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Issue 19 • Volume 125 Thursday, Mar. 21, 2019 www.thesandspur.org
Student Government investigates campaigns Presidential election freezes as judicial board looks into alleged constitution, campaign violations By Ellie Rushing
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erushing@rollins.edu
he Student Government Association’s (SGA) judicial board is investigating its current presidential election after anonymous tips allege that campaign practices may have violated SGA’s constitution. The election has been frozen until further notice. The freeze occurred at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, just 24 hours before the race would officially end. This is the first time Rollins administrators have had to intervene on a SGA election. This intervention adds even more tension to a tight election, which is between Matthew Weiner (‘20 HH) and Sydney Brown (’21) on one side and Nam Nguyen (’20) and Harrison Loew (’21) on the other. “The election is frozen because there were some concerns from people, and they’re all allegations, that there was some play in violation of the SGA constitution,” said Isabella Braga (‘19), SGA’s chief justice, who is responsible for overseeing the
investigation. Braga said that the initial tip that sparked the concern was texted to her by one person. “Only one tip is needed to spark an investigation. In truth, it probably isn’t as bad as people are imagining,” said Braga. She said that more tips were then submitted to her via email from different people and that the submissions were not made by the candidates. Braga would not go into detail about the allegations, how many tips were submitted overall, or who the tips accused. She also would not say what parts of the constitution were allegedly violated. When asked if one candidate is specifically being investigated, she said, “The [investigation] opening and [election] freezing technically means that both candidates are being investigated.” The campaigns leading up to the election have been very tense, resulting in both candidate pairs reporting issues to either Campus Safety or SGA. Weiner and Brown each filed a report to Campus Safety
about people tearing down and defacing their campaign posters. Nguyen said that she and Loew made formal complaints to Braga; Jade Taylor, assistant director of the Center for Inclusion and Campus Involvement (CICI); and Robert Whetstone, student outreach coordinator for the CICI. Taylor and Whetstone are the two faculty members that oversee SGA. Nguyen said that she reported “things we had heard that we didn’t think was fair and certain interactions that people told us about,” in regard to actions committed by Weiner and Brown’s campaign. She would not go into detail on what this meant because she said she did not think she was allowed to discuss it publicly. Braga would not confirm if these complaints were the tips that sparked the investigation. “Harrison and I have done our best to run a very clean campaign. Regardless of personal issues, we don’t talk about it publicly or we don’t tell our friends not to vote for someone,” said Nguyen.
Curtis Shaffer
Nam Nguyen, who is running for SGA president, said she filed formal complaints against her opponents.
Weiner said he believes his campaign has been fair and unbiased. “Sydney and I have campaigned fairly and we have respected the other candidates throughout their campaign,” he said. “We have done all we can to be impartial.”
In the dark
Candidates were notified of the freeze on Thursday, March 8 at 4:30 p.m. after all SGA senators received an email from
Nagina Chaudhry (‘19), current SGA president, calling for an emergency meeting regarding election concerns. Both candidates were called into separate meetings with Chaudhry; Taylor; Whetstone; Meghan Harte Weyant, dean of students; and Maeghan Rempala, director of the Office of Community Standards and Responsibility, where they were told of the freeze. ‣ See SGA Campaign Page 6
Artwork starts buzz about bee decline Athletic teams spring past Studio art major raises awareness about dwindling honeybee population
competition over break
INSIDE Page 7
INSIDE Page 2
‣ Learn more about Zinnia
‣ Get up to date on how teams fared over spring break
Upson’s senior project
Courtesy of Zinnia Upson
Zinnia Upson’s (‘19) project, which focuses on bee conservation, will be on display in the CFAM starting April 12.
Courtesy of Rollins Sports
Ziad Melhaoui (‘19) is ranked no. 17 in the country with his doubles partner.
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The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
Established in 1894 with the following editorial:
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
SPRING SPORTS TAKE THE LEAD
Courtesy of Rollins Sports
By Henri Balla
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hballa@rollins.edu
ampus was quiet, but Rollins’ various sports teams took the opportunity to train harder and nearly every team advance its season records during spring break. Here’s what you missed last week in sports:
Men’s Lacrosse won all three games, improving its record to 5-1 overall, including a 12-8 win against No. 20 Colorado Mesa.
Dana Wagenhauser Pat Murray Hannah Jahosky Designer Anastasia Rooke Designer / Illustrator
Softball won nine of its 12 games, improving to 11-4 in conference and 25-5 overall.
WEB STAFF Kalli Joslin Neny Lairet Katie McCree
Digital Content Editors
BUSINESS & FACULTY
Baseball won five of its eight games. Its record is now 2-4 in conference and 14-9 overall.
Women’s Lacrosse travelled to Maryland and Pennsylvania, winning all three games and taking its perfect start to 8-0.
Greg Golden
Director of Student Media
Dr. Leslie Poole Faculty Advisor Luis Diego Student Media Graduate Assistant
ADVERTISING
Contact: studentmedia@rollins.edu
Men’s Tennis won all four of its match ups, including a 5-2 win against No. 22 Ferris State, thus improving its overall record to 10-2. Women’s Basketball played in the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference tournament, ultimately succumbing to Eckerd. Women’s Tennis traveled to California where it played a host of teams, including No. 5 Academy of Art. Its overall record is 5-5.
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dditionally, men’s golf competed at the Southeastern Collegiate Tournament, placing eighth as a team, with Morgan Egloff (‘20) as a runner-up in the individual category. Women’s golf also came eighth in the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational.
A Tar quartet composed of Alex Norcini (‘21), Christian Huber (‘22), Beatriz Olivieri (‘22), and Sydney Willis (‘22) represented the men’s and women’s swim teams in the NCAA tournament. Olivieri set a new school record for the 200 Freestyle at 1:51:39 and won the 200 Butterfly consolation final.
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The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
Students use spring break to aid communities in need
From women’s empowerment in Chicago to disaster relief in Florida, students represented Rollins’ mission By Olivia Llanio
ollanio@rollins.edu
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hile some students stuck to the sun and sand for spring break, others spent their time giving back to various communities around the U.S. From working with women in Chicago to removing invasive species in Utah, student groups participated in “Alternative Spring Breaks” as part of Rollins’ Immersion programs, which are community service-oriented programs working with organizations or communities in need. Chicago, Ill.: Students focused on social issues that disproportionately affect women and children, such as poverty
and homelessness. They worked with community partners who affect women’s lives directly or indirectly through children: for example, New Moms, Cradles to Crayons, and Dress for Success. Emily Block, associate director of Jewish life; Silvana Montanola Ayala (‘20); and Jordan Halloran (‘19) facilitated the trip to the Windy City. “The awesome part about a lot of our community partners is that they work together to provide women the tools they need to get jobs, manage a budget, and care for a new child,” said Halloran. Washington, D.C.: Students visited Washington, D.C. to explore the impact area of youth education. Along with explor-
ing the national monuments and Smithsonian museums, students partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of America, a group dedicated to helping young people reach their full potential. The students tutored and played games with young kids, painted inspirational messages on the stalls of the boys and girls bathrooms, and helped decorate the pre-teen center. Facilitators of the immersion included Karina Andujar, admission counselor, Kyaira Banks (‘19), and Sydney Rock (‘20). Moab, Utah: Students traveled to Utah to learn about environmental conservation. They removed invasive species along the Colorado River and revegetated the area with native spe-
cies. Facilitators were Matthew Díaz, administrative assistant at the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, and Crummer student Cami Craig (‘20). Panama City, Fla.: In light of Hurricane Michael, students went to the panhandle to aid in disaster relief. First, they organized items for the Bay County Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Jackson Nguyen (‘20 HH), one of the immersion’s facilitators, said one of the Habitat for Humanity staff’s experiences with Hurricane Michael brought her to tears. The students got to hear other staff members’ stories in a Q&A after volunteering. The students also cleared hurricane debris at the Bay
County Conservancy. Other facilitators included Donna Dormeus (‘21 HH) and graduate student Brianda Gonzalez Perez. Atlanta, Ga.: In Atlanta, students studied homelessness and food insecurity. They worked and spent two nights in a homeless shelter meeting individuals who stayed there and hearing their stories. They also worked at a furniture bank, a food bank, and an organization that offers affordable housing for community members. Facilitators included Tami Diebel, executive assistant of Career and Life Planning; Ahmed Rashid (‘19 HH); and Izadora Rabelo (‘19).
Courtesy of Rollins Immersion
(Top Left) The passionate group studied homelessness and food insecurity in Atlanta, Ga. (Top Right) Armed with shovels and hoes, students removed invasive species at an ecological site in Moab, Utah. (Bottom Midle) By writing letters of encouragement to women in Chicago, the group advanced their goal of empowering the city’s most vulnerable women. (Bottom Right) Students painted inspirational messages on Boy and Girls’ Club bathroom stalls in Washington, D.C.
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The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
5 female leaders making Rollins a better place To honor Women’s History Month, The Sandspur spotlights campus women making a difference By Caroline Klouse
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cklouse@rollins.edu
s March is Women’s History Month, we look to the women of Rollins College who balance roles as professors, committee members, mothers, leaders, and students; women who inspire each other and the next generation of women. Every year, The Sandspur presents different women who embody these qualities. This year, they are Dr. Joan Davison, professor of political science; Dr. Mamta Accapadi, vice president for Student Affairs; Dr. Meghan Harte Weyant, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students; and students Kenzie Helmick (‘19) and Nagina Chaudhry (‘19). Dr. Joan Davison graduated first in her class from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, where she was a three-time team captain for women’s basketball. Since then, she has been inducted into her collegiate Hall of Fame, the first woman at her college to achieve that honor. Davison has juggled various positions at Rollins for over 20 years. Her current roles include professor of political science,
director of the international relations major, faculty athletics representative, member of the Faculty Evaluation Committee (FEC), and co-coordinator of the Catholic Campus Ministry.
Besides her duties at Rollins, Davison is tackling two personal projects: how public space in the former republics of Yugoslavia promotes inclusive citizenship or, alternatively, exclusive nationalism. Her second project focuses on the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and her research will become a chapter in a book on comparative leadership in an age of populists. Her current determination is inspired by women past and present. For Davison, the term “influential women” is not taken lightly. “Influential individuals ought to accept the responsibil-
ity to identify and acknowledge problems, and to seek ethical solutions through a collaborative process,” she said. “Influence also demands that an individual be aware of their own position, not only in words but through modeling.” Her inspirations are Billie Jean King, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sojourner Truth, and, locally, Ann Kendrick at the Hope Community Center in Apopka, Fla. “These women actually have accepted risks, not primarily for their own advancement, but for the advancement of others: men and women, people of various ethnicities, races, and gender identities,” she said. Davison has watched her own students contribute to social justice throughout the globe. “I am motivated by the belief in my students and the knowledge that a faculty member’s legacy is the good which her students bring to the world,” she said. She has opened doors for students at each college she has worked at, motivating them to pursue their own dreams and leave their own legacies. “I am focused upon student well-being and challenging students to find all the wonderful secrets of Rollins College, using their courses and co-curriculars
to benefit as much as possible from their time at Rollins,” she said. Each woman in our list was asked to name another influential woman at Rollins, and Davison named Micki Meyer, Vice President for Student Affairs and Lord Family Assistant. “Her vision includes connecting academics and co-curricular activities, while adjusting to new educational environments,” she said.
Dr. Meghan Harte Weyant advocates for Rollins students, whether through collaborating with different offices, working with student clubs and organizations, supporting athletic teams, or residing in Sutton Apartments with her family. What keeps Weyant moving at lightning speed around the campus everyday is the mission
of Rollins. “I believe that our mission is our greatest strength and our community is our greatest resource. Every day on campus, I am inspired and motivated by being at Rollins and impacting the lives of students,” she said. Weyant’s hope is to support students and their dreams. Her own childhood dream of becoming an architect has been realized at Rollins. “A major part of my job is designing systems and structures that support students,” she said. She also said she is inspired by women who “use their voices to uplift others and challenge power structures, and... dare to live with courage and love.” Weyant is inspired by different women, whether they are leaders or followers, mothers or CEOs, or both. One woman at Rollins who inspires Weyant through her combined strength in leadership and listening is Dr. Jenny Cavenaugh, dean of faculty and Winifred M. Warden endowed chair of Theatre and Dance. “She has a capacity to make people feel both seen and heard. She inspires me as a mother, a scholar, a friend, and a mentor,” she said. “I adore her.”
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The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
Graphic by Anastasia Rooke
Dr. Mamta Accapadi uses her platform at Rollins to bring her mentor’s phrase, “it is my job to believe in other people’s children,” into practice. “This phrase transcends the tasks of our work to the value of it. It is not just about programs and processes, but the emotion and energy behind it,” said Accapadi. Her love of teaching started with tutoring her peers in middle school. This eventually brought her to Rollins, where she is committed every day to spreading joy through her work. To Accapadi, every woman is influential and can impact someone’s life, even if she does not know whose life she is changing. One moment that has had a profound influence on Accapadi occurred when she was working on her PhD in her mid-20s. A man was staring at her in a cafe while she was sitting with a friend. After a few uncomfortable moments, he approached her table and asked, “Is your name Mamta? You don’t know me, but you came up to me at my freshman orientation at the Uni-
versity of Texas and said, ‘What are you doing right now? Come to this pre-law workshop?’ I want you to know that I am in law school at [the] University of Texas now.” This is just one example in Accapadi’s life that has shown her the true power of human connection. “You never know how things affect people and how you are affected by people. This is the most powerful gift we have to offer other people and change lives in ways we never dreamed of.” Her own personal experience as an invisible college student that fell through the cracks motivates her every day at work. “When I went to school, no one noticed. I do not want any other student to feel that way,” she said. Accapadi is inspired by her mother’s journey and sacrifices, like working triple shifts, which she did to get Accapadi to where she is today. Accapadi wants to channel this energy and use it to pave the way for her daughter and other women coming after her. While professors and faculty members are very influential on campus, students, too, have their own places and voices at Rollins. Kenzie Helmick (‘19) has made her voice known both at Rollins and abroad. Her mission to push her own boundaries has resulted in either growth and improvement or learning a new
lesson. At Rollins, Helmick is the editor-in-chief of The Independent magazine; a co-president of Voices for Women in charge of community outreach and activism; a student ambassador for the Democracy Project; and a participant in student-faculty collaborative research.
Helmick classifies herself as an “in-your-face, overt, brazen, bad-ass-bitch,” but she believes there are many different definitions of who and what an influential woman is. “I think an influential woman means just being, or at least trying to be, a good person,” she said. Helmick uses research, publication, and education to bring her one step closer to her goal of changing the world. “My goal is to lead a career—and life—guided by principles of justice, inclusion, and advocacy,” she said. As an Alfond Scholar, one of few students selected to receive a full-ride academic scholarship, Helmick said she feels an obligation to address and support changes on-campus toward ac-
cessibility and gender equity. “The entirety of my time at Rollins has been shaped and inspired by the hard work, intelligence, and dedication of countless women on campus who have (either knowingly or unknowingly) left a remarkable influence,” Helmick said. “Though it’d be impossible to count and name all of them, they include students such as Meredith Ewen (‘19), Caitlin Robison (‘20), Amanda Grace (‘19), Kalli Joslin (‘19), Addison Cursey (‘19), Madeleine Scott (‘19), SJ Renfroe (‘18), and Hannah Powell (‘18), and professors such as Dr. McLaren, Dr. Dennis, Dr. Ebin, and Dr. Moon Ryan.” Nagina Chaudhry (‘19) juggles her positions as student service coordinator for the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement (CLCE), ambassador for the Democracy Project, event coordinator for the Busi-
ness Leadership Council, and events chair for DESI, all while leading the Student Government Association (SGA) as its presi-
dent. For Chaudhry, if she can empower and influence just one person through her actions, which in turn carries a ripple effect, then she will have achieved her objective as an influential woman. Her strength of competition and fear of failure motivate her in all facets of life, whether in relationships, service events, or academics. Chaudhry wants to earn respect and succeed in everything she pursues. Chaudhry’s passion for involvement began at a young age. Her mother never limited her to one activity; she used to paint, dance, participate in fashion shows, act on stage, and play piano for audiences. At Rollins, Chaudhry wants to act as a helping hand and give back to the community. “For my last few months at Rollins, I hope to continue those relationships [I have built] and leave Rollins with a powerful network of people who have helped me grow into the individual I am today.” In her role as SGA President, Chaudhry met Doragnes Bradshaw (‘18HH), communications manager at the Office of Admissions, who is currently pursuing her MBA at Crummer. Bradshaw has made an ever-lasting imprint on Chaudhry’s life. “The guidance [Bradshaw] has provided me through her own experiences and the support she shows me, even after graduating and in her very busy life, is a gift I am not sure I deserve.”
6 Upcoming fashion show integrates ethics, sustainability in clothes
The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
Annual event addresses fashion’s environmental impact
Curtis Shaffer
Matthew Weiner (left) and Sydney Brown faced issues with people defacing their campaign posters.
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SGA Continued from page 1
Courtesy of Rollins Social Innovation Hub
Students and faculty model sustainable clothing brands in the Social Innovation Hub’s Rethinking Fashion show last year.
By Christina Oliviera
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coliviera@rollins.edu
s fashion week takes over cities around the world, the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub (the Hub) will host its annual Rethinking Fashion show to educate the campus on ethical and sustainable fashion practices. Its fourth-annual fashion show is set to start on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Alfond Sports Center. Fast fashion is an environmentally harmful industry that disproportionately affects women and people of color. The Hub will donate its profits from ticket sales to an Indian organization that helps women pursue safe and sustainable jobs. Approximately 2,700 liters of water are required to produce one cotton T-shirt, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste in landfills each year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. In Bangladesh, the world’s second largest exporter of textiles, garment employees work between 60 and 140 hours of overtime per week, rarely receiving overtime pay. In addition,
85 percent of garment workers are women. They often make 24 cents per hour. “Clothing is something that everybody needs, whether they care about what it looks like or not, so educating people about what their clothes actually cost, in terms of the environment and human rights, is really important,” said Melissa Nelson, administrative assistant of the Hub. “We want people to leave the event with a better sense of what it means to be a conscious consumer,” she continued. The show will feature student models wearing local brands, as well as pop-up shops and educational materials on the fashion industry’s social issues. The Rethinking Fashion show started four years ago as part of a class taught by Dr. Tonia Warneke, director and professor of social entrepreneurship. After she stopped teaching the course last year, the Hub took on the event and transformed it into a runway show. Now, it is being spearheaded by student ambassadors Cristalle Choi (‘22) and Tatiana Fagen (‘21). This year, the Hub “refocused on the educational component by creating a monthly tabling event with an interactive component,” said Nelson. The educational components focused on the four main social is-
sues perpetuated by the fashion industry: economics, environmental sustainability, diversity in fashion, and ethical labor. VIP tickets to the show are offered for $7, and the earnings will be donated to the Sudara Freedom Fund, a non-profit organization that helps women in India pursue safe, steady, and sustainable wage employment. The fund is also one of the featured buisness partners being featured at the fashion show. Other partners include Eileen Fisher, Deux Mains, Be Robin Hood, and an alumna-founded company, Emmy + Dove. Models for the show were chosen after a campus-wide marketing campaign called for peer nominations. Many students nominated faculty and staff. The Hub announced that it wanted to include a diverse range of models with different genders, ages, body types, and races and ethnicities. VIP ticket holders will receive early access to appetizers and vegan cupcakes, exclusive giveaways, and runway side seats. General admission is free, but access to catering and premium seats are not guaranteed. A box will also be set up at the event to accept clothing donations for the Sustainability Program’s upcoming Swap n’ Shop event.
Weiner was in Japan for a field study at the time, so his running mate, Brown, had to sit in on the meeting on her own. Brown said that the group would not go into detail about any allegations, which she found unfair. “I feel like I have a right to know. I’m in the process, you know?” she said. Weiner and Brown have faced issues with their campaign from the very beginning, finding their posters and signs torn off walls and thrown into trash cans. They made two formal reports to Campus Safety regarding the destruction. “From the very beginning, the day we put up our posters, we have been facing issues with students tearing them down, people vandalizing our posters,” said Brown. Then came the hate crime. On Thursday, Feb. 28, one of their posters was found in a study room in the basement of Olin Library covered in homophobic and misogynistic slurs targeting Weiner and Brown. Brown said that the administration was very concerned about this because it was targeting the candidates’ specific identities. It was filed as a hate crime, and a report was sent in a campus-wide email. Brown said the campaigning process has been daunting and exhausting, and that freezing the election has added even more stress to her and Weiner’s plate. “I feel like the process is against us, and I feel like withholding these results for whatever reason is just completely unnecessary.” Nguyen denied any involvement with the defacing of her opponents’ posters. “When you have your face, your flyers, and yard signs everywhere, people that don’t like you kind of come out of the woods. But I can assure that Harrison and I would have never done something like that,” said Nguyen.
Moving forward Chaudhry announced the election freeze in a campus-wide email via Weyant on Friday, March 9. The email asked that students with additional evidence of campaign violations should email the information to care@rollins.edu by Wednesday, March 20. Once all the evidence is collected, SGA’s judicial board, which is comprised of Braga and five associate justices, will examine it with Rempala to decide what is factual and what is hearsay, according to Chaudhry. Rempala said that she will also assist the board in determining if any justices are “too close to the candidates to be unbiased in their decision-making.” She said that if so, a member may be recused from the judicial process. Then, if the board finds reason to, it will hold a hearing where Samantha Thelen (‘20), SGA’s attorney general, will argue for a prosecution, and the candidates can appear to defend themselves. From there, the justices will vote on whether the constitution was violated. It is unclear how the investigation will move forward from there—the vote could be the beall end-all of the investigation, or the board may take its vote to the administrators overseeing the election, who would then help interpret the constitution. Braga said that there are some holes in the constitution that make this confusing and that she and the administrators have not decided how the process will move forward after the vote. Depending on what the investigation finds, if anything, then the voting may open for another 24 hours to complete the election process. Chaudhry said it is not known when this may take place, but that she will update the campus when she has more information.
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The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
To bee, or not to bee? Senior artist explores insect’s decline Studio art major uses dead bees, honeycomb in artwork to address issues facing honeybee populations
Courtesy of Zinnia Upson
Zinnia Upson uses materials from bee farmers to create photos and exhibitions addressing the current state of the honeybee population. One part of her project features vials filled with honey and dead honeybees.
By Victoria Alvarez
S
valvarez@rollins.edu
mall vials line up the table, each filled with either dead honeybees or their favorite sticky, yellow substance. Strategically placed on the wall above them are rectangular wooden frames filled with old honeycomb. These are just two pieces of Zinnia’s Upson’s (‘19) artwork, who, through old materials from bee farmers, is painting a dark picture of the fate of America’s declining honeybee population, all while inspiring viewers to take action to save them. Between 2016 and 2017, a third of the nation’s honeybee colonies were lost, according to an annual survey of nearly 5,000 beekeepers. This phenomenon is called Colony Collapse Disorder, which occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind their queen and remaining immature bees, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The honeybee decline will severely effect our nation’s food production, as honeybees are responsible for pollinating about $15 billion worth of U.S. crops each year. Almonds, for instance, are completely reliant on honeybee pollination. As a self-described foodie, Upson was interested in learning more about the phenomenon and decided to use it as the focal point of her studio art major capstone project. Her work will be featured alongside the five other senior artists in the department’s upcoming exhibition, “Cease & Desist,” which will be in the Cornell Fine Arts Museum from
April 12 to May 13. Upson visited bee farms to collect materials for her project, such as old bee crates and actual dead bees found at the bottom of those crates. She also uses mundane objects such as plates, mirrors, and furniture to create a powerful image. “I combine found objects with delicate materials such as vellum, twine, and thin wire as a means of referencing the current tenuous state of our ecosystem,” she said. Her pieces give off an industrial feel that closely relates to humanity’s contribution to the collapse. In one of Upson’s pieces, a dead bee sits on an old-fashioned floral plate with a fork and knife on each side and a mirror that faces the viewer. This shows how the bee decline affects our food industry and how people need to “look in the mirror” to establish change. “These works focus on the human responsibility to be urgent in responding to the decline of bee populations by accentuating their fragility in relation to our own self-indulgent lifestyles, and how quickly both can change,” Upson said. By not focusing on a specific cause, she is able to work with the ambiguity of the colony collapse and provoke commentary. “Rather than pointing to a singular source, I instead provoke viewers to consider the longterm consequences of colony collapse and what could be lost in the event of a mass extinction of bee populations,” Upson said. The exact reason for the bee decline is unknown, but researchers believe that it could be due to beekeeping malpractice,
such as spraying unreliable sedatives and transporting colonies haphazardly. Large-scale inorganic pesticide contamination on flowers hurts biodiversity and general bee health during pollination. Habitat destruction due to climate change and the formation of monoculture colonies also threaten the species. “Instead of taking an extreme approach to this dire situation, I purposefully reference the bees within a poetic and whimsical realm to remind us
how humble and immeasurably significant they are to our planet, while also provoking viewers to imagine a world without them,” Upson said. She urges people to make local changes by volunteering, planting bee friendly-plants, using more organic materials when gardening and being aware of the effects Colony Collapse Disorder has on the food industry. “I think that, because colony collapse disorder is so ambiguous, people think there’s no way
to prevent it or that we aren’t the ones at fault. Through my pieces, I’d like to correct that reasoning and show the need for human change before it ruins our food industry,” she said. The art exhibit opens on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. and runs through May 13. For more information on the featured artists, check out The Sandspur’s coverage of the exhibition from last semester.
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The Sandspur • March 21, 2019
America’s colleges have never had an equal playing field FBI sting proves biased admissions process as elite colleges make exceptions for wealthy students By Hannah Butcher
hbutcher@rollins.edu
I
OPINION
was not surprised when I first heard the news that approximately 50 individuals were charged with bribing college administrators and coaches to get their children into elite colleges. After all, I have already lived through a similar scenario. My middle school was an arts school and auditions were a prerequisite for attendance. A certain audition score was needed to be admitted, but wealthy parents were able to “convince” administrators why their low-scoring child deserved a seat in the prestigious classroom. After scores and acceptances were released, a few of my friends expressed how shocked they were to get in when their audition score was so low. They thought they were lucky. Their
parents told them they were talented. They were just wealthy and privileged. I was always suspicious that cheating occurred among Hollywood stars, and I assumed bribery was a result of celebrity wealth and fame. Celebrities have the power of social and economic capital; they donate hefty sums to college foundations and even sponsor the construction of new buildings. Honesty and integrity is not something I expect of them. What angers me most is that the rich often misuse their public power to make transactions under the table, but now they have forged standardized testing scores, feigned academic standings, and curated athletic resumes. They weave their children into institutions that are already almost impenetrable; Ivy League schools require nearly perfect SAT scores, for instance. This recent set of scandals are not only crimes against the
country. They are crimes against deserving students who work hard to earn a spot in those schools. I am a first-generation college student who taught herself
The college system has become a funhouse mirror of merit, a warped version of its intentions.
academic resilience. Without help from my parents, I took countless Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses, assumed leadership positions, and established relationships with
my teachers. I applied to scholarships on my own and completed interviews for those scholarships. I took control of my own education, and I was accepted into the colleges I deserved. It is sad that undeserving, wealthy students have been able to subvert that difficult process, the laborious path many of my friends and I took to get to where we are today. If famous people already hold heaps of social and economic capital, why do they feel the need to buy their children passes into Harvard and Yale? While less fortunate kids go to college to increase their chances of securing a job, wealthy kids don’t exactly need a degree to do so. They are set for life. If they applied to college for the sake of education, there would be no reason to cheat the system, as integrity would be a priority. So, the question remains: why take the risk? The college system has be-
come a funhouse mirror of merit, a warped version of its intentions. For instance, Harvard students are not remembered for their skills in a particular field; they are remembered for going to Harvard. College names give students merit now, not students’ leadership or skillset. The college system focuses on providing social capital that students can benefit from, advancing wealthy students even higher on the social hierarchy ladder. The thousands of alumni involved in government and esteemed social circles ensure that Ivy League students will be successful for the rest of their lives. Hardworking students, especially minority students, are constantly pushed aside and replaced by privileged applicants. Education is supposed to level the playing field for people, but it shows that even getting there leaves some populations at a disadvantage.
ROLLINS DINING & SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM EVENT MARCH 21, NOON – 1:30 P.M. ON BUSH LAWN
What Rollins Dining has done SO FAR across their dining operations • 2006 & 2007 Styrofoam eliminated • Fall 2008: Compostable, plant-based items incorporated • Fall 2010 Plastic wrapped straws replaced with paper wrapped straws • Fall 2011 Reusable to-go containers placed in The Marketplace • Fall 2014 Disposable dinnerware was eliminated/replaced with China in all catering events • 2015 & 2016 Plastic bags were removed from facilities, Chico Tote Bags were offered instead • Fall 2017 OZZI containers implemented • Fall 2018 Plastic straws were eliminated and replaced with paper/pasta straws and sippy lids. • 2018 & 2019 Plastic bottle beverage reduction began in facilities across campus
Check rollins.edu/dining for more details on sustainability initiatives at Rollins The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandspur or Rollins College.