Catalyst

PAGE 1

News Free online music -page 3 Blueprint update -page 5 Volume VIII, Issue 6 Hope grows for Marine Science building by Trina Hofreiter As the new Natural Sciences complex nses quickly from the dust near Hanson and Selby, an other building will soon follow suit this one on the bayfront. Designed to sit directly west of Bonseigneur house, the new Marine Sciences building will be completely devoted to teaching and research lab facilitie Although site work issues remain unresolved architects appr o v e d t he final con s truction plans for the building itself last Thursday, with the groundbreaking ceremony sched-"It's weird that the cam getting two Nat Sci buildings at the arne time," said econd-year Chris Limburg. "But I can understand because [the Hanson and Selby buildings] were in such bad shape for so long." One of the most innovative, and problematic, features of the new Marine Sciences building will be its eawater intake system. Water will be pumped directly from the bay into the building for use in sev eral large research tanks and aquariums. "The biggest problem right now is the large amount of permitting involved in a water sys tem like that," said Campus Project Manager for Facilities Planning and Construction Richard Lyttle. "Any time you want to move water from a natural area, you 're dealing with multiple state agencies: the Southwest Florida Management Di trict (SWFMD), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the County of fice ... we've been assured that the design can be permitted, it's just a matter of going through the right channels." The principal architect of the ar chitectural firm hired to construct the building, HHCP Architects, was the same architect who designed Eckerd College's marine science "MAlliN LAB" ON PAGE 4 no recipes in here Opinion The issue of diversity at New College -page 7 March 18, 1999 Faculty meeting heats up Associate Dean position will cause loss of faculty line by Nick Napolitano The faculty meeting on March 10 began with a eulogy for David Dykstra, former Professor of Literature, before launching into de bate on the nature of the Associate Dean position, educational policy and allegations that Tampa had bro relate to the articulation and prioriti zation of specific educational policies. "Because faculty are so of Philosophy, noted that among the faculty there had been great worry that the As ociate Dean would be removed one more step from the New College faculty. Dr. Laszlo Deme, Professor of History, was quick to agree, and added that "im mediate and direct access to the chief academic officer constituted an academic tradition that should be inviolable "I'll provide as much day to-day leadership as I can," re sponded Ba si s. ken its promise to give the Associate Dean position its own faculty line. The As ociate Dean pos i tion was Warden Michael Bassis' main agenda item. The job description, c o -written wi t h current A ss ociat e Dean Doug La n gs t on, needed fac t>eoo!e sr:e a t. t ; s lll 'f"1 /"i .:::; 1 /ll p (1 L,.,,11, \..f_.z.:.;.tA,'t.._, l Dr MeA. Mill e r Profe ssor of B r itish and America n Litera t ure, be lieved that the Associate Dean should be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the faculty committee which he be-ulty approval. Bassis also encouraged the faculty to nominate qualified candidates or step forward D ... ..,,:::IMe!a mittees are reporting to us," said Miller, and predicted that continued delinquency would result in more comments, Dr. Lee Snyder, Professor of History, recommended several additions to the Associate Dean job description, all of which tionaJ ga,ds ... it's about strengthE!!ning the academic pro gram," said Snyder. Dr. Douglas Berggren, Professor ISE ('FACULTY ON PAGE 4 Role-players haunt College Hall Vampires, cyber-punks, and wizards fro lick and fight at the Bayfront by David Saunders If you happen to be walking around College Hall late one Friday night, you might just see a group of people running around in frilly shirts and long cloaks. You may wonder: is this the Clove-Smoking Fashion Victim Brigade? A group of stragglers looking for the long gone Medieval Fair? A group of raving neurotics deciding it's time to play dress-up? While all of these things might be partially true, it is actually the meeting for New College Gaming Association's (NCGA) main event: Michael Shannon's Vampire: The Long Night role-playing campaign. Shannon, a third-year, is the organizer, in the loosest sense of the word, of the newly created NCGA. Early this semester, he decided that he wanted to run a cam paign, but he wanted to have it put together in a more comprehensive manner. He also saw it as a chance to organize something that, to the gaming contingency on campus, has been long overdue. "I wanted to facilitate communication between New College garners of all ilk," said Shannon. The NCGA is essentially to be used as a networking device, connecting those with an inter est in the fantasy role-playing world. Shannon hopes for this communication to begin generating ideas for campaigns and to assist individuals in fmding groups whose interests are aligned with theirs. "New College has a lot of garners," said second-year James Sheridan, "but many of them find only one group to play with, and there are many groups out there. You would never realize how many AD&D [Advanced Dungeons and Dragons] games went on last year with people I didn't know even role-played." Sheridan is also helping organize efforts, and wants to see a lot more communication in this area. "I would like to see the NCGA become more heard of and organized. There are still many garners not listed in its ranks, and I would like to see that change," he said. The general reaction to the forming of the NCGA among the gaming community was very succinctly put by second-year Austin Eliazar, when he said, "It's about damn time." Have an idea for a campaign, whether it's White Wolf, AD&D, Shadowrun, or Rifts, and would like to find a group interested in playing? Interested in playing a campaign, but don't know if any places are open? Contact the NCGA by e-mailing either Shannon or Sheridan at their virtu accounts, mshannon@virtu and jsherida@virtu respectively. The information requested is your name, address, e-mail, and the role-playing games you have done or would like to do. All inter ested, on-campus or off, student or non-, are welcomed. Go forth and frolic with the children of the night. Fake vampire teeth may elicit a few groans, but as long as you're having fun, it's all good.

PAGE 2

2 t d Q,j t The Catalyst Scandal allegations force resignation of European Commission On Tuesday, March 16, all20 members of the European Commission (the executive body rilil of the European Union) resigned amid allega lions of scandal. This mass exodus throws the whole European Community into crisis just days before a budget summit. The 144 page report, compiled in a scant 6 weeks, bit the floor of the European Parliament on Monday. The report, according to the BBC, exposed fraud, corruption, and mismanagement at senior levels. Mterwards, Commission "'CS President Jacques Santer said, "In light of the report, the members of the Commission have decided unanimously to resign collectively." Talk of mismanagement has been going on for months .. In early January, things came to a head between the Commission and the European Parliament, the only directly elected body of the European Union (EU). Paul van ..W Buitenen, a Dutch EU auditor, produced to the Parliament information and reports detailing 0 fraud and an unwillingness of the Commission C'l.l to take action against it. Van Buitenen was sus pended on half pay for four months for breaking staff rules and the Parliament ordered an investigation. The independent panel of = five, including two former EU auditors, worked for six weeks to compile the report. The Commission beads the 12,000 member ._ ..... &uopeau Omon. ne 20 member Commission are appointed by lhe member states for a five year term. Due to changes brought about by the 1991 Maastricht Treaty and the 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, the News Parliament has some oversight of the Commission, including the ability to remove the Commissioners from office in mass. "It bas been difficult to find anyone who has even the slightest sense of responsibility. However, that sense of responsibility is essen tial. It must be demonstrated first and foremost, by the commissioners individually and the commission as a body. That concept is the ulti mate manifestation of democracy," said the report regarding the Commission. Reuters re ported that none of the commissioners were personally involved in fraud and did not gain financially from it. The report did single out a few members of the Commission. Edith Cresson, former French Prime Minister and now former Research Commissioner is under fire for bringing in her hometown dentist to head an AIDS project. The report also accused her of keeping quiet about vast sums of money that were missing from youth training programs. She responded to the allegations in a news conference, stating, "Perhaps I have been a little careless." Several other commissioners are also under attack. Among them are Monica Wulf-Mathies, Manuel Marin, Jacques Santer, and Joao de Deus Pinheiro. Mathies and Pinheiro are taking heat for questionable hiring practices, while Santer and Marin have been accused of not re sponding to the claims of fraud. The departure of the Commission could not come at a worse time. On March 24 and 25, a conf.eieDCe. w.iU .!Wlm.to overhauling the $93 billion doJlar annual bud get and the entry of 12 new nations. Severa] member stales have announced they will use some of the time at conference to come up sac minutes 3.10.99 In attendance: Danielle Babski, Robert Scope!, Alisdair Lee, Jen Shaw, Julia Skapik, Molly Robinson, Jen Yang. Absent: First year to be appointed. All votes are unanimous unless otherwise indi cated and none include the vote of SAC chair Danielle Babski. Nestor Gil (Vestiges) requested $31 for supplies for installation. Allocated:$31. Erin Skelly (Body Image Awareness Month) re quested $86 for supplies for body cast art. Allocated: $86. Erica Quin-Easter (Slavic Vocal Ensemble) re quested $200 for professional musicians for March 18, 1999 with replacements to the Commission. The Agence France-Presse claims that this upset in the European government may jeopardize trade relations between Europe and Asia. Not all is at a standstill without the execu tive board. The resigning members of the Commission could stay on as a caretaker gov ernment until a new or temporary Commission can be appointed by the member states. British and German governments are pressing for quick replacements, while Italian and Spanish governments are pushing for the current Commission to stay on for the remainder of their term, which will end in January. Jose Maria GilRobles, the president of the European Parliament, stated that all the com missioners should leave now. Members of the European Parliament have threatened to re move the new commission, or even a caretaker commission, if either Cresson or Santer return. There has been some debate as to the new head of the Commission should be. The most likely su peels appear to be Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, and the recently re signed Commission Vice President Sir Leon Britran. Britain has announced that it will reappoint both of its members, Sir Leon Britran and Neil Kinnock, as there was no evidence to implicate the UK representatives in any wrongdoing, ac cording to the BBC. for WRS.taken {rQtn the BBC, Reuters News Service, Sidizey Mornin g Herald, AFP Agence France-Presse, European Commission and European Parliament web sites. workshop. Allocated: $100. Annie 0' Connell (Feminist Majority) requested $700 for Feminist Majority Conference. Allocated: $700. Total Requests: $1017 Total Allocated: $917 Ciitalyst The Catalyst is available on the World Wide Web at http:/ /www.sar. usfedu/-catalyst/ General Editor Cyndy Ekle Managing Editor Trina Hofreiter Staff Writers Max Campell, Charles Choi, Aaron Gustafson, Sara Foley, Julian Frazier, Shanon Ingles, David Saunders, Mario Rodriguez, Ben Ruby Layout Nick Napolitano Online Developer Evan Greenlee The Catalyst is an academic tutorial spon sored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Office using Adobe Photoshop and Quark Xpress for PowerMacintosh and printed at the Bradenton Herald with money provided by the New College Student Alliance. Direct submissions and inquiries to: The Catalyst Contributions may range in length from 250 to 500 words. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words. Submissions should be labeled as either letters to the Editor or contributions and include names and contact information. Contributors Nikki Kostyun 5700 N. Tamiami Tr. Box #75 Sarasota, FL 34243 catalyst@virtu.sar.usfedu The Catalyst reserves the right to edit submissions for space, grammar or style. Submissions in "rtf' or "WriteNow" format may be saved to the Catalyst Contributions folder in the Temp Directory on the Publications Office file server, printed submissions may be placed in campus box 75, and all other contributions may be e-mailed to catalyst@virtu. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. All submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. Friday in order to appear in the following week's issue.

PAGE 3

3 The Catalyst News Free sound bytes make ife better With MP3, listeners can download music from the web by Evan Greenlee You're tired of your album collection. You yearn for more musical variety. New College Radio is great but it doesn t broadcast all day and can hardly be picked up two blocks from Ham Center. CDs, even used are a costly habit. And let's face it...tbe radio in south Florida ap only to the lovers of yesterday's Billboard hxts and those trying to brainwash themselves You need something new. .There millions of song s by thousands of artists waiting to be heard. The best part is that they're all free. MP3 is the name of a music format taking root on the web. It is difficult to transmit CO style recordings across the web; it takes about 10 megabytes for a minute of recorded music. Some f?rm. of is necessary in order for high fidelity musxc to be transmitted and stored as a sound file. MP3 encoding was designed by Fraunhofer Institut Jntegnerite Scbaltungen (Fraunhofer liS). It allows CD-Jike quality sound at the normal size. It is easy to find mustc m th1s format on the web. Since the big MP3 servers have no upper limit on the number of songs, (MP3.com claims to have more than a fifteen million songs) anyone can post music to the site and almost all the mus i c is free How can arti s ts who gi v e aw ay the ir music to a living? If the system ended -n 't. Certain web sites Will make you a CD with the songs you want on it. The usual price is betwe e n $5 a n d $ 1 0 and half the money ends up in the artist's pocket. This is a l ot m or e than t he art ist co u l d get from a recor d label. In the beginning, this form of marketing was a draw for independent artists. Now bigger names are jumping on the band wagon. David Bowie backs the MP3 revolution, and Public Enemy will distribute their next album Poison via MP3. All this free music bums the ears of record execs although at this point MP3 bas nowhere near displaced the standard CD market. Given time and faster internet connections, this may change. Already the Record Industry Association ?f America has attempted to fight MP3 m MP3 offers no protection to theu they have tried to fight this growmg movement. In the past the record indus try has forced tape manufactures to pay royalties even on the blank tapes they sell. This time they have been unsuccessful at attacking a widespread movement that bas no tangible existence. If the trends continue and this market expands the record industry may be forced to adapt col lapse. MP3 is not without problems. While smaller than CD audio, MP3 files still take up space, and everyone has only a finite amount of disk space. It is easy to fill up hundreds of megabytes with files. Also, they are not very portable. Diamond Multimedia released a portable player the Rio. This player, smaller than a pack of cigarettes, can hold up to an hour of music the price ?f this portable player i s prohibi ti vel y expensiv e And g e tti n g MP3 files on a tape or CD can be a tedious endeavor. When the industry switche d to recordiD:ir:doeS if6t have the same Sobb8 quality of a CD. However, the only differences are inaudible. This does change the way the m u s ic is beard (inaudible waves interact with the au d i b le crea t ing con s truct s t ha t can be he ard) b ut you would need a decent pair of speakers (be tter than almost all available on a computer) and more than a decent set of ears to detect the differences. March 18, 1999 Besides pulling ,--:-out the inaudible frequencies MP3 1 "' encoding will also \ } 1 remove sounds that .;:J I i are imperceptible to -k, cies in human ... .. "" hearing the sound waves are further simplified. For example, when two sounds of very similar frequency occur back to back (just rmlltseconds of separation), people don't hear the second note. By removing the second note from the mix, the sound is simplified. With the sound waves simplified to just the audible and percepti ble portions, a sound file can be compressed as much as 12:1 while preserving a very CO-like quality sound. It is simple to set up your computer for play ing MP3. First you need a player. I recommend xllamp on linux systems, Winamp on windows systems, and Macamp on Macs. There are dozens of other players, but the aforementioned ones provide a good sound and are all free or shareware. Next you need music This can be found just abou t eve ryw h e r e T ry typing in MP3 to your favorite search engine. A g ood pla ce to i.s http://www.mp3.com. us have listened to every album we own too many times. Now there is a solution. Join the revolution in music and put that trusty bucket of wires and metal to good use Get online and start your MP3 collection today Physical Plant picks up the pieces, puts } them back together sponsib1e smoking" the University has been trying to avoid going after the responsible student and her family for the expenses. "We feel that the stu dent and the friends of the student have suffered enough a1ready," he c:s u At the New College USF Physical Plant, repairs are the order of the day, from major projects to minor patch-ups. As Richard Olney, Acting Director of Physical Plant, said, "We're used to daily break downs. That's part of life." t)() The swing set, a victim of accidental demolition, bas been = restored to its former location West of the pool. The old barbecue pit, also wiped out by a construction misadventure, is gone for: ever, but Olney bas promised the building of a glorious new one, which will be "better than the one before." Welders are currently piecing the new barbecue together. Once it is finished, said Olney, they are considering placing the new barbecue pit by the north end of the pool, on the concrete pad between the picnic tables and the basketball court. The decision is not final, however, and New : S College students are invited to make suggestions for the new barbecue's location. = Plans for the restoration of fire-damaged Pei room 254 are proceeding slowly. Although the room will be gutted and cleaned fiJ up within the next two weeks, the housing office does not have the money to completely restore the room. So far, the insurance com panies have only vague answers to bow much they will pay Z for repairing the fire damages. Tim Richardson, Acting Director of Student Affairs, said that although the fire was caused by "irreexplained. Since the costs for completely repairing the room are so prohibitive, the college may only pay for enough repairs to make the room usable, rather than livable, by restoring only the room's walls and electricity. The room may become the home of the New College radio station, or according to Richardson, it may also be used for storage. "More than anything else, I'd Jike to restore it, to make it normal," said Olney. "It should be returned to its function as a dorm room." Another fairly large expense the Physical Plant has had to deal with is the replacement of the railing cables on the second floor of Dort dorm. After the Halloween PCP, about 20-25 of the metal cables were broken, and a welding company is charging the campus $350 to put new railing ca bles in their place. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to use them, even to rest their foot on it, because they're so flimsy," Lyttle said. "I hope that it's a one-time thing because it's not only costly, but dangerous." Above all, Lyttle stressed the fact that the Physical Plant is doing its best to repair the various facilities on campus and to provide better service to the New College student body as a whole. "I'll work with you guys. I'll try to make sure that if you bring something to my attention, I'll deal with it somehow." He added that students with construction-related problems should come directly to him: "If you have any problems, don't go to the Dean, come to me ... and if it turns out to be something I can't deal with, than I'll go to the Dean."

PAGE 4

News 4 The Catalyst March 18, 1999 Faculty call on Bassis to defend their Interests !"FACULTY" FROM PAGE 1 I read a transcription of Castor and Tighe's comUniversity. L Changing the subject Ba s sis emphasized that "fiats cascading down from Tampa. He would ments to the faculty that promised them a the A<>sociate Deanship w o uld involve a series of therefore like to charge the Associate Dean with "position," understood by the faculty at the tlme d t" b to mean a new faculty line, to offset the loss one-year appointments m or er to preven ro keeping the committees "operative." b dem1c program for too long He P osed by creating the Associate Deanship. mg an aca "The larger issue," Bassis said, "is whether b d th t after three such appointments there "I don't think I'm going to be successful m ope a th is faculty will accept administrative leadership ld b 1 nent money available the short run," replied Bassis. "I think taking a wou e rep ace1 on these issues. I don't know [if it will]." ] 1 Political science professor Dr. Eugene Lewis Thl s e]1c1'ted a chortle from Deme. "In all principled stand won't get him [Tighe to c 1ange h t d f thought that a year was too s or a peno o serhonesty, it depends on the quality of leadership," his position." vice. "It takes a normal person six months to Biology professor Dr. Leo Demski sugges ted be deadpanned. As t become familiar with the job," be argued. Just as After wry laughter from the faculty subsided, a "compromise measure whereby the SOCia e b .. h h Dean would teach a class, while Miller urged the person got used to t e posthon e or s e Dr. Justus Doenecke, Professor of History called looking at "the whole picture" to see where would have to step down, which would lead to attention to the fact that the Associate Dean's inefficiency and much wasted training time and academic discipline would be left short-handed ,_ Frl-, ,:. i /!eo['> t!- i; r'" P ; resources, thereby rendering the position ineffecby his or her absence, contrary to assurances Au,;_,, i.M .>.. t) __ ;."..,_" J:... tive. made last spring by USF President Betty Castor p A-?>.(.':< t"h r h t.: t; tl '1tV Uzi Baram, Assistant Professor of and Provost Thomas Tighe. "Where some people 1\ R z.""' t..t "'f--"'-"-""""'""'""-"' J Anthropology, was quick to point out that the see a misunderstanding, others see bad faith," D ld be renewed at the Sal'd Doenecke, and many nodded their heads in K' f 1 ,.., ">A f"* 1 Associate ean s tenure cou ld f'll v\' t..t! a.U-.u l il..L .. end of the year, so that the same person cou 1 approval. "-f; h Bassis said he had been told by Tampa that ti .. Vf' Iea.dcrshj_i_) Oil the misgivings there were not enough resources to secure a facfc ::; about renewing the Associate Dean's contract ulty line for the Associate Dean, and expressed e *."'C ;: c <;r* X OXJ t each year. Berggren said, "A whole generation sympathy for the division that would feel the ll,ji 1 ... "'.r-''" of students wouldn't know that faculty member," Amy Reid knOW lit it W1 h; pressed Bassis on the issue. "If we can't create a "fV r .. r n f) .... .. Economics Fred Strobel, who made a motion to faculty line for the Associate Dean, would they VV ;{lll. 't.J .-:;;it :;,. i:,"t' -' 1 allow for three one-year renewable contracts for be able to cough np money for a replacement f 1 the Associate Dean. The only d_issenting vote money could be channeled to a new acu ty person?" she asked. 1 1 came from Snyder,.while Associate Professor of d l d t h d +h t 1'1 t line. l-Ie noted that some existing facu ty mes said he ha a rea Y p1 c e 1 0 r Philosophy Aron Edidin abstained. Motion Provost Tighe, to no avail. "From his pe"rsi>CC': are currently by administrators, and that 1 Reid and o th e rs shake their h ea d s in disagree ment Bassi s pleade d 1 h ate to argue h is case Please don t take it that way. "How would Provost Tighe feel if no faculty stepped forward to filJ the [Associate Dean] posi tion?" mused Sandra Gilchrist, Professor of Biology. cou ld be re-alloc a ted to t h e Associa t e Dean posi tion. Ea rl ier, Doenec k e h a d s uggested u sing the Jine r ecentl y vaca t e d by Sandra Krawetz, that of Director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs, as a faculty line. Bassis finished t h e meeting with an update of th e Campu s Blueprint for the Future planning process. A draft of the report will be made available on Tuesday, March 30 and discussed by the campus at-large on Friday, April2. The draft will then be rewritten to reflect suggestions and concerns raised at the future meeting. Conversation became more heated when Assistant Professor of French Jocelyn VanTuyl Bassis seemed amenable to this solution, and observed that the re-allocation of positions is not within Provost Tighe's power. Tampa only has authority when new money comes to the Students help design features of new building \"MARINE LAB" FROM PAGE I j ject, suggesting needed facilities. Along with faculty and student ]aboraL. -------------------------------' tory areas, the building will also include .a classroom, a seminar room and several research display areas. facility. That system was buill using similar design structures, and has been in operation since the early 1990's. "The building itself has been permitted, and that's what we're going to start with in April," said Lyttle. "The rest of the design is just ite work, and that will take a little longer." In addition to the building, the Marine Science facility will also have its own parking lot and a large seawater discharge pond. The biggest headache currently facing civil engineers is bow to clean the used seawater and not let it seep into the surficial aquifer. Other concerns include the odor the discharge pond might create. "They were originally going to take out a bunch of pine trees and put it right near Bonseigneur house, but I told them to re-design it," said Lyttle. "Not only could it have some odor to it, but the unnecessary removal of trees is not in anybody's best interest." According to Lyttle, the alternative design includes a series of small ponds, each designed to support its own natural wetland. "This way, we not only clean the water, but these wetlands could also provide a joint study project between the Environmental Studies and Marine Science depart ments," he suggested. The focus of the new marine facility will be on research, according to Dr. Sandra Gilchrist, Professor of Biology. Gilchrist and Dr. Leo Demski, Professor of Biology, drafted the initial design specifications for the pro''We believe that research and teaching aren't separate," said Gilchrist. Second-year Pete Mahoney was among several students asked to help design and manage the display aquariums that will be situated throughout the building. "Dr. Demski is looking for a more integrated design," he said. "Right now it looks like we're going to try to have other [marine] systems represented to supplement the studies we're doing about Florida." Funding for the building was initially provided by a National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Infrastructure (ARI) grant written by Gilchrist and Demski. "We had both been going to conferences and hearing about the ARI grant, that the NSF was interested in improving undergraduate research fa cilities. It all went from there," said Gilchrist. According to Lyttle, private donations from the Pritzker famj)y through the New College Foundation added another $900,000 to the $670,000 grant from NSF. After the Pritzker donation was matched by state funds in 1997, the construction process was able to begin. "It was such a natural conclusion that we needed a marine research fa cility on campus, considering that most of the faculty in Biology are somehow associated with the marine environment," said Gilchrist. "We've been dreaming of this ever since I got here 15 years agQ." bagels just aren't absurd.

PAGE 5

5 The Catalyst News March 18, 1999 Blueprint Committee organizes campus goals With five "priorities", group forms framework of ideas by Shanon Ingles do we go from here? As the Blueprint Commit tee attempts to tackle this question it is faced With many goals and object i ves. Eventually th e Committee will create a docu ment that will not only effect the internal workings of this campus, but also present the campus to affluent external institutions. A o.ver a month old the Blueprint Committee ts currently attempting to sort the am bitions of this campus into clear-cut mission statements and objectives. To give the Committee a framework to work Michael Bassis has created a pre hnunary outlme of five "priorities" for the campus. "[Priorities] B and Care specific to the University Program and New College. A, D and E are common to the entire campus" he explained. The meeting held on Friday March 12 at tempted to revise these priorities. I think the real issue for us is to see whether or not there are that are really missing in the list of objec tives for any one priority that needed to be added or [whether there are] some things that are trivial and need to be taken out," said Bassis at the start of Friday's discussion. Priority A involves making this campu s S araso ta's cu l tural and intellectual milieu. "There is money to be made from doing those things and doing them well that then can be rein vested into the institution," said Bassis, who also expressed his goal to open the campus up to the community for non-credit based learning. Objectives within Priority A include broaden ing interdisciplinary programs on campus. Naturally, the word 'interdisciplinary' sparked conversation and debate. The committee mem bers expressed concern regarding what 'programs' the Blueprint document would men tion, and if it was a good idea to mention any at all. Another objective of Priority A, which en couraged the collaboration between external scholarly and artistic organizations, was also scrutinized. "I wouldn't want it to appear that we are just finding ways to connect with (these institu tions)," said Miles, "but that we're ... bringing the unique strengths of this academic environment in partnership with these cultural organizations." Priorities B and C were not discussed at the meeting, since they are specific to New College and the University Program. The committee de cided it would be more efficient for the specific constituencies to work on these separately. Priority D, concerned with the campus as a whole, expresses a need to "provide faculty and students with the tools necessary for effective teaching and learning." Langston suggested amending this priority by addressing the issue of diversity on campu s and non-traditional students. Barylski expressed a concern for the lack of diversity and support for non-traditional s tudents in the University Program. "We get the k i d s to enroll...but I'm not sure if we address the needs afterwards he said. know that on the New College side there i s a big push for diversity," said Morris Priority E concerns outside support and fund ing for the entire campus. Its goal is to e nhan ce the visibility image and support for the campus among external groups." criticized this objective, suggesting that It needed say something about changing the Master Plan so that it represents the construction needs of the University Program. "You look at the plan and try to find what it says about University Program needs and its just not addressed." Barylski explained. Langston also wished to amend this priority by adding this campus's desire to erect environ mental and theatrical programs and facilities. In response, Bassis recommended a revision of the first objective to something like the continued modification of the Master Plan in line with the academic and curricular thrusts of the campus.'' All these priorities, along with constituent as pirations, will eventually be combined into a mission statement. Regarding the length of the final document, Bassis said,"In a total report of 10 or 12 pages there is one page for each mission and aspiration statements ... and at least a full page on each one of these priorities." This document is meant for external review and internal use. Constituencies and other com rnit.tees use it as a guide for campus policy, while philanthropic organizations will use it as a profile of both New College and the University Program. Blueprint priorities Priority A Broaden interdisciplinary progr a ms and insti tutes Bring scholars, artists and civic leaders to the campus Develop connections and collaborations with the area's cultural, scientific and artistic institutions Continue "to develop non-credit, continuing education programs to serve life long learning in terests of community residents." Priority B Give recognition to the faculty's role in devel oping the University Program Continue to develop a highly visible program with the Manatee Community College Develop degree programs based on the over all needs of students and community Explore "opportunities to serve the continuing professional development needs of local mid-ca reer employees" Improve the educational service for non-tradi tional and part-time employed students, Mobilize for the delivery of acade mic programs to enable students to complete their degrees on campus." Priority C Create and finance New College's national visibility to "recruit students from diverse back grounds" Produce a way to ease new students into this intense academic environment Increase student opportunity and involvement with "USF and other educational institutions", Continue "the process of academic program review involving teams of visiting scholars to stimulate ongoing program development. E valuate the academic calendar and curricu l u m w i th th e purpose of rebalancing the faculty workload" and assuaging fac ul ty tension. nm u ing aids, but reach out to the rest of the community Space that will accommodate a growing cam pus A writing center. More opportunities for "faculty development in the areas of teaching and scholarship" More student opportunities for off campus and "beyond curriculum" study (i.e., internships, service learning, travel and research) Funding for campus equipment and mainte nance for effective teaching and learning," An increase in "grant writing for institutional development and support." Priority E Implement the Master Plan (including future infrastructural changes), Continue "productive working relationships with the New College Foundation, the Community Leadership Council, the New College and USF Alumni Associations, and the New College Library Association." Establish an identity for the entire campus as one entity Create a publication that will educate external institutions about the campus Utilize external funding to actualize the cam pus's full potential. planning an event? want people to be there? publish your announcements in the Catalyst ... box 75 ... catalyst@virtu

PAGE 6

6 The Catalyst News March 18, 1999 Town Meeting addresses constitution, name change In response to campus opposition, name change proposal suspended indefinitely by Julian Frazier The town meeting was a litt l e s low t o get s tarted, bu t the salad p izza, and other assorted food items made up for the tardiness. What's more, the meeting, which had been schedu l ed to start at six wa s over shortl y after seven. The first item on the agenda was not Chris Limbu r gh and his boycott proposal. However, Limburgh proposed a vote that his topic be first on the agenda and a weary and impatient crowd was quick to approve of t his schedule change. His proposal involved a letter of comp l aint being sent to the Mount Olive Pickle Company in North Carolina concerning the poor treatment of their employees. He said it is an outrage that they are being paid by the bushel instead of by the hour, and according to a unanimou s vote, the New College community agrees with him. The second item on the agenda concerned the formation of a constitu tional revision committee. NCSA President Rachel Morris proposed that a nine-member committee be assembled to discuss possible changes to the New College Constitution. The committee would consist of two members from the executive branch, the Student Allocations Committee, Student Assembly, Judicial Branch, and one member of the Council of Academic Affairs. According to the agenda sheet circulated at the Town Meeting, "The chair will rotate among the constituencies, beginning with the execu tive. The Committee will meet weekly to revise/amend the Constitution. The Committee's work will be submitted to the President who will: A) take the revised Constitution to an attorney for consultation, B) resubmit the re vised Constitution to the Committee for further consideration, and C) place the final revised draft on the ballot for ratification by the student body." The n ext item on the agenda was an update on the Blueprint Committe e Morri s voi ced fru strat i o n concerni n g the projec t. "We 've got a month to write this twelve page thing and I hope it's going to happen, she $U\.. S abo mentioned that not everything which has been suggested for tbe uepnn t wiD b e represented m the fii:Ja1 onn. A Jot o peop e m1g look at this and t bink. it's just fluff," she said. She commented later tbat "this B l ueprin t may .ha ve real benefits for the campus by capitalizing on the resources of both the Univers ity program and New College in a very cre ative and non threatening way. She also sai d that she is still very optimi s tic about the project The Student Assembly elected second year Vi jay Sivarman to the po sition of Student Representative of the Food Serv ice Committee. Second-year Sara Seidel was e l ected as the Student Representative of the Housing Commi ttee. NCSA secretary Gene Cass idy addressed the NCSA resolutions on the suggested name change The resolutions sta t e that the New College student body does not approve of the changes that Warden Bassis has proposed for the University Program. Morris informed the assembly that Bassis is now putting off the proposed name change indefinitely. Morris then discussed the relocation of the New College experimental radio station. According to Morris, the station which is now located in a cramped, closet-like room in Hamilton Center will be moved to Pei 234, the room that was recently destroyed by fire. The station's broadcasting an tenna will then be moved to the Pei roof, which will allow for a larger broadcasting radius due to the increased height. The cost of restoring the room will be supplied by the insurance company, Housing and the NCSA. The move will no occur until sometime next fall when the room has been restored. It was also announced that the New College Foundation is holding an Action Auction in Hamilton Center on Saturday March 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and to accommodate the event, Ham Center will be closed from Friday morning to Monday morning. According to a letter sent by the Foundation to students, this is "because of the extensive decorating and re furbishment that Hamilton Center requires for the auction." Marriot meals for t his t ime will b e serve d by t he pool. The last i tem d i scussed at t h e t o w n meeting conc e rned vandalism on campus. Bubbles were once again put in the Jacuzzi l ast weekend and a wa o seconCf court was spray-pam e ms tenun e stu ents thai senseless acts of vandalism causes Student Affairs and th e campus police to 11 c rack d own i n g eneral. 11 Sarasota's not so bad ... if you know where to look Contrary to popular belief, Perkins is not the only place for late-night adventures b y A a ron Gustafson By this point in the school year, most New Coll e g e stu d ents hav e ventured outside the con fines of t he school grounds and have experienced just how weird Saraso t a really is. The roads are cluttere d with elderly drivers who can't see the r oa d (or the cars and bicyclists in front of them), snowbirds who have no idea where they are going, and people who are frustrated with the aforementioned groups, making leaving campus a scary proposition. Added to the fact that most shops in town are only open until 5 PM and most restaurants close by 10:00, there doesn't seem to be many options of escape for a student with cabin fever (aside from the standard trip to Taco Bell or Perkins.) Pretty sad for a town with about half a dozen colleges. If you look hard enough, however, you can find a few little gems here and there which make living in the Sarasota/Bradenton area just a little bit more bearable. When looking for an alternative to the late night trip to Taco Bell or Perkins, why not take a chance and head down to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital? It may sound strange, even a bit mor bid, but inside you will find Cafe Portofino, a great Italian restaurant with incredible pizza and it's open until 3 a.m.! The slices of pizza are huge and cost less than $2 each. If you go late enough (i.e. when they are about to close), you can sometimes get slices for under $1. When it comes to shopping, Kash and Karry isn't always the best option. When you need food, toiletries, or something as obscure as windshield wiper blades, why not bead to one of the two Wal-Mart Supercenters in the area? There is one just out on SR-70 at US 301 in Oneco and another on Cortez Road in Bradenton. The one in Oneco is a bit cleaner and a liltle closer, but both are massive (about an acre or two under one roof) and contain everything you could possibly want to purchase ... ever. And it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week! There's no other place in the Sarasota area where you can walk in at 1:45AM and pick up a six-pack of beer and an air rifle. (Whether or not that is an advantage is a separate issue.) Tired of renting videos from Blockbuster or Hollywood Video? Well, if you're looking for an obscure film, you could always check out Renniasance Video out on Bee Ridge Road, al though it is kind of far to drive and their hours aren't alJ that great. If you feel adventurous, head out to Home Depot plaza on Cortez Road and drop into Discount Video. Not only do they have one of the widest video selections in the area, they are open untillO PM and also sell 90-95% of the movies in their stock. If you rent it and want to keep it, you can buy it and they will deduct the rental fee from the selling price. While you are in the area, why not stop by Beers Unlimited, the only store in Sarasota/Bradenton to stock just about every beer legal in Florida from great imports all the way to microbrews from around the country They take beer and wine very seriously, so don't go in there looking for Budweiser or Michelob. If you are more interested in drinking out than drinking at home, swing over to the Lost Kangaroo in down town Bradenton. Like Beers Unlimited, they carry just about everything you could want to drink, a great deal of which they have on tap. They also have lots of raw peanuts to snack on while conversing with the locals. If you are a little less adventurous or just want a quiet place to sit and read, there's always the Barnes & Noble on US-41 South, next to Best Buy. Open until 11 PM, this is a great place to sit with a good book and enjoy a nice cup of coffee. They usually have some great deals too, which means tbat you '11 probably end up spend ing quite a bit of money by the time you force yourself to leave. All of these stores and restaurants are really great to students and probably offer the best es capes from campus. So the next time you re looking for something to do after hours, be ad venturous and try one of the handful of really neat places Sarasota has to offer its college popu lation.

PAGE 7

7 The Catalyst Opinion March 18, 1999 Letter to editor: Too much emphasis on diversity (In r e spon se t o th e Mar c h 4 issue) Since the advent o f my arrival at this New of a College pl ac e there has been much talk and complaints about the presence of diversity, or lack thereo f. Most o f the information I acquired was from the ever so informative and eloquent articles in the Tangent and Catalyst, the first of which last semester pertained to admissions and the low percentage of minorities the New College admits and enrolls. Now I am bom barded with advertisements and articles about organizations and publications that promote di versity friend s for who they are and what they do I say it IS time to promote diver s ity, but not d i versity according to race. Diversity according to people People who have different opinion s and dif ferent lives and take different classes but a r e all still people, and what differentiates them is their personalit i es and their views not what l ast name they have. I am, of course a whitey, and it is possible that if I were of some minority (that is, a minority according to Americans), then I may have different opinions about diversity, then I might actually care that everyone is aware that my skin is a little darker, that "my people a t one point suffered horrible atrocities that those not of my race could never understand. starts making conscious efforts to "diversify" who they admit then I will raise Hell. New College, of all places, should have a total disre gard to a person's ethnic background when narrowing down their applicant pool. This place is supposed to be different, innovative, not just another school that bases admit tance on a formula of the applicant's statistics and test scores Now for me to offend anyone and everyone. Who cares about diversity? Why does this mat ter? Why do we still concern ourselves with what people look like and what ethnicity they are? I don't care if all my friends are black (or excuse me, African American, because God knows I have to be politically correct) or if they are all white (Caucasian, by the same token), I love my Now that I think about it, no, I wouldn't be like that. I wouldn t care what happened in the past to people that I don't know and that I am not related to. I would care about now, and I would care about finding a good friend, not a Hispanic one. Additionally, if New College Admissions What is my point here? You may ask. Good question I am not even sure what the answer is. These efforts to promote diversity (whatever the heck that means) are certainly honest and humble enough, but it shouldn't matter anymore, it should have never mattered. People should be admitted and hired and chosen as friends for who they are and what they have contributed to this world, not because of what part of the world their parents came from. O pinion: An invisible man speaks by Charles Choi On official forms, whenever I'm asked whether I m one race or another, if I have the choice I prefer to fill in 'other.' To borrow an idea from Ralph Waldo Ellison's Invisible Man I want to live life as an invisi ble. salary cap on your job by becoming a man." "Don't go to Auschwitz, renounce Judaism." Of course, the choices that people make for their own lives are as important as the choices that life made for them. In high schoo l, I publicly and pointedly a vo i d e d the music that a lot of o th er I would love to live in a world where I didn't ha v e r ocks thrown at me when slanted eyes I would lo v e t o liv e in a world where I wasn't afraid for my self or other s because I heard someone else with slanted eyes was lynched or raped or torched or beaten by some racist mob. I would love to live in a land of milk and honey under rose-colored skies. I")" d"' Asian-Americans my age listened to l. rverst t).! oes just because it was 'the popular Asian.fl' 111atter to r.n,e, .. .. sorn:etH11CS 1t s th.e tl1ing myself instead in Bob Dylan and John Coltrane But t hen again some c hoose to ma k e the most o u t of w ha t life has given them. I'm proud of my heritages (please note the plural), and the wealth of experience that life bas granted me through my heritages mitigates the But we don't live in a perfect world. As much as I would love to live life in a world where the color of my skin doesn t matter, that's all some people are going to see. Try as I might, I can't scrub the color out of skin. fact that at times I feel like a man without a country. Diversity does mat ter to me, because sometimes it's the only thing anyone acknowledges about me. ol acl(no'\vletlges I come from New York, where I'm abotrt me .. not a minority because everyone's a minority. I love being able to interact with people on their own terms. That's why I came to New College: here, 1 knew I'd be exposed to all sorts of different viewpoints and lifestyles At New we. learn how to make choices after discovenng something about Judging someone solely by something bad no choice in is stupid. That's the trap that pohhcal cor rectness fell into by dogmatically pigeon-holing everyone into nice comfortable little boxes. On that same token, ignoring something that someone had no choice in is equally stupid. "Oh, you can choose not to be discriminated against by not being gay." "Forget. about forcible retirement just because you're 66; thmk yourself younger." "Stop worrying about having a other ways of life. Diversity is all about choice. Ignorance ts also a choice. 3.09 01:53 .... found unsecured. $75 of merchandise stolen and locks broken and stolen. Attempted ourQ:Irurv in cafeteria. I=EJ 3.10 03:00 Emergency phone ripped from post and thrown on ground at College Hall. 3.1111:58 Unsecured bike stolen from library courtyard. Value: $100. Recovered. 3.1121:25 Locked bike stolen from outside Westside Student Center. Value: $120. 3.13 04:06 Anonymous noise complaint. Wall music low ered by sponsor. 3.13 17:55 Trespass after warning and resisting vio lence in the vicinity of Fitness Center. Subject arrested and transported to Sarasota County Jail. Contribution Guidelines Utter to The Editor!, A response to previw oil$ articles, letters and/or .or a11 opinion that ts tntendea to be shared with tlie s tuden t bod y t o the Edito r ..... 'iiil Contribution: A factual arti cl e written by someone not on staff. Contributions should be informative and to the interests of New College students as a whole. Contributions may range in length from 250-50(Jwords. Guest Column: A so licited piece4 Guest columrusts do not necessarily represe n t 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 250-500 words. All submissions should be received by Friday, at 5 p.m. March 2 6 in order to appear in the next issue. Place contributions in box #75 (on disk preferably) or email them to catalyst@virtu.

PAGE 8

8 The Catalyst Help Wanted! The Action Auction, sponsored by the New College Foundation, has student job oppor tunities for the night of Saturday, March 20 from 5:30p.m. until about 11 p.m. in Ham Center. $6 per hour. Sign up in trailer next to Robinson Hall. 20 position available and you must be able to attend a pre-auction meeting on Saturday, March 20 at 5 p.m. It's wonderful to be so easily amused. The Office of Admissions is hiring admission interns for next year. Applications are due Thursday, Aprill. Friday, March 19, Physics profes sor candidate Dr. Michael Bergman will give a lecture at 2 p.m. in SEL 12. Be there or be .. uninformed. Give me liberty or give me broc coli! Eat food, have fun, and frolick with the UP students ... the UP Spring Fling will take place at the bayfront at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 20. Into biking? Stuck in Sarasota for ring an join the Critical Mass Bike ride. Meet in front of Ham Center on Friday, March 26, at 5 p.m. Announcements Be immortalized forever! Have first-years awed by your artistic prowess! Submit your Orientation T-shirt design to Maytal at box 614 and "be a part from the start". Interested in hearing Angela Davis give a lecture? There is a bus trip being planned to USF at Tampa. See the sign-up sheet outside the front of Ham Center to go with other stu dents. The Catalyst encourages Novo Collegiates to create their own pub lications. Healthy competition is a good thing. On March 29, 30, and 31 at 9 p.m. the Apocalypse Flicks: Millennia! Film Festival will descend upon Palm Court. Please stand clear of the doors. The Sudakoff parking lot will be closed Thursday, March 18, so push, pull or drive your vehicle off of it before then, and the UPD will be eternally grateful. Can't we all just get along? Be prepared! The Easter Egga a z wi e April 3. Come on out for food, an easter egg hunt, and a special ap pearance by the Easter Bunny. Yay! People lie to you all the time. You just don't know it. Wow, those Bulgarians can sing! Lauren Brody and Carol Silverman from the Yuri Yuoakov Ensemble will present a workshop on Bulgarian and Roma Singing on Sunday, March 28 at 1 p.m. in the College Hall Music room. The workshop is open to anyone with basic singing skills and an interest in singing Slavic and Eastern European music ... contact Erica Quin-Easter at 917-0881 or quin@virtu for more information. mmm ... carrots. wall previews 3.19 Amber DiPietro & Natalie 3 .20 Paul Malkowski 3.26 3.27 early Earnshaw CAREER CENTER March 18, 1999 The Effects of Sanctions and Assults on the People of Iraq, a talk by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark will be on Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. at the Campus Activities Center, USF at St. Pete. For more info, contact 727553-1556. Four Winds Coffee House Hours: Mondays: 10 a.m.-midnight Tuesdays: 9 a.m.-midnight Wednesdays: 10 a.m.-mid-night Thursdays: 9 a.m.-midnight Fridays: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays: closed, unless for a special event. Happy Hour: 4-6 p.m. weekdays 2000-01 Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship provides funding for one year of study in another country for the purpose of pro moting international understanding and goodwill between people of different nations. Rotary Scholars are assigned to use the scholarship at a specific study institution based on their prefer ences and are expected apply directly to the foreign institution. The 2001-01 scholarships Career Library or on the Rotary web site: http://www.rotary.org/programs/index.htm and click on Ambassador Scholars. both. All winners will be published in an an thology. are awarded for study beginning July 1, 2000. The scholarship covers round-trip transportation, academic fees, room and board, and some acade mic supplies. Generally awards range from $11,000 to $23,000 depending on the actual costs at the assigned institution. Applicants must have completed at least 2 years of college coursework with preference given to graduating students. Application must be made through a Rotary club in the applicant's legal or permanent residence or place of full time study. The scholarship is highly competitive and the application process is rigor ous. If you are interested in being nominated by New College, make an appointment to see Karen Patriarca in the Career Center (PME, 359-4261) after reviewing the program information in the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC) The ITEC is offering a variety of field courses at the Bocas del Toro Biological Station in Panama this summer. Some topics are Coral Reef Ecology (taught by our very own AI Beulig), Primate Ecology, Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, and Tropical Ecology and Conservation (this course for non science majors will be taught in Spanish). ITEC courses include lectures, field exer cises, and individual research. The cost is $1500 and includes all instruction, room and board, and local transportation. For more information visit their website at http://home.earthlinknet/-itec/ The National Poetry Competition 1999 $1000 First Prize, $750 Second Prize, $500 Third Prize and others. Entries must be submit ted by March 31, 1999. All poems must be written in English and must not have been previ ously published or broadcast. Each entry must not exceed 32 lines in length. Prizew:inners will be announced in the fall of 1999 in either Poets & Writers or The American Poetry Review, or Full-time Paid Summer Internship: Wellcraft Marine, in Sarasota is looking for someone with significant Macintosh experience to assist marketing department with designing materials for special events and catalog. Will assist with photo shoots, boat shows, dealer meetings, etc. Report to Director of Marketing. Pay $8.00/hour or depending on experience. Some overtime available. Candidate must be self-mo tivated and able to work independently. For more information contact Gordon Hauser at (941) 743-7811, ext. 512. To apply, submit are sume and portfolio of work. University of Miami is now offering a Master's degree program in Special Education in the criti cal needs area of learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disabilities. All undergrad uate Arts and Sciences majors and minority students are encouraged to apply. Substantial tu ition support is available for qualified students. For more information call Nelle Fonseca at (305) 284-2902.