’s “Zombies, Serial Killers, and Madmen” was featured in NPR, Miami Herald
Courtesy of Scott Cook
Smaw compares fictional characters to real-life killers in his class.
By Zoe Pearson
zpearson@rollins.edu
D
r. Eric Smaw, professor of philosophy, sits on a desk at the front of his brimming classroom, leading a discussion on Adolf Hitler in his class titled, “Zombies, Serial Killers, and Madmen.” In the past month, the course has received statewide and national recognition from sources such as National Public Radio (NPR) for its unique subject material and interdisciplinary approach. The topics covered in the class are applicable to conversations about Halloween, which led to the spike in interest from the media. In October, Smaw spoke with ABC 7 News, Fox 35, and the Miami Herald about “Zombies, Serial Killers, and Madmen,” and had a segment on NPR’s Weekend Edition broadcast. Smaw was unsure about how the media found out about his course. Smaw named the interview with NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro as his proudest media recognition, especially because references to NPR’s coverage of current events are near-daily occurrences in his classroom. This course has attracted not only the attention of state and national media outlets, but of students as well. In his interview with the Miami Herald, Smaw said that the registrar’s office at Rollins reported the course as one of the most popular on campus. Students are in-
trigued by the topics because of a fascination with the grotesque behavior of other human beings, a personal fear that they want to understand, or an interest in the treatment of murderers in the criminal justice system. Other students are influenced to take the class because of an overarching interest in the subject material. Smaw uses a true liberal arts approach to address the issues of murder, criminal justice, and abuse of power as it relates to the human condition. He uses neurological, sociological, political, and philosophical perspectives to examine zombies, serial killers, and madmen not as fictional monsters, but as real characters that exist in modern day society. He created the class as he studied human consciousness and its implications in today’s society. At this point in the semester, students began their discussion of madmen. Smaw defined a madman as “a political demagogue who is looking to consolidate power to become a dictator.” His prime examples of madmen were Hitler and the Nazi party of Germany. A strict “no euphemism” rule is enforced in his classroom, especially in class discussions of Hitler and the atrocities he committed during the Holocaust. “Students often want to use polite language to talk about the most grotesque things that happen in our society, but in order to get them to understand what can happen when a madman rises to power, it is important that they don’t use euphemisms to color
what is grotesque behavior by politicians,” Smaw said. This portion of the course focuses especially on deconstructing students’ senses of American exceptionalism. Smaw believed that this ideology is damaging to students because it forces them to look overseas for examples of genocide or megalomania. He pointed out that the genocide of Native Americans and the Transatlantic Slave Trade both occurred under American supervision. “America is not special, and the citizens of the state and the state itself are subject to all of the evils of humanity,” Smaw said. The course looks forward into what could happen if Americans are not diligent in their application of the principles of democracy and the rule of law. The course is taught in three sections, starting on the topic of zombies and ending with the discussion of madmen. Students taking the course often expect to
engage in discussion about the zombies they know from popular culture, so Smaw started the course with a discussion of the well-known figures of the zombie archetype, then introduced the existence of neurological zombies to his students. “Zombies are real entities that have to do with human neurology, and zombies can engage in complex behaviors like murder, and our criminal justice system has to decide what to do with people who suffer from diminished capacities and commit murder,” Smaw explained. Diminished capacity refers to an unbalanced state of mind in which one is not capable of fully comprehending their crime at the time it was committed. This is where he says serial killers differ from zombies. Serial killers are fully aware of what they are doing, with brain energy reaching or exceeding the threshold of consciousness. Serial killers were discussed
first in relation to fictional characters, such as Frankenstein, vampires, and other serial killers. Smaw drew parallels between the serial methods of these famous characters and real-world serial killers. In addition, lores surrounding people like the Night Killer and Jack The Ripper were examined in relation to real incidents that occur. Personality types of serial killers were then examined from those stories, ending in a discussion about the American criminal justice system’s treatment of the sociopathic. Smaw encouraged students who wish to explore the complexities of these topics to register up for “Zombies, Serial Killers, and Madmen” when it is next offered. Beware, this course is not for the faint of heart or stomach.
8
The Sandspur • November 29, 2018
Women’s golf coach inducted into national Hall of Fame Julie Garner enjoys winning national championships, but cherishes her team’s camaraderie even more
Rollins Sports
Julie Garner (left) is dedicated to working with her team.
By Henri Balla
hballa@rollins.edu
W
hen Women’s Golf Head Coach Julie Garner was announced as the 51st inductee of the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Rollins community was happy, but by no means surprised. Garner’s glorious career has helped shape the history of Rollins athletics, and there is something quite solemn about the way she helps her players through the beginning of their adult lives. “It sounds like an individual honor, but I really accept it for all the people that have supported this program ever since our first championship title in 1948,” a modest Garner said. She dedicated her achievement to the pleiades of players that have graced the Rollins golf program throughout the decades, including Alice Dye (‘48), Betty Probasco (‘51), Barbara McIntire (‘58), Jane Blalock (‘67), Hollis Stacey (‘73), Muffin Spencer-Devlin (‘76), and her mentor both on and off the golf course, Peggy Kirk Bell (‘43), who she credits with validating Rollins’ golf program. According to Garner, the entire school benefits from the program’s success: “When one of our programs wins, we all win.” She cherishes the combination of athletic and academic achievement at Rollins. The Women’s Golf Coaches Association has been honoring astounding coaches and promot-
ing student athletes since it was founded in 1983. Satisfied with the Tars’ third place in the inaugural Rollins Legends Invitational, Garner emphasized the relationship between Rollins and the local golf community. “We play and practice quite a bit at Winter Park Nine and Interlachen. When Country Club Orlando stepped up to host this fall tournament, it was a great way to end,” she said. With no seniors in the roster, the women’s golf team is young. Garner, however, pointed out that the national championship experience of Seher Atwal (‘20), Selin Timur (‘20), and Lara van Staden (‘21). “If we continue to improve our short games, chipping, putting and bunker play, hopefully our stroke average will continue to go down and we’ll be competitive in May when the postseason starts,” Garner said. The tournament result propelled Rollins to fifth in the national rankings. When asked about the competition, Garner replied, “We’re a little bit victims of our own success. When you’re a leader, people see how you do it and replicate it, but we keep our attention on our intention by trying to improve every day.” In 23 seasons under coach Garner’s leadership, the Tars were Division II champions six times, including a four-year title hegemony from 2003 to 2006, and runners up on five occasions. “As great as championships are, what I remember more than anything else are the smaller
moments, relationships and the players enjoying each-other’s company,” said Garner, “Watching the maturity of a player from a recruit, to a senior and then out on their own, is really rewarding as a coach.” Credited with saying “happier golfers play better golf,” Garner finds the roots of satisfaction in determination. “Not everyday is going to be filled with sunshine, roses and joy, but we have to remember what brought us here, why we play this game,” she said. Garner is mindful of the difficulties and sacrifices of past generations: “It’s hard to embrace the struggle. But I think playing and practicing with a grateful heart helps you persevere.” When it comes to new players, Garner emphasizes the value of communication. She said, “You spend time with them to make them feel welcome. For some, you have to throw them in the deep end. You don’t let them drown, but they need to
learn that, as a student-athlete, that first part of the word is your priority. Everything else has to come afterward.” Garner also praised the upperclassmen for their ability to answer the questions freshmen are too shy to ask their coach: “I’m okay with them being a little afraid of me,” Garner said, “I don’t want them to be so afraid that they won’t call me if they have a really big problem, but a bit of respect is a good thing.” Garner’s current coaching stint is her third at Rollins. In between, she has worked with Nike Golf and Disney. While grateful for her experience with the world-renowned brands, Garner missed “the impact on individuals that comes with college coaching.” Her success at Rollins put her in the radar of Division I programs. But after every interview, it became increasingly clearer to Garner that the grass was definitely just as green, if not greener, right where she stood. “Coaches in DI and Power
Five conferences are under a lot of pressure to win. Obviously, we want to compete at a high level as well, but I don’t ever want my job to depend on whether I win conference championship or not,” said Garner, concluding, “I like that winning is a byproduct of what we do on a daily basis.” As hard as it may be to envision, Garner sees the future of the program beyond her. She said, “It won’t be me for a whole lot longer. Anybody who understands the game at a fairly deep level and what the mission of Rollins is, and find a way to marry the two, will be very successful.” Garner believes the key to success is the combination of the academic and athletic ability which allows the team to be competitive. “I joke about how I’m just the one driving the van and paying the bill at Starbucks. Other than that, if you have any coaching ability at all, you’d be very successful here. Rollins is just that type of place,” Garner said.