Catalyst

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Th Volume VI, Issue 17 February 25, 1997 Step away. This issue is protected by Viper. DEBIT DEBATE by Jes ica Reid Do you have a debit card? Don't throw away your checks yet! MasterCard and Visa debit cards may soon undergo serious changes. So what's the problem? Retailers are incensed that they must pay a transaction fee of 1.1% of the amount of the transac tion, a fee equal to that charged for the use of credit cards. Retailers claim that the fee is unfair because debit cards are not actual credit cards and they are virtu ally risk-free to the credit card companies. Wa!Mart Stores, Inc. filed a class-ac tion law suit against MasterCard and Visa l ast October The Limited, Sears Roebuck and Co., Burlington Coat Factory, the ational Retail Federation and the International Mass Retail Association have added their names to the list. What effect will the lawsuit have on consumers? While there are no hard facts yet, consumers can expect policy changes ranging from retailer discretion in the use of debit cards, transaction fees assessed each time the cards are used and even the abolishment of debit cards altogether. A debit card is a card issued by a bank which bears the MasterCard or Vi a logo and can be used to make purchases SEE "DEBIT" ON PAGE 6 INSIDE Ivory Tower ................... 3 Restaurant Review ............. .4 Race & Gender Symposium ....... 5 SAC Minutes .................. 6 Editorial ...................... 7 Announcements ................ 8 REGULATORS OF SELF-REGULATION? by Rachael Lininger Contrary to popular stud opinion, the Resident Assistants are not going to be turned into junior police. Tim Richardson, Assistant Director of Student Affairs, said, ''The RA role is [going to stay) the way it's always been ... but we're going to have to ask RAs to be more regulators of [self-] regulation." "Regulating self-regulation" is the new catchphrase among the Housing staff. "We're under the microscope," said AnnMarie Peavey, Resident Life Coordinator, referring to the University of South Florida's increased interest in New College affairs. Recent unflattering news coverage and lawsuits have caused people to question New College's beloved autonomy. Richardson notes, "The self-regulation wasn't working .... [Tampa] is putting on a lot of pressure because a lot has reached their attention. "But," he adds, "there's really nothing to worry about.... anything we can do to remain as autonomous as we have been is what we'll do." Like Peavey he would prefer see RAs take more of a role in reg ulating New College community, rather than have Tampa take that role. They would like for student leaders, NCSA members as well as RAs, to "hold one another responsible for things," as Peavey put it. She wants RAs to recog nize that, while they aren't enforcers, they are school leaders. If others don't "con front situations that go against our idea of community," the RAs would be responsi ble to speak up 1l1e perennial glass-in-Palm Court analogy comes to mind-if you break something, sweep it up before people cut their feet; if you see someone break something, remind them of their duty to the community. "We just want the system to work ... nobody wants radical change here," Peavey explained. "I'm not The Man-promise!" SEE "REGULATION"ON PAGE 2 STUDENT COURT SEEKS MORE PARTICIPATION by Robert Knight "Save New College. Use Student Court." So states one of the newest flyers posted around Hamilton Center. Most agree that Student Court has the potential to be a model of responsible self-regula tion. It could even ease the scrutiny that the campus has come under from USF and the media. Unfortunately, though, if the case load this semester is any indica tor, Student Court is not being used to its full potential. That deeply concerns Ayla Samli, who recently took over as Chief Justice of the Student Court. ''For us to maintain our freedom here," remarked Samli, "we've got to become involved as a community in our own self-regulation and take re sponsibility for it, because if we don't regulate ourselves, we will be regulated." Samli acknowledges that since the be ginning of this month, she hasn't received a single formal Jetter of complaint to set any litigation into motion To the outside observer, it may seem as if the Student Court is a dormant entity. Perception is not reality, in this case. SEE "STUDENT COURT ON PAGE 2

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2 The Catalyst "REGULATION" FROM PAGE I She also wishes to remind applicants that, "After you' re selected but before you're an RA, people will expect RAlike behavior." The initial student panic seems to be dying down now. One hope is for Student Court to become more active: "If Student Court handles [its cases] well, the cops will feel better about the student body," said student Jim Moore. "[So] I don't see the RA position changing much." Rich Knepper explained, I think we'll see more of a crackdown from Student Court, rather than seeing the RAs get really nasty. David Drake was equally optimistic. "RAs are going to have a more active role-[as in] preventing things from News reaching a cataclysmic state so that 'They' don't get involved," he said He also concurred with Elizabeth Friend, who worried, "I wonder if RAs won't get caught in the middle between students and the administration." Still, some students were troubled. "I think a Jot of people are really con cerned," current RA and RA Selection Committee member Nick Napolitano said "My advice to them is to keep their ears perked." As for how long the RA position will stay this way, no one certain. "I think the only way [such a change] would happen is if students let it happen," RA Eric Piotrowski said. "I don't think [the pres sure] is anything we can't withstand. Richardson agreed, "For as long as we have a supportive Dean and Warden." February 25, 1997 "STUDENT COURT" FROM PAGE I Currently, the Student Court is estab lishing a dialogue with both the University Police and the Student Affairs office, discussing the court's role in the self-regulation of the student body Also, they are working with NCSA co-presidents Martha Alter and Matthew Grieco to reinterpret and ratify Article V of the NCSA Constitution, which defines the court's structure and purpose. Right now, the article's language is too vague and gives the court little more than symbolic power. "We do derive most of our power right now from the students and their recognition and respect for us, said Samli. r--------------------, I RA SELECTION FOR 1997 I Student Court was created to mediate between students, to interpret the NCSA Constitution and student code as it applies to instances in campus life, and to provide an alternative to the police and the Student Affairs office for handling student infractions. However, throughout its history it has operated rather sporadically. 1 TheRA selection process has begun. Twenty-five completed applications were I tprned in by Friday's deadline. TheRA Selection Committee (composed of students chosen by the SAC) and the Housing staff should reach a decision by March 19. 1 Applicants were required to be currently enrolled and in at least their second semes1 ter, have lived at least one term on campus, be in good academic standing (and stay that way) and have two peer recommendations. I Applicants will be interviewed by Resident Life Coordinator AnnMarie Peavey I and by the Selection Committee. Usually the Housing administration and the Selection Committee come to a consensus; if there is a disagreement on an appli1 cant's suitability the Housing staff member make the final decision because they I I I I I I I I ultimately are responsible for RA behavior. 1 Nine RAs and three alternates will be hired. Former Chief Justice Mitchell Silverman, a 1994 NC graduate who served as a justice on the court for three years, said that the court usually met only about once or twice per semester during his tenure and never more than five times in a term. "For a time the constitution required that the court meet on a regular SEE "STUDENTCOURT"ON PAGE 3 1,Cli'talyst ..,,,rlill JJI)to ,.... .-..,,., ArhMr... -n.-.1 General Editor Michelle Wolper Managing Editor Heather Oliver Staff Writers Charles Choi, Pat Griffin, Aaron Gustafson, Rachael Herrup-Morse, Robert Knight, Rachael Lininger Jessica Reid, Rocky Swift Layout Cindy Ekle, Sara Foley Business Manager Tom Heisler Contributors Alex Hooks Jocelyn VanTuyl, Amy Andre The Catalyst is available on the World Wide Web at http :!!www.sar. usf edul-catalys tl Direct submissions and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5700 N. Tamiami Tr Box #75 Sarasota, FL 34243 catalyst@virtu.sar. usf edu Submissions may also be placed in the Catalyst box marked "Letters to the Editor/Contribu tions" (in the student government boxes next to Barbara Berggren's office). Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words. Contributions may range in length from 250 to 500 words. Submissions should be labeled as either letters to the editor or contributions and include names and contact information. Online submissions should indicate in the subject line if they are letters to the editor or contributions No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Submissions should be received by 5 : 00p.m. Friday in order to appear in the following week's issue The Catalyst reserves the right to edit submi ssions for reasons of space, grammar or sty le. Sponsored by Mari a Vesperi and Dean Michal son

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The Catalyst "STUDENT COURT" FROM PAGE 2 basis and we would find ourselves look ing for things to do, which is not the lrue function of a judicial body he said Another problem may be that many students either do not know how to u e the court, don t know when or where it meets, or do not know they have a right to tts services in as many in tances as they do. Hence, for those who are not fa miliar with Student Court here s a quick summary o f how it operates : Any student wishing to ettle a dis pute in Student Court must write a formal letter of complaint and pre ent it to the court during one of thetr weekly meet ings, held on Tuesdays at :30 p m., either in the Student Government o f fice or the Fi hbowl. If the court decides to pursue the matter, tt will notify the defen dant to appear at a pre-hearing (held to provide for circumvention of the trial process or admission of guilt) If the pre hearing does not resolve the issue, then a trial ensues. The defendant can speak for hi /her elf 111 the trial or be represented by Mei Akashah, Student Defender. The Student Prosecutor (T. Jay Brown) can represent e i th e r the plaint i ff in th e c a e or the student body at large. Still, a major concern among students is the amount of weight a Studen t Court decision carries with other di ciplinary bodies. To this, Samli replied, "Within the community at lea t, with Student Affairs and the Cop Shop our decisiOns are very well-re peeled." This issue should also be further re solved if co-president Matthew Grieco and Martha Alter are successful in their efforts to ratify the CSA Constitution "An important thing to remember," Grieco stated, "is that the General Catalog advertises the Student Court a an active and empowered body. Therefore, if we are to be honestly repre senting ourselves, then the document which defines the existence of the court must be ratified and regarded as officiaL" Use me. Abuse me. Then recycle me. News February 25, 1997 3 OUTSIDE THE IVORY TOWER International Friday foreign aid workers in south western Burundi claimed that army troops killed more than 150 civilians in reprisals for rebel auacks. The army's spokesman, Lt. Col. lsaie Nibizi, said that the rebels killed 13 people but that the army didn't kill anyone. The Tutsi dominated army is fighting a bitter civil war again t the Hutu majority in Burundi. Both sides have been accused of massacring civilians. China's Communist Party leader, Deng Xiaoping, died of complications resulting from Parkinson's disease at the age of 92 on February I 9. Deng guided China through its slow emergence into the global market following the death of Mao Tse-Tung. He also ruled through the Tiananmen Square protests, a pro democracy movement which resulted in military violence. In honor of Dcng Xiaoping, China will fly flags at half mast for one week. The memorial s ervic e w ill be attended only by Chinese, with foreign dignitaries and reporters barred from attending. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ane South Korean Foreign Mini ter Yoo Chong-ha today confirmed that preliminary peace talks between North and South Korea will be held March 5 in New York. The pair hopes to negotiate a peace treaty that would re place the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. a tiona! Late Friday night, a bomb was et off in a popular gay/lesbian nightclub in Atlanta injuring at least five people. This is the fourth bomb to hit the city in seven months. The FBI is worried that these might be the work of a serial bomber A winter storm dumped heavy rain and snow across the central United States on Friday, flooding road and basements. Nearly 3 inches of rain fell in Chicago fell by mid-morning, breaking a record which wa et during the Second World War. A band of thunderstorms ripped through Texas, Oklahoma and Arkan a on Friday and left at least nine dead. Winds estimated at nearly 80 mph; a man was truck by lightning, a toddler drowned when the car driven by hi mother was swept off a highway, and a mobile home was swept off its founda tion, killing a woman inside The rest were traffic deaths. A tunnel in ew Mexico's prison, previously thought to have been dug by prisoners planning to escape, is in fact a crawl space in the prison's blueprint. Police say there is no evidence that in mates used the service tunnel to e cape. Corrections official claim that the tunnel wa dg by prisoners planning to incite a riot to cover their escape. Washington Governor Gary Locke vetoed a ban on same-sex marrigcs on Friday calling it discriminatory, divisive and unnecessary. Legi lative leaders say they will put the issue before the voters. tate Lawrence Singleton, 69, appeared in a Tampa court Friday for the murder of a prostitute. He wa arrested Wednesday after th body of Roxanna Hayes, 31, was found lying in a pool of blood in his hou e. Singleton is a convicted rapi t who served eight years of a 14-year sen tence for the rape and di memberment of a 15-year-old in California in 1978. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. A federal trial has been set for December between a group of Sarasota residents and Kansa developer C. Robert Buford. Buford plans to tear down the Ringling Towers and build in their place a Ritz-Carlton Hotel Resort and Conference Center. 111e St. Petersburg Times reported on Saturday that for the sixth straight month, the number of people eeking welfare in Florida has dropped signifi cantly. Most analysts credit the nation's strong economic health with declining welfare rolls nationwide.

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4 The Catalyst A WEEK IN PREVIEW Wed n es d ay, February 26 Town Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in Palm Court. Thu r d ay, e bruary 27 It' that time again for the Medieval Fair at the Ringling Museum. Through unday. Race, Raci m and Racial Identity: Awarene and Action Work hop erie Fir t of a three-part erie at Parkview from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00p.m. Amnesty International meeting at 8:00 p.m. in Ham Center. Off pring will perform at Jannu Landing in St. Peter burg. Saturday, March 1 Feti h Ball. unday March 2 BO K Mu ic Fe tival kick off at Warehou e tudio 112 12th Street, Tampa at 8:00p.m. Co t: 3 for tudent M onday, March 3 WORD meeting at 9:00 p.m. on the Ham Center couches. WALL PREVIEWS february 28 Jessjca Turner March 1 Fetjsh Ball Entertainment February 2s. 19 9 7 DINNER FOR TWO: THE OLIVE GARDEN by Racha e l H e rrupM o rs e Driving north on the Trail after dark, it is difficult to pick out the green Olive Garden sign from the glaring sea of neon light It's there though, tucked in be tween Hop's Re taurant and Cortez Road. Make your way in, and you will be seated at a nice table (i.e., a table that has a tablecloth, linen napkins and wine glasses.) Very un-Perkin e que. As soon as you are seated, your server will bring you the e incredibly yummy, hot-out-of-the-oven bread sticks smoth ered in butter and garlic. Beware: without a modicum of self-restraint, you will find yourself fuJI before you order your drinks. For the cholesterol-wary, fat-aver e among you, you can order your breadtick plain. However, I would not recommend it. The menu sticks largely to what one would consider tandard Italian fare: stuffed mu hrooms, lasagna, tirami u and the like. If you are under the impression that the Olive Garden drift a little into the too-expe n sive-for-a-flat-brokeI -can't pay-my-phone-bill-college-student range, it doe We're no t talki n g Cafe of the Arts, but we're not talking Perkins either. Typically, a pa ta or chicken entree w1ll nm from around even to ten dollars, and once you factor in drinks and perhaps des ert, well, there goes your book money. But have a little faith. It can be done without letting the bill run great in road through your meager funds. Here's the trick: stick to the left-hand side of the menu (you know, before you get to the entrees). The Olive Garden ha thi wonderful appetizer called artichoke spinach dip; it consists of this mush made of cream chee e, artichoke hearts, pinach and diced tomatoe It is erved with toa ted bread and celery sticks and you get a lot of it. It i heavenly. It i divine. It is a l o exceedingly bad for your arteries, chole terol l evel, love handle and I'm sure your retina and spleen as well. But your ta te buds will be in ecstasy. Another little ecret that i not on the menu: when you order your appetizer, order side alad a well. If you are really neaky and can convince your server that you are a generou tipper, order side soup a well. Their bottomless bowl of mine strone soup is deliciou When all is said and done, you are left with a bill that will run between eleven and ixteen dollars. Not too shabby. Now gran t ed, the O live Garden i more e x pen sive than Perkins. But does Perkins give you choco l ate mints when you get your bill? Herstory: American Womyn's History Symposium march 4 -7, 1997 Tuesday, March 4: Opening speeches and images of womyn throughout the decades. Movie: Killing Us Softly. Wednesday, March 5: Startling revelations of what womyn have been doing in America! Movie about witchcraft. Thursday, March 6: Movie Night! The Three Faces of Eve and Reality Bites followed by discussion, Palm Court at 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 7: Art Show and Celebration! N.C. womyn's art and contemporary projects. All events start at 7:00 p.m. in the 'fishbowl unless otherw;se

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The Catalyst Contributions February 25, 1997 5 GUEST OPINION: RACE GENDER, AND SYMPOSIA Contributed by Amy Andre The week of February 17-23 saw New College play hostess to yet another Race and Gender Symposium. This annual event was started before I got here (five years ago) and used to be called the Minority Women's Symposium. I am not sure why the name was changed but it may have had something to do with the fact that the symposium has been consistently organized pri marily by majority women (women of color) than minority women (white women). The two people organizing it this year (myself and Karen Lewis) are both women of color. It is the Race and Gender Symposium but participation in the organizational process by whites was non-existent and by males was slim I wonder why that is, considering that there is no monopoly on taking charge of the event. For reasons that remain unclear to me, and instead of assign ing a reporter to cover the events, The Catalyst asked the two organizers themselves to writew an article about the Symposium. I was reminded of a little saying in the feminist community about it not being the job of the opressed to explain herself to the oppressor but since The Catalyst is not an oppressive publi cation, I figured that this pinnacle of Novo Collegian journalism must just be having a busy week. Anyway, here is my impression of the Symposium, speaking from the viewpoint of an organizer. I am sure that attendees had different perspectives, and non-attendees different ones still, but all that notwithstanding, I shall proceed with my own. The week of e vents started on Monday with the film Waiting to Exhale (We wanted to get Set it Off but that's not out on video yet). This is a film about the friendship network of four black women living in the Southwestern United States, with lots of close-ups of Whitney Houston looking piqued. On Tuesday we had planned an art show in the UP Student Center featuring the work of people traditionally underrepre sented in the fine arts, namely women and people of color. Knowing that no one at New College is remotely sexist or racist, and knowing that everyone here is enlightened to the fact that women and people of color have been traditionally underrepre sented in the fine arts (as well as just about every other field), and knowing the support Novo Collegians are apt to show for righting (or is it "lefting?") past wrongs in relation to the U.S.'s history of racism and sexism, we knew that everyone would be delighted with the concept of this art show. Unfortunately, I got sick that morning and wasn't able to set up the show, leading to its cancellation. Oh well, perhaps next time. Tuesday night we showed the foreign film Antonia's Line, which deals with the friendship networks and intergenerational relationships of several white women living in Europe, with lots of wide-angle shots of farms and hard-working villagers. Wednesday featured our student paper presentations. Jason Palmeri presented an excellent essay on Christina Rossetti's vic torian "Goblin Market" poem. I presented an essay on Kate Bomstein's transgender manifesto "Gender Outlaw" and Gayle Rubin's piece on radical sex theory, "Thinking Sex". After the papers, we showed a movie called Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life), about the friendship networks of two Latins women living in Los Angeles' Echo Park district, featuring lots of gang activ ity, teenage motherhood and hard living On Thursday, I worked at Subway, making sandwiches, and hence missed the night's events, which involved a discus sion group for talking about race and gender politics at New College and a movie, The Joy Luck Club. On Friday, I worked again, and missed the evening's events again. On Saturday, we threw a barbecue; it was well-attended, but didn't have that much to do with race or gender, aside from the fact that humans of all races and genders like to eat food. Our planned keynote speech that evening had to be cancelled due to some miscommunication with the speaker, And finally, that night was the R&G Ball, which was moved into Ham Center due to unpredictable weather and expensive DJ equip ment. The R&G ball although sparsely attended, was a success in tenns of music quality; plus, it gave a chance for several local deejays to showcase their incredible talents and become ac quainted with the New College community. All in a11, this year's Race & Gender Symposium was yet an other learning experiance for me in tenns of race and gender politics at New College. What was it for you? Which events did you attend, enjoy, and get the most of? If you are here next year, feel free to get involved in the planning, organization, and at tending of the symposium events. Remember: race and gender are issues/ concepts/ categories that affect us in all ways (and al ways). Take it from this black, Jewish, blonde woman: race and gender is everyone's business. Ed. note: The Catalyst has a policy of inviting symposium or event coordinators to contribute stories. This policy provides an opportunity for organizers to write about the event from the in sider's perspective. The opinions expressed in contributed pieces do not neces sarily reflect those ofThe Catalyst. PUT YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE CATALYST. ANNOUNCEMENTS RECEIVED BEFORE 5 P.M. FR IDAY WILL APPEAR IN THE FOLLOWING WEEK'S ISSUE. DROP THOSE BAD BOYS IN THE CATALYST CONTRIBUTIONS BOX BY BARBARA BERGGREN'S OFFICE OR E-MAIL US AT CATALYST@V/RTU.

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6 The Catalyst News SAC MINUTES MEETING OF FEBRUARY 20, 1997 Announcement: The Council of Student Affairs (CSA) will convene at the next SAC meeting Budget inquiry: about $25 000 to be done at the beginning of every SAC meeting Kate requested $100 for a dance workshop at College Hall that fo cuses on dance therapy. Allocated: $100. Danielle Babsky requested $1000 for an improvisational theatre movement for 15 people at College Hall Extra slots avail able for 10 sessions at $100 per three hour session culminating perfonnance with a dance tutorial. Allocated : $0 Rationale : charge each participant $25; go to the Foundation, Alena Scandura, and the Alumni Association, and the SAC will fund the difference whatever it is. Jesse Abrams requested $170 for chemi cals, fixer thermometer, and bulbs for the darkroom. Allocated : $170. Jesse Abrams requested $30 for food for the Council of Academic Affairs meeting Allocated: $0. Rationale : go to NCSA budget. Alicia Luguri requested $550 for a pre assembled radio kit for New College Radio Allocated: $550. Stipulation : that Josh Tickell will come next meeting to tell the SAC what was funded. Erin Skelly requested $25 for Womyn's Tea for herbs to heal the sick. Allocated: $25. Kelly Nichols requested $600 for the darkroom to be moved to the bandroom for health and safety purposes, which in volves a sink, faucet plumbing, cloth, door lUnges, and locks. Allocated: $600. Laura Clarke requested $32 for food and drinks for the History Club. Allocated : $32 Dean Lo requested $130.80 for rcimbursement for spray paint for a mural. Allocated: $130.80. Carolyn Ward requested $1425 for color copies, film rolls, film development, and printing costs for yearbooks. Charging for the yearbooks should allow for some re imbursement. Allocated : $1425 Stephanie Martin requested $300 for foodfor four nights for the Womyn's History Symposium. Allocated: $265 Rationale: film night doesn t need as much food. Chris Deam requested $132.50 for mod ular jacks and a wiring kit for MacLab networking. Allocated: $0. Rationale: go to Barbara and take from the operating budget. Agnes Farres requested $129 99 for a VCR and some odds and ends for Viking Allocated: $129.99 John Mogilewsky requested for 2 addi tional hours a week for the rest of the year as a MacLab T.A. His request was granted. Matt Grieco requested for the realloca tion of $119.73 from Pizza Hut to himself as he paid for the pizza. Reallocation ap proved. Hazen Komraus requested $350 for his semester salary as Equipment Room T.A. Allocated : $350. Hazen Komraus requested $500 for human sundaes, phallic foods, baby oil, pectin (Jello), Cheese Whiz, honey, a bubble pit, humidifiers, Silly String, blacklight bulbs, candles, and plastic as supplies for the Fetish Ball. Allocated: $500. Self-study meeting at 1:00PM in "D" Building. Feedback pertaining to SAC Kelly and Julie will go There will be no marathon allocations this spring. February 25, 1997 "DEBIT" FROM PAGE 1 as if it were a credit card. However, un like a credit card, debit cards deduct the transaction from the user's checking ac count within a few days (thus the tenn DirectCheck). With debit cards one does not have to contend with monthly fees, transaction fees and interest rates Debit cards are easy to use. Consumers with debit cards do not have to waste time writing a check, wait for a near sighted cashier to write down their drivers' li cense numbers, addresses and phone numbers, then wait while the cashier finds a manager or checks a list to make sure the check is acceptable. Retailers are seeking $500 million in damages based on the amount of transac tion fees paid for use of debit cards between 1992 and 1996. These fees were passed on to consumers in the form of price mark-ups. If the lawsuit is deemed worthy by the courts, the amount of dam ages will triple to $1.5 billion. If retailers are awarded this amount, policies con cerning debit cards are sure to change. The government also may file a law suit against Mastercard and Visa This lawsuit, however, deals with Mastercard's and Visa s policies which refuse to allow member banks to issue American Express cards This lawsuit would affect joint venture laws which govern how companies cooperate with each other and the triggering of new partnerships in the U.S. credit card industry. Mastercard and Visa have issued sep arate statements, stating that their policies are in the best interest of both themselves and their customers. They also have stated that it is unfair for retailers to dis criminate against cardholders by accepting some cards and not others. The debit card, considered by many to be the easy way to buy, may soon tum out to be more troublesome than conve nient. While the lawsuits may take months or years to settle, one thing is cer tain: consumers will pay in the end, through higher prices at stores or higher fees for debit card use. submit. thank you.

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The Catalyst i I EDITORIAL: DRUM CIRCLES Drum circles have become a regular occurrence in Palm Court. Whether you find them to be means of cre ative self-expression or simply loud banging is irrelevant. Palm Court is home to all New College students, after all. Drum circles, however, become rude and obnoxious after a Wall has begun. Drumming is fine on an early Friday or Saturday night, but after the Wall equipment is brought out, for the sake of common courtesy, the drums should be put away, or moved to a safe distance from the Wall. A Wall sponsor typically signs up to throw a Wall months in advance; he or she also will spend hours select ing, recording, erasing, and re-recording music It is rude and inconsiderate for the sounds of loud drumming to drown out his/her wall music. Drum circles and Walls cannot peacefully co-exist. If you participate in drum circles regularly, enjoy yourself, but be courteous to the Wall sponsor. Be courteous to the students who go to Palm Comt to hear the Wall music and not your drumming. Contribution Guidelines Letter to The Editor: A reader's response to previous arti cles, letters and/or editorials, or an opinion that is intended to be shared with the student body. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words, and are not a forum for free advertis ing Contribution: A factual article written by someone not on staff. Contributions should be informative and pertinent to the interests of New College students as a whole. Contributions may range in length from 250-500 words. Guest Column: A solicited opinion piece. Guest columnists do not necessarily represent the views of the Catalyst, but rather opinions of which we feel the New College community should be made aware. Guest columns may range in length from 250500 words. All submissions should be received by 5:00p.m. Friday in order to appear in the following week's issue. rap rock religious dance b 1 u e s i USED CD HEADQUARTERS Posters T-shirts New Releases CD & Cassette Singles $for CDs Trail Plaza N. 41 & Myrtle 355-7574 z z reggae shows classical c 0 u n t r y February 25, 1997 7 PUBLIC APOLOGY Dear New College Community, My name is Alex Hooks and I want to tell everyone that I'm sorry. You might have noticed me if you were out in Palm Court on Saturday, February 15. I was the guy engaging in what has been described as disruptive and disorderly conduct and harass ment. I feel very guilty and I want to apologize to everyone I might have hurt either physically or psychologically during this episode. I have no memory of this event. All I remember is partying with some old friends feeling really happy and peaceful earlier that day. And then later on waking up shackled to a hospital bed covered with sweat and some bloody scrapes and bruises. Sorry, everyone. I'm a living example of why everybody should be careful with the effects of synergy, if you know what I'm saying. My actions were wrong and unnecessary and oppo site of any definition of responsible community behavior. I think we have a great community here at New College and I'm very sorry that I momentarily disturbed it Peace, Alex Hooks 1,()1 .. J .. ()(. February 19, 1997 9:40p.m. Wallet, $20 cash and a pair of pants stolen from Hamilton Center. ALLIANCE FRANCAISE Contributed by Jocelyn Van Thy! The Alliance de Sarasota has just awarded a schol arship to New College student Robyn Smith. The scholarship will enable Robyn to spend a month in Paris this summer at tending a pedagogical seminar. Robin is one of the volunteer French teachers sponso red by the local Alliance Since October 1995, seven New College students have taught French to thirdand fourth-graders at St. Martha's School and Southside Elementary School under my spervision. Volunteer teachers receive tutorial credit for their work. Books, tapes, and other materials are provided by the Alliance The Alliance of Sarasota sponsors many linguistic and cultural activities, including French language courses open to the members of the Sarasota community. These courses are taught by volunteers, many of them retired university professors or secondary school French teachers. The proceeds from these courses fund scholarships for local high school students and teachers of French. In recognition of the contributions made by New College volunteers, the Alliance decided to offer a scholar ship to one of our students this year. If our volunteer rogram keeps going strong, the Alliance will probably offer a scholar ship to one of our students this year. We will recruit new volunteers next fall. Students who are enrolled in or have completed Jntennediate French are eligible to volunteer. Interested students should contact me.

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8 The Catalyst Announcements February 2s. 1997 Meet broadcast journalist and author Bill Moyers at Eckerd College on Tuesday, February 25 at 8:00 p.m. Moyers was a senior news analyst for the CBS Evening News and chief correspondent for the highly praised documentary series CBS Reports. What's going on in Chiapas, Mexico? Come hear about human rights in Chiapas since the 1994 Zapatista uprising and about the history and background of the indigenous uprising. Erica Quin will talk about the month she spent as a human rights observer in Chiapas this January, and Sarah Fernandez will speak about the history of ethnic conflict and rebellion in Chiapas. Photos, books and periodicals about and from Chiapas, discussion and food! Come to the Fishbowl on Wednesday, March 5 at 5:00p. m. News from the Bike Shop: These are people whose bikes have been repaired and are ready to be picked up: Bryce Huff, Claudia Lukas, Nirvan Mullick, Sarah Young, Paul Beer, T. Jay Brown, Kelllie Wade, Irina Barakova and Jen Rehm. Bike shop hours are Monday 1-3 p m., Tuesday 3-5 p m Wednesday 1-5 p .m. and Thursday 1-5 p m. CAREER CENTER Wed. Feb. 26, 11:15 a m USF International Student Exchange Presentation: Presented by Stuart Silverman, Fishbowl. Wed. Feb. 26, 3:30 p.m. The Children's Home: Careers with Abused Children, Fishbowl. Fri Feb. 28, 11:30 a.m. Institute for Experiential Learning: Internships in Washington, DC: Fishbowl. National Science Foundation: Undergraduate Summer Fellowships in Biomedical Engineering: Fellows will receive a stipend from The Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute of $3,375 over a period of ten weeks to participate in research projects in the laboratories of the Musculoskeletal Research Center in NY. Housing is available for a limited number of students. Application deadline: March 21, 1997. The International Volunteer Program: Volunteers must demonstrate a commitment to service and must be receptive to any as signment. The program is particularly geared to college age students and lasts eight weeks during the summer. Room and board are provided by the agency during the work period. Volunteers must speak the language of their host county at a comfortable level. The cost of the program if $1,500 and includes all application and program fees, as well as all travel expenses. Application deadline: April 1. liE: Alice R. Pratt Internship in International Affairs: (January to May 1998): This internship is full-time and involves attend ing and assisting with occasional evening and weekend functions and assisting staff with the professional schedules of U.S. Information Agency and other government sponsored international visitors to the Houston area. Students should have completed their junior year, have excellent written and oral communication skills and strong organizational ability to work well with a team and computer skills Stipend of $1,000/month. Deadline: Sept. 2, 1997. Institute of International Education announces two Study-Abroad Grants: $2,000 Grant will support undergraduate or gradu ate study abroad in a business-related field during the academic year 1997-98. $500 Grants will support undergraduate or graduate study abroad in a business-related field during the summer of 1997 or the academic year 1997-98. Eligibility criteria for both com petitions: be a U.S. citizen at the time of application, be enrolled in a degree program and have the Study Abroad Advisor endorse the application, confirming credit will be given Deadline: April I. The Institute of European/Asian Studies offers the following scholarships: Merit Scholarship: A scholarship program to en courage students with considerable academic merit to study abroad with IESIIAS. An award of up to $2,500 for a semester or up to $4,000 for an academic year. Recipients must participate in one of IESIIAS programs. Deadline: April 1/fall semester or October 1/spring semester. ANU-Adelyn Dougherty Minority Scholarship: Will be awarded to an lAS student who studies at the Australian National University for a semester or academic year. The scholarship is valued at $8,050/semester or $16,100/academic year. Deadline: Nov. 1, 1997. Adelyn Dougherty Urban Issues Scholarship: This scholarship is not limited to students who major in urban studies. 1l1e schol arship allows IES/IAS to advance the study of urban issues and to afford access to a student who otherwise would not be able to afford a study abroad program. Amount is based upon financial need of the student applicant. Deadline: March 31. For additional information stop in the Career Resource Cente1; PME-1 19.